Resolved...

Whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least our of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination.  ~ John Edwards

Horray for Spring!

Thankful Mondays...my thankfulness continues...

13. Spring is springing!  The cherry trees are blooming!

14. Grandparents are visiting!  What a special gift of time they have given us.

15. God's Word is more powerful than a double-edged sword!

16. God is building His tabernacle in ME!  (See Exodus)

17. Funny children and laughter!

18. Did I mention spring is here?!?  This fact brings a smile to my face!

Wilderness Wanderings

We have been reading Exodus for our family devotion time.  Just like the Israelites, my recent past few weeks has felt a bit like an uncomfortable and irritating wilderness trek.  Imagine dirty feet, lots of walking and carrying stuff...and the temperature extremes!  I don't really have any of those things...but what I do have is decisions to make for schooling for next year (in the midst of still trying to finish out this year), sins and shortcomings in my life and that of my children, personalities of people that the Lord has put into my life that can be challenging at times, doubts and questions about what I'm doing etc.etc.etc.

I'll be honest and say that there have been times when I've read this book of the Bible and thought, "Wow, those Israelites were a bunch of ingrates!  They saw AMAZING miracles by the hand of God, and yet they grumbled, complained, and doubted." 

Then, I walk out of a season that I've just been through in the past few weeks and marvel at my ability to lose sight of WHO YHVH IS!!  How does that happen?  If the Israelites had really known the answer to the question WHO IS YHVH?, surely, they wouldn't have grumbled, complained, and made a false god to worship.  Surely, if I KNEW who YHVH is...I, too, would pass through the seasons of wilderness wanderings that I have in my life with a better testimony than I have displayed in the past few weeks. 

This time of year (March-ish) is always a struggle for me in homeschooling.  We have worked really hard for a really long time, but there is still a really good chunk of work left to be done.  Then, there is so much talk, talk, talk about plans for next year.  Too often I fall into the trap of discouragement and weariness.  I don't look to who YHVH is...I look at myself and my weaknesses and weariness.  Just like those Israelites before me, I so quickly forget the marvelous hand of God working in my family (that I am a redeemed child of the King!, that my husband and children are redeemed children of the King!, the sweet, sweet times our family shares together, what my children are learning about the amazing world that God has created, and so much more...). 

THEN, the Word of God captivates my heart, piercing me to the core:

Exodus 33: 12-14 

Moses said to the Lord, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me.  You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.'  If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.  Remember that this nation is your people.

The Lord replied, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

The Jennifer version:

Jennifer said to the Lord, 'You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not make it really clear to me how I'm supposed to do that.  There are the SATs, ACTs, college looming, etc.  You have said, 'Jennifer, I know you by name and you have found favor with me.'

Jennifer says, "Lord, if you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so that I may know you and continue to find favor with you.  Remember that this family is your people."

The Lord replies, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."  Jennifer weeps in the arms of her Heavenly Father because He is so good!  She can do anything if His presence is with her!  She can find rest.

It's Monday again...

Time moves so quickly!  It seems to be busy and full of seemingly mundane tasks.  Cleaning house, schooling children, working the schedule of who needs to be where and when, shuttle service to get the whos to where they need to be and when, laundry, making dinner...all to be repeated again the next day.  All of these tasks add up to the life the Lord has called me to as wife and mother in this family!  I need to get better at putting, "post on blog" on the list of to do's.

Recently I have been thinking about and praying for my sweet sister Lauren who has four children under the age of six!  Whew!  Although I never had four, I do remember back to the days when my three were under the age of four or five or six.  Such tiring and long days.  This past weekend I was looking through old photo albums to get some pictures of my sweet, oldest daughter who will be turning 14 on Sunday.  Such precious memories.  Lots of hugs, kisses, cuddles on the couch, reading together, arts and crafts, enjoying nature...together...together...together.   I want to tell my sister that these are really such sweet days, but she knows that.  The reality is that they are tiring, draining, and, at times, discouraging days, too.  But as that season passes and the Lord's faithfulness and goodness are what is seen "on the other side", it is a great reminder to me, too, that during these tiring, draining, and too often times, discouraging days that I find myself in, the Lord is faithful and good.  I know that I will look back on these years when my not-so-little ones are practicing spreading their wings and becoming more and more who God created them to be each day, and I will remember precious memories of talking, laughing, reading together, working together, enjoying life together!

I know that all too soon our together times will be fewer and fewer as they go to college and follow the path that the Lord has laid out for them.  Those times will, too, be filled with precious memories - just different from the season we are in right now..and certainly different from the toddler/young child season we have left behind.  I so wish that on a daily basis, I would remember how sweet these present moments are and enjoy them to the fullest.

The list of what I'm thankful for continues:

7. God's faithfulness in spite of my faithlessness!
8.  Children who are maturing in the things of the Lord and desire a right relationship with Him and with me!
9.  Breaks from school - our co-op is taking a winter break this week.  It is nice to breathe!
10.  Family visits...this should count as multiple items because I love it when family visits.  My sister Aimee and her awesome crew are coming this week for a few fun days.
11.  Unexpected quiet moments...Jerry and Abigail are enjoying watching Randy's basketball game.  I stayed home to shuttle to Alex from Show Choir.  She is diligently working on a paper, and I'm blogging...quiet moments!
12.  Diligent children - see #11.
13.  Warm socks...certainly not a very spiritual thing to be thankful for...but,seriously, I have the coldest feet E.V.E.R.  Thick, warm, fuzzy socks really make me smile :).
14.  Old photographs!  How often has the Lord used old photographs to remind me of His love, faithfulness, and goodness to me.  Like the commercial says:  Priceless!

One tired, but really happy mommy!!

Quotable Quotes...

A parenting nugget ~ "Encouragement after failure is as important as praise after success."

Mark Gregston

I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart...

One of my favorite blogs to read is Ebenezer Stories. Beth is someone that I would love to have tea with and learn from on a daily basis. She participates in 1000 gifts which is beautifully explained here. Oh, I have so many things to be thankful for on a moment-by-moment basis!

1.  For my sweet husband...I mentioned that I would like to change the look of my website, and viola!  I have to be careful of what I mention because he will jump all over it.  Sweet, sweet man!
2.  My lovely daughter, Alex, who spent all Sunday afternoon preparing for her new venture of collecting frozen casseroles for us to take to the Harvest Center in Charlotte.  She made four spaghetti casseroles (and did an amazing job cleaning the kitchen afterwards) and a cute-as-can-be flyer to pass around at dance.
3.  SNOW!  The Lord blessed us with a beautiful covering this weekend.  It was great to clear the docket and just enjoy peace, quiet, and family for the weekend.
4.  Snuggling close with Abigail and reading "Night Journey" by Avi this weekend.
5.  Family devotion times - great reminder today from Exodus 15...God moves mightily in our lives and days later, we can begin to complain.  Lord, help me to thank you in all circumstances.
6.  Great teaching and teachers who share their heart.  I've been so enjoying reading and listening to resources from Mark Gregston.  He has a free ebook, emails etc. to encourage parents of teens.  Good stuff!

So blessed...the adventures continue

My sister Lauren has been encouraging me to continue contributing to my blog. My thought: "What in the world do I have to contribute in the blog world?" Since then, I've had a few thoughts or ponderings that I would then think, "I could put that on the blog". Then my next thought: "Why would I do that?" O.K...the debate still rages on in my head, but I figure that I will use this place as a record of my adventures as a wife, mom, teacher, and follower of Lord...if nothing else than to look back on it and see how the Lord has so greatly blessed me.

I originally started the blog to record our trip to California, so that my awesome family members could enjoy the trip along with us. We had a wonderful snowy evening last night that has continued into today. What this means for those that don't live in NC is that EVERYTHING shuts down! The girls and I headed to the grocery store yesterday afternoon before the storm came in to grab something for dinner. When I commented to the bagger about the crazy amount of people at the store, he said, "Well, the world is coming to end...people want to be prepared!" It really did look like it from the amount of intensity in Food Lion!

Anyways...all of the plans for the weekend were cancelled...yay! Always loving a great family moment, Jerry put a long in the fireplace, hooked his laptop to the tv, and made the announcement, "FAMILY VIDEOS!" We spent over an hour watching the slideshows and videos and reliving our awesome trip to California this summer. I was reminded again about God's gift to our family in the form of special time together! I have become keenly aware of how fast time is moving...my oldest will be getting his license in just over four months. Special times all together are a real blessing!

So...full circle back to contributing to the blog...it was definitely a fun part of our trip...each night documenting the fun we had for that day and posting the pictures. Let's see if I enjoy posting on a more daily basis as our family journeys together...

We're going HOME!

We are sitting in the Sacramento airport waiting to board. We originally were going to drive from Yosemite to Sacramento early this morning to catch our flight. The first night we were in Yosemite, we had some bug "issues" - major ant attack while we were on the back porch of the house eating dinner and then the girls found several large bugs in their room before they went to bed. Ab woke us up about 3:30 saying that she couldn't sleep because there were so many bugs. I got into the double bed with the two of them for a bit to help her fall asleep. The next day, I called them the Mexican Jumping Beans because they would both start to fall asleep and then would startle awake thinking that bugs were on there (or maybe they actually were). The next night we had the mouse in the house incident. In talking with the owners, they have the view that they live in the country and they don't like to kill anything - even in the house. Hmmm... It was to the point where when we left for the day for Yosemite, we came back and there were spider webs in the kitchen just from when we had left before. We figured we needed a bugless/rodentless night sleep, and so we used some of Jerry's AmEx points to get a hotel in Sacramento. Jerry said if he wanted to sleep with bugs and rodents, we would have camped...and we all know what Jerry thinks about camping. It turned out to be a great decision because Old Historic Sacramento is a fun place. We walked along the Sacramento River last night and enjoyed walking around in the historic district for awhile.

We have had a GREAT trip! It is cool to think about how initially we all had to learn to "enjoy" one another in smaller spaces and sharing a bathroom...12 days later we are really good at it, and have practiced great teamwork (think about moving to 6 different locations with all of our STUFF!), and have enjoyed wonderful fellowship with each other. What a blessing from the Lord this time together has been!

Thanks for following us...we can't wait to catch up with all of you when we get home....

We're leaving on a jet plane...(sorry, I couldn't resist the John Denver, that song always goes through my head when I'm traveling!)

mouse in the house

California is so cool! San Diego, LA, Pacific Highway, Sequoia, and Yosemite were really fun. Alex and Abigail already blogged about their favorite parts of the trip and they wrote about the same thing I would write. So Im going to write about something different because it would probably get boring reading the same thing three times. We stayed at a house outside of Yosemite and it had a river, bball court, and pool. Last night I was in bed and I heard the something like little feet running and plastic bags being moved around. I looked and next to the couch I was sleeping on was a mouse. Now Im not afraid of mice but I was like "man I wish I could catch that mouse." So me and my dad built a homemade mousetrap. We got a cooking pot and held it up with a chapstick bottle. Then we tied a shoelace to the bottle and I held the other end of the lace. Then we put some peanut butter under the pot. I held the other end of the string and waited for the mouse so that if he came I would pull my end of the string and the pot would fall over him. Now it was probably about 1:30 at night and my dad went to bed. I stayed up and waited for the mouse. 3:30 came around and the mouse still hadnt fallen for the trap.(the only way I stayed awake was by listening to some rock music) I would like to say that the mouse came I pulled the string and caught the mouse. Then I killed it or put it outside(I probably would have killed it) But that didnt happen. I finaly fell asleep and when I woke up the next morning none of the peanut butter was gone. So I wouldnt have caught him anyway. Thanks for reading!

Alex's favorite parts of the trip

Since this is our last day I thought iIwould tell you the best parts of our trip or what I thought were the best. I had a really fun time at Sea World except the beginning when i almost passed out but the rest of the day was awesome! We saw some cool shows and went on Atlantis and the rapids. That was really fun. Oh and it was really awesome when we got to kayaking in the ocean! (I do not know how to steer very good so we bumped into at least everyone twice.) The beach was fun but the ocean was REALLY REALLY cold!!!!!! So i just tanned and passed the football with Randy and this other guy who let us pass with him. (It was the other guys ball we did not bring one.) Sequoia was really cool! The trees were giganormas!!!! One day in Sequoia was not my day because I fell at least 4 times on one trail. The first time I fell on a rock on the side of the path and scraped my foot and leg up and they started bleeding and then I fell again and scraped up my other leg. Then one time I was right next to a river and I put my feet in and then I fell into the FREEZING cold water. Ya that was not my day!! Then we went to Yosemite whitch has a really cool water falls!! We went on a raft down Merced River in the Yosemite Valley. There were these girls and they had water guns and were spraying some one who I think was their family. Well after a little while they stopped and so we went to the girls and Abigail stole one of there water guns! So we had a really fun fight! Then when we tried to give them there water gun back it fell into the water and not in the boat so I jumped in to get it and my foot hit a rock which really hurt...but ya that was fun!!!! oh and we jumped of this twenty foot rock into the water it was super fun!!! The place was called Rainbow falls. Well that was it!!!! I had a really awesome time!!!! Can't wait to wake up early tomorrow and jump on a plane!! jk see ya soon

The View (by Jerry)

As Jen mentioned I have been the one taking most of the pics this trip. I've been trying to capture some of the beautiful creation that we have seen while we have been out here. While my favorite pics are the ones with my darling family in them, I thought I would post some of my favorite scenery pics for you. The flowers were taken on the top of a mountain while driving along the Pacific Coast Highway. The drive was simply beautiful. The picture with the emerald water was taken at China Beach at Point Lobos and what I think is my favorite picture, the one with the golden rock was also taken at Point Lobos at Bird Island Trail. The two mountainous pics were taken at Yosemite. The one with the full mountain range is a picutre of Yosemite valley. You'll see El Capitain on the left.

I know pictures can't capture all the buauty, but I hope you enjoy the pics.

Rafting (written by Abigail!)

On Friday we went on a beatiful raft ride in Yosemite. It was REALLY fun!! I swam a few times when we were out on the raft and it was extremely cold! After a little while we saw three girls on another raft. They were splashing their friends and the girls had two water guns that they were shooting too. When we caught up to the three girls they were were having trouble steering. I was the closest to them and the water gun was on one of the girl's laps. I reached over and grabbed the water gun out of the girl's lap! They still one gun, so we started a water gun fight! Unfortunetly we had the gun that was a little broken but it was still REALLY fun!! We gave their water gun back and they had to go ashore for a while because they thought their raft had a leak in it. We had a GREAT time rafting and if any of you guys are going to go to California, I recommend going to Yosemite!

Day 10 - The Beautiful Yosemite

Well, we did it! We were up and out the door by 7:45 this morning, and, boy, did we have a FULL day. We easily found a parking spot and then were able to successfully take the free shuttle to our first hike...and it was a doozy! We went on a trail called Mist Trail because at several points you are walking so close to the falls that you are getting wet from the mist. It was 1.7 miles - UP! Lots of steps and a really steep grade. The girls and I love our flip-flops and didn't know that this hike was going to so steep, so we wore the dumbest shoes you can on such a hike! The scenery was GORGEOUS, though. Totally worth all of the effort. Mom Schroeder the saying that you remind me of, "He never said it would be easy; He said it would be worth it!" came to my mind several times as we were pushing our way up to the top (and coming down, too - my thighs were shaking by the time we made it down.) I LOVE the spiritual lessons that the Lord shows me during these times of appreciating the beauty of His creation.

Then we rented a raft and rafted 3 miles down the Merced River. This river cuts right through the center of Yosemite Valley. So, you raft down (going with the flow of the current) and look around you to the most amazing of sites. They then have a shuttle pick you up and bring you back to the start.

At this point, we are just plain 'ol tired...but we literally have miles to go until we sleep. We've hiked and spent a couple hours in the sun. We decided to jump on the air conditioned shuttle to the Visitor Center and the famous Ahwanne Lodge which has been around since the early 1900s. They have a wedding garden and there was a beautiful wedding going on just as we got there. We enjoyed watching (from a good distance) the bridal party and bride walk down the isle. There were other spectators like us, too, even though it sounds strange. One lady was standing there in her bathing suit - strange.

We then headed to the Lower Yosemite Falls hike and then the Mirror Lake hike. We figured out that we hiked about 7 miles today. All very beautiful! One the way out we stopped and looked at the HUGE El Capitan and Bridal Falls. A really wonderful day!

Jerry has been the photographer this week and has thoroughly enjoyed getting some great pictures of the scenery. He took over 200 pictures, but I will just put 5 up because the computer is uploading them slowly.

We are TIRED and are planning a quiet day hanging out here on the property (maybe heading over and letting the kids jump off some more rocks) and getting ready to head to Sacramento on Sunday morning for our flight out.

I am going to teach the children how to post to the blog tomorrow and let them tell you their favorite parts of the trip.

Sorry for the long post...

Love you all!

Fun! Fun! Fun!

Before we left, Randy's friends, Nate and Zack, told him about a cool place in Yosemite where there is a waterfall and you can jump off of rocks into the water. I had forgotten to ask their mom about the location of this awesome place before we left. We had discussed it and said that since the park is HUGE, we may not be able to find the exact location, but we could definitely ask around. Today as our host was giving us the low-down on the park for tomorrow, we asked him about this location. Well, it turns out that it isn't in the park, but just outside of the park...5 minutes away - right across the street from where we are staying! TOO COOL! I've attached two videos of their bravery. (Mom and Dad, this reminded me of the quarry in Canada...remember? I told Jerry that I remember having dad jump with me the first time because I was too scared to go by myself. We were glad that our children didn't ask us :))

Day 9 - Our final move

Randy even enjoyed playing with the dogs.

The river that runs beside the house - I found a rock and made it my seat even though it looks like I'm sitting on the water!

The view is from their yard and the house is another one of their rentals.

We spent a good part of the day in the car...Jerry wins an award for mountain driving! I haven't gotten behind the wheel since we've gotten here. (I think Jerry fears for all of our lives with me driving in the mountains - can't say that I blame him:). We drove out of Sequoia through King's Canyon. There was a prescribed fire on the way out - wow, smokey! We rented a small cabin/house for the last leg of our trip. After spending the last 8 nights in hotel rooms with 5 people, having a little extra space is really great. The grounds here are BEAUTIFUL. Our bedroom is right next to the river that runs through their property which borders Yosemite park. We have our window open and can hear the water running. The family that owns the place lives on the property as well. They are really hospitable and knowledgable about the area. They have 4 other cabins/houses that they rent out in addition to their own home. They have 4 dogs that are as friendly as can be, and the girls have made instant friends with them. The small terrier (Liza Jane) had puppies 6 weeks ago, and the girls have been loving on them and playing with them. The puppies are a terrier - pug mix and are really cute. They have been trying to convince us to stow one away in our luggage on the way home.

The house is really well-stock with games, and the children and I enjoyed a fun game of Dogopolgy tonight on the porch. It was great to have a home-cooked meal (well, Stouffer's lasagna) for dinner tonight.

We are planning a "Yosemite on Steroids Day" tomorrow. Our trusty host recommended that we get up and out early...(remember I mentioned about the slow-moving machine that is the Schroeder family?!? The shuttle that we missed was at 10AM!!) He suggested that we get up and get out by 7:30 because there are lots of visitors in the park this time of year, and it may be difficult to get a parking spot. We plan on seeing all that we can see tomorrow. In our cabin is a cool poster/drawing done in the 1930s of the park. Our host talked us through lots of plans and ideas of things we can do tomorrow. The alarms are set for 6:30 and the bags are packed...I'll let you know how successful we were at departing anywhere near early AM...I think we can, I think we can...

We are planning on having a restful day here at the cabin on Saturday as we prepare to head home on Sunday. There are some really fun things to do right here at the cabin (I'll tell you more about one of them in my next post.)

Thanks for following us and making comments...it has been fun letting you all know what we are doing. I miss you and can't wait to hear what has been happening in your worlds when we get back.

Day 8 - More Sequoia Pictures

At the top of Moro Rock!

Day 8 - Sequoia

At the bottom of the Moro Rock steps.

Well, in my last post, I mentioned that we were going to take the free shuttle around the park. For those of you that know us :), you know that we aren't the greatest of public transportation people. We arrived at the shuttle pick-up just minutes too late - much to my irritation :). It is now the running joke about missing the shuttle and mom! It is quite a feat getting the troops ready each morning. Every one needs a shower and bathroom time to groom...needless to say we are a slow-moving machine. We ended up driving to the hike we wanted to go on - Moro Rock. 400 steps to the top of a beautiful view. We did make it in time for the Ranger Talk there and learned about the different types of rock formations (granite, marble, and something else :). From there we went back to the room and Jerry and I TOOK A NAP! We are on vacation, but hadn't a nap in a week :). The kids explored a bit outside and then read a bit...they definitely don't need naps...just their poor, tired parents. We then went on a 3 mile hike to see a beautiful waterfall. We had a bit of a miscommunication with our oldest two adventurers. We thought they were heading to the bottom of the falls where there was a swimming hole; they thought that they told us they were going back down the trail. Hmmm....it was a bit of a stressful time for Jerry and I trying to figure out what could have happened to them. It was a great lesson about sticking together! Why is it that the challenging times are the things that produce the fruit and teach the great life lessons? Needless to say, we were all happily reunited at the bottom of the trial. We then had a picnic dinner by the side of the river and then did some rock hopping. Then off to an early bed! Another great day!

Day 7 - Sequoia National Park

We said good-bye to the beautiful ocean today and drove to Sequoia National Park. We hiked to see "General Sherman" - not the tallest or widest tree...but the biggest by volume (not sure what that means) but it was very impressive. We attended a Ranger Talk/Campfire this evening about bears. She told the story about Winnie the Pooh (Grandpa, she told all about the movie we saw at your house in June :). We would love to see a bear - just not have an up close and personal experience with one! We are staying at a nice lodge inside of the park. We just finished dinner in the main lodge and poor sweet Alex is sleeping off a headache in our room. We are at 7,000 feet, so I thinks she just didn't adjust well to the altitude. When we get back, she will be rested and ready for some type of party. The rest of us are real tired and heading to bed! Randy is playing chess with a little boy here in the lodge. We are going to head out tomorrow for a hike to Moro Rock...they have a free shuttle here that takes you to different hikes, so we will take advantage of that and give Jerry a break from the twisty-turny driving that he has been doing for two days. We love you all and miss you! Thanks for "following" us!

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

We love you and hope you had a BLESSED day!