The Underside Of The Universe

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T10:10:00.001-05:00

I love Valentine's Day. I'm not sure why. I certainly have not always had a boyfriend on said "single awareness day". I think that I decided a while back that it wouldn't be one of those dreaded days for me. It must have been a long while ago that I decided to make it more than about romance. Because, let's face it, love is barely about romance. Love is wonderful but also can be quite difficult. But what I know about love I have learned from Love, Himself. God is a Holy Judge, yes, but He is also love! While He could condemn us to certain death in hell, He took on the flesh of of a man and lovingly and sacrificially made a way for us to be redeemed and to dwell with Him forever!

This is one (part) of my favorite verse: "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." (1 John 3:1 ESV) Learn it. Believe it.

So, with that in mind, I suppose that I like to be extra loving to those around me on Valentine's Day. Sometimes I do fun things. I believe it was my senior year in high school that I made rice krispy treats, packaged them in one of my grandpa-made baskets, and delivered them to friends around the school during home room.

At work a couple of years ago, I gathered some fun little treats for my single girl friends at work, including yummy lotion and a card.

I think that sometimes in the past I've probably also made baked goods for others on Valentine's Day. I just think it's fun. And obviously NOT to say, "Hey, I'm awesome and do cool things for others on Valentine's Day." Really, I just want you to know that no matter where you are in life, you are loved. And if I lived closer to you I would give you some cookies that I made this year.

One of the things I miss about working with others is that I don't get to bake for my co-workers anymore. So, sometimes I send things with Stephen. This year I even used my new craft toy to make bag toppers. Yes, it's silly, especially since most of the recipients are men. But, it's Valentine's Day, and it's fun--so deal with it. I just hate that I couldn't hand them out myself :) And yeah, one day I'll be really excited to make heart-shaped pancakes and cookies for our little kid.

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Funny Adoption Story #1

2012-02-12T14:10:00.003-05:00

I'm sure there will be more humorous moments to come, but this is the first one.

Stephen and I had our first interview with our social worker on Friday morning. It was a phone interview and lasted about an hour. Most of the conversation was on speaker phone, but we came to a point where she needed to ask us questions individually, so we each took a turn with the handset. One of the questions she asked concerned if there would ever be any reason that we would consider a divorce. Well, just to be clear on where we stand on the issue I would like to recount the beginning of a conversation that we had after a little "argument" between us. It went something like this:

Jenny: "You know we're not going to get a divorce, so we have the choice to either live happily or be miserable for the rest of our lives."

Stephen: "hahahahahahahahaha"

But, when asked that question, your mind immediately flips to "worst-case scenario", and flashes of stories of unfaithful heroes explode upon your brain. So, while you want to say "no," you realize that you live in a sinful and fallen world. Stephen gave a nice biblical answer that said something like "repeated infidelity without repentance". Mine, well, can I just use the excuse that I had been sick during the week, and parts of my brain was missing? My answer was more like this, "Well, not unless he went all crazy . . (pause) . . and cut my legs off or something." As soon as it came out of my mouth, I was confused and embarrassed and in awe of what I had just said. I wanted to laugh and cry. Really? Were my legs that important to me? Is my identity surrounded by my ability to run? Do I secretly have a crush on my legs? Do I subconsciously want to be a leg model? Why? Why? Why?

Needless to say, after Stephen assured me that he would repent for cutting my legs off and would get me a nice pair of Nike running prosthetics, I assented to forgiving him and reconciling our marriage.

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Some Things You Should Know about Infertility

2012-02-01T11:54:00.000-05:00

If you’ve kept up with our blog, you can understand now thegrief with which some posts over the past couple of years were written. Therehave been numerous books written about the clinical and personal struggles withinfertility, so I will not venture into that much information here. BUT, likelyyou, dear readers, have not read them. I mean, they aren’t exactly on thebest-seller list. And if a person buys such a book in a store, you want to wrapit in one of those brown paper bags as if you were trying to hide the liquoryou just bought (for your rum cake) from the liquor store. So, I’m mostlywriting this post for you who just don’t know. And for those of you who do knowand just need to be encouraged that someone understands and has your back,ready to hold some heads down in punch bowls (read previous post forclarification).

There are some things you need to know:

“Infertility doesn’t mean you can’t have a baby; it meansyou haven’t been successful after a year of trying.” That’s what my doctor saidto me. And that, is the basic definition of infertility. And that is thebeginning of lots of testing and a host of emotions. One of our doctors told usthat research has shown that dealingwith the stress of infertility is the same as receiving a cancer diagnosis(not dealing with the cancer but initially getting that diagnosis.) I believeit.

There are a lot ofpeople who struggle with infertility. Since coming forward with the news ofour journey, I’ve had multiple people reach out to me asking for information,advice, or just to talk. I can easily count nine people off the top of my headwho are or who have journeyed this road--and those are just the ones I knowabout. And judging by the busyness of our doctor’s office, there are a lotmore. The CDC states there are about 10-15% of Americans who struggle withinfertility (7.3 million people!). About 40% are attributed to female issues,about 40% to male issues, and about 20% to a combination of male and femaleissues or unknown issues.

This issue is embarrassingfor most of us. That’s why you usually don’t know about it until later.Personally, I can tell you how we felt, although it may not be the same foreveryone. We felt defective. We felt forsaken by God. We felt that He mustthink we shouldn’t be parents. We felt second-class. And, to be honest, westill have to work through a lot of those emotions. There were so many awkwardconversations with doctors. So many embarrassing tests. And when you go to thefertility clinic, no one talks to each other and barely makes eye contact. It’slike you’re back in middle school sitting in health class, talking about the“changes” that happen as we “mature.” You find seats as far away from people aspossible, and you pray to God that you don’t see someone you know. I know. Iknow what you are thinking: “That’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I wish Iwould’ve known so I could have prayed for you.” Yeah, but it is embarrassing when it's happening to you. Youfeel like an alien. And when going through treatments, it’s not exactlyfacebook material. “Hey, insemination day, everybody! Pray for us!” I mean, not gonnahappen. Also, remember that the way good news is made more exciting by sharing,bad news can be intensified when shared with others, especially if they arehoping for good news and you have to share another failure.

So, don’t be upset if you find out that you didn’t know.Personally, we had to get to a place where we could talk about it without beingembarrassed, without feeling defective, and without crying. Which is why, you need to keep your mouthshut. Every instance of someone making unwelcome comments to me abouthaving children or being pregnant replays in my mind. And they hurt worse thesecond time. Basically, you just don’t know who has, who is, or who willjourney through infertility. Most people won’t have to, and that’s great news.But a lot will. So, enough with the baby comments. Unless someone welcomes youinto that world or conversation with them, just let it go. It’s none of yourbusiness, really, anyway.

Dealing withinfertility is a constant cycle of hope and disappointment. It isexhausting physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Be patient and gentle withpeople if you know they are dealing with this. And encourage them if you findout they’re coming out on the other side. For some couples, they may journeyand one day have a biological child. For others, they may never have abiological child. (Of the nine mentioned above, 2 couples have biological children, at least as of now.) Especially for that latter group, they are grieving. For them,the dream of wanting a child and thereality that it will not happen as they thought is very much a grief experience—withall of the anger, denial, bargaining, and acceptance that comes with it. Forus, we are excited about adoption. Really excited! But we also had to grievethrough infertility before we were ready to go on a different, but equally asawesome, journey.

I’ve not said much about our infertility journey because Ihaven’t wanted it to overshadow the awesome adoption road that we’ve set aboutto travel. But, I feel that this is necessary because there are so many peoplewho are grieving this journey in silence, and I want to help you know how itfeels to walk in those shoes. Because it’s such a need, I’ll probably writemore later, but I feel this is a good starting place. I promise not to blogmuch about it, but there are a lot of hurting people. And if I can encouragethem, I will thank God for the way He has enabled me to understand that painand to walk with them if I can.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, theFather of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all ouraffliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction,with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

(2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV)

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Big News on the Homefront

2012-01-18T14:06:00.000-05:00

Hoping our mantle will have more than two stockings in the next few years.

Hey, we've got some great news to share! Although it may not be exactly what you're thinking :) But if you're wondering if our family will be growing, you're headed in the right direction.

We are beginning the paperwork to start the process for adoption! Now go listen to this lovely song (This Love) and rejoice with us as you read the rest of the blog. We don't have a lot of details right now, and we're just at the very very beginning, but I tried to answer a few popular questions below:

1) Where are you looking to adopt from?
We don't know for sure. Right now we are leaning toward China. Lots of factors to consider.

2) How long will it take?
We don't know. Assuming we are approved, the general average seems to be about 2-4 years. There are factors that could make it shorter and factors that could make it longer.

3) How much will it cost?
It all depends, but a rough round figure is $30,000. We have been saving for this, but we are also exploring ideas to help raise money. If you have an awesome idea (or are buddies with Bill Gates) let us know. I'm sure I will be sewing and crafting up a storm pretty soon. (Speaking of sewing, my Etsy sales helped pay for most of our application expense, so thanks!)

4) Are you excited?
Heck yes!

5) Are you scared?
Terrified. Sometimes, when I start thinking about the reality of it all and the responsibility of being a godly parent, I want to throw up. Totally not kidding about that.

6) Did you want any biological children?
Yes, we have desired that. Our "plan" was to do both. Our hearts have been open to adoption ever since we got married. Through a couple of years of dealing with infertility issues, God has revealed that His plan is different from our own. But we're OK with that and have grieved and received closure in that area. We consider adoption to be a great honor and a tremendous picture of the gospel; in no way do we consider an adopted child a consolation prize for not being able to conceive one the traditional way.

7) Is there a chance you will still have biological children?
Yes, but the chances can be most accurately illustrated here. Now, there is a tendency of people to say things like, "Don't be surprised if you get pregnant now!" People have already said that to me, and I never want to hear it again. Really, it's not good to hear; neither is it good for my heart. Adoption is not a magic pill to cause a pregnancy. Neither is buying skinny jeans--I tried.

8 Will you still come to baby showers?
Yes, we love babies and their parents! We want to celebrate with them! But, if any of you say something to the effect of "just wait until you're pregnant", I will unapologetically hold your head down in the punch bowl--I don't care who you are :)

If you have more questions, feel free to ask. We probably don't know the answers, but you can ask anyway. Thanks for your prayers as we begin this long and difficult journey. You may subscribe to our blog or follow it through email (right upper hand of the page) if you want to receive notifications of when we update the blog, which will also include adoption updates.

Now, please excuse me as I go take some Pepto.

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"Trusting God" Book Review

2012-01-12T11:25:00.002-05:00

Trusting God, Even When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges (NavPress)

I had to do lots and lots of book reviews in seminary. I developed a habit that really helped me complete great critical reviews: I kept a notebook and pen with me as I read and wrote down thoughts, disagreements, problems, praises, etc. Simple enough, but it worked. I haven't been keeping notebooks with me as I've read since them because my purpose for reading has been different, and because I haven't read all that much other than in commentaries and such for work. Maybe I should do that again--reading and keeping a notebook with me. Nevertheless, I feel that I should let you know up front that I did not set out to review the book I just finished, and so I am just attempting to give you a few thoughts on it, not an entire critical review.

In fact, the whole reason I have this book in the first place is because NavPress occasionally offers free ebooks. (Friend them on Facebook, and you'll get updates when they offer books.) Well, I like free things, and I had just gotten Stephen a Kindle for Christmas, so we had a way to read it. I downloaded it into his kindle account and proceeded to read it when I could steal his kindle away. He reads every night before bed, so I couldn't do it then (which was the best time for me to read). Mostly I've been reading it in waiting rooms, doctor's offices, and while I'm waiting for hair stuff to be complete at the salon. It's taken me over six months to read this book, and the fact that I never lost interest says a lot. Every time I picked it up, my heart would turn more and more to trust God, and I couldn't wait to read more. I finally finished it last night, and I'd highly encourage you to read it. Here are a few thoughts about why:

It's God-centered. Pain and suffering cause pain and suffering in our lives. That's hard, and it's so easy to focus on ourselves. Bridges book is based on study in Scripture--primarily on the character of God. We do not trust God because we are prone to trusting; we trust God because He is trustworthy. I appreciate that this is not a self-help book but a book focused on the incredible character of God and His word. Bridges is careful to note our responsibility to God and how we respond to Him, but Bridges rightly centers the "hardness" of life on God and not on humankind.
It's very readable and very relate-able. Jerry Bridges doesn't write as a theologian who has a vast bucket of knowledge to spill over onto whomever will listen. He writes as one who has journeyed through pain and struggles. That's not to say that it isn't scholarly. A lot of research and study has gone into this book, and I appreciate that. Still, Bridges is transparent in giving first-person examples of some of his struggles without pretending to know all of the answers. He doesn't back down from the reality of human pain and acknowledges that trusting God is not always easy. At the same time, however, he gently but clearly points out the sinfulness of our natural reaction to doubt God. I often found myself cringing at how I have responded to God in doubt but I also laughed a good bit at how accurately Bridges notes human behavior. Did God give Jerry Bridges special insight into my soul?
He unapologetically acknowledges the mystery of God. You will not read this book and have all the answers. There is a mystery to God that we will never know on earth. Bridges doesn't try to apologize for God's mystery or make Him into something that we can understand. God is God. What we can learn from Scripture is sufficient for our trust in Him.
It's applicable and heart-felt. There is a great book by D.A. Carson that I've read concerning the theology of why bad things happen. You can check it out here. While Trusting God is full of great theology, it's very practical theology and it's much less academic in its style. Knowing all of the best theology in the world doesn't make pain stop. This book approaches the heart in addition to the mind. It's best to have developed good theology before suffering happens, but I feel that this book is soft enough, while still being truthful, to read even in the midst of suffering. Bridges carefully shepherds the reader throughout the whole book with a gentle hand, leading them to explore the trustworthiness of God.
It's roughly 230 pages. I can't handle the latter Harry-Potter-sized books. Not yet anyway.

So, this is my little review. I highly recommend it because suffering is not an "if" question for the Christian; it's a "when" question. Check it out at NavPress or at Amazon (Yes, there is a kindle version). There's even a discussion guide that you could use for a small group study.

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Sometimes You Learn the Hard Way

2012-01-06T16:54:00.002-05:00

Some lessons in life are learned the hard way. The same is true for marriages. Sometimes two sinful people who are married learn things about each other the hard way.

The first time Stephen and I tried to hang a curtain rod in our house (it was located in our bathroom), it ended with him being banished from the bathroom and me hanging the rod by myself, swearing to never let him help me with home decor again. This from the girl who not only sewed the curtain but who, in the past, had changed the electrical plug on the back of an old clothes dryer, changed the drain in a bathtub, changed the faucet in a bathroom sink (different bathroom), changed the electrical switch in the same bathroom (and with transparency, I did get a mild electric shock from that one), fixed a leaky toilet in a bathroom (yet, a different bathroom), and adjusted a phone jack in a an apartment to make it look like the others (and work). Now, by all means, I am no "Holmes on Homes". I don't know much, but I don't mind attempting simple things. I am apt to be good with my hands, and I carry a set of amazing handmade jumper cables in my car that my father made. So, it kinda runs in my genes. Mostly this propensity to do things with my hands exhibits itself in cake decorations and sewing, but I like to DIY around the house when I can and when a professional fix to my attempts wouldn't drain our bank account. I think it's fun.

The second time we tried to hang a curtain rod together, we had to use wall anchors. We learned a hard lesson on that one, too. Stephen more so than I did as we ended with a large (size of a small toddler's hand) hole in the sheetrock, and Stephen was once again banished from hanging rods. He promised to fix the hole and begged to hang the other two. I relented, and he hung the rest of them perfectly, promptly using the lessons we learned about wall anchors. Then he fixed the hole in the wall, complete with a trip to the paint store and everything to get matching paint. You can't even tell anything happened there. There was one funny conversation that went like this:
S: I will get some Spackle and fix it.
J: You can't use spackle. I heard Ty Pennington say on the radio that Spackle sucks.
S: Fine. I'll go get some dry wall compound.
J: Great. Thanks.

Fortunately the third time we hung a curtain rod in our bedroom, it all went down without a hitch and barely any hard feelings toward one another. We are both learning a lot about home maintenance, and I love Stephen's desire to learn and be involved.

This week Stephen took off work. He worked on studying for a computer certification test and was going to do a few things around the house. One of these things on his list was to fix a few tiny knicks--three to be exact. After he put dry wall compound on the wall and fixed it all up, he got out the paint. While I was working one afternoon, he went to town painting. I had no idea, but he, with his great servant heart, went to town in our long hallway. He not only painted over the spot of dry wall compound, he rolled over ever scuff mark along the whole hall. Now, we've been in our house for over five years now. We accumulated a lot of scuff marks down the hall, especially by throwing toys down the hall for Ella to chase. Also, over the course of 5 years, paint fades. He would not let me take a picture, but by the time he got finished, it looked like a toddler took a giant beige crayon and colored all over the hallway. You could see ever mark because it was now a much darker beige than what was on the wall.

I couldn't be mad. First of all, he had attempted to do something so nice. I didn't want to insult his manhood or his ego by getting mad at his sweet heart and good intentions. Secondly, it was just paint. It wasn't like we were missing a wall or something. He insisted that we wouldn't have to paint the entire hallway and that he would just go get some more beige to match the wall. I knew in my heart that he would end up having to paint the entire hallway, but I decided to let him take care of it. And he did. He worked so hard at it. After attempts at "fixing" it with new paint, this afternoon, he painted the entire hallway. The good news is that there are no more scuff marks. And he learned a hard lesson. His best quote of the day was, "Today I learned that there are more shades of beige than descendents of Abraham, but the hall looks good with a fresh coat of paint."

My dad was an iron worker and knew how to use every tool known to man. He once re-wired and re-roofed the house I grew up in. I think he built an addition onto it as well. But when you don't have someone like that teaching you how to do things, you learn the hard lessons on your own. I'm so proud of Stephen, and I love living through the hard lessons with him. You not only learn a lot about the subject at hand but you learn a lot about the person you're with and the person you are--and the person you want to become. I am always amazed at Stephen's humility and teach-ability, and I hope I have learned that mistakes are usually not detrimental and make for a very wise and handy husband . . . and sometimes a freshly painted hallway without scuff marks.

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Merry Christmas from the Riddles!

2011-12-22T11:28:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May this season provide ample opportunity for celebration of God's gift of redemption to a world in desperate need.

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A Simply Beautiful Christmas

2011-12-15T11:08:00.001-05:00

I read a friend's blog post the other week about how she struggles with (somewhat doesn't like) Christmas because of all the pain that her friends experience with it. The post made me sad. I could identify with her to a point. There is so much pain and struggle, and sometimes "jolly" holidays like Christmas just seem to magnify the fact that you are just trying to tread water much less engage in a Norman Rockwell scene. And then social media has its own way, albeit a facade, of shoving your head under the wave of Christmas cheer. Perfectly decorated homes that aren't yours. Loving family gatherings for clans who all live in the same city. Parties you weren't invited to. Happy children making cookies with their Wonder Woman moms.

And then there's the hurting ones, perhaps even you're in this category. There's an empty chair again this year at the table. A job lost. An uncertain future. A child is in jeopardy of never getting his forever family. Perhaps your dreams for 2011 didn't pan out the way you had anticipated. And, yet, you are expected to deck the halls and have a holly jolly Christmas with as much gusto as an animated elf from those family Christmas movies. And, certainly, you are quite knowledgeable about the true meaning of Christmas, and your theology is still in tact, and you know that Christmas isn't about you. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt a little or a lot.

And then I remember watching another friend singing with the praise team at church one morning, right around the time her son was about to have part of his brain removed because of a tumor and the accompanying seizures. I remember watching her up there that morning singing from her heart about the faithfulness and goodness of God. I remember everything getting blurry from the tears welling up in my eyes. Her song was truly a sacrifice of praise to the One who had allowed this path for her family and the One who had sustained them through it all. And it was simply beautiful. Stunning, even.

Perhaps it is in such pain that Christmas becomes truly beautiful. Perhaps it is in the worship of one who has forged through the fires of struggle that the lights of Christmas speak most loudly. We celebrate and long for the hope and redemption of Christ the most when we are unsatisfied with this world and when we realize there is nothing we can do in our own power--including our salvation. It is at this point we cling to the faithfulness of God who sent His Son exactly when and where He promised. God came in the flesh with His message of Hope. He came to redeem us. We celebrate that at Christmas, but it's not the end. In the middle of Christmas, we are reminded that He has promised to send Him again, and we can count on His faithfulness to fulfill that promise. We have been promised the return of the Messiah, and we long for the day when He will wipe away all tears and pain. So, when we worship the faithfulness of God and His promise of redemption at Christmas, it is truly something beautiful, particularly when that worship comes from a heart that is experiencing hurt that God has allowed. The true meaning of Christmas may, in fact, be most poignant and most stunning when viewed through tears.

There's definitely more to say here, but I'm already getting long, so I'll just end with this: If you are hurting this year, please know that my heart goes out to you, and I pray that Christ is evident to you in His glory this Christmas.

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Christmas Prize Pack

2011-11-30T18:04:00.001-05:00

I wrote about my friends, Chad and Cole earlier this year and encouraged you to buy one of their cool tshirts to help them raise money for their adoption. In case you missed it, read about it here. And, you can see me in my shirt in the pictures from Thanksgiving here. It's an awesome shirt and has become a favorite to wear.

Many of you know that Stephen and I have been very sensitive to adoption and like to help that happen in any way that we can. Missions is a call to every follower of Christ. We are expected to be involved in some aspect, whether that's through sending, going, giving, praying, or whatever. Caring for orphans is the same. We are all expected to be a part of that ministry. God made provisions in the law to care for orphans and widows. James summed it up best when he said, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." (James 1:27 ESV)

We are not all called to adopt, although I think it's a question that more of us should be asking and praying about. Whether or not we physically adopt a child, it's a command and a privilege to be involved in it however we can. And why should we be involved, other than that's what God told us to do? Well, because as believers in Christ, we have been adopted.

A while back, I was helping a colleague do a word study on "adoption" in the Bible. What I found was that the word is a composed to two words--one meaning son and the other to place. The definition meant that a person who was adopted was legally and officially declared to be treated as and cared for as a child, including inheritance rights. When I look at Ephesians 1:5 with that definition in mind, it almost makes me cry. God had decided from the beginning that He would adopt us through Jesus Christ as His own children! We did nothing to earn this; He initiated it and carried through with the process of taking our sinful selves and declaring us to be His own, including the inheritance of eternity with Him. Wow! We've been adopted, so we gladly take part in supporting adoption in any way we can.

(If you want to see this spelled out more clearly and in a very real adoption setting, read my pastor's blog as he and his family are currently adopting sweet Mara Ruth from China.)

So, back to Chad and Cole. I told you a while back that you would have another opportunity to help them. Now's the time. And act quickly b/c you only have until December 6. They have a raffle every month. This month is a great supply of Christmas goodies. No, not edible ones. Ones to keep for yourself or give away! Included in this raffle are two of my Christmas pillows. Please, help me look good by entering this raffle :) For real, though, there are some really cool things included in this prize pack. You can enter with just $5. That's it. Helping adopting one $5 at a time. So, go on over to their blog here and enter. Do it. Now. You could win everything for just $5 and have lots of Christmas goodies to keep or give away.

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Giving of Thanks 2011

2011-11-24T22:29:00.001-05:00

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, there is a slight tradition that has arisen from the need to make lots of dressing for our big family. I love celebrating with my family, but we all have a healthy appetite. Fortunately we are also all pretty good cooks. I think it's in the genes.

On this Wednesday, my grandmother Talley made breakfast for dinner. Here she is showing my brother's girls how to make biscuits.

Her biscuit bowl is famous, so I thought it high time that I took some pictures of it being used by the master.

After our breakfast dinner we started making the dressing. Here we are tearing up bread to go into the recipe. We also laugh a lot, poke fun at our mothers and each other, and use the kitchen sprayer as a weapon.

Granny Talley and her two daughters--the dressing czars.

Everybody gets to get their hands in the bowl.

But my cousin, Victoria, has been the designated mixer over the past several years. She brings the term "hand mixer" to a whole new light. We all washed our hands well, though :)

And then the lovely turkey day arrives after a good, long night's sleep. Part of the dessert table.

My two uncles make the turkeys. One makes a Cajun infrared-fried turkey, and the other smokes one. They are both incredible!

And the final dressing product

It's difficult for me to make things for holiday celebrations because we are always traveling from somewhere, and I can't overtake my mom's kitchen when she's using it. This year I found something that I love to eat and was easy to do--homemade cranberry sauce. It was pretty delicious, and my nieces helped taste-test it to make sure it was delicious.

Before the meal (I didn't get pictures of this part) we always gather in a circle in the garage and take turns expressing what we are thankful for. We used to have to say 3 things, but now that we've grown so much we just have to say 1. Otherwise we'd never get to eat. Some people can eat inside, but we have to set up tables in the garage to accommodate everybody. This year there were 44 people there! Yay! So fun!

My plate (without the dessert). So delicious!

And the guy I'm most thankful for this year. And every year.

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The Cookie Nemesis

2011-11-15T15:27:00.001-05:00

I don't normally do instructional blogs, but I do enjoy reading them. I thought that if I could help someone like me, then it was worth it. Plus, I enjoyed taking the pictures.

Cookies have always been my nemesis. They would usually taste OK, but they were ugly and greasy and weird. If you know me, you know that I like my food, especially my baked goods, to look as good as they taste.

I made the comment to a friend the other day that baking is more of an exact science. The wrong amount of one ingredient or the wrong temperature can often make the whole baking project go awry. But there is some room for experimentation at times. And, sometimes, when something's not working for you, you just gotta try something different. Cookies were not working for me. I had to do something. For the love of all things chocolate, I wanted to be able to make chocolate chip cookies. (BTW, I did find a recipe for an altered chocolate chip/hazelnut cookie from Giada on FoodNetwork.com, and it's wonderful. But it has lots of ingredients, uses multiple kitchen appliances, and is a bit time consuming.)

So here's what I've found works for me. I use the Nestle Toll House recipe. Yep, the one on the back of the bag of their chocolate chips (also very similar to the one on the back of the Ghirardelli bag). I make ONE big change to the recipe. I half the butter. Instead of one cup, I use a half a cup. It makes the cookies pretty and more cake-like. If you prefer a different consistency, then don't do what I did.

To start with, when I need to use butter, vanilla, or chocolate chips, these are what I use: Nielsen Massey vanilla is the only vanilla I ever use; there is no substitute for real butter when you're baking; and the higher cost of Ghirardelli chips are well worth it. The Ghirardelli in this picture is milk chocolate and is amazing. In this particular batch, I did half milk chocolate and half semi-sweet chocolate chips just to add some flair. But I personally would never use all semi-sweet. I just love the creaminess and deliciousness of the milk chocolate.

Prepare according to the recipe and try to resist eating the raw dough.

Another of my favorite baking tool is the silicone baking mat. This green one is a Food Network brand. I also have the typical ones you see in the stores that are brownish around the edges. Both work fine for me. They really help with even baking. Nothing sticks to them, and my pans stay clean. I also use these for work with candy. When I made divinity I used these to plop the finished candy onto to dry. It didn't stick at all. Sometimes I use them for fondant work as well. They're really wonderful.

I may or may not have eaten one of the dough balls above. Yes, raw eggs. Yes, delicious. I use these little scoops to measure out the dough. I think this one measures a tablespoon. I have a larger one that I use to measure cupcake batter. It helps them be the same size. I think these came from Pampered Chef.

Mmm. Cooking nicely! I think I need to clean the oven door.

See how fluffy they are! Let them cool for a few minutes to get their shape together.

And the bottoms aren't burned! Love those baking mats! Be careful when using these mats that you don't stab them with a spatula (and never use knives around them!) After the cookies sit for a minute, I just pick the cookies up with my bare hand (I almost typed bear hand--hahahaha). No spatula needed.

I didn't grow up with cooling racks. We put paper towels on newspaper. But they're actually pretty helpful and help with cooling so you can eat them sooner. I mean, package them for your friends quicker. I like these stacking ones because it frees up space on my limited amount of counters. I think these are Pampered Chef as well. My mom kindly gave them to me after I oohed and ahhed over them in her cabinet.

I love this texture. They don't flatten out like they used to. They're pretty and taste good!

Enjoy!

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Life & Bricks

2011-10-17T14:10:00.002-04:00

To quote Steve Jobs from his Standford commencement address, "Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick."

I was just (admittedly) lamenting to a friend this morning that sometimes being obedient to God's calling takes sacrifice and can really lead you in the path of crazy (Hello, Hurricane Katrina, lay-offs, moves, etc.). I want to be obedient to God, but quite frankly, I'm tired of it being so dang difficult. Sometimes I just ask God if He will ever allow anything to be easy for us.

In the scope of people starving, homeless, and sick all over the world, my life has been easy--I understand that. But my heart has surely felt the sting of intense pain on many occasions. I hate to admit it, but during the course of one particularly dark season in my life I decided that I would punish God for His injustice in my life by not talking to Him anymore. I wouldn't even say the prayer for our meals at home. I think I've confessed that error in judgment on this blog prior to today. Needless to say, He was patient with me, and I learned the hard way that giving God the silent treatment simply reiterates the sinful nature still living in you and contributes to more material for your friends to be able to ridicule you.

In developing a Thanksgiving lesson for work, I've been digging into Habakkuk. I've just been loving Habakkuk and have been ministered through it more than I can say. Habakkuk had some bricks hurtling toward his head. Big bricks. And lots of them. Fortunately as a prophet of God, he did not seek out the silent treatment when he was mad at God. Contrary to my apparent preferred method, Habakkuk honestly told God what he thought about everything going on. And God faithfully and mercifully answered Habakkuk with the assurance that He was always on His throne and that He gives strength to the righteous to live by faith even in the midst of things they don't understand (yes that's a long sentence, but I'm writing in a hurry). Habakkuk concluded that God was trustworthy, even if He didn't understand how or why God was working the way He was. The prophet resolved to stand firm in his faith and to rejoice in God, who would give him strength to stand.

Job ultimately also came to God with his grievances after unimaginable loss and suffering. After God instructed Job to put on his big boy pants and take his rebuke like a man, Job repented and admitted that God alone knows all things and has the freedom to work in ways that we do not understand. Then, Job stated that he heard God when his life was easy, but after his experience of loss, he saw God. Job had known God, but now he experienced Him.

Sometimes life throws bricks at your head. Sometimes it's a boulder. I never want to be known as the person who gives God the silent treatment when she doesn't get her way. I want to be the person who stands firm in her faith with brick-shaped dents in her head as she rejoices in the God who is in control of the bricks. Because--I guess it's when the bricks are flying that you experience God instead of just reading about Him. For that, I'm thankful for the bricks. I don't have to be excited about the gashes or bruise on my head, but I want to be able to rejoice in the God who will redeem those wounds.

In all honesty, I'm not yet to the place where my first reaction is thanksgiving or praise. Sometimes I just want an easy route. But I guess that's why sanctification is a process.

Quality Time with Nina Sharp

2011-09-12T15:52:00.002-04:00

I have named my sewing machine Nina Sharp, after a character on one of my favorite TV shows--Fringe. It also is appropriate for my specific sewing machine, but I won't bore you with the details. Anyway, Nina and I have spent some quality time together of late, and these pictures show a lot of that quality time from last week. I don't normally post things I make on the blog, but I was so excited about these that I just really wanted to share them with you. There is a little story behind them that is actually quite odd. In July (I think) I got an email from my favorite place to buy fabric online that they had Christmas fabric on sale. Some of you may think that's blasphemous for places to sell Christmas items so far away from Christmas. I have heard many patrons decry the appearance of Christmas items in Hobby Lobby while it's not even Labor Day yet. But, for those of us who do crafty things, we need time to get those things made. So, go easy on the craft stores for the early release of Christmas. I need that to happen. OK, that aside, I started browsing the fabric and came across some (what I considered) incredibly cute Christmas fabric. I ordered several yards. I didn't know what I was going to do with it, but I thought I would figure that out later. I made some pillows out of some fabric for a friend's adoption raffle but I still had some cute girly fabric waiting on me to decide what to do with it. Finally, I realized that it would be a tragedy if this fabric wasn't made into some dresses for little girls. I don't have any little girls, obviously, so I explained my situation to a friend who does. I clearly told her that the world might stop spinning if this fabric wasn't created into some dresses and begged her to let me make some for her. She graciously obliged. Over the next few months I bought some patterns (which turned out to challenge me) and the other necessary items needed. Fast forward to last week and this is what came of my quality time with Nina:A fully lined 2T dress

With a matching hairbow (Yes, I know I went crazy.)

And a fully lined (except for the bloomers) 6 mos. thing (what are those? creepers? Such a horrible name for a baby outfit.) with adjustable arm holes

With a matching hairbow

Don't worry--the girls are going to wear turtlenecks of some sort under them. Yes, I know these are light colored and will likely get stained and possibly pooped on. But that's OK. At least the world won't stop turning.Pin It

An Ode to Coach

2011-08-28T10:13:00.002-04:00

(This picture was the Christmas that Stephen and I had just gotten engaged.)

I don’t remember the exact moment that I met Rome and Edna Stephens, a.k.a Coach and Mamasan, but my first impressions of them came from their grandson, Stephen, whom I had grown to like very much. This new boyfriend of mine was courteous, well-mannered, kind, and quite the gentleman. But what had caught my attention in the first place was that he didn’t just exhibit these qualities to me but to everyone, which is the difference between a true gentleman and a guy trying to impress somebody. I had complimented him multiple times on his manners, and he always responded that Mamasan had taught him well. I couldn’t wait to meet these grandparents!

When I finally did get to meet them, I noticed one of the most sincere and loving marriage relationships that I had ever seen. That they cared about and loved one another deeply was obvious. That they liked to have fun with each other was equally as obvious. Another thing that struck me was that this man who was about 50 years my senior might have less grey hair than I did. For whatever manners Mamasan had instilled into Stephen, Coach modeled them for him in the grandest of fashion. This man was the epitome of charm and grace, but with such meek strength that you could envision him in his younger years in the Army without any trouble. I imagine that Coach could very well have been who Steve Rogers of The Captain America comic book series was based on. Even though decades of age and years of jumping out of airplanes and landing on his feet has shrunken his stature, he was every bit the courageous and heroic man on the inside as he ever was when he stood 6 feet tall with defined muscles.

Coach was a retired Colonel in the Army. I don’t know enough of the details to get it all right, so I won’t try. He had some of the most amazing stories. I always enjoyed listening to him recount an adventure or a funny instance. He and Mamasan lived in Thailand, Germany, Japan, and probably a few other places that I don’t know about. With the 82nd Airborne, he jumped behind enemy lines on D-Day. Those memories were some that he mostly kept to himself. I imagine that the things he saw that day, he didn’t want to remember and didn’t see fit to share. But Coach sure did have some fun stories to tell about his time in the Army, and the copious amounts of medals on plaques, on his uniforms, and in his armoire tell the story of a man who was courageous, honest, hard-working, and well-liked. His “unofficial” medals tell the story of a man who loved his family and loved his wife in a way that probably made most women jealous.

In fact, after Mamasan passed in 2006, Coach was the object of pursuit by several women. Without exaggeration, he had to verbally tell women to leave him alone. He and Mamasan had been married for close to 70 years, and he was not about to do anything that would tarnish her memory or try to replace her. She was undeniably irreplaceable.

I eventually had the honor of marrying Coach and Mamasan’s grandson, Stephen. In fact, at our wedding reception, the throw-away bouquet was not paraded in front of single women like a golden carrot of an imagined marriage. I gave it to the woman who had been married the longest—and that sweet lady was Mamasan. I’ve been privileged to be a part of their family, and I always looked forward to seeing both of them. In all honesty, Coach and Mamasan were two of my most favorite people in the world. I loved them like they were my own grandparents. Stephen has tremendous memories growing up with them, and the more I hear the more I love. But I think the greatest compliment to them is that the more I hear, and the more I love Stephen, the more I see them in him and the more we want to emulate their relationship.

We had begun to see Coach’s health deteriorate little by little over the past year, but we received a call on Friday that he was in ICU, and we should probably come see him. After arriving at the hospital, it was obvious that his body was tired, and he was ready to leave this earth. It was painful to see him in the condition that he was in, so in our hearts we knew that death was a welcome call to his heart. Even so, he never stopped being a gentleman. As I told him that we loved him and were leaving for the night, he smiled his Coach smile at me and told me to “Take care.” I think he knew that it was his “goodbye” to Stephen and me. Our hearts broke as we got the call on Saturday while en route back to Columbus, GA that Coach was no longer with us. We were glad that he is now in the presence of the Lord (and with Mamasan), but it hurts to have part of your heart pummeled like that.

We will miss Coach and Mamasan very much, but I am proud to say that I think I have a living of example of Coach by my side every day (he even bears their name). And if he has as much black hair at 89 as his grandfather did, I might have to borrow some of it.

An African Cake

2011-08-21T21:07:00.003-04:00

Some friends of ours, Danielle and Wes, recently adopted a set of twins--a boy and a girl--from Uganda. They are incredibly precious children, and Stephen and I have loved getting to meet them, bring them food, and give them big hugs. You can check out their adoption story here. Last week, my work hosted a shower for Danielle, and I was honored to be asked to make the cake. The hostesses wanted it to be in the colors of the Ugandan flag, so that's what I did. I was pretty excited with how it turned out. It was a delicious chocolate cake with white buttercream and decorative fondant accents.

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Pretty Much My Favorite Music

2011-07-25T16:00:00.001-04:00

I've been meaning to write this post for a long time now. I've had the humbling privilege to hear Mandi Mapes sing at my church for a few years now. She is an incredibly gifted songwriter with insights that most people who have been Christians for decades can't express--and she's a fairly new believer. Her songs would just speak right to my heart, and I wanted to be able to listen to them all of the time. But, alas, there wasn't a way. But then, to my great pleasure, she put out an album. I included the link here to it in iTunes in case you want to check it out. I don't really know Mandi personally, but I know people who do, and she's the real deal. In fact, she's been in Asia for a mid-term mission project since earlier this year. This album is probably my most favorite music right now. I can't begin to tell you how much I love these songs and the way they speak to my heart and help me worship the Lord. The lyrics are inspired; the music is not over-produced; and her voice is amazing. God truly has a calling on her life and is the Author of her giftedness, skill, and creativity. So, check out the album and be blessed.

And check out her Web site here. Explore around until you find her blog, and you can read the "stories behind the songs."

A Little Ditty about Jack & Diane

2011-07-18T14:42:00.000-04:00

I mean, Chad and Cole. They are dear friends from our time in New Orleans and have even come to Birmingham a couple of times to visit.

Chad and Cole moved into the ghetto apartment complex, affectionately called The Tilly, on a hot summer day. We had no idea they were even moving in until the apartment manager came to our door and informed us that our car had been broken into by some thugs. As we came outside to inspect the over-$2,000 in damage to our car, this new guy named Chad expressed his sweaty but genuine condolences to us. It was kind of him, but a rather unfortunate way to meet your new upstairs neighbors.

Chad and Cole started attending the same church that we did, and we did some fun things together--like play with dry ice in the pool, talk, and just hang out. Over the course of some time, we decided that they were cool people, and if got to hang around them more, maybe they could make us cool too. So one day we made plans to go hang out on a Friday night. It would kinda be like our first date with them. We were excited. And then I won four tickets from the local Christian radio station to attend the Steven Curtis Chapman (and Chris Tomlin) concert in New Orleans that same Friday night. Not only did I win tickets, I won dinner for four at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and a limo ride to dinner and back to the concert. (I also got to go on the air with the amazing Josh Millwood, but I lost all sense of my voice and the use of my brain and made an idiot of myself.) I mean, if you're ever gonna impress some new friends, I was hoping this would do it.

Still shaking from the recent news that I had won this grand prize, I climbed up the stairs to go inform my new friends of our amazing and free date the next night. "Have you been listening to the radio," I shyly asked. "Well we were but we turned it down to talk. Why?" "Well . . ." And then I nervously told them them about what I had just won and that we couldn't wait to go with them. Well, it was a great night! So much fun! We knew that we liked them and could only hope that they liked us back :) We almost sent a check yes/no letter the next day.

The thing I remember about this night on the town, though, is that SCC did a presentation of Shaohanna's Hope--his charity for adoptions. During a break, Chad and Cole disappear and come back, barely mentioning that they had chosen to begin giving regular support to Shaohanna's Hope. My first thought was, "awesome." My second was, "I wonder if they know that they are poor seminary students and live in the ghetto?"

Well, that was one of the first evidences of the compassion and genuine faith of these two precious friends. It was also one of the first clues that adoption was near to their hearts. As they've been teaching their two very young children about God's call to care for orphans through ministries like Compassion, I've seen this seed grow even more. This ministry of adoption has grown in their hearts, and they have recently announced that they are going through the process of adopting a son from Africa. Y'all, adoption is EXPENSIVE. Mucho dinero is needed. Chad and Cole are sacrificing much to bring their son home. I'll be posting later on one specific way that I am participating and that you can help. But they also are selling these awesome tshirts! They look like the picture at the top of this blog. Aren't they cool! And the really neat thing is that the verse is referring to God's spiritual adoption of us, so it's a really neat conversation starter.

You can follow their story and learn about how to order a shirt or make a donation here.

Some Confessions

2011-07-13T17:02:00.001-04:00

I have lots of thing stirring around in my head. I usually wait to write about them until I have some sense of closure or a “lesson learned”. But I can’t seem to shake the struggle of some of them, so I’m just going to offer my heart a little writing therapy. I’m not miserable. I also realize I am not struggling with a brain tumor, bankruptcy, great loss or anything like that. I’m just getting out some things. Don’t read too much into it. Just think of this as a time of confession.

I’m not a “cool” person. I never have been, and I’ve accepted that. But sometimes the feelings of inferiority that accompanied most of my high school (well, let’s be honest—most of life) creep back in. When I read blogs about decorating, fashion, literature, music, etc. they usually leave me feeling like a failure. I’m not sure why. It’s really quite stupid, actually. A lot of the people I get the pleasure of being around have quite solid opinions on music, movies, books, and other things. I rarely ever speak about my own tastes in these conversations because of the certain mockery that will reverberate back. 1) Why do I care? 2) Why do they care? Stephen has actually said the following phrase to me multiple times: “Jenny, you can like whatever music you want to. It doesn’t matter what other people like.” I think I’m starting to believe it, but I still won’t talk about my music choices with many people.

I’m not dying to see the last Harry Potter movie. I know that adds to the “uncool” factor for most people. Apparently it’s the thing to do. Maybe I was just too old when it came out to get involved. Likely it’s because the books were so big. I don’t like to read big books. Seriously, I get bored with them. But, most likely, it’s because I don’t like to see (or read) about people dying. I believe one of the last Potter movies I saw was when Cedric Diggory died. It was over for me after that. It still makes me sad to think about. Again, why do I feel inferior that I’m not wrapped up in Harry Potter?

I am an editor, but I don’t read a lot. I don’t know a lot about authors or a ton about literature. I wish I did. I wish I wanted to. I would love to have a desire to read all the books in the world, but if the truth were known, I don’t. It’s terrible, I know. And, if we’re being completely honest here, I don’t really like much fiction. My husband does, but most of the books I have are reference books for Bible study. Oh, and I have a long-time problem of starting books and never finishing them. So there; judge me.

I like Star Wars and Star Trek, but I think I like Star Trek better. I also like superhero movies. I don’t like chick flicks. I think a lot of them are like pornography for women. I think all of the recent fascination with vampires is weird, and I think those Twilight movies are a waste of breath. But if you want to see them, go ahead. I like made-up stories about super powers; you like made up stories about people who drink blood. I won’t judge you, but I will never go see one with you.

Why has the Internet given people the false impression that their opinions are valid on all subjects and should be shared with the whole world? I feel like the veil of an IP address has made people mean and hateful to one another. Manners don’t exist anymore.

Why is it so difficult to make friends as an adult?

It scares me to see how true followers of Jesus are becoming a minority, and it frustrates me that we are treated with such disdain. I know how it will all end, but it scares me anyway.

A month or so ago, a friend asked that we pray that her baby come soon. Everyone was ready! Then my friend’s mom had a very serious heart attack and needed her daughter to be able to take care of her. Ever since that time, most of my prayers have started like this, “God, I don’t know how to pray anymore but . . .” Maybe that’s a good place to start. Maybe prayer overwhelms me now because I don’t want to pray the “wrong” thing.

Sometimes I just really don’t like people and it makes me question my relationship with God.

Sometimes I have a great desire to tell people what I really think about them. I hope that God continues to prevent me from doing that.

I see wives and moms like Michelle Duggar and then others in my life who are as sweet as Southern sweet tea. I am not sweet like that. It makes me wonder what has gone wrong in my Southern Baptist upbringing. Can I still be a biblical woman if I don't exude sugar from my pores?

I sweat a lot. It’s not ladylike, but I can’t help it. I don’t like being hot. Speaking of sweating, I need to go run. I have two therapies in my life: running and writing. The former makes me sweat.

I Made It!

2011-07-11T11:48:00.007-04:00

I think that of the two people who read this blog, you know that I've been home from my NYC trip for a week now. I know, I know. I need to write a post about it, and I promise that I will. In response to this post, I felt that I should start with this picture:

That's all my luggage that I took. I made the carry-on requirements. This packing included snacks, a towel (yes, a towel--I bought a microfiber towel that takes up less space, dries quickly, and is super absorbent), 9 shirts, 5 pants/shorts/capris, a "painting" outfit, toiletries (all liquids, gels, and lotions in a one quart bag except my contact solution, which I found out can be considered medical supplies), makeup, sanitizing hand wipes, a Bible, glasses, socks and such, pajamas, a scarf to wear as a head covering in a mosque, camera, batteries, etc.

And, this little beauty. It has to be the smallest travel hair dryer ever. Four of us shared it. It's not quite on par with my big, everyday hair dryer, but this little sucker is amazing. My hair looked not-so-good during this week, but I think that was mostly due to the sweating, exhaust, and lack of normal hair products. It was not due to this feat of engineering:

Uncomfortably Thankful

2011-06-24T15:49:00.004-04:00

I'll be heading out very soon for my trip. In all honesty, my emotions are all over the board for this one. I'm excited, but my excitement surely doesn't match the level of my anxiety. Before you go preaching on me, I know what the Word says about anxiety. Believe me, I'm working on the casting part of it and asking God to take control of it.

The other day I was listing all of the reasons why I was anxious and Stephen responded with a truth that hit me harder than I expected: "Most people are uncomfortable to go to international places where the food is weird, it's hot, and things are unfamiliar. But you love that. You are most uncomfortable here where things are more normal." Um, yes. That couldn't be more dead-on than if I had realized it myself.

God calls some people to the other side of the world to bring them out of their comfort zones; me, well, He just calls me down the street or across the country. The truth of the matter is that I definitely have a heart for the nations, and I don't know why God hasn't called us to go somewhere more permanently. The other truth of the matter is that I prefer the exotic over the daily. New York is surely far from the mundane, but it's just enough to make me come face-to-face with the reality that I often neglect the calling that is daily in front of my face in place of something that seems "greater". The daily-ness of life can really wear you down--no matter where you are--and that's what makes it seem so insignificant. But, our immediate sphere of influence is where God has placed us to make a difference in the world. I don't want to waste that because I have a bad attitude.

Sacrifice doesn't always mean that we go. For some of us sacrifice may mean that we stay. And for people like me, that can be a much more difficult sacrifice than giving up showers, Western toilets, and air conditioning. I'm not exactly sure why God has me on this particular trip. I will tell you this: I'm pretty excited to find out. I may not ever fully know (and probably won't) but this is one adventure that's about to make me uncomfortably thankful that He never gives up on me.

Somebody Likes My Cooking

2011-06-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

I figured out how to roast a chicken. And how to make it look pretty. Now I just need someone to show me how to cut it in eating pieces without destroying it.

Ella doesn't care how it looks though. This is where she sits when I'm cooking or prepping--just waiting for even the tiniest of morsels to drop from heaven and into the reaches of her quick reflexes and desirous taste buds.

A Tired Dog is a Good Dog

2011-06-23T13:14:00.002-04:00

The One Thing that Threw Me

2011-06-16T10:23:00.010-04:00

I've had a fair share of traveling experiences--so far on three different continents. Those experiences are some of my most favorite in life, especially when I get to share them with Stephen. I've eaten goat tacos, roasted grasshoppers, cow tongue, chiles that burned layers of skin off my tongue, a corn drink that I only got down by the grace of God, and some other things I'm sure I am glad that I don't know about. I've ridden an elephant, manned a bamboo raft, fell off the raft into the river where the elephants bathe and relieve themselves, and thought I was going to die on the roads of East Asia. I washed all of my clothes by hand the summer that I lived in Mexico. There was that one trip where I didn't get to bathe for several days while backpacking through the Himalayas during a huge drought and ran out of water for a while. Then there was that one time that we almost got stuck in Argentina b/c the airline we were supposed to fly out of had riots. I looked at the machine guns and rioting crowds as an adventure; the call-to-protection role of my husband was not amused at my pleas that this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And then there was that time we rode a "sleeper bus" from one city in Asia to another: We were herded to the back of the bus. Stephen and I got to "sleep" on a top bunk with another couple and a beast of a man from our team--on sheets that probably had never been washed. There was a large tire on the floor of the bus and a few extraordinarily large bags of rice that we got to step over every time the "sleeper bus" stopped for a restroom visit. And you had to get out every time and go because the "sleeper bus" rocked and jolted every bit of liquid in you as it rode along in the cold dark. I won't even talk about the squatty troughs that we encountered on this ride.

Needless to say, I think I've had mostly fun times of being fluid and adaptable to strange situations. It's quite possible that I even thrive off of these exotic experiences.

And then I signed up earlier this year to go on a trip up north. And our leader told us that we could only take a carry-on. Really? What? I will eat whatever I have to; use the bathroom wherever you want me to; sleep on or in whatever is necessary. But just a carry-on? Yes, that is the one thing that threw me. A carry-on. In a big city. For 8 days. Before you judge me, let's just get one thing straight: I am not high maintenance (see experiences above). I just like to be prepared. One year for Christmas, Stephen even gave me "The Worst Case Scenario" book. Yes, I read it all the way through. I wanted to know what to do in case my car was ever hanging off a cliff. And if you were ever in my car when it was hanging off a cliff, you would want me to know how to properly react. I have an extra set of tennis shoes in my car at all times, packed beside the jumper cables and the first aid kit. If I were to need to walk to a gas station or to get emergency help, and I was wearing only high heels, my tennis shoes are there to save the day.

So, I like to be prepared. But, when I can only have a carry-on and a personal item, it doesn't leave a lot of room to be prepared for everything, and also doesn't allow me to bring my leatherman pocket knife (which has always been handy). I guess in that case I'm just gonna have to trust God on this one, and that's a difficult thing for me to do sometimes--I'll be honest. I'm an incredibly independent and quite stubborn girl. Tell me I can't do something, and I'll show you I can or die trying. God has created me uniquely, but He has also created me to belong to Him. He wants me to be completely dependent on Him--for everything. And I am realizing (sometimes rather slowly) that I can only be a fruitful part of His work when I am completely dependent on Him--for everything. He's gifted me, but they are not to be used apart from Him. He's created my personality, but it is to be lived through His power alone. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be prepared; in fact it's a lifesaving skill for those of you who are most often not prepared. But, I can't make up for my lack of trust in my effort to be in control. So, that is my confession today, and my challenge. I will take a carry-on with a happy heart. And I will praise God for His trustworthiness and ask Him to take my desire to control into His hands--the One who really has all control anyway. (Do your prayers scare you sometimes, too?)

Reflections on Our 8th Wedding Anniversary . . . In India

2011-06-14T09:13:00.000-04:00

Grace for Eight

2011-06-07T00:00:00.004-04:00

I have said it before, and I believe it with my whole heart: God's grace cannot be seen more clearly in my life than in the man God gave to me as my husband.

Stephen is the living example of God's love in my life, and his love for me has taught me more than I could begin to express about the unfailing and unwavering love of God. For our wedding, we had a cross made to use as the centerpiece of the stage. The back of our wedding program read "As we begin our lives together today, we would like to draw your attention to the cross at the center of the platform. We chose to have a cross as the centerpiece of the ceremony to be a picture of our desire and effort to make Christ the center of our marriage. God created marriage to be an earthly example of his unending, unwavering love for His church--His bride. . ." And boy has Stephen lived up to that picture. He is patient, loving, gentle, strong, helpful, committed, fun, and is the definition of every good word that can be found in the dictionary. In short, he is way more than I deserve. He is God's grace in physical form to me. He is God's love in physical form to me. He is God's protection and provision in physical form to me. He is God's care in physical form to me. He is an imperfect picture for sure, but to me, he is God's "good and perfect gift".

I cannot praise God enough for His grace in giving me this man. No matter what struggles come, I wouldn't want to go through them without him. No matter what joy comes I wouldn't want to go through them without him.

Today we celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary! I can't believe it's been that long. It feels like we've been together forever and yet that we just got married a few days ago. This is the first anniversary that we have not been together, but I am proud to celebrate "on mission." Most of you know that Stephen is quite literally on the other side of the world right now. I am honored to know that he is where God has called him, especially on our anniversary. God did give him to me, but not for my benefit. He is not mine to keep, but mine to serve with and spread the gospel. Therefore, it's quite a fitting way to celebrate God's grace for these eight wonderful years. Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart!

Guest Blogger

2011-05-02T09:15:00.003-04:00

Working for Student Life, I have occasionally been given the opportunity to do a guest blog. I did the first one last November. You can check it out here if you care to read it. It's long but helpful, I hope.

Then, last week was eerily familiar to me in the wake of weather destruction. I had a hard time concentrating on my work knowing that so many people were hurting, and I really wanted to put action to my desires to help. That action had to be put on hold for a bit, and I'm looking forward to ministering to others soon. In the meantime, I wrote another blog for SL. It was therapeutic to me to write, an I hope it is helpful for people wondering what to say in the midst of disaster. So, check it out here if you want to read my heart on how to respond to someone who's lost a lot.

Scissor Giveaway

2011-04-27T13:02:00.003-04:00

So, there's a cool site called Cool People Sew. She's starting a series of blogs next week called "I wanna learn to sew." I'm excited because even though I do know how to sew (thanks to my Home Ec. teacher, Mrs. Park, and my own expertly sewing mother, Wanda), I have a long way to go and can always learn new things.

To kickoff this series, Cool People Sew is doing a giveaway--for a mamajama awesome pair of scissors. Click here to read the blog about you. You can enter, too. But since I told you about it, you have to give me the scissors. Just kidding!! For real, though. I want/need some good sewing scissors. What, you ask, "Can't you just use regular scissors?" Well, you can try. And I have. But you wouldn't expect your hair stylist to use the same scissors she cuts coupons with on your hair. The same is true when cutting cloth. Regular scissors just aren't the same. And one of the cardinal rules of sewing is that you don't use your sewing scissors on paper. My mom has ingrained that into my head, and I am now ingraining that into my husband's head. "Look harder for those scissors. We're not using my sewing scissor on paper--no matter how cheap they are. It's just not gonna happen."

I Jumped on the Wagon

2011-03-24T08:55:00.002-04:00

Some of my friends have been encouraging me to start an etsy store. I finally caved when we needed to raise money for our mission trips. I've been working my tail off to get some things made so that I can have items there. I'll be adding new stuff as soon as I get some previous crafting commitments completed. I especially want to add more hair clips and have fabric in my house for a fun project to work on this weekend!

So, here's my etsy store: Creative Outlet by JennyTheRidds

So Easy a Caveman Can Do It

2011-03-07T18:31:00.003-05:00

(No animals were harmed during the filming of this demonstration.)

Send Me On My Way

2011-03-07T17:34:00.014-05:00

Stephen and I are both going on trips this summer--S to Asia and J to the East Coast. In an effort to raise money, I am making some picture frames. They are painted wood with an acrylic holder over the picture. A dowel rod provides the stabilization. They fit a normal 4x6 photo (or anything else that's 4x6 size).

We are asking for a donation of $25 per frame. Of course, you are more than willing to donate more if you'd like. Right now I only have one of each of the following designs made, but I will be happy to take orders for more. Please email me at jennyruth414 at gmail.com if you'd like to buy one or more or if you just want to give us a million dollars.

Great for the sports fan!

A sweet way to let everyone know who your honey is!

Christmas gifts!

If the design of the frame allows, I place a dowel hole so that the frame can be used in a landscape or portrait picture.

Here are a variety of design options that I have on hand, but I'll be glad to work with you to find something you would like if you'd like something a little different. You may want a solid color to go with a specific school theme, a pet-themed frame, or a specific sport such as golf or basketball. Just let me know and I'll work to get you what you want.

(Perfect for a picture of a Compassion child or a trip or someone who lives far away)

For the hunter or soldier in your life

Perfect for fishermen or fisherwomen

Baby Boy

Sweet Baby Girl

End of the Curling Iron Saga

2011-03-07T07:00:00.002-05:00

So, about three weeks ago, I got this surprise box from UPS.

I opened it up and found a curling iron inside. There was no letter or explanation of any kind. The return address and the packing slip said that it came from Conair. So, deduced that it was an exchange for the curling iron that melted my hair. I supposed that was the end of it. The curling iron they sent me wasn't the same one I had, but that was OK since it had melted my hair. In fact, I used it, and I think I like it a lot better. It's a good iron.

Then last Tuesday I got this letter:

Something tells me she may have been a fan of Star Trek way back when. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's OK, just ignore it. What I'm assuming is that the iron actually shorted out. For sure, there was something wrong with it. So, even though the communication was humorous at best and awkward throughout, Conair did come through for me. They actually did what I had hoped, which was replace my curling iron. And, they replaced it with a better one. And a couple weeks later I got a check in the mail for an amount that will get me a free haircut--just in time for my next scheduled one on Friday. I guess I'm OK with exchanging a few inches of hair for years of use with a great curling iron. I think I can handle that.

Taggie

2011-03-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

I found some minky fabric in the remnant section at Hobby Lobby. And this is what I did with it, plus some leftover chenille from burp cloths.

What do you mean I'm a dog?

2011-03-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

Blackout Curtains

2011-03-02T17:43:00.004-05:00

So, I always wondered how hotel rooms get to be so dark. Well, they have special curtains. I learned about blackout curtains from friends who have small children that need to sleep during the day, but I never thought much about them for myself until recently. Our bedroom has a huge double floor-to-(near)ceiling window. It lets in a lot of light. (And, no, we haven't gone almost 5 years without ANYTHING on our window--we have nice faux wood blinds.) The window also lets in a lot of cold in the winter and heat in the summer. It's the largest of the bedrooms and the most difficult to control temperature. So, Stephen decided that we needed blackout curtains to help with light and temperature control. I started looking. They are either really expensive or fairly plain. I wanted something more aesthetically pleasing for the master bedroom. So, we have been at a standstill until a month or so ago. When looking in the fabric remnants at Hobby Lobby, I saw a remnant of blackout material. Really? You can buy this stuff to make your own?

With that newfound treasure of knowledge in the back of my mind, I began looking for some panels that I could sew them on. Walmart of all places. Yep, that detestable and yet addictive shopping center. They had curtains that matched our bedroom beyond perfectly and fit within my idea of "pretty." And, best of all they were only $20 per panel. We needed 2. I bought them and then went home and ordered 5 yards of blackout material from here, my new friend--for less than $25. It arrived. I spent countless time in the living room floor laying the panels and blackout material together and then pinning them. After some struggles with my sewing machine (yes, I had been putting my needle in backwards for 5 years), I sewed them up.

(Rabbit trail--upon reading the manual for my sewing machine that told me the needle had been inserted incorrectly, I also found that it has a thread cutter. It's always better to read the instructions.)

Stephen and I successfully hung the rod with one minor misunderstanding. If you had seen us try to hang the other two sets of curtain rods in our home, you would understand the amazingness of that success. I can't tell you what a difference they make in the temperature and light of the room! We can finally sleep in and not let the sun turn our bedroom into a molten cavern. And, I think they look pretty good too :)

I've Been Busy

2011-03-01T22:42:00.006-05:00

So, I've been working on a few projects that have kept me from updating the blogosphere about our boring lives. I've uploaded some pictures that I will try to get up here in the next few days. In the meantime, I wanted to show you the most recent project that I finished. It has also taken me the longest so far.

We have some friends who are adopting a child from Ethiopia. They don't know if they will be adopting a girl or boy but, the child's name will be Haven. You can read all about the Kinsleys, their story, and Haven here.

Some friends decided to do a benefit auction to help raise money. There's not a lot that I can do that people would want to buy, but I can craft. So, my friend Erin suggested the idea of a bow holder and some clips. I bit. I went voyaging through the Internet and found what I thought was a cute idea and I went for it. Then I googled and watched a few instructional videos here and made the following felt covered hair clips.

If you're local in the Birmingham area, please come to this benefit and have fun. And, if you really want some handmade hair clips, place a bid on the set I made during the silent auction. There's a clip for each month, plus 6 generic color ones.

The whole project

The first six months

The last 6 months

The generic colors

More Manual Appliques

2011-02-03T21:09:00.002-05:00

I've been trying my hand at doing manual appliques (without an embroidery machine) using a satin stitch with my sewing machine. It's not nearly as perfect as an embroidery machine, but it works. And hopefully I'll keep getting better.

Burp cloths for boys.

Burp cloths for girls.

For Brooke

2011-02-02T21:47:00.004-05:00

After I posted this Brooke called for a picture. So, this past Saturday, it was perfect weather for a run, and I put on my girly clothes and headed out. Before I did, though, I got Stephen to take a pic of me. Remember, this is Saturday morning. I don't have a spot of makeup on, and I just woke up. So, don't judge too harshly. The shirt isn't the one I blogged about earlier, but it's pink, nonetheless, and you get the same idea. I have also recently learned that these bottoms are called "skapris". I love them.

Classic Cars

2011-01-26T22:26:00.003-05:00

I purchased the Camry when I was a senior at North Georgia following the total demise of my red Corolla via being rear ended by a guy who duct taped his air bag to the steering wheel after said accident. Needless to say, I graduated from college 10 years ago. The car was over 5 years when I bought it. It is now a "classic" car that Stephen has been in possession of since the purchase of our Rav4. Since he's been the primary driver, he crushed the center console with his elbow, the gas door fell off, and then yesterday I get this text:

So, I asked him how he got the door open. I'll just let you see.

He went to replace the handle with one from the back. It too was cracked and would have broken off had he continued with the work. The passenger side is also partially broken and has been for some time. But it still works. As is often the case with classic cars like ours, you can order parts online. So he did. As for the time being, he's opening his door as illustrated above.

New Adventure

2011-01-24T17:34:00.004-05:00

We have been wanting a certain camera for over two years, but just couldn't bring ourselves to pay the amount of cash necessary for such a nice one. (See previous post on Radical.) So, we have been asking for money for several Christmases to go toward this purchase. It hasn't ever really quite worked out but through several turn of events and a new found love of Plastic Jungle we have been able to get this camera. I have a wonderful photographer friend who is stepping us through quick tutorials and making recommendations for us about how to get started. First, we've been doing all B/W photographs and playing with the aperture. And here are a few of my favorite shots. I still don't know really what I'm doing, but I'm loving the new adventure and the thought of great potential.

"Beauty and the Beast" Book Cake

2011-01-15T21:38:00.002-05:00

What does this mean? Yep. Another cake.

The finished product (minus the candles). The big blue dots were for the candles, which I put in when we delivered it.

The Incident with the Curling Iron

2011-01-12T15:55:00.005-05:00

This is the letter I received today concerning my call to the company that makes my curling iron. My product was not a Conair product. But apparently it is.

1) I love that "Curling Iron" is capitalized as if it is either a proper noun or is such an a unique product that it is known simply by Curling Iron.
2) I also appreciate the way that they communicated that they want to help me solve my problem of an unusable curling iron that melts hair. Not!
3) Inspection and testing! Will they cage it up like a six-headed calf? What will happen to it then? Will they contact me again? How long will this take?
4) It was nice of them, however, to pay the postage and give me a label to mail it back.

Eternal Perspective

2011-01-06T10:50:00.002-05:00

I have been working on a volume of curriculum for the sixth year of Student Life Bible Study. It is called Prime and addresses several areas of biblical truths that we want to make sure a student knows before he or she leaves a youth group and moves onto college or the “real world.” One truth that has appeared a couple of times throughout the entire year is that of having an eternal perspective. This life is difficult. Following Christ in this world is even more difficult. It wasn’t supposed to be easy. It wasn’t supposed to be glamorous. And it’s not. But it’s totally worth it to know that I serve the risen Savior and the true God of the universe. He is worthy no matter what happens in my life. And one day I will live with Him for eternity because I am a Christ-follower—not because I deserve it but because I have surrendered my sinful self to Him to mercifully clean and gracefully use for His purposes. When decisions are hard and struggles won’t go away, it’s this eternal perspective that keeps us in line and with hope for a certain future with Christ.

It’s good to keep this perspective, but sometimes I don’t particularly care for the way that God reminds me of it. When I was younger, I played with Barbie dolls. I liked to fix their hair even though I was definitely not a little fashionista and should have been turned into the Stacy and Clintons of Barbie Dolldom. One day I decided that I wanted my Barbie’s hair to be curled. I tried a curling iron on her beautifully long blonde hair. A girl will only try this technique once because it is a quick lesson to learn: plastic hair will melt, and Barbie cannot grow it out again. Heated styling elements are only for real hair.

But, I learned this morning that there is a temperature at which even real hair will melt. The on/off lights on my curling iron (I’ve had for a couple of months) began a series of blinks that was weird, but they stopped, so I continued to use it. I sectioned off my hair, curled one of them. Beautiful curl. With the second section, I noticed a little steam, but that is not unusual with a heated styling element. More steam. Burning smell. “Something’s not right. Take the iron off now!” As I tried to unroll the iron from my hair my eyes grew large with amazement. My hair was not curled. My mouth hit the floor as I watched what had been about 6-7 inches of hair turn into 2-3. I turned my head to see the missing inches accompany the curling iron, still in my hand. The hair was not broken off. No. It had melded to the iron as if becoming one with the ceramic barrel. My hair was melted to the curling iron. Each piece that I touched with my feeble fingers fell off and into the sink. I looked in disbelief at the iron. It appeared I had wrapped Malibu Barbie’s dark hair around my iron and it turned into molten lava. I tried to answer Stephen’s question of “What is that smell?” but I don’t think he fully understood what had happened. My hair melted to my curling iron. It melted. My hair melted off! There were now melty pieces of hair at the bottom of what was now a much shorter section of hair. I had to cut them off as best I could.

I tried to rationally handle this situation. There were a few things to be thankful for:
The section of hair was a bottom layer and toward the back and side of my head.
Unlike Barbie, my hair grows back.
My hair grows quickly.
I didn’t need to immediately schedule a hair appt to fix this problem b/c it is mostly unnoticeable. Mostly.

After I cut off the melty pieces, I pulled it back into a low ponytail and got ready to head into the office. It’s just hair. Hair grows. In the eternal realm of things, it doesn’t matter. It’s just hair. Eternal perspective.

I called the company who makes this particular styling tool, and they told me that because of the nature of what happened, I had to be referred to the Risk and Personal Injury department. Ha! Although I insisted that I was not injured but that only my hair was melted, he explained that because my hair was hurt by a defective product, it had to be referred to them. This all made me laugh and laugh even more as I emailed my friends about it and told Stephen about it on the phone. I don’t know how it will end up--hopefully with a new iron and some money for pain and suffering. (OK, not really pain and suffering.) But, I am once again reminded to keep an eternal perspective in this life. Well, God, I guess it’s better than a hurricane.

Oops!

2011-01-05T11:41:00.004-05:00

I forgot a cake. This should go in Cakes of 2010. I made it early last January, so I almost forgot what year I did it in.

This one was for some friends' daughter's fourth birthday. It's Backpack & Map from Dora the Explorer. We tried to do Dora, but she is unusually had to do. My friend told me later that on a Cake Challenge on The Food Network, even the pros couldn't get Dora right, so I was glad they gave me an alternative! Stephen was a great assistant and opinion-giver on this one, too!

Crafts of 2010

2011-01-02T17:29:00.006-05:00

And here are a few crafts. I wish I had more time to do more, but oh well. Maybe I'll squeeze out a few more seconds in 2011.

This is a grocery cart cover/restaurant seat cover for a child. I made it earlier this year to go into an auction to raise money for some friends who were adopting. I have no idea why I decided to make this particular thing for the auction, but my giftedness at making tangible things to donate to an auction are limited to my sewing ability for the most part. (There were other, more talented, bakers already donating things.) Anyway, it's reversible and has an attached bag that it can stow into. Pretty cool.

This is a fun turkey I made for Thanksgiving. I got the idea from my family/friend Sarah, who got the idea from the blog Craft Goodies, which I now follow.

I had a bunch of small blocks left over from my turkey, so when I saw this one on her blog, I had to make it too! So fun!

And after my friend, who I donated the cart cover for the auction, got back home with her super sweet and precious girls, she found out she was pregnant. This time, it's a boy! So, for her shower, I made these burp cloths to go along with something from her registry. Registries are there for a reason, so I try to stick to them.

Cakes of 2010

2011-01-02T17:04:00.009-05:00

It has occurred to me that I have not posted pics on our blog of cakes and various other sweets that I made during 2010, so I wanted to take some time to do that today before my Christmas vacation officially comes to a close tomorrow and also to keep me busy so I don't eat the entire bag of cheddar cheese rice cakes.

This one was, by far, the most difficult one that I did. I made it for a co-worker's son's high school graduation. He, obviously, was going to attend Auburn (where he is about to start his second semester). I sculpted the Aubie figurine from rice krispy treats and gumpaste. I painted his stripes and eyes.

This is an apple pie that I made for July the 4th. I tried something new and mixed in some homemade caramel dip inside. So delicious, but you could barely tell what that yummy taste was.

My brother turned 40 this year. He has never been a big fan of cake, but loves cookie cake. So I made him a "cookie cake."

Never fear, though, I also made some pretty awesome chocolate chip cookie sandwiches with buttercream filling and some cake balls.

I made this Toy Story cake (It's Andy's bed) for a co-worker's children who were having a joint birthday party. She added Toy Story figurines on and around the bed and used the toy "blocks" as candle holders. Stephen was a tremendous help with the wood floor on this one!

For Stephen's birthday, we took a trip to see the Star Wars exhibit at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. His birthday "cake" were these Star Wars cookies.

And lastly, I made this one for a little girl's one year birthday party. it was owl themed, and I made the owl out of gumpaste to match the one on her plates and napkins. The "one" is also made of gumpaste.

I Run Like a Girl

2010-12-03T08:53:00.000-05:00

Last week I headed out the door for a run. The darkness that follows a sunset was encroaching upon me at a pace much quicker than my own. I realized that I needed to pick up some speed. I admit there was a small sense of adventure that accompanied my healthy fear of trying to finish my run and get off of the road. Having just finished a half-marathon, I was in pretty good shape and running hard for four miles did not bring the sting of painful muscles or aching joints. Rather, I felt free. Free and fabulous. With each breath, I felt the day melt away. With each step I felt more alive and more like myself. Running has a way of doing that to me—bringing me back to life. But that’s a post for another day. I have often joked that I could write a book about how running has continually saved my life. In more ways than one. But, again, that’s for another day.

My feelings of freedom and joy on this particular day were intensified by my running attire. That was the girliest outfit I’ve ever put on for a run. See, I had been searching for a running skirt for a while. With my birthday being in the fall and running skirts being a spring/summer item, I thought I was out of luck. It is also pertinent to know that I have also been on the lookout for some running capris to wear in cooler weather. (Capris are also a great alternative to shorts that create the inverted “V” on your thighs when you run.) Running clothes and shoes are foremost functional. But, they also should not be distracting to fellow runners. Or drivers that could be distracted and run over you. And for those reasons, I have had difficulty finding capris that did not make me look like a hoochie mama. That is, until I spotted the solution to all of my problems—skirted running capris. The benefits of both worlds at my fingertips: full coverage and no shorts that ride up and make you wonder if your nickname should be Thunder Thighs.

I put on this Capri skirt that afternoon along with my most favorite running shirt. It’s pink. Bright pink. And it’s more incredibly soft than you can imagine for a running shirt. Even my most awesome Balega running socks had pink stripes on them. I felt a little uneasy and wondered if my neighbors must think that I was a wannabe athlete instead of a “real” runner. If only I could tell them that I knew what I was doing, and that this quite girly attire was made by Nike. But the impending darkness gave me a shield—and more confidence. My uneasiness turned into sassiness. I was sassy. I was girly. I was a runner.

As I busted my hiney to get finished with my run before dark, I began to laugh at the transformation that has and is continuing to take place in my life. When I was much much younger (think Kindergarten) my favorite color was pink. Then, as I began to grow, I received the same message that many young girls receive: being girly is not good. Think about it: “You run like a girl.” “You throw like a girl.” “You’re acting like a girl.” All of these things that are said and the accompanying attitudes turned me into the anti-pink. I could spit and belch with the best of the boys. I climbed trees and could hit (with my fist) as good as anyone. I could even outshoot them with my BB gun. Not that being a tomboy is bad, by any means. I’m still proud to climb trees and shoot guns, but now I do it as a girl who believes in her femininity as much as her strength—not as a girl trying to shed her girliness.

I have discovered that God created femininity. He created girls. They are His creation, and they are good. All girls are different. Some are tomboys. Some are divas. All are beautiful. All are significant. And it is this realization of truth that causes tears to kiss my eyes as I type right now. I don’t know what God has in store for me as a woman, but I embrace the value that He inherently gives me as the woman that He created. And I hope the same for all women. We are not insignificant because we are females. We are not less valued. We are just different. So, I choose to have fun with my difference and wear skirts and bright pink shirts when I run. I run like a girl. God created me that way. So, don’t mess with me or I’ll shoot you with my BB gun.

Welcome Back, Joy!

2010-07-21T15:27:00.002-04:00

I’ve lived much of my life in fear. Not the kind of fear that many people live with on a daily basis: Will we eat today? Will my child survive his first five years? Will my family be carried off into the middle of the night by religious persecutors? No, not that kind of fear. It’s a fear that stems from years of circumstances that have chipped away at the façade I have called my “faith in God.” My faith, apparently, was built upon a faulty foundation. I had thought that faith meant God would make everything OK, and He would protect me from anything bad. I never would have admitted to this faulty theology, but the fear the grew unabated within me would testify to the picture-perfect framework I had arranged for God to work in.

My parents divorced. My brother went to war. My father died in a tragic and completely unexpected way. My grandfather died of cancer. I watched a cousin and a classmate die of cancer. I saw those close to me experience very painful miscarriages. Stephen and I were a part of one of the most horrific natural disasters in U.S. history (because we were obedient to God’s call to move to New Orleans). Unemployment. Layoffs. These are just a few of the circumstances that created fear within me. Fear of what could happen. Fear of taking risks. Fear of living life fully. Fear of accidents. Fear of loss. Fear that along with any good thing was grief waiting around the corner. Fuse this fear with the idea that God continually forgets me and wishes to punish me with circumstances, and I was a pot of boiling anxiety. Sometimes I could control it, and the bubbles would quietly swim around the bottom. During other times, the bubbles would overflow. Quite bluntly, this fear robbed me of joy and enslaved me with the desire to have control.

This fear wasn’t a struggle that turned me into a hermit with the desire that all of my loved ones also be hermits. However, I was tired of living this way. I guess it was a couple of months ago that I realized I was at a crossroads. I could continue to live with fear taking the place of my joy or I could ask God to give me my joy back. I was driving home one day and began fighting with God about all of the things that I was afraid of. He basically said, “What if?” I retorted with, “What do You mean ‘What if?’” He responded, “What if all of the things you are afraid of actually happen?” So, I started thinking. What if all of my fears came true? Would life be pretty sucky? Would God still be with me? Would He give me the strength I need to get through it? Would the world cease to exist? The answers were yes, yes, yes, and no. Through some more struggling with this question, I came to the conclusion that no matter what happened, the “What ifs” do not scare me. I do not have to fear them.

I don’t have to fear them because 1) God is God. He is in control of all things. Whatever comes my way is of no surprise to Him. 2) No matter how many “bad” things have happened, I can’t even count the times His grace and protection have been overly evident. 3) God really does care about me. To believe otherwise is belief in a lie that I believe is straight from Satan. How hopeless and discouraging to believe that God doesn’t care. It has to be one of the easiest tools Satan uses to distract us from the joy of following Christ fully. 4) God does not take delight in bad things happening to me. 5) God will never cease to be God, and life is so much better with Him in control. 6) Because God is God, life will be better if I stop pretending that I am. There are more reasons, surely. But I do not have space here to divulge my entire theology of God.

Much of my façade was torn down. My faith in God is not based on me. Silly me. Faith in God is based on the person of God. I believe in Him, and He never changes. There’s so much freedom when I rest in the truth of who He is instead of the doubts I have about my circumstances. Joy, how I have missed you! Welcome back.

Let the Little Children . . .

2010-06-25T17:08:00.003-04:00

So, I used my allotted ministry week at work to help with Rock The Block (Brook Hill's backyard Bible clubs/VBS) this week. During the teaching time one day, I was given the responsibility of doing the assigned Gospel presentation. The gospel presentation was different each day, and on my day "The Bridge" was the one I was supposed to do. Instead of just following the directions and drawing it, I tried to think of a way to involve the kids and make it a little more concrete for them because they were all third grade and younger. So, this is what I did, and this is what the final build looked like. We discussed each part in detail, including what "sin" is.

At the end of the day, another helper was reviewing with the kids, and the conversation went something like this:
Helper: What did you learn about a relationship with God today?
Kids: God wants us to have a relationship with Him.
Helper: Yeah. What does sin do?
Kids: silence
Helper: Remember the boxes Mrs. Jenny showed you. What does sin do to our relationship with God?
Kids: It gets in the way. It separates us from God.

There was more conversation, but I was tearing up at this point. (And I was having trouble getting the straw out of the wrapper of a Capri Sun.) I was incredibly humbled that God could use some simple cardboard boxes to help share His gospel to these precious children. I'm even about to cry as I think about what an amazing opportunity He gave me. I prayed that He would open the hearts of these kids as His message was shared that morning, and I believe that He did. It was such an incredible blessing to know that God allows me to be a part of His mission. I pray that I am faithful to His calling in every area of my life and allow myself to be a usable instrument in His hands.

Ramblings of A Pineapple Eater

2010-06-25T17:01:00.001-04:00

There are two Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs lying on my counter. I’ve been wanting to devour both of them this afternoon, but after my encounter with the Wii Fit weighing function last night, I’ve been trying to be disciplined enough to let them continue to lie there—unopened. As a consolation prize, I opened up my container of fresh pineapple, grabbed a fork and sat down to think about how much I miss Hawaii. Instead, I started thinking about other things that have been on my mind. One of said ponderings I have been mulling over for some time now. I’m not sure that I have a final conclusion exactly, but I’ll share with you some of my thoughts if you’re up to a little journey inside my brain.

Two couples whom we know and love dearly sold their homes recently. One home had been on the market for close to two years. The other home was on the market for all of about three days when it sold. The selling of the latter prompted responses on facebook that went something like this: “That was TOTALLY God. He was all over that situation. Only He could make a house sell that quickly. Praise God!” Facebook responses to the former: “What a relief! Congrats! So glad it’s over.”

(I would like to say that I am not in any way making judgment of the sellers of these two houses. They both praised the Lord for their selling of their respective homes.) I am, however, curious as to the thoughts about our responses. This is just one example of actions that seem to reflect a belief that God works in favorable circumstances and not in unfavorable ones. To put it quite frankly, God works to make us comfortable but not in the midst of our discomfort. Do we really believe this? If we don’t, why do we credit Him in the middle of good times and forget Him in the middle of bad? And if we do, what are we saying about His worth of being praised?

I’m not saying that God wasn’t working in circumstances to sell a house in 3 days. Surely He was, especially in this market. But, if my theology about God is correct, then He was also intimately involved in the selling of a house in two years as well. Why the difference in lapsed time? I have no idea. If I’ve learned anything in my years of living and in study, it’s in the words of the priest in RUDY, “There is a God, and I am not Him.”

But what I do know is that God is intimately involved in the lives of His children. He sits on His throne as the Creator and Ruler of everything. Sometimes this belief can cause me concern, as I do not like the fact that He, as ultimate and sovereign Ruler of all people allows sin and tragedy to happen. But that’s beyond the scope of this blog post. I am not here to argue about the intricate dance of free will and sovereignty. I digress. Back to what I do know: God is God. If He deserves praise for quick miracles, then He deserves praise for delayed miracles. Furthermore, even in the face of tragedy, He is worthy of praise—not because of what He has or hasn’t done but because of who He is.

I have wrestled with God. I have seen very dark and dry days in my relationship with Him. I very rarely know why He chooses to act the way that He does, but I have to cling to the fact that He is always working in a very loving manner. Who would want to serve a God who was selective in the circumstances in which He chose to work? Not me. I believe Scripture is clear that He is always at work, and He always holds us in the palm of His hand. So, why do we only choose to praise Him when we’re comfortable? That’s a very me-centered faith. I want no faith that is centered around me. If I worship the one, true God, then He is God over all, and I must choose to praise Him in good and bad—because my faith is not about me. It’s all about Him.

A Tribute to my Retiring Mom--The Teacher

2010-05-19T15:51:00.001-04:00

Education departments have been the recipients of much bad news recently with the economic problems of the last few years. Teachers and schools have carried the brunt of budget cuts, laws, and scandals. Along with these punches, our very communities have often turned against public educators, declaring that our schools are inefficient to produce intelligent and productive citizens. Teachers have been the focus of attacks on blogs, political forums, newspapers, facebook, and other means of modern communication. Some people claim that teachers are paid too much because they only work the equivalent of about five hours a day. Others claim they are unprofessional and unqualified. To be sure, there are problem students; to be sure, there are problem teachers and administrators. These are the exception, though, and not the rule.

Persons who make ridiculous claims against our teachers expose their lack of relationships with teachers and a blatantly ignorant view of the investment that teachers make in the lives of students. Basically, they make such claims because they don’t know teachers like my mom.

Wanda Land began her education career teaching students basic math—like balancing a checkbook: the kind of math that we use every day in order to stay out of trouble. She later moved into a field more in line with her business education training. She taught students to type (on a typewriter) and to write intelligent resumes, cover letters, and other correspondence. When personal computers began to fill homes and became a part of business education curriculum, my mom bought a computer for our home. The main reason was so that she could learn about and experience the things she would be teaching in the classroom. As software and hardware changed, we could often see Mom (especially in the summers during her “vacation”) studying and practicing with this new technology. Mom was not afraid of new challenges or changes. She began teaching with basic calculators and is now leaving with multi-colored flat monitors with graphics so amazing that you can’t even see the pixels onscreen. In between these years, she fought with bulky monochromatic screens, DOS prompts, dot matrix printers shared with the help of many wires, floppy disks, hard disks, and no disks at all.

Why did she go through all of these changes? Because she cared about her students. She wasn’t a distant teacher. She developed relationships with them. She went to their athletic events, their dances, and other extracurricular activities. She has been a job reference for innumerable students. She has spent her own money to enrich the classroom. She has spent her own time to learn new software or skills that she could use to teach her students marketable abilities. She and our family even invited a student who was struggling with a very difficult family situation to spend time at our home. He eventually became her son-in-law.

I would say, though, that one of the most telling effects of her teaching is her own children. Two of them hold a master of education degree and are teachers. I hold a master of divinity degree with a specialization in Christian education and write curriculum. She has taught all of us at some point in our public education experience. She is the reason we all know how to type, use a computer, and can balance our checkbooks. We learned work ethic from the way that she held her job in high esteem. We learned to tackle change and challenges from the fluid way she adapted to new needs in her job. We learned to be lifetime learners because she never stops learning. We are the educators and people we are today because of what we have learned from her. All of the students she has ever taught are changed because of her. Everyone who knows Wanda Land knows that her time as an educator will never end, although her time in these public schools is closing. I celebrate the lives she has touched over her 30 years of teaching. She has not left them the same.

So, to anyone who wants to make a complaint about public school teachers, don’t bring it to me. I know better.

Check it Out

2010-05-03T15:32:00.000-04:00

Radical by David Platt from Taylor Robinson on Vimeo.

Radical

2010-05-02T13:05:00.002-04:00

So, I know I haven't posted on the blog in a while. The honest truth is that I have often felt like my blog was a cheap way for someone to get to know the Riddles and follow (maybe even stalk) us without having to put any effort forth. It's like a pseudo-friendship. The truth is that we don't have a lot going on in our lives that's news-worthy. This is why the paparazzi don't follow us around taking pictures. So, with that in mind, I've had a struggle trying to figure out if I could make this blog less about us and more about something else--a blog with some kind of purpose. Honestly, I am still searching. But, we have had a recent struggle that I feel is worth posting about.

Our church has been going through The Radical Series. You can read more about that here. Our pastor also put this message in book form (pictured above), which is being released on Tuesday. Explore that here. I highly encourage you to buy it and read it. Your life will be ruined in a good way. I also helped write a Bible study to go along with the book so that your small group can walk through it together. You can find more about that here. If you can't afford to buy a book, let me know, and I will mail you one.

So, we've been diving into Scripture to see what following Christ really looks like. In the U.S., Christians don't look much different from the rest of society. I'm not here to explain why, but just stating a fact. The divorce rate is the same; sexual sins are happening at the same rate; adultery is prevalent; cheating and lying among students is the same; idiots protest military funerals; other idiots blow up abortion clinics; and the list goes on.

But, what about the "rest" of us who lead "good" lives? Look at our goals in life; what do they say about us? Look at what we do with our possessions and money; what do they say about us? The disciples gave up everything to follow Jesus. Everything. And what did it cost them? Well, it cost almost all of them their lives. Is that what American Christianity is about? I would blatantly say "no" for the majority of us. We want a safe and comfortable Christianity.

What if Jesus told us that our resources are not for our ourselves?
What if He told us to hate our family in relation to our devotion to Him?
What if He told us that our purpose in life is not about being happy?

He has, my friends! He has told us these things. But we have decided that God's blessing in our lives is to make us comfortable. Think about the disciples who gave their lives for Christ; think about Jesus Himself, who willing gave His life for ours; think about the persecuted church in Burma, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, etc; was/is following Christ comfortable for them? Absolutely not. But is it worth it? Absolutely.

So, here is our struggle. 4.5 Billion people in the world don't know Christ as their Savior. Over 30,000 children die every day from preventable diseases and hunger. Basically, the world is in spiritual and physical need. We are the Church. He has called us to be the solution. Period. We are His plan for reaching the nations for His glory. What are we doing about it?

Part of this Radical series is about us looking at what we are doing with our resources to care for the poor. We know that a luxurious lifestyle isn't our goal in life. The American Dream, so to speak, isn't where we're headed. We don't need a great big house with a super-nice car and the best of TVs and kitchen equipment. I don't need 100 pairs of shoes or new clothes every week. I think our little girl in Ethiopia would be more excited that she got to eat today than if I got a new shirt. We have made a decision to not be about the American Dream. We don't work to make lots of money. We work to make enough money and give the rest away. We don't need the biggest and best. One day, if we have children, they will not get everything they've ever wanted or have piles and piles of junk at Christmas. It's just not part of our values because we don't believe, based on Scripture, that our purpose in life. I think the question that is our struggle is "What is enough?" We want to be good stewards without going overboard. I mean, makeup is not essential, let's be honest. But, I think it's OK for me to buy and wear it. There's a line, and we're trying to walk it faithfully. Please be in prayer for us as we continue to see what this looks like in our lives as a family.

Sorry for all of the rambling. I have 845,762 thoughts running around in my head.

Identity Crisis

2009-09-26T20:39:00.002-04:00

I am having a blog identity crisis. I don't know when it will be resolved. Please forgive. Until then, you know how to get in touch with us if you really want to know about our lives.

Logos Bible Giveaway

2009-07-04T13:49:00.002-04:00

Logos is my favorite Bible study software, and the books available on it are second to none. They are promoting a Bible giveaway, so I'm blogging about it as a way to enter. Check it out, and if you're in the market for some awesome software, I highly recommend Logos.

Logos Bible Software is celebrating the launch of their new online Bible by giving away 72 ultra-premium print Bibles at a rate of 12 per month for six months. The Bible giveaway is being held at Bible.Logos.com and you can get up to five different entries each month! After you enter, be sure to check out Logos and see how it can revolutionize your Bible study.

Gradual Decor

2009-07-01T22:15:00.004-04:00

We didn't have the finances to put up curtains in our house when we first moved in, so we've been doing them gradually. I finally decided that it was time for the living room. I invited my mom to come for a couple of days to help, and boy that turned out to be a great decision! It would have taken me forever to do it by myself. As it was, we worked in tandem to get these done and barely had time to spare.

Here's mom doing some work.

We did make some time to make some yummo kabobs Monday night! Here's Stephen the grill master!

Delicious!!

Living Room Before

Living Room After

Walk on the Wild Side

2009-06-30T21:12:00.002-04:00

If you saw the Snuggie commercials on television and loved them but were afraid that owning one would cramp your wild side, never fear! We had you in mind when we developed this groundbreaking product--Snuggie Wild Side!! Now you can show off your sassy and freakishly wild personality with your very own Wild Side Snuggie. Don't let ordinary fleece put you in a corner--Get your Snuggie Wild Side today!

I Got Crafty

2009-06-20T20:54:00.002-04:00

Sorry for all the posts in one day. I have to do them when I have time, which is not too often.

My friend Jill saw wreaths like this one on a storefront in Homewood. After finding out that they would cost her $150 to buy, she decided to make them herself. I have wanted something for our door for the summer for a while. After seeing Jill's, I decided that I would attempt to make my own. After a quick trip to Hobby Lobby, I came home with some supplies and no more "how-to" than when I went. But here's the finished product. I'm pretty pleased with it. Now I just wonder how long it will last.

Kai's Birthday

2009-06-20T20:35:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to our friend, Kai! And congrats on the loss of 60 pounds!

Here are some pics from the birthday gathering:

Some of the ladies who attended.

Here's what the guys were doing. Can you guess what it is?

That's right! Playing video games.

And Donna with new and precious baby Marah. I put this one up b/c I'm sure she doesn't get ones of her too much on her own blog.

6th Anniversary

2009-06-20T20:22:00.003-04:00

We celebrated our 6th anniversary on the 7th! We went to eat at The Melting Pot. It is a wonderful place, but we can only go there rarely because of 1) the calories and 2) the cost. It was a lovely date, though!

Here is my wonderful husband who has put up with all of me for 6 whole years. That's quite a task. He is the most patient man I know.

Stephen arranged for the restaurant to have flowers for me on our table. Isn't he sweet!

And then, a surprise to us both, the staff had a "congratulations on your anniversary" card waiting for us at our table as well. The service was absolutely wonderful, and we loved the slow pace of the meals and the quaint, romantic atmosphere!

What I did on my day off

2009-05-16T21:11:00.003-04:00

A friend of mine from work told me after I made her baby shower cake (April 2008) that she wanted me to do her little boy's 1st birthday cake. Well, the time came and she gave me the opportunity for this honor. I was super excited to be able to do this. I knew it would be a great undertaking when she asked me if I could do a frog. We looked through some ideas online, and I came up with this. (BTW--I also made some brownie cupcakes with chocolate frogs on the top, but I forgot to take a picture.) Anyway, I decided to take Friday off from work so that I could have it ready for the party on Saturday. Below is the end result. The frog is another Rice Krispy treat sculpture. The white frosting is buttercream. The accents are marshmallow fondant, with a few gumpaste items.

And props to Stephen's dad and wife who graciously gave me a KitchenAid mixer for Christmas. It has been a quite a blessing for projects like these!

In my humble opinion . . .

2009-05-16T09:53:00.003-04:00

When I worked at a LifeWay store, I was able to see a more recent translation of the Biblical texts come onto the shelves--the ESV (English Standard Version). After doing some research on it and looking at the endorsements of some people whom I really respect, I began to like it. And then I bought one to have in my home and be able to look at more in-depth. I still really liked it. Up until this point, pretty much the only translation I used, particularly for study, was the NASB. After taking Hebrew and Greek class and seeing how literal the NASB is to these manuscripts, it was my favorite. However, I have given way to also now using the ESV as well. It is quite literal but reads much more smoothly than the NASB. And now they have developed an incredible study Bible. I have yet to read a review that was negative toward it. All very complementary!

I have been wanting this new ESV study Bible for a while (it is fairly new). I received one as a gift the other day at work. I mean, what a great tool to use when writing and studying for Bible study! I couldn't close my mouth I was so excited. Anyway, after only using it for a week, I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great study Bible (and you also get access to the study features online). You can find more specific details here. So, there's my two cents.

What Happened to April?

2009-05-11T18:46:00.005-04:00

OK, so we got called out to make an update by our lovely friends. Because we love them so much, here goes. There's not much going on in the Riddle household. We will get a new dishwasher tomorrow to replace the crummy one that is on its last leg. Ella has reverted so some kind of demonic puppy stage, and she's lucky to still be alive, much less our beloved dog. We are very much looking forward to her turning 2 years old, as we are assured we will see a marked difference in her behavior. My dog has confirmed the suspicion that I actually am missing some kind of nurturing/woman gene. This dog has given me a more accurate view of myself than even a mirror. She has a way of bringing out the worst in me even more than socialist liberals do. I am so glad that Ella is not able to communicate with others, else they see how truly evil I am deep inside.

We have been really busy with jobs, church, and trying to be healthy. We have been back into a regular routine of running and exercise. Running makes me a nicer person. It also helps to get rid of the four cake decorating classes that I took last year compiled with the day I turned 30. I'm not exactly sure what happened between 29 and 30, but one day my body stopped working properly. Hence the running. We hope to run an extensive race next spring. Maybe a few shorter ones in between now and then.

In weather news, Alabama has had some tremendous rain and storms lately. In fact, if I cannot find sunshine soon, I may sink into depression. One day, tornadoes were in Chelsea, and we were ordered to get into our safe place. I mean, funnels were spotted. So, off I go into our hall closet. And . . . because most serious injuries occur on the head, I word my bicycle helmet. Why do I have a bicycle helmet you ask? I mean, I don't have a bicycle. Well, I used to have a bicycle before Katrina rusted it out. In fact, I had trained with this very helmet to do a sprint triathlon--scheduled the Sunday before Katrina hit on Monday. Obviously, it was cancelled. I didn't even get my tshirt. Sad. Anyway, facebook got a laugh out of this pic, so I thought I would share it.

I helped a friend from our small group make a Minnie Mouse birthday cake for her daughter's 2nd birthday. We had some challenges, but plan C ended up working pretty well, I think.

Then, one of my co-workers had been trying to talk me into making a cake. We talked about a Cinco de Mayo cake. Then I discovered that my boss' birthday was May 4th. If you don't know, I make a cake for my close team of co-workers on their birthdays. So, I made a Cinco de Mayo birthday cake for my boss. His name is Andy in English (just in case you couldn't translate the Spanish).

2009-03-21T19:42:00.006-04:00

Here's a few pics from the month of March for the couple of readers I have out there:

I went to a Sips n' Strokes class/thing with a couple of friends. Here you can see why I write and not paint. All in all it was a great time, and I thoroughly loved painting. Other than the duck I remember painting with my watercolors when I was about 5, this is my first time really painting. Perhaps with time, the results will be better.

My other preferred method of art: edible decorating. Here are some cupcakes that I made for a baby shower for a friend at work.

With the warm weather, I've had spring fever and a great desire to head outside! We went hiking at Oak Mtn. and had a fun time. We got a late start and didn't get to spend as much time as we wanted, but here's a few snapshots of our time.

Logos giveaway

2009-02-28T12:30:00.002-05:00

I'm mostly interested in the logos giveaway part. Don't know much about the other stuff, although I've heard good reviews. But I LOVE my logos.

Bible Study Magazine and Mars Hill are giving away 20 copies of Mark Driscoll’s new book, Vintage Church. Not only that, but they are also giving away five subscriptions to Bible Study Magazine and a copy of their Bible Study Library software! Enter to win on the Bible Study Magazine Mark Driscoll page, then take a look at all the cool tools they have to take your Bible study to the next level!

Demotivational Posters

2009-01-06T11:47:00.001-05:00

Please visit Demotivators for more enjoyment!

Updates Not on Our Christmas Card

2008-12-29T14:12:00.001-05:00

Jenny took a few cake decorating classes and has managed to retain the 10 lbs she gained from them.

Stephen and Jenny remember that they have no children despite the numerous comments from people who think they’ve forgotten.

Stephen and Jenny have trouble making friends in Birmingham, so Stephen managed to bring one in from home. We're still trying to recruit.

Jenny almost went to therapy over blog expectations but has finally had a heart-to-heart with herself about reality.

Jenny did, indeed, get a promotion at work but only after getting laid off, re-hired part-time, and then almost being rejected for an interview.

Jenny finally believes with her heart that God does not hate her and really is sovereign.

Stephen and Jenny have managed to get another year out of their 14- and 16-year-old cars and only leaked 10 quarts of oil.

Stephen and Jenny did get to finally go on a vacation after five years of marriage. It was the result of a seminary graduation present—that event happened two years ago.

Although both excited about turning 30, Stephen and Jenny are beginning to realize what people mean when they say that our metabolism slows down at 30.

Jenny has managed to grow more gray hairs than anybody else her age that she knows! Wow!

Stephen has managed to read numerous science fiction books, and Jenny has managed to start about three books and never finish them.

Jenny called her congressman for the first time ever.

Jenny still does not like people, but her gift of mercy seems to allow her to at least pretend.

New Tree

2008-12-02T18:23:00.004-05:00

I know that some of you out there are die-hard Christmas tree fans of the variety that are freshly cut from a farm. If you are and like to judge those who don't mind the kind that comes from a store, please stop reading and continue to think of us as your friends.

Otherwise, please celebrate with me that we were able to get a new tree this year! I always had real trees growing up and almost witnessed the death of one or both of my parents from marital anger at how straight the tree should be and how much my dad could "fix" it with just "one more" movement of the saw in his hand. It really brings back fond Christmas memories to think about it. Not really.

But, it's not those memories that cause me to love a man-made tree. Because we are always traveling for holidays, we have to maintain some sense of sanity and control over something. An artificial tree gives us such flexibility and provides a bit of sanity as far as the holiday season is concerned.

The first few years of marriage, we didn't have a tree b/c it wasn't worth the trek to New Orleans from Georgia and back just for a few weeks during an already hectic semester (and with no storage space). And for sure, we were poor. It just didn't make sense for us to have a tree. For the past few years, we have used the tree that I bought for Jennifer, Staci, and I to use in our little house on Ash Avenue--my senior year of college--8 years ago. The tree was a small one. It worked fine, but even our tree skirt dwarfed the tree.

We finally decided that we would look at getting another one and found a great deal at Sears. Sears always comes through for me. Anyway, I was really pleased wit how it came out and enjoy looking at it on our house. Here are some pics.

Argentina

2008-11-17T20:46:00.004-05:00

We have been back from Argentina for about a week now. We've almost recovered, but I'm sure that part of our hearts are still down there. I have too many pictures to put on the blog, so I copied my facebook album link below. These pics as well as my descriptions are vague--on purpose. Please be sensitive in the content of your comments. If you know our friends, you can see more pictures on their website.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=49729&l=105bc&id=603496373

Gold Rush 2008 & Roses

2008-10-24T20:47:00.008-04:00

Stephen and I headed home for the annual Gold Rush. We ate yummy fudge, had fun, and had our hearts warmed by great friends.

Here is the view when you top the hill going into Dahlonega. This is the town where we both went to college and has a special place in our hearts. Dahlonega is the center of many many great memories.

Here is a picture of where Stephen and his roommates lived when in college. I guess about 5-8 guys (maybe more) when through this house. Oh, wait. There is no more house. When the last guys moved out, they tore it down. Rightly so.

After we hit the actual Gold Rush, we headed to some friends' homes for more fun. Here is a view of the sunset from Darrell & Joni's house.

And the bonfire in the middle of raging winds.

Here's some of the guys.

Here's a pic of some of the girls. Notice that Ella is in the picture. We took her with us and wore her slap out. It was awesome. She's a better dog when she's super tired.

When we got back to Chelsea, we were all worn out. I plopped down on the couch, and Ella hopped up and went to sleep on my feet. She's never done this before, but I hope the peacefulness is a sign of things to come.

Apparently she likes to lie down on our feet.

Here are a couple of fun shots that I took of a couple of my roses. I planted rose bushes in the spring, and they've had some really pretty flowers on them, even now.

Thirty, Flirty, and Fun

2008-10-07T19:06:00.006-04:00

That's what Stephen called me the morning of October 3, 2008. Why, you ask? Because that was the date of my 30th Birthday. Yes, I have joined in with the ranks of those who are no longer twenty-something. I'm 30. I'm proud. I have lived a lot to get to 30, and now I am there--lower metabolism, scars, joint pain, and all. I will proudly wear the thirty, flirty, and fun badge! Anyway, here's a few pics of Stephen's great celebration for me.

The weekend before my birthday we descended upon Atlanta (filling up with gas before we left Chelsea) and stayed at the hotel across the street from the FOX Theatre. The hotel is old but quite historical and somewhat sends you back into a time where classic was the style and everyone dreamed of the next grand event. After we arrived at the hotel, we went to eat at one of my all-time favorite restaurants--The Spaghetti Factory. It's delicious, cheap, and you get a lot of food for your money.

Then we headed back to change clothed so that we could head across the street and see one of my favorite Broadway productions--Les Miserables! I finally got to use this purse that I purchased for really cheap at the end of last winter.

Here we are dressed up. If we look tired, it's because it's almost 8 p.m., and that's pretty close to our normal bedtime.

Then on my birthday, Stephen had this lovely prize delivered to my work! I love balloons!

Yummy chocolate-covered strawberries! More of my favorite!

Happy Birthday, Ella!

2008-09-30T20:13:00.002-04:00

Today Ella turns one year old. I'm not sure if we should be celebrating more for the fact that we made it a year without giving up on her or that we're now one year closer to two years old. Apparently puppies become a dog at age 2. Either way, yay, Ella! You're one and don't even know it! Happy Birthday!

Alabama Fair

2008-09-28T21:42:00.004-04:00

Apparently Stephen has a thing for fairs. He got so excited when he heard that the Alabama State Fair was close to us and begged me to go. So, we headed over to the fair, me sporting an attitude of disdain for the financial rip offs that activities such as these are. Nevertheless, Stephen managed to help most of my attitude disappear, and we had a lot of fun!

Stephen had never ridden a ferris wheel, so I happily agreed for that to be the one and only ride that we experienced. Here is the view from the top.

Stephen is excited to be experiencing a ferris wheel for the first time!

Here we are on the ferris wheel--trying to get a picture for the blog.

I am loving me some caramel apples! They are my absolute fav!!

Stephen had two requests: to ride the ferris wheel and eat some cotton candy. He was giddy over the cotton candy.

Now, the story . . .

2008-08-29T10:53:00.003-04:00

Today is the 3rd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. And my beloved friends in New Orleans are once again packing up to evacuate. Please plead before the Father on their behalf!

This story is long, and I apologize, but it’s a story. I’ve left out some details for the sake of length but wanted to make sure that you understand the big picture.

Like I said, today is the 3rd anniversary of Katrina, which was the onset of a journey of struggle and revelation for which I am ever grateful but for which I also think back on and remember with great pain. Much of this pain came as the result of my own stupidity and sinfulness, but the reason that I tell this story today is because of God’s great redemptive nature. As I stated in my previous post, God is for us. He continues to show Himself faithful despite my unfaithfulness. One could call me a spiritual Gomer.

Let me preface my story with a bit of background information. During the time that I began to submit my application for seminary, I had no idea why God was calling me to that step. In college, I was sure that I wasn’t going to seminary and never even bothered to talk to the representatives when they came to the BSU—despite Ken’s proddings. But the summer that I submitted my application and tons of other forms, I had the opportunity to write a DNOW curriculum for my former youth minister’s organization, InQuest Ministries. I loved that writing experience so much so that I changed my major from Missions to Christian Education. But, I still had no idea why I was heading to seminary. But Stephen and I went obediently.

Two years after a VERY rough but fruitful time in New Orleans, I finally began my last year. Graduation was looming around the corner! I remember walking around campus after a day of classes and work early in August and feeling that something was awry—something would be different about this year. Then on August 27th, we found ourselves packing up one of our cars and heading to Georgia as we evacuated from the path of a smoldering category 5 hurricane. We were devastated and experienced such grief in that year. We gained weight, lost weight, were extraordinarily tired but couldn’t sleep, couldn’t concentrate but wanted to be distracted. The burden of this grief and tragedy was tremendous. By the grace and strength of God, we wrestled through that year. I graduated in May. Not feeling that God was calling us back to NOLA, we waited for the next direction. The fourth and final move of that year was to Birmingham, where Stephen had accepted an incredible job.

I, however, not fully knowing why I was using the wireless connection in Panera, jobless but with my Master’s degree, continued to struggle with God’s calling on my life. Finally in September, I landed what I thought would be a temporary job at LifeWay. A month into it, I became an assistant manager. At that point, I began to realize that I hated retail more than I could have ever imagined. My self-esteem plummeted to new lows, and I wrestled with God. I finally decided that if He were not going to do something right with me, then I would just “show Him” by not talking to Him. It worked really, really well. God immediately changed my life—NOT. It did nothing but to make me more miserable. Over the following months, I began to study the Word more and to run back to my Father.

As I began to examine my gifts and desires, I realized that I wanted to write. Although I had loved writing, I was afraid to declare that as a calling because I wasn’t sure how God was going to work that out, and I didn’t want the two of us to be embarrassed. Wasn’t that thoughtful of me?

Last June, I emailed a favorite professor of mine who has done much writing. I asked her how I could become a better writer. Through divine circumstances, she replied to my email that she was no longer at the seminary but was the executive editor of Life Bible Study at Student Life (a ministry IN Birmingham, where I had applied a couple of times). Well, she invited me to become a writer for Life Bible Study, which I am continuing to do now. I was elated but still wanted a different job. In October, I also got a job in the publishing area of Student Life. It was an administrative position, but I liked it, loved the people, and it wasn’t my not-so-temporary job LifeWay. In the meantime, I was also contacted by my church (through contacts at Student Life) to do small group discussion guides based on the pastor’s sermons. So, I began that adventure and am still actively involved with writing for my church. Fun times, and all was as it should be.

Until April 1st. This past April, Student Life had to lay off several positions within the company, one of those being mine. We were allowed to work until the end of July, provided that we didn’t find another job. I was not at all happy about this situation, but I decided to trust God with it this time. I truly felt called to be at Student Life and to write. How was it going to work now? I told God that it was His responsibility to find me another job, so I was going to do what I needed to do but would watch to see how He worked this situation out. He didn’t seem to be working too quickly, which made me more anxious to see exactly what He was doing.

While in Breckenridge in June, I found out that my boss and a few others were laid off. Hmmm. A few days after Stephen and I returned from our vacation to Breckenridge, my new boss told me that it had worked out so that if I wanted to stay on part-time in my position, I could. Seeing as I had no other options and wanted desperately to stay with my team, I agreed. I quickly found out that two new full-time positions were being hired as editors for the student curriculum. Why was I not being considered? I had to ask this question, and I was deeply hurt that I was remaining in an administrative role when I had the calling and qualifications for one of these positions. Several interviewees come in. One was hired. The other position was in question. After one particular conversation between a co-worker and the new boss, it was made clear that I wanted the last remaining position. Apparently the new boss was somewhat clueless about this desire and agreed to interview me.

I interviewed two weeks ago, and officially accepted the job on Tuesday of this week. So I am now in an editorial position at Student Life. I’m nervous and excited but most of all praising God. This story of redemption from a year of feeling abandoned and forgotten is one that can only be told in an effort to give God the glory. He deserves it all. It’s been amazing to look back and see how God has redeemed our tears—this story is just one of many. I am sure there will be more to come, but I know that I can always trust in Him to be good, to be for me, and to glorify Himself.

Updated Post

2008-08-24T16:05:00.002-04:00

So, I see that it's been almost a whole month where I have not updated the blog. Sorry about that. Honestly, sometimes I try to think of things to update with and come to the conclusion that people really don't care unless there are babies involved, which there aren't. There's a little piece of transparency for free. But for that one reader out there that does seriously wonder about what God is doing in my life, I will tell you.

God has been teaching me a lot about Himself. The third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina will be coming up this Friday. My seminary president has said of this storm, "God never wastes the tears of His people." He also says that God always redeems the pain of His people. I have experienced evidence of this truth and have a story to tell of His redemptive grace that has come as a result of this suffering. I'm not able to tell it yet, but hopefully by next week, I'll be able to share wit you this story of God's grace. Be looking out, because it's a great one. I think for most of you this story will come as a complete surprise b/c I've not shared the pieces of it along the way for various reasons. Needless to say, I feel that I must share it now as a witness to the amazing God that I strive to serve and His undeserving grace in my life.

But for today, I will share a little about God's recent working in my life. I have made numerous comments throughout the years that reflect poor theology of God. At times, I make statements that appear to reflect a belief that God is "out to get me" or "has it in for me" or somehow "takes delight in my pain and suffering." Somehow I have carried around this idea that God devises cosmic jokes to play in my life that bring Him laughter at my expense. Perhaps He would make my worst fears come alive just to get a laugh. God is humorous, for sure, but this theology is just wrong. I would have never admitted to believing this lie if you would have asked, but after examining the reasons behind some of my recent remarks about God, I've had to "out" this lie in my heart. It's just not right. It's just not biblical.

Scripture is clear throughout that God is for us because He is for Himself. In the Old Testament, He protected and cared for His people Israel because they reflected His name. His reputation was at stake. The writers of the New Testament are also clear that God loves His children deeply, so much so that He became a man and endured countless suffering so that we could be reconciled to Him. Are we guaranteed physical health and well-being? No. Are we guaranteed that nothing bad will ever happen to us? No. But I think the problem in my thinking came when I perceived that God was somehow getting joy out of my pain.

One of the greatest comforts that I experienced during the hurricane was realizing that God did not enjoy my pain but, rather, hurt with me. I hate to admit it, but during that time in my life was probably the first that I vocalized and came to believe this truth. Throughout these last three years of struggling, He has not taken joy in my pain but has cared deeply for me and has interceded for me in ways that I could not do for myself. Although suffering and trials have come, whether He has allowed or directed them, He has always been on my side. People quote Romans 8:28 as if it's some magic verse that we can quote to direct blessings over our lives. That's not true. Read the verse. Now, tell me exactly what "all things" mean. They can actually be a variety of things--good, bad, devastating, heartbreaking, rip-your-world-apart pain. And for sure, we can wait a LONG time to see what good actually comes of such circumstances. Nevertheless, God never stops being good, and He never stops being for us.

He is not a cosmic joker but One who wants the best for us. He is on our side. He is for us, and nothing can separate us from His love.

A new decade

2008-07-27T20:16:00.006-04:00

We celebrated Stephen's 30th Birthday on Wednesday! Actually, the celebration began last weekend when my mom and stepdad came and took us out to eat. On Wednesday, thanks to Facebook, Stephen received lots of great birthday wishes from friends. And thanks to the USPS, my grandmother even joined in the celebration.

It's a long story, but I ended up getting Stephen a Wii for his birthday, which may very well be the present he's enjoyed the most of anything I've ever given him. And, it is quite fun! We have both had tremendously sore arms from playing it--mostly from the bowling and tennis. And true to form, I pretty much suck at the virtual forms of these games as much as the real ones. Occasionally I have to take breaks b/c being constantly told by a computer that you are a loser can take its toll. Ha! Stephen's pretty good, though and has gotten his Wii age down to 27 so far.

Here is Stephen when he first saw that I gave him a Wii!

He's super excited!

Here's Stephen's birthday cake. He wanted this candy bar cake that I've made previously. It's the best cake EVER! The batter has melted Milky Way's in it, and there are cut up Milky Ways all over the outside. We still have some of the chocolate marshmallow frosting left over and eat about a spoonful or so a day. It's dangerous stuff! And no, we did not eat the entire thing. Stephen took it to work with him on Wednesday, and I took the leftovers to work with me on Thursday.

Yesterday, Stephen's dad and his wife took us out to eat at The Cheesecake Factory. Yum!! Here's a piece of cheesecake that Stephen and I shared--Dulce de Leche--our favorite!

And just for fun, here is why we don't leave toilet paper on the roll when we leave Ella in the bathroom.

Happy Birthday, Stephen! The world is a much better place because you're in it, especially my world! I hope we can celebrate many more decades together!

Big Remote

2008-07-27T20:07:00.002-04:00

I saw this universal remote in a home store. Notice my hand on the side. I put my hand in the picture so you could see how ridiculously large this remote is. And if you needed any explanation of what it is, notice the "Really Big" description at the top.

Vacation Pictures

2008-07-20T18:03:00.005-04:00

OK, so I've had pictures from our vacation in Breckenridge up on facebook for about a month. But loading large quantities of large pictures to blogger has been a pain and I've not been inclined to go through all the hassle. So . . . here is the link to the facebook album, if you want to look at them. You can even make comments on each individual one. Enjoy!

Breckenridge

The Karate Kake

2008-07-08T20:12:00.006-04:00

My sister, Susan, has been seriously training in karate for over 5 years. This past January, she was supposed to test for her black belt, but last summer she tore her ACL during training. After surgery and months of therapy, she got back into full training and passed her black belt test last month! Woo hoo! When we went home for the July 4th weekend, I made a cake to celebrate her amazing accomplishment.

And for my last cake class, I made this cake. It was a lot of fun!

Big 'ol Cake

2008-07-02T18:58:00.005-04:00

Somewhat affiliated with several people whom I work with is a non-profit organization called Reach Orphans with Hope. Every summer they bring a bunch of kids from an orphanage in the Ukraine to the States. It's great fun, and the kids are the cutest ever. On the last night, they have a birthday party for these kids (ranging from 6-15 yrs. old) because no one has ever really celebrated their birthday. I got to make their cake this year, and this is how it turned out. Everything on both cakes is edible except for the small floral wires holding the stars.

I also made this side cake. The little "plates" contain the names of all the orphans on them.

Breckenridge 3

2008-06-14T18:24:00.002-04:00

We woke up early on Thursday morning so we could eat breakfast out at this cute little cafe. The weather was quite frigid as we bundled ourselves and waddled down the street, trying to enjoy the 35 degree weather as much as we could before heading back home to the blistering South. As recommended, the breakfast was mouthwatering with every bite. Every time I opened my mouth, my tastebuds rejoiced with simply the potential of what was coming. Finally, my stomach overcame my tastebuds, and I just could not fit anymore inside. What a shame.

The few hours at the spa afterwards were wonderful! It really helped the hurt feel better, at least for a little while. In addition, our spirits were happy at the heavy snow we got to walk around in afterwards. After the spa, we took naps and then got ready to go spend our $75 endurance money (see previous post) at a fancy restaurant as our anniversary dinner. The view of the snowy mountains was amazing! Man was this dinner awesome! And because we were not spending our own money, we did not hold back on ordering. I had Alaskan Halibut with cucumber salad, some seasoned rice stuff and tea, and Stephen had a lovely New York strip with some kind of yummy twiced-baked potato, broccolini (I'm not sure) and tea. It truly was the most attractive meal I've ever had and quite tasty at that. If you know me, you know I'm a SLOW eater. Well, this food was so good that I even beat Stephen to the finish line. Mmmmmm..... And to top it off, we ordered a triple chocolate decadence dessert. I'm positive that heaven must have some of that dessert in it. I did take pictures of this food. Most of them were a tad blurry, but I was trying my darndest to remain inconspicuous while photographing my food. Yes, I was that weird person who took pictures of her food. But it was just that amazing!

Friday we woke up pretty early so that we could turn in our car at the airport and get our bags checked for our 10:45 a.m. flight. Thinking that Denver was a mere hour and a half away, we left at 7:30 thinking we had plenty of time. Well, we turn on the GPS, and it registers an arrival time of 9:45 a.m.--before we got gas for the trip Remind you that Delta requires bags be checked 45 minutes ahead of the flight time. I won't confess the words that ran through my head. The people at the gas station did not help. People--all I have to say is if you have to go in to pay, move your car away from the pump; don't lock it and leave it with all the other pumps occupied!!!!!!! So, Stephen pulled deep down inside himself and managed to go over the speed limit a bit. He shaved a whole 15 minutes off of our arrival time. We told the car people that we were in a hurry to check our bags. The rushed us through and we jumped on a shuttle who rushed us to the counter. We checked our bags with a whole 10 minutes to spare, shuffled through security and made it to our gate with enough time for a restroom break before they began boarding. Not quite as smooth as the journey to the ATL airport, but it worked. We even had an in-flight movie on this plane. Stephen watched it, but I read my Runners World magazine that I had purchased prior to eating dinner at the Dam Brewery on Sunday. No, I did not make that name up, but I do think it's funny because I really am 12 years old. We were also surrounded by 18947 babies and toddlers on this flight. They all liked to scream, mostly in unison. I really am not kidding about the screaming. For real, at the end of the flight a random lady turned around to the two children behind her and said, "Look, you guys need to cut it out. I don't know where your parents are but CUT IT OUT!" She almost drew applause.

Mom picked us up from the airport, although she wasn't holding a sign for us. God parted the traffic in Atlanta during the Friday drive-home traffic, and we made it home in great time. After some laundry and Indiana Jones, we drifted off to sleep, woke up, ate some food and headed to Alabama. We are now in our own home, and I am reunited with my Mac. We miss Ella and will pick her up tomorrow. We'll put up some pictures later. Thanks for journeying with us on this adventure. We had loads of fun and are looking forward to many years more of such a fun marriage!

Breckenridge 2

2008-06-11T20:27:00.004-04:00

Sunday morning, of course, started off with at least 3 inches of fresh, beautiful snow! It melted fairly quickly in the potent Colorado sunshine, but it continued to snow a little throughout the day. We slept in pretty late. Still adjusting to the altitude, my day consisted of a few activities in between naps. Seriously. After sleeping in, I ate breakfast and took a shower. Then I took a nap until lunch. We ate lunch and explored the town for a couple of hours (as it snowed). As we were walking down the sidewalk, we noticed a family emerging from a little shop with amazing cookies in their hands. That was all it took for us. Man, those were delicious cookies--they were pure goodness in my mouth. They are homemade fresh every day. Then I napped again until my sweet husband woke me with the suggestion that we go see a movie. We drove to a nearby town and saw Kung Fu Panda. It was hilarious, and we recommend it! As we entered the theatre, the snow was coming down pretty heavily. So heavily, in fact, that had we been in Alabama or Georgia, the surrounding three counties would have had empty bread and milk shelves. It was awesome!

Monday, I was a little more acclimated and only needed one nap. After lunch, we endured a presentation for a timeshare. The reason we agreed to hear the presentation was that we would get $75 to use in town (a great way to eat the expensive dinner we were looking at) just for listening. The presentation ended with us saying, "Thanks, but Dave Ramsey doesn't think this would be a good idea for us at this time." Well, we didn't say it quite that way, but it went something like that. Then we left and explored Breckenridge some more. We even got some more cookies like the ones we devoured on Sunday. It was an absolutely gorgeous day! Ah, the mountains! They whisper kind words to my heart and shout the majesty of God to my soul! I love it here! On our way back to our condo, we heard some beautiful symphonic music. We quietly entered in the open door where a symphony was practicing something about Don Quixote (we think). Anyway, it was such a joy to our ears that I wanted to go fight windmills.

Tuesday we drove out in the middle of nowhere to ride horses for a couple of hours. Yep, 2 hours was enough. We are both feeling the effects of that ride. It was great fun, however. My horse, Ace, wasn't so fond of me. I'm pretty sure of it. Anytime I would try to steer him he would shake his head at me. And when I would laugh, he would start galloping, which did not feel so good to me. The views were amazing!

Today we went whitewater rafting. Yes, the high today was 55. We were in full wet suits, which neither of us have done before. Honestly, I'm not the biggest fan, but they were quite the friend in helping us stay warm in the frigid water and braving the arctic windstorm. Stephen and I sat in the front of our raft, which meant we got the wettest and thrown around the most. It was awesome. We also were served lunch halfway through of tortellini with marinara and pesto sauce, breadsticks, and cole slaw. I have no idea why cole slaw goes with italian food, but it was quite tasty. Now the parts of our aged bodies that didn't hurt from the horse ride hurts from the rafting. We are definitely looking forward to a little time at the spa tomorrow!

Breckenridge 1

2008-06-08T10:00:00.003-04:00

Our adventure to Breckenridge started out on a great note. I dropped Ella off at the pet boarding place on Friday afternoon. She was noticably scared and unsure of what was going on, and I almost cried at leaving her in that state. But I for sure wasn't taking her with us, and so after a minute of petting her I went to the front desk to finish the paperwork. While I was finishing the form, the ladies entered into amusing conversation, which they finally explained to me in the words, "That's Ruben Studdard (getting out of the BMW). He brings his dogs here often." Sure enough, I turned around and uttered, "Oh, my word. That's totally Ruben Studdard and his dogs!" So, I guess it made me feel even better about the place that of everywhere in Birmingham, Ruben Studdard boards his dogs as the same place where we do. No, I didn't get to talk to him. I really wasn't sure what to do, so I finished up and left--allowing him to do whatever he needed to do.

We later drove to Georgia, where we utilized my mom's possession of weight scales to see if our luggage was over the 50 lb. limit. Sure enough, they both were. So then we scattered around seeing what we could leave there. The problem came in having to pack for warmer weather and cooler, I mean cold, weather. We got the luggage down but couldn't figure out how to take weight off of our own bodies as easily. I guess we'll get more serious about that half-marathon training.

At the airport, we sailed through check-in with the amazing self-check-in kiosks. Stephen had already been lamenting the short leg room he was to experience in coach. When we got to the gate for our plane, a lady called for Stephen Reedlay and Jenny Reedlay to the desk, all in a lovely Spanish accent. She asked if we would be willing to sit in an exit row seat. To which we replied, "We have been waiting for this opportunity all of our lives." We didn't really say that, but were highly excited at the leg room. Well, I was excited for Stephen b/c leg room has never really been an issue for me. The flight went well, and I was partially engrossed by this crazy lady's ankles. They kept swelling more and more until I was sure there was no way she could possibly fit into her shoes. Once she stood up by the restrooms, and then I really was sure that her toes were in jeopardy of being detached by her tight shoes.

On the way to Breckenridge, we stopped at a place called Idaho Springs, which ironically enough is in Colorado. We saw a sign for a pizza place and sought to find it. The little town was really charming--and OLD. In a time before Sherwin Williams brought a myriad of colors to paint, I believe that duels most likely happened in between these buildings. We found the pizza place in a 100 year-old building and were ever thankful for the Colorado style pizza. It truly was the best pizza we've ever eaten. It could be because the pizza was just that good or b/c we were famished to the point of irritation that our food wasn't out more quickly. The rest of the travel went great and we arrived at our condo yesterday, me feeling terrible b/c I had neglected to keep myself hydrated well for such a dry and high-altitude place. Nevertheless, we were able to exchange anniversary gifts (mine came in a blue Tiffany's box) and buy some groceries.

This morning we awoke to fresh snow, and I thought I would blog about it before breakfast. I'm not sure how many updates we will make while here, but I thought it would be fun to share some. We have a few fun times scheduled, such as whitewater rafting in frigid water with a wet suit (will be my first experience with a wet suit), horseback riding, and some time at the spa. Maybe I can add pictures later.

Five Years of the Adventure

2008-06-07T00:01:00.007-04:00

One of the things that scares me the most about being a parent is knowing that you give your children their first glimpse of God. Because of my relationship with my own father, I have struggled my entire life with God and His love for me and who He created me to be. I can vividly remember being at a conference in college and singing “Jesus Loves Me” with tears dampening my cheeks, believing those words for the first time.

Today, June 7th Stephen and I will celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. Today we will be traveling to our vacation destination for our first vacation since our honeymoon. As I reflect on the last five years, we’ve weathered a lot of storms together, literally and figuratively: We’ve moved residences at least 5 times, 4 in one year. We’ve experienced the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. We’ve grieved the deaths of 3 grandparents. We’ve been affected by divorce. We’ve been out of work. We’ve been out of close contact with friends and family. The list could go on.

But in addition to the challenges, we’ve also seen God’s grace: We’ve seen Him provide financially. We’ve experienced two international mission trips (on our 2nd and 4th anniversaries), where His hand was highly evident. We completed our first half-marathon together. We bought our first house. We’ve grown spiritually. This list could go on as well.

But, I don’t want to focus this post on the external circumstances of the past 5 years. I want to honor my husband. Stephen has taught me more about God’s love in the last years than I have ever experienced. Someone so wonderful who continually chooses to pursue and love me despite any idiotic attitudes or actions—that’s who Stephen is. He always wants me to know that he loves me. I admit to him often that I’m not the most lovable person and cannot understand how he could love me; his response is always that I don’t have to understand it, but it’s true. And that truth has transformed my view of God’s love.

Stephen is always kind and gentle, even in his rebukes (which I need often). He seeks what is best for me even when it may mean sacrifice for himself. He is continually supportive of what He believes God is calling me to do. He always outserves me and puts me before himself. He has led us to make good financial decisions. He does lots of housework without asking and has never chosen sports or a hobby over time with his wife. I know that I’m not the best biblical representation of a submissive wife, but Stephen makes it easy for me to follow by the way that he follows God. I hope one day that I can be the kind of wife that he is a husband.

One of the things that I love most about Stephen is his teachability. He continually looks for ways to be a better leader for our family and to become the man that God has designed him to be. He wants to help our marriage be the best that it can be. He knows how important that marriage is to Christ and the gospel. The reason we got married five years ago still stands: We believe God has called us together because we will serve Him better together than separately. This truth is exemplified in Stephen’s desire to lead our family to glorify God. As a result, he makes me want to be more like Christ.

There are challenges for sure, and no one is perfect. But I fully believe James 1:17 that “all good and perfect gifts are from above.” Stephen is truly an example of God’s extravagant grace in my life, and I am ever thankful for him and love him more every day.

Day One--Gainesville, GA

Year 2--Southeast Asia

Year 4--Argentina

New Cakes

2008-05-28T13:30:00.009-04:00

So, my third cake decorating course involves a lot of fondant as well as stacking and tiered cakes. I haven't gotten to the tiered part yet, but I LOVE working with fondant. I don't think it tastes as good as butter cream, but it's so much fun to work with. I have a picture of my class cake that I will post later, but for now all I have uploaded is this cake. It's actually a display cake--meaning that there's styrofoam underneath the icing--that I made for my co-worker Margie. It's a long story, but basically it's for display at a rather large wedding shower for her daughter. Anyway, I had lots of fun working on it, although it took quite a long time.

Here's the cake for the course 3. Stephen took it to work, and it got eaten quickly. Unlike the "cake" above, it actually was an edible cake.

And here's just a cute picture of Ella. She has way too much energy to ever lie down with us, but a rare moment caught her being cuddly and very still on the couch.

Course 2 Cake and Mary Margaret

2008-05-04T19:39:00.006-04:00

Our friend, Mary Margaret, from college came to visit her parents in Talladega a few weeks ago. We met up with her at a Ruby Tuesday's and had a fun dinner. It was great to see her again! She lives in Texas and is trying to convince us to come run a half-marathon in Houston. Sounds like fun. Anybody in?! Looking at that picture reminds me that I need a haircut.

This is a picture of my most recent cake. During the second course we make these flowers (and birds) during the first 3 weeks. They are made out of a different kind of icing and dry to be almost like hard candy. At the last class meeting, we learn the rope border and basket weave. Then we put all together. This is my cake. I would probably not put all of those flowers on a cake, but I had gone to the trouble to make all of them and decided to just put them all on.

Drama

2008-04-13T20:35:00.004-04:00

I try my best to avoid drama in my life. I don't like it. One time when I was substitute teaching, I saw a girl who had a t-shirt made that read "Save the drama for your mama." I've always liked that t-shirt. Maybe I should get one of those printed sometime. Despite my aversion to drama, it seems to follow me around a bit, taunting me, as if to say "you can never get away from me."

Recently some more drama has entered my life, of which I will share the details at a later time. For now, consider it sufficient that I tell you that life continues to go on. Life can be very tiring at times; it's just so daily. Nevertheless, I find myself desiring to be a part of it and to share it with people that I love dearly. But that's not what this post is about. I secretly read a friend's friend's blog, and I laugh almost every time. So, I wanted to make my own readers laugh. But I just couldn't think of any funny stories to share. Is it my attempt at the avoidance of drama that leaves me void of funny stories? Or am I really just that boring? How can this be? Surely comedy must accompany my life aside from the Great Comedian's working in more than amusing ways. Now, He surely is a funny God--beyond all that I can take at times. His comedies, however, are usually accompanied by an attitude of "what in the world were you thinking, God?" and seem to resemble irony more than mere comedy. I can't at all say that I've ever figured out what He is thinking. In fact, I recently told a co-worker that I don't always like God, but that I have learned to trust Him. You can all stone me later for saying that I don't always like God. But then I will say that whoever has never thought such heretical thoughts can throw the first stone. Come on, I dare you.

In addition to the irony, the comedy from God's working in my life is often a result of my own handling of the situation. For instance, when I don't like what He's doing or has allowed to happen, I have, at times, reverted to the silent treatment. I will attempt to "punish" God by withholding my contact with Him. Now, I am not proud of this behavior; it is downright despicable and, quite honestly, never works. I ALWAYS end up the worse for it. Heed this warning: Do not under any circumstances try this heathenistic approach. More recently, I have been heard doing monologues of my own take on biblical characters, namely Job's wife. Despite the laughter from my peers this performance was simply a revelation of my deplorable cynicism toward God's people and His apparent (I know this isn't true!) lack of compassion toward me, which ended in a an imperative to curse God and die. I now know why I wasn't chosen for my story to be recorded in Scripture. I surely would have been thought a crazed, strong-willed, and defiant follower of God, if not found an imposter first.

How I have digressed. When I couldn't think of any funny stories to share I tried to think of things about me or that have happened to me that you may find amusing. I have listed them below:

I once dressed up as a beheaded John the Baptist for a Halloween party with my youth group.

One of my most embarrassing moments came from me announcing over the entire high school intercom that Marilyn Manson's backpack was in the front office. (No, I didn't know who Marilyn Manson was.)

Upon meeting a girl at a new job, I accidentally threw cake crumbs all over her when I was trying to serve her a piece of cake.

I like to dance like a madwoman when no one is around.

In college, I ate an entire gigantic box of Nerds in one sitting, resulting in a tongue that was raw for several days.

One of my fantasy jobs is to be a voiceover in a cartoon movie. The other is to be a college mascot.

I like Star Trek. When I found out the newest one was going off the air, I wrote an email to the network expressing my displeasure.

I cannot play video games, because I started a Lord of the Rings computer game and could barely stop playing until I beat it. And, my blood pressure would go so extraordinarily high while playing that I was concerned about the effect it was having on my heart.

I can do a fairly decent Yoda voice.

Well, that's all that I can think of in my tired and sleepy state. I hope I was able to deliver at least a couple of laughs.

New Cake

2008-04-04T20:13:00.002-04:00

I helped host a shower for a co-worker this week, and I really wanted to make her cake. I saw a napkin in Hobby Lobby prior one day a month or so ago and got the idea to decorate it like the napkin. She is such a classy lady, and I wanted to make a cool cake for her. Despite a minor breakdown during the decorating part, it came together pretty nicely. I had a pretty crummy week, and I needed this cake to turn out well. I was determined to make it work--for Jill and for me. My stubbornness and determination kicked in, and I would not let this icing win. I won. I was very pleased with the outcome. Of course it's not perfect, but I hope to continue to improve with more and more practice. I think it turned out pretty well.

Happy Easter & Cake Decorating!

2008-03-26T20:49:00.002-04:00

I've been wanting to take a cake decorating class for a long time, but all of the classes were always offered during the day--when I am at work. Recently, Stephen and I were in Hobby Lobby and saw a sign for a night class, and I signed up. I'm really enjoying it, and Stephen is enjoying eating the decor. Here are a few pictures of the three cakes that I decorated. On the last one with the roses, I took it to work and one of my co-workers thought it was acceptable to eat all three of the roses off of the cake. I'm beginning to find the humor in it.

The other pictures are from Easter. I almost braved the cool weather and wore my dress anyway, but a trial the night before revealed that a proper wearing of the dress would include a slip that would prohibit light from filtering through. I neglected to take a slip with me to Georgia. So, no, I didn't wear it. Stephen and I enjoyed traveling home for Easter but are always so tired when we get back, especially when I have to bake and frost a cake late Sunday night. It was nice to go into a church where the people know us and are acutely aware of our absence and seek to shower love upon us when we step through the door. Enjoy the pics!

The Problem with Easter Dresses

2008-03-19T09:26:00.000-04:00

Herein lies the problem with buying special clothing for Easter and why I haven’t been upset in the last 5 plus years that I haven’t had the extra money to buy one: unpredictable southern spring weather. All of the stores are fully of new spring attire in all of its colored glory. Cute dresses and skirts line the walls and aisles of every store with their light and airy fabric, just waiting to robe someone in the sunshine of warmer weather. Strappy sandals and slides call out to each woman with the hope of painted toenails and pedicured feet. And then . . . the weather forecast.

Albeit Easter is a bit early this year, but still. I was shopping a few weeks ago in all of 75 degree weather and decided that I should buy this dress that was on sale and trendy. Plus, I had a gift card. “I will wear it for Easter,” I thought. “How fun! I’m buying an Easter dress, and my family won’t have to see one of my four dresses/skirts that I now own post-Katrina. It is green with a stitched empire waist, and despite being made of a flowing material did not reveal any parts of myself that I’m not enthused about showing to the world. Now, the weather is predicted to have a high of 57 on Sunday. That’s not appropriate weather for a cute, short-sleeve, spring dress with heeled sandals. Such disappointment.

My new mac

2008-03-08T23:01:00.004-05:00

My old and faithful laptop was slowly declining, and I needed another one to be able to more easily continue with my calling to write, which happens to be a reason that I haven't been posting much. I've really been busy. But back to the real point of this post. After saving money from extra work, I ordered a mac. It came on Friday. So far, my thoughts are that macs are one of God's gifts to mankind. It is a lovely thing, reaching beyond my expectations. Here is a picture that I took while playing with the camera.

Comfort

2008-02-25T14:20:00.002-05:00

God has been teaching Stephen and I many lessons since the beginning of our marriage. One of them has been a continuous theme from the beginning. I’m not sure if God insists on revisiting it because we’re slow learners or never fully grasp it or for some other reason unknown to us. That lesson is one of comfort.

We all like to be comfortable. To feel safe. To feel warm. To feel taken care of. It’s just comfortably nice. Occasionally the times that we feel uncomfortable are the ones that are “fun” just because they are unusual or novel to us. For example, mission trips are often like this. It’s a fun adventure to camp out in the middle of Asia without showers for a couple of days. My experience with squatty potties are ones that should never be forgotten. Eating strange things and smelling strange odors are all part of an experience that everyone should have. Any person who is even partially mature accepts a mission trip as an unavoidable intersection with discomfort. It’s all part of what makes the trip interesting. But, maybe that’s just me.

But what happens when God calls you to vocational ministry on the mission field? What happens when the discomfort isn’t novel anymore? Those are some of the questions that God has been bringing to my mind lately. As long as our lives aren’t international, we assume that we should be comfortable. Sometimes, if we’re really honest, we assume that comfort should follow us as long as we’re obedient to God. But where in the world would we get such ideas? More particularly, where in Scripture do we get these ideas? On the contrary, God’s word clearly indicates that being a follower of Christ is absolutely not comfortable. Let’s be honest here. Am I the only one that finds following Christ to be a completely challenging road? I have found that, although bringing great joy, being a Christ-follower is just downright hard.

It’s a hard lesson to learn that even when you’re right where God has led you, you may experience difficulties. Obedience can result in discomfort and pain. We were in New Orleans because God had led our family to study there. And then, the greatest natural disaster in U. S. history. We also believe that we were obedient to come to Birmingham. We have come to love many things about this city, but we get lonely. We don’t enjoy living away from friends and family. We enjoy making new friends but have had a hard time finding people who are truly interested in knowing our hearts and investing in our lives. We also don’t enjoy the kind of holidays that living away from “home” brings. We don’t enjoy the struggle that we’ve encountered to find a ministry where God wants us. We don’t enjoy having to journey with our family through grief over the phone.

You may think that these are just meaningless whines from a spoiled little girl; and you would be right. But, I won’t deny that sometimes my heart hurts. Nevertheless, we fully believe that God has led us to Birmingham for some reason—the same way that He leads everybody somewhere. If I believe that God has a purpose for me, then I surely believe that He cares where we live and where we minister. If He calls people to Latvia or Peru, He called us to Birmingham. So, why would I insist upon comfort? There’s no guarantee of comfort in His plan. Joy, yes. Peace, yes. But comfort, no. So, I guess I’ll just get over myself and focus on the One Who really matters.

Funny Video

2008-02-08T14:34:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfs3BJZxKkc

Ella Gets a Furcut

2008-01-26T21:11:00.001-05:00

Ella has lots of hair. We know that she's a grooming dog, and we have been combing her almost everyday. But, lately, her fur has been getting out of control. She's been looking like some kind of shaggy dust mop that my grandmother used to have. (Well, knowing her she probably still has it somewhere.) Anyway, we've been combing her and getting knots, etc. out. But it's been so long that it just mats up so quickly. So, we decided it was time for a full-on groom.

Here's the before picture:

Here's the after picture. I almost hate to put it up here b/c I am embarrassed for her. I knew that she was going to have to be cut short, but I was almost horrified when I saw her. My precious little puppy now looks like she does when we bathe her--a wet chicken (except now she's not wet). Well, the good news is that it's hair, and it will grow back. Hopefully we can get a handle on her grooming so that they don't have to cut it so short next time.

And here is the ensuing coat that we had to get for her. Her massive fur coat was great for these sub-30 degree walks that we've been taking, but now she doesn't have much coverate. So, yes, we actually bought a coat for our puppy. At least it was 50% off. And yes, that is the camera flash reflecting on those reflective stripes.

Time for Change

2008-01-26T09:33:00.000-05:00

I bought this keychain my very first semester at North Georgia. That was in 1997. I think that after having a keychain for 10 years that it's OK to get another one.

So this is the one that I got. Notice, too, that you can see that I have embraced feminity (if that is a word) in the last 10 years. I finally came to the conclusion late in college that I truly am a girl. And I like wearing pink and being classy. I'm not really froo froo, but if I could choose a style for myself, I think I'd be Audrey Hepburn. Now if only I could grow myself to her height then I wouldn't have to stand in my chair at work to see over the cubicle walls.

Ella Running

2008-01-19T22:09:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why I find it funny to see Ella run, but I do. I think it's just too cute. Anyway, here's us trying to get a video of her cuteness.

Pictures of Ella

2008-01-19T13:02:00.000-05:00

We've had Ella for two months now! Sorry for the lack of pictures! She's grown bunches and is a crazy little puppy with amazing amounts of energy.

Delay in update

2007-12-27T10:08:00.000-05:00

Hi, we know that it's been a while since our last update. We've taken pictures of Ella and other activities; so don't worry, we'll put some up later. We've been crazy busy trying to train Ella, and I've had some writing deadlines lately. And, I think I've developed dropsy in my old age, as I feel a deep, intense need to sleep a lot--no matter where I'm at.

Just a quick verbal update:

I love my new job and am thoroughly enjoying my writing assignments and learning how to be a better writer. Stephen is continually learning and improving his IT skills. We had a nice Christmas but are tiring of the frustrations that accompany living away from family and friends at the holidays. It was really nice to get home last night and take a long stroll with our puppy in the moonlight around the lake. Christmas hasn't felt like "Christmas" to us in a long time. A lot of times it just seems like a time that we are guilted into seeing people who we really don't like and who leave Jesus out of the center of Christmas, not to mention life. We attended my mom's Christmas choir cantata at our home church on Sunday night. That church is not too "contemporary" by any means, but our hearts love it so much. Anyway, we were so blessed to attend such a simple service. By the end, I could hardly hold back the tears welling up in my eyes. My heart just overflowed with humility in the presence of my Savior. Christmas--what is it really about? Sitting there in that service, I couldn't help but want to worship Him because of His faithfulness. He has utterly shown Himself faithful to me this year in ways that I cannot even fathom; truthfully, I think we haven't even seen the half of it yet, despite the difficulties we are experiencing. I thought about His faithfulness to me personally and His faithfulness to humanity in sending His Son as He promised centuries before. Christmas--a faithfully fulfilled promise. Amazing! Perhaps next year I can get a grasp on what it really means and have a Christmas like He deserves.

Well, I know y'all don't like to read too much on blogs, so I tried to keep it to a minimum. We'll be back later.

Hairy New Addition to the Family

2007-11-18T12:21:00.001-05:00

We got a puppy! She is a little schnoodle puppy. We had a hard time coming up with names and finally started going through female artists in my ipod. We decided on Ella Fitzgerald (one of my favorite jazz singers). Stephen makes me leave the Fitzgerald off, so she's really just Ella. Isn't she so cute! She looks like a little furry marshmallow running around. She's shown herself to be pretty intelligent so far. She's already responding well to her name and is getting the hang of using the bathroom outside when we take her. Of course she sometimes tries to go inside, but when we say "No," she stops and we quickly take her outside. Nevertheless, I'm sure we'll have much more fun with this training in the future.

Husband Brag

2007-11-18T12:12:00.000-05:00

I am reminded daily of the great blessing that God has given me in Stephen. He is such a tremendous gift to me, and I always wonder why God decided to bless me in such an extraordinary and undeserving way. It truly makes me want to respond in worship to Him. Last week, Stephen sent me this cookie bouquet at work--just to brighten my day. He is amazing!

Fun with Christmas

2007-11-13T20:08:00.000-05:00

Oh the joys of the Christmas season!