Greatly Commissioned

Well, Here goes nothing...

Most of you who read my blog are close friends of mine, and there are several of you who read my posts when they feed onto Facebook. Some of you may have heard about our story, and our plan to move into full-time missions this year, but some of you may not know anything about it.

From the planting of a seed that brought a desire to work in the mission field to a crazy turn of events that led us to what seems like the very place we were looking for, The ways we have seen God grow our little ideas into a big step of faith for us to take just baffle us!

There are several stages of the story that leads to our 'here and now', and about 8 1/2 months ago I started a blog that I used to journal some of my thoughts and emotions along the way. So many things have 'worked out' as our ideas and plans have come to fruition, and we believe wholeheartedly that it's because God is blessing our efforts. While we can't document everything, I've tried to write down how everything started and the highlights along the way.

Up until now that blog has been a private one that only Jon and I knew about. We've been talking about it, and we think the time has come to invite our friends to read the story and follow along on the journey if they choose. Feel free to back up to the beginning and 'catch up', or jump right in wherever you land...the choice is yours. (For those of you who already read this blog, the two most recent posts on the new blog may be familiar...I felt that they equally impacted our personal life as well as our mission journey, so I posted them in both places.)

We would love to have you join us and if you're interested in keeping up with us bookmark the site or put us on your blog roll.

Greatly Commissioned
Our journey to one little part of
'all the world'

If you keep up with us and this crazy adventure our family is going on, please do us a favor and keep us in your prayers too. We believe that God hears prayers and that His power can do mighty, mighty things.
And for a teaser...Lord willing, it won't be long before we have a family picture from Honduras...stay tuned! :)

Other stuff to do when it's cold...

So we've been inside for a couple days now (with only sporadic outside playing) so here's some ways we made these snow days special fun for the fam... (I wish I was ambitious enough to say that all the laundry was done and the school work was done and the house was clean, but we've just had lazy old snow days around here!)

They love to watch movies in their tents...
Jordan made a train...Lawson put on his conductor's hat and watched a movie. (We've had an overdose on movies these past couple days!!)

Lawson worked on his Legos that he got for his birthday. We haven't really delved into the Lego world yet, but Lawson really enjoyed following the directions and building this house. I imagine that we'll be headed into the endless abyss of Legos in the next few years for sure! :)

In the midst of our move, this old Nickel Hockey game that I made in 9th grade Woodshop unsurfaced...Well, the kids LOVE playing this with whomever will play it with them--they even play it with each other! Jordan just randomly flicks it wherever, but Lawson is pretty good at getting goals!
It's been fun to let ourselves get caught up in the the feeling of having a few days off of everything. We've all enjoyed it!

Now...I have to go do some laundry... ;)

Southern Style Sledding

Monday morning when we woke up to almost a foot of snow, it wasn't long before our friend Ryan texted Jon with the question, "When we goin' sleddin'?" Well, Jon and I started trying to think about what we could even use as sleds. Ryan said he had a kiddie pool. We had a small plastic storage tote. Those things might be worth a try, but we needed something better. Growing up, we had a full supply of sledding discs, toboggans, and other sorts of items perfect for going down a hill...but here, we had to resort to finding any sort of flat smooth slippery item that might go down a hill. Jon called a tire store to see about getting an innertube, but the manager said they were closed. We went out to play with the kids (see previous post for those pictures) and Jon told me that the manager called him back and said the store would be open in the afternoon if he wanted to come in!! He went up there and bought a semi-truck innertube and blew it up and 'Voila!' a sledding tube!

We went over to Madison Square Mall and sledded on the big hill between the upper level and lower level parking lots on the front side (by the old Belk store). The mall was closed except for Buffalo Wild Wings, and in the whole time we were there we only saw about 6 or 8 cars drive through. We had a lot of fun...the guys and Lawson sledded, Jordan played in the snow, and the girls took pictures...

Trying to get the thick snow packed down into a slippery sledding path...Playing in the snow...
Lawson went down in the pool first. It wasn't quite slippery enough at first, and flipped several times!
Next he tried the storage bin. Still not quite there...
Next, he went in the tube!
Wheeeeee!!!!
The guys had turns too! Here's Jon in the tube:
In the meantime Jordan built herself a little snowman...she was pretty proud!
How many guys does it take to make a jumping hill for the sledding path???
My sweet girl!
Some of the servers from Buffalo Wild Wings came over with a couple serving trays to sled on. They went down our path, then when they got cold (because they had regular clothes on) they left a tray for us to use. (The tray was pretty good because it was very slippery, but it was kinda small for the big guys to sit on!) Ryan trying out the tray...
Then they got innovative. They were tired of their bottoms dragging on the snow, so they turned the pool upside-down over the tube and went down sitting...then Jon went down laying. I love that he is laughing in this picture!
Lawson going down on the tray...
Whoaaa!! He got some air!!
Jordan only tried to go down once. Maybe this is why: :)
But everyone had a turn when it came to flipping...here's Ryan wiping out!
There came a point where all the guys were standing at the top of the hill talking, and Jon let Lawson go down on the tube 2 or 3 times in a row...I hollered up, "Why is he going over and over? Give someone else a turn!" And all the men said, "We're good!" And Jon revealed the secret: "We're tired!!!" That's the problem with sledding...it's fun to go down, but then you have to hike back up the hill!

Here's Lawson near the end of the sledding adventure. Getting that tube back up the hill is tough, especially for a 6 year old after over an hour of going up and down over and over!
Jordan busying herself by trying to fill up the kiddie pool...
Lawson pegging Jordan with a snowball...
Since we were actually with other people, we actually got a picture of our whole family! We hardly ever get a picture of our whole family!
The snow is fun for a while, but anyone ready for grass and flowers and sunshine yet???? :)

Snow Day!

We had so much fun getting out and playing in our BIG snow Monday (1/10/11) morning! I think the kids were as excited about going to bed Sunday night waiting to see the snow Monday morning as they were on Christmas Eve!!! As soon as they woke up they scurried over to the door to peek out and see if it really snowed, and boy did it! :) Various area of our yard had between 7-9" of deep, powdery, fluffy snow! They have seen snow before, several times, but it's still so exciting for them to go outside and do things that you can't just do all the time!
I had so many pictures that I put them into collages...if you click them they should show up a little bigger...



Our snowman wasn't meant to be! Jon and the kids started one, but the snow was so powdery we had a hard time getting a ball to form. They successfully got a big 'mound' for the bottom ball, but we couldn't get any balls for the belly and head. It just turned into a little mountain for them to jump off of!! The top right one below here is Lawson who exclaimed "Mommy! I'm swimming in the snow!" I love that he made a trail! The bottom left one cracks me up because I had told them in a jokingly stern voice, "Now, that's it. Don't make ANY MORE tracks in my snow! No More Tracks." So of course they took great delight in running all over the yard as quick as they could smiling and giggling all the way!! Silly kids!
That afternoon we went hillbilly sledding with some friends, so there will be more pictures to come!

Lawson and Jordan--2010 In Pictures

Today I went out for a quick errand, and this song came on the radio (it's one of my favorites anyways). It caused my crazy pregnant hormones to spin out of control and before I had gone 2 miles, I had tears dripping off my cheeks and had become a weepy mess. It got me thinking about how much I love the day-to-day joy that my kids provide us and I wanted to do something to document it. I thought about going all the way back, but that would have been too many pictures. That's another project for another day!

But for today, here is a quick review of my kids over this past year...it's not everything we did, but it's enough to make me smile. And tear up. Every time I watch it.

(And if you're not a grandparent of these kids, you may not even care. Sorry!) :)

Best Dad Ever

This is definitely not the ONLY evidence I have--there are SO many things that make Jon a great daddy, but when I snapped these pictures on New Years Eve while we waited for midnight to come around, I couldn't help but think, "This man of mine is the best daddy ever!"
Games, puzzles, trains and Barbies all in one night...he may be big and strong, but that's not where his true strength lies, that's for sure. There are so many reasons I love this man, and the way he loves these kids is definitely near the top of the list!

Bowling in the New Year

All dressed in our new OU gear, we decided to spend some of our Christmas gift money going bowling with some coupons we had received in the mail. We had such a fun afternoon trying to knock down those crazy pins!

Love this pic of Lawson...he kept getting so excited after he rolled a good ball...this was after he knocked down 9 pins...
They both would sit and look at the little monitor as if it had the world's most important information stored on it. In this one, Jordan is 'typing' on the little counter area in front of the monitor...
Here's another fun victory shot...right after a spare!
Daddy and Son
Jon and Jordan
Jon and Lawson
Me and my sweetie
We had a fun afternoon and then we came home to watch Oklahoma win their bowl game! What a great way to start 2011!

155 Updates

I was looking back over my status updates from Facebook last year, and realized how they mark so many of the highs and lows of the year--from big news to birthdays to anniversaries to trips to funny kid stuff to sad days. I decided to copy and paste them (as they were on FB--don't mind the typos and poor spelling!) into a document so that I'd have them all in a list to look back on.

I pray that 2011 is full of growth, love, health and adventure--for our family and for yours! Happy New Year!

· Dec 31 2009 SOOO excited some of our friends in ALABAMA know how to play EUCHRE! Fun stuff! Happy New Year!

· Jan 2 Hey-any of you girls out there available to babysit my kids tomorrow (sunday) from 5-9ish?

· Jan 3 Trying one more time-any of you girls out there available to babysit 5-9ish tonite?

· Jan 8 Ladies, Please reconsider the "Cancer Awareness" posts. I'd guess all of us have been hurt by cancer somehow-We are aware. Posting the color of your bra will not cause more awareness. Help protect the purity of our guys' minds by not tempting them to picture you in your bra. It may seem funny and not a big deal, but I... promise you--men who struggle with this struggle when they see your 'color' and know what it means!

· Jan 12 Common sense is not as common as we think it is.

· Jan 13 got on my phone to set my alarm but 25 minutes have passed and I'm now caught up on fb statuses. Seriously, I need to have an alert system installed on me to warn me when I am getting sidetracked...

· Jan 15 Not sure if I'm normal or not...just painted some big boards with a paint roller and I have sore spots/blisters on my hands!!! Does this happen to you? My hands are killing me and I don't have TIME for an injury!!!!!

· Jan 15 Lawson: "Mommy, are we eating fish sticks, or just plain fish?" Me: "Fish sticks." Lawson: "Whew! I'm glad it's fish sticks, because I don't like just plain fish."

· Jan 25 What a great weekend to celebrate a birthday!!! I had so much fun at the Retreat, then a wonderful birthday yesterday with so many calls, texts, messages and FB posts!!! I am blessed to have such a great family, great friends and a wonderful church family! I love you all!! Here's hoping for a blessed, God-led 31st year!

· Jan 26 On the way home from a bill-paying excursion, we passed by a place called Liberty Tax Service. They had two people dressed up on the street as a gimmick, and as a result, my 3 year-old wants her very own "Statue of Wiverty" costume to dress up in!!!

· Jan 26 So getting lunch ready I ask L if he wants PB&J or turkey. He starts whining and fussing that he doesnt want PB&J...so I say, "hey now no reason to throw a fit", to which he widened his eyes and responded, "Mommy. I am NOT throwing a fit. Do you see any tears coming out of my eyes???"

· Jan 28 Found a BINGO game at a yard sale for a dollar-now L and I are having fun hoping for luck... And SHHH, dont tell him he's learning his numbers at the same time!

· Jan 28 Just wondering why when I have no desire to stitch one thing there are Hancock's coupons coming out my ears, but when I am in the mood to make something I can't find a stinkin' Hancock's coupon to save my life???? Does this happen to anyone else??? Not complaining--life's too good for that...just venting. There. I'm done. :)

· Feb 5 Dare I complain that my stomach grumbles, my filled pantry taunts me. Dare I complain about the rain I remember there are those who haven't a roof. Dare I complain about the things I may not have, I am missing that moment as a chance to be thankful for the bounty I have been blessed with.

· Feb 5 Pray for the children and adults at Discovery Middle School. How unbelievably scary.

· Feb 6 So I don't think Jon appreciated it when, a few days ago, Lawson asked me where Daddy was and I hollered, "Jon? Are you going potty?" I heard him grimace, then say in a silly voice, "Ye-e-e-essss, I'm going *potty*!" :) Haha...I guess I'm 'fully immersed' in the language. Of my kids. :)

· Feb 9 Lawson, coming down the stairs- 'There's something cooking and it smells GOOD!'

· Feb 13 is sad when I get on FB and half of the updates are COMPLAINTS. Even if it's frustrating, it's pointless to complain about whether or not we like the new FB (which matters not in LIFE), the weather (which we can do nothing about) and other people (which is not how Jesus treated other people). Let's use our voice to glorify our God, not grumble and complain. I will try to stay complaint-free in my status~will you?? :)

· Feb 15 So the 1/2 inch of snow last night gave us a blessing today--Jon's work opened a couple hours late and we got to eat a pancake breakfast TOGETHER!! So Great! :) As Jon was kissing the kids goodbye, Lawson said to him, "DON'T go with the Devil!" And Jordan chimed in, "GO with JE-E-E-ESUS!! He will keep you safe!!" So. Darn. Cute. :)

· Feb 15 I ask you, my friends, to PRAY for a sweet girl named Macy who is about to go into surgery any minute now. She is 16 years old, started having seizures in the fall, just found out in December that she has a brain tumor and is undergoing a serious brain surgery today. Macy is the daughter of two people who were such important mentors to me during my college years. She and her sisters were flowergirls in our wedding--she was eight. You can become her fan and follow her story at Macy's Fan Page! on FB.

· Feb 15 So maybe my kids are a little spoiled by having a DVR. Tonight I was reading books to the kids and Jon came in from work. Lawson hopped up to run and talk to him, stopped and turned back to me and said, "Mommy, can you pause that for a second while I run and tell Daddy something?" Sure, son. I'll PAUSE that! :) LOL!

· Feb 20 God does not put us through anything, but He can bring us through everything.

· Feb 22 Happy Birthday Jon Stacy!!! I love you! :)

· Feb 26 I love Funyons. I just can't help it. I can't be ashamed--I have to own up. Even if they do leave my fingers smelling peculiar. I still love 'em. :)

· Feb 27 Pretty sure I am the worst ironer ever. If you hear of any 'Worst Ironer' contests out there, please enter my name and let me know where I need to be to receive my prize!

· Feb 28 FRIENDS!!! IF you are on my 'real-life' email list and received any messages from me with weird links last night, please don't open them. My account got hacked, and won't let me send any messages for 24 hours. If you can advise me on any measures I need to take to get rid of this virus or whatever it is, please mess...age me or comment. Thanks. I hope you all have a great day! :)

· Mar 2 I think it's pretty safe to say that when you only have one day of the week that doesn't have something written on it on the calendar that that particular day will be quite busy also. I've said it before and I'll say it again...Oh, for a magic wand! "Dishes....Be Done! Laundry...Be Done!" Then I would be able to sit and read my book, which I would much rather be doing! :)

· Mar 2 ‎"One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised."

· Mar 3 This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD. --Jeremiah 9:23-24

· Mar 11 laying on the couch exhausted. Was trying to decide if I should just go to bed early. Then I remembered that I bought Nutty Bars at Walmart last night and suddenly everything is better!!

· Mar 12 I don't remember this happening to me before, but 3:45ish there was a thunder so loud that I sat straight up in bed and contemplated if a bomb had just gone off and if we should gather our children together with us....then I heard the rain and my heart calmed down and I laid back down and konked back out. And there's your storytime for the day. :)

· Mar 13 Chick-Fil-A at Wynn/Univ is giving away a free bfast item per person each sat in march! Today is Ckn Minis! Yum!

· Mar 21 So...I've never seen Star Wars. I don't care to. But, I have a problem--Lawson got a Darth Vader toy at McD's yesterday then asked me if he was a good guy or a bad guy. I have NO idea, and Jon's out of the country. Anyone want to tell me so I can tell my son? Thx. :)

· Mar 22 Jon just called-they just made it across the border! Just talked for a minute but he said they've had a great trip. I am so thankful he's almost back home-please pray for an uneventful day in the air as he is headed back to us in Alabama.

· Mar 22 I am thankful that I am privileged enough to live in this great country. Even when things don't go the way that I think they should, I still realize how blessed I am. I know that it is not this country or its leaders who meet my needs, but rather it is God, my Father who provides what I need on a daily basis. My faith and trust are in Him, and that means that what happens around me cannot defeat my hope.

· Mar 25 Hey everyone! 2 Dr Peppers are keeping me awake too late! I know your kids or alarms are gonna wake you up before mine do, so I'm taking this opportunity to wish you all a happy Thursday and remind those of you who live near me not to forget to take your trash out!

· Mar 25 Yay-Thursday storytime. Only, why is that boy hopping around like a frog during the book? His dad thought it was 'drop-your-kid-off-so-you-can-go-outside-and-play-on-your-computer' storytime. Sorry, sir. That must be Friday storytime.

· Mar 28 I was just about to go upstairs and tell the kids to be quiet and go to sleep because I kept hearing this noise. Then I realized that it was the OWL that keeps hooting outside in our neighborhood!! Glad I didn't rat them out for nothing...plus, they'll be excited our owl is back!! He doesn't live here all the time, just seasonally. Our neighborhood must be like his lake house, or the beach or something! :)

· Mar 30 I thought we were doing a good job with the brushing and flossing, but apparently not. At our regular cleaning, our dentist discovered Lawson's first cavity. Stinker. Guess we'll just have to do better. On a happy note, it's a beautiful day! :)

· Mar 30 I was just watching a show where a guy put a whole, in-the-shell, egg in his mouth. That is SO gross. Eggs come OUT OF, oh, well, never mind.

· April 2 I feel the need to make a public announcement. I am packing up our winter coats today. For the third time this year. If we get a freak snowstorm this week, feel free to pound my Facebook with hate mail, because it is probably my fault. :)

· April 2 flip-flops allow enough dirt into my kids toes and toenails that if i am not diligent with the bathing of the children their feet might be able to support a flower bed! Yuck! O-well...at least it's playing-outside weather, at long last!!!

· April 4 Early, beautiful Lord's day...an uplifting and inspiring worship service...stuffed from yummy homemade lunch...now, nap! Later? Not sure. Any Mayfair friends-do we have church tonite or is it canceled?

· April 6 At the park. Kids riding bikes and picking dandelions. Mommy walking. And hopefully the sun is simultaneously making me a pretty color as well!

· April 9 Even for the city, I love the amount of wildlife in our yard!! We hear owls hooting. We have woodpeckers pecking. We have tons of squirrels, including a white/albino one. A chipmunk lives in our yard. We have tons of birds--bluejays, robins, sparrows, doves, and cardinals. Which leads me to today. I am so glad our mommy cardinal is laying her eggs again in the same nest as last spring!! I can see it from my window!!

· April 19 I went to our youth group's overnight Girls' Retreat this weekend. I came home to find all of my dishes washed and put away AND ALL of the laundry washed and put away. My husband ROCKS!!

· April 20 As of 12 noon today, we paid off the Silver Bullet! For the first time in our married lives, Jon and I own our cars free and clear! This Honda might be old and dirty, BUT IT DOESNT HAVE A PAYMENT ANYMORE!!!

· April 21 Story of the day...Saturday my son wanted a Tropical Sno at the baseball fields. They were $3. I said No Way. He cried. Then I told him if he wanted to do some extra chores to help me this week maybe he could earn $3 and buy one next Saturday. Fast forward...right now he is cleaning my windows. This may be his permanent job. Moral of today's story: Buy stock in Windex. Quick! :)

· April 22 Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee; take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love. Lord I give my life to Thee, Thine forever more to be.

· April 25 When I saw Jordan tonite after being away all wknd she was excitedly trying to show me her hands and toes. So sweet that her daddy painted her nails for her while I was gone! I am grateful for the opportunity to have a refreshing wknd with some of my closest friends!

· April 26 I just wanted to let you know that if posts about Thanksgiving and Christmas start popping up we haven't time-warped. I'm just that much behind on my blog. :)

· April 28 It's Wednesday. I can already tell it's gonna be wonderful! :)

· April 30 So we just saw the commercial for the new Dannon yogurt called Dan-o-nino. My son said, "Look! It's Daminato! This could put us in a sticky situation--maybe they shouldn't name it such a complicated name when kids are going to be saying it!

· April 30 please rain... please rain... please rain...

· May 4 awake since jordan started crying at 1am. never never have i ever been downstairs at 530 waiting for 800 so i can make a dr appt.

· May 4 And the verdict... she has a badly infected right ear. And some new medicine to go with it.

· May 5 She slept ALLLL night long! SO thankful she's feeling better, and thankful for al my friends' thoughts and prayers!

· May 5 I'm thankful that I made strawberry ice cream for the Ice Cream Social. And I'm thankful that there was some left over and I brought it home. And I somehow forgot about it until today. I saw it in the freezer, then realized I also have fresh strawberries, chocolate syrup AND whipped cream in my fridge. I don't know... how ALL that happened at the same time, but, man...I am thankful it did! :)

· May 7 likes her new tennis shoes so much she just might work out tonite! Dont get too excited, though...if I dont get to it in 20 minutes the thought will probably pass!

· May 7 Lawson's prayer: "Dear God, Thank you for this day that you just gave us. Thank you we got to go to that park. Thank you for making that, I really liked it there! And thank you for letting us hike down to the bottom of the waterfall and that no one fell and died or fell in that deep water. And thank you that we go...t to ride that train. In Jesus' name, Amen." I love it! :)

· May 8 We are at the park and Jordan is riding her training wheels like a champ. She rode up to me and I stopped her to kiss her on the nose and ask her how she got so big. She smiled and laughed, 'Haha! It's just because I growed!'

· May 10 I knew it!!! I knew I shouldn't have bought the Bonco candy til tomorrow... O-well...

· May 17 'God does not give us overcoming life: He gives us life as we overcome. The strain is the strength. If there is no strain, there is no strength. Are you asking God to give you life, liberty and joy? He cannot, unless you will accept the strain.'

· May 18 The kids found a snail shell in the back yard. When they brought it in to show me (super excited-ly), the snail inside popped its head out. They are still playing with that snail, and Jordan just told me that they named her Shelly and she will be their pet snail. What a fun morning adventure for 2 little kids. :)

· May 18 We read Mary Mack, Mack, Mack at story time, time, time; Now I'm annoyed, annoyed, annoyed, my thoughts all rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! :)

· May 19 Settle, stomach...please just settle.

· May 19 'Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.' James 1:2-4

· May 20 'If God commands anything of us, He also provides what we need in order to obey... God will use the disappointments of this life to teach and train you to be more like Jesus Christ. God will use them to do something awesome: to reproduce Himself in you.'

· May 20 The world's definition of success is far different from God's--which is only logical because the world doesn't know God or fear Him or trust Him. You must not measure yourself or your success by the world's standard. To do so would be foolish. You are in this world, not of this world.

· May 23 ‎'We are all three people. I'm who I think I am, who you think I am and who I really am. The closer those people are to each other, the longer you can last.'

· May 25 ‎"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." Today marks eight years into this wonderful journey, and I wouldn't change a thing. I can't wait to see where this road continues to lead us together! :) I love you Jon! :)

· May 27 Dear semi-truck going 62, why do you feel the need to use the other lane up for 10 minutes to pass the semi-truck going 60? The rest of us in regular cars don't really appreciate that.

· May 28 Its 12:07am. I just now got home. Trip stats: miles-720, hours-almost 15, diet dr pepper- 116 oz, potty stops-4, minutes spent in bumper-to-bumper traffic-about 90, kids dropped off-2, minutes until I am asleep-5 or less! I am POOPED!

· May 29 "There are no true beliefs without corresponding actions."

We're outta here in 3 hours...Prayers for us and the work that God is going to do are appreciated!

· May 29 Stranded in ATL bc delta cancelled-not delayed, cancelled-our flight into Teguc. Will probably be tomorrow before we get flights, and our group will be split for a while. First heard there was a volcano, then heard bad weather. Now, though, apparently there is no reason at all. Its all good, though. Everything will work out!

· May 29 The latest: just got done eating. Had to walk half mile to restaurant and when we were done it was pouring. Two sweet waitresses and a mgr drove our party of 23 bk to hotel. Loading shuttle at 330am to get 21 on 645 flt. Jon and I rerouted to diff airport, where we will catch a 4hr bus ride then drive 4 hrs to Mission Lazarus. Keep praying!

· May 30 Bm, Bm, Bm, Bm, Bm-I got a feelin', whooo-ooo, that todays gonna be a good day. That todays good, good day... :)On shuttle headed to airport. Pray our group gets on their flight okay and that Jon and I are able to fly standby on a flight to Teguc.

· May 30 Group just departed for TGU via houston. We're waiting for 940am EST to San Pedro. then we'll take a bus to TGU where a ML rep will pk us up and drive to ML. OAN-a lady at the gate is sharing her pretzels w her 2lb yorkie. She takes 2 bites then puts rest in dogs mouth. Then gets new pretzel out of bag. Repeat. Yum! Ha...ppy Sunday everyone! This is the day the Lord has made. Be joyful! :)

· May 30 Boarded on flight for 945 dep. Next time my phone is on I'll be on international rates-have mercy on my phone bill and dont txt or call. I will try to update when we arrive at the ranch LATE tonite! Thanks for the prayers and encouragement! :)

· June 3 Finally back online, but only shortly. I just wrote a note with some details about the trip so far. Our group is driving to Tegucigalpa this afternoon to fly out tomorrow. Jon and I are staying until Tuesday. Please pray that the travels are safe!

· June 5 Jon and I arrived at Santa Rosa de Copan this afternoon at about 4:45. We ended up on the wrong road for an hour then turned around and came back, but are here safe. The small town we accidentally drove through was so darn cute, though!! We will see the city and visit with the people here tomorrow and Sunday, then d...rive back to the capital Monday. Happy weekend, everyone! :)

· June 6 We are going to the market this morning, then worshiping this evening with the church here. I am sure the market will be interesting...

· June 7 Today we will spend some time in Mission Upreach's office to observe a staff meeting. After the meeting we head back to Tegucigalpa. On the way, I am SO excited about stopping at some of the artesania shops to see the handmade things they have for sale!! I really want a hammock! :) We spend the night in TGU then head ...to the airport tomorrow for our flight back to HSV. I am missing my sweet kiddos SO badly!

· June 8 I just flushed my toilet paper! Do you know what that means?? We are in the United States of America again! Specifically Georgia right now but we'll land in Hsu at 8pm, Lord willing!

· June 9 What a long, amazing 11 days we have had! God is busy in Honduras! We are so thankful for your prayers...seeing the kids run to us tonight may be one of my favorite memories ever! So glad to be home...

· June 17 I am SO thankful for my first day of NOTHING in a solid month!!! "Hi, Facebook and Blog, I don't know if you remember me, but my name is Stacy. It's nice to spend some quality time with you again!!" The kids are loving this day--breakfast and Toy Story, swimming, lunch, swinging in hammocks, swimming...well--that's ...as far as they've gotten! :)

· June 17 ‎5 minutes after I did bedtime with the kids and came downstairs I hear J's pitter-patter across the floor. I noticed she's in the bathroom, "needing" to go potty again after going only 10 mins ago. I put on my "Mommy voice" and told her to finish going potty, get in the bed and I better not hear her again tonight. She ...said, "Mommy, I don't like you talking to me like that. If I do the right rules, will you be nice?"

· June 23 Whoever has the voo-doo doll that made me get up an a totally unreasonable hour just to move my body, then made me mow the grass before my boy-child even woke up--I'm warning you! Give that doll back--this girl is not a morning person!

· June 30 So....if one were to find a $3 cake server/storer at Wal-Mart, what should their logical next step be?? To make a cake, duh! :)

· July 2 Jordan was sitting in the floor playing with our toy laptop. I asked her, "Hey, girl...are you practicing your letters?" She replied, "No...I'm just texting." Good grief.

· July 9 One of Jon's and my friends form Harding-Freddy Piraino-had to have an 11 hr emergency open heart surgery Weds. He was given a 50/50 chance of making it. He has been a little more responsive today. This guy has a huge heart and would do anything for anyone. Please join us in praying his heart holds strong.

· July 12 My kids learned how to swim last week--so crazy!! I posted videos on my blog if you want to check it out!

· July 12 Update on our friend Freddy--his wall posts indicate the following: They've closed his chest up, apparently confident that the work they've done will hold. Started dialysis to help his body remove some of the medications that are in his system from surgery. Breathing mostly on his own, but the O2 will stay in for a while as a backup. Now, they are waiting on him to wake up. Thanks for praying, everyone...keep it up!

· July 13 My kids are in a bad whining phase of complaining and saying they don't like anything I make before they even know what it is. Tonight I made Cheesy Chicken and Rice and put it in tortillas with shredded cheese. Sounds decent, right? Well, my kids were whining as soon as I got the pan out. I felt a little bit affirmed,... though, when Jordan took a bite and said, "Wow! This is gooder than I fought (thought)!"

· July 14 If you know me, you know I love Mr. Clean Magic Erasers...Well, I found some crayon marks on the walls but didn't have any Erasers. I've been wanting to try out a theory anyways--well, I put BAKING SODA on a wet cloth, scrubbed the wall, and the crayon is GONE!! It may be a fluke, but I'll be trying it again if the opportunity presents itself. Just wanted you to know! :)

· July 14 Is there a teenager who might could get to church at 6:15 to watch my kids play on the playground while Jon and I in a meeting? It will just involve sitting on the playground and texting me if excessive bleeding or bone breaking is taking place... :)

· July 15 To all my praying friends: Please lift our friend Freddy and his family up right now. I just got an update saying his doctors doubt he will make it through the day. He has put up a good fight but his body is shutting down. His family is going to need a lot of prayers...

· July 15 Today our good friend, Freddy Louis Piraino passed on from this life. He was an amazing son, brother, and friend. Please send up prayers on behalf of all of those who will miss him, especially his family. This is a picture from January 2000--this is how I will remember Freddy, young and full of life. We'll miss you, friend.

· July 18 Yes. Yes that was me taking pictures of hilarious cards because I cant afford to buy them. Dont bad-talk me-or I wont text you one!

· July 19 Listening to Georgia on my Mind as we pass through Georgia...I wonder if we can maintain state-themed music the whole trip...

· July 19 I was flipping through the cds when Jon asked 'do we have any rock?' Then he looked over and remembered who hes on this trip with. So then we looked for a country, christian or spanish cd. i know. im so non-musically cultured!

· July 19 Goodbye, TN. Hello Virginia. I spent 30 minutes looking for a TN song in my 'collection'. Best I could do was Tennessee River by Alabama. I know its really about AL, though. A Virginia songs gonna be tough...

· July 19 Pretty sure I have the advantage on the Pringles can. I canwget my hand down to the bottom--Jon can only go finger-deep. :)

· July 19 Just in case you aspire to be on American Idol but cant afford a microphone to practice into, empty Pringles cans work well too. Just sayin'.

· July 19 The GPS is good and bad. We arent getting lost. Thats good. Jon is trying to shave minutes off of the ETA. That is causing me stress.

· July 19 Just announcing to those of you who have been engaged in my play-by play on FB-my battery only has one bar so i will have to be more frugal w my usage. 147mi to go-not too bad!

· July 19 We are passing through West Virginia for a few minutes...Alabama's 40-hr week: Hello West-Vir-Gin-Ia Coal Miners!

· July 19 Crossing the Potomac River...that makes us in MARYLAND! 3 mi to hotel. Sadly I think we dont have a MD song...5 states out of 6 not bad...

· July 20 Today is going to be a day that is full of both tears and laughter. Saying goodbye to a friend is never an easy thing to do...but reuniting with friends after too many years apart is sure to lighten the mood. I am sure God meant for thos two things to go hand-in-hand.

· July 20 ‎9 Harding Friends in DC for a few hours? Yes please! :)

· July 20 We spent the morning celebrating Freddy's life, and lunch laughing at memories...his ability to put a smile on faces won't fade. Then we spent a beautiful afternoon walking DC. I just wish we had made it happen before the circumstances brought us together. I will always remember this day.

· July 20 Grrr...I have been trying almost an hour and I cannot fall asleep! My driving shift starts in 3 hours! I must fall asleep!

· July 20 Just passed a rest area...''Look at all those sleeping trucks...'' :)

· July 21 Home. Tired. Wow.

· July 21 Sigh. Going back to your own car after driving a current-year rental is always a little sad...

· July 22 I was just looking at my profile from this week and our trip up to Maryland and I wanted to thank everyone for your support, encouraging comments and friendly banter on all my posts!!! You all helped make a lot of time pass funnily and quicklly! :) I HAVE AWESOME FRIENDS! :)

· July 23 Does anyone want a stack of magazines? They are old magazines including some Country Living, Car Craft, Time, Oprah, etc. Let me know!

· July 23 Corn, rice and spaghetti: the 3 things that are nearly impossible to wipe/sweep until they are dried back out...

· July 25 Jordan just told me, ''Mommy! God made my tummy not have a headache anymore!''

· July 25 Jordan's prayer: Dear God, Thank you for this day and my bible class and my bible teachers and thank you for the food we ate today and, Mom, can I thank God for the squash? (yes) okay, and thank you for the yummy squash and thank you for apple pie and for the frosting on the cake and thank you for Jesus and dear God, Amen.

· July 26 Jon ran then unloaded the dishwasher last night, so it was empty this morning. I set myself a goal of keeping the dishes out of the sink all day by loading what I used as I used it. Granted, it's only one day, but by golly I did it! I have also kept laundry running all day, and have folded each load as it came out of t...he dryer. That (in a word)(for me) is remarkable. :) Happy Monday!

· July 31 Lord, You are greater than my heart; You know everything in me...and when I doubt your love, you are faithful; when I forget your grace, you remind me; and when I lose my way, you will find me, oh Lord, my Savior and my God.

· July 31 What a long, fun day!! We spent the day in West Tennessee visiting family at our every-five-year reunion. I am SO tired, though!!! Funny quote of the day came from Jordan tonight while I was changing her out of her swimsuit to her jammies: "Mommy, I went lots and lots of peepee by the 5, and it felt really really warm!!!" Then she just started laughing. :)

· Aug 4 Pounding headache today bc of no caffiene. So Jon brings me yummy SteakOut tea. Headache gone but now I may be up all night. Cant win for losing!

· Aug 9 My baby girl is now somehow a big, energetic, sweet yet sassy, beautiful 4 year old! Happy, happy birthday to Jordan! I love you, sweet girl!

· Aug 13 At the end of this evening, I am taking a moment to bask in my blessings--I am so thankful for the amazing friends God brought us to in Huntsville. Some days it may be easy to get busy and overlook the good things that I am showered with, but then there are days where it can be made no more evident to me that God is me...eting my every need, and he often uses the amazing people in my life to do it.

· Aug 20 We've been doing a lot of schoolwork lately, and both of my kids are really enjoying it! I was delighted this morning while we were cleaning up and Lawson told me that I could come in his room and sit on his "lower-case bed", which in lay-man's terms would just be his plain "bottom bunk"! :)

· Aug 22 Power's out. I guess that's a good way to get me to stop reading and go to sleep! G'nite!

· Aug 31 So, Jordan just asked me, "Mommy, when we were stuck in your tummy, did we have any toys in there to play with?" No, dear. Sorry. I'm afraid not. :)

· Sept 1 When they call my name to defend my reputation there is only one thing I can say:
'I'm a wretch, I'm a worm, I'm a no good sinner.' But He said, 'I'll save you anyway.' Praise God I'm saved, like the sinner on the cross!

· Sept 1 So take me as you find me, all my fears and failures; fill my life again. I give my life to follow everything I believe in; now I surrender.

· Sept 1 The cat is working its way out of the bag, so we might as well make it "Facebook official"! God has been doing some amazing things in our lives lately, and we have decided to follow His calling. We are planning on moving to Honduras early Summer 2011 and we can't wait to see what else he has in store for us!

· Sept 2 The cat is working its way out of the bag, so we might as well make it "Facebook official"! God has been doing some amazing things in our lives lately, and we have decided to follow His calling. We are planning on moving to Honduras early Summer 2011 and we can't wait to see what else he has in store for us!

· Sept 3 This is a 5-minute video we made to play in the youth group room Wednesday night when we announced our decision to move to Honduras. It got a lot of laughs, and I had a lot of fun looking through old memories to make it! :)

· Sept 13 Why am I so darn distract-able? I sat down fully intending on writing a couple blogs. I successfully read some of my old blogs, watched old videos of my kids, and caught up on Facebook. Bah...maybe I'll catch up on my blog next week...

· Sept 14 I am thankful for this sunny fall-ish day!!! My family is strong and healthy. Two friends had babies while I slept last night, and another is having her baby today. During a rough week last week, my friends proved, yet again, the amazing support we have here. God's blessings are all around...open your eyes and recognize them...then be THANKFUL! Have a great day! :)

· Sept 17 I am trying to price Jon's golf club set for our yard sale tomorrow. Anyone have any recommendations? The name on most of the clubs says Perfect Beat, but when I google that nothing comes up! Is it possible that this is a brand that has nothing online and nothing used for sale anywhere for me to compare??? Help!!!

· Sept 17 There is a neighborhood yard sale in Sherwood Park tomorrow and we are having a sale at our house (Saturday morning)! Come on by--we'd be glad to see you! And of course, I'll sell you some of our junk...errrr...treasure! :)

· Sept 28 I wasn't feeling well over the weekend, and yesterday was terrible...but today was MUCH better! After a few days of laying around resting, my house is a mess, my laundry is behind and our schedule is a little off...but the one bonus?? I am almost completely caught up on my blog and our summer is (almost completely) documented!! Wooohooo! There goes one of the things that was weighing on my mind!

· Sept 30 One of the ladies in the childcare room at Bible Study yesterday told me that she over heard Jordan talking to one of her friends on the play phone. She said, "Hey! I just need to see if you can watch my kids so I can go to Bonco. So I was just checking to see if you'd watch my kids." I don't know WHERE she heard t...hat, but I'm gonna have to pay more attention to who she hangs around! ;)

· Oct 3 I was looking for that verse, 'and if your nose causes you not to be able to breathe, cut it off...' but I cant find it. Maybe I'm confusing it with something else. I am, however, weary of my intermittent ability to breathe and am ready for this congestion to go bother someone else. Not YOU, of course, but someone else.

· Oct 20 I was looking for that verse, 'and if your nose causes you not to be able to breathe, cut it off...' but I cant find it. Maybe I'm confusing it with something else. I am, however, weary of my intermittent ability to breathe and am ready for this congestion to go bother someone else. Not YOU, of course, but someone else.

· Oct 26 Anyone else's power out? Ours has been out about 45 minutes... We didnt even have severe weather here, just about 15 minutes of heavy rain. Thats it.

· Oct 26 What do you do when your power's been out for 2.5 hrs? Go to see Toy Story 3 at the dollar movies, of course!

· Nov 3 MYM--my SH Fall Retreat pics are up. If it weren't 1am, and if I weren't falling asleep at the computer, I might tag some of you. Feel free to take a peek and tag yourselves! :)

· Nov 6 ‎'Beginnings are usually scary and endings are usually sad, but it's what in the middle that counts.' -Hope Floats

· Nov 11 Since I was a little girl, this quote on one of my dad's Marine portraits has meant so much to me... 'For those who have fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know.' I am sincerely grateful to @Clyde Threlkeld and all of the others who have risked their lives or made the ultimate sacrifice for this nation's freedom.

· Nov 24 Yep. You can all be sad you just missed that heartfelt rendition of The Little Mermaid's 'Part of that World' by my macho man Jon Stacy. :)

· Nov 25 First time to start shopping on Tgiving night. Standing guard by one pallet while Jameys standing guard at another one. They take the shrink wrap off in 45 min. A lady near me is chillin in the camp chair she brought. We may be a little crazy but at least it'll be a good show! Heres to some deals!

· Nov 26 Left at 1015pm. Drove by ToysRUs but the line was looong. So Walmart to stand by the things Jamey wanted for 1.5hrs. MADNESS. Then to TRU again for a 2 hrs. Tried to eat at IHOP but crazy-didnt they know theyd be the only ones open. Left to stand in line 1 hr to go in Target and 1 hr to get out. Then 1 hr at Kohls. Then Hardees. Then bed. SO CRAZY BUT SO FUN!

· Dec 5 SO...I guess it's about time to announce even more news for this year! Jon and I (and our kids) are thrilled to announce that we are 'unexpectedly' expecting Baby #3 in May of 2011! God is teaching us that He just lets us 'think' we are making our own plans sometimes, but then he shows us that He has a plan for us. ...

· Dec 14 It has been a long day, but it's worth it to celebrate Lawson's 6th birthday!! I can't believe he is getting so big! I love that kid more and more every day!

· Dec 24 The kids and I are so excited to pick up Jon at the airport-we've been away from him for a week! Im also not upset that he's delayed about 30 min bc w these preggo hormones, it's like I'm watching a mini-Hallmark movie every time a family has a reunion in front of me!

· Dec 25 You're welcome, Huntsville. It snowed because we are not in town. Its a very Merry Christmas here in OK, though. Its great to spend time with family-the kids are having a blast with their cousins. Have a great day, everyone!

* Dec 31 At Chick-Fil-A in Memphis, the 2 couples next to me have talked about the following things during the past 30 min: goose hunting, pillow pets, eye surgery, saltine crackers, Dora, the beach, Boss Hogg, and the black tie event they are going to tonite. How interesting!

Bring it on, 2011!