7 Days to 10 Years

Tonight I was going to talk about the kids but I had a little adventure after work so I will pick a shorter topic.......my adventure was hitting.......Joann's, Michael's, Archiver's and Hobby Lobby.....I now......exciting!!!!!

The Donner and I have had 2 different houses that we have called home. One was located in Warrenton, MO on 300 acres with lots of wooded trails to walk and the other has been our current home here in Kansas City that is on little less than an acre but still has some woods to explore.

The place in Warrenton was a little slice of heaven on earth.....we didn't really have any neighbors and we had room to roam. It was so quiet and peaceful but there was one problem.....we didn't own it....it wasn't really ours. It was a big old farm house that needed some work and we put a little into it but when it is not yours the motivation to do a lot is not there. I do miss the parties we had, 4 of July was always at our house and we would start the day early with food, games, hiking and last but not least fireworks!!!!! We were about 1 mile from the fair grounds so we could sit in our yard and watch them with out traffic. There are many memories from that little oasis and it was hard leaving it but we had another adventure to go on.

Sparkles is keeping watch in Warrenton....She probably just came out of the pond!!

We moved to Kansas City, Kansas City here we are (imagine I am singing the Kansas City song to you)!! This was the first house that I Donnie and I had ever owned together....it is our home. We closed on February 14, 2003 but did not get possession until February 17. Once we got possession my husband went crazy.....we had nothing with us other than a few odds and ends. The truck with our stuff was stuck in a snow storm so they were going to be late....what does the Donner decide to do....tear down a wall. We'd had the conversation about what our first project would be and there was no discussion of a wall being torn down......again we had nothing for him tear walls down with, other than a steel bar we used for horseshoes. Needless to say the wall came down and many other things have been torn apart and put back together.

If you look close Sparkles is on the sidewalk waiting patiently.

I know that someday we will leave this little house but we will always have the memories just like our first house and there will be more memories made down the line. For now we will just tuck ourselves away in our little haven and be thankful for all the Lord has given us.

8 Days to 10 Years

This next subject I know quite a bit about so I will try to keep it to a minimum. I was born and raised in Iowa and my heart is still there.

My Daddy met my Mom while working for the phone company in my Mom's hometown; they worked for Ma Bell. Mom was an operator and Daddy worked the lines and one thing lead to another. After a quick courtship the got married and 9 months after the wedding another member joined the family.....ME!!!!

I started the theatrics early!!!

I grew up on a farm and I must say it was a wonderful way to grow up. There were always adventures to go on. I am an only child and I have a very active imagination so you can only imagine the entertainment I could find on a farm.

So young so naive

My parents divorced when I was 15 so Mom and I moved across the field into the old farm house until I graduated High School. After graduation we moved to into town and that is where I met my first husband.

I was way to young in age an maturity to have made that decision but I did it for the wrong reasons and with a bad start like that it was sure to end. That divorce was very instrumental in my growing up and though it was hard to go through it got me to where I am now. I was kind of lost for a few years but eventually I found my way......it was by the love and grace of Jesus.

If I only knew what was headed my way

When I took the job with Olan Mills I figured it would just be another job in a long search for my purpose in life; it was so much more than that!!! I had been dating my boyfriend at that time off and on for a couple of years but it never seemed like it was going to go anywhere. He was good to me and I genuinely loved him but I was not in love with him and I wanted more.

Can you tell I am in love?

The phrase that things happen when you least expect them has certainly been true in my life. I was not looking for some one new in my life.....I had decided that life was not going to change....I mean I had a man who loved me and I loved him....we were good friends....I wasn't expecting anything else.

Then that fateful October day came when I pulled into that church parking lot and everything changed. My life went in a direction I never even dreamed it would have. I am so blessed to be married to a man that I can laugh, and cry with. I married my soul mate my other half my best friend.

Yes, we have met challenges but that has made us stronger and ready to face what ever comes our way. We know that Father God is in charge of us that He will light our steps and when we stray onto the unlighted path He will be there to help us find our way.

Still Smiling!!!

9 Days to 10 Years

Tonight I will talk about The Donner!!!

Now I am telling his story as an outsider and sharing with you some of the tidbits that I have gleaned from family gatherings and the time that I have spent with him. To start out Donnie grew up around St. Louis, MO, his family moved around the St. Louis metro and finally settled west in a little town called Jonesburg, MO. His parents were very young when they had the kids and as young parents often do......the biological father decided not to be a part of the family anymore. But that is OK because Donnie's step dad stepped right in and made those kids his own. Donnie has an older sister and a younger brother.....yep he is a middle child.

Little Donnie is sooooo Cute!!!

From the stories I have been told about his growing up....he was quite ornery.....not a lot has changed. There was the time that he rode his bike into a brick wall.....I believe he was playing chicken and his brakes went out.......and numerous stories of him and his siblings having "disagreements"....typical kid stuff.

He was a Jock

He married his High School sweetheart a year or two out of High School and started working for Olan Mills taking pictures for the club plan. With being a newly married couple and him traveling so much it was only a matter of time until they would part ways. After the break up of his marriage he decided to move to Iowa and continue his Olan Mills career. He moved in with a friend that worked for the same company in the Church Division......they were just a couple of single guys working and having "fun"...we will leave it at that.

What a Ham!!!

While having all of the "fun" he met his second wife and that is where our beautiful children come into the picture. He had gotten to that age where he thought it was time to settle down and have some kids so he did. I have my opinions why the marriage didn't last but that is what they are and this is a happy story so I will keep them to myself. Upon the demise of his second marriage he decided a career change was in order and that is how he got into the concrete business......he had worked construction off and on during the Olan Mills days...there were some very slow months in the picture business. His family had grown their business and they wanted Donnie to be a part of it. We have now made it to the portion of the story where I come in and I don't want to give it all away tonight.

Service and a Smile

Donnie is a creative, hard working, sweet, caring and loving husband. He has had some big mountains to overcome but he has chosen to learn from those long treacherous climbs instead of living in pity and anger.....I applaud him for not letting some rough times dictate who he is. It takes a stronger man to face his giants then to let his giants chase him.

He is so Handsome!!!

I may lose my patience with him on a regular basis (he likes to push me) and I may not always like his brutal honesty but I could not imagine being married to anyone else....he is a good provider, a fun friend and a wonderful mate.