O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

Noah and I are so excited about ADOPTION !!! Our Story:  Within our first year of marriage, Noah and I agreed that we wanted to do two things:  1. Name our first daughter Magdalena and 2. Adopt. We have always been open to it, but for a while it was not at the forefront of our minds.  When Walt was about 13 months old, we just began to feel God tugging at our hearts, and so we filled out our preliminary application with Bethany Christian Services and met one on one with someone there to ask all of our questions.  At the time, we wanted to enter into the international adoption process, but when we left, Noah was leaning strongly towards domestic adoption.  With certain guidelines that had to be followed for international adoption, we waited six more months for me to turn thirty years old, the required age by China.  Then, in September of 2011, I went to the international adoption meeting.  Everything about it just wasn't right for us, and after the ...

Growing up my mom made every holiday, big or small, fun.  We would wake up with a special breakfast and little happis to acknowledge that the day was different.  My oldest sister does a fantastic job at keeping up the tradition.  Whereas, my creativity is definitely lacking.  I decided to really try this year with oatmeal in the shape of a heart and little happis for Walt to know that it was a special day.  Walt was a little hesitant, but it wasn't long before he enjoyed his playdough and Star Wars marshmallow (Daddy got one too!).  To this day, my mom does not consider us adults on holidays, a fact that I am glad of, and so we get happis just like Walt does! Mimi brings her Valentines Day gift to Walt.

Just like I don't like shopping in the madness the day after Thanksgiving, I don't like crowds when I go out to eat.  This past weekend we had a romantic time cooking our meal together.  We chose something simple, and we ate an appetizer while we cooked.  The night before I made our chocolate dessert, and although it was a new recipe, it turned out to be a hit in our house.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did!

This was a weekend full of emotions for Noah and me.  On Friday, we went to a visitation, and I prayed as I waited my turn that the right words would form in my lips.  Really, I just wanted to give my sweet friend, who is now a widow, a huge hug.  Any verses or words of comfort that I could have given her, she knows in her heart, she just needs sweet time and to be loved by those around her.    Noah and I made a kid-swap date with my sisters a month ago so that on this particular weekend we would have date nights for Valentine's Day.  While Walt partied with his Loli, Uncle Stephen, and cousins, Noah and I did not go out, but we stayed in, cooked together, ate a delicious meal together, and watch a romantic movie.  It was fun to have that down time together after the visitation and in preparation of saying our goodbyes the next day.   The funeral was beautiful.  I left knowing that our sweet friend would have been pleased at how we spent tha...

Thank you so much for all of you who prayed yesterday.  The couple that I told you about was definitely on my heart for a reason yesterday.  The husband is now with Jesus. Please pray for the wife, the family, and all of us who will be missing him so much.  We all know that he is in awe of God's beauty and having some conversations with some of his favorite people like C.S. Lewis, but he will be missed until we see him again.

I have so many friends fighting for their lives, but tonight I ask that you pray for two of them. And when they are too weary too pray, let us all pray for them now. When I was in college there was a woman who truly changed my life. Back then I was not even close to the person that you know today, and God used my sweet friend to truly change my heart. We enjoyed talking about scripture over a glass of wine, and she would pull out her bible that was worn with much use to read directly. Over the last year she has beat so many odds, and basically showing doctors it is God who is in control no matter what type of medical degree you have! I say all of that because today especially my heart has been so heavy for her and her family. I ask that all of you would take a moment right now and pray for my sweet friend and her family. You don't know the details, but God does. May God wrap his arms around all of them so that they may rest in knowing he has not left them nor forsaken them....

Between the title of the book and the fact that the author,  Tullian Tchividjian, is the grandson of Billy and Ruth Graham, my expectation of what I would gain from this book was low.  Many people get book deals with their familiar connections.  I know Jesus is everything, and I know the gospel.  After being blown out of the water when reading the first chapter, I found myself realizing how much it is that I need to be reminded of the gospel.  Like Tullian, I too grew up in the church.  Jesus' name and the fact that he died to save my sins is a part of my everyday language.  This book really caused me to reflect on whether or not my life is lived to know the gospel to be true.   "We recognize that the gospel ignites the Christian life, but we often fail to see that it's also the fuel to keep us going and growing as Christians." (page 37) I "know" that Jesus died so that I could have freedom on this earth because there is nothing that I can do t...