Why I have been busy....

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This is the reason why I have not been on my blog as of late. I included a pic of a cat for those of you that don't like horses and dogs. Teresa is taking riding lessons this summer and unable to walk afterwards. I do all her chores while she sits around and encourages me to do a good job! Then these cute little furry things are not really Siamese kittens. They are actually Standard Poodles and there are 12 of them . That is occupying a lot of my time.

Pictures say it all!

Oh one thing I did do, we all went to the Theatre to see Gershwin's An American in Paris. It was great and a lot of singing and dancing. It was hard to sit still.

Happy Birthday Perla Renee!

This was in Hiroshima, Japan. She always been the leader of the pack!

A Preacher at a young age. She's always taken her work very seriously....

A few ballet steps on the sea wall in Japan. She didn't sing a lot but her feet were never long in one place.

I just wanted to throw in a few pictures from yester year. June 4th is almost upon us once again and my Pearl is yet another year older. I have been thinking of her for weeks- maybe as she is so far away and after her last visit, we all miss her so much. She adds so much joy and sparkles to the atmosphere where ever she goes.

I was thinking of how she actually started her life's journey in the driest desert on earth- the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. It was such an incredibly unique place and that so well defines her personality. She was actually born during an exciting time, when Chile was under a State of Siege. Getting to the clinic under a white flag with minutes to spare, was exciting enough but then the table broke underneath me and I am not exactly sure how the rest of the delivery went. Then somehow I was convinced they had switched babies on me before I was able to see her. I was creating hovoc with the nurses and doctor. I was one frantic mom but then, at that time in Chile, there were some very wild stories about the government going around Chile. Fortunately, her daddy was right there, keeping a close eye on her and me at all times and assured me she was the "one". No mistake. Well, also she was the only baby in the hospital that night. Crazy me.

I so seldom panic.

Anyway,I have so much to say about her. I would be up all night and never begin to touch on all the joy she brought into our lives. I have seen over and over again how the Lord has had His hand on her life. She was actually born with one leg shorter than the other. The doctors informed me that they were going to put a cast on her at 6 months old and that she would have to lie still for a few months to get the joint back in place. It was a real case of- "As they went , they were healed."

I had a little Japanese cloth carrier (before the days of Baby Bjorn). She seemed to love being out of doors so I just strapped her to her dad every day as he went about the city, doing his work for the Lord. He carried her everywhere and she spent all day in that position, which turned out to be the healing factor. When it came time for them to put a cast on her, her legs were the same length. No cast needed. We were jumping with joy and Perla has been steaming ahead full blast ever since.

Her love of reading always amazed me. I have never seen a child ride a bike while reading or mowing a lawn while reading like she did. When I was a kid, I refined the art of horseback riding with a book in hand. To my credit, at least the horse had good eyes.

She would be hanging upside down from a tree" reading," rollerblading" reading" and when she got older, hiding a book beneath her school books "reading". So, I can honestly say, her knowledge always stunned me. If there were no books about, she would pick up anything available. I had to keep taking phone books away from her. If I needed to know something, I just asked Perla.

Well, now I hear she is writing. I can believe it.

She is so genuine, loving and kind. Wherever she is, and whomever she is with, you are blessed . However I do have to say, I miss her more and more as time goes by.

Happy Birthday Perla, just 1 day early!

And yet.......another prayer come true!

I worked a few hours scrubbing this car before his arrival, waxed it and tried to help it put it's best wheel forward. I figured after looking at just dull green hummers and sand covered tanks for a few years, that this little car would be a sight for sore eyes. I was a bit proud of it as some of our friends had helped fix it up a bit mechanically and we'd gotten a new motor put in- no easy feat. I did the waxing in the waning light of dusk so I wasn't surprised that he spent 2 more hours cleaning it when he arrived. Oh well, so much for my detailing career. It wasn't exactly stellar. I'd best stick to dishes and poodles. I'm pretty good at that.

When we pulled in and he saw the banner, his comment was, a simple yellow ribbon would have been ok. The neighbors have enjoyed it. They always get an earful about my kids so Tim has been like a block project here. Everybody has been praying for him and pulling for him. He's our area medic.

Home again...

We took a quick trip to meet up with him in Longview, Texas. It took a few hours but time passed quickly and we were very good as I think every law enforcement person in East Texas was out and busy fundraising on the highways last night. We met up with him and James ( another medic going home in Dallas) and it was oh so nice to see him again. A sweet waitress at the Waffle House thought so too and gave him a big hug.
As we drove up to the house, he was a bit surprised to see the big banner on the front lawn, strung between our big pines. He didn't recognize himself in the cowboy hat. Thanks to Andro and the guys at the print shop.
Anyway....we are happy.
He drove from Fort Benning with James, another Medic that was heading home to Dallas. We just heard that after we picked up Tim in Longview, James had an accident with a truck. Thankfully he is safe but his car will need repairs. He did stop before and rested a few hours but still didn't see the truck.

One BIG thing I learned from Tim being in the Army is that soldiers are group of young people that really need our prayers. Altho' it has been very hard on me having him there in the Army, I do feel like God enlarged my selfish heart to include a lot more children.
When I stay awake at night praying for Tim, I have learned to enlarge that and pray for all those there I don't know. I've been around for a while. I will be 58 this November but one of the delights of my getting older is that I'm continually learning and not afraid to admit I don't know it all. It opens a whole new world. Being a Child of God is a beautiful thing and it only keeps getting better!

A modern"Lewis and Clark Expedition" alias "Wells and Wells Research and Explorations"

While out on one of Spring Creek expeditions, seeking out new species of creek and bog life, we happened to come upon a trio of armadillos on our path, foraging for some goodies buried in the pine needles. It seems like we are always finding wildlife munching on something. We were certain they would dart away from us so we stood as still as we could, in spite of the voracious mosquitos that were ,speaking of the munchies, busy munching on us.

Noticing they didn't seem at all phased by our flailing arms, we moved closer step by step. We were pretending to be trees on a windy day. They didn't seem to bat an eyelash. I reached over and tapped one of them on the shoulder and he didn't even acknowledge me. Yep, that did confirm they were probably teenagers. I was feeling very thrilled by my bravery and budding friendship with nature and the younger generation. Well, I might have been bolder myself if one of them (the girl) hadn't of turned and headed my way to check out my shiny toe- nail polish. That was too close.

We were a disgrace to the profession of explorers, having both forgotten our cameras or even our art pads and pencils!

Teresa, our resident naturalist ( concerning animals and plant life, not the other kind that hang out on the French beaches) kindly informed me that armadillos carry diseases, especially Hansen's disease (leprosy). Ok, so much for tapping Jr. on the shoulder! I had figured they were a trio of audacious teenagers that hadn't learned to fear humans but I then named them the "Naaman squad". Wisely, we decided to enjoy the moment just a bit more and let them continue enjoying their dining in peace.

Hey, Armadillos are quite amazing up close with the cutest little ears and wiggly noses. God's got quite an imagination, wouldn't you say?

UPDATE!

Well, time has been pushed back and Tim will be arriving home on June 3rd. Hoorah or however they say that in the Army.

the 28th!

It won't be long! It looks like Tim will be flying in to Houston on the 28th of May! What a happy day for us all. His car is up and running so we may not see him as much as we'd like but it will be so good to have him back. So good.........He has had so many people praying for him. Thanks everyone!