Glad to be Home!!! 2

Sunday morning, bright and early, we headed up to Pikes Peak. It is amazing how often I have been to Colorado and never made this journey. Well, now I know why, the drive up took 1 1/2 hours and was very tense. Once at the top we all ate their world famous donuts!

Oh, I almost forgot...the temperature on top of the mountain was 34 degrees!

The view was awsome! Have you ever wondered why God went to all the trouble to make mountains? I think it was for fun!

We stopped on the way down the mountain to take a few pictures. The deer ran off so we didn't get any animals.

Oh, then we rode the rest of the way down and to the interstate with both side doors open. It was awsome! Morgan enjoyed all the funny looks we got!

Then it was a long, long drive home. It was a fast and furious trip to celebrate Morgan and we had a blast!

I was happy to pull in the driveway though and see that the kids didn't have the babysitter tied up! I mean, I have seen Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead!

I am happy to be home, eventhough we have been washing dishes by hand for about two weeks and our large fridge in the kitchen died and it will be 10 to 14 days to get it back!

Glad to be Home!!!!

In true Marmon style, we took off for the weekend and drove all the way to Colorado. This was the first time away since we began foster care 3 years ago. It was just Albert, Morgan and me! We decided Colorado Springs was far enough. After getting a hotel room we began looking for something to do in the late afternoon. Morgan and I found the Aquarium and we all set off for our first adventure. In about 10 minutes Albert figured out that the restaraunt was about 70 miles away, yep, that's right, it was in Denver!!! We decided to go anyway, so we drove to Denver to eat.

This place is amazing! I think there is one in Houston and I know there is one in Kema but I've never been there, wasn't that interested. I have included just a few pics.





Here is a bridge in the restaraunt. It took us over 30 minutes to wander through the exhibits before we even found the restaraunt.

We all 3 fed the sting rays. I found them intimidating. Now we know why they tell you to keep your thumb tucked inside your fingers!

The meal was a real treat!!! We ate amazing food and fabulious deserts and then headed back to Colorado Springs.

More on Sunday next time!

Countdown to Halloween

A few days ago I made biscuits and had some dough leftover in the fridge. While making lunch today I decided to make these guys. The first batch were pumpkin shaped and these are my spooky ghost biscuits, very tasty!

2 1/2, YES!!!

Finally...at two and a half, these two will watch 5 or 10 minutes of TV!!! I can get something done if I hurry. Today we played outside, filling the dump truck with rocks and rolling the ball. So easy and they love it. All I know is...there is no way I would let someone lock me in a room with 20 two year old...how is that even possible?

Our dishwasher has not been working for over a week. I think I have washed every dish in this house more than twice! Saturday I fed the 10 of us and 3 boys, all around 17 yrs old, even with paper plates and cups the dishes were stacked high.

Today I am torn and feel like I am not doing enough! My blog friend in Haiti talked about a newborn baby girl that they could just take home if they wanted. A true orphan, she could live with them right now, but they might not ever be able to bring her back to the United States. She is struggling with this decision because evidently they were only planning to be in Haiti for 9 months or so.

In addition, these 3 boys who spent Saturday afternoon with us, well at least 2 have no parents to speak of. One in particular lives with his "guardian" and could not go home until after 11:30 p.m. Saturday night! Literally locked out of the house. What do you do with that? Part of me wants them to spend time over here everyday. Part of me says, "Double the cooking, I don't know."

And last of all, God answered my prayer of finding an older person who lives at home and might need help and I haven't even gone to see her yet.

There is sooooooooooooooooooooooooo much to do! And that doesn't even include the homeless lady we buy our newspaper from at an intersection by our church. Her name is Bobbie Joe and she had a baby less than a month ago. As we spoke to her about her baby, later I felt like she may not have kept the baby and might have made a big mistake and hurt her instead of helped. How do we reach out to so many, how do we know what is needed?

Pray for clarity and for our spiritual eyes to be opened.

Confession

It has been a year! I can't believe it has been an entire year! We have enjoyed being here, no second thoughts. There is no doubt this is where God wants us.

I have always said that taking in these kids is not hard, it's letting them go that is a killer. Before moving to Lubbock, we had 9 children come through our home in less than a year. Now, 6 of our kids have been with us for a year or more...this has changed my view of what is harder.

I have a few blogs I read almost everyday. One is written by a young lady whose family (husband, wife and 4 kids) moved to Haiti just one month ago. As she tells about the conditions there and how she is learning to deal with it, included are accounts of her daily struggle to accept what God has for her family.

All of that said, my world seemed to come crashing down last week. As I delt with yet another case of stealing, refusing to mind and that defiant look from my 8 yr old...it hit me, it has been a year and these habits have not changed! These kids are going to grow up to be their parents! All of the work, all of the "ministry" we have been doing and it hasn't made any difference!

I became so upset, Morgan told Albert I was about to lose it. All I could think was, "Why? What's the point?" This is so hard. Kids that are not babies, who come from generational poverty and are so very needy! I know God has us here but we aren't making any difference!

Really long story short...I spent a few days struggling with this new reality, new realization of my calling. But today, God has renewed my love for hurting children. I knew a year or more before we moved that God wanted me to quit work and begin working with orphans full time. At the time my vision was so short sighted, all I could think of was a position through our church, aren't you glad that God is much more creative than we are?

The next time you hear Bring the Rain, by Mercy Me...don't sing, just listen to this chorus and decide if you truly want him to bring the rain!

Bring me joy, bring me peace

Bring the chance to be free

Bring me anything that brings you glory

And I know there'll be days

When this life brings me pain

But if that's what it takes to praise you

Jesus, bring the rain