Random Stuff...

1. I filled my gas tank last night for less than $30. First time in YEARS!

2. I am expecting four boxes of Pampered Chef items to be delivered to my house today. I have been checking the FedEx tracking site every 15 minutes since 7:30 this morning to see if they have been delivered. Regardless of when they come, I'm still at work until 5:30. Why am I so stinking excited about this stupid delivery? Geez...

3. We went to Veedersburg to see our new house yesterday. There were some people there painting and cleaning for us when we got there, so we got to meet some new faces. I'm excited about our paint colors, but concerned about the "old person's house" smell that seems to have permeated the entire place. Anyone know how to get rid of these odors?

4. 6 days until the moving truck arrives. Am I done packing? No. Am I excited about the move? A little. Am I sad to leave Noblesville? Yes. Am I ready for this whole thing to be done? Absolutely!

5. We're moving to a land where there is no digital cable, so now we are looking into getting a Tivo. If you have one, please share your thoughts with me. We don't know anyone that owns a Tivo, but really can't live without being able to record our shows. What can I say? We're spoiled...

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's HOME to work I go!!!

As you'll see in this post and this post and this post, Matt and I are moving in 12 days to Veedersburg, Indiana. There is a lot of change wrapped up in this move that I have talked about in these previous posts. One thing that we haven't known a lot about though, is my job. Lots of people have asked what will happen to my job, and I haven't been able to give them an answer...

...until today.

I had a meeting with my boss and my office manager today to discuss my job. In my mind I had imagined a near-perfect situation. I currently work four days every week (I have Tuesdays off). I thought that it would be good to work two days in the office, and the rest of the time I could work from home. The days in the office would (ideally) be consecutive days, so I could make just one round-trip from Veedersburg to Indianapolis (70 miles each way), and stay with my parents over night. There is really so much that I can do remotely. In my mind, I could think of no reason why this wouldn't work.

Apparently, they couldn't think of a reason either, because they APPROVED IT! Starting in November, I will be working Mondays and Tuesdays in the office, and the rest of my work will be done from HOME! I'm so excited! I feel like a HUGE burden has been lifted here. I was SO worried about my job. Now I get to keep the job I have, and I won't have to spend more money on gas than I do right now! I can't help but think that, when we have babies someday, this schedule will come in handy. Just think - we'd probably only need child care for two days every week. That's awesome, isn't it?

I am really thanking God today. He's totally got my back here, and now I can look forward to the move with a LOT less stress. Isn't He so good???

Dreaming of Playa del Carmen

Okay, so I've never been to Playa del Carmen, but I am dreaming of what I think it might be like. Winter is just around the corner here in Indiana, and that means one thing: SOUP'S ON! In the last few years, I have really grown to love cooking soups in the fall and winter. I sometimes follow a recipe, and sometimes do not. The other night, I didn't, and this is the magic that happened:

“Dreaming of Playa del Carmen” Chorizo Soup

1 lb. chorizo (casing removed)

Meat from one whole chicken (I bought a rotisserie chicken, skinned it, and tore the meat off)

1 medium onion, chopped

2-4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bag of frozen corn

2 cans of black beans, drained

2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilis (Rotel)

4-6 c. chicken stock or chicken broth (to your liking)

Salt and pepper to taste

2-3 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sautee onions in olive oil over medium to medium-high heat and add the garlic when onions are translucent. Add chorizo, and break up into crumbles as it cooks. After chorizo has cooked through, add Rotel (with liquid), black beans (without liquid), corn and chicken. Add salt and pepper and chicken stock. Simmer for about an hour, and enjoy!

Full Speed Ahead

I worked last night at a charge conference meeting of 6 churches in Indy. Everything went really well, and I enjoyed meeting some people I talk to on the phone regularly. It's always good to put names with faces, isn't it?

During the conference, the district superintendent who was running the meeting talked about a conversation he had with one of the pastors in his district. The pastor and his daughter were talking, and came to this conclusion:

When Jesus says, "Follow Me" it means we're going somewhere!

Can I get an AMEN? :)

How many of us answer to Jesus' call to follow Him, and expect to remain right where we are? You can certainly put me in that crowd. Here's what my prayer life has looked like for the past few weeks:

"I love you Jesus, and I want to serve you with my life and my vocation, but I want to do that RIGHT HERE. I don't want to leave my friends, my family, my favorite grocery store, my convenient mall, my church family, etc. So, if you could just reconsider this whole move-across-the-state-to-a-town-where-I-don't-know-anyone-and-the-nearest-shopping-is-in-Illinois thing, that would be AWESOME. Mkay?"

I really am so nervous about this move. I don't know yet if I'll be able to keep my job or not. I'm nervous about making all new friends, about finding my way around, and I have almost convinced myself that the people in our new churches won't like me at all. Oh - and I'm spending more than just a little time wondering what kind of bugs we'll have to deal with at our new house. (Please God - no centipedes again...please?) Oh the anxiety that I am working up in myself...it's really taking its toll! I have had some bad headaches and back pain in the past couple weeks, and I KNOW that it's because I'm stressing out so much.

God met me at church on Sunday. I know I shouldn't be surprised - He's always there. I just don't always look for Him I guess. The songs we sang, the prayers we said, the message that was given - God spoke to me through it all. It's as if He was calming me - calming my nerves and my spirit. He was reminding me that HE is everything I'll ever need.

We sang one of my favorites - You Are My All in All. This song always reminds me of being at SIFAT. I would tell most people that it's because I learned that song there. I will honestly tell you though that I think of SIFAT when I hear this song because that's where God and I first had some grown-up moments together. SIFAT was the first time I left home, and just depended on God. No parents. Not much money. No mall in the time zone (slight exaggeration). Just me and God having some good time together. It was almost like my honeymoon with Jesus, and I don't care if you think that sounds cheesy!

What does it mean for me to sing that Jesus is my "all in all"??? If I believe what I sing, he is the ONLY thing I need. So what if I don't make friends at our new home? God is really the only friend I need. So what if I can't keep my job? God's going to provide. No shopping? Don't need it - I have God. Jesus is ENOUGH. I don't need more things, more money, more friends, more activities, etc. Jesus is ENOUGH. He is my all in all.

So - Jesus has asked us to follow Him, and we're following Him to Veedersburg. We're going somewhere - us and Jesus - and He is going to be everything we need.

You are my strength when I am weak.
You are the treasure that I seek.
You are my all in all.
Seeking you as a precious jewel.
Lord, to give up I'd be a fool.
You are my all in all.

Jesus, Lamb of God, worthy is your name!

Taking my sin, my cross, my shame,
Rising again, I bless your name.
You are my all in all.
When I fall down, you pick me up.
When I am dry, you fill my cup.
You are my all in all.

Jesus, Lamb of God, worthy is your name!

To Make You Feel My Love

Matt and I are moving. His job (wait – I hate calling it a “job.” It’s his ministry…) is taking us to western Indiana, and in three weeks we’ll be leaving Noblesville. It’s been a hard few weeks leading up to this point. We knew going into United Methodist ministry that we would be moved, but it’s been hard actually experiencing it.

How do I say goodbye to a congregation that has loved me like family? How do I say goodbye to these teenagers we’ve invested so much of ourselves in? How do we pack up our entire life and move it 90 miles away without going totally insane? Living out our last few weeks here will be hard, but it will be essential for us to stay focused and committed right up to the last minute.

We started packing this weekend. We have packed all our books (45 boxes), DVD’s and games (except for the Wii, because come on – we’re completely addicted to Mario Kart). For some reason as soon as the books were packed, this house I’ve been living in for 16 months stopped feeling like home.

We packed Matt’s office last night – books, decorations, more books, etc. It’s been emotional saying goodbye to Emmanuel box by box. We had music playing on Pandora.com (oh my – you must check out this website if you haven’t already. LOVE!). We’re in the middle of packing all of his stuff, and “our song” came on. He stopped what he was doing, grabbed me, and danced with me right there. We were in his tiny office, both sweaty and dirty and dusty from packing, tired and emotional, but we still danced. We were probably both remembering our wedding day when we danced to this song for the first time as husband and wife. We were probably both remembering the night at SIFAT that made that song “ours.” We were probably both thinking about how God had not only sustained us but BLESSED us up to this point in our life together, and we were probably both remembering that God was definitely going to continue to do so as we move on to our new appointment.

It was exactly what I needed. I needed to remember that we are in this together. I needed to just stand face-to-face with my husband and remember that we are a team – partners in this ministry. And I needed to look on his gentle face, stare into his warm hazel eyes, and remember that I am so in love with him still.

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I would offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love