Dog Sleds and Winter fun!

Hello All,
It has been a long time since I have posted a blog - but here I am today.  Life is so normal now that there just doesn't seem to be anything to post about most of the time.  But, God is good and we are "in the routine" of it all loving every bit of it!'

Jim's job is a blessing.  He is working as a project manager for a company that is doing refits of radiological facilities in hospitals.  He is just finishing his 2nd job and will move onto another next week in Detroit.  Most of the time he really enjoys it.  He is working with people that really know what they are doing and when he says that something needs to get done, it gets done!   Amazing!  But the big point is that it is providing for us in a way that we haven't had in almost a decade.  Once we get this house paid off - watch out!   Because at that point there is not much that will hinder us!  Please pray that it continues and that he continues to enjoy it.

The big news here in Michigan has been the cold lately.  It was -22 Fahrenheit yesterday morning (that's -30 for you Celsius people)!  Now that is cold!  I run every morning but I cut it off at about 0.  Here is a picture of me last week when it was about -10 and that was just a bit too cold!

The ponies are surviving, but I am having to break up their water to keep it liquid.  I have a heater in the tub, but it just can't keep up in the frigid cold.  

Sallie has joined a Pony Club.  She actually has ridden about 4 times this winter and gets to ride again tomorrow!  I am jealous!  It is a small group (about 14 girls), but they are very nice and all horse crazy.  There is an adult group of riders called Horse Masters (just a nice term for old lady riders) that I am thinking about joining.  It will let me in on all the cool things that the Pony Club girls are doing!

Sallie on Rio

Another thing she and I have started is trying to get our dog to pull a sled!  We bought a harness and have hooked her up to an old sled that we have.  She will pull going downhill but the flat and uphill are a bit too much.  The next step is to get a real sled so that one of us can stand on it and push to help her out.  Below is a picture of the neighbor's dog (we have hooked him up too)!

Judge learning to pull

Doodle (our dog) behind and Judge (the neighbor's) in front

I have finished my big project of trim and painting in the main part of the house!  It was so good to have that done.  In the pictures below, look at the wood trim where the floor meets the wall - pretty nice huh?

Rounded corners are tough!

I also was able to get some pictures finished that I bought a while ago at the Maasai Market in Nairobi.  If you are on FB you might have seen these, but I just love the way they turned out: 

A few weeks ago, our pastor gave a sermon about how much God loves us.  In John 14:18 it says, "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you."  We are all orphans in this life.  We all long to know our creator even if we don't recognize him.  People who don't know the God of the bible, create all sorts of "truths" in order that they have a standard and can "fill the hole" that haunts them.  But really I think it is about letting go of our pride.  To know that we must live by our Father's rules really is an affront to some people.  John 14:21 says, ".... The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him."  It is hard for us to let go and be lead by God, but in doing so, we join him in a relationship that is like no other.  He resides in us (through the holy spirit) and then we can understand what he is talking about.  We are his special people but we don't become special because we keep his commandments.  We keep his commandments because we are special.  Knowing that our family is in a place where God wants us to be is comforting.  John 13:35 says, "Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples - if you have love for one another."  We attempt to follow this rule, but like I said above, we don't follow it to win favor, we follow it because he first loved us!

Timothy turned 14 last month.  It is hard to imagine that that much time has passed!  What a great kid!

We are looking forward to March coming in just a week.  I have always thought about March as spring (that is until I moved to Michigan)!  I have had to change that a bit and now think of it as the last month of winter.  So, about one more month of cold and snow and then we can start to think about riding the trails, and doing outside chores (including planting)! 

I have just recently joined the board of our local AYSO (Soccer) and will be their RC (Regional Commissioner).  I am looking forward to working with this great group of people to make soccer happen here in Osceola County for about 350 kids!  That will eat up a bit of my time I am sure!

Thanks for checking in with us.  We are well and in a place where God is leading.  Hope the same for you!

In His Hands,
Jullie T