Gingerbread Village

I love the idea of making gingerbread houses. In reality I love completed gingerbread houses.

Making them is a whole different story.

Enter Dave.

Thankfully his art major taught him to endure messes. My recreation therapy major taught me the importance of rules in a game.

SCROOGE!

The bigs and I got to see SCROOGE! this year at the Children's Theater-

It was my girls' first encounter with the Dickens' classic- I hope they come to love it like I do! It was darker than I remembered at times and highlighted the reality of hell but focused on a works-based happiness. I left thankful for the hope I have in Christ and that my eternity is not based on my works- but its only by grace that I escape what I deserve.

cowboy mills

Milla channeling Mommy.

African panties

While Dave was in South Africa Camilla decided it was time to potty train.
again.

So I told her Daddy would help when he got back so she started to say he was bringing her african panties.

Daddy did not disappoint.

talking to Cinderella about her success

tuckered out after an exhausting day.

Thanksgiving at the country

We spent Thanksgiving in Holly Hill again this year and it was great! The first night we got there and after dinner we adults were cleaning up the kitchen when we heard Usher blasting on the speakers under the shed. Samuel had climbed up onto the tables and started a cousin dance party.....as quickly as we could we joined in!

Here's Celia sketch of the dance lineup.

Thanksgiving morning Dave, Dad, and Ben took Samuel and Henry with them on the dog drive. All 3 men got deer! Here's Dave. Samuel helped him :)

eating outside year 3

Wizzy and Dargs

After dinner we had the hayride. Lazy River joined us.

Dave taught our kids to shoot this year. Bennett shot the .22.

Uncle Beej helped Camilla

Celia did great-

Much to be thankful for!

5

This year for Bennett's birthday she wanted a cooking party with no cake.
So we made pizza and cookies instead. Chef Luigi and Chef Jacque helped us out- it was great!

morning

His mercies are new every morning.....

the pendulum swings...

I've had a busy fall- we all have, right?

For some reason I'm learning more about myself and my sin patterns in a fresh way this season-

I overcommit. (too.....)

For so long I honestly, pridefully, couldn't really understand fully what some of my friends talked about when they were overcommitted- "couldn't they just cancel something? .....Oh yeah they definitely made a mistake by agreeing to sign up for that...." I mean I was busy, active, and all that but didn't feel like I was sinking.

The Lord has chosen to humble me....I'm really stretched thin, involved in several fantastic things that its hard to figure out what to drop....Its been the focus of my prayer time with my friends and has dominated the conversations in our marriage.

Indeed this fall is uniquely different- I traveled out of the country for a trip and Dave leaves for South Africa in just 3 weeks..

But that's not all.

Its not even just the little things that have piled on- so with all of the processing I guess I'm struggling to understand what's behind my desire for activity.

One thing that struck me tonight was how intentional I was about making sure I'd be connected to friends because I homeschool my daughter. Homeschooling can be a very isolating adventure. Not for everyone, but for me its proven to be so. I specifically don't have a close community that I see on a frequent basis in the schooling world- its been hard for me to find my niche. In fact out of my closest friends in Charlotte I'm the only one with school-aged children. So since I knew I wouldn't have the regular interaction that can happen through schooling I think I just let the pendulum swing too far the other way.

Its been hard to wait for the pendulum to swing back- to hopefully find the balance between being home well and serving as well. I know I often commit to help because of the relationships that the opportunity will afford me, or what it may add to my reputation- my sin is so prevalent through my scheduling.....

Anyway, tonight again I'm sad.
Because I mismanaged my time.
my family's time.
my friends' time.

I want to do all these things well but feel like I'm failing in many of them.

Its one of those times when I just have to wait.
Not without hope- but to endure well.

Middle East

I had the opportunity to go on a trip to the Middle East to encourage some friends who work there- one is a teacher at an international school, 2 others live in a city and work with a preschool in a poverty stricken area and help train business men...also one teaches at a seminary....it was an incredible experience!!

I served on a team that provided teacher training in churches and a preschool. Specifically I spoke on how to incorporate play into learning (yeah Rec Therapy days!)...it was awesome!

some of the kids from the preschool

huge highlight: CHRISTY SEIFERT!

Hanaa- our translator and her husband- she was hysterical!

a mosque- we only had to cover here, it was so sad to be in a city of millions with thousands of mosques- the call to prayer 5 time a day calling the people to pray to their god- it was heartbreaking....

Christy Robb and I in front of the Ramadan flag-

the city street shots were incredible...so hard to capture

walking along the Mediteranean Sea

sweet Tom and Ann Hawkes

one of the helpers at the preschool, MaryAnn...

Arabic Phonics lesson

great local food

taxis and traffic everywhere- street lanes just a mere suggestion-
sometimes I felt like I was in a Bourne film!

We got to visit Christy's classroom at her school- see Aimee?! It was so great to talk and remember Aimee and process so much. Christy flew home for Aimee's funeral- I hadn't seen her since.

Starbucks :)

falooka (i know i'm spelling this wrong!) ride on the Nile river. A far cry from baby Moses floating in a basket- it was full of these party boats with DJs and dancing....

when in the Middle East.....

and then we got to travel to see the pyramids!!!

(cue the Bangles)

camel ride with Christy, never to be forgotten

smooching the sphinx

the oldest market in the world

Thank you to our hosts! And to the supporters who helped us get here- it was incredible! Huge thanks to Mamu for holding down the fort with sweet Dave! It was a fantastic trip- my heart has grown to love the muslim people in a way I hadn't known before- I feel the Lord has given me insight in how to pray more specifically for our friends living there- praying for the Lord to call the nations to Himself....