Have I told you about my Husband?

Ever since Phil and I got married two and a half years ago, (I honestly cannot believe that much time has passed) Phil has continually astounded me with how loving and self-less he is. Everyday I am challenged by him to care more and to put my own desires away.

The last week or so he has, on a few different occasions, made me snuggle up on the couch while he cleans the kitchen and makes us dinner. Or I complain about my phone, so he offers to switch with me, or he knowing the house needs to be cleaned does not hesitate in helping, but even more does the things he knows I hate, like vacuuming or cleaning the stove.

I have asked him why he is so kind, he always responds the same, “Because I love you.” It makes me melt to hear him say that. I am challenged by him to love more, to think about his needs above my own, because I love him and want to serve him in the same way. For Phil, it seems almost second nature for him to be so selfless, for me it is another story!

These past few months have been a challenge for Phil, I know he has been frustrated about jobs and wanting to take care of me the best he can. But even through these hard times I see him becoming more and more like Christ. I respect him so much for how hard he has worked even in jobs he does not enjoy, and still comes home willing to serve me.

Over this last weekend we were both serving at Church, and I was in a conversation where someone asked our head pastor (Bob Merrit) what he would have changed or done differently as a twenty-five year old. After thinking about it, he said no matter what, to learn to love his wife better, to not let the spark die, to serve each other. He then said, “You guys, I am living the dream, I am married to my best friend celebrating twenty-five years of marriage because of the hard work we put in back then.” This is what I want to do, this is what Phil is doing.

So have I told you about my husband? He is amazing, I am so thankful for him! I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him.

It must GO!

Over the weekend I accidentally dropped a large bobby pin down our bathroom sink. It already drains very slow do to very old rusty pipes so I thought we better get it out! I told Phil about this so on Sunday he started to try and get it out. :) After trying for a while from the top, we realized we would have to go from under the sink and get it out of the trap. (Aren’t you impressed I know what it is called?! Ok, well I may have just called Phil to find out the name…) So Phil got out his pipe wrench and other tools and went to work. After he got all the pipes apart we found the bobby pin, along with a nasty amount of hair and other grossness clogging our sink.
Thinking the problem was fixed he started putting the pieces back together and found that due to rustiness and old pipes they had actually just broken off, so there was no way to reconnect them. After talking about if we even wanted to spend the time, energy, and money to fix it, we decided that a run to Home Depot was worth it. We got the parts and headed home to find that the pipes are not the right size and that there is not way to fix it without spending more money than we want to on a bathroom we are tearing out in a month!

So long story short, good thing the bathroom will soon be no more! Oh yeah, and if you are at our house over the next month, sorry, we have no bathroom sink!

Happy Monday!

Do you know how Big HE is?

Some days I am completely astounded by how HUGE our God is. For example:


I was running on the treadmill a few months ago at our gym. I had just gotten over bronchitis and a major cold so I had not been running for at least a week, but was determined that I would get a good run in anyway. For those of you who have ever been a runner, you know how quickly you lose your endurance with running, just missing a few runs can be bad, but missing a week for me is excruciating, on top of still being slightly sick!


So I got on the treadmill and decided that I was going to let the next hour be my time with God. As I started running my shins started to pound with pain. Every stride I took was almost unbearable pain. Still determined to get a good run in, I just started to pray that God would take the pain away. I kept on running and about a tenth of a mile later I was still is pain and thinking that I might not even make it to half a mile. So I started praying again, I almost laugh at saying this, but I just told God, ok this is the deal, I am training so that I can help children in Africa, I need a good run and I know Satan does not want me to do this, so God, please make the pain go away. I was even laughing at myself as I prayed but knew that if God wanted to he could make the pain go away. A little while later it dawned on me that my legs no longer hurt, that in fact the pain was totally gone. How cool is that?!

As I kept on running every time I would get tired and want to quite I just kept on praying that God would give me the strength to continue and make my run a time of worship. Well, because I am totally human and still getting over being sick about halfway through my run I was exhausted! So I started praying again, Lord please let me have the endurance so that I can run… I was literally about to hit the stop button, I think my hand was reaching when I sent out another desperate prayer God please give me the strength to continue! Just as I was reaching someone walked in the door of the gym that caught my attention. As I looked up, I realized that he was wearing this:

I was completely astounded. Here is was in my own little world running and praying and God did not only hear my prayer but answered by having someone else, who I have never meet come into the gym at the exact time I needed it and run RIGHT behind me!

The rest of the run hurt, it was hard, but every time I looked up I saw someone else who was doing this too, someone who God sent at that exact moment to give me the encouragement I needed to keep going!

Has your heart been broken?

Have you ever had an experience where your heart has been broken? I do not mean a broken heart from a relationship gone bad, though that hurts also. I mean a broken heart over the things God’s heart breaks for?

When I was thirteen I boarded a plane headed for Rio De Janeiro Brazil where my life was changed forever. Though this trip was over eleven years ago I find that I am still processing what that experience did to my heart. I distinctly remember the moments I sat on the orphanage floor with a child who was dying of AIDS. I remember the smell of the dump where people lived in literally cardboard houses and searched the dump all day for anything they could sell to buy food. I remember walking down the street seeing the child with the overextended stomach, assuming the child was overweight, but fining out later that once starvation takes over your body creates gas and literally blows up your body. I remember weeping over what I saw; to this day I cannot think about these things without being overcome with emotion.

When I came home, nothing was the same. My life was changed forever. Since this time I have known that I have a passion and a longing to do something about these children. I remember holding the children knowing that someday I want to adopt a child and give them a different life.

This past fall I was sitting next to my husband in a leadership training where the speaker showed pictures of a missions trip he had just gotten back from. He talked about the people and what he saw and experienced. As soon as he started talking tears ran down my face as I was once again reminded of my own broken heart for things like this. On the way home, I sobbed over my broken heart for these things. But also felt helpless. I want to do something, but I do not feel called to be a missionary in Africa, so what is this calling?

A month later a co-worker came to me and asked me if I was planning on running a marathon this year. I said yes, this was the year to be crazy… She then told me about what World Vision is doing. (see this post for more info) THIS WAS IT! I was so excited I didn’t know what to do with myself.

I have come to realize that God has been preparing me for this, to do something in my own community alongside my friends and family to make a difference for the child who lives in the dump, the baby with AIDS in the orphanage, the child dying of starvation on the street. I run for them. I run so that others can be exposed to these things and have their heart broken too.

These memories may never go away, in fact I never want them to. I want to have a heart that beats for what Christ’s heart beats for, that loves what Christ loves, and that cares for those who do not have a voice and be their voice. I may not have the money to change the world, the ability to change countries, but I do have two legs… and so I RUN.

Micah 6:8
But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don't take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.

Long Weekends…. My Favorite!

Both Phil and I had an amazing Valentines weekend topped off with having Monday off as well. As Phil says, “Thank you Presidents!” We really packed in the fun, so for a re-cap…

Friday night we got together with some great friends for dinner and bowling!
Saturday we had another Birthday Party for our good friends, Jen Knight and Alex Whitworth. We ate yummy nachos and watched the Olympics. (By the way, have I mentioned that I am in AWE of these athletes!?? Ok, well I am!)

Sunday for Valentines Day we celebrated Phil and Katie style and went shopping for bathroom stuff. Though most people would not think this is a great way to celebrate, this could not have been better for us. We LOVE to work together and are both super excited for this next project. While we were at Lowes, one of the employees cornered us as we were walking out of the store and asked if I was forcing Phil to do things for me since it was Valentines Day… he said that that was a great way for me to get things done… oh so strange! Here is a sneak peak at a few of the things we picked out!

Monday we enjoyed a relaxing day of doing laundry, shoveling snow and going to a World Vision exhibit that Eagle Brook is doing, check it out here if you want more info, I would highly suggest you go if you can!

The craziness begins again….

After taking a break from house remodeling we have gotten the itch (ok, and the funding) to start yet another project…. Drum roll please……

This time we are going to completely tear out our bathroom, move walls, plumbing, and electrical to make our dream bathroom! Currently the bathroom has a lovely shade of PINK tiles, pinkish floor and a vanity that is way to low! Because the previous owner was a smoker all our grout is black, despite my determination to make it white again, it remains a nasty color! We have one outlet that is on the opposite wall from the vanity, making curling irons and hair dryers an interesting task of not tripping over cords. OH, and did I mention the strangest “closet”? IT ALL MUST GO!

As we thought about it, we want to completely tear everything down to the studs. We know at some point there was water damage, and want to make sure we are repairing anything that might be under our lovely walls. Both Phil and I have been talking non-stop about how we are going to do this! Thankfully we do have another bathroom in the basement, but are still hoping to get it done as soon as possible so that the basement does not become our permanent bathroom!

Currently we are in the planning stages. We both decided that we want to have everything picked out and ready to go before we tear it out so that the project can take as little time as possible! We are going shopping to pick out tile, tub, sink, vanity, faucets, and toilet this weekend (Maybe on Valentines Day! Is there something wrong with me if I would rather do that then go out to dinner?) We will actually start the demo in about a month!

Stay tuned for updates and dust!

A start of a new era...

Despite all the times I have thought, I should blog about this, or this is too funny not to share on our blog I have yet to post a single word of the going-on’s of our life in 2010… However in my new endeavor to keep our friends and family more updated in life I am going to try to do better!

January started out calm, which was such a nice break from the fast pace we were going in December! Though our rest did not last long! We both started grad school again, small group started, and the biggest commitment of all… LGN! But before I explain what that is you need a little back story!

Back in October I heard about a running opportunity through World Vision. Basically they started a “running team” that runs for world vision to raise awareness and money for their cause. It is an awesome organization that does so much for children and communities in third world countries. I will talk more about that in future blogs though…. After praying about it and feeling a great call to use my love for running for the greater good, I along with two other employees from Northwestern started a team. How this all evolved is another long story for another time, but God’s hand and leading had been amazing… more to come soon!

SO, after having made the commitment to run a few different races, including a Marathon (yup, that’s 26.2 miles…) I knew I needed to make changes in my life so that I could not only run but have a healthier life as a result! Phil also decided that he would train and run. We joined a gym last may and since we have been there kept on hearing about a class they offer called “Look Good Naked Boot Camp.” After talking to the trainers about the class Phil and I decided that this would be an awesome way to get in amazing shape, lose weight and overall be healthier, especially with starting running we both knew we needed to do something to prepare other than just running.

The class is crazy! The first week Phil and I almost literally could not walk! We go Monday through Thursday and every other Saturday for an hour of the craziest workout possible. We do cardio, strength training, yoga, kick boxing, boxing, biking…. Ok well basically any exercise ever invented we do. The trainers help us not only get a great workout but help us if tracking of our eating and making sure we are breaking old habits and creating new, healthier ones! After only three weeks we both are seeing dramatic results in our bodies and our overall health.

Stay tuned for more…..