Spelunking at the Ape Caves

Ape Caves Update

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Oh MY GOODNESS!!!! I DID IT!!!!




We are in the off season, so there were no guides and no lights.

I don't think I have ever been so wet and tired! It has been pouring buckets here in Washington. The middle of the cave was running water in a lot of places. It might as well have been raining inside the cave. It was so- not what I was expecting! I thought that once I was in the cave I would be dry. Not so! I was soaked to the bone!

There was a group of boy scouts going in before us and they all had hard hats on. I was a bit nervous, not knowing what to expect. It probably wouldn't have been a bad idea to have a hard hat on. I ended up slamming my head into an outcropping and practically knocked myself out.

I don't know if any of you remember that I have a bad hip and could hardly walk last year. I can't believe I actually made it through! It was hard, but a lot of fun too.

The ladies I went with were real "outdoorsey" types and were going at a very quick pace. I have short legs, so I was always behind. They would wait for me, but as soon as I caught up they would go on the move again! I didn't get to stop and take a breather for the whole time, except when they stopped a few seconds when I almost knocked myself out! Huff Puff!

There was this one rock wall you had to climb. It was 8-10 feet straight up with only one foothold. Of course the foothold was on my bad hip side. By the time I got my foot up there, there was no way that I could go any further! My legs were just plain jello! Two of the ladies had to grab my hands, while another tried to push my foot up and they yanked me up the wall. Whew!! What would I have done without them?

It totally reminded me of the struggles that we go through in our lives. Sometimes we just don't have the strength to make one more step. That's when our wonderful brothers and sisters come to our rescue with prayer support to help us make it through our dark tunnels and into the light.

I'm exhausted. I think I will call it a night!

Happy Thanksgiving all you Canadians!

Happy Thanksgiving! Since my dh is Canadian, we celebrate two Thanksgivings a year. This has to be a quick blog entry, since I have to get the turkey in the oven.

It is also Columbus day. A friend of mine sent this quiz on how much you know about Columbus. Take the quiz to see how smart you are!
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/education_1/?page=quiz131&Quizid=131&GT1=10488

Knights & a Princess

We are rowing Duchess Bakes a cake to go along with our unit study on The Middle Ages. The kids are loving it! We went to a medieval village called Camlann Medieval Village. We all got to see how things were during that time period. They even were able to make their own "Unicorn Horns!" The process of making these candles took half an hour. It was done on an open fire. They used actual beeswax. The lady helping them, spun a story about unicorn horns and and ending up giving God the glory and talking about the resurrection! I was surprised to hear her talk about that in public! However, it would be true to the period. It was refreshing! We are doing a History Fair with our Homeschool group on the 15th of October. The kids are all dressing up too. I hope to get some time to upload some pictures. It should be fun!

The joys & trials of living with chronic illnesses...

When I first found out 9 years ago my son has Cystic Fibrosis, we were devastated. God and my church family literally wrapped their arms around us and helped us through. God held our hand and kept us through the agony of the unknown. Then when my daughter was diagnosed two weeks after birth, I knew that God was with us. We were of course still devastated, but having been through it with my son, I just knew that God had a plan, and he would bring us through.

The good things -
I've learned to depend more upon God - moment by moment - breath by breath.
I know that I do not need to have all the answers. I don't need to understand everything. My Father is in control. I can trust him.
I've learned to appreciate every day that I have with my children.
I'm learning to step back from situations that frustrate me and ask, "In the light of eternity, would this matter?" It helps me to have a reality check.
I think I have become more tender hearted toward others who are hurting.
I am learning to be more of a prayer warrior.
We have grown together so close as a family, through the bad times and the good.
We look for the good in situations more. We try to find the "silver lining" no matter how bleak the outlook.
My children have a maturity beyond their ages as a result of everything they have to go through.

The bad things?
My heart is still broken that my children are slowly dying of Cystic Fibrosis. However, God heals the broken hearted. I might not be totally healed this side of heaven, but He binds up the broken heart and helps me to function and thrive in the presence of His grace.
It hurts when my children are hurting and sick and there is nothing I can do.
I worry that I won't be here to care for my family.
I'm tired. I have fibromyalgia and MHE and deal with pain daily. The extra stress of caring for chronically ill children as well as being chronically ill myself can be tiring.

The road is a tough one, but God is carrying us through. I depend upon my Father more and know that He will use these circumstances for His glory.