An afternoon spent at Bentonville

 Sunday afternoon was absolutely gorgeous and it was too wonderful a day to be spent indoors or just at home in general. After lunch we packed up the family in to the SUV and made the hour long trip out to Bentonville which I thought awesome. The drive was peaceful, the views of the farmlands was lovely and the problems of the world just seemed to melt away even if it was only for a few hours, it was a few hours well spent. Bentonville is a historic battle site in North Carolina and it was one of the last battles fought between Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman and Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnson. If you would like to read more then just click here. It was a great historical field trip for the kids and I just enjoyed it in general, it really is a nice way to spend a lazy afternoon day.

Bentonville photos

 

 

 

 

 

FIRE!!!!!!!!

 

 

View from behind a cannon

 

 

Off to the rail we go!

 

 

 

AHHH! It's a Hobbit Hole!

 

 

Sand soft as the beach was too much a temptation for my siblings and before I knew it they were all playing in it.

 

 

The trenches were pretty neat, you couldn't go on them but it was cool looking at them.

 

Over the bridge and through the woods.... well where on earth should we go?

 

 

 

That is such a Faith smile ;)

 

There are so many different trails to choose from and trails that lead to other trails, it just keeps going on.

 

Brayden playing in the sand.

 

Battle information, I loved stopping to read these all along the trail.

 

 

 

I wander what he was thinking at that moment.

 

 

 

Eden giggling, and completely barefoot mind you. I had to carry piggy back all the way to where she was there.

 

A small pile of pinecones Seth had gathered while we were there. But these were no small pinecones, they were massive and dangerous, you definitely don't want to get hit with one of these in the head. I wonder if the soldiers used these as weapons?

 

To the soldiers whose names are forever left unknown, their poor families what were they going through at that time? Never knowing if this was your son, brother, cousin, uncle, father or friend.

 

 

They just recently found these graves and placed headstones to mark and honor these soldiers who fought in the Civil War.

 

 

Beautiful yet dreadful all at the same time.

 

 

A poem with so much emotion entwined through it.

 

 

 

A marker representing all those lost at the Bentonville Battlefield.

 

 

Jacob wanting his photo taken and I say he was one handsome little boy :)

 

 

It was lovely being able to spend the day with my family as I will be starting work next Monday so my days will be filled with more work and not too much time spent with them. But it just means that I am beginning my life, and God is leading me to places I never even dreamed of. I have big plans for my life and I cannot wait until I can but my own car, get an education, and probably travel across the United States, and maybe even Ireland? Who knows!!

 

 



The Grand opening of Bass Pro!

  I cannot wait for the grand opening of Bass Pro tomorrow! We haven't been to a Bass Pro or Cabela's in almost a whole year, and that is much too long for us to be away from the one thing that we enjoyed the most. My family and I are outdoor people, and back in Rhode Island we used to visit Bass Pro at least once a month and Cabela's at least once every three months or so because that one was a bit farther from our home. But when we moved down here to North Carolina, my uncle informed us that there wasn't a single one of these in the area he lives!! Although we were sad about all of this it wasn't the end of the world of course it was only a Bass Pro but the excitement we have over the fact that there is one that is going to be opening up tomorrow, well it's just too much! It's only a short distance from where we live and hopefully this weekend if all goes well, my family and I will be able to explore the new shop. It is going to be quite an experience and we are all well pleased with the blessings God has bestowed upon our family.

 

Totally awesome!!

 

 

Blessings,

 

Cheyenne

Eden's Fifth Birthday!

  Today is Eden's fifth birthday! I cannot believe that five whole years have gone by since my little baby sister was born. I can remember the day as though it were yesterday, the call my father made, the pictures he sent via text, and now she is no longer a baby but a five year old little girl! What a blessing this sweet little sister has been to me and daughter to my parents! Happy Birthday Eden and may God bless you to have many more!

Here are some photos from today:

 

Considering her birthday is so close to Valentine's, we thought a heart shaped cake would be lovely.

 

Heart-shaped lollipops adorn the edges and center of the cake

 

Sugar-free chocolate cake with a pink buttercream frosting, Semi Homemade style!

 Sophia the first birthday plates!

Photo time!

 

What a smile!! :)

 

She has the smile of my younger teenage sister Arianna

 

Candles!!!!!

 

Trying to take as many photos as possible

 

Close-up!

 

 Adorable little girl always smiling for the cameras!

One more photo.....

 

So very happy for Eden!

 

And after the "Happy Birthday Song" it was time to blow out the candles.

 

Missed a few! :)

 

Presenting her presents!

 

A Littlest Pet Shop toy, it was the oh-so-stylish dog haha!

 

And her absolute favorite and Faith knows it!

 

Sophia the First!! She loves Sophia the First, I mean it.

 

 

Jacob is happy to report that he accomplished the mission of aiding mom and dad in buying the presents for Eden.

One very happy little girl ready to open up and enjoy her gifts.

 

 

It was an amazing day, Eden truly seemed to enjoy it all, especially her cake and presents.

 

  

 

 Blessings,

 

Cheyenne

Difficulties to make us Stronger

   Do you ever feel like your life is swallowing you whole? As though you are swimming and swimming towards land but can't ever seem to reach the shore where you know safety abounds? Well that is exactly how I feel at this time of my life, where I have more questions than I have answers for and honestly I am so very confused about it all. Constant fear, anxiety, skepticism clouds my thoughts throughout the day and well into the night, I can never find the relief I crave! I want to just yell at the world to stop throwing all these poisonous thoughts at me so I can breathe the fresh air once more, there are many times I just want to scream it's too much! Yet I know I cannot because God did not give me a spirit of fear but of strong faith that is found only though him. I will admit though it can be extremely difficult to hear his voice above all the noise of the world and I constantly have to remind myself that God is there through it all and he will grab my hand and bring me to shore, he will open up the walls that are closing in on me and provide the free air that I need. I have been reading my bible a lot lately, I crave his word on a daily basis it provides me with so much comfort and my soul feels at peace. No the troubles of the world haven't gone away but I know God will be there through it all and I need to seek him whenever I feel anything that is not of the Lord.
    I am at a serious crossroads right now, and any decision I make will alter the course of my life either for the better or for the worse, but I believe that all will be well. As long as I choose what God has in mind for me rather than what I want or what the world pushes on me everything will fall into place. Now that doesn't mean I won't struggle because I know I will, it also doesn't mean I won't fail or become fearful either, but by choosing God, what else do I have to lose? Honestly, if you were me, you would know what I was talking about because let me tell you life right now is difficult but I'm okay knowing God will be there just waiting for me to call upon him and seek him out for his guidance. Reading the bible comforts me and praying to God helps relieve all the anguish that I hold inside everyday just so I can push on throughout the day. And God has heard my cry of help. This Monday I have an job interview, a small glimmer of hope. Lord willing, this will lead to a job because I am utterly desperate for one, I need this more than anything but I could definitely use the prayers. If you all could, would you mind saying an extra prayer? It is greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this is just to name a few of the bible verses that have given me such encouragement lately and I hope they do the same for you too!

 

 

 

 

God Bless you all,

Cheyenne