the whirlwind is over...

I didn't think this weekend would be over so fast but it is....My family and Sam's family came up to visit this weekend to celebrate my dad's birthday, Sam's dad's birthday, and Sam's birthday, all within a few days of each other next weekend. So, I thought to myself...why not make a party out of it! And we did...my parents and brothers were coming up to b'ham anyway because Austin had a football game (which might I add, he played amazing!) on Friday night. Then Allie, Bjorn, Mark, Lynette, and Eileen came down on Saturday and stayed until this morning. We had so much fun just hanging out as a family all together... and it was so neat to see (almost) everyone together again since the wedding back in December. I'm still amazed at how fast the time has flown by!

Another special thing that we celebrated this weekend was Sam's Baptism this morning. Even though he was "baptized" as a baby, our church takes a big stand on encouraging every believer to follow through in "believer's baptism." The way that Brookhills does baptism is so special, as they invited family and friends to gather around the baptismal pool and have a close up look at the significance of what is being said and done. I'm so proud of Sam.... to see and learn more of the Lord is working and changing his life in the last few years is really amazing to me, and challenges me to want to live more the glory of God. (I have to admit, I've had to remind myself that "getting baptized" doesn't make the Lord loves us anymore than He already does. And it doesn't make us more "holy" either, but I know that God is so blessed by our obedience to follow him in public acknowledgement of who he is in our lives, by following the example set by His own Son.)

Needless to say, after all the family and dogs ( we had four dogs at one time our tiny apartment) had left this afternoon, I was about to pass out.... 3 hours later, we woke up and realized we had slept the afternoon away. But I'm not complaining.... sometimes you just need a little sleep!

So, the weekend overall was such an enjoyment, and the last month or so of working hard to get the new apartment in shape really paid off.... I'll have pictures soon.

All for now!

unto the least...

I haven't been updating this blog in a while....Life has been a little crazy the last few weeks, and in between moving, traveling and more traveling, it's been hard to find a few minutes to write a little bit...I know. That's sad on my part.

Sam and I celebrated our 9 month anniversary on Sunday! We can't believe that it's gone by this fast! We've learned so much over the past year, just about each other and how it really takes team work to keep a marriage going. More than anything, we can see how the Lord has blessed us over the last 9 months, in the jobs he's giving us, and in the people He has placed in our lives.

This past Sunday, our Pastor David Platt was teaching out James 1 and 2, and about what "true and faultless" religion is: caring for orphans and widows in their distress. The past couple of days since then I've really been thinking about, and what that would look like in our lives.

Last night, Sam told me we where going to a park to help a small group feed the homeless....and even though on the outside I didn't protest, inside I was a little more than nervous. Not because I didn't want too, but because I was reminded of just how far I really never get out of my "comfort zone." And putting me in a park with a bunch of people I don't know and that could potentially be a little cooky is very much "out of my comfort zone."

But....we went anyway.... And after I got past the awkwardness (and the cops that pulled up on the grass to make sure no one was causing problems), I found that each of these people, as dirty and smelly as they are, is just like each of us. They are loved infinitely by the Living God just as much as us. And they have stories...and some are very sad to hear. We met some old men and woman by the names, of "Willie," "Mr. R," "Dale," "Faith," and "Tony."

They are real people, sadly in a very tough situation, and for an hour or so, we were able to just sit and listen to them.

I'm still trying to take in everything that I think God is trying to show me through this..... But needless to say, it was something that you walk away from a little bit different than

when you got there.