Special thank you to all who contributed to Jon's research this summer. Today was the final presentation to Gary Hartke, Global Director of Nazarene Youth International. The presentation went really well, and Gary was pleased with the results. We are all really excited to see where the Board of General Superintendents goes with this new information. Many have asked how they can see the final product of Jon's research. If you have a few moments to spare, click here to get the final presentation.
Again, thanks to everyone who helped out!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Bourbonnais, IL
So we have been here just over a month now and we still aren't completely unpacked. With Jonas and Lucy running around making messes it has taken double time to get much done. Still, there are so many things I am thankful for. God has brought us to this place at this time for a reason. We sacrificed some things we enjoyed before (like our own yard), but the good outweighs the bad in the earthly sense.
One of the things I love is to sit on the balcony for about 10 minutes everyday during the kids naptime. It is my "me" time. I am doing that now actually, although sometimes I just sit and stare until my brain comes back to me. ;)
Remodeling a home all at once takes time. Especially going from a 2000 square foot house to a 1000 square foot apartment. I will post pictures of our finished rooms soon.
I have some pictures below of Jonas and Lucy in their big kid bunk bed for the first time. Also, a picture of our retro orange juicer I picked up at a junk store! Works like a charm! Part of Jon's paycheck is that his meals are paid for. We each take an orange at meal time and once we have enough we have fresh squeezed OJ at breakfast! Yum! God is good.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Wyoming/South Dakota
Hot Springs:
We stopped in at the Hot Springs State Park in Thermopolis, WY. That was cool. They had a free pool you could get into where they had cooled the hot springs down to a comfortable 104 degrees. They only let you stay in for 20 minutes so you don't get dizzy. The kids loved it, it was like one big bath tub!
Mt. Rushmore:
We saw it when we got to the parking lot, then a cloud of fog covered the whole area after that. The kids earned their Jr. Ranger Badges there too though. Had we known it was so much fun we would have done it at every park!
We have a lovely picture of Mt. Rushmore below in a fog the way we saw it. Also a picture of Jonas and Lucy in their Yellowstone garb with their bison and elk.
We stopped in at the Hot Springs State Park in Thermopolis, WY. That was cool. They had a free pool you could get into where they had cooled the hot springs down to a comfortable 104 degrees. They only let you stay in for 20 minutes so you don't get dizzy. The kids loved it, it was like one big bath tub!
Mt. Rushmore:
We saw it when we got to the parking lot, then a cloud of fog covered the whole area after that. The kids earned their Jr. Ranger Badges there too though. Had we known it was so much fun we would have done it at every park!
We have a lovely picture of Mt. Rushmore below in a fog the way we saw it. Also a picture of Jonas and Lucy in their Yellowstone garb with their bison and elk.
Minnesota - Mall of America n' stuff
While we were in Minnesota Jon talked to a guy in a Walmart Parking lot that lived out of his can and made deliveries. Those kind of people enjoy a bit of socializing especially with someone that shows them some friendliness and respect. Truth is, we have met people like this all along our journey. Interesting lifestyle.
The following day we stopped at The Mall of America. It's big. It's a mall. It has an amusement park in the middle. I wouldn't go out of my way to stop there although it was a nice detour for lunch. I was actually disappointed because they didn't have a free play area for kids! Understandable because it would probably be overcrowded. After we left the mall we got into a traffic jam because of a fire up ahead. Apparently their was an RV on fire up ahead. It was like they were our kin! Ok, not really but I felt bad for them (unless they had full coverage insurance, then I was happy for them because now they get a nice new trailer). Seriously though, some people are dumb In a traffic jam. Like one guy tried skipping ahead when everyone else got out of the way for the fire truck. Then when the fire truck passed he tried to follow a little to get further ahead again! What a butt head!
The following day we stopped at The Mall of America. It's big. It's a mall. It has an amusement park in the middle. I wouldn't go out of my way to stop there although it was a nice detour for lunch. I was actually disappointed because they didn't have a free play area for kids! Understandable because it would probably be overcrowded. After we left the mall we got into a traffic jam because of a fire up ahead. Apparently their was an RV on fire up ahead. It was like they were our kin! Ok, not really but I felt bad for them (unless they had full coverage insurance, then I was happy for them because now they get a nice new trailer). Seriously though, some people are dumb In a traffic jam. Like one guy tried skipping ahead when everyone else got out of the way for the fire truck. Then when the fire truck passed he tried to follow a little to get further ahead again! What a butt head!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Badlands National Park
The Badlands are quite perplexing. We saw some sweet Mountain Goats climbing around though. We climbed on some formations and know first hand that it is no easy task... And quite slick. Check out our pictures!
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Cody, Wyoming
We went to a rodeo in Cody, Wyoming last night! It was pretty awesome! They had bucking broncos, barrel races, calf roping, bull riding and God. Yep, before it began the announcer prayed for the whole event. Then some horseback riders came out with the American flags while they play the Toby Keith song... Courtesy of the Red White and Blue (not sure if that is the right song title). Three more riders ride around the arena really fast with flags that say, GOD-BLESS-AMERICA right at the time when Toby Keith sings "we'll put a boot in your a**, it's the American way..." Haha!
The whole thing was quite exciting, minus Lucy trying to escape the whole time. She reminds me of a bucking bronco actually.
The whole thing was quite exciting, minus Lucy trying to escape the whole time. She reminds me of a bucking bronco actually.
Yellowstone
Wow.
I think this was our favorite park, especially as a family with younger kids.
Highlights:
-All the weird things to see that make you feel like you are on another planet like geysers, hot springs, mud volcanos and fumaroles.
-Seeing so much wildlife- it isn't like when you are at the zoo. There is a certain thrill in knowing that you could get eaten alive at any moment. Some people are there for a week and don't get to see the amount of wildlife we got to see in that time. God showed us quite an array of animals while we were there. The kids helped us appreciate the more common animals like ducks, birds and chipmunks. Jonas' two favorite animals were the bison and the ducks.
Animals we saw: bison, elk, black bear, grizzly bear, chipmunks, ravens, white pelican, Canadian geese, and a pack of wolves.
-The wolf hunt. Not many people get a chance to see even one wolf in the park let alone an entire pack on an elk hunt. We stood on a bluff with a slew of other gawkers, binoculars glued to our faces. It was like the discovery channel in real time (particularly because two wildlife buffs beside us were conversing about the alpha male, and alpha female and who was taking the lead, etc). A herd of grazing elk stood on a hill in their trajectory. The pack split up to try and surround the elk herd, but the elk spotted an approaching wolf and they started to run. The wolf pack was able to separate four elk from the rest but they moved beyond the hill and we were never able to see if the pack made a kill or not. Regardless it was an amazing experience, even with two kids tugging at our shirts the whole time.
-Playing in the streams and puddles of the park. The kids can't get enough of rocks, water, and mud.
-Helping Jonas an Lucy do their Jr. Ranger packet and then at the end of the week when they were dubbed official Jr. Ranger by a Park Ranger and given a patch. (Even if you don't have kids you should get a free Jr. Ranger packet when you visit a National Park. It gives you a good idea of what to look for and highlights you may not want to miss.)
I think this was our favorite park, especially as a family with younger kids.
Highlights:
-All the weird things to see that make you feel like you are on another planet like geysers, hot springs, mud volcanos and fumaroles.
-Seeing so much wildlife- it isn't like when you are at the zoo. There is a certain thrill in knowing that you could get eaten alive at any moment. Some people are there for a week and don't get to see the amount of wildlife we got to see in that time. God showed us quite an array of animals while we were there. The kids helped us appreciate the more common animals like ducks, birds and chipmunks. Jonas' two favorite animals were the bison and the ducks.
Animals we saw: bison, elk, black bear, grizzly bear, chipmunks, ravens, white pelican, Canadian geese, and a pack of wolves.
-The wolf hunt. Not many people get a chance to see even one wolf in the park let alone an entire pack on an elk hunt. We stood on a bluff with a slew of other gawkers, binoculars glued to our faces. It was like the discovery channel in real time (particularly because two wildlife buffs beside us were conversing about the alpha male, and alpha female and who was taking the lead, etc). A herd of grazing elk stood on a hill in their trajectory. The pack split up to try and surround the elk herd, but the elk spotted an approaching wolf and they started to run. The wolf pack was able to separate four elk from the rest but they moved beyond the hill and we were never able to see if the pack made a kill or not. Regardless it was an amazing experience, even with two kids tugging at our shirts the whole time.
-Playing in the streams and puddles of the park. The kids can't get enough of rocks, water, and mud.
-Helping Jonas an Lucy do their Jr. Ranger packet and then at the end of the week when they were dubbed official Jr. Ranger by a Park Ranger and given a patch. (Even if you don't have kids you should get a free Jr. Ranger packet when you visit a National Park. It gives you a good idea of what to look for and highlights you may not want to miss.)
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