Friday, March 30, 2012
And Baby Makes Three...
That's right, we are expecting! Baby Johnson is due September 18th. We are super excited about our growing family!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
October Update
October was a great month for us! Thanks to our generous and amazing friends and family, we found out we were fully funded for our upcoming trip to Swaziland! We cannot express how thankful we are for the support we've received- not only financially! We prepare to got to Swaziland knowing that this trip has been completely bathed in prayer for months.
We took a quick trip to Missouri for Mizzou for 100th Homecoming! Fun fact for the day: did you know that the tradition of Homecoming originated at the University of Missouri? Our gracious friends Josh and Annie hosted us for the weekend, and we had an awesome time not only just spending time with them, but also participating in many of the Homecoming traditions. Unfortunately, we didn't have tickets to the game, but it was incredible how many of our friends we ran into throughout the weekend!
We're looking forward to our trip to Swaziland very, very soon followed by some family time over the holidays! The next few months should be great!
We took a quick trip to Missouri for Mizzou for 100th Homecoming! Fun fact for the day: did you know that the tradition of Homecoming originated at the University of Missouri? Our gracious friends Josh and Annie hosted us for the weekend, and we had an awesome time not only just spending time with them, but also participating in many of the Homecoming traditions. Unfortunately, we didn't have tickets to the game, but it was incredible how many of our friends we ran into throughout the weekend!
Jenny and Truman at the Columns in front of Jesse Hall...
Part of one of the floats at the parade.
Annie and Josh at Chipotle...we always have to eat Chipotle when we're in Missouri!
Us and the Greers!
Some of the friends we ran into at housedecks...
A few weeks later, we simply had to return to Missouri when the Cardinals were in the World Series! When the Cards were in the World Series in 2006, we drove to St. Louis and watched the final game outside Busch Stadium with thousands of other fans; they actually let us in for the final inning, so we got to see the final outs! It was such an awesome experience. We weren't planning on driving to St. Louis this time, but after that ridiculous Game 6 where the Cards refused to leave, we determined we couldn't miss Game 7! Besides, it was a good excuse to spend some time with our friends Ryan and Lendy who live in St. Louis. Wonderfully, the Cards won their 11th World Series and again, we joined the thousands of other fans who watched the game from just outside Busch. It definitely wasn't as cold as 2006- but it was still tons of fun!
11 in 11!
Lendy and Ryan watching the presentations on the big screen.
A sea of red!
We are thrilled we made the drive to St. Louis to see the Cards win again!
In other news, Isaac worked a ridiculous amount of hours this month and studied like a mad man. Work is going well for me, but I had the joy of developing yet another sinus infection (oh, Ohio Valley...). But I am very blessed to live in the age of Z paks and a doctor at the seminary clinic who will prescribe one for me!We're looking forward to our trip to Swaziland very, very soon followed by some family time over the holidays! The next few months should be great!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Twenty-Nine Reasons
Today is Isaac's birthday, so instead of posting a recap of the previous month (although that will be coming shortly), I thought I'd do something special in honor of my husband's 29th birthday. There are so many things I love about Isaac and I'd like to share with you some of the reasons why he is simply the best husband in the world (don't argue with me, ladies). Some are silly, some are serious, some you may might strange. But they're all reasons why God gave us to each other. (Oh, and they are in random order- how can you categorize the reasons why you love someone?)
1) He is an amazing man of God.
2) He lets me be myself...as in a large child. If you know my mother, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
3) He is hilarious... and he uses this to his advantage when I'm beginning to get mad at him. Because then I start laughing, and I can't be mad when he's making me laugh.
4) He does more than his share. He works a lot and goes to school, but somehow he still manages to help around the house. I hate mopping, and he does it for me.
5) He knows my passions and encourages me in them.
6) He is so thoughtful. He drove to Memphis one time just to get David Eckstein to sign his new children's book for me. I cried when I opened that Christmas present.
7) He puts up with my experimental and often sketchy cooking. "It was all right... I don't know if I'd eat it again" Direct quote, friends. On more than one occasion.
8) He is supportive of my career choice; it's pretty stressful, but he understands what makes it worth it.
9) He does the best imitations. Period. Just ask him to do an impersonation of pretty much anybody, and you'll be on the ground in stitches.
10) He's a good student. He studies very hard and truly wants to learn and be the best student possible.
11) He's going to be a great father one day. I cannot wait.
12) He has a heart for the world, the downtrodden, and the oppressed.
13) He can take a hint. "Ooo, Isaac, look at these cute hounds tooth flats. Those are sooooo precious." Three months later, I'm opening the shoes as a Christmas present.
14) He can make this awesome sauce for chicken sandwiches that tastes just like the sauce from Jay's in Sikeston.
15) He watches children's movies with me without complaint.
16) For that matter, he'll watch Jane Austen and other period pieces with me with little complaint.
17) He'll brush my hair or scratch my head...every night if I ask him. Glorious.
18) He values family. I love that he calls his parents and sisters randomly. And that they call him.
19) He'll read classic literature when he's not reading his brains out for class. He's reading Treasure Island right now, and that's so hot.
20) Speaking of hot, he is. Not temperature-wise, but attractive-wise.
21) He'll make the bed. This alone is amazing. I hate unmade beds.
22) He can be spontaneous. As in, "The Cardinals are going to game 7 in the World Series?!?! Heck yes, let's drive to St. Louis and have a repeat experience of 2006 when we partied outside of Busch with thousands of other fans!"
23) He works really hard to provide for us. He already has two jobs, but he's willing to take on extra work in order to pay the bills if needed.
24) He can sing, and play the guitar, and play the cello. And by golly, one day he will teach me how to play the cello.
25) He likes ethnic food. I think we're going to eat Thai food tonight. Yum...
26) He is patient. I'm not so patient. It's a good match; I'm learning from him.
27) He is creative, although he wouldn't think so. But he is.
28) He constantly reminds me that he loves me and that I'm the girl for him.
29) He is a gentleman. He always opens my car door, won't let me carry a bunch of stuff at once, and when we're walking, he makes sure that he's on the outside closest to the traffic. (Take note, young ladies.)
So happy birthday, my love! I can't wait to spend many more with you!
1) He is an amazing man of God.
2) He lets me be myself...as in a large child. If you know my mother, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
3) He is hilarious... and he uses this to his advantage when I'm beginning to get mad at him. Because then I start laughing, and I can't be mad when he's making me laugh.
4) He does more than his share. He works a lot and goes to school, but somehow he still manages to help around the house. I hate mopping, and he does it for me.
5) He knows my passions and encourages me in them.
6) He is so thoughtful. He drove to Memphis one time just to get David Eckstein to sign his new children's book for me. I cried when I opened that Christmas present.
7) He puts up with my experimental and often sketchy cooking. "It was all right... I don't know if I'd eat it again" Direct quote, friends. On more than one occasion.
8) He is supportive of my career choice; it's pretty stressful, but he understands what makes it worth it.
9) He does the best imitations. Period. Just ask him to do an impersonation of pretty much anybody, and you'll be on the ground in stitches.
10) He's a good student. He studies very hard and truly wants to learn and be the best student possible.
11) He's going to be a great father one day. I cannot wait.
12) He has a heart for the world, the downtrodden, and the oppressed.
13) He can take a hint. "Ooo, Isaac, look at these cute hounds tooth flats. Those are sooooo precious." Three months later, I'm opening the shoes as a Christmas present.
14) He can make this awesome sauce for chicken sandwiches that tastes just like the sauce from Jay's in Sikeston.
15) He watches children's movies with me without complaint.
16) For that matter, he'll watch Jane Austen and other period pieces with me with little complaint.
17) He'll brush my hair or scratch my head...every night if I ask him. Glorious.
18) He values family. I love that he calls his parents and sisters randomly. And that they call him.
19) He'll read classic literature when he's not reading his brains out for class. He's reading Treasure Island right now, and that's so hot.
20) Speaking of hot, he is. Not temperature-wise, but attractive-wise.
21) He'll make the bed. This alone is amazing. I hate unmade beds.
22) He can be spontaneous. As in, "The Cardinals are going to game 7 in the World Series?!?! Heck yes, let's drive to St. Louis and have a repeat experience of 2006 when we partied outside of Busch with thousands of other fans!"
23) He works really hard to provide for us. He already has two jobs, but he's willing to take on extra work in order to pay the bills if needed.
24) He can sing, and play the guitar, and play the cello. And by golly, one day he will teach me how to play the cello.
25) He likes ethnic food. I think we're going to eat Thai food tonight. Yum...
26) He is patient. I'm not so patient. It's a good match; I'm learning from him.
27) He is creative, although he wouldn't think so. But he is.
28) He constantly reminds me that he loves me and that I'm the girl for him.
29) He is a gentleman. He always opens my car door, won't let me carry a bunch of stuff at once, and when we're walking, he makes sure that he's on the outside closest to the traffic. (Take note, young ladies.)
So happy birthday, my love! I can't wait to spend many more with you!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Amazing News...
We are officially fully funded for Swaziland!!!!
To all our family and friends who have donated, hosted fundraisers, and organized yard sales, thank you so much! Your generosity humbles us, and we cannot wait to share with you how the Lord is working in this tiny kingdom nation...
Siyabonga!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
September Update
It's hard to believe it's October now, but the weather has cooled and the leaves here are beginning to change. Autumn is probably my favourite season: beautiful foliage, hot chai, and for the love of all that is good in life, PUMPKIN. Pumpkin anything: cookies, tea, pie, cake, bread. I love pumpkin. When it's finally 'appropriate' to begin baking with pumpkin, my heart sings a little song...and honestly, I'm already lamenting the fact that once we're finally overseas, my pumpkin consumption will most likely diminish. So, friends and family, take note: send us pumpkin when you can...
All right, onto something other than my culinary whims. So September, September, September. We'll start with the bad and move on from there. Work has been incredibly hard for me this month; I'm definitely feeling burn out as a social worker and at my job in particular. I think that it's mostly related to the budget mess with the Elder Program and not that I want to necessarily quit the sphere of social work. It's just been a rather disheartening time as of late, and I'm struggling with it. However I have the most amazing interns and am so grateful for them. They are hilarious and inspiring and worth every last ounce of extra work I have to do to be their practicum supervisor. I love seeing their passion and it reminds me of why I choose to work with refugees in the first place. It's very encouraging! So while the times are stressful and discouraging in general, I am thankful to have my interns.
Isaac's grandma fell and hit her piano bench and needed to go to the hospital. She has a nasty cut on her face and I think she hurt her wrist, but she didn't break and bone, and we are extremely thankful for that. Please remember Grandma (Alice) in your prayers.
Isaac has been busy with work and school as well; he was asked to help facilitate the missions cohort at Pastor's School, so he's returned to leaving the house by 5:45 am on Thursday mornings. I still think he's crazy, but I am so proud of him for all he is doing. He really likes his classes, and is now on fall break. But fall break for seminary does not equal break. Oh no, my friends. Fall break means read until your brain explodes. Well, hopefully Isaac's brain won't explode...but he'll be reading and writing and studying the week away.
We had a few special events that we enjoyed in September, including
*Seeing one of my favourite elders become a citizen at WorldFest:
*A very successful fundraiser for Swaziland at Smoothie King on Bardstown (sorry, no pictures). But thanks Barry and Erin for allowing us to do this and for your generosity!
*Fall Festival at Southern- the theme was Narnia and we got to walk through the wardrobe, see some of the characters (Mr. Tumnus was awesome, but I totally could have been the White Witch without any makeup to make me look fair-skinned), and even take in a jousting match:
*An incredible girls' night at Disney on ice (and yes I wore my Minnie Mouse ears):
*Fun at Global Gourmet (my work's annual fundraiser) where said favourite elder met the mayor again. Isaac got to meet the mayor too! I really like the mayor, but I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm a spaz after my three different conversations with him. Mayor Fischer, I promise I'm not a spaz; just meet my mother and then I promise I'll make more sense...
We're looking forward to October: the turning of the leaves, a visit to CoMo for Mizzou's 100th Homecoming (everybody thank the University of Missouri for their contribution to American culture- the concept of homecoming originated there), and maybe even a visit to a pumpkin patch! We love and miss our family and friends who aren't near us now. Let us know what's going on with you!
All right, onto something other than my culinary whims. So September, September, September. We'll start with the bad and move on from there. Work has been incredibly hard for me this month; I'm definitely feeling burn out as a social worker and at my job in particular. I think that it's mostly related to the budget mess with the Elder Program and not that I want to necessarily quit the sphere of social work. It's just been a rather disheartening time as of late, and I'm struggling with it. However I have the most amazing interns and am so grateful for them. They are hilarious and inspiring and worth every last ounce of extra work I have to do to be their practicum supervisor. I love seeing their passion and it reminds me of why I choose to work with refugees in the first place. It's very encouraging! So while the times are stressful and discouraging in general, I am thankful to have my interns.
Isaac's grandma fell and hit her piano bench and needed to go to the hospital. She has a nasty cut on her face and I think she hurt her wrist, but she didn't break and bone, and we are extremely thankful for that. Please remember Grandma (Alice) in your prayers.
Isaac has been busy with work and school as well; he was asked to help facilitate the missions cohort at Pastor's School, so he's returned to leaving the house by 5:45 am on Thursday mornings. I still think he's crazy, but I am so proud of him for all he is doing. He really likes his classes, and is now on fall break. But fall break for seminary does not equal break. Oh no, my friends. Fall break means read until your brain explodes. Well, hopefully Isaac's brain won't explode...but he'll be reading and writing and studying the week away.
We had a few special events that we enjoyed in September, including
*Seeing one of my favourite elders become a citizen at WorldFest:
Lazaro the citizen!
*A very successful fundraiser for Swaziland at Smoothie King on Bardstown (sorry, no pictures). But thanks Barry and Erin for allowing us to do this and for your generosity!
Rachael and Alex; they are new members of our community group and so much fun!
Speaking of fun, I think Chris makes this face quite frequently.
All the jousting action shots came out rather poorly, but for posterity's sake, they actually allowed horses onto the Great Lawn...
Sword fights are fun :)
Kristina and I getting excited!
They were selling Tourist Mickey and Minnie- she has a fanny pack and he has a camera!
The Lion King!
Mary Poppins and Peter Pan...
Wendy walking the plank...
Waving goodbye as Peter Pan and Tink fly away...
Jen and Sarah are excited too; I even have a video of them singing along with The Little Mermaid part!
Too freakin' cute. Mickey and Minnie enjoying the show!
*Fun at Global Gourmet (my work's annual fundraiser) where said favourite elder met the mayor again. Isaac got to meet the mayor too! I really like the mayor, but I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm a spaz after my three different conversations with him. Mayor Fischer, I promise I'm not a spaz; just meet my mother and then I promise I'll make more sense...
Lazaro talking to Mayor Fischer about his artwork.
My handsome husband at Global Gourmet!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
August Update
Well, folks, here we are again with another update! For us, August means big changes with going back to school! Isaac has been back in class for two weeks now, and is really enjoying his semester so far. Because we're down to one car (his died over the summer and we ended up simply salvaging it) and we didn't have enough money to pay upfront for another class (we are not taking out any loans for seminary), he did decide to drop one class, leaving him with nine hours (still full-time for graduate school). He is taking New Testament, Old Testament, and Philosophy, and he thinks this may be one of his favourite semesters so far. We're both happy he is only taking three classes instead of four and because of each of our schedules, only having one car hasn't been too bad so far. We're not planning on getting another one, but one of our friends did let us borrow his scooter for a while, and we both had a lot of fun using it!
Isaac's work is going well; his boss is also allowing us to host a fundraiser on Sunday, September 11th. So if you're in Louisville, be sure to come to the Smoothie King on Bardstown; twenty percent of the profits will be donated to our trip to Swaziland!
The Elder Program is also going very well; we will have another one of our refugee elders become a citizen on Friday, September 2nd at WorldFest (a wonderful annual celebration of the international community in Louisville)! My three amazing social work interns have began two weeks ago and are doing a fabulous job! I cannot wait to see everything that they will learn and accomplish over the next year. A few new volunteers have recently joined the Elder Program, too! It's really such an amazing program, and I am so proud to be a part of it. We were granted the full amount of funding for our final year of this grant cycle, but we're still going to have to be creative with the budget- we have so many elders to serve, and we want to serve them well. Don't forget to check out our blog:
I'm back working for the athletic director of a local private school for a few field hockey games; we'll then move onto fall soccer and volleyball, I believe. The school is close enough that I can walk to it in about thirty minutes, so only having one car shouldn't be too much of an issue in continuing this side job. I'm also back to the after-school homework help position two days a week. I'm at the same school, so I love seeing some of the same kids from last year. Several of the kids ran up and gave me a hug, but I'm not so excited that some of them asked me last week if I was a grandmother (not a mother, but a grandmother).
Like Isaac, I'm back in school too. Of course, I'm just back at SWI taking Essentials. It's a twelve-week course that covers a little bit of everything. Several of 'my girls' are in the class, as well as a few new friends too! I really enjoy the SWI classes, since it provides me with not only an amazing opportunity to learn from some very wise women (and men), but also allows me to connect with other women also in this sometimes simply weird stage of life.
We both got to go to our respective homes in August as well. Unfortunately, neither one of us got to accompany the other one home! I actually drove to Florida to surprise mom for her birthday at the beginning of August. She had no idea I was coming, and was indeed surprised when she opened her door to see me standing there! I also got to see several other people in my family and visit my grandparents as well. It's great to be home, and I treasure it very much because I've lived so far away for several years now.
Isaac got to go home to Missouri for an extended weekend as well. He got to see all of his family and spend a few days revisiting all of his 'old haunts'. He was also able to speak at his sister's church and then preach at his home church that Sunday evening about our upcoming trip to Swaziland. Several people donated to our trip, and we are so completely humbled by their generosity. Thank you to everyone who has already supported us!
Isaac's work is going well; his boss is also allowing us to host a fundraiser on Sunday, September 11th. So if you're in Louisville, be sure to come to the Smoothie King on Bardstown; twenty percent of the profits will be donated to our trip to Swaziland!
The Elder Program is also going very well; we will have another one of our refugee elders become a citizen on Friday, September 2nd at WorldFest (a wonderful annual celebration of the international community in Louisville)! My three amazing social work interns have began two weeks ago and are doing a fabulous job! I cannot wait to see everything that they will learn and accomplish over the next year. A few new volunteers have recently joined the Elder Program, too! It's really such an amazing program, and I am so proud to be a part of it. We were granted the full amount of funding for our final year of this grant cycle, but we're still going to have to be creative with the budget- we have so many elders to serve, and we want to serve them well. Don't forget to check out our blog:
I'm back working for the athletic director of a local private school for a few field hockey games; we'll then move onto fall soccer and volleyball, I believe. The school is close enough that I can walk to it in about thirty minutes, so only having one car shouldn't be too much of an issue in continuing this side job. I'm also back to the after-school homework help position two days a week. I'm at the same school, so I love seeing some of the same kids from last year. Several of the kids ran up and gave me a hug, but I'm not so excited that some of them asked me last week if I was a grandmother (not a mother, but a grandmother).
Like Isaac, I'm back in school too. Of course, I'm just back at SWI taking Essentials. It's a twelve-week course that covers a little bit of everything. Several of 'my girls' are in the class, as well as a few new friends too! I really enjoy the SWI classes, since it provides me with not only an amazing opportunity to learn from some very wise women (and men), but also allows me to connect with other women also in this sometimes simply weird stage of life.
We both got to go to our respective homes in August as well. Unfortunately, neither one of us got to accompany the other one home! I actually drove to Florida to surprise mom for her birthday at the beginning of August. She had no idea I was coming, and was indeed surprised when she opened her door to see me standing there! I also got to see several other people in my family and visit my grandparents as well. It's great to be home, and I treasure it very much because I've lived so far away for several years now.
Isaac got to go home to Missouri for an extended weekend as well. He got to see all of his family and spend a few days revisiting all of his 'old haunts'. He was also able to speak at his sister's church and then preach at his home church that Sunday evening about our upcoming trip to Swaziland. Several people donated to our trip, and we are so completely humbled by their generosity. Thank you to everyone who has already supported us!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Swaziland Support Letter
We've now sent out our support letters for our trip to Swaziland to most of our family and friends, but we wanted to post the letter on our blog as well. We're in a bit of a crunch right now, as we both need to have raised $2500 by September 9th; this means that we each need to raise over $1000 in the next two weeks. Please pray the Lord will provide the necessary finances for us to continue in the process of traveling to Swaziland to serve the least of these...
(click on the picture to enlarge)
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