Aquarium

One of my friends and I took advantage of the great mommy and me special that the aquarium is offering. For only 20 bucks you can take up to 4 preshoolers, 1 adult and your parking is free. That is an amazing savings! Here is the link if you're interested. www.georgiaaquarium.org/meandmommy.aspx. Here are some pictures of our time. It was so cool! I've never been to an aquarium before so I was just as in awe as the kids :-). 

Pray for Carrie

Hi Friends,

Most of you know about my love for Austria and our desire to go back to serve there. I don't think any of you know that this dream was birthed in the backyard of two of our dearest friends, Lance and Carrie Borden in Austria. It was there that seeds were planted for mission work. Lance and Carrie have been serving in Austria for over 10 years now. Carrie is one of those people who I've always looked up to in the Lord. She has taught me so many things about marriage, God, and children (although I had not yet had children when I lived close to her). She even influenced my decision to go part time at work last year during our week long trip to Austria. She also handed off her trusty spank stick and encouraged me to put it to use :-).

I just got news that she has cancer on her tongue and she is in for a hard long road over the next 3 months. Including taking a portion of her tongue, chemotherapy and radiation. Our hearts are broken for this family. I've posted some pictures from our times shared with them. If you would take a second and pray for Carrie. Pray for God to heal her completely and to be with their family (they have 2 children).

Thanks so much.

25 Things About Me

I posted these on facebook but thought I'd put them on here too. Maybe you'll learn something new about me :-). Have a great day.

1. Words cannot express how grateful I am for Christ's sacrifice on my behalf. As each year passes the reality of this seems to really sink in more and more.
2. My family is very multicultural. My sister is married to a Native American, My brother is married to a Colombian and my hubby is the hottest white man...man....I've ever known. When all of our kids are together they can all pass for siblings. Pretty cool I think.
3. We name our children for meanings. Ellison comes from Elijah and means The Lord is God. Jude's name means Praise. When he was born he developed spinal meningitis and stayed in the hospital for 3 weeks so he really is our praise.
4. One of the hardest things I've ever done is walk away from the hospital without my baby. It feels so unnatural and makes me count my blessings when I see his little face.
5. Ian and I lived in Europe for our first 2 years of marriage. It was a gift. We were together for 21 out of 24 hours per day...Literally.
6. Because of number 5 I am drawn to Europeans. I love their accents, their way of life and I just love being around them in general. I think that's why I love IKEA so much. Europeans flock there.
7. We dream of returning to Austria to live as missionaries. We are hopeful that 2010 will be our year.
8. We are in the process of becoming foster parents in order to adopt our next child through DFACS here in Georgia.
9. I ran my first 1/2 marathon last November. It was very exciting and I'd like to do another one. Ian and I did it together and it was cool to cross the finish line together.
10. I love my church. It has revolutionized the way I think about God, faith and life in general. I am so grateful for that place.
11. I love my job. I work part time at my church in children's ministry. Would never have imagined myself here, but I'm so blessed to do what I do.
12. I'm really bad at keeping in touch with people...really bad but the internet is making it easier.
13. I have visited 7 European countries and lived in 2 (Austria and Croatia).
14. I have been to Colombia, South America to visit my brother and his family. I wasn't afraid and it was beautiful! I hope to go again soon.
15. This goes without saying but I love to travel. When I go near the airport I have a moment of depression because I'm not getting on a plane to go somewhere new.
16. Although this falls far down my list it shouldn't be. I'm in love with my husband. I thought I knew what that meant after only 2 weeks of knowing him, but I really understand love in a new way. He has taught me so much and he truly is my best friend.
17. I'm bad at taking care of cell phones. I have lost or broken so many of them. It makes me scared to get a cool smart phone b/c I'll just lose it or something.
18. Having children has been a great joy for me. They have taught me how to be silly, they have shown me that they love me just because I'm their mom (I know that won't last forever) and they have taught me how to trust God in a new way.
19. I have regrets in my life. I'm thankful that God has used them to bring me closer to Him and to gain glory for Himself. My regrets make me think hard and long about every decision I make (not always a good thing.)
20. I love being non-traditional. We seem to always do things a little differently than everyone around us and I'm ok with that.
21. I want to teach my daughter how to read. She is in preschool but she has a real interest in it and I would love to have that honor of teaching her. It will open up a whole new world to her.
22. I am hoping to read the entire Bible this year. We are going through the chronological Bible which makes it very manageable. So far I'm staying on track :-).
23. I love taking care of and managing my home. I want to make our home a place where we all want to be.
24. I want to live a more healthy life. I can see the person I want to be but just can't seem to stick with a good plan to make it a reality.
25. I am not where I thought I'd be at this point in my life but I'm so grateful for the journey and the things I've learned.