Year 1 In Pictures

Beth and Holly can out for a visit for my birthday in October. I was so happy to have them! I kept them busy with all the tourist attractions. We went to the City Museum,

The Chocolate Bar,

Forest Park, The Arch, the zoo, and my favorite restaurants. I was hoping they would fall in love with St. Louis and move out here.

Grandad past away in October, but not before giving his life to Christ. What a blessing in disguise. We have so many good memories with him. My favorite being Hat Parties. The top picture is the last party I had with Grandad before moving to St. Louis. The bottom picture is the grandchilden's Hat Party at his funeral. Virginia just won't be the same without him.

We threw a pumpkin Carving Party at our house in October. We had smores, popcorn, "Jippy Joy Juice"(My mom's recipe), and homemade Hot Chocolate (Patrick's mom's recipe). We hope to make this an annual event.

We had a work Halloween Party. We were Dog and Beth the Bounty Hunters.

Patrick's parents came out to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. His mom and I worked together to make a pretty nice feast. Notice the snow in the background of this picture.

We visited the botanical gardens,

The Arch, and the zoo.

We got to go home for Christmas! However, I had to decorate still to keep me in the mood for the season till we got to go. Our place decorated for Christmas.

Budweiser Tour with our friends Anna Marie and Taylor

Winter consisted of snow....snow...a.nd...more snow. It started Thanksgiving day and there was snow on the ground through spring break. It took some getting use to for these southern people and their dog.

My good friend Laura Stiffler is expecting her first at the end of June. We love to get together and do crafts. She had the desire to make baby Quinton some appliqued onesies and she needed my "skills" and machine to do so. We enjoyed learning the process together thanks to Holly Seeby's detailed instructions and sewing lessons. We made 6 appliqued onesies and Laura learned to sew in the process. Go to Laura's blog to see all the onesies. I now have a good relationship with my machine and would like to take it to the next level.

In April we celebrated Patrick's 26th Birthday with an ice cream party. He's not really much of a cake man but he sure does love ice cream.

The above picture is what I saw in my head when I snapped the below picture of Patrick while he was planting our garden. I guess I remembered it a little differently. It still was humorous to me.

In April we planted a garden. We decided to plant the produce we buy on every grocery trip in an attempt to save money and have some fun. We planted green beans, tomatoes, peppers, onions, lettuce, cilantro, and potatoes. We later discovered our plot is too close to a tree. You can see the trunk in the upper left hand corner of the picture below. Therefore, we have had too move a good bit of the plants to pots on our patio in order for them to get enough sun. However, we have already enjoyed our lettuce and cilantro on many occasions. We are looking forward to many more fruits to come.

Finally done with exams and able to enjoy our first hike in Missouri. We went to Meramec State Park. The top picture is Daisy and I by the meramec river. The bottom pic. is Patrick in the cool cave just off the trail. Unfortunately the ticks are bad out here. We brought 7 home with us.

It's been a great first year!

Year 1

Well, our first year of seminary is over! It's a bitter sweet time. Bitter, because friends are leaving. Friends we have known for only a year yet grown so close to. And, our friends Laura and Walter whom we have known for 9 years. We owe them a lot for showing us the ropes out here. They will be greatly missed. Sweet, because we are one year closer to being finished. In one year of seminary we/ I have learned a lot!





Coming out here I knew it was going to be a joint effort. I know Patrick pursuing a lifetime of ministry means I am as well. However, I thought Patrick would being going through the majority of learning. He has worked hard and learned a lot and I will get to that later. Right now I want to share with you what God has taught me this year.





I can't tell you the exact day I became a Christian. I know I am a Christian because each chapter in my life is written based on some new discovery of why I need Christ's grace. This chapter in life has been hard, but a good hard. Recently I discovered how ugly my heart is. I realize that I appear to be nice however, I am bitter and angry on the inside. I am putting on a front for people. When GOD is the one whom I should impress and he judges my heart.





Colossians 3:22-24 -Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.





Galatians 1:10- For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of god? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.





1 Samuel 16:7-For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”





It is great to have my eyes opened to this sin. The hard part is overcoming it. I see the sin now and I feel ugly. I feel like it is who I am. However, I read the word God's word and find encouragement.





Romans 7:18-24-For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.


2 Corinthians 5:17-Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.





I choose to serve Christ. I have been serving man. I can not serve two Gods. I am awakened everyday to the corruption of the world and I am so thankful that I am but a sojourner here. My reward is in heaven and Christ forgives all my sins. He sees a heart white as snow. This has been a hard but great discovery.





Now, on to Patrick. I don't say it enough, I am so thankful for my husband and proud of the godly man that he is! See he is the only one that really sees/ gets the brunt of what I described above (I am real with him/ he sees my heart) and yet he still loves me. What a great example to me of Christ's love for me. I have seen him work so hard into the late hours every night this semester. He has been tired, discouraged, over whelmed. Through all that he has made it a point to not put our marriage on the back burner. We just celebrated five years of marriage. I also just finished reading the book Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas. Some of us first year seminary wives started meeting and wanted to find a way to help our husbands though this hard time. I recommend this book to any woman married or planing to get married one day. After reading it I feel like I ruined/ wasted the first five years of my marriage. I am still making mistakes daily but I have learned so much, I now know when I am making mistakes, and that's a start. Something I have learned for example, I really thought Patrick was from Mars. I wondered why God would put two people so different together. I just couldn't figure this marriage thing out I felt like I couldn't get through to him and was always falling short. This book is just what every nagging wife needs.





So we/ I have learned a lot this first year. Still not sure where we are going to be in three years. However, we are sure that this is where we are suppose to be for now. Looking forward to learning more!





Lots of pictures from this year to come!

Held

As I walk out on my back patio this morning to enjoy the beautiful weather and spend some time in the word, I see a robin fly away from my house and land on the fence near by. I look up at my house to see it's nest above my patio door. I opened up my bible and began reading in 2 Corinthians. This little bird watched me the whole time staying close by. It went from the fence, to the grass, to the roof above the nest, to the power line beside the nest, then finally it returned to the nest covering it's eggs with it's wings. I just closed my bible and laughed enjoying what was taking place. Taking the time to marvel at creation. Then I thought about the illustration God was placing before me of what I had just read. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not drive to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; stuck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our bodies. Just as the mama bird was always there watching her nest God is always watching over us. Sometimes it may feel like he's sitting on the fence, distant. He's protecting us. However, it's in those times where he seems far that we learn the most. If it weren't for the hard times, we wouldn't appreciate the good. It's at those times when we get to the point of feeling crushed, despair, forsaken, destroyed that God swoops in and covers us with his wings. I love that song "Held" by Natalie Grant it brings me to tears every time I hear it because it is so true. God didn't promise it would be easy but, we can rest assured we are always held.

His Grace is Sufficent for ME!

Recently a began praying that God would show me my sins more so I can understand his grace more. I have always heard not to develop a root of bitterness. However, somehow I have developed anger that I hold in (aka:bitterness). I realized that this problem stemmed from the fact that I put up this nice facade and don't voice how I feel or my opinion and therefore, end up letting people walk all over me. Don't get me wrong, at times I have no problem talking about problems behind peoples backs. I just can't tell them face to face. Why? When I am passionate or angry about something I get emotional and cry, and Satan has uses that knot in my throat to keep me from talking about issues that need to be brought up. So, did you catch all that baggage/ sin.

A new great friend of mine (counseling major, that God placed in my life) helped me to see these issues at hand and the freedom of being real. Oh, how I need HIM! I need him to help me get rid of this root and speak up. In what ways do you need God's grace?

2 Corinthians 2:15

For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing

I have always said I HATE MONEY!

Beth and Garrett invited Patrick and I to join them in Chicago (since it's close to us) on their vacation. Truth is I could care less about the city I just want to see my sister. I had high hopes of setting aside $10 per pay check so that we could go come May. However, I have to accept the fact that we don't have $10 extra dollars at the end of the month. We barely have the money to pay the bills. Most of the time we are buying groceries on credit. It makes me cringe when I had the cashier a credit card. I don't know what else to do. We are hoping to get money back from our taxes to pay it off.

If it were up to me we would be in SC all the time (I wouldn't have left). I miss our family and friends so much. However, after visiting at Christmas we got behind on the bills (since I had to take time off) and we had to borrow money from my parents. That made me cringe as well.

Up until a month ago we were living off my measly pay check alone. Patrick had a job for a while but he was being worked all weekend, every weekend, and therefore, was failing Greek. He was miserable so I told him to quit. With all the snow Patrick discovered he could earn a little extra money scraping sidewalks around our place. He also recently trained for a job washing windows with a company owned by a former Covenant student. This company will work around his schedule. I just hope we can figure out the transportation situation (we currently only have one car and a scooter).

I am trying to do all I can to earn more money at my job. I am working on my day off, when they ask. I also recently got accepted to the companies CDA program which means I will be doing school online starting March 15. At the end of the year my pay will increase 5% and I will have another degree recognized nation wide.

I thought about another job on the weekends. However, I work ten hour days. It's dark when I go in and dark when I get off. I am drained at the end of the week. And, I am not sure what to expect homework wise with this degree. I hate having no spending money for hobbies or outings. I haven't scrapbooked since we have been here because I am out of all sticky tapes and I just can't see spending money on that. I have used all the beads I have to make anything good so I haven't made jewelry since January. I finally have a good relationship with my sewing machine. However, no fabric to sew.

The biggest thing of all that kills me about having no extra money: I WANT TO START A FAMILY. I have wanted to start a family for three years now. Things just keep coming up that put it off. Money being the main thing. I am surrounded by great mothers here. I work with babies daily. I feel like it is being rubbed in my face that I can't be a mom yet (thanks Satan).

So here is how I feel today. I knew this life would be tough. I am glad I have a loving husband that helps me laugh through it. I try to remind myself daily that I don't really know what poor is. I am wealthy compared to most people in the world. As I have said I have begun reading through the bible. I just finished 1 Corinthians. The other day as I went to spend my break with God these things were overwhelming me so, I was just going to pray. However, I decided just to start 2 Corinthians. I read 1:1-11 and I was so encouraged. Please read it. I don't think it was by chance that I read that. God knew I needed it. My prayer is for patience, providence, comfort, and hope. I ask that you pray for us in that way too. Thanks for reading my pitty party. I just had to be honest with what is constantly haunting me, which I hate.

Surprise Valentine Date on a Seminary Budget

New Ray Lamontagne music playing on the way to dinner at CHICKFILA! That's right, I was excited about this surprise. You see out here, we have only been to Chickfila once (and it's my favorite fast food place). Why? Because our only Chickfila is in a mall far from us. Little did I know patrick had saved the bulletins for free sandwiches.

After Chickfila we went to Starbucks to enjoy some coffee (another favorite of mine) and great conversation. I just love talking to him! It wasn't until we were on our way home that it hit me. We went to Chickfila not because I am always begging to go and never get my way. No, we went to Chickfila because we spent our first Valentine's Day together at Chickfila back in college with our bulletins getting our free sandwiches (a few days later we were a couple). Some things never change. I LOVE YOU PATRICK!

So, I gave up on this blog thing back in what, October. I decided, yeah, blogging is just not for me. People asked me to do it and I gave it a chance. However, now, I have reconsidered. I will try one more time. I do have a strong desire to share what is going on in our lives. God is doing some amazing things and I want to give Him the glory. But, don't expect me to be one of those daily bloggers. I'll be doing good if I blog once a week (don't even know if it will happen that much).

Where do I begin? There is so much to tell. Bullets maybe?

*We have gotten snow, snow, ice, sleet, and more snow. I seriously haven't seen the ground without snow since before Christmas. Unfortunately, life goes on in MO when it snows, I still have to work. If it weren't for Patrick's mom buying us tires for Christmas we would have a totaled our car by now. She gives so graciously to us. I don't know what we would do without her. We don't tell her enough how much we appreciate her. She is such a blessing!

*We have found an amazing church with an amazing 20/30's ministry. I am so happy to belong to a body of Christ here.

*I left an awesome group of ladies back home, a small group setting like no other. However, here I have a couple of different groups like that. Patrick and I discovered the other night yes we miss our friends and family back home but, out here we have more friends and family in Christ then we ever had in SC. What a great communities we are surrounded with.

*Like I've said before, I make goals for myself each year and pray over them. Over Christmas break I was encouraged by my mom and answered prayers I had prayed for her. She loves to read. I remember growing up that she would always read her bible before going to bed. The past few years I had seen this routine replaced with other books and I could see the effects in her walk. I began to pray that she would get back to this routine. Since being out here I have been encouraged by many things my mom has done for me and said to me. I found out that she read through the bible once again this past year. I was so encouraged I made that goal for myself. God has blessed me with an hour lunch break and a quiet secluded room at work where I can go each day and get my daily bread. Oh, how I need and crave this time!

So, my bullets are getting long. Sorry, I don't want to leave anything out.

*So, we were so worried that Patrick was going to fail Greek. However, he passed the first class with a B and his, two week, Jan term class with an A. If he was graded on effort he would have gotten an A in both classes. He is working so hard, and yet not neglecting me or our household.
He preaches his first sermon Monday! I am amazed at Christ working in him.

*I live in fear that one day I will wake up and my job will really be, just a dream job. I love what I do! The only down side is the pay. I am willing to make less for my sanity, Patrick feels differently. I had considered getting a masters in educational ministries along side Patrick. However, my boss told me that I could earn my CDA (Child Development Associates) recognized nation wide for free, online, through my job, in one year, and get a 5% raise. I start in March.

*So, we live off little money. We went from two paychecks to 3/4 of one of the pay checks. Yes, we have scholarships, support from our church, and have taken out more loans, but that doesn't pay the bills. Money (I hate money) has been, of course, the main reason for most of our arguments. We have dabbled in raising support, but I guess not gotten serious enough about it to send out letters. Today we got a letter and a check from some friends who said God placed it on their hearts to support us each month. What a blessing and weight lifted off our shoulders.

In conclusion: God is amazing! He will meet all your needs above what you can fathom! I am sure I have missed a blessing. I feel so blessed!