Christmas Update Embrees

James and Ella Embree

Moving Ministry

Lots of changes

James & Ella (celebrating 20 years of marriage), Hannah 17 (Senior), Bronwyn 13, Max 16

We did sell our home in Palmer and moved to Anchorage about 45 miles away.  Huge praise was we showed our Palmer house one day and had an offer.  The selling was easy.  There were some delays on the purchase of our new Anchorage home that tried our patience as we spent several weeks in James’ parents’ basement between homes.  But, we are moved in now and getting settled in our new neighborhood.  We arrived to a harvest of raspberries and rhubarb in our backyard!   We have met already four neighbors including Makenna with a super cool english bulldog, Remington.  Willow (our great dane) has adjusted to the home quickly.  Now it is the long process of unpacking the remaining boxes and finding a place for everything.

Hannah has just 1/2 of a year left as a senior at West High before heading to Taylor University in Upland, Indiana in fall of 2018 (yes she has already been accepted and knows her roommate).  She is preparing for her dream role as Morticia from the Addams Family Musical.  Max is a sophomore in a complicated mix of schools; he is continuing his study  of Japanese language/Chemistry at Dimond High and enjoyed cross country running  at West High, while homeschooling part-time.  Bronwyn has taken a full load of dance (ballet & jazz) and will continue to be homeschooled this year through Family Partnership while taking Advanced choir at Romig.  She landed a part as Helen in Young Jane Eyre at Anchorage Community Theater.


Summer 2017 Ella started out leading community hikes each Wednesday for free for Thrive Outside and Valley Mountain Bikers and Hikers.  In May, she began her Tour Guide with Alaska Adventure Unlimited.  She has loved her clients and showing off Alaska, but misses her family as it is 6 very intense and long days.  

The children all served the Lord at North Star Bible Camp.  

New Address

1350 West 70th Avenue

Anchorage, AK 99518

James 907-315-3803

Ella 907-795-6604

Hannah 907-521-9443

Max 907-707-3505

Bronwyn 907-414-2998

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE EMBREES?

Random Christmas Questions (Try to guess who answered)

Favorite book you read this year?

a. The Pearl or Animal Farm

b. The Secret Life of Bees

c. Vox Day Novels

d. The Selection Series

e. Lilac Girls

Can't wait to...

b. Preform as Morticia in the Addams Family Musical March 1,2,3

c. Compete in the TriFlake Winter Triathlon

a. Celebrate Christmas and show my family Chicken man

e. explore Hawaii for our 20th Wedding Anniversary

d.  Play Helen in Young Jane Eyre January 19-February 11

Favorite Website
c. Nfl.com
b. Pintress
a. DHMO.org
e. anylist
d.  instagram

If I had $100,000 I would
d.  move to New York City
e. looking for ways to invest/encourage the Kingdom of God
b. give it to Dressember
c. make a down payment on my children's education (three in college soon)
a. pay for Hannah's Choir trip.

Who is Jesus Christ to you?
e.  Abba Father-Daddy-Friend
a. Literally perfect
d. My Superstar
c. God
b.  My Dad

A full day

A dear friend wrote about a day in her life and I decided to do the same.

Woke up too late, but made lunch for James. (trying to serve Him better)
Bible Time with the kids (while Hannah and I are eating our breakfast)
*a bit of a sassy attitude from one-need to stop reading deal with that.  Tell the others to journal a prayer.
back to Bible reading

Whoa! good stuff:  my kids start breaking out in song (even my Max who hates singing)  from Deuteronomy 32 as it was given to Moses (Deuteronomy 31:19) to help the Israelites to know God and who to turn to when they sin (which he knows they will do).  Hannah leads the tune and it sounds good as long as I don't sing with them.)

Piano/Singing teacher is here.
Teach the other two where we are going for the week and dish out the requirements.
*Reading, History, activities, Big picture stuff

Re-teach the other one when he is done.
Journal while little one reads her literature book.  Thank you Lord for the needed FUEL for the day.

Great time of sharing and praying with the piano teacher after she tells me one child didn't practice (ugh).

Science: Yes, it is our last lesson. Learned about amazing microscopic animals who "tun"!  Who would of known?  Now I do.
Journal Science:
Laundry

Etiquette study on how to handle oneself in an auditorium.  We are going to a dance recital coming up.


Find out my watching 5 children tomorrow is cancelled because of strep.  Ugh. Was looking forward to having extra kids.
-Tattler comes, but I send to deal with the person that was the instigator.  They work it out.

Leave to see a friend wile the three are doing a 45 minute writing lesson with Andrew P.  Come home after an amazing walk in the river with Leo and Willow and Melissa!

Lunch

Grade all their stuff (math, grammar, etc)
Leave for a meeting about a retreat to train the youth to be helpers in ministry and missions.  Training retreat will be this weekend.  Glad to find time to get together and plan for some amazing stuff happening.
Max plays on the Train with the other boys and Bronwyn attends swimming lesson while we meet.

*a bit irritated that the house can't stay clean, but tell Hannah to tidy it up if she is not going to volunteer anywhere today.  She agrees.

Take Max home to finish grammar and get a book. Change for a run.  Take Max to Swimming.
Unload Bronwyn's bike and Willow and have Bronwyn race around the 3 mile loop with me.  She is usually slower, but this time I have to have her slow down as I am running while she is biking.  But, get back in time to get the needed grocery shopping done.

Pick up Max to take us home then tell Hannah to be ready for Ballet.  Dad arrives 5 minutes later, takes her to ballet.  I sit and finish my Bible Study prep, then dish up dinner.  We eat when Dad returns from the ballet.  Enjoy a meal with the family, set up the remaining chairs for the study.  Bye Dad for his Bible study with the college aged students.  Max is disappointed.

Ladies arrive, and we talk, pray and share this last week.  Then we listen.

Beth Moore is amazing and I am cut to the core and encouraged at the same time.  Share some more.  Get a big hug from Jen.

Now, I finish the laundry and put stuff away.  Look at the amazing photos.  Read a blog.  (Thanks Amanda).  Wait for James to come home 10:28 pm not home yet.  Garage opens, 10:30 HE IS HOME!

Make husband edit this blog.

Exhausted. Dog Tired

It is only 9 pm and it seems like it could be midnight.  We are so thankful for the little girl, but it is work.  She has been good via the potty training and yet to have any accidents.

However, she does have some lungs.  She doesn't like her crate.  So, she tried to whine her way out.  It didn't work.  (okay once I yielded and felt awful for not following my husbands advice).  We are not giving up with the crate.  The breeder has giving us some good advice.

She is sweet and cute, but she loves me.  She follows me up and down the stairs. We have been on three walks plus she has been groomed three times.  I hope it will be a easier night tonight. 

Jess is tired too.  YEAH I HAVE JESS WITH ME! I love seeing her and eating her good cookies, and caribou sloppy joes. We have played canasta and already watched Dolphin Tale.  We have seen a moose, eagle, and an Alaskan squirrel. 

I am still plowing through the book "So long, insecurity" by Beth Moore.  I enjoyed the picture of "how lovely is the dwelling place, O Lord Almighty".  I am the dwelling of the Holy Spirit no lies for me, just the simple truth, lovely.  Not a boastful statement, just truth.  Simple truth. Love it.

Getting Ready for the big girl

The sign is made, the kennel created.  A few dog treats found. She had a bed upstairs, and her crate downstairs.  Dog food.  Many, many books checked out about how to train your dragon... I mean dog. She is 52 lbs of love.

In the video she is called Monroe or RoeRoe, but we are going to name her Willow.

Ready for Willow to come tomorrow!

Beauty and the Beast: The Puppy (the long story)

As you might know, we love Great Danes.  We had them in the past, and now that we are established in our home, it is time for the dog.

Well, it was a journey. I soon realized being in Alaska, makes shopping for a dog a bit of a challenge.  I would respond to Craigslist advertisements with no response. When someone did call me, I heard the "breeder" say, "Well, the puppy is $1000 and is a purebreed dog, but I don't have the papers yet. They will come in once the stud shows me his papers.Or, I could charge you $3000."  What!!!! You mean you didn't get the papers prior to breeding the dog.

Then, when I would call a real breeder, the problem was timing.  Dogs go into heat twice a year and usually they will only have one litter a year. So, the few (maybe three) breeders are not having any puppies.

So, we began to look at rescue dogs.  However, because of our very sad story with Kenai. We didn't want to bring an animal into our home that we didn't know the entire story. Kenai, when we first met him and even up to the first 6 months, was incredible. However, he was too protective and was abused.  Ugh.

I called a breeder in Fairbanks, and she didn't have any puppies, but had a 9 month show dog Pandora.  This dane would be co-owned.  We would need to bring Pandora to the local dog shows.  However, her children were too attached and cried all night.  So then she offered a puppy to bring into our home as a co-owned dog in June.  Ugh.  We looked at that.  But, we thought how often do we (the Embrees) just sit around with nothing to do.  The thought of adding a two hour drive on Friday and Sunday to transport a dog to Anchorage for the Dog Shows made us uneasy.  We don't have that extra discretionary time.

Then there was a 10 month old male great dane rescue in North Pole, Alaska.  However, he required surgery for his eye that was estimated at $600 + his rescue fee. ugh.

We also had an opportunity to get a Great Dane that someone returned to the breeder.  However, the "breeder" from a different state didn't know common knowledge things about Rabies shots. So, we didn't get that one.

About this time, I had taken up MANY MANY HOURS of looking online.  Calling breeders.  Talking to God.  Getting my hopes up and down.  Then I read about glancing at things and gazing on the Lord.
I was in my "hunt" mode.  Trying to make this happen.

I love the way facebook brings people together.  An old classmate from highschool had posted her many photos of her Great Dane Leo.  I found out the information about where she found him.  She had went to the breeder and brought him back to Alaska. She had raved about the breeder and the amazing home that the puppies were raised into.  I called the breeder near Chicago, and found out that Leo's sister had not been adopted.  She was a mantle.  She was crate trained and potty trained.  They had a waiting list for the harlequins but not for the mantles.

Now, here is where the disappointment comes. The dog is in Chicago not Alaska.  Not close at all.  So, I suggested to James to fly down and pick up the dog.  However, it would take another few days away from the children and a "waste" of a ticket.  I was not happy.  But, I told James I submit to your authority even if I don't like it.  I will.

Later that night, I suggested that maybe Jess could come and bring the dog with her.  She would get to see us (she has been dying to visit us in Alaska) and we could get the dog as well. James asked if she was available.  So, I called her. I told her to pray about it, and get back to me on Sunday. I told her if she didn't come, it would be fine.  There would be other dogs, but if she did want to come, we would love her to visit.

The entire weekend, I was filled with PEACE.  I had no idea if she would say yes or no. It really didn't matter.  God gave me peace and joy.  And I was no longer angry. I often felt so silly being caught up with finding a dog.  I have friends who are going through tough marriages, cancer, etc.  I took my prayers to a God that can handle it all.

As you know, she said YES! You can read her side of the story here.   We get to invite the beast on Tuesday.  So, I get my best friend Jess (who is beautiful) and a dog.  Beauty and the Beast.

Yes, I am terribly spoiled and loved by my heavenly Father.  Jess is even able to bring our last few remaining items from Africa that has been stored in Chicago.

Introducing:  Willow

Thankfulness... kills anxiety

Well, James said it.  The magic words that I have been longing to hear.  "Let's go look for a dog." Good and bad.

Good part:
Now, that we are settled into our home since moving in the end of October, it is time to find a dog.  Like I posted before, I really would LOVE a Great Dane.  There happens to be one that we might get that is 9 months old and house trained and kennel trained. We just need to be selected by the breeder as a perfect fit.  The stunning dog is named Pandora and is the one with the natural ears in this picture.

Bad part:

I was so excited last night, I hardly slept. So, instead of being being anxious about whether we get her I will count my many blessings and keep looking UP:

1) an amazing home with views of both the sunrise over the mountains and the sunset

2) great friends who shoulder my concerns

3) people to pour into (discipleship and peers)

4) Friday morning breakfast with Anita Moiser that gives me an excuse for making a more elaborate meal.

5) relationship with my Savior who protects me and cares for my needs

6) understanding and encouraging husband who is a blast to do anything with

7) children who love reading and learning -spent the last hour on the couch reading together under the electric blanket.

8) a heated garage

9) wind drifts that avoid my road and driveway so that we don't have to shovel

10) family that loves my children and enjoys our company!

11) parents that still surprise me with their unending love

12) great friends for my children

13) health and exercise

14) ability to learn about God with my children through the Bible readings

15) great library

16) love for missions and what God is doing around the world

17) heart that is still in Africa thankful for the lessons learned- Yebo Africa!

18) coffee and Kindle with a fireplace 

19) seeing others enjoy taking photos from my back yard because it is soooo beautiful. 

20) Life groups and our little church

21) Heaven!

"Life works better when we know how to glance at things but gaze at God.  Seeing Him clearly will enable us to see all other things clearly."

We had an amazing time today doing our "Young Woman after God's heart" Bible study.  The girls got to dream up of their best decorated bedroom.  Share ideas about honor parents in keeping their stuff tidy. 

The crazy fun was when we got out the tie die as part of our Homeschooling project this week.

Hannah even made one for her dad.  I got one as well.  So, we will show the finished product later.