Bluegrass Bass Player

Bethany's Blog

2012-03-02T19:06:00.002-06:00

My sister, Bethany, has started a blog of her own. Check it out and leave her a comment! :-)

mandolingirl.blogspot.com

Riding Horses

2012-03-02T00:20:00.006-06:00

It's a miracle!! The girls rode horses two different days, and no one got bucked off, fell off, or got injured!! :-) The first three pictures were taken on Monday, and the other pictures were taken today.

Hannah

Abby and Caroline

Isn't she SO cute?!? She loves having her hair in pigtails, or "tails" as she calls them. :-)

Caroline and David Vick (her uncle, Eric's brother) jumping on the trampoline with Abby

Caroline riding with her Uncle Isaac. She LOVES riding!!! She fell asleep on the ride today. :-)

the girls riding with horses with the Vicks

(Rachel and Eric's house in the background)

Abby, Esther and Hannah

(Esther is on her new horse, Tulsa)

Elise Vick

Bethany

best friends :-)

Haha...got a good laugh out of this picture! Notice the stick in Eric's hand...he wasn't going to take any chances on a horse acting up, I guess!

First Ever Music Video

2012-01-19T19:22:00.000-06:00

Here's a music video that we made this weekend, and it actually turned out pretty good (I thought) for us doing it on our own! We had a lot of fun making it, and will probably be working on some other videos in the near future.

More Honduras Pictures and MRSA

2011-11-19T23:48:00.000-06:00

Well, unfortunately I don't have pictures of the hog killing, because I wasn't able to go. (I know y'all are SO disappointed! Haha!) I ended up in the doctor's office yesterday with some bug bites that had really swollen up. Turns out, I've got that MRSA virus, so they gave me some antibiotics, so hopefully it'll be gone soon! Right now, I have a couple of spots that are really bad on my left leg, and my ankle is swollen, making it painful to walk, so I'll be glad when the medicine kicks in the swelling goes down!

Last night, Rachel, Eric and Caroline came over and we celebrated Rachel's birthday. I fixed Caroline's hair in little pig tails for the first time, and she was SO stinking cute!

she's a mess!

This was taken at the Walmart in Tegucigalpa...slightly different than what you'll find for sale at a Walmart in the states! Haha!

me and Ms. Wendy

Emily, eating some ketchup

so cute!!

I miss them so much!!!

me and Brittany

my last view of Honduras

Day Eighteen - Home

2011-11-18T00:21:00.000-06:00

Made it home not too long ago, and thankfully everything went well, and I had a safe trip. I still have some pictures that I haven't posted, so hopefully I'll be able to put those up tomorrow!

We're heading out early in the morning to butcher hogs at Rachel and Eric's place. I'm sure y'all will want to see the pictures from that, too! Haha!

Honduras - Day Seventeen

2011-11-16T23:21:00.000-06:00

The last day of my trip...I've been both looking forward to this day, and dreading it, too! In the morning, we'll be heading to the capital city of Tegucigalpa one more time, and I'll be flying home tomorrow afternoon/evening. (I'm supposed to arrive in Nashville at 9 pm.) I am SO going to miss the Hortons (they've been great to let me invade their lives and home for nearly three weeks!), and I'm going to miss the beautiful scenery, and I'm going to miss the warm weather (it's been 70-90 degrees here), and I'm going to miss sitting outside and watching people go by, and I'm really going to miss driving on rough dirt roads, dodging stubborn cows, to pick up people for church! It was quite an experience, and as I mentioned before, I LOVED every minute of it! I'm so thankful for the opportunity to come to Honduras again!!!

we went to a restaurant, La Casita, for lunch

my plate: beans, a fried plantain, rice, queso blanco (white cheese), chismol (it has peppers, onions, and lemons..I think), and some very delicious steak!

Ms. Wendy's plate: chicken nachos...she gave me a taste, and they were pretty good, too!

the outside of the restaurant

It was raining, and I know this isn't a very good picture, but look at the guy looking out of the window! Hahaha! Looks like he's wondering why the crazy gringas (what they call Americans) are acting so crazy!

atole

This is a Honduran corn pudding/drink that was like hot, sweetened corn starch. We bought it from a lady that came by the house tonight.

Honduras - Day Sixteen

2011-11-15T22:26:00.001-06:00

This evening we ate supper with one of the families from the Honduran church. Ms. Ilda invited us over for baleadas...made-from-scratch tortillas with beans, scrambled eggs, and cheese! Baleadas are a typical Honduran food, and are actually delicious! We went over to her house early to help her make them. Check out the pictures below!

Ms. Ilda cooking the tortillas on a griddle-type thing over a fire

the baleadas

(sorry this picture is so blurry!)

We actually went to Ms. Ilda's house for baleadas on my last trip, too. (Click here to check out that blog post.)

Honduras - Day Fifteen

2011-11-14T23:46:00.002-06:00

Just sitting here munching on some DELICIOUS pineapple (I love pineapple, especially the fresh ones here!), sitting here waiting for my friend to answer the ~~email~~ book I wrote her this morning (LOL! Ms. Staci!) and wondering what I should write about in my post tonight!

I guess I'll start with what I did today...did a little cleaning around here this morning, went to the American Tienda that's two doors down (it's a second hand store) and found a nice purse for $6, and ran down to the pulperia to pick up some soap. (The pulperia sells a few small items such as kitchen/household necessities. You just come to the door, tell the owner what you need, and pay him through the small opening in bars on the door.)

This afternoon we drove around Comayagua on a couple of errands, and then went to the mall, or Mall Premier, as it's called. It's actually in the same shopping center as the grocery store we went to on Day Five, and it's a two story mall with a couple of nice stores in it. They have Payless Shoes, and a department store called Carrion, which is similar to JCPenney as far as the type of clothes, etc., that they sell. There was also a store that sold cheap jewelry and makeup, nail polish, etc., as well as a pharmacy, and an Espresso Americano(which is similar to Starbucks, I guess), and several smaller stores as well.

the outside (sorry, it was getting dark by the time we were done)

the entrance (picture taken from the 2nd level)

they're already getting things ready for Christmas...this is a giant tree in the middle of the mall

my granita...it's like a frappe from McDonalds, except the coffee was WAY stronger, and it had oreos in it, too. (I guess they probably have stuff like this at Starbucks? I've never been before.)

a police truck

a lady headed to market (I wish I could carry things on my head like that!)

a lady selling beans in the open air market

a man with a wooden wheelbarrow thing of bananas (I posted a pic on Day Nine of a man with an empty wheelbarrow.)

And one more thought for today: eating too much pineapple can cause your mouth to burn! Haha!

Honduras - Day Fourteen

2011-11-14T01:16:00.000-06:00

Well, I definitely had a great day today! We loaded up in the van, and headed out this evening to pick people up for church. By the time we got to church, we had close to 30 people (I think it was maybe 26 or 28) packed inside a 15 passenger van! It was an interesting trip, and I loved every minute of it! I just wish I could've understood what everybody was saying! (I should have spent more timing working on learning Spanish!!!)

As I sit here typing this blog post, it's gotten pretty quiet outside. The streets are empty, and all that can be heard now are the roosters crowing and crowing and crowing (haha!) and the occasional barking of stray dogs as they fight over food scraps. But by the time I wake up in the morning, the streets will be busy with crazy old buses with their flapping curtains and ridiculous paint, banged up white taxis with their blue stripes and crunched fenders, and a various assortment of motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians on their way to the market, to work, to school, or just to see a neighbor.

I'm 1,500 miles away from home, and I miss being there, but I sure am going to miss Honduras!!!

Honduras - Day Thirteen

2011-11-13T00:58:00.000-06:00

I'm so thankful that it worked out for me to come to Honduras again. But even though I've had a great visit, there's been times when I've missed my family terribly! I especially miss playing bluegrass with my sisters! But it's just given me a small idea of what it must be like for a missionary family to leave their family in the states. Of course, it's not like missionaries in years gone by, who only had contact with their family through (often unreliable) mail correspondence. They have access to phone and internet here so that family can be quickly and easily contacted, but it still is not the same as being with your family!

We've come in contact only twice Americans in the two weeks I've been here: once it was a couple of soldiers from the U. S. military base, who happened to stop by a little roadside market at the same time as us (they only introduced themselves, and spoke briefly), and then again today we met an American family (the lady was actually from Chile) who just moved here. It's just given me a small glimpse of the culture shock that missionaries have to deal with every single day living here in this foreign country.

We were driving through the town of Lajamani yesterday, and saw a crowd of people walking, carrying a baby casket to be buried at the cemetery. It is so sad to think that most of those people probably have no hope of seeing that precious baby again! Somebody has to let them know that there is hope, and that there is a way we can be sure of Heaven when we die, and that it's not because of anything we do or don't do, but because of what Jesus did! And that is why the missionaries make sacrifices, and move to foreign countries.

Honduras - Day Twelve

2011-11-12T00:35:00.000-06:00

We went out to the property again today, so here's a few more pictures. It was cloudy and overcast and windy, and although it was about 70 degrees outside, it felt a little chilly! (Or maybe it's just that I'm getting used to the weather here.)

same mountain behind the property...but it's partially covered by the clouds

Brittany and Julia petting a horse

a colt running in the field

sitting around talking

Honduras - Day Eleven

2011-11-11T01:09:00.001-06:00

Today started for me at 6:00 a.m. We were off bright and early to the capital city of Tegucigalpa to do some shopping and some sightseeing. We went up to the top of a mountain overlooking the city. It is SO beautiful up there!

a shrine on the mountain

Brittany climbed all the way to the top

Tegicugalpa

the giant Christ statue on the mountain

(I think they said it's 90 feet tall)

the Hortons

It's so sad to think that many people don't even know the true Christ!

McDonalds! We ate here for lunch.

"La Casa del Whopper" means

the House of the Whopper! Haha!

There are so many houses and so many people! I kept thinking of Matthew 9:36 where it says, "But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd."

Honduras - Day Ten

2011-11-09T21:24:00.000-06:00

Today we got to go to the open air market here in Comayagua, and it was a very interesting trip! I was even able to sneak a few pictures.

I'm rich! Actually, this is equal to about $80.

the open air market

they also have modern stores like ones we have at home

the Catholic church in Comayagua

me and Brittany Horton

meat for sale at an indoor market

(it stinks really bad in there!)

Honduras - Day Nine

2011-11-08T21:03:00.000-06:00

Just a couple of pictures that I took on the street outside the Hortons' house, and then a couple of pictures from the corner grocery store that we visited this afternoon.

they actually ride with more people on a bike than this!

some meat for sale at the corner grocery store

(steaks, ribs, cow's stomach...anything you want!)

Honduras - Day Eight

2011-11-07T21:55:00.000-06:00

Well, I've been here in Honduras for a whole week now, and I sure am glad that I got to come! We didn't do a whole lot today, but we did sit in the doorway and watch people walking and driving by! I could sit there for hours...it's so fascinating!

Ok, so I FINALLY got some of the pictures from Saturday uploaded! (Internet service hasn't been so great here the past few days.)

This is Pulhapanzak Falls, and it was SOOOO beautiful!!! The pictures really do not do it justice!!! These falls are 140 feet (Niagara Falls is 170.)

the Hortons (the family I'm staying with)

ok, crazy pic, but the only one of me down close to the falls

Lake Yojoa (the waterfall runs off of this lake)

Honduras - Day Seven

2011-11-06T23:58:00.000-06:00

Well, I still don't have the pictures up from yesterday, but I promise I will get them up by tomorrow! We had a good Sunday, and I enjoyed getting to see the Honduran church that the Hortons have started. And the ride to and from church, on which we stopped to pick up and drop off people, was quite interesting! Though the main roads here are paved, there are many that are not, and many of the "dirt" roads have tons of rocks sticking up everywhere! It's a wonder we didn't get a flat tire!

While dropping people off on the way home, we found several cows laying in the middle of one of the roads, and they finally moved, but it took forever! Wish I had been able to get some pictures of that, but sadly, it was already dark here.

Alright, well that's all for today, but I plan on having those pictures up tomorrow! :-)

Honduras - Day Six

2011-11-05T22:19:00.001-05:00

We went to a BEAUTIFUL waterfall today, and I took several pictures, but the internet service isn't working very well this evening, so I'll hopefully be posting them tomorrow.

Honduras - Day Five

2011-11-04T23:05:00.000-05:00

First off, I just wanted to post a few more pictures that I've taken this week...

the Pizza Hut in Comayaua
It seems so crazy that they have a nicer building than ours at home,

and yet this one is surrounded by such poverty!

a crazy purple dog we saw...I have no idea why it's purple!

the beautiful view from the window of the church building

one of the workers, Maestro, laying tile

another view of the property/house

This evening we went to the grocery store. As you can see from the pictures, it's a very modern store, and every bit as large as one of our grocery stores, such as Kroger.

Honduras - Day Four

2011-11-04T01:33:00.000-05:00

The streets of Comayagua are so fascinating! They're always busy with people hurrying on their ways, honking loudly and/or yelling at anything that slows them down! There's also school children, in their navy blue and white uniforms, heading to and from school. And then there's young mothers and old grandmas, struggling with small children as the walk to the nearest pulperia (little store.) Today was the day that the truck usually stops by with fresh guajada cheese in huge blocks, wrapped up in the bed of the pickup truck. It's actually pretty good, and we ate some on balleadas (flour tortillas with refried beans, scrambled eggs, and cheese.)

a little bit of the craziness in the streets

I saw this sign in a store we went to, thought it was rather funny!

It basically says,

"Attention Parents, Control your kids and don't let

them destroy the toys, Thank you."

Honduras - Day Three

2011-11-03T00:56:00.000-05:00

Today started early (like at 5:30 a.m.!) We headed out to the Hortons' property where they are building a church and a house. It is SOOOO beautiful out there!!! The pictures I'm posting don't do the scenery justice! It's located in a basin that's surrounded by mountains on all sides. One of the mountains is pretty close to their property. (Well, it looks really close, but I'm sure it's a lot farther away than it seems.) It was so nice to be out in the country for the day, and quite a contrast from the city! Where they currently live, the houses are all built together (like the buildings on downtown squares in older towns in the US, only more crowded.) There are no yards whatsoever, and the streets are crowded with pedestrians, taxis, and old buses, and people on bicycles. It's such a diverse and beautiful country!

p.s.
And even though it's been a long day, I AM including some pictures that I took today! (Ms. Staci, I may be tired, but I'm not as old as you! Haha!) More pictures to come!

the house (and this will be where they have the children's home, too)

the church building

Honduras - Day Two

2011-11-02T00:12:00.000-05:00

Well, there's not much to write about today...we just hung around the house and did things around here. Tomorrow morning, we're getting up at 5:30 a.m. to go to the Hortons' property and work and clean. They've built a church there, and are in the process of building a house/building where they'll live and eventually have a children's home. Anyway, I'm sure I'll have a lot to write about tomorrow, and several pictures as well!

Honduras - Day One!

2011-10-31T23:53:00.000-05:00

I had a great, uneventful trip to Honduras today. It's been a long day, but I thought I'd post a quick update and a couple of pictures...more tomorrow.

the street the the Hortons live on

the Hortons' youngest girls, Julia and Emily

me and Brittany (the Hortons' oldest girl)

Honduras!!!

2011-10-30T22:39:00.000-05:00

My bags are packed (very, very packed...I hope I can zip them shut!) and I'm ready to head to the Nashville airport at 3:30 a.m.! My plane leaves at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow, and I'll be in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, sometime around noon, Lord willing. I'm going to visit Trent and Wendy Horton and their family, and I plan to stay for about two and a half weeks. I'm pretty excited about getting to go again (I went in March of 2009) but I sure am going to miss my family and friends here! I plan on posting pictures to keep everyone updated on how things are going, so check back again tomorrow!

Beautiful Day In Tennessee

2011-10-02T01:19:00.000-05:00

Today was a beautiful day in Middle TN, even though it was a little chilly outside. We sang at a get together at a farm for some friends of ours, and had a great time! Bluegrass music, good food, chili, a bonfire, and a hayride...it was a great evening!

Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless

It DID Work!

2011-10-01T04:18:00.001-05:00

Haha...ok, I guess it did work! Just takes a while to show up, I guess.
(Gotta love auto correct on these crazy phones! Lol!) Anyway, hopefully this will work out better than posting from my computer, which means I'll be able to post more often. (I know my Granny and my friend Staci will be glad...they're always mentioning that it's been a long time since my last post! )

Ok, the picture that ended up being posted twice is my brother, Seth, and as you can see from the picture, he has recently lost his two front teeth! He's a mess...he was being silly and smiling with his mouth closed, so it took a couple tries before I got that picture.

Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless

2011-10-01T02:30:00.000-05:00

I don't think it's working! :-(

Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless

Trying Out Clogging Through Email

2011-10-01T02:29:00.003-05:00

This is a test to see if I can actually post on my blog by emailing from my Droid. Hope it works! :-)

Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless

Trying mobile/email blogging

2011-10-01T02:29:00.001-05:00

This is my first attempt at blogging using my Droid. Hope it works! :-)

Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless

Music Camp

2011-08-18T13:36:00.000-05:00

We've had a great summer, but we've been super busy! In July, we attended the Markmen's Mountain Music Camp in Murrayville, GA. It was a great week, with great preaching and bluegrass music! Here's a couple of videos of us picking with some friends...we definitely had a lot of fun!

Daybreak in Dixie

Rebecca

April Pictures

2011-05-04T15:31:00.001-05:00

Seth in his military outfit that Granny made him

(That's supposed to be his serious/mean face! Lol!)

Granny and me

Bethany and Esther

Rachel and Eric's house

(they recently added the wood siding and the porch)

Granny and Caroline

Caroline playing with her Papa

Easter Pictures

2011-05-04T14:59:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures we took on Easter. (Actually, the first two were taken before Easter.)

~ Caroline with Aunt Sarah ~

~ Me and Seth, just being cool ~

~ Seth, Abby, & Bethany ~

~ Seth & Esther ~

~ Bethany & Esther ~

~ me and Seth ~

~ Abby & Bethany ~

~ Seth & Abby ~

~ Seth & Bethany ~

~ Seth & Dad ~

~ Seth & Hannah, making silly faces ~

~ Seth & Sarah ~

~ Seth & Sarah, making mean faces ~

~ Seth is learning to play the mandolin! ~

Sledding Video Clips

2011-01-14T19:54:00.003-06:00

Fun in the Snow

2011-01-12T20:25:00.005-06:00

~Seth looking through the door of the snow fort they built~

~Esther chillin' in the snow~

~me and Seth~

~Abby and Seth inside the fort~

~my cute little brother~

Caroline's Portrait Previews

2011-01-11T15:37:00.002-06:00

Click Here
to see a preview of the other pictures!!

Pictures from Christmas

2011-01-08T23:45:00.006-06:00

Didn't take very many pictures at Christmas, but here are a couple that I took...

~me and my beautiful niece, Caroline Rose~

~Caroline~

~Seth and Caroline~

~Abby and Caroline~

Two Days Old

2010-08-11T16:15:00.003-05:00

Just a few pictures that I took of Caroline last Wednesday, since babies usually look a little different a day or two after they're born. She is a good baby, and so precious!!

Caroline With Her Aunts & Uncle

2010-08-11T15:55:00.008-05:00

Aunt Sarah

Aunt Hannah

Aunt Esther

Aunt Abby

Aunt Bethany

Uncle Seth

2010-08-09T22:37:00.005-05:00

Dad and Caroline

Mom and Caroline

the Vicks (Eric's parents)

Caroline Rose

2010-08-02T20:38:00.001-05:00

Independence Day Weekend

2010-07-16T23:54:00.002-05:00

The weekend of Independence Day, we traveled up to Michigan to sing and play. While there, we got to see our friends Rebecca and Leah. This picture was taken the night before we went home. (Btw, it doesn't get dark there until after 10:00 p.m.! Crazy!)

Excitedly Awaiting My Niece's Arrival!

2010-07-15T00:24:00.003-05:00

I know it's been a long time, but I'm finally getting around to writing another post for this blog!

My sister Rachel and her husband Eric are expecting their first baby! It's a girl, and she's expected to arrive at the beginning of August. We are all very excited! So far, everything has gone well with the pregnancy. I'll be posting more pictures after she's born, but for right now, here's a couple pictures of Rachel at about 36 weeks.

El Cumbanchero

2009-10-12T16:21:00.002-05:00

I'm Using My Bible for a Roadmap

2009-10-12T16:21:00.001-05:00

Sally Goodin

2009-10-12T16:19:00.000-05:00

Orange Blossom Special

2009-10-07T13:20:00.000-05:00

Only Through the Blood

2009-10-07T13:17:00.000-05:00

Check Out This Video!

2009-10-06T12:52:00.001-05:00

Here's a new video of us playing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot at the Tri-County Farmer's Restaurant in Van Leer, TN.

More Wedding Pictures

2009-09-08T22:58:00.014-05:00

Thanks to some friends of ours, I have a few more pictures to show!

some of Eric's brothers and some friends,
pickin' bluegrass before the service started

us girls played and sang two songs...

'Tis So Sweet to Trust In Jesus
&
The Best is Yet to Come

Eric's sister & brother, flower girl & ring bearer

our sister & brother, flower girl & ring bearer

Dad walking Rachel down the aisle
(poor Dad, he doesn't look very happy!)

The Wedding!

2009-09-07T00:40:00.002-05:00

Alright, y'all, I know it's been a loooong time since I've posted, but I do have a legitimate excuse! We have been so, so busy with getting things ready for Rachel's and Eric's wedding, but now that's over and done with. I plan on posting the professional pictures as soon as we get them, but for right now, this is all I've got. :-)

A Quick Trip to Florida

2009-06-02T19:56:00.010-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to make a quick to Florida to see our family. It was our last chance to make this trip before Rachel gets married in August.

Sometimes traveling with six sisters and one brother is too much to handle! Lol!

digging up part of the hydrangea bush to take home

my cousin's little girl, playing in the water
(check out my cousin's website...he takes some awesome pictures! admiller.visualblogging.com)

Rachel's last visit before the wedding...next time she'll be a Mrs.

group pose (well, kinda)

me & Granny

Family & Friends

2009-06-02T13:42:00.007-05:00

We like to call this lady our Fan Club President! :-) She is always inviting her family & friends to come hear us play and sing when we're in her area.

this is our neighbor's beagle puppy

cute, isn't he?

Rachel and I attended the graduation of a friend from church.
(Notice the handicap sign above us...too funny! Lol!)

An Afternoon At Eric's House

2009-06-01T12:33:00.018-05:00

I'm really getting behind on my blogging, but we've been staying busy! These pictures were taken last month when we went out to Rachel's fiance's house. We helped Eric plant some corn and peas, and then the girls rode horses and we shot a few targets.

Come fall, one of these hogs will be packed away in our freezer, waiting to be eaten. They don't look very appetizing right now, do they?!?

wanna guess who won? Lol!

playing a game of ???

Eric's Mamma and brother, working hard on Algebra

Rachel's so excited that he's actually letting her hold the gun! Lol!

getting a little help from her soon to be brother-in-law

trying out Dad's SKS

Easter Pictures

2009-04-13T17:07:00.021-05:00

(well, this one was actually taken a couple days before Easter)

Rachel and Eric

2009-04-13T13:31:00.004-05:00

Here's a couple pictures that I took of my sister, Rachel, and her fiance Eric. They plan on using one of these on their "save-the-date" cards.

I'm Home

2009-03-27T12:24:00.001-05:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know that I made it home safely last night. Thanks to everyone that was praying for me! I've still got several more pictures that I haven't posted yet, so I'll be doing that soon!

La Casita

2009-03-25T10:31:00.006-05:00

On Tuesday afternoon, we went out to eat at a local restaurant, La Casita.

This is what I had to eat...steak, chismo (onions, peppers, tomotoes, cilantro, & lemon juice), beans, quesoblanco (a type of white cheese), and fried platinos (similar to bananas.) It was all good!

Mrs. Horton and her baby

the Horton's son and daughter

the Horton's daughter

Making Tortillas

2009-03-25T10:09:00.014-05:00

On Monday morning, we went over to Ms. Ilda's house to watch/help her make tortillas. It was very interesting, and they tasted a whole lot better than what we buy at home!

making corn tortillas

She also made flour tortillas and put on them refried beans, scrambled eggs, and some sort of grated white cheese (similar to parmesan.) It actually tasted pretty good!

making flour tortillas

the pila

(it's used for washing clothes, etc.)

a lady washing clothes in the pila

Ms. Ilda's husband, Josea, and daughter, Ivette, and son, Dany

(Josea was one of the first people saved through the Horton's ministry)

a school that we passed...they were just getting out

Passing Out Tracks and Candy

2009-03-23T15:08:00.061-05:00

On Saturday morning, we drove around in the country and passed out tracks and candy to a bunch of kids (and adults, too.) It was a neat experience!

This is government owned land, but squatters have built little shacks and are living there. If they stay long enough, they have certain squatter's righs, and sometimes can even claim the land for their own!

this is the entrance to a farm

some men reading the tracks we gave them

giving candy to a little boy

giving candy to some little girls

(and no, he's not about to punch her! Lol!)

the starting of an irrigation ditch

(the water comes down out of the mountain)

I think these people had just finished washing their clothes.

the water is about four feet deep

These boys were wrestling, but quickly stopped when they saw that we had candy! :-)

look at those smiles!!!

an elderly man who we gave a track to

the Horton's son passing out tracks

This is a coconut tree, but it's actually a different variety than what we get our coconut from. The Hortons say it doesn't taste good!

This children's home (orphange) is run by the missionary at the church where the Hortons are helping out.

The kids sang a couple of songs for us. I took a couple of video clips, so hopefully I'll be posting them on here sometime soon!

some ladies washing clothes in the irrigation ditch

it is so pretty here!

this is a common problem...cows in the road!

a couple of guys on bicycles catching a ride by holding onto the back of an ox cart

(they also do this with 18 wheelers on the highway!)

a gas station!

the town of La Jamani

(about 20,000 people here and in the surrounding area...and no Baptist churches!)

some property that the Hortons are looking at and praying about

so pretty!

Visitation on Saturday Afternoon

2009-03-23T14:36:00.019-05:00

Victory Baptist Church, the church where the Hortons are helping out

the Christian highschool (it's not completed yet)

the Christian elementary school
(notice the windows...they don't close)

inside one of the classrooms

bananas!

On Saturday afternoon, I went with the youth group to pass out tracks.

It was a lot of fun!

Salvador giving a track to a man working in his field.

a pulperia, a little roadside market

We got Coke in a bag...they sell that a lot here in Honduras!

un vaquero (a cowboy)

me with the kids that went on visitation

The Market

2009-03-22T22:52:00.011-05:00

On Friday, we walked down to the market. It was a very interesting trip! We took a lot of tracks with us, and passed them out in a couple of minutes! It was so amazing! Everyone wanted one, and some people even asked us for some! And then they would actually sit down and read them! It was so different from the States!

Here's a baby in a box on the street where the Hortons live. It's so sad, they just leave their babies in boxes and while they sell their vegetables, sometimes even leaving the babies alone!

a man at an indoor market

(I think I scared him when I took this pic!)

meat for sale at an indoor market!

the Horton's son, and his guitar teacher, Ever

The Central Park

2009-03-20T17:43:00.039-05:00

On Thursday afternoon, we walked down to the central park here in Comayagua. It was so neat to walk the streets and see the people!

the Catholic church

We got to take a tour of the bell tower of the Catholic church. It was so awesome! They told us that this clock was made in 1450 in Spain, and given to Honduras as a gift.

They made the pavement dark so that it looks like a shadow of the church...it's harder to see from the ground, but from the tower, it's pretty neat.

at the top of the bell tower

we had to climb several flights of steep stairs to get to the top

hand carved chests at a shop we visited

another shop we visited

(as you can tell, they have quite a few American products, lol)

Paletas

2009-03-20T17:33:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday afternoon, I got to try a paleta! It was pretty good...it's like icecream on a stick, but a little different. They're made out of milk, sugar, and chocolate.

the Horton's daughter, eating her paleta

A Drive in the Country

2009-03-20T17:05:00.011-05:00

they use these little three wheeled vehichles as taxis

a village that we drove through

an outdoor oven

a couple of boys in their school uniforms

Some Cute Visitors

2009-03-14T23:45:00.004-05:00

We didn't go anywhere today, but I thought I would post this picture of the cutest of several visitors we had today! These polite young brothers stayed for several hours this afternoon. I don't think a day has gone by without somebody dropping by for a visit!

playing with the Horton's daughter...Kevin (in the green), Eric (in the blue), and Jeffrey (in the orange)

Trip to Tegucigalpa

2009-03-14T10:46:00.028-05:00

Yesterday, we went to the capital city of Tegucigalpa. It was a fun and interesting trip.

the hospital in Tegucigalpa

view from the hospital window

the post office

the Horton's baby

a view from the top of a mountain

a view looking back up the mountain to where the previous five pictures were taken

We were nearly home when the traffic backed up and we came to a stop. What was meant to be a two lane road turned into five lanes of traffic, as cars started driving on the side of the road, in the ditch, and even on the other side of the road! It was so crazy! People started getting off buses and walking, because it was faster! When the buses finally did get through the traffic, their passengers ran to get back on! It was so crazy! It was very bumpy and it took us a while, but we did eventually get home, after driving through a creek! Lol! What fun!

To Church Again

2009-03-12T22:50:00.008-05:00

This evening, we went to church where the Hortons are working at this time. I don't really have a whole lot of pictures, but we'll be going to the capital city, Tegucigalpa, tomorrow, so I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures from that!

the Horton's little girl listening to music on my MP3 player!

isn't she cute?

I Can't Accurately Describe....

2009-03-11T23:50:00.011-05:00

Try as I may, words and pictures can't accurately describe what it's like here in Honduras! I have enjoyed being here, but am also very saddened by the condition of the people...both their living condition and their spiritual condition. I am very grateful that I was able to make this trip, and it has raised my respect and appreciation for our missionaries! People who are willing to give up their lives of comfort and ease in a relatively safe country, and raise their children in a different culture. People who are willing to give up the freedom of the US, and go to a country where it may take years to buy property and get the paperwork before they can start a work of their own. People who are just willing to do what the Lord wants them to do!

an open air market

(we haven't actually gone there yet, I just took this pic when we were driving around)

all the banks have a several guards

the Horton's house

(the houses are wall to wall here in this part of Comayagua)

a view of the street that they live on

Espresso Americano!

A very good, cheap drink...it has coffee grounds, milk, oreos, and whipped cream for only about $1.50!

the newest addition to the Hortons' family

view from the small balcony at the front of the house

a view to the right from the balcony

a view to the left from the balcony

the church we visited on Wednesday night

Honduras!!!

2009-03-10T20:09:00.005-05:00

Thanks for everyone who has been praying for me as I'm in Honduras for 2.5 weeks! My trip went well, and I am enjoying it so far. Things are definitely a lot different here! The ride from the airport to the Horton's house was fun and interesting! There are really no rules as far as how or where or how fast you can drive! For those of you who were concerned about me flying alone, let me just say that the flights were probably the safest part of the trip! Lol!

my first view of Honduras

Lake Yajoa

Snow!

2009-03-01T07:57:00.012-06:00

We woke up this morning to find that it had snowed several inches during the night! Even though we had gone to bed pretty late, we got up at 6:00 a.m. to play in the snow! (Well, some of us did...)

Trip to Arizona

2008-12-22T20:13:00.042-06:00

The first week of December, we had the privilege of flying out to Arizona for a week to sing in some different churches. We had a lot of fun, and were able to see and do a lot of things while we were out there. It was an experience, though! Us girls and our brother had never flown before, and it was quite a chore getting everyone (and ten pieces of carry-on luggage) through security and onto the planes!

Our little brother was excited about getting ride on an airplane, until we got up in the air and he realized that we were up pretty high! He sat frozen in his seat, with his head down, saying quietly, "Help me. Help me. Somebody help me. Won't somebody please help me?" Lol!

On the way back, some of us, including my mom and brother, boarded the plane before the rest of the family. Mom was sitting next to the window, my little brother was in the middle seat, and they were waiting for Dad, who was supposed to sit in the aisle seat. Before he could get there, a man came along and began to stow his luggage in the overhead compartment. My brother began to get upset, thinking that man was gonna sit next to him. Mom reassured him that Daddy was gonna sit next to him! Then, the man sat down next to my brother!!! He began to holler and cry, until Dad came along and said, "I think my son wants me to sit next to him." The man was more than happy to move! Lol! I don't know if he ever realized that he had the wrong seat number or not!

Overall, it was a good trip, and we are thankful that the Lord kept us safe! Maybe someday we'll be able to do it again!

checking in at 4:00 a.m.
(don't they look excited! lol!)

snow somewhere...probably Illinois

we sang at Heaven's View Baptist in Casa Grande, Arizona
(the church is just three years old)

believe it or not, they weren't really sleeping! Lol!

snow-covered mountains near Flagstaff

Here's a small flea market-type stand. There were a lot of these by the side of the road once we got close to the Grand Canyon. From what I understand, they're mostly ran by Native Americans. We stopped at one and bought some pretty jewelry.

tumbleweed!!!

It was so awesome to stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon! I'd seen pictures before, but none of them do it justice! It's so huge! And what's even more awesome is that I know the God that made it! People that try to convince themselves that the Grand Canyon was formed by the Colorado River (which, by the way, looks like a trickle of water in the bottom of the Canyon) over millions and millions of years...they are crazy! And I would like to know, why haven't we seen this happen anywhere else?!?

my family
(don't we look crazy? it was freezing! and my brother was more interested in looking at the Grand Canyon than the camera!)

my sister with one of the pastor's daughters

my parents and little brother

(again, he was interested in something else besides a picture! Lol!)

throwing rocks into the Grand Canyon

Another Website

2008-11-27T18:12:00.003-06:00

I now have another website up and running! Like the other one, it still needs some work, but at least it's up! :-)

This is the website of Rachel's father-in-law-to-be.

www.muleprints.com

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Excuses, Excuses

2008-11-25T17:26:00.002-06:00

I'm always making excuses as to why I don't update my blog very regularly, but this one if for real! Lol! I've been busy learning to build websites (from scratch) with a program called Dreamweaver, and I finally have one up and running (well, there's still some work to do on it.) I would like to invite everyone to take a look....

www.duckriverboysbluegrass.com

and let me know what you think about it!

A Lot Can Happen in One Afternoon!

2008-11-25T16:54:00.003-06:00

It was a cold Sunday afternoon, the second Sunday of November. My sister Hannah (the girl in the last pic on my previous post) had just gotten her driver's permit and was dying to impress somebody with her driving skills. Being the second girl in our family to get her permit, she just knew that she would be a better driver than me, even though I've been driving for over four years, and she had never been behind the wheel of a car.

For some reason (we couldn't get Rachel to tell us), Eric was coming over to talk with Dad. I think that was why it was so easy for me to convince Dad to let Hannah get some practice driving around the parking lot. After about 45 minutes, she was doing pretty good, so I convinced Dad to let us go out on the road. We had been out on the road for about 10 minutes, and she was doing pretty good and being very careful. Then we came to a place where the road teed into another, and I told Hannah to turn left. Very slowly, she started to make the turn, and realized that she was gonna have to give it some more gas to complete the turn. Somehow, she gave it way to much gas, and didn't turn the steering wheel hard enough! I tried to help, while hollering for her to hit the brake, but we crunched into a ditch, just a few feet away from a very high retainer wall! Talking about being scared!!! When the car stopped rocking, we put it into park, turned it off, and got out. The car had come to rest on three tires, with the back left tire up in the air above the road! It was then and there that I decided that being a driving instructor is not my calling in life! Lol!

I called Dad, and while he and Eric were on their way to come get us, it seemed like a hundred cars stopped and asked if we needed help! I don't why, because we were on a back street that isn't used a whole lot! And I hadn't brought my jacket because I hadn't planned on getting out, so I was freezing!

So when Dad and Eric got there, another man had stopped to help, and they chained the car to Eric's truck, and got ready to pull it out. Then the man got in my car and backed it right out without any help from the truck! Dad just laughed and said, "I can't believe you called me without even trying to back it out first!" Yeah, right! If I had backed it out, Dad would have said, "Why didn't you just wait until I got here to look at it?" Lol!

We later found out that we had interrupted a very important talk...Rachel and Eric are getting married!

Hannah has been getting plenty of teasing about her driving skills, and she still hasn't gotten a chance to drive again. I will gladly let Dad take her out next time. (BTW, Rachel and Sarah just got their permits last week, so there's three girls learning to drive at one time!)

Missions Revival

2008-11-25T13:45:00.008-06:00

The last week of October, Bro. Stinnett Ballew came to our church to preach a Missions Revival.
Here's a picture of the preachers....

(my little brother says he wants to preach like Bro. Ballew when he grows up)

here's Bro. Ballew with my three youngest siblings...

Eric and one of his brothers came for one of the services, and afterwards they came over to our house for a game of Aggravation...

DOUBLE TROUBLE!!!

Fall Fellowship

2008-11-24T15:30:00.022-06:00

Back in October, our church had a get-together at the house of one of our families. Even though it was chilly, most everybody came. It turned out to be a lot of fun!

Mom with one of our ladies

(btw, they were cold! Lol!)

another one of our ladies

(she's really fun to be around!)

getting a fire started

a couple of the boys that I watch occasionally
(aren't they cute?)

daughter of the family who hosted this
(she loves to come to church, and cries nearly every time when it's time to go home! Lol!)

observing the "apple bobbing"

what kind of look is that? Lol!

the egg race!

getting ready for the three-legged race
(they ended up falling over backwards before the race even started!
it was sooooo hilarious!)

our song leader and his wife

the couple who hosted this

my Mom and little brother
(he just couldn't stay awake any longer)

the last event of the evening...making s'mores

In Loving Memory

2008-11-24T15:28:00.001-06:00

Uncle Doyle

"Helping"

2008-10-17T22:50:00.004-05:00

Last night, Rachel was trying to decorate a cake, and our little brother decided he wanted to "help." He's such a goof ball!

the real reason he wanted to "help"

Lol!

A Burp in the Dark

2008-10-13T19:51:00.008-05:00

The cloudy day was now fading into night and the shadows crept upon the earth. Feeling right fine (except a little hungry) I strolled down my driveway and down the sidewalk to the church. My mind was on a bluegrass song and I was sorta humming along, trying to figure out the harmony on it.

As I came upon a corner of the church a figure suddenly rounded it and was in my face. Before I could figure out what was happening a huge burp sounded, right there in MY FACE! Now, I'm not talking about your dainty, ladylike, half-hearted burp that you hide behind a napkin at the table when guests are present. I'm talking about the real deal, I-don't-care, loud-as-you-can BELCH! If that wasn't bad enough, IT STUNK LIKE SMOKE. You know, cigarette smoke! Oh! It is almost to painful to recall!

My reflexes being a little to late, I then jumped a little and said "Oh!" Then the figure covered her mouth and said, "Oh, I'm sorry." And we both quickly parted ways. Her to think about her embarrassment on burping in someone's face and me to eat some candy to try to erase the memories!

~Sarah
(guest blogger for the evening)

'Specting Her Beau

2008-10-10T10:42:00.003-05:00

Here is a poem that a friend of ours sent me last week. She copied it from a magazine that they get, Country Woman, and she thought we might adapt it for Rachel! The editor's note states:

This charming poem, shared by Nora M. Lenke of Aberdeen, Washington, was written by her sister Marie Johnston in 1926, when Marie was just 11 years old.

Us girls thought it was really cute, so here it is.....

When Mabel 'Spects Her Beau

I tell you, it's mysterious
at our house once a week.
We know there's something in the wind,
but we don't dare to speak.
For Sis just bosses everything
as says how it should go.
Oh, we all have to stand around
when Mabel 'spects her beau.

She crimps her hair an awful lot
and lights the parlor fire.
And she's so afraid we'll spoil her dress,
she won't let us come nigh her.
Pa kinda chuckles to himself
and winks at me and Joe,
but Ma looks pretty serious
when Mabel 'spects her beau.

At supper, she got no appetite,
but fixes up a plate
of little dabs of this and that
when Mabel 'spects her date.
She does the dishes in a flash
and thinks the clock is slow.
Things always have to hustle so
when Mabel 'spects her beau.

She whisks us youngsters off to bed
in strict, big-sister style.
On other evenings, we sit up
and play for quite a while.
And we ain't supposed to see or hear
nor even want to know
a single thing that's going on
when Mabel 'spects her beau.

The Land of Cotton

2008-10-08T16:32:00.003-05:00

Well, I wish I was in the land of cotton

Old times there are not forgotten,
Look away, look away, look away,
Dixie Land!
In Dixie Land where I was born in,
Early on one frosty mornin'
Look away, look away, look away,
Dixie Land!

Well, I wish I was in Dixie,
Away, Away,
In Dixie Land I'll take my stand,
I'll live and die in Dixie
Away, Away,
Away down South in Dixie!

The Ride Home

2008-10-08T16:29:00.000-05:00

Eric drove down for the weekend, and then followed us back home on Monday. He and Rachel were so excited that Dad allowed them to ride together! Lol!

Last-Minute Poses

2008-10-08T16:20:00.010-05:00

This has become somewhat of a tradition...
last-minute poses before we leave to go home...

playing some old-time music

on the tire swing
(she can look sweet sometimes! Lol!)

Rachel and Eric

2008-10-08T16:07:00.009-05:00

Here's Rachel and Eric enjoying a Sunday evening together...

Here's Rachel being attacked by her younger sister, while Eric pretends to be asleep...

Here's Eric (feeling sorry for not defending her) playing Rachel some beautiful (well...umm...not exactly...) music on an antique Melodica.....

Here's Rachel and Eric happy once more....

Oh, yeah, and here's the younger sister, ready to punch somebody in the stomach...

More FL Pictures

2008-10-07T18:31:00.006-05:00

my three youngest siblings, along with my cousin's three girls
(the littler ones didn't want to be in the pic!)

Rachel and Eric
(he drove down for the weekend)

50th Anniversary

2008-10-07T16:47:00.002-05:00

The main reason for our visit was to attend the 50th wedding anniversary party of our Uncle Doyle and Aunt Lil (actually my dad's uncle and aunt.) Uncle Doyle was just recently diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor, and is having surgery to remove as much of it as possible. Please, please be praying for him! We are pretty close with them, and this has been hard.

At the Beach

2008-10-07T16:30:00.029-05:00

Here's several pictures (27 to be exact!) of our trip to the beach. We had a lot of fun, especially the younger ones!

my cousin's little girls

he was scared of the water!

my sisters: "Look, Mom! Papa's teaching us how to swim!"
Mom: "Hmm...it doesn't really look like y'all are swimming."
(Lol!)

there were a lot of jellyfish, and one of my sisters ended up getting stung
(notice how everyone walked way around this one on the sand!)

cousins

Trip to Florida

2008-10-07T16:17:00.009-05:00

We just arrived home yesterday from a week-long trip to visit our family in Florida. We took lots of pictures, so I'll try to post as many as I can!

how many 76-year-old men do you know that can still ride a bike?
my Papa can!

my little brother

he's starting to look a little scared (he's afraid of heights)

Dad and Papa

Rachel and me

Sorry About That!

2008-09-16T18:03:00.005-05:00

In case anyone saw the post that my sister
left here earlier today....it wasn't true. This is the second time she posted on my blog without my knowledge! I'll have to let you know what I'm going to do after I get her back!

Watch Out! She'll Slug You!

2008-09-11T15:10:00.004-05:00

We've been telling everyone about this pic, so I guess it's about time that I posted it on my blog! The first night Eric came over to see Rachel, he got punched by my youngest sister! She had been taking pictures of everyone else, and then decided to pose for a picture herself. Some one took her picture, and then she looked at it on the camera, and turned around, and punched Eric in the stomach! Everyone started laughing, but Mom was shocked and said, "That wasn't very nice!" And my sister said, "Well, what he did to me wasn't very nice, either!" She said that he messed up her picture! Lol!

Guess Who's Courting!

2008-09-05T21:07:00.002-05:00

Well, the biggest thing that's been happening around here lately is Rachel is courting now! Here's a couple pictures...

Rachel and Eric

I'm Back!

2008-09-05T16:49:00.004-05:00

Well, I know it's been a looooong time since my last post! We've had a lot of things going on lately, so I'll try to get the main happenings posted on here! Here's a couple pictures of our little brother....

they're training him well!

he's kinda outnumbered, don't ya think?

Another Cake

2008-07-06T19:56:00.006-05:00

Last week, Rachel and I got to put our cake-making skills to work! We had a birthday party after church last Sunday night for one of our ladies' 90th birthday. Unfortunately, it came on a weekend when we were really busy, but we managed to get everything done. I baked the cakes and made the frosting and helped frost some of the cakes, while Rachel made the roses and did the decorating. The only thing that went wrong was that some of the roses slid down the cake on Sunday afternoon, but Rachel was able to fix them pretty easily. We used four cake mixes and four batches of icing (that's 8 lbs of sugar!) Dad kept making jokes in church about our cake, and he told everyone that since we were afraid that it may fall, we had to fortify it with wooden dowel rods. He said we should have just put some concrete in the cake mix! All cakes that are that big have to have dowel rods or something to support them, but I guess everyone doesn't know that! But everyone said the cake tasted good, and only one person got a dowel rod in the cake (I've never cut a cake before! At least it was one of my sisters!!! LOL!) But this morning, Dad was still talking about the "earthquake cake" that we made one time! I don't think he's gonna ever let us forget that one! :-)

doesn't she look good for 90 years old?

Quilt

2008-07-06T19:40:00.003-05:00

One of the reasons why I haven't posted in a while is because I've been busy making this...
for this little girl...

The Hortons, our missionaries to Honduras, are back for a short visit and we got to see them a couple of weeks ago. We got to see their little girl for the first time, since she was born after they went to Honduras. I'm hoping and praying that I'll be able to go to Honduras to visit them sometime soon!

Cookout with Friends

2008-07-06T17:09:00.005-05:00

Here's a few pics from when our friends from AL came up to see us. We had hamburgers and hot dogs, birthday cake (2 of my sisters had birthdays), and homemade ice cream! I wish I had taken more pics, but we were having so much fun, and I guess I kinda forgot. I did get a few pictures of a game of kickball. We had a lot of fun! :-)