The Owen Orbit

Today could be life changing

2012-01-30T10:16:00.002-05:00

Today could be the beginning of a new era in our lives. Today could be the day that changes the rest of our decisions. The day that is talked about in Ephesians 1:4-6. The purpose that God had predestined us for adoption as sons through Christ.

Today is the day that two little children could begin their journey into our family, permanatly.

I know that over the course of the past few years we have not talked too much about our role or children as foster parents. The truth is that when you have kids, and we have had 6 over the past 3 years, there is not a lot of time to blog about them. There is nearly enough time to shower without an interuption! Today is different. The course of the last 18 months has been a loving and amazing experience. There is so much I could write on this but I am simply on a 30 minute lunch break at work.

Today is the day that we go to our first "surrender" hearing. Alaina and I have talked so many times of the option of adopting and find it to be one of the greatest joys and gracious ways to show God's unhindered love for his children. Today may be the day.

We would just ask one thing for those that actully take the time to read this. Pray. Not that we "get" these kids but that God may be glorified in wahtever the circumstance is. Whether there parents decide to surrender or they decide to. Pray for the parents. Pray that their hearts would be opened to the true love that is foudn in Christ. Pray for Dan and Bella, that God's will for their life would be accomplished. Pray for Alaina and I, that our hearts would not be set on keeping them but demostrating true never stopping, never giving up, always and forever love for Dan and Bella no matter waht happens.

To God alone be the glory!

Can I Brag for a Moment....

2012-01-23T21:25:00.004-05:00

It's Brandon's 30th birthday today and I just wanted to take a moment to brag about him. The other day I had to write a letter of recommendation on how he leads our family so I thought I would share it with all of you because I am so proud to be married to him. So here it is...

I am very blessed to be married to Brandon! He shows Godly leadership in the way that he loves us, desires all of us to grow closer to God, and through helping us understand decisions that are made as a family. Brandon loves toward me and his family is the best example of true love, Jesus’ love, that I have ever experienced. He is caring, respectful, kind, trustworthy, and selfless. He is not too proud to say I'm sorry and ask for forgiveness when he has done something wrong....even if it is something minute that I or the kids would probably forget about, he still apologizes. The way that Brandon is learning to discipline the children is in love and not out of anger. He also shows his love by diligently pursuing me and serving us. He serves us by working hard to provide for our family. At home he serves me with a joyful heart every day by helping around the house, with the children, and with other responsibilities such as finances. I believe people who come into our home see a different kind of love between the two of us because Brandon has a servant’s heart for God and his family.

He not only desires all of us to grow closer to God but also challenges us and will keep us accountable. We read scripture together as a couple and separately, do a devotion together and read the Bible with the kids on a daily basis. He is able to help me understand Biblical concepts and is always eager to help me learn more about God. He continues to help the children understand who God is and how he sent Jesus to be our hero. I also appreciate the way he is willing to confront me in a gentle way when the fruits of the spirit are not as evident at a particular moment as they should be. Brandon is an amazing example of Godly living for me and the kids to see and want to follow. Dan often says to me, " Daddy is a good daddy." When I ask him why he always replies, "Because daddy loves Jesus." I would agree with Dan, he is wonderful because he loves Jesus more than anything and wants us to as well!

We have had to make numerous life changing decisions in the past six years. Through each decision Brandon has helped lead us in praying and seeking God's will. In some decisions it may have taken me longer to "jump on board" but he was always there for me. We both want to be used by God to bring glory to His name. I believe Brandon does a wonderful job of reminding our family that this is our goal. I proud to say that my husband is the real deal....he not only speaks truth but he lives it out daily. This doesn't mean he is perfect but he is constantly pursuing righteousness and it is evident in many ways including the Godly way he leads our family.

So very thankful to celebrate his 30th birthday with him.... I can't wait to spend the next thirty birthdays (or a lot more) with him!

Epic Sled Run UPDATE

2012-01-21T11:27:00.000-05:00

Alright everyone,
I know that this is about a week late and now all the snow has once again melted and left us with single digit temperatures and no snow, but I wanted to make sure I kept you updated.

As you can see, it starts at the top of our driveway and runs down the side of our driveway. Dan took it a few times before we really got into it. Once it curves down at the end of the fence, it curves back to the right and continues on down the neighbors side yard.

After about 2 hours of repeated runs down it, I had to bribe Dan in with the hope of dinner. He was shivering so bad and telling me, "Just one more time.....please!!!!!"

This only lasted for one day and the next day the temperature was below zero! Followed by a 40 degree day and rain that wiped it all away....sad day.

When the next substantial snow fall comes you can guarantee that we will be rebuilding this thing for sure.

The most epic sled run ever!

2012-01-13T18:07:00.000-05:00

Its official! Now that we have snow I have devised a plan to make the most epic sled run ever! I have had it planned since we moved to our new house in July. I knew from the start that it was going to be a small but worthy undertaking. For those of you who have never had the joy of experiencing a Syracuse winter, we get enough snow to be able to plan things like this. (See previous post on "How to survive a Syracuse winter")

Since we have had an record breaking slow start to the winter, we have not had an accumulation that has stuck around. However, today we hopefully can officially start the sled run foundation.

I have debated on whether to charge a small fee for my neighbors or friends since it will be such an epic undertaking and experience once finished. Nothing astronomical, 5 and under free and over five is $2 all day long. What do you think?

Yeah I don't think anyone will buy it either. So in light of that, we are going to continue to build it and see if they come....I know, bad Field of Dreams reference.

Keep checking in to see how the progress is going. I will keep you all up to date!

Dare I say.....different, changed, transformed

2011-12-28T16:29:00.002-05:00

Found this video through our friends at the Dave Thomas Foundation. As I watched it I couldn't help but see the faces of the 6 kids that have been through our home and hear them repeating these words. Though at times their actual words may not express there needs or their inner feelings, they are longing to belong. To be a part of a family that will love them unconditionally. Not for who they are, what they offer, how cute they can be, how much money they bring in, whether or not they behave all the time or any other reason short of them being children of the Most High God. Made in His image. Designed to be loved the way God loves us. Unconditional.

We have a bible for the kids that is called the Jesus Story Book Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones and the entire book helps children to understand that Jesus is in every story. That is wasn't about the law of the Old Testament versus the Jesus of the New Testament but that the entire book is written by Jesus, for Jesus, through Jesus and that "every story whispers His name." She has a fun phrase that the kids get a kick out of but I would challenge each of us to use it in our description of how God loves us. God loves us with a never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love!

Now imagine if every child in this video had the opportunity to experience that? What would it look like if every person who saw this video was moved to be a foster parent and show a child love? What would our foster care system look like if every church had 3-5 sets of foster parents? What would the life of these children look like then?

Dare I say.....different, changed, transformed

The tug of a bow, the tug of a heart

2011-12-22T20:41:00.000-05:00

Bella had her first Christmas Concert last night and we were excited to go! I had the great opportunity to get her dressed in her little sparkling Christmas dress! I couldn't help but think in the instant that it could only be a second and she could be 18 and heading to prom. I would be grilling her date and checking to make sure that he received the email I had sent to him about the schedule for the night and my expectations.

For a brief moment, I thought about how fast the time we have had with them has gone by. I remember just yesterday them coming to our home and how tiny and cute they were. Thankfully they are still cute but they are growing out of clothes by the minute it feels like.

Later that night we came home and we did our normal routine but I couldn't help but feel a tug in my heart. A tug initiated by God to savor every minute we have with them. Realizing that we are only stewards of these kids. That tug was then strengthened by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption special on TV called "A Home for the Holidays." This show highlights the need for parents, both foster and adoptive, in the lives of thousands of kids who are waiting for homes! I would plead with you to check out this website and maybe your local organizations to see if there is someway to get involved. Maybe its not being a foster parent but praying for those who are? Maybe its being a Big brother or Big sister? Whatever the case let us not just feel the tug and not act.

Our prayer and our mindset from the beginning was to be agents of change in our community through presenting the love that is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every child that comes through our home. That we would live our lives as such a reflection of the Gospel that the kids in our home could not help but notice. Not just with our current kids but with every child that we have the privilege to love.

...In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:4-6 ESV

Back in the Game!

2011-12-21T14:26:00.000-05:00

It is official! Now that I just spent 39 minutes restating the passwords and finding out that Google has bought out Blogspot, (Like everything else but Apple) we are back into blogging. We have been away too long and need to revamp this old dog into a new space where family can interact and keep up with us and not just read about what happened last...year. So here is to a new adventure into (old) blogging. Look forward to a redesign soon along with updates!

Facebook?

2009-08-31T14:59:00.002-04:00

Facebook has officially taken me away from the blog.....I feel like I have been kidnapped by an evil operating system that consumes my actual writing time.

He's better than UPS

2009-05-27T08:16:00.002-04:00

So as you can imagine it has been a frustrating week yet today I write to tell you that the great provider (surprise surprise) found a house for us! It was not where WE were looking but it is an incredible place to live. We went and looked at it on Sunday and found it to be HUGE!!!! It is a four bedroom monster of a place that has a large back bonus room. About 2100 sq ft! I am using lots of exclamation marks because I am so excited about it. We could have a ton of kids in our place within a matter of months. One of the cool things about the place is it owned by one of our fellow Missio Church members and friends of ours.

They have spent the last three months completely renovating the entire place. Hardwood floor through out with new kitchen counter tops and brand new furnace. place is going to fit us perfect.

Well, I have to go to work now but thought I would keep you up to date. Check back soon to see about how our trip to Georgia went and the move. We will be moving in the next two weeks so please pray for us!

BLAH BLAH BLAH

2009-05-22T10:02:00.002-04:00

So I am sitting here this morning and I am realizing that not only have I not posted in a little bit but that there are a ton of things going on in our lives and haven't shared a one. That being said I will try and keep you up on whats up.

We are trying to move currently. It is amazing to think that it has been a while year that we have been in Syracuse but it has. God has done some amazing things in that time and we (Alaina and I) were just talking the other day about what God has done just in the year we have been here. We have had and are continuing to have the great opportunity to have front row seats as God is moving and changing lives all around us! (Thanks Jim) OK so back to moving. Alaina has been looking for houses for the last five months and has found it very difficult to rent a house that is in a good neighborhood and will let you have two huge dogs. Which really is ridiculous because everyone who knows our dogs knows they aren't too huge......well maybe Harley but he is nothing more than a drooler. Early last week we totally found a place and went and looked at it twice but when it came down to the landlord to make a decision on the applicants they picked someone else! :( Yet we move on and keep our heads up as we trust Gods timing....we may not like to wait that long but I know that there is a plan in all this. God has always been faithful and He remains faithful IN HIS TIMING. Still a tough place to be....

The whole reason behind moving is so that we can have foster kids in a new place. We cant have them where we live now because the bathroom is inside one of the bedrooms. So again we have been waiting for kids.

I feel like Joshua. Poor guy goes into the promised land as a spy for Moses. He gets the great opportunity to see where his people will go and live and flourish and yet he has to wait to enter. All that time knowing what is looks like and how cool it would be. As I write this I feel God convicting my own heart as I wait to work with youth and children full time. I know the task and the vision God has laid in my heart and yet I am in a holding pattern right on the edge of entering. Joshua remained faithful and God used him in mighty ways when they finally entered the land. All those years Joshua had to be frustrated and had to wonder what it would be like in the promised land.

My prayer for me and my wife through all of this is that we would place our hope in the promise of God. He has drawn us to this place to play a small part of His huge plan to redeem this city for His glory. So that every person that lives in the county surrounding Syracuse, would have at least one chance to experience the gospel. Our journey, though it is important, takes a back seat to Gods plan to take this city back. His plan fits together perfect and the more we sit and think about the things that LOOK perfect to US the less time we spend having intimate relationship and dependency with the Father.

Pray for us as you read this, for strength, discernment, guidance, and most of all obedience to the one who loves us the most.

Facespace and Mybook

2009-05-09T23:52:00.002-04:00

So it is official, I have finally joined facebook! yeah now I can have another website in my favorites that I need to check everytime I get on my computer!!!! But the cool part is I get to keep in closer touch with everyone, including my Aunt Debbie!

Vancouver 2010

2009-05-05T11:24:00.003-04:00

So Alaina and I have decided we want to try and go to the Winter Olympics next year. We have actually been thinking about it for sometime now because my parents live about 3 hours from Vancouver, BC and my brother lives right on the border of Canada.

I finally looked into it yesterday and it is incredible. I am on a list for when the rest of the tickets that are left over go on sale they will email me ahead of time. Heres to hoping they have some left. I mean there are over 1.5 million tickets available.......hmmm i wonder if there are enough......now as I type this I am getting worried. well we will see if there are here in a few weeks.

How awesome would it be to be able to say you went to the Winter Olympics just hours from where you grew up. Not to mention they are going to be at one of the greatest ski resort of all time: Whistler/Blackcomb. Sweetest place I ever got to snowboard growing up!

We will see what happens! I will try and keep ya'll posted.

Check this out if you want to see whats going on there:

http://www.vancouver2010.com/

Getting your blood taken.......

2009-04-28T09:05:00.002-04:00

I had to go in today to get blood taken and I am not in the least bit a fan of it. In fact I happen to be the biggest sissy when it comes to getting it taken. Now for those of you who have ever seen me you may think that is odd because I have earrings. If you have been plagued to know me back in college then you also know that I had about 9 holes in my head at one time or another.

So the odd question then becomes.......Why are you so afraid of the needle going into your arm that could potentially save yours and someone else's life and NOT of the needle used by the man or woman that has enough tattoos on them to be entered into the world record book. And for any of you who have ever been to a tattoo or piercing place, whats with the black gloves anyway?

I haven't been able to figure out what my deal is with this. I believe that part of it could be that in one instance the nurse is taking something that I feel is vital to my life and the other is a piece of jewelry adding to my face and therefore my attraction of looking like a fishing lure. (as my dad would say)

But after today, I have resolved that I need to man up and realize I have many more years and blood test ahead of me. This certainly doesn't mean I will like it but that I need to get over it.

All right back to printing.........

God is doing amazing things in our midst

2009-04-27T18:39:00.003-04:00

Friday was our first official gathering of students at our office space in Eastwood. (The part of the city where our church is) We gathered Four students and Four leaders. Even though it isn't much I am excited because Sunday morning I was swarmed by parents and students who were both excited about what happened on Friday and willing and ready to come again this week.

I am so amazed at how mighty and Faithful our God is. Not in a million years could I come up with a better plan than the one he has for us here in Syracuse. Not only is the student ministry starting with a small buzz but our children's ministry is becoming stable with volunteers and they are beginning to take ownership of the ministry. More and more volunteers keep coming out of the woodwork and asking me if they can serve because they are passionate about kids. I couldn't ask for a better time because one of our teachers is leaving to have a baby.

All too often I worry about what is going to happen or stress out about who is going to be where and the thing God keeps teaching me is that over and over again god is faithful and provides just what He needs to sustain His ministry. I was even reminded of this as I read Psalm 23 this week:

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

May I stay centered on what God wants to do in me and not on what I can do on my own power.

A renewed commitment because of access

2009-04-21T21:11:00.003-04:00

So I know it has been quite the time since a post and really not too much since we moved to Syracuse. However...........now this is going to stop....the procrastinating not the blog itself. We have had a tremendous blessing in the last week. The church has furnished us with a new refurbished laptop with broadband internet so we have access anytime we need it.

So because of that I have decided to make sure I am keeping all..... hmmm how many of you keep an eye on this.......three of you maybe. Doesn't matter!!! I am writing this to tell you I am making a renewed commitment to keep this up to date and you all have the right to nag me as much as it takes or even make fun of me until I post.

thank you each for signing on to be Blog account ability partners. You ROCK!!!

PS Just got a new digital FLIP so look for videos to come

Surviving a Syracuse Winter!!!

2009-01-29T12:36:00.002-05:00

So I have a few minutes on my lunch break right now to tell you what I've learned over the past couple of months of living in Syracuse.

- Give yourself an extra 20 minutes to get ready and an extra 20 minutes to get anywhere
- Do not touch your hair after you put your gloves on, especially if you have fleece gloves
- Warm up your car at least 10 minutes in advance
- Long-underwear are a must!
- There is a certain order to putting on winter outer-wear. I have found that putting on my scarf first, then hat, next come the jacket, earmuffs and then finally gloves.
- Wet socks are the worst!
- A Jeep that's not 4-wheel drive does NOT do very well in the snow
- Drive slow and break slowly, I leave a lot of room between me and the car in front of me
- Scarfs are WONDERFUL!!
- Buy winter windshield wipers- I never knew they existed until now
- There are no pony-tail days in the winter- it's way too cold. I don't know how guys stand short hair
- Cutting down a Christmas tree in a blizzard is fun and a little crazy
- Snow plows drive at 35mph or below
- Shoveling- Shoveling- Shoveling- shovel often
- Almost every morning I get to see what walked through the backyard the night before
- Harley loves the snow, Breezy does not
- I will hopefully never have to move during the winter, I can't imagine trying to load a big truck in the dead of winter
-Flannel sheets are the best but t-shirt sheets work okay too
- Having a super short driveway is a plus
- Fresh snow is beautiful
- Waterfalls look awesome in the winter
- Winter is a great time to cuddle
- LAYER, LAYER, LAYER- even if it makes you look fat
- A ceramic heater under the desk-keeps it a little bit warmer in the office
- Getting gas in the freezing cold is not fun
- Static electricity is ridiculous
- Invest in a really good hand and face moisturizer in the winter; cracked hands hurt and a pealing face is not so attractive (thank you my love for buying me the face cream)
- Buy special light bulbs to put in your house so you don't get S.A.D.
- Brush the car off standing upwind if possible
- I need a car starter stat!
- Parking lots become ice-skating rinks. Beware when stepping out of your car
- Open-toed shoes have to be retired for the season starting in September.
- Take a Vitamin D supplement because you're not going to see the sun for a while.
- Cold with snow is much better than cold without snow
- You will probably get sick- and stay sick for a while
- There are different types of snow:

Oh man, lunch is over... I'll add a lot more soon.

Chocolate Truffle Recipe

2008-12-08T12:41:00.003-05:00

This past Sunday I went to a "Cookie Exchange Party." I had never been to this kind of party but I had such a great time that I'm thinking about hosting one myself. There were so many different types of wonderful goodies and I enjoyed meeting everyone as well. I promised the people at the party that I would post the recipe to the truffles. This is one of those recipes that you probably do not want to start until after the kids are in bed because it is a little time consuming (and so you can eat the "dough" without the little ones around).

One batch makes about 30 Truffles

Ingredients:
1 Package of Double Stuffed Oreos (I've also made it w/ Mint Oreos and white chocolate)
1 Package of Cream Cheese
2 Packages of Bakers Semi-sweet Chocolate
1 Package of Bakers White Chocolate (optional for decorating but is not a good consistency for the actual truffles)
2 cookie sheets
A lot of room in the fridge or freezer
Wax paper

Directions:
1. Crush the cookies in a food processor until they are very fine crumbs
2. Melt the cream cheese in the microwave- don't get it too hot or it will take a lot longer to firm up
3. Mix the Oreos and cream cheese together
4. Use a tablespoon to measure the "dough" and then roll into balls and place on cookie sheet that is covered in wax paper
5. Put in the fridge/freezer for at least 45 minutes or until pretty firm
6. Melt the Baker's chocolate- follow the directions on the back or the package when melting
7. Use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate over the Oreo balls
8. Put them back into the fridge for 30 minutes or until choc coating hardens
9. You can now drizzle the white chocolate on top then place them back into the fridge OR you can just serve them
*try not to have them out of the fridge for more than 3 hours b/c of the milk products in them

I hope you enjoy. Please let me know how they turn out and if you need any further directions.

All I Want for Christmas....

2008-11-25T16:00:00.004-05:00

As Christmas nears I have been searching for ways to make this year more like the way Christmas should be. It wasn't supposed to be about getting gifts. Of course, there are things that Brandon and I need and want but above that there is such a greater need around the world and in our community. God gave his greatest gift the birth of His son on Christmas Day. I don't think Jesus would be sitting around a Christmas Tree surrounded by gifts all for his birthday. Instead, I think he would be giving gifts that make a difference and asking others to do the same. That is why this year all I want for Christmas is for people to check out http://www.changingthepresent.org/ and donate to something they feel is important. I know that this year the budget is really tight for all of us but they have gifts that range from just $5 to over $1,000 that can help someone across world. You could even buy gifts in honor of people that you would normally have bought something for.

PS- Yes, there is a lot more to catch you up on but I feel that this was more important than most of the other post that I need to write.

Yes it has been a while...

2008-09-06T14:17:00.013-04:00

I thought I would have about two hours to catch all of you up on our new lives in NY but I it ends up that I only have about 30 minutes. So hold on to your hats and I'll do my best to do a quick update of the past couple of months. I promise to include pics this time...

Here are a few pictures from our move to New York. We visited we family and friends before we made it all the way up here.
We drove A TON! So here are some pics from the road too.

.

Here is our new home! It is small but very warm and cozy. It is one of our favorite places we have every lived. I had to include the picture of the "fireplace." I was looking forward to warming my toes up in-front of our fireplace but come to find out it is completley fake!! Yes, it looks very real but believe me it is not. We took it down and placed it in our garage to make room

My job at the zoo! I loved working at the zoo. The kids and animals were great! At the end of summer I got hired to do another camp... one for kids with special needs. It was one of the best camps of the whole summer! Here are some pics from the zoo:

OH yeah, I made my first strawberry-rubarb pie ever! I made the crust and all! It was so delicious. We took it over to Jim and Tara's for Tara's birthday and had no problem eating the whole thing.

We have had a great time in Syracuse so far. I hope to have more time to write about all the amazing things God has been doing up here. Check out some more pics of our adventures around Syracuse and hanging out with our friends.

We went to the NY State Fair- it was awesome! The food was amazing! We started off the afternoon with the $1 loaded potatoes, FANTASTIC! Then we made our way over for a second course...$0.25 milk. It was the most delicious milk I have ever tasted, we each had a glass of regular and a glass of chocolate. Oh and in the Dairy Building there was this sculpture completly made out of butter. For our third course we made went to the Pizza Frie bakery. This is the best fried dough you have ever tasted. We walked around for a while to let the food settle then finally found the fried Oreos and fried Baby Ruth's, which we devoured with some more chocolate milk (two more glasses each). We were full but not to the point of sickness (I know... hard to believe after eating all of the above.

This past weekend was Labor Day and the first time since we have been up here that Brandon and I got two days off together!! We had a great time going on a hike to beautiful waterfall called Chittenango Falls! We hiked down to the bottom and played in the creek for a while before trying to make the hike back up (very tiring but I made it). We also stopped by an amazing sunflower field in the mountains to take some pictures before making our way back to the villiage to have dinner with the Murphy family.

Lack of Posting Much?

2008-07-28T13:01:00.003-04:00

So sorry that there has been a lack of posting lately. Alaina and I have been not so much busy as we have been without Internet since we moved and it does not look like we will have it soon either. However, the public library that is 600 feet a way from our house has it and they now know us by name. Not to mention we have rented every DVD worth watching out of there library because we don't have TV yet either.
It is amazing how simple life can be when you are not busy watching TV and surfing the web. We spend more time walking the doggies now then we ever had before. Couldn't have anything to do with the fact that the weather is 25 degrees cooler or anything......... Like I was saying, life is simple and we couldn't be happier right now. Not to mention the time that we get to spend together and not be distracted by something else like the TV.

God is truly amazing and we are blessed to be in his hands at this moment.

Why we have comments

2008-07-02T12:12:00.000-04:00

We recently opened up our comments to everyone so that we can hear from anyone who reads our blog. We did this so that family from all over the country could keep in touch with us. Since we have done this there is an individual who keeps leaving mean comments annonymously. You can't see them because we moderate what makes it to our site. I would like to write a small note to this person....
Please let me know who you are so that Alaina and I may talk to you. We would like the opportunity for you to communicate with us one on one. So the next time you leave a comment, please leave your identity. We will not post your comments but would like the chance to talk.

Thank you

Lightning Bugs ROCK!!

2008-07-02T12:11:00.002-04:00

So after a little encounter with my first lightning bug in Virginia while camping I have decided they are one of the coolest bugs that I know about to date. However the story does not stop there.......

Last night while watching Nacho Libre (Hafreakinlarious by the way)((Yeah I said it)) our coonhound Harley decided to eat some dinner. While grazing at his bowl near the open window he began to growl. After a couples seconds the growl was followed by a howl. The howl however was slightly muffled and gargled due to the fact that his mouth was completely full of food. I wasn't in there when he barked but I envision it looking much like trying to sneeze with a mouth full of food. Small bits and pieces falling this way and that.

I got up to see what he was barking at and could not see a thing. Once my eyes adjusted I realized he had been barking at a ton of lightning bugs that had congregated just at the edge of

the trees.

I never knew that he could see anything that small from so far away.......quite odd considering he is deathly afraid of real lightning.

Oh the quirkiness of God's creation

Work and why I am here

2008-06-30T08:35:00.004-04:00

I am sitting here at work this morning and I wish I could begin to describe how hard it has been since I started. I try to think of words and ways to describe it and I can't. So this morning I go to God, knowing that he understands my circumstance and has me here for a reason, a purpose.
I open up to the book of Matthew because I watched Facing the Giants the other night and it was a verse on there. As I begin to read He draws me to vs 22 and the story of when Jesus walks on water. I have read this story so many times and yet in the midst of my frustration and toil here at work he speaks a fresh word to me. Jesus walks out to the boat and the disciples are terrified.

He comforts them by saying, "It is I. Don't be afraid."

Peter replies with a challenge, If it is really you tell me to come to you on the water.

Jesus responds with one word, "COME."

See in the last six months we have asked God to do His will in our life and to use us or his glory here in Syracuse. We have been comforted by God telling us it will be OK and He will take care of all. So we ask to come out on the water where he is here in Syracuse. But much like Peter I get out there and we all know what happens. Peter steps out and takes a few steps. I can imagine the others in the boat being amazed at what they are seeing.

Even Peter thinking to himself, "This is pretty cool."

People who know us or met us have all said the same thing. "WOW! I can't believe you are going."

Yet like Peter I begin to see and feel the wind and I begin to loose faith. I start to sink. I have been at my job for two week now and I feel the wind of their breathe and the waves all around me and I take my gaze from Christ and what is is doing in my life. Like Peter I now begin to focus on my circumstance and not on Jesus, who is my ultimate Joy and Goal.

Just as Peter did, I now cry out, "LORD, SAVE ME."

In doing so he brings me right back to reading about Peter and how he of little faith came out on the water and lost his focus because of the wind and the wave. I am no longer defined by what is going on in my life but on the resounding truth that Christ came to save me and no matter what he will make sure that occurs. Even in the midst of this storm God is more worried about how I demonstrate WHO HE IS to these people in the way I act then my comfort in this situation.

It is a very hard reality in these moments to write this. But I take heart through Christ knowing that the world hated him first and that he bore all for the sake of saving me.

My hope and prayer is that through this situation that the people at my job would have the same response as those who where in the boat,

"Truly you are the Son of God."

Matthew 14:22-33

First Day at the Zoo

2008-06-24T17:56:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was my first day at Rosamond Gifford Zoo and it was a great day! A lot of it was orientation but we were able to hang out in the zoo to get to know the animals a little bit. They have some really wonderful animals. Some of my favorite so far are the red pandas, two-toed sloths, naked mole rats, and the lions. I am sure that I will have many more zoo stories to come but I just wanted to let you know that my first two days have been great. Oh, and by the way I am not the oldest camp counselor on staff at the zoo this year, actually I'm one of the youngest.

Quick New York Update... pics and more info soon

2008-06-20T14:06:00.003-04:00

Sorry it has taken so long for us to post. We do not have Internet access at our house yet.

We had a great road trip making it to Syracuse. We finally got out of town on Friday afternoon after my doctor released me to travel (as long as I didn't fly I was okay to leave). On our way up to Georgia we stopped by to see our friends Danielle and Jared and their baby girl Victoria in Jacksonville, Fl. about 10:oopm. We arrived in Richmond Hill, Ga. at about 2:00am. We stayed in Georgia visiting family and resting for a few days. On Monday we left for a KOA in Virginia. We camped out in 102 degree weather with the dogs (I'll post more about this adventure later). First thing Tuesday morning we left for Syracuse. We stopped at an IKEA to buy a queen size bed frame because our other beds were going to be too large to fit in our bedrooms at our new house. Now that we had the bed on the top of the Jeep and the Honda filled to the brim we really did look like the Beverly Hill Billies (hound dogs in the back seat). After IKEA we met up with my friend Jeff (we met in Australia about 7 years ago) in Washington, D.C. and had an amazing brunch. With our bellies full we set out to make it to Syracuse by Tuesday night.
It was a long day of driving but we arrived in Syracuse about 9:00pm. Before we went to our new house we stopped by the Murphy's house to say hello to all of them.
Jim took us over to our new home. It is very small and cute. It is definitely the smallest house that we have ever lived in but is becoming one of our favorites. (Stay tuned for the fireplace story.) Our house is in the village of Manlius. There are so many cute little shops and stores within walking distance.
We took advantage of our trailer of stuff not being in our house yet and decided to paint and explore the area. The first day we were there we went to a couple of little towns and of course we made it to Lowe's. We have had a great time picking out colors and decorations for our place. LaShanda (not sure if I'm spelling it right... sorry) at Lowe's has been helping us pick out the colors for our family room and kitchen.
Our trailer came late Friday night and the boys (Jim, Jordan and Bernie) came over on Saturday morning to help us unload it. Wow, we have a ton of stuff! Thankfully we have a pretty good sized basement that a lot of our stuff has found its way to.
Sunday was our first preview service at Missio. God blessed us with about 95 people (the most Missio has ever had). There were a ton of kids there this past week. We are looking forward to see how God uses us in this church.
We have been unpacking most of this week and we are actually almost done, praise the Lord!
The dogs are adjusting very well although they are not very happy that we bought a new couch that they are not allowed on.
Brandon started his at his new Starbucks this week too. It has been an interesting week for him at this new store. I'm sure he will write more about it soon.
I'm looking forward to starting at the zoo next week. I will also be starting back up at Bath and Body Works soon.
All in all we are really enjoying living here. It is much different than Florida but mostly in good ways.
Well that is all for now. I'll write in more detail later and have pictures later. Thank all of you for your prayers and support. We love you.

COME ONE COME ALL!

2008-05-29T13:00:00.000-04:00

If you are really bored or have nothing better to do on Wednesday, June 4th at 11:00am then please come help us load the trailer for our big move to Syracuse. The more the merrier! Give us a call if you can be here. If you are unable to come help please keep us in your prayers.

A Weekend Surprise!

2008-05-26T21:49:00.010-04:00

This whole week Brandon had been planning a surprise for me. I had no clue what he was up to because he was being very sneaky. All that he told be was to not plan anything for Monday night. I thought that we were just going to the beach to take a walk with the dogs and watch one of our last sunsets for a while on a Florida beach. He kept what we were really going to be doing a secret until the very last minute.
He had planned a family photo shoot on the beach for us. I had been talking about wanting to do a family picture for the past for weeks. He obviously was listening very well. He had contacted one of our friends who is a photographer and planned the whole thing with her. I was so excited to finally get some family pictures! I will be posting pictures as soon as we get them.
The photo shoot was interesting with the two dogs. Breezy was great but Harley was very interested in the Great Blue Heron and lab just down the beach from us. He is usually very photogenic but this day he would have rather been chasing the bird than posing for pictures.
Harley has a cartoon tongue in the second picture. He was getting very tired of taking pictures.

The beautiful Breezy!!

Summer is Here!

2008-05-24T22:10:00.004-04:00

Summer is here! This was the last week of school with my 2nd graders. We had a great two day (only "two" because I was taking care of Breezy on Tuesday- see below). On Monday we read one of the students' favorite books, "Cook-a-doodle-do" Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel and made homemade strawberry shortcake just like in the book. It was so much fun! Then on Wednesday we had an ice-cream party in the cafe on campus. Our class had won good behavior for lower elementary over the last two quarters and our reward was ice-cream! Wednesday flew by because it was only a half-day and then the kids were all gone :(. I was sad to see all the students leaving knowing that I wouldn't be back to see them on their first day of 3rd grade. I hope that I will be back sometime next year to visit and see all of them.
Now that the students are gone all there was left to do was to pack up my classroom. Brandon came in on Thursday to help me pack. We officially have packed more boxes in my classroom than at our house.
Leaving FBA is bitter sweet. I am looking forward to what God has in store for me in Syracuse but I'm really going to miss my students and their families. I'm very grateful that God blessed me with the job at FBA. I hope that I stay in touch with the students and families.
(will hopefully add pictures soon)

My baby girl has been sick :(

2008-05-24T14:38:00.006-04:00

This week has been very interesting... My precious little girl has been sick all this week. Breezy has been with me for 9 years, I rescued her from an abusive home when she was 6 months old. She is the most wonderful, sweet, protective, and loving dog that anyone could ever want. She lived with me at college and even survived a 3.5 month road trip across the U.S. with me when I graduated college.
Last week she decided to eat part of a sheet. We actually blamed it on Harley because he usually does things like that but unfortunately it was Breezy who wanted a little extra natural fiber. We thought she was fine after a large bout of leaving us surprises in the house last week. But this week she got very ill. It started on Monday when I came home from work and walked into a house full of more nasty surprises. We took her to the vet. first thing the next morning. (thankfully I already had a sub. coming to my classroom because I was supposed to go to all of my doctor appointments.) The doctor was encouraging saying that because she got the sheet out at 2:30 that morning that she should be on the mends. If she continued to vomit or not eat or have bm then we needed to bring her back in because she most likely had a blockage in her intestine. She continued to be sick on Tuesday and finally had a BM on Friday. She looked so pitiful this week. She was unable to lift her head up or wag her tail. She didn't even give me kisses or want to sleep in the bed.
I am so thankful that she is now back to her wonderful self! She was back to wagging her tail, giving all the kisses I wanted and slept right beside me last night.

Alright, alright I'll post an update...

2008-05-15T21:20:00.007-04:00

So there has been a ton going on obviously because we haven't posted in forever. I'll give the short of it all.

January-
Our visit to Syracuse was AWESOME! We loved visiting with our best friends and being a part of a service at Missio Church (church plant from Summit down here). I did not freeze my booty off like I had planned. (Thanks to all of those who let me borrow clothes, jackets and closed toed shoes). There was snow on the ground and it was beautiful. We drove around town and had dinner at the Stinzano's home. I got excited thinking about what God had in store for us. It was sad to leave but we knew by then that we would be back soon.

I started teaching two Science Enrichment classes after school for this quarter. I am very thankful for the opportunity to teach something I love and get payed a little extra cash.

February-
We returned with a renewed sense of God's plan for us. God's plan for us is better than any we could ever image. I also joke around saying that Syracuse is not on the top 100 places I would ever want to live but God has changed my heart from last year. I know that it is better to be living in God's will then living where I want.

I started working at Bath and Body Works
at the end of February. It is a fun job. I haven't been in sales in a long time but I really enjoy being back in it.

Before we even announced that we were moving we had a Ignite student interested in renting our house. God provides beyond our expectations every time!

March-
Uh can't remember too much that happened in March. Oh, one thing I do remember is that I met a very nice lady from Syracuse while I was working at Bath and Body Works. We exchanged information and we have kept in touch. I'm looking forward to meeting up with her and her family. Brandon can add more here later because he has been very busy with Reality (Summit's middle school youth group).

April-
I applied for an education position at the zoo in Syracuse and once again God provided me the job! That very same day Jim and Tara went and visited some housing we had found from a Rental Management Company in Syracuse. They called back and said that all the houses were a "no go, boarded up crack houses." They also mentioned that they would check out a house down the street from them (we had been having a very hard time finding a home/apartment that would allow us to have two large dogs). It ends up that the house is exactly what we need! The best part is that it is 5 minutes away from both the Murphy's and Stinzano's. Oh, and the lady I had met in Bath and Body Works actually knows our new landlord.

(look at our cute little home in Syracuse)

I also tried out for Wheel of Fortune (my favorite show ever... I'm such a old lady) and actually got a "call back." I went to the second audition and had a great time... still waiting to hear back. This would be the last week that they would let me know that I am a contestant.

May-
I can not believe that it is May already here. I got to go to my friend Erin's ultra-sound to find out the sex of her baby! It was so wonderful and in 4D- so cool. I was honored to be invited to come to the ultra-sound and find out with her and 10 of her friends that she is having a girl!
The year has flown by, especially teaching 2nd grade. It just hit me today that I only have 2.5 more days left with my kids this year. I have had an amazing year of teaching and love working at First Baptist Academy. Last week we had our Mother's Day Celebration. We transformed our classroom into a 1950's ice cream parlor complete with a juke box, records, dance floor, poodles on the girls' skirts and ties for the boys. We had special Powerpoint presentations, video and a special song for the moms. We had a great time. Thankfully, Brandon was there to help calm me, keep me sane, help decorate and serve ice cream.
Last week was also "Teacher Appreciation Week". TAPT (parent association) treated me like a queen for the whole week- breakfast,lunches,treats,gift cards, and the list goes on. Not only was TAPT a blessing but the parents in my class went above and beyond my wildest expectations. I am very thankful for the students and parents that are in my class. God really did hand pick each one for me.
Moving is getting much closer.... just a few weeks away :) The Murphy kids have a count down. We are planning on moving on June 5th and in Syracuse by June 9th. I am getting very excited about this new adventure but will also miss the friends that we leave behind. (If any of you get tired of the hot weather please come and visit us).

Ok well that's all for now... so all of you can stop complaining that we haven't written in a while :) I'll add more pics later.

Check in on the weather

2008-01-24T21:05:00.001-05:00

Here is the link to check the weather while we are gone.

HERE

North Pole or Syracuse?

2008-01-24T20:56:00.000-05:00

We take off for Syracuse, NY in the morning to visit our friends Jim and Tara Murphy as well as or Summit campus there. Please pray for us as we travel and that we would clearly hear God's voice of reaffirmation on our lives. We love all of you dearly and pray for you constantly.

If you live near by please feel free to stop by our house and check on our house sitter. Not that he needs it but it should be worth the look on his face.

Wink.... Wink.... (Gillians)

See you next week ya'll. As my wife would say.

The Simple Things In Life

2008-01-10T21:07:00.002-05:00

There are many simple things in life that just make my day. Today I went to Chick-fil A for the school fundraiser. I ordered a water and some fries and I was so excited to find out they they give out bendy straws! I love bendy straws for some reason.

New Found Love

2008-01-05T19:25:00.000-05:00

Yep, I have pretty much decided that waffle cones are one of my favorite foods. At Christmas time I was given these fancy waffle cookie thingies. They were ("were"because I ate them all already) so delicious! I don't even need ice cream to eat them. I must find out where these came from. While looking on the internet for this type of waffle cone cookies I discovered that waffle cones were invented in Philadelphia... you can add that to your random useless bag of facts. I also found some recipes but I'm going to need to go on www.freecycle.org to see if anyone has a waffle cone maker to give away. I'll try to make some soon and I promise I'll share. Anyways...I just wanted to share my new found love of waffle cones.
"Waffles? Everybody loves waffles, except for ogers." (quote = Donkey from Shreck One)

No Points Needed

2008-01-03T14:11:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I was trying to live missionaly when someone said that I must be trying to gain points with God. I was taken back a little because that is not it at all... I responded by saying, "I don't need points because He has given me grace." It is by "grace alone that we are saved not by works." Praise God that we do not have to do good works in order to be saved. There are definitely not enough "good works" out there for me if I had to save myself. But God does call us (Christians) to live missionaly so that others can see God's love and grace through us. We (Christians) are called to be "followers of Christ."

Acts 11:15 Romans 11:5-7 James 2:26

To Follow Means:

fol·low /ˈfɒloʊ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[fol-oh] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–verb (used with object)
2.
to go or come after; move behind in the same direction: Drive ahead, and I'll follow you.
3.
to accept as a guide or leader; accept the authority of or give allegiance to:

to conform to, comply with, or act in accordance with; obey: to follow orders; to follow advice.
5.
to imitate or copy; use as an exemplar

to move forward along (a road, path, etc.)
9.
to go in pursuit of: to follow an enemy.
10.
to try for or attain to: to follow an ideal.
11.
to engage in or be concerned with as a pursuit: He followed the sea as his true calling.
12.
to watch the movements, progress, or course of: to follow a bird in flight.
13.
to watch the development of or keep up with: to follow the news.
14.
to keep up with and understand (an argument, story, etc.): Do you follow me? –verb (used without object)
15.
to come next after something else in sequence, order of time, etc.
16.
to happen or occur after something else; come next as an event: After the defeat great disorder followed.
17.
to attend or serve.

Blessed

2008-01-03T13:29:00.000-05:00

Today I met a homeless man in downtown Fort Myers that made me re-think a few things. He came up to me to get another piece of pizza and to ask if he could take a box of pizza to his friends that couldn't make it to the park. We started making small talk and then as he walked away he said "God has blessed me." A man that lives on the street, has very few possessions, and struggles to find food realized that he was still blessed. It made me think how much more that I should be grateful for. God has blessed me with so much that I take for granted. I do not think that I mean to take them for granted. I think that I get too busy with life to remember to stop and be thankful. This homeless man really understood what it meant to have an attitude of gratitude. I pray that this experience will stay with me and not find its way to that part of my brain where things seem to disappear.

It is amazing how God uses situations (no water for 11 days and car breaking down) and people to remind us how blessed we are and that we should be grateful.

I would like to challenge you to think of at least one thing you may take for granted and to thank God for it.

If you are interested in feeding the homeless go to Centennial Park in Fort Myers on Thursday mornings at 11:00am. You will be a blessing and you will be blessed by these men and women.

A calling to compasionate people

2008-01-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

This is from Slim's blog. We too knew Mamma Whitlock and her kids so please read.

If there is only ONE THING that you would ever do for me...

...do it for the family if "Momma Jill" Whitlock.

Most of you who know me, are also familiar with one, more, or all of the Whitlock brothers: Jacob "Kubby" Whitlock, Jonathan "Jables" Whitlock, and Jesse "Big Sammitch" Whitlock.

Three invaluable friends of mine, who had one of the most precious mothers: Momma Jill.

Rather unexpectadly, Momma Jill passed away last Saturday. She had never been (as long as I had known her anyway) in incredible health, but she certainly hadn't been in any life-threatening danger.

After suffering a stroke in BOTH sides of her brain, the day after Christmas, she spent the remainder of the week in a coma until God took her home come the weekend.

Jill Marie Whitlock
Mother, Teacher, Follower of God
1950-2007

When Momma Jill left us, she left behind a legacy in her children, and BOATLOADS of stories and memories that will be cherished for the rest of our lives. Sadly, she also left behind the financial responsibility of her funeral costs to these three young men.

It is now OUR responsibility as friends (and family) of the Whitlock bros. and as DECENT HUMAN BEINGS to help aid our mates!

There is a day long (1pm-6pm) fundraising event that will be going on THIS SUNDAY, January 6th, at FOREVER TATTOO in Ft. Myers:

15560 McGregor blvd. suite 10
Fort Myers, FL. 33908
phone number to the shop is 239.415.4387

Mark Stewart, the owner of Forever Tattoo and friend of mine, Bishop, and the Whitlock family, is opening his shop for this event... They will be raffling two $100 gift certificates for Tattoos, at only $5 for a ticket, I'm sure that we could all afford 3, 4, even 5 of these tickets. Please remember that you're not investing in tattoos.. your investing the memory of this amazing woman.

Along with the raffle there will be art (from some of the GREATEST local artists) for sale and a bake sale (and seriously... who doesn't enjoy a good brownie at the local bake sale!?!) REMEMBER: 100% of the days sales go STRAIGHT to help Momma Jill and her family with funeral costs, etc. EVERY CENT!

And if all of that wasn't enough to get you in the door: there will also be some surprises at the event, which will remain nameless at this time... but trust me: YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS IT!!

The approximate cost for the cremation is $2,500 (on the low end) plus the memorial costs, etc. So please, if not for Momma Jill, if not for Kubby, Jables, and Sammitch, do it for me. As a favor.

Please, we do not want the Whitlocks to have to 'settle' in these arrangements, but instead want to help and still be able to bless them.

If you would like to make larger, tax-deductible donations to this event/cause, please contact me at: slim@summitlife.com so that I can get you the information.

Here is a word from Kubby himself:

"I have been flooded with people asking me what they can do to help and if there is anything they can do just let them know so, I am letting you know... You all have asked me what I need and this is it. Please help out my family. Thank you and I love you all. God will also bless you for your help don’t forget that."

If you've taken the time to read this, it means you have a heart. Please re-post this bulletin, so that we can get the word out on this FAST APPROACHING event.

Thank you, and God Bless you.
Peace,
The Slim

Are You Kidding Me...This is False Advertising

2008-01-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

Are you kidding me...? So today I went to make myself a smoothie and I opened my can of "Coco Lopez" expecting cream of coconut to be in it since that IS what the label claimed was in the can but no no no, wouldn't you know it... it did not have the cream of coconut that is clearly printed on its label. Oh no.... it had something so detestable it is hard for me to even mention...inside this unassuming can was tomato soup!! For those of you that do not know how much I absolutely hate tomatoes let me break it down for you. When I was a little girl I did not like tomatoes at all. My parents left me home with a babysitter one night who made me eat tomatoes. I told her that I did not like them but she would not listen so being the intelligent little girl that I was (apparently not smart enough to spit them into a napkin first and then later dispose of them) I decided to spit them out in the trashcan when she went to answer the phone. She then proceeded to make me eat them out of the trashcan. From then on I have been disgusted from the smell, sight of tomatoes or even thought of tomatoes. I ironically do like ketchup, tomato sauce for pasta and pizza. However, I am now allergic to tomatoes and can not have any of the things I actually like.
So now you may understand how upset I became when I found tomato soup in my cream of coconut can. Brandon could do nothing but laugh at the situation but I am seriously irritated and disappointed at it. I can not find a customer service number on the can but i do plan to do a little research to find someone (at the company not just you) to complain to. I guess my life is not so bad if this is all I have to complain about so far in 2008.

Catch Up Time

2007-12-31T12:53:00.000-05:00

So the world's worst blogger is going to try to catch you up on the past 6 months in one post so try to stay with me for the next few minutes...
Let's see...
July- God blessed me with an amazing new job, teaching 2nd grade at a local Christian school! It was a total "God thing" that I got this job. Everything is in his timing.
August- School starts.. I love working my students, I think I learn more from them then they do from me. We have lots of fun in class; we laugh, dance and sing at least one time a day. I love working with kids that I can be goofy around. Second grade is a great age to teach. We took a trip to Atlanta to go to Dack and Molly's pre-wedding party. The first night we stayed in a little cabin a few hours outside of ATL. Then we went and stayed with Dack's sister in their mansion. It was great for Brandon to finally meet my friend Dack. We had a wonderful time and Brandon was able to see where I grew up for the first time.
September- A few of our friends got married. Slim and Laura's wedding was amazing! That same day my old friend Dack Patrick and his beautiful fiance got married in Georgia.
We also participated in Habitat for Humanity this month. We had a great time learning how to roof. We are going to roof our house next.
I'm not sure if Brandon has posted anything about the bee situation that we have on our hands. There is a giant hive underneath our house. Did you know that honey smells like mashed potatoes?
October- Bro's parents come into town from Seattle. It was nice to have the family come into town. They were able to see our home for the first time.
November- Busy month! At school we had a Harvest Party, wow these kids get wild on sugar.
We had a training in Orlando for school- it was nice to be able to hang out with my friend Pav, it had been way to long since we had seen each other. From Orlando... Sarah F. and I drove up to Savannah to have Thanksgiving up there. While I was driving up my dad was driving down to help Brandon put a fence in our backyard. (my parents had bought us a fence for an early Christmas present). Brandon and my dad drove up to Savannah together a day before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was nice...we had lunch at my mother's house with my parents, sister and her family, Brad J. and Dale. That night we drove out to my dad's house for family pictures (hmmm... I haven't seen those yet). We visited with family for a few more days and then we left to come back home to see our kids. It had been a over a week since I had seen my kids.
December- It has flown by! I can not believe that it is the last day of the month much less the year. The end of the quarter came very quickly at school. We had the great opportunity of doing a ministry project for a couple of nursing homes. My students did a great job of picking out presents for the seniors that we adopted, their families are very generous. The last week of school we went to two Senior homes and sang Christmas carols. It was a great experience for all of us. My parents and Dale came into town to spend Christmas with us. We had a good time and I am very thankful that they rent a condo for the two weeks because as you may have already read we did not have water. For my birthday I got a massage, pedicure and haircut. My parents also treated us to a nice seafood dinner and a Christmas play at the Sanibel Playhouse. We had a lot of fun. It is amazing to live in a place where you can go to the beach on Christmas Day.
Well... I think that is about it for now. I may add some more later.

We are looking forward to the new year!

Be Patient and He will deliver

2007-12-27T13:08:00.000-05:00

We FINALLY have water after being without a well for 10 days!!! So now that you know that let me tell you how we got there....

Long long ago in a land far far away.......wait wrong story.

I noticed that our pump was cycling a lot and went down to check it. Come to find out, through rigorous investigation, that the pump itself was leaking!

So my fabulous in-laws and a co-workers father assisted in helping me put in a new pump.

Man, the Lord provides!!!!!!

Well....that didn't fix it. Then we replaced the pressure storage tank.

That did not help either. Slightly getting discouraged now........

So lets check the check valve and replace that too while we are at it.

Still no water.......so we take a day long break for Christmas. First thing Wednesday morning my very helpful Mother in law got on the old horn and found a nice gentlemen willing to come out and take a look at it.

After an hour he fixed it!!

Now this is the part that is the hardest for me........the problem with the WHOLE system was that the pump stitch was on the incorrect voltage. All I had to do was open the back of the pump and turn a switch!*&^$

For a moment, I felt like less of a man but then I realized that God only gifted my knowledge to a certain extent and I needed to rely on him for the rest and know that help can come in the most amazing ways.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-26T21:01:00.000-05:00

Yes it has been a long time since we posted but you know how the rush is around this time. I will try to fill you in on all the details in coming weeks.

Merry Christmas!

Church this past Sunday

2007-10-30T09:08:00.001-04:00

I am going to have to agree with Carly on this one. What an amazing day.

Read all about it here.

Definitely could not have said it better!

Things be be thankful for

2007-10-18T13:10:00.000-04:00

I actually had this thought the other day and it looks as though Miss Gillian beat me to posting it. I was on my way to work and thinking about how fortunate I am to have all that God has blessed me with. It put me in a really good mood for my day. Well that was just enough to upset the co-worker who was with me. Yeah I said it. They were actually annoyed that I was in a great mood. It only continued to get worse when I tried to let my overflow of joy to influence a customer. A lady walks into my store (A slightly known shop of the coffee variety) and so I greeted her with a smile and a big hello. The kind of welcome that you get when you walk into a neighborhood shop that you have gone to for years. The lady was more than annoyed she looked at me in anger and says in a nasty voice,

"What are you selling today....LIFE!"

"Nope, this is just the way I always am"

Man did I miss my opportunity to tell her about Jesus

My first response was to be frustrated for her raining on my thankful parade. But then after a minute or two of dealing with her I began to feel sorry for her. Heck yeah I was selling life. Why wouldn't I? My God saved me and why shouldn't I tell everyone about it or at least how grateful I am because of it. So my heart sunk for that woman and my co-worker. I knew it wasn't me but their lives that were so bad or mis-shapened was the real issue. Man, this is why God has placed me in my circle of accountability.

Just a thought.

Cutest kids in the whole world

2007-10-12T14:50:00.000-04:00

Her are our best friends in the whole world....Yes these kids are the greatest kids to hang out with in the whole world. These are Jim and Tara Murphy's beautiful children that have blessed our lives over the last couple years. Even though they have moved to Syracuse, NY to follow the call to lead a vision, we still call and talk to the kids (as often as we remember) to tell them we love them and that we will see them soon. I talked to Evan (the oldest) a couple days ago and he asked if I was coming up on a big airplane soon....TEAR....

Evan and Aidan playin trains

A Smile that would melt anyones heart
Ashlynn Murphy

This little girl that has recently joined the Murphy clan and God has used her to grab my heart strings to really show me how truly unbelievable He is.

Just a random bit of info for everyone out there.

We miss them....

The Word is Out

2007-09-29T13:39:00.000-04:00

I think the word is out in our neighborhood that our home is a safe house for animals. I love almost all animals and have since I was a little girl but this situation is getting a little ridiculous. Several months ago we noticed a little honey bee nest under our house which at first I thought was really cool. Now that little nest probably has 10,000 bees living in it and has grown to about 3 feet wide and 2.5 feet long (come to find out the man that removed it said we had 80,000 to 100,000 bees and 200 pounds of honeycomb). Yeah it is huge and it makes it a little hard to mow the lawn, cut down the invasive trees in the front yard, and not to mention go under our house to get things out . By the way the nest/bees smell like mashed potatoes... yeah I know kinda strange. You would think that it would smell like honey but it doesn't. We would love to have them moved (not killed) but it is really expensive. Hopefully we will be able to do something about that situation soon.
We have also had a spotted skunk hanging out around our house. When I saw him/her come out of the rocks it was the first time I had ever seen one in real life. They are beautiful! Did you know that they can spray up to 20 feet of stinkiness? But do not worry they warn you first by doing a hand stand. We can tell when it is around because of the musky smell.
I have also recently found a baby black racer snake, they are really cute and they actually look like a baby red corn snake when they are little.
Another cool animal that we have had was a glass lizard. Its body looks like a snake but it is a lizard. The vibrant blues that are on this animal are amazing.
And of course I can not forget the gecko family that lives on our front porch. They always welcome us home at night.
I am glad that the word is out in the neighborhood that our place is a safe haven for all different types of animals.

P.S. None of these pics are mine. I never seem to have a camera around when I see these cool things. I'm not sure why we never took any pictures of the bees.

Worst Blogger Ever!

2007-09-29T13:35:00.000-04:00

I am the worst blogger ever! I was all excited about setting up this blog and I haven't been keeping up with it at all. For all of you (I should say the few of you) that read our blog I will do my best to catch you up on what has been happening in our life and write at least once a week to keep you up to date.

Touche Slacker

2007-09-27T12:25:00.000-04:00

Hmmmmmmmm.........yeah don't really know where to begin but let me try. In our limited ability to actually see this compass that we talk about to the left I felt called to step down form my position as an Assistant Store Manager and become a less demanding shift supervisor at a store closer to home. So I now work 4 miles from home and have a ten times less stressful position. The move from one store to another closer to home has freed me up to spend a ton more time teaching in KiDZONE (our k-5 ministry) and leading a middle school small group. My fabulous wife has started her new job at First Baptist Academy as a second grade teacher and is doing an smashing job if i might say so myself. (Just for Mr. Jones) Though she has been putting in long hours in the first couple weeks it has been great for her as well to be closer to home. We have fallen into a great routine between work and both leading out small groups. She leads 9-10th grade girls on Wednesday nights as well. Pretty much our life for now. Stay tuned for ramblings of a Christian man.

Slacker.I.Am? or Slacker.We.Are? or Way too busy for our own good? All of the above!

2007-09-20T15:44:00.001-04:00

WOW! So how lame are we that it has been this long since we posted? I don't even think anybody really reads our blog anyway with the exception of the new MRS.GILLIAN and Mrs. Jones. For those of you who don't know these lovely two ladies, Laura Gillian just got married to my favoritist friend known only by "SLIM". He is also very slim! Congrats bro I am very proud of you! Carly Jones is a fellow colleague of my wife's and a fabulous art teacher. Her hubby is the ever hairy Mr. Jones. Don't really know his first name because he is always referred too as Mr..........Jones and me.......sorry Counting Crows reference. Anyway, back too life here on the Owen home front. As usual a ton has transpired since our last post. I don't even know where to begin. Perhaps I will leave it to a second post to begin to tell you so that I will be bothered to post it by our adorable fans. Just maybe..........

Another Blast from the Past

2007-09-10T14:23:00.000-04:00

What can I say we were popular this month. Back in July when Al came so did one of my best friends in the whole entire world. Jeff Annillo and his wonderful wife Natalie stopped in South Florida to say hi before they took off to be missionaries for Christ in the jungle of Costa Rica. We had such a blast with the two of them while they were here. Jeff and I grew up together in Mukilteo, Washington (Yes that is a real place) we went to middle school and high school together and basically spent every waking moment together. Except for the year I thought I was too cool to be his friend because of a girl, but that is a whole different blog. Jeff and Natalie are a true testament to the love and faithfulness of God. They serve at an orphanage in Costa Rica. Check out their blog below and also on our Favorites list.

www.EzekielTwo.blogspot.com

Crave Student Ministry for 8.15.07

2007-08-15T11:52:00.000-04:00

For students who read our blog I know it has been a long time since we posted anything but this is important. Remember that this week we will be meeting at Estero Community Park for a Field Day Event. It will be at 7pm and will last until 830pm. Don't forget to wear clothes that can get wet and/or dirty. Bring as many friends as possible to help your Field Day to be a blast.

Directions are below:
Estero Community Park

A face only a dog owner could love

2007-08-13T14:18:00.000-04:00

I randomly took this the other day and had to share it.
"How cute am I? Makes you want to pet me doesn't it. I even shake if you want."

How to be sexy with a hair net

2007-07-23T14:08:00.000-04:00

So when we were on our weekend mission trip with our student ministry to Give Kids the World in Orlando, my group had the greatest job ever of serving food for the whole day. As you can see here we had a little bit of fun in our kitchen attire. First Alaina and I put ours on and had a little fun with it so that the kids wouldn't think it was too dorky to wear it all. Well that didn't work because as you can see I look like a total dork. Cody, Michael and I had fun with it anyway and total made serving food in a hair net sexy again.

It's Amazing what Southwest can drag in!

2007-07-18T13:47:00.000-04:00

So I get a random call from a number that I do not recognize. Now normally I do what any person does who has caller ID, I let it go to voice mail and if they are important then they leave a message, but in this instance I felt like I needed to answer. I say hello and the first thing I hear is "BRO?" Now if you don't know me more than a little bit then you won't know that this is my nickname since I was 3 yrs old because it is my initials. So now I am curious who is on the other side of this anonymous phone call. I say "Yes" and then I hear a name that I hadn't heard in at least 6 years, "Its ALDO."
Alan Kuntz has been a family friend for almost a decade and my high school youth group leaders husband. He had practically put up with me the entire way through high school. Which again for anybody who knows me it is amazing he still would want talk to me. He is a retired Naval Pilot and now flies planes for Southwest Airlines. How cool is that!
So Aldo (His nickname and fighter pilot call sign(Again, so Cool)) tells me he is going to be flying into Ft Myers for the night and would love to hang out. So I cleared my schedule so that we could catch up. I could not wait to share with Aldo all the ways the Lord had been faithful in my life. Of course first off he had never met my beautiful wife and he would be the first person west of the Mississippi to see our house. The most amazing thing that we got to share over dinner was how God was doing a mighty work here in SW Florida for his name through the local churches and how he was allowing us to be apart of it.
Aldo and his wife Michelle were such an amazing influence in my life that I couldn't begin to explain it. They are the kind of people that God puts into your life and it isn't until you look back later and truly realize how God had put them there to help guide and direct your life. Having Aldo visit has really has shown me how appreciative I am for the people who laid the foundation of my faith, even though the building didn't go up til years later. As a leader in a student ministry it has shown me the importance of pressing on even when you think they aren't listening.

Off to Get a Lawn Mower

2007-07-18T11:51:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we decided to go to Lowe's to buy a lawn mower. The truth of the matter is that we have lived in our home for almost a year without one and well our grass is getting a little long. Yes, we have mowed it a few times in the past year thanks to Tommy who let us borrow his mower. But now that rainy season is upon us our yard is in need of some serious help! The dogs don't even like to go in the yard because the grass tickles their bellies. Okay... back to the Lowe's story. When we got their we checked out several lawnmowers and finally decided on getting an electric one. Neither one of us have ever owned an electric mower but we thought that it may be more cost effective and better for the environment. So we loaded up the lawn mower onto the big blue cart and decided to go look at fan blades. Doesn't sound too exciting but you just wait.... As we rolled passed lighting Dennis, a Lowe's employee, caught our attention as he begged us to buy some lights. Lights! We don't need any lights but who can pass up a good deal? We ended up buying three outdoor lights. After I haggled Dennis down to a good price we got two for $10 (originally $40 a piece) and one for the front porch for $10 (originally $70). For all you non mathematicians out there... we saved $130!!! Pretty good for just going to buy a lawn mower. Dennis actually had to walk us to the register because he new they wouldn't believe the price he gave us.

Check out the pictures of the before and after light fixtures. Not too bad for $5! If you are in the need of light fixtures outside or inside your home get to Lowe's in Estero and talk to Dennis.

Our Kids

2007-07-17T14:34:00.000-04:00

I feel so bad that we do not have hardly any stories or pictures of or kids up here. No we do not have "real" kids yet but our dogs are as close as we are going to get for while. They are good practice and I suggest to any couple that are thinking about having children to purchase a dog first. So I will attempt to tell you a little bit about each of our babies....

Well first there is Breezy, a blond lab!! I rescued her from an abusive home when she was almost a year old. She will be turning 10 on November 10 this year. She is the best dog that I have ever had. She put up with living with me in a dorm for three years and traveled around the country with me for 3.5 months. She was even in our wedding! She is very sweet, energetic, smart, loyal and my best friend. I think one of her best tricks is her amazing ability to catch Frisbees in the air.

And then there is Harley, which Brandon has already told you a little about. He is a Treeing Walker Coon hound, which is really just a beagle on stilts. He is very smart when he wants to be. He is curious, a scary cat, a mamma's boy, snuggle bunny, hyper, and a huge bed hog (when he is allowed in the bed). He has turned out to be just the big dog that we wanted him to be... well except for when he gets into things.

We are blessed to have such wonderful dogs and are very thankful that they are ours. When we go out of town we have "uncles" and "aunts" that come and watch them for us in our home. We know that they miss us when we are gone but they also love spending time with their "aunts" and "uncles" because they spoil them more than we do.

House Painting

2007-07-17T09:30:00.000-04:00

So over the last two weeks we have decided to paint our house that we have lived in for the past year. We spent three hours at Home Depot deciding on paint colors and then on how to do what we wanted to do. Alaina and I have always wanted to do overlapping squares that we had seen on Trading Spaces. However, we didn't have the first clue on how to do them so we just went for it. We did ask the lady at the Depot paint counter if she had any ideas first. She was nice and helpful. So below you will see some before, during and after photos. I apologize ahead of time for two things: I do normally wear a shirt and for some reason every time that Alaina took a picture I was not wearing one; also, anyone who paints and knows how to do this in an easier way please contact us or post a comment on how to because this took FOREVER!! It was worth it though.
On the left is the first piece that we did in the family room. Then below that is the beginning of our square scramble on the adjacent wall in the family room. In the middle is the finished product. Then we did the living room in blue squares and rectangles. Below is the taping off and then below is the finished product with our painting in it.

What a dog can teach you about God

2007-07-16T10:17:00.001-04:00

So yesterday was Sunday and as always we leave for church around 745 am. As usual we leave our dogs inside to sleep and have a nice cool environment because in Florida the heat index is above 100 right now. For those of you who have ever met Harley (seen here on the right) you may think this is clinical insanity, but he has been staying inside since we returned from Italy and has faired pretty well until today. So because we treat our dogs as though they are our kids and lavish them with staying inside to sleep and relax without heat exhaustion, we sometimes pay the price..... Sooo we go to church and return home around 1230ish lets just say. I open the door to find scraps of paper on the floor just to the right on the door... I didn't mean that to rhyme. The first thought is, Harley must have gotten in the trash and pulled out a few paper towels, NOT THE CASE. Upon further opening the door we find that the dogs (but more than likely my overly large stupid coonhound Harley) have completely obliterated my black journal. Again, for those of you who have ever seen me in Florida you know that over the last six months I have carried around a little black journal, almost to the point of awkwardness because I take it EVERYWHERE. I have become in my own mind the guy who brings his journal with him wherever he may go and needs to write down all the little details his failing brain wont carry. How did I become that guy? Odd...... Anyway back to the story. This journal contained all the sermons that I had heard since January 1, personal bible study notes, ramblings of an odd character(that would be me), fence dimensions for my house, and the list could go on for paragraphs. Now part of me says big deal it was only six months of your life and it is only a book of paper. My flesh and the part of me that lives in this possession driven society says I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT MY DOG JUST ATE MY LIFE!!!!!!! When in reality it wasn't my life. See after all the anger and frustration and despair wore off I came to a realization in that moment. Now I have know this truth for sometime now but Christ really brought it to my attention after this. "I am your life" he said. No matter how much I write in that book it will never be my life. Christ died on the cross to purchase my life and I owe it all to him. Now I know this seems like a stretch but how many of us do this in our daily lives with things that maybe more or less important than a little black journal. At the end of the day what is more important than the God of the universe sending his son to die on a cross so that you and I could have life and life to the fullest.

Italy Day Two

2007-07-09T16:38:00.000-04:00

Ok, well now that I have found a few moments in this hectic three weeks we will continue on with our Italy trip. So the second day started out a little later than the rest of the week because we had an exhaustingly long day before. So we slept in and then decided to spend the day putzing around Sorrento. We drove in to town down the treacherous winding road of ....well lets just say Fun. Once in town we walked to the Piazza Tasso which is the main piazza in town. That does say PIAZZA not PIZZA, I know I thought it did the first couple times I said it. The piazza is basically a round about with all these great shops and cafes to eat all around. Yes that little yellow square in the center is the round about. It was utter madness with all the cars and scooters. I mean there was only 6 roads that came into the square so it wasn't a major intersection or anything. Well from the piazza we took a side street to do some shopping and general browsing around the town. What we had already known was that Sorrento was known for its limoncello which is a lemon based liqueur. It is so popular because of the massive lemon fields they have all over the place but we still weren't ready for the actual size of the lemons. LOOK AT THAT THING!!!! It was gigantic. Of course right after this the vender came over and told us not to touch his fruit. All the venders that sold food were like this. Which I totally understand but there were also flies on the fruit as well.......ehh whatever. So we spent the rest of the day making sure to touch no more fruit and visiting the local Chiesa which is Italian for church. So beautiful. At one of the local churches it over looked the entire port of Sorrento. it was here that Alaina and I found one of the biggest pine trees we had ever seen. Yeah that's right we are big dorks. We took this silly photo of the two of us standing in front of it to show how big it was but it is bad enough that I am talking about it let alone post a picture of it. Besides, we still hadn't gotten our luggage so I was wearing my sisters Montana State baseball shirt that was slightly too small. We walked around the rest of the day just doing a ton of window shopping and planning out where to eat. When we got back to the hotel at sunset this was our view. Man did we love Italy! I couldn't dare finish this post without telling you of the amazingly unforgettable evening at dinner. We asked our host, Antonio, if he knew any good places to eat. He told us of this little place down the road called Don Pedro's that we had seen on the way up. So we decided to take his advice. Imagine the best family owned and operated Mediterranean restaurant in your life and you still wont come close. Don Pedro himself brought all the catches of the day directly to the table. Freshes fish I had seen in awhile. The lobster was still alive! We had a blast of an evening while Don Pedro and his family entertained us. (If you have never been to Italy dinner doesn't start until 9pm in the majority of the places around town. We got there at 830 and we didn't leave until 1130.) After we had ordered they brought our fish fresh off the grill without even skinning it. We were a little worried but they skinned it and de-boned it right at our table. Then they poured the lemon butter sauce over the top. Don Pedro's son did waited on us all night and you would not believe that he looked identical to a young John Travolta. LOOK! Ok maybe not the best shot but still you can tell. Needless to say we didn't do anything but go home and crash after such an outstanding evening. Sorry that the blog is so long but this day was so fun filled that I had to share. Check out Don Pedro's website as well as our hotel below.

Don Pedro's
Residence Le Terrazze

Trip to Italy

2007-06-24T16:35:00.001-04:00

For those of you who don't know Alaina and I recently went to Italy in May. As you can all see I was feeling a little excited and mischievous while at the airport in Savannah. Little did I know that within a couple of hours I would be dumbfounded over the fact that our plane we were suppose to catch was broken and that we weren't going to make our connecting flight to D.C. and on into Rome. As always though, Alaina and I used the opportunity to show the same grace that Christ has shown us. While other people were mad at the gate attendants about the situation we sat back and looked for every possibility to get into Rome the same day we were originally suppose to. God, however, had other plans and we ended up with a Hotel voucher for what turned into a sweet hotel and a flight into Rome 22 hours later than our original flight. Upon arriving in Rome we spent the first two hours explaining to a sweet Italian lady that our luggage was in D.C. and it would soon be arriving. After that whole situation was taken care of we enjoyed the next two hours of an Auto Strada ride to Sorrento. Nothing excites Richard (My Step Father) more than being able to drive at whatever speed he wants. The only problem being that he complained periodically about was the fact that the Ford Focus diesel STATION WAGON, with five people in it, didn't have enough "get up and go." The ride down was a good time to catch up with my family and really see what different parts of Italy were like. The second best part of the trip was our first food experience at an Auto Grill. These places are basically roadside service stations with a cafeteria style eatery attached. This was the craziest place I had ever been. Imagine being in somewhere that you don't speak their language and couple hundred people all around you bumping into you and in the middle of all this you are trying to figure out how to order a tiny little panini from and funny looking man in a white jacket and hair net. Let's forget the fact that I have personal space issues for a moment and focus on the fact that non of us have any idea what to order or if it is going to be safe to eat. Well, needless to say we made it out ok and enjoyed our food after I got over my personal bubble violation alarm going haywire. Upon making it to Naples and down the coast to Sorrento this was our first view of the city. Not bad for an "out the car window with hand as high in the air and in between large buses" shot. Trust me the other 58 didn't turn out as well. Thank goodness for digital cameras. The ensuing ride through the city was a trip all on its own. With mopeds and cars driving everywhere with no real apparent laws or regard for others, we spent the entire ride through with our breath held. Opening our moths only to let a gasp or a squeak of disbelief that an accident hadn't just occurred. After an hour or so of trying to find our hotel we finally found it at the top of the windiest road in most of southern Italy. But the view was totally worth it. We could not believe that this was our hotel. Not bad for en internet find! From here we unpacked and headed into town for a bite to eat and a good nights rest.

The Compass is pointing....?

2007-06-23T16:22:00.000-04:00

So which way is the compass pointing now? It is like we are at a crossroad trying to figure out which direction to take but all the letters on the compass have disappeared. It seems that I'm impatient and that we have one of those fancy compasses that only work in complete dark... so we wait for complete darkness (which I'm praying is soon, because it feels that the sun has already set) so that His light will tell us where to go next. We have faith that He will show us the way to go.

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." Psalms 32:8