Been a long time--and now for an update

So it's been a while. To be honest, I just got tired of trying to come up with things to post, writing them, wanting to post pictures and get people excited about my blog. But, I figured that since it has been so long, and since some really cool things are happening, I'd post and get back into it.

Wes and I are here in the great state of Oklahoma. Sure, the roads are bad and the drivers here just pretty much suck at driving, but the city of Tulsa is cool and we're having a good time spending life with Wes' parents. We got here in Sept of 2008and plan on moving to Colorado by the Fall. We're substitute teaching and through that, have learned that, in fact, we love to teach and we're moving into becoming certified and teaching full time when we do get to Colorado. So that's really awesome and we're so glad that we took the risk of leaving two good-paying jobs and the closeness of friends and family in IL to come here.

We have been visiting different churches in town and have grown to really feel a part of one in specific--LifeChurch. The concept is awesome: the church is spread out among different states all across the US, and even has a campus in London. So, it's one big church that meets all the way from Phoenix to New York, even down to Florida and you can even access it on the Internet. They call each church a "campus," each event and "experience," and all of the campuses have their own ministers, small groups, youth programs, etc, but the common thread is Craig Groeschel. Wes and I have been so excited to hear him because he really does talk about the hard topics that a lot of ministers stray away from. He convicts you, he challenges you, and he has a vision that we can so clearly stand behind. LifeChurch is considered a "seeker-sensitive" movement, so the music is loud, the people who walk into their doors every weekend are typically young, urban, etc, and that is pretty refreshing. We are being challenged in our faith which is something we have been lacking for a while now. So we're pretty psyched about it.

And the biggest thing happening in our lives--we're heading to Uganda in just under two weeks. We are so excited and the idea that we'll be there hasn't really hit me yet. We'll be leaving Feb 9th and returning back to the States on Feb 24th, where we will have been on three different continents in just 2 weeks. We will get to spend a couple of nights in London which will be fun, and God has totally blessed us with most of the funds and support that we need. Wes will actually get to give a couple of messages while we're there, which is so exciting, and we'll be taking tons of pictures and I'll be keeping a journal of our daily experiences to share with you and those not blog prone.

So yeah, life has been really great for us since the last time I posted, though it has been scary and uncomfortable, too. But that's good...that requires me to rely more on my faith than on anything else; something that I've needed and recongnized that I needed for some time now.

Reflections

It's been almost two years since I met my husband. Almost a year since I moved to IL. Life has really been amazing. We've been to some really great places, Colorado being at the top of our list. We've done some pretty awesome things, hiking in the Rockies and being almost 13,000 ft above sea level to name just one of them. And we've grown in our marriage, learned how to communicate better, and learned how to love in new and exciting ways.

I've recently been thinking about how blessed I am to be married to Wes. I really can't believe it sometimes to be honest. But I am and that's...surreal. With Spring here and the warm weather hopefully here to stay, I can't help but think about life renewed. Life that is exciting and moving, fun and joyful. My heart is so full and I'm excited to see what else 2008 has to bring.

So to you, Wes, I once again thank you for being the man you are and joy you bring to my life. I love you very much. You are my greatest hero.

Sickened Again!

So I got sick again. It was the strangest thing. Wes and I were driving last Tuesday when he said that his throat had been hurting all day. Literally 10 minutes later, my throat began to hurt, as well. Wouldn't you know it...it got worse. Throat, head, ickiness, dizziness, weakness, cough and a bad ear ache. I had it all. Wes and I spent Saturday helping my parents with their garage sale and we both got even more sick.

So, Tuesday, when I got out of bed, we both decided that I would go to the doctor as I was not getting any better. Turns out I had an upper respiratory infection that had even spread to my left ear. I got some medicine and I finally feel better. I was a dopey sad mess. I got emotional, sad, down and out. It wasn't a good weak.

But I love my husband...what a helper :)

Sickened....blahhhhhhhhh

So, I got the stomach flu. Atleast that's what I diagnosed myself having early last week. A week ago tonight, I went to see "27 Dresses" with some friends. I got home where my husband and enjoyed the rest of the evening. Went to bed feeling fine. I woke up early Tuesday morning having to go the restroom. I went, and then as I was leaving it, I felt as if I was about to have a low blood sugar spell. I didn't think anything of it. I was too tired to get some OJ, so I thought I would just lay down as it passed. It took a while, and I almost woke my husband to get me some juice, but he was so peaceful sleeping, I didn't want to disturb him.

So, I finally get back to sleep, then woke up close to 8 having...yep...you know. And then the puke came. And it came. And it came again. It even came for a seventh time. I started out working that morning on our futon. I felt horrible, but I pushed through. Then, after about three hours, I knew I needed to get some rest. But anytime I moved, or got up, the puke came back. Around 2pm, I went to our bedroom where I stayed until the next morning. I haven't been that sick in over ten years. Wes was so great. He got me some Dairy Queen popsicles (the star kind that has the three flavors), got me some 7-UP, came home early from work to take care of me, sprayed some decontaminating stuff that helped him not get sick, too.

i didn't feel 100% better until yesterday.

Uggghhh...the stomach flu...it's an epidemic.

New Dishes

Part of my strong desire of being wife while growing up, and even well into my 20s, was the idea that I would get to make dinner for two. And hopefully, eventually, a couple more than that.

So, I've been making some good dishes lately. Tonight, it was chicken pot pie. A slighty butter croissant crust, vegetables, chicken, pearl onions, and a creamy chicken broth base. Very tasty, very easy, and fairly healthy.

A while back, it was Mexican Shells. Taco meat and Spanish rice stuffed in pasta shells, covered with enchilada sauce, topped with cheese, black olives, and sour cream. Super good and since I only use ground turkey now, fairly healthy if I go easy on the cheese.

A few months ago, it was homemade pizza. Ground turkey again, seasoned with herbs and spices, olives, lots of pizza sauce because it's tomatoes and they're good for you ;). If I go lighter on the cheese, or do the 2%, fairly healthy.

Egg casserole. Ground turkey, seasoned of course, eggs, cheese, wheat bread. A nice pick-me up full of energy for the morning hours.

And for dessert. Well, I have rejoiced now that Pillsbury has come out with a 50% less sugar chocolate cake mix sweetened with Splenda. I don't use any oil, but rather a little Coke Zero or Diet Cherry Coke and 1 egg. I use a little bit more of the Coke and mix it over the stove with a can of No Sugar Added Cherry Pie Filling, again sweetened with Splenda, until warm. I spread it over the chocolate cup cakes, top it with Sugar Free Cool Whip and voila...a delicious dessert that doesn't pack all the guilt.

And we always have lots of sugar free, fat free chocolate pudding on hand!

I don't want to go overboard on the Splenda though...just because it's a no calorie sugar-made substitue, I don't want to feel like I can eat more of the dessert. Portion control is still the key!

Invisble Children

Wes and I just took a bunch of Sr. High students to an event called ICTC (Illinois Christian Teen Convention). There were some really amazing, touching, and convicting moments, and there were a few things that I disagreed with, but what I appreciated more than anything was the reason behind gathering for this convention.

Invisible children.

I spent some time in Jamaica about three years ago with orphans. Invisible children? Oh yes. Invisible command? No.

"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." --James 1:27

What is undefiled religion? What is worship? I think American culture, and I would occassionally be linked in this, as well, would categorize it as just music. Music is, of course, a part of it, but it's only small glimpse of what true worship really is. But couldn't one say that worship also entails among other things "...visiting orphans and widows in their distress...?" Absolutely. So let's start here.

Orphans and widows. Nothern and Southern Uganda. There's a war currently taking place amongst these two areas where men and women are left childless, and children are often drafted into an army that forces them to steal, kill, and destroy (sounds a lot like Satan in John 10:10). These endearing and beautiful kids are brainwashed and drugged to accept a life they know they're not meant for, but have no other choice to accept. Live free or die is not a motto they know. Live bound by guns and war or die fighting against it. They are pulled from their families and displaced into camps where they learn to use weapons, both to defend themselves and to kill others.

We just watched "Blood Diamond," a film about the civil war that took place in Sierra Leone during the 90s. A truly riveting and heartrinching movie, and it will make you never want to buy diamonds again. I won't go into the full plot, but South Africa is known for producing beathiful diamonds. However, because "the love of money" truly is the root of all evil, people began to realize what some others would do just to have a piece of that fortune. Rebellion armys would kill villages of people, unless they noted men of stature and stamina. They would take the young boys and train then to become rebels with a cause. Everyone else was either tortured, or left in bloody states to watch the rest of their families be killed right in front of them. Truly heartbreaking because it actually happened.

So orhpans and widows. Uganda, Jamaica and everywhere else. Invisible children are everywhere, displaced for all sorts of different reasons. Widows are everywhere, made so because of all sorts of different situations. My heart aches for them and longs to take care of them.

I'll go into some other points about ICTC and what Wes plans to do with the High School ministry now that we've been made aware of this madness later on, but for now, I just wanted to remind people who frequent this blog of James 1:27.

Hold on, dear ones. We know your lives and we want to rescue you. Your stories have remained silenced for long enough.

The Office 401: Fun Run (1/4)