A Year is too Short!

The longer I live, the more I am convinced that the short and simple moments in life can impact my little world just as much if not more than the long and on-going seasons of life.  For example, the moment I got married was a blurr (Ashley might say a whirlwind), the kids' births were all so special but happened so quickly, the day I graduated seminary came and went.  These are only a few of these moments I'm talking about.

This year was absolutely FILLED with some of these moments.  These last 10 years or so have had so many of these moments as well.  We were only in Clifton Forge for only a little over a year back in 2003, but the friendships we made then we still have to this day!  We consider this friends as very special people in our lives, like extended family, even.  Like Celia, Dallas, the Brantley's, Scottie and Sharla, Pastor Doug, Forrest and Rachelle....and Sherrie.

Sherrie died on Christmas Eve.  We all felt the shock wave of pain as the news quickly made its way to our home that night.  Just like Sandy rolled into the northeast, the news of Sherrie's death was horrific and terrifying.  I was in shock and disbelief.  We didn't want to be anywhere except Celia's living room that night.  So we went up for the funeral and burial, it was the only natural thing to do - especially when a family member dies so suddenly...and yes, these folks are our family....Sherrie was like our family!  I can't help but think about the opportunities we've had to pack our things and all of us visit over the years.  And now we can't get them back.  She followed this blog...her name is just over there on the left.

So instead of regrets, we live in response to this experience as we should with all of life's experiences...we learn from them.  Visit friends more often.  Call regularly.  Email as much as possible.  Keep in touch through facebook.  Whatever it takes.  Thank God for this gift of friendship through this toilsome life, and this brief existence!

And there is no other friendship like the one I have with my beautiful bride!  That is a friendship so precious to me!  I fear it is all too often too precious....but I'm okay with a bit of spoilage, I guess.  I like to think that when I serve her I am serving God himself.

I praise God for the little moments that fill my life with unforgettable memories...for that is what God has used to make me who I am today!

Cat Tales

Is it bad that Christmas has come and gone, and I want to blog about our new cat?  Ever since our Gracen Mercy died early this fall, there has been an emptiness to the house.  So we decided to get a new kitty after Christmas.  And we absolutely fell in LOVE with this guy!  No name yet, but I'm sure it won't be long before we find the perfect name!

Okay...so I'll blog about Christmas some other time.

Season Passes

Some Dads pride themselves in their season tickets to major league baseball, NBA, or any other professional sports team.  Some couples even have season ticket holders for theatrical performances or concerts.  Us.  No way.  How boring compared to our season passes to Adventure Landing Mini-Golf!  How cool it is to just show up, flash our pass, and get our clubs!  We can go any time!

Now, at this point you've probably asked yourself a million times how much these passes cost and how we can afford such a luxury for our large family.  Well, I don't mind telling you how much it cost...FREE!  Adventure Landing in Raleigh had a special back in Spring; if you purchased a game of mini-golf you got a season pass for free.  Well, we purchased four.  They only had 100 passes, and we got the last four!!  How fun this has been!  Ashley and I have had lots of practice.  She and I tied the last time we went.  We had the exact same score!  We're getting pretty serious about it.  They wouldn't let us compete in London, though.  Ok, well, we never actually tried, but we sure have a lot of fun together.

Our Trip to Georgia!

We went to Georgia to hang out with Nana and Papa back in June.  It was a long drive, but it was a great trip!  We made it a point to make the drive itself fun and a big part of the trip.  The cardboard piece Nate is holding up is a simple time-line with some of the cities we would be driving though.  We had a hotwheels jeep on the time line and would move it every time we came to a new town.  It was a great way to minimize the number of times we heard, "Are we there yet?"  We had a great time!

Nana played bingo with the kids and gave them real prizes for winning!!

Dad is a Chaplain for the Hiram Police Department.  We went to visit their headquarters and Ashley insisted that we chain down the boys to this bench in a hallway.  It was a waiting area for those who were arrested.  I'm sure there's some interested people who have sat on that bench.  And the above picture proves it!

Mom and Dad kept the kids one evening while Ashley and I went out on a date!  We decided to play some tennis (a favorite pastime of ours), and after we started playing we spotted a familiar crew at the same park! They didn't know we were there.  It was totally unplanned, but really fun!  This park was beautiful.  I wish I had taken more pictures of it!  Hiram, Georgia is a really cool town.  There probably aren't too many people who have heard of it, but I like to think that maybe the citizens like it that way!

These pictures were taken at Red Top State Park.  The water was awesome!  Nana got these little chairs for the kids and they were perfect in the water.  

Dad and I built this fire ring just for this occasion.  One of our favorite things was hanging out with Mom and Dad in the evening times.  Ashley and I both thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with them.  I feel like we had reunited with long lost friends.  In the background of the above picture you can see one of Dad's blueberry bushes.  Oh how the kids loved having fresh blueberries every single day!  I should have snapped a picture of Dad's not-so-little garden.  We enjoyed some great meals with food from their garden.

SMORES!!!

This is Dad about to enjoy his very first Smore!  We didn't believe him, and this is him raising his hand swearing that this was indeed his first one ever!!!!  He was a boy scout, he worked in youth ministry...and never had a smore!

Perhaps the greatest lesson learned from our trip to Hiram, Georgia is this.....visit often!!!  I wish you guys were closer, Mom and Dad, but we will be back for sure!

The First Six Months of 2012 in Pictures

What you are about to see are pictures from our first six months this year.  I cannot possibly retell all that happened....but a picture is worth a 1,000 words, right?  Well, here are about 40,000 words or so.  Is this cheating?  Oh well.....ENJOY!  (I'll try to comment on a few of these.)

On the road to Nanny and Grandpa's!  We love to travel as you can tell!  And, yes, they are usually in a good mood for most of our trips.  We are truly blessed!

There are several pictures in this lot that are from dates with Mommy or Daddy.  Each of the kids has a star chart.  They are each rewarded stars for good behavior.  Once the chart fills up they get to go on special dates, have friends over, or have fun adventures.  This is a favorite!  Daddy date to Krispie Kreme!

We do not have a dog, but we dogsit for some friends of ours who frequently travel.  This is Auggie!  She loves us and we love her!  She is a Blue Heeler and loves anything that squeaks!

I should probably explain this one...this is the morning of Abigail's 6th birthday.  While she was sleeping we taped up her door with streamers.  She had to run through them to get out.  Everyone loved it!

This adorable troop is the homeschool group the kids are a part of.  HOOTS is what they call themselves (perhaps another post will provide all the fun things you can do with that name)

Mommy date!

Date with Daddy!

Our first attempt at gardening.  We planted sugar snap peas, zuccini, pumpkins, and bell peppers.  The peas produced a lot!  The kids loved picking them and eating them right off the vine.  We were able to harvest some gigantic zuccini and Ashley made the best zuccini bread.  Worms ate the stalks of each plant, so we had to pull them out.  Worms also ate our pumpkins.  We got a few small ones out first, though.  The peppers are just now about 12 inches off the ground.  No fruit yet.

Caleb can open doors.  He can climb stools, too.  This was classic!  

These last few pictures were from Farm Days at NC State school for Agriculture.  We got to sit in some awesome farm equipment, and eat free ice cream from NC State's very own creamery.  We also milked a fake cow.  It was made of wood.  I told the kids that was where veggie burgers and soy milk came from.

Micah on a Mommy date!

Nate's 5th Birthday!  We went to Monkey Joes.

One of the best toys ever!  THE STOMP ROCKET!  (10 bucks at Walmart! OH yea!)

This was our Easter celebration.  Each night of the easter week we read from the Bible and lit a candle.  The flower pot to the right was our Grace Garden.  We had a cross, and a tomb.  On easter morning the tomb was empty!  We hope to keep this up each year, as it was a big hit with the kids.  

No we do not advocate child labor.  Really...

This was my soccer team from the Spring season.  Team Argentina.  We are doing our famous "BREAKDOWN" in this picture.

Easter Sunday!

The above picture is one Ashley wanted to capture.  I am definitely in my element here.  I have discovered my love for cooking.  I think I'm making a gourmet taco salad here.  Love it!

Extra special delivery!!

This picture above is one of Abigail's lego creation - a ballet scene.

Yes...Micah has a violin in his hands.  We are all attempting violin lessons. It's very difficult, but fun!

If you've ever wondered what a 20 year old can of coke looks like...well here you go.  I've had this can since 1993 when UNC beat Michigan in the Final Four.  It has suffered quite a few beatings over the years as we have moved.  I couldn't just throw the thing away.  So I poured it in a glass and captured it here.  Then I threw it away.  For the record...it still had its fizz.  Looked kind of gross, but I was impressed that it wasn't flat!

The following pictures are from our trip to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, TN.  This was  awesome!

These are all real birds.  Very real! Some of them were moody.  What an amazing experience.  The birds liked my shirt.

This one was my favorite.  It was very calm around me, and wouldn't let anyone take him away except Ashley below.  He eventually came back to me though.  If he didn't cost a few thousand dollars, I probably would have brought him home.

The following pictures are from our trip to the Wonderworks Museum in Pigeon Forge.

The above picture is a 360 degree bicycle.  It builds momentum the faster you pedal.  Eventually you do a complete flip.  It was extreme!  Notice I'm flying solo...

Definitely the prettiest astronaut in the universe!

We couldn't believe how brave Nate was to join Mommy on this high ropes course!  I eventually went on the course and couldn't believe the things he did!  This was one of Ashley's favorite adventures!

In the above picture, this game is a "mind game."  There is a little metal ball on the table under glass.  It is controlled by your brain waves.  The more you relax, the more it moves away from you.  The object is to out-relax your opponent.  I actually beat Ashley in this one, but she was very tough.  Some games can last over 15 minutes.  

The following pictures are from our family day excursion in Gatlinburg.  We went bowling - had the whole place to ourselves! - and then on a cookout where we roasted hot dogs and played about 10 mins of frisbie golf.

The above picture is our last night at the cabin.  This puzzle took days and days.  This was a last-ditch effort to finish the thing before we left.  And wouldn't you know there was one piece missing after all that effort.  It was fun, still though.  It was definitely the puzzle we will never forget!

The below pictures are from HOOTS Kindergarten Graduation.  Nate and Abigail finished Kindergarten at the same time!

I hope you've enjoyed these pictures.  This one is the longest post ever, I know.  But I hope to keep blogging as things go, so you can follow along for all of our adventures in our journey together.