Stamped Here by Him

Dude, Dough, Darlin', and Deputation

2012-02-04T14:58:00.000-08:00

Thankful! Joyful giggles, stolen pacifiers, increased dexterity, and almost sleeping throughout the night are things for which to be thankful. We are blessed! Also, we are anxiously awaiting our next step toward the mission field. The VIP of our future plans to visit the Philippians will be joining us here in MN for an update and to answer many questions. We couldn't be more happy to hear him explain important details to us about the trip he has just made there and the building progress that is well underway.

Ian's first time playing with play dough.

Emmaline sporting one of Grandma "B's" beautiful headbands

Emma's new arrangement

He LOVES working with his hands on little projects. At 211/2 months his favorite toys are his tools from Aunt Beth and Uncle Jason. He fixes everything around the house. :)

another favorite!

The Last Several Months

2011-12-28T21:12:00.000-08:00

Ian visits the hospital

to see baby Emmaline Rose- Born 11-14-11 @ 11:20am 7lbs 7oz

21 inches long

Mom came to help with the transition and had her grandma "love" meter filled

bringing "Em"home

Ian finally wanting to touch his little sister

Grandma and Grandpa out keeping the kiddos occupied while Thanksgiving dinner was being prepared

Little Emma asleep and Aunt Beth with a camera :) -Love that!!!

Bye to mom and dad and to November and Hello to the Tree Farm and December

Wow, a house with 13 people means lots of presents.

So thankful to the Lord for Family and for their love!!

Something is WRONG!!!!! No snow in Minneapolis in December??????

Our Christmas puzzle

Ian helping Dad with this new Christmas tools from Aunt Beth and Uncle Jason.

Mark has done an amazing job this year fixing so many things in our house. He is such wonderful man and help around the house. He is shaping up to be an excellent Handy Man. Thanks Mark!

33 weeks along, a birthday, and a very busy husband

2011-09-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

Can't believe how quickly time has flown by with this second pregnancy. I've had my attention on little Ian this go around. The laughs, hugs, smiles, snacks, naps, quick trips to the store, long moments trying to think through schedules, and prayers before bed have all added up to a very different 7 1/2 months. (Much different than I had leading up to Ian's birth.)

Motherhood truly is a joy. With Ian at 17 months I pray that I'll be as consistent as can be with rearing him in 'the way he ought to go' during the next (very) busy months. We are eagerly awaiting little Emmaline's arrival. Mark had worked so hard the last several weeks after work and crammed lots in each weekend to prepare for this winter. We've had a list of projects: fence in the back yard, replace furnace, dresser for Emmaline, reorganize pantry, prepare kitchen area for our downstairs, go through bins and change out Ian's clothes. Mark has mostly finished the fence (pictures to follow). He has worked out all the details for our soon to be replaced furnace. Also, he made my birthday very special by completing the last to items on my list before Emmaline's birth.
Friday night mark and I went on a fun lengthy date to IKEA for my birthday. We ate there and walked around for hours. It was so great to spend that time with him. We came back home with a dresser for our little girl and a shelf unit for the pantry/ kitchen area to fix our "problem spots". Mark really has done the work of several men with all these projects. I'm so thankful for his love and service to me and our family. I've been given quite a man. I praise the Lord for him.

- Posted by Amy

Life as we know it with little Ian

2011-09-20T20:06:00.001-07:00

- Posted by Amy

Laundry Time

2011-07-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

What we brought home from the Ultrasound...

2011-06-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

I am 20 weeks along with our second pregnancy, and feeling wonderful. I thank the Lord for the strength and the energy He has given over the last 4 months. I was for certain that we probably would have another boy, but thought it would be fun not to find out this pregnancy what the gender of the baby would be. I really wanted a boy first and I got one and have been enjoying every minute with little Ian.

but...

I guess the anticipation was getting the better of me.

Mark and I

really have trouble picking out names...

and

WELL...

I'm glad we found out because we are really bad especially with girl names. Mark never likes what I pick for girls. So now we have a few months to get one nailed down.

I was so excited and giddy when I found out that it was going to be

a Girl!

"Mr. Mark" is at it again

2011-05-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

Just helping out at Fourth in one of the children's groups.

Best of Friends. Worst of Enemies.

2011-05-31T20:42:00.000-07:00

Isaac comes down to visit Ian often in the basement. They both enjoy swinging in the swing. On this particular evening, both very tired, they cuddled up together and almost fell asleep. It's not always as peaceful as this picture portrays.

attacking or hiding

2011-05-31T20:32:00.000-07:00

A Few Memories Posted by Dad

2011-05-31T20:22:00.000-07:00

Climbing around at the Mall

2011-05-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

First Time with Crayons

2011-05-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

My Valentine's present from My Honey!

2011-03-01T14:18:00.000-08:00

A pot of bulbs

Beautiful Jade Plant

plants in my living room

The next plants aren't from Valentine's Day, but I wanted to take pictures of them. I'm just so thankful that they are still alive when there is three feet of snow on the ground outside and they are in a basement with minimal light. My goal: how not to kill house plants.

This is a orchid that I'm trying to save. I've never tried to do anything tropical before and I'm not sure if I'm keeping it in all the right conditions for blossoming again. (I hope, the blossom was beautiful.)

i think it is some kind of a Palm. (transported from Bend, OR)

Mark's Bamboo (also transported from Bend, OR)

We'll see it they survive...

I read the other day about someone attempting a small garden in a rubbermaid in doors. That might be my next goal. :)

Another Step Toward the Mission Field

2011-01-26T08:19:00.000-08:00

Mark began courses toward a Master of Education on January 3rd at Regent University in Virginia. He is excited to learn all he can in preparation for a Bible Institute on the mission field. So during the day he works as a Human Resource Specialist at a neighboring public school district, and by night as a student. :) We are so thankful for the job that God has given. Mark feels he is learning so much from the meetings at work and is able to apply many of the technical stuff from school at his work and vice versa.

Though He has been in school the majority of his life, as he worked on his first paper he realized it would take a while to get back to writing "good" papers. Hopefully, that will come back easily for him. Currently, A Master of Ed. is our primary focus in our preparation for the mission field. We are still praying for direction as to where God might lead us to serve. We would appreciate your prayers for Mark as he commences his degree.

A surprise for Ian's first Christmas

2010-12-12T20:50:00.000-08:00

I started making this for Ian after he played on one like this for a really long time. These are the colors in Ian's room and he needed something soft to sit on and play with in the room.

unstuffed

Stuffed!

Merry Christmas from the Stamper Family

2010-12-12T20:34:00.000-08:00

Ready, Set, Go!

2010-11-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

Not sleeping through the night...

2010-10-13T05:41:00.000-07:00

Guess what that means?

Mark is in love with the final smile where Ian has the spoon caught in his mouth. Mark laughs every time this is played and he played it a lot while he was making the video. Without fail, when the end comes he laughs out loud. I love hearing him laugh. I love my guys.

Materialism

2010-09-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

How do you know you are getting caught up with things? Is it easy to buy something that you could do without? Do you find yourself thinking second thoughts about an item you put in your grocery cart? Do you watch TV and find things getting your attention? Things that appeal to you because, "you will be a better person if you have them". Do you find doubles of things laying around your house? Are you frustrated with stacks in certain corners? How do you deal with things that don't make your life simplified? Do you hold too tightly to things that can be ruined by a spill? Where do your thoughts run at the end of the day? In the morning, is your thinking freed from unnecissary things? What things are you known for-are they just things?

Laughter is the best medicine

2010-09-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

A Surprise for my Birthday! DAD

2010-09-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

My dad was on a trip with a friend to the Boundary Waters. He stopped by on the way back to Tennessee and it just happened to be on my Birthday. It was a quick visit- less than 24 hours. He is such a great dad. I thank the Lord for all He has given me in my father. His kindness and generosity are always shown no matter how short the time is that we are together. It was fun for him to see the grandkids and nice that Beth and I are together for such a visit as this.

Weekend at Stillwater

2010-09-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

Mark decided we should go to a bed and breakfast for our anniversary and birthday celebrations. He looked around and found an adorable one in Stillwater called Rivertown Inn.

On the way there, we thoroughly enjoyed seeing the fall colors and of course the "normal" sites that come along with the fall season. Fall is my favorite time of year!

We pulled up to the Inn and my mouth just dropped. It was gorgeous.

I'm so thankful to the Lord for His gift to me. Mark is such a wonderful man of God. He strives to live a Spirit-filled life and he is always a joy to be around. I'm not just saying this... It's the truth.

This is were we pulled in. Straight ahead is the coach house which had two rooms. Each of the rooms were named after different authors.

This is inside the coach house. I believe this is "Agatha Christi"

This was mark's favorite room "Oscar Wilde".

We were able to tour the rooms that were still open.

He loved this bathroom. It had a skylight over the bath tub.

Very Elegant!

The Fountain

Around the Garden

I loved the curtains that were on the porch. Mark and I got to sit in these chairs while we waited to be served our 3 course French breakfast.

This Inn was well run. The rooms were immaculate and the yard was just as great.

The dining room where we ate breakfast.

We arrived at 5:00 and they had social hour where they served meats and cheeses as well as some "other things."

This is our room... "Lewis Carroll" author of Alice and Wonderland.

It was on the third floor. An attic room with slanted ceilings and cozy fireplace, it was the perfect little get away.

There was an Alice and Wonderland Chess set, which we enjoyed. On the mantle was the Rabbit and

on the Mirror stand in between the windows is the mad hatter.

The Inn keeper gladly took our picture.

I highly recommend this stay!

Sunday- a treasure for the saints

2010-09-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

   I can truly say that it was good to be in the house of the Lord today. To meet with with a group of people for the common purpose of worshiping the Lord, what a rich treasure! In Sunday school this morning it was wonderful to see how the college kids were musing over how to be more deliberate and intentional for the sake of Christ as individuals as well as a class.
During church it was wonderful to hear about the wisdom of God that is so far above anything I can comprehend. By the way, I'm so thankful to the nursery workers who are serving the Lord by keeping my son so I can listen and glean from the teaching of the Word.
   Tonight, Mark and I were able to visit a church nearby to hear Scott and Juli Fulks, friends from college, present their burden for Spain. I'm excited for God's leading in their lives and pray that during this time of preparation they will be blessed and mature into all God has for them.
   It is such a treasure to be able to be called a child of God and to be known by Him. We have been given so much and often I forget to meditate on all that is mine in Christ. Thanks be to God, who saw fit to give his Son to die, allowing that separation so that I might know intimacy with Him.

Hammer, Hammer, Pound, Pound. My O My, what's that Sound?

2010-09-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

This is Ian's room. Mark has been working on it with his spare time. It is underneath the kitchen and off of our room. The wall directly behind the ladder is the one we will knock down.

Right where you see the diagonal piece of trim is where the crib will fit just perfectly. I'm not sure of the exact measurements - it's small, but adorable. This wall is opposite the wall with the ladder

Mark is calling both his dad and mine for expertise, but also watching tutorials on how to do each step. I have to say it's looking great. Good job, Mark!!! I love the lights.

So he has completely built himself into this little room except for this one spot for sheet rock. Right now he is bringing everything in through this hole until we (he has been doing it all) knock down the wall that will connect this room to ours.

We are so thankful to Beth and Jason for allowing us to live in their home and make it our home as we are in this temporary transition before heading to the mission field.

More pictures to follow

Spending time with Daddy

2010-09-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

Mark Stamper is the best husband and dad ever. He is such an encouraging, hard working man. He is extremely helpful all the time and fun to spend time with at any time of the day. Hopefully soon I'll be able to post some pictures of Ian's little room that Mark is building for him. It's great to see how Mark has taken this project and run with it. At times when Mark is working on the computer studying or researching, he often spends good quality time with Ian.

Having fun with my little man

2010-09-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

What has happened in four months?

2010-09-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

He goes from this

To this

To This

where has the time gone?

I'm not sure where the time has gone, but I know I've enjoyed every minute of it with the precious little child God has given us.

His little smiles always make me giggle and his laugh just brightens my day.

Things my mom did as a mother of four

2010-07-24T15:29:00.000-07:00

I just had my first child, little Ian, in April. Howerver, I live in a house with my sister and her four children. Needless to say, it gets pretty busy. I was reflecting on my home in Chattanooga thinking about all that my mom did to make things beautiful. She made everything so special, fun and exciting. One thing that stuck out in my head this afternoon was the energy she spent on the garden and flower beds surrounding our house. I miss it. Thank you, mom for all your hard work.

While Beth and Jason are in NY

2010-07-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

Jason and Beth, our brother and sister, are in NY on a mission trip with some of the teens in their youth group. They are the youth leaders and have been busy this summer with different camps and trips. This week Mark and I have their oldest three children along with our little Ian. It has been fun. We've played with legos, Lincoln Logs, water slides and plenty of blankets that we turned into tents. Normal stuff for kids to do during the summer, but things I'm grateful to be able to do with my nieces and nephew. I'm thankful that God brought us here to live near family and thankful for this phase of life that God has chosen for us. I hope and pray that we are learning all that He wants.

Family pictures

2010-07-22T09:51:00.001-07:00

Growing, Growing, Growing

2010-06-23T22:40:00.001-07:00

He often has some great expression that remind me of cousin Ella :)

He has really started to smile this week. It's beautiful

"O bed, O bed, O delicious bed, that heaven upon earth to the weary head." -someone

The old Window

2010-05-03T19:02:00.000-07:00

I've been hauling around this old window for about three years. I knew it would look cool is so many different places and I could never settle on anything. A couple of days before Ian was born my sister and I decided it should be used in his room. We got an idea and ran with it.

Finally Here

2010-05-03T17:19:00.000-07:00

Nine months of waiting for you to come and you are finally here. Our own little son, Ian Michael Stamper. After months of wondering what color your hair would be, how much you would weigh, if you would have a dimple in your chin like your dad, or if you would look like one of your cousins, you have a look all your own. April 22, 2010 @ 3:42 a.m. 8lbs. 6 oz., 21 1/2 in. with long dark hair - just about as far from what I thought as you can get. I was thinking from what the doctor's and everyone else that you wouldn't be more that 7 lbs and that you would be bald or have really light hair. I'm glad to be wrong. I love your hair.

Ian -11 days old

spending time with dad
My mom got to come from Tennessee to help out-boy am I thankful!
Coming home from the hospital

My mom trying to get a good picture of his hair

In Minnesota- Our New Home

2010-03-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

Mark and I arrived in Minnesota on March 3rd. We have been busy working on getting our downstairs apartment in order. It has been fun. Mark is learning how to install light fixtures and put up sheet rock. These are firsts for him, but he loves learning new things and he is doing an excellent job. Hopefully, we will post some pictures soon of the progress.

I have had three doctors appointments since we've arrived. They started scheduling me for one appointment a week. Baby Ian will be here soon! We have about 26 days to get everything in order before he comes. Thankfully, my mom will be able to come and help me get adjusted to this new life with a child of our very own. I am extremely thankful for being here with Beth, my sister, and having her expertise as a mother of four. I was horrible with taking pictures, so Beth has taken it upon herself to take a few. :)

This is a picture of the craving that all four of us have decided that we have during the last weeks of my pregnancy. We love mint Oreos. Mark has been able to help Jason, his twin brother and my brother-in-law, by speaking for him a couple of times. Jason is still struggling with kidney stones. He has had to make changes in his routine at a moment's notice the last couple of weeks and is grateful that he can call on Mark to fill in for him. There is a youth activity coming up on Friday which we will be able to help.

Also, we are job hunting. Fun, What fun!!! Mark has had one interview so far with the school district here in Min. and has applied for several other positions within the district. We are beginning to broaden the search. I know God will provide a job, but we do need patience and wisdom in this process.

Our New Journey

2010-02-22T10:04:00.000-08:00

After months of prayer, planning, and preparation, Mark and I are heading out to Minneapolis, Minnesota to begin a new phase in our lives. We will be leaving Bend, Oregon after having the privilege of helping with Central Oregon Baptist Church plant. It has been amazing to see what God has done here to build His church. It is such a beautiful thing to see His Word at work in lives.

As Mark's wife, I've known that two of his desires have been to help disciple people in a church setting and also to be able to train and teach pastors to go out and do the same with their own flocks. Many months ago, I could see God working on Mark's heart concerning this second desire and the direction of our future. Mark's brother, Jason who is a youth pastor presently in MN, has had the burden to teach on the mission field for a very long time, and through much prayer, Mark and I feel that God would have us labor with Jason when that time comes. There will be a few years of preparation needed to begin such a work, and Mark would like to help as much as possible with the many details that go into this planning.

Late November, we decided to put our house on the market and were trying to determine the exact timing of our move to MN. We never anticipated how quickly our house would sell. Our house was only on the market for about 50 days. Praise be to God for his timing and guidance during the last few months. My last day of work was this last Friday, and Mark will be finished this Friday working for the school district here in Bend. We will head out early on Saturday morning Feb. 27th for Minneapolis.

There are a lot of unknowns for the future concerning timing and other issues, but we do know that up to this point God has been clearly leading us this direction. It will be exciting to see how God will unfold the future. Please pray for us as we start this new journey that we will continue to be faithful to the Lord and usable for His service and for His glory.

Wow! God is really working at COBC

2010-01-10T19:45:00.000-08:00

We had 82 people at church today. We had a church workday just yesterday and decided to rearrange the chairs to try to accommodate all the people God has been bringing to church. Well, we found a way to fit in about 20 more chairs (most of which were just purchased yesterday). Well, had we not done that, we wouldn't have had places for people to sit. Thank the Lord for His faithfulness and goodness. God is bringing in people to meet all the specific individual needs at church and we are so thankful to be able to see God at work.

A Change Up This Year

2009-12-31T12:28:00.000-08:00

One thing that Mark and I did growing up was put together a puzzle with our families. This is our second Christmas together and we decided to change things up a little. Last year we had a great Christmas at my in-laws in Portland and put a beautiful winter scene puzzle. This year....we started a model air plane!

Ian Michael Stamper

2009-12-31T12:07:00.000-08:00

There is a little one coming soon...Ian Michael Stamper!

Spending time with Friends on Christmas Day!

2009-12-31T11:53:00.000-08:00

Mark and I had a fun time on Christmas Day visiting different friends from Church. Art and Margurite Lowery graciously had us over for a wonderful dinner (with the largest turkey I've ever seen in my life!) and we were able to see Mary and meet her family. We also got to visit the Michell family for a few seconds and the evening ended with our friends JJ and Melissa bringing supper over to our house and playing Settlers of Catan. It was quite a fun-filled day. We are so thankful to the Lord for the friends He has given us here in Bend.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-31T11:16:00.000-08:00

God has given us such a wonderful Christmas break- time together, with friends and enjoying the wonderful gift of His Son.

fun with the kids

2009-06-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

A special visit from the North West

2009-06-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

2009-02-04T12:11:00.000-08:00

~Hello Friends and Family~

We are so very thankful for what God has done over the last 6 months out here in Bend, Oregon. It truly is neat to see how we've been given a new building to meet in both on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. Our last meeting arrangement only allowed us to meet on Sundays and Wednesdays and the Tittles allowed us to meet in their living room. However, the new building is on ground level, unlike our last place, and is wheel chair accessible. Someone that doesn't even come to our church is the one who told us of the new building when we had already exhausted every lead we had. The price of the building is a plus as well! We are now able to meet on both Sundays and Wednesdays for the same price as our last building which we only used on Sundays. Wow! Isn't it neat how God works. It was so fun to see ow everyone really came together to work on getting the new building ready for our first service. We have a couple of seamstresses, a few with computer knowledge, many who have lived in Bend and know its resources well, a woodworker, who made a beautiful pulpit, and a lot of willing hands. The location is extremely convenient and there is much parking. We really are so blessed. Mark is finishing up the book of Mark and starting a study in Daniel during our Sunday school hour and John is ready to start a series dealing with the marks of a healthy church. On Wednesdays we are beginning a course in discipleship.
One of the main problems we see in Bend, very typically of the spiritual climate in Oregon, folks aren't committed to church, a relationship with God, or the reading of God's Bible. It has been exciting to see an increase of faithfulness to church and also to the Bible. John and Jennifer are meeting weekly with a young athletic coupe, JJ and Melissa, for a discipleship class. It has been a blessing to both them and John and Jennifer. Mark and I are encouraged by their growth and excitement. This friendship that is being built is a blessing to each of us. Mark is continually having opportunities at Summit High school. Patrick, the campus monitor, and Mark have met several times to discuss salvation. Haley is a girl who I've had the privilege of meeting. She lives in our apartment complex and is a very intelligent person who believes in reincarnation. She has been exposed to many different religions and come to certain beliefs that she'd rather not talk about. It has been real neat to build a relationship with her. She calls me regularly throughout the week and we try to get together as much as we can.
The Short family have been a huge help and encouragement to us. Mark and I meet for a Bible study on Sunday nights with Susanna, Priscilla, David, and Terik. They each truly have a desire and hunger to grow in the Lord. This is a treasure and a challenge for Mark and I to be growing spiritually daily. Early in December, Cindy Short, Mom of 8, had an emergency open heart surgery. She had an aneurysm in her aortic artery. This was quite a test for all of us and our small church. 85% of the people that are diagnosed with this don't even make it to the hospital. She is presently working on getting off her pain medicine. The church had a great opportunity to exercise their services with meals and rides for the family and children. I love to see how God uses these things in our lives to bind people together.
I just wanted to thank each of you for the time, energy, money, training, and prayers that you have invested in my life. I pray that we'll be a willing vessel that the Lord can use out here in Bend. This will be fruit to your account. We are praying for Calvary, Northwoods, Fourth, Westhills, and Open Door Baptist Church. Let us know how we can better pray for you. It's too busy to be homesick, but I miss you and think of happy thoughts and praise to the Lord when I think of home.
May this week find you rejoicing in the rich treasure of God's Word and the hope and peace we have through the blessings of Christ.

Love and Prayers,
Mark and Amy Stamper

Here are some of our friends

2009-02-03T22:23:00.001-08:00

John, Jennifer, and Carson and Baby!
Mark and Me

Addie and Corey

Karen and Kevin Kitchen

Alex, Lilly, and Josh Beard

JJ and Melissa Johnson

Jennifer and Allyson

Kathie and Mary

Our New Church Location

2009-02-03T22:07:00.001-08:00

There will be more pictures to come, but here are a few shots
of our new meeting place. It was exactly what we were looking for
but God is the one who opened the doors. We didn't know where else in
Bend to look for a meeting place, but this showed up at the perfect time.

The back walls were kind of scraped up a bit so we decided to cover them!
This is Art Lowery. He is the one who hand crafted to pulpit which you will see
in the other pictures to follow.

Super Bowl

2009-02-03T21:53:00.001-08:00

Yep! This is me and my Lovely Husband. We enjoyed a fun time with many of the young adults over at our house on Sunday for the Super Bowl.

Of Course, we enjoyed the 3D glasses brought by Susanna Short. Thanks!

Cortney and Lauren Kitchen- glad you could come!

Man O Man! What a Knock out!!!

2009-02-03T21:51:00.000-08:00

Saturday in Sisters

2009-02-03T21:37:00.000-08:00

When I visited Mark September 07 while we were dating, he brought me to town north of Bend. The town is called Sisters. It is adorable with fun gift shops and antique stores, a world class bakery and a Mexican restaurant to die for. Well, a year and a half later Mark and I decided we should give this town and the restaurant another visit. It was a fun and wonderful day. I'm so thankful to be married to my best friend and to be able to explore a new town. I'm glad God brought us out here to Oregon. The mountains were beautiful. I didn't get the best shots, but you may be able to see a little of what we are blessed with.

An ufinished church poster

2009-02-03T21:25:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited about using this poster for children's church.
My mom made a poster similar to this and used it almost
every week when she would teach her Sunday school lessons.
The message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is truly an amazing story
and we have so much to be thankful for! Praise the Lord.

That's so funny

2008-11-20T21:49:00.000-08:00

our Saturday afternoon find

2008-09-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

This I thought was amazing!! We had a table before, however it was not large enough to fit more then two other people then ourselves. (NOT THE BEST FOR COMPANY)

John asked if Mark could come and help load some stuff up in his truck that they found at a sale. Well, as soon as Mark arrived at the sale, he called me and told me to bring the check book. We came out with some really neat things.

Praise the Lord for the new table. It can fit a lot of people around it! Game nights, Card making, Cookie decorating... Just exciting to think about all the things that we will be able to use the table for.

Our Saturday Morning Project!

2008-09-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I was having trouble trying to figure out what I should do around the TV. There is a fire place in the corner of the room and it has really light wood around it. I wasn't sure how we could tie it in with the rest of the wood since the other pieces are darker. We are giving this color stain a try. We found a big piece of wood and had it cut to size at Home Depot and purchased the rest of the supplies on our date night, last night. I was eager to start the project this morning and hope to have it done soon.

The Rest of The House-Most of It

2008-09-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

I know I didn't take all the rest of the house, but here are the two bathrooms and the bedroom.

Labor Day Week End

2008-09-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

Jack and Corine Stamper, Mark's parents were able to come down for a visit which was lots of fun. I loved getting to know them more and enjoyed going hiking with them. They drove us up to Crater Lake on Monday. Both the Stamper's and Mark and I had tried to visit before, but were prevented by either fog or snow from seeing the beauty of the Lake. So it was truly a treat for each of us. God is amazing! This Lake was formed after a huge Mountain, Mt. Mazama, blew up. It was a volcano which erupted years ago. Pretty Cool, Huh?!

So Here's the Scoop!!

2008-09-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

What I'm extremely excited about is getting almost all my fruit and veggies at one time. I know I need a few more than these, but this is pretty exciting and fun. Juicing, It's something my mom got me into and I'm super thankful for her good example of trying to be healthy. I try to have a big cup of this juice made so that we can drink it when Mark comes home from school. Then, our goal is to go out an walk on the trail down by the Deschutes River. That's our afternoons!

Happy Birthday

2008-08-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

MARK!

Getting all settled In

2008-08-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures of our honeymoon. The white monument is a more recently made monument. It is in Rome and the people actually call it the "cake monument", because it gets so dirty and they are continually having to wash it off. The Coliseum, of course, was so amazing to see. It is really beautiful, yet to think of all the Christians that lost their lives there was truly sobering. The next is a shot of Mark and me at the leaning tower of Pisa. It really was hard to spiral up the stairs inside. The last picture is of the French Riviera. It was a "once in a life time" trip and I'm so very thankful that we were able to go.

I love my new home!!
Mark and I flew to Oregon on the 25th of July after our honeymoon. We then had to go to Idaho about four days later for Mark's grandfather's funeral. We arrived back in bend about a week later. The big truck with all my stuff came on Aug. 16th and I've had so much fun trying to put a house together for the first time on my own. I had everything out of the boxes within two days and up on the walls. As I walk through my house I found most of the things I cherish most are from my Grandmother. It is so neat to be able to look at something and be able to have so many wonderful memories about it.