Labor Day

We decided early this summer that we would take a couple of extra days around Labor Day weekend to go spend some time with his family. We left last Thursday and got back yesterday around lunch time. Jeremy's dad recently accepted a Director of Missions position in Brunswick, GA. Brunswick is only about 45 minutes from where his older brother, wife and kids live. His younger brother and his wife met us there as well. It was so good to spend with his family, who we only see once, maybe twice a year. One of my favorite things to do when we are with his family is to play cards. Always so much fun! Lots of competitive people trying to get the W. Also, while we were there we got to go to a place called St. Simone's island and walk around the cute touristy island. It doesn't compare to the jewel of the gulf coast but it is still extremely beautiful. We were also able to spend some time with Jeremy's BFF and his family. These two are absolutely the perfect pair and some what obsessed with each other. Its a shame they live over 600 miles apart. We spend the night laughing and letting the two of them tell stories and make fun of each other. We left their house wishing we got to see them more often. Here are a few pictures of our weekend!

This was dinner for me the first night we were there! Old Country Boil... crab, crawfish, shrimp, sausage, corn and potatoes...it did not disappoint!

Us at St. Simone's.

We went shopping one day and I found this sweet outfit for the little Riles. His mom and my sister-n-law also bought her some adorable things!

Another day at St. Simone's.

On one of our last days there I found this gem in a store... let me remind you, we were in south Georgia, very close to the Florida border.. definitely in Bulldog and Gator country. The Tennessee girl in me wanted to start singing rocky top soon as I saw this but I refrained. Yes, I bleed Tiger Blue and when I married Jeremy, I took on the joy of becoming a Seminoles fan as well..but... I still love the boys in orange and white and it warmed my heart to see this!

Oh, this guy. Jeremy and Ryan have been best friends since the beginning of highschool. They lived less than a mile a part and were pretty much inseparable. Then Jeremy broke his heart and moved to Memphis. He came to here for Jeremy's seminary graduation and then left his very pregnant wife to come again to be in our wedding. I am so grateful for the sweet friendship they share...as well as the fact that Ryan approved of me enough for Jeremy to marry me :) We love him, his sweet wife, and adorable kids and wished very much that we weren't 11 hours away.

We had a wonderful time but as a wise girl from Kansas once said.."There's no place like home!"

Saying Goodbye

Our neighbors are foster parents and back in February they approached us about being relief parents for them. They had two foster girls and were expecting their first child in May. We would help them as often as they needed us to. These girls totally stole our hearts and we definitely formed a sweet bond with them. It definitely got us thinking about the possibility of adopting locally. In all of the time I've known Jeremy he always said he would never change a diaper unless it was his own child, well one time I walked into the living room and saw this...

Precious. Little did we know when we started watching the girls that they would be preparing us for our very own girl coming this year. All of this to say the girls were placed with a family today. Our neighbors had hopes of getting to adopt them but the Lord had other plans. We hugged and kissed them one last time today and it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. These sweet girls didn't even live with me and I cried like a baby. I can't imagine what our sweet neighbors are experiencing. It's hard not to worry or be concerned about their new living  situation bu all we can do now is pray that they would be loved and taken care of. These sweet faces will stay with us for a lifetime...

Learning to Trust

Let me give you a brief background on Jeremy and I and our current situation. He is working two part time jobs- Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Bellevue Arlington Student Pastor. He had been with FCA for about 4 years and felt God calling him back into church ministry. He was very involved with the students at Bellevue Arlington and the position of part time student pastor was offered to him. He loves what he is doing but it is beginning to take a toll. I am currently working full-time in Bellevue's Recreation ministry and love it! Normally, our situation would not be a big deal.. but with the surprise God gave us in April that we were having a baby it is beginning to get interesting. I've always wanted to be a stay at home mom but at this point we are not sure that can happen at first. With all of these different scenarios running through my mind of what we are going to do come December (or whenever she decides to come) not to mention our apartment lease is up in November, I really have been worrying about what we were going to do. Jeremy just doesn't worry and has faith far greater than mine. He has been through some trying times in his life and knows that the Lord is going to take care of us. Being married to him has been so encouraging and seeing the faith he has, has only made mine stronger. With everything that has been going on, God has been teaching me to just let it go and trust Him. This past Sunday was no exception. 

Jeremy was sharing with the students about Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea.  He talked about being in different stages in your walk with Christ. The first being the point in your life when you're up against a huge sea with your enemy on your tail... if you'll put all your faith and trust in Christ, He'll take care of you just like He did Moses and the Israelites. The next stage being when we get so bogged down in life and feeling like we're about to drown, we have to look at where we are, in the middle of the sea, on dry land, and He hasn't let the water cave in yet. We must surrender all that we have/are to Christ and trust that He's going to keep the water up until we've walked through. The last stage is being able to look back at where God has brought us from and what he brought us through and remember He took care of us...all we had to do was trust him.

Ouch. It was just the word I needed to hear. How many times in my life have I doubted that God is going to take care of me? Too many to count. And how many times has continuously taken care of me if I will simply trust Him? Again, too many to count. Our God is good and He will always do what He says He's going to do, all it takes is a little trust.

Summer

Dear Summer,

Please go away! I have enjoyed all of the fun you brought... trips, late nights, swimming, volleyball and of course the olympics. But I'm tired of sweating. At a little over 5 months pregnant, i'm not getting any smaller and the days keep getting hotter. Please go away soon and very very soon. If not then please bring some rain for me to enjoy from my window. I'm ready for cool breezes, football and leaves falling. I'm ready to experience the joy I get when I know I can walk outside to cool off. I'm ready for sweatshirts and toms..both of which I probably won't be able to fit in... guess that means I need to invest in some preggo fall clothing :) Summer, it's been fun but you are not welcome anymore. Time for you to go away and come back next year with much cooler temperatures.

Sincerely,
Sweaty Chubby Pregnant Girl

Baby Girl!!

Bring on the pink!!! We found out yesterday we are having a sweet and apparently very active baby girl!! Jeremy and I could not be more excited to meet our sweet, little Riley!!! Yes, she has a name! Riley...middle name to be decided...Wilbur! Jeremy has already claimed that he will be the favorite parent because she will be daddy's little girl. Which I am totally ok with because I was daddy's little girl and loved every minute of it! Plus, I had my daddy wrapped around my finger...its probably more accurate to say that I HAVE him wrapped around my finger. :) And I'm sure the same will be true of Jeremy from the first minute he lays eyes on her.  Here is a profile shot from the ultra sound...I think she may have Jeremy's nose. Her lips look a bit like a gorilla to me...so i'm not sure what to think about that...but the nose is definitely sweet!

We are so grateful and blessed that God has chosen to give us the sweet gift of a little girl!

Goodness

Time and time again I am amazed at the goodness of God. The times I don't deserve it, He shows me mercy that is unfathomable. His mercy and faithfulness have always been some of my favorite characteristics and yet every time I am reminded of these things I stand in awe, like I've never experienced it before. I don't even want to imagine where I would be without the goodness of God and without a relationship with Christ. When people in this world fail me, He is there to welcome me with open arms. When I've failed Him for the millionth time, He is there to forgive and show me how to make things right. What goodness God has shown us in the gift of His son Jesus!

Busy

What a whirl wind these last couple of weeks have been. I had honestly been dreading them because I knew how many events were going to be crammed into such a short amount of time. It all started on Wednesday the 27. We flew to South Carolina for Jeremy's little brother's wedding. It was a weekend filled with excitement and fun times with the family. Thursday we had the bridal luncheon followed by a nap and then getting our nails done. Thursday night was the bachelor party. The groom and groomsmen headed off to Buffalo Wild Wings and Dave and Buster's. I was left with the rest family. When it came time for dinner, my father in law was deciding where to eat and without hesitation he picked my absolute favoritest place to eat, knowing that it would make my day... which it totally did!! Its this small little Italian place but they also serve greek food....my mouth is watering just thinking about it! so delish! Then it was friday and time for the rehearsal  and rehearsal dinner. My husband was of course the entertainment at the rehearsal. Then it was dinner time. Another delicious restaurant in small town south Carolina. It was a very sweet night! Wedding day arrived and with it was the hottest day ever. But we all survived and got ready for Jordan and Bre's big day. Here is a shot from my front row seat at the wedding.

It was very a sweet wedding and the boys decorated his car  and Jordan ended up covered in baby powder. Good times! Then it was Sunday and we were supposed to be on a plane back to Memphis at about 5pm but with our luck we got delayed and didn't end up in Memphis until about 10:30 that night. Monday morning we had to be at the airport at 5:15 to lead the student ministry trip to Student Leadership University 101 in Orlando. We managed to get to the airport Monday morning a little bit early and with energy, surprisingly. I cannot even explain to you how much fun we had while traveling and while being at SLU. It was great time of learning how to be Godly,effective leaders but with some fun thrown in as well. We got to go to Sea World on Tuesday. Of, course the only think I could think about while watching Shamu was free willy and how he busted out of his tank.

Thankfully he did not and the show was awesome! The next day we got to go to Universal and spent the afternoon there. Being preggo, I wasn't able to ride anything which was ok because it was cloudy and felt nice outside. And my selfless husband only rode two rides because he didn't want me to have to stand around all day. We walked around ate some ice cream and took pictures of the students riding rides. It was an exhausting but very fun filled trip!

So thankful for this guy's leadership and influence to so many students. Plus he's really cute! So glad I get to have his baby! Which we find out its a boy or girl in less than two weeks!! Predictions?