Saturday, March 29, 2008

We ARE BAAAACK!!

From South Africa!!! We had such a great time, and I always love seeing different cultures. Being spoiled here in America, sometimes I forget there are other people and cultures different than us out there. So here is a little about our trip!

In the beginning....there is Jeff and I.
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Our trip has just begun, but it did begin a little rough. At the Tulsa airport, an hour before we were to leave, I went to the restroom and noticed I was "spotting." A pregnant woman never wants to see that! I was pretty emotional; I called my dr who advised me to come in now and fly out the next day, Jeff and I prayerfully considered, but decided to go ahead on the trip. (Luckily when we got there, I heard the heartbeat on my doppler that I rented, Praise God!!)

And here we are 26 hours later!!
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Oh yes! We traveled that long, 30 hours on the way back. One flight alone was 20 hours!! It was a long plane ride, but we had our own personal tv's with movies and tv shows and games, all for free. So that was fun, but for 20 hours!! Yeah, we were ready to be there!

We spent Thursday night, Friday morning and night, Saturday morning and night, and Sunday at the church. They celebrate Easter all weekend long. And it was absolutely amazing. The church is located in a township, government housing made of cement block, usually just one room.
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The people all walk to church, but let me tell you, they all seemed to have the best attitude and the most compassionate hearts. So much different than us Americans!! The singing would go on for hours, but it didn't get old at all. People didn't wander whether or not it was okay to raise their hands, or sway to the beat, or clap, they just worshiped God! It was awesome.
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The Hope Center that Mark and Sue built (with the financial help from our church) was amazing, and I know that God is really going to bless it. The kids had a place to play.
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Behind these girls playing, was just a small portion of the township, these houses stretched for as far as you can see both ways. It really is a beautiful country!

Then for 2 days, Mark and Sue took Jeff and I to an animal reserve. (Like a safari) We just drove around hoping to see animals. Now, I know we could just hop in our car in Tulsa, and go to the zoo, but there was just something about seeing them all out in the wild. It was soooo cool!!
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Wildebeasts...we saw these quite often!
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The warthogs and monkeys just hung out with the people, we were just sitting at our picnic table eating lunch, and they just roamed everywhere.
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The zebra were everywhere!! We probably saw 50 of them!
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As you can tell, these hyenas were right by the road, as well as an elephant and LIONNESS!! The lionness was actually just down the road from one of the camps! Crazy. It wasn't very often that people would see a lion, they usually keep themselves hidden. We were so fortunate.
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Thank you all who prayed for us!! It surely worked!! I had been pretty nauseous and extremely tired before we left, but I felt pretty good on the trip. I feel so blessed that we were able to go!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

SOUTH AFRICA OR BUST!!!

I was hoping to post some cute ultrasound pictures or fat belly pics or how I told Jeff, but I just never had time :( Packing for a trip like this takes work. We are leaving in 5 minutes for South Africa, please pray for us on our long 25 hour trip, Jeff and I both speak, and please pray for our kids. I will miss them. I actually cried when I said Goodbye, and I haven't done that in a looong time, and I leave them alot! I will have lots of pictures to post when we get back next week!!!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Survey Time!!

What time did you get up this morning? 6:00 am, only because the boys were in our bed, and Brenden took up the whole KING size bed and Austin I shared HALF a pillow!! Why were they in bed with me?? Because I killed 36 spiders in their room. YUCk!! I think there was a mommy spider that had babies!

Diamonds or pearls? I am really not a jewelry person, lucky Jeff. But I would have to say diamonds

What is your favorite TV show? Hmm....Right now it's a Baby Story

What is your middle name? SueAnne, after my mom's best friend. My dad didn't like the name, but he wasn't with my mom when she did the birth certificate, so that's what I got :)

What food do you dislike? Mexican

What is your favorite song or artist at the moment? I like Superchic and BarlowGirl, but it seems that High School Musical 2 and Veggietales are the only thing I ever get to listen to.

What characteristics do you despise? I am with Ashlee, selfishness, and people who don't follow the rules.

Favorite item of clothing? the only pair of jeans I have left that will button

If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would you go? scuba diving in Australia!

What color is your bathroom? red and black

Favorite brand of clothing? anything on sale

Where would you like to retire? wherever my kids are

Most memorable birthday? last year when I turned 30 when I was kidnapped, my car was decorated, and my sister sent me flowers. That was a fun day!

Favorite sport to watch? College football, or just anytime Austin plays, even though I am already becoming that psycho mom, I need to chill out :)

Favorite quote? "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." --Shadrach, Meshach, anad Abednego. I always want to give them a standing ovation after that speech, and I think I will when I get to Heaven.

Are you a morning or a night person? Night person

What did you want to be when you were little? a teacher

What are you today? a teacher, but for now a mom :)

Your favorite flower? daisy

What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? October 13, my due date!

If you were a crayon, what color would you be? um...blue, but not because I am sad, I just like that color

What is your pet peeve? People who can't do anything for themselves

Favorite soft drink? Cream soda

Favorite restaurant? Cheddars

Favorite day of the year? Christmas

What was your favorite toy as a child? a My Child doll

Summer or winter? Summer

What is under your bed? an old crib and a dresser brand new in box, that's a long story

What did you do last night? Ooo... I can't tell you that ;)

Favorite smell? a clean house, I haven't smelled that in awhile

What are you afraid of? raising kids that don't love Jesus

How many states have you lived in? 4

How many words did spell check have to correct? I don't do spellcheck

What/Who inspires you? God (I know real deep) But everytime I do my Bible study, I feel inspired!

Tag at least two people to fill this in with their own answers. I tag Annie and Christi (sorry you guys are just the next two on my list if I am remembering correctly :)

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

YES IT'S TRUE!

Well if it wasn't obvious from the picture of our feet or that little thing floating in a bubble, We are expecting our third child! We could not be more excited!! I am 9 weeks right now, and due October 13. I will have ultrasound pictures to post soon and some of my fat belly pictures. Oh and Jessica-the day you asked me if I was pregnantand I said No. I really was, sorry for lying. But when Jeff said that it would be news to him, he was telling the truth, I hadn't told him yet :)

This explains while I have been MIA on the blogs lately. If I am feeling good, not nauseous or exhausted (which isn't too often) then I HAVE alot of housework to do! More pictures to come soon!