TPR

TPR, termination of parental rights.  The day that has been talked about between the Child and Family team since the boys moved in finally came and went.  “TPR”, as cold as it sounds, was what everyone agreed was best.  Typically in the foster system a child is kept for 18 months before either their parent-child relationship is restored or severed.  For this family they have been in “the system” and all it’s mess for 3 1/2 years.  No one can understand why the judge gave these parents so many chances.  Everyone was in agreement that this time would be it, the judge had given all the chances he was going to give and now they have adoptive homes for the kids (something they did not have in the past) something the judge needed to see.  

Joe and I showed up at the JJC first thing that morning per our subpoena.  Turned out we were not needed, nor were the testimonies of the 20+ other professionals called to testify in this case.  The lawyers met with mom and the decision was made quickly.  We crowded into a small court room along with a handful of others from the team and the decision was made.  It was an emotional moment.  The judge asked mom questions that would bring any caring, loving person to tears.  Imagine for a moment, your rights as a parent are terminated and you are permitted ZERO contact with them until they are 18.  She answered, through tears, and it was done.  The courts give the parents 30 days to appeal (this will likely not happen) and then we are allowed to move forward with the adoption process.  I hugged mom as we left the courthouse and we both cried.  I promised to take care of the boys, what else do you say to someone in a situation like that???  I had no other words.  I had to remind myself that as emotional as that moment was the state had good reason to remove the children from their home where this woman was considered the “mother”.  Three and a half years is a long time to give someone a chance to rise to the occasion and parent 6 children.  Yep that’s right, there are 6 children.  We only have the 4 brothers.  That is what we feel called to and we have stated that to anyone who asks, even though to the unbeliever that sounds confusing.  I believe without a doubt that this entire situation was placed in our path by the hand of God who has a beautiful plan for these children.  We have a court date at the end of the month to finalize the termination.  After that we will begin the adoption process.  In the meantime we have presented the DCS team with an education plan to homeschool the boys.  We are awaiting their decision to allow us (or not) to homeschool until the adoption takes place.  Policy for DCS is that the children live in the pre-adoptive home for 6 months prior to adoption, but this is not Law…big difference.  We will be working to make that happen sooner rather than later.  For the last 22 years we have avoided the system for a reason, I've had enough of it already and we've only been involved with it for the past 4 months. 

A lot has changed around our house, 14 people is  a lot…a lot.  It’s loud, but what do you expect?  We have enough to play a 5 on 5 game of basketball:).  We welcome any and all of our friends and family to come for dinner or an afternoon to meet the boys, hang out with the kids, talk with us. We will have some sort of celebration when the adoption is final, there’s a lot to celebrate!! Until then (and beyond of course) continue to lift our family in prayer as a lot of changes are happening.  The boys were told that their parents rights were terminated, that they'd be adopted, homeschooled and changing their last names (all of this has been talked about over the last 4 months), Joe and I continue to parent through all the ups and downs, good days and bad days, and my 8 kids have gone through major changes in their world that are easier some days than others.  

Mark 8:34-37

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 35If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?^e 37Is anything worth more than your soul? 

A calling

It's crazy the way God works, no matter how hard I try I've never been able to read His mind, know His next move, see His plan for my life in advance so that I can do what I think I need in order to prepare.  Nope, hasn't happened yet, especially not this time.  

We go to a wonderful church, spirit-filled we like to call it.  Lively, diverse, welcoming, warm and inviting.  We attend regularly where our pastor faithfully preaches the Word of God, where our children's pastor and many amazing volunteers regularly teach the children things of the scripture.  There in that place our kids made some friends.  You see a godly foster mom brought her four foster boys regularly to church to hear about Jesus.  There our kids became friends with these four boys.  We invited them over after church, sometimes for the weekend, sometimes just for an afternoon, to play basketball, pool, carpetball, jump on the trampoline...whatever boys like to do.  That all started a couple years ago, just kids playing with friends.  

This fall we went to Yellowstone, took the family for a 3 week trip, had a blast.  Enjoyed some time away and looked forward to home and getting back into routine.  We were just cruising along in life enjoying life as it was.  Shortly after our return we were told that the four boys would be leaving their foster mom and would be separated in preparation for adoption, the next Sunday would be the last time we would see them so we needed to say goodbye.  Joe and I sat side by side in the living room with only one thought going through each of our heads.  We must do something.  But what on earth does a family with 8 kids do?????   We were pretty sure that Indiana Law states that you can only foster in a home with 5 kids or less.  We decided to do what we could and trust that if God wanted this to happen He would provide a way.  We talked with our kids, who were strongly in agreement with us, and we plunged forward.

We started making calls.  First to the former foster mom, which led us to a foster agency. The agency walked in our front door and the first thing out of her mouth was "how many kids do you have?"...followed by "I'm sorry I wish someone would've told you...".  You see the funny thing is we did tell people.  Every person we called actually.  We knew that could be an issue so we made a point of it. But if anyone would've actually heard that maybe that woman would've never come to our house.

So as this lady stood in my entryway she said "I just feel like this is where the boys need to be, let me make a call".  So she called another lady and asked if there was ANY possible way we could have them in our home, maybe if we skipped the licensing thing and went straight to adoption.  Neither was sure so she left promising to call us soon.  The next day I received a call from the lady saying to call their DCS care coordinator and see if it was possible because they couldn't find anything in Indiana law saying that you can't adopt if you have more than 5 kids, just that you can't be licensed to foster.  So I hung up with her and immediately called the DCS care coordinator.  This was on a Friday.  Once again Joe and I were pretty close to saying "well we tried", but we continued to say if God wants this to happen He will make a way.  Monday morning I receive a call from their DCS worker who informs me that two of the boys needed to be moved immediately and that I "couldn't have called at a better time."  She came out to the house that afternoon, did a quick walkthrough, and said "I'm not sure how fast I can make this happen, maybe a month, you need to get background checks and fingerprints, I'll keep you posted."  

She kept us posted, we did what we needed to and by Wednesday I picked them up at their former foster agency and moved them to live with us.  It took less than 2 weeks from the first day we started calling, and just 48 hours after meeting with DCS.  She was able to place them with us under a "kinship placement" because we knew the boys.  

This left the two other brothers.  The DCS worker promised to work on it but they were in a living situation that was working out and no changes were needed at that time.  Well that lasted about 2 weeks before we met with a large group of their team to find out that they would be moving in ASAP, and they moved in just 2 weeks after their brothers.  

I now have 6 bunk beds in one very large room, that smells of sweaty boys and AXE body spray.  I can't even believe I'm sitting here writing this...I never saw it coming.  As we told the DCS and foster people, we weren't looking to adopt or foster anyone, but we wanted to help these boys.  They held a special place in our hearts.  They are not up for adoption yet.  Their parents still have "rights" to them.  So we wait.  It has drastically changed our lives and is at times exhausting.  But there is no doubt in our minds that God's hand is in this and He made it happen, where there seemed to be NO way.   Thank you to all the people in our lives and theirs who have been faithful as without you this couldn't have happened.  If their foster mom hadn't been faithful in bringing them we wouldn't be here now.  If we hadn't been faithful in attending, then we wouldn't be here now...the list goes on of how one person affected another.  It's a calling.  Your calling is not my calling and mine is not yours.  Thank goodness right? God prepares us for things in our lives that HE has planned for us because He knows best, not us.  

I remember sitting at a banquet 5+ years ago across from a couple who had raised their children and was now fostering several special needs children.  I sat there thinking "I could NEVER do that!"...God didn't call me to do that.  And maybe you're saying "I could never do that"about my situation...but maybe God hasn't called you to that..but what has He called you to?  As you can see we don't always know, or suspect what that may be.  Sometimes He likes to "surprise" us.  Maybe it's because He knows if He were to give us too much of a heads up we'd back out or run for our lives.  

So that is what God is doing in our lives currently.  When you get our Christmas picture and you see 4 beautiful faces that your don't recognize...pray.  When you get our Christmas picture and you think "Boy Elizabeth and Joe look tired"...pray.  Pray for our family and the changes going on.  It's a wonderful thing, but of course it has it's moments.  We covet your prayers as we embark on this new adventure in our lives.  I know God will give me the strength and wisdom that I need, because without Him I can not do this.  There is no doubt in my mind that He will faithfully provide for our family is we faithfully follow Him.

MOVING?!?!?!?

A lot has changed since my last post, I’m not even sure where to begin. The plan WAS to purchase the property behind us to add to our 2 acres thus equaling 6 acres.  Shortly after that post one of our neighbors called the Humane Society to report our illegal livestock.  The laws in our county state that you can not own so much as one chicken on less than 5 acres, while in the city you are allowed 6 chickens on a city lot, strange, but the law regardless.  We had figured that because we would be leasing the property behind us starting in October (until the owners moved out and sold it to us) that we would be ok to acquire some piglets and the above milk goat beauties, Ruth and Naomi.  Typically in the country most people don’t mind livestock.  Apparently we pushed the limits and ticked somebody off.  We were given 14 days to move all of our livestock.   At this time the tenants in our old house came to us about moving out.  All of this combined caused us to rethink our plan.  We decided that all things considered it made the most sense to move the family to our other house that has almost 7 acres.  So we called a few realtors and within a week had set things in motion to put our house on the market.  This happened on a Friday.  Saturday evening we came home to find our septic had backed up.  Very discouraging when you are preparing to sell your house. We were then unable to put any water at all down any drain in the house.  We had a septic guy come out who told us that our grandfathered system had failed, wouldn’t have passed inspection anyway and that we needed a new system.  We needed to move quickly, so we took our camper to a nearby campground and “moved in”.  We cleaned the house from top to bottom, touching up paint in various places and moving excess toys and things into the garage.  The house went on the market Tuesday night and we had our first offer by Wednesday.  It is now one week from the day that the house was put on the market and it is SOLD.  God is good.  We had over 20 showings over the weekend and 4 offers submitted.  Thankfully we had our camper to live in as I really am not sure how I would have pulled off hauling 7 kids and 2 dogs out of the house to accommodate the steady flow of showings.  God knew and He provided. As confusing as it all seemed at the time, His timing is perfect.  As Joe and I walked around the campground last evening we talked about how we can’t even believe the way things transpired.  We never thought we’d move back into our other house.  It all happened so quickly but it is clear it was all in God’s plan.  We will be “camping” until we move into our “new” house the middle of this month.  I’m thankful for the down time to spend at the campground with my family as it will quickly go to a much faster pace as we prepare to move.   

"Dinner's in the driveway!"

Many of you know we have laying hens, aka "chickens".    I'll have you know there is a difference.  I was not aware of this prior to my days in the country.  In my mind a chicken was a chicken period...I mean did it really matter in the end??  As long as the store had eggs when I needed them I really didn't care what you called the bird they came from. 



 Then we bought that 20 acre parcel that I mentioned in my previous post and our realtor was kind enough
to show up at our doorstep with 5 baby chicks...awwww!  They were cute fuzzy baby chicks in a cardboard box.  I had a 2 1/2 year old and was very pregnant with my second.  I could handle 5 baby chicks.  Well of course these chicks grew and we ended up with 2 hens and 3 roosters.  For those less familiar with the difference, to make it simple, roosters are males and are big and mean and they crow...loud!!  Hens are females that cackle about minding their own business and provide you with beautiful eggs, about 5 a week per hen.  We never went around the roosters without being armed with a  weapon of some sort (i.e. broom or rake) to keep them at a distance while we went to feed them or gather eggs.

As time passed we decided we needed more hens to feed our growing family so we purchased a bunch (20-30), built a large fenced in area to keep them off our deck and out of our garage, and continued adding to our flock.  Somehow a neighbor convinced us to take his chickens stating that they were "wonderful" he just didn't want to deal with them anymore.  Long story short, they were anything but.  The hens liked to crack and eat the eggs and his roosters were as expected, mean.  One rooster is plenty, more than that and well...you ever heard of a "cock fight"?  They're real and you don't have to train or encourage them to do this, they'll do it all on their own.  

So one morning my hubby was sitting on the front porch enjoying his morning coffee and Bible reading when a cock fight broke out in front of him. We'd had enough at this point so he did what any wise man would do and grabbed his axe.  He cut the heads off all three and then got a call that one of his properties was on fire.  He rushed inside telling me "Dinner's in the driveway, I've gotta go!"  At this point I had a 6 year old, 4, year old, 2 year old and an infant..but I was not to be deterred! Absolutely not!  This new-found farm girl was going to find a way to dress (that's what they call it when you pluck them:))these birds and serve them for dinner!  I called my husband's grandmother and she was kind enough to walk me through the process.  

I'll have you know it took me 4 very long hours to dress those three headless, tough roosters and my 6 year old informed me she was under NO CIRCUMSTANCES eating those birds.  She didn't, but the rest of us did.  I learned a lot that day, no doubt.  This was my first introduction to farm animals.  I still love those crazy creatures.  We've been eating brown farm fresh eggs for the past 10 years and will likely not go back to grocery eggs. Shortly after moving to our new farm the first animals we got were chickens.  I recommend them for any first timers.  They're entertaining and productive!  One day we will butcher chickens for our freezer...but that'll be another post for another day:)

Suburban Girl Gone Country

I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia.  Suburbs are definitely not the country...especially not out there.  We had city water, a "city address", sidewalks, no farm fields and definitely no livestock.  I lived and died for sports while in school spending my summers playing softball or working to save for college.  

I got accepted to Taylor University in Upland Indiana as a pre-med major with the intent of someday being a doctor and saving the world from cancer.  My parents moved me into my dorm one day and were gone the next.  There I was for the first time in my 18 years of life...alone.  Alone in a  state I knew NOTHING about.  The tallest thing for miles was the campus bell tower.  I had no car, which I guess wouldn't have mattered anyway as I had no sense of direction either.  I was all about me. Then one day I met him.  This local country boy who lived in the male dorm beside ours.  I thought he was the cutest thing...he swept me off my feet.  

Quickly I realized I had met the one and I didn't want to spend the rest of my days in school away from him.  My focus had changed from me to us.  I would often go back with him to his parents home, a short 20 minute drive away, where they lived in the middle of acres and acres of farmland.  I would swing on their porch swing getting lost in the quiet, fresh air and overall peace I felt.  Dreaming of one day.  

We were married in June just a year and a half after meeting and moved to Ft. Wayne where he took his first internship.  We were penny pinchers so we had no phone service, we drove one vehicle to save on gas and we visited the local library for weekend entertainment.  We lived very simply for that summer before heading back to college where he finished his last semester.  We dreamed of where a job would take us in his computer science field, hopefully near a college where I could finish up my Nursing degree.  The Lord had a plan...He always does. 

We ended up in South Bend, him working his first suit and tie job and me a full-time nursing student and working at the hospital whenever I could.  We soon found out we were pregnant with our first and proceeded to purchase our first home.  We painted the nursery, picked out baby names...all the things you do in preparation of your first child.  Then (as you can read in a previous post) we found out that she would not survive and in October of 1997 Dakota Elizabeth Colvin was dead at birth.  The whole event rocked our world and totally changed our perspective on the gift that children are.  

We talked a lot about moving to "the country".  My association with the country came only from visiting my  inlaws or from what my honey had shared about his childhood.  But I loved everything about it.  When we were dating I remember naively asking as we drove through the country, "where are all the sidewalks?" (don't judge me).  That was what I was used to.  So here we are, married, expecting our 2nd and the talks begin about moving to the country.  It wasn't until after Sydney Kaye was born that we got serious.  

Land was expensive making anything in the country virtually out of our reach.  Then we found a foreclosure, perfectly seated on 20 acres with a pond for fishing, wood, fencing, a barn and room for our growing family.  I was pregnant with our second daughter Holland Rachel when we moved in to our first country home.  Our intent was to grow old together there.  Things didn't quite happen that way as the need for a new highway came along and our property seemed to be perfectly situated right in the middle.  We found a 2 acre property not far that was in foreclosure and affordable so we purchased it, rehabbed it and moved in.  By this time we had had 3 more children and were expecting our 6th.  

The kids were young and homeschooling and life was about all this momma could handle.  Now here we are 7 years and 2 more children later and we're itching for more land!!!  Through the sovereign hand of the Lord we are able to purchase the land directly behind us opening up the door for opportunity.  As our farm family continues to grow I want to keep track of the highs and lows, changes, new experiences and whatever else comes our way.  So read along as I journal our new adventures!  We'll be learning as much as you are:)

80% Chance of Rain

Turkey Run State Park 

For the past several months we'd been talking about getting away.  Just a short camping trip, nothing fancy.  We LOVE camping.  We have a 32 ft. travel trailer so we don't exactly "rough" it, but we get away, as a family.  I planned it at the last minute deciding on a campground we hadn't been to in years, but has the best hiking in the state (as far as we've found anyway).  As we looked at the forecast it was showing "80% chance of rain"...for the entire week.  I thought certainly that couldn't be true, after all rarely do you get that much rain straight.  Maybe a day of it here and there, a little in the morning or through the night, but certainly the sun would peek out and win out over the rain...surely.

Knowing we'd be gone for several days we decided to have our hardwoods redone while we were away.   This involved pretty much moving out of our main living space, placing everything in either the garage, extra bedroom, kitchen, office, or any place we could find a crack or crevice to stick wall hangings, knick knacks and all the furniture that normally fills our living and dining room.  So we worked as a team moving everything out and all the while making sure the camper was packed and we were ready to go.

The drive was about 4 hours and it was a most perfect fall day!  About halfway down I realized I had forgotten the pack and play...for the one year old.  I shook it off and thought, it's only a couple of days, the other kids will be in the tent, I'll just make up a bed on the floor for him...no big deal.  I wasn't letting anything ruin the trip, we were getting away to enjoy the beauty of fall, campfires, cooking over the fire and family time.  

We arrived around dinner, set up camp, ate and started a fire.  It was comfortably cool out, perfect for a fire.  Then as we sat there the rain began.  We jumped up and headed for the camper.  It was Sunday night so we turned on the TV with the intent of catching the Eagles/Giants game, nothing, no service at the campground.  So much for that idea.  Being the first night we were exhausted from all the prep and after a little reading we were ready for bed.  Four headed for the tent and the rest headed for the camper.  The one year old didn't last long on the floor (imagine that) as he woke and quickly realized he was not confined and crawled his way out crying for me.  I whisked him away to my bed and we were both back to sleep, not so soundly between the storm and a one year old tossing and turning pretty much waking every time he bumped me.  Oh well, first night in the camper is always a little unpredictable.  

We woke to the sound of the rain on the roof and at first I thought it was pleasant.  Ah, the sound of rain.  The one year old didn't sleep great and woke up early.  We relaxed as much as we could in the camper as we realized that between the all night downpour and the gray steady misting of the day we would be prevented from exploring.  Oh yes, and I forgot to mention we brought our dogs.  Two very large dogs.  They, like us, aren't interested in hanging out in the rain for the day (and we weren't interested in hanging out with wet dogs) so we now had 2 large dogs and nine people spending the day in a 32 ft trailer...tight.  The tent, of course, accumulated some water and the kids would be sleeping in the camper until it could dry out a little.  We played some games, napped and ventured out to the playground during the times the rain stopped and sun won out.  It gave the kids a chance to run off some of the energy and us a chance to walk the dogs.  

The rain stopped long enough to cook over the fire, so we enjoyed some delicious steaks that night.  Back to the camper as the rain was back.  This time we had to fit all seven kids in one small space for the night with the one year old winning the majority of the real estate.  Once again the one year old's night repeated itself and he was back in my bed.  

By morning the sound of rain on the roof was...annoying.  All I could think was mud, mud everywhere.  Water in the tent, can't cook over the fire, confined to a camper with a one year old.  All the cuteness of the previous day was now putting me (and everyone else) over the edge.  He was clearly on a mission to test our patience, emptying every draw in the camper and throwing all of my once clean silverware and linens on the dirty camper floor.  He had a special affection for sharp knives and throwing things in the camper toilet.  In particular toilet paper.  We lost at least 3 rolls, glad we brought extra.  The trash can seemed to be fair game in his mind as well, pulling out a used coffee filter and shaking it around the camper.  This would be seen as a mess in my home kitchen, now put it in a small space like a camper...need I say more??  Electronic devices...he was all over them.  He was keeping us busy just trying to figure out his next move.  Taking him outside was not an option as there was mud everywhere.  For some reason our site seemed the worst with the most standing water...or maybe at this point in the trip my glass was half empty?  I'm really not sure.

The rain stopped mid morning and we decided rain or shine we were hiking.  My oldest wasn't feeling the best and the 12 year old had a sore knee.   Both had decided they weren't up for hiking.  Knowing the two little girls wouldn't care either way, we left all four girls and the two dogs behind and headed out to the trails for an all boys (plus mom) hike.  

As I put the one year old in the backpack, he smiled at me.  I was quickly reminded of how precious he is...what a blessing.  He is a challenge, after all he is 1...that's his job.  It is hard to see that amidst the trying moments confined within the camper walls.  He was virtually silent riding on my back throughout the entire 3+ hour hike, napping along the way.  

The hiking was breathtaking.  Due to the abundance of rain the trees glistened and the streams were flowing, fast.  Much of the trails involved dodging, or even walking through, streams.  It was beautiful.  A special day with the boys.  Definitely the silver lining to the previous days of gray clouds.

 Yes, part of the trail.

 Love these boys.

Caves and caverns abound in the rocky crevices of Turkey Run.

 This is actually a trail...time to take off the shoes and roll up our pants!  It was brisk, no doubt, perfect for the boys!

The rain had made everything exceptional...waterfalls and streams were gorgeous.

The ladders were part of the trail as well.

Stopping for a rest...my favorite picture!

climbing the ladders

At this point we were still able to dodge the stream, but as you can see behind me it's looking like time to take off our shoes.

Of course the boys found a frog...it just wouldn't have been right if they hadn't!

We returned to the camper following our 3+ hours of hiking ready to share with the girls all of the excitement of our day.  We were wet and chilly and ready for some hot showers!  We shared with the girls all of our pictures and of course they wanted to go.  The oldest was feeling better and the 12 year old had rested her knee enough that she was willing to hobble along in an effort not to miss out.  The rain of that day hadn't effected our hike as we were mostly covered by a thick mass of trees or rock so we had avoided it.  We were quickly reminded of the constant rain upon returning to our muddy site.  

At this point too our camper had run out of water.  If you know anything about campers they have a holding tank for water.  If you are at a "full hook-up" site you have a hose hooked to your camper and all the water you could possibly need.  If you are not (as in this situation) then you have to fill your holding tank when you arrive and unless you can reach the nearest water source with a hose, you only have the water your tank holds.  By this point we were out...the bathroom wasn't far but it's sure nice to be able to use your camper bathroom.  So we resorted to carrying and boiling water for dishes, hand washing and using the bathroom.  Just another interesting twist to the trip.

We were quickly reminded of all we had missed (NOT) at the campsite looking at our fire ring surrounded by a small pond, seeing standing water in the tent, a mud pit outside our camper door, a  now fidgety one year old and more rain.  The one year old learned this fascinating new trick ...if you scream at the top of your lungs in a high pitched tone all those in the camper with the ability to help will act quickly.  This is a real patience tester. Being in such a small space and considering the conditions, it was not the time to train this out of him.  The goal at this point was "keep the peace" and this involved doing what you must to keep him from screaming.  

Another wet night, followed by another wet morning...I was beginning to become grouchy.  I had wanted so bad for this to be a perfect trip and in my efforts to be optimistic (aka in denial) my grouchiness was becoming contagious.  The fact was the weather was less than ideal for camping and we were trapped in the camper and we had to deal with it.  But I wanted everyone to be happy and enjoy themselves and quite frankly just pretend it wasn't cold and rainy!  Impossible...I was being unrealistic and in an effort to force this on everyone I was becoming more and more irritable.  

The following morning we had decided to head out for another hike this time with all the kids.  It was a little slower with the 12 year old limping along and a 3 year old who only wants to/is capable of walking about 1/4 of the time.  But the beauty was still there...in abundance.   The girls were impressed even commenting how the pictures just didn't do it justice.  

 Wet...but awesome

One rock at a time...

The suspension bridge on the way out.

It crossed our minds a few times to pack up and head home.  But because of the floors being refinished this wasn't an option.  I'm glad ultimately that it wasn't or we would've missed all the beauty.  The grand finale came when we bought some local park-approved firewood at the nearby gas station.  Finally a night with no rain and we were cooking our favorite camping meal over the fire.  One small dilemma...the wood was wet and not seasoned.  It would not light and you know how a fire is supposed to crack and pop? Not this one...it sizzled.  You could literally hear the water sizzling in the wood.  As we sat around the fire waiting for it to get hot enough to cook over, we were all very quiet, at this point there wasn't much to say.     We were eventually able to cook over it and the meal was delicious...just added to the um...adventure?

The morning before we left I was reading the Proverbs for the day and I came across this....

Proverbs 16:32  "Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."

I realized at that moment that as much as I begged God and believed for sunshine, it just wasn't in the forecast.  God wanted me to deal with me.  It wasn't my responsibility to control the spirit of all around me (although as moms sometimes we carry that burden unnecessarily) but rather to control the only one I could...mine.  If the fruits of my spirit are to be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control then I can control my spirit to reflect those fruits.  I could not control the weather, the sick teenager, the hobbling 12 year old,  the wet firewood, the sleeping conditions or the patience-testing one year old (to name a few), but I could, with the grace and peace of the Father, fight against the flesh and the principalities of darkness and bear the fruits of His Spirit.

Alaska June 2014

There are so many things I could say about our trip to Alaska...but really words can not describe the beauty of the hand of our Creator that we witnessed while traveling this beautiful, virtually uninhabited, land.  All I can say after going is, WOW!  You have to see it to believe it.  Pictures don't do it justice...but I will do my best.  Bear with me as the pictures seems to be out of order:)  Journey with us..to Alaska:

A bird's eye view from our plane window.  We started out flying from Chicago to Vancouver.

Goodbye Vancouver and Canada Place...off we go to see Alaska!  Throughout the entire cruise, land could be seen on both sides of the ship through the majority of the cruise.

We docked in Skagway.  Overcast, but never was the beauty of His handiwork diminished by the weather, it just enhanced it.

Skagway, cute small town of I believe 900 people.  When our ship docked about 3000 people got off.  You can imagine what the cruise industry does for their economy.

The thing to do in Skagway is a train ride.  It takes you uphill into Canada and the scenery is amazing.   15 miles uphill, a 15 mile bike downhill...crazy fast!  Think you could see the smoke from my brakes in Indiana.

Waterfalls abound in Alaska as Glaciers melt and look for a way down.

Taken on the cruise ship, I think in Juneau.

The above 3 pictures were taken as we cruised.  I have over 300 pictures.

Lines of porpoises were frequently found dancing alongside the ship.  I also discovered that I enjoy whale watching.  That basically involves sitting on the ship with binoculars at the ready for bursts of misting water blown by a whale.  Then shortly following you would likely see them dive and their tale flop in the water.  They'd put this show on for you as the ship cruised by, then disappear back into the deep blue.

One day our ship traveled down Endicot Arm to view a large glacier up close and personal.  If you ever see an Alaskan cruise advertisement where the ship is surrounded by what appear to be small icebergs, near large glaciers is where they are getting those shots.  As you approach the glacier icebergs that have broken off (aka calved) float all around you.

Seals were big fans of these floating chunks of ice!  They were everywhere.

Beauty everywhere.

A closer view of the glacier.  Its hard to appreciate the size, but to help you, if you were swimming in front of it you would be at best a small black dot in this picture.

A bald eagle sitting on a tower...they were seen frequently in Juneau.

Joe and I on top of Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau.  

Joe in the helicopter.  This picture is darker than I thought.  We all had headsets on so we could talk and ask questions as we flew over the glacier.  Little was said, the view spoke volumes.

All geared up for hiking on ice!  Ice pick, spiky shoes (boots with crampons), helmets...we were ready.

Flowing water was beautifully perfect on top of the glacier.  We dumped our water bottles and filled them with glacier water.

The black dirt is called glacial silt...I believe thats just stuff off the trees?  Can't quite remember, guess I'll have to go back and ask;)

A cavern we walked through.

My honey.

BFFs:)

A view from the helicopter.

A selfie in Juneau before getting back on the ship.  The day was gorgeous, 70 and sunny.  We ate crab legs at a local outdoor crab shack.

Ketchikan, our last stop.  They get 13 ft of rain per year, that's a lot.  They say you just learn to live life in the rain or you'd never leave your house.

Geared up for our zip lining adventure over the Tongass Rain Forest.

Joe ziplining.  They said rain on the lines makes you go really fast.  It was fast, it was fun, I'd definitely do it again.  On our last zip two black bears wandered beneath us...what a finale!

One of the suspension bridges, adds to the thrill effect.

Walked around town, we were dressed for it but still soaked by the time we got back to the boat.

Their rain gauge...a little bigger than the one I used to own.

So now we are home and it seems like a dream...did we really just go to Alaska and do all that stuff?  Yep, I have the pictures to prove it.  Looking back through the pictures took me right back to the train ride, the rush of biking back down the 15 mile hill, the helicopter ride, standing on a glacier, zip lining, walking through the rain with my best friend, relaxing, enjoying some down time, missing my kids by the time it all came to an end.

I was so amazed as we cruised through these uninhabited parts of Alaska, at how much beauty there is and wildlife everywhere.  Whales playing in the ocean, eagles soaring up above, porpoises dancing, seals sunbathing on icebergs..out where there's nothing, nothing to see it, nothing to stand in awe, nothing to make sure everyone plays fair...it's just pure nature, created by God, for God.  Simply Amazing.

Psalm 104

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

O Lord my God, your are very great!

Your are clothed with splendor and majesty,

covering yourself with light as with a garment,

stretching out the heavens like a tent.

He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;

he makes the clouds his chariot;

he rides on the wings of the wind;

he makes his messengers winds,

his ministers a flaming fire.

He sets the earth on its foundations,

so that it should never be moved.

You covered it with the deep as with a garment;

the waters stood above the mountains.

At your rebuke they fled;

at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.

The mountains rose, the valleys sank down

to the place that you appointed for them.

You set a boundary that they may not pass, 

so that they might not again cover the earth.

You make springs gush forth in the valleys;

they flow between the hills;

they give drink to every beast of the field;

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

Beside them the birds of the the heavens dwell;

they sing among the branches.

From your lofty abode you water the mountains;

the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

You cause the grass to grow for the livestock

and plants for man to cultivate

that he may bring forth food from the earth

and wine to gladden the heart of man, 

oil to make his face shine

and bread to strengthen a man's heart.

The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,

the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

In them the birds build their nests;

the stork has her home in the fir trees.

The high mountains are for the wild goats;

the rocks area a refuge for the rock badgers.

He made the moon to mark the seasons;

the sun knows its time for setting.

You make darkness, and it is night,

when all the beasts of the forest creep about.

The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God.

When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens.

Man goes out to his work 

and to his labor until the evening.

O Lord, how manifold are your works!

In wisdom have you made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

Here is the sea, great and wide,

which teems with creatures innumerable,

living things both small and great.

There go the ships,

and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.

These all look to you,

to give them their food in due season.

When you give it to them, they gather up;

when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

When you hide your face, they are dismayed;

when you take away their breath, they die

and return to dust.

When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,

and you renew the face of the ground.

May the glory of the Lord endure forever,

may the Lord rejoice in his works,

who looks on the earth and it trembles,

who touches the mountains and they smoke!

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

May my meditation be pleasing to him,

for I rejoice in the Lord.

Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wick be no more!

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Praise the Lord!