A VERY L-O-N-G update (as promised to various friends and family:)

So I suppose this is what I get for not posting in 6+ weeks....

a whole 45 minutes of uploading LOTS of pictures....

!!EnJoY!!

Wendell Lavern

Possibly the cutest Amish child I have ever seen
and the spittin' image of his grandpa

wild things happen when in Arkansas...

like getting convinced to try out a new zipline

Aden and Marti in their usual mode of operation...

20 feet off the ground and fast!

bass fishing

(this is real proof for you U. Darrell)

because of this venture I now have a "Monster Fish" story, "The One that Got Away" story, and "Very Scary Snake" story as well as (more than one) "WhAt!! Are you Guys DOING!" story.

So thanks to Marie and Sherri for sharing their day, canoes, food, poles (well, that's thanks to Aden & Jason) and crazy fun with Marti & I!

Yes, I ahve completely succumbed to the Budget and faithfully read it every Wednesday evening and throughout the weekend... Great source of entertainment, news and interesting "tidbits".

Set a new record for myself by appearing in it TWICE in last weeks edition.

THE FAIR!!!

WITH FRIENDS!!

Amber

Lance... this guy provided much entertainment:)

Courtney & Tina

Dave (with Jon's fingers attempting rabbit ears)

Miniature cowboys "down in the pits"

I love fairs and rodeos. There's so much happening. I also love this picture with three complete scenes in one; Father & his girls on their horses; Family setting up chairs to watch the show; BBQ dinner by the trailer for hungry participants.

Old Rodeo Hand that's been around awhile

...you can just see the experience, wisdom and confidence...

...wait...

...prepare...

...ride...

...fall off...

...but ALWAYS...

...GET BACK UP...

pick-up men

... sometimes we need these guys not just during rodeos...

...in real LIFE, they're called FRIENDS...

calf-roping

sometimes I wonder if I could tie up my sin so quickly, efficiently and with a strong-hold

this is what happens when Kimra & I go shoe shopping:)

Drew + Lemons...

do I like it??

why yes, I DO!!!

(thanks guys for indulging my severe Mexican Food withdrawels:)

And this is what happens when family comes to visit:)

(they turn into ancient Swiss cheesemakers)

we sit in giant chairs

go on pony rides

momma and baby

Thanks U. Ron, A. Faythe, Amanda and Travis for taking the time and effort to come make an otherwise lonely weekend a LOT of fun!

The last couple of weeks have been filled with this.... paperwork!!!

and shopping with new friends and their litle ones:)

Christian

Jackson

contemplating a HUGE life decision... get on the UPS truck or not??

and then MOM CAME!!!

we went antique shopping every day but Sunday... it was lovely:)

we found Circus Peanuts in bulk (that's 10 pounds right there:) just for Rosemary

lots of fun dishes and linens

fur collars

we were contemplating bringing them back into style but at the last minute decided against it due to extenuating circumstances and overall family relationships...

mom & A. Rose checking out the old style "TV"

there was quite a bit of "hey! remember this?? hahahaha!!"

update on wedding pictures... still trying to decide if I should do another post or put them all up on facebook... will decide at a later date:)

update on work; the doctors come next Monday. Yes, I am nervous. However, the schedule is all in place, the families are ready to meet them, I am ready to meet them, and all the paperwork has been properly copied, filed, hole-punched and stapled. And I am ready to COME HOME!!!

The board (somewhat) offered me this job back for next summer and possibly for another year. They are waiting on money to become available before they offer me the position full time (this time with pay:). And I am waiting for God to write the anwer in BIG letters across the sky! Well, not exactly, but it is on my mind and in my prayers daily. I know that His plan is larger than mine, and if I am supposed to come back to Holmes Co. and these people, HE will open those doors... NOT ME! Patience is a hard lesson to continue learning, especially for those of us that are exceptionally stubborn and headstrong. Sometimes it's a fine line between discerning my will and making things happen or what God's will is and waiting on Him to make it happen. I fell in love with this place and these people, so coming back would not be a hardship. However, I have a lot to learn and many hoops to jump through before a final decision is made.

Thanks to all of you who have read this blog, prayed for me, called me, came and visited me, sent cards, encouragement and love. I can never repay it all, but hope to at the very least be able to do the same for each one of you someday.

God Bless You

Weekends

So yeah, the neighbors church burned last week. It wasn't a total loss, as the old part of the church was the part that burnt. However, when I drove past there was water running out the foyer doors...NOT really a good sign, but running past this week the congregation was out in force armed with hard hats, shovels, gloves, and unity.

It's been awhile since my last post... sorry... This week has been extremely busy with about 10 different studies that we're attempting to follow up on.

That aside, here are a few other "happenings" from the last week.

The lilies are blooming

My families keep feeding me cookies

And I got to go shopping saturday with my "sisters" for the summer:)

Cheesy self portraits with cute babies

Penned up babies

Manly discussions about machinery, etc...

Laughter with women...

Fat, happy babies

Cousinly love

Sand and little boys

Robin Hood sword fights with aunts

determination

and another one because she is just that cute

uncles full of great wisdom

aunts that will pick you up

Mommies that love and are involved

Daddies that protect

It was a lovely weekend, followed by a week that has been busier than any other before. The first interviews for Brittle Hair Syndrome are finished, and the blood test reports are slowly trickling into the office. This means MORE paperwork!! We are also starting on expanding the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy study, and let me tell you, we're up to 35+ families already. It's HUGE (actually turning into quite a monster) but all good as it's been very interesting so far. According to the doctors, they think they are on to finding another form of the gene that causes HCM when mutated. It's exciting for them and for the families, as long awaited answers are slowly trickling in. That's the "love-hate" part of this job. A lot of our families have lost sons, daughters, siblings, grandchildren to a genetic condition, and when the answer as to "why" finally comes, there is closure. And as a semi-scientist, it's extremely fascinating to be right here and watch it all play out. However, the more I get to know and work/live with these families, the more "why this one Lord??" comes up. It's a real dilemma at times, but we're all still learning how to live, laugh, cry and love together. This is not a road that has ever been traveled, no "system" for recognizing and treating these diseases is set in place; and as one of the "dawdy's" told me... "There's no path to follow here so get out your machete and start hacking!"

Happy Rest of the Week to you all!!