It's still summer here!

Still hot. 

Still humid. 

Still swimming!  

Isaiah 40:8

"Flowers and grass fade away, but what our God has said will never change."

When you least expect it...

Today, while Thing 1 and Thing 2 were at band practice, I decided to walk around the neighborhood.  

The neighborhood in which band practice is located is old.  Old brick homes. Tiny by today's standard, but overly welcoming.  Porch swings, comfy chairs, and potted plants abound.  

I started walking just for something to do.  Tried to quiet my mind.  Open my eyes.   And I found that just 4 blocks from the hustle and bustle of the city , was a haven of peace.  

What I found made me smile.  I didn't know I needed a break.  A second wind.  

But God did. 

And He abundantly provided. 

When I least expected it.  

... As we wait upon the Lord...

We have been waiting for clear word from God about what to do once MotorMan retires.  We have plans and know that God has plans for us, however we wanted to make sure our plans converged.  We wanted to make sure we were following His leading, and not our own.  

Over the last 7 months, we have prayed fervently for God's will to be revealed in terms of a housing possibility.  We have prayed for what is best for our family.  Where do we go?  What do we do?  How do we do it?  Where will money come from?  And on, and on, and on...  

Today, God has answered.
And provided abundantly.

We now own 20+ acres and a house with lots of potential for our family.

The only answer we have as to why we now own this piece of heaven:  God willed it to be.  
From an initial short sale offer that fell through, to a foreclosure.
A foreclosure offer immediately accepted by the bank before the property was relisted.
A sales price that defies the value of the land, not to mention the cost the amazing house upon said land.
A smooth closing, with minimal closing costs, great rates, and AMAZING people to work with.
(though there was a TON of paperwork!)

We praise God for His provision.
And we pray that whatever we do as a family on this property will be honoring and glorifying to Him -- who, above all else, can do anything! 

All y'all come visit! 
We'll have plenty of room to roam! 

July

... in August!
SIGH!

I had such great plans to have this post up and live BEFORE the end of July.  
However, the beach called.  

As did the movie theater.  
And bike rides.  
And the beach.  

And trips to the park.  
And walks with the kids.  
And the beach.  

So, you'll forgive me that I'm a couple days behind, won't you?

July always starts with a bang for us.  
Fireworks aside, it's two other things that make the 4th a special day for us.

Motorman and I celebrated our 15th anniversary.  I am blessed beyond measure to be married to this man.  I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again:  he makes being married easy.   I could sing (or type) his praises here, but I'd rather save those for his ears.  I am grateful for him, and I attempt to make sure he knows that every single day.  

We were able to get away for a couple days (thanks friends who kept the young 'uns!) and went to Louisiana, just outside New Orleans.  

We stayed at a plantation which was perfect for us, and made us feel quite special.  

Oak Alley Plantation

We toured additional plantations with rich histories, visited New Orleans, and the WWII Museum.  

Laura Plantation

We also made time for drives, walks, and eating dinner in a local restaurant/bar/redneck hangout where we tried fried frog legs.  (My vote: meh.  His vote: yum!)  

The fourth is also special because 5 years after we married, MotorMan and I welcomed our first baby, CraftyGirl.  That's right, she was born on our 5th anniversary, July 4th!

For her birthday, CG asked to spend the day shopping and making a bear with a couple of her friends at Build A Bear workshop.  It was quite fun!!

How she has arrived at 10 years so swiftly has our heads spinning.  We are so overjoyed at the hugs, smiles, and giggles she brings to our home.  

Her sweet heart, crafty ingenuity, and love for others bless us all daily.  We look forward to seeing what God has planned for her.

In July, we also purchased our first band instruments!  CraftyGirl has decided she'd like to learn violin in addition to the piano she already practices.  TheBoy has decided on trumpet.  (I'm gonna keep my snarky comments about squeaky violins and thundering trumpets to myself here, but it ain't easy, I tell ya!)

I also had the opportunity to set up my photography booth at the local Gallery Night, where I was our church's sponsored artist.  It was great fun to talk to people about both my photography and the new project our church is working on, The Rex!  

We finished up our month by stuffing as much fun into it as we could!!

Be blessed,
The Greyhairs

June

I didn't take a bunch of pictures in June, but one big thing did happen:

My widdle baby turned eight.
He'd hate it if he heard me call him that.
Good thing he doesn't read my blog.

Our youngest, the boy with all the passion, and noise, and love turned eight.  Where, oh where, does the time go?  It is fleeting...

I kept up with boot camp,

and also experimented with making my own Almond Butters.  So far, my favorite is Roasted Salted Almond Coconut Butter.  Yum!

We went berry picking again.
This time, for blueberries!
My freezer is well stocked...

And, like his sister did last month, TheBoy figured out how to ride his bike!

With only one or two scrapes along the way...

And, during one of our many beach days, CraftyGirl and I gave surfing a try.

It was gnarly, dude!

Hang loose!

And that's it for June.
See you next month.
When it will actually BE the month I'm posting photos about.
Yippee!

May

You might be saying to yourself, "What happened to April?"

Uh, good question.

I dunno.  Apparently nothing photo worthy, and since I'm so far behind, I can't remember that far back.

So, let's just move forward. 

I'm dying to get you all caught up so that I can post regularly about things that are happening now.

So I don't forget!

May was the month of field trips!  

We went to a cool, local, hands-on science museum called The MESS Hall.

The kids had fun experimenting with all sorts of things.

We also finished up our school year with a trip to the local Gulfarium.  We had a ton of fun, with the Science class that I taught at our co-op.  

I felt it was a fitting end to our study of Apologia's Swimming Creatures curriculum!

I continued to rehab my IT band with short running jaunts and pressed on with a new exercise:  outdoor boot camp.  It's fun and sweaty, and a really good workout!!

The running group I facilitated and participated in, Run for God, completed our 5K goal race, and our team even won a trophy for one of the largest groups at the run!

CraftyGirl also ran the kids' 1 mile fun run with some of her friends and had a great time!

We also went on a trip to Tennessee to visit Nana and Papa.

While there, Nana bought a bike for the kids, and having her there to cheer them on was the catalyst for them learning to ride.  (Never mind the bikes we've had for them in the garage for months!!)

I also found a scooter at a yard sale ($3!!) that the kids enjoyed.

Not one week after we returned, CraftyGirl was riding on her own.  TheBoy took a bit longer, but he IS two years younger.  As they were practicing, I overheard, "If HE can do it, then I can too!"  The positives of sibling rivalry...

And a few other highlights in pictures...

Strawberry picking.  Where we picked about 13 lbs of berries.  Twice!  

Beach time!

Starting our first SMALL garden... from seeds

 CraftyGirl babysat for friends as they welcomed a baby brother.

TheBoy was the flag bearer for a Boy Scout ceremony.  He did a fabulous job!

And just a few other random shots from the month to finish up our photo review of May.

See you back for June!!