On to our next stop . . . .

After spending a few days with our friends, the Moitozo's, we were on our way to some new adventures . . . we arrived in Charlotte at Uncle Dave and Aunt Joyce's house and the first thing to do after hugs and hellos . . . is head straight for the vintage Ms. Pacman arcade game! The boys can't get enough of it each time we are visiting, and I'll admit that Katy and Karl and I all take our fair share of turns on the console! :) We love hanging out at the Draxler's, especially when my cousins come to play . . . Abby played Twister with the kids, and Jeremy trapped Joe in a corner, and Rachel brought her adorable puppy "Major" over to play! We all shared a family dinner and hours of catching up . . . I love this family! Also, while we were there was when Karl and I got to go to the Nascar race. Aunt Joyce and Cousin Abby volunteered to hang out with the kids for the day and night so we could enjoy the race with no worries. They went to the park and to Chuck E. Cheese, and to the Dollar Store . . . they had a blast! The boys were especially thrilled when Mr. Matthew (Abby's significant other) showed up at the park to play for awhile. They enjoyed seeing him with hair, for the first time ever! (He's a Marine, so we often see him with little to no hair!) Anyhow, all in all the trip went very well, although, somewhere we picked up a bug, and it traveled through our family as well as the Draxler's family over the next week or so . . . As Uncle Dave said "Thanks for sharing." :) But we'll just say . . . Thanks for helping! We love to be close enough to this part of our family that we can get to know them a bit! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We love you! And, we can't wait to see you again.

NASCAR!!!

Okay, so there are plenty of you out there who have no idea that I am a Nascar fan! I love it! I record it every weekend that it's on . . . the practice and qualifying and all! I usually end up watching (sleeping through) it on Sunday afternoon. I am a Jeff Gordon fan . . .I know, BOO! HISS! Anyhow, and Karl like Jimmie Johnson - teammates. Katy likes Kyle Busch (although for the life of me, I can't figure out why.) Anyhow, we got tickets to go to the Charlotte Motor Speedway race in October . . . it was my first Nascar race, and Karl's first as afan. Itwas spectacular! I'll admit, thecrazies that come out for the races are hilarious and scary and weird and well CRAZY!!! But, I had a blast . . . we were in the 11th row, just about 75 yards past the start/finish line, so the sound was incredible, and jarring, and amazingly powerful! The anticipation, along with the adrenaline and the excitement, all brought me nearly to tears as the cars ROARED past us at the sight of the green flag! I was amazed at the display of power - to think that man could take credit for such a machine (or 43 of such machines) just blows my mind . . . how much mightier is The hand that created the sun and the moon and the stars?!?!?!?

Wow!

As I type this, the final race of the season is set to take place tomorrow,

and while my driver doesn't have a chance at the championship for this year, Karl's does,

so for today and tomorrow . . .

GO Jimmie Johnson!

Monday, I'll be back to my old favorite!

Fun with the Moitozo's!

So, backing up just a bit, we're going to head back in time to October . . . I know, I know . . . Halloween has been and gone, but we (Us Wards) had a hugely eventful October, and so much fun, that I just have to share with all of you!

We went to North Carolina to spend nearly a week with our dear friends, the Moitozo's. Steve (Dad) wasn't there, as he was traveling for work, so Karl, Katy, Hunter, Andrew, Josiah and I headed to Monroe to hang out with Glenda, Steven and Evan. We had a great time! We played outside, visited museums, took a tour of the Wycliffe/Jarrs facilities there in Waxhaw, and I think the highlight of the week was driving up to the Lazy Five Ranch! Some of you may wonder how we got friends in NC, so I'll explain. When we were stationed in Maine, we went to the same church as Steve and Glenda - we quickly became close with their entire family, and have grown to love them. We count them among our closest friend, and as a blessing from God! This spring, following God's calling they'd had for some time, they moved their family to NC, where they serve in missions with Jarrs/Wycliffe Bible Translators! We were so pleased that they moved, as they are closer now, than when they were in Maine, and we will likely be able to see them a couple of times a year still! So praise The Lord for his supplying of friends that uplift and support us in our calling, as we try to do the same for them. Moitozo's, if you read this, just know that - We love you guys!

There's are tons of pictures below, and I don't want to take (nor do I have) the time to caption each of them, so here's a list, in no particular order of the pictures below.

Cat caught in live trap, albino elk, Karl feeding a cow elk, scottish highland cattle, karl with a giraffe, Luther the rhino, zebra, watusi cattle, tortoise, on the ranch, Joe in the corn bin, pumpkin slingshot (super fun!), three-wheeler fun, Katy playing mommy/doctor to Evan after a spill, and a few group shots. Hope that helps!

No, no, I haven't forgotten that I have a blog. But, as usually happens when I start something . . . I let life get in the way . . . so this week, I am going to TRY to get one or two posted. It will be all old news to most of you, as I talk to my friends and family more than I blog these days, but just in case . . . expect some posts of Our trip to Charlotte, My first NASCAR race, Hunting update, Journey, Starbase, kitchen and home update, Andrew and water, Hunter and guns, Eggs, and Halloween . . . in no particular order, with no promises expressed or implied!

Minivan, hunting and school???

There are many things to write about these days . . . we are so busy! We just bought our first minivan (I know, sad day.) She is a pretty dark blue/green color, a Honda, and has all the bells and whistles. She won't be able to enjoy the easy life for long, as we have a road trip planned for next week! :) She fit right into the budget we had planned (once the dealership decided they wanted to sell a car,) and into the miles range that we wanted as well. The bells and whistles all ding and toot like they should, and the kids are thrilled that 1) we have a minivan, like all the other families at church (well almost all of them.) 2) that we bought the car from a salesman named Aladdin 3) that "all the bells and whistles" means that we again have a DVD player for them to watch on road trips! (I'll admit, that is a perk for more than just the kiddos!) Karl and I wrestled with the idea of being a minivan family for quite awhile before breaking down and just doing it. We have always been a truck or Suburban kind of family more than anything else . . . four wheel drive has been the name of the game for us (and no, all wheel drive isn't the same.) Okay, so that's enough of that . . . moving on . . .

Deer season for bow is in full swing, and I have been enjoying my first season, minus the 50 plus mosquito bites I got in one afternoon hunting outing. I enjoy holding Karl's hand in the dark while we hike to/from our stand or ground location. What I don't enjoy about hunting is the waiting. I have been out a couple of times now, and not one deer has been seen on any of those times! :( It's so frustrating! Karl has seen deer on every other hunting outing. Last night he actually shot two! He only recovered one, as the other ran onto some private property adjoining the land we hunt. :( So, while it was an exciting hunt, it was a bummer only to recover one. But, on the flip side, I now know that there really are deer out there! :)

School has been going pretty well this year, and the fact that we are 2 months in . . . is reason enough for us to have a day off today! :) No, really, today is a day off! :) The boys are loving learning about the Roman Empire and all it's "larger than life" heroes. Katy just likes to read and seeks to please. Kindergarten is so easy for Joe, that I am having to find things for him to do that are extra-curricular - art projects, flashcards, chores, etc . . . to keep him occupied for at least some of the day. Oh well, I guess it's a good thing that he already knows most of what it says I should be teaching! :)

Well, I guess that's about it for now. We are enjoying the cooler weather. I wish we had enough time to slow down and have a fire in the evening, but "life" has again taken over our schedules, and there are few (if any) nights that we are home before the kids' bedtime! Anyhow, I am off to waste the day away! Trusting everyone is well!

Health Update

So, here's just a quick update on my health . . . I had been having liver pain since July, and after tons of blood work, appointments with various doctors, an ultrasound, CT and an endoscopy . . . the doctor who originally told me "You don't have liver pain, because the liver can't feel pain." Has finally agreed that I have liver pain! So, I'm not crazy! Well, at least not about this. Anyhow, he came up with three possible causes, and went over the treatment plans for each. There's no test for any of them, so we picked one (the one that seemed most likely the cause to Karl and I - the doctor did not agree it was most likely, but what does he know???) Seeing as how the meds he gave me for this treatment have me pain free, my next appointment should lead to a diagnosis of something that has a big name that means nothing to anyone unless they have a medical degree . . . but the long and short is that my liver was spasming constantly, therefore - pain. Duh! Me put me on an anti-spasmotic (?spelling?) / smooth muscle relaxant. The most major of the side effects is that it gives me dry mouth and throat, so I have been drinking way more water (not a bad thing) - but it also limits how much singing I can do. I know, I know, the world is a better place for less Trinette singing, but I love it, so I miss being able to sing as much as I would like. But will happily stay on the meds for the two month trial to be pain free! Anyhow, that's about all for now . . . we are enjoying some much needed rainy days this week. I'm looking forward to getting some things done around the house, but I may need to pull out my galoshes and/or webbed feet for a little (or maybe, some serious) puddle jumping! Puddle jumping is a subject that brings two specific friends to mind. Miranda and Jessica. They were my puddle jumping pals in junior high and high school! Such sweet memories, from a simpler time, when happiness could be found in a mud puddle. It may be time to introduce my kids to the fine art of puddle jumping. There will be smiles all around if I manage to work up the courage to do such a thing for them! I promise that if I do . . . pictures will follow! :)

Just another random blog post.

So, in order to ward off the impending text begging of my sweet cousin Abby, I figure I had better write a blog. Now . . . what to write about??? I have no idea! We've been extremely busy, but nothing much to report . . .

I am in a slight panic in these days heading up to Katy's 12th birthday! Yikes! Where has the time gone??? She is growing up way too fast. She's in middle school this year, and she is gorgeous - so the shotguns have been cleaned a lot lately! ;) Just kidding . . . but I'm sure they will be soon!

Homeschooling is in full swing, and we have brought in all the subjects for the year. I chose to add some of them in one at a time, so we could "ease" into things this year, and I think it helped. We had our first Homeschool Fellowship day yesterday, and that went really well . . . the kids are excited to be back into seeing their friends multiple times a week. Today, Josiah and I started into our regular school schedule (it was an introductory section for the first couple of weeks.) And, we already have "lost" his math book. :( Ugh . . . it's a never-ending battle when we get "cool" books that are supposed to be for school . . . they randomly disappear from the school area. Frustrating to say the least, so Joe is on a hunt today to find the lost book! :)

Yesterday, Karl and I, for the first time ever, voted at a polling station! Well, I think I voted . . . We have always voted absentee in Oregon, as that is our home of record, but this year we decided we should vote here. So, we registered (or so we thought) and even double checked our registrations (as Karl got his card, and I did not.) So, the long and short is that we both had to fill out provisional ballots. Karl's will count, as he was in the system, but I was nowhere to be found! So, if my ballot doesn't count for this primary, I will at least, be all set for the general.

Oh, and we also picked up a Freecycle treasure! For those of you who may not know about freecycle.org, you should! It's a website/group, kind of a classifieds where everything listed is free, or you can post a "Wanted" ad. It's a great resource! We picked up about 7 linear feet of National Geographic Magazines! We have great plans for this treasure trove! We'll be using them for reports and collages and all sorts of fun projects! I can't wait to rip into them! :) teeheehee!

Hunting season opened up for Bow today . . . no, we are not hunting today, or tomorrow, but Friday, Karl will be, and Saturday - we'll see . . . after this week, things should settle down a bit and more hunting time should open up. ("Should" being the key word!)

We are already looking forward to October when we have a trip planned to visit friends and family in North Cackalacka (as Karl would say.) Then come the holidays! I can't wait . . . Christmas music may make it's debut around here very soon! The Amish market up the road will soon begin selling many more candies and breads and pies, and not so many vegetables and plants. I'm looking forward to the peanut butter balls and the peppermint patties . . . YUMMY! Until then . . . I'll stick to the eggplant, squash, still abundant tomoatoes, as well as the wonderful people we get to see there when we visit the market! Oh, and speaking of Amish . . . we'll hopefully soon be picking up a couple new little pigs to raise here at the house!