Time Flies

I can't believe it's been over a year since my last blog post.  It's been a time of more new beginnings...we moved again, this time closer to Destin, FL...hubby started a new job on base...we bought a new home and moved in...I started back to college to get my degree...my daughter started a new job...and my mother, thankfully, survived a heart attack.

I've been wanted to get back here with some photos and updates but just haven't been able to find the time.  As I sit here now at 12am, I find I really should be in bed, but I knew it was now or never.  Looking for photos to post, I guess I can start with a little of what I've been up to with my spare time...



Cookie decorating...they were pretty tasty too.

Happy Be-lated 4th of July everyone!

I'll try to find something a bit more interesting for my next post but, hey, it's a start, lol. 



Joplin, MO Tornado Relief

I spent the last week in Joplin, MO volunteering with Samaritan's Purse Disaster Response Team.  I did this because 1.) I couldn't stop the tears every time I saw photos or reports of the devastation from the F5, 200mph tornado that damaged or destroyed over 7,000 homes & businesses, killed over 140 people and left almost 1/3 of Joplin in ruins on May 22 and 2.) Samaritan's Purse is one of the most highly respected and well run christian ministries (started & run by Franklin Graham) that we've supported for many years.  When I heard their plea for volunteers on the radio, I just couldn't ignore it.

(Businesses along Rangeline Rd)

So I, along with my daughter and her friend, packed our bags in the car and headed north to see how we could help.  The news reports and online photos did nothing to prepare us for what we encountered when we exited the highway and drove down Rangline Rd into the "war" zone.  I call it that because as far as the eye could see, it truly looked like this part of town had been bombed...repeatedly.  It broke our hearts to see for our own eyes what the news reports as the single deadliest tornado in record keeping history.  Knowing many victims had been in those miles and miles of rubble that were once homes and businesses and hundreds of flipped and smashed vehicles was very overwhelmingly heartbreaking. 

(a former neighborhood - this landscape went on for miles - the twister left a path of destruction

almost a mile wide and over 12 miles long.)

We spent the week helping homeowners find any valuable items from the rubble we could and clearing debris and down trees from homes that were still livable...but the most valuable thing we where able to do is to love on them...talking to them, praying for them, hugging them and letting them know that God loves them and so do many, many people across the country.

(Our team)

(at a job site)

(Other job sites)

(Taking a lunch break-free food was provided by churches &

relief organizations to victims & relief workers.)

The reason I'm sharing this is to ask you to please remember them in your prayers and if possible please volunteer or give to organizations like samaritanspurse.org , Operation Blessing at ob.org or the Red Cross who have all also provided help for the Alabama & North Carolina tornado victims & are still in Joplin...and will probably be for quite awhile...it surely will take years to rise from these ashes...but with God all things are possible.

(A few of the relief organizations helping in Joplin.)

As with every blessing we try to give away, we receive back many more blessings in return...the most significant one I received was a renewed gratitude and reminder of the most important thing in life...the value of family, friends and the sanctity & brevity of human life.

and

God Bless You & Keep You Always.

Funny Sightings

Driving through Destin on a bright sunny day we took a double take when we came up behind this guy...

Wow, talk about creative advertising!  Definitely got our attention!

Then we stopped in Seaside while on a bike ride and just had to take a picture of this cute little biker dude...

This little guy just made our day!. 

Since then we've actually seen him riding down Hwy 98 with his biker daddy,lol.

Sunday Beach Walk

As ice and snow grips the midwest and northern part of the country (sorry y'all), we were blessed this morning to a beautiful Florida sunshiny day.  Temps only reached about 55 degrees but it made for a simply gorgeous winter day compared to all the winters we spent in Ohio and Alaska. 
It was a day that just begged us to come out and enjoy it...so we did!

After watching a great sermon this morning online by our beloved ex-pastor from Christian Life Center in Dayton, Pastor Stan Tharp, (because after visiting numerous churches here, sadly, we still haven't found a church home) we headed out to walk the beach and soak in the sunshine and healthy ions...thank you Lord!!

We started out at one of our favorite spots, Pier Park...great place to stroll with cute shops, yummy restaurants, nice landscaping & best of all...no ice!

We met this friendly fellow (part wolf & part Malamute) Kayzer, and his person, Nancy, out enjoying the beautiful Florida sunshine also.

Pansies in February...gotta love it.

At the end of Pier Park is one of our favorite fish places, Hook'd. 

One reason is the great fish tacos made with fresh caught Mahi-Mahi.  The other reason...

...is the incredible view right on the beach! (And no, that beautiful white stuff is not snow, it's the gorgeous white powder soft quartz sand found only along the emerald coast of Florida.)

Really gotta love it!

After walking the beach for a little while, we got hungry and ended up at another one of our favorite places...

Whether in Ohio or Florida, Panera Bread has become a comfortable place to de-stress with their relaxed, peaceful atmoshpere and tasty fresh made breads, pasteries, salads and sandwiches.  One of our favorite dishes is their Asian Sesame Chicken salad...

Yum...so good and highly recommended.

What a wonderfully blessed day.  Thank you Jesus!

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it"

Psalm 118:24

p.s Go Packers!!!!

Best Ever Blueberry Muffins



The grocery store had a great sale on fresh blueberries so I went looking for a good muffin recipe...and found one!  It's called "To Die for Blueberry Muffins" and it definitely lives up to it's name!!! Yum!!  I can honestly say it's the best muffin recipe I've ever found.  If you wanna give it a try, just follow this link to Allrecipes.com...

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/To-Die-For-Blueberry-Muffins/Detail.aspx

To make them a bit healthier I adjusted the recipe by subbing half the sugar with half Truvia (Splenda will work also) sweetener, 1/2cup whole wheat flour plus the 1 cup white flour, walnut oil, sea salt, then adding an extra egg for protein and chopped walnuts...note: I did have to cook them a bit longer to compensate for the whole wheat flour & extra egg.  They were not only yummy but also more filling. 

As Rachel would say, "Yummo!!"  Happy Baking!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

I can't believe how quickly time has passed since my last post.  It was wonderful to get your Christmas cards, read your greetings and see your pics.  Our most precious blessings are the wonderful friends and family the good Lord has placed in our lives.  Even through the hard times and challenges life hands us, blessings can still be found all around us...sometimes we have to look hard for them, but they are always there.  May this coming year bring us all new opportunities to cherish those blessings, be thankful for them and glorify Christ in everything we do. 

God bless you and

Christmas & New Year blessings to you from Florida!!

BIRTHDAY FUN, FUN, FUN!!

Who said turning 40 had to be boring?...

...okay, so I'm a little passed 40. LOL

Hubby asked what I wanted for my birthday...hmm...

It didn't take long to figure out an answer...to try jet skiing!

I had never done it before but it looked fun so

I decided to go for it and boy was I glad I did! 

It was totally FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!  I highly recommend it!

When can we go again????

Thank you Honey for a great birthday & thanks to

Jason at Xtreme H2O Watersports Rentals in Destin for his thorough instructions for this newbie, 

his friendliness and first rate jet skiis...plus they give military discounts! 

It was the Labor Day weekend, so Crab Island in the bay was totally packed!!! 

 I was amazed I didn't run into anybody and nobody ran into me!

Thank goodness the bay is ginormous &

there was plenty of space to zip around away from the crowds. 

After a very stressful & challenging couple of months...okay years...it turned out to be a great way to relieve stress. 

Hmmm...maybe now I can figure out how to get him to buy me one!! 

Thank you Jesus for the little joys in life that keep us going & another year keep discovering them!!! 

PC Beach Conditions Update

I just realized that it's been quite awhile since my last update on the coastal conditions
here in relation to the oil spill. 

Great news, as the recent photos I took show, the little bit of tar balls that made it here a couple months ago have been cleaned up and thankfully the oil itself never made it this far thanks to Hurricane Alex back in July and the prevailing winds & currents that continued to push it all westward following that...thank you Lord.

I'm not sure what the beach conditons are to our west except that we did visit Destin last month
and the beach was clean and nice. 

I took this photo from the pier at St. Andrews State Park...amazing caribbean looking waters!

I believe this is a beautiful white Snowy Egret enjoying the sunshine & clear waters...

while keeping an eye out for lunch.

A school of fishies passes by and lunch has been found!

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!!!



Econfina Springs River

This weekend some great new friends (locals) took us kayaking Econfina Springs creek, a 26 mile creek fed by multiple natural springs which provide 80% of Panama City's water supply.  Some of the springs are made up of divable caves and all the water is a constant 68 degrees year round. Here my hubby is getting ready to try to swim down into the spring cave.  We have no clue how far down it goes but he couldn't get very far because the pressure of the water coming up kept pushing him back to the top.

Another spring along the route

We stopped to eat some fried chicken and shared some with the fishies...this little guy stole a piece and ran back for cover...if you look close you can see the chicken in his mouth...also notice the other turtle on the right...he chased the little guy all over the place trying to steal his meal,lol.  The water was so clear it's almost hard to tell they're under water.

Another beautiful spring...that's me in the kayak.

Me trying to keep up with our friends in the canoe.

You know you're in Florida when you have to paddle around a palm tree in the river,lol.

The 8 mile trek took us 4hrs...I could barely lift my skinny little arms when we were done but it was a blast and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!



Pensacola Yacht Club

Went to Hubby's office picnic here on Saturday...built in 1908, it's a beautiful place that has weathered many storms.

Unfortunately hurricane Ivan took out many of the huge, 100yr old oak trees on the property and left the remaining oaks stripped of most of their limbs...but still standing strong...like Christ helps us to do through life's storms...praise God.

"proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor."

                                                       Isaiah 61:2-4

You Know You're in Florida When...

As a "Newbee" to the great state of Florida, I guess there are some things we need to learn from the "Old Timers" here.  This was sent to my husband by an Old Timer...it's hilarious...you gotta read it...

YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN FLORIDA IN JULY WHEN...

~ The birds have to use potholders to pull worms out of the ground.
~ The trees are whistling for the dogs.
~ The best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
~ Hot water now comes out of both taps.
~ You can make sun tea instantly.
~ You learn that a seat belt buckle makes a pretty good branding iron.
~ The temperature drops below 95 and you feel a little chilly.
~ You discover that in July it only takes 2 fingers to steer your car.
~ You discover you can get sunburned through your car window.
~ You actually burn your hand opening the car door.
~ You break into a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30a.m.
~ Your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death?"
~ You realize that asphalt has a liquid state.
~ The potatoes cook underground, so all you have to do is pull one out and add butter, salt and pepper.
~ Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying boiled eggs.
~ The cows are giving evaporated milk.
............Ah, what a place to call home! Ha,ha, love it!

4th of July in Mexico Beach, FL

Tropical storm/hurricane Alex winds had been pushing the oil away from our beaches during the week,
so we were blessed with the opportunity to celebrate our Independance Day at the beach.  We wanted
to avoid the massive crowds in our area so we drove down to the small town of Mexico Beach about

50 miles to the east of us to check out their fireworks display.  It was a wonderful day.

Relaxing by sea...

Enjoying God's beautiful artwork in the sky...

The cool seashell art on the beach...

And walking along the shore getting sand between our toes!

Then it was off to the pier to watch the fireworks over the water!

They were awesome!!!

Happy Birthday America!

May God bless us all with His wisdom, discernment, protection & a repentant heart.

"...the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love..."

Psalm 33:18