Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Today Sonja and Jake came to visit me! It was so much fun! Unlike the day Ethan and Simon came for a visit, today was very rainy. So much so, in fact, that as Sonja was buckling Jacob into his car seat he sang "Rain, rain, go away" at the top of his lungs! So cute!

It was so fun to have them here today, to have lunch with them, and play and read books with Jacob! I love getting to know my friends' kids! It is such a joy and blessing to be a part of their lives. I don't know what I would do without all their smiles and hugs...I just love 'em!

And, even though Jacob was ready for the rain to go away, I enjoyed having the thunderstorm today. The rain came down in sheets and it was sooo beautiful! Here's a picture of my mums this afternoon as the rain was coming down! (Keep in mind, I merely stuck my arm out the front door to get this pix!)

Sunshine and Picnics

Today I had three of my favorite people visit me! Rachel, Ethan, and Simon drove in today and it was such a gorgeous day for them to visit! The sun was shining and though the breeze was brisk (and it was a bit chilly in the shade!) we had a wonderful time at the park. We had a picnic, played on the jungle gym, and in the sand box. We even got in a quick game of hide-and-seek! It's always so wonderful to see Ethan and Simon...to see how quickly they are growing and all the wonderful things they are learning! And, the fellowship with Rachel was oh-so sweet too! I am so thankful for the wonderful friends that the Lord has blessed me with!

Girls Night

Last night a few girls came over for dinner. I made some chili and the girls brought Fritos, crackers, corn bread, drinks and dessert! It made for such a yummy meal...and the fellowship was great too! It was a great way to really introduce my new dining room table to a "real" dinner experience! You see, it's much more enjoyable to have dinner at the table with friends/family than with a book! :-)




Many of you have asked to see some pictures of my house....

...introducing my dining room and the new table it now houses!
We're all ready for company! (You also get a sneak peek at my living room!)

Another view of the table...the table that was sooo excited to
have the guests arrive! (And, another peek at the living room that
still needs a little bit of TLC...it will come with time!!)

This is how my table sits on a "normal" day. I push it up against
the wall so that it's easier to maneuver through the house and
I don't constantly stub my toes on the table and it's chairs!

I hope you enjoyed the first phase of the house tour! I thought my
Girls Night table preparation was the perfect opportunity to begin the
tour. I'm only saddened to tell you that I completely forgot to pull the camera
out while there were people actually sitting at the table!

"Now hope does not disappoint..."

Do you ever find yourself discouraged with whatever season you are enduring right now? Things in life may not be turning out how you expected or how you planned, or maybe the job you have doesn't give you the satisfaction you thought it would. Do you ever find yourself looking at life circumstances and when you look around, you all the sudden find yourself in a "funk"? I don't know about you, but I know I've experienced the "funk" and I was reminded about where our true contentment lies when I read the following excerpt from "The Purple Cellar" in her post titled "Our Vital Need for Hope".

"Contentment is a choice, although at times it is hard to believe that. It just makes no sense. We would give anything to get out of the funk in which we find ourselves. But picking ourselves up by our purse straps just isn't going to do it. We need an answer; we need help. And if we do not get it, what starts out as a mild case of the blues can spiral down into depression, which leads to discouragement, and then, finally, to despair. There is a common thread in each slide we make down this awful spiral—a loss of hope. Each time we move a little lower, it is because a little more hope has died.


The key, of course, to not losing hope is to place our hope in the right things. If we set our hope on something, even a very good something, that we want in this life, we may well lose our hope, because there are no guarantees that we will get the things we want in the here and now. There is only one thing of which we can be sure, and that is God's presence and all the blessings that come with it. Our hopes will find increasing fulfillment if what we hope for is to know more of Christ. Our hopes will be realized if deeper intimacy with our heavenly Father is what we seek. Our hopes will not disappoint if we long to be free of our enslaving sins. We can bank our hopes on any and all of the things God has promised us in his Word."

I've recently been enjoying some posts over at "The Purple Cellar" blog on the topic of contentment. One post spoke that "Contentment is Always an Option" and that no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in or what season we are experiencing, there is always an option to choose to be content. But we have to be looking for our contentment in the right places, we have to be placing our hope where it will not be disappointed.

What a wonderful reminder to set our sights on the things above, to set our hopes where they will not be disappointed. And, the one place that our hopes can safely rest are in the promises of God's word. We find true contentment when we seek (and find!) an intimacy in knowing our Savior and seeking after the things that please Him.

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

Romans 5:1-6

New Years Resolutions...In September?

So we are 9 months into the year, almost 10 in a few days, and I thought I would check to see how everyone is doing on their New Years Resolutions this year. The other day I was working on some verse memorization and in the front of the book I had written my New Years Resolutions and was gently reminded that I need to be working on those. Granted, the real goal is to spend the WHOLE year working on them, not just the last few months, but better late than never right!

So, here's my progress for the year:

1. Memorize the book of James-I'm still working on it and could possibly finish it by the end of the year if I really buckle down, though I'm sad to tell you I'm still working on Chapter 1...even though I only have 1 more verse to go!

2. Read the Bible in a year-I'm doing a little better at this than I am at verse memorization but need to pick up the pace if I'm going to stay on task to finish it by December 31st. There is definite hope for this one though!! Yeah!

3. Hospitality-My goal was to have someone once a quarter into my home....I've altered it slightly and made it a point to invite people out to dinner since I didn't have a dining room table. But, this is looking up since my dining room table arrived a month ago or so (pictures to come soon!)

4. Take the GRE this spring/summer-This one I've nixed! I'm not going to take the GRE because the graduate school I've applied to does not require the GRE...so why spend the time studying or the money if it's not required!?! But, I figure I did one better by actually skipping this step and going straight to the grad school application!

So, at least I've accomplished (sort of!) one goal for the year, and am on my way to accomplishing the other goals!

How are you doing with your goals for this year? Did you forget about them, like I did? Or have you already accomplished them? Update me on how your New Year's Resolutions are doing this year!

Breckenridge Colorado Vacation

My family went on a vacation to Breckenridge, Colorado a few weeks ago. It was so much fun to have the family together for a week of relaxation and fun. Kate woke me up every morning...I'd hear the "pitter patter" of her feet and then my door would open and she would say, "Kelly, wake up" in her beautiful little voice. Then, she'd run out and shut the door! Sooo sweet! There's nothing like waking up to her beautiful smile and voice!

Our vacation began with a stop at Grandma J's in Nebraska. I'm sure we were like a whirlwind of activity coming through her home for the night but it was so nice to see her and spend time with her.

Grandma J. & Me

This was the beautiful view from our house.

We lost Kate's Nemo cup at one of the stores in Breckenridge so Dad and I rode our bikes into town (just a few miles!) to pick it up. On the way back, we decided to just keep going and bike to Dillon...we ran out of time (and perhaps energy!) and turned around within 1/2 mile of Lake Dillon!! So close...by the time we were done, we had biked about 18 miles. (I thought I was going to die!) It was so much fun! :-)

On the ride, we found these horses/mules!

Lake Dillon

Scott, Dad and I went on a nice refreshing hike one afternoon. It was gorgeous! Once again, I remembered that I really love to hike! (I remembered it last year when I hiked in Aspen but apparently needed another reminder!!)

Scott & Me

If you look closely, you can see the town of Breckenridge below!

This is not a picture of me taking a break. It's actually just a picture of me holding a tree up...I was just helping this poor little tree out!! Really, I did not need a break!!

Kate and I had lots of fun making cupcakes together. She was very good at sticking the spoon in the batter for one good swirl and then shaking the spoon so the batter splattered! It was fun! Unfortunately, I've decided that I should not bake anything at a high altitude! My cupcakes looked very pathetic, as evidenced below, but the good news is that they still tasted delicious!

Overall, our vacation turned out to be quite relaxing and fun. It's always a blessing to be able to spend time with family and it was just the dose of relaxation that we all needed. It was great to spend a week with Kate and Zach and watch them in action, learning and playing with never ending energy! Kate and I had special time in the car, reading books, listening to music, and making funny faces! Lots of fun memories!

Is it really an "Accident"??

Yesterday, as I was hurriedly leaving work, my car personally got to know the concrete support pillar in the parking garage. I heard the crunch, felt the jolt of the car, and was instantly horrified that I could be that stupid! How could I back right into the very large pillar!? How did I not see it? And, why are there accidents like this that just seem to be inconvenient, frustrating, and, to say the least, costly?

As I was driving to the auto shop with my stearing wheel very off centered, I began to think about accidents and was gently reminded of the devotional I had read just that morning by Elisabeth Elliot:

All Things Serve Thee

During my husband Addison's terminal illness, everything in our lives was changing. The cancer had spread with a speed which startled the doctors. I found during those hard days and nights strength in the ringing words of the liturgy, proclaimed aloud as the congregation knelt: "Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again." I could hold onto those immutable facts.

The psalmist found the same strength in the Lord's infrangible decrees: "This day, as ever,Thy decrees stand fast: for all things serve Thee" (Ps 119:91 NEB). The Lord is not subject to vicissitudes, exigencies, and contingencies." Accidents" are, in fact, subject to the Lord of the universe, the blessed Controller of all things."

Thy promise endures for all time, stable as the earth which Thou
hast fixed" (Ps 119:90 NEB).

He "fixes," that is, He sets in place, the whole earth. Surely He can fix
and establish my heart. Every "happening" serves Him. **

**by Elisabeth Elliot**

Though I am certainly not facing anything comparable to the terminal illness that she was facing, I can rest in knowing that my God is a Sovereign God and does not allow anything to cross my path without His knowledge and without a purpose. I know that my God allows certain circumstances to come into my life to prune, mold and change me, that my character might become more and more like that of my Savior's.

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith...though it be tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and
glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love."
I Peter 1: 6-8a

I am comforted and reassured to know that the circumstances I face that appear to be less than ideal to my eyes really do serve a purpose. The purpose is that I might seek out the Lord, the ultimate Provider and Protector, to be the fulfillment of my every need and desire. The purpose is that I might be drawn into a deeper love and greater intimacy with my dear Savior.