For the past eight months, Tim and I have been working really hard on our kitchen. It was a fairly normal sight to meet me somewhere and see drywall dust in my hair or paint splatters on my arm. It has been a LONG process and one that could have been done a long time ago if we hadn't wanted to do the majority of the project ourselves. The rest we have subbed out to friends, who did this in their spare time, which means a waiting game as well.

But, the kitchen is SO close to being done. We completely gutted the kitchen. We added a dishwasher and more cabinets. I built the majority of our cabinets myself because Tim didn't love the tedious project. This suited me well as I didn't like installing the big heavy cabinets after. The floor has been laid and grouted. The dishwasher has been hardwired. The cabinets all have handles. There is just one small minor detail. The dishwasher still hasn't been hooked up to the water line. A small, but crucial detail that we have been waiting on a friend for weeks now. I would love to simply call a plumber and have it completed, but apparently in marriage people need to agree. So I wait.

My messy, project kitchen makes me think of my own life. God has in a lot of ways completed gutted a lot of the old things. There is fine tuning with my mouth and my heart to make me more loving. There has been a lot of work and still quite a bit to do. But, I couldn't be in more capable hands.

The Power of Prayer

I remember the first time it appeared on my finger. July 7, 2009. It was lighter then, with only a single stone. Even though the proposal wasn't a complete surprise, he still found a way to catch me off guard. We were serving as faculty at camp that we had both grown up attending. One that has been responsible for a lot of spiritual growth for us both. It only seemed fitting that this camp also be witness to another milestone in our lives. This camp had witnessed us choosing to live our lives for Christ and now seeing who would partner us in the journey.

The next time was May 16, 2009. Our wedding day. I remember standing nervously in front of friends and family. Terrified, not of my decision, but of all guests looking at us. Confident in giving my life to this man. The rings were placed, we kissed, and were announced husband and wife.

Fast forward two and a half years and I've somehow lost the ring. Not somehow, I took it off, it's due to my own absentmindedness. They had sautered the rings together and had gone too deep. The jewelry store was more than willing to fix it, however it meant that I would be without it for two weeks. I couldn't bear the thought. So instead, I have been following instructions not to submerge it in water. So for showers and for dishes, I've always taken the ring off. The irony that not wanting to be without this ring may have caused it to be misplaced forever is not lost on me.

Now I can't find it. I'm not sure where it went exactly. Tim and I have been looking everywhere, but it hasn't turned up. He has been VERY gracious and has even said that he will buy me a new one. But I don't want a new one. I want MY ring. The ring that held so much promise before the wedding. The ring I would stare at while counting down the days.

Almost a week had gone by before I realized something huge. I was so heartbroken, yet I haven't brought this to my Father. Maybe it had seemed trivial. Maybe I had forgotten that God is a personal God who cares about each of us. However, that night I realized that this was something that I needed to request of God who is capable of all. I prayed a simple prayer that night. I prayed that I would find the ring tomorrow. That the ring wouldn't be in plain sight, but it would be somewhere where I would think to look.

That morning I opened my eyes and expected it to be sitting on nightstand. It wasn't. It wasn't sitting in my jewelry box. It wasn't sitting in the office. Discouraged I went to work that day. I came home late that night and remembered my request. i checked again different places but found that  my request wasn't coming through. Finally, an hour or two before bed, I went to the bathroom. I saw a glint next to our soap dispenser and found MY ring.

I am so thankful for a loving personal God who created the heavens, the earth, and all of us. Yet, He delights in answering small prayers, that stem from our foolishness. I'm not worthy Lord, but so thankful.

Absent

So I'm sure my three readers noticed that I have been a bit absent from blogging. For my dear three, Sara, Jack, and Dora, I apologize. After really thinking about it, I think I was a smidge depressed for a bit. I left my old job due to some unethical decisions on their part. Being unemployed was draining. I was determined to make my time at home count. I would search for job for 5-6 hours a day online and then go to hand out my resume to anyone with an open sign on their door. The process was grueling and humbling, yet God provided.

I am now working a WONDERFUL job that I love. Well two jobs, actually. I work at a law firm doing their finances and then help an accountant in my spare time. It has been really exciting and challenging which was a huge change from my previous jobs. I am learning so much which means I'm a bit wiped when I come home. Yet, still am trying to remain faithful to my three readers.

So we shall try this again. Not because it's some resolution that I won't remember, but more because my life is chaotic and it may be my only attempt at keeping in touch for a while. So, know that you're loved.

I'm also very interested in seeing what God is doing now. My boss is Jewish and the accountant I help on the side is as well. I find it interesting because you don't normally encounter Jews on a daily basis. But, I'm very interested in His purpose and ensuring that I'm glorifying Him. So, on to a new adventure with the same purpose as the last and the next.

Auto Corrected

Tim came home the other night with some roses. A really sweet and loving gesture. I was so thankful and proud that I decided to send my friend a text. I wrote "I got roses! I love my man!" I was really confused by her response of "TMI!".

I checked again and realized that my "smart" phone had changed my text to "I got roused! I love my man!" I don't blame her. Eeek!

Aloha

If I were a bragging girl, this is where I would put a photo of my BEAUTIFUL tan. Tim and I spent the last week in Kauaii, HI. We went with a very dear friend and one of the few people that we would ever vacation with, this is saying a lot because we are generally picky people. Our week was filled with dolphins swimming right in front of our boat, being as close as three feet from a giant sea turtle, and swimming  in the same waters where the sharks cruise around (though dissapointingly, there were none that day).

This vacation did have a few stresses though. One of the things that took a HUGE adjustment for me was "island time." Places didn't have set hours. You would go to a place to see when they would open and their hours would read 12ish to 4ish. Hours subject to change. So frustrating at times, but by the end of the week we were able to find some humor in it.Not as funny when you are hunting for a place for breakfast for two hours after learning your hotel does not include free breakfast. Also, everything closes basically an hour after sunset. This means no dinner after 6:30. Something we didn't figure out in a good way, maybe if they had set hours!  The wildlife was uneventful. What does Kauaii offer for wild animals? Why chickens and cats of course, isn't that normal for an island?

Even though the wildlife was disappointing, the sea life was not. My favorite part was being able to look at all of the sea life while snorkeling. For someone who is sort of a nerd about the ocean like I am, this is a big deal. Having the oppurtunity to encounter the fish, coral and crabs was amazing. The ocean gives me such an appreciation of God as a Creator. Seriously, check out His creativity.

This beaut is a Dog Face Puffer Fish

This is a type of Angel Fish, but I don't remember the exact one.

This is a unicorn fish, appropriately named.

Some type of wrasse, that wanted nothing more than to swim by you the entire time.

Porcupine Puffer Fish, actually my favorite fish. He sort of reminds me of ET. I know, I'm weird. :)

People usually remember him more like this.

This is an Achiles Tang, also loved to swim next to you.

I'll stop boring those of you who can't seem to love fish.Notice I didn't include any of the characters from Finding Nemo? I assume that you know what those look like. However back to the fish above, isn't He amazing? These are just a handful of the fish that He has made. They are so distinct, so beautiful, yet so different. Who has that type of creativity except our Lord? Who could make something like this? Even if fish, animals, nature, etc. isn't your favorite thing, you still cannot help but marvel at His works. He made these things. He spoke these into existence. And this is simply FISH. This is not created in His image. This isn't His beloved. These are just random existences from His creativity. 

I may not have made a fish nerd out of you, but hopefully you can at least appreciate the beauty that is in the ocean. :)

Honest Mistakes

I know, I have become the blogger that I hate. I wrote four or five posts and lost interest. A big part of this is that I'm not sure that my thoughts are interesting. School has also began which means that my mind is loaded on accounting terms. Currently, my thoughts are filled with Accumulated Depreciation, Compound Interest, and Operating Net Income. I'm sure that no one would stick around to read those blogs!


Fret not, readers, that is the only time that those terms will be mentioned. Instead, I will tell you funny stories about my job. I work at a construction company with all guys. Whenever I tell this to older people, they instantly cluck their tongue and tell me what an awful place to work it must be. Granted, it's not the perfect job. But for the most part, they do truly respect me and work well around me. They keep foul language to a minimum (unless they don't realize I'm back from lunch) and are more curious than anything else about Christ.


One thing that I have really come to love about being a pastor's wife is that you are instantly branded a Christian. There is no general wondering about when I should mention this. Once a person notices my wedding ring, they naturally ask about Tim and where he works. So, the guys were warned in advance that they would be hiring in their words a "religious" person. Their lack of knowledge has made for some pretty hilarious, and at times, great conversations. Scroll down for humorous snippets.


"You remind me of Ghandi. Do you know who he is? He was really passionate about his beliefs too."


"You made me think I should start reading my Bible again. I decided to start in Job. That's a quick, fun read, right?"


"Wait, you mean to tell me that you go to church on Sunday, bible study on Monday, and Wednesday! The Rev is strict with you!" (Forgot to mention, they don't refer to Tim by name. Instead, he has been branded "The Rev".)


"I just heard Amazing Grace at a funeral. I'm sure you just heard that Sunday.......You don't sing Amazing Grace every Sunday? Then what do you sing?"


"I don't think I've been to church since my niece's baptism." (Another weird phenomenon. If someone is uncomfortable with Tim's profession, they usually tell me the last time they have been to church. Because that matters.)


"So you mean you read the Bible everyday? Like the whole Bible?"


"If you don't close your eyes when you pray, does it count?"


"If The Rev would ever go to a different job, would he put God down as a reference."


There are so many directions I could go with this topic. I could talk about how God has been using me. How there are a few guys who have NEVER thought of church because of how stuffy it seems that are now asking great questions. I could talk about how everyone was terrified to meet "The Rev" and have now come to love him. He is constantly being asked about. They are going to take him deer hunting in fact.


However, the most appropriate stand on this topic seems to be where I am fallen. How many times have I been worried to share who I belong to? How many times have I been nervous that if I share my faith too soon, it will simply turn people off. This fear is nothing more than from Satan who delights in my silence. These are supposed to be some of the most difficult, crass men who have nothing but honest questions. If anything, I think they respect my faith. There definitely will be opposition to Christ in the world, I have no doubt. But sometimes when people have a face to go with it, they are a little less likely to oppose.


I don't want to be at this job forever. There are a lot of days that are quite frustrating for me. However, I am thankful knowing that I am doing the Lord's work while I am here. For most of these men, this may be the closest that they have ever been to church. I need to be constantly reminded of their reactions and to be BOLD in my faith. All to His Glory.

I Don't Have The Time

This past weekend, I sat in a car for seven hours. My gram needed help cleaning and decorating her apartment and I went to give assistance. The car ride from our home to her is brutal. There is no scenery besides the crops and the forgotten vehicles in yards. The drive is relatively straight, so even the road doesn't demand your attention. So straight, in fact, that Tim and I have joked that if you could find a way to lock the steering wheel that you could take a nap for two and a half hours.


This drive was torture to me. I didn't mind if I had someone with me or if I can set up a time to call a friend to catch up on the way. However, if no one was available, I  would be completely bored in the car. When I would be able to get the occasional station to tune in on my radio, the music didn't satisfy me. Finally, I discovered  audio books. Audio books have become my go to entertainment for trips, and helped to decrease annoyance to all of my friends who I would always try to call. For this weekend, it was Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis. 

Although I love almost all of Lewis's work, I must say that this is one of my favorites of his writings. For the unfortunate ones who haven't had the chance to read this, I REALLY recommend it. To understand the rest of post, you need to know a little background on this book. Lewis writes the book from the perspective of two demons. There is an older, experienced demon that is teaching the ways of trapping and tempting the human he is assigned to. 


"Men are not angered by mere misfortune but by misfortune conceived as injury. And the sense of injury depends on the feeling that a legitimate claim has been denied. The more claims on life, therefore, that your patient can be induced to make, the more often he will feel injured and, as a result, ill-tempered. Now you will have noticed that nothing throws him into a passion so easily as to find a tract of time which he reckoned on having at his own disposal unexpectedly taken from him. It is the unexpected visitor (when he looked forward to a quiet evening), or the friend's talkative wife (turning up when he looked forward to a tête-à-tête with the friend), that throw him out of gear. Now he is not yet so uncharitable or slothful that these small demands on his courtesy are in themselves too much for it. They anger him because he regards his time as his own and feels that it is being stolen. You must therefore zealously guard in his mind the curious assumption "My time is my own". Let him have the feeling that he starts each day as the lawful possessor of twenty-four hours. Let him feel as a grievous tax that portion of this property which he has to make over to his employers, and as a generous donation that further portion which he allows to religious duties. But what he must never be permitted to doubt is that the total from which these deductions have been made was, in some mysterious sense, his own personal birthright."


After reading that, anything I say would only take away. For all of you non Lewis loving fans, I hope I have turned you from your ways!