Quick Update

I know it's been awhile. I apologize I haven't had time to write. Here are a few highlights from our lives:

- My mom and two sisters flew down from Michigan to surprise me for my baby shower at church a couple weeks ago. Mark's mom also drove down for the shower. Lots of people...lots of surprises, not nearly enough time:(

- I experienced my first real tornado season in Oklahoma. I always thought I wanted to see a tornado since I live in Oklahoma, but after last week I decided to change my mind about that:) I'm thankful for God's protection, and thinking/praying for those who have lost their homes and loved ones

- I had my 35 week appt. today and baby is measuring perfectly...all is well! I still haven't finished unpacking everything in our house and the nursery is not quite finished, but that's ok. There will always be stuff to do and I'm realizing that it's impossible to get it all done within the next four weeks so I'm just not going to stress about it. The baby isn't going to care whether it has a finished nursery or not. As long as we have the essentials and a healthy baby, that's all that matters!

- Our 4 year wedding anniversary is only 4 weeks away! I can't believe how quickly time has gone by!

- My brother graduated from high school today. I am sad that I was the only one of my four other siblings who could not be there. Congratulations Michael!

Well those are just a few highlights from our lives right now. Nothing too exciting happens in Prague, Oklahoma...but I'm thankful for God's blessings, protection, and provision.

Here is a picture from when my mom, two sisters, and newest niece came to visit a couple weeks ago:

The Bare Necessities

For those of you who read this, I apologize for not writing anything lately. Mark and I have recently moved into our house, which is still a work in progress. However, we do not have internet at our house. We have chosen to try to live a life of bare necessities. Our budget is extremely tight as it is, but with a baby on the way we have had to try to cut out anything from our budget that is not 100% necessary. So far we are still alive and well even with no internet:) I know that some of you probably can't imagine living without being able to check your email or facebook every day, but I have found it somewhat refreshing. I sometimes think I was born in the wrong generation because I often miss the days of handwritten letters, not having a credit card, or receiving a call on the land line before there was such thing as caller ID. Why is it that ten year old children need cell phones and their own computers nowadays? Call me a mean mom, but my child will probably be one of the only children without those things. I have found life to be much more simple and laid back without being tied to a cell phone or computer all day. I would like to say that I would even enjoy going without a cell phone right now, but that is one of the only ways Mark and I get to communicate with our families.

If you are on a tight budget or just like to save a few extra pennies, what are some things you do? Here are some other things that we do in order to try to make each penny count.

- No cable tv or landline phone

- I like to paint old decorations or furniture and make them look "new"

- We rarely ever eat out. However, I think it is important to every marriage to have a nice date every once in awhile. If we don't have money for a nice date, we usually try to find something free to do

- Because we live in a small town, we try to run all of our errands on one day in order to save gas and time

- We are thinking about becoming a one car family again. I know some people don't have the ability to do this, but since we do...we are considering it

- We never buy brand new cars

- We do not finance anything. If we don't have the money, we don't buy it. However, I do know that there will probably be life situations in the future that may require us to do so. Obviously owning a home requires financing for most people including us:) That is our one exception to this rule

- We pay off our credit card balance monthly, and use a credit card that gives us cash rewards

- I do not buy clothes unless they are on sale, and recently I have decided not to buy clothes for myself unless they are completely necessary

- I try not to "window shop". Usually I don't go to the store if I know I don't need to buy something. I have a hard time looking and not buying

- The one thing I wish I would do better as far as saving is coupon clipping. I rarely use coupons because I just don't have the patience to search them out. I do try to buy groceries that are not the most expensive brand, but I could probably do better

Living this way is definitely not easy and not often enjoyable. I often envy the people who drive really nice cars and eat out whenever they want to. I would love to enjoy more meals out with my husband or buy a new pair of shoes just because I want to. But for what? What does all of that matter in the end? I often find myself worrying about how we will pay our utility bill or get new tires for our not so new car. I constantly have to remind myself that "things" on this earth do not matter. I wish I spent more time storing up treasures in heaven as I do worrying about how we will pay for things we need on this earth. In the end, nothing on this earth will matter. I need to stop worrying about this life and start focusing on life eternal...the only life that truly matters.

Family Ties

Having lived away from my parents since I was 18, having grown up in a home with foster children, having an adopted brother and a desire to one day adopt a child of our own, I know that family is not determined by blood.

Here are a few definitions of family from Webster's:

- a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head

- a group of people united by certain convictions or a certain affiliation

- a group of things related by common characteristics

According to the first definition, my family includes Mark, myself, and our children, although I don't need a dictionary to tell me that. When Mark and I chose to get married four years ago, we were choosing to create our own family, and we did so as soon as our vows were said. Yes, we still have parents and we still love them, but we are no longer accountable to them for the decisions we make, and they don't have to understand why we do what we do. Mark and I have to make decisions based on whatever is best for our family, and nobody else needs to understand those decisions.

With our first child due to arrive in about four months, I have been thinking a lot about parenting and how Mark and I will choose to raise our children. I constantly pray that God will give us wisdom to raise them up according to His Word, and that they will choose to walk in His ways, especially in a world that is so full of sin. Full-time ministry is not often a high paying job. Given that we are currently a low-income family, I spent the first half of my pregnancy going to my pre-natal appointments at the health department. Mark has been with me to almost all of my appointments, even though they can sometimes be a little boring for a dad. I have rarely seen another married woman when I've been there. Most of the other women I've seen there have been younger than myself, single, and already have more than one child. It's sad and frightening to see that as a married, pregnant woman, I seem to be in the minority. All I know is that I am proud to bring my husband to my appointments, and proud that Mark and I can raise this child together within the confines of a godly home and a godly marriage. I am so thankful that our children can grow up in a home that models what God intended for marriage and family to be. In a world full of broken homes and single parents, I'm so glad our children won't have to experience that.

If you have never seen the movie 'The Blind Side', I would really recommend it! I believe it is a wonderful portrayal of what family really is. When your blood relatives aren't there for you, or perhaps you have never even known them...your true family is made up of those who truly love and care for you no matter if they are related by blood or not. Having recently moved to a new town and a new state, I'm so thankful for the people who have made Mark and I feel like family. And I can't wait to meet the newest addition to our own family!

Pink or Blue?

This has been the top question for the past month...pink or blue, boy or girl? I find it funny that people always asked, "When are you going to find out the gender?" instead of, "Do you plan on finding out the gender?" It's almost as if we have no say in whether or not we want to know. Most people just assume that since technology is now able to show the gender of your child before it's born, you have to find out.

Well I guess you can call us old fashioned because we chose not to find out! We had our first ultrasound one week ago (at 19 weeks), and it was a lot of fun! It made it so much more real to see God's precious gift to us moving around inside of me. It was so wonderful to see all the moving parts, the heart, the brain, and everything else! I don't understand how anyone can argue that a baby is not a baby until it's born. Because there is no question that there is a living, moving baby inside me!

Back to the gender discussion, the biggest argument for finding out was in order to better plan before the baby is born. Now I am a huge planner, but that didn't seem like a good enough reason to find out the gender. I wasn't planning on decorating the nursery in gender specific colors anyway, so why did I need to find out the gender in order to plan? No, I will not be able to buy anything pink or blue before the baby is born, but I can still get everything we need. And there will be plenty of time to buy cute little blue or pink things after the baby is born. So if you were hoping to spoil my child with lots of pink or blue, you still can...you will just have to wait until AFTER it's born:) June 18 is the new due date, which happens to be two days before Father's Day and two days after our fourth wedding anniversary! That could be a very exciting week if the baby is born on time! I can't believe it's only a little over four months away! Can't wait to meet this precious little gift from God!

Home Sweet Home

We closed on our new house almost two months ago, but still have not moved in. Due to Mark's busy schedule for the holidays, the extreme cold weather lately, and the fact that we are trying to do most of the work ourselves...this once small re-model project has become quite the project! Although it feels like there is still much to do, we have made a lot of progress and are thankful for those who have helped along the way!

As of last night:

-the upper cabinets are finally hung! (thank you Tim and Bryan)

-the microwave has been installed

-the stove is out of the box and waiting to be used!

-the master bedroom is about 96% finished!

Still to be done before moving day:

-kitchen floors

-install base cabinets, countertops, and kitchen sink

-a few minor electrical things

-finish painting the master bedroom

-install closet shelving in master closet

Mark has a goal to begin moving this weekend, but I'm not so optimistic. We shall see! Once we move in we will work on the living and dining room walls, the bathroom walls, and sometime before June we will get the baby's room done!

I will post before and after pictures once everything gets cleaned up, but for now here is a picture of the outside of our new home in Prague, OK.

Another Year Over, and a New One Just Begun...

I LOVE Christmas music, and I'm having a hard time giving it up now that December is over. I like the lyrics of the song "Happy Christmas":

So this is Christmas

And what have you done

Another year over

And a new one just begun...

Every time I hear that song it makes me really think about the past year and what I have done. Was it a year worth remembering? Was it a year wasted, in which I could have used my time and energy better? A year seems like a long time...next Christmas feels so far away. But when you put it in perspective, a year is a very short time. In fact, our entire lives on this earth are but a short time compared to our eternity in heaven.

With 2010 now in full swing, I have been reflecting back on the year 2009. To be completely honest, I think it was one of the worst and best years of my life...and definitely the hardest thus far! Full of trials and blessings all at once! Living in Louisville was one of the best decisions Mark and I have made. It was a wonderful place to grow our marriage, for Mark to add to his education, and for us to experience life outside of ministry work for a year. We also met some wonderful people and made some lifelong friends. I will always miss life in Louisville.

The year was also a tough one as we went through several months of infertility testing and procedures, and as we prayed and thought about what the next steps would be in our life regarding ministry work. Infertility testing was a huge emotional battle for me. I struggled emotionally and physically for quite awhile. I know I couldn't have gotten through it without my faith. We finally decided we were going to be done "trying" and we were ready to move on with adoption. That was such a relief to me.

The last few months of 2009 were full of surprises and things that were only from God. He brought us to Prague, OK in September. Oklahoma was the one place we honestly thought we would never move back to. God definitely knows better than we do! We have enjoyed our past few months here, the new friends we have made, and look forward to how God will use us here. The biggest surprise of 2009 was finding out we are expecting! Another huge answer to prayer, and God's way of showing us that His ways are not our ways, and His timing is perfect!

All in all, 2009 was a good year. Full of trials and blessings, God was in it all! It's now a new year and a new decade, and I can't wait to see what God has in store! It's a year of big changes for us...a new house, new town, new church, new job for Mark, and a new addition to our family in June! I am not a fan of New Year's resolutions, but I do have a few goals for this year:

-have a deeper desire to grow in God's Word, and to do so daily

-be a better encouragement to my husband and figure out how I can better meet his needs

-learn to better manage my time, which is something I especially need to work on with a new baby on the way!

-learn to better trust the Lord and give Him my worries, fears, and anxieties!

What did you do and learn in 2009, and what are your goals for 2010? May this new year bring new blessings, new insight, and a greater knowledge of our Lord and Savior!

His perfect timing!

Wow, I just realized that it's been a couple months since I have written a post! Sorry! I can't say that I don't have time to write, but I've had a lot on my mind lately and a lot of big changes in life! With Thanksgiving just two days away, I have realized that I need to be more grateful all the time! I find myself constantly asking God for things in my prayers, but not nearly enough do I spend time actually THANKING Him for things!!! It's sad that many of us forget to be thankful except during the holiday when we celebrate what we're thankful for. We shouldn't have to have a holiday in order to be thankful. With that being said, here are 10 things that I am thankful for:

10. Our new home and the fact that Mark's dad was able to come down and help us fix it up

9. New friends as well as those who have been our friends for years

8. Our new church family and freedom to worship God openly whenever we want to!

7. Good health

6. Loving and supportive family

5. My husband and his hard work and desire to serve the Lord

4. Little things that we often take for granted such as laughter, a pet, or waking up to sunshine

3. God's forgiveness, grace, and mercy

2. God's perfect timing!

1. The precious little life that God is forming inside me!

Did that last one surprise you?! It surprised us too! It's true...Mark and I are expecting our first baby due at the end of June 2010!! Most of you who have read my blog are aware that we have tried to conceive for over two years and were in the very beginning stages of adoption before we moved to Oklahoma a couple months ago. When we moved to Oklahoma, we had to put the adoption process on hold for a couple of months while we looked for a home and got settled in here. About a month and a half ago (while I was visiting my family in Michigan) I found out that we are pregnant, and boy was it one of the best surprises ever! I sometimes still have a hard time remembering that it's actually real! When you spend two and a half years thinking that you may never give birth to a child, it makes it harder to believe that it actually is real! As hard as the past two and a half years have been, I wouldn't have it any other way. I know that I needed to go through those trials in order to grow and become more reliant on the Lord. God's timing is perfect and this is the child that He has had in mind for us long before he/she was ever conceived. During the past two years, God has really opened our hearts to international adoption, and Mark and I still believe that God wants for us to adopt one day, but obviously right now is not the time. I still pray that if God wants us to adopt, He will show us when the time is right. For now we are focusing on thanking the Lord for this precious gift He has given us, and are praying for perfect health for this child, as well as wisdom to raise this child to follow after the Lord. Right now I am 10 weeks along and we got to hear the heartbeat for the first time yesterday! What a precious sound to hear!

In other recent news, we closed on our house last Thursday! It needs a little bit of work before we move in, but I know it will be a wonderful first home for our growing family!! We are thankful that Mark's dad is here from Indianapolis helping us fix it up right now. I will post before/after pictures when it's all done!

We are loving our new church family, and are grateful for their love and care for us! Mark loves his new job as minister of music and he is doing an amazing job! We will be spending Thanksgiving with a family from our church (which we are very grateful for!). This will also be the first time that we do not do any traveling around Christmas. Mark's family will be coming to spend a few days with us around Christmas, but we will not be able to see my family at all. I am grateful that I at least got to spend some time with them in October.

Well, there ya go...that is a very shortened version of all the big changes that have been happening in our lives! We are so thankful for the Lord's blessings as well as the trials that He uses to make us stronger. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!