Who Am I?

Well, a few days ago, a friend pointed out that we do not talk a lot about what I am up to these days: my hobbies, and other activities. After thinking about it, I haven't been spending much time on many aspects of our life here on the blog. Thank you, Amanda! So, for the next several minutes, while I have the chance, I am going to spend some time, well, maybe just rambling about our LIFE here in Leavenworth.
L - living
I - it
F - for
E - eternity

We have concentrated our living deeply in trying to please the Lord. Last year when we got word about the move to Leavenworth, we immediately began our research on the area. We looked at everything, from city events to living arrangements and most importantly the church. We found out that there is one congregation in Leavenworth and they seemed to be a very active congregation with a vibrant youth group. The congregation as a whole seemed to be excited about living the Christian life. We got excited about getting involved and couldn't wait to meet these people that sounded so wonderful in what we were reading! We also discovered that Leavenworth, being fairly close to Kansas City, had a lot of exciting things for our family to possibly get involved in. And, it seemed as though we would be able to find a house fairly easily. Everything was dead-on.
The congregation here is fantastic. The kids were very involved with LTC and in turn, a large part of the congregation was too. It seemed that everyone was so supportive. We are looking forward to getting involved with it next year (actually it will start this fall)! We have made some good friends and really look forward to every time we spend with all of them. More and more we are getting to know more people and they are all so wonderful. I've started to become fairly close to our preacher's wife and I look forward to getting to know her better as time goes on. There are several other women that I am getting to know and enjoy so much. Also, I've been getting to know several of the younger girls too. I'm actually planning on having some of the pre-teen girls over for a slumber party in a few weeks. That should be so fun! They are so fun to talk to and I'm looking forward to having several occasions of fun with them. We have found a fantastic sitter for the kids. She is such a sweet heart and the kids really enjoy her! We enjoy her family so much too. Her grandmother has taken quite a liking to the kids as well and they always look forward to seeing her. We all look forward to seeing everyone. As I'm writing this I'm tearing up a bit, realizing how special everyone here has become to us already. It is so wonderful that God's family can be so close. We dearly miss our church families in OKC, Lubbock, and Killeen. But it is so nice to know that wherever we go, God has a family waiting for us to know and love so deeply. (And yes, I do realize that the tears are also hormones) ;) Back to the church. There is actually quite a bit of property that the congregation owns and it is a fun place to explore. So I am planning on getting several people out for a nature day, bringing lunches and just exploring God's beautiful creation, right out the back door! There is a camp fire area (just like what I experienced in youth group) and a little creek that reminds me of a camp I went to a few times. Jeff and I have also talked about organizing a homemade boat race to have there at the creek. It would be so much fun. We are going through some growing pains right now. Several families have moved out of town because of the military. But we are working on becoming closer and stronger as a group and working harder to reach out in the community. We are going through a series this summer that has really hit me personally. I've heard several application lessons in classes and sermons and I've thought about it. But this series is connected from Sunday morning sermon, through Wednesday night devotional and Sunday morning class. Now, I'm teaching the pre-K and K class on Sundays so I miss that part, but it really has got me thinking about what I'm doing and how we are living as a family throughout the entire week. Not just two days a week. And what we are doing to help the spiritual family here. I believe that we are all in for a good future here in Leavenworth!

There is an overwhelming abundance of cultural events to get involved with, however, most of them are quite a bit more costly than we were anticipating. But the atmosphere is fun. Leavenworth, itself, is a fantastic community to live in. The downtown area is very historical and is very enjoyable. The community center sets right next to the Missouri River and is a great place to go to. It has a nice walking area behind to enjoy the river as well. The historical houses here are beautiful, it is fun for me to dream living in one of them some day. On Saturday mornings and now on Wednesday afternoons, there is a farmers market that we have started going to. A couple Saturdays ago, I got up early and went by myself. That was a joy. I got to talk with some great people and I found some wonderful things to bring home! One thing I couldn't resist purchasing was a huge zucchini. It was actually the smallest one there, but when I got it home and weighed it, it was 2 lbs! It was flawless and I could tell that it would taste delicious. After looking at it, I began to wonder (at home), what in the world am I going to do with this thing, it's huge! Well, we fried a little up for lunch (a favorite past time of mine ~ funny to think of that, I know) and then I still had quite a bit left. I decided to try and make some zucchini bread. What a treat! Jeff helped me shred it and then Jo helped me put all the ingredients together. We ended up with a 9 inch loaf and 12 muffins! It was the best bread I've ever had. Loved it! I'll be doing that again! :) Something else I discovered that morning is that the senior center downtown is a very exciting place to get involved with. I've spoken about Jo's love of music many times, and lately it is country and bluegrass. While speaking with some lovely women, I found out that every 3rd Thursday they have Fidlers and Pickers playing. We can't wait to check that out this month. That will be exciting for us all. Several of them have beautiful tallents in the crafts and sell them at the farmers market. All of it is very professional looking. Well, that was a very peaceful morning for me and a great refresher for the weekend. I'm looking forward to more. We have more to learn about all there is to Leavenworth, but so far, we are absolutely loving it!

Finding a house did prove fairly smooth. We did the research on-line and when Jeff came up right before the move, he looked around at what we had found on the websites. I had a favorite one just from the pictures we could see and it turned out that Jeff thought that was THE ONE. When he came to look at it, he knew right away that we would love it. We live on a street that is a feeder from the main street coming into town directly to the high school so it can get a good amount of traffic at times, but it is not too hectic. We have a great back yard that the kids enjoy everyday. Recently we began going over to the track and walking. That has been a fun activity for us! Tonight at the track, Adie and I walked around twice. However, Jo went three times. He practically ran all three laps! I was surprised to see that. Jeff did a little bit of that with him too. We also saw a deer just grazing on the grass about 100 ft away from us. It was beautiful. I couldn't help but just stand there and watch it for a while. Right in the middle of the city, deer hanging out. What a sight. The other day, Jo even saw one right next to our back fence! And it was quite possibly a young one, he mentioned white spots. That was quite an excitement for him! We have also found several nice parks to enjoy here in town. Today, the kids and I were invited to join a friend and her kids at a pool. She goes Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I haven't taken them yet, I've been too nervous, but she said they have a great baby pool that is just fine. I think we might try that out this Friday. What fun! :)

Well, I had planned on writing much more. But seeing that the day is way over, time for bed, and I've written quite a lot (didn't mean to do that), I suppose this is a good stopping point. I will write part II another day. To answer the title real quick, I am the wife and mother in an amazing family. I have been blessed beyond my dreams and I just can't help to spend all my time talking about my family!
Blessings to all who read this and have a good night. Happy 4th of July!