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traditions, family drives ~ Guanella Pass

Written by Joy
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traditions, family drives ~ Guanella Pass

One of our favorite things to do as a family is going a on drive around the area.  Since we have moved to Colorado, we have a lot of new areas to explore.  One of those areas we went to recently was the Guanella Pass.

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Guanella Pass is located in Clear Creek County, west of Denver.  It was also named after a worker who had worked for the county for 50 years.

We started the drive in Georgetown, CO.

All along the way, there are places you can pull off the road and hike.

There are also places you can camp.

I see this as being a road that we take often on drives.

Not only do we get to enjoy the beautiful scenery.  We get to enjoy the special time together.

We leave our phones off, and music softly playing.  We enjoy just talking and visiting with one another.

I love this special time with my family.

Do you go on family drives?  How do you spend time with your family?

2012, family, photography, , , , , , , , ,

so thankful and blessed, 1000+

Written by Joy
2 Comments
so thankful and blessed, 1000+

Even though it has been several weeks since I have last counted my blessing on the blog, it doesn’t mean that I haven’t been counting them daily and thanking God daily for all he has blessed our family with.  The mercy and grace that God has given our family is truly amazing.  All we are, are wretched sinners and yet, He still continues to give to us daily.  After 2 1/2 years, I had finally made it to 1000.  I am continuing on because there is continually something to be thankful for.

Psalm 100:3-5

3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

1001. an apartment to live in that is just right for our family.

1002.  children who worked so hard helping to unload and unpack boxes.

1003. a husband, who was sick, working until he literally could work no more, unloading and unpacking boxes because I am not supposed to lift anything.

1004. getting back in a routine with homeschooling the kids.

1005. a new chiropractor and massage therapist.

1006. this new blog.

1007. Honey and Jonah Brown of Honeycomb Design Studio for designing and installing this new blog.

1008. a husband for helping me with this new blog.

1009. worship at a new church with fellow believers.

1010. friends who are always there for you, no matter what!

I would love for you to join in counting the many blessings that God gives. Stop by A Holy Experience and visit others who are also sharing their many blessings.

2012, multitude Mondays, ,

Register Now for the Teach Them Diligently Conference!!

Written by Joy
Register Now for the Teach Them Diligently Conference!!

I am so excited about the Teach Them Diligently Conference!  I can not wait for our family to attend the event that is being held in Omaha, Nebraska.  That’s right!  The amazing conference that happened in Spartanburg, SC back in March of this year, is now being held in THREE locations in 2013!  You will have your choice of Spartanburg, SC (May 2nd-4th), Nashville, TN (May 16th-18th) or Omaha, NE (May 30th-June 1st).  They will have a lot of amazing speakers coming to each of the conferences   Yes, some of the same ones will be back from this past year, however, new speakers will also be there like Pam Tebow!

Okay, so I am getting a little ahead of myself.  Not for sure what Teach Them Diligently Conference is all about?  David and Leslie Nunnery, the organizers behind this conference, says it best:

“The Teach Them Diligently Convention was born out of a recognized need for more events celebrating the focus of Christian Homeschool Families—which is to disciple their children to glorify God.”

I have said before that one of the main reasons why we homeschool and will continue to homeschool is so that as parents, we will teach our children to glorify God!  Then to have this couple to obey God, to put together a conference where there are many speakers that come together to help parents, to encourage parents to teach their children at home to glorify God, is just what our family needed.

Now on to some of the amazing speakers that will be the Teach Them Diligently Conference this year.  Not all speakers will be at all three locations.  I am just going to mention a few of the speakers that I truly am excited about, that will be at the Omaha, NE Conference.  As I already mentioned earlier, Pam Tebow will be speaking in Omaha.  I love their family story of being missionaries, homeschooling and being the parents of a child that her doctor recommended aborting because of her being so sick while pregnant.  Pam Tebow, trusted in her faith of God and had a healthy baby boy who is now the most talked about Quarterback of the NFL, Tim Tebow.

We will also be blessed by having Voddie Baucham speaking in Omaha this year.  Omaha will be the only Teach Them Diligently Coference that he will be speaking at.

Ken Ham, spoke in SC last year and will also be speaking this year in all three locations.  Ken Ham is the founder and president of Answer in Genesis.

I had the pleasure of hearing Rachael Carman and Heidi St. John speak at another conference back in April.  I am so thrilled to be able to hear them once again in Omaha.  Rachael’s husband, Davis Carman will also be speaking.  The story of how the began homeschooling and how they came about of buying Apologia is truly wonderful.

 Several years ago, I had the pleasure of listening and meeting Hal and Melanie Young.  I was also excited to hear that they would also be speaking in Omaha.  They are such a sweet and God fearing couple raising their 8 children to glorify God.  It will be so good to listen to them once again.

As you can tell, there are a lot of amazing speakers that will be in Omaha.  Not only Omaha though, but also at the other two locations.  Be sure to go to the Teach Them Diligently Speaker’s page to learn who all will be at each location.

Not only does the Teach Them Diligently Conference have amazing speakers for the adults, they have 2 programs set up for the younger children and the teenagers.

Banner4Truth

From what I have heard about the children’s and teens programs, my children are excited and can’t wait to attend this conference either!  Teach Them Diligently has truly thought of the whole family!

Now on to some exciting news!  If you register either today or tomorrow,  and use the code: BESTOFFER, will receive $20 off early bird pricing!   That will put your registration less than the early bird pricing for 2012! This deal is only good through Tuesday night, so hurry and register!  

Let me know if you will be attending the conference in Omaha.  I would love to meet you and your family!

**This post contains affiliate links.

 

2012, family, , , , , , , , ,

my blog, a new name and new look…

Written by Joy
10 Comments
my blog, a new name and new look…

As you know, I no longer live in the Great Smokies of North Carolina.  We moved about 6 weeks ago to the beautiful state of Colorado.  So, I knew that I would need to change the title of my blog to something else.  I was asked if I would change it to My Home In The Rockies.  I had thought about that, but decided against it.  I joked with my husband that we probably would be moving again in another 7 years or so and I would have to change it again.  Then the work began of trying to think of a new name that would fit me and what I write about here on this blog.  I knew I wanted something that would fit our family, our faith and our homeschooling life.  After much thinking and praying, after talking with my husband and friends, I settled on “A Journey of Joy”.

a little sneak peek of my new blog

Why did I choose A Journey of Joy?  For the past several years, I have looked at my life as being a journey.  Everything I do, I do it one day at a time and I do it because I am on this trip of a lifetime.  A journey that hopefully will bring me closer to God.  With my faith, I am on a journey.  A journey to grow more in God. To praise and glorify Him every day.

Then, I am on this journey of homeschooling our children.  Again, it is something we do one day at a time.  We learn together as a family.  We take trips back in time, with history.  We do this to praise and glorify God.  He is the reason why we are homeschooling.

Then, my name is Joy.  Yes, I was blessed to be named Joy.  Other than being my name, what is Joy?  What does it mean?  The Merriam-Webster says

Definition of JOY

1 a : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires
b : the expression or exhibition of such emotion
2: a state of happiness or felicity
3: a source or cause of delight

So while it is my name, I also want this blog to be a place of finding happiness.  Finding a source of delight.  We all know that being on journeys can be difficult at times.  I want to be able to go on the journeys with you and us find that happiness and delights together.  To get through those tough times of when things don’t go the way we think they should.  When we have those days that it seems like nothing is going right.  I want to be there to pick you up and encourage you in your faith and homeschooling journey.  Will you come along with me on this new journey?  I sure hope you will!

The new blog should be up and running on Monday.  Honey and Jonah from Honeycomb Design Studio have been working so hard to get this blog designed.  We will begin the process on Saturday.  Yes, I will  be bringing everything from this blog, to the new one.

I do have a new Facebook page for the new blog and you can find it here.  I hope you will stop by and like the new page.

I am looking forward to this next step in my journey.  I have a lot of new and exciting things planned an I can’t wait to share them with you.

Blessings.

 

 

2012, , , , ,

first week of school

Written by Joy
8 Comments
first week of school

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

While we had done a couple of weeks of school back in August, right after we moved to Colorado, this was our first week of school with our curriculum that I shared here.  Over all, I think it went rather well.  We do have some tweaking to do with our routine, but I think once we get a couple of weeks under our belt, we will be doing just what we need to be doing.

Samuel working on handwriting and Claire working on Math.

One of the things I have enjoyed the most about our week?  My children have gotten up, ready and have eaten breakfast and then got their books out to do school work.  They were so ready to get back to our regular routine.  They love to learn and that does warm my heart.

Now this isn’t to say that we haven’t had a few tears this week.  Even momma has had to talk with daddy during the day to get calmed down.  We have all been a little stressed with the move and that has played a big part with some of our attitudes (ahem), me included.  That is when we closed our books for a few moments and just talked.

Sarah working on math.

So what has really worked this week.  Well, mostly all of the school work, has worked!  haha   Seriously though, the Illuminations program that I am using, I like it a lot.  The kids are enjoying their school work.  They love the Mystery of History that we are doing.  The books we are reading, we are enjoying.  They are loving the Apologia Astronomy that we are reading.

What didn’t work this week?  Well, we are trying to get a hang of all the Language Art components.  Mostly that was my fault though.  I wasn’t nearly as prepared with the lesson plans as I had intended on being.  Also, changing from one subject to the next is going to take some work.  It has come to my attention that all three of my kids can not be working on math at the same time.  Especially, when it is 3 different grade levels of math.  I will need to find some independent work for the younger children, while I am helping their sister.

First week of school is a success!

Like I said, over all the week went pretty well.  I am happy with it.  I am looking forward to this year!

How did your week go?  Did you do any special projects?

Romans 12:2

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

2012, homeschooling, , , ,