Vacation!

Sorry it has taken awhile to get these pictures up! I hope you enjoy looking at them! I like looking at them but they don't always bring back the most pleasant smells.
Yellowstone National Park

The mud pots were really neat!


Old Faithful! The bottom picture has a rainbow in it! I couldn't believe it came up on the computer!
I can't remember this ones name but we (my family and the family we went with.) all liked it because there is a little bacteria mat that floated down into the geyser! We all laughed and said, while we watched, that we were probably the only people that would ever see that bacteria mat again!








This guy desided to get in the HOT tub!
This one and the three above it are at Mammoth Springs, Yellowstone.
This one is going to cover the road in a couple of years!
I love small little geysers like this!
This is the Opal Pool.

This picture and the one above it are of the Grand Prismatic pool, which is probably the most commonly seen.
Bryce Canyon


Bryce Canyon! WOW! I thought there wasn't another canyon that could be as lovely as the Grand Canyon! But it proved me wrong. Each canyon has its own unique difference and design.
I thought this guy was really cute!
Zion National Park


If you haven't noticed by now I really enjoy running water!
I love taking pictures of flowers. I think flowers show us God's creativeness that is shown in the variety of colors He uses!
Grand Canyon

I have now been to the Grand Canyon twice and it still takes me by surprise!
I really liked the Indian drawings!
I love going on vacation and seeing all of the Lord's handy work! This was one of the verses we read while we were on vacation:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1, that is so true it does though we may not always take the time to stop and look His mighty works are there!
In Christ Jesus,
~Mac
P.S. I took 400 pictures so if you want to see more I have plenty! =D These are probably the best though.

I LOVE taking pictures! Here are some I have taken then edited!!








~ Kat

Vacation and Pictures!

I don't know were to start!!! I guess I have to start somewhere. First I want to say that God blessed with the most awesome weather! You couldn't have asked for better! I suppose I should post some pictures!
The Badlands

Mount Rushmore.


The Big guy was telling us to leave his girl alone.
We had to let the bison cross the road before we could continue driving!

The sound of the geysers was amazing! but the stench... WOW!


These waterfalls were magnificent!

Now so far I have been the one taking the pictures but I am going to post a picture that my daddy took.

At night you can here the elk bugling! It sounds AWESOME! I wish I could have recorded it! I didn't get to see it because I was still getting dressed.

I will post more pictures later and things I did but I have to go. I keep remembering stuff! It is going to take a long time to say it all! I will try to get a picture from my daddy of the moose we saw! Don't worry I will post more pictures.

In Christ Jesus who by his grace we are saved,
~ Mac

These are some books I enjoy reading! Of course the number one book is the Bible! from left to right they are: The Grand Ole Opry Picture History Book, Bruchko, Regina Silsby 1&2, Roy & Dale, Do Hard Things, and Night.

~Kat

Here is a chair my grandma and I recovered! It's so awesome!!


~Kat

What beautiful weather God has blessed us with!!!! I'm finally able to ride!!and..... today is the first day of FALL!!! So I guess y'all noticed that Mac is back!! lol..... Post some pics soon Mac!! Here are pics of my Winchester!!




~ Kat

I'm Back!!!!!

I will be posting pictures soon!
~Mac

I GET TO KEEP A PUPPY!!!!!!! I have named mine Winchester! He is so cute! Believe it or not we are keeping four puppies!! Also today I went with my best friend to I guess a family get together. We went swimming!! Oh yeah Mac should be home soon!!!

~Kat

Well I just realized its been a week since our neighbor went missing! It's still so sad and depressing!! We're still praying and I ask that you please continue as well!!

Yesterday we went to a playday(a speed competition barrels, poles, stakes) and my best friend and her horse came home with me! Also she won her age group for the whole playday series which means she won the belt buckle!! It's so awesome!! We are sunburned as well and the only sunny spot in town just happened to be right over the arena!! When we arrived home at my house we found a box of puppies someone has dumped on us! THEY ARE SO ADORABLE!!

~ Kat

PEAR CAKE

Here is the recipe for the AWESOME pear cake I made which is shown in a picture below.

2cups sugar
4cups peeled and thinly sliced pears
1cup vegetable oil
2eggs
1cup chopped nuts
1teaspoon vanilla extract
1teaspoon almond extract
3cups all-purpose flour
1teaspoon cinnamon
1teaspoon nutmeg
1/2teaspoon soda
1/2teaspoon salt

Mix sugar and pears; let stand 1 hour. Stir in oil, eggs, nuts, and extracts. Sift together dry ingrediants and add to pear mixture. Do not beat; stir just enough to mix. Pour into greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1&1/4 hours. Cool before removing from pan. Yield:one 10-inch cake.

~Kat

FINALLY HOME

How long had it been? Staring intently out her rain glistened window,
she allowed herself to travel back in time. Gently her eyes shut as she
drifted through memories and events which had taken place during her
seventy-three years of life. It seemed only yesterday that she vainly and
unreasonably ventured away from the mountain in search of what she then
thought “a better way of life.” How foolishly she had flounced off to New
York seeking fame and fortune the leaders of all sin. Pride is an evil thing.
How well she knew that now. Without even a goodbye to her parents and
friends she left them all and everything she had ever known behind. I’ll
never look back she had so earnestly thought. Only after seven unmerciful
years of begging for work from cold and sneering business owners and
breathing the smothering city air was she ready to admit her absurdity and
ludicrousness. In those seven years she had traveled a bit as well but was
unsuccessful in finding work and never could seem to find somewhere
to call home. Home…there never was a more comforting word. The last
letter she received from her family lay unanswered even though it arrived a
week after her departure. Now she desperately longed and desired to
reply…but would there be anyone to answer? Would they even want to see
her? Her heart now longed to see her momma’s sweet face and the strong
figure of her father. It was settled then. She would go back. When the bus
arrived at the small general store back on the mountain she frantically ran
home. The two story house her great-grandfather had built with his own two
hands looked the same as when she had left ,only it had a sort of sadness
now. Painfully she wrapped on the door. A figure much feebler than she
remembered appeared and opened the door. It was her momma. Weeping she
fell into her mother’s arms. Her mother softly caressed her as tears
fell from her own soft round face onto her daughters smooth auburn hair. So
much was said in this long embrace. She later found that her father had
passed away shortly after she left. They stayed up late talking together and
she sincerely and constantly apologized to her beloved momma. All was
forgiven though precious time that could have been spent together was
wasted by her foolishness. Her heart ached for the lost time but hopefully
things would be different for she was home to stay.
Arousing herself from her memories she noticed it had stopped raining.
She walked out into her garden and smelled the fresh clean mountain air the
rain leaves after a fall storm. Still thinking of her pastime she slowly
meandered down the mountain path. As the leaves swirled softly and
enchantingly about her in the gentle breeze she gazed off through the
silhouettes of the great pines onto the meadow below blooming full of
mountain laurel that glistened in the newly fallen rain and with the
comforting majestic mountains that gave her strength beyond she realized
that ..she was home…this was home ….she had finally found home.

~Written by Kat!!!

THE COMING OF DAWN

“Undoubtedly, there will be times in your life of desolate sadness and fatigue, which you must endure. It’s never certain of when they will strike, but inevitably they will come sooner or later. A person dying is heartbreaking. Simply knowing, that you will never see them again on this earth, is absolutely depressing. To die and part is a less evil; but to part and live, there is the torment.” Wrote Richard Gilmore onto a blank piece of paper.
Getting up, he slowly set down his pen and gazed out the window into the star filled sky. While writing this eulogy was hard, it was even harder to think of whom he was writing it for. He would never see her again. For years they had something, something no one else had. It was love. A true love, that in spite of the recession, and in spite of their faults, they found a way to stay as in love as they were the very day they had met 54 years ago. Frankly, he couldn’t believe it. His precious Emily was gone and without a final goodbye. Although he knew it would happen sooner or later, why now? Without a doubt, he was depressed. Honestly, it seemed as if his whole life had been swept away with her passing. Now, what was there to look forward to? Who would make him smile? Who would be there with him, through sickness and health? To all these questions, came the same dismal answer: no one. Sadly, he had no one in this universe that would comfort him and take care of him, the way she had.
Startled by this for a moment, he got up and looked over the first few lines of his eulogy again. After quickly reading through it, he decided that Emily would have wanted a less depressing tribute to remember her blissful spirit by. He picked up the dusty black and white picture of her sitting on his old mahogany desk. She was beautiful. Nothing he could compose could ever even begin to explain her magnificence. Sitting back down to write again, Richard grabbed his old Waterford pen which Emily had given him in college. He rolled it between his fingers as he thought of the day she had given it to him, coincidentally being the day he had planned to propose to her. Remembering the look on her face when he had got down on his knee, a tear rolled down his cold cheek and fell upon the ink on his paper, smearing it. Quietly, the old hound dog got up and laid his head in Richard’s lap. He stroked the dog’s ears, as a quote crossed his mind:
“You don’t realize how much you appreciate someone, till the moment they’re gone.”
From the time they first met at the high school dance, to the last time he saw her pretty face, it was all amazing. His life with her had been truly remarkable. Every moment he had spent with her was like a dream. While the sadness of it all was sincerely unbearable, at least he could say one thing: He wouldn’t go back and change anything about their life together. It was all perfect. A strong word though, isn’t it? Absolutely perfect; like the swans floating across the lake, the breathtaking stars in the massive sky, or the lilies growing in the deep green meadows. He was happy with everything he had done and planned to stay content with that till the day he passed on and would see her yet again in the most perfect place of all, which was heaven. Just as these thoughts were leaving his mind, the warm sun peaked out just above the hazy lavender mountains. Staring into it, Richard forgot everything and even the old dog raised his head to see it. This was it; this, was the kind of perfect he was imagining. Just like her. Suddenly, he picked up his pen, and started writing. Somewhat of a sparkle had come into his grey eyes though. After some ten minutes, he read aloud:
“ There will be times in your life of desolate sadness and fatigue. It’s never certain of when they will strike, but inevitably they will come sooner or later. In the great scheme of things, what matters is not how long you live, but how you live and who you live for. Through every storm in life, you must always look for the coming of dawn.”

~BY MY BEST FRIEND!!

PRAYER STILL NEEDED!!

No other leads have developed and sadly it doesn't look like there will be anymore. KEEP PRAYING! THERE IS STILL HOPE WHEN JESUS IS INVOLVED!!

The rain just keeps coming! We did have a break though I believe on Tuesday.I haven't been able to ride at all!!! It's so frustrating. Also on Tuesday I had a piano lesson as well as the first 4-h meeting of the year!! It was awesome! We had an ice cream party!!! Mac should be on her way home now.I'm sure she will be posting pics when she's back home!!! Oh by the way I wrote an awesome story I'll be posting shortly. I'll also post one my best friend wrote as well! Her story is soooooo awesome!!

~Kat

LATEST...

No new evidence or clues have turned up. The police and the family are baffled but will keep searching. The family especially. There is no large search anymore but people are still on the look out and are at least aware. PLEASE KEEP PRAYING!! WE MUST KEEP PRAYING!!


~Kat

UPDATE

Unfortunately she has not been found and it's beginning to darken. Sadly not even another clue or sighting has occured this evening. The family seems desperate now. Yesterday there was hope she was still alive if out in this weather and even tonight if she was blessed enough to find shelter. Another night means most likely she is desceased. It's extremely sad. We are praying that perhaps she found shelter or some other old person took her in. PLEASE PRAY FOR HER TO BE FOUND SAFE AND SOUND AND FOR HER FAMILY. PLEASE PRAY!! THAT IS PROBABLY OUR ONLY HOPE.

~Kat

PRAYER NEEDED ASAP!

Wow an unbelievable event has occured here in our neighborhood! Our next door neighbor (who has Alzheimer's) came up missing Friday morning. Her husband awakened around 7:00 and she was gone. She also suffers from dementia. I spent the night at my best friends house the night of her disappearance and her mom awakened us and said we needed to get to town asap to help search. I was out with search parties from 9:30 a.m. until 8:30 that night. The weather has not been cooperative as it has been pouring down like all get out causing snakes to come out and allowing them to slither anywhere! We went door to door alerting ppl and asking them to be on the look out for her and to please call the police if she is found.I had a show clinic yesterday but as soon as it was over my dad and I headed out again. We rode all through the woods on 4-wheelers and drove all over town. We didn't get home until 11:00 last night. The police have brought in dogs but unfortunately no real clues or evidence has been found other than perhaps her shoes. There have been a few sightings around 3:30 in the morning but none are definate. The dogs have had a few hits but the rain is causing problems. It's terribly sad but we are still searching. Please all who read this pray for her to be found safe and sound. PLEASE PRAY! She is out there somewhere most likely without shoes so no telling what has happended to her!! There are still search groups out and I'm heading back out as well. The rain just keeps coming down so please PRAY!!

~Kat

Where did God come from? part 5

Hey everyone! Just to let you know Mac is on vacation so I'll be posting for the next week and a half alone.

~Kat

Well summer is wrapping up and it's back to school now. I've had a wonderful summer break. I spent a lot of time with my family and enjoyed every minute of it. The weather has already started to cool off as well. The gentle breeze outside and the cooler weather reminds me that fall will soon arrive. I would have to say fall is my favorite time of year. There is nothing better than the leaves lazily falling from the trees and sofly rustling in the wind as well as the smells of another season arriving.I suppose it's almost time to get the fall decorations out! There will also be different foods coming from the kitchen!! Check out the pecan pie below that my little sister made and pear cake my grandma made.



and...





~Kat

Ah the smell of rain.... we've yet to have a rain shower but it has sprinkled now and then all day. I love the calm and cool weather right before a storm, as well as the changes in the clouds and the clean smell of rain.
Sorry I haven't posted anything lately but it's been extremely busy with school beginning and all.Also I am still feeding my grandpa's horses and riding every night so my days have been very long. But it's all good!! I'm glad I can be of help to others. I really enjoyed Mac's post below this one..I hope y'all have taken the time to read it.I have begun reading the Bible in 90 days and encourage you to do the same. It doesn't take long and is much more understandable than reading a single chapter.

~Kat