Appreciation.

I appreciate many things: iced coffee, fresh produce, a clean floor, time to read a book, and more. But lately I've been appreciating my kids. (It is a tad ironic that I'm writing about my kids as I sit at a coffee shop, taking a quick breather by myself. Did I mention I appreciate irony?!) 

The last week or so we've been in the thick of potty training. Paul has caught on to the concept of going #1, but is still (ahem) very clueless about going #2. Several messes later, and we're scratching our heads hopelessly all the while praying for some break through. Ellie has been very hesitant about the potty, so the party was real this morning as we hooted and cheered her on. Let me tell you, chocolate chips are worthy of going potty! As we've pushed through this week, I thought about how my kids are growing up... learning new skills... developing into the little people God intends them to be. I have the joy of watching them grow and encouraging them to keep growing.

But as I've been cheering them on, I've also had a verse running through my mind  that has been convicting:

Proverbs 29:15 - "... a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame."

The other day one of my children needed correction and to be honest, I didn't want to take the time to deal with it. But this verse came to the forefront of my mind and I realized leaving my child to do their own thing would bring shame. 

A while ago a friend and I were texting about child training and she said, "You can't let [my child] win.  [My child] is giving you ready made opportunities to teach [my child] to obey.  The sting of correction has to be worse than the pleasure of [my child's] disobedience in order for it to work.  By God's grace you can and later when [my child] is older you'll be glad you fought these battles now."

That conversation was months ago, but I've referenced it often as I try to teach and train my children. None of us are perfect, and some days I feel like a big failure and mess. But then when I see my children grow in an area they've struggled to obey in, I'm encouraged to keep pressing on and not give up. Too much is at stake!

Gentle Pruning.

I had the wind knocked out of my sails earlier today. Sometimes communication is a blessing and sometimes... it's not. My spirits were low, Nat is sick, and Paul had a potty training disaster (think walls smeared brown). But as we started our service, the first song I glanced at was an immediate comfort:

In times like these you need a Saviour,

In times like these you need an anchor;

Be very sure, Be very sure,

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One,

This Rock is Jesus, The only One;

Be very sure, Be very sure,

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock.

As if that wasn't enough, the next song prodded a little further:

All for Jesus! All for Jesus!

All my being's ransomed pow'rs.

All my tho'ts and words and doings,

All my days and all my hours.

All for Jesus! All for Jesus! 

All my days and all my hours.

All for Jesus! All for Jesus! 

All my days and all my hours.

Let my hands perform His bidding,

Let my feet run in His ways;

Let my eyes see Jesus only,

Let my lips speak forth His praise.

All for Jesus! All for Jesus!

Let my lips speak forth His praise.

And then as only the Lord can do, the message we listened to was spot on and just what I needed to hear. I love how God is intentional about meeting my specific needs. I don't necessarily enjoy going through some discomfort, but I know it's for my good and for His Glory. I'm grateful to say the Lord brought me out of a slump, reminded me of the grace that has been bestowed on me, and encouraged me to step back in the fight. Praise the Lord for His Gentle pruning.

Emotions.

We're moving in four days. 

It goes without saying my emotions have gone all the way from elation to tears, sometimes within the same hour! What an unreliable indicator of truth.

On the one hand, we are incredibly excited as we take the next step forward in reaching out to people groups in SE Asia. So many brand-new opportunities and connections await us. How thrilling!

And, of course, there's the other hand. The hand that tugs on my emotional heartstrings. For instance, this picture:

These two little guys are Sunday buddies. As in, they play together each Sunday and have done so for over a year. Us moving four hours north is putting an abrupt end to the adventures in toddler-hood these two share. {Well, it would come to an end soon anyway since the other little boy's parents are returning to the states for furlough but ... I digress.} 

We've put down some roots in Chiang Mai - 19 months of roots. We've gotten to know and love so many people, visited many unique places, hosted our first visitors here, made memories with Paul, and of course Ellie was born here. We stumbled through language learning (oh wait, I'm still stumbling!), had some cultural boo-boos, and were a source of endless entertainment for our neighborhood.

By focusing on the past though, I'm not going to make forward traction. Instead, I'm going to get sentimental thinking through memories, but not adjusting to a new set of adventures. 

And so.... I choose to be excited about this new step ahead of us. Of course that doesn't mean part of my heart isn't being left behind in Chiang Mai. It is. Just like a part of my heart is in Pennsylvania. But I can't wait to begin putting down some new roots and making new memories in a new place. Oh, and the people we will meet! I want them to come to Heaven with me. So it's time to dig up those roots and plant them somewhere new. Souls are waiting.

Our new city

Our new house - please come visit us!

New Mercies.

At the start of the new year, I decided to change up my Bible reading a little bit and switched to Bible writing. I enjoy variety and after reading through the Bible two years in a row, I decided I needed to come at it from a new direction.

Lately I've been writing the book of Galatians and I've been enjoying that quite a bit. Hands down, the Apostle Paul is my favorite Bible character (besides Jesus, of course). As I finished out chapter 4 of Galatians, I was captivated by what he had to say in the last verse: 

"So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free."

Simple verse, but it stopped me in my tracks. You see, the start of my Saturday morning was awful. I jumped out of bed at 6:05, intent on a nice cup of iced coffee and my Bible, and by 6:07 I heard Paul's bedroom door opening. I darted up the stairs and found a smiling little boy, ready to start his day. The problem was I wasn't ready for him to start his day! I hoped to get him settled in for a nice, long breakfast by filling his cereal bowl to the top, but instead I was keeping track of just how many milk drops were falling on my freshly-cleaned floor.

Mere minutes later, Nat came down with a smiling Ellie. Apparently my kids didn't get the memo that Saturdays are always our sleep-in day. Hrumph. I offered some coffee to Nat, but he opted to take a shower instead. When he was finished, we switched places. Of course me going to take a shower really means I grab the two baskets of folded laundry that never got put away last night, I quick make the bed, straighten up Ellie's pack-n-play, readjust the position of the fan that got moved yesterday when my cleaning lady was here, take the mosquito racket off the charger, and then go take a shower.

After my shower, I take the laundry basket of towels and go outside to start the load of wash. Glancing around the patio, I see the jump rope was left out, as well as strollers and a soccer ball haphazardly strewn across the patio. Returning inside, I find more food on the floor -- Ellie was chewing her way through a pineapple spear and it must've slipped from her hand -- as well as more milk and cornflakes. Inwardly I feel like crying. Where did my quiet morning go? I had such good intentions to start my day off with the Lord, but my day took off without me!

Nat and I both finally had (made!!) time to spend with the Lord and that's when I came to the verse I mentioned earlier:

"So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free."

Why was I living my day out as if I was a child of the bond woman, enslaved and of the flesh? Ok, so I had a less-than-stellar start to the day. My attitude was slipping down a grumpy slide and I was starting to take it out on my family. But the fact that I am a child of the King should stop my grumblings and complainings, and instead keep things in perspective. It's just one day. And you know what? Even if my kids wake up every morning at 6:10, I still need to make that choice to rejoice. In everything. 

What a balm to my soul that His mercies are new... Every single morning.

Mountains, Tickets, & Ice Cream!

When I saw my uncle at my dad's funeral, he told me there was one problem with the Pacific Northwest.  I was uncertain what that problem was until he told me that the problem was I was going to love it!  Since my uncle has lived in the Pacific Northwest for a really long time, I figured he knew what he was talking about... and, well, he did!

I am guilty to a fault of being very loyal to Pennsylvania. I love my state, my area, my home. But even I must admit there is one teeny tiny fault with my beloved state: the mountains just do not compare to what I've seen here in Washington. Last night we went for a quick drive to Lake Stevens and I was amazed to see the backdrop of snow-capped mountains to this beautiful lake.  I've almost started getting used to seeing these amazing mountains as we drive around northwest Washington.

But the one thing that these mountains have really done for me is show me what a magnificent creator my God is. The mountains are majestic, the lakes are stunning, even the trees seem like they are on steroids!  Creation turns my focus back to my amazing God and I have just soaked up His beauty.  I am so thankful we've had the opportunity to travel out West!

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We also picked up a new supporting church, bringing our support level to 87%.  In addition to that, Nat and I purchased our one-way tickets for Thailand.  You talk about an adrenaline rush! Nat spent the better portion of the afternoon looking up airline tickets and kicking himself for not purchasing them three days earlier. Prices shot up $200.00 and so we decided to grab them while we could!  As we talked back and forth about buying a ticket for Paul (compared to holding him on our laps), the cost for extra bags, and the flight options, we feel the Lord gave us the peace for buying Paul his own seat.  This allows us to bring his car seat, get two extra bags and a carry-on, check his stroller, and have a place for him to sit down and sleep.  The great thing about the flight we chose is that it's the closest thing to a non-stop flight! We only have one layover for two hours, making this one of the better international flights I've taken. Yay!

My niece is also coming along with us for an eight-week stay, so that gives us another person to help and hopefully some extra room to pack a few things in her bags. :-) We're not planning on shipping a container, especially since we've always planned on setting up shop for Thailand in Thailand. Now I'm really eager to start sorting our stuff: trash, sell, give away, keep in USA, pack to go to Thailand. With the Lord's help I think it will all work out just fine!

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Paul has really been enjoying the warmer weather. He absolutely loves water and his little feet start to kick when he sees a lake.  It's been fun seeing how Paul reacts to things.... like ice cream. At first lick, he wasn't certain about it, but soon the tongue started coming out faster and faster!  I think he's a fan of chocolate. :-)

Late Night Musings.

Hubby is sleeping, baby is sleeping and I'm wide awake, which is nothing short of amazing considering we drove 9 hours through the night pulling in at 6 AM and just catching a couple of hours of sleep.  

Ahh, home! It's so nice to be home.  Clean house, clean fridge... and wrinkled potatoes.  

That last one was an oops.  In the midst of the flurry of leaving a month ago -- at the groggy hour of 6 AM -- I failed to see I had potatoes sitting in the bowl waiting to be devoured.  Unfortunately, no devouring is going to take place now.  Big oops!

Oh, going back to the clean house part, I should clarify and say mostly clean. When I walked into my kitchen this morning, I saw three stink bugs in various places with their legs decidedly pointing up.  Ignoring the little creatures, I wandered into the bedroom to see two more stink bugs in the same position and I finally realized that the bitter cold of Pennsylvania was effective in killing the stink bugs off and leaving them in the "legs up" position.  That's a wonderful solution to killing stink bugs except I don't want to keep my apartment at a chilly 55 degrees and I would rather not smash the stink bugs to smithereens since they give off a rather unpleasant smell ~ hence the name.  

That whole paragraph was brought on by the fact that there is a rather live stink bug wandering up my kitchen wall right now and I'm a big wimp at killing them. No worries though: I become rather fearless when it comes to ridding my house of bugs in Thailand, so I should be good.   Besides, the stink bug will still be there in the morning, Nat can come to my rescue of getting rid of it and he'll maintain his position of being my knight in shining armor and rescuing me from... bugs. It's all good. :-)

Wow, that was quite the rabbit trail. Moving on...

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We just returned from another tour of deputation, although this past month didn't feel like deputation as much as it felt like an extended vacation because we saw so many friends and family members.  We even ran into some missionary friends of ours at the last church we were at.  That was fun!

I feel like we made some friendships on this last trip that will become life-long friends in the ministry.  For instance, we were in a missions conference in South Carolina for four days and by the time we left, we walked away with a supporting church and the feeling that we had known the dear folks there forever.  Another meeting the Lord put together at the last moment and we ended up staying with the pastor and his family for a couple of days and discovered we got along very easily.  With the last meeting we had, we camped out at the church for a few days (in a gorgeous prophet's chamber!) and our hearts were knit together with many in the church.  

So many blessings along the way, and yet most of them don't even make it into a blog post, prayer letter, or thank you note.  Not that we're ungrateful; we just can't record all that the Lord has blessed us with. But I will share one with you as a "for instance."

One afternoon a pastor's wife and I went to a second-hand shop because she had a couple of 50% off your whole order coupons that she wanted to use. Now this shop had the best prices on clothing I've ever seen in a second-hand shop and most of the clothing was name-brand quality stuff. I have been keeping my eye out for summer outfits since the weather in Thailand is summer-oriented, so as I was browsing through the shoe section, an older gentleman came up to me and gave me a 50% off coupon. I was so surprised, but very thankful.  Since Nat wasn't with us and the pastor's wife had a 50% off coupon for me, Nat and and I returned to the store the next day so he could look for some things.  He's been looking for several items for a while now, including a suit.  Wouldn't you know, there was a suit on the rack in his size that "just so happened" to be marked down 50% already and then he was able to use the 50% off coupon too, bringing the cost of the suit to $5.00! Isn't God good?

We're currently sitting at 71% of our deputation goal and we praise the Lord for that.  We're heading to the mid-west from March to May and then we'll be in Washington and Alaska during the month of June.  We do have several dates to fill in during those months, especially for the West Coast trip.  My husband has been praying about whether we drive or fly and felt as if the Lord was leading us to fly out to Washington.  He told me the other day that he feels like he "cut the branch off the tree" when he bought our airline tickets, but he is confident that the Lord will provide the right meetings. God has never once failed us and a couple of times now He's allowed a gap in our schedule that He's filled at the very last possible minute that have been turned into the greatest blessings of all. 

So we still have a lot of travel to do in the next few months, but the end is in sight!  We've had a terrific deputation run and we really can't think of any bad experiences along the way.  As I said before, God has been good!!!

What If.

We've been on the road for the past two weeks "deputating" as one friend calls it. :)  So much to write and yet not enough free time to write, between taking care of a newborn and living in the moment.

We're currently in Fort Worth, Texas at a missions conference that has been very uplifting and convicting.  One thing stood out to me that wasn't during a preaching time or even a teaching session and yet it was so impacting.  During one of the "comments time" a pastor from Louisiana asked a veteran missionary about the man who led him to the Lord.  Now this veteran missionary, Milton Martin, is over 80 years old and has been a missionary to Mexico since somewhere around 1960.  Bro. Martin said the man who led him to the Lord was praying some 28 years before Bro. Martin's salvation and put his finger on a map of Texas and asked the Lord for a soul in that state.  Bro. Martin then said these words: "I was that soul."

I don't know if anyone else in the room got chills like I did when he said that, but I was thinking about the impact Bro. Martin has had on countless people around this world. Literally. But I thought about that man who came before Bro. Martin and was faithful in praying for lost souls and then witnessing to those souls.  What if that man hadn't prayed? What if that man hadn't been specific in praying for a soul in Texas? What if he hadn't opened his mouth to speak of Jesus? What if he was intent on doing his own thing rather than God's plan?  What if?

While I understand God will use someone else if they're more willing than you, I also know that Bro. Martin's impact on the people of Mexico can't be denied. In addition to the people of Mexico, there are plenty of pastors, missionaries, evangelists, Bible Institute students, etc. that have been impacted by Bro. Martin's ministry.

Nat and I personally have been impacted by his ministry.  In fact, Bro. Martin's the one who challenged Nat with the principles of missions and is the human instrument God used to put Nat into the ministry.  My heart was stirred when Bro. Martin preached a conference in 2006 and that set in motion the idea of me going to Thailand to help with missionaries.

But I think of the man who came before Bro. Martin and realize that his reward in heaven will be great because of being faithful.  What a legacy!  What a challenge to me.

It's funny what the Lord will use to teach me. In this instance, it was just an old preacher from Louisiana asking an old missionary to Mexico what an even older man did for the Lord.

Whining.

Our next door neighbor has a dog. Actually, she has a few dogs. Currently one of them is whining which is detestable in a child, but downright annoying in a dog! The whining from the dog next door reminds me of when we were in Africa and of the puppy that lived next door to the missionary and yapped all. day. long. (Incidentally, I just found out the other week that the little puppy in Africa died when it was bit by a poisonous snake. Sad ending.)

Whining. If I can't stand it when a child or animal whines, why do I think it's ok to do it to God, my husband, friends, and so on?

My pastor preached an excellent message on Sunday evening about praise. He used Paul and Silas as his reference point and was pretty dramatic in describing all the horrible things about their situation. A dark, dingy dungeon. Whipped back, feet in the stocks, no snuggle blankets or fuzzy socks (ok, I added those last two in there:D). Pure torture.

Yet Paul and Silas decided to praise God. There was plenty of room for a pity party and some whining. "Oh woe is me!" would also fit, but the choice Paul and Silas made is permanently recorded as praise and prayer.

Wow.

Whining. Leave it with the next door neighbor's dog and praise the Lord!

Sights And Sounds - Revisited.

During my year-long stay in Thailand in 2009, I wrote a post about the sights and sounds of the soi. This time around, we are in a new area (think of where you live and then some place eight hours away - you get the picture!) and I'm not as familiar with this area as I was in Bangkok, although I am getting better!

The mubaan (neighborhood) we're staying in still offers the stray dogs lazying about in the middle of the road, the motorcycles zipping around, and the speed bumps that are a true sign of Thailand! This mubaan is seriously lacking in fruit/vegetable stands, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and little mom & pop grocery stores (as in none), although there is one hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant here in the mubaan we're going to go to for dinner tonight.

Chiang Mai is definitely growing on me, although I suppose my bias to Bangkok will always exist because that city offered me my first Thailand experience. I do love how everything is close in Chiang Mai; as in, you travel 20 minutes tops and you're at the moat (which is center city). We've been going that way often since our dentist is located just inside the moat:). I'm not as partial to the limited public transportation that exists here in CM. No walking to the end of our mubaan and waving down a taxi; no hopping on a songtaw and riding to the mall; no overpass walkways to get from one side of the highway to the other. But all in all, my complaints with Chiang Mai are few and far between:). Plus the missionary we're staying with is allowing us to take his (automatic!) car and drive to wherever we need, which has been extremely helpful!

Nat and I stopped at the market on the way home today and bought some eggs and strawberries - quite the combination:). I've always loved the open-air market where everything is so inexpensive, although I haven't been able to bring myself to buy raw meat from the market yet. We also found some eye drops for the eye problems I've had and paid $6.00 for something that cost $84.00 in the States - nice price difference:).

All in all, we have greatly enjoyed our time here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Lord has given us a lot of clear direction, for which we're thankful!

New Year's Ramblings.

Well, hello, 2011... it's nice to see you! 2010 went out with a fun bang, although this past week made me forget that we were ending the year. Camp does that though.... miles from civilization (ok, so it's really only a mile!), excited teens crammed into one small space (a coach bus looks soooo much bigger from a distance!), and lack of sleep round out the list for a fabulous experience that happens twice a year.

We returned home from camp Thursday night and promptly tumbled into bed ---> a real, soft bed!!! <----- and woke up this morning at 11:30. We both came home from camp with sore throats (forgot to include that in my list of fabulous experiences) and I could tell Nat was sick because he took two naps today and was so completely out of it, poor guy.

I eventually got motivated enough to grab some groceries for a little get-together we're having at our house tomorrow, actually today, but that's about all that I have to show for the last day of 2010. We did had a great time at a New Year's Eve service at church. I think we're one of the few churches that doesn't have a Christmas Eve service but has a New Year's Eve service.... I personally think it's a great idea:).

We also talked to my mom-in-law for a whole year:) which actually turned out to be only 25 minutes. She lives in Texas and wasn't planning on staying up to see the New Year in central time, so we just had her celebrate with us in eastern time. Such interesting lives we lead, I know.

I do have a particular rant/soap box I would like to address because I honestly think there's laziness and then there's pure laziness. Ok, so here's the deal: do you ever go into a bathroom stall and notice a roll of toilet paper sitting on top of an empty roll? That's a pet peeve of mine and I experienced it several times this week at camp... girls apparently go through the rolls! It's not that hard - taking off a cardboard roll and replacing it with a fresh roll is just a nice thing to do. *SIGH* First rant of the year:).

Well, Happy New Year!

Up...

.... and I'm not quite sure why! Hmm, must've been that cheese dip we had for a snack after church tonight.

Since I'm not in the land of sleep being oh-so-productive, and since I just heard the cuckoo clock from my neighbor's house downstairs strike one, I figure some late-night musings and ramblings are well in order! I'm actually procrastinating on a project that needs to get done, but that's what tomorrow is for, right? Umm, right.

In random news, Sunday evening our blissful sleep was interrupted with a 12:51 AM phone call. I must say I was almost patting myself on the back for being strangely alert through my sleepiness when I saw the name on the caller id: *very pregnant friend*. One quick return phone call to her and hubby and I were out the door to pick up her two-year-old son and bring him home with us. One very quick hour later, she welcomed her daughter into the world. Yeah, that's the kind of delivery I want to have: quick and well, not-so-painless, but at least quick!

Since the baby was three weeks early, that meant things were nowhere near as ready as my friend hoped to be in making the transition smooth for her son to come to our house. So we dutifully grabbed a pack-n-play, which turned out to be quite worthless that first night:). Little two-year-old boy was a bit disoriented and strangely enough (ha!) did not take too well to being in a newish place. We were bordering on sleep deprivation and chose to take the sanity route by bringing him to bed with us. Who knew that a two-year-old boy could actually take up the entire queen size bed, leaving us to cling to the edges? I finally got smart in the wee morning hours and moved said little guy to the one side of the bed where he had exactly 6 inches to sprawl:o).

Our plan for night #2 was to wear him out before bed, which my husband did quite well. We thought we had the system beat... until we put him in the pack-n-play and began our prayer time. Let's just say prayer time was sprinkled with lots of "Mommmmmmmmmmy!! Dadddddddy!!!!" With the hope of him crying himself to sleep fading away, I went to the pack-n-play and made sure little guy knew Mommy and Daddy would be seen.... tomorrow. The sniffles and tears subsided and 9.5 hours were passed in peaceful slumber, much to our relief and in answer to prayer!

Although definitely not planned for this week, I'm glad that baby girl is born and little guy has been babysat. I'd rather have everything be completely busy in one week (case in point: this week!) and leave next week wide, wide open:).

Later today Nat and I are going to Philadelphia and Sight and Sound, making for a very full Thursday. In a twist I still don't understand, we're following the school bus from our Christian school to a museum in Philadelphia. Apparently there is no parking available for buses at this museum (what a concept), so Nat is going to drive the bus from the museum to some parking lot half-way across town. Strange. Since we planned weeks ago to go to Sight and Sound, the school principal suggested the idea of bringing our own car so we can take off for Lancaster County once Nat has returned the bus to the museum - where the principal will take back over in driving the bus back to school.

We actually spent the day in Philadelphia two months ago and did the touristy thing, so I'm not exactly sure what we're going to do for the four hours we have to kill while waiting for the students to go through the museum. I'm sure it'll involve food and chocolate though:o).

I get to work Friday and Saturday and in the midst of all of that, I'm helping with preparing for a banquet for Rachel and her family. They head out next week for Botswana, so my church is doing an appreciation banquet on Saturday night, which means prep work on Friday night:o). Sunday will be a busy (and emotional!) day as we hold a sending service called, "Light the World." This type of church service is only held when we send a missionary family to the mission field, but they have been some of the most impacting church services I have ever been in.

Missions has always been the heartbeat of my church, and right now we have missionaries coming and going. One missionary family to Chile has been home for a month and they leave tomorrow to go back to Chile. Of course Rachel's family goes to Botswana next week, just as another missionary family -- the Wilhites -- return from 8 months of furlough travel around the USA. Then they will return to South Africa sometime in November. Another missionary family to Chile is planning to return to the States on furlough sometime within the next 3-4 months. I feel so blessed to be a part of a church that is active in missions and sending families from our own church. Of course we greatly miss these families, but technology has greatly improved over the last ten years that it is so easy to stay in contact with our families... almost too easy sometimes. All these communication tools and methods at my fingertips and I still sometimes fail in keeping in touch with missionaries.

So I said all that to say it's going to be a busy weekend! For now though I think I better go try to get some sleep or I'm not going to be very productive through this busy weekend:o).

Purging.

I was up early (that's code for 8 AM... which is early for me!) anticipating a walk with a friend, but a cancellation phone call changed my plans for the morning. The one challenge I have found since being married is maintaining a balance between home and work. I do work part-time as well as babysit often enough to turn it into a side job (without pay:D), so I try to make sure I stay on top of grocery shopping, laundry, and cleaning. With some unexpected extra time this morning before work, I decided my challenge would be to clean our cute little home.

I always want to run in twenty directions at one time and started 4 or 5 projects before I finally settled on one :o). I tackled the kitchen first, which was extremely easy, since I'm OCD about keeping my kitchen clean! The bedroom was next, which was almost just as easy. Dust manages to get into all sorts of places!

I hit a wall when I entered the living room though. Approximately 11 boxes were in the middle of the room and while that added an interesting flair to the decorating style, I decided they weren't going to become permanent fixtures:o).

I'm doing a yard sale tomorrow morning with my brother and sister-in-law and I chose to be ruthless in purging our house of stuff. I know we just got married and couldn't possibly have accumulated stuff, but in reality we have. Most of it was a carry-over from when I lived at my parents, so I don't feel bad at all at selling stuff I'm just not using anymore. Nat contributed a couple of items too, and yet our goal isn't to make money ~ it's to get rid of the stuff! Goodwill is going to be the last stop if they don't sell at the yard sale.

The amazing thing about our apartment is we have the space for everything, and I have fallen in love with a closet that runs down one wall of the apartment (by the way, pictures are coming of our little home... promise!). But just because we have the space doesn't mean we should fill that space:o). Our future goal is being missionaries to Thailand and last time I checked, we're allowed to each take 2 suitcases (50 pounds each) and a carry-on. There's no use in holding things too tightly.... it's either purge now or purge later!

Redeeming The Time.

My husband and I, along with two friends, made a trip down to Frederick, Maryland on Monday to attend a memorial/funeral service for a pastor we had known for several years. My friends Rachel and Pastor Shorter both wrote about this man - Pastor Purks - who stepped out into eternity suddenly last Monday morning.

There were many tears shed at the funeral, but in stark contrast there was much laughter heard. A saint of the Lord's had gone home to be with his Saviour. After the service was over, my husband and I were quietly talking about the various people we had seen, how we were challenged by the speakers, and obviously about Pastors Purks. One thing that struck both of us was the fact that Pastor Purks was known as a man with a passion for souls. Nat made the comment that this was the most convicting funeral he had ever attended.

Pastor Purks was only 59 - quite young, really. One never knows when it's time to go home, and the reminder from Scripture is so necessary: "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time." (Colossians 4:5)

Hi, I'm Still Here:).

Hubby is currently sleeping (as are most of the people on the East Coast at this time of the night!), but I kick in with my second wind right about now and thought a blog post just might be in order.

But first, I realized I only posted one wedding picture soooo.... here are a couple more:

After the ceremony was over, Nat and I headed out to a local park and had some pictures taken. Our photographer did an amazing job and we like the fact that this park is close enough for us to visit often.... like we did tonight when we had a little picnic:).

Hmm, methinks that last picture needs a tad bit of explaining. I find it extremely ironic and humorous that the only time I cried on my wedding day was right here (or is it right there since it's not here anymore? Anyway.) This lady is such a dear friend of mine and not only drove the 13 hours from Muddy Pond, Tennessee (yes that's the name!), but also agreed to greet people on our wedding day. As soon as I came up from downstairs and saw her, I just lost it.... as did she. We're both crying while we wonder why we always cry when we see each other. It's hard to explain, but 'tis true!

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Life has been wonderfully busy... setting up our new apartment; packing up stuff from my parents house (Goodwill is going to benefit!); working busy hours; having my first visitor over for lunch; spending time with the dearest man on earth; writing thank you notes....

Oh the thank you notes. I feel as if paper and pen fail in verbalizing our thanks. I suppose if I really considered it, it's not the paper or pen expressing our thanks, it's our words. But how do you squeeze into one note the fact that you really do appreciate the gift of ________ and are thankful time was spent in coming to the wedding?

Or to my wonderful co-workers who not only gave me the time off of work (3 weeks), but also provided pies, a large cookie tray, and chafing pans/dishes to hold our reception food. In addition to that, the were so gracious to give four large gifts, including a beautiful red Kitchen Aid mixer.

What about the dear, dear church family we are so blessed with who jumped in with both feet and enthusiastically and cheerfully helped out where needed? I've come to the conclusion that it is impossible to say "thank you" on paper only; it must be lived out and in some cases paid forward, so to speak.

Simply put, we've been blessed.

A few people asked after we returned from our honeymoon if we still needed anything. Need? In a word, no.

We've been blessed.

No Wedding Woes - Only A Choice To Rejoice!

This morning I read this verse, not realizing how much I would need it for today:

"He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." ~ Psalm 126:6

Last Thursday I finally decided to take my winter coat to a local dry cleaners and grabbed Nat's wedding suit as well, since it needed to be dry cleaned. I've used this particular cleaner before, so the thought didn't really occur to me to go anywhere else. Actually it did because I had a coupon for another dry cleaners, but that was 20 minutes away and I didn't figure the discount was worth it. So I went to the cleaners, turned in my coat and Nat's suit, and the lady cheerfully gave me my slip with the pick-up day for Wednesday.

Sunday night I had just gotten to bed around midnight when I heard sirens go screaming by for a couple of moments. I genuinely thought maybe someone had gotten hurt shooting off fireworks and was being rushed to the hospital, but that wasn't the case. When I was reading the news on Monday morning, a particular article caught my attention: Fire in Emmaus Strip Mall. My heart jumped into my throat as I read the article and realized the fire started in the very dry cleaner shop I took Nat's suit and my coat to. Trying to be calm and not jump to conclusions, I thought perhaps it wasn't as extensive as the article made it out to be. I called Nat and mentioned the possibility of there being issues with our stuff, but we figured we had to wait to find out for sure because the holiday was still being celebrated.

After trying several times this morning, Nat was finally able to get through to the cleaners and the confirmation was in: everything was completely destroyed. Nat's tailor-made suit from Thailand -- his wedding day suit -- was no longer available.

As the news slowly sank into my disbelieving head, my ever-logical sweetie calmly stated he was going to implement Plan B: go look for a new one and keep his eyes open for divine appointments. It was firmly established in both of our minds that this was no mistake and God was going to use this mishap to get some precious seed out to someone!

Nat returned this evening with the report that no less than three people were those someones!!! As he explained about his adventures to the mall and talking to these three people, my mind drifted back to the verse I read this morning and I realized sometimes the Lord reminds me in a very clear way that there can never be a price tag put on getting some seed to a lost person.

This all might sound very trite and nonspiritual, but the tug of sentimentality can be a bit strong at times. We happened to be very partial to our clothing items, but when I put it all into perspective, I know Nat and I will be married regardless of whether he wore a tailor-made-in-Thailand-just-for-him suit or a JC Penny special.

In addition to growing in grace over suit situations, I've spent the day and now the wee hours of Wednesday morning making pie shells and baking!

I've chosen to have pies and other desserts served at the reception, rather than a huge wedding cake so of course that meant making them all:). In between all the rolling of pie dough, some family members wandered in to stay for several days, so I decided I would rather finish all my baking tonight while it wasn't in the triple digits weather-wise and no little kiddos underfoot:). The last batch is in the oven, 8 apple pies have been delegated to two of my bridesmaids, and that leaves me with 6 more to make on Friday. Overall I feel as if I haven't put too much stress on myself and now I can enjoy time with my family before the big day comes on Saturday!

Only 3 more days:).

Turning A Page.

Emotion is a tricky thing. Just when I think I can handle it, emotions sneak through the back door in the form of memories and remind me of life.

What brought this on? Something called approaching wedding day. Or, in reality, marriage. I'm about to turn a new page and am completely thrilled, excited, and absolutely giddy about it:). But when I started taking down the degrees and diplomas, the frames and the decorations from off my bedroom walls, emotion hit me.

Have I really spent the last 14 years in this bedroom? With everything off the wall and piled on my bed, I sat down and just gazed around the room remembering...

~ the day I trusted Christ and floated home and into my bedroom... what a shouting day that was!

~ a sleepover with 4 other friends before two friends headed off with their family as missionaries to South Africa.

~ getting ready for high school graduation day!

~ painting my room with a friend and having such a blast.

~ countless, countless numbers of trips taken over the years. The drill was familiar and simple: always pack just before leaving on a trip! That way the adrenaline runs faster:).

~ leaving my room in anticipation of a year-long adventure in Thailand. I still remember packing the day I was leaving (of course - it's tradition!) and then the day I came home.

~ numerous phone calls took place in this room: sisters, sisters-in-law, friends, and for the last eight months, my sweetheart!

~ running to my room for a place of refuge when my heart was hurting. I cried out to the Lord so many times and He heard me. What a precious Saviour!

~ so many girlish hopes and dreams were made in this room. I moved in when I was 12 - just at the beginning of my teen years. So much has changed since that 12 year old girl first moved in.

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There is much packing to do, and I'm realistic enough to know that the majority of it is going to take place after we come home from our honeymoon ~ yet another trip!

Memories are such a good thing, but I am ready to turn that page and move from the position of single gal to wife, where all sorts of new memories will be made!

Life In A List.

In no particular order, here are some (interesting???) recent events in the life of yours truly (um, that would be me!)

• I got my engagement ring cleaned yesterday and can't stop looking at it today! It's so shiny:).
• 25 days until we tie that knot! Ok, I realize this is a future event rather than a recent event, but the countdown is faithfully noticed each and every day:).
• Nat and I got together with my brother and his family last Thursday night and had a great time! It's so nice to be able to hang out as "couples."
• After a huge decision-making process, I've decided what towels to go with for our new bathroom and kitchen. Riveting, I know! Ya'll just about fell off the chair from fascination, didn't you?
• Amanda had a birthday today (technically she still has it since there is another hour left in this day) and I've delighted in reading the various facebook messages that have been left for her, especially ones from Nina and Rachel. My funny bone has been tickled by these two gals!
• For the first time in almost six months, I didn't have a lunch table come in to the bakery on Saturday. None. Zippo. Which was rather saddening since I like to interact with the customers so much!
• So I'm looking forward to serving at a catering party tomorrow night for 45 ladies - all members of a sewing club. Kudos to them for sewing and getting together! Perhaps their talent will rub off on me???
• Sunday night the babies in nursery decided that was the night to do some "whoopsies" which resulted in some "boomsies." Very, very technical terms.
• Nanette's little cutie had us in stitches towards the end of the night when she couldn't make up her mind to laugh or cry. Her face would scrunch up in preparation for the cry, but at the last minute would be turned into one of her super-adorable smiles, courtesy of a nursery worker making some faces:).
• My sweetie and I are joining a crew from church and heading off to summer camp next week. I'm in unofficial camp mode since we're doing the games for camp and have started planning them all out. I'm having a blast and can't wait for next week!
• I just figured out that the sound coming from the kitchen is not the shuffling of papers caused by the air coming from the fan; oh no --- it sounds like a mouse to me. Oh joy!

'Tis The Season...

... for volleyball!

I mentioned a few months ago how I was lured outside with visions of volleyballs in the air and now it is definitely official:).

We played volleyball on Sunday afternoon for several hours. And on Monday night with a impromptu pick-up game. And we played again tonight! I'm expectantly looking forward to Saturday with the potential of some more volleyball being played afterRachel's graduation:).

After living in Thailand for over a year and only playing volleyball one time during that whole year, I've been so ready to play again! A pesky little detail called winter got in the way of me playing much since I came home from Thailand, but my heart has been so blissfully happy that I've been able to play again now that spring/summer is here!

Well, that and the fact I get to marry my sweetie in only 36 days!

Surprise!

So, I am so NOT on the road right now.... in case you haven't figured it out! But the delay was absolutely well worth it:).

"Officially" my bridesmaids threw me a surprise bridal shower on Saturday morning, but from my rather high vantage point from being on the platform, I saw so many ladies cheerfully and happily pitching in to make things come together. After being so shocked that I quickly closed the door, I was so happy to see dear family, friends, and church family all in the room! Nat and I feel very, very blessed and praise the Lord for His goodness in our lives.

I would love to share more, but there's a very special friend of mine who drove in from Tennessee and we have a 6:30 breakfast date set. Yes, I will get up early for some things! From what I understand, we're taking off on our road trip after services this morning... and if we don't, that's ok! I heard at the shower a devotional on flexibility;). Better put it to practice!

Happy Lord's Day!!!!

A P.S. To The Last Post.

In case you're interested, here's a link showing a video of the convey that came through my town today bearing the steel from the World Trade Center. Wow.