Forever Ours

Hey, everyone!

Yes, it's been quite some time since I have written. Or so I was informed by a few people(Sadie, Justin, this post is for you guys! ok, not all of it, just some of it. ;))

Today was a very exciting, long, blessed day!
Can you take a wild guess and try to figure out what happened today?
Today, my family adopted MercyAnne!! Long awaited day, but so worth the wait! Even tho we know that she doesn't fully understand what happened, she was just so happy and knew that something very exciting was happening! :)



What I've been up to. Honestly, not much at all! This summer has been kind of a slow one really.
We've been dollar bowling. Twice. Let me just say, I stink at bowling, but its a very fun game! :)
God blessed us with a van! So we now are able to travel as a family in ONE vehicle!

Tomorrow we start a bible study on the book of Romans! Very exciting.

Next week I leave for Cal. for a little summer vaca. This will be my very first time flying and truth be told, I'm a little nervous! But I anticipate that it will be a very good trip! So, if you guys don't mind a little prayer for me would be fantastic.

On the subject of prayer requests, I have a few others.
Prayer for my friends little brother. I don't feel it is my place to say what is going on in his life right now, but my friend did ask for me to get anyone and everyone to please pray for him. The enemy has taken over his spirit and he needs God. His name is Andrew.

Prayer for my friend Kristi's friend(name unknown). He has a virus attacking his already damaged liver and if he can't get a donor by the end of next month, it could be really bad. I guess he only has a 20% chance of living. So, just that a donor would show up for him. Also, that peace is over his friends and family. But, especially him.

We all really appreciate the prayers!

I know this post was a little lack-there-of, but I must be going now! Ill update again soon tho.

Verse:Galations 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

Random Fact: I have the most adorable cutie pa-tutti 2yrd sister ever!

God Bless,
Mandie :)

Graduation :)

Hello, everyone! :)

I'm officially graduated!!!! Yippee!!

This experience was probably the best ever.

My grandpa and step-grandma (from Cali) came out to see me. My uncle Dennis and his wife came out from IN also. And my uncle John and aunt Cecilia threw me a graduation, family party(so, basically like a mini family reunion/grad party :P). So, that was a lot of fun. They had fireworks and balloons and everything. Pretty cool.

If any of you are planning on graduating next year, be prepared for an exhausting day!

Friday was graduation. Rehearsals lasted what seemed like forever. But it was good because I met a lot of people and saw friends I haven't in ages!

It sure is a blessing to be homeschooled and I am so glad that God directed my parents to do so. What a blessing.

Trent Franks addressed the evening. So cool! He said that "For the record, my wife and I do plan on homeschooling our twins when the time comes". :D The whole night over all was...awesome!

This chapter in my life is now over. But my journey is just beginning.

I wish I could elaborate it all in detail but that would take hours and be about 467461567685453pags long. :P

A few grads that were graduating this year that a few of you know(or, knew):
Emily Kelley,
&
Megan Eaton
Total amount of graduates - 154!

It is late. I should be going now.

Random Fact: I met a girl at graduation that has the same last name as I do!

Verse: 2Timothy 1:7 "For God gave us a spirit not of fear - but of power and love and self-control".

God Bless,
Mandie

18....Just 18.

March 8th was my 18th birthday. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about being 18. It really doesn't change anything. Other than, I can vote now. ;)
For me turning 18 means graduation, and getting my teaching career started(piano teacher).
For the longest time I have been dreading being eighteen. I don't know why. I just did. But I think the Lord has wonderful plans for my future and I'm excited to see what He has in store for my life!
On my birthday my dad brought me home flowers, that by the way were really pretty, and some chocolate. I celebrated yesterday. The 19th. Had some of my very best friends over. It was a really great time to just visit. And I feel really blessed to have the people that are in my life, in my life! I have wonderful parents, great friends and an awesome Family, and a forever forgiving heavenly Father that loves us so much. It feels good to be maturing spiritually, and to know it too. Humbly.

So why am I telling you all I turned 18? Because, it is a milestone completed in my life. Let it settle in.
My birthday flowers...oh, and balloon too. ;D


Verse: Isaiah 40:31 "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; They will run and not grow weary; They will walk and not faint". I love love love that verse!

Random Fact: I can't stand it when people get toothpaste in the sink and leave it there. It just gets me.

God Bless,
Mandie

Yippee!

God is so good! He is good all the time. This 2yr trial is over. Now the real excitement begins! For what? The adoption of Mercy. Tomorrow is MercyAnne's birthday, as well! What a great gift, no?
The severance was granted. I can't tell you guys what a relief this is!
All the prayers and encouragement, we are thankful for.
God's love never fails. Especially for her, knowing that now she will grow up really knowing the Lord and not doing who knows-what.
And to think that just about a year ago we were so fearful that she would be taken from us... Not so!
Yes yes yes yes yes!! I'm just a little happy.

May you all have a blessed week-end!

Mandie

Mommy on the bloggy :)

So, my mom asked me to help her set up a blogger account so she could write, and keep up with all her friends(not that facebook wasn't enough. ;) ....ok, so she hardly gets on therelol) Anyways, so she has a blog now and you should all go check it out, I think she has one post up, and if you wanted you could fallow her up, you might find her posts very, very encouraging! :)

http://raisingten.blogspot.com/

Anyways..
that is all.

God Bless,
Amanda (:

Seniorness, Recital, Family Time

Sooo its been awhile since I have actually written up an actual post. So, here is one. :)

To start, I got my senior pics done. Jenna did them..all I gotta say is WOW! She did such a fantastic job, and it was so much fun! Always more fun doing something with someone you enjoy! Ill post a few pics later. It was a little bit difficult doing them tho with so many other photographers there and what not, but we did it. I can't believe Ill be grad. in May.. My goals afterward, to become a piano teacher.(wife, and mother) I've already got one student, and hes great! He is 8 and his name is Joah, he has a passion for the piano too. Whoo! haha

Lets see, recital. I had a piano/voice recital this past weekend. PTL everyone did a wonderful job! I nailed my songs and whew! It was nerve racking. lol. I wish I could post the vids, but the sound isn't working... ? idk Ill have to figure that out. I was actually happy with my acc. this year, she fallowed me, not I to her. That way, if I fell behind(which, I didn't) and then caught myself up, she'd be right there behind me. She was wonderful!
Ha! So, I figured out why our video player wasn't working on our computer...soooo I was able to upload the video to Youtube(just my piano...) So..go down and watch the vid :)

A few weeks ago my our family went to the Sahuaro Ranch Park for a picnic and had a wonderful time. Aaand we took pics. Haven't done that in awhile as a whole family. If you haven't heard of it, maybe your familiar with it being the 'peacock park'..there used to be peacocks there, but there weren't any there this time, so I guess they fled.. ;) This park has a lot of old houses(some with 13bdrms!!) farms, a blacksmith...it was actual property once lived on. Its very cool.
So, here are the pics. :)
Senior pic 1.
I really like this one!
This is the one I used for my registration..
And last one..she actually took way more, but obv. I'm not gonna post them all! lol
Here is a kids pic we took, the family one isn't exactly the best so Ill post this, then one of mom and dad!
Mom and dad... ;)
One of Nate and MercyAnne
One of mom
One of me...
I didn't realize I posted so many! ahh! Anyways..I had actually stayed at this location of the park to take more pictures and I took A LOT! I just wanna post one more of the pic of the house with 13bdrms that I absolutely adored...

So, thats the house. Actually the house that me and mom were taking pics at, its just the front of it. Its a really beautiful home inside out! haha

My recital piece, Autumn Fairy Tale: by, Reason.



I haven't really been up to much. Keeping in touch with my prayer buddies, they're great. I love them! And God is so amazing!

Well, I better get a move on. I have some major baking to get done in the morning. erm.. I hope everyone is doing well!

Verse~ 1John 4:8 "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love" So simple. I love it. And its absolutely true!

Random Fact~ When I was 4 I got knocked down by my great grandpas mini horse. That was while visiting him on OK. Looong ago, but I remember it! *shivers*
Maybe Ill come up with something better than that in the week.
Lata!

God Bless
Amanda

The Blessing In Blessing Others

To see the one without a home, laying on a curb with nothing but a newspaper as their blanket is pain in my heart just enough.

But thankfully we can change that.

Every once a month, my family, the keith family and a bunch of other families get together down town to bless the homeless. We don't get to attend every month, but we try our best!
Before we even set up the lines start to form. There is a breakfast table, a hygiene table and cars filled with clothing, blankets and other things.

It amazes me how much these people depend on us to be there, to serve them. And they are so grateful! I love seeing their faces light up when you tell them that "yes, we have underarm". Simple things like that, that we take for granted everyday, they get excited about!
To hear their stories, how they got in the place they are. Where they came from. Some of them you might say, well, you don't look like you don't have a home! Thats because maybe they just lost their job, or whatever the case may be. What hurts real bad is seeing a young person just like myself out on the street, without a home, without a family, its sad to see anyone in that situation but especially a teen because they have their whole life ahead of them, yet their without a home.

And when your done giving them all you have, the greatest feeling is leaving and seeing them sitting on the curb eating the very same pb&j that you made. Or maybe wearing the socks, sweater or even gloves that you gave them, its such a wonderful thing!
Its wonderful because you know your doing what God wants. If someone asks for your coat give also your shirt. We do that.
What I love is when they tell you that you look like your having way too much fun, or so I was informed!

Just like we depend on God to get us through the day, to wake us up in the morning, to provide for us what we need, they sort of really depend on us to be there every month.
What breaks my heart is hearing them say that "Jesus loves me so much" and yet, their on the street.

The blessing is knowing that you provided for them, and just getting to see their faces light up.
And even tho its not what its all about, but you definitely feel good about it afterwards, it makes you so happy! And it makes Jesus happy too.

God Bless
Mandie