Imaginary and REAL Estate

Art Dog thinks his "funny" pose is his favorite.

As you may have noticed, I've been avoiding blog world lately. The longer the time goes by, the more I avoid it. It will take me FOREVER to catch up with every bodies blogs and my life has become a GIANT MONOPOLY GAME!! With every turn, a roll of the dice seems to bring fateful events, though, I keep singing that song "Deliver Me" from "Prince of Egypt", believing God will somehow deliver me out of this real estate NIGHTMARE!!
First of all, I didn't get my "dream house". My husband didn't have similar views of what was "perfect", and it went to another but not before I had marched around the property multiple times claiming it for God, anointing every room with oil and recruiting multiple intercessors to pray over the property. In short, I poured my heart and soul into it only to have to mentally "sow" it to somebody else. After all three offers we made, the dreaded phone call came that somebody else bid higher.........
I cried for days and pouted refusing to look at property altogether as if I was a 3 year old in a 38 year olds body - uh never mind. Anyway, once again, I pulled myself back together and began looking again. Everybody is rooting for me to find something and there is pressure on every side to just get in. This puts a lot of stress on me which is probably why I keep seeing giant monopoly pieces in my head.
Last Friday, The Archer graduated from his CNA training. On Monday, my son, The Archer started his orientation. Not wanting him to be driving the long hour and a half drive on winter roads, I took matters into my own hands and furiously rode to work (the hour and a half drive)with my husband with my jaw clenched. I was GOING TO FIND SOMETHING!! Eventually my husband asked me to refrain from such frightening poses, just kidding. Anyhow, I drove to every listing I could think of. Then I drove to EVERY REAL ESTATE PLACE in that town!! Most of the Realtors were polite, despite my low priced pre-approval bank letter. It was a little awkward saying stuff like "is there anybody in foreclosure?" "is there anybody who just wants "out"?" I put up embarrassing "fast cash now" signs on bulletin boards. Then I called every title company and even the courthouse looking for upcoming auctions. I exhausted every avenue i could imagine. The closest thing affordable was a metal pole building that had been converted to a house close to other houses. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't "it". There's also a nice house with a swing set 10 feet from a train track. The wind from the train could literally move the swing. I'm not kidding. I just can't stomach that for my kids.
Yesterday, we were in a far away city and my realtor called. He said there was house in town for a rock bottom cheap price. We drove for 4 hours to go see it. It was right in the middle of town, surrounded by houses and trailers. Two seedy looking men smoking cigarettes outside a near by trailer watched as we opened the door. I waved, feeling creeped out. How could I let my kids go outside? Rottweilers paced behind a fence directly behind. Would they get out? Would my dog bark at them all day? Walking through I kept telling myself "its not that bad". Really, it wasn't. It would have been okay in a different location. I could deal with all of its problems. I convinced myself we should take it. After all, I could walk to work. We argued about which "dirt cheap house" was the best deal. We drove to the river, since I need to be by water. It wasn't that far away. I told him we should "just do it". Finally we agreed. That night when I went to bed, I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned. Then I woke up while it was still dark and went off to pray. I didn't have any peace. "I just can't do it" I told my husband. He was very quiet. I felt bad for dragging him there.
I won't even tell you about my tangled web of Realtors because I might overload your brain. I never meant to have more than one, but the more I asked around, the more they started calling and emailing. I appreciate all their info and encouraged them. The more help, the better, right? Of course, the original one is amazing and we both like him a lot. The others all have their own uniqueness and ability. I'm trying to follow up on all their leads. Uh, how do I keep them straight? Some of them are giving me the same information on the same places. I feel guilty because I hate to have somebody investing time in me who doesn't get paid. I told them that others are emailing me info - I want to be honest. It is fast becoming a tangled web and I have to fight daily to straighten it all out.
Still, the steadfast Word of God says to "Trust" and daily, I do, again. Even though I feel like the Israelites with the sea in front of me and the armies behind me, the song "Deliver Me" keeps resounding in my head and brings me comfort that God parted the waters for them and in His time, He will do the same for me.

predicaments

Art Dog Hunted Hard For This One :-)
Miss Moonbeam got "her own" guitar. Here she is attempting to practice with sis ;-)

We dog sat "Sherlock" for a couple of weeks - Libby loved it!! Here's one of our many walks.....

Our Good Friend "Fiery" with His Miracle Baby

oh goodness where do i begin?!?! Lets start with this morning. I was laying in bed, snuggling next to my nice warm husband when Miss Libby starts whining. I dragged myself out of bed and headed her to the door. The lock was frozen. Dread overtook me. I saw her squat. "oh no" i thought. I picked her up and rushed her to the other door. Too late! Not only did she pee by the living room door, she peed a trail on the way to the basement. Instead of getting back into bed with my warm husband, I was cleaning up pee which had not only splattered all over my floors, but my robe and feet as well :-( As I type she is laying here passing foul gas at my feet. Will somebody please explain to me why I am a dog person?!?!
Well enough of that mess and on to the next one.... So my husband and I viewed that house I wrote about. Mysterious and alluring on the outside, NIGHTMARE of work to be done of the inside. Still, the thing calls to me. Its like its haunting me already and I haven't even bought it yet. Anyhow, we viewed the monstrous structure. It was a maze of room upon room in terrible disarray. The children had a blast climbing up ladders, popping in and out of trap doors, and winding through room upon endless room. There seemed no end to its monstrosity in both forms, for the thing was monstrous in size and a monstrous amount of work awaits its victim. Still, it calls to me....... I have refrained from telling my realitor this small, non essential bit of information. Nice of a guy though he is, I am betting most of his clients do not hear houses talking to them ;-) That next morning, my husband nonchalantly agreed to make an offer.......

I barely had made lunch when some friends came over to get mechanical help from my husband. Another neighbor came to borrow a tool. Suddenly The Archer came busting in yelling that he'd found an elk herd. Mad chaos erupted and all the eldest children and my husband shuffled out the door in a hurricane like manner. Oh the dramas in my home ;-)
Our good friends middle son lost part of his trigger finger in a tragic accident a few weeks back. Imagine how proud we were to hear that despite the lean hunting going on, he managed to shoot a nice buck. Still in bandages, the kid, by himself, nailed the thing using his middle finger. He tells me "I prayed". We are proud of him!! That alone, should inspire us all.
At times sleep eludes me, at other times I turn on my marvelous heated blanket and snore like an old man ;-) But, alas, it is a restless one. One night I dreamed about the whole entire house dripping in blood. Another time I woke up and saw a heated battle of angels and principalities around its property borders. Still, I have these crazy day dreams about getting swept down that river in my kayak, attempting to swim in the nearby slough and entertaining hand to hand combat along with exchanges of gunfire with angry neighbors who do not want us there. Yes, my mind is a tumultuous sea of imaginations about what might transpire in the future. Bank managers, resembling the one in "Despicable Me" argue over whether to let us have the place or turn it into a high society apartment complex all the while, still conspiring about stealing the moon. It just never ends and could probably entertain you better than a good movie ;-)

Above The Clouds....

My Daughter Took This While Flying With Her Dad "Above The Clouds".....

Its funny how things seem to stay the same forever and then in an instant... they change!! Take for example my day. Last night I posted something similar to this as my status update on face book:

"a series of unfortunate events has befallen me A.) A dog puked up elk brains on my carpet. B.) My glasses frames were found mangled on the floor, some kind passerby placed the lenses on my dresser C.) My husband is looking at a non house looking structure today. D.) I started my diet. Sympathy is in order......"

Within minutes all kinds of people were commenting.... some offered sympathy (which embarrassed me) Why did I ask for sympathy anyway?!? I was just trying to vent and be funny at the same time. Somebody else was blaming the devil and praying for me. Another person questioned my intelligence that I would feed elk brains to a dog - lol!! I did not feed any dog elk brains. They just got into my sons mess as he was making a European mount of his trophy elk head. He said "mom it wasn't brains", but that didn't help matters. Dog puke is dog puke. Anyhoo, as I was saying, I was so embarrassed of my ridiculous status update that I went in and deleted it within the hour, mortified.

That night I dreamed that I was living in the non house looking structure. I walked through it. I looked into the wood chute and there was only a tiny space that was level. The rest was slanted for wood. I laughed wondering what The Archer would think of having that be his new room, though I knew he wouldn't complain. Next I walked through the falling apart kitchen and smiled. It felt peaceful. Onto my girls, asleep together in a big bed, in a dilapidated room that seemed to be rotting everywhere. Still it was peaceful to see them sleep. The boys room was worse yet, but they were peaceful. All our nice stuff was stuffed around this place that was rotting everywhere, but Gods presence was there. I woke up peaceful and almost laughed out loud. What a bizarre dream..... I remembered again that God promised to take care of me and that He wants to give me something nice and perfect for us. Again and again He whispers "LET ME DO THIS FOR YOU" softly as I wonder.

On to today. So I hurried through the day getting ready to leave for work so I could view another "super cheap" home. I stopped to take time to go for a walk with the kids. We headed over to the lake. We are dog sitting a friends Border Collie mix, so he and Miss Libby happily ran along with us. It was pure bliss to be out enjoying the day. I took time to read "Good and Evil" with Super Catman and help him with his school work. It was so fulfilling. Everything important got done.....

Then there I was trying to follow map quest directions to this house. I parked in the drive and jumped out. It had a big yard with lots of trees around it for privacy. Thick deer were in the field across it. I snapped a picture. As I walked through the yard a group of wild turkeys wandered off. Another picture. The house was old looking, but captured me with its uniqueness. A big monstrous structure, mysterious, alluring..... The more I walked the property the more I started to fall in love with it. This is dangerous, considering what my husband and I think about buying properties can be a vast difference in opinion. My heart sank.... I saw the river through the trees. I can't live without water. It somehow brings me home to peace. There it was. I looked back at the house. Oh this is bad, I shouldn't be falling so hard. Okay, I love this property. Its perfect, but what I want and what God wants are not always the same. I decide to sit and pray a while. Then my husband calls "come fly with me before dark".

Its a mad rush to the airport and in minutes we are circling this small city where it seems God is calling us for the time being. I am loudly praying because this is not my cup of tea. My husband and The Archer tell me that I am making them nervous - whoops! My husband decides to circle the property that I found. The plane jolts sideways and I feel like I'm gonna hurl. They are discussing what they are seeing. They circle again - barf-o-rama. I wish i could take a picture but I have all I can do to hold myself together from loudly praying ;-)

My husband notes my displeasure and circles back to the airport. The sunset is ahead of me - brilliant. The moon is just starting to rise from behind the far mountains. Suddenly the world is an amazing place and I don't want to land. I want to go back to see the property again..... but its too late. We're going to land and I can see the lighted runway. The nausea seems to be subsiding and I wonder why I was so distraught.

In days, weeks, hours I go from the idea of living in a "non house looking structure" to an amazing, mysterious, captivating estate that is just a "possibility" in a sea of many. Oh the ups and downs of house hunting. Better to remain fixed in Gods Presence than to yoyo with the possibilities of what "might be". What will happen to Yaak Adventures and the life I've known these 11 years? Best not to wonder, best to just buckle up and enjoy the ride "above the clouds"......

Things I Am Thankful For

Here I am again.....waiting on miracles to happen. There is nothing worse than trying to make things "happen" and getting ahead of God, so in memory of all that I have taken the liberty to post some praise reports of things God is doing and has done for our family. We are ON THE EDGE of finding a house to buy near the city because...

- I work there

- Our oldest is taking his CNA training there and has to work 6 months in exchange for the training.

- My husband is working there at the airport. We're super excited because he is trading a good portion of his labor for air time/training. He can finally get his commercial pilots license after all these years. That would be such a good thing for him :-)

- The commute in the winter is an hour and a half one way.

And so in light of that, my husband has assigned me the duty of finding a house and organizing financing, etc. It is a lot of work. I remember last winter I was focused on "Operation Hawaii" which never happened. I hated wasting all that time and energy on something that didn't happen. Part of me wants to push ahead and "make things happen". The other part of me doesn't want to do anything at all because of the times things didn't work out when I invested a lot of time and energy. Still that Still Small Voice reminds me to plod on purposefully, not taking any of that into account. So here are my reminders, maybe for myself, of things God has already done.................

1. The Archer got his bull elk this past weekend!! That man hunted hard with incredible skill and cunning. If you heard his story of how he bagged this big boy, you'd feel awed at his amazing hunting ability. Speaking of The Archer, he has faced many a wild predator of the forest and still came home.....

2. Art Dog got lost in the woods this past week. He finally found a creek to follow out, but wouldn't have made it out till after dark. As he was praying, The Still Small Voice told him to go up a hill. He didn't want to because the creek was all he knew for sure. Still, he obeyed and it caused him to find his way out before dark. He also faced a Grizzley bear this past fall and came home unharmed.

3. I once made a 300,000 real estate error by "pushing" and God delivered us out of it supernaturally by putting a $50 black and white no picture ad in a major paper once. This was after 3 Realtor listings of it!!

4. I've been married for 20 years and God has not only some how kept us together, but He continues to work miracles in us.

5. We once bought a repossession and sold it for a good profit by my putting up an ad on a bulletin at a grocery store.

6. Our heavy equipment business came from nothing, served a purpose, and maintains no debt.

7. God spared The Sock Fashion Expert's finger when we were in India, as she had a terrible crushing injury causing an open fracture to it.

8. God healed Art Dog's head after he had a traumatic fall many years ago. Thats another amazing story altogether....

9. I prayed for friends one day and God gave me all kinds of good ones who are life long wonderful women of depth who inspire and encourage me in amazing ways. They enrich my life on a regular basis...

10. I some how made it through nursing school all those year ago and I get to have a job I love working in an Emergency Room.

11. I got to have a super awesome summer - including my cousins wedding, scads of camping adventures, a 20th wedding honeymoon with a boat, athletic endeavors, tanning, water and all manner of fun.

12. My husband has a job he loves to do.

13. My kids all love God. They all hear Him. They all serve Him.

14. When we moved to Montana, we didn't have the money to even get here and God supernaturally provided in so many amazing and miraculous ways.

15. After a tragic miscarriage, God gave me Miss Moonbeam. He said "before these blossoms come again you will have a baby" and I did.

16. He said there was "destiny" in things that took time to happen, but they did.

17. I got to see India for 2 months and meet the family I spent my whole life wondering about.

18. I got my puppy Miss Libby Liberty after waiting soooo long :-)

19. My husband has spent a lot of time lately trying to make me happy. We even got to go out on a date last week :-)

20. As messed up as a kid as I was, I somehow have stumbled into a wonderful life with a good family and a lot of love. Most thankfully, God has been faithful to keep me close :-)

21. I somehow lost and kept off almost 50lbs. So many things I never thought I could do, I have done.....

Okay, well thats a good start to a lot of things I am thankful for. There are many many more. Surely finding a cheap, but livable place for our family is something God is very capable of providing :-) I bet it won't be long before I have to edit "Yaak Adventures" to a new chapter of living......

Great Grandmother Extravaganza!!

kite flying on top a mtn

great grandmother l loves our libby!

super cat man wanted to impress great grandma g who is afraid of birds
all of us ontop a mtn

my husband takes his grandmothers flying!

my mother in law

great grandmothers about to be airborne!

they take off!

my father in law

miss moona waiting...

legos with uncle chett

watching "Second Hand Lions"

Miss Moonbeam with her name sake great grandmothers

all the grandmas

A lot has gone on since I last posted and I don't even know where to begin...... We were super thankful to get to visit my husbands mom, dad and two grandmothers for an entire week! It was a privilege. The kids were so thrilled to spend time with them all and make a lot of fun memories with them. There was a lot of laughing, eating and fun going on!!

It wasn't without conflict, though. I can't say a lot about it, but some scary goings ons happened while they were here and my life is turned upside down for a while having to change our routines and try to out guess what could be going through the mind of a mad man....

My husband started working at the airport again. I am happy for him and his opportunities. He has always loved flying, and anything to do with airplanes. Last night he went "night flying" with a friend and stayed in town. I was hysterically sad not to have him home.

The Archer started CNA (certified nurses assistant) classes. It won't be long before he is in scrubs :-) If he likes it, he may think about getting his RN. Of course I don't want to get my hopes up, but I am glad he is getting this learning experience. No matter what he decides to do, he'll be good at it..... Its fun to listen to him reading and studying and telling his brothers and sisters about it.

Its hard getting back to "normal" life, especially with so many unknowns. I just keep working on doing that verse from Matthew 11 -
"28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

- and keep trusting God will take care of our family through each change and transition ahead......

Healthful Harvesting

Please see my fitness blog for this post....

The Domestic Altercation At Our Home

I was enjoying a leisurely visit on the phone when all of the chaos erupted. I could hear madness going on about my living quarters, however I chose to lend a deaf ear. It wasn't every day I got to visit with my sister and hear about her new baby and my adorable little nieces. It wasn't until my mother barged into the the bedroom loudly crying "something just ate your puppy!" that I paid any attention at all to the brew-ha. "What?!?!" I gasped, and rushed out to see doors flying, flashlights and men with guns. A sick feeling grabbed the very bottom of my stomach. "Could something really have eaten my puppy?" I stared out into the blackness of the open living room door. It dawned on me that whatever it was was still out there and I ushered the door shut. My puppy was not in her usual place right outside the door on the deck waiting to be let in. I gulped slowly. Fighting panic, I rushed to the next window to look out. Relief flooded me when I saw the troop of armed men and boys with flashlights and the puppy following close behind. How did all this come about anyway? What dangers lurked out there in the black night air?
Here's what happened to the Archer :
The Archer was sitting on the computer looking at hunting gear. He heard a yelping. As he was getting up, he saw something big run by the window. He shouted "somethings got the puppy" while running for his gun. He rushed outside into the darkness.
Here's what happened to my mother, dad and the kids:
They heard The Archer. They rushed around for guns and flashlights. My mom headed for my bedroom and looked out the windows.
Here's what happened to my Husband:
He was outside looking for dry kindling to start a fire. He heard the puppy yelping. He ran around the side of the house to see what was going on. Not having a flashlight with him, he ran around the side of the house under the window that The Archer happened to catch a glimpse out of in the dark. He was anything but pleased at the prospect of having been mistaken for a wild beast of the night.
Here's what happened to the puppy:
Details are sketchy, but we piece together a domestic dispute occurred between she and Puma Kitty. Unfortunately it was followed by a domestic altercation and Puma Kitty resorted to violence. No law enforcement was involved in this dispute, though we have suggested Puma Kitty seek anger management counselling. He is considering the matter, though noncommittal. Libby, our puppy, spent the rest of the evening being coddled by her distraught and relieved foster mother ;-) We all had a good laugh!!

THE RESCUE!!

When the phone rang, I dutifully picked it up. It was a lazy Saturday afternoon, and I'd just accomplished my biggest aspiration of the day, namely a 2 hour nap on my outdoor swing. We'd been suddenly awakened by the phone at 6:30 am that morning and I'd had to surrender my warm husband to giving some of our good friends a ride. Really, neither of us minded. They are good friends. But I was in a sleep hungover daze now, and not particularly in the mood for a chat.
Minda our neighbor lady was on the other line with a worrisome voice. Miss Minnie down the road had gone MISSING!! Time stopped and I knew that this meant our peaceful afternoon and evening would be anything but. My husband and Art Dog were out bear hunting. My eldest was sleeping sprawled across the floor. He was getting his well deserved nap after a week of construction work. I hated to wake him. Moonbeam was napping and my eldest daughter, "The Sock Fashion Expert" now named "Saphara" after God's all consuming fire, was taking a well deserved break on the computer.
My mom and dad have been up visiting for the past week. Dad was napping on the couch and mom was reading. It was fine time to go off gallivanting across the country side in search of a missing person, but neighbors are neighbors and ours was in trouble. This is not the first time Miss Minnie has gone missing. Last year, she slept out in the woods with her dogs one night. This was no way for a lady in her 70's to spend the night and we weren't about to allow that to happen again. It was nearing 5pm and I knew I needed to usher the troops off at top speed. Time was of the utmost importance.
Knowing the older kids could cover more ground, I dispatched them on their motorcycles as quickly as I could. Moonbeam turned out to be soaked in urine deep in her slumber. It was a precarious event getting us all out the door, but I knew it must be done. Super Catman was contending with me over his need for weaponry on such an occasion and my mother was rounding up a whistle to blow. Saphara was frustrated at first, but when she went into the basement, God started dealing with her heart. She closed her eyes. God said "Change your attitude. You're going to find her."
When at last we drove away, uncertainty lurked. Partly it was my husband gone. Partly it was the rushing around. Partly it was that The Archer spotted some individuals darting around the woods trying to elude him as he drove by. He'd recently heard there had been theft and vandalism around here.
Dread lurked as I knocked on Miss Minnie's door. Nobody answered. Her husband, "The Woodsman" was no where around. Most likely he was out looking himself. I scrawled a note on the door and we formed a plan of action. Saphara and The Archer parked their motorcycles and headed up one of her trails. The property is a vast acreage. "The Woodsman" was born here. His father homesteaded this property. He'd lived here all his years with the exception of time spent serving our country in war. When he was young, his father was killed. When he was 17 his mother left to remarry. Stubbornly, he remained on his land. Today, with many a year added, he still resides, firm, strong, undaunting. He's not a man of many words, but when he called for help looking, it was without doubt, necessary.
Saphara and The Archer, on motorcycles began driving all over the vast premises. My Mother, Super Catman and I manned the road with Miss Moonbeamer and the stroller in tow. My mother began blowing the shrill whistle. We all took turns yelling and listening as we walked for a couple of miles along the road side of the property. As time passed more people began showing up to join the search party. We were a motley crew. My mother blowing that whistle and yelling at Super Catman to stay in sight. Super Catman wishing "we could be lost so it would be more exciting" and Miss Moonbeam sitting there proud and prissy, getting away with drinking the rest of my Pepsi. Though it didn't seem like much, and my ears were ringing from the constant whistling, I knew we were doing the right thing. Miss Minnie had her dogs with her and every so often I kept thinking I could hear them bark. It was so far away, it was almost impossible to tell where it was coming from.
Saphara had gone a long ways. "I can't imagine her going this far". The still small voice led her on. Finally, in frustration, she knelt down on her knees and began praying. Suddenly the winds of the Spirit blew and Saphara had a vision. She saw tall tall weeds. She saw a big stick. She saw Miss Minnie.........
Saphara walked on. Soon she saw the big field of tall tall weeds. It was the same one she'd seen in her vision. A big fluffy dog emerged. It looked at her and paced back and forth. She followed it into the tall tall weeds. There was Miss Minnie!!! She was waving a big stick in the weeds. She was confused. Saphara gently led her by the hand out of the tall tall field of weeds. She sat her down. She fired 3 shots with her Ruger Blackhawk .45 Colt. She waited. Nothing. She was too far away. She was going to have to go for help herself! Saphara gently explained for Miss Minnie to sit there with her dogs. Then she ran for help. She found a couple of men from the search party with a radio. One went for a vehicle. The other came with her.. Saphara led one of the men to her. Miss Minnie was safe at last....
Suddenly an entourage of cars went rushing past from where we'd just been. I heard somebody down the road saying she'd been found. Relief. Imagine how proud I was to hear that it was my daughter who had found her. I knew my kids had a way in the woods and that if anybody could find her it would be them, but I was even more pleased to hear about the vision from God. I've always taught my kids to be sensitive to God's voice. Seeing it in action, helping others, well there's nothing so rewarding. What more could a mom ask for but to know her kids love God and know Him?
Miss Minnie was surrounded by a big group of friends, neighbors and family when we got back to her place. Saphara was smiling, but quiet. It was The Archer who told me about the vision and rescue. I looked over Miss Minnie and gave her a hug. I figured there was enough hoopla going on and it was time for us to head home. Saphara, the heroine, got on her Honda XR 100. She was wearing a simple pair of brown slacks and black sweatshirt, but her Ruger glistened at her side and her metallic, brilliant red hair sparkled in the evening sun. Quiet and modest, nobody could help but to watch her drive away with a bit of awe and respect. It was like the hero riding away modestly after saving the day, come to think of it, thats exactly what it was........ selah.

You Pierced What?!?!

story on my fitness blog

My GUT WRENCHING woes and ohs....

Mr. Grizzly Bear Hung Out Underneath The Archers Tree Stand Last Week - UGH!

Today He Got This Big Ol' She Bear!

Here is the Pack Out Crew!

Normally, I would not put up a blog post so soon after the last one, but its been a week of extraordinary events and lately I've found myself feeling like I'm going to hurl over one thing or another so in the sheer attempt to debrief, I will tell you my many tales of woe and oh!!
Last week, Kevin III was up in his tree stand archery hunting. One day, he missed an elk. Another day, he was stalked by a large bear who he never got a good shot at. The day after that, A GRIZZLY BEAR hung out underneath his tree stand!! If that isn't enough for a mama to pray about, read on......
On Monday, I called the consignment place where we left our Suburban at. It had been on the lot for one day and off the lot for a week and a half. They claimed a week ago it was "being checked out by a mechanic". A week and a half later, it was still missing. I told them I was coming to get it.
Tuesday, I was leery about facing the creepy car salesman. "Be nice" my daughter chastened me. Nervously, we parked at a neighboring lot and walked over. When we got there, nobody was there and the place was locked down. Finally, after making several phone calls, the creepy car salesman showed up. Thankfully, he handed me the title and keys without trouble. Still, my imagination had gone wild, and I was a nervous wreck. After that, i had a several hour computer class at the hospital.
When I got home, the house was a horrible disaster. The boys and Miss Moonbeam had survived the day safely, but the house had not. I escaped outside to focus. Puppy and Miss Moonbeam in tow, I breathed deeply. No sooner had I walked in the house than Super Catman announced "something was wrong with his braces". He had been eating the breakfast cereal I bought for dinner. Quizzically, I gazed in his mouth to discover that HIS BRACES WERE BROKEN AND HE HAD INADVERTENTLY EATEN PART OF THEM!! Well.. just a small piece, but wire none the less!! " OH GOD"I thought. My stomach lurched and I thought I might pass out right there. "Whats next?" With prayers and petitions, I phoned the Orthodontist and Emergency Department. "Uh.. my son accidentally ate part of his braces along with his breakfast cereal" just sounds so so preposterous......
Both MDs assured me that it would likely pass, as did my brother in law "This too shall pass" - lol!! Should he have any cramping or fever it would mean xrays and possible surgery. I am PRAYING it will, indeed, pass. Today, when the boy informed me of his desire to defecate, I sentenced him to Miss Moonbeams potty frog. After that, we took the doodoo outdoors to smear upon a rock together and search for the culprit to our woes. No luck. I guess I will be dissecting poop again tomorrow......
PMS should be enough, but its not. Today, I waited on pins and needles wondering why the Orthodontist hadn't called me back. My husband discovered that the whole spacer was hanging there by one wire. Apparently there was more damage than just the eaten, broken wire. Finally, I called and talked to somebody who gave us instructions on manual dismemberment of a spacer. Again, my guts wretched as my husband laid our boy on the table to do the job. I just don't know if I'm cut out for all of this!! I am literally "all thumbs". Last week, I some how sliced both thumbs (at different times).
This afternoon, my eldest shot a big ol' she bear. As you may guess, my house will soon be overcome with the powerful odor of rendering bear fat. He took the kids along to help him pack it out. I stayed home and gave Miss Moonbeam and puppy undue instruction as I constructed some enchiladas and pear crisp. After that, I talked to the nice body piercing lady about Miss Virtuous and scheduled her dreaded appointment for a NOSE PIERCING. Do pray for me this week..........

Attack of The Mutant Crazy Horror Movie Infestations

Miss Virtuous doing her thang.....

Our Friend and her baby (I still have to give her a blog name)....

Their Family

Goat Girl's Foster Son with the clay cow he made






Goat Girl and her foster boyz

Me and Miss Moona

Playing by the campfire....

Goat girl and Hubby

The boyz having crazy fun - not a flame thrower ;-) Its a sappy stick...

Miss Moonbeam succumbed.....

Art dog with Goat girls #2 Foster son

The Archer finds a pair of $230 Italian Sunglasses snorkeling - the boys are impressed!

Taking Miss Moonbeam on a walk

The Moonbeamer!

Friend with son...

Giving Rides...

Archer with his designer snorkeling find! Isn't he handsome ?!

Me and the girlz

Three Too Cool Here For this Picture!!

Sherlock is giving our pup some lessons in "fetch"

The Archer loves our pooch :-)

My girls in the boat...

Me and my pup!

It was a day I had looked forward to with MUCH anticipation. Having worked most of the week, and working a 12 hour night shift, getting off the morning of the big day, I was EXHAUSTED and ready for sand, sun and water. We had arranged to meet with a bunch of our friends and play in the sand and water together. It was the kind of thing dreams are made of.... except a growing frustration began to overtake me. I was jam packed in the Tundra, with puppy on my lap. Miss Moonbeam was stuffed in her seat next to me. "Stuff" was jammed around us and I could barely breathe it was so warm and stuffy. The beautiful waters were out there awaiting me, but my husband kept looking for the "right place" to camp along them. He loves 4wding and exploring. I was tired, nauseated and I had to go pee.....

We had left the boys with the boat at the boat access in order that my dear husband could "scout". Just when I thought I may get teary, he drove onto the perfect oasis of a place. A giant secluded sandbar in a remote bay. It was perfect. Our friends would gasp at its beauty and vastness. My husband was proud of it. Then we got out. I was supposed to make some quick sandwiches so he could get the boat. I noticed a few yellow jacket type bee things. Then a few more. Gingerly, I opened the bread on the coolers and set up an assembly line of sandwiches along with lovely deli turkey and bread. The rest of the family unloaded THE ENTIRE back of the truck of gear. Suddenly, it happened! Scary music please. REALLY SCARY MUSIC!

Bees flew out of no where. They surrounded me. They started landing on the meat, the cheese, the bread. They crawled on the sandwiches. They were everywhere. As fast as I swatted them off, they jumped back on. Stuff was falling off the coolers, the beautiful expensive pound of meat was getting ruined! One stung me! It burned bad! I rushed into the lake to cool it off. When I got back they had TAKEN OVER the sandwiches. Hurriedly, I tried to stuff them together to hide in the car. Another one stung me! I was just sure that some of the horrid creatures were in between the bread slices and somebody would eat one! As I carried them to the truck they swarmed around me angrily!! I lost it..... My husband was getting ready to drive away and leave us all here! I got hysterical. He got mad. The bees kept circling. The kids were afraid. It was awful. Me, the fearless emergency department nurse and mother of 5 had a melt down right there. No sleep for 34 hours, caffeine with drawl, I don't know. All I know is that I wasn't going to be left here to be stung again. I couldn't even protect the kids. How could anybody possibly cook anything here let alone eat? This beautiful, picturesque place had quickly evolved into TERROR and CHAOS! It was hard to imagine that just a few weeks before these settings were pure heaven for me.....

My husband loaded everything back in, quite annoyed. He took us to another place. He had to drive a crazy 4wd route to get there. I read my Bible trying to pull myself to some semblance of sanity. The Sock Fashion Expert was melting fast. The boys were waiting.... Nothing seemed good. When at last he dropped us off, we hauled EVERYTHING again, out of the back of the truck. We saw a few bees. They milled around. One stung Moonbeam! I could feel myself losing it again. My husband left quickly. The Sock Fashion Expert wilted. She sat out in the water trying to avoid bees with a forlorn look on her face, head between her knees. Would there be any hope for a good weekend with this dire crisis? Read on and see.....

I can't say everything got better instantly. I was tired.... very tired. I couldn't keep functioning without some kind of rest. Bees still flew around, but they were not as bad. We were afraid to eat, but did it quickly. A few came around, but they didn't swarm us. I tried to keep it together. After a swim and rest in the sand, and a beverage, my mood improved significantly. Still, it took the better part of the nice day just to find the spot. That night, my husband wouldn't let puppy in our tent. I wanted to cry again. He left the door open and she ended up sneaking in and sleeping on our feet anyway.

The next morning, early, we zipped puppy out. She proceed to make her own entry by ripping a hole by our heads. Her head popped in. We yelled. She ran away. Five minutes her little head popped in through the hole. Cute as it was, she got her nose smacked. Away she ran again. Things improved. My husband didn't say much about the incident as I feared he would.

That morning was beautiful. My husband decided to move us down the beach 1/4 mile to where there was vehicle access for our friends who were coming. I ran along the beach barefoot with puppy following. It was idyllic. My husband drove the boat along with all our stuff piled in.

Sure enough, there was yellow jacket sign all along the beach. Sock Fashion Expert was concerned. This time,I felt peace. I had read a chapter out of the Bible that morning, and I felt ready to trust God again. My husband said "this is so frustrating - these beautiful places and they just ruin it". Finally, I didn't think he was mad at me about it all. It was the bees, not each other. After unloading stuff, I rested. My husband and the boys went on a killing rampage full of carnage and death. In the wake, scads of yellow jackets lay dead for probably 1/8 of a mile. When I made lunch a few came, but I remained calm. When my husband left to get the truck and meet our friends, my boys went all out making Yellow Jacket traps out of plastic bottles. I had placed a 1 cent bounty on each body. I slept and lounged in the sand and played in the water all day and the Yellow Jackets became few and far between. The power of God and THE FULL FORCE of my family had overcome them. Everything would be okay.

That day turned into the greatest day ever. As friends started showing up, they all were awed by the beauty of the remote sandy cove. Nobody minded that it took some crazy 4wding to get there. Children played. Kids who had never camped before got to camp for the first time ever in this beautiful paradise of powdery sand, sun and water. My friend, Goat Girl, put on some swim stuff I gave her and she looked so beautiful in it. She came alive and played in the water and clay a good long time. It was like God was smiling on us all over again. The horror of the bees had past and everything was happy again. That night we spent a long time around the campfire. Sock Fashion Expert and another friend played guitar and sang worship songs. It was idyllic. The boys ran around with flaming sticks as if they were "Lord of the Flies" or something, uh..not. They built a campfire of their own and I can't say I have ever seen some of those kids have so much fun. I felt so happy to be able to give them this beautiful place to play. The day was beautiful. The sun, the sand and water was simply intoxicating. My husband even conceded and let puppy sleep in our tent ;-)
It kind of makes me think of how many people start out doing something and quit because there is a lot of adversity. Had we never perservered, we'd have never enjoyed the fruit of such a beautiful place. It wasn't just for my family. Our friends benefitted too. Especially the little boys who'd never gone camping or for a boat ride. It was extra special for them, a memory they can always cherish. Don't let fear or adversity ever dictate your path. Plow through it and send those Mutant Crazy Horror Movie Infestations back to kingdom come ;-)