I'd just like to post how much

I love my husband.

I do think I have the best one around.

If you think your husband is awesome, leave me a comment and tell us why.

Motivated

November last year I started dieting and exercising. I got motivated to lose weight and try to have a healthy body and lifestyle.

My routine was to do (many) crunches and leg lifts each day. I began at 100 each day and now can easily do 600-700 each time (without stopping). I also started watching what I ate and I drank as much water as possible. I started at almost 250lbs. in November and at my lowest I was 150lbs 2 months ago.

Around September (three months ago) I felt really good about myself and decided to stop pushing myself so hard and I started to slack off of my exercising. I really enjoyed the taste of cold drinks again too. Wow! I noticed my weight coming back again and it was quicker than ever. I would tell myself, "I will start my exercising again tomorrow." I'd also notice myself not able to control my cravings for sweets anymore. I knew what was happening. Just like the studies say that if you lose alot of weight fast, you normally gain in all back and more quick. I don't want that. I want to keep it off. It's been over a year now and I've kept it off-most of it. I've gained back about 15-20 lbs. I'm now around 170lbs. Now for my height and size, I suppose that isn't too bad, but it certainly isn't too good either. I know what I'm capable of and that is what I now expect.

I did start exercising again last week. I see very little difference at this point which I know what to expect and the time frame to expect it in. I know not to expect drastic changes over night. However, I am buckling down to discipline myself to be strong in my faith that Yahweh wants me healthy. Certainly not for vain reasons, however, I do want to look my best for my husband. I want to be pleasing to him but mostly to Yahweh. I want to be used and I can't do that if I'm always sitting around the house and never want to leave because I'm embarrassed of my weight.

I didn't track my progress on my blog last year for the drastic weight loss, however I plan to from this point on. My next post will have my before and after pictures and more of my struggles along the way.

My prayer is that we all live healthy lifestyles for the high-esteem of Yahweh. Lastly, eating all clean foods has helped alot. We started eating only Scriptural clean foods more than 2 years ago. That makes a big difference in our health in the long run and it is most pleasing to Yahweh. (Pleasing Yahweh is the point of my life anyways.)

So, work with me and start a new lifestyle at this point. I will not guarantee you all pleasing numbers on the scale, nor will I guarantee you no pain. But, I will say this....

"NO ONE EVER SAID IT WOULD BE EASY, JUST WORTH IT"

This is what the sign says at my gym.

*SMILE*

P.S. D.H. (you know who you are), I know the struggle of dieting, but you hang in there. You are doing great! Best thing, you have an awesome wife that want the best for you and is there helping you along the way by preparing the best foods for you. (HalleluYah for awesome wives for the husbands.) !!Squirrel!! Anyways, like I said, you are looking great and doing a great job for yourself. Stay with it.

Ahava,
Amanda

I feel

THANKFULThankful

Hebr 13:15 (NKJV) Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to Elohim, that is, the fruit of [our] lips, giving thanks to His
name.
Ephe 5:20 (NKJV) giving thanks always for all things to Elohim the Father in the name of our Master Yahshua the
Messiah,
1The 5:18 (NKJV) in everything give thanks; for this is the will of Elohim in Messiah Yahshua for you.
Phil 4:6 (NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and

supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to Elohim;
Psal 105:1 (NKJV) Oh, give thanks to Yahweh! Call upon His name;

...................

What are you thankful for?
Post it in the comment area.

PS...I DO NOT CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING.

THIS IS NOT A THANKSGIVING POST.

I AM THANKFUL EVERYDAY.

*SMILE*

I feel Joyful!!!

I Feel
JOYFUL

Joyful

Roma 5:11 (NKJV) And not only [that], but we also rejoice in Elohim through our Master Yahushua the Messiah, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Roma 12:15 (NKJV) Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Phil 4:4 (NKJV) Rejoice in Yahweh always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Jame 5:13 (NKJV) Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.

Luke 10:20 (NKJV) "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

P.U.S.H.

A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and YHWH appeared. YHWH told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. YHWH explained that the man was to PUSH against the rock with all his might...

So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sunup to sundown, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might! Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Since the man was showing discouragement, the adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind: (He will do it every time)! 'You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn't moved.' Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.

Satan said, 'Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough.'

That's what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of Prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to YHWH. 'YHWH,' he said, 'I have labored long and hard in Your Service, putting all my strength to do that which You have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?'

YHWH responded compassionately, 'My friend, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed.. But, is that really so?

Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back shiny and brown; your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be Obedient and to push and to exercise your Faith and trust in My Wisdom. That you have done. Now I, my friend, will move the rock.'

At times, when we hear a word from YHWH, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He Wants, when actually what YHWH wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the Faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still YHWH Who moves the Mountains.

When everything seems to go wrong..........................Just P.U.S.H.

When the job gets you down..................................Just P.U.S.H.

When people don't do as you think they should.............Just P.U.S.H.

When your money is 'gone' and the bills are due...........Just P.U.S.H.

When people just don't understand you .....................Just P.U.S.H.

P = Pray

U = Until

S = Something

H = Happens

One of my favorite things about being a stay-at-home mom....

One of my favorite things about being a stay-at-home mom....

Piling up on my king size bed and watching a good wholesome movie late of the morning when it is yucky and rainy outside. Wow how cozy a down comforter and hot chocolate is when you have your loved ones snuggling with you for hours. Wanna talk about comfort, love, and a sense of security!

More pictures

♥ HananiYah and JedidiYah ♥

♥ Me (Amanda) and JedidiYah ♥

♥ Jeff and I are watching JedidiYah's ball game ♥

♥ Jeff taking a break from ice skating ♥

♥ My dear sweet husband loving on me ♥

♥ My sweet daughter, HananiYah, and my best friend, Yessika ♥
after a round of bad mitten

Some new pictures from 2010

My sweet sister in HaMashiach and me. Todah for being my best friend.

Picture taken by HananiYah.

An angel in disguise. *Smile*

My trip to CA with YKA.

My bestestest friend and me at the river.

My handsome prince charming with Momma.

HananiYah now has her permit. Yep....much riding for me insteading of driving. Now can relax and safely text to ya, YKA. hee hee.

My humerous JedidiYah playing around at the Dollar Tree. Too funny ya are...

HananiYah is cold while Daddy and JedidiYah are fishing.

My angel, JedidiYah.

This is me and the picture was taken by my HananiYah. Good job HananiYah. Ya well on your way to becoming a photographer.

My own self portrait. hee hee.

My dearest sweetest hubby in the universe cuddling with me on the couch.

My awesome hubby blowing the shofar to welcome in Sabbath.

This is my beautiful sis in HaMashiach and bestestestest friend in the universe!!!!! Sweet YKA!

This is my beautiful and very bright daughter, HananiYah.

What We Believe

What We Believe

We are seekers of truth who are trying to get back to the true and righteous path that has been lost over generations of tradition and corruption. We do not claim to have all the truth, but we are endeavoring to obey the truth that we have learned so that we might be given more truth. Please consider these words.

“Thy Word Is Truth” (John 17:17b)

First and foremost, in our search for truth we have concluded that the scriptures (commonly called the Christian Bible) contain the truth that we must be seeking.

“...Cursed is the man who trusts in man…”(Jeremiah 17:5)

Though there are many different beliefs among those who claim to follow the scriptures, what would happen if someone set aside thousands of years of tradition, corruption and watered down faith, and just went straight to scripture as their source of truth?

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” (Mt 10:28)

What if this same person decided that they were not going to care what people thought of them if they found something that was quite unusual or out of the mainstream? This has been our endeavor and we would like to share it with you. We have found many things in Scripture that are not normally accepted. But first:

Salvation

“Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” (Proverbs 20:9)

“Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Messiah, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (1 Peter 1:18)

We absolutely do believe that we have all sinned and are in need of salvation through the Messiah. Without Him, we are lost and without hope.

“He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” 1 John 2:6

He is the sure foundation and rock of our salvation. He sets the example that we must follow.

“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18b)

Because all power in heaven and earth has been given to Him, He is worthy of our praise and honor . Any efforts of love / obedience on our part are in response to the Father’s love for us in giving us His Son.

Truthful Names

“I am Yahweh, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images.” (Isaiah 42:8)

One false tradition we have discovered is the removal of the Heavenly Father’s name from scripture, and the use of a man-made substitute, “the Lord”. It is simple historical fact that this has happened:

“Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, his name being revealed to Moses as four Hebrew consonants (YHWH) called the tetragrammaton, after the exile (6th Century BC), and especially from the 3rd century BC on, Jews ceased to use the name Yahweh for two reasons. As Judaism became a universal religion through its proselytizing in the Greco-Roman world, the more common noun elohim, meaning "god," tended to replace Yahweh to demonstrate the universal sovereignty of Israel's God over all others. At the same time, the divine name was increasingly regarded as too sacred to be uttered; it was thus replaced vocally in the synagogue ritual by the Hebrew word Adonai ("My Lord"), which was translated as Kyrios ("Lord") in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament.” Encyclopedia Britannica, under the heading “Yahweh”.
This tradition continues to this day. But nowhere in scripture do we find where it was Yahweh’s desire to replace His name with a title. In fact, His name is actually in scripture nearly 7,000 times, most often replaced with the title “Lord” in modern translations. While it is true that there are many titles that describe Him, He has only one personal name.

“That they may know that You, whose name alone is Yahweh, Are the Most High over all the earth.” (Psalm 83:18)

We have discovered that the Messiah’s name has also been changed from “Yahushua” to “Jesus”. The name Jesus is so modern that it isn’t even found in the original 1611 King James Bible, which contained no J’s (copy available upon request). The Messiah actually has the same name as “Joshua” (originally pronounced Yahushua), the son of Nun in the “Old Testament.” This is can be proven in your own King James Bible. Look up Hebrews 4:8 and Acts 7:45 and you will see that Joshua, the son of Nun is called “Jesus”! This is because everywhere “Joshua” (or more correctly Yahushua) was in the original text, the translators put “Jesus”. But is it all that important that we use the true names? Scripture says yes:

“Oh, give thanks to Yahweh! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!” (Psalm 105:1)

“And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of Yahweh shall be saved.” (Joel 2:32a)

“And in that day you will say: "Praise Yahweh, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, Make mention that His name is exalted.” (Isaiah 12:4)

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

“Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.” (Revelation 14:1)

We are not saying that all who are unaware of this truth are lost, but as truth seekers we must be obedient to the truth that is revealed to us. As we can see from the above scriptures (and there are hundreds more!), it really is important. We must believe what His word says, in spite of this tradition. If it didn’t matter, Yahweh would not have put His name there in the first place. This may seem confusing at first, but they were there originally and we are not about to change them.

The Whole of Scripture

“It is time for thee, Yahweh, to work: for they have made void thy law.” (Psalm 119:126)

“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against Yahweh: for it is not subject to the law of Yahweh, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:6-7)

We are unlike Jews in mainstream Judaism who only believe in the “Old Testament” portion of scripture. We are unlike most Christians who only apply the “New Testament” portion of scripture to their life. We believe in the whole counsel of Yahweh. As the Messiah said:

“Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old." (Matthew 13:52)

Contrary to popular belief, there is not a single line of scripture to support the abolishment or taking away of Yahweh’s law in the “Old Testament.” In fact, we have found that new testament scriptures support the keeping of His law. The Messiah even warned us:

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19

We have learned that fulfil means to “do”, not abolish or destroy. For instance, if we asked someone to bring us a glass of water and they did it, then they “fulfilled” what we asked them to do. “Fulfill” does not mean “abolish” or “destroy”. In fact, that would be a contradiction of what He just said (“Think not I am come to destroy the law”). Rather, we are told that whoever does and teaches “these commandments” within the law will “be called great in the kingdom of heaven”.

There are many other scriptures in the “New Testament” to support this. Here are a couple more:

“For not the hearers of the Law are just in the sight of Yahweh, but the doers of the Law will be justified” (Romans 2:12)

“Do we then make void the Law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the Law.” (Romans 3:31)

We believe in doing the law and establishing the law by faith. We discovered that the Law wasn’t just for the Jews. In fact, the Old Covenant isn’t “Jew only” any more than the New Covenant is:

“Behold, the days come, saith Yahweh, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith Yahweh: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith Yahweh, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their Elohim, and they shall be my people.” (KJV, Jer. 31:31, Hebrews 8:8)

So scripture says that the New Testament/Covenant is also with Israel and Judah. In the New Covenant, His law is to be written in our hearts and minds. But how can we claim His law is in our hearts and minds if we are disobedient to it?

For these reasons and much more, we want to show our love toward Yahweh by desiring to keep His whole word. Just a few examples are: keeping the Sabbath on the original day (the 7th day, commonly called Saturday), turning our hearts to our children (Mal. 4:6), walking in “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance” (Gal. 5:22-23), women wearing head coverings (1 Cor. 11) and being keepers at home, and wearing tassels according to Numb. 15:38-40 and Deut. 22:12. In short, we believe that His word is true, His word is applicable, and His word is to be heeded, no matter what year it was written in.

Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Yahweh, and the faith of Yahushua.

So we neither rest in the keeping of His commandments alone, nor believing in Yahushua alone. The truth is in both. Yahushua kept the whole law. What would Yahushua do (WWYD)? That is what we believe. That is what we seek. Come and seek with us! Feel free to ask questions. :)

My family and I pray this helps you understand our religion a little better.

YHWH bless you.

Blessings,

Jeff, Amanda, and Family

Women/Wives

Ladies,

Here are a few scriptures I thought were worthy of mentioning.
I pray they bless your day.

Blessings,
Amanda

1 Peter 3:7
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

Ephesians 5:22

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto Yahweh

Ephesians 5:23
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Titus 2:3-5
That the ages women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good obedient to their own husbands, that the word of Yahweh be not blasphemed.

1 Peter 3:1-6
Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
But [let it be] the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:
Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.

Dinner Under $.75 a plate

Chicken & Dumplings (chicken on sale) --------------4.00
Beans------------------------------------------------.25
Mac & Cheese---------------------------------------1.39
cornbread--------------------------------------------.25
*Potatoes* (free from seed potatoes)-----------------.00
Tea--------------------------------------------------.25
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Total cost -------------------------------------------$5.99

Oh, by the way....there is enough food left for me to send Jeff a plate to work and for us to have for lunch tomorrow. So, I will figure the cost on how many plates I can get out of this one meal (with everyone getting a small second helping.)

Grand Total of ------------------------------------- $.62 per plate

*We bought 20 lbs. of seed potatoes for the garden. After cutting off the eyes, I ended up salvaging 2 gallon jugs of peeled potatoes. We can get three meal per gallon. That is what you call frugal.

I challenge you to find ways of saving!!

Blessings,
Amanda

Following the Law of Yahweh-What Does It Mean To Me?

What does following the Law of Yahweh mean to wives/mothers?

We have a great challenge not only to follow Yahweh's law, but also to help guide our family. Don't get me wrong. It is your husband's responsibility to lead. I am speaking more along the lines of the daily time you spend with your children. If you are like me, you have more time with the children than your husband does. Since my family is new to the law, we have had to transform our whole way of life. Our Creator knows what is best for us so we are better off following his instructions for our lives. However, it has challenged me to come up with new meal ideas while spending the same amount of money or less. Our wardrobe had to change. We are instructed to only wear clothing without mixed fibers. We learned to to make tassels or fringes for our four corners. I am responsible for making sure all unclean foods and products stay out of our home. I have to educate our children in daily life as to how to do the research on products in order to know what has clean or unclean ingredients. I also have to make sure to set an example for my daughter when it comes to preparing for Sabbath, making clothing, preparing meals, submitting to my husband. These are important responsibilities for a mother/wife. I have to be on my face before Yahweh everyday bombarding the Throne for help with my responsibilities. I have to pray for my husband's walk, my children's future, their future spouses, my unsaved loved ones, my brothers and sisters that are struggling with issues. I have to show kindness ever when it don't think it is deserved. I have to be hospitable even with it isn't convenient. I have to encourage even when I need encouragement.

I have a daughter in training and I want this to be a way of life for her. I don't want her to struggle with obedience, meal ideas, clothing options, or submission issues. I need to be her example. I, as well as my children, learn lessons better by seeing than by hearing.

Blessings,
Amanda

"Determined"

I labeled this post "Determined" for an important reason. I was and still am determined to bring my utility bill down. I feel we pay entirely too much on our utility bills and there had to be something we, as a family effort, could do about it.

~

I first had to make sure this would be something the whole family would be able to do and do consistently. I didn’t want to overwhelm any of us with a drastic change that would not last long.

~

Secondly, I called the water department and the electric system. I inquired about how to determine the gallons of water used and the amount of electricity used daily, weekly, and monthly. The folks at both places were more than willing to help me figure out ways of saving. They were full of helpful advice on checking to make sure I am not wasting water in various places.

~

Next, I started reading my water meter daily. Actually, I read my meter before and after I done anything in the house that used water. I read it before and after showers, laundry, dishes, supper, ect. Thanks to Beverly at the water department I finally figured out how to read my meter correctly. I determined what used the most water and ways of cutting back. Instead of constantly running the water to rinse dishes, I filled a small tub about half way to rinse the dishes in. I am saving about 20 gallons on each sink full of dishes. Instead of my little boy taking a shower, he now takes a bath. Believe me, he could stay in the shower quiet some time and none of us would even realize he’d been in so long.

~

I then focused on my power bill. I automatically knew several ways in which I could save in that area. But, there were things that I had to think about before I started this endeavor. When I was growing up, we had no dryer. I was the eldest of three and had the chore of hanging out clothes. I don’t think there was ever a time that I went to the clothesline and failed to tell myself, “I will never have a clothesline. I will have a dryer. I hate doing laundry. Why don’t they just buy a dryer? I will have a dryer…I will have a dryer… I will have a dryer…” Needless to say, I failed to realize that the reason we had no dryer is because it was the main way of running ones electric bill to an outrageous price for absolutely no reason. I am beyond that now. I still love the ways clothes smell when fresh from the dryer. However, I am also beyond that. I do not use my dryer anymore. I do still have it, but I don’t put it to use. It sits in my laundry room as a folding table and I enjoy saving money by using it as a table instead of a dryer. It has also challenged me to keep my laundry done up daily instead of having a couple laundry days a week. My clothesline is actually draped from pole to pole in the carport, one on each side. I don’t have much space, so that is the reason I must do one load of laundry each day. I do hang my clothes in my room on a rack to keep the freshness of the fabric softener in them.
Surprisingly, as an adult, I love to do laundry. I also love saving my family money.

~

Finally, I realized that my a/c could possible be turned up a few degrees and we’d probably never notice. We do have ceiling fans and that is the way we’ve been staying cool. I turned the a/c up to about 79 to 80 degrees. We have only had a few sweltering day that I wished I had left the thermostat alone. However, since my windows are usually up and the doors are normally open there is always a nice breeze blowing through the house. It reminds me of my Nanny’s house when I was small.

~

Are you are ready for me to tell you how much money we saved on our bills? Our power bill went from $193.00 last month to $137.00 this month. That’s a savings of $56.00 in only 3 ½ weeks. I could have saved a few more dollars if I had started a week earlier. Our water bill has gone from $80.00 to $58.00. That’s a savings of $22.00. I do plan to keep on and save even more next month.

~

I didn’t mentioned the savings we are getting on our phone bill by disconnecting the caller id, the internet by lowering our package, and Direct TV by having it disconnected. I also raised our deductible on our homeowners insurance from $500.00 to $1000.00 and that gave us a savings of $70.00 a month. We have a total monthly savings of $268.00. Now that’s a great job!! I love my sweet hubby and I enjoy making his hard earned money go much further. Oh, we won’t even talk about the money I saved by canning and freezing a ton of produce this summer. That’s for another post.

~

Gotta get goin’!!

I don’t want ya’ll (my internet friends) to cause me to get behind on my chores.

~

Blessings,

Amanda

Camping Again :)

Nick posing by a tree.

CJ posing by a tree.

CJ and Nick on the top of the truck.

Daddy taking a break from hunting and hauling firewood.

We had a great time (like always.) We actually took the kids camping this weekend for our daughter's birthday. She got the pink digital camera she has been dreaming of.

When my children look back at all of our pictures, I hope they realize I am (ALWAYS) the one behind the camera.

Blessings,

Amanda

Our Latest Camping Trip to David Crockett State Park

David Crockett State Part,

Lawrenceburg, Tennessee

After 2 1/2 years of praying, God finally blessed us with a camper. Not just any camper, but the exact camper we were praying for. We love to be together as a family, we love the outdoors, and we love to camp. We can still enjoy the great outdoors, but with the conveniences as well.

So, we went camping last weekend for the second time in our new camper. We had a great time. Our camping neighbors were Christian and very kind folks. I have heard many people talk about campers being the nicest people in the world. Well, that has proven to be true.

We had a few problems since we are new to the camper part of camping. Our neighbors were so helpful (from 25 years of camping.)

Here we are having problems figuring out how to work the awning.

Here is our little fire bug.

CJ and Nick playing UNO with our camping neighbors.

CJ counting the leaves on the new flower she found.

Nick picked flowers for me on the trail walk. He even pushed the limits to lean to the edge of the water to get that special one (while Daddy cautiously watched on.)

CJ carving her name in the tree.

Nick looking at the small waterfall.

This is an unusual plant we found while walking on a trail.

------------------

Saturday night, the family sat by the campfire and Daddy read scriptures to us. Luckily we had our own church service then, because we missed church the next morning. :)

Blessings,

Amanda Gowan