Making Memories

Making memories is a lot of fun especially with our grandchildren. Hannah and Isaiah have been visiting us while Matt is in Afghanistan. We have been having a wonderful time. This past weekend we went camping. God gave us wonderful weather, not too hot and not too cold, as Goldilocks said "it was just right". We went to Chehaw Park in Albany, GA. It was a very nice park. We arrived Friday and set up camp. It takes about an hour to set up and by the time we were finished Isaiah was getting hungry and tired and our plan was to fix spaghetti BUT we decided Chick-fila would be quicker so we all piled back in the truck and went searching for Chick-fila. It wasn't long til we spotted one, it was a drive thru or walk up window Chick-fila, never saw one like it before but it was very nice and as always very good. After getting our stomachs full with chicken sandwiches and of course milkshakes we headed to Walmart for some fire starters and bug spray then back to the campground. On our way back to our campsite we saw about 6 deer when we stopped to get our firewood. Back at the campsite Pappy built us a very nice fire and Hannah gave Isaiah a bath in a bath tub just his size. He loved it.

Soon it was time for bed. The camper has one queen bed and arable that makes into a twin size bed. So Hannah slept on the twin bed and Pappy and Maw Maw slept in the queen bed with Isaiah in the middle. I do believe that Isaiah does his exercises at night while he is sleeping. First he is on his belly, then his back, then his belly, then his feet are at the bottom of the bed then his feet are at the top of the bed then his feet are on Pappy then his feet are on Maw Maw, then he sits up and lays back down. Needless to say I don't think we slept too well. Saturday morning Pappy made pancakes and sausage for us....YUMMY! After breakfast we got into the truck and went to the mall for our free gifts at Bath and Body......we all went but Hannah and I went to Bath and Body, Pappy and Isaiah walked around while we got our free items. Well you had to buy something to get the free gifts but that was okay. We both got fall scented candles and free tote bags and three small candles. After getting our free gifts we headed back to the truck and back toward the campground but first we stopped at a roadside produce market to get some fresh vegetables to eat with our supper.

As we went through the gate at the campground we stopped and got our zoo tickets for the day, you see there is a zoo at the back of the campground that we planned on going to. As we stopped to get our tickets Hannah remembered that she had a zoo membership to the Louisville Zoo and it also included other zoos and guess......... what it included the Albany GA zoo so we all were able to get in for free. The zoo was great! It isn't a large zoo but very well kept. We saw alligators and even got to feed them.

We saw flamingos, and they were, as Isaiah said, "awwwwww, pretty." We saw a rhino and Isaiah saw it and said, "moo" LOL We saw meerkats, bears, bobcats (Isaiah gave them some of his favorite treats....candy corn, they liked it too). Shhhh! Don't tell.

We also saw farm animals and Isaiah loved them. He wanted to get in the fence with them.

Right outside the zoo was a train to ride. It was about a twenty minute ride that went around the campground. Very fun, as Isaiah said as the train started chugging along, "weeeeee!"

After a day at the zoo we walked back to our campsite and Isaiah and Pappy took a nap while Hannah and Maw Maw read. Then Pappy fixed is hotdogs for supper with Mac and cheese, grilled squash and onions, baked beans, and a fresh sliced tomato, yummy! After a good supper we went to the playground and had fun sliding, swinging, and just running around. Then we went for a walk and headed back to the campsite for a fire and some s'mores.

Sunday we got up and headed for home. God blessed us with a wonderful time of camping. He gave us beautiful weather and we saw some of his wonderful creation and some of His wonderful and interesting creatures, including an armidillo, first one I have seen alive since we came to GA. usually they are dead on the side of the road.

Pappy had Monday off from work so it gave us more time to make more wonderful memories. We started our day off by heading to Cooper Creek Park and feeding the geese.

Then we played on the playground. After a lot of playing Isaiah was tired and ready for a nap. So we headed home, had lunch, and Isaiah took a nap. While Isaiah slept we all got a few things done we had to do. After Isaiah woke up we went to Chuckie Cheeses for supper and a fun time. It was so much fun just watching Isaiah go from one thing to another and he simply loved the "Chuckie Cheese Band".

We had two hours of Chuckie Cheese fun then we headed home to see Liberty, take a bath, and go to bed.

What great memories we have made this weekend! What a blessing to have grandchildren! I love being a Maw Maw! I praise God for giving me two precious grandsons to make memories with. In a couple of weeks I get to spend a week with our other grandson, Mason who will be four months old on Oct. 3rd......more memory making.

I pray every day for our grandchildren that they will give their lives to Jesus at a young age and will follow Him all their lives. I want to be able to keep making memories with them forever, now and in Heaven.

"Birth Pains"

Yesterday there was an earthquake in Virginia that was felt over much of the East coast. My family that lives in Maryland felt it. It was a pretty strong earthquake, 5.8. Thankfully there were no major injuries. As I watched and listened to the news reporters reporting on the earthquake and talking to people who felt the earthquake, many people thought at first it was a terrorist attack but then they realized it was, in their words, "ONLY" an earthquake. I know they may not have thought about what they were saying but think about it "ONLY" an earthquake, God allowed that earthquake and He is much more powerful than any terrorist attack. The earth could have opened up and swallowed everyone if that is what God would have chosen to do. Thankfully that did not happen but an earthquake is NOT an "ONLY". It is a birth pain, in Matthew 24 Jesus tells us that in the end times there will be "earthquakes in many parts of the world". The Bible tells us that the earth groans for Jesus return. I think this earthquake is just another thing that shows us that Jesus return is getting closer and closer. As I look around I see many birthing pains going on....many groans. I look around and see people who are all about themselves. We are all selfish but it seems selfishness is getting worse and worse. Ed and I talked about this, no one looks out for the "little guy". It seems like those in authority or have jobs where they have some power look down on those under them and say, "I got to where I am by working hard or maybe I inherited this job because of who my dad was so sorry for your luck that you are where you are, I am not helping you, I have my own stuff to take care of." This is another birth pain, the Bible tells us the love of many will wax cold and they will be lovers of themselves. Of course we have always been selfish, this is our sinful nature but I think it is getting much worse. Hannah says that Isaiah says hi to everyone, now you would think that people would look at him and smile and say hi back to him but not always, many people turn their heads, this used not to be. Try smiling at someone, many times that person won't smile back, that used to not be. Just yesterday I took a pair of shoes back to Dicks to exchange them, the lady at customer service helped me but she sure was not friendly, she did not smile once and yes, I smiled at her. We forgot to pay our water bill for our home in KY, first time in 12 almost 13 years....I guess we are getting old. Anyway, our water was shut off so we called Meade Co. Water and got it all taken care of but there was a $50.00 charge for them to turn the water back on. Which wasn't a problem for us but what if someone had just lost their job or maybe they were having a family crisis and didn't get their bill paid because they were at the hospital then had their water shut off and had to pay the $50.00 to have it turned back on? Do you think that the main person at Meade County Water is really going to care.....no and that is sad. I think there are birthing pains all around us, Christians and even our earth is groaning for the Lord's return. So when I look around and see a world that is NOT the same world that I once knew, I must remind myself, this will soon pass, and Heaven is on the other side. Keep looking up!