-
living room, summer 2021.
One of our favorite changes we’ve made to this house is adding the living room bookshelf a year ago. It still makes us so happy. People ask me if it’s a pain to access the books, and the answer is: not at all! I can easily climb on the sofa arm or pull in a chair to reach books. Having all the floor space free for furniture is a much better use of the space for us. The bookshelf was my Mother’s Day gift from David last year. This year, he told me I could order a new front door. This is something I’ve thought about for awhile, and after…
-
he says.
Noah: “Why can’t we be done with sabbatical now? I want to go back to our church. I want to see my friends and my friends want to see me.” Amie: “Because, this summer is a chance for Dad to rest from being a pastor and preaching.” Noah: “Well, why can’t we go to our church and Dad just stay home and watch church on TV or something!?”
-
our week (by amie).
My parents went away on a trip and Grandpa and MumMum watched us. Here are some things we did: On Sunday morning, we went to church, and I helped in the nursery. I love playing with little kids and babies. Afterwards, we went to Chipotle, which is my favorite lunch place to go after church. Later that afternoon, the massive LEGO pirate ship Gabe ordered came, and as you can tell, everyone was excited. The next day after a hot run we were all very excited to go to the golfing range with Grandpa. I have to confess I have no talent with golf. The picture…
-
anniversary getaway.
David and I celebrated 17 years of marriage back in May, but decided to save a trip for sabbatical. We spent three nights at a lake in Georgia this week, and it was perfect. Well, it ended up perfect. We kicked off the getaway with an argument in the car. Of course! We are still trying to feel out Sunday worship for this season. David wanted us to start our anniversary with a visit to a church in Augusta, and I thought that was a terrible way to begin a romantic anniversary getaway. Not terrible to be worshiping God, but I just crave to step outside the identity of “pastor…
-
friday adventure.
Yesterday we grabbed a couple of friends and drove out to Harbison State Forest for a hike, picnic lunch, and a dip in the Broad River. Our favorite access road in the park was closed, which added an extra mile and some change onto the hike. The kids were all amazing . . . a six-mile hike in the June midday heat is not for the faint of heart. We’re less than a month out from the second ever Gentino National Parks road trip, so I was glad to get a practice hike in, to make sure everyone’s sneakers still fit and to break in my new backpack. We’re all…
-
first week.
On June 1, David started a three month sabbatical. It’s a chance for him to take a break from the nonstop demands of full-time ministry, and to spend time in prayer, study, travel, and with our family. Honestly, the first week just felt kind of strange. I was sick with a virus all week, and spent most of my time in bed or on the sofa. It was very nice to have David here to spend time with the kids, but the house still felt kind of lame with me laying around all day. Then Saturday arrived, and as the day progressed we all felt more and more sad that…
-
gabe is 10!
Gabe turned double-digits last week! We celebrated on Saturday with birth family, grandparents, and cousins. Amie is now the official cake-baker of the family, and Gabe requested a chocolate birthday cake with peanut butter frosting. Birthday gifts included a mountain bike, a Hogwarts Lego set, games, Pokemon cards, and the favorite gift of all from his birth mom, Christi, a hoverboard. We’ll see how long we can go without a broken bone. Gabe is a true middle child of the family, with a peace-making personality. He is such an encourager — of both children and adults — and wants everyone in his world to be happy.…
-
turning 39.
Hello there, friends! This past weekend, I entered the final year of my 30’s. Want to know how we celebrated? Great! I’ll tell you. First of all, David gave me the best gift imaginable: 24 hours all to myself in our house. He and our friend, Bryan, took the kids to Bryan’s family’s farm outside Charleston to fish, run around with dogs, feed the cows, and do some target practice. They had a blast (pictures forthcoming). And I had a blast too! I scrubbed the fronts of all my kitchen cabinets, oven, and fridge. Why, you ask? Because it’s one of those deep-cleaning projects I can never seem to get…
-
thanksgiving gratitude.
There are limitless gifts I could thank God for on this rainy, cozy Thanksgiving morning at the end of 2020. Here are five of them. He is purifying and refining His Church. Suffering always exposes what’s really in our hearts, what we really live for. Always. And for most of us, 2020 has been a year of suffering, in big and small ways. Trials have a way of bringing out our true nature — the entitlement, pride, control, distrust, anxiety, and fear. This is just as true for Christians as it is for non-Christians. And the question we are faced with, as believers, is, “What will we do with our…
-
amelie is 11 and a bedroom refresh.
Our girl turned 11 years old this summer! It seems like just yesterday she looked like this: Several of her friends have gotten loft beds in the past year or two, so that’s what Amie wanted for her birthday. Judah saw the plans we made for her room, and decided he wanted the same thing, so we spent July giving them each a little bedroom refresh. We have small bedrooms in the original part our house, and very small closets, so we’re always looking for ways to maximize space and storage. We’ve also found that our big kids really need their own desks for their school work that…
