*Indiania Jones theme song is running in my head*

Short post to let everyone know who've asked what's going on with me :)

I am leaving in about 40 minutes to head down to Illinois, to spend two months with Tyson, Shannon, Chloe and Allie! I'm going to be taking care of kids, helping Shannon with the-yet-to-be-born baby (Yippee!), doing flowers at the Farm, and helping another good friend!

I'm excited to be going but it's the longest I've been away from family so I'm a little trepidatious.
But Tyson and Shannon are like family so I'm sure I"ll be fine :)

I'll post when I can!

I believe in Doorsteps as firmly as I believe in Aslan himself

Again another article...but I REALLY like this one :) A girl I know wrote it...it's more about waiting for your Dear Young Man...but as I'm not quite at that age yet it spoke to me more about life and waiting on God for your ministry. I want to do great things for the Lord, but right now I’m moving in a rather small group of people…but I have the hope that God has a plan for me and that as I work to the best of my ability here in my circle of influence, that he will have an even greater circle or task for me. :)

Some of you might already know what I mean by that, particularly those who were there when it was coined. I'm afraid I can't take credit for the saying and I can't remember who was the first to start saying it, but among a small group of single girls that phrase is significant.

I believe in doorsteps. I believe that God can create miracles in a place that is barren. I believe that God is powerful and if it is His will, the right man could show up on my doorstep.

So many times I have heard people admonishing singles to get out! Get looking! Stop sitting around and waiting!

And I agree, to an extent.

We shouldn’t just sit around, twiddling our thumbs. We should do what we can with what we have, where we are, whether it be folding laundry and helping out at home, working in an office, or going to school. Neither should we turn up our noses at opportunities to make friends with guys or avoid social events where young men might be. However, to be quite honest, I have to say that I believe it to be a rare few girls who actually do that.

Some of us are living in places where there are no eligible young men. Maybe all the good ones are taken. Maybe none share the same convictions as we do. Maybe none are old enough or ready for marriage. And maybe some are just not paying attention to all the young women who are waiting to be asked.

It's hard during a dry period, where you feel hemmed in and without hope on the horizon. It's hard to hear people tell you that if you just did A, B, and/or C, you'll meet a guy, because that doesn't always happen and sometimes A, B, and C aren't possible. It's hard to hang onto hope.

And that's where believing in doorsteps comes in.

Believing in doorsteps means opening the door – to hope. God is a God of hope and miracles and He would never have us lose hope. He would never have us doubt His abilities, never believe that anything is too impossible for Him. Even granting a single girl a husband, when she has been waiting so long.

I don’t expect my Dym – as I have begun to call that man who I have yet to meet, but hope to marry someday – to necessarily show up on my doorstep. I don’t expect a husband to fall into my living room while I wait in my own little corner.

I live life. I work. I laugh. I dance. I sing. I live. I don’t pin my hopes on every man that crosses my path because…I believe in doorsteps. I believe that God is in control and He knows which man may be my Dym. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to wait twiddling my thumbs or go out on an epic mission searching for a man. God has the master plan and that’s enough for me.

And so, I hope. I hope, I live, I work, I pray, I wait…and believe in doorsteps.

-Krista from IDD

Clancy S--------?

It's rather long but worth it!!

Written by Lee Coppola

"Ever wonder what happens when a pet takes on a persona? Ashley could have told you, if he could have talked. Ashley was the family mutt, an SPCA special, part beagle and part spaniel. For years, most of them after he died, he also served as the family's representative in the local telephone book. He was picked for it quite haphazardly one day when I tried to keep my number out of the book to avoid getting business calls at home. When I balked at the $60 a yr fee, the cherry telephone company representative suggested I list the number in one of my children's names. I was munching a sandwich at the time and Ashley followed me around the kitchen waiting for a crumb to fall.

"Can I put the phone in any name?" I asked the rep as I sidestepped Ashley.

"Certainly", she answered and therein gave birth to 10 yrs of telephone calls and mail to a dog.

"A remarkable new book about the Coppolas since the Civil War is about to make history and you,- Ashley Coppola- are in it." touted one letter asking Ashley to send $10 right away for this "One time offer".

Ashley received hundreds of pieces of mail, the bulk soliciting his money. The most ironic pitches for cash were from SPCA and the Buffalo Zoo, a kind of animal-helping-animal scenario. and we wondered how the Chief executive of the local cemetery might react if he knew he was asking a canine to buy a plot to give his family "Peace of Mind". Or a local lawn service's thought about asking a dog who daily messed the grass. "Is your lawn as attractive as it could be?"

Then there was the letter offering Ashley "reliable electronic security to protect your home." One of the kids asked if that wasn't Ashley's job.

The Kids soon got into the swing of having their dog receive mail and telephone calls.

'He's sleeping under the dining room table,' was a favorite response.

My wife would have nothing of that frivolity, preferring to simply reply, "He's deceased."

But that tack backfired on her one day when our youngest child took an almost pleading call from a survey-company employee looking for Ashley. "I'm Ashley". The 17-yr-old politely replied, taking pity on the caller. He dutifully gave his age and answered a few questions before he realized he was late for an appointment and hurriedly cut short the conversation. "Can I call again?" the surveyor asked. "OK." our son said as he hung up. Sure enough the surveyor called again the next day and asked for Ashley. But this time Mom answered and gave her standard reply. "Oh my!" exclaimed the Caller. "I'm so, so sorry!" The surveyor's horrified grief puzzled my wife until our son explained how he had been a healthy teenage Ashley the day before.

Did I mention credit cards? Ashley paid his bills on time judging, from the $5,000 lines-of-credit for which he 'automatically' qualified. Made us wonder about the scrutiny of the nations credit card industry"

June 6, 1944

Today is the 64 anniversary of D-Day.

Some of my favorite quotes of that era:

"If you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill

"Never in the field of human conflict, has so much, been owed by so many, to so few!"Winston Churchill - September 1940 (Have you ever read about what the British people and the RAF went through in the Battle of Britain? Wow! Do some research on that one.)

"We shall not flag nor fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France and on the seas and oceans; we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in fields, in streets and on the hills. We shall never surrender and even if, which I do not for the moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, will carry on the struggle until in God's good time the New World with all its power and might, sets forth to the liberation and rescue of the Old." - Winston Churchill


A little side note here:
Getting ready for Operation Overlord (Code name for D-Day) required a lot of men and equipment to be on the coast of Britain. The British knew the Germans would notice so they decided to pull wool over the German's eyes.

The High Command assigned General George Patton to the 1st U.S. Army Group, - he was one a well know General, he took command of it at it's base near the British coast, and- through the appropriate channels- the High Command let the German spies know that General Patton would have the honor of leading the invasion of Europe through Calais.

(If you've ever read the Scarlet Pimpernel you probably know where this is...if not it's directly across from Dover, England. It's the shortest breadth of the English Channel)

In response to this info, the Germans moved nineteen divisions from the Normandy Coastline into and around Calais.....
and Checked out the 1st U.S. Army Group's base from the air. There was indeed a large build up of Tanks and Men...but from the air, what the pilots couldn't tell was that the Men were dummies and the tanks were made of plywood!! It was a completely Fictitious army. General Patton was there to lend credibility and there were guards, but no actual soldiers to speak of.

Left in peace, General Eisenhower got his REAL army together in the Southampton/Isle of Wright area of Britain.

The best meteorologists in England were put on the task of finding the perfect weather conditions for the landing. A full moon was needed for navigation, so only a few days a month was a possible date for the invasion. Tentatively the date was set for June 5, but on June 4 the weather was HIGHLY unsuitable. A storm was making the channel nearly impassible and clouds were shutting out the moon.

The Germans took note of this and took a holiday, believing an invasion was impossible for this month at least. The Commander in Chief of the West went back to Germany for his wife's birthday, and a 'War Game' drew most of the rest of the high Command away from their posts.

A lieutentant on HMS Grindall predicted that there was a high pressure area coming in that would improve the weather for 24 hrs. On that prediction, Generals Eisenhower and Montgomery gave the command, and in 24 hours through the Omaha, Utah and Juno beache landings, the Allies had a foothold on French soil and on August 25, they liberated Paris.

“ You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. ”
—Eisenhower, Letter to U.S. Army, June 5

(Ok so the Side note is longer than the actually post but...it's interesting! -Hopefully)