NC State Fair Day!

State fair loathing husband was coerced into going and found that he is quite in love with state fair days. We moved just in time to be here for pumpkin patches, corn mazes, changing of the leaves, and the fair. In years past we have made an annual tradition to attend the TX state fair, which I can safely say is vastly, substantially larger than North Carolina's. It takes two entire days to cover the grounds of TX but even with slow moving children in tow we were able to cover yesterday's in about 6 hours. The only time we were able to move away from the crowds long enough for a picture was usually to stop and eat. There was tons of fun stuff that they absolutely loved but it was a little impossible to try and take pics between talking to people and doing continuous head counts.





Despite being a cold 59 degrees with winds of 30 mph we had a ton of fun.






How surprised we have been and how overwhelmingly grateful I am for the kindness we have experienced from people here. I went into this move half way expecting the masses here to be a little like dealing with what we encounter in the DFW area when we traveled. We have been met with nothing but kindness and admiration so far. We were stopped continuously by people wanting to talk, ask questions and take pictures. Admittedly, the picture taking has been a little odd and hard to get used to no matter where we are, but it's to the point of being entertaining and more than a little bit comical so we just go with it. Now we laugh and keep going, stopping to talk to those who speak.






It's odd to be here at this place in life. How much neither of us ever expected to be here where we are. Sometimes I look up in life...alot of the time....and it's all just a bit surreal. I really truly love my life. Why some people find that so hard to believe is sad to me....really entirely pathetic, actually. It reveals how unhappy most people are with their life and how true joy is seen as unachievable by most...or even false...that some actually believe it doesn't actually exist. I absolutely love my life. I am head over heels in love with my children and am in awe that we have the ability to take 10 children out in a public place and have people think they are beautiful enough and well behaved enough to have a desire to meet and want to know....that the Lord has done enough of a work in me for others to see me as approachable after years and years of introversion, hiding from people and not having a remote clue what to do with myself in the presence of others....that Brad's walls with life have been torn down and he has the freedom and desire to easily converse with others in kindness instead of being so bothered by the intrusion that it always seemed to be in the past. The Lord has moved mountains within our lives and I continue to stand in awe of this place we occupy now. How faithful He is and how far in every way He has brought our little family...from wanting only 2-4 children to being here now....wholly, totally in love with each other, almost 11 children, 1500 miles away from the only home either of us have ever known. It's sad to me how many people think our lives are fake, this is a fairy tale blog written with rose colored glasses shading all of life, or that joy to this extent is completely unrealistic. This life of mine....it's a gift.....and I am absolutely in awe of it. Our children are loved more than life itself. And our marriage...it's one that few people in life will ever experience. I have been given something in life so amazing that if I take it for granted or waste it away pining after what I don't have or what could be I will have missed the gift in front of me. And the gift I have been given is so much larger than my little tiny limited life...so much bigger than me. We have our fair share of difficult and challenging days....this blog is living proof of that fact....but how exceedingly much I have been given. I love my children. I am desperately in love with my husband who knows absolutely everything about me and continues to love me despite my faults and idiosyncrasies. He is mine and I am blessed. How sad it is to me that so much of the world cannot conceive of the ability to experience this in life.


I am so happy....so grateful to be where I am in life....to be where we are as a family. Total contentment to be where we are but fearful enough of mediocrity that I look forward and embrace the unknown of the future. Oh that we would know life and never allow it to grow dull or old or mundane. I serve a God of change, of life, of newness that continues to change us and mold us into His image. He keeps us moving physically in location from one place in life to another, moving physically... challenging body and mind to go farther, to push beyond the limits where others call it quits...to run, workout, break barriers that hold one back in life in every aspect. He keeps the dynamics of the family changing with the addition of new children, teaching me to look so far beyond my own limited world of self absorption, teaching me the daily task of looking beyond self to see the joy that is to be found lying beyond the flesh that cries "me". He is a God of life, newness, change. The absolute tragedy in life is the apathy that overtakes the majority of the general population. What a loss it is. How much is missed. Mediocrity...one of the saddest things in life to me....that people come to accept it...view themselves as a victim of their own life or circumstances. How grateful I am to be where I am.


Reading back through this post many hours after it was written I realize just how drastically it jumps and skips around....thoughts so difficult for reader to process when attempting to follow jumbled randomness of writer. I have no time left to edit or go back through and try to convey thoughts any clearer. Hopefully as life here grows more routine and slows a little thoughts will once again be clearer both in head and heart.

Movie night after a cold, fun day spent outside. And the new bed finally did get ordered. Since we do not own or operate with any credit cards we had to establish a bank acct here and then continue to wait some more for the debit card to arrive. It only took an extra 10 days for that. Sleepless husband ordered our new bed at 3:30 am this morning. Smashing of the air mattresses together can only do so much. When you're sleeping under two different covers it just kinda feels like you're worlds apart.

Fire and winter pj's on cold autumn nights. Grayson was in the shower so he missed out on this one.