The big 2-0

It was 20 years ago today that it was raining in Iowa. A couple was waiting to get married, and a tad worried about the weather since it was an outdoor wedding. However, they prayed and before the wedding started, the rain cleared up, people wiped the water off the chairs and they lived happily ever after! Well, not exactly. It has been two decades since that rainy May day and that couple has raised three children (one who is going to Illinois for college this fall!!!!). Happy 20th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!!! I love both of you so much!!

Happy Birthday, Paul!

Psalm 23:3

He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Another loong post

with lots and lots of pictures! The boys had a fire outside last night, so we made s'mores and did some fireworks (whistlers). Well, here it goes...

This looks good enough to eat.

Have a s'more...

they are really quite tasty!

Starting the fireworks.

Cool, huh?!

I got one good picture out of probably 50! :D

Getting ready for bed.

All ready...

And nestled in for the night!

Good night!

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Happy 35th Anniversary, Susan and Robert!!

Happy Birthday...

to a wonderful grandma in Heaven! Margaret Pauley. Isn't that a beautiful name?

I wish I could say that I have endless stories about my grandma. I truly wish I did, but truth be told, I don't.

I know she was a wonderful mother, grandmother, and woman. She was amazing. She won Mother of the Year in 1983.

She noticed that I was not breathing when I was still in the hospital. She is my guardian angel.

I love you, Grandma! And I can hardly wait to see you again!

Camp clean-up

Well, today was camp clean-up. Unfortunately, it was a tad windy. Okay, let's say blustery! ;) I think we are going to have another camp clean-up day, because we only had about 12 people show up. So, if you aren't doing anything this coming weekend (Saturday, June 2nd), come and help us clean up the campgrounds just outside of Lehr, ND! I'm sure you have heard of Lehr, it is famous for being the smallest city in between two counties in the US...and ...for its water! Okay, back to cleaning. I'm not going to say it is the most fun in the world, because that is reserved for the Mighty Mighty Scoop Noodle Challenge (which is played at the youth camp!)! However, the more people the more fun it is!! We've only got two weeks until camp, so mark your calendars for camp clean-up day! ;D

I took a lot of pictures of the curtains (because we washed them and wanted to remember which went where). But I figured that wouldn't be too thrilling. However, if for some reason, you suddenly want pictures of curtains, I can post them for you! :D

Pictures!

Well, sorry the pictures are late but I was up all night...and morning. For supper, we had my mom's homemade pizza!! Yum! Then Susan, Robert and Paul came over for cake and opening presents.

Andrew being...well, Andrew.

A watch...maybe this one will like me! (I don't have the greatest history with watches...) Did you notice Andrew in the background?

A cheesy grin for the camera

The candlelighters were Trisha, Robert and I.

19 is alot of candles!!

I got some frames! Yippee!!!

After cake (ice cream cake-YUM!), we went downstairs to watch I Love Lucy!! I like this picture-- everyone is laughing! :D

Trisha and I stayed up until 3-4:00 in the morning watching I Love Lucy and I Dream of Jeannie. As you can tell, it was tiring work.

Well....

...the May birthday/anniversary week has officially begun! The 22nd was Teagan's and today is mine! Many many more celebrations to come! I'm sure I will have pictures tonight. So watch for an update!

Guess what?

I'm not the only goldfish on the farm, anymore!!!
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RAIN!!!!

Our lake has water in it now!!! YAY!

I'm ba-a-ack...

again!! I am getting tired of traveling! I think I will be done for a while, though! Whew! This weekend, I am staying in North Dakota (for camp clean-up!! :). I am not going to South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Illinois! YES!! Not that I have anything personal against these states, it's just that I love North Dakota! Now how many times have you heard that said? :D Well, as usual I took pictures. But this time, since it was just Mom and me (is it I or me?), we could stop at the side of the road and take pictures!!!!! It was so so so cool! :) I'll post them later, first I have to get them developed!

Pictures from our trip to Judson

The sky in Wisconsin on the way back. It was beautiful. But if my Wisconsin readers will pardon me, there are waaaay too many trees in Wisconsin! You can't see anything! I like the prairie.

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For more pictures and info, go to Trisha's blog.

Annoying, but I guess I can see their logic...

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Trisha playing piano at Becky and Jeff's.

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Lanesboro in Minnesota

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Many more to come!!! But I need prayer. Pray that I go where God wants me to go for college. Judson is a really great Christian college. And one of my aunts is on the Cabinet there. So that is really nice... Just pray.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy late Mother's Day!!

I love you Mommy!!!! Thank you for always encouraging me to do my best. And to remember to praise God. Thank you for a Godly home to grow up in. And thank you for preparing awesome food!!! You are missing out, if you haven't tasted her homemade pizza. Or clam chowder. Or spaghetti. Or,... well, the list goes on and on! :-) :D

She [the mother] prepared some tasty food.

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Part of Genesis 27:14

Extreme Weakness

Okay, it has been a very looong time since I've done a Jesus Freak Friday post. (I just looked and the last one was Good Friday!!! Oops!) And, I know today is Thursday (it is, isn't it?), but I don't want to go another week without doing a Jesus Freak Friday!! :D So, whether or not you were waiting, here it is....


But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” ````````````````` 2 Corinthians 12:9


“If you will renounce your faith and trample the cross, you will go free,” the Bolshevik gang said. “If you do not, we will kill you.”

Reverend Mikhail had seen eighty thousand of his fellow Russian Orthodox leaders and lay people murdered by the Communists. Amidst all of that pain and suffering, he decided that God, if he did exist, would not have allowed such misery.“I don’t believe,” he thought as he faced the gang. “What does a cross mean to me? Let me save my life.”

But when he opened his mouth to go along with the gang’s orders, the words that came out shocked him. “I only believe in one God. I will not trample on the cross!” The gang put a sack around his shoulders as a royal garment and used his fur hat for Jesus’ crown of thorns. One of them, a former member of Mikhail’s church, knelt before him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews.” They took turns beating him and mocking his God. Silently, the reverend prayed. “If you exist, please save my life.” As he was beaten, he cried out again, “I believe in one God.”His show of faith made such an impression on the drunken gang that they released him. When he arrived in his house, he fell face down on the floor, weeping and repeating, “I believe.”

The Christian faith is full of paradoxes. Die to live. Lose to win. Be weak in order to be strong. In fact, unless we are willing to embrace our own failures, we cannot experience God’s strength. When we undergo hardship and trial or even witness the unjust suffering of others from afar, we may begin to doubt God’s goodness. That is a human, natural response. However, God does not reject our human weakness. He restores our weakness with his strength. Therefore, we can rejoice in our failures because they remind us that human strength is no substitute for godly power. We may fail, but our God remains strong. What are you learning about your own weakness? What does that teach you about God’s strength?

Song of Solomon 2:12

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Flowers appear on the earth;

the season of singing has come.

A quote from Brother Lawrence

Make it your study, before taking up

any tasks to look to God.

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-The Practice of the Presence of God

This and that

I was already logged on so I thought I might as well post. And since I didn't have a post majorly thought about, I thought I would post a random picture.
We came back from Fargo last night. It was so much fun! Trisha and I tried on a zillion clothes (a tish of exaggeration there :). But I didn't get any-- I've gotten too cheap lately! :D Well, that's pretty much it..I'm off to curl my hair with socks... and go to bed. :D

Excited, happy, etc.

Okay, this calls for a post! I'm all done with tests, papers.. all done with school for the year! YIPPEE!!! I don't know if I passed anything..., I'll find out later. Right now I am SOOoooo happy!!! HORRAY!!! And today I get to go to FARGO!!! I am so so so excited!!!! Now for some sad news (but happy at the same time!)... we sold our last puppy! Ssadly, that means no more puppy pictures! :'( But I still have my kitty, so I am still HAPPY!!! All done wit school! YEAH!!

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Be of good cheer!

John 16:33