Ohio 2010

Aaron & I being from Ohio both have a lot of family there and love to go back to visit. It has been several years since we had been back and we had a fabulous time visiting friends & family. Luke wasn't born last time we made it back there so everyone was excited to meet our little boy! The children were excited to ride in an airplane. They traveled wonderfully. It was one big adventure. :) Mama made sure to hit any Starbucks she could find, which supplied the energy to chase Luke everywhere.
One big adventure that started at the LA airport BEFORE we flew out was Luke decided he was a big boy and wanted to go on the potty! Really, seriously son, here in the airport before a 5 hour flight.....needless to say, he was ready. We hit ALOT of potties but the boy was ready! Mama caught up with the plan, draggin' her coffee with her! :)
We got to see both sides of our families and visited lots of cousins. It was a sweet time filled with visiting family & friends, lots of food, and plenty of laughter. I tried to capture most of it in pictures, so enjoy the slideshow of our visit.

Beach Trip

We were blessed to join our friend Bob and his family at the beach this past weekend. It was a weekend filled with lots of food, fun, & fellowship. The children had so much fun being right on the beach. We built the most incredible sandcastle that withstood the tide. We had such a lovely time and won't soon forget it.

The Adventures of our 2009 Vacation

Our family vacation this year was full of discoveries, laughter, tight corridors, mileage, & FOOD! Rob has always talked about his time in northern California and how beautiful it is. Well the perfect opportunity arrived to visit this area. It all started with a wedding. Rob's Dad, Jim was getting married. We arrived the night before just in time for a fried chicken cook off. Oh my, how very yummy!

Hope is about to dive in!

We discovered how very funny yet sweet a wedding could be! The Bride in this picture gives you a glimpse of the fun that was involved.

We discovered some pretty good looking people in the wedding party.

Sorry Rob, no dashing picture of you!

We all had a good hard laugh about a red headed cowboy! :) And he never even knew! We (Aaron & Keri) are so childish sometimes!

On Sunday we got to visit with some friends in Redding and visit their church, The Stirring. We were so glad we got to visit and hear what Jesus is doing in our friends lives & in their area.

We can not visit a new area without checking out their pizza. We discovered a new fabulous pizza! Mary's Pizza Shack has pizza called The Napoletana
"Our legendary homemade pizza dough topped with diced fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil,
olive oil, and a light layer of mozzarella cheese. Authentic Italian pizza pie." Look for me to copy this one for our Friday Night ~ Pizza Nights!

On Monday we headed up to a cabin on the Klamath River.

Jim insured there was great food. Aaron & the girls got to go rafting and have a blast. Mama got to sit in her favorite spot on the porch and read & listen to the creek. It was so peaceful and quiet up there. It really was so good for the soul to just be away and in His creation. One of my favorite things was looking out my bedroom window at this:

I could totally get use to a horse grazing outside my bedroom window!

After a few days of rafting & swimming at the river we headed for the coast & the Redwoods.

We discovered that our children had never stayed in a hotel and were in awe of the experience. We had connected rooms with the Cobbs and had a blast. We also discovered how bad pizza can get!

We discovered how small we really are next to trees that wouldn't even be a splinter to God.

We discovered how good a lunch can get when the Abshires forget the peanut butter!

There were a ton more discoveries but I wanted to capture some of the best here so we wouldn't forget and share them with friends & family. We will close with two last discoveries. One is that Adventures In Odyssey are a great thing in a very long car trip. Second is discovery two of Luke's newest things!

His newest position he loves and his newest trick!

He is lucky he is so stinkin' cute!

Click here for all the pictures ~ Mom! :)

Visit the Cobbs

Sneaking Away ~ Part Two

We had a great weekend!!! We stayed at a bed & breakfast in Carpinteria, where Liz had lived when she moved to California. The home was so sweet and the breakfasts were amazing. (Prufrock's - Bed & Breakfast) It was a lovely place to rest and relax, which was our goal.
We got to visit with some special friends on Friday night.We followed that with cooking our own steaks at a restaurant Liz use to work. The steaks were great, but if they weren't what could you do?!?
The wedding we attended was beautiful and full of surprises! We enjoyed sharing their special day with them. Aaron sure had fun at the reception. I have never seen a sober man have so much fun acting silly!! He kept me in stitches. I was just so happy to see him relaxing and having fun with all the changes he is having. My prayers were answered.

We had some wonderful meals, long walks on the beach, lots of laughter, and LOTS of coffee (Liz). Probably too much coffee. I did not just write that! There is no such thing as "too much coffee"!
Before we headed home we visited a local church that our friends had told us about. Reality - Carpinteria We had an awesome time of worship and fed a great dose of the Word. It was so refreshing to us both. We were so blessed by our time there. It was a double blessing to Liz because the pastor was a friend of hers from school. We wished we could have visited with him, met his family, and swap "brag stories" of our God, but maybe our next visit.

Wagon Train 08

Abbie & Mama just spent a week at Hume Lake attending Wagon Train. Wagon Train is where the Old West comes alive as campers sleep in real covered wagons, eat in the Outpost, and purchase items from the Trading Post. We had a great time! Wagon Train is Hume's junior camp for ages 8-11. With its rugged western theme, Wagon Train showed us & 9 other children plus 3 counselors a rootin' tootin' good time while delivering the Good News of Christ. We were led through the week by dedicated staff (dressed in authentic western attire) who took us on hikes, taught us fun crafts, and shared their love for the Lord. This rustic camp gave us the opportunity to experience the outdoors like never before. With such activities as rappelling, archery, the Giant Swing and the Flying Fox zip-line, we were never at a loss for great things to do.

More Wagon Train Photos

Even More Wagon Train Pictures

Grace Children's Home - Mexico

We were so truly humbled and blessed by our Easter vacation this year. The Abshire Clan along with three other families, laded up and headed to Tijuana, Mexico. Our focus was to help with construction on a new building that consists of dorms for groups coming to help, an educational & health floor, and housing for the missionary family floor. The Lord had a different plan for Aaron. Upon introductions, Aaron stated that he ran an automotive shop and he had a whole new purpose of being there. He worked on the fleet of vehicles as his service to them and the LORD. He loved it! Our girls loved meeting new friends! Hopie continues to say "Buenos diaz" most days since we have been home. Keri & I loved on all the children and did crafts with them each day. We loved it. Luke did amazing! What a blessing the whole trip was. It made us so thankful for new friends in Mexico, the wonderful children at Grace, the work God is doing there, and fresh appreciation for all the LORD has put in our lives. May we be good stewards with what He has placed in our lives.

Some rest & fun at Hungtington Lake

We had a wonderful time away with some friends of ours to Hungtington Lake. It was four days filled with LOTS of snow, beautiful scenery, laughter with friends, and the choas of two full families in one condo! We all had so much fun. Okay, in all honesty, Aaron wouldn't agree that wrecking a snowmobile was his idea of fun. I personally said a "Thank you Jesus" for keeping him safe. It was nothing that a game of sequence, after children went to bed, wouldn't fix! It was such a blessing to get away and visit with friends, enjoy God's creation, soak up family time, and share some laughs.

Taking In God's Creation

We are so thankful for a great God who created such beauty on earth. We enjoyed a beautiful day of the sea breeze on our faces, as kisses from God. We enjoyed friendships that bind our lives together. Laughing at the antics of both children & parents that brought joy to our hearts. Don't be fooled, there was the occasional disobedience as well! We are thankful for a gracious God, as our children are thankful for gracious parents as well. On our travels home the van was filled with "thank you Papa & Mama for taking us to the beach". What joy it brings to be thanked. So this is a "shout out" of thanks to our awesome Creator who filled that sea with water (that fits in the palm of His hand), the waters with creatures (of such beauty and intrigue), the shore with sand (that is innumerable to us), and who gave us lives that we may enjoy His creation and bring Him glory. May our lives bring You all the glory You so greatly deserve.
Psalm 150:6
"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!"

Cabin Run

It was so nice to get away for a few days to the mountains to laugh and play together as a family. There were days filled with snow clothes, sled runs, eating snow, and hot cocoa. There were evenings of challenging games of operation and candy land bingo and movies. The stove was toasty to hang out in front of and the hot cocoa never ended.