Back in Morgan City, awaiting a Christmas in Costa Rico

Yep, that's right, we are back in Morgan City. Would you believe I am still finding things here that are beautiful and intriguing me? Well and always a new adventure around the corner. I have met interesting people, and enjoyed a day with a special little Kaden. It is peaceful here and I am still drinking in the word of God. He unfolds parts of the bible all the time.
On a different note....we are waiting for Christmas vacation with our kids in Costa Rico. Can't wait to see how different it will be there.
Christmas on the road has been different, now I look back almost 5 years ago and remember how it was when we had a home to have Christmas in, and a big ol' tree and fire in the fireplace.(most Christmas's). How life has changed for us. Interesting sometimes, and just a little scary most of the time. I am ready for the fun to begin though...bring on Christmas!!!!! I love this season, people are generally happy, and the spirit is abound. Let us not forget stop and remember the "Reason for the Season", without Jesus..none of this would make any sense.

Fun in the Sun!

We are down to two puppies now and they are the boys. They are so funny...they love to chase Benji around and watch him act all "macho". You can almost see them laughing when he turns on them and pretends to be grumpy. He still isn't sure about why these little guys follow him around and try to catch his tail. Bella just watches and grins....probably thinking"your turn!". LOL We are getting ready to head to the beach with all of our grandkids and their parents and our oldest son. We will have a full week of beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Lots of beach combing and table talks and late nights. We are looking forward to our time together. Hopefully our puppies will all be sold by then and maybe we can take everyone out in the sailboat one day during the week. God is using these kiddos in a wonderful way, and He is letting us "know" it. Praise to you Lord.This is the house we get to be in for a week....Can't wait!

Wow It's been a while since I last wrote

Well I could tell all about what has been going on, but the journey is still going, lol. We are preparing to send our beautiful daughter and her family off into the missionary field. Not that we have anything to do with actually sending them off, but we have to say goodbye. God has surely taken me out of my comfort zone in the past few years and this one is proving to be no less comfortable. But He is a mighty God and He does always have perfect timing, even though it isn't mine, lol.


Kiddos just havin' fun in the water!
We are blessed with family and six of the most beautiful grandchildren in the world. ( no I am not a bit biased) I am posting some more pictures of the grand puppies and some of my grandbabies, which I got from my lovely daughter's site, sorry Heather, yes Mom is stealing some of your awesome photographs. I am also posting some of the beautiful sunrises and sunsets in BC and in Kemah, so bare with me. We are in Kemah at this time, and the RV is in Bridge City, so hmmmm.....where do we live again? Wow, I thought the crazy time was over after the holiday, ...but it just keeps on giving. LOL

Our beautiful daughter and her family...Aren't those just the cutest kids you ever saw!

Cozumel sunset in December

Beautiful Cozumel in December
We are in the midst of caring for five little Maltese and preparing to sell them, and letting go of yet another thing.

Sweet puppies just waking up.

Sunset on Cow bayou from our parents backyard. Beautiful!

God's beautiful handiwork

Amazing....breathtaking sunset from the back yard

Sometimes I think, "I might as well go sailing into the ocean with 'rod" it wouldn't be any less disconcerting ( is that a word?). Life is good, even though we have no idea what is coming next we are moving right along.

Its Been a While (We are in Natchitoches, La)

Wow! Where to start...hmm! Well we are in Natchitoches, La, and if you guys aren't sure where that is, .... hmmmm, well have you ever seen "Steel Magnolias"? Now I have actually gotten to see the house. ( I got a picture),

lol. I hope to eat one of the infamous 'meat pies' I have heard so much about. The cobblestone street is one of those things I just had to

walk on ( and no Heather, I didn't even trip ..now how about that). I got to go to the museum where Jean Batiste' (not sure if this is spelled right) had his army. There is so much history in this town, whew! I am tired just thinking about it. I got to walk the cobblestone street while eating a fresh crossiant, how is that for multi-tasking? I got to go into a huge church with so much history.And of course most of this I did spur of the moment, without the camera, so....bummer... I just have to go back. I took some pics when Rod and I went adventuring on Sunday. We are on a Lake and actually ate at a wonderful seafood restarant on the lake last night. We are on Lake Sibley, and it is a really pretty lake. The rv park is not much , but the lake is beautiful and the places around here are fun to check out. Ya know there is always a silver lining, the secret is remembering to be thankful for the small things and be content with where you are at present.

Just traveling with the WIND!

Well the pups are grown and gone and I have gotten to travel to our daughters to see my favorite grandchildren ever! I got to see James and his friend, Josh in action, boxing (Wii style) You had to be there, it is something that you really had to be there for in order to appreciate. I got to help celebrate James birthday ( he's 32 ... yuppers, he is catching up to me and doesn't even know it, lol. He'll pass me soon:) ) I got to go geocaching..is that a word?

It consisted of lots of walking and adventure in the woods.

Poor Gabi, she had a battle with poison ivy, and I am sorry to say .... the ivy won. But she is such a trooper, she went right along with us and their buddies that came for the weekend. For James birthday we got a great circus show and had cheese cake and just lots of laughing. I wish everyone had been there, the boys had a great wrestling match and the girls had a choreographed song and dance all prepared for their Dad. They do love their Dad

Rod and I are in Morgan City now and I am just finding the town by the river. I have been down with allergies or someting. I have gotten to go out and take some pictures though.

Still growing puppies ;)

Sell I a m still raising these little girlies. They are growing like weeds. I am pretty sure they weigh at least a pound. I love these little girls and reall want them to have a happy famiy.

Time has Past and we have 3 baby girls

Summer as usual is speeding by and I, of course, forget to write in my blog. Some exciting news, our daughter and her family are actually getting ready to leave the country next year. Praise the Lord, their prayers are answered and they will be in the mission field before we know it. That of course has it's good and bad points from a mother's perspective. The bright side is that everyone is doing well and in good health. They are excited and have sold their home, so things are definitely going in a direction. God's plans are always the best when followed.
Another interesting twist is that we have 3 little Maltese girls and they are growing like weeds. They are 3 weeks old and I can tell already that I will have a hard time parting with them. I promised the children and Heather I would post some pictures, so here they are gang. I sure do miss all your sweet faces and hope we will get to spend at least one more week with you guys before you make the big move. Enjoy the pictures. It is very hot here in Texas and we are enjoying our time with family. The winds blow strong, the rain pours down and we learn to enjoy each day in it's own right. Heather, I love the pictueres of all my beautiful grandchildren. You are a photographer in the making my dear. As soon as I can I will send some pictures of the "big house'S" progress. Myself and the dogs are in BC, and I'll tell you , we could definetly do woithout the mowsquitos! YIKES!

So Much to Tell

Man, it has been months. There is so much to tell and I am hoping I can remember it all. Hmm, lets see, I survived last week taking care of 6 of my favorite people in the world. I didn't keep up great, but they were gracious and held back for me. LOL I had a great time with them, they are definitely the apple of my eyes. There are too many cute things to write. Just look at Heather's blog, their faces will tell you the story.
We are also going to be the proud owners of some little Maltese soon. Yes that is right , Bella and Benji will be parents. We will see how many on Monday, then it is just a waiting game after that. I don't have much else that is exciting in my life right now, it is summer and every day is a good day. I will take pics of the pups as soon as they are here and all is clean, lol. We are staying on the boat in Kemah right now, we prefer Bella to have her pups here instead of in the RV. Until then..... enjoy these summer days.

Not great at this, lol.

Heather I love your blog. Could it be because.......hmmm...well there are so many reasons. Since my last writing, we have gone on vacation and started to travel again for work. The vacation was great and too short. Not much interesting to tell except I am very proud of Piper and all my grandbabies. Here are some of the pictures I promised Heather. Jonah and Josiah will love the pirate fight, I think I got the movie on flickr. Hopefully my next writing will be more interesting, but in my defense, I think we have been in Wharton too long. Very boring, not much here, but there are some beautiful bluebonnets nearby. It is the pretty part of the whole area. ( Sorry Wharton) Later gators

Just moving around.

We had a great Christmas and New Year. We have so much family it took a long time to see everyone. It was well worth any trouble. We got to see all the parents, kids nieces, nephews and all the new babies, we most of them. A few had to work or had other obligations. We are in New Caney now and are back in the piney woods. It is nice and quiet. We really enjoyed being near the church and our boat. Just being in Texas has been good. It was in the 70's yesterday and this morning, but around noon it decided winter needed to show up. It is 49 now, I am not fussing, so don't get me wrong. I would rather be in the 30's and 40's here than the teens, hehehe! Right Heather? Well that is all for now, I am going to aclimate to my new environment, so far it is very nice.

Merry Christmas in Texas

Yes we are back in Texas, and yep I pull that big ol' RV. I would have never thought I would be doing that, lol. It really isn't terrible, but it does take concentration.We thought it would be nice and warm, but wouldn't you know it ...... the cold followed us. In a time of such pressures the world offers, remember to go to God and He will give you peace. I am still trying to work through all the things in my life that He is making clear to me. The many sins of me, it gets overwhelming at times.
I will try to be what He wants me to be,as we all do. Praise the Lord for guiding us.
Anyway we are back in Texas and are glad to be south, however, we may end up going to Chicago in January. Yikes! It is really cold up there. Not much news except we really liked Tn, and getting to see Heather and the family in KY. It was nice being that close to them. We are very excited about them coming down for Christmas.
We haven't gotten to the boat much, but hopefully we will spend New Years there, as usual. We will probably go to the party at the church first. It is always nice to spend time with them.
well I better go see if my truck will start, there are many people out here having trouble, because of the cold.
We have traveled a lot this year, and really enjoyed being at the Rocky Top Rv park in TN the best. The owners are great, and the people there where very interesting.

Hangin' out in Kentucky

Well, we are here in the hollers of Kentucky and it is a very interesting area. Lots of history, not a new thing about Kentucky. There will be a reinactment of the war here in the next few weeks, I am not sure of the date yet, but will keep you posted. Well, Heather, this isn't the paradise of sun, water and sails. Your Dad and I both are about ready for that change. It is sounding better even to your crazy ol' Mom, who has a boat and is afraid to go far from land, lol. A fear, by the way, that many sailors have. I just need to face that fear, and I say to that one, "This on too!!!!!!" Lol.
Well, seriously , not much going on here, I have gotten to meet some of the campers around here. Most of them are working in the area, like us.
The dogs are loving it here, they seem to like the leaves, now that they aren't freaked out by movement. I found yesterday that Bella is afraid of shadows. Sorry Heather, I am not as good at taking phots of them as I was with my human kids and grands. But they are funny.
I love the dinner table story of Jonah's Independence.
I also loved Zoe's call. I will enjoy our conversations, as always. I am hoping that we can get together soon, so that we can enjoy som of those dinner time, daily, funny little times. Love to you all.
Mimi

Life Changing Events

Since I have last written, I have seen so many pictures from the hurricane Ike and what it did to pretty much all of the lands that we know. My home town is basically gone, and the beach we were thinking of buying a house on, well, all but one house is gone, along with most of the beach. Everything I read and hear makes me heartsick. I have no idea how this will turn out. People will continue to rebuild and do everything they can do. This really brings the fact that lives can change in an instant. There are site set up to donate to the cities on the Gulf coast and Bridge City areas. If nothing else , prayer is what everyone really needs. They need God's grace to get through this mess. I wish I could make things better, or at least go back to the way they were pre Ike. But I can't do any of that so I will do what I can for those I know and some I don't know. I hope this is the last storm for the year. Winter is coming and I am worried about these people, especially the one who have nowhere to go. The elderly and the young. I pray that God will look kindly on them and have mercy.

New adventures in our travels

Well, it's been awhile. Hmm... where do I begin? We have been to Florida, Illinois and now Tennessee. We got to go home for about a week between jobs and got a new truck and an RV. Now no more motels for long term stays. I got the pleasure of driving this big ol' thing up from Texas, and it was an interesting ride. Then we got to the campground and Sue (one of the owners) helped me to back it into a slot, or whatever that slip is that we are in. Anyway, I actually did it and didn't even run over a toe or hit a tree or anything! I love it when things go just right, don't you?
We are enjoying the campground and have met some nice folks along the way. I will take my camera next time we go, I forgot it when we went to Jonesboro, but I'll go back. Well I'm off to the next adventure. I'll be writing more later.

My Chick's are called out

John 10:27 "My Sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."

Yes I missed little Judah's 1st birthday, but the pictures on Heather's blog are adorable. The time has come for my little chicks to be called out into the field. Though I have mixed feelings, I am so excited that God has chosen to use them. They are a wonderful sight to watch. They grow and praise God have helped me with my growth and walk with God. So we will be with them and talk to them as much as we can while they are still in the states, and I pray that God will see fit to allow me and Rod to go see them wherever they are placed. Even though the mother in me is holding on to them, the christian sister in me is ecstatic that the IMB has called them. All things will work out to His glory and in His time.He is moving us around and keeping me out of a comfort zone, you who know me know that I tend to curl up and get comfy in one. He knows that in order for me to continue to grow I must be "stirred up", lol. We are fixing to be on our way to Illinois for a month, I will go to Kentucky and Rod will also when he can. We are hoping to take the grand-daughters to Illinois for a bit. We should be on the road for 3 months, so pray for us. I am getting some mentoring on discipleship, I need it. I thank my Lord for placing people in my life who know more about Him, and how to share Him with others. On another subject, we must go and get Benji, I am sure he is tired of the doggy hotel, but it has been a restful day. Bella is so quiet , I hardly know she is here until she gently nugges my foot to be picked up. So on with my day. We will soon have stories of the road. Until then, God bless and keep you all.

Tieman Tribe News

Wow,if any of you get to go to the Tieman Tribe blog, you should go there and see the power of God and his movement in this world, outside our own tiny realm. So amazing it is leaving me speechless.

They are Landed!

Well our little tribe of Tieman's have landed in Ecuador and are loving it. The youngest is being adored and the boys are waiting to watch the fireworks, in case one of the volcanoes erupt. We are very happy that they are acclimating to the new culture and environment so well. If you want to read about their adventures, just go to the Tieman Tribe, and click on it to read her blog. More Later
Bendiciones, (blessings)
Wanda

Funny how things work out

I started this blog to keep my kiddo's informed about what and where we were as I follow Rod around with his job.It is turning into more of a journal, and is pretty theraputic for me. Probably doesn't do much for the rest of ya, sorry bout that,;) Well, we have had a couple of weeks at home, on the boat, and have enjoyed painting and just fixing things that need fixing. When you live on a boat , there is always something to work on. I have also been working on the "Seeking Him" self revival.It is taking me to areas in my life, that I never even thought about. The grace of our Lord is amazing to say the least. His patience with me is an amazing thing in its self,. To acknowledge we are all the same, just different bodies,lol, and different choices that we have made in our lives. I have learned to leave behind the poor choices I have made and forgive myself for them, and ask forgiveness for them. This in itself is a huge weight off my shoulders. I am always amazed at what I have learned and continue to learn. God is always putting people in my path to remind me of what He is trying to teach me. Acting on the faith in Christ is harder than I thought, I am learning to fully trust in God, and I am learning to believe and have faith in what He has for me to do. I am learning to be content with what I have, and I think that is the point. I believe He has a plan for us all, and I am excited to see where mine will go. I need to work on complacency, I know Heather, I need to just get out there again and ....mingle? I am getting to know some interesting people here, both in church and around the marina. God is good. I am at peace and at the moment the guilt I have always carried is gone. Praise God, He took that load and I am thankful.
I found a site that has some of the guys, and girls who sing at our church and will try to put the link on this site. you won't be sorry you visited this site. Well I think I have had too much time to write in this blog, lol, Ya know I can't just stop sometimes.
We are doing just peachy and the puppies are just spoiled as they can be. Bella is my lap puppy, she is like a slinky, just crawling into the tiniest space between my back and the seat, lol. Benji is just laying there making sure no one is doing something without him. We are rocking gently, and my chimes are singing outside. It is HOT, and beautiful, so we go out for short periods, lol. Yep , Heath, we are gettin old, lol. Well that's enough babbling for now.
Love to you all,
Soul searching Mimi

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot ve hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house."
God light's our way,but not all at once. our journey will be lit as we follow Him and we will be pleasantly suprised at the end of each journey. The trick is OBEY Him! That is harder to do than it sounds sometimes.

Knife earings anyone? (yep, Heather, I am talking to you, ;) )

We have been off the road for a week, well...sort of. We visited Josh . We also rented a beach cabin and thoroughly enjoyed hanging out there and we got to look at a house and get the feel of living there. Hmmm.. interesting. Big surprise, we both like it.Here is an ot to my lovely daughter, who neve fails to make me laugh. Heather, you are priceless. Yes lovey, I remember the earings, and it still makes me laugh to think of them. Even though you guys are all grown up, I still love every minute of listening, being and watching you grow. I am blessed enough to get smiggens of watching the grandbabies grow, but am incorporated into your lives through our lengthy conversations. Thank you for those. I hope you will get your "earing" story, and will be able to laugh each time you think of it. That will kick off all the funny times in your life. Don't forget to laugh daily, one of God's loving gifts. There are times I love looking back on my life, from the time my mom played hide and seek with me and my little brother, I was about 4, to all of the new adventures and fun memories to date (and that is a loooong time). So learn to laugh, especially at yourself and work on loving the life you have. There is good to be found, we have to remember to search for it. The best love, and light is of course the search for God Our Father. The more I learn, about Him and myself, the happier I have become. So God bless, until next time.
Rod and Wanda

Florida Trip

Hey there everyone! We have been in Lakeland, Fl. for a little over a week now and are on our way home. We were able to stop in Panama City Beach for a couple of nights. It was our mini time off. We didn't have to rush back this time so we got to kick around for a day or two. We went to Tarpon Springs and got to drink in some of the Greek atmosphere there, that was neat. I learned they are the sponge harvesting capitol of the USA. We have some cool pictures of the beach and just our fun there. We are certainly happy we got to enjoy some down time. I am pretty sure my sunscreen didn't work, I got a little red. OUCH!,lol. Well you all take caare and don't forget the long john's Heather;) You know it will be coold there, but we are so excited for you guys and can hardly wait to heare about all th things you see, and mostly the mission work you all are able to accomplish. I am glad the kids will see a world different from the one they are in, they will appreciate how truly blessed we are and how much we do take for granted. Well, before I ger on any soap boxes I must go. Hugs and kissess to my grandbabies and my kids. I will return later to write more on the buying of a house adventure.