My Guy/Guys...

 

Dave, Justin and Jordan are enjoying time spent together in Nicaragua.

 

Here are some of the pictures I have been receiving on my end. We are contacting each other as long as they are in a place where they have access to Wifi.  This is always a huge blessing to me during all the travel time that Dave does without us. It feels like we are not as far apart as long as we can send pictures and messages back and forth.

 

 

The Little's and I are so ready to have our guys back home but time is flying by and we are enjoying each other to. We are having a mini vacation "in our own home"...:)

 

This is a trip of a lifetime for these boys and I'm so glad they had the opportunity to do this!

 

 

Here they are getting ready to assemble tons and tons of wheelchairs! It looks like they are up for the challenge with a great attitude!... I love these two so much!!

It looks like mission accomplished...:)

This was a trade in that they did... I'm sure this guy was more then happy by this trade!

These are only a few of God's blessings they are taking a part of but I thought these were worth recording!... Here is a text Dave sent to me the day they left... They had a short layover and when the flight was delayed here on our end right away first thing it made them a bit later... The flight delay of twenty minutes got them there on time without any major issues!... It was a God thing...:)

 

Here Jordan had his very own miracle he was telling me about...

 

 

The added day today for the "fun adventurous stuff"...

I'm blessed by the trip they are on and I'm not even the one that's there...:)

We can't wait to see you guys!!

Javon misses you so much Jordan!! Hurry home because he is sleeping with me and I'm ready to send him back!...:)

Here at home...

It feels more like October then August as I sit here on the side porch with a blanket wrapped around me.

It has been so beautiful though and we have been getting wonderful showers to keep things nice and moist for the growing! The grass around the swimming pond is looking great! The pond is drained right now and waits for a liner. We should probably have lined it from the beginning but we tried something else first. We were dealing with leaks so now we line it with heavy rubber liner and fill it back up. Hopefully soon so we can swim for a few weeks yet!

This Lancaster County Countryside here sure can't be beat right now! The corn is another time as tall as I am and the harvest will be plentiful the way its looking!

We are so very BLESSED to live here and enjoy this beautiful place!...

Jenika wanted to lay close to Sasha with her DS while Sasha chewed her bone but every time Jenika settled in next to her she'd move about five feet away and lay down again to chew her bone! It was so funny as Jenika kept getting up to lay closer to Sasha and over and over again she would move! Finally they settled like this!...:)...

The campfire King around here!... He is a blast to have around!! You make everyday campfire day!

This morning after my run I decided to just let the Little's sleep longer and after my shower we did breakfast and church on the side porch... So enjoyable and relaxing it was and fun for a change!

Tomorrow we will be filling the kitchen back up with groceries and making goodies for the week as we anticipate having Dave and the boys back! We have confirmed that they are the biggest eaters of all!!

Justin has had no time to really enjoy his new jeep... He just picked it up the night before they left. They drove it to the airport. Dave said it was s good ride...:) It will seem strange to see him in a jeep!

Eva is so ready to see him! He will be out of town for work the first few days after he returns home so he is home only a few hours before he leaves again! She hopes to see him somehow in between there, even if it is in the middle of the night...:)

We have enjoyed having Eva here while the guys were gone. She wasn't here the entire time but she comes and goes..:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't want to mix up Dave's trips here but these are a few pictures of his time in Belize last week...

It was a worth while trip for him.

 I'm thinking these short Belize trips will just continue for a pretty long time. If I can sneak along I do because I LOVE Belize and I like to think of it as another "Home away from Home" but at times it just doesn't line up with the kids schedule here at home so I stay put and keep packing and unpacking those bags. I do get my hands on some of that island sand each time as it lands on the bottom of that suitcase...:)

This was the group of SMC members that were present...

He is an underwater nut! He lobster dives like he does everything else in life! Fast, Controlled and very Aggressive...:) "All IN"! He is so good at it by now and check out this really cool star fish he found!

This was a card that came in the mail the other day from one of Dave's investors... It had a note inside that was put there for the kids and I... It brought tears... I'll let you read it just because...:)

I'll then take the opportunity to brag on my husband a bit below...:) Because I truly do feel so BLESSED to do life with a guy that has such a passion to make a difference with each moment that God blesses him with!

This little note spoke to the very core of my soul... I needed to be reminded about now..:)

I really do need to be reminded often that God's work in my husbands life journey is much more important them my own agenda for him.

I don't feel qualified to be the one that walks beside a man that has a call on his life the way Dave does.

My personal journal would tell you it has not always been easy.

 At the same time my prayer "to be changed, molded and shaped" into the wife that is best going to be suitable for a man on a mission the way that Dave is has not gone unheard.

God has changed my point of view in more ways then I ever dreamt possible. Things that are just fine and have become a normal these days are often things that I figured I'd struggle with forever.

At one point in my life I did not appreciate when Dave even went on short hunting trips. Even for a few days without us made me grumble. He often went anyway (he knew just how to handle me:}) but often I was not impressed and it made issues.

When the big boys were just little he had a job on the road delivering sheds. He was gone a lot with all kinds of crazy hours and often running on very little sleep!

At times it feels like God used these years to prepare me for what was to come. His schedule was none existent and for one like me that likes to "process everything so I can prepare for it" this was a huge stretch out of my comfort zone yet it sort of paved the way for today.

I did things for him back in those early years like rent out skid loaders, took phone calls (before the cell phone days) We raised tons of puppies!!... (sometimes it was so hot and they had such big litters I'd have to rotate them or move them to the basement to keep them cooler, The little boys and I took them to the vet for shots and when they jumped the fence and broke a leg we went to the vet again and nursed them back to health)

Dave has always been an investor. He did things with his hard earned money that he thought would better our future. (He still does this)

He started a few businesses. One he still owns today. He has just recently sold a piece of it to each of his three brothers... which will bring value to everyone involved. These brothers each have unique gifts that helps them to work together well. For this we are thankful and so very blessed! His brothers are his best friends.

Today as I reflect back I wonder how we did those crazy years yet at the time it was great and we enjoyed the journey each and every step of the way!...

Today we are still busy... I'd just say its in a different more controlled way...:)

I guess its just maturity or else we are realizing that some things are just not worth stressing over... We have learnt the value of saying "No". Even often to the GOOD in hopes to make way for the GREAT...:)

Dave has always been so very good to me and the kids!!! There were times that I wondered where we come in to play among all that he has going on but I never doubted that he had/has our best interest in mind.

Back when we got married Dave was not a kid person. It didn't seem like he would mind if we ever had any kids or at least we'd wait a really long time to have any children! BUT... It didn't take long for me to start nagging him about starting a family.

He took it great and said "Okay then lets do it"!  :) We have since been blessed with four beautiful children!!

Justin paved the way. I was 21 and Dave was 24 when Justin was born...:)  Dave was not to natural with the newborn babies but he was an awesome father none the less and he always gave it his best shot, even if the tiny babies cried as soon as I handed them over to him...:)! He used to tell me "I just don't have that cozy cushion feel like you do" ..;)

He has always been a very independent guy but so have I and I like it this way. He never cares or grumbles when I want to get out and do something aside from him. It just seems I could never "just pack up and leave" him and the kids for more then a day!... I just don't have as much going on in my life that I'd even want to leave them for to long.

I am so thankful that over the years of his travels I never felt fearful to stay alone in the house with the children. (not even after we were robbed at the old house) ~it's a God thing~ There were times when I'd hear noises, when unusual cars pulled in and acted weird or when bad storms came up that I got antsy for a bit but then I'd pray. God helped me overcome my fears so many times and I'd hate to even think of doing this journey without him.

Running has also helped me overcome fears. I faced a lot of giants in my life while out running!...:) (if you are a runner you know exactly what I'm talking about)

About five years ago Dave entered the world of "Syndication". It has changed so much about the way he/we do life.

He started out his educational journey with reading. I remember the days when he'd set a timer and make himself read for fifteen minutes before we turned off the lights at night. He did not like to read but he was consistent and a few months later he was taking all his spare time and using it behind his books.

He started a library and he still reads tons of books to this day! He does book studies with a group and he has some great Godly mentors in his life. Many he calls his best friends and he calls them often to run stuff by them. It's what he does before he moves forward because with a mind that's always rolling on to the next new adventures it takes some strong mentors to either move him forward or tame him down a bit...;)  He values his mentors to this day!

He listened to pod casts so much that they became the normal background noise around here for awhile. I will know that voice as long as I live! (he now uses ear buds...:))

He once came across the "Real Estate Guys Radio Show" pod casts and his/our life was changed forever when he signed up and went for his first "Summit at Sea" event that this group puts on every year. It was nine days of packed full education. He came home from this trip exhausted and in overload! He couldn't put his education to use fast enough!

He then read many more books that left huge impacts on his education journey! "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki left him with many light bulb moments! "The Creature from Jekyll Island" is a huge book and I remember thinking "he'll never make it through that book!" Guess what!!??  He did and in a real short time to! Again there were more huge light bulb moments!

He started his investing adventures in the "C class multifamily space". He was happy with his team and the outcome was better then expected.

Then he signed up for the "Syndication Mentoring Club" (SMC) with the Real Estate Guys. This was a huge step in his new journey of financial education!!  He did this type of education so he could bring others along side his investing journey with confidence through syndication. (He likes to say... "You can only have so much fun by yourself") :}

This  SMC thing took me for a loop though!! He told me about it but I don't really think I had a clue what was all involved. He started to travel. Like really really travel! He was on the phone every Wednesday night for an hour doing a book study with the SMC group. (don't seem like much until you have to plan events around it) He had a group that got on Skype every month on a Saturday night that would last a few hours late into the night. (again don't seem like much until you have to leave events early to make it home for this call) Summit trips every year that last nine days long. Quarterly meet ups all over the US. (most of them are five day trips)

Then came the actual real life Syndication stuff... First he took along his dad and brothers and when they did really well he started to invite other investors along... Memphis multifamily, Belize resort property, ATM's, these are some of the first investments he did bringing others along side him. He invests in every one of his deals along side his investors.

THOSE PHONE CALLS!

I will always remember ALL those phone calls!!

People in general have lots of life questions but try trusting somebody else with your investment money once and you will really see how many questions you'll really have!! For good reason I realize!! Dave never minds the questions and he answers them patiently in a way the investor can understand! BUT...  being on my end of it this makes for hours upon hours of phone time!!! (he wasn't a phone person and I was lucky if I ever kept him on the phone for more then two minutes!)

Once out of self pity he said "Some days I'd like to be one of your kids" I shot back "Well Some days I'd like to be one of your investors!" ... It all ended in fun...:)  but for real he takes time for his investors and I know this is valuable to them as it would be for anybody on that end of an investment.

I don't know exactly how I'm always okay with all he has going on and sometimes I'm not but over all it seems God has helped me to see the value in his education. He is fulfilling a call on his life and I have no doubt that he has a gift that is not to be taken lightly. He has done so much better with taking and making his phone calls during the day in the office instead of here at home with us. When he is home he is present. He takes time with the big boys as well as the Little's. He is so good to me to!

He has stopped the SMC dedication for now. It felt like with the big boys being in the teen years (where it feels like they need their father present more then ever) it was the best thing to do for now. He was such a great student that they have put him on the advisory team! So this means he is always welcome to all events but its more optional. This has slowed his travels down. It has been nice for us at home although I know he misses it.

I appreciate the Godly leader that we have been blessed with... I have not a single regret marrying somebody with an adventurous heart that can't be tied down. He flies an aircraft for crying out loud and wants to go sky diving someday!!... this is serious stuff but I have realized life is better when I share the adventure rather then tryin to tie him to my short leashed rope... I did try it once but I didn't get very far...;) Getting me out of my comfortable box just goes better then bringing him into my box with me!..:)

He is a people person and always loves a good party! I like more low key and if I have only him for days on end I'm perfectly in my "happy place"!!  At home is where I like to be. We don't even have to always be having someone over to keep me content but Dave is different and so we go away lots!! We host lots!! But then we stay home and don't have anybody over sometimes to...:)

He still dates me often! I love this about him!!!

It is so funny to watch but we have two kiddos with his adventurous personality and two with my more cautious one!...: We are a set for sure!...:) (This is why I get more nervous when sending Jordan with Dave and Justin on a trip!! He won't know what to expect around the next corner and we don't really like doing life this way the way they do!...:}) I'm sure you can guess which one of the Little's has that outgoing people person personality! :)

Okay I'm just going to keep going all day if I don't just stop now... I guess I don't do this often enough... The part on the note where it says "The person that you see everyday as just Dad-" really had me realize how BLESSED we really are to do everyday life with such an amazing father and husband...  He is so good to us and we are beyond blessed for this!

I don't know when his next flight out is but we hope it won't be for awhile...:) But either way we wouldn't want to trade the journey of Syndication that Dave has taken a liking to if it means he is changing the lives of so many people around him for the better. We have met so many wonderful people we can now call great friends!!

Ask him a tax question and you will be talking a lot longer then you might have bargained for...:)  Believe me I have heard so many one sided conversations that I'd probably be able to give you a lot of these details myself... Wait...  maybe I'll become a "real" hard core people person yet... ~smile~

Life is a real fun journey when shared with those you really LOVE!!

I/We love you Hon! ... I'm sure you'll read this soon...;)