Our house in progress

Our house is coming along! We have finished painting, excluding touch-ups, and the place is really starting to look great.

Here are some pictures of what will be our bedroom. We are going to be putting up chair rail around the middle of the room.





Here's a picture of the kitchen. I love the blue and off-white contrast.




The living room is done now, and I'll get some pictures of those colors up soon.

I've moved to our new house for August and September, and I'm finally starting to feel okay sleeping alone there. The first week, at times, the air conditioner would sound like someone opening the bedroom door. I would wake up with a jump, only to realize that nobody was there:-)

Joseph came over on Saturday and kept me company while I painted...that was nice. Then we went grocery shopping.
Last night I cooked my first meal in my little kitchen with the frying pan and the radio to keep me company, hehe. It was fun, though, and the whole house smelled yummy.

Oh, and Friday night Peter and I went on a for real date! That was fun:-) We haven't gone out as a couple for a bit. It was nice to have dinner together and talk to, be with, and focus on each other. My sister, Jeanette, told me that it is important, especially when planning a wedding and all that we are doing right now, to take time to just be a couple. I'm glad we did.

Little Lucy's is still as cute as ever! She had a shower on Saturday and got lots of really cute clothes. I really like this pic of Joanna and Lucy, so I'll close out this post with it:-)


J

Illinois trip

Peter and I went to Illinois two weekends ago to finalize wedding stuff, see my family, and see the corn. It's really tall there this year. Peter and I wanted to see if I could get taller than the corn if I sat on his shoulders and put my hands up as high as possible....


...almost!


Here we are again, playing in the cornfield:-)



While in Illinois, my aunt threw us a couple's shower. It was such a blessing! She cooked amazing food, many aunts and uncles came bearing gifts for our cute little house, and we topped the night off with a good game of nertz. Here we are on the way to our shower:-)



Wedding stuff and house stuff is going. Work is still crazy:-)

Peter's brother, Dave, is in the area, and I've been able to get to know him a bit. Peter, Paul, Dave and I met up with some friends Monday night and went bowling. It was fun. I really bombed the first game, but managed to pull in 3rd the 2nd game. Peter won the first game hands down, but barely pulled out a win over Dave the 2nd game. Good times, good times.

Gotta scoot for now.

Have a great day!

J

Be still and know that He is God...

Do you ever feel like life is going so fast, you are running just to catch up to your own shadow? I've been feeling that the past couple of weeks. Perhaps it's the purchase of our new home and the painting and preparation that entails. Maybe it's our wedding now just two short months away. Or, maybe I can blame it on busy season kicking in at work just as the busy conference season closes. My life sounds like this saying my dad once showed me: "I've gone to look for myself, so if I get back before I return, please ask me to wait."

The past couple of days I've felt very overwhelmed. I've found myself going down my mental list of wedding to dos, moving to dos, and house to dos while talking to various callers. Yesterday, I had several long phone calls. While listening and offering as much information as I could, I tried to work on some e-mails, but then the front desk would instant message me with another call on hold, someone would stop by my office, and my head would jump back to, invitations, guest list, flowers, tuxes, paint, boxes, packing...sigh.

This morning I met with my prayer buddy here at work, and we spent some time praying about life, and about our hearts. When I get busy, I have a tendency to put God on a back burner and take care of the more, "important things." As I took time to pray and seek the face of my God this morning, I was struck with the stupidity of the afore mentioned thought. What could be more important than time spent with my Father--the One who gave His very life because He saw value and worth in mine? I've been allowing myself to cut off the very One Who can bring my life and true peace and joy.

As I prayed my perspective began to change.

The wedding is a lot of work, I'll grant you, but I'm being given the opportunity to love someone with Christ's love for the rest of my life. I'm going to be able to learn each day what it means to love someone, and to be loved by someone. I've been given an amazing gift in my Peter, and it would be foolish to get so caught up in the "stress of planning a wedding" to forget this gift I've been given. He's the one, who through the busyness of our lives right now, asks to pray with me, and gently encourages and listens. While I want the day to be special, its importance fades as I think about the bigger, lifetime commitment I will make that day.

The house is work,but what a blessing to have a home together! What a blessing to have the time to get it ready to be lived in now; to paint it the way we want it, and to do it as a team. This is such a special time in our lives. Just last night we were able to look at our newly finished kitchen--pictures will be up soonish:-)

Work is work, but, it's also another opportunity to pour my life into ministry. Sometimes these moms, (and dads too) need to share with someone. It's a blessing to work in a place filled with people who love the Lord, who meet corporately twice each week to seek the face of God. My prayer buddy is one of my best friends, and I am so grateful that she's a part of my life. God has blessed me here.

I do have much to thank God for, and I need to spend more time doing so. I'm glad He reminded me this morning, "Darling girl, be still and know that I am God. Before the foundations of the world I knew you-I knit you together in your mother's womb. Be still, my child, be still."