A Cheesecake Factory opened in my town yesterday. Since we were accustomed to having one in our former town and they are the only restaurant (that I know of) that offers a low carb cheesecake I can eat guilt-free, we were all anxious for it to open. We would drive by weekly, anxiously checking their progress. I did refrain from cheering the workers on, but it was especially hard on the day the letters went up on the building confirming there really was truth to the rumors of it opening soon. I tried to stay away until the crowds died down, but I failed in the self-control department severely. I broke several of my own personal rules of life, like never go anywhere near the mall on a weekend, to purchase an entire cheesecake tonight. Just to order something to go took 27 minutes--at least that's what my cohorts in crime who were not-so-patiently waiting in the van tell me.
Imagine my disappointment upon arriving home and discovering that it was FROZEN! I have been waiting 3 months to taste this little slice of heaven and it was FROZEN! I decided to chance thawing it a little in the microwave so I could at least slice it. I was somewhat successful. I am now eating a part soggy, part frozen piece of cheesecake and looking forward to the pieces I'll eat tomorrow that got to thaw in the refrigerator at the normal rate. (Yes, that was pieces--plural.)
At least I get to mark "Cheesecake Factory" off my list of things I wish we had in our new town. What else is on my list? Half price books, Forever 21, Papaya, an outlet mall and shopping on Harry Hines (which only Dallas residents can understand).
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
New address and Phone
I sent an email out with our new address and phone number. If you didn't receive it, leave me a comment with your email address. (The comments come to my email address first for my approval. Your email address will not be posted on the blog.)
Back on the Web
Sorry for the delay in posts. I have been without internet access all week so it's nice to be back on the world wide web.
We did close on our Texas house last Friday. Our realtor told us that ours was the only closing that has happened as scheduled in the last 2 months. I knew it was because ours was well prayed over! The packers came on Friday morning to finish what was left in the house and everything was loaded by Sat. at 12. We returned to our new town on Sat. and started working on the task of getting everything from the mission house to the new house; we're still not done unfortunately. Thanks to a lot of help from some new friends, we were able to get all of the new house painted last week. It's amazing how much paint can do for a home. It looks brand new! When we can see the house around the boxes I'll post a slide show, giving you the grand tour.
As you know from my previous post, I was very stressed about the whole negotiation process with the house. One night in particular, I was having a hard time just breathing because the stress in my chest was so tight. I was out running errands, trying to "forget" about all the uncertainties surrounding our lives at that moment when a new Steven Curtis Chapman song came on the radio. I can't even remember the words, but in essence it said "breathe out, breath in", let God have control. I so needed that reminder to look for how God was working through this ordeal and to trust Him completely. He showed me in so many ways that He was in control and had a plan. Through small things like the college student who was taking care of our lawn for the summer had to be back at school on 8/19. We closed on 8/17 and never had to be concerned about finding someone else. Through the big things like a missionary family from China who needs to return home for a medical emergency for their child. Now the mission house will be available for them next week when they arrive in the states. They have stayed there before and it will be a great comfort to them to have a familiar home to live in while they are here.
I must return to the stack of boxes. Hopefully, I'll have something fun to write about besides moving. Nathan had his first soccer practice last night and I have a feeling that activity will provide some hilarious video for you soon!
We did close on our Texas house last Friday. Our realtor told us that ours was the only closing that has happened as scheduled in the last 2 months. I knew it was because ours was well prayed over! The packers came on Friday morning to finish what was left in the house and everything was loaded by Sat. at 12. We returned to our new town on Sat. and started working on the task of getting everything from the mission house to the new house; we're still not done unfortunately. Thanks to a lot of help from some new friends, we were able to get all of the new house painted last week. It's amazing how much paint can do for a home. It looks brand new! When we can see the house around the boxes I'll post a slide show, giving you the grand tour.
As you know from my previous post, I was very stressed about the whole negotiation process with the house. One night in particular, I was having a hard time just breathing because the stress in my chest was so tight. I was out running errands, trying to "forget" about all the uncertainties surrounding our lives at that moment when a new Steven Curtis Chapman song came on the radio. I can't even remember the words, but in essence it said "breathe out, breath in", let God have control. I so needed that reminder to look for how God was working through this ordeal and to trust Him completely. He showed me in so many ways that He was in control and had a plan. Through small things like the college student who was taking care of our lawn for the summer had to be back at school on 8/19. We closed on 8/17 and never had to be concerned about finding someone else. Through the big things like a missionary family from China who needs to return home for a medical emergency for their child. Now the mission house will be available for them next week when they arrive in the states. They have stayed there before and it will be a great comfort to them to have a familiar home to live in while they are here.
I must return to the stack of boxes. Hopefully, I'll have something fun to write about besides moving. Nathan had his first soccer practice last night and I have a feeling that activity will provide some hilarious video for you soon!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Hallelujah!
We just got a phone call letting us know that the buyers have signed the addendum! We'll be returning to Texas either next Wed. or Thurs. and plan to close on Friday. Please continue to pray that everything goes according to plan and that the kids do okay adjusting to another house. Katie's birthday is next Thursday, and she's being a good sport about postponing her celebration till we get moved. Letting her spend her birthday money at the mall yesterday probably helped!
Special thanks to our Texas friends: Steve, Garrett, and Wendy, who have kept the pool blue, the grass cut, and the furniture dusted--all without expecting anything in return. You guys have truly been a blessing!
In other news--Zac had a good first two days at school. No real homework yet but we've filled out lots of forms and spent lots of money at Target on school supplies. Keep praying for him to make Godly friends and to adjust easily.
I'll be starting a new job on Aug. 21. Friends of ours own a Direct Buy showroom and offered me a part-time position. I had been praying that God would bring something across my path without me searching for it, something with a Christian work environment where I did not have to fill out a time-off request in triplicate if I wanted to take off for an hour to see Nate play soccer. This job is exactly what I was praying for! This will be helpful for us as we start another child (Zac) in braces soon along with all the other expenses that come with older kids: adult clothing and shoes, car insurance, adult entrees when we eat out, etc.... Back when I was buying diapers, formula, and baby food, I thought the kids would get cheaper as they got older but that is so far from the truth.
Special thanks to our Texas friends: Steve, Garrett, and Wendy, who have kept the pool blue, the grass cut, and the furniture dusted--all without expecting anything in return. You guys have truly been a blessing!
In other news--Zac had a good first two days at school. No real homework yet but we've filled out lots of forms and spent lots of money at Target on school supplies. Keep praying for him to make Godly friends and to adjust easily.
I'll be starting a new job on Aug. 21. Friends of ours own a Direct Buy showroom and offered me a part-time position. I had been praying that God would bring something across my path without me searching for it, something with a Christian work environment where I did not have to fill out a time-off request in triplicate if I wanted to take off for an hour to see Nate play soccer. This job is exactly what I was praying for! This will be helpful for us as we start another child (Zac) in braces soon along with all the other expenses that come with older kids: adult clothing and shoes, car insurance, adult entrees when we eat out, etc.... Back when I was buying diapers, formula, and baby food, I thought the kids would get cheaper as they got older but that is so far from the truth.
Tee Time
You are probably aware that there is a major sporting event in my town this week. I must admit that I didn't particularly care about it other than to be bothered by the increased traffic and possibly losing my husband to it for the weekend. That was before Thursday morning when Kevin received a call from one of our church members offering us 4 VIP tickets for the day. I decided to seize the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and went with Kevin and one of the other pastors and his wife. I hesitated for a moment in accepting because attending would mean I would miss Zachary getting off the bus and coming home from his first day of school. The temptation to see Tiger quickly overrode that thought.
If you haven't been to a PGA tournament before, VIP is the only way to go. We were picked up in the company's parking lot, given a personal shuttle ride to our corporate entrance, and had to walk just a few feet to the air conditioned "chalet" where all-you-could-stuff food and drink awaited us. We were distracted from our cool-air-seeking journey almost immediately after walking in the gate by someone saying, "Here comes Tiger!". We thought we had missed our opportunity to see him since we got to the course later than we had planned, and anxiously rushed to the fairway of hole 7 as he was walking to the green. Unfortunately for Tiger, there was a sand bunker about 3 feet from the cup and his ball was in it. He finished with par, but I think he more than made up for it during yesterday's round. Kevin will be there on Sunday to watch the final round so watch for him on TV.
Later we decided we were going to follow Phil Mickelson from hole 1 back to 7 where our chalet was located. We made it to hole 2. The sun was so intense, I had flip-flop tan lines after just 10 minutes. After that, sitting on the shaded deck of our chalet with a constant supply of water bottles and gatorade was the best way to watch the rest of the round. I saw the majority of the notable golfers I'm familiar with and quite a few I had never heard of as they rotated through our vantage spot.
I love trying things for the first time and try to take in as much as I can about the experience, especially when the probability of me ever doing it again is unlikely, as was the case on Thursday. I decided I would probably never learn to play golf since playing in the early morning would be the only way to escape the heat and I don't do early morning unless absolutely necessary. I also didn't realize that companies would spend close to a million dollars entertaining their clients for a week at the PGA. One company VP told us he had taken clients out to dinner the night before and the bill was $4000! You could send a kid to college for a semester for that kind of money. (Okay, not to Harvard but a state school perhaps.)
Now for my observations that may embarrass some of you and possibly my children: this is the only time in my life that I have seen a line for the men's bathroom but not the women's! Odd that I would notice such a thing, but it just struck me as humorous that I have never seen that dynamic before in all my experiences. Not even at other sporting events. Another advantage of our VIP status was the access to the VIP bathrooms which were in essence very fancy porta-potties featuring wood floors, granite-looking walls, panelled wood doors and potpourri. They even smelled good! Obviously, I need to get out more if I'm impressed by the bathrooms at the PGA.
Sorry there aren't any pictures to share since cameras weren't allowed, and Uncle Weave: please forgive us!
If you haven't been to a PGA tournament before, VIP is the only way to go. We were picked up in the company's parking lot, given a personal shuttle ride to our corporate entrance, and had to walk just a few feet to the air conditioned "chalet" where all-you-could-stuff food and drink awaited us. We were distracted from our cool-air-seeking journey almost immediately after walking in the gate by someone saying, "Here comes Tiger!". We thought we had missed our opportunity to see him since we got to the course later than we had planned, and anxiously rushed to the fairway of hole 7 as he was walking to the green. Unfortunately for Tiger, there was a sand bunker about 3 feet from the cup and his ball was in it. He finished with par, but I think he more than made up for it during yesterday's round. Kevin will be there on Sunday to watch the final round so watch for him on TV.
Later we decided we were going to follow Phil Mickelson from hole 1 back to 7 where our chalet was located. We made it to hole 2. The sun was so intense, I had flip-flop tan lines after just 10 minutes. After that, sitting on the shaded deck of our chalet with a constant supply of water bottles and gatorade was the best way to watch the rest of the round. I saw the majority of the notable golfers I'm familiar with and quite a few I had never heard of as they rotated through our vantage spot.
I love trying things for the first time and try to take in as much as I can about the experience, especially when the probability of me ever doing it again is unlikely, as was the case on Thursday. I decided I would probably never learn to play golf since playing in the early morning would be the only way to escape the heat and I don't do early morning unless absolutely necessary. I also didn't realize that companies would spend close to a million dollars entertaining their clients for a week at the PGA. One company VP told us he had taken clients out to dinner the night before and the bill was $4000! You could send a kid to college for a semester for that kind of money. (Okay, not to Harvard but a state school perhaps.)
Now for my observations that may embarrass some of you and possibly my children: this is the only time in my life that I have seen a line for the men's bathroom but not the women's! Odd that I would notice such a thing, but it just struck me as humorous that I have never seen that dynamic before in all my experiences. Not even at other sporting events. Another advantage of our VIP status was the access to the VIP bathrooms which were in essence very fancy porta-potties featuring wood floors, granite-looking walls, panelled wood doors and potpourri. They even smelled good! Obviously, I need to get out more if I'm impressed by the bathrooms at the PGA.
Sorry there aren't any pictures to share since cameras weren't allowed, and Uncle Weave: please forgive us!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Still Waiting....
UPDATE 8/11/07
Please continue to pray for our house sale to be resolved soon. Despite the fact that it is 6 days until closing, we still do not know if we will be actually closing. We made an offer of a designated amount for repair costs on Wed., but the buyers have been quite difficult about reaching an agreement and seem to be trying to take advantage of our situation. We have made our final offer and are still waiting for them to sign it and notify us if they accept it or not. Needless to say, this has made for a stressful situation. One of the two houses we looked at has rented, and we went ahead and put a deposit on the other one when things were looking a little more optimistic. We will not lose the entire deposit but we'll be charged a per diem for every day the house is held for us if we don't take it.
Yes, we are still waiting for our house deal to be a "done deal". Thanks to all the Texas storms, our roof is not in great shape and the pool liner has begun to wrinkle. State Farm should be sending an adjuster out by Thurs. and we're getting estimates on the pool liner to decide if we'll offer to replace it or not. Until those things are resolved, I'm going to hold off on my celebration ...and putting a deposit on a rental house. This is one of those times that I get to actively trust in God to take care of every detail!
Remember to pray for Zac on Thursday as he goes to his first day of public school!
Please continue to pray for our house sale to be resolved soon. Despite the fact that it is 6 days until closing, we still do not know if we will be actually closing. We made an offer of a designated amount for repair costs on Wed., but the buyers have been quite difficult about reaching an agreement and seem to be trying to take advantage of our situation. We have made our final offer and are still waiting for them to sign it and notify us if they accept it or not. Needless to say, this has made for a stressful situation. One of the two houses we looked at has rented, and we went ahead and put a deposit on the other one when things were looking a little more optimistic. We will not lose the entire deposit but we'll be charged a per diem for every day the house is held for us if we don't take it.
Yes, we are still waiting for our house deal to be a "done deal". Thanks to all the Texas storms, our roof is not in great shape and the pool liner has begun to wrinkle. State Farm should be sending an adjuster out by Thurs. and we're getting estimates on the pool liner to decide if we'll offer to replace it or not. Until those things are resolved, I'm going to hold off on my celebration ...and putting a deposit on a rental house. This is one of those times that I get to actively trust in God to take care of every detail!
Remember to pray for Zac on Thursday as he goes to his first day of public school!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
House News!
8/3/07 UPDATE
We have an official, signed contract on the house. The inspection is tomorrow morning. Kevin looked at two rental houses with me today. We like both; they're actually the same floor plan and in the same neighborhood. One is a newer and has a finished office in the attic space that could be a 5th bedroom, but the older one is on a quieter street with less traffic. We won't put a deposit on either until after we get past the inspection. I know that God is in control and if that's where we're supposed to be then He will keep one of them available for us.
Please continue to pray for things to go smoothly. My blood sugar tends to feed off of stress and once it gets high, I am more sensitive to stress, creating a viscous cycle. When we were discussing whether to accept the contract or not, it climbed to 260. (Normal is below 100.) Pray for my system to stay calm through this stressful time and for my blood sugar to stay low.
UPDATE: We have agreed on a price with a buyer, and although it is lower than we had hoped for, we are trusting that God is in control and He will close the door if this is not right. I've looked at a couple of rent houses today. The one I like the most would be a different school district for Zachary so pray for us to have wisdom as to the right thing to do for him. I'll continue to update as things develop.
We received an offer on our house yesterday. We have counter-offered today and hope to hear something soon. If we can agree on a price, the buyers want to close on Aug. 17 which means we're about to be really busy! We have decided to rent here for now and since we don't want to have to store our furniture, we will need to find something quickly. Please pray for all the numbers and logistics to work out, and for us to find the house God already has picked out for us. Check back often as I'll post final details as soon as I have them!
We have an official, signed contract on the house. The inspection is tomorrow morning. Kevin looked at two rental houses with me today. We like both; they're actually the same floor plan and in the same neighborhood. One is a newer and has a finished office in the attic space that could be a 5th bedroom, but the older one is on a quieter street with less traffic. We won't put a deposit on either until after we get past the inspection. I know that God is in control and if that's where we're supposed to be then He will keep one of them available for us.
Please continue to pray for things to go smoothly. My blood sugar tends to feed off of stress and once it gets high, I am more sensitive to stress, creating a viscous cycle. When we were discussing whether to accept the contract or not, it climbed to 260. (Normal is below 100.) Pray for my system to stay calm through this stressful time and for my blood sugar to stay low.
UPDATE: We have agreed on a price with a buyer, and although it is lower than we had hoped for, we are trusting that God is in control and He will close the door if this is not right. I've looked at a couple of rent houses today. The one I like the most would be a different school district for Zachary so pray for us to have wisdom as to the right thing to do for him. I'll continue to update as things develop.
We received an offer on our house yesterday. We have counter-offered today and hope to hear something soon. If we can agree on a price, the buyers want to close on Aug. 17 which means we're about to be really busy! We have decided to rent here for now and since we don't want to have to store our furniture, we will need to find something quickly. Please pray for all the numbers and logistics to work out, and for us to find the house God already has picked out for us. Check back often as I'll post final details as soon as I have them!
Arkansas Adventures and Mexico Missions
Kevin returned from Mexico on Saturday evening. He made a 4 hour drive to Tuscon, then flew to Dallas where his flight was canceled due to engine trouble. He was able to get on another flight, but his luggage didn't. Fortunately, he got a call from the airport on Sunday morning letting him know his luggage had made it on the morning flight.
The team had a good week. There were 20-9th and 10th graders along with 7 (I think) adult sponsors. The daytime was spent painting our church's training center/dormitory and preparing for the evening activities. They ministered in the town square with drama, puppet shows, and face painting; and Roberto, the pastor of our church plant, presented the gospel every evening. They faced a lot of opposition from the catholic church so you can continue to pray that these people who are steeped in tradition will be able to accept the truth of the gospel.
Kevin also had the opportunity to preach at a prison on Sunday evening where 10 of the 20 prisoners who attended the service accepted Christ!
While Kevin was gone, I decided to take the kids to Arkansas to see our family there. We had a good trip, although it was tiring. I haven't driven to that area in a while, and I was reminded how thankful I am for major highways. 2 hours of our trip was on a 2 lane highway that was under construction and the whole experience did not bring out the best in my character. I don't seem to have a lot of patience when it comes to being stuck behind a concrete mixer going 40 mph.
Many of you have been praying for my dad's physical and spiritual health in the last few months. He is currently in a nursing home and doing some better. He is constantly battling infections, mostly due to the fact that he has no liver function now. I am so thankful that God has sustained him long enough for me to see him again. I was able to check him out and take him to lunch which he was very excited about. I couldn't seem to make the words come out of my mouth to witness to him as this has been an area of tension with us for over 20 years. But, I did write him a letter, basically outlining a simple plan of salvation and expressing my desire to see him again in heaven because I couldn't bear the thought of the alternative. I talked to him on the phone yesterday and he says he agrees with everything I wrote and I don't have to worry about it. I can't say that I'm overly convinced that he is a Christian, but I have to trust that I've done my part to lead him to my Heavenly Father and leave the rest up to the Holy Spirit. Please continue to pray for God to work in his heart and for us to have wisdom as to how to handle his care.
Here are some pictures from our trip with some of our family plus a few extras.
The team had a good week. There were 20-9th and 10th graders along with 7 (I think) adult sponsors. The daytime was spent painting our church's training center/dormitory and preparing for the evening activities. They ministered in the town square with drama, puppet shows, and face painting; and Roberto, the pastor of our church plant, presented the gospel every evening. They faced a lot of opposition from the catholic church so you can continue to pray that these people who are steeped in tradition will be able to accept the truth of the gospel.
Kevin also had the opportunity to preach at a prison on Sunday evening where 10 of the 20 prisoners who attended the service accepted Christ!
While Kevin was gone, I decided to take the kids to Arkansas to see our family there. We had a good trip, although it was tiring. I haven't driven to that area in a while, and I was reminded how thankful I am for major highways. 2 hours of our trip was on a 2 lane highway that was under construction and the whole experience did not bring out the best in my character. I don't seem to have a lot of patience when it comes to being stuck behind a concrete mixer going 40 mph.
Many of you have been praying for my dad's physical and spiritual health in the last few months. He is currently in a nursing home and doing some better. He is constantly battling infections, mostly due to the fact that he has no liver function now. I am so thankful that God has sustained him long enough for me to see him again. I was able to check him out and take him to lunch which he was very excited about. I couldn't seem to make the words come out of my mouth to witness to him as this has been an area of tension with us for over 20 years. But, I did write him a letter, basically outlining a simple plan of salvation and expressing my desire to see him again in heaven because I couldn't bear the thought of the alternative. I talked to him on the phone yesterday and he says he agrees with everything I wrote and I don't have to worry about it. I can't say that I'm overly convinced that he is a Christian, but I have to trust that I've done my part to lead him to my Heavenly Father and leave the rest up to the Holy Spirit. Please continue to pray for God to work in his heart and for us to have wisdom as to how to handle his care.
Here are some pictures from our trip with some of our family plus a few extras.
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