Last Hours of the Year

As the last hours of the year start winding down, I began to reminisce on how this past year went! We had some ups.. we had some downs.. more downs.. and some more downs.. but I just want to take some time to think about all the ups we had!

January - I got my new camera.. which has lead to so much as far as my photography career goes! Soon after getting my camera I named him Nigel and he has been my best buddy every since! Check out what what we've been up to! http://countrybleuphotography.smugmug.com/

February - We all partied it up at the Blake Shelton concert! And it was so awesome that Sarah got to come with us at last minute! It was absolutely amazing getting to see Blake.. but I think my favorite part of the concert is when Playboys of the Southwestern World came on and Carol's face lit up like nobodies business! We cheered so loud, none of us had our voices afterwards!

March - Me and my family went on a trip to Florida, just ourselves!  We went to Busch Gardens and hung out at the beach.. but my favorite memory and experience was fishing in the bay! We were taken out on a charter and fished for Red Fish! So amazingly fun!

April - In the cool month of April I cut all my hair off.. Looking back on it, it was a good idea. I looked pretty good. But now I am REALLY missing my long hair! And it takes SO long for it to grow out! I really want my long hair back!

July - Wow! Do I have to remind you how awesome it was?? This last July we had a blast at our annual July party! This last year Steve and Tiffany, Jessie, Luke, Bailey , Aunt Gloria and Uncle Carol, Grandma Francy and Grandpa Bob, Aunt Christen and Uncle Carol, Kim and Lexi, Chris and Polly, David and Kelli, Logan, Dawson, Parker, Abbey, Bob and Tami, Sam, and Paidge all got to come up! That's a lot of people right??  Dave and Carol were obviously part of the party too! But I have to say I had an absolute BLAST this last July! We spent one whole day out at the lake, getting tan and hanging out in the water! Then another night we all played cards out by the fire with hot dogs and s'mores! Can't wait for next year!

August - August wasn't to bad of a month! First we went to the Trace Adkins concert outside at the Bay Front! So FUN!! Then we went to convention! Even though out beloved Stutes couldn't be there with us , we had a lot fun! Harris's, Grovers, and Us stayed at the same hotel and went out a few nights! And so much as happened over the past few years that this last years convention really hit home for me. We were all bawling when it was over! AND Tressa got baptized which was an amazing amazing day! Hopefully we won't get to go to another convention in this system! It was August that we also went camping with Evans in Two Harbors! Talk about a good time!

September - In September we went on our annual family trip to Devils Lake! City folk come up and Country Folk go down! We meet in the middle! This last year we had over 40 people show up! Everyone in our family and some extra! It is always so much fun! And this last year we had pretty good weather, even though a lot of people had to leave early and the last day we got rained out! ;)

October - October was a month a couple of us waited for for quite awhile! October is the month when Sarah, Becky, Laural, Mom and I took our trip to Florida! It was pretty much a dream trip! We had a blast pretty much the whole time! Two weeks was a little long. But I would do it all over again and again any day!  And on the 17th of October, I was able to celebrate my 1st year anniversary of my baptism! Woot woot! 1yr down! The rest of my life to go! :)

Wow! We had a lot of fun this year, wouldn't you agree?? See you next year!!

Lynz

Not a Christmas Miracle

Hello there!! So last time we read the blog in a British accents and this time we are going to read this in a Southern Accent! If y'all know Polly,  just think about her! ;)

So this past weekend I went to Rockford with my good ole' cousins Dave and Carol! We set our departure time at 12:00. At about quarter to, I got a text from Carol that the departure time had been moved to one! No surprise right??? I totally love you Carol! So any way we got in the car around 1:30 and headed on down that big ole highway! Now 6 hours is a long time.. but when you have an amazing playlist like Carol and Me do, time flies! Ain't a song we didn't didn't sing!

"You got your hands up, your rocking in my truck. You got the radio on, your singing every song!" ;) Ya still talking in s southern accent??


So after six hours of sangin' every amazing song that came on, we finally get to Rockford! The roads were terrible on our way down! We saw 11 cars in the ditch before we got to Tomah! So we drove slow as gosh darn molasses! When we did arrive to Aunt Gloria and Uncle Carols house however, Aunt Christine and Uncle Gary showed up to say hello. We all sat 'round the living room just talking and in that moment I had an amazing appreciation for the family that I have! It was like I was lookin' at my self sitting in my Aunts living room, just me and my family, having a life that I was completely sure of. It was pretty gosh darn amazing!

I also completed a mission I started two years ago!! Two years ago while around the campfire at Devils Lake, I announced that I was starting a mission to have someone (who seriously knows me) describe me as sweet! I tried my best to be a better person! And it wasn't until Sunday night that my mission completed!! Y'all keep up that southern twang!

Kelli, Carol, and I were sitting at the kitchen table and Carol decided to tell Kelli about the time I thought David was dieing! I accidentally mistook Rheumatoid  for Terminal and I thought he was dieing! So when I younger I had my mom help  me get together a gift bag with western movies, a blanket with his name embroidered on it, and popcorn.. so he could watch movies with his blanket and popcorn! That was years ago, but Carol decided to tell Kelli that night! And at the end of the story Carol said "Isn't she just so sweet!"

I threw my hands up in the air and we all cheered! I had finally done it! Carol, who REALLY knows me, described me as sweet!! She may have been talking about something that I did years ago, but I'll take it! So at 11:45 Christmas night, my mission was fulfilled! No, it wasn't a Christmas miracle.. but it was pretty darn amazing!! :)

Until next time!

Lynz

Crisp Morning

'Ello! I started watching a British tv show.. And that inspired me! This blog is typed completely in a British accent! That's right! So start reading it to your self in a British accent! Now you want to read this blog out loud don't ya? ;)

So this mornin I really didn't want to roll out of bed.. but I did! I had to run out to the garage to fill up the empty dog food container. On my way back in, I realized how beautiful it was outside! It was a bit chilly, but not too cold! Everything was still. The sun made everything glow. It was a perfectly crisp and beautiful morning! It was like everything was just waking up! (snapshot) It was really neat! It almost makes me want to get up early, when its still dark, to watch the sun rise.. wait! Wait, what am I saying?! I don't want that at all! I know the sun is going to rise.. I don't need to watch it! ;)

Are you still talking in a British accent?

So now we come to an end. What have you learned? That I don't do early mornings.. and it is really fun to talk in a British accent! You know you love it! Now y'all can prance around your kitchens speaking with a British accent! Next time we'll be talking like those southern rednecks! :)

Lynz

Confusion

Hello guys!!  I have been listening to this new band! Their called "Kingston". Their super good!  Now everybody knows that I really like Blake Shelton.. His voice is so good.. And these guys are so good that I like them ALMOST as much as Blake! Can you believe that?? Never thought it would happen did ya? Well,  if I like them THAT much they have to be good!! So look them up!  For real!! I have "Dear Someone" set on replay all day long!! :D

AND Dia Frampton just came out with a new CD and the song "I Will" feat. guess who??? That's right! Blake Shelton! Any way, its a super good song, and not just because Blake is in it! Just look it up! Hey, that's a song too! ;)

 I am really confused about everything right now..  Just when you think things are going great, you realize every way you thought things were going was built on an illusion.  Its hard because when everything disappears in the sand, you turn to find solid ground and your not sure where to stand anymore.  Its like almost everything I was sure of, is now a haze. Its hard to believe that life is going good, when the last time I felt that life was going good.. it was just smoke and mirrors.  How do I know when good is actually good?

The ONLY thing I am sure of anymore is Jehovah and his promises. Its crazy how much he is here for us! I swear if it wasn't for him,  I wouldn't of made it through anything! So many times I have felt like its just me and him. He is the only thing I feel I can rely on 110% and he will never let me down.  I just want all of this to be over.. all of this terrible wicked world and its retarded ruler! Satan needs to be put in his place and I can't wait for the day when we all get to say that we made it! That we put up with Satans crap and stayed strong and faithful to Jehovah!

Can you even imagine the amount of stress that will be lifted off our shoulders? Think about all that we WON'T have to worry about! It gets me through each and everyday.. remembering that we're doing it all for Jehovah!

Okay.. so I am done doing any deep thinking! Back to Dia Framptons new song! I have been listening to it on Repeat! Look it up for real! Its such an amazing song! Love all you guys so much!!


Lynz

Red. Yellow. Red. Green.

Don't Kick the Chair

Hey guys! Its been a while since I last checked in! Its been really busy latly! This last week was a tough one for us all. Not only was it the anniversary of Leah.. but it was the anniversary of my dads accident and my moms kidney disease.. so all in all it is the anniversary of when all hell broke loose! So its been tough. But we all got through it and are going to continue to get through it together!

I have also come to some realizations this past week! As many of you know, you know it to Carol.. when the Harris Family first moved in me and my brother had a really hard time with it! (I'll leave it at that) And I always thought it was just because we are two completley different families, which we are.. but what I now realize is that it wasn't the "Harris" Family at all! It was what was happening that was freaking us out.. and we took it out on the Harris Family! Any thought of them moving in was related to a terrible time in our lives! Look at it this way..

A week before they move in.. Dad gets in his accident.
The night they move in..  Leah.
A week after they move in.. my Moms Kidney disease.

So either way you slice it.. it was bad all around and they stepped right in the middle of it all. It was just really bad timing! I mean, there was no way of knowing that any of that was going to happen.. but it was just a really bad time in our lives and then Dave and Carol come into the equation and I just decided to take it all out on them! And I can't even imagine how hard it must have been for them! Coming to a whole new town, barley knowing anyone and then getting thrown into these situations!! :0

But as life is starting to take a whole new turn.. I realize how much I absolutely LOVE Dave and Carol! And Mikayla and Eli! We all need each other! Its what family (Stutes and Grover's included) is for! You guys have helped me get through things so much! So I just wanted to take time to appreciate family and friends and realize that life would mean nothing with out you guys!! I love all you guys, even though we all get crabby and snappy every now and again! LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!

Lynz

Hold Your Breath

Hey guys! Today was surprisingly a very good day! That past couple of weeks I have been pretty depressed, spending an hour or two crying to my self before bed! Like everyone else, I am just fed up with life! But today I had a very progressive day, accomplishing a lot! I got a good amount of school work done, cleaned the stalls in the barn, worked out, did family study/study for Sunday, and played cards! I hope these next few days are as good as today was! :)

So Logan had this project in health class, and we all had to be part of it! So we all sat around the kitchen table and we each had to take turns holding out breath! I guess it was to see how holding your breath affects your body! And not only did we all hold out breath once, but three times! So yes, we all sat around the table tonight and watched each other hold our breath! (snapshot)  What did you do tonight? ;)

Oh and by the way, it is a Pomegranate Orchard! AND there are actual companies that will come and install a pomegranate orchard for you! Who knew!?

Lynz

Bead for Life

Wapendwa Marafiki! (That's Hello Friends in Swahili btw) A few months ago I was at Epcot, while on our amazing trip to Florida, and I got a bracelet! But not just any bracelet! It is a bracelet made of recycled Disney Maps!! They had blue ones, red ones, yellow ones, green ones, orange ones, purple ones, pink ones, black ones, grey ones, white ones and assorted! Mine is a bunch of different colors and has a tiny silver charm on it that says "Bead for Life". (The place that makes the bracelets)  So cool right?? They are SUPER cool!! It was so cool that when we got home, me and mom looked up the website, looking to buy another one! Turns out that all the beads are made by women in Africa!! And all the money goes back to them to help them eat and have homes and feed their kids!! 

So the Bead for Life program has this thing you can do called a Bead Party! They send you a TON of different kinds of necklaces and different kinds of bracelets and earrings and you have a party and people can buy what ever they want and then you send back what ever you don't sell!! Its an awesome idea and the stuff they make is SO amazing!! 

So, getting to the point, we got the box of beads today!! They are soo amazing!! We also got a dvd about how the women in Africa make them and a cd of African Music to play at the party! AND a recipe book of African dishes! (No.. bugs are not part of the ingredients) And there are TONS of different colors of necklaces and tons of different kinds of bracelets! Its is super awesome and I can't wait for everyone to see them!!

Mpaka wakati mwingine marafiki! (Until next time friends!)

Lynz

So completley terrible..

I watched a terrible accident happen right in front of me this morning on my way to meeting.. A car pulled out on 77 and a truck flying down the hwy took off the whole front end of the car, flying up over the curb and into the ditch. The car went from one end of the intersection to the other. He was unconscious.. but had a really bad head injury. It was so terrible. So completely and utterly terrible. . .  I think we all need to go back to horse and buggies!  

I love all you guys!!

Lynz

Pomegranates, Pomegranates, Pomegranates

Hello people! I would like to take a moment and talk about Pomegranates.. Pomegranates and Paradise! A few nights ago I ate my first whole pomegranate! And I also learned a few nights ago that I LOVE pomegranates!! They are such an amazing fruit! Not only are they extremely delicious, but they have such an amazing color and design!! (dork alert) I find it so amazing that Jehovah took the time to create something like that! Its so amazing! So, getting to the point, I have more new plans for paradise!! I would like to take a few thousand years and start a pomegranate plantation! I want to start it from seedlings and grow it into a whole orchard! ( is it orchard? A Pomegranate Orchard?) And all you guys will come out to see me on my Pomegranate Orchard; we will all sit out on the porch over looking the rows of pomegranate trees and it will be relaxing and perfect!! Ahhh! I can't wait! :)

So this morning, I got the honorable privilege of working with Dave, Carol, and Mikayla in service! It wasn't too cold this morning.. in the mid 20's, but we ended up taking a few calls! We stopped at a call of Carols and it went so well! I mean, extraordinarily well! It was so encouraging!! Sometimes it gets hard, when time after time you get uninterested ones! At times I feel like there is no use; no one is interested any way! It took me some time, some attitude adjustment, and a lot of praying to get a better attitude about it! And over the past few months, I have seen such an increase of interest in the ministry! (snapshot) A few sisters in the congregation have started amazing bible studies from those old calls that "just take the magazines"! And I started a study with a lady I have been calling on for almost 5 years now! It just goes to show that the end is really near and Jehovah is drawing people in with so much urgency!! The end is so close and there ARE people out there just waiting for us to call on them! Its so encouraging! So as this cold weather sets in, lets get our long underwear (like us hillbilly folk do)  and our bibles and go preach our butts off! :) Until the next moving moment,

Lynz

Modern Technology

Hello my fellow Homo-sapiens! (Did you know that homo-sapiens is two words?) I must say I am feeling much better than the last time I checked in! And, not that anyone should be surprised, but I did pretty good on my presentation at meeting! ;) Even though, my mom practically pushed me off the stage, my nose started running really bad, I talked 1000 mph and my moms foot got wrapped in the cord on her way off! We were amazing.

So today I am thinking about Modern Technology.. why you ask?

I was sitting on one end of the couch today w/ my laptop, Logan at the other end on his computer, and mom at her computer in the kitchen. We were all with in speaking distance. But as we all sat in silence, a Skype alert popped on my computer, as it did on Logan and Moms. Michael J Stute was online. The silence was soon then broken with the sounds of clicking keyboards! Simultaneously, each of us started talking to Sarah over Skype.
Now the funny thing about it was that each of us was carrying on a completely different conversation! Some stuff may have been important, some stuff maybe have been trivial.. But the thing that got me was, as I was talking to Sarah.. I get an IM from guess who?? My mom! That's right people, my mother.. who is not 10ft away from me!

Now you must be wondering what she must have needed to me know! Something so important that she couldn't just open her mouth and speak words! Here is what I got!

"what ya doing??" (snap shot)

So this is why I am thinking about Modern Technology today.. maybe someday we wont have to talk at all! Maybe we won't have to MOVE at all, we can be lazy haveing no guilt what so ever!! Maybe someday, we will just be able to think about doing something and it will be done..

"I need to do the laundry.." Laundry Done!
"I need to clean the bathroom.." Bathroom Clean!
"I need to take a shower.." Okay.. bad example.. but you get my drift!

So I find it completely crazy that I had a perfectly good conversation with my family today... and didn't have to say a word! :) Until my next Snapshot moment,

Lynz