choose life

In my life things come in waves - I get stuck on certain foods (currently stuck - ie: repeatedly having an appetite for the same food over and over again - olives, cheese-its, red wine, jalapenos...), one of my first favorite words was "again" - my poor mother had to read the same books over and over and have Annie constantly playing, and i learn things in themes. I am thankful for the perfect reality of having a Creator who knows me intimately and meets me in the unique ways in which He created me.

For those of you who have been with me on this blog journey for a while may remember my struckness in the area of falling this past spring - a perfect example of the Lord using a myriad of ways to teach me about myself and Himself. Well I have found myself smashed into another theme which I wanted to share with all of you - choose life.

This journey started over a year ago in a session with one of my clients. We were talking about the importance of being mindful of our thoughts during the day and being intentional to stop thoughts that are lies - replacing the thoughts with truth. She appropriately and extremely articulately said, "I have to tell myself to choose life - to recognize the areas where my thoughts are focused on things in the arena of death and stop those thoughts and to focus on things/thoughts that are true - i have to choose life." You have to love it when the Lord uses people in your life that you are serving to teach you incredible lessons. Well my clients words of choosing life have stayed with me.

Well, more recently in my reading of Deuteronomy I came across this passage in chapter 30:

(19) This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live (20) and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

What is choosing life: love the Lord, listen to His voice, hold fast to Him (just what i was struck by a week or so previous).

To hit the point out the park - I was at a meeting hearing about a friend's mission to the community of City Heights in San Diego and during her sharing she spoke the words, "I have to remind myself in my thoughts to choose life."

choose life, choose life, choose life. life and death are both out there in this world - fighting for our attention. i want to more fully, more completely, more regularly to choose life. choose life in my conversations, in my thoughts and in my behavior. i want to love the Lord in these things, listen to His voice in these things and hold fast to Him in these things - i want to choose life. and in this way i hope to honor Him who created me to be stuck, the One who gave me life.

moving day

today is the day. tim and i will leave to pick up the moving truck in just a few minutes. then we (with the help of my fam) will load it up and head north. we have an itemized list of everything we own and hope that the border doesn't present too much of a problem. i imagine we will spend the night painting and getting this organized. and tomorrow morning we will do the majority of the unloading of the truck. we are for sure getting new carpet (yeah!) - and we hope that will happen the monday we return from colorado. i will post pictures soon.

whelp better get going.

ps - tim and i talked with gabe last night and gabe spoke of bobby beginning to show by brooke's growing tummy. how cool?! we can't wait to see!!

one last thing - yesterday i had a great day at work. i continue to get a better feel for what i will be doing. and next week i will begin calling clients to set up times to meet them after we return from the midwest/colorado. please pray for smooth transitions - as all of them will be adjusting to me as i am adjusting to the new position.

and as tim and i have reflected over the multitude of change which is happening we are overwhelmed with thankfulness for the Lord's provision. He is so good! and i rejoice because my heart has truly been still these past few months - no anxiety or depressive moments. so maybe i am getting pretty good at this transition thing - who knows. i am, however, ready for more constancy in our life. ok really have to go now :)

first day of work

yesterday was my first day of work. it went well - a little boring to be honest. but i suppose that is to be expected given i was reading polices and procedures all day (important but not a thrilling experience). Today continues to be full of getting to know the rhythm of this place. I imagine that as i get into the work itself i will love it.

in other move news - i picked out colors for our apartment and hope to have the painting done before we leave for the midwest (a week from tomorrow we are headed to indiana for tim's grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary and then have a 5 day layover in denver - so exciting!!). i realized this was the first time i have chosen colors for a home since tim and i have been married - if you can imagine when tim's vote was cast for the color of our bedroom he voted for more of a brown than light lavender... oh well. :)

i will post pictures of the place once the painting is done. we would appreciate your prayers for a smooth move this weekend, especially that the border guard we have is kind and gracious.

pics of d's birthday

we began the day with a trip to Woods coffee with mom - a rainy day but a great day for coffee.

d - opening up some presents
faith enjoying the wrapping paper
time to sing - defense a little apprehensive on dad's candle display... haha
tk and me.

today is a sunny day in bellingham. tim and i head to vancouver tomorrow night because tuesday i begin the new job and we will be moving up officially on friday. vancouver here we come.

happy birthday sister!

speaking of the best gifts of all time - well danielle takes the cake. today is her 24th birthday. and 24 years ago i had no idea how my life would change forever. basically she is the greatest and being her sister is one of the greatest joys of my life. she was the best playmate because she would always do what i told her to do, didn't care if she only had one necklace while i took 10 for myself... (and the hat - purse and watch) and contantly made me laugh - good belly laughs. danielle continues to be, not just one of my favorite playmates, but is one of my closest friends.

defense we celebrate you today and praise the Lord for His good work in you. love you!

a job!!!

yes!!! that's right!!! i have one!!! and i am thrilled and overwhelmed with feelings of thanksgiving. after countless applications, the enormous hassle of getting a work permit and just one interview i am now employed. tim actually found the job for me on craigslist (the one and only time he suggested one because it looked just perfect for me). i will be working for the lower mainland purpose society as a therapist. i will primarily work with 10-14 year olds and their families. it is a 28 hour position, which is perfect - as i have been praying for a job that is 30 hours a week. and it pays enough that i won't have to find another job (and neither will tim). i start next tuesday. and will work for 3 days and then take a 3 day weekend to move into our apartment. and not too long after that tim and i will be headed east (to indiana and then colorado) for a week (again, so thankful for understanding in being gone so soon after starting).

i believe this is a gift wrapped in a big red bow from the greatest gift giver of all time. i have been praying for greater trust in the Lord's provision and i even though i don't understand (nor deserve) His favor - He has provided abundantly at every turn for tim and i in planting us perfectly in vancouver. thank you all for praying with us for a job for me. the Lord is so good!

phantom

last night to celebrate danielle's 24th birthday - she, my mom and me went to see phantom. it was amazing! we had a great night - shopping, eating at cheesecake factory and seeing the show. so fun. i just love spending time with my mom and sister and thrilled that danielle wanted to
see phantom for her birthday.

danielle looking 6 inches taller than me. what is new?!
defense really into the bread at cheesecake :)
laughing during intermission at the showwhat a great night!

a rainy day in the northwest

saturday afternoon and we are having our first all out rainy day in the northwest since we have been out here. and at least for now i am enjoying the rain.

tim schedule with school is in full force - as he will have his first quizzes and assignments due this coming week. yesterday he made himself lots and lots of hebrew flash cards. huge flashbacks for me to greek and the seemingly endless amounts of vocab. tim continues to greatly enjoy his time at regent - appreciating the diversity, emphasis on culture and high intellectual conversations that are happening in class. he has two discussion groups he is apart of for two of his courses and he enjoys those times as well, as they are a chance to engage with other students in a thoughtful way with the material they are learning in class.

we are set to move up to vancouver the first weekend of october. i think for tim especially it will feel good to be settled up there. i continue to try to soak up this time with my family and not having to work. :)

this week i was struck by Deuteronomy 11:22 which says -If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him, then... the author's summary of the commands of the LORD in this passage - love him, walk in His ways and hold fast to Him. some translations say to walk in obediance to him. those three statements have been rolling around in my mind - love Him, walk in His ways, hold fast to Him - all week. how critical are each of these things - and how much more do i need to live out of these things... i am grateful for the graciousness of the LORD and the equipping power of the Holy Spirit as i fumble around to live a life pleasing to the Father and even more grateful for the cleansing work of Christ which makes all of this possible.

as i have thought about things i have shared since returning home i realized i have neglected to post a bit about the things the Lord is up to in me - so for what it's worth - there you go.

may the Lord who makes all things new and good be with you today - and this afternoon i am thankful for the rain and the way He uses that to bring life.

an afternoon with the mosers

we spent the afternoon with the mosers. so fun. the days have been beautiful here. we went to the park and then hung out at my parent's house watching Psalty (huge flash backs for bekah and i as we both remembered all of the songs - haha) and football.

sweet Sam is 6 months today!
beautiful isa
ben commanding his ship (the playground was a huge ship)
taking a family photo can be difficult - isa the happiest child so serious for every picture
yes, i recognize this post probably belongs on the moser's blog. but their kids are just so cute. and we love them all a lot.

deception pass

tim's first day of school. it's early.
my mom, dad and me went on a little adventure today to deception pass. here are some pics:

mt. baker in the distance -
my dad and me after our picnic lunch
faith playing in the water - staring at a ball she never had the courage to get. poor faith.

mom and daughter - turbo hikers

cliff pic of mom and dad
the weather has been amazing. and we had a great day!

the latest with the move

last week tim and i received the amazing news that the 2 bedroom apartment on the first floor of the house where drew and bekah live will be available october 1st.  currently all of our things are at my parent's house (mainly in the garage).  they graciously offered for us to keep our things there for the next few weeks until the apartment is available.  they also are housing, feeding, suppling us with a car, and lavishly spoiling us.  so in spite of the commute for tim 3 days a week we are very happy and feel very much taken care of.  

we hope to move as soon as we can after the 1st.  not sure how it will all work out as the 1st is in the middle of the week.  we may just begin by sleeping on the floor for a few days and moving most of our stuff up the weekend following.  

nothing else new to report.  today i hope to get my b.c. driver's license.  and tim is at school - his first day.  i did take a picture at 5:45 this morning.  he takes a great picture that early in the morning :)  

go broncos!

in honor of the first regular season broncos game i am wearing for the first time the broncos shirt i got in israel. even though we have moved away i will continue to be a broncos fan.

the rest of the pics are from our night in vancouver with kurtis and erin this weekend. we went and had nachos and beer at one of their favorite places (a huge craving we had while in israel - we dreamed of this day)
we went and got gelato
and went bowling


the weather in bellingham has been beautiful!! and we are really enjoying it. yesterday we went kayaking and took faith. at first she was not so sure about being in the kayak but by the end of the time she had her paws up on the side taking in the wind and the view. tim begins school tomorrow and i plan to go with him - get my b.c. license (something i have to do within the first 3 months of moving to canada - good-bye colorado license) and hang out with bekah and the kids in the afternoon. no new updates with the job - i don't plan on knowing anything new for a week or so. and still very much loving being near to my family.

that's all for now - go broncos!

the coming of bobbi

well i figure that if both parent's have blogged about it i can safely blog about it as well...

gabe and brook are pregnant! and we are thrilled for them and for our whole family. i have never been an aunt but i hope to be a great one for little bobby (that is what i call the little one in brooke's tummy). if you want to read more about the progress of bobby click on brooke or gabe's blogs. i imagine brooke will be writing a bit more about him/her as she is feeling more of the reality right now. bobby is due april 10th. a think that sounds like a nice birthday.

brooke and gabe told us on the side of the road - just after we landed in denver. so our reunion was much greater than i could say a few weeks ago. they busted out an ultrasound picture and 2 huge grins and... well... there you go. we all just hugged a lot after that. an interesting site for drivers passing by to be sure.

so if you think of them- tim and i would be honored if you would join all of us in praying for bobbi and for brooke - for health, rest, preparation and joy. (and for gabe too for his life is also going to dramatically change). tim and i get a good chuckle out of picturing bobby a few years from now - blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin - drawing or writing or singing quietly in the corner - as our child (not yet even conceived) is marching around banging into things, falling down, unable to hold still. or who knows - we could be totally wrong. either way we are very excited for the coming of bobby.

happy 30th anniversary mom and dad!!!

Sunday night we celebrated my mom and dad's 30th wedding anniversary. We had an amazing meal out at their favorite restaurant - conversation filled with much reflection and thanksgiving regarding the past 30 years. here is mom and defense before we left for the evening. they are beautiful.
cute mom and dad.
tim, danielle and i outside the restaurant
tim and i after dinner.

it is great to be able to be home and with family, especially on such special occasions. we love you mom and dad. thank you for a wonderful night. and thank you for loving each other so well.

moving pics and wonderful news!

some of our things in the knipps' garage
tim and ken discussing the packing strategy
everything fits! the all-star father/son team!
tim - the driver - for 20 of the 22 hours.

our second night at our second k.o.a. stop. yesterday we unloaded the truck into my parent's garage. we found out this morning that we have a place to live!! it is such a blessing. we will be living in the first floor apartment of the same house as drew and bekah. we are incredibly excited. the plan is to move in October 1st. between now and then we will be with my parents. tim is at regent right now for orientation. classes start next week.