In which I give you; late nights, antique malls, chocolate cake, good friends, shady gas stations, apple cider vinegar, and hats; in pictures....

Last week some friends from South TX drove up to bid us farewell before our move across country. Savannah, Rebecca, Johanna, and I took the opportunity to visit a HUGE antique mall in our vicinity; we dressed up in our hats and scarves and had tea in the malls "Secret Garden Tea Room", which turned out to be not-so-secret. There were about 25 other people in the tea room - and we were seated smack dab in the middle of them. Being the silly goons we are, we didn't have the gumption to demand  better seating, so, all the other customers got to listen to our crazy conversation.

Jo drove us, and did a very good job too. As she expertly wove through downtown Fort Worth traffic I realized that I was perfectly at ease with her driving; as to where we go when we drive, that is another matter entirely. We, "ahem", got into a bit of a problem at one point - none of which was in any way our drivers fault - I think it suffices to say that if we had broke down, pepper spray and a stiff umbrella handle would have been in order.

Some of the cars lovelier inhabitants....Aren't their hats adorable?

Some of us found books. Some of us found high heeled wizard of oz shoes in outrageous pink and even tried them on. That would not be me.

Then the aforementioned person made their best friend pose next to a wacky coat holding the high heeled wizard of oz shoes in outrageous pink, which the friend does so tastefully. I love the disdainful single finger hold - don't touch that thing!

 Some more of the wildlife the antique mall offered. Why didn't Nan come photograph the 150 year old books Jo and I were holding instead of this? I had a book, published during the civil war, in my hands!

Then we went home and ate. Actually, this may have been after church on Sunday, but, after all our adventures on Saturday, we had need of nourishment, so this has been assigned to Saturday afternoon in the chronology of events. I don't know who took this picture, but, Jo and I are obviously trying to eat - not a good picture time!

Camera, camera, go away......get the hint?

Come on camera, give us a break! Okay, the only reason I'm posting these is because they are practically the only pictures we have of Jo and I from this trip.

Johanna was determined to weasel her way back into Joel's affections.

Do you think Jo would look good with short hair? Hmmmmm, I like it better long.

Again, somebody seems to have a fixation with photographing me while I eat! You can see my half devoured tortilla on the table, the other half is tucked behind my teeth. I'm becoming quite proficient in the art of gulping down food while throwing on a cheesy grin so that the tyrannical pleasures of the one behind the lens can be satisfied.

Rebecca and a small cameo of my mom in the bottom right corner. Is she chewing her nails?

Jo. I wasn't kidding about us having few photos together.

Nan and Becca and Daniels fingers.

Ah ha! Jo and I, ignore the tete a tete going on in the background, I think they were having camera problems.

Getting ready for a girls group picture.

All looking but one.

Only one looking.

All looking except one has her eyes closed and another has a single strand of hair right down the middle of her forehead.

I'd better say the nursery rhyme or someone else is going to. "There was a little girl, who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead. And when she was good she was very very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid." And Caroline's eyes are still shut.

Our photographer decided to get a side view, which I am only posting so that you can see the little voodoo man on Becca's shoulder. Don't ask me why our neighbors mounted a twisty creepy metal voodoo man to their mailbox; its beyond reasoning. I myself have puzzled over the meaning of such behavior many a time, and come to ----- nothing. Anyhow, I was able to cut the voodoo figure out of all the other photos, but not this one for obvious reasons. So there he is, like those devils in the cartoons, whispering in Becca's ear. Actually, he looks like he's piping in Becca's ear. Remind me to ask her what he said sometime...

This is a photo of someone taking a photo, end of story. We did not get our traditional picture of the boys in their favorite place in front of the TV doing you know what. But I assure you, they managed to get in plenty of their favorite pastime.

I think this picture says something about our characters. I'll leave it to you to guess whose feet are whose.

The ummm, boys? Yep - I think we'll stick with our traditional title for this bunch. There is a new bundle in the picture this time. The blanket Robert is holding is named Joel.

A group shot. Now can you tell whose feet are whose?? Actually, I went and put my boots on - it was rather cold.

The sun was in most of our eyes in the last group shot, so we moved to a better location. Actually, I think that is why we moved, but I could be wrong.

Then someone proceeded to get close ups - or maybe Nan did this afterward? Not sure. You are looking at Robert Jay, Savannah, and Rebecca.

You are looking at Lauren and Johanna......


....Oh wait, I see now, this picture also has Joel, Julia, Daniel, and Calvin.

I thought this was a creepy shot. The tree is reflected really well, obstructing the vision of the driver who appears to be about to exert some sort of Darth Vader death choke on the viewer. This person is going to drive my best friend home?

Goodbyes were mournful and drawn out. (Doesn't that car look squeaky clean?) This may be the last batch of pictures like this for a long long time, though if Jo and I have anything to do with it, we may be posting pictures of ourselves in Scotland one of these days....

Storks and Rabbits First Draft Finished!

~I'm ready to submit my first draft to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest on the 25th! Well, I'm nearly ready. First I have to write a huge teeny tiny thing called a pitch. And I'm having trouble with the pitch because they are troublesome things to write. Oh well - how does one squeeze the contents of a 60,000 word novel into a 300 word pitch in an eye catching manner anyways?

~I don't really expect my novel to go far in this contest, mainly because of the Christian themes throughout! Once the contest is out of the way I am going to try sending it through a round of publishers who may be interested in publishing it. Basically I'm trusting God to bring glory to His name however He wants, whether that means the book publishes or not. Its been a wonderful experience and one I can't wait to do all over again!

Abstract Heaven?

 ...Packing boxes, packing barrels, packing suitcases; it seems all I've been doing the last couple days is pack. For those of you who do not know, my family is about to make another cross-country move. We're not foreign to the art of packing either, for as far back as I can remember we have done our own boxing up, each person with their individual area of expertise. Mine is packing books, in fact, they are the first thing I pack up, lovingly caressing the well worn spines before saying goodbye; and the books are the first thing I unpack on the other end, happy to gloat over them again. Yes, I have a small major problem with book infatuation.

...But this blog post isn't about books (As much as I would love to ramble on about them). Its about some thoughts I've been having in this stressful season of change and needing to trust God.

...Excuse me while I vent; Lord, what is Your plan in all this? Do You realize I've moved seven or eight times, most of them across country and continents, in my life? I don't have roots, I don't have a culture to call my own. I'll probably never see my birthplace, and I'm not sure I want to. I've left friends sprinkled across the states like the stitches in a patchwork quilt. I don't even have time to get to know people properly before its time to uproot and move again. A piece of my heart is torn out every time we find a new church, and leave it. I don't know where I belong, the chances are - with a family this size - that most of us won't even live near each other in the end. I love my siblings, through all these moves we've grown so close, we've clung to each other. Cried with each other, know each other. Lord, what is your plan?

...Where is our home? Is it with our family? Is it where we were born and raised? Maybe we have an attachment to a particular house, to the view outside our bedroom window. Is it where we feel happiest? Maybe home to you is the most special place on earth, a place you can't imagine leaving. These thoughts are sweet, beautiful, and touching, but ultimately not true. Our home is not where we live, it is not even we live with, it is what we live for. Heaven is our home. Heaven is our hope.

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Hebrews 11:8-10

...The Lord has been gently reminding me lately that this life is a temporary one. My real life at home in perfect peace is yet to come. While I live here I am not to become too attached to places, things, even people. His work is all that is important, bringing glory to Him should be my joy and happiness. I am an empty vessel of clay in the King of kings hands, how amazing that He should condescend to make me a temple holy to Himself? That the Holy Spirit should dwell in me? Nothing in this life compares with the knowledge that I am going to spend an eternity with Jesus Christ. Every discomfort is worth the coming prize. Every disappointment is worth the sanctifying work He is doing in me.

..."These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.  But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." Hebrews 11:13-16

... God has prepared a city for His own, for me, but how much time do I spend thinking about it? People who have dreams and hopes speak of them. How often do I talk with others about the ultimate hope we all share?

...Pioneers on the Oregon Trail spent grueling months traveling to their new homes. At night after work filled days, days filled with broken wheels, drowned livestock, burning sun, Indians, wild animals, sickness, and thirst, they laid their weary bones down and whispered in hushed tones of the life they would build for themselves and their children. What kept them going? Hope in a good future. Do I treat heaven better than I treat earth? Does it occupy even a quarter of my thoughts each day?

...Don't misunderstand me, I know we need to focus on our work here and now, on the tasks God gives us each day. I'm not suggesting that we recklessly abandon our jobs and homes to start online chat rooms devoted to our dreams about heaven. On the contrary, like the pioneers who knew they had work to do and did it, we must do our work. But I don't think those weary travelers forgot for one moment where they were going and why. My fear is that for many of us, myself included, Heaven has become too much of an abstract term. We must not lose sight of the goal, or give up on the crown. Personally I think that crown is real in some tangible way. Not just some symbolic meaning. Heaven is not a possibility or a dream, it is as real as the ground we stand on.

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

...We are not beating against air. Nor are we running for something that will perish. Remember that one day this will be a dreamlike memory, and Heaven the hope that is seen. God loves to turn things on there heads doesn't He? He makes the wise of the world foolish, and the foolish wise. One day everything we see as real and tangible in this life will be mere abstract memories - only the things He is working in us will remain.

...I'm on a spiritual journey which is longer and harder than the physical one I will be making soon. In fact, this move across country isn't even important in and of itself, its only important in light of my spiritual journey. With this in mind it is my prayer that none of us will burn out quickly in the secondary physical race through lack of focus on our very real Heaven.