Little Joys of Life

Mmm....the sweet joys of ... wait, it's not quite Autumn yet... Ah well, it's soon to be!! :) I can feel it in the air...and you know what one big plus is?!

Not feeling like this! =D

I thought August would slow down, and in some ways, it did...but in other ways, haha, NOT a chance! Here's a few highlights from the last month (I only wish I'd been able to capture more with my missing camera!)....

We've sold 24 alpacas in the last 4 months--most of which have happened in the last month, which is such a blessing, bringing us thus far down to 26 alpacas total...plus we've had quite a few crias born! All of that has kept me quite busy!! (Glad my dream last night didn't come true, where we had 5 crias born in an hour!! =D)

This little one is our personal favorite - from an outside breeding out of Lexington and Rose, his name is Legacy. :)

This little one (Asphalt), gave us quite a scare, and I ended up bringing his mom to WSU Vet Hospital because he wasn't coming...but when we got there, we found that trailering had corrected it, and this 19+lb. gray male was already born!!

Pride is an absolute darling.

And Cutie (our only female this last month), sold almost before she was born!! Isn't she darling and cuddly?!

The boys had a lot of fun on their fishing trip with the Alert Cadet Squad up here:

As did David at his photography class in Alaska, where he turned 18!!:

Maybe this will help you understand why I am so partial to my homeland... :)

Eagle River--the area that I grew up....except, we lived in the mountain, overlooking the valley.

And of course, there was no doubt that our men enjoyed their time in the Alaskan wilderness when Papa and Samuel flew up to join David after his class!!

Here they are stalking sheep...

And here...they found them! ;) (But, that was only the males....the females were their own number too!)

They had more than a few (close) encounters with Grizzlies...up to only 30 yards away, and charging! God is good. :)

And of course, what is the North without the Aurora Borealis?!

How great is our God, that the mountains, winds, and seas obey Him?!

The girls went on a 10-day Journey To The Heart in the Northwoods, for which I don't have any pictures offhand, however it was life changing and encouraging for each of them. Find out how you can go on a Journey HERE!!

A quick word on David...I can hardly believe he's turned from this adorable little boy:

To this dapper, responsible, young man!!

On with life, Alex's sister is getting married in a couple weeks, and we just had her bridal shower, which was so much fun!! With a crazy week of work and selling alpacas, I was doing prep to the last minute, and didn't get the photos I wanted, except of Tasha and I and glimpse of our decorations..

And, per requests, here's a little glimpse of my favorite part of life right now (besides my relationship with Jesus):
Starting with memoirs from July (since I didn't get my copy of the pictures until August... :) David, Alex, our friend Garrett, and I all filmed at a wedding by Sagle. Isn't it a pretty setting?!

(We're trying to get more 'even height' photos...just for fun :)

I can hardly believe we've been "officially courting" for over 2 months now, and the longer we have, the more I realize how blessed I am. We've been studying together how Christ and the Church relates to Marriage in real, applicable ways. And you know what?! The more we study, the more we find how it correlates in pretty much every way! We're also really enjoying going through the book 'Before You Say I Do'...definitely a recommend for any couple pursuing setting the foundation for life! That's just the tip (and if you want to know, just ask), but it has been SO good, and it is the most wonderful feeling to be truly washed in the Word.

The boys and I went over last Sunday to Alex's house for...umm...Hank's "Get-Together" Party. :) Tasha and I hung out at the house with their mom--talking and crocheting, while the rest went shooting, and then Alex and I prepared dinner...

Our silly picture (Tasha is just in bliss... ;P)

Cleaning the Barbecue

And I guess that's all for now folks! This next week is crazy between work, sewing, People and more people, and then babysitting all next weekend. So, for now, I'm off to my sewing machine to get as much done on...something (that'll I show you in a few weeks, when the times right :p).

"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, whig are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."

~ Philippians 1:9-11 ~

The Grace of God

I came upon this poem today, and was blessed, encouraged, strengthened, invigorated, uplifted, thought-provoked, inspired, and humbled by it. I wanted to share it with you all, in hopes that it would do the same for you.
We serve a mighty God!!

My

"My grace," 'tis the God of all grace who hath spoken,

Whose Word in the heavens forever is set;

Whose covenant promise hath never been broken;

Who never can fail or forget;

Who knoweth my needs and Who seethe my sorrows,

However so many and great they may be;

Who hearth my prayers for the days and the morrows;

His grace is sufficient for me.

Grace

"My grace;" all His blessings this work is unfolding,

His love and His power in harmony blend;

'Tis grace that hath saved me, and grace that is holding,

And grace that will keep to the end;

'Tis grace that hath written redemption's glad story,

And grace all the song of the ransomed shall be;

'Tis grace that transforms me from glory to glory;

That grace is sufficient for me.

Is

"My grace is," not "was" and not "will be;" 'tis flowing'

Each hour and each moment my need to supply,

The deeper I dip, still the deeper 'tis growing,

No drought can diminish or dry;

My heart from the future no trouble shall borrow;

Eternal this present provision shall be,

Assured for today and as sure for tomorrow,

Such grace is sufficient for me.

Sufficient

"My grace is sufficient." Oh, help without measure!

An ocean of riches no plummet can sound,

A storehouse unfailing of infinite treasure,

A gift without limit or bound;

Exceeding abundant for all His creation,

Enough for the thorn that is buffeting me,

The fulness of God for earth's brief tribulation -

"My grace is sufficient for thee."

For Thee.

"Sufficient for thee," for my utmost salvation,

As though ne'er another had owed Him a debt;

For my special grief and my special temptation,

My cares and my sins that beset;

He giveth more grace for my humble endeavor;

I am praising Him now, I shall praise Him forever;

His grace is sufficient for me.

~ by Annie Johnson Flint ~

"And He said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee' for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 ~

Family Blessings

Well, with my last post finished, I feel much more apt to start blogging more regularly... :)
By the way, have you ever taken time to notice how many smiley and winky faces there are in the New Testament?! We've been going through John at church, and between John and the Apostles....wow, have I gotten some smiles!!

The first Sunday in August, our family escorted Daniel down to WSU where he'll be making his new home for the next 2 years, as he finishes up Pre-Med, before going to Med School to become an osteopath. I liked this picture so much, I just had to share it...

Friday, we had our Client Appreciation Banquet, and I wanted to share some photos from it....it was SO beautiful (albeit, windy!) outside!! Samuel and Rebekah sang 'Put Your Hand Over Your Heart' (Whitney Phipps), with Josiah bringing our flag down at the end, and me accompanying them... If you haven't heard the song, look it up. It is so impactful.

It was so windy, Esther had to hold my music for me!

I don't get to dress up very often, so this was a fun evening to be able to do so. Thanks to David for all the photos.

I realized I forgot to post our 'grand finale' family reunion photos in our my July post, so here they are now... I just love my family!!

Most of the Pinkerton Clan (minus my 2 aunts' families and a cousin)

Our last official family photo for a while

I am so grateful for my amazing family. The older I get and the farther I go, I realize more and more how very, very blessed I am to not only have the amazing, Spirit-filled parents I have, but also such close friendships with my siblings. That is we all hold very dear and want to nourish into the second generation as well.

"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."

~ 1 Corinthians 13:13 ~

A New Chapter

The end of each year is usually a time of reflecting on the previous year's happenings, and wonderments at and goals set for the next year. I kinda see life like a chapter book, with some chapters being  bigger and more life changing than others.

As 2013 wrapped up, I remember contemplating what goals I would set for 2014: ones like a mission trip to Belize, marrying my best friend off to my cousin, working at my dad's office, continuing work on the ranch and at home, and continuing my projects and community service.

One thing though, never even crossed my mind...and that was a relationship. 

I was quite content being single and honestly loved it. But somehow, that all changed, and the funny thing is...I was completely clueless. I've always believed God answers prayers, and have seen first hand God answer and work miracles in mine and others' lives, and so it should have come as no surprise when He answered my heart's desire of last summer and fall to blind my eyes to those (or one) pursuing me.

Anyway, I suppose I shouldn't hold you in suspense any more... Last year, after having gotten back from the Philippines, I started spending time with my brother David and his friend as they did lots of projects together, and little did I know where that would lead.

Slowly Alex unknowingly worked his way into my trust and a true and deep friendship was forged, which grew through our working and corresponding on the Christmas play he directed at our church last Christmas, of which I was his assistant and also main actress.

In February, he talked to my dad and started being mentored by him, while entering an 'intentional friendship' (later turned 'intentional relationship') with me, where we prayerfully sought to get to know each other in a deeper way.

On July 11th, after much ado and an amazing 'dinner hunt', leading to The Melting Pot where I was greeted by 12 white roses, sparkling apple cider, and a card with my name on it, Alexander, with the blessing of our parents, officially asked me to start a courtship with him where we'd continue learning about each other, and discerning God's will, with the intention of marriage (to which I agreed). =)

God is so gracious, and I am unspeakably blest, not only by this amazing, God-fearing man turned best friend, who is pursuing my heart and God's best, but by God's preparing me over the last few years especially for these moments.

I guess this would help explain my frequent absences over the past few months and vague explanations of what has been happening in my life, and I hope this makes up for it. =)

4th of July

Though this is an exciting time in my life, I do not want to want lose sight of my First Love--my King and Redeemer, who without, my life would be destitute of all hope, joy, peace, and true purpose. 

"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."

~ Philippians 1:9-11 ~

July's Jubilants

I can hardly believe July is over. It was wonderful, crazy, so full of changes and happenings that I'm still trying to process it all!! Of course, the first day was my birthday, and boy, was I in for a surprise!

I had told my family that I really wanted a surprise party, and after a partial-surprise party the week before (while I threw one for my Grandpaw), I figured that was as good as it was going to get. Well, I was proven wrong, when they pulled a 110% surprise party on me, complete with decorations and even an out-of-town guest!! What memories!!

I was so surprised, I screamed.. :)

July 4th was wonderful as well, with a small gathering of family and close friends.

Hamburgers!!! Mmm...

July 11th was specifically significant too, which you can read about in my next post...

The Murillo's left  towards the end of July, leaving a hole in our home and lots of memories to treasure. However, we had almost no time to contemplate the hole, with our family reunion happening the week after, and my, what fun that was, especially seeing cousins that I haven't seen in years!!!

All the girls

My sweet friend Hannah!

Another happening that is bittersweet is the adding of 2 little brothers, gone to be with Jesus in June and July: Phinehas Aaron (meaning 'Proclaiming God's Word: He is my Help') and Jason Eliezar ('Healer and Bringer of Light'), bringing the total of my siblings and I to a blessed 26, for which, each one I am unspeakably grateful.

Another thing that I'm really excited about is completing my quilt with the specific help of my dear Aunt Nancy and Oma, as well as many of my cousins, aunts, and even uncles, who helped tie and sew binding on!! What memories were made...

Most everyone got in on the fun!

Even Uncle Gary and Uncle Jim.....

...and my Papa! =)

With so many happenings here in July, I'm glad August is here, bringing some reprieve from the business, though scattering most of my family around the US for a couple weeks. God is so good.

"This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Thou art my God, and I will praise Thee: Thou art my God, I will exalt Thee. O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever."

~ Psalms 118:23-24, 28-29 ~

"Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things."

~ Joel 2:21 ~