By Grace Alone

Christmas Part II

2010-12-30T17:24:00.001-08:00

At the Orchard House with cousins.

My family

Kristen's snowman

Children's program Heather and Hannah's duo

Christmas happenings! Part 1

2010-12-30T16:45:00.000-08:00

Heather Christmas Piano Recital

School Honor Choir. This girl loves to sing and really enjoyed herself.

Noche Buena, Christmas Eve with my parents. A Guatemalan tradition, except we didn't wait for the midnight dinner thing. In Guatemala we celebrate with a dinner (usually tamales) at midnight, fireworks and the midnight hugs and gift opening. We went to our church candlelight service and then came home to our family's Christmas with my parents.

Black Friday at my house!!

2010-12-01T15:53:00.000-08:00

This is what we did at our house on Black Friday. The Thought of being out in the crowds bearing the cold did not sound like fun to me. I actually planned ahead this time and invited a couple little friends to spend the day with us. The girls really enjoyed it and I got to do some reading off and on while they were busy playing and then we all joined in for some fun activities.

I got this idea from Familyfun.com

Finished product.

The girls quickly found the personalities of their hats.

... and of course a few rounds of Blitz! I am afraid they are hooked!

Finding Joy and Contentment

2010-11-14T09:46:00.000-08:00

Life around here has always been on the go and I often struggle with the fact that I don't take time to meditate or do a self check on basically life. But God just has a way to make these things happen somehow. This week I was surprised by an emergency Laparoscopic Appendectomy. I have never had any type of surgery before so this was a new road for me. Specially for someone that is always on the go coming to a halt all of a sudden was interesting.

I won't go through all the details but I want to mentioned the "highlights" of this journey. As things were happening fast I remember lying in the hospital bed pretty much thinking, how were they going to get rid of that pain, what was going to be the outcome of all the testing and feeling bad that Kristen had to see me in such pain (until Roger's aunt came and got her). I remember the verse coming to my head, "I will bless the Lord at all times" and as it came to mind I found myself saying it over and over. After the doctor came and told me the diagnosis I am honest to say that I did felt a little fear but was quickly swept away with peace by a verse that Heather and I had been reciting together (for her own sake, I saw in her eyes that she was scared for mom) "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid for the Lord your God is with you..." and then off I went into surgery. Half hour later I was back trying to wake up and remember thinking that I didn't have pain anymore. Believe me, an awesome feeling to have.

The girls have really step up and have been helping around the house, along with my mom and the wonderful friends that have brought very delicious meals. Our dinner table has always been surrounded by the girls chit chat of their days, sometimes more casual than others. This particular time Heather said in her own words: "All things work together for good..." we get to learn/help more around that house and mom's gets to rest. I think she pretty much summed it all up. I have been down and hardly doing any physical things but for some reason this time is different. This might sound weird, but I am actually ok with it, I have actually enjoyed letting people help in what they can, I don't have to be the tough one all the time. Philippians 4:11 has been my motto this week.. I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance..." believe me, it hasn't been just peaches and cream to get to this point, but I think God is doing His work in me... trying to look for the positive and at the same time learning to be content in my circumstances while finding joy at the same time is something I haven't really deeply thought about it before. I trust that I get back on my feet soon but mostly I pray that the lesson's learned during this waiting time stay with me and I can continue growing in the areas where I need it the most.
To have a completely mind set of: "God will get me through this, with His help. He knew I could handled it, and things will be ok..." vs "Why me..? or being sick and tired of it, feeling hopeless and angry.." is only a mind set/attitude that can only come from God with His help.
So, my prayer is that I can continue finding joy and contentment in whatever my circumstance.

Dámaris

Happy Mother's Day!!!

2010-05-09T06:20:00.000-07:00

I read this out of Streams in the Desert and loved it and thought It was worth sharing it. Hope you all have a blessed day!

The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is the way long?" she asked.
And her Guide said: "Yes. And the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."
But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed with them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them and life was good, and the young mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."
Then the night came, and storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "Oh, Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come," and the mother said: "This is better than the brightness of day, for I have taught my children courage."
And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary, but at all times she said to the children, " A little patience and we are there." So the children climbed, and when they reached the top they said, "We could no have none it without you , Mother." And the mother, when she lay down that night, looked at the stars and said: "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage, today I have given them strength."
And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth -- clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the Everlasting Glory, and it guided them and brought them beyond the darkness. And that night the mother said: "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."
And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old, and she was little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And when the way was hard, they helped their mother, and when the was was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond the hill they could see a shining road and golden gate flung wide.
And the mother said: "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know that the end is better than the beginning for my children can walk alone, and their children after them."
And the children said: "You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."
And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said: "We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence."
Temple Bailey, from Food for Thought

Making Lemonade!

2010-03-12T09:04:00.000-08:00

I was helping Heather finish her report yesterday and in the mean time Kristen was making us lemonade. She then served us a cup of pure syrup lemonade and made sure she saved a cup of lemonade for daddy too. She was proud of herself for making us some refreshing lemonade (sigh!!)

Good bye Dusty!!

2010-03-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

Dusty came into our lives about a month before Kristen was born. Heather quickly fell in love with her and enjoyed playing with the new puppy while I was busy tending to the new born baby.
As Kristen grew up, she too claimed Dusty as her own dog. As some of you know Kristen is a dog lover even more than Heather. She always made sure that we had dog treats for Dusty on hand and fed her so many of them just because.
Both the girls would take turns in the feeding and caring of Dusty and on the weekends it was there chore to clean up after her.

Yesterday we found Dusty in really bad shape and we still don't know how it happened. She was past the point of recuperation so we had to make the though decision to put her down.
We broke the sad news to the girls after church last night and they were heartbroken. They cried and hugged each other, never seen such solidarity...

Each one got to call a friend to share the news and it was so sweet to watched them feel loved and cared for from their friends.

Yes it was a rough night but they are doing better today... of course many questions were asked
about death, where is she now?, why did she have to die? etc.. We have never experienced any thing like this before besides our beta fish and gold fish. :) It was quite the mourning process but I think they are doing better today... now the new question is: -When are we going to get another puppy?....

Not fun to watch your kids go through this but is part of life and together we learn, enjoy the memories and life moves on... and hopefully we can find another puppy that will be a great fit to our family.

The Photos I promised....

2009-12-14T22:15:00.000-08:00

Just a glimpse of the memories this year.

Easter!!

Cascarones, Not an Easter tradition but for fun we filled out egg shells with confetti (a Guatemalan thing) the girls had fun with them.

Kristen's Birthday party

Heather's summer Birthday party

Genesis Girls Camp

Amy visit to Idaho, enjoying the baby cousins.

First days of Summer

Friends bon fire/city camping while the dads were out on their fishing trip.

Nampa Classical Academy ground-breaking ceremony.

Heather is in 3rd grade.

Kristen in Kindergarten.

Too busy to blog and too stuborn to quit....

2009-12-13T13:34:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my last entry was back in the Spring and a lot has gone on between then and now. It has been easier to stay in touch through Facebook but I like the fact that I can blog about our lives in a more extensive block than just a few lines.

First of all I want to say that I am very thankful and blessed for the way God has watched and provided for us and our business through this hard economic times. Roger is doing a great job running our business and we have a great team of employees and for that I am greatful.

The girls had a busy summer with friends and family and are now attending Nampa Classical Academy and liking it very much. They love the fact that a few of their friends and cousins attend the same school, the teachers are great; loving and caring and had given more than expected to make this school a great place for our children. God is good, yes He is!!!!
Heather is taking piano lessons with Mrs. French and really enjoying it. We are planning to enroll Kristen in Violin lessons pretty soon.

On the other hand, I have been busy coming and going (for short) homemaking, translating (a none end in sight) helping in the girls classrooms, doing Missions stuff at church (which I love) but what has taken a lot of my time is helping Roger at the store. Something I really did not plan for but after we hired someone to help us through this busy season she decided to quit. Being a busy season it leaves not time to train a new person so I have been filling in as much as I can, and I only have about a week left so I can continue on to my normal (what is normal?) duties.
Owning a business has its pros and cons, but most of all It has made us grow in different areas of our lives, not been easy but looking back I thank God for his ongoing lessons for our lives.

The Christmas season is one of my favorites and I am looking forward to the girls Christmas break. Baking, crafting, visiting, are some of my favorites and that's what we plan to do.
I will be posting some pictures soon...

It's been a while!

2009-07-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post. I really like to blog but life has been too fast for us these past months. I most say though that it has been good, it just seems like since the last day of home school there has been one thing after another. I really tried not to schedule our Summer packed full but it just sort ended that way. We really enjoyed our church's Vacation Bible School and soon after I took Heather to Genesis girl's camp which she totally enjoyed. In the midst of this my sister-in-law Amy came to Idaho for a two week visit and she brought along Ms. Annalena. It was a joy to have them both specially Annalena. My girls are enjoying their new cousins and it has been fun watching them. I will post pictures soon but until then have a Happy 4th of July!

I am an auntie again!!!

2009-03-14T11:21:00.001-07:00

This is my newest niece, Annalena Lynnette Lane

born on March 13th to Amy and Jason Lane. We are so happy for them and thank God for Annalena's safe arrival into this world. My girls are just beyond themselves that they now have one more cousin.
Jason has given each of my girls a little nickname, Heather-feather and Twisting-Kristen. So my girls have given Annalena her own nickname, not that it really means anything but they have fun with play on words, so Annalena the Ballerina it is for them.
Amy was a little overdue and Kristen would call her, Aunt Amy: "Is Annalena the Ballerina here yet?" So very often they wanted to call aunt Amy and ask her, so I told them they needed to be a little patient and we would know as soon as she was born. So when I woke them up yesterday, I gave them the news, they were so excited. Heather said: "Boy, she sure took her time, but now it's all worth it. " Now the question is: "Mom, is she coming over on Sunday?"
The answer is "not yet", you see they live in Main so it will be a few months before they make their way here to show her off. Until then we will get acquainted with Annalena via photos from her parents and I am sure we will hear all the little stories about Annalena the Ballerina.
So a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Amy and Jason, they will make great parents! I Love you three!

2008-12-16T08:41:00.001-08:00

My Favorite Holiday Season!

2008-12-15T13:35:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how time is going so fast and Christmas is almost here. We have been enjoying our Christmas gatherings with friends and family. But most of all I have enjoyed spending time with my girls. We are trying to keep it simple and to really focus on what Christmas is all about. I have enjoyed listening to the girls sing the Christmas carols and to practice their parts for their Christmas programs (pictures coming soon).
I wish everyone that stops by a very Merry Christmas and feel free to drop a note if you wish. I love to hear from you. With much love,

Dámaris

Wordless!

2008-11-11T12:29:00.000-08:00

I Refuse To Give UP!!!

2008-11-04T21:17:00.000-08:00

I am sad about the outcome of today's election but I must say that "I refuse to give up and be down" because God is still in control and may His will be done in order for His glorious plan to be carried out. Now more than ever we need to stand firm in His word and strenghten our relationship with Him.

Blessings to all!!

Election Day!

2008-11-04T15:12:00.000-08:00

This morning while I was having breakfast with the girls I began to talk to them about how important this day was and how we needed to pray throughout the day that God's will be done during this important decision for our country. (Yes, I say our country because 7 years ago I became a US Citizen and I feel privileged that I can be involve in this process and also to look out for the future of my children) So anyway, I asked each one of the girls to give me their opinion about who I should vote for, and out of the mouth of babes this is what I heard:
Heather: Mom, definitely vote for McCain, please do not vote for Obama, he is going to change everything mom. He's gonna change our flag, our food, and who knows maybe is gonna makes change our language also, mom McCain has been a soldier and he has fought for America before (I was just laughing inside!)
Kristen: Mom vote for McKenzie because she is my good friend (she's our neighbor, and I was laughing inside also, McKenzie and MacCain almost the same right?)
I thought it was totally cute that they each have their own opinions although I went on to explain my point of views and my reasoning for voting for McCain/Palin. I also took this opportunity to give them the assurance that God is a big God that cares for His children and as long as we are His, He will protect and fight for us.
Usually we would have an election party but since it is a school night we decided to stay home and have our own little party. I went ahead and printed coloring pages of McCain and Palin, the USA map, the republican mascot, and others and made a coloring book for the girls. Picked up some balloons and stuff to decorate with the idea that today is a special day and I want the girls to learn the responsibilities and privileges of being a US citizen.
May God bless America and let's pray for those that are fighting for our freedom.

All Saints Day - Nov. 1st

2008-11-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

One of the Guatemala's most important holidays, All Saints Day (sometimes called Day of the Dead here) is marked by processions and festivals mixing Mayan and Catholic traditions. Most activities take place in the cemeteries, where people decorate gravesites and celebrate their dead. For a colorful spectacle, go to the village of Santiago Sacatepequez, less than an hour from the capital. At the village cemetery, locals fly huge brilliantly colored kites, representing souls rising to heaven. Notes attached to the strings carry messages to the dead and to God.

The kytes are huge and colorful, it takes several people to stand them up.

While the All Saints Day is dedicated to the dead, for the living it is a happy festival. In addition to flying kites, local residents gather together at home to eat, sing and dance. Those who have picnics at the graveyards paint the graves blue, pink or green, then decorate them with beautiful flowers. Finally, various delicious traditional foods are prepared for both the dead and the living. One of such foods is a dish called "Fiambre", which is made only once a year, for lunch.

I thought I would bring a little bit of this to our home and attempted to make the famous Fiambre. It calls for all kinds of vegetables and meats. The dressing is made with vinegar and chicken stock and seasonings.

Some of the ingredients

Fiambre! the finished product.

Butter squash cooked with Panela (chemical unprocessed sugar cane) and cinnamon. Kristen sensed that we were having a special meal tonight and before I knew it she had the table all set up. I must say that I was proud of the girls for trying and eating "some" of this. Roger went back for seconds and of course I had a feast myself and later on I enjoyed some more with my dad.

I so want my kids to learn about Guatemala and I am thankful that we get to have these special times.

Decade Day At School

2008-10-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

Today is Decade Day at school and Heather decided that she would ask Grandma Gladys if she could borrow her aunts dresses. You see, Grandma has saved a few of my sisters-in-law dresses that they wore a "couple decades ago". Heather specially has enjoyed playing dress up with these dresses. So last night they went over and picked the dress they wanted to wear today to school. Kristen wasn't really sure of her sister's idea but surprisingly she went ahead with the idea. This morning Heather got all ready and must have overwhelmed Kristen in such a way that she said she was quitting school. After a few talks and brives she was back with the plan and here they are.

I have to ask Grandma the sizes of these dresses or who wore what because the dress Heather wore is shorter but it fits fine on the top but Kristen's is longer and also fitted just fine. I thought Heather would wear the long one since she is taller and when she tried it on it wouldn't close on the back.

(sorry these pictures aren't the greatest but I took them this morning using my almost dead cellphone)

Kristen Field Trip

2008-10-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

And of course it wouldn't be Fall without a trip to the Pumpkin Patch on a very cold morning.

Kristen an her class went to the Linder Farms where she got "to pick and carry" her own pumpkin. But if you ask her what was her favorite thing, she would tell you that it was the bus ride. I don't blame her it was so cold but she did enjoyed seeing the animals they have there also.

Kristen and Ms. Shellberg

Heather's Field Trip

2008-10-29T08:45:00.001-07:00

I just thought it was cute that this cow wears her heart right on her forehead!

Heather's trip to the Dairy. She enjoyed learning all about the milking process, calfs, and all the different kinds of feed the cows need in order to produce good milk.
Towards the end everyone was treated to a cup of ice cream and of course lots of handy information. For me the smell was unbearable but everyone seemed to enjoy their ice cream in spite of the smell.

Children and Chores!!

2008-10-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

For some reason these two "Children and Chores" have not gotten along very good lately. We have tried different things but the motivation to keep on doesn't last very long. As much as we want to teach them consistency, I wanted to find some tools to make the task more enjoyable so that it doesn't become a burden. Not matter what I've tried it just has not worked out UNTIL the other day I was browsing the Internet trying to find another interesting chart or some ideas that would help captivate my girls interest in doing their chores. Well, I came across this website and decided to check it out. I immediately became interested and decided to try it out. I am not a person that keeps track of work or anything else on the computer, I rather have to do lists that one can cross out really quick when done. But his website really got me, I created an account for our family and was able to create one chore chart for each one of the girls. That gave us a weekly chart and the availability to check it off when done; this is the catch, when each chore is done and marked done, your child earns points which are accumulated and easy for the child to read their accumulated points.
They get to choose a kitten when you create their account, and with their points earned they get to buy clothing, accessories, etc for their kitten, they even get a house which they will eventually furnished by using their earned points.

So here it is how I implemented it in our household and it has done wonders, since I don't want to be on the computer every time they finish one chore, I went ahead and printed their weekly chart and tape it to their bedroom doors. I am not kidding you, they get home for school and without any fussing they get busy with their chores and after they are done they mark them off with a pencil. At the end of day, each one take turns by bringing their chart down and together we check them off on the computer. This is the part they love and look forward to, that after we check their charts they get to play/shop with their kitten for 15/20 min and that's their reward. At this point Heather is saving all her points because she wants to furnish her kitten's house, so cute.

A week later they are still interested and all the arguing has gone down. They are occupied, not only with chores but with activities they love. Our life has less chaos, their rooms are picked up on a daily basis, mama's happy that I don't have to argue with them about their chores getting done.

I am sharing this because it is really working for us, it is free to sign up although they have things you can buy but it's completely optional. So here it is, check it out

Handipoints

When the price is right!

2008-09-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

Peaches and more peaches... Today we were able to go on a little drive to an orchard were peaches were free! So we picked and brought enough to last us for a while.

Kristen and her cousin "J" enjoying the "peach forest" they said.

My dad doing some more picking!

So we went from here....

...to here. Now the fun part begins, canning and more canning.

No, I didn't die and went to heaven!!

2008-09-15T16:21:00.000-07:00

Although it probably seems like I really died and went to heaven, I am still here. I can't believe it has been a while, not that I didn't have anything to blog about, it's just life I guess. We had a very crazy summer but totally enjoyed ourselves.
In the mean time I want to say that life is back to normal for us, is it?
Heather and Kristen are now both in school, Heather in 2nd grade and Kristen in preschool. They both really like their school.
Roger is still holding the fort at Copies Plus and doing a good job at it. I am still working out of our house which it will soon change (I think/hope) and doing everything else there is to do like canning the wonderful bounty that this season has to offer, and assisting and helping at the girls school, and doing what we can at church and loving every minute of it.
God is good, not complaints here ~
Now my friend Laura won't have to tell me that I am at the bottom of her list because I haven't blogged for two months. Thanks Laura, I really needed that extra push!! :)

Genesis Girls Camp

2008-06-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe Genesis camp is over, Heather truly enjoyed herself. We feel so blessed to have a place the girls can go strengthen relationships, make new friends, do out of the norm activities and overall learn about God's grace and love for us. I am personally very impressed by all the staff of Trinity Pines, they really put their heart into this. I have to mentioned also the CITs, we had Marissa as our CIT helping Johanna our team leader. Marissa was one outstanding girl for the job, quick to help without hesitation, the girls really loved her. Johanna was our team leader and also did a wonderful job in leading the group. I am so proud to say that our cabin "The Sapphires" got first place. The girls really worked hard, were quick to say their thank yous when needed and very helpful. We just had an awesome team, all the girls in our team got along very well. I took so many pictures and I will try my best not to overload cyberspace with them:) here are some of our highlights.
Zip line, Heather's favorite

The Sapphires after building their castle with boxes, that soon will be destroyed by water balloons.

Heather and Danielle trying out their archery skills.

Working on our team flag.

Wall climbers!!!

Our fancy treasure hunt!! The girls had to follow the gps device. They worked so hard at it ~ and after climbing steep hills and running everywhere they found all three. Good job girls!!

Pastor Kym's great idea to have a campfire in our cabin. Some girls went outside to gather rocks and sticks and quickly built the campfire while others cut flames out of foam material. They were so cute, Pastor Kym shared a short devotional then we sang and off to bed we went (of course after putting our fire out ~or should I say -after cleaning up) I personally think that they enjoyed themselves more doing this than they would have if they would had gone outside to the other campfire.
Our princesses at the Royal Ball. They had a special dinner where they all dressed up in their princess dresses. In this picture Destiny, Hannah, Tarah and Heather.

Memories that will be treasured forever!!!

A horsemanship lesson for a horse lover!!!

2008-06-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

Heather is such a horse lover so last year at Christmas Heather got a gift certificate from Uncle Jason and Aunt Amy for 1 hour of horsemanship at South Wind Arabian Farm and Horsemanship in Kuna. Heather could hardly wait to use it, and we the parents taught that she would get the most out of it if we did it when the weather was nice and warm. Well, it finally happened. We set our appointment and off we went. As soon as we got there Jenny, the owner of the horses came out to meet us at the car and excitement began. She introduced us to all her horses and told us a little bit about each one. Then she went a got "Gracie" the horse we will be working with. Pretty much she started by showing Heather how to introduce herself to the horse and soon after introductions were made they got Gracie out to a different pen to continue with the lesson.
Hands on!! Jenny showed Heather all about grooming a horse. From what kind of brushes to use to which way to brush. Totally different from just reading it from the books.
Heather was being so gentle about brushing Gracie's mane. She said, Mom I have to be gentle because I know how it hurts if you pull too hard (I sure don't mean to pull her hair that hard when I am brushing it, maybe I need to be more gentle, sorry honey)

Heather learned about the pressure points inside a horse leg, if you want the horse to bend its leg just add pressure to that spot and like magic it bends. She learned how and why to clean the horse's hooves, I am sure if you ask Heather she will not stop talking about all these details.
This was a family affair, although Kristen wouldn't try to do any of the above she opted for just a little ride. If was fun to hear all of Heather's instructions to Kristen.

Heather has been asking for a horse for quite some time now, and I am just so glad she was able to have some hands on with horses. She is asking now when can she go back. This has brought a new light to her about horses and their care. She is set on buying a horse, if you ask her what is she saving for she will tell you, she is saving so she can buy a horse. This is funny, she would ask Roger, Dad how much money did you make at Copies Plus today? - why Heather? Because I want to know if you made enough to buy a horse today. If only kids new, right?
Thanks Uncle Jason and Aunt Amy, Heather had the best time learning about horses, I am sure you already got an ear full of information from Heather herself.

He watches over me!!!

2008-06-12T23:50:00.000-07:00

I got this picture taken from the flowers in front of my house and got me thinking about the fact that if God is taking care of these little creatures, He is sure taking care of me as well.

I don't express very often the many blessings from God but I am sure thankful that God has really been showing himself to me. He has blessed me with awesome family and friends.

My prayer today is that I will not worry about what tomorrow may bring because I KNOW HE'S WATCHING OVER ME.

School is out!!!!

2008-06-12T23:21:00.000-07:00

I can't believe first grade is over for Heather, where has the time gone? We are so proud of her she made it in the "A" Honor Roll and also in the 5,000 club. God has really been faithful this year.
He blessed our decision to put Heather in school, although it was a hard to decision to make for me but I just trusted God and He came through once again.

Heather's class after they received their awards. Mrs Burgess was an awesome teacher. She just had the touch with these kids. The whole class made it in the "A" Honor Roll.

These are all the girls that were in Heather's class. They all became really good friends.

Copies Plus on Parade America

2008-06-12T22:37:00.001-07:00

This was for sure a new experience for us. Roger thought that Copies Plus should be in the parade "America" and so I agreed with him and here we are. I want to say though that owning our own business has been a blessing and a life changing experience. Definitely not an easy road but God has given us this opportunity to grow in many ways.

This is half of our crew of hard working ladies. We are blessed to have a wonderful team of employees.

I guess this is what parades are for, right? candy, candy:)

Just Family Fun!!!!!

2008-06-12T22:09:00.000-07:00

On Memorial weekend we decided to go city camping ~ we had things going on that weekend that kept us from going to the mountains, so I thought about camping on our back yard. Sounds funny but it was actually fun. The girls certainly had so much fun. We actually roasted hot dogs which we enjoyed with grandma and grandpa and also uncle Chip and Beth.

I am ready though to do the real camping out in Red Fish Lake, my favorite place.

Some other people joined in the fun also !!!!! :)

2008-05-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

Excitement around the Kellogg's , I am sure around the Klinzler's as well.

I have been dying for quite some time now to spread the word about Beth and Chip. Finally she gave me the green light. So here we go,
CONGRATULATIONS!!! from the bottom of my heart to Beth and Chip they are expecting a baby and we all shall meet HER in November.
These are special news around our family, my girls Heather and Kristen have faithfully prayed that God would give Aunt Beth and Uncle Chip a baby. God has answered ALL of OUR prayers.
Beth is passed her first trimester and now we pray for a safe pregnancy and God's many blessings on their lives.

P.S. Yeah we all shall meet HER, I wrote that just for fun - We will be blessed for whatever God sends their way Boy or girl, we will love him/her with much love.

Back from Guatemala

2008-04-26T21:06:00.001-07:00

I can't believe we are already back. Heather and and I traveled to Guatemala to visit my brother who was recently in a car accident. I am so glad Heather got to go along, it was quite an experience for her. Of course I enjoyed having her come with me and show her all I could about Guatemala.
It was so awesome to see my good old friends at the airport to pick us up in spite the 4:30am arrival. My sister and niece were there also whom I hadn't seen for at least 5 years. I won't wait that long ever again.
Driving to my brother's house for the first time in a long time was a bundle of mixed emotions. I was excited for being there, but at the same time scared for our safety. I knew and felt assured that God was with us and that we were there for a reason and I prayed that God would give me peace and assurance that He would take care of us, and with that in mind we would enjoy our time there.

I never thought that I would go to Guatemala and spend the whole time cooking, cleaning and doing laundry. But that was the whole purpose of the trip to go and take care of my brother for a week, and to tell you the truth it was well worth it. I will do it again if needed.
My niece took off from school to spend the whole 10 days with us (she did bring her school work though) and my sister pretty much based out of my brother's house also so that we could visit.
My brother went to have his stitches removed but came home with a cast from his chest all the way down to his toes. He was in so much pain that we decided to remove the complete cast. I know it sounds crazy but later we found out through another doctor that he should have never had the cast in the first place.

In the middle of the week we took a break and traveled to the coast to visit my aunt who recently lost her husband and son. It sure meant a lot to her that we made the trip to her house. Heather didn't have big enough eyes to take everything in, we traveled by bus for about 4 hours and she would ask questions non stop about everything she saw. One of her comments was: -Mom, I think Extreme Home Make Over needs to come to Guatemala. It was quite a contrast for her that some people would live in very fancy homes and some completely the opposite. Of course it started a long conversation about the difference between countries and although things looked or were rough in Guatemala, everyone is loved by God and that everyone needs to get know God no matter what country they lived on.
By this time her Spanish had grown on her and she was pretty much talking to people and making knew friends. I was so proud of her for trying really hard to speak the language. Although she understood a lot she had trouble speaking back but with my help she learned to let go of her tongue and not be afraid or embarrassed of her broken Spanish.
We only lasted two days at my aunt's house, Heather was ready to go back to Guatemala city specially after the mosquitoes had a feast of her. She would say, -Mom, these mosquitoes think I am a restaurant, Why are they not biting Daryn? and Daryn would say -they already know me, but they don't know you!! but with lots of antich cream we managed to go back to the city.
I got right back to my duties as soon as we got back and by this time I was kind of overwhelmed just because I knew it was almost time to go back to the USA and yet I had much to do and friends to see.
On Saturday we managed to go to my sister's new apartment, and while we were there I took Heather to the church were I grew up and showed her around. She was so thrilled that she got to see the house were I grew up as well, for some reason it was one of her goals which we accomplished well.
Sunday was a pretty full day, I prepared dinner for my brother's girlfriend's family just to say Thank you for being there for him and taking care of him. I don't know what we would done without them, they have pretty much taking the task of caring for him. I am sure Karen (Meme's girlfriend) had something to do with that. She is such a sweetheart, she is sure a keeper.
I also got to go to the central market to buy some souvenirs while the roast was in the oven and bread raising. This time I decided that I was going to bring things that remind me of who I am and where I came from.
As soon as I got back from the market I got dinner ready and as soon as Karen's family got there we sat down around Meme's bed and ate our dinner with him. We sure had a good time visiting with each other.
To my surprise my aunt Tifa called and said that she was on her way to Guatemala city because she had made my favorite tamales and wanted me to bring some to the US, boy did I feel I bit spoiled. We sent a taxi to pick her up from the bus station and as soon as she got to our house we ate some of those tamales.
I don't know exactly how long this day was, but I knew the clock was ticking and there were cookies and banana bread yet to be made. I had promised Meme that I would bake him chocolate chip cookies and banana bread and so I got to work and after a couple hours all the baking was done. Not to mentioned that packing needed to be done so that we could be ready to fly out in the morning, thankfully it didn't take long. Morning came and off to the airport we went, we said our good byes and off we went. I couldn't hold back my tears as we boarded the airplane, I was glad I was coming home to Kristen and my husband and yet sad that I was leaving behind people I dearly love. But God has been faithful and I praise Him every moment I can for his goodness.
I know I have written a lot, but this trip wouldn't not happened if it wouldn't been for the ladies that helped us take care of Kristen while we were gone. So a BIG THANK YOU to Dana, Sheila, Beth and Cher, and of course the grandmas that fed them dinners and helped on the weekends and overall for everyone that prayed for our safety while we were traveling. My brother is doing well, although it will be a long recovery he is optimistic and his spirits are up. He just started therapy, and it seems that one of the surgery's was not performed as expected and the bone is not healing properly. We are praying and trust that God would take care of this and that he won't need another surgery.

Heather and her Guatemalan doll

Meme enjoying the breeze!! hahaha!!

Heather and Daryn
doing art work !!

2008-01-26T14:48:00.000-08:00

Boy, Oh Boy - I told to myself I wouldn't never do this, but under much pressure from far away people I thought I would give in. To my surprise I am actually finding it fun. So since this is my first post I will try to tell you what we have been up to. We have lived in Nampa, ID for the past 10 years, I can't believe it. We have two wonderful girls Heather and Kristen who have made us ever so proud. About a year ago we purchased a copy/printing center called "Copies Plus" We have a great team of five people plus Roger who are doing a great job at running it. We are currently members of Bethel Church of the Nazarene where we are actively involved. Roger helps with the computer system, and I am currently the Missions president. What a big job this is, but humbly accepted the fact that this is what God has me doing.
I would like to say that I am a stay at home mama, but I also have a business that I have run from home for the past 10 years. I am an Immigration consultant and people come to my house/office to have me help them with their immigration packages. Many times I have quit this job, but it makes me think twice every time I think about quitting because I have come across many opportunities to not only help with their legal papers but to share Christ and even offer a prayer to those that have needed it. I have a unique ministry, I call it, from having phisicaly abused women to men coming for help when a wife has left them. Believe me I am not counselor, and I never have asked for this but BY GRACE ALONE, is that God has put me where I am. I have a wonderful husband who loves God, and treats me like a queen and who adores his daughters.
Roger has taken up the task of teaching us all how to ski, and has had more success with Heather and Kristen than anybody else if you know what I mean.
Heather is in first grade and doing very well and Kristen is my little companion who keeps me on my toes all day long.
Like I said this is my very first blog, so I promised I will get better and try to keep this updated.