Walk In Him

I just had to share my latest faves from the kitchen

2012-02-02T14:53:00.003-05:00

I feel like baking is becoming a little bit of a hobby. I never thought I would say that, but I'm getting a little addicted. I know part of that addiction is the great bread-maker I received from my sister-in-law (thanks Tracy!). The other part is my love for yummy food (had to be honest). Maybe another part is that look on Rob's face when he likes one of my experiments. Either way, I thought I would pass on a couple awesome recipes.

These two come from allrecipes.com. "Bread Machine Bagels" and "Bread Machine Honey-Oat-Wheat Bread" are awesome! Neither one is time consuming because of the dough cycle on the bread-machine.

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls from moneysavingmom.com has cured me of my cinnamon roll fear. Let's just say my first "from scratch" experience left something to be desired. I brought them to share with my high school Sunday school class and they politely asked "what are these?".

Cinnamon Honey Butter and Oreo Layer Dessert I found on, you guessed it, pinterest.com. I had to bring it up. If you have some serious weight loss resolutions, don't look these up.

Last but not least, I found this goodie in the newspaper yesterday. These were glorious with a cup of coffee this morning!

Apple and Oat Scones with Cinnamon and Nutmeg

Makes 12

1 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

1 and 1/3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, plus more for topping

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I just used it from the pantry)

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 and 1/2 cups diced Granny Smith apples (I used what I had on hand)

2/3 cup cold buttermilk, plus more for brushing

Raw turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Whisk together flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers.

Add apples and buttermilk, stirring until dough just comes together.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured work surface. Pat dough into a rectangle and cute into 12 squares with a floured knife.

Place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush tops with buttermilk, and sprinkle with raw turbinado sugar and oats.

Happy Baking!

I'm a Princess

2012-01-12T16:08:00.003-05:00

I just cannot get over this picture from Christmas. My parents rented a beach house in Sandbridge and our whole clan piled in there. Brynne and Cousin Cade LOVED the dress-up clothes in the "kids" room. They pranced around saying "I'm a princess". Now where did they learn that?

My favorite flea find and other signs of Christmas

2011-12-04T15:14:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was another lovely flea market day. I had been wanting a countdown calendar for December and was so pleased to find this at one of the booths. You place an ornament on the "tree" each day of the month.

I just love this time of year! It is so fun to experience Christmas with Brynne this time around. We decorated the tree Friday night and Saturday morning she kept asking to decorate again. It's hard to explain to a 2-year old that you just look at the tree for the rest of the month.

What award are we going for?

2011-11-30T14:24:00.001-05:00

Brynne: best deadpan smile, Brooke: craziest hair

I love these girls!

By the way, I wore this pink sweater as a baby. It was fun to pull it out for Brooke.

Welcome Home, Baby Brooke

2011-10-07T14:20:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe Baby Brooke is already 13 days old. We have been on a little bit of a roller coaster ride lately, but are truly enjoying our sweetie so much! We have not closed on our old home, but it should happen any day now. We did, however, decide to go ahead and move to a temporary house in the meantime so we wouldn't have to get out right after we had the baby. Our friends Mike and Virginia have sweetly allowed us to stay in their apartment until our old house closes and our new house opens up. The crazy thing is that we moved THE DAY before I went into labor. God's timing is amazing.

My labor was very fast. I started to feel strong contractions at 2:30 pm on Sunday, the 25th. At 3:30 pm, we took off for the hospital. And by 7:00 pm, I was holding our second beautiful girl. I was so thankful that she was healthy and the delivery went so smoothly.

Nana arrived and took awesome care of us. Both my girls have loved taking naps with Nana.
I can't get over this ruffled butt :) It's so fun to dress a girl...again. Of course I am using a lot of Brynne's things, but I had to get a couple new things.

We have had some drama since then. I went into the hospital a couple days ago to be checked for appendicitis. That was crazy and scary. I was so thankful to be cleared and sent home to my girls the same day. We are still recovering a little from the experience, but God has been faithful and our church family has been such a blessing to us. I just have to learn to be better about being constantly on the receiving end and the "thank you" end. In my pride, I much prefer to be "doing" for others. God is teaching me to rest in Him and His care in new ways.

Little did I know...

2011-08-30T21:00:00.003-05:00

what my August would bring

This month has been pretty amazing. When I started to catalog the events in my brain the other day, I thought maybe I would just share them.

~We began the month with the first offer on our house since it has been for sale since November. We are waiting to get all the approvals from the bank right now, but if all goes well, we will close September 30th. In case you are wondering, yes that is three days after I am due. We will see what happens.

~Not so important, but slightly life changing: my stone-age phone died, and I finally broke down and got a new phone. My new phone has a full keyboard which is totally revolutionizing my texting. Oh yes, I love it.

~Rob turned big number 30, and we had a surprise birthday party for him and Jordan Heijermans. It was a blast. If you know Rob and Jordan, it won't surprise you at all that their birthdays are one day apart and they were both turning 30.

~The next day my sister and her family took off for South Carolina. We are surviving so far although it is a little heart-breaking to hear Brynne saying "Cade far away in South Carolina". She is still figuring out why she can't see her cousin any old time.

~We experienced an earthquake. I was taking a nap, and it shook me awake. It was pretty crazy.

~We rounded out the month with a hurricane. The best part about the weather, is that it gave us an excuse to flee to Charlottesville - one of our favorite places. We are trying to keep track of what is going on at home, but are glad to be away from the craziness.

Did I mention I only have four weeks until Brooke Aran arrives? We cannot wait!

I'm so glad God is in charge and not me. He is a sweet Father to us in all situations.

32 Years (and no, I'm not talking about my age)

2011-08-10T18:45:00.002-05:00

Do you remember writing little notes and making cards for your parents when you were little? I remember that I always used to end just about everything with "Thanks for being the best mom / dad / parents in the world." I love that even though I am now 29 and have my own family, I still think I have the best parents in the world.

Today, Dad and Mom celebrate 32 years of being together. I celebrate with them. I rejoice because they have exemplified a Christ-honoring relationship in front of me for every moment I can remember. The greatest example I have seen in them is a consistent walk with God. They showed me how to love Jesus when we were at home, when we were in the car, when we were with our church, when we were on vacation, when we played, and when we worked. Their relationship to one-another has had a tremendous impact on my marriage, my parenting, and my walk with God. I cannot get over the gift of parents like Dave and Judi Coats. I can daily see God's grace to me through them.

Congrats Dad and Mom. I love you so much!

Saying Goodbye

2011-08-08T19:36:00.002-05:00

People are often surprised to hear that while I am from Wisconsin, both my sister and brother and their families ended up living here in Virginia with us. Of course, this was not necessarily a strange coincidence as we all decided on the same seminary. But it is still pretty funny to think about sometimes. I often get asked "When are your parents moving here?".

While I never expected all of us to live so close to each other over the past few years, I have enjoyed the experience so much. We have regularly held "family dinners" which besides great food have held a lot of interesting conversations and much laughter. I also feel like we have enjoyed so many great things about this area together...the beach, DC, Outer Banks, Williamsburg, Busch Gardens...to name a few.

One thing I never imagined though is that my sister and I would deliver our first babies within two weeks of each other and experience becoming moms together. I cannot really say what that has meant to me. It was sweet to share the joys and struggles of the last two years with our sweet girls. Cade and Brynne are best friends. They certainly know how to get on each other's nerves and get each other in trouble, but they also get each other giggling faster than anyone else can. I was also able to hold my nephew Bryce on the day he was born, and see him grow to be 10 months old.

About a month ago my sister's husband was asked to be youth pastor in a church in South Carolina. While I could not be happier for this opportunity for them, I am having a hard time imagining them being seven hours away instead of five minutes. I guess we always knew this day would come eventually, I just tried not to think about what it would be like. I know most people live a great distance from family, and now it is our turn to experience a little of that. I have to be honest and say that I am pretty sad about it today.
I want to thank God for not only giving us the years here together, but giving me a family I love and enjoy. I know these are amazing gifts. I hope to focus on His goodness over the next few weeks and not just my feelings (although I'm sure being seven weeks from delivering a baby does not help with emotions! :) Thank you Jennie for being such a wonderful sister!

Praise God for the sweetness of His never-ending presence in an always changing world.

A little Pittsburgh fun

2011-07-30T21:01:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we enjoyed a family trip to Pittsburgh to meet up with a few friends. It was a blast! I cannot enjoy visiting a new area without trying some local restaurants, so this is a picture of Delucas who claimed to have the best breakfast in town. It's the kind of place where you wait outside in line in 100 degree weather. You know it has to be good and it was. My peaches and cream crepe was to die for!

This sweet girl is Eden Hughes. In case you have not seen many pictures of her, she has the biggest smile ever. We loved and appreciated the opportunity to stay with Andrew and Kelly while visiting!
Here is my good friend Jolene. We have been buds since we were 14, and I still cannot believe we are delivering five weeks apart. It was great to catch up and share the joys of pregnancy.
My sweet girl and my honey and Jesse. We prayed a long time for God to bring a great guy into Jolene's life, and here he is! I'm so thankful for God's good gift to my friend. We loved getting to know him a little better.

By the way, only eight weeks to go as of Monday. And no, I am not ready for two yet. I hope I will be by then :) I am very excited to meet our second sweet girl. We are pretty sure of a name, but I will wait to post on that until I feel "definitely" sure.

Needing a Little Advice on Grocery Budgets

2011-07-14T13:19:00.003-05:00

Does anyone else have a hard time sticking with their allotted amount for groceries each month? I will freely confess that I do!!! I'm feeling pretty desperate. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on how to stick to the budget while eating as many whole foods as possible. I do some coupons and that does help, however I feel like being a mom often collides with this endeavor. Do you find it works best to menu plan? Do you have a certain amount to spend each week and then cut it off no matter what...even if you find a great deal on something? Do you try to incorporate buying local at all? Also, (if you don't mind saying) what percentage of your monthly budget goes to groceries (food, cosmetics, etc.). Thanks in advance!

Doggy "Stuff"

2011-07-09T19:47:00.004-05:00

Okay. First of all, I am not a dog owner, so maybe that is why I was so tickled by this email we received from our neighborhood civic league. I just had to pass it on because it really made me laugh. I think my favorite part is about "orphan poop". All I have to say is that you will never see this girl picking up orphan poop no matter how beneficial it is to the community. Sorry.

Top Ten Reasons to Pick Up After Your Dog

Every responsible dog owner agrees... picking up after your dog is a
MUST. No matter where or when it occurs, there is NO excuse for not
scooping the poop. So here are 10 reasons why EVERY dog owner MUST be
responsible for picking up EVERY TIME.

1. It's the law. Just like littering, it's unlawful NOT to pick up
after your dog, and your violation is subject to fine.

2. It's common courtesy. Cleaning up after your dogs shows respect
for our neighbors and our community. Only irresponsible dog owners
leave their dog's poop for others to look at, step in or clean up.

3. Dog Poop is unhealthy. Abandoned dog poop can host diseases
and/or parasites which can infect other dogs who come into contact with
it, or be transmitted to people who accidentally step in it and track
it home. Particularly at risk, of course, are children who play on the
ground. Disposing of dog poop immediately helps all dogs stay healthier
and reduces feces-borne parasites and illnesses.

If your dog has diarrhea, and you cannot clean it up, you should
not allow your dog to defecate in places where dogs or children may
come in contact with it. If your dog has prolonged diarrhea (more than
two days), you should take her to the vet.

All dogs should have a stool sample tested by a veterinarian
annually. My vet recommends that dogs who frequent places that are
visited by many different dogs should have their stool tested twice a
year.

4. Dog Poop bio-degrades slowly. Some people think it's okay to
leave dog poop because it will break down naturally. However, the
biodegration process is very slow, and, especially in places where the
dog population is high, abandoned dog poop can accumulate faster than
it breaks down. In the cold weather, poop freezes and, because poop
that is frozen to the ground is almost impossible to clean up, it will
remain where you left it for several weeks to several months.

5. It's not fertilizer! In fact, poop impedes landscaping efforts.
Leaving dog poop encourages other dogs to mark that spot (by urinating
over the previous dog's scent): poop left on the grass contributes to
the problem of "nitrogen burn."

6. Dog Poop pollutes the water. Shea Terrace is located directly
on Scott's Creek (which feeds into the Elizabeth River). Dog feces, like
any feces, contains high levels of nutrients, like nitrogen and
phosphorus, which actually pollute the water.

Cleaning up after your dog is environmentally responsible. And
please don't dispose of dog poop in storm drains: storm drains are a
direct conduit to our rivers!

7. Dog Poop is unsightly. Everybody knows that. It's disgusting.
Pick it up. We all deserve to live in a clean city where we can be
proud and step lightly.

8. Dog Poop tops the list of complaints against dogs. More than dog
aggression, nuisance barking or unsupervised dogs, most complaints
against dogs are about people not cleaning up after their dogs. This is
true for city parks, sidewalks, and your neighbors' lawns.

9. Dog Poop makes dog owners look bad. Dog Poop is the
number one reason for negative public sentiment against dogs. Every
time you don't pick up after your dog, you are giving one more reason
for others to dislike dogs and dog owners.

10. Your actions set an example for others. When you pick up after
your dog, you are part of the solution! And your actions will help
convey the message that it's the right thing to do. Many people even
carry extra bags to offer to others as a subtle and neighborly hint
that cleaning up after our dogs is what responsible dog owners do.

More and more people are taking it upon themselves to pick up
"orphan poop." These people are truly ambassadors. You can set a good
example, too. If you see orphan poop, pick it up with one of those
extra bags you are carrying. I know, I know! Nothing like picking up
somebody else's cold poop, but what a message it sends to others! Your
actions will encourage others to do the same, and soon, this will be a
non-issue, because everybody will simply pick up without giving it a
second thought.

Celebrating God's Gifts

2011-06-30T19:06:00.002-05:00

Well my sweetie is officially two years old. I think almost daily of what an incredible gift she is from God. There are many ups and downs in child-raising, but I cannot imagine my life without her. I am often reminded that God gives us His gifts to bring our attention to Him as a good Giver. I pray that my heart does not become so full of my sweet daughter that I forget to worship my God first and foremost. I find that I revel is so many of His gifts to me as His child that I regularly need to be reminded to enjoy Him most, not just His gifts.

Anyways, we had a sweet day. Brynne is in love with Elmo right now, and our friends Kristen and Sue put together the perfect cupcakes! We had a little party with our Wednesday Small Group. It was so fun. If you get a chance, check out the video on my facebook page. Brynne was hilarious to watch as she blew out her candles.

One tradition I want to have for every birthday is her birthday plate. This plate was given to Brynne when she was born by Rob's extended family. She enjoyed having me read the notes from each person (over and over).

I wanted to end with just a few things we giggle at all the time:

*I always say "be right back" when leaving the room. Lately when I'm hanging with Brynne and she wants some alone time she will say to me "right back, Mommy?"...which means can you go ahead and leave for a little bit

*Brynne is totally OCD. Blame Rob for that definitely. Either way, if a door is open, a drawer askew, feet dirty, a speck of dirt on the floor - you name it - it must be taken care of. Immediately. Lately when she takes her shoes off she will ask for a wipe and then proceed to clean her feet. Okay, the clean freak part of her is probably from me.

*She still says "hold you mommy" if she wants me to pick her up. I love that.

*Brynne loves her crib. We are hoping to transition to a toddler bed soon. But it cracks me up that she will often ask for "cribby play time". This is something I made up when I needed to get something done and for her not to get into anything. I think I brainwashed her into thinking that being in her crib was actually fun.

*One thing I am not giggling about is potty training, however I know this trial will pass eventually :)

Wisconsin Favorites

2011-06-20T20:46:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately our trip to get here was a very, very stinky one. It was my worst experience flying in a long, long, long time. All I'm going to say about it is if you get to the airport and the agent tells you first thing that there may be a delay along the way, turn around and go home.

However, we are here and enjoying the glories of the farm. My dad planted four new apple trees today.

We enjoyed a trip to Crystal Falls for breakfast and antiquing. I loved this drink dispenser and am still regretting I cannot get it in my suitcase.

On our walk along the water we discovered these little bird houses. I thought they were so fun.

Brynnie loves swings almost more than anything else. Nana and Papa were sweet enough to have one available!

We will let you know about our other adventures along the way...

All Things Girlie

2011-06-16T18:46:00.003-05:00

Well, my sweetie (now almost 2 by the way!) loves living the girlie life. I don't consider myself super girlie, but maybe these things just happen naturally :) Brynne loves her shoes. She definitely already has an opinion about what she wants to wear and rejoices at finding cute shoes when we are out shopping. It cracks me up.

We had our first true haircut yesterday. I'm trying to have her grow it out, but it definitely needed some shaping up. She sat perfectly still the whole time. I'm not sure if she was just motivated by me telling her it would make her hair really pretty....? I had to giggle about how serious she was about the experience.
And perhaps her favorite of all is painted toenails. Although she calls them "nosetails". She is thrilled at the prospect of me doing her nails. I have to say, they are pretty cute in pink.

Well, I'm sure I'll have more to share as we hit big number 2. We fly out for Wisconsin to see my parents tomorrow, so I will also let you know about our adventures with Nana and Papa. I also hope to share a belly picture soon as I am now almost 26 weeks along! It seems a little bit more difficult to find time to dwell on our new little girl with a very busy toddler around. I'm sure I'll figure it all out eventually.

Can he really be old enough?

2011-06-04T19:45:00.001-05:00

I don't know how many of you have a younger brother, but I really couldn't believe it two weeks ago when I watched mine tie the knot. I know I'm biased, but it was a fabulous wedding. I loved the focus on the gospel. I loved the vows they wrote to each other. I loved their park theme. I loved that they both played music and sang during the last song. I loved how beautiful they both looked. I loved that we ate brownies and ice cream at the reception. And I loved watching them run away through a huge line of sparklers.

I always enjoy weddings, but there is nothing like seeing your sweet little brother (not so little any more) get married. Unfortunately I did not get great pictures, but there are some wonderful ones on facebook. If you are friends with me, there is also a sweet compilation video on my wall (just in case you are interested).

Celebrating so many things...

2011-05-13T18:43:00.002-05:00

Here is our sweetie in her little Easter outfit. I know I'm biased, but I just think she looks so pretty and grown up in this one.

Congrats to my brother Jon as he graduated with his MDIV. He will be getting married to Marla Davey a week from today - yipee!!!!

We are so excited to have season passes to Busch Gardens this summer. Brynne absolutely loves it. I know you can't really see the park in this pic, but I loved how it turned out.
Strawberry picking is always a cause for rejoicing around our house. If you look closely you can tell that Brynnie ate far more than went into the bucket.
I don't have a tummy picture, but I am officially 20 weeks with our baby girl. So far so good! We are so thankful.

Getting a little excited about...

2011-04-05T14:35:00.002-05:00

spring and summer around here. I woke up to 76 degrees in the house today! I can't wait for the first trip to the beach.

This one goes out to you MAC

2011-04-02T14:55:00.000-05:00

Our poor little computer was sick last week. I was a little freaked out as we have not backed up yet (I know...very dumb). Soooo, I took a little trip into the Apple store at the mall. I cannot tell you what a great experience it was. Customer service around here tends to be a little less than agreeable, however Mr. Mac repairman was awesome. He ran a quick program and that didn't work, so he told me to walk around the mall while he tried something else. In the meantime he said if it didn't work we were looking at needing a new computer and a lot of money to recover material on our old one. YIKES. I had a little chat with the Lord on my way around the mall. When I returned about an hour later, it was fixed!! The part I cannot

believe is that they did not charge me anything. I felt like giving the guy a big hug...but didn't. Thank you God for our computer being home safe and sound, and thank you Mr. Mac repairman! You get a big A+ from me. ps. we will be backing up very soon, and I highly recommend it.

Well, what's a girl to do when she is stuck at the mall???

And how about you...

2011-03-10T20:19:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if I just get excited about every new season or what. I don't feel like spring is my favorite season, but right now it just seems like it is. With the weather warming up a little and buds popping out everywhere I get so excited! I found these branches on an obliging curb. Don't worry...they were already cut by the owner :) I wasn't sure if they would blossom when I put them in water, but they did. They are so pretty now! Do you think every season is your favorite when it is starting?

Well, here is my little almost 21 month sweetie in a dress she recently received from Nana. I just couldn't stand how cute she was. I find myself more crazy about her every day. I find myself thinking...can I really love another one this much? Does your love just grow exponentially?

Bear has become a distinct part of our family. It is so funny to me sometimes. The other morning I heard Brynne saying "I love you, Bear" before I got her up. We have regular chats in the car about how we left Bear at home but we will see him soon. Brynne has said for a long time "obey God, obey daddy, obey mommy". Lately she adds "obey Bear". She kind of does it with a smirk now, since I have corrected her so many times. Most meals Brynne asks for him to come sit with her while she is eating. I can't say no. Sometimes I feel pretty silly running to get him and set him up at the table. Do you do anything crazy for your kids?
We recently discovered a wildlife preserve about 10 minutes from our house. It is the most beautiful little spot. It really makes you feel like you are not in the city for a while. It's funny to me, because we have lived here for 5 years now and just found it. There is something so refreshing to me when we can get out and enjoy nature for a while. Do you find that too? (especially if you live in a city)

In other news I will be 12 weeks on Monday. I must confess that these last few weeks have been pretty unpleasant at times. I am reminded of what a blessing it is to feel energetic and love food. I'm also reminded that I have a pretty wonderful and accommodating daughter and husband. Lots to be thankful for!

another stork will make the journey

2011-02-25T14:11:00.002-05:00

We are so happy to announce another little one will be joining our family. I think this one has really been wearing me out, because I have not posted in a long time! We will be welcoming little Baby Hall September 27th.

Have I mentioned...

2011-01-29T19:11:00.003-05:00

how much I love having cousins nearby? It is so much fun. These girlies love each other a ton. Lately our trips to the park are a blast!

I can't wait for warmer weather.

The fun will never end.

Breakfast...the best meal of the day

2011-01-20T21:15:00.002-05:00

Ever since we were married we have pretty much worked evening schedules. This allowed us to accommodate seminary life, and since Rob still has the same job we are still at it. Because of this schedule, we pretty much never eat dinner together. I think our only dinner nights are Saturdays and Sundays. Well, what do you do when you cannot have dinner as a family? You make a big deal out of breakfast. And really, is there a better meal in the day? It has been fun to experiment with a lot of breakfast ideas over the years. We almost always cook this meal together which is even more fun. Our latest new dish to try together was this quiche. We found both recipes on allrecipes.com (my all-time favorite recipe spot). It was soooooo good. I especially recommend the crust which consisted of flour, canola oil, and ice water. Who knew?

So, any other big breakfast fans out there?

And where is Brynnie?

2011-01-18T09:49:00.002-05:00

Of course, in her reading corner. This sight has become very familiar in the last few days. I am not sure what made Brynne so excited about reading "on her own" lately. When I get her up in the morning she will immediately start saying "chair" which means please put me in my reading chair. Off and on throughout the day she will ask to go back to her room and get in her chair to read. As you can see, her constant companion is "Bear". The only part that makes me sad is that when I try to pick her up and read to her she gets a little perturbed. However, I am not giving up my reading rights yet! We will just have to take turns. Wow do I love this little girl!

Reflections

2011-01-05T12:56:00.000-05:00

...on my identity - this year I was sweetly reminded of the wonderful blessings I have in Christ and the Gospel. I have been learning to apply all aspects of my identity in Christ to every area of life. I feel like God gave me new joy in my salvation this year in a way that has not happened in a long time. This has been a wonderful blessing from the Spirit, and I pray it continues on into 2011.

...on being a wife - in 2011 Rob and I will have known each other for a whole decade! I cannot put into words the joy I feel at being married to such a wonderful man. I am constantly reminded that God rejoices to give us good gifts when I think of Rob and our relationship.

...on being a mom - it was incredibly fun to experience 6 to 18 months with Brynne this last year. It feels like we blinked, and the time was gone. These months have been full of change for her. Sometimes it seems she changes and grows every day. There are many challenges to parenting, but I cannot get over the blessings of being a mom to Brynnie.

...on my local body - we were able to be part of some very exciting things at Cornerstone this year. Our community group met this fall and put some goals in place. We talked a lot about how the gospel applies to our lives and should be impacting those around us. We were able to have multiple block parties and reach out into our communities as a group. I'm really praying that the Lord expands our ministry together this year.

...on our future - we continue to ask God for direction as we look to a new year. Our house is on the market. We have had one serious buyer look, but he has not contacted us again since then. We would still like to go to Tacoma, WA, but are willing to go anywhere the Lord directs. I'm thankful for the lessons God teaches us through waiting.

...on having a book list - this year was the first time I worked on reading through a list of books. I had about 15 and made it through about 11 (a few were replaced with something else I picked up during the year). Even though I did not get through as many as I would have liked, what was great about having a list was that I always had something in mind to get going on. It really helped me to be more focused with my reading. I would definitely like to do this again.

...on reading my Bible - that sounds weird, but it was parallel so I had to do it :) - I posted earlier in the year on how much I enjoyed the NLT chronological Bible this last year. It was so enjoyable to read events in order and really helped me to see the overall flow of scripture better. For Christmas this year, Rob bought me the TNIV Books of the Bible. If you have not heard of it, it is amazing! It is written without any chapter or verse markings and laid out more like a normal book. They have a number of reading plans to help you go through scripture in a very purposeful way. Books that were originally written together (ie Luke and Acts) are put back together etc. I just started their 60 day reading plan called the Drama of Scripture. It has been awesome so far.

These were a few reflections I had as I thought about heading into a new year. Sometimes I feel a little depressed when a new year rolls around...I think for a number of reasons. But this year I actually feel so much joy. I'm so thankful for what God has been doing and look forward to whatever He will bring this year. I pray the same is true for you.

Are you serious???

2011-01-02T21:15:00.002-05:00

I could not believe my eyes tonight when I was standing in the checkout line at Walmart. I had to run out for a few groceries and definitely picked the wrong line. There were two ladies in front of me with three carts full of groceries and a baby. The one standing directly in front of me opened a package of three baby bottles, grabbed a 20 oz of sweet tea and then dumped half into one of the baby bottles. She handed the bottle with the tea to the baby to help her stop crying (pretty bad in and of itself but not the worst). I then watched as she ditched the half-used bottle of tea on one shelf. Then she dropped the other two baby bottles on another shelf. She was piling her other items on the conveyer belt so I was pretty sure I knew what she was trying to do. I was so mad I just said "you can't leave that on the shelf". She turned to look at me and said "oh yeah, I was going to buy it". Right...

Walmart, you owe me :)

The Unexpected

2010-12-27T15:06:00.004-05:00

Well, the last few days didn’t exactly turn out the way we had imagined. With our parents flying in from Wisconsin, we decided it would be best to rent a beach house in Sandbridge for the week to accommodate 9 adults and 3 kiddos. We all moved in on Tuesday and had

a wonderful and relaxing time. We enjoyed our normal Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

celebrations. They could not have been better. Saturday night we

heard snow could be coming, but we went to bed

with rain coming down, and I thought it

would be like most snow storms around here. An inch or two...maybe we would miss church, but all would be well. When we woke up Sunday morning, I could hardly believe my eyes as I looked outside to see an actually snow storm. A storm that I have not seen since moving here five and a half years ago. Well, okay, we can just get cozy and hang out. No problem. Uh uh. At about 9:00 am, the power went out at the beach house. We all gathered in the living room, brought every blanket we could find, and found ways to amuse ourselves. We kept calling the rental company, and

they would say the power was supposed to be back on in a few hours. Well that kept being pushed back until we realized, we had to get out of there. The temp in the house was down to 59 degrees and even if the adults could make it through the night, we didn’t want the kids to freeze. We found out we could not head home because of road conditions and tunnel closures, so....at about 5:00 pm we ate take out pizza (we were happy to find a place out on the corner still open!!). Then (by flashlight) we packed up whatever we absolutely needed and made the trek to the Davey’s house. My brother is engaged to Marla Davey and her family was sweet enough to put all of us up. We arrived - almost all of us unshowered - and crashed for the night. We were so thankful for their hospitality. It was a pretty incredible spectacle to wake up and see all the mounded snow the next morning. I don’t know for sure, but someone said that it’s the most snow this area has seen for 30 years. Crazy. Well, as I write this, we are at my sister’s house and on our way to getting back to routine. I know we have some serious shoveling to do before we make it into our place, but it will get done. Chalk it up to another eventful family vacation!

Delights

2010-12-23T10:51:00.004-05:00

My sweet Cade

My Brynnie, almost 18 months

We are hanging out at a beach house in Sandbridge with our family,

and Brynne's favorite find so far has been a barrel of monkeys.

Nothing beats playing with Nana and Papa

Our newest addition - Mr. Bryce is the sweetest boy ever!

Every year one of my students gives me an amaryllis. It is so beautiful!

We had some very uncharacteristic snow for around here.

Brynne thought it was "icky" so we had to encourage her otherwise.

Best buds

We wish you all a merry Christmas! I am so thankful that God has

given us so many wonderful gifts to enjoy. He is so good.

A lovely visit

2010-11-30T22:00:00.000-05:00

This last weekend we enjoyed another fantastic trip to Charlottesville for our Thanksgiving celebration. We always have lots of food and relaxation, but this trip also included a visit to a petting farm. Brynne was in her glory. I'm so thankful for sweet family to celebrate with. I also loved (as always) the beautiful scenery.

Wishing you were here...

2010-11-24T13:57:00.003-05:00

Have you ever had the experience of missing someone you never met? It might sound odd. But ever since I met Rob and began to fall in love with him, there is someone I miss. That person is his dad. Tomorrow as we celebrate a sweet holiday, we will also be remembering his dad who went to be with Jesus ten years ago. Even though I named this post "wishing you were here", in a sense I don't. He has been enjoying something for ten years that I can only imagine.

I think one of the reasons I look forward to meeting Rob's dad, Andy, is that I have experienced him through his wife and three boys in a very special way. I have heard wonderful stories from my mother-in-law. I have watched JA and Phil interacting with their family and those around them. I have experienced the most incredible love and care from Rob as my husband. I have watched Rob raise our daughter for almost 17 months. I know these actions are not just taught, but learned through experience. I have been thinking lately about the way children imitate their parents. It is so natural. Kids just want to be like the people they spend so much time with. I can tell that Andy was a very special person because of the legacy he has left in his boys.

So, as I think of thankfulness, a great part of my thankfulness this year is for a man I never knew. A man whose life has touched mine in a way he will never know until I meet him in heaven. Ultimately, I thank God for His sovereignty in the circumstances of our lives. He is always weaving together the most beautiful story. I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to be a part of that story.

Do you have a little Christmas shopping to do?

2010-11-23T12:33:00.002-05:00

Well, here are a few ideas for you! I received this box in the mail last weekend and was so excited to pull out each item. I ordered a bunch of these incredibly cute hand towels. I felt like they were such a unique gift for Christmas? Then I also received these adorable cones, an H, and a sweet little book for Brynnie. Where can you find all these treasures???? Right here at etsy. My good friend Sarah Branine recently opened an etsy shop called Cranny. If you have never been on etsy, it is worth your time to stop by. I believe it is all hand-crafted items. Check it out!

Holding On

2010-11-19T12:30:00.004-05:00

I don't know about you, but I always feel like I'm holding my breath to see how long the leaves will last. The beauty always puts me in awe and brings me such joy. I often think at this time of year that it is so sweet that God can bring beauty out of death. Truly, the leaves are dying and going to be composted into the ground. And yet, God chose to make this process of dying bring something so beautiful. Sometimes I feel like we get sucked into believing that death is always a bad thing, but when we remember the cross, we realize that God can bring about wonderful blessings through death. Satan thought he had the victory, but really God was bringing about the greatest victory ever known: the eternal victory over death that we can now enjoy as well. Maybe the leaves are just another reminder.

finally...a few pictures

2010-11-16T19:11:00.004-05:00

A festive little cart from one of our favorite Olde Towne stops - The Kitchen Koop

Nothing so fun as finding little acorns on the ground and clutching as many as possible

Brynnie loves to kiss - usually cousin Bryce and Daddy and Mommy...

but sometimes her bear, the computer, the door, an article of clothing, the newspaper, dogs and who knows what will be next!

We love Mondays...Rob's day off! This day we enjoyed a walk in Olde Towne.

Nothing like shoe soup...yes she is obsessed with shoes already!

I thought our trick-or-treating would be such a joke, however once this little one figured out everyone was putting little treasures in her bucket, she was all about it. She trudged right down the sidewalk from house to house. It was a blast!

Daddy's little ladybug

Sporting a sweater made by a sweet lady in our church.

We were experimenting here with the new camera - so far, we love it!

Yipee!

2010-11-09T19:11:00.003-05:00

Well here is the new member of our family...if you have seen my last few posts you know our last camera recently went to camera heaven. I had to share about God's gift to us in a new camera. Not long after I posted, I had someone very special (you know who you are) who contacted me and said they wanted to get us a new camera. What a blessing! Rob and I had decided to wait on this one a little bit, and instead God plopped exactly what we wanted right in our laps. I am reminded again that God cares about the big things and little things and the things that are simply wants and the things that are needs. He remembers them all and loves to give His children good gifts (sometimes routed through people!). Anyways, we went online and found a special little spot where you can plug in all the things you want in a camera and it gives you the best options out there. This was what we came up with. I hope to be posting lots of wonderful pics very soon (once Rob figures out how to use it and then gives me the low-down).

I am resolved

2010-11-03T13:03:00.004-05:00

Hmmmm, sounds like a song or something. Anyhoo, I have resolved to journal in the evenings right before bed to record the blessings of the day. This idea mostly came to me when I was thinking of how best to preserve the sweet memories that are formed each day with our Brynnie. Since it is growing more and more difficult to pull the scrapbook out, I had to come up with a more simple way to keep up. It seems like every day she does something so sweet, or something so funny, or something so naughty, or something so crazy, and I just don't want to forget. I hope that years into the future I can pull out these journals for laughs and maybe cries. I was also thinking that maybe this will be a good reminder on some of the hard days...days when you just feel like you can't say "no" one more time, days when you think you'll go crazy if you have to say "do not whine" one more time, days when you feel like you can never ever ever again finish your "to do" list, that these days are short and fleeting. I want to see my journal and remember to enjoy each moment to the fullest. And not enjoy it unto myself, but unto God who is giving me the opportunity to live life to the fullest. I spoke to a sweet older lady the other day who shared the heartbreak of having lost her daughter at age 4 and she said that she has never gotten over it. It was a striking reminder to cherish every day. I wish I could post a little picture of my sweetie, but as I'm still working on the camera thing...I will just overload the pics later on!

How are you resolved to enjoy and appreciate each day?

Am I too visual?

2010-10-22T19:29:00.002-05:00

I think I am. I haven't blogged in ages because I can't post pictures. I can't post pictures because I dropped our camera and it finally gave up the ghost. I'm sad to say that I am hopelessly clumsy. We actually had to start buying more plates, cups, bowls...etc because I have broken so many. Anyways, that's not the point. We have had a ton going on, but I feel like I shouldn't post without pictures. Well just this once, I guess I'll have to...

Life has been super exciting lately. Our sweet nephew Bryce arrived October 4th. He is the best baby ever and it has been so fun to enjoy a new little one in the family. My sister is doing really well with two and it's been fun to see Cade and Brynne love on their new friend. They both call him "Byce".

My mom was able to sneak a little trip in even though it's the middle of a crazy semester for her at Northland. That was wonderful, and she loved hanging with her grandkids.

I recently read Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick. I haven't done a full review yet because I'm actually sharing my findings in a Sunday School Class...so maybe later. However, I will say that it is incredible. God has really used it to teach me how to apply the gospel to my everyday life. I'm so thankful my friend Lorie recommended it to me!

Brynnie Brynne Brynne...now almost 16 months!!! I love her so much. She has been walking in bits and pieces for a little while, but has finally decided she really likes it and has taken off. I'm afraid I will never get her to sit still again. However, I'm so thankful we have gotten around to it and can be done with the frustrations of "butt scooting". She says so many words now, which I love. Communication is so fun! Our biggest battle right now is whining, which is a constant struggle. I'm learning patience in new ways! Lately, one of my favorite things is to pray with her at night and then see her smile and say "amen"...although it sounds like "a" (short a sound) - "men". Sometimes during a prayer she starts saying it - maybe it just gets a little too long :) Anyways, I am constantly grateful for the gift of our sweetie.

We are continuing to look at Tacoma WA. We have been asking the Lord for clarity in this decision, and I believe He is making His plan for us evident. We are excited, but nervous. We will keep you posted.

Wow - if you stuck with me, good for you! Hopefully, next time I will have some fun visual stimulation, but until then....happy reading!

Thoughts on Pain

2010-09-24T11:18:00.003-05:00

(Picture from Barlow's Blog: http://mrbarlow.wordpress.com/)

I know this sounds like a strange name for a post, but I cannot get away from this topic. I feel like lately I have been confronted over and over with pain in the lives of those around me. "I lost my sweet baby"..."my child is going into surgery"..."I lost a friend to cancer"..."part of my leg is being amputated"..."my father will pass away at any time"...and I know this list could go on. We all deal with pain in our own lives and in the lives of those around us. I have been challenged with how I will think about and dwell on the pain in my life and those I interact with.

Lately, in every area of life, God has been taking me back to the cross. He has been reminding me of the goodness and love of Christ as He hung there to pay for my sins and those of all His children. I am learning that everything good is from Him and if He died for me, He will also freely give me all things. I desire to meditate on the sweetness of these truths at all times - good and bad. So how do these reminders affect my interaction with the pain I so often see?

I realize that the greatest pain was faced at the cross, when Christ was separated from the Father - not for His own sins, but for those of the sins of the world. He was forsaken for people that are His enemies...people who shake their fist in His face and disregard His work on their behalf. I remember that what I truly deserve is death for offending a holy God. And yet He not only offers me life, He gives me eternal life in relationship to Him. He gives me true purpose in life. So really, anything I have that is over and above that is an amazing "extra". To breath every day, to walk, to see, to smell, to taste, to enjoy creation, to have an incredible husband, to take care of my sweet daughter, to live in a house, to wear clothing and so much more are all the wonderful "extras". And if I lose these things and more, I should still be able to worship God because I remember what I really deserve. I remember that life is a vapor - here for a moment and gone. It cannot be compared to the glory that will follow. We are simply in the cocoon waiting to escape into eternity and become the beautiful butterfly we were made to be in the first place. So when days feel long and when I hear another person describe the agony they face, I remember there is a greater purpose and the pain will soon be a faint memory as I bask in the glory of God. I do not know exactly what that will be like, but I can see glimpses on a daily basis of this precious reality. The greatest reality. I'm not trying to minimize what people go through. I know we are human and there is some pain that is so very deep. I do not take that lightly. I just find myself realizing that when we want to run so many places for help, the answer is actually in Christ. May we find Him our refuge and not go elsewhere.

I'm sure there is more. I also know more intelligent people have written on this topic. I kind of felt like I had to get some of it down...to even understand what I was thinking.

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen." I Peter 5:10-11

a little random

2010-09-09T20:04:00.003-05:00

I love this pic - we were hanging out at a free concert last week, and I caught Shiloh and Jordan with big old smiles at the same time. I know what Shiloh is happy about, but Jordan???

Can anyone explain how it is possible that I never had a cell phone until my 20's and my daughter already knows how to play with one at 14 months?

Brynne loves these little chairs that Jennie found. I had to laugh when I noticed that she had both feet up relaxin' - my kinda girl!

I sure do love this girl - even when her pants are saggy!

Crazy Lady

2010-08-27T18:25:00.005-05:00

Well, it's been far too long since I posted about my girlie - what a bad mom, huh? At almost 14 months, she really is a crazy lady. We have lots of little fun names for her, but that is one that is pulled out quite often.

I had to snap a picture of her playing in Rob's guitar case the other day

Now that she can climb up onto the couch, it is one of her favorite places to be. She likes to crawl to the end, hold onto the arm rest, and then drop back onto her bottom. I guess she loves it because it's a cushy landing??!

I love that her hair is still curling at the ends, but it does some crazy

things when she's sleeping. This morning "do" cracked me up!

My funniest (and scariest) picture. You can kind of see the determined look on her face. My girl is a crazy, ocd, organizer! How can this be - even at one year old? She loves loves loves to pull things out and put them back. I think this particular day she just kept pulling all the books out and then putting them all back in the box. She also loves my makeup bag, grocery store fliers, my tub of plastic kitchen containers...and is very serious about where everything goes. I really do love to see her little personality coming out already!

This stage is a blast. It's great to see her gradually working on words and putting communication together. Her most-used words are "hi" and "goggie" (doggie). But my favorite is "boppy" which means bath or blankie. Her two signs are "please" and "thank you". I think please happened because of her love for food and realization that she gets it with "please" (most of the time). "Thank you" makes me totally laugh, because instead of bringing her hand to her mouth usually she just smacks her face or head wherever and figures that's good enough. Of course, there are hard things - the tantrums not being the least. I was reminded today of God's patience with me as my Father. I have little patience even with my sweet girl, yet my heavenly Father loves and takes care of me every day - even when I fail over and over. I think one of my favorite things about being a parent is seeing in so many beautiful ways what a wonderful God we have.

My Latest Read...over half-way

2010-08-24T19:48:00.002-05:00

My latest read was Stop Dating the Church: Fall in Love with the Family of God by Joshua Harris. Most people know him for I Kissed Dating Goodbye. It is not a very long book, and I would recommend it. I think my view of the church personally has been undergoing a lot of “renovation” lately. I appreciated his heart for and excitement about God’s people. Joshua seeks to help people realize unhealthy views of the church and understand God’s plan and purpose for His people. He definitely challenges the consumer mindset that many Christians have had in looking for a local body. Many will go to and from local churches based on very selfish and prideful attitudes. They don’t seek to serve, they seek to be served.

God has been challenging me in even greater ways to realize that we shouldn’t just “go to church” - we as Christ’s followers are the church. We don’t just take part in a Sunday event, we live as the church all week long. We don’t just worship one day a week, we are called to be “living sacrifices” all week long. We are constant worshippers of something or someone. I want that to be Christ above all else. I guess this might be where I disagreed with him some. He has a chapter called “rescuing Sunday”. He spends a lot of time talking about how to prepare for Sunday and get the most out of meeting together. Now, don’t get me wrong, I definitely think there is something very significant to getting together on Sundays. This is a sweet time of celebration that is unlike any other time of the week. We get to enjoy and celebrate Christ together like we cannot do as a group every day. We get to spend special time in music and in the word together. These things should be a tremendous blessing and encouragement. However, I always find it odd when I read or hear someone calling people to prepare in a different way for Sunday than any other day of the week as a worshipper. For example, he (and I have heard others) says to not watch tv on Saturday nights. He also calls you to limit anything distracting on Sunday mornings. I understand to a certain extent what he is saying, but should we ever spend time watching something that we cannot worship God in and through? Why can’t we enjoy relaxation unto God on a Saturday night and still be prepared to enjoy gathering on Sunday together? I feel that whenever something is an idol to us - it needs to go - no matter what day of the week it is. If it’s not an idol and we truly enjoy it unto God - should there be a time we don’t do it? He had a few other thoughts along those lines that I’m not sure I would agree with, but I think I can understand his heart behind what he says.

Well, I’d be happy to hear any comments or criticism. I hope this didn’t sound too critical. I totally appreciate the ministry of Josh Harris and feel that this kind of book is great for anyone of any background to read. We need to be challenged in our view of the church, and I’m glad he is joining the battle!

Learning my lesson

2010-08-19T13:57:00.003-05:00

Sometimes it feels like God is trying to bonk me on the head with something, and it just takes a while to get it. Okay, maybe that happens more often than I would like to think. I realized today that the latest "bonk" was to remind me that the stuff we acquire in life is just that - stuff. It doesn't make us happy, it can't bring eternal satisfaction, we don't always need more...bigger...better, we can't take it with us. I know this should be obvious, but as I walked around the house yesterday beginning to de-clutter and consider packing all our worldly possessions I had a few moments of sadness (I think maybe I was a little emotional anyways - you know how girls can be sometimes). Rob and I have officially decided to get our house on the market. We are pursuing church planting in Tacoma WA alongside a ministry called Soma Communities. We are still totally willing for God to close the door if He so chooses, but for now - we are continuing to take steps this direction. I'm so excited about this move and yet am feeling so overwhelmed with all that needs to be done! Anyways, back to my sadness - I guess even though we bought our house realizing we would be moving out again in a few years, I guess I still got kind of attached. It is the first house we lived in together, we did a ton of work on it together, we found a ton of cute little flea market, yard sale, thrift store items to make it feel homey, we have laughed and played and cried and dreamed here together, we brought our sweet baby home here for the first time...obviously I could go on. I'm almost crying right now as I write this! It makes me pretty sad to think about closing the door for the last time and saying goodbye.

Even as I write this I realize that this is so temporal - so fleeting. Life is so much more than a building or the things we put in it. I have been reading 1 Peter and God is reminding me that I am a sojourner - so appropriate! I just read a blog post from someone else talking about all the things we like to accumulate in life. Even our realtor was talking about not letting possessions control you. Okay God - I think I'm getting it. Please help me to continually be excited and passionate to be wherever you want and gladly leave behind all that I truly do not need. Well - I think it will still take some time - but God is patient, and I'm so thankful.

Happy Birthday Robbie!

2010-08-14T14:17:00.004-05:00

Happy 29...

You're lookin' really fine...

I'm so glad you're mine...

thankful for God's design...

have nothing to opine...

Love you!

ps. sorry for the bad rhyme

(actually posted by Jules)

Ten Random Things

2010-08-09T20:01:00.003-05:00

1 I love love love the colors of these fruits and veggies I found at the farmers market on Saturday. God makes such beautiful things. And we can even eat them!

2 So, since I bought figs and an eggplant, I need some recipes for these :) Any ideas???

3 I'm starting to get sad that summer is coming to an end...even though it stays warm around here for a while, my teaching schedule is always more busy in the fall.

4 I asked for advice on my side garden, took it...by planting black-eyed susans, and now am morning the death of one and the possible death of the other. I guess it was just too warm for planting? I was a pretty good girl as far as watering went (which isn't always the case), but it wasn't enough. However, I'm very glad they are perennials. Perhaps they will be much happier in the spring when their little heads pop up.

5 Lately I have been loving making a "mexi" salad. We have really been working on our eating habits and trying to focus a little more on protein and veggies rather than carbs. It usually consists of spinach, black or pinto beans, chicken or beef, tomatoes, salsa, avocado or olives, and cheese. Sometimes I add a couple tortilla chips for crunch. It is sooooo good! Now that I'm looking at all the ingredients I wonder if I'm really accomplishing what I mean to :)

6 Rob's birthday is this Saturday. We love birthdays because we pretty much celebrate the whole month. Any time we want to do something it is our excuse. "It's your birthday month...we need to celebrate!!"

7 I'm feeling like my hair looks kind of damaged lately and am wondering if anyone has a great home treatment to revitalize hair.

8 I know I shouldn't make another comment about food, but our latest favorite is "bordeaux dark chocolate cherry" frozen yogurt. Usually I don't like fruity chocolate stuff - but this is really good. Maybe because we love dark chocolate so much (and it's really good for you...right?).

9 I constantly love to have my toenails painted, but not usually my finger nails. I think it's because my fingernails stay nice for about half a day and it drives me crazy to keep up with them.

10 One of Brynnie's favorite words right now is doggie - although it usually sounds like "goggie" or "gokie" - it is so cute because she gets so excited when sees a dog and says it over and over in her little high-pitched voice. It's also pretty funny when she's saying it referring to a cat or any other animal that remotely resembles a dog.

Well if you stuck with me, thanks for listening to my rambling. Let me know your thoughts or if you have something random to share - I'd be happy to hear it!

Looking for Direction

2010-08-04T21:14:00.003-05:00

It's been a little over a year since Rob graduated from seminary, and we have been in the process of discerning the next step God has for us. Who knew it could take so long??? The Lord has really taught us a lot about waiting on His timing and learning to live for Him now where we are and not just waiting for the "next thing". There are two different churches that we are conversing with right now in regards to future ministry. One of them is in Tacoma, WA and we felt like we really needed to head out there to check things out. We had a fantastic time. We also dropped down for a few days to see our friends Steve and Sarah in Portland, OR. We loved our time out west. It is so beautiful. For Rob (who grew up in Alaska) it was almost like coming home. We are still praying for the Lord's direction and are excited to see what He will do. Here are a few memories...

Cannon Beach - Gorgeous!

Our favorite lunch spot in Manzanita - Bread and Ocean

I love that you can find fresh food everywhere!!! It's awesome.

I could have spent a fortune in the shops - loved these bags.

We love these guys - had a blast hanging out!

Especially loved seeing this little guy...could he be any cuter???

We would really like to see these two get married...Graeme seems okay with the idea, but Brynne still has her reservations.

Beautiful flowers - everywhere we went

Brynnie's latest smile - totally cracks us up

Cannon Beach

Multnomah Falls

Welcome Home

2010-07-22T19:00:00.003-05:00

One more project down...thanks Dad and Rob for all your work!

Finally...#7

2010-07-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

Well, most of you probably thought I forgot about my reading list, however I just got a little bogged down with my latest one (ok, and maybe a little lazy, but I hate to admit that). Anyways, I didn't get bogged down because it's a bad book. You do have to give it a chance though, as it was a little bit to wade through in the first few chapters. I also had to pick Rob's brain a little to help me out. So - it was Creation Regained by Albert Wolters, with a chapter by Michael Goheen. Like I said, I think I mostly had a hard time at the beginning but especially when I reached the last chapter (and there are only 5) and then read the postscript by Goheen I really got excited. The general gist is that we as Christians are called to redeem every part of our lives. Scripture is telling us one big story - the general outline being - Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation. Many people tend to segment their lives by having church, work, family, play etc. all come under different "headings". However, God has called us to live by the gospel in every area of life and it all fits into the big picture of the story of history. All was created good and has been tainted by sin. We have the opportunity as Christians to redeem it. The best way he described this process is through the words "structure" and "direction". Structure is just the general nature of something and direction is where we take it as fallen humans. This can and should apply to any area of life. I will use a very simple illustration. Food was created good for us by God. It has been created for us to enjoy according to scripture. It's structure is good. We can redeem food and eat it with thanksgiving to God worshipping through a simple act performed numerous times every day. We can also pervert and distort this gift by gluttony and eating for selfish reasons. This would be taking a good gift of God the wrong direction. The examples he used were very helpful and then the follow-up chapter by Goheen ties everything together in light of the gospel. I definitely recommend this book in challenging our thoughts as Christians living in culture and needing to constantly adapt and learn how to live on task according to the gospel in every area. One quote: "It is precisely in ...ordinary activities that the Christian community is called to witness to the gospel. The very shape of our lives needs to be a legible letter speaking of Christ and his rule. When we do explain the gospel, such a verbal presentation should be embedded in the warp and woof of our daily Christian lives which in their integrality testify to Christ's saving power."

Something We Love

2010-07-11T16:16:00.003-05:00

Rob and I enjoy so many different kinds of music together. We have a very wide range...and ever widening it seems as I have recently found a few country songs I enjoy...wow. Anyways, so much of the music we listen to just makes us rejoice in the gifts God gives people and causes us to worship Him even more. This particular Link takes you to a youtube piano/cello combination remake of a couple songs. It is awesome - I could listen to it all the time. If you haven't seen it before, watch how much they enjoy themselves in the music. It is great! I think this is the way music should happen. I don't know their motives behind what they do - but I think all musicians should enjoy what they do like these men do!

I have never seen one of these in 28 years of life, have you?

2010-07-09T08:38:00.003-05:00

Well, Rob thinks it's pretty funny that I have never seen a yellow watermelon...and actually, I had never heard of one until today! It kind of throws me off a little bit, but it was actually really good. So I'm wondering, am I the only one that was in the dark about these???

Holiday Adventures

2010-07-05T13:48:00.003-05:00

We enjoyed ours...hope you did too!

Toes

2010-07-04T15:08:00.002-05:00

I have been laughing a lot at what Brynne does with her toes lately...the one picture I didn't get was when she is sitting in her high chair and props her toes up on the inside the the tray during her meal - it's hilarious! Anyways - here are a couple shots of "relaxed toe positions." I think what I like the most is that she is taking after me...in case you don't know it I have special talents with my toes. No, I will not post a pic of that :)

1

2010-06-29T20:47:00.004-05:00

Well, last year about 15 minutes ago, our Brynnie came into the world. It is amazing to think that the time has gone so quickly. I know that is kind of cliche to say, since everyone says that about children, but as a parent I am quickly realizing how true that is. It is a scary thought as I consider how intentional I desire to be in parenting and yet a year slips by, and I know I have not always done the job I want. However, I am extremely thankful for the sweetness of being a mom to my darling girl and thank God for His wonderful gift. I have loved cuddling her, watching her grow, walking in every morning to her sweet happy face, hearing new little words pop out all the time, learning about myself, growing in my relationship with Rob, having a perpetual playmate, laughing at so many random things, caring about someone so much you can hardly believe it.....and so much more. Happy one year Brynne - you have brought so much joy into our lives!

The New Cuddly Phase...we love it

2010-06-23T14:21:00.001-05:00

Who has the number one daddy?

2010-06-19T21:11:00.000-05:00

I see that hand! We love you daddy!

Pure Joy

2010-06-17T08:58:00.002-05:00

Panera Bagels

a Day off work

a drink from the Coffee Shoppe and a walk in Olde Towne

Watching my daughter swing with giddy delight

lunch with my honey

a trip to the Beach

maybe 28 is not so bad after all

Thank you God for the gift of life and the joy you bring

Calling all gardeners or people who like to give their opinion

2010-06-15T13:47:00.003-05:00

I'm feeling like I need some ideas for my "side of the house" garden. The hard part is that I can't even put my finger on what is bugging me....I just don't love it. I don't want to get rid of or move the roses cause they love their home. But I'm open to any other ideas. If you can't tell - all the way to the left is a gardenia bush, then my green filler plants are hostas and sedum . Do I need more height variety - more color???....would love to hear.

Oh...and had to share with everyone how early Brynnie has learned to get into dad's wallet. Not even a year old and she already wants the plastic. Oh dear... :)

Poor Baby

2010-06-09T13:58:00.003-05:00

Well...I know these pics don't match the name of this post - but I couldn't get a pic of her in the situation I will be describing. Since my sweet girl has mastered crawling she is loving life - getting around like a pro and into everything. That has been great - because she was getting a little annoyed at being stuck wherever I put her. However, my girl that used take awesome naps has hit a snag. Now that she can get herself up - she plays for a while when I put her down. The issue is that she can't figure out how to lie back down. It is so sad. We have found her sitting in the corner of her crib...with a droopy head, almost asleep. Lately her position of choice is to sleep in a sitting position with her blanket between her legs and her head on the blanket. It looks so uncomfortable!!! I'm dying to go in and turn her over - but inevitably she wakes up and I know she needs to figure this one out on her own. I guess I should be used to her going through new phases, but I get so settled into one - that I forget a new one is coming before I will realize it. I'm praying this one is short!!!

I camped....I'm a camper

2010-06-02T14:02:00.005-05:00

In case you haven't seen "What about Bob"....that line is from him. Only he says "I sailed, I'm a sailor"...Rob and I love that line. If you haven't seen it - it's a total waste of time, but hilarious :)

Anyways - I had my first camping experience last weekend on our anniversary trip and it was awesome. We traveled to the Shenandoah National Park and it was amazing. We relaxed, hiked, met up with many forest creatures (deer, rabbits, snails, butterflies, birds, some fuzzy tailed animal we never got full look at, and many more!), ate food cooked on a campfire, even had Starbucks coffee from the camp store.

Enjoying God's creation like that is incredible! Hope you enjoy the pics.

Any other campers out there?

A Poem for Julie on our fifth anniversary

2010-05-29T22:50:00.008-05:00

Beautiful

The Sun breaks through the morning mist

Illuminating the dust suspended in its beam.

I hear the slow music of your breathing as you dream beside me.

We sit in silence taking in the songs

Of all Creation surrounding us.

Its harmony is deafening.

We are lost in the thought of this reminder of Beyond,

And in the aroma of the coffee we sip.

There is no need to speak.

The talk is of what may be

As we listen to haunting melodies

That remind us of Home where we have never been.

But we are home.

And you are mine.

BLISS

2010-05-27T20:26:00.005-05:00

I say bliss, because that is truly what the last five years have been since May 30, 2005, the day Rob and I said "I do". It's hard to believe that the time has gone so swiftly and that we are already parents to an almost one-year-old. I am constantly amazed and so grateful for the sweet relationship God has given us. We often think - can anyone be as happy as we are together?

I have loved this sonnet for a long time. I guess I'm posting it because I'm realizing already that there are so many things we will experience together on this journey of marriage, and I cherish the way our love grows and matures through each challenge. I pray that this continues to happen abundantly in the future and for however many years we have together. I thought about writing my own poem, but hey - Shakespeare is a little better with words than I am (a little).

Sonnet CXVI

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love,

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove.

Oh, no! it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests.. and is never shaken.

It is the star to every wandering bark

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love is not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come.

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out.. even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

- William Shakespeare

Thanks for letting me blubber a little - we are truly blessed!

The cat came back....warning to animal lovers...

2010-05-24T09:45:00.002-05:00

Well - here's the story. Rob and I are both allergic to cats. So neither of us has a huge affinity to cats. In general, Rob likes animals a lot more than I do. We are in constant conversation about his desire to get a dog and mine not to. I don't hate animals, I'm just too practical to own one. I'm already dealing with a child's poop - why a dog? I also won't deal with the hair in the house, and he really doesn't want an "only outside" dog. Anyways, we are at a cheerful stale-mate right now. Or maybe I say that because I'm winning??? So why the cat pics? Apparently this cat didn't get the memo that we don't want a cat. It has taken up residence in our yard and any time we are outside, it comes around looking for attention. It's the kind that climbs in your lap or rubs it's body against yours....getting nasty black hairs all over you. Obviously, Rob showed it some extra special attention the other day - hopefully that didn't encourage it too much. One thing that is true - Brynne goes crazy over animals - cats and dogs are the best. But she gets ticked if they won't come play with her and let her pull their hair out. She'll get it some day. But I'm not sure - have we created an animal lover or is this just a passing phase? I shudder to think I would have two people driving me crazy about getting a dog....we'll see...

If you never have, I recommend...

2010-05-18T12:41:00.004-05:00

The Chronological Bible. Rob and I have enjoyed this so much over the last few months. We originally started last year reading through the Bible chronologically by using a website. This worked fine, but it was kind of a pain keeping track sometimes and flipping all over the place. We ended up picking up this copy a few months ago and it has made it a ton easier. I have really enjoyed reading the Bible this way for a change because it puts so many things together in my mind - I just feel like I have made so many connections that I haven't before. Rob and I have talked a lot lately about how important it is to see the whole story of scripture. How all of it points to Christ from beginning to end. Reading it chronologically really helps put the story together. We normally use ESV, but Rob picked this one up in NLT, which also helps give you a smooth read. It's important to take time for slow study as well, but I think it has been great to take this time to just read scripture in one constant, "forward" motion. And as a mom - it makes it nice too, because whenever I sit down - whatever situation or time I have - I know exactly where I am and what's going on. I totally recommend it!

The most wonderful time of year....no not Christmas...

2010-05-14T13:42:00.004-05:00

Strawberry pickin' time! It now officially feels like summer to me, because I have been strawberry picking. My sister and I went this morning, and I have to say the strawberries we get here in VA Beach are awesome - the best ever! It is one of my favorite things to do every summer. Thanks to my honey for watching both girls so we could go!

Mother's Day Funnies...

2010-05-11T12:41:00.003-05:00

This was my first Mother's Day with Brynnie outside my tummy, so it was very special. Rob and Jordan made an awesome lunch for me and Sue and sent us out on our own for dessert. It was a blast, but we had a hilarious experience at Baker's Crust. I thought I would share...

First of all...check out the lady in the background. If you can click on the pic and enlarge, you will see she is quite the character...with five inch long pink nails curling around her lovely snack...ewwww

We arrived, and were seated by a hostess. Sue, being the sweet person she is, commented on her dress. The hostess immediately goes into an excited monologue about her dress, recent hair cut, style preferences (I seriously thought Sue knew her it was so detailed) and continued until a manager grabbed her to seat other guests.

Then our sweet waiter arrived. He was probably early twenties. I asked for a recommendation for dessert and he started talking but had to apologize for having gum in his mouth and not being able to communicate clearly. The rest of that conversation I couldn't get my eyes off the green gum rolling around in his mouth.

Last, and most funny to me, is that we ordered coffee and dessert-ONLY- and a few minutes later he arrived with bread and butter. Wow, what a great appetizer :) Well, as you can see, dessert was amazing, so I can't complain, but we really had a good laugh about our experience.

addicted to the flea....market that is

2010-05-05T13:25:00.003-05:00

These two items are just a couple fun things I have found at the Olde Towne Portsmouth Flea Market. They have it the first Saturday of every month, and I love it! The shoe box used to be a letter box, and I am always looking for ways to organize. I also love - what are these called? - wooden words??? Anyways, I found this one for $3 last Saturday.

The best part about this flea market was that my mom was able to be here for the weekend. We had a blast. She said that she was coming for my sister's birthday, however we knew it was really for the flea market and her sweet granddaughters :) Unfortunately, at ten months they just won't both look at the camera and smile at the same time....hmmmmm

This has nothing to do with the flea market but I had to add it. We were in Blacksburg and Charlottesville with Rob's fam last week. This swing is at his aunts' house in Charlottesville and Brynnie loved it! More pics to follow from this trip!

Looking for...

2010-04-24T06:45:00.002-05:00

a stellar whole wheat bread, bread machine recipe. Anyone???

Five...and still alive...barely

2010-04-23T12:55:00.004-05:00

Well, today I officially made it back up to a five-mile run - even though I felt like I was going to pass out by the end :) When I got pregnant, I heard about ladies who run three miles a day through their pregnancy and do that until a couple weeks before delivery - ha! I was going to be one of those people, however I think I survived only a few weeks into the first trimester and had to go to walking. Anyways, I hoped to be right back at it after delivery, but again things have been a little slow....So now that Brynne is almost 10 months old, well here we are. I have to say I am pretty pumped, but I just wish it could have been a little sooner :)

Notice: I did not take an after picture and there is a good reason for that...

Our secret love

2010-04-21T21:18:00.003-05:00

Confession - we love IHOP. Some of you already know that, but after we had breakfast there this morning, I just had to share. In general, Rob and I love to find little hole-in-the-wall local places to eat at and enjoy. We love our local coffee shop in Old Town Portsmouth, Moseberths (me for sweet tea only, Rob for good old fried chicken), and a local custard place...which I can't think of the name right now, but just thinking about it I'm dying for an oreo cyclone (otherwise known as a blizzard). Anyways, in this case, we love a chain! Part of that may be that we get a BOGO coupon all the time, but we also love breakfast food and honestly I've never had a bad meal there....I even waitressed there one summer...so that I still eat there says a lot :) Anyways, in case you don't know, here is what we recommend: Omelettes (massive and come with pancakes), harvest grain and nut pancakes (if you want to feel kind of good about yourself afterword), chocolate chip pancakes if you don't care about feeling good about yourself, ham and egg melt with hash browns.....and my all-time favorite around the holidays - pumpkin pancakes. Okay, well that post was worthless, but hey, what's a blog for???

Matchie...Matchie

2010-04-17T12:18:00.003-05:00

I just couldn't stand how cute these purses were when I opened a package from Aunt Gayle. I'm not surprised 'cause I can always count on her for fun, unique gifts :) Also - they are homemade and the lady that makes them has a husband who makes the little wooden buttons (I'm not sure if you can see it well, but it's in the first picture). Gayle lives in Charlottesville, VA and after visiting multiple times, I am convinced that people who live there are born with an extra "creative" gene. It is so fun to shop there because everything is handcrafted and beautiful. Anyways, mine is already stuffed with junk and Brynnie's is amazingly clean and empty, but I have a feeling she will be using it before I know it. Thanks Aunt Gayle!

Polka-Dot Girlie

2010-04-15T08:28:00.002-05:00

I sure do love this sweetie...almost 10 months and such a joy to us every day!

2010-04-07T16:39:00.001-05:00

A Severe Mercy-Sheldon Vanauken “Van” #6

Hands-down, this is the best book I have read in a long time. It had the perfect balance of being genuinely enjoyable and thought-provoking at the same time. The author, Van, writes in a novel style as he shares the story of him and his wife while weaving in their relationship to C.S. Lewis including letters by Lewis’ hand. I think what I loved the most about this book was the way Van and his wife Davy work to build a love that lasts - a passion that they have long before they become followers of Jesus Christ. They go through the process of building what they call “The Shining Barrier” - which meant to them all the ways they planned to grow the most powerful love possible. I love this quote...”If one of us likes anything, there must be something to like in it-and the other one must find it. Every single thing that either of us likes. That way we shall create a thousand strands, great and small, that will link us together. Then we shall be so close that it would be impossible-unthinkable-for either of us to suppose that we could ever recreate such a closeness with anyone else. And our trust in each other will not only be based on love and loyalty but on the fact of a thousand sharings-a thousand strands twisted into something unbreakable.”:

It was also great to read Lewis’ letters - I enjoy reading his books, but there is something different in almost being able to hear his voice as he “spoke” through his letters to Van and Davy.

Well, eventually something comes along to test the “Shining Barrier”, but I won’t give anything else away in case you read it, but I definitely recommend this one. It was awesome!

So - I was curious - what are some of your “thousand strands” ? Some of the things Rob and I share a joy in are...playing in creation (especially enjoying the beach), music, reading, trying fun hole-in-the-wall local restaurants, hanging at coffee shops, dreaming of owning our own coffee shop, dreaming of planting a church together, cooking together, running, lovin’ on our Brynnie...the list goes on, but there is a start. How ‘bout you?

Beach Bum Babies...and a few others

2010-03-20T20:02:00.005-05:00

We have had the most gorgeous weather here lately so the girls had to get in their first trip to the beach of the summer. It was fantastic!

#5

2010-03-13T11:03:00.000-05:00

Perelandra by C.S. Lewis...#5

Although I won’t say that this is my new favorite book, I really did enjoy the read and was very impressed once again with Lewis’ ability to write and think on a very deep level. Perelandra is the second book in his space trilogy. This series is science fiction and talks about Ransom (the main character) visiting planets in outer space. I’m not much of a science fiction person myself. I will sit through a science fiction movie with someone if they really want to watch it, but it definitely wouldn’t be my pick. These books can be a little confusing at times because he is explaining such strange things...you can imagine some of the strange things you have seen in science fiction movies, now consider just reading about them in a book. Sometimes I was a little stumped. However, I think the most incredible thing is that Lewis uses Perelandra as a sort of analogy to the events in the Garden of Eden between the Serpent and Eve. He weaves the tale around a lone woman that he meets in Perelandra. They have many interesting conversations, but when they are joined by a man possessed by the devil it becomes a battle. Ransom trying to help the woman make the right decision and the devil working to trick the woman into making the wrong decision. The conversations are deep and I couldn’t help imagining Lewis in my mind sitting with the Inklings and discussing the topics he does in Perelandra. I don’t want to tell you how it ends....what the lady decides, but I will say it was a new way for me to look at our redemption, and I enjoyed that.

break out the bubble-bath

2010-03-09T13:13:00.005-05:00

I don't know how well you can see our "pre-reglazed" tub...but it was pretty nasty. The person who lived in our house before us painted it and it was chipping like crazy when we bought the house. Well, obviously it's taken a while to get to it, but finally we had it reglazed this last week and it is awesome!!!! I took my first bath ever...after living here for almost four years :) So, if you have a massive tub that will not be easy to be removed, try reglazing - I highly recommend it. Oh...this next pic is Brynne of course...I couldn' t leave her out. Then the last pic is the new version of the tub.

We are lovin' the sunny weather lately!

Just like new!

Rob's Reviews: Jack's Life, Jack, The Shack

2010-03-06T21:00:00.006-05:00

I've been a little behind in posting on these, but so far I have conquered 3 of the books on my list. Some coincide with what Julie has read, so sorry for the redundancy.

Jack’s Life - January 2010 Douglas Gresham

I will admit that halfway into this book I was slightly disappointed. When I purchased the book

from Barnes and Noble I was under the impression that I was buying the book by George Sayer. Jack’s Life turned out to be written by Douglas Gresham, Lewis’ step

son t

hro

ugh his marriage to Joy Gresham. This book is written from the perspective of one who obviously looked to Lewis as a hero. Fr

om reading Gresham’s account one would think that Lewis could do no wrong. Gresham

writes in almost a journaling style, recounting the history of who Lewis was as a person. It is not his intent to take apart or pass judgme

nt on Lewis or his works, merely to expose his history from the viewpoi

nt of one who was influenced by him and loved him. I found Jack’s Life to be a fun read, although not incredibly thought provoking.

Jack - February 2010 George Sayer

Jack is a delightful biography of the life of the great literature professor and popular theologian, C.S. Lewis. George Sayer, the book’s author, and a student and friend of Lewis, engages the reader through his depiction, observation, and, at times, frank judgment of Lewis’ life.

This book is the third biography of Lewis I have read, the first being Surprised by Joy, Lewis’ selective commentary of his own life, then Jack’s Life, by Lewis’ stepson, Do

uglas Gresham, who very obviously witnessed all that was bright and good about C.S. Lewis. Jack was different than these, as it provided an outside perspectiv on the man from one who was a clos

e friend, and, with all respect, did not see Lewis as some kind of superhero, although a great man.

Sayer recounts Lewis’ life from his birth in Ireland and early childhood experiences through his sch

ooling, war experiences, time at the University, and relationship with Joy Gresham, on to his

death. All of this provides a backdrop for the keen insight Sayer provides into Lewis’ literary works. All of this he accomplishes with no attempt to hide the warts of Lewis’ life.

was no surprise to find that Lewis had his struggles. Sayer recounts his unhealthy relationship with his father following the death of his mother, His sexual addiction in his youth, his struggle with morbid introspection, and his decline into atheism all right alongside of his description of Lewis’ brilliant mind, his loyalty to his friends, His life changing love for God when he found Him, and his unfailing generosity.

In many ways I found myself identifying with Lewis through Sayer’s portrayal of him: his love for beauty alongside his rationality - which contributed to his coming to Christ, His struggle and then release as he learned to walk with God, his love for laughter and good natured criticism and discussion at the pub among friends at Inklings meetings, and his ability to see and love the fingerprints of God everywhere.

In other ways I was intrigued and surprised by him. He had no taste when it came to furniture or indoor decor, possibly because of

the rationing during the wars - I certainly imagined him sitting in an overstuffed leather chair with a good book, smoking his pipe, surrounded by rich bookshelves in a lavishly carpeted and furnished library, but it seems he preferred the simple to the elegant. Furthermore, He thought the life of an author irrelevant to his literary works, a thought that is foreign to me probably because of hermeneutical training (though I’m not sure he would have held this view in regard to Scripture). Then the reasoning behind which he justified his relationship with and marriage to Joy Gresham, a married woman when he met her, was certainly mystifying.

Jack has enriched my understanding of and appreciation for C.S. Lewis. It is both fun and insightful. I would certainly recommend it as a window into the life of this man who has impacted so many by his wit and wisdom into the life of God and relationship with Him.

The Shack - February 2010 Wm. Paul Young

The Shack is a fictionalized story about a man’s encounter with God in His (as supposed) reality through his own grie

f, anger, tragedy, confusion, and misunderstanding. It is a moving story. I found myself weeping through some passages for joy and delight through the presentation of the depth of God’s care for us and the prospect of knowing Him fully, and weeping out of sorrow as I found myself identifying with the portrayal of both pain and delight in God.

I think Young touches the important issues of God’s sovereignty through tragedy, the nature of relationships and image-bearing, love, choice, and the deadness of the face of much of “cultural” Christianity. I found much to enjoy about the concepts of face-to-faceness, love, submission and joy in the trinity, about the relational idea of our walk with God versus the deadness of religion, about some of the explanatory conversations between Mack and God, especially the depiction of the Spirit, and about some of the ideas of life in God and image-bearing.

How

ever, I did find cause for concern as well. To me, it seems that Young’s fault is that he is reacting at the same time as trying to be deep - maybe a conflict of agendas. He will make great statements about

the nature of the Godhead, but then smack of heresy in the way in which he plays out that statement. For instance, he declares that jesus was demonstrating true humanity through miracles, a statement I enjoy and am comfortable when the emphasis is on Christ’s joyful relationship with and submission to the fore-ordained plan of the collective Trinity regarding redemption. This is the very reason why He did not make rocks into bread to pacify a human craving, because He was, as a man living out the perfect relationship He had with the Father and Spirit. However, Young goes farther to say that jesus has no power in Himself, but its only derivative of the Father and Spirit, as if his humanity somehow robbed him of deity. This if false. True, Jesus never operated independently of the Father or Spirit, but when has he ever done this anyway? It certainly did not start with the incarnation. And what about the fact that Paul says that right now Jesus upholds the universe by the word of His power? That would make it seem to be a very grave and erroneous statement indeed to say that Jesus has no power in Himself. Somehow I felt that much (not all) of Young’s depiction of Christ was lacking the majesty and reverence He deserves.

A second cause for concern was Young’s depiction of God as a cosmic “firefighter” of sorts. The premise is that love will never force someone to do something they don’t want, which premise I find faulty. God would never force himself on us, but longs for use to lose our lust for independence and come running to Him. Nothing “evil” is part of His plan, but is purely the result of human choices which God did not design, although He is skillful to still get what he wants in the end through his putting out of the fires. This goes back to the ancient question of sovereignty and freewill, which is not easily solved. But I ask, is this the best comfort for someone suffering through tragedy? When Mack asked why God did not stop the brutal murder of his daughter, its as if God’s answer is “my hands were tied by my love; my love rendered me unable to stop this.”

I feel this book has great merit in its thought provoking presentation of issues that need to be wrestled with, some that often never are touched because a certain thought has been accepted for so long. The message of relationship with God through Christ and the need to forgive are essential. But as with any book, we need to chew and spit. This of course needs to be read with a discerning (not necessarily prejudiced) eye, never replacing books such as this for actual deep, theological study of Scripture itself.

Cousin Sleepover

2010-03-05T15:18:00.002-05:00

I had a fun time hanging with Cade and Brynne last weekend. It was a little crazy, but not as scary as I thought. You can tell that Cade was ready to be done by the picture at the top...how I found her right before I took her back to mom. They are so funny together. All I have to say is that those out there who have had multiples...you are awesome!

My Sweeties

2010-02-26T11:52:00.003-05:00

I love this little outfit that someone made for Brynnie

More adventures with rubber ducky

Reading at bedtime

Brynne is officially 8 months this weekend. God reminds me all that time to enjoy and appreciate her as a special gift from Him and not to take this time for granted. It's easy to wish the time away when things are inconvenient or difficult, but at the same time crazy to think how fast time goes. I just put all her 0-6 month clothes away, and I can't believe she was that little at one time! Any thoughts on enjoying and appreciating every day...parent or not?

Rubber Ducky...you're the one...

2010-02-17T14:34:00.002-05:00

Rob and I have been laughing lately at how much Brynne loves her rubber duck. It’s not the usual color, but I guess pink is appropriate. Anyways....she LOVES to play with it during her bath and when I take her out to dry her off and get her dressed, she clings to it like it’s her best friend. I never understood that song until now....rubber ducky, you’re the one...that makes bath time so much fun...it is so true...

And here are a few other latest pictures of our sweetie. She will be 8 months in a week and a half...time is flying!

#4

2010-02-12T14:30:00.001-05:00

Don’t Make Me Count to Three, by Ginger Plowman

CONFESSION...I only finished this book...started it a while ago. A few of the books on my list this year are “finishers” and this is one of them. I think I lacked motivation because Brynne was so young and not really at a discipline stage yet. Well, she’s getting there a lot faster than I would have imagined. Anyways, this book is a discussion of a philosophy of discipline based on scripture. Ginger is very thorough in handling what discipline is, why we should do it, how to do it, and gives a lot of application and great examples. One of her main points is that we are working to reach the heart of our children, not simply their actions. This is so important!!! Especially as Rob and I have talked, we desire so much to have children that love God and desire to serve him - not little robots that simply follow orders mindlessly. One of her examples that was so simple caught my attention...how often do two children fight over one toy and someone walks up and says “who had it first?”...she says that this is not the question to ask - at least with our children. We have to share with both children that their hearts are in the wrong. One is taking and causing frustration, while the other is not sharing and being angry. Neither is acting with a heart of love for the other. It would be easy in this case and so many others to simply take care of the basic issue...”who had it first, well give it back”... but we’re not really reaching the heart.

Another thing she said over and over to her children that I noticed was “I love you too much to let you disobey”. This is something I want to remember...when I don’t feel like disciplining, when they are doubting my reasons for disciplining...I love them too much to let them live however they want, realizing where this will lead them in the future. They often won’t understand, I know I didn’t - but I’m so thankful for my parents and their faithfulness in raising me. One thing that bothered me a little about this book was a tendency to prooftext at times. I’m glad that she tries to back everything up with scripture, but some things are just great ideas and practices and you may not have a specific reference for them. I think she pulled some things out of context to serve her purpose. That being said, I would definitely recommend it for parents as a good reference.

Now, on to Perelandra...another “finisher”.

Wednesday Letters and Snow

2010-02-02T12:46:00.003-05:00

I had to laugh at the snow we got here in VA Beach...8 inches or something which absolutely shuts the place down... especially when usually 1 or 2 does..it was great to have a couple days home together though...

And...

Review # 3

The Wednesday Letters, by Jason Wright

This novel was an easy and fun read...I managed to do it in two days...mostly because we had the biggest snow storm in Virginia Beach in 30 years and life stopped! It is fiction about a family going through the loss of their parents and dealing with other life issues. It has a lot of “God talk”...it seems like the author may be a Christian. I liked the theme of forgiveness and redemption throughout. Some of the “lovey-dovey” talk...I’m not so sure is necessary, but perhaps not harmful either. My favorite part is that the parents that just passed away had a very sweet tradition. The father wrote a letter every Wednesday to his wife from the day they married to the day they died. I enjoy hearing about different traditions people have - even if it’s made up in a book...anyways, this was strictly fluff reading, but I guess that’s ok once in a while (and I’ve decided to review every book, so I did).

2010-02-01T16:22:00.004-05:00

Jack and The Shack

So, this year Rob and I decided to be a little more purposeful about our reading. We are both working on a list of books that we would like to read by the end of 2010. The other part of this, is that we would like to post at least a short review of each on the blog, just to help us consolidate our thoughts as we finish each one (most likely mine will be short and Rob’s....well...not). :)

So my first two this year were The Shack by William Young and Jack’s Life by Douglas Gresham. Most likely you have heard of The Shack as it has caused quite a stir, especially in evangelical circles. If you have not, it is a novel written about a man who lost his daughter and the way he “meets up” with God and works through his grief. Young is a good writer and has put out something that catches your attention quickly. Over all, I enjoyed reading through this book. There are some very controversial things that he does however. He personifies God as a black woman (the Father), a Middle-Eastern man (Jesus), and an oriental woman (the Spirit). This was very odd to me at first. As I read, I realized that he was mostly trying to break down our misconceptions of God. That is fair although I’m wondering if this is a little confusing and also it seems like there might be some issues with his view of the trinity. I don’ t know enough to discuss it, nuy understand the Driscoll has a scathing review on youtube if you’re interested. He also tends to take a lot of pot shots at “conservative” christianity. While I think he has some good points - I think there should be complete respect and love for all those that are brothers and sisters in Christ - and at times it seems like he (and even God) is sneering at these people. I felt that he did a good job though of helping people work through grief especially relating to their view of God and His goodness. There is a lot of food for thought along the way. It seems to me that the most important thing to do with a book like this is to not treat it like the Bible...instead, take your knowledge of scripture and enjoy the things he hits on that are in line, reject the things that are not. I don’t however think there is a need to shun it completely.

Jack’s Life is a short biography of C.S. Lewis. This was such a fun read. Rob is a huge fan of Lewis and therefore, I have been sucked in. I have read a few of his books and enjoyed finding out about his life. I’m sure it is not the best book written about him, but I liked that it was short and to the point - mostly just telling the story...not analyzing his works or anything like that. Gresham is Lewis’ stepson, and he has an immense love and respect for Lewis that I really enjoyed. It makes a difference to hear admiration from someone that actually spent a lot of time with someone. I was struck with the difficulties that Lewis faced, pretty much his whole life time. I was also struck by the true Christianity he lived out on a daily basis. Having read the Chronicles of Narnia, I couldn’t help thinking that even as Lewis faced tremendous difficulty, it seems he kept the “wardrobe” close by in his mind to step out of the harshness that life often presents, and into the beauty of another world...a reminder to me of the need to live in the reality of heaven and not be too settled into this world. I loved discovering his Irish heritage - no wonder he describes such a beautiful place in Narnia. Rob and I would love to visit Ireland some day...it seems a little bit more exciting because of this thought.

Let me know what you think - I can handle criticism...maybe.

Lovin' on Nana and Papa

2010-01-21T22:25:00.003-05:00

This is for Steve

2010-01-19T12:17:00.003-05:00

You can ask him about the details

God's good gifts...showing up in a wedding

2010-01-08T15:48:00.002-05:00

more pics on facebook

On January 2nd, one of my best friends was married. Jolene and I met in 9th grade when I moved to Wisconsin. We always laugh because we were going to the same church and each Sunday her mom would make her come talk to me because I was the “new girl”. She would ask me the same questions every time, and I would give the same answers. Finally we went on a youth activity together and had a sleepover and the rest is history. We were able to be friends throughout high school and college and have continued a close relationship even though we live thousands of miles away from each other. Jolene is one of those friends that whether you talk every week or have to catch up after months...it’s always the same. She has been a constant spiritual encouragement to me and an example of a single person who constantly seeks to have her satisfaction in Christ instead of living a discontented life wishing for something that is not part of God’s plan. I have prayed often for her to find a wonderful man because I am so happily married to Rob and wished for her to have the same joy. In April, she met Jesse Hiltz online....I know...it sounds a little scary...but it is amazing the means God uses to bring two people together. They totally hit it off and were engaged in October. Then I received a phone call....January 2nd...wow...I hadn’t planned on a trip to Canada that soon, but I was so excited that the Lord was leading them together and they would not have to wait through a long engagement. The wedding was incredible - so perfect - and Jolene was a beautiful bride! I was so thankful to meet Jesse and see all the wonderful things in person that Jolene had been telling me. He really treats her like a queen and I couldn’t be happier for them. I know he will lead her in her walk with God and am so thankful to see God answer this long-time prayer request. He is always good and would have been good if her never brought Jesse along. But how sweet to see Him rejoice over His children and give them such wonderful gifts to enjoy.

The Most Wonderful Time of Year

2009-12-26T22:19:00.005-05:00

Christmas time is always a blast...here are a few reasons why...

Family!...Nana is loving being with her Brynnie

awesome food

of course...presents!! Rob surprised me with a Yamaha keyboard!!!

decor...I love free tree cuttings!

my recent flea market find

a real tree

my sweet baby girl

our first time picking a tree together

and cousins...lovin' life together

These times are so sweet, and I thank the Lord for making them possible and that I can enjoy all these things the most because I realize they are from His hand. His goodness amazes me all the time. I hope you have enjoyed the season and are looking forward to 2010!

Funsies

2009-11-28T09:14:00.003-05:00

Puzzle Time

Aran...playing her violin

The gingerbread house tradition

Crazy Nelson

Ready to Eat

Olive

You know what this is :)

Philly Dilly...all worn out

Brynnie hangin' with Nelson

The Faces I Love

2009-11-23T18:02:00.004-05:00

Ready for a run with mom and dad

Making a funny new little noise

Talking...a lot

Hanging out in a bumbo (thanks Jess for letting me use it!)

Chewing on her fingers (or anything she can get in her mouth)

Brynne is 5 months old this coming weekend! I can't believe it. I'm thankful for so many things at Thanksgiving. This year I get to add my sweet daughter to that list.

A Poem and Five Years

2009-11-17T13:10:00.003-05:00

Recently, Rob and I decided to go through our “notes and cards to each other since we got together” boxes. It was so fun to read the things we were saying to each other a little over 5 years ago when we first decided we “liked” each other and to see how our relationship has grown and changed since then. Thanksgiving will mark the five-year anniversary since we got engaged...so I thought I would post a poem Rob put in a card to me our first Valentine’s Day together. I loved reading it again...

You Are Poetry

You come outside

To view the faint sunset

Light bewildered by trees

Shines through quietly

You glide your soft auburn hair

Perched behind your ear

And in this moment I feel at home

Beneath the interior

You are my humble abode,

Your company is soothing

Calming and reassuring

Inside, the wind chimes ring

You saunter and my heart sings

Bit by bit I begin to recognize

The enchanting glow in your subtle eyes

Hidden in all abstract paintings

It’s you, what all artists see

You are poetry.

These years have been beyond wonderful, and I wanted to end by saying to Rob - I love you and you mean the world to me. I loved this quote from This Momentary Marriage by John Piper (which I highly recommend): “Very soon the shadow will give way to Reality. The partial will pass into the Perfect. The foretaste will lead to the Banquet. The troubled path will end in Paradise. A hundred candle-lit evenings will come to their consummation in the marriage supper of the Lamb. And this momentary marriage will be swallowed up by Life. Christ will be all and in all. And the purpose of marriage will be complete.” He makes the point in the book that marriage is the picture of Christ and the church and the way He keeps His covenant with His bride the church, is the way we should keep our covenant in our marriage here on earth. So the “shadow” is our marriage now and we will experience life fully when we reach heaven. I love that picture. Thank you for sharing this role with me, Rob!

So Far in Oregon...

2009-10-30T13:20:00.006-05:00

The sweetest boy ever...

A great lunch at Bread and Ocean on the Coast...

Graeme and Brynne meet...true love forever...

Enjoyin' life...

Fun times with my Brynnie...

Great food and chillin' times with my friend...

Beautiful fall sights...

I love it!

A Wonderful visit with Brynne's "Tata"

2009-10-12T19:39:00.005-05:00

Rob's mom is a missionary in Uganda, East Africa and so we were overjoyed that she was able to come back for a visit and meet Brynnie. We call her "Tata" because that's the name for grandma in Africa. We had such a sweet time together. Above are pictures of her with her two sisters. We were able to meet up in Williamsburg at Pierce's Pitt Barbeque (which is awesome, btw).

We were able to take a trip out to the Oceanfront with Rob's mom before we left. They had their sand-sculpture contest, which I think is so incredible. We also ate at Waterman's - our favorite beach restaurant!

"Tata" lovin' on Brynne.

We are so thankful for a great visit and for such a wonderful mom that is willing to serve Christ where she has been called!

Are You Serious?

2009-10-07T21:26:00.003-05:00

Okay - I hope I don't step on anybody's toes with this one - but check out this Halloween Candy I found at Walmart. It says "gummy candy foot with crunchy candy bones". Does this appeal to anyone? Especially with the blood spots, and I don't even want to know what that white part is. I think I'll just stick with good old chocolate or candy corn!

Brynne's first toy (and a Cade update)

2009-10-02T10:26:00.003-05:00

We are so thankful - yesterday was Cade's best day in weeks. It turned out that she does have whooping cough, but is making some progress at recovery. We appreciate your prayers. Jennie has basically been quarantined in the hospital room with her - so it takes a lot of patience, but she has a great attitude!

The prize goes to Aunt Gayle for getting Brynne her first toy (that she took interest in) - we call it Spike - can you imagine why? She loves to suck or chew on its little antennae :)

Pray for Baby Cade

2009-09-28T18:21:00.004-05:00

It has been so fun to have a baby at the same time as my sister. We have been having a blast together. The last month Cade has been sick, and we have been trying to figure out what is wrong. She has had an awful cough and has these fits of coughing where she chokes. It is so heart-breaking. Well - today we finally found out that she may have whooping cough. We are waiting for final results - but I would love your prayers. It is so hard to see your sweet baby sick. Thank you!

One of our Favorite Places

2009-09-13T13:28:00.002-05:00

We recently took our first road trip since Brynne was born. Granted, it was only three hours, but hey - that's a big deal to first-time parents :) We took off for Charlottesville to visit Rob's Aunt Gayle and Aunt Lynn. They live on the side of a mountain with the most gorgeous view of the Blue Ridge. Here are a few pics of our stay...

Brynnie hanging with Aunt Gayle

Our visit to the Green Valley Book Fair - Brynne wanted to check her height

Lynn's incredible sunflower!

Aunt Sharon came for a visit and taught us kumihimo weaving - so we made bracelets

Brynne soon learned how to kick back and relax

And last but not least - she received her first pair of crocs :)

Thanks for a great weekend!

Our New Bathroom and Our Brynne

2009-08-24T13:22:00.007-05:00

Brynne and dad watching tv together

A little dirty

Thanks Aunt Sarah for my outfit

Sorry these were not in order....I was having issues - I'm so pumped about our bathroom - it's so nice to have it almost finished. Brynne is almost 2 months now and we are loving every day. It's fun to see her smiles!

Our Little Miracle

2009-07-20T14:21:00.006-05:00

Brynne Eden finally arrived on June 29th at 9:30 pm. We cannot believe what an amazing miracle she is! For those of you that have not heard the details...I'll give a short summary :) I went in for an appointment on June 29th in the morning and my doctor had me do a test to make sure Brynne was doing okay as she was about a week late. They noticed that I was having minor contractions and during a few of those, her heart rate went down. They wanted me to go to the hospital and be monitored for a little while...and offered to just go ahead and induce to be safe. I was ready to go - so I headed to the hospital at noon, had my water broken at 1:00 pm, got the blessed epidural at 5:00 pm, and pushed from 9:00 to 9:30 and she was here! It's a huge adjustment, but I love being a mom and praise God for His wonderful gift.

A few cousin pics....their first trip to the beach - they both slept through it :)

My Evolution

2009-06-08T12:21:00.005-05:00

Well - I thought I would share one more post before Baby Brynne comes. Right now I'm looking at two weeks until the due date. For those who care - I'm 70% and 2 cm...hopefully nobody gets offended by that and for those who don't know what that is, you probably don't want to :) The doctor has been very positive and thinks things are looking great - praise the Lord! Thanks for all the great advice everyone - Rob and I are so excited about this new stage of life. We know there will be many challenges but are so thankful for the sovereignty of God as He continues to guide and direct us. We'll let ya'll know when she finally makes her appearance!

Congrats to my Grad

2009-05-07T11:24:00.008-05:00

I just wanted to say a big congrats to my honey. He officially has his MDIV. I'm so proud of all the work he has done and effort his has put into balancing school, work, ministry, and our relatioship over the last four years. We are so thankful for God's goodness. For those of you who don't know, we are praying about church planting in Vancouver, British Columbia and are looking to the Lord for direction in this.

The funny thing about being pregnant...

2009-04-26T16:44:00.005-05:00

As I near the "8 weeks are left" mark, I just keep chuckling about what a funny experience it is to be pregnant, like...

*Having the world constantly feel like they have this instant connection with you. Never do people just randomly walk up to you and ask questions, except when you're pregnant. How weird!

*Using my husband as a defense against weird men touching my belly

*Having my students say the funniest things...pregnancy is such a mystery to them :)

~"When's it coming out?"

~"How did it get in there?"...awkward

~"Why is your belly so big?" - to which I responded - "there's a baby in there" - they said "did you eat it?"....well, no....

*Going back to all elastic pants and slip on shoes - it reminds me of being a kid again...everything needs to be as easy as possible!

*Eating like there is no tomorrow and everyone congratulating you for it.

Even with all this, I still can't believe it every time Brynne moves - it's the most incredible miracle and I can't wait to meet our sweet baby girl!

Wonderful Worship and a Belly Update

2009-04-13T06:58:00.003-05:00

Recently, we had the incredible opportunity to go to a Getty concert in Richmond. If you have never heard their music, they are endeavoring to write contemporary hymns for people to use in their churches. Their text is very theological and they put music to it that enhances the message so well. The concert was so encouraging - drawing attention to Christ and not a "performer" which I appreciate so much. Praise God for people like this that He is using to encourage the body of Christ!

One of my favorites:

Oh, to see the dawn of the darkest day:

Christ on the road to Calvary.

Tried by sinful men, torn and beaten, then

Nailed to a cross of wood.

CHORUS:

This, the pow'r of the cross:

Christ became sin for us; Took the blame, bore the wrath—

We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain written on Your face,

Bearing the awesome weight of sin. Ev'ry bitter thought,

Ev'ry evil deed crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees; now the ground beneath quakes as its maker bows His head. Curtain torn in two,

Dead are raised to life;"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.

Oh, to see my name written in the wounds, for through Your suffering

I am free. Death is crushed to death;

Life is mine to live,won through Your selfless love.

These are friends from college that we hooked up with in Richmond...the Saunders.

And of course...here I am in all my glory - about ten weeks from delivery :)

Four Years....amazing

2009-03-20T12:18:00.001-05:00

I was just sitting here thinking about how incredible it is that this May Rob and I will have been married for four years and that (Lord willing) he will graduate with his MDIV. It's hard to sum up this time in our lives - it feels like so many changes have taken place and that there has been so much growth in our lives. I praise God for this time and his goodness to us. It is overwhelming to think about what God has for us in the future, but I'm so thankful that I can look back over these last four years and see God's faithfulness and remember he will be the same God taking us into the future.

"Praise the LORD, all you nations, extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD."

So - here are a few pics of our memories....

We have really enjoyed fixing up our house little by little...unfortunately, I don't have a most recent pic, but this is pretty close. It's been a lot of work, but we have learned so much and are so thankful for the house the Lord provided.

Living near Olde Towne Portsmouth has been a blast. We have loved running, walking, enjoying restaurants, taking the ferry, and so much more down there.

Working with the youth group at Colonial has truly been a privilege. We have really enjoyed the teens and have made many lasting relationships.

The trips we have been able to take together have been a blast. VA Beach has so many great places near by to visit. We have truly taken advantage of a lot of fun spots.

And of course....we have loved being near the beach - that's been such a blast!

We also ran our first couple of races together here...I even conned a few other people into joining :)....

Our most recent excitement is over baby Brynne due to arrive in only 13 weeks - it's so crazy, but we can't wait to meet her.

Baby Update

2009-02-01T17:29:00.003-05:00

Well...it's been a little while since I've been in blog world - we have had issues with our internet connection at home which we are still working on. But, either way, here is a belly update and also a couple pics of our sweet little girl - Brynne (maybe Kirstie for a middle name). This last week I just started to feel her moving which is the most incredible thing - I love it. It was just hard enough today, that Rob could feel her for the first time. What a miracle!

This pic is the side view:

This one is the front of her face: