~Sleep~

This is how Papa and Carter sleep...

This is how Parker sleeps...

Yes, he's asleep in both of these pictures.

He's going to be so mad at me someday when he sees that I posted these, but for now, he doesn't know. :D

A Piece My Little Mind

Alright, here's what I was thinking last night at about 2 a.m., scrunched up in Dad's chair in the living room, trying to get to sleep "early". It didn't happen, but I did come up with this thought! :)

So, here it is.

How big is your brain?

No, not how smart are you or do you 'think' you are.

I mean, how big is it?

Not very big if you really think about it right?

Ok, let's move on for a bit.

When we use our brain, it's pretty much a given that we don't use a 100% at all times.

It's small enough as it is, but if we could use as much as 89% of it at a time, that's still not very much.

Alright, here's my real point.

If we think we are so smart, using (if we're good,) 50% of our brain at a time, and our brain is only as big as it is, why do we think we are so much smarter the God?

Really, I know we've all done this. "Ok God, if you do this, just like this and work this out this way, it will be perfect."

WAIT A SECOND HERE!!!

He's the one that CREATED us.

We are the one's that are too lazy to use all of our brains that HE gave us.

Hmmm...

It's kind of funny that we think we are so smart, when we already know that God is going to work out everything however He wants to.

More often then not, in a way we are NOT looking for Him to!

And yet we still try to tell Him how He could do it 'better'.

Alright, so now that I've got that out, I think I'll go shut my little brain down for the night and get some of the sleep I missed out on last night...

Gotta love the heat... (or so they say.)

The Touch of God-through sun rays?

Sitting in my room the other day on the floor, I was going through some things trying to get a little more order to it. Well now, I'm not sure how true that is, I had done a little restacking sure enough, but by this time I was just sitting there thinking.

What was I thinking about, well I can't recall to tell the truth. I know they were rather gloomy thoughts though, and I wasn't just over flowing with joy at that moment. Not that anything was wrong or anything, I guess I must have just been feeling sorry for myself for no good reason, or I was just thinking deep thoughts about what I should be doing.

Well, I had my hand on the floor to lean on. Being evening, the sun was at just the right place, as soon as it came out from behind the cloud, that it's warmth touched my hand and I was reminded that God loves me.

Even though I was feeling down, God sent the sun rays out at just the right time to remind me of His love for me, and that there was no reason to be feeling the way I was.

I went from sitting in the gloom and feeling bad for myself with worry and care to pull me down, to being so thankful for all God has done for me!

It's funny, but I had been thinking about posting this, and Dad just preached on, "Darkness".

Wow, God has the best timing doesn't He! =]

I snapped the photo above just after I realized what had happened. :)

I'm thankful for the little reminders God send my way!

Muzungu

Here Jen, this one's for you!

(If you can't read it, it says,- "In Africa I am simply known as Muzungu.")

There was another one I liked that said,

"I must be famous in Africa because everybody knows me as Muzungu!"

Someday... =]

Nshima!

This is for Jennifer and Clara. :)

Good stuff!

I saw this and thought Clara needs one! =]

Randomness! :D

Books!

Though I didn't agree with everything Mrs. March had to say in Little Women, I liked this portion of the book and thought I'd share it with those of you who haven't read it, or have read it but it's been a while. (If you haven't read Little Women, but you have time, I'd say read it! I really enjoyed her books!)
"Mother, do you have 'plans', as Mrs. Moffat said?" asked Meg bashfully.
"Yes, my dear, I have a great many, all mothers do, but mine differ somewhat from Mrs. Moffat's, I suspect. I will tell you some of them, for the time has come when a word may set this romantic little head and heart of yours right, on a very serious subject. You are young, Meg, but not too young to understand me, and mothers' lips are the fittest to speak of such things to girls like you. Jo, your turn will come in time, perhaps, so listen to my 'plans' and help me carry them out, if they are good."
Jo went and sat on one arm of the chair, looking as if she thought they were about to join in some very solemn affair. Holding a hand of each, and watching the two young faces wistfully, Mrs. March said, in her serious yet cheery way...
"I want my daughters to be beautiful, accomplished, and good. To be admired, loved, and respected. To have a happy youth, to be well and wisely married, and to lead useful, pleasant lives, with as little care and sorrow to try them as God sees fit to send. To be loved and chosen by a good man is the best and sweetest thing which can happen to a woman, and I sincerely hope my girls may know this beautiful experience. It is natural to think of it, Meg, right to hope and wait for it, and wise to prepare for it, so that when the happy time comes, you may feel ready for the duties and worthy of the joy. My dear girls, I am ambitious for you, but not to have you make a dash in the world, marry rich men merely because they are rich, or have splendid houses, which are not homes because love is wanting. Money is a needful and precious thing, and when well used, a noble thing, but I never want you to think it is the first or only prize to strive for. I'd rather see you poor men's wives, if you were happy, beloved, contented, than queens on thrones, without self-respect and peace."
"Poor girls don't stand any chance, Belle says, unless they put themselves forward,"sighed Meg. "Then we'll be old maids," said Jo stoutly.
"Right, Jo. Better be happy old maids than unhappy wives, or unmaidenly girls, running about to find husbands," said Mrs. March decidedly. "Don't be troubled, Meg, poverty seldom daunts a sincere lover. Some of the best and most honored women I know were poor girls, but so love-worthy that they were not allowed to be old maids. Leave these things to time. Make this home happy, so that you may be fit for homes of your own, if they are offered you, and contented here if they are not. One thing remember, my girls. Mother is always ready to be your confidant, Father to be your friend, and both of us hope and trust that our daughters, whether married or single, will be the pride and comfort of our lives."
"We will, Marmee, we will!" cried both, with all their hearts, as she bade them good night.

I'd like to point out something in there that Mrs. March said to her girls. "It is natural to think of it, Meg, right to hope and wait for it, and wise to prepare for it, so that when the happy time comes, you may feel ready for the duties and worthy of the joy." I don't know about you girls, but I had thought about preparing myself in some ways, but in truth, I think I was just going to 'let it come as it comes'.
After reading this book below, I have realized some things I was really missing out on!
Though I must always put the disclaimer, I never agree with *every little thing in a book* But I sure agreed with a LOT of this one, and in short, some of it knocked me upside the head!
And I was sitting there going DUH! Why hadn't I thought of that before!
Alright, I'll stop going on in my silly way, and hope those young girls out there will jump at the chance to read a great book! (Keep your Bible and a Note book handy!)

"I read my eyes out and can't read half enough. ... The more one reads the more one sees we have to read."

My Oh So Many Pictures From The Day At The Capitol

On the way down. Frieda and Kitty.

I just thought this was a cool one of Kitty.

Hop and MB with my iPod

Lydia looking over the maps.

My Fav Wade, doing his favorite thing to do. (I think:)

MB, with my iPod.

I thought this one was a cool one, I took it when I was bending down to get out of the smell of the smoke that was blowing my way. Cough, cough. :P

And here we are already on the way home.

Lydia looks like she is happily asleep! :)

Josiah

Mr. Fairlamb, driving all that way, and all the way back with a van full of kids.

Wow, he did well. :)

This is what you get when you give Nathan Reed your camera to take some random shots without anyone thinking you are the one taking them. :D

Yeah, a lot of them were like this. But I thought this one was kinda cool anyways. =]

Kitty and Wade.

The End.

I hope others see fit to post their pictures, because I wasn't the only one with a camera that was there. :)

Here is Kitty's post-

http://michigangirl.wordpress.com/2010/05/07/trip-to-the-capitol-and-other-things/

A Little Story

Life long friends we three.
I don't remember a time without Hannah, and I found an old cassette of Jennifer and Jessica, (My two older sisters), asking me who my new friend at Church was that had just been born, and with my little Southern Indiana Drawl, saying MarrrBeth.
So life without these two is pretty much unknown to me.
Our sillinesses have had no end. (Esp when Coffee has been consumed!:)
But this story I thought I'd tell, starts last Wednesday night on our way back from meetings out in Maistee.
Hannah, had been going with me for most of the the meetings, and this day she was dropped off at our house, and ended up helping with some stuff before we took off for our last night.
On our way, we gave MaryBeth a call to see is she needed a ride for sure or if she even was home yet from helping with some moving.
So when we called, she had JUST got home and I had Hannah tell her she had 5 min.
I complement that girl on how fast she can get ready! A shower and ready in about that time.
She took just long enough for me to eat my Bologna sandwich while sitting and waiting for her.
So we made it, meeting was great.
On our way home we were driving along and I looked up and saw how BIG, Full, and Bright the moon was that night.
I told the girls I wished we had someone with a nice camera that could get some pictures of it it as so cool looking.
So Hannah said, "I have my camera, I could try."
So we're out in the middle of nowhere, and I slow down so she could get a chance at a better picture, though we were still rolling, just rather slowly.
She tried once and we had rolled to where there was a house in the way of the moon.
So I sped up a little to where there was another clearing, while she worked on the settings of her camera.
When we got to the next opening I just came to a complete stop so I wouldn't have to worry about moving to far before she could try for the next picture.
Well, while we were stopped I was looking over at what Hop was doing with the camera, yet still keeping my eyes on the road to make sure no one came up behind.
Then, all of a sudden! I jumped as high as you can jump and as far away from my right side as I could in the seat belt!
And I tell ya! Hop and MB didn't have a clue as to what had happened to me!
That is, not till I pulled the cell phone out of it's case and flipped it open!
We were all laughing SO HARD!
I saw that the phone said 'unknown', so I was hoping it was someone that would be very understanding of me not being able to talk right away to them for all the laughing I was doing in their poor ear.
Ended up it was just Mrs. Roberson, calling to make sure we were OK!
I'm not sure the short of breath grasping for words, coming from my end of the line gave her much comfort of her daughter's life at the moment.
But when I was able to tell her what had happened, I think she was OK.
She told me that she was thinking, "Is there blood! How bad is it! Is everyone OK?!"
I'm sorry Mrs. Roberson, I will try to remember to have MB call you next time when we leave.
That I, if you ever let me take her anywhere with me again! :D

So, the moral of the story, next time I drive with the phone on my side, I think I'll try to make sure it's on ring, not
VIBRATE!!! =]

Have a wonderful new day!