In case you're wondering...

Here's our home for right now...we've been in this hotel off and on since the beginning of August. Come visit, but in the meantime you can see what our space looks like.

Somehow I missed the desk and the table. You wouldn't be able to see them anyway...they'e always covered with books, food and such. The kids sleep on the sofa bed. We have the king size bed....space. And the only thing I don't have but would like to is an oven...I've had to adjust my meal plans. I've thought of bringing a toaster oven on the road...yea...but for now I'm experimenting with baking in the crock pot. We'll see.

The staff takes great care of our family here.

So, the room's comfortable and plenty big, but small enough to motivate us to get out on these spectacular sunny days.

Pinch me, please

What a wonderful life I have....

Oh, there have been a few bumps in the road...and an Open House at the house today...that throws me into a tizzy. But I need to remember to stop and be grateful.

In the past week, I have:

  * been present as a sweet friend gave birth at home to a beautiful baby girl (with an adorable name)
  * gone to an inspirational Recovery meeting...hearing what I needed to hear this week...still chewing on the message that God will never prosper the parts of me that are not real.. ie: not reflecting Him...may take me a while to digest that one...and what does prospering look like?
  * caught up with the other men in my life, Opa and Uncle Nack
  * had another late night coffee date with my late night amiga
  * played with some of our favorite people
  * hiked with some long and new-to-me friends in amazing November weather...while my babes were safe, sound, and happy at Grandma & Grandpa J's...also got to see my crazy, cool sister-in-law

  * snuggled and tickled a lot...funny how when I am a single parent, I wake in the morning with two small people in my bed
  * traveled back to my sweet man's arms to live in a lovely hotel (we'll be in Cincinnati with him for the foreseeable future)

God surely is giving me more than I could have ever imagined.

Trick or Treat

...from Cincinnati (4 days ago, mind you.) It was their first time going door to door. They loved it. They wanna go again...today.

Next year, I'll try to do homemade costumes...just couldn't do it this year. Now it's in writing.

Sunday, funday

It's been a while since we've had one of these on site, with Sweet Daddy. We stayed in Cincinnati instead winging back home for our church. 


Right around the corner from Sweet Man's office is a Vineyard Church and we attended this morning....ooooo, it was a good one. Fantastic music, great words from the pastor about the radical 1st century Christians and how we, and not the government, are responsible for upholding our communities.

Deuteronomy 15:4 (New International Version)   ⁴ However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you

He then put that passage into New Testament perspective according to the Acts stories. Oooo, makes me tingle and want to do something radical...what would that be? I'll have to keep asking the Lord to clearly show me those opportunities. I know there are many poor among us, poor in so many ways....

After church, we puttered a bit and went to the Newport Aquarium...it seems to be a hot destination and several people have suggested that we visit. Sweet Daddy wanted us to reserve this trip so that he could join us.

I'm starting to consider myself an amateur judge of the value of the entertainment dollar...I guess anyone who spends money is a judge of value...anyway, this, my friends, did not live up to my standards...don't want to gripe too much. 

The exhibits were very impressive...but the corresponding information was so disorganized. Many tanks had species that were not labeled or tanks were labeled and there were no animals to match to be found. Bug kept asking the names of things and I couldn't find out for him. I gave up about half way through. Some tanks had no information at all. Maybe I'm just one of those annoying people who wants to read everything.


Then they had several rubbing kiosks at child level where a visitor could place a piece of paper on a brass relief and rub the image with a crayon...but there was no paper at any of them.... 


In general, I just didn't get the layout, how the exhibits were organized...they seemed random...river systems and then a reptile tank, then sharks, and at the end penguins. Water, I guess, was the only commonality. Okay, aquarium...I get it...I guess I was expecting more theme-i-ness...

There were fun areas. We really enjoyed the shark petting tank and the jellyfish exhibit. And the pirates and pumpkins in the shark tanks and an interactive frog area...complete with a lifesize Froggergame. 

Bottom line: this place was expensive even with a coupon. And it was not worth the 3 hour tour in my book...there...in case anyone cares....

Here are some pics and they...are worth any every penny you paid for them.