Yesterday!!

I have some very good news!! First, I finished drivers ed!!!!:) YAY!!



Second, M. has been found and is on the way back to the orphanage! For more details you can go to Mrs. Mestas blog.

Yesterday, we drove to Cary to visit some of our really good friends! First we stopped by the Montgomery's house. They were our next door neighbors when we lived in Cary! It was really wried seeing were we use to live! It seemed so much smaller! We had a really nice visit with the Montgomery's. It's really strange to think at one time we lived right next door and would see them every day! It brought back some really good memories !!

At the Montgomery's!

Back row L-R : Molly, Anna, John, Nick, James, Ann.

Front row L-R: Matt and Sam.

After our visit with the Montgomery's we headed to the Barton's house. Mrs. Barton had a baby last week! He is SO cute!!

Katherine and James

We brought them dinner and visited for about a couple hours. I had a lot of fun talking to Amy and Katherine. It was also, really good to see them! After that we headed home.

So that was my day yesterday. Right now we are in the middle of cleaning the house, so I have to go.

Wow, I had no idea that I was so hyper!!!!

This was my first result: Just wait it gets better!




Second Time

Apparently, I am too hyper for my own good.
This about made me fall out my chair, I was laughing so hard.
The funny thing is, I hadn't had ANY Caffeine all day!

So, the moral of the story is....
if Sarah has had Caffeine.... even just a little bit.....watch out!

NA '08 Our friend Steve

We met a great number of new folks while at NA, but the one who sticks out in both our minds the most is Steve. The following pictures speak for themselves.....

Steve was a tall dude, notice his head peeking over the door.Group shot

Steve chilling on the bed

Steve heading down in the elevator

Steve relaxed by the pool

Running off a few extra roots while catching the basketball game.

Steve getting some nourishment after his run

Steve hanging out, star watching

Sarah and Rebekah were put off because Steve was not paying them enough attention.

While outside, Steve noticed some natives and decided to go "au naturel"

It was too much for the poor guy. So moved by emotion, he swooned right there!

Steve is down!

After that swoon Sarah was kind enough to help Steve get back upstairs.

Steve back in his real natural habitat, some guys just don't belong outside

Sarah and I are back! Twenty seven plus hours of worship and Biblical teaching squeezed into a long holiday weekend, thirty five hundred young singles and married couples all filled with the unquenchable desire of learning more about, and glorifying their Savior, such was New Attitude '08. It had been a number of years since I was a participant in a large Christian conference/gathering of this magnitude and I was curious as to what it would be like. I knew it would be encouraging just by the speakers coming but I underestimated just how encouraging it would be. The worship also deserves mentioning because anytime you have 3500+ passionate people together in a group with a singular purpose of praising God, it is simply wonderful!

I would strongly urge readers to prayerfully consider going next year. It is going to be in Baltimore, MD for the 10th anniversary and Sarah and I are already thinking about how we can get a large group of folks from our church to commit to making the financial and time commitment necessary to go. Yes, you can download the messages online, which I would encourage people to do, but the fellowship with such a large gathering of other believers, the communio sanctorum, per se, is I feel, of great benefit.

There is much I could say on the messages themselves but since they are online, I would once again encourage you just to download them and listen for yourself they are all worth listening to. Since this was a road trip, we of course got a large number of pictures, some which sadly I have be ordered should not see the light of the internet, so I will just post some of the calmer ones:

Two very passionate speakers, John Piper and CJ Mahaney:

Sarah and our friend Rebekah, who went with us:

Sarah and a slightly unkept looking individual:

No the conference was not in Elizabethtown, that picture probably makes no sense unless you know what I am talking about when I say "livin' large, lovin' life" :p

Sarah and Rebekah demonstrating the size of a bridge over the Ohio:

Panorama of the Ohio River: (Click to view larger)

Another panorama from a view we passed in WV:


Playing in a hotel mirror which was around 8ft tall:

Ok, so I was going to post sooner but, everything has been crazy since Friday!! On Friday Sam came over to mow our fields. He brought alone Neil and Joshua. After Sam finished my Mother took the opportunity to have him cut Matt and Nick's hair. While the rest of us either swung or set on the deck and talked!

Around 3:30 Rebekah showed up to teach piano and Abigail came with her. They were both staying the night. The guys left around 6:30 for home. Abigail, Molly, Sam, Matthew and I went outside to help my Dad clean the garage. Then we ate dinner. After dinner we watched Bella, which I did not like! To many flash backs and flash forwards. After that we went to bed!

Saturday Morning Will, Sarah, and Rebekah left for KY at 6:00 in the morning. Thanks to Sarah we all got up at that time. After breakfast took some pictures!

Then we left for a Church graduation party. I did have some pictures of that but I can't find them! Oh, well! After the party we left Abigail with her brother, and headed back home. After arriving home my mother and I made food for Church. We ate dinner, and went to bed.

Sunday Morning we had Church and then lunch. We got home around 2:30. We cleaned up, did music and had dinner. Then we watch a movie Nick said was really good! It was a very bad movie!! After that we went to bed.

(A few of the guys of TBC jamming on their guitars. This picture is a few weeks old!)

On Monday My Mother, Molly and I went shopping! They had a great sale, buy one get one for $1. I was able to get a pair of shoes, two shirts, and two pairs of pants.

Sarah, Will, and Rebeka will be back early Wednesday morning.
So long everyone !

*Anna*

Off to New Attitude

So the blog will be dead for several days. (Not that it has been extremely active of late) :p Sarah and I are departing for New Attitude in Louisville, KY and should return sometime in the middle of next week. If any readers happen to be going as well, drop me an email, it would be rather cool to meet folks in person. I hope everyone has a great Memorial day, remember the ones who have gone before and the ones who are still fighting for the freedom we enjoy in this great country.

People being stupid news item of the week

CONFLUENCE, Pa. (AP) - Two Somerset County men are charged with trying to steal live power lines that were still attached to a transformer and utility poles.

Police said Kevin Lee Lytle, 27, and Daniel Jay Basinger, 24, both of Confluence, were shocked during the theft attempt on May 3 in Lower Turkeyfoot Township.

Both were charged Wednesday, but only Basinger was well enough to attend his arraignment on the attempted theft charge.

Police say the incident disrupted power to area residences for about five hours. Penelec Power Co. owns the lines which suffered $1,500 damage.

PLEASE PRAY!!!

" One of contemporary Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman’s six children was killed this afternoon (Tuesday) when she was struck by a car said to be driven by her teenage brother in the driveway of the family’s Williamson County home. The child, Maria, age 5, was taken by LifeFlight to Vanderbilt Hospital, which confirmed the death, according to Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. She was hit by an SUV driven by her teenage brother, she said. Police did not give the driver’s name. The teen was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser down the driveway of the rural home at about 5:30 p.m. and several children were playing in the area, McPherson said. He did not see the 5-year-old in the driveway before the vehicle struck her, she said. “It appears to be a terrible accident,’’ McPherson said. No charges are expected, she said. The accident was witnessed by two other children; the entire family was home at the time, McPherson said. Veteran singer/songwriter Chapman and his wife Mary Beth have long been supporters of international adoption, having brought three girls from China into their family. Maria is one of their adopted daughters. The couple is so active they formed an organization, Shaohannah’s Hope, to aid families wanting to adopt. The tragedy was announced during services at Harpeth Hills Church of Christ, which the family attends. The young girl had just graduated from the church preschool. Most of the family was at Vanderbilt children’s hospital after the accident and could not be contacted. This is an absolute tragedy. This family has been an inspiration to so many as they have dedicated their lives, music and ministry to the plight of the orphan and to Jesus Christ. They are so dear to many, we love them and ask all of you to please pray for them without ceasing during this most difficult time." The Chapman's have set up a website in Memory of Maria here.

Please keep the Chapman family and the Mestas family in you prayers! They are still looking for the girl in Ethiopia!

A dancing video

So last month I mentioned that I was going to post a video from the monthly contra dance a bunch of my friends and I participate in. Somehow that video was lost or recorded over so I never got to see or post it, but last Friday was May's dance and a clip has made it into my hands. Just as a warning it is rather long and since this was the first time some of us had done this dance there were a few hiccups but it was still fun.

I don't know how many readers are actually in the area but if you are interested in getting in on the action, we are always looking for new converts, the next dance is going to be June 13th in Carrboro, NC

The summer volleyball season has begun

With the coming of warmer weather also comes the greatest summer sport known to man, volleyball! I think most folks who read the blog already know we love volleyball. It is a game which requires skill, (bump, set, spike) plus the ability to jump around like a kangaroo and even when you lose it is great fun. :D We usually get together on Sundays after church and in years past it has been very interesting to see how people's competitive side comes out. The following pictures were taken by Anna who is usually the sideline photographer.

Sarah playing the ball off the net

Dan setting it up to spike

Now this picture looks like everyone is just watching the ball except Taylor, the guy with the white t-shirt, is about to set me up beautifully for a spike.

Which I obligingly hammer to the other side:

Dan tapping the ball to the other side:

Sam showing the proper way to go up for a block:

By request :

:p

Please Pray : Missing Girl!

My friend Ellie and her family received a call from Addis Ababa Ethiopia yesterday night, informing them that the girl they are in the process of adopting has run away! You can get more information on Ellie's blog. Please keep this family in your prayers as they await news from Ethiopia!

~Anna~

People being stupid news item of the week

Assault with a deadly confection

DES MOINES, Iowa — A 20-year-old Des Moines man has been charged with assaulting a police officer — with candy.

Sean McGuire, a student at Drake University, was arrested early Sunday at a convenience store, officials said. He allegedly threw several M&Ms at a Des Moines police officer, who was investigating a hit-and-run accident involving an intoxicated man.

Drake security guards on the scene noticed M&M candies falling on the ground around the officer, according to police reports. When the officer turned around, one of the candies hit his shoulder.

McGuire claimed he threw the candy because he was "sticking up for his friend," who apparently was the main suspected in the accident.

I just want to know one thing, were they the peanut m&ms? Because those things are about 3x the size of the regular m&ms and can actually sting a little if you throw them hard enough. :p

Giant Cow!!

Ok, so I was listening to Klove this morning while I was driving. They started to talk about a cow that was 6 foot 6 inches, we have had cows, and I thought to myself, "Wow, that is one big cow". When I got home and looked up the story on Google I found some pictures I thought I would share. The cow's name is Chill, weighs over a ton and is about the same height as a small elephant!

~Anna~