Photo dump: Part 2 "Corn Maze Craze"

After traveling for so many weekends in a row, we decided to have a "staycation" the weekend before Halloween.  We had missed having time together and getting to plan fun things on the weekend.  Since it was close to Halloween, we decided to head to the pumpkin patch and make our way through a corn maze.  It was such a fun way to spend part of our Saturday!

See Mom!  We even took the camera!!

This corn maze had trails that mirrored the major highway paths in the state of Oregon.  As we went through the maze, there were signposts along the way indicating where we were on the "map".

In the middle of the corn maze, there was this really cool teepee!  We decided to stop and see what it was like inside.

We now know that if we want to get good pumpkins, going to the patch the weekend before Halloween is a terrible idea!  All the pumpkins are picked over and rotting.  On our way out, we saw a pile of pumpkins decorating the exit and we asked if they were for sale.  Thankfully, they were!

My handsome {almost} six-foot-tall husband  :)

I told you he was much taller!

They had a small petting zoo at the pumpkin patch, so of course we had to take a look!

I made him re-live his childhood memories.  Feeding the goats  :)  This time he was much more grossed out by the smell of the food pellets than when he was young. Haha.

There was a bluegrass group playing next to the hot drink/food stand.  

We enjoyed sitting under the cover and enjoying some delicious french fries  :)

Later that weekend, we carved our pumpkins.  I'm sure there's no doubt which one is his :)  He did very well for not having seriously carved a pumpkin in his lifetime!

We are so thankful for the time that the Lord gives us together.  We loved getting to sleep in for the first time in a long time and also get to have a fun date to the pumpkin patch.  God is so good to us!

Next up: Do the Puyallup!

Photo Dump: Part 1 - "Staff Retreat"

I am calling this series "Photo dump" because, well, that's what I'm doing.  A couple things you should know about me:
1. I am terrible at taking pictures.  As in, I rarely take pictures.  It really bothers my mother.
2. I am even worse at uploading the pictures than I am at taking them.  
3. When I finally upload them, I am really sad that they are too outdated to share.
4. I don't care about the outdatedness mentioned in #4.

I was going to post all the pictures post-by-post in chronological order until I realized that due to all of my weekend travel during the month of September, there are NO pictures of Nathan until later in September and October.  That was just plain depressing.  So these are now organized by event so that I can split up the large amount of photos with no appearance of my handsome husband  ;)

In September, YMI Staff went on a retreat (but Nathan couldn't be there because of class).  We rented a house up on Whidbey Island RIGHT ON THE WATER.  It was amazing!  We spent long hours planning, vision casting and just spending time together.

Every morning we woke up to see fisherman reeling in TONS of Salmon!  The waters were teeming!

 

I made a friend during my morning quiet time.

I'm not kidding when I say that the house was ON the beach.

This.

Staff planning and vision casting!

I think I could get use to this.

This mom was out one morning.  She is my hero.  A baby-wearing, fish-catching supermom.

I don't know why I love this photo so much.  But I do.  I want to know this man's story.

It was a good weekend in so many aspects.  I was so thankful to see our staff again, to laugh and fellowship together.  The weather was beautiful, the house was perfect for us and we all got excited for what God is going to do with YMI this next year.

Though it was all great...I was so ready to head home and see my husband!!  

Next post: M & N - Date Day In

Marriage Isn't For Your Spouse

I couldn't figure out why this blog post rubbed me the wrong way when I first read it. So many other people seem to love it.  So naturally, I figured I was the one in the wrong.  But I don't believe I am.

Marriage isn't for you.  But it's not for your spouse either.  Keep reading.

Marriage is about God being glorified in a most tangible way on earth.  Marriage is the physical representation of Christ's deep, sacrificial love for His church here on earth.  Marriage is a laying down of both of our wills so that God might replace our selfish desires with His Kingdom desires.  

Yes, marriage requires me to put my husband before myself, for we are to "do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count other more significant than [ourselves].  Let each of [us] look not only to [our] own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:3-4).  I am to love him selflessly.  To think of his needs long before I think of my own.  I am called to serve him without expecting anything in return.  And he is to do the same for me.  

But is this really all there is to marriage?  Is this the point?  Simply put, no.  It can't be.  Because if that's true, then it would reason that if my spouse is not happy, then our marriage is failing.  And that simply isn't true.

I love the way that John Piper puts it: "The ultimate thing to see in the Bible about marriage is that it exists for God's glory.  Most foundationally, marriage is the doing of God.  Most ultimately, marriage is the display of God.  It is designed by God to display his glory in a way that no other event or institution does."

Marriage is what God has designed in order that people might be able to see the Gospel lived out on earth.  It is the laying down of one life for another.  It is living for something more than ourselves and each other.  It is living in such a way that other people might see and savor the Lord Jesus Christ for who he is -- our Savior.

If marriage was about my husband's happiness, I would spend my whole life trying to give him what he wants.  The problem with that is that often times, what we want isn't what we need.  I want ice cream right now, at 7am.  But let's be honest, NO ONE needs that.  The pursuit to make someone else happy is a pursuit that only ends with both people more unhappy than when they started.

Happiness isn't the goal of marriage, but joy is a byproduct of it.  Joy comes from knowing that God is on his throne and is sovereign over all. Joy comes from knowing Jesus Christ and prizing him above all things.  Joy comes from serving the Lord together.  Joy comes from laying down my will and choosing to walk in Truth.  Joy isn't a feeling or emotion like happiness is.  Joy is much deeper than that.  And certainly much more fulfilling.  Joy allows us to weather the storms of life.  To stand in the middle of the wind and the rain, the trials and temptations, the sickness and the pain, and declare that God is Good.

I don't know about you, but I don't want my spouse to be happy.  I don't.  I want him to be joyful.  And that, my friends, is nothing that I can give him.  That can only come from the Lord.  So what is my role?  To live in such a way as to point him to the Lord.  And you know what?  When I do that and see him seek the Lord, you better believe that I experience joy as well.  

You see, marriage isn't about you or your spouse.  It's about God's Kingdom come, God's will be done.  One earth as it is in Heaven. 

Why Kindergartners are some of the bravest people I know

For the first time in...well...EVER, I feel incredibly sorry for Kindergartners.  Up until this point in my life, I thought Kindergartners just got to play with playdough, color (with crayons, of course), have stories read TO them, play on the playground and check out picture books from the library.  

But do you know what else they have to do?  They have to make friends.  And ya'll.  Making friends is NO JOKE.

I don't ever remember having to "make friends."  In grade school, it just happens.  You naturally become friends with the people who are sitting next to you in your seating assignment because if you forget a #2 pencil, they might be your only lifeline.  It's nearly effortless.  

By the time you reach Middle School and High School, you have established your "friend group" and you're settled.  If you were like me, sports teammates became your new friend group out of necessity.  We had each other's backs.  We laughed together, ate meals together, celebrated wins, learned from losses, ran lines together and just did a whole lot of life together.  But still, those friendships "just happened."

And my goodness.  Then you get to college where everything is about "community" - especially at a private Christian school.  You are invited to Hall Dinner every week, you have a roommate, there are endless activities and clubs to be a part of.  You have people incessantly asking to meet for lunch, coffee, a walk, a hike and it takes EFFORT to get any time ALONE.  Never again will you be in an environment so intentional about creating lasting friendships.  Savor.  every.  moment.  I walked away from college with three of my closest friends.  College rocks for making friendships because, well, the path is laid out for you.

Well guess what?  After college there ain't nobody who's forcing you to make friends.  No one's soliciting you for "one-on-one's" or coffee dates.  Hall Dinners are a thing of the past and the only sports teams you're a part of are comprised of a whole bunch of adults who also have a really busy life.  

You know what I've discovered?  We aren't made to do life alone.  We can't.  God created us for relationship.  He created us to be "us" - together.  I'm finding that making friends is hard work.  It takes a willingness to have those awkward first hangouts where you're asking questions like "Where did you grow up?" and "What are your favorite things to do on the weekends?"  It takes a willingness to put yourself out there and allow others to take it or leave it.  And you know what?  Sometimes they leave it.  And it's ok if they do.  

We have been living in Salem for 2.5 months.  I miss my friends at home.  I miss hanging out with girls who have known me forever and who I have known forever.  I miss not having to explain family dynamics and my sense of humor.  I miss the comfort that comes from knowing and being known.  

BUT...learning to make friends has brought me to a place of being more sensitive to those who have no friends.  I am learning to see those who are lonely and hurting.  I have learned to open my eyes to those who need human touch and those who stand on the outside just waiting for someone to invite them in.  

I've found that being on the outside isn't always a bad thing.  

Because there are a lot of people on the outside.  Which means that I'm not alone.