Love You Guys!

I do love you all! I count myself blessed to have you as friends. Sus.....anything come of your saliva tests? Any headway on a diagnosis? I have been praying for you:-) Also....Happy Birthday to you Susie!!! I hope the big 30 didn't freak you out too much. I remember leading up to it was a bit daunting, but after my birthday was over, life went on, and I actually am looking forward to this new phase of life, where I am considered more of an "experienced" adult in the world. I think it helps too that I volunteer in our youth group at church because, it keeps me young....I still can pass for twenty-six or seven, so that keeps me from feeling old I guess!

Greg and Amy - so glad to hear you are safe and sound at your final destination! You must be so happy to be able to settle down. Have you seen Dave and Mel yet? How far are they from you again? Has language barrier been much of an issue yet? I will be praying for the three of you as you begin your ministry there.

Congrats to the newest beauty of the Culver family :) How are you doing Shari? Do you have help nearby? I think you are amazing!! I definately look forward to the day where we have a SOUL "family reunion" so we can see all of the beautiful children!

Hi Mel! How is your little Norah? Is she crawling yet? Ella has been crawling for a couple months, and my life has changed again! I forgot how much effort it takes to do damage control when they start crawling! Thank you for beginning this....It was so nice to hear from you!

Things are going well here. I am really enjoying getting all the book recommendations from everyone! I am not a very good judge of finding a good book. And it really helps with my book club, as we look for another book to read! I have one more to throw out there that a girl in my book club keeps recommending......it is called "First They Killed My Father".....I guess it is a retelling of a story from a girls perspective of losing her father (I think in war?), anyway it is supposed to be a very powerful story and a good read. Okay, about the TV show addictions.......sadly I have a few....TV is all about hooking you into a plot nowadays....whatever happened to the good ol' sitcoms!! Mostly Chris and I share our addictions....we watch "LOST", "Greys Anatomy", "House", "Studio 60" and "Amazing Race" together, and then I really enjoy "American Idol", and Chris does not.....it is my very own addiction. "The Office" is also a very funny show. And let me tell you, I could not feed my addiction without a DVR which we got this last Fall....so that we can record our shows and watch them as we have time....it really works out nicely.....and no commercials!

My family is doing very well, now that the "plague" has finally left our house! It seems to me that everyone I know has had the neverending sick bug. But I will attach some pictures of the girls at the end of this entry. The new house is still pretty great, we continue to feel blessed, and God continues to bless us even more. We seem to have never-ending "home projects"....yes even with a brand new home, there is always work to be done!

On a more serious note....I would like to ask for prayer for my sister, Bethany.....many of you know she has had a rocky past with alcohol amongst other things....and she has been sober for over a year, but has recently relapsed....she called this morning to tell me she is out of the dark again, and is changing many things in her life, please pray that she seeks strength from our Lord each and every day, because the enemy seeks to destroy her, and I know that he is fighting for her, it is pretty scary. She is so precious to me, and I can't imagine losing her.

Okay, Lastly....has anyone stayed on the Island of Kauai in Hawaii? Both Chris and my families are going to Kauai for Christmas this year, and we are trying to find a vacation home that will accomodate 13 of us, and I feel like I have looked everywhere, so I am asking for any tips you may have! Alright, I should end this before I start chapter #2. Until next time....