Denver Downs

Today we went on a field trip to Denver Downs Farm in Anderson, SC. We played on a giant trampoline, swung from a rope in a hay barn, climbed on bales of hay, went on a hay ride, played with giant checkers, picked out pumpkins, pet baby animals, and walked a few steps into the corn maze then tuned around and walked back out. The whole trip was great until the corn maze. This woman told us to walk in so far in a single file then turn around and come back out the same way we went in without touching any of the corn or getting off the path. I guess they lost a kid in there or something because the whole thing was strange. Anyway, the main reason we wanted to go on the field trip was to go into the corn maze and possibly get lost or at least try to find our way out the hard way. Needless to say, that was a total disappointment. I am sure if we would have went on our own it would not have been that way. Next time we will not go with a group. At least the boys had a great time!

Brandon's Latest Shenanigans

So here are the latest things our Brandon has been up to. First, Brandon likes to ride his bike all around the surrounding area. He has a few rules, namely three. One is to never cross the main highway 123. The second is to not go to the "rough" part of town. And the third is to not go past a certain spot in town because that would be too far from home. So last week Brandon proceeds to break two of the rules. First he crosses 123 with our dog! Then, the day he got his bike back, he goes to the "rough" section of town. I even had a woman pull up in my yard and asked me if I knew where my son was. She was very upset about him being there. So he had to go without his bike again. Also, we gave our dog away to someone who has been wanting her for a while now. She will be much safer and he is going to teach her how to hunt. Well, Brandon's latest is that he called someone and told them that he had a car at his grandfathers house that he wanted to sell. So this morning some men drive into my father-in-laws yard with a tow truck to pick up the car. Needless to say, my fil was not happy with Brandon about this and told him that he just better leave for a while. Never a dull moment around here! Adventure is out there!

Yellow Branch Falls

Friday we went to Yellow Branch Falls with Michelle and our friends, Kristie, Jacob, and Joey. The weather was perfect and the falls were beautiful. It was all fun and games until the boys found a yellow jacket nest as they were exploring the cave around the falls. Fortunately, no one was allergic and Kristie had some lavender oil with her that helped with the pain. Other than that one incident, it was a great day! One funny thing was the outhouse, which consists of a small building with a toilet which leads to a large whole in the ground, had a sign on the door that said the facility was closed due to government shut downs. So, the whole in the ground was closed. Fortunately for us, the door was conveniently left unlocked. I wish I had taken a picture!

Our baby girl is 23!

Today my baby girl turns 23. Unbelievable! I could not believe it when I found out I was pregnant with her all those years ago. We were in the hospital with Brandon having seizures and I was sick as a dog. That was what made us wonder. I was never sick unless I was pregnant so we got the test and it was positive. It was a scary time for us because we didn't know what was wrong with Brandon or if the new baby would have the same problems. The whole time I was pregnant I wished for a boy. I didn't want to have a girl. But the whole time I knew she was a girl. Now 23 years later, I am sooo glad to have one girl in the bunch. She has been such a joy her whole life, except the year she was 16, but we won't talk about that! lol. Now I can honestly say that I love having a girl. We have had a lot of fun times together. Now we are very much friends as well as mother and daughter. I never knew how much enjoyment I would get out of a daughter. And having an adult daughter is even better. It is a good thing God gives us what we need, not always what we ask for. I am proud of the young woman Michelle has become. She is strong, fun, kind, honest, caring, loving, sarcastic, and very much her own person. It will be fun watching her raise her own family. Maybe she will have a girl just like herself! I love you Michelle and I am proud of having you for a daughter. Oh, and the pie is peanut butter, oreo pie. You can find it on pinterest.

Brandon's Shenanigans

I wanted to write this post to remember some of the things Brandon does. I might want to write a book one day. So these are the things that Brandon has been up to in one week. 1) He was at large on his bike for several hours and no one could find him. Finally, Juanita and Evelyn went driving around and eventually found him. They told him to go to their house but he took a detour and went to visit some girls instead. 2) Brandon left one morning on his bike with our dog on a leash and the neighbor dog following and kept Piper on a leash all day with no water. When I finally got him on the phone and told him to bring the dogs home, he said he couldn't because he had ordered food from the Mexican restaurant. I asked him how he thought he was going to pick it up because they do not deliver. He just said he didn't know. Instead of coming home, he went to Grandma's house so she would go pick up his food. At least the dogs got some water. 3) He went into a friends garage while they were not home and found some blue spray paint and proceeded to paint an old dirt bike as well as several other things including parts of the wall. 4) And last but certainly not least! Brandon spent the weekend with my parents in Greenwood while we were away at a soccer tournament. He got into an argument with my mother because he didn't want to go to church so when she left, he took 4 doses of his medicine. He didn't tell anyone in Greenwood what he had done. He cleaned his uncle's van and was singing his music at the top of his lungs. Everyone thought he was fine all day. What no one knew was that he called the Westminster police department and told them that he took a bunch of medicine. He did not tell them that he was not home. Anyway, so the police came to our house looking for him and no one was home. Thankfully, they did not break in. They finally got my mother in law on the phone and she contacted us. We got the call as we were driving into town. Needless to say the rest of the afternoon and evening were a frantic mess trying to find out all the details and if he was going to be ok. It turned out fine. He did take 4 doses of medicine but the only side effect was lethargy. He slept for 16 hours that night and was very laid back on Monday. But is fine now. So this was our week. Hopefully this coming week will be uneventful! Now to get Russ' employee out of jail so Russ can have some help! The saga continues.... Adventure is out there!

Yom Kippur

Happy Yom Kippur! So what is Yom Kippur you ask? This is the Day of Atonement. This is the day of somber reflection, prayer and fasting. It is the 6th of Yahweh's appointed feasts throughout the year. It is one of the 3 times a year when the people were required to go to Jerusalem. The Day of Atonement is the most holy day of all feast days. It is always on the 10th day of Tishri. It was the day that the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies and make atonement for the sins of the people of Israel. Now Jesus paid the ultimate price and became our sacrifice lamb so we do not have to make atonement for our sins anymore. He took care of that on the cross. But this is the time of year to do a check up of your life and make sure you do not need to make amends to someone for hurting them either knowingly or unknowingly. Also, to forgive others for wrongs that they have done to you. You must forgive others in order to be forgiven. The prophetic meaning varies depending on who you ask. It could mean the day of judgment for believers followed by the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. I am not quite clear on this so I encourage you to study this further and make your own conclusion. We are I no way experts on this, just mere babe's. Well, Russ and I are new to following the feast days and we learn a little more each time we do participate. This is our second year learning about them. If you are a believer in the Most High God, Yahweh, and you do not already keep His feasts, (not the Jews feasts), then I highly urge you to do so. Not only do you learn about the historical reason for the feast but there is a future and a present meaning associated with each one. God does not expect us to be perfect while learning about these feasts. You cannot learn all their is to learn in one year or even two. Maybe not even a lifetime because God is continually revealing something new about Himself if we are searching. The important thing is to keep learning and studying and asking for wisdom. His Spirit is always willing to teach. Besides learning new things about God, they are also a lot of fun! Now I wouldn't go right to fun for the fasting portion of today but all other aspects have been amazing. As I said, Russ and I fasted until supper tonight. Our friends, the Steele's and the Saint's came over this afternoon to celebrate and eat with us. So sorry we missed you Lindsay, Isaiah, Ira, Kate, and Amanda and Leif! We ended the day with a bon fire. Everyone had a great time playing, laughing, and enjoying each others company. The highlight of the evening was when we burned our Christmas tree from last year. It was quite an impressive show! Now to start working on Feast of Tabernacles!