Marvel In The Beauty

I go through life, day to day, running from one thing to another.  I am planning the next day, crossing off my to-do list and racing against the daylight hours to get it all done.  But does it matter if I have a clean house?  Does it matter if I plan the perfect day of school?  Does it matter if my to-do list gets shorter?  Does it all really matter that much?

 I try to do it all.  It's exhausting.  I can't do it.  Not alone.

This new year has been a turning point.  I am searching out God and His word more than ever before.  I am learning the characteristics of God in an entirely new light.  Each day brings me to a new realization about who He is and how true His love is for me.  There is a new spark in my heart.  My soul clings to His promises and looks to Him for answers.  I read more of His word.  I trust in Him more and more.  I take out piece after piece of the worldly me and throw it away.  I'm making room in my heart.  I want to know my God more deeply now than I ever have before.

I am finding Him in the littlest and biggest of things.  A pink rose growing through a fence has a meaning.  It is God's way of telling me He sees me and loves me.  "Here is a rose just for you, your eyes, destined to be at this place, at this very moment."   

Never think He has abandoned you or forgotten about you.  He loves you more than you could ever fathom.  Look around and see how His creation speaks to you about His unending love.  It is written in the stars.  It is sung from the birds.  It is whispered in the wind.  You are His beloved.  He sacrificed his one and only Son so that you could live eternally with Him.  He is waiting with open arms for you to run to Him.  

Start running!

  

Amanda

Hearing His voice when I least expect it

 

Shattered.  Broken.  That is what became of my glass patio table.  We had left the big umbrella up and weren't expecting the wind.  All I heard was a whoosh of the wind, a thud from the umbrella hitting the ground and the crash of the table top shattering.  I didn't want to believe it really happened.  I went outside to look and saw the pieces all over the ground.  What a mess! 

 

I began the tedious and careful process of sweeping, scooping and throwing away the pieces.  All I kept think about was "How am I ever going to pick up all of the pieces?" 

 

That is when I heard Him.  "You can't.  You can only pick up one at a time."  I no longer saw glass, but I saw broken hearts, broken lives, and lost souls.  I saw the brokenness of the world. 

 

It was overwhelming.  Compassion flooded me and I began to pray.  It was all I could do.  I knew God made that table break for a reason.  He wanted me to see, with my own eyes, what He sees when He gazes upon us.

 

As I started to vacuum up pieces embedded in the grass, I knew it would be impossible for me to get all the pieces.  So many pieces had fallen down, lost in the thick grass.  I would have to trust with faith.  Blind faith that my children won't cut their feet playing in the backyard.  Blind faith that He will protect us and pick us up when we need Him.



 

 

 

I can only go so far on my own. 

 

But with Christ, I can do anything.  I can start with one person.  Show one person the love of Christ.  No judgment.  No hatred.  Just love.  That's how I can begin to mend the brokenness.

 

And you can too.

 

Blessings,

 



 

 

March Snuck Up and Raced By!

Oh boy, has it really been this long??  A lot has happened since I last posted in February...Yikes! 

The quilting class I taught is over and it was a lot of fun!  It was great to get out of the house and just sew for a couple of hours.  I actually got Nate's quilt completed in a reasonable amount of time!  (It helped having a deadline.) 


Nate's T-shirt quilt

We have stayed busy with homeschooling as well.  I am still teaching with Heart of Dakota curriculum and my boys are enjoying it.  I'm glad we made the change.  Lulu likes to sit with us and listen sometimes too, which is much easier than trying to keep her out of "adventures."  (I'm going to be posting some more about homeschooling in the near future.)

In March, we celebrated Jman's 6th birthday.  We had a pirate party and played pin the tail on the Tick-Tock croc and had a treasure hunt that lead to a pinata!  Our house was full of friends and laughter and we loved every minute of it!  Now, BG keeps asking when he gets to have his birthday party!  It's going to be a long three months if he keeps asking! :)


Birthday Friends!

We also went up to North Dakota for spring break.  Usually people go south, so we should have gone farther south, right?  Not this year.  We decided to fly, which turned into a fiasco.  We were supposed to fly out on Friday the 8th at noon.  We arrived at the airport at 9:30 a.m., with all 3 kids and carry-on bags in tow.  First, our flight got delayed until 2:45 p.m.  We passed the time by riding the Skylink (the train that connects the 5 terminals in Dallas), playing on "the boys'" (really Nate's) new tablets, and working on some school worksheets.  At 2:15, when we were getting ready to board, our flight was cancelled!  While I tried to find us a new flight to Fargo, Nate kept 3 crabby and tired kids busy and out of trouble.  We ended up getting a flight the next morning, Saturday, at 6:20 am to Chicago, then from Chicago to Fargo.  Thankfully, Nate's great aunt and cousins live in Frisco, and graciously let us come back to their house Friday night.  What a blessing!  They also drove us back to the airport at 4:20 the next morning.  Just when we thought we were in the clear, 5 minutes before boarding at 5:50, our flight switched gates and terminals!  Back to the Skylink!  By this time, our kids knew what was going on.  The boys pulled their backpacks (on wheels) and headed up the escalator to the train.  They got lots of looks and chuckles.  After making it to our gate in Dallas, landing a little late in Chicago and running through the Chicago airport, we finally made it to Fargo!  I am glad to report that the flight home went much smoother.  We had a great time in Fargo, but were very glad to get home.  When we left, it was -7 degrees in Fargo.  Upon arriving in Dallas, it was 85 degrees.  Much better!!  The picture below is at the Snocross races in Glyndon, MN.  Cold and fun with Auntie Ash and Uncle Nicky!!

The weekend we flew back to Dallas, we ended up being able to go to the MLS game in Frisco.  We got to watch FC Dallas beat the Houston Dynamo in the stadium where the Bison won 2 football championships.  Lots of fun! 

We are finally home and back in the groove of school, work and church.  Our weeks are a lot busier, now that Jman is in T-ball and soccer.  He has T-ball practice twice a week and soccer practice twice a week.  We are gone every night of the week either at practices or church.  He has only had one soccer game so far and was awesome!  He scored 1 goal and did a great job playing defense.  Nate was proud, especially since he is the coach of his team!  T-ball games don't start for a couple of weeks, but they will be played on Saturdays, just like soccer.  We will really be racing then! 

Our BEST news is that BG gave his heart to the Lord this past week!  He decided he wanted Jesus in his heart forever.  His prayer was precious and sweet, just like him.  A very special day!!!

As we come into this Easter season, I am so thankful for all the blessings we have received since moving to Texas.  God has a plan for us and we continue to walk in faith, knowing we are where we are supposed to be.  When the time comes for us to move on, in God's direction, we will do just that. 

I pray you all have a very blessed Easter and are showered with blessings and reach out for the hope and assurance of salvation through Christ's death and ressurection.  What an amazing gift He has given to us!!

Blessings and Love~

Gone Long, but Not Long Gone

It has been so long since I've been on my blog, I forgot what it looked like!  I bet you're wondering where in the world have I been?  All I can say is busy and enjoying the everyday tasks of life.

After my last post in November, Nate got a promotion at work, so he's been a little busier than usual.  Not too much though, since he was already really in that position without the title and compensation for two months.  We continued to homeschool and I signed up to teach a quilting class at the college in February.  The week of Thanksgiving, we traveled to San Antonio for 5 days and visited Sea World, The Alamo, the River Walk, and the old World Fair site, which included the Towers of America.

At the Alamo

A waterfall along the River Walk

The kids absolutely loved Sea World.  When we pulled into the parking lot the first day, Jman exclaimed from the back seat, "Shamu!! We are here!!"  His excitement reflected all of our attitudes.  And to make it even better, Sea World was celebrating Christmas.  It was decorated in Christmas trees, lights, "snow", costumes, carolers, a Mariachi band dressed in Santa suits, lights set to music, and a Santa Shamu!

BG feeding a dolphin

Jman was the only one not afraid of the characters

December brought more school and preparations for our trek up north.  We celebrated Christmas and New Years in Fargo and then spent our last couple of days in Minneapolis.  It was lots of fun getting to see family and friends.  The weather wasn't as much fun.  It was cold, windy and icy.  But we weren't expecting anything different from North Dakota or Minnesota.  It was great to get home and have temperatures in the 50s.  We didn't NEED our coats on!  As wonderful as it was to see everyone, we were grateful to be home after our 16 day vacation and not living out of suitcases anymore.  It's a long time to be away.

At the farm

North Dakota winter 

Now, as we are getting to the end of January, we are back in the swing of things.  The only new adventure in our horizon is that I start teaching my quilting class in less than 2 weeks.  It's only one night a week for 4 weeks, so it should be a nice, fun break for me!  

It doesn't seem like a lot, but it sure kept me busy.  We continue to walk in Christ's footsteps and grow as a family and as Christians.  God has provided for us and blessed us immensely.  We are so thankful.

How have you been staying busy??

Blessings,

Why We Chose to Homeschool

My homeschool book bins for Jman and BG

When I tell someone we homeschool our children, there is usually a list of questions to follow.  I've had a few people ask me why we chose to homeschool, and I'm going to share that answer with you.

First off, I'll start with my husband's and my education background.  I grew up going to public schools my entire life.  I enjoyed school, in fact, I loved high school and college.  I had a great experience.  My husband went to public schools as well, except for Seminary and his other graduate classes, in which he attended a private Christian school.  He would say he enjoyed his schooling.  

We first started talking about homeschooling after hearing stories from friends that were teachers, and other people that were still in high school.  They would talk about kids doing drugs in class, having alcohol in water bottles, the lack of motivation and respect in classrooms, as well as the lack of knowledge one would think kids would know in high school.  We do realize that these could be one time incidents, but the fact that they even happened in public and private schools raised flags on our radar.  

I was still not convinced about homeschooling; my husband was more for the idea than me, until I did some volunteer time at an elementary school in a Title I classroom in north Minneapolis.  North Minneapolis is not one of the nicer neighborhoods in Minneapolis.  The school was in a low-income neighborhood and would be considered a rough neighborhood.  The children I helped were way behind in their reading.  It was a daunting job.  The regular classrooms had over 30 kids in them, and the teachers were not able to spend quality time teaching each subject to each child.  This caused many problems for kids that couldn't keep up or learned in a different way than what was being taught.  The kids were also sent home with massive amounts of homework.  I couldn't believe the size of the 1st and 2nd graders backpacks!  I don't remember having a lot of homework that required taking textbooks home.  After finishing up my volunteer time at that school, I felt more called to homeschooling than ever before.  I do believe God placed me there to feel compassion for those children, pray for them and work on guiding my heart towards homeschooling.

The main reason for our family deciding to homeschool is our values.  Nate and I both decided that we want our children to be filled with Christian values as their hearts and characters are being developed.  I am always amazed at how much they pick up from listening to others speak and watching others interact.  They are little sponges and I want them soaking up Godly virtues.  There was a first grade teacher in Minneapolis that was openly conversing with his students about his homosexual relationship. After hearing this, I knew that I didn't want someone else responsible for my children's education.

We also want our children to get the attention and help they need, when they need it.  I am able to pick up right away when they are having difficulties or getting frustrated.  This will help in the long run, making school enjoyable now and nurturing a love for learning.

As an added bonus, we like having the flexibility to take family vacations when we want to, and use them as specific learning experiences.  There is always a time to learn.

We feel so blessed to have the opportunity and freedom to school our children from home.  It is so awesome to watch the "light bulb" go on as it clicks in their minds, a privilege really.  It is an adventure, with ups and downs, excitements and disappointments, but always with an atmosphere of love.

Blessings,

Focusing On Him

I am a detail oriented person.  I like the little things and that sometimes keeps me from staying on track.  I get caught up in all the nit-picky things and lose focus on what I'm really trying to do.  It totally comes out when I'm cleaning.  I can get started in one room and remember that there is something else that belongs in that room and go get it.  WELL - that only leads to me spotting other things I can do and get started in this NEW place and leave the first room in disarray.  But this is me.

I have found that recently, when I'm trying to hear God's voice, I lose focus and get distracted.  I let life move in and the little things get in the way.  It is a constant battle, but I know that staying focused is the only way to keeping me on the path to the blessings He has planned for me.  It isn't a question of can I stay focused; it is a question of will I stay focused.

I want to hear Him tell me, "Well done."  That is what keeps me fighting to stay focused.

Blessings,

The Making of A Warrior: Battling for God

I posted this one a while back, Making of A Warrior.  I just read over it again and had to share it once more.  Click here ---> "Making of A Warrior" to go to my post.  I hope it inspires you as much as it inspired me!

Blessings,

Standing Strong

There is a lot going on in the news about Chick-Fil-A these days.  Fox News had an article about the appreciation day on Wednesday.  I experienced it first hand while driving.  There were cars lined up for blocks and police men directing traffic.  It was crazy!

It is sad that Dan Cathy, the CEO of Chick-Fil-A, has been singled out and ridiculed for his personal beliefs.  On the flip side, he has been singled out and supported for his personal beliefs.  I happen to agree with Dan Cathy and believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman.  It does not mean that I hate gay people.  I strive to love everyone, no matter what.  I am a Christian and I try to follow Jesus with my whole heart, try to be like Christ and look to Him in all things.  In the Bible stories we read, did Jesus not go to the hurt, the sick, the weary, the outcasts, the sinners and show them compassion, love, grace and mercy?  He did.  And that list of people Jesus loved includes every one of us.

It feels like Christians are under the microscope, being watched and ridiculed.  We need to stand strong in what we believe in.  It can be very hard to speak up sometimes, but our time on earth is short and I want to bring as many people to Christ as I can.  My heart aches for those who do not know Jesus as their Savior.  Staying silent and lukewarm is not part of that plan.  Showing love and kindness, imitating Jesus, is the best way I know how.  Will you join me in standing strong and show kindness to those who don't know Jesus?  We are all children of God and should love one another.  We know it, now let's actually do it.

Blessings,

Family Time

Weekend Project #5: Color Dinosaur Pictures!

We always have to take time to play and be a family.  We enjoyed coloring pictures together!  Lulu was napping, which was unfortunate she wasn't with us, but fortunate that she wasn't throwing crayons all over the floor and ripping pictures away from people.

Nate and I really got into making our dinosaurs colorful.  :)

Jman's dinosaurs were scary!  "This red will make mine scary.  So will this blue!"  

BG colored one picture, then got a little bored.  He grabbed the Vtech - MobiGo Touch Learning System and played some games with us at the table.  He did decide to color again after a few minutes.  :)

I'm realizing that my kids are growing up fast and every moment is precious.  I want to have fun and enjoy them.  More importantly, I want to lead them to Jesus.  What better way than to show them love!  

Blessings,

Amanda

Thankful I'm Not a Hoarder

On Wednesday nights at church, we've been watching a video series called "The Blessed Life."  It is preached by Robert Morris at Gateway Church.  It is a great series about tithing and giving your first fruits to the Lord.  I am enjoying it.

He talks about the importance of giving back a portion of what God has already given to us, our first fruits.  If we give our first fruits, God says we will be blessed.  If we do not, we will be cursed (Malachi 3: 6-12).  It should be easy to decide whether to tithe or not.  Yet, it can be a struggle.  Nate and I have been receivers of God's blessings, in more ways than one.

As I was walking around my house last night, I was upset that it was already a disaster zone.  I had spent the day picking up, vacuuming and mopping the floors.  Yet, my kids had turned it upside down in the matter of minutes.  I looked and Nate and said, "It is ridiculous this place looks like this!  It's awful!  I can't stand it!"  As if on cue, the television commercial that started playing was this man crawling through his house, over mountains of stuff, and then sleeping on his "bed" that was a sleeping bag surrounded by walls of clutter.  It was a preview for "Hoarders."  Nate and I both looked at one another and started laughing.  "It could be worse," was his response.  God knew that at that moment, I needed to see that my house isn't really that bad.  It made me thankful that I have a roof over my head, a comfortable bed to sleep in, and just enough room for our family.  I may think I want a bigger, beautiful home, but we are doing just fine where we are at.  God will provide us with exactly what we need, when we need it.  We just need to be open to hearing his voice and following him.  

There is a lot to be thankful for!  Have you taken the time to thank God for all He has blessed you with?  

Blessings,

BG's Golden Birthday!

My little BG turned 3 on the 3rd.  It is hard to believe he is already 3!  We had a great day!  Breakfast was cinnamon rolls made in the Belgian waffle maker, blueberries, peaches and orange juice.  The cinnamon rolls were awesome!  The boys thought they looked so cool as waffles.  And it was even cooler that they only took about 2 minutes to cook!

We decorated with our pipe cleaner balloons again!

This time, we hung the majority of them from the boys' door trim.  It's fun walking through them to get in and out of the room!

Jman, my 5 year old, made a birthday banner, writing "Happy Birthday BG!"  He and Grandma Davis decorated it with pictures of balloons and stickers.  We also colored some Chuck & Friends coloring pages I printed off of the Hasbro website.  Everyone joined in the coloring fun, even Lulu and the birthday boy!

Lunch was at McDonalds.  BG wanted a Happy Meal, so it's what the birthday boy got!  (Every time we drive by a McDonalds, we hear him yell from the back, "There it is!  There's McDonalds!")

Gift opening revealed a Spiderman comforter.  I know what you're thinking, a big comforter is just what we need in 100 degree weather, but BG is our cuddle bug and loves blankets.  Forts are ready to be built as well as some good nights of sleep!

We had dinner at Big Jake's BBQ.  Benj wanted BBQ and got pulled pork and sweet potato fries.  Delicious!!  There was a tribute to John Wayne on the wall, so I had to take a picture for my dad!  

After dinner was time for cake.  Poor Jman had to try and hold a squirmy Lulu.  He did a great job keeping her away from the burning birthday candles.  What a conscientious big brother!

Yellow cake with milk chocolate frosting.  Yum!  Lulu enjoyed it immensely as well...

It was a really fun day!  It doesn't get much better than spending time with family and celebrating a birthday together.  We are very thankful for the many blessings we continue to receive from our Heavenly Father.  God is good!

Blessings,

Amanda

Devotions for the Whole Family

Prayer and devotions are an important part of the day.  It is a great way to get your kids introduced to daily time with God.  I feel it gets harder as you get older and busier, to incorporate it into your life if you haven't done so already.  Establish the habit early on.  Why not start young, so your kids center their days around devotions rather than trying to fit it in later?

We have been using The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers.  My kids have loved this one.  It has great pictures to look at.  The daily devotions each share a story, a bible verse and a prayer that we repeat.  Jman and BG spend a lot of time just paging through the book.


We also have God's Mighty Warrior Devotional.  This is a devotional that focuses on boys age 4 - 7.  The Bible verses are a little longer and there are articles that delve further into the verses.  There are also pages to write down prayer requests and answered prayers.  My oldest is 5 and really gets into the stories and activities!

I have personally used a few and have enjoyed them all.

Grace For The Moment by Max Lucado.  This devotional is uplifting and real.  It speaks to one and all.

My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers.  This devotional really makes you think about your character, as well as God's.  It can be transforming, if you want it to be.  

Come Away My Beloved by Frances J. Roberts.  This devotional will speak to your heart and encourage you.

Tramp For The Lord by Corrie Ten Boom.  My husband recommends this one.  :)  It isn't a true devotional, but can be read as one.  It is a book with short chapters, each centered around a Bible verse.  It is a powerful book!  My husband has multiple copies and gives them away.  That's how much he enjoys this book.

If you want to read Corrie Ten Boom's personal story, you can find it in the book titled The Hiding Place.

I pray that you find the time for family devotions and that this list may help get you started or give you new ideas for continuing your family time!

Blessings,

Amanda

I'm 30!

What a day!  I turned 30 yesterday.  When my husband turned 30 last year, he exclaimed that 30 was the new 20.  I don't really necessarily want to relive my 20s, but I sure want to stay young in spirit and heart!

It turned out to be a great day.  I started my morning with coffee, breakfast and God's word.  I got the kids dressed and we had some time playing and relaxing.  Apparently, the ant colony outside decided to move inside as well.  I have never seen so many ants in our house.  There was quite a lot of shoe stomping!  

The boys broke an empty applesauce jar that we used as their money jar.  I had to sweep up the broken glass which turned into a glass sliver in my thumb that is STILL stuck in there.  It is not very comfortable.  I'm hoping Nate can dig it out for me, otherwise I'm headed to the doctor.  On the up side, breaking the jar resulted in mopping our floors.  They were in desperate need of cleaning.  The kids had lots of fun helping and making more clean up for me, but it was a lot of fun!  

I got a surprise in the mail today too.  I got a bouquet of flowers with a card that said, "Happy 30th Birthday to you!  Love you lots!"  I was super excited, except I had no idea who they were from!!  I was talking to my brother on the phone when they came and he did not claim them.  This started a hunt for my mysterious secret admirer!  Not my husband, mom, mother-in-law, dad, sister, brother, or my friend Angie.  There was only one more logical solution.  If it wasn't my friend Jenny, I was out of ideas.  Well, it turned out that they were from her!  It was quite the story telling her about my scavenger hunt.  

I decided to bake my own cake.  If it didn't turn out, I could only blame myself.  :)  I made a double layer, lemon filled white cake.  The filling was a little too runny, but it did taste delicious.  Jman kept telling me how much he liked it.  Always a good sign!

We went out for dinner to Olive Garden and enjoyed some family time together.  It was an all around great day!  I am so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.  

I am looking forward to my 30s.  It is not your physical age that dictates how old you are; it is your heart that reveals your true age.  Live with a reckless abandonment for Jesus and you will be rewarded greatly in peace, mercy, grace and strength.  He is all you need!

Blessings,

Early Morning Blessings

Being a mother of three, one being an infant, I tend to get less sleep than I'd like to.  It is partly my own fault because I stay up too late, but I enjoy my quiet time after they go to bed.  I will stay up usually until 11:30 or midnight, and then wake up around 6 or 6:30 to feed Lulu.  Then, I go back to bed until the kids wake up.  I have been telling myself for a while that I need to start waking up earlier.  I am more of a morning person and had been in the routine of waking up early to workout and do devotions, especially after getting in a routine once BG was born.  I have been slow to getting back in the morning routine since Lulu came along.  I've been keeping up with my workouts and devotions, just not as uninterrupted as I'd like.  I'm usually trying to do push ups or lunges while 2 boys think I'm a tunnel and a little girl tries to climb up.  Let's just say my workout was not a stress reliever!

I've finally started waking up early again.  It is truly rejuvenating.  Beginning a day in God's presence, gets my attitude jump started in the right direction.  Everything seems to fall into place and everyday chores don't seem as tedious.  It is fun to watch the boys' expressions when they find out that I've already worked out, read and had breakfast before they got up.  It really shouldn't be that big of a surprise!

I want to start a good habit, one that leaves an impression on my children.  I want to instill the importance of reading God's word.  If I can also show them that exercising can be fun and keeps them healthy, all the better.  Jman already asks if certain foods are healthy; he knows healthy food makes him grow big and strong.  And all little boys want to be bigger! 

It is such a blessing to be a mother, wife, daughter, sister...but the best blessing is that I am a child of God.  I live each day to glorify Him.  I want to exude Christ in everything I do.  There is nothing sweeter than His love!  

Slowing Down

I am definitely a "Let's get this project going and get it done" type of person.  Lately, that's all we've been doing; little projects.  Between unpacking the last few boxes that have been set aside for an unknown reason, organizing rooms and home school materials, finally cleaning out the garage so Nate could park his car inside, and the everyday hustle and bustle, I had been feeling exhausted.  It's a lot of work!  I realized I wasn't taking time for me - physically or spiritually.  I quickly got that fixed.

Jillian Michaels, welcome to my world (again).  That's all I'm going to say about that!!  :)

We have started attending a new church and really enjoy it.  We are getting connected with a newcomers class and meeting new people.  God really does have His hand in every aspect of our lives.  We have trusted Him every step of the way on our move and are discovering more and more about Him and ourselves.  It is fulfilling and wonderful.  Taking time to slow down, read His word, wonder at His creation and worship Him has been uplifting.  All the stress, work and exhaustion begin to dwindle and I question why I wasn't keeping up with my personal time!!  How often do I need to get something done only to find out it really wasn't that important.  I need to worship God and praise Jesus for his gift of salvation!  Everything else falls into place.  I can do all my working, organizing, cleaning, etc once I take care of my heart first.

Praise God for His mercy, grace and everlasting love!

Norwegians in Texas!!

Nate and I both have Scandinavian heritages, Norwegian to be more precise.  I think it is fair to say that Norwegians are hard headed and don't show a lot of emotions.  It is apparent up North.  (So strange to say up North and not mean the lakes or Fargo!) When you go to a store in Minnesota or North Dakota, I can easily walk through the store and not say a word to anyone until I get to the checkout counter.  Nate concurred.  I don't find it odd or rude, it is just kind of the way it is.  Nate said, "Nine months out of the year, people are always looking down to make sure they don't slip on ice."  Funny, insightful man.  When you come down South, I can honestly say that I have NEVER talked to as many people that I did not know in stores as I have since we moved down here.  And we've only been in the South for 20 days!  It is totally out of my comfort zone, but I am loving it!  I need to be challenged to step out of my box more and I am definitely getting it here.  People are extremely friendly and will stop to talk about anything, though mainly it's to tell me a story about their kids and then tell me how cute my family is.  :)  God has embraced us and shown us His love through so many random interactions.  He has heard the prayers of many and answered them!  Yee-haw!!  (Too soon??)

Seeing Glimpses

This morning was one of revelation for me.  As I was washing dishes, gazing out my kitchen window at the birds in the back yard, I realized that God's plan was unfolding before my eyes and I was beginning to see it in its entirety.  In Minnesota, we knew Nate had to find a new job.  We needed a job that could fully support our family without the worry of what was to come in the future.  Nate searched for over a year before finally getting offered a job.  It was a big decision to make.  We sacrificed everything that was comfortable and familiar to us to follow the doors God had opened for us.  Now that we are here, it is amazing to see how God prepared us for Texas.  We are blessed to be living in a nice neighborhood, driving a new car, and having a few new technology toys.  We were without a working home computer for over 4 years, so having a computer now is very foreign!  Also, we both got new phones.  If you had seen our previous phones, you would say "It's about time!"  Nate's phone was over 6 years old, didn't vibrate, wouldn't take pictures, and had a few keys that didn't always work; texting on that phone was near impossible.  My flip phone was only a couple of years old, but it is now severed at the hinge.  We are not taking anything for granted.  We are now able to support ourselves without any worries.  God really prepared our hearts for this transition and has given us compassion for others in our former shoes.

I know that God has big plans and seeing these small glimpses into the bigger picture are so amazing!  Seeing all of our hardships turn into fruition for His will are reassuring, uplifting and awesome!  God is so good and I trust and love Him more and more as each day passes, through the good and the bad.  He is our rock and I am never alone.  Praise God!

Texas!

Well, we made it to Texas!  As most of you know, Nate got a new job as a software consultant for the college.  He accepted the job sometime in March and we immediately got to work getting our house in Fridley ready to put on the market.  It took about 2 weeks, but we got everything done and put it on the market on Thursday April 5 and we had 2 offers by Saturday the 7th!  We had to leave Fargo earlier than planned on Easter Sunday to get back that night to accept one of the offers.  We knew that this move was part of God's plan.  Everything was falling into place and fast.

The moving company packed us up on April 16 and we left for Fargo again for a few days.  The moving truck wouldn't get to Texarkana until Sunday the 22, which meant we had extra time to spend with family before we left.  Thursday morning was our departure.  I got to drive the Alero all by myself, while Nate drove in the van with the kids.  We made it to Council Bluffs, IA for the night.  Friday we stayed in Springdale, AR.  Missouri and Arkansas are beautiful states to drive through.  Saturday is when we arrived in Texarkana.  I drove by myself the entire time!  It was kind of great.

Our duplex is in a really nice, quiet neighborhood.  The place was not quite ready for us to move in.  The floors were being tiled and were not done.  There was no fridge or washer and dryer either.  We moved in anyways and lived in construction for a little over a week!  It was a bit stressful.  There were a lot of things that needed fixing as well: running toilet, leaky faucets, plugged dishwasher, you get the idea.  It is really a nice place, just had a lot of the normal maintenance that should have been done before we got here.  Now that we are in and getting settled, it is starting to feel like home.  

Another unexpected blip that occurred is that my flip phone broke in half.  I was having to snap it back together to make phone calls and text, but it kept on ticking for 4 more days.  It had had enough and finally went to a completely white screen.  Nate and I lasted 2 more days with one phone until we both gave in and each got a new smart phone.  Nate's phone was older than Jman, wouldn't take pictures and certain buttons were "sticky", as in they would decide when they wanted to work.  It was time for new phones.

We are so thankful for the many blessings God has given us.  It is difficult to leave our family and friends, but we know that we are following His will for us.  I believe that God has big plans for us.  We have been patient and prayerful through Nathan's job search and now our transition to Texas.  We are excited for what the future holds for us!

Many Blessings!

We have so much to be thankful for!  We have 3 healthy children and a God who loves us and died for our salvation.  We don't have much to complain about!!

I've been so caught up in trying to get on a schedule with 3 kids that I've put my daily time with God by the wayside.  It's been wearing on me and I needed to make some changes.  I realized that I need to get myself on track before I can even begin to get the rest of us on track.  Memorizing and reading scripture has been so uplifting and encouraging.  I so often try to do things on my own.  I wish I would remember that it never works out!!  :)  God is full of mercy and grace ~ How awesome is that!  I am so thankful that He sent his son and that I heard about Jesus and chose to have him live in my heart and be my Savior!!  Enjoy your blessings today and everyday!

BG's new bike for his birthday...he's NOT quite big enough to reach the pedals on the down stroke!

Favorite Auntie!!