Merry Christmas

Just a note to say Merry Christmas. Also, I wanted to give you a baby update. We had a ultra-sound on Monday to see how far along we really are. The tech said that we are right about 15 weeks and that every thing looks great. The baby was moving around so much and she said she had to "chase" the baby to get a good measure of the legs. Well, I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas with family and friends. Thanks for stopping by.

Faith Baptist Church Christmas Banquet!!

Last night was the church Christmas banquet. We had a great time. Instead of having one guest speaker. The church took up an offering on last Sunday so that we were able to invite three pastors from the area and give them a special gift of encouragement for Christmas. We invited the Klines from Castlegar, BC, Canada, the Walls from Colfax, WA and the Perkins from Republic, WA. They all gave a brief testimony and were a blessing in return with their words. We played a version of the gift exchange game and then had an opportunity to exchange our dollar store gifts for the chance to do something silly or a better gift. Our table opened some very nice pens but decided to exchange our gift to do something silly. We got one of the good gifts, we all received $5 bills but we really wanted to do something silly. At the end, dad let tables chose the silly things to do so we were able to act out a Christmas song. Over all the night was great and we all had a great time.

After the Banquet we took the teen ice skating for their Christmas party. The first half was group skating and then the second half was broom hockey. This is a dangerous sport and I prefer to watch instead of playing. The best part of the whole night is when Pastor Boyle gets on the ice in his dress shoes and suit to play broom hockey. He has such a great time with the young people.

Well, I'd better go. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

North Idaho Baptist Church Ladies Meeting

I am posting again without any pictures and for that I am sorry. Lately, I have been bad about taking pictures. On December 8th, Jake and I went to Sandpoint, ID so that I could be the guest speaker. The theme was a Candy Cane Christmas. The devotion was about a "Sweet Christmas", there was a candy bar to represent each character of the Christmas Story. Many of the Ladies from the North Idaho Baptist Church were there and also my friend, Belinda Howes and her family. My sister Christa, the pastor's wife of the Clark Fork Baptist Church, brought a lady and enjoyed the fellowship. We all had a great time and it was fun to see a young church encouraged. A little side note, Jake said he was so proud to be the preacher's husband that night!! :) Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.

Things just keep changing!!!!

As a person who does not like change, the Lord has been testing our lives in huge ways. Well, let's start with the baby update. We had a doctor's appointment on Thursday. He said that everything still looks great and that I am measuring big for the due date that I have. So we have a ultrasound scheduled for Monday, December 24th. This should be good because we can tell if I am further along then we think or if there are twins and we can get the first pictures.

Now on to the next biggest thing going on in our lives. It starts with the announcement that our youth pastor, Bro. Bill Miller, has been called by his home church to be the pastor. About a year ago, his pastor, Pastor Ager, suffered a heart attack and went home to be with the Lord. The church has hinted around but the official call did not come until a few weeks ago. Bro. Miller had said that he was not going, that he loved where he worked and after all they just bought a house here in Spokane. It has been amazing to see how that Lord is working all the details out. It is a testimony to the fact that as you follow that will of God, He will provide everything that you need. God has even provided someone to buy their house. Well, you might ask, what does this have to do with Jake and Amy. Well, we are announcing that we are officially taking over the youth ministry of the Faith Baptist Church. For right now, it will be semi-part time and Jake will still work part time at the job he currently has. We are very excited about this new opportunity and how the Lord with use us to influence these kids. We have a great group of kids.

Also along with this we are moving into a house that the church owns. We have to move this week and have a lot to do. Well, I better go and pack some boxes. Thanks for checking in with us and keep checking as I will try to post pictures of the new house. We love you all!! Have a great day.

Christa's Wedding

Well, what can I say the weekend was beautiful and everything went well. Here are a few pictures that my mom took. If you would like to see the professional pictures, you can go to the photographers web site, www.specialimagesphotography.net. Our friend, Angie Samples, did a great job. Christa and Eric are doing great. They are living in Montana and Eric is pastoring the Clark Fork Baptist Church in Clark Fork, ID. Eric and Christa during one of the songs.
The Bridesmaids: Amanda - Friend, Candy - Friend, Amy - Sister, Cyndi - Best Friend since 3rd grade.
Eric and Christa saying their vows.
Eric and Christa cutting the cake. We had a great weekend and are rejoicing in God's leading in Eric and Christa's lives. Thank you for stopping by and please check back soon.

Thanksgiving Holiday

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I know that I am a little late on this post but better late then never. We spent the Thanksgiving holiday at the Lota-wata Bible camp. Because of the festivities of the wedding we went to the camp to send the holiday with the Lamphere family. We had a great time of relaxing and playing games. The picture in this post is of the wild turkeys that are all around the camp. I was very tired and did not get to take many pictures of the people. We had a great time and really enjoy making new friends. More to come about the wedding. Check back and see.

Thanksgiving Party

This year in Kindergarten we had a little party. We made my favorite Thanksgiving craft, Pine cone Turkeys and had a few snacks. We just had a half a day and then it was off to Thanksgiving break. The kids enjoyed the activities and we had a great day.

The Great Hunter

Jake finally was able to fulfill a want that he has had for a long time. He is a great fan of hunting and loves every minute of being in the great out doors. He did not get to shot anything this year but did have one look at a big buck but was not able to tell if it was a buck or a doe until it was to late. Hopefully next year he will be able to shoot a dear, elk or moose.

Time With Old Friends

A few weeks ago I was able to meet up with an old friend of mine. I knew Audrey in California and were great friends. She even came to visit me in Tennessee. Well, she has gotten married, had a baby and moved here to Washington State. Her husband is the Youth Pastor at their church in Prosser, Washington. We had a great time at Outback Steak House for a girls night out.

Baby Update!!!!!

I went to the doctor today to talk about all the blood work that was done on the first visit. The good news is that all the test came back very good. The doctor was pleased with the results. My sugar was a little high so I have to be very careful about the things that I eat. :) We also heard the heart beat today. It was very faint but definitely there. Well, that is all for know. Have a great day and thanks for checking in. Our next appointment will be on Dec 13th. I am sure that I will post between now and then because we have a big wedding on Nov 24th. Stay tuned for all the details. See ya later...

P.S. I forgot the other great thing that happened. I did not gain any weight. I actually lost 2 lbs. I thinks that's o.k. for right now because I have a little to spare. :)

The Big News!!!!!!!

Well, I must admit that the real reason that I have been so behind on blogging is that I have been very tired. This is all for a good reason. I would like to announce that Jake and I are expecting our first baby. We found out about a month ago and then wanted to wait until we went to the doctor. I have not been to sick but just very tired. Well, I'd better go for now. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by. Now that I am caught up I will try to do better and keep everyone updated about the baby.

Afternoon Roadtrip to Steptoe Butte

On Saturday afternoon we went on a road trip. We headed south to a part of the state that we had not been to very much. Steptoe Butte is a state part with a look out point. On a clear day, you can see several states and other mountain peaks. We had a great time just being together. We ended the day doing some shopping at the mall and eating a wonderful dinner of Chinese food. Have a great day...Thanks for stopping by...Keep looking for the next posts.

Bakers In Training

My mom and I were shopping at the Dollar Store and we found these sets of Baker hats and aprons. They were only a dollar for the set and we could not resist them. We got one for each of my student and on the day that we learned about the baker as a community helper they all got to be bakers. I made them sugar cookies and brought frosting and sprinkles and they got to decorate and eat their own cookie. They had a great time. On to the next post...more exciting posts to come. Thanks for stopping by.

Old Fashioned Sunday at Faith Baptist Church

Two weeks after Round-up Sunday we had Old Fashioned Sunday. It was fun to see every ones definition of "Old Fashioned". I think that we had someone from each era. Well, on to the next post...keep reading.

Finally, An Update

Ok, so I have now entered the "I am a lame blogger" world. I have said that I would not let my blog be older than a month and now my words have come back to haunt me. So I will now attempt to catch you up on the happenings of that last month. Here goes...The Kindergarten Class went to Hidden Acers Farms. We had a great time. Above we can see the kids enjoyed a trip through the corn maze.
They got to pick their own pumpkins and enjoyed running through the pumpkin patch to find just the right one for themselves.

They got to listen to the talking pumpkin tell stories and sing songs. They requested "Jesus Loves Me." What a great testamony to the people there at the farm.
Our class picture in a wagon that was used in the old days.
Our class hay ride.
Learning about the apple trees and how the bees pollinate the trees.
Picking apples. We had a great time and the weather was great. I hope you have enjoyed the update. Off to the next...Thanks for stopping by.

UT - Georgia Football Game

OK, we may have moved 3,000 miles away and we love our church, ministries, apartment, the outdoors and wildlife, but we never let go of our love of the University of Tennessee. On the spiritual side, we loved the Bible study every Monday night and who can deny that there is nothing like "Good Ol' Rocky Top" and "Football Time in Tennessee." We have worked hard to keep track of the schedule and to see every game that we can. One of the little regrets I have is that in all of my years of living in Knoxville I never went to a football game at Neyland Stadium. I know, you must be thinking, "How could you let this happen?" So know it is October 6, 2007. We went to Sandpoint, ID to watch the game with our good friends the Samples family. Now as you will see in the next few pictures they are die hard Georgia Bulldog fans. We had snacks, pizza, soda and all the good football snacks. Enjoy the next few pictures. We did not get any snap shots but these were taken in Angie's studio in their home. Angie is a photographer and you can see her work at http://www.specialimagesphotography.net/. Enjoy the moments and thank you for stopping by. Asa was sad after Georgia's 35-14 loss to the University of Tennessee.
Asa thought if Georgia can't beat up on Tennessee, he would beat up on the fans.
Best buddies!!!!
The Samples kids and all their team spirit. They were so cute.

Round-Up Sunday September 30, 2007

September 30, 2007 was Round-up Sunday at the Faith Baptist Church. We all had a great time and enjoyed wearing our jeans and jean skirts to church. Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by... Jake and Amy all dressed up.

This is Allison, a little girl in my Kindergarten class. She was so cute. She saw everyone getting their picture taken and wanted her taken also. She is a sweet child.
Pastor and Mrs. Boyle or Mom and Dad
The Burkholders and the Boyles!! What great fun!!!!
Jake was playing with the camera.
Amy playing the piano for Round-Up Sunday.

The North Bus Route Crew. This is a great group of people who work hard to bring children and adults to church. Thank you for all your hard and faithful work.
Dad preaching in his cowboy outfit.
This is a little boy named Joshua. He was the winner of the Kid's division for the best dressed cowboy. I hope you notice his horse friend. He was to cute.
Pastor Chun, our resident Korean Cowboy!!!
The three amigos, Stephen, Caleb and David!!!!!!

Cyndi's Birthday Party

OK, this is birthday party number 2 of 4. This is Cyndi DeGarmo. She and her family have been part of our church for a long time. Her husband is bravely serving our country in Iraq and should be home close to the beginning of the new year. We took Cyndi to a restaurant downtown called, The Italian Kitchen. I had never been to this restaurant but it was wonderful. It was very elegant and the food was very good. Just as the last time we all had a great time. Cindy, Happy Birthday to you.
Of course we do not promote wine or drinking alcohol, but I could not resist this sign since we are all good friends. Hope you have a great day and thanks for checking in with us.

Family Fun Night At The Fair

Well, September is almost over and I wanted to make sure that all of my posts make it to the right month. This past week has been very busy and I am glad that it is Friday. On to the post. A few days after we took the Kindergarten to the fair, we all went back as a family. Here are a few pictures of the evening. Hope you enjoy...
Here is the big Longhorn. I just can't get over how big this guy was.
Jake and the Longhorn. I knew that he would love this animal.
Mom and Christa with the Longhorn. Can you tell we were amazed?

Happy Anniversary Faith Baptist Church, 26 Years

Again, I forgot the camera and missed a great blogging moment. So you will have to use your imagination. It all started yesterday when our bus crew met together and decorated the bus for a birthday party. It was great. Red and yellow streamers and blue and green balloons. We then went bus visiting and had a great time. We then went back to the church for an Anniversary dinner. We all shared a great time of food and fellowship and then some gave testimonies about their favorite memory of the year. We got up this morning and headed out to the bus route and to practice music with the song leader and the Ladies Ensemble. The morning service was great and our guest speaker, Dr. Tom Lancaster from Germany preached a powerful message on being thoroughly right with God. What a day!!!!! We ended a great evening service and enjoyed a time of fellowship after church. As I reflected on this day, many memories are brought to mind. I vaguely remember the house that we held our first service in. Then the fellowship hall of the Seventh Day Adventist Church that we rented. Then there was the building that God gave us on Montgomery Street were we served the Lord for 17 years. Now in the new building that we have had for 8 years. (I guess it will always be the new building.) I thought about the people that God has brought into our lives. To many to name and so many that have blessed and encouraged our family over the years. And now as Jake and I have the honor and privilege of serving the Lord in the place where for me it all started. I can not be more grateful to the Lord for the blessings in my life. I am excited about what God has for us to do in this place and am looking forward to being used of Him as a couple. Some people down through the years have said that they regretted their family being in the ministry and I have always felt sorry for them. For me the past 26 years, even though I have not always lived here, have been the most wonderful years in the history of our family. If God blesses us with children, I can not wait to tell the all the things that God has done in this place. The only thing I can think to finish with is..."To God Be The Glory Great Things He Has Done..." Please excuse my ramblings and thank you for stopping by and checking in.

New link to our Ladies Ministry Blog

Just a note to let you know about the new link to our Ladies Ministry Blog for Faith Baptist Church. Check it out under the Church and Ministry section of my sidebar. Look for Ladies JOY Fellowship. I thought that you might enjoy seeing our meeting and Ideas. Hopefully, they will be a blessing. My mom is working on getting it all set up so check back often. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Kindergarten's First Field trip: Spokane County Fair 2007

Kindergarten's first field trip was to the Spokane County Fair. We had a great time. Here are a few pictures of our day...Enjoy!! The first thing that we did was the pedal tractor pull. The kid just loved this and they did a great job. If you could pedal the weight all the way to the top this was called a "pull out". Many of our Kindergartners got "pull outs" and got to go to the next rounds. They enjoyed the activity very much.


We then headed to see the animals. We saw horses, cows, goats, sheep, lamas, chickens and rabbits. Our favorite was the Texas Longhorn that you see in the next picture. This was the largest animal that I had ever seen. When he stood up he was taller than a man. The boys just loved it and the girls were amazed.
We then moved on the the craft booth. A pottery business here in Spokane, the Whimzical Wheel, had a ceramic bee that the students could color with Sharpie markers. They put a wiggly eye on it and made a necklace out of the craft.
Coloring the craft and having a great time.
Deaconess Medical Center, a local hospital, sponsored a prize wheel. Each child got to spin the wheel to win a prize. They won things such as backpacks, water bottles, magnet frames and lunch packs.
This a group picture with cut out pictures of two news casters on our local news. The kids just thought this was great. We had a great time but all went home very tired.
Mom, Dad, Christa, Jake and I all went back to the fair on Monday and also had a great time. Hopefully, I will be able to post more pictures later. Have a great day and thanks for taking the time to stop by and check in with us. We love you all!!!!