Exhausted....

I have many things to post. I cannot, however post them at this time. I must get dressed!! It is 11:46AM. NO, I didn't just get up. I was up at 3AM. No, I can't blame it on little Laura Ann. I plan to get dressed and empty at least one box today and I pray to be patient and loving though my mood does get less than beautiful with little sleep. I just posted a playlist/link to the song "Blessed Be Your Name", also the title of this blog. Listen and enjoy. It is a preview of a post that I look forward to writing in the future (after I catch up on many events!)
Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!! Sleep or no sleep!!
M

Trip to D.C.

The Wright Flyer
ME 262

(German Messerschmidt)

Airplanes, Kisses, and Milk

Well,the boys are off to D.C. Bill is taking the little guy to the Air and Space museum, particularly the WWII section today. I can't wait to post some pictures. A lot happened before the sun rose, the travelers were up and Will's cereal and milk were spilt all over the jeans that it took us 10 minutes to find. (They grow quickly at 7 and always seem to have their knees on the ground!) Well Will wasn't happy with a comment I made. I had just told Bill that I wasn't going to kiss him anymore. Yes, I said it. Well, Bill likes to conserve dishes. He had a snack of cereal last night and rinsed the bowl afterward and then used the same (dirty according to me) bowl this morning as I was trying to get a clean one out of the cabinet for him. It's not like we were camping or didn't have a clean bowl. It was milk! Will was just about to jump up to defend his buddy when his hip hit the straw part of his straw bowl and kaploosh! Well we found some other jeans that actually looked better.

Will loves all of us very much. I am particularly touched by how he loves his father. He has so much fun with him. "I'll ask Daddy, he'll know about this" is heard quite often around here. (I say it, too.) I love to see the boys worship in song together. I see them both tear up at about the same time. Bill does his best to include Will on projects. My heart is full as I just watched my guys pull out of the driveway for an adventure that I'm sure will not be forgotten. I am so thankful that I have a husband and father to my children that first and foremost is a man of God and from that flows his love for us. He shows father-like love to my little sister, too. He met her when she was two. He has taken her to Disney World, springs, etc... He takes time to counsel her and I hear him pray with Will every night for her. He wants his children well taken care of and is man enough to discipline them and actually LEAD this family, which is no easy task. (I've been told that I have a strong personality). Well I guess I've made my point, I could go on and on. Just one more thing, the smile that Laura Ann reserves for her Daddy. You should see how she reacts when he comes home.

So.... I will kiss him again and again and again. I think Will knows that, too. He has to see the light in my eyes as I look up at that tall handsome man.

Happy Independence Day!

The Best Of The Best

Yep, that's my boy with a Blue Angel Pilot. I am so thankful that my little guy got to meet and get autographs from most of them. He even got career advice from a couple of them. The Meet the Pilots night was by invitation only at the Saturn V area of the space center. We had Hors D'..... (Appetizers) heavy enough for supper and Will saw his first 3D movie. We had a blast! Laura was once again a great girl. We had to get another battery after church on Sunday. We had the minor inconvenience of having to be jumped off Saturday night. That was the first time in 15+ years of marriage that we were on that end of the jumper cables. Thankfully the Space Center had some kind of charge pack.

A quick note on your next breath. It is not guaranteed. Only God knows the number of our days. Every breath and heartbeat is from Him. The Sunday that we left Huntsville the air show was scheduled to wrap up. A storm burst blew in without warning. A little 5 year old boy died as the wind blew a generator over on him. If you are waiting to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, don't. It is just that simple. This is not scare tactic evangelism, just the truth.

What A Blessing!!!

We were blessed to be special guests for a weekend in Huntsville. PPG Aerospace and Red Eagle Air Sports invited Bill and his family. On Friday night we had dinner with other PPG and Delta families as well as the Red Eagle team of pilots and their families. I wish that I had the camera with me that night. It was wonderful! Dinner on top of a mountain! Those country club people sure know where to dine. It was Will's birthday and he was sung to twice, once with a cake and once with a special candlelit parfait. One of the Red Eagle Pilots pinned an airplane pin on him that night for his birthday. The above pictures were from Saturday's Air show. We saw Will's Red Eagle buddies perform as well as the Blue Angels and many others. The man holding Laura Ann is one of the pilots, the one that pinned Will. It sure is sweet to have the VIP bracelet at an air show. A tent with drinks and lunch right at the edge of the airfield can only be beat by the air conditioned tent that the airport authority had! The picture of Laura and I looking pooped was taken right after she nursed in absolutely the most challenging place ever. The wind was flapping the corner of the tent as airplanes flew by. I would not like to do that again!! She was a trooper though. She nursed but would look up at times when an airplane flew by. The stroller picture shows that she left the ear plugs in!! How funny. Thanks again for the great stroller Aunt J. I should have had ear muffs but who knows where they are and I had already packed the rest of the house!! My next post will be about our special meet the pilots night.

What a blessing indeed. Our vacation opportunities are few and far between and we greatly appreciate how God fashioned the perfect gift for our seven year old who would love to be a pilot!

Membership Has Its Priviledges

June 22nd

We are now members of the church that we have been worshipping at since about Sept 2007. We took the inquirer's class (the third in as many years) and did all of the required paperwork. I have just finished reading The Communion of Saints Edited by Ryken. In it he stresses the need to be a member of the church that you worship in. He likens involvement in a local church without becoming members to living together without getting married:

"Two people who only live together want the benefits of marriage without its safeguards. As a result, they lack the one thing that is crucial to a successful marriage (or to genuine sexual intimacy, for that matter): an unbreakable commitment to a mutual, inviolable covenant before God."

"The same might be said of regular attenders who never join the church. They lack an unbreakable commitment to the church and its ministry." (pg 54-55)

Well we are no longer living in Sin! We are now members.

Also from the book: "Martin Lloyd-Jones went so far as to describe church membership as 'the biggest honour which can come a man's way in this world.' There is no union with Christ apart from the communion of the saints. Nor can the saints have true communion without belonging to one another by belonging to Christ in his church. The communion of the saints is for members only."

I think of the last two churches that we were members of and know that one day we will worship together without ceasing. I praise God for providing a true church within less than ten minutes of the house that he provided for us. May we work diligently to build His kingdom!

It's windy up here!

We went to Roan Mountain to spend some time with Bill's parents and leave the daily grind of trying to sort through our treasures and move in to our new home. Did I mention drywall, plumbing, paint....... Little (much taller than I am) sister Bridget flew in the week that we took the winding roads to the mountain. Laura Ann is being held by her Daddy at a stop at the grocery store for supplies. It was so windy! Will caught Rainbow Trout with his Pa. Bill, Will, Pa, Bridget, Laura and I hiked Bald Mountain. Yes you heard me right, I hiked the mountain. We carried little Laura Ann, she was a trooper even though it was quite chilly. This all occurred two weeks ago but it is where I left off posting. Enjoy the pics!