Days 18 & 19 - Kris and Chelle's get-away

JUNE 1-3

Time for the two of us

It was a tremendous blessing that Kris and I were able to spend a couple of days together in the midst of all the busy-ness of life these days. God worked on our behalf in such an amazing way to provide the perfect place for us to enjoy. One of my dad's friend, Jeff, offered to let us use his beautiful 150 acre ranch in Hockley, TX. We are so grateful for Jeff and Shanna's graciousness in letting us borrow their lovely ranch home.

Kris especially loved fishing from the stocked, but rarely fished, bass pond - which translates lots fish catchin'. Actually, Kris caught 20 fish in only 1 & 1/2 hours. He was enjoying himself so much I could hardly get him up off the dock. It was so relaxing to sit on the little dock and fish off the deck and watch the sun go down. I took the photo below on the first night there from the dock. It was so quiet and still. We could hear the frogs, the crickets, and the wind in the trees - that's all. It was deafening - the quietness. So unlike where we live in Tirana where there is always the sound of cars, horns, people talking, radios, and city life around us. The quiet was my favorite thing about this ranch.
This is Kris's biggest catch of the day - a 4 lb big mouth bass. We were going to eat it for lunch, but Kris didn't want to clean it, so he threw it back in the pond. I guess the fun is in the catching, not the eating.

In case any of you are wondering...I did fish also. After I saw Kris catching fish right and left, I thought I would try my hand at it.
I only caught 2 fish, but then there was the one that got away. Here's how it was...
We were in the little canoe at dusk (so romantic) and I was rowing us around the lake (I have been doing P90X ya' know). After a couple of hours of rowing (OK more like 5 minutes), Kris took over. I had my line in the water and we were semi-trolling. All of a sudden my line just jerks and pulls the end of the pole into the water. I was reeling and reeling so hard that the little finger rest on the bottom of my pole was digging into my thigh and made a serious indentation. I could not get the pole out of the water. The fish was swerving back and forth so much that the whole boat was following the line. I was afraid to see this monster fish on the end of the line. Kris, of course, was supporting me fully - he was laughing hysterically b/c I was reeling so hard and fast and getting all worn out (more pull ups for me). So, just when it seemed that there was no more line to reel in...SNAP...the whole line, fish, hook, and sinker, snapped off. I couldn't believe it! It was probably a small Lock Ness Monster. Well, right after that Kris gets a fish on his line. He reels in a good sized fish. I was a little jealous at this point. After he unhooked the fish, that silly of husband of mine said, "Heads up!" and threw that wet, wriggly fish right at me! I batted it back into the water but almost dumped both of us in the water. That big monster fish probably would have taken a nip at me. Anyhow, that was my story of "the one that got away". It's true, I promise.

Here's a gorgeous shot of the fishing poles, the pond, and the serene scene that we enjoyed. Isn't it fantastic? God's creation is so amazing!!!

One other thing I enjoyed was sitting on the porch swing and reading, praying, just rejoicing in the beauty around us. It was a superb place to bring a steaming cup of coffee in the early morning and have a quiet time. On our last night, Kris grilled some steaks (nothing like a Texas side of beef) and we enjoyed a yummy meal out on the deck. It was the perfect ending to a perfect couple of days together.

It rained super hard the last night we were there. I loved watching the lightning shoot across the sky, followed closely by the rolling thunder. I love Texas lightning storms. The rain was fantastic and the smell of the wet earth was heavenly. I could have sat on the porch to watch it all night long, but the rain was coming down so hard and fast that I would have been soaked to the bone. However, the dawn broke and the we enjoyed a gorgeous, clear sunrise.

We praise God for allowing us the opportunity to relax together, make some fun memories, and rejoice in His fantastic creative power! He is good, all the time He is good!

Day 16 - Worship at Lakeside Bible Church

Sunday, MAY 30th

The Lighthouse - with the youth group

Kris returned to his old stomping ground with the youth at LBC. When we first began attending LBC in 2000, Kris was the youth pastor and worship leader. The youth ministry was a truly stretching and fulfilling job that God used to prepare us for ministry overseas. It was a joy to return to LBC and see that the youth group is growing and maturing under the leadership of Adam Tyson. We had a short time of Q&A during the Sunday school time. It was great fun to have our Jr. High aged daughter, Kaitlyn, in attendance.

Kris taught and shared what God has been teaching him over the past 3 years. It was a great time of fellowship around the Word of God. What a blessing it was to be back at LBC to worship and listen to the wonderful preaching of Ken Ramey, Sr. pastor. We are so very blessed to have LBC as our home and sending church. We were overwhelmed by the love and joy that was lavished on us when we walked in the doors.

Chelle's MacBook cram session

Chelle was TOTALLY blessed by dear friends at LBC when they gave her a new Mac Book computer to replace her dying PC! It was huge surprise to us when we got the e-mail about the Mac and even more a surprise when we went to pick it up and saw all the accessories that they got to fit the computer out for use in Europe. I just cried with thankfulness and feeling totally humbled with the lavish love that LBC continues to pour out on us. We are so very unworthy of it all. Well, to top it off Kevin and Sharon Schoppe opened their home to us so that Kevin, Katie, and Timmy could give me some on the job training with my new Mac. Since I have only ever used a PC, this was a whole new world for me. It was so gracious of them to help a newbie like me. I sure learned a whole bunch and am really enjoying this amazing piece of technology. Thanks again LBC, the Schoppes, and the Drumms!!!

The Stires and the Schoppes

Hurray for the Schoppes!!! Kevin, Sharon and little Ruth Anne were such a joy to be with. Kevin and Sharon have been such dear friends for many years and we love them. Their love and faithful service to the Lord have been and continue to be a huge encouragement to us. They are growing and maturing to be such a godly couple and a tremendous example to their daughter. We are honored to be a part of their lives.

Dinner with the Droges

Kirby's BBQ was the location for this tasty meal and super time of fellowship. Here's to good ol' Texas BBQ and sweet potato fries (I didn't even know such heavenly things existed!). For the past 10 years that we have known Doug and Cindy we have always been encouraged by their faithful service to the Lord and their desire to honor Him in their lives. What a treasure they are to us and to the body at LBC. We were so glad that we got to grab a bit of time with them before they went out of town to spend time with their family. Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with us Doug and Cindy! We love you guys.

RV update - praise and prayer

It has been quite a journey, so to speak, with the RV situation. Thankfully, we are confident of God's sovereignty and provision in the situation.

Thank you to so many who have prayed and continued to ask and follow up with us regarding the RV and the results of the repairs. We have been blessed and encouraged by you all and the love you have shared with us during this minor bump in the road.

We are happy and thankful to say that the repairs are almost at an end. Kris was able to pick up the RV on Monday from the engine repair shop. It was a blessing that the engine issue was not as extensive as it could have been. They discovered that the govenor (?) needed to be changed as well as all the belts to the radiator/cooling system. After all was said and done (with a bit of haggling over an inflated statement of hours worked) the bill was a little over $3,000. This was much better than what we thought it might be if the engine had to be overhauled or something.

At this time, the RV is at the other RV shop (where the A/C was fixed and all other repairs done). They will replace the windshields and we should have the RV back by next week - just in time for our July 8th departure to Florida.

So, we are on track to finish our USA RV tour! We are looking forward to the trip...Well, I did have to convince the girls that it would be much more fun now that we would have A/C, we would be able to hear each other talk with the new windshield securely attached, and the engine all fixed so we could go faster than 55 miles an hour. Woohoo!! We are excited to spend time together in "The Beaver".

We are so very grateful to God for allowing us the privilege of trusting Him. It's funny that this all happened just a few days after we arrived back in the states. Having lived overseas, in Albania, where things just don't always go as planned (as a general rule of life you have to plan an extra half hour or more to accomplish things and you plan for the inevitable to occur - fluid flexibility is the rule of our lives), I was beginning to have an idealistic (idolistic?) view of how things go according to plan in the states. Whenever things would break down in Albania or it would take a reallllly long time for something to get fixed, I would think of how much easier it is in America to take care of things and how easily things go along. Well, God really wanted to show me that the issue was my heart. We had not been in the states but a week and God allowed all the RV problems, the uncertainties, the long wait and somewhat poor communication with RV places, and financial strains to keep me dependent on Him. He reminded me that no matter where I live, my heart that idolizes ease, security, order, control, and "my way", needs to be kept humble and dependent on Christ. God knows how to keep my heart in that state before Him and I am truly thankful for His mercy to me to show me these things.

Thank you for continuing to pray for our safety and sanctification along the way.

Day 8 - Houston or bust!

We were on the road long before the sun rose over the Texas hill country. As we drove, the slate- gray clouds raced across the sky allowing us glimpses of the splendid sunrise beyond. As night gave way to day, we saw the variegated greens on the gently rolling hills contrasted with the gray/blue sky as they met on the horizon. The smell of rain was in the air. Wildflowers - vibrant reds, bright yellows and rich purples - lined the strip of highway we travelled. Altogether, this stunningly gorgeous scene caused my heart to rise up and worship the ONE who spoke all of this into existence with a word.

The wonder of this all led me to ponder Psalm 65:8b and following, "You made the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; the stream of God is full of water;...the hills gird themselves with rejoicing...they shout for joy, yes, they sing." If all of yesterday's unexpected delays were soley to allow me the intense pleasure of these moments of worship, it was worth every second. Ahhhh, if this fallen nature is just a mere shadow of the beauty of the Lord, how I long for heaven to worship the glorious splendor of His majesty in all it's true splendor!
I drank in the beauty of the country side. I had forgotten how beautiful Texas country is. It's gently rolling hills, green plains, fence lined roads, content livestock feeding in the pastures, and windmills, made me thankful to be back in Texas (as they say, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as soon as I could"). I have surely missed this land.
The girls continued to sleep contentedly as the miles rolled by. I just love to watch them sleep. Their sweet faces are so dear to me! Thank you God for giving us these gifts, blessings, and rewards (Psalm 127).
Everything is bigger in Texas - including the American flag. You can't really tell from this picture, but this flag is enormous!! I was so thankful to see it, not only because it reminds me of how thankful I am for America, but also because it is in Houston!!! Yeah, we had finally arrived (a day late) to the Houston city limits.

We pulled up and sounded the horn (which played the song "Somewhere over the rainbow"). What a great joy to see my mom, my sister (a wonderful surprise!!!), my dad, and his wife Amanda all at my dad's house. We laughed, cried, and thanked God for bringing us safely to Houston.
Then we ate a wonderful Mexican feast!
What a supreme blessing it was to look around the table and see the faces of all my dear loved ones. God had brought us safely home again to see their faces on this side of eternity! Praise His mighty name!
Whitney also celebrated (a day early), her 11th birthday. The presents were great, but the most wonderful part of the celebration was being able to be with family.

I love this photo! It captures the sweetness and fun that is all rolled up to make Whitney such an immense blessing to us!

Day 7 - Adventures and misadventures in Ft. Stockton

We left Van Horn, Tx early on Friday morning with visions of arriving at my dad's house in Houston by dinner. As we drove I recalled the last time I saw my dad at his house. It was July 12, 2007 and we were driving away to go to the airport to move to Albania. I will never forget the mixed feelings of excitement and sorrow. I was so excited to be moving to Albania b/c I knew that that was where God was calling us, but as I watched my dad wave goodbye with tears streaming down his face, I was sad to leave not knowing if I would ever see him again.

So, it was with great anticipation that I looked forward to arriving in Houston in just 8 hours to see my dear family.

However...
just a few minutes outside of Ft. Stockton, Texas the engine light/overheat light came on the dashboard of the RV. After 20 seconds the engine shut off automatically. Thankfully, we were able to pull off the highway in the shade of an overpass. So, here we are in the middle of nowhere, without a local cell phone, and not much knowledge of the mechanics of an RV. So, we prayed. After a few minutes the engine cooled down sufficiently for us to limp into Ft. Stockton. Actually, it was an enormous blessing that we broke down when we did, because if you have ever travelled from El Paso to Houston you will know that after Ft. Stockton there are a few hundred miles of not much of anything except tumbleweeds and open plains. We sure praised God for His perfect timing.

Thanks to the handy GPS that Kris's dad lent us we were able to find an RV repair place. However, because the RV has a diesel engine there was only one guy in the town that could take care of our RV but he was already booked for 3 days and could not take a look at the RV. We just kept praying. We knew that God knew our (tight) schedule better than we did and if He wanted us in Houston He would provide a way to get there. We pulled into the parking lot of the local Auto Zone store with a nearby Sonic (woohoo!). Hey, we still gotta eat, huh?

How good God is!!! The people at Auto Zone were so amazing. They called all over town for us to see if there was any other person that could help us out. There was one man who worked on diesel engines for an oil plant or something and he said he would come help us out after he got off work.

So, 3 hours later Gilbert showed up to see what the problem was. Yeah Gilbert!

3 hours and 3 more trips to the Auto Zone later Gilbert was able to fix the problem sufficiently enough to get us to Houston (we were praying so at least). He discovered that among other things the engine has overheated b/c of the 3 belts that were supposed to be driving the fan to cool down the engine only one of them was remaining and even it was not the right kind so it wasn't working efficiently. He replaced the belts and did some other things (you can tell that I am not fluent in "enginese"). All I know is that God sent Gilbert to us in our time of need. He was so kind and gracious to help us out - and he only wanted $40 for his time (we had anticipated him to charge us up to $200). We couldn't believe it! Along with our deep gratitude and a testimony to how God used him in our lives we gave him $60.

So, we were on the road again. It was after 6 p.m. and we had 7 hours to go before we arrived in Houston. We thought we would just drive through the night and arrive in the early morning.

However...

Just a few minutes outside of Ft. Stockton we heard this loud banging sound. I looked out the window and saw the awning (that is usually wound up and secured) on the side of the RV flapping in the wind and pulling the whole thing off the RV. So, we stopped on the side of the highway to see what we could do to remedy the situation. Unfortunately we could not unroll the whole thing and re-roll it b/c the latch to unfurl it was broken. We actually were laughing at the comedy of the whole thing. It just seemed too funny. We prayed and thanked God for these "light and momentary afflictions". We found some handy-dandy duct tape and taped the whole thing together and to the side of the RV. The other thing we discovered was that the the front windshield on the left side was gradually becoming looser and unseating itself. It was so loud in the RV that we could hardly hear eachother talking in a loud voice.
The wind was SO strong that I thought Kris was going to get blown off the top of the RV. The girls had a grand time playing around the area we stopped at. There was an old (early 1900's) historical stagecoach stop monument there (kind of funny that our "coach" or so they call RVs stopped there). They are so creative and took this great photo of their shadows (from left to right - Whitney, Sierra, Breanna and Kaitlyn).
Well, we got the awning partially secured but we had to drive under 55 mph to keep it from blowing away, the window from popping off, and to keep the engine from overheating again so our arrival time in Houston was looking like 3 a.m. After that long and tiring day we just figured that we would stop along the way and sleep and start again in the morning. However, we could not find a place to stop except a rest stop. We actually got the girls all ready for bed and quieted down and then Kris (very wisely I might add) decided that there were too many "creepy" people lurking around the rest stop and so we took off again. I was feeling really sick to my stomach and Kris was so tired, but God brought us safely to a small town an hour away and we just pulled up to a well lit, empty parking lot and crashed.

So ended a strange day filled with answered prayers.

Day 6 - Travel from Arizona to Texas

** Due to internet and computer issues this is post dated **


The next leg of our journey from Phoenix to Houston, Texas took us through New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment. It was a beautiful land and we were especially encouraged to see church steeples in the small towns that we drove by. After driving from the top to the bottom of Albania and seeing only mosque minarets, we loved seeing the evidence of the church of Christ in this land.


You can see that the girls are enjoying traveling RV style where they can be more free to move around and use the restroom (not stop 15 times a day) during the drive. Here they are watching Anne of Green Gables on the computer. Actually, right after I took this photo God proved, once again, that He is watching out for us and protecting us. Whitney is sitting on the far end and just to the right of her head is the fridge that has safety locks to avoid falling open during travel. Well, as Kris as turning into a rest stop the hinge of the fridge broke and the door came flying off towards the front of the RV. All the contents of the fridge and the door landed on top of Whitney’s head! Oh how I prayed at that moment that God would protect her. Thankfully, God heard that prayer and she only sustained a small bump on the head and a big scare. Now we have duct tape holding that door in place – way to go duct tape! And, we also got the air conditioner working (thanks for all the prayers Walter and Carol!!) We were very thankful for the cool A/C as we made our way through the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico


Finally we saw it….
WELCOME TO TEXAS! (I almost missed the photo op even though I was ready with my camera for 30 minutes). I have never been so happy to smell the cattle ranches that line the freeway in El Paso. We pulled in to Van Horn, Texas at 11:45 p.m. for a few hours of sleep.


Thank you God for bringing us safely thus far.

Day 1 of furlough - headed out of Albania for America

The day finally arrived. Actually it came in with a loud crash. I awoke at 3:30 a.m. to a heavy thunder and lightening storm. Of course, my first thought was that the weather might cause travel to be delayed at the airport, so I prayed for the skies to clear up. By 10 a.m. the weather was beautiful. Praise God that He never sleeps or slumbers and that He hears our prayers - even in small things like a thunder storm.

We got all things ready to leave and then 30 minutes before we were to head out our neighbors/landlords stopped by for the traditional coffee at our house before a trip. Since this is our first time to leave for an extended time we were caught a bit unaware by this Albanian custom. Honestly, for a while I was getting a bit frustrated that on the day we were so busy getting things packed, preparing our house to be gone for 3 1/2 months, and trying to load the car that we would would have to stop, prepare small refreshments (which meant going to the store b/c I had cleaned out the pantry and refrigerator), and host their family. Then the Lord reminded me that THEY are the reason we are in Albania. Yes, it was inconvenient for our schedule, but their souls and our testimony to them is of greater import than packing or having things all organized for the trip.

Here we are with Qerime, Rakip, Valli, and the little girl Uarda. It was a true blessing to spend those minutes with them. We praise God that He sovereignly appointed that time for us to meet together.


We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. The new Tirana aiport is great. We were excited to be heading out to America, but there were some tears about leaving home. What an answer to prayer - that God has made Albania home for us and we are sad to be leaving even though we are excited to see family and friends in the states.



Kris and the girls with our bags in the check-in line. Almost on the way...



On the tarmac boarding the plane in Albania. This was our last photo in Albania for over 3 months.



On the long flight from Munich to Los Angeles (which was not canceled due to ash from the volcano - thanks for praying) we were thankful for the modern advances in in-flight entertainment. I was especially thankful that our girls are old enough to fly easily now. I was reminded to be thankful for this when the 2 sets of twins and 2 other toddlers near us cried the entire 13 hour flight. Been there, done that, thankful for big girls.


We arrived on time in Los Angeles and were met at the airport by my sister, Stephanie, and Kris's dad, Arper. What a joyful reunion. All our bags arrived with us - Praise God!

El Pollo Loco for dinner - so sad it wasn't In-N-Out but I was outvoted. We fell into bed at 10 p.m. after only 1 hour of sleep in over 24 hours.

Day 1 of furlough a complete success.

Bibla e Studimit te reja ne Shqip - New Study Bible in Albania

HOT OFF THE PRESSES!!



This new study Bible is a great blessing for Albanian people. The previous Bibles have been poor translations from the Italian language that, in many instances, did not accurately reflect the intent of the authors in the original language. This new study Bible has been translated from the original Greek and Hebrew languages by Albanians who have studied the text through a Theo-centric and Biblical view. We praise God that now Albanian can study the Bible in their own language with a tool that will help them to truly understand what God's Word says.






The study Bible is an Albanian Thompson Chain Reference Bible. I was VERY excited to receive my copy of this Albanian Bible because my first study Bible was a Thompson Chain and it was with that Bible that I really "cut my teeth" in studying the Word of God in a deep, methodical manner. Now, studying the Bible in Albanian, it's like starting from scratch as I see passages from a new perspective.






Most Albanians have never had the privilege of learning how to study the Bible for themselves. This Bible gives them some vital tools to help them see the Bible as a whole - all things linked and not dis-jointed. The layout of the Bible helps them see the themes of the Bible that are woven from the beginning to the end. My hope is to put together a class that will teach the women basic Bible Study Methods. I praise God for this Bible that can more accurately teach, reprove, correct, and train the Albanian believers so that they will be adequately equipped for every good work. (II Tim 3:16-17)

Sierra's 9th birthday - July 28th

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

The Reward of Faithfulness

It is a great joy for me to be able to write this particular post. (By the way, sorry for the long delay since the last post, I have been having lots of problems with my computer and I just couldn't upload any photos to the blog).

Back in 2005, when Kris and I made our first trip to Albania, I met Bruna. Months before we arrrived in Albania I had been praying for "the one" that God would allow me to minister to or share the gospel with. I arrived here looking for my "one". Who would have known that that "one" would have such a large part of my life for years to come.

Bruna and I met the second day we were in Albania. I saw her sitting alone at the park while our team played volleyball with youth from the church and I went and sat down with her. As we talked she made it pretty clear that she was only at the church to be a translator for our team and not for the spiritual aspect of the camp or ministry. I began praying for her and that the Lord would open her eyes to the truth of the gospel.



Over the next week, at camp, Bruna and I began spending more time together. On July 15th, 2005, Bruna became a new creature in Christ! I was honored to be able to share the gospel of hope with her and to be there, in the quiet,dark night, when she repented and gave her life to Christ! Our hearts have been knit together in a unique and special way since that time. The photo above was taken the day after Bruna became a Christian in 2005.

Over the past few years Bruna and I have been communicating via the internet and spending time together when we came back on short term trips. Once we moved to Tirana, we began meeting together regularly for discipleship. It was so exciting for me to see how tremendously she had grown. She was a staff member of the youth ministry as well as a key member of the worship team. Just seeing her heart for service was a huge joy. The reclusive, closed and fearful girl had been transformed into an outgoing, loving and service minded woman of God!!! My heart would practically sing with joy and thankfulness to God each time I saw her "in action" at church.

One huge prayer request for Bruna was a godly husband. This is a big problem for many of the Christina women in the church in Albania. There are many more Christian women than men and some Christian girls have been forced into marriage to a Muslim man by their families. There is such a cultural expectation for marriage by a certain age and in the birth order that it makes it difficult for youth women who want to obey God to wait patiently for God's provision of a spouse. So, we were praying, praying, praying...

And along comes Micah. Micah is an American who was in Albania for a year and a half to work with our team leader. Their love blossomed out of a sweet friendship and Kris was able to do their pre-marital counselling. In the months prior to their wedding, Bruna and I spent much time together talking about marriage and going through a few books on the Biblical role of wife and mother. Her heart of submission and desire to obey God made this time a supreme pleasure. We scoured the city for the perfect material for the bridesmaid dresses and made her wedding invitaions together. Those days will always be special memories for me.




Therefore, it was with manny tears and a heart bursting with happiness that I watching my "one", dear sister in Christ and spiritual daughter marry Micah on July 11, 2009.



The morning of her wedding I realized that I had met her for the first time 4 years ago to that day. I had to redo my makeup once I finished crying with that thought. God's goodness and mercy outpoured on us has been so profound. I am so grateful to the Lord that He has allowed me to continue to be a part of Bruna's life and to see her grow into a beautiful woman of God.



One of the other wonderful thing about their wedding was that Kris performed the ceremony. This was the first Albanian wedding that he had officated. Thankfully he did not have to the the whole thing in Albanian since Micah's family and some foreigners needed it to be in English. However, he did do the vows in Albanian for Bruna to repeat to Micah in English. By the way, it was super neat to hear Micah say his vows to Bruna in Albanian - he did great!

Now, Bruna and Micah are waiting for her visa to move to Oklahoma with her new husband. Sniff, sniff. However, I know that our hearts are knit together in the Lord and that God will continue to grow her and use her because she is committed to loving her with all her heart. She has reaped the reward of faithfulness!

Whitney's 10th birthday

May 23rd was Whitney's 10th birthday. She is an avid dog lover and so we had a dog-themed birthday party and sleepover for 4 friends from school.



We made dog collars with pet names on them and did face painting (actually just water-color markers because I didn't have face paint) so everyone could be a doggie.



Here are two of my "litter", Sierra and Whitney. They look so much alike in this photo.



One game we played was "Puppy Stuff Up". Each girl had to eat a bowl of popcorn like a dog. The first one to finish was the winner.



"Pin the bone on the dog" was another favorite game.



Present time is always fun and Whitney loved every gift given by loving and thoughtful friends. It is always special to receive gifts from other cultures. Of the friends at the party we had Holland, England, Albania, and the United States represented.



What would a party be without a cake? Double layer chocolate cake with butter cream frosting and vanilla ice cream was ordered by the birthday girl. And of course, it had to follow the dog theme.



Whitney blew out the candles about 10 times - they were the relighting kind.




Well, the party went over well and we survived the night with 10 girls in the house. I couldn't believe how many chocolate chip pancakes those girls put away the next morning. So now we have 1/2 our kids in the double digits in their age. How crazy is that?

We are so very thankful to be celebrating this birthday with Whitney. After all that we have been through in the last year with her eye, we are all the more mindful that each day with our children is a gift not to be taken lightly. Whitney's sweet and lovable nature is reflected in her nickname, "Snugglebug". She is so tender hearted and gentle. We pray that God captures her heart and gives her a desire to use her caring spirit to glorify Him.