Dinner at Bar D

Last night Brandon and I went to some friends house for a birthday party. The Durhams, long-time family friends of my family, have a horse ranch called The Bar D. A friend of Janis Durham and my mom was celebrating her 60th birthday! Janis smoked a pork tenderloin with mango chutney - deeeelish! And, other ladies brought delicious side dishes to go right a long with the pork!

The men chose to stay out of this picture! =]
I'm the blonde in the red on the left. Beside me is my mom in the white shirt. Janis is in the baby blue-green shirt directly in front of me. Sue, the birthday girl, is the tall woman in the back next to my mom. I don't know the other ladies very well...


Janis wanted Brandon and me to pose for a picture.
Brandon suggested this pose!
(Have I mentioned lately that I am madly in love with this man???)

This is Sue, the birthday girl, with her husband Butch.
They met on the internet! And have only been married for about 5 years. =]
For her birthday he took her to Gatlinburg and back on his Harley, over 300 miles round trip! She said they had a wonderful drive, the weather and mountains were gorgeous. (The redbuds and dogwoods are blooming!! Beeeeautiful!!) The only problem she said she had was that traveling to Gatlinburg on a motorcycle limits the amount of serious shopping one can do, due to the lack of storage space on the return trip!!! =]

Update.

All is well on the Wilhite home-front. We head back up to Warsaw again this coming Saturday for another week. We will be spending time at Monarch observing the goings-on, and getting a feel for how things are run. We will also be attending the Peter Daniels Wealth Seminar, which I believe will be a fire-starter for us, helping us to get back on track and ready for the prosperity and growth God has for us. We will also be looking for housing. I am believing God for a really comfortable home that meets our needs. We have a lead on a home in Columbia City, about 10 to 15 miles East of Warsaw. I am believing God that it will work out... Thank you for your prayers as we journey forward toward prosperity!!

Gatito Fuego

Brandon and I arrived home safely from our trip to Warsaw, IN. I've learned that "home" is wherever our king-sized bed is. Home is wherever our cats are.

Tilly & Mareth missed us. While we were gone for 9 days, my mother came over every other day to see after them. They do just fine while we are gone, but the days that follow our return are filled with MUCH affection from our furry companions. When we first arrive home, Tilly plays coy. It's not until the following morning when we are in bed that she insists on coming in, jumping on the bed and smothering us both with feline affection and purring that plainly says, "Oh, it's sooo good to have you back!!" (I believe there is implied purrs that say, "Don't get me wrong, I like my sister Mareth, but 9 days cooped up with just her, well... she is not much of a conversationalist, and her idea of playing and my idea of playing.... She's such a kitten!!) Mareth-Dale is always extremely affectionate, but when we get back from a long trip, she practically glues herself to one of us, then switches and attaches herself to the other. It's been since Sunday night when we returned, and she is still plastered to my side.

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After our return home on Sunday, we unpacked the car and settled in for the evening. I lit a small candle in the bath room because it makes me feel homey, and the house needed a bit freshening up. I also lit some incense, which I do occasionally. After a few minutes, I asked Brandon, "Do you smell that?" He has an uber sensitive nose, and could smell it if a mouse farted. Seriously. He said, "Yeah, what is that??" It smelled odd. Almost electrical. We got up and started walking through the house. It was coming from the bathroom, but nothing was on fire. It smelled strongest around the candle, so I blew it out. We couldn't figure it out, so we assumed our lounging positions, and resumed watching mindless TV. Then, Mareth jumped on Brandon. She was twitching around. For a split second I did not think anything of it, as sometimes she gets the "zoomies" and bounces all over the place. Then, I noticed her tail, and pointed it out to Brandon. We both jumped up. I grabbed her and took her into the bathroom on the tile floor, and began rubbing her fur with my hand. Singed, melted bits came off in my hand and fell all over the tile. Mareth had been on fire!!! She had jumped up onto the counter where the candle was, made a pass by it, and the left side of her rump and tail caught fire. I don't believe there was any serious flamage, but there was enough heat or weird feeling for her to hop around. We checked her really well. No burnt skin. We checked all around the house and under the beds to make sure that she didn't accidentally use her tail as a torch and set the rest of the house on fire!! So, that smell was burnt kitty fur!! Mareth did not usually jump onto that bathroom counter, but that's what happens when I clean house. There was actually space for her to jump up there!! No more lit bathroom candles. I'm gonna find an electrical warmer for my bathroom!!

(Disclaimer: I have not told my mother about this incident. She has always warned me about candle flames. And to this day, every time I lite a candle, I can hear her cautioning me about an open flame, house fires, death... So, I guess I will find out soon if she reads my blog...)

Forward Toward Prosperity

Winds of Change II

I said something BIG was coming. Well, here it is. (No, I am not pregnant. Nowadays, I seem to have to preface any news, especially big news with the words, "No, I am not pregnant!" ha!)

Brandon and I have accepted teaching and administration positions at Monarch Christian Academy in Warsaw, IN. Yes, we are moving back to Warsaw.

Shocker, huh?

First, I want everyone to know that Kentucky DID work out. When we tell friends that we are headed back to Warsaw, they immediately think that Kentucky did not work. Oh, no... It worked just fine. God has blessed us. I've been a housewife. We have enjoyed a very quiet, peaceful time in Kentucky. It's been soooo wonderful to be so close to my folks, and get to know them as friends... We don't WANT to leave them... We don't want to leave the "warm" Southern winters!!

So, why the move?

We have been praying for specific things for about 2 years. And about 4 of those answers have come all at once in the way of working at MCA and moving back to Warsaw. Brandon and I will be working together, which is a huuuuge deal for me. We could not and probably would not do this if we were not working together... and there are many other things that just seem to fall into place...

We are praying for housing and a smooth move. My prayer is that we can move straight into a house with out having to stay with family for a week or so! We are praying for a 3 to 4 bedroom home that will be comfortable, affordable, and kitty-cat friendly!

We plan to move in June or July sometime... could be sooner or later. For those of you who don't know, Warsaw is about 3 hours South of Chicago, 3 and a half hours from Cincinnati. We are close to Fort Wayne and South Bend (Notre Dame), Indiana.

We believe that this new season in Warsaw will be just that... a new and different season. A season of serious financial growth, family growth (babies!), spiritual growth. It is very exciting. We will be going from a very slow, self-paced schedule, to one that is quite a bit busier in comparison, which is fine. I knew that our reclusive lifestyle would come to an end.

I am very much looking forward to being close to many of our very close friends, and I am especially glad we are going to going to our HOME church. New Life Christian Church and Outreach World is the most amazing church. (click on Monarch Christian Academy for more info.) MCA is located in the basement, and when the church was constructed, the school school was designed into the building.

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers as be begin yet another Wilhite Adventure!!