A New Season: 600 Miles Away {Part 2}

We knew we wanted to move. 

Lincoln was my home away from home. I have had connections there since before I was born since my family lived there for many years before I came along. We made trips up there every year, and even more so when my brother and sister both went to college near Lincoln. I have always had a special place in my heart for Lincoln and the Midwest in general. It's a city that doesn't feel like a city. It's a beautiful, it's slower paced than what I was used to in Dallas, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it at some point in my life. Thankfully, Tim felt the same way. And for the last few years, we have talked about it off and on and dreamed of the possibilities of picking up our lives and trying something new. We just weren't sure if that was what God wanted us to do. We knew, ultimately, that we wanted to be where God wanted us to be.

2013 had a lot of good times, but there seemed to be a lot more hard times. June came and it was one of the most difficult months we have had to face. Trial after trial -- physical, emotional, relational...you name it. It was during this time that we learned to go to God. Together. And pray the big prayers. The desperate prayers. It was our only option. We prayed for guidance, for wisdom, for direction, for clarity. We prayed that the Lord would use us where He wanted us, even if it meant staying in Dallas.

On the 4th of July, Tim came home from work and our neighbor was outside,so they started talking. He knew our story, and knew how unhappy we were, and that Lincoln had been on our hearts for awhile. He told Tim, just go for it. He told Tim to pick a date to move to Lincoln, whether he had a job or not. He said to maybe shoot for a month from now. That was August 4^th. Tim came into the house and told me all of this, and I was like…yeah right! That would be absolutely crazy! But it had me intrigued. What did we have to lose?

Tim applied for several jobs in Lincoln. There was one in particular that he looked at that he was interested in but was highly doubtful that he qualified for the position. I encouraged him to apply anyways, so he did. He really didn't expect to hear back from them but guess what? They were the first ones to contact him. And it was the day after he applied!

They spoke on the phone and they wanted to meet Tim in person if possible. It just so happened that we were going to be in Lincoln that next week to visit family. They set a time for a face-to-face interview while we were in town -- exactly a week after the initial phone conversation. The kicker was that if he got the job, he would have to start on August 5th. That was only 3 1/2 weeks away and also the exact time that we were half-heartedly planning on moving whether he had a job or not. I thought, OK, don't get your hopes up, and don't worry, because it will all work out one way or another as crazy as that time frame is. God's good like that.

A week later we were in Lincoln. That morning, I walked Tim out to his car, we prayed, and he went downtown for his interview. He felt that the interview went well, and that he was to hear back the following day whether he got the job or not.

The next morning, Tim noticed that he had a message on his phone, but we had to drive closer to downtown to be able to get cell reception so that he could check the message. The message was from one of the guys who interviewed him. We decided to drive to our favorite coffee place in downtown Lincoln, which just so happened to be down the street from this companies offices. We parked on the street, got out of the car, and Tim called. It kind of felt like a scene in a movie. I stood there anxious, excited, trying not to get my hopes up (pfft, yeah right!), watching Tim to see his reaction. I could tell by the conversation and his smile that he was offered the job. I think I might of started hopping up & down a little with a huge grin on my face. Tim got off the phone, we smiled, I might of squealed a little, and we hugged -- in the middle of downtown Lincoln, the place we would return to in 14 days. Our new home.

God just completely blew us away with how he orchestrated every single thing that had happened at that point. We had many people praying for us over the years and encouraging us. There were so many confirmations that this was what God wanted us to do. There was absolutely no doubt this is where He wanted us to go, and that is such an amazing thing! And it was all in His timing. Even today, I continue to reflect on all that the Lord has done in in our lives -- through the good and the hard circumstances, and I see His hand in ALL of it. It truly is amazing and brings me to tears just thinking about it. He is incredible.

Stay tuned for Part 3!

A New Season: Necessary Pruning {Part 1}

We finally did it!

We moved from our home in Dallas, Texas to our new home in Lincoln, Nebraska.

To some, this move might have seemed very sudden, maybe even impulsive.

To us, this was an answer to years of prayer & waiting.

I’ve been trying to figure out how best to sum up the last 5-6 years. The only thing I can come up with is that it was a time of pruning. There is a quote that I read a few months ago which I found as an encouragement during such a difficult season:

 “God prunes us when He is about to take us into 
a new season of growth & expansion.” 
- Christine Caine

So, what is pruning anyways?

Pruning - to trim (a tree, shrub, or bush) by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, esp. to increase fruitfulness and growth.

Not a comfortable process, for sure. But did you notice the end result? "to increase fruitfulness and growth". It  is a necessary process that God uses at different times in life in order to grow us. Even though it is hard, and it can be very painful, I have learned that God is doing it for my good and that it is NOT a punishment. My tendency is to think that there must be something I'm doing to displease God, and that is why things are not going the way I want them to. It's not true folks! It's not! The good news of the Gospel says that God loves me, despite of the sin in my heart. I mean, He gave His only son up for me + my messiness so that I can be reconciled to Him. Beautiful, right? And because He loves me so much, He does not let me sit where I am at...He pushes me into the uncomfortable, which helps me to remember my desperate need for a Savior -- for the One that gives me hope, guidance, and wisdom.

I would have never learned these lessons (& many more) had God not brought us through the hard, the good, and the oh so ugly. Because of all of what went down the last 5 years -- I have a much richer relationship with Jesus, a deeper understanding of His great love for me, and a desire to know Him more. During all of this he brought a wonderful church and amazing people into our lives -- people that loved us, challenged us, and supported us. And those are friendships that will last a lifetime. That, my friends, makes it all worth it.

So, how in the world did we end up in Lincoln, NE? 

stay tuned for part 2......

{Christmas Favorites}

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Smell: Real Christmas trees, the smell of fireplaces when walking outside, the smell of cold (yes, that smell exists)

Tradition: Tim and I always go to the store (usually Target) and each purchase at least one ornament for our tree. Then I usually write the year we purchased it on each ornament (somewhere inconspicuous).

I also make homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas Day (yummmmm)

Movie: Elf! I have seen this movie a gazillion and one times, but I never get tired of it! We have it on every year when we decorate our home for Christmas.

Hymn: O' Holy Night -- my all time favorite. The lyrics are full of richness and bring glory to the Lord. I can't get through the song without crying. It is beautiful. 

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining, 

It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth. 

Long lay the world in sin and error pining. 

Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth. 

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. 

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! 

O night divine, the night when Christ was born; 

O night, O Holy Night , O night divine! 

O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!  

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming, 

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand. 

O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming, 

Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land. 

The King of kings lay thus lowly manger; 

In all our trials born to be our friends. 

He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger

Behold your King! Before him lowly bend! 

Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!  

Truly He taught us to love one another, 

His law is love and His gospel is peace. 

Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother. 

And in his name all oppression shall cease. 

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, 

With all our hearts we praise His holy name. 

Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we

His power and glory ever more proclaim! 

His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Christmas Album: Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas

Gift: A few Christmas' ago, my parents started to gift us parts of the Willow Tree Nativity set. Each year since they have continued to add on to it. I am so thankful for this set. It is beautiful and I love setting it out every year.

via

Sight: I love looking at Christmas lights and looking for that 'Griswold' home! I also love sitting in my living room, turning off all the lights except for the lights on the Christmas tree. I love our tree and looking at all of our special ornaments.

Dislikes: Crazy stores & full parking lots, elf on the shelf, the terrible drivers that seem to come out this time of year, Texas winters (thankfully it is cold today! But it's been spring like the past few weeks); I want some sweater weather!

Feel free to comment and tell me some of your favorite things at Christmas time!

{Fall & Blessings with a Little Mix of Realness}

My morning started out like every other morning. Dragged myself out of bed, away from the warmth of the covers. Took a shower. Got dressed. Did my hair & makeup. Fed the cats. Grabbed a quick breakfast (thankfully I made it the night before!), poured my coffee into my travel mug (little sugar & cream. stir.) Grabbed my purse & keys, and walked out the door. The moment I stepped on my porch I was greeted with fall. True fall. Coolness in the air! It is g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s! I love the changing of the seasons. Especially living in TX, the gift of fall is welcomed. I decorate my home early (usually around Sept 1) in preparation because I like to make fall last in my home as long as possible. I love everything about it. Pumpkin Spice Lattes, spice scented candles that make my home smell a-mazing, the colors, cooler weather, etc. I love how creative God is and how he turns leaves into radiant, beautiful colors. All different. But they flow so well together. Makes me want to praise Him from whom all blessings flow. Such a precious, precious gift. I just want to soak it up and bathe in it for awhile....

Tim and I are in a slow-long-seems like it will never end-days I feel like I'm hanging by a thread-season of our own (kind of feels like a long, hot, TX summer - the kind that never seem to end). This has been one of the toughest seasons of our lives thus far. God is molding us, refining us, s t r e t c h i n g us, sanctifying us. And it is hard. Super hard. And there are days that I just want to give up. There are days that I sit and cry and ask God, Why? and How much longer? and Are you there? There are days where I feel like I'm living the movie 'Groundhog Day' and I wonder, what's the point? I have been all over the map emotionally. I have been distant from people (which I hate). I have seen the ugliness of uglies of sin in my heart. Tim and I have had many hard and long conversations about big life things. I am thankful that him and I are on the same page. We are in prayer. We are waiting on the Lord. I want to be bold in actively seeking Him. His way is far superior than anything I could come up with -- something I need to trust in. God is gracious in that he turns the ugliness of life into something beautiful. God showers us with blessings, daily, even when they don't look like blessings. I am excited to see where God is leading us, as hard as this road has been. 

About a month ago, I found this band on Spotify. LOVE THEM! Go check them out. now.
I love the realness of the lyrics...in our humanness, we are weak. There are days of doubt. There are days of hopelessness. Satan loves nothing more than to put subtle lies in our heads, and so often, I believe them; anything to distract me from my Savior and His promises. There are days when the Lord seems far away. There are days I need to know that the Lord is still holding me in His hands. This is the song that I've been singing the last several months, to be honest. There are days when I cry out to my heavenly Father, 'I need a reason to sing!'

I am thankful that the Lord tenderly, and maybe not so tenderly at times (which is OK because I often need a good kick in the behind -- it's called violent grace) reminds me that He is with me. That He does have me. That He dearly loves me! That this life is not for nothing. I am thankful for Truth. I am thankful for good friends and a church that cares about my soul and my heart. I am thankful for Jesus. 

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. {Deuteronomy 31:6}

....and where did the Springtime go??

Photo courtesy of lepiaf.geo

It's summer time and it is way too hot! I was born and raised in Texas and I still can't get used to the summers here. I was in Hobby Lobby the other day and walked by their seasonal items, and they already have fall and christmas stuff out! I guess I shouldn't be surprised by that anymore. Even though I think retail stores could wait just a TAD bit longer to put all the fall stuff out, not to mention CHRISTMAS stuff, it just reminded me of the season I get to look forward to. Fall is probably my favorite time of year, so looking at all the wall decor and pumpkins, etc...I could just taste it! But alas, we must get through summer first...

This summer has been great so far. First off, I got a full time position in the same department I've been working in for 5+ years, which I'm very happy and thankful for. I started that June 1. It is helping us out financially, and I'm so thankful for God's goodness and faithfulness throughout all of this. So, I've been adjusting to working full-time and re-prioritizing things at home. Things are getting better though :)

June 12 - 20 was a VERY busy time because all of my family was in town. We had a Noack (my dad's side) family reunion the 14-15 and it was a blast. We had it at Lynn Creek Park over at Joe Pool Lake. It was warm (and crazy crowded!) the first evening, but on 15th there wern't many people there, and it was crazy windy! It made the outdoors bearable but made eating a little bit of a challenge :P It was a fun day of catching up with family, launching balloons all day long with an awesome water balloon launcher my bro-in-law made, and playing games like aggravation (a family favorite!). The rest of the week was a lot of fun hanging out with all my siblings and their families. It's a blast when all 5 of us siblings are toghether and I always cherish those times because it doesn't happen often. Usually only once a year! The next that we'll all be together (hopefully!) will be next summer out in Estes Park, CO!! We're getting a huge cabin and I am very excited about that :)

The rest of June was busy in general -- working, trying to get my work outs in (eek..), and just spending time with the hubs! And here were are and it's July already! I can't believe we're half way through 2009 already. I guess it is true that time goes by faster as you get older...
This week our friends Kendra and Isaac are in town from Estes Park, CO so we're going to get together with them, and then my friend Lauryn is in town from Georgia and I'll be hanging with her this weekend! Then Tim's folks will be in town next week. In a few weeks Tim and I will be heading out on a road trip to Estes Park to visit Kendra and Isaac for a few days. I can not wait to be up there in the mountains!! It's gonna be a blast. Then less than a month after that I'll be flying up to visit my best friend April in North Dakota! She'll have just had her 4th boy and so I'll be helping her out since her husband is deployed with the Air Force. That's going to be really fun as well :)

I'm thankful that I'm having the opportunities this year to visit friends and family across the country. I love to travel and I don't usually get to do it much, and this year alone I've been able to go to Wisconsin to visit my sister, and then go to Colorado and North Dakota! I told Lauryn I need to save money to fly out to Georgia, so I'll have all my close girlfriends covered for the year :) haha...not sure if that'll happen, but one can always hope right?

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July weekend! I'm happy to have tomorrow off and catch up on things at home. Maybe I'll even get a little card making in this weekend... :)

*love*

Under the weather

Photo courtesy of SubZeroConsciousness

Lemon-Honey Tea
(courtesy of my wonderful mom)

6-8 oz. boiling hot water
1 Tea Bag (flavor of your choice)
Lemon Juice (start with 1-2 tsp, and add more to taste)
Honey (to taste)

1. Boil water in teapot
2. Pour hot water in your favorite mug and steep your tea bag
3. Add honey and lemon juice, take tea bag out, stir
4. Relax, breathe in the steam, drink, enjoy, repeat as needed

Boy have I been sick. Tim and I have both had colds the past week or two, and it has not been fun. I was out of commission most of last week and spent a lot of time in bed or laying down on the couch watching too many movies and T.V. shows. Needless to say, my brain turned to mush. It was actually nice to be at work yesterday and I enjoyed working through some of the financial reconciliations I needed to do (amazingly enough). I think my mind needed to be stimulated.

During all of this I found out last Monday that my Aunt in New York (my mom's sister-in-law) passed away suddenly due to a heart attack. It was a total shock to us all since it happened so quickly. I was unable to fly out there, but thankfully my mom and dad were able to fly out on Tuesday, my sister, Holly, drove from Wisconsin with her 4 children and my sister, Beth, flew out as well. So at least we had a good representation there. I'm glad they were able to stay with my Uncle and keep him company as he is now adjusting to living life without his wife. I was able to speak with him on the phone and he was in good spirits and was so thankful for the hope that he has that she is in heaven with the Lord. Praise the Lord for that hope and the comfort that He is able to give us through these tough times.

So back here at home, I missed out on our typical Valentine's day festivities. I was at my worst on Saturday, so I was laying on the couch all day long. Tim was very busy delivering fruit bouquets, so it was just me and the kitties all day. Tim came home and surprised me with a pretty bouquet of flowers, some dayquil, and went out and got chick-fil-a for dinner :) We're going to have our Valentine's Day date sometime this week yet, which actually will be better since we won't have to wait in line at the resturaunt and deal with crowds of people. I am a little bummed that we couldn't go out on the day of because it is me and Tim's first date anniversary. 7 years ago, we went on a double date with my best friend, April and her (now) husband, Adam. We went to P.F. Chang's and I can still remember our conversation (mostly) and the excitement of getting to know this guy. Oh and I was nervous...I think we both were...but I knew there was something special about him. After dinner we went to Cafe Brazil in Deep Ellum for coffee and stayed there for awhile, then we dropped off Adam and April and he took me home. We sat in his car and talked and talked and talked until about 2am. To this day, Tim and I can still sit and talk for hours about anything and everything. OH, I love this man :)

Well, I could could go on and on, but I must stop here for now. I'm embarrased to say that it is 11:50 am and I am still in my pajamas. That's the dangerous thing about not going to work till 1:00! So, I am off to get ready for the day, grab some lunch, feed the kitties, and then off to work.

*love*

Season's Greetings!

I really haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Tim and I have been quite preoccupied with getting ready for the holidays, various projects, including our biggest project: 4 kittens. They take up quite a bit of our time, and they are currently residing in the office, thus I am not in there as often on the computer. It used to be my place of creativity and serenity, but when you have kittens running up your leg all the time, it makes it kind of difficult! I probably won't be updating my blog(s) much until after the first of the year.

Until the next time I get a chance to blog, I hope everyone is having fun getting ready for Christmas! Christmas is probably my favorite holiday. I love the lights, the music, giving gifts, sharing time with family and friends, the yummy holiday foods, the Church services, etc. It is all too easy to get overwhelmed with all the duties and craziness that comes along with it though. I pray that through all the hustle and bustle of this season, that we are all able to sit back and reflect on what this season is all about. The birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the greatest gift of all!

Luke 2:9-12
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Peace & Joy to you all
*love*

Thanksgiving

We had a really good Thanksgiving this year. Lots of fun with family, devouring way too much turkey and stuffing, and loving every minute of it. On Thanksgiving day, we had dinner up in McKinney at Tim's sister's (Amy) house. Tim's folks came into town from Kansas City, so it was great to see them and catch up on life. I love it when they are able to come down :) Amy has a wheat intolerance just like I do, so it's nice eating over there because she always has things prepared so that we can eat them! Except for the fact that she forgot to tell me the gravy had flour in it...oops! And within about 10 minutes of eating it, I knew I had been 'glutened'. That part wasn't so fun, but I didn't let it ruin my evening. All of us girls had fun chatting away all evening while the guys did their guy things and the kids played. My sister in law, Robin, went with her sister at midnight to head over to outlet mall to start Black Friday shopping, and Amy and my mother in law were going to get up at 4 to head out! Tim and I decided not to do that this year, which was good because we were so unbelievably tired, especially since Garbanzo has been waking us up every few hours to eat! She's nursing 4 kittens, so she's hungry all the time. We decided after that night that when we got home from Friday thanksgiving at my parents house, we were going to move them into the office so we could shut our bedroom door!

So back to Thanksgiving! Friday morning, I woke up and started preparing the gluten free apple tart I was so excited to make! I ran into a few issues...as in the dough kind of fell apart on me (the hazards of baking gluten free sometimes...), but I ended up piecing it back together, and it turned out AMAZINGLY good. Oh my word, I am in love with this dessert.

We went to my folks house around 1:00, and played a game of ladder golf, or whatever it's called. I forgot what it's called! But it's a fun game, even though my brother Mike beat me...oh well. And here's Peter giving a demonstration, and the lovely Beth showing her stuff.

We had a wonderful dinner that my mom and dad put together, and I ate way too much as usual. We got to video chat with my sister and brother and their families who couldn't be with us. At least they got to all be together up in Wisconsin for Thanksgiving :) We also celebrated Tim's birthday as a family (even though his birthday was on November 2) I still can't believe he's 30!!

It was a very relaxing, low-key Thanksgiving, both days. I am so thankful it has worked out the past few years to have thanksgiving with one family on Thanksgiving, and one family the next day. We don't have to rush through lunch with the first family, only to be so full and not be able to eat much at the second!

So we went home Friday evening, and had to get the kitties moved into the office. That was the best idea, ever. Mama took to the move quite well, even though she looked quite concerned at first, and so did the kittens. They love their new dwelling place -- more room to play! So they're happy, and we're happy that we can finally have a full nights sleep again.

Aren't they sweet?

*love*

Blessings

I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving spent with family and/or friends and are able to spend time reflecting on what it is you are thankful for this year. I am thankful for the amazing family the Lord has so richly blessed me with as well as my awesome and supportive group of friends (I love you all!) I am also thankful for a very loving (very patient!) husband who never ceases to amaze me. The Lord has blessed me abundantly, and I do not want to take that for granted.

So enjoy time spent with loved ones, enjoy all the yummy food (I know I will!), and make new memories.

*love*

Good Weekends

Isn't it the best when you can look back on a weekend and it was just a really good weekend? I wouldn't say I have terrible weekends usually, but a lot of times they're fairly uneventful, which is fine too. Tim had a gig with his band on Saturday at the Bone in Deep Ellum. So Mark and Esther picked us up at 11 and headed on down to Deep Ellum. We were all starving, so thankfully Cafe Brazil was just across the street. ah....Cafe Brazil. Now, I usually love Cafe Brazil, but I got their blackened chicken nachos. Sounds good right? Well, not when they put shredded cheese as well as liquid, cheeze-whiz, type of stuff over top. *shudders* I ate it, but man, it was kind of nasty. So, back to the Bone, their band ended up playing last. They did really good! Not too bad for their first 'club/bar' premiere. Check em' out! They'll be playing some gigs coming up here in the future, so stay tuned.
Afterwards we went out with friends, and some new friends, to the White Rhino Coffeehouse in Cedar Hill for some java and hot chocolate. This place is so cool! It's in a bungalow type house (which is my fav!!) and of course the whole time I'm thinking "ooo...I want a house like this....and hey, it wouldn't hurt to have a coffee bar in my house either...." ok...back to reality. So we sat, drank, had good conversation, and then it was time for Tim and I to head out to Beth and Peters for soup night. I am totally loving the fall weather that we are finally having. It was in the 40's - 50's that evening, and it was a perfect night for some taco soup and wine. Beth and I played a very competetive game of Candyland with Jessica (I lost) while Peter and Tim played Sorry with Jonathan. The kids went to bed, and Beth and I decided to go rent Kung Fu Panda. Tim and I had just watched it last weekend for the first time, but we can't help but share this one with others. If you haven't seen it yet, go out right now and rent it. It's freakin hilarious! I haven't laughed that hard at an animated movie in a really long time. Anyways, we all had a blast and it was just an all around, great day. Sunday was a little more uneventful, but that was ok, we probably needed it.

So here we are at Monday, and the week has definitely kicked into full gear. Today I spent the afternoon trying to teach myself a new responsibility at work. It's fun when you have hardly any training and then you need to some how know what you're doing :) Ah well...keeps work interesting. Tim had an interview today, which he said he felt pretty good about. We should know by Wednesday whether he got the job or not. It would be a huge answer to prayer, especially during these difficult economic times, but I know that if he doesn't get it, God has other plans in store for Tim/us and we'll be taken care of! We always are :) I'll keep ya posted!

*love*