I've been tagged

So I am new to this whole tagging thing and thought this one I could do. So here are 8 things you didn't know about me...


1. I do not like being away from my home. Sounds generic, but I am a true home body and love the feel I get when I enter my own house.

2. I was adopted at 3 months old. I was a Christmas present to my parents.

3. I secretly want a 5th child. Someday I know God will either fill that void with either another child or something else.

4. I haven't read an entire book since our trip to Mexico in 2004. I have two different books I have started reading, but haven't had the time to finish. I am tired and ready for bed once all the kids are in bed.

5. I love gardening. I started my very first garden and am now an expert. Yeah right!!! I love the thought of eating something we grew ourselves.

6. I would love to change cars every 2 years. Since growing up with a car dealer for a dad...I have had the opportunity to try different cars. I am my husbands worst nightmare!!!

7. I do not like cooking everyday. I like cooking occasionally, especially for parties, but to think of things everyday for every meal, I could do with out that.

8. I still have my little blankie since I was little girl. I have it underneath our bed. No I don't sleep with it anymore, but I haven't had the heart to throw it away.


So those are my things...since I only know a few of you blogging girls I have no one to tag. So it stops with me. Sorry girls!!!

A Heavy Heart

Just recently a 7 year old little girl Rachel passed away of cancer, specifically Ewing Sarcoma http://www.caringbridge.org/mn/rachelhansen/. I have been following her caring bridge website for a year now and even though she lives in Minnesota I feel that I have known her and her family all my life. I also know of a little boy Joshua who has had this same cancer, but thankfully he has been cancer free for 1 1/2 years.

Rachel's mom is a strong Christian woman who believed with her heart that there was going to be an Earthly Healing of Rachel. They had been through so much, and yet at the end of every entry ' whether a good day or bad,she thanked God for improvements of Rachel and that Satan wouldn't get his hold on Rachel. I recently read a journal entry about Rachel seeing angels. Rachel has been telling her mom that angels have been watching her and protecting her. She said that there are always angels around and she could actually see them all. Her mom wasn't real sure if she was pulling her leg or not, but soon finds out that Rachel is very specific in her thoughts.

So why am I writing a downer of a post...well for you to remember that angels are always around protecting us and keeping us company. We may not see them, but as my pastor would say...Faith is not seeing, but believing. I truly believe this and thank God everyday for the beautiful children I have and their health too!

Take a moment today to say a little prayer for Rachel's family and also...

Love deeply…Hug often…Speak kindly…Forgive quickly…Love deeply (quote from Joshua's mom)

Viva Las Vegas

Well it has been awhile since I was last able to update the blog. But with the recent trip to Las Vegas, I felt compelled to share our amazing trip.

Jake and I decided to spend our 10 year anniversary at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. We were able to go for 4 days and 3 nights. We went to see two shows, Jay Leno and Danny Gans. I have to say the Danny Gans is AWESOME. Jake and I were laughing so hard my makeup was running. We did run into one celebrity. Yes, David Hasselhoff was having a good time in Vegas. He obviously believes in the slogan "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas".

We didn't gamble much, I however did the penny slots and won $10. I had only been playing for 5 minutes and used only $1. Not bad I say. We really aren't big gamblers anyway, so walking around and seeing the other hotels was more fun to us. And the pool of course!! It was 99 degrees the whole time we were there. We were able to start our summer tans early. Thank goodness we didn't burn. We used lots of sunscreen.

The first night we got there was the best night of all. Jake had made reservations for us at a nice place at the Bellagio. As we were waiting for the appetizer the waiter brought us two glasses of champagne. As we sat there looking outside I realized there was something in the bottom of my glass. I looked up at Jake and he had this sheepish grin. And then all of a sudden I realize it is a ring at the bottom and Jake is walking over to my side to the table. And just like he did December 1996, he got down on one knee and proposed all over again. And the funny thing is that he was just as nervous that night as he was 11+ years ago. It was a wonderful evening and made me think how lucky we are to be married 10years with 4 beautiful and healthy kids. God has blessed us in so many ways. And now a new house with a wonderful neighborhood. What could a girl ask for???

The Weekend in a Nutshell

Sydney and Matthew enjoying a ride with daddy



Well the "tackle" that I had planned on doing (the craft room) ended up taking a backseat to many other projects. With a new house it seems that there is more to do than what I can handle in a short amount of time. Thank goodness for my blogger friend Tami in her acceptance of not doing her "tackle it Tuesday". I have to give myself some GRACE when I am not able to get one thing done, but many others are done. (thanks Tami)

With that said here is the retaining wall we tackled this weekend. I didn't realize how many rocks we have here. So instead of hand digging (which we did for half of a day) we decided to rent an excavator. Oh how the kids enjoyed riding it with daddy. While that was being done I decided to put in a fountain in the front yard. But with the weather I haven't been able to totally complete it. So for now I will stay inside and try and "tackle" the craft room this week and hope that the job will get done by next week.

Before and after of the first retaining wall

My own little project still in the works but sounds great!!

The Fun has Begun

So we have been here for 4 1/2 weeks and we already had some neighbors over for dinner. We have met a really great family with three kids. Two of which are Matthew and Nicholas' age. The other one is just 2 years older than Sydney. It was nice to have them over for dinner.

We ended up having one malfunction to the evening. I planned on fixing bbq'd burgers and dogs for the kids and grilled chicken Caesar salad for my friend Christine and I, but the propane was out on the grill. Since Jake wasn't here to go fill it, I noticed my next door neighbor grilling salmon. Thank goodness he let me cook my food over there. Good thing his wife didn't mind waiting to eat cold salmon.

I can't tell you how great our neighborhood is. It is like living in your own community. You walk outside and there are kids everywhere. Sydney and Matthew don't have to ask "is there anyone around to play with?" There is such a great feeling knowing that you have someone to talk to all the time.

Anyway, the pictures are from the fun evening the kids had. I look forward to many more of these nights!

Tackle It Tuesday #1 The Craft Room

OK girls...since belonging to this whole Blog world I have been inspired to start Tackle it Tuesday. The project of getting our "Family Studio/Craft Room" has been a project I have wanted to do and has become a sight for sore eyes ever since we moved in. It tends to be the "drop off" for everything you can imagine. My goal by next Tuesday (I know you all do the whole picture before and after thing)is to be able to wrap presents, scrapbook, and let the kids do their thing with all the craft stuff imaginable. So with that said...I am now committed to getting it done since I have shown you what it really looks like today. Come back and check out my room next week.

Oh how do you find a church?

Since moving away from home the priority of finding a church as been #1. However, I have been at the same church back home since I was in jr high. So having to "shop" for a church has never been a issue. It is exciting to know that what ever church we end up at...it will be a place that my husband and I have found on our own. I have been on many websites to look at the doctrine and missions of most churches here in town. But I am not exactly sure what to look for. I suppose just going, hearing the pastor and the kids reaction will tell me if it is right or not. It is hard to have a family of 6 and try and please everyone. We have been to one church so far, and I am looking forward to visiting one this weekend. I have tried so hard not to compare to many things to our old church. But it can be daunting at times.

I am relying on prayer and the Holy Spirit to lead us in a direction that will be good for our whole family. But in the end I am sad to think that we may not find the fellowship of friends that we have had before. We must look ahead and know that God will show us the right church for us to belong to and also get involved in a small group. Through Faith and guidance we will find a church.