i laughed so hard...

Besides Will's comment referenced in the below post, I laughed harder at this commercial than anything in a long time. Most of you have probably seen it already, but who can resist hilarious singing babies? :) I keep looking it up on YouTube, just to laugh at it again, so i thought i'd share...

Such a good week!

Sorry for the delay in getting new updates on the blog! Last week was such a good week for us - almost like a second honeymoon! Although we did have to do some "normal life" things - visits to insurance agents, the DMV, etc. - overall, we were able to enjoy some downtime together before Will started his job.

The highlight of the week by far was a visit to Niagara Falls on Friday. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the trip thoroughly (pictures will be coming soon - i took a disposable waterproof camera so that we could get all the good moments - including Will making it all the way up the "Hurricane Deck" at the base of the falls!) The trip was an early birthday present for me and we made lots of good memories - like when a bird pooped on me at the base of the falls, or when Will, in response to seeing a billboard along the interstate for "New York's Finest Artisan Cheeses," made perhaps his cleverest quip in the history of our marriage: "I wonder if that includes the Swiss-tine Chapel?"

Here's the one picture I took with our digital camera - the rapids behind Will are below the falls and are supposed to be 10-14 foot waves.



Anyway, we are slowly learning our way around our new area and enjoying the temperature being in the mid-70's to low 80's. Our home is slowly coming together - I'll post pictures soon!

On a really random note, yesterday I saw three rabbits crossing the lawn behind our townhouse! how crazy!

Happy Father's Day!

Well, just like our Father's Day cards, our Father's day post is late ... maybe we can have some grace since we've had just a few things going on lately? :)

Since it was Will's first Father's Day, our little buddy and I decided that he needed to get some very special gifts ...

"Go, Cubs, go! Go, Cubs, go! Hey Chicago, what d'ya say? The Cubs are gonna win today!"

... Cubs onesies and Cubs childrens books, so Daddy and Little Buddy can cheer the Cubs on in style come October! :)

Also, for Fathers Day (and because we were really tired of eating out) I made our first dinner in our new kitchen - my special spaghetti!


Sorry the picture's blurry!

Just a little bit of order

It is true that I may be just slightly OCD about having the things around me organized. And, it is also true that there is absolutely no way to move across the country and keep everything in order, from packing to loading to driving to unloading to unpacking.

So, since all my stuff is in chaos, I needed a respite...

I unpacked my spices and alphabetized them! yay! Just a little bit of order in a mountain of chaos!

The tide can change so fast...

It's hard to believe I don't live in Jackson anymore! As we drive around, I keep expecting to find "the Bypass" and finally know which way north and south are. Or, when I go to a store, I look around for someone I might recognize. When we watch the local news, the first thing that comes to my mind is, "Why are they showing the weather in the Northeast?" I'm sure that we'll get used to all these new things quickly, but for right now, its still a little jarring.

It seems that so many things in my life have changed (and will continue changing) so quickly, and yet God has been reminding me that nothing that really matters has changed - He is still sovereign God who cares, provides, and redeems, and our mission in life is still to build His Kingdom. He is the only One who will never change, and what a comfort that is!

We sang this song on one of our last Sundays at sweet Northbrook, and it has reminded me of these truths over and over again in those tough moments...


I Am, by Jill Phillips

oh gently lay your head upon my chest
and I will comfort you like a mother while you rest
the tide can change so fast, but I will stay
the same through past, the same in future, same today

I am constant; I am near
I am peace that shatters all your secret fears
I am holy; I am wise
I'm the only one who knows your heart's desires
your heart's desires

oh weary, tired and worn, let out your sighs
and drop that heavy load you hold 'cause Mine is light
I know you through and through; there's no need to hide
I want to show you love that is deep and high and wide

'cause I am constant; I am near
I am peace that shatters all your secret fears
I am holy; I am wise
I'm the only one who knows your heart's desires
your heart's desires

I am constant; I am near
I am peace that shatters all your secret fears
I am holy; I am wise
I'm the only one who knows your heart's desires
your heart's desires

oh gently lay your head upon my chest
and I will comfort you like a mother while you rest

....

Another note of small victories: yesterday, we found our way from Walmart to the grocery store to home without using the GPS! woohoo! Now, if they would just design a GPS for inside the grocery store, we'd be set! :)

The Trautman Moving Company

(Bill and Mattie driving the ginormous moving truck)

Well, we did it! The Trautman Moving Company was successful - we, along with all our stuff, are getting settled in our new place. Well, that would be most of our stuff - I may have gotten a little slap-happy and just started throwing things away there at the end :)

Anyway, we are so grateful for Bill and Mattie's help! The trip went fairly smoothly, and we even had some help unloading the truck as well. Meah came over from Boston and some friends of friends here came to help as well. Now, the great task of unpacking - wahoo!

(In our new living room - don't worry, it will look much better soon!)

The Closing of a Chapter

So, our blog begins with the closing of a chapter. After spending nearly 10 years of our lives at Union University, God is calling us on "to a land we know not" as I've taken to calling it. I know we could not be embarking on this new adventure without the preparation our time at Union has given us. Between the two of us, we have earned 3.5 degrees (i never did finish that graduate degree - something to work toward in the future), lived in 8 different dorm rooms (including my 7 semester residence in dear E-31), been to approx. 240 chapel services, written over 500 pages of papers and essays, and helped clean up after 2 tornadoes.

Thank you to our Union family for your consistent encouragement, support, and guidance. Your influence has made us who we are today and we are grateful.

The bad news is that we have to say good-bye to so many people and even places that have been milestones in our lives. The good news is that the closing of a chapter means the beginning of a new one - with new lessons to learn, memories to make, friends to meet, and ways to see God at work in our lives.