Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I realize I've been delinquent on blog posts, but I'll do an update within this coming week. We've been busy visiting families for the holidays and moving into our new home in Washington. Thanks to Pastor Pat, I know have a working and like new computer!! Our photos are now on it, so I can post good pictures from our life. I will soon share all that happened at the end of 2010, and I'll keep it up in 2011. Thanks in advance for holding me accountable.

Let It Snow

Before we left Seattle to go to Atlanta for Thanksgiving, we got some snow! Being from the South, snow is a winter treat, so I was very excited! It's just so beautiful. The picture is of our new home.

I have now learned how to drive in snow and ice (not very well but I can do it). The city sort of shut down because of the weather. All schools were closed among many other places. I figured Seattle would be prepared for this weather, but they're not. Highways and major roads are cleared but residential roads are not.

The day of our flight to Atlanta, we planned on picking up some skis for me. We didn't realize we had to drive down an icy hill to get them. I have a new saying: what goes down must come up. We couldn't make it up either hill. We kept sliding backwards multiple times. It was really scary! We felt so out of control! Our flight was leaving in less than 2 hours, and we were stuck. I prayed and called AAA. Right when I got through to AAA, Chris decided to give it one more try. We made it and were so relieved! I believe God saved us from the pit we got ourselves into!

It looks like it's going to be a pretty cold winter!

Black and White

One thing I've been learning about God lately is that He is black and white about most things. Just to clarify, I'm not talking about things that are of little importance: tattoos, piercings, drinking, food, etc. But He is very clear on what is black and white.

I think the most important thing to understand is that we live in a world where a battle exists between life and death. Life is God and all that brings glory to Him. Death is from satan and all that brings glory to him.

Words can bring life or death. Let's say a child doesn't do very well on a project. We can choose to speak life or death to the child. By saying, "You'll never amount to anything," we are building up satan's kingdom. But by saying, "I see great potential in you," we are building up God's kingdom.

God is very black and white. Are we speaking words of life or death? Are our actions building up God's kingdom or satan's kingdom? Are the clothes we're wearing causing another to stumble? Are the things I'm watching advancing satan's kingdom? By not keeping my mouth shut, did I speak words of death to another?

When we think about building up God's kingdom or satan's kingdom, it sounds so easy. Of course we don't want to build up satan's kingdom, but there are times when we've all done it. The hardest thing for me are the things I speak and the things I watch. It's so hard to watch a movie or flip on the tv and find a show that's not advancing satan's kingdom. But just remember...

"Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7

"The battle is not against human flesh but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:11-12

We are in a battle against life and death. Which side are you on?

Desert Song

Have you ever heard the Desert Song by Hillsong? If not, you should just look it up on YouTube. Here are the lyrics:


"This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry.
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides.

This is my prayer in the fire
And weakness or trial or pain.
There is faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame.

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain.

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here.

This is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way.
I am a conquerer and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand.

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain.

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here.

All of my life
In every season
You are still God.
I have reason to sing.
I have a reason to worship.

All of my life
In every season
You are still God.
I have reason to sing.
I have a reason to worship.

All of my life
In every season
You are still God.
I have a reason to sing.
I have reason to worship.

All of my life
In every season
You are still God.
I have a reason to sing.
I have a reason to worship.

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain.

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here.

And this is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow.
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow."


While I was sitting on the couch watching tv tonight, God put this song in my heart, specifically one part: "All of my life, in every season, you are still God. I have a reason to sing. I have a reason to worship."

God's character never changes. He's always the same. No matter what we're going through, we can sing and worship Him because we're certain of who He is. The song reminds me of a verse God gave me when we first moved here.

"I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her her vineyards." Hosea 2:14

Some versions say desert instead of wilderness. The wilderness or desert for me is the Seattle area. God's promise to me is true. He has been so kind and tender to me despite my lack of faith. I know he will bless me by giving me "my vineyards." I can't wait to see what He does with our lives!

Fear

Think back to the Wizard of Oz. Remember when they were all going to meet the wizard? This picture portrays their fear. They were trembling when they thought about meeting him. They had a reverence for him but also a phobia of him simultaneously. This is a depiction of how we are to fear God.

“Do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread." Isaiah 8:12-13

Everyone of us fears something. Our insecurities produce many irrational fears in us. For example: fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of being alone, fear of others, fear of change, fear of commitment, fear of intimacy, fear of abandonment, etc.

But God tells us not to fear those things.

"Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28

God tells us not to fear earthly things. The only fear we should have is a fear of God. There are three Greek words for fear: phobos, deilas, and eulabeia. Phobos translates to phobia in English. Deilas means fright or dread, and eulabeia means reverence. Fear of God is referenced with all three fears in the Bible. There are times when we are commanded to have a phobia of God. Just think about that for a second. We should be scared out of our mind at times. We should be fearful of not surrendering our lives to God. We should fear to move when we're not following God. Charles Spurgeon says that when God tells us to go, it would be dangerous to delay.

We must learn to stop fearing earthly things when God tells us to go. If we're fearing, we're not trusting God, which means we're not living in faith.

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." Hebrews 11:1

In contrast, fear is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen. When we believe that we're going to fail at something, we do. Sometime we even fail because we don't even try. Let's begin hoping and trusting God for great things! Let's make our God given dreams a reality through His power in us!

"You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father." John 14:13

Let's squash our fears, trust in God, and dream again!

The Pacific Northwest

If you've seen TLC's Little People Big World, you'll know that the lady in the picture with me is Amy Roloff. We really love that show. And since we moved closeby, we went to their pumpkin farm near Portland, Oregon on Saturday. We had so much fun! We saw all of their creations on their farm and met people. We met the Roloffs (of course). Amy talked to us about how much she loved visiting Alabama. We also met a family from Aiken, SC that moved to Seattle last year.

We also had fun walking around Portland. It was a rainy day so we didn't do too much walking. We ate brunch at an amazing place called Mother's Bistro. We also had coffee at Stumptown Coffee Roasters. The dogs came with us because I thought 12 hours in a crate was too long, so they have now been to 22 states.

So now we've seen all of Western U.S. And so far this fall, the weather has been great. Today it's uh-mazing!

Just in Time

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

At the end of every September, fall rolls around. By October, the leaves suddenly turn beautiful shades of reds, oranges, and yellows and you can feel a crisp fall breeze. I took this picture today from the window in our hotel. Isn't it beautiful? Though I would love if it were always fall, I really don't think I would appreciate it as much if the seasons never changed.

I was listening to a song yesterday by Misty Edwards called "Like a Rushing River." In the song are the words, "God makes all things beautiful just in time. It's just a matter of time." These words could not have come at a better time. I have been having a tough time adjusting to our new city. Things aren't going as smoothly as I would like them to go, but I know in just a matter of time I will see the big picture. It could be months down the road, or it could be years.

I was also thinking about our life back in Huntsville. It was going pretty smoothly. We had finances under our control. We had amazing friends. And we had family closeby. Living there was beautiful, but it was time for the season to change. Winter dismisses the beauty of fall to create something new. Winter may not be as beautiful as fall, but soon it brings beauty with the changing of the season to spring. God does make all things beautiful just in time. And I have faith He will do that in me so I can be a light for Him.

Weather

Today is such a crazy weather day for my Huntsville friends! I'm praying for safety for all of you! Even though that weather is extreme, it's more normal to me than the weather here. I'm used to it storming, and when the storm is over, the sun comes out. Sometimes the sun is even out when it's raining but not here.

Here, the skies are always gray when it's raining, but there aren't thunderstorms. The storms are windstorms with a misty, drizzly rain. Yesterday I was so confused because the wind is so strong that it sounds like thunder. I kept looking outside expecting a storm but it was just wind. I spent yesterday running errands, going to the doctor, cooking, and spending time with God.

Have you ever heard of Graham Cook? If not, I encourage you to go on YouTube and look up "The Nature of God." It's very powerful and will speak to you wherever you are! Here's a little clip of something that completely spoke to me in my situation..."God has called us to see the invisible and do the impossible. He calls us to do the outrageous; so we cannot find security in what God is doing. We can only find security in who God is."

This weekend was really tough for me! We looked at rental homes and even homes for sale. I began to question why we came here and if I would be happy here. I was desperate to meet people and connect with them. God always knows how to comfort His children, and He was faithful again. We've begun to build friendships and connect with others. We still haven't found a place to live, but we'll be in this hotel until the beginning of December. Since our house still hasn't sold, we're grateful for this hotel. And as you can see by the picture, Chris is enjoying the hotel on gameday! He had a nice set up with 2 flat screens and a computer, so we watched 3 games simultaneously. Thanks for all your prayers! I'm so grateful for all of our friends and for their encouragement!

Ups and Downs

We've had ups and downs this week. We miss everyone back home, and when hard times come, those feelings are amplified.

The picture is our dogs playing hide and seek? Who knows what they were thinking, but they make me laugh so they can be as unique as they like. Well, that same day Kona was acting like a fool. She was barking up a storm. If you know her or have heard her bark, you know she doesn't stop and it's the west bark ever. We had a complaint about her barking. We also assume she's doing it when we leave too. So I bought her a muzzle yesterday. Hopefully that will work. We haven't had to use it yet. And yesterday she was so good! Hoping for another quiet day from Kona.

There are also good things going on here. We went to a Sound Church small group. Chris played basketball, and I went to a women's bible study. We love getting plugged in! We're looking forward to a great weekend filled with food, football, and maybe even new friends.

I love all of you and have been praying for y'all daily! Thanks for all your encouragement!

"The last and final word is this: Fear God. Do what He tells you to do." Ecclesiastes 12:13

Church

On Sunday, we were excited to try a church out and finally meet people like us. The church began in February, so it was different from Building Church, which is completely normal. I don't need to go into details on differences because I don't want to compare them. We decided to go to the 301 growth track class (DISC personality test) so we could meet people and get a better understanding of the church. It definitely comforted me! This could be our church, but we'll see where God leads us. One thing they mentioned is that a couple from Church of the Highlands (in Birmingham, AL) is moving here because God called them here. They're leaving their house, jobs, and everything else! That's faith. I would love to meet them. We plan on going to small groups throughout the week. Thanks for the encouragement BC family!

On Sunday after church and before the growth track class, we decided to explore the city. Traffic in Seattle on a Sunday is like rush hour in Huntsville on a Friday afternoon. We went shopping at Nordstrom and Macy's (my two favorites other than the LOFT) before eating dinner. Restaurants in Seattle are running a promotion this week where over 100 gourmet restaurants offer a 3-course meal for $25. Normally these meals would cost $30+. We went to a Tom Douglas restaurant called Dahlia's Lounge. I had butternut squash ravioli for an appetizer, halibut with pole beans and mashed potatoes for my entree, and a flourless chocolate torte with gingerbread ice cream for dessert. I love restaurant week! We're looking forward to going out one (or two) more time(s) this week to take advantage of some great food!

Puget Sound

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This is the photo that didn't publish correctly on the last post. This is the Puget Sound taken from Mukilteo.

We've Arrived!

We arrived in Seattle (actually a suburb about 20 miles away called Mukilteo) on Tuesday afternoon. We checked in and i took the dogs to our studio hotel room. We looked around and noticed it only had a shower, no tub. Chris just went to the front desk and asked if all studio rooms only have a shower. Since they all do, they offered a free upgrade to a one bedroom hotel room with a shower/tub. It's bigger too, so we're definitely happy with that. After moving rooms, we unpacked our car and junked up our hotel room. Our hotel offers free dinner Monday-Thursday, so we ate at our hotel lobby for dinner. We found a Wal-Mart and got some laundry detergent.

Chris didn't start work until Thursday, so we relaxed on Wednesday. We slept in, did laundry, and grabbed some lunch. I wanted to see the water, so we drove to the downtown part of Mukilteo (pronounced muck-ill-tee-o) and ate fish and chips at a place called Ivan's. The picture above was taken from the pier we sat on while eating. We live in a beautiful place! We spent the rest of the day relaxing, exploring, shopping, and doing more laundry. We found a nice mall with a Nordstrom, Macy's, and a Jamba Juice...some of my favorite things.

Thursday has been the only rainy day we've had so far. Chris went to work, and I spent the day with God. I realized that I'm actually excited about the future. I'm really looking forward to trying a new church on Sunday, which is normally something that I fear. I'm excited to see what God has in store for us here. Chris already knows what he's supposed to do work-wise, and I'm excited to see what's in store for me. When Chris finished his first day, we went out for sushi to celebrate.

On Friday, I went grocery shopping and began cooking since dinner isn't provided on the weekends. Chris is enjoying work. He was ecstatic to go tour the factory where Boeing builds planes. He likes the people too. He hasn't done much technical work since he doesn't have his computer yet, but overall, he enjoys his new job.

Today we spent the morning watching College Gameday and went out to look at rental homes. We only drove around (didn't go inside any homes) but were able to figure out areas we like and get more familiar with everything. We'll spend the rest of the day watching football (of course), and I'm going to make pot roast before our game. Pacific time is really nice on gameday, usually! Roll Tide!

Roadtrip Day 8

Yesterday we drove from Bozeman, Montana to Spokane, Washington. We saw some towns in Montana named after European countries like Belgrade and Amsterdam. We got a kick out of that. Montana was pretty. It was covered with farmland, not much civilization. I did see a lone llama in a field.

We passed through Idaho, our 12th state. We stopped at a cute little mining town in Wallace, Idaho because I just couldn't pass it up! Couer d'Alene, Idaho was gorgeous! It had a lake that was surrounded by mountains. It reminded me a lot of Wyoming, especially Jackson Hole with the lake and mountains. We drove through the skinny part of Idaho, and Spokane is practically on the Washington/Idaho border. We wanted to get a picture of the Washington state sign, but it was in the median of the interstate, and we weren't willing to risk our lives for it.

So we're finally in our new home state. We are currently driving to Seattle and will be in our new home (for a month and a half) this afternoon. I can't believe it!

Roadtrip Day 7

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Today we explored Wyoming. We started the morning off by exploring the Jackson Hole area. It has such a cute downtown area. We went shopping and got some coffee and food at a local roaster and coffee house, Jackson Hole Roasters. It was really good. While we were exploring, I was thinking of Building Church. I miss it, but I know that amazing things will have taken place during our absence. Lives are being healed and people are being changed!

After that, we headed to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Grand Teton had a lot of natural beauty. There was a gorgeous lake called Jenny Lake that was surrounded by mountains and forest. Grand Teton and Yellowstone are basically connected, so we headed to Yellowstone next.

Yellowstone is full of God's beautiful creation. When I look at places that are completely full of amazing things, I realize how much He loves us. He created it all for us! We have seen Old Faithful, many other geysers, many pools including the one in the photo above (Morning Glory), wildlife (buffalo, deer, but sadly, no bears), canyons, and waterfalls.

I'm not trying to do an advertisement for the state of Wyoming, but it's a really neat place to visit. I highly recommend visiting here! We've talked about coming back to Jackson Hole for a ski trip.

We're heading to Bozeman, Montana for the night. I may be judging a book by its cover, but I imagine there's not a whole lot to do there. We'll soon find out. But for now, I'm still on a bear hunt. I really want to see a bear..any kind! I'm not picky. And by the way, we miss all of our friends and family and love all of you!

Roadtrip Day 6

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I'm a little behind on the posting. Yesterday we left Salt Lake City and headed to Jackson Hole, WY. Before leaving Salt Lake City, we went to a farmer's market and grabbed some food. We also discovered that Kona's tummy is all better, so no more yucky clean-ups. Yay!

There was a lot of natural beauty on our way to Jackson Hole. Gorgeous mountains covered with yellow and orange trees.

During our drive, I downloaded an app for listening to the radio on my phone for the Bama game. It was kind of nice driving in the mountains during the game because the phone would cut out often, so we didn't have to hear all of the heartbreaking details of the game. But I realized one thing through that game. Football may fail me, but God never has. No, football didn't fail me last year, but it did plenty of times when I was in school at Alabama. Even when my team loses, I still wear my Bama gear proudly. If I can do that, I should always 'wear' and boast in God, especially since he's never failed me!

Every time we check into a new hotel, we (Chris) completely clean out the car. Once that was finished, we headed out for dinner. We went to a place called Trio American Bistro. Chris ordered elk medallions with mashed sweet potatoes, and I ordered Idaho trout almandine with green beans and Yukon mashed potatoes. The food was really good, and the downtown Jackson Hole area was great!

Today we're exploring some more national parks. I'll do my best to update again today.

Roadtrip Day 5

Yesterday was our fifth day on the road, and I haven't even driven at all...I've offered a couple times though. :)

Yesterday morning we drove through the Las Vegas strip and went to a pawn shop...that's it. If you've seen Pawn Stars on the History channel, then you've seen the shop we went to. They had lots of neat stuff. We would have explored the strip more if we had more time. We gy back to the hotel to clean up a mess from a dog with an upset tummy. After cleaning, we packed the car and headed to Salt Lake City. We almost thought we were going to be delayed because of my car's transmission, but everything is fine! God provides!

We made it to Salt Lake City around 8:00 and grabbed dinner at a Mexican restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives called the Red Iguana. They had around 15 different mole sauces. I ordered a carnita enchilada covered with mango mole sauce. It was yummy and unique.

Next stop: Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Roadtrip Day 4

"By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen." Hebrews 11:3

Isn't the Grand Canyon beautiful?! Today we left Flagstaff, AZ and headed to the Grand Canyon. We walked a trail for a few hours with the doggies. When I was looking at the Grand Canyon, I kept wondering how people lack the faith to believe that this world is God's magnificent creation. Then I began to think about myself, and I often lack the faith to believe. Sometimes when I pray, I'll ask for something and believe it won't actually happen. For example, I've asked for God to have favor on us in the selling of our house. And often, I've thought that the house will never sell. A dear friend, Leah, always told me to be expectant. Now I am. I know that God knows all my needs and He will provide. I know the house will sell in His perfect timing. God has definitely timed everything perfectly in my life so far, and I believe He will continue to work His magic. It took me a while to develop the faith I have, and I still have a long way to go, but I can't wait to see where He takes me!

Roadtrip Day 3

How beautiful is the Painted Desert? After exploring Albuquerque this morning, we headed to Arizona. In Albuquerque we saw the International Balloon Fiesta where hundreds of hot air balloonists are in the sky for a week all at the same time...pretty cool! Then we visited Old Town Albuquerque and grabbed lunch at the same place we ate last night. Normally I like to try different places, but it was just so good! My new favorite thing is posole or green chile stew. They also had the best flour tortillas! I could eat those all day. After I spilled some posole on myself and my pillow, we headed to Arizona.

As you can see by the picture, we visited the Painted Desert. The Petrified Forest is in the same park, and we saw that too. It has tons of petrified wood scattered all over the forest. One really cool thing we saw when we were leaving the park was the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, AZ. Have you seen the movie Cars? Well, it looked like it came straight out of it. There was even a Towmater parked in front of one of the Wigwam teepees. I'll post those pictures later.

We're stopping in Flagstaff, AZ for the night. We haven't eaten yet, so we'll grab some food before bedtime. But we have to rest up because tomorrow is the Grand Canyon!

There are so many pictures I'll post later when I get my computer back...yes, I said back! It's all better! The Apple store fixed the recalled video board. God is always faithful. He reminded me of that yesterday through the "healing" of my computer and through His word. I was beginning to get anxious about our house selling when I read some feedback from a realtor that showed the house last week (on moving day by the way). I decided to read His word so my fears would be calmed. I know that He will always provide but sometimes I just need reassurance. This is the verse I read, "For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do." Hebrews 6:10

Roadtrip Day 2

Yesterday was our second day on the road. We left Dallas (actually Arlington) in the morning and headed to Lubbock to visit people. Our friends, David and Shelley are in grad school at Texas Tech, and my cousin, Ashley is a freshman there. We went to David and Shelley's apartment and ate lunch with them. Even though we only saw them for a little bit, it was really good to see them! Then we met up with Ashley for coffee. I hadn't seen her in over a year, so I'm glad we were able to see each other!

After leaving Lubbock, we headed to Albuquerque, NM. We got there about 8:30 and ate some really good southwestern food! It was super cheap and super good. We had this green chile stew that was pretty spicy and amazing! Today we're headed to Flagstaff, AZ...eventually. We're watching hot air balloons land right now at the International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.

Roadtrip Day 1

GeoTagged, [N33.08133, E96.13450]

We have finally begun our journey to Seattle. We left a little later than planned. You'd be amazed how much we were able to stuff in this car!

Today we went through Alabama (of course), Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Texas. We're stopping in Dallas tonight and heading to Albuquerque tomorrow. And we get to see our friends, Shelley and David tomorrow in Lubbock!! My only goal for the rest of today is to get some good Tex-Mex food...I miss it a lot!

Moving Day

Today was day 2 of packing. Tomorrow is loading day. Our house will be vacant and we'll be down to one car. Yesterday the realization of moving began to hit me, and I've been a little emotional.

When something huge is going on all it takes for me to get emotional or upset is for something little to go wrong. On Monday my computer died, and the Apple store said it would cost $1300 to fix the problems. I did not handle that well. I definitely had a couple 'freak-out' moments. Today it was really little. The movers packed my pumpkin muffins I made this week for breakfast. First of all I wanted to eat them this morning. Second of all, when we unpack them in December, there's going to be a whole lot of stink and mold. It shouldn't have made me sad, but it did.

When I listen to my mind and emotions, I make bad choices. I cry and sometimes act like it's the end of the world, which is definitely not the case. When I listen to the spirit in me, I make good choices. I take my burdens to the cross, pray, and am grateful for what I've been given. "be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

Moving

Hey friends! We finally know when we're moving. The movers are coming next Wednesday and Thursday to pack up our house, and then on Friday, Oct. 1st, the movers are loading everything and moving our stuff to a storage unit in Seattle. We're going to go to Tuscaloosa that weekend so we can go to the Florida/Bama game. We'll come back on Sunday and leave for our Seattle road trip on Monday. And it will be a road trip! We're planning on taking 7-8 days to get there. We're planning on making a few stops along the way: Dallas, Santa Fe, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Yosemite, Yellowstone, and finally Seattle. I know it looks like a heart monitor graph, but we've never been to most of those places and figured it was better to do it now when it's at no cost for us than later when we had to pay on our own. I'll have to post pictures throughout our road trip. Someone, hold me accountable!

The whole process seemed move slowly until now. Everything is now moving very quickly! The reality hasn't hit yet, and it may not hit me until Wednesday. I'm hoping when reality hits, I will be excited rather than upset about leaving. Though I am sad about leaving friends and family, I know that we'll be back plenty to visit everyone.

Change

God has been teaching me a lot about change and how to adapt to it. God didn't intend for life to be lived comfortably. Jesus definitely didn't live a comfortable life, but thank God he didn't! If he lived a comfortable life, we would have no hope and no reason for living. I like comfort. I like coming home to my house, sitting on my couch, eating food I love, and spending time with people (and dogs) I love. But I want to do more with life than that. I want to have purpose, and just doing things I like to do day in and day out won't fulfill anyone.

This summer I was actively looking for a job, and nothing seemed to feel right. The school I worked at last year didn't work out. Fast forward a couple months, and I had an interview at another school system. Well, during this time we found out Chris's grandma had pancreatic cancer (beginning of July). It was stage 4 and really progressive. It was in her pancreas, lymph nodes, and liver when it was found. She died July 30th, the day of my interview. I didn't feel right going to the interview when I felt like Christopher needed support, but he and his family encouraged me to go, so I drove 3 hours from Montgomery to Decatur. The interview actually did go well, but can you say bad timing?! It seems like God closed every door for me in Huntsville, which I didn't understand for another week.

A week or so goes by and Christopher found out that his job will be ending in October. Boeing really worked hard for him though and found him some job openings in Huntsville and one in Seattle. We continually prayed and felt like God was leading us to Seattle. This was where we had to decide to listen to God or decide to live comfortably. It would have been so easy to say we're staying in Huntsville. We have a house, a church we love, amazing friends, and it's close to family and football.

After about a week of deliberation, Christopher accepted the Seattle job with Boeing. There are a lot of unanswered questions about the move and what's going to happen, but we're choosing to trust in the one who told us to go. He knew that Christopher would have his dream career at this time, working on commercial planes. He knew that we were leaving not only for career choices, but also to help others, particularly the 89% of people that aren't Christians. I heard Rick Warren say that in your later years, you'll regret the good you didn't do in life far more than the mistakes you made. We don't want to pass up an opportunity to show Christ's love to a city that doesn't see much of it. And I know things will be okay because we're doing what we're supposed to do. I admit that this has been very difficult. It's the toughest decision either of us have had to make. I've never really made any sacrifices to God, but now I'm sacrificing comfort for obedience. But amazingly, God has given me comfort throughout this time. I decided to study Paul's life, thinking it really wouldn't apply to me. I picked up a book I had but had never read called To Live Is Christ by Beth Moore. I couldn't have read it at a better time! God's timing is so perfect! There was a quote by Beth Moore that really spoke to me: "God will never take you anywhere he hasn't already prepared for your arrival."

God knew from the day that Christopher and I were born that we would end up obeying his call on our lives. Though we don't know what's going to happen, he's already prepared our arrival in Seattle. Now that is praiseworthy! Without our God we should fear to move; but when He tells us to go it would be dangerous to tarry (Charles Spurgeon). The only thing I should fear is God!

Matthew 6:28-30 is so comforting to hear. God is so good and so faithful. He is providing comfort throughout this transition already, and I know He will continue to do so. We're leaving the south for a time, but we'll be back plenty to visit. We will definitely miss everyone so much, but know that all of our family and friends are welcome to visit us anytime! We really appreciate all the prayers. Let us know how we can pray for you. You are such a blessing in our lives, and we are so grateful for every one of you!

"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers." Philemon 1:4

-Christie

Lately

Dear Whoever Is Reading This,

Sorry I'm so delinquent on blog postings. I can't believe the summer is almost over! This summer has been productive and lazy at the Elm household. The laziness comes only from me. We've done much needed projects around the house this summer, and all I can think after they're done is, "Why didn't we do this earlier?" We've painted, bought and assembled patio furniture, placed boards in attic to create more storage, organized and decluttered the house. I feel like a new woman! I'll have to post pictures of the house soon, but I have no storage on my computer so it may not be for a while.

God has also taught me a lot this summer. I've read a lot of books, but the two that have really been helpful are "So Long, Insecurity..." by Beth Moore and "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan. Insecurity is something that either is always present or just crops up during our weakest moments, when we're most vulnerable. Insecurity has always had a grip on me, but in different forms. I used to be really insecure about my body image, then insecurity became circumstantial. When I was weak, I would become insecure about anything and everything. This book taught me that "I am clothed in strength and dignity, and I laugh without fear of the future. (Proverbs 31:25)" And I truly believe this about myself. A job doesn't change my worth; I am still clothed with strength and dignity. I did enjoy my summer because I laughed without fear of the future. Every person deserves to feel this way about themselves.

God also taught and inspired me through Francis Chan. The "Forgotten God" in his book is the Holy Spirit. I am guilty of frequently quenching the Holy Spirit. I'll feel Him leading me to do something or to not do something, and I'll ignore Him and do what I want to do. Think about how a butterfly becomes a new creation. It begins as a caterpillar, then one day, it takes a long nap and wakes up as a beautiful butterfly. It not only looks different, but it can fly and do new things. We should be the same when we become a Christian. We become a new creation, but too often, we don't look any different or act as if we can do anything new. When the Holy Spirit begins to dwell in us, we should look and act differently. God can do a whole lot more than we can on our own, and if God is in us, we have newfound strength and are a brand new creation. We shouldn't act like those who don't have the Holy Spirit inside of us. I haven't been acting any different than non Christians. I need to follow where the Spirit leads me. Things are changing a lot in our lives right now (which I'll talk about later), and I need to follow the Spirit more than ever. I now have love, joy and peace like I've never had before because I'm obeying. Though our circumstances aren't ideal, no one can take my joy away from me.

-Christie

"Before the Morning"

We have had an amazing first year of marriage! We moved to Huntsville, began working, and bought a house within our first year.

I really take teaching for granted until I lose the opportunity. I love what I do, and I can't think of anything else I would enjoy more than teaching. It's also what I was born to do. God put a desire to love, care, and help children. Yesterday I received my pink slip, and my contract was not renewed. It was really really tough yesterday and really tough today. I'm hoping tomorrow will just be tough, and maybe on Sunday, I'll be alright. I know in the grand scheme of things, this is not a big deal. There is a lot of other stuff going on with other people, and I should just be grateful for what I have. But I still need time to grieve, and I feel like God is okay with that. He wants me to deal with my feelings free of guilt and condemnation. I just wanted to share a song I heard on the radio today that really helped me...

"Do you wonder why you have to,

Feel the things that hurt you?
If there's a God who loves you,
Where is He now?

Or maybe there are things you can't see
And all those things are happening
To bring a better ending
Someday, somehow, you'll see, you'll see.

Would you dare, would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing?
'Cause the pain you've been feeling,
It can't compare to the joy that's coming.

So hold on, you gotta wait for the light
Press on and just fight the good fight
'Cause the pain that you've been feeling,
It's just the dark before the morning.

My friend, you know how this all ends
And you know where you're going.
You just don't know how you'll get there
So say a prayer
And hold on, cause there's good who love God.
Life is not a snapshot, it might take a little time,
but you'll see the bigger picture.

Would you dare, would you dare to believe,
That you still have a reason to sing?
'Cause the pain that you've been feeling,
Can't compare to the joy that's coming.

So hold on, you gotta wait for the light.
Press on, just fight the good fight.
Because the pain that you've been feeling,
It's just the dark before the morning.
Yeah, yeah, before the morning,
Yeah, yeah.

Once you feel the weight of glory,
All your pain will fade to memory.
Once you feel the weight of glory,
All your pain will fade to memory,
Memory, memory, yeah.

Would you dare, would you dare to believe,
That you still have a reason to sing?
'Cause the pain that you've been feeling,
Can't compare to the joy that's coming.

Would you dare, would you dare to believe,
That you still have a reason to sing?
'Cause the pain that you've been feeling,
Can't compare to the joy that's coming.

Come on, you gotta wait for the light.
Press on, just fight the good fight.
'Cause the pain that you've been feeling,
It's just the hurt before the healing.

Oh, the pain that you've been feeling,
It's just the dark before the morning.
Yeah, yeah, before the morning
Yeah, yeah, before the morning."

- Josh Wilson

Thanks for your prayers!

- Christie

Sick Day

Today I am using the only sick day I have due to a fever among other things. So I thought, "Why not write on the blog that I have neglected?" So that's exactly what I'm doing. The few people that read this may be wondering what's going on with us. Nothing really exciting has happened, but I'll write about all the little details that have happened.

Well, since the last time I updated was in mid-November, I guess I can talk about Thanksgiving. For Thanksgiving, my 1st grade class did the cutest play ever! They sang songs, read poems, and performed jokes/skits. After the skit, we had a little feast with the parents back in the classroom. Almost half of my class checked out that day, leaving me with only 11 students...easy day!

For Thanksgiving, we went to Montgomery. We ate Thanksgiving breakfast there, a Barbarow/Elm tradition. Since we ate so early, we had plenty of time to make it to my parents' house in Alpharetta for an early dinner. It was a busy day, but a good one. The following day, we traveled to Auburn, which is thankfully only 2 hours away from Alpharetta. And we won, so it was a great holiday!

So after Thanksgiving was the SEC Championship. Another great game! Actually, it was probably the greatest game this year, according to how we played. Pasadena, here we come...

After that comes Christmas. Chris was going to go to Baltimore for a business trip the week of Christmas (Monday-Wednesday...Christmas was on a Friday), so I decided to go with him since I could. Also, my aunt and uncle live near Washington, D.C., so I thought I would go visit them for a couple days while Chris was working. Then came the blizzard. Our flights were canceled, and we stayed home. We traveled to Alpharetta on Tuesday or Wednesday (don't remember) to spend a while with our families. We stayed there until January 1st. We came back home to bring Mimi here so she could take care of our dogs while we were in Pasadena! On January 2nd, we went to Nathan and Steph's wedding!

Chris and I went back to work on Monday, January 4th. We left for L.A. on Wednesday. We were on separate flights because I decided to go about a week later than Chris, and I also didn't want to take a half day off of school. Well looking back in hindsight, I wish I did that. My flight left from Huntsville at 4:15. I made it to the airport in plenty of time. The problem was that I had a 45 minute layover in Chicago. We landed in Chicago earlier than expected, so I was thinking, "Everything is going well. I'm going to make my flight." Well then, the pilot comes on the loudspeaker saying that we would have to wait for a gate to open. We wait, and wait, and wait some more. Well now it's past the time for my flight to L.A. The flight attendant said that they weren't waiting on us, even though most of the people on the flight were on that flight to L.A. She told us to make other reservations. So the people next to me call to be put on a waiting list. They put my name on it too. 15 minutes go by, and the flight attendant comes on the loudspeaker saying that they are waiting on us. So everyone cheers, and I'm happy again. We finally get off the plane, and run to our gate. When I get there, the couple who put me on the waiting list was with me. The American Airlines people said that they only had space for 2 more people, and there were 3 of us. I still don't really understand why, except that they gave away my ticket to someone on standby. They said whoever was left would make the 8:55 flight to L.A. So I told the couple to go on ahead. It is about 7:30 p.m. now. Well, they get on, and they're getting my ticket printed, or so I thought. So I asked, "I'm definitely getting on the next flight, right?" The guy says, "Ma'am, I'm doing all I can. I said I would try to get you on that flight. If not, you'll be on the 8:30 a.m. flight tomorrow morning." I said, "That's not what I heard." Then I start crying...uncontrollably. I call my dad (Chris is in the air now) and tell him what's going on. I was too hysterical to do anything sensible. He kept saying to calm down. While I was bawling, I heard the AA people whisper, "She's crying..." To shorten the story, the AA guy made a few calls, bumped the person flying standby on the 8:55 flight, and put me on it. I know why I was emotional-I was flying alone and thought I was stuck in Chicago overnight by myself-but I don't know why I was crying uncontrollably. So I get my ticket, check it, and walk to the gate. The AA people were following me and showing me where to go. I really didn't and don't care what they thought/think about me because I made it there. I'm definitely not happy with American Airlines because what they did to me wasn't right. I should have been able to get on my originally booked flight, but instead, they canceled my booking.

But it was a great trip! I had a lot of fun in L.A. I went to my first national championship, and we won it! Everyone asked me, "Did you see any celebrities?" Well yes, I did...Kirsten Dunst. We were at Intelligentsia Coffee in a trendy neighborhood. We ate lots of good food, had lots of coffee, did some sightseeing, and of course, shopped.

Now, we're back to the daily grind of things. We're still enjoying our jobs, making good friends, and getting involved in our new church. I'm so grateful to God for placing us in Huntsville/Madison. I've met so many wonderful, amazing people and look forward to everything else God has planned for us.

I guess it's back to resting for me, though I admit, I just did laundry and am tempted to clean the house...

-Christie