Sarasota - Lido Beach

We had a great day at the beach and pool Sunday. The girls and I got a little too much sun, in fact. This worked out okay, though, since it rained the entire day Monday!

Greg and the boys went home Sunday night so Landon could go to school, Greg could go to work, and they all could go to CAP Monday night. The girls and I went out. We hit the mall where I got a pair of FitFlops. The Sears there has a huge Lands End section, and I got some clothes for Carys for next summer on a fabulous clearance sale. We had pretzels at Auntie Anne's. We NEVER do this as it's too expensive! We hit every shoe store looking for black flats for Chase to no avail.

Then we headed to Bradenton to the Dollar Theatre. We saw Shrek Forever After. It was great! We jogged across the street to Cici's Pizza for dinner. On the way back to our timeshare, we stopped at a Target and finally found a pair of black flats for Chase. It was a fun day! We're ready to hit the beach again today. The boys came back after CAP last night. They'll spend the day with us, then Greg and Landon will go home. Work and school call! It's great to be close enough to home that they can actually do this.

House for Sale - Sold?

Well, after over a year on the market, we have finally received and accepted an offer on our house. We did this with very mixed emotions.

On one hand, we have prayed and prayed for our house to sell. It was beginning to feel more like a trap than a home. Every week I grouse about wanting to live in a city rather than such a rural area.

On the other hand, we designed and built this house ourselves. We thought we'd live here at least until all our children were grown. Carys was born actually IN this house. We'll be leaving behind a lot of really wonderful memories.

I think part of the difficulty is also that we're not leaving this house to go somewhere wonderful. In fact, we don't know yet exactly where we're going.

Of course, it's not a done deal yet. The appraisal has to come back high enough for the buyers to borrow the money they need to purchase the house. Their house in NC also has to sell. They are closing on September 9. If all goes well, we are closing on September 14.

We left for our timeshare today. The boys will all go home late Sunday night. Landon no longer has the flexibility of homeschooling. He is dual enrolled at the College of Central Florida this semester, and he has class all week. They also have promotion boards at CAP Monday night. They will come back to Sarasota after CAP as Landon doesn't have classes on Tuesday and Greg is off as well. The two of them will head back home for the rest of week. Hopefully, Gerren will get to stay with us.

When we get home Saturday, we'll have two weeks to finish packing and have a moving sale. Then we'll have the weekend to move before a Tuesday closing. Now, I'm praying for Greg to have a job offer in St. Louis by the time we have to move! :)

Jason Sager for Congress

School Days

Well, we have 2 weeks of school under our belt. The majority of our subjects have been started, although we won't have everything until after Labor Day.

Carys has had to go back to entertaining herself. She loves playing with the Great Adventures toys that belonged to the boys when they were little. She actually decided sitting in the box was fun as well.





Last night, Carys ran into the edge of the granite countertop in the kitchen. It was not pointy, but it was hard! She's got a nice shiner this morning, although it doesn't show up very well in this picture.

God's Purpose

The past three days' reading in My Utmost for His Highest has really been speaking to me about God's purpose.

The August 3 devotion says:

In the natural life our ambitions are our own, but in the Christian life we have no goals of our own. We talk so much today about our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, and our decisions for this and that, but in the New Testament the only aspect that is brought out is the compelling purpose of God. "You did not choose Me, but I chose you..." (John 15:16) ...God's aim appears to have missed the mark, because we are too nearsighted to see the target at which He is aiming.

Ouch! I have been too nearsighted to see the target at which God has been aiming during the past year of our lives. I still don't see it, but I'm not sure that I need to.

August 4, Chambers writes:

We do not know what God's compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain... That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack.

Oh, it would be so much easier if the things we DO were the most important part of Christianity! But maintaining a relationship is hard work, especially when I can't see God's compelling purpose in my circumstances.

And then today, the knife to my heart:

God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. And Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death, leading every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. His life was an absolute failure from every standpoint except God's. But what seemed to be failure from man's standpoint was a triumph from God's standpoint, because God's purpose is never the same as man's purpose.

This bewildering call of God comes into our lives as well... His call is simply to be His friend to accomplish His own purposes. Our real test is in truly believing that God knows what He desires. The things that happen do not happen by chance--they happen entirely by the decree of God. God is sovereignly working out His own purposes.

If we are in fellowship and oneness with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, then we will no longer strive to find out what His purposes are. As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, "I wonder why God allowed this or that?" And we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose. A Christian is someone who trusts in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, not in his own abilities. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the calm, relaxed pace which should be characteristic of the children of God.

Lord, help me to trust in your knowledge and wisdom and not in myself. I want to live a life of simplicity, characterized by the calm, relaxed pace of your children.

School Starts!

We started some of our school subjects Monday. This will be the third year I've employed a rolling start. It is MUCH easier than trying to start everything at once. We started all our Sonlight stuff, anything with a 36-week schedule. We'll add new things each week until we're going full steam ahead after Labor Day.

It is hard to believe that June and July are already gone. I didn't take many pictures at all this summer. I basically kicked back! I spent some time planning for this school year in June. I spent a lot of time reading for fun by the pool. I got a great tan and read all of Lisa Scottoline's books this summer. :)

Landon was gone for 3 weeks this summer - one in NM for a JROTC Technology and Aerospace Honors Camp, one in Tallahassee for Boy's State, and one at Camp Blanding for CAP Florida Wing Summer Encampment. In two weeks, he'll start full-time at CCF in Ocala. He has an ambitious schedule, but I know he's capable of it!

Gerren had one good day of school, but managed to get behind on the second day (even without all the subjects). I've laid down the law - everything (chores and school) is done on time or no computer or TV in the evening.

Chase has had a great start. She's getting herself up 1/2 hour before my required time and using the extra time to ride her bike and shower in the morning (she used to shower in the evening).

Carys is taking on some new responsibilities this year. She took over Gerren's trash can job (taking the trash can from the school room and going to every room to empty the small trash cans then dump it all in the kitchen trash can). She's doing Sonlight's Core Preschool 4/5 which involves a very simple workbook series called Developing the Early Learner and reading good books, which is the part I love about Sonlight.

We're still praying diligently for a job for Greg in St. Louis. It'd be great if he could even get an interview! Wishing God would send his hand to write on the wall telling us what we should do! :)