Counting blessings...

I had started this post the other day and it seems appropriate to finish it and post it.

Sometimes I need reminders of the things that I have been given, reminders that I have them and reminders that I could be without them. If that makes sense to anyone else, then wonderful! I need reminders to choose a good attitude about whatever situation I am in. It doesn't come naturally for me, does it for you?

We can get discouraged about our situation, no jobs yet, plenty of bills waiting to be paid. But then we remember the past and all the times that we have been in similar situations and we know that it will be taken care of.

We get discouraged when the water bill comes in, and then remember that many people have to struggle for clean water. Ours comes right out of the faucet every day, clean and constant.

We get discouraged when we find our friends and loved ones in heartbreaking situations. Marriages are shaky, children are sick. But we know that God is faithful to carry out his plan in each of their lives. That he doesn't give us more than we can handle and he gives us everything we need in every situation.

We get discouraged when we go to unfamiliar churches and we don't know anyone, or any of the songs or inside jokes. But we are encouraged by His Word, by gathering with believers that we would otherwise have no reason to meet, by hearing proclamations of his truth and truth about Christ.

We get discouraged when we look at the clock and it is three in the morning, we can't sleep. Then we are encouraged by the fact that we can use this time to communicate with loves ones in other time zones. We can study and we have the ability to do so.

We get discourage when we try to find an honest mechanic in a new town, then are encouraged that we have a vehicle to drive and it gets us from place to place.

In the end, we are encouraged by these things that challenge us, we believe that God is teaching us and growing us for situations far more difficult than this.

Philippian 4:11-13 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Monday night fooseball...

Tonight we are watching football, Cowboys are playing so we found a place to watch- college style. Doug found a group of guys who were heading out to a 'community center' in town to watch the game...by the way our 'student center' closes at ten..WHAT? I thought we were in college! Anyhow, we are here, not so much a community center, more of an apartment complex with a nice lobby that is all locked for the night but they know someone who lives in the complex...I told you it was college style.

PLUS, there is free wifi.

So, I am here thinking that I should update with a great informative post but the last post continues to be mostly what we are still up to. Not that we aren't accomplishing anything, it's just talking about it isn't all that exciting! For example:

This week:

~we turned in draft one of a term paper we are working on
~we went to classes (I just got out of my night class)
~I stood up in front of class and gave a speech
~we started panicking about mid-terms
~we went ahead and started studying for our mid-terms
~we ate lots of noodles and cereal (and tacos, there was a great deal at the store)
~we watched A Christmas Carol...computer animated version...not that good
~I did laundry...kind of a half day extravaganza since we use the laundry mat still
~we checked the mail (about five times a day, waiting a couple of text books still)
~we chatted with friends (thanks Fac.e.book) and family (thanks sk.ype)
~blogged

Good times! What's up with you guys?

What we are up to...

That's about it.

Happy Birthday to Doug...

Doug's birthday was yesterday! We enjoyed a relaxing day and started it off with Doug's choice...buffet lunch

After that, we enjoyed some relaxing, a bit of company with neighbors and then some exploring around town. Then we decided to try out a place we have been wanting to try...

We were NOT disappointed



Doug also enjoyed some of the wildlife around the restaurant...

And, today...I gave him his last birthday gift from me, a beta fish.
Lately, I could tell that Doug's general quality of life was on a downhill slope for his lack of any sort of pet to take care of. So I felt it was necessary.

It is hard to get a picture of this little guy but here he is...and a shot of the living room and the kitchen in the glare:)

I miss my dogs...

Now before someone goes and gets offended by this post...read me out, I would like to explain my case.
We really miss our dogs! Sad as it may seem to some of you, leaving our dogs behind was the hardest thing for us to do in this move to NC. We enjoyed our home, had some special friends and said goodbye to family that we love. But our home was just a house...and some beautiful acreage that we miss. Our friends are still our friends, while we miss being able to call them and 'hang out' whenever we wanted to, and we miss that face to face interaction...we appreciate phone calls and chats that enable us to continue those friendships. The same goes for family. People, you can keep in contact with...dogs, not so much.
Our dogs were a conversation that came up a number of times in our decision process. We knew that God was telling us it was time to move, we knew that would mean giving up some things that were precious to us, we tried our hardest to rationalize bringing them with us...and then we gave them up.
Now, before you get all judgy on me (judgy is a new seminary word I learned :)...all of us have those things don't we? Things/possessions/people/houses/vehicles/money/whatever. It is different for different people but we all have things in our lives that mean the world to us but may not mean anything to others. This is one of the big reasons why we knew we had to let the dogs go, they meant the world to us. Or rather, they meant more than the world to us. They were beginning to take priority over the lost, who are the world.

They weren't the only things btw, there was our selfishness, our 'need' to be comfortable, our amazing ability as humans to settle for less. God has so much in store for us and that is what He reminds us of when we begin to doubt and worry and wonder if we made the right choices in leaving them behind and coming here.

What are the things in your life that are taking priority over the lost?

We have a bed...

So, we finally got a bed. We went today and picked it up, we had found it on craigslist and talked to the guy selling it today. He was so 'nice' he even had it all taken apart and ready to go when we showed up...once we got home we realized why he had been so thoughtful. It is very unstable and 'wobbles' back and forth if you put any pressure on it...so we are (and by 'we', I mean 'Doug') are going to just have to get a little creative and figure out a way to keep it standing upright.
But, we do have a bed!


In other news! I had a job interview today, well I kept going by to meet the owner until I finally caught him there today. He offered me the job and I will start training next week! ***UPDATED: this job turned out to be a pretty sketchy place and situation was not good so I decided to decline the position.

Furniture is nice...

You don't realize how incredibly convenient is until you don't have any. Doug got up Saturday and went to a garage sale and found us a few needed items...
As you can see in the picture, we still don't have a couch or a bed but we have two side tables in our living room! (notice how neat my table is:)

He also got me a little dresser...it is SO nice to have drawers to organize some of my clothes outside of a suitcase!

And something that has already proven VERY useful..a desk! We have also found that every table is higher than our camping chairs sit, so we are glad that we chose to bring lots of extra blankets and pillows that act as 'booster' seats for us! I just realized that this is not shown in the picture...our pillows travel depending on where we are sitting! Also, notice the bookshelf? I found that at the dumpster yesterday too...this is a totally acceptable practice, as it is understood that people can leave their used items for others to take from a certain place right next to our dumpsters.

I drove...

So, it has been a while since I drove. I know, kind of random. But Doug drove the ENTIRE way here from Washington. Mainly because I was afraid to drive with a trailer hitched to the back of the jeep and because the jeep kept overheating. Then once we were halfway there it seemed appropriate to challenge Doug to drive the entire way...sort of an accomplishment I say.

At any rate, since we got here there hasn't been much of an occasion for me to drive because we have been going everywhere together and just have one mode of transportation. Yesterday, however, this changed. Doug decided to go study at the library right after class and I was feeling the need for a grocery run.
So, after class I took the jeep over to the closest grocery store...which was too expensive, so I drove to wal-mart to continue our patronage there.

Funny thing about driving in a new town is not just about finding your way around, it is learning a whole new set of road rules. People drive different here! I thought it was just me but after talking to a few other 'out of staters' I realized that, really, people drive different here!
How, you ask?

They drive fast...I can't keep up, I went ten miles over the speed limit and still was getting passed. (don't worry I didn't keep going that fast, I just wanted to see about how fast everyone else was going)

They ride your bumper...it isn't rude here I guess, or if it is no one cares if they are being rude while in their car. I pulled over to let people pass and they didn't...um, if you don't want to pass me, then back off!

They don't stop at crosswalks...figured this out on the first day and continue this realization every time I go to cross the road at a crosswalk. Pedestrians better be on the look out because no one is stopping. Coming from a fairly pedestrian conscious area..this was a big shock to me.

They talk and text while driving...now I realize that this still happened in Washington after the stricter laws were passed about no texting and driving but it is blatant here. Is it not against the law here?

And as a side note: the other day we drove by a cop sitting at a red light, EATING A BOWL OF SOUP!

So, besides pulling in my side mirrors and resorting to a more Indian style of driving I have found that it is simply a mental game before I leave my house and hop in the car.

Car insurance paid: check
Seat belts firmly in place: check
Salvation secure: check

and off we go...

Time for a post...

So, I haven't posted in a few days. Mainly because I feel that there is a huge drop in our news posting needs. Seems like I went from something new to post each day to suddenly thinking I should post but not sure what to write about!
We are in school...anyone who has endeavored to complete their higher education would understand and have no need for me to write anything further. I will though, you know for the rest of you readers. :)

For anyone interested, our days now consist of:

~Reading (lots of reading) and then rereading what we already read to try to figure out what it means.

~Eating noodles...cup o' noodles are .24 cents each..what a deal! (we also found out that great value chili is actually a great value after all...yummo!)

~Some play time...we have enjoyed the racquetball courts at the school and remember the rules as we go along.

~Going to class of course...although this seems minimal compared to the amount of studying we do to prepare for class, we are in class a total of 6 hours (Doug) and 9 hours (Heidi)

~Trying to find jobs-I have one prospect who is talking with me about keeping her baby part time (she just went into labor last night, so it may be a month or so before that starts for me) Doug is determined to get a job on campus at facilities management and I think he might just succeed. This too is a matter of timing as the main 'hiring guy' is out for the week.

More later I am sure..as we have updates, we will be sure to post them!

Needs...

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre! He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry. His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. Psalm 147:7-11

A few people have called/emailed about specific needs that we have now that we are here at school. We are overwhelmed with details and bills and just things that we need but we are even more overwhelmed by God's faithfulness and are filled with joy in watching His people act in obedience and give sacrificially to help us on this journey! To make this easier for everyone, I thought I would just send out one post to let everyone know some ways they could help us!

A bed: this is on the top of the list because we are finding that without good rest, it is harder to get the things we need done well. We will meet with a man who has a warehouse of marked down brand new beds, this will be a box spring and mattress for $130...NOTE: we went to meet the guy and what he was selling was not a mattress and box spring so still no bed!

A desk: there is just something about studying on the floor that doesn't feel right...we saw a desk and chair on sale at walmart for $60

Books: I found almost all of our books for this semester online at greatly reduced prices bringing our book total for this semester to $174

Tuition: This is a biggie! We are set up on a payment plan for Doug's tuition which comes to $498 a month September-December.

Electricity: Because we are in student housing here at the seminary, we are set up with electricity for the first five business days. On Tuesday (tomorrow) we will need to set up the electricity in our name, this will require a $300 deposit.

Rent: We are in student housing, so our rent is a bit lower than it would have been living off campus. Each month we pay $595, (no, this does not include electricity, water or any meals)

General needs: If you don't have a need to know specifically where your money is going, we have needs such as groceries, phone bills, car/renters insurance, etc that we do not have the funds to pay for right now. For one month this comes to about $600.

Thank you for your willingness to help us out, we are working on some job search leads that we hope will work out very soon. (labor day weekend is not a great time to start out in a new place!) Your prayers and support mean so much to us and encourage us more than you know.

Doug and Heidi
1105 Thornrose Way
Wake Forest, NC
27587

Wonder works fun...

So, for a good part of the afternoon while we were in Pigeon Forge, we went to Wonderworks. This place is set up to be a really cool hands-on museum for kids (and adults). The story is that it is supposed to be this mansion that blew up into the air and came back down but landed upsidedown! So when you walk in, everything is upsidedown...very cool!


Once inside, you walk through a hallway that feels and looks like you are being turned upsidedown called the anti-gravity chamber...so that you can enjoy the exhibits right side up...past the hallway was all kinds of simulators. We felt what it was like to be in a 6.8 earthquake, a hurricane wind and a bunch of other stuff. Here is Doug in some sort of game simulator thing...

Farther in, there were huge screens all around that were green screens but showed you among some thing that was going on, in this picture Doug is dodging the fish!

There is a whole area about space travel, we became astronauts!


Here is Doug trying to learn how to land a space craft...

There were lots of things that we got to do and see there! We had so much fun and will enjoy getting to go back there some day. Here is Doug trying out laying on a bed of nails!

post one of two of Pigeon Forge...

What fun we had in Pigeon Forge! So much fun that we have to split this one up into two posts...
First off, Doug's favorite...riding go-carts. I was surprised that he wanted to do this, what with all the drive anything in the middle of the road trip we were on...but it was the first thing on his list!



Next was a heated game of putt-putt golf...by heated, I mean, it was really hot that day and the best thing about the course was all of the wonderfully shaded areas!



Doug even made friends with this gorilla...

We stopped in an area that is all set up like a Christmas town...it was so nice to walk around in the air conditioning!


Both nights we were there, we enjoyed cooling off and relaxing in their pool and hot tub...




We did spend a good part of the afternoon at Wonderworks which I will put in the next post but just as a preview of the building...

some things to report...

So the last few days have been fun and exhausting! I will update on our trip through Pigeon Forge and then into NC but first we wanted to get everyone up to speed on what we are doing.
Today has been eventful! We drove into Wake Forest last night (Thursday) in time to walk around and see a bit of the town and the campus before dark. This morning, we went to campus to make sure admissions had received all the paperwork they needed for us to start school in the spring. While we were there we were accepted (woohoo!) and informed that it wasn't too late to start classes for this semester. So, we worked out our class schedules and started school!
Here is Doug on the way to his first class!


Another thing we made time for today was an introduction to Chick-fil-a...it was Doug's first time there! YUM!

While we were on campus today figuring out paperwork business, we also met with the housing director who showed us an apartment that was still available through the school. We were able to get everything set up and signed so that we could move in today! Yeah for no more pulling a U-haul trailer behind us everywhere we go!
Here are a couple of shots we just took...we will try to get some better ones in the day time:
Our messy bedroom

A view from the front door down the hallway

The kitchen

Our first dinner in our new home!