SNAKE!

Oh, boy, this one will bring back memories for Kathy! Today I was sitting with my back to our sliding glass door that opens onto the porch. Tucker started growling. I thought the raccoons were just fighting again, as usual. I turned around to see a SNAKE! I yelled to both the girls that there was a snake on the porch. Now, that was simply because I did not choose to be alone during the crisis. I grabbed my phone and called Joshua, wanting his opinion on what KIND of snake it was. While I'm talking to Joshua, Carissa goes to the garage and comes in carrying a shovel. I'm using the most authoritative motherly voice I can find to tell her she is NOT to open the door till I give her permission to! Joshua seems pretty sure it is harmless, so Carissa goes out on the porch. I stayed in, like any good mother, to protect Kaylee and Tucker-who had by now figured out there is real trouble and he's barking. To the cage he goes. So, Carissa climbs in a chair and attacks from high above the beast. Yep she did it! Then she poses the little creature for photos so her brother can see the length and kind, then yet another close up to be sure he can see the head well. Next, she has to sling it over the fence, still on the shovel, of course! Well, she did it, but it landed in a tree. So now, her trophy hangs from the tree as a reminder of how she and Tucker saved the family! And, should you wonder...I have NO idea how it got on the porch! Just another day at the local zoo. SO glad Carissa and Tucker moved home.

Livin Wild!

Today Cary, Kaylee and I went to Ft. Myers Beach for the day. Cary and I often go on Fridays, but today Kaylee didn't have to babysit and she got to go too. We packed our lunch, took our books and ipods, and settled in for the day. We have friends that have the para sail on the beach, so he asked us if we wanted to go. Well, Kaylee and I LOVE to do it, so we were off! When we were on the boat, Neil talked Cary into going too. It was a great ride, but we didn't see any dolphins or sea turtles. We had a very relaxing day!

Father's Day 2008

We did a "beach" theme for Father's day. Cary got a new beach chair, umbrella, drill for the umbrella, and even a gift card for McD's tea to take to the beach! We had a fun day, just chillin with the family and then dinner at Outback. The grand babies had another very active day of play. The best toy was the ribbon from Grandpa's present! Today Kaylee and I went to the beach to spend the day with Michelle, Grace and Claire. It was nice to just relax, and we even dodged all the rain that seemed to be coming our way! Typical Florida summer day!

The Cousins Meet

Last night Joshua and Jen came for dinner and brought Owen to visit Tucker for the first time. They had SO much fun together, and they played really nice! It was pretty much impossible to get anything other than action shots. They were in CONSTANT motion! Tucker wasn't sure about sharing his Grandma, so he jumped in my lap to keep a close watch on the situation. Owen was pretty worn out when it was all said and done, and he took a nap in his mom's lap. I think they are looking forward to another play date!

Happy Birthday to Jen!

Today I am celebrating the birthday of my fourth child, the first time I get to celebrate with my DAUGHTER -IN -LAW!!! We are actually going to celebrate tomorrow. Joshua was doing a great job of making today special-it started with making blueberry muffins tied with ribbons. We will not have the whole family together tomorrow, which always makes me sad. Carissa is in the Holy Land and Kaylee is in Guatemala. I am sure we will have a wonderful time, but just not as wonderful as it would be if we were all together! I still have not finished working on my Holy Land pictures, just took a break. I'll get back to it soon!

A Day at the Schools!

This morning started by going to see Grace get her awards at school. She did VERY well, and it was wonderful to be there with her! Next, I picked up Carissa and we had a little adventure! Jen asked us to pick up a lady, named Gerda, and bring her to speak to Jen's class. Gerda survived the Holocaust and is 94. What a blessing she was! Jen had heard her before and asked her to come, but she didn't feel comfortable driving. It just was a great day! I got to see Jen in action, meet some of her students, and hear someone very interesting. I was very proud of Jen's class. They behaved very well and had some great questions! Carissa and I have always been interested in the Holocaust and when she leaves for Israel next week, she will be headed to the Holocaust museum that Cary and I went to in Jerusalem. Meeting Gerda was just a bonus! When I asked her how old she was, she told me it didn't matter. She said she likes to count friends, not years. She also said each day is a gift. Somehow, knowing her history made what she said very credible. Her husband was arrested and put in a concentration camp before the war actually started. She escaped to Holland and made it out on the last boat to America before the war started. Somehow she was later able to get a student Visa for her husband, but they were apart for three years before he was able to get here. She has been in Fort Myers since 1965, when her husband established the synagogue in Cape Coral. They met through a tennis team in Germany, and married there. She has just given up tennis...she said she was afraid she might fall. She takes only blood pressure medicine, loves to read, and she was as sharp as she could be. Amazing. She reminded me that the quality of life really is all about the attitude we have, how we process what comes our way.

The NEW Grandpuppy!

We went to Josh and Jen's for lunch today. Josh grilled hamburgers, Jen made a great potato dish, I brought a salad, and Kaylee made the sweets. However, this turned out NOT to be about the food. This was all a plan to get us there, just to meet the newest grandpuppy. His name is Owen, he is about 9 weeks old, and he is a "puggle". That is half pug, half beagle. I think we're going to be great grandparents-we do the love at first sight thing very well! His legs are longer than he is and he's kind of clumsy and wobbly. They always make you smile and laugh a little! Had to take a break from the Israel photos to introduce you!

Mt Carmel-Galilee

Today we start with Mt Carmel. Wow, what a beautiful view. There were many emotions here. This is the place where Elijah told the people to worship either God or Baal and the ONE true God showed up, big time. I have always loved that story and what a thrill to be in the place where it happened. From the top of this mountain we viewed Armageddon, where the ONE true God will have the last word. I can't even describe the emotions of viewing where the final showdown will take place. Next was Megiddo where we saw lots of ruins, horse stables, mangers, alter of sacrifice, and walked the underground tunnel to their water source. We saw the Jezreel Valley from this site, so green and pretty. On to Nazareth-we did not actually go into Nazareth, just viewed it from nearby. We were able to see the church that is built over what is believed to be the home of Mary and Joseph. We ended this day in Tiberius where we stayed for two nights on the Sea of Galilee. The view from our room was impressive and once again we were up before the sun and taking pictures.

More Practice

After arriving in Israel, our first stop was Joppa. If you know the Jonah and the whale story, that will ring a bell. It was beautiful place, and a great place to see out first Israel sunset! It seemed only appropriate that we would get to see a bride! The festivities that would be waiting for us when we arrived back home were always on our minds. The first morning Cary and I woke up at 3AM. WIDE AWAKE. It did get better, but it was never what I would call "normal"!!!!! I choose to just say that this was part of the "once in a lifetime" experience. I'm just not a morning person! So, by 4AM we had given up on sleep and were reading and having breakfast in bed-granola bars and trail mix, and by 5AM we had showered and were ready for the day...so we walked the beach, the Mediterranean! It was so pretty. We rode on our bus to Caesarea by the Sea, where Cary had the morning devotion while the rest of us watched the Mediterranean behind him! We saw the remains of one of Herod's palaces-quite impressive. Again we were reminded of our fisherman we left at home when we saw the fishermen on the Mediterranean with their HUGE poles! We missed all our kids terribly during this trip. It was a wonderful trip, but such a hard time to be so far away. The hippodrome was very interesting. This is where Herod would watch chariot races and where people were eaten alive by the wild and hungry animals. Warped entertainment!

First Holy Land Pictures

Well, I guess it is about time...I have spent the last few days working on my Holy Land pictures, and it seems I have not made a dent in the project. I have spent a lot of the evening on the phone, getting help to learn how to make it easier for you to see the pictures. This is a test, I am seeing if I learned anything at all! Now, you must understand that a HUGE part of the decision to go on this trip was based on the fact that Mark and Macy were going. Mark is Cary's boss, and Macy just goes with the package...just for fun. We LOVE traveling with Mark and Macy. Cary and Macy always act up and embarrass Mark and I, they are the constant entertainment. It just would have killed me to have missed the opportunity to take this trip with Mark and Macy. Thus, we did the crazy thing of going to the other end of the earth on a ten day trip and returning three days before our son's wedding. I made Macy promise that I would not be disappointed. I wasn't. She came through for me, passed with flying colors. So, the first picture is of Macy and I on the Sea of Galilee, after we somewhat recovered from the emotion of the experience. The Sea of Galilee was one of my most emotional moments. The next pictures are of my camel ride! Oh, what a thrill! I couldn't wait to do it, and , again, I was not disappointed! The camel's name was Kojac, and Mark did a great job of capturing the moment. Jen, these pictures are for you! Jen and I have a "thing" about camels, and I thought of her the whole time! And finally, a picture of the four of us, then a picture of us with Pastor and LuAnn. This is just a rough overview...let's see if you can see those pictures!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

I had a wonderful Mother's Day! First of all, I was the mother of four this year, and that forth one came without pregnancy, labor or delivery! All my little chicks were lined up in church with me on Sunday morning, and even a few "adopted" ones too. After church we came home and had lunch and DQ cake, opened gifts and just did nothing. It was great! I did a whole lot of thinking about being a mother last week, while anticipating yesterday. It took children to make me a mother, and I said many prayers of thanks. Without a wonderful father, there would have been no children, and he's still around and even still wonderful! It was Joshua that made me a mother, and he probably gave me more than his fair share of practice at being a mother. Joshua was and is the most tenderhearted child I've seen. Along the way he gave me many weed bouquets, and a few roses from our yard. He knows how to make me laugh. Just month ago today, he provided a way for me to become a mother-in-law. I like being a mother of four, and Jen has made me excited about one day being a mother of six! I hope I can love the son-in-laws one day like I love her! Carissa is back at home and keeping us young. She keeps a steady flow of friends coming through to play cards, eat, and visit with us. We sleep very well when we make it to bed now! She makes us shake our heads and wonder how she came from us as parents. Perfection, focus, commitment, excellence. And then, there's Kaylee. All too quickly she seems to be slipping from our hands, becoming very independent, just growing up. Mature beyond her years in every way. I wish I could have been like her when I was 15. As I sat in church yesterday I thought about how thankful I am that all of them are serving. Serving God. Serving others. Giving. Sacrificing. Making a difference in the lives of those they come in contact with. As a family, we have fun and love being together, but they all know how to reach outside these walls and share what we have been given. Just a few weeks ago, we were at the Wailing Wall. It brought mixed feelings for me. I have no doubt that God hears and answers my prayers, wherever I am. Yet, there was something intriguing about being there and seeing all the small pieces of paper stuck in every crack and crevice. I wanted to do it, and started to think of what I would ask for if I could sum up a request on a small piece of paper, something timeless, something that would always be the desire of my heart. It came to me very quickly. When I leave this world, all that will be left of me is these precious ones that I call my children. They will be the ones to live out the rest of what I feel is important. So, naming each one by name-all four of them-I asked that they would come to love Jesus more with every passing day of their lives. I am getting to watch this prayer answered every day! When I am gone, that is how they will carry on for me, making a difference in other's lives, but more importantly, living their own lives today to the fullest because of knowing Him. That's what I want. I want them to continue to know and love Him more all the time, every day of their lives. That is what makes me wealthy. Very wealthy. Couldn't ask for anything more. I am blessed.

Grandpuppy Update

Tucker went and got his first REAL haircut last week. It seems the latest thing is getting your dog a MOHAWK! Oh, my. Let me just say right now that if my GRANDCHILD ever shows up with a blue mohawk I will probably not be quite as contained as I was with the grandpuppy! Good thing he's cute anyway! Like my mom always said, it's what's on the inside that counts...good thing. He has the whole personality thing nailed down at 6 months! Carissa and Tuc are moving back home, so I have been busy shuffling things around and clearing out her room. We are thrilled they are coming home!

Grace Turns Nine

Last Saturday, Cary and I were celebrating Grace's ninth birthday. She had a Star Wars party-and she was thrilled about it! She got a new guitar and even performed for us and did an awesome job! She recently received a character award for determination at school. We are proud of her and glad we had the opportunity to share another birthday with her! She is very special to us! She and Claire looked beautiful at the wedding too! They add so much joy to our lives and we love them SO much!

Finding Normal Again

It's so hard to know where to start! We are home, the company is gone, and things have been pretty quiet around here for a few days. We had a great trip to Orlando-the girls did Universal with Bob and Renee' and Cary and I did a lot of nothing! We saw our friends who are headed back to the mission field soon. It was good to get one last visit in with the Truex family before they leave. On Sunday, Joshua and Jen returned from their cruise. We went to their house to help open gifts from the wedding. Jen is so accommodating...I just couldn't stand the thought of them opening gifts without an audience! Uncle Bob played with Tucker the whole time and kept him entertained with bows and ribbons. Aunt Renee' and I helped load some things into the cabinets while Bob broke down boxes. They had a great time on the cruise, but were happy to be home and get on with real life as the happy couple. We should have some better wedding photos soon! Here are a couple, just so you get the idea! The bride was beautiful, groom and minister were VERY handsome!

Where To Start?

I really don't know how to write this except to state the facts of the last few days. I don't have the energy to to do any more. The wedding festivities could not have been any more wonderful. God was all over the whole thing, and Joshua and Jen are now sailing on the Caribbean. I still can't begin to write about Israel, in time it will come. We knew ever since we got home that our days with Spike were few. This morning, we said goodbye to our precious furry family member of almost 14 years. We believe he was fighting a very fast growing melanoma cancer, and at best had a few days left but with pain. We chose to not prolong the pain for any of us. Tomorrow my sister will leave, and then we will go to Orlando with my brother, Bob, sister-in law, Renee', Carissa and Kaylee. Just a couple of days of down time to try to recover from the events of the past few months, weeks, days and hours. This has been a mixture of good and bad, but all of it has been high emotion. I'm just telling myself over and over that God won't give me more than I can take. He has been very close in each situation and we have known His presence.

Home Again!

We made it back from Israel with no problems, flights on time, healthy, and in the wedding mode! When we got to the airport, Carissa, Kaylee, Tucker, and my sister, Donna were there! Donna arrived on Tuesday night, and had a three hour time change, so I really wasn't expecting her to make it up that early. We came home, showered, and then the whole family went to lunch together, to just have a few minutes together before the wedding activities start. We gave out our Israel gifts that we could get to quickly. We got Joshua and Jen a nativity set made of olive wood. I insisted the set had to include a camel for Jen, I knew that would make her very happy. We gave the girls necklaces made from Roman Glass. They are beautiful and have a lot of meaning behind them. More about that later. My brother and his wife will arrive later today, and today starts the hair and nail appointments, so another busy day. I will be telling a lot about our trip, but for now, we are thinking wedding and plan to enjoy each moment of the process. Just wanted to take a moment to check in!

Israel Bound!!!

Well, the bags are packed, sitting at the door. Everything I could do for the wedding ahead of time is done. Food is prepared and in the freezer for family when we get home. Spike got a bath. Instructions are written for the girls. Medical releases ready and notarized. House cleaned, laundry done. The only problem is emotional. I'm leaving my boy and his girl and going to the ends of the earth and their wedding is just a few days away! This whole journey has been so sweet, I just hate to miss the last few days of it all. I had only one stressful weekend, and other than that, things went very smoothly! Jen's motto has been "NO STRESS" and she has done a great job of reminding me of that! I think she did better than I did! As always, God saw the whole picture and guided us through. Kaylee and Carissa will be at the house with the two dogs and holding down the fort! I'll check in when I get home, but it will be a crazy time, so hang on and give me a minute to catch my breath! Pray for all my little chicks while I'm away.

Goodbye, Daniel

I told you we had two Red Sox players in our lives. Well, yesterday, Daniel got word that he was being sent to Lancaster, CA today. It was what he had hoped for, but it was a sad day for us around here. Daniel came into the Robinson family only a month ago. When he found out he was coming to Ft Myers, his dad sent out two emails, asking for a place for Daniel to stay. Somehow, we ended up hearing from someone we didn't know, and Daniel's dad didn't even know, and we ended up with Daniel. It just was a God thing. He wanted our lives to cross and He made it happen. When I picked Daniel up at the airport, I had talked to him twice on the phone, and knew pretty much nothing about him. I asked what he was wearing so I would have some way to possibly identify this stranger I was letting into my car, home, and very shortly, my heart. Daniel has simply been a blessing to our family. We LOVED having him around, and probably laughed more than we have in years! He has got a good dose of personality! Mostly, he is a Godly young man, seeking God's best for his life. Our prayer is that he stays with the team and comes back to us next year. But for right now, God has sent him to Lancaster. You probably don't remember, but Lancaster is where I grew up, my home. We wish him all of God's greatest blessings, and look forward to his return!

My Son

Today I had lunch with Joshua. I have marked two big things off my list of things to do before Israel. I needed to have lunch with Jen, and with Joshua. I know, it's not like we'll never have lunch again! It was just important to me, I wanted that alone time with each of them. I have to say that in the business of my schedule right now, somehow, my mother's heart is at peace. All is well, and in those moments when I allow myself to not think about the to do list, I am in constant praise. God has been so good. He's made a way where there seemed there was none. Faithful. He has been faithful. The journey has brought us to the place where we will have the honor of seeing these two lives become one, and watching the two go on from here. Wow. I could never have dreamed the thoughts and feelings that I would have at this point. In a few short days we will be sitting at a wedding! Amazing thought! God. Simply God. I just know that when I looked into those beautiful blue eyes today, I saw a young man that I cannot take any credit for. We gave Him to Jesus 22 years ago, and we have depended on Him through it all. He has created a masterpiece.

Believe

Several years ago, Cary and I did a Beth Moore Bible study together. It was called "Believing God" and I'm pretty sure that nothing has changed my life as drastically as that one Bible study. I've done it twice since then, and I will probably do it again someday. It rocked my world and brought about permanent change in my life. The basis of the study was that God has made promises to us, but unless we take them, claim them as our own, we don't reap the benefits of them. We were encouraged to wear a blue cord around our wrist, to remind us of His promises to us. I did that, and it soon became something bigger than I could ever have imagined. During that time we were going through a really rough time with Joshua and it just seemed that everything I was learning became a promise I started to claim for his life. The cord became a reminder to abide in prayer for Joshua. Before long I added a green cord for Carissa, and a purple for Kaylee. I wore the cords for over two years before I found a way that I could give them up. They were pretty nasty. Even had paint on them from where I had painted the house. I knew they had to go, but they meant so much to me! Because they were different weights, I could tell by feeling each one which child it represented. I cut them off, then cut the knot off each of them and put them in prayer boxes that I now wear as a bracelet. Over that period of time I had learned to stay in constant prayer for my kids. It was a lesson that had really sunk in, become a way of life for me. Things changed, Joshua came out of the difficult time and all for the better, but I will always give God the praise and thanks for the young man my son has become. God looked out for him, never took His eyes off him, and He heard ALL the prayers I prayed. Today was a HUGE day for me. I did probably the most emotional thing I have ever done. Jen and I had lunch-probably the last time before the wedding, and probably one of the most important things that has been on my "to do" list before leaving for Israel. I had the bracelet framed with the simple word "believe" written under it and I gave it to Jen. To most, it would seem like trash, but to me, I felt like I was giving away a limb. I am pretty sure Jen got it, and it will probably mean more as the years pass and the children come. We exchanged a few tears, and she heard my heart. There will always be difficult times in our lives, but through this I learned that I could believe what God has said. It represents a time in my life that I would never choose to relive, but also, a time that made me who I am today. Moses told his people to tell their descendants of the great things their God had done, Joshua told the Israelites to make memorials that would cause their children to ask and give them the opportunity to tell what the Lord had done. I asked Jen to hang it in their home and I pray that it is passed down through the generations to come with the story of our God that heard and answered. Believe. One small word that has come to mean so much to me.