In the Blink of an Eye

Summer is flying by! It seems as if we just finished school, but the reality is that it has been one month already. It is so great to be away from the hectic schedule and pace. Especially that busy end of the year pace. I'm so thankful for this time, the warm weather and all the fun activities that summer entails.

This summer has been relatively quiet so far. Emily went to Hershey Pennsylvania with a friend and enjoyed seeing the area and making her own chocolate bar.

"I love chocolate!!!!"

Are we cute or what?

Em has also been busy playing with Buddy and has taught him the most energetic game of hide and seek we have ever witnessed! Buddy just turned 1 and is showing signs of calming down. (((whew)))

Josh keeps himself busy and has quite the social life. He enjoys his air-soft guns and has regular battles with his friends. Their latest discovery was when they shook up a can of soda and threw it in the air and shot it in the backyard. The sound of awe and amazement from he and his friends was priceless!

Josh recently flew to Ohio by himself for the first time. My sister's family invited him to stay with them for the week before our annual summer visit next week. Josh was not nervous about flying alone at all. He was ready for the adventure - I'm not sure I was! The trip went fine and he is enjoying his time away.

Bye Josh!

Enjoying a car show with his cousin, Amber and Uncle Wally.

Our hearts have been heavy recently with the recent news about two men Ken has worked with that have had unexpected catastrophic health emergencies. One narrowly survived and the other one died. Both had massive heart attacks and were in their mid 50's. Both were strong, successful men at the peak of their careers.

This has been a good reminder for us about the frailty of life. In Psalm 90:12 it says: (Lord) "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
You could easily say that by putting a number on our days we are told in this verse to prioritize our days. Be wise and cut out all the insignificant wastes of time.We have had many hours of discussion about this. Both quality time as a family and also our quality one on one time have been moved to the top of our lists of things to improve. Our prayers are with the family's of the men who will forever be living with the memories of how life used to be.

No eye has seen, 

no hear has heard,

 no human mind has conceived 

the things that God has 

prepared for those who love Him.

 1 Corinthians 2:9

Good to Get Away

Our annual June pilgrimage to Myrtle Beach went without any difficulties or delays this year! We even added a passenger to our trip and had our niece Amber go along with us!

Our 14 hour van ride was a bit long....but very worth it! The weather was fabulous and cool compared to previous years we have traveled to South Carolina. The hottest it reached was the low 80's!

The view from our condo!

Ken had the opportunity to golf several times with some friends we meet down there and he really enjoyed his game! While he golfs, the kids and I go out to breakfast and to one of the many putt putt courses in the area for some fun.

Pirates Cove

Fun in Pirate Jail! 

I love hibiscus!

After golfing and putt putt we meet up at the beach and or pool for the afternoon. We all enjoyed the perfect temperature in the ocean. The kids swam for hours trying to perfect their body surfing techniques!

Emily, Amber and Josh

Myrtle Beach

Body surfing for hours!

This vacation was so restful and fun. The time went by way too fast! What a blessing to be at the ocean and witness firsthand it's beauty and power. There is something about the sights, sounds and smells of the ocean. In my opinion, our magnificent Creator really outdid Himself when He created the ocean!  The Chris Tomlin song, "How can I keep from singing your praise?" always sticks in my head when we are at the shore.

How can I keep from singing Your praise

                                            How can I ever say enough

How amazing is Your love

How can I keep from shouting Your name

I know I am loved by the King

And it makes my heart want to sing

So thankful!

Holding Hands and Heart Strings

This past weekend I celebrated the 18th anniversary of my 25th birthday! I would really prefer to plan and celebrate someone else's birthday rather than my own. It hasn't always been that way...but as more and more years go by, I'd just rather not celebrate my birthday!      

This year, I was incredibly blessed to have my parents travel to be with our family for my celebration! For the last 16 years, our family has moved around the country 5 different times and the joy of celebrating my birthday with my parents has not been possible. It is hard to describe how special it was to hear them tell stories about my childhood and the events on the actual day of my birth - not over the phone...but in person! We made some sweet memories and had some rich quality time with them, all for which I am truly thankful. The Lord has blessed me with an amazing family. Nothing else in the whole entire world comes close to touching this awesome gift.

One of the things that has amused Ken and I over the years is watching my parents hold hands while they eat.  This is only possible IF your spouse eats with the opposite favored hand that you have. My mom is right handed and my dad is left handed. This makes holding hands possible while eating dinner! This is only one small example of the cute things my parents do after being married 52 years. They are an inspiration and an incredible example to the many, many eyes watching them.

This last year of my life has proven to be by far the most stressful year I have ever experienced. Without going in to details, I can honestly say the challenges our family faced with other "Christians" were enough to shake our faith at it's core. It was during these times that we reflected on the many ways over time that the Lord has mightily shown His hand in our lives. He reminded us that HE is still in control and that even though we might not understand the "why" in our lives, He is molding us for His good. This year I chose my life verse! This is the truth and wisdom that helped me through some very difficult nights.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 

1 Corinthians 15:58