~ Home

My husband is traveling down south with my boys. 

He's been sending me pictures of places that were special to us as children, 

special to our families,

special to us as we were falling in love.

And quite frankly, I don't like it. 

It makes me homesick.

It's a familiar pattern for me.

I start missing my parents and my siblings and their awesome kids.

I start thinking about all the friends and family so far away.

I start thinking about all the holidays and birthdays and football games and baptisms and celebrations we've missed.

I start longing for those gorgeous mountains.

Today he sends me these pictures!

Now all I can think about is how beautiful that spot will be in a few weeks when it is painted with the colors of autumn.

Knowing I probably won't be seeing those mountains anytime soon, I decided to do what I always do when I get homesick.

I grabbed my camera and a thermos of coffee (o.k., actually it was creamer with a little coffee), and I took off in my car to remind myself why I'm happy right where God put me!

I might not have mountains anymore, but there's something quite special about this place I call home.

Senior Photo Shoot #1

My son is a senior this year, and I've been waiting for this moment since he turned three and decided he never wanted to wear a sweater - ever again! We packed what seemed like a closet in the trunk of my car. Armed with cameras and tripods and props (and even some ham sandwiches), we headed out for some fun. It was about 65 degrees today in Wisconsin. We kept having to turn the heater on to warm our toes. This is just a sneak peak at some of my favorites!

I was a little hesitant to do his photos since boys can be a little...how shall I say this... stubborn and set in their ways! So we made an agreement:

No sport clothes (yet),

Obey everything the photographer suggests,

And no whining about any of it.

I know boys have short attention spans (unless it involves food, girls, or video games), so I decided we could spend several months doing short little shoots. 

This shoot involved a cemetery near our house, 

some vintage trucks nearby, 

a cement factory (I think), 

a quarry, 

a railroad track,

and some great locations in our little downtown. 

It only took us two hours, and he was a little giggly by the end, but he did a great job. (Thanks to our little helper, Olivia!) With promises of food at home, he cooperated until the very end. 

The best thing about shooting your own child's photos is waiting for that perfect moment when you see the child of your heart!

All You Really Have to do is Love One

Our C.C.P.D. wives (that's Pastor/Director wives, not Police Dept. wives) try to get together once a month to pray for our spouses, children, church and each other. Sometimes, ministry is hard, and we need each other! Sometimes kids are hard, and we need each other. Sometimes husbands are hard, and we need each other! (Just kidding, honey!)

Left to right: Martha (Worship Arts Director's wife), Kristi (Adult Ministries Pastor's wife), Me (Senior Pastor's wife), Leslie (Student Ministries Director's wife), and one of our PW's is missing in this photo, Lisa, (Satellite Pastor's wife). 

When our Worship Arts Director and his wife decided to take Isaiah 1:17 and James 1:27 seriously by adopting a little girl from China, we walked together through the process, praying for God's provision and favor over our dear friends. God worked miracles, and their little girl is coming home. We decided to shower them with love as they prepared to go get their little girl. We invited the church staff and their families and all the families of volunteers in our Worship Arts Ministry. (Sometimes ministry is just plain fun!)

We decided to go with an Asian inspired theme (of course). We used Chinese parasols and fans, paper lanterns, origami cranes, and, in lieu of the more Asian cherry blossom branches, we used crab apple branches. 

You can find silly phrases here.

Under each plate, we had a card with random facts about China to help familiarize them with their daughter's country. (Many of the facts were silly - like where fortune cookies actually come from and how many chop sticks they use in China every year.) We also had a card with silly made-up Chinese phrases called "Don't Try This in China". 

My son and his girlfriend folded 20-30 paper cranes to hang on the branches and sit on the tables. The little candies on the table are plum candy, (We get them at a nearby Asian Market.) and the little cups held a Wasabi snack mix. 

You can get candy here.

It was too soon to have blooming branches here in Wisconsin. So two weeks before the shower, I cut branches off my crab apple tree. I gave them a fresh cut and plunged them in very hot water. Within 10-12 days, I had blooms! 

Our Children's Director began with a devotional about faith. 

To help our friends prepare for the change in eating habits in China, we had them compete in a Chinese Take-Out Relay Race. They had to use chopsticks to pick up Swedish Fish, rice paddles to carry cotton balls, and wooden soup spoons to carry Easter eggs. 

Mom's team won!

Prizes were a bucket of girly outside toys (so the neighbors will know a little girl has arrived) and a bucket of girly Legos.

My hubby cooking Mandarin Chicken-on-a-stick.

For our menu, we decided none of us were capable of authentic Chinese food, so we went for an "Asian inspired" buffet. 

These Turkey Tortilla Roll-ups from Pioneer Woman are definitely not Asian, but we thought they looked like sushi rolls. They were a big hit!

Recipe here

This Chopped Asian Chicken Salad was my favorite dish. It was so colorful and very flavorful. The Ginger Marmalade Dressing was amazing! We decided not to serve it in cucumber rolls like the recipe, but instead, offered it as a lettuce wrap.

Recipe here

Our friend, Michelle, made the beautiful cake. The fan, crane and flowers were all made of fondant, as was the Chinese symbol for Faith. The little rolled cookies to the right of the cake are Korean Ginger Crackers. They taste like ginger flavored fortune cookies with gingered sugar on the outside. YUM!

For beverages, we served a sparkling raspberry lemonade and southern fruit tea. What can I say? As a southern girl at heart, it's just not a party without fruit tea!

Fortune cookies from World Market. Recipe for drinks here & here.

Before we let them open presents, we gave them one more chance to practice their Chinese. We played Charades. We had two categories. Because we had men at the shower, we included famous "Movie Quotes" by male actors. The second category was "Useful Phrases" for their trip to China. Everyone had to read the phrase in Chinese (pretty hilarious) and then act it out. We had a great time!

It was a great day of celebration! 

No one person can care for all the orphans in the world. But if everybody would just "Love One", the world would be a better place. And more people would know the amazing joy that comes when love decides to cross an ocean to obey God's Word!

Congrats friends! Can't wait to meet Faith!