Michigan Part 2

For the party Stephen had gotten things ready in the kitchen for the final food prep and had the tables set up for us. The kids had fun playing while we went to work. Stephen and Michelle started making the homemade salsa and guacamole while Dan and I decorated the tables and hung paper decoration. Michelle also got the "cake" set up.


Titus finishing up the stickers for the tables





So cute!

Party Favors for the kids

It didn't take too long to get everything set up and the kids wanted to help after a while, which was fun. They loved putting the stickers on the table, which was also a very cute idea. We also had fun playing around with the mask for Damaris to wear and of course Damaris wanted her picture taken too.

 

Ready for the party!

After the party we cleaned up and headed home to make homemade pizza for dinner. We were all pretty tired and just watched a movie. The next morning we went to church with them and had lunch before meeting my parents for dinner at one of Dan's new favorite places to eat in Michigan, Carrabba's Italian Grill. We have them here in Indiana just not where we live. After dinner we said good bye and headed home.

Michigan Part 1

This past weekend Dan and I went up to spend it with my sister and her family. It was my niece's 5th birthday and we were excited to get to spend it with them. We were welcomed Friday evening with the usual, don't look at the dog or touch her. The excitement of people will make her pee on the floor if she gets attention.

We also got a sneak peek at the cupcakes that would be making up the "cake" for the party.

The plan for Saturday was a little crazy but we were ready to go in the morning. The kids needed to get their Tee Ball pictures taken at 8:30 am, Michelle had a conference call at 9 am, and Stephen had a men's breakfast at the church at 8:30 am. So Dan and I were going to go with the kids and meet up with Michelle after to grab some lunch, pack the car, and meet Stephen at the church. Then we all would set up for the party. But first I had a cupcake for Dan in honor of the founding of Rome...we even sang Happy Birthday to Rome.

For the pictures we loaded the kids in the car and headed to their athletic fields. It was FREEZING outside and Dan found out it was 33 degree's outside. People were in sweatshirts and Baseball Jersey's...I thought they were crazy. Things took almost 2 hours as a couple of their team mates forgot that the pictures were on Saturday. But things went smoothly once everyone was there. Dan and I enjoyed getting to spend the time with the kids and started some games of chasing each other around to help distract all of us from the cold. The kids started to have fun and liked running around...I even got some flowers brought to me.

Back at the house we had hot chocolate and tea to warm up and Dan was reading to the kids while Michelle and I got lunch together. Then we were off to set up the party!

New Mattress

Before I moved to Cambodia I had a regular bed...two mattresses and my bed frame. When I moved my bed to my parents house I had to throw out my box spring mattress. I figured I would just get a new one when I got back. But the longer I was back the more it got pushed to the back burner. And then I got married and we used Dan's bed because it was Queen size and mine was only a Full. Well the time finally came when I saw an ad for a great deal on mattresses.

On Saturday we headed out to find the store that was advertising. As we pulled in we both commented on how shady this place looked and I was excited to go in. It had the feel that if we came the next day nothing would be left inside the warehouse. Still after checking prices at other furniture places we went back and bought a box spring for my bed. But how to get it home? After talking about borrowing or renting a truck we were inspired to try strapping it to our car :)

 The guy helped strap it down and off we went. We drove slow on back roads and made it home with everthing still intact.

 It only took a couple minutes to move the top mattress (we have it set up for all of our house showings) and put the bed frame together. It is honestly the easiest bed to assemble and take apart. So here is the before and after pictures.


Before



After

Dan and I both have gotten so use to the mattress on the floor that when we saw it all set up we both felt like it looked really weird but also really great. We had to try it out and we could tell there was a new mattress on the bottom. My other box spring was very well worn in... this one not so much :) BUT we now have an actual bed to offer if someone was to come stay with us!

Plus if I get tired of sewing or quilting I can just lay down and take a nap :)

Camping

Dan and I have been getting antsy about going camping and for Christmas Stephen and Michelle got us an amazing air mattress. It came with a battery powered air pump and inflatable pillows! We were both really excited about it and this weekend randomly decided it was time to try it out.

Getting it set up

Ready for the movies

 We decided on a Batman marathon and got cozy for the night. It was fun sleeping in the living room...until I woke up freezing at 6am. :) I have gotten use to sleeping on a regular bed (I was sleeping on my mattress on the floor before we got married) and didn't have enough layers on.

It was tons of fun having a "sleep over" in our living room and finding out how comfortable we get to sleep when we go camping this summer! Much nicer then the camping trips when I have slept on the ground.

BBQ sauce

Dan likes BBQ sauce...

Easter

Dan and I decided to do Easter Baskets for each other. I have not gotten a basket since I was in High School and have never had the fun of putting one together. I had been collecting things for a couple weeks and gotten candy we both would like...

The candy

The basket and grass (with a few fruit snacks)

A few fun items

All put together

For the weekend we went to our churches Friday night service which was very nice and we were really glad we went. On Saturday we went to a Mad Ants game. The Mad Ants are a Development League for the NBA. They haven't had a good season but we were excited to watch them win by one point!

On Sunday we did the search for the Easter baskets. Dan made a little M&M trail for me...

 He cleverly hid it outside...which was slightly cheating. But the M&M trail was very cute and I just had to follow it. I did go outside but as the M&M trail ended I didn't think to look around the corner of the house.  After a bit of Hot and Cold help and a few hints I was back outside and found my basket.

After church we went to Dan's parents house and had lunch. I made a sweet potatoe dish and some brownies, both turned out really good. We had a nice time filling ourselves with good food and enjoying time to relax.

Sweet Potatoes :)

When we got home later we decided to decorate eggs!

It was a fun weekend and I love being reminded of what Christ did for us and the freedom we have in Him. It was also fun doing things from my childhood. I hope you had a good Easter too!

Flower

Dan's sister and her husband decided to decorate part of their daughter's rooms with art from family members...so for their first little girl everyone got a wooden butterfly and for their second girl we got flowers. It is so adorable to see them mounted on the wall and such a cute idea. I did not get to do a butterfly because Dan and I didn't even know each other at the time. But with baby number two I got to shake the dust off my creativity.

With my plain white flower in mind I started thinking about what I wanted to do. Plus as people turn their flowers back in we all get pictures of them. I am not really sure how I got the idea but decided on putting the meaning of her name on the flower. Than Dan and I headed to Michael's to see what inspiration we could conjure up. Slowly colors and idea's started to emerge and we ended up leaving with lots of fun things to use.

General lay out idea

With my lay out in mind I knew I wanted to paint my flower to add some texture. I haven't painted in a long time and think I might start doing more of it. I already draw in my journal...why not add painting?

Blue and Green watercolors

 Next I used the sparkling letters to spell out Captivating (the meaning of Rebecca) and made some adjustments to how I was going to lay out the birds and buttons.

I used some glue to attach the buttons and the birds already had a sticky side. My last move might be to add some sealer to the top but after everything dried it seems well secured on. Here are a couple pictures of the final flower :) I love how it turned out.

 Now I just need to get pictures of Dan's flower when he is done. I am excited to see it, he has a really good idea.

Be Joyful in Hope

Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

Hope scares me. It always feels like a bubble or a beautiful dream close enough to touch but fragile and quick to disappear. As God and I have been talking about Hope this year I found my first response was fear. I took a deep breath and thought, "not again; I thought we covered this one"...and did it well. During my last journey with Hope I even bought the word ( which I didn't want at the time). I didn't want the reminder of God asking me to Hope for things in my life; things I was scared I would never have.

I even had it in a specific location in my apartment where I would have to see it every day when I would walk in the door and before I left. I knew I had to choose Hope even when my heart was terrified. And though I found strength in the Hope I discovered with God I am still scared. For me Hope is about dreaming and God is calling my heart to dream, wish, and Hope. Hope more, Hope longer, Hope bigger, and in my Hope find joy.

Fear asks, " What if what I Hope for never happens?" It wants to pull me into myself, crawl some place safe and live in fear instead of possibly being disappointed. Disappointment happens but don't loose sight of Joy.

Fear keeps me from dreaming big, Hoping for more, and from experiencing joy. Dreaming gives joy, the joy of thinking about the possibilities. And there can be sadness in loss of expectations. But God isn't saying be joyful in expectations...be joyful in HOPE. Hope of what can be, what might be, and what could be. Hope is free from expectations.

I think God wants me to do a bit more untangling.

He makes all things new

Just because

What my wonderful husband had waiting for me when I got home from work this week :)

It's beginning to look a lot like summer....

First campfire of the year!!!

We decided to keep our Christmas tree and use it for firewood :) We can't wait to go camping.

The Burden

I was doing my devotions yesterday and found myself intrigued with what I was studying. I am reading the book "Edges of His Ways" by Amy Carmichael.  I have read this book before and love seeing what God pulls out when I go through a devotional a second time. To give you some context: Amy Carmichael was a missionary to South India in 1895 and this book is from her notes. I can't imagine the challenges of living overseas with no way to connect back home...yet like so many before her, she did.

Numbers 7:9 Upon their shoulders
 "The burdens we have to carry on our shoulders are what our God counts most precious."

This year is about experiencing God as Relentless and seeing the ways He is calling me to be Relentless as well. I was challenged to think about how I view my burdens, those things which weigh heavy on my heart and mind. The things which I struggle under and fall to my knees in prayer begging God to release me from. When in great need my face touches the floor and I will feel God's peace and strength fill me so I can rise carrying what He has asked.

God is calling me to be Relentless with these burdens, with this weight I carry. To carry them with joy and faith as God is being Relentless to use them to continue to shape me; burning away the ugliness and sin in my heart. The burden is part of what keeps me coming back to God, because sadly I'm not sure how often I would return if the weight didn't, at times, bring me to my knees. It is an easy choice not to become bitter or angry with the Lord. I trust Him. I believe Him. And He has been on this journey with me for too long for my heart to think He is not working towards something good in my life. He is the Healer, Life giver, Lover, and Purchaser of me.

As I sat with the Lord this morning talking about my burdens, tears streaming down my face, I heard His gentle whisper..."Do you trust me?" Do I trust Him enough to know He knows more and loves the people I love more than I ever could? That He is working towards something yet unseen to me? That He is producing things in me and the people I love through these burdens? That He is being Relentless with my heart as I Relentlessly work to choose joy? Yes Lord, I do...this is most precious to Him.

The Lotus Flower...pushing its way through heavy mud and dirt to find freedom

Extra's

I'm not sure we have enough pens or post-it notes....

Let the weeding out continue......

Valentine's Day

This week was about celebration, first with Dan's birthday on Monday and then Valentine's Day on Tuesday.  Seeing as we are trying to live on a budget we decided on going out for dinner and spending the rest of the evening at home. When I woke up Tuesday morning I found a dozen roses in the bathroom, which was amazing :)

We even got to have lunch together, which was also fun. We had been talking about where we wanted to go for dinner the previous night and decided on the Thai restaurant we both like, which meant Chinese for lunch and Thai for dinner...not that either of us minded :) I took some time to curl my hair before Dan got home so we could head out in hopes of getting a table.

The Shirley Temple look

We had a lot of fun and the food is always really good.  Back home we enjoyed watching New Girl (great new show if you haven't seen it) and cuddling on the couch. It was a great Valentine's Day and we both feel very blessed having each other in our lives.

Happy Birthday!

Today is Dan's Birthday... but we celebrated with our families this past weekend. My parents came down from Michigan, stopping to pick up his favorite doughnuts on the way, and brought down a few last wedding gifts and Dan's presents. We had a nice time chatting and playing cards after lunch before heading up to Shipshewana. We meet up with his parents and sister Emily for dinner. We had ate at the Blue Gate Resturant, which is always very good. My parents then drove home and the rest of us headed back to our house for cake and homemade ice cream.

I had fun using our ice cream maker and was excited to see how easily it was to use. I made strawberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream to go with the yellow cake with white frosting I made. We ate and gave Dan his gifts. Tonight Dan and I are going out for dinner and hopefully relaxing the rest of the evening. The interesting thing is everyone wishing Dan well for his last year in his 20's...I can't say being 30 is a huge deal to either of us. I think we are really going to enjoy our 30's and look forward to what things wait for us during that time in our life.

Weeding Out

Perhaps this is the time of year when most people do their "spring cleaning". A time when we look through what we have and decided what we need to get rid of. I don't know if Dan and I are "spring cleaning" but we are weeding out things from our house. I have boxes of things from childhood, previous jobs, and school. I found old stuffed animals and clothes that I haven't worn in a year.

As we are finding time to grab a box and sort things out we have been making piles. Piles to be donated, piles to dump, and piles to sell. It feels good to be weeding out our life. There is a calm that comes for me in being released from these things. I remember an old Adventure's in Odyssey broadcast (some of you know what I am talking about :)) that dealt with this topic. Adventure's in Odyssey was a radio show on in the evenings from Focus on the Family. They were always good and fun to listen to, but the one that I remember is when a guy had his "things" start talking to him. His toaster had demands about being cleaned out and his car was upset about something else. The guy on the show was running around trying to take care of everything.

The message that I hear loud and clear is that having "things" needs to be balanced...we shouldn't let our "things" control our life. As I have been looking at all my "things" I have to ask myself why I want to keep it. Why have I wanted to move it the past several moves? Why is it important to me? And the perspective that helps me let go the fastest is, why does it matter? Is this "thing" I have been storing in a box helping me fulfill God's call in my life or keeping me tied down away from it?

I want the freedom that comes from not having to maintain "things". As an RD I made sure to have furniture and other items in my house that if they were broken I wouldn't mind...not that I didn't have nice things, I just needed to be a step removed. I wanted to keep in mind that spending time with my staff and loving them was more important then the food they might spill on my couch or the mud on my floors.

What matters is not having a house full of things that when I am gone for a year I don't miss. So much of what I have been throwing away are things that I couldn't have told you I even had. I have been living with out them so why continue to keep them? I do have things that I have sentimental value in and those I keep. But I can't express the amazing freedom of being released from "things". To let what doesn't matter in my life slip away allowing space for the many things that do.