My wonderful husband surprised me on Saturday by taking me to the spa for the day.  You see, over a year ago we were given a gift certificate to a spa nearby and we have never used it.  So, saturday went something like this...

We participated in a serving opportunity with some of the young adults in our church for a few hours.  We went to a local Salvation Army Assisted Living Facility and cleaned apartments for a few of the residents.  We took Alyssa and Meredith along with us (they didn't clean, but they did bring pictures and shells that they picked up at the beach).  What a joy it was to serve them!  

As we walked out of the facility David's mom pulled up to pick up the girls and David told me we were going to the spa for the rest of the day.  We grabbed a bite to eat on the way to the spa and then enjoyed the rest of the day together.  It was such a joy!  We laid out by the pool, enjoyed the citrus water and fruit, David enjoyed the steam room and I enjoyed a massage!  We ended the evening with dinner at Maggiano's  (don't know if that is how its spelled).  They have awesome Fried Zucchini and Chopped Salad.  

We laughed a lot and decided we'd come up with a...

Top 5 things you shouldn't do at the Ritz-Carlton Spa...

5. Don't drink so much that your drunk (who wants to spend all that money to not remember it)

4. Don't swim like a whale or dolphin - splashing everyone else in the pool

3. Don't wear inappropriate bathing suits (ie.a speedo)

2. Don't bring floaties

1.  Don't do hand stands in the pool

Honestly, these are all things that we observed while we were there!

6 Years Ago

Well, 6 years ago tonight. David and I were at our Rehearsal Dinner, spending our last nights as singles and so thrilled for our marriage to begin the next day. Little did we know how much we would really enjoy it.

I'm trying to think of something to do for David at the last minute. We had planned to go away just the two of us, but with the purchase of a new home we decided a new house was a present for both of us. So now we are down to the wire and I don't have a clue what to do. I have an idea or two but that is it. Any tips?

I've been thinking about all that we've done together in these past 6 years. Here are some of the highlights.
+ We've had three beautiful little girls during the last four 4 years.
+ We've lived in 3 different cities, next month will be the fourth.
+ We've lived in 5 different houses/apartments, next month will be the sixth.
and
+ We've purchased 2 new cars.

So, I am more in love with David then I ever thought possible. And I have such anticipation for the years to come.

Haiti...Day Eight

Today's traveling day!!!! David and the team in Haiti left for a long 4 hour drive to Port au Prince at 6:30am. I just checked and there flight leaving Haiti has been delayed, only about 20 minutes at this point. I am surprising David and taking him to a hotel tonight. I think he knows though, all this week I've been telling him that the girls and I were picking him up from the airport and yesterday he asked me, "so will you be picking me up alone or are the girls still coming with you?". I'm realizing he is the hardest person ever to surprise. Oh well, we will still have a good time even if he does know.

Thanks for praying for us while he has been gone! We have all felt God's grace upon us each and every day!

Less than 7 hours till David/daddy is home...

Haiti...Day Six

The girls and I were able to talk to David today for about 10 minutes. He said he had to wait in line for the phone and when we started talking the phone battery started to beep - whats with us and dying phones, ours at home do it all the time. Anyway, we didn't really talk about what they were doing today, but I got an email tonight saying that he and Chris Dunlop just found out they were preaching tomorrow. So its like 9pm and they don't have computers or anything other than their bibles. They are excited! I can't wait to hear how it goes.

The girls and I went back to the house for a little while today, really just to get a jump start on getting the house back in order so there wouldn't be so much to do on Monday. Then after nap time, we went swimming - thank God for Mimi and her pool, they have been having so much fun. Meredith even swam to me from the steps all by herself. I was so excited. She is beginning to love the water!!! Her daddy is going to be so proud. As for Alyssa, she just stays on the steps and pretends she is swimming. I guess she can't stay afraid of the water forever, right?

2 days left till David/daddy gets home...

Haiti...Day Five

No real update tonight.

David called, but the hotel phone was beeping because its battery was dying. Then he called on his cell, which cost $1.50 per minute, to say I love you, but I have to go. Needless to say I was pretty bummed, I carry around my cell phone like its an oxygen tank just in case he calls. Apparently the team leaders and the pastor from Haiti were supposed to have a meeting earlier this evening and he had just arrived several hours after the agreed upon time. No big deal, though. I was nice just to hear his voice. The girls and I miss him terribly, but we are glad we are in the home stretch.

We swam all day today. The girls are getting more and more brave each time we swim. Alyssa is the most cautious and although Meredith is more daring I think she picks up some of Alyssa's fear and carries it as her own. But she did great today, she would even jump in from the side of the pool in her little inner tube and was just fine. That's a really big accomplishment for us! Kristen's girls are like fish and my girls are scaredy cats when it comes to the water. Oh well, we all got worn out, but had a fun day.

3 days till David/daddy comes home...

Haiti...Day Four

Just got an update from David. The government is still holding all the medications so the medical team is basically only able to help with minor things. They are staying over night in the mountains and doing the modified clinic tomorrow. The rest of the team is at the orphanage. I only had about 15 minutes to talk to David because they only have a limited number of calling cards and won't be getting more in until sometime tomorrow. Today was his first opportunity to call while the girls were awake, so they enjoyed talking to their daddy. Alyssa asked if she could talk to the girls there because leading up to the trip we took them with us shopping to buy his supplies but everything fun we bought we kept telling them was for the kids and we found the names of the girls their ages and tried to explain to a 4 and 2 1/2 year old that the kids there didn't have parents or toys and all that, so Alyssa wanted to talk to the girls that we had been talking to her about.

The girls and I are holding up. We are at my mom's house now until Monday(when David gets home). We had a play date today with friends from church and tomorrow is an all day swim-a-thon. They begged from the moment they woke up from their naps to go swimming, but is was raining. I am tired, but I really feel God's grace. He is my strength and my only true source of help. I was encouraged by this verse today, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.”

The trip is half way over, so the count down begins... only 4 days left!

David's Ordinaton

Yesterday, May 20th, David got ordained within Sovereign Grace Ministries. I had to opportunity to honor him during the meeting. It was a joy for me to be able to encourage him on this special day for him. Here is what I was able to say.

I have had the privilege of being “pastored” by David for almost 6 years now. He has not only been a loving husband, he has led me and “pastored” me every day of our marriage.

In Ephesians 5:25-26 it says~ “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”. David finds much joy in washing me with the water of the word. And he daily demonstrates Christ’s love for the church in how he interacts with me.

He is diligent to help me set my heart on the things of the Lord, to make sure I’m having consistent devotional times and he is regularly showing me the way to the cross when it seems I’ve gotten off course. He never lords over me or harshly “lays down the law”.

In our current season there are many opportunities for him to help me have a new perspective on things, when I am weary he encourages me to run to the savior for my strength. You see, he lives what he preaches. There has not been a single time where he has said something in a message where I thought to myself “if only he did that at home”. David has a hatred for hypocrisy in his life or in the life of our family. What you see on a Sunday is what David is at home.

I would willingly and with joy follow David wherever he is called. He is an able leader, a gifted preacher, humble Christian and loving husband and father. I realize and some day the girls will too that the life that David and we as his family are called to is a life of serving the church and we do it with joy. Because of your love for us as a family, we can willingly and joyfully do that. You live like your ministry outside the home is not more important than your ministry in the home.

So on your ordination day, I want you to know (as the one who knows you best) that I see up close and personal what the church is saying today.

Love,
Your Bride

I wish you all could have been there. It was a holy moment!

My Dear Husband

For those of you who haven't heard my husband preach in a long while -- I want to take this opportunity to brag. Grace Church is going through a series on Isaiah and this past Sunday David preached a wonderful message on trusting God, "Do you believe the promises?"! If you'd like to listen, you can download it here. Each week he preaches I am aware of how gifted he is to serve the body of Christ in this way.