just a quick update from a lobby computer at the Quality Inn in Tuba City, Arizona. We are staying in style tonight...our "poppy" treated us to a deluxe room, we wish some of you could join us...we have a seperate living room and a zillion televisions...all for a couple hours rest. :)

we have had a great trip so far...drove thru massive storms in Indiana, Illinois, and Kansas, but since unloading the motorcycle haven't seen any rain. Praise the Lord! Today we rode thru the hottest part of our trip so far, which was the desserts of Arizona...at 110 degrees. it was hot, but very windy as well. Rode thru some dust storms also.

It is fabulously beautiful out here...and it's really great re-connecting with the hubs i married 10 short years ago. I think i didn't realize what my "real life" takes out of me on a daily basis...so we are really having fun...had a short crying spell last night on the phone with a short-lived sad child of mine...but looks as if things are better for all of us today. we do miss our children immensely, but it's been balanced out by having plenty of fun, enjoying the scenery, eating great food...lots of mexican by accident, and even having lunch with matt's brother mark today...boy, it is a small world, eigh? i have had lots of time for reflection and praying...it's been good for me. okay. all for now. thanks for all your thoughts and prayers...we love you. mk.

p.s. i will update as computer access allows...pictures and great video footage to follow in a couple weeks. :)

happy 10 years baby...

i can't really believe this is actually coming to fruition...this whole trip. it has been talked about for so long, and it's finally here, and really happening. wow.

i am going to TRY not to cry when dropping off my kids. :) i know i sound like a broken record, but i have never left them for this long...please, please, please pray for me. i don't want them to think that i am upset...and i know they are all going to have such fun times...it's not that...i am just a cry baby. :)

happy 10th to my hubs TODAY. such fun memories...a warm, sunny day, with a quick shower poked in there, a packed full beautiful church in the city, neat "rides", good food and friends and family galore. thanks to all of you who shared in our day...making it just right. 

as i looked over my wedding vows, that i wrote to him, wow...i really packed it in there...i won't bore you with them, but hmmm. i still have a lot to work on. here's to the start of another chapter...

and now...i am signing off...i don't know if i will be updating on our trip or not? [can you imagine the long post when i get back?] whew. don't miss me too much. for real. i loved all the phone calls today wishing us well, and assuring me my kids are going to be just great without me. ha. :) have a great start to summer, until next time. mis.

p.s. i know this mix of music is a little odd, but all these songs make me smile or sing...one or the other. enjoy them.

Short take-off and slow landing in the STOL CH 750 light sport utility p...

so...what in the world is this video doing on my blog...you wonder.

hmmm. has my life EVER really been BORING...like EVER? hmmm. ugh. no.
it hasn't, and it's not about to change now.

you see...i am excited and a little sick in the belly, :) to say that my 6 year old kaden, 5 year old kaycee and myself are being "flown" to N. Carolina on Friday morning in a little 4 seater plane (that might look like this) by matt's cousin, (or 2nd cousin for those who care, Zach King). I am thinking it should be very fun, but it still makes me a little bit nervous...he said there wasn't much room for luggage and i see why...

thanks zach. we can't wait. and it's awesome it saves us a ton of driving...as soon as i return friday afternoon i am hopping in the truck with my hubs, and we are off on our 10 year anniversary motorcycle trip...headed to reach Denver, CO by Sunday. yippee.

please pray for us. for our kids. for their caregivers. i think that should cover it. oh, and good weather. for the next 3 weeks of course...rain at night would be superb. thanks. xoxo. mis. :)

graduation day.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

                       Jeremiah 29:11.

My almost 7 year old...a part of the class of 2022. yikes.

We celebrate Kaden's graduation from kindergarten TODAY.

They had a graduation ceremony and i got to take some pics. There were lots of moms there crying, but i managed to hold myself together.  :) (My hubs was not so impressed with all the "ta-do"...surprise, surprise.) I guess I was caught a little off guard...took no presents or flowers or anything...(my mom was here last night telling me that there are not very many kids who have as much "stuff" as my kids...but she would be more surprised than she knows.)  :)

This is Kaden with his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Schempp. Kaden's love of school is mainly because of her. She is fabulous. Kaden, we are so proud of you for working so hard this year. You have done a great job incorporating things we are trying to teach you at home with those you are learning at school. We hope and pray you will continue to show God's love to those you meet, in words or deed, and pray for God's shield of protection over your life.

We love you!

(okay. so this picture is a sacrifice. it's horrible of me, but so good of the men in my life...)   :)

his special graduation lunch he requested...peanut butter and jelly and chips. i was rooting for pizza, and it didn't make the cut. :(

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my little superstar lost his 2nd tooth yesterday at the church picnic. ( he was not quite sure he could pull it out, so i got to help him.)

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city life.

well. there comes a few times in my life when i just need to make a decision and go with it. point blank. that's it. no questions asked. and that's what happened yesterday. laundry piled. mulch still in the driveway. house a mess. and i packed up the kids and we went to lancaster city to spend time with my sister, megan, and her two kids, jaiden (4) and reese (2). it was so much fun. so much fun that ALL of my kids, kaden (6 1/2), kaycee (5), campbell (3), and calli (19 mo), were sleeping on the way home...and no...i did not pull over to take a picture. :) i actually went to the drive thru at mcdonalds (and got a snack size m & m flurry)...and NO ONE knows about it. then i went and bought some tomato cages for my garden...and they continued to sleep...it was so glorious! thanks for the fun day city people. :)

check out our day...

don't tell megan how rediculous we looked...i am used to it by now...but she kept asking me, "why do people keep staring at us?" yep...we looked a little bit ummm. hmmm. well. you decide. :)

we went to central market, which i love, bribed the kids with some gummies, and while i was taking some kids to the porta potties, calli threw up on herself, and stroller, and sidewalk. now...that's a good sister, cleaning up your kids throw up until you get back. :) seems that's all she needed, and has been completely herself ever since...then, we went to the fountains. my kids love pretending they live in the city, for just an afternoon, to ride scooters on the sidewalks, and jump in the fountains of water. ummm. what better to do on a hot, muggy day?

we locked it all up to cruise thru market...nice, hugh?

just some random thoughts.

so kaden and i had this discussion yesterday morning on the way to school. just very casual...but he mentioned how this other little boy said, "oh my God," and kaden and then another little boy had told him not to say that because it was a bad word...and the discussion went on and on. but my heart smiled.

you know sometimes my CHRISTIAN friends make me feel like i am not exercising good parental judgement in sending my children thru the public school system. i have a lot to say about that, and it's not really the time to do so...i wonder if they think that matt and i really turned out THAT bad, as we both graduated from the same public school that we are sending our children too....we know we made some poor choices...but doesn't everyone?

 hmm. anyway...in this little instance God used my little 6 year old to make me smile. again. and helped me realize again. it's all going to be okay.

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."     Psalm 19:14

the trip.

how do you prepare to leave your kids for 2 weeks?
yea...i said it...2 weeks. any suggestions???
i actually got teary eyed TODAY thinking about it.
i know it will be the BEST investment in our marriage EVER...
and will probably not happen again, in a VERY long time...

pray for ME. i hope.hope.hope. to be able to drop them off
WITHOUT crying in front of them. :)

[ i am teary typing that]

latest plans: departing the morning of the 18th...my hubs and i taking a motorcycle trip, just the two of us, across the country to celebrate our 10 year anniversary (which is the 17th). we had talked months and months ago about our "bucket lists" and i had mentioned that i had always wanted to a) live at the beach, and waitress for a summer, (which obviously won't be happening anymore...fine with me btw) and b) go to California...thus the dream was born. we hope to return around the 1st of july.

eeekkkk. and then I will leave WITH my four kiddos on the 3rd, for a week long vacation, with my family, to N.Carolina...
and i don't think matt will be able to come...eeekkkk.
{did i mention there are days when i hate farming...lots of days i love it, and all it affords us to DO, but there's some stuff it affords you NOT to do too...ugh. i know...who am i kidding. what young married family gets to vacation for 3 consecutive weeks anyway...farmer or no farmer. :) we are blessed. and thankful.}

we will have so much fun. i know it. the kids will have so much fun.
i know that. their care-givers...now that's another story. :)
i will FOREVER be indebted to them for their overwhelming kindness in
watching our kids, for such a long time, and showing them love in the next closest way to their mommy...thank you to all who are making this possible...and here's to the preparations.

ohhhh. where do i start?

the power of speaking up.

and from my latest read *that i finished this Memorial Day weekend*...taken from: When I lay My Isaac Down: Unshakable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances. by Carol Kent...

     There is a common ground of understanding, forgiveness, acceptance, and healing when we are authentic with each other. When we tell our real-life stories of what we have encountered on the journey of life, we break down barriers and create safe places to risk revealing the truth. Intimacy in our relationships springs to life when we are no longer hiding behind the mask of denial, embarassment, guilt, or shame. We're just us-people who have had some good days in life and people who have had some very bad days. We've quit pretending that everything is "fine" and that life is grand. When we share our stories with each other, we find a way of relating without the facade and without the need to impress. We can just be real. This brings tremendous freedom.

     Frederick Buechner writes, " My assumption is that the story of any one of us is in some measure the story of all of us." I have found this to be true. Sharing our stories helps us to quickly get out of the self-defeating pattern of trying to figure out who is suffering more. We are all suffering to one degree or another. Is the woman whose husband betrayed her by having an affair with her best friend hurting more than I am? Is the man who is choosing to keep his marriage vows to a woman who is too self-centered to consider his feelings and needs in  less emotional pain than I am? Is the man who was an award-winning athlete who broke his back and is now a quadriplegic worse off than my son? Is the couple who lost their home and had to declare bankruptcy due to corporate downsizing in worse straits than I am? Do the men and women tackling their deepest internal wounds and practicing rigorous recovery programs in order to lay down devestating addictions have it easier than I do? Is the woman who just gave birth to a child with Down's Syndrome in more anguish than I am? Are the parents who poured their love, resources, and encouragement into their child who is strung out on drugs in my level of pain?

     The bottom line is that it doesn't matter. We are all a bunch of flawed human beings living in an imperfect world. When we start sharing our Isaac experiences with each other, we build trust, faith, and hope. We don't need a meter to tell us which pain hurts the most. All of our heartaches produce great sadness, and telling our stories to each other brings a release, a comfort, and the knowledge that somebody cares........

there are so many good things this book had to say......

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i share this coming out of my awful friday.......

i was watching my sister's kids for the day, *which normally isn't a problem*. our kids play great together, and they live in lancaster city, and jaiden, who is four, usually lights up when he gets here. he loves to be outside finding trouble with kaden. :) *and a sidenote that doesn't pertain to the story...they usually succeed*.

anyway, those of you who know me, know that i like to get a few things done in a day. and this day was no different. i was running in and out, hanging up laundry, mulching, cleaning...getting ready to leave for the mountains, etc. when the phone rang. it was the secretary from the Primary Learning Center telling me that they thought they had my toddler at the playground. my heart stopped. i thought immediately of jaiden and reese, and hoped it wasn't them. meg would never forgive me for that one...almost immediately i saw reese and campbell sitting on the outside porch steps, and quickly ran past them. kaycee and jaiden were standing right by the fence, *where calli would have exited*, picking flowers. i hastily asked them where calli was, and they both non-chalantly looked and me and wondered why i was so frantic...

i walked quickly across the soccer field, and just as quickly recognized kaden's teacher walking towards me holding calli. ugh. what do i say? i am completely embarrassed, and oh, a million feelings. anyway, mrs. schempp is always so nice...we exchanged a few words, and smiles, as she handed calli over to me. i turned and walked away hugging my little girl...my 19 month old little girl...

questions of how this could have happened continue to come and go. i beat myself up all weekend about being the worst mother in the world...which i believe all of us moms do every now and then...but again, came to the conclusion that God gave me these kids to be the best mom in the world for these kids...my kids...so i can beat myself up all i want, but it's not going to do any good. i can only do the best that i know how. and yes, i know i take full advantage of leaving the kids play outside unattended, checking in periodically to make sure no one is bleeding and do a head count, and that will have to happen much less readily now...sigh...which means i don't get as much done in a day...oh well.

i am thankful that kaden happened to be out on the playground that day. they stayed an extra hour that day, so kindergarten got to have recess. normally they do not get recess...mrs. schempp had noticed calli coming early on, and went to her right away. swooped her up and took her to kaden. thank you Lord for protecting my children every day...when i so blatently take it for granted. i am thankful that i didn't know she was missing before i got the call. i didn't have that period of time that i didn't know where she was...which i count as a huge blessing.

i don't know why she meandered up there? we do walk to the playground a lot, but still...and we hear the kids playing up there a lot thru the day...i will never know...she must have instinctively wanted to see kaden. ha.

now you know why my day was so bad. maybe life will get easier now because no one will ask me to ever watch their kids again...i don't know...smiles. :) i do know that i had been worrying earlier on in the week about "what if" one of my children got lost or seperated from their caregiver while i am away on our motorcycle trip...now isn't that interesting...i was worrying about that already...so God threw this in MY face laughing all the while...i am sure of it.

our time away at the mountains was short and sweet. i forgot my camera. ugh. we actually came home a day early because the horseflies were horrible. it was so hard to do anything outside...they just stuck to you...which meant i had a much better monday...when i got...

                                                       THIS

yep...a coach purse...for a mere $15...isn't it the cutest...okay...so meg found it but didn't want to spend the money... (megan and i try to go to "Landisville Days" every Memorial and Labor day...they shut down the town per say and there are yard sales and bargains GALORE...it's so much fun).

and then THIS...for $5...it comes apart...but isn't it the cutest darn planter you ever did see? i can't wait to fill it...

 and my STEAL of the day...was these chairs...$2/piece...and since I got the purse Meg took 2 of my lovely 4...i do want them back someday... :) [so Chris..if you REALLY aren't "into" them...load em on up in your work van and drop them off when you come down this way. :) ]can't WAIT to sip lemonade while catching some rays in one of these babies....

and lastly...i got THIS...

a signed "to the kings" yea. poster of Nick's latest...

some of you know i am a famous person fanatic...and just think it's grand that my brother matt and his wife naomi, have become "friends" with Nicholas Sparks and his wife...so...since...i have taken up to reading his novels...{which is kinda unlike me}...i usually gravitate towards the self help books...you know how to be a better mom, wife, woman, etc. :) and this just happened to be "waiting" for me when i returned home from the mountains.

thank you. thank you. thank you.

well...i must go now. i think you have learned enough about my life for today. wishing you all the grandest week ahead. smiles.