Summer 2012

Our summer has been surprisingly eventful, particularly toward the end.  In July, we went on a vacation to the Washington coast with Stephen's parents and alllllll his siblings, including Mary and Tim and their two little ones, and also Cari's boyfriend, Eric.  We just spent a week at a resort town in the process of development, walking on the beach, hanging out and playing games at the house, swimming in the pool and relaxing in the hot tub.  We each took turns cooking dinner.  We had some very tasty steak-and-veggie kabobs by Cari and Eric, a yummy Mexican meal by Tim and Mary, and Stephen and I made spaghetti.  It was a very relaxing, laid-back vacation all together.


Shortly after the family vacation, Stephen shot his first paid wedding gig.  There is a lot invested in wedding days, so he was under a lot of stress leading up to the wedding day, and also some in the photo editing phase as well.  But he finished it, and the couple was very, very pleased with the photos, for which we are very thankful.


In August, one of my college friends got married, so I flew down to Idaho and stayed with my aunt, uncle, and cousin and attended Mindy's wedding, which was butterfly garden themed--very pretty!  They put a lot of humorous personal touches to their ceremony and the reception was one big, fun party, complete with a photo booth and props. :)  I got to catch up with some old friends and meet some new ones and had a really good weekend all together.  I am really glad I got to go.

My car's A/C stopped working sometime earlier this year, and we finally took it to get checked out in August, and found out we had to get a new part and the whole thing had to be reassembled.  God graciously provided the money for us, and we fixed it toward the end of August. In the same month, I had to get a new car key, because the buttons on my remote-entry car key didn't work anymore!  And today I got into a rear-end car accident (I was rear-ended by a car who was rear-ended by a car), but I'm not hurt at all and the damage to my car is very minimal.  The accident was not my fault at all, so insurance will be taking care of everything.

We've had an Indian summer this September, with temperatures in the high 80s and 90s.  I think the weather is trying to make up for the very cold and dark beginning of summer we had!  For now I am totally okay with sunshiny weather....I know those cold dark days are coming again!


Our church got a new music pastor, an answer to prayer after 3 years of searching for the right person.  Our church is now able to do so much more music-wise than we were before, because our temporary worship leader was doing so much other work in his position as Communications Director.  Now at our women's Bible study, Mark (the new worship pastor) comes and leads us in worship with a guitar, and we don't have to sing off a CD!  I am especially thankful for that.

Another answer to prayer is that Stephen got a nice raise this year, and we are so grateful for God's provision there!  Now it is actually a possibility for us to move into a bigger apartment, although we won't be taking advantage of that just yet.  For now it does ease up our budget some, and we'll hopefully be able to start putting more money toward debt repayment.

Overall, I think this year has been an incredible year of growth for us and our marriage.  I've grown in my faith in leaps and bounds, and as I've spiritually matured, I'm maturing in other ways.  Praise God for His faithfulness!  I sense good changes coming up for us.  I'm hoping to find my niche in the church we attend, although I'm not sure what that is yet.  And Stephen will be leading our regular small group Bible study again.  This year we will probably be going through 1 Corinthians to go along with our pastor's sermon series. You can pray for us through that.  We want to help our fellow brothers and sisters deepen their faith, as many of them are new Christians or just aren't sure how to grow deeper.  So you can be praying especially for Stephen as he bears the responsibility of teacher, and for me as I try to figure out where I fit into the mix.

Those are the biggest pieces of news.  Thank you for your prayers and your support!  You don't know how much it helps. :)

Summer 2011 Update

Babies all around me! I have officially reached the stage of life where most of my friends are pregnant or new moms. Two of the couples in our small group had babies in the late winter, and the third couple is expecting in early to mid-September. We aren't entirely sure what is going to become of our group as the couples in it move to the next stage of life. My best friend is also expecting her first child in early October. I will hopefully get to see her in August when she has one of her baby showers!

Our own lives seem to be on hold until we reach a better financial position. We hear in August whether Stephen will be receiving a raise at his current job. I still work one day a week, Saturday, delivering flowers. I still love my job, but continue to look around for another part-time position that could fill my days and help with bills and saving up for a house.

Speaking of saving, I've begun saving up for an electric piano that regularly comes out toward the end of the year at CostCo. I took a fantastic piano workshop course that taught how to play the piano with chords instead of reading notes on a page--something I've been really anxious to learn since watching a college classmate play piano with a jazz band like it was nothing at all. I go up to my mom's to practice on her piano, but I can't wait until I have an electric piano of my own! I love to play the piano, even though I hate it when people listen...LOL. :)

My sister continues to serve the country on the east coast of the U.S., logging away airplane parts for the record books. She's also taking some dance classes. She's doing well, with the exception of some medical problems that keep surfacing. She's looking at deployment next year, which makes us nervous, of course...But we have to learn to trust God with our loved ones.

It's been a ridiculously cold and gray spring/summer on the west coast. We haven't had more than seven days above 70, and April and March were way wetter than normal. My husband keeps telling me summer never officially starts here until July 5th, but I sure am tired of the gray.

Stephen and I are part of the Marriage Ministry Team of our church, and we just put on a really fun murder mystery dessert theatre-- set in the wild, wild west! I got to play Annie Elmley, a sharpshooting cowgirl. I could almost have been the murderer, but it turned out to be the most seemingly innocuous character there! Isn't that always how it goes? :)

In the meantime, I continue to learn more and more about the Gospel. Did you know that the heart of the Gospel is simply Jesus' substitutionary sacrifice on the Cross? That that is how God dealt with His wrath against us for our sins? When I learned the truth of this, I was floored at the simplicity. I think I thought the Gospel was to be a good person to please God, and that Jesus somehow mysteriously enables us to do that. That is true, too, but it isn't the heart of the Gospel! Christianity is not about being a good person, but about the One who took our punishment.

I was part of a Women's Bible Study this winter/spring. I got to meet a lot of neat women at my church and am thankful to know more faces and names and personalities there. Countryside is a medium-big church and it's hard to get to know people unless you get involved. I'll be doing another women's Bible study this summer, led by our assistant pastor's wife in their home. We will be learning about a woman's identity in Christ and how it works out in her everyday life.

Stephen and I will also be official members of Countryside in the next month. We are thankful that we have found a good church to be a part of and get involved with.

Summer 2010 in Review

Summer is ending... Stephen gets home just before the sun sets now.  Most of the flowers are done blooming.  All day long the sunlight is redder, and the wheat fields are gold.  Even some of the trees are starting to turn colors already (much to my disbelief!).  Last Sunday as we drove out to the Coast to camp, a huge line of cars was in the returning lane of traffic--families coming home from their "last hurrah of summer" trips.

Our summer has passed by with a rather flat feel.  Our small group had their regular events--a beach day, a camp-out, and a movie night--but many of the events we had to attend late or were unable to attend because of my Saturday job.  And the group has changed in dynamic and feel.  Our old group leaders' baby is nearly 7 months old now, and two other couples are now expecting.  Another couple has found a different church to call home, and another couple we haven't seen much of at all this summer because of busy schedules.

Stephen has taken on the roll of leader again for the fall, but I won't be taking on the secondhand-man's responsibility of coordinating events or keeping the group up-to-date with e-mails as I did last time.  I'm simply not gifted in those ways.  I may be a writer, but it doesn't immediately make me a good coordinating communicator. :)

Our summer has even been slow photographically.  We didn't get out on any hikes at all.  Stephen took a few days to himself to take photographs, while I was at work or otherwise engaged, but I have only taken pictures of the arrangements I have done.

This next year is going to be full of a lot of change and transitioning, things I have never taken very well.  But some of them I am excited about--I took a second floristry class this summer and did really well in it.  I am also being blessed with opportunities to do more than just deliver flowers at my work.  I made my best arrangement yet today, and my supervisor and manager seem to have been impressed, which is incredibly exciting.  I sense that God's going to do something big in my life with flowers, and I haven't been so excited about something since I met Stephen!  :D

Another exciting thing is that my relationship with God seems to be entering into a growth spurt.  I have sensed reasons for things in my life that I would never have seen reasons for before.  I have even started doing personal devotions, something I haven't been successful at since...let's see...ever!  But I have asked others to keep me uplifted in prayer so that I can continue this pattern.

Stephen and I are coming up on our second anniversary, and I'm happy to say that we are much more solidified than we were in our first year.  We act so much more like a unit, which I was really not sure was going to happen while we were in our first year together, LOL.  God is good. :)

Some fun things we did this summer:

• Went camping at Beverly Beach together, just the two of us.
• I learned to sew and made myself a cloak.
• Found some clothes at a yard sale, and Battle of the Sexes.
• Cooked our own meals for 2.5 weeks!  (A big step for us.  Eating out is such a temptation!)
• Went to the beach several times.
• Used our Entertainment Book a lot (yessssss!).
• Had a lot of really good talks. :)

Overall, I'm glad the summer is ending.  I wish it had had more high notes and less flat ones.  But life's pendulum keeps swinging--it'll be up again soon.  Guaranteed.  It's like the seasons--no matter how terrible the winter, spring does follow with its new beginnings.

Tooth Updates II and III

Whoops, forgot to keep this blog up-to-date! A couple weeks ago, they cleaned out the old filling and the new decay, and determined that the tooth was going to need a crown for sure. The root canal question was still hanging in the balance. Went in today again, and the doctor cold-tested my tooth for response time, and said that it was within the normal response time. YAY! So far so good. So they did the crown prep and put on a temporary crown. He told me that if it is still really abnormally sensitive after 5-7 days, to call in to make a root canal appointment. So me, Stephen and my circle of prayer warriors (love you guys) will continue to pray very hard that that tooth behaves itself, and a root canal won't be needed at all. That'd be AWESOME.

In other news, I had the happy fortune of landing a two-day floral delivery job last week. A local florist needed extra help for Mother's Day deliveries and hired me! WOOHOO! It was super tough the first day, but really nice the second. I officially have my foot in the door! Praise God! On Friday I'll be going in to pick up my paycheck and am trying to determine how to leave a good impression there as I do so. I'm chiefly trying to decide if I should ask about them taking me in for an unpaid internship. The idea scares me to death, but it could be worth asking.

Oh, and this is exciting news--or at least we think so. We're going to see my grandparents in June! For a week this time, or just shy of one. I'm totally stoked, and Stephen's really happy about it too, which makes me even gladder. :D Both of us thought our last trip felt just too short, so we're glad for a chance to make a longer one.

Tooth Update/God's Provision

I went to the dentist a couple weeks ago to get my crown seated; all that went well and is paid for, so now we are just waiting on news of this second tooth that might need dental work done. I have made an appointment that will be next Thursday (the 29th) to look at this other tooth. It'll go like this: When I go in on Thursday, the dentist will drill out the old filling in my tooth. Once he has gotten it all out, he will be able to determine two things: 1) if the filling is big enough that I'm going to have to have another crown, and 2) if the new decay is close enough to the root that the root is exposed and compromised and will have to be removed. One, the other, or both things are likely, and the dentist seems to realize this, but as a rule, nothing is absolutely positive until he gets into it and sees what the circumstances are.

I would like to add that we have really been blessed. In the last couple weeks, God has provided some of the cost of a root canal/crown combination through the generosity of friends and family. We are no longer worried about having to empty out our savings and pay for the dental work on credit. Praise God for his love for us!

Pray that despite the ease of this burden, we still have the strength to live carefully within our means. It's so much easier and more convenient to eat out all the time, and it has been difficult to fully make the transition to eating in more than we eat out. Continue to pray that God will bless me with a job, preferably in floristry, and that he will grant me the courage to go out looking for one. Thank you for your prayers and support. We wouldn't be anywhere without our loving friends and family, and the God that inspires the love within them.

Welcome, 2010!

Stephen and I are at his parents' this weekend, so I have some time to relax and gather my thoughts. It's always like a mini-vacation when we come up here for a weekend. His family is big, but very laid-back in their daily ins and outs and I enjoy it immensely.

We welcomed 2010 with a low-key New Year's party with a few friends from our young marrieds' group--Sara, Jason, Rachel and Ethan. Sara and Jason had little Levi Allen on January 27th and Stephen and I currently lead our small group in a study of Colossians. I also joined (with Rachel) a women's Bible study. They meet when they can, but generally 2 or 3 times a month. We're thankful that the Countryside women have welcomed us fairly-newlyweds into their group and hope to learn a lot from them about our relationships with God and our husbands.

My sister, Sam, joined the Marines this year and will be shipping to boot camp April 5th. Thank you for prayers for her physical, spiritual and emotional well-being as she undergoes the training necessary to make her a proud fighter for the American people. Thank you also for prayers for my family as we release her completely to God's protection and care.

I am still pursuing a job in floristry. My honest hope is to start in a humble position of cutting and cleaning stems while I gain experience. Pray that God will open and close doors to me as I seek His way and His will.

Thanks for reading this and sharing your love and support with us. We love you guys.

Refugees in November

I have funny stories to tell.

Abdullah, the son of the oldest girl in the family, is the loudest, most hyper 6-year-old I have EVER met. Ever since we started coming to the refugees a year ago in August, our experience with him has been him bouncing and rolling and screaming and laughing around the living room where we meet with the refugees every time we go over. There was one time he was sick and sleeping. The silence was amazing.

The whole family is rather noisy; they're a huge family and I imagine they've just learned to talk over each other to get heard. It's overwhelming for me just about every time, but for Stephen, who also comes from a big family, it's never been too big a deal. Yesterday even he was getting overwhelmed, so that tells you a lot about the level of craziness in the home yesterday! Abdullah was being the worst, and Stephen, when he was finished helping the three teens out with one e-mail account, finally said to Abdullah, "Abdullah. I have game for you. It's called who can sit down and be quiet the longest." And Stephen proceeded to kneel on the rug as an example, and Mohammad, the social one who speaks really good English, jumped right in as well. I was amazed as Abdullah actually conceded to this "game," sitting down cross-legged on the carpet as well and grinning his eyes out, but managing to not talk, laugh, scream, or make noise in any other way.

The quiet that descended on the house was incredible.

Not only was the little nosiemaker being quiet, but everyone else who was in the room was caught up in disbelief that my husband's trick had actually worked! And just loving it!

Abdullah lost, of course, after about a minute, when a much-suppressed laugh finally erupted from him. And the rest of us also laughed in amazement and wonder and delight. I was very, very, very impressed with my husband and I hope the refugees were too. And then Abdullah, of all things, goes, "One more time!" Which got another round of laughter from everyone watching. So Stephen and Mohammad agreed to another round and the three boys sat again as the rest of us looked on. Abdullah didn't last much longer this time and again an irrepressible laugh was his loss. We all laughed and clapped for him for being quiet for so long, and for Stephen's ingenious trick. And then Abdullah said AGAIN, "One more time!" We were starting to wonder how many rounds they would have to play (What have you gotten yourself into, dear? was my amused thought), when Abdullah said, "Just one more time."

So for the third time, Mohammad, Abdullah and Stephen sat on the carpet keeping quiet. A minute passed, and a second minute; the rest of us had quelled our laughter and we could see Abdullah was really trying this time. We all watched his comical face in great curiosity to see how long he could really go, when all of a sudden he put his hand up and announced in the silence with a grin, "I lose!"

At that we all just fell apart laughing! We laughed and clapped so hard at him. He must have loved it. :) I think we all (including his family) had a brand-new understanding of Abdullah. He really can be quiet! Who knew?? LOL.

That was definitely the best story of us as a community. The best personal story (for me) came at the end of the night. Mohammad went into the kitchen and brought out a plastic bag and two pomegranates, one in each hand. Looking at us, he said, "You like this?" Steve and I are both fond of pomegranates, even though they turn my teeth black. Stephen wasn't paying attention, though, he was absorbed in more computer stuff with the refugees, I think, so I answered for us, "Yeah, we like those."

"Here, you take them." He put them in the bag for us. "I don't know what they are called in English. In Arabic, rumon," he said, rolling the 'r'.

"Rumon," I imitated him, and his head snapped up at me.

"WOW, she say rumon!" he said to his family.

I was a little taken aback by his response, and I explained, "So easy! In English, pomegranate." Which they had an amusing time trying to figure out. They called it "pomegranny," LOL! I emphasized the 't' sound at the end for them, but I think they'll still call it a "pomegranny" because they think it's funny. :D Mohammad told us that the Kurdish (they're half-Kurdish) word for it was "hadad," which I also imitated, but then I wrinkled up my nose. "I like rumon better," I said, and again that same head-snapping response from Mohammad.

"WOW, she say it again! She say rumon! She say it I think I hear Iraq!" he explained excitedly, and finally I understood why he gave such an energetic response. I said it like an Iraqi! Cool! And even better--"I think you say it better than me!" he went on. I blushed and laughed with delight. Wow, that's high praise! I say an Arabic word better than a bonafide Iraqi! :D

It made me extra happy, because when we were first teaching them English and learning a teeny bit of Arabic from them, Stephen and I both tried to say one thing, and he did a better job than I did, and Mohammad joked, "Stephen, Arabic good! Stephanie, not good!" I felt pretty bad, even though he meant it in a totally lighthearted way. It was just a slight injury to my pride, because I like to think I'm really good at languages. So after that I didn't try to speak Arabic. But now a year later Mohammad is telling me I sound like a true Iraqi, so that's pretty cool! :)

Truly, though... How easy is it to say "rumon"?? So easy.

Anyway. :) I ought to learn more Arabic and impress their socks off... Haha!! I'd love that. :D

Sorry about all the smileys... I just like it when I get stuff right! I'm from "Perfect Country" all right.

Oh, that's a reference to a marriage seminar that Stephen and I went to at our church. We watched a DVD series by a guy named Mark Gungor. It's called "Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage." It was really, really good! I would love to show it to my family, and Stephen and I might check it out from the church library before we go to my grandparents' for Thanksgiving to do just that.

Goodness, I'm writing and realizing there's so much I haven't updated everybody on in here! Yes, Stephen and I are going to my grandparents' house for Thanksgiving. My sister is there, living with them and going to school, and while we were thinking about the idea of going there for Thanksgiving, my aunt was thinking the same thing, and when we talked about it, we more or less decided yep, that's where we're going. Naturally, when we mentioned how we were all going over there, Mom decided to follow. So we'll have a nice Thanksgiving with all of us (except my other aunt and her family) together at my grandparents' house. :) That'll be fun.

Christmas plans haven't officially solidified yet. Our plan is to go to Stephen's parents' for Christmas, since his brother and sister-in-law are coming, but we just aren't sure what day we'll get up there. Stephen may not get Christmas off. We're still waiting on that end of it.

I think that's all I've got. I've got to dash off to the Real Life Exhibit to volunteer.

The Miscommunication Files

Just a collection of random funny communication stuff from us. :)

Stephanie: "I wonder if the refugees are still in Ramadan?"
Stephen: "The refugees are stealing our mutton?!"

Stephanie: "We should make up our own language."
Stephen: "We should make a brown fish-man?!"

Stephen: "I'm beckoning you from the kitchen so you will stop eating the gingerbread muffins."
Stephanie: "Mm mmhmm mmmm mmm hmmm mmm!"
Stephen: "Okay, you can have one more."
Stephanie: "That's not what I said, actually. I said, 'I'm almost done with this one!' I'm impressed though--you were pretty close!"

Stephanie: "I'm hungry."
Stephen: "I love you too."

Stephen: "Where do you want to eat tonight?"
Stephanie (sheepishly): "McDonald's. Or Wendy's. I want a hamburger."
Stephen: "We can do Wendy's; I'm up for Wendy's."
Stephanie (muttering): "Of course you're up for Wendy's; you're always up for Wendy's [over McDonald's]."
Stephen: "What's wrong with Wendy's?! Their hamburgers are better for us."
Stephanie (mimicking): "'Their hamburgers are better for us.' Health nut!"
Stephen: "They are!"
Stephanie: "Health nut!"
Stephen (staring at me): "You're right. I'm a health nut for eating at Wendy's."
Stephanie (dies laughing).

Stephen (in the shower): "Baaaa.... Baaaa..... Baaaa...."

Stephen is dyslexic and has trouble saying the word "album." I've tried to change this many times. Today I thought I would give him a creative way to remember the pronunciation.
Stephen: "Which ablum are you looking at?"
Stephanie: "Well, it's the Walk in the Woods aaaallll-bum. Like Al's bum.
Stephen: "Well, you can post your pictures to Al's bum all you want, but I'm going to post mine to an ablum."

In the line for the movie theater.
Stephen: "If they let me bring my coffee in, we shall delebrate and cance."
(No comment from me.)
Stephen (laughing at himself): "I said 'delebrate and cance;' I meant 'celebrate and dance.'"
Me (matter-of-factly): "Oh. I thought you said 'celebrate silently.'"

September Marathon Travel

Stephen and I just got back from a long, busy weekend with family.

On Thursday, we traveled to eastern Washington to visit my grandparents and my sister, who is currently living with them. After a 6-hour drive, we arrived at their house about 10:30 and spent an hour and a half chatting with them until we all hit the hay.

On Friday we traveled 2-1/2 hours up to Coeur d'Alene to spend a day at Silverwood Theme Park, part 1 of our anniversary. We started with a nice, easy ride--the log ride, which is a slow, gentle float down a man-made stream, followed by one hill and drop before the end of the ride. After that, we decided we were ready for a more adventurous ride and went straight to the Timber Terror, a roller coaster that had me screaming for all 2700 rattling feet of it. We were rather shaken after getting off it, but Stephen enjoyed it enough that he went on another (albeit nicer!) roller coaster. I think my limit is about 1 roller coaster ride per visit.

Stephen also went on the Panic Plunge, a ride I refused to go on with him. It lifts you up 140 feet into the air and then just lets you go. In spite of knowing just how it worked and that he would come to a gentle stop at the end, Stephen left the ride with muscle soreness from tensing up so much as he braced for impact with the ground!

We went on Thunder Canyon and got our shorts and shoes soaked in 79-degree, partly cloudy weather, but it was a fun ride nonetheless. It's actually my favorite ride there, and I would have multiple times if 1) it had been warmer and 2) I had worn quicker-drying clothing than denim! Silly me.

We also did bumper cars, and a ferris wheel with a twist that scared me WAY more than I had expected! This particular ferris wheel balances at a 45-degree angle from the ground, so unlike normal ferris wheels, there is NOTHING between you and the ground--or, in this case, a man-made lake used for bumper boats. The ride was very smooth and gentle, and would have been truly enjoyable if I'd only been able to stop thinking of myself plummeting into the lake below. I clung to Stephen for dear life on the down-turn and just prayed to the Lord that we wouldn't get stuck at the top when the ride came to an end.

After all the rides, we each got GIANT "single scoop" ice cream cones that were delicious, but impossible to finish. We ended up throwing half our ice cream away but eating the waffle cones. :) After ice cream we took our time walking toward the exit, stopping in several of the fun shops along the way, including one to get Stephen some coffee and me some tea. We also walked by "Old Tyme Muggs," a place to get old-fashioned dress-up photos taken, and couldn't resist the temptation. Silverwood's theme is the Old West, so we dressed up saloon-style. I have to say, that was by far my favorite part of the entire day. I adore playing dress-up. Finally, we stopped in a gift shop and I bought myself a very pretty necklace that I will probably wear a lot.

We arrived back at my grandparents' house at 10:00, hardly earlier than the day before, which was sad. Again we all talked for about an hour and a half until Grandma and Grandpa retired to bed, and then spent another 2 hours talking with my sister. :) It was a good thing for all of us, I think.

Saturday we took it easy and spent most of the day with the grandparents and my sister. At 7:00 My old youth group friend Beth was getting married to the love of her life. It was nice, simple wedding. The wedding was outdoors, and the reception was indoors at the church Beth attends now. They served dessert and we all ate way too much sugar. There was dancing, which was an intriguing thing to watch, because half the crowd there was from the Nazarene church that Beth and I grew up in, and Nazarenes don't dance. It's no longer forbidden in the Nazarene manual, and much of the younger crowd has taken it up, but it's strongly discouraged among my grandparents' generation, and just not done in my parents' generation. I wondered very much how the traditional Nazarenes were feeling as they watched the non-Nazarenes and non-traditional Nazarenes dance. Stephen and I joined briefly but found we were very rusty!! It's been a long time since we danced, and we mutually decided we really need to pick it up again. :S

After the wedding and reception we got some "real" food from the local burger joint, which is still, in my opinion, the best burger place ever. :) The evening was spent in our usual way--talking, joking, telling stories. We normally play games at least once while we're home, but all 3 nights we were there, we were just too tired! It's a shame--we'll have to do that next time we're in town.

Sunday we went to my old church that I still love. It looked so empty! It was rather alarming until I realized that it was Labor Day weekend, and a lot of families were probably on vacation somewhere. After church was our usual Sunday dinner eating out--my family has done that for as long as I can remember! Usually it's Shari's, or IHOP, or some restaurant like that, but we had just eaten at IHOP the day before and went for fast food instead. Sadly, Stephen and I had to leave shortly after lunch to drive 6 hours across the state to his parents' home. That hadn't been in the original plan, but Stephen's brother and sister-in-law were home, and we never get to see them, so we decided to make it work. The drive there and the drive back brought our travel time up to 1500 miles in 5 days!

We took it really easy with Stephen's family. The most exciting things we did were to walk down to a creek together and go to a farmer's market. :) It was good to see Tim and Mary and everyone again, though. We learned that Stephen's dad's parents will be in town next month, the weekend right after our anniversary, so we will be doing more marathon traveling at the beginning of October. And then it's time to figure out the holidays... Oh boy. I'm starting to understand why years go faster as you get older.

Our final leg of the trip was 3 hours long, and we unfortunately had to drive straight to a meeting with some people from our church about a service we have begun for Saturday nights. Thanks to a miscommunication, we were an hour late, but we still got to eat some food and throw in our thoughts about possible plans for the service. Then we at last drove home to quietness, our kitty, and our own bed. Oh how nice!

I am too tired to write anything more, and looking much too forward to that nice bed... So I bid you good night! Perhaps I'll wrap this up better later.

Grandparents House Visit

Stephen and I went to my grandparents' house this weekend to celebrate my grandma's 71st birthday. My mom and sister also went, and my aunt and her boyfriend surprised us all by showing up as well. :)

Saturday was a crazy, fun day of Apples to Apples, birthday cakes, ice cream and presents. I gave my grandma 21 homemade cards that I've been working on since February. That was what prompted the whole trip--both me and my mom wanted to see Grandma's face when she saw them. She loved them!

Sunday, we went to my home church and I was delighted to see old family friends again. I took a walk down memory lane with Stephen at my old elementary school, walking around and telling him all the memories I had connected with the school. What a fun trip through the past!

The rest of my family left on Sunday afternoon, but Stephen and I stayed another night and were blessed to spend time alone with my grandparents. We played a hilariously frustrating game of Sorry! and talked with them about family, marriage and spiritual things. Peaceful chatting nights with my grandparents is what I most look forward to whenever I visit back home.

My grandma is having hip replacement surgery on Wednesday morning, so please pray for her. My grandpa injured his knee a while ago, so also pray that he will be able to do things for her while she is recovering.

Refugees in June

Stephen and I have been working with a refugee family in the area for almost a year now. We go once a week and teach them English or math, whatever they need help with. Usually half the family is there, sometimes only a couple of them. Yesterday it was only Soher, the 21-year-old girl. The rest of her family was at a soccer game. Soher doesn't speak much English, so communication was pretty much nil the whole time.

At one point Soher did try and talk to us, and she explained through her broken English and hand gestures that she and her siblings that are older than 18 have no medical or dental insurance here. She talked about how one of her teeth is broken and how it would cost $1300 to fix it. :S "Big--big money!" she said. "Thirteen one hundreds. In Syria, $100, $200...Here, no. Big money." That really bothered me. Having had thousands of dollars of dental work done on my own teeth, I understand how important it is to have insurance. I told her in the best way I could that I would see if there was some way we could get her dental insurance.

At 9:00 the rest of her family came home along with a few of their friends. Stephen and I usually leave at 9:00, but I really didn't want to go now that everybody was home. We hung around for another hour. Their friends that they had brought home were fun to talk to. They have been in America for about 4 years and speak and understand English just fine.

Soher explained in Arabic to one of them what I had said about trying to find her some dental insurance. He turned to me and translated in English. "She says you're going to find her dental insurance?"

Oh great.

I explained very slowly and thoughtfully that I would sure try. I didn't know if I'd be able to find it or not, but I would sure see what I could do.

Never promise refugees anything you can't follow up on. LOL.

So as if June isn't crazy enough--with one weekend trip back to my hometown (this weekend), a day trip to the beach with our small group and one week-long trip to New Jersey for a family reunion--now I'm the personal assistant for the refugees! But I feel like this is really important. It IS really important. Got to get that girl some health care!

The best part of the night was at the end, when Samira, the 17-year-old girl, stopped us in the door with a troubled look. "Next week? Wednesday, Thursday, Friday - no more school." She looked really bothered, which I thought was sweet. Then she suddenly resolved it in her own mind. "You come visit," she said with a big smile. Yay! They want us to keep coming! We just grinned back at her and said, "We'll come visit."

I am kind of glad that Soher was the only one there tonight for that whole first hour. It forced her to try and communicate with us, and she met with a lot of frustration at not being able to communicate properly. I think it will push her to learn English, which will do her a world of good.

Well, here I go to do research for the refugees!