Friday, July 23, 2010

A Whirlwind of a month

Watching movies with Grandma and Grandpa.
Fun picture angle, courtesy of my creative husband :)

Mommy and her boys :)


Family picture in front of Tom and Kat's house.



Graci and Isaiah with their cousins Kara and Calvin staying cool in the blow up pool.

Our 3 bumpkins posing in mommy's chair :)



Where to begin? Well, I guess the easiest way to explain it all is like this...


  • we've moved and are now a CARES team with Apartment Life

  • Jon will be leading a Spiritual Formation community group (of couples) for DTS for the next two years beginning this fall
  • Jon is going to be interviewed for a position in the library at DTS sometime in the next couple weeks
  • Ezekiel is now three months

  • we're searching for a new church

  • working with premarried group at church

  • visit from my parents
  • quick weekend trip to Salina to visit Tom, Kat and kiddos

We met with the management of an apartment community on Friday, July 2 and were moved in on Monday, July 5. Talk about a whirlwind weekend of packing! It was a bit crazy to say the least, but exciting nonetheless. There were a few hurdles along the way like no air conditioning for most of the first two days (it was 87 degrees inside the apartment), complications getting our internet hooked up a week and a half after moving in, and an oven that wasn't working when I had a batch of butterscotch brownies ready to bake, etc. All in all, everything worked out fine and we are feeling more and more settled in our new place. The management team and staff here are wonderful and have been very welocoming and helpful to us. We are really excited to get to work with them! We are blessed to have a 2 bed/2 bath home with a sunroom for Jon to study in. We are on the third floor of a complex with over 700 units for us to take care of as the CARES team. We get to plan events and create a fun and friendly environment for the residents and staff so they can truly feel a part of a community. Tonight we met a family from Korea who just moved here last week to begin at DTS this fall. We have been trying to sell our old crib on craigslist all week and have had three people back out of the purchase. I felt that the Lord was saving the crib for a special reason...we got to give the crib to the Korean family tonight who have an 11 month old son and a 4 year old daughter. What an answer to prayer for them and for us! Jon met them while swimming with Graci in the pool that's just down the walkway from our apartment. The boys and I went out to join them and got to meet our new friends. Yay!!!!


Jon interviewed a few weeks ago to be a leader of a couples small group for his Spiritual Formation class. It's a requirement for all students and the group will continue to meet for two years. It's not a paid position, but it will give him 133 hours toward the 400 hours required for his internship in a few years. Blessing!!! We are super excited to have a community group again! This leads into why we are searching for a new church...the one we have been going to since January is a great church, but it does not offer Sunday morning Sunday school classes. Because of our involvement in the Spiritual Formation group at DTS as well as work and family time, we don't have time to be a part of another community group during the week. So, we've decided to find a church that offers Sunday school classes on Sunday mornings so we can have a small group fellowship with other members of our church body without having to commit to another night in the week. We want to be more than just seat warmers.


Jon also will be interviewing for a position in the library at DTS sometime in the next few weeks. The pay is not fabulous, but it's still a little more than he's making now at Sprouts. It would be awesome for him to be able to work on campus. Please pray that his interview will go well. We are unsure when it will be.


The kids are all doing great and growing like weeds it seems. Ezekiel just turned 3 months last week. WOW!!! He smiles and coos and giggles and...even rolled over from back to belly for the first time today. He did it in his bed so we didn't get to watch him in action, but rather I found him squirming around on his belly when he was fussing after nap time. He loves to watch his big brother and sister play around and especially loves to lay on his play gym and kick the bars for the music and lights to come on. Isaiah continues to be our little lover boy, showering us with kisses and hugs constantly. Graci loves to sing and dance and help take care of baby Zeko. All three kids had such fun with Grandma and Grandpa Long when they came out a few weeks ago. It was great to see them and enjoy their company for a few days.

We have really enjoyed mentoring two couples at church in the premarried classes the last 6 weeks. It has been very rewarding for us to have a bit of a refresher course in some ways as well as getting the opportunity to share our stories and experiences from our five plus years of marriage. Going through the class has made me so thankful that God brought Jon and I together and amazed at how much we have grown and learned as we go through the adventure of marriage together. I remember being at the dating stage that our couples are at and how much I loved Jon at that point. How exciting it is to see how our love for one another has grown over the years.


We are doing well and enjoying the summer together before the busyness of the semester begins at the end of August. Jon is getting a head start on his reading to help alleviate some of the work load. Please pray that he can get a lot of his books read by then. Please also pray for continued provision from Him as we are unsure how all the finances are going to work out with Jon going to school full time this fall. We are considering me waiting tables again to help relieve some of the pressure from Jon and allow him to study more. Please join us in praying for these things as we seek His best for us.

TTFN (ta ta for now!)