Well, I have decided to join the blog world to keep all our friends and family updated with the Hubbard Happenings here in NC. Our life is moving way to fast and getting faster every day. Even though school is out for the summer, we are definitely not on "vacation" from our busy busy lives. In fact, we are just getting started with our whirlwind summer schedule. Yesterday, we began choir camp at church in preparation for VBS in a couple of weeks, then we have a week of VBS, 2 weeks of camp, Casey begins driver's ed, Trey's has band camp and them BOOM we are back to school. IN fact, Trey is on his way out the door as we speak to get his Driver's License!!! UGH!!! Where did the time go?!?!?!? I can't believe that it has been 16 years since God has blessed us with our first child, who is just 2 years from graduating HS and most likely heading to FL to attend UF in preparation for vet school. AND now we have one right behind him getting ready to start the whole driving process in just one month and start her high school career just a couple of weeks later. As for the rest of the gang, they too are growing fast and furiously. Leeann will be a "senior" at the middle school and Jonathan will be joining her this year. He will be following his big brother's "band" footsteps and playing the French horn in the 6th grade band. We will only have one left in elementary school for the moment. Emma Faith is an upcoming second grader, and in just 2 years (when Trey graduates and prepares to leave home) Timothy will just be getting started in kindergarten.
And as for me and Artie, we are just trying to keep up with the pace most days. When we are not tending to our children, tending to our farm animals (5 goats, numerous chickens, and a dog), running here and there to keep up with everyone's busy schedules, driving the school bus or the church van, or spending time at our wonderful church (where Artie the children serves as the youth and children's pastor) we try to just take time out to spend with each other and our family. AND we take any opportunity we have to visit family in TN and FL or take a mini vacation to go camping.
Life is never dull and never slows down for us and it has been a really hard year at times, not only in our own lives but in the lives of our families (health issues, job uncertainties, deaths in the family, injuries, etc.) But the one thing that has kept us going is our STRONG faith and the support we give each other and get from our friends and "family" we have here in NC. Although we have no immediate family close by, our close knit church community and co-workers have become our family and the ones that we can lean on and depend on in time of need or crisis. I thank God that he has placed us where we are and I THANK HIM for allowing us to live away from our family for the majority of our married life so that HE can show us that HE is ALL we need and we can lean on HIM ALONE to get us through the tough times. Now don't get me wrong, WE LOVE being with our family and love to visit and if we ever got the opportunity to live closer so we could spend more time with them, we would go in a HEART BEAT, but as that hasn't been the case so far, we praise God for allowing us to make a home where we can build our own family and teach them to rely on HIM for EVERYTHING and not rely on man.
We know that God has a reason and a purpose for EVERYTHING, and a SEASON for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) and we also know that God works out EVERYTHING for our good (Romans 8:28). God has brought us through A LOT in the past 17 1/2 years and I look forward to the next 17 1/2 years and beyond to see what he does in our lives and the lives of our own children. We have not yet realized all that he has in store for us or our children, but we just have to keep on keeping on toward the goal and the ULTIMATE prize HE has in store for us (Phil 3:12-14).
We have NO choice but to give HIM all the praise, honor and glory for EVERYTHING He has brought us through and will continue to bring us through in the years to come.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!
