Every year a local homeschooling family in the area offers free hayrides on their farm. This was our second year to go, and it is always fun! Here are a few pictures I took before and during the hayride.
Hay Ride
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Category Archives: Family
Willfully Chosen
I just noticed tonight that my parents have been divorced for half my life! Weird! It seems like yesterday. I remember being so sure that they would get back together and be “the way they were.” I hung onto that hope until they both remarried. Now they have been apart for almost as long as they were together!
When Luke and I got married we discussed the issue of divorce and decided that we were together for life no matter what – no exception! And I believe it with all my heart. I am so glad we made that decision! Our kids will never have to go through the disappointment and heartbreak of discovering that their parents no longer want to be together.
Of course, the kids are not the only ones I am concerned about! It’s a great feeling for me too. I have no desire to have anything else whatsoever to do with divorce. And there is no feeling in the world like knowing that someone has willfully chosen to be committed to you no matter what. Maybe, just maybe, that is why God gave us a choice of whether or not to choose Him. There’s just nothing like being willfully chosen.
Goin’ Courtin’
On October 17, 1998 while at a park with the Gedeons, Luke and I talked about and agreed to a courting relationship. It was a big day for us because we knew we were serious about the relationship and were looking for characteristics in each other that we would want in a spouse. And, of course, it was a big day just because we really liked each other and it was no longer a secret!
After Luke asked me to “court” and I accepted, we went on our first date with Luke’s sister and fiance at a nearby restaurant. I have no idea what we talked about on that date because I was too dazed by the fact that I was sitting across the table from my first real boyfriend! I was so glad to be together with him, and I am still glad 10 years later!
If you want to know more about Luke and me and our history, read some from my perspective and some from his. You can also stay tuned for other “10 year” memories that I am planning to share with you! 🙂
Best In-Laws Ever
I must say that I have the best in-laws that ever existed! I met them when I was 12 years old, only they weren’t my in-laws quite yet and would not be for another 9 years! Shortly after meeting them, I became like one of the family. I honestly felt like I belonged and was with them so much that some people assumed I was a Gedeon.
Needless to say, when I married the best man on earth, the best in-laws on earth continued to accept me as one of the family. I have never wondered whether I was accepted, and when we are away from them, I miss them as much as I miss my own family.
One example of their coolness occurred last Thanksgiving when I was 8 months pregnant and not able to travel a very long distance from my doctor. We all worked together and made arrangements to get together in a couple of cabins on Thanksgiving weekend. We really felt blessed and loved when Luke’s parents and every one of his 6 siblings and their families ( a total of 21 people) agreed to meet us in Pennsylvania. It was a long drive for everyone (except us), and I know sacrifices were made to make it a family thanksgiving. Let me tell you, there was plenty to be thankful for that Thanksgiving.
I continually thank God that I do not have problems with “the in-laws” like most married individuals. As a matter of fact, I don’t even normally call them my in-laws. They are just Mom and Dad and brothers and sisters to me.
A few days ago Caleb mentioned that the Gedeons were one of his favorite families. I heartily agree with him and decided to add onto his praise. I love my in-laws and appreciate them very much!!
A Farewell to the Ocean
Here are pictures of what was probably our last swim in the ocean for the year.
Independence Day 2008
On the Fourth of July, we went to the 224th Annual Independence Day Parade in Bristol! I did not know until I got there that it is the oldest parade in America! We all had a blast with YeYe and Nei Nei and their French friends. It was fun having conversations with a mix of French, American, and Chinese! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
The Brunneaux house was one like I’ve only seen in movies. It was a huge 2 story house with a double parlor and a lot of open space. They had a fenced in backyard that had a gate leading out to the beach and the bay behind their house! And as we were leaving, I received my very first true French kiss. 😉
Here are some pictures from our Independence Day 2008 celebration.
Over-Eggsaggerated Eggsact Eggsplanation
I have noticed recently that our family was suddenly eating more eggs during breakfast than we used to. I was not sure what the eggsact eggsplanation for this was, but I thought maybe our kids had a bigger appetite than they used to. Yesterday while scrambling eggs, I found out the (almost) eggsact reason.
Here are the eggsact details. While cracking eggs to scramble, I emptied the egg carton and had to go into a new one. I was quite surprised by the difference in size between the eggs from the different cartons. Both were size large eggs, but one was quite a bit larger than the other. See the pictures below to see eggsactly how much bigger.
Go ahead….scroll down and look. I’ll wait. I’m not eggsactly busy right now and need time to think about the eggsact details anyway.
Did you go look? Eggsellent!
The problem is that I know the larger egg came from Wal-Mart, but I am not sure eggsactly where the smaller egg came from. It was a Stop & Shop carton, but I had refilled it with eggs that did not come out of the carton, so I am not eggsactly sure where not to buy eggs. Fortunately, I do know eggsactly where to get an eggsellent deal on eggs, both in price and in size. And that is the part I wanted to eggsplain anyway.
Now, if you happen to be wondering how eggsactly I emptied a carton of eggs and then had an egg from the old carton to compare with one from the new carton, I will have to eggsplain to you how I crack eggs. I usually hit one egg against the other, which means that I had to hit an egg from the old carton against an egg from the new carton. Just for clarification, I should eggsplain to you that when I get to the last egg, I either hit it against another egg and put the other egg back in the carton, or hit it on the table.
Make sense? If you still are not eggsactly sure, read someone else’s eggsplaination. This is actually eggsplaining how to play a game with hard boiled eggs (which actually sounded kind of fun) that is a similar concept because only one egg breaks. I am not sure eggsactly why this is so. I probably could guess, but that would not be an eggsact reason, because I would be in danger of over or under eggsaggerating.
So, now that you have an eggsplanation of why I should continue to buy eggs at Wal-Mart rather than going to whatever other store I should never buy eggs from again, you can decide for yourself whether my eggsplanation was over-eggsaggerated or eggsellent. I vote for the second option, because it gives more eggsact details and gives a better overview of…….oh……okay. I guess I have eggsplained enough. 🙂
My Favorite Husband
He’s thoughtful. He’s kind.
He’s friendly and true.
He’s so generous
I don’t know what to do
He’s gentle. He’s loyal.
He’ll always help out
No matter the cost
And without a doubt.
He’s patient. He’s loving.
He has faith in the Lord.
He’s always had vision,
A goal to look toward.
He’s slow to get angry.
He’s hard to offend.
He’s the best man around.
He’s my best friend.
I love you, Luke!
The Dealer
I discovered tonight that my husband knows how to win with style. While playing Risk tonight, my best move at one point would have been to attack Anna and remove her from the game. The only problem is that I could not bring myself to put her out of the game.
Then for Luke’s turn, his best move was also to take Anna out of the game. He actually took her out and made her feel honored for going out. He told her that she would end up on his team and get to roll the dice for him. She seemed to love the idea and showed no sadness whatsoever about going out of the game.
Now that is the way to play a board game. I wish I had that skill. Maybe I will learn it from him. Of course, it may not work for me. Nobody wants to be on my team because I’m always the first one out of the game. 🙂 Oh well! You can’t blame a girl for trying!!!