Hard Times....

From the title of this blog entry it may seem as though I'm going to review a piece of literature by Charles Dickens.  I'm not.  I decided to name this post "Hard Times"  because that's what I've been going through the past couple of months.  I'm not composing this in order to elicit sympathy or support.  My husband, family and close friends have given a tremendous amount of that during the past few months (thank you all!!!).   I guess I'm just explaining my absence as well as reflecting on the effect this period of suffering has had on my life.

Today,  I  literally stumbled on a list about suffering in Philip Yancey's book, "Where Is God When It Hurts?" (It is a list written by Monica Hellwig, a catholic nun who points out the 'adavantages of being poor.'  Yancey "broadens" the subject to suffering (Yancey, p 145).  I identify with it, and in some ways it makes me appreciate what I've gone through.  Here it is (the words in parenthesis are my added thoughts):

1.  Suffering, the great equalizer, brings us to a point where we may realize our urgent need for redemption.  (so true)

2.  Those who suffer know not only their dependence on God and on healthy people but also their interdependence with one another. (amen to this!)

3.  Those who suffer rest their security not on things, which often cannot be enjoyed and may soon be taken away, but rather on people. 

4.  Those who suffer have no exaggerated sense of their own importance, and no exaggerated need of privacy.  Suffering humbles the proud. ( I can definitely relate with this...)

5.  Those who suffer expect little from competition and much from cooperation.

6.  Suffering helps us distinguish between necessities and luxuries.

7.  Suffering teaches patience, often a kind of dogged patience born of acknowledged dependence.

8.  Suffering teaches the difference between valid fears and exaggerated fears. (umm..yes).

9.  To suffering people, the gospel sounds like good news and not like a threat or a scolding.  It offers hope and comfort (amen again)

10. Those who suffer can respond to the call of the gospel with a certain abandonment and uncomplicated totality because they have so little to lose and are ready for anything.  

As time marches forward, I'm realizing that my husband's words " the pain will ease as time passes" are very true.  Thank goodness for healing!  I'm ready to leave this "suffering" period behind me!  While times have been hard in some ways, we have been greatly blessed in others. Get ready for baby bump pictures and pregnancy stories because we are expecting our first child in October!

*The suffering period I refer to in this blog is NOT about pregnancy or morning sickness...I'm simply referring to another life situation I found to be very challenging.  

Life and Such

My mom recently commented on my lack of blog posts lately...I haven't really had anything to talk about, but I'll tell you a bit of my life anyway :)

1) I'm working 5 days a week.  This is a huge adjustment.  I haven't labored that many days in a row since college :)

2) I'm starting to give up on housekeeping...squeaky, clean floors are over rated, anyway.  I need to work on building my immune system.  Why not start by living in a messier atmosphere (j/k...our house doesn't look that bad...just not as nice as when I stayed home.)

3) I'm REALLY looking forward to Memorial Day this year....It will be my first day off since February 1st.

4) I regularly go to bed at 8:15pm these days...I better stop blogging NOW, because I only have an hour left of my day to exercise, study and do laundry (It's now 7p)

Randomness...

1.  I thought the Mall of America parking lot was busy until I shopped in NJ/NY.  There's NO messing around in these states...If you find a parking spot 1/2 a mile away, count yourself lucky.

2.  Culture SHOCK are the two words I would use to describe the last couple of weeks.

3.  A person who did NOT grow up in this country candidly observed that I did not look or sound anything like the others I work with  (this was not said in a mean fashion)  hmmm...lately, I HAVE felt like I grew up in a foreign land.

4.   Kisses on the cheek.  There's no dodging them in NJ.  There's some total smackage (yes, I made that word up) of cheeks up here.  Do I turn my face to the right, the left?  Do I kiss back?

5. People who live in NJ, have ALWAYS lived in NJ...They continually ask me "Well, what did you move HERE for?"  Sometimes I ask myself the SAME question....:)  No worries, though.  We are settling in.  I've heard it takes 1-2 years to call a new place home.  I'm hoping it will be sooner for us!

Visits and Other Big News...

 This weekend Johnnie, Jenny and family visited us.  We went to NYC and tried out some local favorites in NJ.    Here's a couple of pic's....

Hanging out in one of our favorite NYC spots-Central Park.

Levi is always running...his parents must be tired! 

Yeardley playing in Central Park.  She also took her first taxi, train and subway ride.  I'm pretty sure she was MORE excited about her visit to the big NYC American Girl Store, though!  

This smiling face is now employed FULL TIME!  I start my job on Wednesday.  I'm pretty excited.

This Clip Made Me Homesick

ps..Please excuse the swear word in the title...He never says this word in the clip.

Family Vacation

Joel and I visited my family at the beach this week! It was fun seeing everyone!

Hunting for sea glass despite the wind and chilly weather

Can you tell that Joel takes all of the pictures?

Joel deserves "the best husband award ever" as he drove many many miles to see my family for a short period of time

Some (notice I did not say ALL) of my favorite kids learning to play the wii.

Kalen is as blue-eyed and bubbly as ever!

Looks like Luke is getting the hang of it.  He's also very good at hiding rocks (wink, wink-only my family will understand this joke)

Renee!  

Dad catching a few zzz's!

I missed this furry little face while I was gone.....but nothing changed!  She still snoozes in her favorite spot all day.  

Again, I wish we had taken more pictures. I should have snapped a few shots of my sisters and their hubbies as I do not see them often! Next time, folks!!

Since We Have Been Home...

We enjoyed a fun holiday with friends and family, but we were both ready to stop living out of our suitcases (although, we love the luggage we received for Christmas).  Not much has changed since we returned home, but here is an update:

1)  I'm still volunteering for an inner city after school program.  Unfortunately, it is closed until January 9th.  I wish I would have known that BEFORE I stood outside in the freezing cold for 35 minutes the other day.

2)  We are figuring out how to spend our Christmas money.  (I feel like we have been trying to decide this since my mom sent us our gift in October!)

3)  I am reading at least one classic novel per month.  I am currently flying through Peter Pan.  Anyone have any good suggestions for future months?

5) We are getting ready to see my side of OUR family soon.  I'm excited!

6)  I'm still writing.   Blogging helps keep me busy during the day. I miss my old job.  boo- hoo.

That's all for now, folks.