NO WAY!!!!

I was so excited by this news, I just had to shout it!! OUR ELECTRIC BILL WENT DOWN BY $60 FOR THE MONTH OF JULY!!!! Are you serious? Who ever heard of that? I'm all tingly!!

In the past couple of weeks...........

* Alysa pulled another tooth, after much fretting. She didn't want another hole. I think she's adorable either way, of course. She's growing up so fast! I can't believe she'll be in 4th grade when school starts, which is only 2 weeks away!! Her teen years are right around the corner.....I think we've already started seeing previews of what those days might be like. But she's still such a sweetie.........I do hope it lasts!



* We took a hike!! We spent a Saturday hiking up a trail in a nearby town called Berea . This is from the west lookout. It was a beautiful view, but the hike itself wasnt' all that great. I've done better anyway. But we did have fun and spent the day doing something other than hanging around the house. After the hike, we had some very tasty pizza at a local spot called Popalino's then later went on an awesome bike ride around the neighborhood. Whew!! We were pretty tired after all that.


* Said goodbye to one of our favorite missionaries, Elder Crump (on the left). He's going north to finish out the last 4 months of his mission. But he and his parents will be back for a visit in December. Good luck, Elder Crump! We will miss you!





* Went to Clean Water U in Mississippi and made some new friends. These are my classmates in the 102 program.....the one where we learn to "teach the teachers" who will then teach the rest of the community all about using clean water and washing your hands. You might think those are things that would be a given in the world today. But, sadly, there are thousands of children dying everyday from the lack of clean water to drink and disintary (spelled incorrectly, I know). Our plan is to take a mission trip to the Yucutan next summer, where Mark will teach them to install and maintain a water filtration system and I will teach the educational information. Pray for these people and those just like them in other under developed countries. It is beyond amazing the poverty and sickness that has become a part of everyday life for them.

* We celebrated Marks' 46th birthday. He is posing here with his look alike pinata that Alysa and her friend, Savanna made. It took them 3 days (about 8 hours) to complete. Quite a resemblance, don't you think? It also has a bald spot in the back!! That's where they loaded it with candy....hahahaha! Happy Birthday, Babe.....I love ya!!

For Mark.....and all his Buds (Aaron)

This is a cute little video of the fawn and her mama that I told you about before. Mark caught them in the back yard one morning before he went to work and ended up going in late just so he could watch them and take pictures. He thought this might thrill some of his hunting buddies. I thought it was sweet.

Random Goings On

The past couple of weeks have been relatively quiet, but busy. I did purchase a new camera....a Sony Cybershot, which I got a great deal on. I'm still trying to figure out all the things it will do. I am hardly a photographer and don't know what a lot of terms mean AND I'm use to using my trusty, simple Kodak camera. But, I figure I'll catch on in time. The first picture I took was of this fawn and her mother. It was so fun watching the mother coax her baby over the fence, running back and forth across the back yard as if to show her baby what to do and how to do it. Summertime view from our back deck....

We spent the 4th of July with our friends, the Jasinskis. We grilled shrimp and veggie kabobs and we also had fruit kabobs and home made ice cream...yummmmm! Afterwards, we played a few rounds of Hand and Foot, then watched the firework show, right from their driveway!! No fighting the crowds!

Alysa spent the night with one of her friends from school. They put a tent up in the back yard and the dad dug and built a fire pit, where they roasted marshmellows and they made smores. The next day, this same"wonder dad", BUILT this fantastic slip and slide which stretched over half way across their back yard. You can tell by the tent in the background just how long that thing was! He even created water sprayers out of PVC pipe and used a little Wesson oil for a little added slip! They had a mini pool on the side of the house, along with a trampoline they also hosed down with water and then jumped on. Can you imagine the fun they had? When I picked her up the next afternoon, she was worn out but said she had the BEST time ever. Well, I guess!!

Then Monday, we took Alysa to summer camp. Now, I never went to camp when I was young, but the kids in Marks family did. This particular camp is called MADD (music, art, dance and drama), which is right up her alley. The campers make up a skit or play, coreograph the dance, write the words to the songs and then put it all on for the parents on Friday. It is NOT a day camp.....they are there ALL WEEK.....with NO communication with their families (except the 1 way emails we send them daily)......NO hugs or kisses at bedtime....NO "I love you's" throughout the day......(can you tell I'm stressing?). I teared up the minute I closed the truck door, where she couldn't see me. Alysa was really excited about it until it got close to time for Mark and I to leave....then she was a little uneasy, which made me a LOT uneasy. But we've not heard anything from her, so I guess she's doing OK. All I know is I can't WAIT for Friday!! I may not let her go anywhere or do anything without me for a long, long time. Here she is with Mark, just before we left.......

Weekend Getaway

This past weekend, Mark, Alysa and I headed off for Reliance, TN for some outdoor fun. We met 2 other couples at a campground there and did a rafting trip down the Hiwassee River. Although we had a cabin rented (and I use the term "cabin" loosely) Alysa really wanted to stay in the tent. So she and Mark pitched the tent and we spent our 2 nights in sleeping bags, which I truly did not mind....especially after seeing the illusive "cabin" - complete with live mice. OK, to be fair, there was only 1 mouse that we actually saw. But I'm a firm believer that where there's one, there's at least another.....of ANYTHING. The worst part of sleeping outdoors was waking up in the middle of the night because I had to make a trip to the toilie. I didn't want to tromp up the stairs, open the noisy door and trek through the "cabin" and wake up the couple sleeping inside (the other couple opted for the tent too). So the only other choice was.....you guessed it. This happened both nights we were there, only the 2nd night, I had to go twice!! This caused me great distress, worrying about how to remedy this problem. So, needless to say, I had some pretty restless nights. But the rafting trip was great. Alysa had a terrific time....although it wasn't quite exciting enough for her - she wanted more of the "rapids"....maybe next trip. After leaving the Hiwassee on Sunday, we drove to Bald Water Falls, where we saw this beautiful waterfall. We got out and climbed around on the rocks and waded in the water. It was a very pleasant weekend getaway. Only thing that would have made it perfect would have been to have the rest of our family there (Wes, Wendy and the kiddos and Perry). Still, lots of fun!

Out With the Old....and In With the New

Well, here it is.....the long-awaited new car. Our original plans were to get to Kentucky, get settled and then start car-hunting. Since we decided to build, getting settled took longer than expected, thus delaying the new car purchase. But, alas, it finally happened. After selling my Mazda 626 and getting into the Toyota Highlander, I thought I'd never drive a car again. But this baby is so powerful, it is a total BLAST to drive! I can't wait to get in it every day. Plus, it's loaded with all the amenities and has plenty of room. We cleaned up the Highlander and put it out in front of Marks' office......2 days later, it was SOLD and gone. When things happen like that, I'm convinced the Lord is handling it and I am SOOOOO grateful. I haven't decided on a name for my new baby yet, but I'm taking suggestions..... :'D

In OUR plot of the Holler......

...........we've seen 8 deer, 1 fawn, 3 wild turkeys, numerous rabbits and birds, 2 rat snakes and a coyote. Nothing typical around here!!