Warm Evenings

I love this time of the year. The days are in the mid 80's, but not too humid yet, and the evenings are just perfect for sitting out on the back porch with an ice-cream cone! These kind of evenings always bring to my mind images of Southerners sitting on the porch swing with a nice cold Lemonade or Mint Julep (one of these days, I will have to try one of those!). We also pulled out the tent tonight for the boys to "camp out". We figured since this is the first time they have slept outside by themselves, we would start out with the tent on the deck...easy access to the house if needed! They were pretty excited, and I think they will stay out there all night!




If all ya'll want to stop by for a cup of sweet tea just give us a call! Actually, you won't find sweet tea at my house, but I will find you something cold to drink! And don't forget your bug spray!

SUMMER!

Today was the last day of school for the boys! I think I am more excited about this then they are! Ty and Devon really enjoy school and both the boys are in the gifted learners program. Devon finished the year with straight A's and (for the first time since he has started school)Ty finished the year with 2 B's and 4 A's. Ty found 4th grade to be a bit of a challenge, and a lot was expected of him this year. We are so proud of both the boys and what they have accomplished this school year. Ty had a bit of a special treat happen. He made the Millionaires Club at school this year. This is a program for the 4th and 5th graders to challenge them to read more. He read over a million words this school year, and this was just in the books he read at school, I didn't even bother to keep track of the MANY books he read while at home! Both boys have turned into avid readers! I love it! Anyway, for reaching this goal he got to ride in a limo to Chick-fil-a for lunch and Sonic for ice-cream! What a treat! He was so excited! There were only 2 4th graders who made this goal and only 7 students total. Here are some pictures of his limo ride!


I have finished working at OM for now, I will start again in August when school starts back up. I feel so blessed to be working with an organization who is allowing me to take this time off to be with my kids. They grow so fast, and I really don't want to miss out on my time with them now! We are looking forward to hot days, swimming, summer reading program at the library, a visit from my sister, nephew and parents, a month in Turkey, and a trip to Florida, and hopefully catching up on my scrap booking...phew, busy summer! If you are in the area, give us a call and we will fit you in! We would love more visitors!


The boys and their AWESOME teachers!

New Arrivals and more

Here are some cute new arrivals we have on our front porch! It has been fun watching them from the living room window! They are so sweet when the mommy bird comes and they all open their mouths really wide! I hope we get to see them fly away!
Life here in Georgia has been good. We are busy with the last few days of school and excited about a visit from my parents, sister and nephew next month! We are also preparing for a month in Turkey! We are so excited to have the opportunity to travel to Turkey with Jon this time! Jon will be co-leading a tour with a band that is over there. God has provided in some amazing ways for this to happen!I am hoping to post a few times while we are there, but I guess we will just have to wait and see how it goes.
The boys only have a little over a week left of school, and I only have a few days left of work (I am taking the summer off, and will go back to work at OM in August). We always love summer! Here are some more of my new favorite pictures...enjoy!


my awesome husband!



our cute dog!

Awesome song

Just a quick post...Here is a song and video that I just can't get enough of!

Spring is on the way!

The first signs of spring have started to pop up! I noticed these daffodils blooming in my front yard, and others are starting to push up out of the ground in the backyard! After 2 long cold months, I am ready for warmer weather! Everything around here is really brown and dead in the winter, so this sudden burst of color is wonderful! On Wednesday we will be on our way to Oregon to visit churches, family, and supporters. We have also been blessed with a quick trip to California. I will be able to see my brothers, sister, and Grandma again after 14 months! Needless to say, I am very excited! Anyway, I just wanted to share this first picture of spring with you...enjoy!

SNOW IN GEORGIA!

Unbelievable...we have had snow 2 days this week! Today, things are covered in snow, and I have heard we should have about 4 inches by tomorrow morning! Ty and Devon (Jon and I too!) have had a great time playing outside! One of the funny things we have noticed, is that southerners don't really know what to do when it snows. The first thing everyone does is run to the store to buy bread and milk. We are not sure why that is but I guess they are afraid of being snowed in for a while. Crazy. Luckily, we have enough bread and milk already, so I did not have to make a mad dash for the store! Here are some pictures...enjoy!

Happy Elfin' Holidays... hmm...

Funny... and yet scary in a way...

Click here (don't worry; it's safe)

NASCAR

Okay, I think this is something everyone should experience at least once in their lives! I took the boys to the Atlanta Motor Speedway today to see the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. They also got to see the NASCAR guys practice for tomorrows race! The boys were both very excited to be there! We were able to get tickets for $8 each through the Scouts. Here is what I thought of it...it's very loud! You can't even talk to the person next to you. Thank God we brought ear plugs with us! We stayed for about 4 hours and then walked around the vendors and stuff before we came home. The race track is only about 20 minutes from our house. Jon missed it because he is in New Jersey doing concerts this weekend. I am sure we will go again, because the Scouts do this twice a year...lucky us! It was worth it to see how excited the boys were...Ty almost hyperventilated when he saw Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon drive by! Our seats were pretty good. We were in the Petty Stands right on the 4th turn (I sound like I know what I am talking about, right!) and in the front row. It wasn't so bad until the trucks actually came around the corner at 190+ mph and threw rubber from their tires all over us! Then we decided to move up about 10 rows! The weather was also perfect. Blue sky and about 70 degrees, where was a breeze as well, but I don't know if it was from the trucks or not. Another thing, we were in the family section, so no alcohol was allowed, which is good, because I heard the other sections can get pretty bad with people drinking. So, all in all it was fun and I would go again (maybe bring a book next time!). I felt like a real southerner...scary. Enjoy the pics! By the way, my boys are not completely southernized yet...they did not know what the "General Lee" was and were wondering why everyone was going crazy when it came out onto the racetrack!

Pumpkins, Leaves, and Cooler Weather...finally!

Last weekend we took the boys to get their pumpkins. It is always this event that makes me miss Half Moon Bay! We usually just go to a local church here that sets a pumpkin patch up on the front lawn. Its fine, but really just not the same as visiting Lemos Farm! I did hear there is a farm not far from here that does a pumpkin field, corn maze, pony rides and petting zoo, but it cost like $12.00 (per person) just to get in! Maybe that includes the cost of your pumpkin, but I doubt it! I love fall...it might be my favorite time of the year (I think I say that about the start of every season!). It has felt like summer here since May, so we are ready for a change! The leaves are starting to change gorgeous shades of red, orange and yellow. You look out the window and thousands of leaves are just floating through the air...very pretty and relaxing! This week our weather has finally gone from the upper 80's to a sudden drop to mid 60's. The sudden change does shock my system a bit...right now I am freezing! But, I love the crispness to the morning air! Great time to bundle up, sit on my front porch with a cup of coffee and read my Bible! I was reading again this morning about the persistent widow...and was reminded that is how we need to be with God. Always coming before him, not only with requests, but with our praise and love as well. Sometimes I find myself getting into the mindset of, "well, He's God, He knows what I need"...but I was reminded today to try to be in constant prayer throughout my day. Not always easy when there is a pile of laundry, and the boys have different places they need to be, and Jon is trying to pack for his tour this weekend...but I am going to try! Jon will be leaving tomorrow for New Jersey. He will be back Monday night. The boys and I are going to have an adventure on Saturday...we have tickets to go to the Atlanta Motor Speedway to see the Nextel Truck Races. Should be fun...for the boys! We were able to get tickets for $8 each, because it is Scout Day! Anyway, I will tell you about that next week! Gotta run, or I will be late for bible study!

Mississippi

On October 11th the 4 of us with a group from our church traveled down to Pass Christian, Mississippi to build a Katrina Relief House. Pass Christian is on the gulf coast and after Hurricane Katrina hit, 90% of the homes were destroyed and 100% of the businesses were destroyed. Now 2 years later only 10% of the town has been rebuilt. Our church had partnered with a group called Square Foot Ministry and OM to build this house. The lady that will be living in it, not only lost everything in the hurricane, but has also contracted West Nile Virus from mosquitoes and is now going blind. When we got down there, we checked into our accommodations...tent city. These are the National Guard tents that were put up for the people who were left homeless. There were all girl tents and all boy tents, so Jon got the boys! We got up Friday morning and were on our construction site by 7:30 am. Our church had built all the outside walls this summer on the church parking lot and they were trucked down to Mississippi. So, we got to the site which had a foundation and front porch only to find out our house plans had been changed. None of the outside walls were right anymore. We went ahead and put them up and then the "construction" guys on our crew (the ones who really knew what they were doing!) went through and pulled apart the doors and windows, and rebuilt everything to the new plans. By the end of the first day, the exterior walls were up, windows were in, the house was wrapped and the roof trusses were up. At one point during the day, Andrew (a guy from our church) took Ty and Devon over to the railroad tracks (which were about 50 feet in front of the house!) and showed them how to put coins on the tracks. When they heard the train coming, all three of them ran to watch and wait to see what happened. Ty and Devon were excited to find there flattened coins! The next day, they placed more coins, and then decided a ham sandwich, apple and mayo packet might be just as good. Boys. So, anyway, back to the house! The second work day we put the siding up on three sides (doing this, I learned how to use a nail gun!), finished the interior walls, put plywood on the roof (which Andrew took Ty and Devon up to help with at one point!)and papered it. A ton of work for 2 days time! I was impressed with Ty and Devon. For being the only 2 kids there and on a construction site for 2 days, they did no complaining! They were always looking for jobs to do. they pulled nails our of wood, cleaned up and always made sure everyone had something to drink! they were awesome! After dinner on Saturday night our church band did an outside worship service. There weren't many people there, but I did hear that we had a few people who came over from the bar across the street to see what was going on and decided to stay for the music! Cool. Jon even got to debut a new song of his! It was a great 4 days for our family. We learned more about construction, compassion and caring for people less fortunate then we are. I would encourage anyone to find a team or organization and help rebuild the gulf coast.

Pass Christian, Mississippi

The Simpson family (along with Crosspoint Community Church) is headed down to Pass Christian, Mississippi this week to help build a Katrina Relief House. Our church built all the outside walls of this house in our parking lot this summer, and now we are headed down to put it up! Pass Christian was 100% destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and now 2 years later, still only 10% of the town has been rebuilt. I read today that only 3 buildings in the whole town were left standing after the hurricane. There is still so much work to be done to rebuild the devastated areas and not enough people volunteering to go do it! It seems like after 2 years people have forgotten what happened to these cities. The lady that we are building the house for lost everything, and then contacted West Nile Virus from the mosquitoes. She is now blind. Please pray for safe travels, and that we can be Jesus in our efforts to help rebuild this city. Our band from church (which Jon is involved in) will also be putting on a worship service on Saturday night, for the whole town. Please pray for open hearts and changed lives. I am sure not only will we be changing lives down there, our own lives will be changed by this experience! Thanks for praying for us!

Home Improvement!

Ever since I moved into this house 2 years ago, I have wanted to change the kitchen cabinet hardware. The hardware was dirty, and gold...very 80's, and I really hated it. The biggest problem was I could not find anything I really liked that was under $4.00 a piece (I need to replace 50 handles)! You do the math. It seemed like an insane amount of money for me to pay for handles. So, I decided to get creative. I bought a $4 can of black hammered spray paint and painted them! I am so thrilled with the result! Anyway, just wanted to share this inexpensive decorating idea with you!

Skate Park

Ty and Devon have both decided they are going to go pro in skateboarding. They just started riding about a month ago. Today, after school I took them over to our local skate park so they could test out their skills. I thought for sure we would end up in the emergency room with a broken bone! They decided they have a little more practicing to do before they go pro! Luckily there was no one else at the skate park, so they could fall all they wanted and not be in anyone else's way! There was also a BMX track. We only brought one bike with us, so the boys took turns. They had so much fun with the 2 parks! I don't know why we haven't gone here before! The weather was perfect for me to sit out and watch them...about 85 degrees with a slight breeze and no humidity! It doesn't quite feel like fall here yet, maybe in another month or so. Jon is in New Mexico this week. I think when he travels in the states is when I start to get homesick. I am not sure why. Other then today we have had a pretty boring week so far! There, just a quick update on what we are doing! Gotta run! Oh, by the way, please ignore the fact the Devon keeps saying y'all! Yikes!

Way too Long...

Ty's winning picture!

Okay, I know it has been way to long since I have updated this. It is funny, because I love to read other peoples blogs, but it is so hard to get mine updated! Lets see, I guess I will start with our summer. In June as most of you know Jon was in Turkey for 2 weeks. If you would like to read his tour journal go to the ministry section of our web page. The boys and I had a busy 2 weeks at home. We did swim lessons and VBS. The last week the boys had VBS at one church in the morning and then again at our church in the evening! We survived the long weeks without Daddy, and were glad to get him home again! After that we spent a weekend in Talladega, Alabama. Why you ask? Well we had a OM retreat. It was fun hanging out with people from OM and getting to know others better. This is something OM does every year. In July we spent a week on a vacation (just the 4 of us!). We drove up to Williamsburg, Virginia (about 8 or 9 hours). We spent 2 days exploring Colonial Williamsburg. It was loads of fun. This was my third time there, and I still loved it! We were there for the 4th of July. The firework show that night was incredible! Even Jon thought it was the best one he ever saw! From there we drove about another 2 hours to get to Washington DC. We spent another 2 days walking around visiting all the monuments and museums. It was fun showing it to the boys. They really enjoyed the Natural History Museum and the Air and Space Museum. We took 2 days to drive home. It was a great trip! We did miss getting to California this summer, but decided we really needed some time just the 4 of us and to explore the east coast while we are here! When we got home we had about a week to get ready for Jon's parents visit. They were here for 2 weeks. We had a great time with them. One of the weeks that they were here was a mission week for our church. We did lots of community work. Jon and his dad were able to work together, which I thought was great. As always, it was hard to say goodbye to them. It seems like such a long time in between visits with family.
The boys started school again the 2nd week of August. Ty is in 4th grade and Devon is in 2nd. They love school and were glad to get back. I was glad to get them back as well! :) They are both in Scouts again. This year Jon and I are leading the Wolf Den (Devon's group). Tomorrow night is our first meeting. Pray for us! Ty is also playing baseball for the fall. His first game is on Saturday. He has been practicing hard and is excited to play. There is a guy from our church named Kevin, who has been giving him batting lessons. I think it will really help Ty! Ty also won 3rd prize for his age group in a photo contest at the Tyrone Founders Day. We are proud of both of our boys!

As for Jon and I, life is good! Jon is getting ready for a trip out to New Mexico to do Crowns. I am trying to get my Southern Living at HOME business really going. We are taking the boys to Mississippi next month with our church to build a Katrina Relief House. I will update you on that later (how it went). We are happy and God is so good! Thank you for your prayers for our family!
Family picture in the World War II memorial, Washington DC



Devon and Ty had fun playing lawn games in Colonial Williamsburg!

Take me out to the Ballgame!

You know it is spring when baseball starts! Ty and Devon are both playing America's favorite game this season. Opening day was this last Saturday. We left our house at 9:00 am and didn't return home again until 4:00 pm! We had opening day ceremonies with the teams parading around the fields, and then a former major league player spoke (Sorry, I don't remember his name!), and then we had the "National Anthem" and "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" sung and then a pastor came up and prayed over the players (have to say there are some advantages for living in the bible belt!). After all of that the boys got to do a climbing wall and then we ran over to Sonic for lunch. Ty's first game was at 12:00 and Devon's was at 1:30. So, this baseball field that Tyrone has is pretty cool...there are about 5 baseball diamonds for the games to be going on at the same time, but the only problem is it was 87 degrees outside and there is no shade anywhere to be found! Poor Jon had a baseball hat on and the top of his head still got a little burnt!

Ty is on a team of 7 and 8 year olds, and the team they were playing were like pros! They were hitting home runs and stealing bases! The players were kinda haggling our team as well...pretty bad attitudes. The other taam won. Actually they just called it a mercy game because our team was so far behind. Ty did hit the ball and almost got to first base!

Devon is on a team of 5 and 6 year olds. They try to hit the ball and after 3 strikes they get to hit it off the tee. Devon was pretty frustrated by the middle of the game because he said there was so many people yelling he couldn't hear what the coach was saying! Oh well, I guess he will get used to that. His team lost as well.

This week we have been having record breaking temps for this time of the year. It will be in the 80's all week. I love it! The only thing I don't love is the pollen. Apparently we had almost a record breaking pollen count today. It was something like 5.460 or something close to that! There is a blanket of yellow dust on everything outside! I have never had a allergy problem, but today I have been sneezing, runny eyes, sinus pressure, and a headache. I was told if I don't feel better by tomorrow to go get some Claritin. Someone else told me that most people who move to Georgia develope some kind of allergy to the pollen. Great. I tried to take a picture of the pollen on our deck so you can see how bad it really is! We are suppost to get rain later this week, so hopefully that will clear it out some!


Next week we are going to a lake house for part of spring break. I will write more about it when we get back!

Here are some more pics I thought you would enjoy...so enjoy!

Solomon getting big!

Ty and Devon enjoying a milkshake on the front porch!

Happy Spring!

The Greatest Show On Earth?

We had a huge blessing of 4 tickets to the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. If the person who sent them to us is reading this... Thank you! It was fun to be able to surprise the boys. We didn't tell them where we were going, and they didn't figure it out till we were in line for awhile! I think they heard someone else mention what the line was for! This was Ty and Devon's first circus experience. Jon and I went to the circus about 10 years ago, but we haven't been since. I have to say it was quite different from how I remember the circus to be. I remember lions, tigers, elephants, and monkeys. Well, we did see elephants and white tigers...but the rest of the animal acts were dogs and cats! WHAT! Yes, we saw trained dogs and cats running around. It was very odd. I wondered if the circus got slammed for treatment of animals or something. Anyway, we did see all the trapeze artists and the motorcycle dome of death thing (the boys LOVED that!) and all the other normal circus stuff...the clowns had a giant food fight which was pretty funny. The best part for me was watching the excitment on the boys faces when they saw the different acts. I guess that made it all worth while.

The boys are out of school this week. We are finally having winter break. In about a month we have spring break, and then about a month after that we are done for the summer! I can't wait. By about this time of the year, I am ready for them to be done with school. If you asked me 2 weeks after summer break has started I am sure I would tell you that I am ready for them to be back in school!

Our dog is still great. Last weekend was the first time Jon was gone at night since we got him and Solomon sat by my side all evening till Jon got home. He usually likes to go lay in the kitchen, but this time he stayed in the living room by the couch. He even started to bark a little when Jon came in the kitchen door. I think he will make a good watch dog for me when Jon is away on trips! :)

Well, I think that is all I have to report on for now. See ya!

I think it's love...

I wanted to introduce the newest member of the Simpson family. His name is Solomon and he's a lab mix (we think with poodle) and he is 8 weeks old. I just have to brag on him a bit. I really think he is the smartest puppy EVER! We have had him for 2 days now, and he already is going to the bathroom outside! Okay, so he is not letting me know yet that he needs to go out, but I take him out every few hours, AND he has been able to hold it all night! Brilliant dog! He sleeps in the laundry room for now, eventually he will be in our room...but he does need to learn a few simple commands first...like sit and stay. I have not heard him bark yet and he whines very little. He is a cuddly, warm fir ball.

Out of the 2 boys, I think Devon is most smitten. Devon has been wanting a dog for years now, and just can't believe that he now has one! Solly really gets excited to see Devon also! Devon is learning how to feed the dog, and that will be his job in the evening.

The best part about Solomon is that he is a gift from God. We really wanted a labradoodle because they don't shed and are hypoallergenic. But, to buy one from a breeder is way too expensive (especially on a missionary budget!). We found him down at the local shelter with 9 of his brothers and sisters and really couldn't believe what we were seeing. You hardly ever see dogs like that at a shelter, because people can sell them for big bucks...anyway, we put down our $5 and took him home! Thank you God! It is amazing how faithful God is in providing for us. And is is also great for Devon to see that his faithful praying for about a year now has been answered.

On other news... We had an exciting thing happen a few weeks ago. Devon climbed about 30 feet up into a tree and we couldn't get him down! Yes, I had to call 911 and get the Tyrone fire department out to get my son down from a tree! The nice fireman said it was the first time that he knows about that they have had to rescue a child from a tree, he asked Devon if he had a cat up there with him. Ahhh, leave it to Devon!

We also had a great Christmas is California. It was wonderful to see all our family (or most of it anyway) and spend some time with friends.

Our weather here is still incredible. Most days we get into the high 60's. Not like the winter last year when I was frozen for 2 months. I hope it stays like this longer! Well, I have to start my day now.

Catching up...

Okay, I am horrible at keeping this updated! We have had quite a lot going on the past few months, I will see if I can summarize it for you! My job with Southern Living at Home has gotten off to a slow start, but not bad. I am really having fun and meeting new people! The boys are doing great, they are just finishing up soccer for the season. They were on the same team this year which made it really nice to only have one game a weekend instead of two! At the game last week Ty scored 3 goals! GO TY!!!! They are both still enjoying school and doing quite well. Ty has applied to be on a science team, and we are waiting to hear if he made it. They were only picking like 2 or 3 third graders to join the team. I think he has a good chance to be on it, and I am not just saying that because I am him Mom! :) I will let you know how that turns out. Both of the boys are now in Scouts also. We took them on a camping trip, and Devon ended up sleeping in the tent with Jon and I because he was scared to be in his tent with Ty. They had a fun weekend of hiking, campfires, and blow darts...ahh scouting! Okay, the blow darts were made out of toothpicks and cotton, but still it is a skill they need to learn, right? Jon and I also got to go away for a weekend! We spent a whole 32 hours in California! We went for a friends wedding. It was fun to see some of you there, and if we didn't see you and you didn't even know we were on the west coast...please forgive us, we were only there for 32 hours! Next, my parents were here for 2 weeks! We had a great visit with them. The boys were out of school for part of the time, so we drove down to Savannah, GA. It was fun! What an amazing little town...we also went out to Hilton Head, SC and Tybee Island, GA. When we got back, I put my dad to work! He finished painting a few stairways, started painting my dining room, and put some IKEA stuff together for me! Thanks Dad!!! He tried to fix my garage door opener also, but I think it is a hopeless case and will just need to be replaced! So, I have told you about the boys, and me so I guess I will fill you in on Jon. He left on the 3rd for Colorado. They are taking the Crowns concert on the road! He will be back on the 20th. Yes, he will be gone for almost 3 weeks...I know, I think it is a long time also! So far the boys and I are doing fine. I have some projects lined up to keep me busy, oh and lots of movies! hmmmm....is there anything I forgot? Fall here is beautiful...the colors are amazing. I almost have trouble driving around because I want to look at the trees! They look different everyday! The trouble with fall is that the leaves actually fall...all over my lawn! So, I guess with Jon gone I need to find time to rake leaves also. Our weather is supposed to be back up to about 80 on Friday, so I think I will rake then. Okay, I think that is it..I will try to be better about this!

Go get a job!

Well, I have now offically entered back into the working world. I am a consultant for a company called Southern Living at Home. So, basically my job is to go to parties and show the product! I get to hang out with fun women, meet new people, help people with decorating ideas, decorate my own house, and make some money! I had my first party last night, and it was okay. I am excited to do this, but also nervous...I haven't had to stand in front of a group of people and talk in a LONG time! So, that is all that is new with us...

A Special Day

Wow, today my baby turns 6. I really can't believe that he is 6 and has been in 2 weeks of 1st grade already! I asked Jon last night, how come our kids are getting older and we're not! (hee-hee). God has blessed us with a creative, active, outgoing, stubborn, funny (and many more things!)little boy. I pray that Jon and I are able to mold him to use his talents to better change the world and to show God's love in all he does. (excuse me while I wipe away my tears!)

Yes, our kids have been in 2 weeks of school already this year. So far, so good...they both love their teachers and are enjoying being back in school. Except maybe they are not loving the homework, but really, who does?

We had a great time the last few weeks of July on the west coast. It was great to be with friends and family again! Devon saw that is cousin Kyle had his haircut like a mohawk, and decided that is how he wanted his cut for school. He is now the coolest kid in the first grade. He actually looks really cute with it! Jon and I decided that if that was how he wanted to express himself right now, it was okay with us. Hopefully it won't lead to worse things down the road!

Both boys start soccer next week. There goes our weekends for the next 3 months! We enrolled them in Upwards Soccer this year. Along with practice they will also get a little bible lesson. Pretty cool.

As for Jon, the team is still working out the details of the touring schedule for 2007, but so far it looks pretty busy. I personally am not ready to really look at that or think about that yet!

There is something new with me...I am now a Southern Living at Home consultant. I decided I would like to try it, to have a little extra income for our family. I am hoping to give 5-6 parties a month. If you don't know what SLAH is, check out the website at southernlivingathome.com They have great home items for decorating and entertaining. I am hoping to be able to finish decorating my home as well! :)

I guess that is all to catch you up on for now...we are eagerly awaiting fall. Right now it is still in the 90's most days. Jon went through his mouth surgery just fine. He had a few weeks of pain and not really eating solid food, but he is back to normal now! Thank God!

That's it for now...

7 days down...

7 days down and 2 to go! Jon will be home from Mexico in 2 days! Today has not been the best day, of course it doesn't help that I put the boys to bed last night at 7:00 and at 11:00 they were still wide awake! I have no idea why...so today they are not the happiest boys. I am usually okay when Jon has to leave (at first), but by the end of the trip I really realize why God did not intend for us to be single parents! I seriously don't know how people do it by themselves full time. I myself will be in bed tonight by 10:00, I think midnight it the earliest I have been to bed so far this week, I have trouble getting to bed when Jon is not here also! But right now, I probably have the cleanest closets in the south! See you all next week!!!!!!!

Happy 4th of July!

Or as my British friends here say...Happy day we lost our territory! :) Freedom is a great thing, and I am so thankful to God that we live in America. Tonight we went to Lake Peachtree and watched a huge firework display. It was awesome! It started to rain about 1 hour before it was supposed to start and Ty thought it might be cancelled...but I assured him that it would be completely unamerican to cancel a 4th of July firework show just because of a little rain...okay it was pouring rain, but only for about 1/2 hour! The rain did cool things off about 10 degrees, so I am thankful for it also! It is now 12:30 am (yes, I should be in bed asleep by now!) and I am sure it is still about 80 degrees outside! Jon is in Mexico right now, doing a mission trip with Bill and the OM teens. They are working with another organization called YUGO. He will be home on Sunday, and then we leave on Thursday to the west coast! yippeeeeee!!!!!! We will be in CA and Oregon, and we hope to see everyone! We get home (to Atlanta) on the 31st of July and the boys start school again on August 8th. I can't believe it is almost that time again! We have had a fun summer so far, lots of swimming and playing with friends. We just had another family join OM and the boys have had a great time getting to know their kids! God is so good to provide instant friends and family here for us (and everyone at OM!). Well, like I said it is late and I better go to bed! Good Night!

Schools out for summer!

Just wanted to let you all know that Ty and Devon are done with school! Yippee! We can laugh at all of you who still have school for another month or so, but then you can be laughing at us when we start back up the first week of August! I did cry at Dev's Kindergarten graduation on Thursday, yes I did feel silly! Happy Summer, hope to see you sometime during it! Oh, and by the way, we had to offically turn our A/C on yesterday! Our humid, summer weather has begun!

AMAZING!!!!! God is so cool!

Monday evening we returned from an amazing trip to the Cayman Islands. This will be my recap of the family side of the trip, you can read Jon's ministry update also in the ministry section! We arrived in the Caymans Monday, May 15th after a 2 1/2 hour flight from Atlanta. The weather was in the 90's with humidity pretty high and a slight breeze. We went and checked into our hotel and then hit the beach! Our hotel was pretty much right on the beach, and we were amazed at how good the snorkeling was right there. The last time I snorkeled was in Hawaii with my family, at least 20 years ago, and I HATED it! The fish scared me and I couldn't breath through the snorkel very well. So, I really didn't think I was going to do much on this trip, but decided to give it a try. The fish still scare me a little, but it was AMAZING!! The water was really clear and calm, and the fish were plentiful and brightly colored! The boys were even enjoying it. Devon actually really took to the snorkeling, and that is all he wanted to do all week, even in the pool!

On Tuesday I walked with the boys to a butterfly farm. We got to see and learn about the butterfly cycle and see tons of different butterflies flying around. Again, Devon loved it, Ty thought it was okay. For any of you that know Devon, you will remember he loves animals and bugs more than anything. After that we hit the beach again! The kids really enjoyed playing and swimming in the surf, and I enjoyed laying in the sun with my book! This was pretty much how the next few days went. On Tuesday afternoon we were joined by the guitarist wife and her two children, who are the same age as Ty and Devon, and Bill's youngest daughter Sharayah, who is 14. All the kids really kept each other entertained, and Michelle and I got to talk and enjoy the sun. Jon would usually finish up his ministry stuff by late afternoon and join us either at the beach or pool to play with the kids. There were a few nights that he had something to do at night also, but we enjoyed the time we got to spend with him!

Tuesday night was a rough night. I got the kids to bed around 8 pm and then Jon and I went to bed around 9ish, but then around 10 Devon started to fuss. I walked over to him, just about the time he started to throw up. I grabbed him out of the bed and ran him to the bathroom and had to hold him over the toilet while he got sick. He never woke up! I cleaned him up and put him back to bed. I think he did not drink enough water during the day and then had soda for dinner, which made him sick. He still does not remember getting sick! Then I went back to bed only to be woken up again 2 hours later by Ty. He couldn't breath. He had croup, and if you don't know what that is, it is kinda like asthma, but only attacks when you have a cold. Your windpipe swells up and you cough like a seal. Unfortunately it only gets worse if you cry, and he was panicking! When he would get like this at home I would have to take him to the emergency room, and they would give him a steroid shot to open up the windpipe. I was really thinking I would have to find a hospital in the middle of the night on the island! I was sitting with him in the bathroom with the shower turned on full heat (for the steam), Jon came in to check on us just as I passed out from the heat. Finally, we got Ty calmed down and breathing, and asleep on the couch. I just sat there a prayed for I don't know how long. I really felt like we were under attack. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well the rest of the night! Everyone woke up feeling fine and ready for the day on Wednesday!

Ty, Devon, and I ended up getting a little too much sun on Wednesday, so we decided to do something different on Thursday. We took a bus to a sea turtle farm! The bus was more like an overcrowded van that you had to yell, " stop!" when you wanted to get off! There were not 3 seats together, so we all mixed in with the locals! I could hear the boys talking to different people and telling them why we were on the island..."my Dad is in a band that is here to tell people about Jesus". I love the straight forwardness of children, they haven't developed that nervousness to speak up about what they believe in (and hopefully never will!). The sea turtles were really cool. The older ones are HUGE!!!!! There was a tank for smaller ones that we could touch and hold. The kids stood at that tank for over an hour playing with the turtles! The other family also came on this outing with us, so all the kids had fun together.

Friday was another swim day (I know sacrifices have to be made in the life of a missionary!). Friday night we got to go to the church that brought the team over to attend an island wide youth rally. Basically it was a Bill Drake concert. The team did some original songs and worship songs. Bill also gave his testimony and talked about the persecuted church. The kids were really into the music, and there was a lot of dancing and clapping going on. My heart was touched when I saw Ty turn off his gameboy to listen to the songs and talking. Then I got to take a picture of him, (with tears in my eyes!) standing with his hand raised and singing, "God of Wonders" with all his might! Toward the end of the concert I walked up to the balcony of the church to take some pictures. I actually think God lead me up there so I could see what happened next. Bill first gave a call to people to rededicate their lives and to seek out what God wants them to be doing to change their island,or the world, and tons of hands were raised (including Ty's!). Next he gave an alter call for new believers and at least 25 kids accepted Christ! I was standing on the balcony watching this whole thing, and I just felt God telling me, "See Suzie, this is why I had you move away from your family and join this ministry." It is hard to explain, but I really felt God's arms around me, confirming that we are in the right place. Amazing night...God moved in many ways!

Saturday is a day I will never forget. The team had the whole day off and the pastor of the church arranged and paid for us to take a 3 hour cruise of the Caribbean. Our first stop was a sand bar called Stingray City. Not only did we see tons of stingrays, but we got to get in the water and play with them! Okay, I was a little freaked out by this at first, actually, I was holding Devon and realized I was surrounded by about 5 large stingrays and I just started to scream! I realize that is not the best way to keep my 5 year old calm in the water, but I could not help myself! It was so eerie to have them swim up to you and brush against you! After a few minutes we all got used to it, and it was quite enjoyable! Unreal. A few people, including Jon, feed them some squid (I was not brave enough!). Both Ty and Devon really enjoyed touching and looking at the stingrays. Next stop was a reef a few miles away. We had a guide who was in the water with us, and he told us that he usually sees sharks and eels at this reef. Okay, remember how I don't really like to see the fish I am swimming with? I wasn't sure if I was going to get in the water with a shark! After a minute or two I realized I would regret not trying it, so in the water I went! The boys stayed on the boat with the other kids. The first thing I saw was a moray eel...about 5 feet long and swimming after another team member! That almost sent me right back to the boat, but I said a prayer and stayed in the water. The eel had its mouth open and you could see its teeth! Yikes! That's when I saw the shark, it was a nurse shark and was pretty harmless, but in my mind it was a SHARK!!!!! Jon actually got close enough to touch it, not me! We spent some more time snorkeling and enjoying the fish, coral, and anemones. God is amazing to put all this beauty under the water where we normally don't even see it!

Sunday morning found us in church at Agape Family Worship Centre in George Town. This was the church that brought the team over. They are a very charismatic, non denominational church, who knew how to rock! The whole church was jumping, dancing, shouting, and yes even falling to the ground during the worship time. I really enjoyed the pastor who was helping lead the worship, because he would dance and jump all over the stage! It was an awesome experience! The church's worship team lead worship for the first hour and then the Bill Drake team took the second hour with more worship and preaching. The kids even went and enjoyed the Sunday School. The service ended with the team leading the Newsboys song, " He Reigns" and the church just about fell apart with excitement! It was sooooo cool!!!! After church the pastor took us all out for Chinese food, and then it was back to the pool one last time! The team also went back to the church and did the evening service.

The next morning we got up and went back to the airport to fly home! I am sure there is so much more that I didn't even mention, like they drive on the opposite side of the road, and I never could remember which way to look to cross the street! Or, that the island is only 22 miles long and 8 miles across, and they are still rebuilding after being hit hard by Hurricane Ivan last year (in 2004). The people are wonderful, kind, and gracious! We have already been invited back! It is definitely a trip I think the boys and I (and Jon), will remember forever! Thank you God for giving us this opportunity, for keeping us safe, and showing us your people in a new environment and country!