Dry Bones

It is never fun to admit it, but I have been very very wrong. 

Might as well just come out and say it first thing, get it out there. That makes the rest of the typing easier. 

I was convicted on Sunday. 

Big Time.

I shared about it last night at home group, but it seems that God wants me to share it on here too. Lovely....

Ezekiel 37 talks about a valley full of dry bones. Dead bodies, with the flesh eaten away, the organs gone, and the bones bleached by the sun. Completely and utterly USELESS. 

The Spirit lifts Ezekiel up, takes him to this place and tells him to prophecy to these bones. "Dry Bones, listen to the Message of God!" 

Those bones begin to rustle and shake, rise up and come together. Muscle and sinew, organs and flesh - one by one those vital things for life come together. But still, something is missing. So God says again, "Prophesy, son of man, Tell the breath, come from the four winds. Breathe LIFE" 

 The winds came, and the bones, which now had flesh, stood up and had breath: and here is the kicker - they were not simply there. They were not merely bodies, revived to do nothing. Ezekiel says they were "A huge army". 

God not only turned those dry bones back into life again - He turned them into life with a purpose. Life with strength. Life that will mean something, and accomplish something. A huge army!! 

There is a person in my life right now that I see as a pile of dry bones. Sometimes I wonder if he isn't just a waste of oxygen - that is harsh, and I feel bad saying that, because being critical isn't really my usual strong suit. But, I am being honest, because that is what God convicted me about this week, and I feel strongly that I am supposed to share this. 

In the very beginning of chapter 37, God asked Ezekiel, "Can these bones live?" Playing it safe, he answered, "Master God, only you know that." 

I was reminded that my Master God is the same Master God that Ezekiel served and obeyed. If He wants to bring dry bones back to life, EVEN TODAY, He still can. Those dry bones can be drawn together, flesh and organs and sinew added again, the four winds can breath life into the body and this man whom I have given up on - HE CAN BE AN ARMY!! 

 

Not just a body, functioning, barely there. Not just become a Christian, turn his life around, become a decent father, husband, etc.  HE CAN BE AN ARMY!!

I am doing my best to pray with faith "Master God, only you know, can these bones live? Please God, let these bones live. Breath life into these dry bones, not just a little breath, a little life, but a huge army full of life. May it be so."

A lot of pictures... because I can

Silly boys, and spaghetti noodles... what more need I say?

When we were tucking the boys in a few nights ago, Daddy asked Zion if he would share his bed. Zion flatly refused... but he told him he could sleep in the doghouse if he wanted. 

You can see how much of Andy fit into the doghouse! (Zion then felt the need to join him on the floor, of course)

I just think those books look "tough" - rugged, something cool like that.

Notice the action shots below - 

Zion's boots were on the wrong feet, and he ended up with blisters, but he didn't care. 

They were having so much fun! 

Frosty's- once again, need I say more?

Andy was just goofing off, playing around with this mask. 

 I caught a picture, so here it is! 

Sleep tight everyone! 

A cheerier note

 I feel like I have been slightly "down" lately. Not my usual cheery, bouncy, "glass is half full" self. In an earlier post I said I would be apologizing later... so, sorry! 

 I was thinking about pulling the classic "girl" excuse and blaming it on my hormones... but that's probably not quite fair. 

 Perhaps it would be better to just snap out of it, and find something to be happy about? 

 Let me instead hand out some thanks, where thanks are due. 

Thank you Mary C., for telling me that I am allowed to be down sometimes. For some reason, having permission to be less then cheerful helped me get over it better then anything else! 

 Thank you Charity for comparing this adoption to a pregnancy, a really really long-distance pregnancy, and the emotions and hormones that go with that. For some reason, that was comforting. I am expecting a child... I am allowed to be slightly hormonal at times. I needed that! 

 Thank you Air Force Wives (there are several of  you) for empathizing about the AF life... we need each other! I am so glad to have you! 

 Thank you Carrie just for being you. You are a constant for me right now, and there isn't a whole lot of constant in my life! 

 Thank you Amy for telling me that some random guy was "checking me out" today. I know it is totally vain, but I really really needed that. Andy is fabulous, truly. A wonderful daddy. Great provider. Helps with the dishes and laundry, fixes my car. He amazingly "rocks my world", if you know what I mean.... but he is really sadly lacking in the compliments department. So having a girlfriend tell me that she thought some random guy noticed me... that was a compliment I needed. Cause Andy is pretty much not ever going to tell me I look good! 

 I feel better. I am still struggling with fear - for Andy, for Gladwys. I have a whole huge blog building up about jealousy... but we'll get to that another day. 

 Right now I can focus on the positive again, and that feels really good. I like being "me" again. 

 So, thanks my friends for lifting me up! 

 

A little inspiration

Andy found this today, and it made me cry (and him too) and probably many others, so be warned!! 

(turn off the music at the bottom of my blog first, then press play)

The funny things

I wasn't going to post tonight. I am tired, and the computer just looked intimidating. But, in my pre-bed routine I made my stop in the boy's room, to take Canaan to pee one last time before I go to sleep, and the smell of the room was so overwhelming that I just had to comment. 

 You see, Andy found an old bottle of after shave lotion under the bathroom cabinet the other day. He never uses it, so he gave it to Canaan. 

 That child is OBSESSED with it. Every single night he thinks he needs to put on his "special lotion". I think that tonight he must have put on about half the bottle, because he reeks! 

 Oh, how I miss the baby smell, but... that "trying to be a grown up and failing completely" smell sure is adorable too! 

Confusion

"Where God's finger points, there God's hand will make the way." 

"Do not say in thine heart what thou wilt or wilt not do, but wait upon God until He makes known His way.  So long as that way is hidden it is clear that there is no need of action, and that He accounts Himself responsible for all the results of keeping thee where thou art." Streams in the Desert, Oct. 19

I have been struggling the last few days with the question, "Did we, or did we not hear God clearly" in this whole movement toward adoption. 3 months ago I wouldn't have hesitated at all in the answer to that question. But when delay after delay comes, it gets harder and harder to believe that we are following correctly, hearing correctly. 

 I have to keep telling myself that the enemy works hard also. Since I have not heard God say STOP, I have to assume we are still on the right track. It just gets frustrating when it feels like everything possible goes wrong, every time we turn around! 

 Hopefully our homestudy will be done soon. But I have said that before. More then once. 

I have already "lost" one child. (Gifty) 

I don't want to lose another. 

Gladwys is mine in my mind and in my heart, even though there is absolutely no legal tie between us, and she has never even heard of me. She may not even know that we exist, but my boys know about her. I have taught them to pray for "little sister" in their bedtime prayers - it is beginning to physically hurt that I am incapable of getting to her. 

 I am choosing to remain hopeful. 

 In the meantime, I have gotten on the E-mail list of another adoption agency, All God's Children International. They send me their updates and links - "The Ones Who Wait" in India was the latest. I am totally the LAST person in the world who needs to get those E-mails. If it were up to me, I would have 20 children, all the colors of the skin rainbow. My heart simply breaks when I look at the pictures of the children who are disabled and that NO ONE WANTS. Because I WANT THEM. All of them. 

 And I can't even get my stupid paperwork filled out right! 

 I guess that is why God is keeping us on the "slow track". Maybe I would be coming home with four kids if I left right now, and we all know that 2 more is about the most Andy could handle! I have to just keep trusting in what I know for sure, and that is "MY GOD REIGNS!" 

Pray for patience!

Cars..

We're just a little obsessed with cars around here.

My boys lined their cars up so nicely the other day, I could hardly bear to fuss at them for scratching up the piano! (Carrie, do you see yourself in the corner of this picture? Emilee, you are on the other far side. Chrissy, you are there too, but you can't tell because of the glare. That is the "wedding piano".)

My car battery needed replacing this afternoon. 

(this is a picture of the engine, not the battery... I just thought it looked cool with the tools sitting on top of it)

My super sexy husband got out his tools and changed it for me. 

He kept asking me not to take pictures...

I am fairly sure that this picture is the one that was responded to with, "Woman, you don't obey a thing I say!" I just laughed, and took another picture!

Look at him buffing off my dirty, battery acid covered plate!

...and putting it all back together again.

Like Father, like Son!

Proudly fixing his brother's "car". 

And this picture is just because he is cute!

On a lighter note....

My little cheeseball

Tonight when the boys were putting their pajama's on, Canaan picked out a pair of socks, and sat down to put them on. After looking them over, he stood up, looked at his Daddy, and said, 

"I'd like to save these socks for a different occasion." 

 

 He then switched them for a different pair, put those on, and was ready for bed. 

 

 It took his daddy a little longer to recover.

 "A different occasion".... really? 

 At least he has a good vocabulary! (Go Homeschool!)

The countdown

 I am reading a really good book right now,    (surprise, surprise!) Leota's Garden, by Francine Rivers. One of the lines near the beginning really hit me yesterday. "She couldn't speak. It wasn't that she didn't have any words; it was that she had too many."

 I feel that way often right now. This week has been rough. It is the same every time Andy deploys, and since this is the third time (fourth is you count his year in Korea) you would think I would be an old pro by now. In fact, if you count the goodbye of his mid-tour visit home, in which I gave birth to Zion, I am pretty sure I have spent more time saying goodbye to him then I have spent with him. At least it feels that way some days. 

 And there are moments when it is easy to forget about being noble and brave - forget about being strong and wise - forget about being part of "the team". 

 

 In the middle of dinner tonight, when Andy was teasing our sons, teaching them to flex their muscles, and how to compare whose were bigger  - I simply lost the battle. 

 Six months suddenly seemed unbearable. 

 I smiled, swallowed my chicken and rice, and declared Canaan's muscles "almost as big" as Daddy's. 

 But inside, I think I broke. 

 I refuse to do a countdown - I don't want to torture myself in that much detail. But my brain still calculates: weeks, days, hours, minutes. I can't shut it off. Oh, how I want to shut it off. 

 We are somewhere around the five week mark. How much can I squeeze in with him in five weeks? Minus 10 hour work days 5 days a week, plus a Sat. college class, study time, packing, and the lovely emergency call backs when a plane "has an incident" and everyone who has so much as breathed on that plane in the last 24 hours gets called back in for a drug test (at 7pm at night, after working all day long). Which leaves me with, well, nothing. 

 I am trying so hard to not be ugly, but right this minute, I am so very capable of being ugly. Because, right this minute, I am not an AF wife - I am just a wife. 

 Tomorrow will be better, and I will probably get on here and apologize, but right now I just have to vent. Overall, I am so willing to share. He volunteered for the Air Force, and I fairly cheerfully send him off to the desert every 12-18 months. I just don't want to share him right now, while he is still here. I want the whole world to just stop, for two or three days, please. 

 I asked nicely. 

 

Just because I can

... a few pictures, because I am slightly, just slightly, crazy about my boys! 

This is how they started....

a slight transition

This is how they ended up.... BOYS! 

I take pictures so often lately that Zion has become slightly obsessed with the camera. I am going to have to get him a "kid friendly" one. In the meantime, he just borrows mine. Here is a picture he took of me - on the phone, as always!.

Words of Wisdom

I have been told that my post earlier today was slightly harsh.  After stepping back and trying to look at it from a different point of view I realized that, although my opinion has not changed, and my views are still pretty much the same on "sharing the wealth" (and you'll have to take my word that I do my best to be educated, not just take "the party line". I don't even claim a political party!) - well, the story was a little harsh. And not in line with my personality - or at least not the person that I am trying to be. 

 The following words are a little more absolute. Scratch that - They are infinitely more absolute.  These are the words that I want to share.

They are truth.

"O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee?" Daniel 6:20

"How many times we find this expression in the scriptures, and yet it is the very thing that we are so prone to lose sight of. We know it is written "The Living God", but in our daily life there is scarcely anything we practically so much lose sight of as the fact that God is the living God; that He is now whatever he was three or four thousand years since; that He has the same sovereign power, the same saving love.... simply because He is the living God, the unchanging One. Oh how therefore we should confide in Him, and in our darkest moments never lose sight of the fact that He is still and ever will be the living God!" George Mueller

"Luther was once found at a moment of peril and fear, when he had need to grasp unseen strength, sitting in an abstracted mood tracing on the table with his finger the words, "Vivit! Vivit!" (He Lives! He Lives!") It is our hope for ourselves, and for His truth, and for mankind. Men come and go; leaders, teachers, thinkers speak and work for a season, and then fall silent and impotent. He abides. They die, but He lives. They are lights kindled, and, therefore, sooner or later, quenched; but He is the true light from which they draw all their brightness, and He shines forevermore." Alexander Maclaren

A story by Andy

My typing fingers have been used by Andy tonight. He has to turn in his first project for his creative writing class tomorrow. The assignment was, describe a bumper sticker that you like, and the vehicle, driver, etc that the bumper sticker belong with. Here is his final project. Please, enjoy! 

I was eating lunch with my family a couple of weeks ago when I noticed a bumper sticker that said, “Dip me in honey mustard and throw me to the lesbians”. It couldn’t help but catch my eye, and I have been thinking about it ever since – What does it mean? I didn’t see the driver of the vehicle, so that part is entirely my imagination, but I could easily imagine a computer geek thinking something that random was funny, simply for it’s randomness.

The vehicle is a blue 1996 Ford Explorer, with grey interior. The paint is bleached by the sun, and starting to look a little whitewashed. The upholstery is terribly worn and faded with many tears where the foam shows through. Under the accelerator pedal the carpet is worn through all the way to the metal. There are a few various pings in the front windshield from rocks and other flying debris, and the right headlight is completely busted out. The left rear tire is almost completely bald with the thread showing through.

            When you open the door several different smells waft out to greet you. The strongest, and thus the first you notice, is the smell of old cigarettes. Only slightly weaker, but certainly less revolting is the smell of “new car”, that comes conveniently packaged and shaped like a tree and hanging from the rear view mirror. Slightly subtler underlying the other two is the slightly musty scent of mildew, caused by the minor leak that occurs in the back hatch when it rains at just the right angle.

            Upon a closer look it is easy to see, at minimum, 8 paper, plastic and Styrofoam cups from various fast food establishments, several of which appear to have flat soda and cold coffee still in them. Sitting on the front passenger seat is a very official looking document: professional, clean, completely out of place in this “hunk of junk”.   

            The driver is a young white male, approximately 23 years old. He has 30 pounds of extra weight sitting around his middle, and absolutely no intention of even pretending that he is going to go to the gym any time this year. His World of Warcraft t-shirt is well worn and has several stains, but it proclaims his passion to the world, so he wears it proudly. His unkempt hair is long and greasy, mirrored by his beard, and his odor resembles that of a man who has worked construction on a summer day with a deodorant that has worked past its time.

            When I greet him, he asks, “Can I help you”, in a kingly way, as if I have entered his domain and he has to let me know that he is in charge here. His attitude emanates sarcasm, in a friendly sort of way, and he seems to be carrying on an internal conversation at all times. A humorous one, from what I can gather. 

A Project 365 update

 I have not been very consistent about posting pictures. The blog I got the idea from, Everyone has a Story to Tell, makes her daily photo so artistic and beautiful ~ she sort of makes me feel inadequate! 

 I think a huge part of my problem is that I have WAY too many words running around in my head, and spilling out onto my blog. It just doesn't leave enough room, or time, for the pictures! 

 But, I didn't chose this Project 365 goal all "willy nilly", and I really want to try to follow through. I am going to chill out a little on trying to post a picture every day, but I am still going to try to take one every day. 

 Here are a few of my favorites from the last couple of days.  

My boys are experts at "forts" 

I simply love this picture. End of story.

Here you can see what they were looking at so intently ~ TRACTORS! 

I cut open this green pepper, and she gave birth to a baby green pepper. 

I just thought that was cute. 

I definitely have the baby bug - BAD - right now! 

This is a small sampling of what the next couple of weeks will be like here. Gathering six months worth of "stuff", and figuring out how to pack it into two regulation size bags! Thank goodness for Target (well, and for the postal service too, because there is no way we will fit/remember everything!)

When I uploaded my memory card, there were 42 pictures on it ~ I was a little surprised, since it had only been 3 days since I uploaded, and I didn't think I had taken that many pictures. It seems that Zion had added a few to the mix. Here is his "self-portrait". 

 Thanks for "listening"! 

 

One lovely blog

My wonderful friend Carrie has given me a very sweet award. When she decided to share it with me and a few others, she described us as "wonderfully dedicated bloggers with lovely thoughts to share with the world." Isn't that just an inspiring way to start a day? It certainly made me feel appreciated and loved! 

 In the same way, I would like to pass the award on to (in no particular order) some people who bring a smile to my face and a little bit of Jesus to the great big World Wide Web:

 

 Mary at The Looney (Cor) Bin

 Abigail at Simply Thoughts

 Christina at Tales from the Crib

 Kelsey at Travis and Kelsey 

 Kelly at Are we There Yet?

 

 Thank you Carrie for liking what I have to say. Thank you Mary, Abby, Chrissy, Kelsey and Kelly for bringing a smile to my day regularly. 

Remembering

When President Bush gave his "Farewell" speech last night, one line really stood out to me. 

"As the years passed, most Americans were able to return to life much as it had been before 9/11. But I never did." 

I guess because I never did either. 

Before Sept. 11th, 2001, I was just a newlywed, (less then 3 months married) a young preschool teacher, and a highly idealistic child of God. 

I was married to a young(er) man, part time cook, who was "taking a break" from college and at the present moment didn't really have a plan farther ahead then the next paycheck. 

We were brilliantly happy. 

We were insanely carefree. 

We were simply young. 

When that first plane crashed, Andy was in the process of putting on his only dress suit. That morning our plans were very full, with something that could not be delayed. You see, we were on our way to the funeral of Andy's grandfather. His grandfather, who had proudly served 20 years in the military. 

Before that morning, I don't remember Andy ever mentioning an inclination to join the military. I remember the story, back "before me", of him considering the Coast Guard. But that was "before me" - more then two years earlier. 

After Sept. 11th, it was the only thing he talked about. 

By our first Christmas, he was already gone to basic training. 

And my life has never been the same. 

A new blogger...

I just wanted to say congratulations to my friend Michelle. She, her husband Chris, and their son Jonas welcomed a new little sister into the family EARLY this morning. 

 Welcome to the world Susannah! 

The joy of a good tattoo

My boys find joy in some of the smallest things. 

 Just look at that proud face!

This picture of Zion in the tub reminded me of this one of Canaan. 

(Yes, he is nursing in this picture. I use to walk around the mall nursing that child - he nursed EVERYWHERE! Perhaps that explains why he was 20 lbs at 18 weeks old! Of course, he started out at 9lb 4oz, so he had a nice jump start!)

When I look back on it now, I can't believe I put a temporary tattoo on my two month old.... but at the time, it just seemed like a cute idea. 

 I wanted him to match his Daddy. 

Who knew that he was going to end up being the spittin' image of him!?

(It throws me off to look at old pictures of Andy. I am so use to him without glasses now! It's amazing what you get use to, and how quickly!)

 I can say with complete honesty that I truly will not have a problem with it if my children go out and get tattoos (the real kind) as soon as they turn 18. (although I will pray for some wisdom to be used!) But for some reason, I doubt they will. Their Daddy has tattoos  - I am sure they will think that tattoos are therefore totally uncool (or whatever the word for uncool is when they hit 18)!  

But for now, they love them, and washable works for me! 

Too much blogging?

 Last night we fed the frog, Mr. Pikman, his crickets. As per the usual routine, Daddy and Canaan were huddled around the aquarium, waiting to see the carnage.

 Our little aquatic bundle of energy reached out and gobbled up two crickets in one huge bite. Canaan was very impressed. He turned to me and said, "Mommy, did you see that? You really need to blog about that!"

 I just laughed - yet here I am, blogging about it. 

 Not so much because Mr. Pikman ate two crickets in one fell swoop, but because my five year olds first response was to assume that something that cool was, of course, blog worthy. 

 What a world we live in. What a time. In our house at least, everyone considers "the blog." 

Just a little fun

I found this, and liked it. Pass it along if you want. Ignore it if you would rather. 

Here's the rule: Bold the things you've done & post on your blog!

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band (does singing count?)

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland (Does Disneyworld count?)

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child - I am getting close on this one, but not quite to the bold level yet! Two more months? Three?

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse - Andy says, "I see them all the time. They are not that rare of  a car"

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language -I have already forgotten it, so I don't think it really counts. 

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa - soon, soon, soon!!

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business - does in home day care count?

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma. (nobody wants mine)

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year's Eve

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life -oh, the joys of being a lifeguard! 

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Been to the Taj Mahal (I added that one) 

A self portrait day

 I mentioned recently that I have started following "Married to the Military". I promise I am not going to be copying her all the time (although this does make the second time this week!) but today the theme (and challenge) she had chosen TOTALLY fit in with the picture of the day. 

 It made me laugh, so I had to link to her. Just read her page, and laugh with me. 

 This was the pre-chosen picture of the day. 

My feet, in rainbow colored toe socks, which were bought (for Andy, by me) back in our Shorter College days. I love these socks. 

They are full of memories: good times at college, reminders of my pre-kid, more time to just be a hippie self. (not that I would change anything... just reminiscing!) Even the hole in the bottom of the toe gives me JOY. 

They are over 9 years old. How could I NOT love these socks?

The challenge called for a self-portrait. I think I post pictures of myself fairly often, and besides, pretty much everyone who reads my blog already knows me. So, I decided to go for something a little older, and definitely silly. 

Last time Andy was deployed (Iraq that time!) my sisters made me up all fancy. They dressed me in their "Marilyn Monroe" dress, and did my hair and makeup. My brother-in-law did a whole photo shoot one afternoon, with multiple "coaches" helping out. 

We tried to do the "spin and make the dress flair out" thing, like the movies and posters from the 50's. 

 This is pretty much my favorite picture of that - 

I don't think that modeling is my calling! 

Good thing that Andy already loves me!! 

A virtual tour

I have been a little bit of a blogging maniac the last few days, I know. Sorry.

 However, this link is something I really want to share, so you will have to just bear with me. Our realtor created a virtual 3-D tour of our house to show potential customers online. There are so many of my friends who live far away and have never seen my house. Now that I am getting ready to sell it, I would love for you to get to see it, before we leave it. 

 So, click here, and you can get a quick tour of my house. Check it out! 

If you look really closely, you can see Andy in the doorway of the master bathroom. 

 Also, I did as I was told and cleaned off the fridge, so it would look less personal. However, I forgot to clean off the door leading to the garage. It looks so messy in comparison! 

 Feel free to zoom in, but don't look too close! Have fun - it really is a cool "toy". 

A moment in (photo) history

 I have started following a new blog recently, Married to the Military. I figured she and I probably have a lot in common - we can't help to have something in common, right?

 She did a cute project a few days ago, just randomly, so I decided to try it too. The idea is to go to your May photo album (on your computer) and pick photo number 21. My photos are not organized by month, , but rather by download session, so I have several folders for May. I picked two different "number 21" for May. 

They grow up so fast. I can't believe this was only 7 months ago!

This is Zion's first experience making waffles. He looks like he is concentrating so hard!