Simplicitey

I just finished a dreadful day.....well almost dreadful I got up at 7:15 and really didn't stop studying till 6, when friends picked us up to babysit. But let me start at the beginning, so I get up, take a shower and get ready, then quickly eat breakfast, start school, get really mad at my Spanish program, then at word, and so on all through out the day, then finally, after I am exasperated at just about everything.. God changed my mind. Hershey and I had to babysit tonight, 2 little boys, and a little girl. Well we played for a little while, and hung out, then I put the youngest to bed. After that we watched the 2 little one's play, and played with them. I just found it amazing that these little kids could play so continually with nothing really, and I am complaining about my future and stressing over life. I am learning that God puts us were we need to be at a certain time just cause, and that it is for our good.

Through the road of life

We all have a path laid out for us, it is our choice every day to walk it or follow a different path. Sometimes our paths cross others and then our paths break away and may come back in to our lives later. He brings friends to us and he takes them away and if he chooses he may bring them back again. Its a choice everyday to follow the path that God has placed us on. We may not be able to see around the bend but God can. So we need to depend upon Him for ALL our needs.

Oh No you Never let go

Matt Redman - You Never Let Go

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We’ll live to know You here on the earth

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You

This is a small portion of a Matt Redman, who is one of my favorite Artists, song that has come to mean a lot to me the last couple weeks. As I have been really busy and really exhausted the last couple of weeks, this song always reminds me that God is always there and never lets go of me, and that he will always love me.

Haiti

I found this on a blog project about Haiti. It is like a introduction for those of you who don't know much about it.


Facts About Haiti

Haiti is a country in the West Indies, about 600 miles southeast of Florida. It shares the islands of Hispaniola with it's neighbor, the Dominican Republic.

Area-almost 11,000 square miles. About the same size as Maryland.
Population-almost 7millon people . Capital City-PORT-AU-PRINCE
National Flag-the flag has two sideways strips blue and red.In the center of the flag is the nation coat of arms,which has palms on it. National Dance- wooden leg dance
History of Haiti
Haiti has along history of problems with its government. But did you know that it was the first country where African slaves fought for their freedom? It was, and it has been a free country ever since. In the past there have been many problems with different groups trying to control Haiti. One family ruled Haiti for a long time and they were very cruel to the people. That is part of the reason many people in Haiti like my Dad left to come to America.
The first known residents of Haiti were the ciboney Indian people who originated in central or south America and migrated to the Caribbean region about 2000 B.C.
The island of Hispaniola where Haiti is located was discovered by Christopher Columbus. Much later the French would colonize Haiti and turn it in to one vary large sugar plantation. Many slaves were brought to Haiti to work in the plantations. That is why some Haitian people have light skin (they are descendents of the French colonists) and why others have dark skin (they are descendents of the African slaves).

Texting and Bikerides

This last weekend and the one before vacation. We went on a family bike ride on the bike trail. As we where biking my friend and I where texting. I used to think texting was crazy and not for me, but now I do it 24/7(except for school.)To think I even do it while biking! Hold that thought I got to text a friend back. :) See??? What kind of world do we live in??


Ps. Th bike rides where a blast though!

World

You Are a Citizen of the World

Whenever possible, you try to pay attention to what's going on in the world. You are truly interested in all people and countries, no matter how far away from you they are. You try to learn, travel, and understand. Being a part of the whole world is important to you, and you're always working to be more internationally focused.

Are You a Citizen of the World?

What Pizza am I??

Cheese Pizza

Traditional and comforting. You focus on living a quality life. You're not easily impressed with novelty. Yet, you easily impress others.

What's Your Pizza Personality?

Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. was so much fun. We left on Saturday and went to visit my aunt and uncle. Then on Sunday morning we went and saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. After that we went to there Church, and later back to there house to have a cook out and motorcycle rides. It was so much fun. Then we headed up to Washington D.C. and collapsed in our Hotel room. The next day we got up and rode the metro into the city. We got of by the Holocaust museum and went through that, then we went to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, then we finished the day at the Natural History Smithsonian. The next day we took a tour bus and got to see all the monuments and important things like that. Then we met up with friends for dinner. The last day there we went to the National law enforcement monument, the White house (we got to go inside!), Congress building (we had a 2 hour personal tour!!!),and got to go up in the Washington monument, we also had dinner at Union Station. I got 2 giant coins, 52 postcards, a tee shirt, and a bunch of pamphlets as souvenirs. We haven't uploaded our pictures yet, but I couldn't let this entry go without a picture.

Hey Everyone....Hope U R doing better than me.

Hi Everyone,
I hope you all are doing good. I am sick and kinda bored. Bored of everything...reading,food,stomach aches, and really of life. I am very excited about our trip next week. We are going to Washington D.C.!! I am excited for a change of scenery and gears.


Nutmeg <3

Wishing

Today we were at the pool and my mom and I were talking about a book I just read. One of the things my mom asked is if I could change anything about my life what would it be? I told her I would change the amount I could do for countries like Haiti. I miss Haiti. I hate to say it but I am sick of being submersed with only whites and whites culture. I can't wait till the twins come home, I miss them so much. One, of my favorite songs has the phrase "If homes where the heart is then I am out of place. Lord help me make it through somehow." Which is how I feel, my heart is not at rest here. I am having such a hard time being content here.



I am going to try and start blogging 1 a week at least. each week I am going to try and learn a new fact about either Haiti or Africa. I will try to share them with you.


Nutmeg

School!

This week has been busy with Vacation Bible School at church, hanging out with friends, a service project, and watching the Olympics. Tomorrow we start school, and I am excited and I an kind of nervous, because this year my grades start counting for school.

Teenage Life

I think it is easy to tell when everyone else goes crazy and loses there mind, but it is much harder to admit that you have lost your mind. I have started realizing and admitting that I am now a teenager and actually act like them in some ways. Teenagers don't have a very good reputation in the U.S. I would really like to be diffrent then the norm. I guess it is just something to pray about.

How Quaint!!

You Should Paint Your Room Purple

Sophisticated and exotic, purple can also be a deeply comforting color. Your purple room will inspire you to trust yourself more and go with your intuition. Purple has also been known to facilitate healing and a feeling of protection.

What Color Should You Paint Your Room?

Guess what color my room is?? Purple and Green!!!! Crazy hu??

Where should I rule??

You Should Rule Mercury

Close to sun, Mercury has very long days - and is rarely visible to the rest of the solar system. You are perfect to rule Mercury, because you live for the present - and can truly enjoy a day that goes on forever. Like Mercury, you are quick and elusive. Your wit is outstanding, and you can win any verbal sparring match. Some people see you as superficial, but in truth, you just play many roles and have many interests. A great manipulator, you usually get what you want from people. And they're happy to give it to you.

What Planet Should You Rule?

How Great is our God!

Wow! How Great is out God!! Today we drove through the prairie, which I can never remember driving through before (even though I have:). It is a lot different than at home, the amount of trees and how far you could see was amazing!! As we where driving started thinking about how great God must be, to have created such beautiful things!! I took pictures and will post them when I get them uploaded.

I am staying at my aunt's house with my family and cousin's, but my dad didn't get to come:(we miss you Dad). I will continue posting throughout the week.

Nutmeg

Happy B-day Mom

First of all I have to apologize for not addressing my mom's b-day sooner. A couple weeks ago she turned 40, so we gave her
*40 hours of
*40 roses
*20 pairs (=40) socks
*40 tea bags
*40 chocolate sticks
*40 oreos
*40 mini- 3 musketeers
*40 smell goodies from Bath and Body Works
*40 songs
*40 dollars to spend at Starbucks
*20 pairs (=40) undies
*40 minute massage
*Psalms 40 typed up on a scroll for me personally
Isn't that fun?? We thought so. My mom had a great birthday!!

Busy, Summer, School???

Well, I can't believe school starts a month from yesterday! How sad!!! We still have 2 trips to go on. We are going to my aunt's in 2 weeks and in about 6 weeks we are going to go to Washington D.C. Which, I am very excited about. In the last two weeks I have managed to re-injure my leg 2x, babysit 2x, go to the movies, hangout with a friend, start an amazing Bible study with a friend, See some visiting friends, go shopping, get deals on a bunch of stuff (while shopping), paint my furniture, get a cell phone, go on a walk(a very nice one), play at the park, learn to text,re-do my room, take pictures, go to the pool, work on my tan, watch T.v., and play on the computer, and hangout with a friend that came from China!

Nutmeg

Questions about Haiti

Things I want to know about Haiti...(asked by a friend)
1) What surprised you most or what was something very different than you expected?
How in a country that has publicly chosen to follow Satan instead of God, God could be so obvious
2) What is your best 'first memory' being with your brothers?
Sitting at the Orphanage and blowing bubbles after having just meet them
3) What was the weirdest thing you ate?
Hmm, That is a hard one!I wouldn't say we ate anything weired, just different. We ate a lot of different food my favorite was most likely the goat, the most unusual was probably the fish sauce on the rice and beans or Hot dog spaghetti( which where both really good. I liked everything I ate)
4) Is there anything in the states that seemed 'normal' before Haiti that now seems weird or hard? If so, what?
Yyes, The way we pray(difference in meaning), What we eat(they eat a lot of starch and not much sweet)
5) What did you learn about God because of this trip?
That He does actually provide for our needs
6) How are you living differently now because of this trip?
Trying not to take things for granted,praying more
7) While you were in Haiti, what caused you to stretch out of your comfort zone the most?
Going to pass out flip flops without my mom, there was a whole group that went and I stayed with the group leader it was just hard with out my mom
8) Was there a Bible verse that really stuck out to you while on the trip? What was it and why?
Psalm 33 specifically verse 12- "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,the people He chose for His inheritance." This verse,specifically the first part stood out to me because I was in a country without God and yet there was so much evidence of him in some of the people.
9) You talk about your heart being there while you are back in the USA. How are you responding to that feeling?
Well that has been what I have been praying about, I have been seriously thinking about sending money to the Orphanage, but I don't have a source of income and can't get one for 6 months or so. So for now I am just praying fervently about my future and Following God's plans. Also, I have started getting involved around here with the needy, specifically the women's pregnancy center. I go once a week and help inventory and sort donations, so I think this is where God has me for now.
10) What do you miss most about Haiti besides your brothers?
Well my brother's the most, but that apparently doesn't count, so I guess I would have to say the kids at the orphanage and the people, specifically the kind hearts of the people at the hotel and the people in charge at the orphanage. I really want to go back to Haiti, but that is up to God not me.


I hope that helps if anyone else has questions feel free to ask. I noticed one of the people I watch there blog just got back from Haiti Check out her Pictures at http://striving2bme.blogspot.com/.



The other news is that we got out of one of the offices!! Check my mom's blog out about it for the news and pictures of the boys!!After we get out of this next step they are legally ours!! Yeah! They might be home by Christmas! http://theboysadoption.blogspot.com/

Since Haiti

So after I got home from Haiti I spent a day sick in bed, went to the women's center and helped out, went to a tea party, got a cell phone!!, went to House Church,went to the pool, cleaned house, redisingned my blog, had company,made plans for this weekend, and hurt my leg. (so much for roller blading tomorrow!!) So yeah! That has been my week! Me playing around after getting home!

Haiti and so on

First of all to all you who left a comment on the last post thanks!

Second of all I am not sure if I can post pictures from Haiti on my blog for security reasons. You can know that the picture at the top of this page is a mountain side in Haiti.

This is what my mom's blog said about it. Then I will add my own thoughts.(remember this was her 3rd trip)


I cannot believe that we have been to Haiti and back AGAIN! Nutmeg and I had the privilege of being part of a mission's trip and the opportunity to file paperwork with the embassy there. Hopefully this will help speed up our process or at least keep it moving along!

The boys were a delight, and truly very comfortable with us! The downside of that was the heartbreak that came with saying good-bye. One of the boys literally cried for 20-30 minutes. I know that means they are attaching to us, but it was heartbreaking as well. Each visit they have been more comfortable, but this time it seemed as if there were no barriers at all.

They truly enjoyed electronics -- they loved the mp3 player, it took them about 30 seconds to master nutmegs Game boy,and they loved taking pictures and mp3 players!

They went from swimming with arm floats and the spiderman ring to swimming without anything in just one week.

Their English seemed to be improving as well. I could even ask them how to say certain words in Creole and they could easily translate it for me. The very first night they asked for ice cream and the second night they wanted coke and pizza!

Nutmeg was a wonderful help and terrific big sister to them! The children at the orphanage loved her as well as she played everything from jump rope to hop-scotch. They braided her hair and always wanted to be with her. I believe it was a great experience for her too!

Riding the tap-taps was a new experience, although the boys always wanted to ride the vans (they thought the van was faster for some reason!).

Next to our boys, the sweetest thing we experienced was the heart and friendliness of the Haitians. Their lives are very hard, but many of them have such joy. I came home with a renewed heart to pray not only for this country, but these very people -- may the joy of the Lord be their strength!


My own-
Haiti was a great experience. I loved the heart of the people and experiencing other culture's. We think gas and food are expensive, but compared to haiti's prices.It was an amazing experience to hang out with the kids at the orphanage. I loved the girls who braided my hair!





I had the oppertunity to go street winissing and to pass out flip flops I also got to go to the mission. I bought a box and a bookmark! I felt more at home in haiti then I ever will here in the USA.

If anyone has anything specific they want to know about the trip let me know and I will put it on my next post.

HEllO!

So I was wondering Does any bdy except my parents read this?? Just curios!

How many??

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 2 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

To Sunshine

This post is a for to sunshine and you have to be in on it to understand it. Please bear with me:) Hope you enjoy Sunshine!!:

Life

Here is a little thing from my Igoogle status- (I love Igoogle!!)

Current Status... Wondering about purpose,praying about Haiti, Loving my Father, Thinking about his Creation
Currently watching... Little House season 4
Currently reading... The Meeting Place series by Janette Oke and T. Davis Bunn ( MY new favorite books!!!
This is really interesting... The word interesting is interesting recently!






I just fuond out my mom and I are going ot Haiti!!! Yipee! I am scared and ecxited.

Bodies, Lat Piano, Last co-op, and Reffing, Let's just say a busy!!

So this week we had a ton going on!

Sunday- Church, Youth group
Monday-school,bodies exhibit(which was really neat! Did you know babies crawl over 60 miles?!! That's far!!)
Tuesday-dance, Last piano, school
Wednesday-School, cleaning, House Church
Thursday- Last co-op day, school
Friday-school,Family night
Saturday-Ref, Meet with friend, church

So that is my week!!

I forgot to post this

I was going through my drafts and found these one of my leaders typed them up a while ago and I edited it, but I forgot to post it so these are from April, but it's still what we did at home Groups.(youth Group)

Basilieos:
The girls had an adventure, packing into a cabin down deep in the woods. Our theme was: Basilieos, which means “royalty” in Greek. We talked about control, identity, and worship, while focusing on 1 Peter 2:9:
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
I was encouraged to see how everyone just hung out together and talked, and how open everyone was.



Spaghetti Diner & Silent Auction Fundraiser:

The middle schoolers have been planning this event since January(remember this happened in April!). All the money donated from ticket sales & the silent auction is going to buy supplies and items for the Women's Center, a local crisis pregnancy center. We had about 25 items up for bid for the silent auction ranging from family outing baskets, date night baskets, man baskets, and more. We were so grateful for all the auction items that were donated! We still do not have an exact total, but God raised a tad over $1,000 through ticket sales and silent auction items! Praise Him!

Pictures

Here are pictures of Dance, and bookworm's visit.

Obssesions!

Hi people,
Ever notice how some people (including us sometimes) get extremely obsessed with things. Well something happened today that made it very clear.


Some of are families obsession items---

Webkinz, sports, friends, Internet, and TV, crafts,and reading.




So any way my friend and I where chating today. We had just answered one of those question things about your friend,One of the questions was..What would your friend take to dessert island? I said she would take ice cream, but she said she wouldn't take ice cream ( and she said I was crazy)
So I asked her what she would take,and she said the Bible!! Wow! That was not the response I was expecting. It started me thinking about life and how obsessed we are with things in America.

So yeah that is my story.


nutmeg <3

Bookworm comes to town! <3

I love hanging out with bookworm and her family. They came to visit this week. We played a ton of Wii! I will put pictures on when I can get pictures off my camera. She is a lot younger than me. Blog again later,

Nutmeg! <3

Hey people!

Hi Everybody who reads this(and that means you)-
If you watch my blog regularly I am sorry I haven't blogged in a while. Some of you have tagged me and stuff and others have asked me questions. I will try to Blog regularly again ASAP, but for now I am tying to finish up School, dance, and piano. This time of year is really busy, so please bare with me. Thanks.

Nutmeg <3

PS. I am also making a lot of changes to my blog so please bare with me on that to. Thanks!

Soar on Wings Like Eagles, Reports, and Life

I know I haven't blogged in a while, but life has been really busy. I will try to fill in the blog entries missed.

So anyway, today I was reading in my Devotions, and in Bible the verse about Soaring on wings like Eagles. God has been teaching me how to go about going out of my comfort
zone and He has also been teaching me about faith.So, that verse was really cool for me.

I have a big 600 word report due tomorrow and I really need a good grade. Please pray that A. My report turns out well, and B. There is a ton of stuff going on in Hatie so just pray. Also the orphanage needs water so pray that they can get it.

Thanks! :)
Nutmeg<3

Easter, Get away, Spring break and this weeks happenings!

On the Saturday before Easter we went to church. On Easter we got up and did the basket hunt and had breakfast. Then we had an Easter egg hunt and my grandparents came over for lunch! We had ham and stuff. It was awesome. Then we went to an indoor water park. We had a ton of fun and enjoyed being together as a family. We got home on Monday and had to practice our piano!! On Tuesday we had piano lessons, and we did not have to practice the rest of spring break. :) Over spring break I have cleaned up my room, as well as watched a lot of TV, hung out, had friends over, and hang out online. Today I had a friend over and so did all of my sibs. We all played outside even thought it was cold. We also played games and backed cookies. Tomorrow I was going to a birthday party, but that got postponed. I am excited about it though because it is at the mall, and it is a scavenger hunt. So anyway, I have 1 day of break left then back to the books! Everything was on spring break this week- Dance, co-op, and piano(well we had lessons we just don't have to practice)

Nutmeg<3

What flavor of gum are you?

You Are Bubblegum Flavored Gum

You are friendly, outgoing, and energetic. You love life, and you can always find some reason to smile. You are a bit hyper, and you're always looking for your next challenge. You love getting things done - and you are usually on the go. Your confidence and positive attitude makes you a very attractive person. You can be a little flaky at times, but people are able to overlook that - because you're so fun!

What Flavor Gum Are You?

Update from family Blog's

I copied a bunch of my mom's entries over the past few weeks-




Pink Eye x2, pneumonia, ear infection, and 2 horrible cases of the stomach flu with fevers and headaches as well. That has been the story of the last week. I have been at the doctor with kids more last week than we have probably been in almost a year! Now we are frantically taking immune boosters to keep us from catching all this crud. We certainly do not have the time for this right now!-
Feb 24, 2008 8:14 AM


OK-- the chaos really didn't end until we set foot on our plane to visit the boys! My mom, who was arriving the day before we were to leave for Haiti, was on a flight that was canceled and then bumped to a flight that was greatly delayed, and ended up arriving almost 9 hours later than originally scheduled. Bless my mom!

Leaving was difficult as all of our kids were crying as we prayed together and said our goodbyes. Of course, once we were out the door everyone was fine!

We spent so much time covering our trip in prayer, but not the time before our trip in preparation nor the time we after we got back. And it was and has been kind of hard. Lesson learned-- pray earnestly for ALL the surrounding circumstances! Rob has been sick since we came back, one of the kids is pretty sick again and I feel like we are once again banging our heads against the wall. In spite of it all, we were so blessed to love on our precious boys and serve at the orphanage.

I don't know why God called us, but we are blessed to see Him work and to have our lives enriched by these precious boys. This road is already long -- it has been over one year since we started this process-- and we do grow weary, but God has certainly woven these boys into the depths of our hearts -- and we are blessed.-Mar 6, 2008


The day we left for Haiti jellybean turned 7 years old! She had such a happy heart about us not being here for her Birthday. We celebrated early, left surprises for her, and knew that gma would spoil her royally! There is something about gma's being like that.

To her delight, she didn't have any school to do on her birthday and instead went to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch, saw the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" movie at the dollar theater, and got to pick out Webkin clothes for her favorite webkin! And of course there was another birthday cake and ice cream! Thank you gma for making her day extra special!-

Mar 6, 2008 9:57 PM




YES IT IS MARCH! And we just got hit with more snow that we have had in years! Just the other day the kids were complaining that we didn't even get to go sledding this year! Well this weekend gave us ample opportunity! Really it was a beautiful snowfall complete with 10-12 inches of snow! And today was the perfect sledding day!-Mar 9, 2008 8:12 PM
Old Man Winter Forgot to Check the Calendar!


Those entries are from-http://celebratingchaos.blogspot.com/ (our family blog)
So you now know what I have been up to for the last few weeks.


I will blog about Easter later.

nutmeg<3

Ps. Remember my mom wrote them!

HI!

HAPPY SPRING AND EASTER!!!

Soda anyone

I found this on another blog! Took the quiz and found out I am a 7up!!!What are you? Check it out and see what you are!!! Let me know! http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofsodaareyouquiz

You Are 7 Up

Understated and subtle, people warm up to you slowly. But once they're hooked, they can't imagine going back to anyone else! Your best soda match: Diet Coke Stay away from: Mountain Dew

What Kind of Soda Are You?

Long time no see!

Hey everyone~
For those of you who regularly check my blog I am sorry. I know it has been a long time since I blogged. I will try to go back and fill you in on the last few weeks throughout the next couple, but for now I will give a brief summary. My parents got home safely and they had a good time. We haven't had much go on over the last 2 weeks since then. i am taking a photography class at school and really like it. School is getting harder (the blues of growing up and advancing right? LOL!) I love the nice weather (ok, It may not be nice, but at least it is not snow.) If you are looking for good reading materiel you should try reading God's Blog's! A great book! I will have to do some entries on it later. GTG write more later.

Nutmeg<3

Hey~

I know I haven't blogged in a while it has been a really really hard week. I can tell more about it and post pic. later. Just pray that this week gets finished fast and it all work's out ok. Also pray my parents get back ok. Thanks. Also I updated my poll.

Hey!!!!!!

Hi People!
Blog more later!

Anyone for some Hand Bells?

So today was our home school co-op's end of quarter celebration. This quarter I took hand bells and spanish for missions. We made a power point presentation in Spanish( I wish I could put out here!) Hand bells went really well and I really really enjoyed it. Here are some really really bad pictures of dancer and I as well as some of the rest of the class. (and yes one of the girls does have a broken arm!)The other girls look funny I know. They were in a drama class and that was there costume.They whore black, white and red for the porfomance's. :)



~Nutmeg <3

Tonight's thoughts

Today has been a really busy, unusual day. It all started normal. Me waking up at 6:30 to do my devotions. I finished them and the next thing I remember is my mom waking me up saying it is 7:45 why aren't you up yet. Then she tells me she has been up all night with Jellybean and Hershey throwing up, so Gum ball is my responsibility. So I get up and get dressed in my messy room actually disastrous room!LOL! Then I go down stairs and get Breakfast for the 2 of us. Then I attempt to do school and run Gum Ball through some activities. During break we went outside and I shoveled ice. (with some snow) While she played. Then we came in and had hot choclate and lunch. Then mom took over,but later I had a hair appointment. Now I gtg I have a meeting on Webkinz! LOL!

Snow!

Here are pictures from the snow today!