Our First Week

Here it is Friday night. We arrived in NY one week ago... almost. Well we actually arrived at 2:30 in the morning early early Saturday, after being on the road for about 18 hours!!!. We actually had a very good, safe trip, just long. We were able to see some very pretty country along the way! We actually saw I guess you would say the digression of spring?! Going from full fledged almost summer to eventually buds and a few blooms and fuzzy trees almost ready to come out! I love traveling through VA and PA, some very beautiful country!

Saturday we slept in...some and then started in at work.
This is the cake that the Gorden's daughters made for us. Very cute!

Jim planted this field on Saturday with clover and Timothy Grass. Ben helped and learned.

Learning how to drive!

He dumped a few loads of manure onto my garden plot as well, where I spread it around. Hope to have it plowed up in a few days.

We both have been busy learning the routine of chores around the farm. My favorite is the calves! I like to pet them and feed them their milk. We weaned one this week. My favorite is my namesake, Bethany.
Ben has been learning many of the chores as well, a lot with the horses. He is learning much about them and getting more comfortable with them.
Tuesday we had a surprise, SNOW!!! It spit snow most of the day and became more steady as the day progressed. It continued to snow all night and into Wednesday morning, where we woke up to no electricity. It finally came on in the afternoon. We probably had around 6-8 inches but in Malone, about 20 min away they had 14 inches. Most of it melted by the next morning and has been pretty warm since.

Here is the snowman we made for you Jerrel

We thought about you and how you would like to see it!

Friday we got to see him work on one of the horses foot.

He had lost one of his back shoes so he took the other one off. Being he will be doing farm work and not much blacktop, he is ok to go without back shoes for a while.

They have also been working on getting our apartment ready for us. It is coming along

All is going pretty good. Going to bed early and pretty tired and waking up early and still tired! LOL We both smell like the barn most of the time but we try to clean up every so often! :)
The air is much dryer up here so it seems to dry you out fast. Ben is loving the weather, especially the snow! I can't wait to get things growing! More next week!

South Carolina

We spent Wednesday and Thursday in South Carolina with my parents and Aimee and Matt.
We had a lot of fun and stayed up way to late but it was worth it!
Being my mom's birthday was the following Monday we took her out to eat at the all famous Cracker Barrel.

Ben and Mom having an intense game of checkers

On Thursday both Mom and Pop took off of work and we had a fun day out! We went and saw a neat covered bridge and ate a picnic lunch.

We also celebrated Matt's birthday that evening.

The next morning, Friday, we left for NY!

The last few days in Alabama

In between packing and cleaning we were busy going to friends houses and some going away parties! Saturday evening the church gave us a party. The boys all played a couple games of two-hand-touch football. We had a great time of fellowship. It was such a nice time. We love and miss all of our church family!

The cute gift tree

The cowboy coat gift

Sunday Ben set up the hammock in the front yard and had fun with the nephews

Cheese

making the last rounds through the house

Most of the day Monday was spent packing and cleaning. We picked up the u-haul and went to town.
Tuesday we finished all the loose ends and took off for South Carolina.

The Month Before Moving

The house we toured

We have been busy since our trip up north last month. We have had lots of work to do but lots of fun as well.
A few weeks ago we had a girls night out with some good friends. We all went to the beautiful, historic town of Madison GA. We stayed in a pretty old Bed-N-Breakfast and visited some cute shops. We really had a good time together.

Here is the house we stayed at

One of the pretty bathrooms with the mural

Old Bed we stayed in

The Flowers Ben sent and surprised me with

Out to eat

Two cute little boys playing in the new sandbox Aunt Holly bought for them

Easter Day- The Deviled eggs I made!! ( Little chicks)

Easter Sunday

My Last day teaching Art Class
All my peeps at the Barrel!!
They had a goodbye party for me on Thursday, my last day of work.
We had a good time together! Thanks guys for the gift!

Today we celebrated Ben's Grandma's 80th birthday (Nana). We had a beautiful cake made by family, Karen. She did a beautiful job.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANA! We love you!
Three more days in Alabama. The house is starting to come together and organized. Most of the stuff I am taking is packed. Now I still just have the odds'n ends to do.

New York State

Ok I am back into blogging I believe and have tried to fill in a few details of the past few months. The most recent adventure in our lives was our trip two weeks ago to New York State with a few days in Ohio.
We were gone for about 10 days, Friday-following Sunday. We covered some 2,700 miles in that time period! God was good and the trip went well and we were kept safe.
We spent a few days in the Buffalo area where my family is. We were able to see almost all the family except a few cousins. It was good to see everyone, especially my grandparents.

Grandpa and Grandma O and Aunt Phyllis.
Don't they look great for almost 90!

Grandma and Grandpa Harms

All the Harms side went out to eat at Red Robin! It was fun.
Here is my Uncle Ronny, Eric and Aunt Diane and Grandma (looks like my dad's brother huh?)

Dave and Aunt Sandy and Ashleigh

Aunt Janet, Jason, Jessica, and Uncle Jeff

To break up the trip a little ( NY state is kinda far from AL if you don't know your geography) We stopped in Cincinnati. We spent a few days there on the way back with my brother Steve and his wife Korin, my other brother Tim in college, as well as one our best friends Mary and Jon. (oh don't forget baby Liam!)

Cool Dude

We had a lot of fun on the Wii. Ask Steve about tall people, ceilings and playing bowling on the Wii!!!!!!! LOL

Always a lot of fun playing frisbee golf!

One of the main reasons we went was to visit a farm in Northern NY that we were prayerfully considering doing an apprenticeship at. We stayed for almost 4 days with the Gordon family and loved it. We have felt God leading us to a change for a while now but we weren't sure where. Doors opened up and God answered a lot of prayers for this to work out. Now it is happening!! We will be moving temporarily to a little town in upstate New York near the town of Malone, near the home of Almanzo Wilder in about 3 weeks!! The farm does most of their work with horses, which Ben wants to learn, as well as logging with them. They also have a small dairy herd and sawmill. It will be a change, an adventure and a new path down the road called life. Sometimes you never know what God will put around the bend.The pictures will tell you more

Where their milk goes to

Trying my photo taking skills! LOL

Feeding a calf

Ben feeding the cows

The beautiful horses. Ben got to drive them for a bit.

My birthday

Ben was very sweet and with some help, arranged a surprise birthday party for me after church. He was able to pull it off without me even realizing it which is hard to do. I usually always figure stuff out with-out meaning to. We had a cook-out and a very yummy cake. I didn't have my camera so no pics, sorry.

Snowy winter

I have prayed for snow every winter I have been down here and have even asked the kids when I taught to pray for it...you know snow days!!!! It never came..well...last march it snowed once.
I guess the prayers were all answered in one year because we had quite a bit of snow days, or at least snow flakes in the air this winter. It was pretty cold too. I guess the global warming moved off.

Florida

Early February found us traveling with 10 people to Florida! We went to Hobe Sound Bible College for their 50th anniversary. (the college Ben attended)

We were also able to to see the ocean, despite the man-of-wars the first day! Even though it was Florida, it was chilly part of the time. Ben was able to reconnect with old friends .

We both had a great time, even if the air mattress goes flat at 2am.
Making Memories!

A little fun on the way down at a chick-fila

The alumni mass choir

Ben and Patrick enjoying the waves

Milestones

Ben reached the first of many big mile stones in December. Late in January we threw him a party. It was a great time with friends and family

Ben modeling one of his gifts, a portable potty! LOL

One cute helper

A big man pizza!! 52 slices

The Farm cake I made him! It turned out very well!