Welcoming Fall

In honor of today being the first day of Fall, Neal and I made our first batch of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins (I say first batch 'cause we will be making a lot of these over the next several months).

They have to be one of may favorite things to eat, especially a cup of coffee with Pumpkin spice creamer.  Neal thought they were quite tasty as well, he has already eaten two of them and managed to take a bite out of another one as he passed them in the kitchen.

The weather is starting to cool down which means more walks, runs and sipping coffee on the back porch while Neal plays.   I love this time of year.

Also, I realized that my fall decorations didn't make it in the move so I think I might be making this for our front door....

A moment away

Near the end of last week I got the chance to go on our churches Women's Retreat in Asheville, NC.    It really was a treat to be able to get away for a few days.  I got three days where I didn't have to cook, clean, or chase after a 2 year old.  I got to have three days to put aside the everyday distractions of life, fellowship with other laides and spend uninterrupted in the Word.

My time away on this retreat was more beneficial then I had anticipated.  With all the responsibilities that come with being an adult, wife and mother a few days away is hard to find and for me it was much needed.  I was challenged and reminded on this retreat to delight in the Word of God and in Christ.  So, I have spent a lot of time doing just that, reading the Word.   As I place my focus and thoughts on Christ the worries and things in my life that don't seem to be going right or as planned fall into place.  Not that my dreams, desires or trials in life are solved but my perspective changes.  Placing Christ first and delighting in His Word seems like a basic principal of the Christian life, but how easy I have found it to forget.  How easy to be consumed with dreams and desires and allow life to get so busy that I forget to "follow" Christ and delight in His Word.

I have been reading and meditating on Psalm 119 and would encourage you to read it as well.   You may not have a chance to get away from everyday life, but retreat for just a few minutes, drink your coffee, turn on a show to keep the kids occupied and read Psalm 119 - you won't be disappointed.

Outdoor time

It has finally cooled off here the last few days.  It has been in the high 70's low 80's the last few days and the humidity has disappeared, which has been AMAZING.   This also means that I should dig out my running shoes again and take advantage of this great weather.  

Because of this nice change we have spent the last few days soaking up the sun and enjoyable weather outside.  We have filled our days with playing at the park, weeding (not on my list of fun things to do, but necessary), riding bikes, and other fun outdoor activities.

I think I'm really going to like Fall here, if this cooler but still sunny weather is any indication of what it will be like.   The only thing we have had to deal with is a random thunder storm blowing through every now and then, but the last few days even the rain/thunder has stayed away.

7 Years

On Monday we celebrated our 7 year Anniversary!  It seems like the last 7 years have gone by so quickly.  I feel extremely blessed to have a husband who loves the Lord, works hard, cares for me, plays with his son, invests in the lives of his family and friends, and still makes me laugh.  It's hard to believer that 7 years ago we were just beginning our lives together.  Lots has changed.

The past 7 years have been filled with lots of different things for us.  We have had 9 different jobs between the 2 of us, moved 3 different times in Anchorage, had our first son (Neal), moved across the US to North Carolina,  and started into full time ministry.

Each year brings new surprises, some are happy surprises and some are hard, but together we have learned a lot and look forward to what the Lord has in store for us in the years to come.

We decided to celebrate this year by including the "new" things in our life/marriage in the celebration (this may also have been because we forgot to arrange for a babysitter ahead of time).  So, Neal came with us to the restaurant and we started the meal off with a plate of pickle chips, welcome to the south!

Happy Anniversary!  7 years and counting...

Caps! Caps for sale!

I've mentioned before how much Neal loves to read books, and that is why I have another post about reading with him.   I am so happy that some of his favorite books are ones that I remember from when I was little.  We sit together everyday and read at least 4 or 5 books in a row.  We have read his favorite ones so much that he can even "read" them to himself now.

The stories have even made it into his playtime.  The other day he picked up his bean bags, stacked them on his head and starting quoting the book "Caps for Sale" by yelling, "Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!"

I often find Neal quoting lines from books.  The other day when he woke up from his nap he told "I sleep long time, like Caps story".   He got that line from "Caps for Sale" where the peddler takes a nap and sleeps "...for a long time."

I think it's time for us to visit and library, Neal would love all the books there and it quite possibly could become one of his favorite places.

Hello 30's

I'm 30!   When did I get so old?  I feel like 30 is old , maybe because it's one of the milestone birthdays, and I am looking forward to my 31st birthday 'cause that seems less old to me (weird I know).

I had a wonderful birthday.  Neal come into bed with us in the morning and sang me the Happy Birthday song, which was the perfect start to my day.  Christ & Nancy were here visiting and we all got to celebrate together.  It was nice to have family in town to celebrate with.  We had a great steak dinner, on our new grill, and a delicious apple pie for dessert.  

Then the next morning my birthday continued with a fun package from my parents.  Chocolate covered strawberries arrived on my front porch...and they were delicious!  Neal was so excited about them he climbed on the table and as I was taking a picture he immediately licked the top of the strawberries and turned to me with a huge grin on his face.  I think he was trying to claim them for himself, which didn't work (I think he got that trick from Tyler).   I did share some with Tyler and Neal, but mostly enjoyed them all by myself with a cup of coffee.  What could be better then chocolate covered strawberries and coffee for breakfast, right?

It was a great, relaxing and low key birthday, just what I wanted.     

It's a bird, it's a plane....

No, it's Superman!!!

"Superman saves the day" is what you will here this superman say as he speeds by you.   I have to say this superman is my favorite superhero.  It's fun to see Neal's imagination take shape as he plays.