I asked my 2 older girls what the deal is.  I actually know some of what the deal is, but still......

   This past August, Ashley, who was 21 at the time, got an email from a Guatemalan missionary she had met on her 3 mission trips there.  She had spoken to him a little, but not much conversation.  She knows a little Spanish, he knows less English.  : )  So, this email said, "I have a question.  Can I email you?"  She replies, "Sure."  So, she's waiting on him to email the question.  Problem is, "Can I email you?" was the question.  I kept trying to tell her he was interested in her, and she kept insisting that he wasn't, that she had barely talked to him the month before when she was there, he had been talking to another young woman on the trip, etc.  It took a few emails for her to realize that, yes, indeed, he was interested.  There are several problems with this. 

 One is that she does not feel the call to a tiny village high in the mountains in Guatemala.  As much as she loves Guatemala, she doesn't think that is where she is supposed to be.  Interestingly, several years ago, she thought that is what she would like to do, but in the past year or so, has prayed and determined that she is called to ministry here. 

Problem number 2 for her.  She was 21, and he was 32!  I know many people marry someone much older, but she is not comfortable with it at all. 

The only thing he asked in the beginning was could they be friends.  In Dec., he asked her if she had a boyfriend.  She told him no, and that she was waiting on the man God wanted her to marry.  The emails stopped.  LOL!  Only for a short while.  She is in the predicament that he hasn't outright asked her anything, so she can't "nip it in the bud", but she is trying her best not to encourage him to "ask anything."  Since he's still emailing, I don't know if it's working. 

Fast forward to Feb.  Briana has started practicing for Shenandoah, and as she's talked about the different girls and women she has met and talks and laughs with during rehearsals, a certain guy's name keeps popping up.  I asked her about him, and she told me he was about mid 20's (she's 19), and that he's nice, but that she's not attracted to him.  She had noticed that he is different from the other men in the play (in a good way).  She didn't really have any interest, but was still going to keep her ears open for God.  Their opening night was March 19th, and just about that time, he added her as a friend on Facebook, where she saw he is a Christian.  And, much to her surprise, she saw that he was 32!   She told me, "Well, that settles any question."  Three or four days after opening, he asked her out!  She was totally freaked out, and called me in MS while we were down there.  Thankfully for her, he did not have her telephone number, was not going to see her before the next show, so instead sent her a private message on FB to ask if she wanted to go out after the next show.  She was glad because it gave her time to think!  : )  In the end, she explained to him that she didn't feel comfortable with the age difference.  His response was very nice.  He told her how much he appreciated her honesty, and that she was a very nice girl.  He also told her that he had not been sure about the age difference either, but had "never been faced with that before". 

So, what's the deal?  Why are my young daughters being pursued by men in their 30's?????  I personally think that a great part of it is that, just as Briana noticed a difference in this guy, the guys notice a difference in them.  They see they are different.....not like all the other girls; set apart; not of this world.  For that, I am truly thankful. 

(I don't think my girls are any more special than your children.....I think there are many of us out there, who can be proud to say that are children are different!)

I tell you something else.  Mature "young" men out there are hard to come by.  We've not seen any yet.    We know God will bring them at the perfect time. 

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Briana turns 19 today.  Even though she's the 2nd child of 4, she will always be "the baby" because there are 8 years between her and Marissa.  "Our baby" is also our first to leave home as you experienced with me this August.  As much as we miss her, we are all happy that she is training for things she has dreamed of for many years.

Briana is outgoing, funloving, and a child at heart, but it's tempered with a Godliness and desire for Him.   When it comes to her faith, she is no-nonsense. 

This is Briana in the middle, doing what she loves~musical theater.

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       Ashley is 22 !!!

We're throwing her a blog party! 

If I could give Ashley her earthly heart's desires, I would wrap up~

A trip to Israel

A trip to Kenya

A horse

A monkey

Her friend Sweet Ruth, who now lives in Guatemala

Ashley is a joy and a light.  A Godly young woman, seeking to serve and love others in Christ's name.  Join me in wishing Ashley a very happy 22nd birthday!!  She's anxiously looking forward to her sister coming home late this afternoon to celebrate with her.

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It's amazing to me that my little girl turned eleven today! 

Last Saturday we took her with 2 of her friends and Daniella to Wacky Bear.
Trying to choose the perfect bear

There were so many "oooohs" and "ohhhhhhs" over all of the little clothes.

Coming to life

This is a good friend of Marissa's.  They play together a good bit.  She's only a year and a half younger than Marissa.  She's just very petite.  Marissa is actually very small compared to most kids her age.  Another friend below in the blue soccer shirt, is also smaller than Marissa, and she is 9 months older than Marissa. 

They love their bears~meet Bubbles and Morgan.

A successful shopping excursion~4 bears and a dinosaur, not to mention several outfits that the girls bought themselves. 

The extra little girl on the right end is a sibling that came along.  No, Daniella is not that tall (on the left).  She's sitting on the window ledge~hence no feet below the bag.  Can you see all of the photographers reflected in the window? 

We left Wacky Bear and went to a small park close by.  It was a beautiful sunny day, great temp with a breeze, and the park is right on the river. 

Playing tag.  The two facing this way are on base. 

Yes, the bears went to the playground, too!

Taking a rest

What we're resting from

A great time was had by all, and it was a happy day for the birthday girl.

Today the family is going to play putt-putt (mom has 4 free passes!) I have a strawberry freezer cake made (her favorite that she has every year), and I'm making one of her favorite meals for dinner. 

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Heidi made me cry.  Not just once, but twice.  (actually, 3 times, but that's another story!)  She had this video on her blog, and I wanted to share it with you all.  It's called Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman. 

When I watched it the first time, I cried.  When I watched it with James later, I cried and had to go to my room to bawl.  A few reasons (one being I'm probably PMS)---I have 4 girls, the silhouette of the young woman ballerina in the video looks just like my Briana, Ashley and Briana have been ballerinas since they were four, and they are both young adults now and will be leaving our home in a very short time.   If you have daughters, especially older ones, grab a tissue. 

I told you! 

You'll notice I've made a few changes to my blog.  It's not finished yet.  I'm going to try a few more things. 

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Today Briana celebrates her 18th birthday!!  She, too, is a wonderful, amazing daughter.  Briana is one of those who always brings such a sparkle to life.  She has a happy, out-going, light-hearted, "child-like" personality.  She's bouncy!!  From a very early age, Briana had a tender and compassionate heart.  Even when she little, if someone was tearful or upset, she was right there, rubbing on their arm, just standing beside them in loving support.  She still is. 

Briana loves the Lord, and is strongly committed to following him, sacrificing things in her life if they are in the way of a life of purity or of following Him.  She loves, loves, loves drama, but if a part is not pure, she won't take it, even though she doesn't get many opportunities. 

In addition to drama, Briana loves ballet and "broadway or musical theatre" type dance, and is also on a praise dance team.  She has been playing the piano since she was five.  She enjoys interior decorating, and is majoring in that in college, with a minor in theatre. 

Happy Birthday Sweet Briana!

9 weeks old

We had to cut her bangs when she was 3 months old.  This next picture was taken at 6 months.  Look at that hair!

Her first ballet recital

Performing as a mouse in the Nutcracker with the Knoxville City Ballet.  (This year she is the Dew Drop Fairy with the Smoky Mountain Ballet, as well as a demi-soloist!!)

Her senior ballet photo

We love you to pieces!!

Stop by and wish her Happy Birthday HERE!

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Today (the 27th), our oldest daughter, Ashley, turns 21 !!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY!!

WE LOVE YOU!!

Ashley is such a joy and great daughter, with a gentle and quiet spirit.  She has such a servant's heart, and wants to do nothing but have a life pleasing to the Lord.  Since she was in 1st grade, she has felt a calling to missions or ministry of some kind.  That has never wavered, and she is preparing herself through school and her growing relationship with the Lord, waiting for the area God will call her to, whether it's full time ministry, volunteering, counseling, or through her writing. 

Ashley is always there willing to help me out, whether with things in the house, helping me with the little girls, or running errands.  She is my friend.  I frequently ask her input and opinions on things.  She is fun-loving, funny, helpful, sincere, mature, hardworking, devoted, and passionate.  I love to spend time with her. 

Other than mission work and writing, she also dreams of traveling to far off lands (she'll have to wait for a husband that dreams of far off lands!!), having a family, and possibly adopting. 

If you are interested in reading Ashley's exciting entrance into this world, you can click HERE.  There are also several of her baby and growing up pictures there. 

Here is a video that I will probably get in trouble for, but you've just got to hear this southern accent, and see my little cutie.  She was 2 1/2 in this video. 

You can stop by her blog and wish her happy birthday.

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   Marissa and I got back yesterday from our mother/daughter getaway to Gatlinburg.  This is only about 30 min. from our house, but is a different world.  For those not familiar with Gatlinburg, it is a tourist town---many would say trap!--nestled literally at the foot of the Smoky Mountains.  You drive straight out of the town right into the National Park.  Most of the town is along one main parkway, and you park and walk everywhere you go.  This is a picture Marissa took of a section of the parkway.

We had such a GREAT time.  It was really special spending that time alone with her.  Also, as you can see, it was not crowded at all.  She was the only school age child in the whole town, and there were only a few babies and toddlers.  In about 3 weeks, you won't be able to budge on that sidewalk for several weeks!  The weather was perfect--a little cool at night, but beautiful. 

  We got there Sunday afternoon around 4:30.  This was the view from our balcony just after sunrise the next morning. 

After getting settled in the room, we hit the parkway window shopping, mostly.  I bought her and Daniella new outfits for their Wacky Bears (like Build-a-Bear), and she bought herself a couple of things.  We had a nice dinner, and just strolled around. On Monday, we went to a couple of stores and played 2 games of putt-putt, with a break for ice cream in between! 

This is a neat putt-putt.  It's up on the side of a "mountain", overlooking the town.  It's super shady and pretty, and also has markers at each hole telling about the history of Gatlinburg, the National Park, and the settlers of the area.  Marissa loves history, so she read every one. 

Lunch at Quiznos

Some of the fall decorations

We liked the window full of striped candy.  It was cool looking.

  After our late lunch, we went back to the hotel and rested for about an hour, then hit the indoor pool.  We ordered pizza in the room for supper while we showered and got ready to go back out.

  We decided to ride the sky lift, and were surprised we knew the lady working that night.  She gave us comp tickets, so we got to ride for free.  Marissa had never been up the Sky Lift before, and she loved it.  We like seeing all the lights at night. 

Marissa at the top of the Sky Lift

Afterwards, we walked around until the shops closed at 10:00. 

Tuesday morning, we walked up the parkway for breakfast, then packed up.  We drove just a few minutes to the Sugarlands Visitor Center for the National Park, and went to the nature museum.  This has taxidermy animals native to the park, along with native plants. 

Black Bear

 We also browsed the bookstore.  I got Marissa an If You Lived With the Cherokee book and a Step Into Reading book ---The Trail of Tears. 

And our last stop was driving a few more minutes to the river, where we sat and enjoyed the quietness for a few minutes.  We would have enjoyed that longer, but Marissa had reached "worn out" by that point.

I am so glad we took the time for this trip.  We built forever memories, and it was special to spend it with her. 

(The only things I didn't mention were the Cinnamon Melts, the caramel apple with nuts, and the chocolate fudge!)

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  The other day I was putting Daniella's (age 6) hair up.  She gave me one of her adoring, loving smiles, and very seriously, said, "Mama, I think you're cute even when you're hair is freaky."  

That, friends, is true devotion, 'cause let me tell you, some days it can be quite freaky.  Her statement still makes me smile.  It's become my favorite quote this week. 

Daniella at the creek on a hike with her daddy.

   Here's a clip I had wanted to show in the spring, and never got to it.  For some reason our computer won't let us post the video straight to here, so we had to link.  This is my 2nd oldest, Briana, doing the graduating senior father/daughter dance with her dad at the spring ballet recital.  Their moves were kind of limited, because the other dad had just had surgery or been sick (I forget), and he couldn't do much lifting.  It was still sweet and teary.  Briana and James are on the left.  And, no, my husband is not normally a dancer, but he has danced with his girls in 4 performances of the party scene in the Nutcracker.  He's a good dad!

Senior Father/Daughter Dance

Wasn't that sweet? 

   We're off to Dollywood for the afternoon.  Monday the Slidewinder closes for the season, and they've only ridden it once this year.  (horrors)  Hopefully, the holiday crowds won't be here yet, and all the other kids are in school.  So, maybe it won't be very croweded.  Have a great weekend!

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Okay, I know, that's really weird.  But, really.  Did she?  Did she snap Adam's head off for no particular reason when he came in from a hunt?  Did she sit in a dark corner of the cave and cry over nothing?  Scripture says that the woman would have pain in childbirth.  It didn't say anything about once a month.  Or, are we just to assume that went along with it?  However, some women now don't suffer, or very little.  Although, I am unfortunately not one of them, I have heard women say that they barely know it's there.  Well, that's not fair.  And, you'd think that if it was a consequence of woman's sin, then we'd all suffer.  So, is it possible that PMS, or as in my case DMS (During), is a result of the steady decline of our health due to poor diet choices and environmental yuck?  When was the first case of it?  I'm assuming no one really has the answers to my warped questions, but you can't ever tell.

I loved Christian comedian writer Becky Freeman's take on it in her book A View From the Porch Swing.    Her husband thought she was having a breakdown, and she knew it wasn't that time, so he sent her off to a cabin for a few days alone.....

......."It had been a touch of hormones afterall!  Then it dawned on me, if this had been Old Testament times, under Levitical law I'd have been routinely exiled like this--"set apart seven days" for 'customary impurity.'  
    I used to think, How awful to be 'put away' like you were something disgraceful just because it was your God-ordained female time of the month!  Now, I'm beginning to see the brillance of such a plan.  Oh, I might have protested the injustice of it all on some level if I'd lived back then, but eventually I believe it would have dawned on me that this shunning deal was not a bad arrangement for all concerned.  True, the men probably felt slightly superior.  But as long as the woman had a week off to go somewhere to sit and relax without having to skin goats or shear sheep or make stew, who cared?  Could this have been God's gift to women--a seven-day monthly jubilee?
    I keep envisioning that famous children's story where Br'er Rabbit pleads with Br'er Bear, 'Please, oh, please--just don't throw me in the brier patch!'  Only I picture an Israelite woman hiding her smile as she says, "please, oh, please--you're nt telling me I'm unclean are you?  What?  You want me to just sit?  Sit and relax, you say?  I can't even lift a tiny finger to cook or clean or scrub pots or milk goats?  How terrible."

I'm seriously thinking of trying to get this instigated in our house. 

That was just her fun look at the dreamy possibility.  Her point was really about women sometimes needing downtime, but it does sound good, doesn't it?  I'll tell you something, though.  As I've gotten older, I have definitely realized the value of taking it easier during that week.  I don't get to be shunned, but, I am thankful for a husband who understands that there are a few rough days, and on those days there may not be much accomplished.  I have had many years of pushing my way through it, and no one benefits (and as you get old like   me(!) your perspective changes!) .   We need to take care of ourselves, listen to our bodies and our spirits, explain it to our husbands if need be, and "enjoy" a day or two of shunning.  Have an easy supper or two, read a little more that day, stay off your feet, take a nap.....if you feel like I do, then you aren't joking when you say you're taking a sick day!!

Take care of yourselves ladies!  A little care today, will make our families much happier!

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