Little Owl House in the Country

I'm participating in Kelly's home tour this week to cover all rooms because we're just moving into our house and we haven't really made it "our own" yet. But the carnival was just too fun not to participate in at least once! :)

BTW, I am looking for inspiration wherever I can find it - especially for the living room - so I am especially excited to to sneak a peek at everyone's photos this go around! So fun!

















I have yet to write a single post about our new adventure, so I'm sitting here until it's done!

After 2 1/2 years of married life in Southern Maryland, we have just packed up and moved six hours West. (Still, closer to Minnesota!) In March, Jeromy accepted a job in his home state of West Virginia, and we are now finally closing on a house this Friday! For several months Jeromy had been looking into jobs in several states, with no success. We would never have thought to consider West Virginia, what with engineering jobs (or much of any other job, for that matter) normally so sparse out here. Then, lo and behold, a friend from church steered us to a tiny branch of the large company he works for, and here we are.

In the middle of relocation mayhem!

I have to say, it will take some getting used to the slower pace of life in West Virginia. As in the snail. The turtle. A lot of businesses are still considerably old fashioned in their methods and practices. I sense that patience just might become my life lesson from now on!

For instance, today I walked into the post office (which, by the way, reeked of smoke) to get a money order. Once I whipped out my credit/debit card to pay, the little old post lady was like, "Oh, no. We don't take anything but cash or check. We're not computerized."

I was like, "Wha?" And then she pointed to the huge neon colored poster boards on the wall in back of her. (I have no idea how I missed them!)

"Cash/Check Only"

"NO CREDIT CARDS"

"Sorry," she said. We're old fashioned." Those exact words, my friends!

Really.

However, the interstate is not bumper-to-bumper traffic at 6am as is the norm in the DC area. And strangers actually take the time to chit chat! I like that!

And of course, I absolutely love living among rolling hills and distant mountain views! It is annoying to have to pop my ears every day, but that's a small price compared to living along such gorgeous countryside! And the air! The air is so much drier than Southern-Maryland-sticky-peninsula-steam. Can you believe I am actually looking forward to summer weather this year?! I might be the only West Virginia resident ever to dislike sweet tea (don't hate), but be certain I'll be sitting on our back porch sipping a sweet something!

For the last month we have been staying in a hotel in Morgantown, approximately a 45-minute drive to Clarksburg. Not fun. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

We have attended a couple of churches here in town, but the church hunt has really yet to begin in Clarksburg. We look forward to getting involved in a great work and connecting with other believers. The sooner the better!

A couple of weekends ago our hotel got smoked out by a cigarette fire that started outside on the landscaping. Evacuated from our room, we hit up Starbucks to pass the time. As we sat down I noticed a girl crocheting in the seat across from us. I asked her about her project, and throughout the flow of conversation found out we are both Christians. Her husband attends WVU in Morgantown as a law student, although they are from the Clarksburg area. And it turns out the couple is part of a church plant in Fairmont, another neighboring city. Renovate Church meets every other Saturday night, and we are hoping to catch up with them at their next service. What an interesting encounter!

Jeromy is getting situated in his job, but I have yet to find work. There are a few full time positions within Jeromy's company network, but I would really prefer 30 hours or less. And the majority of part time jobs around here involve retail, which I have long proclaimed I would avoid like the plague.

I applied to one position to work with autistic children, which sounded extremely promising! Yet the hourly pay was less than I what made in high school, and included a 25-minute commute to boot. Husband calculated that after fuel and taxes, I would bring home a measly $49 check each week. As neat as the position sounded, there are easier and less time consuming ways to save $49!

So the search continues. We really do live in Podunk, so prospects look grim. But maybe it will just take a little time. Meanwhile, all things "new house" will surely keep my hands from becoming the least bit idle.

So with all that said, welcome to our new home! After seeing more than 25 houses in the Clarksburg/Fairmont areas of West Virginia, we decided to put an offer on the very last one! As first time home buyers, we had no idea what we wanted at the start. If we had purchased a couple years ago we may have considered more of a fixer-upper, but we realized we would really just like to move in and get settled right away. Especially in this buyers market and a state with a cheaper cost of living! But by the time we found this home we had realized what specific things we were looking for - and what we were not looking for.

We looked at several different styles of houses, but we absolutely love our final choice. The only complaint is the lack of a basement. I suppose if that becomes a problem, then it's time to pare down the "stuff"! As for practical storage, we will hopefully add some custom shelving in the future. (Any organization tips are more than welcomed!) This is a new construction, so we are starting from scratch. But for the time being it's more than enough space for us.

We think the front of the house looks like an owl.

















C'mon, you know you know it does. Hoo hoo....
































Some views of our front yard. This really is the country! Especially for this city girl!










































Love, love, love the neighborhood! It's funny, our Realtor actually lives just around the block! We had no idea where she lived until we asked to see this house! I don't know if this will be a good thing or a bad thing, but all in all, she is pretty nice lady!

Also, there is this bluegrass-singing family in our neighborhood - The Vaughns! Check out their tunes on their website! I can't wait to hear them live!
































The foyer and dining room. None of the furniture in this house belongs to us. The contractor staged it with his MIL's stuff. It's going to take some time for us to nicely furnish and decorate this place after living in a simple 2-bedroom apartment for almost 3 years! But we are looking forward to the process...slowly but surely.

At first I wanted to paint right away, but I think now we will wait until we purchase big furniture items like a nicer couch and dining table, to figure out our color palate.

So, I'll be on Craigslist if you need me. :)

















I would like to get a cute bistro table like this one, or perhaps an island with a couple stools. This corner off the kitchen needs something.

















Voila, our galley kitchen! We have ordered black appliances, which are being installed as I type! We thought about stainless steel (or even the stainless "look") but didn't want to have to deal with dents and finger prints. And there are flecks of black in our counter top, so it was just the best choice. Plus, our contractor only gave us $2500 for appliances, and we had none but a microwave, so it saved us from having to spend too much out of our own pocket.





































This is the laundry room, and in the distance you can see the utility room. Additional shelving would be nice here eventually.

















And the living room. I'm definitely not a fan of the furniture choices or placement here. I would like to get a nice couch to divide the room horizontally so there's not as much dead space. At first I thought, we must cover the living room with carpet (it's all I know), but after many comments and opinions of others, I have softened to the prospect of using area rugs. I will need a fairly large area rug to satisfy my preference for coziness, but I'm gaining confidence that this living room will turn out lovely one day.
































I wish I could keep that desk!
































And, of course, the master bedroom. We are ok with the carpet, although we wish we could have picked it out ourselves as we did the appliances. We'll work with it. Owning a matching bedroom suite like this would be so nice, but it's definitely not in our budget!


























































One of two closets in the master, but this one is a walk-in. Definitely could use more shelving here! How in the world am I going to organize shoes and belts until then??

















Master bath with jacuzzi tub. It doesn't have heated jets though.
































Bedrooms 2 and 3.










































Hallway with Jeromy and the inspector. Just outside full bathroom #2.

















Not huge, but it's got everything you'll need! :)




















































A couple views outside the master bedroom window. One of our neighbors has horses!!
































See???

















Backside of the house. The contractor has since built a white railing around the entire porch, which looks beautiful!

















Backyard.

















0.5 acres front and back combined. And it's a FLAT LOT. In West Virginia. That is nearly impossible! We looked at a lot of places with 1-2 acres, but most of the land was a steep grade so we are grateful for this!

However, I will miss living 2 blocks from the nearest (non-convenience) store! Try 15-20 minutes!




I will post updates as we personalize our home. I'm hoping we'll still get a garden going this Spring. There's certainly enough space for one! We're excited to be home owners, even with the maintenance that comes along with it. We can't wait to have people over, so if we know you are you're in the area, let us know! We promise you won't have to sleep on the hard wood floor!

through the years

Hard to believe we lost you one year ago today. But what is time to you anymore? Keep on singing in that signature off-key way of yours, and be sure we will drown you out on the second verse!



















"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21, ESV).


*turn on the volume*

Did I mention I am sentimental? (Feel free to add your own!)

Oh the little joys of childhood!

I'm adding a few of mine to the list (disclaimer - they are pretty 80's and 90's driven but not all):
























-scoring tokens at Circus Pizza (even though you cheated and let your little brother help you smack all those crocodiles!)

-digging large holes in the backyard

-riding your bike down a steep grade with no hands

-learning how to french braid on Barbie

-jumping through the sprinkler and getting grass stuck all the way up your legs

-hanging upside down on the monkey bars

-"markering" in paint-with-water books

-playing school

-camping out in the backyard with your friends and staying up all night drinking Jolt and telling ghost stories

-sleeping on the bus on the way to school (oh to not have to drive in morning traffic!!!)

-buying mood rings at Claire's

-making sweet jumps at the sledding hill

-spinning the crap out of your friends on the tire swing

-view finders!

-getting treated to a box of Barnum's Animal Crackers for going grocery shopping with Mom

-trading stickers!!! (At 28, I still have my old sticker books!)

-setting up a lemonade stand in front of your house (and being tickled when when the mailman says all he's got on him is a buck - oh for JOY!)

-still playing out in the fresh snow well after dark (because the snow makes the sky look bright and red)

-library book sales, especially on "bag day"

-collecting pogs!

-sucking on giant candy cane sticks or gnawing till your tongue is raw on huge layered jawbreakers

-requesting Bette Midler songs on Radio Aahs (only Minnesota children will recall this!)

-Four Square, jump rope, and Hopscotch!

-making sweet forts out of blankets, pillows, and chairs

-spending hours ice skating and then wobbling back into the warming house to play knock hockey during drink breaks

-writing stories and drawing pictures with friends (maybe a girl thing!)

-going to see the Teddy Bear Band with your family (or Club Fun TV)

-carrying Pez dispensers around in your pocket like it was gold

-drawing pictures on the bulletin during church service (although, my brother still does this!)

-or how about getting away with sleeping in church - ha!

-finding a comfortable tree limb on which to sit and read

-wearing cheap, plastic costumes to go Trick or Treating

-mastering the game "Simon"

-spinning in circles as fast as you can to feel dizzy

-tape recording you and your friends being silly (this is the one I had)

-dumping your bulk stash of Legos on the floor - the sky's the limit!

-getting a PINK PANTHER POP with bubble gum eyes (and other treats) from the ice cream man!

-singing the entire Animaniacs song on the top of your lungs with your sibling(s)

-feeling like you're in heaven when you walk into KB Toy store

-playing neighborhood games like "Annie Annie Over", "London Bridge", "Hide and Seek", and "TV Tag"

-standing at the kiosk for over an hour at Target, playing the new Super Nintendo (and begging your mom to get it for Christmas!)

-sneaking around the house in December and finding said NES, feeling guilty and ecstatic at the same time

-riding on your dad's shoulders and shivering with a fear of heights, yet laughing with glee that you can touch the ceiling

-school supply shopping (I swear this will be the reason I have kids!) There is nothing better than a fresh box of Crans! (Crayons, for all you non-Midwesterners!)

-chewing an entire pack of Hubba Bubba at one time (or half a pack of Bubble Tape)

-BOOK IT!! (and scoring personal pan pizzas from Pizza Hut, plus a Land Before Time puppet!)

-lying under the Christmas tree and staring up at the lights

-playing Candy Land with the family (with real candy for the prize) on Sunday nights and eating stove-top-popped popcorn

-having tea parties using water and saltine crackers, and feeling it was pretty real since you didn't have to pretend to swallow

-sweeping under a large pine tree to make a "house"

-getting to lick the batter bowl (ok, so that's not exclusive to childhood...but being given the privilege to lick the bowl is!)

-flying my Rainbow Brite kite at the park

-saving the cereal marshmallows for last so that they get squishy and sweeten the milk

-earning AWANA bucks/shares and bringing home a bag full of bouncy balls, plastic bracelets, and tootsie rolls

-getting your mom to let you ride the carousel outside Red Owl grocery store

-being scared to tear the tag off the pillow after watching this

-rolling down a steep, grassy hill (and running back up to do it again!)

-devouring a 9-piece Chicken McNugget drenched in BBQ sauce (I can almost taste them - but am sadly done with them forever)

-Getting to "play Santa" by passing out all the presents at Christmas. Such an important job!

-laughing at everything, no holding back

-having Big Wheel races with the neighbor kids

-listening to Wee Sing tapes on your Walkman

-making intricate friendship bracelets and feeling so accomplished!

-fighting over the middle back seat and "round spoon" (this one's for you, Justin!)

-NO CABLE OR INTERNET!!! (love/hate of the worst kind)

-experimenting with baking and making up recipes with your friends (Oh, so cake needs leavening!)

-twirling unabashedly in a dress

-making (and wearing) dandelion crowns

-kiddie pools!!

-getting to bring a toy/stuffed animal everywhere you go

-having somebody cut up your pork chop/pancake/baked potato for you

-Pin the Tail on the Donkey

-playing "Don't Touch the Ground" in the basement, in the dark

-getting your hair braided at night so it's crimped in the morning

-cartoon lunch boxes, backpacks, notebooks, and folders

-library storytime

-getting to "eat over" at a friend's house (or a friend eating at your house)

-watching CBS Storybreak

-footy pajamas

-showering every other day (or every few days...)

-inviting your whole class to your birthday party

-playing dress-up and getting into your friend's mom's makeup

-coming home dirty every summer night

-being amazed by card tricks

-when a year seemed to last forever

-eating Spaghetti-O's for lunch and Pop Tarts for snacks

-wearing pigtails and ribbons

-writing real letters to pen pals who live all across the country

-being blissfully ignorant your family never had much money

-getting measured and seeing how much you've grown by comparing it to the last marking on the wall

-wearing clip-on ties or hook belts

-being so excited to go to the park that you skip the whole way there

-going on field trips to the nature center or science museum (especially when your mom chaperoned!)

-finding "secret passage ways" through your neighbors' yards

Spring Has Sprung in Southern Maryland!

Truth be told, Sammie could live outside.


























(Go check out the other entries for the I Heart Faces contest this week! Theme: "Easter/Spring")

Siblings at Easter, a Generation Apart

Minneapolis, Minnesota; 1945

























White Bear Lake, Minnesota; 1987

Awaiting the final Resurrection

A thank you to Desiring God Ministries and Bethlehem Baptist Church one year later...


Dear folks at Desiring God,

I attended the early Easter service at Bethlehem last year. I had recently flown in from Maryland to spend a few last days with my father before he went on to his heavenly home just three weeks later. Colon cancer of the worst kind. It was my dad's last Easter, and God graciously let me be with him on what turned out to be an amazing, special-in-so-may-ways day.

I went to the early service because I always like to “stop by” when I’m in Minneapolis, and because I had planned on attending the “service” at my dad’s care center later on that morning. I was alone and sat in the back, but the whole service ministered to my grieving heart. I had never heard that song, “The Power of the Cross” before, and the choir sang it ever so beautifully. What an impacting message set to tremendous music!

I was not only able to take a sweet Easter lily back to my dad’s room after the service, but also the encouragement of the Resurrection.

Turned out that due to cases of the flu in the care center, the service was canceled last minute. I was kind of discouraged because my dad hadn’t been to church for two whole months, and rarely left his room, much less his bed. I desperately wanted to bring some sort of hope in the middle of this horrific disease, which was consuming his life at such a young age.

The dear people at Desiring God graciously donated “The Blazing Center” to bring some of that hope to him. I am forever grateful. Since the service was canceled, I took out the first DVD and I sat on the bed with my dad and watched/listened to Pastor Piper talk about acne and telescopes and God’s glory.

A few minutes into the DVD my dad’s roommate rolled his wheelchair up close to watch with us. So precious. I will always hold that memory, and I praise God for allowing the service to be canceled so that we could share this time together.

About an hour later my mom and a few other relatives showed up after their own church services. My uncle had driven with his family from Nebraska to spend some quality time with my dad, and was about to make the trip back after saying goodbye one more time. There was not enough room in the small room for eight people, so we wheeled my dad into the lobby and chit-chatted for a while. When my extended family got up to leave my uncle asked if we could all pray together.

Everybody stood in a circle and held hands. My uncle prayed first, and nobody expected this, but then my dad spoke up and started to pray! With the sturdy confidence in his voice, you would never have known that he was living with a disease that was killing his body by the minute. Everyone started crying when he thanked His Lord for his life and acknowledged God’s plan in this cancer. He prayed that God would use him, even in his suffering, for His glory. It felt like my dad was reciting everything he had just heard on The Blazing Center!

We were all so proud of my dad. We were touched to the core by his submissive spirit and amazing God-given strength, amid such languishing weakness.

I am grateful for every single one of the ministries that comes out of Desiring God. You truly have a passion for the supremacy of Christ, for you certainly have spread generous amounts of it to my family. I am encouraged with hope that my dad is at this moment experiencing the answer to the courageous prayer he prayed on that beautiful snowy Easter afternoon.

*****

Today on this Good Friday I can't help but meditate on these memories. I am overwhelmed with gladness that my dad is yet alive and well a whole year later, and is worshiping his Savior in His very presence. This year I especially cling to the HOPE of the Resurrection when we all will be reunited in great joy!

Relish in it!

*****

Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
“Finished!” the vict’ry cry.

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

This, the pow'r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

The First of Many Disappointments

My husband Jeromy has been dying to submit this photo for the contest, and here is the perfect week for his entry! Over the course of our courtship I cared for this little girl in her home. Yet I dare say Samantha preferred Jeromy over her own nanny! There is something about the way a man can make a little girl giggle like she's never giggled before!

However....

When, for safety's sake, Jeromy institutes tough love and steals the pit of a perfectly shaped cherry out of the hands of said little girl, all trace of happy giggling diminishes. It may have only lasted a few moments (until he swiftly replaced the cherry with a fresh, whole one, that is), but I have yet to encounter a pout of this degree since that incident. You'd have thought all love abandoned her with those real crocodile tears!

It's so hard being little!



(Go check out the other entries for the I Heart Faces contest this week! Theme: "Pouting")

Carly Kay

Jeromy and I flew to Minnesota at the beginning of February to use up a canceled ticket from last year. (Or maybe just for the fresh chocolate chip cookies on Midwest airlines, but don't tell!)

It happened to be a somewhat mild few days during our stay, which nixed any plan to snow tube, but since warmer weather in the middle of winter is like heaven on earth to any Minnesotan, we weren't too bitter about it. At any rate, it is always the visiting "out-of-towner" who gets the blame for any unseasonable shift in weather, right? Which means they loved us. And sure enough, as soon as we returned to Southern Maryland, the cold winds picked right back up!

While in Minnesota we were able to surprise my mom on her birthday, which made the short trip extra special. We enjoyed a wonderful couple of days playing Scrabble, getting out to see "New In Town" (we had to since my brother lives in New Ulm, which is the setting of the movie), and doing little else. Just some visiting with a few relatives and a couple of friends. Nothing says "vacation" better than a light-to-nonexistent schedule. We absolutely savored this unusually relaxed visit home.

Of course the star of our family is my sweet niece Scarlett. Little Carly Kay celebrated her first birthday just a couple of weeks after our trip to Minnesota. So many things about her had changed since October when we had last seen her in person. It's just plain hard for an auntie to live 1,000 miles away from her niece! So of course I ended up snapping a bunch of pictures while we shared some "Scarlett time". I have to say, that girl wears a million faces! Every photo seems to display a different emotion - happy, curious, silly, mischievous, mellow, cheesy - just to list a few.

And here is one of them, and Scarlett is almost serious. Contently looking out at the quickly melting snow. And with the afternoon sun shining in those baby blues!
























(Go check out the other entries for the I Heart Faces contest this week! Theme: "No Flash")

Where was Dr. Phil in 1996?

So it's after 4pm and I'm sitting here in my sweats. I should be in the shower right now, but I rarely give in to the urge to blog so here we are.

It's been sort of a strange day, this President's Day. An unusually relaxed day. I worked from home for a few hours this morning, then cut up some leftover chicken to freeze for a later meal of soup. I made a quick store run and then made brownies.

Ahhh, I love being home.

Plopped down for an hour and sort of worked some more (barely - more like surfed blogs!) while this episode of Dr. Phil played in the background.

(Who am I? I thought I only make fun of this guy!)






















A 14-year-old girl was on the show with her parents because she regularly dressed "older than her age" (more like immodest for any age) and acted "sexy" and "hot" to get attention from guys at school. Of course she reflected complete immaturity with everything she said and most naively defined "slut" as someone who is "pretty" and "cute" and "gets the boys".

(I am so asking for uninvited Google searchers!)

Absolutely nothing new, but still - scary, scary, scary!!! Makes me terrified to think I could become responsible for raising a daughter someday!

Of course, the mother on the show said she didn't approve of her daughter's actions, but who do you think buys all her outfits? Oh no, Mom, she's not going to show off her thong if you buy her one. It's your little secret. Har, har.

Knowing this was a very secular family made me feel a little better about raising a daughter in a Christian home. It was obvious the girl desperately wanted to find her identity and place in life. Yet it grieved me to know that all she needed was a godly young woman to mentor her with the love of Christ. Somebody she could look up to and trust. It's just sad that she probably won't get that at home or from anyone in her sphere of influence.

But at least we can certainly be that person to someone in our sphere!

I love this blogger for her wise insight to raising teenage girls in this culture. I hope her ministry is still going strong when I'm at that stage in life.

Our youth desperately need our prayers. Thanks to Facebook, I have received a sneak peek into the wild dorm lives of several of the church kids I used to babysit or instruct in AWANA Clubs. And yes, I said church kids. The profane statuses, the immodest photos, even the outright renouncing of faith. I am shocked by what I see. Not so much because I think it is impossible for kids to play with sin, but because I know their parents. I know how they were raised. And I know which Bible verses they have memorized!!!

I did not attend a secular university, but because of what I see, I am beginning to grasp how numerous were the mercies granted on my behalf, even in my decision to attend Bible college (strict as it may have been). Christian education by no means exempts young believers from worldly troubles. Yet it does vastly differ in regards to carnality. To say I lived in a bubble for four years is an understatement!

However, I seriously don't know how I survived public high school with nary a scratch! Makes me kind of glad now that I wasn't super popular or attractive or even outgoing. You better believe I wanted to be cool and well-liked among my peers, but it never became my obsession. I more or less observed from afar, all the while remaining blessedly ignorant about the mistakes that could have become my demise. Praise God for any trace of ignorance among youth anymore!

I didn't even really have a godly mentor, to speak of. I had amazing youth leaders - Bill and Brenda, a husband and wife team. Yet I seemed to compartmentalize my life at that age, as I'm sure a lot of church kids, especially in the public school system, tend to do. I mainly spoke to and through my diary, still sorting through my Christianity.

I didn't even date in high school! How did that happen?! I say I wasn't attractive, but what I mean is that I never put myself out there. Although I wore makeup, did my hair, and dreamed about certain boys, I kept pretty much to myself and just a few friends. My wardrobe consisted mostly of baggy clothes (sometimes men's button-up shirts), typically to account for my skewed body image. In fact, I was most always on a diet - I tried everything, even those cortisol "fat-dissolving" pills from the infomercials! These days I average wearing a 6/8, but back then I regularly wore size 13/14 jeans, yet I was smaller than I am now! I don't know what my deal was. High school can really mess you up. I'm just glad for whatever prevented me from turning to anorexia or bulimia because I claim no immunity!

I shudder to think what I may have been subjected to had I been "cool" enough to have walked with certain crowds in high school. I'm thankful that although feeling like an outsider wasn't necessarily fun, it most likely saved me from a slippery slope that I could still be riding to this day.

I don't think teenage girls ought to strive towards a lonely "outsider" image, unable to socialize of the basic type. There is a difference between living separated and living life. If I could transport back to high school, with all my heart I would be more comfortable in my own skin. I would befriend more of my peers - in each and every clique. I would care enough to know what I believed and why I believed it. I would defend my faith in confidence and overflow with the light of the gospel. I wouldn't let others deflate my spirit so quickly. I would raise my hand more often and speak louder.

And, to boot, I would set aside all inhibition and go try out for the lead in that play!

In general, I wish I had been more self-confident. Not the humanistic brand. Confidence in the "self" I knew God designed in me though I was too timid (inward-focused) to freely open up. If only we could just save high school until after college and roughly two or so years of marriage, I know I would fare much better!

[insert tongue in cheek]

But alas, all anyone can do is learn from high school. You can't buy maturity at the store, you can only grow into it. But Praise Jesus, we can model it to the next generation of 14-year-olds! We can infuse more of God in their lives than we were given. We can teach them to not necessarily act like they're older (everyone is entitled to their childhood), but to think older, or rather, beyond the culture and world they live in. Colossians 3:1-2 has the power to foster a maturity far superior to that a youth's actions and consequences can alone instill. Perspective is an amazing lesson, both to teach and to learn.

I can only hope to live out that lesson. I pray that my future daughters can "get it" early on. I pray they will find their worth and place their security in a God who desperately hurts that they have to grow up in this most perversely tainted and cursed world. A Savior who wants to redeem them from the mixed messages and confusion they battle as their tender hearts and young minds awkwardly grow into their developing bodies. A Father who wouldn't think of publicly shaming his daughter on a national television show. And a Counselor whose teaching and guidance could knock Dr. Phil right out of his own studio!

Um, or maybe we'll just make boys.

One thing is for sure, I think I'll switch back to the cooking channel for a while!

Precious Moments

I wish I had had a digital camera when I took this shot of Ally back in 2001, but this will have to do.

Poor thing, with a scraped up chin and all!
























This Precious-Moment-in-the-flesh is 9 years old now, which is simply amazing because at one time she weighed just under 2 pounds and could fit in the palm of her daddy's hand.

Ally came during my freshman year of college. After a trampoline accident and surgery to repair my torn ACL and PCL I endured torturous sessions with my physical therapist, Greg. (Ok, so maybe not so torturous, but therapy is never fun!) Midway through my recovery a new therapist greeted me at the hospital, saying Greg had a "family emergency", and that she would now be working with me. It turned out Greg's wife, Heather (also a PT) had gone into labor three months early. Baby Allyson was born in January instead of April.

Greg eventually returned to work and I finished up my therapy sessions. The last day I handed him my contact information and told him I might be available the next Fall if they needed a part time babysitter. And it turns out they did! Ally was 7 months that August I started watching her after classes, with her adjusted age at just 4 months. A preemie. With a colostomy bag. And a nebulizer. I was scared to death! Needless to say, I went up and down the stairs every 5 minutes to check on her during nap time! But she was just the most precious thing I'd ever seen and I absolutely loved my job! We spent many an early Fall afternoon sitting on the porch, talking, singing, and watching the train whistle right by their house. (Makes for a heavy sleeper!)

In spite of serious intestinal problems resulting in numerous surgeries on her tiny body, Ally beat the odds of preemies and grew into a healthy, happy and, as you can see, simply adorable toddler! Just kept getting cuter and sweeter. Now, at age 9, Ally is the most loving, polite, and astoundingly smart 3rd grader! And she has a 5 year old brother, Zach, who is so silly and lovable he could be Elmo!

Ally's family has meant a lot to me over the years. They flew out to Maryland for our wedding in 2006 so Ally could walk the isle as my flower girl! They supported my family during my dad's illness and went to visit us in the care center during those final weeks of his life. Greg and Heather know what it is like to spend difficult weeks at a time in a medical care facility, with both of their children prematurely born. Their tenderness and presence ministered to our family greatly.

I so enjoy keeping in touch with my nanny families! How fun to see children grow up!


(Go check out the other entries for the I Heart Faces contest this week! Theme: "The Eyes Have It!")

February 1st

Still I will say...

Oh, Preston!

This totally reveals how often (or not so often) I've been posting lately! I had been kicking myself thoroughly for not waiting until this week to submit my week 1 photo entry for I Heart Faces. This week's theme is "Joy", and if this is not joy, I don't know what is!

Kicking myself...until I remembered this shot of Preston I took this Fall!

Check it out - his shirt reads, "MY MOM KICKS HARDER THAN YOUR MOM". Love it!
























J-O-Y!

My amazing cousin Jason and his wife Janelle are parents to him and his five siblings. They have one biological child and five foster, including Preston, all of whom they plan to adopt this year!

















Please pray for them, as they recently faced some bumps along the road in their journey to adopt one of the children. God couldn't have been more gracious to Preston and his brothers and sisters than to choose this godly, loving young couple to parent these sweet kids!

Also pray that God might provide a new ministry for Jason as he serves the Lord and financially provides for his family. And soon, as funds to salary him have run out in his present ministry. Because the adoptions are not final, the family must remain either within the state or the county, which limits their options. But they are confident (we are too!) that God knows their situation and will continue to bless and guide them!















L-R: Paul, Anna, Preston, Baby Malachi, Kalynn, Jason (Daddy), Baby Amos, Janelle (Mommy)

I Heart Sammie's Face

Don't let the sweet face fool you. This busy little girl will keep you on your toes knees! I lived with Samantha's family when I first moved to Southern Maryland in 2005. If each week I kept her from danger and prevented her from burning the house down, I got paid. She's now four years old and I cannot believe it!

IHeartFaces is hosting a photo contest, and here is my entry for the Kids Category!

Eleventh Grade and the News

One of my very favorite classes in high school was Current Events with Mr. McLean. My parents didn't get a computer until I went off to college, so in 11th grade, TV was pretty much my only source of media.

This is one paper I wrote in Current Events class. The first sentence tells me we were to write about the news happenings we best remembered while growing up. Of course, this was pre-9-11 which, I'm sure, makes the top of the list on all of McLean's present students' papers.

I love reading through old pieces of writing. You can hear my blogging voice even then!

***

Many historical events have taken place during my lifetime, though a lot of them had little impact on me, the ones that happened when I was really little.

I do remember in 1990 and 1991, I was in fourth grade and Desert Storm was in full swing. We'd sit there in class and have group discussions about the Gulf War specifically, but also just about war in general. We hadn't experienced or heard much about it, maybe a few stories of exaggerated heroism by our grandfathers in WWII, but that's all they were to us - stories. Something we might read in a book or in movies we would watch. But while sitting in that fourth grade classroom, writing letters of encouragement to soldiers we didn't know, and collecting packets of Kool-Aid to improve the taste of the water there, it suddenly became clear to us students what war meant.

I know I must have watched actual live coverage on the whole thing quite a bit, but the only day I remember watching actual fighting was a cloudy Sunday afternoon in January. I keep thinking it was right around New Years, maybe New Years Day or the day after, I'm not sure. I remember sitting in front of the TV with my family and seeing these people with the funny looking gas masks on. The newscaster would interview random soldiers, and though it seemed to be in the middle of the night there, you could see the sky light up tremendously in the background. It would look plain as day for two seconds, get dark for a brief moment, and then be replaced once again with streaks of light. The people had to yell when they spoke, and at certain points they seemed to almost be in a state of panic. I'll never forget that picture.

The reason I remember that specific day so well is because of what I was doing when I was watching it. I was lying on my stomach with a pencil and several pieces of paper. I drew a picture of four children, two girls and two boys - one African American, one Native American, one Asian, and one American. I drew them all playing together, and I even wrote a short story about each one to go along with the picture. Even at ten years old, the difference between war and peace were obviously becoming real to me. And only now has it made me realize the significance of me drawing and writing what I did. I never could figure out why that day stuck out in my mind before.

Of course, Desert storm didn't have as much an impact on me as it would if the fighting were over here - we also knew that we would win the war. But, like you said, unlike previous wars, we had total television coverage of it from start to finish, and we could transport ourselves to the Middle East with a click of the remote.

Well, now that I've written my required number of pages, I think I'll end now - just kidding. I'll try to briefly tell about the other events that stick out in my mind.

(Add: The above is so classic me! I actually wrote that in my paper!)

Just a year before Desert Storm the Berlin Wall came down. Now, this was one event that I had more background on then the Gulf War. That's because in 1985 my mom, grandma, and uncles all took a trip to Germany to visit some relatives in East Berlin. Of course they went into the city to snap pictures of the dividing Wall. When they returned I remember my mom telling me why they'd put it up in the first place. I thought it was cool to see all the German writing and painting on the wall! So of course we were watching the news when they tore it down a couple years later.

Thinking about it now surprises me that I understood the tragedy the Wall brought the city. I even remember seeing everyone crying as they were finally reunited with their families, some men who had never before seen their small children.

Then one day in third grade one of our relatives from Norway, who had been to Germany, came to visit the US for a few weeks. My parents thought it would be a good idea if Guro came to Aquila [Primary] School to talk to my class about what it's like to live in Norway. She also talked about the Berlin Wall, since she had just been to Germany. She even brought a real piece of the Wall for us to look at and touch. The piece was about the size of a fist and there was definite signs of graffiti on it. I remember feeling lucky that my class and I got a chance to hold a piece of history in our hands, one we had only seen on television. It made the whole event even more real to us.

Another event I recall is the kidnapping of Jacob Wetterling. It happened during the same year as the fall of the Berlin Wall, but I think it impacted me even more. At school, everyone was making a big deal about it. We had many, many discussions about the event, and teachers were pushing the whole safety issue. They let us know that it very well could have been any one of us - Jacob was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Also everyone was concerned because Jacob was only two years older than us. We talked about what we can do to make sure that never happens to one of us. We discussed the mistakes Jacob made that caused him to be vulnerable to the harmful situation. I don't think I need to say that I learned a lot that year!

(Add: Over the couple of years that followed Jacob's kidnapping, I'd be at Target or somewhere with my parents and imagine that Jacob was hiding from his kidnapper in the store. I'd find him and he would be returned to his parents. Today, Jacob would be 30 years old, and although his parents rightly keep up hope of his survival, it's probably pretty unlikely. Some say his kidnapper took him to Mexico where he became part of a child trafficking operation. yet who knows what actually happened?)

You're probably wondering about how the Challenger explosion impacted me. For some reason, I really don't remember watching anything about it or hearing about it at school, although I do recall an old Punky Brewster episode that focused on the Challenger in detail.

I thought I'd leave the more recent events alone, except that I will comment on one thing from last summer. I found myself getting to watch the news quite a bit then, and I really got into and followed the whole Andrew Cunanan murders. In July it probably caught my eye since it started out here in Minnesota. It really surprised me when I heard that he ended up in Florida. After the Versacci murder I was into the story again. I wanted to see what would happen next, like so many when they watched the O.J. trial and now with the Clinton allegations. of course, i didn't want Cunanan to kill anyone else, but I wanted to know if he killed the fashion designer as well as the others here in Minnesota. I couldn't wait to find out if he would be caught and, if so, what would he say about it all? Like so many others I asked why?

I was kind of disappointed when it ended like it did, though I was glad he wouldn't get a chance to kill anymore. I was just fascinated with the story of it, and I wanted to know how someone could be as cunning and aggressive as that. It was certainly the murder mystery of the year!

(Add: Still creeps me out to think about it!)

I spoke briefly to my parents about significant events in their lives, and my mom mentioned the Kennedy assassination. She was getting ready for school that day and heard the bulletin on the news. I don't think she ended up making it to school. They must have canceled it for the rest of the week or so.

My dad talked about the years between 1964 and 1966. The sudden attitude changes during that time impacted him, in that he couldn't believe how fast so many things took place.

He said that the breakdown of the home was one of the things that triggered these changes. Rock and Roll was popular by then, Kennedy had just been killed, and the First Amendment of the Constitution concerning education had been altered. Kids were beginning to rebel and family morals no longer worth talking about. The Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam intensified this new attitude, which just caused even more protesting, demonstration, and draft card burning. These events were happening so suddenly that all anyone knew to do was avoid everything and try to get their own way.

Take, for example, those who were born in 1947. In 1964, when they turned seventeen, everything war was very new to them. Up until that point they had never lived to see anything but peace. This caused many rebellious feelings once they received draft cards. It was like that with many people at that time.

Along with all these other new ideas like Rock and Roll and the Civil Rights Movement, one was bound to have different opinions. They expressed them forcefully and violently, which seemed to happen out of the blue. My dad feels that these three years showed the quickest and most significant changes in his lifetime.