Happy Anniversary!

(A few days late!)

Aaron and I "celebrated" our 11 year anniversary this last Saturday. I put celebrated in quotes because we did no such thing. Aaron worked hard all week at "World Changers" and was pretty tired, scabbed up and sore. So, we put off the celebrating for another day, but I want him to know that I am more in love with him today than when we got married 11 years ago!

Happy Anniversary to my best friend! I love you!

Grandpa and Camping on a budget.

Well, the first thing I need to update on is my Grandpa. He is doing better and has been sent home. He has a home health nurse coming to visit him and I believe he is still doing physical therapy, but he is doing better. So, that is a huge praise! Thank you all who have been praying for him.
Other than that things have been quite on my little blog world because we were gone for 10 days. We went on our first vacation in 2 years! It had it's ups and downs but we had a good time.
we got about 2 hours away when the truck started acting "funny". It was going slower and slower and then started making some weird banging noises. Aaron and I were thinking that it was the transmission because we just had a bunch of work done on it. Then Aaron discovered that it was the fuel pump. We coaxed the truck and trailor to the nearest off ramp (where there wasn't even a gas station!) and called AAA...thankfully I had bought the membership the day before. We were then towed to a littleWe left on Friday, June 6, with the reservations and plans to camp in Tahoe for the night. Well, town in Nevada called Well's. You may have heard of it if you are in UT because there was and earthquake that destroyed much of the old town not too long ago. At the mechanic's shop we were then told that we would be there until Monday...with our only means of transportation our bicycles. Luckily, Aaron had brought his work laptop for the kids to watch movies on, so there was that to do. There was also a park with a tether ball that Kaitlyn enjoyed. So, we had to get creative on what to do. We quoted movie lines, colored in the kids coloring books, went to the park until it was too cold and windy, watched movies, and joked. While not the best of circumstances we made it ok.
We also had to decide what to do with our trip. The money for the repairs ate up about 3/4's of our budget that we had planned for vacation. We had thought about canceling all together and then trying again in August, but with the rising price of gas we figured that we wouldn't do it if we tried to wait. So, we rearranged our trip schedule. Cut out going to the redwoods and took extra days in Frisco and Tahoe. We didn't do some of the things that we had planned, but the kids had a good time none the less.
So, on Monday after the truck was put back together we set out for a long day of driving into San Francisco. We stayed at San Francisco RV Resort (which is parking lot camping, but that is all you find there anyways). It was nice in the fact that we were right near the water and could hear the waves rolling as we went to sleep.
Tuesday we went to Golden Gate Park and saw the Japanese tea garden. This was the one thing that Kaitlyn asked to see so it was good that we were able to have an extra day in Frisco because we would not have had time to see it otherwise. The garden was really peaceful, we got up early in the morning and headed straight there, so there weren't many people there while we were going through it. I think Aaron and I enjoyed it almost more than the kids.
We then drove over to the golden gate bridge and had lunch. After lunch we tested Aidan's fear of heights and walked out on the bridge. Aidan didn't like it so much and pretty much clung to Aaron. I did manage to coax him out to look down into the water, but he made sure I was holding tight to him. Kaitlyn really enjoyed it though and would have liked to go farther, but we thought it was best not to take Aidan any farther than the first tower.
After the bridge we went to the beach and the kids had a blast! Aidan really got into playing in the waves, which he would never do before. They dug in the sand, got wet and dirty and just had a great time.
On Wednesday we spent the day at Pier 39 and Alcatraz. This was what Aidan was looking forward to. I thought he would be really scared by the audio tour, but he really enjoyed leading us through the jail. If you ask him he would tell you this was his favorite part of the entire trip. Kaitlyn enjoyed learning some of the history. And got her Jr. Ranger guide and read it all on the trip home (we forgot to get one before we started the tour and by the time we though to it it was time to go, so she just got the booklet to do on her own). We then walked down to fisherman'swharf and Ghiradelli's square. We had some yummy ice cream at Ghiradelli's and that is when we figured out that Aidan gets really crazy when he has had a lot of sugar. I guess I really try to regulate how much sugar they have and have never seen that side of him. We then took a drive to show the kids Lombard st. and there was a tower that we drove up to see ( I don't remember the name of it right now). It was a very fun and full day. Poor Kaitlyn though had a severe allergy attack that day. Her poor eyes were so puffed up and itchy, and that was even after having a Claratin that morning!
On Thursday we loaded up and headed to Tahoe. We were finally getting some real camping in! It was really beautiful there. We were very close to the lake so that we were able to walk over and hang out on the beach. The kids had a great time playing that evening.
On Friday we drove up to Emerald bay look out point. Aidan is grumpy in those pictures because he had just gotten in trouble. We then took a drive around to the lake to stop at a grocery store and a bit of souviner shopping for Kaitlyn. After that we went to Taylor Creek visitor's center and did some hikes. The kids got to do a smoky bear trail and earned some fun smoky bear things for answering the questions. We also got to see the Stream profile chamber where they put plexi glass walls so the kids could see the fish swimming in the stream.
On Saturday, we pretty much hung out at the lake all day. And like our beach day in Frisco I think the kids liked this best. They dug in the sand and got wet (the water was COLD though!) and just enjoyed doing a bunch of nothing.
Sunday was a day spent driving home....a long drive home. And while our trip didn't start off the best we ended up having a good time and sticking to a very tight budget. There were things that we wanted to take the kids to do, like rent a boat in Tahoe for example, but I think what we ended up doing was perfect. It was a nice blend of sightseeing and just hanging out. And while we would have loved for the kids to see the Redwoods we know they will be there another time for another trip.

(I have more pictures from our Tahoe portion of the trip, but blogger isn't letting me post them at this time. I'll post them when blogger is being nice to me.)

Updates.

Well, I know I have been terrible about keeping up with this blog. Things have been busy and my office was torn apart due to a remodel. The remodel turned out good and the computer was put back up, and then we had company. Then we had the hands of praise performance and then we had my birthday....you get the picture...there was just stuff that got in the way of blogging.
I am posting now, though because last Thursday I got an email that my grandfather had had a heart attack and wasn't doing very well. So, I called Aaron...he told me to go see him. I called a friend who works for an airline and she took care of Aidan and got me a buddy pass flight, and I left early Friday morning.
When I got there my grandfather was in ICU and not doing very well. He was bleeding somewhere and they couldn't figure out where. So, he was having transfusions and tests and all kinds of other stuff. The Dr's think he was bleeding in his belly, but that it has been healed, but his hemo-gloobies (as grandpa was calling his hemoglobins) were still low. I'm not sure if they have started to come back up yet or not. But when I came home on Monday he was still very tired. Yesterday, my mom called and said that the Dr's have said he has now developed pneumonia and that essentially some of his non essential organs had started to shut down...so the Dr's are trying to stop that.
My grandfather has not accepted Christ as his personal saviour, but we can see Christ working in him...and I think that is one of my biggest concerns right now.
Anyways, we could use some prayers around here...for him and his salvation, my grandmother and my family that God would put the right words into our mouths.

Easter, Soccer and dance.

Well, Easter Sunday was a nice quiet day. Mostly because this mom was tired and sick. Aidan had a cold the week before and on Good Friday I found out he had another ear infection. That was after staying up all night with him on Thursday. He has been on antibiotics and is feeling better, but he shared his cold with me.
The kids did get a few goodies and we did have our annual easter egg hunt. It was fun, but COLD! I made a feast of roast chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn and deviled eggs. It was so good! I wanted to make a ham but Aaron and Kaitlyn don't like ham so I went with chicken.
On Tuesday we had Aidan's first soccer practice! He had such a blast! He was totally all smiles through the whole practice. I have to say that he was pretty good too, especially for not ever playing before. He has his first game on Saturday, it should be fun.
We have also been practicing for our Hands of Praise spring performance that is coming up April 27 and 28. The show is going to be fun! We are even doing a flag piece that I choreographed! I think it turned out pretty well, but I really won't know until the performance.
One more thing that we have been doing is trying to figure out how to simplify our lives a bit next year. This year has been pretty hectic and we only sit down together for dinner 2-3xs per week. And since I grew up having family dinner every night I am not liking this so much. Part of the problem is that most everything we are participating in is about a half an hour's drive each way...and I am doing that for work as well. On Tuesday's that we have girl scouts, I drive to work and then I come home for an hour and then turn right back around and drive back up for Girl Scouts. I do this on Thursday's as well for Children's dance ministry (although the time between the turn around drive is more like 2 hours for that). I also do that on Sunday for Hands of praise practice! I am tired of being in the car all of the time. So, Aaron and I have been trying to figure out what to cut and what to get a little closer to the house. The only thing that we can transfer is Girl Scouts. Kaitlyn is Ok with this. She is thinking about trying out sports or cheerleading. We may do girl scouts as a Juliette (like homeschooling girl scout style) so she still gets the benefits of being a scout but we are not tied to it like we are now. I am sad to let it go because we have been with these girls for 3 years, and will miss them. We do know that this is the best thing for us.
I am so looking forward to summer break! I won't be working, we won't have girl scouts, AWANA's, dance. Our evenings will be free from everything...and it won't be snowing either! I can't wait...yes, it snowed AGAIN yesterday. Luckily it didn't stay and was gone by the end of the day!
Other than that we have just been shelling out money left and right....at least that is what it feels like. Everything around here keeps breaking and it is driving me crazy! We bought a Suburban a few weeks ago and could not get it registered because the "Service engine soon" light was on. There was no problem with the engine just the sensor for the light was broken. Thankfully, Brian, Aaron's brother was able to help us figure out how to fix it so we were able to save some money there. Since we have the Suburban to finally be able to tow our trailer we took it to see if we can get a new hot water heater for it, since the one we have is broken. Well, we pulled it out and found out that the tags we have on it are for 2005!!! We haven't received a registration in the mail for that many years and since we weren't using it we didn't think of the registration. We haven't gone to see how much that one is going to cost us! We finally got that fixed and Aaron was climbing up to the rafters to get the kids easter baskets, well the drywall that covers the hole in the ceiling fell and broke the passengers side mirror on our Saturn. We ordered a new one and that finally came. My fridge was leaking water all over the freezer and then it would defrost it and the entire interior of the fridge would be wet. Aaron was able to fix that one for no money....Thank you God for a handy man! And finally last but certainly not the least...Aidan was allowed to play out front by himself...he's 5 he knows the rules... we went over the rules before he went, he did just fine the day before, we live in a safe neighborhood. Well, he comes back inside a bit later, and I didn't think anything of it. About, 7 pm our little neighborhood girl came over to let us know that they had found Aidan's snow boot in their window well, and the window well was filled up with water! That kid had gone down there, opened up the grate covering their well, put his shoes down inside there, got the hose turned it on stuck it in the well and came home...without turning off the water! That little stink! Well, he has apologized and is not allowed out front without Aaron or myself being there. We have apologize and we also told her to let us know how much the damage was so that we could pay for it....$400 worth of damage is what she has come up with. Luckily it was caught early on, she was really gracious about it. But try explaining to a 5 year old exactly how much $400 is....he's not quite grasping it...until he asked to go out for lunch and I told him we couldn't go because we had to pay the neighbor...he was pretty upset, I'm hoping it sinks in. I know this will be a story we tell all the time when he is grown up, but right now I would like to stop giving away all of our money for broken, and stupid things... such is life though!
Make today a great one!

The ABC's of Shannon

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: Aaron
C- Cake or Pie: Pie.
D- Day of Choice: Saturday, I get to sleep in late and hang out with my family.
E- Essential Item (s): My car, Ipod, and computer.
F- Flavor of ice cream: I don't usually eat ice cream, but if I do it is 1/2 fat slow churned Vanilla bean with a little bit of raspberry wine on top.
G- Gummy Bears or Worms: Bears
H- Hometown: Beaumont, CA
I- Indulgence(s): Sushi, bagels, nail polish and makeup.
J- January or July: July in UT, January in CA
K- Kids: Kaitlyn and Aidan. That is it, unless you count my furry babies...Cookie and Bootsie.
L - Last movie seen in theaters/DVD: In theater it was Game Plan? (The one with The Rock in it) on DVD was American Grafitti. I can't believe I had never seen it before.
M- Marriage Date: July 12, 1997
N- Number of Siblings: 2 both younger....Janay and Sean
O- Oranges or Apples: Apples
P- Phobias or Fears: Being out of Control
Q- Quote(s): "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me" Phil. 4:13
R- Reason To Smile: I am having a girl day with Stacy on Saturday!
S- Season: Fall
T- Tag Four: Theresa Marie, Stacy, Jami, Aaron
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I'm pretty much an open book, I can't really think of anything that is Unknown.
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I am an animal oppressor...especially of the fishy specimens...I can't go without my sushi. I could pretty much live without beef totally though.
W- Worst Habit: Not putting the clothes away after I have washed them! UGH!
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds.
Y- Your Favorite Food: Sushi...see letter V.
Z- Zociac: Taurus

I've been tagged.

The rules: Link to your tagger and post these 3 rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I've been tagged by my friend Amy!



1. I had never been on an airplane until I was in my 20's.



2. I don't know what I want to be when I "grow up", but I am trying to figure that out since Aidan starts kindergarten next year.



3. I grocery shop for the month since Aaron and I only get paid once a month. It is a pain to write the menus, but in the long run I enjoy not going to the grocery store all the time except to pick up some veggies or fruit.



4. I want to travel! I have a secret desire to take a year off and travel the world...taking my kids and hubby with me of course. Cookie would miss us too much though!
Although, I may have the opportunity to travel to Japan within the next couple of years! I am so excited, and Kaitlyn is already trying to plan a way for all of us to go. I would be traveling with our church dance and signing team, Hands of praise. I am excited at the opportunity not just to travel, but to do something for the Lord at the same time! How awesome is that!


5. I live in my "dream house" but there are several things I want to do to it before it will feel like my "dream house".



6. I had a cat I named Peeve...seriously he was my pet Peeve. We called him P.V. for short. He was the coolest cat ever!



7. I used to be REALLY shy, but since having children God has given me the ability to be a little more outspoken. Especially when it is doing something for His Glory!

I am tagging Mom (you can do it via email), Aaron, Stacy, Jami, Linda, Janay and Sean.

Just have to brag on Kaitlyn a little bit....

Last night we had parent teacher conferences. Kaitlyn is doing a great job this year! I am so proud of her, but that isn't the part I want to brag on....
At the beginning of the school year they take the IOWA test (which is an achievement test I think) and Kaitlyn got an award of scoring in the top ten percent...NATIONALLY in science!! What an honor for her.
Aaron and I noticed some grades starting to slip a little bit last week and have been stressing the importance of doing her best in school. It doesn't take very much for her to do well, she is one of those who can study for 5 minutes and have it perfect. (Oh how I wish I was blessed with that gift!) So, we had started tightening up around here making sure she was doing her work. I am hoping that this will give her the kick in the pants that she needs to really strive to do her best again.
Updates on the rest of us. We are all finally on the mend after all being sick the last week. I think Aaron and Kaitlyn had it the worst with a bad cough.
Aidan is doing well at preschool. He loves his teachers and he is working at home to try to learn all of the ABC's before he has his kindergarten placement test (we are not going to talk about Kindergarten quite yet though since this mom isn't ready for it!) He is also ready for soccer to start! It's his first time playing and he is really excited! We start at the end of the month.
Aaron went to Omaha a few weeks ago for work. He thought it was cool getting to see the headquarter for UP, but it was even too cold for him which is saying a lot. He is still enjoying his job and that is something to be said. Aaron is very involved at our church with his deacon duties, teaching Sunday school and leading a small group.
I have been busy, as well, trying to keep up with the housework, teaching my preschool class and trying to make sure that the kids are doing well education wise. Other than that I'm pretty much a taxi service around here...I think I live in my car. I'm to the point where on my days off I dread having to run any errands because I just don't want to drive anywhere. I'm thinking next year I'm back to limiting the kids to ONE extra curricular activity and AWANA's.
Girl Scout Cookie's are in, so if you ordered some we will try to have them delivered ASAP, that is the goal for today to get them all sorted and start delivering them.

Better late than never...

We've all been sick around here so I didn't get to post this yesterday, so I'm posting today.

Happy Birthday Aaron!!!
I'm so thankful that God sent you to me. You are the best husband and friend that I could ever
have hoped for.
I'm sorry yesterday wasn't the greatest birthday ever, but we will celebrate as soon
as we are all feeling better. I love you!

Valentines...

So, apparently I am supposed to watch the news anytime it snows around here. Mind you we have had much worse storms earlier this year and things went the same as they normally do, but yesterday I was so frazzled about getting Kaitlyn to school on time. Finally got my car (Saturn) to start and drove her to school thinking that we were super late, well she came home and told me that school wasn't starting until 10:30! All that frazzledness for nothing. I did not go to work though because I was afraid that I would get there and the car wouldn't start for me to get home. Aaron came home at lunch and traded cars with me and it started just fine for him. We thought it was the battery, but he took it to be tested and the battery is just fine. So, now I am driving an unreliable car...hopefully we can get it to the dealership and they will know what is wrong with it before I get stranded somewhere!
We had a nice quiet Valentines dinner where I made sushi. I gave Aaron a saki set and some see's candy. He is quite happy with that. The kids each got some money. Aidan is saving up for a remote control dinosaur and Kaitlyn is saving for the newest American girl doll..Mia. Aidan has reached his goal and Kaitlyn has about $30 more dollars to go. She is pretty excited, I'm going to have to find some extra chores around the house to help her earn it.
Well, I guess this is kind of a dull post. I'm not feeling all that well today, so I'll sign off for now. Have a great long weekend everyone!

Happy Valentines day!

So, what I should be doing is driving Kaitlyn to school because the bus is running 2 hours late...instead I'm posting on my blog because my car won't start. We got a ton of snow yesterday and a coworker called me to let me know that we would be starting about 2 hours late. HMMM...why don't they just cancel school today? I'm a little frazzled, but it will be nice to have a day off. Only I was supposed to go get some stuff for dinner tonight. Maybe I can convince Aaron to come home from work for lunch and then we can take the other car to get some stuff done.
On a happier note I got a beautiful necklace from Aaron! It is an aquamarine with barely any color to it, so it almost looks like a diamond. I love it.
So all you readers out there, I hope you have a happy Valentines day! And much less frazzled one than I am having!

Happy 5th Birthday Aidan!

I can't believe that you are 5 today! You are growing up way to fast. Slow down a bit won't ya? I love you! I hope you have a wonderful day!

What happens when daddy takes you to get your haircut.

You get a faux hawk and think you are a rock star...


Rock on Aidan!

Did we just go through 2 months?

Gosh, I'm not sure where the time has gone, but it seems like I've barely had time to breath these last 2 months. Although, it has been fun and crazy. Here are some pictures from Nov and Dec 2007. Here's to a happy and healthy 2008!

Happy 9th Birthday Kaitlyn!!!

I can't believe that you are already 9! You are becoming so grown up. I am so proud of the person you are becoming and I can't imagine my life without you! I love you so much! Happy Birthday!
Love, Mommy

w-ology

w-ology

MOUTHOLOGY

Q: What is your salad dressing of choice?
A:Bleu Cheese, but I normally opt for a fat free Caesar or a fat free Asian

Q: What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
A: Del Taco

Q: What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
A: Ginza

Q: On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant?
A: 15-20%

Q: What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
A: Sushi or Bagels

Q: What are your pizza toppings of choice?
A: Ham and Pineapple

Q: What do you like to put on your toast?
A: butter and American cheese

TECHNOLOGY

Q: What is your wallpaper on your computer?
A: a pic of me in the village in Africa

Q: How many televisions are in your house?
A: 1, yes just 1

BIOLOGY

Q: Are you right-handed or left-handed?
A: Righty

Q: Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A: tonsils, adenoids and wisdom teeth

Q: When was the last time you had a cavity?
A: right after I was pregnant with Kaitlyn so almost 9 years ago.

Q: What is the last heavy item you lifted?
A: HMMM...I think it was probably the suitcase we took to Brian and Jami's

Q: Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
A: No, but I did pass out the first day of College.

BULL[CRAP]OLOGY

Q: If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
A: I think I would so that I could make sure I accomplished everything that I want to do in my life time.

Q: If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
A: When I was a kid I always wanted to be named "Victoria", but I love my name and wouldn't change it for anything now.

Q: What color do you think looks best on you?
A: Black or pink

Q: Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
A: Not that I can think of.

Edited to add per mom's request.... When I was about four the girl who lived next door and myself went out in our front yard's and ate every single toadstool. I will not eat mushroom's to this day.

Q: Have you ever saved someones life?
A: Yes, I saved my brother from drowning after being thrown in a pool when he was very little. I have also saved Kaitlyn from being hit by a car.

Q: Has someone ever saved yours?
A: I'm sure that I was saved in some way but I can't think of anything specifically.

Once again edited due to mom's request.... As per the toadstool episode my mother and friends grandfather gave us ipecac so that the toadstools wouldn't poison us. That stuff is awful, but I am sure it saved our lives. Love ya mom!

DAREOLOGY

Q: Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100?
A: No way.

Q: Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000?
A: Nope I don't think so.

Q: Would you never blog again for $50,000?
A: Yeah, I think I would.

Q: Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000?
A. HECK NO

Q: Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1,000?
A: HMMM, I don't know. Depends on how hot the hot sauce is.

Q: Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000?
A: NEVER.

DUMBOLOGY

Q: What is in your left pocket?
A: No pockets.

Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie?
A: I've seen it twice and while I like to use quotes from it I actually think it is a stupid movie.

Q: Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house?
A: Both.

Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower?
A: I didn't know that people sat in the shower. Ours is too small to sit anyways.

Q: Would you live with roommates?
A: This is a dumb question. Aaron and the kids are roomies of sorts but besides that I have never had a roomie. Well, unless you count sharing a room with my sister growing up.

Q: How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
A: I think 4 but I would have to count them to be sure.

Q: Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
A: It was about 8 years ago when I was pulled over for speeding, but he was nice and didn't give me a ticket.

Q: Who is number 1 on your top 8?
A: God, then Aaron and the kids.

LASTOLOGY

Q: Last Friend you talked to?
A: Kristi

Q: Last person who called you?
A: Kristi, called to tell me she was on her way.

Q: Last person you hugged?
A: Aidan

Q: Last person to stick their foot in your face?
A: probably Aidan

FAVORITOLOGY

Q: Number?
A: 7

Q: Season?
A: Fall

CURRENTOLOGY

Q: Missing someone?
A: Always since I live so far from family.

Q: Mood?
A: I'm getting really excited to give the kids their Christmas gifts...they are both getting their rooms redone. (Aidan is getting a bedspread, sheets, some cool pillows, and maybe painting his bed and dresser, and some curtains. Kaitlyn is getting a new dresser, having her walls painted...tinkerbell green, and a new bedside table. She also has some fun hooks and things to hang on her walls! )

Q: Listening to?
A: The heater rumble.

Q: Watching?
A: the computer screen.

Q: Worrying about?
A: getting everything done.

RANDOMOLOGY

Q: First place you went this morning?
A: Ikea

Q: What can you not wait to do?
A: Christmas. I love making people happy.

Q: What's the last movie you saw in theater?
A: HMM... oh we saw that one with "The Rock" in it...game day or something like that.

Q: Do you smile often?
A: Yes

Q: Are you a friendly person?
A: I think I am.

Hands of Praise.

I can't believe that it has been more than a month since I last posted. Things have been incredibly busy around here and it is all that I can do to keep the house picked up.
I did want to let all of my reader's know though that Kaitlyn, Aidan and myself will be performing so come check us out. It is an interpretive dance and sign language ensemble. I have really enjoyed being in this group. So if you have some time mark your calendars to come and see us and worship the Lord!







Hands of Praise and the Children’s Dance Ministry
of Holladay Baptist Church
Present

“First Light”

The greatest story ever told, the birth of Jesus, will be celebrated through an evening of
Sign Art and Dance. Experience the wonder of
of the shepherds, the joy of the angels and the
tenderness of a baby’s birth.



Sunday, December 9th at 6:00 p.m.
Monday, December 10th at 7:00 p.m.

Holladay Baptist Church
2780 East 3900 South

Admission is Free
For more information contact 277-9412

Getting Ready.

So, I'm getting ready for our Missions team report on this upcoming Sunday. I'm reminiscing over the entire Africa trip trying to figure out why God wanted me to go. What was His purpose? Did I really make a difference in such a short amount of time? The answers to these questions might always go unanswered until I get to heaven to see the results, but I do know a couple of things.

God has put it in my heart to do more... more with my life, more with missions, more with my prayer life, more with keeping in touch with friends that are far away, more with my giving... just more. He has put us on earth to worship Him and telling other's about him is one of those ways! I would love for my family to have a part in this overwhelming feeling I have to do more. I mean if you are always living to your full potential you will always feel overwhelmed with God's love for you and for others, and why does it take sending me half way around the world to figure that out?

And right now I want to encourage my readers to do more! Send an email or a phone call to a person that God has laid on your heart. You never know what your friends may be going through. I did learn that we are really Corey and Jenni's link to the world they knew before and fellowship and laughter can be hard to obtain when you are in a country where you don't know the language (or very little of it) and there are very few people that you can fellowship with and those you do are your coworkers that you might not have much in common with. Those little "Hi how are you" emails from friends at home show that they love you and did not forget about you.

Maybe, God sent me to Africa to see how much we really have here. We are really spoiled in the United States! The people of Mozambique are really happy with nothing...literally nothing. One of the village children that we saw at the Bible institute really stood out to me in this. He was wearing a pair of those footed pajamas, actually Kaitlyn had the same pair when she was little, it had been cut off at the waist and he was wearing just the top. It was tied at the waist and his midriff was showing, his sleeves came about a third of the way up his arm. And through all of this, he had the biggest smile on his face and they all were singing at the top of their lungs! Yet, they have nothing. We have everything that this world could offer, and yet we are still sad.
Everyday we see commercials on TV about the newest anti depression drug, and how you will just be happy if you buy this new product...and yet there is a new commercial for another new must have product that will turn your life around the very next day. I wonder if we were to SHED all of this stuff, just gave it all away if it would turn our lives around. Christ says in
Mark 10:21 "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Jesus was talking to a rich man in that passage, but I think that here in America we are more rich than so many people that we could give half of what we have away and still be considered rich. I think that we are weighed down by all of the stuff we have too. Now, I am not saying that everyone who is depressed should give their stuff away and then they wouldn't be, but I do think it is a contributing factor for some in our culture. I also think that we are so focused on acquiring more stuff for us that we forget to think about other's.


I have this passion to share Christ's love with everyone, and here in the United States I have this fear. I have a fear of rejection from people I know and love. I have a fear of being ridiculed, and I have a fear of confrontation...which I don't do well. I only had some of these fears in Africa before the TLW rally, but after that all fears were gone. I know that God has the powers to take these irrational fears away, but it isn't easy since I am not usually the type of person who likes to just put myself out there. In Acts 18:1-11 it says "One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision 'Do not be afriad; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.' So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God." Now Paul was persecuted for teaching and preaching the Gospel, but God said that no one was going to attack him in Corinth at that time...and he spent a year and a half there! But not only that Paul went to prison with a happy heart. God used that time to seal Paul's extreme faith and to get him ready for the persecution that was coming. I'm sure that Paul had his times of fear as I clearly see in Acts 18; but if God can do that from this man who was awful to Christians surely he is quietly trying to tell me the same thing. He can get me through the fear! Now if only I would listen and get out there and do it!

So, one more thing on Africa before I leave this topic for awhile and get on to my "real life". Capalana's...African skirts. I think they have the right idea on that one. They are very comfortable to wear, you don't need any sizes and they fit everyone. No more being worried about your weight. It is really a freeing experience to not have to worry about clothing fitting!

If any of you want to hear more Africa stories I encourage you to come to our share night this Sunday. It is at Holladay Baptist Church at 6pm. If you would like to come and need directions just send me an email!

Safari

I have put off posting this long enough! I'm having a hard time figuring out what to write about our Safari because it wasn't all it was promised to be.
We flew from Mozambique to Johannesburg on Friday. It was a longer flight because we had 2 stops, but we made it to Johannesburg in time for dinner at McDonald's and then off to bed.
Saturday morning we got up and went back to the airport to wait for the safari company to come pick us up. The man was a little late, but we drove to Siyabona's lunch stop right out side of Kruger park. It was there we found out that we weren't actually staying in the park (where we had reserved) but outside the park at a place called "Cheetah Inn". We were also supposed to go on an evening safari drive, but that wasn't set either. Jenni talked with the travel agent she booked through and was told that Cheetah was 3 minutes from the park and that we would be so happy there because it was deluxe accommodations. We managed to get our van driver to take us through Kruger on the way to Cheetah Inn, so we were able to see some animals before going to Cheetah. The park gates close at 6 so we had to be outside of the gates by then, and then it took another 2 hours! to get to Cheetah! So, we had been in the van from 9:30am to 8:00pm! By then we were all tired and just wanted to eat and go to bed! We did manage to eat a wonderful soup and Braai (an African BBQ) and then we headed off to bed with promises that we would be staying in the park the next night, so we needed to take our luggage with us the next morning. The accommodations were not luxury, and the showers were the worst! We had to push a button down to make the water come through the shower head, but then you had to hold it the entire time you are taking a shower! It was quite interesting to try and rinse the soap out of your hair with only one hand!
The next day we were up at 4:45am and off for our safari by 5:30am with our luggage in tow. From Cheetah to a different Kruger park gate it was only about 30 minutes. It was fun being in the open vehicles and we had a good time looking at animals during the morning. We then stopped for lunch, we had about an hour and a half off of the vehicles and the main driver was pushing us to get going again. We also found out at this time that we were back at Kruger for the night, again. So, we loaded back up into the vehicles and off we went again, only this time it was extremely HOT! It was in the middle of the hottest part of the day.

Originally, we were supposed to have a 3 hour safari in the morning and a 3 hour safari in the evening and down time in the afternoon because it is really too hot to be driving around in an open vehicle. We even had to stop at one point because our driver was dehydrated. I should stop and say this now...when you are on safari you CANNOT get out of the vehicle unless you are in one of the gated camps. It is dangerous with all of those wild animals out there! Well, our other vehicle got a flat tire! Everyone in that vehicle had to get out so the driver could change the tire! We were too far away from them so we didn't know this until later.


We drove around until about 6pm. Had a quick pit stop to use the potty and buy some cold water and then it was back on the road to get to Cheetah. They had already served dinner when we got there and turned off the water. We were so dirty from the dust that one person from each room was trying to take a shower when the water just stopped coming. I had decided that I would wait and it was a good thing because we found out that they had to wait for the tanks to fill back up! I did end up with a nice shower after our reheated dinner.

The next morning we were back on the vehicles at 5:30. We safaried until noon although we had asked to be dropped off at the location our van driver was picking us up by 11am. We convinced our driver to let us have a few minutes to shop as we had very little shopping time on our entire trip! We had fifteen minutes so it was in and out and then on our way back to the Siyabona lunch stop. When we got there the owner just happened to be there. We had found out that the place we were supposed to stay in the park has been full for a long time because it was a holiday (we had been booking this since June and Jenni had been given the run around since then). She talked to the owner and he was really upset. He wanted us to go back on the safari the correct way, but we had a plane to catch the next day! So, he told us he would refund our money, and also talked about giving us some vouchers for a free safari...not that we can actually use it, but maybe Corey and Jenni can get one. Then it was back in the van to drive back to Johannesburg! It seemed to take a lot longer to get back and we ended up stopping at a gas station which had a Wimpy burger in it to get some dinner. We finally made it back to Joburg, took a shower and off to bed! By this time it just felt good to be out of a car and not moving! I was feeling pretty shaky after traveling for that many days straight...but we weren't done yet, because the next day we were back on an airplane to come home...24 more hours of in air time!

Ok, so that was the bad stuff. Here were a few of the highlights on Safari! It was really amazing to see all of the wonderful creatures ,that God has created, in their own natural environment. The elephants were what really scared me though. They were bigger than the car and at a few points I could have reached out and probably touched one if I really wanted to. We saw so many things...Impalas, Kudu, Giraffes, Sable Antelope (which is really rare to see), hippos (although not close up), Monkeys, crocodiles, and Zebra just to name a few.
The highlights of the safari were though...A mother hyena and her pup (we saw them twice), an entire pride of lions I was able to get a picture of 11 of them but we actually saw 13 the other 2 were just a bit further away, and wild dogs which is another really rare animal to see. The wild dogs were funny though we saw a pack of them, and were taking pictures of them when all of the sudden there were Zebras coming through the brush behind the dogs. We asked if they would go after the Zebra, but we were told no that the Zebras are too big for the dogs. Well, the dogs had another thing on their minds and started to chase the Zebra. Well, the Zebras wanted nothing to do with it so they turned around and started chasing the dogs! It was really funny, and I tried to get some pictures of it, but they were too spread out to get one of the dogs and Zebra's at the same time.

Anyways, here are some of my favorite Safari pictures:

Africa.

There is so much to tell. I'm not even sure where to start. I guess that I should start at the beginning but I am warning anyone that reads this that it will be an extra long post!
We left for Africa on Sept. 12th. Our flight left at 8:30 am. It was the longest flight ever! Total flight time to get to Mozambique was 28 hours, that is in the air time. Luckily, we had a few layovers and a over night stop in Johannesburg.

When we got to Johannesburg none of our luggage showed up at baggage claim, we came to find out that they had checked it through all the way to Nampula. So, we paid some porters to go downstairs and find it, which they found all but three. We were worried that the other 3 pieces were missing but they actually found it the next day after we had talked to everyone we could. They told us right before we boarded that it was being boarded on the plane. God is so good! Nothing was stolen out of those bags, which is a big issue in J-burg.

We flew into Nampula and our friends who are missionaries there had a huge sign that said "Welcome, HBC team!" it was so fun. I think someone got a picture of it through the plane window, but we couldn't take any other's because it is illegal to take pictures of public buildings in Mozambique. It was actually really hard to know what to take pictures of and what you could not, so I ended up not getting nearly as many as if I had free reign. I am so glad that the whole team is sharing pictures!

The first thing we did in Nampula is go shopping for Capalana's. They are traditional African skirts, and we needed them for anytime we were teaching. We were so tired that it was hard to know what to pick! We did manage to get a few each though.

When coming out of the Capalana shop we were getting into the truck and a man came up behind me, I thought he was trying to steal something, but he grabbed my face and tried to kiss me. I screamed and pushed him away! I was told that he is crazy, but I was really wondering if this was my welcome to Nampula what else did God have in store for me during the week! Luckily, it got much better!

On the 15th we did our True Love Waits Rally! I was really nervous for this because I was a main speaker and it is not a topic that I usually talk about. I'm a pretty private person and some of the questions I asked them to answer were pretty tough.
God really prepared people's hearts as there was much discussion going on! That is something that doesn't happen with Mozambicans and they were actually asking questions and giving us answers to our questions! One of the question's that is asked in the True Love waits program is "What age do girls and boys start having sex?" The answer that came from the mouth's of Mozambicans is 7 years old for girls and 12 years old for boys (which Corey and Jenni said is probably much younger). I almost started crying on the spot, I just couldn't believe that girls a year younger than Kaitlyn are having sex! It is so young, I'm so glad that God gave me boldness to finish going through that program with them! It is something that the entire continent of Africa needs to hear as so many people have AIDS! I pray that God used us to touch the hearts of those that were at the rally, they so need it.



On Sunday the 16th we got a special treat and were able to go to a church service. It was so much fun! I loved hearing the people sing in a different language! They sing in beautiful harmonies, they must be taught at a young age. The pastor asked us to sing and luckily Jenni had prepared us for that, so we got up and sang a song she had taught us. The people thought it was so fun that we were singing in their native language of Makuwa, even though we might not have had it quite right they still loved it and it was so much fun for us!

After church we went out to lunch at a restaurant named Bamboo. Tony, the guy that went with us ordered a meal that was called "Beef on a hot rock". The beef comes raw and they provide a slab of hot rock for you to cook it on. Well, Tony decided to put some pepper sauce on his beef before he started cooking it. As soon as he put the meat on the pepper sauce started to smoke and it started to waft around the patio. It was so funny because when the smoke got to each person we started coughing, it was burning our throats! Our translator Fernando thought we were crazy because he was sitting at the head of the table and it had not hit him yet, as soon as it hit him he started coughing too, so he finally understood what was going on! It was so funny!

We also got to go to the Sunday Market, which is the only day it is open. There were so many people there and everyone would spot the "white man" and start following us around saying "sister, sister" or "brother, brother" it was crazy! I did manage to get a couple of things at the market, but we had limited time there. I think we all would have liked a bit more time to buy souvenirs, but that isn't what we were there for anyways! God had more in store for us!

We went prayer walking after the market and I really enjoyed that. It was good to walk through the city and see it a little better. Nampula has a big Muslim influence and Ramadan was happening while we were there. We were able to pray for the Muslim's while walking by. We also saw a nursing school, the hospital that we were to visit later and many buildings that looked like the smoke from the war was still on them. It was interesting to see and yet hard to see at the same time. The city is in much poverty.

The next day was my favorite of the trip! We visited a village and did a "Creation to Christ" story. We were split up into two groups and half of us went to the hospital while the other half visited the village. I was at the village for the first group and one woman, Marcella, accepted Christ and when the next group came she had brought her husband (and several other's showed up as well!). God was really working there, and we all said we felt like "real missionaries" (like what you think of as a child). It was such a neat experience and I hope that someday my family can experience something like that!

As I said earlier after the village we visited the hospital. That was so hard for me. I enjoyed visiting the children in the play room, but when we went to the AIDS wing there were babies just laying listlessly. It reiterated to me why God had called me to be a big part of the True love waits program. Without teaching that program Africa is not going to last, as of right now I think 13% of the people have AIDS. We also visited the Malaria wing as well and those kids were a little more active and most were on the road to recovery. The sad thing in that room was there were mosquito nets hanging over all of the beds, but they wont use them! The people just don't know what will help prevent it. A few other things to note about the hospital: The pediatric ward is up about 4 flights of stairs (maybe more), there are usually 3-4 children and moms to one bed and in their culture that is actually preferred I think, and one last thing at visiting hours you can see hundreds of people lined up to visit their loved ones. The people of Mozambique are really community oriented, I think Americans can learn a lot from this.

On Tuesday we went to the beach! I got to put my feet in the Indian ocean! It was beautiful and restful. We were supposed to go snorkeling and that morning the company called and said it was too rough to go out. We were a little disappointed, but I think God knew that we just needed a time of rest and rejuvenation. We had fun looking for seashells and I even saw a small eel while looking in the tide pools. The water was beautifully turquoise and the sand white, just beautiful!

Wednesday was back to mission work! We visited an orphanage! It was so wonderful! The children were very welcoming to us, which I guess doesn't happen as quickly. We did crafts with them and one of those crafts was to take their picture and print it out, then they put it on a foam frame. I got to take the pictures, so I have a picture of each orphan. They thought it was great fun to have their pictures taken! We also made T shirts and necklaces with them. At lunch time they had a surprise for one of my friends, Roberta, it was her birthday and they sang to her. They also brought out a cake and we had a fun time of singing and dancing with them! It really broke down some barriers and I got to love on the smallest of the orphans, Mena and Ofieta. They are just adorable.

Thursday we were back at the orphanage, this time we did True love waits with the older orphans. It was not as exciting as earlier in the week, but I pray that God will use what we taught them. We also gave them the goodie bags we had put together for them! You would have thought it was Christmas! They were so loud and excited! It was such a fun way to end our time in Mozambique!

I have more to share about our safari, but I think I will save it for another post as this one is already long enough! I am just so thankful that God called me to go! I felt truly blessed by this experience. I also want to say thank you again to everyone who helped me to get there and helped my family while I was away, there are not enough words to express how grateful I am!

One Week to go!

By this time next Wednesday I'll be in an airport waiting for my flight! I can't believe that we are leaving next week, it seems as if this has been a whirlwind of planning and prepping and fundraising! I'm really excited and have hopes that God is going to do some great things while we are there!
Today, I start my new job as a 2 year olds preschool teacher. I think it will be fun, although, I don't relish the idea of changing diapers again. We have been diaper free in this house for an entire year! I love the little guys they are so cute! Aidan is very excited that he is starting "school" too.