Our Wedding Anniversary

Sep. 21st /2011 marked our nine years anniversary... we still fit in our wedding clothes!!!! I had to shed 4lb to be able to get into my dress, but David fit fine in his suit, he looked just as handsome and so attractive to me as he was when I saw him in his suit on our wedding day.
The first anniversary we put on our wedding clothes and went out to dinner, we had a blast, the second anniversary David got really sick with the flu, 3rd anniversary I had Nellie on Sep. 14 /2005 so I could not wear my dress, after that we had to move so many times I did not even know what box our wedding clothes wear in, finally we are settled here and so I did find the clothes and decided to dress up and go out, we had so much fun.

God has been so good to us even though we do not deserve to have family, children, shelter, Salvation, and more importantly HIS WORD the KJB, church family and so much more, HE still chooses to bless us faithfully and keep us together, there is only one reason why we are even here.....it is HIS MERCY AND GRACE.
It is really important for us to celebrate our wedding anniversary in a big way, we want to show our girls that marriage is one of the most wonderful creations of God and it is really a good thing that we are married, we want to show them a live picture of the day we both made our commitment to each other before God to stay together and be faithful, besides we want them to have those memories in their minds too so they can look forward and wait for their God's choice for them and have a wedding day and make it a very special one.
Nellie had so much fun, she was so exited and was looking in
in such an amazement at both of us,
then she wanted to wear my wedding dress so we made the deal that the next day was her day to wear it so she did.
Here is the story of our first anniversary,
We spent our first anniversary at a cabin near the Arrowhead Lake close to San Bernardino CA area, a sweet couple Mr. Kieth & Harriet Gregory own it and offered it to us to spend our Anniversary, they were customers at My hair salon in La-Mesa CA for a long time, that little A shaped cabin was such a lovely and cosy place it had a big fire place, steps that went up stair to the bed rooms and a couple of steps that went down to the dinning room and the kitchen area, it had everything in it that we needed to have a special and quite time, we really loved that little place and made sweet memories there, I think the Gregory's name it "end of Journey" or something close to that, it was surrounded by big huge pine trees, when the evening came we went out to eat at an authentic Italian restaurant in our wedding clothes that they recommended for us to have dinner, the waitress and every one was looking at us thinking we just got married, and they treated us very special, we ordered a pizza and antipasto salad, they made them so big we were shocked when they brought them to our table, every one was congratulating us and just was very nice and friendly.
There was a big fancy resort and little shops close by so after dinner we drove there and went for a walk, as we were walking in the front of the entrance we saw some people coming out of the resort, when they saw us they stopped and started clapping and congratulating us, as this was going on a fancy black car stopped in the middle of the circular drive way and the driver pulled out a music instrument that looked like a horn and started playing some fancy song, in no time there was at least 25 people standing around us all looking at us with smiles enjoying the music, (David and I were in a total shock looking at each other and loving every minute of it) and when the song was over they congratulated us and walked away, David and I still think that God orchestrated all that, we had no Idea when we went out that we were going to have such a memory that can only be read in a Cinderella like stories.
The second anniversary was very different, my dear Friends Harriet and Kieth offered us the cabin again and we did go up there but David got very sick the same day we drove up and had a nasty fever the whole night, we did stay for a couple of days, it was still a blessing to be at that cozy cabin, Kieth and Harriet were in their early 80s back then, He past away a while ago, I did share the Gospel with them both about 11 years ago, she was a devote Presbyterian and went to the same church most of her life, her eyes would water like she wanted to cry every time I talk to her about Jesus when I did her hair, nails, they came to my old church Light House Baptist Church a few times when I invited them to the Christmas and Easter and other big events when we had them, they did come to our wedding too and were so happy for us, and after David and I got married and we closed the salon then they used to come to our house in El-Cajon, she did look for my phone # and found it a couple of years ago through some one that knocked on her door from my old church trying to give her an invitation to visit Light House Baptist Church in San Diego, Ca and so she asked them for my info and someone called me from there and gave me her phone # and told me to call her, so I did and when I went to San Diego Ca about a year ago she invited me to visit her at her home, she was as sweet as ever, we had a wonderful time visiting and sharing our memories together at the salon, we had tea and cookies then we went down to her next door neighbor which used to be one of my customers at the salon her name was Margy Saddler and visited with her and her husband too.
Mr. Kieth & Harriett Gregory first started coming to the salon when I had just got pregnant with Iris, and that was 1996, that was about 15 years ago...woooooooooooow.
I was so glad to know that she had some family members staying with her and helping her out.
It was this wonderful couple at the salon when David walked in for a hair cut the first day I met him, I will be posting the whole story here to show how they had a part in us being married today.

New Aditions To Our Little Farm

Rabbits

Some friends had a couple of them but after a few months they multiplied and they had to give some away so we were on there list to give to since we have the space and time to take them in, what my friend did know was that we have no objection to eating rabbit meat but even though I told her that she still did not mind and brought them to our farm so now we have dogs, puppies, cats, goats, soon to kid, horse, pot belly pig, chickens and rabbits.

We have been learning how to butcher and dress a rabbit, it looks really easy and from what I have heard the meat is really good too, in fact I might had some at my aunts house way back when I was little girl because they had lots of them and they used to butcher and eat them all the time.

Fun Filled Weekend

Saturday Iris participated in the Cowboy Christmas Gymkhana, this is what Gymkhana means " timed speed events such as barrel racing, keyhole, keg race (also known as "down and back"), flag race, and pole bending. All of these events are designed to display precise, controlled actions and tight teamwork between horse and rider at speed, although most clubs offer a variety of classes, allowing riders to compete at the speed level they are most capable of, and comfortable with.

So this event went on at the Rodeo Grounds in Apache Junction AZ, this was Iris's & Pumpkins first time, there was at least 35 participant men, women, and young people, Pumpkin, Iris's horse was very restless at first but later on she calmed down, Iris was too but I kept reassuring her to just go out there and have fun, well, she did!!!!! and she loved it!!!!! then came the time of giving out the awards, they all lined up and the announcer started and after mentioning a few names he called Iris and gave her a $60 certificate to a saddle shop, she was shocked and we were too and rejoiced for her and we figured she must done some thing right, she barely had any experience or practice with gymkhana, I did put 4 sticks in the ground for her and 2 flags and she practised in our half acre back yard, but it was very exciting to see her there, later that day David and I decided to take her out to dinner to one of our favorite family meals "Pho" Vietnamese rice soup and we had found a restaurant so we tried it the soup tasted great and it was not busy at all in fact when we finished eating there was no one in the small restaurant so we started chatting with the 26 year old Vietnamese waitress we got to have the chance to share salvation with her and tell her how much Jesus loves her and died on the cross for her so she can have a way to get to heaven, well to our surprise she was willing to pray and call on the LORD as soon as we asked her to pray with us and call on the LORD to save her, we all walked out of there rejoicing after I left her our phone #, well that was an extra blessing from GOD to let us share His name and Salvation with that dear lady, if you are a Christian and reading this post please pray for her to grow in the knowledge and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

GOD IS SOOOOOOOO GOOD.....

I had to go to San Diego, CA to help and tend to some medical needs that my dad needed, left on Sunday and came back Wed, I had to leave the girls here because I knew that I will be spending a lot of time with my dad at the hospital, besides the animals needed to be fed and Penny (one of our goats needed to be milked), The girls did a great job keeping the house and caring for the animals.

I am so glad that I can go visit and help my dad and mom at this stage of their life, they get tired of being alone and dealing with the doctors, paper work and bills so it is becoming a routine for me to go there once every 2 months and help them out, I cannot believe it has been 15 years since I sponsored them and they came here to the U.S.A., I am glad they are here and out of Iraq the situation is getting really bad again over there.

They both have heard salvation, and I think they might be saved, I sure hope they are, I do get in discussions with them a lot about it, sometimes the discussions get heated because they are so set in their old ways and traditions that they were raised on, I do believe the Holy Spirit is powerful and can work in their hearts if they are willing to let Him make the changes in their lives.

I get to meet some of my old friends every time I go there, even though the drive is tiring and trying to get everything done for my parents is sometimes overwhelming, somehow I manage to see some of my friends from the past which makes me feel like I'm on a mini-vacation☻.

One thing that was disappointing tho since we had a couple of really cold nights while I was gone, a lot of my plants froze and died, on the other hand I can see that my goats all four of them, have gotten bigger/rounder, I can really tell that they are all bred, so I'm excited to have a few baby goats sometime around Feb or March.

Nellie is doing great with her piano lessons that she takes from Iris. Iris is doing amazingly wonderful with her very barn sour horse.

David still has a job (praise be to God!!) and doing great!
Until my next post, keep your eyes upon Jesus.

Love Your Enemies!!!!!!!

Jesus said in Matt.5:44

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate

you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Lately this verse keep coming to my mind...now I am not writing this post to preach to anyone or say, look at me I am holier than thou, the only reason I am writing it is to let others know that God's word is true and HE is faithful to work with our weaknesses and infirmities even though while in the process we feel so defeated, confused and just down right mad,

Phil 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

So I started thinking to myself and asking this question,

Who are my enemies?

Well from God's word I know that the World, the Devil, & The Flesh, ARE OUR BIGGEST ENEMIES, but in the verse above Jesus is talking about people that are my enemies, so who are they??????... immediately one woman came to my mind..

Now I started thinking what make that woman an enemy?

This is one of the definition from Merriam Webster dictionary,

Date: 13th century:
1 : one that is antagonistic to another; especially : one seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound an opponent.

Wikipedia definitions:
An enemy is a person who hates or dislikes another person, or is nasty or mean to the person he is an enemy to.

Now as I was searching for the meaning of this word many many painful, sad and hurtful memories came to my mind that were done to my family and me by that woman, but by the Grace of GOD I have learned to rise above them and just let them be where GOD can reach and take care of them....AND HE HAS... ALL GLORY AND PRAISE BE TO HIM.

NOW this is why I am writing this post to let you know my reader that GOD taught me to pray for that woman, and if you are thinking right now in the back of your mind that evil person that hurt me so much and some names or situations are coming to your mind reminding you of your enemy... please just stop and ask THE LORD JESUS TO TEACH YOU TO PRAY FOR THEM right now, you might say oh but you have no idea what they have done to me..... yes you are right... I do not know, but THESE TWO THINGS I HAD TO LEARN:

1.The ENMITY, HURT, PAIN AND SUFFERING came from the WOMAN and NOT FROM JESUS.
2. What she did to my family and Friends was nothing compare to what MY sin did to JESUS.

If you are a Born Again Christian and committed to serve THE LORD dear reader, I promise you that the biggest dart from the Devil at you and your family will come through someone in church who is gladly serving the Devil, filled with hate and have no compassion, there are at least 10 brothers and sisters that were almost destroyed because of that women in one incident alone that she put us through, many of those people have no desire to enter another church ever.....all because of the deeds of that woman, BUT GLORY BE TO GOD NOW AND FOREVER, HE IS A FRIEND THAT STICKETH CLOSER THAN A BROTHER, do not give up, keep trusting HIM.

HE taught me through the whole ordeal to pray for my enemy (that woman) and ask GOD to bless her and if some day HE wants me to love her and do good to her, I do not know what it will take, but I believe that HIS GRACE is available and freely given to each one of us when we are determined to obey AND DO HIS WORD,
until then I will be praying for her as she comes to my mind, and I will go on my way singing...and praising him

Oh victory in JESUS my Savior forever.....