Cedar Bluffs Nature Preserve

Sunday was such a beautiful day. Finally the weather was moderate enough to enjoy being outdoors. It was Micah's last Sunday home before he leaves for college so I wanted to do a family thing. We decided to check out Cedar Bluffs Nature Preserve  in Mahaska County located near the Skunk River. You have to walk a bit before you get into the preserve but it was a lovely area to take a walk. I think it will be really beautiful in the fall.

Here is the view from the bluffs over the Des Moines River Valley.

On the trail.

Going across the bridge.

The clouds were beautiful.

Iowa has many lovely parks and nature preserves. If you live in Iowa, there are probably several located near you. For some reason, people tend to think of Iowa as flat but I think Iowa is beautiful with many types of terrain. We hope you take some time this fall to visit a park with your family and appreciate God's wonderful creation.

Shingling Bethel

Micah and Matthew have been working for R&R Roofing again this summer. The job they are working on now is Bethel CRC Church. The roof has a high steep peak over the sanctuary.Sharon was considerably worried before they started the job but they are using lifts to stand on for most of the roof.

If you look at the picture below you see Micah working, but Matthew seems to be in a bit more of an advisory capacity or maybe just day dreaming. They tell me he was feeding shingles and Micah was nailing, sure that explains it, I think.

Either way I think I am just as happy working at ground level, and not on 2x6 stringers above the reach of the cat lifts. That way if I fall it is only going to hurt a little.

If you closely you can see Matthew is working in the picture below.

It has been a hot summer and the work is hard but the boys have not complained. It is a lesson I can learn about life. Sometimes the work we are called to do to build the kingdom of God is hard work.Sometimes it takes teamwork. 

 Sometimes it even looks as though it could be dangerous, if nothing else, dangerous to our pride. 

Jesus washed the apostles feet when no one else in the room wanted to. Are we willing to do the jobs that no one else wants to do because they look hard, or are not the glamorous jobs? I think I need to try to do better. I need to listen and look for the opportunities God is placing in my life to be about His work.

Our home

We live in town. We used to live in the country. That was another life. But I know that God gave us this home. It is perfect for us. It is a gift. I prayed for this home. I wanted a closet in my room – I did not have that in the country. I wanted a family room as my boys were getting older and I wanted them to have a place to hang out with friends. And I wanted a nice kitchen. When we were looking for a home, we were living on borrowed time in a place that was no longer our own. We walked through many houses. Many were nice. Sometimes we made offers. Every time we placed an offer, the house immediately sold to another person at a higher price. These were houses that had been on the market for over a year. It even got to the point that all we would do is look at a house picture and it would sell. Seriously. The realtor even noticed it. We were getting discouraged.

Finally, we walked into this house and I realized that this was IT. From the moment I came through the front door, I knew I had come home. It was not just a house. The asking amount was a little more than we wanted to pay. We decided to make an offer anyway. We reasoned that if God wanted us to have this house, he would see us through. When we placed the offer, we couldn’t really even remember what the place looked like. We didn’t even do an inspection. But you know the rest of the story – our offer was accepted and we had our home and the things I prayed for.

                              This is what the house looked like from the street when we purchased it

                                   Picture from last fall

 Our yard to the north of our house

Rock terraces we put in, notice the house has not been stained and sealed yet

I tell you this story because I want you to know that God cares about the details of your life. He cares about you – your hopes, your desires, your longings. Yes, he wants your heart. He wants you to love Him. But He also loves you, He really loves you. You, yourself, as you are. Because He loves us, He longs to give us good gifts. The Bible tells us this. But the Bible also tells us that sometimes the things we long for are not good for us. Then God says no or wait. Don’t hesitate to lay your desires before God in prayer. But always ask God that His will be done. Trust Him and you may find yourself humbled and amazed by His good and perfect gifts for you. SS

50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration

On Saturday, July 20, we celebrated my parent's 50th wedding anniversary with an open house. It is certainly an incredible blessing to celebrate 5o happy years together. I am very glad my parents could have this opportunity. We had a wonderful time visiting with friends and relatives who attended.

Their actual anniversary is in January but it worked better with the family to celebrate it this summer. It happened at a very busy time this summer so we know there were several who could not attend but we enjoyed the ones who did. 

It was a very fun family weekend. We also did family pictures on Mom and Dad's farm, using the fields and the old John Deere as a background.

We played games and what Iowa weekend is complete without some time on the go-carts.  On Monday we even ventured to Adventureland. The weather has been very hot in Iowa. We spent quite a bit of time in the waterpark but also enjoyed some other rides. It was not as bad as I feared. It's a place where every age can find something they like.