1 year already?

Gosh, I can't believe it, but I believe that next Sunday will make 1 year since Kyle and I accepted the call officially to move to WABC in Muscle Shoals. We didn't move until a couple of days before Christmas, but I remember it was the Sunday before Thanksgiving that we came in view of a call...
So much has changed over the past year. God has taught us so much about ourselves and each other....He's taught us to truly depend on Him for everything. And one of the best things He's done was bring sweet encouragers into our lives during a time of transition. I'll be totally honest...moving to a new city where you don't know anyone can be scary. What was even harder was leaving family behind. But God has given us such a wonderful support system in this area as well, and we are thankful. There are a few people who I owe a HUGE thank you:

Our Families: we are so thankful for your constant support and love no matter where we go! you are precious and we miss not seeing you all the time. we can't wait for the holidays to officially get here so we can spend time with you. love you so much!!

Keelings: i ought to have just grouped you into "our families" because that's what you have become to us both. we love each of you more than we tell you and are so thankful that you have "adopted" us into your lives. thank you for listening, caring, and laughing with us.

WABC 9th grade Sunday School girls: i am so thankful for the opportunity to be around you guys and teach you...i look forward to seeing how God will use each of you. you bless me every time we get to dig into the Word together. remember to live for Him!

Captured Girls: you have NO idea what it has meant for me to work with you this last year! God used you to work on my heart when i got upset about not having a teaching job and thought i didn't have a place here. :) i learn everyday from you girls and SO appreciate your friendship. thank you for letting me have the opportunity to come to the studio and be a part of what you do. you are a blessing.

Mallory: you have been such a sweet friend to me from the second we got to muscle shoals. God answered my prayer for a Christian friend in you. thank you for all the talks & walks. i can't wait for aubrey to get here :) i look forward to holding that sweet little baby girl!

Zumba Girls: our weekly exercise nights are such a time of fellowship for me and i love getting to talk to each of you and hear about life from you...even if it sometimes scares me :) LOL! you are each so precious and i respect each of you so much. thank you for letting me be a part, even though i'm the youngest in the group. i love you all!

I know I could go on and on, but I'll stop here for now. I don't want to leave anyone out. And I'm sure Kyle has lots of people he'd add to the list. I just want you to know how much I appreciate and love each of you who God placed in our life.

new babies

I love seeing all these new pictures on facebook/blogs of all of my friends who are having new babies. A TX friend of mine had a little girl today, and I have 2 other close friends that are ready to deliver any minute. So exciting!!

Compassion International

I had heard so much about this video that I finally took the time to watch it this afternoon. I sobbed through the end half. Take a few minutes to watch...

Catalyst 2009 Compassion Moment from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Christmas

Is anyone else getting a Christmas itch? Maybe it's just me, but I can hardly wait to start decorating for this holiday season. I'm probably just excited because this is our first Christmas in our own house. We decorated our apartment in TX, but technically it wasn't our 1st Christmas together because we got married 4 days after Christmas. Then, last year, all of our decorations, etc. were in the moving truck on the way to Alabama. We moved here the week of Christmas and then drove to Selma to visit my family. So basically, our Christmases have been overshadowed by 1. Our Wedding and 2. Moving for the last 2 years. I'm definitely looking forward to being able to enjoy this year's holiday season!

A Plan Comes Together

I've been holding off blogging about this because it wasn't a "done deal," but today was my first day since January that I was officially back working at a school! I will have to admit that leaving my little 4th graders back in TX half way through the school year last year was tough, but God taught me SO MUCH through the time I was not teaching. I've learned quite a bit about myself...but even more, I've learned how to depend on the Lord to provide. And He absolutely has! It was hard to go from my husband and I both having full-time teaching jobs (plus he was a part-time youth minister) to moving where Kyle had a full time youth ministry position, and I was not doing anything...

Then came Captured Studios. In March I started working for the 2 sweetest, most talented ladies ever... I knew that even though I missed teaching, God provided a wonderful place for me to go during the week that was fun! I've learned SO much about photography, editing/photoshop, etc. I wouldn't trade my time there for the world. After being there and making such sweet friendships, the thought of me having to leave killed me.

About a month ago, one of the men who was on the committee that brought Kyle and I to Muscle Shoals called me. (he is a principal) It turned out that his school was looking for a part-time Title 1 Math teacher. Basically I will get to sit in classrooms or pull students out to help them. I am thrilled that I get to teach my favorite subject, as well as have the time to teach using manipulatives, etc...I'm thinking I may even have the chance to implement some of the fun strategies they teach you in college that, many times, you don't have time to use in a classroom with 20+ kids.

Not only has God provided this opportunity for me, He has also allowed it to work out that I can go to the studio part of the day too! It couldn't have been planned any better. I'm so excited about this new chapter and am thankful that I serve a God who always knows best and who has a plan for me. Nothing surprises Him...and that is encouraging!
"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:19

This Week's Events

True Story. This all happened this week.

1. As you may know, from a previous post, Kyle and I bought a 4-runner.
2. We officially UN-bought that 4-runner, as it didn't always like to run. It actually cut off on us in the middle of the street.
3. When we tried to take it back to the dealership, it refused to crank and sat in our garage for a day and a half.
4. The Toyota people were super nice and gave us 100% of our money back. It's okay, Jime Bishop. No hard feelings.
5. Kyle and I are sick of being a 1 car family.
6. We will be looking later at an Explorer.
7. During all this week's craziness, I got some junk mail from a Ford dealership nearby, so I scratched off the 9 circles and thought there was a good possibility I had just won a car. I mean, it said Winner! Winner! Winner!
8. We ended up winning 3 gold coins.
9. My husband picked me up from work yesterday and we got behind an old lady in a red car with a plate that said Melvie.
10. Steer clear of Melvie....she likes to run off in the grass, in the opposite lane, and stop for the stop signs in the middle of intersections. Yes, Melvie did this on more than one occasion.

PC or Mac??

So, you know those commercials with the cute little 4 year olds who do all these impressive things on their computers and then say they are a PC or a Mac? Well, I've always had a PC but have recently been introduced to Mac stuff at church. I run screens during worship in the youth room (which we happen to call the Underground) on Wednesday nights during our youth service.

Anyway, on with my story. So, tonight we had this big youth thing in the Underground where 4 other area youth groups came for a Saw You at the Pole rally, as today was See You at the Pole. There were 150-165ish students and leaders there...I mean, the room was cram-packed. (it was awesome!) So, I'm running the screens as usual and all of the sudden, during "How Great is Our God/How Great Thou Art" my face pops up in place of the words. The only thing I could think to do in the moment was duck. I did eventually figure out a fix. It just felt like forever to make my face leave the screen. I'm such a dork...in my defense, the Logo button is right next to the Live button. It was hilarious, but I pretty much wanted to hide in the sound booth and not come out after it was over. Ah...humility. Don't pray for it unless you mean it.