Summer fun! June 30, 2008
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Wow! We had a great time in Charleston! We did a carriage tour downtown, spent way too much time at the open market 
and spent a whole day at the beach! We also met up with my good friend, Carrie, who lives there now and had a delish dinner before we came home. On our last day we found this AMAZING antique shop and had so much fun doing what we do best….SHOPPING! I only left with two things, and mom didn’t spend too much either. We just had fun being unrushed and not in a hurry. It was great to get away even just for a little bit!
When I got back I had two days to relax, which were so nice and then on Saturday we celebrated Shaeuffer’s 1st Birthday! What a cutie!
charleston here we come! June 19, 2008
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Mom are I headed to Charleston on Sunday for a few days in the low-country. We are staying near Patriot’s Point which is just minutes away from historic downtown and very close to the Isle of Palms. I have scouted out some plantation tours, walking tours and some delish dinner spots. It will be a busy 4 days
Jess and I went to Charleston right after he finished him chemo treatments in April of 2005. We loved it and have always wanted to go back. Mom has been once, but it was several years ago so I am hoping that it is a great trip for us both. We hope to meet up with one of my friends from SHBC who just recently moved to North Charleston. She gave me the downlow on where to stay and knows all the good shopping areas :- )Of course after we pay for our gas, there probably won’t be much left!!! Anyone else have a place in Charleston that is a must see, eat or do??? Leave in the comments and we will try and scope it out.
So this means that my husband will be left to himself for a few days of caveman time. We went to Walmart last night to pick up a few things…(yeah right) and the majority of our buggy was filled with meats. Yep, look for the smoke coming from South Knoxville and our driveway. Jesse will be a grillin machine next week. Since he has learned he is actually really good at grilling things now and has perfected a few things, he wants to grill ALL THE TIME. But, I am not complaining….right ladies? Any man who offers to cook for you is a good one and you should let him return the favor for all the grub you throw down every week.
I will post more when we get back next week!
quick update June 13, 2008
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This is our game room for Preteens!
ITK t-shirts are here!
So many awesome things are happening and I just wanted to share! First Jesse’s new position is going great! He is getting settled into a routine and feeling more and more confident about his new responsibilities.
Second, VBX has been a huge hit this week! Thanks to our friend, Matt Powell,and several awesome volunteers, we have seen around 80 or so preteens at VBX! VBS has been awesome too! Every year I am awed by the number of people and work that goes into putting together such creative ways to share Jesus with children. Also, above is our new sign for the Loft! This is where we all hang out for game time on Wed. nights before we head to the worship service! Oh and the ITK t-shirts are in! They turned out great! We will roll out a whole new series of videos in the fall so stay tuned!
Vacation! Mom and I are putting our plans together for a little get away to Charleston in a week or so. Jess can’t take time off till later in the year, so Mom and I decided to get away for a few days for some mom and daughter time! Jesse and I did make plans for a weekend getaway in July to Gatlinburg, so we are really looking forward to that too! Hope everyone else gets to take some time off this summer to relax!
SOH: The planning for our special night for preteen girls is coming along great! We all had dinner last night to share ideas and lesson ideas and by the end we were all really excited! I think our 6th grade girls, especially are going to really get alot out of this night! Leena, our Women’s Ministry Director, has agreed to be our hostess for the night. It is so awesome to see how God uses each person and their gifts to bring about his plans! So thankful for amazing people in the Preteen Ministry that God is using!
We are still praying through our decision about my surgery. Insurance can be tricky and we want to make sure we have all the information we need before we go forward. We are at peace right now and are counting are blessings!
cinderella maria June 10, 2008
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Cinderella is Steven Curtis Chapman’s newest release and has developed a brand new meaning. The song, which talks about cherishing the precious moments with his daughter, now is a reminder of just how powerful those moments really are. Maria was one of three girls the Chapman’s had adopted from China through Shohannah’s Hope. http://www.shaohannahshope.org/
Jesse and I both are huge fans of Steven Curtis Chapman. We both grew up listening to his music and following his ministry. Jesse even won a SCC look-a-like contest in high school…lol. We played one of his songs in our wedding and my brother was such a big fan that we played one of his entire albums, Declaration, during the receiving line at his funeral.
After hearing the news about the tragic death of his daughter, Maria, we were both heartbroken. With the rest of the Christian community we cried and have been praying contintually for their family. I regulary check their website and today I found this picture that was used at Maria’s funeral. It is a montage of her short, but amazing life. I thought it was awesome and wanted to share it. You can check out the website here for more details about this beautiful family and darling little girl. You can also link to all their blogs there. http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/in_index.html
wait on the Lord June 9, 2008
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Well, it has been a whirlwind, but we have decided to wait on the surgery until we have more information and can plan a little better. I did’t get the official date until Thursday of last week, so it was very difficult to get things in order at work in such short notice. Work is very crazy this week and so it was the worst time to be out! AND, they could guarantee that insurance would cover the cost and told me that if we had to pay out of pocket it would be around $12,000. Wow. So, Jesse and I agreed to hold off this month and pray through our decision.
A friend dropped by this morning and reminded me of something important. It is from Psalm 27:14,
“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”
We are going to wait and pray! Thanks for all your prayers! God is good and His plans are perfect!!!
surgery next week? June 5, 2008
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Long story short…..my dr. thinks I may have endometriosis and wants to do a laproscopy possibly on Tuesday of next week. I haven’t had the symptoms of endometriosis, so I have never suspected it, but with all the failed pregnancy attempts, we are starting to look inside for the problem. I am waiting to hear back from the office to confirm about our insurance coverage. Pray that it will be covered!
It is considered outpatient and shouldn’t be to painful. I will know more tomorrow hopefullly! Thanks for your prayers!
happy 35th to my sister June 5, 2008
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Today my big sister, Eve, turns 35. Hope you have a great day sis!
moving ahead June 4, 2008
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This week we have seen two new doors open. One for me to possibly have a surgery that may correct any internal issues with the baby making process and another to meet with a foster care counselor. Please pray for both of these things as we go forward.
We may be meeting with someone from Youth Villages http://www.youthvillages.org/ as soon as Thursday or Monday. I am waiting to hear back from my doctor about whether or not our insurance will cover the day surgery my doctor is recommending. So, we will see what doors continue to open and which ones shut. We are excited about learning more about the foster care process.
A precious friend shared this verse with me yesterday:
“For men are not cast off forever. Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. For He does not willing bring affliction or grief to the children of men.” Lamentations 2:31-33
walking past round two June 2, 2008
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Just a quick update about our second round of treatment with Dr. Harris. We are sad to say that it was unsucessful. But we aren’t giving up yet! Our plan originally with her was to try at least 3-4 IUI cycles with meds. So this is only our first one with her. The first month we did meds only.
Today I am meeting with my pastor to seek godly counsel and advice about our decisions concerning foster care, adoption and continuing fertility treatments. It is alot to navigate through on your own and we want to surround ourselves with godly people to help us make wise choices. It is so easy to become self-focused and not be able to see the big picture. But I am reminded of Jesus and each time we fall down HE is there to pick us up and give us peace. Jesse and I are confident that God has put our lives together for a special purpose whether we enlarge our family with children or not. We can never miss out on anything good God has for us as long as we are seeking to be completely surrendered to HIS purpose and HIS timing. That has been alot easier to type than to do in real life. But I know God can’t lie and His word reminds me over and over that His love for me is bigger and stronger than anything in this life.
If infertility is what God has chosen to refine Jesse and I in our personal walk, then we have to submit to that and be willing to seek out God’s purpose in this lesson. It will not be wasted. God will use it to bring glory to Himself. We desire above all else to be obedient children of a gracious and loving Father. I keep reading 2 Corinthians 5:7 that reminds me to walk by faith and not by sight. So today Jesse and I are walking on past our dissapointments blindfolded, but led by our precious Father’s hand. He will guide us through whatever comes next and we will praise Him for it.
Thank you for all your prayers over the past few weeks. I know you have been seeking God’s will on our behalf and we have heard His answer this month. That means so much to us! We trust that He knows best!
