a new adventure.....

as this silly little adventure series finally comes to an end, i have to take a minute and acknowledge the end of something else. a very LONG year started in this house last october. it was a year full of interruptions, "or more recently termed, divine-interventions."

it was a year of disappointment, excitement, fear, faith, more excitement, more heartbreak, almost unbearable pain and loss, and confusion. nothing about it seemed to make sense, yet it all had a purpose and plan.

i was really trying to hold on to that last year of ups and downs. but i had to let go, have to live for this year, and these moments. i have learned that all we have is today, and really that is all that matters. no more long term plans, or worries about what anything will look like at any certain time in life. just today and just these memories.

i really want to make good memories from now on. no i don't think it is all going to be super rosy and fine all the time, but i am living expectantly. living with the desire to carry these burdens with contentment and comfort. knowing that He has not missed one minute of any of these events and will be there to walk me through the next.

honestly nothing about the last 3 years of our lives has made a whole lot of sense. but He has us here for a purpose and i will take joy in knowing He is using this time of "divine interventions" to allow us to be a part of His amazing plan. this is all i have and all i know to hold on to.

so with a joyful heart i will look forward to these next 12 months with excitement and anticipation to see what lies ahead.

thank you to any and all of you that have braved this year with us!

i am so blessed by so much!!!!

a halloween adventure.....

i'll be honest, halloween is not my favorite holiday. i have several friends that love it, and i am happy for them, but not me. i am a scaredy cat, and most things about halloween scare me. oh well, i would never tell my boys that so off we went being these tough football players. they had a blast, celebrating at school, at the pumpkin fest, at the Kuhn party, at church and trick or treating with the cousins. it was great.
grandmo joined us for a little bit at church for the fall festival. i really appreciated that since nate was busy working at the bonfire. the fall fest is great, but those game rooms are pretty insane. i needed two sets of hands and eyes!

trick or treating this year was again different with out the crazy other lankford crew. but this rowdy bunch below managed to keep things interesting.

this one is for Non and all our buddies in africa. we missed you guys! sending halloween love from some of your tennessee cousins!

a birthday camping adventure.....

it was a good 2 days.... we camped for the first time as a fam. that was very fun and very cold. then we celebrated a sweet life that deserves to be celebrated. it was emotional, yet so sweet.
not sure what to say about this adventure, so just enjoy the pics.......

it really was a birthday party
2 crazy cooks, it is amazing the group of friends that surround sonya and dra. so blessed to be a part of that group....

dad couldn't let us go to the state park for our camp out without official bikes.

colby on his motorcycle....

cy so proud he was about to bust. super cool helmet and all!!

and yes we slept in a tent on the gravel. never got the pic, but it was classic!

a heartbreaking adventure......

yes they left and it was a stinky adventure to go on for us. but i know that it was a grand adventure for them to begin. i am so excited for them and know that God has HUGE plans. but i really miss them tons, and can't believe that it was only 2 weeks ago that they left. i would swear it was 2 years ago. it is going to be a long holiday season without them, but thank goodness for big families! we still have jadie bug and sweet liv. we will hold them tight while our dear briley, braxton, barron and bristol are over in "aprica." it was a great night at non and pop's before they left, full of love and full of tears.

sweet colby and livi being such big helpers.....

good buddy brax taking it all in that night, that boy has a special place in many of our hearts

my sweet friend and sis. sad to not have court, but lovin that the Lord blessed me with sweet Dana also.....

she finally gave it up in my arms that night. can't really look at this pick without a tear forming in the ol eye.

we talk about joe, aunt tort, bri, brax, bear bear, and bris daily. can't wait to figure out skype< b/c my crew over the phone is slightly chaotic!

bedtime adventures......

upon the departure of our sweet cousins, we acquired a very fun thing. new bunkbeds!! the hardest part is that all of us are reminded of the boys that used to sleep in these beds every nite. man we miss them dearly!!! but my boys LOVE these beds and have not missed a beat being in the room together. they tell each other all the time how much they like "tamping out" together each night. thanks sweet barron and braxton for the cool beds and the shiny stars that colby sees each nite!!

a Florida adventure.....

over fall break we headed south. we have gone for the last couple of years with the Kuhn family and Joey and Court to the beach for fall break. this year we were absent several fun loving cousins, but took some special peeps instead. my parents and uncle tuck joined us for the first part of our trip and we had a blast. they had never been to the "florida" house and we were ready to hang with them there. the super fun Kuhns joined us after a couple of days and everyone had a great time enjoying the amazing weather.

this trip was full of several new adventures for us all.....

our first adventure involved geocaching. this super fun scavenger hunt game is very addictive and so much fun! here i am with my first find!!

this was also the first time the boys wore matching suits. i thought they were too cute! oh and the best part was that i had purchased them for $1.97 each! yes!!

another first for the not too adventurous me, yolo boarding. notice how smooth the water was, and i was still pretty sore from having my muscles so tight the entire time. hey but i did it, so me!!

our super fun peeps! the boys loved having so many people to help entertain them!

oh and the high-light of all adventures. nate and karl catching the 400 lb female bull shark. if you happen to have not seen it, just email nate and he will get it right to you!

my kids had a blast with the kuhn gang, and i think even sarah survived with out briley. we did miss having those sweet faces with us though.....

new computer...

yes, i finally have a new computer and can't wait to resume blogging! lots of more october adventures to post! yeah!!!