Merry Christmas to all!
More Christ to all!

School Pics!

We like to take our kids' school pics at home and make it a family affair. Here are this year's. And we added one of Edmund too - he hasn't started school yet, but maybe soon!

Family Reunion

We had such a great time with everyone in town. Here are a few of the cousins riding the carousel here in Salem.

Corley Reunion

We have been having a great time with everyone being in Oregon! We all spent a couple of days at the Oregon coast!

Well, our dining room, kitchen & living room are done now. Here are the pics. We are ready for company now!

Canby Grove Camp & Rudy & Terri Sheptock

What a great time we had! What a blessing! We were able to travel up to Canby Grove Camp and visit Rudy & Terri Sheptock (they were out here all the way from New Jersey) because he was the guest speaker at the Family Camp this week. They were my youth pastor in Ohio. My best memories in Ohio all come from the times with them. We were able to chat with them for a few hours and meet their youngest son.

Grandpa's 84th Birthday

My Grandpa turned 84 yesterday. He was a Marine in WWII, he was a gunner on an Amphibian Tractor, so I made a simple replica of the boat. We all had a good time.

Girls' Bedroom in the Basement

We finished our girls' bedroom yesterday. We built some bookshelves for them and had a great time doing it!

We thought our son would play with the puppy the most, but our oldest has bonded the most! Here they are on a short roadtrip.

Living In Salem

So here we are renting in Salem. We are renting a beautiful 1920's 3/2 home. God has blessed us with a new puppy which was named Edmond by the kids (from the Chronicles of Narnia). We are excited about getting settled in this home. It is a long story how we ended up here, and we are so thankful. God is faithful and has once again provided in our time of need. Here are some photos of our home & puppy. I'll post more pics later as the other rooms get cleaned =)

More hair or is it less.....?

OOPS.....I tried to cut my hair without Mommy and Daddy knowing.

Mommy and Daddy then fixed it!!!

I like it.

:)

Kids are hysterical.

Sunday our oldest announced that Monday will be pajama day at her school. Our middle child is homeschooled and our youngest is just 4. Because our middle girl misses out on these fun school events, she announced that Monday would also be pajama day at her school and asked me to show up to the office in the morning in my pj's. Both our girls woke up Monday morning and decided pajamas to school were just not cool.

Our son woke up after his sisters and by this time we had all forgotten about pajama day. I happened to be on the phone when he came running out of the bedroom still slipping into a clean set of pj's with his hair standing on end in many different directions, I told him it was morning and to get clothes on, he replied cheerfully, "It's pajama day!" He followed that with, "Mom, I don't have to comb my hair today!" I asked him why, he said, "Tomorrow is crazy hair day!"

Later on, while still sporting his clean pj's but 2-day old socks, he followed me outside to do some weeding in the beautiful back yard. He began to tell me about a bug he had just seen. He said, "I saw a chatterby." (This is the same boy who ran to me terrified one afternoon and told me there was a crab under his bed - it turned out to be a ladybug.) After some confusion and clarifying questions, I figured out he was referring to a mosquito. He laughed at his own inability to say "mosquito". He said laughingly, "I can't say it, but I CAN say 'heeelllloooo' and 'daddy' and . . ."

what a goofball. they bring such joy. some parents like when breaks are over & they can send their kids back to school. this is too much fun ~ i like having them around as often as possible!!

Family Fun

We are so excited about all of the Corley Clan getting together this summer at this awesome beach!!

Go see it!!!!!

End of days?

"Roads End" is not the end

Dear friend,

It has been raining here along with everything else like snow and sleet and hail and ice

A-nnn-ddd cooooold!

So last week we found a perfect day when the sun peeked out of the dreary sky and God gave us the most beautiful day to go to the Coast (West). The beach we went to is a place where there are lots of tide pools and we saw everything you could think of from starfish to sea anemones, to rocks, shells, crabs, mussels, snails, clams, sand and of course water. Ironically the name of the beach is called “Road’s End” because of course this beach in Lincoln is at the end of a road. You park your car and then you walk about one mile or so (maybe two) and find all those earlier mentioned, wonderful treasures at the end of the beach. IT WAS A GREAT TIME!

Similarly, our family feels like we have come to the end of a road. Yesterday, I received a call from that church I applied for and they decided to hire one of the other candidates. We were very surprised because we sensed God saying; “apply for this position.”

Well, things are different this morning. We are at the end of a road.

BUT at that beach that I told you about, you know the one we walked down to the end and found all those treasures, during low tide you can actually walk on the rocks around a bend and find yourself on another magnificent beach. So, I can’t tell you what God is doing other then He loves us and you too and He is always good. Always!!!

Thanks again for your prayers. We need God’s wisdom.

Peace

Stars

April showers bring May flowers!

Click on picture or link to see our April 2008 newsletter!

http://www.freewebs.com/colemans/Ltr2%20sprtrs%20spr%2008.pdf

Psalm 107:4-9

"Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered then from their distress. Hed led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle."

"Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for humankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things."

God's Beautiful Creation

What a beautiful blessing to be able to see this gorgeous bird up close every day in the backyard.

thinking lately

what is it about story that intrigues us so? recently, some friends and I heard don miller speak. he talked about story and how the bible is full of stories. i think going to movies, reading books, hearing stories told around the fire, searching for the most interesting stories on the web or on tv is contagious. why? because we are all in search for purpose. we find purpose in story. but what i've been thinking about lately is transforming and bringing me to a whole new level of existence. it is creating a pardigm shift in my heart.

follow me. we..are....part...of a story.......but it is not some self centered story where we are the main character and the award is some high pedestal for our ego.

no,

we are really part of something much greater and better then we could ever imagine. we are part of GOD's story. it's a beautiful story. a story of certainty and mystery, a story of miracles and peace, a story of pain and hope, a story that will be told for days, weeks, years, eternity!