My Ducky

so this trip started out with a somber note of sorts.... :( when Jason picked me up at the airport, somehow my Baby Duck got left behind on the bench. We are currently in contact with the airport and i think i am driving them crazy because i keep calling.

this little guy is very important to me, he is my "security blanket" especially when i travel. he has been with me through SO much, it is hard thinking i might not get him back.....

please pray... '~'

Moday: First day of work!

so today we had our first day of work and i am TIRED. :) we painted all day long!

i had the job of "cutting" (not the emo kind)

this is where you take a brush and you paint up along the edges of the ceiling where the roller cant reach. this is especially hard because it is NOT the same color of the ceiling.

anyways, today my friend Kelsey said something really cool. when we were putting the second coat of color on, she said "it's cool how when you put the first coat on, it is just a wall with color. but when you do more coats, it almost gets deeper.. making it a room!"

wow! think about that... in our lives, (walls) we are using God to sort of "paint" us. if we let him give us one coat, we look like everything is ok, and it is bearable. but if we let him paint more and more coats, we get deeper and deeper in him! then we are a real room... one that he can set up and fill like it should be. :)

anyways, that is my thoughts for today on that.

so this is what our schedule looks like basically every day:

6:30 - get up and pack lunch and check what sight you are working at for the day

7:00 - breakfast

7:45 - devotions

8:00 - pack the truck and head to work sight

10:30 - morning break

12:00 - lunch

2:30 - afternoon break

4:00 - clean up the sight

4:30 - head home

5:00 - showers

6:00 - dinner

6:30 - check in ~ what happened with everyone today?

7:00 - (on wednesdays only) wednesday night bible study

during this break we usually go to check the crab traps. we wade into the gulf (till we can hardly touch!) to poles where we have tied them down :) so far three crabs and counting!

10:00 - back at house

10:30 - lights out

so this is the average day... :) loads of fun!!!!

A day here... :)

well right now i am enjoying a beautiful breeze under a tree in the front yard, and it looks like the weather is finally going to take a break. They think tomorrow will be stormy with tornado warnings, but i hope not!

yesterday i helped around the house, mowing and mulching before my Aunt Dar got home, and by the end of the day, i was wiped out! I do have to say though, working outside after spending so much time inside is great, and i love it.

today i wont be posting pictures, but i am hoping to do a full post tomorrow of just pictures. :)

Jason's graduation saturday went great, and we even got to see our good friend Jerry graduate that afternoon. (Some of you know him and his wife who spent some time in Delaware with us) . after spending the afternoon with Jason, Jerry, and Lorri, Cody and I were on out way to meet his grandparents in Oklahoma.

His grandparents are exactly like he told me. His grandma has been sick, but she recognizes people. you can even see in her eyes the mischevious side of her that people talk so often about. His granddad? well when i explained him to mom i told her that he is a "real cowboy". He not only looks the part, but has such a big heart that you instantly feel welcome. he tries to cover up that he is a softy, but i know better. :) one of the other most obvious things that you can see if you walk into this house, is that he loves his dear Connie with every ounce he has and then some. I dont know if i have quite seen before the dedication that he has to her well being. he talks with her even though she cant talk back, and he teases her just to get a smile out of her.

Sunday was Cody's birthday, and I wwas so glad i could spend it with him.

after we went to church with Granddad and Grandma, we went to Grandma Tally's house for a birthday celebration for Grandmma Connie (Hers was thursday). I met so many people! i think i know now how overwhelming it can be to meet my whole family. :)

After that we went back to thd spent some more time with the grandparents and his uncle Wayne. It was definitely a great evening. :) but like all things, there is a time to move on. Me and Cody then left for Pryor, where Aunt Dar lives and where i will be staying.

Yesterday (monday) my parents got on the road a little later then planned, but i defintley am glad they were here. :) I have officially became the cook of the household, and i have already called on both mom and Naomi for help.

Today was more of a laid back day for me, sleeping in and having some good reading time. like i said earlier, you really cant beat getting to read under a shade tree with the breeze blowing!

welll i guess i'll close off with saying goodnnight... :) i cant post any pictures tonight, but there are definitely some coming! tomorrow will be packed with a run to the grocerie store and a birthday fiesta for Miguel, so i will try my hardest to update sometime tomorrow!

Blessings!!!!

SO MUCH!!!

so i know that now i need to step it up and start posting like i promised.. :) we are finally (as you probably know) in Oklahoma, and having a GREAT time! i have to catch up, so get ready for a few posts... :)

so this is like the "royal farms" of the west i think.. they are EVERYWHERE!!!

Olivia really enjoyed the Raven's Glenn restaraunt that I talked about earlier.... ---->

and she had some AMAZING spaghetti!!!!

Alright, so if you have never been to a REAL Krispy Kreme store, you NEED to!

They make everything there!!

(below) this is where they cut the dough into circles.

it is sort of hard to see because it was in the back.

then they ride these little doughnut elevators until they have risen enough.

(the ones on the right are smaller then the ones on the left)

so here they are floating in hot oil and the one side is cooking.

(all the while they are slowly floating towards the next step)

this is when the second side starts cooking

(If you look REALLY close, you can see them flipping)

Finally they go onto this conveyor that gives them time to drip dry.

then they go through this amazing waterfall of icing!

when they come out, they look DELICIOUS!!!

then the ride the conveyor to the other side, giving the extra icing time to drip off.

even though i couldn't get a picture, on the otherside they have people picking them up and boxing them fresh.

And as an extra treat? everyone that walks through the door gets greeted with a fresh warm classic krispy kreme complimentary doughnut!

YUM!!!

Ok so by now we were getting pretty close, when we saw this place called the "Twisted Cow"!!

(I wonder if they have these somewhere close to DE???)

They have about a dozen kinds of ice cream that you can choose from, and then OVER FIFTY different kinds of toppings!!!!!

it was AMAZING!!!! -------------->

WOW! im starting to feel like this is a trip to try new foods for sure!

Me and Grandpa

WELL! we were off like a herd of turtles this morning, and if felt like we just couldn't get out the door. Me and mom were up till 6 am and finally just said "ok, wake us when you're ready"

Oh, and i had to share this with you all. Me and mom went online to

check our reservation

s for the hotel in Kansas, and this is what popped up:

I couldn't stop laughing! (read closely)

"page is in swedish, would you like it translated? [Yes] [Nope]

haha... "nope"

ANYWAYS, so we finally got everything in the van (after a de

tour trying to find the tire-jack) and we were on the road about eight thirty. Right now it is about seven thirty, so it has been almost twelve hours.

We've stopped a few times for gas a

nd we just left the Raven's Glen Winery and Restaurant where we

met my grandparents and my Aunt Marieda and Uncle Gordie. The food was SSSSSOOOOO GOOOOOD! :) and the restaurant was BEAUTIFUL!

Like I said, the Restaurant was beautiful!! :) this bench cracked me up, but it's a winery, so i guess it makes sense....

This was outside the back of Raven's Glen, and they even had an outside area to dine! they say the river is fuller now then normal.Outside the restaurant they had acres of grape vines, and it was so neat to see! h

ow they braided themselves up and around is just phenomenal!This (if you turn your head slightly to the left) :) is the walkway to the building. there were rocking chairs on the outside porch and it was great to see my grandparents wa

iting there.

ok so onto the food!!! :D

This was the bread that they brought to us, and they had fresh herbs that they put on a plate. They then put some oil onto the herbs, and we were supposed to dip the bread it in. Delicious!

Ok people, if you EVER get the chance to try Chicken Mediterranean, I HIGHLY suggest it!!

"Salteed to a golden brown, salteed with Raven's Glenn Gold Medal Chardonnay butter sauce, capers, fresh lemon, tomatoes, spinach and feta cheese"

If THAT doesn't make your mouth water, there is probably something wrong...

Ok well that is probably enough for this thread... :D miss you all!!!