Spring Cleaning in January?

We had our carpets cleaned yesterday and the house feels so fresh! Since we were getting the carpets done, we went ahead and vacuumed out our closets and high ledges all over the house, even wiping off some door frames. I'm so inspired I've decided to just do my spring cleaning a bit early this year...I've reorganized my bathroom cabinets, cleaned out my closet (complete with new boxes from the Container Store...I'm such a dork, I just love that kind of stuff!), taken donations to NAM, cleaned out the filing cabinet (Adam made that happen), reorganized my Christmas decorations, tidied up my method for storing wrapping paper...somebody stop me! I'm on a roll! Next on the list? Kitchen reorganization, for sure, as well as cleaning out the guest bedroom closets and culling out my recipes. Maybe since I am writing about it I won't lose steam and actually finish the spring cleaning early. I thought about taking pictures before and after, but I decided I just couldn't handle you seeing how bad my closet and bathroom cabinet had gotten! So here's to spring cleaning in January, a fresh start in the house, and less work for me when March rolls around!

God Is Good

Sweet Luke is totally fine, praise God! I'm sure you can read details somewhat soon on Lindsay's blog, but I wanted to thank those of you who were praying for this sweet little boy. The doctor said everything looked great, and they don't even need to do yearly check-ups on his heart! Wow. God is good.

Luke

Our sweet nephew arrived on Monday. Please see Lindsay's blog for some adorable pictures. Today they will have some more tests run and determine whether or not he needs surgery on his heart. So far everything looks great, so please continue to pray that he will be healthy and free from any problems!

She's In Labor...

Please pray for my sister-in-law, Lindsay. She is currently in labor with our third nephew, Luke. I posted about Luke a while ago, but just as a refresher, he has had some heart issues in utero that may require surgery after he is born (you can see her blog to the right for more details). Please pray for healing for baby Luke and Lindsay, and peace for the entire family. I am so impressed with my brother-in-law, Neal (Adam's brother). He has been a phenomenal support to Lindsay and leader of their precious little family. I'm excited to see how God is going to work in this situation!

Dear Friends

I feel like my last blog was a bit of a downer, so I must go ahead and mention some of the highlights of our holidays. One of the things I love most is the chance to see dear friends who come into town. Definitely a benefit of still living in the town you grew up in!

We were delighted to spend quality time with Sarah and Matt, and for more on the visit (plus pics, I know we all love those!) you can check out her blog. I met Sarah years ago, via teaching her in Bible study and rooming with her on a mission trip. We were fast friends, and she did me the honor of standing with me in our wedding. Matt, her husband, is a wonderful godly man also in the ministry, so he and Adam talk endlessly about what they are learning and how they are challenged. I love the way he adores my friend! What a joy it was to spend time with them.

We also caught up with Josh and Mary. Adam and Josh were in a band together in high school called Superfluous. I also knew Josh b/c we went to the same school. We love Mary, his wife, and had a wonderful time catching up with them. The guys love to dig deep, open up and keep each other accountable, just like they did in high school. Time with them is so refreshing.

This coming Sunday we will spend time with Clint, the awesome guy responsible for setting up Adam and I. We adore him. Clint is a brilliant guy who loves God passionately. His heart is to share Jesus with whomever he possibly can (and not in an overbearing, annoying way), both verbally and through his solid walk with the Lord. He is a chemical engineer and was working quite comfortably for Frito Lay in Plano, but decided that the Lord was taking him in a different direction. So, he joined the Marines and became a 2nd Lieutenant, in charge of 40 men! That's Clint for ya. He is stationed in Hawaii and will ship out to Iraq in the fall. Please add him to your prayer list. If I know Clint and the way God uses him, many men will be impacted by his faith, and hopefully, come to know Christ. I can't wait to catch up.

I always look forward to this time of year...chances to be with lifelong friends, a great gift from God!

Happy New Year...

I can't believe the holidays are behind us. Maybe it is because we were sick for most of them. After we got back from our wonderful trip to Nashville, Adam and I got really sick with sinus infections, and I had an ear infection on top of that. As Adam so sweetly said, my whole head was infected. We were well enough to enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but before and after we found ourselves resting a lot and taking our 2-week long antibiotics. Tis the season! (that's for you, Amanda!) Anyways, now that we have more energy, stay tuned for actual posts on Christmas. Sorry I'm behind, but thanks for posting on yours...it has given me great stuff to read while in bed!