tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88326263782938345372024-03-09T21:58:27.258-07:00The Cutlip FamilyJenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.comBlogger280125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-55407738161704911482024-03-07T22:27:00.006-07:002024-03-09T21:51:31.622-07:00Holding On and Letting Go<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>I'm sitting in the Harts Prarie ski lodge at Snowbowl. Jon and Danner are skiing with the Flagstaff Ski and Snowboard Team. Zac is taking a group lesson - he wasn't quite ready for the ski team. <br /><div><br /></div><div>Ben is off with friends at the sand dunes near Glamis, CA. Sam is at home (work was canceled), hopefully, he'll find someone to do something with. Tom had three to four patients to see this morning. Because of the snow, he had to take his truck *grunt, grunt (Tim Allen's)*! Lots of snow means man needs big 4x4 truck. And Livvy. Livvy is in Mazatlan, MX. She'll be there until April of 2026. We're not sure when we get to see her next.
Holding onto things that matter. Learning what those things are is the tricky thing. Letting go of things that don't matter. But also, letting go to let one fly.
This past summer and fall were a lot about making memories and holding onto them knowing that the letting go was on its way. This is what life is all about.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3NiOwpjYwKxdFwImPfAEAJ_to8owHLhbhkMwOEo_hxFb0K0XHDl5zoFGA0FgNNB5ilqs1Xlpj3Rkp6lQtoRwnfAUbwJAlcj4gIndNPKq7EosMIYwnMg1qSZAFvdoK5TC-yxFmYFh0lcG5EfCz5ZLP_UEoNfLmG3E6BeX7fjmBX4iDSj3df3H-IuylNQ/s1920/20231126-_DMI7579.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1277" data-original-width="1920" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3NiOwpjYwKxdFwImPfAEAJ_to8owHLhbhkMwOEo_hxFb0K0XHDl5zoFGA0FgNNB5ilqs1Xlpj3Rkp6lQtoRwnfAUbwJAlcj4gIndNPKq7EosMIYwnMg1qSZAFvdoK5TC-yxFmYFh0lcG5EfCz5ZLP_UEoNfLmG3E6BeX7fjmBX4iDSj3df3H-IuylNQ/w640-h426/20231126-_DMI7579.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwOPKVeuqsqonsjE3bAQ04rWmyVgADZYIK3gw0OyXrn2bOHCri-epqmxWq5RGLkGMpqFk75G-n4LdmPzUcPxL4Q_p32si3wnRnalsir0LLkdFarZQz-uGcD6pPPt3Duo_3N8MK8o_TeODeNWJTivkLaGjK999xd6e9FFF3HiF4yLPkAMTqEF7EwFc6LE/s1920/20231126-_DMI7648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1277" data-original-width="1920" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwOPKVeuqsqonsjE3bAQ04rWmyVgADZYIK3gw0OyXrn2bOHCri-epqmxWq5RGLkGMpqFk75G-n4LdmPzUcPxL4Q_p32si3wnRnalsir0LLkdFarZQz-uGcD6pPPt3Duo_3N8MK8o_TeODeNWJTivkLaGjK999xd6e9FFF3HiF4yLPkAMTqEF7EwFc6LE/w640-h426/20231126-_DMI7648.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwX33s0Lk6I7yXT3He1P1B1vKQM5BCCXm_oEihIkmEdp5SPuen5RhgXSMTgHx-mUQVokdxmjHE7NSwaiWTf6jc_uLThilsJFoDBQqTNNqsv2zMzEB8AL3LhmfmxsDD_NS-AEVk5gpduImGHEVT8UyzU0vijp4d-gQ4_YApUP-3SEebofPaFT0B1uyjjw/s4032/IMG_2901.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwX33s0Lk6I7yXT3He1P1B1vKQM5BCCXm_oEihIkmEdp5SPuen5RhgXSMTgHx-mUQVokdxmjHE7NSwaiWTf6jc_uLThilsJFoDBQqTNNqsv2zMzEB8AL3LhmfmxsDD_NS-AEVk5gpduImGHEVT8UyzU0vijp4d-gQ4_YApUP-3SEebofPaFT0B1uyjjw/w400-h300/IMG_2901.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>House progress. We hired a framer to get the rest of the house framed and sided - I'm pretty sure if we had to do it ourselves we'd be working on it for the next two years. Just the frame. But, thankfully, framers came and got 'er done. Tom, Sam, Ben, Opa, and lots of young guy friends worked for several weeks getting the new roof installed and replacing the existing one. It's so nice to have hard-working men around. Tom has been working on the garage door for the last week or more. He was able to get the door in place but between school, work, and snow, he's still working. Maybe this weekend he'll have time. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKfmaF5XmfAup7PPJls2LOjBfntUfsgRppbopTsHraJuaY_yq-HqgxdaIdmP3HritVvv90JEoURzhB0hltBmb84It5ALqJu4aqWYiV8yWTIeJ8xXEgibuLvPahzFyendPdOd2H1PupN6C2THqN_g3idTSUrGGzoRYh7XHItJj7WdK6ubWoQxn11DJAQ8/s4032/IMG_2899.JPG" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKfmaF5XmfAup7PPJls2LOjBfntUfsgRppbopTsHraJuaY_yq-HqgxdaIdmP3HritVvv90JEoURzhB0hltBmb84It5ALqJu4aqWYiV8yWTIeJ8xXEgibuLvPahzFyendPdOd2H1PupN6C2THqN_g3idTSUrGGzoRYh7XHItJj7WdK6ubWoQxn11DJAQ8/w400-h300/IMG_2899.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div>Our beloved PopPop passed away in July. We sure do miss him but are glad that he didn't suffer long. Once his heart started failing, it was only a couple of weeks before he wanted to stop seeing the doctors and go home. Tom was there by his side at his house here in Flagstaff when he left for his heavenly home. The boys, especially the little ones, still talk about PopPop taking them fishing or needing help with something electronic. Tears are shed and our longing for heaven grows. </div><div><br /></div><div>Tom officially started the Coconino Community College nursing program this May. He's been taking prerequisites for the last year or so. Along with his nursing classes at CCC, he's taking concurrent classes at Grand Canyon University so that he can graduate with his bachelor's in nursing in May of 2025. He's one-quarter of the way there are doing very well! All A's except for stinking Statistics. But, he's very happy with that B, because it was a crazy hard class for a required intro class. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9w3USshdz_SQBv-0SxGq3rA581MMLCU_jq2GRbeIhPFpuHa96XwfpNkZMPpOHdpIh8QDV2JH5erNS7tOHKF6-qsl1DEY79TUMMPHHDWFImDW5nUN2NNX1BsQaf8BCOAjJZkCjVgv-uaWOkuGnhXhu1YotlNizDA9zdNOYy2liBvDKYHxHt6WGIZUUbe4/s4032/IMG_4266.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9w3USshdz_SQBv-0SxGq3rA581MMLCU_jq2GRbeIhPFpuHa96XwfpNkZMPpOHdpIh8QDV2JH5erNS7tOHKF6-qsl1DEY79TUMMPHHDWFImDW5nUN2NNX1BsQaf8BCOAjJZkCjVgv-uaWOkuGnhXhu1YotlNizDA9zdNOYy2liBvDKYHxHt6WGIZUUbe4/w300-h400/IMG_4266.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Livvy spent most of last year in Mazatlan, Mexico with YWAM (Youth With A Mission). She learned so much and was ready to head back when God called her to go back this January. Unlike last year's five-month DTS (Disciple Training School), she's now taking an intern class and then has a two-year commitment. She's got a great community and God is teaching her so much and is using her in mighty ways! We are so incredibly proud of her, and really what God is doing!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlX2N9Aj69em-jaZRljVApBM36Yfg1RskxK-UsZ7XTBgV0ucTch4_pWjhTPbiHEXuQ539ighnPFz27ok7xIzEw266rS02xNm5fsz_CBWaVaPHUa7_I46q5ylcNtfLgMPcjZCEj60jqp7c9RvStZtWD4uQ8kMgK6Tr0WKhGLaWh5KNyDg6SZh0LOwNMN8/s4032/IMG_3160.HEIC" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlX2N9Aj69em-jaZRljVApBM36Yfg1RskxK-UsZ7XTBgV0ucTch4_pWjhTPbiHEXuQ539ighnPFz27ok7xIzEw266rS02xNm5fsz_CBWaVaPHUa7_I46q5ylcNtfLgMPcjZCEj60jqp7c9RvStZtWD4uQ8kMgK6Tr0WKhGLaWh5KNyDg6SZh0LOwNMN8/w300-h400/IMG_3160.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><div>Sam turned seventeen this past September. He's had a</div> very busy year. In June he went to Alaska and spent six weeks to set-net salmon with our good friends the Beckers. Although cold, he had a blast not only catching salmon, and sticking flounder, fishing, clammed, hauling water, seeing some cool wildlife, and hand fun being Mr Sam to Lyle and Alex's kiddos, Emily, Clara, Finn, and baby Ada. He worked full-time during the remaining summer for Tesano Construction. During the school year he works Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and gets his school done on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Last semester he took Wood Working and Intro to Pumbing. This semester he's taking Building Construction Methods and House Wiring. Though he's not crazy about school, he gets it done. I'm hoping to give him the necessary exposure to some careers in the trades so that he knows what direction/pathway he should take after graduating next year. Sam played basketball for Northland Preparatory Academy this past semester. This semester he's once again on the Track and Field team at NPA. He's really hoping he can break the school's record in javelin through this year. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4_BnPcjjhIE5NnrULOTxBmRzxSrYDrV5KNrsVBX_FYyNiiXNPZdT9d8Joq3XMteLQ_ZnFqH5VMOwZ3K2PDBmsQLw4sFucftH0QbCDukvR_J8pqbU0ZzRrdX2U98MAIg0FWyLX67j9wfBK3oeFIpMOpNfvPTMIi41a9zf7psom9CSUBf8c1ntXeA9KGA/s2000/Resized_20240122_143824_1705959688640.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4_BnPcjjhIE5NnrULOTxBmRzxSrYDrV5KNrsVBX_FYyNiiXNPZdT9d8Joq3XMteLQ_ZnFqH5VMOwZ3K2PDBmsQLw4sFucftH0QbCDukvR_J8pqbU0ZzRrdX2U98MAIg0FWyLX67j9wfBK3oeFIpMOpNfvPTMIi41a9zf7psom9CSUBf8c1ntXeA9KGA/w300-h400/Resized_20240122_143824_1705959688640.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>Ben just turned 15-1/2! Which means he's got his driver's permit! He's been counting down to the time for at least six months. He's a very good driver, maybe a little heavy on the foot, but so are all the men so far in this family, including PopPop. He's been driving cars and trucks around our property for a couple of years already, so he's pretty comfortable behind the wheel. What I am always super impressed with is that he can back up our huge truck with the trailer attached like it's nothing! He's gotten really into skiing this winter season. Before that, it was the Coconino High School Mountain Bike Team. Now he's adding track to his list of sports. He's trying his hand at sprints but seems very suited for long jump.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNe6rSV_wdMgRSWCF-8aGndV8cVTnZy9JKqUrtIb8rt9ii8opXvmksMUCXuyXNEC77y55E0I53d4cwlSyML-d82xUCnPClYKA7rLJO5CvvKvZMg-H14SeE5Zeg6k9Z3Gp9SPUSyKRyzfdsD3igtzbDHkja-6o5o_h5Eb07gr6C3NHUHkUhtkroTFILmO4/s4032/IMG_3629.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNe6rSV_wdMgRSWCF-8aGndV8cVTnZy9JKqUrtIb8rt9ii8opXvmksMUCXuyXNEC77y55E0I53d4cwlSyML-d82xUCnPClYKA7rLJO5CvvKvZMg-H14SeE5Zeg6k9Z3Gp9SPUSyKRyzfdsD3igtzbDHkja-6o5o_h5Eb07gr6C3NHUHkUhtkroTFILmO4/w300-h400/IMG_3629.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Jon, almost thirteen, continues to be our in-house tech guru. Anybody with any techy problem goes to<br /> Jon is ALWAYS ready and willing to help. He is also my built-in babysitter, especially since Livvy is gone. He tends to be very responsible and has a heart for others, somewhat unlike his older brothers who probably wouldn't notice if a brother went missing under their watch. This past year he had the privilege of building his own computer from scratch (with some oversight from Opa), although he's already made some upgrades all by himself. He's really hoping someone else needs one so he can build again. Jon tried his hand at mountain biking this past fall. He was really enjoying it until he fell from the ceiling rafters in the addition and broke his wrist. Now he's on the Flagstaff Snow and Snowboarder Team along with Danner and Zac. He's really enjoying the chance to ski every Friday and be challenged with new skills. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrHJPzQLWLkrisbav2-Cjr_Q1bOPMP9D2RLitvj8yXDNopccaaubn70WCoDkSAaU0cnOEXxION_xAQLqCv9G01duuosN4NmYutbD3em1yXt9WKK4eMFCg1F6oQRR3ZDPuOLnH4CvWXhwP4T8wAdLq_f57PWKJQEBG-l_HXeTgCIzGJl68seJDQcr_dMY/s4032/IMG_3749.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrHJPzQLWLkrisbav2-Cjr_Q1bOPMP9D2RLitvj8yXDNopccaaubn70WCoDkSAaU0cnOEXxION_xAQLqCv9G01duuosN4NmYutbD3em1yXt9WKK4eMFCg1F6oQRR3ZDPuOLnH4CvWXhwP4T8wAdLq_f57PWKJQEBG-l_HXeTgCIzGJl68seJDQcr_dMY/w300-h400/IMG_3749.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Danner continues to be our spirited, talkative, creative, hunter boy. He loves listening to stories while he builds Lego creations from scratch, fashions the latest bow from a tree branch, or a blow dart from PVC pipes. He amazes us with his creative abilities seeing that he still struggles with reading. It's the gift of the learning curve! We're getting some help from a sweet friend with a new reading program that we are very hopeful will spring Danner into the ability to read all the books that he loves to listen to. He's a tender-hearted, passionate boy, who wears his heart on his sleeve. Good or bad, Danner can't hide what he's thinking or feeling.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZNHNloapyG6iVBejyVWfboHhjKNKdSTatzADyJpPTRgiRkxMnfHDV_3OQEb_nM6-HiCPupWNtcJcf6khvs613NThIeDh5cW5QLWQCalDDtt6Raj15b3TpFJkp5xg0B0rvNCO98VNJewWEgxh3vZyFgfC0LmwcQ2T4Nje9ZRSo7gdTCFbSqujeZ9s2RM/s4032/IMG_3633.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZNHNloapyG6iVBejyVWfboHhjKNKdSTatzADyJpPTRgiRkxMnfHDV_3OQEb_nM6-HiCPupWNtcJcf6khvs613NThIeDh5cW5QLWQCalDDtt6Raj15b3TpFJkp5xg0B0rvNCO98VNJewWEgxh3vZyFgfC0LmwcQ2T4Nje9ZRSo7gdTCFbSqujeZ9s2RM/w300-h400/IMG_3633.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Zacky, the littlest, is almost eight! I am extremely grateful to be out of the baby-toddler phase. Although<br /> Zac still needs help with the occasional tying of the shoes or strapping on of the ski boots, he's very independent and competitive. I do like that he hasn't fully moved out of the little-kid phase. I don't know if it's just Zac or because he's the youngest (or both....probably both), but he doesn't like to go or do things by himself (meaning without a family member), still asks for me to sleep with him on occasion, wants me to just sit with him while he builds Legos... even though all I do is scour through the pile looking for pieces of disembodied mini-figures (Danner had/has a bad habit of not only decapitating the Lego figures, he would pop off their hands, arms, separated their legs from their torsos). I have made it my mission to make all Lego mini-figures whole. Zac doesn't seem to mind that I'm not really playing with him, as long as I am with him. Pretty sweet, I think.<br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Life is so full of ups and downs. The hard and the happy moments seem so intertwined. Life is hard. Marriage is hard. Parenting, especially teenagers, is hard. At church, we just finished up a study on Ruth. After wrapping up chapter one, our pastor talked about how life seems a lot like chapter 1 of Ruth - "...<span class="text Ruth-1-20" id="en-NKJV-7148" style="font-size: 16px;">call me Mara...</span><span class="text Ruth-1-21" id="en-NKJV-7149" style="font-size: 16px;">I went out full, and the <span class="small-caps divine-name" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Lord</span> has brought me home again empty." If we ended there, we'd just want to throw in the towel and call it quits. But, he emphasized, Ruth chapter 2 is coming! The book isn't over yet. God had a plan. God has a plan. To take the hurt, the suffering, the hopelessness and turn it into blessing upon blessing. In Ruth, all that emptiness from chapter one gets turned around into fullness that leads directly into the line of David, leading directly to the true redeemer, Jesus. My prayer is for God's grace and redemption during this season of holding on and letting go.</span></span></span></div>Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-80127410863325618532023-07-17T19:31:00.007-07:002023-07-17T19:31:49.265-07:00Comings and Goings<p></p><p>I've discovered something new in the past few months. From this time forward "family time or "all together time" will always be temporary. I totally knew this time was coming. I've even looked forward to it at times. And, honestly, there's something that I really like about it - not necessarily the not-together part, but the watching as kids grow and fly. That's what this whole parenting thing is all about anyway, right? Why would I spend countless hours lovingly (and sometimes not) training my kids to be independent, god-fearing followers of Jesus, to go follow Him, wherever that takes them, and then in any way hold or even want to hold them back? I'm not eager for them to leave (most of the time), but I am excited to see where He leads them. </p><p>Now, picking up where I left off in the previous post: </p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqc_KJsRtfK3YpwS_DMD7ZMtzN2E0AQ7IIEZckSO6_5BeiJSiF0Q-jj2FYv7FzOklgL60djG0wU7fxNMmBEbNmOw6RozwcKauemWhwkQ9tRUSSBUvUyZPmJ-WFcWKEEfDlT8p-xtN6-V4vdOz1fjC0IBmFxIzTBm4D2Bqg5nT1m4UD9LxKyiLgfZb344/s3648/20230107_123122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqc_KJsRtfK3YpwS_DMD7ZMtzN2E0AQ7IIEZckSO6_5BeiJSiF0Q-jj2FYv7FzOklgL60djG0wU7fxNMmBEbNmOw6RozwcKauemWhwkQ9tRUSSBUvUyZPmJ-WFcWKEEfDlT8p-xtN6-V4vdOz1fjC0IBmFxIzTBm4D2Bqg5nT1m4UD9LxKyiLgfZb344/w400-h300/20230107_123122.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>In January Tom and I flew Livvy down to Mazatlan, MX to begin her five-month DTS (Disciple Training School) with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) and to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We spent the first day together exploring Mazatlan and our hotel together. On the second day, we took Liv to the YWAM base, looked around, prayed together, and said our goodbyes. She started her journey of Spanish immersion and discovering God in new ways and His call for her. Tom and I spent the next several days hanging out at the resort, kayaking, snorkeling, shopping, and enjoying all of the yummy foods and drinks.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNJirFc30NY9lkWIPtSwTxINcEr9mjGHphlqMD8apqvNydsX05_eHYOtt1eqdz5tCLt4oIDRE25jSl165qRM-A2shLC3d1Gay_DlyI4lNd9FKOnXr_jZDtFGBKD-P8AN8K7WxxVwkUaW7UUN5ZHKHuTYqD6Yacrgc1EPx5_I2zUHI24NA7b7i53WbV1w/s4032/IMG_0188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNJirFc30NY9lkWIPtSwTxINcEr9mjGHphlqMD8apqvNydsX05_eHYOtt1eqdz5tCLt4oIDRE25jSl165qRM-A2shLC3d1Gay_DlyI4lNd9FKOnXr_jZDtFGBKD-P8AN8K7WxxVwkUaW7UUN5ZHKHuTYqD6Yacrgc1EPx5_I2zUHI24NA7b7i53WbV1w/w240-h320/IMG_0188.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OtiBYHdZsSFwcUCUGnqmurpz4UKaFxTsKUVjD3egBGJtnRJmhRqw9vEBKnVpS1BfZ6njhDc9i4xkvaOXsUdcnxnJ80ljaM5IfN0I3fnn_LF5RZxdnVsis4d-sHa5J402GVM0qJijkRbibJWgi02PzJb48T4_f1xpHqaIcjqaHvcaA2ySIQQvVKwwfuk/s9348/IMG_0212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3908" data-original-width="9348" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OtiBYHdZsSFwcUCUGnqmurpz4UKaFxTsKUVjD3egBGJtnRJmhRqw9vEBKnVpS1BfZ6njhDc9i4xkvaOXsUdcnxnJ80ljaM5IfN0I3fnn_LF5RZxdnVsis4d-sHa5J402GVM0qJijkRbibJWgi02PzJb48T4_f1xpHqaIcjqaHvcaA2ySIQQvVKwwfuk/w591-h248/IMG_0212.JPG" width="591" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_WS7aM5DbDnJEDaDL7SWW3UPb8vX8HUoTOzjtDbM_bgwnGekNwEYYlQmxn4VyPDE-qefvvbF-Y7QlAMPKafyuijeN02cCtwDtbTP11-emxCEcEZjsF0OMsVvpO1uYWmibMZ2ppCbbxXAhgUTHg6v4oGFZca72lc_FArHVYLQllWowKHEm7hI5A-qrKQ/s4032/IMG_0276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_WS7aM5DbDnJEDaDL7SWW3UPb8vX8HUoTOzjtDbM_bgwnGekNwEYYlQmxn4VyPDE-qefvvbF-Y7QlAMPKafyuijeN02cCtwDtbTP11-emxCEcEZjsF0OMsVvpO1uYWmibMZ2ppCbbxXAhgUTHg6v4oGFZca72lc_FArHVYLQllWowKHEm7hI5A-qrKQ/s320/IMG_0276.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GUsT9zuz0Zu6me3O9rnteu5eU_tgkAOv25GFTgz2gPGSU5dJCOG_fJvcCXPw7GXL3ALVpt8teEV_oYNQ5tZgcbxp3QT9M7go_uDbc3fejC4-m0AZpvlpjF_m9soXDLasysNrgmrJoe3k5OK2EDBa9DzjeSxdPzRvtymGO-lltkZ055HIw3HKmdoMhFM/s4032/IMG_0235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GUsT9zuz0Zu6me3O9rnteu5eU_tgkAOv25GFTgz2gPGSU5dJCOG_fJvcCXPw7GXL3ALVpt8teEV_oYNQ5tZgcbxp3QT9M7go_uDbc3fejC4-m0AZpvlpjF_m9soXDLasysNrgmrJoe3k5OK2EDBa9DzjeSxdPzRvtymGO-lltkZ055HIw3HKmdoMhFM/w400-h300/IMG_0235.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBvCenmSi31ppK6BDOYDlVRT2vGp2t6Q3Z9h9-z5hFxHL18jrDU2elHVgU9tADQ88mZiO90lCRfruWZB0E5IRgMmqZ4bDm3KSYX9sEzjAReERXnZoVesNyPzvzDTwmjPYG9cpWEPYLvnUEL5BoJRGtq8K8LdTmEYWsMQ0Ovs19QcLdr8Z71ronicIGWk/s4032/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBvCenmSi31ppK6BDOYDlVRT2vGp2t6Q3Z9h9-z5hFxHL18jrDU2elHVgU9tADQ88mZiO90lCRfruWZB0E5IRgMmqZ4bDm3KSYX9sEzjAReERXnZoVesNyPzvzDTwmjPYG9cpWEPYLvnUEL5BoJRGtq8K8LdTmEYWsMQ0Ovs19QcLdr8Z71ronicIGWk/s320/IMG_0220.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfdlfE5eGrICfwOBQhzA_H7cSEgetv58cKszMjGdWlWlNYZIZvyXUJE47XhCOjk0XpCPmb28Tqnu4Ta1QjVJL30o0fJy4AvTGh1eevc2b5CzGnBCDDtoWZCd9IoecIt5gCuir400aJxUl2SwT6fcsoM0ukpV-ZixtWYY01KkEKqCUQIQn9YuP6WFsO-M/s3088/570EF37B-B808-41B0-A05D-FC6D04E7FCD6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfdlfE5eGrICfwOBQhzA_H7cSEgetv58cKszMjGdWlWlNYZIZvyXUJE47XhCOjk0XpCPmb28Tqnu4Ta1QjVJL30o0fJy4AvTGh1eevc2b5CzGnBCDDtoWZCd9IoecIt5gCuir400aJxUl2SwT6fcsoM0ukpV-ZixtWYY01KkEKqCUQIQn9YuP6WFsO-M/w240-h320/570EF37B-B808-41B0-A05D-FC6D04E7FCD6.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Livvy spent the first three months, called the Lecture Phase, of her DTS in Mazatlan in bi-lingual Bible classes. She and her team also helped out in various ministries in and around the city. The last two months of the DTS is the Outreach Phase. They spent the first month in two cities in Mexico leading or helping out in other various ministries reaching out to the homeless and hurting. Flying halfway around the world, her team spent their last month in Siem Reep, Cambodia. Although she did not appreciate the climate, she loved teaching kids in their Bible and English classes. If you would like to read more about what God did in and through Livvy, check out her blog at: <a href="https://lifewithlivvyjoy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Life With LivvyJoy</a>.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>Here at home, it was the same old, same old, for the most part. We carried on with life and school, everybody learning the new norm. </p><p>The "little" guys missed Livvy A LOT! Jon and Danner especially. They went to bed several nights in tears. It was so nice to be able to call or FaceTime Liv whenever they wanted. But, as Jon said, "It's just not the same. I don't want to talk with her, I just want a hug." </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQkYKyZcAPjbhvktOf_N9aUxyk36AhN_ahMJBuBEZWo-Dy7TWe4X8n2Z1sNuZl-uCu9DLJ0kECoGlKmdXqVVPfLSaqOSFVA63PswOSBf0-5OSF8kqSsefj8Vy_uOePmhLFaaN3y6EIfEZgaQVjpngFlR8vVh4kXhkYF2Bkm3gonXgTufqI_RBKY2UlVE/s3088/IMG_0691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQkYKyZcAPjbhvktOf_N9aUxyk36AhN_ahMJBuBEZWo-Dy7TWe4X8n2Z1sNuZl-uCu9DLJ0kECoGlKmdXqVVPfLSaqOSFVA63PswOSBf0-5OSF8kqSsefj8Vy_uOePmhLFaaN3y6EIfEZgaQVjpngFlR8vVh4kXhkYF2Bkm3gonXgTufqI_RBKY2UlVE/w300-h400/IMG_0691.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefnRDo6iqgphPktcb14IYBD1RCv4FK0hAk28n5N9HoC19hi3JFIqW81_ioQutYg5IPJp0_dpxz4sotGqsZIELPArdx3mTBgXFVp5AFsuFwi-vVNMq7ujOOFrQ4XG_ED84Ejzyda0CaGeefKvPvD5XXFSggEv1r6wZZyuFw7XQJ-HUKFFg1KGEPoPRbgs/s4032/IMG_0860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefnRDo6iqgphPktcb14IYBD1RCv4FK0hAk28n5N9HoC19hi3JFIqW81_ioQutYg5IPJp0_dpxz4sotGqsZIELPArdx3mTBgXFVp5AFsuFwi-vVNMq7ujOOFrQ4XG_ED84Ejzyda0CaGeefKvPvD5XXFSggEv1r6wZZyuFw7XQJ-HUKFFg1KGEPoPRbgs/w400-h300/IMG_0860.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNd7Z8hABhaxL1cn81PF6yPFJJEZEPjLIF4q05IvHVze3J0HTSZBYcAEaAxsLJG6nvbNMdJEMl_dAvz2-t0cv14hpOKGAKSs04Yuw7i44wKnuE2AeIEp7oS_HmyenoavRotrHffcA7VCE089E3101LCF5AVcwLxY45JluJsYG2dj58u6LZ4cwhQpYE06M/s2386/IMG_0815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1620" data-original-width="2386" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNd7Z8hABhaxL1cn81PF6yPFJJEZEPjLIF4q05IvHVze3J0HTSZBYcAEaAxsLJG6nvbNMdJEMl_dAvz2-t0cv14hpOKGAKSs04Yuw7i44wKnuE2AeIEp7oS_HmyenoavRotrHffcA7VCE089E3101LCF5AVcwLxY45JluJsYG2dj58u6LZ4cwhQpYE06M/w400-h271/IMG_0815.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKi6MZGYSrAS3HWVb053Oo1wvOs7bQcoghAUsGlx97NaNPupFv6_-zpMCueJLuJSVtiuk8L2HYzPCzGy-qqxnhOGE_hicoOr3OXB-BEe7HNeMHY6EUs84llN-mqR24i0naFx458CQBtuiwF0P_aeaLd1vbuOsJC6lp49Fd174ihdPrAtKTAdkaCfol1Oc/s3117/IMG_1229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3117" data-original-width="2134" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKi6MZGYSrAS3HWVb053Oo1wvOs7bQcoghAUsGlx97NaNPupFv6_-zpMCueJLuJSVtiuk8L2HYzPCzGy-qqxnhOGE_hicoOr3OXB-BEe7HNeMHY6EUs84llN-mqR24i0naFx458CQBtuiwF0P_aeaLd1vbuOsJC6lp49Fd174ihdPrAtKTAdkaCfol1Oc/w274-h400/IMG_1229.JPG" width="274" /></a></div></div>Ben plugged away at school (we're still plugging), but really impressed us with his dancing skills. The boy went from poo-pooing dancing the year before when Liv and Sam were getting ready for prom, to really getting into it himself - he's got some good moves! He also continued working with DH3 (Dirty Hands Happy Hearts) building their Pre-Runner.</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0ecZinn2Aoa57rZg4q7wmQD9uXA3jNGys90uC2_QI_-BwGpaRiHmmUn3z68z3LRBLGhmZDFI98j0GyodewWY711vsAIjsdc68bL2ih2fHvja8IMQ-ShAe4RSWokdjKC7uD_AmvJP1fYF2lrc-nrMRdW45dzWpcOgVVGKL0hpHECEZ879mj30P0KOfPI/s4032/IMG_1185.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0ecZinn2Aoa57rZg4q7wmQD9uXA3jNGys90uC2_QI_-BwGpaRiHmmUn3z68z3LRBLGhmZDFI98j0GyodewWY711vsAIjsdc68bL2ih2fHvja8IMQ-ShAe4RSWokdjKC7uD_AmvJP1fYF2lrc-nrMRdW45dzWpcOgVVGKL0hpHECEZ879mj30P0KOfPI/w300-h400/IMG_1185.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2ExxcAeF31SEXA3QGdiSr7J46OFPqAa19shsT5C6D2EyN2ZsYNYtbUW5ujnSDCzagqVM7QZGPJz4dk_RkbiQZb4ebuluXBfBDdfG88BO6y2wbaa0r_oxJhpnQkpTr9t4F7E2lF7ucmIAZIC94pMNlKbFLUk_uNKRvcbhgiPBTdC3vNbdOXSgG7D_IHg/s4032/IMG_1883.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2ExxcAeF31SEXA3QGdiSr7J46OFPqAa19shsT5C6D2EyN2ZsYNYtbUW5ujnSDCzagqVM7QZGPJz4dk_RkbiQZb4ebuluXBfBDdfG88BO6y2wbaa0r_oxJhpnQkpTr9t4F7E2lF7ucmIAZIC94pMNlKbFLUk_uNKRvcbhgiPBTdC3vNbdOXSgG7D_IHg/w400-h300/IMG_1883.heic" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sam tried track and field for the first time. He still isn't especially fond of running long distances, but he grew to like sprints and love javelin. He came very close to breaking the school's record. Next year!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTS61PwhcjemnGjkaUYSqtO-_qMo7u7YbW9bPFklsBi3wr317df9j8ufTsMw8JB5iaLttDqb1uJUWKX_LV436r5GsMg-vWWeAYvr0NFTHA-CIMYkKzsPio5IWyBnH5xEuwxw5KXS7otvrolgrtrgept2G7xOqS3aWK8gQ3wkQxmwQrFYou1xLFu7fgw8/s4032/IMG_1221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTS61PwhcjemnGjkaUYSqtO-_qMo7u7YbW9bPFklsBi3wr317df9j8ufTsMw8JB5iaLttDqb1uJUWKX_LV436r5GsMg-vWWeAYvr0NFTHA-CIMYkKzsPio5IWyBnH5xEuwxw5KXS7otvrolgrtrgept2G7xOqS3aWK8gQ3wkQxmwQrFYou1xLFu7fgw8/w300-h400/IMG_1221.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1q5BXZQ8SZzBTz7ZIfuQiJDx69s_sSMMmS1skWO3jsefQRZsYga3cpEDQKt1qG0LS8fuIrMLhqOQCJz70bgWcEXQuuQZXMJg4VFcCLJfMuAAYtwoh2RU405pVSY0uztUG5i0GfZc5CWSHjkMoNcSMzaWYGpyPDSIUe_zXrc-XZM1rfDhJNRGgmp8TR4/s4032/IMG_0573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1q5BXZQ8SZzBTz7ZIfuQiJDx69s_sSMMmS1skWO3jsefQRZsYga3cpEDQKt1qG0LS8fuIrMLhqOQCJz70bgWcEXQuuQZXMJg4VFcCLJfMuAAYtwoh2RU405pVSY0uztUG5i0GfZc5CWSHjkMoNcSMzaWYGpyPDSIUe_zXrc-XZM1rfDhJNRGgmp8TR4/w300-h400/IMG_0573.JPG" width="300" /></a></div></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTLuhcIrRPqTfn6dy2R5PRxwmFD2lncNAyV2N_M0htIPWmWlnp6GbDuYL073DhITxIUedMFcpv7Uwa9A-AWotz9iPuzYPJiDIAVgm5R9XXMKmzTuFrHX9zl_mdz3vZxlcXSbEIxp4-cg_ySus7t1h4Qmas_vR-BBAWfiavQ4FD3Lr7LfFpqca4M9tL94/s3000/dsc08215.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3000" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTLuhcIrRPqTfn6dy2R5PRxwmFD2lncNAyV2N_M0htIPWmWlnp6GbDuYL073DhITxIUedMFcpv7Uwa9A-AWotz9iPuzYPJiDIAVgm5R9XXMKmzTuFrHX9zl_mdz3vZxlcXSbEIxp4-cg_ySus7t1h4Qmas_vR-BBAWfiavQ4FD3Lr7LfFpqca4M9tL94/w565-h376/dsc08215.heic" width="565" /></a></div></div><p>Sam and Ben were t-boned in the van (not Sam's fault) and the van was totaled. After hem-hawing about what to get next, my dad helped us out with a 2019 Honda Odyssey - t feels quite fancy.</p><p>Now, thankfully, it is summer break! We made it, mostly. Whew! What a year!</p><p>Livvy came back at the end of May. She has pretty much readjusted to life and is currently looking for a temporary job. Although when she first came home she wasn't sure what she wanted to do next (besides not pursuing a college degree), she feels God leading her back to Mazatlan with YWAM. She'll attend a counseling seminar in October with the idea to join staff in Mazatlan in January. Please join her in praying for God to provide for her time at home and especially as she starts raising support.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61TFvK-_WGElrsLHpJ84mb898nHuvHiVwEg7QrQZdCfV1MWFbE0BGViyMlk55JaZyccergR2EaAGWRIQFaDrTKgZ0e7RUJAxK9JSri6YduhoFH6gNpJftExT_xNfDJKBnAWtaYmGEuuU_sQWHpAIaUYoy2giJtg7dtrumdwd53VRPFhkfyCZEZcuL6yk/s4032/IMG_6160.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61TFvK-_WGElrsLHpJ84mb898nHuvHiVwEg7QrQZdCfV1MWFbE0BGViyMlk55JaZyccergR2EaAGWRIQFaDrTKgZ0e7RUJAxK9JSri6YduhoFH6gNpJftExT_xNfDJKBnAWtaYmGEuuU_sQWHpAIaUYoy2giJtg7dtrumdwd53VRPFhkfyCZEZcuL6yk/w300-h400/IMG_6160.heic" title="Clamming" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clamming</td></tr></tbody></table>But, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, life together is just temporary. We had everybody home under one roof for approximately two and a half weeks. Then Sam left in mid-June to work in Alaska. Tom's good buddy, the closest man he has to a brother, Lyle, is a hunting/fishing/outfitter/guide. The kids all call him "Uncle Lyle" and his wife, "Aunt Alex". We're all jealous because he's the first one to meet their kiddos. Sam will be set-netting salmon in Pilot Point, Bristol Bay for six weeks. Super exciting work and adventure for that guy! I'll post pictures when he gets home or back in range. We most likely won't hear from him the whole time because the internet is almost non-existent - too bad, Buddy, your phone won't work:)</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdQ22PiAJuYQgvazXOxaPZBYHDlA35tmm1oQpFC3GI8Y-Zmm5xRzCY20_FmXE5DewfBWWlnbAHNW4H9EXYE3aSUM7CkbyBBzXQTkfhQrkZDQtHb7EO3XmWSpxEqBpi7zY3WsB-1BeCAD3HRhXBHRiJAIDKehh9DmDN-OYQPrpOwUxUwtNRusqEfbeKZg/s4032/IMG_3160.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdQ22PiAJuYQgvazXOxaPZBYHDlA35tmm1oQpFC3GI8Y-Zmm5xRzCY20_FmXE5DewfBWWlnbAHNW4H9EXYE3aSUM7CkbyBBzXQTkfhQrkZDQtHb7EO3XmWSpxEqBpi7zY3WsB-1BeCAD3HRhXBHRiJAIDKehh9DmDN-OYQPrpOwUxUwtNRusqEfbeKZg/w300-h400/IMG_3160.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Tom has been very busy! He's been working, mostly part-time hours. He's taking three summer school classes; thankfully two are almost done, and the third only overlapped for three weeks. He's also been wrapping up his/our part of the house framing (we finally decided that if we wanted to get the house done in the next five years, we'd need to hire some outside help). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoH1wxFHa1BFXmiMhdkySDmWsjMbTjVX47UqDs-TWIcT1xjfxaRifzsumn3N8cNGC_9ZQS1wbpCD2766OeUXa7lc2N5QLlzr7c6uX9XwxHzvz4mW7O7TAN77O7X8gIHg0Gv6o8O6TyR1ccrIOUW5-YR2tTqv19AeDEJaW3WqgtDINy2Qc7Av0VoLTTh0/s4032/IMG_1013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoH1wxFHa1BFXmiMhdkySDmWsjMbTjVX47UqDs-TWIcT1xjfxaRifzsumn3N8cNGC_9ZQS1wbpCD2766OeUXa7lc2N5QLlzr7c6uX9XwxHzvz4mW7O7TAN77O7X8gIHg0Gv6o8O6TyR1ccrIOUW5-YR2tTqv19AeDEJaW3WqgtDINy2Qc7Av0VoLTTh0/w400-h300/IMG_1013.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>God's timing is perfect! When the framers started coming and taking over the house project, Tom needed to take care of his dad. PopPop declined very quickly. Because Tom no longer needed to work on the house, he was able to walk with Jim through his last days. Tom, Livvy, and I took turns staying with him at his home here in Flagstaff with the oversite of the same hospice team that took care of his mom, Carol back in November. Wednesday, June 12th, PopPop went home to be with Jesus. We are relieved that he didn't suffer, and we take joy in his family reunion with Carol, Joy, and Jesus. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Moving to AZ from OH six years ago was a huge sacrifice for Jim and Carol - and we were blessed immensely! Their presence will be greatly missed at our dinner table every Tuesday and Friday, at soccer games, basketball games, choir concerts, holidays, PopPop's taxi service, and even the two ladies down at the Senior Center miss them too! I am forever grateful for all the time, energy, money, hugs, and "I love you"s that I/we received!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbT6I36Nzm9W0NPS1RtNp9TA9vGVQzO4b9a54WvcknRuq0LaCXQsLhRRn_Xvd9M52vei61YxexxMtaanpY9ScnHg_QXSMp6Nz_fIn6bJ2K6UFibfKQJxWjaX7KO-2XWTf6CTalbCOE4eZBYA-oCNJZNy7dTUdXqrSYA6Ap19YStgZKe00wsFnFYlnj0b0/s4032/IMG_0741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbT6I36Nzm9W0NPS1RtNp9TA9vGVQzO4b9a54WvcknRuq0LaCXQsLhRRn_Xvd9M52vei61YxexxMtaanpY9ScnHg_QXSMp6Nz_fIn6bJ2K6UFibfKQJxWjaX7KO-2XWTf6CTalbCOE4eZBYA-oCNJZNy7dTUdXqrSYA6Ap19YStgZKe00wsFnFYlnj0b0/w300-h400/IMG_0741.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Wg3t6nwQcYjbTsPOqH0ZWgPVTZaxV3XcNgBgc-IRyJHMJkuggWb_l_DaYrExogF0sGRQSA8XJxOXeW_PaaAXE46sY8rbL4pB2sUpiXpl77Bk7B0HIY10X8uHy1i54HXpdq_qS3A80QZsv1GBH-wX7WcybEuvuD_Z-0goi1g9D8QPLE-JbBFLoV4rYfA/s4032/IMG_9994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Wg3t6nwQcYjbTsPOqH0ZWgPVTZaxV3XcNgBgc-IRyJHMJkuggWb_l_DaYrExogF0sGRQSA8XJxOXeW_PaaAXE46sY8rbL4pB2sUpiXpl77Bk7B0HIY10X8uHy1i54HXpdq_qS3A80QZsv1GBH-wX7WcybEuvuD_Z-0goi1g9D8QPLE-JbBFLoV4rYfA/w400-h300/IMG_9994.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7-9TktoQvLfCJBhcZpweaXN6WYugwrap-fW6EBdb4J4Qo7Qq6NewLVSuF6XHjatjSIfic9W2DA34TnhJhfmDd8tdrIo-27Zt4EXgZEGRmQV29J13Q5hH2QNEqzPQZcOTwDMQtscJJzR1pGBuosQbl-wNeXqbajtSEWqj-6fxSLH2EuIkzJTT5P6xRqs/s2975/20221111_191225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2975" data-original-width="2231" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7-9TktoQvLfCJBhcZpweaXN6WYugwrap-fW6EBdb4J4Qo7Qq6NewLVSuF6XHjatjSIfic9W2DA34TnhJhfmDd8tdrIo-27Zt4EXgZEGRmQV29J13Q5hH2QNEqzPQZcOTwDMQtscJJzR1pGBuosQbl-wNeXqbajtSEWqj-6fxSLH2EuIkzJTT5P6xRqs/w300-h400/20221111_191225.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And so the summer continues..full of soccer (Danner and Zac), hiking (mama & Livvy), mountain biking (Jon), summer school, housebuilding (Tom), and gardening (Livvy and boys). Hopefully, we can maintain the easy pace of summer, not too busy, but not too bored. And hopefully, we can enjoy the time we have together without holding on to it too tightly.</div><br />Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-81880161713663363792023-01-27T21:34:00.005-07:002023-01-27T21:45:07.674-07:00Trying Times<p>I'm not gong to lie. This season has been a little rough. The pressure is from within and without: school, schooling, parenting, marriage, building, working, big kids, little kids - Oh My!! There have been so many times that we have felt we were drowning...But God. He showed up. Not necessarily in the ways we wanted or even prayed for, but He showed up. He keeps showing up. He'll continue to show up. Learning to trust in Him isn't as tangible as I once thought it was. I look forward to the time when we can look back and see how God has orchestrated all these events to make us better followers. It seems that it takes time to truly gain perspective. My vision seems cloudy because I am too close to the fire. Learning to take a step back, look beyond the current momentary trials is harder than I thought. Someday, hopefully, prayerfully I/we'll come through this refiner's fire more Christlike than I/we started.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyway...here's the latest in the Cutlip household in Fall of 2022:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEV6gHJQISfKrekLxrYeDJlv20rfBQzWbFeD-FdemsJlaYQBGPFXi1Cu_j5qZQm3JShZl29BgCCv2BVgcobIBRQAKsMoEt58srQnFM013ntIEx17rVOjVEoNUZnDjYtvJwCPWK-dFdjQqJK7d6bdqdpJ-gYPEzR7IAnbvcHFS7HvS3EFD6Y0UGTwJ5/s4032/IMG_9231.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEV6gHJQISfKrekLxrYeDJlv20rfBQzWbFeD-FdemsJlaYQBGPFXi1Cu_j5qZQm3JShZl29BgCCv2BVgcobIBRQAKsMoEt58srQnFM013ntIEx17rVOjVEoNUZnDjYtvJwCPWK-dFdjQqJK7d6bdqdpJ-gYPEzR7IAnbvcHFS7HvS3EFD6Y0UGTwJ5/w400-h300/IMG_9231.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>School is progressing for Tom. So far he has all A's! He has spent many a late, late night studying, writing, researching, and ...trying to keep his eyes open.<p></p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewq_MrD4oCZyHrBisRN4r-SiCw-svSjZVJq6NBYeVrHQOMts--3U79eLlDQllBaKA-VFBkRi-mGtQ9DRo2gDe6eMUNrKA2KZf8x7qNuQ5UvqDEKDVOcuC74GjbWpoFNdtS0NrN9Py4KzZ0rTdLO2YTSo7kUSu7iH9Cf1k0vAcWGSLI3tAZs_rURTI/s4032/IMG_9466.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewq_MrD4oCZyHrBisRN4r-SiCw-svSjZVJq6NBYeVrHQOMts--3U79eLlDQllBaKA-VFBkRi-mGtQ9DRo2gDe6eMUNrKA2KZf8x7qNuQ5UvqDEKDVOcuC74GjbWpoFNdtS0NrN9Py4KzZ0rTdLO2YTSo7kUSu7iH9Cf1k0vAcWGSLI3tAZs_rURTI/w400-h300/IMG_9466.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>I've been trying all sorts of new things for school. Some we've kept. Some we've scrapped and started something else new. The good thing is that the newest seems to be working much better. It's a little defeating at first, but we're getting it done.<p></p><p></p>For science we had fun learning about food webs and food chains with the "littles".<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyChHa1wnVguuqZ9uqyg1xhItS5viOjwzbWvtDi79fBKU6lVk6rW0umjKa4o0-j1qUeZNmK5fM-bQ7SDKYw_-umAJNbV8R3T8_J8ytbFgW12QTsngjGAtsc1ndf-k_dOyvMDphHSqxIpTJRFPgu81CB_f7EaLDUOU95zH_m8o2blfoxtrJb_vM3k-/s4032/IMG_9659.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyChHa1wnVguuqZ9uqyg1xhItS5viOjwzbWvtDi79fBKU6lVk6rW0umjKa4o0-j1qUeZNmK5fM-bQ7SDKYw_-umAJNbV8R3T8_J8ytbFgW12QTsngjGAtsc1ndf-k_dOyvMDphHSqxIpTJRFPgu81CB_f7EaLDUOU95zH_m8o2blfoxtrJb_vM3k-/w400-h300/IMG_9659.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>My Lego robotics team at our scrimmage. We didn't do well at the qualifier. It was very humbling and discouraging, but I hope to do better next year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgibxGXblvCOXFQYO9rhc_CV87BUi3q3j31VlL5ysTHuyRhXW7CRm8wQG06d5d98TO_h_PW9YOB5O07uCjm3Hys_ZcFD7j0Hgn8Xbr8ysjGq_76dPKNP1C8WcxYPJyndGpuma84PFC38l23G6sEdVP7Co5iQVgls2GkpjrkY8TA50HT2Y5kZwbs9zc/s4032/IMG_9735.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgibxGXblvCOXFQYO9rhc_CV87BUi3q3j31VlL5ysTHuyRhXW7CRm8wQG06d5d98TO_h_PW9YOB5O07uCjm3Hys_ZcFD7j0Hgn8Xbr8ysjGq_76dPKNP1C8WcxYPJyndGpuma84PFC38l23G6sEdVP7Co5iQVgls2GkpjrkY8TA50HT2Y5kZwbs9zc/w300-h400/IMG_9735.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>We've also been learning about different countries and cultures, continent by continent. We made it through North and South America. It's always interesting to me all the different and unique peoples God made. Thsi is Zac's Moai from Easter Island.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGfr-h4n8G-3ZC5v25NZBveBdgwnjFeyh0y8uc405vhtN0UAb7PBjeZHYbmQBeSoh5vL7POz5hN4OleBJ6qbe7FfH-R-hIuWChSlCk_-YLgjMiCYNedbiqo4AaHJtDXqjKWQV1DhS4IjlIwJ9yuIv5tsrwPns15J0JyWneHLMQIWm_-p_Do3omMBZ/s4032/IMG_9612.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGfr-h4n8G-3ZC5v25NZBveBdgwnjFeyh0y8uc405vhtN0UAb7PBjeZHYbmQBeSoh5vL7POz5hN4OleBJ6qbe7FfH-R-hIuWChSlCk_-YLgjMiCYNedbiqo4AaHJtDXqjKWQV1DhS4IjlIwJ9yuIv5tsrwPns15J0JyWneHLMQIWm_-p_Do3omMBZ/s4032/IMG_9612.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGfr-h4n8G-3ZC5v25NZBveBdgwnjFeyh0y8uc405vhtN0UAb7PBjeZHYbmQBeSoh5vL7POz5hN4OleBJ6qbe7FfH-R-hIuWChSlCk_-YLgjMiCYNedbiqo4AaHJtDXqjKWQV1DhS4IjlIwJ9yuIv5tsrwPns15J0JyWneHLMQIWm_-p_Do3omMBZ/w400-h300/IMG_9612.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Back in October, Tom's mom fell and broke her hip. She was at Skilled Nursing Facility getting her strength and mobility back for about 6 weeks. She came home the Sunday before Thanksgiving. She was home for one week before she passed away. She is happy, healthy, and whole now in the arms of Jesus her savior.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlBOiJ-_AfNigyc1QFFtdfRzFvygXIVSF4-1Ob7LBVcaa6AvGPX_306OEqeQYRnCJXUi7vYuiQiAMCNoOaH_55vn-IfxkpZQu7UTcHEzg5nYiA6FUoipqr4KHIIdCDBospOQZTbk67Mne1ByXvSIIhUgZEmMxDDwedv0kSZ45r2C8ooTV4MOtW5-M/s3024/IMG_9544.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="2258" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlBOiJ-_AfNigyc1QFFtdfRzFvygXIVSF4-1Ob7LBVcaa6AvGPX_306OEqeQYRnCJXUi7vYuiQiAMCNoOaH_55vn-IfxkpZQu7UTcHEzg5nYiA6FUoipqr4KHIIdCDBospOQZTbk67Mne1ByXvSIIhUgZEmMxDDwedv0kSZ45r2C8ooTV4MOtW5-M/w299-h400/IMG_9544.JPG" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Livvy made the chocolate covered<br />strawberries for us. We enjoyed them<br />after coming back from a movie<br />- Sam gave us a $20 gift card to the<br />theater. Pretty great kids!</td></tr></tbody></table>Also in October Tom and I celebrated our 20th anniversary! We celebrated by flying Livvy to start her DTS (Discipleship Training School) with YWAM in Mazatlán, MX at the beginning of January (more on that in another post). <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2FdojQ_IZcX9tztllNV24o3GjR_wv6LE4pIFwGNVhTM1PajwcPOJb5E9R_vnDh1W34lD8F7OW6teNwiidymELkEx9lT3t2VoKH2hmeK4Z9NwJ1mNtcXxrO1yAV_Eq0hbBhCYLOLWzmMXHWYma7aN-mZilYMbutu1WAH3QPXs8UxVdQBw60A--ElE/s4032/IMG_9524.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2FdojQ_IZcX9tztllNV24o3GjR_wv6LE4pIFwGNVhTM1PajwcPOJb5E9R_vnDh1W34lD8F7OW6teNwiidymELkEx9lT3t2VoKH2hmeK4Z9NwJ1mNtcXxrO1yAV_Eq0hbBhCYLOLWzmMXHWYma7aN-mZilYMbutu1WAH3QPXs8UxVdQBw60A--ElE/s320/IMG_9524.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="text-align: left;">We've had two fender benders (one with the postal truck no less - Not my fault). 2022 and 2023 have not been good for our van (more on that also in a future post).</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6D5G4msgmAOLsYzLQC-zPTi8t4ZZhF1Gkggn4yIq8PEF4Uks8hMk5nDpMKLkVDlB3Ql9yJUYXP8HWdOmrtNbXz05CwOaBtLC-FMYZ17cGGsg9v7ZIuCdW3udk0Bm7pgR29wizB3LL2-L0Q1i5KZIp1Gpoj8nUsd0aLM1vyAbuiV3NVYhqwKxuGBu/s4032/IMG_9520.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6D5G4msgmAOLsYzLQC-zPTi8t4ZZhF1Gkggn4yIq8PEF4Uks8hMk5nDpMKLkVDlB3Ql9yJUYXP8HWdOmrtNbXz05CwOaBtLC-FMYZ17cGGsg9v7ZIuCdW3udk0Bm7pgR29wizB3LL2-L0Q1i5KZIp1Gpoj8nUsd0aLM1vyAbuiV3NVYhqwKxuGBu/s320/IMG_9520.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgl8fgmnnWDo6zGNs7r2rNOaVpISZRPD4oFtp-6rbpzPZvpVNFL07VcxApviqFHiaJiYTJWKUn_nHNjLHQQ1yDE7YzdYTJFnzjj8v0L_nCLXqZgkk2lLMFcVhCh9vLlU1fx24ZQsM8CXWymgidgG7Vmgh7ewuZm3LDVEoOT6VhQbwdzwSTYxMGOjYT/s4032/IMG_9119.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgl8fgmnnWDo6zGNs7r2rNOaVpISZRPD4oFtp-6rbpzPZvpVNFL07VcxApviqFHiaJiYTJWKUn_nHNjLHQQ1yDE7YzdYTJFnzjj8v0L_nCLXqZgkk2lLMFcVhCh9vLlU1fx24ZQsM8CXWymgidgG7Vmgh7ewuZm3LDVEoOT6VhQbwdzwSTYxMGOjYT/w300-h400/IMG_9119.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Sam turned 16 and got his driver's license! He's been busy working for a local contractor three days a week. He plays soccer and basketball for NPA. Because his ankle hasn't healed 100%, his sports' season hasn't been the best. But, we're still super proud of him!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYDfJvpttMqwYaKCgoGZ9xsScH9LS8M6_z_aLpXxSyTbs0X3bcdPbIBlSZq5GKS37uR1SIAClA0LKefboXN6POdipZROXgEaMbsBIhXoTV1YvkMY114JUvn6VRdrUdXcKo_LCXAzTmcjMnD-TEwKbECSijqrVQO2Y9BYfZU7dBQAYJbrvH5t6ZWmH/s4032/IMG_9472.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYDfJvpttMqwYaKCgoGZ9xsScH9LS8M6_z_aLpXxSyTbs0X3bcdPbIBlSZq5GKS37uR1SIAClA0LKefboXN6POdipZROXgEaMbsBIhXoTV1YvkMY114JUvn6VRdrUdXcKo_LCXAzTmcjMnD-TEwKbECSijqrVQO2Y9BYfZU7dBQAYJbrvH5t6ZWmH/w300-h400/IMG_9472.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTwuJNyrObq2qr1TvEa0TiMhJiXHwAoEWk-gXSMuUu3g8CHizZpIF_8UgEHzRpaVDAylM4wTjVTHX_QQhS8uRbGpy3kJ4cUudxUEOSkjq1mgvNTAKzocBrWpoorulDB_DAzMDJTDsTpQplslXUTC12ZdNnym0We2ax90pcRVp8584i1Bsq8-u2kpf/s4032/IMG_8964.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTwuJNyrObq2qr1TvEa0TiMhJiXHwAoEWk-gXSMuUu3g8CHizZpIF_8UgEHzRpaVDAylM4wTjVTHX_QQhS8uRbGpy3kJ4cUudxUEOSkjq1mgvNTAKzocBrWpoorulDB_DAzMDJTDsTpQplslXUTC12ZdNnym0We2ax90pcRVp8584i1Bsq8-u2kpf/w400-h300/IMG_8964.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The house is progressing. Slowly. Very. Slowly. It's hard for much to happen when the main dude in charge is trying to work, take care of his mom and dad, go to school, and spend time with the family. Thankfully we have family and friends that have stepped in to help. Hopefully once this semester is over and the snow has melted, Tom will have more time to work with the boys and really get things rolling. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0L48CB_dcuBsxxOiIV3diPVz4pw_e1yNsAhDIuOlIjXnZlNXNlZSY4woDv86Q_iS-XYhf_JuUnht-zuLVBZbzDMxvjccmRPnT6Iuof6NOVvppiZdr4XpkMMhwTKLRzQjVojURJsriOhbMDPAQ8OhTcQ0hJNH2K3mUHY2Kb1QODTYvjgJrB9L4kDR/s4032/IMG_8958.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0L48CB_dcuBsxxOiIV3diPVz4pw_e1yNsAhDIuOlIjXnZlNXNlZSY4woDv86Q_iS-XYhf_JuUnht-zuLVBZbzDMxvjccmRPnT6Iuof6NOVvppiZdr4XpkMMhwTKLRzQjVojURJsriOhbMDPAQ8OhTcQ0hJNH2K3mUHY2Kb1QODTYvjgJrB9L4kDR/w400-h300/IMG_8958.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5mRf8gnZY3d-zrqkSvqPaR6dQSbUI-nZbUx3Z5CjKD22W-pgQHootPjm3jl1lIPKA0aFjnVaMtzlpIYgGKesXOyWKV3GbB-4TnBpGT4hJOEzLKH-WJDk3HgoBUVzpabeGayK_mbTEg064c3QD53MHU_yz791kqRR_-Hv-m8ZcwhYGKbOnMaRf1yz3/w400-h300/IMG_0077.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXT7ul6RIs4mBP9MElQ5h_JgaURDo1N_e1IK6BJoKydYgQgFP2e6sP8v3DAcXHLQ9i4HTp35HR_cyDjiCxv6hNX78Du9LQ6Fy4u7Bxmfo4QdEWT3XySZZ7UaU18kUq17YITOrBOu0CxY9w1RpMJaIHxkFxhSgibs9vhsm42t7g9jYj3PTuGVDqQxrZ/s4032/IMG_9750.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXT7ul6RIs4mBP9MElQ5h_JgaURDo1N_e1IK6BJoKydYgQgFP2e6sP8v3DAcXHLQ9i4HTp35HR_cyDjiCxv6hNX78Du9LQ6Fy4u7Bxmfo4QdEWT3XySZZ7UaU18kUq17YITOrBOu0CxY9w1RpMJaIHxkFxhSgibs9vhsm42t7g9jYj3PTuGVDqQxrZ/s320/IMG_9750.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>My dad came up and helped Tom take down a 2x4 wall and replace it with a 2x6 bearing wall. Oh the joys of remodeling!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Zv53fZHpXNKZmT1RKpvt381TDtomSuJUqCuJikJeb184-Bx5XQLsMaILN8cYAfUUyiNT2wUzWIlLNyWwkXF6gbxP2V7Sh4jKQugaviXdXLRg8Nxe7DleozSFiRhCBmw11QXpW1NdOck3MfA2Oksrjy2OOyPI5g5T_p-nMUNXyK6k656fiIjuwtsK/s2455/20221112_173649.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2455" data-original-width="1841" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Zv53fZHpXNKZmT1RKpvt381TDtomSuJUqCuJikJeb184-Bx5XQLsMaILN8cYAfUUyiNT2wUzWIlLNyWwkXF6gbxP2V7Sh4jKQugaviXdXLRg8Nxe7DleozSFiRhCBmw11QXpW1NdOck3MfA2Oksrjy2OOyPI5g5T_p-nMUNXyK6k656fiIjuwtsK/w300-h400/20221112_173649.jpg" width="300" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNo9DJSReUXcvIkPA_pAlTcv6mAPAGRiqfeojx9IX5jzlPAG1P3onAL0y76ednokgobdRfwQHikYWNO8NgX4QONupZ2anhAFv04YUL5dDmfxZ-TF16fJPjQSEQmIXxvb1I9urVYZZngvDt_AW57payeEthP-QuI9Av4Ri0NFhv87v1XdSm5HKV29lZ/s4032/IMG_9079.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNo9DJSReUXcvIkPA_pAlTcv6mAPAGRiqfeojx9IX5jzlPAG1P3onAL0y76ednokgobdRfwQHikYWNO8NgX4QONupZ2anhAFv04YUL5dDmfxZ-TF16fJPjQSEQmIXxvb1I9urVYZZngvDt_AW57payeEthP-QuI9Av4Ri0NFhv87v1XdSm5HKV29lZ/w400-h300/IMG_9079.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Sam and Ben got drawn for archery bull elk. Even though they were skunked (one very close call), they had fun and learned a lot! Ben thoroughly enjoyed calling in the bull. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpZ_YvAVlUbZBEXzb3J6pQFSKPxn-A4MSB4eBqI32YGuu7kn7z2hMMgGoh8vL9kWKRIIsM3TOUBd1Qd1EwwAKrJwQfh0TYiArWrqni8T4LDsv48fqYwspu-cAbWOS1MmkjyQuVCrXIFJ2SH3pKC0zefbF4Q_EQ6Db7DfyU91XD72wedecuwYdCF-X/s4032/IMG_9869.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpZ_YvAVlUbZBEXzb3J6pQFSKPxn-A4MSB4eBqI32YGuu7kn7z2hMMgGoh8vL9kWKRIIsM3TOUBd1Qd1EwwAKrJwQfh0TYiArWrqni8T4LDsv48fqYwspu-cAbWOS1MmkjyQuVCrXIFJ2SH3pKC0zefbF4Q_EQ6Db7DfyU91XD72wedecuwYdCF-X/w400-h300/IMG_9869.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Danner turned 9. He celebrated with some friends at the ice rink.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Jq4LOUIg1_WUjaxY_TtBg7UTggxmkwGoYWdTUzF5_l6-d_kge7ZyO3xM4pa8tVg4b8N-ZF3hiPQ4U6cZzZU7dalipi-3xto1-2srnvuSn2W9iQWzeiDNBQF5jYjxtRaqysDoXnN-w4IrWLsv99C-DqL98-gZll7fvN2nIIEtyrL0Z1y5CG7ADhbe/s4032/IMG_0007.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Jq4LOUIg1_WUjaxY_TtBg7UTggxmkwGoYWdTUzF5_l6-d_kge7ZyO3xM4pa8tVg4b8N-ZF3hiPQ4U6cZzZU7dalipi-3xto1-2srnvuSn2W9iQWzeiDNBQF5jYjxtRaqysDoXnN-w4IrWLsv99C-DqL98-gZll7fvN2nIIEtyrL0Z1y5CG7ADhbe/w400-h300/IMG_0007.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div>Christmas was tons of fun. Michaela (Sam's girlfriend) joined us for our traditional gingerbread houses (or trains for some) decorating time. She came back to help decorate cookies and make challah bread.</div><div><br /></div><div>We went down to Phoenix to have a family Christmas with Oma, Opa, Rob, Beth and the cousins. There was good food, a polar-plunge, ping pong, presents, and a who-has-the-biggest --lungs-challenge. Livvy won by blowing the most candles out - I think all of the singing gave her an advantage.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMvCzDwK49h44hxhWk254_veQed8CIqZ_UwUk4ZfHHm-pHonS5x3gFXTliQYVYtfKce3pLTchRE3V0ZdVPS-3fZbMGJ86Ns1bYsNnM5EEX9IDfTFFHTTI6MsW2O2rjctakjZSHzBNDCVHzsM782pViEgEEwWTLbPNCZj1XXxYwBpYeZ4mwMQSesXC/s4032/IMG_0032.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMvCzDwK49h44hxhWk254_veQed8CIqZ_UwUk4ZfHHm-pHonS5x3gFXTliQYVYtfKce3pLTchRE3V0ZdVPS-3fZbMGJ86Ns1bYsNnM5EEX9IDfTFFHTTI6MsW2O2rjctakjZSHzBNDCVHzsM782pViEgEEwWTLbPNCZj1XXxYwBpYeZ4mwMQSesXC/w400-h300/IMG_0032.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6WZ1b5rmMPQfq-8Hqnc6-T1FvuCEnVf8-CswcosGYceinuZW-ExeFfBy_uga2kpeScFkQFG86N3EBW4OPUsRkzQJH4drunbNbvWOzwvqX3vjRxFnWqqAeVWX-4MqNDXgxRnm7LSGa2zgbjVl5D1wRJCwK1_8T7oqq1b2vUx_yPjOmw-yuUr6HHsI/s2880/Attachment.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6WZ1b5rmMPQfq-8Hqnc6-T1FvuCEnVf8-CswcosGYceinuZW-ExeFfBy_uga2kpeScFkQFG86N3EBW4OPUsRkzQJH4drunbNbvWOzwvqX3vjRxFnWqqAeVWX-4MqNDXgxRnm7LSGa2zgbjVl5D1wRJCwK1_8T7oqq1b2vUx_yPjOmw-yuUr6HHsI/w400-h400/Attachment.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW68ilIVPuO05YdTZyRzrjj1v2yM746CzQyGWHCFO8O5edzvGewIG1Z4Tf2dGVz4HMZZQYyDcb7Ce3vRrJV2xzqKrWdntwVYhsNkhel54EyYqHQCtsuAOAlOMhQ2tYhL8XQEqWyMeKMd006ybq_GI7fFzCe1rDQVlU4zR3HjzY7jkVCXkJHBSTFckh/s4032/IMG_0068.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW68ilIVPuO05YdTZyRzrjj1v2yM746CzQyGWHCFO8O5edzvGewIG1Z4Tf2dGVz4HMZZQYyDcb7Ce3vRrJV2xzqKrWdntwVYhsNkhel54EyYqHQCtsuAOAlOMhQ2tYhL8XQEqWyMeKMd006ybq_GI7fFzCe1rDQVlU4zR3HjzY7jkVCXkJHBSTFckh/w400-h300/IMG_0068.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVdqzTS7vpWIL_yItMbCCAZIZm5OOs97FU8xnG0mzCPrc600vMNDoxY6rt8dzskuWsenfTqHlmpck2LJFvsSwVtC9Gpbvg14rBicfKAG24xsr5P13PjMzBiW5xFIRpGnWMMhsUy1Bes0keGLIh7Yw8Ep0eKShYnrtXKOd0tO_39hE_0mKMYfIFh_e/s4032/IMG_0069.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVdqzTS7vpWIL_yItMbCCAZIZm5OOs97FU8xnG0mzCPrc600vMNDoxY6rt8dzskuWsenfTqHlmpck2LJFvsSwVtC9Gpbvg14rBicfKAG24xsr5P13PjMzBiW5xFIRpGnWMMhsUy1Bes0keGLIh7Yw8Ep0eKShYnrtXKOd0tO_39hE_0mKMYfIFh_e/w400-h300/IMG_0069.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>And lastly, we ended the year by throwing a New Year's Eve - Going Away party! Our house was filled to over-flowing with some of the most amazing teenagers, kids, and their parents. Even though it was beyond cold outside, the teens spent most of the evening outside playing basketball or dancing in the pergola. It was the perfect end to a not-so-perfect year.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWpui0QM5MjRu4j1tIRcXjqyVtKe3Gfct74qgwhkiBwbVQQBFI4meeRhLxDyarC7n0-sKcB0A0jAn4plgqrhMMvHeHAVyNDWQqUnyzlCby-excPFYG91C6Q0xgSNdSgK62Mfd94P3aeoir7y5Mog6IM4y7mSLPlBHb4OtkzItb12QZgPUnqIh5mCP/s640/IMG_9334.heic" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWpui0QM5MjRu4j1tIRcXjqyVtKe3Gfct74qgwhkiBwbVQQBFI4meeRhLxDyarC7n0-sKcB0A0jAn4plgqrhMMvHeHAVyNDWQqUnyzlCby-excPFYG91C6Q0xgSNdSgK62Mfd94P3aeoir7y5Mog6IM4y7mSLPlBHb4OtkzItb12QZgPUnqIh5mCP/w400-h300/IMG_9334.heic" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZV99eRlcQnaj6LXQAnnXCmvJdoC4NTdeu30_sYnvmz0eu4lbZ0uFaGw_49vR1F02vua0vSc5SgigmBE_c-t87O3N_FCL655nB1sW5SgW4pl7qb635kEmiYhoYx2fk4kF-dpotD9JWrUNfHpbPISkbfpn7FSPPSbQlC_THFzSFRvYyV18HFXxXwA1/s4032/IMG_0134.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZV99eRlcQnaj6LXQAnnXCmvJdoC4NTdeu30_sYnvmz0eu4lbZ0uFaGw_49vR1F02vua0vSc5SgigmBE_c-t87O3N_FCL655nB1sW5SgW4pl7qb635kEmiYhoYx2fk4kF-dpotD9JWrUNfHpbPISkbfpn7FSPPSbQlC_THFzSFRvYyV18HFXxXwA1/w640-h480/IMG_0134.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><br /></div></div></div>Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-20894979633281176642022-09-03T23:09:00.001-07:002022-09-03T23:09:26.200-07:00Cutlips Go Camping<p></p><br />There's some saying about camping being a great for family bonding. In my experience, that's<br /> true...because something always goes wrong. Who would remember a camping trip where nothing went wrong? "Remember that time we went to the woods and camped?" Sharing memories as a family for years and years to come of "those" camping trips will forever bind us together. Hey, we can even laugh about it now.<p></p><p>Tom's mom and dad bought a 32' long, sleeps eight, camp trailer years ago to live in while on our property. Then they found something more permanent with year-round capabilities. We didn't have a truck big enough to pull it so the camp trailer just lived on our property empty. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cYNa29dUlYmPUVR96CiXT12M8SO_Eobp0PKhGvSR9nH8hSOw3VF3oLbLYLlqYQuWE76P18Edav6CMkJKRdp3ZDVecAUctLbG4N9c-RB4KDqO51cf6Jh1McYc7Gh53V-u2YZG7-HoRjJeG-FHqoEewWRu9-blGFuJFHOxHTl1S0aJWj8FL1oxqbqB/s3264/2019%2005%2013_1664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cYNa29dUlYmPUVR96CiXT12M8SO_Eobp0PKhGvSR9nH8hSOw3VF3oLbLYLlqYQuWE76P18Edav6CMkJKRdp3ZDVecAUctLbG4N9c-RB4KDqO51cf6Jh1McYc7Gh53V-u2YZG7-HoRjJeG-FHqoEewWRu9-blGFuJFHOxHTl1S0aJWj8FL1oxqbqB/w400-h300/2019%2005%2013_1664.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>After a couple of years of that, a friend shared how she made an Airbnb out of there camp trailer - I had never heard of such a thing! People would pay to sleep in one of those? Being encouraged that it was indeed a thing, we turned ours into an AirBnb for three summers. There was some work involved cleaning the trailer after guests (Livvy, Jon and I helped mostly with that), but it was super fun! We met people from all over the world: Italy, India, South Africa, Russia, missionaries from China. We had singles (one stayed for 2 months), couples, families, groups of gals or guys traveling through to their next destination. If the family had kids, our kids and theirs inevitably ended up playing together so much so that I think our little boys thought they had come just to play with them. For the last six months or so we had a single guy living there that is trying to get back on his feet. </p><p>Last year, however, our truck, "Big Blue" (which really isn't big), died and we bought a new-to-us truck. This is a BIG diesel truck, one that can pull a 32' long camp trailer. Therefore, a camping trip was called for. We planned on joining an older couple from church as they were planning their maiden Arizona camping trip. It was going to be great! Gone were the days of living out of coolers and packing things in 50 gal totes loaded on our utility trailer! We had the means to glamp! I was excited!</p><p>Loading the trailer with all of necessities was fairly easy - it was already set up as an AirBnb so it had everything we needed. All I had to do was pack the fridge, have the girl and boys put their luggage on their beds, throw some camp chairs in the under storage and we were good to go. Tom told me to put our big coolers in there too, just in case. I thought he was crazy! We had a fridge. Duh!</p><p>The first problem occurred when Ben and Jon were filling up the water tank. It leaked. Big time. As in, it didn't hold water. Somewhere along the way, it apparently got a crack in it. Bummer! Oh, well! We were only going camping for two nights, so we could forgo the showers and just bring our big water cooler. No problem!</p><p>Tom and half the kids loaded into the truck and the rest piled into the mini-van (the truck only sits six, so we had to take two vehicles). Sam did a great job driving us to our camp site. With ease we got the chairs out and began glamping. With the generator humming, we ate lunch at the picnic table and prepared for a nice, slow pace of the camping life.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkALic6MkUQxnTb9i7dCa4JEoF7DYGzI97HNpO12rGV2kc4wyJr-UMdQFCaC9ilA9Fmb4cURCZhNgJ0JomKAm-F3YVn3Et8B850FUb4oAsb6A3-Y21cu5k5WNZWVbx8ra_ADGvEkxVfIvmdzq9bcIgSzHc_E5y5yTbnWLfxr-2bhorpnvYSeuYYOc/s4032/IMG_6726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkALic6MkUQxnTb9i7dCa4JEoF7DYGzI97HNpO12rGV2kc4wyJr-UMdQFCaC9ilA9Fmb4cURCZhNgJ0JomKAm-F3YVn3Et8B850FUb4oAsb6A3-Y21cu5k5WNZWVbx8ra_ADGvEkxVfIvmdzq9bcIgSzHc_E5y5yTbnWLfxr-2bhorpnvYSeuYYOc/w400-h300/IMG_6726.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>With lunch eaten, Ben took his electric long-board for a spin around the paved loop of the camp-ground. He came back several minutes later. No problems. Nice paved roads. Then Sam asked Ben if he could borrow his long-board and take it out for a spin. Ben happily obliged and off Sam went. The rest of us went on to chatting, cleaning up from lunch, etc. <p></p><p>Five, maybe ten minutes later, Sam wasn't back but we didn't think anything of it - he was just off exploring. Just about that time, we saw a man running down the road (obviously not dressed for running) past our camping spot. He looked over at us and inquired if we had a kid on a skateboard. Yes. Yes we do/did. "He's lying on the road up the hill." </p><p>My hear sank. Livvy and Ben took off running in the direction that the man pointed. Tom grabbed the van keys and headed up the road in the van. I stayed back with the little boys and with our friends and prayed. I prayed mainly that he didn't hit his head. He's had a couple of minor concussions that I'm always concerned about him hitting it again.</p><p>A couple of minutes later, Tom pulled up with everybody in the van. Sam was in obvious pain. Thankfully he didn't hit his head, but his wrist and his ankle were really hurting, along with scraps up and down his side. He had hit a bump going down the hill and his thumb came off the brake and sent him flying - he hadn't ridden the long board enough to know how to control it, especially going downhill with obstacles.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLARHkLkt6so5nwi7ycUfyh4CJYBBscA7PuMVFT9b6YmHQc2nFWf8R47RNlHxkH1dZJav0hy3MfTZcaQRrtYvgIQSea-QViDk4p2drhpGSrLlwuXqVvLl1TuZvVbraiGQz6PCSM_1B7PK5MgO7X5lj9d_nff9STKH0DX2ZIRW2riM3MVkArDAwo9D/s4032/IMG_6756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLARHkLkt6so5nwi7ycUfyh4CJYBBscA7PuMVFT9b6YmHQc2nFWf8R47RNlHxkH1dZJav0hy3MfTZcaQRrtYvgIQSea-QViDk4p2drhpGSrLlwuXqVvLl1TuZvVbraiGQz6PCSM_1B7PK5MgO7X5lj9d_nff9STKH0DX2ZIRW2riM3MVkArDAwo9D/w300-h400/IMG_6756.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Tom, Livvy and Sam headed off to the urgent ortho that we've been to a number of times. They really should have a family discount plan or a punchcard of some sort.<p></p><p>To make a long story a little shorter, Sam broke his wrist and his ankle. We decided to stay at our camp site figuring Sam needed to rest and it had taken so much to get us to go camping that we should make the most of it without him. As soon as he was patched up and home, his buddies (they are an awesome bunch of teenagers!!) they filed in and vowed to take care of him. That they did. They stayed with him the next two whole days until we came home. They took him out to breakfast, they bought him a huge white unicorn at a garage sale, took him to his soccer game to cheer on his team, took him out for lunch, and took him to the rodeo that night. Though he might not have gotten the rest he needed, he had fun and was in very good hands! </p><p></p><p>Poor guy. His whole summer took a turn for the unexpected. He couldn't play summer AYSO soccer (possibly his last year of eligibility). He couldn't practice driving to get his hours for driver's ed. He couldn't work at the job with at contractor that he had literally just started. He laid low for a bit. I convinced him to start some school early; which he did although a little reluctantly. Through it all he had a great attitude! Super impressed with the kid!</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-IfjO0Uh0NaQpK-0_Ny2HiO6ZM7UeImQAuUqCi3Fass61HCYhuiFN8QxhdQumqV758C_dYNA4zfViSKP70efUYtl4vlk4bSE1a05kxCE19SDXOc4t6MSRgtByBVt-FMx61pBqnooJU043J4j1S2DzZN4ZgkxlQUnm0OfVUhRBHo4yntB2SVUYoDi/s4032/IMG_6760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-IfjO0Uh0NaQpK-0_Ny2HiO6ZM7UeImQAuUqCi3Fass61HCYhuiFN8QxhdQumqV758C_dYNA4zfViSKP70efUYtl4vlk4bSE1a05kxCE19SDXOc4t6MSRgtByBVt-FMx61pBqnooJU043J4j1S2DzZN4ZgkxlQUnm0OfVUhRBHo4yntB2SVUYoDi/w300-h400/IMG_6760.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>His ankle healed a lot faster than expected. He's on the mend and hoping to start playing for NPA's soccer team starting next week (he's been going to practices but not able to participate much or play in a game). Coach said he'd start putting him in as long as he's pain-free. Here's hoping for pain-free!<br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br />As for the rest of our time camping trip, it was mostly relaxing. Some fished. Some hiked. We ate. Relaxed. But...the generator failed to turn on again after working that first couple of hours. I didn't get the true feel of glamping (we ended up having to live out of the coolers Tom told me to bring "just in case") but it was fine. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">On the ways home we stopped at Lake Mary to play and eat lunch. Less than minutes on the road again, one of the back tires on the camper shredded into tiny pieces. Our little caravan pulled over and proceeded to each Oreos and change the tire. Changing the tire proved a little more difficult - something with the original jack not getting it high enough off the ground, needing to switch to the farmer jack (which Tom had "just in case"), but then not knowing how to lower the farmer jack, etc. etc.</p><p style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuL4u4nnJvDWis9os380P7XAZcjkbGIPc9JgJCpymhs6MTHGQUIGYs80skt4kJLmIXTE-DYtDBuWsBsLBXdRua8hsiNvCQlpvyXRYWsE_e30VU5dHqoBnbdKLlAZYw34Fhg2NSaW8Lrjqmrle87SG6tysGPpxOudx5epnWI-nC5NovlUVyr3OyF4sY/s4032/IMG_6835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuL4u4nnJvDWis9os380P7XAZcjkbGIPc9JgJCpymhs6MTHGQUIGYs80skt4kJLmIXTE-DYtDBuWsBsLBXdRua8hsiNvCQlpvyXRYWsE_e30VU5dHqoBnbdKLlAZYw34Fhg2NSaW8Lrjqmrle87SG6tysGPpxOudx5epnWI-nC5NovlUVyr3OyF4sY/w400-h300/IMG_6835.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKFBNFTkevEySCypJCdDY0mM4ShLT7x3YDUzJt_4sX0HQbVPSreHTulrs8Dayrs9rnKS5PUtOt1eg_Ia1Ve0X9y350kXgj0nXrcMpLvnPCpva1rXC1KoKFHySIoLJNSIFSmN7_orb9x7NiDY2fw0j4WuVW1o4zaMQh2l7XWAox-BnM7LLAPZq_QNs/s4032/IMG_6832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKFBNFTkevEySCypJCdDY0mM4ShLT7x3YDUzJt_4sX0HQbVPSreHTulrs8Dayrs9rnKS5PUtOt1eg_Ia1Ve0X9y350kXgj0nXrcMpLvnPCpva1rXC1KoKFHySIoLJNSIFSmN7_orb9x7NiDY2fw0j4WuVW1o4zaMQh2l7XWAox-BnM7LLAPZq_QNs/w400-h300/IMG_6832.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">There is no way that any of us will ever forget this camping trip! It will last in all of our memories for decades to come! Maybe we should stop bringing things for "just in case". Maybe that's setting us to need it.</span></p></span><p></p>Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-48279811478986506622022-07-10T21:54:00.004-07:002022-07-10T21:54:46.336-07:00We're At It Again<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div>I started this blog way back in 2008. It was a way<br />of keeping family and friends informed about the<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOxcWhEUnNqcjmF9Fp6jyVAhbvS8S_5kN5-hx9cX9ACkNFVxvPpWdtNL_vVhWHfsP3FJI0ArFLzJCR5YB6BWpWIwMU4o2Ot8yLVKOHd4uADO5Qrx9x_f_8MSH3-vYIAn1rIU2wEvEC4-PN8pBk94G35db5aiq_TnkCiZ1i-O4Gu_x6bqnit65u3Bx/s4032/IMG_5541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOxcWhEUnNqcjmF9Fp6jyVAhbvS8S_5kN5-hx9cX9ACkNFVxvPpWdtNL_vVhWHfsP3FJI0ArFLzJCR5YB6BWpWIwMU4o2Ot8yLVKOHd4uADO5Qrx9x_f_8MSH3-vYIAn1rIU2wEvEC4-PN8pBk94G35db5aiq_TnkCiZ1i-O4Gu_x6bqnit65u3Bx/w320-h240/IMG_5541.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> progress of our first remodel/addition project. I was pregnant with our third child, our second boy. In May of 2008, we were renting a friend's place when we found and purchased our second home - a true "Handy-Man Special". It was 1100 sq ft and in desperate need of TLC. Over the course of three years, we remodeled and added onto that house, bringing it to 2700 sq ft. We lived there for eight years.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzkSyd_dzVzN_EXhwsFEyW83OM03QCql7dIRVAFtTaOi7FY8BlYE_Pke-8Agj3Eexus5TIIE4m6XtimLqiUK3Fl3pBAqoANkz1a2p9Sdtm2LKTsxXQQ8DQu9k8vZrevvEj7HMAMt99f0XlOQXvM533GpRsIAFTnFzTcCroSjPYInx0eEp_egrCXhC/s4032/IMG_6593.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzkSyd_dzVzN_EXhwsFEyW83OM03QCql7dIRVAFtTaOi7FY8BlYE_Pke-8Agj3Eexus5TIIE4m6XtimLqiUK3Fl3pBAqoANkz1a2p9Sdtm2LKTsxXQQ8DQu9k8vZrevvEj7HMAMt99f0XlOQXvM533GpRsIAFTnFzTcCroSjPYInx0eEp_egrCXhC/s320/IMG_6593.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We needed more space for our growing family; we had moved in with 2.5 kids and moved out with six. So in September of 2016 we bought a new house, with the intent to fix and flip. It was a 1930 sq ft fixer-upper on 2.5 acres, half filled with tall ponderosa pine and oak trees. We fixed it up, but the flip never happened. We never found the right next house. Back to still needing more space for the ever-growing six kids.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzwp1--d1xsO5Z4g1Fpqf6A-3BdQjEHitdeHh4CqzGbVaiEsej97DU1Z7cySswXeoUe9H7KWFBnvL12nvsKHiGKFT4IQQq--jF335t9bb3kTEev2KhfNcjHDkD6GqG722-dBxzew7Fix-xEHJH_GdX4Kn7bw5P03yFs1wazEra9XFJWS1lCKrGTT2/s4032/IMG_6636.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzwp1--d1xsO5Z4g1Fpqf6A-3BdQjEHitdeHh4CqzGbVaiEsej97DU1Z7cySswXeoUe9H7KWFBnvL12nvsKHiGKFT4IQQq--jF335t9bb3kTEev2KhfNcjHDkD6GqG722-dBxzew7Fix-xEHJH_GdX4Kn7bw5P03yFs1wazEra9XFJWS1lCKrGTT2/s320/IMG_6636.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>At some point in late 2020, after realizing that we were here to stay, an idea to add on occurred to me. Without even talking to Tom yet, I started messing around with the idea in CAD. When I finally had a floor plan worked out, I showed it to Tom. He thought it was great! We tweaked things here and there, finalized the plans, and then submitted them to the county. After months, and months, and months, and months of hold ups of one kind or another, we got final approval in May....just in time for the price of everything to continue its upward climb!<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40tw0FTZSCnlsJLEWDnPelqizQ0s5_NwPVHmF_Doo-I9FMT4_nhnvPOmGZ0z9HyyLOw3JTMZcumbiE5AHciTmQfGsl6Sh-I6IYKCS2mVFE5fnk-mLrGNUumqjF0k10FU8TGREBdDjGpS0ygK3I62y8JLOc8Yif6AfdwsghfgQ6ByBOhJnqlx0PZtE/s4032/IMG_6661.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40tw0FTZSCnlsJLEWDnPelqizQ0s5_NwPVHmF_Doo-I9FMT4_nhnvPOmGZ0z9HyyLOw3JTMZcumbiE5AHciTmQfGsl6Sh-I6IYKCS2mVFE5fnk-mLrGNUumqjF0k10FU8TGREBdDjGpS0ygK3I62y8JLOc8Yif6AfdwsghfgQ6ByBOhJnqlx0PZtE/s320/IMG_6661.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The initial hope was to do everything ourselves - meaning Tom, with some help from the boys. But once reality set in, Tom made some calls to inquire about installation for the septic and foundation. At first no one called back. Then we heard that everybody was a good six months out. Then God directed us to the right people. They answered phone calls, showed up at the job site, gave estimates, and got to work within weeks. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBcIhdtkZBKNMx-IBmyUAWIeUDGYCJcO4cFxSDQ-CGz5iOCSOQY6olgYsBtvicmGVDQRbQWV0mpU29TGnA4EIsySWbBXHAT0JujF6WCaENc_Z_7GT5B_OMaSRzuy9M-8E9FZsCNMCwc5MVtBJmDbn4fVl8urR7vGz3F4WGomujIsoKIl_HzOZnRlT/s4032/IMG_6994.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBcIhdtkZBKNMx-IBmyUAWIeUDGYCJcO4cFxSDQ-CGz5iOCSOQY6olgYsBtvicmGVDQRbQWV0mpU29TGnA4EIsySWbBXHAT0JujF6WCaENc_Z_7GT5B_OMaSRzuy9M-8E9FZsCNMCwc5MVtBJmDbn4fVl8urR7vGz3F4WGomujIsoKIl_HzOZnRlT/s320/IMG_6994.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Our yard right now looks like a child's sandbox: mounds and ditches, backhoes and trenchers, trucks and dump trucks. The footers are poured, stem wall is built and grouted, Tom is working on plumbing lines and compacting the cinders for the slab to be poured, and the septic system is being installed (it's an alternative system, so it's very big and expensive - ugh!). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Stay tuned! Next up will be the concrete floor, garage apron, and then framing. Exciting stuff!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8HJotJDRRHuQAaloxW30_gV5qPXfj0WWr_CTGp_3jqcvehEuo-H4AGddGW4i27S1bXVdRpgxcM_ZS5JNusqevKp2iY78L1isy6rgQhfrwh1q8BBSdMjGm5RKb5cDTh5nZc_O7OWIKx-R8B83B8wq6aXIYLGZgLF129FMVc1PV0A9Rp8X1MB66BiF/s4032/IMG_6989.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8HJotJDRRHuQAaloxW30_gV5qPXfj0WWr_CTGp_3jqcvehEuo-H4AGddGW4i27S1bXVdRpgxcM_ZS5JNusqevKp2iY78L1isy6rgQhfrwh1q8BBSdMjGm5RKb5cDTh5nZc_O7OWIKx-R8B83B8wq6aXIYLGZgLF129FMVc1PV0A9Rp8X1MB66BiF/s320/IMG_6989.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div><p></p>Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-81212998480312902582022-05-31T22:55:00.001-07:002022-05-31T22:55:16.393-07:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkJt4Ja3wgHdWSQeFUlZVHgawPzO25P2z3uNI13t-ZPGrg75cFa8qkYLNGLVr1VImsXFQ_bVELW-UgsKBDVntivjKgrAv117HIHCob1yKYYa7OT3JFV3o2XDLq9rsG5QG_tdF5DP9lLWm0v9z5gcmpvj-MofuRkMdMAMPLy99jOeRRTUfTth_shdhU=s4032" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkJt4Ja3wgHdWSQeFUlZVHgawPzO25P2z3uNI13t-ZPGrg75cFa8qkYLNGLVr1VImsXFQ_bVELW-UgsKBDVntivjKgrAv117HIHCob1yKYYa7OT3JFV3o2XDLq9rsG5QG_tdF5DP9lLWm0v9z5gcmpvj-MofuRkMdMAMPLy99jOeRRTUfTth_shdhU=s4032" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkJt4Ja3wgHdWSQeFUlZVHgawPzO25P2z3uNI13t-ZPGrg75cFa8qkYLNGLVr1VImsXFQ_bVELW-UgsKBDVntivjKgrAv117HIHCob1yKYYa7OT3JFV3o2XDLq9rsG5QG_tdF5DP9lLWm0v9z5gcmpvj-MofuRkMdMAMPLy99jOeRRTUfTth_shdhU=s4032" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkJt4Ja3wgHdWSQeFUlZVHgawPzO25P2z3uNI13t-ZPGrg75cFa8qkYLNGLVr1VImsXFQ_bVELW-UgsKBDVntivjKgrAv117HIHCob1yKYYa7OT3JFV3o2XDLq9rsG5QG_tdF5DP9lLWm0v9z5gcmpvj-MofuRkMdMAMPLy99jOeRRTUfTth_shdhU=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><div>Here's a little something that I found in the drafts:</div><div><br /></div> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><div>I slip on my muck boots and open the sliding glass door. The cold night air immediately rushes in. I let Dakota out first and then quickly step out into the night, closing the door behind me. After Dakota gives her usual night greetings, she leads the way to the chicken coop. I love the crisp air and the sound of the snow crunching beneath my feet as I make my way through the trees over to shut the chicken's coop door for the night. <p></p><p>The chickens, all lined up on their perches, cluck softly as I enter. Checking one last time for eggs, I step in briefly. Sometimes Peep, the Americana, will lay an egg is the big bag of extra bedding, so I make sure to shine my flashlight around before I close their little door, step out, close and lock the big door, and head back to the house. After going potty one last time, Dakota comes running up behind me, quickly over-taking me and beats me to the back door of the house. She waits patiently for me to catch up and let her back in.</p><p>After taking off my muck boot and slipping back into my slippers, I head to get Dakota's blanket. She waits patiently for me in front of the couch (whichever one she prefers to sleep on that night, it changes for some reason). I lay her blanket on the couch and she hops up, ready to snuggle in for the night.</p><p>It's a nice calm bed-time routine to end the busyness of the day. We both enjoy it. It's definitely something that I have needed during this year of change and struggle. </p><p><br /></p><p>Last school year ended roughly. We did all that I had wanted to school-wise, but relationships were strained. Our sin-stained lives had touched others' too much and it was called out. </p><p></p>The summer was full of soccer, creek days, fostering kitties, Airbnb guests, ultimate frisbee, a broody hen, four baby chicks and lots of other good stuff. <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmV0hZeHTJYwmONQnVPZYkRHvDeeUDX39dKe6y1jEG88EMC7jSQNXS0_67SQ5SjjKTFky-9gjWK54g3UJdmBn24hP26fVP2foXmV23Mn1biJmTV1K7RdtNH6zmraY6vK1JVaBEKPzkYmY0XFT9-Y9Ndg55FFxFYmVq02m5mBvbjCxTVQtTteo5duaQ=s4032" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmV0hZeHTJYwmONQnVPZYkRHvDeeUDX39dKe6y1jEG88EMC7jSQNXS0_67SQ5SjjKTFky-9gjWK54g3UJdmBn24hP26fVP2foXmV23Mn1biJmTV1K7RdtNH6zmraY6vK1JVaBEKPzkYmY0XFT9-Y9Ndg55FFxFYmVq02m5mBvbjCxTVQtTteo5duaQ=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div>In the midst of all this life stuff, we felt it was finally time to act on God's call on our lives to find a new church home. All of the family being in agreement on our new church home was something that I didn't think possible, but God brought it about in His timing. But all churches, like our family, has good and bad. Where God is calling us to step in, and call home, is another area where God can take the struggles and turn them for His glory and our good.</div></div>Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-26122606909951474252021-07-26T22:38:00.000-07:002021-07-26T22:38:38.758-07:00Juggling<p>I really should have studied juggling at sometime in my past. It honestly would have been the best skill for being a wife, parent, teacher, cleaner, chauffer, chef, a teen counselor, career counselor, architectural drafter, etc.</p><p>All are jobs in and of themselves, but we all play multiple parts sometime in our lives. Sometimes all the parts at the same time.</p><p>I'm afraid I'm not doing any of them well. </p><p>I remember as a mom of littles, asking a mom of olders that desperate question, "Does it get easier?" They would look at me, take a breathe, and reply, "Well, it's just a different hard." I didn't understand what they meant back then. What do you mean, "different hard?" They sleep through the night; they can get dressed by themselves; they are potty-trained, etc... What's hard after all those are taken care of? Well...plenty as I'm finding out. Interests in the opposite sex; moody teenagers; working teenagers. Not only do you need to teach them how to get dressed and wipe themselves, you also need to give them a solid education in reading, writing, and arithmetic, you have to teach them about managing their finances, planning for the future, managing their time wisely, staying safe while on the internet, dating with integrity, pursing God to please Him and follow His straight paths, and help them figure out what they "want to do with the rest of their lives". It's a bit overwhelming.</p><p>On top of thinking of the huge unknown future for my big kids, I still have the littles to keep teaching and training the basics. I ordered Kindergarten for Zac. There's a part of me that wants to hold on and make his Kindergarten experience the best ever. And then there's the other part of me that just hopes he learns his letters and picks up this reading thing quickly so that we can move on. I know he's the last and I know I'll wish I had spent more time with him, whether it's teaching or just simply playing "imagination" - his favorite. I know I'm going to have regrets about not spending more time just being with him. But how do I let go of all the other responsibilities that need to get done? Finding the balance is key. </p><p><br /></p><p>Enough whining and musing. So that I don't forget what we were doing these days, here's what's been going on around here:</p><p>We've opened our Airbnb up again. It's a little more laid back because I have it set to give me a day between each guest instead of four hours. Jon is helping me clean (Ben tried a couple of times; not a good fit). Jon takes care of wiping everything down, doing the laundry, sweeping and mopping the floor, etc. while I make the beds. I'm barely able to make the bunkbeds - seriously it is hard to make a bunk bed in a trailer!</p><p>My little side drafting business, nicknamed Me & My House, has had a few more jobs. It's a fun way to use my design and drafting skills. I still get nervous about the structural end of things. For the most part I can figure out how to build something, but my lack of real-world building practice makes me nervous every time a plan goes in for review. One of the funnest jobs so far is drawing up addition plans for our own house. If we get to build it, we would have a master bedroom without Legos on the floor, two boy bedrooms, one game room, and an over-sized garage with a two-bedroom apartment on top for an Airbnb or grown kids. We just signed papers today for the loan to make it happen. Pray with us that we can get it done.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Tom's job seems to be a bit hard-hit from Covid and then managing practices in his company. He hasn't been getting as many patients as he would like and that is very stressful. He's been praying hard that God would show him the next step - stay put? new career? what new career? No clear path yet. Keep praying. Aside from the job stresses, it seems like everything and everyone needs Dad's attention: the truck's water pump busted, the fishing net is busted, the trailer's awning busted...And then there's figuring out how to parent teens - full time job in and of itself.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWxmjez_a4laEcjEMMegr26iIAhlnDpFZHXJXhnbMtrNTjtqihuAYXAjfZ7p2DY4UvtuGlbzDD3gCoC3QsVqglpOVV9uELXewo_8BEbqrxBi16GfhtvpFxbvqpS2iqe5bLOpUVQ2127s/s4000/2021+04+16_4728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWxmjez_a4laEcjEMMegr26iIAhlnDpFZHXJXhnbMtrNTjtqihuAYXAjfZ7p2DY4UvtuGlbzDD3gCoC3QsVqglpOVV9uELXewo_8BEbqrxBi16GfhtvpFxbvqpS2iqe5bLOpUVQ2127s/s320/2021+04+16_4728.JPG" /></a></div>Livvy has had a busy summer completing ENG102 and working 20+ hours a week at Chick-fil-A. She loves her job - the busy, the juggling, the people. All right up her alley. She's not really enjoying ENG102 even though she's doing great! Right now she's trying to finish her research paper so she can turn it in for peer review. Her paper is about the perceived or misperceived offenses in package labeling and teams sports. <p></p><p>Before school ended, Livvy went to our local homeschool groups' prom. Because a boy asked her out, we had to appropriately greet him when he showed up to get her. Prom was a blast (I got to chaperone)! These kids are absolutely amazing - so fun to be around, kind, goofy, - no yucky stuff whatsoever. Super fun! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBi9eXK0bCwfDAuDVk6AGKg3UpgJmGCZiKX-MCFQh2WUgx_2IYV6pypkPoJI6mAox7DsPR29uVnhdEjvaIzWpZJQuescS01cOlFwfeBqkDN1_yWTw0WDotN556Av6JlwyQcVa6trz6puQ/s4000/2021+04+16_4731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBi9eXK0bCwfDAuDVk6AGKg3UpgJmGCZiKX-MCFQh2WUgx_2IYV6pypkPoJI6mAox7DsPR29uVnhdEjvaIzWpZJQuescS01cOlFwfeBqkDN1_yWTw0WDotN556Av6JlwyQcVa6trz6puQ/w640-h480/2021+04+16_4731.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uIaLeF99a0wD-3S1pJ5iVI4knGlBNVQV7lRrwTXriypycsuHb3E50d-gLADTDrDKm8pE0Vea9VcTHN1hP23JPwAxZzrXYUnTExqzTGkjS2vPUwUYGYGmio3YEpnYp1ZMArfyhK1zFhc/s2048/20210521_135102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uIaLeF99a0wD-3S1pJ5iVI4knGlBNVQV7lRrwTXriypycsuHb3E50d-gLADTDrDKm8pE0Vea9VcTHN1hP23JPwAxZzrXYUnTExqzTGkjS2vPUwUYGYGmio3YEpnYp1ZMArfyhK1zFhc/w225-h400/20210521_135102.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br />Sam had a relatively full summer so far. He has a part-time job working for Heritage Woodworks doing finish carpentry. He has really enjoyed the work which is HUGE! Unfortunately his boss, our friend, is moving to Prescott, so he'll have to find someone else he can apprentice with. He is playing AYSO soccer and a summer basketball league for a local charter school, NPA. He is hoping to play soccer, basketball and then track & field with NPA through the school year. Oh it's going to be a busy school year!</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, and we fostered a mam cat and her four kittens. They were a Siamese mix so we named them: Mama Junebug Jones, JuJu Bee, Jilly Boo, Jezebel (Jezzy for short and to not reference the evil queen from the Bible) and SkippyJohn Jones. If you don't recognize those names, go read a SkippyJohn Jones book - they are the best!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNj6XV7fulGjEFqlPutS1Vj6k6Q51uVjPVMufIsgXCuJOrz7ImA3m7pk4graOCLTIXSmiyXrSgMIjp9GxSCb42sZOtRASSTERiYQOD6-WRDfxRXN86bDp46OuhL5CqaMGg9ozI_-OllQ8/s2576/20210722_150026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1932" data-original-width="2576" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNj6XV7fulGjEFqlPutS1Vj6k6Q51uVjPVMufIsgXCuJOrz7ImA3m7pk4graOCLTIXSmiyXrSgMIjp9GxSCb42sZOtRASSTERiYQOD6-WRDfxRXN86bDp46OuhL5CqaMGg9ozI_-OllQ8/w400-h300/20210722_150026.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Ben just turned 13!! He had been working at any little odd job he could find to save money for a dirt bike. Last week he finally had enough saved (with a little loan from Dad) to buy a Kawasaki something something dirt bike. He's thrilled! Tonight he and Tom have been working really hard to change the tire because coming home from a job weeding, he ran over a nail. Bummer! <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>All three teens are highly social! There's ultimate frisbee on Mondays, volleyball on Tuesdays, youth group on Wednesdays, Bible study on Mondays for Sam and Tuesday for Livvy, swing dancing on Sundays for Livvy... We finally made a rule that they had to be home for dinner at least 3 nights a week or we would never see them. Even though they are gone a lot, I really like the group of kids that they're hanging out with and I love watching them sprout some wings. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEise2qzV0hKQL9N2o-SrcsKKZc8P3jYWov3465gzgdxJpRCMB0N99MPEFwCf4H7xmc8PIEN9O26RlAZdtiSStHM2GflZ3Fa1XRDWM_RVMtnd2vn2NAgD6T2AH-FmR6oAFPFHObCZaS0bos/s3264/20210725_154203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEise2qzV0hKQL9N2o-SrcsKKZc8P3jYWov3465gzgdxJpRCMB0N99MPEFwCf4H7xmc8PIEN9O26RlAZdtiSStHM2GflZ3Fa1XRDWM_RVMtnd2vn2NAgD6T2AH-FmR6oAFPFHObCZaS0bos/w400-h225/20210725_154203.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Jon, Danner and Zac, my three littles (though Jon doesn't like to be called that anymore - he's 10), have been fairly easy this summer. Most mornings are filled with playing with Legos or outside playing with the neighbors. Jon and Danner are playing AYSO soccer this summer (Ben is not because he has Osgood Schlatter's in his right knee). Thankfully Danner's practice overlaps with one of Jon's two practices (Sam's two practices are on the opposite evenings, of course). Saturday mornings are filled with watching soccer games. Even though it's a little hectic, it's been fun watching each of them play hard, gain new skills, or just make some really fun improvements.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8b_RhETcelMU_8ClGUEtyhKu1KWcqWKLGTSpNQbgiqNg76R6e5m3l6x8EpFOb30UCDMyvVi6aNopQlX4OjOG94bXzBpea7bxIsKSlQMsI8tuIhAQaDS7yGQeC5AwkuA5lBI2CHRFhpE/s3264/20210626_115914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8b_RhETcelMU_8ClGUEtyhKu1KWcqWKLGTSpNQbgiqNg76R6e5m3l6x8EpFOb30UCDMyvVi6aNopQlX4OjOG94bXzBpea7bxIsKSlQMsI8tuIhAQaDS7yGQeC5AwkuA5lBI2CHRFhpE/w225-h400/20210626_115914.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfcOxcQcihTcjcY3z8Vz9JQDgNv8YhcOtGholDMD4DsdbhiLCmoPcv2pZAh85ucukwUKxtgdX_5GqpO47NqxnmuKhIMLSyD_K6CiMbAPrgtos8qHJZP5MOu2Bf_NOudiBqnzLyMCOxlg/s3264/20210626_091914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfcOxcQcihTcjcY3z8Vz9JQDgNv8YhcOtGholDMD4DsdbhiLCmoPcv2pZAh85ucukwUKxtgdX_5GqpO47NqxnmuKhIMLSyD_K6CiMbAPrgtos8qHJZP5MOu2Bf_NOudiBqnzLyMCOxlg/w225-h400/20210626_091914.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4E-OF7awe04uWmBZZMc36HuCK9TL097_MWMRTXv2KQJSkceOyXoMzr0wCpcftJ2VBe7idlAG9x24vN5-i7ZtOLtNHcV7rnl7Zvtggnghu9ZBvgZSUGwrU5zU0F4TVI6TbyMt450sw0Bc/s3264/20210717_095753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4E-OF7awe04uWmBZZMc36HuCK9TL097_MWMRTXv2KQJSkceOyXoMzr0wCpcftJ2VBe7idlAG9x24vN5-i7ZtOLtNHcV7rnl7Zvtggnghu9ZBvgZSUGwrU5zU0F4TVI6TbyMt450sw0Bc/s320/20210717_095753.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>Dakota is officially ours! We're so thrilled!! Her original owners had moved to Sweden or Finland (I can never remember which one) in November of 2019 leaving Dakota with friends and then family. Their plan was to stay for a year and then come back, but Covid hit. They've been stuck overseas and aren't able to come back - job situation and flying 24hrs with four children (the youngest 2yrs old) masked have made it virtually impossible. I received a text from them a couple of months ago asking if we would adopt her - we, of course, said yes! She's the perfect addition to our family - even though she just got skunked for the third time this summer - ugh! <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>That's what we've been juggling this summer. I am thankful that I still have several weeks before we get back to school. I think August is going to be a little more laid back. We'll see. There always seems to be something.</p><p></p><br /><p></p></div>Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-42927004349091955912021-01-04T23:15:00.000-07:002021-01-04T23:15:43.721-07:00Wrapping Up 2020<p>Most, if not all, Christmas letters this year will start off the same, "What an unprecedented year!" So, there. I've said it. Now I can move on.</p><p><br /></p><p>We've had a fun full year of firsts. </p><p>First missions trip with Livvy and Sam. We went to Juarez, Mexico in January to hand out Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. Truly amazing time!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrJ89soqg0lGpIxPjWpY-_7khqG1cpXxdZqRXVkdqAXsrfCV2LnoGXSl-OkCnTX33l0xyQCI3udjzEHGdHNtycrR083Vl_Ao-s8_kEH8QKDhyiBElQttvMaAPDdPVAa-fm7hELPnAEEQ/s3264/20200111_112006.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrJ89soqg0lGpIxPjWpY-_7khqG1cpXxdZqRXVkdqAXsrfCV2LnoGXSl-OkCnTX33l0xyQCI3udjzEHGdHNtycrR083Vl_Ao-s8_kEH8QKDhyiBElQttvMaAPDdPVAa-fm7hELPnAEEQ/w400-h225/20200111_112006.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><p>First Zoom meetings, mostly for Livvy, but some for Ben, Tom and I. We're all in agreement, they suck - pardon my French! Nothing about them is cool. Functional? Sorta, yes. But they are not a great way to learn, receive therapy, or fellowship. Just not!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVGsK1ObJVGKNrF2jXf8FVGKREqJMKRrHduYXMnIr8sTb4cqQBkMbyX-0JA8jPj35bWSyl3_L3xCoYz1QBlZ48-nSt82MHrUQ1xDYBfnyAkmLabMM47YeZgyuYAr5GYjj4PBrILkEvss/s4000/2020+04+03_3913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVGsK1ObJVGKNrF2jXf8FVGKREqJMKRrHduYXMnIr8sTb4cqQBkMbyX-0JA8jPj35bWSyl3_L3xCoYz1QBlZ48-nSt82MHrUQ1xDYBfnyAkmLabMM47YeZgyuYAr5GYjj4PBrILkEvss/w400-h300/2020+04+03_3913.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>First Cutlip kid to get their driver's permit, car and now license. Livvy has been working and saving for a couple of years now and was able to purchase a 2009 Nissan Versa from a friend. So proud of her!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AME49Kw3z14H4YlZjVYg9ezfknyEmSsMhrxxP6j2QDC9_4_DfEjn1vKWsl8RIet8vozbDOxP4QrRo9EpXgwBdKy69MqTI3I7jifXwlIzIiOhA4eEHbX-n5YLs8_9WKeD1N9ni2sMljI/s3264/20200818_171659.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AME49Kw3z14H4YlZjVYg9ezfknyEmSsMhrxxP6j2QDC9_4_DfEjn1vKWsl8RIet8vozbDOxP4QrRo9EpXgwBdKy69MqTI3I7jifXwlIzIiOhA4eEHbX-n5YLs8_9WKeD1N9ni2sMljI/w400-h225/20200818_171659.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3aI8sCFob7rp95a5zWsf_PNEmmQffT-b6fT8Ns0oS0f2KOAUv365Rq5SpIxhE-ZKwgsRMcgQs9c6wSxislPKtD6ss2YHtUMDAS26oN01g_yuc3tLf52Fi5xrrYaUVtWivW_pw8w5-uI/s3264/20201130_092638.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3aI8sCFob7rp95a5zWsf_PNEmmQffT-b6fT8Ns0oS0f2KOAUv365Rq5SpIxhE-ZKwgsRMcgQs9c6wSxislPKtD6ss2YHtUMDAS26oN01g_yuc3tLf52Fi5xrrYaUVtWivW_pw8w5-uI/w400-h225/20201130_092638.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>First time having chickees at this house and first time Zacky got to hold baby chicks (and first time Jon and Danner remember holding baby chicks).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3rDDRaElFhwZAmM74UOy90pj-g_eSG1q8VqFFtZl9Mkj1r44pkl8TMusXD3cBQ1GWzS9JpmLfex2gHe7WxUDDdpfJYODNNE7yYsay2OKzVyg7Qcw-D6cNLy0MGyjECvY38EZBc1oid0/s4000/2020+04+07_4016.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3rDDRaElFhwZAmM74UOy90pj-g_eSG1q8VqFFtZl9Mkj1r44pkl8TMusXD3cBQ1GWzS9JpmLfex2gHe7WxUDDdpfJYODNNE7yYsay2OKzVyg7Qcw-D6cNLy0MGyjECvY38EZBc1oid0/w300-h400/2020+04+07_4016.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gh58qP4r6lBNO9FtpBEwlgNMxhNdag4sn4OfMF3KTsGh_sIjkLJ9AWBmxwP5J6cFUEbe7XpQ64k1UTXjOlXTqpMMMUXCQzb2axHJm1QK7VlUJ2YBlDQYgJjGmqFNbDkDjKI8l0jPEaM/s4000/2020+05+18_3947.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gh58qP4r6lBNO9FtpBEwlgNMxhNdag4sn4OfMF3KTsGh_sIjkLJ9AWBmxwP5J6cFUEbe7XpQ64k1UTXjOlXTqpMMMUXCQzb2axHJm1QK7VlUJ2YBlDQYgJjGmqFNbDkDjKI8l0jPEaM/w300-h400/2020+05+18_3947.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPtVGDdDoCP43rW0LeTeicXXvyzSe0fQXK43rKPI6zIIH5xFwW40g73eKY8Euf59KHNgQLmooDfCYkKQwEk6Lho5Ol189UsYqKWUFpnoAlZZeJdL4xFW59EdkmdlQr38n0e2xtTMTIj0/s3264/20200514_082905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPtVGDdDoCP43rW0LeTeicXXvyzSe0fQXK43rKPI6zIIH5xFwW40g73eKY8Euf59KHNgQLmooDfCYkKQwEk6Lho5Ol189UsYqKWUFpnoAlZZeJdL4xFW59EdkmdlQr38n0e2xtTMTIj0/s320/20200514_082905.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6X4fYMe2kOx_vRwHmXWp9grLCmIffW3tvj4LrmQkt0rVST2H8ReKF0OmY9TY3JoP5tsvLqN20epQGifE20lrQ58sqBOrMMe4Bmp2lMehz1cTAiMym38E3D_FqW5TRuxovssQ-bqgYLE/s3264/20201001_120938.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6X4fYMe2kOx_vRwHmXWp9grLCmIffW3tvj4LrmQkt0rVST2H8ReKF0OmY9TY3JoP5tsvLqN20epQGifE20lrQ58sqBOrMMe4Bmp2lMehz1cTAiMym38E3D_FqW5TRuxovssQ-bqgYLE/w400-h225/20201001_120938.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We LOVE fresh eggs!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>First chicken coop built.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKuNGBn5EQvipvV4B9vwQqGo48boM1nlYEUrM1x48gjfcZI91fByv31xSwfwhF8n6IuJzoycUT9JeZ3l14-I4hqONCcIYUiaKXwN3oJla8VmYOzlxX5m2zoA76xWuFmtoxUZjeJ-ww_E/s3264/20200515_085206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKuNGBn5EQvipvV4B9vwQqGo48boM1nlYEUrM1x48gjfcZI91fByv31xSwfwhF8n6IuJzoycUT9JeZ3l14-I4hqONCcIYUiaKXwN3oJla8VmYOzlxX5m2zoA76xWuFmtoxUZjeJ-ww_E/s320/20200515_085206.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2XzLePf5FRQjvEZQo-AQVe4e6sZwmH1U-R6lO_ygPgfWHiWciTR-tEsMrIdjmAd3RH0438tyCoxu8lEWpPXFjziFhVtnmIgDqkJv_sH9L1bsUw3w8trqXyRIDvMriGtMBrGrfQq0zlg/s4000/2020+05+02_3961.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2XzLePf5FRQjvEZQo-AQVe4e6sZwmH1U-R6lO_ygPgfWHiWciTR-tEsMrIdjmAd3RH0438tyCoxu8lEWpPXFjziFhVtnmIgDqkJv_sH9L1bsUw3w8trqXyRIDvMriGtMBrGrfQq0zlg/w300-h400/2020+05+02_3961.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><p>First time the two bigs hiked the San Francisco Peaks, separately, but each to see the sun rise. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ivcTgXFSpZrm5qEDasGRPwT649BS3BRwtLh51Uv70AzmenzLx2RLjdzy-CGJaytBpCk2PwYv-BzQnvfDMETVsPeEOvBt1yiKWTNAYwIFaBMwJnzGDy9hTqAbBwZzk2y2PltNwh2Xjv4/s1280/2020+08+09_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ivcTgXFSpZrm5qEDasGRPwT649BS3BRwtLh51Uv70AzmenzLx2RLjdzy-CGJaytBpCk2PwYv-BzQnvfDMETVsPeEOvBt1yiKWTNAYwIFaBMwJnzGDy9hTqAbBwZzk2y2PltNwh2Xjv4/w400-h225/2020+08+09_0001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The middle kid is Sam.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0oABLAIf_ioiZZJ7nGjb44aWgEyjzaLt5tEtbEgxij8uxri98a1umYOVl3cnkHB9FO1GDG_e5dEp7zK4uqbKMovBf1y61JsKjz0uHrV7nqgw72Vq20_zDQ_M0LLqWkaeoNqCsziWbvU/s2048/20200829_055258.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0oABLAIf_ioiZZJ7nGjb44aWgEyjzaLt5tEtbEgxij8uxri98a1umYOVl3cnkHB9FO1GDG_e5dEp7zK4uqbKMovBf1y61JsKjz0uHrV7nqgw72Vq20_zDQ_M0LLqWkaeoNqCsziWbvU/w225-h400/20200829_055258.jpg" width="225" /></a></div></div><p>First time building a pergola.</p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7tzyRRJSzuPQIYnnLiLXArgzeAT_vVBV5WlT7vBkwNLsOBGxnnZ2L5Cb5HG61YEhk9An9h8ugUQmjO2KrhGZgjuXm9H8QFOp28Zr7VWkYVr6h6QTCKkLmXJpi0TPUgtKP5ymB2pQBBc/s4000/2020+05+18_4146.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7tzyRRJSzuPQIYnnLiLXArgzeAT_vVBV5WlT7vBkwNLsOBGxnnZ2L5Cb5HG61YEhk9An9h8ugUQmjO2KrhGZgjuXm9H8QFOp28Zr7VWkYVr6h6QTCKkLmXJpi0TPUgtKP5ymB2pQBBc/w400-h300/2020+05+18_4146.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BxJavr_c_ADYXjHx61xtyjdNYhKWM9j6_OcxQNNOP1MQJaK4Jdn9HJnalRNvD4KDaC9AQrbyqfEyinTAJq2D_vuq51DhSXKpf7fDrpsbaFIkZ88_gz1A4ZRZlf-fNpY9DVesP7fGg3E/s4000/2020+05+18_3945.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BxJavr_c_ADYXjHx61xtyjdNYhKWM9j6_OcxQNNOP1MQJaK4Jdn9HJnalRNvD4KDaC9AQrbyqfEyinTAJq2D_vuq51DhSXKpf7fDrpsbaFIkZ88_gz1A4ZRZlf-fNpY9DVesP7fGg3E/w300-h400/2020+05+18_3945.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6QdsGyKv6Lfq0Tk4dL00yxyRKGDVeNFlTqrNgrwmtvco0Els1fNy-_aTFBd9xIATd8GZ0168yNuYinXifPvb4dJfPwXz958fMzYTQovOdk-1eqnb09zTRXyI39R7CYDc0ib87L5tFLQ/s4000/2020+05+28_3932.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6QdsGyKv6Lfq0Tk4dL00yxyRKGDVeNFlTqrNgrwmtvco0Els1fNy-_aTFBd9xIATd8GZ0168yNuYinXifPvb4dJfPwXz958fMzYTQovOdk-1eqnb09zTRXyI39R7CYDc0ib87L5tFLQ/w400-h300/2020+05+28_3932.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1slOGhCM3GwrAeXadhbON11iFVfctfZDunxkHRp6kKifFsJY6LbFU9o-t3wVgz8TRXNR9SWR3jDNwBUlvidwUAC3wcp3zwGAhdUb69mEHAKJmnbUv9WtOqeErlKU1ak3jXFocEfc7CFI/s3264/20200710_223606.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1slOGhCM3GwrAeXadhbON11iFVfctfZDunxkHRp6kKifFsJY6LbFU9o-t3wVgz8TRXNR9SWR3jDNwBUlvidwUAC3wcp3zwGAhdUb69mEHAKJmnbUv9WtOqeErlKU1ak3jXFocEfc7CFI/w400-h225/20200710_223606.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>First time watching baby birds hatch in two separate nests.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbQmG_Kq8IFyZsJp3kGNWTtFZKNF9DQ3JKY-PWX8B7-rQXlo7QE6Zq-KkdPGW_sjci3_CLObebOMwog3FtK4olGYwX399gLDH3CPrL8qnUl2QBqWQxEsVpGKKXD5XpIJzrpoPabEOW3Y/s2048/20200504_182438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbQmG_Kq8IFyZsJp3kGNWTtFZKNF9DQ3JKY-PWX8B7-rQXlo7QE6Zq-KkdPGW_sjci3_CLObebOMwog3FtK4olGYwX399gLDH3CPrL8qnUl2QBqWQxEsVpGKKXD5XpIJzrpoPabEOW3Y/w400-h225/20200504_182438.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.</div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMzKS4aGEzMpljbBRjjRdVB0Z559IiwIPngBPvYgmcDeiBt6bS6AXG9VDZvBcVX_tlb3AzMiiBLLwZDzYhFZL1QiLgOqs0yW4utlhgdjXupxldrMEBUYkj2V0Ltt58emOnrYtwv0lIrc/s2048/2020+06+06_0001.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMzKS4aGEzMpljbBRjjRdVB0Z559IiwIPngBPvYgmcDeiBt6bS6AXG9VDZvBcVX_tlb3AzMiiBLLwZDzYhFZL1QiLgOqs0yW4utlhgdjXupxldrMEBUYkj2V0Ltt58emOnrYtwv0lIrc/w400-h300/2020+06+06_0001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Tom celebrated his 50th birthday.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXl8gc7Xyz57vOzaF_rFSLnxnHvrT2FeaXEA0UgjKnp96z6Z7jfur2MR40qMI4ioVL2-hIWhBX8_lo0ReELH3-iVmDbLE4jTlrlrt5tzli_YkvtAzY1-2sk82aAz-C8V81wKRDn8Jy3k0/s2048/20200927_134406.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXl8gc7Xyz57vOzaF_rFSLnxnHvrT2FeaXEA0UgjKnp96z6Z7jfur2MR40qMI4ioVL2-hIWhBX8_lo0ReELH3-iVmDbLE4jTlrlrt5tzli_YkvtAzY1-2sk82aAz-C8V81wKRDn8Jy3k0/w400-h225/20200927_134406.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Second time fostering a pooch, but first in this house and it's quite the story. She'll be with us awhile.</p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3DOyp7g4rEoj-QkiVx-P9ODos7gA4zdkMCN03U80FsPVv2JPzfG2EM1pgH3BV7XTBsg-nfgdXeXnHYXPzYWF8WEaodveVjLcnUDIwW72SZIYaRVJoit9xjxKisU8CdL0L0q78brsk4U/s2048/20200621_173048.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3DOyp7g4rEoj-QkiVx-P9ODos7gA4zdkMCN03U80FsPVv2JPzfG2EM1pgH3BV7XTBsg-nfgdXeXnHYXPzYWF8WEaodveVjLcnUDIwW72SZIYaRVJoit9xjxKisU8CdL0L0q78brsk4U/s320/20200621_173048.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Dakota. We all adore her.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>First little garden at this property - the BEST tomatoes ever!! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-__H39cae4NssmraJCLOQL_KQ695G6xrqQFF8AknHtEqJ-kLrLrTKUxlQGbSiB8-DEVg6OAcDn0-fccqSxpeYZKFwTg3hg9jF0_67rUA6pd-Qxu75C0mje3AQtRwbTBKU-EBO_AiqyUE/s4000/2020+08+02_4036.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-__H39cae4NssmraJCLOQL_KQ695G6xrqQFF8AknHtEqJ-kLrLrTKUxlQGbSiB8-DEVg6OAcDn0-fccqSxpeYZKFwTg3hg9jF0_67rUA6pd-Qxu75C0mje3AQtRwbTBKU-EBO_AiqyUE/s320/2020+08+02_4036.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>First boy Cutlip in high school Sam is now taller than even Livvy, who is taller than me, not that that is saying much, but... Now we have 2 high schoolers, 2 middle schoolers, 1 elementary and 1 preschool. Lord, give me strength. Chug, chug, chug...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_OCZ8OlpJiUlZbKGP6KQioN4rhcNSEei4bR36uvinkGnMAtOisXvEZp6UD-ROFPJVpecfIhi9plaWoPBb1YvkkZcUjW9-fxs47GSBPR1oZXg3jMO-K0nm9CaStoTBKd-2peN2vAlzCU0/s4000/2020+08+31_4403.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_OCZ8OlpJiUlZbKGP6KQioN4rhcNSEei4bR36uvinkGnMAtOisXvEZp6UD-ROFPJVpecfIhi9plaWoPBb1YvkkZcUjW9-fxs47GSBPR1oZXg3jMO-K0nm9CaStoTBKd-2peN2vAlzCU0/w400-h300/2020+08+31_4403.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Danner lost his first, and second, tooth.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbTJbVAcFLTBNhfmC0MA4OxbWyg-4TIhe77Tgm98YrG2BnlzERkM-2bVfjzAUJFEwS9TxNQFvNnI9AVlmuzg_ZOvSgolCnkCN4WObaifsnkQotT3awl8rquD4gOoBMUF-6P92N_xJVnA/s4000/2020+09+15_4384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbTJbVAcFLTBNhfmC0MA4OxbWyg-4TIhe77Tgm98YrG2BnlzERkM-2bVfjzAUJFEwS9TxNQFvNnI9AVlmuzg_ZOvSgolCnkCN4WObaifsnkQotT3awl8rquD4gOoBMUF-6P92N_xJVnA/s320/2020+09+15_4384.JPG" /></a></div></div><p></p><p>First political rally back in November. As I'm writing this in January, Liv and Sam are with Generation Joshua in Georgia campaigning for the two Republican senate candidates.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXugxPTSHQKcuULdMjOTLV6yTYlV0G2Nh3FzETCOwX6NubmtsZJphu4OAH4bZfwegdSG5dlmd3aL1rwsPNZc5Cf2_zE8ifwcNIdN9K-1esI3JEyGuzY6_P3v_qLvjzCehnL5a_v4kPlcA/s2048/20201030_110429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXugxPTSHQKcuULdMjOTLV6yTYlV0G2Nh3FzETCOwX6NubmtsZJphu4OAH4bZfwegdSG5dlmd3aL1rwsPNZc5Cf2_zE8ifwcNIdN9K-1esI3JEyGuzY6_P3v_qLvjzCehnL5a_v4kPlcA/w225-h400/20201030_110429.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p>First elk for Sam and Ben. Tom and the boys were scouting by themselves for the first part, and then our good friend, Danny, came and helped with both kills. No one is ever skunked when he helps. The freezer is full and that makes mama happy!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkd5o_fdpJALUjmrYBlEy-gvMjNH5ekgtSsfl7AO9m6wcZB6qUY6VzKeE4vGf7KIKeD09VKODAZCpzNQQYbp5PRvEo5yIhWgD39fhF7LBNiuLWsk-gsF9AcZIf_ieITdg1BmT1XVoZ7Wc/s2037/42677.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2037" data-original-width="1528" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkd5o_fdpJALUjmrYBlEy-gvMjNH5ekgtSsfl7AO9m6wcZB6qUY6VzKeE4vGf7KIKeD09VKODAZCpzNQQYbp5PRvEo5yIhWgD39fhF7LBNiuLWsk-gsF9AcZIf_ieITdg1BmT1XVoZ7Wc/w300-h400/42677.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7t1VhJsjUWHTKXGH-d-rGU7D_GKZWUC8m0XGXlN7sEXZWRc7BliXOib5Lc7kfNFDCdw0UpWgF9B4uMNYc4O-h2nprOJbBycIbdl7IRMzcnzMkSYW1boAemHgbS_vYntu-IrI2_zTwsg/s2048/IMG_20201011_113117032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7t1VhJsjUWHTKXGH-d-rGU7D_GKZWUC8m0XGXlN7sEXZWRc7BliXOib5Lc7kfNFDCdw0UpWgF9B4uMNYc4O-h2nprOJbBycIbdl7IRMzcnzMkSYW1boAemHgbS_vYntu-IrI2_zTwsg/w400-h300/IMG_20201011_113117032.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugnlqvs7k1bEUEPZua7yOuttGAXbyG0Pyt7rwprfUPv7DU_tGnTMFSIY6P6rXdXaDFVND_CzyyJaawOVJYpg0kJ_5DCRscHsDKnzxXkHmZRzz9eY87MN8zI2mOI98BLXsRUkwwecPY_E/s2048/IMG_20201011_113214154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugnlqvs7k1bEUEPZua7yOuttGAXbyG0Pyt7rwprfUPv7DU_tGnTMFSIY6P6rXdXaDFVND_CzyyJaawOVJYpg0kJ_5DCRscHsDKnzxXkHmZRzz9eY87MN8zI2mOI98BLXsRUkwwecPY_E/w400-h300/IMG_20201011_113214154.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><p></p><p>First 16th birthday. Kinda crazy that we have a 16 yr old in our midst. Livvy is so kind, mature and just the goofiest girl around! I love her confidence, love for others, and, well, just about everything about her!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDIyg76R1M_wHA_GUHzijge1rR-IVwzVc7-ZQIRr5997bQZAtg8L1Uv_v1L_jDNzyxtRo2HYaneg5IFNzxtsOZsEEWHULxQ5k0ywoHt2SznQCWSQL9Xf7xTrKCMb0CjB-hWk-MypkuZQ/s4000/2020+11+20_4531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDIyg76R1M_wHA_GUHzijge1rR-IVwzVc7-ZQIRr5997bQZAtg8L1Uv_v1L_jDNzyxtRo2HYaneg5IFNzxtsOZsEEWHULxQ5k0ywoHt2SznQCWSQL9Xf7xTrKCMb0CjB-hWk-MypkuZQ/w300-h400/2020+11+20_4531.JPG" width="300" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYKfSuYtoB-urDuVWhTRbmR9onCE-D2c8GTwlXdXZJCrs_EJE80kr6h-DpcV97ySpVqIT91_oSgNrRdHUDT7iqf6TkeH5uxevdgC6CiAln_beYfHAMS8OW95YYIl5O0DdxSHG1mY4xUg/s2048/20201115_132713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYKfSuYtoB-urDuVWhTRbmR9onCE-D2c8GTwlXdXZJCrs_EJE80kr6h-DpcV97ySpVqIT91_oSgNrRdHUDT7iqf6TkeH5uxevdgC6CiAln_beYfHAMS8OW95YYIl5O0DdxSHG1mY4xUg/w400-h225/20201115_132713.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-fiz04eT_yWYtmkLM5e-OGN6Uyv8i323GxLyQrWtt8zzl9EKEYn1BFv_YwXZ9UhsxuIT54ifMsELDevhQovvBv0c9lv3wh5nxhTokQO1pt2o9-BfTvY67Oisd7YczCeRdDt9KWgNmpk/s575/20201116_121059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="514" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-fiz04eT_yWYtmkLM5e-OGN6Uyv8i323GxLyQrWtt8zzl9EKEYn1BFv_YwXZ9UhsxuIT54ifMsELDevhQovvBv0c9lv3wh5nxhTokQO1pt2o9-BfTvY67Oisd7YczCeRdDt9KWgNmpk/w358-h400/20201116_121059.jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liv's party was to find or do 16 16's. Here there in front of the Harkins 16.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><p>First track and field event for Ben. He said is was fun, but that he didn't need to race again. Fine with that.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIqarV0AYq9bYiKN7nkkR2w9zINE0LoYpXG_P5aNv-PNIRWYw1BEzZrgPAKnNFGkZ5FcpPfnVHGi-Px-9Dw7rcXAMko20rbp7ZggtTSfSMVGWQvjuSchw-N_hDYdh8TfFtytQsdOJMVw/s2048/20201121_095450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIqarV0AYq9bYiKN7nkkR2w9zINE0LoYpXG_P5aNv-PNIRWYw1BEzZrgPAKnNFGkZ5FcpPfnVHGi-Px-9Dw7rcXAMko20rbp7ZggtTSfSMVGWQvjuSchw-N_hDYdh8TfFtytQsdOJMVw/w400-h225/20201121_095450.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ00C1AaIbhhVWB54LGzjFty8KOK89lWZsrL35LXxeTYyRWaRtF7ruJ9_eOwS7PklVP3v9gl5gdjpopwvbNhlmlgJUeQ_xWMVDLEcMRl2lScMNV44UaRi3yFNsYuFkRc7tPg0XnstIYxg/s2048/20201121_100049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ00C1AaIbhhVWB54LGzjFty8KOK89lWZsrL35LXxeTYyRWaRtF7ruJ9_eOwS7PklVP3v9gl5gdjpopwvbNhlmlgJUeQ_xWMVDLEcMRl2lScMNV44UaRi3yFNsYuFkRc7tPg0XnstIYxg/w225-h400/20201121_100049.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p>First college class completed - ENG101 for Livvy. Next semester she'll take on ENG102 and be done with high school and college English - YAY!!! - sorry no picture:)</p><p>We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's filled with some down-time, friends, family, a little quiet here and there. It's been good.</p><p><br /></p><p>The year has for sure had it's ups and downs. We've had our share of struggles this year too - feeling cramped, criticized, loss of employment/income, loss of any sense of control, completely befuddled and confused, struggle to make sense of these crazy times, begging God for wisdom and understanding with not just the times, but also with parenting, marriage, etc. BUT GOD - those great words that proceed the turn events - But God has provided, calmed, stilled, and reminded time and time again that He is in control. Nothing surprises Him. He has been good, is good, and will continue to be good. He can be trusted.</p><p>And so that's how we go into 2021. Not with hope for "back to normal". Not for hope in any particular candidate or policy or vaccine. I will struggle, we will struggle, to put our hope and keep our hope in Him and Him ALONE. He alone can save.</p></div>Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-31447843002494469432020-09-22T23:02:00.002-07:002020-09-23T16:03:42.399-07:00Safe and Free<div>Back at the end of August, I dropped Livvy of at a friend's house. There were several other teens there. They went to bed around 8:30 pm. They got up at 1:00 am, ate a light breakfast, drove to Snowbowl, and started hiking the Humphrey's Peak trail by 2 am. They wanted to see the sunrise at the summit. Other than being REALLY cold, the hike was fun and the sunrise absolutely beautiful.</div><div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6AkXh68vgyPHG7WGAbhDwMBjTKaq-nRWZiodKGd9KV_yrFHM9EHPmDz9X2Z2Yrs6wvtwMksHsYIwQr7dx7ShLiVz6vNpFQtTk99wvYMdR0VwLA7lzssBKCj0fWDSrCosF9LmHv3gy6RU/s1024/20200829_045258.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6AkXh68vgyPHG7WGAbhDwMBjTKaq-nRWZiodKGd9KV_yrFHM9EHPmDz9X2Z2Yrs6wvtwMksHsYIwQr7dx7ShLiVz6vNpFQtTk99wvYMdR0VwLA7lzssBKCj0fWDSrCosF9LmHv3gy6RU/s640/20200829_045258.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7jYUjbmmlw12lgTAE4MUzq-zY5WA3RFIfAMFlPWAHMGTISC9t1dxuz9sEssSYBQTgDXnUbTIdydrflpbQ3NupB1GFUx8AbVtf-2_JGDPyz2QGlT42MvsUt-4Tjf05kcdHAewxFXy9xA/s2048/20200829_055258.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7jYUjbmmlw12lgTAE4MUzq-zY5WA3RFIfAMFlPWAHMGTISC9t1dxuz9sEssSYBQTgDXnUbTIdydrflpbQ3NupB1GFUx8AbVtf-2_JGDPyz2QGlT42MvsUt-4Tjf05kcdHAewxFXy9xA/s640/20200829_055258.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Fy0PLQ-JpH0XHiydwx9TH_UvUkxpdL7MbwJsjhQlEaY2H-7Q2joLkClrLwqt1Vy72JnOBuAIri_47A4BQNF2uYOajcQxX2OGXd3LfsvwWVuPNt477q6P5s_-edxp0nhp5Y00TSp8J-Q/s2048/20200829_061641.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Fy0PLQ-JpH0XHiydwx9TH_UvUkxpdL7MbwJsjhQlEaY2H-7Q2joLkClrLwqt1Vy72JnOBuAIri_47A4BQNF2uYOajcQxX2OGXd3LfsvwWVuPNt477q6P5s_-edxp0nhp5Y00TSp8J-Q/s640/20200829_061641.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Sam did the same sunrise hike with a different set of friends several weeks prior to Livvy's.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWzQ-EhswFqfv39c6muqWft9ck1B5QnwAcKub82rSm2weXB1u558OHlJHN04FE8Cjs8iX_TbZCGdb4B_pDqWUkH6DcgX9GvJuykzSTn1H2AsX0W9MYSAumRgvL-HhKds6kioVuXBjgVw/s1280/2020+08+09_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWzQ-EhswFqfv39c6muqWft9ck1B5QnwAcKub82rSm2weXB1u558OHlJHN04FE8Cjs8iX_TbZCGdb4B_pDqWUkH6DcgX9GvJuykzSTn1H2AsX0W9MYSAumRgvL-HhKds6kioVuXBjgVw/s640/2020+08+09_0001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I believe Sam is in the middle. They're pointing at the moon and a bright star right next to it.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I didn't sleep well either night. My kids were off, exploring, testing their limits and boundaries - like they should. Not safe and sound in their beds - like my mama heart wanted them to be. They're at that age where they need to push away. Not too much yet, but enough to figure out who they are, what they're capable of. They can't do that that by playing it safe.</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't get me wrong. They were wise. They each went with someone who had gone before. They had proper equipment, headlights, water, a snack. But they went. No adult. I was proud and excited for them.</div><div><br /></div><div>More freedoms came this summer. Livvy got her driver's permit back in May. Then, a month or more ago, she bought herself a car, a 2009 Nissan Versa with 55k miles. She worked 3 days during the week cleaning houses and then cleaned our Airbnb trailer on the weekends. She worked and saved.</div><div><br /></div><div><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVk1sRP6QZJKlHx3mTMvDuHwBcT2Bh2xNHJDfLOciQ5Q9jaFP-JXVBjAryZnqsFrbz-iS7Sv-ddxzJvnSqNEen8-SrcHut4ykHy0acm-Vosug7Y5NZJjVuVCa39ONauf-iPvoDGtvH5WM/s640/20200818_171659.jpg" width="640" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Both Sam and Ben recently bought themselves some used quality bikes. So, on a Monday park night, they biked across town to a park where they've been playing Ultimate Frisbee weekly. 11 miles. Poor Livvy didn't have a gear bike. At 6:30 Sam and a couple other guys head over to Bible study with some other young men. We pick up Liv and Ben at the park a little after dark. Sam gets a ride home with one of the leaders of the Bible study. I love the friends that these kids have and I love that Sam is weekly in the Word with other young men!</div><div><br /></div><div>I love that my big kids were able to find and exercise more and more freedom. As the mama, however, there is always that little bit of fear. Well, maybe a lot sometimes. What if...? What if...? What if...? Something could go wrong. They were out of reach. Way over on the other side of town. It didn't <i>feel</i> safe, even though it pretty much was and they have demonstrated that they are wise.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>More and more this summer I've been challenge by this fact: Life isn't safe. Living isn't safe. Marriage isn't safe. Having kids isn't safe. I've been struggling this whole spring/summer with the idea of safety vs freedom. The two aren't necessarily opposites, but they do tug and pull at each other.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tom had an older sister that died of a very random unknown illness when she was four (Tom was two at the time); it took her life within three days of first getting sick. When Livvy and Sam were little, I was happy when Livvy turned five. She was safe. Safe from dying like her aunt.</div><div><br /></div><div>In 2010 our fourth baby was diagnosed and died in the womb from anencephaly. My idea of pregnancy being safe was extinguished. During each pregnancy following Noah's, I feared. I feared the first ultrasound. I feared each consecutive ultrasound. I feared the doctor's office, the hospital (we switched to a midwife and two homebirths, which helped in one area but brought up other fears). I feared the birth. Just losing Noah opened up a whole world of things that could go wrong. Not just in the womb, but after. I fought to keep my fears in check. I watched on a facebook support group how women who never let go of their fear kept them bound to the past and kept them from living for the future. I knew my husband and kids needed me to be free from fear. Free from all the what ifs.</div><div><br /></div><div>I still fight fear. I think we all do. But, if I were too concerned with my kids' safety, I would be like ever other mom on the playground these days: "Don't climb that. You might get hurt." "Don't run too fast. You might fall down." Don't... You might...." Theses parents have so much fear that their kids end up fearing so much too. Fear of being hurt. Fear of falling down. Fear... </div><div><br /></div><div>I want my kids to be overcomers and conquerors. Climb-a-tree kids. Try-new-things kids. Explore kids. Go-on-an-adventure kids. Get-up-and-brush-yourself-off kids (help the kid next to you while you're down there). I've felt pressured by other moms on those playgrounds to not let my kids climb, jump, play rough. The "you're not keeping your kids safe" stare. I feel like I'm a bad mom.</div><div><br /></div><div>How much of their freedom, their ability to explore life, test their limits and strength am I supposed to take away to keep them safe? Sure they may fall. They may get some bumps, cuts, and bruises. They may even break a bone or two. And they have.</div><div><br /></div><div>I love my children dearly, like every mother. I would give my life for them. I desperately want them to be safe. My heart has pounded so hard when I see gushing blood from a head wound, or I hear a kid's scream of obvious pain. I don't want them to experience any true hardship or pain. We as Americans especially want to end all suffering, at any cost it seems. But I can't protect them from everything. I'm not even sure it's my job to try to protect them from everything. I want to, but I don't think it's wise. There is so much they have learned about themselves, about mom and dad, and about God through painful experiences. To try to avoid pain, is maybe like trying to prevent the teacher from teaching. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's not just a question for parenting. "Safety First" is the mantra these days. But, how much freedom do we give up in the name of safety? Just one of the many thoughts that run through my mind. </div><div><br /></div><div>Freedom has a cost. I think it's worth it.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>On the lighter side, here's a quick summary of 2020 so far for the Cutlip's:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In January, Tom, Livvy, Sam and I drove to El Paso and were bused into Juarez, Mexico (second highest murder rate in the world, by the way, totally not "safe" - yet we were TOTALLY safe) for an Operation Christmas Child Shoebox outreach. We went with a ministry called Amigo Fiel. Incredible experience! So hope to go again!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmuD28DTPGP-1UlszZEFV9cK23yxTLXADdMA3IBpW9R7UWPOvgmvcRVeYxcerk4FLbeXooXo7rA7EKKwh1zaP9qxEkWU6yxviYCg5oBZ5qmSVvfKW6rCd7kclpWjRhSYPiBSBVZ2mImJ4/s2048/20200110_151636.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmuD28DTPGP-1UlszZEFV9cK23yxTLXADdMA3IBpW9R7UWPOvgmvcRVeYxcerk4FLbeXooXo7rA7EKKwh1zaP9qxEkWU6yxviYCg5oBZ5qmSVvfKW6rCd7kclpWjRhSYPiBSBVZ2mImJ4/s640/20200110_151636.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVy9_t0JW_Dz2Mam8MmTaWxOGuRkIHXSHedsnPOoYfR__-nk9mGTNjjjT5dGBVYErSUx4atQoUFwC-Yf9AfRSRd-nwaJ9bYCUvLS_rtnL3Dx4R-C1_fbafclQBKB2KdhkqCzLRMA4mjyc/s2048/20200111_150703.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVy9_t0JW_Dz2Mam8MmTaWxOGuRkIHXSHedsnPOoYfR__-nk9mGTNjjjT5dGBVYErSUx4atQoUFwC-Yf9AfRSRd-nwaJ9bYCUvLS_rtnL3Dx4R-C1_fbafclQBKB2KdhkqCzLRMA4mjyc/s640/20200111_150703.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXVNyiL-xPYfSsUGOvXuq5TNMCUW8O20XbgJylG8RSQttdsdz6hstdg0X30PnFtaTnZd9XGoe5v6uC0RStHBrI8HzKIvUbWFu24kQnoudXYWRIrYAGkfbIJDbiTlEBCx_XYXYW165p9Wg/s2048/20200111_112006.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXVNyiL-xPYfSsUGOvXuq5TNMCUW8O20XbgJylG8RSQttdsdz6hstdg0X30PnFtaTnZd9XGoe5v6uC0RStHBrI8HzKIvUbWFu24kQnoudXYWRIrYAGkfbIJDbiTlEBCx_XYXYW165p9Wg/s640/20200111_112006.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We did a lot of exploring around Northern Arizona: <span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Moenave Dinosaur Tracks,</span><span style="background-color: white;"> Keyhole Sink, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Sedona's Wet Beaver Creek and the Seven Sacred Pools (and the caves beyond), Winslow's Clear Creek (did a lot of cliff jumping), Cottonwood's Sycamore Creek (Parson Spring), Prescott's Watson Lake. It's been fun!</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpgO39ZjmhvsdsWyU4xx4sKIC5fNvm9qFo7jxrhRzGTSmHrM0MkFJQRJRQnCV5LoRY-TpeXieW7UT1QKMNN6jk_m-AnrmncERiRquEPFFC6gDuXH31CJF7a2OjLjvhpD5-QHuSKL1iY0/s2048/20200525_141811.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpgO39ZjmhvsdsWyU4xx4sKIC5fNvm9qFo7jxrhRzGTSmHrM0MkFJQRJRQnCV5LoRY-TpeXieW7UT1QKMNN6jk_m-AnrmncERiRquEPFFC6gDuXH31CJF7a2OjLjvhpD5-QHuSKL1iY0/s640/20200525_141811.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnizpe3uktDBRyahO_Zt4aPHB3xgYnOSsugj0fmypcIut5eqJWB-4xP0nDZM4rBTNFNfduykxnw9lnFusfPnV8pWT5kVAoBspdDn_LsBVQSk6kLPIditMOSs9_LPQKVvozhSECbaOA4RI/s4000/2020+03+20_3869.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnizpe3uktDBRyahO_Zt4aPHB3xgYnOSsugj0fmypcIut5eqJWB-4xP0nDZM4rBTNFNfduykxnw9lnFusfPnV8pWT5kVAoBspdDn_LsBVQSk6kLPIditMOSs9_LPQKVvozhSECbaOA4RI/s640/2020+03+20_3869.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LLSmNnNPs6YDNG9PWZhBTkVv_HWaph3guaqlB8RqEDIy2K9bujYG88dHkXWQvrtvmbgJwfIOTrHmPdfxPsL6iWhsUdNaEOo5G-gALvABWC9yl82tTRBKJXiqWQijsXDAa37GKSC6DPw/s640/20200329_155253.jpg" width="640" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuMk4N2r-p0mPtHlOL_9xGgVg7qf97bjtuw3gQZNRGehJSZCuL62YFKkJmjceoWSaMw9iXo9kNkp88nLsahxZ3hUe6sagd-Yr2Fh-iNs4era7O2VOu6tz1sZcSQHfxTyN0JSYk3bRc7ds/s640/20200419_150933.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Went sledding with friends.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCC-NTj9x1SbIElbFbfYsy92tCKTz7gEI7HkiKt-nasV7BqnjDOJgnMJoTSsUA_tIxbMC1qCAf1Y9KQ7qLDxPNyk6UzFgoPQwYxdx4Z768RZEt-10qbKRbGAmOriXdthbugNYMuyoAxY/s4000/2020+01+03_3491.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCC-NTj9x1SbIElbFbfYsy92tCKTz7gEI7HkiKt-nasV7BqnjDOJgnMJoTSsUA_tIxbMC1qCAf1Y9KQ7qLDxPNyk6UzFgoPQwYxdx4Z768RZEt-10qbKRbGAmOriXdthbugNYMuyoAxY/w300-h400/2020+01+03_3491.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrvGJ2CHYodqIKVElmQISu8uVjkyLf8YhAbbRvVOboF4jU2LuQacYdbni80Yto7kMXVmSJkVpZXcqPqBo01_vEkDLbazKvuv_fsu13mdHYPJPk-iGm9bEwaNx7pWprgF5DAyPNt0gKa8/w625-h469/2020+01+03_3524.JPG" style="text-align: left;" width="625" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxjQdv_UubyojcIzL6SlgxQqWrpSEPU90-SvAN8hx0Nb998SFlDN0IgBSfFqAnXTZmuXbx58knR7BqGgmiz3tRQW_552QqWwu7Ibt9itVQEuh_2MDz77mZ7twqtFAd_PEu1HJNMFde-c/w375-h500/2020+01+03_3537.JPG" style="text-align: left;" width="375" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Built a family of snowmen.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQvRE-z-YSI9VHoPCjyphyphenhyphen4v5jTn9ChwwLyTZxUCj2f4s0VXee7hGzIRQo2SkYsa1KBSEpzP37LZg00z5ZjTJ_5uMALdUprgZWkvZkwBVeA7omuNKx4lx1ZxnQWa-oPfR-QQ57fS2z2o/w300-h400/2020+03+19_3904.JPG" width="300" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBE39vDj7mTzjkrQ0jlfW8J86YiuhPHZk3xYTFAIUb2aEusLLabN4d0uZAV8Kqb4u4pwn1au6anv5GYszGWa6OMv2A5Bh6l4hxNYx7yZM9KgLM99NFQNMB2VVIgdLrTfaNqKN8LK0d0Ow/w300-h400/2020+03+19_3906.JPG" width="300" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JkAHN_VxUFIIa8cr1z7bIMeLAxZ5rohdImi8J9BYXjGOKOyba-PiGZ3VvumIGuNkAGKQFdeoxvclGyVlsiib0WoT50vRveHvEm2xlqZaJZkRkGZDeg60B32JouSaiCrN-0PHt2yRgnY/s4000/2020+03+19_3907.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JkAHN_VxUFIIa8cr1z7bIMeLAxZ5rohdImi8J9BYXjGOKOyba-PiGZ3VvumIGuNkAGKQFdeoxvclGyVlsiib0WoT50vRveHvEm2xlqZaJZkRkGZDeg60B32JouSaiCrN-0PHt2yRgnY/w500-h375/2020+03+19_3907.JPG" width="500" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sam, Ben and Jon participated in the FHE Science Fair. Sam learned about electroplating. Ben learned how steel wool burns, and Jon discovered some cool things about popcorn.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzUdkTP260DXnXxL0-fBhw9iCJuID0O6cCdoWs-qqZcCCTAXeQbcnebu8eq-KIxrf7GAKrUxbyrrSrHjv-3AV5SPTQV5sJ5JqZfhGzj8s7pt6uFNFET0v2s-FxZK9ENEiCXvlLJ2pmTs/w300-h400/2020+02+11_3720.JPG" style="text-align: left;" width="300" /><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQN5Lo2DTY67jIVsTVqG817t4-P8ea6eLI_sSJ3d0qz4AHGvtsOHZR9ExvON_0qZ9Vw-oyEXK5Uqg145JuqJXeLBFCmmeG6rWlUE237KLJ_s-nzOEAwT9sgS3BvKlgdWDyaLKAxgPGV4/w320-h240/2020+02+11_3736.JPG" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMUe1Sk2QjIf07S-5HPuYvpTGiHhJix_9CxonUJshRl6fkpXOVraTap6DBz9weKHpNs7SIFzrM39ihPy3HdmI15edZJ4ptyQrtDo7MhRlEgLZob_cgsUG8DG-DtxX1RccjaE-0LdYPhY/w500-h375/2020+03+03_3806.JPG" width="500" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0yqqVJLwaDCdvNXV4RJhy4-ttG5BFct6ra25zNh9NDuFc4gpyPByHJ6nbNlxXLGrYqQdFCFZ8OuhTPMhIy7aOG4JolkTg2hLMTbJCo0BUt1BC9E73pO7qX6skm8PAv5qeFKRvA3YcA4/s4000/2020+02+09_3772.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0yqqVJLwaDCdvNXV4RJhy4-ttG5BFct6ra25zNh9NDuFc4gpyPByHJ6nbNlxXLGrYqQdFCFZ8OuhTPMhIy7aOG4JolkTg2hLMTbJCo0BUt1BC9E73pO7qX6skm8PAv5qeFKRvA3YcA4/w300-h400/2020+02+09_3772.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We bought 16 hens, were given one proud rooster, and built a chicken coop.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqjmxRPjM8YciNVLH6fTbZevADGfYWuIxmw__LAHkfnbX7JuMjRcbgcNGMztWDkjuPsNMji6yfbqztqOBKtpN-NJSlBtZdtbf6DDee-XY5XLgRI0HKDNBlncFi5artSXBCFZ7ftk_nno/s4000/2020+04+07_4015.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqjmxRPjM8YciNVLH6fTbZevADGfYWuIxmw__LAHkfnbX7JuMjRcbgcNGMztWDkjuPsNMji6yfbqztqOBKtpN-NJSlBtZdtbf6DDee-XY5XLgRI0HKDNBlncFi5artSXBCFZ7ftk_nno/s320/2020+04+07_4015.JPG" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLz_z4G4E1-aDLe2JUbljUVxK7VdQhvJngmVIsWHDeNmCfL0cIQLYfVb2u5LinKD2ZAg64AQoZZrIzF8orr36hIiei26BqJzxGdBixWPNA2rwbyCSbOfXolE1ZYp3wdtjrtB6r46Jlfw/s320/2020+04+07_4016.JPG" style="text-align: left;" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUdcOGfb4L0FZBZUTv3Xvr54i7HJjZE1VEnFA394E78oXzzdWvN4zCQAiVkliC3YfyNaTj69wiaFVzPRosJWrfkhk5rJJ4msAZF-lc5ByOaNWF71oyn0TU7Z0m7U62SKdEWI-LHfnprI/s4000/2020+04+12_4010.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUdcOGfb4L0FZBZUTv3Xvr54i7HJjZE1VEnFA394E78oXzzdWvN4zCQAiVkliC3YfyNaTj69wiaFVzPRosJWrfkhk5rJJ4msAZF-lc5ByOaNWF71oyn0TU7Z0m7U62SKdEWI-LHfnprI/w300-h400/2020+04+12_4010.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJfUtxSVSh0JfacA4OrxcCwTRFw0-j9gV72XnAS3FuEQmDqsiy9yU0U7cs1DxPmgTBajCj05-As9hkjB6dzeJGPsFmuKPogd1T_6ukDS7NeRLBoqgkvX-yO498-fce_KqRYn2Kw9cb2Q/s2048/20200410_175750.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJfUtxSVSh0JfacA4OrxcCwTRFw0-j9gV72XnAS3FuEQmDqsiy9yU0U7cs1DxPmgTBajCj05-As9hkjB6dzeJGPsFmuKPogd1T_6ukDS7NeRLBoqgkvX-yO498-fce_KqRYn2Kw9cb2Q/s640/20200410_175750.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also built a pergola for the front of the house and restored a porch swing. Best place to sit this summer and enjoy the sunset!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGEEiYf-j6uYlqruPjPbCEI1GS4zAXQJu19Ul_qyZPFr3eeifmJ2Eh6_tzMK6E67_0zsZNZ3M9dR9oldZ_9Qhom0x57TYxR68ud92HirBacQ4iGXRSzb_PfMrFdkg8OFH_0oZwuzOnc1M/s4000/2020+05+28_3933.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGEEiYf-j6uYlqruPjPbCEI1GS4zAXQJu19Ul_qyZPFr3eeifmJ2Eh6_tzMK6E67_0zsZNZ3M9dR9oldZ_9Qhom0x57TYxR68ud92HirBacQ4iGXRSzb_PfMrFdkg8OFH_0oZwuzOnc1M/s640/2020+05+28_3933.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>In Phoenix, we celebrated my parent's 50th wedding anniversary.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCbRF2_5Vr_mPAQn-gRGtZF_NPwztXU9Hm7hjGUlEyDDnSz2meFvbyFeoXwXz8913PHxoX6YRvgJef6HSni3Klnp0mG6Y-g8D2-BZCJrAlC8Eyflz7kHCwSBRse0wzxreFvpxsgcEpoo/s2048/2020+06+06_0001.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCbRF2_5Vr_mPAQn-gRGtZF_NPwztXU9Hm7hjGUlEyDDnSz2meFvbyFeoXwXz8913PHxoX6YRvgJef6HSni3Klnp0mG6Y-g8D2-BZCJrAlC8Eyflz7kHCwSBRse0wzxreFvpxsgcEpoo/s640/2020+06+06_0001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With the help of Ben's GoPro, we watched two sets of baby bird eggs, hatch and leave the nest.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmefJBpZ9AROACzVrJmB4eqGKqqF6kuwbf0OihnxyDTzOil53Z4ecTWnixoTJTag-J99banDZsBaY8Fb46GRSguP-lEqimwI1uQYypptouKJasAPuLj8QM1a5_TmqNNMPK5z1fRflKe1k/s2048/20200430_093450.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmefJBpZ9AROACzVrJmB4eqGKqqF6kuwbf0OihnxyDTzOil53Z4ecTWnixoTJTag-J99banDZsBaY8Fb46GRSguP-lEqimwI1uQYypptouKJasAPuLj8QM1a5_TmqNNMPK5z1fRflKe1k/s640/20200430_093450.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMmQML-xckBtAccS0gF2OXVwpQh2sxPNvuw-nCU3NcY8bwTSDZQsKhyFt1oynPEa8NyNCLwx7himj1-XBSiBGWs4sYeSTmX3FbUytnbDBCZmQnmBhV58exX_dVSCmdsp0r84JbjOvYus/s2048/20200504_182438.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMmQML-xckBtAccS0gF2OXVwpQh2sxPNvuw-nCU3NcY8bwTSDZQsKhyFt1oynPEa8NyNCLwx7himj1-XBSiBGWs4sYeSTmX3FbUytnbDBCZmQnmBhV58exX_dVSCmdsp0r84JbjOvYus/s640/20200504_182438.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>And we've just been our plain, old crazy selves.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwGW6qHmunlNJVPKkxhb6YBPixJe3cmhFxFpKMsnGtDslb9F2M0Bzd9I8qTvWNcUewmHgBnidr267m_xHvH0J_GIyjO1vHInlNo7Qm7_cbEiIO8mxnhjlpfQAI3AV75b2_VOrIpjPwzc/s2048/IMG_20200828_144527612_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwGW6qHmunlNJVPKkxhb6YBPixJe3cmhFxFpKMsnGtDslb9F2M0Bzd9I8qTvWNcUewmHgBnidr267m_xHvH0J_GIyjO1vHInlNo7Qm7_cbEiIO8mxnhjlpfQAI3AV75b2_VOrIpjPwzc/s640/IMG_20200828_144527612_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-91265607273261215822020-06-09T14:12:00.002-07:002020-06-09T14:12:28.538-07:00Bedtime for the Three "Littles"<b>Just An Average Night</b><br />
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Pick up the Legos scattered around the floor.<br />
Pick up your socks dumped by the front door.<br />
Pick up the random shirts discarded here and there.<br />
Pick up the pieces and parts of games strewn everywhere.<br />
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Let's brush your teeth.<br />
Get your jammies on.<br />
Sit here and bow your heads.<br />
It's time to say our prayers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXFZHlvB97yr3zyL5YV2kBmRQChu0EEM7546dVNTLOIsTRS-MHRFtP4GeFQ65LFHBilmo2CRhHkh1Zkcl8-_BL5-kOsOi26xv-E4SBDvRohacPa16OlTvqzpictn4IMpJ2botxKJOhTc/s1600/20200528_233635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXFZHlvB97yr3zyL5YV2kBmRQChu0EEM7546dVNTLOIsTRS-MHRFtP4GeFQ65LFHBilmo2CRhHkh1Zkcl8-_BL5-kOsOi26xv-E4SBDvRohacPa16OlTvqzpictn4IMpJ2botxKJOhTc/s320/20200528_233635.jpg" width="180" /></a>The oldest of the Littles asks:<br />
"Why do girls have long hair?"<br />
"Why do we think of good questions right before bed?"<br />
"Who invented shirts?"<br />
Good night.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkM_yjpkGk7KuOz6XLNuMIVT83YrOn44-X8WufirWi2pF1cGksjxZPFODb0Ivrkwv6_rmq02vBi2AvdNWnRL6DsJm1o-eRKViXmm_37nNs8MLY1sINCcufnMQdzejjEm5p2Ed7FvBAQ2Q/s1600/20200528_233625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkM_yjpkGk7KuOz6XLNuMIVT83YrOn44-X8WufirWi2pF1cGksjxZPFODb0Ivrkwv6_rmq02vBi2AvdNWnRL6DsJm1o-eRKViXmm_37nNs8MLY1sINCcufnMQdzejjEm5p2Ed7FvBAQ2Q/s320/20200528_233625.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
To the middle of the youngest three:<br />
Where are your socks for your hands?<br />
Where's the tape to keep them on?<br />
"No more sucking your thumb."<br />
Good night.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipl5ZjQIFYAqKkABrVXajqltO_bSJ2f2DBVfMhBie6SxJti1ZpC_wM-Ejm_RyWszhhOQmr-107xRlpkuTjofQz44jLROQn89ame6ClvHgluYrgs9T2qrMAtWfJcOGiuOoIr9KelIlQ6p8/s1600/20200528_233607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipl5ZjQIFYAqKkABrVXajqltO_bSJ2f2DBVfMhBie6SxJti1ZpC_wM-Ejm_RyWszhhOQmr-107xRlpkuTjofQz44jLROQn89ame6ClvHgluYrgs9T2qrMAtWfJcOGiuOoIr9KelIlQ6p8/s320/20200528_233607.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
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The youngest of the little ones:<br />
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"I need water! I really, really do."<br />
No, sweet one, you had a big glass of milk with dinner.<br />
"But I really need some water!"<br />
You're just fine.<br />
Good night.<br />
~5 minutes later, "Mom! You're right! I don't need water anymore."<br />
Good night, again.<br />
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Peace and quiet. Sleep.<br />
<br />Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-50981571810480022542020-03-06T22:48:00.001-07:002020-03-07T23:01:52.111-07:002019 Recap<br />
Just so I don't forget. Here's what 2019 looked for the Cutlip household:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">School</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLDurvByA8ifvic7CwQhg-XMtl16hV4qvD5M1ZeZ1Jrw1Uz_iHnaY84sOBM7zWaQJNcUDy6Pz_N2m4UFae7Yf_mY7K-wl0LHDHiYPTJh8JNRH77tjztYad1B8OOSOyUyA8EQfQOU30o4/s1600/2019+09+04_3110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLDurvByA8ifvic7CwQhg-XMtl16hV4qvD5M1ZeZ1Jrw1Uz_iHnaY84sOBM7zWaQJNcUDy6Pz_N2m4UFae7Yf_mY7K-wl0LHDHiYPTJh8JNRH77tjztYad1B8OOSOyUyA8EQfQOU30o4/s320/2019+09+04_3110.JPG" width="320" /></a>Jenn<br />
-CCA HS Biology (Fall of 2018 - Spring of 2019) - dissected a fetal pig among other various creatures<br />
-Rome to Reformation at home<br />
-CCA - 7th-9th Chemistry (Fall 2019)<br />
Livvy - 10th (planning on doing a double senior year to take advantage of some public school programs, or whatever)<br />
Sam - 7th grade<br />
Ben - 5th grade<br />
Jon - 3rd grade<br />
Danner - K<br />
Zac - Pre-K<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;">Family Outings or "Field Trips"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Camp Verde River with CCA Biology class</span><br />
Montezuma's Well<br />
Montezuma's Castle<br />
Sedona - Bellrock geocache<br />
Keyhole Sink<br />
Camping Dead Horse Lake State Park<br />
Grand Canyon with Creation Ministries<br />
Wupatki National Monument<br />
Police Station<br />
Wet Beaver Creek<br />
Lockett Meadow<br />
Children's Museum<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXb7tovNAWRpytsQuZoMKSTKnHyHxk-KLMBcCxV1Vq7enxLeCYQYPWUgyrg3AgbFlxo0whaD1WA7Ws4qK1Fm1zhFvYDl7JV-CdMZOn2ykt0NYzVhmgXRY5XzkmteKSUQxUHT341D3mQYo/s1600/20190714_085624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXb7tovNAWRpytsQuZoMKSTKnHyHxk-KLMBcCxV1Vq7enxLeCYQYPWUgyrg3AgbFlxo0whaD1WA7Ws4qK1Fm1zhFvYDl7JV-CdMZOn2ykt0NYzVhmgXRY5XzkmteKSUQxUHT341D3mQYo/s320/20190714_085624.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">House</span><br />
Concrete wash on the fireplace<br />
Finished Collage<br />
Refinished dresser into an entryway butler<br />
Tom painted doors<br />
Planted grass<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwJBmTK6yQK7CjhXHEkR4hYCzIVhbN_2Zrh9BkN8gAkYDY0BN_zj1PGTYrQrtb5pBv7Wg9t_htn6Kv-ggCQk_kUjQUgHL1FQJxCyiPIHyR-OaI7SCt_WJKkNWiYW8aUCF5YEReJuhf-w/s1600/20191214_201824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwJBmTK6yQK7CjhXHEkR4hYCzIVhbN_2Zrh9BkN8gAkYDY0BN_zj1PGTYrQrtb5pBv7Wg9t_htn6Kv-ggCQk_kUjQUgHL1FQJxCyiPIHyR-OaI7SCt_WJKkNWiYW8aUCF5YEReJuhf-w/s320/20191214_201824.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Tom & Jenn</span><br />
Page Springs winery<br />
Sold both houses...looking for 4th and final<br />
Fun date nights<br />
Ran an Airbnb throughout the summer<br />
Had Prime Rib Roast for Thanksgiving - never going back! (yes, this makes the 2019 recap!)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kids</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xtMhIF_JQ3j1eoYbkOZpU3SbjvD3uQ6icLzz0_FXKuBFiQbPRKcSFVKtx7ENBC0BJxuOcRrjXTgbtJPPAZaw-NteKnxPHotuPjKNtPnl6MEeHFNT71_MipG1AYa-_h6swMvnvLtIh6Q/s1600/20191122_155552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xtMhIF_JQ3j1eoYbkOZpU3SbjvD3uQ6icLzz0_FXKuBFiQbPRKcSFVKtx7ENBC0BJxuOcRrjXTgbtJPPAZaw-NteKnxPHotuPjKNtPnl6MEeHFNT71_MipG1AYa-_h6swMvnvLtIh6Q/s320/20191122_155552.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Liv</span><br />
- 1st prom<br />
- 1st real job, cleaning Airbnb & houses with Miss Trudy<br />
- helped out with Story time at Cedarhouse Coffee Shop for a couple of months<br />
- packed 60 boxes for OCC, ? Greatest Journey Discipleship<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSTxGFWjbMcXiPj8cRkNakukB4lt-Zly959QvrA-qNKoTFDwlxdPI6G8D-hw6rHr_2fSViqIwlVJ_37UmhgwIohfuE8NQd3PYGuqDdKTOmlL78wF9neXA8K0QsmJ33eBkQxHMU0TvzdQ/s1600/20190218_164832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSTxGFWjbMcXiPj8cRkNakukB4lt-Zly959QvrA-qNKoTFDwlxdPI6G8D-hw6rHr_2fSViqIwlVJ_37UmhgwIohfuE8NQd3PYGuqDdKTOmlL78wF9neXA8K0QsmJ33eBkQxHMU0TvzdQ/s320/20190218_164832.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Sam</span></div>
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- finished final year of AWANA earning the Timothy Award</div>
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- bought a snake</div>
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- broke wrist</div>
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- camping with Tom: Clear Creek (the Toilet Bowl) & Sycamore Canyon</div>
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- Played soccer with Sinagua Middle School (made 2 goals)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVekwTZFpRoMz90WvLTQDdkM5iw_Nou6WN4ZiA2h-RYvmbs8tzz5wkSH2B1df-T_xdx4xpS2LzVgf7mjHIPAQyQ887hyphenhyphenfdRvR9LhyslZdiQnfmbsBU717rRV60IvfEvxRtEvuO1JpX_I/s1600/20190804_110611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVekwTZFpRoMz90WvLTQDdkM5iw_Nou6WN4ZiA2h-RYvmbs8tzz5wkSH2B1df-T_xdx4xpS2LzVgf7mjHIPAQyQ887hyphenhyphenfdRvR9LhyslZdiQnfmbsBU717rRV60IvfEvxRtEvuO1JpX_I/s320/20190804_110611.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Ben</span><br />
- T&T Clubber of the Year<br />
- survived a somewhat restricted diet<br />
- NAU for auditory processing disorder<br />
- Hunter's Ed certificate<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
Jon</div>
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- baptized</div>
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- went skiing for the 1st time</div>
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- continues to be the "techy" kid</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No. He didn't play soccer. He just dressed for it<br />
every Saturday.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Danner<br />
- Learning to read<br />
- Danner walks out wearing a cape:<br />
D: Mom, when can I fly without an airplane?<br />
M: When you get to heaven.<br />
D: But Mom, what about Superman?<br />
M: He's not really real.<br />
D: I want to be not really real.<br />
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Zac</div>
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- broke tibia</div>
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- Me prompting Zac after a Bible lesson:</div>
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M: If you live and grow in Jesus, you will...?</div>
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Z: Turn into a fruit.</div>
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Merry Christmas to all (3 months late) and onto 2020.Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-43430669828572395422020-01-01T21:10:00.000-07:002020-01-01T21:56:48.082-07:00Cutlip's California Road Trip<span style="font-size: x-large;">End of Summer Vacation!</span><br />
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We knew we were way over due for a family vacation, so at the beginning of summer we started dreaming of where we wanted to go (once all the other kids went back to school). In a science lesson I taught Jon and Natalie, we learned about how Pfeiffer Beach got its purple sand. The idea of actually going to see this purple sand, fueled our trip to explore the California coast and then briefly spend some time in Yosemite and Sequoia on our way home.<br />
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Our route went something like this:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Day 1: Flagstaff - Bakersfield</span> - because it's just too long of a drive to get from here to where we wanted to go<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Day 2, 3 & 4: Highway 1 - Monterrey - San Francisco</span><br />
<b>Elephant Seal Rookery</b><br />
<b>Pfeiffer Beach</b> - fine purple & white sand; lot was full at first, but we persisted<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPjaTWzvUI7BRjqDF5D8szzsxKtvTEX9KWegcYF9t6yK7eUP_sj0B34dQKDiX9cfZ60vbEAQQ8aL1JQx1htZascKaqO5au8oGP5bLYU64a7uAX1bpdoHem6XzRgnk8SFgYjS-mqBsVWM/s1600/2019+08+18_2597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPjaTWzvUI7BRjqDF5D8szzsxKtvTEX9KWegcYF9t6yK7eUP_sj0B34dQKDiX9cfZ60vbEAQQ8aL1JQx1htZascKaqO5au8oGP5bLYU64a7uAX1bpdoHem6XzRgnk8SFgYjS-mqBsVWM/s400/2019+08+18_2597.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Monterrey:</span><br />
<b>Chris's Whale Watching</b> - spy hopping Humpback whales<br />
<b>Monterrey Bay Aquarium</b> (where some good friends hooked us up with free passes!!)<br />
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<b>Point Lobos</b> - bobcat, Gibson beach, diving, lots of stairs, tide pools: starfish, hermit crabs, sea urchins, sea anemones<br />
<b>Monastery Beach</b> - large grain, coarse white sand<br />
<b>Lovers Point Park</b><br />
<b style="text-align: center;">Hot cars</b><span style="text-align: center;"> - Porsche, Jaguars, lots of Teslas, Lamborghini, and a Lotus</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mFEdwGb_BHvXcI2NsMmjNZzxzdz9ROh__ogWDxzaRcB-30pMWzC0crgMANIklw4fyoR1bw087HBurG6ioqjG2_rw2SyxO1pSf6YbTYcIDXhFDiobYCjGKCaPOJfjDTp0JdpNCl-QFog/s1600/2019+08+20_2428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mFEdwGb_BHvXcI2NsMmjNZzxzdz9ROh__ogWDxzaRcB-30pMWzC0crgMANIklw4fyoR1bw087HBurG6ioqjG2_rw2SyxO1pSf6YbTYcIDXhFDiobYCjGKCaPOJfjDTp0JdpNCl-QFog/s640/2019+08+20_2428.JPG" width="480" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Day 5, 6 & 7: San Francisco - Merced</span><br />
<b>Rockaway Beach</b> - medium grain brown sand<br />
<b>Stow Lake</b> - peddle boats<br />
<b>Golden Gate Bridge</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfadqHVpQZQojG6-FPezL_y4Hl8ojlpbeRJL1bl1_P8LDFSdoLP5pP7RDZfZyywwX-m3EIR0MAbZSQ-3jhl8d4S7POLKjv8jR7GoHvjdEb2pKcygvX1yG978tE_wib2Eb55VZs0aFsME/s1600/20190821_135911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfadqHVpQZQojG6-FPezL_y4Hl8ojlpbeRJL1bl1_P8LDFSdoLP5pP7RDZfZyywwX-m3EIR0MAbZSQ-3jhl8d4S7POLKjv8jR7GoHvjdEb2pKcygvX1yG978tE_wib2Eb55VZs0aFsME/s400/20190821_135911.jpg" width="300" /></a><b></b><br />
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<b>What to do with dirty clothes?</b><br />
There were no washers or dryers in the motels, hotels, or Airbnb's that we stayed in, but we did amass a significant amount of dirty clothes. Solution? I gave Zac a bath, handed him a bar of soap and showed how to wash the clothes. He LOVED it! He's asked for dirty clothes at home so that he can wash some more.<br />
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Zac washing clothes in the bath tub - "Dis is duh way we wash duh clothes..."<br />
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<b>Black Sands Beach</b> - you guessed it, black medium grained sand; we had a blast cheering bikers racing up to Golden Gate lookout<br />
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<b>Beaches:</b><br />
We found this very cool - or at least I did. The size of the sand tells how steep the slope of the beach is, or how far out the land juts out past the shore. The beach with the coarsest sand had a sign telling of the dangers of the riptides because there is a steep drop off not far from the shore line hidden by the crashing waves. In fact, a passerby told us of a father that lost his life just a month or two earlier trying to rescue his son. The beaches with fine sands, had long extensive beaches where the waves crashed further out and gently rolled as they made their way in, tumbling the rocks into very fine grains.<br />
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Pfieffer Beach, Pfieffer Big Sur State Park - White & purple fine sands<br />
Monastary Beach, Monterrey - Tan large grain sands (beach with the warning sign)<br />
Rockaway Beach, Pacifica - Brown medium sands<br />
Black Sands Beach, San Francisco - Black medium grain sands<br />
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<b>Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum</b><br />
<b>Ripley's Belive It or Not!</b><br />
<b style="text-align: center;">The San Francisco Dungeon</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Day 8: Yosemite National Park - Fresno</span><br />
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<b>Books listened to along the way:</b><br />
Grump - Liesl Shurtliff<br />
Wedgie & Gizmo - Suzanne Selfors<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Quotable Quotes:</b></span><br />
It's an avocado. Thanks!<br />
Danner (less than 30 miles down the road):<br />
"Are we there, yet?"<br />
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<b>You Must:</b><br />
Hold your breath going through a tunnel<br />
Hit the top of the roof when we ran over the rumble-strips<br />
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Slug whoever is next to you if you saw a VW Bug<br />
"Bada Bing" for yellow, pink or cars with flames<br />
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In Fresno we met up with a college roommate from NAU - Shawnda Yarbrough and her husband, Clint. Clint's parents graciously let us stay the night with them (seriously, it's hard to open up your house to eight people). The next day, we got the A1 tour of Sequoia National Park and Hume Lake (where our church's youth group goes for summer camp) with Clint and Shawnda - it was the perfect ending of a great vacation!<br />
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<b>Hume Lake</b><br />
The younger kids were excited about being the youngest Grace kids to go to Hume, jump off the rock, and get pass the swim test.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Day 10: Home</span><br />
After playing in the motel's pool for a couple of hours in the morning, we piled back in the car and headed for home.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the Road:</span><br />
Now that I am several months removed from the memories of the trip, I'd say we had a great time. But, I do have this vague recollection of telling somebody soon after returning that all the things we did were great, it was just a struggle because we were together as a family. Honestly, for the most part, I think we did have a great time, as a family. But, we also had moments of bickering, whining (not just the kids)...we got tired, irritated, and cranky, hangery...we got lost (or just going the wrong direction) several times...we spent way too much money on parking and food... It was definitely a memory-filled adventure!Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-55896652984980688972019-06-27T23:21:00.003-07:002019-06-27T23:24:04.527-07:00And Another One's Gone, And Another One's Gone...and another one bites the dust.<br />
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This has been our June.<br />
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First there was Grammie. She tripped and fell on a threshold of door and broke her knee cap (technically this happened two days before June, but let's just say June for the sake of argument).<br />
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On June 1st, Zacky broke his tibia. I've already written about that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54TjDh8lpYRM_LFQhuxu2urJSvGQd8GkvGBCBEIKFep8p5qXR2HXLPrXtsBIDn7A7YUMCSSvNwmNTTZkBPSQYxmmaPpPz9q-pjd6LsKljseV3pksDX8zFa27rahFYBz360rgrvpH99Yk/s1600/2019+06+16_1718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54TjDh8lpYRM_LFQhuxu2urJSvGQd8GkvGBCBEIKFep8p5qXR2HXLPrXtsBIDn7A7YUMCSSvNwmNTTZkBPSQYxmmaPpPz9q-pjd6LsKljseV3pksDX8zFa27rahFYBz360rgrvpH99Yk/s400/2019+06+16_1718.JPG" width="400" /></a>Friday morning, June 14th, I got a call from Hume Lake. I had already received my one call from Livvy and my one call from Sam, so I knew something was amiss. It was from the volunteer doctor in the infirmary. "I'm here with your son, Sam." My heart stopped as I thought he was going to say something about Sam hitting his head - he's hit his head one too many times! Thankfully, all he said was that he was pretty sure Sam had broken his wrist rollerblading the night before. I was relieved. A broken wrist would heal. The head is a little more complicated.<br />
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After a super fun-filled, faith-boosting week, Sam got to participate in most of the last day of camp events before getting on a bus and heading home Saturday.<br />
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Monday morning, June, 17th, exactly two weeks from when we brought Zac in to get his leg looked at, we were back at Northern Arizona Orthopedics Urgent Ortho Clinic. They recognized us.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4Xe2fsT4O4wfA5GL-fW4feikBXwSOA08k7VlrA73rnyetfwSVB2Yw0fGj34RpGYAnKbHoREedlPCRnlIdGYzawTspCXfwm7gwh0vnGYGC8R-DdWiXGeFYGyb-qkDtOj9HDlXsEwgYQo/s1600/20190617_102056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4Xe2fsT4O4wfA5GL-fW4feikBXwSOA08k7VlrA73rnyetfwSVB2Yw0fGj34RpGYAnKbHoREedlPCRnlIdGYzawTspCXfwm7gwh0vnGYGC8R-DdWiXGeFYGyb-qkDtOj9HDlXsEwgYQo/s320/20190617_102056.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXth8m9S6LARNFxVOlbpalmuiUqaO5E44saYcBfIIYomsp1C996Lccy09s7W-QPLMxMG4WfoY5C0QWkdZk5W8QyJqB8HQ6fpd0NzWYHRAELtY7FKpXnvtyc6-YVqmAJLcAIn9dwa7Adk/s1600/20190617_101513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXth8m9S6LARNFxVOlbpalmuiUqaO5E44saYcBfIIYomsp1C996Lccy09s7W-QPLMxMG4WfoY5C0QWkdZk5W8QyJqB8HQ6fpd0NzWYHRAELtY7FKpXnvtyc6-YVqmAJLcAIn9dwa7Adk/s400/20190617_101513.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After getting his wrist x-rayed, the doctor confirmed that Sam had chipped his scaphoid bone and a couple other chips closer to the tip of the radius. As he was getting his cast on, the doctor that put on Zac's cast added some more cast to the bottom of his foot because he was wearing it thin.<br />
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I joked with the doctors that they should have a family plan, or at least a two-for-one deal.<br />
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And another one's gone.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVtwViSouKbXqH6yikCJO4gg_fBy65VNeBIQFZdOlNI8E17KiOgitE96BZEseM6FFkOE9U9aZq5rrGVb-aJ4NMcJub-H2X5iss1wS8Rp8cHgLW4dVQs0EpHcxcf39fWdrUiI05fR6wPU/s1600/20190625_141127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVtwViSouKbXqH6yikCJO4gg_fBy65VNeBIQFZdOlNI8E17KiOgitE96BZEseM6FFkOE9U9aZq5rrGVb-aJ4NMcJub-H2X5iss1wS8Rp8cHgLW4dVQs0EpHcxcf39fWdrUiI05fR6wPU/s320/20190625_141127.jpg" width="240" /></a>Back up a couple of days, Saturday, June 15th, we brought back the four boys that had been at Oma and Opa's for the week attending their church's VBS. They had a blast going to VBS, swimming and playing with cousins and friends! Sunday morning, however, Ben woke up not feeling well. He plopped down on the loveseat and basically stayed there for the rest of the week complaining of a belly ache and fever.<br />
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On Thursday, we decided we should take Ben to a doctor, to figure out what was going on. She was just as stumped as we were - appendicitis? mono? allergies? After getting blood-drawn for some really expensive tests, Ben woke up Saturday morning back to his old-self. 100%. Go figure. We're still waiting for the test results.<br />
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And another one's gone. And another one's gone. And another one bites the dust. Almost literally.<br />
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Wednesday night after cleaning houses all day, Livvy went to a friend's house to watch the Christy series. Safe, right? Well, it's Livvy. She was standing up on the back of a Polaris (which is totally fine and they do it all the time...but it's Livvy, remember) when her hands got sweaty and she just flew right off onto the ground. She got some pretty nasty scrapes on her left elbow and hip. My friend Sara cleaned her up and off they went to watch their show.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He wasn't really sad about having<br />
old cast cut off, he was just in<br />
desperate need of a nap.</td></tr>
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Now for some good news. Monday, June 24th, Zac had his 3-week appointment to look at his leg. They took off the old cast and took some more x-rays. The doctor was very pleased with how his leg was healing so had Zac put in a half-cast. Zac has his knee back! This time he chose a black cast to match Sam's.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV960xNeeqjCqykwWa6pEcrS5domPiU9nUPDwhjGnI-yLjjNepcQheqbN9lLl8q3-Cqiq5y8JjWNob6X8nqadTtRYEBbQuJibU1-fmIizGGS6DLQKQOyv06RTbxlI_C-dAJ6s-cI9LD9Y/s1600/20190614_202809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV960xNeeqjCqykwWa6pEcrS5domPiU9nUPDwhjGnI-yLjjNepcQheqbN9lLl8q3-Cqiq5y8JjWNob6X8nqadTtRYEBbQuJibU1-fmIizGGS6DLQKQOyv06RTbxlI_C-dAJ6s-cI9LD9Y/s320/20190614_202809.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
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It's almost July. I've threatened to bubble-wrap Jon and Danner and lock them in jail .<br />
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No more visits to the Urgent Ortho! No more sick kids on the couch! No more calls from friends bandaging up my kids!<br />
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Please, no more. Thank you!Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-14700986999525501452019-06-07T00:26:00.002-07:002019-06-26T22:45:16.003-07:00Randoms From the WeekOur first official week of summer is coming to an end. It's been a busier than usual week, especially for summer break. Livvy and I commented that we hope all of summer isn't like this week.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Bg_sgIdhRouDQBnShE81QoUe6DwJAlynDnWM5ISqU_iOooQgql8jXXAudADAAM12TETaNaoZUA1XISto_4PU5W9C677_01o548Rmf_1g9uZ2kl3TZ-2Z6nO-L-rUAN1xLyKw16kvDbg/s1600/20190603_105404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Bg_sgIdhRouDQBnShE81QoUe6DwJAlynDnWM5ISqU_iOooQgql8jXXAudADAAM12TETaNaoZUA1XISto_4PU5W9C677_01o548Rmf_1g9uZ2kl3TZ-2Z6nO-L-rUAN1xLyKw16kvDbg/s400/20190603_105404.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnVxh92pLaY-Tu1plhLZxBWf-jAj8576clckd0g16nce5FhcThkjPlgNFpxCB6xZBJLs0QuzPYw_5iKRSbaDPfL78kViLJSNouKXI16xEfTgjhoBxDt0PDZ7EMyo0M893o8u6qsIX92f4/s1600/20190603_154418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnVxh92pLaY-Tu1plhLZxBWf-jAj8576clckd0g16nce5FhcThkjPlgNFpxCB6xZBJLs0QuzPYw_5iKRSbaDPfL78kViLJSNouKXI16xEfTgjhoBxDt0PDZ7EMyo0M893o8u6qsIX92f4/s400/20190603_154418.jpg" width="225" /></a>Monday started off by spending 2hrs at the urgent ortho. Zacky broke his tibia on Saturday morning<br />
(we didn't know it was broken). He and Danner thought that they could lower the tailgate of the utility trailer all by themselves. Danner came running to the house, "Zacky's smooshed! Zacky's smooshed!" Zac was pinned under the tailgate. His head and back had a couple of minor scrapes, but he immediately wanted ice for his leg. There was no bruising, no swelling. Nothing that would indicate anything serious, so we gave him some ibuprofen and just kept an eye on him. As Sunday was winding down, we knew where we'd be heading in the morning. Turns out, Zac has a spiral fracture of his left tibia. He must have turned around as the tailgate was coming down. Poor kid! He's quite the trooper, less than one day with the cast on and lots of TLC, he's hobbling around, no problem. </div>
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Our <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/manage-your-space/34097984/details">Airbnb</a> is going very well. It's super fun to meet people from all over the United States and beyond. We've met people from Texas, Ohio, Utah, Phoenix, and even South Africa! It's a pretty nice gig. The family that just left had a nine year old boy that Ben, Jon and Danner played with. They thought it was pretty cool to import some new friends.</div>
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There are rubber bands all over the floor. It's one of Danner's favorite toys (he reminds me of Ben and how he played). I want to take them away, but he enjoys them so much. It's a great, creative toy that allows him to tie up all his action figures, etc. He plays with them in some make-believe world for an hour or more. But, it's costing me a bit of my sanity. He tries to pick them all up, but somehow he misses 2 to 15 of them and then I'll randomly spot them lying in every room of the house. </div>
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I thought I made an appointment at USPS to get Livvy and Sam passports for a missions trip we're doing in January. After waiting 30 minutes, turns out, I didn't. Somehow I didn't hit all the right buttons to confirm the appointment, and I'll have to try it again.</div>
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I forgot Ben's NAU speech and language appointment on this morning. I didn't think we were starting this week so I didn't put it on my calendar. We went on Tuesday after a phone message on Monday said we were starting this week. Talked about coming again on Thursday, but...I didn't put it on my calendar.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80Mhc8D5idVBWZ3-u4RjOwv23q27g-bjuMON4TZekqa-wGJ3WqTS2UEfmwGyLSaA1f3SzQQAJ1dU7ybD0FHxLq37ayTtY3enL2rgjCD4NAs18MEOCi2YWgCLzCLjdTlSMLtIR-pY_7kc/s1600/20190601_131342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80Mhc8D5idVBWZ3-u4RjOwv23q27g-bjuMON4TZekqa-wGJ3WqTS2UEfmwGyLSaA1f3SzQQAJ1dU7ybD0FHxLq37ayTtY3enL2rgjCD4NAs18MEOCi2YWgCLzCLjdTlSMLtIR-pY_7kc/s320/20190601_131342.jpg" width="180" /></a>Sam bought a new pet. He's a three year old pin-striped ball python. Beautiful colors and markings. Sam's in heaven. He named him Thor.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1sxODbqEMTggb31ShqCm6-4QTAUVjRhpBE-0BvjFZMGN6oweir1YVhAVB8lROe6Gg5y0jhXlMAWknrmfTxPE5Hjdb5brBK-9ly7_LsqZ7P8wsmdgojvh-KVsgANyn8v9FEkO4mGmcju8/s1600/20190605_205355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1sxODbqEMTggb31ShqCm6-4QTAUVjRhpBE-0BvjFZMGN6oweir1YVhAVB8lROe6Gg5y0jhXlMAWknrmfTxPE5Hjdb5brBK-9ly7_LsqZ7P8wsmdgojvh-KVsgANyn8v9FEkO4mGmcju8/s320/20190605_205355.jpg" width="180" /></a> Ben and I went on a date last night (one parent takes one child per month, then we switch parents). We ended up at Sonic. Ben had a grape slushy with nerds. I ate too much of a Peanut Butter Master Shake I bought for Tom. We also play a game on our dates. Qwirkle is a favorite. Ben won.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1x65LneVT6NhKAYFq_t_jvKQCl-IZOBjkJbTEbC8s0jKvp8rx1727QcRNdkGiszI5lTunoihe20K6edb47X0ZSY0BvZG6686GTBPDVBHBb2j6jldZN-Xqpcx02Kpo9iu7Zi_lTchMppY/s1600/20190606_074122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1x65LneVT6NhKAYFq_t_jvKQCl-IZOBjkJbTEbC8s0jKvp8rx1727QcRNdkGiszI5lTunoihe20K6edb47X0ZSY0BvZG6686GTBPDVBHBb2j6jldZN-Xqpcx02Kpo9iu7Zi_lTchMppY/s320/20190606_074122.jpg" width="320" /></a>Danner has been hunting bugs. He grabs his little bug net and is in the yard for hours hunting. Patiently hunting. Every now and then he'll come in to show me one if his finds. An ant (yes, just one). A very tiny beetle. A grasshopper. Or two.</div>
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Ben and Jon have been very occupied with completing the Missions for the library's summer reading program. They really want to get all the points as soon as possible (with maybe not to have to actual read a lot) so they can get the prizes. They look like they're going to be good. Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, Your Pie - Yum!</div>
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Liv and Sam have been working on the reading program as well. They just sit and read for hours. They've also been gathering items for Hume and putting everything in their bags. They are very excited for camp! They leave this Saturday morning and come back next Saturday evening.</div>
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Livvy's also been busy flipping the trailer, babysitting, and getting some fun hanging out time with friends. It's hard to keep up with the life of a busy, non-driving teenager. I'm loving the times with her, driving her here and there. I know that this time will soon pass and she'll be off on her own. I'm soaking in all the time that I can.</div>
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Ben, Jon. Danner and Zac will head to Phoenix this coming Sunday. They will spend the week with Oma and Opa, go to Northwest Community Church's VBS. Hopefully they'll have fun, be good and get a lot of swimming in.</div>
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That means, Tom and I are ALONE! For ONE WHOLE WEEK!! We get this week every year and it is a glorious thing! I have a list of things I want to get done. School stuff. House stuff. Read a book. Tom is actually taking two days off so that we can work on our over-filled, neglected garage, and paint or wash our orange brick fireplace. We usually eat out a couple of times. I'm excited!!</div>
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Here's to summer!</div>
Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-79878874348773219662019-06-01T16:07:00.000-07:002019-06-01T16:07:19.517-07:00SaturdaySaturday. Day to do chores. Day to catch up. Day to recoup from the week. Day before Sunday's rest.<br />
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Waffles have been made, consumed, and the leftovers put in the freezer for Wednesday morning. I've swept and mopped the floors. The kids have done their individual chores. They've played their computer time. The house is clean, momentarily at least.<br />
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Livvy cleaned the Airbnb and got it ready for another guest to show up tonight. Turning our camp trailer into an Airbnb has been a fun new venture. I'm the hostess, Livvy is the housekeeper (with Ben stepping in to clean the toilet), and Tom and Jim are the maintenance men.<br />
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Then the boys helped pick up all the miscellaneous junk from the property and load it onto the trailer. Some of them are on the way to the land-fill with Dad. Ben is biking with Livvy to Dollar General to buy some candy for Hume Lake and a birthday present. Zac is taking a nap.<br />
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It feels so good to have one day when good work is happening all around. Productive busyness. Work that you can see a completion, a change. Clean floors, stocked freezer, picked up yard, etc. Visible work. It feels good.<br />
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Unfortunately, parenting is not as easy. Parenting doesn't have that feeling of accomplishment as a productive day of Saturday chores. It's a good thing, really. I would never know how much I lack, how much I struggle with sin, with faith, with trusting God, if it wasn't for parenting, or marriage for that matter. It's good to be brought low. It just doesn't feel good. Not like Saturday.<br />
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Parenting maybe is more like Monday. Monday everyday. Knowing that there is a week of work ahead. A week of showing up, putting in all you have, of pouring yourself out. There are certainly joys, incredible joys in the week, even on Monday. I love my kids. I love my job. This job of parenting...most of the time.<br />
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But it's only Monday. And honestly, I'm not sure how the week is going to play out. Will all this hard work, this pouring out of myself, culminate like a really productive Saturday? Will the visible result of my work (our labor of love) be good? Feel good?<br />
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There's no guarantee. I know there is hope. Hope that the weekend is coming. That Saturday will be bring all things together. And really, that Sunday is coming. The real day of rest. The day you can sit back in peace, knowing that God is good. He has a plan. A good plan. His way is good.<br />
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But...hope is hard to grasp on Monday. When the littles are needy and the bigs are bickering. When wisdom seems like something only to pray for, but never given. When I'm grasping to trust that God is in the midst of all this.<br />
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There are a lot of days in the week of parenting before Saturday. Before Sunday. I will press on. I will lean on Him more. I will persevere. I will embrace the week. I will take joy in all things. With His help. Clinging to hope. Working toward an accomplished Saturday.<br />
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<br />Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-48082364538677434272019-01-03T23:37:00.000-07:002019-01-03T23:42:56.780-07:00Goodbye 2018!I think besides the main factor of having less time, I think the other reason I don't blog as much is that I can't come up with an opener. I remember writing papers in high school or college and not being able to write anything until I go that first line written, or at least thought of. Livvy complains of the same thing when she is writing papers for English or history. Every good read needs a good opener. That something that draws you in and keeps you reading. This is not it.<br />
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In the past I would blog in my head through the days or weeks. When I got the chance to sit down, it all spilled out nicely. Now, I don't. It doesn't. Maybe I don't have time to think, maybe I'm just in a season of uncreativeness. I don't know. I do know that I wish I did blog more. I love that I can go back through the years and remember what the kids were doing, what Tom and I were doing. I don't want to forget what we're doing now.<br />
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I am thankful for 2018 being behind us. As far as the life of an average American family, it was a good year. Progress was made on the house. Kids were healthy and for the most part happy. Tom's job is going very well. I was able to get more involved in things that I love and be with my family. Good stuff. Right? Yes. But...it was one of the hardest years I can remember. Things in a key relationship seemed always at odds and there was a lot of discontent in my heart. I watered that weed and bitterness grew. I was willing to settle. To stop fighting for the relationship. Unfortunately that's my gut reaction - when the going gets tough, Jenn gets going. Not good. God's working on changing this in me.<br />
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Thankfully God stepped in. It's crazy to remember the details because it really could've been bad. But God...He changed my heart. He changed my mind. He pulled the weed. That was toward the end of 2018. Now that that is behind us, I am excited about what He will do. I just hope I do my part at keeping the weeds out of the garden.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>End of 2018 Wrap Up</b></span><br />
Ok. Now onto the good stuff. Hold on, it's going to be a long one.<br />
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We had a great summer. The three oldest kids enjoyed their soccer season. The three youngest enjoyed going to the park and watching the bigs play.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danner and Jon suited up in soccer gear almost every Saturday along with the big kids. Danner kept asking when<br />
he was going to meet his team. I told him it would be awhile. He was undeterred and kept happily dressing for a game.</td></tr>
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In July we got to attend a Campus Crusade reunion here in Flagstaff. It was fun to see so many people that filled my college years and get to reconnect with them.<br />
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Of course there was a lot of other summer-time adventures: fishing, hunting, Oma and Opa coming up, time with Grammie and Pop-Pop, 4th of July parade, Wet Beaver Creek, etc.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam and his buddy, Isaac, earned some money by walking behind some horses<br />
- those two are excited about any kind of work.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5KtOdfp0DMo2o5iwI_rpZw8am8w_0c3FETZBejVJzNclH4nIsD5OKQgQue5DYZ6aGa3sy0tMyIxATbJifPJMoIseKz9HQ92FwsWifuZWjsS9ZU4L169ge2vrqyQaVjPiQixhywfyoeM/s1600/18+07+31_2318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5KtOdfp0DMo2o5iwI_rpZw8am8w_0c3FETZBejVJzNclH4nIsD5OKQgQue5DYZ6aGa3sy0tMyIxATbJifPJMoIseKz9HQ92FwsWifuZWjsS9ZU4L169ge2vrqyQaVjPiQixhywfyoeM/s400/18+07+31_2318.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, Danner is in winter attire. The kid is completely backwards! He wore long<br />
sleeved shirts and pants during the summer and, now that it is officially winter, he<br />
faithfully puts on short-sleeved shirts and shorts every morning. Weird!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAavBNevnxoafEUVkTFWMY-MWlHxoDZIg5xqUP5qmFr6HO_rICjQ88IirbUL5JMCdDMkcdQXiLdYuhkfbsFMY5gVpOCEIRo6Npa2OuDfDNtz7ZpxLsua-gobMg-JwTpFBvZIJwWvJ9LQ/s1600/18+07+31_2323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAavBNevnxoafEUVkTFWMY-MWlHxoDZIg5xqUP5qmFr6HO_rICjQ88IirbUL5JMCdDMkcdQXiLdYuhkfbsFMY5gVpOCEIRo6Npa2OuDfDNtz7ZpxLsua-gobMg-JwTpFBvZIJwWvJ9LQ/s400/18+07+31_2323.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zacky broke his elbow in July. It didn't slow him down one bit!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The spies were tracking down the bad guys.</td></tr>
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We brought fall in with picking lots of apples at our Peaks house, going to the fair, and going to Prescott for our annual family camp with Oma, Opa, my brother and his family.<br />
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The house is looking so nice. We had a new driveway, sidewalk, and pad for a future pergola put in the front yard. We also added a covered back patio. Tom was up late several nights in a row painting the exterior - I called him the "midnight painter". And the most recent completions are almost fully remodeled bathrooms. I love the way it's coming together!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYYN72UBUpXdJFCBduvl_wgT_z3tAnhN_SzVjDHmzmmcFcPrueC8T0NKEGiMOeXMPcSi3WWR_sCuedGei_Y9fUPd04wRxjSttGvYl4yUGAawdW95xOWmihKL-74xQN3WgrLaSHPPhEl8/s1600/18+08+18_0746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYYN72UBUpXdJFCBduvl_wgT_z3tAnhN_SzVjDHmzmmcFcPrueC8T0NKEGiMOeXMPcSi3WWR_sCuedGei_Y9fUPd04wRxjSttGvYl4yUGAawdW95xOWmihKL-74xQN3WgrLaSHPPhEl8/s320/18+08+18_0746.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opa built us a wood box. The top portion holds the computer and blue-ray player. The bottom<br />
left <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">part is for the kindling and the bigger portion is for the wood. Now that it's winter and</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">we're using the fireplace, it is so nice to load up the wood-box and keep warm and toasty! Love it!!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4ZEz2gTXMlK7raf8pysLkK7kHx14ipuMPfmWBxnjejmGippQglRhUuyvorengwYhyZj-WEILqvwsB2Q__IQ0Vz8CNejoSPTRpgpH5ZgsiofubAV73LQfK8m_LU4FGZnUKicUgAKjk_I/s320/18+10+19_104932.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pop Pop comes over every now and then to do some yard work - he likes to keep busy doing<br />
odd jobs for us. He also serves as a very handy taxi for getting the kids to and from<br />
different events. We are blessed! </td></tr>
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School has been a struggle. We're getting everything done (for the most part), but it's just never become a fluid part of our schedule except for the two weeks after Thanksgiving. It just took a long, long time to finally figure out how to schedule everything around a very active two-year old who needs constant attention. Or else. I think I have finally have everybody doing together stuff and then on-your-own stuff while Zac is awake. Once he's down for a nap after lunch, we tackle the one-on-one stuff with Mom. Hopefully next week once we start school again I can regain that two-week groove and finish strong.</div>
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This year I'm doing another new thing as far as school goes. I am teaching high school biology at the one day a week Christian school called Cornerstone Christian Academy. I have 12 amazing students (one of them is Livvy, of course). I really enjoy biology and teaching, and I'm enjoying the challenge or relearning the material and sharing the information. It's pretty fun! While I'm teaching, the rest of the kids were also learning biology, PE, and missions for Sam, each in their respective grades - they loved it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhPiBFUa1_FSkz0N3FhAfFaAs8tMxfJZ7jQtBHyljRKhp6dDTO1OpryGKJqcuIYnB1Mn5dDNI97gPCIFFhsib71TO3Cxnprh6_s3Fpu5b8EJ0998ob1Q-4sflD_3sFeJDUP9rtWEg9g8/s1600/IMG_4483.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhPiBFUa1_FSkz0N3FhAfFaAs8tMxfJZ7jQtBHyljRKhp6dDTO1OpryGKJqcuIYnB1Mn5dDNI97gPCIFFhsib71TO3Cxnprh6_s3Fpu5b8EJ0998ob1Q-4sflD_3sFeJDUP9rtWEg9g8/s400/IMG_4483.HEIC" width="300" /></a>Livvy is 14 and is a freshman in high school this year. She's very independent and is quite capable of managing her time and schedule. Her curriculum includes math (because we combined her 7th and 8th grade year she's been doubling up on her math lessons so that she can complete Algebra 1 this year - her idea. She didn't want to do math throughout the summer or be "behind"), world history, Spanish, Bible, biology, writing and literature during our Friday co-op with Mrs Finney, and voice. I was a little nervous to start high school stuff, but so far so good.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuTgLuA7YH_ProZraqDzxxVN1C9xzoDmUL2J4SjkDbPGeRaJRajlo2nky6aVLjj70zD5abe9AhbKC1jhNhO-Eo9OZolluN3lnfcVMayajN2-3Th6oqDAryL3VsBwaRjvomk3mQtdLE54/s1600/IMG_4488.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuTgLuA7YH_ProZraqDzxxVN1C9xzoDmUL2J4SjkDbPGeRaJRajlo2nky6aVLjj70zD5abe9AhbKC1jhNhO-Eo9OZolluN3lnfcVMayajN2-3Th6oqDAryL3VsBwaRjvomk3mQtdLE54/s400/IMG_4488.HEIC" width="300" /></a>Sam is 12 and in 6th grade. I really need to find something else for this kid to do with his time. He blows through school so fast (and doing quite well) that he's usually done before lunch. Two afternoons a week he does a fun lesson and activity with Danner - it's fun for Danner and it's fun to see Sam take on that teacher role. His business, A Boy and a Rake, is on hold until the summer when Mom is free to chauffeur and people are wanting pine needles raked and weeds picked.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd42UZ8ZWZ4Sh3uVs4QwQsgIJrFjGQ8j-OkQwD6n5UovCTCvcFOZvdXxTLA0q-0-80Oys7Fr616UYVSsmOnLgiuzXynpPmie987yK6dBSO4KKKNTv3h7qNeH79j9KYU9Rbbh1XgzVsv3w/s1600/IMG_4491.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd42UZ8ZWZ4Sh3uVs4QwQsgIJrFjGQ8j-OkQwD6n5UovCTCvcFOZvdXxTLA0q-0-80Oys7Fr616UYVSsmOnLgiuzXynpPmie987yK6dBSO4KKKNTv3h7qNeH79j9KYU9Rbbh1XgzVsv3w/s400/IMG_4491.HEIC" width="300" /></a>Ben is 10 and in 4th grade. He's doing great with math and his reading is improving. I'm hoping to get him into the speech and language clinic at NAU this coming semester to help with his reading, writing, and processing difficulties. He's very good natured (most of the time) about his struggles, but I want him excel and I'm finding it hard to give him that skilled one-on-one that he needs.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRgQiTzFfmyaOvV1VZJDvRuyoqr5_vGzT35eSKNPEAXhOJfNOBGmFNVa7UB8fVZtyR5HviQw8iPX4bimkh5-1pUPtKU6pWEUVop0xqoIo2Kz8STrAlSVmbC9phPxtaIMj6rLm_TQOx5c/s1600/IMG_4522.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRgQiTzFfmyaOvV1VZJDvRuyoqr5_vGzT35eSKNPEAXhOJfNOBGmFNVa7UB8fVZtyR5HviQw8iPX4bimkh5-1pUPtKU6pWEUVop0xqoIo2Kz8STrAlSVmbC9phPxtaIMj6rLm_TQOx5c/s400/IMG_4522.HEIC" width="300" /></a>Jon is seven and in 2nd grade. He is a quick learner. He enjoys math and is starting to pick up little chapter books on his own to read - yay! It's so nice to have a kid that just naturally gets it after trying this and that to help a kid that doesn't.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRkiXtBUIFwrnh5r02k_xEh4SMvrtANvyp_6q_0ds_5pXY1RT5QIAs_0CUu1ozc7imu53KDf0OHjEm5rx1KjntmK-bngpkgM_eLCK8oOP-9lID-D34-i-9taJMIEFK5uqKzi1HPc6NyU/s1600/IMG_4507.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRkiXtBUIFwrnh5r02k_xEh4SMvrtANvyp_6q_0ds_5pXY1RT5QIAs_0CUu1ozc7imu53KDf0OHjEm5rx1KjntmK-bngpkgM_eLCK8oOP-9lID-D34-i-9taJMIEFK5uqKzi1HPc6NyU/s400/IMG_4507.HEIC" width="300" /></a>Danner just turned five and is in pre-school. He's learning his letters and numbers and how to write them all. He loves to say that he's done his school because then he knows he can have 20 minutes of computer time.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLaMkuMhH1r2bqUALCSJNWyzfElcTnbBwlTDe1N4oKU62kF2QsmXp_fOx19sdRAClTGSnn9PrOxgc-0annt46H4kD5J0yl048Qzzph6gKnGAQTHn6TSxaWjBMr2Jl7ZOdgRJ9SiMz0YsE/s1600/IMG_4497.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLaMkuMhH1r2bqUALCSJNWyzfElcTnbBwlTDe1N4oKU62kF2QsmXp_fOx19sdRAClTGSnn9PrOxgc-0annt46H4kD5J0yl048Qzzph6gKnGAQTHn6TSxaWjBMr2Jl7ZOdgRJ9SiMz0YsE/s400/IMG_4497.HEIC" width="300" /></a>Zac is almost three and wants to be a part of everything that we're doing. If we're doing Bible or history worksheets, he really thinks he should have one too. If I'm working with Danner on his ABC's, Zac is right there with us saying, "Me do mine ABCD's too."</div>
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A few more random things to add to the list of what we've been up to this fall:<br />
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Livvy was Charlotte Dennon in the Alpine Community Theater's production of Elf Jr.<br />
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Sam got skunked again on his elk hunt. He, Tom and Ben had a great time "hunting" and bonding, but no kill. Poor kid.<br />
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Livvy packed 50 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child! With help from friends and family, she was able to cover all the shipping costs for all 50, plus had some extra to go toward The Greatest Journey discipleship program!<br />
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Oma, Livvy, Livvy's good friend, Hannah, and I got to go to Fullerton, CA to volunteer at the Operation Christmas Child Processing Center. It was an amazing experience, one that I hope we get to repeat.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were too close to the beach to not go. The girls HAD to go in. It was pretty cold, but they had lots of fun.</td></tr>
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That's all for the last half of 2018. I'm excited for the new year and what God is going to do around me and in me. Choosing JOY, not living or parenting out of fear, following hard after God, loving my husband and children as they need are just some of my goals for 2019. Here we go!Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-7355471755338083642018-06-27T23:45:00.000-07:002018-06-27T23:45:09.298-07:00Slow Down, Summer, Slow Down<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So...summer just officially started no less than six days ago. Summer. That wonderful time of no school, hanging out at the pool, getting dirty, going on hikes, and trying to stay cool. And although our summer break officially started three weeks ago, unofficially really since in homeschooling when is anything official, I feel like it's already slipping through my fingers.<br />
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I'm learning or just relearning things about myself. I am not a home-body, but I do enjoy a predictable day with a good portion of it being at home. I thrive in the daily routine of chores, than breakfast, than Bible time, than... I know everything is going to get done because it's worked into the schedule.<br />
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Summer, although considerably less "work" and more fun, brings with it a break in my predictable day. The table is not getting wiped and the floors are not getting swept because we're not in our routine. Instead of keeping the kids on schedule, I let them head outside to play before doing their daily chores, or we're out the door for some fun activity. This is good. It is nice. The problem is I just feel like I'm going to forgetting something. I constantly have this feeling that I'm supposed to do or go somewhere but I can't remember what it is. Aaahh!<br />
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We are by choice not busy people. But summer brings with it more busyness than I'm used to. It's fun stuff. Some of it is relaxing stuff. But it's just more stuff. Or maybe it's just more random stuff, not the usually predictable stuff, which makes it feel like we're busier than we really are. Whatever. I just need to learn to roll with it. Embrace each moment. Breathe.<br />
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Today, for example, I was blessed to snuggle a feverish two-year old. As I sat there, I told myself to enjoy the moment. Quit thinking about what was supposed to get done. Who I was supposed to call or text. Quit trying to figure out what I'm missing and enjoy the moment that I was in. Zac is a pretty cuddly kid to begin with, but he is usually pretty wiggly and has the attention span of a, well, of a two-year old. It was oh so nice to just sit on the couch and hold him. He snuggled up to me with his BB and Buddy and we did not do anything. It was wonderful! Everybody that was home was outside playing and Zac and I just sat on the couch enjoying the time together. No rushing. No time limit. No to-do list. Just him and I.<br />
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Tomorrow we're off to go fishing at a lake in Williams for the morning. I should ask Pop-Pop and Grammie if they want to come.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFR5im0VA3MxtaUu1MqXcOuuB5NKxB3qBmtKly6t7zmq2YMOvOrrZwyMbtUiFK79E1Pj3R96TCMqeczGj3jp8vwjK6m2dWGWyonAVY8_r_olSGlMopu-txOLsOL81uhj-aQqTUVN-cGM/s1600/18+04+30_1180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFR5im0VA3MxtaUu1MqXcOuuB5NKxB3qBmtKly6t7zmq2YMOvOrrZwyMbtUiFK79E1Pj3R96TCMqeczGj3jp8vwjK6m2dWGWyonAVY8_r_olSGlMopu-txOLsOL81uhj-aQqTUVN-cGM/s400/18+04+30_1180.JPG" width="300" /></a>Friday we'll meet my mom in Camp Verde to pick up Livvy from her "Oma Camp". She's been in Phoenix since Monday having some pretty sweet girl time with Oma and her cousin, Abbi (Aubrey joined them for today's activities). It looks like they went shopping, had Starbucks, visited one of Livvy's and Oma's sweet old friends, made Opa and Oma a fancy dinner, swam with some other friends, and watched some chick flicks. Couldn't get any better than that!<br />
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Jon and Danner have already had their Oma Camps. Sam's and Ben's will be coming up in July and August. It's such a sweet time for them to spend some one-on-one time with Opa and Oma, and in the case of Liv, Sam and Ben, have a cousin to connect with as well.<br />
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Also this summer, Tom and I had a whole week without kids! Livvy was up at Hume Lake in CA for our church's youth retreat and the boys all went down to Phoenix to stay with my parents and go to their church's VBS. It was a wonderful week for all! Liv had a blast and learned a lot. Tom and I got to reconnect, go dancing, just relax and hang out. Opa and Oma got to spend quality time with the boys - well...yes, but they also had five energetic, competitive, feisty boys who can tend to be a handful, but they did quite well.<br />
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We'll be spending quite a bit of time in the car for the remainder of the summer - mom's taxi is in full-service. Last week the soccer season just kicked off for the oldest three (Jon and Danner found soccer gear just their size in the soccer bin, so they like to dress up too). There's soccer practices three times a week and multiple games on Saturdays. Both Liv and Sam have made little businesses for themselves, babysitting and doing yard-work, so that keeps me in the driver's seat. Thankfully we've worked out a deal of how to pay the taxi-driver. I work for fancy coffee. Yum!<br />
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Summer just began. We still have plenty of time to get everything done. And really, what needs to get done? I'm really hoping I can just enjoy the ride, use every adventure to connect more with my kids, and keep my eye on the eternal. Take joy in all things.Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-63799397841013059432018-04-21T00:10:00.003-07:002018-04-21T00:28:15.572-07:00He Would Have Been 8<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtW9YY-09R2HYSOQXhAejYLgQfwZ_8I0KN83BzLc24ZbcVzPNX5cyofVfW2n0J9GTObXcNJEn9_ddHPfspZSIIAnmruwThGsgqYoHZFxqwfOsR69g10r0UqkagRx4iVqdXQPF0a2sJyPE/s1600/NoahCutlip022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtW9YY-09R2HYSOQXhAejYLgQfwZ_8I0KN83BzLc24ZbcVzPNX5cyofVfW2n0J9GTObXcNJEn9_ddHPfspZSIIAnmruwThGsgqYoHZFxqwfOsR69g10r0UqkagRx4iVqdXQPF0a2sJyPE/s320/NoahCutlip022.jpg" width="320" /></a>Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who remembers Noah or who is thinking about him. When his birthday comes around, I have a hard time remembering that there are others in this family that are having a hard time too, that his grief is not just mine to carry. That somehow, all that Noah was and his loss is just mine. Thankfully, so thankfully, God reminds me very gently that those are very selfish thoughts and that there are very sweet and special people all around me that remember our little baby boy.<br />
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Tom and I were sitting on our bed trying to find some place that little people did not interrupt, so that we could figure out what we wanted to do with the rest of our Sunday, how we wanted to celebrate Noah's birthday. We had decided against the traditional balloon release (after seeing some information on what happens to all of those balloon pieces after they pop we just didn't feel comfortable with doing that anymore - no we're not becoming environmentalists, just trying to be good stewards). After discussing some of my thoughts and hopes for the day, Tom helped to refine the plans. We would do a pyre - write notes to Noah (something the kids have always loved to do on their balloons), stick them in a homemade raft, take it to Lake Mary, and set it on fire (what 8 year old boy (or any boy, for that matter) wouldn't love fire for his birthday?).<br />
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I was still feeling a little bit grumpy...truly I was thinking that the day's plans were about me and my grief when I mentioned to Tom that we should go to Freddy's before we went to the lake. I explained that it really wasn't that much money when one considered that we wouldn't be paying for presents, a birthday party, and party favors. That kinda flat, off-handed, selfish statement, broke Tom down into showing me that I wasn't alone in my grief (not that he was trying to hide it, but who really wants to dive into sadness?). It was a sweet moment that we shared and I was instantaneously brought out of my funk.<br />
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After a couple minutes of wiping tears, Tom and I gathered the kids and told them our idea for the rest of the day. They thought it was wonderful! Some of the boys did, however, start asking some questions that we assumed that they all knew the answer to - we've been celebrating Noah's short life for 8 years now, didn't they remember? It was interesting after answering their questions and watching the memorial video, that I realized that some of this information was new to them. Because the three oldest kids' memories weren't cemented yet, and to some degree still aren't (they were so little when we learned about Noah and lost him) and the younger three weren't even born yet, they didn't fully remember all of the details. We'll be retelling Noah's story for years to come until the littlest one's memory becomes permanent. Which, is kinda a nice thing.<br />
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So anyway...Tom built the raft, everybody wrote some notes (I wrote one from my parents per their request), we had a wonderful time enjoying Freddy's burgers, french fries, and custard before heading to Lake Mary. Once at Lake Mary, everybody stuck their notes into the raft, poured a little lighter fluid on it, set it on fire and pushed it out into the Lake - next year we need to learn how to shoot flaming arrows at it like they did in How To Tame Your Dragon 2. Now that would be cool!<br />
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All in all it was a very special day, shared with my very most favorite people in the world. What a joy to be blessed with such a forgiving, kind and loving husband, and six of the most wonderful kids! Take comfort, God is good!<br />
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<br />Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-84024892483493292452018-02-07T22:36:00.000-07:002018-02-07T22:36:03.572-07:00Fixer-Upper Progress 2Here's a quick update on the latest progress we've made with the house (and I say "we've" really loosely. The work has either been hired out or Tom has done the work. I man the kids).<br />
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Back in November we had all new windows installed. Tom went back and forth whether he'd do the work himself or hire it out. Hiring it out eventually won - it would've taken Tom a lot longer than it took the amazing crew that came in. A lot longer.<br />
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Then at the beginning of December, the same crew that installed our windows, came back and put on all new siding.</div>
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Most recently Tom has been tackling all of the electrical things inside the house that need to be done. Things like lighting in the kitchen and heating/venting/lighting fixtures in the bathrooms.<br />
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While at our favorite hardware store, Tom found a very handy circular contraption that fit on the end of your drill to catch the drywall and insulation that would fall from the attic when installing recessed lights in a remodel. That contraption cost around $28 (including a cheapo blade). Tom, the ingenious man that he is, went to the bakery department of Safeway and asked for a cake lid. After trimming off the rim of said cake lid, he had his very own, free, drywall-and-insulation-catching contraption. Amazing!!<br />
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Perfect for installing five recessed lights in the kitchen...</div>
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...and three, way-cool, pendants above the island.</div>
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Now I have a fully finished beautiful kitchen! Love it!</div>
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That's all for now. Tom's still working on the bathroom fixtures - they've proven to be a bit more challenging than other projects.</div>
<br />Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-4636140139482830862018-01-06T15:29:00.002-07:002018-01-06T23:43:36.826-07:00Year-end Wrap UpWe ended our year, like most nights, with everybody laying around in the boys' room. Taking turns, everybody went around and shared their roses, buds and thorns from 2017. Rose - something that was great. Bud - something that you're looking forward to. And thorn - something that made you sad or mad or just stressed. The kids, thankfully, had a lot of roses and buds, with only a few thorns. For Tom and I, however...it might have been 50/50. Let's just say, I'm glad that this year is over and I'm really hoping 2018 has more roses than thorns in our garden.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tom</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbDwvDStiycO62cKBS6JVkFjjI0_wGdrY3bAdhAUuWRvbsENUxgG9_bNLsqusjJbqVdh48h3CG6EfTbI07dQI2qzmX0OvDib4LKtf9rJfdAo7gbSVJC38E55r0ke1iZhJptvHUQu2hnM/s1600/17+05+13_5578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbDwvDStiycO62cKBS6JVkFjjI0_wGdrY3bAdhAUuWRvbsENUxgG9_bNLsqusjJbqVdh48h3CG6EfTbI07dQI2qzmX0OvDib4LKtf9rJfdAo7gbSVJC38E55r0ke1iZhJptvHUQu2hnM/s320/17+05+13_5578.JPG" width="320" /></a>The year started with a new house needing major work and a job change. Halfway through the year he experienced a very scary medical event. Thankfully God has cleared everything up and he's 100% again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKvJsCpB05Ru8S_hKBA5wtFQQljN0WT-bLCCxgfu0-b7MuiKV0hKUrvlHIjmOhptSOjFSWatbwKlTIO2LVIjol-QeNzOARMs0qkyxeyMDxntCbtcO5rYYae5-9KUwzvc5Qg1YbWo-gq8/s1600/17+08+19_6331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvfNaB5kdop-62_3XzWiKjoRv8dP4IqyqkWMenS5yq3tvjNWP8P8Xygl7_6D9vEwGFZpcQyQFr-j8pQiY0VIeFH7z58FGHOs4WHC-UnjNHHXLg3rvVIVhuEyK-H2Tme9SEqbyfk0oQpc/s1600/17+08+15_6375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvfNaB5kdop-62_3XzWiKjoRv8dP4IqyqkWMenS5yq3tvjNWP8P8Xygl7_6D9vEwGFZpcQyQFr-j8pQiY0VIeFH7z58FGHOs4WHC-UnjNHHXLg3rvVIVhuEyK-H2Tme9SEqbyfk0oQpc/s320/17+08+15_6375.JPG" width="240" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKvJsCpB05Ru8S_hKBA5wtFQQljN0WT-bLCCxgfu0-b7MuiKV0hKUrvlHIjmOhptSOjFSWatbwKlTIO2LVIjol-QeNzOARMs0qkyxeyMDxntCbtcO5rYYae5-9KUwzvc5Qg1YbWo-gq8/s320/17+08+19_6331.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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Everything with a motor and/or wheels seemed, at some point, to break down and need his time, energy and money to fix. Thankfully he's very skilled at watching fix-it videos on youtube and has continued to prove himself to be quite the handyman.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpV7Juy_zxjB4VYtwKxZQ3A5esQFo_oRScV7o3eXfhH8SlNA0cfsNKpYXaxLZj4AGbTxepwdzkItKpDB2fos6ozwn0PQkQTt343vseqPRgLpRqeRpTUyeDWx7olaSbmDnzV3KXaxigfhw/s1600/17+10+11_7240_edited-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpV7Juy_zxjB4VYtwKxZQ3A5esQFo_oRScV7o3eXfhH8SlNA0cfsNKpYXaxLZj4AGbTxepwdzkItKpDB2fos6ozwn0PQkQTt343vseqPRgLpRqeRpTUyeDWx7olaSbmDnzV3KXaxigfhw/s320/17+10+11_7240_edited-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpV7Juy_zxjB4VYtwKxZQ3A5esQFo_oRScV7o3eXfhH8SlNA0cfsNKpYXaxLZj4AGbTxepwdzkItKpDB2fos6ozwn0PQkQTt343vseqPRgLpRqeRpTUyeDWx7olaSbmDnzV3KXaxigfhw/s1600/17+10+11_7240_edited-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY975oUq0UUrqvN-4wzgdwUSN6ccXcFuDJkqvN1giRtUqbJbksKjVasOJOVCLu9z0r_LsiQPJ2b-ZGXORbspFpDDo-tgxtKvgA6OQgxJ7lT5a_YE8KOgYdVeo2HM8-lPyC_dAsEcq9dXE/s1600/17+11+12_8084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY975oUq0UUrqvN-4wzgdwUSN6ccXcFuDJkqvN1giRtUqbJbksKjVasOJOVCLu9z0r_LsiQPJ2b-ZGXORbspFpDDo-tgxtKvgA6OQgxJ7lT5a_YE8KOgYdVeo2HM8-lPyC_dAsEcq9dXE/s320/17+11+12_8084.JPG" width="320" /></a> Sometimes the house-remodeling gets him down and the weight of all that still needs to be done feels overwhelming. What he lacks sometimes in motivation to work on the house, he makes up for in his love and dedication to his family and his desire to love and serve his heavenly father. I am blessed to call him mine.<br />
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On another up-side, some major projects around the house got done and he's, for the most part, loving his job.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Livvy</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwu81SmPVaFiM02mcx-9plY8asELQie7xLVS2N5jIxjFTVgFt7ql0hnVVufXAE7DWBBXvnrELE463tSxHNTXS8EooZG_HyofVPM9NT8QbRca4XELdGHsoRrWv9QiEPVf6M4cN7ubUTcw/s1600/171201Speedshoot0129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwu81SmPVaFiM02mcx-9plY8asELQie7xLVS2N5jIxjFTVgFt7ql0hnVVufXAE7DWBBXvnrELE463tSxHNTXS8EooZG_HyofVPM9NT8QbRca4XELdGHsoRrWv9QiEPVf6M4cN7ubUTcw/s320/171201Speedshoot0129.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Livvy started 2017 as a tween in glasses, a half of an inch shorter than her mama. Now she's a full-fledged teenager, is a good inch taller than me (she makes sure to remind me of her height every time she hugs me), and has moved on to wearing contacts.<br />
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She went to Hume Christian camp for a week this summer <b>for free</b> because she sold the most enchiladas!! Also this summer she played another season of soccer. For numerous reasons, we're combining her 7th and 8th grade year which she's doing great with.<br />
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This past semester she took a wood-working class, helped out in MOPs, was on the Student Relations Teams for Operation Christmas Child, filled 41 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes and raised the money to pay for all of their shipping plus some, taught Danner preschool, and learned a lot at a girls' Bible study.<br />
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Livvy is an absolutely beautiful girl inside and out - I can only thank God for His goodness and grace for who she is today. She blesses me so much with her willingness to jump into any situation and help out. She's an amazing big sister to all her brothers, but thoroughly loves being second mom to Jon, Danner and Zac.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMBQBD7NWdiXt8D3IzRcRZgVIm5YA5w_HP-zedJCORh-2p3ihiByDEOoL0cd63qql2SzhU0zU_b43a70ndRjPU_4XJvMMvnuvAFcqeb4IWMo4eFX5JRemHve_l5-5blrrPsTOZoCjvTE/s1600/17+11+04_8112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMBQBD7NWdiXt8D3IzRcRZgVIm5YA5w_HP-zedJCORh-2p3ihiByDEOoL0cd63qql2SzhU0zU_b43a70ndRjPU_4XJvMMvnuvAFcqeb4IWMo4eFX5JRemHve_l5-5blrrPsTOZoCjvTE/s320/17+11+04_8112.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Livvy's birthday party - packing 41 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sam</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85IYgln2MoAYKBNUnxSv6r_x7Bh67vF11k56FAEE7TrD8wrgXhL9SG0l002chavBKn_joJ_bZXLzOIFA9Ax1qt2ADUhNcYGUq8D7JMnBwgillfrcgAjFrLXD7qD2_ZAEnFaZ3bzWvpz0/s1600/171201Speedshoot0092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85IYgln2MoAYKBNUnxSv6r_x7Bh67vF11k56FAEE7TrD8wrgXhL9SG0l002chavBKn_joJ_bZXLzOIFA9Ax1qt2ADUhNcYGUq8D7JMnBwgillfrcgAjFrLXD7qD2_ZAEnFaZ3bzWvpz0/s320/171201Speedshoot0092.jpg" width="213" /></a>This kid continues to amaze me. Barely 11, he has proven himself to be quite the worker. Playing soccer over the summer, he pushed hard to better himself (he loved every minute). In school he's already finished two subjects because he decided to double, triple, or quadruple what was assigned so that he could be done.<br />
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Wanting to save money so he could buy himself a dirt bike, he became the king of finding odd jobs around the neighborhood. If it snowed, he'd grab a brother and walk around asking if they could shovel peoples' driveways or sidewalks. On Saturdays when the weather warmed up, he'd again grab a brother or friend and rake pine needles, chop and stack wood, or whatever someone was willing to pay him to do. After saving and saving and saving, he was able to buy (with a little loan from Dad, which he's almost half way paid off) a used Honda CRF80 (with helmet, boots, and chest pad) that he's teaching himself to ride around our property.<br />
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Sam got drawn for elk for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, after days of camping, hiking, and hunting, they were skunked once again. I know it was a huge bummer for him, but he's had an amazing positive attitude about the situation. Start praying now that next year is his year.<br />
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Currently he's suffering from a concussion so he's unable to do much of anything. It's been quite the task keeping this kid down. "No. You have to just sit there."<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ben</span><br />
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I think Ben has had kind of a tough year; or maybe better said, I had a hard year with Ben. Being a middle brother, he's struggled more this year than others to define himself, allow himself to fail so he can shine. He has to really fight his first instinct of throwing in the towel when things get rough, and push through so he can learn and grow. Poor kid, he's just like his mama.<br />
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Being a natural athlete, Ben had another fabulous season of soccer this past summer. He celebrated his ninth birthday by going fishing with his friends. He usually accompanied Sam on his Saturday search for odd jobs. He's saved a fair amount of money but doesn't quite know what to do with it yet. He switched from piano to guitar, learning the intro to Smoke on the Water on the electric guitar for his first recital. Having officially been diagnosed with some learning difficulties, he's learning to push through some tough things to become a better reader, listener and learner. He also started going to speech therapy at the local elementary school twice a week. We've seen real improvement in his pronunciation of his r's.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PQREUlfka1oTJJGxij4K8olqh1zN4Kbk2syo41xUQYdZPt9Tqj0fRNZgAfbSlKq9qp7Nna9XtkfFVYU4cxdL1qyOkvZMUr-Bp3XumIP3RhxMS2l57m7BJ3VV7vpSJIkaegHTOVXwtNc/s1600/17+10+29_8178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PQREUlfka1oTJJGxij4K8olqh1zN4Kbk2syo41xUQYdZPt9Tqj0fRNZgAfbSlKq9qp7Nna9XtkfFVYU4cxdL1qyOkvZMUr-Bp3XumIP3RhxMS2l57m7BJ3VV7vpSJIkaegHTOVXwtNc/s320/17+10+29_8178.JPG" width="320" /></a>Ben continues to develop his creative and sensitive spirit. He's a fantastic big brother to Danner and Zac, especially Zac - he has such a sweet and sensitive spirit towards him and any other little friend. When Sam was practicing riding his dirt bike, Ben came up with the idea to hook up the wagon to the riding lawn mower and take the littles for rides. He loves taking apart things and has quite the knack for creatively solving a problem or coming up with something fun to build. He got a first place in the county fair for a tree he made from leftover stranded cable. He's a real diamond in the rough.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jon</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1htbiVHrxxBgjita2o4TGWChnBw7Q0ATVPToZJrk3Rh_8-Q-NDrfToQ-Z3v0akndnORw4VmsdDcIKQ0lG-jDgz5AJOdNNz9Wy2FvjF-ozNr6PvIfFJKPM1sqcM_YgZpbTRLdtFdqLF3Y/s1600/171201Speedshoot0076+-+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1143" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1htbiVHrxxBgjita2o4TGWChnBw7Q0ATVPToZJrk3Rh_8-Q-NDrfToQ-Z3v0akndnORw4VmsdDcIKQ0lG-jDgz5AJOdNNz9Wy2FvjF-ozNr6PvIfFJKPM1sqcM_YgZpbTRLdtFdqLF3Y/s320/171201Speedshoot0076+-+1.jpg" width="228" /></a>Jon turned six at the beginning of last year. Preferring to find anything with a button to push or a brother to play a make-believe game with, he's a pretty happy-go-lucky, laid-back kind of kid. He can be very sensitive about some things, especially getting hurt, and is definitely getting into the stage of being his own little man, attitude and all. Jon has a very generous heart and has no real attachment to toys.<br />
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He's usually hanging out with all the little girls at church - there's just not a lot of boys his age. He doesn't seem to mind one bit. He has really taken off with his reading and writing skills, which I'm very thankful for. He, like Ben, loves to read a book to Danner or Zac, providing that they sit still long enough for them to finish.<br />
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Here are a couple of sayings we hear very often from Jon:<br />
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"I know how to do that. You just push that button..."<br />
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"I'm gonna invent...that has this button and guess what? You just have to...and you push and...."<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Danner</span><br />
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This "little-big boy" turned four not too long ago. He's a big boy because he's potty-trained (for over a year now) but he's still a little boy because he can't do all the things the big boys are allowed to do. It was an important distinction to make. He's currently working on giving up his thumb; which will help him to be more of a big boy, but probably still not quite big enough.<br />
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Danner can spin yarns like no other. After he's finished telling one of his tales (which he presents as truth), we say, "Wow, Danner! That's a great story, isn't it?" He usually flashes us a huge grin with his affirmative.<br />
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The youngest Cutlip so far to start riding a bike, Danner needed only the slightest bit of help from me before her started riding all on his own - no training wheels ever. He had been "riding" the glider bike for sometime and that definitely makes the transition to a real bike super easy.<br />
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Danner's memorable sayings:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8drF5tccLqG_JnBwGvo_B-0EBPHPKOGOE3466sV3bgYFY0JiVwZSCRYtSJLYZ5Kxx31QFPAWSAONs2rRt3gstdl2A6p3uQwfHNVdqhjHp5byryxAHdfmE9ce3lQiNIwVWy6AUu1JN_eY/s1600/17+05+22_5547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8drF5tccLqG_JnBwGvo_B-0EBPHPKOGOE3466sV3bgYFY0JiVwZSCRYtSJLYZ5Kxx31QFPAWSAONs2rRt3gstdl2A6p3uQwfHNVdqhjHp5byryxAHdfmE9ce3lQiNIwVWy6AUu1JN_eY/s320/17+05+22_5547.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
"Heavenly Fadder, worsip da Lord. Dod, help me to obey my mom. Dod, help me to obey my dad. Dod, help me not to 'try (cry). Dod, help me to have a pet dinosaur. Amen."<br />
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"Right?" - after anything he happens to be talking about.<br />
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"Dess (guess) what?"<br />
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Regarding an activity we did before Danner was born:<br />
Danner: "Where was I?"<br />
Dad: "You weren't there. You were just a twinkle in my eye."<br />
Danner: "Did I hurt?"<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Zac</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1aFhF52lcwqnGL3LgckCo3dYnd8qEWYiZH2GaNrK6NAgp0YCtPPSYYEI1c8hA6edpyNJveHexDjSokUUoiJyT-UqU50_Vw6eQcn8gEuqkSCFvLiUv5V-0SYzRjmdweTb88YF1z9ctZU/s1600/171201Speedshoot0028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1aFhF52lcwqnGL3LgckCo3dYnd8qEWYiZH2GaNrK6NAgp0YCtPPSYYEI1c8hA6edpyNJveHexDjSokUUoiJyT-UqU50_Vw6eQcn8gEuqkSCFvLiUv5V-0SYzRjmdweTb88YF1z9ctZU/s320/171201Speedshoot0028.jpg" width="213" /></a>The youngest of the Cutlip clan is almost two years old. Zac started walking around 11 months and hasn't slowed down since. He's a funny little character that has displayed more and more of his stubborn willful side - takes after his father.<br />
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Zac loves his big sister (second mama) and his big brothers. He's usually right where the action is. If he's not in the midst of everybody, chances are he's getting into trouble somewhere, probably the bathroom sampling the toothpaste...again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW08G2AiB828y_XhvfNrqXQCIpCNS7BN_P8C2Oa4VvdYjXIhbciMS9PHesFU5AD6Pk_ho7BmMzb4FR9uvz3LkfWXrWb01Htus3Bvr1N_nnjd6UC2WqRBdsfBvlJa9tmZ6emIjQu00H_Dc/s1600/17+03+28_4542_edited-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW08G2AiB828y_XhvfNrqXQCIpCNS7BN_P8C2Oa4VvdYjXIhbciMS9PHesFU5AD6Pk_ho7BmMzb4FR9uvz3LkfWXrWb01Htus3Bvr1N_nnjd6UC2WqRBdsfBvlJa9tmZ6emIjQu00H_Dc/s320/17+03+28_4542_edited-1.JPG" width="240" /></a>Zac's nicknames:<br />
Zacky, Zackster, Full-speed, Charlie, Jo-Jo, Turd, Sweet Cheeks, and Trouble<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jenn</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYk3TrQtImxP-XXNPbMJWSObJkolhCP2Jo2xzRlJ6W1WFuzo0NJTgfTTjXkuFeOzPsXK803C4Dye2vPJodYkSPnCm4m7o7b1dh0LRpyQ27YuoLtrDE13YDb_zE-vfXQ7wjeipC_jrztA/s1600/17+08+18_6385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYk3TrQtImxP-XXNPbMJWSObJkolhCP2Jo2xzRlJ6W1WFuzo0NJTgfTTjXkuFeOzPsXK803C4Dye2vPJodYkSPnCm4m7o7b1dh0LRpyQ27YuoLtrDE13YDb_zE-vfXQ7wjeipC_jrztA/s320/17+08+18_6385.jpg" width="240" /></a>As for me...it's been a rough year. Moving, remodeling, trying to figure out how to school everybody. It's been a bit stressful. Every time we find our groove, something interrupts it like Thanksgiving, hunting, Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I love all the holidays, I do...as long as I let myself disengage from all the should-be's and could-be's of schooling.<br />
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There are epiphany moments when I can clearly see what really matters in God's eye, with the hope and perspective of eternity. In that moment, all the stresses and worries about doing enough and doing everything right are replaced with peace and freedom...and then it fades. Hopefully those moments will last longer and longer as I give more and more over into His hands.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Grammie & Pop Pop</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81oYjHAd6cZhJSaTpuXxps7z1YiOmqV2bRSj5zxe8jYgJMdDojySzA3CV9DDB44HbQeR04eXW2XnzlprKxLmCuHoIud_8FVllE0FVbrg1VMBkC2sL2JnIEjPJBdK5vB6AQeF5dpsJGk4/s1600/17+08+23_6155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81oYjHAd6cZhJSaTpuXxps7z1YiOmqV2bRSj5zxe8jYgJMdDojySzA3CV9DDB44HbQeR04eXW2XnzlprKxLmCuHoIud_8FVllE0FVbrg1VMBkC2sL2JnIEjPJBdK5vB6AQeF5dpsJGk4/s320/17+08+23_6155.JPG" width="320" /></a>In other news, Tom's mom and dad, are living in Flagstaff permanently. After spending last winter back in Ohio with Jim's sister, they headed to Flagstaff this past spring. We parked their trailer by the side of the house and they lived in that for about two months while looking for a place to rent.<br />
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They're now living less than five minutes down the road from us. It's on our way to everything so it's become our habit of dropping a kid off to hang out for the afternoon while the rest of us run an errand or two. The kids look forward to their afternoon with Grammie and Pop Pop - they usually play games, watch a little TV, bake something with Grammie, and sometimes go out for a treat. We also try to have Jim and Carol over a couple of times a week for dinner. It seems to be a very nice situation for everybody.<br />
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Well, that's all for our 2017: Thorns - discussed in other posts, but also just the sin in all of us that mars everything that we do. Roses - great times with friends, school, hiking, our trip to Colorado, and lots of trips down to Phoenix to hang out with Oma and Opa. And Buds - we'll see what God has planned for us this coming year - more of Him, less of us!<br />
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Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-82248794397440833282017-12-25T23:27:00.001-07:002017-12-26T16:40:57.777-07:00Colorado AdventureBeing in the middle of remodeling our home for the better part of married life with kids, we have not had the time or funds to go on many vacations. This year, however, after hearing all the tales of friends going on vacation and just realizing that we want to make some memories outside of our state, we decided to take the whole crew on a road trip to Colorado in October.<br />
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We actually decided to go last year, but that didn't happen. This year we made it happen.<br />
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Once Tom put in for the time off, the kids and I started brainstorming about where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. It was fun to see them weighing all the possible options and see what places perked their interest. With the help of a road trip app, I was able to plan different places to see and things to do along the way. I had fun thinking of what we would need to pack, what we would do for meals (breakfast at the hotel, lunch from the cooler and containers kept on the back of the van, and dinners out), and what we would do during the drives.<br />
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After the final things were packed that Saturday morning, obligatory beginning road trip picture taken, we loaded up, handed out fun trip-binders and some magnetic toys and we were off!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Day 1 - Flagstaff, AZ to Durango, CO </span><span style="font-size: large;">(10/7/17)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #1</span><br />
Moenkopi Dinosaur Tracks - Right outside Tuba City, about an hour away, were actual dinosaur tracks! It was so cool to envision what it must have looked like thousands of years ago when these dinos were traipsing through the mud on their own road trip of sorts.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #2</span><br />
Four Corners National Monument - Yes we knew/know that it's 1,800 feet off the mark, but that is in itself a cool bit of history and how surveying has changed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical lunch on the road.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #3</span></div>
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Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad - It was supposed to be Mesa Verde National Park, but we got there about an hour before they closed, not enough time to see everything (especially for the entrance fee). So we went straight onto Durango. We didn't ride the train, but it sure was fun to see it pull into the station.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Day 2 - Durango, CO </span><span style="font-size: large;">(10/8/17)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #1</span></div>
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Animas River - Since it was right outside our hotel, we headed down to play in the river before heading out for the days activities.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #2</span></div>
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Pinkerton Springs - I had seen a review about it, but didn't actually put it on the list of to-do's. As we were heading up to stop #3, Tom spotted it on the side of the road and we turned around to check it out. Super cool!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #3</span></div>
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Purgatory Ski Resort - It was the last day of their summer activities, so we totally splurged and bought each kid (minus Zac) a 5 ride pass (1/2 the usual cost!!). They mostly rode the alpine slide, but also enjoyed the zip line, rock climbing, and bungee jumping.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #4</span></div>
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Ouray Hot Springs Pool - Wanting to unwind and rest after going, going, going at Purgatory (and the fact that we were so close), we drove an hour north up a very steep and windy mountain pass road to swim in some very warm (hot) hot springs. We got half-pricing there too because the water temperature was a couple of degrees colder than advertised. Yay for us!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Day 3 - Durango to Colorado Springs </span><span style="font-size: large;">(10/9/17)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #1</span></div>
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Durango Recreation Center - The Flagstaff Aquaplex was supposedly modeled after the Durango Receration Center, so we knew we had to check it out. It was soooo much better than ours - the water was actually warm (I usually end up in the showers trying to warm a chattering, blue-lipped little when we go to the Aquaplex), and the littles could ride the slides on somebody's lap or be caught by a parent or older kid! It was a great way to spend the morning before we got in the car again.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Non-Stop</span></div>
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We were planning on going to Great Sand Dunes National Park, but...it snowed...and some of the kids were tired. We just kept driving onto Colorado Springs.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Day 4 - Colorado Springs</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>(10/10/17)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #1</span></div>
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United States Air Force Academy - My Dad graduated from the Air Force Academy back in 1969 (or was it 70? I'll have to ask) so I wanted to show the kids where Opa went to school. The chapel is such a cool building.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #2</span></div>
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Focus on the Family: Kid's Korner & Whit's End Soda Shop - The kids and I have all loved the Adventure in Odyssey stories. Visiting was a must. The prices at the soda shop were extremely reasonable - it looked like a place where locals bring their kids for a little outing or play date. I would if we lived there.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #3</span></div>
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Amy's Donuts - Way back when the kids and I started researching for our trip, we came across this great donut shop that had an amazing variety and did field trips where the kids got to decorate their own donuts. So I e-mailed them asking if they would do a field trip for our family. I never heard back, so I thought it was a no-go. While we were pulling into the Air Force Academy, I got a phone call asking if we were still coming. We quickly added it to our schedule and enjoyed some donut-making.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #4</span></div>
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Hotel Swimming Pool - perfect thing to do after a busy day.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Day 5 - Colorado Springs </span><span style="font-size: large;">(10/11/17)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #1</span></div>
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Garden of the Gods - After walking around the information building for awhile, we headed out to see it for ourselves. Immediately Sam spotted some deer or something and the big boys were on a mission to track them down. While they went hunting, Livvy, the littles and I went on a little hike and chatted with some locals. We drove a little bit further into the park and found another hike to take before eating lunch.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #2</span></div>
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Helen Hunt Falls - A drive through a beautiful, quaint little neighborhood filled with the changing color of the trees led us to this beautiful waterfall. We hiked up to it, passed it, up the rock sides. We loved watching the kids test their climbing abilities and enjoy God's creation.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #3</span></div>
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Red Rock Canyon Open Space - It wasn't quite time for dinner, so we stopped, hiked around, and found a little reservoir. To the boys' delight, we again saw some deer.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Day 6 - Colorado Springs to Eagle </span><span style="font-size: large;">(10/12/17)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #1</span></div>
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Colorado Wolf Adventures - When the option of seeing wolves popped up in our google search on Colorado, the kids immediately wanted to go. It worked out perfectly that it was right on our way up to Eagle, so we made the reservation and joined the wolf pack. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #2</span></div>
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The Barnwell's and Bricker's homes in Eagle, CO - Ever since my best friend from college Mandy Bricker, now Barnwell, married and moved to Eagle, I've wanted to visit. It's been a difficult trip to plan, especially with six kids - I really didn't want to overwhelm her, her husband Marc, and their two kids, Will and Ellie, with our sheer number. Several years ago, Mandy's parents bought a home just three doors down from them which they generously let us stay in. It was the perfect way to be there and visit without totally invading their home.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Day 7 - Eagle, CO </span><span style="font-size: large;">(10/13/17)</span></div>
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Glenwood Caverns and Adventure Park - After a birthday breakfast for Danner at a local diner, we headed to Glenwood Springs to explore some caves. We took the tram up the mountain (which was super fun for the kids) and then we took the tour to experience two caves for the afternoon. Truly a fascinating experience!</div>
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While we were spelunking, Mandy and Ellie made Danner a birthday cake. I couldn't ask for a better friend!! They really made Danner feel special on his birthday! After the party, the kids relaxed by watching a movie while us adults got to chat for a bit. I could have used a couple more evenings of catching up.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Day 8 - Eagle, CO to Flagstaff, AZ (10/14/17)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #1</span></div>
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Dewey Bridge - Deciding to take the more scenic way home, we drove into Utah and followed the Colorado River south toward home. Along the way, we came across this very cool suspension bridge built in 1916. Not too long ago all of the wooden members burned in a wildfire leaving only the metal framework. It made a nice swing and a place to stop for lunch.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #2</span></div>
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Sand hill outside Moab - We stopped here about 7 years ago on our way back from Marc and Mandy's wedding. If you look past the piles of red sand that followed us home in our clothes, shoes, and van, it's a great place to run and slide.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stop #3</span></div>
Wilson's Arch - Another place we stopped at years ago. Since both times we weren't able to drive into Arches National Park, it made a great way to get a small taste of natural arches.<br />
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And then we were home. Eight days and 1,600 miles later, we were back home. We had an amazing time! The kids, for the most part, were fantastic travelers! There were a couple of over-tired and hungry crying spells from Zac, and grumpies from one or two other kids, but other than that everybody got along splendidly and enjoyed the journey. If only the same could be said for the adults on the trip. Unfortunately Tom and I had several miscommunications, misunderstandings, mis...that neither of us handled appropriately. It has kind of put a damper on my memories of the adventure. Thankfully, though, love covers a multitude of sins. We push on to grow in grace, understanding, and love. Grace and forgiveness reign. It's how all great adventures end. Right?Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-84106671565667911062017-08-13T22:34:00.004-07:002017-08-14T22:37:44.703-07:00Fixer-Upper ProgressIt's been long in coming but the house is coming together! We still have quite a bit of work to do, but here's some progress pictures:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New walls between dining, school room, and laundry rooms framed.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWerLZUU_PsK_y14eW78u3UUexbVhhdUXw0uxV1_SUiZhMV-q_Vky2VfhR7RSji_kwG9sDQfbwg0b2nYDgGnaxP8GhUUhqnRZApK9V4miKoZb3bUftwKORIhyphenhyphenN48lnMIivsYD2FYC6rE/s1600/17+03+11_4467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWerLZUU_PsK_y14eW78u3UUexbVhhdUXw0uxV1_SUiZhMV-q_Vky2VfhR7RSji_kwG9sDQfbwg0b2nYDgGnaxP8GhUUhqnRZApK9V4miKoZb3bUftwKORIhyphenhyphenN48lnMIivsYD2FYC6rE/s640/17+03+11_4467.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old brick work and bench removed.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsmfVU8AjnM7J2WGHP4MqQzqqyjKJxjNZ-2ipoyJ0IokiOpXEIl-A3gm-WRQAKkP8csuY_EeHraMFrl7jz4tTtH7GCCbtYGaWE0SIBCIAx2BKP-yNMZn7BTE7LjUtTnWkNqDwkmFSMzM/s1600/17+04+22_4777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsmfVU8AjnM7J2WGHP4MqQzqqyjKJxjNZ-2ipoyJ0IokiOpXEIl-A3gm-WRQAKkP8csuY_EeHraMFrl7jz4tTtH7GCCbtYGaWE0SIBCIAx2BKP-yNMZn7BTE7LjUtTnWkNqDwkmFSMzM/s640/17+04+22_4777.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood-burning stove's jut-out removed.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSdTaj_aamfvl75O_GYrL-qSTgPYsMJ80rm7ofx6zwwXYmo07QDgoWdtr4P7zjY1solYoV30RczbZeK91bKJOTasEbAxg0X8rG2lNMIHEEFvPDxe1nrYSGeEXFjblA85e71G6GeUNIAI/s1600/17+06+12_5863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSdTaj_aamfvl75O_GYrL-qSTgPYsMJ80rm7ofx6zwwXYmo07QDgoWdtr4P7zjY1solYoV30RczbZeK91bKJOTasEbAxg0X8rG2lNMIHEEFvPDxe1nrYSGeEXFjblA85e71G6GeUNIAI/s640/17+06+12_5863.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danner helping Tom remove baseboard in school room.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15IghhOFXvXwpddRtK9z5p1MCJTpFwSyo6qvtXRP3ge56zECKQz2EOg1gAURs0zDmMlXkv9r3Jw_v4vuVlAfyUSsj6_kK6tXbl5ke7NB8PngrA7GuQ_IReHTmtLjS7TfdMWEGl3ZB7SY/s1600/17+05+29_5521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15IghhOFXvXwpddRtK9z5p1MCJTpFwSyo6qvtXRP3ge56zECKQz2EOg1gAURs0zDmMlXkv9r3Jw_v4vuVlAfyUSsj6_kK6tXbl5ke7NB8PngrA7GuQ_IReHTmtLjS7TfdMWEGl3ZB7SY/s640/17+05+29_5521.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Removing old french door and side window.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixiNHXiDv6eJ7WNalwKV9FnYqUBMC_LPtFKyitKyaI5VXrhhn4LW9Kwgi3N1bef-Dw9_JcTCr62DNW60046ToIaT929OIPVsWerRKcNf18O3n63LSDoFyk4E2-rxB-xmfk0cwAk0wMqk/s1600/17+05+29_5527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixiNHXiDv6eJ7WNalwKV9FnYqUBMC_LPtFKyitKyaI5VXrhhn4LW9Kwgi3N1bef-Dw9_JcTCr62DNW60046ToIaT929OIPVsWerRKcNf18O3n63LSDoFyk4E2-rxB-xmfk0cwAk0wMqk/s640/17+05+29_5527.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf557Ogv_r-YkkPWL6iPhjaJ8bbHj0JDH2uW3vmOwn5zWji7CH6T0B2eX12-itq4UG12Yr5HNK8IxpnK-OMv6czBJQSpneiAlFEo2R4X61kXePkql5Mbl6qpL0zh2p8PWp0LUBcBLGqwA/s1600/17+06+12_5865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf557Ogv_r-YkkPWL6iPhjaJ8bbHj0JDH2uW3vmOwn5zWji7CH6T0B2eX12-itq4UG12Yr5HNK8IxpnK-OMv6czBJQSpneiAlFEo2R4X61kXePkql5Mbl6qpL0zh2p8PWp0LUBcBLGqwA/s640/17+06+12_5865.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New tile and new sliding glass door.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6xxDlRFmM5bvaYY6jyVA8f2TF5iqaeqBMIA9ODTOhsGcAPbFruEEwOG8f1klqlBetnTbbeYhyphenhyphenPU__-CUqyEpituF06DQwdmQD6O4eh1mFgXR3b_COYxyongpbXPKVap0rgBU598SSvU/s1600/17+06+15_5852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6xxDlRFmM5bvaYY6jyVA8f2TF5iqaeqBMIA9ODTOhsGcAPbFruEEwOG8f1klqlBetnTbbeYhyphenhyphenPU__-CUqyEpituF06DQwdmQD6O4eh1mFgXR3b_COYxyongpbXPKVap0rgBU598SSvU/s640/17+06+15_5852.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how we clean new tile floors.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe725-Ucy78DfvVhc6p4oiNxFLATE8qJkcuYs-dbYhInztbDth_bHw0gaAusHT_hG0go2OPJjmHknXyJXc53_mvpy8EzZcYiahE21UvTeWqCy6CIuN9NwcVPvG9bytEEac-YFda-uz-kU/s1600/17+06+15_5849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe725-Ucy78DfvVhc6p4oiNxFLATE8qJkcuYs-dbYhInztbDth_bHw0gaAusHT_hG0go2OPJjmHknXyJXc53_mvpy8EzZcYiahE21UvTeWqCy6CIuN9NwcVPvG9bytEEac-YFda-uz-kU/s640/17+06+15_5849.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrZaRqOPDkqaQjKIPTj3er1ELvP85qTM_ZCm9xOoAQNG4EP11_xyRZnkqQy_ub0KIEbS7TMMucOsofV6Epx1vXkvGpliS3y8SSdAYCxotJHzPkPbN3dFoAh4RDjugiXDYl7n6y6bO4KI/s1600/17+06+15_5857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrZaRqOPDkqaQjKIPTj3er1ELvP85qTM_ZCm9xOoAQNG4EP11_xyRZnkqQy_ub0KIEbS7TMMucOsofV6Epx1vXkvGpliS3y8SSdAYCxotJHzPkPbN3dFoAh4RDjugiXDYl7n6y6bO4KI/s640/17+06+15_5857.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old fireplace being fitted for new wood-burning insert.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEiyKmUf8k-W4k9nxxlGvTCypZftqqM5KUTKyVS7Iy3esP5fj1MIJOnSx7e25PX0RlsE9nUWljpeyjsqZMpGHN2XsArh6FaylILqpy_XBmCevyBRI25u-A4y93Ybgp3e-K0Gku-Uw1bU/s1600/17+06+22_5822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEiyKmUf8k-W4k9nxxlGvTCypZftqqM5KUTKyVS7Iy3esP5fj1MIJOnSx7e25PX0RlsE9nUWljpeyjsqZMpGHN2XsArh6FaylILqpy_XBmCevyBRI25u-A4y93Ybgp3e-K0Gku-Uw1bU/s640/17+06+22_5822.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood-burning insert.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNK04d5xZsG2FV-R7VxOfqFio0JaQDZ1LaxatTDNuwIMAqKu3WexOupxe-2kAp4i96ouMsYzUPyfMUXV8tkJw5TF0IkGXqZub9G0dWDGXC6zDYYQRu8EleYW70-hU1AFQIBLk-YSa-24/s1600/17+06+17_5832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNK04d5xZsG2FV-R7VxOfqFio0JaQDZ1LaxatTDNuwIMAqKu3WexOupxe-2kAp4i96ouMsYzUPyfMUXV8tkJw5TF0IkGXqZub9G0dWDGXC6zDYYQRu8EleYW70-hU1AFQIBLk-YSa-24/s640/17+06+17_5832.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom installed a new toilet in the guest bath - the old one found a new home after being thunk upon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnLceNeIqRr7QzwCJpXcBTDMHoz39LU0IqaZZtJU-Me_v0HGTPF1rVd2a63V9oYW0o2zmRZK-JiKdRFSBfMO9VI2c7YDpn_v1khaevIhkekOdGm2C5uWyW9atSLbONHaDshfCG15YCOU/s1600/17+07+18_6138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnLceNeIqRr7QzwCJpXcBTDMHoz39LU0IqaZZtJU-Me_v0HGTPF1rVd2a63V9oYW0o2zmRZK-JiKdRFSBfMO9VI2c7YDpn_v1khaevIhkekOdGm2C5uWyW9atSLbONHaDshfCG15YCOU/s640/17+07+18_6138.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of two windows in the school room removed and framed in to allow for more wall space.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5SmCesG5_8Ze-Xvyq-QHUjTwgtBf-W7Otr5V0cNZkN841xp9F7hCiQtPMuOegpdY9uty2a56oo1moWEefHIbakCauE08V81pudkjda4Zf5VPKKhuuVNfy1tGvwrqwKerqx82APSFw-E/s1600/17+07+28_6019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5SmCesG5_8Ze-Xvyq-QHUjTwgtBf-W7Otr5V0cNZkN841xp9F7hCiQtPMuOegpdY9uty2a56oo1moWEefHIbakCauE08V81pudkjda4Zf5VPKKhuuVNfy1tGvwrqwKerqx82APSFw-E/s640/17+07+28_6019.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Computer desk being installed.</td></tr>
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Well that's about it for now. Tom's wrapping up the school room for me so I can get ready to start school in another couple of weeks. Next is new windows, furnace and more painting.<br />
<br />Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-23567481392217777082017-06-15T23:20:00.001-07:002017-06-15T23:20:24.896-07:00BumpsLife is full of the unexpected. Some good. Some not so good. It's the not-so-good that really test us.<br />
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The bumps in the road. The plans that go awry. The dreams dashed. The personal cost seems more than bearable.<br />
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Bumps leave us feeling anxious. Fearful. Angry. Bitter.<br />
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Sometimes bumps are minor intrusions to our day. Sometimes they are major. All require us to refocus on what truly matters. Where our hope and trust truly are.<br />
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We've had a lot of bumps these past months. Most of them have been very minor in the scheme of things. It was just the number of coinciding bumps that has really tested my character. Truly tested where, with whom, I've put my faith.<br />
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When we first moved into our fixer-upper, things were going as expected. As I previously posted, moving is not easy, but we were here and things were going along just fine.<br />
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But then the bumps started. I'm not sure which came first, Tom's new job or the problem(s) with the dogs. We'll start with Tom's job.<br />
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At some point towards the end of the year, Tom switched from working at a nursing home to doing home health. Because he had worked years before doing home health, he thought the transition would be a piece of cake. He was excited about having more time at home for family and house work, freedom with his schedule, and even slightly better pay. Turns out, the adjustment period was a nightmare. He was so stressed. He was coming home later, sitting in our bedroom with the door shut (to keep out the noise of the kids) trying to schedule his next day, and then working until 10pm or later catching up on all his notes. Yuck!<br />
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While this was going on, Roman and Lucy, our sweet puppies that we were privileged to witness being born, figured out how to escape their pen. Their pen that Tom spent many hours installing when he was needed elsewhere. Not only did they figure out how to jump the fence, they discovered our neighbors had chickens. Roman and Lucy love chickens! They ate two of them costing us $50. Expensive chicken that we didn't even get to enjoy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFg7mXqrwFXXcDIgWxsfNNrtr2v_EvN0h6EWdJQkyNNF2f0UfrUgFY-D1aW1cdXIF3xmndsEUJ2v7zZx2BdisCobTpVNIo6xJG8xAiKiBxsJymQffl-oQBbxWh37YuIT98WlD2d6IuldU/s1600/05+03+26_4214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFg7mXqrwFXXcDIgWxsfNNrtr2v_EvN0h6EWdJQkyNNF2f0UfrUgFY-D1aW1cdXIF3xmndsEUJ2v7zZx2BdisCobTpVNIo6xJG8xAiKiBxsJymQffl-oQBbxWh37YuIT98WlD2d6IuldU/s400/05+03+26_4214.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Once they figured out that not only could they jump the fence, go eat chicken, they decided to go visit other dogs in the neighborhood. One neighbor threaten to call the pound the next time he saw them loose. Ugh! They were escaping multiple times a week. During the school day. When I was trying to do school, not scour the neighborhood for our pooches.<br />
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Each time they got out, Tom would spend more money to reinforce the fence. Each time they figured out a way to bust through.<br />
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When they were inside the house, they would look for any open-door opportunity. Kids, of course, are not the best at always shutting the door behind them, and shutting it quickly. Kids were also easy to push over when the pooches were hungry for chicken.<br />
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So, we had to make a very hard, very sad decision. We had to find new homes for our Roman and Lucy. The kids were so heart-broken. We second-guessed our decision for weeks.<br />
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Then we had some bumps with our two rental properties. In the Peaks house, the master bedroom window was leaking and needed to not only be repaired, but replaced, along with some drywall. The water-heater in the townhouse decided to leak, and then the tenants in the townhouse were having marital issues revealing a flaw in our lease agreement.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KyUYpGbaJ0I4LeDc_YNlyqf6MPPX2EwA5GAewTZcn8X3HOBhPhaZLbSL6ZhZPQFMlOJaoNDQo_dEMUsNT4MPkZdRLo92BNcWqceZmz1zugwf8nQ8nigpU4vGcVlH13ghbkmPYb_n0ZU/s1600/17+01+24_5309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KyUYpGbaJ0I4LeDc_YNlyqf6MPPX2EwA5GAewTZcn8X3HOBhPhaZLbSL6ZhZPQFMlOJaoNDQo_dEMUsNT4MPkZdRLo92BNcWqceZmz1zugwf8nQ8nigpU4vGcVlH13ghbkmPYb_n0ZU/s400/17+01+24_5309.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Being in the middle of winter, the snow fell. Not only did it fall, it fell in record amounts. We do not have 4-wheel drive vehicles. We have a very long driveway. Thankfully we have four hard-working kids who were able to do quite a bit of shoveling, but I got stuck twice. Requiring, you guessed it, Tom to come help dig and push me out, just when he was needed and had planned on getting some work done on the house.<br />
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All these bumps compounded the feeling that we had make the worst mistake in our lives when we bought this house. Why had we bought this smaller house with its gross walls, smoker-smell, leaky windows, drafty doors, etc. We felt way in over our heads. Things with the house were not getting done in the 6-8 week time-frame we had originally dreamed of. Things with the house came to a stand-still as we just tried to manage the daily requirements of life.<br />
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We've finally turned the corner and there seems to be a straighter, smoother road up ahead. All of those bumps have done their job of revealing character flaws. Rough edges that needed and still need to be sharpened. Where there had been anxiety and fear, God revealed that my trust was not solely on Him. Where there had been anger, God revealed that I was trying to serve my sinful, selfish self. Where there had been bitterness, God revealed my need to accept His forgiveness and extend grace to others.<br />
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I pray that the bumps, at least the big ones, are fewer and farther between. But, I'm grateful for the work that they've started in my life.<br />
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There has been a lot of work done of the house in the recent month. It's super fun to see!! I'll try to post about that soon.<br />
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<br />Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-45567783355759973212016-11-30T22:47:00.001-07:002016-12-02T23:43:39.477-07:00Found!Years and years ago (seems like eons ago) when Tom and I first got married, we lived in a little two bedroom duplex. It was sweet. We used to wash dishes together. One would be the washer; the other would be the quality control/rinser/dryer.<br />
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One day after doing the dishes, we were looking for a little clear plastic cup that went in the lid of our blender. We both remembered that it had just been washed and we were scouring around everywhere on the drying rack and on the floor looking for it. I remembered exactly where I saw it last. I remember I placed my hand exactly on the spot where I knew it had been.<br />
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After giving up hopes of finding it and turning around to make whatever we were making at the time, I turned around and there it was! It was right where I had placed my hand not even ten minutes before. I laughed and told Tom, thinking that he had just put it back, that he had played a good joke on me. Only...it wasn't a joke. He didn't put it back. It just reappeared. True story!<br />
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The only plausible explanation that we could come up with was that we had just witnessed an angelic joke. We called him, the KA - Kitchen Angel. Every since then, the KA comes around once every couple years or so.<br />
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Which bring me to the missing piano bags. I had looked in boxes several times. I had moved items. I had searched. Everywhere. No bags. The boys went to two lessons without their piano books. I was at a loss as to where they could be.<br />
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Well. They've been found. You want to know where? Right out in the open! Right on top of one the kids' school desks. A school desk that I know I had moved. I could not have missed them! KA strikes again!<br />
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The camera has been found too. It was just in a small box on top of one of the laundry shelves that I hadn't looked in. No miracle there. The other missing item must have also been found, since I still can't remember what it is.</div>
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So. There you have it. Keep an eye out for KA's in your home. Not all things missing or misplaced can be blamed on an absent mind. It just might be there's an angel lurking around who has a sense of humor.</div>
<br />Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832626378293834537.post-4218017078978646332016-11-23T14:34:00.000-07:002017-08-16T21:00:36.242-07:00Displaced PersonsLike I said, moving is hard. Moving into an unfinished space is even harder. I liken it to camping. Long term. Last week felt a lot like camping. At least how I view camping - I'm not that fond of it.<br />
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You have everything you need. Somewhere. You open up box after box looking for the one thing you need (or bin if you're truly camping. Cutlip camping anyway). You see lots of interesting items but not the one item in question. Finally after a long frustrating search, you find it. Hurray! Two hours later you are in search again for an item. You know you saw it in your first search, but you can't remember in which box so the process of searching is repeated. Several times. Every couple of hours. We have not located the camera, the boys' piano bags, and...something else that I can't even think of at the moment. They're probably together in a box mark lawn ornaments that won't be opened until spring at best.<br />
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Thankfully, unlike camping, we had a working refrigerator to keep the food cold and not soaked with melting ice cubes. Like camping though, for the first couple of days we had no running water in the kitchen, no dishwasher, no stove and no microwave. All to say, we ate on paper plates and got subway a couple of times. Tom and my dad quickly got to work getting the kitchen in proper working order so that we could have some semblance of preparing meals.<br />
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Within the first couple of days we got the kids' bedrooms all set up and unpacked. Within the next couple of days, I finally got the master unpacked. The bedrooms are the only finished spaces in the house, so we could actually get everything set up. It has been so nice to get those spaces looking and feeling livable.<br />
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The kitchen is the next almost finished space. This past weekend and then again on Monday, our cabinet guy, Dave (friend from church, in case I didn't mention that already), was working on installing the last of the shelves, pulls, and little extras. There's still some more work that needs to be done, but some items are on back order and it's Thanksgiving week - time to rest and relax with friends and family (for others, not necessarily for us). But the kitchen is looking fantastic and I pretty much have everything unpacked. I even found my favorite spatula - it was MIA until today.<br />
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The rest of the house is a different story. We're living on bare concrete slab for awhile. We have a couple of walls to build and part of a brick fireplace hearth that needs to come out before we can have tile laid. At least I am on a mopping reprieve!<br />
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Another big thing to be thankful for is brand new washer and dryer - a gift. Thanks, Dad! The kids, especially Jon, our button-pusher, loves them! He's actually taken over doing the laundry. Livvy helps with the sorting of the clean clothes. They will be stacked as soon as Tom has some time, that'll give us more space in the laundry room now and when the room is enclosed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jon watched it for a full cycle the first one or two loads.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's just goofy!</td></tr>
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Tom still has some electrical work to do as well. We currently have wires hanging from the ceiling in several places - outlets, switches, and thermostat need to be relocated. We also still have some demo to do. Everything takes time.<br />
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Last week most of Tom's time was spent at the Peaks house finishing up things that needed to be fixed, and/or replaced before the renters moved in. I joined him for two very late nights, painting, cleaning out the garage, and mopping the floor one last time. I was planning on cleaning the house all last week during the day, but Jeanita and her teenage kids (friends from church and fellow homeschool mom) blessed me by thoroughly cleaning every room in the entire house - they wiped down walls, mini-blinds, toilets, etc. They vacuumed the floor so that it left a cool pattern and even folded the end of the toilet paper into a triangle!! Wow!! So blessed!!<br />
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Ever since Saturday, Tom's been working on a place for the dogs. We were originally thinking we would just get an invisible fence. It turns out, though, that we live in an elk thorough fare and we don't think the dogs would mind a little jolt if they could go sink their teeth into an elk or two. We don't have time in the present to fence the entire yard, so Tom is building them a little dog run in the back corner. Hopefully it will keep them contained until we can build a proper fence. I'm half thinking these dogs are a little more trouble than they are worth, but I can't convince the kids or Tom of that.<br />
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Saturday was also the day that the renters moved into the Peaks house. It's good that we don't have to keep going over there while living here. Emotionally it was getting taxing. I miss that house. Everywhere I looked there were memories. Every mark on the wall, stain on the floor. A memory. It was home for eight years. When we first bought that place and fixed it up, we knew we'd have to leave it in order to get our sweat equity out of it. I just never thought it would be this hard.<br />
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It doesn't help that this house is not finished. That it's significantly smaller. That it doesn't back forest. It's a stepping stone house. It's a place to build a temporary house for Tom's mom and dad. It doesn't feel like home. I'm not sure it ever truly will. One of the kids asked tonight if anybody would cry when we left this house. Most thought not. Except from missing a tree or two that they've claimed as theirs. God may have a different plan than we do. We certainly want to be open to that. But we're hoping and praying that God has something else planned for us as far as living arrangements in the next 18 months or so.<br />
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So for the time being, I/we feel like one(s) without a home. I have nice house to live in. To fix up. To do life in for awhile. To make work. But it's not home. Not yet. Maybe it will someday. We'll see.<br />
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Until the next project is done, Happy Thanksgiving to all! I hope you all enjoy your day with friends, family, and turkey. Tom's working and we are just not set up for a big feast yet, so we'll be eating out. Maybe Chinese. Maybe Freddy's. It's all about making memories. "Remember the year we ate out for Thanksgiving..."Jenn - aka honey or momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10554004916690050858noreply@blogger.com0