Memorial Day

Well, not too much to report. Just been hanging in there, awaiting Andrew’s calls when he is able to make them and getting things organized in our home. However, I did have a good friend call me as I finished up washing our vehicles and straightening up our yard asking to go on a walk with the dogs to the river. What a great break! I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed just throwing a stick to the dogs, enjoying the sun, and talking.

Such an amazing way to break up a gorgeous day!

Andrew called while she was here so we said some quick goodbyes as I spoke to him before he departed for missions.

Today is day 7 of Andrew’s 72 days away, and it is almost the end of Memorial Day.

Memorial Day does not really seem very celebrative when someone you love is actually overseas, involved in a battle to support and equip our troops properly. Instead, it puts a more solemn and real meaning to the American holiday. So today I just kept doing what I do and prayed for his safety.

As I went throughout Memorial Day, I remembered what previous members gave, what current military services are giving (thank you!), what our friends and family members in the service are giving/gave and what my husband and I are giving today: he, his life to the service, and me, my service to his calling here in our home. Thus, I carry on in thankfulness as I remember both the ones who gave some and the some that gave all. Thank you, everyone who serves this country, and thank you to the families who have indeed felt the real weight of losing a loved one for the freedoms and safety we enjoy today.

You are not forgotten.

(Ps: new project I completed two days ago-- yey! We are dwindling down with just a few left to go!)

Ohhhhh Saturday!

What a week!

I am sure Eli thinks so too ;)

(he wouldn't come out of bed FOREVER on friday! ha!)

We are very thankful its Saturday.

It's been a productive week and I am thankful to say I celebrated by sleeping in on my Saturday!

It is day five of Andrew's deployment. I have gotten to talk to him via skype quite a bit (so that has been nice) and I believe I have been able to run strong still without him.

(And quite literally too! Here is a picture of Eli and I on our run on base:)

 As you can probably tell, it has been ABSOLUTELY gorgeous here. The day you see pictured above was 72 degrees and sunny! I was sweating, believe it or not! I am not complaining though... its been very delightful!

We have also been back in the swing of building. As I wrote last time, the bed was progressing nicely.. and now it is complete!

Step one:

Step 2: 

Step 3: 

And today, I added a trunk to set. I am still trying to decide if I like the white or not..

BUUUUUTTTT too late now!

I hate painting so that is the color it is going to stay for a while ;)

I even updated our bathroom a little bit to feel more relaxing

(this picture is really just up for Andrew's benefit so he knows everything I have done so far in our home!) 

 Being Saturday, and Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to get Eli and I out of the house and do something adventurous! Sooooo we went to the Turnagain Arm in south Anchorage with plans to bike ride.
However, as we were driving out, we started getting a decent amount of rainfall... then it became overcast and just plain blah. Once we go there, we found NOBODY was really out there either (which gave it an eery feel) and made me uncomfortable...

And then there was this LOVELY little sign that read 'Don't have a Bad Bear Day'!

Every scenerio, good to bad, of bear encounters were listed for your reading digestion was listed on this bulletin board...

Don't get me wrong:

I did end up enjoying a walk with Eli at the Turnagain Arm....

But we only did so for about 10 minutes and then ran back to the car!!!

I am just not to that point of independence and adventure yet here in Alaska.

AND ESPECIALLY NOT BY MYSELF!
.. besides, I really didn't want to end up like that guy who didn't tell anyone when he went hiking and ended up sawing his own arm off.....

NO thank you.

Until I get to know Alaska a little more intimately, I probably won't do anymore of these hikes!

As we drove back, I did get a picture of a passing train:

It was kind of hard to do though since it was coming so fast and I was attempting to maintain safe driving all at the same time!

Pretty cool!

And speaking of cool, the overcast day gave off a good chill...

So yes, guilty as charged: I did stop for a mocha on the way back from that cold trip.

But it was well worth the stop ;)

Ironically enough, we got home, I started building again and it turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL afternoon!

Ha!

So Eli and I went on another short walk

(since I did owe him a much longer walk than he actually got today!)

So pretty! 

Ok, here's the fun part:

Where in the world is Andrew today?

You guessed it!

ITALY!!!

AGHGHHHHHHHHH!

If anyone knew just how much time and energy I put into planning a trip to Italy for us while we were in Oklahoma, only to have it postponed, KNOWS just how much I envy him!

Ha!
Actually, I haven't been that jealous ;) (surprisingly enough!)

AND I have really enjoyed seeing all the pictures from his adventure

(however, he DOES know and WILL acknowledge he now owes me a trip to Italy now. No exceptions!)

Here is a castle he visited in Venice: 

This is the flower garden! Isn't this absolutely gorgeous??? 

Here is one of Duino, Italy:

SOOO PRETTY!

He was pretty spoiled while he was there too: four course meals, italian wine, REAL tiramisu and gelato! A beautiful new hotel to stay in with its own balcony!

AGH!

He did think outside his adventure enough get something for baby girl though (he is not all a bad guy you know-- jk!)

OH!

An update on Eli: He went into his crate today... TWICE!

Yes, I did kind of have to eventually use a 'gentle' shove to actually get him entirely in the cage,

but once he was in, he really took his time getting out!

This is HUGE progress!

PRAISE GOD!

I just want to thank God for that miraculious moment and thank everyone who has been praying for this to happen as well!

YEY!

Tennessee here we come!

Well, I suppose that is all for now. I have two more projects I am trying to complete currently, so I am going to get back at it. I hope to finish it by tomorrow-- but we will see. I can't wait :)

More to come soon!

Blessings--- XOXOXO--

What a Wednesday....

Wow, what a Wednesday. It has been a busy one, but a beautiful one as well! I am glad I was able to enjoy a little bit of it :

 Currently, I am wrapping up the building projects. Getting out of the rhythm of building on a daily basis can really set you back in progress! O well… it’s been worth the pause.
I hope to get these suckers painted and ready for assembly by tomorrow! We will see...

Our farm house bed (will have a canopy addition soon):

Here is the Sawhouse changing table, the entryway bench, the entryway hanging shelf and part of the daybed... Phew! I need to wrap this hobby up:

its wearing me out just LOOKING at it!

This is day 1 of the 72 days that Andrew will be M.I.A. in our home. However, it has been really good to Facetime (got to LOVE new technology!) and talk to him about his trip. He got to visit some of our really good friends that are stationed in Delaware right now too. What fun! I am so thankful for friends that go out of their way really make us feel special—friends like that are a gift from God. So thank you Jake and Ash for being angels and coming to see Andrew! My turn next!! Haha!


Speaking of great friends, I had so many people text/call to check on me yesterday with Andrew’s departure. I am overwhelmed with everyone’s thoughtfulness and genuine care— thank you all! You are blessings from God!


Well, since we are finished with our series I decided I would go over the additional sections today that Sarah includes in the devotional about cleaning and hospitality. I will start with the hospitality chapter, and tomorrow, I will list the tips for keeping a clean home.


Want a clean house? Sarah says make a goal to entertain every weekend. And while you want to have a clean and sanitary place for them to come into, don’t sweat the big stuff. Instead, aim to just make it comfortable. People really desire that over an OVERCLEANED, elaborately decorated house.


Also, here are some tips to help encourage you in balancing a healthy hospitable home:


1. Organized: make it a habit at night for everyone to pick up their “stuff”; also, make a habit to clean the kitchen before bed as well.


2. Cleaning: Aim to do a chore a day (helps maintain a clean feel to the home).


3. Bathrooms: Always have one bathroom clean for people to use.


4. Ambience: Make sure you have one room where company can hang out and mingle; use a room you feel good about. Make it warm and cozy (use candles, blankets, pillows, pictures and fresh flowers to give it life!)


5. The Table: Know where your tablecloths, napkins, extra dishes, candles, etc are located. Make sure it is always ready for entertaining.


Hospitality should be authentic and make others feel welcome. It has nothing to do with the physical state of the home, but everything to do with making others feel cared for.


So there is your cleaning and hospitality encouragement!

My eyelids are currently in the process of closing, so I am going to move towards bed… even though it isn’t anywhere near dark outside (The above picture was taken at 10:00pm)

Oooooooo Alaska!

Blessings-- XOXO



The Final Chapters: Day 27-31

Good morning! Yes, it is only 5:40am here, but since I have been up since 3:15am, I might as well use this time to catch up on our devotional.

….Zzzzzz….

Just kidding. Pressing on!.. then nap time ;)

As you might have guessed, I dropped Andrew off at the airport this morning for his two month deployment. No, I don’t have any pictures. It’s hard enough to say goodbye without crying, and how much more if I got sentimental and took pictures of his departure! WAHHH!

We both prayed on the way to the airport and felt an awesome calm come on us about our separation. It was very reassuring—and certainly from the Lord. He gave us a wonderful weekend just to be together, to reaffirm our love for one another and just enjoy being relaxed. I can’t tell you just how much that helped in the process this morning of saying goodbye. Covering all of the basics of this time (the budget, my responsibilities, his responsibilities, our goals, documentation, authorization of our accounts and possessions, etc), we both felt more ready for this separation than past separations. Andrew has taken care of me well, and I hope to continue to honor him in the way I run things here at home.

Now, on to the devotional! We are wrapping things up today, since I am not sure how tomorrow will look.

Day 27-31

On day 27, Sarah encourages us to become friends with Goodwill. Yes, it is hard when you have a bunch of cherished things you just keep holding onto and saying “Maybe I will fit into those next year” or “I might wear this again” when it hasn’t really left the closet for over a couple of years! I can’t say I have the problem of holding on (mine is getting rid of TOO much while Andrew is opposite) but I can say even with my annual clutter cut down, I need to cut down on a bit more or learn how to organize it better. Especially after moves (how is it you accumulate more during a move? It makes no sense to me really, but it happens quite too often).

Then on day 28, there is a story told of a woman who feels guilt after not doing things the way her friend believes she should have. This is called people pleasing…and God calls us not to do it:

“5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord…”—Ephesians 6:5-8

We are to examine our hearts about our life before God, and only our hearts. Don’t fall into the people pleasing trap!

Day 29 encourages us to figure out what to hire help for and what not to. Our Proverbs 31 woman even hires help in the areas she cannot manage, so there is no condemnation in hiring. Also, realize you have LOTS of help already… owning a laundry machine, a dish washer, a vacuum cleaner or bread machine: all sources of help. Bet you haven’t looked those things like that before, huh? Be thankful for that help!

Sarah encourages us in day 30 to find contentment in the seasons of life:

“1If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.--Colossians 3:1-2.

They will not all look alike (which is the biggest reason not to compare). We should instead keep our eyes focused on heavenly things and be THANKFUL (like stated before) for what God gives US. Our worth and value comes from the Life-giver Himself—you won’t find it looking elsewhere.

“8Remove far from me falsehood and lying;

give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with the food that is needful for me,

9lest I be full and deny you

and say, "Who is the LORD?"

or lest I be poor and steal

and profane the name of my God.”--Proverbs 30:8-9

Lastly, we balance it all out with love. Day 31 encourages us to take commitments out of a box and let them run together, seeing these as puzzle pieces that must connect to see the whole picture of life’s meaning. We are to lean into faith and keep our mind on the hope at the end. Choose to forgo perfection!

“Instead of striving to be a perfect wife, I will choose to kiss my husband before he leaves for work.

Instead of striving to be a perfect mother, I will choose to giggle with my kiddos throughout the day.

Instead of striving to keep my ideals, I will choose to instead let them gentle guide me.

Instead of striving to change myself, I will choose to let the living Word of God change me from the inside out in His timing and will. I will keep my eyes on Him.” – Sarah Mae.

The end gives us a variety of tips of how to balance hospitality and housekeeping, but I will have to write about these later. I am about to pass out from exhaustion!

Anyways, I hope this devotional has helped you in your walk to keep both your physical and your spiritual houses clean. It has encourged me tremendously!

Until next time…..zzz… ;)

Blessings XOXO

A Weekend to Remember in Homer Alaska

Well, as I suspected, these days before deployment have left very little time for blogging. However, I can’t say we haven't had fun and made the best of them! Andrew and I decided to go for a brief getaway for a few days to a place called Homer, AK (which had little to no internet reception or you would have received these pictures earlier! Probably a blessing in disguise though...) It was a lot of fun. Very restful and relaxing for the two of us. Good food, good leisurely fun and great together time.
So while you are waiting for me to catch up on the devotional, I will let you see some pictures from our adventure this weekend:

Here was our drive out to Homer (on the turnagain arm)

First priority once we hit Homer: Ice Cream!

(Andrew's idea, I swear!)

... Though it was a bit chilly to be eating ice cream that day! Haha!

Right across this shore is our Bed and Breakfast 

We stayed in the Beach House Bed and Breakfast.

Our Room was the "Captains Quarters"!

RRRR!

Though I must admit it was rather pleasant :)

Here is our view from our window!

And here is the view from our bed... yummmmm! Let me just tell you:

It was very VERY hard to wait until the morning to indulge in this little treat!

Delicious Pumpkin Bread.

This is what Andrew saw as he sat in the chairs that you see in the above picture:

Gorgeous!

You cant really see him that well, but there is a beautiful bald eagle in the tree top there.

The beach:

Homer is a small town, but a really nice one at that. Very artsy.

  

Yes., that's right! In the harbor lies the Deadliest Catch's boat herself:

The Time Bandit.

And the infamous Batman boat! HA!

Duna duna duna duna... BATMAN!

On Sunday morning, we attempted to walk/run to town...

... It was a little much for me so we didn't quite make it.

But what a beautiful morning to attempt!

Yes, we rewarded ourselves royally at the Two Sister's Cafe-- Andrew got a Pecan Roll and I got a crazy good mocha with homemade whip and a chocolate roll (yes, I am a sucker for chocolate. What can I say?)

I am my father's child.

More pictures from our beach stroll:

Overall, we had a great time and really enjoyed just being together for these last couple of days.

It will be hard to say farewell after such a great time, but I will find my strength in the Lord and my hope in his return!

This is our last night together, so I am going to go help him cut his hair.

These things should not be left unattended ;)

I will go over the last couple of devotionals tomorrow as well.

--Blessings!