Our first week

I know, I know! I am in beach mode and not on the computer or blog much! I will write another update soon but for now it's photo time!

The newest American Girl store was opening at Tysons-Corner Center the very first weekend we were here! Perfect timing...

Happy Father's Day to our wonderful husband and dad! We celebrated the day at the National Zoo...

Be blessed!!!

Where do I start?

Hi all! I know some of you are eagerly checking to see if I have posted any updates. I am sorry for such a delay. We are really in "limbo" and trying to spend time praying and listening to the Father. I have been limiting my online time but want to go ahead and catch up from the past 10 days.

The girls and I left Hamilton on the 13th and did not know exactly where God would have us sleep that night. We had not made any reservations, so it was quite an adventure. We went to the Vienna area and drove around for a bit, praying. The guys were still in Hamilton and while they were praying, Ben had the vision of Jesus being a tent over the girls and I. I was comforted by that picture and also had to laugh, as I am not a camping kind of girl. He did lead us to a hotel, though. They had a room available for that night but not for the next two nights. I went ahead and booked a suite that would hold all of us, as well as the pets, for when the guys arrived the following day. Then I sent out a prayer request to several people asking them to pray for a cancellation so that we could stay another night.

Bob and the boys (and the pets) arrived on Tuesday afternoon and I was able to share the good news that there had been a cancellation and we were able to stay another night. The same thing happened on Wednesday, so we were thankful for God's provision. We did have to move on Thursday and found another hotel that had four nights available.

In the meantime, we were having some amazing prayer times with the whole family. I love how the Father speaks to each of us and I have especially love how He is speaking to the little girls lately.

I had been sensing that He wanted us to go to the beach, but I kept it to myself and prayed for more clarity. Bob and I had checked with our real estate agent about a rental property in the Vienna/D.C. area, but she said short-term rentals are hard to come by. We considered checking on VRBO but wanted to wait on the Lord for clear direction.

On Sunday, we were specifically praying about how to spend the day and what to do about our next accommodations. We checked with the hotel and they did have more availability, but the rates would DOUBLE, as it was now the summer season.

During that prayer time Ava had a vision about our family at the beach. As she was sharing the details of that vision, Ben remembered a dream he had had from the night before which was almost identical to Ava's vision! So I shared then about the sense that I had had from the past few days and we prayed about heading to the beach. Everyone agreed that that was what the Father was telling us to do, so Bob and I did a quick search to find accommodations. We hit several snags along the way, and the fact that we were able to find something available immediately and for as long as we wanted was nothing short of amazing. The lady in the rental office thought it was amazing, too. Thank you, Father, for providing for us once again.

As soon as we went to the beach Tuesday morning, blessings were poured out again. We were not there 5 minutes before we saw multiple dolphins in the ocean and found crabs on the beach. For those of you who know us well, you know that we were thrilled with these glorious gifts! We love God's incredible creation and love to experience it to the fullest.

Bob is driving back to Hamilton at this very moment to perform the wedding ceremony for our sweet friends, Danny and Steph, this weekend. He is also checking on the progress of our house renovations (cannot wait to see pictures of the new kitchen!) and closing out the books and paperwork for the church.

Please pray for us as we are separated for this time. We know it is just part of God's plan. The kids are doing so well with all the transition. I am thankful that they are adventuresome children!

Please also pray for Ava, who has been running fever since last night. She is better but still "puny" (as my grandmother used to say) today.

I have numerous photos to share from the past 10 days but will do so in several additional posts. Here is one from one of our first nights in VA.


Be blessed in Jesus today!