Praise the Lord (times 2)!!!!

We have two most recent praises to share:

1.) We have found a church!! Finally, after many visits and disappointments, we have found a church home, and much to our satisfaction it has "east" in it's name, since we just came from the west (in location and church home). So, from Westside to Easthill Baptist we have gone. We really like the preaching and spirit of this church, and of course agree with the important things (doctrine, etc.). We are so thankful to finally have found a church, and have such peace now. It is amazing the dissatisfaction and restlessness you feel when you do not have/are searching for a church home. Once you find it, such great peace and ease fills your soul. Thank you for all your prayers. Praise the Lord.

2.) I got a job! :) As many of you may know I just finished up my Master's in Education, which certifies me to teach. Because of the timing of my school ending, our move, and my certification process time, I am not able to get a job teaching here this year. I decided to try to get into the school system through other teacher-like jobs for the time being (paraeducator, etc.), and got a job as a teacher assistant. I am so thankful to have gotten this job and to just get my foot in the door in the world of education. Again, we praise and thank God.

My Latest Endeavor

Lately I have been sewing here and there, making some pillows, mending pants, etc. One of the most recent projects I completed was two dog bed covers. This is just a little project that I completed, but was so happy with, I wanted to share it. We had two twin comforters that we had gotten from Goodwill for $1 each when we moved in order to pad our belongings. Well, afterward, I washed them and used them for dog beds. The dogs loved them, but they were an eyesore. In order to fix this, I decided to use an old queen flannel sheet we had that already had a hole in it, and make two dog bed covers. The end result is below. I sewed three sides and velcroed the last opening. They look much better than the old comforters that they are, and are much easier to move. The dogs still enjoy them just as much, and it's a much cheaper project than spending $30 a piece for dog beds! :)

When In Rome...

So, I've been going through our travel photos lately (of which there are many), looking for pictures that I want to print, frame, and hang in our house. As I was looking through them, I thought it may be fun to share some. Here are some from Rome. As most of you know, the first year and a half after Carl and I were married, we lived in Italy, as he was stationed there. We LOVED it, and would love to go back again to visit. Since we only lived about 1 1/2 hrs from Rome by train, we visited often (it was cheap then too). We tried to make the most of our time there, seeing as much as we could of Italy and the surrounding countries.

The above picture is the skyline in Rome. Sorry it's kind of small, it is cropped from another picture.

This is the remaining ruins of what used to be the Roman Forum, back in Ceasar's time. It was the city center of Rome, where everything happened.

This is somethin that is a very recognizable site in Rome, the Colleseum. It is kind of a large symbol of the depravity of the time, or at least that is kind of what I think of when I see it. The things that happened there take my breath away when seeing it in real life.

Here are some guys dressed up outside of the Colleseum, willing to take pictures with any tourists who will give them a tip.


Carl and I are walking Via Appia here, which is the road that Paul was said to have walked when he was in Rome. I am sure it was in a little different condition then. :) It is located on the outskirts of Rome, more in the countryside.

These are some ruins in the countryside along Via Appia. They are not uncommon in Rome, nor in the surrounding countryside of Italy. These ruins and others like it are part of the scenery and ambiance of Italy. Also, they are a part of history for both Italy and the world. As Christians we read a lot about Rome and all that happened there. It was amazing to experience it in real life and think back to what it must have been like then. I am thankful to have seen it now, rather than then.

Redbirds Win!!

This Friday night we went to our first Memphis Redbirds game. They are a Triple A team, which I think is right below the major league. We enjoy going to games, and were excited to go see the Redbirds, as the tickets are much cheaper than major league. We also discovered that the seats are MUCH better, which makes sense, as the stadium itself is much smaller. We do miss just taking the ferry as we were able to do to Seattle, rather than driving like we have to do now. We had a fun time, and in the end it ended up being a close game. The Redbirds have now gained two more fans.

This picture shows just how close we were to the field. The players are warming up behind Carl.

Another cool thing is this hill you see people sitting on...it is inside the field, and next to it is a kids playground. I believe people still pay to sit on it, and their kids can play on the playground while they watch the game (it's all inside the fenced in stadium). We thought it was cool.

Here are some new friends of ours. Carl works with Nick, and we met him with his wife Danielle at the game, and their little girl Violet.

Our "Magic" Phone

Ok, this is going to sound a bit like a promo for this product, but we are so excited and happy with it that I have to share. We got a "Magicjack" a couple of weeks ago. Carl researched what kind of phone to get and came upon the Magicjack. After researching the pros, cons, and reviews, we decided to get it. We LOVE it! The Magicjack is a jack that plugs into your computer, using your highspeed internet as a phoneline. You plug your phone into the jack, or just use a headset and your computer, without a phone at all. It's kind of like Vonage, I guess. Anyhow, it's only $20 a YEAR! Unbelievable, we thought, but it is true. We love it and have had no problems with it whatsoever. There are no delays when we talk to people, and it's never down, unless the internet is (and that isn't often). You do of course have to have highspeed internet to use it, but it works even with Wifi. Also, you can make your phone number any area code, so that if people call you often from a certain place and they don't have long distance, you can make it local for them. There is no long distance with Magicjack. It's pretty awesome. So, I just had to share our latest fun "toy".

Church Update

I hope everyone had a fun and happy 4th of July. This year was the first in I think 3 years that Carl and I were together. It's amazing having my husband home all of the time! I thought I would give a quick church search update, since I know that I have been mentioning this as a prayer request. We have found a church that we are going to try for a month, and then decide. We realize that we will never find a Westside again, but we still want to find the best. This church seems to be the best among our choices, with many of the qualities we are looking for (mainly sound preaching and doctrine). Who knew it could be so hard to find a church? We were spoiled at the last two places we lived, finding phenomenal churches (especially our last one). This church just happened to be the last on our list of churches to try (about 8 in all). So, we will keep you updated, but please continue to keep our search in your prayers. We are excited to see where and what God is going to use us for here.

A Farewell To Arms

Well, really to the army, as I have received my separation orders from the Army Reserve. I will officially be out of the army on 26 August. This is a big praise for us, as we have been praying that the Lord would grant me separation from the army for a while now. I have served in the Army Reserves for 8 years this July, and though I am proud of the time I served both home and overseas, Carl and I both desired that I get out, for multiple reasons. I thank God for this great nation in which we live, and for the armed forces that defend it. Though I will no longer be apart of the armed forces, I will still be a patriot of this great country, and support my husband as he continues to serve. I know that I had mentioned this prayer request to some of my friends and family, and just wanted to let you all know the news, as a few of you may know it was quite a process to get this request through. I always knew that God would do it, as we felt it was His will, but as some of you may know, though we KNOW, we may still find ourselves doubting. This is just one more way in which I can testify God's faithfulness to us.