Family Weekend

This weekend my parents, Papa, Keith, Felicia, and Emily came down to spend some time with Kevin and I. They came down Friday night and left late Saturday afternoon. We had a good time. We had every room in our house filled, plus people on the couch, and blowup matteress in the kitchen. I love to have our house full like that. It's just Kevin, Abby, and myself most of the time, and it's fun to have other people come and stay. Its hard to visit with someone when they can just come for the day. Keith and Emily had a great time riding the 4-wheeler. Kevin and I took everyone to see the baby sheep. Which we had two more baby boy sheep on Thursday night. We have one more mama sheep that looks like she might burst any minute now. Kevin hopes that she will have girls. We will just have to wait and see. Here's a few pictures.

Emily and one of the baby sheep. It took Kevin, Emily, and myself to run him down and Emily was the one that caught him.

Keith, Felicia, and Emily with the lamb.

The babies are here!

Finally, we have some baby sheep! Sometime during the night on Monday or wee early hours on Tuesday morning, two mama sheep had a baby boy sheep each, so we think. It could be that this one mama had twins. They have had twins before. This is the only mama that will let the babies feed from, so that's why we think they both belong to her. So we have 2 of the cutest little baby boy sheep ever! They are so precious!

Kevin had to chase the baby down, but he caught one for me to hold. This little one is different from all the other sheep. The tips of his ears are tan, around his eyes are tan, and around his nose and mouth are tan. I think he's very cute.

Here's a closer look at him.

Here is the other baby sheep. He is white all over.

VOTE! 2008 Presidental Election

VOTE! Yes, if you are of the legal age to vote, you should! Why? Because this nation needs your support and help. I remember the first time I was able to vote. I was able to vote in the last election. How important I felt, but at the same time, what a responsibility too. I believe that this is one of the biggest and most important elections that our country has seen in a while. Why? Our country is going through an extremely difficult time. The person that wins, will change the direction and future of this nation. The candidates running.....that's a very difficult decision. Kevin and I have talked about it a lot. We have also prayed about it a lot. I believe that many people are going to vote based on the color of the candidates skin and their skin. Either they will vote for that person because they are a certain color, or not vote for that person because they are a certain color. But that's a very petty issue. At the state that the country and economy is currently in, we need someone in office with a relationship with Christ and a faith in God. Someone who will look to God for answers on how to run this country. Someone who won't be afraid to fall on their knees and ask God for guidance. At this current moment, neither Kevin nor myself know who we are going to vote for. But Tuesday morning, we will be at the polls ready to vote. Why vote? Why not have a say in who will run our country? Even if your pick doesn't win, you still need to vote. If you vote and your person doesn't win, then you can complain about it, but if you don't vote, then you don't have the right to complain about who wins and the poor job they are doing. Please go out and vote and please PRAY about who to vote for and pray through out the day about whoever is elected into office, that they will turn to God. However, no matter what the outcome will be, God is still on His throne, and will always be in charge and He knows the outcome already and He will be there no matter what to guide us and protect us in the next coming days and future. He will never be overturned or His time as the one in charge will never run out. What a comfort that is during something like this, to know that God is the one in charge over us.

You can check out this website and get all the information you need on both candidates.
http://www.presidentialelection.com/index.html

FireProof Week 3

Focus this week: Love for a Lifetime (Matthew 19:5-6)

The study had us focus on whether or not you truly understood your marriage vows and the covenant that you made with your spouse and God on that special day. I remember that Dr. Carswell said that those that were a witness to our wedding were at the birth of a new family, family that until that moment had not existed before. That's hard to wrap your head around to think about. We have a chance to start a new family that taken what we have been given and have learned from our own individual families and combined with our own ideas and direction from God create a family, just the two of us. After only being married for four months, the wedding day is still very real. I still remember my vows and the focus that I had. I really took those vows serious and wanted to make sure that Kevin knew that. However, I know that as time will go on that certain vows may be more of a challenge to uphold. The study focused on a few and explained them.

1. To have and to hold (how well you bonded and "held" to your spouse)
2. For better or worse (how stable is your treatment of your spouse, regardless of circumstances?)
3. For richer or poorer (how well does your marriage stand up to financial pressures?)
4. In sickness and in health (is your marriage affected by health struggles?)
5. To love and to cherish (refer to your accomplishment of the principles in Ephesians 5)
6. I pledge my faithfulness (are you faithful to your spouse, not just meaning looking at someone else or flirting, but being honest and loyal in all situations.)

I know that for us, during the first four months, I guess we feel like we have accomplished number 1. Having been apart for the whole 4 years that we dated, we have spent more time together than ever. Also, having just been married, which I am sure most can relate, number 2 for richer or poorer, mainly means for poor or poorer. Even when you come into an extra surprise of money, there's never enough. I had always had money living at home after college, but now with Kevin and the few bills we do have, we are going from pay check to pay check. But God is good and He does supply our needs. Number 4 is the one that I feel Kevin and have had a real hold onto. I have personally had many illnesses and times when I have been sick and between our two families we have dealt with that too. Just two weeks after we married, Kevin's grandfather passed away. Three weeks ago, I got bite by a spider, which got infected. So I went on an antibiotic and then 10 days after that had an allergic reaction and broke out in hives. Oh and in between my spider bite and hives, Kevin sets a hay field on fire. So the past 3 weeks have been busy for us, and to add school on top of that with the end of the first nine weeks here. It's never a boring moment down here in the country. So, I guess we have dealt with some stuff, but you just laugh at it and move on. But the vows we made on June 21, 2008 were something that you don't just say once, but it's a daily things that you have made a commitment to do. Loving your spouse, in all aspects of that word. It's not just the loving feelings, true love, like we talked about in week 1 comes from really understanding your spouse and seeing them through God's eyes. I guess the one vow that will be a daily struggle for me, is to keep my treatment of Kevin the same in all situations. It's really easy for me to get stressed out and to snap at him for no reason at all. I always feel horrible after the fact and am quick to apologize, but I have tried and need to try harder to treat him with the same love and kindness and tenderness that I would want from him in all situations. But that's a daily thing that I try to work on.

Something to think about: What is one vow that you made on your wedding day that maybe you have been struggling with to keep lately? What could you do to improve it and show it to your spouse?

A Day at the Doggie Spa

Well, Abby may not be a Bevery Hills Chihuahua, but she's no dog either! Abby went to the groomers today and she looks so pretty!

Humble Acres Farm

Humble Acres Farm the Beginning: March 19, 2001 at 5:30 a.m. Kevin's life changed. He had 20,000 new chicks in his life. Kevin and his dad worked hard that first flock to learn all the could about chicken farming. Soon after the first two chicken houses were up and running, they added the cows. The cows are actually located in Williston, down the road from where I teach. In Janurary of 2003, Kevin added two more chicken houses. This brought the total up to 40,000 birds. It has stayed at 40,000.

Humble Acres Farm Now: Currently, Humble Acres has grown not only with chickens and cows, but they have added sheep and organic compost. The sheep are the type of sheep that you grow to eat, just like the cows. We are hoping to have some baby sheep really soon. The mama sheep look like they could bust at any minute! Kevin and his dad are working hard to sell the organic compost. It does a super job! I have used it on my plants and I have passed it along to my family and they have been very pleased with it. Their goal and prayer is that the orangic compost will take off and sell like crazy. But in everything that Kevin and his dad do, they have always put it into God's hands. This business what built on the belief and foundation that everything they do belongs to God. We are all excited about what the future will bring. God has truly blessed the farm and all that are connected with it.

Humble Acres Farm Pictures

Chicken Houses

10,000 chickens per house 5, 040 eggs


Cows

Sheep

Organic Compost in the making

Kevin's Favorite Farm Helper

FireProof: Movie Review

Today, Kevin and I went to see the movie FireProof with our Sunday School class. It was a great movie! While you are watching it, you have to be careful not to get completely caught up in the story, but look at the meaning that the actors are trying to tell you. Whether you have been married 3 months, 3 years, 13 years, or 30 years, everyone can learn something from this movie. It teaches you that just like your relationship with Christ, it is a daily commitment. It's something that you can't do just one time. Every day you have to commit to do for God and for your spouse, even when you don't feel like it or get a reward in return. If you see this movie, you will be encouraged by it to not only do a better job at showing and demonstrating love to your spouse, but also doing the same towards God. HE already does it and has done it every day. So what are you waiting for? I don't want to give any secrets away about the movie for those that haven't seen it. But in the movie the dad challenged his son to a "love dare", he dared him to love his wife unconditionally and to commit to that each day. The dad told him that when it gets tough, that's when you really have to dig in, no matter what your heart or emotions tell you. "Nothing is fireproof, anything can burn, but having the correct knowledge and equipment will help you to withstand the heat and not burn while you are going through it."

Thought of the day: I challenge you to start a "love dare" with your spouse. What unselfish acts can you do to show your love? However, keep in mind that you must do it with the mind set that it's okay if you don't get anything in return. You are chosing to love them no matter what their response may be.