1 of 52!

What??!!....another post from this crazy lady with numbers in the title?!!

NO!...no no no, it's not that at all...I've decided to officially participate in the "52 Weeks" challenge to post a picture once a week for a year that actually has me IN it! (for a change, since I am the photographer in the family.)

So, without further ado....

*drum roll please!*

TA - DA!....Here's me!!







That's me with DS9 and DS7, in Epcot on our last night in WDW last September. A really nice CM who was passing by offered to take a picture of the three of us!

91!

91??....What's that about?, you may be asking yourself. Please, allow me to enlighten you....

You see, I have determined that 91 degrees is a perfect summer day to me!

Ok, ok, a bit of a letdown, I know....but that's what it is! lol! I was at my dad's earlier today, and he has an indoor-outdoor thermometer. The outside temp was registering 91, and I gave it some consideration when we went out for lunch. I was enjoying it. The air is muggy but bearable, and it just felt nice to be out there. Now granted I wasn't running a marathon or laying down a black asphalt roof or anything!...but just being outside was very pleasant.

It also occured to me that when we have been at Disney World in September, the temperature has averaged 91. I always loved the weather when we've been on those trips. I actually enjoy the feel of the heat rising up off the pavement, like between Innoventions in Future World at Epcot, or the looooong trek around World Showcase!

So, I have come to the precise conclusion that 91 degrees is my perfect temperature.

And so with that bit of useless information, I have sucessfully taken 60 seconds of your life that you can now never get back!! lol!

But at least you know what 91 is all about....

"Umm....Excuse me?....

.....I think there's been some sort of a misunderstanding, because this I did NOT sign up for this!"



Well life has been getting interesting lately, to say the least. I'm wondering how much longer it can go on like this before one of us completely snaps. I should preface my rant with the disclaimer that at no time prior to this move did I have rose-colored-glasses visions of this perfect life in paradise. Vacation in Florida does not equal life in Florida. I realize that. But had I known it was going to go this awfully wrong, I would still be in NH, living in my in-law's basement.

No, actually, I should be at a camp in Texas.....But don't even get me started on that.....

We've been here almost 2 months now, and at this point I feel like I'm just waiting for the bottom to drop out from under us. It's already very unstable, so it's just a matter of time. I keep waiting for the Lord to intervene, to do some great "thing" and bring us up and out of this pit of despair. But so far, He hasn't. I know He's been with us all along this journey, and I have no doubt He's with us now, but He's been so terribly still. So quiet. I have learned quite a bit in the last couple of months - the details are fodder for another chapter entirely - and maybe that's the point of all this. No experience is ever wasted if you can get something out of it. One thing I will say I have come to terms with is that "stuff" is just that and can really weigh person down. At whatever point we leave this house, I'll be bringing fully half of what I arrived with. What a waste of time, effort and space to have brought it this far!!

At this point we are looking into "what next," because I believe you have to use wisdom in life as well as faith. The Bible is full of admonition to "get wisdom!" Had we put our feeble wisdom to better use 2 months ago, I'd be in Texas right now and my husband would have all the work he could handle and then some....

But I digress....



I love Florida, I really do. But it's not coming together for us at all. As my husband put it recently, everyone and his brother is a handyman looking for work around here. Manufacturing is out, and between those two options lie the realm of his experience. He's never sat behind a desk and entered data into a computer. That's not his style at all. He's a hands-on, get-good-n-dirty and fix it kind of guy! At this point we can make our June house payment, courtesy of my dad, but come July?? No clue. We are talking about re-activating our profile with the camping organization and see if we get any bites there again.

But I can tell you with utmost certainty, if the Lord does not intervene here in Florida, or we don't get any more leads with a camp somewhere, come July, I will, indeed, be living in my in-law's basement, in NH....

And the Rain, Rain, Rain Came Down Down Down...

...in rushing, rising rivlets...

'Til the river crept out of its bed,
And crept right into Piglets...!


Such a rainy week here in Florida! I will say one thing, the heaviest rain we had in NH never came close to the way it falls down here! Brings new meaning to "tropical downpour." The state has needed it, to be sure, but so much at once, day after day...I feel like I should be building another ark!

The huge cactus behind our house finally bloomed though! The blooms apparently don't last long, though, so I'm glad I went out and snapped these pictures one morning, despite the rain:

Life without TV

We don't currently have the TV hooked up at our house. Since DH doesn't have a steady job/income yet, we are really pinching pennies and honestly, TV is a "luxury" and nothing more. I suppose if we hooked up some rabbit ears or some foil and an old wire coat hanger, we might still pull in a few local stations, but can't do that after June 12th anyway, so it's a mute point. But as for cable or satellite, we can't justify spending that money right now.

Had you asked me 6 months ago to give up TV entirely, I would have balked at it and probably laughed outright! But, living without it now by necessity, I find I am not missing it like I thought I would. The biggest "gap" for me is not having news to watch while I'm in the kitchen getting dinner ready. I especially like to keep up with the weather that way. What surprises me the most is that the kids are not complaining about having no TV!!! Now there's a shocker!! lol!

Actually, we all find that - surprise! - there are actually a lot of other neat things to do! DH and I have been reading a lot more. The kids are playing outside more (admittedly helped by the nice Florida weather) and using Legos and drawing and such. We still have our collection of videos and DVDs, and will pop those in once in a while, but everything we own is wholesome and family-friendly, too!

Now, ask me to give up my Internet....That's a whole other story! ;)

Gospel for Asia

I wanted to dedicate a post to an organization that is not new to me, but that we RE-newed to me today during our church service. It is Gospel for Asia and if you have a heart for the lost at all, I encourage you to check them out and PRAY.

The founder, K.P. Yohannan, spoke at our church today. I've heard missionary messages before, but his brought me to tears. I chalk that up to the urging of the Holy Spirit; I consider myself to be a compassionate person, but when the Lord really wants to impress something on your heart, He doesn't waste time! Of course we can respond or not, that is our choice. But I can't ignore the plight of these people. Many, if not most, of the people who GFA helps and ministers to are the Dalits, or "Untouchables"...the lowest class in the caste system...and considered by upper-classes to be sub-human and a contamination to society. Can you imagine being a little child and trying to grow up in a world like that?

I can't "go" there myself, but others can, and do. As a matter of fact they have quite a few native missionaries there, those who grew up right in the heart of the country they now serve in. Often they are the most effective, I think.

Before we left church today, I filled out the sponsership card and stopped by the table that was full of photos and info packets on kids in this most impoverished part of the world. It was a big step of faith for me to commit to sponsoring a child right now, but compared to how these children live, I may as well be a queen in a palace. God moved on my heart and I trust Him for the provision.



"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven." ~Matthew 18:10-11~

Hey, LegoMom!....

....you just sold some stuff on eBay!....what are you gonna do now?!




"I'm going to DISNEY WORLD!!"


Well, for a day, anyway. Yes, that's right...one little day.

But hey!...I can go for "a day!" Up and back! In the same day!!

I had money put aside for passes for all 5 of us, but alas it was consumed in The Move. Which just depresses the heck outta me..... But, it just means I've got to save up again, which I'll do. Summer black-out season is coming anyway - when it's too hot and too crowded to go. So, hopefully by September, I'll be ready!

But, in the meantime, I have a gals-only day coming up that I am SOOO excited for! A couple of friends from New England are coming down for a long weekend and they've asked me to join them for a day! I'm going on their Epcot day. This serves two purposes: 1) I can see the Flower & Garden festival before it goes, and 2) I can use said festival as a deterrent to my kids and explanation as to why Mom is going to Disney without them! lol! I keep telling them Yes, I'm going to Epcot, but I'm meeting two other ladies and we're seeing the Flower and Garden stuff. It's kind of working....

However, given our current financial state, I had to dig out some old treasures and blow the dust off and put 'em up for sale on eBay in order to afford this day out. One day at Disney may as well be a week!! Oy. But I digress. Right now, I need this trip. This one, golden day in the sun, as it were. A day to be free, to escape reality, to be in my favorite place in the whole world....

Yep, I'm going to like living this close just fine....!