November Farewells and Thanksgiving

November was a month of blessings and good-byes. Gary blessed us with our last family vacation in the Southeast. We ventured south to Florida and boarded a ship to the Bahamas. Here is a photo of Isaiah sliding down a 20 foot blowup slide on the Coco Cay Island. Josiah watches on. We spent 4 days on the ship eating, relaxing, eating, and playing. It was nice to have Thanksgiving together in such unique surroundings.

Joel and Isaac finished their Crown Knights Varsity Football season with a wonderful banquet. They made some great friends and had some Godly, sacrificial coaches who spoke truth into each of their lives. The season was about living "above the bar" on the football field and in life. Although the season ended 2 touchdowns too short to be called Champions, the boys will take away some treasured life lessons and go onto be Champions for Christ. Because of the teams classy play and attitudes on the football field, and their dedication to Godliness, the team was able to be a part of 20+ people coming to Christ during the after game huddles. We will miss all our Crown Knights friends.

Eastside Baptist Church has been a vital source of love and encouragement for our family. We will leave behind some awesome people who made our stay in Georgia so memorable and fulfilling. The boys are seen here with a group of their buddies at a Farewell to the Closes gathering. We could not have created a better group of peers for our boys. God is so awesome. Thank You Eastside Family.

Before our cruise we were able to explore Universal Orlando. We toured both parks and rode all the rides until we got sick. It was a lovely park with unique rides and brain banging roller coasters. The boys had a great time and Gary and I did our best to keep up. Roller Coasters get so much harder to ride the older you get. The boys got to top off the experience with a concert at the BLUE MAN GROUP. It was a unique and funny show with creative and ingenious musical flare.

This was our most memorable night in Georgia. Joel and Isaac played in the semi-finals to go to the Championship game. Grammy and Poppa were here to join in the thrill of victory. The defensive line held off the other team on the one yard line in the last seconds of the game to give the Knights the Victory. We stormed the field in jubilation. Such a treat to be a part of a once in a lifetime thrill.

As we wrap up our Georgia memories and pack our things for California we leave with full hearts. God directed all our steps on this adventure and we will be sad to leave it all behind. Had we said no to the adventure we would have never been able to experience so many wonderful things. The boys learned that change can be good and they are capable of making happiness wherever they go. It is an attitude of the heart. We are so proud of the boys for doing something hard and scary at first, and coming out with richer lives because they were willing to say, "Yes!". We thank God for the blessings of this adventure, His hand was with us every step of the way. God is Good, All the Time.

October Sky

Joel's friend, Leah Dee, came to visit this October and Joel was able to take her to King's Homecoming. They looked lovely and had a wonderful time. She used her week of vacation from Starbucks to spend it with us here in the South. We showed her all the highlights, QT, zip linin', Five Guys, Aquarium, CocaCola, Downtown, Chickfila, and the lovely weather. Her time her sure did fly by.

At the Georgia Aquarium Josiah, Gary and Isaiah got up close and personal with the penguins. They are so unique. We loved the beluga whales, the sea horses, the jellys, the manta rays and sharks. So wonderful to see God's creative touch.

Gary, Isaac, and Isaiah, along with the rest of us, including Leah, went north to South Carolina to ZIPLINE. We traversed 10 lines over the brilliant, orange, red, and golden leaves. A truly thrilling and beautiful treat.

Momma and Poppa, aka Sam and Dotty, also came to visit this month. They got to enjoy 3 weekends of FOOTBALL and LACROSSE. During the weeks in between, Momma helped do school with the boys and Poppa did some minor repairs around the house. But we all decided that having 10 acres is so much better for 8 people to spread out in. To get us out of the house we walked along the Chattahoochee River, climbed Kennesaw Mtn, went bowling, watched movies and walked the neighbor dogs. The weather went from scaling hot to tornado warnings and then freezing cold. I am sure they are ready to go back to California.

Isaiah and Josiah went to Discipleship Now at our church at Eastside. They enjoyed all the activities of riding a mechanical bull and jumping in bounce houses. They spent 2 nights with their Bible leaders who led them in Discipleship training and encouraged them in their walk with God. Afterwards, Isaiah told me, "Momma, I love our church, I am gonna miss it when we go home." It is a blessing to find God's love wherever you go. Thank you Eastside, Pastor Trey and all ya'all for making our boys feel so loved.