OATMAN, ARIZONA

We went to a little ghost town city named Oatman yesterday. We are having so much fun! Arizona has proved to be a beautiful state. The sights are just breath taking! I am so satisfied right now it is unbelievable. We have been having so much fun! We are learning so much too. What a great way to do school! These are some pictures we took while at the Goldroad Mine in Oatman. It's along historic Route 66 and at one point we were sitting directly under it. I have a whole new perspective and thanks for the gold I wear. Such an amazing trade that the men of our country once did. Thank you Lord for hard working men! We are praising God with all that we are seeing.

The Best Day!

I had the best day today! I am just winding down from today and I just wanted to YELL FROM THE BLOG TOPS! (no rooftop in here) I feel like this a lot of times, probably 5-6 days out of the week. I just now figured that I can grasp this feeling long enough to write about. During the day I feel like it is a normal day, but then this thing happens as I do more throughout the day. This normalcy forms into this giddy hiccup, then a savoring, a yearning, a clarity, an excitement, then this thankfulness that I just can't describe. I start off everyday feeling normal. I wake up and think "I'm still here", I know that completely sounds teenish but it's the only way to describe this. After realizing that I have been granted another day to breathe I go through a body checklist as I stand to go through my day. "Legs, little pain, yeah they'll work all day. Feet, stiff, should get better, hopefully. Shoulders, ouch, that's tolerable. Hands, moderate pain, probably can't hold onto anything heavy but that's okay. So it's a good body day!" I do the things that I always do and just go about the day. As we all do. On a day like today there isn't anything spectacular going on but as I go through my errands with the girls the giddy hiccups start. As I walk into my first "to do" place I think "This is great I am actually running my errands". That is when I start to savor the moment of actually doing normal things. I mean seriously now who gets excited to run errands? As the day progresses and I see how many things I have done I start to feel as if I am not expressing myself enough as I do these errands. I know that this is all God, because for anyone to feel as if they need to be a little more excited and giggly about their errands all on there own is just sick. Now remember I literally go through this a couple times a week. As I realize that this is all God I begin to feel as if I can just look over and see him smiling at me, telling me that the only reason I can have this clarity is because He loves me enough to allow me to. I savor so much the days that I have. Many times I have my thoughts throughout the day and keep them in my head as I walk and run my errands. You wouldn't be able to see that I am having such a real moment with God. This is what frustrates me. This is what I wonder about. Is the fact that I am having these moments throughout the day showing HIM that I am thankful? Or am I supposed to actually scream and yell from the roof tops the way my soul wants to? Did I just answer my own question? Are my moments with HIM supposed to be private? If so why do I have this excitement? Ahhh, yes! The Holy Spirit! Maybe I am supposed to do as I have and acknowledge and fully understand the feeling first. Then I should be able to verbalize them as they come. Give glory to HE who is sustaining me everyday! This is my mission now that I have just given myself the answer. I will tell of HIS works in my life. I will pour out this love that HE has given me because it is the most awesome feeling! I will let the people who touch my life know that they have done exactly that. I will smile as I run my errands and I may just giggle as I do them. I will be giggly! I can't jump up and skip along the aisle but I can giggle. Most of all though, I will be okay with the fact that I, more than likely, won't always show my excitement. However, at the end of my day I will continue to say "I had the best day"!

A Helping Hand

Today the girls and I went to church at New Life. They were having there 9th birthday celebration. I really wanted to go because they were combining all three of the services into one at Pacifica High School. I was so excited to get there because I just knew I was going to get chills hearing hundreds of people singing praises to our Almighty Creator. So I got up, got the girls ready, took a shower and we were off. It even turned out to be a good hair day! So I was feeling great, attitude wise. Physically I was huffing and puffing trying to do all of these normal things. Just too hard today. Well anyway, when I exit the freeway into the city I use to work in, I go the complete wrong way, strike one. Then I finally get there, go to turn in and that entrance is closed, strike two. I make a u-turn go into the right parking lot and go to the handicap parking right at the entrance, full, strike three. I ended up parking SOOOO far away. Needless to say my excitement was gone. I was just about to start crying at the thought of how out of breath and dangerous this walk would be for me, when I looked up and saw His answer for me in a desperate situation. My friends the Hoppe's drove up in there van and right away Liz said they would drive us to the front. I knew when I saw them that this was The Lords way of helping me. So what did I say? "No that's okay. I'll just walk slowly." Such a weird thing though because as I am saying this I am thinking this is what I'm supposed to do, accept the ride. But I stuck to my answer and walked slowly. Why do we do things like this, accept the least amount of help possible. You would think that by now after all I have had to endure I would be willing to swallow my pride and take the darned ride. What, was I afraid they would laugh at me and call me names. Ridiculous! I am sorry Liz, but quite obviously I am still in denial. I did end up telling the usher however that I could not go up into the bleachers and that I needed to sit down low. So Analiese and I got to sit very near the stage where when I looked back I could see hundreds of believers, arms in air worshiping He who sent a familiar van to help me. The goosebumps were definitely there! I loved every minute of it. I had always wanted to be in a worship service so big that you don't recognize many yet you feel so at home. I had a moment that Liz had to help me through after but in the end I left today feeling so close to home, HIM. I am so thankful to my Father Almighty today for giving me what he, once again, knew I needed. My focus needs to stay on Him not that which the world throws my way in order to turn my attention. The cool thing, HE still won! I got so much out of today. I got even closer to HIM, sang my heart out, once again accepted my disability, and had a really good time with my friends. I LOVE THIS LIFE!

DOES IT GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS?

So, Analiese and I were reading of the Greece vs. Persia War in 490 B.C. Then I noticed that Isabella was at the other end of the couch asleep. She had been reading two dictionaries, which she told me she needed to do. How funny is it though that she just so happened to be on the same page that had the definition of colonnade, column and combat? Too cute. Hey you never know maybe the information will be transferred though osmosis and she will become a historian.
I even learned something today. My very smart and beautiful friends Liz and Julie probably already know this. I learned that the word marathon and its definition as we know it today derive from the Greece vs. Persia war. The Greek Athenians met the Persian army of Darius and won them in battle even though they were way out numbered. A man had to deliver the message of victory to Athens, which was 26 miles away, and did it without stopping. He did this even after he had run 150 miles two days prior. After he got to Athens and announced the news he dropped dead. So that is why we call them marathons and why they are 26 miles.
I am so happy to have learned that today and I am happy to have done it with my girls. Maybe most people know this tid-bit of info already but for me it's news. Pretty cool stuff. Okay I'm done.
God Bless!

Back to School Basics

We have made it through our first week of homeschooling. Must say it was a real fun week. It's so fun to be doing school again. My 3rd grader, Analiese, is just so excited about learning lately! I also have a new little student at the table, my little Bella. This year she is officially a pre-schooler. She sits at the table with us and brings her little school books with her. It is so cute! Our first day was Sept. 4th and that morning Manuel stood in their doorway as they opened their eyes from a restful sleep. Bella focused on him and said "DADDY I GO TO SCHOOL TODAY"! She was just so excited to be doing what she has watched her sister do. I had to ask her one question though just to clarify she understood where school was. "Bella, where are you going to go to school?" She just looked at me with her little curls landing in her face and said "mommy you funny! In da kitchen". I was pleasantly surprised! I thought that she was so excited because she thought that we were going to take her somewhere. Even though I had a great week with Analiese I know the struggles are near. Afterall we are still just reviewing. I suspect it will be better overall, than last year. Our first year we struggled with attitude a lot, her and I. We basically had to get to know eachother on a whole new level. I learned so much about who she is and what type of learner she was. It's amazing because I thought that I knew everything about her when she went to school. Very difficult to explain, but I wouldn't change it for the world! A blessing! So tis my blog at the beginning of the school year. I will have to look back at this when I am bloggin' of the troubles that are bound to come. For now, THANK YOU LORD!
Off I go....football is on and my hubby just got home from work!