five years late

I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged! I logged back on today, just for giggles, and saw TWO posts I've started in the last five years, but haven't completed. I scrapped those 😂
I am now happily married for almost 5.5 years with TWO girls, Sarah (5 on Christmas!) And Gwynnen (3.5!) ((Yes. Those are YEARS OLD!)) I am also pregnant with our THIRD child, A BOY due November 20th, so almost 3rd trimester! Poor little man still doesn't have a name. We have strong contenders, but nothing in stone yet.
We now have lived in Alaska for almost four years and still have about 14 months to go. I really am done with the ice and snow. I miss the Florida warmth, my family, and dear friends. Thankfully, I have made a few precious friends since we've been here, but it hasn't been the easiest due to unfortunate circumstances and just still getting used to motherhood.
Life with kids is MUCH harder than I thought it would be! I'm not gonna lie to you, I used to be one of those people who would say "Oh...when IIIII have children, I'm never going to allow them to get away with THAT sort of thing..."
HAHAHAHAHHAHA
God has a funny way of feeding us MASSIVE slices of humble pie, doesn't He!?
Anyway, I don't know if there are any people left out there on blogger or anyone reads these anymore, but I'm going to try my best to start up again! I have become much too reliant on social media and am hoping to start unloading my heart again...readers or no! I'm going to set my weekly alarms to remind myself to sit down and just WRITE. We'll see how this goes 😂

About: Our Story

I think this video speaks for itself...sorry it's so long.
We've had people asking our meeting/courtship/engagement story, so here it is. From MY point of view, at least. ;)

About: Exciting News!!

Hello followers! (if there are any of you left out there...heh.)

This past weekend, we had a fun day of thrifting planned with some of my dearest friends in the whole wide world! We started the morning off at Goodwill and were going to go to several more thrift stores. (May I just add that I ended up finding NOTHING on this thrifting trip? Yes? Good.)
Anyway, we went to Goodwill and I tried SO hard to find something that I could sell online (my new idea of income ;)
 
Everyone had checked out.
Sharon walks up to the group, just after getting off the phone, and says that her dad had called and wanted to meet us in Cocoa Village for lunch. I, being the air-head that I am, didn't really hear the beginning of her topic of conversation and walked away to stand with mom in line as she was about to check out. We had a nice visit with a lady, Emilee, that mom knew from when Isaac was a little boy. Anyway, I get back over to the group and Sharon told me the new plan. We would go thrifting after lunch. Okay, no big deal!
As we left Goodwill, Sharon goes, "EMILY, RIDE WITH ME!" So I did.

Once we arrived in Cocoa Village, Mrs. Becky was running late, so we needed to save her a spot. I jumped in the only one left in our place, bravely risking my life! *cheeky* So there I stood...hmmm...for a good five minutes or so. I could SEE everyone in the park, just waiting for me so we could go out. Mrs. Becky arrived in a few short minutes and she, mom, Sharon and I walked over to the park together. Hannah and Peter (Sharon's brother and sister-in-law/another of my bestest friends) had joined us along with their little son and other son-on-the-way.
<----That's Anna and Jed (Hannah and Peter's son). Yes. Feel free to comment on just HOW adorable he is. His mom will love it. ;) 

Anna and Sharon with her "new do!"

We all just kinda ended up standing around at the park for a while, talking and catching up. It was nice!
All of a sudden, I got a phone call from Tim. Now, if you didn't know, Tim is a "friend of the family" who had special interest in a certain member of the family....*ahem* Anyway, he asked me where we were at, which seemed a wee bit odd, but I didn't think TOO terrible much about it. I told him that I was at the park with his family (Can't we all see where this is going? ;) and we were getting ready to go to lunch in Cocoa Village.


He asked me if I was standing anywhere near Nathan, his younger brother, and I said I was. He told me that Nathan had my birthday card (which was a few days away) and that he wanted to make sure I got it. I walked over to Nathan and asked him for it, when I did, Tim asked me to read it out loud...which I didn't. Seemed a little too personal to do such a thing in a crowd. HA!

I started reading the card which went as such:

"Good morning, Emily,

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. We've been talking for almost a year now and I can't help but be excited for where things seem to be going. When I look at you, I can't help but be amazed at who you are. The woman God has formed you into is incredible. Your love for our Lord is very obvious, and I can't help but smile when I think about it.
Six and a half years ago, you walked into Grace Bible Presbyterian Church and into my life. The providential happenings that came about so taht we would meet bewilder me sometimes.
But I know that God holds our future in His Hands. And I totally look forward to our future together.
Well, that's about all I can think of to write here.
I hope you are having a grand time with my family! :)
Oh! Yeah! One more thing ---> [meaning turn the card over]

































































 


























I need you to turn around so I can ask you just one more question!"





I about dropped my phone and started spinning around like a maniac, asking him, "WHERE ARE YOU?!" He answered my questions with hanging UP on me. The nerve!

Everyone just kinda stood there, looking at me. All of a sudden, my mom goes, "LOOK! HE'S OVER THERE!" and pointed towards the bathrooms of all things!
My sister Anna decided that I needed a distraction, so she decided to yell, "Look at that squirrel!"

After about the fifth time of turning around, I saw him! (Now, take note: this is a big thing, because as far as I knew, he was seven hours away.)

All this to say....


















































 

I think the pictures can take it from here...mostly. ;)

Okay, back story here...
He opened the box and there was a cheap little thrift store ring.
So I hit him with the card.
Obviously. ;)

Good to know we can share a laugh. :)

Hugging our future mothers-in-law! ^_^

I was talking with dad in this picture. I was so sad he couldn't be there.
I love you, daddy!! <3 br="br">

I'M ENGAGED!!!! 8D

And they both lived happily ever after...so far, at least. ;)

The Beginning.

"Silencing the Cymbals" by David Murray

Silencing the Cymbals

DAVID MURRAY  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We cannot know God without quiet. Every Christian wants to know God more; few Christians seek the silence that this requires. Although our Savior says, "Be still and know that I AM God," we spend our days smashing stillness, shattering knowledge, and using destroying cymbals on our ears and in our souls. With so many gongs and clashes in our lives, it can sometimes be difficult to isolate and identify them. Let me help you do this and provide some mufflers.

    First, there's the din of guilt, the shame and embarrassment of our dark secrets: "I should have; I shouldn't have; I should have; I shouldn't have" clangs noisily in our recesses, shattering our peace and disturbing our tranquility. 

    Then greed starts banging away with its relentless drumstick: "I want it; I need it; I must have it; I will have it; I got it; I want it; I need it;" and so on.

    What's that angry metal beat? It's hate stirring up malice, ill will, resentment, and revenge: "How could she? I'll get her. She'll pay for this." Of course, anger often clatters into the cymbal of controversy, sparking disagreements, debates, disputes, and divisions.

    Vanity adds a proud thud, drowning out all who compete with our beauty, talents and status: "Me up, him down; me up, her down; me up, all down."

    Anxiety chimes distractingly in the background, too, surveying the past, present, and future for things to worry about: "What if? What if? What if?" Is that the little silver triangle of self-pity I hear: "Why me? Why me? Why me?"

    The repetitive, unstoppable jangle of expectation comes from family, friends, employers, churches, and more. Oh, for even a few seconds' respite from the tyranny of other people's demands and our oversensitive consciences. 

    Moreover, smashing into our lives, wherever we turn, are the giant cymbals of the media and technology: local and international, paper and pixels, sound and image, audio and video, beep and tweet, notifications and reminders, and on it goes.

    Is it any wonder that we sometimes feel as if we're going mad? Clanking and clanging, jingling and jangling, smashing and crashing, grating and grinding. A large jarring orchestra of peace-disturbing, soul-dismantling cymbals.

    

"BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD."

But how? We can silence the cymbal of guilt by taking faith to the blood of Christ and saying, "Believe." Believe that all your sins are paid for and pardoned. There's absolutely no reason to have even one bit of guilt. Look at that blood until you grasp how deep, wide, and long it is. It can make you whiter than snow and make your conscience quieter and the morning dew.

    Greed is not easily silenced. Maybe muffled is about the best we can expect. Practice doing with less than usual; practice not buying even when you can afford it; practice buying nothing for six months except necessities; and practice spending time in the shadow of Calvary. How much less you'll find you need when you see how much He gave. Make your budget at the cross.
    Our unholy anger can be dialed down by God's holy anger. When we feel God's hot rage against all sin and all injustice, we begin to chill and calm. Vengeance is God's, He will repay.

    The doctrine of total depravity is the ultimate dampener of personal vanity. When I see myself as God sees me, my heart, my mind, and even my posture change. I stop competing for the top spot and start accepting the lowest place. "He must increase, I must decrease."

    Hey, I'm beginning to hear some quiet now. But there's still that rankling anxiety chiming away. Oh, to be free.

FATHERHOOD

The Fatherhood of God turns the volume of anxiety to zero. He knows, He cares, and He will meet your needs. Mute your "what ifs" at the bird feeder.
    Oh, and call in total depravity again when self-pity starts up. "Why me?" cannot stand long before "Why not me?"

"SHE HAS DONE WHAT SHE COULD."

Don't you love that? What an expectation killer. Every time the despotic Devil or your tyrannical conscience demands more than you can give, remind them of Jesus' calming words, "she has done what she could" (Mark 14:8). That helps us, in good conscience, to disappoint unreasonable people.

    Isn't that growing silence golden? But it can become fully golden if you go the extra mile and deal with the noisy intruders of media and technology. There is no spiritual mystery to this. Look at your finger. That's what stands between you and the still quietness without which you cannot know God. You know where the "off" button is. Why not try it one full day a week? Why not flex that finger every day at 8 p.m.?

    We'd like it to be different. It won't be. Ever. God has inseparably and irrevocably joined quietness with knowledge of Him. What God has joined together let not man put asunder."

Dr. David Murray is professor of Old Testament and practical theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the author of the book Christians Get Depressed Too.

 

About: I Blog therefore... I Blog? O.o

When there are no words, music speaks.
Or in this case, I'm going to make pictures speak. Also, I'm going to make them funny pictures that speak...because I'm in a laughing mood.
(many thanks to pinterest and Bill Watterson for the following pictures.)

.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8)