Fairs, visits, farm and camp!

 As we began our second July here we remembered the fun we had at the local fair last year.  So we went again and enjoyed four hours of sunshine, petting zoo, lemonade, cotton candy, rides and SNAKES!  :)  Yes, that is Seth in the orange shirt helping hold this gigantic reptile.

He was delighted to have a ball python around his neck too. 

 I loved this sweet little calf.  SO cute!  (We could fit one in our yard, right honey?!)

 Someone gave us a handful of tickets for rides as they were leaving - how fun!

The last month has been filled with visits with sweet friends and family.  Here are the kids with Grandma Aggie.

Steve was able to see many of his cousins at his Grandpa Boyd's birthday party in Wisconsin!

 Steve with his folks and sisters at the birthday party.

 Seth and Haddie with baby Norah!

 Haddie and Kimber!
We also enjoyed brief but lovely visits with Barb Smith, Shannon and her girls, Heather and Aveyn and Megan's family while we were at Oak Hills camp in Bemidji this past week.  Wish I had pictures of all of them!

 While Steve settled into Camp Oak Hills as speaker of the week, we took a couple days at the farm to escape the crazy heat and humidity.  Here's Haddie with some of mom's flowers.

 Getting a tractor ride!

 Watching Grandpa Dewey do some leveling.

 Feeding Hidalgo.  :)

 Seth and "Ash".

 Ahhhhh!  Breeze from a barn fan on a hot day!

 Grandma Sheila giving a mower ride. 

 They loved feeding "Avatar" and the rest of the peacocks!

 Following our time at the farm we spent four days and three nights at Camp Oak Hills with Steve.  Scott was gracious enough to take us tubing and fishing while we were there!  Here's Seth and Steve tubing.

 Having fun on the boat!

Biking to the beach!

Seth spent most of his time at the beach under water looking for shells.   :)

 We loved the quiet sandy swimming area.

The kids loved our gift of matching t-shirts from Camp.  What a wonderful week!

looking back...

As my brain fog is beginning to lift after our crazy year of moving/planting a church/moving again, I've spent some time looking back and thinking about God's goodness... even when it didn't feel so good in the moment.


I've thought about how hard it was to say goodbye to a truly wonderful church family.  A group who encouraged us, cared for us, befriended us and entrusted ministry to us.  In the early months here it was easy to feel lonely and wonder what purposes God had for us in this place.
          ...And then we started to see people come.  People not even connected to us in any way, but                orchestrated by God to enter into our lives and Ignite Church.  We've become friends, heard            their amazing stories and have quickly come to love this new church body deeply - just as we 
          still love the first church we served in.


I've thought about how, many years ago, God put an excitement in my heart to adopt children some day.  When our Haddie turned one year, I was determined that it must be time to start the process to adopt.  After several days of prayer Steve and I both agreed God's response was "Not now".  I felt so devastated.  How could something so good have a right time and a wrong time? 
Two more times since then we have sought the Lord and both times heard a clear, "Wait."  Sadness and tears abounded as I often wondered when we would be able to bring our other children home.
          ...Yet now as I look back at the challenges of this past year and the countless times I
          felt as if I was barely keeping my head above water, I can see God's wisdom in having us wait. 
          The year was good but a hard transition for the two children we have right now.  Every ounce
          of my physical and emotional energy was used up between assisting Steve with church "stuff"
          moving twice, and trying to help our kiddos feel loved and adjusted in our new life here.  I     
          can't wait to see our family grow (and we think the right time might be on the horizon!) but
          I'm thankful God was gracious in showing us his will - even though I didn't like it at the time.


There are so many more situations I could write about - like how Steve wrestled through some tough, tough situations in ministry before we moved (yet sheltered all the while under the wings of some amazing and godly mentors)...and how those things of the past have absolutely helped prepare him for handling issues here with grace and wisdom now that he's "on his own".  Then there's how I didn't even want to plant a church.  I kept thinking about how there are so many great churches in this country, and most of them not even full.  It seemed ridiculous to me to leave everything comfortable and go with my husband to start a new one.  ...My heart has obviously been changed and I've been blown away by the stories of how God is using Ignite Church.  It is so humbling and such an amazing gift to see it all unfold.  




 As we seek God's will for our lives, sometimes it's easy to understand why he directs us the way he does.  And of course there are some instances we won't fully understand while we're on this earth.  ...But then there are the situations we come to understand after some time.  After we grow.  And after we learn to trust him a little bit more...   :)


"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,"  declares the Lord.   ""As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."   ~Isaiah 55:8-9

Photo Update

Aunt Marian visited from Alaska!

Goin' for a ride on the lawnmower!

Evidence that we are starting to feel settled in our new home - we're making goodies again!

Chocolate dipped strawberries - yum!

Spending some time with newest baby cousin, Scarlet.

Seth loves babies!

Nat's fam

Haddie and her friend Gracie both just turned 4 - they had fun decorating brownies!

Grandpa Dewey showing Seth the ducklings - which were hatched out by a little black HEN! 

Cousin Cory's wedding. 

Seth and Haddie started new activities this summer which they love!

  

At the end of the school year we added a bird to our small animal collection.  We now have a dog, a fish, and a parakeet... probably the closest to having a farm I'll ever get, haha!

Mondays - Steve's day off - are precious to our family during this very busy season.  Here we are spending a Monday hiking at a nearby State Park.

Feeling so thankful to have a home again.  If you find yourself heading our way give us a call - we'd love to have you over!

Having Fun with the Monkeys

Did you know?

We're taking Lisa's fun suggestion and are going to share ten tidbits about us that you may (or may not) know!  ;)

Here we go...

            Hehe, here's us thirteen years ago!

 

1.  The first time we laid eyes on each other was the summer of 1995.  Some girlfriends and I were working on our tennis skills at the courts in town when Steve and a buddy of his showed up.  I had only just finished sixth grade (gasp!) and Steve was going into ninth.  We noticed each other that day but we didn't talk.  Steve, though normally not one to be at a loss for words, has shared that it took him two years to work up the courage to speak to me.  ;) 

2.  Two years later we started getting to know each other - although it wasn't until I was 16 that we had our first official "date".  We drove 45 miles to the nearest movie theater to watch The Mask of Zoro.

3.  When I was a freshman in college Steve asked me to marry him (and I said yes!)  It was a tradition at the small Bible college I attended to throw newly-engaged men into the lake just outside our chapel.  (Steve was sure to remain unseen around there until weather warmed up a bit.  When he visited a chapel service that spring my classmates were more than happy to include him in the tradition!)

4.  We were married on June 21 '03 - a wonderful, yet hot and windy day, complete with thunderstorm and power outage that night!  Our honeymoon was a road trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and we had a great time.  Thanks to groomsmen who were eager to fill Steve's car with everything from sardines to cereal, we had lots of Rice Crispies blow out of the vents of his car on that trip.  (In fact it took a good year or more for us to see the end of the Rice Crispies!)

5.  On our honeymoon we began praying that God would show us a ministry we could do together.  His answer was definitely not what we expected at that time! (# 7 tells of His response to those prayers.)

6. That fall Steve continued a job he had as a middle school counselor and I attended cosmetology school.  The plan was for Steve to work one more year while I went to school and then I would work as a cosmetologist while he went to seminary.  Hehe, sometimes things don't turn out as we plan!

7.  Around September of that year we received a phone call - a pastor hoping we would prayerfully consider helping out with their youth group.  We prayed and felt excited right away - this was the ministry we were supposed to do together!  That volunteer position turned into a full-time youth pastor job for Steve and the beginning of 7 years of ministry in that church!

8.  My maternal instincts kicked in soon after we were married, and so our first "kids" joined our home - a cockatiel named Pippin and later a collie named Meshach.  

9. Before we got married Steve said he wanted 10 kids.  ;)  We have two right now - and most likely won't make it to ten, but we love our kiddos and can't wait to add more by adoption (hopefully starting soon!)

10. Although we've taken numerous personality and strengths finder tests for various ministry things, we've found it only takes painting a room together to discover how we work.  You'll find me with a little brush working in the corners and Steve will have the roller making big strokes across the middle of the room.  Yep - I'm a details person all the way and Steve is the big-idea futurist who keeps life exciting for me!!

Taken on 4 consecutive days...

 The snow on our patio is going...

(Random side note: I really really wanted to bag up all the used cigarettes we found as the snow melted - compliments of our neighbor two floors up - and deliver them back to her.  I restrained myself.  But believe me, I thought about it!) 

 going...

 gone!  (hmmm... so is our door mat - I wonder where it is...)

 Not so fast!  One snowy day and it's back.  And we were getting so excited about how much was melting.

 Well, I guess if you can't beat it, might as well... spray water and food coloring on it, haha!

 And just for fun, here's a couple of Steve and Haddie "going to work" together.   ;o)

Blessings

...Blessed in so many ways...

...We had fun visit recently with Great-Grandpa Richard and Grandma Aggie....  Not so long ago they were hospitalized at the same time; Grandma with a broken leg and Grandpa in a very grave, life-threatening condition.  Both are doing well now.   (To see Grandpa feeling good enough to be playing ball with Seth and Haddie was so wonderful!)

... Thankful for well-fed, tuckered out little munchkins...

 ....And the chance to be home with them each day... 

The winter has been long, and the adjustment to our new setting hasn't always been easy, but I'm thankful we can be together!   :o)