Friday, July 30, 2010

Comfortable Mess

I got online today (on my lunch break) ready to post a little bit about the fact that I ran this morning with my new running partner... and do a little commentary regarding how out of shape I am - but after reading a friend's post on Facebook today... that post no longer feels worthwhile.

Please take the time to read my dear friend's most recent note (below) regarding her time in Haiti this past June where she was able to share the love of Christ with the Haitian people through her physical therapy expertise.

Comfortable Mess
“Can Haiti Be Saved?” This is the title of an article in Relevant Magazine and one of the frequent questions I have been asked since returning from Port Au Prince. Another question I have been asked repeatedly is, “Do you really think there is any hope for Haiti?”

My answer to both of these questions has been the same. Haiti needs Jesus.

I understand the concern in the questions because Haiti is a mess. It is a third world country with some of the most extreme poverty, disease and violence imaginable. This of course was the case well before the devastation of the earthquake occurred. My experience in Haiti was that the Lord had mobilized his servants and people were spreading the love and compassion of Christ. The airport in Port Au Prince was packed full of mission teams from all over the world, but the truth of the matter is Haiti needs Jesus.

I had lunch with a friend a few weeks back that is preparing to go to Jacmel, Haiti in October. She is a nurse and has an amazing heart for Haiti. Her passion is to bring health care to the regions of Haiti that don’t have access to medicine and to educate them on how to sustain basic health needs. As I told her of my experience and the things we gave to the people the Lord put in front of us she asked me several questions; “ What now? What will they do when they run out of those medicines? How will they ever sustain what you have given them? I understand this frustration because I definitely had a moment of discouragement when our plane left Haitian soil. I wondered, How can it ever be enough? There is still so much pain and suffering that I left feeling defeated. But I had to remind myself that I cannot save Haiti. Only Jesus can save Haiti.
“Can Haiti Be Saved?” was actually a great article and the more I read the more peace I felt. Statistics show that more people have given their life to Christ since the earthquake than in 2 strong years of evangelism. Now this may seem discouraging to missionaries but I felt relief. The medicines and hygiene products will run out and the braces I gave will eventually wear out. The new tarp we placed over Antonio’s shanty will eventually develop holes and allow the rain to invade his sleep again. In fact, all things in this world will fade and the good work that I did won’t matter anymore, but the salvation that Jesus brings can save Haiti. He is their only hope. He is our only hope.

I have been challenged to see the world a little differently since returning from Port Au Prince, Haiti. I have been convicted of my own heart placing hope in things that fade. Haiti was a sweet awakening of my spirit because I walked so closely with Jesus and saw the world with different eyes. The only difference here in Nashville, Tennessee is me. As I look around me, I don’t see a huge difference between Nashville and Haiti. The circumstances are different, but the spiritual condition is much the same. In a land where most people are educated, comfortable, and wealthy my fear is that we will not realize that we even need a savior. Haiti was a picture of the most broken world I can imagine. It was obvious the Haitian people need the saving grace of Jesus Christ and I think that is why people are now placing their hope in the Lord. But what about us, do we even see how broken our lives are in our comfortable mess? Do we realize that our hope tends to gravitate toward the things that fade?

I guess my question is, “Can Nashville be saved?” And the answer is Jesus. 
 
Open Market
The Capital
- By Tabitha Harder

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

What It's All About

In June, Mr. McGoo and I traveled to Ethiopia to be a part of a short term mission trip in Addis Ababa. There we worked under the umbrella of The Forsaken Children and specifically worked most of the week with their Onesimus (formerly Children's Home Ethiopia) project that ministers to the street children of Addis Ababa.

Since our return to the States, we've done our best to share our passion for this ministry and give people a glimpse of what captivated us while there and how they too can help. Regardless of our success or failure with such attempts, what I'm posting today is a PERFECT depiction of what it's all about!!!

Read below and see a story that is so beautifully a telling of the work God is doing through The Forsaken Children and the Onesimus Ministry. This story brings a smile to my face, as Mr. McGoo and I are both very fond of Yohannes and it thrills us that not only does he now know our Lord and Savior, but he is also going back to his family. At the same time this testimony encourages me for the work of this ministry and how blessed I am to be a part of it. BEAUTIFUL what God can do!


The following blog post is from The Forsaken Children's Blog:

Yohannes’s Lie

July 28, 2010
Yohannes All Smiles
Yohannes at Halfway Home
For over a year Yohannes told the same story… “My mother is dead and my father is a drunkard living on the streets.” Such a story seemed legitimate and familiar, especially coming from a 13 year-old street boy. But one day this all changed when Yohannes slipped up and mentioned his mother, referring to her as if she was living. As Nega, Children’s Home Ethiopia’s Director, prodded the true story of Yohannes’s journey to the streets of Addis Ababa unfolded…


Nega always says a street child’s story is like an onion. Everyday you peel back a layer until you come to the truth. 

Yohannes’s parents are both alive and live in Southwest Ethiopia with his siblings. Due to poverty, boredom, and curiosity, Yohannes jumped on a train to Addis Ababa approximately 4 years ago to check out this grand city of supposed opportunity. Yohannes did find opportunities – not for wealth, education, or good food, but rather for unending freedom to play with friends, get high, watch pornographic and violent films, and many more activities that numbed his soul little by little.
If living on the streets sounds unappealing to you, imagine yourself as a 13 year-old with not restrictions whatsoever – that freedom is what the streets are for many children and that is what many street children love, become addicted to, and struggle to leave behind.
Hunger probably lead Yohannes along with about 13 of his closest friends to start coming to Children’s Home Ethiopia’s Drop-In Center in 2009. As his belly was filled, his eyes and ears started to open and see what he was missing on his beloved streets – the love and protection of caring adults, of a family. Nega, Bisrat, Nesegnet, Ribika, and Fitela taught him, fed him, clothed him, listened to him, and even cared for him when he was near death due to illness.

Yohannes’s deadened heart began to feel again. when he went to the streets each evening the rush of street life began to pale in comparison to the rush of being unconditionally loved.

The time came when Yohannes had a choice to leave the streets and enter Children’s Home Ethiopia’s Halfway Home. He chose the Halfway Home. Alemayu and Abazu, House Parents, dedicated themselves to Yohannes; sharing their lives, love for Jesus, church family, and home with him. Could he trust this love? Almost as a test and probably due to an ache for the freedom of the streets, Yohannes ran away from home.
The intensity of parental love is often hard for a former street child to fully embrace, not knowing if he or she can truly trust that the love is genuine, unconditional, or that it will last.

Yohannes with Halfway Home Brothers and Sister

Yohannes with his Halfway Home brothers and sister
Gone for close to a week, Yohannes came back to the Drop-In Center after Nega found him on the streets. He reluctantly went back to the Halfway Home. A week passed, then a month, then several months, and in August Yohannes will have been in the Halfway Home for a year.

In June Yohannes became my spiritual brother when he accepted Jesus as his Savior.

Yohannes’s progression from coming to the Drop-In Center to find food, to starting to trust the love of the staff, to moving into a home, to becoming a child of God paints such a vivid picture of why The Forsaken Children exists. The street children of Ethiopia are unreached, unable to understand the love of God the Father, often due to their own disconnect from their own father and family. Leading such children to Christ often requires reconnecting them with what their hears long for, the unconditional love of parents. Given this love, children, like Yohannes are coming into a true and intimate relationship with our almighty God.

Yohannes will be reintegrated into his family in Southwest Ethiopia on August 4, 2010 – NEXT WEEK! We are thrilled that Yohannes’s parents became believers since Yohannes’s disappearance from home. Both Yohannes and his parents are excited to be reunited.

Posted by Joe

2010 Spring Champs

As promised, here is our posted, 
2010 Memphis Kickball League Spring Champions Photo - 
The Underdogs! 


Way to go team! Did I mention this is our 4th consecutive tournament championship? To say the other teams are ready for us to fail is an understatement. We rarely have anyone rooting for us during the championship game, but it proves to be a good time, every season. Go Underdogs!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Thunderstorms

I laid in bed last night, snuggling up and enjoying the sounds of the thunder roll in and the rain beginning to pour. I love thunderstorms... I began to think how much I enjoy a good night's sleep under the comfort of my home, being lulled to sleep by the rain and thunder outside my door... nothing like that kind of sleep...

Not my photo, nor is it from last night, but beautiful nonetheless

And then my heart began to ache, as a consciousness began to creep in - "Wait, Mrs. McGoo - you are the lucky one, you have a warm bed, a dry roof over your head to "enjoy" such a storm... but how many folks do not have such blessings?" Ouch!

With that thought, that reality in mind last night, I began to ache for those without a home, those living on the street - here in my own city and those around the world!

Ache for those with a roof over their head that cannot keep the rain away due to so many holes and cracks within the materials used to make such a roof.... as they lay on the ground that begins to soak with the wetness coming from the sky.

I ached for the children not being tucked into bed in the midst of the storm, being told everything would be okay in the morning and reminded that they were loved.

I began to ache for the children I can see in my mind still from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - for those I know said good bye to the Onesimus drop-in center that evening to go sleep on the streets again.

How blessed am I? How can I NOT be generous when God gave me so much? There are so many with so little, without even a reminder of their worth, struggling without knowledge of a HOPE! Isn't that why He's given it to us - to share it with the "least of these" - to bless people and care for those who do not have? I began to be strongly reminded again last night of how blessed I am! Do you realize how blessed YOU are?

And then my thoughts begin to run towards something I've thought a lot about lately and also further read in Crazy Love by Francis Chan -  WHAT IF - as much as we spent on ourselves... the toys... the entertainment... the wants rather than the needs - what if as much as we spent on ME, we spent also for OTHERS... whether donating to an organization that helps the least of these or buying your struggling neighbor a meal to remind them that God sees their need/struggle. What if instead of thinking about ME with my finances and giving into all my American Dream Desires and Wants, I began to think of those around me instead? What would that look like and how much would that point to our Lord in our lives?!

Matt 22:36-39
Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.

Wouldn't spending the same on my own wants and desires, as I give away to others TRULY depict what Jesus is saying in Matthew 22:39 - loving my neighbor as myself!

It all comes down to this for me today, and I hope it might challenge you a bit too - - - My money isn't mine! It's all God's anyway - He gave it to me. Therefore, I should desire to look at my finances with God's intentions in mind. If only I could always begin to ask, "What does God want me to do with my funds?" rather than "What do I want to do with my funds?" - - - My how different my spending, and probably yours, would be?!


Wow, one thunderstorm and I got all of that! Thank you, Lord, help me keep things in perspective and be a good steward of all that you have blessed me with!

Monday, July 26, 2010

Something New: Grilled Salmon

I actually took the time to try something new and cook this weekend. Life has been so busy lately and with classes taking up two of my evenings until 9pm - cooking hasn't been the most important thing on the radar. As long as we eat something, we're good. Therefore, I've gone with most of the quick stapes lately, or have gotten "creative" (lack there of a better term) with finding a way to use what we have to make something edible. For example, last night I made chicken nachos because we had chicken, a thing of taco seasoning, some tortilla chips and the fixin's - voila - chicken nachos are served. Not the healthiest, but not totally unhealthy either (better than beef for sure).

Friday evening, however, with the help of some pre-planning on my part earlier in the week, I was able to embark on a new recipe that was tried and true by a friend. The Grilled Salmon recipe did not disappoint: it was simple and turned out delish. Mr. McGoo was nice enough to grill the salmon for me, but I did all the prep and prepared the sides. With our teamwork, we were able to enjoy a quiet, relaxing evening together on Friday, ignoring the responsibilities that called. Here is the recipe if you're interested too. We will definitely do this one again.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
  • lemon pepper to taste
  • garlic powder to taste
  • salt to taste
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions

  1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  3. Preheat grill for medium heat.
  4. Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Sharing Words of Wisdom

"We should not fear death, but we should fear living small lives that are focused on ourselves." 
-Carolyn McCulleyová
Thanks KB

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

So Little To Do, So Much Time

Scratch that - reverse it!
So Much To Do, So Little Time

Yup! The McGoo's are back at it and I think this phrase is the best way to describe the feelings going around our household these days. So much to do and so little time...

I'm working hard to keep my mind focused on the tasks at hand, planning adequately for the things that need to be done, yet working on not getting overwhelmed about what's next until today is complete. It's hard, because as you go, go, go... the moment you gain an extra minute or two, it's so tempting to do nothing but at the same time it would be most beneficial to get ahead. It's a balancing act.

But you know what... everything that is going on in our lives right now, even though it's busy, are blessings! Mr. McGoo and I are working to keep that in prospective as the moments of being overwhelmed begin to show... the Lord has blessed us with so many things! School - what a blessing that Mr. McGoo's schooling is paid for and he's been given a chance to go back! What a blessing that we have been given the means to be able to put me in school again to pursue a new career. Housework - how amazing that we own a home, that we have roof over our head and do not have to worry about where we will sleep next. Work - praise God that He has provided through my job and through Mr. McGoo's soccer manager position - although time consuming, it is God's way of giving us the means to survive. Ministry - what an amazing opportunity to be able to minister to others, whether that is in Ethiopia, or those in your daily network of folks!

I could go on, but you're getting the point... everything that seems to take up time, need attention, and puts another item on the "to do" list are really blessings we've been entrusted with. I want to give thanks for those today!

Mr. McGoo & I in Blue Ridge, GA
 Matthew 6:25-34 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Sore Lady

Here we are again... days after the infamous Kickball League end of season Tournament and I'm beyond sore. The tourney started Saturday morning, with our team starting at 11am. From the moment we stepped on that field, we played until the championship game that ended around 4:30ish in the afternoon. Hello 5 hours of  extreme heat, humidity, a bit of running, lots of squatting, and you get one UNBELIEVABLY sore lady a few days later! 

You think I'm joking... Sunday morning when I went to go the bathroom, I realized just how badly I had treated my body and how badly it was about to get back at me... OUCH! Liquid Advil was taking around the clock and today, two days later I'm walking like I'm THREE times my age!

You would think I would learn...I do this to myself EVERY year... this is our  fifth or more season and therefore our fifth or more tournament and every year I find myself in pain following the full day activity. I once complained about it being pathetic in 2008, ... but the reality is, what do I expect?! I don't run anymore (I keep saying that I will, but until I do it regularly it's just words), and lots of my past muscle mass is non existent... and therefore before I know it 5 hours + of non stop kickball makes my body want to scream!

So I'll humbly say...
The Underdogs (our team) won the championship again this season, but I'm paying the price! Fun Stuff. Enjoy a few photos below of Mr. McGoo, me in the background, and our "coach" Carper at bat. I'll post a team Championship photo once I get my hands on one!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Guest Post: The Children in the Alley

A dear friend of mine traveled to Haiti a week or so before Mr. McGoo and I departed for Ethiopia. This friend is one of the people God used to lead me on my journey of awareness regarding the Orphan Crisis in the world, and thus my calling to care for the least of these. She shares my passion for such things and it has been awesome to hear her stories regarding her time in Haiti, how the Lord used her, and how God is going to continue to use her along the way.

Today she posted one of her testimonies to God's goodness and compassion on the least of these. I believe it speaks some great truths and wanted to share. Thank you Tabitha for your love for our Savior and the things He too is passionate about!

I knew there would be orphans living behind the school.  I was prepared to see their copper hair and distended bellies; a picture of the worms they had and the hunger they felt.  I knew that their saddened eyes would rip my heart, and that it would hurt every day to leave them right where they were – in the alley.  

I will never forget the day I sat at Starbucks looking at a slideshow of the school in Lamenta.  Lamenta was a small community near the epicenter of the earthquake in Port Au Prince, Haiti.  I watched picture after picture of the devastation that occurred on January 12th 2010.   As Don, one of our team leaders and engineer by trade explained the construction work needed to make the school safe again, I was distracted by the faces of the children I saw in the pictures.  Who were they?  Don told me of 2 small children that lived with their widowed mother in the rubble behind the school.  Since the earthquake, their home had become a 2 foot alley filled with trash and broken concrete.  He told me of another sweet angel that lost both parents in the earthquake and spent her days strapped to a chair due to mental retardation and cerebral palsy.  I tried to stay focused as Don talked about the construction and the painting but honestly all I could think of was how I was going to get in that alley.   

Walking into the compound of the school was eye opening.  The children were all sitting under tarps in the blazing hot sun.  The teachers were dripping with sweat and trying hard to keep the children focused as the “blancs” unloaded their supplies.  Their sweet giggles made me smile and it was hard to not just sit and watch them all day.  I remember thinking that these were the lucky ones.  They either had parents or a sponsor from the states to make sure they received an education and learned about the good news of Jesus Christ.  I tried to imagine what my kindergarten classroom was like; full of color and imagination, cool and quiet.  As I walked through the halls of the dimly lit, open aired school I tried to picture what it would look like with bright cheerful colors on the walls.  And then I saw it – the chalkboard. 

This school in Lamenta was also where the community gathered to worship the Lord.  There had been church and a bible lesson for the children just hours before the earthquake ripped through Port Au Prince.  The chalkboard was cracked and broken, but the lesson was still on the board.  It read “Dieu Aime les enfants” and the date read January 12th 2010.  The Creole translation is “God loves all Children”.  At that moment, 2 things were on my mind.  First, I did not want to repair the broken chalkboard.  It was beautiful; the message of love still visible through the cracks of the broken wall.  I was also reminded of how broken I am as a person and how it is hard to be transparent and show your flaws, but that’s when the Lord’s redeeming love speaks the loudest.  It speaks through the cracks.   My second thought was: how do I get to that alley? 

As I made my way around the back wall of the school, I found the alley.  It was 2 foot wide and shaded by leaning trees.  I crouched down to make my way over to the kids hoping not to startle them.  There were two small children seated quietly on little chairs.  They were playing with stones from the alley and occasionally they looked up at me inquisitively.  As I studied their faces, I thought of what it would take to get them on the other side of the school wall.  A few feet beside the toddlers, a young girl sat in a ruffled dress.  She was strapped to a tall wooden chair, most likely for her own safety.  She appeared to be partially blind, but as I spoke softly to her, she smiled and rocked back and forth. 

The physical therapist in me wanted to evaluate the chair that this sweet girl was confined to, but the rest of me wanted to just sit and play with her.  I wanted to tell her she was beautiful and that God loves all his children.  I wanted to whisper that things will not always be this way for her; that one day all this will fade away and that she will have a strong body.   Sarah Jane and I sat and talked in the alley for quite a while.  I dreamed of what it would look like to get her in a wheelchair.  If not a chair, at least a cushion seat for pressure relief would be nice.  As we loved on these children, two others walked up and sat beside us.   Of the 5 children, none had shoes and most did not have underwear so we made mental notes of what we could bring them the next day. 
Since I have been home, I have struggled with the images of those children in my head.   The little girl with special needs is not alone, even in that dark and dirty alley.  The widow that I met that day is caring for her the best that she can.  It is my desperate prayer that I can get her in a wheelchair.  Please join me in praying for this.  I have contacted Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in hopes of getting a wheelchair donated and things are looking hopeful!  Sarah Jane is making her third trip to Port Au Prince next month and will be able to visit these children again.  I am encouraged that I will be able to update you with a picture of her in her new wheelchair!!! 

It is hard to leave a short term mission trip and not feel responsible for the hurts of the world, and I have reminded myself frequently that I am only responsible for the “ONE”.  The one that God puts in front of me is the one I can help.  This verse has helped comfort my heart when I think of all the children I saw – it helps remind me that “Dieu Aime les enfants”.  I hope it encourages you too.   “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. “  “God sets the lonely in families”       Psalm 68:5-6

Born Into Brothels

Mr. McGoo and I recently watched a documentary titled, Born Into Brothels per the suggestion of friends. Since watching it Saturday evening, I haven't been able to get it off my mind. If you haven't seen it, you should take the time to do so. The documentary is about children within the red light district of Calcutta, who's mothers work the line as prostitutes. It brings a lot of things into perspective and is a reminder of the"least of these"and how we can make a difference.


The friend we borrowed the movie from asked me what I thought... here is what I wrote her:

It was captivating, heart breaking, and encouraging all in one!

Captivating - the lifestyle, the children, the potential, the lack of hope...
Heart Breaking - the lifestyle, the verbal abuse, physical abuse, the hopelessness, the adult like discussion of the children - how they talked of their own future or lack there of...
Encouraging - how a seemingly little thing, like giving a child a camera and teaching them how to use it can bring hope and light into a life. Encouraging that we too can make a difference in the little things...

Left me sick to my stomach that night -thinking of all those sleeping on the ground, fearful, unloved, not comforted. So thankful we have a Savior that sees every one, just praying that they can know they are not forgotten. Encourages me to love the ones and pray for those WE can be in contact with....

Also gave me real perspective -


I want to fight against my first impressions on those that have less, and rather put on my "spirit filled glasses" on to view those around me like Christ would and does see them. How can I be a blessing to someone else today? How can I make a difference one person, one child at a time? How can you?

I challenge you to watch the film and see if you too were able to gain some perspective. For those that have seen it, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Out of the Mountains, Almost Home

I'm currently in Nashville with the hubby, enjoying the last day or so of our vacation. We are spending some quality time with a few friends in the area and greatly enjoying their hospitality, encouragement, and love! We'll head back to Memphis tomorrow afternoon to see our furbabies, clean house, and prepare for our Sunday of church, Sunday School, and World Cup Final.

Our time in the Blue Ridge Mountains was wonderful. I will post a picture blog to give you a better glimpse of our experiences, but the trip was PERFECT for me. Mr. McGoo and family had a good time too from what I heard.

I had mentioned on my post before this one (yeah, the blogging has been spotty since we left for Ethiopia... I'm struggling to make time or desire to stop and get it done as of late, but hope to get back into my groove soon)... I mentioned how God had perfectly timed this trip for me. I needed the rest and renewal that I hoped the trip would bring. Ironically enough (coincidence, right? he he)... my first day, Sunday morning, as I opened the Word and read from My Daily Bread devotional - the passage focused on Resting Forwarding... stating that without stopping, praying, and resting, we will not have the energy to go forward. The passage they focused on was in Matthew after Jesus fed the 5,000+.... Matthew 14:22-23 says, "Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,"... even Jesus needed time alone to pray, rest, and prepare for the ministry going forward. How much more do I need that time too!? And I got it, whoo!


The trip consisted of reading, tubing down the Taccoa River, hiking, playing Mario World (occasionally, or MORE) on Wii, Around the World table tennis match - hilarious, eating, and eating more like kings and queens, sleeping, watching some World Cup matches, multiple trips to the local Dollar General, hot tubing it, eating and drinking more, reading again, scenic train ride, people watching and antique watching, Rummikub, Sequence, and a total hangout time with the Wilson clan. It was great fun!

Oh, and I wasn't productive during this vacation as I thought I should or might do - no McGugan Mailer accomplished or study time taken. I think it worked out best that way. ;)

Below is our before departure from the mountains photo. What a crew. I think we'll do this type a trip again!
 
From R to Left: Mrs. McGoo, Youngest Sista Kels, Mr. McGoo, Mom, Dad, BIL, and Middle Sista Rob.