A-Team's Adventures

2010-01-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

My Sunday School Class had a great lesson today. We were talking about Solomon finishing the temple and having everything moved in. After it was done, the priests, Levites, and people all played instruments, trumpets, sang "For the Lord is good. His mercy endures forever." Then a cloud came into the temple, all became silent, and the presence of God filled the place and His glory shone. WOW! Do you realize that when we come before the Lord to worship Him sincerely, with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind, that the same thing happens. The Presence of God fills us and His glory shines out for all to see. How often do I sing praise songs, hymns, and such just because everyone else is doing it. If I don't mean it from the depths of my soul then God gets nothing-no glory, no praise, and no love shown. BUT, if I am truly sincere in my love, adoration, and worship of the Lord......untold blessings to myself and others. I won't have to tell anyone. They will know!

Precious! Thank You Lord, for all Your mercies, and Your love for us which allows us to show You our adoration and worship of You.

2009-09-29T21:33:00.001-07:00

Well, for Pete's sake! Hey, does anybody know who Pete is??? lol I get fussed at for not posting in a long time and when I do, nobody notices. Oh well....I guess I'll just post anyway.

School is progressing. Ashley is taking a welding course this year. She loves it!!!! And she's good at it!!! I guess some of the mechanical talent from her daddy rubbed off. He says if she keeps it up she'll be a better welder than he is. lol She graduates this May and is looking forward to a little bit of freedom from school. We'll see how this all goes.

Arianna is in 10th grade and is struggling with English. She is very much like her father and has dyslexia just like him. The apple didn't fall far from the tree. And yet she LOVES to read and reads constantly. I have to keep an eye out for here because she keeps disappearing on me to sneak off and read some more. LOL At least they are Christian books.

Allison is our crafter. She loves to sew and make things. Of course, she's best at making messes. Now to just teach her to clean them up automatically without having to be told. Oh me! She's in the 7th grade and is enjoying just about all her classes.

Art's new job is a challenge for him. Due to his dyslexia he has never attempted any job where he has to work on the computer. Thank God for spell check/grammar checks. That makes it possible for someone with any reading/language disability to function in our world today. So, he's learning to use the computer. It's about time!!!! He sends emails, albeit short ones, as needed. I keep telling him he's moving up in the world.

I am doing well. My health is stable for now. I am thankful for God's continuing mercies. Mobility is still a treasure I don't take for granted, as I'm sure there is a day coming when it will be seriously hampered. Hopefully it will be later rather than sooner.

Thanks for checking in at my blog. Feel free to drop me a line. If you drop your email, and I know you, I will write back.
Love,
Angela

2009-09-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

This is my precious Grandbaby, Braeden, at 10 1/2 months. Isn't he a cutie!!!

2009-08-25T22:23:00.001-07:00

Well, the month is passing all too quickly. Art is enjoying his new job. He's learning all about the computer. He's always left that up to me, so this is definitely a little out of his comfort zone. However, he can do anything, so I'm sure in no time the computer will be just another mechanical process in his mind and it will be a cinch for him. That's the way it always is. I'm better at something because he never did it before. He studies it, sees it as a mechanical process and then he's better at it that I could ever be. Makes me mad as a hornet, and yet I'm proud of him anyway. lol It's wonderful to be able to be proud of your husband.

Well, Arianna survived the chicken pox. I think Ashley may have them now. She has several spots, but as yet they don't have the blistery looking place on them. We're watching her.

School is in session. I am still short some of the curriculum, especially for Arianna. I ordered it the first week of July, but due to some staff being out of state for a few weeks and other things it has been delayed. So we have been

waiting for over 3 weeks. Hopefully it will come in soon. They are doing what they have so far. Ashley is loving her welding class. She seems to have a real knack for it. Art said she welds better than he does. That's saying something coming from him.

Adam is interested in taking lost of free college courses. He wants to try and get some education during the next three years. I'm proud of him. He hasn't given up on learning. Our grandbaby is growing by leaps and bounds. He will be one before we know it. This whole year has passed so quickly that sometimes I feel like I am passing myself going out the door while I am coming in. But that's life, isn't it.

I think that's all the "new" news in the Roberts household. I'll try to update more later.

2009-08-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

Good Grief! I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted anything. Our summer is moving along. Art's parents are up to visit. They have been here about 2 weeks and will be here another week. His sister, Rebekah was here also with her fiance Keith. They left a week ago headed for home. Bec's two youngest boys, Alex (16) and Zachary (13) are here as well and are going home with Art's parents. We have had a great visit.

It's almost time for school to start. I love this time of year. I love to buy school supplies!!!!! I haven't done that this year. Money is tight for now. Art just started a new job and it will be a time before we get caught up on everything. But I had tons of pencils, paper and notebooks left over from last year. I have put in the order for their text books but they aren't in yet. I have Allison's year of work half way done. She does well with it all spelled out for her. I have a couple of Ashley's classes done. Arianna will be the last one to have her assignments all done as it's mostly her books that aren't in. Pray that they come. Ashley will graduate this coming May. Yippee! Arianna is going into the 10th grade and Allison is in the 7th.

Adam is doing well. My parents just bought him a car so that he had wheels to get back and forth to work. He is so thrilled. His son, Braeden is just adorable. I still haven't seen him in person. Arianna and I hope to fly out before too long for a long visit between Adam and his family and my parents.

Well, that's all for now. Oh yeah, we had 7 gorgeous puppies. We have sold all of them. It's a sad day when the last one leaves and yet a glad day (no more piddle puddles or presents left for us to clean). We enjoyed them while we had them.

We hope your summer is going well. Know that you're thought of and prayed for.
Angela

2009-03-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

Well, as I sit here, thinking about what to write, I'm not sure what to say. lol I guess I'll start by telling you that we have had some bad news about one of our "boys". Art and I love kids and enjoy working with them. Occasionally we meet one who needs a parent(s) and we are able to fill in the gap. There have been three particular boys that have become our own children, even though we never adopted them or gave birth to them. Mark, you have already seen on my blog. He and my daughter-in-law, Cindy have two beautiful children and are doing very well. Chris I haven't heard from in a while. Last I heard things were not going well. David--well, David committed suicide this weekend. To our knowledge no one knows why he did this. Many things contributed to it, I'm sure. His only son died last year of SIDS. Both his parents died many years ago, which is where Art and I came into the picture. His mother committed suicide as well. His relationship must have been broken in the recent past. Many facts, adding together to create this tragic moment in eternity. David had made a profession of salvation years ago. For this I am thankful. As for Art and I, we are heartbroken to think that he is no longer a part of our lives, even though he hadn't contacted us much since we came to Alaska. It grieves me, as a mother, to think he came down to those last moments and saw no hope for the future. Where did he lose sight of his HOPE? Only God knows that. But the challenge for me is to live my life so sold out for Christ, that the Hope within me just radiates out so that others can see it, like the light at the end of the tunnel, the light from a lighthouse directing ships home. You get the picture. I cannot allow this tragic moment to pass without meaning. Something good must come out of this. I praise the Lord for His upholding hand and grace. I thank Him for allowing David to be a part of our family and our lives for the past 11 years. I love my kids dearly, and he was one of them. Please pray for his brother, Jonathan. I haven't gotten to talk to him yet to see how he's doing. David's grandparents also need prayer. His grandmother had just gotten home from the hospital the day before as she had had a stroke. He was at their house when it happened. Many hurts needing healing. Many souls needing the light of God in their lives. And many opportunities for those of us with a hope to let our light so shine before men.

This little light of mine. I'm going to let it shine.
This little light of mine. I'm going to let it shine.
Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine!!

Let it shine till JESUS comes. I'm going to let it shine.
Let it shine till Jesus comes. I'm going ot let it shine.
Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine!!

Praise the Lord.
Angela

Good Morning, Everyone!!!

2009-02-23T11:19:00.000-08:00

Good Morning! It's a BEAUTIFUL day in Alaska today. The sun is shining brightly. That's a nice change from the gray skies we have a lot during the winter. We are gaining more daylight each day, about 5-6 minutes daily. Doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up quickly. Won't be long and we'll have mostly daylight again. We have had several little snows lately. Not enough to make things deep, but just enough to cover the dirty snow with fresh white snow. 8) Makes things beautiful again.

Art went to a men's retreat this past weekend. He was really blessed. I'm anxious to see him and hear all about what he heard. Ashley went with him, and no, it wasn't to find herself a man. lol She went to keep the camp director's seven children. Yes, seven and number 8 is on the way. There are 4 girls and 3 boys ages 1-11?. I'm not sure about the oldest girl. Their names are Cheyenne, Dakota, Sierra, Montana, Sequoia, Larado, and Savannah. If things go as normal this next one should be a boy. Ashley had a wonderful time getting to know the kids better. They are the most well disciplined children we have ever seen. And yes, Ashley learned that a house with that many people can be kept clean, organized, and well run. lol Best lesson she could ever learn. She's a great babysitter. I'm glad she has all the opportunities she has had this year. She loves kids and is always excited to watch them.

Arianna and Allison are sitting at the table doing school work. Why is sitting at the table and being nice while doing schoolwork so difficult for some people??? Wait until they have kids of their own. I'm going to be sitting back and enjoying the squabbles and phone calls I get when their own kids just can't seem to get along. I'll try to refrain from the "I Told You So's". 8)

Well, that's about all for now. Take care and have a wonderful day.

2009-02-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

Here's another old pic of the family. This one would be around early 1998. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

2009-02-06T00:05:00.000-08:00

Good evening! It's been a long day and I am headed to bed shortly. I just wanted to share an OLD pic of the Roberts Clan. This was taken when Allison was one so that would make it late 1997.

2009-02-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

Here's the most recent pics of Braeden that I have. I can't wait to actually see him in person. Hopefully it won't be too long.

2009-02-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

It's 7:56am and it's as dark as midnight outside. LOL Our days are getting longer, but it still doesn't get daylight until around 9am or later. Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny day. Those are rare. It's getting colder. We went from 50 degrees to 4 degrees. We've had a 80 degree change over the past month. The temp was -30, jumped to 30 above then to 50. Now we're back down to 4 degrees. Hard to keep up somedays.

I've been asked how we live in this cold weather. It's called layer dressing. You dress for the weather and it isn't so bad. On cold days I wear a tank top, a long sleeve shirt, a sweat shirt, flannel pants, jeans, and two pairs of socks. As it warms up, you just take off one piece at a time until you're comfortable again, keeping them handy to put back on as it gets colder again. At home I often just wear the tank top or short sleeve shirt and the jeans. We almost always wear slippers. My biggest aggravation is boots. I really don't like wearing big, klunky boots, but they are a necessity up here. Then, when you get where you're going, you change to regular shoes. That's a pain. I just keep a pair of shoes at church so that I can just change and not have to carry a spare pair every time I go. LOL And you never wear shoes in people's houses. You leave your shoes by the door. Ugh! Nothing like walking around in socks in someone else's house. You just hope your socks look clean. lol My daughter, Ashley, says someday she hopes to have enough money to wear a new pair of socks every day. She loves new socks. So, if anyone ever wants to give her a gift, you don't need to ask what she would like. New socks, and the champion brand are her favorites. LOL I don't expect you to send her any. I just threw that in for fun.

Well, it's a new week, a new opportunity to bring God glory. I have literally TONS to accomplish this week, and that's just for my family. Pray I can be motivated to get the job done. Flylady is going to be doing overtime for me this week. Now just to follow her like I should.

Hope each of you has a wonderful week. I'll post some new pics of Braeden later.

Love you!
Ange

2009-01-26T12:36:00.000-08:00

Good Morning, World! It's a lovely day in Alaska. I hope it's a lovely day wherever you are. I am finally feeling like I might live. LOL My cold is getting better. Art made me take garlic cloves 2-3 times a day. Yuck! I never realized garlic was so spicy hot. And I DON'T like it by itself. lol Oh well, it does help, and is better than going to the doctor and having to buy antibiotics.

Pray for Art's business. They are making money but this month is going to be tight. Many people are having financial problems and have to fit in paying the bill to the guys for the work they have done. Otherwise the business is going well. They have lots of work, but they need time to create the inventions they are working on. They are so busy making heating repairs to pay the bills that they don't have time for creating.

The girls are doing well. It's exciting to see them grow into lovely ladies for the Lord.

I guess that's all for today. Hope it's filled with blessings from the Lord for all.
ange

2009-01-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

More pics of my grandbaby. He's a keeper.

2009-01-24T02:29:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more pics. There's one of Braeden smiling. One of Adam, Christina, and Braeden. One of my other "son". He's not our birth son but the son of our hearts, Mark-his wife Cindy, and their children Callie and Brock. There are a few others as well. Hope you enjoy them.
Love you!
Ange

I'm baaaaccccccckkkkkkkkk!!!!!

2009-01-24T02:12:00.000-08:00

Good Heavens! I'm way behind on the blog stuff. Hello everyone. Long time no write! Sorry for that. I just get busy and truthfully--forget. The old gray mare ain't what she used to be.

My grandbaby arrived on election day. He is doing beautifully. I'm so proud of him. He is starting to smile and is absolutely precious. But then, you can see that for yourself. We feel so blessed. Our daughter-in-law, Christina, is back at work and adjusting to taking Braeden to daycare. Christina works in the medical division of the Air Force Base where they are stationed. Adam is still working in the nuclear division and is making a name for himself as senior airman. We are proud of him.

The girls are continuing in homeschool. Like last year we find ourselves a little behind and running to catch up. Praise the Lord for the school we are registered through who has been such a wonderful support for us. Arianna dislocated her knee on December 22, 2008. Needless to say, that made for an interesting Christmas for us. God blessed us with a good Christmas and we were all healthy and together. What better gift could we have asked for.

My mother has retired. After many year in the banking system she is now able to stay at home again. I'm sure that after she gets caught up on all her housework she will need to find a new hobby. LOL You all probably know about having to do that. I know my daddy is thrilled to have her at home with him.

Art has started his new business with a fellow christian. They are called Intelligent Design, LLC. They make machinery to fit the needs of companies. At present they are doing lots of heat repairs and installations. Tis the season. That is keeping food on the table and bills paid. They desire to serve the Lord with their business and the profits that are made. Pray for them as they work hard to build this company and bring God much glory in the process.

I think that's about all that's new. We wish each of you a wonderful 2009. May God bless you and make Himself known to each of you in a new way every day.

well, well, well...............

2008-09-10T00:26:00.000-07:00

It's been way too long since I've posted on my blog. For all you who have tried to keep up with us, I'm sorry. It's been quite the year.

Alaska is still the land of our dreams. We love the sites God shows us everyday when we arise. Yes, our Govenor, Sarah Palin, is the new presidential running mate of McCain. What a smart move on his part to choose her. She's awesome! I've had so many of you write me and ask what Alaskan's think of her running with McCain. As a whole, we're thrilled, although you have your diehard democrats who, while they might admire her, are "horrified" that she's running. LOL Probably because they know how good a job she will do.

All three of our girls are homeschooling this year. Ashley, after two rough years, is finally a junior and should graduate in 2010. Yeah! Arianna is a freshman, and Allison a 6th grader. They are growing very fast. The empty nest looms closer and closer. Adam is married now. He and Christina are expecting our first grandchild in November. Braeden Jeffrey Roberts is due to arrive around November 25th, 2008. We are excited to see this precious new addition to our family.

Take care and know that we love each and every one of you. I'll try to update more faithfully.
Love,
Angela

I was wrong

2007-11-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I was wrong. The snow melted. I can't believe it. It warmed up enough that even some of the mountains are losing their snow. But it's coming. I won't predict it again, however. LOL

I've attached a lot of pics of Alaska scenery. Some of them look like a forest fire. There is no fire, just the deep pink/orange of a sunset. Hope you enjoy them.

Art was working across the street at a house and this moose was right near him. I just love the pic. And this is a typical scene with the moose in the city of Anchorage. They aren't afraid, so they go wherever they want, which is often right in the middle of town in a development, eating people's fruit trees, etc.... LOL

This moose was in the middle of the road I was travelling on. She didn't want to move until she was ready. I think we sat there for at least 10 minutes, just watching her. I loved it. The girls were bored. LOL

I never get tired of sunrises and sunsets here. They are so beautiful. The following are sunsets. Sunrises are below them.

The following are sunrises.

This is a place I like to go to think. It has many different looks--tide in, tide out, ice 4+ feet thick, ice breaking up. I love it. The mountains beyond it are so gorgeous when the sun is coming up.

The following four pics are the sight Art saw when he went to help a friend hunting. This is the top of the mountain looking from North, South, East, and West.

.

The snow is here, the snow is here!!!

2007-10-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

Yeah! We have 4 inches. It doesn't usually come until around November 1st. So, this is a little early. And it isn't going to go away. The first snows usually melt away before they actually start sticking. Not this one. And I don't have my studded tires on yet. Ugh! Guess what Art gets to do this weekend......LOL You have to have studded tires here. We'll have them until April or May. I'm getting good at turning into a skid. rofl. I've seen people fishtailing all week long when they hit slick spots. Quite entertaining--almost. Thank the Lord for His care. I wish I had my camera so I could post pics. I hope to have a new one by christmas so that I can post new pics.

Hope each of you have a great day.

New things to learn

2007-10-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

Have you ever studied to teach a lesson to a group of kids only to find out you had more to learn. This past week I taught a lesson on God's holiness and the 10 commandments. The illustration they gave was of three crosses, one for Christ, and two for the thieves. Each cross had a card under it. Christ's said "HOLY". The two thieves cards said "guilty". When the one thief told Christ to remember him when He came into the kindgom and Christ told him that "today you will be with ME in paradise..." the thief's sins were washed away. The guilty card under his cross moved under Christ's cross and the card that said "HOLY" moved under the thief's cross. WOW! What an awesome illustration, and what a gift. As if His dying for my sin wasn't enough He gave me His holiness. In my imperfect state, as sinful as I am, God sees me as holy through His Son. I've known this, but this particular illustration really hit home with me. The reality of it has rung in my heart all week. Because of His holiness being given to me, I'm holy. Makes me want to do everything I can to live as holy a life as I can.

All is well here in Alaska. The snow is about 1/2 way down the mountain still. The flurries cover the rest, but the contrast of evergreens, "falling" leaves, and snow is absolutely lovely.

Art is continuing to work hard. He is gone from home over 13 hours a day. He stays pretty tired. But he still likes what he does.

The girls school is going well. Their first semester classes end this week. I'll try to get some pics and possibly a video of Ashley's rocket from her rocketry class and Ari's mural section from her mural painting class. Allison is doing well in school. She likes having other kids around, but sometimes it's a burden as well. Some of her friends are going to church with us on Wednesdays for Kids4Truth and seem to be enjoying themselves.

Adam is well, and is liking what he does in the military, although he doesn't like the power play that goes on. Please keep him in your prayers. He needs to feel the presence of the Lord in his life at present.

My health is going fairly well. It looks like I'm going to have to have some dental work done, as I've developed a toothache in an old cavity. Yuck! My MS is fairly stable, although the numbness seems to deepen at times and moves from place to place. Weird! Aggravating! But nothing that can't be lived with. Definitely better than a toothache! LOL

Know that we love each of you and pray for you as God brings you to mind. I'm praying for several young people at present who shall remain nameless. Please keep the kids I've worked with in the past in your prayers. Some of them definitely need the Lord.

Love,
Angela

Greetings

2007-10-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

Hello, Everyone! I actually have some time to myself today. I started to say quiet time, but my dog, Emma, is barking continuously because she's kennelled. We are trying to breed her with my friend Heather's papered lab so that we can have puppies to sell right after Christmas. Emma hates being kooped up.

Not much out of the ordinary is happening these days. Just the same old stuff basically. Oh yeah, except this. We went to a birthday party for Heather's son, Jacob, on Saturday. We went early to take Emma, our dog, to meet their dog. Upon pulling into the driveway we saw their neighbor woman pointing her finger vigorously at Heather's husband, Lee. She was also gesturing with her other hand in which she was holding something. It was a stainless Steel 45 magnum. She was waving it around and telling Lee she was going to kill him, his children, and his dogs. She is a crazy woman. All this because their dog, Kodiak (the boy dog), got loose and ran two feet into her yard before Lee got him to heel. The neighbor went berserk. When we pulled in the driveway and saw what was going on, Art made the girls and I stay in the car. Lee just walked away from her and went into the house. She stayed where she was for a minute, walked away, stopped and stared at Art because he was watching her until she got in the house to see what she was going to do. The police were called, and low and behold, there is nothing they could do (so they say). She has the right to bear arms on her own property. (Yeah right-maybe true, but not like that). Her husband is a retired state trooper, and she's a federal security officer at the airport(Does this seem to speak louder than words to you). When Lee called yesterday to request a copy of the police report he was told there was no report, and not to call that particular officer back again. Does something sound fishy, or what. Needless to say, Lee, Heather, and the boys are somewhat afraid to go outside because of this crazy woman, who is getting off scott free after threatening their lives. I tell you this because God is working in my heart. I need to pray God's blessings on this deceived, selfish woman. If God blesses her with Himself, then it will rain down on her neighborhood. I have to admit that I'm finding praying for her (other than for God to "fix" her) somewhat difficult. And yet, it's what we are commanded to do. Please pray for Lee and Heather(and my attitude). They are having a harder time with this than I am because it was their lives that were threatened. I will ask you this question. In which circumstance would you feel safer? Knowing that you lived next to a registered sex offender, or next to an unstable federal officer? I don't want to live next to either, but I think I would feel somewhat safer with the sex offender. At least I would know to watch my back and be on my guard. This was totally unexpected, and frightening. Beware, folks. The devil is alive and well, and is using people's selfishness and wiles to trip us and make us stumble. Sorry if this seems depressing. I just needed to get it off my chest. Thanks for "listening". Pray for the District Attorney. He is supposed to be investigating the situation to see if he can find any foul play on the part of the troopers. Hopefully he'll be more just than the others.

Love to everyone,
Angela

Long time no blog. lol

2007-09-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone. Just a quick note to let you know I'm still in the land of the living. Things have been very busy getting the girls started in school, taking them to their extra curricular sessions at the school, getting Art to work, and everything that we do around here.

Things are going fairly well. We are just about caught up on bills from where Art was out of work. PTL. God has been good. He's given Art extra work right when we need it.

We have been able to put away some halibut and salmon for winter. We've also been given some moose to supplement the freezer. LOL I actually ate bear the other day. It's not my favorite meat, but I definitely wouldn't starve if that was all I had. I like moose much better. I haven't had the nerve to eat moose hotdogs yet. The thought just makes me kind of ill. If you haven't read my cousin's blog lately check out her one on the salami. Makes you think (and change your mind about processed meats). We're having Salmon tonight with green beans, carrots, and corn bread. Yum! Can't wait.

Well, write when you can. Oh yeah, the following site is giving away a pink dyson vacuum cleaner. Just leave a comment and link to their site. http://www.5minutesformoms.com

Late night blogging

2007-08-14T00:08:00.000-07:00

Hi, Everybody. I can see that I've overwhelmed everyone with the volume of photos I've posted. Sorry about that. I just happened to get them all at the same time. If I put it off then ......two years, no 10 years later I MAY get around to them.

I am a disorganized housewife. Did you know that? If you didn't, you do now. I can organize anything, but keeping it that way is almost impossible for me. So....back to Flylady I go, along with my 3 girls, who are worse than I am. At least I CAN organize when I want to or need to. Please pray for us that this will work to help us become more like the "women/girls" God wants us to be. If you aren't familiar with Flylady you can check out her website from my blog.

My inlaws are leaving tomorrow. They have been here one month. Art was able to complete some projects on their camper so that they have a more effecient and pleasant drive on the way home. Our nephew, Alex, is getting homesick. He told me today he's ready to get home. Pray for safe travels for the Roberts and Alex over the next 10 days.

There's nothing new to tell. Nothing has changed, and not much is going on. I'll keep you all updated.

Love to you all, and goodnight,
Angela

PS IT WAS 83 HERE TODAY. ugh!!!! YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE HOW HOT THAT IS HERE. NO ONE HAS AIR CONDITIONING. JUST FANS. IT WAS A MISERABLE AFTERNOON IN THE HOUSE. WE ALL WENT OUTSIDE. LOL

Catching up

2007-08-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

Good Morning. Now that I've rested I felt like writing a little bit this morning. It's been a long week. The girls are registered in school. The kids went to the zoo this week with my inlaws. Obviously it's a small zoo compared to the lower 48 zoos. lol Some are fishing for salmon today. Mom Roberts is hoping to get one each of silver and red salmon. Both are good eating.

I am posting the pictures I've been promising this week. Check yesterday's post for the pics of Allison's birthday. Hope you all enjoy!!!

This is our Walmart. It's a regular Walmart, under construction to become Alaska's FIRST super Walmart. Several buildings here have the design of an old time mainstreet feel, with the different shops connected and the boardwalk. It's a nice touch from the regular Walmart's you see.

These pictures are of the mountains on our drive from our house to Walmart. Nice View, huh!

The following pictures are of our church. It's just a small, independent Baptist church just outside the city of Wasilla. We enjoy it.

The following pictures are the views of the mountains when you reach the bottom of our developement. This is what I look at every day!

Allison's birthday pictures

2007-08-10T21:06:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone! Here are the pics we took of Allison on her birthday. She had a great day. I'll post more pics of my area of Alaska tomorrow. Check back in the evening.

Love you all!

Since we didn't officially have her party yet we just made a huge brownie and decorated it. We plan to have a sleep over next week. Pray for me. LOL

Here she is on the climbing rock. She was just about too big to do this anymore. LOL sniff, sniff

This activity was a board with a drawing of a bridge on it. You put the numbered blocks where they fit. Then, you took a small board that was hinged, lifted it up to touch the blocks, and started lifting the board where the blocks were laying. By lifting carefully she caused the blocks to settle and then removed the large board with the drawing, and she had made a bridge. It was cool.

This machine was interesting. You pulled something which caused a flow of air to shoot out at a specific place. There was crepe paper hanging down, and wherever you pointed the machine the air would shoot those particular papers.

Allison had a great time trying to make Big, long bubbles. It was fun watching. I even wanted to get in there, but there were just too many kids.

Allison in the bubble pad. She could only get the bubble to rise up to her knees before it would pop. LOL She tried.

Allison in the Bug Eye Viewer

My Home

2007-08-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, folks! It's been a long day, and I'm tired, but I did want to share my pics of my home and some of Hatcher's Pass with you. Hope you enjoy. Love to you all!

This is my home at the beginning of May. See the snow still near the front of the house? Art had knocked the snow off the roof and that was what was left of the snow for the winter. It was mid-may before it was all gone. lol It's a good thing I like snow and cold weather.

This is my home. It's small, sweet, and to the point, and I love it! I hate the color of the outside, but I don't look at that all day, and someday I will change it. But I love my home.

My dream home. LOL I already have my prince so I'll just have to sing...."someday my dreamhouse will come..."

Hatcher's Pass

Another pic of Hatcher's Pass

Hatcher's Pass. This is mid-April. See how much snow was still on the mountain?

Hatcher's Pass. Look at the blue sky and the blue mountains. Isn't it awesome!

These are the children at church during children's church this past sunday. Our topic was God Is Holy. As a fun thing I had them spell out holy. Using your imagination, I think you might be able to see it. LOL Aren't they cute?

This is our home.

This is our home. Art it adding more cabinets to the kitchen so the big square thing leaning against the front is the piece of granite that is going to be my desk top. It was too heavy for Ashley and I to move to take the picture.

Allison

2007-08-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

Well, Saturday was Allison's 11th birthday. She's almost a teenager. That means that I will have 3 teenagers in my home in two years. HELP!!! She had a great day. We weren't able to go to Hatcher's Pass because of the rain, again!!!! So, we had a hard time coming up with something they would all be able to do. We finally found a science type museum for kids in anchorage called THE IMAGINARIUM. It was fun. I got some great pictures of her, which I can't seem to download at present because the disk is formatted different. I guess I'll have to have them put on regular disk so that I can publish some of them on here. Anyway, I got pics of her playing in the bubbles, and with all the other activities. I'll post them when I can.

Adam turns 20 at the end of the month. Hard to believe I have a twenty year old. Harder still to think that our first son, Andrew, would be 22 this Christmas. Ouch! I'm getting old.

I was able to play the piano at church yesterday. I have been so out of practice that playing has been somewhat embarrassing to me. I'm finally getting back into the swing of things, and played an offeratory in a way that I haven't been able to play in years. (At our last church everyone talked during the offering and it bugged me to death. To have practiced so much all week to play for them, and then they talked! I gave up the specials and just played hymns from the hymnal. Worked for them and it didn't hurt my feelings when they chatted. Lol) Anyway, it made me cry because God had been so good to be my fingers during the special. He is so amazing! Even when we aren't faithful like we should be. So, I'm getting ready to start practicing everyday again. I haven't done that in years. Should be good for me.

Well, that's all for now. Oh yeah, my mom and dad celebrated their 46th anniversary yesterday. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MOM AND DAD!!! And mom celebrated her birthday on Wednesday. I'm fortunate to have had them all these years and pray for many years yet to come.

Love to each of you. Hope this week is a blessing to all!

Angela

just another post

2007-08-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

this is Art's parents, Garth and Margaret Roberts at their 50th wedding anniversary celebration.

This is my Mom and Dad, Gene and Marjorie Koger, with my husband Art.

This is Adam at his graduation last year.
Hi. It's a gray, rainy day again. And it's still not really our rainy season. Arianna mowed the front lawn for the first time in her life today. It was a good experience for her. She's really pretty easy to get to help, especially if no one else is at home. She is such a fun person to spend time with. She doesn't like games as much as I do, but she has such a neat personality and has so many blonde moments that she's a joy to be around. LOL Don't tell her I said that.

I have finally found another homeschool group to join. I really like this one, and it offers the same stuff from before but with a much more friendly setting. Ashley has asked us to homeschool her again. I think Art is going to say yes. Part of me is glad, and part of me dreads it. She and I tend to clash quite a bit. She's the kid who when I homeschooled her in kindergarten and told her that "A" said "aah"(short a) she said, "No it doesn't. You don't know what you're talking about." And she's still that way. Pray for us both this year.

Good Morning, again!

2007-08-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hi. It seems that morning is the best time for me to blog. After getting up at 5:30am to get my hubby going and then dropping him off I am back home at 7:00am and everyone is asleep and all is quiet. I love this time of day. The pics above are of my daughter, Ashley, her dog, Roxanne, and Ashley's dog and our nephew-Alex. Hope you enjoy them.

I was listening to Charles Stanley again this morning while driving home from dropping Art off. He was talking about gossipping. He said the number one reason for people gossipping is PRIDE. Go figure! Pride is the number one reason for people doing most everything. Even knowing we are wrong or did something for a specific reason, pride can keep us from admitting the truth or it can allow us to bow up in anger because someone else knows we were wrong. I have an issue with pride. It was good to hear Stanley's message this morning.

Well, I have tons to do today. I'll probably only get a few things completed. I seem to run like molasses these days when it comes to cleaning. My energy is good for about 15 minutes, then I need to rest. I hate that feeling.....of needing to nap. It is a new life partner for me. Oh well, pray that I get at least half of what I NEED to do done.

Love to all,
Ange

More lessons

2007-07-31T11:59:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!
I had to share what I learned today. While I was taking Art to meet his carpool ride this morning I was listening to Charles Stanley. He was talking about Esau giving up his birthright. He stated that Esau lived for the moment and not for eternity. In other words, he was more concerned with the fact that he was hungry at that moment than in making sure he lived and acted in a way that built him up for eternity. The conclusion Mr. Stanley made was that we tend to all live for the moment and give up the opportunity to build up/prepare ourselves for eternity. That is a poor description of what he was talking about, but you can probably hear it for yourself on the internet if you're interested. Anyway, it got to me.

My friend, Sheila, sent me the following email about Math.

From a strictly Mathematical Viewpoint:

What Equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been in situations where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 101%? What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these Questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 1 9 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:

H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

and

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But,

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

AND, look how far the love of God will take you

L- O- V- E-O-F-G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

I loved this. What a fun blessing it was to read this today. Hope it encourages and uplifts you as well.

Love to you all,
Angela

Lessons learned

2007-07-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have "one of those days"? Last night Art and I went to bed around 10:00pm. Art has been exhausted these days. The 13+hours he's away from home are telling on him a little. I keep telling him he's just getting old. LOL

Anyway, the girls finished watching a Feature Family film around 11:00. That's when the "day" began. It had all run smoothly until then. Ashley's bed, which she now shares with Arianna, fell. It's an old bed. My dad's parents bought it for them when they got married about 46 years ago. I think the bed is almost beyond repair. Sniff, sniff. The worst part of this, besides the bed being broken and the girls fighting about it was that the camera I just gave Ashley a few weeks ago, which has been lost for a week, was somehow under the bed when it fell. And you can guess the rest........broken!!! To say I was upset was an understatement. I had taken good care of that camera for over a year and in two weeks of giving it away it was broken. Thank goodness Art came out and saved the day. He gave Ashley the hug she needed, let her cry, and kept me from having to say something good (which I didn't feel) at the moment when I was so upset with her. After sending her to bed I went back to bed and stewed over the situation a little. This morning, I have a little different perspective. How often does God give us "things" because He wants us to have something we want or just gives us a blessing, and we lose it or forget where we put it (theoretically speaking). Then, something happens and we end up having wasted what He gave us. How does He feel? Praise His name, He doesn't quit giving us things and beat us over the head with our mistakes (we do that good enough on our own). He loves us and works us through situations taking care of them for us and teaching us in the process to trust Him more, love Him more, and ask Him to continue to teach us how to be more like Him. So now, how do I use this lesson not only in my life but in my daughter's? By loving her more and teaching her that she can trust me with not only the situations, but with herself more each day. Thank God for giving me this example I need to be more like Him.

It's a beautiful day. It's 6:41am. Art has been fed, coffeed (lol), and is on his way to work complete with cell phone, lunch, and everything else he needed. I have been up for one hour and feel pretty good today in spite of a short night. It looks like it's going to be a great day, inside and out. My inlaws return today sometime. They seem to have had a great time. I believe they went on a short day cruise, which was something they wanted to do when they got here.

Take care, my friends, and comment back when you have time.

Love to you all,
Angela

2007-07-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

RULES BEFORE DOING THE ME ME ME
01. Post rules before giving the facts
02. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves
03. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
04. At the end of the your blog you need to tag eight people and list their names. Leave them a comment on their blog, telling them they have been tagged and not to forget to read your blog.

I've decided to only tag six people. But if you would like to do this meme, please do it. Let me know if you do so I can read it. I look forward to it!!

OKAY, LET'S SEE WHAT INTERESTING FACTS I CAN COME UP WITH.

1) I met my husband, Art, when I was a senior in high school. It was love at first sight for me. LOL Unfortunately, he didn't remember meeting me, and it was over a year later before he realized I was chasing him and he stopped and caught me. LOL Yeah Me!!!!!!

2) I got pregnant on my honeymoon. Our first son, Andrew Garth, was born 6 months later, 3 months too early. He lived 4 months before he passed away. While some people might think it crass to joke about the dead, I have to share the following. Andrew kept me up all the time. I rarely got more than one hour of sleep at a time, and usually not more than 4 hours in a full day. I was EXHAUSTED. On the night he died, when Art and I got ready to leave the hospital, I was stunned, and trying to be brave. Out popped the following comment....."You know, the little guy has kept me awake for the past three weeks since he came home from the hospital. Now he's in heaven, and he's STILL keeping me awake." After a strange laugh we were able to grieve and realize how fortunate we had been to have had Andrew the few months he lived and how many lives he touched without ever saying a word. And folks, God is faithful, as we learned during this time.

3) Our son, Adam, who was born 1 1/2 years after Andrew died prayed and prayed for a baby sister. When our daughter Ashley was born, he was thrilled, until she got old enough to sit up on her own and throw his toy cars at him. Then he wanted to send her back and get another. (Not really about me, but something that I cherished anyway.)

4) Three weeks after Ashley was born our house, which we had just bought on Saturday (I know, I know, what a weird day to close on a house), burned down to the ground. Fortunately we were still staying at friend's house until the power was turned on on Monday (which was the cause of the fire). While difficult enough to lose my house, Art's friend, Julio, asked me, "Angela, how many more children does God have to take and how many houses does He have to burn down before you realize that He wants more than a routine, mundane relationship with you." While tactless and somewhat cruel, he was right. So, that was the beginning of my real walk with Christ. I wish I could say it happened immediately, but it took years of that comment sounding in my heart for me to "get over myself", and realize he was right.

5) I am an only child. I used to pray for siblings. They are all in heaven waiting to meet me and my parents. Anyway, because of this, I wanted a BIG family. Art and I decided on 12 kids. After seven, (Yes, it does add up when you learn that in addition to losing Andrew, we also lost Austin and Adrian, both boys. It seems that some people have problems carrying one sex. girls were no problem.)we decided that our "quiver" was full, and NO MORE KIDS. Then I just "adopted" kids from OBI. (Not real adoption, just a choosing.)

6) My daughter picked me out a shirt that said, "Who are all these kids and why do they keep calling me mom?" The irony of that is that when we worked at OBI, many kids called me mom. I can't tell you how many times they would call me that and I would answer, then turn to my kids and ask "who was that kid?" LOL Fortunately, they were usually a friend of my own kids so it was easy to just adopt them into the Roberts family. Today I have three boys who are still like my own birth children, one of which has recently made me a "grandmother". I used to say that God took three of my boys, and gave me three others.

7) I get so excited to see a moose that I have to be careful. If I'm driving and see one, I tend to start looking around for more. Ashley fusses repeatedly at me because I may swerve or something to count how many there are. During the winter I "had" to see at least one a day. It got to where that was just about all I was looking for when we went anywhere. Forget the snow and ice I was driving in. It was the moose I wanted to see ( as long as it wasn't in front of my car or on my hood-lol).

8) We moved to Alaska in a john deere green school bus. We had people sticking cameras out of their windows and snapping pics of us the whole way. It was hilarious.

People I choose to send this to

Sheila
John Birt
Kristi Morrow
LuAnn Orie
Mark and Cindy Helton
Jan Kaess
Charles and MarcellaWunderlich
Phil and Nancy Meigs

Rainy day

2007-07-24T16:45:00.001-07:00

Hello, it's another gray, rainy day here in Alaska. And yet it is still beautiful. I thought I'd try to share a few of my friend Heather's pics of Alaska.

My inlaws and nephew left this morning for a "vacation" within a vacation. LOL They are touring some of the areas in Alaska beyond Anchorage. They plan to fish, see the wildlife preserve, etc... Next week we are going to the zoo in Anchorage and trying to get to Hatcher's Pass, if the weather will allow. I also want to go gold panning with the kids. They have never done that and it sounds like fun.

I have been studying the book of James lately. Does anyone ever study James without getting their toes stepped on? Not me!!! I am learning much about faith. I encourage you to read the book repeatedly for a month.

Well, that's all for now. I'm at Heather's and we had a Phase 10 game. Needless to say, I lost. LOL

Love to each of you.
Angela

Another Day

2007-07-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

Hello, it's me again! It has finally gotten sunny today. It has rained since Saturday. My poor dogs have been dying to get outside. I never would have thought that I would be the kind of person to take my dogs out in the rain. And yet, I was out at 5:50am this morning chucking a ball for Ashley's black lab. LOL It's the quickest and easiest way to get her to do her business. The other two went out a little earlier with Art. I have three BIG dogs ( a black lab, a doberman pincher, and a pitbull/black lab mix)who weight at least 70 pounds each. Our house is only about 1200 sqare feet, so you can imagine how crowded it gets on rainy days. And it isn't even our rainy season yet. It rains A LOT in Alaska. I obviously still have not posted pics of our area yet. I'm working on it. The biggest problem is that I gave my oldest daughter, Ashley, my digital camera, so I have to get another one. LOL Good thinking, right.....

My inlaws are taking a road trip for a few days starting tomorrow. They are taking my nephew with them, so it will be quiet around here again. We weren't able to go to Hatcher's Pass yesterday because of the rain and fog. Perhaps next week. That's all for now. Nothing new is going on around here.

Love to you all,
Ange

TGIF

2007-07-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Good grief! It's Friday already. This week has flown by.

Yesterday I went and bought school supplies. I LOVE this time of the year. I hope that someday my grandkids are close enough that I can take them out and buy school supplies. That's my kind of thing. I'm a paper and pen kind of gal. LOL Yes, I'm weird!

I stopped at two yardsales yesterday on my way home from school shopping. I got some really great deals. Of course, I didn't really NEED any of the things I got. My best find was a pampered chef grater for $1.00. It was like new. It now resides in my mother-in-law's camper.

I am making mints for a wedding that is happening tomorrow. Boy are they ever good. I had to sample one 9or two...) And they are so easy to make. I've got lots of ideas for someday when my girls get married.

Art's parent's camper was having some problems. Thank the Lord they were able to fix them the other day. I know they were a little discouraged because they weren't anticipating this problem. They are looking at going on a railroad tour to Mt. McKinley, and possibly a tour of glaciers and wildlife preserves. I think they will enjoy that. Mom Roberts likes to learn the history of places and loves to visit museums. Our area has quite a few, so she's got lots to do.

Well, that's all for today. I have much to accomplish and little energy to do it. My MS is still bothering me. I'm afraid that I won't completely recover my "normal" non numb feeling. I guess numb feet are going to be a part of my future. Oh well, could be worse.

Love to you all,
Angela

Greetings!

2007-07-16T12:31:00.001-07:00

Good Morning! It's another LOVELY day! The sun is shining, and all is well.

My in-laws have arrived. Our nephew, Alex, is with them and the girls are enjoying his company. He and Arianna get along famously. I'll try to put pictures online later. I gave Ashley my digital camera for her birthday, so I have to get creative. LOL In other words, I have to cajole her into letting me borrow it back for a few.

We are still in the remodelling process of our house. We pulled out the carpet that was throughout the main rooms this weekend. The previous owners had dogs that definitely messed up the carpets. The smell is much better since getting it out. Now to get the money for the flooring. We have part of it, and should be able to finish the living room area by the first of August. Yippee! It is turning out to be a beautiful home. I love it.

No other new news. We will be busy for the next several weeks, showing our family around. I'll try to update as often as possible.

Love to EVERYONE!
Angela

Good Morning!

2007-07-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! What a beautiful day it is today. I have been up since 5:30am getting things ready for Art's day. In the first 30 minutes of my day I put on coffee, fix Art a hot breakfast, fix his lunch, take out the dogs, and make sure Art has whatever else he needs. Today we left at 6:00am to meet his ride for work. Praise the Lord, Angela has a car today. LOL It's amazing how you take those things for granted. We are still a one car family so it's difficult sometimes.

Church was awesome last night. We have a young couple that are getting married next weekend. Rachel and her fiance just graduated from Pensacola in May. Her fiance, Justyn, preached last night. Wow!!! Talk about a fireball! What a gift God has given him. He spoke from the verse "Where there is no vision the people perish". My poor toes got stepped on AGAIN! Seems to be the norm these days. lol He made the statement that people with a vision are people of the Word, they are people who pray, and they are people who witness. You needed to have been there, but it was awesome.

I finished reading Don Piper's book yesterday. What a blessing it was. I have so many thoughts running through my head about what God had for me in reading this. All I can do is recommend reading it. It's easy reading. Just make sure you have tissues.

I'll try to post some pics of our area by the weekend. Check back to see how beautiful Alaska is.

love to you all,
Ange

God is good!

2007-07-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hello!!! What a beautiful morning it is. LOL I should say "afternoon".

I've been reading Don Piper's book 90 Minutes in Heaven this morning. What an awesome testimony. I've already learned some important lessons. 1) Don't forget that just because you minister to people doesn't mean that you can't let them minister to you. 2) You rob people of their blessing by not allowing them to minister. 3) God does have a purpose in everything, even when you didn't think you had any lessons to learn. I'm not through with the book yet, but it's well worth reading. I've cried many times over the simple things that God is showing me.

My inlaws are due in this weekend. I'm not sure exactly how long they might be staying. They are bringing their camper and have the rest of July and most of August slated for Alaska. I pray that we can have enough interesting things for them to do that they enjoy the Alaskan experience. I believe they are going on a trip through the Glaciers, which will be an awesome event for them. We are going halibut fishing at the end of the month. (That will be an awesome event for us all.) I WANT to catch a halibut, just for the experience. We plan on going to Hatcher's pass the first weekend they are here. They are bringing our nephew, Alex, with them. He's 13 and is looking forward to spending time with Ari. They have much in common as they both like to read. I'll try to send pics as I get them. I'm not as good at taking pics as my cousin is, but I'll try. Kris takes pictures of everything. It's so awesome to see the history of her blog moments.

Well, folks, God is so awesome. I just had to say that. Not for any special reason except that it's TRUE!

Love to you all,
Ange

2007-07-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

My youngest daughter is leaving for camp today. It's her first real camp experience. She has been packed for 3 weeks. lol My prayer is for a spiritual understanding of what the Christian life is all about. It's one thing to walk in your parents faith footsteps, and another one to realize them for yourself and let them take root because YOU want them to. She is 10 years old. Please pray for her this week.

The preacher that spoke at church yesterday really stepped on my toes. He was talking about the rich fool. His first point keeps ringing in my head. "The fool mistook time for eternity." Mistook time for eternity. Hmmmmm......How often do I concern myself more with the present time than with eternal things. Ouch! Too often. The biggest question that has been going round and round in my head is this..."What things/persons has God made me steward of?" I think I have my work to keep me busy this week while Allison is at camp. List writing is my thing, so this should be interesting.

Well, have a great day, all you bloggers. Know that all is well with the A-Team, and we hope it's the same for you.
angela