These Three Remain...

Well, I looked out of our backyard window this afternoon, and realized that our gardenia tree is now blooming it's beautiful, big, white flowers! Do any of you have gardenias? I think they must be one of the absolute best smelling flowers God ever created! If I could post a smell, I would surely post the scent of gardenias for you! :P Unfortunately, technology hasn't come that far yet. :) I wanted to post a picture of a gardenia for you, but I'm having internet problems :(....maybe later. Anyway, have a great night!

Ok, here's one of our baby, Rebecca Joy...isn't she so cute?!

Yes, today is my younger sister Kara's birthday! Please leave her a note!
At our house, the birthday person gets to choose the meals for the day, and the cake that they would like. They also usually get to choose the activity for the evening...This morning Kara chose french toast with strawberries and powdered sugar for breakfast; for lunch, she decided Jason's Deli, which is really good! And for dinner, we're having steaks! mmmmmm! So happy birthday Kara! Love you!
Well, here's a picture of me and all but one of my siblings...Kara's the one on top, then me, then Ryan, and Joshua's the smallest one...my youngest sister Rebecca didn't make it into that one, but I'll put one up of her as well. Have a great day!

Well, I thought that I'd post some pictures for those of you who haven't seen my family...I don't have an up-to-date family picture, but I have some individual pictures. :) I'll do my mom and dad today, and my siblings tomorrow maybe...
There's a picture of my mom...isn't she beautiful? :)

This is my daddy!

Anyway...hope you all have a great night! Blessings!

This is an analogy from A Young Woman After God's Own Heart that I thought was perfect for our Christian walk...
"In bygone days a process was used for growing the trees that became the main masts for the military and merchant ships. The great shipbuiders first selected a tree located on the top of a high hill as a potential mast. Then they cut away all of the surrounding trees that would shield the chosen one from the force of the wind. As the years went by and the winds blew fiercely against the tree, the tree only grew stronger until finally it was strong enough to be the foremast of a ship."
Isn't that such a great perspective of our trials? It reminds me of two Scripture passages: Romans 5:3-5, which says "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." and also James 1:2-4, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Anyway, those are my thoughts...let me know what you think! Blessings!

Here's one more picture; this time the waterfall is on...:) Please drop me a note!

Ok, Kallie requested a picture of our pool, so I took a couple this morning. One of them is looking down from the second story of our house, and the other is from the side. The two little circles of rocks on either side of the pool are the hot tub and the baby pool (which is less than a foot deep). I should have gotten one of the waterfall when it's running....maybe I'll put one up later.When the K's would come over when we were little, we'd play all kinds of games up on that big waterfall, like "coke factory", house, or make it our secret cove, etc. It's a lot of fun...and as you can see, my dad puts a lot of work into the landscaping around it. :) Can you tell that he loves plants? lol It's one of his hobbies...Anyway, hope you enjoy those pictures! Blessings!

Well, I know it's not usual to post twice in a day, but I just have to put this picture up! This is my dad's garden; he's had one almost every year for 15 years, and he says that this is his best year yet! He is soooo excited, he's almost speechless! :) Anyway, just wanted to share that with you all! Please leave me a note! Blessings!

Well, this morning was pretty unproductive...it was my Aunt Pony's (no, that's not her real name; she's been called that since she was little. And yes, she does like horses :) ) last morning with us, so we wanted to spend it with her. She came down (from Michigan) to help out for a little bit and spend some time with her dad (my grandpa is staying with us). He's been going through chemo treatments for his bile duct cancer...please keep him and my grandma in your prayers. Anyway, she was such a blessing! My mom had gotten behind in a bunch of paperwork because of all the things that have been going on lately, and she really needed some uninterrupted time to get it done. I had also gotten pretty behind in school for the same reason. My aunt took charge of the younger kids; she took them on walks, read to them, played with them...and they so enjoyed it! Poor Joshua; he cried this morning when he learned that she had to leave (he's 6)! We look forward to her whole family (she has 8 kids) coming down this summer. BTW, she's the one who has the music ministry (see my links on the side). Well, I guess I'd better go; I have lots of school waiting for me! :) Please leave me a note! Blessings!

I just want to put something out here that my Grandma said the other day. She was talking about her mother and some things that happened soon before she died, and she said, " You know, the two things that will stick with you to the day you die are your attitudes and your habits." Wow...Doesn't that really put it into perspective? Those two things will be with you your whole life. It kind of puts a new incentive into working on them, doesn't it? Anyway, that just really struck me. Let me know what you think! Blessings!