Story of my Life

Oops... Missed a Monday. I was off facing one of my greatest fears: speaking in public. 

>gulp<

But thankfully God is faithful... I sure feel like He showed up, and I survived! :-)

Now, on to the past week in pictures!

You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.  

 1 Corinthians 6:20

Oh me, oh my-o-wa!! I love the view of Iowa!! I wonder if I should have been a Midwest farm gal, but then I remind myself a Kansas-grown man is pretty close and I'm quite happy with that!!

We found some friends and swam between the pouring rain moments! It was so fun to meet new friends, spend time with the fantastic friends we met last year and get to see where they're at, enjoy late night catching up and popcorn, and check out this beautiful state! We can hardly wait to go back!!

On the road again... RV magazines really fascinate this guy.

Woah! Illinois sky show! The PNW doesn't have storms like this!!

Hey Michigan, look out cuz our two families are together and we don't lack for excitement with this crew!! So much fun here! Walking to the park, icecream treats, scrumptious bbq, people we miss like crazy who we LOVE to spend time with, and all kinds of fun here... We love coming here!

Late night jump rope fun!

After being accused of removing Leona from pictures I post publicly, I must come clean. It is true. Alas, my son's favorite toy is a sparkly-eyed neon leopard... Named Leona. Thanks to grandma and aunt. His mother would have never allowed such a purchase. (Back on the road...)

To northern Ohio!!! Beautiful pond swimming, grilled burgers, 30 darling puppies, sweet encouragement from a special friend, and a re-introduction to humidity... :)

Frog hunters!

Does it get much cuter? I don't think so!!

On to a fabulous evening with my Ohio family!! These cousins had a lot of catching up to do and they played hard and fast to make up for the time apart they've spent! We adults didn't get quite so active, but we had a fabulous time catching up, too!! Family is such a blessing!!

Our children think Ohio is THE PLACE to be... I mean, isn't everyone always having fun here? All we've done is party, party, party and eat great food and be blessed by fabulous friends! (I seriously think we have the best friends EVER!!)

There is nothing quite like old friends. Years ago, neither of us could imagine us being and doing what we are now. Oh, God is so faithful and I know we both can look at our lives and just thank Him for His grace and what He's taught/teaching us. Quick but meaningful chats, Popsicles, helping with chores, and just the time spent together was an immense blessing. 

Now you may have noticed this trip has been a blessing... Then another cookout, time with Great Grandma, uncles, aunts and cousins, badminton until dark, lots of hugs and laughs and time with family we hadn't seen in a few years was absolutely precious!! This trip has been such a gift!!

Sweet Vivi and Laura... God made no mistake when He fashioned these two! Down syndrome is a GIFT and they bring so much JOY!! So, so thankful for these two cousins to get to meet!! It was pretty sweet!! <3

Back on the road, and apparently our eyes are doing funny things...

Then we found a very special friend in West Virginia... This one has blessed our lives in so, so many ways. Having her live across the US now is kinda sad, but they're wildly blessed to have her and I'm so thankful to get to have a quick lunch with them!!

Then finally, conference in PA!! This chickadee was pretty sure hug collecting was pretty great! I marvel at how many people this child can melt with a hug. I absolutely love watching her reach out to so, so many people and offer a hug and to watch their faces break out in a grin is priceless. So much joy!!

While the littles nap... :)

We slipped out a bit and ran into Gettysburg! I think the civil war came alive to the children, as we walked around town, drove through the battlefields, and discussed what it all meant. Some wanted to know for sure that all the bodies had been removed from the battlefields, while others thought relic hunting would have been the ticket!!

Giant moth catching!

A few more conference pictures to come...! Happy week to you!!