Quack, Quack

Although sick, my sweet niece is still adorable :)

Look to the Lord

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always." (Psalm 105:1-4)

Ever since my good friend Amy shared Psalm 105:4 with me back in my sophomore year of college (a difficult, yet life-changing year) I have claimed it as my life verse. I strive to "look to the Lord and seek his face", it's the "always" part which I find most difficult. I, like so many am better at seeking God during the difficult times, yet often forget to truly praise him during the great times, or seek him during the "in between" times.

Last Sunday in church verses 1-4 were shared as our "Good News for Seekers" and I realized how vital a piece I was missing from this Psalm. David begins this praise by lifting "thanks to the Lord and calling on his name." He is so blessed by all the Lord has done that he continues by making "known among the nations what he has done..."

God has blessed my life in so many incredible ways. I have a family who loves me. A mother and father who supported me and encouraged me to reach for my goals. They took me to church, where I discovered the love of our Savior and have accepted him as my personal savior. I live in a country where I am free to praise God. I have married my best friend who loves, cherishes and honors me. I am blessed with incredibly loving and funny brothers and sisters. They have stood by me through the many ups and downs of life. I have a beautiful new niece. I am blessed with a great job, where daily I teach and love 18 amazing 3rd graders. God has blessed me with friends beyond measure...from college, from home, from school, from church...from all walks of life. With each special friend I have an incredible story of how God worked to bring them into my life at just the right time. I, like David, must remember all of God's "wonderful acts."

Many of you know that Matt and I are in a transitional stage right now. Matt graduates in May and is now in the midst of searching for a job. So far he's applied as far away as NYC, and as close as Rochester. I've called Rochester home now for the last 6 years, obviously a move would mean many changes, for both of us. For me personally this has been an emotional roller coaster as we sort through possibilities. I am blessed to see that this adventure has been a growing experience for both Matt and I as we grow closer to each other, and to the Lord. Obviously, God has a plan bigger than we know. I strongly believe that as we continue to "Look to the Lord and his strength; seeking his face always" we'll discover what plan he has for us. Please be in prayer along with us as we look to faithfully follow God's call for our lives.

i'm still here

I know it's been awhile since my last post...a trend I'm doing well at living up to :) I guess it's over due time for some random updates:

1. February vacation officially started on Friday at 3pm. We were blessed to have my parents come visit for the weekend. They hadn't had the chance to see our apartment yet and I was very excited to show off our cute place :) We spent the weekend relaxing, keeping up with their jack russell puppies, playing dominoes and antique shopping. Thanks for visiting Mom and Dad :) Love you!

2. In my last post I said I was going to post Christmas pictures...and well...I never did. So here they are:
Family Christmas :)

I love this picture of my Grandpa and I :)

HA HA, this is a GREAT picture!!! Bethany, mom and Matt were showing off their new cold weather gear.

3. This vacation is packed full of family time. I couldn't be happier with the chance to spend quality time with my family. 3 days with my parents at the beginning of the week, and I'm still looking forward to 2 days with my mom, sister, sister-in-law, niece and brother-in-law.
After this week I'll go back to school for a week, then I'm off on vacation again :) Matt's baseball team kicks off their season in Myrtle Beach. The last 3 years I've really wanted to join him as they've traveled to Florida and Arizona, and finally this year it's working out for me to go. I'm excited for the chance to get away from the cold and relax and watch baseball. I'm traveling with Matt's parents...chance to spend more time with family!!! We're staying at what looks like a GREAT place. Can't wait!!!!


I will definitely be posting Myrtle Beach photos soon after our return. :)