Satan Attack's

So many people have asked us to blog what is going on in our lives right now. So I wanted to back up a bit and give everybody a brief summary- especially the events from this past weekend.

Michael and I were driving down to the FaithQuest youth rally at Camp Yamhill on Thursday evening. I was driving and upon entering Yamhill, the speed limit dropped rather dramatically, and there was a cop on the side of the road, and...well... you know how it goes. So he pulls us over and asks for my license and then he's taking a really long time to get back to us. Finally he comes back with a ticket and then informs me that there is a warrant out for my arrest from Abilene, TX!!! We were dumbfounded. The officer didn't have all the details but what he did say didn't make sense- that the warrant was issued in 2006- we weren't even in Abilene in 2006! Michael was told he could not follow the officer and I to the station, only that he needed to call after I was 'processed' in about an hour. Michael tried calling but basically was told there was no hope of contacting me or posting bail or seeing me until my court appearance the next day. Fortunately I was able to make a call and was able to reach him on the camp's phone (due to the location, our cell phones had no signal). So I was able to speak with him that night but because it was so late and the bail they posted was so high, there was no way for Michael to get me out so I was forced to spend the night in jail.

To make a long story short, I was able to get out the next day (due to a very generous friend) and though we will still have to go to Abilene to resolve this, we can at least make our own travel arrangements rather than using 'government transport.' We have been able to retain a lawyer in Abilene which will make our situation easier as he can do much on our behalf and hopefully make our visit shorter and less painful when we do have to actually go there.

Here's what we do know: the charge is 'Welfare Fraud' apparently arising out of a situation that we thought was already resolved. While in Abilene we were on Food Stamps and there was an issue that arose regarding one the reporting of one of Michael's jobs. They had informed us of the inconsistency, we complied with their requests and provided statements from Michael's employer and we lost some of our eligibility for food stamps and so we believed that everything had been amended. Apparently not.

The main thing right now is we are trying to raise money to help us pay for the lawyer. We were loaned some money on a credit card to actually retain him and get the ball rolling but that money is needing to be paid back and we do not have the resources to cover it. Plus we are anticipating additional fees and fines and we don't even know how much that is going to be. It was $2500 just to retain the lawyer and so everything that we are aware of to this point is in excess of $5500. (And that's not including the cost of travelling to Abilene that will need to take place sometime soon.) Please pray for us. If you have any ideas or can help us in any way, please contact us.

We've grown up

We feel so grown up now- we've bought our first house! It's kind of blowing our minds. It's small but laid out well (so it doesn't seem so small) and there is a sizeable backyard for the dog and kids to explore. Plus, we can stand in our front yard and look down the street and see our childrens' school. We are so excited to be homeowners, and to be close to the kids school, and in the neighborhood of PUMP- God is good!! We praise Him for this opportunity and the many opportunities that he has brought our way throughout our marriage. We feel blessed (and did we mention, grown up?!)

Snow Days

Starting on Tuesday morning with the news that all kids want to hear (and often moms dread)- school is closed due to inclement weather. That inclement weather happened to be snow, which also brought Michael home early from work and kept him home throughout Wednesday (news that made mom very happy). We had much fun playing in the snow with Bevan, Trevor, and Michael taking a skateboard deck (ie- just the wood, no wheels) and trying to turn it into a snowboard on the hill in front of our house. They were actually quite successful, with Bevan surprising us all with his balance and coordination on the slick surface. He by far was the most talented (causing surprise since Trevor is our star skateboarder).

The rest of Tuesday and Wednesday was filled with more frolicking in the snow- snowball fights, snow angels, and building a snowman (Michael was particularly excited over this as this was his first ever 'traditional, 3-ball snowman. He described all of his previous attempts as conical or otherwise misshapened 'piles' of snow with eyes and nose. So he was very happy to 'get the ball rolling' and make a REAL snowman.) So enjoy a few pictures of our family in the snow (and meet our new dog, Bilbo).
Michael and the big boys sizing up the hill.
Julian eating his frist snowball.
Dawson taking aim.



There were a lot more pictures and fun, but we hope you enjoyed just a small sample of our snow days.