nothing sweeter than love

the most lovely of wedding invitations arrived in the mail

we are looking forward to a beautiful day in October

Congratulations Meghann!

These are the days that must happen to us. - Walt Whitman

Do you ever have those days?

Days that construction during your drive has gotten out of hand and made you late for work two days in a row. Days where you try to work, but by the end of the day nothing seems to be done. Days where you tend your garden for fifteen minutes and walk away with bug bites. Days where you lock yourself out of the house while trying to run to a church meeting. And then the hour meeting turns into two and a half hours when you haven't had dinner. Days where you drive to your husband's work for his keys and he asks you to bring home his guitar that almost takes your toe off when coming up the steps. Days when as soon as you sit down and want to cry, your phone rings. It is your husband and he needs the keys back to close the store. So you drive all the way back to give them to him. Seems a bit much for a Thursday, but it happened.

These are the kinds of days where I am pleading to God for a bit of relief. It feels as though nothing is "going my way." It is easy to become self-focused and have self-pity. It is easy to question God and why He didn't give me a head's up on what was coming around the bend. These are the times when I am most humbled.

My very dear friend had a terrible loss today. I won't even begin to try to understand her pain or her grief. Her horrible day filled with tragedy and suffering puts my irritants of today to shame. While I complain to God about my morning drive, her world is being turned upside down. While I'm concentrated on the disappointing movie we watched last night, her dreams are unraveling. While I am focused on myself - - she is struggling with one of the most painful things on earth.

Perspective is a very humbling thing.

And it turns out God knew what He was doing. My scattered workday allowed for time to sit in my car and pray for a miracle. The extra driving time added to my night gave me more time to cry out to God and cry for her broken heart. God knew I needed a day with fewer distractions so I could focus on something other than myself and my to-do list.

All of my plans for this evening have been changed. God has given me a night to put my face to the floor in prayer. He has given me the most precious opportunity to lift up a sister and her broken heart. I am grateful that He would use me. Selfish and broken me.

starting over

This is Eric throwing away everything in our fridge.

When we got home late Friday night, the thermometer informed us that our fridge was over 55 degrees. Not exactly ideal for keeping foods from spoiling. It was hard watching hundreds of dollars of food emptied into garbage bags, but it was necessary.

Thankfully we have great friends who didn't mind going out to lunch and a mismatched dinner made from foods from our freezer.

Tonight is a fresh start. After a big grocery trip tonight, we should be stocked and ready to received friends from out of town.

a sense of community

The other night, Eric grilled our first meal of the season. Our hamburgers, buns, and corn on the cob were all much tastier on the grill than they would have been from our kitchen. After some costly car repairs, we decided that spending money on a grill this year wouldn't be possible.

Then we were blessed with one. New friends of ours (Mr T's parents) had a gas grill they no longer needed and offered it to us. Their generosity was so unexpected and we are so grateful. We've always heard the rave reviews about grilling, but experiencing first hand having a cooked meal without heating your home during the summer was incredible. We are looking forward to a summer full of great food.

Lately, we have been experiencing generosity from everyone around us. We have been given so many things (dining room chair, clothes, a computer, an apron, the edging for our garden, and more) that thank you just doesn't seem to be enough. It is amazing what happens when people open up their hearts. We try to be diligent in giving others things that we no longer use or things they need more than we do.

One of my favorite stories is from when Eric offered his old iPod to a high schooler from church. The girl is absolutely darling inside and out, but doesn't have lots of material possessions. When Eric asked her she said "Sure. Just one question - does it work?" Yes, it worked. She was so overwhelmed that we would give her something that was of value. She was so grateful and has gotten a lot of use out of it.

One of my least favorite stories was from a guy who was telling me that he buys a set of dishes almost yearly and throws the old ones away. "You mean you donate them?" was all I could say because I was so surprised. "No. We throw them away." I'm pretty sure my heart stopped for a moment. There are so many people who would love a full set of dishes. There are so many places that take donations and most of them go towards worthwhile causes.

A few days ago, I was in a local thrift store and was touched by the things people were being provided with. Things I take for granted and always buy new - like underwear and shoes - were available for people who couldn't afford them. Our country has different levels of poverty and with the economy in the state that it is in, the term gets used very loosely. But watching a woman be given a pair of shoes because she cannot afford them is a miracle to watch.

Do you have anything that you could bless someone with?

my friend

This is T, my new friend. He has the most wonderful parents who moved into our area from the midwest last year and who attend our church. His parents are gracious enough to let us hold him whenever we want (even if we hog him an entire softball game) and we've enjoyed watching him reach new milestones (can you see his teeth?).

I've been told that we might even get our very own play date soon (so that his parents can have their own date).

Oh Mr T...there is a special place in my heart for you

Mary, Mary, quite contrary...

This is our veggie patch.

It isn't growing very quickly, but it is making some progress.

Our neighbors gave us the edging so it has a more polished look.

Our tomato plants are not very tall, but they are looking very healthy. We are growing cherry and yellow tomatoes, but neither have flowered yet.

Our sugar snap peas are already starting to get little pea pods. These are Eric's favorite and I can't wait until he has a bowl fresh from the garden.

We just got our lettuce and used our first to pieces last night. We tend to not need a lot of lettuce at once, so this is the perfect solution. By the time we bought it, only iceberg was left. Next year we'll spring for something a little more hearty and flavorful.

Our cucumbers are sprouting "real" leaves. Someday soon they will make the perfect addition to a salad.




Beans are easy to grow, so they were quickly added to the list when we ordered seeds. For our first year gardening we wanted to have at least surefire crop. Some of of the bean pols are starting to flower and we are looking forward to seeing the pods soon.

Sadly, none of the flower seeds I was given survived. I started almost all of them inside and it was very promising. They started to get a little tall outside from all the sunshine and died when it rained for weeks without any sun. I was looking forward to a fence lined with beautiful blooms, but next year is another chance.

I think that is one of the hardest things about gardening for me. Once something has died (because of no sun or being eaten by birds) it is over. It isn't like when we run out of something and can get to the store. Once they die, it is over for the year. I can't think of any aspect in my life that I have to wait a year for a second chance. All of that hard work, love, and energy that will yield no blooms or crop. It isn't any wonder why farming generations were so patient and worked so hard.

Eric and I are so dependent on instant gratification. The day we planted the cucumber seeds, I half expected that once we watered it would magically grow in a matter of minutes. I ended up staring at the wet ground praying for a miracle that a plant would come from that tiny seed. We have grown so accustomed to buying whatever produce we choose at the grocery store. We don't think about whether it is in season, if it was a good year for the crop, or the hardworking hands that picked it. Waiting for our my own vegetables to grow, I am much more appreciative of the beautiful tomatoes I get from the store.

update on promotion interview

Eric's interview is next Thursday at 10:30 am