This photo is of me working in 'Mel's house' . As you can see I was hammering plaster off the wall here. Actually, we gutted the WHOLE house. It is going to be used as a get away place for missionary families. I was pleased to 'get dirty for Jesus'. If my work will enrich the lives of others and allow them to find rest during a time of need-how much the better. I truly ENJOYED working like this. It was difficult- and obviously very dusty and dirty. Actually it was so dusty, I had to wear Leslies spare bandanna AND a dust mask to breath and not 'eat' the plaster dust. I really needed goggles, too, but they kept fogging in. This was pure joy and FUN!!!!!! I wish I could serve others in this way all the time. I guess I like getting dirt and doing physical labor.

Which leads me to my next thing to write about. Twice in the last 3 weeks, good friends- who happen to be men who know me well, on 2 different ocassions- not even knowing each other- called me a tomboy! Ugghhh. . .I keep hoping that would not be so noticeable. Trully, I wish I was more graceful. It's not to be. (more on why my middle name could never be grace later) I also keep hoping others will think me femanine and not so boyish. It's no wonder why my daughter does not want to be a girl. She has NO good role model. NUTS!!!!! I complained about this out loud to my husband yesterday and he looked at me like I had 2 heads and said- "of course you are!!! That's what I LIKE about you." Go figure MEN!!!


I just realized how long it has been since I last wrote. I can't believe this is nearly the end of September. First thing important I have to say today is that I should never home school my poor children the day before and the day of the first day of my period. Ughhh. . .makes me want to give up, honestly. Days like this make me think they are better off in public school. Well, Riah wants to go to public school next year for Kindergarten. Both Gary and I think she will do very well there. So we don't see why not- of course as I am writing this I cn come up with MANY reasons why-NOT- however not one is good enough to me to deny her request. After all we decided to take each child's education as it comes and make decisions based on every year's situation. I NEVER set out to be a home schooling mom. We just decided to let Tim come home becasue we felt he would do better- which he is. Riah remarks every day that she hates home school. She doesn't know what she is talking about, but I see no harm in allowing her as she is so set on it. I was going to send her anyway. Just think, this time next year I would have been a free mom. Well, I am happier now to have them home still. Though I do sometimes envy other moms who have time to attend to other things. Just the sameI feel sorry for families who don't get to be together the way we do. I'll truthfully miss Riah but I don't think she'll miss me. Maybe a leetle-bitty.

More "dirty photos' here:

Well, I'm back. Sorry for the loooooooooong delay. It has taken until today to feel caught up enough to write. One of my younger teen-friends came over yesterday and helped me. I paid her a small sum and she gave me back more than I could pay for. Thanks Brooke!!

Well, here are a few pictures. I'll post a few here and there with some descriptions of some interesting things.

The picture above is my family eating our last 'meal' together before my husband and I departed . The lady between Riah and Gary is my mom. I'd like to give a special THANK YOU to her for the FANTASTIC job she did with the kids. She kept them (and herself) sane and they had fun, too. She even managed to do a few days of school with them. They really seemed to have enjoyed her and their times together. Also, they really did not skip a beat without us there. Their transitions back to normal were smooth as could ever be desired and the sole reason for that (other than prayer and the Lord's grace) was my Mamma's committment to their lives containing as much normalcy as possible. Thank you mom!!

What do ALL these pictures have in common? They were all taken at different places- some on different days. . .3 countries, 2 planes, 2 bus rides, a train ride and a short but hair raising car ride (think "Fast and Furious") made up approximately 13 and 1/2 hours of forward motion. Can you guess how long the trip was in total? What percentage of the trip there did we stand/sit/lay down- with no motion or energy expended- forward- or otherwise. Take your best guess. Correct answer to come with the next blog!

Until then, happy blogging. Live Long and Prosper. Look to the sky for your Saviour is COMING!

HI!!

Here I am in the Czech Republic!! I have to make this short because I am borrowing someone else's computer to put this up and to try to skype my mother and kids.

We left at 12 pm Friday afternoon. Our plane left at 6pm and we arrived at Frankfurt Int. Airport at 7am their time. We lost about 7 hours in the day. Then we flew to Prague where we took a bus to a train station. Then we took the speed rail to a town nearby called Ostrava. The rail ride took 3 and a half hours. We took what should have been a 40 minute trip in about 25 minutes- due to Czech driving practices. Look on your speedometer and tell me what 160 km/hr measures out in mph. Not to mention the hairpin turns! We were flying all over the place- literally! Here's an interesting thing- we were the very last car to arrive at the hotel- but the first to leave the station. I'm not exaggerating. We had a lot of sitting around and waiting time so the trip took about 27 hours!

Today was a very nice day. We went to this place with a ski lift. The trip was 15 minutes to the top. The view and the hike afterwards were phoenominal. We could see mountain ranges galore. Czech is a very beautiful country. The people here really know how to take care of the land. They love their land and they truly enjoy the outdoors. We even saw one guy on the trail in a wheelchair- ON A TRAIL PEDALING WITH HIS HANDS.

We saw several kids today and I thought about the kids a lot. There were lots of little kids hiking where we were- no small feat for small feet. We also went to church tomight. Actually they probably worship very close to when you guys there at REFC do. They worship in the evening. Usually at 4 but today at 6 which is respectively 10 am and 12 pm. There is a 6 hour time difference. You will have to forgive me if my math is a little off or something. I am getting kind of tired as I am writing this after 11pm here- but maybe about 5 pm there.

Well, that is it for now. Next time I will try to publish pictures. But not tonight because I do not want to upload pictures on this computer without asking permission.

Well kids we love you and miss you VERY much. We hope you are having a wonderful time with Nana. We are thinking of you all the time. There was a very cute little girl at church this evening that I got to talk with a little. I tested my marginal knowledge of Czech on her and she uinderstood. Point for me! But seriously she reminded us SOOOOO much of Riah and I really missed you kids then. Have fun!!!!!

Love, Mommy!!! (and Daddy, too!! He is sitting right here as I write this.)

Well, this is my final blog before my trip to the Czech Republic. I'm all packed and ready. In fact so ready, I'm pacing all over the place looking for something to do. I'm like a caged animal- and full of jitters. So I finished mt novel. Well, still another hour. So I'm blogging. This has become one of my favorite past times. Thank you Susie and amlp311 for the inspiration.

Amlp311 and Mr. Clean are coming on this trip, too. They will be sitting in the row ahead of us. Hope I get some sleep between now and when we arrive. I've been up since 5am. Oh well.

Incidentally this picture was taken last week while we were visiting a friend. I think this photo is cute and typical.

Well, that's all for now. C-ya

Click on these to enlarge.

Check out this lightning from Austrailia. I pulled these off of Accuweather.

I always wondered why so many people have been struck by lightning. I guess I've never seen it like these photos.

Okay, Here I am again tonight. But I have to say this. . .I love this music video. I never heard this song before, but I LOVE U2. Tell me now whether or not you think these guys know the source of light and true life. Actually, I read an article where they laid out the gospel to the poor unsuspecting reporter, and he actually did run the story seemingly intact. I'll have to find a link to it.

The previous comment points to a video clip. . .this is not it. I decided to follow amlp311 and susie's writer's block and search for an appropriate video. Found it. The clip mentioned in the previous post is located on the bottom right under the header 'video'.

Here is a quick posting because darn it all, sometimes things just need to be said. The video clip link on the right identifying several fraudulent photo's by internationally known and read papers and news agencies. This video speaks for itself.

The video Link is self named.

Bottom Line. . .Don't believe what you see in the media.

-30

Well, I am not expecting to write an awful lot over the next several days. I did finally hear from the guy who is sending my lap-top. I should have it tomorrow or there-abouts. So, I think, if I can, I will make several blog entries while I am in the Czech Republic. We shall see.

Meanwhile, I am skype-ified. My skype name is 'afraidofheydts' a little play on our last name. Susie, you can relate. Skype is a free service. It allows you to talk via the internet to anyone free that is also a Skype user. Lauren and Petr Bozon use Skype, so I will be able to "call" my kids while we are away for free. They will like that, and I'm sure my mother will appreciate it as well. I love skype. Take a look at www.skype.com check out the agreement rather closely because it is a bit different. All you might need is a microphone and a web-cam (if you want to see each other live!). You can buy a microphone for $10 at Walmart.

Anyhow, company is coming over tonight. The Johns are joining in with us to help lead our new small group. We are going to be doing an inductive Bible Study in Colossians.

Enough for now. See ya.

Well, my kids are watching a movie. They generally do not get to watch movies before lunch time. I find our day goes better if they wait till the afternoon to watch anything. We don't have Cable so regulating tv time is a lot easier.

So I am enjoying a cool morning (which I love) I have a few minutes, so I thught I'd blog. Really I don't have anything to say. But here I am anyway.

The Czech trip is coming up FAST. I'm practially panicked!!!! (is that a real word?) What am I going to pack? Are we leaving sooooooo soon?!! Time is really racing by this summer. Before I know it, we are going to be back! All that waiting and anticipating. How often I feel like digging my heels in the sand hoping to slow down the sands of time. My kids are growing way to quickly.

Fall is approaching. I love the fall except for what comes after it. I am constantly trying to come up with new ways to make the winter go by faster and easier for me. I dread it so. I love the light, the warmth and the sounds of summer and early fall. The winter is cold and dark. I have a dificult time the end of January and it gets worse and worse till the spring. I dread it so much that I think of it June 22, the day after the longest day of the year. I realize then that the days will shorten and shorten till Dec. and that means winter. UGH. . .

Well, I will enjoy every day of this summer. VBS is done and I am happily enjoying my first day with nothing scheduled to do in a VERY long time. So here I sit blogging with virtually nothing interesting to say. ( though I have managed to go on and on for 15 minutes. . .how does that work?) That could be a very good thing.

One thing I was thinking about today was the Lord of the Rings. I just finished watching through the whole trilogy- extended edition. I just watched an hour or so a night for several nights. I love middle earth. I truly do wish I could visit it. Gary and I read the entire trilogy plus the Hobbit out-loud before the movies came out. That idea was given to me by a very old (she's not old, but I haven't seen her in many years) friend who has read them all to her children several times. Which makes me wonder if Timmy is ready to read them.

This year for home shool we are going to study the states. He asked me to do it. I'm like. . .who can argue with this kid? He wants to study every state. What can I say? NO? Yeah right. I have the poster child for home school. I know it. He gets very interested in something and he wants to learn it. He is the reason I am a gung- ho child directed home schooler. But I think I am lucky maybe to have a child who is intensely intereseted in learning things. For Kindegarten he studied things like blood and organs and how they work. If you ask him the parts of blood and what they do, he may be able to tell you. I only wanted to give him a brief overview of the body but he wanted to know the names of every bone in the body. He wanted to know what keeps them together. He may be able to explain the route of blood through your body. So we traced his body (on roll paper we got at AC Moore) and he drew in a lot of bones, and several organs. He loves nature and we MUST identify every leaf or wild flower we find. His idea for the fall (we already started it) is to make a leaf collection so we are collecting leaves and making collages on contact paper and putting them up all over the walls. He watches- no MEMORIZES every nature show he can get his hands on. My dad worked for WGBH in Boston where they make and broadcast PBS shows. He made a tape for Timmy of about 11 episodes of Zaboomofoo. (5 and 1/2 hours) Needless to say, he has them memorized. Mel told me last week he and her kids were playing crocodile or something. He said 'you know, north american crocodiles live in both salt and fresh water!' So this year for science, we are reading his Usborne book on nature, doing whatever projects we make up, and watching every nature flik I can get my hands on through Netflix.

Well, I could go on and on, but breakfast is calling my name.

C-ya