Tulip Girl

I had a great conversation today with my bestest little brother, Justin (who isn't actually very little he's actually 25 and bigger than me). We talked about the business of prayer and when to talk about praying for other people. Any body who has ever known someone they have needed to pray for (I'm being facetious since we are all at one point in need of prayer :) knows that sometimes there are prayer you tell people and they are encouraged by it and others when you need to keep it between you and God. The question comes when you are faced with the times you aren't sure whether you should let someone know you are praying for them or not. We didn't actually have an all encompassing answer to that quandary but Justin had a good point that when you are praying for someones salvation, telling them could do more harm than good. Later my sister commented about it after reading the blog and remembered when someone she was praying for was really encouraged by it. Well ...

My dad is home. He got the okay from the doctors and is now out of the hospital. Praise God! Next week he and my mom will take two of their granddaughters to San Diego. I think that this will be very fun for them. I hope they have a great time. Dan's Papa is still working on recovering from his camping accident when a bar on his camper canopy came lose and whacked him in the leg. Please continue prayer for healing and also that he will find peace in that when he passes away, he is going to go home to his Heavenly Father. Speaking of prayer, I read something a long time ago that I wrote down and then forgot. I found it the other day cleaning out some boxes. I knew as soon as I read it you were just the who I wanted to share it with. "Prayer is the highest intelligence, the profoundest wisdom, the most vital, the most joyous, the most efficacious, the most powerful of all vocations . It is life, radiant, transporting, eternal life. Away with the dry forms, with dead, cold habi...

My dad is done with the cardiological cauterization . They put a half inch stint in him where the blockage was. That is all I know right now. Your prayers have meant so much to me and my family. It has definitely a time where we have had to lean on our faith. I don't know what it is like for every one there with my dad while I am all the way across the country. I am eager to see him.

My dad failed his stress test on Saturday. He is scheduled for a cardiovascular cauterization (I think that spelling is right). The doctors are going to figure out where the blockage is in his arteries and clean it up or what ever they can do to make it better. Please pray for him and my mom as she stands by and supports him. It sure is really really hard not being there with him. My desire is to be there with him. It is a difficult day when we are faced with the mortality of our parents (I realize I wrote that already, but it's still true.) Dan's Papa has started back on the medicine that will help his legs not be so swollen. It really was great for Dan to be able to be with Papa Saturday night.

The hiring conference went well for Dan. He interviewed with seven different companies. There are several prospective options as far as a future job for him. We are deep in prayer about all of this and I thank you for your prayers as well. I need you to pray for some other things. Dan's grandfather, it seems, does not have much time left. He is really struggling as his body is struggling just to keep the balance as it weakens. He had a real bad fall a couple of weeks ago and recovery is real slow going. His heart is hardening. Also, my dad fainted last night and had to be rushed to the hospital. It turns out he is very anemic but the doctors are not sure where is blood is going or why his body is not making enough red blood cells. He is at the hospital today and the doctors are doing a lot of tests to figure things out. That is all I know at this moment at all aforementioned points. It sure is a stressful heart struggle when we are faced with our parent's mortality ...

Dan and I will be leaving for a hiring conference and then we are off to see his family. Please keep us in your prayers that the conference will go really great. I will let you know how it goes when we get home. I love you ladies!

Wow, what a great day! Dan and I had a great time in our Sunday School today. I am so excited to see the kind of men and women God is growing this bunch of young adults into. They are pretty great in my book. We had a pretty powerful discussion today about God being just, slow to anger and abounding in love and what that all looks like. Then the service was exactly what Dan and I had been praying for the young men in the Sunday School. It's been a personal burden of mine to be counter cultural as far as what this culture tells men their worth is. I really want to counteract what Hollywood says about the roles of men and women. I am excited to see how that will play out in areas of ministry as well as in my own marriage. One area that I struggle with that I know a lot of women who also struggle with is my tone of voice. Men need to feel respected as woman need to feel loved. I know some times my tone does not show respect but condescension and tells Dan I don't submit to his au...

God continually amazes me. So far the stressful side of job hunting has not materialized. Thank the Lord for that! So far it's just been a great experience watching God do His thing. Dan had a great time at the job fair. He has call backs from a few of the companies. One in particular sounds promising. It's with a textile company that makes fabric for things like back packs, tents, work out and hiking clothes. They do more, but this is the part I remember. I will keep you updated. Anyhow, Dan has another job fair next week we will both go to about a ten mile drive from here. I am excited because I love day long road trips. As for me, I applied to The Institute of Children's Literature and was accepted. I am very excited about this. I have a one on one instructor who will help me work towards being a published children's author. This is way cool. I also will be having a meeting at the Care Net Resource Pregnancy Center that I volunteer at to hash out the details of my ...

I was thinking this morning about life's little luxuries. Some may call them guilty pleasures, but I'm not particularly guilty about mine so life's little luxury works just fine for me. I am wondering what little luxuries you all love to indulge in. I admit mine is sleeping in. I absolutely love sleeping in. It's so wonderful. I do most of my dreaming between six and eight in the morning. Usually it's like watching TV for me. Instead of getting up and going and watching TV , I can just do it in my sleep. That is also a weird little thing about me, I dream a lot and quite vividly I might add. Any way, enough about me. I would love to know what life's little luxuries you love to indulge in.

Dan is now at a job fair today and tomorrow. I am excited for him. Please pray that his eyes and ears are open to where God is leading him. This is his first job fair. He says he isn't nervous or anxious but I know at least I am . I know God has such great things for him and Dan is so smart and talented. I just know all the recruiters will see that. This morning was our first time leading the graduate age Sunday School group. They are really great. I think this morning went pretty well. I really like them quite a bit. I wrote down some notes as they introduced them selves so that we wouldn't forget any of it. I don't know how long we have with them, so I am taking this pretty seriously. I feel like God can use us in their lives. I want to be ready. :) Dan's dad cautioned Dan that we shouldn't get to a head of ourselves wanting another baby(for those who don't know, we miscarried last September), but I admit that is easier said than done. It's all I think abo...

Sometimes Dan gets a little frustrated with me when we are running errands together. You see, I walk slower than he does. It’s not a matter of my legs being shorter because I think they are actually longer than his. I just like to walk slower. Now, I admit I get irritated when I’m doing groceries and there is a really slow person in front of me. What’s the deal with that? What pace is the right pace? I remember a math question from elementary school that asked something like, “If Sam’s watch says 11:55 and is six minutes slow and Emily’s watch says 12:09 and is eight minutes fast, then what time is it?” If one watch is fast and another is slow, then their must be a right time somewhere in the middle right? God says go out and make disciples of all nations. A proverbs 31 woman has a well kept house, keeps her husband, children and servants well fed, makes clothes, farms, and dabbles in real estate. Once getting a bachelors degree was enough. Now a master degree is expected. A doctorate ...

These last two weeks have been so great. Seeing Dan walking towards me at the airport in is DCUs was priceless. Right before he arrived. I saw a military man and his significant other (I don’t know whether she was his wife or girlfriend) holding each other. I knew because of her tears and the strain visible across his face that he was headed out for a deployment. I admit I cried for them as well. I was already emotional as I sent a prayer for them, a knowing, and “I’ve been there.” prayer. When it came time to see Dan I was too afraid to believe it was really him, I didn’t get up out of my seat right away. I had to be sure it was really him. I joked with him that after is five week training last spring and my fear he wasn’t really him, that he should wear a name tag. He thought that was cute. Dan’s first week back we went to see his family. We didn’t get to see them very long which was a bummer, but with the smoke and ashes filling the air it was for the best. By our last day there, my...