home is where the heart is...

Words cannot express how much I loved our vacation in Maine. I loved the beautiful coast, the beautiful weather, spending time with my WHOLE family, showing Chris where I grew up...and I could go on all day long! I know the Lord has placed Chris and I in NC and I am more than satisfied to live in such a great place but I do have a special place in my heart for Midcoast Maine. I already look forward to visiting again next summer. Pictures can describe the trip better than words so here you go!

We had a great weekend, mostly spent at the ball field! Chris had a tournament all day in Huntersville on Saturday. It was a HOT Saturday but we had fun anyways. They ended up going 3-1 and came in 3rd place but might have won it all had it not gotten rained out! Yesterday (Sunday) we went to church and both really enjoyed hearing Josh Hill preach! He keeps getting better and better every time he preaches. We had a nice lunch with some friends, grocery shopped, and then spent a lazy afternoon at home enjoying watching the storms. I beat Chris for the first time EVER in rummy, it was great! Pure luck, but still great :)

We leave Thursday for Maine, I am SOOOO excited! I can almost smell the ocean already!!! I am just praying that God will give up safety and just make the trip fly by! It shouldn't be too bad since we're breaking it up into 3 days but it's still a long time to be in the car. If you think of it, say a quick prayer for us!

Sweeter than chocolate...

This summer I'm doing a Bible Study on Psalm 119 called Sweeter Than Chocolate. I am only on the first week and it's been SO great already. The psalmist just wants more than anything to be righteous and follow the law of the Lord. It is his delight and his only happiness! We learned this past week that the word "blessed" in the first stanza of the psalm is literally translated "happy happy"! Nothing makes the psalmist more happy (happy!) than to follow the Lord and his commandments. It has really made me ponder what makes me happy and what I value. I think I so often find happiness in things like family, friends, being successful at my job, etc. that I forgot that happiness really comes from living a life that honors the Lord. Talk about conviction! So often I "wander" from the Lord's commandments and don't even realize I'm doing it. Thank goodness that we serve such a forgiving Lord! I am looking forward to the next 6 weeks of Bible study...I've only read vs 1-16 so far and have already been blessed! Did you know that Psalm 119 is the longest book in the Bible with 176 verses! I have a long way to go :)

"How can a young man keep his way pure ? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You."
~Psalm 119:9-11

It's been a while since I blogged...so I figured it was about time. I don't really have much to say though, life's been just the same ole' same ole' lately. We had a nice 4th of July weekend, did lots of relaxing! It's always hard to come back to work after a long weekend. I am SO excited for our trip to Maine in a few weeks, it's been a while since I had a week in Owls Head! Here are some things I'm looking most forward to:

~quality family time~
~early mornings on the beach~
~LOBSTER~
~seeing old friends~
~meeting baby Daniel!~
~walking the breakwater~
~the rocky shoreline~
~hiking in the Camden Hills~
~the Smiling Cow~
~the slow pace of vacation~
~Dormans ice cream~
~The Brown Bag~
~did I mention family time?!?~
~and most of all, introducing Chris to my favorite plan on earth!~

hurry up and slow down...

It's funny: sometimes life can't move fast enough...but sometimes I just wish life would slow down. It's like I'm always waiting for something to happen. You know how it goes, you can't wait to [fill in the blank, i.e., go to college, get married, etc.] but when that waiting is over you just start waiting for something else! But lately, I just wish things would slow down. I get tired of being tired. The weekend that Chris and I spent at the beach was just what I needed...rest and relaxation! I've been learning a lot lately. One of the big lessons is that I need to be content with where God has put me and make the most of it. God always brings things into life at just the right time, you would think that I would have learned that lesson by now! But, faith is a daily journey...so for now, I'm just trying to hurry up and slow down (and wait for God!).

a year...already?!?!?

So on Sunday, I will have been married to my best friend for a year already! It's crazy how fast time flies! Married life has been wonderful...we have our struggles like everyone else (I'm a typical emotional girl, he's a guy and doesn't get it...). But, it has been an amazing year. We have already been through a lot since being married- buying a house, raising two dogs :), transitioning between churches, struggles with both our grandparent's health, and so much more. We've had to learn how to respond to either other's needs....or should we say Chris has had to learn how to respond to my ever changing moods! But, it's really been a great year.
We are heading to the beach tomorrow to celebrate...I CAN'T WAIT!!!! But the big question is...to eat our wedding cake? or not to eat our wedding cake?? hahah...I think I'm going to at least try it, it can't be too bad, it was frozen right?? However, I'm pretty certain that my very picky about food husband will not eat it ;)

Nonni update...

I went home this past weekend to visit Nonni. Seeing her lying in a hospital bed was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. My whole life I've only known my grandmother to be so full of life and energy! But, that also gives me hope because I know she's a fighter. She has been thought A LOT this past month and is doing incredible given the circumstances. We can only hope that some of her tubes will start to come out and slowly but surely she will start to heal. Today, for the first time in weeks, she breathed on her own for over 24 hours. It exhausts her but hopefully it also gives her encouragement that she is on the road to recovery. When I was with her, the hardest part was seeing her in pain and frustration. It breaks my heart to see her hurting. But, there were also moments when she would smile...my favorite moment was when Devon came in the room and her face just lit us. She didn't know he was coming and she loved the surprise. I thought she was going to pull him right onto the bed with her! It brought me to tears to watch my 12 year old nephew stand next to her bed and hold her hand.
I know that Nonni is safely in the Lord's hands. He has a plan and it's greater than what any of us can hope of imagine. It's hard to see her suffer and in pain but I do know that there is a reason. Please continue to pray for Nonni's healing and for my family and it's been emotionally exhausting.