PRAISE GOD WE ARE ALL AT HOME TOGETHER:)

RODEO DRIVE

CHILLIN AT THE GAZEBO AT OUR HOTEL...ACTUALLY I WAS DOING MY BETH MOORE BIBLE STUDY AT THIS TIME.

THE BEACH NOT FAR FROM MALIBU... JUST OFF THE PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY.

THE BARKETT KIDS

AN ABSOLUTELY AWFUL PICTURE OF GREG AND I :) ON A PIER NEAR SANTA MONICA

We had a great flight home... I think the Valium I took did the trick:) We are ecstatic to be home with the kids... Greg just put sweet baby girl down to bed and I am doing some snuggling on the couch with Jojo and Anna... just where I want to be:) Although is is starting to storm like crazy... the wind is blowing like nuts... That is another fear of mine tornadoes...

Sad story... the little girl who was watching our animals while we were gone just came over a little bit ago... One of the baby rabbits died while we were gone. She fretted about it all week. Not that we don't care about our animals, we do, but really the rabbits are the boys project and sold for meat... We just felt bad that she was worried sick about it all week. Poor girl. We tried to totally set her mind at ease... but I think I may need to take that sweet little girl some cookies or something.

Thank you so much for your prayers for our travel. I great appreciate it! Now we chill for a bit before we repack for trip up north for Greg to marry a former youth girl, well you know not marry her, but perform the ceremony:)

OUR LAST NIGHT IN CALI:)

Oh my heart is a mix of emotions... truly I am all over the place...lots of it in a very good way:)

We had a great Tuesday... We hit our appt. and then ran down to Beverly Hills, Sunset Blvd, Santa Monica Blvd, and Rodeo Drive. We didn't have tons of time, but figured we had to see it while we were here... Who knows if we will ever get out here again? It was really fun to see all of that... Oh my, I totally got a kick out of all of the fancy shops... but it really is totally not me at all:) I am a pretty simple gal:) It was incredibly fun to people watch there.

Then we headed to the coast to drive the Pacific Coast Highway. We drove up to our friends, the Barketts, new home just up the coast. Let me just say, it is beautiful out here. So much more beautiful than I ever thought it would be. The coast was gorgeous, as were the beaches. So the drive was a total delight. And our night with our friends was even better. When you spend a few years with these families living at the seminary together, being neighbors... it is so nice to reconnect.

Yesterday was filled with a very special meeting in the morning... we will see if I ever share anything about that part of the trip... but let me just say... it has me filled with hope and joy...at the same time a little mixed up inside... we will see what the Lord has in store. Ultimately Greg and I are so thankful to have been given the opportunity to come out here and make this trip and experience a reality...I know I am being pretty cryptic... sorry...

So the last 2 days we've been doing a lot of hanging around... It has been great to just totally relax together... We are missing the kids like crazy... are so thankful for our friends who graciously have taken all 5 of them and loved them for us these last few days... We can't wait to see them tomorrow, Lord willing.

You know me, the nervous flyer... I would appreciate your prayers for safe travel tomorrow afternoon... I can't wait to ALL be together again at our home:) I will try to post some pictures once I return home:)

Here safe and sound

G and I arrived here in LA safe and sound last night... man I am not a good flyer! But truly it was a good flight, pretty smooth for the most part.

Can I just say that the weather here is absolutely perfect... It is a delight to be away from the heat and humidity... this northern girl loves beautiful comfortable summer weather... I am not complaining... just saying...

Also I never realized how mountainous it is here... the city just seems to be surrounded... IT IS GORGEOUS... I guess that is why they call it paradise out here right? I love...love...LOVE... the mountains... so that has just added to the beauty of it here.

We have an appt. at around noon and then we are going to try to see a little bit of Beverly Hills and then drive down the coast to our sweet friends from seminary, the Barketts. They just moved here last week. It is totally an added bonus to be able to spend some time with them... Our kids were quite jealous that we are getting to see them...

Well, G and I are going for a walk. It is so weird to be with out the kids... a little hard... but great to spend time with my honey! Thanks so much for your prayers for safe travel... I so appreciate it...

MAN I WILL MISS THESE KIDDOS

WE SURE DO HAVE SOME BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS IN OKLAHOMA:)

Would you please pray for me... I woke up with a butterfly, crazy like stomach... I am a bit fearful of flying... more than a bit, I haven't flown in 12 years... They are expecting storms this evening, some severe...I know it is totally an unrealistic fear and I truly am trying to be as at peace as possible... but at the same time I know your prayers would help:) I know God is in control...This girl is not afraid to ask for prayer when needed... Thank you so much friends!

I am so excited for what the Lord may have in store for us in CA... excited for time with my husband... praying for the Lord's will to be done...

DOES THIS LOOK FAMILIAR??

YEP, THIS WOULD BE MY ELDEST SON TODAY...
THIS WOULD BE MY ELDEST SON, LESS THAN 2 YEARS AGO...

SAME ARM...

DIFFERENT GROWTH PLATE...

INJURED PLAYING THE SAME SPORT, SOCCER...

THAT WOULD MAKE THE SAME SWEET CHILD HAVING THE ONLY 2 BROKEN BONES IN OUR FAMILY... AT LEAST FOR NOW...

MAN, HE HAS CHANGED AND GROWN UP SO MUCH IN ABOUT 19MOS...

MY LOVE FOR HIM DOESN'T CHANGE, JUST GROWS DEEPER... WHAT A GIFT HE IS, EVEN IF HE IS A LITTLE ACCIDENT PRONE:)

THIS MAMA IS HOPING THAT HE CAN STILL BE A BIG HELP TO THE WONDERFUL FAMILY TAKING ALL 5 OF OUR KIDS NEXT WEEK...

I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED ON OUR TRIP:) BUT UNTIL THEM THERE IS MUCH TO BE DONE:) I AM SO THANKFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO OUT THERE... I CAN NOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH JOY IT BRINGS ME:)

BLESSED WEEKEND

I THINK WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF WORLD CUP FEVER HAPPENING HERE AT THE HINTZ HOUSE... THE BOYS VS. DADS ALL WEEKEND...

THE HINTZ AND STOCKTON KIDS HANGING OUT GETTING READY FOR THE FIREWORKS... JUST CHECK OUT THE 2 BLONDIES ON THE LEFT... GOTTA LOVE THE EXPRESSIONS...

ROCKETS OVER RHEMA FIREWORKS

OUR PRECIOUS FRIENDS, CHRIS AND MARY

What a great weekend we had... such an amazing treat to have our sweet friends come to visit us. I have posted about the Stocktons before... we were so excited and and happy that they chose to spend their fourth of July with us.

We had a fun birthday party for Louis and our mutual friend Chris Tiews and the rest of his family on Friday, got to take in Toy Story 3 on Saturday, and enjoyed some great fireworks together as well. The kids had a ball together. Mary and I got to take lots of walks together, visit, and share our hearts with each other. To me it sort of feels like we grew up together as couples... even though we only lived by them for the first 5 years of our marriage, we experienced a lot in those years... they walked through some infertility issues with us and then rejoiced with us over the birth of Louis... It truly is a joy to be with them and their kids...

This past Sunday in church, I was so overcome with Thankfulness... when we went up for communion, I was the first one in line. After we knelt at the railing, I looked down the line. First came the Dinklemans, the friends the Lord moved from Sweden to our city about a year ago. I can not express to you the work of God on that one... he knew what I needed, what we needed as a couple and family, and he has provided so much through them. Then down the line were all of our kids, their kids, the Stockton kids, and then on the end Mary and Chris holding sweet baby girl. I was just overcome with how the Lord has provided. When we moved from Texas... I remember crying many many tears over leaving our precious friends there. But as I looked down the row, I could see right before me, with my very own eyes, the faithfulness of the Lord in sustaining beautiful, loving, supportive, friendships for over 16 years and in Him providing new friends here where we live now... It truly warmed my heart and filled me with joy.

The house is quiet... things will return to normal, if there is any normal:), for this week. And then Greg and I are off to California for a few days... I am a little nervous to be away from the kids, but we are really looking forward to going away together... It has been about 12 years since we got away the 2 of us for a vacation. I am looking forward to the time for many reasons:)

SOMEONE OUGHT TO REMEMBER:)

Yesterday was baby Joel's first birthday in heaven... Actually he probably had been gone for a couple of weeks, but yesterday a year ago was the day he was born... We will see his birth mother and family tomorrow... we are excited about that.

Remembering the precious creation that God made in Joel... remembering his short life...ULTIMATELY REMEMBERING THAT GOD IS IN CONTROL AND MAKES NO MISTAKES! REMEMBERING THAT HE LOVES US DEEPLY NO MATTER HOW WE MAY BE FEELING, HOW BLEAK THINGS MIGHT LOOK AT TIMES, HOW FAR AWAY IT MAY FEEL LIKE HE IS, OR HOW CRAZY OUR CIRCUMSTANCES MIGHT SEEM.

GOD IS GOOD AND FAITHFUL THROUGH IT ALL!