A year ago....

So, I was reading my devotional this week when it struck me that I vividly remember reading this last summer. I even blogged about it. I wanted to put a link to that post, but can't figure out how? It's July 28 of 2008. SO COOL! God is in control of everything. That is true and comforting.
Last summer all I could do was praise God for His blessings, even though I had no idea what in the world He was doing with our family.
This summer, all I can do is PRAISE GOD FOR HIS BLESSINGS! I seriously can't even begin to list the HUGE blessings he has showered on us. Next weekend we settle into our new apartment in Brooklyn. Much later than we had thought, and IN GOD'S ABSOLUTE PERFECT TIMING!!!!
I've been reading through the psalms because I feel so blessed beyond my ability to even communicate. I love reading along with the praises that were spoken and sung thousands of years ago. Even in confusion, anger, and fear, the psalmists find a place for praise!
We had an amazing june and July. Fun in Georgia, North Carolina, West Viriginia, and Ohio. Spending three days doing Cedar Point and Soak City. Oh my! What a fun family vacation!!!!
This weekend I am so excited to head way up to the tip of the UP to celebrate my cousin's wedding!! My entire family is going. YAY!
Seriously, God' timing is so perfect, I can't even stand it. Why He has chosen to bless my family SO MUCh I will never know. But, I thank Him constantly and give all praise to Him. And, every day I surrender myself to His will and pray that He will shine through me in all that I do and say.
I hesitate sometimes to share how blessed I feel. I know the hardships so many are facing in their lives, and I feel unworthy of such blessings. And, it's so confusing and frustrating for those who do not understand why they are in such a dark place. I don't understand it either, but can only lift them up in prayer. But, I hope that by sharing, I can be encouraging to others. Believe me, I am unworthy and I know it. I hope I never boast or have pride about these blessings, I hope that I can always just give praises to the one who deserves it!

high on chocolate

Seriously. Have you ever been high on chocolate? Wow.
Our friends recommended a place to us called "The Chocolate Room". They explained the banana split and how they sprinkle sugar on top of it and fire it to form a glaze on top. OK, must try this!
So, we went there last night and enjoyed every last drop of this heavenly creation. Contemplated licking the serving bowl clean. When we tasted the hot fudge, we entered a new realm of reality here on earth. Never tasted no chocolate like that before.
After we left, we walked around a bit and I swear, I was a giddy, stumbling, giggling goofball, high on good chocolate. OK, it might have something to do with the company I was in too :)
We were already trying to figure out the next occassion that may be worthy of a trip back to this place to try the brownie fudge sundae. We might HAVE to find a way for this to be in our budget at least on some sort of a regular basis.
Tonight we meet Communitas in Central Park for FUN night. Tomorow we get in the van and drive drive drive down to GA. Looking forward to seeing my beautiful girls and hugging them up!

seven fiddy

Good thing I'm in vacation mode and money feels different. Budget is relaxed as we enjoy some meals out and things we don't normaly indulge on. So, when I learned that the cost of getting the van back is $750 (seven fiddy), what can I do? Just be glad that, thanks to Dave Ramsey, and God blessing us financially, we have that tucked away in savings for just this very possiblity, right? That's the beauty of owning a used vehicle with 125,000 miles on it. No car payment, just a monthly line in the budget that gets tucked away for repairs.
Missing my girlies a bit. And, family too.
BUT, we went to the most AWESOME concert last night. SO STINKIN FUN! I've been to a lot of concerts, but I can honestly say that I've never seen anyone quite like Los Amigos Invisibles. They are described as "A Venezuelan party band that combines a love of disco and funk with their reverence for old-fashined dances like mambo and bossanova." They just JAMMED. And, it would have been imposible to even consider sitting down. THey compel you to DANCE.
Oh, and did I mention it was a perfectly gorgeous night and we just walked over to the park and saw the concert for free, with just a $3 suggested donation? And, the opening band was great too. More mellow and folky, but excellent! They were from COlumbia and called "Aterciopelados" Don't ask me how to pronounce that.
Gotta go.
Meeting the ladies from Communitas for prayer and bible study and reflection in Central Park. On a Sat morning, it will take me a while to get there. SO looking forward to seeing them and connecting together with my sister's in Christ and our Heavenly Father!

Check engine soon

So, what does one do when one is in Brooklyn attempting to navigate the new neighborhood before heading out on the road for a trip that will put more than 1500 miles on the van...and the "check engine soon" light comes on??
I'll tell you what one does. One calls a trusted family member from MI who gives out the number for the mechanic who worked on the van since the peice of poo was constructed and sold in 2002.
Then awesome man of the house calls old faithful mechanic and asks advice. Then, we use navigation system on phone to locate nearest autozone, they diagnose a problem with cylinder #5. Great. Now what? "Can you point us in the direction of a mechanic nice Mr. autozone guy who hasn't made eye contact with us yet or uttered a word?" His response "I dunno, you can try that guy" and he shrugs a shoulder in any random direction down the street and saunters off.
Anywho.....awesome man of the house who always takes great care of the family attempts one place (which erupts in a fight between the two workers there, so we take off) then he finds a second place. They can have it fixed (hopefully) by tomorrow.
Cool. Let's walk home.
On the way, stop at a local market for an apple to munch on and happen upon a cereal blow out sale. Kashi and Smart start and the like for 99cents a box. COME ON?! We're in New york city buying cereal for 99cents? No way.
So, let's see if Mr. auto mechanic who sounds like he knows what he's talking about is able to have the Kelly mobile ready for take off for departure......
Always an adventure.

mmmm, vacation

It's way too hard to recap all the great things that have taken place in the last few weeks.

But, I must at least shout out....
THANK YOU to my awesome family for throwing a great party for us! We felt so loved, it's overwhelming. I am still not up to date on downloading photos, so I can't attach any. But, we had a splendidly beautiful day to spend with family and friends on July 5th.

And now, we are in vacation mode! (I know, I guess I've been in vacation mode for weeks!) Alli and Liv are having the time of their lives with their cousins in Florida. Soon, they will return to Georgia, where we will meet up with them. In the meantime, we are in NY. We have been shopping and setting things up in the apartment, and spending some QT in the City. Meals out, going to the movies, going to Coney Island and checking out the beach, spending time with some friends and enjoying a perfect lunch (weather, food and atmosphere). Getting to know our way around the neighborhood. Translation: Firsat morning here without the girls and Char goes out for a jog and gets lost, whileTimm moves the van to avoid a parking ticket only to forget what day it is and move it to another no parking zone. Oops. We got our first NY parking ticket.

People keep asking me to frequently update my blog....here is the major update...I seriously feel like God has proclaimed for us the "year of jubilee". He is showering us with so many blessings that praising and thanking him feels as natural as breathing! Joy overflows. I only hope that I can contain some of that joy and use it as fuel to sustain me as I adjust to our new life. I pray for God to give me opportunities to serve...as I go along. Right now I feel a little indulgent and self serving with all of this vacationing mindset going on. But, we all need to renew, and that's what we are doing. I feel renewed and refreshed and ready to roll up my sleeves and take on whatever assignments God lays in my path. I long to serve Him by serving and loving His people.

What a very strange summer. I'm not worthy of such a stretch of blessings and time to enjoy...but I will take it. And I will praise God for being so good to me.

What's the date today?

Hey, this date looks familiar...Oh yah, it is our anniversary!!!!! One might not know it by observing the way my husband and I are spending our day (in separate states) but, we are both glowing from our shared appreciation for the gift God has given us. A marriage that is truly rooted in His plan and His hope and His love. Believe me, God has everything to do with our marriage. If we had just come into this with our own selfish agendas and plans, we'd be toast. As it stands, we are able to face our human imperfections and shortcomings by accepting God's grace and forgiveness and then attempting to extend that to each other. Happy Anniversary to us! For those of you who were there on the wedding day, you know how sickening happy I was on that day! And, I can say that God has blessed us with a wonderful marriage!

OK, people keep asking me to update my blog. Well, geez! I thought I did a pretty good job just 10 days ago. But, I'd be happy to ramble on about our family and what we've been up to the last 10 days!

After a week in NY, we packed up our suitcases and travelled back to MI. We travelled on Father's day and were able to make the trip in just over 10 hours. We arrived at my parents' house just in time for dinner and relaxing time with my Dad. That was nice. It happened to be my nephew's 6th birthday as well. So, it was nice to sing happy birthday to him and give him love on his special day.

Timm had less than 24 hours before he had to turn around and head out of town again. So, on MOnday, the girls started their week of theater camp, and Timm and I went shopping for a sofa. We had decided on one from target, but it wasn't available online, and NONE of the Target stores in NY had them in stock! It comes in separate pieces and we found two in Port Huron, and two in Chesterfield. My sister was able to pick up the girls and take them swimming at Grandma's while we finished our running around. Timm took off in his rental car, saying goodbye to us for the next 11 days, and then we got ready for an evening at vacation bible school. I volunteered to help all week, and the kids had a great time singing, crafting, and learning about ancient Rome and the underground church and Paul's ministry. Very fun.

So, this week.....the girls had rehearsal each day for their play "The Pied Piper" and each evening they did vacation bible school. In between, they swam. It was finally hot! A wonderful week. On Saturday, they had two performances at the Richmond Community Theater, and we were blessed to have both sets of Grandparents come out to watch, as well as Aunt KT, Aunt Kelly, and Aunt Liz. My kids have a fan club! They did great. Liv as a rat and Alli as a cook. I'd love to share adorable photo's, but am having a major issue with uploading photos at this time. Let me just tell you....they LOVED their week of theater! THis is the second year they have done this. And, they loved it beyond words. On the way home from McD's (where we went with their cousins to bask in the after show glory and eat greasy food and play on the playland) Alli said "This was the best day of my life!"

Oh, by the way! DUH! Guess where I am right now? Sitting at my in-laws house ON THE INTERNET! That's right, they got hooked up to that there internet machine this week! Pretty cool.

OK, so that brings us up to yesterday, Sunday. Went to church and out to lunch with aunt KT at Panera. YUM! Then the kids went swimming. Next, we packed an overnight bag and I drove them out to Clarkston for a sleepover at our good friend's house. I stayed and visited till 10pm, then came back to Memphis. Now, they are in Clarkston, living it up with their friends. Today, I will eventually get off this computer, clean up a little around the house, run a few errands, then go to pick them up (stopping on the way to get new running shoes). Anyways, when we get home this afternoon/evening, we will be greeting the Atlanta crew! Timm's bro and sis-in-law and our nieces are arriving today from GA! They will be here for over a week to visit. The girls are so excited, they can hardly contain themselves! Especially since, when they depart for GA, they are taking my girls with them! And, they get to travel WITHOUT Timm and I for a week. At that time, Timm and I are taking another load (sofa and a few garage sale purchases I scored on this week) out to NY. WHile there, we will take advantage of some time to get settled into our apt, arrange things, etc, and celebrate our anniversary with a date on the town in Manhattan, and visit with some friends out there. Then, we will head out on the road to GA to meet up with the girls.

OK, I will stop. I have this tendency to RAMBLE ON AND ON AND ON! Sorry. I have said it before, I will say it again....BLESSED! We are so BLESSED!

Almost forgot, a pool party this Thursday to celebrate Liv's b-day (which was in May). But, it will be interesting to see what happens with this crazy MI weather! Looks pretty cool this week!

Signing off....

quick update

OK, so I'm a blogging freak. This is post #3. But, it's been a LONG time, so bear with me.

I couldn't sign off without at least giving a brief update on our life!

We packed up the moving truck on Sunday, June 14...with the assistance of family!!! Thank you! What a gorgeous day we shared.

We pulled out of Memphis, MI on Monday morning at 5am. Made it to our new apartment in about 12 hours. It was a gorgeous sunny day to travel. Then, as soon as we pulled up and thought we'd unload our bodies to check out our new home....the first raindrop fell from the sky! Whoa! THen it started to POUR! It poured rain for a while while we were double parked with a big old moving truck in the street. So, as soon as it let up a little, we went to work. Poor Patrck was the only helper who showed up early, so we put him to WORK and we unloaded that truck in the drizzle, trying not to slip with our wet feet on the wood floors! Slowly but surely, our little apartment was stacked HIGH with our stuff. Reinforcements arrived for the last of the unloading, which was perfect because our arms and legs just growing weary.

The girls, Kate, and I took the three block walk to the local pizza place and ordered some NY pizza to bring back and enjoy with our crew. THankfully this just happens to be Patricks favorite pizza place in Brooklyn, so we were happy to provide him with his payment for all his help! We utilized the patio furniture to sit out on our terrace (thanks mom and dad, and Gerdy's).

OK, I'm going way to slow. This was supposed to be a quick update. Once I get going, I can't stop.

Fast forward...Lots of unpacking and figuring out what will and will not fit. It's funny how our belongings seem like they took steroids on the trip out here. How in the world did our coffee table get so BIG? Trip to IKEA where we succeeded in finding a dinette set (thanks small group for the gift card!). Small group bible study at Alexander's. Trip to the local parks and grocery store by bike. Trip to Target for some more shopping.

So far, we feel very hopeful about being able to continue using our van! That is not something we had thought we'd be able to do. But, parking has not been an issue yet this week, and Timm has driven to work each day. So, that's cool. We used the subway and bus to get to small group, and it took about 50 minutes. BUmmer that teh commute takes that long, but we feel very confident that we are exactly where God wants us to be!

RIght now it's raining and we just threw in a load of laundry. The washer and dryer are HUGE and I am very excited that it's free and right now a couple flights of stairs!!! Our terrace is an absolute gift from God. THank you GOd!!! Not only that, but our storage space above the closets, and in the THIRD bedroom!?!?! What a blessing. Between that and the fact that my awesome father-in-law built our bed UP so that we would have 15 inches of clearance for under bed storage....we are doing well.

THis is a strange week because we are really just getting things organized and checking out the neighborhood. ANd, we will still have a LOT to organize when we come back out in July. We had plans for our third bedroom, but now we aren't sure. We thought we'd do a tv room, but there isn't cable hook up? So, we are rethinking. Also, do we try to use what we have for our living room? Or get rid of it and get stuff that is more narrow and tall?

OK, I'll leave you with this.... I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! THank you God for bringing us to THIS apartment, and not the others that we thought we should have! Once again, God has blessed us BEYOND our wildest imaginations. We are sitting here in awe! Absolute AWE!