Mickey says Hi! :)

We had a wonderful weekend!  Although it's always nice to be home, this was a perfect little getaway as a family. 

On the way to Orlando Friday, we made a quick stop at my parents to drop off Ellis.  Ellis has gone to Disney before, and we have also taken a 2 year old before.  We knew that since this was a work trip that would involve some later nights, and a busy schedule, that she would enjoy time with Mimi and Papa as much as Disney, if not more.  The reports I was getting from my parents throughout the weekend let me know we made a good decision.  When I called to check in one time, Ellis was unable to come to the phone because she was having her fingernails painted.  I think she enjoyed being the center of attention!

After dropping Ellis off, we headed to the Animal Kingdom Lodge to check in.  It's a great property and the boys loved it because there was a bunk bed for them to sleep in.  We had adjoining rooms, which Andy and I thought would be a special treat.  It would almost be like we were having a little getaway by putting the boys in one room and Andy in I in the other.  Well, the kids got wind of it and got so excited because they couldn't wait to "pick a room mate"!  So Andy got to sleep with Davis and Knox and I got to share a room with Drew.  Maybe next time....

   
                              

 

 

That night we were eating at the Animal Kingdom, so we got ready and headed down to meet our bus.

 

 

 The dinner was really good!  There was pasta, mashed potatoes, several different meats, etc.  I tried to stick with making a huge salad because we sat by the dessert bar and I made a plan to end my meal with this.  You can see that I took a bite of the chocolate cake before I thought to take a picture.  :)

The kids enjoyed the dessert, too.  :)

 

After dinner they brought out some characters.  Knox is not a fan of any of these dressed up characters.  In fact, in the past, if we have seen a character in the park, we will turn around and Knox will have shot off to find the closest hiding spot.

 

Here are Davis and Drew with the characters.

 

 

And here's where Knox was.

Nice and safe.

 

At one point, Knox needed to use the restroom, which meant he was going to have to pass through the hallway where the characters were.  Disney workers are so in tune to what's going on.  So the worker helping the characters saw what was happening and had the characters head into another room as Knox went by.  It was so nice. :)

 

By the time we returned to the hotel we were ready for bed, so that we would be ready for our adventure the next day.

 

We met our bus to head to breakfast.  We knew we were eating at Epcot, but didn't know where.  It turned out really cool.  We ate in the American Experience.  For those familiar with that area, it's where the American singers perform.  As a child, it was one of my favorite things to do at Epcot.  For our event, they had set up tables and a yummy breakfast.  It was a great place to start our day.

 

 

After breakfast we were split into groups to be led by a Disney Tour Guide.  We have always had wonderful guides, and this trip was no exception.  We ended up with Tommy, who by the end of the day felt like an old friend.  He was so nice and so great with the kids.  The way the tour guides work, is that basically they take you into the fast pass lane on rides, they escort you to the park(s) you desire to go to in a van, and help you with things like finding a table at lunch, etc.  Every time we have had the opportunity to join Andy on a trip like this, we try to make it work out, because we know what a special treat this is.

 

Since we were at Epcot we wanted to make sure we did our two favorite rides before leaving, Soarin and Test Track.

 

I was planning to sit out with Davis on Soarin, but when we got the entrance his head just touched the stick for the height requirement, so we decided he should try it.

 

Here we are right before getting on.  In the first picture, he forgot how excited he was.  ;)

 

 

There we go.  He's ready!

 

So.....he wasn't a huge fan, but I was proud of him for trying.

 

After this we headed to Test Track.  The boys were a little disappointed that I was voted to join them, but Andy had promised Davis that he would join him on Nemo.  This is the ride they were doing while waiting on us.  Test Track is a great ride!  You get to design your own car, and see how it performs on the "Test Track". 

 

The Palmer car was scored high on speed, and low on environmentally friendly.  The boys told me that would happen ahead of time.  They know from past experience.  :)

 

After this ride, we headed to meet the rest of our group at our meet up spot.  Here came one of our biggest adventures of the day.  Davis was standing on this fence, overlooking the water, and accidentally kicked his shoe into the water.

 

This is Knox and another friend from our group looking into the water that held Davis's shoe captive.

 

 

Here is our wonderful guide Tommy doing his best to fish Davis's croc out of the water.  But, it wasn't happening.  So, we tried to bend down and reach through the fence with our hands, but it was just too far down.

 

 

Light bulb!

 

At the same moment, a grandma in our group and I came up with the idea of holding one of our children over the side by their ankles to grab it.  We tried to talk Drew and Knox into it, but to no avail, so before Davis knew what was happening he was being hoisted over the side and down to his shoe.  I planned to take pictures or a video, but I was too busy helping to guide him over.  Oh, and before we did this, we told Tommy to walk away in case this was against Disney policy.  We also started to gather a crowd since we were putting on such an exciting show.  :)  Apparently Davis did NOT like his upside down acrobatic move and as soon as he put his shoe down he kicked it, to make sure everyone watching knew his displeasure with this idea.

 

 But, at least he had his shoe back!

Time for the Magic Kingdom!  I'll save that for my next post.  I'm ready for bed.

 

I hope that all of you had a wonderful weekend too!

The happiest place on earth....

Today we are off to join Andy on a work trip....and it just happens to be at Disney!  We've gotten the opportunity to join him on this trip in the past and it's always a ton of fun.  Rain or shine, I say that since there's a 50% chance of rain tomorrow : ), we will have a great time just being together.  Everyone except for Ellis, who will be getting loved on by my parents.  I have a feeling she won't mind being the center of attention. :)  Wherever you are this weekend, I hope it will be the happiest place on earth for you!

P.S.  I'll do my best to take some pictures that I can share when we get back.  :)

What Stirs Your Soul?

The other night I was invited by my friend, who heads up Women's Ministry at our church, to attend a city wide informational meeting for a Retreat coming to Tallahassee next spring. 

They skyped with the main speaker and her husband to help us get a vision for the conference and to find out the nuts and bolts.  They are an absolutely lovable and adorable couple, who made it clear to me that they love the Lord and that it is going to be a wonderful Retreat!

But, as I sat there, and they began detailing how we could be involved, I did not feel any draw to get involved on a deeper level.  I've been praying that God will make it clear to me what things He wants me to be involved with.  I definitely feel a strong conviction to not commit to anything to the detriment of my family.  With Andy's busyness right now, I feel like it's very important for me to be "present" at home, as often as possible.

This past year, God has really impressed it upon my heart to serve and minister where He has placed me.  Whether it's a one time meeting with a mom at the park, or deepening friendships already developed, or looking for opportunities to serve in my already scheduled activities, I'm trying to remain open.

So in the car on the way home, I thought, "what stirs my soul?"  Quickly, the Lord reminded me of a thought I had this summer as I was working on an on-line bible study.  The idea was that I wanted to open my home to the other moms in our homeschool co-op to invite them to do this particular study with me.  I thought about it for several weeks and was so excited!  But then, life happened.  Co-op started, Andy was continuing to travel, fall activities for the kids started, our building process became busier, and I just got tired.  The thought of one more thing felt overwhelming.

But, as I was on the way home, and this thought was resurrected, my soul soared!  There was excitement in my spirit.  So when I walked in the door that night, before I changed or sat down, I began composing an e-mail with all of the details.  I hit send before I had time to talk myself out of it, and to consider what else I have going on.  I hit send because I knew with clarity that God was calling me to do this, and I desire to walk in obedience.  I may not know all of the details of how it will work out, but I believe if I keep my eyes on Him, He will direct me, and I won't let my plans, desires, or words get in the way.  :) 

I wish I could put into words the excitement I have about doing this study.  I can't wait to share, fellowship, and pray with these women that I am seeing weekly at Classical Conversations.  These women that I care about.

What stirs your heart and soul?  Whatever it is, I encourage you to take action.  Don't let fear, or details, or feeling inadequate keep you from answering the call God has on your life.  He wants to use each and every one of us to grow His Kingdom, and He will equip you.  That's what I'm having faith in.  :)

I love this girl!!!!

I have another new post below this, but I just couldn't help myself.  I love this girl!

Rest

I am discouraged.  I am tired.  I am at the end of myself. 

I don't want to be negative, but I do want to be real. 

I may be at the end of myself, but I will choose to be encouraged, because I know that is where God will pick me up, love on me, direct me, refresh me, share with me, reveal His truth to me, and use me. 

More than being tired, I am just discouraged with how I've been responding lately to the kids.  I am lacking in love and patience and kindness and really all the fruits of the spirit.  This made me think of this post from the past. :)  Fruit of the Spirit  I can't believe how little and cute Drew was!

So since I'm feeling discouraged, I decided to get out my journal and read through some of the verses I have been writing down lately.  As I read my Psalms and Proverb for the day I write down any verses that stir my heart.  Tonight it has been such a comfort for my soul.  I read about God commanding His angels to guard us (Psalm 91:11), the Lord being my fortress and rock (Psalm 94:22), that the Lord's purpose prevails (Prov. 19:21), that we should enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4), and that our steps are directed by the Lord (Prov. 16:29, 20:24).  The verses that really stood out to me tonight were Psalms 91:1-2

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge

and my fortress,

my God in whom I trust. "

 

The words that really touched my heart were "rest" and "shadow".  If I dwell in His shelter I will find rest.  The word shadow made me think of when I was little and would walk beside my dad and find myself in his shadow.  What a safe feeling that was.  I want to stay in my Father's shadow.  I want to rest in that safe place. 

 

To be in His shadow I need to be walking with Him. 

 

This weekend in the mail I got a book by Ruth Graham.  To be honest I had completely forgotten that I had ordered it.  I think it was after I posted a song that was a tribute to her, that got me thinking more about her.  I thought about the fact that she had a husband who was on the road quite a bit and I could probably learn from reading her words.  This book was really more of her thoughts shared a page or two at a time; bits and pieces as she said in her conclusion.  It was a very quick and easy read.  I highlighted several things, and wanted to share a few.  But, before I do, I just want to share that one of the things that struck me most overall is how simple she was.  She didn't try to put on pretenses or impress others, or try to hide struggles.  Her book felt like a conversation with a sweet friend, and I have a feeling anyone who got to come into contact with her left feeling like a new friendship was born.

 

In her preface she stated, amongst other things, that she learned the most from an old, eternally contemporary Book and its Author.  How wise she was. 

 

She opened the book with a favorite of mine.

 

I shall be telling this with a sigh

somewhere ages and ages hence:

two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

and that has made all the difference.

                             ROBERT FROST

 

I hope to live my life in such a way that I take the road God has laid before me.  I know it may not always be the most popular path, but I truly believe it will make all the difference.

 

I'll close by sharing this song that was one from our weekend retreat and I love the words, especially the chorus. (I'm not sure if it's really the chorus, but that's what I'm going to call it.)  :)  I desire to put the world behind me, even if that means taking the road less traveled.

 

I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.

I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.

The cross before me, the world behind me

No turning back, no turning back

The cross before me, the world behind me

No turning back, no turning back.

 



 

I get tired as I look around, but when I look up I am reminded that it's all about Him.  The song says "Christ is enough for me".  I believe that is something I need to mediate on and ask God to help me grasp hold of.  I certainly believe that it's true, but I don't just want to believe it, I want to live it....









It Is Well....

I feel like I have had my fill of trials over the last couple of months, so when someone said at the retreat Saturday not to be discouraged if you go home and face trials, I honestly dismissed it thinking I had hit my goal number.  : )  I know that's not how it really works, but there was no part of me that thought I was going to head into a tough week. 

I don't even want to really call it "going through a trial" because nothing specific happened this week where I can share with everyone about a particular trial I am facing or going through.  Simply put, it has been a hard week.  Kids have been overly whiney, tattle tailing has been at an all time high, Ellis is crying through our morning of school (which actually isn't new), I was fighting a cold and skipped all my workouts (which I usually love), and Andy had travel.  Plus, we have more house decisions to make, and trying to find a moment to think about those decisions can overwhelm me.  In fact, the other night it hit me full force that the house thing isn't going away for awhile.  Not only is it going to take approximately 9 months to build, but then we will be moving in and finding new places for where our things go (which I am NOT good at), and over time we'll be working on decorating each room.  In my head I keep thinking....This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friend....Did you ever know that song? 

Through it all I have continued to read my Psalms and Proverb for the day.  It has been such a blessing to be in God's Word each and every day.  Sometimes I find so many verses that pierce my soul I can't wait to write them down, and other days I may not write anything, but there is peace and joy in my soul from spending time with Him. 

Pastor Jon Courson, who I have mentioned before, is teaching on the Psalms right now on Wednesday nights.  From his web page you can listen or watch his teachings.  I have been in the process of watching his most recent teaching, and was finishing it up this morning.  It was so good!  Even if you can't listen to the entire teaching, I encourage you to consider listening to the last 10 or 15 minutes.  Courson teaching on Psalm 10-15

As I was listening, so many things resonated with me.  Pastor Jon said that the theme of most of the Psalms is "life is hard, but God is good" or "God is good, but life is hard".  :)  He said many of us desire a David heart, but don't realize or recognize the pain he went through in order to get there.  He said if we're going through a hard time, God has heard our prayer.  I immediately thought of my recent prayers asking God to take away certain desires that I felt were a distraction, asking God to give me a passion and desire to spend time with Him, asking Him to refine me and prune me to be more like Him.  I don't always love the methods God uses to answer these prayers, but I do love the intimacy I find with Him.

God has heard my prayers.

Courson said that going through what we are going through will result in an anointed and inspired Psalm from the depth of our soul.  Then he encouraged us to write a Psalm.  I have never thought about doing that, and I immediately thought it was a great idea.  I could express my hardships, cry out to Him, and in the same breath praise Him. 

I was going to wait to write a Psalm until I had time alone, but instead I started dictating one on the way to our field trip today because I had words to say.  What's interesting to me is that on the way to the field trip today my Psalm had one tone, and when I finished it on the way home it held a completely different tone.  What was the difference?  LOVE  I just had so much fun being with friends and watching the kids have fun.

Here's some pictures of the fun!  There are quite a few, so feel free to scroll quickly.  ;)

Here are the kids learning how to churn homemade butter.  Can you see the back of Ellis with the pigtails?  She was thrilled to be a big girl and a part of the fun.

Each of the kids got to have a turn churning.  On the weekends they will cook cookies in the wood burning stove.  They are delicious!  We've been there to try them.  :)

 



Everyone got to taste the butter on a cracker.  My kids were fans.

 



 

  The kids then did some work in the garden.

 

After visiting the farm we headed to the schoolhouse to experience what that was like back in the "olden days".  They even had suspenders for the boys and long skirts for the girls.  Davis didn't care that he picked suspenders with one strap.  Just like Ellis, he loves to be a part of things.

 



It was really interesting how they have the kids act as they would have back then.  They practiced writing on their slates and even had a spelling bee.

 

 

While the boys were busy with school, Ellis was having a great time with her friend Hollis.  Hollis also has 3 big brothers, so I have a feeling she and Ellis will have lots to share about in the years to come.  They have known each other since they were born, and it's so neat to finally see them beginning to enjoy one another as friends.

 

 While the students were finishing their spelling bee, Ellis and I headed outside to the butterfly garden.  I was surprised when we got there that instead of seeing it full of butterflies like we have so many times, I didn't see one.  We almost left, but there was a bench, so we decided to sit.  It was within a few seconds that Ellis and I saw our first butterfly flitting around.  We got so excited!  Then we saw two more.  Although she and I were only alone for a few minutes it was a special moment that I'm glad we decided to wait for.  It is true that good things come to those who wait.  I always feel like I'm rushing, and I really do want to slow down and smell the flowers (or watch the butterflies).  :)

 

I want to close by sharing my Psalm I wrote today.  There's nothing special about it, and like I said earlier, it was written in my car.  But there really was joy in writing these words, knowing they were for the Lord.  I encourage you to take some time to write your own Psalm.

 

Lord, you hear my cry

You see my days

Second by second I need You.

 

You fill me with joy

And surround me with love

 

Your praises I sing

Your praises I sing

 

You are never far

My soul delights in Your Truth

 

May I always rest in Your goodness

and knowing who you are.

 

Remind me that our life is but a breath

and all that really matters is You.

 

May I open my hands to release the cares that oppress me

and may I lift those hands in praises to You.

 

Today I cast all my cares upon You

for You care for me

Your child, your daughter, your creation.

 

In you I rest.

Retreat Part 2

I have no idea why I labeled my last post Retreat Part 1, because Retreat Part 2 is that it was over.  :)

But, I didn't go straight home.  So maybe that's what I was thinking. 

Andy had been invited by a friend to come to his farm outside of Tallahassee.  Andy and the kids headed out there in the afternoon and when I was dropped off at my car after the retreat, instead of heading home I got a text from Andy telling me I needed to see this place.  Although I was tired from lack of sleep, I'm so glad I decided to join them. 

This farm is a 500 acre hunting preserve.  (I'm not sure if that's really the proper term, but since I'm still recovering from this weekend, that's the best way I could think to describe it. :) )  They have a stocked pond, exotic animals, deer and goats you can hand feed, and go cart/4 wheeler thingies.  By the time I got there, the big boys had already had a turn driving the small go cart.  When I arrived, we went and fed the deer.  All the kids loved it!  After that I stayed behind to help watch them prepare dinner.  We were having venison burgers and hot dogs.  Drew now says that he likes venison better than "regular" hamburgers.  While dinner was being prepared, the boys took off on the larger go cart and headed to the race track.  Andy said his friend races professionally, so I trusted that he knew all about safety and that the boys would get a great ride.  They had so much fun and came back soaking wet from hitting puddles.  It was a perfect place for the kids to be outside and to enjoy.  And Ellis fell in love with the farm cat.  Too bad for her I'm allergic, so she will just have to enjoy other people's cats.  :)  Here are some pictures from the day.

 

Drew and Knox ready for action

 

Here's Davis in the back seat ready to go.  He's next to another little 3 year old, but she ended up not being able to go, because the straps weren't tight enough on her.:(

 



 

2 thumbs up!  He's ready!

 

 

Here they are feeding the deer.  They ate corn and graham crackers.

 

 

 

And just to go back to the retreat for a moment.  Although the time of the retreat is over, there were friendships grown and deepened.  Last night after the apologetics class I stood around for 30 minutes talking and laughing with 2 of the girls that were roommates from this past weekend.  Although I was soooo tired, none of us wanted to call it a night because we were having so much fun!  Retreats are great, but I love when relationships begin to blossom from time together.

 

It's such a good reminder to me that I should keep relationships as a priority in my life.  They fill me with great joy.  So any of my friends and family that might be reading this, thank you for being a part of my life.  :)

Retreat Part 1

I'm back and had a wonderful time!  I enjoyed every single second of this retreat!  I wasn't sure what to expect out of this time, but I don't think it turned out how I pictured it.  I had thought so much about the speaker and was excited to hear what she was going to share with us, that I kind of forgot that I was going to be hanging out with a bunch of great ladies.  Well, that was quickly rectified.  I met 2 of my roommates, Jana and Debi, at church so that we could ride together and I think it took about 30 seconds before we were all laughing. 

I know Jana fairly well (and LOVE her!!!), but I have never really gotten to know Debi, although we've been at church together for years.  You know how you look at someone and "make up" who they are?  Well, I had done that with Debi.  I always thought, what a sweet, gentle, lovely woman.   Here's a picture of her so that you can see for yourself that my thoughts were along the right lines.

Okay.....so I was soooooo wrong!  Debi is hilarious and a spitfire (for lack of a better word).   Not that she isn't sweet and lovely.  :)  I can't tell you how much I loved hanging out with her, and now I just want more time with her!

When we arrived, Debi and I dropped Jana off at the beautiful chapel where we would be meeting, so that she could prepare for worship that she would be leading.  Look at this beautiful chapel we got to meet in. 

 

Debi and I headed to our cottage that we would be sharing with 5 other ladies.  We walked in and the first person we saw was Andrea, who heads up our Women's Ministry at church.  Just a side note, I love her too!  She is so funny, and real, and laughs a lot.  I always love people that laugh a lot.  Anyway, the first thing she said to us, after hi, was that she left her clothes at home!  So once again....laughing!  Luckily, her close neighbor would be coming later and was willing to swing by her house to pick up her bag.  :)

 

I loved many things about this time away, but I really think my favorite part was time with my roomies.

 

 

We laughed (a lot), cried, prayed together and stayed up WAY too late talking!  It was awesome!!!

 

Friday night Andrea and I walked back to our cottage together.

 

 

Side note:  We couldn't see for a good 60 seconds after this selfie with the flash right in our eyes.  :)

 

When we got back to the cottage we knocked a few times but no one heard... so we thought.  Since I kept misplacing my key earlier that day, another roomie Tara showed me how to attach the key to the nametag around my neck.  Brilliant, right?  Anyway, since no one answered I figured I better open the door, but why would I take the key off from around my neck?  I didn't only grow spiritually, but I also learned some practical applications this weekend.  In the future I will take the key off of my neck before inserting it in the door.  So here's the rest of the story...apparently one of our roommates heard us and just needed a moment to get to the door.  Since our door sticks, she needed to yank it pretty hard to get it open, thus yanking me in the door by way of my key necklace.  There was a lot of laughing due to this, but I just want to share this story to save anyone else from unnecessary whiplash. ;)  I wish I was Andrea and could have been a spectator.  I'm thinking I looked pretty funny flying through through the doorway by my neck.  :)

 

Although the retreat was fairly short we had a wonderful time.  Worship was amazing!  Jana, and another friend Tara, were wonderful.

 

 Our speaker was Cheryl Broderson.  She is Pastor Chuck Smith's youngest child.  Chuck Smith is the founder of Calvary Chapel, our church.  I think Cheryl said that there are over 1,500 Calvary Chapel's today.  She was immediately captivating and told so many funny stories.  She also would be sharing from our main text and throw in extra verses here and there from other parts of the Bible.  You could tell she knew the Word.  Her focus this weekend was on refreshing and being still in the Lord.  I can't wait to digest her words as I have time to re-read my notes, but did want to share something that really struck me.

 

Before our Saturday morning session she prayed that each woman there would receive a specific word from the Lord.  I wrote that down, because that had been my prayer leading up to the retreat.  This was one of my favorite sessions.  She camped out in Hebrews 4 and I took many notes.  She was talking about Jesus being our High Priest and she threw in one of those side verses.  Cheryl mentioned that in Isaiah 40 it says He will gently lead those with young and carry them.  My heart grabbed hold of that, so I knew I needed to find that verse.  As she continued sharing I turned to Isaiah 40 to find the verse for myself.

 

Isaiah 40:11

He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.

 

I am so grateful to know that my Shepherd has me.  He will not only lead me, but He will carry me.

 

This makes me think of the Footprints poem.  I'm sure many of you are familiar with it, but if not, I hope that you will look it up and read it, in it's entirety.

 

Here is the part that struck me.  This is the ending...

 

 

I am so glad to know that God is always with me, willing to carry me when it all seems to be too much.

 

I'm grateful to Cheryl for sharing the Word with us this weekend.  I'm thankful that the Lord always has a specific word for each of us, and I pray that I will continue to be drawn to Him and His Word.

I'm off!

In about 15 minutes I am heading to our church's women's retreat and I am so excited!  It's only 24 hours, but I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me and the other ladies. 

I wanted to quickly share with you an e-mail I received this week titled Testimony.  I for one LOVE hearing others' testimonies.  How someone answered the call to receive Christ.  Maybe one day I'll take an opportunity to share mine on here, but in the mean time I hope this will minister to you today.

 

Blind Sight

 

My story is simple;

 

I was clueless,

 

helpless,

 

hopeless

 

and blind

 

until I stumbled across the path of

 

the Savior of the World.

 

Written By:

 My Dad  :)

 

(Dad, Hope you don't mind that I shared this!)  :)

 

I really better go finish packing, but I can't wait to share upon my return....