Yep, that's the only way to describe our 7 1/2 hour visit with the Estill family today. It was nothing short of Glorious, and I have not one picture to share with you.
It started at three o'clock with sweet introductions and sweet tea. It ended 7 1/2 hours later with sweet tea and the birth of a sweet new friendship.
During that time, we shared a wonderful meal together, shared what God has been doing and is continuing to do in both of our families lives; we shared the passions and desires of all our hearts, and by the end of the night we felt like we had known them all of our lives. We even enjoyed the cool of the evening on the back patio watching our seven children chase chickens, climb trees and pretend to be horses; all the while knowing God was woven through all of what we were doing.
Although the pictures would have been a nice way to show you how great it was, they surely wouldn't have done it justice.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
A Week in Pictures Pt. 2
After our fun at White Water we all went back to the condo for some nice long naps. There's nothing like a nap after fun in the sun! After our naps it was off to our next stop: Shepherd of the Hills. Our friend Kendra gave us free tickets to this great show. We had front row seats!
They started the evening off with a bull frog race. Oh yeah, you know it... Alli was ALL OVER that! She is my animal lover of any sort! From baby rats to little tadpoles, we've housed them all.
Now Judah and Jordan on the other hand, weren't so excited.
Jordan said, ummm... I don't think so.
And Judah, well... this look says it all :-)
The sad thing about it is, JUDAH was the one who won the race. Alli's frog kept jumping out of her hand before the race started but then when they said "sit 'em down and let 'em go!" Her frog didn't move a muscle. You would think all of Alli's animal loving would pay off on a bull frog race but it didn't. :-(
Below is a video of the winning frog and it's boy (and dad)...
Sorry the video is sideways but it's still cute.
Afterward they had Daniel and the kids come down to the front and announced the winner. That's it, the night couldn't have gotten off to a better start.
Oh, but wait... during the middle they encourage people to come down and square dance with the actors. Oh man, that was right up my kids' alley!
Waiting ever so patiently...
My girls are not at all dressed for the occasion which really bums me out.
At one point one of the men picked Alli up and swung her around. Oh man, that was the talk of the night.
It was so much fun, the weather was great, the show was great, the christian message in the show was great, the kids were so good. I sat there thinking "It couldn't have been a better night."
Ok, if I could have splurged the $18 for the super cute family picture they took maybe it could have been better. Hey, Judah was holding a little gun.
They started the evening off with a bull frog race. Oh yeah, you know it... Alli was ALL OVER that! She is my animal lover of any sort! From baby rats to little tadpoles, we've housed them all.
Now Judah and Jordan on the other hand, weren't so excited.
Jordan said, ummm... I don't think so.
And Judah, well... this look says it all :-)
The sad thing about it is, JUDAH was the one who won the race. Alli's frog kept jumping out of her hand before the race started but then when they said "sit 'em down and let 'em go!" Her frog didn't move a muscle. You would think all of Alli's animal loving would pay off on a bull frog race but it didn't. :-(
Below is a video of the winning frog and it's boy (and dad)...
Sorry the video is sideways but it's still cute.
Afterward they had Daniel and the kids come down to the front and announced the winner. That's it, the night couldn't have gotten off to a better start.
Oh, but wait... during the middle they encourage people to come down and square dance with the actors. Oh man, that was right up my kids' alley!
Waiting ever so patiently...
My girls are not at all dressed for the occasion which really bums me out.At one point one of the men picked Alli up and swung her around. Oh man, that was the talk of the night.
It was so much fun, the weather was great, the show was great, the christian message in the show was great, the kids were so good. I sat there thinking "It couldn't have been a better night."
Ok, if I could have splurged the $18 for the super cute family picture they took maybe it could have been better. Hey, Judah was holding a little gun.
A Week In Pictures Pt. 1
For the rest of our vacation "catch up" I thought it would be fun to just walk you through with pictures of our adventures. As I mentioned in a prior post, several people when hearing we were going to Branson showered us with free tickets to area attractions. Who gets a free stay in a Presidential Condo let alone free tickets to Shepherd of the Hills, White Water-Water Park, Celebration City and a nice little breakfast at the Farmhouse Restaurant Down Town Branson? That's a God thing!
Our whole trip cost us (other than gas) $8.76 and that is just because Judah ruined his shirt by eating grape jelly at our free breakfast so we bought him a super cute shirt before exploring the Branson Landing :-)
Adventure #1 White Water Water Park
This is a place we had always wanted to go. Tickets however cost $39 per adult and $33 per child. Yep! No way. Actually, even aside from the money we had always thought since it was so big and commercialized it would be crowded and just plain stressful to go there with three little ones. WELL, I am sure that would be the case on some days but not for us on this perfect day!
We arrived at 1o am and played hard until 1pm. At that time we walked over to the nice covered pavilion for a picnic lunch. We don't have any fun water pictures because we were honestly having too much fun and losing my camera was not on the agenda for THIS trip :)
After our picnic it was back to the fun. Daniel and Alli enjoyed some big kid fun on some tube rides while I played with the little ones in the splash zone. Then we all hooked back up and enjoyed the wave pool, it was a load of fun. I sat there on the shore with the two little ones playing in the "tide" and if I squinted my eyes real tight and peered into the water it almost felt like I was at the ocean. ummm, ok... maybe not :o(
Alli and I made some fun memories on this slide yep, the one on the left... I'm such a cool mom :o) Ok, ok, her Dad did it too, but he was after me so I get the cool mom status.
All in all it was a great day. Our little Judah couldn't even make it to the van when it was all said and done (at 3pm). He fell asleep right before we got to the exit gate, he's so sweet.
Come on, you know you want to kiss his little sweet cheeks.
Our whole trip cost us (other than gas) $8.76 and that is just because Judah ruined his shirt by eating grape jelly at our free breakfast so we bought him a super cute shirt before exploring the Branson Landing :-)
Adventure #1 White Water Water Park
This is a place we had always wanted to go. Tickets however cost $39 per adult and $33 per child. Yep! No way. Actually, even aside from the money we had always thought since it was so big and commercialized it would be crowded and just plain stressful to go there with three little ones. WELL, I am sure that would be the case on some days but not for us on this perfect day!
We arrived at 1o am and played hard until 1pm. At that time we walked over to the nice covered pavilion for a picnic lunch. We don't have any fun water pictures because we were honestly having too much fun and losing my camera was not on the agenda for THIS trip :)
After our picnic it was back to the fun. Daniel and Alli enjoyed some big kid fun on some tube rides while I played with the little ones in the splash zone. Then we all hooked back up and enjoyed the wave pool, it was a load of fun. I sat there on the shore with the two little ones playing in the "tide" and if I squinted my eyes real tight and peered into the water it almost felt like I was at the ocean. ummm, ok... maybe not :o(
Alli and I made some fun memories on this slide yep, the one on the left... I'm such a cool mom :o) Ok, ok, her Dad did it too, but he was after me so I get the cool mom status.
All in all it was a great day. Our little Judah couldn't even make it to the van when it was all said and done (at 3pm). He fell asleep right before we got to the exit gate, he's so sweet.
Come on, you know you want to kiss his little sweet cheeks.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Our Wonderful Get Away
Some of you might remember the post about our exciting free vacation to Branson, MO. Well, that would be the next topic on my "blogging catch up list".
Our Wonderful Get Away
What a wonderful time we had! Just for a quick recap... A friend/neighbor from the house we just sold gave us three free nights in a Presidential Condo at Holiday Hills Golf Resort in Branson, MO. Her mother from Texas has a timeshare there, it was so wonderful.
More important than the resort let me tell you a little bit about our friend Micheale.
She is one of the most caring neighbors I have ever had (and believe me, we have had a lot). Every week she would take our trash down to the curb if we were out of town or getting home late; which we usually were always home late due to the fact that we take the trash down Wed. night and that is Youth Group. If she mowed before us, she would mow all the way over to our drive way... push mow. When Daniel would be out of town she would let me borrow her electric weed-eater. She cooked a meal for me one time when Daniel was out of town. She has a daughter a little older than Alli and she would pass down her daughters clothes to us. She drove all the way down to Branson after working all day to check us in at the resort and then stayed to unpack our van! AND on top of all that (which I left out a ton) she has kept our cat since we moved because we don't have a house to take it to.
Even more... Micheale is a single mother who works full time, goes to school full time and receives no financial support from her ex-husband. And yes, she is the most generous neighbor we have ever had.
And just to top it all off... I had the blessing of baptizing Micheale this spring. So, she is not just a neighbor we once knew, she is my sister.
Jesus said in one of his parables "the one who is forgiven much, loves much" Micheale is a lover. She is forgiven. Like myself, she has the type of past that makes her very happy for her future now that she has found salvation through Adoni. I hope you love your neighbors as much as Micheale loves us, not just with words but with action.
I know she has been an encouragement to me, showing me how to take care of and show love to 'the people on the other side of the fence'.
With all that said... here is a glimpse into how we were blessed this time by our neighbors love.
The pictures don't do it justice :o( but oh well. To be honest, we had so much fun I couldn't stop to take lots of pictures.
The first night Alli thought it would be fun to have a fancy dinner so she and I cooked spaghetti.Our Wonderful Get Away
What a wonderful time we had! Just for a quick recap... A friend/neighbor from the house we just sold gave us three free nights in a Presidential Condo at Holiday Hills Golf Resort in Branson, MO. Her mother from Texas has a timeshare there, it was so wonderful.More important than the resort let me tell you a little bit about our friend Micheale.
She is one of the most caring neighbors I have ever had (and believe me, we have had a lot). Every week she would take our trash down to the curb if we were out of town or getting home late; which we usually were always home late due to the fact that we take the trash down Wed. night and that is Youth Group. If she mowed before us, she would mow all the way over to our drive way... push mow. When Daniel would be out of town she would let me borrow her electric weed-eater. She cooked a meal for me one time when Daniel was out of town. She has a daughter a little older than Alli and she would pass down her daughters clothes to us. She drove all the way down to Branson after working all day to check us in at the resort and then stayed to unpack our van! AND on top of all that (which I left out a ton) she has kept our cat since we moved because we don't have a house to take it to.
Even more... Micheale is a single mother who works full time, goes to school full time and receives no financial support from her ex-husband. And yes, she is the most generous neighbor we have ever had.
And just to top it all off... I had the blessing of baptizing Micheale this spring. So, she is not just a neighbor we once knew, she is my sister.
Jesus said in one of his parables "the one who is forgiven much, loves much" Micheale is a lover. She is forgiven. Like myself, she has the type of past that makes her very happy for her future now that she has found salvation through Adoni. I hope you love your neighbors as much as Micheale loves us, not just with words but with action.
I know she has been an encouragement to me, showing me how to take care of and show love to 'the people on the other side of the fence'.
With all that said... here is a glimpse into how we were blessed this time by our neighbors love.
The pictures don't do it justice :o( but oh well. To be honest, we had so much fun I couldn't stop to take lots of pictures.
I tell you what, I just can't keep those kids from workin' :-) Alli and Jordan played house the whole time we were there, sweeping and mopping continuously.
Daddy and Judah were just hangin' out being buddies.
Need a wonderful source of entertainment for a one year old while on vacation? Unplug the phone and let him go at it! That little man played with all week! When he wasn't playing with it Jordan would gather up the phone books and play office with it.
On the last night the girls planned to sleep here...
But this is how I found them...
snug as bugs in their bed ;-) that's ok, I still think they're brave.
more to come...
Friday, August 22, 2008
First Things First: A Trip to the Spring
As most of you know two weeks ago we kicked off Daniel's vacation. We have been having so much fun and it is now drawing to a close. Even though we aren't glad to see his vacation coming to an end, we are happy to be done traveling and back in the basement :-)
I have so much updating to do! So... I thought I would kick it off with First Things First..., our first vacation outing.
A Trip To the Spring
Two Saturdays ago the Simpson's turned us on to a local spring just outside of Ozark. The day couldn't have been more perfect. All of the days prior to this one had been during that terrible heat spell of 100 plus and on this day it was in the high 7o's!
We parked the van and headed into the water, it was crystal clear. The kids had a great time chasing tadpoles, finding little dead fish, and cool rocks (hey, it's what kids do!) The water was very swift in some spots so we had to keep them all within close reach.
We found a sweet little spot to explore where the water was coming out of the rocks. Alli, of course, was our first explorer to the fun spot.
And she was our last...
Yep, that little guy (read as... THAT SNAKE) is in the water right next to where our little Alli was standing. After we got home Daniel and I zoomed in real close to the one of Alli and could see the snake under the water with his head out looking at her! My body became covered in goose bumps and I praised the Lord for his protection. That was a scary thing.
Needless to say... we walked in the middle of the spring from then on.
After our fun water time we stopped for a snack on the bank.
Mom and Dad has snacks too but let's face it, we just aren't as cute.
We hope to return soon to this darling little spot of God's wonderful creation.
More to come... :o)
I have so much updating to do! So... I thought I would kick it off with First Things First..., our first vacation outing.
A Trip To the Spring
Two Saturdays ago the Simpson's turned us on to a local spring just outside of Ozark. The day couldn't have been more perfect. All of the days prior to this one had been during that terrible heat spell of 100 plus and on this day it was in the high 7o's!
We parked the van and headed into the water, it was crystal clear. The kids had a great time chasing tadpoles, finding little dead fish, and cool rocks (hey, it's what kids do!) The water was very swift in some spots so we had to keep them all within close reach.
We found a sweet little spot to explore where the water was coming out of the rocks. Alli, of course, was our first explorer to the fun spot.
And she was our last...
Yep, that little guy (read as... THAT SNAKE) is in the water right next to where our little Alli was standing. After we got home Daniel and I zoomed in real close to the one of Alli and could see the snake under the water with his head out looking at her! My body became covered in goose bumps and I praised the Lord for his protection. That was a scary thing.
Needless to say... we walked in the middle of the spring from then on.
After our fun water time we stopped for a snack on the bank.
Mom and Dad has snacks too but let's face it, we just aren't as cute.
We hope to return soon to this darling little spot of God's wonderful creation.
More to come... :o)
Friday, August 15, 2008
A Heavy Heart
Hello again.
We have returned safely from our fun adventures during this past week Praise be to the Lord.
BUT, those wonderful days in pictures and words will have to wait due to our heavy hearts for people dear to us.
Some of our very dear friends are battling the possibility of bone cancer. Jim and Madeline are parents, grandparents, and friends to many. Jim started last year having bones break for no reason and doctor's diagnosed it as a severe case of osteoporosis. One year later it has worsened and the pain is unbearable. They found out last week it could possibly be bone cancer. Not to mention last I knew since they both work for a church he in Maintenance and her a Treasurer they, like us, don't have health insurance.
Also, after returning home today we received word that one of the ladies from my Created To Be His Help Meet study's father went missing on Tuesday. Today his body was found just yards from his home. Just last week at our study Sherrie spoke of her dad and his love and now he is gone. I cannot even imagine how this family is feeling. We take our family for granted, don't we.
Please pray for these two families.
We have returned safely from our fun adventures during this past week Praise be to the Lord.
BUT, those wonderful days in pictures and words will have to wait due to our heavy hearts for people dear to us.
Some of our very dear friends are battling the possibility of bone cancer. Jim and Madeline are parents, grandparents, and friends to many. Jim started last year having bones break for no reason and doctor's diagnosed it as a severe case of osteoporosis. One year later it has worsened and the pain is unbearable. They found out last week it could possibly be bone cancer. Not to mention last I knew since they both work for a church he in Maintenance and her a Treasurer they, like us, don't have health insurance.
Also, after returning home today we received word that one of the ladies from my Created To Be His Help Meet study's father went missing on Tuesday. Today his body was found just yards from his home. Just last week at our study Sherrie spoke of her dad and his love and now he is gone. I cannot even imagine how this family is feeling. We take our family for granted, don't we.
Please pray for these two families.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Feeling Very Selfish
Yesterday marked Daniel's first day of vacation. Although he is still doing full time school work we are very excited to have him home with us to play and rest.
For the next three days we will be out of contact to the outside world :-) I cannot even express how I feel right now. The neighbor from our old house (the one we just sold) GAVE US three nights and four days in a Presidential Suite in Branson, MO FOR FREE. We arrived today... Just wait until I share the pictures, it is absolutely breathtaking. We have never stayed anywhere so nice in our life! But guess what! The fun doesn't stop there! When people from our church found out we were going to Branson the FREE coupons came a flying! FREE tickets to WHITE WATER - WATER PARK, CELEBRATION CITY, SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS, and DINNER!! I cannot believe how blessed we are!
So, why the title "Feeling Very Selfish" you ask? Because when I walked into that room and saw its beauty and hugeness I felt very bad that we didn't have either family, students from church, or friends with us. I said over and over, I cannot believe we are here all alone but Daniel said, "Just enjoy it and be happy you feel that way" :-) What can I say, we love people!
Anyway, enough for now. The kids are running around here in the activity center with their dad and Judah keeps calling me to come see the balls!
Expect tons of pictures and pray I don't lose the camera on this one ;-)
For the next three days we will be out of contact to the outside world :-) I cannot even express how I feel right now. The neighbor from our old house (the one we just sold) GAVE US three nights and four days in a Presidential Suite in Branson, MO FOR FREE. We arrived today... Just wait until I share the pictures, it is absolutely breathtaking. We have never stayed anywhere so nice in our life! But guess what! The fun doesn't stop there! When people from our church found out we were going to Branson the FREE coupons came a flying! FREE tickets to WHITE WATER - WATER PARK, CELEBRATION CITY, SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS, and DINNER!! I cannot believe how blessed we are!
So, why the title "Feeling Very Selfish" you ask? Because when I walked into that room and saw its beauty and hugeness I felt very bad that we didn't have either family, students from church, or friends with us. I said over and over, I cannot believe we are here all alone but Daniel said, "Just enjoy it and be happy you feel that way" :-) What can I say, we love people!
Anyway, enough for now. The kids are running around here in the activity center with their dad and Judah keeps calling me to come see the balls!
Expect tons of pictures and pray I don't lose the camera on this one ;-)
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Sweet School Days
We kicked off the new season with a fun day of play doh,
painting...
...reading and playing in the water (hey, I consider playing in the water some seriously fun science :-) ok, ok, I'll record it as physical education. Then when the little ones were sleeping Alli and I started a new unit study on horses. She is LOVING that study!
More fun days to come! Love it, Love it, Love it!!
check out my little guy below enjoying some fun learning, just push play and enjoy! :-)
Do you see why I just Love it, Love it!?
painting...
...reading and playing in the water (hey, I consider playing in the water some seriously fun science :-) ok, ok, I'll record it as physical education. Then when the little ones were sleeping Alli and I started a new unit study on horses. She is LOVING that study!More fun days to come! Love it, Love it, Love it!!
check out my little guy below enjoying some fun learning, just push play and enjoy! :-)
Do you see why I just Love it, Love it!?
Friday, August 8, 2008
Life's Little Reminders
During "school" last week Judah dropped his play-do on the ground. As I bent over to pick it up I noticed a wonderful picture opportunity.
Another reminder that my little Jordi won't always be little.
Another reminder that my little Jordi won't always be little.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
An End to a Great Day
Well, it was a wonderful day.
The morning started early over coffee and talking with my hubby on the couch, followed by fresh french toast with my family. Then Daddy was off to work.
The kids and I had a play date planned at the Shepard's house from 11am-1pm. There were three moms there and 13 children (14, if you count Candi's sweet baby girl due in November) Now, not only were there 13 children, but 11 of them were girls! Yep... one, age 13 and the rest nine and under! We had a great time. There was not one argument, tattle or tear; they all played perfect and even enjoyed a sweet little picnic on a checkered sheet outside on the ground.
After our play date we picked up Daddy for a quick peek at a house. Nope, don't get your hopes up... it's a no go :-)
After we took Dad back to work we headed home. It was just too beautiful to stay indoors though so Alli, Jordan, Judah, Cooper (one of the Simpson's dogs) and I headed outside for a walk. During our walk we stopped off at the assisted living place here by the Simpson's house and met several people; we hope to visit again soon.
When we got back from our nice long walk Daniel was home from work. I made dinner for him and the kids then I got ready for a night out on the town :-)
Yep! For the first time in Gibson family blogging history mom went out on the town without dad or the kids... WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO?
Tonight was Ladies Night Out at our church. We went out to eat and to a play. It was a nice evening. We ate at a fancy Chinese restaurant where I had the chicken fried rice and even tried a crab ragoon. (is that even how you spell that?) For those of you who know me, that is a BIG deal... I do not try new things, especially if I don't even know how to spell them! Then at the theater I even got a little crazy and snuck my coffee into my seat! Well, I didn't really "sneak in" per say, I walked in with it knowing it was against the rules. Ok, I did walk in a very fast pace and convinced my friend Cindy to break the rules too... we totally felt like we were stealing. Every time they darkened the lights I took a sip of my delicious coffee. Brew-ha-ha... I'm in it deep now, somebody better help me. :-)
While I was gone Daniel and the kids went to the local farmers market to select some delicious fruit and veggies then they took a trip to the park.
When I came home Daniel and a student were hanging out. That is always a great thing to come home to. No seriously... I love that! In fact, they are still in there as I type :)
It is wonderful when living in someone else's house doesn't stop the building of relationships! It's a great way to end the day.
The morning started early over coffee and talking with my hubby on the couch, followed by fresh french toast with my family. Then Daddy was off to work.
The kids and I had a play date planned at the Shepard's house from 11am-1pm. There were three moms there and 13 children (14, if you count Candi's sweet baby girl due in November) Now, not only were there 13 children, but 11 of them were girls! Yep... one, age 13 and the rest nine and under! We had a great time. There was not one argument, tattle or tear; they all played perfect and even enjoyed a sweet little picnic on a checkered sheet outside on the ground.
After our play date we picked up Daddy for a quick peek at a house. Nope, don't get your hopes up... it's a no go :-)
After we took Dad back to work we headed home. It was just too beautiful to stay indoors though so Alli, Jordan, Judah, Cooper (one of the Simpson's dogs) and I headed outside for a walk. During our walk we stopped off at the assisted living place here by the Simpson's house and met several people; we hope to visit again soon.
When we got back from our nice long walk Daniel was home from work. I made dinner for him and the kids then I got ready for a night out on the town :-)
Yep! For the first time in Gibson family blogging history mom went out on the town without dad or the kids... WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO?
Tonight was Ladies Night Out at our church. We went out to eat and to a play. It was a nice evening. We ate at a fancy Chinese restaurant where I had the chicken fried rice and even tried a crab ragoon. (is that even how you spell that?) For those of you who know me, that is a BIG deal... I do not try new things, especially if I don't even know how to spell them! Then at the theater I even got a little crazy and snuck my coffee into my seat! Well, I didn't really "sneak in" per say, I walked in with it knowing it was against the rules. Ok, I did walk in a very fast pace and convinced my friend Cindy to break the rules too... we totally felt like we were stealing. Every time they darkened the lights I took a sip of my delicious coffee. Brew-ha-ha... I'm in it deep now, somebody better help me. :-)
While I was gone Daniel and the kids went to the local farmers market to select some delicious fruit and veggies then they took a trip to the park.
When I came home Daniel and a student were hanging out. That is always a great thing to come home to. No seriously... I love that! In fact, they are still in there as I type :)
It is wonderful when living in someone else's house doesn't stop the building of relationships! It's a great way to end the day.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
The Next Tiger
Here he is folks, the next Tiger Woods:
What? Don't all the pros play naked?
They DON'T? Well, I am totally bummed now...
so, I think I'll take some time off and push my big sister Jordan around.
Whew! That was a lot of work! I bet a dip in my totally sweet kiddie pool will help me relax.
Catch ya later fans!
What? Don't all the pros play naked?
They DON'T? Well, I am totally bummed now...
so, I think I'll take some time off and push my big sister Jordan around.
Whew! That was a lot of work! I bet a dip in my totally sweet kiddie pool will help me relax.
Catch ya later fans!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Ending Another Chapter of Life
Well, we closed on our house yesterday; and I must say we were super duper happy to have that adventure all behind us.
Daniel and I have had a total of 9 different addresses in 7 years. It would seem as though we just are never happy wouldn't it! Well, allow me to back track a little.
After we were first married we rented an apartment for about six months. After that we purchased our first home. THEN One year later we found our "Dream Home" and settled in. It was big, beautiful, white picket fence, American flag, the whole nine yards. We thought we were home forever. Little did we know God had another plan.
15 months after we found our "dream home" We followed God's calling and said goodbye to it and headed to Joplin, MO for Daniel to attend Bible College at Ozark Christian College. We put our house up for sale by owner and it sold in just three weeks. We didn't have a clue what we would do for money (with Daniel being a full time student) and we didn't know where we would live. Not to mention....what do we do with all of our STUFF!
Well, we sold most of the STUFF in a moving sale and gave the rest away. We sold our "nice vehicles" that had those blood sucking payments :-) and for a home... we found a little, ran down, apartment (three bedrooms two baths for $445/mo.). After we moved, God provided me with a job so Daniel could go to school during the week and He provided Daniel with a weekend ministry which not only helped financially but also helped us to make friends, build relationships and have more youth ministry experience.
After one year in that apartment, we rented a little house (900 sq ft) and then went on to purchase our second home right before we found out we were having little Judah.
Then last spring we were called to Nixa. It was a hard move indeed; saying goodbye to many good people and once again leaving a place that had become so comfortable. Judah was one week old on our last Sunday at that church. We moved again, not knowing how we would live on $300 per week from Daniel's ministry, me a homemaker/ homeschooling mother, and Daniel still a full time student.
BUT once again, God has proven faithful. To be honest we are not ones to ever pray for blessing... sorry for those of you who thought we were praying for God to bless you :-( It's not that we don't believe in it or anything like that, we just don't dwell on the blessing part. We know God wants to bless each of us and we feel that our family is blessed with abundance.
We pray that we are in God's will and being fruitful in what we are doing. We pray that we are in the place where He can use us the most. And we have noticed, the blessings just always follow. Now, don't get me wrong. We give all of our worries and cares to God because we know he cares for us (1 Peter) but praying abundant blessings could easily be prayed for people that are in much more devistation than the Gibson family. Like those who are not free to worship our God in their country or those who are faced with the worry of Sex Trafficking each day or little children who are being sold to fight in terrible wars at the age of four. They could use a healthy dose of blessing way before our family! Again, no big deal just not something we personally think much on.
Anyway, off of that soap box... :-) (I have a lot of those 'soap boxes', don't I?)
So back to what I was saying... After we got here and dug into loving people the Lord just started to bless us. First, it was a pay raise for the summer time and then in January of this year Daniel was brought on full time. That is just the financial part of being blessed since our move to Nixa. But I must say that a family of five living on $300/per week can be done by the grace of God!
wheww... off point again, let's move on...
You might have noticed the first line of this post... we were super duper happy to have that adventure all behind us.
Yesterday at the closing we were so happy to have it all said and done. Especially since we had to pay so much money to sell our house. You see, everything was going just fine until we received the appraisal one week before closing. The square footage of our house was 300 sq. feet less than what we paid for it one year ago! 300 sq ft. less than what we had always paid property taxes on. Yep! Someone messed up BIG TIME and there is NOTHING we can do about it.
The lady who messed up so long ago has already been fired. So long story short, we overpaid when we bought it and now the house is worth a lot less. We could sue the people who recorded it wrong but we would much rather believe God's got it under control. And hey, the people buying the house got a great deal; maybe there is a reason they needed a smaller house payment. Only God knows what is going to happen in that families life during the upcoming years.
Another soap box, sorry!
back to the we were happy...
Last night on my way home from a ladies Bible/Book study group, I drove by our house just to take a quick peek at it. The new people were moving in. I didn't think that would bother me at all but it really did.
For just a few moments I was sad knowing that, that home had held our love, joy and tears. It had sheltered our family and kept us warm. Our memories embraced those walls and my children explored life at that home. Silly late night giggles were shared in the girls room and sweet little baby dreams were set loose each night in Judah's room. Many hard decisions were made at that kitchen table, in that kitchen and lots of ministry was shared in that house with lots of people.
All of that is just a memory now. That chapter is over. Oh, those things aren't over, I know. I mean, we continue to have love, giggles, shelter, and sweet baby dreams just here in the Simpson's basement :-) but it is different kind of feeling.
So even though we were so anxious to get it all over with I was surprisingly a little sad to see that chapter end after we started to turn the page. It is a bitter sweet feeling I guess. Funny how that seems to always be the case in life here on Earth. Only when we are made whole with Christ will we feel truly at home; boy won't that be a day of rejoicing!
Daniel and I have had a total of 9 different addresses in 7 years. It would seem as though we just are never happy wouldn't it! Well, allow me to back track a little.
After we were first married we rented an apartment for about six months. After that we purchased our first home. THEN One year later we found our "Dream Home" and settled in. It was big, beautiful, white picket fence, American flag, the whole nine yards. We thought we were home forever. Little did we know God had another plan.
15 months after we found our "dream home" We followed God's calling and said goodbye to it and headed to Joplin, MO for Daniel to attend Bible College at Ozark Christian College. We put our house up for sale by owner and it sold in just three weeks. We didn't have a clue what we would do for money (with Daniel being a full time student) and we didn't know where we would live. Not to mention....what do we do with all of our STUFF!
Well, we sold most of the STUFF in a moving sale and gave the rest away. We sold our "nice vehicles" that had those blood sucking payments :-) and for a home... we found a little, ran down, apartment (three bedrooms two baths for $445/mo.). After we moved, God provided me with a job so Daniel could go to school during the week and He provided Daniel with a weekend ministry which not only helped financially but also helped us to make friends, build relationships and have more youth ministry experience.
After one year in that apartment, we rented a little house (900 sq ft) and then went on to purchase our second home right before we found out we were having little Judah.
Then last spring we were called to Nixa. It was a hard move indeed; saying goodbye to many good people and once again leaving a place that had become so comfortable. Judah was one week old on our last Sunday at that church. We moved again, not knowing how we would live on $300 per week from Daniel's ministry, me a homemaker/ homeschooling mother, and Daniel still a full time student.
BUT once again, God has proven faithful. To be honest we are not ones to ever pray for blessing... sorry for those of you who thought we were praying for God to bless you :-( It's not that we don't believe in it or anything like that, we just don't dwell on the blessing part. We know God wants to bless each of us and we feel that our family is blessed with abundance.
We pray that we are in God's will and being fruitful in what we are doing. We pray that we are in the place where He can use us the most. And we have noticed, the blessings just always follow. Now, don't get me wrong. We give all of our worries and cares to God because we know he cares for us (1 Peter) but praying abundant blessings could easily be prayed for people that are in much more devistation than the Gibson family. Like those who are not free to worship our God in their country or those who are faced with the worry of Sex Trafficking each day or little children who are being sold to fight in terrible wars at the age of four. They could use a healthy dose of blessing way before our family! Again, no big deal just not something we personally think much on.
Anyway, off of that soap box... :-) (I have a lot of those 'soap boxes', don't I?)
So back to what I was saying... After we got here and dug into loving people the Lord just started to bless us. First, it was a pay raise for the summer time and then in January of this year Daniel was brought on full time. That is just the financial part of being blessed since our move to Nixa. But I must say that a family of five living on $300/per week can be done by the grace of God!
wheww... off point again, let's move on...
You might have noticed the first line of this post... we were super duper happy to have that adventure all behind us.
Yesterday at the closing we were so happy to have it all said and done. Especially since we had to pay so much money to sell our house. You see, everything was going just fine until we received the appraisal one week before closing. The square footage of our house was 300 sq. feet less than what we paid for it one year ago! 300 sq ft. less than what we had always paid property taxes on. Yep! Someone messed up BIG TIME and there is NOTHING we can do about it.
The lady who messed up so long ago has already been fired. So long story short, we overpaid when we bought it and now the house is worth a lot less. We could sue the people who recorded it wrong but we would much rather believe God's got it under control. And hey, the people buying the house got a great deal; maybe there is a reason they needed a smaller house payment. Only God knows what is going to happen in that families life during the upcoming years.
Another soap box, sorry!
back to the we were happy...
Last night on my way home from a ladies Bible/Book study group, I drove by our house just to take a quick peek at it. The new people were moving in. I didn't think that would bother me at all but it really did.
For just a few moments I was sad knowing that, that home had held our love, joy and tears. It had sheltered our family and kept us warm. Our memories embraced those walls and my children explored life at that home. Silly late night giggles were shared in the girls room and sweet little baby dreams were set loose each night in Judah's room. Many hard decisions were made at that kitchen table, in that kitchen and lots of ministry was shared in that house with lots of people.
All of that is just a memory now. That chapter is over. Oh, those things aren't over, I know. I mean, we continue to have love, giggles, shelter, and sweet baby dreams just here in the Simpson's basement :-) but it is different kind of feeling.
So even though we were so anxious to get it all over with I was surprisingly a little sad to see that chapter end after we started to turn the page. It is a bitter sweet feeling I guess. Funny how that seems to always be the case in life here on Earth. Only when we are made whole with Christ will we feel truly at home; boy won't that be a day of rejoicing!
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