Pumpkin Time...

Oh, how I love FALL! O'Fallon is especially beautiful this time of year. They have so many maple trees that turn all sorts of radiant colors. It is truly magical. With the season in mind, I thought I would share some of my favorite pumpkin poems. I have used them to attach to pumpkin bread as teacher's gifts, given them to friends and family, Boo'd the neighbors, surprised senior saints, and even given them out at Trunk-or-Treats. So enjoy! I know it early and more appropriate for October, but it is NEVER TOO EARLY to brighten some one's day.

A Pumpkin Poem
One day I found two pumpkin seeds.I planted one and pulled the weeds.It sprouted roots and a big, long vine.A pumpkin grew; I called it mine.The pumpkin was quite round and fat.(I really am quite proud of that.)But there is something I'll admit that has me worried just a bit.I ate the other seed, you see.Now will it grow inside of me?(I'm so relieved since I have found that pumpkins only grow in the ground!)

The Pumpkin Prayer

Cut off the top:
Lord, open my mind and fill me with Your wisdom and guidance.
Scoop out the yuckies
Lord, take out all my fussies and frownies and fill me with Your love.
Carve out the eyes
Lord, open my eyes to see all of the beautiful things You have made.
Carve out the nose
Lord, help me to be a sweet fragrance for You.
Carve out the mouth
Lord, help me to always speak Your words of love and kindness.
Place in a candle
Lord, let me be a light to others for You have filled me with Your light.

A Pumpkin Story
Once a friend was asked what it was like to be a Christian. Halloween was coming soon, and she thought of how to explain it.
Here was her response:
“Well, God picks you from the patch and brings you in and washes all the dirt on the outside that you got from being around all the other pumpkins. Then He cuts off the top and rakes all the yucky stuff out from inside. He removes all those seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all to see. It is our choice to either stay outside and rot on the vine or come inside and be something new and bright.”

It's been awhile

One of my girlfriends just mentioned wanting my blog address, and I started thinking "WOW, how long has it been since I blogged?" After I looked at my last entry, I realized all the wonderful things I had forgotten to post...the girls "You're ONE in a MELON" birthday party, several more trips, updates concerning graduate school, and now all the craziness associated with starting school again. Please, accept my apologies...especially those of you not on Facebook.
Honestly, I don't know where to start. So I think I will just ramble about things that have been on my heart lately.
First, Travis and I's 10 year anniversary is coming up this December. It seems like the entire year has been a celebration as the date draws near. We have an exciting trip to Disney World planned for November. We are staying at the Grand Floridian. It is definitely a beautiful resort, and out of our league...but who cares. ;) We had to take advantage of the incredible deals they are offering to military families. Who could resist? Plus, Travis' parents and his brother and sister-in-law are joining us. I've never been to Disney World and it was one of things listed on my "Bucket List." Since we have been married Travis and I have done about 5 or 6 things off the Bucket List. I think I have a total of 10.
Oh, and I can't forget about graduate school. I find out if I'm accepted sometime in early November. I'm pursuing a M. Ed in Educational Technology at Texas A&M. Some friends have been really supportive. Some friends have thought I'm crazy, and honestly I don't care. It is important to me to have a Masters and specifically one that is related to Education but allows me to be creative. When I was teaching, I loved incorporating technology and it will serve me well if and when I do go back to teaching. I love having a project. I love pursuing things and feeling like I've conquer my fears. I don't want to become stagnant. I don't want to live with regrets and what-ifs. So come Spring time, I'll be working towards that.
Of course, the girls are a huge source of enjoyment. I absolutely love Carlie's teacher. She is very good at keeping us updated and telling us how we can prepare our children for success. So most nights I'm working on some kind of homework or enrichment lesson with Carlie, but I love it. I much prefer this over being surprised come report card time. I think Carlie likes it too. Her confidence is growing. Bless her heart, she is such a hard worker and truly wants to do her best. Then there is my sweet Mollie who is naturally gifted at school. She could easily be reading by now if I pushed it. Her fears come with going down dark tunnel slides are riding a bike with training wheels vs. a tricycle. Though, she is making huge strides. Yesterday, she was in the very top of the huge playground at church and loving it. She never even attempted it last year, and the other children were quick to point out her fears or leave her behind. It always broke my heart to see her face be so disappointed. And who could forget little Ellie, my dare devil. She can hang with her big sisters any day, and has the bruises to prove it. I don't think "No" is in Ellie's vocabulary. Most folks would say she is a confident walker. I lean more to an amateur sprinter. She wants to go so fast...too bad the concrete gets in the way at times.
So, lets see...marriage is going great, graduate school on the horizon, beautiful girls doing good...whatelse...Did I tell you I'm doing a Bible study by Beth Moore called Breaking Free, AGAIN? Oh yeah, it is going to be awesome. Then in November, some girlfriends and I are going to see her LIVE. In fact, I should probably be doing my homework right now instead of blogging.
Oh, and I can't forget about the amazing job Melissa did on my house. I hired a girlfriend to come in and totally redo the downstairs. It looks AMAZING! I couldn't be more pleased. Of course, since we are renting I didn't do any painting, but the accents and color choices made a huge difference...and all of those things I can take with me. Which when I think about "taking with me" it gets me all nervous about next summer. Travis finds out in October whether or not we are moving to Washington D.C. I'm kind of nervous/excited...not quite sure. I've made a ton of wonderful girlfriends here, and I hate to leave them. Especially, since I know that many dear friends I've had in the past I hardly talk to anymore. Perhaps it me or perhaps it is the many miles that keep us apart. Who knows? All I do know, it that the Lord has been faithful to always provide a kindred spirit everywhere we've been.
Ellie is awake...so I've got to go.

Travis on Air Force One

Yes, this is my extremely lucky husband getting a private tour of Air Force One. Obama was scheduled to throw the 1st pitch at the MLB All-Star Game last night here in St. Louis, MO.

Earlier this month Travis had organized a Squandron Commander Course at Scott AFB. One of the pilots of Air Force One had attended. He was grateful to Travis and all the hard work he had done and decided to invite him for a tour. Along with a friend from work, Travis headed down to the game. The whole city was excited about the president coming. This was a once in a lifetime invitation, and I was so glad Travis was invited. He said it was truly AMAZING!
Another AMAZING sight is the view from our porch in Branson. I forgot to post it with the other Branson pictures. I never realized how gorgeous Missouri was. Isn't it absolutely beautiful?

Silver Dollar City

Water Fun at Branson

One of the greatest parts about Branson was the amazing pools at the Big Cedar Ridge Resort that were included with our condo. The condo was AMAZING, but we were allowed to use all the amenities of the Resort free. Most evenings we would take the kids over to the pool area and cool off. It was around 100 degrees every day. YIKES!

I called this picture, "All our little fishes"...because each of us, the parents, had about two children around us. Here you can see Desiree with Scarlett. Uncle Tim throwing Carlie and Eli into the air, Daddy tossing Ellie up, etc.

Mollie loved this one area. It had sprinklers shooting up. She loved stopping the flowing and then letting it go once we got close.

Man, if Travis was a little more tan, wouldn't he be a hunk? I'm extremely attracted, because he is loving all over Ellie.

Mollie did great! The swimming lessons at the YMCA really paid off. She felt more comfortable to let go wearing her life jacket. Before she would cling to me and hated wearing it.

You can see Ellie smiling here. The higher Daddy threw her, the more she loved it. Carlie is swimming in the background. She is a fish and has been practicing her strokes this summer.

Here is a better picture of little Ellie. I love her little fat legs.

This is another great picture of Carlie taking off. Uncle Kev showed her how to glide more in the water and keep her head down.

Here is Gary and Kevin. Gary was playing with his son, Lance. Then Kevin was taking turns with Carlie and Eli throwing them in the air. Ole' Daddy got a pass due to his back problems. I'm sure Kevin regretted throwing them up so high later. They loved him for it, though.

Branson coming and going...

It was so wonderful. This summer the "Elite 8", then "Sweet Sixteen", now...we don't know... decided to do our big reunion in Branson. Our group began as the Elite 8 (The Stevens, The Greicars (MIA for photo), the Pritzs, and the Walters) back in pilot training, almost 10 years ago. Then as we added to our group (aka children), we called ourselves the Sweet Sixteen. Now with the addition of Ellie, Ella, and Lincoln, we aren't sure what to call ourselves...perhaps "Crazy" would be most appropriate. LOL
Back in Wichita Falls it was easy to get together. We were all neighbors and had our weekly Thursday night dinners. Then when the Air Force decided to send us all over the world, we decided to be more intentional about getting together at least once a year. One year we all went on a cruise, then a weekend in AL during SOS, then a weekend in San Antonio, and most recently a week in Branson, MO. Truly these families hold our heartstrings.

I grabbed this quick photo of our family before we departed. It actually was a perfect day, around 80 degrees...having been more in the 100s all week.

This is Eli, Carlie, and Joy saying their last goodbyes. Boy, did they have fun!

Ella decided to be our little stowaway. I would have taken her. She is about two weeks younger than my little Ellie. Katie found out she was pregnant again shortly after our San Antonio trip.

One night the guys insisted all the Mommies go out on the town. We went to Branson Landing and visit the Outlet Mall. It was so wonderful getting to catch up with no little distractions.

It truly was a great trip. The 5 bedroom condo we rented was ideal. It was gorgeous inside and out, located near Lake Table Rock. We are already brainstorming our next trip together...perhaps the beach, Colorado Springs, CO...who knows. More entries to come...

VBS...Boomerang Express

Well, it is Friday and the last day of VBS. My girls are quietly sleeping upstairs...exhausted from a week full of wonderful activities and learning more about Jesus. I should join them, but I couldn't help but want to reflect on what God did.
This year's theme was Boomerang Express...It all comes back to Jesus! It was a great theme set in the Outback with kangaroos and a cool train that lead the children to teaching others about Jesus. I taught 1 of the 5 classes for 4 year olds. They had a total of 1,200 children registered. Each day was action packed. I loved my little class. We acted out the Bible stories and had so much fun. I think though everything really sunk in when I saw Carlie performing in the musical. I had practiced all the songs with my class each day, but the last song we taught them really touched me. There Carlie was singing, "I will pray in Jesus' name, and believe things will change." It still makes me choke up remembering her little voice saying those words.
Because the reality is that for years I have prayed that God would heal Travis' back and give me back my sweet husband who I fell in love with. And you know He has! For two months now, Travis has been off all his pain medicine, and the difference has been incredible. He is gaining weight and is laughing again, more energetic, more physically and emotionally tuned into me. It is wonderful! Of course, he still has pain, but what we once thought would make him bed ridden hasn't. What he once thought he couldn't live without (the pain medicine)...HE IS!
I guess I didn't realize what a toil being on pain medicine had taken. The side effects they warn you about, but that you don't pay attention to. Anyway, it makes me grow even more and more in love with Jesus when I realize that only because of my relationship with Him was there any hope that things would change. That one day the troubles that seemed so overwhelming so all encompassing would fade. "So I'm praisin' and I'm thankin' God for His son, Jesus...because He can do anything." Out of the mouths of children....PROFOUND!