Valentine's Day

I just love Valentine's Day! Chris says I am more excited about it then even Christmas! I am not sure about that, but I do love the idea of conveying love, the hearts, the flowers, the sentiments.

This year was again unique, but has been my favorite Valentine's Day yet. On Friday, I asked hubby to put down the books and we went hiking along the broad river. It was a beautiful day and it was good to be out. We finished the "date" with cold drinks at Sonic. We were even thrilled to see a car hop on skates again.

On Saturday Chris worked, but in the evening we got dressed up and went to Chick-fil-A. YUM! They had set up a valentine section on the side with tablecloths, candles, and flowers. A waiter took our order and brought our meals to us on plastic plates. I got a beautiful pink carnation. There was even a roving minstrel playing love songs on the violin (also a student from Ambassador, so it was tastefully done). The promotion even provided FREE dessert. Cheesecake for me and a chocolate shake for Chris. Next it was on to the school for a Valentine's Concert. The concert contained some beautiful classical guitar music, some piano, and some violin. There was a soloist, some of his selections were good (old show tunes), but a few did not seem in keeping with the standards of the school which was disappointing.

All in all it was just a Valentine's Day to remember. We continue to remark, that it is just so nice to be together and remember that there are those sacrificing family time to protect our country and our freedoms.

"We love Him, because He first loved us."

Keeping the Weeds Down

I don't really know how to react to NC weather yet. This is our 3rd day nearing 80 degrees. In Washington, the weather men would have called this a heat wave even if it occurred in the middle of August. We may be in for a great adjustment this summer.

We are settling into routine now. Chris just passed the first round of tests on his way towards midterms. He works very hard 3 days each week so that he has very little homework the other 4 days. We usually have Friday night and all day Sunday without any school work, Thursdays and Saturdays are farm days. I am now sharing responsibilities for keeping the Prophet's Chamber at our church ready and usable. I love that kind of work! I have already started 2 piano students and 1 flute student. I am considering taking violin lessons myself. I am hoping that I could be able to play and pass along that knowledge by the time we leave NC.

So what about the weeds? Well all this beautiful weather has drawn me outside. Our front walkway was a mess of weeds when we arrived. I worked for quite a few days to remove the weeds in November. Then this morning, what do I see, but more weeds. Then it hit me. The weeds that I took out in the fall were tough, thick, and deeply rooted. When I finished weeding, the walkway was torn up and looked so different. The weeding this spring is just little weak weeds or weeds that didn't quite get completely removed in the fall. They were easily removed without a lot of work. Then I began to think about my life. God has definitely been doing a lot of weeding, especially this last year. It is not always easy to go through the "weeding", but when some of the big sins and stumbling blocks are gone, I can more clearly see the little things that are keeping me from full service and can remove them. I know that if I forget or neglect my walkway, by fall the mess of weeds will be back. I need to be faithful to remove the little weeds. So with my life. Proverbs 4:23 "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

Back to the "Ironing" Board?

Yes, we are into the second week of school and I realize that I have gone from one uniform to another and am still ironing. It's not too bad, because there is something about a man in uniform. I think that the military actually had mercy on me, because it allowed him to wear coveralls most of the time (no ironing required).

Chris is enjoying his studies and a new found love of reading (sometimes it is a love-hate relationship). The first week was hard getting back into a pattern of study and home-life, but this second week has had more focus and seems to be going better.

Have I mentioned the classes? I don't think so ... He is taking Baptist History and Distinctives (the big reading class), Personal Evangelism, English Grammar, Systematic Theology II (right now doing angelology), Logic, Christian Home, General Bible Introduction (much on the version/text debate), and Acts.

New Years Resolutions

Jeremiah 6:16 "...Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. ..."

What a year 2008 was! It had its ups and downs and highs and lows as each year does. I must say that it has ended with some tremendous highs. God is good all the time, but his goodness and graciousness has been so evident in the last three months. God has taken us from a wilderness and desert to a place of growth and feeding. We are so thankful for our new church and the messages that challenge us to grow each week. My outward show means nothing. What is my attitude toward Christ? Why should I be content with where I am? I am supposed to "follow his steps." (I Peter 2:21)

We recently began the book In His Steps, by Charles Sheldon. The phrase has become a Christian tag line, but we must consider "What Would Jesus Do?" In light of the new year and the resolutions that fly around, I realize that anything right that I resolve to do would be accomplished if I was just following Christ. Would weight be a problem if I took care of my body as Jesus would? Would I be fearful on visitation or skip it all together if I saw the lost as Jesus does? Would I waste time in excess sleep or vain activities if I knew how short our time here was as Jesus does? Would prayer and Bible reading ever be glossed over, if I valued a relationship with God as Christ does?

So I have only one resolution ... FOLLOW CHRIST more this year.

Merry Christmas!

What a wonderful time of year (even without snow)! I love the trimmings of Christmas with trees and lights and candy and special meals and time off ... but this year the need to simplify stands out. Often those special trimmings distract us from the true meaning of the season. Do the cards have to go out? Do the candies need to be made? What if I wasn't in the Christmas program? Why do we try to cram so much more into this season, when there is so much to think about.

Jesus Christ is celebrated at Christmas. He came as a baby, leaving the glories of heaven and a perfect environment, to be surrounded by sin and to take all that sin upon him on the cross. We celebrate his birth, because it was through the birth that he took a human form to take the punishment of sin for us. I am so thankful for salvation. I am thankful that God calls us from all different points in life. I am thankful that God saves young, old, "good", "wicked", students, workers, moms, dads, children ...

Sandra was saved as a little girl. A faithful Sunday School teacher told her about heaven and hell and the price that Jesus paid so that we could have an eternity in a beautiful place instead of an eternity of torment in hell. She repented of her sin and trusted in Christ's work to secure her future in Heaven.

Chris heard the gospel all of his life from missionary parents. He could not grasp how it could be faith alone. It was as a 21 year old sailor in Power School that he realized that he could not help the lost condition of his "ship mates" without giving himself to Christ first. He repented of his sins and lack of faith, trusting in Christ alone to save him.

We rejoice in this season because God had a plan to redeem his creation. The child that we celebrate this season is the Savior of the world. Let's focus on that. Are you saved? Are you thankful for that salvation? Are you telling others what Christ did for you and what he can in turn do for them?

Update on the trailer

The unloved trailer is almost home. All of the rooms have been painted except for the master bathroom and they are almost all decorated. The guest room and the storage room still need a little arranging, but things are well on their way. Things are feeling like home and we were able to entertain our friends from NY last week and plan to have some other neighbors over tomorrow and then some church attenders on Sunday. As Dorothy says, "there's no place like home."

Residents of NC

Well, after a busy day in town, we are now official NC residents. Yes, we received our driver's licenses and registered and inspected the car. It was quite an ordeal and we are still getting used to the laid back methods of the south.

We arrived early at DMV knowing that it is sometimes a place to be feared. When we arrived with our stacks of ID and paperwork, the lady sent us home because we did not have our birth certificates. Despite the fact that the paperwork asked for one form of ID with a birth date (we had WA licences and passports), we could not convince her to let us through. So we went home and got the birth certificates. The second time through everything went well and we left with new licenses.

The journey was not over. Next we went to register the car. As of 11/1 they changed their rules and now an inspection needed to be completed first before registration rather than in 10 days after registration! ARGH! SOOO, we went and had it inspected and then registered the car.

So the simple acts of the morning filled the morning and a little of the afternoon.

Since I had been home for about 2 weeks straight, we went to Hickory, NC for a little "city" life. We went for some weights, a cross stitch kit, and a meal at Olive Garden. It was a nice little getaway and the end of leaf peeping season here in NC.

So now I reckon I should be fixin' to get to my exercise before facing this purdy day before me. Y'all come back and read now, ya hear!

How about being a dairy farmer?

Well, on Wednesday night at midnight, Chris said good bye to military life. He has been so relaxed since finishing up. His life was always clouded by the fear and dread of what would await on the ship, or when they would fast cruise (stay on the ship, tied to the pier for days on end), or when the next deployment would be. It is so nice to have that freedom again.

So now was the time to turn anxious, right? No, there has been such a peace in this process, that we still rested on God. There is a lot of talk about the poor economy and lack of jobs (which is true), but God had a plan in bringing us here. Chris had applications into Chick-fil-A (the southern fast food), a hardware store, Sears, and a manufacturing plant, when our neighbor came over with another option ... the dairy farm where he works. Chris pursued it and was hired on the spot. So 3 days after leaving the Navy, he was employed again.

So what is the lactose intolerant, hay fever prone man doing on the farm? :) Well, he was primarily hired to fix the diesel machinery, repair stalls and fences, and drive truck as necessary ... but everyone does a little of everything, so he also chases cows and scrapes manure.

We are so excited about this job. Chris is an outdoorsman - and this definitely fits the bill. He is on the go all the time so the days do not seem long at all. He can work 40 - 60 hours until school starts as he wants. He can cut back to 20 hours when the school year begins. He is active which cuts down the time he needs to exercise after work and will balance the time that he sits in classes.

So ... 3 cheers for milk!

A whirlwind trip to the Northeast

As if the trip across the country was not enough, we decided to take a whirlwind trip up to NY to see family and friends before work and school began. So after fixing up the major rooms in the trailer, we headed the nearly 600 miles to western NY to see the Hadley folks. It was the peak of leaf peeping as we headed through WV. Chris exclaimed on every turn, "Isn't that beautiful." We had a good visit with mom and dad. We celebrated dad's birthday, met their new pastor, visited a museum in Jamestown, and enjoyed roaming through the remainder of the fall colors on the property. I enjoyed playing a real piano and Chris enjoyed shooting his muzzleloader for the first time in about 8 months.

After the trip to Cherry Creek, we headed to Vestal to see my brother Jeff and his family. Their youngest referred to us as the people on the refrigerator so we needed to fix that. We had a nice visit with all of them. They too let us get out for some much needed walks - to see their new church and a nature walk at the local park. We did puzzles, played legos, and sampled the local Pat Mitchells ice cream (it was REALLY good).

Next we were on to Cobleskill for church with our friends from Albany - Matt and Kelly. Their little church was going to meet in their home because they lacked a furnace at the church, but they braved 55 degree temps in the sanctuary so that I could play for the service (they are pretty tough). That night we did meet in their home and Chris preached. We had a good time catching up with them and being encouraged at God's faithfulness despite our lack of faith. We also enjoyed meeting their children and their church family.

Our last stop was Elizabethtown, PA to visit our friends from WA. On our way, we stopped in Clarks Summit, PA for some Friendly's. I had a tremendous grilled chicken salad and amazingly left the Vienna mocha fudge in the freezer. We arrived to see our friend in PA and had an awesome visit. We met their newest member, Josiah and Chris was able to visit Hershey, PA for the first time. Our friends took us on a tour trolley that stuffed us full of all kinds of Hershey products - YUM! We also enjoyed meeting all their church family that we had heard so much about in WA and seeing their new home.

We enjoyed our visit, but it sure was nice to get home and back into things again. Time to finish the trailer!

One week in NC!

We have been in NC for one week. We arrived to a slightly "unloved" trailer and eagerly set to work unlocking the potential in our new home. We were without water for 3 days which made life a little interesting. We did tote water from the neighbors house so that we could clean the carpets and did a little scrubbing in the house.

The place needs a lot of cleaning, but most of that is done now. We still have some mini blinds to clean and the guest bath, but the rest of the cleaning is done. Two rooms are already painted with many more to go. The kitchen is unpacked and the master bedroom is almost settled. This at least allows us some place to unwind and of course a place to prepare meals. Chris is redoing a closet right now so that we can unpack our hanging clothes.

We visited 2 churches on Sunday. What a blessing to visit 2 churches in one week that were not offensive on the outside. We will probably visit 2 more on Sunday. What a change to be able to be a little "choosy."

With all the repair and unpacking, we have not done a lot of exploring, but that will come. It is nice to be together and working on the place as a team. The last time we moved, Chris left with things still in boxes and I settled the place on my own. I like the team effort!

Sorry for the lack of pictures so far. I will add some when we are a little more settled and I can find things.