I'm back!
After almost three weeks of near-absence from the blogosphere, I'm so excited to be back! And what a wonderful, tiring, stretching, and interesting three weeks it's been!
Here are just a few pictures to give you a tiny glimpse into a few things which transpired:
We were privileged to get to meet Monica, Carrie, and their children while they were visiting family in the Kansas City area.
Kathrynne enjoyed getting to spend time with other girls--most of our friends have boys, so getting to play with girls around her age is a special treat!
Kaitlynn enjoyed eating at Chick-fil-A. Though, poor thing, because of her stomach issues (she can't touch fried foods with a ten-foot pole or else she will be throwing up uncontrollably for a few hours!) she can't really eat much of anything there. But she still had a great time, regardless.
Deep in discussion...
We spent almost an entire week at Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas with my family. Despite the fact that I was miserably sick for four days of the trip, we had a great time.
I didn't ski much, but my brother, sister and husband convinced me to jump off a 20-foot cliff into the lake. I wasn't so sure I could do it, but after I climbed to the top I realized that jumping off would be a lot easier than trying to climb back down. (And, truth be told, I also couldn't bear the peer pressure of knowing everyone else had done it but me!)
The whole clan--sun-burned, soggy, and refreshed!
And here's our little clan. I loved how this picture turned out with the fountains in the background!
And yet another family picture. Since we haven't had any taken in like two years, we decided we'd better make good on the opportunity!
Making a specially-pressed penny at the Visitor's Center. (A real great return on your investment (ahem): Pay $0.51 to get a penny back!)
Kathrynne was fascinated with it all, so it was every bit worth the $0.50!
Kaitlynn got antsy and decided to try and sneak out of the Visitor's Center by herself. Caught in the act!
Last week found us busily preparing for the Christian Family Entrepreneurship seminar. Since we've never done a speaking engagement together before in our life, it was a little intimidating. Jesse ended up getting sick on Tuesday and was down and out for most of the week. We also had to buy a van and deal with the freezer debacle. So needless to say, we were both exhausted by the end of the week.
Some delays kept us from getting into Wichita until past midnight and we had to up and to the seminar early the next morning. We both felt completely drained and spent almost the entire drive to the seminar praying together that God would fill us up with His strength, since we certainly didn't have any left of our own.
You know what? God gave us more strength and grace than we could have expected, things went beautifully, and we both had a wonderful time. We loved the opportunity to meet a number of you all and to get to spend time giving other families ideas and encouragement in their entrepreneurial endeavors.
The audience listening to a presentation by Wade Meyers.
Photographic proof that I actually spoke. I was shaking like a leaf when we first began and very glued to my notes, but I ended up relaxing somewhat and almost even enjoying myself.
Our booths: One table we used to sell most of our leftover online bookstore inventory and the other table was for financial resources.
Our booth was buzzing almost the entire time, even during sessions, and we sold the majority of our stuff. We had to try to spread things out on the table to make it not look so bare by the end of the day. Thanks, everyone!
God was so good to carry us through so much the last few weeks--even when we were both feeling weary and worn out. It is amazing to feel His strength pulsing through you when you have no strength of your own. How I want to constantly live in reliance upon Him, not waiting until I am dried up and used up to beg for strength and mercy but ever walking held up by Him!
Here are just a few pictures to give you a tiny glimpse into a few things which transpired:
We were privileged to get to meet Monica, Carrie, and their children while they were visiting family in the Kansas City area.
Kathrynne enjoyed getting to spend time with other girls--most of our friends have boys, so getting to play with girls around her age is a special treat!
Kaitlynn enjoyed eating at Chick-fil-A. Though, poor thing, because of her stomach issues (she can't touch fried foods with a ten-foot pole or else she will be throwing up uncontrollably for a few hours!) she can't really eat much of anything there. But she still had a great time, regardless.
Deep in discussion...
We spent almost an entire week at Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas with my family. Despite the fact that I was miserably sick for four days of the trip, we had a great time.I didn't ski much, but my brother, sister and husband convinced me to jump off a 20-foot cliff into the lake. I wasn't so sure I could do it, but after I climbed to the top I realized that jumping off would be a lot easier than trying to climb back down. (And, truth be told, I also couldn't bear the peer pressure of knowing everyone else had done it but me!)
The whole clan--sun-burned, soggy, and refreshed!
And here's our little clan. I loved how this picture turned out with the fountains in the background!
And yet another family picture. Since we haven't had any taken in like two years, we decided we'd better make good on the opportunity!
Making a specially-pressed penny at the Visitor's Center. (A real great return on your investment (ahem): Pay $0.51 to get a penny back!)
Kathrynne was fascinated with it all, so it was every bit worth the $0.50!
Kaitlynn got antsy and decided to try and sneak out of the Visitor's Center by herself. Caught in the act!Last week found us busily preparing for the Christian Family Entrepreneurship seminar. Since we've never done a speaking engagement together before in our life, it was a little intimidating. Jesse ended up getting sick on Tuesday and was down and out for most of the week. We also had to buy a van and deal with the freezer debacle. So needless to say, we were both exhausted by the end of the week.
Some delays kept us from getting into Wichita until past midnight and we had to up and to the seminar early the next morning. We both felt completely drained and spent almost the entire drive to the seminar praying together that God would fill us up with His strength, since we certainly didn't have any left of our own.
You know what? God gave us more strength and grace than we could have expected, things went beautifully, and we both had a wonderful time. We loved the opportunity to meet a number of you all and to get to spend time giving other families ideas and encouragement in their entrepreneurial endeavors.
The audience listening to a presentation by Wade Meyers.
Photographic proof that I actually spoke. I was shaking like a leaf when we first began and very glued to my notes, but I ended up relaxing somewhat and almost even enjoying myself.
Our booths: One table we used to sell most of our leftover online bookstore inventory and the other table was for financial resources.
Our booth was buzzing almost the entire time, even during sessions, and we sold the majority of our stuff. We had to try to spread things out on the table to make it not look so bare by the end of the day. Thanks, everyone!
God was so good to carry us through so much the last few weeks--even when we were both feeling weary and worn out. It is amazing to feel His strength pulsing through you when you have no strength of your own. How I want to constantly live in reliance upon Him, not waiting until I am dried up and used up to beg for strength and mercy but ever walking held up by Him!Labels: Pictures
posted by Crystal Paine at 3:38 PM
25 Comments:
welcome back!
where did you stay in Bulls Shoals?
any recommendations on what to do there? (we are heading that way in a month or so...)
Hi Crystal - so glad you are back! It was a treat to meet you! :)
Monica
I made note of this blog a looonng time ago and said to myself, "I'll check this out one of these days." It's pretty amazing to see the person behind the moneysaving mom. :) There is a lot here to look through. First thought...How young you are. You write with a wisdom beyond your years. I have three under three and am trying very hard to get into the frugal mommy mode and some months I make it and some months I don't know what happened. But, I appreciate your other site for the tips I'm slowly learning and taking to heart and from the looks of this one, I'll be hanging out here more as well. :)--Sarah
Glad to have you back, Crystal. Looks like a fun and exciting time for you guys lately. Thanks for all the pictures. Your girls are so beautiful!
Your family is beautiful. Hope your vacation was enjoyable.
Nice to have you back!
A tip for Chick-Fil-A...the one that we visit most often is VERY family-oriented, and they will grill nuggets for you if you ask. I'm not sure if that is a corporate-wide policy, but it never hurts to ask! It (obviously) takes longer since they don't have them just waiting, but they are very tasty and make a big difference with Fox's tummy issues!
Hi Crystal! Great to see you back and that the Lord blessed you with a good trip.
I did a double-take at your family photo and thought, "Is that CADENCE?!" I can't believe how big she is. I guess I forget that she is growing just as speedily as your two little angels are!
God bless your family - your parents must be so proud to have such beautiful grandchildren. Jesus is good.
That's so great. Glad you had such a great time!!
Hope everyone's feeling better!
Crystal,
The pressed pennies are really inexpensive memories. My mom started collecting them when I was in high school, over 15 years ago. When she passed away, I got her collection of pressed pennies. They hold so many wonderful memories, that now, my daughter and I add to her collection. It doesn't seem like a good return until you think of all the high priced stuffed junk that is regularly in gift shops. The pennies mean much more to us.
Hugs,
Melinda
Glad y'all made it home alright. Those are some beautiful girls you have. I can't believe how young you are. You have so much wisdom!
You sure have been busy.I hope everyone stays healthy for awhile.
Exhausting. Sounds like you needed 2 vacations.
What a sweet family. Thank you for all you do!
Your blog is always so encouraging no matter what you write. God shines through in every word!
The fountain picture is great!
I'm so happy that you guys had such a great vacation. I bet it was nice to have a little profit with the book sales as well :) And now your next chance at public speaking will be even easier for you!
You continue to inspire me Crystal :)
-Morgan
mvalencia@astoneagency.com
I appreciated your post so much. Your faith and service for others is such an encouragment.
I had a quick question. I read your post from a while back on the Basic H cleaner. I was wondering how it actually cleaned: does it just get rid of dirt or does it "kill" germs--and any thoughts you might have on that.
Glad that you are back and that you can hopefully get back to a more normal schedule. Our life has been more hectic than normal lately as well....hopefully it calms down soon. :) By the way, your daughters are adorable.
Erin
my kids love to collect the pressed pennies too. When ever we travel anywhere my kids always check to see if there are any available. My husband bought a special binder book that is meant to hold them from the Columbus Zoo.
We have pressed pennies from our honeymoon all the way up to our recent trip to the beach.
I am not big on collections of any sort, but this is one inexpensive and easy thing for kids to collect and think back on their trips.
My husband keeps our special family collection in a special box his father gave him. The box also holds a ton of coins from his dad's collection and my husbands.
Our boys have dubbed it the "treasure chest" in our home! We really have come to enjoy having something as a family to "hunt" for on vacations.
Your pics look great, and glad to have you back...I look so forward to reading your blog daily :)
I live in Jonesboro, Arkansas, so when I saw that you were visiting our great state, I was interested. It was a sweltering time to be here but I'm glad you had fun. I used to jump off the cliffs at Lake Norfork. We'll go to Kentucky Lake at Labor Day but I don't know if I'll ski again. Last year, it about did my poor arms in! HA!
ah! I'm so glad it went well! I was praying for you guys! :-)
You are a braver woman than I! I'm very proud of you speaking in front of so many people. Glad you are all feeling better (well, most of you anyway) and getting back into the swing of things=)
Good to read about your vacation. What fun the girls and you both had! I wish our whole family could have vacationed together when our parents were alive! What a blessing!
Rosa
Wow, what fun!
blessings, Penny Raine
http://www.pennyraine.com/blog
Thanks for sharing your life with us and being an encouragement! It was neat to see CLC books on your table(I work for them). It's neat to think that since we couldn't be at the conference you could and people could access Amy Carmicheals books.Jacque
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