Everything Byrum - (That is, all the Byrum news.)

What beautiful days I am walking through now! Autumn has always been a favorite season for my family and me, a chance to wind down from the busy-ness of summer and embrace the calmness of the season before the holidays.
You all are entitled to knowing that our house has at last closed, and we are the proud owners. We begin the ground floor remodeling/reconstruction this next week, to my brothers' intense gratification, (since that is their delightful area of service,) and to the great happiness of my sisters and me - because we get to decorate it! For many weeks now we have been searching through every home designing book we can get our hands on, and have been debating between which styles, colors, themes, and attitudes we want each corner of our house to have. Presently it has quite a European flair - but that will be changed in a few areas considering the fact that my very western brothers are moving in! Their huge bedroom is being designed like a cowboy's dream. Old saddles on the wall alongside dusty colored cowboy hats, horseshoe dressers and a blue sky ceiling. Bunkbeds, ladders, and gun racks. What more could an all-boy want? The next time I hear someone say that boys hate decorating, I think I'll choose to debate them.
My sisters and I opted to share a bedroom. There are only four of us - including our delightful baby sister, and we felt that it would be hard on our closely kindred spirits to seperate. Besides, my family isn't into the whole "individualist, independent" spirited attitude that permeates our culture anyway. I could "preach a sermon" on that, as my dear older brother often teases me of when talking of the debating pastime I can be far too fond of. We would far rather be close. We tell people that that's because we love each other so much, and laugh while they stare at us. Our hearts cry because more families can't truly say that about each other like we can. But anyway, back to our bedroom. When choosing themes, we had a huge debate over a pastel pallette/ballerina theme, or a royal "up-country" Parisian theme and a rich color choice. My oldest little sister, (as I laughingly call her to her unamusement,) really sacrificed a great dream of hers in choosing. As everyone who knows her is aware of, my sister, Rachel, is a beautiful little cowgirl. Completely western in her styles and dreams, I wish to commend her for her sacrificial attitude in giving up a western bedroom theme. She gave it up to the more Frenchy tastes of her younger and older sisters - Bethany and I - and heartily threw herself into our plans. So, for her sake, together us girls went for the royal French theme because it was less "little girl-ish" as Rachel calls the pink ballerina room. Besides, once we got to thinking about it, that's kind of what we want to be known as anyway. Princesses. My name means princess, in case you didn't know, and my sisters are also royal as daughters in their father's household and in the house of the King of Kings. We want our bedroom, though it is such a little part of our lives, to boldly proclaim our life visions just as we try to in everything else we undertake, and everything that bears our name. The Byrum Family Princesses. That phrase says a whole lot about what we consider our lot in life to be, how we view it; and, in our home, how we celebrate it.

Besides the packing and moving and packing and moving some more anthem we are living to right now, we still find time to live to the lighter tunes of life. My dad and brothers are busily engaged in their ALERT father/son squad with many of their homeschooling friends, a delightful addition to our lives. Everyone morning they are up early, repeating the pledge of allegiance in front of our beautiful flag on the tall pole in the front of our home. Every morning we womenfolk watch them strengthen themselves with their morning excerices and sharpen their minds with intense discipleship with their father, their leader, their patriarch. Rachel is busy as can be with her horseback riding lessons (in which she is excelling beyond her instructor's belief). She is happiest on the back of a horse. I am absorbed in preparing for the launching of our Golden Thread Film and Stage Company - a drama team branching off from the newly kicked-off North Idaho Christian Home Educators Association of Drama. A couple times each week my dear friend Kindra and I meet to brainstorm ideas and write up the developing Chrisitmas musical play we are throwing on stage this December. Besides all that, I still find time to teach piano to little fingers, and writing, of course. School has been postponed until November this year because of the move, and I don't think the children are complaining. They'd take remodeling a house over schoolbooks any day of the week.

Great things are happening on a spiritual level in our family as well. The Lord has added two of our very dearest friends to our home church fellowship, two families we have long loved and whom we are delighted to welcome into our circle. The fathers in both of these families are wonderful leaders, and we - our families - are excited about the foundations we are laying for all of our growing up years. Most people have no idea what it's like going to church, living life, and growing up and old with best friends. It's unlike any church experience I've ever tasted. If your family is considering home churching, I can strongly reccomend it - considering, of course, that it's with the right people. In that area, my family and I are most definetly blessed. We have the best friends in the world - people who share our vision and support it, people who live by goals and strive for them. I will forever be grateful to these friends of ours - this backbone of our spiritual life, and most especially to our Heavenly Father for bringing them into our lives.

Many thanks to all of you, who through your prayers, your love, and your support, have seen us through the most uncertain time of our life. May the blessings of God truly fall upon you in an astonishing and marvelous way - above and beyond that, even, and may you feel the love the Lord in a truer, more realistic way than ever before. I'm not just saying that. I truly mean it. The love of God is deep - not shallow, thin and hollow. I pray that He might make each one of you deep and living rivers of His presence and grace. God bless you. I love you all.