Winterized

It's kind of strange considering that today has been in the high 60's, but we are officially winterized!  (Our house, that is, not me personally!)

My dear husband (bless his heart!) spent hours upon end this morning working in the yard while I was at a work event.  And when I got back we worked for over 2 more hours!  He raked, sucked up the leaves (yes, we have tons), made the final mow for the year, and we have covered up outdoor pieces to prepare for Winter.

I am so very thankful for the beautiful day today and for my hard-working husband who always takes care of our home!  I can count on moments like this every day to sweetly remind me that I am so very blessed!

Eight bags of chopped leaves from our yard!  And our lot is not even that big! 

The outdoor dining furniture is covered and protected.  No more grilling and outdoor dinners for a while. Sigh.

 

The outdoor faucets are covered so they are thermalized for the upcoming cold weather.

 

Home Sweet Home!  

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." -- Joshua 24:15

On the other side of the world....

On the other side of the world, there is a teenage boy who has a special place in our hearts!  We've never met nor have we spoken.  Yet, he has already become a special part of our family -- we know this is true.  For weeks now, I have had many a conviction about helping someone across the globe.  God has spoken to us and signs have been put in place where we had no doubts that this is the right move right now!  My mind has thought of it so many times -- I get excited, I get scared.....then no actions were taken. 

But the convictions have been stronger this week and I have spent time doing more research about programs to "sponsor a child."  We delightfully chose Compassion International -- their powerful mission statement follows:

Releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name
In response to the Great Commission, Compassion International exists as an advocate for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.
YES!  Sign us up!  Thanks to our Mighty God, this is a call we are ready to step up to! 

In "selecting" our child to sponsor, we weren't very specific.  We just knew we were led to choose a teenage boy (teen boys are the ones we have heard are least likely to be picked.....I know, heart-breaking!).  After checking out our options, we knew Arvin was the one for us!

He is 17 years old and lives in the Phillippines with his mother and father, and is one of three children. 

We still have so much to learn about our new  friend!  Soon we will receive more information and we are excited for that!  We will even be able to correspond with him.....and could even have the chance to meet him one day if we wanted to travel over to Asia!

Based on the research and testimonials we've done, we are certain this is only the beginning of a wonderful experience of seeing God at work.  If you are interested in learning more, I highly suggest you check out the Compassion Website as well as Kelly's Korner (she is in El Salvador right now traveling with Compassion and even had the opportunity to meet one of her sponsored children today -- read her amazing posts)!

Meet Arvin!

God Bless America!

Happy Veteran's Day!  

I am so very thankful for the freedom we enjoy in our country and I pray that I never take it for granted or forget the price that has been paid!

I want to especially recognize my grandfather, Thomas M. Hayes "Papa," for the time he served our country in Korea in the early 1950's!  Yesterday it was my pleasure to honor him for a nice lunch and hear some of his stories and look at his pictures from when he was an active member of the Army.

Please remember to thank a veteran (and active duty members as well) -- not just one day a year, but every day!  Remember them in your prayers, encourage them, THANK THEM!

Here's some pictures from our lovely lunch yesterday:

When I was in high school, I made a scrapbook for Papa using photos from his days in service.  His vision is now extremely limited, but he was looking through pages, never complaining about anything!

 

Excuse the poor quality -- it's a picture of a picture!  This is Papa while he was an active serviceman -- he is so handsome!

 

Josh and I with Nanny & Papa after enjoying lunch!

 

Mom enjoying the day honoring her parents!  Papa fought for our freedom, while Nanny was a young wife who took care of  everything back home.  They went nearly 2 years without seeing each other -- I can't imagine! I miss Josh dearly after only 2 days apart!  Thank a service person.....and their family!

 

LET FREEDOM RING!

Happy Birthday Mary Ann!

My mother-in-law Mary Ann celebrated her birthday on Halloween Day!  I was THRILLED that we were able to have a birthday celebration for her and pull off the surprise until moments before the revealing!  My mom did a great job getting many things together and it was great to have my grandparents join us too!  We held the birthday lunch at a local Bed & Breakfast where we had our own private dining room to celebrate.  I only hope that this is one of many more wonderful birthday celebrations we can have for her!  Here are the awesome secret-keepers with the birthday girl!

Halloween was that same day, so of course we had to be festive with this fun holiday filled with sweets! 

I was a salsa dancer (this is a throwback costume from Greek Sing 2003!) and I am here between Mary Ann & Daddy, both of which are looking awfully attractive!  EEK!

And then we went out for dinner and music at Wha Bah.  Definitely a great place to see a variety of costumes! Mom arranged with the waitress and the band to sing "Happy Birthday" to Mary Ann and bring her yummy cake -- what a great surprise!  Here are our mothers -- they have become good friends!

And of course, my love and me!