Candles Raising Money To Bring a Precious Child Home

It is no secret to you that there are some children

in a far away place that have my heart.

Coming to know and love two of these children

in a very personal way through the Musser Family 

has made me very aware of the depth of neglect 

children in their former orphanage are subjected to.

Seeing these same children come alive and thrive

has motivated me to do whatever I can to 

help the parents God has chosen bring the kiddos 

home as soon as possible.

Therefore, 

even though this has been a very busy

season in our home

when Susanna called and asked if I could whip up 

some candles for her to list in the 

Auction beginning tomorrow I agreed 

without any hesitation.

As usual with me I am working up to the 

deadline but they are finally complete.

I'm not sure if all of these will be listed 

but at least some of them will.

All money raised goes to

the Huizinga Family who are 

excited to bring 

 Penny home,

if the Lord wills it.

To learn more you 

can visit this link.

Chelsea's Journey Down Under Has Begun

I do rejoice in the Lord today.

Having walked through several weeks that were beyond

hard and stressful 

I knew He never left.

When Georgia fell and broke her leg 

we wondered how this fit into the plan.

I wish I could tell you that we now know the answer.

We don't.

But I do know that strength has come from

our Heavenly Father to come as far as we have

in her healing and recovery.

It was our hope that the Rehab Hospital would hold onto

Georgia until after Chelsea was off so that I would be 

able to focus more on her and not have to leave her 

for the trip to the airport and a congregational meeting 

the next day at church.

That didn't happen.

But God did supply wonderful friends to visit with Georgia

while we were gone so that the time passed faster

and I was relieved of worry about a fall or a need that 

I wouldn't be able to meet.

This became especially important when we showed up to 

the airport in Baltimore to find that the flight Mom and Chelsea

were supposed to board had been cancelled.

After speaking with the woman at the counter

we found that they were rescheduled for a flight

six hours later.

Hmmph!

What to do now?

Well, it was so hot and humid that we knew it had to be 

something indoors.

So we headed to White Marsh Mall.

After lunch at a nearby 

Chick-fil-A

we headed to the mall proper.

No one felt like shopping but that was o.k.

It was cool and they had a Starbucks.

After some window shopping we 

enjoyed conversation, cookies and drinks

at a beautiful solid wood table in the cafe.

These stacked cups are holding Chelsea's

vaccine for Typhoid.

It needed to stay cold.

We weren't prepared for that with the delay.

Chelsea pointed out  that  the combination

of the cups made for a mixed message.

 And then they were off.

This later flight was delayed once again but only for a little 

bit and they made their connection in Chicago only to be 

stuck on the runway with 20 planes ahead of them

as soon as a storm passed by.

They had been up for 20 hours by the time they got to Seattle.

Two very tired ladies.

They got the shuttle to their hotel.

And finally got some sleep.

Chelsea wrote a post about their first day in Seattle.

http://www.chasingcadence.blogspot.com/2013/07/seattle.html

Then she next wrote when she was on the plane to Australia.

http://www.chasingcadence.blogspot.com/2013/07/thoughts-from-sky.html

We are so thankful for traveling mercies for both Mom and Chels.

Many people have played a part in making Chelsea's journey

possible.  We thank God for you.

I heard from her this morning to say that she is doing well.

She asks for prayers that she would settle in well.

It is always hard for her to make friends at first 

since she is so quiet but I know that she'll come out of this

experience with some deep and meaningful friendships.

Flowers on the Deck

When filling these hangers on the deck walls I usually get one thing right and a couple of things wrong.

This year I decided that the one thing I usually consistently goof on is choosing flowers that need plenty of watering.  Ummm.....I have very good intentions but.....

So, this year I decided to put flowers in that prefer drier conditions.

Guess what?

It rained every day for nearly a month.

You know, that afternoon shower that totally soaked the planters.

The poor plants kind of struggled.

They struggled until this week when we have had hot humid days

but not much rain.

Finally they are beginning to bloom.

We'll see what the rest of the Summer holds for them

but for now I think they are pretty cute.

The foggy conditions are a result of bringing a air conditioned camera 

out into heat and humidity.

Inspired by Vee's window box post.

I LOVE window boxes but this is as close as I come.

Annual Summer Garden and Butterfly Pics

Just two.

But amazing that I went outside and 

took them at all in this 

heatwave.

O.k. so I took more.....

but, these have been stressful days and 

this is all I have the patience to work with.

The good news is that Georgia 

comes home tomorrow. 

Today I brought home the wheelchair,

walker and other items she will need for 

the time being until she can put weight on the broken leg.

I am so proud of how Georgia has handled this hurdle.

It is a big one.

Summer is her favorite season.

This put a hurting on it...

Big time!

It also forced the cancellation of a very cool 

trip up through the Rockies and into Canada that 

our Moms had planned.

However, 

we all know that nothing happens 

without purpose.

And while Georgia is understandably sad and frustrated....

she is working hard to get back 

on her feet as soon as possible

and has maintained a very sweet spirit 

through it all. 

My mom has been amazing as well.

She had to cancel and rearrange all of those plans.

That had to hurt.

I'm so very thankful that in the disappointment of these changes

the silver lining is that mom will be able to go through customs

with Chelsea and walk her to her gate 

at the International Airport.

This was not in the original plans.

It blesses my Mother heart.

A lot!

While I speak of blessings 

I have to mention the dear ladies at church.

For the past few weeks 

I have been a certifiable mess

at church.

Most of the week I can keep my mind and hands 

busy and therefore keep the worries and sadness of

the upcoming separation at bay.

However, on Sundays it is all quiet 

and I have opportunity to think

about the count down.  

The words to the music always 

reach straight into my heart.

Tears flow.

Uggghhh.....

Would that I were anything other than a cry-er.

My dear friends have sent cards,

prayed and checked in with me .

There is so much support and love that I am overwhelmed.

All of this seems ridiculous for a five month deal.

Kids do it all of the time.

But those are other people's kids.

This is Chelsea.

My kid.

A Scrambled Life

God knows me so well.

He knows that given time to fret, 

I'll do so.

So.....

rather than allowing this stressed mama

time to stew

He has allowed a week that will try even 

this adrenaline lover.

As we work toward making sure that all is in order

for a five month stay for Chelsea in two different countries

there are also the added challenges of a three day business

trip for Warren, 

working to bring Georgia home from the hospital on 

Thursday after taking her to a surgeon's appointment first, 

dealing with broken vehicles, 

Entertaining friends of Chelsea's who must get 

their last good-byes in, 

a couple of candle orders...

and whatever is coming next.

Today Mom and I went to the rehab to observe

Georgia's therapy so that we can be aware of how 

much or how little help she will need.

The woman looked like an Olympic Athlete compared 

to the rest of the patients there.

I can see that staying until Monday really wouldn't work.

That was our original plan....but.....

God knows me well.

Mikey, Chelsea and two friends have just returned from a

day at Hershey Park.  

They are quite sunburned and yet very energetic.

It seems that we are about to head out to Sonic

while Warren mows as much of the lawn as he can

by the headlight on his lawn tractor.

I'm going to miss these crazy days 

at some point in the future.

So, for now I'll just soak it all in.

Siblings loving and watching out for each other,

the chaos of a very lived in house,

a path about to be worn in the back yard between 

here and Georgia's house,

Mom, Georgia and I laughing hysterically at a joke

that no one else would truly appreciate,

A husband who appreciates my efforts to 

get his clothes washed and dried in the midst

of all the madness....

and four animals that need and want my attention.

Seriously,

the three of us ladies got to giggling so much 

during therapy that others suggested we pull it together.

I think they were kidding.......

Its all good.

Its what makes a crazy lady like me tick.

For a more sensible post you might want to check out

this guest post I wrote for the CAST Team blog

this morning.

Night Night.

I'm off to Sonic!

One Small Step....Changed Everything

We had a delightful Fourth of July.

I hope you did, as well.

My brother Allan and Bev, his wife, 

were here and we ate ourselves to contentment

on all sorts of grilled goodness and Mom's 

potato salad.

Chelsea kept at us to find a fireworks display 

so we headed up to Lititz where we came upon

a cemetery with people sitting in it.  

We decided that this would be a good place to watch

the fireworks from and joined them

among the tombstones.

It turned out to be just perfect.

The sky was clear with just enough of a breeze

 to move the smoke away in time for the next shell.

There was even an old fashioned ice cream truck that 

parked itself right beside the cemetery at the end of

the show.  

Some of our group indulged enjoyed.

Friday the 5th of July started out innocently enough.

Mom called to tell me that she, Allan, Bev and Georgia 

were going to go hiking at a local park.

Allan and Bev are members of a mushroom club 

and love to seek out edible mushrooms.

Mom and Georgia just enjoy being in God's Creation.

Around 11 am, I guess it was, the phone rang again 

and it was Mom. 

Georgia had fallen out on the trail and they were not 

able to get her out. 

Something was wrong with her knee.
It was just one moss covered rock in the
middle of the trail that did her in.

What was scary was that they had no idea where they were 

or how the emergency responders who had 

been called would find them and get to them.

Her voice broke and the tears came

which only worried me more.

We decided that it was best that I stay put until 

more was known since Georgia was conscious and we knew that 

the next step was to get her out.

Well, two fire companies showed up.

An ambulance, a medic or two

and who knows what all else.

They threw a lot at this event since they didn't know

what they were getting into either.

Thankfully, Allan had been able to walk out
and meet them.
In pretty good time they were able to bring
an ATV down the trail and pack her up.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=402342769877207&set=a.316061305172021.67259.316055095172642&type=1&theater

Turns out the ambulance driver and nurse/EMT were
the parents of one of our good friends.
Small world in Southern Lancaster County!

http://www.qfd57.com/fullstory.php?190488

Since the weather was HOT and HUMID the
first responders made sure everyone had plenty of
water to drink.
In fact, Mom had gone back to her car at one point
before the hike began
to get a small cooler with sodas in it
and so they had a mini ice pack which made a huge
difference in the swelling since they were able to
ice the knee before help even arrived.

Finally I got the word that Georgia and Bev were headed to the
hospital by way of ambulance and I met them there.
We found out that Georgia's leg was broken and would
require surgery.

Sadly this has changed big plans that our Moms had
for the two weeks after dropping Chelsea at
LAX on her way to Australia.
They were planning to drive through
the Rocky Mountains and up into Canada.

Bless my Mom's heart,
she will still take Chelsea out to the
West Coast to catch her 14 hour flight
to Brisbane
but then she'll just come back home.

One small step.
Such an impact.

Back to Georgia, though.
Yesterday she had some company
at her Rehab Hospital.

I took this photo of her as she
enjoyed the conversation.

Thankfully the pain is minimal.

Georgia has a lot of work ahead of her.
I'll be her driver and main caregiver.
Mom is a huge help, as well.
Makes us know we made the right decision to
move our Moms to Lancaster County.
So thankful that they were able to get houses
right on our street.

These are not easy days....
on many fronts.
But, God is Good.

I'm sorry for such a scattered post.
That's just how my brain is working
right now.

Another Birthday......Our Precious Daughter

There simply aren't enough words to tell 

you how much your Daddy and I love you, 

Chelsea.

We are so proud of the hard work you have 

done over the past few years and 

the love you have for Jesus.

We look forward to 

hearing about your adventures over

the next five months

knowing that

 God is continuing His work

in you.

Happy 18th Birthday!!

Happy Birthday!!

Photo by Chelsea Keeney

Happy Birthday

to 

The United States of America!

Wishing you a very long life

in which your ills can be cured

and all that is good.... 

 protected.

Still Life...Bowl of Oatmeal

Just because it was so pretty.

I took a bunch of photos of Chelsea's Panera Oatmeal

last week as we returned from 

Creation Fest 2013.

Who cares, you say?

Well...

maybe no one.

But this was one very pretty dish.

Even the bowl is gorgeous.

A soft yellow in a heavy pottery style.

 The blueberries were so large and ripe.

They just made the oatmeal appear very desirable. 

Mmmmm......

Its the little things.

Are you paying attention?

Huge Praise!

As of yesterday

Chelsea is fully funded for her mission trip.

That means God has provided 

so generously

and in very unexpected ways

all the way along.

The photos in this post are of Chelsea and some of her
many friends from work.
She is going to miss them....a LOT.

We are so pleased with all of the work 

Chelsea herself has done to save

the money she earned.  

I cannot tell you how many times I've

urged her to purchase a top or skirt

she loves only

for her to walk away with a higher

purpose in mind.

Even so, 

 she could not have saved 

the $10,000 needed on her own.

This is a big week for our girl as it is her 

last week of work and then on Saturday 

she will have her 18th birthday.

We'll celebrate the 4th of July with 

my brother Allan and my Sister in law, Bev.

We are all looking forward to seeing them!

Pretty soon we will go to the bank and 

place our order for some Australian Dollars. 

How cool it that?

We'll place our order and 

it will come in about a week.

We are happy (for us) that the American 

Dollar has gained strength on the Australian Dollar

in the past few weeks. 

Cuties.  Chelsea, Kim and Emily

We are also very blessed that our Moms are

going to take Chelsea out to her flight from 

Los Angeles.

They will tour a bit in Seattle before taking Chelsea 

to a late night flight from L.A.

Then Chels will fly 14 hours straight and totally miss

a day to arrive in Australia on an early morning.

WOW.

Chelsea and Sarah....

We expect that there will be others in her program 

on that flight.

Hopefully they will get to meet and start the process

of becoming acquainted.

This is all big and scary for the mama.

But God has provided in so many ways we 

couldn't have imagined that it makes it easier...not easy...

to trust that Chelsea will be o.k.

I'm so thankful for the technology that will keep us in touch.

This old fashioned girl with a track phone

might have to get a smart phone 

to be available for Face Time.

Just maybe.

We'll see.

I don't know if I'll be around the blog a lot 

or a little this week.

Either way, 

YOU have a super 4th of July.

P.S.  Here is a post Chelsea wrote in the wee hours this morning.