Blessings...

As I was reading my Bible this morning, I read Psalm 107. It repeats this phrase several times: "Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man!." As I read that over and over, I realized that I had been spending too much time focusing on my own sorrow...and not enough time looking at all of the amazing blessings that my Jesus has poured onto us. In the midst of the grief, pain and sorrow, my God is blessing us with so many incredible things! It takes my breath away and reminds me that my God is full of love. He is full of mercy. He is full of grace. Even when my heart aches, He blesses me! When I hesitate to praise Him, He gives me grace and peace that passes all understanding. So, I thought I would start listing some of the blessings He is lavishing on us...feel free to add your own! It has brought me such joy to pour over this list and see without a doubt the love of my Jesus.

* On Friday, the day Chris called Search and Rescue, he got a new, understanding supervisor @ work

*Jon and LaDonna drove 1,000+ miles and made it safely

*God gave us 2 other God-fearing families to walk through this with

*Steven got leave to come from Germany - and then his leave was extended thru Christmas!

*David Vahey - clean shirts, tissue, video, humor, press experience, emotional support....etc

*Mari Yeckel

*A 2+ hour dinner with Steve Rollins of Portland Mountain Rescue talking about Anth and Jesus

*The press - their questions, the clips they chose to play, the nationwide coverage and presentation of the Gospel!

* 2 beautiful, wondrous, clear days on the mountain - watching teams and helicopters get a chance to search

*Timberline Lodge

*Jean and the Megumi Chalet

*Dennis and Holly, our chaplains

*The Bridge Church - prayer, love, texts, scripture, food, hugs, cards, e-mails...wow...

*My parents opening up their home

*The fact that the Sheriffs Department allowed Chris to participate as much as he did

*The amazing amount of dedicated, highly qualified people that were involved in the search

*Shannon Cadwell finding the notes from last year's Elevate - Anth's group discussion on Legacy

*The Portland Mountain Rescue guy in Mari's small group who was on the search

*Craig Roberts asking us to pray for them

*The MIRACLE of unexplainable weather

*Corey (from the Sheriff's Dept.) having a chance to open up and share the Lord with his colleagues because of this

*Anth's chemistry teacher approaching us at Stuffy's and sharing his remembrance of Anth's heartfelt and genuine thank-you

*Joe Nollmeyer

*Patrick and the worship team pulling together Wish You Were Here and Praise You in the Storm for Anth's memorial

*Having a chance to go back up to the mountain on a perfect, beautiful clear day and Uncle Jimmy getting a chance to stay longer

*Darla Nolan giving all the moms one of Katie's scarves

*The Olive Garden crying with us and blessing us so hugely on Anth's birthday

*Bank of America manager's daughter knew Anth from a Bible study

*Rob Cruickshank - a personal connection with Search and Rescue

*Getting a chance to meet, hug and encourage a lot of the rescuers involved in the search - Search and Rescue, Portland Mountain Rescue, the Air Force PJs, Sheriff's Office, Mountain Wave Communications...

*A church in Little Rock, AK letting us know their 8,000 member church spent their service praying for us

*All of you praying and encouraging us

This is only the beginning! I KNOW that the Lord will continue to bless us in the midst of our grief. I KNOW that He will continue to use Anth, Katie and Luke to bring glory to Himself...and in that I find peace.

*

Is It OK???

I have so many thoughts running through my head right now...it's tough to make them stop. I'm just going to have to go through one thought process at a time. It's been weird to try to function "normally". This isn't normal. Life without Anth isn't normal. So, what is normal? And what is ok?

On Christmas day, LaDonna and I were sitting at the table playing Yatzee...and we both stopped in the middle of the game and thought - is it weird that we are ok sitting here and playing a game? Is that even ok? Should we be playing a game?? Since then, I've just had these thoughts running through my head, along the lines of "is it ok?"

Is it OK...

-to feel just fine playing a board game?

-to cry over laundry?

-to clean your house because it's the only thing you feel like you can control?

-to sit on the porch for hours in the cold?

-to just want to sit on your couch and stare into space?

-to cry in the grocery store aisle?

-to cry over a bowl of pasta because you know Anth would've loved it?

-to go to a movie with friends and not think about the pain once?

-to not be the least bit hungry?

There's more things....but that's all I can think of. And I know all of the above is part of the grieving process...and even though I question, I know the answer. Yes, all of those things are ok. It still doesn't feel real. I still feel like he's just on vacation and he'll come back through the door anytime. But at the same time I know he's with my Jesus, worshipping and celebrating! And that gives me hope and joy in the midst of my questions and tears. Is that ok?

Christmas???

It does NOT feel like Christmas. The last few weeks have just been such a blur. Especially the last few days. It's been a marathon of memorials - first Luke's, then Anth's, then Katie's. All three were so different, but all SO incredibly good. Anth's was so healing...and just so special. I loved being able to worship and praise my Jesus with everyone I love. It was also so amazing to see how many people were there to celebrate Anthony's life. Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with us. There aren't words to describe how grateful and blessed we all are.

I really don't want to celebrate Christmas. It just doesn't seem right. I feel weird eating good food, smiling and laughing. It's not time yet. I'm not ready.

BUT. I am SO grateful that in this season, my God is Emmanuel, God with us. No matter what the circumstance, no matter what I am feeling...He is there. He cares. He never leaves me or forsakes me. There is nothing that can ever separate me from His love. Even if I'm not ready to celebrate the birth of my Lord - He understands...and He is patiently waiting. He will hold me up and enable me to stand up under this sorrow. He is GOOD and His love endures forever.

Coming home...

Sigh.....coming home was harder than I thought it would be. Driving away from the mountain, we all felt so defeated. It was weird. When we drove up there, I fully expected to come home the next day with Anthony. So much for MY expectations :) Now I know that God has a different idea. Imagine that...God knows something I don't! I haven't been able to bring myself to go into his room yet. Chris says it smells like him. I think tomorrow, I'm going to make an espresso in honor of Anth. There are so many things I already miss about him:

-his crazy food concoctions

-the weird cheese in the fridge

-his impish smile as he asks if I need to use the bathroom

-him asking me to trim the back of his hair

-seeing him in the morning when I'm getting ready

-his laugh

-his smile

-talking to him about what we're going to be teaching that week

-laughing about strange things that happened that day

-watching him and Chris interact and make fun of each other....and knowing that they were doing crap behind my back :)

-enjoying an espresso with him in the morning

-talking about decorating with him

-making food for him

phew...I'm sure I'll add to this list as time goes on. For now, I'm just taking it one day at a time. Sometimes one hour at a time. The grief comes in waves. It engulfs me and is overwhelming...and I just have to look to my Jesus...and then I can stand up under it. HE IS GOOD. AND HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!

God Be Glorified

It is so hard to even bring myself to type this. My fingers don't want to.

It has been decided that we are in recovery mode. Not active search. This means that although they will not be rescuing, they will still be searching for their bodies. When the first opportunity strikes for boots to be on the mountain, they will look for them.

Anthony and Katie are with the Jesus they loved so much and served with their lives! My heart is SO broken, yet at the same time, I feel such a peace. We just finished meeting with the sheriffs and a good chunk of the rescue team...a step in healing. We were able to applaud, hug, and pray for the people who risked their lives to find Anthony and Katie.

I still have SO many questions for God....

*Why did the lives of 3 amazing people have to end?

*Why did God decide to show Himself through the weather, yet not bring them back to us?

*Why THESE 3?

*WHY????????

Yet, even though I have these questions.....I KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is in control. HE is still sovereign. HE does NOT love us any less. HE is STILL a God of miracles. HE has a reason for all of this. Do I understand Him?? no. not at all. BUT. I know my God is TRUSTWORTHY. He knows everything. He sees and knows more than I ever could....And I claim Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a HOPE and a future! I cling to that. I also know that God has granted us the privilege to walk down this road. To suffer and grieve. To know a small picture of the suffering of our Lord. To be given the opportunity to sharpen and refine my faith...to be refined by the fire!

I also know that I am called to PRAISE THE LORD. I keep coming back to that. I have had some sweet times of worship with my Jesus in the last 2 days....and what He continues to show me is PRAISE. No matter what our circumstances may look like, HE is still God and HE is still worthy of my praise and worship! In every season of my life, no matter what the storm ahead may look like, no matter if He hasn't answered my prayers in exactly the way I wanted - I CHOOSE TO PRAISE HIM. Is it easy????? hell no. Do I want to?? sometimes. but not always. BUT. BUT. BUT......

I also keep thinking about what Anth would've wanted...and he has left us an incredible legacy! His life has set the bar for what it means to serve, to be joyful, to go beyond yourself, to live life to the fullest no matter what the cost!! What a high calling! What a great thing to aspire to! We can honor his life by living like him. Anyone remember when he would talk about his tombstone testimony??? The first thing he would want is that he is a LOVER OF JESUS CHRIST! Everything else he did stemmed from that! Everything!

I'm sure I will be processing more on here...BUT - if you are still praying...FIRST - thank God for the amazing lives these three lived. Thank God for the opportunity to know them. Thank God for being God. And pray. Pray that God will be SO incredibly glorified through their lives. Pray against the devil getting in the way of the message that is THIER LIVES! Pray that as we grieve, we will continue to praise. Pray.

*songs that I've been listening to....Desert Song (Hillsong) and Praise You in the Storm (Casting Crowns)

Word of God Speak...

Thank you so much to everyone who has been messaging me with Scripture...It's about the only thing that calms my mind and brings me peace. SO. I thought I would post some of those things there....maybe they can comfort all of us...

Romans 5:1-5: Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance' and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Psalm 121:1-3. "I lift my eyes up to the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from You, Maker of heaven, Creator of the earth. May he not allow your foot to slip. He who protects never sleeps."

Isaiah 43:10-13 "You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he, before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed - I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses, "declares the Lord, "that I am God. Yes, from the ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?

Psalm 9:10 - "Those who know your name will trust in you, for you Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."

Psalm 3: 3-7 - "But you O Lord are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain. I lay down and slept, yet I woke in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side. Arise O Lord! Rescue me, my God!"

Psalm 91:14-16 - "Because He loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer hi,; I will be with him in trouble, I will dieliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Psalm 31: O Lord, I have come to you for protection; don't let me be disgraced. Save me ,for you do what is right. Turn your ear to listen to me; rescue me quickly. Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe. You are my rock and my fortress. For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger. Pul me from the trap my enemies set for me, for I find protection in you alone. I entrust my spirit into your hand. Rescue me Lord, for you are a faithful God. I hate those who worship worthless idols. I TRUST IN THE LORD. I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish in my soul. You have not handed me over to my enemies but you have set me in a safe place. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress. Tears blur my eyes. My body and soul are withering away. I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness. Sin has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within.....BUT I AM TRUSTING YOU, O LORD saying YOU ARE MY GOD! My future (Anthony and Katie's future) is in your hands! Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly. Let your favor shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me....How great is the goodness You have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. You hide them in the shelter of your presence...Praise the Lord, for He has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack. In panic I cried out, "I am cut off from the Lord!" But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help. Love the Lord, all you godly ones! For the Lord protects those who are loyal to Him, but he harshly punishes the arrogant. SO BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS, ALL YOU WHO HOPE IN THE LORD!

2 Chronicles 20! The battle is the Lords! Sing and praise Him for His holy splendor!

Psalm 27 (assorted verses) The Lord is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?...The one thing I ask of the Lord - the thing I seek most- is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord's perfections and meditating in his temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he wil hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock...Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me! My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me." And my heart responds, "Lord, I am coming."...You have always been my helper. Don't leave me now, don't abandon me, God of y salvation!...Teach me how to live O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me....Yet I am confident that I will see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living! Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Isaiah 40 (assorted verses) - Look up into the heavens. Who created the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single on is missing....Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives the power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Romans 12:12 - Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying!

Psalm 139 (various verses)

O Lord you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I'm far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride on the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me and the light around me to become night - but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to you. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous - how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed...

2 Corinthians 4: 7-12

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves! We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the LIFE of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we life in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you!

Habakkuk 3: 17-19

Even though fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD! I WILL BE JOYFUL IN THE GOD OF MY SALVATION! THE SOVEREIGN LORD IS MY STRENGTH! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.

Clinging to Hope

It's hard to bring my fingers to even type...I don't now if I can even can think of what to say.

Hope. The only thing we can hope in...Jesus Christ. Hoping in Him does not disappoint.

Chris and I were talking last night...just about all of the possible outcomes of this situation...and where we were at with all of this. 1) Anthony and Katie come off that mountain alive...2)Either Katie or Anthony come off alive - but not both...3)They find them, but they are with Jesus...4)they never find them.

I'm trying to muster the courage to come to the Lord with all of these situations - and be at peace with whatever God decides. But it's hard. Selfishly, I only want option one. On my own, I can't handle the other options. BUT. I need to be ready for anything.

HOWEVER. I continue to cling to HOPE! My God is bigger than ANYTHING!! Any mountain, any weather system, any doctor's idea of how long they can survive. VICTORY IS IN MY JESUS!

Thank you SO much for all of your prayers, words of encouragement, scripture...you have blessed us more than you will ever know.

*Lord, give me the courage to face ANY outcome....fill my heart with a peace that can only come from YOU! I know You have control and You know what you're doing...but I don't understand! Help me trust.

This feels like a dream....

I am sitting here at Timberline Lodge...waiting. And waiting. And praying. And praying. For those of you not updated by Facebook, Chris' cousin and best friend Anthony is somewhere on Mount Hood. He went up with 2 friends - Luke and Katie. Yesterday, they found Luke's body...His family is here with us. Anthony and Katie are still up there somewhere. There will be air support sometime today, but no on foot searching because of avalanche danger.

i feel like i'm in a dream and i should be waking up any second

i'll be home, and anthony will be making some crazy concoction in the kitchen and asking if i want an espresso...this isn't real...

BUT. This is what I KNOW. 1. We serve a God who is bigger than a mountain. He is bigger than the weather. He is bigger than any scenario we can imagine. He has the power over everything. And He has a plan and He knows what He is doing.. 2. There are people around the WORLD praying. It's been so incredible to watch the body of Christ to what it was created to do. The power of prayer can move mountains! 3. Anthony knows what he is doing. He is a very capable climber, and if anyone can walk of that mountain, it's him. 4. The people in charge of the Search and Rescue know what they are doing. They know this mountain.

I hate this waiting.......if you are praying, pray for clear weather today. Pray hard. I have a hard time believing that God is done with Anthony's life...but - no matter what happens, God is sovereign and His ways are perfect..

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Well, feel like Christmas anyway...here's to hoping the snow will come!!

I really enjoy the holiday season - from Thanksgiving all the way till the New Year. I like the cold, crisp weather, the beautiful decorations, the lights, the food, and most of all the friends and family. The other day, I was having a super bad morning...just one of those grumpy, don't-talk-to-me mornings...and a cup of Christmas cheer (aka Starbucks Christmas Blend), a little prayer, some Christmas songs, and a slight dusting of snow turned my morning around. Thank you Jesus!

I'm pretty excited because....I'm gonna try my hand @ making some of my own Christmas ornaments this year! I'm not going to totally do away with the ones that I have, but I have been wanting to re-vamp my tree for the last couple years - and buying more ornaments is definitely NOT on the list. A good friend of mine (thanks Michelle!) gave me a magazine and I got some great ideas that I can't wait to try!! If it's successful and I like them, I'll post some pictures! Should be pretty fun!

Well, I should go to bed...only 2 more weeks till Christmas break!! YAY!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so incredibly bad at this blogging thing....if there are any of you still reading...

I am consistently amazed at how my God blesses me and amazes me! As Thanksgiving comes upon me, I am enjoying reflecting on the Savior's goodness...everything that I have is because of HIM!

First and foremost, I have a Father who loves me beyond explanation or understanding no matter what! Even when I am not the most loving or faithful daughter, He is right there. PRAISE JESUS! He has blessed me with SO many things that I do not deserve...a husband who loves me for exactly who I am, yet still encourages me to be better...a mom and dad that would walk over water for me and who continuously love and support me...a sister who has the most tender heart towards me, and towards the world (plus she married a pretty freaking awesome guy!)...a beautiful niece that reminds me how precious life is...aunts and uncles who have been in my life since day 1 and love me like their own kids...my husband's family who has taken me in as a daughter and a sister, not just the "in-law"...my wonderful, amazing friends - friends who have known me my whole life and STILL love me and friends that I have met over the years and treasure in my heart...the amazing adults in my life that have counseled and mentored me...the a church body that is indescribable - I never knew that church could be like this...a home that we've had the chance to dig in and remodel...a job...

The list could go on forever and ever...

I hope you all have a wonderful time with your families tomorrow - and remember...everything you have is because of CHRIST!

Desert Song

We sang this song at church today...it was the first time I've heard it and WOW. Spoke to my heart! Here are the lyrics! If you want to see the video and an amazing story behind this song click on this link: Desert Song by Hillsong

This is my prayer in the desert

And all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

Verse 2:
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

Chorus:
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain

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

Verse 3:
And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

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

Verse 4:
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be empited again
The seed I've recieved I will sow

Spiritual Gifts

Yikes! Time flies by SO quickly...I can't believe it's almost the end of October...Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner! Not a whole lot of goings on in the Preiss household. I am enjoying loving on my niece :) Life is such a precious gift! Also, Chris and I are helping lead the Middle School youth ministry at our church. It's been a lot of fun! And God is doing some great things! We are also delving in to our High School girls and guys groups...reading Every Young Woman's/Man's Battle and having some AMAZING conversation! It has only re-iterated the fact that our personal stories have value and can speak into other's lives! Very cool.

BUT...what's really been on my mind lately (thanks to a dear friend of mine) is spiritual gifts. What exactly are my spiritual gifts and am I using them completely to glorify God? Just because I'm decent at something and I am doing a lot of it, does that mean that it is my spiritual gift? Or do I just like to do it? For example...teaching. Is it a spiritual gift or is it something that I just happen to do because I like to do it? Or playing music. Is there anything I'm missing? Is there a God given something in me that I'm not using for Him?

Those are some of the thoughts running through my random brain...Any thoughts from you readers (if any of you exist) would be welcomed!

Thanks for reading and putting up with my blabber :)

Patience....

These last few weeks have been a huge test in my patience. One aspect of my work has been SUPER frustrating...And the worst part has been that it is all stuff that is out of my control. I just have to be PATIENT. For those of you who know me well, patience isn't exactly my strongest suit. :) Needless to say, I've had to find some QUICKLY before I go strangle someone. Why is working with adults so freaking difficult??????? Why can't people just communicate?????????? Ugh. BUT, I am hoping that today is a turning point! Let's hope.

Well, I don't really have anything amazing and profound to say today. But, God is good. He is always good. Even when I'm not. When all else fails, HE is constant. THANK YOU LORD!

Let the Craziness Commence!

I'm sitting here, about to fall asleep, munching on Olive Oil/Cracked Pepper Triscuits trying to stay awake...If it's possible, life is about to get just a little crazier! BAH! Don't get me wrong, it's all stuff I'm excited about. I just hope I have a chance to breathe :)

Chris' brother was here this weekend and it was really great to see him. He and his wife moved to Italy this summer...we have missed having them around. This coming weekend, Chris' aunt and uncle are coming all the way from Montana! I am super excited to see them and catch up on life. They are an amazing couple who truly love people and love the Lord! Such an encouragement!

Also, this week marks the beginning of a new start for our church's youth group. Up until now, we have had middle/high schoolers together every week. Starting on Tuesday, they are split up! I still have mixed feelings about the split, but God knows what He's doing and He has given us an amazing youth pastor that I completely trust. Chris and I, along with 2 other couples, are leading the middle schoolers. So, if you get a chance, pray for patience :)

A good friend and I are also starting up our high school girls small group this week. This is probably one of the highlights of my week. And I am SO stoked for what we are going to be studying. I love being with the girls, building relationships, loving them, and pushing each other closer to Christ.

It is so easy when we are busy to miss out on life. It's happening all around us and when we are busy we don't take the chance to notice. It's my hope and goal that in this busy season, I continue to take time first for Christ, for my husband, for my family, for my friends, and for me. That I take the chance to notice all the life that is happening and ENJOY it. That I don't get caught up in just the DOING. But that in all of these things, it is about more than just doing them...I desire to glorify my Savior in all of these activities! SO. Here is to a busy season. Lord, may you be glorified in everything!

Ladedadeda.....

Compared to the last time I posted, this week has been relatively SLOW....I have to wait for these specific test results....and the waiting is definitely testing my patience! Those of you who know me well are aware - I'm not the patient, wait around type. I'm a "get it done" girl. So, even at work, the Lord is teaching me how to be more like Him.

I've been looking around, and already trees are changing and leaves are falling, and I'm resisting with everything in me! Don't get me wrong, I like fall. The cool, crisp air...sweaters and scarves...the beautiful trees....extra hot coffee....the start of a new season of The Office...But the start of fall also brings the end of summer.

This summer is the first time I've really had a summer "off." Either I've been in school, or working at Trout Creek. I still did a few camps this summer, but neither of them were "work." Both were such a blessing. I've had a chance this summer to learn new things, meet new people, get to know some people better, try new recipes and just basically chill out. It has been an incredible summer full of so many blessings and I'm not quite ready for it to end!! Oh well...new season, new opportunities, right? Lord, help me to notice and take advantage of those opportunities!!

On a different note, something has been weighing heavy on my heart, and I know on the hearts of so many people this week. Last weekend, Ron Ringbom drowned on the Columbia River. His oldest son was with him at the time. He left behind a wife and 3 children. He was a believer (praise God!), but it is still heavy on my heart. I can't even imagine being in those shoes...no warning, no chance to say goodbye. He's just gone. Wow. So I implore you...if you read my blog, PLEASE take just a minute and pray for the Ringbom family. For some peace in the midst of all of this. That they would turn TO God, not away from Him. I know God is a good God...and that everything has a purpose and is in His plan, but I just don't understand His ways sometimes.

Anyway. Please take some time and devote it to praying for this family, whether you know them or not. Hug your loved ones and tell them how important they are to you. Show them you love them, because you'll never know what tomorrow will hold.

YIKES!!

It's been a while since I've posted...sorry :( Life has been incredibly, incredibly busy! My new job is in full swing and it is good...but INSANE! There is SO much random information floating about in my brain, and I don't know what to do with all of it yet. Hopefully in a week or two, the air will clear, by head will feel like there is room in it again, and I will be able to breathe.

If there is one thing I've been reflecting on recently, it's the incredible goodness of my Savior. Sometimes, I can get so easily caught up in the American culture of MORE and BETTER...when really, my God has given me SO much NOW. I have an amazing husband who loves me. I have a home. I have a wonderful, loving, supportive family. I have a church body that is such an incredible gift to me. I have a job. I am healthy. It is so easy to just keep pressing forward and looking for the "next thing." When really, all I have to do is stop, take a deep breath, and praise my Lord and Savior for the HERE and NOW. Delight myself in my Redeemer, in His incredible love and faithfulness. Be content. Love. These are the thoughts floating through my busy brain.

SO, if you have a second, take a breath with me. Ponder all of the AMAZING blessings in your life. I guarantee that, even if life looks tough and intimidating right now, you can find something that is an amazing gift! God is SO good...and that doesn't even begin to cover it :)

Bittersweet Weekend

This weekend, Chris and I drove up to Seattle to spend the weekend with some dear friends of ours. We hot tubbed, built a bonfire, ate s'mores, wandered Pikes and the Seattle waterfront...and just basically had an awesome time! The weather couldn't have been more perfect! Also, I think we made it into a few tourist pictures :)

Are you starting to wonder where the "bitter" part of the weekend was? Well, it was partly the hole in our air mattress :) I woke up to a "whooshing" sound...I thought it was the air mattress, but it really was just the sprinklers. BUT, when we woke up, we were just a bit closer to the ground then when we started...it seems Chris and I are cursed when it comes to air mattresses. Although this was a sad event, there is an event that pulls at my heartstrings more.

As some of you know, our dear friend Nathan Danger joined the Army around Christmas time...He went through basic and has been back in the area. It has been SO good to have him around again! But, here in a little bit, Nate gets shipped out to serve his country. This weekend was our "see ya later" weekend with him....So, if any of you hear any news about the war, see a soldier, think about the Middle East - PLEASE take a minute to pray for our friend. Pray for his safety - physically, mentally, and spiritually. Pray that our Lord will use him in mighty ways while he is gone. Pray that he grows in the Lord.

So, Nate - we love you. Thank you for serving our country. We will be thinking about you and praying for you. We miss you. And we look forward to seeing you when you return. Love you man!

Too Much!! Too Much!!

So, I've been in training for the last few days. My brain is SCREAMING at me! Looking at data, analyzing the data, setting realistic goals based on the data...did I mention data?? My brain is ready for a break. Although, there were some things that really made me excited to start the school year. Which is good...because I haven't been too excited yet.

We did this really spiffy activity at one of my schools called True Colors. I'll post more on it later when I have the info in front of me. But it was REALLY interesting! Basically, there are five colors and everyone has parts of all of them, but some colors are WAY brighter than others. This activity was designed to help us figure out which color/s were more dominant in us and then how to work with the other colors! It was really fun and super interesting. Like I said, I'll post more on each color later...then maybe you can guess my color ranking..oohh....that would be fun :)

Ok. Now it's time for breakfast before I head off to more training! Hopefully there's not as much data today!! :)

Kiteboarding!

Today, on this beautiful Sunday, Chris and I rode the motorcycle down to Willow Grove. (a local beach on the Columbia River for those of you out of towners!) Chris' cousin Steve lent us a kiteboarding trainer! We were looking for some consistent wind - and we found it! It was the CRAZIEST thing! SOOOOOO much fun... It definitely gave my arms a workout. It was SO nuts how strong the pull of the kite was. There were a few times that I thought it was going to pull me right into the air! BUT - I only crashed it once! YAY!! Thank you Lord for an amazing Sunday worshipping you and enjoying your creation!

Tomorrow starts training for my new job...dum dum dum....

Here are some pics from our day with the kite! Sorry if the quality is poor...we only had our iPhone...

A Picture is Worth...

These are all pictures I've taken in the last year or so...

First Post!!

So, this begins my attempt at blogging! I don't know if I will be consistent or not...but I'm gonna give it a whirl! Be on the lookout for stories about my students this year, pictures I've taken, random stories, etc. My life right now consists of....being an AUNTIE! My little sister had a baby...Taylor Renee! She is completely adorable and a little snugglebug!

I'm also getting ready for my new job! I'll be working at 2 different schools helping students get to grade level. As with any new job, I'm a combination of nervous and excited! School starts in 2 weeks!! I am SO not ready. Ugh.

So here I am, enjoying the last few weeks of summer. This summer, I've learned to wakeboard, I've gotten TAN, I've met new people, I've played a plethora of fun games, I've learned how to play penochle, and I've become an auntie! Just to name a few things...

And away we go!!!!!!