Wordless Hay Day

 

Stepping out on the back porch and smelling the fresh baled hay is the best!!

 

*LRW*

Here Pig, Pig, Pig

Last Saturday we (Adam, me, DW, Annie, and AB) loaded up the Suburban and head up to Georgia.  Adam’s mom and her family live in Georgia.  Adam’s cousin Addy bought a house about a year ago  and has taken this year to renovated and furnished it.  Addy was having a house warming party and we had been invited to come up for the festivities.   The house had been transformed and is ready to be lived in.  All the hard work had paid off.  I left the camera in the car because it was storming bad when we arrived so I have no pictures.  It was fun to meet family I had never met before and spend time getting to know them.

Before the party we were at Adam’s mom house hanging out when Adam told me to take a look outside.  This is what I saw……..

Do you see how enormous this pig is?  Adam says it is a boar hog but I don’t like how that sounds..ha! His ears are above the fence line!  I told Adam I had to have my picture made with the pig before we left for home.  The next morning after breakfast with family and new friends Adam’s Uncle Summy set out to make it happen.  He got him a tub of scraps and called up that big old pig!

Once he was eating his feast we all took advantage of him staying still to get out pictures taken!  I loved every second of it, but then again I am from the city and haven’t see things like this growing up. 

   This is my favorite pig picture because AB and the pig are looking at each other in the curious “what are you” kinda way(there is a fence between her and the pig for those that were concerned).  After our photo op we packed the Suburban back up and said goodbye to our new friends and even stopped to smell the flowers!!

 

*LRW*

A Week on the Run

What a fun week we had at Blue Run this year.  It was filled with family, friends, food, and sun!  This week has been one of the bests yet, because I didn’t have a training, or freak about my classroom not being done.  On Saturday we got to spend the day with family we had not seen in awhile and it was wonderful. 

On Monday Adam and I were the only ones at Blue Run so we decided to go eat somewhere we had never eaten in Dunnellon before.  We decided to try out The Blue Gator that we had heard was a fun atmosphere.  It was very fun and delicious.   We had gator bites for an appetizer….yum!  It was so good we told DW and Annie that we had to go there again before we headed back to reality.  So we went again on Thursday, but that time we took the boat, which was a beautiful 45 minute boat ride.  After dinner we headed back to the house and Adam proposed we take the canoe to the head of the river (tied to the boat of course) and canoe the head.   I had never done this before so I was excited.  For those that are unfamiliar motorized boats are not allowed at the head so you can’t go up there unless you have a canoe or a kayak.  We saw so many turtle is was a amazing.  I wish we had taken our camera but, we knew if we did we would tip the canoe and ruin it.   One thing that was gross in some spots was the seed weed, because there was no motorized boats to stir it up it was thick and to the top of the water….yuck! You could hear waterfalls in the distance and the springs were clean and inviting.  If we wouldn’t have tipped the canoe we would have jumped in for a swim.  I hope to do it again next year, but take Adam’s dad’s waterproof camera with us.   

Blue Run is always busy and full of wildlife.  I am not at all skilled at taking photos of wildlife and scenery, but here are a few shot of birds, mama ducks with her sweet babies and the all famous otters which I love.  

Spending the whole week with this ham AB and her momma was a blast.  We play, sun bathed, snacked and hit up Sonic happy hour!  What great memories!  Annie and AB are my fun in the sun girls!

We wish we were heading down to spend the day in this crystal clear cold water, but pappy’s pool will have to do this Saturday!!!  Happy Weekend you all!

 

*LRW*

A Moabitess

               Today is the last day of summer bible study and I am so sad.  This was my third study and probably one of my favorites.  No doubt I loved Esther this spring, but I have gotten so much out of this study.  I have really had to peel away my onion layers like Shrek and donkey…ha!  I have connected with Ruth in so many different ways.  Ruth was a Moabite.  Moabites were not people God wanted His people to mingle with, because of what they had denied for Israel.  Even so she married an Israelite and when he died she willingly followed her mother-in-law to Bethlehem to learn more about God.  

        Ruth was a foreigner that was willing to take a chance to learn more about God. 

This sentence resonates how I have felt and still continue to feel in my walk with Christ.  There was a point in my life that I felt like a foreigner to Christ and did things that I regret.  Even now when I am trying to live my life in Christ I sometimes feel life a foreigner.  I have had to ask myself “Where does God fit in my life?”  I want him to be everywhere but that takes time to allow him in and not do what I want to do. 

Ruth was also willing and this point is the one that is biggest for me.  There are so many things I am able to do but, I am so unwilling to do them.  At times I have felt as though God was pulling on my heart strings, but I disregarded it because it was out of my comfort zone.  Ruth left her home and family to travel to a town where people may not have welcomed her with a mother-in-law that was a sour puss.  Talk about leaving the comfort zone!  I want to be willing, and each night over the past week I have been praying for the ability to be willing.  I want God to work in my life and me not be afraid to say yes to Him and what He has planned.  

Ruth’s main reason for coming with her mother-in-law was to learn out God.  What a strong and courageous person she was to drop everything to learn more about Christ.  I have come along way in my knowledge of Christ and what he has done and want to always continue to learn.  Ruth’s story of redemption is amazing and it happened because she made a few choices.  Those choices were made for God!  Ruth’s godly choices brought us our Savior Jesus Christ!  Thank you Ruth for your story and what it means to me.  I hope my choices leave a legacy as great as yours!

*LRW*

 

Edible Gold

Never did I know how much blood, sweat, and tears went in to producing hay until I met Adam.  I was driving down our road the other day and passed a field Adam and the rest of the crew had just finished bailing.  I had to stop because,  it was just so beautiful!  Them cows don’t know what they are eating…it is truly edible gold!

 

*LRW*

Get it!! Get Found!!

Last Sunday began Adam and I’s third year volunteering for our church’s VBS (Vacation Bible School).  The theme this year was SonQuest Rainforest so the church was transformed into the rainforest.  That took a lot of prep from a lot of different people!  We had a blast getting ready to wow the kids with an adventure to get found by Jesus!  The crew painted, twisted vines, hot glued leaves, made waterfalls, set up trees all to prepare!  Check out all the fabulous VBS workers…..

     

By Sunday night we were ready for the Butterflies (Pre-K), Tree Frogs (K and 1st), Toucans (2nd and 3rd), Monkeys (4th and 5th), and Crocs (Adults) to join us on our adventures into the rainforest.  Each night was great we opened with a skit that prepared the children with what they were going to be focusing on each day in the different activities.  The main character was Grace and she was a great guide for the children through the week!  Grace didn’t always make the best choices or trust in her friends or adults.   She had to learn to make better choices and trust people to do the right things.  In our society today to do the right thing is so hard four our little children to do.  I think through out the week children saw that choosing Jesus and doing what he would want us to do will reap great rewards.  

The Professor, Grace, and all the other girls who were on the rainforest adventure.  They didn’t know what they were about to learn on their adventure!

Grace learned from the “River Man”  that kindness comes in people you least expect.  The kids loved the river man!

  The girls learned about the rainforest but also how to listen to directions, work together, and trust each other while in the rainforest. 

Once we were welcomed each night by the continuation of the story we got busy in our rotations with the children.  Adam and I were group leaders the first year we volunteered to help. I was excited because I was hoping to meet some first graders that would possibly be in my class come August but we were assigned outgoing 1st!   Last year we wanted to do something more than corral the children.  We wanted to have the opportunity to teach more about God and what he can do in our lives if we choose to follow him.  So we volunteered to teach music.  I was so nervous, but it turned out to be an amazing blessing even though I had no voice by the end of each night.  So when we were asked to head up music again we jumped on it.

I worked closely with the children while Adam ran the music, music videos, motion videos, etc.   He did a great job trying to watch for when I gave him the cut it signal to stop the music.  It cracked me up when I was teaching the song movements and I would give Adam the cut signal and the children would start doing the cut it signal too!! Can you picture it?  Hilarious right…I couldn’t help but laugh out loud when is happened.  When the children were singing and I couldn’t hear them I would hold my hand up to my ear to signal them to sing louder and they would put their hand up to their ear too.  It reminded me how important it is to model and explain everything you do for them little ones.   

  

I loved working with the children, we started each session with the focus bible verse of the day.  We would talk  about what it meant for them in there everyday life.  There answers were priceless.   We would then get into singing and dancing.  I wish I had video because we learned the words A cappella and their sweet voices singing these words about Jesus were so moving at times.   At the end of the week they each had a special  song to perform for their families at closing ceremonies.  They did an amazing job with the words and movements.  After the closing ceremonies the children got to enjoy ice cream sundaes with their families!  It was such a perfect week!  I leave you all with a few pictures of the fun we had!!  Jesus was working in the children's lives and the volunteers lives!  I left this week feeling blessed I had the opportunity to change a child's life with exposing them to Jesus! 

 

 

*LRW*

A 19th Birthday and a So Long for Now

Last week was so super busy with Vacation Bible School, but such a blessing.  We finished up Thursday night and bright and early Friday I was heading to Tampa.  It was my brother Michael's birthday and my last time to give him a hug before he was up at college until Christmas break.  I spent most of the day with my mom, dad, and little brother Matthew, while Michael was catching up with his friends.  The four of us all went together to get Michael’s birthday gift which is hard to believe even now and I was there.  We don’t do things like that in that in my family…haha!  Mom took me to Lake Shore Learning, my favorite teacher store and I stocked up!  Thanks mom and monetarily dad!!

Later that night we all went to dinner at Flemings for steak.   It was delicious and we had a great time.  We had appetizers and two types of potatoes.   TWO TYPES!!!  I got excited about the potatoes because it was the first time I had eaten any since Adam and I started the South Beach Diet.  We did have asparagus but, I think I had more starches on my plate than the green stuff!  Michael and Lande

  Matt and Me (my date for the night)

Dad and Mom

We went home for presents and cake before my final big hug.  I was heading back north in the AM to be with the hubs family at the river!

A print of the Tampa skyline so that he may never forget his roots!

     

The Nook  for the avid reader!  With over 5,000 free westerns!!

  

Michael getting some Boostie love!!!

I wish Michael the best of luck up at school and I will miss him when and if I get to Tampa  this fall! 

 

*LRW*