Happy Wedding!

There is nothing like a fun family wedding - smack dab in the middle of a move, a medical emergency, and holidays. Ha! I have to say, it really was great to get away from it all and celebrate my cousin Taylor getting married. They recited their vows overlooking those glorious mountains. Not sure it gets any better than that.

It was honestly one of the most Christ-centered and genuine ceremonies I have been apart of and I loved how they made it their own. I loved the picture of them washing each others feet and then they poured different colored sand instead of a unity candle - symbolic of where he proposed (on the beach).

But, I think what will stand out most was the 'dance' down the aisle at the end. Hysterical. It was to the Black Eyed Peas song, "Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night". Lol. Oh yes.

I don't have to tell those of you who know my brother that he put on a SHOW! I wish I had a video and better pictures, but you can picture him walking down the aisle as if it was a catwalk, pausing, turning around, and then motioning for his "escort bridesmaid" to come with a little point and a gyrating hip movement. We were all crying in laughter. Oh -that Rhett. Never a dull moment.

Steph got into it herself. Way to go, sis!

Overall - what a blast to get to see family. To remember what this covenant of marriage is really all about. To just sit back and get out of your world a little and celebrate someone else.

Here's to Taylor and Stacia! Welcome to this crazy family!

A Christmas to Remember...

... but not one to repeat.

The first week can be summarized with this one picture. Sorting, packing, moving and some deer.

My amazing husband spent countless hours alongside my mom sorting and packing and organizing for the big move. Since my mom and dad had to move and since my dad broke his hip in four places about a month ago...oh, and since I am 16 weeks pregnant, we stayed up and took care of the "lighter" tasks while mom and David did the heavy lifting.

We knew we had a week before Christmas to get as much of the packing done as possible. As if God wanted to just remind us of His presence and to bless us with little gifts, we would look outside and see the most beautiful deer. They would walk right up to the door, the house, you name it. Here is one of the 10 point bucks we saw. Incredible.

David would take a "move break" and go take pictures of deer. This is not in zoom. He was literally that close. It was amazing.

Another special gift was getting to see one of my most favorite people in whole world, Kimber-Leigh. For the life of me, I don't know why we didn't get one picture - but we were more concerned with just seeing each other and I will never be able to tell her how much it meant to me for her to come and remind me that she was there, supporting and praying us through each step. Another gift of provision to have her visiting just an hour away during this craziness!

The very next day...

...a snow storm blew in with a fierceness I have not experienced many times in my life. David drove the whole family 5 hours round trip to the airport to pick up Mama 2 and Stephanie. We made it. I don't know how, but God protected us from the many accidents we saw alongside the roads we traveled. More provision.

And of course, we had to get out and play in it for a small "break". :)

Daddy chopped down a real tree for our Christmas tree. We decorated it with all of the ornaments that were going to be given away or thrown away. It was special and hysterical all at the same time.

Christmas Eve after the church service, we made a birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus. I can tell you it was one of the sweetest highlights of the week.

Christmas Day started out perfectly. Kate came down the stairs with expectancy in her eyes. She saw that Santa had brought her the three top things she had requested this year: a popsicle, a lollipop, and a sticker. (OK - maybe there were a few other things as well)

For gifts this year, we did not want to spend money, so we wrapped up things from down in the basement for each other. Things that each of us hadn't seen in years. Things that made us laugh hysterically. Things that made us cry, as we thought back to those who are not with us any longer. One of my favorite Christmas mornings by far. I think we might have started a new tradition.

Then, that afternoon, we called 911 as my grandma, Mama 2, turned from bad to worse. There's nothing like having an ambulance arrive on Christmas day! Of course, David had to document it all.

Dad and Rhett went to the hospital for most of the day while the rest of us tried to have a quiet and thankful Christmas meal together. Thankfully Mama 2 was OK, but needed to stay in the hospital a few more nights.

Seriously, you can't make this stuff up!

Through it all, we played and laughed. Sweet Kate and Uncle Rhett sure did make us laugh a ton and get through the tears and drama.

The sun rose...

...and the sun set.

We all said goodbye to the mountains and hello to city. It is a good place to be; the place of letting go and simply trusting God.

This Christmas will go down as one of the most memorable holidays our family has ever experienced. We survived. We did it. We did it together with God's sweet provision and grace.

And...we are all still family. Still standing, barely. Better for it. Stronger through it. More grateful because of it.

We are more blessed now than any other time I can remember. And, may God receive all of the glory.

It's His story after all.

Here's to a NEW year!

A Response

Each night, we read to Kate from the Jesus Storybook Bible. It is an incredible bible and the best part is that it reveals in the simplest and most profound of ways how every story, from the OT and NT, points to Christ. I must say, I am pretty sure that I have learned more than Kate during our time of reading. It is so humbling. There are many stories that I can hardly get through without tears. (There are also some stories I didn’t even know existed. Convicting.) It is so moving to read each one see how it ends with a picture pointing to a new, risen and victorious King. When you read the bible through the lens of a risen Christ, it changes things.

Last week, we got to the crucifixion story. As David and I sat together – him reading – I looked at him like, are you sure she is ready to hear this? He nodded and continued. It did not spare details. It talked about His nail-pierced hands. It talked about the blood. It talked about the one time that our Heavenly Father looked away as His one and only son was sacrificed so that we – who deserved death – would have life. It showed the pictures. It talked about the colors of the sky that night and how they were black and purple – like a bruise.

Kate was very concerned that Jesus had died and was very intrigued by the color of the sky. She loves the pictures and from time to time will turn back to past stories to see various pictures of Jesus or Daniel and the lions. She kept looking at the picture of Jesus on the cross.

David thought Kate should not go to bed with only that story on her mind, because it is not, after all, the end of the story. So, he continued. David finished the next story and shared the good news with her that Jesus was not dead anymore, but had defeated death and rose from the dead. After, saying so confidently, “He is alive!” Kate’s face lightened up. Her mouth opened and her jaw dropped. A huge smile covered her sweet little face and she asked once more for reassurance, “Jesus is alive?”

Her daddy answered affirmatively and joyfully, “Yes!” How sweet that moment is as a parent. To see the gospel presented for such a young child to comprehend and yet how powerful and life changing it is at any age. As a parent – you always want to give the GOOD news to your children and this is the ultimate.

Kate quickly wanted to flip pages back to see the crucified Jesus. Then she would quickly flip forward to see the “alive” Jesus. She would say, “Jesus sad” and then say “Jesus alive”! She got it. She did this over and over again. She was hungry to see the transformation and to really see the new Jesus. The risen Jesus. I saw it. It moved me.

I think we are no different. I live my life and go through joys and celebrations and trials alike and try to keep a Christ-centered perspective. If I am being honest, this year was full of more trials than celebrations for our family. Even still – more praises. We are still in the middle of battle – every day (as we all are) and there have been days that I am honestly ready to throw in the towel. IF this is what it means to follow Christ, if this is that ‘cost’ that He refers to in the gospels, I am not sure I am up for this whole thing. I mean, where does the rest come in and where does the happiness and the easy part come in to play here? Aren’t we entitled to a certain amount of ease in the Christian life? This whole daily surrendering is almost too much to take.

Last Sunday, JR preached one of the best sermons I have heard and it was such a timely message for my heart. It is a must listen in my book. I have listened to it multiple times because I really felt God speak so clearly to me through it. In one part, he talks about the fact that if we believe that this man, who is God’s son and God in flesh, was killed and buried and rose again, then it changes everything and nothing else matters. If that is true – then our heart has to respond to it. If it is true – then nothing else matters. If the greatest enemy, death, was defeated, then the smaller enemies should not and cannot overwhelm us because Christ is already victorious. Then, sickness, umemployment, distance, financial distress – you fill in the blank for you- pales in comparison to the fact that Christ has defeated them all.

If I am in Christ, I serve a risen King. What is my heart’s response to that? Surely it changes the way that I live. Either way, it demands a response.

Kate has encouraged me to remember this new lens through which I see my life and His will for it. Through which I serve those around me. Through which I parent and love my husband.

I realize that I am desperate to believe in this risen Christ if I am making daily sacrifices for His namesake. I am encouraged to keep reading and pressing on and praying my way through this journey, because if it IS true that He rose from the dead – then that changes EVERYTHING and NOTHING else matters.

I think my heart finally got it this week – thanks to my baby girl. Thanks to the Holy Spirit using His Word to open a place in my heart that hasn’t been opened in this way before. I want to be as eager as she is to see the new Christ and to look at everything in life through that lens. The alive Christ. The victorious Christ. Oh – what a beautiful picture to follow after and to sacrifice for … today and always.

We're Baaaaccccckkk!!

So, you thought we weren't coming back? Life really has been that busy and blogging has not been a priority. However, I will try to catch everyone up...thanks for your patience.

For starters - let's celebrate Halloween. It is afterall the last day of October.

My little orphan Annie and her dog, Sandy, of course.

Some of you might ask - how do you go Trick-or-Treating in NYC?

Answer: the same way you do. We walk and go door to door. :) We mainly go to the brownstones, but if it is raining, we always have the high-rise buildings as a plan B.

The group of kids that went tonight.

Kate and her best buddy - King Cooper.

Afterwards, we grabbed some dinner at 6:30pm and it was already this dark outside!

Happy October everyone! We look forward to catching up with you.

Jersey Shore

This summer we made it to beaches on Long Island, in the Hamptons and on the Jersey Shore. Here are some pictures of a trip to Ocean Grove, a few weeks ago, with Kate's best buddy, Cooper.