Nature's Wonders

I am a morning person who normally loves to get up early and get a good start on my day. A few weeks ago I got up early like I usually do, but instead of feeling energetic and happy, I was feeling a little down. I decided it might be nice to spend a few minutes on the computer checking my e-mail before I started any projects.
As I was sitting there, a noise outside my window caught my attention. I looked out to see a doe with a set of twin fawns. The fawns seemed to be just a couple of weeks old. Their fur looked soft and beautiful! They had little white spots all over their backs like young fawns do. They were not straying too far away from their mother who was keeping a close eye on them. I got so caught up in observing them that I forgot the things that were troubling me. Before I realized it, I was feeling rejuvenated, happy and ready to start my day.

Watching these wonderful creatures helped me to remember that the important things in life aren't always about going to work, cleaning the house or even paying bills. Sometimes it is more important just to take a little time to enjoy the simple pleasures, like these deer, that the world has to offer.

Since that day, these deer have not only been back to visit, but they have decided to make my yard their home. They live in the Oak brush just above my back lawn. I have had many opportunities to watch them. It is nature at its best! One day they came when my daughter was sitting on the back porch. She was able to take these pictures of them. I hope you enjoy them as much as we have!


Amazing little creature. I can't even get upset at it when it eats my flower garden.





This picture is a little blurry, but if you look closely you will see the doe and her two fawns.








Although my daughter cut off some of the deers' head, I decided to put it in anyway because it is awesome to be able to see the fawn nursing.




Beautiful little twins!

I hope that you also have opportunities in your lives to slow down a little bit and enjoy some of the many wonderful treasures that this life has to offer to us!

(Written by Elizabeth from the Boost Team)

The Seven Wonders of the World

The other day in my email I received a sweet, thought-provoking slideshow. I won't post the slideshow here, simply because I'm not sure how to get it, but I will tell you the story that was on the slideshow.

One day, a teacher asked her class to make a list of what they thought should be the seven wonders of the world. There was some debate but overall these are the seven things that received the most votes:

Egypts great pyramids
Taj mahal
Grand Canyon
Panama Canal
Empire State Building
St. Peters Basilica
Chinas Great Wall

The teacher gathered up the votes of the students, but noticed that one girl hadn't finished her paper yet. She asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, show us your list, maybe we can help."
After some hesitation, the girl picked up her list and began to read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:

To see.
To hear.
To touch.
To feel.
To laugh.
And to love.*
The room was dead silent. You could have heard a pin drop.

I loved the message this little slideshow had to offer. Through the constant motion of life and of living, we often forget to look at the little things that are miracles in their own right. Consider a flower, just starting to bloom, or a brand new baby, seeing the world for the first time. What about the miracle of rain, replenishing the earth, or the joy of a new mother, connecting with her child? Every day we are surrounded by hundreds, thousands of miracles! The beauty of this earth is that if we just stop and take a moment to focus on it, we'll see the wonders of the Lord everywhere we turn.

The slideshow ended with this message, which I wanted to share.
"A gentle reminder: The most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.
The greatest wonder of all is... God's amazing love for mankind in sending his only son Jesus to set us free and give us everlasting life."
We are surrounded by miracles daily, but this truly is the greatest miracle and the one we forget about most often.

~Julianne

*There are only six wonders here. The slideshow skipped from three to five, so I didn't get the seventh wonder in the slideshow.

Independence Day Fun

Hi,
Last weekend in the United States we celebrated Independence Day. We had a fun campout with our family that I wrote a poem about. I hope you enjoy reading it and getting a glimpse into our lives.

Independence Day Camp Out

The word went out to everyone's delight

Grandpa's holiday camp out was now in sight!

The children were as excited as can be

They would get to have fun all weekend you see!

The days and weeks very quickly passed.

Independence Day was here at last.

The family started coming from near and far.

They came in their motor homes, trucks and cars.

They set up their trailers, canopies and tents.

They were as busy as a colony of ants.

Soon, everything was set up and the fun began!

The children found each other and off they ran.

They dug in the sand and played house under the trees,

While their parents visited under the large canopies.

Volleyball, horseshoes, and lawn games were fun to play.

Truck rides, bike rides and hiking also filled the day.

Just when we were getting sticky in the HOT summer sun,

Grandpa made snow cones and popcorn to refresh everyone.

We all ate like kings with food galore,

Hamburgers, hot dogs, dutch oven and more.

When night time came, there was still more to do,

Bon fires, marshmallows and fireworks too.

Like all good things, this soon came to and end.

The time had come to say good bye to our friends.

How blessed we are, I really must say,

To get to spend our holiday in such a grand way!

In the days since our camp out, I have been reflecting about how important this holiday is to me. It is not only about camp outs, barbecues and fireworks. Independence Day represents the freedoms we enjoy in this country. I realized how blessed I was to have the right to gather with my family and friends and to choose the activities that I wanted to do. It is wonderful to be able to choose where I want to work and live, where I go, and what I do each day. I realized how grateful I am for the freedom of speech that allows us to write our blog and share our stories with you. Most of all, though, I have been thinking how grateful I am for the freedom to worship God the way that I believe is best for me!
It is my hope, for all of you, that your lives are filled with plenty of family, friends and fun activities to enjoy. Most importantly, I hope you are happy, safe and able to enjoy the same freedoms that we are blessed with here in the United States! LET FREEDOM RING!
-Elizabeth-

Puppy Love

My sister recently got a new puppy. She named her Sophie. This dog is absolutely adorable, but she is in the bite stage and likes to bite kids that get too close or that upset her. Despite that, my 20-month old son is absolutely smitten with her.

Sophie came camping with us a few weekends ago. All the kids loved her and played with her, but I did notice when a few of the kids got too close she tried to nip at them. Not my son. He sat next to her, playing with her, sharing cookies (which I wasn't too pleased about), and just loving her up. The little dog took it all in stride. She let him play with her ears, her muzzle, her head. She let him feed her bark (which he tried to eat after stuffing in her mouth) and cookies. It was hilarious to watch! Truly, it looked torturous to be in her position, but she didn't mind one bit. I have a feeling a new baby/puppy relationship is in the works. Here are a couple pics of my baby and Sophie:

-Julianne-