San Fran Trip

This summer I visited San Francisco and Napa Valley with my mom, Pat, and my 3 sisters: Renee, Vet, and Laura. We had a great time together and made wonderful memories. Here are some pictures of the main things we did while there. Of course, there was a lot of shopping but no photos of that. Vet, Laura, and myself had facials at a spa in Calistoga where we stayed for our Napa Valley portion of the trip. I hope you enjoy the pictures. I must say that they do not do justice for the true beauty you see there. Oh yeah, and while you all were suffering 100+ degree weather here in Arkansas, we were enjoying weather in the 60s!! It was awesome.

We visited Pier 39 and watched the sea lions play. That is definitely something to see. It was very entertaining and hard to leave. You can also see Alacatraz from this location.

This is the California coastline.

This was the entrance to the CIA in Napa Valley. We had a fabulous lunch here. I would love to have had more time here. Not only was the food great but the building and grounds were gorgeous. They have a great little gift shop. I would have really enjoyed watching a cooking demonstration but we didn't have time because we had a pampering session to attend!! So much to do, so little time.

This is one of the several wineries that we visited. They were all absolutely gorgeous and lush. This particular winery was the Frances Ford Copella winery. I think this particular winery had the most beautiful grounds of all.

Here I am with my 3 sisters at the Golden Gate Bridge. We crossed the bridge on our way to Muir Woods and to the second half of our trip to Calistoga/Napa Valley. From the left: Laura, Vet, Me, and Renee.

We were going to take a trolley ride but the lines were too long. We had so much we wanted to do so we didn't want to wait. Everytime I see one I want to sing the old Rice A Roni commerical--"Rice a Roni, the San Francisco Treat-ding, ding"

This is the entrance to Muir Woods. This is one of the most beautiful and amazing places I have ever seen. You sure can't deny God after being in this place!! We stood within 3 feet of a fawn and watched for at least 10 minutes. I couldn't believe he wasn't scared off. This is definitely a place to visit if you ever get the chance. I would definitely try to go during the week so it is not so crowded that way you can enjoy God's beauty in the true serenity of this place.

This is just one of the many pics I took of the Golden Gate Bridge.

This is Alacatraz from the Pier. We didn't get the chance to take a tour. It was kind of eery. I can't imagine being locked up in this place. They say that the prisoners could hear people at night in San Fran. Could you imagine that? It sure would add to my insanity were I contained there.

Here we all are. This is across the bay from San Fran. The Golden Gate Bridge is located to the right of us. From left: Laura-who lives in Delaware, Vet, Me, Mom, and Na-who lives in Houston.

I hope you enjoy the pictures from my trip. It is definitely a trip worth taking. I know we didn't even get to a fourth of all there is to do there.

Cave Photos

Cave Exploring

In July we made a day trip to Blanchard Springs Caverns located in the Ozark National Forrest. What a beautiful place. Of course, the car ride was a little long for the boys. We heard, "How much longer? Are we there yet?" many times over but how sweet it was. We sure didn't complain because we knew this is precious time with our sweet boys that we will never get back. We sang songs (High School Musical-Sam's favorite) and told jokes (Ben read from his favorite joke book) and enjoyed the scenery along the way. I was a little concerned about how Sam may do once we were in the caves. I knew Ben would love it because he loves science. They both were so good and loved every minute of it. When the tour guides were going over the rules and they began talking about the handrails and how you shouldn't climb or swing on them, I just knew we were in trouble. If there is any kind of railing around Sam (our little monkey) is definitely going to climb and swing on them. But he didn't and was mezmorized by all there was to see. There were some steep inclines to walk up and down and the cement was really wet, so you can imagine how myself (fearful of heights) and Ben (just like his mother) faired at first. We were a little slow until we figured out our footing and we definitely used any handrail provided for us. I sent Sam walking with his father. Ben and I just held hands and walked along. Jeff and Sam never knew we were nervous. It was an unspoken for me and Ben-a silent bonding!!! Isn't great when you know your children so well you don't even have to talk about it. Just a hand squeeze can be enough. You definitely should take the time to visit this wonderful and beautiful creation of God's. It is truly amazing to see. I love these little day trips with my family. It is a time to get away from all the busyness of life and home and really be able to see all we have to be thankful for. I hope you enjoy the pictures of the caves.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

In June, we made a family night trip to the ballgame. We took the boys to the new (2nd season) Dickey Stephens ballpark in NLR to see the Arkansas Travelers take on the Springfield Cardinals. If you haven't been to the stadium it is really nice and a great place to spend family time. We had great seats and lots of fun. Ben was given a game ball by one of the ushers. Sam missed out because we were busy looking for cotton candy!!! We had lots of fun and can't wait to go back.

A Day at the Ranch

In April, Soaring Wings Ranch, held a supporter appreciation day. We participated with the many supporters of the Ranch. We had a great day of fishing, jumping, and eating. The boys especially loved the fishing. We are so blessed by our involvement with the Ranch. We volunteer as an extended family for them. One weekend a month, one week at Christmas, and one week in the summer we have a child from the Ranch stay with us. For the first year of our involvement with this program we invited a sibling group of 3 into our home. WOW! Was it ever exciting and busy. But we loved our time with the children. They were very well behaved and fun to be with. With Jack on the way, we really don't have space for that many children at once. So we are now going to be having one child from the Ranch stay with us. God has really blessed us through this ministry and feel HE still needs us involved. The Soaring Wings Ranch is a wonderful ministry opportunity if you are looking for a way to work for the Lord, in whatever way He leads you. Of course, financial support will also be one of their greatest needs. But even if you do not have the extra money or time to give to the Ranch, we ask that you always remember them in your prayers and tell others about them. If you want specific information, I have provided a link to the Ranch at the side of our blog page. Please visit it and learn all about God's wonderful work at Soaring Wings Ranch.

Our Four Family

Ben, Mom, Dad, & Sam

This photo was take Christmas '07. This is before we knew God wanted our "four family" to become a "five family." That may not have much meaning to you, but when we told Ben that he was going to be a big brother his response was, "Now we will be a four family." We are so excited and blessed that God wanted our family to grow. Our continuous prayer is that He will use our family to be a witness and a blessing to others. We can't wait to share a picture of our Five Family.

Brotherly Love

Brotherly Love

Ben and Sam love playing together. They do have their moments but when it is a good one we love just sitting and listening to them laugh, sing, dance, solve problems, and pretend together. What a sweet sound. My heart just skips a beat when I hear Ben say, "Come on Sam...let's build a club!!" My prayer is that all of my boys can be best friends and always be there for each other. Thank Heaven for my little boys.

'THANK YOU FOR THE ONES I LOVE, MY MOTHER AND MY FATHER.

THANK YOU FOR MY VERY BEST FRIEND, WHO ALSO IS MY BROTHER!"