Closing on Our First House

This morning, James and I found out that will will be closing on our first house this Thursday! Here are a few pictures that I took the day of the home inspection. I look forward to posting more when we move in!

Front (w/ previous homeowner's car)

Kitchen

Living Room (w/ previous homeowner's couch, broom, etc.)

Guest Room

Master Bedroom

Bathroom

Bathroom

Garage (w/ previous homeowner's stuff)

Back (w/ previous homeowner's playhouse)

Corey and Heidi's Wedding Weekend

James and I took nearly 200 pictures over the weekend. I chose just a few to share with my readers. The wedding was exquisite and the bride was breath-taking. It was an honor to be part of Corey and Heidi's special day.

Espey Cave

Last week, James and I went out of town for spring break. We had such a great time relaxing, staying up late, sleeping in, watching movies, eating out, trail running, etc. We left Friday night after work, and since we couldn't check into our resort until Saturday, we spent the night with our very good friend Tommy. He is always such a great host. We woke up semi-early and met up with James' cousin Matt at Espey Cave. This was no guided tour. We spent about four hours in our headlamps and knee pads crawling around the cave getting wet and muddy. That may not sound fun to most, but we had a blast! The scenery outside the cave was gorgeous too.

Before

After

 

 

50 days...

Ash Wednesday

Since I have attended Baptist churches most of my life, I am unfamiliar with the observances of Ash Wednesday and Lent. I did attend one Ash Wednesday service at the local Catholic church when I was a senior in college, but I only did that to fulfill a requirement for my philosophy class. Other than that, I have had no experience with these rites. 

 A dear friend of mine attends a local Methodist church where Ash Wednesday and Lent are observed. She and I ate lunch together a few weeks ago, and she told me about one Lent season where she abstained from different foods and prayed diligently for her son. She said that she truly saw a difference in his life after the experience. Her faithfulness inspired me to want to participate in Lent this year. My family is dealing with a lot of different issues these days, and I don't pray for them enough. By observing Lent for the next forty days, I hope to commit my family to prayer more diligently than I ever have. I plan to abstain from sweets and fried foods. These are not good for our bodies, so it won't hurt me to fast from them for forty days. Only good can come from this experience. When I am tempted to eat something sweet or fried, I will pray for my family instead.

My friend and I agreed to help keep one another accountable. I pray that this experience will not only benefit my family through my prayers but that God will draw me closer to Himself. I hope to develop a stronger dependence on Him.

Promises in Deuteronomy

One of my New Year's resolutions has been to read through the Bible in a year. Over the past couple weeks, I've read through Deuteronomy. These are some promises that I found while reading.

"You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you." Deut. 3:22

"Know therefore today, and lay it on your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other." Deut. 4:39

"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations." Deut. 7:9

"For the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory." Deut. 20:4

"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." Deut. 31:6

"It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Deut. 31:8

Lucy Update

Lucy's mom Kate wrote the following in her blog today:
Lucy is leaking spinal fluid from her incision.  We will be going down for a small procedure to repair the leak around 11:00.  She has a high fever and is in a lot of pain this morning.   Once the leak stops she should feel a lot of pain relief.  Please continue to pray for her today.

Oh, and she has UTI now, too.  UGH!!!!

This is the update after Lucy's procedure:
The procedure went well, but her spinal fluid came back cloudy.  When Dr. Boop came to tell us what that meant we were floored.  It either meant that she had meningitis or the cancer was worse than we thought.  So we waited nervously for a few hours until they came to tell us the results.  Praise God it was only Meningitis.  In what sick, twisted reality is Meningitis a good thing? 

But, as I've said we have a new normal.  A new way of life to adapt to.  While I am thrilled that she is sleeping and eating well tonight, I have to temper my excitement.  As we have learned, things can change in a moment's time.  Such is the way of this mighty beast cancer.

Three Years

Yesterday was our 3 year anniversary. We spent the day at work and in class, taking exams and doing homework. Such is the life of college students. We're anticipating our spring break trip though! That's when we'll get the chance to spend some time together and relax for a few days.