Update, Update, And More Update.

Well, anonymous, you asked a very good question!

What's the point of having a blog if you don't use it?

At least post an update about your relationship, how your planning the wedding, updates, updates, updates...

The funny thing is *ahem* I've thought of doing that very thing a couple of times over the last few weeks:). It's now 2 AM and since I'm wide, wide awake and I've already finished my marriage counseling homework, I figure I'm going to take anonymous' suggestion and give an update:).

For starters, this past week was a l-o-n-g week. Nat left on Monday night with a group of teens and adults for an independent baptist student competition in Illinois ~ hence the reason the week was l-o-n-g! I'm not quite sure how Jackie managed to have a long-distance relationship for several months before she got married, but I'll be the first to say it's not meant for me! I've been so spoiled by being able to spend so much time with Nat, and this week showed me just how spoiled I (we) have become! Between the schedule out at the competition and my work schedule, Nat and I had an interesting time trying to connect this week. The times we were able to connect (hello midnight hours!), Nat was very tired so we had to keep our conversations pretty short.

It was pure bliss to be able to see him this morning -- excuse me, Saturday morning! -- for a couple of minutes before I left for work and then he came back over after I was done working. The way I figure it, we have three more trips coming up -- he'll be taking one and I'll be taking two -- but that shouldn't be too bad because they are quick 3-day trips and we won't exactly be limited by two constraining schedules.

It's so nice to have Nat home:).

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Ah, yes, the wedding plans! I haven't really posted much about the wedding, have I? Well, according to Bed Bath & Beyond, we have 104 days until the wedding! I must confess I've not been the blushing bride-to-be that has all the days, hours, and minutes figured out; rather, it has been easier for me to say "__ months to go" and leave it at that:). So in keeping with the tradition I've started, we have 3.5 months to go!!!

There have been a couple of neat things in regards to the wedding that I'm so thrilled about:

1. Nat and I have been planning it together. I've always wanted to be able to plan my wedding with my future husband and Nat enthusiastically jumped right in with both feet:).
2. We've not had one problem with people pushing their own way or plan. Our parents haven't put pressure or certain obligations upon us, for which I am grateful!
3. Planning the wedding hasn't been stressful for us. We've just slowly and methodically gone from one detail to the next without getting all frenzied or hysterical:).

Right now I'm in the midst of securing fabric for the bridesmaid dresses. The Lord has clearly blessed in so many of the wedding plans, and He did so again last Saturday night! A while back Nat and I found some fabric at Joann Fabrics that we liked for the bridesmaid dresses and I was able to go up last week and get half the fabric I needed at a fraction of the price! God blessed with a special sale (end of the bolt) and a 50% off coupon! I bought all the fabric the store had, so I just have to go to another store to get the rest!

I've yet to buy my dress, but I know exactly what I want. I found it online so I didn't even have to enter one bridal store and try on gown after gown ~ that suits me just fine! I had my fill of bridal stores years ago when a friend of mine got married:). Lord willing, I plan on buying my dress within the next couple of weeks and a friend of mine is going to alter it for me.

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Nat moved into an apartment a month ago and that is going to be my new home! I had thought of going over and decorating/organizing it, but then realized that it wouldn't be any fun to have things just so and then.... return to my parents' house:). So we decided to wait on the whole decorate/organize thing until closer to the wedding when it will be more reality than a dream:).

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In the meanwhile, I've started the process of going through all my stuff (code word - junk). I'm shaking my head in amazement because I had a huge yard sale before I left for Thailand in August 2008 and now I'm wondering how all this stuff (junk?) crept back in since I came home from Thailand in September 2009. I didn't even go to that many yard sales since coming home:). But it will be fine because I have one more opportunity to have a big yard sale before I move. It's amazing what I thought I needed 10-15 years ago I now realize that I don't really need in order to set up house:).

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Of course in between everything else I'm still working at the bakery and am having such an enjoyable time! I love interacting with people, so needless to say, I'm having a great time with my job! God's been good in providing opportunities to speak for Christ and I'm so thankful for that. People -- whether they are co-workers or customers -- are always interested in hearing I've been to Thailand and plan to return. I'm often asked what it was like and what I did there... talk about open doors!

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This update has been l-o-n-g (but not as l-o-n-g as this past week was!), but now I'm feeling a little bit tired so I suppose I should retire for the night (morning?). My sweetie is preaching at a church in Jersey in the morning and I get to go along with him:).

*Happy sigh*

Why Hello Spring!

*Cough, cough*

It's been a bit dusty around here with all the lack of posting going on, ahem.

I'm not quite certain who to blame that on, but I have a feeling a certain charming man might be part of that reason♥.

Ok, I can spread the blame to a crazy work schedule and also to the fact that spring unofficially sprung the other day and completely lured me outside with visions of volleyballs and bare feet on a sand court. I must say, it did not disappoint and I was blissfully happy to play after a very l-o-n-g absence from my favorite sport!

Continue on, spring days! I have renounced my love of all things snow and hot chocolate.... at least, until next winter:).

A Time To Pause And Reflect.

In reading a dear missionary friend's blog this morning, I paused for a moment over the last paragraph:

Right now, as I sit here at my desk, it seems like we never left here 5 months ago. Our lives are truly like a vapor that appear for a little time and then pass away. Our days are flying by swiftly and there is much work left to do. Pray that our strength holds and that we are able to finish the job that the Lord gave us to do. To all of you that we left behind, we love you and we miss you. Leaving all of you is the hardest part of being here.

There is much work left to do. Life is a vapor and the days fly be so swiftly. These thoughts coupled with a message my pastor preached yesterday morning have left me in a reflective and contemplative mood.

My pastor preached on the feeding of the 5,000 men (plus women and children!) and offered an illustration of how the fish and loaves were multiplied. I think Pastor was right when he said that Jesus didn't multiply the food as the baskets got passed from row to row, but rather as the disciples handed out the food and saw their supply diminishing in the basket. As they reached in the basket and pulled out the last loaf of bread, I'm sure they saw the multitude of people before them and the enormity of the situation. But as my pastor vividly portrayed, all they had to do was turn around and return to Jesus and He would supply them with more food. That's the way He operates, isn't it? He doesn't meet the entire need (whatever it is) all at once, because self-reliance and self-dependence are characteristics we tend to fall back on too easily. How quick we say, "Oh I can handle this!" but when faced with something we can't handle, that's when the problem becomes BIG. The promise of "nothing is impossible with God" is still in His Word and one I can claim!

When I bring these thoughts over into the realm of what my friend was talking about, I know that there is still work to do for the Master because the harvest of souls has not yet been brought in. I tend to get antsy at times in regards to returning to the foreign mission field. I'm ready to go now, or so I think. My days fly by so quickly and I wonder that oft-asked question, "Where has the time gone?" Before I rush ahead of the Lord and hop the next plane destined for Southeast Asia, I remember where He has put me right now. I get to work at a bakery and interact with my dear co-workers, all the while praying for them. Each Wednesday I get to invest time in my precious nephew and niece. My favorite time of each day is when Nat and I get together -- in person or over the phone -- and pray: for people we know who are without Christ, for struggling Christians, for missionaries over the world, for family and friends.

Right now several men from my church are in the country of Chile helping out two missionary families from my church. These men arrived in Chile before the earthquake hit, and now have unforeseen ministry opportunities! Although we're not there with them, my church family has the blessed privilege of upholding in prayer these men and ministry opportunities.

Time is so short and there is much work left to do. But the same God who took 5 loaves and 2 fishes and feed over 5,000 people is still in control today!