More Maine pictures

These are the last pictures from Maine. Unless mom sends us some copies any time soon.

Mom and her Dunkin Donut, Krispy Cream (however you spell it) and Shipley's don't have anything on them. They are not dripping with grease nor are they oozing with sugar they are very fluffy and light. The are WONDERFUL!

Yes love the Mountain Dew, love it. Or just get totally ecstatic about it. I have not had a Mountain Dew in 2 weeks!

This is an idea of what my dream house looks like.

Here is the one with mom making the crazy face while eating her sandwich. I was trying to be cute in this picture and she wanted to goof off. Can't you just be serious mom?

A fairly small gathering of the family on Christmas Eve.

Me compared to the tractor tire.

Daddy hard at work on the tractor. He just loves being a farmer.

Dad getting ready to lay the bedding in the farm.

This is me skating on the field, sometimes graceful sometimes not. I only fell down once though.

Me wobbling on skates

Dad paying the toll. Something you just don't see down here.

Aunt Dorothy with Mickey

Ella and I counting as someone hides, of course she has her handy coaster in hand so she can find who is hiding with ease.

Ella attacking Nala or trying to ride her or love her you decide.

Dad is sort of looking this time.

Aunt Judy

Me and my cousin and mom eating in the background.

grandpa, Uncle Chuck and Sara, I think I am the only person who gets away with calling Charlie Chuck, but he has given me grief all my life, so I deserve to call him that.

My cousin Cory hawking over the TV

Aunt Dorothy with one of her gifts

There is a reason for such a pose. Grandma likes to tell me everytime we see her that I am the beauty of the family and this was the pose to prove it. Why don't you make my head a little bigger Grandma. But I have to admit the time it was just mom and I visiting her she commented on how I had gained weight although it was only like 2 lbs since I had seen her last. Never a dull day with Grandma.

Grandma Green not looking her best with her favorite Granddaughters.

Family resemblance? Maybe. Patty is the youngest in the red, Dorothy and then mom is about 21 years older than Patty.

What a cute mom and son moment. Darren and Pam. Yes ladies he is single but he is not ready for that yet.

My cousin Holly got engaged on Christmas Eve. He had used her Grandmother's diamond and had it reset, then he proposed on the 50th anniversary of her grandparents getting engaged.

Awed by her bling bling

Our fearless photographer

Dancing to our jam.

Here is a good close up of us.

Twin Mainiacs! This is New Years Eve and we were back here in Arkansas.

Lessons Learned in Sunday School

I have the most wonderful Sunday School teacher in the world. No one could ask for better than Ms. Anne. She is 86 years old and still a total fireball. The few young women in our class just sit and soak in her wisdom. She has been walking with the Lord since she was 16, and has become an awed prayer warrior and encourager for many women. She was never married and defended herself by telling us she could not find a man that surpassed her spiritually so that he could lead her.
One of her yearly encouragements for us is to have a year verse. This year I have picked:
James 4:13-15
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that."

I have all sorts of plans for myself for this year and beyond but I always have to keep in mind that they be in God's will for me. I am planning on moving to Maine in September or October but this week I have had a longing to go ahead and move now. I have had to check that since I just came back from on vacation because that is not for right now. But even my plans to move in September may not come through if that is not what God has for me.

I decided to stay when my parents moved because I was growing so much in my church here. About 4 months later my sister became a believer and moved in with me. Who knows what opportunity would have been lost if I did not stay but God knew all of this before then. So no matter what my plans are God's plans will be what succeed and they will be the best for me.

New Favorite

For the time being my new favorite song would be:

Nicole Nordeman
Every Season

Every evening sky
An invitation
To trace the pattern stars
And early in July a celebration
For freedom that is ours
And I notice you in childrens games
In those that watch them from the shade
Every drop of sun is full of fun and wonder
You are summer

And even when the trees have just surrendered
To the harvest time
Forfeiting their leaves in mid September
And sending us inside
Still i notice you when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
And I offer thanks for what has been and what is to come
You are autumn

And every thing in time and under heaven
Finally falls asleep
Wrapped in blankets white
All creation shivers underneath
And still I notice you when branches crack
And in my breath on frosted glass
Even now in death you open doors for life to enter
You are winter

And every thing that is new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breath
And what frozen thorough is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with you
And how you make me new
With every seasons change
And so it will be as you are recreating me
Summer autumn winter spring.

It is so pretty and really speaks to me about how I will sit by and watch the seasons change with not a care and no notice to the beauty and detail unless it is snow or a waterfall. In every season I should take care to notice the detail and beauty God has blessed us with. Every tiny detail was planned in the beginning and continues on to this day, I should be amazed. It is easy to see the changes He has made in me, because of pride and selfishness, I need to think less of myself and more of Him.

Maine expedition

This is Ella trying to get Rachel to hide she had not had a turn yet so Dorothy was showing her how to get her up. She entertained us all that night.

This is Ella, her dad Michael(my cousin) and Dorothy (my aunt). Ella was counting and she had grabbed this coaster and it helped her find whoever was hiding and when she hid she would hand it to whoever was looking for her. She is so cute.

This is mom and Aunt Pam. Pam is the one who introduced mom and dad. She had been mom's best friend and had married my dad's oldest brother so when mom was visiting her, my dad came over to play with my cousin Derek and they met. Mom said there were no sparks whatsoever for either of them the first time they met.

Here is me and my daddy he was afraid to have me sit in his lap because he had already broken the table that was in front of us and he did not want to break anything else. Not sure who he is staring at with that look on his face. Looks guilty to me.

Here is me on Santa's knee on Christmas Eve. Santa is my cousin Darren who is actually only a year older than me. Every year we get together on Christmas Eve and one of the Uncle's or now cousin's dresses up like Santa and our parents bring gifts for him to give us. It is a great tradition the only thing is we are all sort of old for that but I still enjoy it. My cousin Andrew is sitting beside him.

Here is the Christmas tree before, you can't really tell but those presents were stacked up behind and to the sides and smashed under there, there was just not enough room for all of them under there when there really wasn't room for the tree.

Here is me helping Grandpa with the shirt that I got for him. While we opened presents he was busy taking all the tags and stickers off of his shirts and sweaters we got him. He is such a generous man he kept offering me half of his chocolate santa but I kept showing him I had one and that was all for him.

This is the annual Christmas picture we take every year in front of the tree, not sure how many years we have been doing this but they are always wonderful. Sometimes I crawl under the tree as a present. I am obviously the cuddly one.

This was the night after Christmas that we had snowfall again. It was coming down in chunks not a flake to be found. We were ecstatic about it.

This is our Uncle Turkey. He started calling us the turkey twins when we were little, not sure why but when we were old enough we started calling him Uncle Turkey.

Here is Ginger and her husband Adam, good people.

This is Bonsai, she is actually my cat but she is old and I did not want her to die on me. She likes to sit by the radiators, if you can't find her look at all those and she really surprised us when we found her up on the desk.

This is me chasing the seagulls by the time I got even close they were off but you can still see some of them in this shot.

Me, Kelly, Ginger and Rachie at the beach. Ginger and Kelly are our long time friends.

Rock climbing, Ginger's husband was our photographer, such a nice guy.

Short Sands in York, Maine

The girls on the beach

The ocean

Down on the Farm

I'm down on bended knee, I actually ran (well as well as you can run on ice) and slide down to her like this, guess you can't really tell that.

I actually could not skate on the pond which is what we are on because there was a huge bubble in the middle taking over like the whole thing so my skate would get stuck in it. I skated on the field actually because the ground was frozen the creek overflowed into the field.

Skating superstar.

Oh girl dat's my jam.

Break break down Rachie's steady breaking it on down.

Don't worry we were not driving in a single one of these pictures. Although I did drive it when I was about 6 years old and maybe earlier.

That is me too cool for my car or uh tractor.

Beware hot momma in the seat

Mom did not tell us she was ready because we were not.

Me and My Daddy I think football is on so that is what is distracting him.

Fascination with Death

This is the burial ground on the farm. That is part of a cow's pelvis sticking up there. In September there was a calf that somehow hung itself in the fence I guess it is not a hanging when it's feet are on the ground, but she strangled herself and was found dead. A cow was put down when we were there because she could no longer get up. Then there was a stillborn calf. They just get put on top and covered with some manure.

Yes this is me holding a cow thigh bone. There was still some decomposing flesh on it and when I finally got a whiff of it I was gagging, but could stop enough to take the picture.

For My Momma

This post is for you mom here are some more pictures from Maine. On my lunch which is extended today I will get the rest of the pictures and post more but here are some others I did not post yesterday.

Here is your little drama queen posing while you kept marching on.

Here is Rachie in the same spot posing looking too cool for school.

Here is you and Rachie on the Marginal way. You look like an Eskimo in every one of the pictures so far. And you have a goofy face in each one too. Ok after 1 some thing I will have more pictures to post for you.

Maine Pictures

The first set of Maine pictures have now arrived and since I have nothing else productive to do at work I will post some of them for your pleasure.

I think this one was taken the day we got there in the afternoon. Grandpa was dressed and ready for church which he does about 4-5 times every day, sometimes on Sunday he will dress for work on the farm, he is so very confused. He is reading the paper and has fallen asleep. It amazes me how he can keep the paper up while sleeping and he was in a pretty deep sleep because he was snoring.
This next picture of my dad on the job. He absolutely loves farming and has lost a lot of weight from the labor. His pants were all baggy and saggy on him and it made me laugh. He said he was leaving room for when he has to wear diapers.
This last shot is of me on the Marginal Way in Ogunquit Maine, this is where dad proposed to mom almost 27 years ago. Mom is also in her Eskimo garb and was making a goofy face although you can't see it. I wanted a cute picture and she had to mess with it.
We miss it all so much and long to go back as soon as possible. Mostly because mom and dad. We are very lucky to have such a close relationship with our parents and who would have thought we would love the day that we could spend time with them. I think there was only one day that we really just spend with our friends and not with at least mom. Dad had to work pretty much every day so we did not get to spend much quality time with him. But the time we did was great.

Brings Tears to Your Eyes

Over Christmas I got a Nicole Nordeman's Mystery CD and found a song on the end that brings tears to my eyes about every time I hear it.

"Why"
We rode into town the other day
Just me and my daddy
He said I had finally reached that age
And I could ride next to him on a horse
That of course was not quite as wide
We heard a crowd of people shouting
And so we stopped to find out why
There was that man that my dad said he loved
But today there was fear in his eyes
So I said daddy why are they screaming
Why are the faces of some of them beaming
Why is he dressed in that bright purple robe
I bet that crown hurts him more than he shows
Daddy please can't you do something
He looks as though he is going to cry
You said he was stronger than all of those guys
Daddy please tell me why,
Why does everyone want him to die.
Later that day the sky grew cloudy
And daddy said I should go inside
Somehow he knew things would get stormy
Boy was he right
But I could not help from wondering if there was something he had to hide
So after he left I had to find out
I was not afraid of getting lost
So I followed the crowd to a hill
Where I knew men had been killed
And I heard a voice come from the cross
And it said Father why are they screaming
Why are the faces of some of them beaming
Why are they casting their lots for my robe
This crown of thorns hurts me more than it shows
Father please can't you do something
I know that you must hear my cry
I thought I could handle a cross of this size
Father remind me why
Why does everyone want me to die
When will I under stand why
My precious son I hear them screaming
I am watching the face of the enemy beaming
But soon I will clothe you in robes of my own
Jesus this hurts me more than you know
But this dark hour I must do nothing
Though I have heard your unbearable cry
The power in your blood destroys all of the lies
Soon you will see past their unmerciful eyes
Look there below see the child
Trembling by her fathers side
Now I can tell you why
She is why you must die.

It takes me back to the movie the Passion that reduces me to tears everytime I see it. I like to watch it, it seems to make my heart softer and brings a reminder of the selfless blood that was shed for me when I so many times get so caught up in myself and things that I forget why I am here. Not only was Jesus blood shed for me but by me. I am one who caused him to die. It always brings tears to my eyes when I partake of the Lord's supper. May I walk in a manner that brings Him praise continually.

Maine-The Way Life Should Be

We have now officially have been back from Maine for 4 days and are longing to return. We are even starting to make some plans to move back up there, if the Lord wills. While up there our hearts were stirred a lot by all the family and friends to move back. Grandpa's condition, which is deteriorating at a rapid pace also makes that desire even stronger. When you are in Grandpa's presence he has an idea of who you are although not your name but once you are out of sight he has no idea who you are. He has told other aunts and uncles that he does not know who is living in his house with him on occasion when they take him to have dinner.
I know mom would probably like to work part time even just on weekends and that may be possible if we were to move up there. Being a farmer pretty much controls your life so really the only opportunity for dad to see us is when we come up there and that is hard for him. Even on the farm the air smells a lot sweeter up there. I love snow and a winter where we have temperatures of 70 just is not right to me.
In the past two months I have been looking at going to get my bachelor's in Photography but there is not a single school in Arkansas that offers that as a major, UALR offers a minor but I am no good at drawing, which would have to be my major. But in New England almost every school offers Photography degrees. And as my Aunt was saying there are plenty of dentists and teeth in Maine that Rachel could work on.
One major con is the churches up there. Rachel and I remembered that the sermon's were very short at my Grandfather's church but were brutally reminded when we went to church. It seemed that I had just started taking notes when he was closing in prayer. If we moved up there we would not attend church there but rather Eliot Baptist, where they have expositional teaching and the sermons are about 40 rather than 15 minutes.
Our lease is not up until September 30 so if we do move this year that is when we would be moving.

Luke 9:23
And He was saying to them all, " If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.