A Quick Update:

Ok so I am so sorry for my lack in the blog world. But we are having computer issues. Here is a very Brief update. My camera was FOUND!!! Yes, I know. It's a crazy story that I will tell soon :) I got to experience my first ever at home birth.......man it was so Amazing!! Kids and I can't seem to kick sickness out of our home. It's getting old! We had 5 calves and now we have none :) We were cow sitting......we will get some soon. I'm just not ready! We love living in a small town. It's the heartbeat of America..............Another story coming soon. Colin just got 2 awards at the sports banquet for basketball, Hustler and most imporved. He is so happy :) Owen had 4 teeth removed by dentist. Tooth fairy gave him 10.00. She is now taking donations! My mom is probably moving to SS :))))) Tanner is till my BEAR! Restoration in friendships is such a sweet feeling! Bryce still has a job and it is going well. We are replacing all the windows in the house. Lucy is still my one and only baby girl !!!! Ok enough I am going to go back home to lay down. Brought to you from the public Library. Vicki

Huge prasie report!!!!!!

I found my ring!! It was under my tub in my bathroom. How it got there noone knows. We are just so happy it is found :) And there is good and bad news about the camera. We did remember where it was. But after calling the restaurant. We recived the call that they didn't have it :( So, it is likely that someone with sticky fingers at the restaurant took it. The great thing is NO ONE was in my home! Praise the Lord! Ohh the relief and the peace. It's Wonderful :) Ok just wanted to share the GOOD NEWS~~~



Vicki

Becasue I feel the need to "share" my life..........

And I do not have facebook to tell the world what is happening. I apologize in advance for the updates you will be getting here :) Anyhow it's been an interesting couple of weeks. The kids are done with school for the 2011-2012 year. We are taking a week off then we will start summer school. Kids aren't crazy about that idea but we don't want to lose everything we gained. So, while I am concentrating on Owen and Lucy's reading. Colin and Tanner will be doing grammar, journaling, math, typing, spelling, memorization and reading. It won't take them very long about an hour a day. That will leave plenty of time for all the fun that is to be had. We have some fun trips planned for our break. We will go camping as a family, all guys canoe trip, life group camping trip and visiting the Ocean. We got a new dog her name is Remi. Short for Remmington. And NO we did not name her that it's the name she came with. She is almost 3 year old beagle and perfect for our family!! She is very loved by ALL:) I would share a picture with you...........BUT my camera and diamond ring got stolen:( Yes that's right, someone came into our home and took some things of ours and those were among the items. I can replace the ring even though it was my Anniversary gift for 10 years with My Love. And yes the camera can be replaced as well. But those pictures, well they cannot be. It makes me sick to my stomach that someone would do that to us. And according to detectives and police it was someone we probably know. Isn't that sad? Well we are sad. But the Lord knows and we rest in his peace. So for now there will be no pictures just ramblings...........

Enjoy your day my friends,
Vicki

Letting go.................

That has been the cry of my heart since the beginning of the year. Lord help me to let go of ALL things that don't matter. Things that don't bring you glory and honor. Little did I know back in January what it meant. But I knew there would be changes. And wow the changes have been huge. From relationships, groups and personal matters. These past few weeks have been a little difficult, but oh so Good. I had to let go of baggage that was weighing me down. There are relationships that will never be what you think they can be. And I am so ok with that. Reminds me of the relationships that have Always and will Always be there. I used to think you had to have a lot of friends and people around at all times. I have realized that for me that was just another thing to keep up with and something to hide behind. I'm DONE with all the games. I have a few realy good, true friendships that I appreciatte. Are they perfect? Well, that's easy........NO! But they are a blessing to me. I feel so free, good and HAPPY! One of the things that was HUGE was....................................................................................................................................................................................giving up Facebook. I know some of you are like. So what! But for this socially charged girl it has been so Hard. But something that I have been dealing with for a long, long time. You see I didn't spend hours a day on there. Nor did I update my status 15 times a day. Or put links to 12 different great words of God or song. Or comment on every friend's status. Or check into every place I went or thought of going........Now those people have issues....JK :) But what I did do was much much worse. You see what I did was when I did get on for 5 a few times in the day . I ZONED OUT. I made my family feel as though they were not important for those few minutes. Now yes it was short amounts of time. But guess what? I don't care that much about what my friends are doing saying posting singing,whatever. I care about my kids, husband, family and friends:) And to think that I have given so many minutes to a cyber page to "keep up with people". Well it makes my stomach hurt. I don't have that much time left with my kids. I remember them being babies and now Colin is 13. When did that happen? Well it is happeneing every day. And I refuse to waste any more time on things that don't matter.

Love,
Vicki
(the girl who has more time for the real things in life)

Post sponsored by the number 13

This past month we celebrated Colin turning 13. A year ago Bryce and I started talking about how important of a birthday this would be for him. And what it meant to us as his parents. Bryce really felt like we should have a big celebration and honor him. He also wanted to call him to a "Standard" as a Man of God. And WOW. It was an incredible night and not just for me and my family. We gotsome amazing compliments and testimonies about what the night meant to a lot of people in attendance. So here's the story if you will. Bryce had a few men go out to breakfast, lunch and dinner with he and Colin. He asked the men to share life lessons, experiences, failures and victories of their own. All the meals were a great light and testimony to God's faithfulness in these men's lives. Then Sunday the 19th we had a big dinner reception for Colin. We had the meal catered and the decor simple but elegant. Bryce talked to him about all of the "Standards" that they had been talking about. 1. Serve and that the greatest thing he will do is serve. His Lord, family, friends and neighbors. 2. Protect his home and family one day. 3. Integrity to walk the right road. Because you see so many people lack integrity. We want to make people like us so we often do what we need to do and not necessarily the right thing to do. 4. Character, in life he will need to be a Man of character. One that people will be able to trust and respect. And the last one that I added was LOVE. Because without Love we are nothing and can do nothing. The Bible says the Greatest of these is Love. So we charged him with all the Standards. Then there was open microphone time where people got up and shared memories or advice. It was special my brother spoke so beautifully to Colin, I cried because my baby is 13. Russ Buckwalter our friend and his employer spoke of the great worker he already is. Ed Carel a friend that has seen Colin grow up encouraged him in being a man of God. My father in law told him how precious he was and how much he loves him. Others spoke great scriptures and advice to Colin. Robert Johnson recited a poem that means so much to Bryce and Colin. Even teenagers got up and said wonderful things. After that time we had a special prayer for Colin. Not just so that his life is good. But that because he chooses to follow Christ his life will be GREAT. And NO, that does not mean that it will be easy! Then we had a slide show and a time of presents cake coffee and tea. It was so great. I am so thankful for a Godly husband that saw the need to charge and challenge Colin to be a Man of God no matter what it takes. I do have some pictures but instead I am going to show you all the slide show we showed at the party!! Well I can't figure out the slide show........so here are some pics of Colin from baby till now :)

Let's talk the "D" word........

What’s going through your mind? I can imagine.
Divorce …………..no we are in it for the long haul.
Diet………………… may always be changing mine 
Drugs………………just vitamins
Dating…………………Colin is getting older…UM NO!
Diarrhea………………..What?
No the word most people avoid like the plague


Depression


There the cat is out of the bag. I said it. So what now? Well let me give you some internet facts.

• Depressive disorders affect approximately 18.8 million American adults or about 9.5% of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year. This includes major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder. [1]
• Everyone, will at some time in their life be affected by depression -- their own or someone else's, according to Australian Government statistics. (Depression statistics in Australia are comparable to those of the US and UK.) [2]
• Pre-schoolers are the fastest-growing market for antidepressants. At least four percent of preschoolers -- over a million -- are clinically depressed. [3]

[Pill-Popping Pre-Schoolers | Even Toddlers Get the Blues]
• The rate of increase of depression among children is an astounding 23% p.a. [4]
• 15% of the population of most developed countries suffers severe depression. [5]
• 30% of women are depressed. Men's figures were previously thought to be half that of women, but new estimates are higher. [6]
• 54% of people believe depression is a personal weakness. [7]
• 41% of depressed women are too embarrassed to seek help. [8]
• 80% of depressed people are not currently having any treatment. [9]
• 92% of depressed African-American males do not seek treatment. [10]
• 15% of depressed people will commit suicide. [11]
• Depression will be the second largest killer after heart disease by 2020 -- and studies show depression is a contributory factor to fatal coronary disease. [12]

[Depression Link to Heart Disease | Hostility, Depression May Boost Heart Disease]
• Depression results in more absenteeism than almost any other physical disorder and costs employers more than US$51 billion per year in absenteeism and lost productivity, not including high medical and pharmaceutical bills.


Those are the facts online. Anyone can find them. Everyone can get overwhelmed reading them and thinking they are doomed. In fact I am/was one of those people. Most of you know that I have struggled with this beast for my adult life. It has been a J…o…u…r…n…e…y. And one I thought was over. Because you see, I did all the right things. I prayed, I ate differently, I exercised and....... I TOOK DRUGS. But the problem seems to go away but for a moment. Then when I least expect it the ugly creature peeks its head over the sun and wham there it is again. Well this time it’s different. I mean it’s probably different every time. But this time it Really Really is…….why? You ask. Because this time I was awake when it hit me. I started to withdrawl, not care about certain things, people, events. And I was NOT OK with it. I didn’t lie back and see myself fall into a pit. I said NO MORE!!! I am more than this right? I am more than the outrage, fits and remorse. Oh the remorse you have after you have lashed out on your family. Because you see that’s who suffers with you. It’s your family. Others see you pull it together for them……. But your family well they get the crap. The ugliest you have. Not fair! Your right! It’s not. Because you know your kids will love you and your husband/wife (if your blessed like me) Will still be there. Will be there when you have collapsed from all the ugliness. They will be there to hold you up reassure you and keep you going. Well guess what people? I am going to conquer this beast and for the LAST TIME! I am doing all the things mentioned above, but one thing that I have not done before. This time I am speaking truth to myself. Listening when a dear friend calls to read me the description God has to say about me. And remembering who I am in Christ. Because without him and his people I could forget and be a statistic. Not anymore!!!! Not anymore!!!

This is what God says about me.


Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)
"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols." (Ezekiel 36:25)
...A righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. (Psalm 112:6-8)
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. (Psalm 37:5-6)
Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. (Isaiah 65:24)
Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath... it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure...
(Hebrews 6:17-19)
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. (Isaiah 12:2)
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD is the Rock eternal. (Isaiah 26:3-4)
He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young. (Isaiah 40:11)
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
(Isaiah 41:10)
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you...For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." (Isaiah 43:1-3)
"I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God." (Isaiah 44:6)
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:24)
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. (Romans 5:1-2)
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
But where sin increased, grace increased all the more. (Romans 5:20)
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
(Romans 8:1)
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. (Romans 8:15-16)
The Spirit helps us in our weakness. (Romans 8:26)
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
(Romans 8:37)
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
...God does not judge by external appearance... (Galatians 2:6)
For He Himself is our peace. (Ephesians 2:14)
For through Him we have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18)
The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)
But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm. (Proverbs 1:33)
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

And believe me there is much much more. I guess I am telling you this because I want to be hope for someone. Out there is someone that thinks they are alone. They may be scared and confused. But see when we look to the light we cannot be in darkness. I am happy to say that this will be the last time I ever deal with this issue. Jesus took all of our issues and we are new. I am thankful for friends, truth, love and acceptance. Jesus never stops making me be in AWE of him. He cares for us and wants us whole. I have many many other issues to deal with. But my friends I believe with ALL of my heart this one is done!!!! To God be the GLORY.


Love,
Vicki

The Best.................

I sat down an hour ago. To blog "The Best Christmas Ever". When it happened. Lucy, Hazel and I just woke up from a nap. We laughed and said all the girls in the family needed a rest today. We got up and I let her out to go potty in the back yard. The side gate was open and her favorite hobby was happening. The mailman was delivering mail. She ran to meet him. I heard her bark and sent kids to go get her. The kids saw her hit by the car. I freaked out screaming in the street. The mailman was so kind. He held me while I cried and told the kids to go inside. I held her while she died. The kids were screaming for me to do something. But I knew there was nothing I could do. So instead of telling you all about the best Christmas ever. I must tell you all about the best Dog Ever. She was funny, and so sweet. She loved to sleep with or on you. She barked at all people entering our home. We loved and hated that. She was the best dog we have ever had. Sure she got on my nerves, but I loved her deeply. I just gave her a bath yesterday and held her while I slept today. She had the best last day. But I am so sad it was her last day. I want her back!!!! Here are some pictures of our Beloved "HAZEL" We appreciate you all praying for our family. She was a part of our family!!