This is not our van but it is kind of what kind of damage we have except the damage was in the center and not on the sides.
Last night we were on our way to church when a group of deer ran right out in front of us. There was no way we could stop and we hit a deer head on. It crunched up the front of the van and wrecked our radiator. No one was hurt thank goodness but the kids were VERY scared. However now I do not have a van. I do have Nate's truck if I need to get out but I HATE driving it. It is SO huge. I am just so thankful that if we were going to have to hit it that we hit it the way we did so that it did not come up over the hood and went off to the side. Poor thing.
This year unfortunately I had to email most of my Christmas cards. I went to smilebox and made up my own. I think its kind of cute. Or at least the kids are cute!!
Yesterday was such a nice day. I had to take the girls up to the local nursing home so the kids could bring some small Christmas trees and sing some carols and hang out with the residents. They had a nice time there. Afterwards we all love going to the airport viewing area and so we hung out there for a few hours just watching the planes take off and land.
Afterwards we went to a place called Yesterdog. It is a really old nostalgic restaurant that only serves hot dogs. Nate has done work on the owners house and so we took the kids there yesterday for a snack. It was really good and they kids loved looking at all the old stuff. Last night we played a mean game of Mickey Mouse Monoply with all 7 of us. We set up a big table next to the fire place downstairs and had a fun time. It can be a little stressful playing with 7 but it turned out to be fun!! Of course I won!! :) That is highly unusual!!
Have a great night. We are getting quite a bit of snow here and I am wondering if the kids will have school in the morning.
You know we have been searching for mattresses everywhere we can think of. Well we had some VERY generous people buy us each a mattress for Caleb and Hannah. We NEVER asked for such a gift as we were willing to pay for a mattress we could just not afford brand new. God truly has blessed us over and over again in the last few months and we cannot thank Him enough.
I know there are so many people in need right now and I pray that someday God will allow us to pay it forward for someone else.
I got a phone call a little while ago from Nate's mom. She said that Dad was doing good and that he had one stint put in. He had another stint put in the artery that was blocked 3 years ago. This time it was again 90% blocked. He is doing good though and we praise God for that! He should be out tomorrow sometime. Thank you for the prayers.
I hope you all have a very blessed Thanksgiving tomorrow!!!
If you could remember Nate's dad, Harold, in your prayers that would be great. He is going in on Wednesday for another Heart Cath. Most of you will remember that 3 years ago he had 6 stints put in had been doing well. He was supposed to have rotor cuff surgery next week but needed to be cleared by the heart doctor first. He went into have some tests done and they found an abnormality in the bottom half of his heart. They are not sure yet what that will detail. We will know more hopefully Wednesday sometime.
Also I had someone just email me that they have a tie that Nikolas can use!! Thank you, Janell!! That is a huge weight lifted off!!
Hopefully Nate will have the girls room finished and then I can take the final pictures of it for the blog!
Cheri, if you are out and about tomorrow you can always stop in and see it!! :)
We have a couple of items we have been keeping our eye out for.
We are in need of 2 twin size mattresses and 1 twin box spring. If anyone hears of any that might be available could you let us know. Thanks. I have been watching Craig's list but they are gone by the time I call.
Also I am in need of 1 boys black clip on tie. He needs this for his Choir concert. I have been searching everywhere. I even went to a couple of stores but they are even outrageously expensive or they do not even carry them. He only needs it for about 2 concerts.
Thanks!!! A friend today said that I should post these items here and I never even had thought of it before.
I just received an email from Nate's cousin!!! Thank you all for the prayers!! Please keep them coming!!
What a roller coaster this past week has been! In a 24 hour period we went from anticipating a very serious surgery, to staying in the hospital for 6 - 8 weeks with only IV fluids for 4 of those weeks to eat a full meal, keep it down and you can go home!
I don't think the doctors are still 100% sure of what was going on with my mother! Hower, on Tuesday she made such a turn around that it was decided that she could try a small amount of fluids by mouth. When that went well, they added more fluids, then a soft diet then a regular meal. Alll this was done on a trail basis, if there was any pain in the stomach, it would be immediate surgery. THERE WAS NO PAIN!!! It was amazing.
My mom came home yesterday afternoon, and last I heard she was dusting. Since she has her left arm is in a cast - this is not easy. But I have a very stubborn and determined mother! I think this personality trait helped her throughout this trail.
The doctor kept saying how he could not believe what was happening! He told my mom she was a miracle. I agree - but I also KNOW that it was the prayers of those who love and care about her that played the biggest role in her healing. So thank you - and thank you for the help you gave me with your comments and concerns.
Please continue to pray for a full recovery. If there is any indication of pain, it is an ambulance ride right back to Spectrum. So with this excitement, there is fear and trepidation that we are not out of the woods yet. However, we are celebrating the measure of health she has and continuing to trust that the Lord will bring her complete health and strength. After these past 24 hours, how can we expect anything more?!!
I just received an email from Nate's cousin!!! Thank you all for the prayers!! Please keep them coming!!
What a roller coaster this past week has been! In a 24 hour period we went from anticipating a very serious surgery, to staying in the hospital for 6 - 8 weeks with only IV fluids for 4 of those weeks to eat a full meal, keep it down and you can go home!
I don't think the doctors are still 100% sure of what was going on with my mother! Hower, on Tuesday she made such a turn around that it was decided that she could try a small amount of fluids by mouth. When that went well, they added more fluids, then a soft diet then a regular meal. Alll this was done on a trail basis, if there was any pain in the stomach, it would be immediate surgery. THERE WAS NO PAIN!!! It was amazing.
My mom came home yesterday afternoon, and last I heard she was dusting. Since she has her left arm is in a cast - this is not easy. But I have a very stubborn and determined mother! I think this personality trait helped her throughout this trail.
The doctor kept saying how he could not believe what was happening! He told my mom she was a miracle. I agree - but I also KNOW that it was the prayers of those who love and care about her that played the biggest role in her healing. So thank you - and thank you for the help you gave me with your comments and concerns.
Please continue to pray for a full recovery. If there is any indication of pain, it is an ambulance ride right back to Spectrum. So with this excitement, there is fear and trepidation that we are not out of the woods yet. However, we are celebrating the measure of health she has and continuing to trust that the Lord will bring her complete health and strength. After these past 24 hours, how can we expect anything more?!!
Nate's aunt is awake and doing better!! This is a huge praise!!
We just found out that on Saturday the Doctor told Nate's uncle that if a miracle does not occur and if things do not turn around in 2 days she would die.
Today she is awake and they think they will be able to do surgery now. Thank you Lord!!!
She is not out of it completely yet but the doctors are amazed! How can you not be amazed when you have a God like we do!!!
Could you all please keep Nate's aunt in your prayers. She has been in the hospital since last week.
She had some kind of pocket of poison that formed and they were trying to figure out how to drain it. There is MORE but its not very easy to explain. We went and saw her on Friday night and she looked really good and they thought she might even be able to go home as they did more tests to see how to get rid of the poison. If they did it wrong it could burst and she would die immediately.
Yesterday when we got home from church we had a message that said she was on life support and they were putting tubes in to try to get rid of the poison. I will post more when I know more. Just please keep Millie, Bob and their family in your prayers. Their son is a pastor out west and is flying in today for a week to be with her. She was SO excited to see him.
Hi everyone! I am doing something today that I would not normally do, write on a blog, but feel very compelled to do so. Today seems to be a day that God is stirring something in my heart and I really want to share with you. Have you ever wondered how Israel could see the power of God at one time, and then turn away the next? One day they are passing through the Red sea, the next they are worshiping a golden calf. We often wonder how they could be so stupid and blind, yet, are we any different? For those of you that know me, you have heard me speak of the great miracles I have seen in Haiti. Some of you have even witnessed some of them with me. Things so great that I even had an opportunity to share them on the radio, and then hear people say how these accounts moved them. With all of this, still, the last 4-6 weeks have been a low time for me. I have shared with a few of you that after the Isaiah project as I was praying I heard God say that I am not broken enough yet. I feel the last month or so has been a breaking process in my life. It seems that many things have not been going "right". I feel as if I have been losing control of life, and mostly because of things that are beyond my control. It has brought me to remember where I was 4 years ago. It was the lowest point in my life. I realized that I did not believe in God, people, or even my family. I had lost all hope. my eyes were focused on me, and me alone. God, though, did not leave me there. He put people in my life that helped change my focus, to take my eyes off of myself, and to see the one who was seated on the throne, and to help me understand who I was in Him. This week I started to realize that I was once again taking my eyes off of Him, and putting them on myself. Situations and responsibilities were helping me take my eyes off of the Kingdom, and focus, once again, on things of this world. I have had the blessing to be going through Discipleship essentials again. This class was key in helping me understand who I am in Christ, and the depth of the love that God has for me. It seems that once again, God is using it to break me and re-focus on Him. Jesus told us that we would go through trials. He told us to expect them. BUT, be of good cheer because HE has overcome. We cannot overcome in ourselves, but only the one who has conquered the ruler of this world. If some of you are getting stressed over what seems to be a barrage of negativity, please listen to these words from Philippians 4; rejoice in the Lord always. I sat it again: Rejoice! let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present you requests to God. And the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Jesus is on the throne. He has conquered evil, and taken away our guilt and sin. Put your faith in Him, and Him alone. I know there are some of you reading that do not have this comfort or hope. I know that you have been hurt in the past by people claiming to be Christians. I know you are struggling with life, purpose, guilt, and shame. Please understand that people fail, God never will. He loves us so much that He sacrificed His greatest love, His son, for us. You ARE special, you ARE loved, you CAN have peace. This all came about this morning as I put in a CD I have never listened to before, even though we have had it for over 3 years. When this song came on it made my breaking complete. PLEASE, PLEASE, take 3 minutes and listen to this song. The lyrics are posted afterward, but listen to the song first. If any of you want to discuss this further PLEASE let me know. I know what you are going through, and even though I still struggle sometimes, know where to find help.
If not for Christ I would surely fall Over myself and bear the fault Of all my deeds so terrible If not for Christ I would surely fall If not for Christ I would surely fall If not for Christ I would surely break Under the weight of my mistakes And in my sin be kept away If not for Christ I would surely break If not for Christ I would surely break It was for me He bled and died It was my sword that pierced His side It was my name that Jesus cried When on that tree He bled and died It was for me He bled and died And now to Christ I owe it all He is to me a tower strong Salvation does to me belong It is to Christ I owe it all It is to Christ I owe it all
Happy 10th birthday Heather!!! Hard to believe that you are 10! You were such a wonderful surprise to us and we are so blessed to have you as our daughter! We thank God for you each and every day! You are turning into such a beautiful young woman that loves the Lord and we could NOT be happier!!!
Last night was incredible!! Thanks John and Diane for inviting us to go with you! We love you guys and you are a ton of fun to hang with! John we will work on getting your star back for your trailer! LOL (long story) John is the drummer for our Praise Band at church and that boy can play!!!
We saw three bands.
Revive. I didn't know this but they are from Australia. They were really good.
I stole these from their blog! We were in section 101 Row E. We were SOOOOO Close!!!!
The 2nd band that we saw was called Need to breathe. I didn't realize that they had a song in the movie Ps. I love you called More time.
The song that they are well know for is called Signature of Divine.
They were soooooooooo good!!!
Third day rocked again as usual!!! They played quite a few songs from their new album revelation.
As always they ended the show with Agnus Dei!!!!! It never fails to bring me to my knees!!!
Nathan got me tickets (for our anniversary) to see Third Day tonight with some friends from Church. I am so excited. This our third time seeing them and they always put on a great show!!!!!!!!
I have changed my blog so that comments are no longer embedded in the posts. So if you tried to comment in the last day or two I apologize as their appears to be issues with doing comments that way. If any of you are confused.... well.... I am too! :)
This is the first email I have attempted to write. I left the hospital this past Friday, October 31. The news was / is good. The cancer was contained!!!! I have a Heimlich tube inserted in my right lung and it drains into a tube. A few things went a little array after surgery but we will get it all corrected - even if it means another surgery. I think I'm in severe pain? I say that because it's what all the doctors are telling me but I'm on strong narcotics so I can't gauge it very well. I will get some more xrays this weeks. If my lung is healed, the tube comes out. If not, it stays in and we'll check it twice a week. It's a very small inconvenience considering the doctors originally told me my future was very bleak and NOW IT'S WIDE OPEN! I'm too tired to express correctly how humbled I am by this journey. I am at God's feet with my life and the lives of my family members. Forgive me if I'm not expressing my victory with enough enthusiasm. I am barely able to put words together for an email. I will keep you all posted. I pray I will have a better handle on reality here shortly!!
Thank You so much for your prayers! Your prayers are the tools necessary for God's handiwork. God Bless You All.
I usually would not say much here on my blog about the election. We do not know what the outcome will be but what we do know is that our Lord is seated on the throne! God's will WILL be done.
This is my favorite song done at the Third day concerts.
I just felt a nudging to share it with you all to tell you that God is ON the throne and He already knows the outcome of this election. No matter which way it will go it will be because God needs it to happen that way to further His kingdom. Not the earthly kingdom but God's kingdom. This world will be destroyed but forever we will be with the Lord!! Now that is what I cling too. Not what happens tomorrow or the next day but when we are with the Lord!!
This is not our van but it is kind of what kind of damage we have except the damage was in the center and not on the sides. 
