Our Memorial Day Weekend

Can you believe we managed to stay in town AND escape the boatnik craziness all weekend??

Sat. we decided to drive out to 'The Ranch", aka Mimi's house.

The kids love it there.

Acres of roaming and nature and freedom.

However after squabbling like crazy, we called it a day and rented some movies and got ice cream.

Sunday we decided to take a drive to play in the river.  There must have been some miscommunication along the way however.  You see when my husband said "Let's drive to the river kids" they thought (and me) that that meant maybe a half hour and then a day of laying on the river.

But, Honey really wanted to drive to this place he'd been to as a kid.

Muriel.

For all of you laughing right now I know you've been there.

You see Muriel is about a 2 1/2 hour drive on mostly dirt roads winding up and then down mountains that made me so sick from the heights that I couldn't enjoy my bird's eye view.

Eventually, and after much complaining and possibly some threats to throw a certain oldest Monkey off the top of the mountain, we made it.

It was worth the drive.

A beautiful old homestead called the Rogue River Ranch sat amongst the ancient pines and a skirt of emerald grass.

do you see the American flag in the reflection??

and after exploring a little around this place we took the jot down to the water...

a bat...

he's pretending to eat that lizard

and one more of the ranch...

and since that was so image heavy I will cover our Memorial Day Monday tomorrow!

God Bless,

Mandy

Jean Pruitt

I had the privilege of attending a funeral yesterday for my husband's great Aunt.

She was an amazing woman.

I mean truly an amazing woman.

This wasn't the typical funeral where they just remember the good in the person and suddenly forget the struggles and negative things. 'this person was so wonderful, so giving, so kind' sugar coatedness.

It wasn't like that because they didn't have to sugar coat anything.  Jean really was all those wonderful things.

I wish I could have known her better.

I wish I could have sat her down and asked her child rearing questions.

She raised 6 children, all who love the Lord, many who have served as missionaries in remote parts of the world.

She was one of those rare people who didn't have a selfish bone in her body.

She shined with the Spirit.

The woman probably never said one negative thing in her entire life.

She was truly the Proverbs 31 woman in flesh. 

Every time I think of what I wish I was more like as a woman, wife and mom,

Jean is the first person I think of.

I can't be sad she's gone.

She is with our Father in Heaven, and though I may not have known her as well as I'd of liked, I know for sure that she is overjoyed to be with her Jesus.

Thank You Jean.

For giving a younger generation an amazing role model.

For allowing God to use you.

For not complaining that the life you lived was difficult even when it was.

I only ever heard you give thanks for it all.

Thank you for showing me that true beauty really does come from within.

I forget that so often, and focus on the wrong things.

But you were one of the most beautiful women I've ever known.

You were content to do with gusto the work God had given you.

I admire you so much.

 I never told you on this Earth, but I hope to be able to tell you in Heaven one day.

If I can be half the wife and mother you were, spreading that joy around like you did then I will be successful.

 Thank You Father in Heaven for Jean and the amazing life she led.

THANK YOU

Thank you to all our service men and women, and their families.

Your sacrifices are more than we could imagine, and yet you willingly do it.

I'm at a loss for what I could even say.

You are appreciated, prayed for and loved.

God Bless,

 Mandy