Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Life has been a blur in January and February. The weather has been mild and we have had lots of time to be outside. That has been one thing that has made the crazy schedule bearable. The boys have been continuing thier study of the Cherokee Indians. We went to Oconee Station and was able to go into the trading post and the military outpost buildings. The ranger was very informative and generous with his time, considering the park was supposed to be closed! Today, Isaac and his friend Jaycee, worked on thier own version of The Annoying Orange video. That will be interesting to say the least. I do not think the first cut will make it onto youtube though. Russ and I have been very busy with ministry things. Point to Hope has been in the area for the last 2 months and we have traveled with them doing various meetings in SC and GA. If you have never heard of Point to Hope Ministry then I encourage you to check out thier website, http://www.pointtohope.org/. Our life has changed drastically since partnering with Nancy Haney. We are launching a new fund raising project called Kickstarter to raise the last of the needed funds to finish Russ' newest CD, "Face to the Ground". It should launch within the week. I will post a link as soon as it is up and running. I will also have a link from facebook and from the ministry website, russelldeanmusic.com. Next up is promoting kickstarter as well as promoting the premiere CD concert at Walhalla High School auditorium on April 14th. So much going on around here which is why I rarely have time to post here! One amazing thing that Russ and I had the privelege to experience was The Potter's Place in Central, SC. It is the creation of Don and Shannon Shaupp. They created a place for prayer. You can go for an hour, a day, or several days. We were there for a weekend. We stayed in their overnight house. It was extremely relaxing and rewarding. You can feel the presence of God when you get onto the property. They have small cabins set up just for day use and the house for longer stays. They provided all the meals. It is truly a time for seeking the voice of God. It is a respite for anyone in any form of ministry. They are serving the ones who serve. We were truly blessed and refreshed that weekend. Remember, Life is what you make it. Adventure is out there!

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Cherokee Heritage

Isaac and Cade started a club last month. It involves 4 families with boys ranging in age from 4-12. They have learned to talk in code, have code names, and are learning interesting things together. The first topic is the history of the Cherokee Indian in this area. So this past thursday, we met with Dave Lavere so he could show us some artifacts and some points of interest.
We walked through the Oconee Heritage Museum. They have two dugout canoes that were really cool. Dave showed everyone a bow and arrow, a blow gun, as well as other artifacts. Then we went to see two trail trees and a place where a Cherokee village used to be. I think everyone learned a lot and had a great time. We will be spending more time on this topic. We plan on making our own bows and arrows next.
Aventure is out there.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Day in the life!

What our days have been looking like! Sunshine! Outside! Warmth in January! Tunnels! Waterfalls! Woods! Cherokee study! Finding objects to make bow and arrows! Optical illusions! Music! Guitar lessons! Photo shoot for new CD
Friends! Computer games! Church! Smores made with nutella! Wii! And many more things I cannot remember right now! Adventure is out there!