Our Trip to Razorback Country

Well, I had a great time being back in Arkansas for a few days, but after seeing some friends and family and being at FBC for church service I was ready to be back home...and when that thought hit me late afternoon on Father's Day my second thought was, "I actually want to be back in Vegas? Strange!" But, that's where Jake was, therefore that's home. Driving around Rogers the 1st couple of days actually didn't even feel like home to me anymore. I got into town Thursday night (6/12) and ran to Wal-Mart after dinner with Jake's mom. It's set up very much like my local WM and for a moment I actually thought I was in Vegas. Silly.
I really enjoyed being able to see friends and family, though I didn't see as many people as I had hoped. Church was AWESOME! It was wonderful to be able to hear Pastor Wes preach and the choir sing. The men's group that did a song at the end for Father's Day was absolutely amazing. I also enjoyed hearing Wade preach the second Sunday I was there. Being in FBC felt more home to me than anywhere else did while I was there.
I will be glad to be back at NorthStar this Sunday, though. The people there are my family now. We are a close-knit group, and I enjoy that. I don't think I would be able to survive out here if it weren't for my church family.

Just a few quick "funnies" to share from our trip back east....
We were about to land when Cora looked out the window and in a voice that was quite loud said, "look at all the grass and trees!" Everyone around us busted into laughter. (It was a direct flight, so they all knew where we came from)
Then, on our drive into Rogers we were passing through farm land and Cora starts yelling, "Mom, look, look, look!" I said, "What!" To which she responded, "COWS!" Ah, the things you forget about when you're living in a desert!
JD and Cora were so excited to see their friends at church. Apparently one adult overheard JD tell some of his friends, "I'm finally back home." Poor kid. He's going to hate the summer ending. I'm so thankful they are able to spend some extra time there and I really hope that if you are reading this and you have kids that are friends with JD and Cora that you will get in touch with my mom or Jake's mom and arrange a play date.

JD and Cora with their cousins, Addie Mae, Brooks and Wesley

JD and Cora with their friends, Grace, Presley, Tori and Neil


Cora was excited to get her hair done. Aunt Karyn did a wonderful job, as usual. Cora really wanted "pink" hi-lites. We settled on what can only be called, "rupple" (that would be reddish purple); and only on the very front. The other hi-lites are just blond. Yes, my not-quite 6 year old has hi-lites and colored hair! It's a combination of her having 2 aunts that are colorists, her vivid imagination, and the effects of us living in Vegas, I'm sure. :)

An up-close of Cora's new hair color


Jake is going to be traveling a lot over the next few weeks with his "day job". I was hoping to go with him to Miami while the kids are away, but an extra bill came in and took my plane ticket money away...so it looks like I'm going to be home alone for a week. Yippy! (note severe sarcasm) I was really looking forward to spending some time relaxing on the beach and having evenings with Jake. We haven't had a vacation together in over 2 years, and he doesn't have vacation time until next year, so this was going to be the closest thing to it. Oh, well.

Continue praying for our VBS coming up in July, and for the mission team from FBC, Rogers, that will be coming out in mid August.

I promise I'm going to settle down and get a "real" newsletter out within the next week or so.

Until then...

Lions and Flamingos and Dolphins--Oh My!

I have a few prayer requests to mention:
-The kids and I are flying back to AR on Thurs. (6-12), pray for traveling safety
-Jake is preaching this coming Sunday, please pray for him as he prepares his sermon and as he is home alone for 1 1/2 weeks
-A member of our church has been in the hospital with breathing problems. He is being released today, but is having to make some drastic life-style changes and will have to wear a mask at night for sleep-apnea
-Pastor Mike and his family will be traveling back from Wynn, AR this weekend, pray for traveling safeties for them
-A couple of unspokens

Once I get back from AR I PROMISE to get to work on a "real" newsletter and get it sent out the 1st part of July. I am sorry I have been negligent in getting them out. Moving 2ce in 5 months, along with all the other day-to-day "stuff" has really been something.


I've been trying to keep the kids busy since school's been out. I decided that we can't be in the house for extended periods of time after they tried to kill each other on Thursday. So, we've been to see lions, tigers and dolphins at The Mirage, we've seen flamingos and other strange birds at The Flamingo, we've had an up-close encounter with MGM's lion, we've met the blue M&M at M&M World, we've watched dancing fountains, we've walked through a tribute to America at The Belagio...all-in-all I'd say we've had a pretty good 1st few days of summer. I've included just a few pictures of our experiences over the past few days.

We went to The Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage on Friday


A Siberian Tiger...absolutely beautiful!


The dolphins loved having their pictures taken..and even came up and watched you if you had a camera





We also went to The Flamingo's "flamingo habitat"


A Black Swan--isn't it beautiful?



Flamingos


A really strange bird we saw


The MGM lion


I know it's hard to see...but this is the lion's foot as he walks over our heads. Just a thin piece of plexi-glass between us and him, and he's looking down at us with this look in his eye that simply says, "hmmm...lunch!"


JD and Cora with the Blue M&M


The Fountains at Belagio (with The Eifle Tower in the background)


The Belagio's tribute to America...complete with model trains, bald eagles and Mt. Rushmoore

Here's a picture of Jake and the kids...yes, I believe JD is kung-fu fighting, and Cora has apparently grown a horn...but what can you do?

One of these days I'll get a picture of me on here...maybe. It's not me you want to see anyway, it's the kiddos, so I'll just keep putting them on here.
That picture on our title is up on Mt. Charleston, by the way. It is so beautiful up there, and usually 10-20 degrees cooler than down here in the valley--bonus!
I purchased the plane tickets for the kids and I for next Thurs., so I guess our coming back is a done deal. The kids are excited to take their 1st plane ride. I'm just glad I don't have to drive 1300 miles with 2 kids asking me "how much longer"! Plus, the scenery gets pretty boring after awhile. There's only so much of I-40 you need to see before it all starts looking exactly the same; I can't hang my head out the window to take pictures while driving--all my fun's been taken away! And seeing that you have to take out a small loan to buy gas these days....well, flying just seemed like a much better idea all around!
Looking forward to eating me some good chips and salsa!!!