Go Cardinals! We just arrived home today from our family vacation in St. Louis...

Pujols hit 2 homers...a fun-filled day at Six Flags riding the coasters and water slides...St. Louis arch tram ride to the top...Greek food...swimming at the hotel...a little bit of shopping and lots of family time...

SUGAR!

Seth in deep thought...

Anyway...now we have to go back the "real life." Boo-hoo!

Laura and I at Lindsey's Resort in Heber Springs during the turkey hunt Seth was invited to for winning an essay contest.

Seth with his professional hunting guide, Sam Lester. Even though he didn't get a turkey, he learned a lot about the outdoors.

Bruce and his "little girl" relaxing at the lodge...what a wonderful family weekend. The rest was much needed and appreciated.

Spring always follows...

Wow! It's hard to believe just a few short months ago this is what our drive looked like! In February, Arkansas got hit with an unbelievable ice storm, a "natural disaster" and we were out of electricity for a little over a week. Life suddenly changed and we were met with a realization of how much we depend on things like electricity. Normal daily activities weren't quite as simple as they had been just a week prior. I had to ride our RTV through the ice laden pine branches every morning in order to get to my vehicle for work. Bruce had to make sure the generator for the chicken barn was running 24/7 while keeping the generator for his parents running as well since their home is all electric. It was a long and exhausting week for everyone! Not just our family.

Now, this is how things are looking from our front door. Although we have months and months of clean up yet to be done, spring is here! When the ice came, it was hard to imagine that spring was just around the corner, but that didn't stop it from arriving, did it? Hmmm...could there be a lesson in this somewhere? Yes, it's a lesson I need to pay better attention to myself. It's so easy to have tunnel vision these days. Equally easy to whine and complain about today's "natural disasters" instead of looking forward to spring. As a Christian, I realize I have everything to look forward to beyond this life; however, LIFE can be difficult and it's easy to get buried under the burden of it at times. This is just a reminder to myself to look forward to SPRING and the promises I can count on from my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Happy Spring!

Trip to Ohio

Who are all these silly people you ask? They are most of my siblings and, of course, Super Mom in the middle of the pack. My sister, Karen and her family couldn't make it for the weekend that the kids and I traveled for a nice long weekend up North. We sure missed them!

We had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends...I commented several times that I ate and talked more in the 3 1/2 days we were there than a whole month put together! It was true! My sister, Julie spoiled us rotten with some scrumptious coooking and I came home with some new recipes to try.

Raising Kids

They really DO love each other! It's amazing to see just how much these two monkeys have grown! Laura is 15...turning 16 this year (WHAT?!?!?!?) and Seth will become a teenager this year (DOUBLE WHAT?!?!?!?) and I will get more grey hair while Bruce will begin to lose his hair. Ha-ha! Just kidding, Sweetie. Anyway...I believe we will survive the teenage years (by God's grace), but I have to say I think it was more fun when I was the teenager rather than the parent. For some reason, I knew more back then...how does THAT work?

Welcome to my favorite place on earth! Spring is here (even though today was chilly)! Bruce and I anticipate sharing early morning cups of coffee together on our front porch again as the weather gets warmer here in Arkansas. Listening to the sounds of the morning before we head off into the hectic pace of the day allows us to focus on the beauty of God's creation and His bountiful blessings to us, even in a shaky economy. I am thankful for those mornings. Thankful for the faithfulness of our Lord who takes the time to sit on our front porch with us at the beginning of our day, as well as wherever the day takes us. Even if you don't appreciate a good cup of coffee like I do or have a front porch to enjoy, I hope you take the chance to sit back, look around and see His faithfulness in your life. God is good! Until next time....