Summer...

...is now gone.

But I just loved this picture too much not to share it with you.

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, 

in quietness and trust is your strength..." 

Isaiah 30:?

Asking the Audience...

Things to do. Places to be. People to enjoy.

How do you make it all happen?

Life is busy, right? But things still need to get done. How does one juggle everything? And yes, this is out for debate. I want you to comment and share your tips. I have decided I do far too much talking around here. So here is the question; 

What are some ways that help you not get distracted, but stay focused on what needs to be done?

or

How do you get a lot accomplished in a day?

or

maybe you're the type that doesn't get distracted. And if that's the truth...HOW?

I'm still workin' on it. 

Sooo...I want to hear from YOU!

But on a random and encouraging note...here's a verse that should stop you in your tracks and have you praising God all the day long...

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, 

that we should be called the children of God." 1 John 3:1

Me and the Boys

...that's my life around here these days. :)

My brothers continually make me laugh. All the time.

 Even when I really don't want to.

My sister also makes me laugh. But she's gone.

Sad, I know. But she will be coming back. :)

But I'm so crazy excited with all that she is learning, and what God is going to do through her surrendered life. God writes beautiful stories. And I get to have a front seat in this one.

{I would say "more on this later", but I don't want to make promises that I might not keep, nor get your hopes up of hearing the wonderful path that God is leading my sister...so I won't say anything.}

And in other completely off-the-wall news, my little brother's gerbil had babies. Two hairless little things the size of a two-year olds pinky. They are diligently learning how to be cute, but they aren't quite there yet. 

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, 

that we should be called the children of God!"

1 John 3:1

Beach!!!

How about you transport yourself back several months. Like about four months. It was in May. A chilly, cloudy day in May when we found ourselves at the beach. On our way home the vote was unanimous--yes to the beach! So we backtracked 4 hours out of our way to camp on Assateague Islands.

Best. decision. ever.

Family all together. Waves crashing into the soft sand. Zipped up in a warm sleeping--I didn't think life could get better. But than again, I'm a sucker for the ocean/beach/water.

Granted it wasn't perfect beachy-swim weather. (I don't think we saw the sun once and it remained breezy and cloudy.) But when you live in the midwest...it doesn't really matter, ya take what you can get. And we did. We pulled up a couple hours before dark, quickly set up our tents in the sand, slapped our swimsuit on and ran into the water.

Cold.cold.fun. it literally whipped the breath right out of you. But it was the perfect thing to do after riding in the car most of the day. We soon retreated back to our campsite (yards from the water itself), once mom couldn't see good enough to count heads.  Our only issue was the sand. The air was a mix between rain and mist and the result was that it made everything sticky.

These are the guys that push me to do more than I ever thought possible. Strength, determination and discipline. Can't wait to see what God does with those qualities. Not to mention the splash of humor that keeps me laughing.

The morning started with a walk along the water with my hoodie on. With the waves crashing in I marveled at my God. The sheer creativity and strength and power. Indescribable. 

The next several hours after breakfast were spent riding the waves. Mom bought two boogie-like boards at a little shop nearby. Way fun. It took a bit, but we finally got the hang of paddling out and than riding the wave all the way back to shore. Ahhh...good times. Nobody wanted to leave. However we could only be in the water for about 30 min before we had to come back to shore and warm up. So pushups and burpees came into effect here and soon it was back to the waves.

God is good.

There. Now you can return to September. Thanks for going back in time with me!

Reason #3,794...

...why I absolutely love being surrounded by brothers. 

A random wednesday afternoon I was in my room sitting cleaning and in walks a tall brother. He states very simply "Anna, I'm going repelling with the little boys, wanna come?" My face displays my response, to which he smiles and says "Good. We're leaving soon so get ready fast."

Who cares if it's 100˚ outside. Who cares if my to-do list still has oodles of un-checked boxes. Who cares if I have to stop right in the middle of a project. Family/brothers are important. Memories are worth making.

So the next time your brother pops a random idea...do it. You won't regret it. I didn't.

{and I'm going to stop right now and give you an excuse for my lack of posting. Blogger. It's being dumb. Or maybe I should say that I'm being dumb and can't figure it out. But I've got plenty to share as soon as I can wrap my mind around the little issue!}

Gettysburg, PA

Gettysburg. A place where thousands died. And once again as we stepped out of the van onto that ground. the very same ground that fathers, brothers, uncles, sons were killed. I was overwhelmed by the sacrifice. Men died for what they believed in. And being a girl I put myself in the shoes of a southern girl...what it would have been like to send my brothers off knowing that the chances of them return were slim at best?

We meandered through the museum, some spending more time than others reading the plaques. I do like history, but I can only read and look at so much...and some of our group took their dear sweet time reading. haha. but it was good. However, there was one section that especially caught my attention. Off by itself in a corner were glass cases containing hand written notes; it was entitled "Letters Home."

I poured over the letters. Some were so worn that they couldn't be deciphered. Others were written with such a beautiful script that I couldn't make it out. Thankfully, beside the original copy there were printed copies. Notes from fathers to their little boys, asking them to be strong and carry on. Men writing home to their sweethearts, urging them not to worry. Women keeping their husbands updated on the status of their homes. It was so real and so unhistory-bookish. Forbidden tears slipped down my cheeks as I read a letter written by girl to her special man; her hero, who she would never see again. 

The subject of a tour guide was debated and after a quick discussion, my mother's vote won out. He was hired. And a better decision was never made. We picked him up and he hopped into the drivers seat and proceeded to give us a 2 1/2 hour tour all over the grounds and battlefields. He would point out the different regiment monuments by name all along the way--we were highly impressed.

Frequent stops were made to get a closer view of a monument or particular field. And he would always point out where exactly we were to get us re-oriented. History came alive from this man as he recounted tales and stories from both the North and South. He knew the little details about the general/soldiers lives that made them seem like real men, not just statues and people you read about.

Monument for the 20th Maine--lead by Laurence Chamberlain

We strode along the same path that Chamberlain and his men stood and took their stand. We walked up Pickett's charge. The very route that such brave men ran across. And our tour guide {and I can't remember his name} continued to give us details that made it so real. The amount of food, horses, gunsmoke, ammunition...etc.

Each of the three days that were fought at Gettysburg were carefully laid out in detail for us to hear, see and remember. By the end of the day my head was swimming with so much information. And I felt fully versed in the intricacies of that battle. 

My father has always been passionate about the Civil War, and Gettysburg in particular and so to finally come here with the family fulfilled a long-time dream of his.

The boys!

We were in the fields/museum from when they opened at 9am to when they closed at 10pm. So torwards the end some of us got a little goofy...lol 

"The LORD is my light and my salvation-- 

whom shall I fear? 

The LORD is the stronghold of my life--

 of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalm 27:1

Bloom Bunch

Hamburgers. Fresh lettuce from the garden. A beautiful summer evening. Volleyball.

What else could you want/need?

I've been trying to get these people {The Bloom's} to move to NE. It would be so much easier to stay connected and in touch if they weren't half the nation away.

Gotta love the facial expressions in volleyball.

 ::Friends::

Sometimes when you meet a person there is an instant connection and you just know that you'll become good friends...right away. That's what happened with Kristina and I. We worked one day together and found that we had so much in common. I was anxious to have her meet my sister and hoped that they would get along well too...bingo!

When I was living out in VA I spent some time with her family. Her little brothers made me laugh and reminded me so much of my own. And I'm not sure if they helped or made missing my family worse. :)

But we had a fabulous evening of fellowship...and would love to return the favor here in NE *hint, hint*

Thank you so much, Blooms, for the wonderful evening!