Spring has SPRUNG!

Well today is opening day of Ranger baseball (not that I really care but Ray, Grant and Austin seem to think its a big deal)! It just always marks for me the beginning of a new season. We all love Spring and it never last as long as any of us would like but we all enjoy it all the same. ***As I am finishing this blog I was informed by Grant that the Rangers kicked butt and won 9-1.

Lots going on here in our home and in our lives. Megan has been living with us since January and she has been out of town for a month with Blaire. It was way to long but she got back last week. We all love her being here!! Rachel has purchased her plane ticket to leave for Israel on June 3rd (I think) and she will be gone 88 days - she hasn't paid for the ticket but it has been purchased (credit card!). She is working her fingers to the bone to do all she can do and I know the Lord will do the rest. Soon (like yesterday) I was suppose to be finished with her support letter to help her raise money for her mission trip - I'm almost totally done RACHEL!! She is SO EXCITED!! I will post her letter soon so you can all hear her heart on Israel and what she is going to do. IT'S EXCITING!! She is going with Gary and Jerri Benjamin and their youngest son Preston. They are the parents of Austin, who is Hannah's boyfriend. It's crazy how the Lord connects people - He is SO clever... The Benjamins are leaving in 2 weeks to move there for 1 year. All of my girls are so sad because they have grown to love them so much - just like family! Hannah is SO sad but grateful that she has had over a year to really get to know them. Sarah has been at her new job for 1 week. She is back at the same job she had before she went to KC. Her same friends are there so she is loving that. She is quite under the weather right now : ( - but she is tough as nails so she will bounce back. Olivia is working her 2 jobs and really doing good. I on the other hand miss her SO MUCH!! She was my last girl to be around the house all the time and now it's just me and Grant. Liv just got offered a Nanny job for the months of June and July. She actually hasn't purchased her ticket but she is wanting to go to Israel. Her wish and prayer is to go around the 1st week in August and then fly back with Rachel. She would be there around 3 weeks so we shall see. This nanny job would actually pay for her whole trip so as soon as she knows if she got it - we will start making plans. She would have to fly alone to Israel so we will see if her Daddy will agree to that! Mr. Grant is keeping us all on our toes!! He is quite the comedian around our house.

Ray is as wonderful as ever and we are loving life together as usual. He is working very hard these days, as so many are with the wonderful world economy like it is. I am happy that we can depend on God's economy and in it there is NO LACK! Our Summer is filling up with things and Ray is marrying 2 couples this Summer and 1 of them is our sweet niece Katie and her guy Justin. The other is another daughter of ours (she just doesn't have our DNA) Bink (or Brittany) and Davi. We have been preparing for some pre-marital counseling (our most FAVORITE kind of counseling). 1 thing new I read and I thought I would share was this - Before you get married write down the 3 biggest things that bug you about the other/the things that you would want changed. Then vow to each other that these 3 things will never be talked about or even slightly brought up again in any negative way. We will give them to the Lord and have HIM change the other. What I know from being happily married for 26 years is when we do that - WE CHANGE most of the time and sometimes even the Lord changes the other. Of course we are always growing and changing - THANK GOD! I think that is something we should ALL do, no matter how long we have been married or in a relationship. In my case Ray probably had 10 things he wanted changed about me -- but I never knew 1, because he let the Lord change me...just a little nugget - for someone I am sure!

That's an update on the Baker gang. One other young lady that lived at our home for a couple of years is Emily. When she was living here she was going to Bible School at CFNI, wishing she had a boyfriend (like the rest of the girls around here) and she was a real JOY to have live here. She has been gone a few years and in that time she got MARRIED - her 1st date with Josh he actually picked her up from our home. Well this weekend we got a call that she is PREGNANT and they are so, so excited. We are all so excited because she will always be 1 of our girls and 1 of the girls sisters. Some of you know but around a month ago her Dad found out that he has cancer. He has been given no hope medically but LOTS OF HOPE by the REAL HEALER, JESUS!! His name is Bill Wells and he is Emily's Daddy and her little babies Pop - PLEASE put him on your prayer list and pass his name to anyone that you know that believes that Jesus still heals! He is an amazing man and he is AN AMAZING Daddy! I had the honor of taking her wedding pictures almost 2 years ago and here is a couple of pictures of Emily and her Daddy.