A City Life For Me

I wish so very much that I had learned this at the beginning of deputation!  My awesome brother and sister-in-law gave me an Aero Press coffee maker for Christmas.  It’s been on my Amazon wish list since I read about it on Money Saving Mom .  I kinda forgot it was there.  But it makes the very.best.coffee I have ever had!  Photo: Amazon I can’t tell you how many bad coffees I have had while travelling.  Hotels aren’t exactly known for their great coffee, and many times it came out of a machine and tasted more like dirty dishwater.  The other problem I encountered was dirty filthy coffee makers.  You know those little ones they put in the hotel room?  Or even the ones in the infrequently used prophet’s chamber?  So many times I opened the water container to fill it, only to find dirty water sitting there, or layers of gunk.  Needless to say…I passed on coffee on those mornings! BUT… if I had owned the Aeropress, I could have m...

November 28th, 2016.  I don’t think I will ever forget that day.  Just two days shy of 35 months on the road, and we pulled into the driveway.  For the last time.  Deputation was done.  It was a long haul.  Not as long as many missionaries spend on deputation, but it taxed me to the limit. We started when the twins were but six months old, headed to Alabama to be appointed with Baptist World Mission.  Then I was pregnant with Henry while on the road, and we took only a six week break for his birth.  I have homeschool Elaine in Kindergarten, First Grade, and part of Second Grade.  I started Nolan in Kindergarten. Did not anticipate doing that. I potty trained Liberty at rest areas and in other people’s homes.  I tried to potty train Nehemiah, but we are still walking that road.  Most of deputation has had us with three in diapers, and me nursing at least one baby. We learned a lot of lessons.  We made cherished friendships....

Almost two weeks ago, my Elaine girl turn seven.  S-E-V-E-N.  Wow.  That makes me feel old!  Assuming she lives with us through college, that means we are about 1/3 done with our time with Elaine!  That is scary… I feel like there is yet so much to teach! Elaine is really a great big sister.  She is a helper and a teacher and an example, to Mommy and her siblings.  She is nearly always happy.  If she isn’t busy and involved with her brothers and sister, she is probably curled up with a book somewhere.  I used to be like that.  My Grandma was always getting on me for bringing a book everywhere.  Elaine brings three or four! I snapped a few pictures on the morning of her birthday. This was one of the few moments during our three weeks in Vancouver, BC that it wasn’t raining! Finally got her to smile! Elaine picked out her outfit for her birthday.  She loves purple, so the dress choice was easy.  The shirt is one that...

After Yellowstone and a meeting in Wyoming, Ben took the kids and I back to my parent’s house in Denver.  We stayed there for a month while Ben went and had some meetings in California alone.  We had two reasons for splitting up:  first, we couldn’t find housing for all of us in CA, and it would be very costly to live in a hotel for a month; and second, because Ben needed some time alone to write his doctrinal papers for ordination.  The time in one place gave us some stability, and the kids were even able to take swimming lessons! Idaho potato fields Pinedale, WY. Playing soccer with Uncle Wesley.  Soccer is his game – he was thrilled.    Grandma made the Grands these adorable pool noodle stick horses! Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A!   Elaine set up a school and thoroughly enjoyed teaching Aunt Jo!  She enjoyed her authority a little too much, perhaps – complete with rules! Fire breathing dragons!  (Toilet paper rolls and t...