Los Angeles County Fair

Los Angelos County Fair - Slideshow

We went to the fair yesterday in the blazing California heat. I was just getting used to the idea of fall and then we got triple digit weather. We had a great time. Some of our favorite activites were: Human Body museum (with real cadavers), dinosaur museum, zip line, food, lots of unique vendors. Some of my pictures got off balance and cut off a couple of the kids. If you are recieving this via email, you may need to get on the actual blog to see the slide show.

Weekend Fun in Huntington Beach!

Today, we went to Huntington Beach to spend some time with the Baker/Hartman clan. This was the first time we have seen the Hartman's new home. Beautiful home and neighborhood. It was such a relaxing time with everyone. Rachel was down from Oakland and she made a yummy icecream birthday cake for Greg and me. Can you believe I'm 35? Oh my!!!

Big News!

It has been about 4 weeks since Jason returned from Africa. The trip was very impactful on his life as well as those who responded to salvation in Africa. He has a heart for the people of Africa and because of this and other factors, we have made a big decision. NO, we are not moving to Africa. Yes, we are going to redo all of our adoption paperwork and adopt a baby from Ethiopia. Babies from 2 months to 12 months are available as well as many other ages. There are 5 million orphans in Ethiopia. This statistic is staggering and yet it will continue to grow due to the aids epidemic. We are excited and somewhat overwelmed as to the process of paperwork. This journey will be difficult and yet, so rewarding. Life is adventurous and we marvel at how God can change our hearts and move us in directions that we may have never thought possible. Let the new JOURNEY begin!

Updates and an exciting addition!

First and foremost I need to brief you on my dad. He is home and doing well. They do not meet with their cardiologist for 3 weeks due to the need for scar tissue to develop and time to see how his body responds. Apparently, the scar tissue will make the affects of his procedure for effective. In the meantime, he continues to receives shots from my mother. It is a good thing that he only bruised one time or his whole body would be black and blue. Feel free to call my mom "bruiser". She has always wanted people to use a nickname when addressing her. (She even gave herself her own nickname in elementary school- Stormy) I think bruiser fits her better and so do the nurses at St. Bernadine.
After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to homeschool my niece Anabel. She is six years old and in 1st grade. Today was her first day at our house and she did great. Looking forward to how we can be used in her life and the blessing that she will be in our's.
Dallas is doing great. No more tummy pain or vomiting. Praise the Lord!

Update on my dad!

Thankyou for your prayers and concern regarding my father. His surgery went well. What should have taken 5 hours, took about 3. He was also in the recovery room for 3hours however due to bleeding at the incision site. Unfortunately, we did not speak with the doctor yesterday so we are anxiously awaiting to hear from him today. He slept with a weight on his leg last night to keep the bleeding in the leg from seeping. This was uncomfortable for him as he had to lay on his back all night. He has suffered from many back aches and this position is uncomfortable for him. Our hope is that he will be released today.

My dad!

Not many children are blessed to have a father like mine. He is loving, caring, extremely hard working and would give the shirt off of his back to most anyone. He has lived his life serving the Lord and giving of himself. On Monday, he is having a procedure on his heart called an ablation fibrillation. This is the second time in a few months that he will be having this type of procedure. The first was not as successful as hoped, as the surgeon found another area in the heart that is beating quite "out of wack." Monday's procedure is more invasive than the first and expected to take about 5 hours. Please pray for success with the procedure, peace for my dad and family, and wisdom for the cardiologist. He has to have shots injected into his abdomen by his favorite nurse, my mother. He bruised terribly this morning and will be receiving two a day for the next several days. I think my mom enjoys her needles, so stand back or she might get you.

Back in the swing of things!

Wednesday's will be our busy days out and about. Yesterday, we went to the Hixson's to do some school together, then to Sunwest. Sunwest is an independent and assistive living facility for the elderly. They have allowed Home Instead to have an office at the facility and serve clients as needed. We had our grand opening, complete with a breakfast, lunch and dinner BBQ for any residents who wanted to eat. There were games, and hula dancers. We stayed for about an hour and then began our first TESTIFY practice. We have decided to rejoin and see where God takes us. We have a new member, Sonya McKelvey, who blended amazingly. She is a blessing! The kids will also be having a part in the concerts. After practice, onto Shine Christian Performing ARTs studio for dance, violin and karate. A quick dinner, and then we went to Fellowship Baptist Church for a bible study on marriage. Dallas continues to do well. His energy and strength are returning and his appetite has come back with a vengeance.