Grandpa taught Corbin & I cribbage a couple years ago….it is still our favorite game to do together!  Thank you, Grandpa!

When we started on our trip for Boise & SLC, the road conditions were very scary. We passed 7 or so accidents with 6-7 car pile-ups in some of them, & several cars off the side of the road besides.
One car we witnessed fish-tailing in the middle of the road & eventually sliding off the road into the embankment on the side. No one was hurt, however, & if we are correct, the van soon passed us on the road!
With the road conditions, it added a couple hours to our drive & a hotel stay. Us kids wanted to keep driving to the Rusts even though it was a very late hour when we pulled into LaGrande. We had just passed another wreck & Mom knew that the roads would be getting icier as the temperature dropped. So, we pulled into a gas station to ask for directions to the hotel.
Since we were in Oregan, a worker there, came out to pump the gas for us. Mom asked him for directions, which he gave us, then he continued on to say that the highway had just closed both directions & if we had continued, we would have gone 4 more miles & been stopped to wait for the opening of the highway, which could be 1 hour - 3 days!! God was sure looking out for us!
After a good sleep, we continued on to the Rusts. We were able to travel at the speed limit & got to the Rusts between lunch & dinner. That night, we watched "The Agenda", a movie that I would recommend to everyone. It shows clearly the direction that our country is heading.
The next two days we had a great time playing in the snow, playing Fuseball & ping pong, card games, talking & taking a 5 mile walk! Thank you for opening your home to us!

Our family got on the road on Thanksgiving Day, for Aunt Marty & Uncle Tom’s, who live near Seattle.  The roads were better then we expected, so we arrived in time for the big dinner.  26 relatives, including our family, were there. 

Here is Uncle Tom, Mom holding Jenna, Grandpa, myself, Aunt Stephanie – Corbin & I stayed with her & her family in Zambia, JoJo, Uncle Steve – Aunt Stephanie’s husband, Grandma, & Craig.

Molly, Kamryn, Kayla, Julia, Annabelle, Calvin, & Brayden.

The “Cave man” sure enjoyed his drumstick! :)

JoJo, Uncle David, Jenna, & Aunt Shawna.

The next day, we took a 2 hour drive south to visit our 96 year old Great Grandma, Great Grandpa & Uncle Larry.  We had another wonderful Thanksgiving dinner & went bowling while there.  After visiting for 2 days, we took a 2 hour drive back up to Aunt Marty & Uncle Toms, ate lunch, & drove another 2 hours to Whidbey Island.  Here we spent 3 days of relaxing & enjoying Uncle Steven & his family, Uncle Matthew & Aunt Nicole, & Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Marty, & Uncle Tom came up for one day.  I am sorry if this is getting confusing. :)

We took a lovely ferry ride to Whidbey Island.  (I am in the blue jacket, Corbin is beside me, Uncle Matthew is also in the back.  In the front is Kayla, Aunt Nicole, & Calvin.  Jenna is in the very front.)

The Seagulls were very pretty.  I especially enjoyed seeing them float on the breeze.

Isn’t the sun & clouds beautiful?

This is what our ferry looked like……

Here is Kayla, Rhoda, Corbin, Kamryn, Calvin, Julia, & Brayden.

 

Here are some of the cousins & Kayla, Calvin, & Corbin.  They had a lot of fun playing on the beach…..we weren’t directly on the ocean, but on an inlet, so the water was still salty.

I enjoyed doing puzzles with Brayden….something that I did often with her in Zambia.

Kamryn & Corbin caught a live big crab….. thankfully, they didn’t get pinched… :)

Enjoying the cousins!

Kayla with Rhoda & Jenna.

Only a few days away from their 1-year anniversary.  Corbin & I got back in the USA 2 days before their wedding, which we were able to participate in.

This picture was taken from the Dining room looking at the front door.  On either side of the entry way were 2 bedrooms,  both of which the walls were made of glass, & the bathrooms didn’t have a good locking system, if they had any at all…..

On leaving Whidbey, we walked this pathway to the lake….

Before heading to Uncle Tom’s, we visited Granny.

We had a great visit!

Saying “goodbye” to Uncle Tom & Aunt Marty.

We had a great trip……we were very thankful that God kept us safe & that the roads were clear, which made for easier traveling.  Thank you also Harneds for watching the animals!  This wouldn’t have been possible without you!

I.V. day! I was a little nervous at the beginning of the day, but with Ian's good teaching, I was quite confident by the time it came to sticking & being stuck with the needle. :)



At the beginning of the day, we started with doing hemoglobin tests - the finger prick with the lancet. That hurt. Then we injected oranges with water till they were squirting out... :D



After that, we talked about IV's for a long time, then we each took a turn at sticking & being stuck. I hit Sarah's vein, but by the time that I noticed it, I had already poked through the other side, & so I wasn't able to leave the drip going. Sarah got my vein the first time.....it hurt....but I watched the whole time & after the catheter was inserted, almost died from laughing! ;D



I still think that I woudn't be thrilled if I knew that I would be stuck again, but it was very amazing & I am much more confident with running tests & IVs.



Here is a picture after the IV is in and running. Sarah is in the yellow & Vicki is on the side.

Another picture of the IV.....

I am in Boise visiting friends & taking a Midwifery class!! We are on our second day of skills training, & have learned a lot!! This class goes for 6 days, except for Thursday where we will spend the day at the Hot Springs!! I am looking forward to it :)

Check out www.FollowingGodInAfrica.blogspot.com for some pictures & videos of our stay in Africa. Don't hesitate to write a comment asking questions on our stay, etc!

Our 4th of July was so much fun! We spent it with the Harneds & Arndts...


Some volley ball games! (volley ball is my latest sport!) :)

A wonderful dinner......

And of course, lots of fun fireworks!!

Isn't this a neat picture.......

The guys had so much fun lighting and deciding which firework should go first, if there should be a couple at once, and what would have the greatest effect on the listeners!! :)

Oh, and of course the goats couldn't stay away :)

I know that it has been awhile, but I have been told by a few friends that they continue to glance here, so I will try to get back into writing!!! :)

The latest news is that Birch kidded prematurly with twin girls. They are thriving and in less then a week have gained a pound!

This is Hekima. In Swahili, an African language, Hekima means wisdom. Hekima was the smallest baby of the two. She weighed in at 4 1/2 to 5 pounds!

This is Joy.

Happy Birthday Jenna!!! Jenna is now 2 years old and growing fast! I am so thankful that God brought her into our family! :)
This picture is going on our wall!! It was definately the highlight of Jenna's "picture taking time"! :)

This picture is going on our wall!! It was definately the highlight of Jenna's "picture taking time"! :)

Our family had so much fun skiing this year!! We went to Silver Mountain as they had a homeschool discount. Here is a picture of Silver Mountain. ( I can't get the picture any bigger, or else it will pixalate.)


Jenna had so much fun skiing!!
Or should I say eating snowballs......:)

This is Jenna's aunt Alissa. Alissa didn't ski, as there will be a new addition to the family in June! :)

Jenna absolutly loves animals!! The dogs really relish her love for them.Her is Indian Princess Jenna! She is quite the sport, always loving to be outside and wear something on her head!

Also, she enjoys being high and free like a bird!

We are so blessed that God sent her our way. The adoption was finalized a few weeks ago, so she is officially ours. Praise the Lord!!

If you would like to follow our African adventure, please check out www.followingGodinAfrica.blogspot.com

Hello Everyone,

I am in Centralius (sp) Washington right now. Centralius is located about 2 hours south of Seattle. My family is here to celebrate all the late April birthdays and Kayla's 11th birthday + my 18th birthday!! We had a great drive listening to story tapes almost constantly!! :) It really helped us pass the 6 hour drive. We are going to be leaving for home tomorrow.

We were able to take this trip thanks to Cherish, Jenna's Aunt. She is staying at our home taking care of our many animals. Kasaw, one of my Alpine does and a few of the babies came down sick two days before we had to leave. What bad timing!! I am thankful that Cherish knows about goats and will be able to take care of them well.

Hasta luego!

Corbin, my brother, & I are planning on leaving for Africa on September 15!! We are very excited........& a touch nervous :), but I think that it will be a great experiance. We will fly out of Seattle & land in London. There we will meet up with the Bentons, a family that we have been friends with since I was 7 & who have been missionaries in Tanzania for 6 years.

After we meet them in London, we will get on another plane which will take us to the Rukwa Valley in Tanzania. We will spend a month there ministering & playing with the African children, helping a missionary doctor, & possibly teaching English.

Then we will meet up with Uncle Steve & drive to Lusaka, Zambia and spend a month there.

Corbin & I are really excited to have this opportunity to see if God wants this for our lives. I have been interested in being a midwife/missionary in Africa for a while, so this is a dream come true!!

We have bought our tickets & are now in the process of deciding about shots. I will try to keep you all updated as we make plans and see how this process unfolds.

Here is Lacey, my new horse! She is very sweet and well-trained. I got her a couple weeks ago, but wasn't able to ride her but once as we noticed that she had a funny gait-almost like a limp-with one of her back legs. We had the vet out on Friday, and she informed us that Lacey had 'string halt', which occurs sometimes when a horse hurts their leg & tendon. She reassured us that I could still ride her & that it shouldn't get worse! I was so grateful!! I am now riding her almost daily & really enjoying it. She is a little spirited, but I can still control her easily. It is so nice not to have to worry about her doing anything crazy. I have taken her on the road a couple of times and down our railroad tracks.