My Not so Typical Week

Last week was definitely NOT typical!! God poured out his blessings on this family so intensely! Not that He doesn't do that on a continual basis;  our every breath depends on His grace and His mercy! So much evidence of answered prayer and His Hand and Spirit working in one week was simply amazing!


The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad. Psalm 126:3


It went something like this:


Monday:  must have been rather mundane as I don't recall any special details worth mentioning. Probably got lots of laundry done as well as three meals, gardening, general pick up of house and property after the weekend...stuff like that.


Tuesday:  Hannah returned home from a long visit with our cousin Robert in South Carolina. Grace and Sarah picked her up at the airport and they returned with lots of goodies and groceries. It was good to have her back!

Jeff and Laurie, sister and brother in this life and in the Lord!

Wednesday:   We got a message that Jeff's sister Laurie and niece Maddy were coming for a visit. That got us to thinking that we might be able to pull together a family gathering to honor Jeff for his 51st birthday. In the end we had a wonderful surprise birthday party evening with Laurie & Maddy, his brother Brad and family, Daniel & Teagan, his co-worker Brett and of course, all of us! Brad BBQ'd hamburgers and everything turned out great. It was fun getting the house and food ready on such short notice. Of course, I never could have done it without my girls. I love spontaneous, impromptu happenings like that...everything always goes so well.

Here's Hannah (on the lower left)graduating
from her CNA training course

Thursday:  Hannah had an interview with the hospital in Portola for a CNA position and was hired on the spot! I am so happy that she found a job that will put all of her hard work and study to use right away! I know God will use her to minister to the old folks in the long term care unit as well as the people she'll be working with.

Grace's boyfriend Clayton and his sister Lorene arrived around 4:30 for a three day visit. After a short introduction Grace, Clayton and James rushed off to Reno to look at a truck James had found on Craigslist.

Sarah, Lorene and Grace

Clayton getting to know Grace and Seth:).

Tom , Katie and her famous Banana Cream Pie

Tom and Katie announced their engagement and set Oct. 7th for the happy occasion. We got the wonderful news that Katie had decided to be water baptized the coming Sunday. We rejoice to see God blessing  their lives.

Hooking up the trailer

Cattle round up

Friday:  Jeff went to work, as did James. The older young people went and moved our cows from one pasture to another.  Jeff's sister came over for awhile. The kids enjoyed some volleyball and croquet.  That evening Katie and the Kellingtons came to meet the Helmuths and we all played Volleyball. Finally, James came home with his new truck.


Our dear old friends and neighbors Nils and Helen Norden came for visit.  I was glad when Jeff challenged them on whether they are ready to meet the Lord.


Saturday:  Plans were to get up early and attempt to hike to the top of the Sierra Buttes. We didn't get up early but most of us (not including me) did make it to the top.  Clayton, Lorene and Grace traded off carrying baby Abigail in a back pack. At one point due to supposed near starvation the group was "forced" to devour little Abby's banana flavored "graduate" puffs. Thank God for His provision!!:) I probably would have made it had I not forgotten my hiking boots :(. Most of the trail was covered in snow. My silly but brave, daughters (excluding Hannah who brought shoes) and Lorene tried to hike it in flip-flops which proved impossible so they made it in bare feet! They report that the numb feet really helped them when it came time to transverse over areas of manzanita. :) 
Back home we enjoyed coffee that never tasted so good and rejoiced that we had had the fore-site to stock some pizza's! :)

Kiss from Mom

Seth's Baptism in the Feather River

Sunday:  Up and at it early, since either Sarah had mis-set her alarm clock, or someone had played a dirty trick, we prepared for church at home followed by Seth's baptism at the river and a potluck fellowship meal. We had a wonderful time in the Lord rejoicing in Seth's new relationship with Him and our friendships with one another. I think there were around 50 people here for that. What a blessing! Some of the young folks went for a photo shoot at the Beckwourth Cabin. More great times playing volleyball and croquet followed. Clayton took Grace for a 5 mile walk later that evening which about wiped her out. After that, at around midnight, he and his sister left to drive back to South Dakota. 

Clayton and Grace at the photo shoot

I say that was our  "not so typical week" but, God is always blessing His children isn't He? One thing He's showing me is to pray, pray and keep praying for He indeed answers our cries! For far too long I've been a skeptic, obediently praying, often because there is no other hope, not in Faith believing.  It's kind of like what's happening with me in the garden. For many years I'd plant seeds, because I thought I should at least try to have a garden, not really thinking they would sprout but always surprised and overjoyed to see the fruit.  I'm learning to plant in Faith, knowing that God will give sunshine and water and that there will be growth. I wonder if God gets as much pleasure from pulling out the weeds of doubt and sin in my life as I do pulling the weeds in my garden?

                      
                 The LORD will indeed give what is good,
                 and our land will yield its harvest.
                                           Psalm 85:12

Our Weekend Away

I'd thought it would be fun to tell how our weekend away went. (see my last post) I really wanted to bless my husband with a perfect, relaxing, rejuvenating time away---away from his work, work and more work. He loves and talks about soaking in hot springs. So, when he won free tickets to an amateur country singer's performance in Carson City, I thought...that's too far to go for one night....hmmm, we could make a weekend getaway of it!....there are hot springs in that area....we could camp out... or...stay in a B&B (if he'd like) . Those types of thoughts. So, I put my ideas together and presented them. He was a bit reluctant but decided to go.

Hannah packed us a lunch and away we went. We arrived at out B&B a little later than planned, changed and hurried to get a bite before the show. We chose a little Mexican restaurant, which was too bad. The price was too high and the portion too low. Jeff was not impressed. Hurriedly we ate and rushed on the the "show".

Now, we have a CD of this man singing hymns and this was to be a tribute to the "greats" in country music we thought it would be worthwhile. It was--- for a little while anyway. The man had an amazing voice, simply amazing. His talent at impersonating others lacked however; every time he sang he sounded just like himself. And the songs and lyrics we loved back in the day just don't appeal to us anymore. So, when they announced after an hour that there would be yet another hour after the intermission...we went outside to stretch and hopped in the truck and left.

 

Back at the B&B we settled in. The place had a pleasant sitting room well stocked with more magazines and books than you can imagine. We paged for a time and then decided to watch a movie, choosing one we might both like (we didn't). Cuddling up for the show we grabbed the basket of snack our host provided. The bag of "Funions", I think they're called, was already opened and half eaten!  So, we tried the peanuts- they were rancid! The oranges were dry! Laughing, we ate the Hershey's kisses that were fine (they keep well). By now we were wondering if anything would go right for us. Better times tomorrow, I hoped.

Next day we enjoyed our coffee out by the pond and a truly wonderful gourmet breakfast. That was relaxing, Finally, I thought, things were going our way! So, after a lengthy visit with the proprietors we headed on. Jeff was reluctant to visit the hot springs since it was probably in the high 80's but we found the place.  The remnants of some teenage drunk party littered the front entrance. There was just something about the place we didn't like. We left.

I wanted to visit the quaint town of Genoa but being geographically challenged, didn't realize it was the opposite direction from home so we headed north. Reno doesn't hold much appeal for us. We stopped at a fancy mall, returned an unwanted birthday gift and redeemed some visa gift cards by buying shirts for Peter. Missing our family now we started for home. Secretly, I still wanted to go out for a "nice" dinner but after one hint I let it drop as we bypassed every place I could think of . When we were just about completely out of town he asked "Would you like to go to 'Qdoba's'?"

That's where we ended up. At 'Qdoba's'. It's his favorite place. Seated outside at an umbrella-ed table and watched the cars buzz in and out of the shopping center. Very romantic? Yes! We rediscovered how much alike we think and are and that the things of this world just don't appeal to us much, that we rather enjoy simplicity and purity. And that we can laugh at the bummers and have a good time in spite of them.

Since we had plenty of time to get home we decided to stop in on my sister and brother -in law for coffee and a chat. Funny, as we pulled up the hill to their place our children's vehicles came into view- they were all there.

Busy at home again a few days later I overheard Jeff telling a friend on the phone "Yeah, that was the most expensive free concert I ever went to".

Well, I meant well and really, it went well!

                   Home isn't where you are, it's who you're with!