Now that's what I call....

A huge clove of garlic!

A friend of mine gave me a few bulbs of garlic from a garden he works in. I didn't really think much about it until tonight when I tore into it to use on our pizza. I started pulling the skin away and realized that this massive bump in the bulb was a whole clove, not 3 or 4. This is the biggest clove I have ever seen.

A few fun facts about garlic:

1) Can be used to get rid of poison ivy

2) Helps keep fleas, ticks and flies away from pets

3) Encourages healthy blood pressure and cholesterol

4) Boosts the immune system. We eat more garlic in the winter to help ward off those yucky germs that are rampant during this season.

5) Keeps mosquitos away from humans

6) If you feel like having some alone time, just eat some garlic....

Fun times

We had a great weekend. Stephen participated in the Bridge to Bridge ride. He rode 106.7 miles in 6 hours and 28 minutes. He is a machine! I am so proud.

We also went camping for a couple nights. We ended up buying a new and bigger tent so that we can all sleep comfortably. It is so nice. It feels like a mansion compared to our other one. It was really cool because the night before we bought it, we were talking about possibly getting a bigger tent. The next day we were hanging out in Boone and found this high quality tent for 40% off the regular price. What a blessing!

This thing is as big as our house ;)

Helping daddy with the campfire

Then we hiked around Linville Falls Monday morning. It was so nice being relaxed and enjoying the first day of fall with my family.

I hope everyone is enjoying the fall season!

Let the pictures speak

"No more training wheels for me!!!"

Proud Daddy!!! (Proud mommy is taking the picture ;)

A New Chapter

Well, I succombed to the "career world" this weekend. (In addition to full time mommy) I am officially working as a CNA (certified nursing assistant) in a retirement community. Part of me has felt guilty because I am away from my family for quite a chunk of time. Yet, my wonderful husband is supportive and he will get to spend some awesome quality time with Jubal, which they both really enjoy. The other cool thing is that I only work every other weekend. That is truly a blessing for me.
Thankfully I am going through a training period with a fellow CNA buddy but I have had to polish up on my training from school and clinicals....1 1/2 years ago. I dove right into my responsiblities yesterday with some much needed assistance. I was really overwhelmed but God gave me the grace to get through the day. Today was a little better and I actually got to spend more quality time with the residents. I really think I am going to enjoy serving in this capacity and I know it will get a little easier with more practice. (Changing adult briefs is a lot harder than changing a baby's diaper ;0).
Here are a couple lessons that I have learned already that I would love to share.
#1 - Elderly people are wonderful. Even though society views them as useless, they are actually some of the smartest people. They have so much experience and knowledge and it's great hearing their stories.

#2 - Live life to the fullest. We never know what will happen tomorrow.

#3 - God is good even when we don't understand. I worked with a handful of residents that just lay in their beds and have a hard time communicating. Either they are really sick or have mental disabilities. Even among all the questions of why these things happen, I see the image of God and know that He loves them so much.

#4 - Family is so important. Cherish them.

These are just a few lessons that I have learned this weekend. I am sure I will be learning more that will pop up here and there on this blog.

Thanks for reading!

Bittersweet Blessing and a wonderful grandma

Last week I got a call from my dad. He left a message asking me to call him back on his cell phone. At first I got a little worried. It's kind of a rare thing for dad to call and leave a message like that. So with a fast pulse and shaky hands I called him.

He answered his phone and immediately asked me a question, "Do you want grandma's van?" It took a minute for my brain to process what he asked.

"Are you serious????"

"Grandma wants to give us her van?"

"Yes. The doctor has told her not to drive anymore and she wants to give it to you."

As we continued the conversation, I learned that it only had 16,000 miles on it.

Praise God!!!

For a few days I was speechless. God works in such incredible ways. Our Honda has 250,00 miles on it and we were prepared just to drive it into the ground.

I feel sad that grandma is losing this part of her independence yet I really admire her courage to so lovingly and willingly give us her new van. She could have easily sold it to make a little extra money for herself.

A few days have come and gone since I picked up the van in VA and I have feelings of humilty and gratitude. I am so blessed to have a grandmother who gives so unselfishly. As long as I can remember she has been that way. Even though she makes just a few hundred dollars a month, she is one of the most giving people I know.

What a testimony to me and my family.

I pray that I can have that kind of attitude and giving spirit.

What about you?