Scrapbook- Deputation- 2012- August Highlights!

Some parts of scrapbooking don't always get to be glamorous and fun. Sometime we need to document moments and timelines so that we can remember them in the future. Because of that, I will have a page for each month that we are on deputation... to show extra people/places/events and list the churches we were in.

Journaling: 

Some highlights not scrapped individually were: kids being the higlight of the kids’ lesson at the church we visited. Lots of time with Grandpa Hanna and the Howells. Meeting new friends! 

(Mikayla from Friedens, PA)

Churches visited:

8/1- Brighton BC, Island Pond, VT. 8/5- Metro West BC- Wellesley Hills, MA- V . 8/5- Heritage Park BC- Burlington, MA- V. 8/8- Temple BC, Cherry Valley, MA. 8/12- First BC, Johnstown, NY . 8/12- Tabernacle BC, Pittsfield, MA. 8/15- First BC- North Adams, MA- V. 8/19- Hoosic Valley Community BC- Schaghticoke, NY. 8/19- Lighthouse BC- Schenectady, NY. 8/22- NorthRidge BC- Friedens, PA. 8/26- Faith Community C-Camden, DE. 8/26- Southside BC- Dover, DE- V

Digital Goodies Used:

Template (ready-made page): "festive layered page 1" by SimplyTiffanystudios

2012- Deputation- Flight 93 memorial

Hard to scrapbook. I always like scrapbooking the beautiful, unique, fun, and interesting things. A dark day in our US history with many deaths- not so much. But, we did have the privilege of going to this memorial that was made for those who died on flight 93 on September 11, 2001. We did have to explain it all to our children, and so I scrapbook it... to preserve those memories...

Journaling:

Remember. Remember the brave souls who fought instead of giving up. Remember all those who died on 9/11. What a sobering memorial. We had the sad privilege of explaining this all to our children. 

Digital goodies used:

Kit- "Fandom" by Mommyish

Template- "Winter Woodland Template" by www.scrappingwithliz.com

2012- Deputation- Philadelphia

We the People... Where it all started- Philadelphia- more specifically- Liberty Square.

We learned so much while we were there!

Journaling:
Philadelphia! We HAD to visit. Here’s what did at Liberty Square:
1&2. Saw the Liberty Bell!
 3. Learned about an old American toy: “Jacob’s Ladder”.
4. A seamstress explained turn-of-the-century items.
5. Learning about the Liberty Bell.
6. Learned about the Declaration of Independence, its signers, and Liberty Hall!
7. The pen is mightier than the sword!
8&9. Ate a Philly Cheesesteak right at Liberty Square! (Ben and I did. The kids- not interested)

Digital Goodies used:
kit- "Freedom Aint Free" by Summerdriggs
Template- #2 by elledesigns

2012- Deputation- Washington DC

I'm horrible at this scrapbooking and blogging thing. That makes me horrible at blogging about my scrapbooking! I just realized that the last post I wrote was in February! yikes! (not that anyone is reading this). So, I've only scrapbooked 3 pages in all this time.... and here's the first one! I'm now trying to, chronologically, scrapbook deputation and finish it by the time we leave for Argentina. We'll see if that happens!

Journaling: 

Happy Birthday, Natalie Anne! 

To celebrate we drove and rode a train to Washington DC to site-see at the Smithsonians! Aunt Nora went with us to show us how to get there by train, and to see the art museums. First stop- the butterfly and sculpture garden next to the Museum of Natural History to eat lunch.

Our favorite museum is the Museum of Natural History. And what better way to discover it than to hide in a locker, right? Silly kids. Once we left the locker room we enjoyed seeing the animals on the different continents. The kids like taking silly-faced photos next to exhibits like the animals here. 

It makes for interesting photos!

A custom we started was taking a photo on Daddy’s shoulders in front of the massive whale in the oceans display. It started with Lucas, but now all three kids want to take a photo. What will we do when they outgrow his shoulders? A silly display hey had at the time was the “titanoboa”1 a huge snake which didn’t seem real! (on right)

We stopped in at the Museum of American History before we ran out of time. Of course Alenna was wiped out and Ben has to carry her. I took a photo of the Washington monument from far away and said, “so long ‘till next time!”

Digital Goodies used: 

Template- by elledesigns

Scrapbooking- Deputation- New York States Museum!

I usually make one scrapbook page for each city or state we're in, but since I wanted to make my last page of just the fun in the park I also made this scrapbook page for our time at the New York State Museum. Both were visited on the same day, so we had double the fun that day!

Upper journaling:
We didn’t know what to expect at the New York State Museum, but it was a wonderful surprise! The first surprise of all was the tribute to the World Trade Center. Ben and I were spechless, and tears came to our eyes as we explained to our children what happend that day. Then, we went on to the lighter things like Sesame Street, a replica of the Empire States Building, and a carousel on the top floor!

Lower journaling:
The story of a deer, a penny, and a pineapple: The deer in the middle square was in the “New York animals” section of the museum. It had a small pond around it, which was full of coins. I gave the girls, who were with me, a penny. Natalie wished that Lucas and Alenna would be saved, and Alenna wished for... a pineapple?!?!? That still cracks us up.

Digital kit used:
"Little Moments 2" by Melissa Bennett at www.sweetshoppedesigns.com

scrapbooking- Deputation- Washington Park (Albany, NY)

Last August found us in Albany, NY before a church appointment. We didn't want to stay all day at our hotel so we searched for "cheap or free things to do in Albany, NY". One of those things was Washington Park. It was a huge park with a fun playground, and we truly enjoyed just hanging out with each other for a few hours. We also caught a dress rehearsal for "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat" at an outdoor theater there at the park! How fun!

Journaling:

There are some moments that I like to capture because they are sweet and perfect. This time at the park was one of those. So much fun! 

Digital kit used:

"Spring Freebie Collection" by JustJaimee at www.justjaimee.com 

Scrapbooking- Deputation- Southside Baptist Church, Dover, DE

Journaling:

We were blessed to be a part of Southside Baptist Church’s missions conference.. We met so many new friends, and were blown away by their love for missions and giving heart.  Ben and Pastor Kondracki hit it off, and had a lot of fun together. We stayed with our first “host family”- the Diego’s, and they became fast, life-long friends.

Digital kit used:
"streets of my hometown" collaboration between "Flergs", "Pink Reptile", and "The Hidden Heart" at http://theheartisticproject.com/blog/the-fist-free-collab/

On the road visiting.... FRIENDS!

I scrapbooked again after weeks of being to busy/not into it. So, I went back to October of last year and did a photo of when we visited our dear friend, Susan Self! We had a blast with her! 

Journaling: 

One huge blessing of deputation has been to see family and friends that we normally don't see.

We were in Florida, and going to be close to where Sus lives so we couldn't pass without seeing her! We spent a couple of nights at her duplex and it was a blast!

Ben and I hadn't seen Sus since our wedding in 2001. It was great catching up with her. 

We also had fun at the beach, visiting her church, and eating out.

In January we ate at an Argentine restaurant on our way back through.

Scrapbooking- Deputation- First Coast Baptist- Our First Missions Conference!- October 2012

We were so blessed to be in a wonderful church for our first missions conference last October! Here are some highlights from that wonderful week!

Journaling:
We were so spoiled at our first missions conference! Not only were the people of the church very loving and friendly, but they were also extremely generous and thoughtful!

Scrapbook- Deputation- 2012- Happy Birthday to me!

I had the bestest Birthday last year- Spent on the beach! We were so blessed to be at Harbor Baptist Church in Ormond Beach, FL with Pastor and Mrs. Todd. They were so gracious and loving to us, and made us feel so welcome! Bonus: their church and missions apartment is only 1 mile from Ormond Beach! So, the Monday after we presented in their church we spent my birthday relaxing on the beach. Fun!

Journaling:

We were at Harbor Baptist Church for my birthday this year, and stayed in their misions apartment for the week. The neat thing was, the day before, Sunday we presented at the church. They not only took us on but had a cake and gift card for me! And the next day we were able to go to Ormond Beach, drive out on the beach, and spend the day in the sand and surf. It was the perfect Birthday!

Scrapbook- Deputation- New Mexico the first time around- September 2012

Well, as of the date I'm writing this post we've been to New Mexico twice while on deputation so far. Here's my page for everything we did the first time around- so many cities, so much to do, and so little time!

Journaling:

1. Natalie and the Assistant Pastor’s daughters (Chloe and Kayley Snyder) at Vistapointe Church, Hobbs, NM- 9/16
2.Walnut Canyon Rd on the way to Carlsbad Caverns.- 9/17-18
3. Carlsbad Caverns!
4. Stalactites in Carlsbad Caverns
5. Our new Junior Park Ranger- the kids even got badges for filling out a book!
6.The McDaniels from Socorro Baptist Temple, Socorro, NM- 9/20
7-10. Sandia Peak and tram ride with the Jimenez family in ABQ, NM!- 9/21
11. Girl time with katie J.!- 9/29
12. Lucas and Isaiah- playing nicely for one of the first times in their lives!
13. The cutest kiddos ever scootering in Gallup, NM at Grace Navajo BC’s missions apartment.- 9/23-25
14. Natalie’s list of things to do... one of her infamous lists.- 9/25
15. Mesas in New Mexico. Beautiful!
16. The horse the kids befriended behind Good News BC, Dulce, NM.- 9/26
17. Lucas and Lucas at Centre Ave. Baptist Church, Artesia, NM- 9/30
18. More beautiful mesas in New Mexico!

Scrapbooking- Deputation- Palo Duro Canyon

God's nature is so beautiful, and we get to see so much of the United States' nature while on deputation! Palo Duro Canyon was another breathtaking example of His creation.

Journaling:

While on our way to New Mexico we were told by Pastor Bone that Palo Duro Canyon, just south of Amarilo, TX, was a must see. So, we followed the road signs, and the canyon 

suddenly appeared in the Texas prairie. It was a beautiful site, and we were in awe. We came to find out that this canyon is the 2nd largest in the United States (after the Grand Canyon of course) and we hadn’t even heard of it before! The neat thing about it is that you drive down in it and can hike around also. It was definitely worth the visit!

September 15, 2012

Scrapbooking- Legoland- 2012

We try to do fun things with the kiddos while on deputation, since we're asking a lot of them by taking them all over the country, in different churches almost every service. So, when I found a "free child" coupon in their Lego magazine I got the idea to take them there when we were in Florida last October. So, with 2 coupons in hand we went! It was a real blast! The kids still talk about it, and it was pretty cheap with two of the kids being free!

Journaling:

Legoland was a blast! The kids thoroughly enjoyed it, and as a result, so did Ben and I! Legoland was a kid paradise, with rides just their size. We enjoyed roller coasters,
watching how legos are made, driving school, boating school, the miniature city (all made out of Legos), safari (with animals all made with Legos!) a Lego water-ski
show, and rides galore!
Lucas’ favorite: mini lego city.
Alenna’s favorite: dragon rollercoaster.
Natalie’s favorite: driving school, and
the flying rollercoaster
Rachelle’s favorite: the lego
animals in the safari ride
Ben’s favorite: miniature city

Scrapbooking- Niagara Falls- 2012

We didn't really plan on going to Niagara Falls. We realized, on our way from Erie, PA to Vergennes, VT that it was only 25 miles out of our way, and so we made a quick detour, and I'm so glad we did! It was truly beautiful, and I was in awe the whole time we there there. I think I was acting more like a kid while viewing it all than my kids were. Well, maybe not, since their favorite part of it was climbing a tree next to an overlook. That cracked me up.

I am NOT impressed by my scrapbook page. It was one of my firsts and i was still getting the hang of the computer program. I would go back and redo it, but I know I can't if I want to get caught up with scrapbooking, so concentrate on the photos instead of the ugly layout.

journaling: 

It wasn’t a planned trip. While travelling 

east on Interstate 90 we noticed signs 

for Niagara falls. It was only 24 miles 

out of the way so we made a quick 

decision to go! I was very excited 

because i’d never been to the falls! 

Wow, it was breathtaking. beautiful. awe-inspiring. grandiose. The sheer force of all the water

 going over the cliff is magnificent. We learned that there is over 750,000 gallons of water

 going through there every minute! I don’t know if the kids were impressed, but I definitely 

was.  God’s handiwork is awesome! it was definitely well worth the detour.  

Scrapbooking- Beach Date- 2012

We were sooooo very thankful to Ben's Aunt Nora when she volunteered to watch the kiddos for us and shooed us out of the house for a date night. We were in Dover, DE while traveling on deputation last September, and hadn't had much "together" time for a while (or privacy for that matter), so we didn't argue at all! To the beach we went!

Journaling:

1. Have Aunt Nora watch the kids

2. Escape to the beach

3. play in the sand and surf- (ie. get tosssed by the waves)

4. miniature golf- I won!

5. eat fresh fish and shrimp “on the barbie”

6. Head back refreshed

7. Thank Aunt Nora profusely 

Scrapbooking- First stop on deputation!

This was, I think, my 3rd or 4th digital scrapbooking page. I look back on the first ones and groan, wishing I could go back and redo them all, but this one I actually like. It is VERY simple, but not as goofy as the next one... Niagara falls. yikes!  

We had a lot of fun traveling up to Vermont for our first church appointment. We stopped in Ohio to visit some dear friends of my family (and of mine too!), the Workmans, and then stayed in a missions apartment in Erie, PA. Lake Erie was beautiful! 

Journaling: 

top: "We were very excited to spend a night with the 

Workmans on our first deputation trip up to Vermont 

Unfortunately Grandpa Workman wasn’t there, but we 

had dinner with Beth, Doug and Diana, and the kids 

loved Libby the dog. It was neat to have our kids meet 

this family that has meant so much to me over the years!"

bottom: "Our next stop was Erie, PA. We stayed at a missions apartment and had to 

explore the Lake Erie observation tower. It was very peaceful and beautiful. 

We all enjoyed taking pictures & chasing seagulls. Ben and the kids enjoyed

 scaring me by getting close to the observation deck’s railing. But we truly 

enjoyed seeing this beautiful lake before calling it a night on our second day."

Scrapbooking- disclaimer

So, I partially started this blog to post my scrapbook pages and hopefully display them in order, but that's not going to happen because of the blog layout so I hopefully will get the posted randomly and they will be grouped by subject dealing with family life or deputation life (yes, I know our family life and deputation life are now one and the same, but the "family life" pages will mainly be of things that happened BEFORE deputation, but that I'm just now getting to because- yes- I AM that far behind.)
I hope you enjoy them- I love to go over our photos and relive the memories... it's so much fun!

Scrapbooking- Deputation- "Change"- before deputation began!

Before we set out on deputation we had many things to do before leaving. Like saying goodbye, leasing out our house, and packing everything up. It was definitely a big change for our family!

Starting Out

I'm new at blogging.... as you can probably tell. I've posted on facebook for years, but then cannot go back and look to see all the things I posted about my kids, my family, my friends. So, here's a place to document it all through writing and scrapbooking, and to add any nuggets of "wisdom" I have (if there are any)  as we travel on deputation headed to Argentina as missionaries! God is doing great things, and I want to remember it all!