Amen

{Amen referring to the picture, and the linked post, and the Bible verse at the bottom}

Here is a wonderful post from a really great blog (My Charming Kids) that I read.

Caught by Surprise

I love the line "God is ever ahead of us, even when we lag behind, mouths agape as we see where He is leading us." and the idea of praying with reckless abandon (which in my mind brings images of fervently, passionately, and honestly).

{I intended this to be short with the link, but suddenly I just start typing, sorry I get a bit wordy below.}

While I haven't struggled with a child being sick like MckMama, I think everyone can relate to what she is talking about.

The pastor at ChristChurch in Atlanta was talking about Abraham's journey and how he trusted God enough to know that He would be wherever he (Abraham) went. God doesn't just live in one place. He doesn't just live where it is cushy and comfortable.

Dr. Gardner spoke (and I hope I linked the correct sermon) about our tendency even to go on vacation (say to the lake or beach) and be on a vacation from God (pointing out how "oh we are on vacation, no church this week, no God this week.), and while this is certainly not the case for everyone (how many of us feel closer to Him on the shore with the expanse of water in front of us?) you get the point that it is almost like we can compartmentalize our life. To the point that I can say this is something God is involved in and this is something He isn't, or He is here where things are going well, but over there in x country where things are not so hot, no way He could be there. But Abraham knew God would be where he was going, regardless of the conditions or people there. (Genesis 12)

And recently, I have struggled with what God is in control of and what He is not. Did He really have a hand in the disappointment I recently experienced? Was that just me being silly and making something out to what it was not? I tried to compartmentalize Him. And I still am. I am still trying to understand what was going on and what it meant. But each time I try to compartmentalize, and say that was me, not Him. Aren't I diminishing His power? His stronghold on my life? His ability to have a plan and execute it? Because if that incidence is independent of Him, then other things can be independent of Him. Thus, He is not all powerful.

And sorry self, but He IS all-powerful. He has to be. (Maddie, if you read this, I am sure you know a fabulous C.S. Lewis quote to go along with this, or a story, too bad my book is in storage...can you share one if you know it?) So I'm back to square one trying to figure this out. {sidenote: yall, I am not a pastor, have not been to seminary, this is me trying to work stuff out in my head and writing it out again (already done it on paper)}


The story of Abraham was so comforting to me in light of the London adventure. (I am not saying our journey is like Abraham's because goodness knows it is not.) BUT God doesn't just live in Winston-Salem, Atlanta, Birmingham, the South, or the U.S. He is already and has already gone ahead of my little family, paving the way for His plan whether it be in London or somewhere else. I'm not going to be without my God in London, au contraire He is already there. Sound obvious? Maybe it is. But maybe you are like me, and you must be hit over the head with the truth for it to sink in, and even then must be reminded again and again.

The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

A Day at the Zoo

Last week, Wiley, Gena, and I ventured down to the Atlanta Zoo. Public schools had started, we arrived just after opening, and it was very shaded. Perfect. Not to mention that the sweet admissions lady gave us the B'ham Zoo membership discount without me even showing my card (which I had left in B'ham). She just said, "Don't worry, it is hard to keep up with all of those cards." I was in love with this Zoo already! (sidenote: compared to B'ham Zoo, which is great, but gave me the stink eye for asking them to look up my membership since I left my card...isn't that your job?)

Anyway, we rode the carousel 3x, the train 3x and saw all sorts of animals including our favorite--the elephants!





This was the coolest! Feeding the Parakeets! They would land (and poop) on your hand! However, if they sat on Wiley's hand, he would shake them off. I think that is against the rules.

Also, while feeding the birds (tuppins, tuppins) Wiley dropped his seed stick over the wire railing. Gena went inside to get another. Meanwhile, and overly enthusiastic adult man (who was a larger variety) decided to lean over the wire rail to pick it off the ground. (His wife had already correctly answered a question the zookeeper asked before letting us in...I think they feed the birds a lot). I initially thought he was getting it for the sweet 3 year old boy who had dropped it. So when he started to lean precariously over, and his legs and feet were rising above his head , I thought "oh, my goodness, what am I supposed to do? This is a stranger with yucky stranger man legs and feet but if I don't help him, he might land headfirst in the parakeet exhibit." I looked around waiting for the zookeeper to apprehend him, his wife/sister/relation to help him, but no one did anything. I pushed on his feet just a little, decided that it was a bad idea, and he was on his own. Luckily the woman came and told him he was going to fall in (thanks for noticing) and helped him. He had successfully retrieved the seed stick that Wiley dropped. And he continued to feed the birds with it himself. Overall an awkward experience. Sorry no pictures on that one, but I was in such a state of quandry, confusion, and shock, it didn't occur to me to snap a photo. Although that would have made the story better....



We had to take a picture in ALL of these cut outs.


Orangutans!


Naked Mole Rats are real animals! Mary Frances gave Wiley the book Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed for his birthday. I thought it was a made up animal. Imagine my surprise when they have an exhibit complete with "tunnels" and playground dedicated to the small, naked animal!



Pandas! They were so cute. Wiley had just gotten a sprite, so he could have cared less. He just wanted to get out of the Panda area so he could drink his sprite.



Petting Zoo with goats (darn goats, Brooke!), pigs, and sheep. The ones that had a tendency to swing their heads violently had a red collar. This was really pretty filthy. Wiley loved it and wanted to go back. Unfortunately, the goats were taking their "nap," wink, wink. Plus it was our lunch and nap time.



I would recommend this Zoo to anyone and everyone! I have so many more pictures of gorillas (we saw them run and be very active), rhinoceroses (up close), and more bird pictures, but I will spare you all of those!

Check out Zoo Atlanta!

Blog Questions

Just a few questions about blogs because I've noticed my friends have gotten quite savvy, and I want to be savvy too.

- How do you do the cross out a word thing?

- How do I make my title/header smaller? Liz, didn't you do yours on picnik, too? And yours is normal size, while mine is enormous.

- How do you make it where it shows the last post of the blogs you read/like/linked to yours?

In other news, pictures are soon to come from the zoo yesterday. Wiley and I are having a big morning filled with PBS, coffee, Rice-Krispy-Treat-making, dry cleaning pick-up, and I thought swimming but turns out it is raining. My mom is coming today, so I will also be cleaning up our area. Then we are off to Athens to move my sister (who is sick in Jackson Hole, feel better soon, sis!) into her precious house. I am so excited to get to arrange her room, and put her surprise that I made her in there! And off to the lake.

Also, RUN don't WALK to Julie and Julia. While it is a bit long (2 hours) it is so good and inspiring. I'm about to ask my mom to bring her Julia Childs cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, so that I can read it and check out this Boeuf Bourgogne recipe.

Until then...

Across the Pond

In October this family of three is packing its bags and heading across the pond for an (initially) short stint "where the lions live" or "where the Queen lives" as Wiley likes to say.



Just about everyone who actually knows us, knew this was the plan and has been for some time (or at least we think it is the plan). However, I think I was afraid I would jinx something if I made it "blog-official"--goofy, I know. But, recently, since we have actually bought our flights, it has become much more real. I am constantly thinking about what I need to do, then realizing I have no idea what I need to do. I fluctuate between being excited and being scared to death. Because this is so much on my mind, I felt like I wanted to document this on the blog because the Lord has done some pretty neat things with this entire journey so far.

The logistics right now are not clear (+ mundane and boring). We are hoping to apply for visas this week. So far, the doors have been opened for us in this complicated process. The final door will be the work visa. The visa will tell us how long we will actually be there. At that point, while the waiting is not fun, I know that if we are supposed to be there, it will happen. And if we aren't, well, then we aren't and that is clearly not His plan.

The verses on the left have been comforting to me since our first visit there in January (and times before that) when I was overwhelmed with the big city and the prospect of being there. The Lord provided human comfort while there and the same night of my tears, I was comforted by friends both in the States and in the UK. In Atlanta, we have been blessed by an amazing church. While we have only been there 3 Sundays, those Sundays have been monumental to me in preparing my heart for this scary adventure.

The Lord has provided for our family from the beginning. His hand has been in our lives from the beginning. Many times I know some wonder where He is because they cannot feel it tangibly. I am lucky enough to say that I can point to a variety of incidences where He was clearly there, where there was no doubt in my mind that we were in the right place. He has blessed us immensely in our almost 4 years of marriage. The Lord has been with us in Lexington, VA; in Winston-Salem, NC; in Birmingham, AL; in Atlanta, GA; and He will continue to be with us in London.

So, if I occasionally post too much about our move, please excuse me. If I sound overly optimistic, you are probably just hearing me try to pump myself up for this. If I sound overwhelmed, I probably am. And if I bold those verses on the left, or make them my header, or tatoo them on my forehead, it is just because I'm a sinner who forgets Who is really in control.

Thanks for listening.

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father fees them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?..."
Matthew 6:25-27

Find Your Spot

So, in looking for blogs about London I found this website: FindYourSpot.com which gives you a quiz about what you like/don't like and gives you 24 places it thinks you can live. SO, I took it for kicks. Here is where it thinks I should live.

1. Clearwater, Florida
2. Kissimmee-St. Cloud, Florida
3. Corpus Christi, Texas
4. Galveston, Texas
5. Savannah, Georgia


WHAT?

other notables include:
Dothan is my #6, Daytona Beach, Bradenton, Brownsville, TX, and Biloxi-Gulfport. Athens, GA is one of my top 24 too, along with Montgomery and Mobile (closer to the target).

I think that I over-emphasized warm weather and being near water (lake and beach) a little too much and maybe small towns where culture is not essential. That may or may not have been because I was thinking about London and thus about how it actually is cold there and rains there a lot and was inundated with museum names .

Hopefully it is not in the plan to end up in any of my top 5 (except Savannah, I think I could do Savannah, but I've never been there, either). However, I have heard bad news about Galveston, and I don't want to live near Disney (I think #2 is since I've seen commercials before, and I don't know where #1 or 3 is) Who knows, though, right?

News to come, soon I hope, about where we are going. In case you don't actually know me and only blog-stalk (I'm guilty too). Or in case the last time I talked to you I was wishy-washy. Either is a-ok.

Now you take the quiz and tell me where it thinks YOU should live!

from my bookshelf

Time is a River by Mary Alice Monroe

I picked this book up at Sam's back in May solely for the cover (and the back looked good, too) to take on my beach trip. Well, I read the other book at the beach, but forgot about this little gem.



Sunday afternoon rolled around and Wiley was down for his nap. I opened up this book that I had started earlier in the week. I did not leave the sofa for 3 hours during nap time {Sunday is a day of rest, right?}. Then when Wiley woke up I was a bit disappointed to have to stop right in the good part of the book, but my sweet, sweet husband came home in between his errands to take a bright eyed and bushy tailed 3 year old to the grocery store and to wash my car! You would have thought it was Mother's Day or my birthday. I was beyond thrilled. So I continued to read, paused for amazing homemade, George's pizza (Rosemary Roast and Rattlesnake, for you Wake readers), put Wiley to bed, and laid down on my bed to keep reading. Wil watched Defiance, I read and blocked out the violent scenes thanks to the river sounds I was imagining.

I could. not. put. it. down.

It includes fly fishing, outdoors (I wish I was outdoorsy sometimes), Charleston (barely), love, mystery, and amazing characters. You have to read it! I'm tempted to send out to my sister in Jackson Hole since she and her friends are the ones doing to fishing!

It even inspired me to retrieve the picture of my first trout catch out from the Snake River in Idaho. (Our guide Zack(h?) who was an instructor at Idaho State in fly-fishing and works for South Fork Outfitters. He is an Idaho-an, -ian, -ite, and I was pretty sure from 9 till about 1 pm that if I had to take his class I would have failed. He was pretty tough, but thankfully patient. He was determined that I catch a trout and sure enough I did!)



{the whole time my Dad and I drove through and to Idaho, I kept thinking this little dialogue: "Why are you in Idaho?" "I dunn-o."}

summertime and the livin's easy...

our second baseball game (go braves!)



swimming...with an inflatable bat, floaties, goggles, spf shirt, the works.





watch out tiger! (or webb...)









oh, and you know...just being superman...



and LOVING these mild temperatures!