Comings and Goings

I have been a VERY bad blogger of late! I have neglected to blog about the revolving door that has been happening here this summer. We have been blessed to have several of our children come to visit us and I have been so busy I haven't been able to blog about it! Because this is my journal of sorts, I better get to it!

As many of you know we have one of our sons living with us again. He is one of our twin boys - the other twin had decided to stay in Washington to live with his mom. They are the youngest of our 7 children - they are 16 years old now - my, how time flies!

Anyway, we have been enjoying BOTH of the boys this summer - they have both been here with us during the summer break which has been so much fun! I forgot how much teenage boys can eat! My food bill has doubled (tripled actually) since they have been home. I am definitely not complaining though - it has been lots of fun to bake for them as they LOVE to eat my homecooked meals! My son "A" who lives with us, is back in school now and the other twin doesn't start school until September. I can't believe our summer is almost at an end "P" will be leaving to go back home on Sunday. I will miss him so much when he leaves! It has been great fun to have them both here with us again.

Their older sister Ashley came to visit during this time too. Ashley lives in California. As you can tell - my kids are spread out all over the place. Three of them live in Washington, two live in California, one lives in Alaska and one now lives with us here in Georgia. (did I miss anybody? ~smile~)

Ashley was only able to stay here with us for a week and it flew by so fast! I feel like she didn't get much attention from me while she was here because I needed to work and go to school in the evenings - but we did manage to do a few fun things while she was here.

We spent one day at Stone Mountain.

I found this cool aerial view of Stone Mountain on Google images.

It has this beautiful carving in the side of it, but we were not able to get out of our car to take pictures of this side of the mountain because it was so crowded and we could not find a parking space! After driving around for what seemed forever, we decided to give up and try another day. This park is VERY popular year round.

Here is Wickipedia's description of this beautiful mountain:

"Stone Mountain is a granite dome monadnock in Stone Mountain, Georgia. At its summit, the elevation is 1,686 feet (513 m) amsl and 825 feet (251.5 m) above the surrounding area. Stone Mountain granite extends underground 9 miles (14 km) at its longest point into Gwinnett County. Numerous reference books and Georgia literature have dubbed Stone Mountain as “the largest exposed piece of granite in the world". This misnomer is most likely a result of advertisement by granite companies and early park administration. In actuality, there are larger exposed granite landscapes throughout the world including the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the Western United States. Stone Mountain is also a quartz monzonite rock when described in geologic terms and is therefore not technically granite. Stone Mountain is well-known not only for its geology, but also for the enormous bas-relief on its north face, the largest bas-relief in the world.[1] Three figures of the Confederate States of America are carved there: Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis"

We were able to go on a hike up to the top of Stone Mountain and see the beautiful view of Atlanta in the distance. It was a fun hike up the mountain although it was VERY humid that day! I forgot to bring some water, so thankfully there was a small store at the top that you could purchase refreshments for the long walk down. I can't believe I actually went on a hike.... in Georgia..... in the summer.... in the extreme humidity....AND FORGOT TO BRING WATER! ~Sigh~ Needless to say, I won't be doing THAT again!

I am sure this would be a beautiful hike in the Spring and summer- with all of the different colors of the flowers and the trees.










Beautiful Picture of my wonderful kids!


I had to say goodbye to Ashley before I was ready. I miss you already sweetheart!








Now - my OLDEST daughter - Brandy will be coming to see me for a week! She is arriving this evening and I am so excited! I am loving this revolving door!









Isn't she beautiful? Can't wait to see her!
Brandy has always been my child that has made me laugh. She has such a great sense of humor and when we are together we laugh so much! I have been so immersed in "life" lately, that I am looking forward to great belly laughs again!




She will probably hate me putting this picture of her here- but hey - it's my blog right? This picture was taken a few years ago at my son's graduation and we were trying desperately to get a good picture of the two of us. Brandy was "cheesing" for the camera and we had to take so many pictures to get a good shot because she kept doing this. By the time we were through we were laughing so hard! This picture has turned out to be one of my favorites because it shows her silliness. I Love it!

This picture was taken last year at the Georgia Aquarium while she was here visiting us. NOT my favorite picture of me - don't know why I have a double chin thing going on, but I LOVE the picture of us together. She is a lot taller then me and had to bend down to get closer to her "little mommy" as she likes to call me.

We will drive out this evening to pick her up, and we will drive out to the airport on Sunday to drop off my son "P" who will be leaving us and flying back home to Washington.


I HATE goodbyes! I will miss you so much when you leave "P"! Thankfully God has been so gracious to allow me these visits. Even though they seem so far and inbetween, I cherish the time that I DO have with all of them.

Somebody ELSE gets so excited to see the kids when they come. Ginger thinks they are coming JUST to see her. She will be dancing this evening when her Brandy gets here!

Blessings,

To All of The Wonderful Fathers Out There....

Happy Father's Day! We are so grateful for the love that you give to our children!

Cherish the time you have with your children - it is so fleeting!


Blessings on your day,
Kymber

Hawaiian Adventures and Our Graduate

Our graduate! Now a Marine Biologist, after four years of hard work - heads off on a new adventure. One that will take her far from the beautiful sandy shores of Hawaii to the cold deck of a ship on the Alaskan waters. Oh to be young again with your life ahead of you and adventures abounding! Our daughter "S" is quite the headstrong girl. She hopes to do lots of traveling in her lifetime and picked a job where she could do just that.
We were so happy to be able to share her special day with her on her graduation day! She worked so hard for her degree and did it in record time while holding down two jobs!



Her graduation ceremony was held in the University Of Hawaii auditorium. There were 1500 graduates this day! It took an hour just to read off all of the names!
In this picture, you can see that they are STILL filing in. It was a literal sea of green. Very hard to find your child in all of this. It felt a little like playing the game "Where's Waldo".



Can you spot the beach ball that was being tossed around as they waited for the program to start?

There's our girl!



The big moment has come! The culmination of four long years of hard work is rewarded!
I wish I was able to make this picture bigger - she is standing with her diploma in hand - waving at us. I wish you could see the look of pride on her face!

What a great day!

"S" had quite the schedule set for herself while we were visiting her in Hawaii. All of it was carefully itemized in her day planner that she kept with her at all times. She had several family members that flew in to be with her this week.
Her Mom, Her dad and me, her aunt and uncle, her grandmother and her best friend from high school. She planned out her week making sure that she was able to spend time with each of us equally. She also finished up her work schedule - her last week working at the aquarium as well as finished up two end of the year reports and she had a big final test at the school that took her hours to complete! We were all tired just watching her bustle around!

She was fortunate to work at the aquarium to gain needed experience for her degree. She was able to work with the Monk Seals. They were so cute! I know she will miss them when she leaves!



Here she is giving her daily presentation to the visitors.


She has helped train the seals and they always wait patiently for her arrival because it means feeding time for them!

"S" has also worked with dolphins! A few summers ago she was able to work in a program called "Dolphin Quest". She lived in a tent with others on the Big Island for a few months, and learned how to work with the dolphins. It was an apprenticeship program and she wasn't paid for it. It was strictly for learning purposes - but she had so much fun doing it! The pictures are on my hubby's computer - I will share them with you one day.

I know that the college experiences that "S" has been able to enjoy will be missed. She was able to take diving lessons and swim in the deep open waters of Hawaii. She has taken beautiful pictures of fish while out there as well as of a few sharks off in the distance! This girl is fearless!

During our visit, my husband was able to take a day to go scuba diving with "S". I am glad that they had the opportunity to have one-on one time alone with each other. This time will be cherished between the two of them for years to come I am sure! "S" spotted a large Barracuda off in the distance as her dad and her were swimming - yikes! I really had no desire to go into waters that sharks or barracudas live in - I am such a sissy! :-)

They were also able to go snorkeling in the crystal clear waters of Hanaumu Bay as I showed you pictures of in this post.

One of the last hikes that "S" took us on during our time with her, was on the way to the airport. It only took us a few minutes to get there and was so incredibly beautiful!


We slathered on the bug spray and traveled into the dense tropical surroundings. It was so quiet and peaceful!



The bamboo "forest" was huge!



We came out of the darkness to this beautiful setting. An old house that has fallen to ruins - yet still very well maintained.

This is an old summerhouse of King Kamehameha III and his queen Kalama. It was completed in 1845 and was used to entertain foreign celebrities and the feasting of chiefs and commoners. The greatest of these was of a luau that was attended by an estimated ten thousand people celebrating Hawaiian Restoration Day in 1847.

Cool huh?

We took so many fun pictures of this place!

It was hard to leave because when we left here we had to say our goodbyes and make our way back home again.

I enjoyed this time with our daughter so much. I had the privilege of raising this beautiful girl for 7 short years before she went off to college. During that time we weren't that close. It was very hard for her to be away from her mother who lived in a different state - as well as being far from her father at times - who was in the Navy back then and would leave on a submarine for months at a time. Many years and growing pains later we come to the present time and I am overjoyed to say that as she continues to grow, our relationship is as I have always wanted it to be. I can finally call this beautiful girl my friend and even though I have loved her since the day I set eyes on her - I actually believe now that she knows it and takes it for what it is - the love and pride of a woman who wasn't trying to replace her mother, but love her as a stepmother and friend.

We are so very proud of you "S"! We are so happy for the big adventures that we see ahead for you in this life. We are so glad that you used your time well and that you are now reaping the benefits of all of your hard work.
Way to go girl!
Blessings,
Kymber

Walking Her Home

A beautiful Love Song by Mark Schultz dedicated today in honor of our 11th anniversary.

Happy Anniversary Baby!

Catch for us the foxes,

the little foxes that ruin the vineyards,

our vineyards that are in bloom.

16 My lover is mine and I am his;

he browses among the lilies.
17 Until the day breaks and the shadows flee,

turn, my lover,

and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the rugged hills.

Song of Solomon 2:15-17

Blessings,

Kymber

Home From Paradise

AHHH!! We are home!

Well rested and back to business as usual. I have been home for a few days now - just trying to play catch up. It takes me awhile to upload pictures so I needed a span of time to be able to sit down to do so. I will probably need to do several blogposts about our trip so bear with me!

I came home with the beginnings of a nice tan. I am kicking myself for not going to the tanning beds before my trip, because even though I slathered myself with sunscreen every day, I still managed to get a terrible burn across my upper body. I love to have the color on my skin again though!

I have always enjoyed laying out in the sun with a good book.

I managed to read two amazing books while I was there! It was heavenly to be able to sit and relax and read. I don't often get the opportunity and it felt great!

I have a wonderful book to recommend to you. I read about this book from another blogger.

"These Is My Words: The Diary Of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901"

Written by Nancy Turner. All I can say is FANTASTIC! I loved it so much that when I finished it I ran out and purchased the second book as soon as I finished the first one. This is the first novel that Nancy has written and I will definitely be reading everything else that she writes.You will find yourself being pulled into the story and you will not be able to put it down! It took me a while to get into it because this book is written like a diary (great for those of us who love to read blogs -right?) The character - Sarah hasn't attended school but loves to read, so as the story evolves and she educates herself through the books that she reads, you will find her diary entries easier to understand. This book is based on the life of Nancy's aunt I believe. I hope that you will read this - and if you do - let me know what you think!

We stayed at our timeshare in Hawaii for the first time and it was so nice that I thought I would show you some pictures of it. This picture is of one of the pools. Behind the pool you are looking at a beautiful Lagoon and behind the Lagoon is the ocean. I was having a hard time sleeping on this vacation - what with the time difference and the fact that I was trying to soak up every possible moment in this beautiful paradise setting. I would find myself getting up at 3:00 a.m! I had to force myself to stay in bed til 4:00! (In MY time zone - it was really 10:00am - so I told myself I was actually sleeping IN!) It was great to sit out on the deck, drink my coffee and watch the sunrise every morning. I would go and work out in their wonderful fitness center, and then stroll along the beach before it was too overrun with people. It was so quiet and peaceful! Oh - I can't tell you how much I needed this!


This is another view of the Lagoon.

This is our beautiful Timeshare Condo.


Kitchen Views


Dining Room

Our beautiful bedroom - oh! The bed was SO comfortable! I never did try out my soaker tub though! The bathroom was through the door that you see by the tub.

We really enjoyed it here. We went to the commissary and stocked up on groceries so that we could eat in most of the time. It cut down on costs considerably and my daughter appreciated some homecooking which she hasn't had in awhile! One of her best friends from high school was able to fly out to be with us this week and it was so much fun to be able to cook for a houseful of people again! It was very therapeutic to be able to talk and laugh while preparing meals - Oh how I miss that!

We did so many fun things on this trip. Because our daughter lives here, and loves to exlore the island, she was able to take us on hikes to find treasures that not many people get the chance to see. We would take off in the early morning and be done by the afternoon which left us time to spend the rest of the day by the pool.

We hiked to a location that had a beautiful hidden waterfall. It took us an hour to hike there and an hour to return. It was quite a hike!! I felt that I got quite a workout everyday on this trip!

I wanted my husband to take a picture of the trails that we had to climb. It looks like I am running in this picture, but actually I am just trying to walk up the huge stair length! I am 5'3" tall - so my legs were having to stretch to climb up each stair tread. It was quite a workout for my poor legs. On the way back we had to cross several rivers and my legs were trembling as I tried to jump from rock to rock.

This is the beautiful sight that we walked so far to see - the picture doesn't do it justice. It was so beautiful! My hubby and daughter decided to take a dip - I was just happy to take the pictures. After hearing the girly screams that came out of their mouths when they went in, there was no way I was getting in there! :-)

They had lots of fun swimming after our long hike!

We spent one day at Hanaumu Bay which is a VERY popular place in Oahu. My hubby, our daughter and her boyfriend and my daughter's friend went snorkeling and I enjoyed myself reading on the beach. They were able to see lots of beautiful fish and sea turtles. My daughter's boyfriend picked up an octopus which let off a stream of ink as he let it go.

Isn't the water magnificent? I love the breathtaking blues!

Here is a picture of my Hubby and me - don't we look relaxed?

In my next post I will tell you all about this beautiful girl. This is a picture of me and the new graduate. The whole reason for our trip to Hawaii! I had to crop my hubby out of this picture. It wasn't a very flattering shot of him - he BARELY tolerates me putting pictures of him up on my blog as it is! I love this picture of the two of us though.

"S" graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Marine Biology - Phi Betta Kappa. We are so proud of her! She managed to do it in four years which I hear is usually VERY difficult to achieve. She worked so hard during her four years in Hawaii. She took some very challenging courses while working two jobs - we are so very proud of her!!

I will dedicate my next post to showing you her big day and some of her life that she has been able to enjoy here while in Hawaii.

Unitl then - it's good to be back!

Blessings to you,

Kymber

Let Me Tell You About My Mother

*This was written for my mother's Memorial Service May 28, 2004

Let Me Tell You About My Mother.....

What - do you ask - could such a small, fragile woman who struggled so hard to live, do in her life to make such a big difference in the lives of those who knew and loved her?

Ever since I can remember my mom had been sick. Lupus had been a part of her life since she was 21 years old. It had touched every part of her body in the years since her diagnoses. She was a deaths door many times over the years. We would sit in the hospital - waiting for the worst - just to have the doctors return to us scratching their heads in awe over my mothers strength and fortitude.

Growing up, I used to tell people that my mom had nine lives. We grieved her eminent passing more times than I care to tell you. My mother's strength and will to live was amazing! Through all my mom never complained, never letting us know how much her ravaged body pained her - never cried out at the injustice of it - all she did was live her life and love.

When I was 10 years old my mother learned that she was pregnant with my brother. The doctors were very concerned because her condition was so unstable. They weren't sure she could endure the pregnancy. With a simple faith, my mom held on - cherishing the small life growing inside of her. She was so happy to be having a son! Thus began her greatest work - to love us both and "worry" us into adulthood.

Our life growing up wasn't easy - we were dirt poor - yet we never really knew it. My mom kept this to herself - she never wanted us to worry about anything. She took all of life's worries onto herself - smiling through it all. Many times as a teenager, I took her for granted. Many times I would hear her crying to herself - never understanding what it must have been like to raise two children alone at poverty level with no financial or moral support from other parents. She had the heavy burden of knowing that at any moment the terrible diease that held her captive could take her life and leave her beloved children all alone in the world.

I am telling you these things- so that you can better understand the huge legacy that this special woman gave to me. How huge my mothers heart was for her children and for everyone who was lucky enough to be loved by her.

How huge was her heart?

No one ever went away from my mother without "feeling" her love envelope them. She loved with the depths of her soul and this is the greatest legacy she has left behind. She modeled love to us and has now passed the baton to her family and friends to do for her what she is no longer able to do here on this earth.

One of the greatest gifts my mother gave to me was her great love for Christ. My mother's faith was a quiet faith. She wasn't outwardly verbal about it - but if you knew her - you knew how she felt because she exuded Christ.

She was a great worrier. I used to call her the "chihuahua" because she worreid us into adulthood. She worried about the weather, our driving, car jackings, robberies, she would listen to the news and call me if there was a storm anywhere in Western Washington to make sure that I wasn't planning to drive in it!

I used to wonder how my mother could profess Christ, yet be such a worry wart! I now know that it was because she felt so out of control. She wasn't able to stop the progression of her disease and desperately fought to control SOMETHING in her life. So - she worried about us throughout her days!

My mother was housebound for the last 4 years of her life. She cut herself off from the world because the doctors told her that if she were to get a simple cold from someone it could kill her. You see - the Lupus was affecting her lungs - depriving her of much needed oxygen.To get an airborne illness would be a death sentence to her. My mother chose quality of life and chose to live out her last years at home where she could control her environment and control our lives through her worry...from her armchair. :-)

I was privileged to hear my mothers open confession of love and trust for her Lord the day she went to be with Him. Even though her mind had been foggy with confusion for weeks, and the last day she had a hard time forming her thoughts into words - she was able to whisper the Lord's Prayer with us as we prayed that He would take His daughter home. My mother's final act of courage and strength, was to let go of her worry and fear of THIS life and open the door to Jesus... she put her hand in His and walked through the door into His loving arms. The faith in Jesus Christ that my mom helped me learn about as a young child came full circle on a friday morning in May as she went Home to be with her Lord. No longer in pain - surrounded by Love.

That faith gives me full confidence of where she is today and where I want to go one day.

My mother taught me many things in my life. Even though she had been bound by disease and hardship throughout her life, she modeled to me the way Jesus wants us all to live in the lifetime that we have been given. To be selfless, prayerful, strong in faith and HUGE in love!

Tulips were my mom's favorite flower. This one's for you mama! I love and miss you!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful mothers out there. Always remember - your children will rise up and call you blessed one day - for you are living out your faith to them each day and they are learning from you!

Blessings,

Kymber

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea

It is my granddaughter's birthday today. She is a big three year old now! I can't believe how fast the years have gone by. I seems like just yesterday when we welcomed her into the world.

I didn't get my daughter's permission to put current photos of the "birthday girl" on my blog, so these will have to do - The first picture was taken the day of her birth - doesn't grandma look tired? I was allowed to participate in her birth - it was so scary and exciting standing helplessly nearby. A very long day- but so worth it! She had such a tough time coming into this world.

My daughter had several miscarriages prior to "R's" birth. We were so devastated by the losses and were afraid to hope again but God finally blessed us with a healthy, beautiful little bundle of joy!


Today she sports a full head of wild curly black hair that her mama constantly tries to tame and eyes that you can get lost in. They are big and blue and she has the most amazing eyelashes. I am so smitten with this little bug!


She celebrated her third birthday far away from me and I am so sad that I missed her special day. Thankfully her Grandpa and Aunt (my oldest daughter) were able to fly out for the weekend to help her celebrate. Auntie (my oldest daughter) got "R" a cabbage patch doll which is what my oldest daughter had received from her grandmother the day her sister (my granddaughter's mother) was born. Was that clear as mud? It is hard to describe without using names on this blog! The cabbage patch doll that my oldest daughter received from her grandmother the day her sister was born was very special to her. I am hoping that "R" cherishes her new cabbage patch doll that her Auntie gave her too. I have heard that she has been taking it with her wherever she goes and although she has several dollies - this one is now her favorite. I am hoping the relationship between "R" and her Auntie will continue to grow and that she will be as close to her Auntie as I am to mine.



This is the beautiful birthday cake that my daughter designed and made from scratch for the big day. Isn't it great? "R" loves the children's show
"Yo Gabba Gabba" so my daughter used it as her theme for the birthday party. She designed the characters out of fondant and painstakingly colored the fondant "clay" and molded them into these delightful little creatures. She said that the fondant was a "bear" to work with and her hands were quite sore afterwards. What a cute result though - I am so proud of her. She is such a good little mother and so creative!
Here are close ups of the little creatures:




This is "Foofa"



Foofa's buddy is "Muno"



This is "Plex"




This little guy is called "Brobee" - the little round containers hold the coloring paste that she used to add color to the fondant.



This cute little creature is called "Toodee". I haven't a clue as to what kind of creatures they are but the kids seem to love them these days. The whole show is based around the creatures that come out of a television set - that is why the cake looks like a t.v. stage - so I am told. Grandma's aren't as in tune with these new shows I guess! As long as my girl is happy - that is all that matters to grandma!


My daughter constantly amazes me with her talent. I have told her that she needs to get into the cake decorating field somehow as she is such a natural at it. I remember the days of trying to make birthday cakes for my childrens birthday parties and how stressful it was! My daughter has the patience that I never had. The birthday party was held last weekend. It was a huge success.

Tonight "R" will celebrate quietly with her mommy and daddy. Last weekend was lots of fun with family and friends and my poor daughter was exhausted! Now they can have the time they need to make family memories alone together.

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea! I love and miss you so much. Lots of kisses and hugs sent your way!
Love you!
Grandma