"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

We had a wonderful weekend at the NC State Fairgrounds! I came away ever so grateful for the Special Olympics. To see the joy on these children's faces when they'd each get a ribbon or medal was precious! There were many emotions over the weekend. To see up close what challenges families face each day brought me to tears. To see family members bending over backwards to encourage each rider also brought me to tears. They were a family...understanding some of what it means to have a child with special needs. We were privileged to be there- to be a part.

Miri was a bit nervous to ride in the big arena but even though she had to change horses last minute- she did well. She was so funny- she won 2 third place ribbons which were her favorite color- yellow. She had 2 more classes to compete in and only wanted yellow :). She got a 4th place ribbon (white) but then rode her best in the last class (equitation) and got another yellow! Thank you Lord!

Sadly we had major camera struggles so these are the only shots that turned out. Bill did take video and another mom is getting me a CD of the pictures she took. If I get more I'll post them soon!

July 16, 2009

I remember being aware when Jonathan was born- that one day he'd leave home. Grasping the fact that today is that day?? Impossible! I believe I will always be one of those mom's who make it a point to tell new moms to enjoy their children because it'll fly by. It really does.

I am so grateful to the Lord for all that has taken place over these past few weeks. Many wonderful memories were made- but the one that stands out most is our dinner on Day 9.

Today was indeed surreal! I truly sensed the grace of God at work- thank you to those who prayed! We started our day all rising around 6ish. As Jon was ready to head downstairs he went in to wake Miri. This was precious :)

What a joy it was to worship alongside my boys this morning! After worship we had a sweet time of prayer for Jon which so encouraged our souls. Jon was able to say goodbye to most of his friends during the Mission 28 hot dog fund raiser after church. What a wonderful afternoon.

While at the fund raiser- our pastor- Mickey Connolly informed me that we are now a part of an exclusive club :). This club includes only a few families at Crossway. We are of a handful of families who have a child serving at a Sovereign Grace church in another state! In the slide show below you'll see a picture of Mickey shaking my hand - welcoming me-on behalf of my family- in this club :).

Jon and Taylor then headed to another barbecue which sadly I have no pictures of. When they came home tonight the goal was to pack the car! The Saturn is about full- and will surely be completely full by tomorrow.

Thank you Lord for a wonderful day.

Tomorrow will be here before we know it...

Here are the pics from today!

There were a few 'lasts' today...

Jon's last weekly email to Julie- now he'll be able to see her!!

Jon doing his last chore in our home!

Most likely- last jam session :(.

Jon worked on his car today- getting it ready for the long drive to FL!

This proves he actually worked :).

I can't get enough of these shots! Miri loves her Jonny!

Jon has always loved dogs. Mocha will be missing her Jon and I know Jon will miss her too.

We said goodbye to these today. They were Jon's Starbuck's shoes. I know it's silly- but these were left out for years. I never thought I'd treasure them ... but realizing they won't be left at the door anymore made me want to take a picture of them. Tears... Yes- there were tears this afternoon... tears of loss and gratefulness intertwined. We will so miss our Jon!