In Phoenix with the Deals!

Day one was a success in our travel.  We arrived in Phoenix at the home of our good friends, Bob and Melba Deal, at around 10:30 last night.  We went for a midnight swim in 101 degree heat - fun!!!  Supposed to be 111 today.  Good times!  Next stop, Albuquerque, New Mexico.  We'll TRY to post something each day but not sure of how the internet access will go.  Thanks to the Deals for letting us connect here.

The Truck is coming! (with "The Beach Came")

Today's the day we get the truck and start loading. We've had a productive week thanks to many of you who came to help us pack. Big thanks to Helena, Lenna, Sophie, Chantine, Anthony, Evan, Joanna, Abigail, Jessica, Clara........ oh, I'm sure I'm forgetting somebody and I'm sorry.
So, anyway, this is the beginning of the end. Connor and I plan to leave on Saturday, arrive in Clarks Summit, PA the following Saturday, July 5 and take care of some business for a couple of weeks. Then we'll fly back on July 18 for some family events in CA until August 3 (our anniversary). At that time it's eastward-bound for all 4 of us.
Thank you for all your love and prayers.
Here are some pictures from our wonderful packing helpers:

"Connor, Anthony!!!"

We were also able to make one last "into the night" beach trip yesterday (love the hot dogs and s'mores - Thank you Wingerds!). Here are some shots of that:

And oh yes, crazy-man Loren and a late night visitor:

MVP

Connor's tennis team had a little "end of the season party" tonight where he was honored as team MVP. Pretty cool, huh! Thank you Coach Rudy.

Helena C. Hero

Not sure why we didn't get a picture of this but we wanted to sing the praises of and thanks to our friend Helena who came over the last two days and helped us go through a lot of stuff and get it packed. A HUGE help. Thank you VERY much Helena (and family), and when we get a picture, we'll post it :-)

Special Party for B-Girl!

Some of BayLynn's friends from school (led by Becca) threw her a surprise farewell swim party today at Becca's house. Thank you Becca (and Mom and Dad R. :-) We're very grateful for friends like you. There were a few more people than this but this was all we got in the picture while we were there. If we get another picture from the party with everyone, we'll post it.

The Hair is back...in the trash can (or "Oh, Where Is My Hairbrush?")

Inspired by our good friend and sister, Davina (the 2-3 consecutive days of 105+ degree heat didn't hurt either), it happened. We all knew it was really only a matter of time now, didn't we? But yes, Geoff had had enough and was eager to empathize with Davina (she actually likes hairlessness too so maybe it shouldn't be called empathy) so he pulled out his good old friend (the Wahl clippers) and put himself out of his misery and re-entered the world of blissful head comfort. Of course we had to take a few shots throughout the process just for fun. Have fun looking through them. 2Sa 14:26 (Geoff felt a little like Absalom :-)


The "Bordering-on-mullet," BEFORE shot (BayLynn loved the little curl in the back):

Warning: these next two are a little scary:

Ah, now that's more like it:

Twins!!!

Please continue to pray for Davina and Auggie as Davina goes through treatment for her two brain tumors.

We had another visitor

One single lady came by with her real estate agent last night. She spent about 15 minutes here taking notes, etc. Then they left. Very matter of fact and cordial. We'll see how it goes but we're grateful for even a visit :-)

Miguel walks!

We just came back from a party celebrating Miguel's (far right) graduation from UC Riverside with a degree in music. We love this guy. We love this family. Praise God and congratulations Miguel! Prov. 23:12; Matt. 25:20

Special Party for C-boy

Connor's friends (led by Anthony, Nathan and Kevin) had a surprise gathering for him today at Gladstone Park as kind of a final "farewell, we love you, Connor" type of event. They all pitched in and will be getting him a Nintendo Wii once the stores get them in stock - WOW!. Thanks guys (and girls) for showing such love and friendship (you can see they loved Connor so much that they buried him there in the second picture).
Prov. 17:17 and 27:17

Well, one came :-)

Of the two groups that were to preview the house today, one showed up! They are actually relatives of people down the street. Hopefully they liked the house, we've not heard. Thanks for caring and praying.

They're coming!

Well, we are happy to say that two agents (with clients) will be coming by on Friday between 1 and 2 to look at our house. One agent stopped by today to check it out for his client, but the masterbedroom was too small (we could have told him that - haha). After a week of non-activity, we're kind of excited! Thanks for reading.

Say Cheese!

Check it out! Connor got his braces off today!

You'll be the first to know

So far no visits or calls on the house but we'll be sure to post something here when we get the first one. Thank you for praying! 1Ch 16:34

A Girl and Her Horse

With her great friend Allison and her generous family, BayLynn got a BIG surprise this morning. When Allison showed up this morning (Saturday) and told BayLynn, "We're going horseback riding," it was all smiles and good times. Here are a few pictures they sent us (thanks Ashlee). Bay said she spotted "Rusty" right away as the tallest, most stunning horse there. She was THRILLED when the guide asked, "Do you want to ride him?" A happy horse story to balance Big Brown's loss in the Belmont :-) Job 39:19 AND for all those who bet on Big Brown..... Psalm 33:17.

On the Market!

Well, here it is - the official listing for our house. Check it out if you'd like and if you know someone looking for a nice house....... :-)

Click this link to see the listing:
http://www.mrmlsmatrix.com/DE.asp?ID=2420506206

Psalm 37:5

House Painted!!!

That was fast! From initial phone call to finished job took 5 days, and that was with a "no work weekend" in the middle. Of course while the painters were painting the outside (and well before they came), we've been busy burning calories working on the inside (including beautiful paint work in the kitchen :-) and in the back yard and things are looking good. Anyway, I know some of you would be interested in seeing the new look - chosen mainly from our agents recommendations on "what people like nowadays" (ie - not necesarily our choice, but we like it). Sorry about the "late in the day" picture but I think it gives a good perspective on the color. Maybe I'll take another one tomorrow morning. Next up flowers, mulch and finalizing inside stuff then the pictures go on the web and off to MLS we go. John 14:2; 2 Cor. 5:1, 2 :-)

Our Small Group

Gotta love it... the beauty of the Body! 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Acts 2:44

We had our last "official" small group meeting tonight (but we'll have plenty of "unofficials" for sure :-)

Clockwise from upper left: Susan, Geoff, Dean, Dalila, Davina, Auggie

Please pray for Davina (center in chair). After battling breast cancer for the last couple of years, she found out last week she now has two brain tumors. Romans 8:25-31

Pastor Rudy & Helen

We had a great time visiting with our dear friends Rudy and Helen today. We went to Lake Ave. Church with them and then took a tour of their home and ate at a terrific Italian restaurant right across the street. It was a teary, bitter-sweet farewell as it will likely be some time before we see each other again. But....Rev. 21:4; 1 Thess. 4:17b

Bunnies!!! Want one?

After the sad loss of the father of these babies, we're glad we have some of his offspring. You can have one of ours (although we may keep the one on the far left) or you can visit our friend Laura at http://www.doublelrabbitranch.com/ She's got a TON of rabbits :-) Gen. 8:17

Let's go to the movies???

A couple of my (Geoff) favorite thoughts from movie reviews on http://www.pluggedinonline.com/ No thinking person who cares about their money and thought life (Phil. 4:8) should see a movie until checking out this site. Now these movies may be extreme examples, but they represent the general desensitization that is Hollywood. 2 Cor. 11:14; Phil. 4:8; Psalm 101:3; Psalm 141:4; Eph. 4:17-19; Prov. 5:21



A portion of a review by Bob Hoose on the movie, "The Strangers":

After their night of butchery, one killer says to her less-seasoned fellow slayer, " It'll be easier next time." Truer words are rarely uttered on celluloid. For isn't that exactly what happens? Murders that were so unbelievably shocking back when a Texas boy read of Charles Manson's gruesome actions are much easier to swallow now after years of being bombarded by such things.
We grow numb. And it somehow gets easier to accept a dark cinematic celebration of unredeemed terror and death as something worth watching and paying money for. We ticket-holding frogs in our about-to-boil pot of water start to accept that this ghastly stuff is entertainment.
At the height of her torturous turn in The Strangers, a blood-smeared Kristen keeps asking, "Why are you doing this to us?" Eventually one of her tormentors blandly replies, "'Cause you were home." Maybe the line should've been, "'Cause you came to the theater."



A portion of a review by Steven Isaac on the movie, "Hostel, Part II" (this one's scary):

I'll not document a single other act of perverse—and I would say animalistic, but animals don't kill for pleasure so I'll not implicate them unfairly here—viciousness. There's simply no reason to do so. But I will raise to the surface something that bothers me far more than watching raw violence for the sake of raw violence. It's a festering idea that has begun to be fostered by more than just one or two twisted pieces of entertainment lately: It's the idea that murder is more satisfying, thrilling and even orgasmic than sex. In Hostel: Part II, sex merely fills time for bored men who yearn for a bigger fix. Killing is an extreme sport played by those who've tried everything else and still want more. It's the highest brass ring to be grasped by those devoted to power, revenge and lust.

Prov. 4:23