Marking this day.

All I can say is, "WOW!"  It has been a little over year since I updated my blog and in that time I feel like we have lived three years.  We have bought and sold the house in Castle Rock in my last blog post.  We moved back to Wisconsin, this time buying a house in Oconomowoc.  We've been in the new house for two months today. 

It has been a rough weekend for everyone in our country.  27 innocent lives were taken Friday, 20 of them first grade children.  Our country is broken-hearted, but 27 families are dealing with it on a much larger scale than any of us can pretend to understand.  Thankfully, we serve a God who completely understands.  He willingly let us take His Son in exchange for our eternal hope and salvation.  I don't thnk my human mind will ever truly understand the true depth of that sacrifice this side of heaven. 

In addition, I have a friend whose 27-year-old husband is on the verge of passing away from brain cancer.  They have fought hard and long against the beast, but it appears his healing will come another way.  Their love is a deep, passionate love...the way I wish all marriages could be, and my heart breaks for them as well.  The agony of losing your best friend and the love of your life and having to be strong for their two-year-old daughter and walk her through this is unimaginable to me in some ways.  Unfortunately, I know too many for whom that pain is all to real.  How do you continue when it hurts to even breathe?  I am thankful that my Daddy continued on and continued to point us to Christ even when he didn't feel like it, even when it hurt to do so.  I pray I will never know that pain in my own marriage, but I know that there is only one way I would survive...through the love and presence of my Savior, the peace that can only be found in Him.

So much anguish.  So many dying too young.  Yet, even through the tears, I am reminded of Hope.  Songs keep running through my head (which is often a way that God speaks to me).  Songs like "There Will Be A Day" by Jeremy Camp, "Blessings" by Laura Story and the old hymn "My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less".  I am thankful for the reminders.  I am thankful for Hope.  I've said many times, and I will say it again...I can't imagine how a person gets through life on this earth without faith in Christ.  I know many do, but I can't imagine it.

I don't want this post to come across like I am depressed.  While I am sad and occasionally crying for these losses, I am oh so thankful for the blessings in my life.  I still have the joy of my salvation.  I feel the peace that passes understanding.  As Hannah and I prayed at bedtime last night...we know that God is still Sovreign; God is still God...and nothing on this earth can change that.  That is not a "Sunday School" answer; it is the truth.  Do we have answers for or understand everything that occurs in this life?  Why God does or does not intervene here or there?  Certainly not!  But, I have walked this journey of faith long enough to trust His Word, to trust that He is there, to trust that "all things work together..."  Thank you, God, for the gift of Faith!!

Well, I never intended to type all this out today.  I simply wanted to mark this day.  I feel stirrings inside that I can't explain.  I'm not sure what they mean at all...what I do know is that this feeling usually precipitates something big that God is doing in my life, and I felt compelled to mark this day down publicly.  Whatever it is, Lord: "Here I am."

Now I'm going to include the lyrics of Jeremy Camp's song and hit post before I go back and edit like crazy :-) because I believe that is what I am supposed to do today.

"There Will Be A Day"

I try to hold on to this world with everything I have
But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that tries to grab
The many trials that seem to never end, His word declares this truth,
that we will enter in this rest with wonders anew

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always

I know the journey seems so long
You feel you're walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you've walked out all alone

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always

Troubled soul don't lose your heart
Cause joy and peace he brings
And the beauty that's in store
Outweighs the hurt of life's sting

I can't wait until that day where the very one I've lived for always will wipe away the sorrow that I've faced
To touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery this is why this is why I sing

  There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
  There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face

  There will be a day he will wipe away the tears
  He will wipe away the tears
  He will wipe away the tears
  There will be a day

Update, Halloween and the Inchworm

Update

Well, as most of you know by now, our offer on the house was accepted.  We're hoping and praying to close before Thanksgiving.  Our final loan approval is in, so we're only waiting on the report on the appraisal that we believe occurred earlier this week.

I've now completed three weeks at the University of Denver. I'm beginning to feel more settled about the job change though I still miss my friends and work at Carroll University (some of whom sent me these beautiful flowers at the end of my first week at DU). 

The DU campus is incredibly beautiful, and there are many great programs here.  The people I work with are very nice and welcoming.

Shayne has somehow managed to keep his sanity being cooped up in the RV with a four month-old baby.  Addi absolutely detests her car seat (even worse than Hannah did), so the ride to drop off and pick up Hannah from school isn't much fun.  It's not all bad though, and we are very grateful to have the RV (thank you Mom & Dad) and to not be stuck in a hotel, but we will be much more appreciative of our house when we get moved in.

Halloween

We went to Hannah's school on Saturday before Halloween for their Fall Festival.  Hannah dressed up in her Laura Ingalls costume, and had a lot of fun. 

She worked very hard to win me a cake in the cake walk, playing over 20 times before she won the cake she wanted to get me.  On Monday, we went trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood.  It was wonderful clear, crisp weather, and Hannah declared it "the best Halloween ever!"  The neighborhood was full of kids and nearly every house participated.  I now know I need to stock up on candy for next year. :-).  Here is a picture of the girls at the end of that evening. (For a couple of more pictures, see our Facebook album.)

 

 

Inchworm

Last, but not least, our four-month-old baby started scooting a little bit already.  It is an interesting way to move somewhere even if it is not the most efficient.  I can't imagine what life is going to be like when she can really move.  Enjoy the video!

Laughing & Rolling

FYI...if you're seeing this post on Facebook, you'll have to go to the blog site to watch the videos.

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Well, this girl is a go-getter. A couple of days after my last post, she started rolling from her tummy to her back. It has become common to go to her bed and find her on her back. Well, this morning, Shayne saw her roll over and make it back to her tummy. We haven't caught her rolling over on camera yet :-(.

She also started to make attempts at laughing last week right before/during our move. Below is a video of her "laughing" this week a couple of different times.

Here is another video of her kicking her legs. She will be running in no time...



As for the rest of us, the move has been somewhat all consuming. We made it safely through the long trip arriving at Jim & Becky's late Saturday night. Monday morning, Shayne and I got up and drove to Denver to meet with our realtor for the first time. We spent the next five days driving back and forth looking at different areas of Denver, finally settling on Castle Rock. Today, we made an offer on a house. We're praying that if it's God's will for us to be there, the offer will be accepted, and if it's not, the offer will not and He will guide our next steps and decisions.

This has definitely been a year of changes, so many of them good yet bittersweet as we've left good friends and a wonderful state. We look forward to establishing our lives here for the time God wants us here, but rest assured Wisconsin is a part of us forever.

Good night all!

Baby Talk

My how things have changed since the last time I posted. Our newest family member, Addi Faith, is two months old, and we are moving to Denver in two weeks. Perhaps I'll get better about posting, perhaps not...we'll see.

Anyhow, here is a video of Addi "talking".

Grandparents (and others)...enjoy!

Catching Up - Summer 2009

So, it seems every time I post I'm apologizing for not keeping up. Instead of apologizing, I'm just going to catch up, so here goes...

MAY

May brought one of the highlights of this year, our gorgeous new niece, Gabriela Elise (aka Gabby)! We are overjoyed at her arrival and love her to pieces already. Jeremy and Micah have taken to new parenthood beautifully, and it is so much fun to see them becoming a family.

May also brought the end of another soccer season, second grade and Hannah's tenure at West Suburban Christian Academy. WSCA has been a wonderful place for Hannah to learn, mature and grow, but after much prayer and consideration, we feel it's time to make the transition to public schools. We are blessed to be putting her in a school with a Christian principal and many Christian teachers. It seems to be the best school we can hope for in a transition period.

Hannah scoring a goal

JUNE


June brought Hannah's 8th birthday. I can hardly believe it has already been 8 years. Her birthday present this year was a surprise visit from Taylor, Katie and Aunt Becky. Attached is the video of the kids reactions'. It was a short, but fun visit, and great to surprise Hannah that way.

Three days after Hannah's birthday, we left to visit Micah, Jeremy and Gabby in England. As if traveling to Europe for the first time wasn't treat enough, we got to spend time with our family, snuggle our sweet niece, tour the countryside and London with "the locals", and Hannah finally got to see Big Ben in person. It was a full and too short trip. I couldn't possibly post enough pictures here to be representative, but you can see all of them here.

Hannah after seeing Big Ben for the first time

After our trip to England, June was much quieter though we did take our annual trip to the Cedarburg Strawberry Festival. Hannah enjoyed getting her hair done "princess" style, decorating a sugar cookie and picking up her requisite caramel apple. Mostly, she spent the three weeks at YMCA summer camps anxiously awaiting Mimi's arrival.

JULY / AUGUST

July 3rd was the start of test-driving for a new car. We looked at the Mitsubishi Outlander, the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Subaru Forester.

July 4th was spent with our friends, Tim & Michelle and their two boys. After spending most of the afternoon relaxing, eating and letting the kids play, we headed to Pewaukee Lake for the fireworks that evening. As we knew from our first Independence Day in Wisconsin, it can be very cool by the lake in the evening. Fortunately, we were prepared with blankets for sitting on and for wrapping up in. The fireworks over the lake were beautiful, and Hannah didn't even cover her ears for the first time.

On July 10, we picked up our new Santa Fe. We drove it around some and spent the evening introducing our friends, the Kings, to downtown Waukesha. We LOVE downtown Waukesha! On Friday evenings in the summer, the Waukesha Freeman hosts "Friday Night Live" which includes live music, shops and galleries open later, and typically beautiful Wisconsin summer weather.

July 14th brought a visit from Mimi. She stayed with us for three days. After that, she and Hannah returned to Colorado for Hannah's summer stay. She enjoyed five weeks of hiking, four-wheeling, off-roading in the new Jeep and generally soaking up Colorado. They even squeezed in a trip to South Dakota to visit Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse for a week in August.

Daddy came up for his annual visit while Hannah was gone. We thoroughly enjoyed his visit. Though I know he would have loved to have seen Hannah, we were able to do some different things this year including a boat tour of historic Geneva Lake, a Brewers game, and German food. Daddy even got to help me pack for my office move...lucky him!

We got up very early on the morning of the 22nd and headed to Omaha to meet Mimi, Papaw and Hannah. We enjoyed a nice dinner with them at Upstream Brewing Company and presented them with a small gift for their 40th wedding anniversary which was the 23rd. After a much too short visit, we headed home. We decided to take a non-Interstate route home which we knew would add some time to the trip...little did we know it would add 4-1/2 HOURS. Needless to say, we got home a little later than anticipated, and we were all very grateful to get here.

So, we had a whirlwind summer, especially Ms. Hannah. Hopefully, she can some day fully appreciate the opportunities and experiences she's had this summer. She is growing up so quickly, so we want to fully enjoy life with her as much as we can.

How do you know there is a God?

How many times has this question been asked? People who don't believe often wonder how we can be so sure. I know (head-knowledge) He exists because I know Him (heart-knowledge) personally. He sat beside me and held my hand when I was laying on the couch sick from chemotherapy. He comforted me when we discovered the lump and my worst fear became real. He gave me an unearthly peace through every step. He still walks with me even when my heart wanders, and oh, how these human hearts tend to wander. He's always there when I turn back around looking for Him. I know there is a God because I know Him.

This link is to a post by another woman, who's story of faith and our personal Savior is more proof that He exists. Please read this post. Thankfully, I have not known her specific pain, but I understand her heart. She very eloquently explains what a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe can look like. He does not promise we will not endure hardship in this life, but He does promise to always be there with us.

Thank you, Jesus! You are true to your promises.

Sacagawea & Spring

Sacagawea

The second grade classes at Hannah's school have hosted an American Hall of Fame for the past several years. The kids choose from a list of men and women who had a significant influence on America. Hannah was Sacagawea. This was a two month project for the students. After receiving their character assignment, they had a month to research them. Hannah read two chapter books about Sacagawea, taking notes while reading. From their notes, the students developed written speeches as their hero/heroine during class time. The final drafts were sent home for minor editing with help from parents; costumes were made; treats were made (for the "after-party"), etc. After all of their hard work, it was amazing to see them. They all did so well and were so proud of their work. Completely unbiased as I am (ha, ha), I must say Hannah rocked as Sacagawea. Below are a couple of pictures and a video clipped together. Enjoy!

Hannah and Miss Nickels

Spring

Thought you might also enjoy a couple of "Wisconsin in Spring" pictures. Today, we drove the entire Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive. I've been wanting to make that drive since we discovered parts of it.

Beautiful, peaceful farm

Historic church and cemetary

Goose family on the side of the road

(The second family we saw today. The first had about ten goslings!)