Summer weekends...

We traveled to Little Rock last weekend to go to my friend Jeane's wedding.  We have been lifelong friends and we had so much fun.  She was one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen and she's as beautiful on the inside as she is on the out!  We were all so happy for her and her new husband and had a fun weekend with friends!  

we have known each other practically our whole lives, i feel like we were in high school the other day!

reception

lindsey and handsome lucas!

i was in love with all of her flower choices!

We went to the fort this weekend to spend time with Joe, Liz and Hadleigh!  I had been missing her so much I could hardly stand it.  She's growing up and is so hilarious.  We went to "mexico" as had calls it for dinner and then hadleigh and I snuggled on the couch and watched Tangled and Olivia and I can't think of a better evening.  

 this morning involved playing beauty shop, and she's really in to having her hair fixed and fixing mine!  the more bows the better.  she also wanted her hair french braided, and let me tell ya, those curls are hard to tame.  

 saturday at the pool!  

 "ahmi, you eat one end and i'll eat the other, and we'll meet in the middle and we'll be like lady and the tramp"

 hiding in the shade!

a fancy weekend

it wasn't that fancy, but fancy for us, i think.  we did two things i have been wanting to do for a long time.

first, i have wanted to eat at James at the Mill for YEARS, and it has never worked out.  b's parents were coming up to stay there for a night and invited us to come and eat with them.  yes, please. you don't have to ask me twice.  i photographed the food, except for the main course because i was too excited and forgot.  i think my husband gets a little embarrassed of my food photographing, especially in a really nice restaurant...but who cares!

fun!

crab cake!

 and jumping straight to the desserts! :) white chocolate creme brulee 

 lemon tart on a cookie crust  

 the second was going to Crystal Bridges!  we were going to the lake sunday afternoon with carmen and adam, and it's just so miserably hot.  and i'm not a fan of miserably hot, even for the lake.  so we decided to skip and we went to have lunch at Crystal Bridges and see the gallery.  i am all about the air conditioning.  i am sad to say my lunch choice was not good, at all.  it sounded good, but just wasn't.  but they are a museum not a 4 star restaurant. :)  and the whole place is such a treasure for NWA.

they had a one of the original printed versions of the declaration of independence 

 having a serious art discussion, i am sure.  :)

 i liked this one because it was called "two kindred spirits" 

Home.

"I have learned along my journey that if I really want to follow Jesus, I will go to the hard places.  Being a Christ follower means being acquainted with sorrow.  We must know sorrow to be able to fully appreciate joy.  Joy costs pain, but the pain is worth it.  After all, the murder had to take place before the resurrection." -Katie Davis, Kisses From Katie

 

We read this paragraph from Kisses from Katie aloud one evening while all three of us were laying in our beds talking about our day while in Ukraine.  We had been to the "hard place" that day.  By no means, the hardest of the hard places in the world (because even though I shudder at the thought, I know there are worse), but a place where children are laying in beds, for hours, days, weeks and months.  Where children are wet, soiled and care is sometimes minimal.  Knowledge of how to care for a child with special needs and the resources to do it are limited.  A dark place where children do not have a mom or dad to hold and comfort them.  It was hard, and it was beautiful, and I can't wait to go back again.

During our trip we had several opportunities to share why we go and do the work in these orphanages. It was such a blessing to us to be able to tell caregivers and doctors how special each of these children are and that we know that God made and loves each of them. 

For you created my inmost being; 

    you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

¹⁴ 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful, 

    I know that full well.

And I can not even believe the trip has come and gone and I am sitting back here at my computer typing about it already.  We were extremely blessed with health, safety, travel grace and most of all favor with the orphanage and permission to work with ALL of the children.  Meaning those laying in their beds 24/7 were available to us.  God really put us in the right places at the right time and worked out every detail.  There is so much to say about the week, but one specific example is, we really wanted to see the laying down rooms while the children were being fed.  Randomly on Tuesday while Kate had a sweet little guy in their therapy pool, I said, Allison, let's go to group 8 and check it out while Kate is busy.  We walk in and they are all eating.  Perfect timing.  They were being fed from large bottles filled with a thick soup while laying down flat, and there was evidence of choking and spitting up on their beds.  We immediately were able to begin educating about safe feeding/swallowing practices, how the swallow works, and the importance of propping the children up during feeding.  We asked permission to position the children and did so right then.

I had the privilege of traveling with two amazing ladies, Kate and Allison.  Kate is a physical therapist and Allison is an occupational therapist, this trip made the second trip to Ukraine for each of them.  There were many times I sat back and just listened and watched them both in action.  They were both such beautiful example of God's love by the way they loved the children, worked with them gently, and educated caregivers, therapists and doctors with patience and kindness.  Our week brought laughter and tears, and I'm so thankful I got to spend the time with them. 

And sometimes after a long week, you need to wear your fanny pack and do a kick line on a stage in Ukraine.

Other than the day time work related stuff, traveling in Eastern Europe is such an experience.  I love just having my backpack with my clothes, and just having less.  I want to post on each of our days, the travel, THE FOOD, the stories of these children....and I intend to try.  So if any of that interests you, come back in the weeks ahead, I'll try to stick with it.  

Here are a few random pictures from the week:

Our room at the Health Sanatorium mid-week, organizing the supplies!

The beautiful and delicious lunch fixed for us by our "home base" orphanage we visited during one day of the trip.  And it was as good as it looks.  

Goodbye orphanage, goodbye Ukraine, goodbye sweet kids, until we meet again!

Count down to Ukraine....6 days!

I am traveling back to Ukraine this coming Saturday, June 2nd with two other wonderful ladies from my work (Allison an Occupational Therapist and Kate a Physical Therapist).  They are both wonderful, kind, loving and I can't wait to spend time with them during our trip!  We will be representing TEAMWorks Ukraine and working in two different orphanages during our week in Ukraine.  We will spend the majority of our time at a newer orphanage to our group with the hopes of building relationships and improving care for the children with special needs there.  Our group has only spent one day at a time at this particular place, and every time we leave we feel we need more time there!  We are excited, nervous, joyful, and ready to get the show on the road!  We've been organizing and gathering supplies and donations over the course of the past month or so, and we are 6 days out!  Wow!  

I prayed and prayed over committing to travel on this trip, and I kept running across different things that pointed me to yes!!  I am reminded of how God calls us to care for orphans and those in need.  I am reminded of how he calls us to GO and spread the goods news to all nations!  We hope that through our work with these children, hearts will be lead to the One who calls us to this!  I love knowing that He is there before us, and He will be there after we leave.

The first song we sang this morning at church was "Come and Lay Your Burdens Down" and that was such a relief to me.  We are going on this trip to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  And the enormity of the need and changes that need to happen for these children can really make you feel overwhelmed and even a little hopeless.  But with Jesus I feel hopeful!  The changes that we want to see for these sweet children are not changes that we will make happen.  It is not in our control.  Every detail and decision during this trip will be His will, and He carries those burdens for us!  Thank you Lord!

We plan to blog as internet connection and time allow, and would love to have support in prayers during our travels.

We will blog here.

Our prayer request list:

-For us to be the hands and feet of Jesus and touch lives for Him

-our time to be well spent and hearts to be softened and prepared for us

-that our love and actions will cross the cultural and language barrier

-for us to be able to see ALL the children at GF orphanage, and spend time with those that need us most

-to build strong and trusting relationships with the caregivers

-for our education and equipment to be used to change the lives of all the children and specifically those confined to a bed

-for our hearts to be prepared and for strength and endurance to give our all every day

-for the wisdom and discernment to answer questions and educate with love

-good health, safety, and smooth uneventful travel during our trip

"Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.  Rescue the weak and the needy..." Psalm 82:3-4

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Thank you for supporting and loving TEAMWorks!
Our TEAMWorks Mission:
Our mission is to keep the special needs children of Ukraine in families and out of poorly funded state nursing homes. For the children in the orphanage, this means helping to make them more “adoptable”. For children in families, this means working with parents and doctors to build a support system where the child can remain in their home.

Mary POPPINS!

Last year when I saw that the Walton Arts Center was going to have Mary Poppins this spring I started talking to Hadleigh about the love she needed to have for my favorite childhood movie.

You will love Mary Poppins! :)

We watched some of the songs on youtube and her mom borrowed the movie and let her watch it before coming up for the play.  She also got an umbrella for Easter and her mom sent me a video of her holding it up and jumping off the step saying "I'm Mary POPPINS!"

I'm not positive if she was more excited about the actual play, the fact Mary Poppins could fly with an umbrella or the dress she got to wear to the play that she wanted to sleep in the night before she came.

You gotta have your lipstick on before you go to a play.  

We met in Alma for the pick-up and headed up the hill.  Hadleigh picked US Pizza for dinner, pizza is her current favorite!  I picked ice cream for our after dinner treat and then we headed into Mary Poppins!

Pink ice cream with M&M's for Had...

"Does Mary Poppins have a car?  How did she get here?"

My new favorite picture...

 waiting on mary poppins!

excited  

It was so fun and Hadleigh had a good time!  Her favorite song from the show is probably "A spoonful of sugar" and we sang it quite a few times in the car.  In the middle of the play she said, "Ahmi, what are we going to eat for breakfast?"  I was laughing because that is so something I would be worried about myself! :)  Gotta be planning ahead like that.  She stayed the night with us and we curled up in bed and watched some Charlotte's Web before sleep!  Can't wait for our next date night!

flowers and trees!

i turn into my mother and grandmothers more every day.  i'm fine with that. :)

i am so proud.  i did this flower bed last summer, and most of the flowers have been given to me by my mom. i love iris' and roses.  and on the far side i have a peony (my very favorite flower) that kay gave me.  it hasn't bloomed yet, so i am waiting patiently.  it's like a watched pot doesn't boil...so i'm trying not to obsess over it.  i'm thinking by the weekend!  

a few of my iris' were so heavy they were falling to the ground, so i cut them and put them on my table with some of the roses.  

 and sunday afternoon around 2:00 you missed me in the back of a truck holding up 3 palm tree's traveling down main street in farmington.  ha!  my tree's and fern's spent the winter at farmington high school.  they are now back on my back porch.  this picture made me laugh.
where's waldo?

and on another note miracle league started this saturday, 

the kids had a great time, and we enjoyed the day!

happy spring!