Where We Are~

     We've been really quiet lately, haven't we? To bring us up to date we took a road trip in September to see Luke, in Wisconsin, and celebrate his birthday with him. It is amazing how much good it can do for your heart when you get to visit someone that you love! We had not seen Luke in such a long time and I loved getting to catch up with his life. We were able to see his new home, his work place and his whole world in general!  I did a lot of cooking while we were there too and tried to fix home cooking that I knew he would enjoy! While we were there we went back to some places we had enjoyed when we were there a couple of years ago, and we also explored some new areas. We found a barbecue restaurant, but had to drive what seemed like a long distance for it, all the way to Appleton! Barbecue is not as popular in Wisconsin as it is in Oklahoma or Missouri! We drove to Sheboygan to get a glimpse of the Great Lake Michigan again. To an Oklahoma girl it's amazing to see a lake as large as Lake Michigan and to the beach person in me, it has a feel to it like being at the ocean!
    
Here's some interesting info about the lake from Wikiepedia~
     Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes wholly within the borders of the United States; the others are shared with Canada. It has a surface area of 22,400 square miles, making it the largest lake entirely within one country by surface area and the fifth largest lake in the world. It is 307 miles long by 118 miles wide with a shoreline 1,640 miles long. Its it is connected to Lake Huron, through the Straits of Mackinac.

     Driving to Wisconsin from our area of Missouri takes us through a community of Amish, I always love getting a glimpse of their lives. We saw a young Amish couple in a wagon/buggy when we pulled off of the highway for a gasoline stop. The young man looked so serious and his wife also. I imagine it would be difficult to go to town and be stared at everywhere you go, but I think in their area the natives must get used to the different clothing and transportation ways. The young woman had a baby wrapped up and was holding it close, how much more wonderful it looked than the way a baby looks when it's strapped into a car seat and put behind the parents where they can't even touch it or see it! I would enjoy living a short time as the Amish do, the simplicity and naturalness calls to me.

     Before we went to Wisconsin to see my baby (=D), one of them anyways, I have two babies, and no matter how old they grow, they're still my babies! I made a quick dash to Oklahoma to see my mother, she was having a terrible weak spell and was in the hospital, I couldn't go anywhere until I had a chance to see her with my own eyes and make sure she was doing okay.
     Between the trip to Oklahoma and then to Wisconsin it took all of the "talk" out of me I suppose? Anyways, it was good to see, touch and hold! I came home and have been trying to settle back into my routine and getting back to writing. I never knew I would have any part of writing, but now I have so many things that I "need" to write about that I have to try to write notes to help me remember to get back to them!
     And now~ to the future, we're planning on a trip to hear Lane's Uncle Mark, officially John Mark Pool, speak at a church, River of Life Ministries, in Louisiana, MO. When he ministers at a location close enough to us we always try to catch it. John Mark and his wife Sandy are the ones that actually were God's instruments of pulling us out of the ditch and putting us back on the path that God has ordained us for!
     Then we'll return to Olathe, KS for the Forum on Monday and Tuesday and hopefully to have an early dinner with Kris, Laura and family for pizza!
     So......that's where we are!