Summer of 2013 was a busy season for us. It was my first realization as to what a youth pastor does during the summer time....ALOT! It is “Go-time” for sure. VBS for a week, children’s camp for a week, youth camp for a week, high school mission trip for a week, middle school mission trip for a weekend, youth backpacking trip for a week.
I was lucky to get some time off of work this summer and was able to go to youth camp in Glorietta, New Mexico, go on a mission trip to Haiti, and go on the youth backpacking trip to Colorado. All 3 of these events were huge blessings in different ways. God really showed himself BIG to me and I am so thankful for being his beloved child.
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| Camp Fuge 2013 |
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| Real Nepli! Me and my soccer team in Haiti! |
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| Wilderness Trip 2013 Mt. Massive 14, 427 ft. |
In September we started our hunt to buy a house. Our lease was up in November and we knew we were ready to finally become home owners! We wanted to start our family in a permanent house. No more jumping around from rental to rental.
In October, we closed on our house! We found the most perfect house for us on the second day we went looking. It really was love at first site. We went back twice in the same day to look at it again. We thought and prayed for 7 days before we went ahead and put an offer on it. A couple weeks later, we closed and it was ours! I thought it would take us a long time to find something, and since we didn’t have a lot of time before our lease was up I was a little nervous about it all. Yet it just seemed to work out so perfect, the timing and everything.
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| Our new house! |
In November we moved into the new house and all the home owning purchases began. Our sweet youth group surprised us with a house warming party. Such a touching evening. I also started a new job! I transferred units at my hospital and am now working as a Labor and Delivery nurse. This was the most exciting change for me. After 6-7 years of working in the ER I knew I was ready for a change. An opportunity at my hospital opened up with a big expansion of our maternal child unit and I found myself really being drawn to pursue a L&D position. I had started my pursuit back in April and it took nearly 6 months before I found myself officially transferred. It was a long season of waiting and patience for me, as I continued to search for purpose in a job that was hard for me to enjoy. But like everything in life that doesn’t happen in our timing, there were reasons for it. I experienced new challenges in the past year that helped grow and shape me. It was just the year that I needed to remind me that God is sovereign and to place my trust in something greater than my needs and desires. It had been a long time since I have had such a spiritually growing year. And I am thankful for this!
December was a blur. I tried to enjoy the Christmas time but it seemed to fly by. We didn’t send Christmas cards out, or even “We moved” cards. So if you need our new address, just text or email me!
January is here, and I’m trying to slow down, and maybe start this nesting thing. We haven’t touched the nursery room yet, but hey I still have 8 weeks J The best part of the year was watching my husband perform his first wedding ceremony for his younger sister Caitlin and her husband Rob. It was such a special evening. I couldn’t help but tear up as Cameron talked about marriage to his little sister and future husband. In the ceremony he shared his beliefs on marriage and how God is the only way a marriage can persevere in our world today. It was touching and so special. I am so thankful to have a husband who loves the LORD so much and keeps me accountable to God in life and marriage. Wishing all you readers a happy, blessed, and growing year in 2014. With a child on the way, we are sure to have a very growing year ahead!
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| Happy 2014! |
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| The beautiful Bride! |
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| The Preacher and The Bridesmaid :) |
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| 31 weeks :) |
LOVE it! and love you guys so much!!!! I am thankful and grateful God sent you our way
ReplyDeleteAwww, thanks for letting us in on a glimpse of your past 9 months. Joe and I will need to come visit sometime soon. Perhaps sometime when we head that way to visit his family. Praying the next few months progress smoothly and that baby Reynolds arrives without a hitch!
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