Engagement Pictures

While we're on the subject of Andrew and Rachel. I wanted to share their engagement pictures. They were taken by the camp director's wife where Andrew works. It's kind of hard to get good outside pictures this time of year so we're pleased with how they turned out.

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction." --Antoine de Saint-Exupery--

A Love Worth Waiting For

Andrew wrote this sweet story for Rachel and gave me permission to post it on our family blog.

Once upon a time there was a young man who had a problem of monumental proportions that had weighed him down. No matter where he looked there just wasn't a girl to be found for him. Sure there were beautiful girls, but none that had a certain beauty this young man was looking for. You see he had found something more amazing than anything else. This particular young man knew Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, which meant not just any girl would do. He needed one that loved Jesus.

It seemed that girls were just fine with giving their heart to anyone and everyone, and this wasn't something this young man was looking for. He wanted a girl that had given her heart over to Christ, a girl who knew what true love was because she had experienced it from Jesus.

But time went on and the young man started to grow discouraged, thinking maybe girls like that didn't exist anymore - girls that are completely and utterly beautiful, not just because of how they look but because of the light that shines from having a relationship with Christ.

Right about the time he was ready to give up and become the most un-eligible bachelor in America, figuring it better to spend the rest of his days alone with his Bible and Bloom County than to spend it with a superficial token girl, something amazing happened. To be sure it was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

One day at camp, the young man was assigned to watch some kids and a certain beautiful young woman ended up helping. While she was pretty the young man didn't think much about it yet, assuming she was just like every other girl he’d met. This young man was soon to be pleasantly surprised.

A month later the young man gave the girl a ride back to college and his car broke down. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the young woman saved the young man from having a major meltdown. They spent the day talking and walking and having a great time.

The young man was thoroughly astonished at how amazing she was. He thought she must be lying because nobody as perfect as she was could possibly exist, right? But he decided that she was worth trying to find out, and so he did.



As it turns out the girl was as beautiful and pure and amazing as she seemed to be, and as the young man continued to get to know her he realized that she had that rare beauty that comes from knowing Jesus Christ and because the light of Christ was in her, it made her beyond just beautiful. It made her radiant and by far more lovely than anyone he had ever met.

So the young man knew that this was the girl he had been waiting for, the one who was completely worth pushing all the other girls away and giving his heart to her and only her. By God's grace, he had found a love worth waiting for.

Over the Top Blog Award

Nati at I Will Praise Him gave me this blog award. Thank you so much! There's a list of questions that come with it. Apparently these are questions that are supposed to have one word answers. I had a few answers I couldn't shorten to one word.

I nominate:

Sprinkles and Wrinkles - I love this lady's perky, cheerful, humorous outlook on life
Janet at Homeward Bound - A fellow Pastor's Wife I've just started getting to know
Claudia at After His Heart - A high school senior with a sweet heart for God


1. Where is your cell phone? non-existent

2. Your hair? thinning

3. Your mother? Just moved

4. Your father? Resourceful

5. Your favorite food? soup

6. Your dream last night? camp

7. Your favorite drink? juice

8. Your goal? weight loss

9. What room are you in? Living room

10. Your hobby? scrapbooking

11. Your fear? painful death

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? traveling

13. Where were you last night? Home

14. Something you aren’t? organized

15. Muffins? blueberry

16. Wish list item? Upstairs hardwood floors refinished

17. Where did you grow up? California

18. Last thing you did? sweep

19. What are you wearing? sweats

20. Your TV? old

21. Your pets? shedding

22. Your friends? many

23. Your life? Blessed

24. Your mood? Busy

25. Missing someone? older kids

26. Vehicle? BIG van

27. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes

28. Your favorite store? Target

29. Your favorite color? Blue

30. When was the last time you laughed? Saturday

31. Last time you cried? last week

32. Your best friend? Keith

33. A place that I go over and over? church

34. Someone who emails me regularly? Lori

35. Favorite place to eat? Ruby Tuesdays

Dad Scores a Home Run

Friday morning, Keith surprised us by doing something totally out of character. He took us on a spur-of-the-moment day trip to Ontanagon in the Upper Peninsula (UP for short) of Michigan. Normally there is lots of snow by now, but we're having a "warm" November so trips like this are possible.

Keith woke me up by holding a map of the UP in front of my blurry eyes.

"Let's Go!" he said.

I had two intelligent responses. "Who are you and what have you done with my husband?" and "Are you feeling okay?"

He said he felt fine, but the weather was beautiful and we were burning daylight so I should get up and get going.

This was my first time in Eastern Time Zone. Kind of weird how Eastern Time juts over to catch the west corner of Michigan like that.

Keith had everyone write a paragraph about the day. I'll start with his.


Keith: Sun was up. It called, I listened, and I TOOK THE DAY OFF!! There is always work to do. It never ends, while spending time with your daughters has an expiration date.




Driving away from responsibilities felt good, somehow larceny of a moment. But in the best of company. No plan, no deadline, just being together exploring a golden day.

We found a bakery, a beach, and contentment. Slowing down. Girls walking in sand and wife hand in hand. REST.



Erica: Today we plucked up the courage to visit a different world. Where everyone says things like, "Yah, sure, you betcha." The UP seems different, set apart. The waves are bigger, the trees taller, the air smells different, and the hills look like mountains. I had my first Pasty. Yum!!!

Anna: Shining sun and yet there was fog. Freezing water, but warm (ish) air. All in all a perfect day to stop everything and explore. I liked the bakery and walking by Lake Superior. Watching Erica fall in the lake was an unexpected bonus.

Amy: I thought today would be a normal day of school. But no, it's not. I woke up like normal and went downstairs this morning and started to paint when all of a sudden Dad said, "Girls, let's GO!"

"Go where," I asked.

"To a new world, that's where. To Upper Michigan to explore."

And boy did we have fun. In November of all things.


Lani: Today was really fun. For November it was great weather and NO SNOW. I really enjoyed walking on the beach, writing my name in the sand, and watching the waves, and most of all collecting glass. I didn't mind riding in the car so long because I had some old comics to read. All in all, it's been the funnest day of November.

I'm amazed at my girls' thermostats. I'm wearing a shirt, sweatshirt, jacket, hat, and gloves. They are barefoot, playing in the water.

So Keith scored a home run and got lots of way cool points. It will be hard for me to top this.

Tina's Travels Pt. 2 - Ireland

In September, I (Christina) spent a week traveling around Ireland by myself. I mostly chose Ireland because of a super cheap plane ticket and a desire to check another country off my list. This being said, I went with very little idea what to expect and a week to fill.

Flying into Dublin after watching movies all night on the plane, I started questioning why I had decided to come in the first place. But after checking into a hostel and getting much needed sleep, I spent the next week constantly being impressed at God's handiwork readily on display where ever I turned.

I spent the first day in Dublin before catching a bus the next day across the country to the city of Galway, located on the western coast of Ireland.

Galway has a laid back vibe, similar to Northern Wisconsin. It's situated south of Connemara National Park and north of the Cliffs of Moher and The Burren. If you like the outdoors and beautiful landscapes, I highly recommend a visit to this part of Ireland.

After 5 days exploring Galway City and surrounding areas, I returned to Dublin and finished my week by visiting the Guinness Storehouse. I’m not a fan of beer, but Guinness seems to be synonymous with Ireland, so I decided to check it out.

The tour was fascinating, but after a few sips of Guinness I decided that I wasn’t missing out on anything and promptly found a Starbucks!!

I am really glad I went to Ireland. Traveling by myself was a bit lonely, but gave me time to reflect on my studies and life in general.

Ireland is a great place to explore, the country is gorgeous, the people super friendly, and the accent and the history are fascinating.

Custom House, Dublin

River Liffy, Dublin

Connemara

Sleep Zone Hostel in Connemara

Kylemore Abbey

Sheep wander free in Connemara and are considered the equivalent of deer in the midwest...a driving hazard that one needs to watch out for

One of the many stone fences that dot the countryside

Killary Fjord

Lough Nafoeey

It is said that there are 365 islands in this lake, one for every day of the year

Blog Hop - Favorite Book

If you're blog hopping today, welcome to my blog. If you're a regular I'm participating in McLinky's Blog Hop. This week's assignment is to share a favorite book. As a lifelong bookworm, that's an assignment I like. It's hard to pick a favorite, but I'm going with Surrender Bay by Denise Hunter.

I read a lot of Christian fiction. When I worked at a library back in Iowa, I got to help order books for our Christian fiction section. I chose this book for the library, was the first to read it, and loved every minute of it. I've read Surrender Bay three times so far.

I love this book because it is on one level a well-written love story and on another level an allegory of God's unconditional love for us.

When I first read the story, I thought it odd that a Christian fiction novel did not mention God. Denise Hunter usually has good spiritual content in her books. Then I read the author's note in back about it being an allegory. So then it was fun to go back and reread with that in mind.

A non-christian could read this as it's not overtly religious. There is a little gritty stuff which makes it realistic. Nothing graphic, but it's not a Lori Wick novel.

This is an excerpt from the author's website:Surrender Bay

A Nantucket Love Story
October 2007
From Thomas Nelson

On the beautiful island of Nantucket, salt and roses scent the air, waves sparkle over hidden currents, and a storm-tossed soul seeks safe harbor.

When Samantha Owen's estranged stepfather dies, she inherits his cottage in Nantucket--a place she left years ago, never planning to return. As a single mom, Sam can't afford to pass up on a financial windfall like ocean-front property. So she travels home to fix up the house and sell it . . . never suspecting that Landon Reed still lives two doors down. As their long-dormant romance begins to bud again, Sam must face the fact that Landon still doesn't know why she left the island. Will the secrets she's hidden all these years tear them apart . . . or is Landon's love really as unconditional as he claims?

Surrender Bay is the first book in the Nantucket Love Story Series. Each book in the series is a stand alones. The other two books are A Convenient Groom and Seaside Letters. I've read A Convenient Groom and liked it, but not as much as Surrender Bay. Seaside Letters just came out and I'm hoping to get it on interlibrary loan. Until then, maybe I'll reread Surrender Bay again.

Christina posted this on my Facebook wall.