New Year 2011

Well, we've gotten our new year off to a good start. We joined an 8-week Sunday night Bible study called "God's Big Picture." I also joined the women's mid-week Bible study at our church. We'll be going through Beth Moore's "Living Beyond Yourself" study until June. Our small group starts tonight, and we'll be taking them through a great study called A Biblical Portrait of Marriage. Stephen and I have been through it once before, but it will be new to our group. And I think it will be as helpful to them in their marriages as it was to ours.

The start of the new year also means dental work for me, usually, and this year has proved no different. Today I had a root canal re-treatment done on a tooth that was treated once before, but apparently the bacteria were never fully eliminated. The endodontist packed medication and antibiotics into my tooth today and we are hoping to see the infection disappear over the next week so she can refill the canals and I can get a new crown put on it. (The current crown is about 5 years old and in need of replacement.)

The root canal re-treatment and new crown will wipe out our benefits once more, so next year when our benefits roll over, we'll probably be doing this again, on a tooth on the upper left part of my mouth. It's the same situation: a failed root canal treatment in need of a redoing.

God was gracious to us today--we were worried that the tooth they worked on was cracked, and the good news today was that it wasn't cracked. So praise Him for that! A cracked tooth would have meant an extraction, and a replacement tooth costs about $6000! But He has provided for us once again and will continue to do so. I am thankful that the other tooth that needs working on is not bothering me much.

Well, that's all the news for now. I'm pleased that the year is getting off to a pretty good start. Praise the Lord for his goodness!

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.

Wrapping Up the Year

Christmas is over and the new year is about to start.  

I've never been so exhausted and stressed around Christmas.  Granted, it was mostly the weather which made it so stressful.  Visiting our families was great.  Tromping through feet of slush was not great. 

Stephen and I visited his parents this weekend, which I think was my favorite part of all of our Christmas outings.  Going to their house is always like a weekend vacation for me--getting away from our cold, dark, lonely apartment into a whole house with lots of people and lots of lighting and warmth, inside and out.  It's a blessing.

I was anxious about leaving our cat alone, so I felt like I was ready to go home on Sunday, but as we left I got really sad.  Didn't really realize why until Stephen and I were back in our cold, dark, lonely apartment at 7:30, wondering what to do with ourselves.  

Genevieve was okay.  She wasn't mad at us or scared of us.  She wasn't sick, thankfully... I think I was mostly worried about that.  We did discover she'd resorted to drink out of the kitchen sink while we were gone... That cat just WILL NOT drink out of a kitty bowl proper.

She was a source of comfort as she snuggled and purred and rubbed and kneaded our sweaters, but it still didn't stop the sadness of our apartment and knowing we're back to the daily routine from setting in.  

I'm glad 2008 is coming to a close.  I'm pretty sure this was the most insane year of my life.  It started with a lot of excitement and anticipation; it's ending with a lot of fatigue from all the events.  Next year ought to be calmer...We hope.

Prayer requests for us:  That the year will be a year of renewal.  That Stephanie will get a job--and the motivation to go job-hunting after being discouraged several times.  That our finances will sort themselves out, especially with all of Stephanie's needed dental work in January (a root canal and two crowns).  Pray that our health will continue and that we won't forget that God will take care of us.