Why, Hello!

It's been a very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very long time. Ok, now, that could be a bit of an exaggeration, but, hey, who's counting? Moving on... We've been really busy, and have been having sooooo much fun. Here's the scoop:

May: We had a memorial day picnic with our church, which was really fun. We also celebrated my Sweetest Sixteenth birthday, and had a fantastic month overall.

June: Our annual CHEC conference was during that month. Also, Robin, our brother, and I (Margaret) ran a 1/2 marathon. It was so wonderful, and an amazingly beautiful course as well! I LOVED it, and it felt a lot easier than I thought it would be. (Of course, it was 75% downhill, but the feet above sea level was in the 9000's.) Fun, fun, fun... Yay!!!!!!!!!! We've also started on crazy summer things, like playing soccer and Frisbee at the park every. single. week., climbing trees, and rappelling.

July: We're planning a camping trip this coming week, and, we should be able to start hiking some 14ers which should be really fun.

Also, in August, we're planning some thing so Extreme and so fun it's gonna be a blast... If we're able to do it. ;) And then, I'm thinking about getting a dog - a Siberian Huskie to be precise. I've been contacting people and preparing, so it might just happen, but, we'll see. Oh, and we have a Family Camp in August too.

Well, the feeling of a GREAT summer is in the air. I can hardly wait for every thing to start happening!

~Margaret

And now for some pictures:

Happy Birthday Margaret!

Happy 16th Margaret! We are so thankful for you, and hope you have a great birthday full of adventures and discoveries! :)

WE LOVE YOU:

Anna, Robin, and Maria

It Doesn't Cut

Words are powerful things. They can build up great friendships, but, at the same time, they can tear down friendships. They cut like a knife when they're spoken in the wrong way, or to tear some one down, but they smooth over the wound like a lotion when they're spoken to build some one up. It really is amazing. You know, I've had a lot of scratches, bruises, burns, cuts, blisters, sore muscles, etc., but none of them have ever hurt as much as words do. Words are as real as life. When some one screams at you, you feel every. single. word. When some one praises you, your life bursts with joy. When some one points out all your problems, you hear it all. When some one tells you that they love you, you NEVER expect them to say, "Haha... Just Kidding!" Yep, words are amazing things. Our family was studying a passage in James... James chapter 3. It talked all about the tongue and the damage it could do. (I'm posting it at the bottom of the page.) It's a good passage, and one that I think every one ought to know. I'm sure we all have terrible problems with bridling our tongues, and that's probably why all the church splits happen today. Churches are splitting, brothers and sisters are offended, people are leaving... It's all becoming one. big. mess. And, you know, it's all because of one small object - the tongue. Some times I think I would do better with my tongue cut off and my fingers lost from frostbite (That way, I wouldn't type my big mouth out either ;)). Yep, but, I guess I'm just gonna have to learn to control the words I say and type. This post isn't to any of you. (If you feel like applying it, that's fine.) This post is for me. I've been awfully convicted of this lately, and I feel like some thing of this sort may be in order for me. ;) Words cut, deep. So, I guess I had better stop talking and start doing. Time to give my animals attention, and my family some love! :)

James 3

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

~Margaret

Pig Headed

Well, here's a serious post (for once):

We all have our moments of stubbornness. Of course, that may not be true for all you perfectomundo people out there, but, all I know, is that it's true for me. It may be in a conversation or a discussion (even online) where you just won't give up. You have your "opponent" in your clutches, then you realize, "Wow! What am I doing? I'm tearing down a brother or sister in Christ all because of my stubbornness!" I'm a very stubborn person. I hate it when people contradict me. I love to build and finish projects, but my sin really comes out when some one attempts to assist me. With all my stubbornness, I push away the help, and scream in my mind that I can do it myself, thank you very much. It's sinful, wrong, and not the way God wants me to act. And really, it's the same way in arguments. We want to keep fighting, fighting, fighting, but before long, we realize that what we were saying was really just dust. Plus, if we stick to our stubbornness in wanting to win arguments, won't we just grow up to be like that? Eventually, due to our hotheadedness, there could be whole church splits. Okay, maybe you're thinking that that's a bit dramatic, but, in our world today, I'm afraid to say: not really.

Stubbornness can be a good thing though too. You can be stubborn for God's Kingdom and for other things too, but it has to be channeled into the right spot. A few weeks ago I was hunting for a deer. It took me two weeks before I actually got one, but, in that situation, I was glad I was being stubborn. But, oftentimes, your strong point can also be your weak point. You need to always be careful to build your brothers and sisters up, not tear them down with your pigheadedness.

I know this is a pretty random post, but it's something that has been going on in my head for a long while. Thinking about relationships, I always say to myself, "Why can't those morons just learn to forgive?" before I realize that I have a huge log in my own eye. I'm stubborn, and those "morons" can't learn to forgive because of people like me. It may start out small, but we all know that if it isn't stomped out, then sin will rear its ugly head, and show us our short comings.

I'm a sinner, and I still have a lot to learn, but, there's my 2 cents. ;)

~Margaret

Great Britain Part 1 (And most likely, last part)

Well, I haven't been here since the Dark Ages, so I hope everyone remembers us. In the last post, I, Margaret mentioned that Robin and I were heading off to England for about three weeks. We've been here (England) for a little over two of those three weeks, and have forgotten the camera... haha... Just Kidding! Gotcha! Here's some pictures. Oh, by the way, we've come over here to help our aunt who had her first baby, so you'll probably see some pictures of the most handsomest, adorablest baby in the world, and you'll know who that is. Yes'm! ;)

Westminster Abbey, and all her glory

Tiredness...

The British Museum -It's HUGE! ;)

Margaret - outside the British Museum

At the British Library - Don't you wish your library was this big?

At the British Museum - studying the Egyptian artifacts

View of the great court from above - at the British Museum

Yeppers... darling little boy

Sarah M. and Margaret in one of the assembly rooms at Bath

Margaret at the ruins of Old Salisbury

The Royal Crescent at Bath (Jane Austen's home)

We also visited The Fashion Museum while in Bath

Stone Henge

A Lovely Ship

Odd name for a restaurant, don't you think?

Flowers at Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle

I kept on seeing this group of guards marching around the castle grounds

Both of us - Robin looks so fantastic. I, on the other hand... Bleh! :)

We visited The Cabinet War Rooms that shared a big part of Winston Churchill's life. They were my favorite part of the entire trip

A maiden sitting within the halls of Westminster Abbey

A graceful swan gliding across the smooth surface of the pond in the middle of Hyde Park (how did that sound?)

We visited lovely Hyde Park, and walked around a bit

While we were at it, we decided to pay a visit to Harrod's (the famous outrageously priced department store)

There were some nice looking clothes, though...

Westminster Abbey

Trafalgar Square

Robin

Margaret, by the Thames River

That is NOT Big Ben. Actually, Big Ben (to be perfectly correct), is the sound the bell makes inside the clock tower. Yay! I actually got that one right.

The London Eye - Largest Ferris Wheel in the World

It's springtime, and the blossoms are on the trees...

Buckingham Palace... and 100s of Tourists

Didn't I tell you he was handsome?

The 1st day we were here, I was so excited about riding on a double decker bus, that I took tons of pictures. The excitement has slowly worn off...

Right before we left - Robin and Anna

~Margaret

Dear Me, Dear Me!

Ok, I have long neglected this blog. We've been up to a lot. Also, Robin and Margaret are heading off to England in 19... no... 18 days (I'm counting down, can't ya tell?) to spend almost a full month there. I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY EXCITED! Can you tell? :) So, we did a Valentine's Day dinner for couples on Valentine's Day, and had a lot of fun doing it too... If any one is still reading this blog, then.... Wow! If you are not reading this blog, then stop reading this. Thank you for being so faithful (or bored). I don't have any pictures on this computer, so I will leave you with out. Well, actually, I was able to find some from the Valentine's Day Dinner that we put on. Here are a couple:

What Valentine's Dinner doesn't have roses?

A Wonderful Friend - Catherine

The Chafing Dishes with all of our "Wonderful" Creations Hidden Inside

The Greatest Group Eva!

~Margaret