A few fun pics from the last few months






I am just learning how to do this picture thing so bear with me if there are repeated pics.  I tried to remove them

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ohio river on july 4th



boom, boom, pow



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more rankin hill fun



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Happy "50th" Aunt Stephie

and Happy "29th" Sissy...



My handsome men before Seth & Alana's wedding....





Grace & I before the wedding

$36.00 on 3 lbs (which turned out to be 30pcs) of farm raised shrimp that we had to clean ourselves...they were good but not that good



I have been watching Isaiah on Fridays and lovin it!





Happy Birthday BEN!



And Isaiah!

off course, of course...NOT!

I had a dream last night, of which I remember none except...being on a ship and getting caught up in micro bursts of wind that would spin me one direction then another.   My little ship was spinning around jerking me one way then another. Try as I might I could not break free.  Paddling with all my might and trying with all that I had in me I could not free myself from the chaotic wind currents.  I have thought about that a lot today.  How at times my life feels just like that dream.  I am trying and seeking so hard to find my heading to break away from the confusion and chaos to know what it is that I am to do... today and everyday.  teach? nurse? stay home? get a job?  And then HE says...Be still and KNOW that I AM GOD.

This season of life for me has been very difficult...very different and very necessary.  For the Lord disciplines those he loves and Brian and I were both in need of some major discipline.  Many times, (past) I felt like the guy on the construction business commercial that would change the sticker on the side of his truck and announce, "Today, we do windows." for I would try to make a way to do what I WANTED to do, manipulating currents and forcing my way into some locked door.  And I am learning that is simply NOT going to work. 

This season of my life is about finding my heading and being still to find out what HE wants me to do.  and for now the only clear answer I can get is," LOVE ME and LOVE YOUR FAMILY"  so for those of you wondering what I am doing now...I am seeking HIS FACE and WAITING for his leading.   And learning what it means to allow Jesus to be my everything.  It doesn't pay much ($$$) but the benefits are ETERNAL!

I'm learning

EVERYDAY God is teaching more and more what it means to be the woman he wants me to be.  Some days are excruciationgly hard and the lessons painful and somedays I am just in awe of how clueless I have been.  (Some of you think you already knew this ;) but I am being FOR SERIOUS here.  The tools He is using right now are the books...The Source of My Strength and also this little read called FOR WOMEN ONLY.  scary stuff!!!  lol. In a ,wow, really! that is how men really think ?kind of way....lol anyway. I  STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you to read it.  But be prepared!!!!  It gets kinda messy!

Goodbye Diet Coke...

If you ever spend much time with me at all you know what a diet coke junkie I am.  It's  rediculous!!!  For years I have craved it, drove out of my way for it, begged for it, and just downright lived off of it.  I was a "diet coke head."  Now I am not stupid.  I know this cannot be healthy.  But still I run to my diet coke...sometimes up to a 2 liter a day.  So I began feeling convicted about this (a long time ago)  But it is just diet coke!!!!  come on people.  or should I say...Come on GOD?????  ANYWAY, it is not always going to be easy...as I deny myself the wonderful acidic treat that only a McDonalds DC ever seemed to be able to satisfy but  it is time.  WHY NOW? Well, for one I am an all or nothin kinda gal and I just can't seem to be satisfied with one here or there (at least not right now) and also and most importantly I felt that my God was saying to me SERIOUSLY ALYSSA?!?!?! And He gave me a purpose bigger than myself to help me stay focused on giving it up.   A CHALLENGE.  Take the $$$ you are pouring into satisfying your self and use that to sponser a child in Haiti or Hondorus.  Now I have always wanted to do this and kept thinking that I would get around to it.  But here I am finally submitting.  BECAUSE I promised my precious daughter this past summer that we would sponser a child from Lifeline.  She desperatly wants to do this and God has said to me,"It is time."  Pray for us all as I withdraw from my addiction and also that God will guide us to the girl (Grace wants a sister) that we can bless with our support and correspondence.  We are not taking this lightly.  To us we are taking on another child in another country to become one of our family and we are excited and blessed to finally be doing it.  I will let you know more later. 

Lovin' Life

Isn't it interesting how laughter totally changes our attitude?  My children have been a rich source of laughter and joy as of late.  They spent several days away from their momma over the weekend and into the week (thanks to President's day and snow) and I missed them a lot.  They grow so fast.  Eli is always quick with the witt.  And has been picking on me a lot over the last few weeks, making his poppa very proud. :/  And Luke just got my old cell phone.  So he is very happy right now.  We will see how that goes.  And then there is Grace.  The comedian in the family...hmmm.  baby and comedian.  Definitely something to the birth order thing.  Anyway.  I am so thankful for them all and so glad they are finally home.  Thank you Lord for my family.

His Mercy Is New Every Day

Just wanted to post after yesterday and say...God is so very good and I really have nothing to complain about.  Love to you all.  In Jesus Name. Alyssa

JUST FRUSTRATED

OK.  So I am sure that you really don't want to hear me gripe about everything and even more sure that God doesn't either, but here I go anyway!!!!  AGH!  I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF ALL THIS SNOW!  If I were not in college and didn't have to try to coordinate some sort of care for my kids all the time or wonder how in the world I am going to get to college (which is an hour and 15 min commute on a good day) then I would probably still be tired of it.  But all this uncertainty with school is WEARING ME OUT!  and more snow is coming?  REALLY?  I mean come on.  I feel like I have missed as much college as I have made and am worried about it effecting my grades.  PLEASE SPRING come quickly!  ok. I am done.  Thank you for listening to my gripe.  Now I must do my homework.  P.S. Happy Valentines Day and I have had a good one.  Love my hubby for taking "his girls" to Applebee's yesterday.  So very sweet.  -alyssa