Schlitterbahnnnn!!!

With our exchange students Jack and Max!

Sadie vs Cat

Sadie spotted a cat in our backyard tonight so I decided to let her go after it, assuming the cat would clear the fence long before she could catch it. After 3 failed attempts, the cat decided to go under the fence instead and then climbed up in a tree. Sadie spent the next half hour trying to jump the fence. I cannot believe how high she can jump.

July

Here we are at the end of July. It's hard to believe. I've been at my new job for 2 months now and some of my classmates haven't even started yet. I was glancing at my calendar this morning and realized all the fun weekends I've had in July. Let me recap.

July 4th we drove to Mt. Ida Arkansas to see Camp Ozark and the lake. Then we drove Ben all the way back to Frontier camp and dropped him off. It was a whirlwind weekend but well worth the trip.

July 11th I spent in Dallas and got a last minute invite to the Keith Urban concert.

July 18th I spent the day with my sister in Waco. We haven't seen each other since May (even though I am living in her house right now) so it was very enjoyable.

Last weekend the 25th we had a family day at the river with all the cousins, etc. and 2 exchange students from China. We brought out the RV and had a tailgate and boat day. I love the lake!

Which reminds me, we have been to the river almost every Sunday of this month, and lots of Fridays. So much fun. I could just live out there!

This coming weekend we're going to Schlitterbahn... I can hardly wait!!

God.

I was humbled when reading this on Laurren's blog today, and couldn't resist sharing. It's always worth being reminded of His infinite power and worth.

He breathed life into existence, He walked on water, He healed the blind man, He healed the crippled, He fed 5000, He parted the Red Sea, He spared Job's life from the attacks of satan himself, He was in the blazin furnace, He is the beginning and the end,the Alpha and Omega, He cast our sins as far as the east is from the west, He numbered every hair on our head, He holds every tear we shed in the palm of His hand, He calmed the raging sea, He is close to the broken hearted, He gave His only son, so we might live, He has forgiven us, He has paid our debt, HE LOVES, CARES, RE-ASSURES, PROMISES, BLESSES, and most important HE WILL NOT LEAVE US NOR FORSAKE US, EVER.

Window Sticker

My friend Julia sent this to me yesterday. :)

MJ

Yeah... I'm posting about Michael Jackson. Can you believe it? I heard a discussion on the radio recently about the fact that he had accepted Christ sometime during the week before his death. Obviously, I have no idea if this is true or not, but I am hopeful at the possibility. Some people probably think there is no way that mj could be a Christian. How could someone accused of child molesting, drug abuse, and who knows what else be considered a Christian? Well, that is the beauty of Christianity. Jesus paid it all. Nobody is past the point of acceptance by God as long as they put their faith in Jesus.

How aggies measure height...

My brother is officially passing all of us up, one by one. This measuring session (last weekend in Houston) proved that Jenny is still a wee bit taller than Ben, and evidently, mom as well. But Ben is glad to report that he has finally outgrown mom for sure. By this time next year he'll be driving!!!

Check this out!

http://www.freerice.com/

This site is amazing (for nerds like me). You get to rack up points by answering questions and for every answer you get right, 10 grains of rice are donated to the UN World Food Program. Vocab is on the homepage, but there are tons of other subjects like math, languages, geography, art... just look under the subjects tab. I love it!

Sadie at our new casa

My audiometer FINALLY came!!

YAY

June: transitions

This month I have officially begun my transition into adulthood (despite living in a college house on Baylor's campus). This month I traded in my EMT license for an Audiologist license, started my job at Waco ENT, got business cards, got my own audiometer, applied for my C's and got my first real pay check. I think I am still in denial about being 26. I don't feel quite that old and often wonder why I haven't settled down and started a family. Then I remember that I spent 8 years in college. Yikes. At least I am finally finished and beginning the next part of the journey. I am in Waco indefinitely, not knowing what all the future holds. For now it's just life 1 day at a time.

nancy

Many of you know about my hiking experiences last year. Some of my teammates have kept on hiking & kept on fundraising during the past year. If you can help at all, please go to Nancy's page and donate to the cause! Thank you.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ntx/BigBhke09/nkohlman

Word of the day: portmanteau

Seeing as tomorrow is Juneteenth, I have stumbled upon a strange and new (to me) word. The term "portmanteau word" is used to describe a linguistic blend, namely "a word formed by blending sounds from two or more distinct words and combining their meanings" (source: wikipedia). Here are some examples:

Motown

brunch

Tanzania

spork

permaculture

wikipedia!

gerrymandering

chocoholic

Spanglish

Billary... and of course, Speidi.

PF sucks...

...but God is good. I stumbled upon a passage in Job tonight that caught me. After Job has lost his entire family, all of his belongings, his health and wellbeing, he is still clinging to God and even arguing with his friends about God's goodness and sovereignty. Even though he hates his life and curses the day he was born, he continues to proclaim God as king. Even as he wonders why God has allowed all of this pain, he tells his friends:

"I know that my Redeemer lives,

and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.

And after my skin has een destroyed,

yet in my flesh I will see God;

I myself will see him with my own eyes -

I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!"

Probably everyone who reads my blog knows about the recent death of my uncle Dan, which came all too quickly after Aunt Peggy's last March. These two have been added to a long list of people in our extended family who have died as a result of pulmonary fibrosis - a progressive, fatal lung disease with no known treatment at this time.

Over these past couple years I have felt that my family has been stricken... with a terrible disease, as well as with pain and suffering and loss. And through all of it I have struggled to cling to God. My faith has been shaken; I have doubted God and questioned Him... His authority, His perfect love, His very being. And here is Job, having lost everything, holding fast to his belief -- claiming it as undeniable truth -- that God reigns, that He is alive, and that He is coming back to rule the earth. And he knows that he will be alive to see it. Everlasting life... that is the promise we have in Jesus Christ. Praise him!

Waco

I have really enjoyed my 1st week in Waco. I really do like the small town feel. I just can't get over how nice everybody is here. I have lived in a small town before, and in Texas my whole life, but the people here are so friendly. Rich people, poor people, old people, young people, white people, brown people... everyone is so kind and always speaks to one another. It is so different from the fast pace of being in Dallas where everyone is in a hurry and in pursuit of their own interests. I think I might stay awhile....

time flies

Where'd my "little" brother go? Apparently he's starting high school next year...

the month of may

This past month has been very busy and fun.
Here's a look at what I've done. (I do enjoy rhymes.)

Finished work at the Callier Center...even had my employment "terminated" -harsh.
GRADUATED... 3 days of thrills!
Saw Lady Antebellum & Kenny Chesney - one in the rain and one in the sun.
Outran dangerous weather on foot...twice.
Enjoyed 3 weeks of "retirement" - probably about all I could handle.
Went to camp with Miss Ashley to see Liz and Emily...and everyone else.
Had a little bit of deja vu as I moved BACK to Waco - this time without 12 flights of stairs.
Took a road trip to Colorado for Air Force Academy graduation. Awesome.
Discovered somewhere along the way that the state of Kansas has 1/2 the population of Houston.
Returned to Texas to find that summer has definitely arrived.

I start work June 1st... will have to let you know how the 1st week goes :)

What a great week!

This has been an excellent last week in Dallas. Technically, I'll be here next week.. but this is my last week of working and living in Dallas before I start packing like crazy.

Monday we celebrated eCast's 25th birthday with a delicious home-cooked meal and fabulous black bottom cupcakes.
Tuesday... Cinco de Mayo celebration at Chuy's. Mmm, free queso.
Wednesday I got to meet Abby. What a sweet pea.
Thursday... Beckley BrewHouse.
Friday: LAST DAY OF WORK. Got to wear jeans and go home at 12!

What a great week!

And baby makes 6!

...little Martin girls, that is.
Introducing Abigail Hope, born on Cinco de Mayo at 5:29 a.m.!

She is 6 lbs and 19 inches. Here are her lucky sisters/cousins...

Cinco de Mayo

In case you were wondering (as I was)...

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The outnumbered Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army that had known no defeat for almost 50 years.

While Cinco de Mayo has limited significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. A common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day, which actually is September 16th, the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.

adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_mayo

MAY 2009

I can't believe it is finally, really, actually MAY 2009. My classmates and I have been waiting for this for the better part of 4 years, thinking it may never come. And here it is. Everything is starting to fall into place for graduation...

Haircut: Check.

New fun dress: Check.

Regalia: Check.

Hooding tickets: Check.

Graduation tickets: Check.

So now I'm just waiting for the next week to come and go so my mom can come up and help me get ready for the big day, followed by the big move to Waco. I'm ready for Mothers' Day, too, so if we could just fast forward this next week that would be super!

Love these girls!

These pictures were taken at Thanksgiving and Easter... I just noticed the girls are sitting in the same order. We have the best swingset ever!

Becca (2 1/2),Ramona (3 1/2), Rachel (4 1/2), Hannah (5 1/2)

storytime!

This was written by my mom, but I wanted to share it...

If you’ve joined the Butler family at Easter, you know that we are big fans of gathering together to celebrate. I’m positive the kids in our family would surely call Easter our family’s biggest tradition. We love gathering family and friends and having a big day of food, fun and fellowship.

This year, as I’m putting away the plastic eggs and continuing to clean colorful confetti out of the house and sidewalks, I find myself wanting to acknowledge the inspiration for this annual family holiday. Her name was Shirley Butler, my mother in law. Ed and I both have fond memories of family Easters as children; however, neither celebrated Easter as grandly as we do now. We wouldn’t miss it. I’ve often said that sometimes two plus two equals five . . . it’s momentum that often blossoms something normal into something much larger.

Granny’s first granddaughter, Lauren, was born on Thursday, March 31st. That year, in 1983, Lauren’s first full day on earth was Good Friday and we came home from the hospital just in time for Easter Sunday lunch. Thanks to a capable, loving husband and excited brand new father, who could then, and 26 years later still can enlist the troops, our first family Easter lunch came off as a big hit. Grandparents, aunts and uncles arrived that Easter morning to be on the “Welcome Home” and “Happy Easter” fun committee. Each Easter just grew from that big day forward in our lives.

Grandma Moore, Aunt Peggy, and Aunt Linda particularly jumped right in and helped us celebrate. The next year, Lauren was just old enough to venture out to the backyard and proclaim with each and every colorful egg: “UH OH!” - and now years later our family has another set of little girls to share the excitement.

My favorite moment of this Easter actually came the morning after the big egg hunt in our front yard. I was tipped off that the Easter bunny might have visited our mailbox and there might be something hidden there still. I ventured out with Olivia, the youngest of the great granddaughters, to investigate the mailbox. We pulled open the door together and both looked inside. Olivia looked at me with surprise on her face and reaching in she pulled out not one but two confetti eggs! Giving me one and keeping the other for herself, Olivia knew just what to do. She deliberately poked one of her tiny little fingers into the pastel tissue and turned the egg upside down. She and I left a thin trail of confetti all the way back up the driveway. And, I thought, mission accomplished. My family loves Easter just like this little girl’s great grandmother did. Shirley hadn’t been with us on Easter for eleven years now. She died in March 1999 just before Easter.

And now, instead of letting Easter take a back seat to other holidays, I cherish the tradition that my husband, Shirley’s youngest son, and she began.

Why I love Easter

Celebration of new life in Christ. He has conquered the grave!

Lots of family!

Lots of food!

Confetti Eggs!

Little people and big people having an absolute blast with the same activity!

Watching the little girls get bigger every year!

...and the first shall be last...

Here we are in height order

 

The amazing YOU

"The sound we hear is being played on a perfect little musical instrument inside our ear. The sound waves go down the auditory canal and are carried by the bones of the middle ear to the cochlea, which is rolled up like a tiny sea shell. The outer ear operates in air. But the cochlea is filled with liquid, and transferring sound waves from air to liquid is one of the most difficult problems known to science. Three tiny bones called the ossicles are just right to do the job that enables us to hear properly. Interestingly, the size of these little bones does not change from the time we are born."

Just another example of how amazing the human body is. I am always trying to explain to my patients that hearing aids just can't do what our brain does. Unfortunately, they probably never will.

I must be shrinking.

Above is a picture of Ben & I when I was in Houston a few weeks ago. Below is a picture taken at a wedding a year ago. Scary how fast he's outgrown me!

That's a first...

I decided to stop by McDonald's this morning to check out their new fancy coffee selections. I ordered a small hazelnut latte, to which the employee responded, "Would you like regular or diet milk?"

I have to admit, I froze. Diet milk? I've never heard of that. Now I know there are lots of kinds of milk. I am usually a bit overwhelmed at the grocery store by all the different types and colors, but diet milk I am sure I've never run across. I decided to go for it, and tried to spit out "diet" before the long pause got too awkward. The latte was definitely tasty, and cheaper than Starbucks. I just may be a new McCafe fan.

7:45 am

My little sister just landed solo in Buenos Aires Argentina. Good thing she speaks enough Spanish to (probably) find her way to her hotel without too much trouble. The rest of her group arrives tomorrow for the TOMS shoe drop. I am quite envious that she gets to visit Argentina without me. Not so envious of the overnight flight to get there. Apparently, it's a little further away than Panama or Mexico! Can't wait to see pics when she returns.

Happenings

Here are some pics from January and February, for those of you who don't use facebook. Enjoy!

One year ago...

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of a day I will probably never forget. As I was walking into practicum, I got a call that Mama Dara had died earlier that morning. It was also her birthday. After I finished practicum, I crossed the sky bridge over to the hospital where Aunt Peggy had been admitted for pneumonia the night before. That was the last time we got to talk to each other, and the last words I said to her were, "When I come back next Thursday, I won't expect to find you here." Unfortunately, she was in ICU by the weekend and she passed away 3 weeks later. It's hard to believe a whole year has passed, and I remember that day like it was just yesterday. I still think about Dara and Peggy a lot, and miss them both terribly. They were very special to me.

Spring's a comin'

Well, it's almost the end of February, which means spring (and by spring we mean summer here in Texas) is just around the corner. It's that time of year when I can stop putting on a hat and gloves every time I walk the dogs, but I also have to be careful what gets left in the car (i.e. chapstick, iPod, purell and the like). It means it's time to pull the shorts and skirts out of the back of the closet and find my swimsuits and beach towels and put them on a shelf I can actually reach. It apparently also means that the weeds begin to grow uncontrollably in our grass-less back yard. I can already tell the days are starting to get longer, which I absolutely LOVE! But alas, it is still February, which means that even though it's 84 today we probably won't get above the 50s this weekend. So, I can't put away the gloves and hat quite yet.

Sadie girl

Valentines!

Family Valentines Banquet - First Baptist Church, Portland, TX

Devotion

Saw this billboard today. Wow.

Random

1. My uncle once: told us he was pooped from spinning us around and around, to which my sister exclaimed, "YOU POOPED IN YOUR PANTS?!"
2. Never in my life: do I expect to go skydiving. I am past the age where I thought that was a good idea.
3. When I was five: I cried because my parents made me give up my carseat for my little sister.
4. High school was: a tough time, but when I look back I see mostly happy memories.
5. I will never forget: the day my little brother was born.
6. There’s this guy I know: who died for me so that I can spend eternity in paradise.
7. Once, at a bar: I actually drank something alcoholic.
8. By noon, I’m usually: eating my 2nd lunch for the day.
9. Last night: I got to listen to people tell their stories. I saw myself in all of them. It was a God thing.
10. If only I had: enough guts to skip graduation for the Brazil trip.
11. Next time I go to church: I get to eat free Pei Wei!
12. What worries me most: getting caught up in "life" and forgetting to LIVE.
13. When I turn my head left I see: "That's what she said."
14. When I turn my head right I see: Reagan, headphone-less... astounding!
15. What I miss most about the Eighties is: wearing two pairs of colored socks, and rolling them down.
16. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be: probably a tree. Shakespeare bores me.
17. By this time next year: I should have a real job.
18. A better name for me would be: Jenny's sister.
19. I have a hard time understanding: poverty and injustice around the world. How can one family live in a big house with way too much stuff and another live amongst a garbage heap. I don't get it.
20. If I ever go back to school: I must have gone crazy. I'm never going back.
21. You know I like you if: I invite myself over.
22. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be: my parents.
23. Take my advice: go to bed by 10 every night.
24. My ideal breakfast is: anything my dad makes... or pancakes at Granddad's.
25. A song I love but do not have is: chicken fried.
26. If you visit my hometown, I suggest you: let me know which town it is, because I'm still not sure.
27. Why won’t people: fork over a dollar to send a kid in Haiti to school?
28. If you spend a night at my house: I hope you don't mind the dogs.
29. The world could do without: the commercialization of Christmas.
30. My favorite blonde(s) is/are: 5 little Martin girls.
31. If I ate the same thing for lunch every day it would be: Panera's You-Pick-Two
32. If I do anything well it’s: vacuuming and doing laundry.
33. Something I haven't done in a long time is: gone snowboarding.
34. I can't stand: for my ears to be cold.
35. If I could do anything with my life: I would travel and take pictures.

Go Team!

"Loyalty to any one sports team is pretty hard to justify. Because the players are always changing; The team can move to another city. You're actually rooting for the clothes when you get right down to it, you know what I mean? You are standing and cheering for your clothes to beat the clothes from another city."

Jerry Seinfeld

update...

Sadie did get her 2 hour walk across town yesterday. Sarah Tillman and I walked down to White Rock Lake and were lucky enough to have Michelle pick us up and drive us back to my house. Yay!

Happy MLK, Sadie!

This morning Sadie got a taste of her perfect day. She woke up at 6, had breakfast, went potty, and crawled back into bed with me until about 7:45. Man, she thought she was living the life. That is until her perfect morning was completely derailed when I decided to take a shower and get ready for the day at 8:00 instead of embarking on a 2 hour walk across town. She just stared at me in disdain and disbelief until she finally convinced me to take her around the block, which takes all of 7 minutes to do. Poor thing. Maybe later we'll have time for that long walk across town.

Shout out

I'd like to give a shout out to my little brother, Ben, who hung blinds in my room while he was up here as a Hurricane Ike evacuee in September. How a 13 (at the time) year-old kid can figure out how to hang blinds like a professional still boggles my mind. He and my mom measured the windows and got the blinds custom sized at Home Depot, and then he hung them up and surprised me with them when I came home from work. I am still impressed every time I walk into my room. Thanks, Ben!


P.S. If you read my story of grace (to put it in Watermark-ese), I hope you'll take the time to post yours as well. I think this is something we ought to know about each other as friends.

My Story

My parents are Christ followers, so I was raised going to church and to Sunday school, memorizing hymns and Bible verses, such as Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8, and Romans 6:23. The Bible was always taught to me as the truth, and I never knew anything different. When I was in first grade, all of this started making sense to me, and I realized that I needed Jesus to be my Savior. Romans 10:9-10 says,

• “That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

I very clearly remember the day I walked down the aisle at church and how I prayed right there and asked Jesus to forgive my sins and come into my life and be my Savior. I also remember talking with my dad about it the night before, but for some reason I thought that I actually had to be at church when I did it. I have since learned that you can pray and ask Jesus into your heart at any time and any place. Shortly thereafter, I was baptized, and I understood that this was to be an outward sign of the change that had happened inside my heart. In Matthew 28, after Jesus was raised from the dead, he came and told his disciples,

• “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Since I was so young at the time, I don’t specifically remember my life “before” Christ. I was always a good kid, a people pleaser I guess you could say, and I never wanted to get in trouble or make my parents upset. Fortunately, most of my life the choices I’ve made have been guided by what is pleasing to God and I’ve managed to stay out of a lot of trouble. However, it is easy to just roll through life knowing that there is a God who made you and loves you, but to fail to ACT on that truth and to live your life in a way that is different and shows evidence of this change in your heart. Paul says in Romans 12:1-2,

• “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Figuring out what it means to “live for Christ” has been an ongoing challenge for me. Paul says in Philippians 2:12-13,

• “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

I’m still not sure exactly what it means to “work out your salvation.” The New Living Translation says, “Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.” What this says to me is, work hard to make your life count, to avoid temptation, to deny your own pleasures and desires in order to make God more famous, so that everyone you encounter in life will know it is He who deserves all the credit.

• “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Top 10 happenings of 2008

As I looked back over 2008 and focused on the positives, I came up with this TOP 10 list (in chronological order):

1. In January, I got Sadie who is just precious and loves me absolutely unconditionally, even after I abandoned her for 2 weeks over Christmas break.

2. In February, I started training for Hike for discovery - an awesome event that required me to do one of my favorite things for 19 weeks in a row, while I raised money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and met a ton of awesome people who are a lot like family to me now.

3. In April, I finished 3 years of classes and got to experience for the first time life without homework. I cannot even begin to express how absolutely freeing this feeling is. I have fully embraced what it feels like to not have projects and deadlines constantly hanging over my head.

4. In May, I went to Mt. Rushmore in the motorhome with Dad, Julia, and Sadie. We had a great time all the way there and back.

5. In June, I traveled to Yosemite National Park with my hike team to climb Half Dome. What an amazing trip. I absolutely loved climbing without the Colorado altitude!

6. In July, my family and I went to Frontier Camp and spent a weekend on the lake. What an awesome experience for Jenny, Ben & I to share this place which is so near and dear to our hearts with our parents. We had a great time!

7. In October, I went to Phoenix to visit Greg, Sara, Julia and Susan. I also got to visit the State Fair of Arizona & the State Fair of Texas in the same month. It was so great to be back with old friends. Man, I miss these guys!

8. In November, my entire family went to my parents' house in Houston for Thanksgiving. I took the whole week off and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It's so fun having the whole family together.

9. I also spent a weekend in November experiencing poverty through Mission Waco. While I would not call this experience "fun", it certainly was eye opening. One thing I know God has been showing me this year is that this world is one big, messed up place, and He wants to use us to make a difference. This experience was one of many this year that opened my eyes and my heart to see what God is doing all over the world. I so want to be a part of it.

10. In December, my family went to Spain to visit Jenny. She spent last semester at St. Louis University in Madrid, so we took the opportunity to go visit! We traveled down to the Costa del Sol and even spent New Years Eve with Amine & Lisa in Malaga. I still can't believe it! Thank goodness I work for UTD and they gave me 2 whole weeks off so I didn't even have to use vacation days. Now that's a perk I probably won't have next year.

Reflections on 2008

This past year was a challenging one, with seemingly more downs than ups. As I trudged through my third year of graduate school, I lost touch with various things that have always been important to me... friends and family, God, and most of my hobbies. Thankfully, I had Hike for Discovery to keep my life somewhat interesting and meaningful through the spring semester. As I finished classes in April and started my externship in May, a whole new world of free time opened up to me, but I don't feel like I used that time very effectively since I'd already kind of fallen off the deep end by that point and all the friends that I did have left all moved away to start their externships. I've had to really focus on trusting that God is in control and He knows best. Even when I feel like I'm living in total isolation, He is with me and he KNOWS me.

Also during my third year, I endured some events I never expected would happen. Throughout this year, God has been reminding me that every single day is a gift and that none of us is promised tomorrow. I feel like I've always been pretty aware of that concept but now I live life with a different perspective. Unfortunately, this new perspective has created more fear of losing the people I love than really challenging me to live each and every day to the fullest. I need to work on becoming closer with the people I love and care about rather than pulling myself away. I am also praying for eternal perspective, and comfort in knowing that God's plan is way bigger than this fleeting life on earth. "The world and its desires are passing away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:17). Today the Lord revealed to me another scripture, which says this: "For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's" (Romans 14:7-8). Praise Jesus!

Even though 2008 has been difficult, "we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16) "because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus (verse 14). Praise God, who never changes, who holds fast to His word, who extends grace and mercy to the worst of sinners. To Him be all power and glory.

Costa del sol

Costa del Sol pt. 2 Road trip thru Malaga, Ronda, and Gaucin

Sadie's idea of a perfect day...

Wake up around 6, EAT BREAKFAST, maybe go potty
Take morning nap until 7:30 or 8:00
Go on a walk from 8 until 10:30 or 11:00
Come home, drink lots of water, take 2nd morning nap
Wake up, walk some more (she actually prefers running, but I can only run so far...)
Be home by 4:30 and have DINNER
Go outside and play as long as possible
Bedtime is stricly at 8:30

Truthfully, her perfect day would involve a lot more food than this, but I get to be the one who is (mostly) in charge of her diet.

Mas fotos!

I am spacing these out to save you all from boredom =)

Costa del Sol pt. 1 Gibraltar

Madrid!

Madrid

Haiti

About a month ago I found out that $100 would send a kid in Haiti to school for an entire year. Hence the $1 challenge. Here are some other facts about Haiti that I've learned recently:

$144 feeds a family of 4 for an entire year.

A child dies every hour in Haiti due to malnutrition. (This is happening all over the world today.)

1 in 3 children under the age of 5 will die.

People, we can do something about this! If you feel like you can play a part in making a difference, find an organization to work with. There are lots out there.
http://www.foodforthepoor.org/site/c.dnJGKNNsFmG/b.3074717/k.BE96/Home.htm
http://www.hopeforhaiti.com/
http://www.adventconspiracy.org/
http://www.tomsshoes.com/
http://www.compassion.com/default.htm

By the way, some of you need to STEP IT UP on the $1 challenge. If you are reading this, that means you. Take 2 minutes to send me a dollar! Please :)

This is not a joke.

I passed this lamp while walking the dogs the other day.

...Or, just take the lamp and run?

Let's Say Thanks!

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com, you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Trophy Dog!

Sadie won 1st place in the Heel Down this month at dog school! The heel down is a contest we do at the beginning of every class, and the 1st week of the month is "trophy night." Over the months we have worked our way from 4th place, to 3rd, to 1st. This is the dog that started a fight the first time I took her to class and I almost never came back. But, I kept working with her even when I had blisters on my fingers from the leash in the beginning... Thanks to a sweet lady named Emily who believed in my out of control pit bull. It's been almost a year since we started and I am so proud of her for finally making it to the top! (Even if I did bribe her with turkey!) Now if we could just get past the fighting... http://www.abotc.com/Month.htm

She's not as snobby as she looks!!