Magical!

I'll give you one guess as to where we went for Fall Break this year. You are right! Disney World! It was our first trip ever and it surpassed our expectations. David and I were afraid it would not live up to years of expectation, but we were not disappointed by anything. It truly was a "magical" time!

The theatre side of David wanted to explore the Classic Mickey side of Hollywood Studios a little more than we had time for. He also loved all the puppetry and shows at Animal Kingdom. Especially the "Nemo" show. I would love to go back to Epcot and spend a little more time there. I love all the different worlds and would like to try more food. The kids were not interested in sampling food from around the world. ;) The girls favorites were "Rockin Roller Coaster" at Hollywood Studios and "Soarin" at Epcot. Nathan liked "Soarin" also and "Toy Story" at Hollywood Studios. Of course the "Jungle Safari" at Animal Kingdom was a favorite for everyone.

Micah on the other hand...it's hard to know what he will remember from the trip. We know he enjoyed it. Especially the characters. He loved the princesses and even pushed Emma out of the way so that he could hold Cinderella's hand for the photo! He talks about different things he saw and experienced. He remember being spit on by the camel on the Alladin ride. He keeps asking to ride on the bus and swim at the hotel again. There were a few things, however, where he missed it by just a bit and cracked us up! He keeps saying he rode "Gumbo." We finally figured out that he was talking about the "Dumbo" ride. After watching the "Playhouse Disney Show" at Hollywood Studios (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Pooh, and Little Einstiens), David asked him what part he liked best. Micah says, "Scooby Doo!" On the "Jungle Safari," while we were admiring all the exotic animals, Micah asks, "You smell somping Mommy?" I asked, "Why? What do you smell, Micah?" To which he replies, "Smells like cow poop everywhere!" His great sense of smell was crowding out all of his other senses I guess. :)

Now, I don't find a spiritual allusion in everything, but I could not help but think about our view of Heaven. I tread here softly. I never thought twice about talking about Heaven before, but since being hit with the very real possibility that I could go before I anticipated, I am a little more hesitant now about just throwing things out there. I am also not comparing Heaven to Disney World, but these thoughts came to mind this morning. Yesterday I heard the verse in I Corinthians 2:9. "No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him!" Just like Disney, we had heard stories about it and had pictures in our mind, but we could never have anticipated fully what we were about to see and experience. It is the same way with Heaven. We just have no idea and cannot even imagine. Just like Micah, our vision is clouded by our senses, our experiences, and our humanness here on earth. I'm sure some times we miss it all together. I wonder if Jesus just looks down and smiles and thinks, "Won't they be surprised?" All I can say is on our trip to Disney, we truly felt like we had been transported to a magical world. :) I can't even begin to imagine what Heaven is going to be like!

Aunt Julie

Today as we begin our first ever family vacation into a new world...Disney World...I am also remembering my Aunt Julie who is beginning her first full day in a new world...in Heaven with Jesus! :) Yesterday as we were driving down, we received the news that she had passed away. She had been fighting with cancer for a while and it was just spreading faster than she could stop it. As we were shedding tears of sadness each time we heard news of the cancer spreading, we also shed tears of joy as we heard about her new-found joy in Christ. Julie accepted Christ as her Saviour this year and she was transformed! She was so full of joy and peace, even in the midst of her storm! She radiated her love for God and the promise of the new life He would give to her. She had such a sweet spirit and a heart for others.

Over the last couple of months, Julie and I had e-mailed each other on a more personal note. Since I had begun my journey through breast cancer this year, we were sharing in a fight against this awful disease. Julie was never afraid for herself. She was always encouraging and praying for me and my family. I wanted to let you see just a brief glance into her precious, transformed life. This was one of her last e-mails to me...

Dear Sweet Candice,

I have been thinking of you today too. I pray for you and family everyday.

Thank you so much for checking on me , I love you guys!

I rededicated my life to our Lord Jesus Christ Today and John & I joined the church!

I will be Baptized the following Sunday @ 6pm!

I am so happy and overfilled with joy, All to the Glory of God, He is wonderful!

I pray for the healing of your body, your emotional well being and for you and David to have more family time together also that you will be able to raise your children in the will of Lord Jesus Christ! And wow! When you believe in the All Powerful Heavenly Father, well you just claim it, because He is alive and He will take care of you!

I love you too,

Aunt Julie

I love you too, Aunt Julie and I will see you again in Heaven someday!

Blood:Water Mission

Blood:Water Mission is an organization run by the contemporary christian music group "Jars of Clay." Their desire is to raise funds to help with the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa by helping to provide clean drinking water for the people in Africa. So, what does that have to do with us? Sometimes it's hard to look beyond our little worlds that we have created for ourselves and see the World as God sees it. We are His children, created in His image, and He has called us to care for each other.

Well, some of my friends are doing just that. Ordinary (I think extraordinary) people just like you and me that made a committment at the beginning of the year that they were going to run a marathon (26.2 miles) in November. None of them were runners, but they started with running a mile together each Saturday morning and have worked up to running 20 miles this last Saturday! They just decided together to do something bigger than themselves for someone who could not help themself. My friends call themselves the H2o Runners and they are trying to raise $7000 ($1000 for each man and woman running) for Blood:Water Mission. To date they have raised $1700. If you click on the link, it will take you to their blog site. There you can meet the runners, read about their vision, follow along on their Saturday runs, and donate to the cause. You can mail in a check or donate securely online. It does not take much...

• $1 gives clean drinking water to someone in Africa for a year.
• $25 gives clean drinking water to someone in Africa for life.
• $85 provides a family with a biosand filter to clean their water .
• $4000 builds the community a well and provides clean water for hundreds!

I am so proud of my friends and if you can join the fight, please consider a donation in their honor!

Book Club

I don't know if you can tell, but I LOVE to read! I don't get a lot of chances to just sit and read with 4 kids, but I carry a book with me everywhere...in my purse, in my car (for reading in carline), by my bed, etc. I have almost decided for sure to get myself a Kindle for my birthday. As much as I love reading the written page, it would be nice to just slide that little screen into a bag and have as many books as I want at my fingertips without having to lug the actual copies everywhere. :)

This week I have decided to try 2 new things.

1. First, on the first Friday of each month, I think I will post a book review of a book I have read this year. This will be just for fun for me and maybe it will encourage someone else to pick up one of the books for reading. Then it's like I have passed my book along to someone else without having to give up my copy! :)
2. Second, I have joined an online Christian book club! The "Bring the Rain" blog (I have a link posted at the side) does a Bloom Book Club and this month, I will be reading my first book with them. It is called "Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives," by Wayne Muller. How did they know I needed this book right now? :)

So, I have my books and I, strangely enough, look forward to carline, soccer practice, choir practice, my weekly treatments at the doctor's office, and anywhere else I might have a few minutes to read a chapter uninterrupted!