A decade walking w/ Jesus

So yesterday marked one decade for me. To the day. Pretty crazy!

God has so much to refine in me....and in one decade, so many things have changed.

1. College degrees and career goals

2. From the desire of singleness to a wonderful marriage (God blessed me with a keeper)

3. From immediate travel to Taiwan to some sidetracking years (all in my best interest of course, just not "my plan"--at least now I have the best travel partner I could ask for!)

4. From the armpit of the south (with no deodorant on a 100+ day) to the scalp of the northwest, all driven in a huge Penske truck with my boo

5. From tan to pale (heehee...yes it is true)

6. Multiple friendships gained and released

7. Weddings

8. From long to short (hair)

9. From chapstick to chapstick (okay, some things will NEVER change)

10. From blindness to vision, vision to blindness (very interesting)

11. From purple to old blue to new white (cars)

12. From jeans and pjs to jeans and pjs (again, some things don't change)

13. From pink to brown (favorite color)

14. From extremely inappropriate rap music to Indie music (yes, it's true)

15. From my bday to my JESUS BDAY

16. From no helmet to helmet (thanks, good husband)

17. From the worst possible outcome to the best possible outcome (cross over, from death to life)


Well, it has been a trip and a half. And sometimes the changes are hard. Sometimes they are killer. But looking back from where I've come and looking ahead to where God is leading me....well, I think it's going to be a very worthwhile journey.


Thanks be to God for His mighty hand. He reached out to me. He called.

Maybe by my next decade we'll finally have those flying cars like on "The Jetsons...."

Christmas time is hereeeeee

Well, from November 1-December 31st, I become a Christmas music lover....a gingerbread house fanatic.....and a baking fiend.

Sometimes it happens in mid-October. That was this year.

I also become reminiscent about what I've come from....and where I'm going. For me, it's not about the presents. When we have kids, we won't talk about Santa. We won't load our tree with bow-covered gifts. We won't talk about shopping, shopping, shopping.

It's not about what you can get. The Black Friday great deals are not the focal point of the holiday.

Jesus. He's the pinnacle. He needs to be the focus. Yes, I do have a tree. Yes, I do love snowmen. But we really want to celebrate the birth of our Lord, the greatest gift, during this time of the year. I have to constantly remind myself of this, even though I have fewer distractions! AHH!

A stubborn person. Loves to bake too much. Sometimes forgets to truly listen to the words of the tunes I sing. All those Christmas hymns MEAN something.

I pray that my heart and my focus will be more on the celebration of Christ than on making food for people, which is one of my great joys in life, apparently. The way to ANYONES heart is through the tummy--this is not only true of men. ;)

Thank you for the greatest gift. Let that be my focus.

OH COME ON.....trying to stay patient

So, now I am starting to feel some anxiety in relation to my "eye problem."

I know what I have.

They say, "Oh, your sight will be back in no time!" Maintain your pirate status.

Both of my eyes are working normally independently of one another. . .but they won't work TOGETHER. TOGETHER, they give me headaches and make me vomit all night long. Who knew that your own body would turn on you like this? I guess I kind of did because I've had lots of medical problems my whole life....but before this I felt as though I was in my best health, having fewer problems than normal and being able to finally handle SOME fat-free dairy products without extreme discomfort. DO NOT count on things. DO NOT count on your tent. DO NOT be comfortable in the amount of vitamins and supplements you take. ONLY God is in control of your tent. He determines how many "outdoor outings" you can have in your tarp-like being before He takes you home. I now know that my vitamins may be good, but nothing in this life is guaranteed. My Vitamin-C will NOT keep me from getting a sore throat when my student sneezes in my face.....but sometimes it does! All this to say, the only thing 100% dependable is GOD's PRESENCE in a Christian's life.

**** ******** ********* ************* *****************************************

Three months of one eye only and you'll start to LOSE YOUR MIND. For so long, you can hold on to what people tell you will happen. But then....

It doesn't. The promises are untruths....not lies....but not things that I can depend on. Doctors hold no rule over my current predicament.

Patience is thinning in my court. I am fighting the thinning patience. . .but it is hard. I feel like this situation is at a plateau. . .now I would love to be healed. I would love to be "semi-normal" again. I want to wear contacts. My nose has permanent ridges....I am not a fan of glasses, so that has been quite a challenge. It's the little things. ;)

I want to drive. I want to run errands. I want to be able to do things outside my home and outside my very close by neighborhood. It's the domestic things.

Why is this continuing?

I have no idea.

Perseverance. I have to press on. I have to accommodate. I have to remember God's promises and remember that I am not alone. I have a God who already knows the outcome. I have a God who says, "Oh you of little patience and steadfastness." But I also have a God of GRACE AND MERCY who says, "Child, I know it is hard. But stay with me a little longer."

So now I simply pray that God will draw me to Him and His strength will be my own. I cannot do anything apart from the Lord. It is impossible. But with God....I can and will press on.

The day I can see again will be a great one...until then, "I'll have to muddle through somehow." (Yes, Christmas music can come in handy.)

Now I have to look to God to NOT let the frustrations and irritations take over.

Thanksgiving

In lieu of the day o' thankfulness (and turkey), it is time for another list. . .ah yes. Of course.

With a multitude of things to be thankful for, I will narrow my list down to 30. . .30 days of thanksgiving!

1. Salvation
2. Grace
3. My husband
4. The roof over my head
5. The food in my kitchen (especially soup!)
6. Warmth
7. Church
8. New friends
9. A job that pays the bills and lets us save
10. Paying of debts
11. Sweaters
12. Scarves
13. Boots
14. My soccer socks which are now coming in handy
15. Seattle
16. Pike Place Market
17. Seafood
18. Getting to eat out a few times a month (yessssss)
19. Snow
20. The salt truck (even though he just shot salt on me when I was walking)
21. A safe car
22. Co-workers
23. The really GREAT days with my students
24. Watching my students make progress
25. My husband's silly faces
26. Hugs
27. Felt tip pens
28. Vintage jewelry, amongst other vintage items
29. Hats that cover my ears
30.Apple

Okay, I couldn't do it. 30? I am going to have to move it on up. Maybe I can do 40....

31. Wind
32. All soy/rice/almond/hemp milk products
33. Peppermint mochas and other assorted holiday drinks
34. The ability to read and ENJOY it
35. The ability to speak about my Savior
36. The ability to sing about my Savior
37. Communion
38. Christmas hymns
39. Jesus' birthday cake
40. Gingerbread houses



You see? The list could go on, and on, and on....it's like the "song that doesn't end." There should never be an end to our Thanksgiving. Just tonight, I was blessed by lots of snow to walk in. I made a tiny snowman. I had a great time. God is so good to me!

God is great!

Truth

I like honest people.

I appreciate when someone tells it like it is.

I don't want a pretty picture...I want the TRUTH.

I want to say, "I promise, I can handle it. . .because I have Jesus and I want to help you see Him, too. . .so please, be honest."

In my personal life, I love honesty. In my work life, I love honesty. I appreciate when people are honest about who they are, what is going on, what they need prayer for, why they feel sad, etc. Just because we have Jesus doesn't mean we should walk around with smiles plastered on our faces. Just because we are teachers and "role models" doesn't mean that we have to fake it. So in my daily walk, I am honest with others about how I feel. Sometimes I think that this throws people off. "I feel frustrated." ?!?!?!?!?! "You're not just fine?" . . ."I feel proud because my kids' parents read the note home!" "Whoa, that's too much information." I do not say this because I feel like people don't listen, or for any other reason except to say. . .I encourage others to really tell me how they feel.

In other cultures, if you ask someone how they are, you really want to know. I like this.

But if people respond with the truth I have witnessed that others find this shocking. . .both in my observations and in my personal experience, people ARE NOT USED TO HEARING THE TRUTH. Hmm. Maybe it is just because I am usually meeting new people, people I have not been around forever.

People stay at this shallow level.

And I think this is something that I need to be aware of to make a difference; to show people Christ.

Jesus cared about the inside of the cup, not the outside.

He cared about the heart, not the hairstyle.

I have to be able to show them 1) I am listening; I do want the truth, 2) The truth is okay, 3) Love/support/friendship is not dependent on the appearance of happiness or being well put together.

Note: I am not writing this because I feel that people are "lying to me," I am just realizing more and more that our cultural norm is to just "keep your mouth shut" and never let anyone see your hardships. Of course, this is true of a non-Christian culture to the upmost degree--people do not want to be seen as weak, they want to be seen as powerful and successful and competent. In a Christian realm, one would hope to see people who realize that they cannot be powerful, successful, and competent without the abilities that God has implanted within us. Our spiritual gifts. Our previously given positions created before the beginning of time.

And even with Jesus, we FAIL. Utterly. With brokenness. Even with 110% dedication.

Each day, there are things I forget; things I disregard. This shows my humanity, my lack of deity, my imperfections, my flaws, my need for a Savior.

I think that truth and being accepting of the truth and expecting the truth is a way to break down this barrier between we as the followers of Christ and others. We have to listen. We have to love. We have to speak truth. We have to listen and accept as the truth is spoken to us. The way we accept truth will either A) encourage more truth or B) discourage less truth. If we can't be real with others, they certainly can't be real with us, so that is the first barrier. The second barrier: we have to encourage others to be real with us. We must be gentle with them, just as Jesus has been gentle with us.

This is a way to connect to another person's "soul." To reach that inmost being.

To help.

Be honest with yourself.

Be honest with others.

Respect others and appreciate their honesty. . .because if someone tells you the truth, they are beginning to PUT TRUST IN YOU. They are beginning to value your opinion. God may be able to use you in this person's life because you are truly connecting with one another.

I pray for these opportunities for myself at work. I pray to be able to be open and honest with others; in turn, encouraging them to do the same with me.

Here I am preaching to my own choir.

We are stewards.

We are entrusted.

I am a member of a Great Body.

Love.

Honesty.

Truth.

Listening.

Serving.

Jesus.

Lord, help me.

PAPERWORK

IEP's.

Transition plans.

WAAS portfolios.

Notes home.

Reimbursement paperwork.

Receipts.

Computer screens.

Progress reports.

E-mails.

Manifestation determinations.

BIP.

FBA.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The downside of teaching special education. . . at certain times of the year, your computer screen becomes your new best friend. It's sad, but true. I love teaching, watching progress, and helping kids. But I hate when my veins in my eyes pop!

I am looking forward to Turkey Day break...by then, this busy time will have passed! Crazy what a person has to do in a few short weeks. . .thank you God for being on my side to see me through this! I love you, Lord! Give me the strength and the will power!

The best two months

Well, the time has come....the season of baking and joy is upon us. This month, I get to celebrate my one year anniversary with my husband and I get to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends. We are heading down to our cousins' home for the big Turkey celebration since the hubby has the day off! I am so excited that he got one of the two holidays off (he had to rank the top five days he wanted off). We will find out on Tuesday if he has Christmas Eve off.

Corn souffle and sweet potato souffle. . .and turkey cupcakes. That is our contribution to the familial celebration for Thanksgiving this year. Those two casseroles are the most delicious things one can hope for at a meal or a church dinner. . .I am so excited to get to cook this year! Last year we were on our honeymoon so I didn't get to cook anything, which was still sad even though I was frolicking in Canada. :) That is how much I enjoy cooking.

I am already planning holiday fun!! Besides the usual baking each weekend, we will be doing some holiday activities: turkey cupcakes for Thanksgiving with the kids, decorating sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies, building gingerbread houses, yay! I will be doing these at home and in the classroom, so it's almost like getting to live the holiday season twice. . .which is awesome.

There is so much to be thankful for. . .my husband, a home, Seattle, a church family, hot tea, rain, co-workers, coupons, awesome libraries, returning health (hopefully~!). . .

It is amazing what God does for His people and how he sees us through. He is truly amazing! This was a very action-packed year for us, between the move, health issues, being newly married, and getting new jobs. . .but the Lord has been with us through each step and He will continue to walk us through everything. Plus, we still have two whole months left until 2011. . .there is no telling what will happen in two months! Based on the past year, I'd say that we are looking at some more crazy times!

My home smells like a bakery. . .yum!

Saturday, yeasty, JOY

It only takes a couple of teaspoons of yeast to make a whole loaf of bread rise. . .I think that this is an excellent metaphor to explain our Christian life. . .maybe better for me since I use too much salt?? :) In God's Word, we are commanded to be both salt and light to the world. A small amount of salt goes a LONGGGGGG way. . .and from my baker-lady standpoint, a teaspoon of yeast goes a LONGGGGGGGGGG way!

I love watching bread rise.

Another point to ponder. . .does the bread rise in ONE MINUTE, or does it take some time? Just as the seeds we plant, God's Word isn't AUTOMATICALLY going to spring up into someone's heart. It often takes time for God's Word to start an "UPRISING."

In other words, we have to be PATIENT once we've planted seeds. We must care for the seeds. We must give them time to grow up, grow in strength, and set down roots.

We don't just leave the "yeast bread" though. The bread must be provided with HEAT to rise. In order for overall delicious bread growth, we need both YEAST and WARMTH.

In my long and drawn out metaphor, the WARMTH required is the WARMTH of an already-sanctified Christian heart. People need love; I don't care who you are. Deep down, everyone desires love, acceptance, huggy-snuggli-ness, and that, my friends, is where we, who are already JESUS FOLLOWERS, must come in.

Don't leave your YEAST out in the cold, invite them into the incubator of a nice, warm oven. . .or perhaps a bread maker!

* * * * * * * * *

It's Saturday, a hallowed day of baking, hence I think up these metaphors. Today is chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, Portuguese sweet bread, and cheesecake pumpkin bars. Delish.

We just got a "Halloween package" from my hubble's parents. . .and yes, I now have a PARROT to go on my shoulder to go along with my eye patch. This is going to come in handy whilst reading TREASURE ISLAND and teaching my kids about pirates. How ironic and perfectly set up.

We are ONE MORE BILL away from being debt free. . .thank you, Lord. God has been blessing us immensely, and now we are finally able to start taking care of people again and being able to serve others by meeting their needs.

That is so exciting. I can't believe how quickly the Lord has brought this time around. What a huge blessing to have been taken through such great times of GROWTH out here. :)

Quad-Vision?

All these jokes about having super robot x-ray vision may have been unfortunate. :/ I am now (as of the past few days) seeing in quads. . .or perhaps just like a kalidescope (sp?)? I used to have two very specific pictures when I opened both of my eyes. . .and now it is more like a mesh of several pictures. . .some are far away, some are blurry and light, some seem clear. It is like being a bug. . .or a spider. But which item is real? If I reach out, what will I be grabbing. . .air, or an arm? Not sure, but all this to say. . .mine eyes hath experienced changeth again. That's the best of my "Olde English."

Tomorrow I'm going back to my neuro-opth. for my first check-up since becoming a pirate. It's been almost a month--it will be a month this Wednesday--since I started patching it up. While my vertigo is better, my eyes are actually getting somewhat worse.

Many questions to ask tomorrow:
1. Is there a surgery I can have to correct this problem?
2. Am I lowering my chances of healing by working?
3. Do I need to go on disability to potentially regain my vision?
4. Do I truly have another (even more rare and serious) underlying neurological disease since I am not currently fitting only the typical issues associated with OCS. . .I am exhibiting more?
5. Will I be making people walk the plank forever? If so, where can I get a schnazzier eye patch?
6. Is this a genetic issue that could potentially transfer to my future posterity?

. . .and many others that I can't think of off the top of my head. That's why it's good to make a list.

In other news, the hubby and I are about to celebrate our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! That's right! I can't believe it's already been a year--it seems like just yesterday, but when I really examine the times we've spent, I see that it can't be just yesterday! Look at all we've done since then: holidays, workings, getting our friends married, packing one home, moving across the country, starting new jobs, setting up a new house, housing an old friend from Taiwan, starting a new church, losing my "single vision," etc. It's been a year of change. . .a great year, to be honest. Even amidst the current battles and challenges, I have loved it. I love learning, I love being married, and I love growing closer to God via all the world/God throws at me.

Last night I went to a fall festival to visit with my old co-workers, then today I was able to spend time with a new friend. What a great blessing to be healed enough to get out and do something. :) Up next weekend. . .time with the hubby and pumpkin carving fun! I've also gotten really happy with my pumpkin cooking. . .up this weekend, we have pumpkin cheesecake bars. Can't wait to see how those turn out!

Love and Lists

Since my last pure miracle, I've been experiencing those day to day miracles--God getting me through a day at work even with a really bad headache, God taking the headache away at 4am so I could still go to work, God protecting my classroom when a student who had been gone awhile returned, in providing R. to help in my classroom, in providing K. to be a very wonderful co-worker who teaches SPED and can bring me home, giving me strength despite exhaustion, allowing us to spend time getting to know new friends, giving us the funds to keep paying off the other "small" physician bills (we're at about 4500 grand I think), giving us people to LOVE.

I love love. I know that's putting two words that are twins beside each other, but that's the easiest way to say that I LOVE receiving AGAPE from God. All of the things listed above and everything else NOT on my list is all made possible by God. This reminds me of a PBS commercial all of a sudden. They used to show "Anne of Green Gables" all the time, stating that "this broadcast was made possible by viewers like YOU!" I remember that. But the truth is, AGAPE isn't made possible by two-leggers like me. AGAPE is made possible by GOD. "Anything is possible, with God all things are possible. . . don't give up 'cause He never gives in!" Another one of the millions of song lyrics in my poor head. If only someone would come up with a "Bible rap." I am sure I could seize more of God's Word to store in my heart. Seriously, that's how I memorized a few verses in my day. . .but back to AGAPE.

AGAPE is loving in the day to day. AGAPE is loving me when I am dirty, mean, feisty, lazy, and having a poor attitude. These things happen often, to be quite frank, and I often think. . .man, how can I keep friends? Fortunately, the AGAPE from God REFLECTS. When people see a Jesus-follower, some of that AGAPE love reflects to that person. No matter how you share love with others, a small picture of that AGAPE is included.

When God looks at us, He sees Jesus. When other people look at us, they see at least some attributes of Jesus. A favorite expression of mine says, "You may be the only Jesus someone sees." How convicting is that upon my soul? My evil thoughts, my wicked deeds? And people see me, knowing that I proclaim the name of Christ, and they lump me in a category with Jesus? YIKES. If that doesn't spur a person on to striving for obedience, I don't know what will.

Like I said, people see a little bit of AGAPE from you if you are a Jesus-follower. Let me ask God for the WISDOM I need to become more like His perfect Son. And let me continue in the understanding that I CANNT ACHIEVE PERFECTION, nor will I ever be a super-duper-awesome example of Christ all the time. . .that is where GRACE comes to join AGAPE and they run off into the sunset together.

Gotta love love.

Paid in FULL

Paid in full.

What does this mean?

Anyone living in this crazy time understands the greatness of being "debt-free" or finally being "in the green." It is something to be thankful for if it comes, but something also that typically we feel like we are going to have to work REALLLLLLLLLLY hard to get. I'm talking 9-5, weekends, after hours, two jobs, starving children. . .that's the kind of "hard" I am talking about.

You know what?

Sometimes, you don't have to work hard. Sometimes you don't have to do anything, not in a worldly sense.

I grew up poor. I'm talking soup kitchen, trailer park, one outfit poor. So in comparison with that past, anything is going to go "up" from that. I understand that working hard is a good quality. Yes, I know, slothfulness is a sin; thus, we should try to avoid this by seeking God and working as if we work for the Lord, not for man.

All this to say, now in my 20's, I have just recently had a "backslide" experience. After all my medical issues (while having NO insurance), my husband and I were left with a $35,000 debt to the hospital, not to mention all of the little side bills they love to send weeks after (probably several thousand more). This would put us back in that "poor/indebted/unsure" category that can be confusing and frustrating. Also, we just weren't sure where the money would come from if the hospital wanted loads of money each month. I like to eat. Food is good.

We filled out the financial aid packet, we prayed, and we told God that we knew He could pay off this debt for us. We also told God that we knew this was His decision. Perhaps His desire was for us to pay this off while leaning on Him. Perhaps He'd show up with His "magical checkbook" and whip out His pen made of angel wings. We did not know how He would answer our prayers, but we trusted in His judgement and in His ability to judge what would be the best for us as a family.

Last night, we shared our troubles with small group. We've shared with others, but not in a group setting or with a group from our new church, so we were thankful for their love, support, and prayers.

After all the weeks prior of praying at home and praising God for either path He might choose to give, it was nice to join with others (in person) for prayer.

The hospital has sent us so many envelopes with bills, I was starting to get paper cuts and lose sensation in my fingers, so when I saw ANOTHER envelope I was reluctant to open it.

Open.

Slowly read (I still can't see).

100%.

Paid in full.

Account taken to $0.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?!?!!?!?!?

God considered and heard our prayers. He acted upon them (this time, in a desired way), and we now have nothing left but the random (much smaller) bills from the different doctor's offices and labs.

PAID IN FULL.

GOD PAID MY DEBT IN FULL.

GOD ANSWERED MY PRAYER AND PAID MY DEBT IN FULL.

$0.

I cried so much after reading this letter. It was a slight remembrance of God coming into my life. A tangible experience that others can understand who may not yet know this great God.

Did I have to work for this? No. All we did was fill out the form and pray. Did I work fifty hard years to pay off this debt and interest? No. Did I become another man's slave? No. Did I change anything about myself to try and look more appealing? No.

Salvation.

Paid in full.

My debt brought to nothing; my slate wiped clean; a new creation.

When God calls and you answer, your debt too can be paid in full. While I am thankful to have no hospital debt, I am MORE thankful to know that while I was sick in the hospital, I knew what would happen if anything were to happen to me. My slate had already been wiped clean. I knew that if my Lord called to me again (this time a call to go home), I'd be able to. My slate would be a carbon copy of the life of Christ. When God looks at me, HE sees Christ.

Did I work for this? No. Did I work my way to be funky enough to get God's attention? No. Did I make myself trendy and hide my sin so that I might appear clean to God? No.

We are not required to clean ourselves up before answering God's call. We must be ready at a moment's notice. He doesn't want a "fancier version" of you--He wants YOU. For free. Paid in full; balance $0.

Now that is "in the green."

Green is a symbol for life & tranquility. I often use it in my classroom because it is supposed to be soothing. I pray that I would ALWAYS remember to thank God for bringing my life "into the green" where I could enjoy Him and live forever.

Let God make you green.

Wow, what an amazing week!

As far as an update since Monday, here I go:

I received a call on Tuesday giving me an appointment for Wednesday at Harborview on Wednesday morning with a neurologist. After lots of talking, her viewing all my records from the hospital, and an examination of my eyes, the doctor stated that I most certainly did NOT have a stroke at any point. She also told me that she did not feel that I had a "brain problem"--this was most likely an eye nerve/muscle issue. She wanted for me to see a neuro-opthamologist (spelling? whew) to check on this problem.

After picking up some financial aid packets and such, we went over to the eye clinic where the "N-O's" (easier for me to type) work. My new friend who was with me at the doctor was willing to give up her appointment for me that was the next week because we were told there were no openings that day.

God put us in the right place at the right time, because one of the "work-up tech's" in the eye clinic came out, saw me teetering, and was like "follow my finger!" I stand out like a sore thumb with the vertigo, but in this case, the attention was good because she got one of the other "N-O's" so get me in THAT DAY!!!!!!

God was so good and orchestrated everything perfectly for this to happen. After lots of staring, following fingers, taking color tests, and having EXTREMELY bright lights shined in my eyes for hours, the doctor returned and finally gave me a diagnosis. Three weeks later, I can now tell people what I have instead of listing symptoms and confusing everyone. I have what is called "ocular convergence spasms" in my eyes, which means that my eye muscles are unable to relax. Since they can't relax and really honestly can't move from side to side, I am unable to focus with both eyes on one object. From what I understand, this will be a recurring disease, so once my vision returns this time (praying for next week when I remove the patch!!), it may do the same thing again. We shall see; one day at a time.

Overall, this was great news. In one day, I was assured that I had not had a stroke, a brain tumor, or a "brain problem"--so many blessings to hear! This was a great diagnosis, especially since the prior doctor has mentioned multiple sclerosis, which is such a debilitating disease. I was also REALLY happy to hear that I had not had a stroke.

For now, I am wearing this eye patch over one eye for a week straight, only opening it for the eye drops I have been prescribed. The eye drops are supposed to help to relax the muscles. After one week, I am praying that when my pirate patch comes off I will be able to see again. It is exciting to think about because I have been seeing double fore three weeks now, and next week it will be nearly one month. I will NEVER take my sight for granted again. . .EVER. It is so wonderful to be able to look at things and see the great beauty that God has created. Mountains, children, green grass, everything. Until next week, I am looking forward to seeing those things again with both my eyes opened. :)

So that is my basic overview. One random thing that happened was that my eye stayed dialated until YESTERDAY so when I tried to take my kids to lunch I would up being the one who had to be led by a co-worker! I freaked people out all day long with my HUGE pupil--it was so crazy! Inside light was fine, but the sun was a killer. I am also VERY thankful to look in the mirror today and see a normally constricted pupil. God is good.

A couple of AWESOME things happened this week while I was at work that I REALLY want to share.

On Tuesday, I wound up with extreme attendance issues. While I was talking to the attendance officer at school, the truancy officer was listening to me as I talked and explained why I was so confused--all my absences!! I had to go and speak with the truancy officer after that because two of my students had missed days and in WA, even SWD are included in the whole truancy court issue. I disagree with this, but that is another story for another time. I go in to talk with her and she says, "I overheard you talking about being sick. Are you okay?" So I gave her a basic overview of the issues and she said "Well I believe in the power of healing, so don't claim it." After that, I said, "Well, I believe in the power of Jesus, so I know that this is His will that will be done." She freaked out and was like "Are you a Christian?" So I told her that I was and asked if she was. She was so excited to meet another Christian at the school, and of course, so was I. She prayed over me and we had a great conversation. Before I left, she prayed over me. Once again, this was totally all constructed by the Lord. He placed us there and gave me that attendance situation so that I could be encouraged by another believer. What a great God we have!!

On Thursday, I had more attendance issues (WOW, REALLY>??) so I had to call the techline for help. Somehow, the lady asked me something that went to the eyes. It was a similar situation to what the truancy officer and I had. She said something, I said God, and we discovered that we were both Christians and she encouraged me and spurred me on. . . .and helped me log online to the crazy attendance website!! :) WHAT AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE!

So those were both totally God-sent examples of how the Lord will encourage you when you need it and He will never leave you. When I could so easily be discouraged, God has lifted me up. Thank the Lord for this awesome week and the blessed opportunity to talk about Him so much! Let Him be praised and given the glory He deserves!!

Another huge blessing was being given a ride home by a co-worker yesterday. She went WELL out of her way to bring me home after work when she knew I wouldn't have any other way except to take the bus. How awesome!

Now it is Saturday. My boo has to work, which makes me sad, but I will certainly have the opportunity to rest while I am at home.

Reading in Job has helped to give me perspective--this is so minor and NOT eternal. Doesn't even matter--yes, I can say it does stink and I certainly wouldn't choose this for myself--but I know that there are so many reasons why God allowed this to come to me! Even the examples of this week--so many doors have been opened to talk about Him and share His truth with others. Now THAT is eternal.

I thank you all for your prayers and I am so grateful for you!

Never more than we can handle. . .

God is just so amazing to me. . .at such a "rock and a hard place" time in my life, I could be in a dark, scary place all the time. Believe me, there have been two REALLY HARD days for me since all of this crazy eyeball-headache-vertigo mess had been going on. . . but God didn't let me stay there.

When I became a Christian nearly ten years ago, the first thing I read was Psalm 40. GOD HAS LIFTED ME OUT OF THE MIRY PIT AND HE HAS SET MY FEET UPON THE SOLID ROCK. . .HE HAS PUT A HYMN OF PRAISE IN MY MOUTH. . . .HE WILL EXALT ME OVER THE ENEMIES (even myself) AND WILL CONQUER!

God loves me too much to leave me in a state of dark, dreary, sadness. I cannot miss what "could have been" because if I am truly born again, I understand that God's plan IS BETTER THAN MY PLAN. None of this was in my plan. I want to teach, to change special education for the better, to bless and help others, to use service and loving to bring others to see the love of Christ. But look at what I have now. . .was that my plan? No. But I know God because He's been my dad for awhile. And if I trust in Him and remember the blessings of old, I will remember that God's plan is ALWAYS better than my own.

Did I plan to get married? Nope. Single. Taiwan. No boys. But now look what I have. . . .the best husband a woman could ever desire, a marriage where my husband is a true representation of how Christ loved the church, despite all of her "irrational, realistic, stubborn" ways. . . .and really, I'm talking about myself. On top of that, now I get to live in Seattle for the current time and this place is a city that I love. I love the people, I love where God has us. I love things that we have been blessed with here.

Did I plan immediately to be a special education teacher? No. I will be a lawyer. I will defend the helpless and abused. But look what I have now. . . .a desire and passion to help those in society who are MOST OFTEN abandoned, abused, and unloved. I can speak for those without words. This is a huge responsibility that is a little scary because God gave it to me and told me "not thy will, but my will. . ." and here I am. What a huge blessing it is to be reminded of how awesome it is to be able to do simple things. My students teach me more than I teach them most days. And now I have my own disability. I write to you squinting with tingly fingers. . .what is this a new challenge?

This us what God has shown me. . .that He will never leave me, forsake me, or stop blessing me. If that is true, then my new disability is a blessing. It willl give me the ABILITY to follow the path God has in store for me. I know that without this "disability," I can no longer follow God's path for my life. This is something HE has allowed to happen to me because this is a journey He has created for me.

And the best part is. . .I have people that God has specifically placed to be with me during this part of my journey. I have my husband who reminds me that the dark place is not okay when I do go there. He lifts me up, reads to me, reminds me of Job and others who have lost way more than me. I have a new friend who God specifically gave to me on Sunday to get me in to the best hospital in the nation (according to the news) THIS WEEK. While other doctors told me to wait and no one gave us answers, I feel certain that the uncertainty is about to be over. On top of that, this new friend has a similar health condition. Who better to bring alongside me than someone who has literally been where I am right now? GOD IS SO GOOD. I do not deserve this. I do not deserve to be this blessed. Because I understand that my salvation is based on faith and not works, I can believe that God does this. I can believe that God will make a path greater than I could ever imagine on my own. I can believe in the LOVE He lavishes upon me. And I can rest assured that He will see me through until the end. He will see me through until it is my turn to be glorified and never see another needle again.


My heaven is a place without needles.


What about you? I hope that you also have a love story so great as this. But unlike most love stories, mine will never be finished. My love story is one that extends past time because to God, time is pretty much pointless. And I can rest in the fact that my love story is one that leads me to prosper and not perish. . . .walk and not grow weary. . . .run the race and receive the crown of glory. Only God can write one like that.

I once was lost. . .and now I don't see?

Ironic, I know. But sometimes patterns change.

Sept. 11, 2010. Pink eye. Blurry. . .must take WEST-Basic test for my new teaching license. Darn pink eye. Oh wait, it really is double vision.

Five hours later, tired eyes, tired body. . .I exit the test facility. Think I did fine, despite only using one eye at a time while my vision worsened.

Six hours later, ER. CAT scan. Pain. Needles. Ouch.

Sept. 12, 2am. Home. No improvement.

Sept. 13. Neurologist won't see me. Turns us away to the ER.

Sept 13-17. ER. Spinal tap. 2 MRI's. EKG. EEG. So much blood work I look like a "user." This is not the case. Maybe it's an infection. It'll go away in a couple of weeks. If not, maybe it's multiple sclerosis. Maybe it's something totally different. I'm really not sure. I can't do anything more for you here.

Sept. 17, 4pm. Home with a 1,000 ton brick of steroids holding my body in a vertical position. Not cool.


Tried to condense that as much as I could. I am still unable to see, I can't type so well. But I want to get the thoughts out.

So now I am home. My eyes are moving a slight bit more, my strength is being renewed by the Lord alone. All this to tell you the following:

1. God has a purpose; He has a lesson to teach. Maybe several. When I get down over the trials and the valleys, I remind myself that GOD HAS A PURPOSE. His thoughts are not my thoughts, His ways are not my ways. His ways are better. His thoughts more pure.

2. God is using this experience to refine me and to mold me and my faith in Him. I have to trust in Him completely--in His timing,, in His will. I cannot doubt that He has the ability to cure me. He could do that in a split second, and perhaps He will. But I wait now for His timing. And while I wait, I keep the faith. I run in a way to receive the prize, I persevere.

3. "Because it's down in this valley. . .I'm surrounded by You." This is a lyric from a really great song that has always lifted me up. When we are on the peaks, it's much easier to forget the Lord. But when I"m in the valley and there is no place else to look but up. . .that is when I am the closest to God. There is a need for the valleys. . .lest we forget the need for God.

4. In the valley, the view that is most clear is the view up. Ironically, I can see the BEST right now when I am looking up. When my eyes are off the sky, there is confusion. I cannot see clearly; I do not know exactly what is going on. I am unable to aim appropriately and often miss the food hole. ;) But when I look up. . .the view is most clear.

5. Seeing is not believing. When I was in the hospital, the verse that brought me comfort (especially when a needle was in the room) was the following from 2 Cor. 4: "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." Thus, the things that I could see each day with my eyes do not matter. Those things will burn. When I pass from this world, none of those things will be seen again. What matters are the things that I cannot see. . .the eternal things. Salvation, the Lord, Jesus. So the fact that my sight has been taken DOES NOT MATTER. In fact, it simplifies faith. I cannot see, so God has taken my ability to focus on the things of this world that I can see. I do not deserve sight; none of my most righteous deeds give me the "RIGHT" to anything. My most righteous deeds lead to death. What saves me? My ability to SEE THE UNSEEN; to FOCUS ON THE UNSEEN; to be MORE CONCERNED WITH the unseen. . . .these are all the greatest gifts of God.


So yes. Once, back before Dec. of 2000, I was LOST. And NOW I AM FOUND. Now I have been effectively made blind to the things of the world. . .but this allows to see only what is important.

God is good.

My God heals.

My God heals in His own time.

And sometimes all you can pray is "God help me." Sometimes the pain is too much. Sometimes there is no breath to get anything else out. But God knows your thoughts and prayers before you do.

Faith is not vision. Faith is belief and trust where there is no vision.

My God is ABLE

That is a lyric from a REALLLLLLLLLY old gospel song back from the early 90's. "My God is able, yes He is, He can do what He said He'd do!"

God promised me a long time ago when I became one of His covenant children that He would mold me, grow me, protect me, provide for me, multiply me, discipline me, answer my prayers, seek out my best when I can't figure out what is best, and be my Daddy.

God has done all of these things. He has been faithful when I have felt faithless, when I have felt hopeless, when I have been so worried about what was going to happen next.

But you know what? He already won. He won the battle, He defeated the victory, and now He will help me defeat my own enemies. . .sometimes even myself.

I am so thankful for a God like this--for a God who doesn't change on a whim. For a God who isn't like the wayward women of the Bible, being blown to and fro by every new teaching. My God doesn't change His mind; He won't take back what He has already offered to me.

And He offers this so freely to others. Why do we try to complicate things so much? I know I do. It seems like I want things to be "brain-teasers" when sometimes the simplest answer really is the right one! I pray that when others get to a point where God has called them, that they will not complicate what is so simple. When God said faith like a child, He wasn't talking about one of those genius kids who starts college at 8 or is inventing new ways to cook all the fat off bacon. . .He was talking about normal kids. Normal kids who pick their noses, normal kids who cry when their parents leave them, and normal kids who have no concept of time and other things we adults focus so much on.

It's so easy.

It's so simple.

God is so good.

We are SO bad.

We can reach God. . .

If we reach out for help from Jesus.

And you know what?

Even after you've walked with God for years, He STILL ISN'T GOING TO EXPECT YOU TO BE PERFECT. HE STILL UNDERSTANDS THAT YOU ARE GROWING. HE STILL UNDERSTANDS THAT YOU WILL NOT REACH PERFECTION UNTIL THE DAY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

I am thankful that God reached out to me almost 10 years ago. . .I am grateful that He is still continuing to work on me and work in my heart. Each day He finds a whole new box of things stored up that we have to clean out and purge. He does this with grace and is gentle.

This is the ABLE God that we have. He is able to see us through the hard times, when things aren't looking up, when we are so down we can't even see the Sun. He is able to wipe our slate clean. He is able to forgive us even when we can't accept forgiveness.

I am glad to have this ABLE God. Thank you Lord, for being who you are. I do not want to limit what you can do. Please continue to be ABLE.

Birthdays & Blessings

Well, the hubby's bday celebration weekend has kicked off! Last night I got off work so late our biking was put off, so we went out for a bday dinner at a place where my boo could get a steak. I crave pickles; he craves steak. Men & women are so different!

Today we went to Seward Park again--the weather has been amazing here lately! It was cold in the park. . .we had on hiking boots and jackets! It got a bit warmer and now the sun is out, but it's still nice outside! I just made the bday cake and sang. . .so my hubbles was sent off to work with a very full tummy! After our hike, he got to get all beefed up again at Five Guys, Burgers & Fries! Apparently, that is the number one burger place in the US right now.

Tomorrow we are heading to church in the morning, then heading to the market for our fresh produce for the week, and then going bowling for hubby's last bday event! It has been a fun weekend, and the weeks keep flying by!

We are feeling really blessed and ever so happy. I don't think I fully realized how ready I was to leave until we got out here and started enjoying the city. There is so much to do and see here. Less stress, more time with my husband, more time to read, etc.

In other news, the husband's new job is going well. He took me for a tour of the grounds at the new hospital and it is lovely. One would never feel comfy at a hospital, but the fact that the hospital is set outside of the city with loads of trees, flowers, fountains, etc. around. . .I would def pick them! The hospital is known for being caring, which is exactly what my husband is. He is going to do well there. I am so happy and proud of him.

Right now I am trying to get motivated to organize some paperwork and other things. . .we will see what happens!! I am so excited to go to church in the morning. . .our sermons have been so awesome lately. I am so thankful to be getting to know people out here also. There are SO many young families like us at our new church. . .loads of people with babies and young kids running around--it is refreshing and getting me very excited for the future. Being a parent is going to be such a huge blessing.

We really feel like God is looking out for us. He is taking care of us, answering our prayers, and giving us an ABUNDANCE of blessings. He has been so provisional during this transitional time in our lives. . .we praise Him!

God is great; God is good!

My husband got the job at the hospital; amen and hallelujah! We are so thankful and so excited about this! :) Just wanted to say thank you to all who have been praying for us! God is really being faithful, answering prayers, and encouraging us.

Had a great bday celebration this past weekend and last night we had some YUMMY Thai food to celebrate the new job! It was soooo good--the best Thai we've had here yet. . .we are super experts at this point because it seems like we are always hitting the Thai.

Another park this weekend. . .we haven't decided which one we will go to, but there will definitely be some fun to be had this weekend both on Saturday and CHURCH DAY!! :)

We are still loving the new church. . .what a blessing. Making new friends, enjoying sermons and activities, etc. We are looking forward to being able to join in a few months. They do new members class every several months, so until then, we wait! :)

Off to get ready to head back to work for the afternoon. I've pretty much been with the babies here lately, so I am off to clean up spit up and spilled milk! :)

Biking & Hiking. . .and everything nice!

Well, I guess Friday must be the new official blog day. . .somehow I manage to eat lunch faster on Friday! :) Lunch break time, then it's back to work for just a few more hours! As soon as I get off and get home from work we are going on a bike ride to Green Lake! :) This will be the first time I've been for a ride here since we moved. I hope I can make it. . .my bike is a beach cruiser with 5 speeds, so hills will be the enemy. We will go on the less hilly path to the lake though. :)

Tomorrow we're going hiking at a new park, yay!

I can't believe I had a birthday yesterday. . .doesn't even feel like it, especially since no one but my husband was really excited about it! Thank you Lord for him! :) I got homemade lemon bars, yum!

Our cousins are moving back out here. . .yay! :) We are so excited to welcome them back to our favorite coast. How exciting! Now we will get to see them regularly!

We are still loving our new church--it's awesome! We are starting to get to know more people and once our schedules are "set in stone" we will finally be able to go to a small group. We are 95% sure that my husband will get a job at the hospital (it has to stay posted until Monday legally, but only for internal candidates). We are very thankful for God blessing him in this way and he is definitely looking forward to a new job. It sounds perfect for him!

Well, I'm off to work! No idea who I will be with this afternoon!

TGIF!!

I was finally able to go to the doctor (since I had a high fever) so now I am on antibiotics to cure my sinus infection. I dislike doctors greatly, but I am ready to feel good again! I am ready to be able to walk and have fun and ride my bike!

I am very glad that today is Friday. I have been in a younger class all week at work and there are soooo many kids and sooo much action. . .and I have to blow my nose soooooo many times a day. . . the weekendis very welcome and I am ready for 6pm!

This week we are thankful that my husband has a part-time job. He also received a call on his "most-desired" job, and it really looks like he will get it! What an answered prayer! The job is very close to home, and it is the hospital he wants to work at. I hope that he will get the final word very soon!

Our friend from Taiwan left us yesterday; now we look forward to our trip to Taiwan with great anticipation. The good news--we have a place to stay for free and food in Taiwan is dirt cheap. The bad news: plane tickets are not dirt cheap. We hope to have enough money saved up so that we can travel there in 1.5-2 years. We actually are hoping to go in the "winter" because summer will be SO hot. If we can, we hope to visit during Chinese New Year, which takes place at the end of January and the beginning of February. It would be a great experience! My husband and I look forward to that, but for now, we are here in our new home, enjoying our new city very much.

I am thankful for the following things:

1. People here are more real. If you're mad, you say it. If you have issues, you don't hide them and put on a mask. This I appreciate; the south in general seems to be VERY into outward appearances and being "clean" and "good." I'd rather have honest.

2. Convenience. We shop at like, 6 different grocery stores. There are tons of coupons, and certain stores have good prices on certain items. However, we do not have to DRIVE to ANY of these places. NO. WE WALK.

3. A greater ability to serve daily. If you look back to number one, I like honesty. My spiritual gifts are serving and mercy. If no one is ill, how can I serve? Here, I feel that I can more easily serve and people are more likely to say, "Hey, I need help." God is giving me this huge blessing. If I cannot help and serve others, I often feel useless, sad, and as if I am not being obedient to God's call. Serving and setting an example for Jesus here is a totally different experience. I love it.

4. Parks and walking. Self-explanatory. We only drive on Sunday, and this week we are biking to church since our guest is no longer with us (we only have 2 bikes!!).

5. Awesome new church. I'm glad to be getting fed again. We love the church we are attending and their focus on serving the community. I often wonder why the body is not reaching out. This church has a great community focus that we love.

6. Weather. Much cooler. Less sweat=less annoyance. Also, less sunscreen irritation.

Overall, we're feeling happy and settled in here. Lunch break is almost over...off to brush teeth before a few more hours!

Swollen glands

So. . .I've been sick for 2 weeks now. . .it is killer! :( I wish that I could go to the doctor, but I work too late! I have no idea what to do about that one. Please pray that I get better!

I am hoping to be able to go tomorrow, but I am not sure if it is going to happen. It is hard to enjoy anything here when I feel this way--I feel so bad because we have a guest and all I feel like doing is sleeping!

Still praying on a full-time job for the hubby, and praying that things will continue to go smoothly at my job. I am around kids of all ages all day long. . . one day I will finally get to be a super parent for my own kids! ;) We look forward to that!~

More another day...but now my lunch break is over and I have to get back to work!

Praises to the Lord!

Yesterday we finally found a church matching nearly all of our desires. Since no church is perfect, we are pretty sure that this is the one!

The worship was awesome, the guest pastor was great (the actual pastor was home; very sick. :(), they have small groups, etc.

After last week (wow, a "claimed" reformed church with a female pastor), we were so thankful to find like-minded believers. When we first got there, the numbers were slim, but since we were early it soon became quite full. This is awesome for an area like Seattle.

We sang very worshipful songs (with instruments, unlike our 2nd church), we took communion (and will every week, awesome!), and we did Scripture/confessional recitation, which I have missed.

There are several small groups all around the city, so we will go to one of those this week, based on when I get off work. Some are at 6, while some meet at 7:30. And if none of those work, we can always do Sundays. However, we would greatly prefer to spread out the joy during the week. :)

Also, they have a food ministry with the homeless, women's Bible studies, and overall, we were just pleased to have opportunities to serve side by side with fellow Christians OUTSIDE of the church building. Not saying that we survive based on works (so not true!), but where there is faith, works will follow. We have missed serving others with Christian brothers and sisters, and we are excited to see what happens at this new church.

PRAISE BE TO GOD! WE LIFT UP OUR HEARTS TO HIM!

In other news, this morning I will begin my new job. I will be in training and a "floater" for an unknown period of time. This actually sounds quite nice to me. Having too many responsibilities for the past couple of years has been exhausting. I will be happy to do what others request for awhile while they decide with whom I will teach. :)

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My husband and I are enjoying our friend S (from Taiwan) so much. . .I am so thankful that even though God has asked me to be patient and wait to return to where I left my heart 4 years ago, that He is now allowing friends FROM where I left my heart to come to us. God knows exactly what I need, as well as what my husband and I need. We are practicing our Chinese in hopes that S can help us pick out what language program will be the best. Each area (i.e. southern Taiwan vs. northern Taiwan, Taiwan vs. China, etc.) all speak with different Chinese accents, much like people in different areas of the USA do. Hence, we need a program that speaks like the people from Taiwan. Learning a tonal language is difficult enough; we do not need any more hurdles to cross. :)

I have had a wonderful summer. Spending time with people back in GA, exploring our new city, enjoying exploring even more and being a tour guide for S. . .such a very blessed summer.

I'm off to get ready for work!

"Home"

Well, this morning we will try our 4th church here in the area. . .we are praying to find our new "home." We miss our home back in GA. We miss our family there. Here, going from church to church each Sunday with no roots, reminds me of being a freshman in college. Everyone always tried lots of different churches "just to make sure" I only went to two different churches, once a piece, after going to home. Home was the first church I went to after moving away to college. Home is where I have been since 2003.

A few notes on the word "home:"

1. I am not talking about a house in which I lived

2. I am talking about a body of believers with which I had great fellowship. I am talking about family. Home is where your family is.

3. Right now, our family is far away back in GA. We miss them greatly, and they are still in our hearts and on our minds.

4. Home can be expanded. People want to say, "don't forget where you come from." Well, I believe that since home is a people-group for me, your home can only grow larger.

5. I think building a larger home is what God wants. He doesn't just want a two person home. He wants a home with lots of colors, lots of faces, lots of DIFFERENCES.

6. If our home is only made up of one color, it's too much. We need to paint. I'm not saying that we have to run out and force ourselves on people. No. That is wrong. I am saying that we need to expand our vision of what God wants in a home. I know that God likes colors. Browns, greens, . . .even pinks and purples! Maybe some polka dots.


I have many soapboxes, this is just one of them. But I write all of this to say that we pray that this 4th church will be a place that we can expand our home. Right now, I have my husband and one of my favorite people from Taiwan here (i.e. close enough to touch). I'm ready to expand, to study God's word, to continue growing with some new editions to the home.

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Praise Him all creatures here below,

Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts,

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. . . .

Amen.


Thank you Lord. This is something to keep faith and worship simple. Recognition that the Lord, all 3 parts, are to be praised, worshipped, & adored. All that is good comes from God. God works all things together for the good of those who love Him. That means that whether or not I recognize certain things as good, they ARE good. I do not even recognize all of the GOOD that is being done for me. That is amazing!!


Another simple song I remember singing in Sweden. It was a song/prayer. . .something a friend there sang with her children before each meal. Yes, we sang it in English. :)

Thank you Lord, for giving us food,

Thank you Lord, for giving us food,

Thank you Lord, for giving us food,

Right where we are....

Sing hallelujah, praise the Lord,

Sing hallelujah, praise the Lord,

Sing hallelujah, praise the Lord,

Right where we are....


1. God provides, no matter where you are. You are His child. You will not be forgotten.

2. God can and should be praised all the time, no matter where you are. Whether it's "Thanks God for this parking space," or "Thanks God for healing my friend with cancer."



Faith doesn't have to be complex. . .in fact, it shouldn't be. Why do we keep making things complicated? We like to work for/to God. Sadly, that's now how it works and it wastes so much time!! God made faith easy enough for a child to understand . . .let's keep it that way.

Thank you Lord

Thank you Lord

1. For my husband

2. For this day

3. For letting a friend get here from overseas safely to stay with us!

4. For making the loud trucks quieter

5. For cooler weather

6. For the job I start Monday

7. For kids

8. For parks and trees. . .and all other green areas!

9. For fun times

10. For mail


Thank you Lord for being faithful to me even when I am not faithful to You. Thank you for answering our prayers. I pray now that you would allow us to find a new church home that is not extreme in any way!! No female pastors, no monotonous tones, . . .help us please now!

Psalm 25: Hope & ACTION

Psalm 25


1[a] To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

2 in you I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3 No one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous without excuse.

4 Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;

5 guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.

6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.

7 Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O LORD.

8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.

10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

11 For the sake of your name, O LORD,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD ?
He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

13 He will spend his days in prosperity,
and his descendants will inherit the land.

14 The LORD confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.

15 My eyes are ever on the LORD,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.

17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied;
free me from my anguish.

18 Look upon my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.

19 See how my enemies have increased
and how fiercely they hate me!

20 Guard my life and rescue me;
let me not be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.

21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope is in you.

22 Redeem Israel, O God,
from all their troubles!

At last. . .

HOME.

Everything is done. We are about to go downtown and enjoy our first day "off" since getting here. The place looks great; the husband did an excellent job getting all the pictures up! :)

<3

Collapse in Oregon. . .

This evening we are resting. A week of travel=wow, I cannot believe we did this! We are super tired this evening, so once we got to our hotel, we decided to stay in. Tomorrow we will explore and see Portland, Oregon. We are hoping to go to the Japanese Gardens and Rose gardens as well as see downtown.

I am spending some time now putting our pictures online. . .let's just say I've probably taken 3000 or more, so it's getting a little crazy at this point. :) It's what I do!

Just enjoying some rest with the husband, about to get some sleep! So exciteD!

On the road. . .exhaustion + Penske = moving to Seattle!

My husband and I are on the way to our new home! Cannot believe that we are 3/4 of the way there! Currently, I am writing from our hostel in Salt Lake City. Today we drove in from Colorado Springs. It was a beautiful, twisty, crazy ride.

Thus far, we have seen Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and now Utah! Our final states: Idaho and Oregon.

We have stayed with friends along the way--loads of fun to see them! Now we are frolicking in Utah at a hostel with one of our bff's. She's here for summer camp. Tonight we walked around and saw all of the "Mormon sights" in UTah--the temples, the full tour of all the buildings. . .etc.

Tomorrow we will enjoy some other sites.

We will also head out toward Idaho for a bit. That way, we hopefully won't have to do a full trip from here to Oregon--it's a long way!

We will officially be moving into our new place on the 30th--what a blessing!

Exhausted. . .trying to soak it all in! :)

Change of address

So, I just officially changed our address on the USPS website. It's so handy being able to do that online . . .standing in line at the post office is definitely my idea of TORTURE. Not a good thing, I promise. It seems like the post office is always slammed with people whenever I go and have to stand in line. Thank heavens for the internet.

So a few more things have fallen into place for our trip. We have three sets of people to visit along the way; we are hoping to arrive there on the 20th so that the next day we can get up and start loading up the new apartment.

Can't wait to PI-VOT! Heehee.

If you're a FRIENDS fan, you understand the above quote. If not, I'm sorry.

We are sitting here at our friends' house so that we can use the internet to update things with the new address, get the new address to our friends, and take care of a few essential "chores" that have to be done.

We are about to go meet the cousins for lunch. . .then go visit a few friends before ending the evening cleaning ceiling fans and other random things at the house.

Tomorrow will be my last chance to bake in our current house. Then I'll be packing and cleaning all day while the husband is at work having a goodbye party with his favorite foods. :) People have been so wonderful to us lately!

Yesterday we helped our other friends load up their moving truck--they are currently on the road driving to Nashville. It made me even more excited for our move when I saw their packed out truck. We are so looking forward to literally "Trucking it" across the country. I'm sure I'll take a billion and one pictures. Too bad I already packed the hard drive. . .it's somewhere in our bazillion boxes. Love the alliteration.

I can't wait!

Newly Hitched

Well, our best friends are finally hitched! YEHAW~! We had a great time celebrating for several days with them, and now we are certainly exhausted.

We have some other best friends visiting, some on the way to visit, and plenty of things left to clean in the house. . .but most of that will have to wait practically until the day of the move! I refuse to vacuum fifty times. Our plan is to move from the back of the house to the front so that we can clean each room from the front to back. The floors will have to be cleaned before we leave. Everything else will be done this weekend! Thank goodness my husband is tall and can clean ceiling fans. ;)

We are super excited to set off on an adventure. . .three families/friends to visit on the way across the country. We have been advised to camp in Colorado. :) We will see what happens!@

Two Weeks Tomorrow

And the countdown continues. . .

2 weeks (from tomorrow) until we leave for Seattle!

Until the time comes, we will be here, spending time with friends, watching our best friends get married, and enjoying our last little bit of time here before we head out on our next adventure and chapter of life. It's been awhile since I figured out what chapter I was on. . .I guess I may have to revisit some more of my old posts to figure out where I am headed with my husband!

Currently, my husband and I are sitting with our soon to be hitched bff's using the wireless internet whilst watching a movie (on and off). The husband is taking one of the online courses required for his job out in Seattle. I had to take two myself and thus far I've only done one. Online classes you have to pass are kind of like a punishment. It takes me back to the days of grad school, I guess.

Our friends are discussing eateries that they'd like to partake of on their honeymoon. I'm just glad that they will be back to see us off. Otherwise, I'd be crying even worse on Saturday. The floodgates are going to open, I'm telling you.

Since I like lists, I am now going to make a list of the things that we are excited about once we get to Seattle. . .

1. Cultural diversity

2. Challenges

3. The opportunity to become much closer to my husband, as we will pretty much only know each other there for a bit. . .

4. Having fun visitors

5. New church

6. Gluten-free, healthy foods at Trader Joe's

7. Pike Place MArket . . .and it's produce. Can anyone say delish apples?

8. Fun stuff to do that is FREE

9. Parks and frolicking outside

10. Music possibilities

11. Making new friends and becoming snail mail pals with my current pals

12. Walking to work/the husband biking to work

13. Rain and fog and COOOOOOOOL weather

14. Pacific Ocean

15. Hills

16. Preschool

17. Thai & CHinese


In other news, one of my best friends from TAiwan is coming to visit us on July 13 and I am SOOOOOOOO excited to see her! What a great surprise!

God has blessed me so much . . .wonderful husband, wonderful adventures, wonderful friends to see us off, God's wonderful promises of more friends. . .I just love what God can do for His people.

How deep the Father's love for us. . . .how vast beyond all measure. . .!!

< 3

Less than three weeks until the big move. . .

Our house is a disaster area, complete with a multitude of boxes. . .some ours, a few going to Goodwill, and some still not packed because let's face it--you have to wait until the last minute for some things.

That makes me crazy.

Today I'm off to get my hair trimmed and watch on of my bff's get her wedding 'do. Then home to meet up with another friend to plan for the Bachelorette fun that is to come tomorrow. This involves a spend the night party. :)

Fun times! We are winding down, spending time with people, and enjoying ourselves. . .except my boo still has to work. :( I miss him.

Soon we'll be trapped in a car together driving across the country. . .so I guess we will make up for it then! I just ordered a ginormous book of Madlibs--bound to keep us entertained for many hours!

I can't wait to see the USA!

Keeping the old. . .and the new

The expression "out with the old and in with the new" does not always have to apply. While in some cases, this is true (i.e. becoming a Christian--bye bye old self!!), it is not true in my personal opinion when it comes to friends.

Yes, some friends are only in your life for a season. They come in for a chapter or two but then they are gone--not because you "hate each other," but simply because life moves you in different directions.

I know that in moving, I do not feel like I am going to "lose" anything. In a technologically advanced society, it'd be really hard to "fall off the face of the planet." I have friends that I know are those friends that will be in my life "for the rest of my chapters."

If you are reading this as a friend, I'm not dipping out on people--just the location.

:)

All in all, my husband and I have been very blessed with some amazing friends. Not only did all of our friends come together last Saturday to bid us goodbye and God be with you, but my friends from work surprised us last night. . .and many other friends have had us over for dinner, taken us out for dinner, or set aside some of their precious time to spend with us before we leave.

For this, I am so thankful and grateful.

Moving is emotional--we have deep, emotional, God-centered ties with friends here who have seen us through the years. We will not forget.

With the Lord in your heart, there is always more love to give. You can never reach a limit with love; you can never run out of love.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

We had such a great time last night. It was great seeing work friends outside of work. This morning I get to meet with my fav teacher people. It begin long ago as "Three Feisty Teachers" and now we've grown a bit larger. . .FIVE FEISTY TEACHERS! ;)

Cracker Barrel + turkey bacon + friends = a good time. MMMMMMM MMMMMMM.

Tomorrow we have showers and this upcoming week, more packing and more spending time with friends! How exciting! I am going to enjoy my last bit of summer here before the move.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

In other news, we've been approved for an apartment. Two-bedroom, vaulted ceilings, top floor. Super excited to see how all our furniture is going to get to the top floor. I guess all my protein bars will come in handy as the husband and I hoist our ginormous couch over our heads. That thing would never fit in an elevator. Except maybe the elevators at IKEA or Trader Joe's . . .but that isn't going to benefit us. We won't be living in a store.

PI-VOT! PI-VOT! I can see a reenactment of FRIENDS now. I'll give the quote to him though. ;)

That's all my news for now. . .! Off to look at some books. . .like we need more. . .

Last Day

So, it's my official LAST DAY of work here at the school. . . and when I say "work," I mean sitting around looking up stuff on the internet because I am done with everything!

Whew. There are only so many things I can research on the internet and read about. . .it might be time to pull out my book!

My husband and I woke up this morning to a scary sight in the kitchen through some not quite well-made areas. . ."ant invasion 2010." It was not a pretty sight; they were everywhere! We sprayed, squished, and killed lots of the sneaky creatures, and by the time they were all dead, we knew we were running behind schedule!

Crazy way to get going on the last day of work, but as long as they don't greet me when I get home, I'll be just fine and dandy!

Last night we had the blessing of eating out with some dear friends at Cracker Barrel--our cousins have informed us that once we move to the west, we will miss the Crack. The Crack has always been one of my favorite places to eat (even though it hurts my tummy so badly), so I know I'll miss it.

Who knew that I'd get to eat there twice in one week? But Friday's brunch will bring me turkey bacon and eggs, not veggies.

My husband is just the best. Last week, he bought me a movie I had been wanting to watch again after reading the book (Slumdog Millionaire), and inside the movie was a MASSAGE APPOINTMENT. Thus, until Thursday, I will be anxiously awaiting an hour long deep tissue massage. This is very wonderful news to my aching back!

By the way, once you've read the book S.M., you'll be very disappointed in how much the movie is TOTALLY NOT THE SAME as the book. The book is so much better and more intricate. . .and also much more thought-provoking.

I can't wait to go to India.

The children of the world in a multi-colored array are so beautiful to me. A rainbow of mixed ethnicities. . .awesome.

This morning I filled out the application for the awesome apartment we found-super excited to get out there and see it in person. Also super excited to see how our oversized furniture is getting up the stairs to the top floor where we will live. It's not heavy stuff. . .just bulky. But that is a challenge all in itself.

In other news, Trader Joe's is 3 miles from the new place, so my dietary needs will be met close to home. There is also a natural foods store right across the street. Yesterday while at "work" I managed to check out the full area and map out distances to everything we could possibly need. It's looking like it'll be easy to park the car and only use that baby when we road trip to CANADA, PORTLAND, AND CALI!

Before we hit Asia, it seems necessary to see all we can see. I think once we get there the chances of us being anywhere near motivated to return will be extremely slim.

Cambodia, Nepal, India, mainland China, Japan, the whole Asian rim--it's calling. I'm listening. . .hearing the sounds of the city, smelling the smells of the food, feeling the emotional lost burden of the people, and feeling at home whilst doing this.

Sounds good.

I know it's God.

A JOB!

God is good. . .and ever so faithful!

As I type, I am typing to you as a preschool teacher! :)

I am very excited and SO blessed to be moving in a less-stressful direction. I am so glad that the Lord has opened this door. I definitely need a break after the past two years--they have been so hectic!

In addition to this huge blessing, the Lord has opened up an opportunity to live in an apartment complex that appears to be awesome and have ALMOST everything we want (it's only missing a washer and dryer, but I'm willing to compromise). The best part is that my new job is DIRECTLY BEHIND said apartment complex.

I GET TO WALK TO WORK/RIDE MY BIKE TO WORK!

NO MORE TWENTY MINUTE DRIVES~!

THE LORD IS AWESOME!

We are so excited to start this new chapter. . .and I am so excited to live in a more gluten-free friendly location!

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!!

The joys of. . ..

Fingerprinting?

Ah, yes. It came down to that. To get a new teaching certificate, I had to jump through some hoops. Getting re-fingerprinted was just the beginning. I am currently waiting for my college folk to write up my program so that I can send off for a temporary WA certificate.

I feel like the Lord has not opened a door yet and called me to a job. . .so I take this as, "Talitha, I may want you to trust me a bit longer with this whole "being a SPED teacher" a little bit longer." So I'm just trying to listen. I am getting my ducks in a line to apply for many special education positions in the surrounding school districts near SCATTLE. There are quite a few openings in about 5 near-enough districts, so we will see what happens. There is one particular district that is standing out a bit more to me; not sure why.

My current job was one of those "I really don't think I want to do this" jobs; but it was exactly what I was supposed to do for the last 2 years. I know I have made a difference; changed a mentality; changed lives.

The Lord had me teach middle school. Scary. He may want me to do that again; He may let me do what I want to do and get back to the younger ones. . .or He may call me to high school or a transition program for those transitioning from high school into the work force, which is actually something I feel very strongly about.

I can teach al day long; but long-term goals are where my head is each time I write an IEP. I want jobs for my kids. I want acceptance, love, justice, understanding, patience, and independence for them.

Maybe my passion and overwhelming need to right the wrongs in the world will once again lead me to another challenge. Another mountain top experience with many peaks and valleys. I'm not sure, but I have to step out in faith and continue to follow God's will.

I've figured out you just can't get away from it. I know what I want. But God hasn't called me to an easy path yet, so maybe that's just not the path for me.

I pray to God in heaven that I will have the strength from above to get through the next several years. . .I need to work with kids with special needs at least 3 more years to avoid paying off some loans. :) I just know that God does not give us gifts to let them lie in a closet. I cannot deny that He desires for me to be obedient, use my gifts, and bless others as much as possible throughout each life experience I have.

The road we are given is not always easy.

The life we need is not our own.

Our experiences build strong character.

Perseverance will prepare me for the future.

The future may bring great persecution, death, and perhaps being stabbed with a machete in a Chinese school. What is up with crazed folks in China stabbing kids and teachers these days? Is that the "in thing" over there?


Dear God. . .give my husband and myself strength, discernment, knowledge, wisdom, patience, trust, and faithfulness as we step out to land on a life boat called "Your Will Be Done."


May I fall with exhaustion at the end of my life for following Your righteous path.


May I love my husband, friends, and enemies.


May Your grace cover my darkness, holes, and heart.


May I not be selfish in my thoughts; please show me Your will.

2 weeks!!

WOW--only 2 weeks left of work now. . .so crazy!

I can't believe how fast the time flies by. We've had a few crazy weeks in a row, but they haven't been bad, boring, or slow. So that is a good thing!

I am at our church now trying to get everything straight for my BFF's next shower. Addresses can be hard to come by, as well as WIFI. I am excited about the availability of WIFI in the northwest. Here, I have to drive 15-25 minutes to reach a friendly internet provider (a friend, our church, or ABC). Soon this will no longer be an issue!

Our world is very dependent on technology. . .so I am too! My iphone can do lots, but not everything yet. Plus, my eyeballs get worn out looking at the tiny screen. It's nice to see LARGE font hollering out at me!

Today we will be spending time with the cousins from Seattle, YAY! We are excited to see them again, even though we are in a much hotter climate now. :/ It will still be a fun time!

I'm still on the job search. . .had more offers, but people want you to "come in and tour" and start ASAP. . .and I can't do that. I guess these limitations may be leading toward a nanny position. I know that if the Lord desires that, He will continue to close doors. Otherwise, He will open a window elsewhere.

Right now I am just waiting. And you know what? I'm having more patience with God and His time frame. Ahh, the things you can learn from a stressful job (stressful but requested by the Lord).

Off I go, home to the husband!

3.5 weeks and counting down. . .

Sweet treasures, only 3 weeks left of work--so excited and ready for the summer! I wish my husband had a 9.5 month-out-of-the-year job, but this is not the case. However, I will have plenty of time to clean and pack our entire house, get ready for my BFF's wedding, and hopefully finish my own wedding scrapbook.

That's what summer is all about!

We are still getting excited for the move. It's becoming more real--after we went, I realized that soon my best friends will be thousands of miles away.

Time to be the "new girl" again. However, I think that being the "new girl" is always a beneficial part of life. It's a huge challenge, it pushes us out of our comfort zones, and you have the opportunity to focus more dependence on God.

We all want to depend on living, present, visible people: parents, friends, co-workers, spouses, etc. for our happiness, comfort, and protection. We want to depend on others to meet our needs. However, those of us who know the Lord know that this is not a beneficial way of life. . .we need to depend more on the Lord than on others, even our spouses! Our spouses cannot meet all our needs; they may fail us at times (even though they are WONDERFUL). GOD however does not do this. God meets all our needs. God is there for us even when we deny Him. God forgives us even when we are evil, mean, and discouraging.

Thank heavens for God's mercy and grace. I forget. He remembers. He is faithful when we are faithless.

Currently, I'm trying to focus energy on wedding events for the BFF, finishing this year by doing fun activities with my students, and keeping the house as clean as possible because we're moving soon!

Since the trip to Seattle, I've deduced that bread is not a friend, but a foe. I was sad to make this discovery, but the introduction of extreme protein to my diet had made my stomach calm down. I am so grateful to the Lord for the man that we talked to in "Super Supplements." Right time, God's perfect timing; now I can stand up straight all day at work! I am so thankful to the Lord for taking us there so that I could begin the healing process.

"Oh, how He loves us so...

If grace is an ocean we're all sinking. . ."

SCATTLE

For some reason, I like to give everything a nickname. Or make up new words to describe things. So we've started calling Seattle "Scattle." It's a fun nickname.

We got back super late (or really early?) Saturday morning and are still trying to readjust to the 3-hour time change. Quite a challenge. I think I felt it more on the way there because I'd had a long day of work. Now M is feeling it worse on the way back. :( Poor pookie.

We really had a wonderful trip. God was very provisional. We looked at several apartments and really got to know the areas we are interested in out there. We found an apartment that we really like and it's in a good location, so we're pretty much depending on the Lord to ensure that there is an open apartment for us in July. God really came through on the trip, plus I was very thrilled to have my husband all to myself (pretty much) for a week. We've both been working lots and we've had a busy year (getting married, GAA, other random events). It was wonderful just to spend time with him and have a stress-free, enjoyable week.

I had a job interview and have a "back-up" job secured, but I am continuing to seek God and try to find a job in early intervention. I'm also looking into some jobs teaching English as a second language--that'd get some good stuff in for Asia!

God also greatly blessed us with some family time. At what point can I say "my cousins," I'm not sure. But "my husband's cousin's family" welcomed us into their home, got us a car to drive, and allowed us to share some fun times with them. It was nice to go to a place where my dietary needs were considered--that has never happened before so I was feeling very blessed to see almond milk and dairy-free products. What a great bunch of folks; plus time with kids is always fun. We are looking forward to more fun times in a few weeks when they visit Florida!

For now, I am signing off. . .I'm off to pick up my sweet from work because he had a late meeting! Hallelujah, praise the Lord.

Thank you God. <><

Thursday. . .

Thursday is the day. . .we are flying out! HALLELUJAH!!

SO READY FOR SPRING BREAK!!!!!!

To be or not to be. . .

A nanny. Hmmmm. I am seriously thinking about this as we prepare to make the move. I am basically at the point where they are going to give families my application and place me in a home.

Do I want to hold out for early intervention or try my hand at being a nanny?

It's about to get pretty crazy. I think it'd be fun to have fun with kids and not have to assess them. . .what a nice break after the past couple of years.

I am really leaning toward it!

Less than two weeks until THE TRIP! WOO HOO!

To be or not to be. . .

A nanny. Hmmmm. I am seriously thinking about this as we prepare to make the move. I am basically at the point where they are going to give families my application and place me in a home.

Do I want to hold out for early intervention or try my hand at being a nanny?

It's about to get pretty crazy. I think it'd be fun to have fun with kids and not have to assess them. . .what a nice break after the past couple of years.

I am really leaning toward it!

Less than two weeks until THE TRIP! WOO HOO!

Interesting on the food. . .

I just read a blog about a teacher who has decided to eat the same school lunch as her students for the entire year. . .I fear that her health may be in serious jeopardy. I can't be the only one who feels that a hot dog disguised as a pancake pup is NOT the right way to start the day. I enjoy having fun with the kids during lunch, but it also hurts my stomach. . .

Piling mayo on top of a fried unidentifiable piece of meat is not an ideal way to get the necessary nutrients one needs for a rousing math activity later in the afternoon.

Also--who knew that a box of Jell-O could be the solution to snacks for the rest of my life as an educator? There is nothing more "cool" to my students than creating food products. . .and the whole just add water thing is certainly a plus on my list.

Just tried "super spicy hummus" for the first time. Yum. Despite my stomach issues, I don't think I can give up my spice. Oops.

The Move. . .

Since so many of you have questions about our move, I figured I'd type up a quick summation of our calling, reasoning, obedience, and excitement. . .for the future we're about to embark upon.

Who:
My husband & I

What:
Feel a calling to move to a place more culturally diverse with more challenges so we can really live our lives like Christ. . .Jesus didn't just stay in a "safe" comfort zone with his favorite 12 disciples all the time. They didn't hang out with each other watching movies all the time. . .Jesus hung out with people who were different from Himself. Since we life in the self-proclaimed Bible belt, finding people who have different beliefs is a challenge. Even though there are truly people here who are non-believers and who have differing beliefs from myself, most of them are not real about it. We're looking for real people to be in our lives who say they are not followers of Christ. . .people who aren't afraid to be honest about who they are. Plus, we want to live in Asia, hopefully in the next five years. Asia is a very dark place, a place of spiritual warfare. Moving from GA to Asia is like moving from the light to the dark. . .there's no grey area there.

Hence, we're moving to Seattle in June. Cultural diversity, a different place, an unchurched region, and an awesome, growing, biblical, NOT AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT AND STEP ON TOES church. Amen, hallelujah. We want to be a part of a church where people aren't scared to be themselves, where the pastor gets out and is active and missional, and a place where we can use our spiritual gifts. There just isn't an outlet here for mercy. At Mars Hill, there are tons of opportunities, community groups, outreach activities, and a very much missional community of people who may not be cookie cutter Christians. . .but being a cookie cutter is not something to be desired. Each has been given a gift, and each gift has a purpose and is to be desired.

When:
June, after our dear friends get married.

Where:
Somewhere within 10 miles of the center of Seattle. Hopefully neighbors with some funky people who can challenge us. Push us outside that comfort zone.

Why:
Because we want to follow God's call, we want to be around a larger Asian population, and God tells us to go to the world. He didn't tell us to sit in the living room and wait for something/someone to fall into our laps. Don't get me wrong--I believe in God's providence, and I believe that God brings things to us. . .but we aren't supposed to sit around and be lazy about things either.

If we're supposed to be like the farmer who goes out and tills the soil because he trusts in the rain, then we as Christians have to act on our beliefs. As an old-school pastor of mine who used to jump the pews said to me at a young age. . ."If you're going to talk the talk, you've got to walk the walk." In our case, we'll be "driving the distance" or something catchy like that.

As we say in my classroom, Amen, Hallelujah.

Phone interview

I have a phone interview this Friday for a job in Seattle. . .YEHAW! It's at the child care place that I really liked when I looked at their website.

I got way too excited to see a small child of Asisan descent in a picture. It was love at first sight!

It'll be interesting to actually be interviewed over the phone. I have always basically been hired by word of mouth. . .and I've only had one in person interview with a principal. I hope that it goes well and that the people are what they seem to be!

I want to work with people who are genuinely concerned with the wello being of the children we work with. I pray that there will be others at my new job who are not there just to receive a paycheck. I pray that we will be motivated with one sound focus. . .to help to intervene in the lives of these precious children.

It's back to the little ones for me. Smaller means easier to help in many cases. This will be great in light of my recent back pain.

I love the kids. That's what it's all about.

:)

I pray that God will help use me at my job and at the new homestead to reach others and make a difference.

Ch-ch-ch-changes. . .

Ah yes.

It's time for another change. My life gets too busy to blog, but when it's time for a change, I try to at least write a blurb.

It's official: my husband and I are moving to Seattle in June.

After months of praying and seeing what the Lord wants us to do, we see that:

1. We have to move to an area where Asians and other cultural groups live, work, and play. If we want to move to Asia in five years, we need a little bit more in the color scale, if you know what I'm saying. Here in Georgia, it's pretty difficult to find people who aren't part of the "Bible belt" mindset.

2. I need a job change. I am praying and hoping for a job in early intervention or preschool. I will not live my life this stressed, and I will not choose my career over my family. My husband agrees. :)


So we're REALLY excited and ready to experience a life-changing move across the country.

We still love the people in our church family here, but this place is very much a comfort zone. We have to spread out as Christians, not just stay with each other.

We'll see how it goes!