Things to share...

Hi... it has been a while since I last blogged, I feel like that is the way I have been starting every one of these, but it's like a friend that I want to talk to desperately... I want to share my heart, but there is so much to share that I'm not sure where to begin.
I am here in California, and have been here for 3 and 1/2 weeks now... wow!  My oldest brother Bobby got married on the 15th of October to the beautiful Sarah Norris (now Griffith), she is so perfect for him!  They have been such good friends for several years,  eventually they fell in love,  and have now committed to spend their lives together, how wonderful is that?!  I know it's great, I could not be more overjoyed for them  :)

For this next part I'm going to share I cannot yet share with you all the details for it has not yet been completely resolved.  When I first arrived here, there were a number of things, mainly one that threw me into a state of emotional distress... feeling angry at other people for making my life hard, for causing me pain and hurt, making me bitter, and in return fighting with my own flesh, causing me to turn to myself instead of God.  If you'll notice I wanted to blame my feelings on someone else's actions... that's not right!  I need to take responsibility for my own self.  God has been humbling me, showing me areas in myself that need to be changed, that no matter what my surroundings are I can be strong in Him, because I don't need to find my identity in anyone else but Him... wow that is so comforting to say out loud!  You know...   It's so natural for us to want to blame someone else for our hurt feelings, I'm not saying we shouldn't share our feeling with others, because owning your own feelings and sharing that brings healing, and that is something I still need to do, I have just been praying and waiting for God to change my heart in a way that I could not do.  He has given me a new and different perspective.  I am so thankful for God's love for me, he desires restoration in relationships, which makes sense that he made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could be restored to him.  Thanks for listening, and if you have a minute I would love for you to say a quick prayer for me.  :)

As for my time here, it has been nice to spend time with family, and friends, TJ went back to Florida last week and I am staying here until my sister in law Arielle's baby is born.  I am honored to be able to be there for the birth, she was due the 2nd of November, so we are still waiting... patiently, I will keep you posted.  I do miss my Florida family, and of course our youth group, they bring more to my life than they realize.  Anyway, I'm sure I have shared enough now, I am so thankful for God grace in my life.  Enjoy the pictures!

Ava and cousin Bella

visiting Barry and Helen

Breakfast on the wedding day

Ava fell asleep while dancing with my mom at the end of the night

cousins:  Bella, Ezra, and Ava

Ezra and Ava

sisters, cousins and our Mormor

our little family  :)

Pregnant sister in laws

playing with relatives day after wedding

exploring Santa Barbara (anniversary trip)

Weeeeeeee... I love my husband!

abandoned property where a house had burned down

21 weeks pregnant in this picture

eating breakfast at our "bed and breakfast"

we kept the tradition and ate sushi on the beach

consumed too much wasabi on that piece of sushi

 

all fluids instantly came flowing out of my face

TJ did the same thing... =)

19 Weeks

TJ insisted we do some night poses... so here I am at 19 weeks.  I had my check up on Thursday, and everything seems to be going very well, I am feeling this baby move more and more which of course is very fun. 
We are going to California this Wednesday, and I'm super excited.  There are some things to do though before we go.  We are putting some insect bombs in our pantry, and a couple other places, so We have to remove everything from the pantry... I'm not looking forward to that, BUT... maybe there will be less cockroaches  eeeeewww!  And of course there's all the packing to do.  But soon and very soon I will be on that plane, and into California, and into my mouth that In N' Out Burger will go, can't wait! 

18 Weeks and counting

18 weeks

Hi... I know it's been a little while.  In these pictures, I'm 18 weeks, but tomorrow (wednesday)  I will be 19 weeks,  I am not doing so good at updating... oh well!
This past weekend TJ, Ava and I took a little boat out for a ride to Cocoa village which was quite the ride from our dock in an aluminum boat... but hey, that's what adventure is all about.  We got some coffee, and food, then TJ decided to take the boat back as quick as he could because the wind was picking up, and it was going to be a difficult ride for all of us, so Ava and I stayed in Cocoa village for a couple hours by ourselves, we enjoyed the park, playing on the swings, she didn't have her bathing suit, but I did have sun screen, so I let her take all her clothes off, lathered her in sunscreen, and  let her play in the fountain (a place where children are meant to play :)  once she was done with that she ran around in the grass for a while, then kept gravitating towards this specific family enjoying themselves under a tree in the grass... she finally just walked up to them and plopped herself down right in the middle of their blanket started eating their pretzels, all of their kids kept giving her more, pretty soon she had about 10 in her mouth...  no fear, she wanted to just hang out with these random people.. our new friends.  :)   It ended up being really nice, because it took TJ a really long time to get back to us, so I got to know these people pretty well, they were  believers, and attend a Calvary Chapel not too far from us.  The main lady that I was talking to was glad I asked them where they were at spiritually because she normally likes to ask other people about their spiritual walk.  Anyway, God has a way of taking care of us, and I was definitely encouraged by these friendly strangers.  :)

Next Wednesday TJ and I are heading to California... for an exciting event, my oldest brother Bobby is getting married to the love of his life Sarah Norris... soon to be Griffith, it is going to be a wonderful celebration of two people who love the Lord, and I really can't wait!  :)

As far as this baby inside me goes... everything seems to be going well, I'm feeling pretty good these days, there's the occasional episodes of puking, but that's only natural.  I have started to really feel this baby move a lot, and that has been so fun, and is always a good reminder that there is a little one growing inside me.  TJ and I don't know for sure if we want to find out the sex or not, let me rephrase that, I want to find out, and TJ doesn't... so we haven't decided.  I am almost positive it's a boy for some reason, so I kind of just want to validate that feeling, but we'll see.  :)
Ava has been walking around sooooo good, it crazy how much she has grown, she is jibberjabbering a lot right now, and has come up with some pretty cool new sounds, so it's always fun to listen to her.  She has a small vocabulary, including:  Hi, Bu-bye, mama, daddy, Thank you (Tay-ndtu) yes, (ei with a nod) no (doe, with a head shake), ball ( baa)  book (boo), cat, baby... and I think that's all for now, but I wouldn't be surprised if her vocabulary starts growing at a more rapid pace. 

Recent Events

Add caption

 Sorry that I have been failing on my weekly updates, here we have both 15 and 16 weeks of pregnancy... very soon here I will be posting my 17th week picture.  There was a few things for me to share with you, so enjoy as you scroll down to see.  :)

15 weeks

16 weeks

Our visit to the zoo

Exciting things to see

  A couple weekends ago we took a trip to the zoo since I had never been here in Brevard county, and Ava had not been at all,  We heard a rumor that it was $2.00 for the month of September for Brevard county residents, so we decided to go, when we got there we learned that was only good on Tuesdays... so, bummed out I was ready to leave, and TJ said NO!  We're staying!  So we spent our $27.00 and went to the zoo, and enjoyed ourselves.  The truth is that we would never go as a family on a Tuesday anyway because TJ works, so I guess it worked out ok... it ends up just being money right?

Daddy let Ava run loose with the hose

 This past weekend I got the opportunity to go to a Women of Joy conference with many ladies in my church.  I originally wasn't going to go because Ava was still breast feeding, but as of last week she's all done with that.... :) yay for me.  Also I didn't really have the money.  Last minute someone couldn't come because they were sick, and I was offered her spot for free, which was such a blessing.  So TJ had Ava all weekend, they did things... daddy style.  They were outside, and he handed her the hose to do what she desired, and she did!  :)

This baby couldn't be happier

She LOVES water!

My favorite

All done

It's hard to see, but this is Kay Aurther

Casting Crowns

 I was so glad that I got to go to this conference... especially with the crazy special women in my church.  I think there were 16 that went and I was honored to get to know them a little better, even if it was in ways I didn't necessarily want to... such as loud snoring and such :).  God has different ways of making us more flexible doesn't he? 
There was some really good speakers, and I was definitely encouraged in some areas.  There was a woman who spoke, who was hilarious, I really enjoyed laughing.  Kay Arther had some good challenges, and just the way that she serves God was a challenge.  I left having an even stronger desire to get into God's word every day  While I  was there God convicted me to speak a specific word to someone, that is always kind of hard, but a good reminder that I am only a tool of the Lord's.  My life belongs to him, and I desire for him to use me in the way that he wants to.  I was definitely blessed on this trip, and am so thankful for God's provisions.

Butter Chicken and Naan... YUM!!! :)

 I've been having the desire for some good Indian food for a while, but I wanted something different than I have made before, so I decided to attack the butter chicken project.  I combined a couple recipes, to sort of create what I wanted.  So I'll give you Butter Chicken #1 and Butter Chicken #2 so you can have an idea of both.  I will give you the recipe that I created below, so you will know what to do if you choose to make it just like mine.  Just so you know I really like it spicy, so if you want it mild don't put as much cayenne and hot smoked paprika as me.  If you are vegan, I suppose you could do this with tofu and vegetables or something, and it would totally be delicious as well, I would still marinate everything though. 

Combine the following:

1 tea salt
1/2 tea black pepper
1/2 tea cinnamon
1/2 tea cloves
1 1/2 tea cumin
1 1/2 tea coriander
1 tea cayenne pepper
1 Tbls garam masala
1/2 tea cardamom
1 1/2 Tbls hot smoked paprika
1 Tbls grated ginger (or ginger in a tube)
5 cloves minced garlic or 5 tea ^
1/4-1/2 onion diced or grated
1 whole lime or lemon juiced
2 heaping Tbls plain yogurt

~Combine ingredients in little bowl... smell the delicious aroma  :)

Cut up 4 chicken breasts into bite size pieces, and combine with above ingredients in large ziplock bag.  Marinate over night or all day, the longer the better.

Now it is evening, and we are ready to cook our dish

fry together until soft:
1/4 cup butter
1 medium sized onion

~add Chicken and all it's delicious spices.  Cook for about 10 minutes.
~add 1 14 oz can tomato sauce, and a 14 oz can petite cut tomatoes.  Cook for 20 min on medium low heat
                                  (Now is a good time to put some white rice on)
~add 1 cup cream, 2 Tbls almond butter, and 1 Tbls honey.  Simmer for about 10 more min
... I think that's it for the butter chicken  :)

Now... if you can find some time to cook the Naan while you are doing the butter chicken, it is delicious and seemingly necessary to have the naan along with your meal. 
For the Naan, I just used regular butter, but after adding all the ingredients, it seemed too wet, so I had to add quite a bit of flour, so you might have to do that as well other wise, I followed the recipe pretty closely.
To keep them warm, I put my oven to 200 degrees, and put a plate and towel in there to hold my delicious pan bread... Enjoy!

News

So...  For those of you who don't know  TJ and I have some exciting news.  #1:  If you don't remember, TJ and I feel called to be missionaries to unreached people groups. We have been planning on being missionaries with New Tribes Mission since before we were married, and have had our eyes on that path this whole time.  We have been here... in Florida at our church, building relationships, ministering in different ways, saving money and just being here enjoying people and our family, and at the same time waiting for God's leading to go to the New Tribes Missionary Training Center (MTC).  We have felt leading from God to go to the MTC in Missouri Fall of 2012... next year!  While attending this intense training we are not allowed to work.  We have saved a large some of money, but still need more in order to sustain us for 2 years.  If you would please pray that God would keep us focused on His kingdom, and that God would burden the right people to commit to praying for us, and financially supporting us.  In order to save enough money for what we need, IF we save 500 dollars every month for the next 35 months, then we will have what we need. Our church family has decided to support TJ and I when we go to school, which will be a huge blessing when that time comes. If you would like to help our church in that effort you can give to them online, all you do is put "mission" in the description line next to the amount.  (Just click on the donate button).  Please do not feel obligated in anyway to support us unless God has burdened you. 

    I couple blogs ago, I was telling you how we were going to have families in our home from our church to get to know them better, and let them know what is going on in our life as far as what we are doing, where we are going, and what our different needs are if God leads us to share those details.  We really have just begun, and have only had 5 families over, but it's a start, and God has been faithful in directing us in our words and actions in what to share with people.  It has just been great getting to know some of our church family better.  It has been somewhat of a challenge being pregnant and not always feeling up to making meals, but I really felt like God was calling me to do this, and he is blessing us just by the relationships that we are able to build with people, and hopefully will continue to develop. 

Our meal with Linda and Mitch

We grilled salmon on a plank, best salmon I've ever had (sorry mom)

You can sort of see our friends behind Ava, Diane and Gary

13 weeks pregnant

Huge "helps" for my nausea

Being pregnant hasn't been the worst thing since I started taking Unisom and B6 every night before going to bed, it is safe for pregnancy, and somehow the ingredients work together to help with nausea and vomiting, since taking it, I have felt a world of difference, and has prevented many days of horror  =).  Ava has been waking up about 6 am every day which does not help with my tiredness, but TJ makes Ava and I an egg every morning, and takes care of Ava until he goes to work, He is so sweet!  I usually take a nap during the morning when Ava takes her nap, and sometimes in the afternoon too, but I have not needed that nap as much lately as I did in the beginning.  I am still able to make meals which is good, but I'm not going to lie, we eat take out quite often... so in turn we have been buying less groceries.

I am now 14 weeks pregnant

Anyway enough about me, Ava has officially started walking, and it has been so different and fun for us to watch her walk around.  Her cousin Levi doesn't have to crawl in honor of her anymore, they walk around together, fighting over toys, or enjoying each other's company.  I recently started weening her for the whole day, so she only nurses in the morning and at night which is nice for me, we plan to ween her all the way by the time we go to California for my brother's wedding in the middle of October, so that TJ and I can go on our 2 night Anniversary getaway without Ava... :)

Things with our church have been going well.  We are still working with our youth group, and are in transition and trying to figure out what exactly to do next.  A couple of our youth are moving this week, and it is always hard to see people leave that we have gotten close to (We will miss you Esther and Gabe!!!)  TJ has still been preaching, and tonight is his last night of preaching for a while, because the Saturday night services are ending.  I am still doing words (easy worship) for worship every other week, and nursery once a month.  Our church is going to be moving out of the building we have been in for the past 8 months, so I'm sure that will be a bit challenging for our church, but not necessarily bad, God has all kinds of ways of growing his people.  We are so thankful for our church family, and honored to be apart of God's kingdom.  Thanks for reading, I know it was a lot today.  :)  

Also Today is my mom's Birthday... Happy Birthday MOM I love you! 

Trip to Pennsylvania ... and more

 TJ and I went on a date with out Ava for the first time a few weeks ago, we got a baby sitter, and went out to a nice dinner, and a movie... it was GREAT!  Granted we did kind of miss Ava, but it was so nice to just spend that time with each other, and go to a MOVIE... which I have not done in Forever!  Also... Ava did great without us which was a big bonus.

Mummum and Grandad at the wedding (TJ's grandparents)

Jamie about to get married

Cousins Ava and Levi hanging out

At a park with friend in North Carolina

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kristi and David housed us for a couple days

So much has happened since the last time I blogged.  Well for starters... I'm 12 weeks pregnant, and due March 1st, so that's pretty exciting news, Ava is going to have a brother or sister... we will see.  It has been a little bit harder for me to get the motivation up to blog, just because I don't have a lot of energy, and Ava sucks most of what I have out of me, but I will try to be better.

Last week, we traveled to Pennsylvania to attend our friend Jamie Seiverling's now Farran wedding.  I am happy to say they are now married, and off, I am truly happy for them,  Jamie is a great girl, and I know Mark will make a quality husband.  We got to spend a lot of time with our friend's Josh and Casey, who just had a precious new baby little girl, who I got to spend my time snuggling her, its crazy how small those babies start out. 
On the way back from PA, we stayed with our friend's David and Kristi Mize in North Carolina, who let us stay and hang out with them for a couple nights.  We had some good conversations, a fun time at a park where we made our own dinner, Kristi cut my hair for me (Thanks Krist :) God has all kind of ways to encourage us, and I'm thankful for all God's children. David and Kristi were very hospitable and fun, ooooh the people we wish we could live closer to... the list is too long.