Page 55 | A Small Snippet | A snapshot into the small snippets of life...to expose the Bigger Picture

Aug

01

my bags are packed…

…and i’m ready to go!

the bug gave me this picture this morning:
cause i’m going here:
and i’m beyond excited!!!

a few months back, the opportunity presented itself to go on this trip to Costa Rica. at the time, i had just gotten back from Haiti, our summer was in full swing, and i had no idea where i would possibly get the funds to go. however…without hesitation or thought (which is very rare for me when it comes to making decisions) i signed up with the hub’s encouragement….because immediately i heard God say that i was to go on this trip, at this specific time, to this specific place, with these specific people. and then i heard Him tell me that the funds were His job.

so i signed up. and He brought the funds, down to the exact dollar!

and i’m going.

we’ll get to work with a really cool ministry that i’ll tell you all about when i get back. in Costa Rica, prostitution is legal and drug use is rampant. the plan is to work with prostitutes and recovering drug addicts. we’re hoping to get to do some similar stuff that i did in Haiti this year. we’ll go into a women’s shelter that houses recovering drug addicts and prostitutes and teach them some crafts so they can sell them and possibly make a living. gosh….i LOVE the opportunity for redemption that that can bring!

but you know how plans go…when the Radical King is in charge, things might just get changed up a bit!!

i can’t wait to tell you all about it. there is something about international missions that gets me super revved up! its for sure a passion of mine, and although Haiti is my first love, i’m thrilled to get to experience a new place and connect with new people!

the only problem is…i’m gonna miss these crazies like crazy!!!

this one starts football practice while i’m gone…where does the time go??

and i’ll miss seeing their “inventions” that they’ve been busy coming up with lately:

this invention is called “the You-a-matic Spreader”

in the Boy’s words, “its supposed to spread butter or jelly on waffles and toast and stuff…it can even do cream cheese on bagels! this is one of my realest inventions.”

although i must admit…i’m not gonna miss the clean-up!

and of course, i’ll miss the Hubs. especially because i’ll be gone for a very important milestone next week. (make sure to check this blog while i’m gone, cause if all works, you’ll find out just what that milestone is!!)

and as a side note…we have moved out of the dark ages, and joined the rest of the world by getting phones that can get on the www….(the world wide web, peeps, is now at my fingertips!)

(ps: any APP suggestions are happily welcome!!!)

i might be able to post an IPhone pic or two while i’m gone…or not. but you know the Nikon is tagging along, so you’ll get the full report upon my return!

coveting your prayers, excited for what God wants to do in my own busy heart that just needs some rest with HIM…and can’t wait to tell ya’ll about it,

3 Comments

Jul

31

Chattanooga :: day three

(this is the final trip post, i promise!)

we loved our hike through Suck Creek on our second day so much, that we decided that we wanted to do something similar for our last day in Chattanooga. so we drove about an hour and a half to a state park called Falls Creek. the park was very large, with many areas for camping that we decided would make for an amazing family camping trip one day! the drive through the park was magnificent:

our first stop was to see the big waterfall, Fall Creek Falls:

we then went to a “swimming hole”, where only one of us was brave enough to try some cliff jumping:
the rest of us were much more pleased to stay closer to the ground:
we explored the area and found some breathtaking sights:

(have you noticed our water shoes?? not really a fashion statement…well maybe it is a fashion statement…just not a positive one! but that was the best money spent on our trip! there’s no way we could’ve withstood all the rocky, slippery, wet terrain without them! thanks Walmart!)
we found the Cascades:and got pretty excited when we realized that:
they are natural water slides:
which filled our afternoon with lots of pure delight!

once we thoroughly wore ourselves out at the Falls, we headed back to Lookout Mountain to clean up for dinner. on the way to dinner, we stopped off at Point Park, which is a state park on the Mountain commemorating the scene of the last major Confederate victory of the American Civil War.
the crazies entertained themselves with an imaginary war against a “tornado” on the other side of the mountain. i wish ya’ll could’ve been there to see it!
our wonderful hosts in Chattanooga were these cool peeps:
Jake and Cole were good buddies in college, and that’s Cole’s beautiful wife, Lauren, who pretty much fits right into Fairyland, cause she looks just like a princess! we were so thankful on this trip to get to visit and stay with good friends! makes trips way more fun to get to see people and have a comfy place to stay!
we didn’t jet set off to California, or Paris, or hit up the Mexican Riviera, but we had such an incredible time as a family on our simple roadtrip, enjoying being together, exploring new places, learning interesting things. these are the kinds of trips that we hope to take on a regular basis!

that sums it up. thanks for hanging in there with me. i’ve got a special post that i’m trying to get together before i leave. which reminds me….i have yet to tell ya’ll where my next adventure is taking me!! i might just leave you hanging for a little bit more!!

3 Comments

Jul

30

Chattanooga :: day two

thanks for your responses to the last few posts…you crazies are actually convincing me that you really are enjoying the details of our escapades!

our second day in chattanooga was just as full as our first.

we started out at the Creative Discovery Children’s Museum right in the heart of the city. best best best children’s museum i’ve ever been to. it was highly interactive, and the crazies played long and hard!

the fun started right outside the front door with a bubble contraption that encased you in a life size bubble:

what kid (or adult, for that matter) wouldn’t find that WAY COOL??
there was a whole water station (complete with smocks so the littles’ clothing stayed dry!):
the hubs and the boy worked on creating a live action film:
we dug for dinosaur bones:
and learned how to build an arch:
we experienced electricity:
believe it or not, i was having so much fun experiencing things for myself that i didn’t take too many pictures….so that is just a very small glance at all the amazing things you can do there!

after the museum, we headed over to the general store to pick up a little snack:

MoonPies were first created in Chattanooga, so we had to try a few different flavors (since the crazies aren’t fond of chocolate!) such as strawberry, banana, vanilla, and lemon. and you can’t eat a MoonPie in the south without an RC Cola to wash it down (that was for the adults, though!)

later that afternoon, our friends took us to a secret little spot that the locals know about called Suck Creek. we literally pulled over on the side of a winding mountain road, climbed over the guardrail and down the side of the mountain to get to this paradise, but it was beyond worth it: