Offically Home Owners!

We are moved in! And now starts the beginning of the never ending work? :) I love our new home, despite all the work and updating! It's so perfect for us! We are so excited to wrap up the major projects so we can begin having people over!

Here are just a few pics :)

Here is a before and after picture of our kitchen

Before:: white walls, 1980s vinyl tile

After:: Good coat of paint, porcelain tile (hand laid and grouted by Dave and his stepdad)

The rest of the house needed just as much updating, so we have been very busy bees lately!

I also celebrated my 24th birthday.  We had a nice dinner at Biaggis and then went to the movies. And Lucy was my early birthday gift :)

An-ti-ci-pation

I am getting anxious to get a closing date and get moved in! I have the paint colors picked out (for the most part!)  I hope it turns out excellent!

I also have grown a sweet appreciation for Menards, Lowes, and Home Depot. I was practically raised in those stores growing up. My dad was ALWAYS remodeling or building something and I hated going to the hardware store as a kid. But my, oh my, how times have changed. I actually looked through the Menards ad today. And I mean looked. Not skimmed. Not browsed. But looked.

I'm also loving my new work schedule. I have been able to go yard saleing the last 2 Saturdays and it has been wonderful. I have found some gooood stuff for super cheap! Another perk to being home in the evenings.. I have been able to cook dinner again! I have tried 3 new recipes and all 3 were Dave approved. They were Beef Stroganoff Sandwiches, Chicken Noodle Casserole For Two, and Chicken Enchiladas with Jalapeno Popper Dip.  Oh, and a Strawberry Pie that was completely devoured at small group.

And good news to wrap up this blog... There are 5 little green tomatoes on my plants outside! My mom said they just now are getting yellow flower buds on their plants! Mmmm can't wait! My bell pepper plant and cilantro plant isn't looking too far behind, either! I can't wait to have a massive garden in our new yard!

New Page In Our Book

Good news... I have officially graduated! Woo-Hoo!! I feel like a 40 hour week is a breeze compared to the hours I was doing this past year. Amazing.

And even better news...on our anniversary weekend we found out that the bid we placed on a home was accepted! We go tomorrow to sign the mortgage and have a house inspection done. Hope it all goes smoothly! The house should close no later than June 30 if everything goes as planned. We got an awesome price on it, and it was on our first bid, too....Totally the kindness of God towards us!

Can't wait to move in and get painting...will put pics up as we make progress :)

Our anniversary weekend was so fun! We went to Cincinatti for the weekend and it was great to get away. Saturday we went to a really neat Aquarium at Newport, had dinner at Arnies on the Levee, and watched Thor in 3D. Sunday we went to an Outlet Mall and did some serious shopping...we went through the whole outlet mall! Talk about a workout. We were exhausted by the time we left that afternoon.

I'm really enjoying my new job and I'm still so thankful that God provided a career job before I even had graduated college! Crazy!!!

Moving On!

I did it! I graduated college! Hallelujah! I posted on my facebook that I still remember walking through my Kindergarden school with my mom to find my classroom and my locker that had a Troll nametag (remember the Trolls?!). I remember my schoolbus had the alligator sticker (back when kindergarden buses were labeled by big animal stickers). I STILL have the fern we planted in a little coke bottle in Kindergarden. Now the plant has been split into 2 massive pots; one is here and the other is in my old room at my parents. I remember marble painting, playing house, having to count out 100 Cheerios to bring in for our Halloween Mix Snack, the bear that we each got to keep for 1 week and journal about our adventures with it.

I should write a book.

But anyways...I have started my career as a Social Worker. I am a Social Services Director at a local Nursing Home and I am enjoying it :) Funny things are always happening there.

I am so thankful for Dave's support over the past year helping me to get through and for God's Word constantly convicting my unthankful and discontent heart, for His strength when I was weak, for His endurance when I was worn out. What a great God we serve. Today I read this verse in Zecheriah and I loved it.  “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.  That's how I made it through.

We also were pre-approved for a mortgage!! Finally, all the glitches were cleared up and we are good to go. This week we have spent the evenings with Dave's dad going to houses. I'm so glad his dad is a realtor and knows what to look for--I sure don't! There is one house in particular that we have been really interested in and are thinking about making an offer--but we don't want to rush into anything that we will regret later! There are plenty of houses on the market!

This weekend we will be going to Cincinatti for our 1 year anniversary! I can't believe it has been a year already (on the 15th). What a great year together! We have learned a lot about cherishing time together and growing to be quick forgivers. I also realized a year later that I am not that flawless, perfect, easy to love wife that I seemed to think I was!  Talk about humbling!

....And I wonder what our cake that has been in the freezer for a year will taste like?

You can all pray for Wisdom while we are searching for houses...that God will open the door for the right house that we can serve others in and that we are good stewards of His money.

And ytou can praise God for my new job! For the blessing of an education! For Dave's encouragement continually towards me while I finished up school and for a family that has always been super supportive of me and my decisions.  Praise God for the friendships God has placed in my life down here in Evansville and the work He has been doing. Praise God for a Church that has helped lay a solid foundation for our first year of marriage and has been commited to our spiritual growth. Praise God for a small group full of young married couples in the same season we are in who pray with us and endure with us as we all encounter trials and victories.

April 22

Today is Sophie's birthday! Happy Birthday Sophie! It is also the day that Jesus was crucified for my sins. Ironic that it is called Good Friday, when an innocent man suffered the cruelest death for the most unworthy creatures. "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthains 5:21

So Tuesday night we had the serious tornado warning... and I've never felt more safe during a storm. Dave sprung into husband protector mode in like 2.5 seconds and this is what was the result. My mom would be so proud...

Yes, that is a full sized dresser as well as heavy tubs and a futon mattress on top of an old wooden work bench in our basement with a big blanket over top and chairs surrounding the sides. The futon mattress was impressive. Dave also managed to carry down a TV and hook it up to cable, grab every purse and bag I had lying around, along with our safe, a 25 pound bag of dogfood, the big dogfood water bowl, extra clothes, tennis shoes, my scrapbooks, every pillow on our bed, blankets, every flashlight we own, our Bibles, a book, a backpack, every candle in the house, the candle lighter.... all in under 10 minutes.

I brought down bottles of water. And Charlie.

Needless to say, Dave was awesome at this tornado preparation and I think the only thing we were missing was a roll of toilet paper and a 5 gallon bucket.   Maybe next time I can get Dave to bring down the futon bed frame, too.
And a huge praise God---I got a job on Monday! I start May 2nd as a Social Worker at a nursing home in Newburgh. It is so rare anymore to find a job right out of college using your college degree in a field you want. What a blessing for us! It will definitely be so nice to have a Monday-Friday 8-4:30 job and to enjoy my weekends and nights off!  What in the world do people do on weekends? haha I don't know what this will be like! I am excited to actually be able to drive up to my parent's now and spend time with my family. That hasn't happened since Christmas! :(

Good things are coming!

The Search Continues

We are still house hunting! There are so many on the market and we want to be good stewards of money. We spend Sunday afternoons going to Open Houses--which is time consuming, but has really helped us to get a firm grip on what home we are looking for....  I really want our home to be large enough to serve others in, to be hospitable and welcoming. I don't care how small the bedrooms are--I want a good sized living room and kitchen so we can invite friends and family over, host small group sessions and Bible studies, let young women come over and cook with me, etc.

So the search continues...

In the meantime...I officially walk in graduatino in less than 5 weeks with less than 4 weeks left of classes! I had a day off last week and I spent hours going through all my pictures I've taken since my freshman year at USI. What a trip! I picked out my favorites (all 300+) and I am going to make it into a picture book using Shutterfly. I love their picbooks!  

Dave also invested in a bicycle this week and our goal is to do some bike riding with the warm weather and walks in the park. Charlie could sure use the exercise, too. He has too much built up energy! I'm not sure that I could ever wear him out to the point that he would be calm for an evening, though.  Guess that means we need another doggy for him to play with :) 


**Just an update on this note** Bike riding was a lot more fun when I was 7 and jacked up on sugar. I am so out of shape that it is embarrassing.

"Slave"

Dave and I started the 1st chapter of JMacs new book "Slave". I look forward to digging in and reaping gold! Here are 2 particular paragraphs that stood out to me...

In addition to the name Christian, the Bible uses a host of other terms to identify the followers of Jesus. Scripture describes us as aliens and strangers of God, citizens of heaven, and lights to the world. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, members of His body, sheep in His flock, ambassadors in His services, and friends around His table. We are called to compete like athletes, to fight like soldiers, to abide like branches in a vine, and even to desire His Word as newborn babies long for milk... Yet, the Bible uses one metaphor more frequently than any of these...It is the image of a slave. Time and time again througout the pages of Scripture, believers are referred to as slaves of God and slaves of Christ. 

Listen to the words of Charles Spurgeon--- "Where our Authorized King James Version softly puts it as "servant" it really is "bond-slave". The early saints delighted to count themselves Christ's absolute property, bought by him, owned by him, and wholly at his disposal. Paul even went so far as to rejoicde that he has the marks of his Master's brand on him, and he cries, 'Let no man trouble me; for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.' There was the end of all debate; he was the Lord's, and the marks of the scourges, the rods, and the stones were the broad-arrow of the King which marked Pauls' body as the property of Jesus the Lord. Now if the saints of old time glories in obeying Christ, I pray that you and I...may feel that our first object in life is to obey our Lord."

What a perfect ending to a date night. Dave and I have really had to fight for time this semester, and we are beyond thankful that we both have Tuesday after 5:30pm that we can set apart for each other and invest in our marriage. We celebrated our 10 month with me getting my wisdom teeth removed (which went super smoothly and healed very well) haha Pretty lame but it was good time to reflect on our marriage...

I have been really convicted lately that I lack a spirit of meekness...to die to my own rights just as Jesus did when he washed the disciples' feet in the Upper Room as a King serving the servants, in the Garden as he was arrested in secret without reason but without defense, on the cross as he was crucified unjustly, treated cruely, and responded only in prayer and love. I am so quick to defend myself, to lash out, to demand my rights rather than cover it with love and demonstrate Christ in those moments.