Monday, April 30, 2012

Unhurried

This past weekend was a very quiet one for us. Not many errands to run. Not many chores to do around the house. It was much needed and a welcomed change.

Saturday we woke up early, realized that we had nothing to eat in the house and ran to McDonald's to grab coffee and some hotcakes. I'm secretly addicted to their hotcakes, so they're a special treat. Then we stopped over at Nick's Parent's house to give them a chance to see Evelyn and drop something off. Evelyn cried when Nick's mom tried to hold her, like usual, but this time it didn't take her long to calm down and then she was fine.

After that we ran home. Evelyn took a nap and Nick and I did laundry together while intermittently playing video games in the basement. That's one of the things we like to do together. Nick has always been a big gamer. Me, not so much, but I enjoy them. That's one way we connect with each other without having to work at having a conversation. It's nice to just turn off your mind and spend time doing something together.

When Evelyn woke up we made a quick run to the grocery store. Evelyn needed baby food and like I said we didn't have much around the house. The rest of the afternoon was spent getting some stuff together for having a couple of friends over after Evelyn went to bed.

Five of our friends, whom we hadn't seen in forever, came over around 9 to do a bonfire in our fire pit in the backyard. It was a relaxing night, thankfully not too cold. I ate too many s'mores, but oh well.

We stayed up way past our bed time though so it was hard getting out of bed in the morning. So instead of going to 1st service at church like we usually do, we went to 2nd. We were late at that! Which is very unlike us. But Evelyn was napping and I couldn't bear to wake her up just yet.

The rest of Sunday was spent hanging-out together at home not really getting much done. We dreamt about how we are going to make a bedroom for us in the basement with a big walk in closet. And how that would open up a big room upstairs for more kids/foster kids. We played more videos games and ordered pizza for dinner.

Our weekend was a very quiet one. Nothing exciting or very noteworthy. I wouldn't change that though. I needed a quiet weekend.
bits of splendor monday
Linking up with Laura@Bits of Splendor like usual.

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Friday, April 27, 2012

Enough

If you've ever struggle to feel like you're enough you should go check out this post over at Beautifully Rooted, written by my friend Gina from Contemplating Beauty.

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Friday's Letters

Dear Carpet in our Bedroom,
Why, oh why do you smell so badly? All that happened was a glass of water got spilled on you. How come it smells like animal feces? The baking soda helped a lot, but you still don't smell back to normal. Please stop stinking! 

Dear Nick,
We haven't had the best of weeks. It's a hard adjustment having you not home till 6pm now after getting used to you being home at 4pm. It doesn't help that Evelyn is teething again. I know that this job is where God wants you, but it's still gonna take me awhile to adjust. 

Dear Evelyn,
I'm not a fan of this teething thing. It makes you not take your naps and fussy while you're up. Please push this tooth out fast so that next week while Daddy is at work I don't have to deal with the teething. Remember I still love you even when I'm grouchy.

Dear Change,
I'm not a fan of you. Never have been. I know that change is part of life. It's a part of life I'm really, really bad at. All I can do is pray about it. But you could help out by not coming around anymore. Ok, I know that's unrealistic. Maybe just stay away for a little while? It would be much appreciated. 


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Linking up with Ashley@Adventures of Newlyweds again! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!


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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The Reality of Spiritual Warfare

I don't know why, but as I was sitting eating breakfast yesterday I kept thinking about my 2 trips to Haiti. It probably had to do with an invite to for a fundraising garage sale at the church I used to attend. The church who's youth group is who I traveled with to Les Cayes, Haiti 2 summers in a row. The first was in August of 2007 and the second was in August of 2008.

Thinking about Haiti and my trips there made me look through my travel journal from my second trip. As I started filling through the pages and reading all my thoughts and reflections I started to remember one very memorable service that we experience. I quickly filled through and scanned the pages till I found my journal entry about it. Reading it over again brought shivers up and down my spine.



You see in Haiti there is a town called Torbeck. It's a very small town. It is a town that is filled with voodoo practice. The ministry we were with, El Shaddai Ministries, had been trying to find a pastor for the church they were trying to have there. This was back in 2008. They had gone through many pastors in the short time they were meeting there. The push back from the witch doctors in the community was driving the pastors away.

We were told this before we all got ready one night to go there for an evening church service. We boarded our bus and headed out for the 40 or so minute drive from the compound where we stayed and the the church building that El Shaddai had in Torbek. There was also a group of people from the Les Cayes church who were going to come worship with us.



The whole ride there I was feeling sick to my stomach. Just brushing it off as car sickness I tried to put it out of my mind. Upon driving into Torbek I was finding it hard to breath. I thought this must just be nerves over the unexpected. I composed myself and tried to take in the surroundings. Later I would come to find that it wasn't just carsickness, in fact it was the feeling of the oppression of Satan that had taken hold of that town.

It was already pitch dark by the time we made it to Torbek. It was a rual enough town that it didn't have electricity, so there were no lights besides the headlights on our bus. After what seemed like forever the bus stopped at a dark building. They got some lights lit and we headed in.


Many people from the community had followed us and were coming to see what was up. We were all smashed into a tiny one room building with a few wooden benches, with only the light of some lamps at the front by where Pastor Louis stood. We started with some worship and the Holy Spirit filled up the room. I could tell from the moment the singing started that something was different. The Holy Spirit was going to come into this town and into it's people, tonight things were going to change.


After a couple of songs as Pastor Louis started preaching some of those who had come with from the Les Cayes church headed outside and started walking around the building praying. Praying for protection and change to come to this little town. Not far into Pastor Louis' sermon a woman from the back of the church started to cry out "Hallelujah". Pastor Louis explained to us that the people of Torbeck were ready for change.


At some point along there I broke down and started weeping. I could feel the spiritual warfare between Satan and the Holy Spirit. I could feel the prayers and crying out of the people lifting the veil of Satan's reign and control over their town.


Pastor Louis asked our group and the others from the Les Cayes church to pray over these people. They were ready to receive the Holy Spirit! I went over to a little girl, probably around the age of 10. I held her and I prayed for her and her town. We prayed for awhile then the celebration began. We sang and dance and worshiped our LORD till was time to head back to our compound.

That still to this day is the most real moment I've felt the Holy Spirit moving around me. It was the first time that while in Haiti the language barrier didn't at all exist. We were all worshiping our LORD and though we didn't understand each other it didn't matter. It made me long for the time where we will all be in heaven together worshiping God to His face and no long will anything like language divide us.

I need to be reminded of these things. More often then I am. I forget the power of the Holy Spirit sometimes. I forget that the LORD is with me always, because sometimes He feels so far off.

The sand here is black. This is the beach of Torbeck. They would do voodoo rituals here at the beach. Many times that lead to major storms coming and flooding and destroying their town. 

I long to go back to Haiti. To share that experience with Nick. Right now it's not my time though. Right now God wants me right here taking care of my little family. I could let that get me down, but I'm going to instead choose to be joyful and know that I'm right where God wants me.

At least I have the hope that one day I will see all those faces again in paradise. My heart bursts with joy at just the thought of that. Merci Savior!

Slide Show from my 2nd trip, August 2008. Made by our team leader Ben Welstead.

Slide Show from my 1st trip, August 2007. Made by our team leader Ben Welstead.



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Monday, April 23, 2012

Getting Energized!

Well if any of you were worried about my state of my coffee-less day, there's no need anymore! After running to pick up some cat food I drove through McDonald's and picked up a vanilla iced coffee. Usually I don't cave into drinking such sweet coffee drinks, but I was desperate.


I'm making some toddy tonight so that I will have a full coffee stash tomorrow morning. So maybe I can have a more inspired post tomorrow. 

Hope you all are having a great start to your week!


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Sunday at the Zoo

Yesterday we were gonna head to church and then leave from church and head to the zoo. Well it didn't work out quite as planned. Instead the morning was not going smoothly so we never made it to church. I was super bummed, but Nick and I plan to watch the sermon this week some night after Evelyn goes to bed.

After our bumpy morning we finally got everything in the car and head out for the hour drive up to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. It's a huge zoo. It has lots of indoor exhibits which is super nice with a little one. Evelyn was only interested if an animal was moving, but that's ok the trip was more for me anyways. She did love the aquarium though. Probably because fish don't really ever stop moving.

I didn't have any coffee in the house this morning so trying to come up with more to say isn't going so well. Instead I'll leave you with a few pictures and call that good enough!





Evelyn is just about the same size has a howler monkey!





She's also about the same size as a chinstrap penguin. 




bits of splendor monday
Linking up with Laura@Bits of Splendor. Go check out her blog, she's awesome!


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Friday, April 20, 2012

Friday's Letters

Nick,
Happy Birthday my love! (Even though it was Wednesday.) I'm glad you enjoyed your gift. It's getting harder and harder to buy you gifts though because you don't ever seem to want anything. I'm glad I figured something out though. A Playstation2 should keep you busy for awhile! I love you and I can't wait to got to Lazlo's tonight for dinner and beer with your parents!

Lazlo's,
You are too tasty! I can not wait till I get to taste your yummy beer and delicious food. I'm not even going to try to be healthy tonight. I can't decide between the Vanilla Porter or the Honey Gold beers. I have decided I'm going to get the Guacamole Bacon Burger. I could eat that burger every day!

Evelyn,
Please start sleeping past 5am. Please! Mommy needs her sleep just as much as you do. I guess if you want to wake up then, that's fine. Just try to be quiet as you play and I'll come get you at 6.

Birds in the Pine Tree Outside Evelyn's Window,
Please stop waking my daughter up at 5am. You're beautiful and I love to hear your beautiful music, but not at 5am. Could you hold off till 6? I know you don't really take my feels or sleep cycle into account, but if you held off till 6am you'd really be helping a momma out.

Weather Sunday,
Please end up being like weather.com says it's going to be. Sunny with a high of 75 is perfect for going to the zoo and that's just what we want to do after church! It would be much appreciated.



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Like always I'm linking up with Ashley@Adventures of Newlyweds

Have a great weekend friends! 


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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Updating Things

I updated my About Me section. So go check it out if you want to know a little more about my life story. I even added some pictures!

I'm going to be doing a couple of other things to clean up the blog a bit.

It's almost Friday! I'm soooooooo ready for the weekend!

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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Happy Birthday To My Man!

Today is my husband Nick's 24th birthday!

God had really blessed me with this man. We met almost 4 years ago and in a month we will have been married 3 years. Yet I feel as though I have known him my whole life.

God has changed him so much since we met. Besides the monumental change of him going from being a very outspoken atheist to a faithful Christ follower, God has changed him into being an amazing husband and an amazing father. Everyday I am encouraged and in awe of his complete trust that God is in control of every situation we need only trust Him.

Nick is funny, extremely intellectual, he's a whiz when it comes to computers (that's why he has a job in IT), an introvert, he has a ridiculous love for silly video games, he's a loving father and he's a caring and thoughtful husband.

April 18th, 1988 

5 Months Old

1 Year Old

4 Years Old

1st Day of School - 5 Years Old

8 Years Old

YMCA Ranch Camp 

Swim Team - Senior Year of High-school 

Rock Climbing

Engagement Picture

Nick with his groomsmen. 


Us in Mexico Jan. 2011

A friend's wedding June 2011, 4 months pregnant.

Kisses from Daddy!


She loves her daddy!


Tonight we are celebrating by having his favorite Chinese food and cupcakes for dinner and then maybe watching a movie. Then on Friday we are going out with his parents to his favorite restaurant. I hope he enjoys it.

Happy Birthday Honey! I love you!

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Monday, April 16, 2012

Playing at the Park & Our Weekend

Well this past Friday I babysat my niece Drew for the afternoon. It was kind of a blustery day, but when Nick got home and Evelyn woke up from her nap we decided to walk over to the park. 

We'd never gone to this park before seeing as though Evelyn is only 6 months old. It's really a nice little playground and even has a little pond where there were some geese and ducks swimming. There were even 3 little baby ducks following their dad around. We couldn't ever get close enough to see them very well, but I could tell they were cute even from a distance! 

We walk past this rock on the way and Drew really wanted a picture on it. I'm sure the passing cars thought we were kinda weird. 

Evelyn's first time in a park swing. She loved it! 


She also loves playing with her cousin.

Drew needed to take a picture of us. All in all it turned out pretty well. She's an impressive  4 year old.
That wind Friday was blowing in a huge series of storms that hit us Saturday afternoon. In true Nebraska fashion, everyone was freaking out before we even got hit with anything. All in all here in Lincoln it wasn't that bad. At our house we didn't even get hail, just lots of rain and thunder. Which by the way Evelyn napped through like a champ! I was impressed.

So we went to bed that night not thinking the least bit about the weather. Then we were rudely awoken 2 hours later by tornado sirens.


This storm was right on top of us. So I quickly grabbed Evelyn from her dead sleep (Apparently when she's really tired nothing can wake her, but at 5 in the morning when the birds start tweeting she wakes right up.) and whisked her off to the basement. We sat down there listening to the radio only to find out that really only North Lincoln was even at risk for a tornado. Since we live in South Lincoln we weren't even really getting any of the storm, not even rain. I was annoyed, but at least we were safe.

So since our sleep was interrupted Saturday night we had a pretty lazy Sunday. We didn't even make it to church, because I had a terrible headache and we woke up late. Instead we watched the live feed online. We did go get ice cream right before dinner though. Then we came home and grilled steak and veggie kabobs. It was fantastic.

Hope your weekends were good and if you live in the Midwest that you stayed safe during our crazy weather! I'm linking up with Laura@Bits of Splendor .

bits of splendor monday


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Friday, April 13, 2012

Friday's Letters

Dear Friday,
Thank you so much for coming so quickly this week. You will probably fly by too, because my niece Drew is coming over this afternoon. I'm just glad you finally came quickly for once instead of dragging your bum and making me feel like the week would never end. Please keep it up!

Dear Housework,
So I was doing so great keeping up with you. Then yesterday I had to run errands and it completely wiped me out, so I let everything slack. How in one day of not getting much done can you pile up so quickly?! Please send the housework elves my way to clean up while I sleep tonight. It would be much appreciated!

Dear Bestest Gal Pals,
I get to see you tomorrow! Pretty exciting seeing as though our schedules completely don't align most times. It will be nice to spend some time getting coffee with you two. It will also be nice to be away from Evelyn for a little bit.

Dear Evelyn,
Pretend like mommy didn't say that. I love you and I love that I get to stay home all day with you. Sometimes mommy needs a break though. It's not just for her sanity, it's for your well being. Love you baby girl!

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Linking up with Ashley@Adventures of Newlyweds


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