Happy 15th Birthday, Emily!

Last week, Emily reached a milestone....She turned 15. She is excited that she got her beginner's permit and is learning to drive. Over the weekend, we were hanging out in her room, when I noticed she had a picture on her desk of herself and her cousin, Laura taken on her 8th birthday in 2003. Back then they were so enamoured with makeup.

They still love to wear makeup. I'm just glad they have learned how to put it on. The picture below was taken at Mellow Mushroom where we celebrated her birthday. These 15 year olds are becoming such wonderful young ladies. Next year they will be attending the same high school. I'm glad they are not only cousins but the best of friends.

Here are a couple pictures I took of Emily driving today. She drove the two of us around town shopping for summer clothes. I've loved spending time teaching her how to drive. She has done so well. There have only been a couple heart pounding moments. Hard to believe she's been driving less than a week.

The Valley of Vision

Lord High and Holy, Meek and Lowly
Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is t possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be sen from the deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine;

Let me find Thy light in my darkness,
Thy life in my death,
Thy joy in my sorrow,
Thy grace in my sin,
Thy riches in my poverty,
Thy glory in my valley.

A Puritan Poem

Skiing

Snowboarding, Luge, Figure Skating, Skiing; watching these events this week has really put us into the Winter Olympic Spirit. Since the kids are out of school for winter break, we have been able watch the games late into the night. To experience a little of that first hand, yesterday we spent the day on the slopes less than 2 hours from us at the Cataloochee Ski Ranch. With all the snow this winter, the conditions were near perfect with all lifts and runs open. The kids had a great time and are getting really comfortable on the slopes. The only thing that would have made the day better is friends to share it with. Unfortunately, the cousins and our church friends are in school this week and none of our homeschool friends were able to join us.
The temp on the mountain was 13 degrees with strong gusting winds. It was freezing! In order for the kids to be able to stay out for long periods of time, we had to buy neoprene face masks. The kids joked that they looked liked bank robbers, but it did the job of keeping their faces warm. I noticed most of the skiers and snowboarders had similar things to protect their faces.

Snow day #2

Total snow accumulations seem to be just over 4 ". Enough to cover everything completely and be beautiful. I am inside thawing out while the kids are sledding, rolling, and trying to make a snowman. It's a little powdery so I don't think they are being very successful on that front. Here's some pics from this morning:

On a snowy walk with my Valentine

Allan by the Enoree River

Em and Me!

Mags and Will love to romp in the snow

Bob! by Will

Emily trying to sled

A final shot of Maggie

SNOW!

All winter the Gilmer family has been waiting and hoping for snow. Living at the base of the Smokies means that we often get teased by forecast snow that only falls just north of us. While Asheville and Flat Rock are probably grateful this southern storm is mostly passing them by we are rejoicing that it is far enough north to include us.

Maggie, our golden retriever, particularly likes snow. It makes her just a wee bit hyper and crazy. It's kind of funny for a Filipino born dog to love cold and snow so much. This afternoon she stood at the back door barking at the flakes falling until I let her out to scamper around in the downfall. A few weeks ago we had a minor ice storm and she spent the afternoon out with the kids sledding down the steep hill in our side yard. Even when the kids were finished, she continued to try and slide down on her belly.

After about 1 1/2 hours, we already have an inch and snow is expected to continue until the morning. While we won't get near the amounts that the mid-Atlantic states have gotten this past week, we are hoping for 6-8 inches. That will probably be a bit too much to expect.

For now, I am just sitting by the window watching the big flakes fill up my deck while listening to my new favorite album by Sidewalk Prophets. Too bad the large flakes don't show up in this picture.

Maggie is passed out by the fireplace with the gas logs burning. She's probably dreaming of the big fluffy white stuff.

I love winter! Got to go play in the snow with Will!

Updated Pictures:

These pictures were taken just after 5pm. The clinic closed so Allan came home from work while we were outside. By 8:00pm we had at least 3" and it has continued to snow all evening. The kids can't wait to get out again in the morning! I'm sure we will have more pics tomorrow.

Maggie loves to stick her face down into the snow and push it around.

I have no idea what she's doing.

Emily in front of the new house.

Christmas Performances

This year the kids have been involved in some extracurricular musical activities.

Will began playing the trumpet through BACH Festival Choir and Band, a homeschool group here in Greenville. He has really taken off and his band director says he has natural talent. In December, he had his first concert of Christmas songs. Here are a few pictures of that night:

Just before performing and he's not nervous at all

Playing Jingle Bells!

Emily is still playing the flute, but not taking formal lessons. She has been showcasing her musical talent by playing in the hand bell choir at church and singing with an all girls choir, Vox Angeli. In December the Vox Angeli Singers performed 2 evenings at an annual Medieval dinner feast called The Madrigal. Emily loves singing with these girls which includes her cousin Beth, and particularly loved dressing up for the Madrigal Feast!

Both kids have more performances scheduled for the spring.

The Vox Angeli Singers

Emily and her cousin Beth

Emily squared

Emily and one of her best friends, Emily

2 Moms and a Minivan

In mid-December, Allan and I made a major purchase cementing our decision to remain in the US for the next few years....we bought a house. Allan has taken a job at a new clinic opened by the Greenville Hospital System and we will be remaining here for the time being. So 9 days before Christmas, my sister-in-law, Chris helped me begin moving from the rental house to the new house. She came up with the clever name of our moving expedition, a play on 2 Men and a Truck. Since we didn't have bunches of stuff to move, we rented a UHAUL and hired a couple of guys from church to help us move the big stuff. We are just beginning to get settled and looking for furniture. Just for the record, I don't recommend moving the week before Christmas! I have lots I want to blog about from the last few months, but time marches on and I probably won't. For now we are busy finishing up the house and continuing homeschooling. Thanks Chris and everyone else who helped with the move!

He's 13!

A couple weeks ago, Will had a couple of changes. He reached a major milestone as he left childhood behind and entered his teen years. That same day he also got something that made him look really different. Can you tell from the above picture?

For his birthday, Will invited some boys over to an airsoft war in the woods behind our new house. 4 boys and 2 dads spent the afternoon tromping around and shooting at each other. They had a grand time. Below are a few pictures from the afternoon:

2 Dads and 2 boys prepare for battle

Fun shooting holes in the silt screen

Seth and Austin sharing war stories over cake and ice cream

Seth and his Dad debate over where who shot who

Dalton tells his story

Will just enjoying the tales

Emily invited Austin's sister Olivia over to keep her company

By the way, if you didn't notice what's different about Will, he now has glasses.

Happy New Year from the Gilmer's New Home

2 weeks ago today we moved into our new home and it has made for a crazy Christmas season. We spent a relaxing evening last night welcoming in 2010 by eating at the Chinese restaurant with my parents and then hanging out at home shooting off a few fireworks. Since we don't yet have tv service, we toasted the New Year by watching a web cam of Times Square on the computer and listening to James Taylor sing Auld Lang Syne. We look forward to see how God is going to work in our lives in the coming year.

Happy New Years!

The Gilmers