Camping!!

 WE BOUGHT A CAMPER!!

I have wanted a camper for a really really long time. I used to camp with my family as a kid and loved, loved, loved it! I want my kids to experience the same things. My husband grew up in NYC so he did not camp as much (if at all). So I wanted him to experience it and have fun to.

We had been looking for a camper for a few years (I had to talk my husband into it). But we really had the time to look for one during last summer (summer of 2020)...and I finally talked my husband into it. But here is the thing, during covid, apparently sooooo many people were also looking for campers. Who knew!?! Every time we found one we liked we would go look at it, think about it, made our decision to say yes, call the seller, and boom - already sold. Apparently everyone wanted to go camping or buy a camper during covid. We even went to look at new campers at Camping World and they said their sales were through the roof, they could not keep campers in stock.

So I gave up, well, kind of. I prayed about it.  I knew that if it was God's will for us to have a camper it would happen in His time. And it did.

We say a camper on Craig's List and went to go look at it. It is older, a 2009, but in great condition. So we bought it. While I wanted to completely renovate it, my husband said no. Which is actually fine because I don't know if we would have actually have finished it.

While we did not get a change to go camping that summer, we searched and searched for a seasonal site for this summer. Again, because everyone had bought a camper last year, this year all the sites were booked. We put ourselves on some waiting lists and finally got a call that there was an opening. So we have a seasonal for this summer!! I cannot tell you how excited I was (and still am).

We have been camping almost every weekend. The kids love it! I love it! My husband loves it! Another reason to thank God for all His blessings. I wanted to be able to unplug, leave the screens behind and that is what we get to do.

It Has Been A While

 Hello. It has been a while since I have been able to post anything. Crazy year huh?

During Covid we have been able to spend a lot of time as a family. We tried a lot of meals that we probably wouldn't have before. The kids have grown closer together (even though I don't think they would admit that). We bought a camper - 29 foot, Jayco Flight (more about this to come).

My husband and I both stayed employed during covid, by the grade of God. I know so many people lost their jobs, companies closed, it has been life altering for some many people. So I know that when I want to complain about my job I just have to keep my mouth closed and say "thank you Father for me still having a job." And I do mean that, I am so blessed and thankful.

I have been in a season of thanks to God for blessing me and our family for the many ways He has blessed us. 

The distance learning was a challenge all year but we did it! While I felt like a failure most of the time (I felt like I was a crappy mom because of the struggles my kids were having), they actually did really well. Tegan got distinguished honors, and Tenley and Teala also received great grades. On to 10th, 5th, and 1st grades next year. Woohoo!!

I think that is it for now. Keep your eyes upon Jesus, because God's got this.

~a

Reading

I like to read. I have since I was a kid. Some of my favorite books are "classics" like To Kill A Mockingbird, Of Mice And Men, Where The Red Fern Grows.

Lately I have been into reading fictional books about the Holocaust. They are classified as fiction but they are all based on real people, and real events. Some of these include such titles as:

• We Were the Lucky Ones by George Hunter
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
• Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
• The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure

I had a conversation with my mom about the Holocaust books. I told her that I like reading them but that I kind of felt bad about liking to read them. She told me that I should not feel bad because we should never forget what happened to all those people. I believe that - we must never forget.

Reading is important. I also like to read business books. I've got a lot of those. Some business books that I have really enjoyed include:

• Beginner's Pluck by Liz Forkin Bohannon
• Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss
• The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier
• Work Rules by Laszlo Bock
• Start With Why by Simon Sinek
• The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni

Other books I've read in the past few months include

• Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee
• Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands by Susan Carol McCarthy
• 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper
• Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

I think reading is important. I want my daughters to read but I do not force it on them. I will suggest books for them to read and sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. 

What are some books that you like to read or would recommend others to read?

Hello world

First, let me tell you a little about myself. My name is Amanda and I have been married for almost 16 years (this July) to my husband, Fernando. We are high school sweethearts. We three beautiful, amazing daughters, Tegan, Tenley, and Teala. They are our everything. We are Christians - we are not religious (we do not follow rules), we follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What does this mean? This means that we love everyone, that we are broken, and that Jesus died and rose for our sins. It also means that we will not push our believes on you, rather, if you want to know about them we can have a respectful conversation about them. The other thing I want you to know is that if you need prayer, just ask - I would be happy to pray for you or someone you know.

So, let's get right into it...

This week has been a hard week. Well, ok, so this MONTH has been hard. We have to Covid-19 thing going on, kids are doing distance learning, and my husband and I are still working (by the grace of God). Life is pretty challenging right now. But, long story short, it's ok because God's got this.

My dad's birthday was this past Monday (happy birthday dad). My grandma also went to go be with our Lord and Savior on Monday. I am sad about her leaving the earth, but I am also so incredibly happy for her as I know she is in heaven. Miss you grandma, love you big, big, big. My parents are snow birds (even though they don't believe they are). The live in Florida in the winter, and in New York (upstate) in the spring and summer.

We are so blessed to still be working. I have changed my "have to" to "get to" this week. So I don't HAVE to go to work, I GET to go to work. It is not easy right now as my entire staff in on furlough. I say this not just because I am working alone, but I want my team to be able to make ends meat. I don't want them to struggle.  I pray for them and I hope they know God's got this.

Are any of you struggling with this distance learning thing with your kids? For me it is challenging because I want to make sure they are getting their work done but I am not always sure what they need to do. I am use to college LMS (learning management systems), but not so much Google Classroom. I just hope that the kids and I work through this together and get better at it (although they know how to use it, where I am still learning). I just want to make sure that they are continuing to LEARN!

One good thing that has come from this whole thing to is that we are eating home a lot more. We are not eating out as much. The challenging part has been not eating the same things over and over again. We have been trying to make more recipes and trying to eat healthier foods. I try to have the kids pick out two recipes each for the week - sometimes this happens sometimes it doesn't. They usually want to make deserts instead of dinners. We will keep trying and maybe I can even post some stuff we make.

All in all world, times are challenging and we have to try to keep it all in perspective, but also try to find the good. I have been finding good and raising hallelujahs to Jesus on my Instagram account. I think it is important to raise a hallelujah in the midst of the storm just as much as it is during the good times...why...because God's got this!