Cold Weather

Baby it's cold outside!! For the past few years we have had relatively mild winters with very few days that had temps below freezing. Now we are having several days in a row that won't get above freezing and even start out in single digits. The only thing we need is snow! I believe that if it's going to be this cold we should have snow too. Thinking about the weather made me look through some of my old pictures and I want to share them with you.

My mom in the snow with Buster

Mom and Dad's driveway, I think this is 2012

Snow patches in the Smokey Mountains

Buster snuggled up to get warm

Snuggle up because it's cold outside :)

Enough snow to build a snowman!!

Wants to have a snowball fight

The kids loved it, I think this is 2010

I hope you enjoy seeing some of my family pictures of fun in the snow.

Team Time

Many of the trips I've taken in Haiti take me to very remote areas.

Everyday conveniences that we take for granted they don't have access to, like running water or electricity.

During the day when the sun is up sometimes hundreds of people will walk to the medical clinics, but as soon as the sun starts going down it's almost like the people disappear.

So when the crowds disperse we clean up and prepare for the next day.

One of my favorite things is when everything is quiet and we either talk about our day or share stories of our lives.

Preserving Memories

Whenever I'm on a mission trip I want to make sure I appreciate the moment and don't take it for granted. I've always been an early riser and I'm usually the first one up in the morning. I enjoy the quiet time while I get ready for the day and always try to enjoy the sunrise. This starts my day off on a good foot and prepares me for the busy day ahead.

I take as many pictures as I can throughout the day to help me remember as much as I can. I don't take pictures of just the heartbreaking things but I also want to remember the good thing.

A beautiful smile

At the end of each day I also write in my journal. I try to make sure I don't skip days because facts can get mixed up. There are so many things that happen and I want to preserve as many of the memories as I can. Also it helps me to remember people and events, especially if we go to more than one village in a trip.

Doing these things insure that I slow down enough to appreciate each day. There are some days we can see over 500 people and I don't want everything to become one big blur. I love the passion that God has placed in my heart for the people and I appreciate the people that help make the trips possible and I don't want to take ANY of it for granted ... ever. :)

People lining up for medical care

Life in Haiti

Depending on where you're at, Haiti can be a beautiful country but it is also a harsh place where life is hard. The land looks beautiful from a distance but up close it is a unforgiving area that yields very little to the people that live there.

Looking towards Haiti's largest lake

At a distance it looks green but when you get close you realize that there are very few trees and most of the plant are picker bushes.

In the mountains trees are few and far between

 I am amazed at how the people there survive just to make it through everyday life.

Every day chores are even difficult.

Washing clothes in the river

This is how clothes are washed in the city

Many of the women in the background are cooking.

Landslides and flooding are common during the rainy season. Love A Child is prepared to provide aid at a moments notice.

Packs are made up ahead of time and labeled so they can be picked up and distributed quickly. I love helping with an organization that works toward making Haiti a better place by showing the love of Jesus in practical ways.

Family Visiting

Our extended family is large and spread out and sometimes it can be years before some of us can get together. It's always nice when family can make it down our way.
This past week one of my dad's sisters came down for a visit with her husband and some of my cousins. I cooked a large pot of soup for our group of eleven. After a good lunch we loaded into three vehicles and headed downtown to the Tennessee aquarium.

Hot soup for a cold day

Yep that's some of my family :)

It was cold outside so we chose an activity indoors.

The twins loved the stingray petting area

It took us almost five hours to go through the aquarium.

That's a good looking bunch :)

It was fun hanging out with everyone.

Katie going in for a kiss from the alligator

We were all very tired by the end of the day.

Reflection

A Clean Slate, New Beginnings .... this is the title of a sermon I heard this morning, I like it. This is a new year and it is like getting to start with a clean slate. While looking forward to the new year I like to reflect on last year.
My passion is foreign missions and in February I was fortunate enough to get to go back to Haiti.

Medical Mission Group

All of our helpers and interpreters

In June an opportunity opened up for me to go to Jamaica to see about possibly working with a ministry there.

Neighborhood kids coming to the center to play

A church group that volunteered while I was there

I was looking at possibly going back to Jamaica to work there full time when my life came to a screeching halt. On July 2nd I fell and shattered my wrist.

I had to have surgery and spent the next four months in Physical Therapy.

I wasn't sure how my broken arm would affect any future travels but God opened the door for me to go back to Haiti in November.

People waiting for medical treatment

I even met up with some friends I had made on a mission trip last year.

Three Amigos :) the "Covant Girls"

My sweet Mackenson

There were some tough times last year but there were definitely more positive and happy times.

Happy New Year

Happy 2014!!!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. I heard several people say that they couldn't wait for the holidays to be over and that made me sad. When did we get to the place where Thanksgiving and Christmas are burdens in our lives that we have to endure? I made a conscience effort to enjoy the time and season, so instead of letting everybody elses blues affect me I shared a smile.

Our family did things a little different this year and may have possibly started some new traditions. In an effort to slow down and enjoy the season we decided to help the kids see that holidays are about spending time with family.

Getting all the little ones attention at once is a challenge

My mom wanted to have all the kids over to decorate Christmas cookies. We had a great time and the kids loved showing off their artistic sides.

Decisions decisions ... what color to put on my cookie?

Getting the right decorations is important

Master piece!!

The kids had a great time and did a really good job of keeping the sugary treats around the table. 

Even the big kids joined in on the fun

Our family welcomed a new member right before Thanksgiving. Welcome to our family Maggie :)

My mom getting "Maggie time"

Another change this year was we decided to have our big family Christmas on Christmas Eve that way the kids could open their presents at home and stay at home to play with them. 

My family

Everybody had a wonderful time and even Santa showed up for the kids.

I hope you made memories that you can look back on and smile. I'm excited to see what 2014 has in store but I'm also glad that I took the time to slow down and enjoy 2013.