Wrestled all night

In Genesis 32: 22-30 Jacob wrestled all night long.  I am not a theologian so, I am not going to say that I totally understand these verses, but I find it very interesting.

I love  traveling, I really do. I love the business that we created to justify and pay for our traveling. Yesterday was just one of those days.  We were told we had to be at the show by 5:30 A.M. Wrong.  We had trouble setting up tables and those that did show up late were not at all interested in what we had.  It was hot, the people were not friendly, the fruit people cussed way to much, loudly. We had very little to eat for breakfast and lunch.   I left there hot and tired and discouraged and ready to go home.  During our afternoon walk, I discussed it with Mark  but could tell that he was not ready yet, so I dropped it.

I went to bed early....The first time I woke up , it was 10:00 P.M.,then 12:00 and later I looked at the clock at 2:00 A.M. and never went back to sleep.  I was not sick, stressed, or worried.  I just could  not go to sleep.  So, I started praying, all night. I felt like I was wrestling with God.  He showed me things that I needed to ask forgiveness for and things that I needed to let go.  I "counted my blessings" quoted scripture and songs and surrounded myself to Him. I told him that I love Him and asked Him to use me to bless others.  I got up at 5:30, feeling rested and went to work at the next show.

The first person I saw gave me a pretty piece of glass  that I bought and  left in her booth Monday. Her name is Barbara,(my sister's name).  She was a good neighbor and we spent the day helping each other. I bought 17 good items from a lady for a great price..  She told me that she was selling out because of her husband's heart attack.  I talked to her for a long time about the depression that follows being so hard to deal with and asked if I could pray for her and her husband.  I shared with her, that Mark came out of it a better man,  grateful for every day.  We exchanged business cards and I plan to call her tomorrow.  Later, I met a lady who was sending money to her homeless  daughter up north to come home with her two small children.  Her daughter's name is Becca and we decided that we would pray for each other's Becca.  All day, we met people that we could do little things for.

There was a nice breeze all day that made the heat bearable.  The people were friendly.  Mark was in a great mood.  We worked hard and played hard and had a great lunch, a nap and bible study.  We went for a long walk at dusk in Potts Preserve that ended up at  a fish camp with men sitting around telling tall tales. We came
 back and  grilled  out and priced stuff.  What a difference a day.....or a night can make. Thank You LORD, for another day.

`Day 10 The parental units return

This morning, we walked the beach at day break.   Riley finished his work first so I took him down stairs for a shuffle board game.  He won.  Then Mark took  them for one last beach trip to feed the birds and to swim one last time in our pool. It was hard saying goodbye to our special beach hotel

 We had a picnic at Blue Spring state park  to see  the manatee that come into the spring in the winter.  They are  awesome creatures.



 Becca and Riley are such good  kids that they are a joy and delight. Today was our last day of the redhead adventure We discussed not giving them back to the parents....but in the end, we decided that we were old and mom and dad would miss them too much.  Carrie and Phillip met us a Mt Dora. So until next time, they are going home and we are continuing our trip here in Central Florida.

day 9 awesome museum

This morning, the kids got breakfast in bed.  Mark and I did a 5 mile walk on the beach while the kids did their school work.  When we got back, Mark took the kids to the beach while I tried out the hammock.  Then,  we all swam in our heated pool.

 We ate a early snack/lunch and headed to the museum of art and science.  We stayed there for 5 hours.  We saw art, pottery and glass from all over the world and all the way back to B. C.  We saw large skeletons and found a kids science section  that we visited often.  We walked through a botanical garden.  The grand finality was a  planetarium and a laser show. Mark and I even bought some glass from the 19th century.

 We got back from the museum and  ate a snack. The kids fed their new friends stale crackers, oranges and left over chicken. Becca asked if this was cannibalism. We played another round of putt-putt golf, this time before dark. We swam in the heated indoor pool for 2 hours and played Marco Polo.  Mark  bought  fish and pasta and we cooked and ate a good supper. Then  we went out on the beach tonight to see the stars and constellations that we saw in the planetarium. We just missed a rocket blast off on the beach by 5 minutes that we did not even know about.  After the kids named all of the constellations, we headed  to the hammocks.  Mark and I successful got in one hammock together without flipping and almost fell asleep..  Becca was quietly laying in her hammock and Riley was busy flippping his hammock.  Good day and good night.

day 8 working vacation with the grands

I am blogging from the balcony, beach side, Daytona Beach. This  is our working vacation.

 We started the day with hotel breakfast and then drove to Webster to get the R.V. out of  storage.  While the kids did their school work sitting under a shade tree, we set up the tents and decorated tables at  Mt. Dora.  At this antique show, you set up on Wednesday, cover it up and don't  sell until Friday afternoon.

We all finished our work and headed to Deland for our favorite buffet.. with the a huge variety of food.  Then, we went out to the airport to check out the sky diving, but it was too  raining. 

 We decided to head to Daytona  beach and ride on the beach in the rain.  Riley got out and gathered a large community of bird friends with a pack of ritz crackers and oranges.  Becca got out when it stopped raining. While we walked on the beach, and chased birds and watched  dolphins,  Mark checked out hotels.  He found one, very close, with an indoor pool  and a  kitchen  at off season rates  The rate changes next week because of the  Daytona 500 race. 

 While Mark bought a few grocery for our kitchen,  I went and bought the kids swim suits next door.  We loved the huge heated pool with jacuzzi shoots. We went back to the beach, but it was too cold with wet clothes. We went back to the heated pool,  after the kids checked out the hammocks. Then.  we came in and ate supper in the room.  We headed down stairs and played flashlight put-put golf.....don't asked . The we played shuffle board until the rain ran us back into the hotel.  I am sitting on the balcony with Mark  listening to the waves and chillin.  The kids are watching cartoons in bed.  This a work day, it is a tough job, but some one has to do it.

Day 7

Today, we got the kids up early to get their school work done.  Mark stayed home with them so that I could go to my bible study at FBC.  Mark took them up town for his errands and cooked lunch so that we could  we could leave ASAP.

 These kids are great travelers.  We stayed on the road for 4 hours and made it to our hotel with out any stops.  Riley got out and jumped in the pool.   It was cold.  He got out and took a warm shower and we drove to store to get snacks. Then, we  happened up on  a great walking trail at a wildlife preserve.  We found oranges, lemons, grapefruit and tangerines that we were allowed to pick off the trees.  We stopped by  and picked up Chinese supper and had a picnic around the hotel pool.

 Our wonderful house sitter, Drew, called from our house to ask about when he needed to take off the Viohl's  trash.  He  is now in charge of two houses.  Sure makes travel easier.  We are in Central Florida not too far from Orlando.

Tips from Joyce

Some mornings, I watch Joyce Meyers before or after my quiet time. Yesterday and to day, she had tips on how to start your day.

Get up early, it is all over the bible, especially on days that may be difficult. Such as Jesus, as was his habit and Abraham on the day he was to sacrifice his son.

Start you day by giving time to God, seek his face

1) Repent sins from yesterday
2) Put on your Spiritual clothes, so that you can make decisions about your  day, Start by filling your mind with  positive thought from the word. This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.
3)Thank God for everything that you can think of
4)Dedicate yourself  and your day to Him
5)Pray for His strength to resist your own temptations

Don't think you have time?  You can do this before you even get out of bed

day 6 macho man day/girls day out

Our macho guys took their backpacks with bottle waters and snacks and walked the river banks near our house for hours.  Mark had been wanting to do that for a while.  It was a perfect day with the river down, nice weather and hunting  season over.  I was thrilled that he had Drew and Riley to go with him.

So, I planned a girl day out with Becca, Anna and Olivia.  We went to Adel to visit Mom, (big granny), Aunt Dot and Uncle Virgil.  Olivia gave lots of  hugs and kisses, ate milk and cookies and did gymnastic tricks on the carpet for Aunt Dot.  Becca  patiently build castles for Olivia to knock down.

We left there and went into Adel and found a very nice store called Pickle Parrot.  We bought baby blankets and other items for the new baby and a fairy for Becca's fairy garden.  We gave Olivia the chose of D.Q. with ice cream or Burger King with a play ground.  The play ground won.  When we got there, I saw one of my favorite couples, Zack and Joyce Williams.  We talked for a quite a while and I introduced them to the girls.  We ate and played outside on the playground.

Mark called as we were leaving Adel, and asked me to pick up Steak for supper.  When we got to Moultrie, we went to Walmart and found a mattress for Olivia so that the new baby can have her mattress.  Then headed to Harveys and I found a good deal on ribeye steaks.  Mark will be proud of me.  Clint and Anna are coming for supper.  Drew will probably grill the steaks and we will sit out by the fire.  This after noon I need to wash and pack clothes.

Leviticus

Seems like we often decide to read the bible through just to become discouraged when we hit Leviticus.

 I read the study guide. Leviticus get its name from the  Levites aka priest.  It is God's plan for the walk, worship and service of his people.

 This  is the  transition between the first three books.  In Genesis,  we see the fall of man (sin). In Exodus, the redemption through the blood.  In Leviticus, we see worship, communion and atonement.

Think about this.... In Exodus,  God spoke out of the Mount where the people were not allowed.  In Leviticus, God spoke out of the Tabernacle where  He dwelled in the midst of the people.  Today, we are the temple of God,  with the Holy Spirit living in us.  How awesome is that.  I can hardly believe we are so blessed.  WOW

So, here we go....
Leviticus 1:1  The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tabernacle saying......

Day 5

Early morning service and Sunday school and family lunch.  My kind of day.  Mark washed the dishes, the young Fleetwood family went home, and Drew went back to his house sitting duties at the Viohls.  Becca and I  read and rested.  I finished my Beth Moore study for the week and Exodus. The guys went for a walk and Riley grilled hot dogs on the fire pit.  We were talking about his parents' trip and he said that he was glad that Mama was taking a real break.....that she had not had a real break since he was born.  So, Carrie, if you read this have a real wonderful break.

Day 4

Mark and I had to go to a disaster relief training session, so Uncle Drew hung out with Becca and Riley.  When we realized that we would not be home by lunch we called. It was a very informative session that gave us a lot to think about and a driving test. We both  passed, and I  even liked driving that big thing.  When we got home, Riley met me at the door with a hug and said that Uncle Drew made a great lunch.  I was starving, ate some and agreed .  Drew told me that when they realized they were in charge of lunch,  Becca suggested can ravioli  or vienna sausages. Drew told them that he could do better than that and cooked a gourmet chicken tetrazzini.  There is an advantage to having a chef as an Uncle.

Drew left, to do his own thing and after a short rest, we did another mud walk.  This time we tried using a board as a bridge and still got in the mud and Riley fell in once. While Riley took a hot bath to get warm, we started making  pizza. Every one made their own pizza with their own special toppings. A few  cooking shows  and computer time and bed.

Day 3

Olivia did not go to bed until pretty late, but she slept all night, which is great for me.  She and I woke up early and made blue berry pancakes and blue berry syrup and sausage.  Olivia woke Riley up and  tried to get Becca up, could not.  Becca told me that she had not slept well last night ,so I took pity on her and let her sleep a little longer.  Riley got his work done, because Friday is a lighter day.  We all ate breakfast and took Olivia home to get ready for gymnastics and headed to Tifton to work one of our booths.  The kids wanted to eat out but,  we waited  until we got home  and  ate ravioli and left over hamburger meat spiced up and added. It tasted great and we told them that their meal cost 50 cents apiece instead of  $5.00 plus drinks each. Rebecca is working on her school work and for a change, Riley is having free time.  This afternoon, we went  to an estate sale here in town.  Drew came by to watch the kids. Mark and Drew cooked fish and pasta for supper.  Sara called , so Becca, Riley and I took turns talking to Auntie Sara. The brave guys bundled up and took a night walk after supper with head lights.  Becca and I chose to stay in where it is nice and warm. Heard from Carrie today.  Sounds like they are having a good time.  Stayed up late tonight reading.

Day 2

The parents are gone and Drew is house sitting for them  and we have the two oldest redheads for a few days. We have settled into a routine that seems to be working.  We got them up at 7:00 and ate breakfast. We went for a walk and then started school at 8:00.  Mark and I worked quietly around the house while they did their school work and checked on them from time to time.  Most of their work is done on the computer.  We all finished work and ate lunch (Must-go stew, which is all left-overs in a soup) and deviled eggs and cheese toast. Then  headed up town to get Olivia.  Her Mom is getting close to delivery date and We would like to give her a break while we are home.. Of course, we all love spending time with this little munchkin. We also picked up a microwave from Lowes.  Drew stopped by for a late  lunch and a short visit and headed back to his school.  He marveled that he was having a tougher time getting used to some of his classes being on line than the kids.  We took naps or read or played on the computer according to wants and needs.Then we got went to Funston to play tennis and to  play on the play ground.  When we got home Mark cooked chicken strips, one of their favorites. Just as years ago when Carrie gave Sara more baths than I did, Becca gives Olivia her bath before bed time.

10 days with the grands

Day 1....I did my bible  study early this morning.  I  took pity on the kids and let them sleep late, 8:00 because of last nights chaos.  Set them up in different rooms to do their school work and checked  on them.  Mark and I took all morning pricing stuff from the trip and doing schedules and end of trip report.  When  we all got through with our work, we ate a late lunch and headed to Monticello to stock store .  We  stopped by the grocery store for mini hamburger buns and spent $65.00 before getting out of there. When we got home home we went on a hike.  We turned right before the pecan orchard and found a new route.  It was around  the back side of a pond with beaver huts and dams.  Because we have not had much rain, the pond was almost dried up.  So, we went boggin in the mud.  Each step was an adventure.  Riley  lost his shoe and Becca  lost her boot.  We noticed a slight role reversal with Riley.  He started going first and jumping over the  gully. Then he would turn around and tell us which way to go and to be careful.  Becca  giggle a lot and kept saying this is fun.  They were both disappointed when we finally found dry land with no mud.  Needless to say Mark and I were glad to find that dry land.  We got home and made sliders with our new cooker that we bought last week.  Mark and kids played on computers while I folded clothes.  We all went to bed early....

we're back and we hit the ground running

We got back Monday night and thanks to Drew, we were able to have a family supper.  Tuesday morning, I began our new Beth Moore bible study and picked up Olivia.  Mark went up town to get new glasses, service the van and go to the grocery store.  We knew the Becca and Riley would be here in time for supper, so Mark prepared everything so that it would only take 15 minutes when they got here.  Drew, brought the kids in around 6:00 and Riley ran into the back room saying that he had to do two test before he could do anything else.  We had not heard from Clint and Anna about picking up Olivia. Mark did not know when to start cooking.  Should we try to eat before or after the pick up of Olivia.  Riley's test were taking a long time.  I did not know how much I could help him, if any. The house was a mess and I had not even finished the mountain of clothes from the trip.  I felt like throwing up my hands and saying" Calgon, take me away" (old commercial for you young folks).
Any way , it all worked out, Parent came and got Olivia,  we had a nice supper, talk to Phillip to find out more about  this virtual school thing, and put the kids to bed.  Tomorrow is another day.

computer control

When my son Clint sits in front of a computer, He is in control.  If a problem arises, he can analyze the problem and fix it.   When I sit down at a computer, I know that the computer does not like me and can come up with all kinds of ways to drive me crazy.  Things  appear and disappear a will.  I am not in control and I can not fix it.

Studying James with Beth Moore

Our Bible study group finished the year by studying the book of James, Now we are studying James with Beth Moore.  It became obvious in the introduction class that  we will be studying about the man James and his family ties and comparing them to our family ties before we study the Book of James.  I love bible study and the group of ladies that come together on Tuesday mornings  to study and pray and talk.  We all seen to love to talk, especially me. Beth has challenged us with 5 levels of study.  If you read this and would like to join us, it is not too late.  Go by FBC and pick up a 15 dollar work  book from the front desk. You can start on page 15,( week one), doing 5 days of study and a bonus at the end of the week. You may watch the  introduction tape at the church during the week, but that is not necessary  to join. Then come to the conference room next to the church library at 9:00 A.M. on Tuesday morning  . Hope to see you there.

12 men

We ate breakfast at a local diner near our hotel. In the center of the room was a long table with men sitting around drinking coffee and  talking.  When the last man came in, they bowed their heads and the man at the head of the table prayed.  Mark  and I bowed our heads and felt like a part of the group for just a moment. 12 senior men with obvious affection for each other and love for the Lord.  In the center of the table was a jar full of money with a sign that said, "for the church".  What a testimony.

The coldest morning of the year, we happen to stay in a hotel where the heater went out during the night.  The solution of the management was to bring us an extra blanket and a fan for noise.  So, I woke up a little grouchy and cold.  Sitting at the next booth was a couple and I spoke to them. The man said, what a great day...I woke up, it's a nice cool day and the sun is shining.  He stood up to leave and his wife was sitting there trying to clean the table before leaving.  He kept saying come on honey, it's alright, they can clean up the mess.  She was saying," I know, I just can't help myself."  He looked up at me and smiled and said,"I have the sweetest wife in the world,  have a nice day."... my day was already better by that brief encounter .  The couple happen to be black, and I thought to myself, what if every child had that kind of male influence in their life.  What a different world we would have.

Genesis

I finished reading Genesis today on the way home.  It was kind of like reading a novel.  This year I plan to read the Bible through and to study different books and do Bible study with the ladies.  I have decided that I will not live long enough to read and understand as much I would like.  But I am going to die trying.

Home Again, Home Again

I know that it has only been two weeks since we left home on the 26th of December, but after all, that was last year and a lot has happened, So, it seems like we were gone for months instead of weeks.

There is a  very nice bonus to having my son Drew, the chef home. All I had to do was call him this morning and ask him to please cook, so that I could ask all the kids to come over for supper.  Wow, he out did himself, supper was great.  We really enjoyed the noise and chaos of having the three grands over and our kids sitting around the table, once again discussing things that we did not understand.

I love traveling and I love coming home to family.

36 miles

Mark and I have left the campground in the state forest.  We enjoyed our home away from home for the week.  We hiked 36 miles in 6 days.  I know that seem like much to you real hikers, but we are old and we felt pretty good about surviving.  The first day we hiked over 9 miles... I have to admit that it was because we got lost at the end of the trail and went the wrong way back to camp.  The next few days were less hiking and more shopping.  Our last day we hiked over 9 miles again, this time it was much harder because of it being the last week of hunting.  We  had to wear orange vest and stay on the road which was 90 % sugar sand and up hill. We were very glad to see camp that day. Monday, we sold stuff at Webster and then headed  to Vero beach for another show.  We had a great trip to Vero Beach.  We went from freezing weather with winds that made it feel in the 20 to 78 degrees at the beach.  We bought a lot of stuff and  had a lot of fun.  We went bowling twice and I  bowled my best game  ever 166. We happened up on a city wide festival and felt like we were in a foreign country. We made it back to Webster for another show with totally different merchandise bought this week. This is called a working vacation and we love it... we work hard and play hard.

The Genesis people were real people

When we read the bible, we tend to think of the people as characters that we remember from sunday school stories of our youth.  These people were real, with real thoughts and emotions and faults and good traits and family history, just like we are to day.

Going back to Genesis I have already encounter many of these people and I can not help but wonder, what were they thinking?
What happen to the beautiful Rebekah, who was daring enough to leave family and friend to travel and then meet the man that she was going to marry.  Did she think that God needed her help fulfilling the prophecy that was told to her when her sons were in her womb?  Did Sarah really believe that God would honor her great idea of having a baby by giving her husband her handmaiden? What is with these  men lying about their wives and calling them their sister just to save their own skin. Then we have Labon cheating Jacob, his son- in- law,over and over again.  We two women, no make that four women fighting over one man's attention.  Covenants made between a  king and two generations of the same family, fighting over water rights, sibling rivalry, a daughter stealing from her own Daddy and I am only on Genesis chapter 29.  I love to read.  Next time you want to read,  maybe you can read the Bible to learn more about human nature and how it has not changed so much as we think.

successful day

How do you define a successful day.  We started our day with a business meeting while walking in the Tampa bay causeway on honey moon island and touch the gulf .  Then we drove across the state shopping in dozens of store and only finding a little that we could buy  We ended the day with a walk on Vero beach touching the Atlantic ocean. Then we found a hotel and I talked to Drew.  He is doing very well back at home, going back to school next week and getting a job that he will love and not interfere with school.  We took a walk on the Indian River at dusk and saw manatee swimming close to the waters edge under the bridge.  Then we ate shrimp three ways  at a local diner with very good waitresses. Next, we went for a walk and found a bowling alley and bowled three games.  We  walked  back to our room to read and  watch survival shows.  I call that a pretty successful day.

Old bible study

I found an old bible study journal at a flea market from 1978.  I think that I did this one years ago, it is reading the bible through in one year.  So, I bought it and began  on January 1 of this year.  Of course, I am in Genesis and have noticed a few things that I have not noticed before.  The first one happens right before the first murder. When Cain became angry and his countenance fell, God spoke to him in Genesis chapter 4: 4 and 5. He ask him why he was so angry and explained to him that if he does what he should, he will be accepted and his joy will return,  However, he warns him that if he refuses to obey ,then to beware,  that sin is crouching at the door waiting to destroy him. He also tells him that he can and must conquer it.

Jesus told the disciples the say thing in the garden and Peter before the rooster crowed.  He also tells us the same thing through his word.

Gas stations

Why does it seem that some people make it a personal challenge to see how far they can go on one tank of gas.  Personally, by the time the gas signal dings, I am looking for a gas station.  Others, who will remain anonymous, drive for 15 more miles , then become frustrated when they can not find a gas station, stressing out their spouse. I'm just saying...

sleeping late

Mark has been retired for two  and half years and we are finally sleeping late.  This week we have been sleeping until , 7;15 , 7:30 and even 8:00 one time. Retirement is grand.

The adventure continues

We worked all day Monday selling stuff at Webster. Last  night was so cold and windy that I could feel the R,V, rocking all night long  and I stayed cold.  We got up and I made a good warm breakfast and hot chocolate.  Then we spent the morning loading the R.V. to put in storage so that we could take the van,  head south and shop,  We had a great day and found great deals.  We were looking forward to a nice relaxing warm hotel room tonight.  When we got to the room, we unpacked stuff to price and took a short  cold walk.  We ate chili in the room and priced stuff.  When it was time to settle in and go to bed , we realized the heater was not working.  We called the front desk and they sent someone to fix it, then  he brought in another heater and plugged it in and realized that the circuit was blown.  Their solution was to give us extra blankets and a fan for noise.  So even in a hotel I may have a cold night.    Good  night.