Two weeks have gone by since I last posted. It certainly doesn't seem like that much time. This is how life will be, I suppose. When I was little, summer break seemed like an eternity...nearly 3 whole months of no school!! Now it zooms by at record speed, and now Christmas is past as well. This year, I felt sadness about it being over. I actually felt sad; it was kind of strange, really. It sounds silly as I write it now, but, it's true. It seems like our tree wasn't up long enough! And we have to wait a whole year to do it again. But what a blessing that we don't just live for the holiday! Lord willing, we have a beautiful new year ahead of us, and I pray that we will make the most of it. Every day, every moment, is for Him. I hope in this upcoming year, I can be very conscious of that. Savoring each moment and taking the time to recognize what I'm doing, what I'm saying, what I'm thinking, instead of just functioning. I hope to keep at the forefront the idea that every breath I take has been sovereignly ordained by God and that I am accountable for every idle word and action. I hope all I do will be honoring my Creator. I suppose that is my New Year's resolution, if you want to call it that.
Onto another topic: As promised, here is a little more info about my couponing adventures. It's going quite well indeed. CVS has turned out to be my new best friend. My current goal is to supply us with enough toiletries to get through the first year of medical school, and it's looknig promising so far! I have now gotten around $200 worth of basic toiletries for just $50. After an initial "investment", so to speak, of $41, I have been able to roll over my extra bucks (ECB) to each subsequent purchase. Each time I go to CVS, I look to see what items they are advertising with ECB's for that week. Then I try to match it with a coupon (example: this week they have body wash on sale for $3.88 per bottle--you get $3 ECB for purchasing, and I have $1 coupon, making the body wash "free" plus overage after the coupon and ECB ($3.88-$3ECB-$1coupon = $-0.12). Because I have ECB's from my last transaction, I will use those to purchase this body wash, paying nothing but tax out of pocket, and then the $3 ECB from the body wash will be for me to use the following week. I will find another useful item to spend it on that allows me to purchase with ECB's and earn more ECB's. I hope this makes sense!
One of my pitfalls while learning the coupon game was to get items I didn't really need, just because they were inexpensive. One of my first purchases was on frozen cookie dough.....paying $1 for 5 packages of frozen Nestle chocolate chip cookie dough was a steal! But, we really didn't need that much, and it occupied precious freezer space. I also bought quite a bit of lotion, because I was able to get it for $0.40 a bottle, and again, it occupied precious storage space as well. I realized that even if something is a "good deal", it isn't a good deal for you if you don't really need the item. Even at $0.40 a bottle, it's still money spent on something I didn't need, whereas I could have spent the same on, say, milk, which we do need!
Anyway, it's been kind of a new hobby, and I'm enjoying it for the most part. This past month, thanks to the couponing, we were able to stay within our grocery budget, even with all the Christmas cookies, dishes I took to holiday events, and with a few gatherings we hosted. Next month, without all the extras, I'm hoping to actually spend less than our budget allows, which means more money for giving, saving, and fun!
I doubt I'll post again this week, so have a blessed New Year!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Adventures with Abe and Etc.
It's been hard to find time to sit down and write. What a busy time of year! I've really been trying to enjoy the season and think about Jesus, amidst all the running around. Abram has been a continual source of joy and laughter, which has helped alleviate the tendency toward getting worn out with all the "doing".
Several weeks ago, a good friend, Angie Shuck, posted some pictures of her son, Abel, on facebook. Abel is about 6 weeks older than Abram, and in the photos, he had stickers all over his face. "Ha!" I thought, "Abe would NEVER do that!" Because he hates hats, scarves, anything up around his face (unless he's hiding from us under a blanket!). BUT, the other day, he was digging around in a drawer that contains envelopes, stamps, paper, etc., and he came across some address labels. He pulled one out and brought it to me. "Well, I guess I"ll try too!" I tore it in half, put one half on his face, the other half on my own. He thought it was histerical. In fact, he pulled off more and wanted them put on his face too, and then he got upset when I tried to take them off! He ate his lunch with address labels stuck to his face. A while later, I found one stuck to his diaper! I guess Angie was right! Here is a picture for you to enjoy:
A few days ago, I was making turtles, and Abe was sitting up on the counter "helping" me...whenever I'm in the kitchen, he wants to be part of the action. If he doesn't "help" me, he pulls on my leg until I give in. I failed to realize that I had left a chocolate covered spoon sitting on the other side of Abe (I was holding the dish of chocolate and another spoon--I had forgotten about this one!). Well, it took about .1 seconds for Abe to find it. I looked over at him and saw the spoon sticking out of his mouth. He smiled at me to reveal chocoalte covered teeth. Now, in my "good mom who tries to serve her kid healthy food" mind, I knew I should take that spoon away from him (there was a LOT of chocolate on it), but in my "common sense" mind, it was keeping him so well occupied! I could finish my turtles without him trying to take them off the tray! So, I let him eat it. All of it. And he enjoyed it thoroughly. He was filthy by the time he was done. His overalls, his hair, his hands, his face, the counter. But, my turtles were done and looked very pretty too! Here he is (after he's already been partially cleaned!). He's such a cheese :)
Lastly, a lot of people have been asking about medical school, so I'll give what info I have to give! We've really been wavering as we try to make sense of everything. For a while, we felt no direction at all as to which place to go. We want to use wisdom in our decision, but what is wisdom in this situation? Is it to go where we'll accrue the least amount of debt? Are we supposed to go to the place that is closest to family? Are we supposed to choose the highest ranked school? Are we supposed to venture into new territory away from our comfort zone? We just don't know! We had been seriously considering writing to UofI to request a placement change (to the Urbana-Peoria track: 1 year in Urbana, the last 3 in Peoria), but after much consultation with a few others who have already been down the same road, we feel that Chicago may be better than Peoria in terms of exposure, research opportunities, and recognition by residencies. But is Chicago as safe? It's a lot more expensive there too! So we're not set on Chicago over Peoria yet. Peoria tends to score better on the USMLE (the huge exam that basically determines what residency you'll place at) and it's closer to home. There are pros and cons to every place!
At this point, we have definitely narrowed it down to MCW and UofI. We plan to set up a few tours to see the campus, the area, and the types of living options available to us. Hopefully that will happen later this winter. Anyway, that's where we're at! I'll keep you informed of any changes or decisions!
Thanks for reading!
Several weeks ago, a good friend, Angie Shuck, posted some pictures of her son, Abel, on facebook. Abel is about 6 weeks older than Abram, and in the photos, he had stickers all over his face. "Ha!" I thought, "Abe would NEVER do that!" Because he hates hats, scarves, anything up around his face (unless he's hiding from us under a blanket!). BUT, the other day, he was digging around in a drawer that contains envelopes, stamps, paper, etc., and he came across some address labels. He pulled one out and brought it to me. "Well, I guess I"ll try too!" I tore it in half, put one half on his face, the other half on my own. He thought it was histerical. In fact, he pulled off more and wanted them put on his face too, and then he got upset when I tried to take them off! He ate his lunch with address labels stuck to his face. A while later, I found one stuck to his diaper! I guess Angie was right! Here is a picture for you to enjoy:
A few days ago, I was making turtles, and Abe was sitting up on the counter "helping" me...whenever I'm in the kitchen, he wants to be part of the action. If he doesn't "help" me, he pulls on my leg until I give in. I failed to realize that I had left a chocolate covered spoon sitting on the other side of Abe (I was holding the dish of chocolate and another spoon--I had forgotten about this one!). Well, it took about .1 seconds for Abe to find it. I looked over at him and saw the spoon sticking out of his mouth. He smiled at me to reveal chocoalte covered teeth. Now, in my "good mom who tries to serve her kid healthy food" mind, I knew I should take that spoon away from him (there was a LOT of chocolate on it), but in my "common sense" mind, it was keeping him so well occupied! I could finish my turtles without him trying to take them off the tray! So, I let him eat it. All of it. And he enjoyed it thoroughly. He was filthy by the time he was done. His overalls, his hair, his hands, his face, the counter. But, my turtles were done and looked very pretty too! Here he is (after he's already been partially cleaned!). He's such a cheese :)
Lastly, a lot of people have been asking about medical school, so I'll give what info I have to give! We've really been wavering as we try to make sense of everything. For a while, we felt no direction at all as to which place to go. We want to use wisdom in our decision, but what is wisdom in this situation? Is it to go where we'll accrue the least amount of debt? Are we supposed to go to the place that is closest to family? Are we supposed to choose the highest ranked school? Are we supposed to venture into new territory away from our comfort zone? We just don't know! We had been seriously considering writing to UofI to request a placement change (to the Urbana-Peoria track: 1 year in Urbana, the last 3 in Peoria), but after much consultation with a few others who have already been down the same road, we feel that Chicago may be better than Peoria in terms of exposure, research opportunities, and recognition by residencies. But is Chicago as safe? It's a lot more expensive there too! So we're not set on Chicago over Peoria yet. Peoria tends to score better on the USMLE (the huge exam that basically determines what residency you'll place at) and it's closer to home. There are pros and cons to every place!
At this point, we have definitely narrowed it down to MCW and UofI. We plan to set up a few tours to see the campus, the area, and the types of living options available to us. Hopefully that will happen later this winter. Anyway, that's where we're at! I'll keep you informed of any changes or decisions!
Thanks for reading!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
A New Endeavor
Several weeks ago, I began delving into the wide, wide world of couponing, and I'm really excited to share about my progress!
I have to start by telling you about my former attitude to couponing; I was wrong on 2 levels:
1. I used to think it wasn't worth my time to cut coupons, because, come on, 25 cents off? What's a quarter? Hardly worth it.
AND
2. Generally, buying generic or shopping at Aldi is still cheaper than buying name brand with a coupon.
Well, I suppose those things CAN be true, but they don't HAVE to be true. What happens when you combine a sale with a coupon? Name brand goods at low prices! And what happens when you combine a sale, plus a coupon, plus cash back? Even lower prices and sometimes, cash overage! Coupons are rarely offered for the store brands, but they are for the name brands, and I've been able to get many items less expensively than buying generic. Some have even been free or nearly free (like $.19 for a bag of frozen vegetables). You just have to make sure it's on sale first.
Now, to take advantage of this does require some time. I've been spending about an hour a week going through the store ads and looking up coupons for the items. There are some websites that assist you with this and show you how to stack the coupons to stretch your dollar (my favorite: http://www.moneysavingmom.com). The best money saver I've come across has been Kraft Cheese for $.55. That's a savings of over $2! I know, even $2 doesn't seem like that much, but when you can do that for many of the items you purchase at the store, you can end up whittling a pretty significant chunk off of your bill! On my last trip to Kroger, I spent just $40 for $78 worth of groceries, which included meat, dairy, baking staples, produce, and some frozen items. That's almost 50% off! (Can you tell I'm a little excited about all this?!?!)
My next exciting thing to share is the great deals I've been finding at CVS. Again, CVS's items are usually marked up (except on perishable items such as milk). Deoderant at CVS is going to cost you more than deoderant at Walmart. But, I just got Ryan a stick of Old Spice at CVS for FREE. FREE is a lot cheaper than what I would pay at Walmart! Here is a picture of my last great CVS purchase:
All these items purchased at regular retail price at CVS would cost $92.66. I got it all for $41.20, and I still have $30 ECB to spend in the store! Now, maybe you're thinking that this wouldn't cost $92 at Walmart! But, it would cost at least $80, so it's still a tremendous savings. AND, you would never be able to get it this cheaply at Walmart, because they don't offer the same sales and cash back offers!
Wow, this is getting pretty lengthy, so I'll continue it in another post, sharing some of my newbie pitfalls and some techniques I've started to employ. I hope you enjoyed!
I have to start by telling you about my former attitude to couponing; I was wrong on 2 levels:
1. I used to think it wasn't worth my time to cut coupons, because, come on, 25 cents off? What's a quarter? Hardly worth it.
AND
2. Generally, buying generic or shopping at Aldi is still cheaper than buying name brand with a coupon.
Well, I suppose those things CAN be true, but they don't HAVE to be true. What happens when you combine a sale with a coupon? Name brand goods at low prices! And what happens when you combine a sale, plus a coupon, plus cash back? Even lower prices and sometimes, cash overage! Coupons are rarely offered for the store brands, but they are for the name brands, and I've been able to get many items less expensively than buying generic. Some have even been free or nearly free (like $.19 for a bag of frozen vegetables). You just have to make sure it's on sale first.
Now, to take advantage of this does require some time. I've been spending about an hour a week going through the store ads and looking up coupons for the items. There are some websites that assist you with this and show you how to stack the coupons to stretch your dollar (my favorite: http://www.moneysavingmom.com). The best money saver I've come across has been Kraft Cheese for $.55. That's a savings of over $2! I know, even $2 doesn't seem like that much, but when you can do that for many of the items you purchase at the store, you can end up whittling a pretty significant chunk off of your bill! On my last trip to Kroger, I spent just $40 for $78 worth of groceries, which included meat, dairy, baking staples, produce, and some frozen items. That's almost 50% off! (Can you tell I'm a little excited about all this?!?!)
My next exciting thing to share is the great deals I've been finding at CVS. Again, CVS's items are usually marked up (except on perishable items such as milk). Deoderant at CVS is going to cost you more than deoderant at Walmart. But, I just got Ryan a stick of Old Spice at CVS for FREE. FREE is a lot cheaper than what I would pay at Walmart! Here is a picture of my last great CVS purchase:
All these items purchased at regular retail price at CVS would cost $92.66. I got it all for $41.20, and I still have $30 ECB to spend in the store! Now, maybe you're thinking that this wouldn't cost $92 at Walmart! But, it would cost at least $80, so it's still a tremendous savings. AND, you would never be able to get it this cheaply at Walmart, because they don't offer the same sales and cash back offers!
Wow, this is getting pretty lengthy, so I'll continue it in another post, sharing some of my newbie pitfalls and some techniques I've started to employ. I hope you enjoyed!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
I am Thankful
A little late, but worthwhile nonetheless. Here is a list of things I am thankful for (obviously, this list is not comprehensive..could we even begin to truly count our blessings?):
1. "Jesus loves me, this I know!!"
2. "Jesus from His throne on high, came into this world to die, that I might from sin be free, bled and died upon the tree"
3. God's sovereignty
4. God's wisdom
5. the attributes of God: he is always good, kind, loving, gently correcting, mighty, just, Holy, perfect, beautiful, powerful, glorious, and on and on and on!
6. my husband
7. my son
8. our family(ies)
9. our friends
10. our church
11. food
12. clean water
13. clothes
14. warmth
15. music
16. the Bible
17. potluck groups
18. love
19. joy in my life
20. laughter
21. health
22. hope for the future
23. Heaven
24. electricity
25. prayer
26. our jobs
27. our cars
28. HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!!!!!!
1. "Jesus loves me, this I know!!"
2. "Jesus from His throne on high, came into this world to die, that I might from sin be free, bled and died upon the tree"
3. God's sovereignty
4. God's wisdom
5. the attributes of God: he is always good, kind, loving, gently correcting, mighty, just, Holy, perfect, beautiful, powerful, glorious, and on and on and on!
6. my husband
7. my son
8. our family(ies)
9. our friends
10. our church
11. food
12. clean water
13. clothes
14. warmth
15. music
16. the Bible
17. potluck groups
18. love
19. joy in my life
20. laughter
21. health
22. hope for the future
23. Heaven
24. electricity
25. prayer
26. our jobs
27. our cars
28. HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!!!!!!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Miscellaneous
It's been a little while since I last posted. Life just gets so busy! Already our calendar into the new year is pretty well booked solid!
We are in the middle of/entering into my favorite time of year. From the middle of September when temperatures start to cool down and the leaves change, up through the New Year, I LOVE this time of year! I love crisp, cool, fall weather. I love weiner roasts and hayrack rides. I love trips to the orchard. I love starting to see the Christmas lights and hear the Christmas music. I love the yummy food from roasted marshmallows and hot dogs to turkey and pumpkin pie to Christmas cookies. I love the overall hustle and bustle of the holiday season! I suppose I could go on for an entire post about all the things I love about this time of year, but I think you get the idea! I'm especially excited about Christmas with Abram this year. We've been in a few stores where they've already put up holiday decor, and he is absolutely enamored by the lights and ornaments. It will be a fun and chaotic Christmas indeed!
There isn't a whole lot of new news to post, other than a brief medical school update.: Ryan has now been accepted to four schools, and we are most interested in the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Illinois. Yes, the infamous U of I who rejected him twice! If we attend there, we will spend all four years in Chicago; we received our placement notification just this past week. We won't make any final decisions until 2011. After the new year, we can file our FAFSA and see how much loan/grant/scholarship money we can receive from each school. That will help guide our decision, combined with much prayer!
This entire journey has just been such a testimony to God's sovereignty in our lives. We thought this was the way to go, so we pursued it, only to be rejected. After two years, we assumed that the door had been closed and that we needed to look elsewhere. I remember back in February when we decided, much against our will, to apply one more time. We were hopeful, but not excited, yet we felt as though to not apply would be willfully disobeying our Father in Heaven. Now, he has richly blessed our efforts and Ryan has been accepted with ease. It is so clear that THIS is God's time for us! THIS is the way He wanted it! We have obeyed our God, "who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens" (Rev. 3:7). It is as though he has spoken to us, "'I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut" (Rev. 3:8). Though some may disagree with me, I believe that GOD closed those doors the other times we applied. Ryan was not to get in then. God had a work to do in us before we could go. And now, God has opened the door, and no man could intervene and stop it. HE has divinely orchestrated the events of our lives to take place in HIS perfect time. I prayed (and so many others too!) for the hearts of Ryan's interviewers to be turned favorably toward him, and this time, according to God's wisdom and plan, it happened. PRAISE JESUS!
Anyway, I must go. I have much to do and Abe's naptime is likely about over. Until next time.
We are in the middle of/entering into my favorite time of year. From the middle of September when temperatures start to cool down and the leaves change, up through the New Year, I LOVE this time of year! I love crisp, cool, fall weather. I love weiner roasts and hayrack rides. I love trips to the orchard. I love starting to see the Christmas lights and hear the Christmas music. I love the yummy food from roasted marshmallows and hot dogs to turkey and pumpkin pie to Christmas cookies. I love the overall hustle and bustle of the holiday season! I suppose I could go on for an entire post about all the things I love about this time of year, but I think you get the idea! I'm especially excited about Christmas with Abram this year. We've been in a few stores where they've already put up holiday decor, and he is absolutely enamored by the lights and ornaments. It will be a fun and chaotic Christmas indeed!
There isn't a whole lot of new news to post, other than a brief medical school update.: Ryan has now been accepted to four schools, and we are most interested in the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Illinois. Yes, the infamous U of I who rejected him twice! If we attend there, we will spend all four years in Chicago; we received our placement notification just this past week. We won't make any final decisions until 2011. After the new year, we can file our FAFSA and see how much loan/grant/scholarship money we can receive from each school. That will help guide our decision, combined with much prayer!
This entire journey has just been such a testimony to God's sovereignty in our lives. We thought this was the way to go, so we pursued it, only to be rejected. After two years, we assumed that the door had been closed and that we needed to look elsewhere. I remember back in February when we decided, much against our will, to apply one more time. We were hopeful, but not excited, yet we felt as though to not apply would be willfully disobeying our Father in Heaven. Now, he has richly blessed our efforts and Ryan has been accepted with ease. It is so clear that THIS is God's time for us! THIS is the way He wanted it! We have obeyed our God, "who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens" (Rev. 3:7). It is as though he has spoken to us, "'I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut" (Rev. 3:8). Though some may disagree with me, I believe that GOD closed those doors the other times we applied. Ryan was not to get in then. God had a work to do in us before we could go. And now, God has opened the door, and no man could intervene and stop it. HE has divinely orchestrated the events of our lives to take place in HIS perfect time. I prayed (and so many others too!) for the hearts of Ryan's interviewers to be turned favorably toward him, and this time, according to God's wisdom and plan, it happened. PRAISE JESUS!
Anyway, I must go. I have much to do and Abe's naptime is likely about over. Until next time.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Festival of Booths
As I alluded to in my previous post, we went camping over Columbus Day weekend with two very special couples. Unfortunately, I don't have a group picture, but I do have a few others to share. It was an awesome couple of days!
When we went, we had just blown through a whirlwind of interviews which made for a lot of traveling and late nights. As we were preparing to drive down (to Palmyra, MO), Ryan was feeling a bit melancholy about more driving and more "doing", but, it turned out to be the perfect get-away. We had no set agenda, just time to relax and enjoy good friends and good food. The Lord has blessed us so richly with good friends!
Abe loved the tent and really, the entire camping experience. After we set the tent up the first night, he just ran all around inside, laughing. I can imagine that it must have been huge and so much fun to someone his size. He didn't have any trouble going to sleep, and thankfully, the weather was very mild which made for a pleasant sleep as well.
We enjoyed beautiful scenery, waking up each morning to a view of the sun rising over the lake, with tall grasses and autumn trees surrounding the water. It was glorious! The lake contained a plentiful stock of fish, which Abram was absolutely enthralled by...he even helped me catch a 4-pounder!!
Here he is with the pint-sized fishing pole:
And here he is with his daddy:
Here he is munching on an apple with the Ober boys...I couldn't believe how much of it he ate all by himself! (We did have to rinse it off post-drop a few times :)
Now, you may be wondering why I titled the post "Festival of Booths". The reason the Luginbuhl's invited us out to camp for the weekend was to celebrate this festival, which historically, was held somewhere around this time of year. Luke and Angie gave a wonderful Bible study about all the different festivals, and for this campout, we focused particularly on the booths:
"On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed feasts of the LORD.
Leviticus 23:39-44
While we didn't celebrate for 7 days, we did feast and live in booths (which means tents) for a few days, at least. We spent our evenings around the fire, after the kiddos were asleep, sharing about how the Lord brought us out of Egypt, our own Egypts. We shared about where we had been and how God had so graciously intervened and brought us out of our sin and even how he had brought us to our spouses. It was so special to hear things about our friends that we didn't know before. It was even more beautiful to honor God and praise Him for the work He had done. We forget to stop and think about that sometimes, don't we? We serve a good Father! It was truly a wonderful weekend.
We left a little earlier than the other couples so we could get home to Isaac's farewell party (Ryan's brother Isaac is in Haiti for several months--check out his blog if you're interested: http://www.pipesofdawn.blogspot.com). We got home in time to unpack and clean up a little before heading to the party, which was when the following video was taken (no one need know how ridiculous I looked in the background in order to get him to giggle so much!!):
Thanks for reading, see ya soon!
When we went, we had just blown through a whirlwind of interviews which made for a lot of traveling and late nights. As we were preparing to drive down (to Palmyra, MO), Ryan was feeling a bit melancholy about more driving and more "doing", but, it turned out to be the perfect get-away. We had no set agenda, just time to relax and enjoy good friends and good food. The Lord has blessed us so richly with good friends!
Abe loved the tent and really, the entire camping experience. After we set the tent up the first night, he just ran all around inside, laughing. I can imagine that it must have been huge and so much fun to someone his size. He didn't have any trouble going to sleep, and thankfully, the weather was very mild which made for a pleasant sleep as well.
We enjoyed beautiful scenery, waking up each morning to a view of the sun rising over the lake, with tall grasses and autumn trees surrounding the water. It was glorious! The lake contained a plentiful stock of fish, which Abram was absolutely enthralled by...he even helped me catch a 4-pounder!!
Here he is with the pint-sized fishing pole:
And here he is with his daddy:
Here he is munching on an apple with the Ober boys...I couldn't believe how much of it he ate all by himself! (We did have to rinse it off post-drop a few times :)
Now, you may be wondering why I titled the post "Festival of Booths". The reason the Luginbuhl's invited us out to camp for the weekend was to celebrate this festival, which historically, was held somewhere around this time of year. Luke and Angie gave a wonderful Bible study about all the different festivals, and for this campout, we focused particularly on the booths:
"On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed feasts of the LORD.
Leviticus 23:39-44
While we didn't celebrate for 7 days, we did feast and live in booths (which means tents) for a few days, at least. We spent our evenings around the fire, after the kiddos were asleep, sharing about how the Lord brought us out of Egypt, our own Egypts. We shared about where we had been and how God had so graciously intervened and brought us out of our sin and even how he had brought us to our spouses. It was so special to hear things about our friends that we didn't know before. It was even more beautiful to honor God and praise Him for the work He had done. We forget to stop and think about that sometimes, don't we? We serve a good Father! It was truly a wonderful weekend.
We left a little earlier than the other couples so we could get home to Isaac's farewell party (Ryan's brother Isaac is in Haiti for several months--check out his blog if you're interested: http://www.pipesofdawn.blogspot.com). We got home in time to unpack and clean up a little before heading to the party, which was when the following video was taken (no one need know how ridiculous I looked in the background in order to get him to giggle so much!!):
Thanks for reading, see ya soon!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Abe's Crew Cut
Over Columbus Day weekend, we went camping with Luke and Angie Luginbuhl and Kenny and Steph Ober. (I'll post pictures of it later...better late than never I suppose!). On the trip, Steph's boys asked if Abram was a boy or a girl. Later, Angie teased that Abram looked like he was related to Albert Einstein. (He had just woken up, so his hair was pretty crazy!!). Now, while these comments were certainly not taken in any offense, they finally convinced Ryan that maybe Abe should get his first hair cut. Yeah!!
Here are the pictures of the duty:
BEFORE:
Ready to start, equipped with a snack. Ryan wanted me to try my hand at it...he said his grandma and his mom cut his hair all the time when he was a little boy, so here we are at home, ready to cut!:
Mid-Cut:
AFTER (Kind of):
Let me explain...I thought I did a pretty good job! But his daddy got home and said the top looked great, but his bangs were cut WAY too short. The only option? Buzz him. It was QUITE an ordeal, to say the least! I wanted to leave it, Ryan wanted to crew cut it. Finally, I surrendered, and we buzzed him together. He hated the buzzer, probably because it vibrates against your head. It turned out pretty good! I think he looks super cute! See for yourself:
Here are the pictures of the duty:
BEFORE:
Ready to start, equipped with a snack. Ryan wanted me to try my hand at it...he said his grandma and his mom cut his hair all the time when he was a little boy, so here we are at home, ready to cut!:
Mid-Cut:
AFTER (Kind of):
Let me explain...I thought I did a pretty good job! But his daddy got home and said the top looked great, but his bangs were cut WAY too short. The only option? Buzz him. It was QUITE an ordeal, to say the least! I wanted to leave it, Ryan wanted to crew cut it. Finally, I surrendered, and we buzzed him together. He hated the buzzer, probably because it vibrates against your head. It turned out pretty good! I think he looks super cute! See for yourself:
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Third Time's a Charm?
After nearly three years of uncertainty about our future, we have received good news! Yes, Ryan has been accepted to medical school! What a trek it has been, and, I think it is safe to say that it isn't over yet. The next 8 years may be the most difficult yet.
The following email was in Ryan's email inbox yesterday:
Dear Candidate: Congratulations. I’m pleased to inform you that the Admissions Committee would like to offer you a space in the entering class of 2011 at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Your acceptance packet was mailed to you today.
Welcome to MCW
Mike
Michael Istwan
Director of Admissions
We are so thankful. To God be the Glory! At this point, we will send in a deposit to hold our spot at MCW. In the event that Ryan would be accepted to another school, we will have to weigh out our options and spend time in prayer to determine the best location for us. Our deposit will be fully refundable until the beginning of May, should we choose a different school. If not, it will be applied toward his first tuition installment.
We also received notification from SIU that he has been placed into the category "Accepted Pending Placement", meaning, when they send out the official acceptances beginning in December, it is highly likely that he will be offered a spot. This is not a guarantee of acceptance, but historically, most students placed into this category are offered a space.
In one of Ryan's interviews, he and the interviewer were discussing the rejection he faced not once, but twice. The interviewer said to Ryan, "So, are you a better man for it?" And Ryan said "Yes, I believe I am." He is. WE are better for it. Despite the dificulties, I wouldn't change a thing. We have learned. We have grown. God has been faithful, and He has prepared us for what lies ahead, things that HE can see but we cannot. I heard a short blurp on the radio this past week about "God's Waiting Room". It said that sitting in the waiting room is NOT a waste of time when you're trusting in the Lord. Sometimes, the waiting room is where you need to be, so God can make the path before you straight. We've been sitting in the waiting room for the past several years, while people all around us have been called back. There are even some people who arrived after us who have already been called back. Yesterday, our name was called.
"Funk Family?"
"Babe, they called us!"
"Yeah, they finally called us!"
"Abram, pick up your books, Buddy. Oh, honey, don't leave your coat on the chair."
"Oh, thanks, I would have. Do you have everything?"
"Yeah, I think so. Do you?"
"Yeah, I do. We're ready. It's time for us to go."
The following email was in Ryan's email inbox yesterday:
Dear Candidate: Congratulations. I’m pleased to inform you that the Admissions Committee would like to offer you a space in the entering class of 2011 at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Your acceptance packet was mailed to you today.
Welcome to MCW
Mike
Michael Istwan
Director of Admissions
We are so thankful. To God be the Glory! At this point, we will send in a deposit to hold our spot at MCW. In the event that Ryan would be accepted to another school, we will have to weigh out our options and spend time in prayer to determine the best location for us. Our deposit will be fully refundable until the beginning of May, should we choose a different school. If not, it will be applied toward his first tuition installment.
We also received notification from SIU that he has been placed into the category "Accepted Pending Placement", meaning, when they send out the official acceptances beginning in December, it is highly likely that he will be offered a spot. This is not a guarantee of acceptance, but historically, most students placed into this category are offered a space.
In one of Ryan's interviews, he and the interviewer were discussing the rejection he faced not once, but twice. The interviewer said to Ryan, "So, are you a better man for it?" And Ryan said "Yes, I believe I am." He is. WE are better for it. Despite the dificulties, I wouldn't change a thing. We have learned. We have grown. God has been faithful, and He has prepared us for what lies ahead, things that HE can see but we cannot. I heard a short blurp on the radio this past week about "God's Waiting Room". It said that sitting in the waiting room is NOT a waste of time when you're trusting in the Lord. Sometimes, the waiting room is where you need to be, so God can make the path before you straight. We've been sitting in the waiting room for the past several years, while people all around us have been called back. There are even some people who arrived after us who have already been called back. Yesterday, our name was called.
"Funk Family?"
"Babe, they called us!"
"Yeah, they finally called us!"
"Abram, pick up your books, Buddy. Oh, honey, don't leave your coat on the chair."
"Oh, thanks, I would have. Do you have everything?"
"Yeah, I think so. Do you?"
"Yeah, I do. We're ready. It's time for us to go."
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Fun with Abe
Well, I know I just updated the other day, but I have a few fun pictures of Abram that I am dying to share!!
The other day, I was washing dishes, and Abram was playing with his toys in the living room. He usually babbles while he plays, and I can usually hear some type of silly song playing from one of his toys too. Pretty soon, it grew very quiet. I walked out to see what he was doing, and he wasn't there! I noticed that the screen door was standing open. "Strange," I thought, "I don't remember opening that...." I walked over to the door, and what I saw was one of the most precious things ever....there sat Abe, in the corner of the balcony, indian-style, watching the man mow the courtyard down below. Now, before I get a string of comments about how dangerous this is....rest assured, there is NO WAY he could possibly fall. Trust me on that!! Just relax and enjoy the picture :)
When I called his name:
I love that he finds such joy in things like that! Now, the next picture was VERY hard to take...
What's so hard, you ask? He HATES the hat! I made this hat for him out of some leftover yarn I had. I had to make a bunch of ridiculous noises and faces so I could distract him long enough to take a picture. He normally pulls it off .1 seconds after I put it on!
Another (I think he looks like such a big boy here):
Now, the last is the best of all. Abram is finally big enough to play on his horse by himself (he still needs help getting on it). I was going to just send this video to Great Grandpa and Grandma Funk (they gave it to him for his birthday), but I decided it was too good to not share with everyone. (Sorry about his cough at the end...)
Pretty fun, huh?!? Well, that's all. Thanks for reading!
The other day, I was washing dishes, and Abram was playing with his toys in the living room. He usually babbles while he plays, and I can usually hear some type of silly song playing from one of his toys too. Pretty soon, it grew very quiet. I walked out to see what he was doing, and he wasn't there! I noticed that the screen door was standing open. "Strange," I thought, "I don't remember opening that...." I walked over to the door, and what I saw was one of the most precious things ever....there sat Abe, in the corner of the balcony, indian-style, watching the man mow the courtyard down below. Now, before I get a string of comments about how dangerous this is....rest assured, there is NO WAY he could possibly fall. Trust me on that!! Just relax and enjoy the picture :)
When I called his name:
I love that he finds such joy in things like that! Now, the next picture was VERY hard to take...
What's so hard, you ask? He HATES the hat! I made this hat for him out of some leftover yarn I had. I had to make a bunch of ridiculous noises and faces so I could distract him long enough to take a picture. He normally pulls it off .1 seconds after I put it on!
Another (I think he looks like such a big boy here):
Now, the last is the best of all. Abram is finally big enough to play on his horse by himself (he still needs help getting on it). I was going to just send this video to Great Grandpa and Grandma Funk (they gave it to him for his birthday), but I decided it was too good to not share with everyone. (Sorry about his cough at the end...)
Pretty fun, huh?!? Well, that's all. Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Milwaukee
I thought it might be fun to give you a "photo diary" of last Friday, particularly since I haven't shared any pictures in a little while. We went up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as Ryan had an interview there. Here is our day:
We left at about 5:50 AM and arrived at about 9:30 AM. Not too bad of a drive! It was surprisingly enjoyable, because I had anticipated a ton of traffic up by the Rockford/Chicago interchanges. It was actually light on traffic, beautiful on fall scenery!
While Ryan spent his day here:
Abe and I spent our day here:
and here:
It was a fabulous mall with a lot of stores we don't have around home.
I was also really impressed by the area! Beautiful foliage and quaint villages, like this one, Wauwatosa:
Abe and I checked out some of the little shops in the village.
Following are a few more pictures of our time at the park. He loves to "help" me push the stroller; he pushes the basket below while I push the top:
He was absolutely enamored by the water beneath the bridge. He just sat there starring at it for the longest time!
Here he is enjoying some fruit:
And here he is hanging out on a bench:
We spent quite a while just walking around (he LOVES to roam! It takes forever to travel 10 feet, because he stops to pick up every leaf he sees!). Around 4:15, we went back to the college and read some books while we waited for Ryan. He came out around 4:25 with a positive report! He felt as though the interview went very well!
Then, the three of us went back to the mall and ended our day here:
YUM!!
We had a nice drive home, although we were quite tired. All in all, a great day! We should be hearing from MCW (Medical College of Wisconsin) in just 2 WEEKS!!! I'll keep you posted!
We left at about 5:50 AM and arrived at about 9:30 AM. Not too bad of a drive! It was surprisingly enjoyable, because I had anticipated a ton of traffic up by the Rockford/Chicago interchanges. It was actually light on traffic, beautiful on fall scenery!
While Ryan spent his day here:
Abe and I spent our day here:
and here:
It was a fabulous mall with a lot of stores we don't have around home.
I was also really impressed by the area! Beautiful foliage and quaint villages, like this one, Wauwatosa:
Abe and I checked out some of the little shops in the village.
Following are a few more pictures of our time at the park. He loves to "help" me push the stroller; he pushes the basket below while I push the top:
He was absolutely enamored by the water beneath the bridge. He just sat there starring at it for the longest time!
Here he is enjoying some fruit:
And here he is hanging out on a bench:
We spent quite a while just walking around (he LOVES to roam! It takes forever to travel 10 feet, because he stops to pick up every leaf he sees!). Around 4:15, we went back to the college and read some books while we waited for Ryan. He came out around 4:25 with a positive report! He felt as though the interview went very well!
Then, the three of us went back to the mall and ended our day here:
YUM!!
We had a nice drive home, although we were quite tired. All in all, a great day! We should be hearing from MCW (Medical College of Wisconsin) in just 2 WEEKS!!! I'll keep you posted!
Monday, September 27, 2010
A Moment of Quiet!!
After a whirlwind of a week and weekend, it's quiet again, at least for a little while! I'll give a brief recap of our hectic week:
Ryan was gone at an interview on Monday, and I taught at Manual. We both worked on Tuesday, then as soon as Ryan got home, we took off to North Chicago for his interview on Wednesday. (Just to put in a plug for the Courtyard Marriot in Waukegan/Gurnee...they were SO accomodating to us. They knew we were there for an interview at Rosalind Franklin, and they treated us quite well. This was particularly nice since I was there all day with Abram while Ryan interviewed. Keep them in mind if you're headed that way). We got home Wednesday evening and had a pretty normal day on Thursday (except Ryan taught on Thursday night, so he wasn't home much...on Thursdays, he is only home a few waking hours between work during the day and teaching at night). Then on Friday, I had errands to run and some cleaning to do, and as soon as Ryan got home, we took off for Madison. We enjoyed a great time with the Dill family on Saturday in Wisconsin, and since Ryan had to fly out of Peoria at 6 AM Sunday morning, we left after dinner Saturday night. It was a long drive home...we left Madison just before 9 PM, and we were both very tired. We talked about all sorts of mindless things in an effort to stay awake! And we stopped for some caffeine halfway through the trip too. Needless to say, we've been doing a lot of late night driving lately. Abe's carseat has turned into a makeshift crib!
Now it's Monday morning, and I'm teaching at Richwoods today (my first time there...I'm excited to see what it's like!). They only needed me for a half day, so the morning has been a bit more leisurely. Ryan should be home around 11 tonight. Then we'll have (hopefully) a normal three days, and then back to Wisconsin (Milwaukee this time) for an interview on Friday. It's been kind of a thrill, going through this season, walking through each door that opens and seeing where God will take it from here. Still, I'm looking forward to things slowing down a bit. Hopefully as the winter months commence, we'll have an idea of what might happen next year.
New adventures with Abram: I spent the better part of the morning looking for a bottle of hairspray. You'd think it wouldn't be too hard to find a 12-inch-tall bottle in a 900 sqaure foot apartment, but, Abe has developed quite a talent for hiding objects that he shouldn't! I get a kick out of it though. It's kind of fun to reach in the cupboard for a pan and find a toy car. He makes me smile :)
I guess that's all for now. Have a great week!
Ryan was gone at an interview on Monday, and I taught at Manual. We both worked on Tuesday, then as soon as Ryan got home, we took off to North Chicago for his interview on Wednesday. (Just to put in a plug for the Courtyard Marriot in Waukegan/Gurnee...they were SO accomodating to us. They knew we were there for an interview at Rosalind Franklin, and they treated us quite well. This was particularly nice since I was there all day with Abram while Ryan interviewed. Keep them in mind if you're headed that way). We got home Wednesday evening and had a pretty normal day on Thursday (except Ryan taught on Thursday night, so he wasn't home much...on Thursdays, he is only home a few waking hours between work during the day and teaching at night). Then on Friday, I had errands to run and some cleaning to do, and as soon as Ryan got home, we took off for Madison. We enjoyed a great time with the Dill family on Saturday in Wisconsin, and since Ryan had to fly out of Peoria at 6 AM Sunday morning, we left after dinner Saturday night. It was a long drive home...we left Madison just before 9 PM, and we were both very tired. We talked about all sorts of mindless things in an effort to stay awake! And we stopped for some caffeine halfway through the trip too. Needless to say, we've been doing a lot of late night driving lately. Abe's carseat has turned into a makeshift crib!
Now it's Monday morning, and I'm teaching at Richwoods today (my first time there...I'm excited to see what it's like!). They only needed me for a half day, so the morning has been a bit more leisurely. Ryan should be home around 11 tonight. Then we'll have (hopefully) a normal three days, and then back to Wisconsin (Milwaukee this time) for an interview on Friday. It's been kind of a thrill, going through this season, walking through each door that opens and seeing where God will take it from here. Still, I'm looking forward to things slowing down a bit. Hopefully as the winter months commence, we'll have an idea of what might happen next year.
New adventures with Abram: I spent the better part of the morning looking for a bottle of hairspray. You'd think it wouldn't be too hard to find a 12-inch-tall bottle in a 900 sqaure foot apartment, but, Abe has developed quite a talent for hiding objects that he shouldn't! I get a kick out of it though. It's kind of fun to reach in the cupboard for a pan and find a toy car. He makes me smile :)
I guess that's all for now. Have a great week!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Med School Update
I don't have a whole lot of time to write, but I wanted to give a brief update about med school...
Thanks for praying!! We are so grateful. We've had numerous people tell us that they're praying for us. It truly means so much.
Ryan has had two interviews so far, and they have both gone very well. While he can't know exactly what his interviewers' perceptions of the interview were, from his standpoint, there was nothing he felt that he would change. He felt positive about both experiences.
Unfortunately, it will still be quite some time before we know anything definite, but for now, we are glad to keep moving forward! We appreciate your continued prayers as he has more interviews coming up in the next 2-3 weeks. We love you and thank you!
I'll write more soon!
Thanks for praying!! We are so grateful. We've had numerous people tell us that they're praying for us. It truly means so much.
Ryan has had two interviews so far, and they have both gone very well. While he can't know exactly what his interviewers' perceptions of the interview were, from his standpoint, there was nothing he felt that he would change. He felt positive about both experiences.
Unfortunately, it will still be quite some time before we know anything definite, but for now, we are glad to keep moving forward! We appreciate your continued prayers as he has more interviews coming up in the next 2-3 weeks. We love you and thank you!
I'll write more soon!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Long Overdue
I first want to apologize to all of my faithful readers who may have been checking often to see if I posted (namely my dear sister-in-law Erin) and have come up empty-handed as I have not posted for 2 WEEKS!!! There just simply has not been an opportune time to sit down and write. Last week was all jostled about due to Labor Day, Food Bank Load Out, and being gone all day Friday and Saturday. Then this past week, I started substitute teaching again on Monday and Tuesday, and yesterday I went up to Aurora to go shopping. SO, here we are, Thursday, 9/16/2010, and I am getting a chance to write.
We just received an exciting email about an hour ago: an invitation to interview for Georgetown School of Medicine. That brings Ryan's total interviews to 6, and we are remaining hopeful and prayerful that these will produce good results! Now that his secondary applications have all been submitted, he's been able to relax more and focus on the interviews that lie ahead. It's been refreshing to see him sit down and read a book for pleasure in the evening rather than be tied down to the computer writing essays.
On the work front, Ryan has been keeping busy with Hoerr's, and he is also thoroughly enjoying his teaching on Thursday nights. He and the students have grown more comfortable with one another already, and he's looking forward to the rest of the semester. Regarding my teaching, I was feeling a little ill about it all on Sunday night. I'm not really sure why, maybe just because I haven't done it all summer and it was all sort of new again. But, it went very well, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the semester too.
Lastly, I just want to share a thought I had a few days ago. I was thinking about how exciting it will be to hear Abe's little voice tell me that he loves me. Then I thought about how as deeply as I love Abram, God's love for us surpasses it greater still (could we with ink the ocean fill...). Then I thought about how much it must mean to our Abba Father to hear us tell Him that we love Him. Nothing flowerly or eloquent or profound, just a simple, "My great, glorious God, my Father, I LOVE YOU!! With all I can find within me, God, I love you." When I pray, I usually do tell God that I love Him, but it felt different when I thought about how me saying those simple words were so, SO sweet to God's ears. And, if we really do love Him, our lives will show it too. We will keep His commandments and walk in His ways.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14
We just received an exciting email about an hour ago: an invitation to interview for Georgetown School of Medicine. That brings Ryan's total interviews to 6, and we are remaining hopeful and prayerful that these will produce good results! Now that his secondary applications have all been submitted, he's been able to relax more and focus on the interviews that lie ahead. It's been refreshing to see him sit down and read a book for pleasure in the evening rather than be tied down to the computer writing essays.
On the work front, Ryan has been keeping busy with Hoerr's, and he is also thoroughly enjoying his teaching on Thursday nights. He and the students have grown more comfortable with one another already, and he's looking forward to the rest of the semester. Regarding my teaching, I was feeling a little ill about it all on Sunday night. I'm not really sure why, maybe just because I haven't done it all summer and it was all sort of new again. But, it went very well, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the semester too.
Lastly, I just want to share a thought I had a few days ago. I was thinking about how exciting it will be to hear Abe's little voice tell me that he loves me. Then I thought about how as deeply as I love Abram, God's love for us surpasses it greater still (could we with ink the ocean fill...). Then I thought about how much it must mean to our Abba Father to hear us tell Him that we love Him. Nothing flowerly or eloquent or profound, just a simple, "My great, glorious God, my Father, I LOVE YOU!! With all I can find within me, God, I love you." When I pray, I usually do tell God that I love Him, but it felt different when I thought about how me saying those simple words were so, SO sweet to God's ears. And, if we really do love Him, our lives will show it too. We will keep His commandments and walk in His ways.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14
Thursday, September 2, 2010
A Challenge
This post is for my dear brother-in-law who recently admonished me for not writing anything thought provoking and inspiring enough. So, hopefully this will remedy that.
I heard the following quote yesterday:
"Life is short, death is certain, people are lost, eternity is forever, and hell is real."
Just think about that for a moment. Do you weep at the thought of people spending eternity in hell? Do you realize that there is nothing superior about you? That it is only because of God's unfathomable grace that you were born into a family that knew Jesus? Millions are lost. We've been called to go into all the world and preach the good news. When was the last time you actively shared the Gospel with someone? (And for the record, I am speaking to myself as much as to each of you reading). I'm not talking about just "being a light" in your workplace or at the grocery store, etc., I'm talking about telling someone who doesn't know Jesus that there is victory for them, that there is a God who loves them so much, that He sent His only son to die to set them free. Don't misunderstand me, I think we can be powerful witnesses through the manner in which we conduct our lives and interact with people. But I believe there is a verbal aspect as well.
Imagine that you're living in the "Little House on the Prairie Days". You catch some game, and you hang it in the meathouse. Several days later, you return to it, and find that it smells badly and has started to rot; the meat is no longer fit for consumption and must be thrown away. Do you blame the meat for rotting? Or do you blame yourself for not properly salting the meat so it would be preserved?
"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet." Matthew 5:13
Do you see the analogy? It is not the lost world's fault that they are lost and going to hell if they've never heard the gospel. It's ours. We're the salt, and if we aren't sharing, the lost world is going to rot. Forever.
"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? " Romans 10:14
There is an Indian family who recently moved in across the courtyard from us. The mother and daugter are often out on their balcony in the evenings, and numerous times I've encountered them as I'm coming and going. I always say "hi" and smile, and they return the greeting. Every time I pass by, I have the nagging feeling (aka, the Spirit's prompting) that I should invite them over for dinner and start to build a relationship. I haven't done it. Yet. I'm going to. Keep me accountable. Ask me sometime.
Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:17
Is there anyone God wants you to talk to? Will you?
"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16
I heard the following quote yesterday:
"Life is short, death is certain, people are lost, eternity is forever, and hell is real."
Just think about that for a moment. Do you weep at the thought of people spending eternity in hell? Do you realize that there is nothing superior about you? That it is only because of God's unfathomable grace that you were born into a family that knew Jesus? Millions are lost. We've been called to go into all the world and preach the good news. When was the last time you actively shared the Gospel with someone? (And for the record, I am speaking to myself as much as to each of you reading). I'm not talking about just "being a light" in your workplace or at the grocery store, etc., I'm talking about telling someone who doesn't know Jesus that there is victory for them, that there is a God who loves them so much, that He sent His only son to die to set them free. Don't misunderstand me, I think we can be powerful witnesses through the manner in which we conduct our lives and interact with people. But I believe there is a verbal aspect as well.
Imagine that you're living in the "Little House on the Prairie Days". You catch some game, and you hang it in the meathouse. Several days later, you return to it, and find that it smells badly and has started to rot; the meat is no longer fit for consumption and must be thrown away. Do you blame the meat for rotting? Or do you blame yourself for not properly salting the meat so it would be preserved?
"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet." Matthew 5:13
Do you see the analogy? It is not the lost world's fault that they are lost and going to hell if they've never heard the gospel. It's ours. We're the salt, and if we aren't sharing, the lost world is going to rot. Forever.
"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? " Romans 10:14
There is an Indian family who recently moved in across the courtyard from us. The mother and daugter are often out on their balcony in the evenings, and numerous times I've encountered them as I'm coming and going. I always say "hi" and smile, and they return the greeting. Every time I pass by, I have the nagging feeling (aka, the Spirit's prompting) that I should invite them over for dinner and start to build a relationship. I haven't done it. Yet. I'm going to. Keep me accountable. Ask me sometime.
Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:17
Is there anyone God wants you to talk to? Will you?
"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Abram's Photos
I want to offer up an advertisement for Epic Life Photography....they took Abram's 1 year pictures, and we were so pleased!! It was a horribly hot evening, and by the time we were done, we all had sweat rolling down our backs and faces. But, Abram was in an awesome mood and they were able to really capture some great pictures! Here are a few of our favorites (note, these photos are all under copywrite and cannot be downloaded and reproduced):
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A Beautiful Day
Well, I am sitting down to write after finally getting the bathroom cleaned from Abram's latest discovery: vaseline. I thought I had adequately hid it from him, and as it turns out, I was very, very wrong. He came walking out to me, his little hands held out toward me so I could see, each holding a generous mound of the greasy, goopy substance. I carried him back to the bathroom, shut the door, and didn't let him leave until he, the bathroom surfaces, and all the under-counter objects were scrubbed! I imagine I'll probably reach under the sink to pull out my hairdryer or bottle of ibuprofen someday and come up with a handful of vaseline....
Anyway, back to my title: a beautiful day! The weather is perfect today, warm, but not too hot, with a gentle breeze. I took Abe to Sommer Park, and we enjoyed a nice walk. Then I pushed him in the swing and took him down the slide a couple of times. We walked some more, and by that time, it was about time for his nap. Ryan discovered the park last summer while he was working one day, and we've made good use of it. It's down Koerner Road and at the back of a subdivision, but it's open to the public, maintained by the Park District. It's probably one of the nicest parks around that's reasonably close to us! There are basketball courts, tennis courts, a soccer field, a baseball field, a skateboarding ramp, nice paved trails with room for two strollers side by side (hint to my mommy-friends!!), and a nice playground and pavilion.
As we were coming out of the woods on our walk, there was a field of tall grasses and wildflowers on either side of us. I heard some rustling, looked over to my right, and saw a deer staring at me. We just watched each other for a while, and he didn't move, even when I talked to Abram and moved so he could see the deer too. It was a beautiful, awe-inspring moment, for the deer to be so close, probably about 20 feet, and not run away! I recited Psalm 42:1 and sang the familiar song as we finished our walk, through the beauty of God's creation on a beautiful, late summer day. I pondered those thoughts during the rest of our time at the park, and when we left, I was just overwhelmed by the goodness and majesty of of God. As the deer pants after the water brooks, so longs my soul after you, O God. Psalm 42:1
On a different note, we are excited to share that Ryan has had 3 interview offers so far! They are scheduled for the last two weeks of September. Several other schools have emailed him, stating that he has been moved through the prelimiary review into a smaller pool who will be reviewed again in order to determine the interview candidates. We're encouraged that the Lord is bringing us to the next part of this journey. He is faithful!
I better get going. I need to dispose of my dead potted plants. They were gorgeous all summer, but when we went on vacation, we came home to dry, droopy flowers. I thought that might happen, but it's such a hassel to have someone drive over and come up just to water two small plants. We aren't close enough to any of our neighbors for me to feel comfortable asking, so alas, my plants are no more. I watered them faithfully after we got home, but despite a valiant effort, they didn't make it. I guess I'll just have to look forward to my mums this fall!
Until next time.
Anyway, back to my title: a beautiful day! The weather is perfect today, warm, but not too hot, with a gentle breeze. I took Abe to Sommer Park, and we enjoyed a nice walk. Then I pushed him in the swing and took him down the slide a couple of times. We walked some more, and by that time, it was about time for his nap. Ryan discovered the park last summer while he was working one day, and we've made good use of it. It's down Koerner Road and at the back of a subdivision, but it's open to the public, maintained by the Park District. It's probably one of the nicest parks around that's reasonably close to us! There are basketball courts, tennis courts, a soccer field, a baseball field, a skateboarding ramp, nice paved trails with room for two strollers side by side (hint to my mommy-friends!!), and a nice playground and pavilion.
As we were coming out of the woods on our walk, there was a field of tall grasses and wildflowers on either side of us. I heard some rustling, looked over to my right, and saw a deer staring at me. We just watched each other for a while, and he didn't move, even when I talked to Abram and moved so he could see the deer too. It was a beautiful, awe-inspring moment, for the deer to be so close, probably about 20 feet, and not run away! I recited Psalm 42:1 and sang the familiar song as we finished our walk, through the beauty of God's creation on a beautiful, late summer day. I pondered those thoughts during the rest of our time at the park, and when we left, I was just overwhelmed by the goodness and majesty of of God. As the deer pants after the water brooks, so longs my soul after you, O God. Psalm 42:1
On a different note, we are excited to share that Ryan has had 3 interview offers so far! They are scheduled for the last two weeks of September. Several other schools have emailed him, stating that he has been moved through the prelimiary review into a smaller pool who will be reviewed again in order to determine the interview candidates. We're encouraged that the Lord is bringing us to the next part of this journey. He is faithful!
I better get going. I need to dispose of my dead potted plants. They were gorgeous all summer, but when we went on vacation, we came home to dry, droopy flowers. I thought that might happen, but it's such a hassel to have someone drive over and come up just to water two small plants. We aren't close enough to any of our neighbors for me to feel comfortable asking, so alas, my plants are no more. I watered them faithfully after we got home, but despite a valiant effort, they didn't make it. I guess I'll just have to look forward to my mums this fall!
Until next time.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Hiton Head, South Caroina
Well, as promised, albeit a little late, here are the pictures of Hilton Head! I'll try to post the more significant moments, so as to keep your attention, although it is certainly tempting to go picture crazy, since all the moments are important to me!!
Here's Abe, watching the planes while we waited to board. I love this picture of him.
Abe and Mommy on the plane, his first plane ride!
Abram on the first morning...don't let the grin fool you!! His PJ's say "Who you callin' CRABBY"....quite fitting for the week of sickness!
Grandpa helping Abe check out the ocean.
Playing in the sand!
This is Spanish moss on one of the trees. There is really no way to do this justice....all the trees, "normal" ones, like we have here at home, had this gorgeous moss hanging from their branches. Palm trees were sprinkled in too....it was just incredibly lush and beautiful.
One of MANY stroller rides!!
Daddy pushing Abe in the swing at the playground in our village.
Abe and Mommy in the pool! He liked this better than the ocean, less overwhelming, I think! He especially loved the kiddie pool...the whole week, Ryan and I thought it was a hot tub. On the last day, mom discovered that it was actually a one foot kiddie pool! I wish I had known the entire week!! But we did thoroughly enjoy it on the last afternoon.
An alligator in a lagoon near our villa. His body extends out to the left, it's a little hard to see because of the lighting. If you look close, you can see the ridges on his back.
Ry and me on an evening bikeride. Along the main highway of the Hilton Head island are many different plantations. Ours was called "Palmetto Dunes". Then, within each plantation, were different villages. Ours was called "Turnberry Village". Within the plantation, people rode bicycles absolutely everywhere.
My love and me before we went out to dinner with the "adults" :) We ate at a hole in the wall local restaurant called "Roastfish and Cornbread". The food was fabulous and our waiter was hysterical!
Abe playing an arcade game on Fuddrucker's.
Our little family.
The whole family.
Walking around the airport....we had already been there 2 1/2 hours before the flight was scheduled to take off....then weather caused a 2 hour delay!! Needless to say, I don't really desire to go back to Atlanta airport for a while!
Abe and this little girl were looking out the window together. This picture was taken literally seconds before Abe barfed all over the floor. The little girl kept saying, "Oh, gross!!" It was pretty humorous. I told the little girl to go back over by her mommy, and she said, "Okay." Then her mother came back with baby wipes for me. Another woman brought paper towels and contacted the janitor for me. I was so appreciative for their help! We were across the room from Ryan at the time, so he had no clue what was happening. I stripped Abe's clothes off of him and wiped him down, then carried him to Ryan, quickly explained what had happened, and returned to the scene to clean up. The janitor arrived shortly afterward and thanked me for keeping him in a job...I went to the bathroom to rinse out Abe's clothes, his only pair....and then, since they were wet and very smelly, he rode home like this:
The end...It was a great trip! We had a fantastic time even though Abram was sick. But, I have to say, I'm glad to have his crib back and have him back on his normal schedule! Thanks Mom and Dad for a wonderful time.
Here's Abe, watching the planes while we waited to board. I love this picture of him.
Abe and Mommy on the plane, his first plane ride!
Abram on the first morning...don't let the grin fool you!! His PJ's say "Who you callin' CRABBY"....quite fitting for the week of sickness!
Grandpa helping Abe check out the ocean.
Playing in the sand!
This is Spanish moss on one of the trees. There is really no way to do this justice....all the trees, "normal" ones, like we have here at home, had this gorgeous moss hanging from their branches. Palm trees were sprinkled in too....it was just incredibly lush and beautiful.
One of MANY stroller rides!!
Daddy pushing Abe in the swing at the playground in our village.
Abe and Mommy in the pool! He liked this better than the ocean, less overwhelming, I think! He especially loved the kiddie pool...the whole week, Ryan and I thought it was a hot tub. On the last day, mom discovered that it was actually a one foot kiddie pool! I wish I had known the entire week!! But we did thoroughly enjoy it on the last afternoon.
An alligator in a lagoon near our villa. His body extends out to the left, it's a little hard to see because of the lighting. If you look close, you can see the ridges on his back.
Ry and me on an evening bikeride. Along the main highway of the Hilton Head island are many different plantations. Ours was called "Palmetto Dunes". Then, within each plantation, were different villages. Ours was called "Turnberry Village". Within the plantation, people rode bicycles absolutely everywhere.
My love and me before we went out to dinner with the "adults" :) We ate at a hole in the wall local restaurant called "Roastfish and Cornbread". The food was fabulous and our waiter was hysterical!
Abe playing an arcade game on Fuddrucker's.
Our little family.
The whole family.
Walking around the airport....we had already been there 2 1/2 hours before the flight was scheduled to take off....then weather caused a 2 hour delay!! Needless to say, I don't really desire to go back to Atlanta airport for a while!
Abe and this little girl were looking out the window together. This picture was taken literally seconds before Abe barfed all over the floor. The little girl kept saying, "Oh, gross!!" It was pretty humorous. I told the little girl to go back over by her mommy, and she said, "Okay." Then her mother came back with baby wipes for me. Another woman brought paper towels and contacted the janitor for me. I was so appreciative for their help! We were across the room from Ryan at the time, so he had no clue what was happening. I stripped Abe's clothes off of him and wiped him down, then carried him to Ryan, quickly explained what had happened, and returned to the scene to clean up. The janitor arrived shortly afterward and thanked me for keeping him in a job...I went to the bathroom to rinse out Abe's clothes, his only pair....and then, since they were wet and very smelly, he rode home like this:
The end...It was a great trip! We had a fantastic time even though Abram was sick. But, I have to say, I'm glad to have his crib back and have him back on his normal schedule! Thanks Mom and Dad for a wonderful time.
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