Mary turned 5!! I'm not sure how that happened but 5 years have passed since she arrived into our lives.
She wanted a pink princess party, complete with 13 friends, china for serving dishes and pink punch!!
We survived...just barely!! But our pink princess is 5 and growing up way too quickly!
So thankful for you Mary Lynn....you are a blessing to our family!!!
I've often wondered why change is so hard. Why do we all struggle to adapt and change? Yet, as we go through a season of change on our farm - I'm struggling.
I've prayed that Jeff would know when the right time was to give up milking cows and God showed him perfect timing. As of 2 p.m. December 27th, we no longer operate a small dairy.
Jeff made the decision two weeks ago on December 12th, when one of his prized cows dropped in front of him and died within 3 minutes. We have had some major losses on the cow front - not due to sickness - just due to strange events, calving, heart atack, etc.
That Wednesday when I picked up the phone to talk to Jeff, I heard him say "We are done." The next day, the auctioneer came and Jeff consigned our dairy herd for auction. The last two weeks have been tear filled and a little doubt filled, but I see God at work constantly. We have had 2 bull calves born on the farm (you can't milk boys), the cows loaded so easily on Wednesday night (the 26th) when we sent them and they looked healthy and well at the auction ring.
While this wasn't in our plan as we started 2012, we are looking forward to starting 2013 without the constant morning and evening chores and the unknown sick cows that take time away from family events.
It is quite a change for not only us, but also for Jeff's parents. His parents would have had cows for 35 years next November and his mom grew up at the farm with dairy cows around. She is taking it the hardest, but knows that this is the right timing for all.
We are looking forward to God using this time as a family for His glory!! I'm looking to God to teach me gracious acceptance through change and to help me be a better wife and mother. To many this may seem like a no-brainer, easy change - but when your whole marriage has revolved around milking cows and you have had great ups and horrible downs during that time - it is not an easy change.
Another post with pictures of the last milking for Jeff's dad and the first/last milking for John and Mary coming....I just needed to get some thoughts onto digital paper.
Happy New Year to all!
I have great running friends....friends that encourage me along not only the miles covered on foot but the miles covered in life.
Last night I was thankful to spend time with 6 of those running friends. We had a chance to run, catch up and just visit together. While none of us are setting any Olympic records, we enjoy covering miles together and life together!
Thank you Father for friends that you can enjoy the miles with!
Yesterday I was thankful for the low-key night of running a couple errands, heading home to do laundry and just relaxing on the couch. It seems like our life is constantly at a 100 MPH so it was nice to have a quiet evening at home (Mary went to the farm with Jeff, so that made it extra quiet).
Thank you God for those quiet moments when we get them!!
I'm thankful for safe journeys home from a 5 day vacation to Tennessee. I'm planning to blog more about it later - when I'm caught up on some sleep. But today I just want to praise God for His provision and safety as we traveled home many miles on Sunday.
We left Knoxville at 3:30 on Sunday afternoon and got home by 3 a.m. Monday morning - long time on the road, but really safe and smooth trip!
Thankful that God constantly has His hand on his children!!!
Today I am thankful to see my friend Amelia and her lovely daughter Tori. Traveling is always extra special when you have a chance to see good friends.
We were able to visit the Tennessee Aquarium and have dinner at the Mellow Mushroom with them. The kids had fun, as did Jeff and I.
Good friends - even miles away - are so worth the extra time and effort to see when you are close enough. Thankful for friends that are willing to drive out of their way to see us and lunch with us.
Tomorrow - we get to see more friends and attend worship with them!! What a blessing to worship with friends!
Today was a wonderful day to be thankful! We toured some waterfalls, enjoyed lunch together as a family, and hiked several miles together.
Jeff, John and Mary are my biggest blessings and for them I am thankful every day!!
