Fireproof Our Marriages

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.

Sneaking Away

It is late as I write this. I (Liz) am tired from a long week, BUT I am so looking forward to this weekend with My Man! We are headed to a darling Bed & Breakfast at the beach. We have a wedding to attend at the coast on Saturday and decided to make a weekend of it. We were surprised to meet opposition from Abbie who protested to her parents going out of town without them. We explained that she will get to spend time with Grandma Kay, which usually ends all protests right then. Can you say "spoiled rotten" when with Grandma Kay? But even that didn't work. So we explained to her that husbands & wives NEED time away together and that it is VERY good for them. Then we topped it off with the promise that SOMEDAY (a LONG time from now) that she and her husband will need some time together away and Papa & I will watch their children. She seemed good with that. They will have a good time with Grandma Kay and their cousin Spencer for the weekend.
Our weekend away comes at a very good time. The Abshire home is in a time of transition. Aaron has accepted a position as a locksmith for the State of California. He starts his new job on Monday. This has been a bitter sweet time. He is excited to be transitioning into full time locksmithing. He has wanted to locksmith full time but there hasn't been enough of a demand to support that. He has also been sad about leaving his current job. His boss is also one of his buddies that he grew up with. So it has not been easy on him. So this weekend comes at a good and well needed time.
We look forward to some rest, relaxation, and walks on the beach. Don't be fooled, there will be plenty of coffee consumed! Oh yeah, and some good food! We will catch you up when we get home!

To be continued.........

Sweet Beginnings

A few times last week I woke up to one of the most precious sights my eyes have ever laid hold of. It was Abbie in "Mama's Bible Chair" doing her devotions before I had even awakened. I am always so humbled when I get glimpses of what my Lord is doing in the hearts of the little ones He has graciously placed in my life. It is my prayer that Abbie would fall madly in love with Jesus and His Word. And that Jesus would be as real and as important to her as the air she breathes.

A Mama's Prayer for her precious Daughter

Psalm 25:4-5

Show Abbie Your ways, Abba

teach Abbie Your paths;

guide Abbie in Your truth and teach her,

for You are God, Abbie's Savior,

and her hope is in You alone, all her days long.

The Girls & Little Bit

It has been a while but it is back to horse back riding lessons. They have been asking to go riding with Benny but their Mama has been taking most of Benny's time. So today was their day. This was Hopie's first lesson and she did very good. She is fearless even so far off the ground. She just kicked Little Bit telling him to "get goin'". She even reached back and spanked him while she was ridin' because he wouldn't go. He wouldn't go because she wouldn't give him any slack! Silly girl! She did great and has great potential. Abbie remembered much of her lessons and got up there and went. She is far more cautious than her sister. She rarely lets go of the horn while she is ridin', so she wouldn't think of spankin' Little Bit for not goin'. She had a great time. They both enjoyed their time until it got too hot.

The Happenings of Luke

Luke & Mama are adapting to the days without Sisters around. It is awfully quiet around here! Almost too quiet! Here are a couple things Luke likes to do while his sisters are out gettin' smarter.

He likes to take his monitor for a walk.

He also LOVES cowboy cookies!

Special Delivery

The girls have shared their room with Buddy, the Bearded Dragon, for several years now. The thing is that Buddy's tank was over 6 feet long. The girls wanted to keep Buddy BUT also wanted the extra room in their room. So, what do ya do?? Well, Abbie met Canyon (a Trail Guide from Wagon Train) that had several lizards and taught a science camp. So Abbie wanted to give Buddy to him, along with his tank. Hopie agreed that it was a great idea. So off to Hume we go. Hopie had never been to Hume, and Aaron & I are always looking for an excuse to go! After meeting & greeting all the other lizards of Canyon's, we headed to the ice cream shop and enjoyed the lake. Afterwards we headed to Nana C & Papa Merle's to celebrate Merle's birthday. They are friends of ours who live in a town on the way home from Hume. It was a full but fun day together!

First Day Of School

It is the first day of school. Abbie is excited to be in third grade and can't wait to get to school. Hopie is excited she FINALLY gets to go to school. Silly girl, doesn't she know her Mama would love to just keep her at home! With full tummies we measured the girls, on our laundry room doorway,in to see their growth. I am always amazed to see how much the grow in a year. Grabbing backpacks we head for school. No tears from Hopie, couldn't say that for Mama though (good thing Papa was there). Papa went to have lunch with the girls at school and Mama picked them up. We ended the day with icecream and stories of our first day at school. I am excited for them and all that the Lord has ahead of them.
He loves and cares for them more than I, and I trust Him.
May they trust Him with their lives.

Getting Ready For School

It has been a hard week for Mama as we are preparing for school. Abbie returns as a third grader. That is just crazy! Kayanna Hope will start kindergarten. They have enjoyed shopping for a back to school outfit with both Mama & Aunite Keri. We were past due on the haircuts in our home, including Luke, so school gave us a reason to get caught up on those. Backpacks on hooks, lunch boxes ready, and school clothes picked out. We are as ready as it gets for these new adventures ahead. New teachers, new friends, new school work, and new opportunities to glorify God in the way we live our lives. It is our prayer that God meets our girls in new, fresh, and very personal ways at school this year.

A Girl & Her Horse

This past weekend I received a wonderful gift. I (Liz) got to spend a weekend with my horse (Baby Girl) in the mountains. My buddy Benny arranged (with some wonderful people) for us to go to the mountains for some time in the saddle. We moved some cattle, had a ton of teaching time, and marveled at this great creation (horseback). He even surprised me with my other buddy Steve and his family to join us for the weekend. We had a great time.

God's amazing creation, a cup of coffee, my horse

~ it was a piece of heaven for me!