I Have to Believe

I have to believe that He sees my darkness.
I have to believe He knows my pain.
I have to lift up my hands to worship
Worship His name.

I have to declare that He is my refuge.
I have to deny that I am alone.
I have to lift up my eyes to the mountain
It's where my help comes from.

He said that He's forever faithful, He said that He's forever true.
He said that He can move mountains;
If he can move mountains, He can move my mountain
He can move your mountian, too.

Oh, I have to stand tall,
When the wind blows me over.
I have to stand strong,
When I'm weak and afraid.
I have to GRAB HOLD of the garments,
The garments of praise.

I have to sing praise
When the hour is midnight.
He unlocks these chains
That bind up my soul.
My sin and my shame, He has forgiven
And made me whole.

He said that He's forever faithful, He said that He's forever true.
He said that He can move mountains;
If He can move mountains, He can move my mountain,
He can move your mountain, too.

I wish you hear this song that we sang at church on Sunday and what I am clinging to right now. It has been a rough week and a clear reminder of how this world we live in is broken and the things that I like to comfort myself with (my earthly possessions) are going to fail me. It seems to be one thing after another...broken shower pan, broken garage door, car that won't start several times a week, a beg bug scare (but none the less, carpet beetles in our home). Cha-ching, Cha-ching, Cha-ching. It is overwhelming.

But, I know that my God is faithful and while these trials are hard, I know that it is through these trials that my faith is strengthened. God will provide and continue to take care of us. I feel the love and support of our church and neighorhood community...living as God intended for us to live...caring for each other.

I love the mental images of "grabbing hold of the garments, the garments of praise." I feel like I am desparetely holding on the the garments of Christ and holding onto Him right now with all my might. He is the ONLY way I have been able to have the strength I've needed for this week. I need to live this way daily, however, whether good or bad times.

I do have SO much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. For our health, for our home, for Jacob's job, for our family and friends...not to be cliche....I am truly thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Blowing Rock

On our way home, we stopped by "the" Blowing Rock. We'd never been before, nor knew the legend behind it. I won't try to tell you the story because my memory is terrible but I do know that the wind blows up there. So when it snows, the looks like it is snowing upside down! You can kind of see our hair blowing up in our family picture above. It certainly lived up to its "blowing" name, though, as it was quite windy. It was a fun way to end our weekend in the mountains. We then had to head home so we could trick-or-treat!

Tweetsie

Thanks to a neighbor, we were able to go to Tweetsie for free! Although it was quite cold and windy, the kids had a blast. They all enjoyed sitting on the horses, riding the kiddie rides, kiddie train, and chair lift!

Cate vividly remembers the big train ride from our last visit 2 1/2 years ago and would not step foot on the train again. So Jacob took Drew and Jane Ramsey, thinking Drew would love to see the cowboys and Indians. Well, he wasn't a huge fan of the "popping" (gun shots) and Jane Ramsey fell asleep in Jacob's lap during the shoot out. I guess we pushed her naptime a little too long! Overall, it was a fun family outing though!

Little Cabin in the woods

Halloween weekend took advantage of Cate's Friday teacher workday and headed to the mountains. I found this very authentic and rustic cabin to stay in! I'd love to hear the history and stories that accompany this cabin because there certainly are some.

Saturday we went to Tweetsie and the kids had a blast and Sunday we went to the actual Blowing Rock. I'll post some pictures soon.

Fall

We are finally starting to feel the cooler temps of autumn. We've had a busy fall so far with Halloween, a trip to the mountains and Tweetsie railroad, a weekend with the Hildebrands, and our regular weekday activites.

The kids enjoyed playing in the leaves one afternoon, Drew especially!

2010 Halloween Parade

This afternoon was our neighborhood's annual Halloween parade! The "theme" of this year's costumes for the kids is 'Toy Story.' Drew is Buzz Lightyear, Cate is a cow girl (Jessie), and Jane Ramsey is the alien! The firetruck met us at the grassy field and led us around the block. Afterwards, we headed to a neighbors for pizza and had a great time. What a fun tradition!!

Notice "the claw" that Jacob constructed. If you are familiar with 'Toy Story,' you will understand!!!

Posing on the firetruck

Here is a kitty cat and Pinkalicious with Cate.

Happy Birthday, Jacob!