You know you are a Floridian if . . .

- Socks are only for bowling.


- It's rained on the front half of your car but not the back.

- A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade.

- Your winter coat is a hoodie.

- Anything under 70 degrees is chilly.

- You know that no other store can compare to Publix
.
- You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for.

- You are on a first-name basis with the Hurricane list
.
- You know what a snowbird is and when they'll leave.

- You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty average.

- "Down South" means Key West.

- Flip-flops are everyday wear.

- Shoes are for business meetings and church, but you HAVE worn flip-flops to church before

- You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt

- A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level and chances are it's an old garbage dump that's been sodded

- You know the four seasons really are:

Hurricane season

Love bug season

Tourist season

Summer


- You've hosted a hurricane party
.
- You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat than to have a boat yourself.

- You've worn shorts & turned on the A/C on Christmas and New Years.




Yes, we are Floridians!!!! My favorites: #1, #4, #5, #12 : )

~Becky


(borrowed from Facebook)

Our 4th teenager arrives tomorrow!

Happy Birthday, Andrew! You are my "exceeding joy" and I love you like crazy!
Thanks for making life around here so much fun!
I'm so glad you have the gift of gab like your dad. : ) Whenever you spend the night anywhere, we go through Roo withdrawals because of the silence in the house.Your smile and your jokes light up the place!
Thank you for being SO helpful around here. You seem to always look for ways to make life easier for me and often surprise me with a clean kitchen or living room, then I proclaim that 'You are my favorite child...today" and we laugh. You make some awesome homemade pizza on Wednesday nights, thanks so much!
God's given you many talents, one of which is playing guitar. Remember when you played in our family worship band?-Or actually, you strummed and we kind of hoped you didn't notice that you weren't plugged in. lol  Then Dad taught you everything he knew about guitar and you took off with it. You've been amazing people with how well you play, for your age, for a long time now. (and you give Dad pointers) You've been asked to play in the youth group band recently and we are excited for you.
You have a sweet devotion to your oldest brother that takes many (sometimes dangerous) forms. You used to follow him everywhere and talk his ears off. Now, you try to annoy him like crazy, while he is studying, so that he will chase you around the house and wrestle you to the ground or shoot you with an air soft gun. You both love every minute of it. (you've always liked to live dangerously!)
 You and your sister are still close, at heart but not in size, you passed her up this year. : ) We used to call you guys "Thing One and Thing Two."  You two are the pranksters of the family. (hopefully I am done finding plastic wrap on our toilet seats) lol
I love your heart for Jesus and your passion to be involved in His things. You give us some amazing Bible studies at the dinner table, when it is your turn, and you have an insight way beyond your years.
The way you've cared for you uncle and been his friend these past 5 months of care-giving, has been such a blessing to us. Your heart for people is awesome! The world is blessed that you are in it and we are especially blessed to have you. Happy Birthday!
Love, Mom

Wednesdays in the Word

"He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, (love that!) 
since He always lives to make intercession for them." 

Guess what intercession's definition is? "To fall in with or meet in order to converse." Awsome! He always lives to 'fall in with us' and give us His wisdom.

Doesn't THAT remind you of the scene on the road to Emmaus that Sunday morning after the crucifixion? Jesus "fell in with" two of his disillusioned disciples who were leaving Jerusalem in Luke 24, and gave them the best Bible study ever, as they walked those 7 miles!
"So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them." 
"And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." "Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him and He vanished from their sight."
"Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" 


Isn't it a glorious thing that Jesus still "falls in with us" and "draws near,"
"showing us all things concerning Himself,"
"expounding upon the Scriptures to us" and
"opening our eyes" because "He always lives to make intercession for us?" -Aren't we blessed?! : )

~Becky

When too much noise is cancelled

If your son studies all there is to know about noise-cancelling headphones and saves up and buys a pair:

- Then you can expect to spend a lot of your time repeating yourself

- You will also try raising your voice and waving your arms to get his attention with no success

- He will spend a lot of his time saying "What?"

- Then when he tells you that "No one ever tells me what's going on in this family," you will have to remind him about those noise-cancelling headphones ; )

Then your hubby, who is a genius, will give you a great idea on how to get his attention, and you will go and buy these:

                                   and place them here near the computers

and then have the BEST time tossing them at the back of his head

 and you will feel that all is right with the world once again. : )

~Becky

Homeschooling momma faux pas

I handed Nathan The Hiding Place to start reading today. He just finished Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis for Bible and I was glad that he would be reading something easier. (and he may or may not have fallen asleep reading it a couple of times) : )

As we drove to worship band practice, I asked him how he liked it. And he said "Have you read that book?" And I said that I've listened to it on tape and I saw the movie. -Love Corrie Ten Boom!
Then he described the first chapter: and did not say things that sounded remotely familiar about Corrie and her family and their clock repair business and hiding the Jews.
No, it was more like this:
a woman woke up from a comma, found out her husband had divorced her for another woman and her best friend was killed by her spouse who then committed suicide...or something like that...
This is how I found out that there is more than one book called The Hiding Place and I'm pretty sure he didn't fall asleep today. ; )

~Becky

Wednesdays in the Word

"Through your name we will trample those who rise up against us. For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm and the light of Your countenance because YOU favored them."
"For I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me. But You have saved us from our enemies....In God we boast all day long, and praise your name forever." Psalms 43

How can I "boast in God" if I take matters into my own hands? I need to remember to take my hands off the situation, give it to God, leave it with him, and THEN I will 'see the salvation of the Lord.'


"Dearly Beloved, avenge not yourselves..." Rom. 12:19


"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Ex. 14:14


"Vindicate me, O God...Send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me...


Hope in God....God my exceeding joy..." Psalm 43

~Becky

Scenes from Spring

Who hit a TRIPLE on Saturday? This girl! Yes, Joy gives this fam a fun reason to get up early on Saturday mornings! Go Lady Red Sox! 

Just a few of Joy's fans: Uncle Phil, Dad, Andrew and 

Moriah, who always brings a sign or two.

Movie making fun after the games on Saturdays with Andrew directing and Nate filming and editing and Joy doing everyone's make-up.

Moriah is the star!

                           

Some beach fun!

Uncle Phil enjoying the boardwalk

                                       

Buried while standing up! = some big holes!

One of our favorite family traditions

Strawberry picking! -But it is the end of the season and the good ones were hard to find 

and one of my helpers was tired, from playing second base and hitting her TRIPLE!  Whoo-hoo!

~Becky