Summer Southern Tour

So after graduation Butch spent the summer with us in Vermont. It was wonderful having him here, but at the end of summer we had to take him back. 😭 We decided to have a family vacation as well as going to the Lane Family Reunion. Luckily Bubba was transferring to Vermont so he also had time off to go with us. So I set off with the younglings in the van with me and Butch was driving in his car by himself (Joe decided to bypass the extra time to go to Tennessee). It was a long journey, but we dropped his car and stuff off in Tennessee, picked up Bubba and headed to South Carolina and North Carolina for the reunion and beach respectively. After a fun time seeing family and hanging out at the beach all week. Then Joe headed back home by himself while the kids and I went back to Tennessee. We dropped off Butch, finished packing Bubba's stuff and then Bubba in his Exploder and me and the younglings in the van made the trip back to Vermont! Whew! What a long two weeks!!

 We stayed at the Hotel Florence in Florence, SC before the reunion.

 Lane Family Reunion

 Ebenezer Southern Methodist Church in Marion, SC

 Beautiful sunset on Holden Beach, NC

 After a traditional dinner at Dockside Restaurant in Calabash we 

headed over to Calabash Creamery for dessert!

 Headed to the beach prepared for serious digging!

We were one week early for this sea turtle nest.
I was hoping to see some baby sea turtles!

 We found lots of great shells on our beach walks

We went to Oak Island to see the Oak Island Lighthouse. We walked to the end of the

island to see Old Baldy Lighthouse which is the oldest standing lighthouse.

Another trip to Dockside and a picture of all the kids on the dock

 After Dockside we usually head to Sunset Beach, NC to play before heading back to Calabash Creamery to get ice cream. Here's momma and her big boys! 💗

 On our walk together Fox found a bigger shell with several smaller ones inside. 

He carried it around and said they were his "buddies"!

Bear relaxing at GrandDad and Grandmama's before we came back home.

July 4th

So we had a couple of days celebrating July 4th. On the 3rd we went to the state capitol, Montpelier, to enjoy the all day festivities! We left before the fireworks because we needed to get the tired kids home and in bed. On the 4th we were part of our church's float in the Williston July 4th Parade.

 A view up to the Vermont State House

 Vermont History Museum. We toured inside and they had crafts for the kids.

 Heading up to the Vermont State House

 A view down on the lawn from the State House steps

 Joe and the younglings rolling the big beach balls around the course

 This man came to be in the dunking booth. Joe was waiting until he got there after we saw him. Joe was first up to try to dunk him and got him on the first throw! 

 Montpelier Parade. We got to see most of the state officials: Governor, Representatives, Congressman, and of course they had Bernie Sanders leading the parade.

 Librarians did a little routine with their carts during the parade.

 We stopped in Waterbury for supper at the Prohibition Pig (BTW they do claim to have "Southern Sweet Tea", but it's not. Just this southern girl's opinion!)

 They did have some yummy BBQ pork

CMC's float in the Williston 4th of July parade

 

 After the parade we headed down to Fort Ticonderoga in New York.

 We ate in Vergennes, VT at the 3 Squares Cafe on the way back

 To end the day we went to Maple Street Park to watch the fireworks

Spring Break Vermont-style!

So I thought I should share about Spring Break when the big boys flew up to visit us. Most high school/ college age kids head to warm destinations, but not our boys! They came up just in time for Winter Storm Stella to drop the 2nd largest record snowfall in Vermont's recorded history! Between Tuesday and Wednesday we got around 25-30 inches of snow in the area! So we stayed inside some, but in typical Vermont fashion the roads were cleared and we were out again in a couple of days. We took our first ferry ride as a family across Lake Champlain (Grand Isle, VT to Plattsburgh, NY), the big boys stood out on the frozen lake, and we visited Plattsburgh (Five Guys Burgers and Sam's), then drove down to Essex, NY to take the ferry back over to Charlotte, VT. We also played Mexican Train Dominoes and watched movies together. It was a good time together. It was hard to let the boys go back to Tennessee, but school needed to be finished.

 Gold Brook Covered Bridge, Stowe, VT

 Lake Champlain

 Essex, NY to Charlotte, VT ferry

biggest snowfall of the winter

Encourage and Strengthen

I recently saw something that helped me to see another aspect as to why we are put in situations even if they are not of our doings, but of others. This is for me to help me to remember to encourage and strengthen those around me.

Romans 15
1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Philippians 2: 1-11
1  So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Colossians 2:1-5

Pain, Suffering and Loss

Our church is going through the book of Job and this past Sunday was very poignant for me personally. We are still in the first parts of the book, but we got to chapter 3 where Job laments his birth and the first round of "advice/ wisdom" given by Job's friends. The pastor and praise team both read Psalm 88 which is also a lament. I have to admit that when he asked if we had ever lamented our birth (and he stated that most of us probably haven't but that was because we might never had been in a place like Job was in at the time) I had to admit that personally I have had a couple of those moments. Sometimes the painfulness of a situation is so overwhelming that you rue the day that you entered this world. We look at the pain, sorrow and suffering we are experiencing and wish we had been taken before we were ever a part of this world. Then on top of this Job's friends all look at the things that have happened to him and tell him it is because his sins must have been great indeed! There was no way that God would allow so much pain, loss and suffering if he was righteous in God's sight. Job knows this is not true and counters their "wisdom" to him. Quite honestly when things happen it is easy to think that this is happening to me because of my own faults. If that pain, loss and suffering affects ME so much it must be some thing of my own doing. How can you believe someone who is part of the cause when they say that this is their sin and has nothing to do with you and you are in no way contributing to the situation, but are an innocent bystander...collateral damage. When a relationship is so affected how can it be the problem of only one person? We think about cause and effect. If I was better would that not mean that this effect would not have been possible? How can one NOT be related to the other? We specifically believe our own wrongs must have lead to this if we have had such "wisdom" share with us by others. If you were good enough..., if you were really wanted than..., if you were truly needed..., yes, that has been said and more. Job questions and pleads his case to God. He knows that God is the true wisdom and that his hope is still in the Lord. I pray that I will also continue to question. That He will provide the true wisdom for me and that I will continue to hold on to Him as my only true hope and my true wisdom.

 

Seasons of Change

So many things have been happening in our household it is hard to keep up with it all. Little Bear started Kindergarten this fall. Butch started his senior year of high school. We also just recently made the decision to move. This was not our typical move around town. No, this was a big move that takes us far, far away from our family and friends. Sadly this move also took us away for the two eldest boys. We are now living in the state of Vermont. Thankfully we have found a wonderful church here and we are meeting lots of great people there. Being homesick is never fun, but sometimes change will be good. I am praying that despite missing family that our move will prove to be beneficial to our family!

Snow Days

We did have a few snow days this year. It was late Jan before we had the first one. Here are a few shots:

Jan 20,2016

Jan 20,2016

Jan 20,2016

Feb 12, 2016