Some Realizations

As yet another year has come and gone, it’s always a good time for reflecting back on the past year, seeing what God has done, where you’ve gone, the things you’ve done and letting those things help guide what the coming year will bring.  One thing that’s been reiterated to me is that while we make our plans, it is God alone who guides our steps (Proverbs 16:9, and 19:21).  That doesn’t lessen the importance of having well made plans for things, but it should be done with an ear towards what God’s purposes might be along with the understanding that God can come in a completely change them.  Lauren and I had no plans for moving, while it was a topic of discussion at times, there were no definite decisions made or places picked out.  And through a series of circumstances, God revealed what his purpose would be for this time in our lives.  I’d love to say that it was a simple thing to go along with.  It wasn’t.  It isn’t easy by any means leaving family, friends and a life we had going in SC.  It was even harder with so much uncertainty involved in things before we moved.    But to be only 4 months into this and seeing all the great things that have happened, the people that have been brought into our lives, the changes we see in ourselves and our marriage, opportunities, and all the rest is really, well, crazy to think about.  I can’t pretend to think that things would be like this if we had made a critical mistake.  God is forgiving, certainly, but He seems to be pretty good at letting us know if we’re not going down the right road when we are really looking for his answer to that question.  I’m very thankful for that. 

Lauren and I have talked a lot about how time has absolutely flown by since we got here.  It really has.  4 months has seemed like 1/2 that time.  Things seem to be moving so quickly that it leaves us spinning sometimes.  We work pretty hard at our jobs and that seems to take up the majority of our time right now, but we’re also spending a good deal of time with friends that we’ve made, trying to get out and enjoy the things that are here and taking some time for ourselves as well.  We continue to get more involved in our church (we recently became members, I’m helping to build them a website and I even got a chance to play some with the band for Christmas Eve service), we’re growing quite close to some couples that we’ve met, and as mentioned, we’re really “busting it out” at work trying to move things forward and still make sales. 

While I don’t really believe at all in resolutions as it’s typically talked about around this time of year, I do have a small list of things we’re endeavoring for in 2010:
   1) I want to finish my private pilots license.  I’ve got access to a plane for only the cost of gas so there’s no more excuses!
   2) I want to be more bold in expressing my faith in Jesus.  I’m not so good at just being upfront with people I’ve just met regarding that topic; sometimes with good reason, most of the time just because I’m chicken.
   3) We want to be more knowledgeable about what the Bible actually says regarding various topics.  I think God has blessed Lauren and I with good doctrine, but we both feel like we lack in the knowledge of what the Word actually says to back those things up.
   4) We both want to make sure we take advantage of every opportunity we can to get out and enjoy all the things there are to do here.  We don’t want to get caught up in working and people so much that we don’t enjoy some time to stop and look around when we can.
   5) Lauren wants to subdue and tame a small bear cub to raise as her own.  I say good luck on that one. 

So anyway, that’s a long and personal update.  Go see some of the pics from our little trip to Grand Targhee ski resort with the Merritts and their visitors.  It was great trip.

Dinner and a conversation

The other night some friends had us over to dinner at their house.  Although the food was great, the real enjoyment for us was around all that we talked about.  I get fairly well psyched up when discuss theological topics or things related to the Church (as a whole).  The whole night was filled with great discussions ranging from church leadership, church methodologies, how God sees us versus how we see God, etc. 

One of my favorite comments made was by our friend Chris who, when reacting to the topic of how great God’s creation is, stated, “Yeah, and this is was God made when he was mad.  Imagine what it will be when he’s pleased.”  I found myself wholeheartedly agreeing.  It reminded me again of the quote by St. Augustine:

If these are the beauties afforded sinful man, what more could God have in store of those who love him.

So even though everything around here is looking pretty darn fantastic, there’s always the reality that what is to come for those who know and love the Lord is going to be immeasurably greater.

On another note, it’s getting pretty cold here at times.  It was minus 15 degrees the other morning.  I’m glad that Lauren and I gifted each other nice down jackets to each for Christmas already. 

The Great Xmas Tree Hunt

I think I had one of the most enjoyable Christmas tree purchasing experiences this weekend.  The National Forests here in the area allow people to pay a small fee ($5 for up to a 12 foot tree) and then take off into one of the many forests around here and cut down your own wild tree.  You can’t just cut it down anywhere, but they have multiple large areas to go looking so it turns out to be a pretty good deal.  Seriously, it was great.  There was some snow on the ground, you get some crazy awesome views, and (my favorite part) is the abundant need for 4 wheel drive.  Many of the forest roads are unmaintained and are only passable with 4wd.  Of course, I was all about getting a far into the woods as possible with the 4Runner.  Yeah, I wish I could’ve taken the Trooper, but it’s still out of commission for the time being. 

In any case, we spent much of the afternoon out in the woods.  As we learned, you aren’t going to get a “parking lot” tree in the woods.  They aren’t as pretty, and they tend to need a lot of trimming to get them down to size, but the chance to go tromping through the woods makes all the difference. 

As for everything else, we’re gearing up for the holidays.  We recently took a trip back to SC to see family since we won’t get to spend Christmas there.  Lauren and I ate our backs out and I literally gained about 10lbs.  It was all I could ever hope for: family, some friends, and obese portions of home cooked meals.  We hit up the shopping outlets off of Interstate 95 and stocked up on winter clothes.  I taught Lauren how to shoot a rifle, enjoyed seeing Lauren’s extended family in NC, and played Skip-Bo for the first time with my Mom.  It was a really fantastic trip. 

You should see some of the pics on our Flickr page; lots of good memories being made.

Oh my Jacket

As it’s gotten a bit colder over the past couple days (about 18 in the mornings) and we’ve seen the first bits of snow, I’ve realized that my current collection of jackets may not be up to the winter task here.  I believe some good deals on down jackets are the next items to find.  The Trooper is still OOC (out of commission) but I am working up plans to take it to a guy in Victor, Idaho on Tuesday.  I’m hoping that he can provide some solutions to what ails it.  On a related note, I may have come across some new seats for it.  It seems like the Lord keeps providing ways for me to get little things like this for this car.  It’s really strange how they seem to just show up out of nowhere when I’m not looking.  When I have looked, they are no where to be found.  It’s a semi-interesting story so I’ll just tell it: Lauren and I took our first trip to Idaho Falls, Idaho this past Saturday (where the closest mall and Wal-mart are, about 2hrs away) so that we could take our 4runner to the Toyota dealership for some preventative maintenance and “winterization”.  While walking around their lot waiting for our car to get done, I noticed a Isuzu Trooper of the same body style as mine in the back of their lot.  As I got closer, I also noticed that it had the word “clunker” written on the windshield.  As I got even closer, I saw that it was an LS model with the very captain’s chair front seats that I’ve been looking pretty hard for.  These particular seats have armrests that I don’t currently have.  They’re in great condition so I’m excited to see if I’m able to get them.  I have to wait until the owner of the dealership comes in this week before I’ll know if I can have them or not. 

Anyway, we’re also hosting a student from the Master’s college in california.  His name is TJ and his parents are missionaries in Chile.  You don’t say…missionaries.  Hmmm.  He’s a great kid and we’re having a really good time getting to know him. 

Now We’re Cooking

And the Lord has blessed us with one more thing: a gym.  To many that may not seem much of a blessing, but to us it’s great.  On a tight budget, we don’t have the resources to spend the $100+ a month it takes to get a membership at a local gym here.  But God came through for us in a big way.  Right next door to where we work is the Parkway Inn.  The Parkway has a full gym complete with free weights, machines, treadmills, and bikes.  It also has a 20yd lap pool for swimming and full dry saunas, not to mention the dual spa whirlpools that are available.  Seriously, it’s small but has everything we’d ever use.  It’s rarely used when we go so there’s no waiting and we managed to get all this for $50 a month.  It really is God to us because we just don’t believe in coincidence.  We don’t make things for ourselves even when we think we do.  And God cares about all the things in our lives, not just the “big” things.

Praying, Moving, Fishing

A great deal has happened. Too much to list in a few scant paragraphs. I came up jobless a few months back and little did I know what the Lord had in store. To say it’s been easy would be just silly. It has been quite the opposite, but it most certainly has been rewarding. The Lord brought us an opportunity to work and live in Jackson Hole, Wyoming which we did not know was coming. We had planned on settling in SC and had no intentions to pick up and move. But our plans are not always God’s plans. So, after much praying, asking advice, praying some more, crying, being excited, and having tons of conversations, we moved. 38 hours of driving time and we’ve made it to Jackson, Wyoming. We love it. It’s hard being away from friends and family and I must be honest and say that we lie awake some nights wondering what all will happen, but there have been a great many good things to occur since we arrived.

We’ve started working (and working hard, I might add), we met a number of great people, and today we got a chance to take a free trip down the Snake river for some fly fishing. It was wonderful. Really, it was.

We still have some questions, namely, where we’re going to attend church, but we’ve got some ideas. As for right now, I’m going to eat a great dinner my wife just made…

Me and You

It’s our anniversary.  I am amazed at how quickly that went by and I can’t believe all that happened- just within a year.

Andrew, thank you for loving me the way you do- I wish there were better words to explain to you what it’s like to be married to you… it’s much like trying to explain to others how God loves us- and why-  I find myself mostly without words in situations like that.  I hope I show it well to you though…

We had a great, great weekend.  It’s so funny how so much of it reminded me of Vancouver- the B&B, the cold, the rain, the people we met and the way God continues to give to us- surprises and the assurance that He is with us.  I love every minute of being married to you-  I look forward to year after year- you always draw me closer to God, to learning more about myself and others, and to a peace within the world that I am always longing for…   Thanks for being someone I can laugh and cry with-  who I can call a friend and a husband.

Thanks for a wonderful weekend- It was perfect. I love you-

And thanks to all who remembered today and were a part of this day with us a year ago.  I love getting a chance to catch up and hear what is going on- We love you and we’d do anything for you.

Ever wondered

What the heck is the problem with the economy?  this video explains it pretty well:

The Crisis of Credit Visualized

Ah, the snow

So Greenville saw 4+ inches of snow.  Just when I was about to give up all hope.  I can honestly say it really made me happy.  I pulled a brand new $92,000 BMW up a hill with my $1100 Trooper.  Needless to say, that felt good.  Lauren and I hung out with our good friends Tim and Meg which resulted in snowman making, hot cocoa, food, and pegging each other with snow.  It was almost like I was a kid again. 

Lauren and I also managed to take Monday and head to Sugar Mountain, NC for some skiing.  Lauren had not been since our honeymoon and we wanted to try and take advantage of the snow.  It really was a fun trip for both of us. I was very proud of my little Trooper, driving 6+ hours with 4 of them in 4×4.  It was covered in snow and ice and never hiccupped once.  Of course, it could die tomorrow, but that wouldn’t change the fact that I’m proud of it.  Lauren is quite the skier.  She wouldn’t admit it, but she can hang when she wants.  She usually bides her time going down, but she can be a little rocket when she’s taunted too much by her husband.  It was a cool 12 degrees up there, but we both thought it was a welcome change. 

I posted some pics of the skiing, I’m secretly hoping we’ll get in another trip…

Honesty

I have to be honest.  I’m not always a very motivated person.  I get tired, I get discouraged (too easily sometimes), and I try to deal with what I perceive to be monotony in day to day life, attempting to extract what it is that God may be up to in that moment.  Today, I stand in the middle of a series of days where things have seemed exactly this.  Is this the abundant life God says he gives us?  Certainly, in many ways, yes.  I have a absolutely fantastic wife, I have a good paying job, parents that love both of us very much, etc.  Am I learning what it means to really take a “sabbath”?  To rest?  Maybe.  I feel like I haven’t at all in recent weeks.  It’s Monday and I’m already looking forward to Friday. 

So what do I do?  Do I pray and ask for endurance?  Do I ask God to give me something?  Maybe.  Maybe I need to spend some “QT” with Jesus.  I bet that’s it.  There’s no replacement for it, it seems.  Praying while driving is good, while eating, while working, while etc.  But it would seem that time spent alone with Jesus, by yourself, quiet, with no distractions is where God likes doing some of his crazy-awesome work in us.