Update...

Our New Family...minus Meghan, James and Adalie. They are still in Korea. :o(

Ryan, Mark and Austin

Mark and I. Our first dance!

My goodness how things have changed since my last update. Things like my NAME...Mark and I were married 4 weeks ago, July 24th. I am now Lisa Carol Koontz. The past four weeks have been lovely! We have such a good time and everyday is exciting just to come home and be together!

At this moment, I am sitting at the hospital with Mattie. She is 34 weeks pregnant and having contractions. It's not the first time she's been here to be monitored and stop the contractions.

I suppose Miss Kyndall (yes, it's a girl!) just doesn't want to wait much longer to meet her parents...and her MARMIE! But it's just too early, in 4 more weeks , it will be OK.

We are a blessed family, there is yet another baby on the way! Meghan and James will be welcoming their second child in April! We are all very excited.

Lily will be moving in to her DORM in September! She will be attending SCAD, Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah Georgia.

Clancy is living in Edgewater, close to the beach and has a lovely girlfriend, Cassie. It's hard to believe but my little "boy" turned 24 last week!! (Happy Birthday, Clancy!!) Where does the time go? He has grown in to a handsome young man.

Now I have two new son's...Ryan and Austin, Mark's sons. They live together in Orlando. They are both in college, one at UCF and the other at Valencia. Both are wonderful young men, very sweet and especially handsome!

I continue to teach several yoga classes each week in various locations. My students are the most awesome people. Each time I leave a class, I feel blessed to have taught them. I consistently receive astonishing reports of how much yoga has helped, everything from improved balance to healing previous injuries.

Just recently I began a new blog, Namaste...today! (namaste-today.blogspot.com). I will be sharing some of those stories from my students as well as other yoga related topics. So check it out!

Forever!!!.....

It's been forever since I've posted!

Lot's of changes coming in the future, one just as exciting as the next. I'm engaged to Mark! No date as of yet...I'll keep you posted.

My second grandchild is on the way. Mattie will have another sonogram in May and then we'll know whether to buy pink or blue. She's hoping pink!

Lillian graduates from high school in May and we're waiting to hear what school she will choose.

Keep you eyes open for a new YOGA blog followed by a YOGA website!!!

Hoping each of you has a Blessed Easter.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!!

When I Grow Up I Want To Be Just Like Addie

Have you ever been surprised by God's revelation to you? Taken back with His choice of teaching? I had just such a moment this morning.


As I read in my devotional book "Jesus Calling", these words spoke to me: "Anticipate coming face to face with impossibilities: situations totally beyond your ability to handle. This awareness of you inadequacy is not something you should try to evade. It is precisely where I want you--the best place to encounter Me in My Glory and Power. When you see armies of problems marching toward you, cry out to Me! Allow Me to fight for you. Watch Me working on your behalf, as you rest in the shadow of My Almighty Presence."

One of the Scriptures for the day was from Psalm 91. As I turned there in my Bible, I remembered it well. The whole chapter. I remember during previous times in my life reading it as a prayer. It was completely covered in highlighters of different colors, beginning to fade with time. As I read I realized that more than the ink on the page had faded...so had my belief.

Not my belief in God, mind you. My belief that God IS Who He says He IS.

As I read verses 14-15, highlighted in pink and green and underlined in red, I realized I wasn't living day to day like I believed it at all. "Because she has set her love upon Me, therefore will I deliver her; I will set her on high, because she knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness--trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake her, no never]. She shall call upon Me, and I will answer her; I will be with her in trouble, I will deliver her and honor her. "

Then as I do every morning, I picked up my next devotional book, "GOD Calling". I read, "You seek My Presence and they who seek shall find. It is not a question of human searching, so much as human consciousness, unconditional surrender to My will in the small, as in the big things of life. This it is that makes My Guidance possible."

"You know the difference between taking a glad, loving, joy-springing child with you along a way, when the child anticipates each direction, accepts naturally each decision as to each turning--and the child who resists, and, rebellious, has to be forced, even though in its quieter moments it may say, 'Yes. I do want to go with you. I cannot be left alone, but I hate this way.'"

It is not the way, but the loving rejoicing in the way and the guidance, that matters with My disciples. You are ready for the guidance but you do not rejoice as you should."

That's when I remembered Meghan's (Adalie's mother) facebook comment from yesterday. "...at play dates or running errands or any activity outside the house she is so good!" I have seen that it doesn't matter where Meghan takes Addie. She is happy, content and joyful whether her Mother is strapping her in to the car seat to go to Target or across the ocean to Ireland. Addie "accepts naturally each decision as to each turning" because she trusts in her mothers goodness to her. She is at rest in her mothers presence.

As I consider the path that I find myself on today and the prayers I pray each day concerning my path, I see that I am the child who resists. Yes. I DO want to go with you Lord. I cannot be left alone. Yet each day, as walk "in the little daily stones of the way" and encounter problems, though I cry out to You for help, I continue to tell You "I hate this way"!!!! I do not rest in the shadow of the Almighty, watching Him work on my behalf because I don't trust and believe in the Goodness of the Lord.

So today, with God's HELP, I want to grow up and be like my precious Addie. I want to be the child that doesn't question that "the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises". (Psalm 91:15). I want to be she "who believes in Him (and) shall not be put to shame nor be disappointed in her expectations." (Romans 9:33) I want to walk along today's path knowing that He is not only holding my hand as I walk but is guiding my every footstep on this path.

"AND A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM". (Isaiah 11:6) I never could have imagined that the Holy Spirit would use my 15 month old granddaughter to teach ME about ME.

Thanks Addie.

Catching Up

I haven't posted in FOREVER!!! Not that I haven't tried to post...and my reasons are:
*Facebook! Just like my sister Beth from Alaska, Facebook takes up my time and is so easy to upload photos and such. I can do it right from my iPhone.
*Computer Virus!! Apparently my computer was full of them. Every time I actually tried to post my computer would freeze up, kick me off or some such nonsense.
*And now that it's fixed...I'm SO sad to say, ALL OF MY PHOTOS ARE GONE. LOST.

So no pictures today. Just a "hello", I'm still here and VERY busy.

As some of you may know, I'm preparing to return to Ireland in just two weeks. I loved it so much last year I wanted to go back to celebrate my 50 Birthday! Wow!! That sounds soo old.

Anyway, I'll be there for almost all of July. I'm doing a house exchange with the McKenna's. from Dalkey, Co. Dublin. We "met" online through a house exchange web site. Do you remember the movie "The Holiday"? well, if you do, that is what I'll be doing for July.

We are are very excited but extremely busy getting ready for another family to move into our home and drive our car. It's like spring cleaning on steroids!!!

Now that I've caught you up on what's been going on in my "Rosie World", it's time to get started with all that's on today's "TO DO" list.

If anyone out there has done a house exchange before (this is my first), I welcome tips from you own experience!

Thanks.

Lisa

The Little Princess Is Turning One

I'm so excited...Adalie will celebrate her 1st Birthday at Marmie's house!!

We are all thrilled to have this opportunity to be with Addie Bug as she turns one. Lillian and I went to Orlando this week end in preparation for her special day. The results are above.

So, be sure and check your Mailbox for your invitation!

Lillian Masie-Photo Shoot, Solutions Bridal Salon

I'm very proud of my little star. This past weekend Lillian did a photo shoot for a store in Winter Park, FL. The photographer was our favorite...CAROLINE JOHNSON. She is soooo amazing (let me know if you need to contact her). These are a few of her photographs...enjoy!

The Move to Tucson

You may have noticed that I have not updated my blog in a while. That's because I've been driving across the country from Columbus, MS to Tucson, AZ. As many of you know my son-in-law is a pilot in the U.S. Air Force and he has been transferred to Tucson to train on the A-10. So I flew up to Columbus on the day the movers came to load the furniture.

This is Adalie when we first arrived at her empty house after the airport. She was a little shy with me at first (in comparison to when I left her). I took this picture as we sat on the floor of her empty bedroom and played while becoming reacquainted.

The four of us spent the night across the street at Celia and Tim's who so graciously gave us their home while they were out of town. They will be making the same journey shortly as Tim will be an A-10 pilot as well!!!

The next day we strapped Addie in her car seat, gave her her "Lovey" and off we went...the first of many days in that car seat. I might add that my little granddaughter was a perfect Angel the entire way across the country!

Addie had many a meal at fast food restaurants along the way. She, of course, was eating whole grain cereal mixed with organic fruits or vegies...WE adults were the ones eating the fast foods because sometimes that's all that is available!

And so this begins the first two days of my 10 day adventure with this sweet little family. More to come shortly! Enjoy.

P.S. Isn't this the most beautiful baby ever!!!????!!!!