It's not about length of life, but depth.

Interested in Cloth Diapers?

2010-11-15T10:11:00.000-08:00

I recently became a cloth diaper parties consultant for www.everythingbirth.com because I enjoy cloth diapering and wanted to share it with others. Unlike other consultant party businesses, this one will actually save you money. Besides being good for your wallet, cloth diapers are good for your baby's bum and for the environment. So let me know if you're interested and I'll give you the info.

Why have a cloth diaper party?

Cloth diapering has changed so much in the past 10 years. Now there is a cloth diapering solution for almost any type of family out there! Whether you are looking for the least expensive, easiest, the hippest, the most practical, or the quick on the go solution, you have options. But, many moms don’t figure out a system that works best for them until they spend their cloth diaper budget on 5 different systems. So what’s the best way to start deciding what cloth diaper is right for you? Take a look at them, feel them, get to actually see what they are before you purchase them.

Perks for hosting a cloth diaper party:

Aside from the getting to actually see/feel the different cloth diapers, we have added a few incentives to get cloth diapers out there.

First, as the hostess, you will receive a 10% credit on the total purchase from your party! So if the ladies order $500 worth of diapers from the party- then you receive $50 in store credit, $1000 sold, you receive $100 credit!

Plus, everyone who orders at the party gets free shipping. - That includes ANY items you purchase(organic toys, breast pads, slings, birth supplies and much more in the catalog!)

Check out everything this website offers

Lucy 6 Months and Organizing my Scattered Brain

2010-11-06T07:08:00.000-07:00

Lucy turned 6 months on October 30th. At her 6 month checkup she weighed 15 pounds, 25 inches long. She averages in the 10-25 percentile, although her head is in the 5th percentile. It is such a joy to us to watch her develop. After her visit to the pediatrician, it was like she said "ok Mom and Dad, I'm older now!" because it was like she suddenly acted older and started rolling over all the time and showing her personality. She started jabbering more and she definitely knows who her Mommy and Daddy are now. My favorite thing is when I get home from work and see her she yells out in glee...she's just so happy to see me! I love it! On monday her she began cutting teeth. I could feel them and see them coming in on the bottom. She even bled a little bit. poor thing! But now they are all the way through. They are going to be so cute! Also a few days ago she started getting up on her hands and knees. It wont be long before she's crawling and getting into everything. She had peas for the first time this week and is just starting to get the hang of eating from a spoon. Yesterday, Scott fed her sweet potatoes and she likes those too! She's a petite chubby little thing! So that's what's new in Lucy's world.

As to my overall life, I feel quite scatterbrained and really am feeling the need to organize my life to be more disciplined. Honestly, I watch too much tv. It's no wonder I don't have time to get organized. I'm not making the time to think through my desires and goals in life. So i asked my good friend Jessalyn Hutto for some advice. She has an inspiring blog at desiringvirtue.com.
So I wondered if she had ever done a post on keeping a schedule as a mom so as to accomplish your goals. She gave me some very helpful resources to look at for guidance. This first one offers helpful downloads for a home management book.
The second one talks about a home management book and how to use it.
It is overwhelming right now to look at, but I'm going to try my best to focus on one thing at a time.
"If you aim at nothing you'll hit it every time."

Our Family of Three

2010-10-12T06:28:00.000-07:00

Well, life is busy in our family of three. Scott started classes at the University of Louisville this semester after graduating at the seminary. We've taken advantage of our UPS benefits, as they pay complete tuition for the U of L. Scott's enjoying his classes in accounting which has confirmed the decision to pursue that area of education. And we'll see where the Lord takes us with this. He continues to work UPS third shift, and I'm thankful for his hard work. It's not an easy job especially when your schedule is completely different than everyone else. We definitely look forward to the day when we go to bed together and wake up together. I continue to work afternoons at the MultiCare Centre as the office manager. I'm thankful it's working out to be able to help Scott get done with school faster. Scott watches Lucy while I'm at work and definitely enjoys that Daddy time. He really is a good daddy. He's smitten with her.
Maybe some of you working mothers who still breast feed know the struggle of pumping enough milk for while you're gone. It's like a constant struggle to pump enough and it sure is a pain. Let me just say I hate pumping, but I wouldn't do it if it wasn't worth it for Lucy's sake. On a plus side, it's definitely helped me lose some of the baby weight. In fact, just in the past week, I've noticed that Lucy must be eating more because I will be starving all the time. After just eating 1-2 hours ago, my stomach will be growling. And I think I just lost 2 pounds in a week or 2 without exercising. Exercising is always something on my mind. I'm always trying to get back to Jillian Michael workouts on video which have helped me a lot, but I'm not very consistent. It i nice, however, to continually see progress in fitting into my clothes again. Pants I thought I would never get over my thighs again, finally fit me well again without even having to do the trick of looping the rubberband through the button hole to extend the waste line. ha. I still can't believe how much weight I gained in that pregnancy.
Anyway, Lucy is doing very well. She is now 5.5 months old! Her favorite thing for the last month and a half has been the exersaucer. She could play in that thing for forever until she gets tired of course. at 4.5 months she rolled over, but has only done it one more time since then. She's strong enough to do it, but never figures out she needs to move her arm to be able to roll over. She pushes herself way up while lying on her belly now. so that's a new thing. She just started learning more about the noises she can make. She started screaching and squealing and seems to like hearing it. About a week and a half ago I started putting rice cereal into her bottle while I'm at work. She eats that fine. She's a healthy little chickpea and hasn't been sick yet (knock on wood). She likes wearing all the crocheted items mommy makes her and I have fun making them. I finally got back that desire and motivation to be creative again. ha. I probably need to give Lucy a trim really soon because she kind of has a mullet, but I keep putting that off. She is just the sweetest and cutest thing! And I'm so thankful to be her Mommy. I'm so thankful for our family of three!

Lucy's 4 Months Old!

2010-08-30T06:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought I'd just blog a bit on how Lucy's changing before I forget all the details. She's already four months old and still the sweetest thing ever! One of her favorite things to do is slide down Scott's legs or be smothered in raspberry kisses! She just giggles so much more than at 3 months. Her favorite toys besides the playgym is the tv-radio that Aunt Jodi and Uncle Ryan gave her. Whenever she's a little cranky, she cheers up when I wind it up and it plays the Farmer in the Dell. She hasn't rolled over yet, but she's acquired quite the stomach muscles. Sometimes I'll have her sitting up in a kind of reclined fashion and she'll pull herself forward and if I don't watch her she'll end up on her forehead. :) She loves baths even more now and enjoys splashing Momma. She kicks her legs and pounds her arms in the water. She loves relaxing in the pool. She likes to go to sleep to her seahorse Patti. She always has liked that toy because it lights up and plays lullabies. She's recently gone through a growth spurt and is almost too small for her current prefolds, so i had to buy the next size already. She loves her times with Daddy when I'm at work in the afternoons. He tells me that they often lay under the playgym together. He said he puts a jacket on top of it and makes it like a tent and she loves it. Lucy is still a really good baby. She always goes down for her naps really good. I don't even need to rock her. She's starting sucking her thumb once in a while and it's so adorable! She also still tries to put all of her fingers in her mouth. She still spits up A LOT, but it doesn't bother. Anyway, we're still so grateful for this amazing miracle God has blessed us with. We love you Lucy and pray for you to love Jesus!

LIfe with Lucy

2010-07-28T08:53:00.001-07:00

Life without Lucy seems so long ago, and a little hazy. Life with Lucy is a gift from God and I'm so thankful for the bundle of joy she is in our lives. A normal day with Lucy looks like this:
wake up when Lucy wakes up (around 7am normally) and feed her, burp her, change her, play with her, set her under her play gym until she gets fussy, then rock her for a couple minutes singing the Birds upon the Treetop and Jesus Loves Me, then lay her down. This repeats every 3 hours throughout the day, except from 2-6 I go to work and Scott feeds her, burps her, changes her, plays with her, and puts her to sleep. Every other night she gets a bath and she loves those. She almost always needs a bath due to spit up all in her hair etc.
She really is a good baby I realize. She's been sleeping through the night since 8/9 weeks and she sleeps a lot during the day giving me time to get things done or catch up on my sleep. She also stays content playing on her own under her play gym and doesn't have to be held all the time. Yes, she spits up on everything and everybody all the time, but you get used to that. She went to the church nursery for the first time last Sunday and was very good. She isn't picky about who's holding her. The only time it's hard is when her routine is thrown off by church or going out a lot. THen she doesn't know if she's hungry or tired. So the routine has worked best for me - that is eat/wake/sleep routine from BabyWise.[Image]
We've done cloth diapers since she was 2 weeks, and we love them. I would encourage anybody to use cloth for more than one reason. I thought I was just doing them to save money (which I save a lot of money) but I also like using them because I rarely have a blowout and they don't have any dioxins or chemicals. Plus they are so cute!! I don't mind that she has a big diaper butt. I think they're adorable on her. So if anyone wants more info on cloth diapers I'd love to answer any questions. Oh, and they make cloth diapering so easy these days compared to when we were babies. It's not what you think. :)
Anyway, I count myself blessed to be a mommy and thank God for the opportunity though it's a great responsibility. I've wanted to be a mommy every since I can remember. My mom told me I used to be content playing house with dolls in my room all day by myself. Though my desire is/was to be a stay at home mommy, I am working part time right now. Though it's a struggle sometimes, God's showing me his grace in my life. God know our days, even when they were yet to be.
I'm so thankful to be able to pass down the truths of Scripture to my children. There's nothing so valuable to be able to pass down than the Word of God and His Love. I'm trying to view the small moments of my life as important moments because each little moment makes up our lives. Each day is a teaching day to Lucy of the way to live and the way to be. What a tremendous responsibility I feel.
Titus 2 says "teach the older women to be reverent in the way they life, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

Lucy Ellen's Birth Story (finally)

2010-07-01T19:20:00.001-07:00

Well, now that Lucy is 2 months old it's about time I post something on her birth story. I'll start with our plans to induce. I had always thought it was silly to induce unless there was a really good reason so that the doctor recommended it, but I changed my mind as her due date was nearing (funny thing). And let me tell you, if you haven't seen my pictures before she came out at the hospital, I was huge. I started to get a little self conscious of being seen in public since my clothes weren't fitting as well and I was huge. It also gets a little tiring hearing "you're huge!" all the time. So anyway, I also wanted my mom to be able to be here for the delivery and for the week after to help me adjust. So Friday, April 30th was the day we decided to induce. April 30th happened to be Scott's mom's birthday as well as Oaks Day here in Louisville which is a holiday (a day before the Kentucky Derby) so I had to make sure the doctor on call would be alright with that day. And it so happened that the doctor on call was the same doctor that delivered my nephew Luke when Katie and Chris lived here six years ago, Dr. Kelly Miller.

So, at 6:00am we arrived at Baptist Hospital East to have our munchkin. It felt so strange to think that we were finally going to meet the little person inside. By about 7:30 they had me all hooked up with the IV and pitocin. It was not comfortable I remember well and I was hungry. They told me not to eat anything after midnight the night before. By about 9:30 the doctor came and checked on me. And I hadn't progressed much, I was about 2 cm. She said she would come back around noon to break my water. In the meantime I had still not progressed except for feeling slight contractions that didn't even hurt yet. Finally around 12:30-1:00, the doctor came to break my water. That was a weird sensation! They told me to let them know when the pain level got to about 4 because then they could give me an epidural. After 5 minutes or so, I asked for the epidural through tears and shivers. I couldn't believe how painful it got so fast. So while it was about a 20 minute wait for the epidural, they gave me statol(sp?) which makes you really loopy so that you don't care as much about the pain. Ha, it definitely made me loopy and i could hardly answer anyone's questions. But at least I was able to relax a bit more. Then the Chinese guy with the needle came in! I am not all sure of what they did back there, but it definitely took the pain away. My mom didn't realize that it would completely numb my legs and feet, and I sensed it made her a bit nervous. So an hour later they checked me and i had progressed a couple more centimeters. Then they switched nurses and the new nurse didn't realize how fast i had progressed since the water broke, so she didn't check on me till about 5:00. When she did, she informed us that I was ready to push. But we had to call the doctor. The doctor needed us to wait a few minutes before i started pushing. At about 5:15 I started pushing. Right away we knew this baby had dark curly long hair. When the doctor came in I did much better because she was a really good coach. I realized I could push much harder. So with Scott and Mom by my side Lucy Ellen was born at 5:48pm with just 30 minutes of pushing. She was 7 pounds even and they said she was 18 3/4 inches (but two days later the pediatrician said 20.5 inches). She looked at me with the cutest expression when they laid her on me and I was filled with emotions I had never felt before. They asked me if I was crying because I was sick or emotional. It was definitely the later. The whole experience was so amazing and impossible to describe the feelings. I was overwhelmed with thankfulness to God for this amazing miracle! Several hours later I got to see my baby again all cleaned up. They had put the cutest yellow ribbon in her hair. I thought for sure she must have been the cutest baby there. And that's the story of Lucy Ellen's birth!

She's on my mind

2009-12-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

So, if you hadn't already heard the news, we are expecting a baby girl! On Tuesday, December 1 we had the ultrasound. So many fears were racing through my mind before the ultrasound. Was my baby ok? I haven't felt the baby move much lately! Were they going to find complications? And so, when Scott and I finally sat down for the ultrasound, I was so relieved to see and hear our baby's heartbeat. It was 155. Good and healthy! The ultrasound tech checked all of the anatomy and when she came across the baby's little bottom, she said "so, what do you think the baby is?" Scott didn't hesitate to say, "a boy?" Ha, and he was wrong. Right then I think we were both beaming from ear to ear looking at our precious baby girl. Scott was a little surprised since he thought it was going to be a boy and I told him that he could still play hotwheels with her.Looks like she may have Patz calves below

The ultrasound lady said everything looked good, but I do have a low lined placenta, so they want me to come back in a month for an ultrasound to make sure it goes up where it's supposed to be. Worst case scenario, I would have to have a c-section because the baby would bleed during natural birth. But usually the uterus pushes it up by that time. So they want to check on that as well as the baby's heart since the baby's position made it hard to see. It was hard to get a good profile of her face since she kept tucking in her head . She had the hiccups and it was cute to see her little lungs jump. Oh, and she has the most darling feet. I think she'll be a soccer player. I wonder if she'll be a blondie or favor Scott's dark hair. It would be a first for my parent's to have a dark haired grandbaby besides Amos, Kaylyn, Preston, Paul, and Anna of course. Either one would be fun!

Anyway, all this news has excited me and interupted my need for sleep. I called my mother and told her she better get out all the little baby girl clothes she's kept from me and my sisters. I'm definitely sentimental about things like that. My sisters are too and are pretty jealous about the baby clothes. :) Our little girl will be my parent's 14th grandbaby and Scott's parent's 10th grandbaby. Out of the 14 grandbaby's of my parents, 10 are boys, so our baby will help even out the estrogen a bit better.

All day at work, all night at home, all I can think about is my sweet little girl. I cannot believe how much more real the ultrasound made this whole pregnancy to me. And to know that it's a girl makes it feel more personal to me. I think about how I'll teach her to cook and sew (although I better start learning myself). I think about how much we're going to bond as women. I just can't even wait to see her and hold her. Although it's such a precious privilege to carry her in the womb for now. All throughout the day, I've been getting watery eyes as I look at her ultrasound pictures and think about the precious gift and miracle that she is. I tell you I cannot think about anything else for too long. And i know that I am so blessed by God to have been given such a miracle. It makes me think about God and His Son. He turned his back on his only son so that I could have life in Him. What amazing love! Isn't it?

I have so much more I could write that's on my mind, but since I've already written a book I'll save that for the next post. But I want to end by praising our Maker and Giver of all things.

Psalm 92
¹ It is good to praise the LORD
and make music to your name, O Most High,

² to proclaim your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,

³ to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.

⁴ For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD;
I sing for joy at the works of your hands.

News the Size of a Lemon (for now)

2009-10-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

According to Baby Center our little baby is about the size of a lemon right now. We are so excited to announce this news. The ultrasound pictures you see above were taken at 6 weeks. They did an early ultrasound for us since we had a miscarriage back in January, when we lost our precious Hope. It was very reassuring and my heart melted when I saw the fast little heartbeat on the ultrasound screen. So today, we are 12 weeks along and doing well. I believe I'm starting to break free from the nausea and fatigue I was feeling for a while. It's nice to be able to brush my teeth without having the urge to throw up. Now my main issue is with my joints. Right now I really need an adjustment or something. I can't hardly bend over without having pain in my joints, and I mean pain. But I am so happy to have any of this pain and inconvenience to welcome our baby into the world. We are so blessed by God and grateful for his blessings. Every good and perfect gift is from above... James 1:17 Above is a picture of a sweater I started to make for the baby.

And here's a belly pick. Can't really see a legit bump yet. I'm just feeling awkwardly thicker. We're still debating if we should find out the gender or not. Although Scott's so sure it's a boy. He cannot wait to have someone to play hotwheels with. I say that, but I myself have my inklings. I would almost bet on a girl. :) I keep telling Scott to stop offending her when he calls the baby boy names. Anyway, i suppose you may be waiting to hear the due date. The big day is May 1st! Or I like to say April 30th!

Lots of decisions are playing in my mind: What colors to do the nursery? Cloth diapers or disposable? Finding out the gender or not? vaccines?? and many more decisions to come that I don't even know about I'm sure. So we definitely appreciate your prayers as this little "lemon" grows and as we become parents with a great responsibility.

Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.

An Update on Life

2009-07-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

So I feel like it's been a while since I've really updated much on anything lately. I'll start by saying that I love summer and all that comes with it. I love that Scott isn't as busy with school, that I can soak in more sun, that I can visit family, and even get away for a little vacation. Everything is just brighter in the summer!

Well, first of all, Scott and I were able to get away last weekend. This was our first time since our honeymoon that we got away for a little vacation together. We visited Gatlinburg, TN which is only about 4 hours away from Louisville and enjoyed the scenery of the Smokey Mountains. Scott got to do some fishing, which was his main wish. I got to soak in some sun (not that I look any tanner) at the pool and read a lot. One of the highlights was the Dixie Stampede where we enjoyed dinner (eating with our hands) and a show. It was so fun. Scott really got into cheering for our side, even though we got stuck on the South side instead of the North side. I haven't seen him like that for a long time. We felt like we were dating again. It was so nice to have no responsibilites and to just have fun. We did some hiking at Smokey Mountain National Park and even got to ride up in a ski lift to enjoy the beauty of the mountains. We brought our little grill along to save some money. We grilled some hot dogs in the parking lot one day, and had Scott's fresh fish the next.

So one of the reasons we took a little vacation was to celebrate our 3rd anniversary which is coming up on August 5th. I'm aso thankful for my patient husband, and so thankful for this chance we had to get away together last weekend. Six months ago last weekend we went through the heartache of a miscarriage, yet we're grateful for what God is showing us about ourselves and about Him. His love is truly better than life, so we find "Hope" in that. Life has a new meaning. While we feel an emptiness, God is the one that fills our deepest longings. And last weekend was very refreshing spiritually as I got to read a lot and spend a lot of time thinking. One of the books I am reading is "Idols of the Heart" by Elyse Fitzpatrick. I definitely recommend it.

So we were lucky to have this mini vacation, and we still look forward to heading to Wisconsin and Minnesota in August. August 13th Scott's sister Lynae is getting married to Greg Adams. We are really happy for them, and look forward to seeing everybody back home.

I keep busy with work at the MultiCare Centre as well as with my etsy shop. Right now at least starting out my biggest sellers are these two necklace/bracelet sets:

I also have some items for sale on a website featuring artists in Louisville called the Female Art Collective. I have also had those items in a couple trunk shows around town as pictured below(the rug):

And there you have my update. :)

Always Remembered

2009-05-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Then children were brought to him
that he might lay his hands on them and pray.
The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said

"Let the little children come to me
and do not hinder them,
for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 19:13-14

What a comfort to know my sweet child belongs to Jesus.

Twenty-Four

2009-04-22T21:08:00.001-07:00

My husband has written a poem for me every year since I turned 19 (which was how he first told me he loved me). So below is the poem for this 24th birthday. I told him that I'm not sure how he comes up with so many nice things to say about me every year. I truly am blessed to have such a wonderful husband. I am so blessed to have so many people in my life that have impacted me. And while I'm on that note, I want to express my love and gratitude for a godly father and mother who have shown me God's love my whole life.

Below is the poem written out since it is probably hard to see in the photo above.

Again has come the newness of Spring,
In each flower bloomed,
The breeze, thus perfumed;
And budding of trees
Soon showing their leaves—
In fullness they tell
Of the Winter's farewell,
The growth of the year, full revealing.

And here, there is parable of things greater still:
As the leaf and the bloom,
Is the fruit of the womb
Has become, now, my wife,
Who in adding to life
One more year each Spring new,
Brings fresh growth into view—
Bearing fruit by the Spirit, filled.

But the bloom of Spring must endure first the Cold,
Though its darkness so dense,
And its harshness, intense—
Such will shape and refine
In the heart of mankind,
That in time it will bring
Perfect offering—
Coming forth as the purest of gold.

For in toil, and pain, heavy grief, is matured:
As a wise man has said,
"Naught of worth will be had
When is sought in one's ease."
For, the Prize none will seize
Lest in blood, sweat, and tears,
And great yearning in years,
One endures to the end, by our Lord.

And such is the Cold that is only just waning,
The coldness—death's trial:
Though lasting awhile,
Has yielded a leaf
And a flower in grief,
Producing maturity
In her, ever more purity—
All that the True Vine is ordaining.

And so in the joy of her twenty-fourth year,
Let, in this, there be praise:
In her passing of days
There is leaf, and is flower
Showing more, in God's power—
As the blossoming tree,
Growing full to maturity
Till that Day, in His likeness, she'll appear.

No Words to Express

2009-04-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

I find myself longing to share how I feel,
yet not knowing how.
My baby would have been 19 weeks along today.
Below are pictures of a necklace I have in memory of our baby Hope.
Obviously the H is for Hope and the blue birth stone is for December,
to represent our baby's life in December.

Below is the back of the necklace. The lady who made the necklace lost her son and planted a tree in memory of him. So her signature is this leaf. A friend pointed out to me that the leaf resembles the blood vessels or veins on a placenta which is referred to as the tree of life since it resembles a tree. I thought that was special.

Delicious Rolls, or Not!!

2009-02-22T19:11:00.000-08:00

Ever forget you had rolls in the oven? Yes, those are rolls!

Want a Vera Bradley Bag?

2009-01-30T16:13:00.001-08:00

Go to http://bethouaknight.blogspot.com/ to enter to win this purse!

new sewing machine and table

2009-01-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

Check out my new sewing table and sewing machine. Just click here.

Thank You

2009-01-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

Thank you for the kind words and prayers. It's comforting to know we're not alone, and many have found grace through this same trial. My greatest comfort is that God knows what's best.

"There is, therefore, no hope so sure
As this: In Jesus, safe—secure!"

Dedicated to our Baby "Hope"

2009-01-13T20:42:00.000-08:00

Hope
by Scott D Mohler
___________________________________

Not long ago we learned that we
Should in the year expect to be
The parents of a child, our first—
The wells within our spirits burst
With greatest joy!

But heightened joy would soon descend
To sunken grief. This baby’s end
Had come so soon—we never knew
If hair was dark, if eyes were blue,
A girl, a boy.

Not held, or seen, not ever heard;
Not once would utter a single word;
No fingers formed, nor foot, or face;
And yet no facts as these erase
This truth—a life.

A life so small, yet imaged He,
Who spoke a word, and brought to be
All things as was His perfect will,
Just as this precious life, now still—
But darkness rings.

Alive for only weeks and days
Yet couldn’t escape the darkened haze
Of sin’s cold curse that still remains—
This death! And all these earthly pains
That man has brought!

O wretched curse that drains all men—
Makes off with life again, again!
What will there be to break this curse,
To conquer death, and pains disperse
That Life will reign?

Was long foretold that one would come
To once for all remove the sum
Of darkness covering all the nations,
None exempt—all generations
Down from Adam.

Rich food and ancient wine, refined
He’ll bring when every tear mankind
Would shed will be wiped from the eyes
Of all who’ve waited for His prize—
The Earth’s salvation!

Then came, this One, who told would set
His people free and cancel debt
That but by Him could e’er be paid—
Was God, and faithful ‘til He laid
His own life down.

Was beaten, bruised, spat on, scorned
In thorned crown and robe adorned,
Was crushed by sin and to a tree
Was nailed, till the world would see
His life depart.

But now, would Satan laugh at last?
The King lay still, His life had passed—
The One on whom all hope was placed!
All expectation now replaced
By Death’s defeat!

But three days hence He raised again
The temple walls. No hands of men
This time were used! All worship now
In Spirit, Truth, ever to bow
At Jesus’ feet.

The Hope of Men, shown in that day
The only one that none could say
Of: “Satan has a word on Him”—
The Victor o’er the Grave! Now dim
The course for Death.

There is, therefore, no hope so sure
As this: In Jesus, safe—secure!
For He, the founder of salvation,
Firstfruits of the New Creation,
Lives!

Though yet, all living now decline
Toward death, His raising is the sign
And guarantee the Church will rise
To meet her Savior in the skies
When He returns!

And while we wait our King’s return,
Through sickness, pain, and death we yearn
That Day when faith will be made sight
And all the darkness turned to light—
All wrongs made right!

Thus, we grieve this child’s death
In hope, believing every breath
Is from the Lord, and by His Hand
Will come and go as He has planned
For His name’s sake.

“The Lord will give, and He will take,”
But never will His Church forsake!
Let all the earth be filled with praise,
For great and mighty are His ways
Above our thoughts!

And would that this, though small a trial,
Sound that only for a while
Death will bide! May God proclaim
This in our baby’s life and name—
Our child, “Hope.”

My Friend Carrie

2009-01-11T12:01:00.001-08:00

Carrie is one of my talented friends and fellow church member who has given me several tips in starting my shop on etsy.com. She has been so gracious as to advertise for me, so I would like to show her my appreciation by posting her site on here. She has a great variety of rings, scarves, and amazing glass pendants.

http://carriespradlin.etsy.com.

This ring is a purple acrylic/lucite chrysanthemum flower attached
to a silver plated adjustable ring.

New Items for Sale

2009-01-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

I've had a lot of fun latelly making purses and this and that for my new Etsy Site. I also found some great models for my site. But I am really looking for tips or suggestions. Let me know what you think of my etsy site. http://stitchtwitch.etsy.com

New Etsy Site

2008-12-14T22:30:00.000-08:00

Check out my new Etsy Site where I am posting my crocheted items for sale. Click here.

snowflakes

2008-12-07T18:47:00.000-08:00

check out my other blog to see how i made these snowflakes

baby plants

2008-11-09T12:43:00.000-08:00

above is one of my plants and i realized yesterday that it made some babies, so I transplanted them, see below We did a little rearranging as well.

80 cent purse

2008-10-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

Click here to see my newest project.

New Post on Stitch Twitch

2008-10-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

Click Here

work at the multicare centre

2008-09-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

So, I really don't have much to blog about right now. But, I thought I would post some of the pictures I've been taking for the website at work. Above is the sign on our building. Below is my desk. I'm not putting that on the website by the way. But I've had fun taking all sorts of pictures at work.

Below is Randa and I hard at work. Randa is a lot of fun. She's the main receptionist until 2:00, which is when I take over the front desk. When I'm not at the front, I'm working on insurance, billing, website stuff, newsletters, or filing.

Below is a picture of the building we're in. It's a pretty cool shopping center we're in. It's called Westport Village. They have all kinds of cute little shops, restaurants, and various things.

Below is some occupational therapy taking place in our rehab room. :)

Below is some heartmath taking place. She uses the computer which is hooked up to the patient's ear to see the heart rate. She coaches the patient to focus on thinking and breathing right which affects your heart. She's done this on me before. She has you start off by thinking of a stressful thought so that you can see what goes on when that happens and then she has you think on "happy" things that relax you and helps you to breath correctly. It just goes to show how when we aren't resting in Christ, we are even affected physically.
And below is my boss April. She's a lot of fun. She also plays on my indoor soccer team.

Every Knee Shall Bow

2008-09-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

Have you ever walked away from a conversation with an unbeliever feeling completely defeated for the cause of Christ? Well, I came home from work one day last week feeling like a loser. It all started when he asked me about the republican convention and Sarah Palin's words regarding war in Iraq being God's will. So that started up a huge conversation about God, the Bible, Women's rights and everything.
While, he always teases me about having a Bible degree ("how hard can it be to learn one book?") he found another occassion to make fun. He twisted everything I said to make it sound rediculous as if I'm a little brain-washed Bible girl. He said all our answers are so vague. And basically what he believes is that it's good to do good because we all have an effect and an impact on others. I couldn't get anywhere in this conversation. When trying to defend the inspiration of the Scripture he twisted it to say that the men that wrote scripture spurned women's rights etc. Anything I said to defend sounded so weak and "vague" although his arguments were actually the weak ones. Somehow the conversation ended as I had to take a patient's copay. I felt I had totally lost the case for God. He made everything I believed in a mockery! If only you could see his mocking grin as he attacked Christianity.
So I felt defeated. All my life I've been learning Scripture and how to defend the faith. What was wrong with me? Was I useless or what? But, I've come to the point where I'm grateful God put this conversation in my life to show me the necessity to be ready to make the most of all opportunities. Next conversation I'm definitely going to be praying for God's help in giving me answers and Scripture to use. And when I am bothered by his teasing, though light, I am reminded that he won't always be smiling. "Every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." God, have mercy on him. So, Although, I left the conversation feeling defeated, God taught me much that I could gain from this experience as well as a greater appreciation for my Messiah whom they did not recognize.

Louisville Ballet

2008-09-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

I got free tickets to the Louisville Ballet from work since we provide medical services for the dancers. It was a really neat show.

just an update

2008-09-03T20:38:00.001-07:00

Well, we've been back into the swing of the semester. Scott is taking 12 credits, which made me cringe at first, but Scott is doing very well and enjoying most of his classes. He is gleaning so much from his professors and books. We are going through one of his hermaneutic books together and learning much from that.

A couple perks to being a seminary wife is I can use the gym for free and go to the sewing class on mondays. I've been working out there pretty regularly with some other "seminary wives" while our hubbies sit home and read, read, and read. Mondays are for sewing and Tuesdays are for organized volleyball at the seminary. Boy, I was rusty at volleyball. So, it's been nice taking advantage of those perks and having friends to enjoy them with.
me, Casey, Leah

Also, Scott and I are always busy Friday nights playing indoor soccer. It's a lot of fun and keeps us active. My boss also plays with us, which can be a bit confusing since her name is April as well. But I guess we're pretty much used to it from work. Everyone is grateful to have her on the team since she played professional soccer and is still in great shape of course. You should see her arms. Me and Casey always talk about having arms like hers. :) Anyway, we're starting to do much better in our games this season.

I went thrift store shopping with some new seminary wives that live in our apartments. We went on Labor Day and found there is a Unique Thrift store here in Louisville. Below is some of the fabric I found for super cheap along with a few polos for Scott.

Also, for Labor Day Scott and I enjoyed dessert at the Cheesecake Factory. Scott had chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake and I had snickers cheesecake.

And this is a picture that just cracks me up. It's my little brother Marco and my Dad. If you can't tell Marco shaved the top of his head to match my dad and is wearing my dad's glasses. Also, how classic of my dad to wear a Patz shirt. Ha, I miss them. I miss my whole family!

check out my new blog

2008-08-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

Check out my new blog regarding the one too many projects i try to tackle. Visit Stitch Twitch

"Breaking Chains" by Scott Mohler

2008-08-19T21:03:00.001-07:00

"You're My Favorite"

2008-08-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

married two years

Today, August 5th, we celebrate two years of marriage to each other.

It was July of 2001 when it all began. I noticed a stunning soccer player (at soccer camp) walking down the rows of tables in the dining hall. In my mind it played like a movie in slow motion with music in the background. I still remember the light blue gap shirt he was wearing and how it made his eyes stand out. And then I remember the handshake and the place I was standing right outside of the dining hall where I met him a few days later. These are my silly but precious first memories of my best friend and husband.
My mother asked me the other day if marriage is all I thought it would be. Not thinking real hard I told her "of course." But when I thought more about it, marriage is definitely not how I pictured it. Marriage is harder than I thought (I am a selfish person), yet marriage is much more rewarding and meaningful than I had ever thought. To have each other to share EVERYTHING with gives us an amazing bond that can't be explained. We share beliefs, time, memories, feelings, opinions, things, family, friends, experiences, good times, bad times. Because of this bond that is only possible because of Christ, I can squeeze my husband and tell him he's my bestest friend. And to have my husband look me straight in the eyes and say "April, you're my favorite!" gives me the greatest sense of fulfillment.

I don't pretend to know everything about marriage. I've only just begun. Everyone says that once children come everything changes. But I look forward to sharing those future times with my husband. There will be hard times. But I have someone to share them with. And that means so much to me. Scott, not only are you my best friend, but YOU ARE MY FAVORITE!

This was in 2002 at the Mall of America

This was in 2001, first pic together (the pic above that is)

A Tiny Beating Heart...Stopped

2008-05-08T17:19:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the sad story of abortion that occurs all around us everyday. In America, murder is your choice.

3,900 babies die from abortion every day in America - one every 22 seconds. Each year, over 1.4 million infants die from abortion.

Have you ever viewed photos of an aborted baby? It will break your heart.

Testimony of former abortion provider Dr. Paul Jarrett

My 23rd abortion changed my mind about doing abortions forever. This patient was a little overweight and ultimately proved to be a little farther along than anticipated. This was not an uncommon mistake before ultrasound was readily available to confirm the gestational age.

Initially, the abortion proceeded normally. The water broke, but then nothing more would come out. When I withdrew the curette, I saw that it was plugged up with the leg of the baby which had been torn off. I then changed techniques and used ring forceps to dismember the 13 or 14 week size baby. Inside the remains of the rib cage I found a tiny, beating heart. I was finally able to remove the head and looked squarely into the face of a human being -- a human being that I had just killed. I turned to the scrub nurse standing next to me and said, "I'm sorry".

I knew then that abortion was wrong and I couldn't be a part of it any longer.
The following is a comment from a woman who had an abortion at a clinic here in Louisville:
"I am so thankful you are there for women who need your services. I never thought I would even consider abortion, but it was the best decision I could make. Thank you for not judging me and for supporting me."
The clinic had this woman thinking this was the best decision. What are we as Christians doing to truly help these women who are afraid of being judged? What are we doing to support and reach out to these women? What are we as Christians doing to save these tiny human beings?
I can't help but think, "What can I do?"

a door prize

2008-05-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

Are you one of those people who never win door prizes? Well, that's how i feel, or felt. But, earlier this week I went to a Women's meeting at the seminary, it's like a snack, fellowship time along with a devotional type workshop. When we walked in, they had us put our name in a basket for the door prize. 3 names would be picked to have lunch with Mrs. Cook, Mrs. Cheong, or Mrs. Mohler(the president's wife). So, my friend and I put in our names, and laughed at the thought of my name getting called since I have the same last name. Of course, you wouldn't believe it, but the last person they called was me. Afterwards, when we were still standing around chatting, Mrs. Mohler came and introduced herself to me, and said that she would be taking me to lunch sometime in May. I have so many questions I could ask Mrs. Mohler. I've heard so many neat things about her from my friends who have taken some seminary wives classes from her. She is a really neat woman, and I look forward to getting to know her a little bit and learning from her.

a cry for easy, yet healthy recipes

2008-04-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

Scott and I have started to realize how unhealthy we eat. Even though I have taken a cooking class, recipes are so intimidating to me, unless it's for caramels. It's so hard for me to expand what I know. So we tend to get quick meals that aren't so healthy. We know that we need to change if we don't want to end up with heart disease down the road. My parents have always given me healthy food, but I never had to do the shopping for it or find the recipes. I have to tell you, it's so intimidating to me. But today, I've started gaining knowledge on the different vitamins and foods we need. I found a weight watchers cookbook for $6 at half price books, so I'm attempting to try some of it, however, it's still intimidating to me. So Please oh Please, send me your favorite, yet quick and healthy recipes if you have anything. And please help me with this planning thing.

Scott knows how to make it special

2008-04-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

this is the poem Scott wrote for me this year. it means so much to me

my 22nd year

2008-04-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

I sit here and think of the last year of my life...the 22nd year of my life. it's over with. in a few hours i will celebrate my 23rd birthday. many thoughts run through my mind but mainly, how have i loved, sought for, and enjoyed my God in the past year? Psalm 39 says,

Show me, O Lord, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath.
Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro;
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.
But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.

And now, I'm reminded of the meaning of life for me...to know Christ and be found in Him.

Also, I'm reminded of the godly example I've had in front of me my whole life - my mother. She's the virtuous woman I look up to in so many ways, from the way she's raised her family and continues to nurture her children to the way she extends her hand to those in need and serves expecting nothing in return. She's a strong woman who draws her strength from Christ. And the thing I will never forget is the many nights growing up, when she'd tuck me in and quote scripture to me for the struggle I was going through. She taught me how to meditate on scripture. Last but not least, she practices prayer without ceasing. I love my mother and cherish the role model I have in her.

Then, there's my husband. He's my best friend and I continue to thank God for this gift. Scott is always there for me. Even when he's at work, and I can't sleep, I know how he would tell me to trust God and to meditate on Scripture. He prays with me and has family devotions with me. He makes me feel secure and reminds me of my heavenly Father's love. He exemplifies patience and selflessness to me. I am so blessed to have a husband that inspires me to seek after my God.

what do you do when you can't sleep?

2008-03-31T23:06:00.000-07:00

don't you hate that, when you're tossing and turning, just knowing how tired you're going to be in the morning when you have to go to work? well, tonight's one of those nights for me. as i'm writing it is almost 2am. scott's at ups working right now. there's no one i can call at this time to vent my frustration to. i keep thinking about the busyness of the next day of work, and how i might get called by the office anytime in the middle of the night to work a shift. i keep thinking about how frustrated i am with one of my acquaintances, and what i'd say to her if i only had the nerve. all these things are churning in my mind and i'm grinding my teeth subconsciously. i'm eating to see if that helps me sleep. and i'm watching yet another show to see if that makes me sleepy enough to forget everything.
so i'm asking you, what's your advice when you can't sleep? what's the best way to redirect your thoughts to things that are lovely, just, and pure? how can i rest in perfect peace? it's simple right? go to the Word, pray, keep your mind stayed on Him. it's that simple, yet so hard at times!

easter

2008-03-24T20:14:00.001-07:00

scott and i are thankful for friends to celebrate Easter with.
we had a potluck with some friends from church that we normally rotate lunches with on sunday's. we had a good ham with lots of other food.

scott showed a Texan and a Floridan how to enjoy snow

Nancy and Beth above

here's the whole gang starting a game

the boys won in battle with the sexes

here's our easter eggs which i forgot to get a pic of all of them when i was finished

crocheting progress

2008-03-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

above is a blanket i started before i was married.
took me about 2 years to finally finish.
so it's a big night for me. :)

above is a blanket i made for scott 3 Christmas ago

once in a while poor scott gets stuck helping me get knots out

and here is a scarf i just finished.
it's much faster than doing single stitch on a huge blanket

a ray of sunshine in a gloomy week

2008-02-15T18:54:00.000-08:00

This week has been so gloomy and snowy and icey, and all while i'm on call at work.
but today, God encouraged me through a little lady who i had to work for.
i managed to get her to her hair appointment on time and do her grocery shopping,
then when we got back she gave me this cross. and with this cross was a little peice of paper
with a poem on it:

i carry a cross in my pocket
a simple reminder to me
of the fact that I am a Christian
no matter where i may be.

this little cross isn't magic
nor is it a good luck charm
it isn't meant to protect me
from every physical harm.

it's not for identification
for all the world to see
it's simply an understanding
between the Savior and me.

when i put my hand in my pocket
to bring out a coin or a key,
the cross is there to remind me
of the price He paid for me.

it reminds me too, to be thankful
for my blessing day by day
and to strive to serve Him better
in all that i do or say

it's also a daily reminder
of the peace and comfort i share
with all who know my Master
and give themselves to His care.

so i carry a cross in my pocket
reminding no one but me
that Jesus Christ is Lord of my life
if only i'll let Him be.

new scrubs

2008-02-04T15:23:00.000-08:00

well, i got some scrubs. next week i'm on call again.
should i wear it with the hankie or not? :)

answering phones and changing diapers

2008-01-31T19:29:00.000-08:00

well, for those of you who don't know, I am a receptionist/hr assistant at a place called Home Instead Senior Care. no, it's not a nursing home, we provide caregivers or cna's to go to homes of seniors so they don't have to go to the nursing homes etc. it's really neat and i enjoy being the receptionist and helping with hiring and all. in fact, i did my first drug screen (urine test) on someone today. and as the picture shows, i am constantly on the phone. i am comfortable with that. but, what always gets me, is the times where i have to be "back up." they tried to prepare me for this when i was hired. every 7 weeks or so i have to be back up for that whole week, which means if they call me at one in the morning i jump up and head to the clients house where i will change from being a receptionist to a caregiver. i can handle simple companionship caregiving, however, i was faced with the possibility of having to change one heavy man's diaper. yikes! thankfully my relief arrived just at that moment. the next day at work someone showed me how to change an adult diaper using a bottle. but at least it helps me picture the procedure better. so anyway, my next week of back up isn't till march, however, today i had to go to a shift. Don't ask! and it was supposedly 7 miles away. i drove around for over an hour and couldn't find it, i was so stressed out. you know, i'm knew to louisville and no one told me there were two roads with the exact same name. so anyway, today was a bit stressful. but i really think it's neat what my company does. it's actually a franchise. and the owners are great people. there are probably 500 of these companies around the states and a few in other countries. you should check it out. just google Home Instead Senior Care. if you're looking to be caregiver (maybe it's more your calling) they seem to be always hiring. i'm sure i'll have more stories for you later. maybe i can tell about the lady i cared for at a hospital.

our new paint job

2008-01-27T16:30:00.000-08:00

above is a before picture of our table and wall

well, me and scott did a little work this week and weekend.
we decided to paint one wall in our apartment and the table that mismatched everything else.

it's my favorite color!

we need some advice on how to arrange the above shelf.

i love how it looks all together

i love this table runner from target. it looks pink in the pic. but those are reds and marunes.

we found some fabric that matched perfectly. so we put it on the newly painted chairs.

and here is an after picture
by the way, i want your opinion.
should we paint the middle line brown to match the table or leave it white?

praise God from whom all blessings flow

2008-01-20T14:37:00.001-08:00

well, i just want to praise the Lord because my husband got a new job. last week, we got on our knees before the Lord and asked Him to provide the work for scott. i felt peace that my heavenly Father would take care of it all. and sure enough, a couple of days later, scott had an interview and on the spot was offered the job. he was so excited, and so was i. why do i ever worry when i can trust Him?

memory box

2008-01-14T20:09:00.000-08:00

I bet you're wondering what's in the box.
to find out, check out my photo album on facebook.

hint: it's about us

updated apartment

2007-11-11T16:02:00.001-08:00

We received a free entertainment center from my neighbors friend. It was kind of ugly to be honest, but I think we did a pretty good job by giving it this paint job. It used to be an oak color. I so badly wish we had a before picture so you could see the difference.

We're so proud of it. I'm so glad Scott enjoys doing these type of things.

I framed some Chinese artwork.

I. made this out of some necklace beads and Tibetan money from China

brunette

2007-11-08T15:50:00.000-08:00

Do I look more like Katie now?

us

2007-10-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

i love my man

China in my Home

2007-10-06T20:37:00.001-07:00

Well, i had a lot of fun tonight. My new Chinese friend, Jackie (Chen Juan), came over and brought some friends with her. They all go to the U of L. Two of them are getting their Ph.D's and one is a postdoc. Yeah, they're way out of my league...but i do speak English better than them, so they want to learn more. Jackie brought some Chinese dumplings that were so delicious! Afterwards we played a game that practices spelling words. It was fun! I hope to do this some more. Scott wants to play them in ping pong. I want to play them in badminton. I'm so thankful for how God has brought China right to my doorstep.

dirty sink water

2007-10-03T11:56:00.001-07:00

well, today they worked on the water, so it had been turned off all day. when i thought i'd check to see if it was working yet, i was all excited that it was coming out. i started to do the dishes and out comes this BROWN water!

my new friend

2007-09-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

well today i met my new friend from China. she is an international student at the university of louisville. we are now language partners. today we met each other at starbucks and took a couple hours to get to know each other. she has been in the states (louisville) for a year now working on her Ph.D in chemistry. she has a few other Chinese friends that would like a language partner, but haven't been hooked up with one yet. so i''m thinking maybe we can all get together once in a while. she is really sweet, and i'm really thankful for this opportunity.

some things new

2007-09-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

well, i'm still looking for a job. although i am pretty much hired to start working at Target next wednesday. but it's not the ideal situation. it's about half the pay of what i'm looking for. so i've been filling out more applications and trying to go through more temp agencies. my comfort is that God has the right job for me, and it just hasn't come up yet. so, what have i been doing in the meantime? hey, i'm actually reading. reading isn't my thing. i've also been crocheting like nonstop. i'm almost finished with another blanket. i've also been able to keep up on cleaning my house, which i know won't be so easy when i have a full time job. so i'm enjoying being at home for a little while. although i miss the feeling of being needed in an office. i guess that sounds kind of weird. or maybe it's that i actually miss my old job (not the pay).
i have a lot of things to look forward to besides getting a job. i am going to be an aunt three more times pretty soon. Both of my sisters, Katie and Janelle, are pregnant. Katie is due in December. Janelle is due in March. in some ways i wish i were pregnant with my sisters. but in some ways i don't wish that (we want to wait 3 or 4 more years). maybe by the time i have kids my little niece Grace can babysit for me. Also, my sister-in-law Tristan is pregnant. She's having another girl. So both of our family's are growing. Christmas time gets crazier every year. i can't wait for that.

Yes, a lot has happened since my last post

2007-09-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

what do you want first? the good news or bad news? ok, i'll start with the good. our sink that was leaking is now fixed. so i don't have to drench my socks in the puddle anymore. still on the good side is that me and scott went on a date tonight to applebee's. we thought we would celebrate the temp job i just got. then comes the bad news. as we pull into the parking lot at applebee's the temp agency calls. they just received a call from the engineering company that someone had already hired a receptionist without their knowledge. so i lost the job before i had it! so what's the lesson i learned? life isn't fair, but God is in control.

what's new

2007-09-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

well, a lot of new things have happened since i last blogged. One, my next door neighbor invited me to a party that was being held at her house. apparently, this group of 12 woman get together every month at a different person's house to play games and eat dinner. it was a lot of fun. and i finally got to meet more people. quite a few of them live in these apartments. and some of them were telling me about their church. so scott and i went to their church on wednesday. everyone made us feel so welcome. they actually had already heard about me from one of the girls at the party. we really enjoyed that church. they were such a blessing to us. they are really small, but they seem to be growing so much. just in the past week three people had gotten saved that they had been witnessing to for a while. so it was a blessing to see that. also, another exciting thing that is more recent news is that I Got A Job! the temp agency finally called and said i'd be starting as a receptionist at an engineering firm on monday. it's pretty good pay, and it sounds like it would get better when i'm not going through the agency anymore. so i am really excited about it, although i'll probably feel a little nervous on monday morning. this company is pretty big. they build all different things like hospitals, libraries, churches, schools.... it's a pretty solid company. anyway, that is a blessing to us. i've been waiting for that call for a week. while i've been enjoying the comforts of my apartment, i've also been drenching my socks every time i walk into the kitchen. the sink or something around there has started to leak. and we aren't sure where it's leaking exactly. i called maintenance yesterday before five and they told me they didn't have anyone to come fix it. they told us not to use the sink or dishwasher. very funny. how am i supposed to get away with not using the sink? and this morning it's 10:16 and they still haven't come. hm...well at least they have to fix it and not us. i just hope they come before they have to fix water damage. but overall we are really enjoying our new home in louisville.

First Days in Louisville

2007-09-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

Well, Scott and I are now residents of Kentucky. Louisville that is. We have enjoyed our first week and a half here as much as you can when you're searching for jobs and unpacking. Our next door neighbors have been so friendly and helpful already. They are seminary students as well. And we really enjoyed the church we visited on Sunday. We are also really blessed to already have some friends here. Brad and Teresa Anderson moved here from Pembine, Wisconsin just a few months before we did. Although, we were planning to move here before they planned to. So, I have enjoyed the time we've had here so far. However, I must say that my least favorite thing has been filling out applications and going to job interiews. It wears me out! The picture below is at the end of a day of long interviews. I had had an interview at a huge five star hotel for a front desk job as well as an interview at a Bank for a teller position. I also applied at Pier 1, Banana Republic, Target, a babysitting job, starbucks, and a temp agency for a receptionist job. So that explains my face in the picture below.

Brad and Teresa!

We call them our food friends because whenever they come over they bring tons of food that they've gotten from second harvest. We have so much fun with them. And when me and Teresa get together we get kind of crazy. It all began when we started working together at Northland.

The Chinese characters framed below are me and Scott's Chinese names in ancient chinese writing. Stella bought it for us as a gift when we were in China this summer.

This is our kitchen.

And this is our new bedroom set. we love it!

The First Anniversary with the Cake Topper

2007-08-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

Well, my mom did save the top of our wedding cake for our first anniversary. So on Friday we celebrated our first year anniversary by cutting our wedding cake topper. It got a bit messy. :)

well, here's a new post...china

2007-08-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

Scott and I just got back from China Sunday night. We had a great trip! And we're still trying to get over jet lag. I have learned so much on this trip. One of the things that was solidified in my mind was how nothing is more rewarding than being a part of God's work. I had fun getting back in touch with Stella and Lina. I got to do a lot with Stella, including getting a perm for ten bucks. We also got our nails done for a dollar. She helped me shop for jeans and we got to talk a lot. Lina's house is beautiful and amazing. Everything was marble, and i got to hold her precious son. It was fun to be able to experience China being married to Scott. One thing i realized more is how good of a teacher he is. We have never had to work together on something so much as on this trip. We were constantly teaching or preparing to teach. We were glad to be finished teaching although it was a good experience. One of the best parts about siteseeing on this trip was in Beijing. The last couple of days we spent in Beijing. The best part was the Great Wall of China. It was literally amazing in every way. This wall is over 3,000 miles long and built by hand. The scenery while standing on it was amazing too with all the mountains. We also got to see the Olympic village from a distance. And i got an Olympic t-shirt for two bucks. It was sweet! So this trip was completely different than when I went two years ago. And i learned so much more. It was so nice to be with Scott and to share the experiences with him this time. Also, while we were there we celebrated his birthday and our first year anniversary! I can't believe we've been married for a whole year now. One thing I always say about being married is that it always seems to get better as we learn to work, live, and grow together. Anyway, there is too much to describe in words about this trip. But I will post some pictures when I get a chance.

Everything and Anything

2007-06-22T06:38:00.001-07:00

a date at 12 foot falls

and we found the coolest tree root thing

Oh the joys of packing!

i just got new glasses. i was a little excited!

it took me a while to find some that fit my face. i have a really small head

some beautiful pics down by the lake

Leila

2007-06-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

This is one of my friends from China, Leila. This was two summers ago.

This is her husband James doing Karaoke. Boy, that was an exciting time.

Me, trying to fish on their farm...i finally did catch a tiny one.

Their Mercedes that they always drove us around in.

Leila and James

She is so sweet! I can't wait to see her this summer.

These are pictures of her new baby she just sent me. Isn't he adorable? I'm not sure what his name is. She didn't tell me probably because they don't have an English name for him. Maybe she'll let me name him. Afterall, we gave her husband his English name. I can't wait to hold him.

Grandpa Patz

2007-06-01T07:33:00.001-07:00

I just love this picture of my grandpa smiling. I think this is how we all remember him.

The picture below is my grandpa and all of his sons. The taller ones beside him are Clifford on the left and Howard on the right. My dad is the little one on the left and my uncle Darrell is on the right. A neat thing about this picture is the pink chair that you see in the background is in our house to this day.

And here is a picture of my grandma and my grandpa together.

I've Been Tagged

2007-05-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

My sister Katie tagged me and my sister-in-law Tristan tagged me. So here are the 8 things about myself:

1) When I was ten, I was fishing at Phillip's Lake with my dad, my brother Matthew, and an elderly man we called Grandpa Al. My dad, thinking I knew how to cast a fishing pole, let me cast it all by myself. Big mistake! A few seconds later I heard my dad yell my name. I looked over, and cut some slack on the fishing line since the end of it was now hooked on my dad's nostril. We couldn't help but get a video of the worm hanging from his nose. But my poor dad ended up having to go to the emergency room to get it out. They had to freeze his nose and pull it all the way through. The next day he still went to church with a pierced nose.

2) When I was in first grade, I brought a rock to show and tell at school. This was a big rock I found that i thought looked like a diamond. Since I kept it out in the hall in my backpack during the day, i had to get it during bathroom break. So I ended up having to take it in the bathroom with me. I must not have felt comfortable leaving it on the bathroom counter, so I brought it into the stall with me. Another big mistake! As I was about to set the rock on the back of the toilet, it fell through the cardboard box I had it in and went straight for the toilet bowl. And so for the next few weeks the stall door read "Out of Order" and the broken toilet sat by the dumpster. I felt so guilty.

3) I love to crochet.

4) I've never had a broken bone.

5) I don't like to read, but my husband loves to read...and I mean he LOVES it.

6) Someday I'd like to adopt a Chinese baby girl, but I wonder how I'll ever be able to afford to meet the demands of the Chinese adoption policies.

7) I like to organize and decorate.

8) I love being married...Scott's the best. I always tell him he's my bestest friend.

Now I have to tag 8 people. So i'm tagging Scott, Stella, Janelle, Heather, Kelly, Sarah, Alicia, and Jenn.

I'm So Proud of Him

2007-05-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

Mom Mohler, Scott, and Jodi
We took more pictures with his family , but my camera ran out of memory space, so I still need to get those from everyone.

Scott hugging his mom after the graduation.

Dad, Scott, Me, and Mom before the Graduation

Yesterday, May 12, 2007, Scott graduated with a bachelors degree in Biblical Languages. I am so proud of him. Most of his family came to celebrate, and it was a special time. I am so proud of Him. He has worked so hard!

A Desire Within Me

2007-05-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't normally just write out my thoughts on this blog. It's much easier to post pictures when they're available. But there is something on my mind lately...a desire within me that longs for fulfillment. And i know that fulfillment is ultimately found in Christ, but I am talking more specifically along the lines of my specific purpose here on earth. I don't know where to begin in explaining my feelings. I am no writer. But, I guess it began when the Lord changed my heart and gave me a desire for him at the age of 12. I began to examine everything in my life, and I became tender to the Holy Spirit's working. I have so many memories of Missions Conferences at Northland, Missions week at church, or missions trips to Mexico, St. Vincent, and China. Every time the Lord stirred something within me. To see people without the Lord and children going hungry and homeless...I wanted to do something about it. And then there were the girls in youth group who came from ungodly homes, who struggled with security and feeling loved...I wanted to do something about it. And then now, as I've watched my sister lose her precious children who were finally getting love...I wish I could do something about it. It's like I have this craving to love the ones who have never felt love. I want to help them. I HAVE to give what I have been given so abundantly. I guess, to sum it up, since I may sound very vague...I believe that God has given me the gift of compassion. And so, I look to the examples in my life...my mom who always practiced hospitality even to the people that were always overlooked or with special needs, my sister who has fostered 6 children, my sister-in-law Tristan who recently adopted a beautiful Haitian orphan, and many others who DO something about their compassion. And also, I look forward to my next phase of life, praying that God will give me opportunities and strength to fulfill this longing within me to the glory of His Name.

Proverbs 31: 20
"She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy."

My Wonderful Weekend

2007-04-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

Above, is a poem that Scott wrote for my 22nd birthday.
It made me cry.

As you can tell, i just woke up. And i woke up to all these candles below.

With 22 licorice sticks spelling "I Love You"

And we got to go to fireworks the night before.

He made me this picture album with 22 pictures in it.

It was a special birthday.

This fireworks show is the biggest in North America. Louisville does it to celebrate the beginnign of the Kentucky derby.

And below is our visit to Southern Seminary.

We absolutely loved it, and we're making plans to attend the seminary in the fall.

Scott really like the library.

Answer to Prayer

2007-04-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

Below was posted by my sister Janelle Johnson about her precious kids. Please pray!

Yesterday, Jason and I were able to talk to the kids! It was so good to hear their sweet little voices, although they sound so different on the phone.

We talked to Kalynn first. She said she is honoring Jesus.

When we talked to Paul, he said "Mom, I'm sad, I miss you Mom."

We didn't talk to Preston much. He doesn't have the patience to be still and talk on the phone.

Courtney held the phone up to Anna's ear. She didn't say anything, but Courtney said she was waiving "bye bye" to us.

It was so good to hear their voices and be able to tell them how much we love them.

I talked to Courtney for a few minutes. She said everything is going "really well". Anna has an ear infection and is on an anti-biotic. The kids all leave really early in the morning for their daycare, and do not get home until after 6:00. (Courtney works full time and is also in nursing school.)

This morning, I got a phone call from Rayman Kilgore, the child service worker. He said he got a frantic call from Courtney at around 7:00 this morning. He couldn't understand her, because she sounded so upset. He said that Courtney and the kids are having a difficult transition. Courtney has called him numerous times, and has been very frustrated. He was going to call her back and remind her that she can "get out of this", but she seems very determined to do this for her cousin Karen.

Will you pray that the Lord will soften her heart to the idea of Jason and I adopting them? The kids need love, time, attention, and Christ. God knows, and I am so thankful to have hope in Him.

Good Memories

2007-03-10T11:16:00.000-08:00

Scott drove all the way here from Rochester, MN to be my date at my highschool's senior banquet. i was a junior, he was a senior. My hair is hideous!

The above picture is the next time we saw each other after our little date in the Daily Grind in November 2001. This picture is January 2002.

This picture is july 4, 2002. Scott is standing like a foot away from me. We were still a little shy and awkward.

This is still summer of 2002 at leadership camp. Scott and I are in the front, and Jennie Borchardt is behind me. We really got to know each other that summer.

The above pic was my first time at Scott's house in Rochester. We had just gone golfing with Scott's sister Jodi and her husband Ryan.

This was Scott's favorite dog, Duke. Someday we'd like to get a German Shepherd.

Our First Date

2007-03-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

This picture is the very first picture of Scott and I together, although i know we have a better one somewhere that we're both smiling in and looking at the camera actually. It was just after what you may call our first date in the Daily Grind. The date was November 13, 2001. It was our second time seeing each other. We met the previous summer at camp. Yes, we are a camp relationship that actually worked. I was 16, and he was 17. I was in volleyball camp, he was in soccer camp. Jodi, Scott's sister was the one that introduced us (thank you Jodi!). I remember shaking his hand, and though the sun was shining directly into my eyes I noticed his beautiful blue eyes. He was so gentle and sweet, I couldn't help but like him. That was basically all the communication we had that week. But two weeks later I received an e-mail from him. It was dated August 9th. I still have that special e-mail to this day. And from there we kept communication by e-mail. I remember longing to get the next e-mail from him. And then we got instant messenger, and we would chat for hours late into the night. So, the picture above was the next time I saw him, when he came with a group of prospective students from his highschool. I'll let the diary excerpt below tell the story:

11-13-01
It is already 12:00am but I cannot go to rest w/out writing a word of my wonderful day. First, I'll explain yesterday. Yesterday, Scott Mohler came w/ his youth group to visit Northland as a college. I saw him and Jodi at the Dining Hall and went to say hi. I was shaking and not much was said besides, "How are you?" and so forth. I went to sit where I was eatin and he never stopped by. I didn't know what to do b/c I couldn't let his visit go by w/o doing anything w/him. So I went to the rechall and saw him there. I asked him if he wanted to do somethin the next day. He said "yeah." and I called Jodi and set a time w/ her and met them at the coffee shop. He was sitting alone on a high table. It was so exciting. We then got a drink. We talked alone for a while and then Jodi came up. We talked a little more and then decided to go to the rest of the basketball game. There, Jodi bought some of us pom poms to cheer w/. Me and Scott sat together and waved our pom poms. It was really quite fun. Then after we tried to decide what to do and after swinging w/ the pom poms to hit the ping pong we went to the rechall to play fooseball. I played w/Scott for a while and then at 10:00 i had to call my mom. I had to go home at 10:30 and so we all just sat around and kind of talked. But thankfully I got a picture of us two together. Then i left as he gave me the pom pom. I only wish that this evening could last forever.

As you can tell, i was the outgoing one in the relationship, and Scott was kind of shy. I always tease Scott about how if it weren't for me being so outgoing that night, we wouldn't be together. But, actually it's because of him that we stayed together because of all the special things he did to win my heart.

Snowmobiling Season and Steven

2007-02-20T17:12:00.000-08:00

Well, yesterday we went snowmobiling with Dad and Antonio. It was such a nice day for it. And here we are in our helmets. I'm actually wearing Marco's helmet. It actually fit me pretty good except that it squeezed my cheeks so much that I couldn't bite down.
Below is Scott, Dad , and Antonio. Dad just bought Marco and Antonio their own smaller snowmobile. We had fun following each other through the trails.

Aren't we the happy couple?

Below is a picture of one of my students from when I taught in China two summers ago. I think he's about 14 years old now. He recently wrote me an e-mail including this picture of himself. Isn't it so cute?

This is what he wrote:

"April:

Hi,I'm Steven.I have long time didn't talk to yo.u.I'm very miss you.Now The Chinese Spring Festival is coming.So I hope you are happy in the Cinese new year.Here are a photo for you.Do you think I'm cool and tall? Good bye.I hope you can happy every day. Your friend:Steven"

Miscallaneous Pics

2007-02-18T16:29:00.000-08:00

I had to post a nice picture above to justify the one below. But I wanted to post the one below to see if any of you who have seen the show 24 think i look vaguely like Chloe O'Brien.

Now the one below is just an ad for the hormonal lip enhancers we've been taking. I think they're working.

The next few pictures are of my little brother Antonio. Somehow he got a hold of our camera. He took these of himself. I guess this could be an ad for muscle enhancers. What do you think?

What's with the dog?

Peace out!

Below are a few pictures of my tasty and delicious turtle caramels. They just melt in your mouth, that is after you stick them in the microwave for a few seconds because they turned out to be a little hard. It's not always easy to cook at just the right degree. They could easily be too soft or too hard depending on the temperature. I think i need a digital thermometer for some accuracy. Anyway, I love making caramels. Yesterday I made cappuccino caramels. They turned out pretty good. I don't even have to microwave them before eating. I must say that caramels are my weak spot, and Scott doesn't mind them either.

My Valentine!

2007-02-17T20:51:00.000-08:00

I know this is a little bit after Valentine's Day, but I thought I'd still post some pictures. This was taken on that very special day. And below are the cards we exchanged. I must say that though I always heard married couples say that they love each other more than the day they got married, now I can say that myself as well. I love Scott so much, and I am so thankful for him. He always makes me feel so beautiful and special. He is always so patient with me. He is very handsome. But what means the most to me is his love for our great God. That means more than anything to me. That's what really makes me feel secure. I'm so thankful to God for the husband he has given me, and my prayer is that our marriage will speak the truth about the relationship between Christ and the Church. I pray that our marriage will send off a special aroma that speaks of Christ's love and the Church's submission to Him. The sad thing is that most marriages speak lies about Christ, maligning his word. And I'm so thankful that God has been working on me lately, showing me how His way is the only way to make a marriage work. My prayer is that God will mold me and shape me to be the Proverbs 31 woman for my husband. I have a long ways to go, but He has been working on me. I trust He will complete that work.

Safely Home

2007-02-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

January 26th was the day that God chose to take Mr. Doolittle home. His memorial services was such an encouragement to me--to live the kind of life the Mr. Doolittle did. One thing that impacted me was the man of prayer that he was. I was one of their campus kids while in college and so he would always send me a regulary email telling me that he had prayed for me that day. I come to find out that he not only did that for his campus kids, but all the faculty and staff were blessed in that respect as well. What an encouragement it was to know that a godly man was praying for me. And now, as was expressed at his funeral, we feel greatly lacking without all his interceding on our behalfs.

Another amazing aspect I found out was that Mr. Doolittle never complained through out his cancer ordeal. Mrs. Doolittle was the witness of how he trusted God till death. It could be that his death impacted more people than his life ever could have.

The following is from their website:

The happiest day of Doug's life is the day of his death. "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Doug is Safely Home with His Savior. He was welcomed into his new HOME on January 26, 2007 at 1:44 pm.

God's grace is more than sufficient for us still here.

We continue to rest in the fact that God is good....all the time.

In lieu of flowers, Doug has chosen to establish an endowment for the Missionary Apprentice Program because of the influence that his MAP experience had on his life. Doug went to Haiti to fulfill his MAP requirement in August of 1984. While in Haiti, Doug stayed with a missionary who had a computer, which was a novelty in that day. Doug quickly took to the computer and was even writing programs for games for the missionary kids. God has greatly used Doug's gift of working with computers for His honor and glory as Doug worked faithfully in the Technology Department at Northland Baptist Bible College beginning in January 2000. With his knowledge of computers, Doug could have made a large amount of money working a secular job but his heart's desire was to use his talents for the Lord and to be able to influence college students with his life. He definitely let his life touch life...in a quiet, strong way. He intended to stay at Northland and work in the Technology Department until retirement.

Continue to pray for Mrs. Doolittle, Lauranne, Wessley, and A.J. The youngest is only 2 years old.

Lauranne who is seven said that her daddy is in heaven with the other three children from previous miscarriages and her mommy is on earth with the other three children.

Our Prank on Ol' Daddio!

2007-01-21T19:50:00.000-08:00

Well, this afternoon at Grandma's house, Antonio decided
to pull a little prank on Dad by writing on him while he was sleeping
in the living room. So we used a orange and blue highlighter to make
a really cute heart on his head. It was hard not to laugh, but we managed
to do it without waking him up. So this picture is of him after he looked in the
mirror and noticed it.

The boys decided to draw on him more. And Dad is so patient that he let them.

Do you think I take after my dad?

Here he is before he even knew he had it on his head.
He just woke up from his nap.

Aunt Mary's Birthday!

2007-01-21T19:25:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated Aunt Mary's Birthday! And
if you know anything about Mary, you know that
even on her birthday she works and works and
doesn't know how to rest.

And here's my family eating one of my grandma's
famous meals.

I made the jello! Hey, I'm just a beginner.

Mary opens her presents.

I thank the Lord for my wonderful aunt. She
has been like a second mom to me and my brothers
and sisters. She always went on vacations with us
to help my mom out and to have fun with us. I have so
many memories just playing with my Auntie Mary.

Amazing Technology

2007-01-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken on our laptop camera. It's cool cuz you can make sure you're all lined up correctly when you take self-pictures. So me and Scott were playing around with it the other night when he had to work security. But I think it's amazing the technological stuff we have these days. In fact, we've been able to chat with people with our camera where we can see them and hear them. You just need a camera and you need to sign up with Skype. I don't know how it works, but I know Janelle and Katie have to get this. It would be so fun. Cari was able to talk to Samantha in Guam and see her kids on the camera. It was so cool. The kids would enjoy it too. Technology these days can be really nice when you live far from your family.

Urgent Need for Prayer

2007-01-19T08:40:00.000-08:00

Updated 1/17/07 by Diane Doolittle:
From Doug: Doug is unable to use the computer (details below) and he is dictating this to me. “I thank the Lord that His mercies are new to us each day. I probably don’t have much time left on this earth before God calls me Home. But I know Who holds the future and I trust His good hand.”
Doug was having a lot of pain. An RN friend from church told us that he should not have to have pain like that. We needed to call hospice and have their help. They came quickly and have been a big help. I never knew that it would be so difficult to find the right combinations of pain medications for him. That has been a big struggle for him. The pain is now under control. Then he began to have problems with nausea and vomiting. Yesterday was the first time in several days that he has been able to keep food down. After the switch in pain medications, we started noticing that his legs were wobbly and he had trouble grasping things and having control of his hand. I called the nurse to let her know and asked if we could switch pain medications again because of the side effects he was having. She told me that the medication wouldn’t be causing affects like that. Then I thought, what else could it be? Brain tumor. Doug had told me that he had the most trouble with his right side. There will be no scans or testing. They have him on steroids to try to shrink the swelling in the brain and release some of the pressure which is most likely causing the vomiting. He is no longer able to use the computer. He has also had problems with blurred vision and double vision and he has a hard time focusing his eyes. This change has been sudden for us. One day he could go up and down the 17 steps to join us for meals downstairs. The next day his legs were weak and wobbly and there was no way that he could do the stairs. He has told me that he doesn’t have much time left. His family is coming in today and tomorrow to have another visit. He is still coherent and enjoys visitors but tires easily.
Doug and I first met on February 1, 1997 and had our first date on February 2, 1997 -- 10 years this year.
I continue to see God’s Hand at work and rest in the fact that our God continues to be good…all the time. HIS way is perfect and I must trust, even when I don’t understand.

How to pray:

1) continued relief from pain

2) witnessing opportunities with Hospice workers

3) Doug will be able to enjoy the visit with his family

4) continued grace and peace for the kids and I

5) for Lauranne—she is struggling but doing well—I’m so thankful she already knows the Saviour . What a difference that is making in her being able to deal with all of this. The boys are oblivious to what is going on.

6) for rest—I’m having trouble sleeping again

7) for the MANY details and plans I must see to—that God would give me wisdom and a clear mind. I jotted down things to do during the night last night when things would come to mind. I have a notebook page full

Updated 1/18/07: Doug had a very rough night last. The pain was so bad throughout the night, that they called hospice around 2 am. After taking the medicine hospice recommended, Doug vomited, so the medicine wasn't effective. Please pray for Doug and Diane.

Newest Update: Doug's pain is under control. He was having hallucinations in the night and was very restless. He told me this morning that he sure did "chit chat" last night. He said he had lots of dreams. I called Hospice in the night to see if there was anything else I could do to help him. He is resting comfortably this morning.

He vomited after spraying medicine in his mouth which is used just to moisten his mouth.

Great and Marvelous!

2007-01-14T11:36:00.000-08:00

I just want to praise the Lord for how He has been providing for our China trip this summer. We need a total of $3, 800, and God has already provided almost a third of it. It has been such a blessing to see Him bring the money in. He is so faithful, even when I fail to be faithful. What a wonderful, merciful Savior!

"Great and Marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.
Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed."

-Revelation 15:3-4

Miscellaneous Pictures

2007-01-11T11:31:00.000-08:00

Our new laptop has a camera on it. we've been having too much fun with it.

Little Antonio

Jodi and Lynae

Jodi! She's cute no matter what.

me

still me

scott

what a cute couple!

Shaye!

Lynae and Shaye

Back to a more normal picture.

Me and Lynae at Golden Coral

Jack peed on Shaye's pants. We all got a good laugh at this.

Fun and Games

Food and Games

Me, Jodi, and Melissa. We all look like we could be blood sisters.

This picture is another story. These feet are Shayes. He was hiding behind the pantry door in order to eat the chocolate from the drawer. Needless to say we all got a good laugh out of it even though he was being naughty.

Lynae and Jodi

Mom and Dad Mohler

It was chaos at present time.

Jodi is the favorite auntie.

Kaylynn had fun with the pom poms i bought her for Christmas.

Luke and Preston pretending to play ps2

Preston is such a cutie.

Paul, Preston, Kaylynn and Luke pretending to go to bed.

Luke and me. What wild hair he has!

This is my new haircut. I was so sick of my long hair.

Pray for Jessica!

2007-01-04T20:42:00.000-08:00

I'd like to ask anyone who reads this to pray for my good friend Jessica Rabe. She has recently been diagnosed with Leukemia. Thankfully it is in the early stages. She had a bone marrow test recently and started on a pill called gleevec that's supposed to put it in remission. She is such a sweet friend and would be encouraged to hear of more people praying for her. Even if she wouldn't know you, let her know you are praying for her by emailing her at jessicara@nbbc.edu.

Below are some of her favorite quotes. To me they reflect the attitude that she has had even through her past health struggles.

"Don't let the bad things in life make you lose your smile - let the good things in life make you smile more."
- Unknown

"Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength."
- Charles Spurgeon

"If God sees that my spiritual life will be furthered by giving me the things for which I ask, then He will give them, but that is not the end of prayer. The end of prayer is that I come to know God himself."
- O. Chambers

"We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties."
- O. Chambers

"We need to learn to know Him so well that we feel safe when we have left our difficulties with Him. Our payer life will become restful when it really dawns upon us that we have done all we are supposed to do when we have spoken to Him about it. From that moment we have left it with Him."
- O. Hallesby
"Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you."
-I Peter 5:7

Pray for Jessica!

The Eve of Christmas Eve

2006-12-24T12:42:00.000-08:00

Last night we celebrated our first Christmas together. I finally got to open Scott's present.

I guess I was teasing Scott a bit.

Scott gave me the third season of Bewitched. I'm a big fan of that series. And a Fernando Ortega CD.

Scott got a C.S. Lewis book, two G.K.Chesterton books that are fiction, and a Christmas CD of Third Day.

These are our stockings. They're still empty.

And this is an ornament that says Our First Christmas.

This is our first Christmas tree with presents all around...mostly for my neices and nephews.

We have a manger scene too.

Some cheap decorations.

And here's another view of the living room. It's bright and red.

The Man I Love

2006-12-22T06:35:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken 2 and a half years ago in a grocery store in Minneapolis where we must have had a lot of time on our hands.

I just want to say that I love my husband so much. He means the world to me. Whenever a person gets married, many times they say that they cannot imagine loving the other any more than they already do. But it happens, and you love that person much more deeper and stronger. It's a love that isn't about just feelings, but it is a real love. The more time and effort you make to love that person, the more you'll love them. It makes me wonder how my grandma gets along without my grandpa. They would have been married 60 years if he had lived a few months longer. I know my grandma misses him so much. And I can't imagine ever losing Scott, yet we've only been married a few months. I know I need to treasure all the moments we have together. I don't know what I would do without him. So I want to thank the Lord for the husband he has given me. I couldn't ask for more. And I want Scott to know how much he means to me.

Fun at the Dorm!

2006-12-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

Me and Holly!

Well, last Tuesday I got to have some fun at the dorm.
I feel like I haven't been to the dorms for a long time, but
we were putting on a surprise shower for Sandy Rader, the
one on the way right. She's getting married in May. It was
actually a umm...personal shower, so you can have a lot of fun
with that...and we did! :)

Pray for the Doolittles

2006-12-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

Doug Doolittle, a previous staff member of Northland, has been diagnosed with cancer. He is now pursuing quality life with his family as the doctor's give him little time to live. Please pray for him and the family.

Specifice ways he asks us to pray:

1.Pray for tumor growth – that God would slow down the growth of existing and new tumors.
2.Pray for pain relief – that God would ease my pain and discomfort.
3.Pray for rest – that God would allow me to sleep better at night.
4.Pray for voice – that God would allow me to record my testimony and that my voice would return.
5.Pray for diet – that God would allow me to eat enough food each day to maintain my weight.
6.Pray for my back – that God would allow me more time sitting up so I can get more done.

Quote from Doug Doolittle: "God’s Grace has sustained us and continues to sustain us through my cancer ordeal. We have been blessed and encouraged the past few weeks by letters, cards, meals, Christmas Carolers, and men sitting with me so Diane & the kids can go to church. God continually provides blessings and encouragement for us. He is so Good."

Quote from Diane Doolittle: "Our youngest recently had several bouts with the flu. Before I went to bed the night that he was up sick, I read Psalms 68:19. "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah." As I was awake in the night and holding a sick child and thinking of my dying husband upstairs I thought…loadeth us with benefits? THESE are my benefits? It’s a load all right. I looked up and saw a note that was given to us that day from a teenaged boy who had lost his mother very unexpectedly to a heart attack a couple years ago. His letter was full of praise to God and encouraging us and giving us comfort. That is a benefit. Then I began to "count my blessings" and realized that God indeed had loaded us with benefits and continues to do so daily. I began to thank God for all that He has done for me. The most important being the gift of salvation that He has allowed me to accept. How different my life would be right now if I did not know the Love of God. Count your blessings and the load of benefits that He gives every day. Our God is good….all the time."

View their website at http://www.ourwhisperingpines.com

Let them know you are praying.

Our First Christmas!

2006-12-11T18:52:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about spending our first Christmas together. We've already had so much fun decorating our Christmas tree and making gingerbread houses. I wonder what our next project will be. Well, I guess we need to finish our Christmas shopping. And now, since we're married we have twice the amount of neices and nephews to shop for. I have 8 neices and nephews on my side, and Scott has 7. And I'm thinking that the older ones will be harder to please. Oh well, I'm sure we'll find something if we put our heads together.

Enlisted for the National Guard

2006-12-11T18:36:00.000-08:00

This is me and my little but big brother Matt. He's 18 years old and in his first year of college. A few weeks ago he enlisted for the National Guard. In many ways it makes me so nervous that he'll be in the National Guard--who knows when he'll be drafted to Iraq or some dangerous place like that. But then in many ways I'm proud, proud to be the sister of someone brave enough to fight for our country. In February he'll be leaving for his training until June. He'll learn the mechanics of putting together hummers. I"m so thankful that God will be with Him, and I pray that God will use him to be a witness to the other men he'll be living with. So I ask you to pray for him as he enters this next stage of his life.

~Matthew, I love you and I'm so proud of you!
Remember that God is with you always.~

Born In Bethlehem

2006-12-10T14:18:00.000-08:00

Baby Jesus, born in a stable, a humble Savior's birth.
You left your throne in Heaven above, to live here on the Earth.

Baby Jesus, lying in a manger, crying for the world.
The Angels told the Shepherds of the Good News for us all.

Halleluiah, the King is here, given for all men.
For today the Holy Son of God, is born in Bethlehem.

Come now Sinners and you Saints, all peasants and all Kings,
And bow before the Earth's Redeemer, let all voices sing.

Halleluiah, the King is here, given for all men.
For today the Holy Son of God, is born in Bethlehem.

Halleluiah, the King is here, given for all men.
For today the Holy Son of God, is born in Bethlehem.

Baby Jesus, do you know you'll die for all our sins?
Dodn't be afraid, for in 3 days, you will rise again. Cause you will rise again.

Halleluiah, the King is here, given for all men.
For today the Holy Son of God, is born in Bethlehem.

Gingerbread Houses!

2006-12-07T15:05:00.000-08:00

Scott and I made Gingerbread houses this week.
It took us two days to do the baking and decorating.
We had so much fun coming up with creative things
to do. Actually Scott's the creative one.

This is a bench and lamp light that I used on my
house. Scott of course thought of it.

These are the tops of them.

Mine is the one on the right.

This is Scott's tree he made out of
peppermints. He's so creative like
I said.

Mine is more traditional.

Scott's is more realistic with his shingled
roof.

And here we are still smiling after all the work it was.

And Scott even decorated the back of his with a cross.
I never would have thought of that.
But we had so much fun. Maybe this will be a tradition
every Christmas. Wait and see what we'll come up with
for next Christmas. :)

2006-11-23T17:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family!
Scott and I spent the day with his family in Rochester
Minnesota. We ate and ate and ate. And Scott and his
brothers are enjoying playstation on the big screen the
projector makes. I think us girls are going to play a game
to end the day. How thankful we are for our families and
special times like these!

China 2007!

2006-11-17T17:28:00.000-08:00

Scott and I are now making plans to go to China this summer. I went in the summer of 2005, and now I'm so excited to be going back. We'll be teaching English as a second language at the Intensive Language Training Center in the Sichuan University of the city of Chengdu located in Sichuan Province. It is a city of 10-12 million. And I am so excited because I will get to see my friends again. I already have plans with Stella to hang out a lot. Also, my friend Leann is pregnant and will probably have her baby by the time we're there in July. I have another friend Linda and her daughter Yoyo that we will get to meet again. I'm also soooo excited that Scott gets to come to China and see so many things and meet my friends etc. Oh what a happy day! Now, we begin the process of raising support. I can't wait!

2006-10-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun with Luke when he was here. Katie and Luke left on Thursday to go back to Michigan. Chris was getting lonesome for Katie. But next time they come Chris will be able to come to. Can't wait till they can all come back again.
Don't you love Luke's Halloween
costume?

Here is some proof that Luke loves
to help in the kitchen.

Uncle Matt tries to get him to flex.

He really likes cheese.

Janelle's Kiddos

2006-10-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

These pics on the tramp were taken
about a week ago when Janelle was
visiting. We had so much fun with
the kids on the trampolene.

Little Paul reminds me so much of
Curious George. He is so adorable.

Now Preston is not so small like
Paul. Nevertheless, he loves to
be held. But I enjoyed holding the
special little Preston. He's such
a sweetie.

Anna is the sweetest little thing.
I love her hair and her smile. I just
wanted to hold her all the time.

Kalynn is a sweetie. She loved
hanging out down in our apartment
with Scott and I.

Fun with Luke

2006-10-13T15:08:00.001-07:00

I wish that I didn't have to work while Katie and Luke are here. I'm always dying for it to be 5:00 so that I can go home and play with Luke. Then Katie and I have had fun playing Boggle together. We've also had fun watching Monk as a family. The funny thing about that is that my dad is really getting in to that show. He normally only gets into old comedies like Andy Griffith. You should hear him snorting up a laugh when we watch Monk. He's so funny. And now he's always talking about it. Anyway, I just love having Katie and Luke here. Luke loves to help with anything you are doing. It kind of slows the process down, but it sure makes it a whole lot more fun. He helped me clean up the kitchen yesterday, and everywhere I went he had to bring his little stool so that he could see above the counter. He was so cute. He is so smiley, it kills me. And he looks so much like Katie that after playing so much with Luke I tell Katie that she reminds me of Luke. So I'm cherishing these days with Katie and Luke.

The Best Recipe: Layered Dulce de Leche Dessert

2006-10-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

This is now my favorite dessert ever.
I recommend it to everyone.

The recipe calls for:

40 NILLA Wafers, divided
1-1/4 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O White Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding and Pie Filling
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
1/4 cup Caramel Topping

Directions:

CHOP 4 of the wafers; set aside. Line 9by5-inch loaf pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Arrange 12 of the remaining wafers in single layer on bottom of prepared pan; set aside.

POUR milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. (Mixture will be thick.) Gently stir in the whipped topping. Spoon one third of the pudding mixture over wafers in pan; top with 12 of the remaining wafers and 2 Tbsp. of the Caramel topping. Repeat layers of pudding mixture, wafers and caramel topping. Cover with the remaining pudding mixture. Sprinkle with chopped wafers; press wafers gently into pudding mixture.

FREEZE 4 hours or until firm. Lift dessert from pan, using foil handles; remove foil. Place dessert on serving plate. Let stand 15 min. to soften slightly before cutting into 12 slices to serve. Store leftover dessert in freezer.

Stella

2006-10-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

This is Stella! I met her in China in the summer of 2005 when I went over there to teach English. I had so much fun hanging out with her. She took me everywhere and explained so much to me about her culture. We still keep in touch. You can even see her comments on my blog. I'd love to see her again in China sometime soon, but I pray that I can at least see her when I meet my Lord. She is a sweet friend that I will always cherish. Stella, I miss you.

Back in the Day

2006-10-05T16:32:00.000-07:00

Somehow I managed to get a hold of these super old pictures from the beginning days of Northland. The first one is a picture of the first volleyball team Northland ever had. My mom was the coach. The other picture is the basketball team. I'm not sure if my dad was actually a part of the team or what. He is the second one on the right. I was cracking up when I saw this picture of my dad in his little shorts.

Visiting Family

2006-09-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

I can't wait till next week and then the week after that. My sister Janelle and her four new children are coming to visit. I can't wait to meet them in person. I've seen so many cute pictures of them; and Janelle has told me so much. I can't wait. And then, after that Katie's coming with little Lukie.

I haven't seen him since he was the little ring bearer in my wedding two months ago. He did such a wonderful job holding the hand of Scott's neice Emma down the aisle.

Best Friends

2006-09-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

Jennie has been my best friend since ninth grade. I couldn't ask for a better friend. We have so many good memories from highschool whether it was swimming or watching movies or discussing boy problems. I enjoyed rooming with her my freshmen year of college. Nine months ago she married Johnny Borchardt, and I was privileged to be in her wedding. Two months ago she was in my wedding. And today we enjoy being married couples together. I get a lot of advice from her. She's a godly friend, and I've always been able to go to her for encouragement. Scott and Johnny get along really well, so it works out wonderful. We both work at Northland and we work closely together in our youth group. She lives about 8 miles away, so the only thing I'd change is that she were closer. But this is probably the closest we'll ever be as far as our homes because Scott and I are planning on being here for only this year. So I really cherish this year that we can be newlyweds together.

Us

2006-09-25T18:23:00.000-07:00

Here we are at Camp Gitche Gumee with the youth group. This was only the third weekend in our marriage, and we had to be in seperate cabins. But it was still a lot of fun with the teens.

More Apartment Pics

2006-09-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

And this is our little bathroom that I painted all by myself. Keep in mind that it appears much brighter than it is. :)

And More of the Apartment

2006-09-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

This is my colorful kitchen with colorful fiestaware.

More of Our Apartment

2006-09-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

These are pics of our living room with a study. We like it a lot.