Home Sweet Home

At least for a little while. July 21-August 5th found me back in the Appalachian Mountains. I went home for our annual week of Bible Camp and had a special time of visiting and reconnecting with family and friends, luvin' on my cat, Moses, and soaking into my senses everything I love about where I live - the mountain air, bubbling river, songs of the birds, crickets outside my window, stillness, darkness, full moon rising above the mountain ridges casting its light on the river below, enclosure, 'aloneness'...ahhh! So here are some camp scenes for you. All my siblings, their spouses and kids were there to help at camp (except for Bambie since she's out here in Oklahoma).


See, Moses wants to come with me to OK!


Our Bus Kids on their way to camp




Annual shaving cream battle


Sophia's cabin


Oatmeal game aftermath




Chapel Time




Aunt Sophia and Kate


Grandpa and Amelia


Aunt Sonya and Lydia




























Emma

Vacation in CA - I mean...for treatment, yeah, treatment

By doctors orders I went to the West Coast for a vacation - well, it was sort of like that. My Upper Cervical Chiropractor here in Oklahoma said that it would be a great idea to get some prolotherapy treatment right now in conjunction with what he was doing for me. So I booked a flight to Sacramento and was in CA from July 1st-17th. Nope. I did not get pictures of me receiving my injections. But I did get what I went out there to get. You'll just have to trust me on that one.






LAKE TAHOE - would be CA largest natural lake except that part of it is in the state of Nevada










My wonderful friends - Dr. Rodney & Kim VanPelt


Look closely to see the eagle in flight. He swooped down about thirty feet in front of us and caught a fish.








Dad and Mom were able to join me in California for two days. They came to get prolotherapy too. But no one should be in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and not enjoy the outdoors.


Coming out of Blue Lake


See, it's calling to you. Don't you just wanta get in?!

Loved. Overwhelmed. Grateful.

Has God ever 'caught you off guard' with a blessing for which you did not ask? I think God likes to surprise us as much as we like being surprised. When I said goodbye to my fellow missionary friends in November '07 I had no idea when we would meet again on this side of eternity. But on June 9th I found myself giving a big Baer hug to Chris and Ginger Mackey and their son whom I had never met.


Born in Brazil, Tekoa is blessed with dual citizenship


Baby 2 on the way - a little Ginger on the way!


Ginger, Chris & Tekoa


A night at Chris' grandmother's house

A Birthday Celebration in Okie

This was the first of thirty birthdays that I had in Oklahoma (don't suck in your breath as if you didn't know I was that old =). My host family (the Crawfords) invited Mark and Bambie to come with my nieces and nephews and celebrate with me. The kids made me cards, and bouquets of wild flowers from Oklahoma fields; the Crawfords gave me a gift card to Mardel (a Christian book store). Yeah...they know me well already! I believe this is the first birthday I have been able to celebrate with my sister, Bambie, since she got married forteen years ago. God sent us both to Oklahoma to pull that one off! I am very blessed.




Sis and Sis. "Aunt Sonya, I want to take your picture" (the voice of my five-year old nephew, Jonathan).

A Welcomed Visit

It's been 2 1/2 years since I've seen Marty and Tess Stapleton - friends of mine from the Bible Institute where I graduated. That was due to the fact that they live in Kansas. But a trip to OK for them is not nearly as far as a trip to KY. And like I said, the Crawfords are committed to helping me on this road to recovery...and that included hosting my friends for a night and two days!

Tuttle, Oklahoma

On December 25th, 2008, I left KY to get some help from an Upper Cervical Chiropractor (http://www.nucca.org). Destination: Tuttle, OK (25 mi. south of OK City). I am staying with the Crawford family - friends of our family since 1992. They have opened up their home and their lives to me and are extremely dedicated to contributing whatever they can to me on my road to healing.

The "Precision Chiropractic" Office


The Balancing Machine and Dr. Michael Rowe. This gadget is extremely precise in telling him if/and how much his patients are standing more heavily on one foot than the other. If so, it's time for an adjustment since that's about as good for the body as a misaligned car is for wearing down the tires.


Secretary Penee - a ray of sunshine for all the patients

Thanksgiving at the Eight Baer's Den

Well, it used to be the "Eight Baer's Den". Now it's twenty-three with two more on the way!



This is what we look like at meal times. No lack of excitement and noise around here! This picture was taken by special request from Grandma. She wanted this scene (circus)documented.



The youngest Baer of the group - Emma Faith, with her proud daddy, Caleb. I never thought I'd see the day when my younger brother would be a daddy!



Lydia Ruth trying out Aunt Sonya's boots



Lydia and her daddy, Sam, on a walk



Uncle Caleb showing Josh and Lizzy (Mike's children) how we entertain ourselves on a walk through the mountains. After the tire was "launched" over the mountainside, Josh quipped, "It's like a bomb just went off!"



Taking a breather in a cave



Josh and my little buddy, "G.G." at the Kentucky Middlefork River



Thanksgiving "history lesson" time with Aunt Sophia - complete with a Bible memory game



Grandma got in on a Bible Bingo game with her greatgrandchildren (great-grandchildren not pictured =)





My eleven year old nephew took this picture unbeknownst to us