Well, the last few days have been somewhat a blur for me. At the beginning of the week I began preparing my body for surgery on Tuesday. Needless to say, this was not the fun part. Bright and early Tuesday morning we made our way to the hospital to be checked in. If you would like more surgery details, please feel free to call or email me. Once we arrived back home on Wednesday, I was greeted by my wonderful parents. My mom had prepared some homemade potato soup for me and it was delicious. I am often reminded how much as an adult that I still need my mom and dad. I loved having them here. My mom is so good to take care of the household stuff and of course my dad provides a lot of humor. Today I decided to read and ended up in Psalm 117 - the shortest Psalm. It says:

"Praise the Lord, all nations; Laud Him, all peoples!
For His lovingkindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the Lord is everlasting.
Praise the Lord!"

This reminded so much of the Lord's love for His children and how He cares for us through others. My husband has been absolutely wonderful - always at my side and very helpful. Sometimes our guys don't know always what to do, but he has been there to help in whatever way needed. Also, my dear parents, as I said were wonderful. We have received so much love from our friends at church - meals, flowers, phone calls, visits, etc. The Lord is so kind to bless our lives with wonderful friends and family. I am grateful for all of you! I still have a some more time to go recovering and hope to focus more of the Lord's lovingkindness to me and my family.

VOTE...

This is an email I received from Family Council:

Don't Let Anything Stop You from Voting

When will it be a moral and political good for the Arkansas government to go into the gambling business? When will it be a moral and political good to place any foster or adoptive child with gay couples? Never, is my answer. Not this year. Not next year. Not 10 years from now. Not 50 years from now. Never. As Arkansas closes in on Election Day, the issues are tightening up. It's going to come down to which registered voters will make going to the polls a priority. Lottery proponents are counting on those of us who have rejected lotteries at least 5 times in my lifetime to have grown weary of the battle, to give up. Groups that have embraced political correctness on gay parenting are hoping that finally, you have too. Please, with all I can ask you, don't give up. Don't EVER give up on your convictions because of weariness. If we do that, it is only a matter of time before we lose every fight. We have to resolve to fight bad policy every time it comes, and support good policy every time it comes, for as long as it comes. Early voting begins this coming Monday, October 20th and ends Tuesday, Nov. 4th. Please vote FOR ACT 1, The Arkansas Adoption and Foster Care Act and AGAINST AMENDMENT 3, the State-run lotteries amendment. Your kids and grandkids need you to stay in the fight. Don't let anything stop you from voting.

Sincerely,Jerry CoxFamily Council President
www.familycouncilactioncommittee.com

Camping Trip Pictures

Nathan, Allison & Nathan at an old homestead.


Around the campfire.


Tim and his shoes - they have since been retired.

Camping

Okay, I have survived another camping trip. Each time it gets a little better. We travelled to Tyler Bend, off Highway 65 through Marshall. The drive was better for me - I tend to get a little car sick. We arrived on Thursday afternoon, got the tent set up, etc. and started enjoying our time with friends. That is probably the most enjoyable part of this for me - spending time with our dear friends. The Lord has really blessed us with a group that loves one another, loves each other's kids, helps one another, encourages one another and truly enjoys everyone's company. On Thursday night we enjoyed a group meal with chili, fritos and all the trimmings. That night was a little cold, but my mummy bag is so great! On Friday morning, after breakfast we enjoyed an "easy" hike. I am getting better at these, but this was hard. We had a little funny happen. Tim had left his shoes outside that night and of course they got wet. He was trying to dry them out and ended up burning some of the rubber soles. I would like to say I responded in a kind and loving way. The Lord is still working on me. I was defintely frustrated by this. I looked around and decided it was time to make an ice run. We all now laugh about this. The weather was great. But I have to say my bed never felt so good as it did on Saturday night.

Nathan turns 10!

On October 13, 1998 our sweet baby boy was born. That evening, Nathan Stephen Cain made his appearance without much fuss - he just slide into this world. And that has been his personality since. He is a sweet boy with a love of life. Nothing much gets to him, except of course if you should throw something away. He fills our home with much laughter. He likes to make people laugh! My heart is a little saddened when I think of him growing up and one day moving on. There is something about mothers and sons. Some of the things I love about him are:

1. Sweet smile



2. Creativeness and ability to create something out of nothing (literally)



3. Giftedness in math



4. Love of life



5. His hugs and yes his kisses



6. Cuddling in bed with him at night or early in the morning

These are just a few of the reasons why I love this little guy, but most of all because God created him for our family. He is a perfect fit for us! Happy Birthday Nathan - you are growing into a handsome young man. We love you!

Our beautiful girl!

The future Michael Phelps...

He may never win any gold medals - but he sure is cute!

Answer to prayer

The Lord is so good! I received a call today from my brother to say he had been questioning whether or not he was saved. He today went to talk with the pastor and now knows he is saved. This has been a prayer request of mine for many years. I have prayed that the Lord would show him his need for a Savior and that he would respond. He was in tears, which is defintely not normal for him. Over the past several weeks, we have noticed a softening of this heart. He has been a joy to be around and genuinely wants to be with his family. I am now praying for a man to come alongside him to disciple him. I have sent him many books in the past and he still has them all, but has never read them. One is a booklet by Peter Jeffrey, Seeking God. Please pray for him and that his salvation is genuine and he will allow the Lord to change him. I was crying myself - Praise the Lord!!!

McCain-Palin stickers, etc.

If you would like a McCain-Palin sticker, yard sign, etc. go to Ad Craft in downtown LR to purchase them. The Republican Party didn't send any items to Arkansas because we are swing state. So this place had some printed up and are selling them. The address is 1122 W. Third and the phone is 372-5231. Tim put my sticker on the car last night and I am so proud to have it!

Trying something new...

A friend recently blogged about going to all cash for spending. Tim and I would really like to do this - we know we spend too much on the credit card. Even though we pay it off every month, there is a lot of wasteful spending. So, this month we are trying to make the transition to using mostly cash and tracking our credit card spending better. For groceries, I have been putting a certain amount on a Kroger card and this seems to help with that. Our problem comes with eating out. Our family loves to eat out! I know it isn't all that good for you, but it is a hard habit to break. I like to cook - but haven't been planning as I should. That is my main goal and project is to plan meals and actually have the food on hand to fix them. This is something I know we need to do. More to come...