Cincy Vaca - Continued...

Other Adventures in Cincinnati, OH

Following Friday's full day at King's Island with my man and taking some time to clean ourselves up after our adventures, we had the awesome opportunity to meet up with some dear friends that moved to Columbus, OH several years ago from Memphis. The Armstrongs are special folks, and we rarely have a chance to connect with them, so this was an especially awesome night! Not to mention we were able to celebrate Brent and Kelly's birthdays together - Brent's birthday is August 24 (that night) and Kelly is the day after, August 25. We had a fun birthday celebration complete with good food, quality conversation, lots of smiles, and many laughs.

The Armstrongs - Brent and Kim

Me and Mr. McGoo - he got a little sun at King's Island

Downtown Cincinnati had a music festival type atmosphere all weekend just a short walk from our hotel in their "square". Each night another genre was represented with a few bands, so following dinner, the four of us walked across the street to people watch and listen together.

The birthday boys! Regardless of their age, some things never change: GOOFY!

After our full day Friday with King's Island and visiting with the Armstrongs until very late into the night, we enjoyed a slower pace morning on Saturday. We slept in - me, more than Mr. McGoo and leisurely prepared ourselves for Saturday's adventures.

Around lunch, we made our way from our hotel to the river, crossing the bridge into Newport, KY to meet some friends at Hofbrauhaus. It was a beautiful day, although we definitely worked up a sweat during our more than 2 mile walk with pace. We passed by The Great American Ball Park on our way...

We met the Bergers - Scott and Summer at the Hofbrauhaus. I've heard Mr. McGoo talk about this place, but it was my first experience. What a fun environment! Good ole German vibe and laid back. We enjoyed some food, good company, and delicious brew. It being Mr. McGoo's birthday, Scott got the accordion player to wish him a happy birthday - check that off the bucket list: hearing "happy birthday" accordion style! In addition, Summer and I had a chance to participate in the world renowned "chicken dance". Ha. It's a Hofbrauhaus tradition to stand on the tables, so we joined our fellow guests and took that dance to town. Scott and Mr. McGoo did not join us, but instead made fun of us, I'm sure.

Image from their website: http://www.hofbrauhausnewport.com/

The fab Bergers -  Scott and Summer

The McGoos sharing a German brew

After lunch we caught a ride from the Bergers back over the river to The Great American Ball Park - GO REDS! There we enjoyed a Reds game against the Cardinals (Reds won). It was a perfect day for baseball and we had seats nicely tucked in the shade a little off first base.

If you didn't' know, Mr. McGoo is a REDS fan - he grew up in Lexington, KY so Cincinnati is a mere hop skip and a jump from Kentucky, so he grew up saying "go reds". It was fun to celebrate his birthday with a good game!

Sunday morning we got a wild hair and decided to make our way back home through Lexington, leaving Cincinnati earlier than planned to stop and enjoy some of Gram's famous waffles. It was a perfect completion to our trip getting to spend some quality time with Grams and Granddaddy. We even had the opportunity to visit with Mr. McGoo's sister, Jess. A great morning in Lexington.

Granddaddy and Mr. McGoo - love these guys! GREAT men!

Mr. McGoo and his beautiful sister, Jessica

Jessica, Mr. McGoo, Grams, and Granddaddy

The McGoos with Grams and Granddaddy

Last, but not least, we stopped in Nashville for a couple hours on our final leg home. We definitely made the best of our journey to Cincinnati, getting to enjoy family time along the way and seeing friends while having quality time with each other all weekend! It was great!

In Nashville we were able to see my parents (who were also there visiting), my middle sis, brother-in-law, and our handsome, nephew. Even though it was a short visit, it was worth the time. My sister caught this photo during our time there... I love it!

Fisher enjoying his reflection - happy baby!

If you cannot tell, we had a blast on our Cincy Vaca! I'm certainly looking forward to the next adventure with Mr. McGoo!

Cincy Vaca - King's Island

My handsome hubs and I had an opportunity during my short nursing school break to get away for a long weekend. We enjoyed Mr. McGoo's birthday weekend in Cincinnati, OH. I took a Friday from work, an actual "ME" day to do something fun, unlike when I usually take time off these days (for school). It was great!

We left Thursday night and made our way to downtown Cincy. Our official Cincinnati Adventure began Friday morning. We work and made our way to King's Island. Mr. McGoo grew up in Kentucky, so he has many childhood memories of King's Island. In over 5.5 years of marriage, we had never spent time together at an amusement park, so we were pumped to experience this together. We had a blast!

The weather could not have been ANY any better! Gorgeous day! The park had minimal visitors, so we were able to ride rides repetitively and with ease - taking advantage of each ride 2-3 times each over the course of the 8.5 hour day. We couldn't have asked for a better day in general, if you ask me!

The Diamondback was the best roller coaster I've ever been on. The 2nd and 3rd peak were AS BIG as the highest peaks in other roller coasters. The first peak was worthy of making Mr. McGoo and I question why we got on the ride (or again) when we rode it, panic spurred and the "get me out of here" feeling rose quickly! Once we were halfway down the opening peak, everything else was pure joy - AWESOMENESS!!! There is a pic below with an overview of part of the King's Island grounds - the Diamondback is on the right - see what I mean?! Best roller coaster I've ever had the chance to enjoy - it actually scared me!

Here are the Diamondback details from the King's Island website:

At a Glance

Location:	Rivertown
Duration:	3 minutes
Height Requirement:	54 inches
Manufacturer:	Bolliger and Mabillard
Speed:	80 mph

---

• One of the top-ranked steel roller coasters in the world as voted on by Amusement Today readers and other Industry publications and polls. 
  
• The tallest and fastest roller coaster at Kings Island, standing 230 feet at its highest point with a first drop of 215 feet at a 74-degree angle and reaching speeds up to 80 miles per hour. 
  
• Diamondback features six drops of more than 100 feet along its 5,282-foot-long course ((215', 193', 131', 129', 110', 106') and a spectacular splashdown ending. 
  
• The ride's steep hills and drops provide riders with an abundance of airtime.
  
• Adding to the ride experience is the use of unique, open-air, stadium-style seating on the trains which provide all riders with an unobstructed view of all the thrills this steel monster offers.

 

 

Mr. McGoo's favorite coaster as a kid

 

 

We actually got stock in a tunnel for 20min on the Adventure Express

Stuck in the dark in the Adventure Express tunnel - scary!

  

View from the Eiffel Tower - see the Diamondback on the right - wow!

Of course, we enjoyed some Soak City time while at the park!

We definitely had a blast on Friday, enjoying the fun that King's Island provided for 8.5 hours of our day. I asked to call it quits at the 8.5 hour mark, choosing to scoot out before we planned. We could have stayed longer to see their firework show, but this lady wanted to get off my feet for the day. It was fun taking this adventure with my handsome man!

In addition to King's Island, our Cincy Vaca included other activities... more updates to come...

St. Louis Getaway

So the hubs and I went to St. Louis for a few days the week before Easter. It was a mini vacation getaway together, as well as our Anniversary vacation, which was a month prior. With our current schedules, finding time to get away together is difficult. When I'm in school, he's out and vis versa, so it was nice to just BE together, sit around, talk, watch cable, and simply getaway from the normal routine.

We planned to enjoy a day at Six Flags, but I got the dates wrong and it was only open on the tornado weather day... so we plan to come back for a quick visit to use our Six Flags Tickets this summer! Can't wait.

We drove up on Wednesday and left Friday morning for Kansas City, KS. Here is our trip in photos:

On the road - showing off my new hairdo (cut the day before)

Cannot drive through Sikeston without a stop at Lambert's!

My hubs got us the hook up! Priceline: Hyatt downtown for $65 per night, upgraded to a Arch View King Room. NICE!

The Arch: cannot help but get mesmerized by it!

Just a hop, skip, and a jump from our hotel!

We did the Budweiser Busch Brewery Tour - FREE and very cool. Gorgeous buildings!

The Budweiser clydesdale horses are beautiful and massive!

The clydesdale stables are immaculate - I know this is a shot of horses' backsides, but took it for my niece's son, Clayton who loves Thomas the train - see the name of the horse on the right.

Mr. McGoo also scored us 5th row up tickets by 1st base for the Cardinals - $32 total!

Beautiful ballpark!

This is the photo I was taking when I missed the guy on the RIGHT ticket, who is amazing, hitting a HOMERUN! oops. At least I saw the replay on the big screen.

Self-portrait at the Cardinals game! BEAUTIFUL WEATHER!

As always, I enjoyed being with the hubs and seeing some sites. We had a great time and were so thankful we had a chance to step away from our routine and see St. Louis. We'll be back for more!

Nashville

The weekend before Easter I had the opportunity to travel to Nashville. It had been awhile since I found my way to this beautiful city last, and I was excited to see my sis and bro in law, catch a glimpse of the new house, and visit some of my Nashville friends while in town.

Although I had intended on coming for the weekend plus some, fundraising endeavors for the Ethiopia Short Term Mission Trip at Central Church kept me in Memphis until Saturday afternoon. I was glad I stayed for the events because the Ethiopia Yard Sale raised the team over $500 and the most creative fundraiser yet, Zumba for Ethiopia raised over $400.

Once the fundraisers were complete, I hit the road and made it to Nashville in time to eat dinner with sis, bro in law, and my folks who were also visiting for the weekend. We had a great time, talking and competing with one another on Words with Friends. At multiple times post dinner the five of us were sitting in the living room together, completely silent, playing against each other (4+ games happening on each of our phones at the same time). The only time the silence would be broken was the point in which someone was killed by a big point move by their opponent. Hilarious or sad, I'm not sure which, but I'm certain we all enjoyed it!

B.I.L. (Brent) and SIS (Robin) - the good looking couple after Sushi Dinner

Middle sis and Bro's new house did NOT disappoint. As expected, it's absolutely adorable and being pulled together decor wise with some made skills. Check out the process on my sister's blog: Kee Creative. They have done a ton of work already to the house, painting in EVERY ROOM to start. In my opinion the house could not be any cuter or more perfect for this favorite couple of mine. I enjoyed their living room the first night, sleeping on the couch while Mom and Pop were in town and then got to experience the dark blue, rich colored guest room the second night once Mom and Pop had headed back home. Both were great experience and I look forward to visiting with Mr. McGoo next.

My fur-niece and fur-nephew DEFINITELY love their new casa. Lots of room to roam and especially lots of windows to look outside. Here is shot of the fur-niece scoping out the neighborhood for me while I leisurely read on Monday when everyone else was at work. Nice!

In addition to spending time with my sis and bro, I made use of my Monday visit to see some Nashville friends. I met a girlfriend for lunch, whom I love and although the visit with short and sweet, it warmed my heart to hear what God is doing in her and her hubby's life and was great to share with her all that's happening in ours. Tabitha is such an encouragement to me, so even though it was during her lunch break and short, I'm so thankful she took the time to visit with me.

Likewise, I was able to have a coffee date with another Nashville friend of mine. Katie, who you may know from her blog that I follow (here) was able to meet with me at Starbucks. She brought her youngest son, Yohannes with her and I was able to meet him for the first time! It was GREAT visiting and catching up. And seeing Yohannes in person was wonderful, especially after so many times of prayer for him and about him. He's adorable just like Katie's other boys and has a personality of his own. I was so blessed to be able to hear all about the things God is doing in her and her family's lives and was encouraged by her constant support of the things Mr. McGoo and I are pursuing and doing with The Forsaken Children and ministry in Ethiopia. I'm looking forward to the next get together for sure!

Although the trip was short: Saturday evening in, Monday evening out - I was able to do some of my favorite things will people I love: talk, drink coffee, eat, laugh, worship Jesus, go to church, sing, dance, read, etc. A great visit and I'm ready to go back - next time I'll bring the spouse!

I'm so proud of my sister and all that God is doing in her life!

Covered In Prayer As We Go

One of the things Mr. McGoo and I are most grateful about as we depart for our next journey to Ethiopia tomorrow is the reality that we know we are covered in prayer as we go. Friends, family, Sunday School classmates, coworkers, and beyond are calling on the Lord to do His will throughout our time in Addis Ababa. There is a peace and a comfort that comes with such covering.... being reminded that it's not about us, nor about our power to accomplish anything... such freedom in that, because we know how unequipped we can be. We are so thankful.

Above is the prayer list we've put together and sent out for our time in Ethiopia... listing specific ways we are asking God to move during the next 16-26 days. Thank you for lifting those items up.

While thinking of prayer and how thankful and blessed we are to have such a strong support group around us, lifting us and The Forsaken Children/Onesimus ministry up, I came upon this chapter of John... as I read over these words in scripture... my heart began to smile. I'm so thankful for God's promises and how He is always with us!

Thank you for your prayers!

John 17

 ¹ After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:    “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. ² For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³ Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. ⁴ I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

    ⁶ “I have revealed you^[a] to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. ⁸ For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. ⁹ I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. ¹⁰ All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. ¹¹ I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of^[b] your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. ¹² While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by^[c] that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.   ¹³ “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. ¹⁴ I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. ¹⁵ My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by^[d] the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
    ²⁰ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— ²³ I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.   ²⁴ “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

   ²⁵ “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I have made you^[e] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

11 Days & Counting

Eleven Days (11) until we board a plane to Chicago, then one to Istanbul, Turkey, and then another to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Eleven short days until we depart for our journey this December to Ethiopia and dive into the people and culture more fervently than we have before.

During our down time in Kentucky over Thanksgiving, I did a mental check list of how much is to be done before we leave. I know it's attainable, but Mr. McGoo and I will have to be diligent and really GET TO IT... starting today!

Here is a short list between the two of us:

• 7 final exams
• 2 papers
• 2 projects
• clean house
• pack
• collect all the supplies/donations
• 1 immunization
• prep coworkers/work for sabbatical

I'm super excited and a little anxious at the same time. Working to pray over Philipians 4:6-7,  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." And we are so thankful for the many that are already lifting our preparations and journey up to the Lord. It feels good to be covered in prayers - Let the countdown continue...

Around the Corner...

Mr. McGoo and I are quickly realizing that our journey to Ethiopia this December is seriously just around the corner. In honor of that realization, I'm posting a counter. We depart on our journey Friday, December 10th.

We are busy making preparations... working to complete our semesters (pray for us, our finals are the SAME week we depart for Addis Ababa. I have a feeling we will be thankful for the long flight getting there to help calm our hearts and minds for what God has for us), finding out what gear we need to accumulate for the sports ministry stuff we'll be doing, touching up on details about our furbabies and home while we're away, praying that God prepares our hearts for the journey and the ministry opportunities He gives us, and getting excited all along the way!

It's just around the corner FOR REAL!

San Diego

I went to San Diego for work last week, and although I was plagued with food poisoning along with another coworker one evening, I couldn't deny the beauty that I saw looking out my hotel room balcony each morning. Thought I'd share a few photos from there...

It was all work and no play in San Diego... and the last time (only other time) I've been there was 10 years prior... I was 18, so lots has changed since then... so I definitely want to put San Diego on the list of "to do's" and "places to visit" for Mr. McGoo and I. I think we'd have a blast enjoying the amazing weather and local fare together!

We'll work to fit that in our very boring and mundane lifestyle. ;)

 

 

Fully Funded & Ethiopia Updates!

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

Dear Ministry Partners -

We are so excited and in awe to express that we are now FULLY FUNDED for our December journey to Ethiopia!!!!! The Lord has SURELY provided and met our needs!!! We give ALL the praise to Him!

THANK YOU for being a part of this journey both in prayer and financial support, and we so look forward to sharing with you more along the way. We could not do this without you! Please continue to keep us, the current staff on the ground, and the street children of Ethiopia in your prayers. Pray for our preparations for the journey and the development of the sports ministry and networking we will do (especially Mr. McGoo) while in Addis Ababa. Pray that God will get all the glory and we will not get in the way!

In addition to testifying to God's awesome provision, we want to also encourage those of you who have been spurred to give to continue to give to The Forsaken Children - the ministry we are going to partner with! The Lord has NOT been shocked by our funding thus far... if He has spurred you to donate this go around, it was not by chance, we pray that you will continue to give to the ministry even if the funds are no longer going directly to our journey. It's all His anyway!

Thank you again for being a part of this journey & we look forward to getting an updated McGugan Mailer to you soon as the trip draws even more near. We depart for Ethiopia December 10th. Mrs. McGoo will head home December 26th (16 days) and Mr. McGoo will follow January 5th (26 days).

Check out another GREAT updated coming from Ethiopia (below) that depicts beautifully what this ministry is all about and all that God is accomplishing along the way!

Family – Ethiopia’s Promise of Hope

October 6, 2010

For years I have been making the statement, “Children are the promise of hope for every generation.” Just today I have been reconsidering that.
As I thought about my own childhood memories and the importance of my family in those, I began to realize that at the core it is the family that is the promise of hope for a generation. It should be the family that rallies around a child, defending, teaching, and loving her so she will be able to do the same for her future family. In this way the healthy family is cyclical, producing children that grow into their own healthy families and so on.

As I thought about my childhood what truly struck me was that I was only as much of a promise of hope as my family was a positive, supportive, and loving influence in my life.

Now I am stuck wondering what this means for the street children of Ethiopia. I suppose I know what it means if nothing changes for these children and the family unit is not restored in Ethiopia. It means a future similar if not worse than the present condition of the country. In the same way as healthy families, broken families are also cyclical for generation after generation.
I believe for Ethiopia’s sake and regardless of reasons to do otherwise, we must start to believe in the Ethiopian family again. We have to consider alternatives to the traditional family unit many of us have known in the West, but nonetheless the family, God’s original intent as the foundation of a society, must be the focus. Rather than pontificate about how the family unit can revive and become the promise of hope for Ethiopia, I will share a few stories of how this is happening one child at a time at The Forsaken Children’s partner project, the Onesimus Children’s Development Association.

Yohannes

Yohannes (left) with friend, Nebiyu

After Yohannes lived a lie for over a year, telling everyone at Onesimus that his family was basically no more, the truth came out. Yohannes’s family was alive and well, living hundreds of miles from Yohannes’s chosen home on the streets of Addis Ababa. As time passed and countless hours of counsel, encouragement, and love were given to this 13-year-old boy, Yohannes’s heart began to change and he accepted Jesus as his Savior. Today, Yohannes is reunited with his mother and father and lives in their home where he was missing for over 4 years.


Metu

	Metu (center) with her Halfway Home sisters and friend, Desse

After her mother died, Metu’s grandmother left her to fend for herself on the streets of Addis Ababa at the age of 6. She lived there for close to 6 years with no one to protect or care for her. Metu learned that she could not trust anyone, much less the adults in her life. This all started to change when she entered the gates of Onesimus’s Drop-In Center. Day after day she challenged the staff who constantly responded with incredible grace and unbroken commitment. The day came when she entered Onesimus’s Halfway Home. Now, at 13, Metu loves and trusts her House Mother, who cares for her and three other girls in a family modeled Halfway Home. She has also grown to know God and to embrace him as her Father.

Ephrem at home

Ephrem
After being taken from his family in rural Ethiopia, Ephrem was forced to work in a sweatshop to make another man rich. Eventually Ephrem ran away from his grueling life only to be stuck on the streets of Addis Ababa. Making the most of his newfound freedom, Ephrem adjusted to a life of sleeping on the streets, scavenging for food, and begging to make a buck. His gang of fellow street children led him to Onesimus’s Drop-In Center one day and his life began to change. Today Ephrem lives with his foster family who loves him as their own.

Yohannes, Metu, and Ephrem’s families are a promise of hope for Ethiopia!

Posted by Joe

So thankful for God's faithfulness and provision through people like YOU!