Excitement in the house!

This past Saturday, Bob and Vicki, brought my cat, Cali to live with us. They are leaving next Monday for Spain for 2-4 months. We already have Robert's cat, Ginger living with us....so we have had lots of hisses and grawls. So far, no cat fights. As the days are passing, the intenseness of the newness of each other is settling down. They are each finding their little nitch in our home!

Cali

Ginger

Trunk N Treat

Last Friday was Halloween night. Our outreach committee (which Robert is the leader!) held our 3rd annual 'Trunk N Treat' for the kids. We have a housing project across the street from our church and we have been reaching out to the kids and their parents. It was my first time to be a part of it. I enjoyed the evening going from trunk to trunk to see the creativity of our congrents from our church and building the relationship with them. Plus watching the kids go around and gather candy and mingle with us.

On Sunday, we announced the winners of the creativity of the trunks....






First place was a beach theme by my in-laws.....

Second place was a heaven theme....


Third was a winter wonderland theme.....









Does anyone want a free hotdog....my hubby sporting his new grill!


Lord, thank you for creativity and fun! Let it glorify you in the neighborhood!

Life goes on.....new challenges

Today is a pretty day! Sun is out with the crisp cool air of fall. One of my favorite seasons, especially watching all the pretty colors of the leaves changing. Kind of reminds me of life, knowing what season you are in and learning to accept all the changes in life. From the hot summer months when you need to be cooled off, to the changing colors of the fall leaves to the barrenness and coldness of winter...knowing that right around the corner will be new life birthing forth with buds on the trees and flowers blooming with fragrance from the ground.

Robert and I have been facing a few challenges with the business. Robert seems to handle it better than I do since he has been in this a lot longer than I. With each new punch, we still need to lean upon the Rock that we stand on knowing that He will lead us through. Now, with my life and leaving a life I have known for the last 18 years, I still walk that line of faith for God's provision of finances for us now as a couple. I always wondered how the families did it being in YWAM. A single can get by on a lot less but all of our faith is the same....our dependance needs to be upon the Lord. As I have learned over the years, God will provide what I need from finances to emotional to physical. He provided for me the last 18 in one chapter of my life....now to see the Lord provide for me in the next chapter of my life.

The Lord sent me a wonderful, kind husband. The other night he was the first to get home. (Just to note, that I'm still moving boxes in from my old home in Charles City.) He made me dinner. It was very sweet. The more I know him, the more I love him.

It is now that I should close so I can go unload my car from my last trip to Charles City. Only a couple more boxes and all my things will be in one house since the last 18 years!

Till next time....May you be 'Blessed to be a Blessing!' One of my/our quotes from the last 10 years of ministry. Thank you Lord for your provision, your grace to walk through each day and your strength and friendship!

The extended family

This past Sunday, Robert and I hosted his family to our home. It was their first time seeing his home since I started painting and redecorating since the wedding. Lots of changes, but they all seemed to like the changes. After church, we started cooking BBQ pork chops and chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn and Robert's yummy dessert of peach cobbler and ice cream.

We had a lovely three hour visit. Although, we were saddened that his grandparents were unable to come. His grandma fell just a couple of days before and didn't feel up to going out. She is excited to see the place so hopefully soon she will feel up to coming.

I can say it is fun having my own house to decorate and create a place for my husband to come home to every evening. A desire that I have had for many years. I still feel like I'm dreaming and there are days that I still can't believe that I am married.

'For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.' Psalm 84:11

Thank you, Lord, for fulfilling my deepest desire! May you receive the Glory.

Settling In....

Hmmm....settling into the new life I have now chosen! My husband informed me yesterday that he can tell I am more busier, as I haven't been on here for a few days. There are just some days that I don't know what to write, and there are some days where I don't have the time to write.

My schedule for each week is settling in and it's making life a bit easier for me. Mondays are my days to be around the house for projects, cleaning, laundry, cooking, etc. and in the evening choir practice for Christmas. Tuesdays I look forward to as Robert has them off and we usually do things together, whether it's working on a project here at home or out shopping doing some errands. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are doing a bit of cleaning and hopefully a project in the morning and preparing in the afternoon to pick up the young lady that I am now keeping for four hours (3:30-7:30) while her daddy is at work. It has definatelly been a blessing for me to have someone else here in the house with me for a few hours. Wed night is church and Fri night is bowling. And I can't forget my Saturdays, with him working I find that this can be my 'play' day to make and build friends here in the area.

All through our courtship, I kept telling Robert 'no routine'. My life for the last 10 years have been praying, going, and doing what I feel the Lord is telling me. Getting married still has a bit of that but I am seeing the need for my new life to have a bit of routine. What is routine anyway....according to the dictionary I found the following definitions:

1. a customary or regular course of procedure.
2. commonplace tasks, chores, or duties as must be done regularly or at specified intervals; typical or everyday activity: the routine of an office.

So my routine is setting forth within this new life. From there I can then set my schedule to allow the other things that I need to get accomplished and to reach out to others. Setting new goals and dreams and adventures to each of my days. With gaining a house, there are still plenty of things that I need to accomplish each day to make it a home for my husband to come home to. I am grateful for him to allow me to do what I feel the Lord has called me to do, whether staying in ministry or getting a job or whatever it may be.

Lord, thank you for this home. You knew the desire of my heart from many years ago, to be able to stay at home. And now maybe to answer the next desire of...possibly....having a little one to call my own.

Nesting!

A normal habit that most females do is nesting, especially after they move. This is what I have been doing in the last three months. Yesterday, I spent the day painting our living room. It looks wonderful and both of us like it. Robert is wonderful with liking everything I have done. There is still much to do but this is finally becoming home for me.

We still have a couple of small project to do in the bathroom before it is finished. This project has been a long, drawn out thing. I will look forward to it being done! It's taken over three months what could have been done in less than two weeks!

Starting next week, I will be watching an eight old little girl three days a week. I'm looking forward to that with having someone here in the house with me for a few hours. My days can sometimes be long, as Rob leaves by 8:30 in the morning and doesn't return home till 7:30 that evening. Some days I love it and enjoy the time nesting, while other days they get long. Although, there have been afternoons when I venture out to Agape and help out at the store. One of my projects there have been working on the Wedding bulletins. We have a large supply of many different ones. This is where I found mine for our wedding.

Slowly, I have been gathering things I need for Sep 20 for our scrap book day at the church. I am still in need of getting my photos developed. And I'm looking forward to having my friends, Bob & Vicki, return home next Tues from there two month journey to California and Colorado.

Today, I'm doing little things here at the house. Going to cook supper and put it in the frig till we return after his night of bowling.

I thank Jesus for this day! A day He has given us to call upon Him and rejoice in Him!

Today!

Hmmm....today....I don't feel as if I have accomplished much. Robert and I got up a little earlier than normal. We headed down to Norfolk to visit our pastor while his wife was in surgery or just coming out of surgery. To our surprise, they weren't there. We stopped by the hospital on the way back to the store. The surgery was called off because it didn't look as bad as they thought. The doctor has postponed it for 4 months and depending on the speck if they will need to do surgery or not. Now, we can only pray that God will heal her so surgery will not be necessary.

It was a blessing to get to spend more time with Robert. We have had the last three days together, which is a huge blessing. Normally, we have Sunday and then usually Wed. But with Labor day the store was closed and we changed his day off to Tuesday....so it was a nice, long weekend!

Now, I sit wanting to paint my living room but it will have to wait till morning. I do better with things like that in the morning first thing. I'm excited...two of the walls will be a dark red, while the other two are ivory. I can't wait to get it finished.

So, now I'm working on getting some photos developed. A group of ladies at my church do scrap book days. We have one planned for Sept 20. I'm wanting to do a book of my time with Robert. Which in another month and a half, it will be one year since our first 'meet and greet'. Unbelievable where time goes!! Oct 15 marks our special day. We met at Tequila Rose Authentic Mexican cuisine. The joke of the night, I couldn't eat and poor Robert wouldn't eat without me. He had just gotten off work. But it was a night that changed both of our lives for the rest of lives!