A prayer

This hymn has been on my heart for awhile now, and the author's personal plea to Jesus is heard by all listeners, but is especially recognized, felt and reciprocated by those who trust in Christ.

JUST A CLOSER WALK WITH THEE

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

This hymn is another favorite and will always bring tears to my eyes. For we must all face being alone. Into this world we entered naked and alone, and it is that way we should come to the Creator who made us so, repent and ask for His mercy and accept his provision for reconciliation; that is Christ. When we listen to the hastening of the Spirit, we can know God's prescence in our lives.

IN THE GARDEN

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still fresh on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses

(Chorus)
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing
(Chorus)

I'd stay in the garden with Him
'Tho the night around me be falling
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling
(Chorus)

Another Goodbye

Today we say goodbye to our dear neighbors. They are flying out tomorrow morning for a new job in California. We have been neighbors for a year and a half, and have shared a lot of time and memories together. We will miss them and we wish them well on their next adventure in life and always.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

Yesterday we celebrated Dustan's 29th birthday with a quiet day. The kids went to school in the morning while we ran errands and then we ate the rest of the day away, between naps and a viewing of the new movie, Meet the Robinsons. It was a nice day, and it is always wonderful to spend a day with family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DEAR HUSBAND!

My Daughter

Yesterday we enjoyed the afternoon with some friends down at the chicken playground, which the kids love to go to. Well, it takes about a half hour to walk there, and the way is long for the youngsters, though I enjoy it. After we came back home from there, Ariel started hobbling along. When asked, she said that it was hurting, though it was a vague description, somewhere on the heel area. There was a slight mark, like perhaps she was starting to get a blister on the back side, but that was all.

This morning, we heard her jumping in her room before we even saw her, and sure enough, she was hopping on one foot because her heel was still hurting. Still no mark. All morning she whined about it. And then I told her I needed to walk down to the postbox- about a quarter mile, to send off a bill. She was to stay with the neighbors and play for a few minutes while I did the errand. Well, she insisted that she was well enough to come along, and so off we went. Sure enough, she was just fine, though a bit slow, but enjoyed the walk down.

I say all this to come to this point, which makes me smile broadly at her expanding vocabulary; On the way back, we neared the alleyway that leads towards home, and she said she wanted to take it instead of following the main road. I told her that walking up the very steep hill at the end would be difficult for her foot since it was sore, and she said, "Mommy, that's nonsense! It will just be fine." So funny! And sure enough, she was just fine and hasn't complained about her ailing foot since. Children can sure talk themselves into and out of a frenzy! But it makes for interesting days, to say the least, and I enjoy living life with them. Wouldn't want it any other way.

Rebecca & Daniel's Wedding

So, as my sister-in-law's 1st anniversary in matrimony draws nigh, I decided it was high time to get her wedding pics together and post how lovely the occasion was. It was so nice to be able to see everyone after being away in Germany, and the decor and ambiance of the evening wedding was fantastic. Despite a coastal hurricane dropping unexpected rains the days leading up to and in fact, on the day of the wedding, the ceremony came off well and no one was worse for the wear except those of us working behind the scenes in preparation of the big day.

Though the ground was soggy and slushy, everyone's spirits were high and we all had a fun, memorable time. A special thankyou to my parents who watched my kids so I could help prepare for Rebecca's at- home wedding. I appreciate it!

And to Rebecca and Daniel, may your life together be far more fantastic than you dreamed it could be, and may you discover God's love and purpose in your lives. I love you!

For MawMaw

Dreams

The other night, most likely it seems to me that it was Friday, Nathaniel was fussy in his sleep and kept stirring, so as to keep me awake. The third time I heard him cry, I went into his dark room again, and he immediately knew I was there, though his eyes were squeezed tightly closed. I brushed his hair back and quietly asked him, "What's the matter, baby?" He started tossing in his bed and said, "Mommy, I don't want to eat the broccoli!" I just had to laugh and tell him, "That's okay. You don't have to eat any right now." He settled right down and stayed asleep the rest of the night.

You see, last week we decided that since he kept insisting that he's a big boy now, then big boys eat their vegetables at dinner or else they get no dessert. It is too funny that it literally turned into a nightmare for him. Poor lil' guy. What can you say to that?

Weinheim

Yesterday we took a short ride north to Weinheim. I have been wanting to go for a year now, but we have just never made it there. It is a town of 2 castles, and castle ruins to boot. We first attempted to see the ruins, and as we navigated the narrow road to the top of the mountain we grew very excited. The view was neat as the ruins sat high above the town, but not too distant. We were not happy to first discover that I had forgotten the memory stick, and so could not use the camera, and secondly, that they had a party going on there, with a cover charge of 12 EURO pp, and so we left. But we'd definately like to investigate it on another day. It looked cool.

So, we attempted to see the castle next to the ruins- on the mountain next to it that is, and so into the car we went again, down the mountain and back up one. We found that this castle was lovely from the outside, but had no access to tour the inside. There was a restaurant that was open, and some nice views, but nothing there to actually hold our attention. So, into the car again we went and down into the town to find the Schlosspark and the Hauptstrasse.

After going around in a circle 3 times, we found the Schlosspark. It was small compared to others, but it was still beautiful. We easily found the Hauptstrasse that made its path thru an underpass beside the schloss. It was for pedestrians only, which we always love, and built on the hill, so we were walking down from the schloss. There were shops and restaurants, big trees and table umbrellas along the would- be sidewalks. When arriving at the bottom of the hill, the street comes to a T, and on the corner is a fountain with a statue of Justice. As I was explaining this to Ariel, Nathaniel suddenly ran away. He stopped at the large tree not far from the fountain. I thought he was gonna race back to me, but then instead, he started pulling down his pants to pee on the tree. At least I've taught him that much! lol. The guests at the tables were very amused with this and laughed heartily.

Mosbach

After a lovely drive through the countryside, down winding roads, into the valley and out again, we came to the town of Mosbach. We parked in the altstadt, and there began our tour. There is a walking tour with markings on the houses and shops of certain locations that can be identified, and described with the help of a guide from the tour office. But, this being Sunday, they were not open, and so we were left to guess the significance of the labels.

The altstadt is smaller than a lot of other towns we've visited, but it is marked by the beautiful, traditional, half-timbered houses along with many flowers and fountains. Children's playthings along the road add fun for them, while letting the adults soak in the sights.

It seems that every town around has a mark of some sort that helps to identify itself. For Ulm it was the birds. For Mosbach, it is optical illusions. Every couple of blocks, you come upon an object that will beset your eyes. The circular ones turned, to make you dizzy. There were others also, and they added modern interest to the atmosphere.

We toured the altstadt and had lunch within 2 hours and could have easily spent more time finding the gardens and park, but we called it a day. We want to go back on a Saturday when everything is actually open, because they have a lot of cool shops to see.

My Family

I love my family more each & every day. They are amazing.

Do you see it?

I meant to post this a month ago. But this is the hummingbird that had been hanging around our yard. He loves our geraniums!