Lost and Found

The last two weeks have been full of ups and downs for us. We came back from our delightful trip to Lincoln for Thanksgiving with heavy hearts, knowing that my grandma would not be with us much longer. She went home to be with the Lord last Saturday. Since Micah had just started his winter quarter classes, we wrestled with whether we should pack all the kids up again to go back to Lincoln for the funeral or not. We finally decided that I would fly home by myself for a quick trip. Unfortunately, my flight was cancelled due to the blizzard in Nebraska, and there wasn't time to make other travel arrangements. So, I participated via speaker phone and picture messages.

We have a close extended family, and I was very disappointed that I couldn't be there with them. My grandpa died last year, and I worry that the occasions that will bring us all together are getting fewer and farther between. I suppose that's part of the cycle of life. It provides yet another lesson that you have to make the most of the time you have with those who are special to you.

During this time of traveling, starting Micah's new class schedule, waiting for news on my grandma, and anticipating traveling again, some things had fallen by the wayside in our household. As a result, I finally stopped procrastinating and implemented the "family schedule" that I learned about in a mother's class I'm attending at the seminary. We now have a complete picture of what has to be done and when it needs to be done in order for us have more family free time. It has been a beautiful thing. The kids have completely embraced it, and Micah and I both feel more clear on what our priorities are too.

Now that we have our ducks back in a row, we've been able to enjoy several special events lately. We visited Old St. Charles for Christmas Traditions. We were able to take a bike ride on the newly rebuilt freeway that runs near us before it opened for traffic. We participated in the seminary's Christmas tree lighting. We've been to two of our three adult Christmas parties so far, and the kids got to attend their first seminary Christmas party. We also got to see our neighbors play Mary and Joseph at a beautiful Boar's Head Festival. Now we're looking forward to our trip to Lincoln next week for Christmas.

Throughout all of our ups and downs, we have been blessed by friends who care for us, and by strangers who are so good to us. We will never be able to give back as much as has been given to us.

We wish all of you a Christmas filled with love and joy. We praise God for the gift of his son Jesus, the light of our world.

Startin' Somethin'

It might be that I've heard way too many Michael Jackson songs lately, but I really do feel like we're starting something here... Today was a poignant day for me. Prior to full admittance to the seminary, students have to pass qualifier exams in five subject areas: Old Testament, New Testament, Christian Doctrine, Greek, and Hebrew. Micah started that journey 15 months ago while we were still in Lincoln, and finished it today. It was the last day of the fall quarter here at the seminary. Micah sailed through his Hebrew qualifiers. I'm extremely proud of him for that, but I'm even prouder of him for the impact he had on others who were in a similar situation today. I'm not allowed to go into detail because it makes Micah embarrassed, but I, and many others, are blessed to have this man in our lives.

Micah will now spend the next two weeks hanging out with me and the kids, working around the house (which he actually enjoys), doing more with our field work church, and not studying. This Sunday, we're taking a day trip with friends to Hermann, MO to visit a church that has been very generous to both of our families. The following week, we'll head home to reconnect with friends and family that we haven't seen in a while. We'll be back just in time for Micah to start winter quarter, where he'll learn about Pastoral Ministry, Historical Theology, the Lutheran Mind, Hebrew Readings, and more Greek, just for fun.

As for the rest of us, we have good things going too. Even just today, I got a very flattering vote of confidence at work, Jonah got to take a field trip to the Science Center (his favorite place), and Joel and Maci's beloved daycare center received national recognition. The Lord continues to make details fall into place for us, with very little effort on our part.

So, for today, we're just thankful. For little blessings like a fire pit to share with neighbors in the back yard. For big blessings like support from friends and strangers alike. And, as always, for the promise that the Lord will never leave us nor forsake us. God is good, all the time.

We're still here!

It's been more than a month since I've posted, and I'm feeling a little guilty about it! My excuse is that I've been waiting for my sweetie to put together some really fabulous video footage we've been accumulating over the last several weeks to share with you. I can see this really "wow!" post in my head, but it has yet to materialize.

While waiting for Micah to find some time to edit video amidst learning Hebrew, tutoring Greek, working in the Advanced Studies department, doing church field work and trying to stay connected with his family, I'll give you a teaser: We've been to the hot air balloon glow and race, been sprayed by a Clayton, MO fire truck, went apple picking, had a picnic literally underneath the Arch, the boys made apple cider, rope, sorghum molasses, butter and chicken feed at the Saxon Lutheran Memorial, and Micah stood in the freakishly high pulpit once used by LCMS founder C.F.W. Walther. I'm probably forgetting something, but trust me, we're having a fun fall.

We continue to feel so blessed in many unexpected ways. God is good, all the time.

Stay tuned for video, Lord willing!

Early September Update

I wasn't able to come up with a clever "theme" for this post, rather it's just a mish-mash of random updates. So, here goes, in no particular order:

• Micah did indeed pass his Greek qualifier with an impressive score, and is now hoping to be a Greek tutor this fall. He started Hebrew class this morning, and thinks he's going to really enjoy it.
• I am two weeks into my new job, and it's going very well. The people I work with are nice, the environment is positive, and I like the work. I love working three days a week, so I can spend ample time on my full-time responsibilities at home.
• Jonah is doing great in first grade. He's definitely a thinker, and comes up with all kinds of deep questions for us, which we get a big kick out of.
• Joel and Maci have spent one day at their new "school" so far. Joel was like a duck in water there from the first minute. Maci will take a little time to adjust, since she's such a Mama's girl. It's very comforting for me to be able to walk down the hill at lunch and peek in on the kids if I want to. I love having them so close to my office.
• We had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. There were lots of beginning of the school year activities going on on campus. One highlight was the opening chapel service, where all of the new students processed in together. I was very proud of Micah and his good friends that flanked him on either side. After that, we celebrated by getting pizza with friends. On Monday we took in a local event - the Greek festival. The pastries were to die for, and Micah was able to translate the words on some of the Greek souvenirs, which was funny. Then we swam and had a BBQ with friends, and it was all lovely.
• We do have a prayer request: On Thursday afternoon Micah will find out where he will be assigned to do his Field Work. This will be the church where Micah will spend several hours a week learning and helping with ministry, and where we will worship while in St. Louis. Our prayer is that we will be open-minded about wherever we end up, and that we'll have peace about it. Also that our family will connect well with that congregation, that we can be of service there, and that Micah can gain valuable insight about ministry.
• Micah is planning to start creating a newsletter with more specifics about our seminary experience, prayer requests, etc. and e-mailing it out once a month or so. If you'd like to receive that, post a comment below with your e-mail address, Facebook me, or e-mail us. (If we already know your e-mail address, you're probably going to receive the newsletter regardless!)

Thanks for reading! Blessings to you and yours!

Smarter than the average bear?

We just spent a most delightful weekend camping in our tent at Jellystone Park, Yogi Bear's version of "roughing it." We made our first attempt at camping last month, and it wasn't entirely successful. We weren't ready to give up after our first try, so we decided to really put our brains to work and make some better choices this time around.

While I'm still a long way from being a camping expert, I feel pretty proud of myself for the wisdom that I have obtained on this subject! One of my main concerns last time around was starving my family, since I didn't know that you could eat anything but hot dogs and marshmallows off of sticks while camping. But, thanks in large part to camprecipes.com, I learned about the wonders of the dutch oven, and we were able to try some really fun meals. We learned that taking our bikes with us allowed us to get away from our campsite more. The seminary let us take an ample supply of firewood with us. We slept much more comfortably after borrowing our friends' toasty sleeping bags. And, most importantly, we learned that opting for a family-friendly campground is definitely the way to go for us.

Let me set the scene for this delightful location I found while Googling: Drive less than 30 minutes from your front door. Travel up into the wooded hills, through a brightly colored gate with a sign that says, "Welcome to Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park, where families make memories together." Purchase a very reasonably priced "Boo Boo's bracelet" that allows your children unlimited train rides and mini golf, and tokens for the arcade. Spend the night in absolute serene silence, in about 60 degree temperatures. Sit around the campfire sipping hot chocolate until it's time to go wake up Yogi. Eat cinnamon pancakes while watching vintage cartoons under the veranda. Bike ride. Swim. Crafts. Ice cream social. None of us wanted to leave.

Micah's pretty impressed with himself too, since he mastered our new "toy." He documented our entire experience on our "Flip" video camera that was apparently my belated birthday present. Please enjoy his attached handiwork.

All in all, we feel pretty smart this week. We are so thankful for our family, and the time we have to spend together. We wish many blessings to you and yours as well!

Lots of firsts!

August has been a whirlwind so far for us. After we recovered from our eventful weekend at the beginning of the month (see previous post), the following weekend we were blessed with a visit from Micah's mom and grandma. It was Micah's mom's third visit here with us, but the first for Gma. We had a wonderful time. It meant the world to Micah that his beloved Gma would make the trip here, and we were sad to see her leave. Micah's mom will be back later this week, and we hope that maybe Gma will come again sometime too.

This past weekend we were treated to our first visit from my parents. It was so nice to see them and give them a picture of our new life here. They got to help us get Jonah ready for his first day of first grade and see him off. The kids really enjoyed having lots of time with Mamo and Papa, and we did too. I just wish the goodbye part wasn't so hard...

On Thursday, we have faith that Micah will pass his Greek qualifier exam and ace his first seminary course. Then we'll get our husband and father back for the first time since we moved here, while we enjoy a two week break before classes start up again.

Monday will be my first day at my new job in the HR department at Lutheran Senior Services. I'm really excited to start working again, especially in a field I love, but I'll miss the kids a lot. They'll be home with Micah during his break, then the little ones will start their new "school" the first week in September.

We're thankful for all of the firsts that we're getting the opportunity to experience, and we're grateful that we get to share so many of them with loved ones.

First camping trip and first ER visit!

It was an eventful weekend for our family! At 7:00 Saturday morning, we decided to go camping. I had only tent camped in the back yard growing up, and Micah hadn't been camping in years. But, we figured it couldn't be that big of an undertaking, so we threw every camping-related thing we could find in the van, drove to Cabela's and picked up our tent, and off we went. We had fun, but we would do several things differently next time. We're looking forward to our next trip so we can perfect this budget-friendly family outing.

When we got home, we were unloading our stuff, and Joel was riding his trike on the back patio. He tripped while getting off of it and landed head first on the corner of our brick doorway. Micah and I were both standing right inside, and by the time Joel stood up, things weren't looking pretty. After a call to the nurse, we headed to the ER at the childrens' hospital for what we assumed would be a quick glue job.

After we were told that the injury would require a plastic surgeon, we left the other two kids with our wonderful neighbor so Micah and I could be with Joel. Things are done very differently at the childrens' hospital than they were back home. We both actually stood by Joel's bed during the surgery. That was the strangest 15 minutes of my life. We're thankful that we could be with him, but I don't know that I would make that choice again in the future. Nonetheless, the doctors and nurses did a wonderful job and we're very blessed that Joel is as good as new now.

One of the funnier moments of our experience was when the hospital's PR person asked if they could document Joel's visit in an upcoming hospital publication. So, she and the photographer also were in the room for the surgery. When Joel woke up, he looked at the PR person and said, "you have two heads." I'm interested to see what kind of article she comes up with! She said she'd send us the pictures and the magazine for our scrapbook. I'll scan it and share it with all of you!

All in all we're thankful that the weekend turned out as well as it did. There was a high potential for disaster from start to finish, but none of us are much worse for the wear. We hope you and yours had a blessed weekend. Thanks for reading!