This Weekend

Well, this weekend went by incredibly fast.

First of all, I did take the kids to Fred Meyer (which is like a Target-type store here in AK) by myself on Friday. I think it took me more time to load the kids in the car, change into my driving shoes, drive to Freddie's, change back into my boots, and unload the kids from the car and put them in a "car" buggy, than it did for me to actually pick up the five or so items I had on my list. And, then I had to do it all again in reverse, but, I did it, and it felt good to get out of the house.

Friday night I did not sleep well at all...so I slept late Saturday morning. I am so thankful to have a husband who lets me sleep late almost every Saturday morning. I know that come fishing season, he will head out to fish on those mornings, but I am thankful for the mornings that I have now.

After I did get up and make it upstairs, it was almost 10am. Nathan wanted to take Brianna on a walk...on the snowy, icy path behind our home. So, he did that and left Baby Nate with me. Now, I have not been able to do a good job cleaning the kids rooms since my surgery. It is very difficult for me to get up and down from the floor, so I just don't do it very often. It is awkward, and I always think..."if someone were watching me, they would be laughing their head off." Anyway, so I decided that this would be a good time to clean Brianna's room. Just to show you how bad it was, I took before pictures.

So, I cleaned out Brianna's room, and put a huge bag of stuffed animals away to donate somewhere. I also set aside several toys that really needed to go into Nate's room. So then I started on Nate's room. And, I took out a huge bag of "baby" toys from his room. I also threw away a bunch of toys that came from McD's or something like that. So, after a couple of hours working on their rooms, they were completely clean. I wouldn't even let them go into them for about five minutes so that I could enjoy the fact that they were clean. Here are the finished products.Of course after that, I had to pay attention to the rest of my house. I cleaned and finished the laundry, which is always a good feeling. Then, we went to our friend's home that evening for a relaxing, fun time.

Sunday is always a hectic day with church. We are teaching Radically Married for our Sunday School class and also for a Discipleship training class in the afternoon at 5pm. Yesterday was especially fun because we always have a 5th Sunday potluck Praise and Prayer service for the evening service. It was a really good time, and then I brought the kids home while Nathan had a Pastor Search Committee meeting.

In addition to all that fun stuff on Sunday, I spent the kids nap time planning and scheduling our summer vacation here in AK. We have learned that if you don't do this early, than you may not get hotels or the activities that you want. So, I planned that. It will have to be another post because this one is already too long.

Have a blessed week!

Easter Pics and More

So,here is a picture that we took of the kids on Easter morning. I threw some easter baskets together at the last minute. Since I can't drive anywhere, I had to wait for Nathan to drive me to the store. Saturday morning, we went to the BX and Commissary. I had to get the kids new socks and sippee cups anyway, so they went in the baskets. Then, I realized I didn't have a basket to put Nate's stuff in, so that night Nathan and I went on a date, and we went to Fred Meyer and got another basket, some easter grass and some books for the kids. I love it that the kids are at an age that it doesn't really matter what (or even if) you give them for easter. We had a good day at church and then Nathan's brother Josh came over for lunch. I had put a roast in to cook that morning, and then Nathan went to the store for some side dishes (I still am not cooking too much, because it requires a lot of standing on my feet).
We had taken some Strawberry Shortcake to our Sunday School class and had some leftovers. So, that evening we ate some along with the kids. Baby Nate really enjoyed playing with, I mean eating his. Isn't he a cutie? The rest of this week has been fairly uneventful. Nathan is battling a head cold, and the kids have had runny noses, but no fevers or anything serious. I went back to the doctor on Wednesday, and I now have very beautiful driving shoes. I can drive short distances if I need to, but I still have to take my boots with me to change into before I actually get out of the car. It sounds like more trouble than it is worth if you ask me, but I think I am going to try to venture to Fred Meyer with the kids tomorrow. I'll have to let you know how it goes. This last pic is of Nate today. I was getting ready to put him down for his nap, and I went in his room, and he was just happily playing with books while he was stuck in his little toy bin. It was so cute, I had to get a picture.

Why Do You Love Your Daddy?

My second post in one day, but this is too cute...

Why do you love your daddy?
"Because he kisses me and loves me very much."
My daddy loves to eat olives and pickles too.
My daddy likes to drink water and orange juice.
My daddy likes the color orange.
My daddy loves my Mommy because she is pretty and has big band aids.
My daddy flies an airplane.
My daddy like to play football with me.
My daddy says "Hookem Horns". (Which her daddy does not say, but Mrs. Nicole does- she is trying to convert my child to be a Texas fan.)

I love you! Love, Brianna

(My good friend Nicole did this with Brianna the day after my surgery while she was helping take care of the kids. I just recently found it while attempting to clean my house.) The picture is just a cute one we took this past week of Nate in his Daddy's shoes.

My New Toes

So, I am posting some pictures of my new toes. I know, they are not the prettiest thing, but, they are straight. Actually, these pictures were taken about a week ago, and the swelling has gone down even more since then. My stitches are out, which is nice...I have taken several showers this past week. I am now halfway through the "boot" phase of this adventure. I only have three more weeks to wear the boots, and not drive.

Airline Advantages

OK, so since we live in Alaska, we have been flying quite a bit. Brianna has been on an airplane way more than most other two year olds- something like seven different trips. So, having accounts with different airlines has been quite an asset. When we flew to Seattle in January to visit my in-laws, we used miles from our AMEX card to pay for two of the three tickets. To fly my mom up here to help out after my surgery, we used our Delta points to get her a ticket her for virtually free. So, I was pretty much depleted to my American Airlines account for trying to have any advantage in trying to get home in May for Brooke's graduation. I have been checking on it for over a month. I had about 60,000 miles in my account, but since we would be flying back in peak season for Alaska, I was only going to be able to get one free ticket. Until yesterday. I just hopped on the computer quickly before we were heading to church on Sunday evening, and they had the flight that I wanted for only 25,000 points per ticket. May 24th was the only day in the entire month that I could have flown back for only 25,000 points. So, after checking with Nathan, I was able to get both tickets for Brianna and myself for 50,000 points, and the fee for taxes, equaling a full $20 out of pocket. I could not believe it!!! I was so excited, because I was ready to buy a ticket for $626, and then I got it FREE. And, to make it even better, I checked again today, and the tickets are back at 50,000 points each. Isn't that awesome??? So, the kids and I will officially be in OK from May 8th until May 24th. We are getting there on Bryce's birthday and leaving on Brianna's birthday. Brianna is very excited to be able to fly on her birthday...she loves airplanes. We can't wait to get there and see everyone!

A Lonely Day

Today, Nathan got up very early and got the kids up and took them to a friends house for the day, because I am still supposed to be off of my feet all the time. And, with it being the first day that Mom was gone, I felt very lonely all day. I did get up and hug my children before they were taken away for the day, but I missed them very much. I only called my friend Ginger (who was watching them) twice today, so I thought that wasn't so bad. I tried to go back to sleep after they left, but I didn't get much sleep. I sat on my bed and folded laundry, watched a little TV downstairs, took a shower, and then I plopped myself in my recliner for the rest of the day. It is a lot harder to sit and do nothing than you would anticipate. I am sick of TV...I have watched way too much HGTV this past week. Anyway, I am thankful that my children will be with me tomorrow. I have a friend from church coming to the house in the morning to help out, and then our babysitter is coming over at about noon and she will stay with us until Nathan gets home. I am so blessed to have good friends who have been volunteering to help out with the kids, make meals, run errands, etc. The Lord always provides!!!

Momma's Going Home

I hate it when Momma has to leave. I think that no matter how old we get, we will always need our Momma. It has been absolutely great having Mom here this past week. When I was incapable of taking care of my family, I knew that she was doing everything she could to take care of them for me. I had no worries, which is probably one of the reasons I have had such a great recovery so far. So, Nathan left to take Mom to the airport, and I have been crying of and on ever since. It is never easy to say goodbye to your Momma. Anyway, thank you Mom for everything you did for us this past week. You are going to be missed bunches by Brianna and Nate, and of course Nathan and I. And, I am sure my house won't be clean again until I can get on my feet comfortably for any extended period of time.

On, another note, my recovery has gone exceptionally well. I am going to post a picture of my feet soon. I got to see them for the first time Monday at the doctor's office. It was the first time in my life that I have had straight toes. They were absolutely beautiful...and swollen and bruised. I just have to remember to stay off my feet as much as possible. I will go back next Wednesday to get the stitches out, which I am looking forward to so that I can then take a shower without shower bags on my feet. I can't drive anywhere for the next month, so I told Nathan that we would save a lot of money because I wouldn't be able to go shopping for an entire month, unless he takes me. Somehow I don't think that bothered him too much. Overall, I am really glad that we went ahead and had my feet taken care of now because I know in the long run I will feel much better.

Grandma Clay went with us to the Iditarod this morning, and a chilly one it was, with a 17 degree temp and a wind chill bringing it down to single digits, it was very cold. But luckily, the Iditarod starts in Anchorage downtown, so we were able to stop in a coffee shop, gift shop, and the mall periodically to warm ourselves up! Brianna and Baby Nate were especially excited to see the dogs run past on those sleds. Grandma Clay was given permission to get right down on the track, and got a great shot of #42 sled team taking off. (You'll notice all the dogs are smiling big for the camera!) We picked up a few things while we were there, and came back home for some hot apple cider afterwards. Brianna was really concerned because her feet were "frozen" to put it in her words. But she still wanted to go back to see the dogs. Anyway, hope you're all having fun down there in those balmy temperatures!

Nathan

Beth's Surgery

Well, Beth's surgery is over and she has been resting comfor... ah,
doing well?.... hmmmm,
let's just say she's in a lot of pain, but the drugs are doing the job well enough to let her sleep!

She did let me take a picture of her feet, but that's about it. Brianna calls them the BIG! bandaids! But Beth is really glad that today is so much better than yesterday, she's cut her pain meds in half, and the healing process is slowly but surely coming right along.



Now, since Grandma Clay is with us, we've been eating some VERY delicious meals, she has been such a great help with the kids and just plain helping out. We had some fine italian fetuccine (tasted just like Johnny Carino's) , some fresh salad, with just the hard pieces of course.


Not to mention a TON of cheesy breadsticks! They were piping hot, I'll be honest, I just couldn't eat any more, (we had to throw a few of them away, she made so many!)



But we thank you for your prayers for Beth, God is good!

Nathan

Cute Kids & Prayer Requests

This first picture is just a cute picture of Baby Nate the other day. He was walking around the house with the little ax from his fire truck, and we thought that it looked like he was smoking a pipe. A bad habit we know, but it was really cute.

This next picture was taken last night. I had a doctor's appointment Thursday afternoon, so the kids spent the afternoon at our friend's home. So, Brianna never got a nap, and Nicole said that she played hard the entire time she was there. So, when we got home, we were eating dinner, and she just fell asleep at the table. We just took her to bed, and she slept all night, until we woke her up at 8am Friday morning.

Other notes: Life has been very hectic this week. I have been trying to get everything settled for me to be off my feet for 2-3 weeks, after having surgery on both of my feet. Plus, I have had to go to the lab for blood work and then to my Pre-Op appointment. Today, I spent the entire day running errands. The kids made it about half way through the day before they got sick of it. I called my babysitter, and she came and put the kids down for their naps and stayed home with them while I went to pick up prescriptions and crutches and just a few more things. I think that I am now pretty ready for my surgery on Monday. Please pray that the Lord will guide the doctor's hands and that my recovery will go as smoothly as possible. My mother will also be flying up here on Tuesday to take care of my children, so please pray that she has a safe flight. And, we are starting Radically Married at our church this Sunday, so please pray that the Lord will bring the right couples to the study and that He will be glorified through this study.

We will keep you posted on both Radically Married and on how the surgery goes.

Definitely!!!

Tonight was our date night. We went to this great little Italian restaurant a few miles down the road in Peters Creek. It was a really great atmosphere, and really great food.

We then went to see the movie, Definitely, Maybe. We decided that we would not recommend this movie to anyone to go see. You see, the movie was all about a Pagan view of what relationships and marriage are all about. It was very sad in a lot of ways. First, I always feel terrible for child actors and actresses who are subjected to knowing way more than they should because of the movies that they are in. There was a part of this movie where there were several children talking about sex like it was no big deal because they were taught about "sex education" in school. Those poor children whose innocence is taken away from them in part because of the roles they play in these movies.

The second thing about this movie is that an overwhelming theme was that the sexual aspect of a relationship is where happiness lies. This is a total lie that becomes ingrained into our minds through the advertising industry. Nathan leaned over near the end of the movie and said, "This is going to be one of the saddest, happy endings ever." And I totally agree. We sat there at the end of the movie almost in shock because of the message that was just given to hundreds of people in our movie theater, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of people across the world. The thing is, as bad as this movie was, it was real. There are really people in this world who think like this and are genuinely misguided and lost.

But, we as Christians know the WAY, we know the TRUTH, and we know how to have LIFE abundantly. There is so much against us in this world, but we need to be a beacon of hope for those who are lost. We have got to share God's love with this lost world. Definitely!!! No maybe about it.

Happy Valentine's Day

So, I know it is the day after Valentine's Day, but I still wish you all happiness and God's love. We have had a great week around here. My Valentine's started on Wednesday. That day I had gone to Jazzercise in the morning, and then I stayed home and made my homemade bread and pie crust (for apple pie) because my husband requested that I do so. So, I had been on my feet all day. About five o'clock, I finally sat down, with my feet absolutely killing me, and Nathan walked in with red and white roses for me. They are absolutely beautiful. But, I was like, Valentine's Day isn't until tomorrow. But he said, "This way, you can enjoy them for all of Valentine's Day." I thought that was so sweet. Then, Thursday, I just had a very busy day. I went to Jazz again, and then I had to go set up for MOPS at the church. Then, I wanted to get the house clean for Nathan, and our bedroom. Now, my bedroom had not been cleaned well in quite a while. And, it is very important for me to have our bedroom clean. I feel that our room is an escape from the children and the business of this life, so I desire for it to be a haven for us to go to when we need to relax. But, it had not been that way for awhile. So, I worked hard to return my room to this relaxing state. Then, had to go to the store to by a few groceries. So, again by the time Nathan came home, I hadn't sat down all day and my feet were again killing me. So, I sat for a short time, and then I made this awesome Grilled Pesto Salmon recipe for our dinner. Then, Brianna and I made Valentine cookies for the MOPS meeting, which was today. I then got a foot massage from Nathan, so I felt extremely spoiled and refreshed afterwards. So, while our Valentine's Day was not glamorous in any way, we had a good time and got a lot accomplished. And, we had a good time together as a family, which is what love is all about.

Two notes:
First, our Sunday School class had desired for some time to do a different study during the Sunday School hour a church. The Lord had opened the door for us to do the Radically Married curriculum both for Sunday School and for Discipleship Training time at our church. Nathan is going to be the teacher for this class, starting February 24th. Please pray for us during this time. We know that when we do what God wants us to do, Satan will attack. We are praying that the Lord will strengthen our marriage and allow us to encourage others during this time.

Second, Brianna is sick. She came down with something during MOPS this morning. Please pray for her as she doesn't feel well at all right now.

This Week

This week has been a pretty busy week. We will start with last Saturday, when we had Nate's first birthday party with all of his (or our) friends here in Alaska. We had a football themed party, and since we are Cowboys fans, we all wore our jerseys. Overall, we just had a good time fellowshipping with our friends.
Nate really enjoyed his cake. I wish I had taken a picture of him after he had eaten some of it. He was covered in blue icing. He was so messy, he was taken straight to the bath tub. After his bath, we opened presents. Nate got an airplane, a fire truck, a tractor, and two really cute outfits. I tell you, we do not need any more toys in this household. And, just so you know, the bottom picture here is of Nate and his friend from church, Aubry.
On Sunday, we went to church and then went to some friends house to watch the Super Bowl. We had to leave early because Nate wasn't feeling very well (probably all the icing the night before). But, we weren't really into the game, we just wanted the Patriots to lose, so we were pretty pleased with the outcome.
The rest of this week has just been busy doing all sorts of things. And, to make it worse, we have been in the negative temperatures all week. Not once has it even been ZERO. Now, when it gets this cold, I usually try to only get out of the house when I have to, but I had a full week planned. Monday, I had a meeting. Tuesday, we went grocery shopping. Wednesday, we went shopping with Candance at the mall...and yes, it was important to do so. And, Thursday, we had ladies day at my friend Nicole's house. Not to mentions, Jazzercise every morning. So, we have been enduring the bad temps all week. Today, I had to take the trash out, and I nearly froze, just in the two or three minutes it took me to get the trash from the garage to the curb. Hopefully, it will get warmer soon...at least in the positive numbers.

We had a GREAT Vacation!!!

Well, we started out with a pretty rocky vacation, but it turned out great! We actually had the red eye out of Anchorage to Seattle, WA early on Wednesday morning. Now, you would think with the flight being in the middle of the night, that my children would sleep. But, no...we were THOSE people on the flight with the baby who screamed almost the entire flight. We tried everything we could to calm him down, and Nathan actually got him to sleep for about 45 minutes, but other than that, he pretty much screamed the whole time. I did calm him down at the very end by feeding him a blueberry muffin. Anyway, we got there and then drove to Portland. We stopped for breakfast at one of our favorite little places, Shari's. While we were there, the baby promptly threw up everything he had eaten. He then threw up in the car, and Aunt Anne's house, and at the mall. He was going through clothes faster than I could buy them. But, he never ran a temp, and by the evening, he was much better. Maybe it was the muffin. Anyway, Wednesday evening, we went to see Nathan's parents and brothers.

This was the first time they had seen Brianna in two years, and the first time ever for them to see Baby Nate. So, while the time that evening was short, it was fun to see them all! The next day, we had planned to hike up Multnomah Falls, which is where Nathan proposed to me. But, the weather just did not cooperate. It was much to cold and windy for us to hike up there with our children. So, we just went and took pictures at the bottom of the Falls, and bought T-shirts for the kids at the gift shop. It is always lots of fun to go back to where Nathan proposed to me. We spent Thursday evening with Nathan's best friend and his wife Kelly and their son Tanner. Friday morning, Nathan went fishing with Rob and he caught a Steelhead. I, on the other hand, stayed at the house and did laundry and repacked for the rest of the trip. Loads of fun!!!

We left Friday afternoon to go to Canon Beach, OR where we stayed until Sunday. Nathan's whole family was able to come to the beach as well, and we had so much fun just hanging out with them. The grandparents really enjoyed spoiling the grandchildren, and we all had a lot of fun playing Catch Phrase and Pinochle. That Saturday was Baby Nate's first birthday, so we had a little party for him at the beach. Grandma Hendricks had a fun project for Brianna, making jello clouds with stars on them, which we had with the airplane cake. Durning naptime, I went shopping with my sister-in-law Anne, and we had a good time visiting all kinds of fun shops. I never did find a picture of the two rocks though. :) (Shout out to Nathan Lucia!!!)

Sunday, we left the beach and drove back to Portland. I did a little more laundry at Anne's house, and then Nathan and I left the kids with their Aunt Anne and Uncle Nathan and went out for the night. I was a little apprehensive about leaving my children overnight for the first time, but it was not as bad as I thought it would be. We had a very relaxing evening going to dinner at a nice restaurant on the river front.

The next day, Nathan and his brother Jon, Ben and brother-in-law Nathan went to see Rambo, and then we went to lunch at a great restaurant called Claim Jumper. We then headed back to Seattle to catch our flight that evening. And, again, we were THOSE people. What do you do??? Overall, it was a wonderful trip and we thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with family and friends.

Beth, Nathan Lucia, Brianna, Anne, Baby Nate, and Nathan...we were trying to find another Nathan for the picture, but we already had all the ones in the restaurant.

Going on Vacation

We are heading out in just a few minutes to go to Portland, OR to visit Nathan's family for the week. We are so excited!!! While we are there, Baby Nate will turn one year old. It is so hard to believe that it has been a year since he was born. Anyway, back to the trip. Tomorrow, I plan on shopping with my sister-in-law, and then we will be visiting Nathan's parent's home in the evening. We are staying with his best friend Rob and his wife and son for the first two nights, and then Friday and Saturday nights we are going to Cannon Beach with all of Nathan's family and staying at a family favorite, Tolovana Inn. The last night, the kids are staying with their Aunt Anne and Uncle Nathan while Nathan has a special night for me planned. Pray for me, because I have never left my children over night...this will be difficult, even though I know the time alone with my husband is so important. So, when we get back I will update you all on how things went. Have a great week!!!

The Barney Song

So, Brianna has always loved the "Barney Song." When she was a baby, we figured out that if we would sing it to her, we would get a great big hug at the end of it. So, she has recently just started singing so many songs, one of which is the "Barney Song."

Organizing

Organizing is something that I really like to do, and I LOVE having a home that is organized. However, with my children, I have learned that being organized is not the most important thing in my home. So, I have actually let a few things go unorganized over the past two years since we moved to AK. Today, I spent the better part of the afternoon and evening organizing all of the clothes that we have accumulated for my children. You need to realize, that when I had Brianna, I had two baby showers, and I got so much stuff at them. And I also had someone in OK give me three huge boxes of clothes for her, and then when two of my friends in AK moved, they both gave me a ton of clothes for Brianna. So, I had boxes and boxes of little girl clothes. Oh, and I love to shop...so that means I had even more clothes. So, I sorted and folded clothes all day, and got all the clothes I am keeping into tubs- organized by size. I even organized the boy clothes, although, I didn't have nearly as much. My rule was that if one size of clothes didn't fit into one tub, than I needed to get rid of more clothes in that size. I called a friend from church who just had a little girl two weeks ago, and I gave her two big bags full of clothes. I told her to use what she wants and pass along the rest. I also have another bag of girl clothes for another friend of mine to have. And, I even have a bag of little boy clothes to give away to whoever will take it. I feel like I have conquered a huge mess in my home today. All I have left to do is label the boxes and put them back in the garage. Hmmm....that last part sounds like a good project for Nathan this weekend!!!

Update

Here are my precious little blessings!

Here is Brianna talking on the phone to her Aunt Anne. Talking on the phone is one of her favorite things to do. She is a lot like her mother.

And, here is Baby Nate standing and taking a few of his first steps. Take note of the hilarious expression on his face.

On another note, if you have read any of the postings on my blog, you will notice that I am having surgery on Feb. 25th to fix the bunions on my feet. I will be unable to walk for the first week, on crutches for another week after that, and then I get to wear these stylish "Darth Vader" boots for about a month after that. Yeah!!! We are planning on flying my mother up here for a week or two to help take care of things at the house. And, I am sure that we will be depending heavily on our church family to help take care of the kids some as well. It is good to know that we have such a great network of friends who are willing to help out when we need it. Right now, my biggest concern is how I am going to go to the bathroom while not being able to walk for a week. Nathan has a creative solution, including a rolling chair and a rope...we'll see what happens.

My Little Man

My baby Nate is growing up. I have always called him my "little man" because he has always had this "little man" look to him. But, this week, he took his first steps by himself. While it is so much fun to see him growing up and learning new things, it is also a little sad for momma to have her baby getting so big so fast. We'll get pics of this blessed event soon. So far, we have been too preoccupied with his actual walking to try and pick up the camera at the same time.

Happy New Year!

I can not believe that it is already 2008!!! Time just flies by when you are having fun! I hope that you have all had the opportunity to sit down and contemplate what goals you want to accomplish this year. I have not been a person who consistently sets goals for myself, but Sunday evening at church Pastor Jeff Anderson challenged us to do so. He said that if you don't set a goal, then you for sure won't meet it. So, yesterday, I asked Nathan to give me a little time away from the kids to just sit and focus on what I want to accomplish this year. Following the verse "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" out of Luke (I don't remember the exact reference, and my Bible is where Nathan is sleeping right now) I set these goals for myself:

1. Increasing in wisdom- I would like to read one educational or informative book each month. I actually love to read, but since I had children, I have not made the time for reading.
2. Increasing in stature- Well, here, I would actually like to decrease. I would love to lose some weight, as most of America would probably like to do at this time of the year. This is something that both Nathan and I are working on together. Baby Nate is officially not breastfeeding anymore, as of last Saturday (Praise the Lord!!!), so this should make losing weight a little bit easier for me.
3. Increasing in favor with God- I really want to be more consistent in personal time with the Lord. Notice I did not say quiet time. This is because as the mother of two small children, I don't know that there is ever a quiet time, unless I am sleeping. But, even with children around me, I can take the time to meet personally with God.
4. Increasing in favor with men- I have been given a good name to uphold, both from my husband and my family in OK. I always want to strive to uphold that good name. Also, this winter I am starting to lead a ladies Bible study with some friends from church and elsewhere. I pray that the Lord uses me to guide and disciple these ladies that He has brought into my life, and I pray that I will also learn from them.

So, hopefully, I can meet all of my goals. What goals have you set for yourself? If you haven't set any goals yet, find a few minutes today to focus on what the Lord wants you to accomplish this year.

And, since my last posting, we have received some news. We are supposed to be staying here in Alaska now until May 1, 2009. This is a good thing for us as a family and for Nathan's career in the Air Force. It is a little sad that we aren't going back to OK right now, but we know that this is best for our family, and we are excited about the opportunities that it opens up for us.

So, for those of you who want to come and visit us, this is going to be the last summer that we live here. So, let us know if you will be visiting hotel Hendricks this summer. It is first come, first serve. We would love to see you. I will be heading down to OK this May with the kids for a couple of weeks when Brooke graduates from high school, and I would love to catch up friends at that time too.