March
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2002 January to July July August September October November December 2003 JANUARY FEBRUARY March APRIL MAY March 2003 March 6, I just lost my entry for today. It was about how being a parent is very difficult at times but it also has it's rewards. Today we went to a beach in Gulf shores, Alabama. We invited Elaine and her dog Meg. The kids had a blast playing in the water and with the sand. Ron and I enjoyed wearing out Meg by playing ball. After we bought dry clothes for the kids Ron and Nikole shopped for my birthday. Tonight while I was in the shower Zakary asked me to stay longer. I told him the water was getting cold and he said "oh". Then he returned to ask if I could just wait in the bathroom so he could finish "making" my birthday present. Ron has decided to make this birthday an extra special one. I was praising God that Ron and I have come so far in such a short time. It is by obeying God's word and following His leading during my prayer life that has gotten us here. This trial has solidified my belief that God's way is the only way I want to go in my life. I praise Him for all that He is and for saving me. March 8 I had the best birthday ever! The kids woke me in the morning with breakfast in bed! They even had fresh strawberries. Then they loaded me with presents. All of which will make my taste buds happy and my scrapbook cool. Ron went all out yesterday. We left Alabama around 11:30 after getting air in the tires. The ride was beautiful. The sun shone and the air was warm. We did loose an hour and now we are back on east coast time. We arrived here at the Econfina River just before the office closed. We are camping on the river. Literally. This place is flooded! We managed to find one site that wasn't underwater. We are located in the middle of a wilderness tract. There are wild pigs, deer, alligators, opossums, and many raccoons. All of which sang us a lovely goodnight song. Quite the difference from the constant running fan at the last campground. We woke to the phone this morning. The kids slept better here than they did at the last campground. I really feel like we're out in the middle of no where. We didn't buy gas for the jeep on the way in and now I'm seriously concerned that we won't have enough to get us to the next gas station. The gulf coast is only a mile and one half away by way of the river! There is no road that leads there! Oh yeah we can go on an airboat tour of the area. The woman said there are bobcats here too. Where am I?! This is not the vacation Florida we are all familiar with that's for sure. Oh well, we'll get a lot of school in this coming week. God is giving us this time of rest after all of our Mardi Gras excursions. We do have a fire ring so if we ever find any dry wood we'll have a fire. That's always fun for Ron and the kids! March 14, Well we survived. The last campground was unbelievably buggy! There were millions of Noseeums. (I have no idea how to spell it but they are small black flies that bite) We were literally trapped in our motor home with the windows closed and the air on for 3 days of beautiful 80+ weather. The bugs were unbearable. It didn't matter what time of day or night either. In fact they found a way in every time we opened the door. We spent most nights on the hunt killing them by the dozens inside. Outside they attacked by the thousands. We are covered in bites. Now the alligators were cute. They didn't bother us at all. The frogs were loud at night but they were really no problem either. The kids had a blast catching shiners in the pond. But the bugs ruined it all. We did escape two days by riding into the town of Perry. The bug situation was much better. We found a little beach. It was more like a pond really. It had rust colored water. It was warm and shallow. The kids enjoyed being in the water again. It was hard for them to swim though so they got bored quickly. The beach was very small. It was if someone dumped a couple truck loads of sand there and they called it a beach. There were no "beaches" within a two hour drive really. The one good part of the stay at the campground was the people we met. Ron and I were able to help another woman with her computer. She is making a book with her ratings of the campgrounds she's visited. We also hooked up with Elaine and Meg again yesterday. The kids were so happy to see Meg. It was nice to have Elaine with us for dinner. She spoiled me with her home made eggplant parmesan. It was the best I've ever eaten. Right now we are in Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and Campground. It is huge! There are three camping sections as large as a regular campground. There are craft stores, canoe rentals, horse stables, and a pool. There are also building set up for "pickin". That is where campers bring their instruments and they jam. They also have concerts here right in the park. In fact they have a huge Blue Grass festival coming up next weekend. We have to leave a day earlier than we've planned because they will be packed and we would have to purchase a $120.00 ticket for the show. It's a four day event. From what we hear though it's not a place for kids. It will bring us to Hilton Head Island a day sooner. Maybe we'll slow the drive down and spend a night in a Wal Mart. The campground in Hilton Head will cost $31.00 a day! After not paying at all that seems like a lot of money to us. Oh well God has a plan I'm sure. Speaking of Him. I am still amazed at how many people we come into contact with who openly love the Lord. Sandy was praising Him yesterday and a man we met today was saying how we need a lot of prayer over what's going on with the Iraq situation. He said we need to pray for God's will. It is so nice to meet so many people who are focusing on Him and His ways. We are being refreshed with the people we come in contact with. Here they have a beautiful little chapel on a lake. It's make of red cedar as you can smell it when you pass by. So far so good. Weather wise they are talking about sever thunderstorms this evening and tonight. This area was hit very hard last week. They are still dealing with all the water damage. This area of Florida floods I guess. They have rivers so it makes sense. The temperatures are great though. Today I was HOT. It's humid but I'm happy. It's been in 80+ for the past 5 days or so. It beats the cold. We stopped at the Perry post office to pick up a package that Grammy sent to the kids. She spoiled them with all new winter clothes and coats. They had a blast changing in and out of them on the ride over here. It was a moving fashion show. They both loved their coats. Nikole commented she hopped that that one was for her because it is such a pretty blue. Zakary liked his arm shirt best saying it was a good length. Long enough so that Nikole wouldn't see his underpants when he changed. Everything fit perfect with enough room to grow too! We are praying that God will warm the temps up. Ron is worried about the lines freezing. Well the troops have returned for supper got to run! March 27, The past two weeks have been great! We were able to go to the beach and soak up the sun in South Carolina. First we stopped in Hilton Head Island. It's amazing how much South Carolina has grown over the past 9 years. Places before the island that I remember as being wooded is now huge shopping malls and subdivisions. The island itself is pretty much the same as it was developed 9 years ago. The only change that I noticed is that you have to pay to get into Sea Pines now. You can't even walk in without paying. Of coarse you can always go in by riding on the beach. There are trespassing signs to prevent you from going onto the bike paths and walkways though. We had two beautiful days there in the sun then we moved up the coast to Myrtle Beach. There we had another two days full of sun and sand. Myrtle Beach was so different I felt lost most of the time. The campground where we conceived Nikole had a McDonalds and a BP gas station in front of it. The small strip mall that was THE place to shop was almost hidden by all the other businesses that have developed in the area. It was amazing how much it's changed. It's a very busy place now. There is a new highway as well. After the four days on the beaches of South Carolina Ron and I are thinking about relocating here. The housing market is still in our range and with all the businesses down here there is plenty of work. The season is about to begin and we saw many help wanted signs. We have had a relaxing two days here in Virginia on lake Gaston. There is no phone reception or internet access but we have survived. The kids and I have played catch. Zakary is determined to catch with his right hand which means he has to learn to throw with his left. I tried to get him to switch but he will not do it. He throws much better with his right. He literally had to learn to throw all over again. With only two days practice he's gotten better. I figure if he practices enough he'll end up throwing just as well with his left so I'm not going to make him change. Nikole is throwing the softball really well. I'm impressed. She winds up like a big league pitcher, she even has the follow through. I'm surprised how hard she can throw it with accuracy. Her catching is coming along too. It's been a lot of fun bonding with them. I'm looking forward to settling down for them. I don't want them to miss out on team sports. Zakary really likes tennis. Everywhere we go he want to play. He's not really good at all but he loves to be out there and will play all day. I just wish I could help him more. I'm just a hack so there are things that he could be learning right now that would help him. Another reason to settle in one spot for a while. Tomorrow, God willing, we will be in Glen Bernie, Maryland. Ron's Aunt Donna lives there. It will be nice visiting family. We haven't seen here since Grandma Blanch's funeral. We had a blast the last time we were out there. We had thought about going into Washington to show the kids the monuments, treasury, white house and such but with the war going on those plans are up in the air. Speaking of the war I am so sick and tired of watching people protest in the streets. It's just amazing to me. These protestors are the same people who think abortion is a woman's right. They are the same people who promote violent films and video games, and who loot during a riot. Most of them are hippie throwbacks and kids who have no idea what they are talking about. It enrages me that they can waste their time and ours in such a manner. Not to mention that they are playing into Saddam's hands, embarrassing our troops, and our nation. Freedom is not free. We have had to fight for peace since the birth of our nation. Besides if they can't support our country they are free to leave at any time. Before the war began I thought it would do them good to change places with the Iraq people for a year. If at the end of that year they still feel that Saddam is a good guy then they should stay there. I bet after 3 weeks they would be crying to come back. I support President Bush and his actions. He's right! It's better to fight them with our military than to pick up the pieces with our firefighters and medical personnel after the crisis has hit again. What every one is forgetting is that 3,000 people died in New York. Innocent civilians not military or governmental employees. Now they are crying because a bomb accidentally killed 13 people. Oh well, we have 2,987 more to go to even the score. The great part about our nation is that we are not seeking revenge for those deaths. We will let God do that. We are seeking to gain our own security and peace in the world for the next few years or decades if possible. This nation hates Americans not because of anything we did to them, just because we are moral and powerful. It's the good against evil saga. The animosity will always exist in the hearts of evil people but that doesn't mean that we have to allow them to overpower us. I am proud to be an American, not only proud but truly grateful that God has given me this life of freedom. I don't think any of us here really know what it means to be oppressed. Not in this day and age. Even the black people have been redeemed. We are doing all that we possible can to make right the wrongs done by our ancestors. God's will is that all men should be treated equally. We, as a nation, have been achieving that goal. We, as a nation, have gotten lost along the way however when we removed God from the picture. Taking prayer out of schools was the beginning of and is the root of why children kill other children in schools. Why crime, homosexuality, abortion, and drug abuse is so ramped in our nation. It is the curse from turning from God. Has the wake up call gotten to you? Traveling around this great nation we have come into contact with so many fellow Christians who are proud to speak the name Jesus. We have come into areas with 3 Christian stations on the television and countless FM stations on the radio. It seems as if the wake up call has gotten out to the Christians and the call for revival and prayer is a priority with the Church. We see what is going on. We know that the heavens and the earth will fade away but God's word will always be. We know what lies ahead. But at the same time it is as if we can see the love of man growing cold in our own nation. We see pornography passed off as fashion. We seen murder being passed off as a woman's choice. We see our former president commit adultery, lie about it, then people support him because it's his private life. We've been told homosexuality is acceptable because that's the way they were born so it's OK to have two mommies or two daddies. We've seen discipline removed from the schools as well as the homes in the name of child's rights. All of this is going on while their children are watching and listening to television and music that supports violence, aggression, fornication, and rebellion. Then these same parents who allow this crap into their homes and schools wonder why kids are killing each other. They wonder how their daughter and sons got pregnant at such early ages. They are shocked when their teenagers and pre teens come home with piercing, strange clothing, and odd colored hair. But you know what? The Christian's aren't wondering why this is all happening. We know why. Satan has been successful in deceiving them. Right now they see evil as freedom and right and they see good as restrictive and infringing on their rights to pursue happiness. Satan has infiltrated this once strong, moral nation and he did it from the inside. We have allowed the ungodly to use "freedom of religion" and "separation of church and state", to remove the one thing that kept us united and strong. God. Plain and simple. If you take God out of the equation you have exactly what our youth is seeing today on all major media sources. Sin. Our nation was founded on Godly biblical principles. That is history. We have gotten to the point where we now think that we are why we are so powerful. We have forgotten the hard times. Through the generation of the grandchildren, who grew up in times of plenty and peace, we have taken away the one thing that gave us power and strength as a nation . God. And we are suffering the consequences of that action. Not because God wants to do us harm but because He said it would happen if we turned from Him. He does not lie. His word will never come back void. Again the Christians see this and they are praying. Unfortunately the only way to reach a man who thinks his way is light but is really darkness is hardship, suffering, and lack. How many people have come to God when there is just no where else to turn? How many rage out with "if you are real then show yourself" only to find Him? How many people live lives full of suffering running from the one thing they should run to? Then when they find Him they are the radical Jesus freaks everyone talks about. If you are on this site it's not by accident. If you haven't accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior the time is now. There is no reason to put it off. You may not get another chance. All you have to do is ask God to forgive your sins. Tell Him you are a sinner. He's listening to you right now. Ask Jesus to come into your heart. Make the decision to find out about God by reading His word, the bible. I suggest you buy a bible that is easy to read and understand. I love the New Living translation. Find a bible based church. Most importantly tell someone who is also a believer about your decision. Boy this turned out to be quite a soap box for me didn't it! It is a desire of my heart to have any one who is lost come to Christ. It is because of Him that I live. He gave His son for me. The least I can do is share with you that He gave His son for you too. Knowing God will change your life. It will give you a freedom that this world cannot give you. Knowing God will fill you with a joy that is unspeakable. The only way to experience this is to give your life to Him. I know because I've lived in both worlds. In the world I wasn't living I was dying. By giving myself to Christ I now have life. I pray you seek Him with all your heart. 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