I've had the chance to relearn what the word "relax" means.
We're halfway through our week-long family beach vacation (my first instinct was to write beach holiday, UK English is still prominent in my mind sometimes) and I've realized I haven't truly relaxed, for an extended period of time, in the past two years. Maybe I've had short times of physical relaxation or mental relaxation, but never at the same time. This week I truly feel like my whole being is decompressing.
I really needed it and it feels great, so I'm going to stop writing about it and go relax some more.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The Mystery Solved
Though it's been less than a month since we've returned to Richmond from our two years in Scotland, it feels like we've crammed 8 weeks of life into the last three.
The most exciting event thus far has to be finding out that we're having a BOY!!! AND, that our little boy looks as though he is perfectly healthy and growing right on schedule.
I'm somewhere between 25 and 27 weeks along, I've been given three different due dates, so this baby will most likely make his appearance somewhere between the middle and end of November. I'm liking the ambiguity though, that way I (hopefully) won't be so anxious if the baby decides to hang out for a bit longer than my original due date of mid-November.
We even got to see our little guy in 4D! We weren't expecting it at all; all of the sudden, the technician flips a switch, and SURPRISE, there's an image on the screen of our baby that makes it seem like we're looking at him face-to-face. Technology blows my mind.
Life's pretty crazy for us for the next couple of months; this whole transitioning thing is harder than expected, and we haven't even officially begun transitioning yet since we're hopping all over the east coast until October. But overall, life is great. We're loving being back in Richmond, though we're missing Dornoch and all our friends there more than words can express. We're already making plans to for our first visit back to Scotland!
The most exciting event thus far has to be finding out that we're having a BOY!!! AND, that our little boy looks as though he is perfectly healthy and growing right on schedule.
I'm somewhere between 25 and 27 weeks along, I've been given three different due dates, so this baby will most likely make his appearance somewhere between the middle and end of November. I'm liking the ambiguity though, that way I (hopefully) won't be so anxious if the baby decides to hang out for a bit longer than my original due date of mid-November.
We even got to see our little guy in 4D! We weren't expecting it at all; all of the sudden, the technician flips a switch, and SURPRISE, there's an image on the screen of our baby that makes it seem like we're looking at him face-to-face. Technology blows my mind.
Life's pretty crazy for us for the next couple of months; this whole transitioning thing is harder than expected, and we haven't even officially begun transitioning yet since we're hopping all over the east coast until October. But overall, life is great. We're loving being back in Richmond, though we're missing Dornoch and all our friends there more than words can express. We're already making plans to for our first visit back to Scotland!
Friday, July 03, 2009
And the Ultrasound Results are...We're Having a....
Sorry for the let down, but we still don't know. Our little one just didn't feel like spreading his legs for us to get a good view of his nether regions. (I know, I know, it's probably confusing that I'm still writing "he," even though we don't know which pronoun we will be using permanently, but I'm sticking with the pronoun I chose in the beginning to make things easier. I'm not into writing "he/she" or "it" for 4 more months so until we know more, "he" it is.)
But really, the opportunity of finding out our baby's sex was the least important bit of information we could've received on Wednesday. I am so incredibly grateful for all the great news we got. During the ultrasound, the technician looked at the baby in even greater detail than she would have at a typical 20 week ultrasound. I take a medication to control epilepsy and with it comes some risk of birth defects, so they wanted to make doubly sure that everything looks ok with our baby, specifically with his heart. She didn't see any cause for alarm, and every measurement showed his growth as being right on, or even a little bit ahead of, schedule.
Still, everyday, I'm struck with how amazing it is that a baby is able to grow inside of me. What a miracle.
But really, the opportunity of finding out our baby's sex was the least important bit of information we could've received on Wednesday. I am so incredibly grateful for all the great news we got. During the ultrasound, the technician looked at the baby in even greater detail than she would have at a typical 20 week ultrasound. I take a medication to control epilepsy and with it comes some risk of birth defects, so they wanted to make doubly sure that everything looks ok with our baby, specifically with his heart. She didn't see any cause for alarm, and every measurement showed his growth as being right on, or even a little bit ahead of, schedule.
Still, everyday, I'm struck with how amazing it is that a baby is able to grow inside of me. What a miracle.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Year of the Visitor: Part 11, The Final Chapter
In keeping with my recent life tendencies, this post is overdue, but I'm getting it done nonetheless.
Six days ago we said goodbye to our last set of visitors (unless of course, we have some surprise visitors sometime in the next 16 days, which we are open to!) in Scotland: my parents and my 11 year old nephew Noah. We had an awesome time with them and got to do some sightseeing things we hadn't done yet.
It was pretty easy to say goodbye since we knew we'd see them in three weeks.
I hadn't spent that much non-stop time with my nephew in years and it was such a blast to see how he's grown and changed. He's developing quite the sense of humor and is very witty. He's also incredibly thoughtful and generous for a boy his age. He kept us laughing which made the entire trip (and especially the car rides to far-away sightseeing places) much more fun!
Pictures soon to come, for now it's back to packing.
Six days ago we said goodbye to our last set of visitors (unless of course, we have some surprise visitors sometime in the next 16 days, which we are open to!) in Scotland: my parents and my 11 year old nephew Noah. We had an awesome time with them and got to do some sightseeing things we hadn't done yet.
It was pretty easy to say goodbye since we knew we'd see them in three weeks.
I hadn't spent that much non-stop time with my nephew in years and it was such a blast to see how he's grown and changed. He's developing quite the sense of humor and is very witty. He's also incredibly thoughtful and generous for a boy his age. He kept us laughing which made the entire trip (and especially the car rides to far-away sightseeing places) much more fun!
Pictures soon to come, for now it's back to packing.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Here it comes...
The end. It's scarily close. I still can't believe we'll be moving away from Dornoch in merely a month and four days. I feel like we were just preparing for goodbyes and taking care of all the details of moving to Scotland a couple of months ago, not the couple of years ago that it was.
We talk about the logistics of moving all the time: the stuff we need to get rid of, what needs to be packed, our schedule once we get home (which is already super busy for the first 2.5 months of being there. oh yeah, and then 1 month after that we'll have a baby, so that will be a bit busy as well. a great kind of busy though!), the growing to-do list, etc. But I don't think it's hit me that we're actually, seriously, really, physically, leaving. I take that back, it started to hit me tonight.
We just got home from being treated to an awesome dinner (at Luigi's, our favorite restaurant in Dornoch which we will miss immensely) with some wonderful friends. Two couples we have had the joy and privilege of meeting and getting to know over the past two years: Valerie & Alister and Fin & Margo. They have been such an encouragement to us, more so than I think they'll ever know or than I could accurately express. Their lives are incredible testaments to God's faithfulness, they reflect his love in such vivid ways.
They showered us with beautiful gifts, handmade gifts that are both very unique and will be great reminders of our time in Dornoch. I tried to express our gratitude for the gifts as well as for their friendship, but of course the words seemed to come out in a blubbering mess that didn't amount to anything close to what I was trying to say. And it was then that I realized a few things: 1. there were some tears looming precariously on the horizon, 2. the hope is that we will visit Dornoch and see all of our friends again, but who knows what the future holds, there will probably be people we might never ever see again in this lifetime, and 3. this whole leaving business is tough work.
All things that I've known previously, but the reality of situations usually hits us slowly; a fact which I am eternally grateful for since it dramatically decreases my rate of freaking out and being overwhelmed by various events.
We are different people than when we were two years ago. Different in a good way. We've had to experience things we never would've wanted to experience, and we've also experienced things we never dreamed we'd be able to experience. We feel like we've grown as a result of those things, which makes each one of them worthwhile.
I'm rambling, but at least it's an accurate reflection of what my brain is like at the moment: a jumbled mess.
Summary: I'm so grateful, for all the people who have graciously and lovingly welcomed us to into their lives. You will all forever hold a place in our hearts.
ps. Alister and Fin are incredibly talented artists. You should definitely see some of their work: Al is a graphic design artist, and Fin is a photographer.
We talk about the logistics of moving all the time: the stuff we need to get rid of, what needs to be packed, our schedule once we get home (which is already super busy for the first 2.5 months of being there. oh yeah, and then 1 month after that we'll have a baby, so that will be a bit busy as well. a great kind of busy though!), the growing to-do list, etc. But I don't think it's hit me that we're actually, seriously, really, physically, leaving. I take that back, it started to hit me tonight.
We just got home from being treated to an awesome dinner (at Luigi's, our favorite restaurant in Dornoch which we will miss immensely) with some wonderful friends. Two couples we have had the joy and privilege of meeting and getting to know over the past two years: Valerie & Alister and Fin & Margo. They have been such an encouragement to us, more so than I think they'll ever know or than I could accurately express. Their lives are incredible testaments to God's faithfulness, they reflect his love in such vivid ways.
They showered us with beautiful gifts, handmade gifts that are both very unique and will be great reminders of our time in Dornoch. I tried to express our gratitude for the gifts as well as for their friendship, but of course the words seemed to come out in a blubbering mess that didn't amount to anything close to what I was trying to say. And it was then that I realized a few things: 1. there were some tears looming precariously on the horizon, 2. the hope is that we will visit Dornoch and see all of our friends again, but who knows what the future holds, there will probably be people we might never ever see again in this lifetime, and 3. this whole leaving business is tough work.
All things that I've known previously, but the reality of situations usually hits us slowly; a fact which I am eternally grateful for since it dramatically decreases my rate of freaking out and being overwhelmed by various events.
We are different people than when we were two years ago. Different in a good way. We've had to experience things we never would've wanted to experience, and we've also experienced things we never dreamed we'd be able to experience. We feel like we've grown as a result of those things, which makes each one of them worthwhile.
I'm rambling, but at least it's an accurate reflection of what my brain is like at the moment: a jumbled mess.
Summary: I'm so grateful, for all the people who have graciously and lovingly welcomed us to into their lives. You will all forever hold a place in our hearts.
ps. Alister and Fin are incredibly talented artists. You should definitely see some of their work: Al is a graphic design artist, and Fin is a photographer.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
a few pregnancy related items
*We heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time yesterday! It was even more amazing than I expected.
*We're finding out the sex of the baby on July 1st. I'd like to say I could keep it a secret, but as I've learned in the past, I'm not very good at keeping my own secrets. (I am good at keeping other people's secrets, so fear not, if you've told me a secret, it's locked up safe in the vault.)
*I can't remember the last time I had a pimple. My face is loving pregnancy
*The bouts of nausea are almost completely gone.
*The exhaustion is lessening.
*My love of fruits and vegetables has grown exponentially in the last 16 weeks. I could eat them constantly. Here is a list of fruits and vegetables I ate today: banana on my cereal; a chicken sandwich with yellow pepper, cucumber, tomato, and avacado; broccoli; a salad with romaine, spinach, yellow pepper, tomatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries. And I'd love a kiwi right now.
*There's definitely a bit of a belly, but so far it just looks like a pudgy belly, not a pregnant belly.
*It's still kinda weird to look down and see that belly.
*Since I've realized how incredibly expensive baby things are, I'm becoming an even bigger fan of gently used items. Got anything you want to sell?
*I've decided to see a nurse-midwife instead of my Ob-Gyn when we get home and I'm really excited about it. If you had asked me two years ago to make this switch I would've said "absolutely not, no way, no how."
*I've heard now is the time some people start feeling their babies kick, so I'm paying very close attention. Nothing yet.
*Though it's a ways off, I'm stoked about the idea of going jogging with our baby. Well, I guess I already do go jogging with our baby.
*Sometimes I wonder if the baby hates it when I go jogging. Must be a bumpy ride for him
*If I didn't have such an awesome husband who makes me rest and stops me from doing too much, I'd be way more exhausted than I am.
*I'm experiencing a miracle, right inside my own body.
*OK, so that was more than just a few items, but oh well.
*We're finding out the sex of the baby on July 1st. I'd like to say I could keep it a secret, but as I've learned in the past, I'm not very good at keeping my own secrets. (I am good at keeping other people's secrets, so fear not, if you've told me a secret, it's locked up safe in the vault.)
*I can't remember the last time I had a pimple. My face is loving pregnancy
*The bouts of nausea are almost completely gone.
*The exhaustion is lessening.
*My love of fruits and vegetables has grown exponentially in the last 16 weeks. I could eat them constantly. Here is a list of fruits and vegetables I ate today: banana on my cereal; a chicken sandwich with yellow pepper, cucumber, tomato, and avacado; broccoli; a salad with romaine, spinach, yellow pepper, tomatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries. And I'd love a kiwi right now.
*There's definitely a bit of a belly, but so far it just looks like a pudgy belly, not a pregnant belly.
*It's still kinda weird to look down and see that belly.
*Since I've realized how incredibly expensive baby things are, I'm becoming an even bigger fan of gently used items. Got anything you want to sell?
*I've decided to see a nurse-midwife instead of my Ob-Gyn when we get home and I'm really excited about it. If you had asked me two years ago to make this switch I would've said "absolutely not, no way, no how."
*I've heard now is the time some people start feeling their babies kick, so I'm paying very close attention. Nothing yet.
*Though it's a ways off, I'm stoked about the idea of going jogging with our baby. Well, I guess I already do go jogging with our baby.
*Sometimes I wonder if the baby hates it when I go jogging. Must be a bumpy ride for him
*If I didn't have such an awesome husband who makes me rest and stops me from doing too much, I'd be way more exhausted than I am.
*I'm experiencing a miracle, right inside my own body.
*OK, so that was more than just a few items, but oh well.
Monday, May 25, 2009
A Newfound Skill
Yawning.
While James's mom was taking a photo of this lovely bridge, I was caught in the act doing something I seem to spend a lot of time doing lately.
I've heard lots of ladies describe the exhaustion they feel while pregnant, so it was a symptom I expected to experience. But what I didn't realize is that pregnancy exhaustion is an animal unlike any other kind of exhaustion. One thought that continues to pop up in my mind every so often is, "what must it be like to be pregnant and have other kids to take care of?!?" My respect for you ladies has grown exponentially!
Though the last two weeks have seen a marked decrease in my rate of yawn's per day, quite a few still escape each day. But please know, I'm not complaining; I am totally embracing this, and every other pregnancy symptom I've had and will have in the future because it means a miracle is taking place...inside my body of all places!
While James's mom was taking a photo of this lovely bridge, I was caught in the act doing something I seem to spend a lot of time doing lately.
I've heard lots of ladies describe the exhaustion they feel while pregnant, so it was a symptom I expected to experience. But what I didn't realize is that pregnancy exhaustion is an animal unlike any other kind of exhaustion. One thought that continues to pop up in my mind every so often is, "what must it be like to be pregnant and have other kids to take care of?!?" My respect for you ladies has grown exponentially!
Though the last two weeks have seen a marked decrease in my rate of yawn's per day, quite a few still escape each day. But please know, I'm not complaining; I am totally embracing this, and every other pregnancy symptom I've had and will have in the future because it means a miracle is taking place...inside my body of all places!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Catching Up: Holiday Bible Club 2009
I'm going back in time a bit to review some of the events of the past few months. We've been so busy with said events that I haven't had the chance to share the details with you. So here goes!
The Dornoch Free Church hosted their second annual Holiday Bible Club (known in America as Vacation Bible School) during the school's Easter Holidays from April 6th-10th. A group from our home church in Richmond returned again this year to help us in putting on the event. We made some changes to this years club mainly in the teaching department.
Since we're preparing for our departure, our current focus is on guiding people into positions of leadership to take over for us when we leave. We hope to be able to come back for future Bible Club's, but there's no guarantee we'll be able to, so the plan was to train people from the Dornoch church to take on new roles as teachers and leaders. Bill & Kathy's visit was the integral part of that training.
Here you can read a quick summary of how many came from Stony Point as well as a link to 100's of photos from the week. If you don't feel like sifting through all those photos, here are a bunch to sum up the week. First are photos from the Club itself, second are photos of some of the sightseeing we did with the team from Stony Point.
It was an amazing week!
The Dornoch Free Church hosted their second annual Holiday Bible Club (known in America as Vacation Bible School) during the school's Easter Holidays from April 6th-10th. A group from our home church in Richmond returned again this year to help us in putting on the event. We made some changes to this years club mainly in the teaching department.
Since we're preparing for our departure, our current focus is on guiding people into positions of leadership to take over for us when we leave. We hope to be able to come back for future Bible Club's, but there's no guarantee we'll be able to, so the plan was to train people from the Dornoch church to take on new roles as teachers and leaders. Bill & Kathy's visit was the integral part of that training.
Here you can read a quick summary of how many came from Stony Point as well as a link to 100's of photos from the week. If you don't feel like sifting through all those photos, here are a bunch to sum up the week. First are photos from the Club itself, second are photos of some of the sightseeing we did with the team from Stony Point.
It was an amazing week!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Today's Photo Shoot
Mostly I loathe the National Health System in the UK (and I'm not looking forward to the day when there might be one in America. Seriously people it won't work in America. Don't believe me? Live here for a while.) but today I'm okay with it because we got to have another ultrasound and see our beautiful baby again!
Everything's coming along very nicely, he or she (who will be called "he" until we find out the sex in July because I'm not saying "it" or "he/she" for the next six weeks) is developing and growing beautifully. The detail we could see and the amount he's grown in the last two weeks were both astounding. The technician pointed out all sorts of cool things: kidney's, the incredibly straight spinal cord, the cerebellum, all the bones in his legs, the diaphragm, the four chambers of the heart, the umbilical cord; it was incredible! All that and more visible at only 14 weeks! Technology blows my mind sometimes. But what's more mind-blowing are the Hands that created this little miracle!
The funniest part of the appointment was when the nurse kept referring to the baby as "Tootsie." I couldn't get the image of Dustin Hoffman dressed up as a woman out of my head. No worries, Tootsie definitely won't be an option when we start thinking about names.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Year of the Visitor: Part 10
With all the excitement of the last few days, I've neglected to inform you of our most recent visitors. James's parents, Paul and Janet, have joined us in Dornoch for an exciting two weeks. We picked them up from the airport in Edinburgh on Wednesday morning and drove back to Dornoch, taking the rest of the day easy since that flight is a difficult one to recover from. Thursday we took them on a hike to our favorite local waterfall spot: Big Burn.
We're looking forward to doing some fun sightseeing things, and also including them in our work with the kids. Should be fun times!
We're looking forward to doing some fun sightseeing things, and also including them in our work with the kids. Should be fun times!
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Guess what guy's'...
A Baby!!! Our Baby!!!
Excitement, joy, relief, and overwhelming gratefulness don't even begin to express what we're feeling.
Since we lost our first baby to miscarriage, we were a bit apprehensive this time around. Well, alright, more than a bit. I couldn't let myself think about actually meeting this baby in this life. Planning for the future was out of the question. I almost expected to get the same results as last time.
But on Tuesday, that all changed. We had our first ultrasound and the fears of the last 12 weeks melted away when we got to see that adorable, healthy baby, jumping around. Seeing that heart beating like crazy was so incredible.
What a gift to be entrusted with the life of another human. We are so grateful God has allowed us to see these pictures of the child he has blessed us with. What an amazing miracle.
Excitement, joy, relief, and overwhelming gratefulness don't even begin to express what we're feeling.
Since we lost our first baby to miscarriage, we were a bit apprehensive this time around. Well, alright, more than a bit. I couldn't let myself think about actually meeting this baby in this life. Planning for the future was out of the question. I almost expected to get the same results as last time.
But on Tuesday, that all changed. We had our first ultrasound and the fears of the last 12 weeks melted away when we got to see that adorable, healthy baby, jumping around. Seeing that heart beating like crazy was so incredible.
What a gift to be entrusted with the life of another human. We are so grateful God has allowed us to see these pictures of the child he has blessed us with. What an amazing miracle.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Our 5 Minutes of Fame
Actually, our 5 minutes of fame probably won't be a full 5 minutes, but we think it's pretty cool anyway! James and I are gonna be on television!
A family member of mine saw a request on TLC for crazy wedding videos and sent in our video of James's proposal. If you're one of the 5 people in our circle of friends and family who hasn't seen it, I'll sum it up for you: In 2003, I surprised James with a skydiving trip for the two of us for his birthday. He then surprised me by proposing to me while I was in mid-air by displaying a humongous sign on the ground that said, "Marry Me Jenn." The skydiving company got it all on video for us.
And we're pretty sure our friends Jeremiah, Zach, and J.R. who displayed the sign while we were ascending in the plane, will be on the show too!
So if you're near a t.v. tomorrow (May 1st) at 7:00pm or 2:00am and you have TLC, take a look and let us know how it goes. Here's the schedule. We won't be able to see it since there's no such thing as TLC in the UK.
A family member of mine saw a request on TLC for crazy wedding videos and sent in our video of James's proposal. If you're one of the 5 people in our circle of friends and family who hasn't seen it, I'll sum it up for you: In 2003, I surprised James with a skydiving trip for the two of us for his birthday. He then surprised me by proposing to me while I was in mid-air by displaying a humongous sign on the ground that said, "Marry Me Jenn." The skydiving company got it all on video for us.
And we're pretty sure our friends Jeremiah, Zach, and J.R. who displayed the sign while we were ascending in the plane, will be on the show too!
So if you're near a t.v. tomorrow (May 1st) at 7:00pm or 2:00am and you have TLC, take a look and let us know how it goes. Here's the schedule. We won't be able to see it since there's no such thing as TLC in the UK.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Year of the Visitor: Part Nine
I know, I know, it seems the only time I post these days is when we have visitors. Other exciting things do happen in our lives (like our FIFTH wedding anniversary! can you believe it's been FIVE YEARS?!), so much so, that I never get around to blogging about it. I won't make any promises, but maybe this is the start of more consistent blogging...as soon as life slows down next week.
The visitors this week are many, 10 to be exact. A group of 9 Americans are here to help us and the Dornoch Free Church run a Holiday Bible Club during one of the two weeks of the kids Easter school holidays. Eight have come from our home church, Stony Point, in Richmond. The ninth member is also from our home church but he had a shorter journey since he's living and working as a teacher in England. The tenth member of the team is a videographer who works for the same mission organization we do. We're so excited about the work he's here to do: document the entire week, so you too can see just how amazing the week has been so far (and will surely continue to be).
Our days are jam-packed with lots of great things and I'm needing some sleep, so for now you can read the daily updates that team members post to Stony Point's website. To the right of the posts, you'll see the photo gallery where you can click on "Dornoch Mission 2009" and check out over 300 photos (and the week isn't even half over, many more pictures to follow).
If there's one word I could use to sum up the Holiday Club so far it would be "joy." To see the joy on the kids, teachers, and helpers faces is so incredible. I hope the photos and reports can communicate some of that so you can catch a glimpse of how great the week has been so far.
The visitors this week are many, 10 to be exact. A group of 9 Americans are here to help us and the Dornoch Free Church run a Holiday Bible Club during one of the two weeks of the kids Easter school holidays. Eight have come from our home church, Stony Point, in Richmond. The ninth member is also from our home church but he had a shorter journey since he's living and working as a teacher in England. The tenth member of the team is a videographer who works for the same mission organization we do. We're so excited about the work he's here to do: document the entire week, so you too can see just how amazing the week has been so far (and will surely continue to be).
Our days are jam-packed with lots of great things and I'm needing some sleep, so for now you can read the daily updates that team members post to Stony Point's website. To the right of the posts, you'll see the photo gallery where you can click on "Dornoch Mission 2009" and check out over 300 photos (and the week isn't even half over, many more pictures to follow).
If there's one word I could use to sum up the Holiday Club so far it would be "joy." To see the joy on the kids, teachers, and helpers faces is so incredible. I hope the photos and reports can communicate some of that so you can catch a glimpse of how great the week has been so far.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Report: Bill & Kathy's Visit.
It was full of laughter. That's one way to sum up the Anderson's week in Dornoch. Anyone who knows the Anderson's knows that you can't get away from them without smiling or laughing. That's a great thing if you ask me. They kept everyone in stitches while they were here. The funniest conversation had to be when Bill was explaining to a group of Scots what the phrase "Bless his heart..." means when you live in the southern states of America. I wouldn't be surprised if that phrase was adopted in the Highlands of Scotland.
We didn't have them come all the way here just to work, we made sure we did some fun outdoors stuff with them too.
Here we're at the top of Ben Bhraggie (proves my point about the laughing!)
All those little blobs on that first sandbar are seals.
They came to Youth Club with us and joined right in.
Bill and Kathy came up with a great idea to have the Youth Club kids sign banners for Coleman and Spencer and let them know they're thinking of and praying for them. The HBC won't be the same without you this year Coleman and Mel!
These are some of the attendees of one of the training sessions Bill led.
It was awesome having them here, they were a huge help to us!
We didn't have them come all the way here just to work, we made sure we did some fun outdoors stuff with them too.
Here we're at the top of Ben Bhraggie (proves my point about the laughing!)
All those little blobs on that first sandbar are seals.
They came to Youth Club with us and joined right in.
Bill and Kathy came up with a great idea to have the Youth Club kids sign banners for Coleman and Spencer and let them know they're thinking of and praying for them. The HBC won't be the same without you this year Coleman and Mel!
These are some of the attendees of one of the training sessions Bill led.
It was awesome having them here, they were a huge help to us!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Year of the Visitor: Part Eight
First of all, let me say that I think it is awesome that in the past 7 months we have had 8 sets of visitors; all but one of them have come from across the ocean. It's been so fabulous. And we're looking forward to many more before we leave in July!
Next on the list are our friends Bill & Kathy Anderson. They are great friends of both of our families. We've known them for years, ever since they started coming to our home church in Richmond, which was what feels like ages ago. As it typically goes with good friends, they seem like they've been around our entire lives; it's hard to imagine a time when they weren't a part of our lives!
They've both been a huge support to James and me in more ways than I can count. The trend continues as they are coming to train and instruct a large group of people, from the church we work with, to transition into teaching and leadership roles. They are perfect for that role and we're looking forward to seeing how God uses them.
Next on the list are our friends Bill & Kathy Anderson. They are great friends of both of our families. We've known them for years, ever since they started coming to our home church in Richmond, which was what feels like ages ago. As it typically goes with good friends, they seem like they've been around our entire lives; it's hard to imagine a time when they weren't a part of our lives!
They've both been a huge support to James and me in more ways than I can count. The trend continues as they are coming to train and instruct a large group of people, from the church we work with, to transition into teaching and leadership roles. They are perfect for that role and we're looking forward to seeing how God uses them.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Year of the Visitor: Part Seven
The exciting saga continued last weekend with another special guest in the Murphy house.
Stacie and her husband Kyle moved to Edinburgh, Scotland last fall for Kyle to start grad school and for Stacie to be a lady of leisure. j/k, j/k, she's working very hard in the HR department of a large accounting firm. James and I have known Stacie for ages from going to the same church when we were younger, but I hadn't seen her for about 4 years and James hadn't seen her since high school.
The Sale's had planned on taking the train up to the Highlands for the weekend, but at the last minute Kyle was informed of some mandatory school meetings he had to attend, so Stacie braved the long train trip on her own. We were sad that Kyle couldn't join in on the fun of the weekend, but his meeting could possibly land him a new job after graduation, so we totally understand why he couldn't come!
I was a slacker and didn't take any photos, but Stacie did, so check out her blog post for photos and the description of our fun weekend.
One thing Stacie was kind enough not to mention was the fact that we had NO HOT WATER OR HEAT the entire time she was here. Geez, why do these things have to happen when guests come!
We're not used to the whole using oil as the main source of heat and hot water, so we forgot to check the tank and see if it was time to refill. Wednesday night I said to myself, "wow, it's kinda chilly in here, and I wonder why the dishwater isn't getting warm." It didn't take too many more thoughts for me to realize that we'd run out of oil.
I had to laugh when we woke up the next morning to SNOW. The oil company estimated that the oil probably wouldn't be delivered until Monday. I didn't explain that we had a visitor coming because I didn't think the lady would care, can you imagine how many stories like that she hears from people hoping to have their oil delivered super fast? Many prayers were said for the oil to come in time so our friend wouldn't have to spend a weekend in the frigid cold.
Prayers were answered when the oil was delivered as we were on the way home from the train station!
But, the celebration was premature. There were more problems, most of which I don't understand, but the short of it is, we didn't have heat or hot water until Monday. Stacie was such a trooper. Thankfully, we have a gas stove and borrowed some space heaters, electric blankets, hot water bottles, and friends shower.
Lesson learned: make sure all utilities are in working order before visitors arrive.
Stacie and her husband Kyle moved to Edinburgh, Scotland last fall for Kyle to start grad school and for Stacie to be a lady of leisure. j/k, j/k, she's working very hard in the HR department of a large accounting firm. James and I have known Stacie for ages from going to the same church when we were younger, but I hadn't seen her for about 4 years and James hadn't seen her since high school.
The Sale's had planned on taking the train up to the Highlands for the weekend, but at the last minute Kyle was informed of some mandatory school meetings he had to attend, so Stacie braved the long train trip on her own. We were sad that Kyle couldn't join in on the fun of the weekend, but his meeting could possibly land him a new job after graduation, so we totally understand why he couldn't come!
I was a slacker and didn't take any photos, but Stacie did, so check out her blog post for photos and the description of our fun weekend.
One thing Stacie was kind enough not to mention was the fact that we had NO HOT WATER OR HEAT the entire time she was here. Geez, why do these things have to happen when guests come!
We're not used to the whole using oil as the main source of heat and hot water, so we forgot to check the tank and see if it was time to refill. Wednesday night I said to myself, "wow, it's kinda chilly in here, and I wonder why the dishwater isn't getting warm." It didn't take too many more thoughts for me to realize that we'd run out of oil.
I had to laugh when we woke up the next morning to SNOW. The oil company estimated that the oil probably wouldn't be delivered until Monday. I didn't explain that we had a visitor coming because I didn't think the lady would care, can you imagine how many stories like that she hears from people hoping to have their oil delivered super fast? Many prayers were said for the oil to come in time so our friend wouldn't have to spend a weekend in the frigid cold.
Prayers were answered when the oil was delivered as we were on the way home from the train station!
But, the celebration was premature. There were more problems, most of which I don't understand, but the short of it is, we didn't have heat or hot water until Monday. Stacie was such a trooper. Thankfully, we have a gas stove and borrowed some space heaters, electric blankets, hot water bottles, and friends shower.
Lesson learned: make sure all utilities are in working order before visitors arrive.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The Cox Brothers
Coleman and Spencer (ages 11 & 9) are friends of ours from our church Stony Point in Richmond. They've been sick since Thanksgiving of last year with some sort of illness that a mountain of doctors are having a hard time definitively diagnosing. They know it is some sort of toxic mold illness, but they're still fighting a long, hard battle to find the right treatment. Catch up on what they've been through by reading Jeff and Mel's blog (their parents), and if you feel inclined, keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Year of the Visitor: Part Six
It's been about a month since our last visitor, but this weekend we were excited to continue with the sixth occurrence of visitors in our home over the past 6 months. Check out installments 1, 2, 3, and 4 if you'd like to catch up.
This amazing nature of our visitors didn't end with this installment. Ralph and Sylvia Hill of Georgia were strangers to us on Thursday, but they are now life-long friends. Unfortunately they were only with us for a mere 36 hours, but it was time enough for us to fall in love with them and want to adopt them and add another set of grandparents to our family tree.
They were in Brussels for the month of January, (on the same training trip James and I attended in 2007) and are now traveling through some parts of Scotland, meeting with people, and doing some research to find out more about what the next season of their life might look like. They're planning on moving to Scotland later in the year and will be working through the same organization that we are (Mission to the World).
The Hill's are an incredible couple. They are loving, thoughtful, encouraging, real, and just all around great people. The only way I know how to really get across their awesomeness is to say that they reflect God's love in an incredibly vivid way.
We were sad to see them, go but we are sure we'll see them again at some point. What a treat it was getting to know them!
This amazing nature of our visitors didn't end with this installment. Ralph and Sylvia Hill of Georgia were strangers to us on Thursday, but they are now life-long friends. Unfortunately they were only with us for a mere 36 hours, but it was time enough for us to fall in love with them and want to adopt them and add another set of grandparents to our family tree.
They were in Brussels for the month of January, (on the same training trip James and I attended in 2007) and are now traveling through some parts of Scotland, meeting with people, and doing some research to find out more about what the next season of their life might look like. They're planning on moving to Scotland later in the year and will be working through the same organization that we are (Mission to the World).
The Hill's are an incredible couple. They are loving, thoughtful, encouraging, real, and just all around great people. The only way I know how to really get across their awesomeness is to say that they reflect God's love in an incredibly vivid way.
We were sad to see them, go but we are sure we'll see them again at some point. What a treat it was getting to know them!
This is nice.
Sitting in the conservatory (a room made up of 95% glass), feeling the bright sun on my face and soaking in how warm it's making the room (so I can pretend it's actually this warm outside and I don't live in a place where summer doesn't exist), listening to someone playing the bagpipes at a wedding down the street, remembering our wedding (we had a bagpiper pipe us in and out of the church...almost FIVE years ago!), procrastinating the long to-do list for the moment, and enjoying a sense of peace.
Friday, February 13, 2009
A dreaded day redeemed.
(For some background on the topic of this post, you can read this, this, and this, if you are so inclined.)
As time passes, the intensity of the grief from a miscarriage subsides, but the feeling and knowledge of the loss of your child never goes away. It's inevitable, and I know every other mother or father who has lost a child, due to miscarriage or any other tragedy, can verify this. I realize it's hard for people who have not experienced this to understand, and I don't expect them to, but it is a very difficult thing to go through.
I've been reading "A Grief Observed" by C.S. Lewis. It's the journal he kept after the loss of his wife. Lewis has an incredible way of putting into words feelings and experiences.
Here, he explains so eloquently the process of grief:
"Sorrow turns out to be not a state but a process. It needs not a map but a history...There is something new to be chronicled every day. Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape. As I've already noted, not every bend does. Sometimes the surprise is the opposite one; you are presented with exactly the same sort of country you thought you had left behind miles ago. That is when you wonder whether the valley isn't a circular trench. But it isn't. There are partial recurrences, but the sequence doesn't repeat."
While I don't question God's actions in a way that judges them to be right or wrong, (as if a slug could even begin to understand why humans do what they do, how could I expect to understand why God, the creator of the universe, does the things he does) I do wonder why he allows certain things to happen and question in a respectful way. He graciously reveals aspects of Himself to us, but I don't believe that we have the capacity, in this life, to experience the full glory and mind of God.
Here, Lewis does an amazing job of putting into words the question we hear so often of, "Why would a good God permit suffering."
"The more we believe that God hurts only to heal, the less we can believe that there is any use in begging for tenderness. A cruel man might be bribed-might grow tired of his vile sport-might have a temporary fit of mercy, as alcoholics have fits of sobriety. But suppose that what you are up against is a surgeon whose intentions are wholly good. The kinder and more conscientious he is, the more inexorably he will go on cutting. If he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless. But is it credible that such extremities of torture should be necessary for us? Well, take your choice. The tortures occur. If they are unnecessary, then there is no God or a bad one. If there is a good God, then these tortures are necessary. For no even moderately good Being could possibly inflict or permit them if they weren't."
For the past 6 months I've been dreading yesterday: February 12th. The date has been rolling around in my head, wishing I could somehow just sleep through the day entirely. February 12th was my due date. The possible (though unlikely, I realize, since most people don't deliver on their due date) birthday of our first child.
I had visions of it being a horrible day when nothing else would matter and I'd be on the verge of tears all day. I woke up yesterday, and I had a thought, I know it was placed in my head by my loving and gracious Heavenly Father, because it's not something I would come up with by myself.
I thought, "Why can't today be a celebration?" Most birthdays are days of parties and fun and thankfulness for a person's life. Our child was alive, though for a short time, but he (or she) was still a part of our lives, and for that I am thankful. I'm also thankful for the fact that I know he is in heaven enjoying nothing but pure joy. I'm thankful that he never has to experience any pain or heartache that comes with living life on this earth. I'm thankful for the assured hope we have that we will get to meet our child one day.
So to celebrate we had banana splits. It was the best banana split I had ever had. We shared this celebration with a family here who has become like our own family. It was great.
No longer will I look forward to February 12th with dread, but with the same anticipation as you would look forward to any birthday. And if you'd like to join us for banana splits next year, we'd love to celebrate our child's life with you, the one he had here and the one he is enjoying in heaven!
As time passes, the intensity of the grief from a miscarriage subsides, but the feeling and knowledge of the loss of your child never goes away. It's inevitable, and I know every other mother or father who has lost a child, due to miscarriage or any other tragedy, can verify this. I realize it's hard for people who have not experienced this to understand, and I don't expect them to, but it is a very difficult thing to go through.
I've been reading "A Grief Observed" by C.S. Lewis. It's the journal he kept after the loss of his wife. Lewis has an incredible way of putting into words feelings and experiences.
Here, he explains so eloquently the process of grief:
"Sorrow turns out to be not a state but a process. It needs not a map but a history...There is something new to be chronicled every day. Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape. As I've already noted, not every bend does. Sometimes the surprise is the opposite one; you are presented with exactly the same sort of country you thought you had left behind miles ago. That is when you wonder whether the valley isn't a circular trench. But it isn't. There are partial recurrences, but the sequence doesn't repeat."
While I don't question God's actions in a way that judges them to be right or wrong, (as if a slug could even begin to understand why humans do what they do, how could I expect to understand why God, the creator of the universe, does the things he does) I do wonder why he allows certain things to happen and question in a respectful way. He graciously reveals aspects of Himself to us, but I don't believe that we have the capacity, in this life, to experience the full glory and mind of God.
Here, Lewis does an amazing job of putting into words the question we hear so often of, "Why would a good God permit suffering."
"The more we believe that God hurts only to heal, the less we can believe that there is any use in begging for tenderness. A cruel man might be bribed-might grow tired of his vile sport-might have a temporary fit of mercy, as alcoholics have fits of sobriety. But suppose that what you are up against is a surgeon whose intentions are wholly good. The kinder and more conscientious he is, the more inexorably he will go on cutting. If he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless. But is it credible that such extremities of torture should be necessary for us? Well, take your choice. The tortures occur. If they are unnecessary, then there is no God or a bad one. If there is a good God, then these tortures are necessary. For no even moderately good Being could possibly inflict or permit them if they weren't."
For the past 6 months I've been dreading yesterday: February 12th. The date has been rolling around in my head, wishing I could somehow just sleep through the day entirely. February 12th was my due date. The possible (though unlikely, I realize, since most people don't deliver on their due date) birthday of our first child.
I had visions of it being a horrible day when nothing else would matter and I'd be on the verge of tears all day. I woke up yesterday, and I had a thought, I know it was placed in my head by my loving and gracious Heavenly Father, because it's not something I would come up with by myself.
I thought, "Why can't today be a celebration?" Most birthdays are days of parties and fun and thankfulness for a person's life. Our child was alive, though for a short time, but he (or she) was still a part of our lives, and for that I am thankful. I'm also thankful for the fact that I know he is in heaven enjoying nothing but pure joy. I'm thankful that he never has to experience any pain or heartache that comes with living life on this earth. I'm thankful for the assured hope we have that we will get to meet our child one day.
So to celebrate we had banana splits. It was the best banana split I had ever had. We shared this celebration with a family here who has become like our own family. It was great.
No longer will I look forward to February 12th with dread, but with the same anticipation as you would look forward to any birthday. And if you'd like to join us for banana splits next year, we'd love to celebrate our child's life with you, the one he had here and the one he is enjoying in heaven!
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