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!!!!

Heading Out For The Wild Blue Yonder.

When it comes to packing, I work well under pressure. I prefer to call it motivated, but the more cynical-minded among us might call it procrastination:). It's now 7:14 AM (yeah, we're not going to talk about my usual disregard for getting up early) and I have exactly 2 hours and 46 minutes to pack up for the next 10 days.

What can I say? I love a challenge! When I left in August 2008 for a year-long stay in Thailand, my flight left at 11 PM and I finished packing a mere 6 hours earlier at 5 PM. Fun stuff:).

A few weeks ago, I alluded to a trip that Nat, I, and two people from my church are making and this highly anticipated trip has arrived... kinda. We're actually leaving on Saturday, but I get to pack up today because my brother is graciously working on my parents' kitchen floor. So that means no Anne walking across the floor. *Sigh* The inconveniences of life:).

7:18. Time's a-ticking by. I can probably delay my departure an extra 15 minutes though since my brother isn't even here yet. But I suppose I better mosey in the direction of the suitcases and travel-sized bottles. I can feel the adrenaline coursing through me already!

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.

Standing Still.

A piece of American history drove by today - right through my small town of Emmaus.

I tend to be a little oblivious when it comes to community events and things, but as I drove through Emmaus today I wondered why people were lined up along the main road and all looking expectantly at the road. I figured it was too early for the various summer parades and car shows that come through our area, but I just shrugged it off and went home.

After doing some things inside my house, I walked outside to our garage to get the lawn mower when I heard a trucker's horn. Now I live on the busiest street in my town (which really isn't saying much although Wikipedia puts the population at over 11,000 people and we all know that Wikipedia tells the truth every single time:D). So when I heard the horn, I figured some trucker was impatient with the traffic. My attention was completely caught when I heard another horn join in, so I glanced over towards the road and saw a big rig driving by with an American flag draped across its cargo. My curiosity intensified when I glanced over at my neighbor's place and saw people coming out of their store so I walked over and joined them.

As we watched the big rigs rolls by - each one having at least one American flag on them - my neighbor said 28 rigs were a part of a mile-long procession carrying steel beams from the World Trade Center to Coatesville, a town about 40 minutes south of Emmaus. The beams originated from a steel plant in Coatesville and were being returned there from JFK Airport for what will eventually be a museum on the history of steel.

As each rig rolled by, the drivers honked their horns - not obnoxiously though. Patriotism stirred in me as I watched the trucks go by. Traffic stopped and for 10 minutes the world stood still... at least, the little world of Emmaus. And I was able to stand still too.

Starving: It's A Good Thing.

Years ago my pastor's wife did a Bible Study with the single girls using the book Lies Women Believe and I remember walking away from that study thinking how easy it is for me to be duped into believing a lie. Profound I know, but so true!

I still think about that study, especially when I blunder and make a wrong choice. I want to kick myself as I wonder, "Now why did I respond to that situation like that? I know better and I thought I got the victory over it the last time." Giving in to the flesh is temporarily satisfying, but never brings true contentment. I have to make a conscious choice to listen to truth, rather than believing lies.

I'm in a rather contemplative mood as I think about a Bible study Nat and I did for marriage counseling. As a quick aside, I strongly recommend marriage counseling before the wedding bells toll! Nat and I have tremendously enjoyed it and have learned so much from our sessions with Pastor Roland. Ok, commercial over.... back to our study:). This one is on communication and many of the questions have really made us think! Standard Sunday School answers don't cut it and I've been forced out of my comfort zone of logically and methodically working my way through easy-to-answer questions. In truth, I have to think of scenarios and situations in our future that have yet to happen. Tough stuff. My personality is the type to sit there and say, "Well I don't know what's going to happen or how I'm going to respond so how am I supposed to answer this question!"

This is where it's so foundational to know what God's Word says and to combat the lies of the devil with the truth of God's Word. My marriage depends upon it. Obviously communication plays such a huge role in relationships and if I'm not careful, I'm going to feed a lie instead of starving it to death. I choose life - for truth, that is!

Just some late night musings from a girl who is looking forward to becoming the wife of a wonderful, godly man in 87.1 days... of course the .1 represents the rest of this day:).

Flip Flops.

The craziest things make me think of Thailand and my time spent in that dear country:

• A brief glimpse of a man who looked exactly like the missionary I worked with.
• Hearing a song sung that I first heard at the church I attended in Bangkok.
• A facebook comment from a friend saying she was looking at pictures from a trip we took to the aquarium.

Tonight I had another reminder: flip flops. Because of the beautiful weather we've been having, I figured it was high time I got them out. What I wasn't expecting was the feeling that would come with wearing the flip flops. The last time I wore flip flops was in Thailand. Seven months ago. Having lived in Thailand for 15 months, I developed some strong ties to that country, her people, and the dear missionaries I worked with and (justifiably?) get a smidge sentimental and wistful when reminded of my time there.

Right now the flip flops feel strange on my feet. What used to be standard footwear -- even in the "winter" months when it was still 80 degrees out! -- is now strange and a little uncomfortable. My heart is telling me to go jump on a plane and return to Thailand to help some dearly loved missionaries. My brain, however, is being slightly more logical:).

I'm smiling now as I think of a trip being planned for the not-too-distant future when I will be able to return to Thailand... and that time will be with my husband! The memories of my time in Thailand are still there and the work is still going on. Nat and I try to be faithful each night in praying for our dear friends, but I'm thinking I won't forget tonight.

Flip flops... way too many emotions attached to them.

Bits And Pieces.

You know, I'm noticing a trend here: every time Nat leaves on a trip, I decide to update the blog! Hmm, I'll have to work on that:).

Nat and a bunch of the preacher boys from my church are out at a preachers' conference in Ohio for the next couple of days. Is it ok to admit that I've experienced twinges of jealousy? Well, 'tis true. I love going to conferences and am really looking forward to a conference that will be held at Rebecca's church in a few weeks. There's something about getting away and hearing several preachers preach and then sitting back and marvelling at how the Lord connects all the messages together! Oh, it's going to be good! But for now, I get to look forward to Nat calling tonight and sharing what the preaching was about today:).

I did have a delightful day of doing little bits and pieces. The bakery was closed today ~ something for which we were all thankful! Friday and Saturday felt like marathon days since people ordered all sorts of food for Easter, so the bakery owners had the good sense to be closed yesterday and today:). I did get roped into teaching a Bible class this morning for the elementary students for one of the preacher boys who went away on the trip, but I had a great time with the students, which is always a plus;).

My original plan for today was to spend a good portion of the day resting (trying to shake being sick!), but the day was too beautiful and I felt too motivated to spend the whole day resting! Instead, I went over to a local greenhouse and after talking to the right person (finally!), I was able to order all the roses I need for the wedding. Nat's sister has graciously agreed to arranging our flowers into bouquets, etc. so I just have to get the stuff:). The neat thing is the florist at the greenhouse was so helpful in passing along tips and the best place to buy things like floral tape, pins, etc. Once again the Lord provided in a great way and all the praise goes to Him!

I must've been on a wedding frenzy or something because I also managed to get the guest list written out, well at least for my side:). A while ago Nat delegated that task to his sister for his side, so he's been done for a while now. I've been getting addresses from all sorts of friends all day and now I'm ready to address the invitations... except it's too early and we haven't printed them yet. Such a minor detail;).

There's still that pesky little detail of getting my dress ~ such a small detail! The florist asked me today if there were any beads or sequins on my dress and I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head when I said I didn't have it yet:). But that should be ordered soon and then I'll be down to one really big detail: pie shells. Being the non-traditional person that I am, I've decided to have pies at my wedding instead of a humongous wedding cake. My reasoning is two-fold: (1) most wedding cakes I've tasted were pretty but dry (making it pretty dry!) and (2) my dad absolutely loves pies so I figured this would be a good way to make sure my dad was satisfied at the reception:).

Nat and I decided to do a little wedding cake for the two of us, but if we have as many people at our wedding as we think we're going to have, then we better start making those shells! Of course it helps working at a bakery where I can get all sorts of techniques and tips from the bakers:).

No worries though. I still have 95 days to get it all done!

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!