Hailey's Thanksgiving Feast at school.

Here are a few pictures from Hailey's Thanksgiving Feast. I can't tell you how much I love her new school. I'm so glad God placed us in this community. Both of the girl's schools our amazing and have a wonderful partnership with the surrounding community. This year's event was catered by Wegman's Supermarket, which is like the Disney Land of supermarkets. Tom and I laugh because sometimes we like to go there on a Saturday to just look around. It's that great! You can get ANYTHING there from gourmet pastries and desserts to sushi made fresh on the spot!!! Gotta love fresh sushi !!! Anyways, I was just glad I didn't have to cook! :) So here are a few pictures from the FUN event! Each individual class had the opportunity to paint all the backdrops and fun festive cut outs that were scattered throughout the cafeteria. I also included a photo of Hailey's artistic take on Fall. I love it! It's a keeper! She's become such a talented little artist!

Look what we found yesterday...

The girls and I were hanging out with some of our neighbors yesterday enjoying the absolutely beautiful weather and low and behold look at what comes walking up to us; a praying mantis. I have to say they're very bazaar looking. Kind of a a cross between something prehistoric and a mini alien. But talk about God's timing! Hailey was studying for a test she's taking today on Habitats and animals who use camouflage to adapt to their habitats. Mantises are masters of camouflage and most species make use of protective coloration to blend in with the foliage or substrate, both to avoid predators themselves, and to better snare their victims. Various species have adapted to not only blend with the foliage, but to mimic it, appearing as either living or withered leaves, sticks, tree bark, blades of grass, flowers, or even stones. Praying Mantises are exclusively predatory and most species are known to engage in cannibalism. Larger species have been known to prey on small lizards, snakes, and even rodents. The majority of mantises are ambush predators, waiting for prey to stray too near. The mantis then lashes out at remarkable speed. Some ground and bark species, however, pursue their prey rather quickly. We got to see this first hand as it moved very quickly up Hailey's arm and into her shirt! Eeeek! Surprisingly, though, praying mantises are particularly susceptible to an enzyme found in the mucus excreted by slugs, and thus, their primary enemy is the slug. I hate slugs!!! After much exploration and admiration of our new found friend, the girls begged me to give him/her a new home IN OUR HOUSE. I quickly and kindly vetoed that idea, but did suggest a better option. I told them that many organic gardeners encourage mantises as a form of biological pest control in their gardens. Tens of thousands of mantis egg cases are sold each year in garden stores to keep the BAD bugs away. So after MUCH discussion and a few bribes, the girls decided that although they would love a new pet, it's probably not in it's best interest to live in our home, especially if you'd seen the way Bandit was eyeballing it. :) So we happily agreed to give our new found friend a beautiful new home in our lush flower beds. Now, we're all hoping it adapts, and enjoys it's new home(habitat)as much as we do!

Inspired...

Okay so once again I have been inspired to blog. I guess a good dose of sudden unexplained tragedy has a way of doing just that. Death reminds us of all the hidden blessings and treasures found within blogs, videos, and photographs. We are quickly reminded of how just one life lost, can impact, and change the lives of so many others around them. Death of a spouse, child, family member, friend, or co-worker is never easy... It never hurts less... And it either shatters or builds your faith. It always rocks a small community whether or not you knew the person involved. No one is left untouched. So today I encourage you, as I encourage myself, to make lasting memories any way you can; blog, journal, photograph, or video those special moments. May we seek to forgive, forget, and always tell those close to us how much we LOVE them!

Facebook Phanatics

Hello All!!! I know, I know, I've been super negligent in my blog posts. This has nothing to with not having enough material to blog about or blogger's block... It's purely the fault of a lovely internet invention called facebook... Yes, Yes this is true. The Giles both have a facebook. One of my girlfriends introduced me to it about a month ago. Tom and I have been having so much fun using facebook as a tool to reconnect with some of our long lost friends. Which seems to be the norm when you have spent 18 years traveling the world in the military. I have to say we both love facebook. Tom because he loves the art of communication and myself because I like the quick and speediness of it all. I can pop in and out and see what everybody
else is up to without hanging on the phone or reading lengthy emails. You know me short and to the point... But at times it can also be exhausting trying to keep up with all our friends and family close at hand and far away. So if you would like to see the latest pictures from our Cruise and Holiday Trips look us up on facebook... http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1056976970 Don't worry it's not that bad!!! More to come...