Do You Know...?

Do you know what this is?

Me neither. :)

But... I have learned what it does and it's pretty cool!  I didn't grow up on a farm, so these things are new for me. 
This is what that thing does....

Can you see?  It moves the hay up to the hayloft... not much physical effort required.  Genius really because I have seen Matt unload hay and stack it before... this is much easier for everyone!  One guy stands on the truck and literally dumps it off and the conveyor belt picks it up.  The oher guy stands in the loft and stacks, but it's not as much bending or heavy lifting as it could be. 

You might think that once it's up top someone would then have to drag it back down in order to feed horses... NOPE!... look at this...

Besides that being a sick horse Matt was working on... what else do you see? Check the righthand corner where the food is?  Do you see the holes above in the ceiling?  Yep... someone just walks around up top in the hayloft and drops down whatever amount that horse is supposed to eat.  Pretty easy!  And it keeps the barns clean bc you aren't losing pieces of hay as you carry it from stall to stall.

The farm we live on grows their own hay, cuts it, bails it, stores it and uses it.  Very efficient and pretty cool to watch (though I didn't get pics of every step).  Some people may not think so, but I do because I have never seen it :)  So there you go! 

**Sidenote: This horse seems to be doing better now, thanks to the fluids Matt gave it!

Another great lesson!

Over the past few weeks I have really enjoyed the Sunday School class I have joined.  Yesterday, was no exception and she had another great lesson... this time from Lamentations of all books!

The lesson was about suffering and who we rely on during suffering and what steps to take.  

Step 1: Express your pain
Jeremiah is a great example because he writes about his suffering in Lamentations.  In 3:1-3 he talks about the feeling of being alone and feeling God is not on His side.  This continues in vs 7-9 when he feels his prayers aren't being heard and he is trapped.  This made me stop and think yesterday about all the times we might not feel God's presence... we might feel that our prayers aren't being heard.  We can beat ourselves up like Jeremiah and in frustration tell God how alone we feel.  In vs 17-18 Jeremiah goes onto say that he has no more peace, he has no more prosperity.  Sometimes we go through hard times and we lose what is most comfortable to us.  We lose our position of authority, we lose the comforts and peace of mind that we had come to know.  You might think that all of this lashing out towards God was wrong of Jeremiah, but in fact he's just expressing his frustrations to God and not letting it fester.  When something goes wrong, or doesn't go our way, or life throws us a curveball ... we can let that sink in and get so angry that our lives begin to reflect that anger.  We can shut ourselves off from the world and dwell on the suffering...  OR... we can do as Jeremiah did and let it all out... give our frustrations, our cares, our anxieties to the One who can truly handle it.

The lesson didn't end here... it ended with the most important step. 

Step 2: Remind yourself of the Lord's: faithful love, purpose and power
This step is so important, because if you just express your pain, but then don't do anything- you haven't really helped yourself.  We see in vs 22-26 that Jeremiah (after venting) makes a conscious decision to remember the Lord's goodness.  He makes a decision to pull himself up and remember that God is good no matter what else it seems we've lost.  These verses are too good not to be typed out... so here you go:

        "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore, I will wait for him."  The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

Jeremiah reminds us that the Lord is always good and always faithful, but sometimes pain will come.  We can grieve for while, but eventually we have to pull ourselves up and remember to wait on the Lord.  We forget sometimes that 'waiting' and 'hoping' are action words... it takes a conscious effort to 'wait' on God and to 'hope' in Him.  We need to look for His new compassions each morning.  Some days those may be small things, others may be larger.  He has bigger plans and bigger purposes that we can't see... and even in the worst situation- or what we may feel is the worst situation- God's will prevails and we must wait on that and have hope in that.

**Sidenote:  This lesson may mean nothing to you, but I encourage you to read Chapter 3 of Lamentations (or the whole book) for yourself and just give it a little more time to sink in.  We all go through suffering at some point and we all need to remember God's faithfulness through it. 

Hymn: Great is Thy Faithfulness (vs 1 and chorus)

"Great is Thy faithfulness," O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

"Great is Thy faithfulness!" "Great is Thy faithfulness!"
  Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
    "Great is Thy faithfulness," Lord, unto me!

 

NURSERY!

Ok... we are finally done with the nursery... I think :)  You never know what else I may decide!  So.. let me preface these pictures with a few things first.
    1. Yes, I had the most adorable frog/turtle theme picked out originally.  However, when I moved up here I was bored... well, boredom led to searching the internet and local stores for other ideas.  So... instead of the super cute frog/turtles, we now have an even cuter, all girl room!
    2. Disregard the curtains.  I needed them to serve 2 purposes... make the room dark and to hide the hideous blue blinds (clearly a man must have picked these out... they are UGLY!).  The windows in this house are oddly shaped (probably bc it's so old).  Due to that, and the fact that we hope to not be here forever I did not want to waste a ton of money or time on curtains, so they aren't exactly a perfect fit.  The brown goes with the bedding anyways and they do a great job at making the room dark... nap times shouldn't be a problem! 
    3. Thanks to Matt (you can't tell from the pics of course), all the furniture is exacty where I want it.  I had him move it around about a dozen times-- literally, I had him try every wall :)  But he was a great sport about it and now it seems to flow nicely! 

Ok... so here are the pics-- again.. not easy taking pictures of a room so you aren't getting the full effect, it really is so cute!

*view from the door... that is the pack n' play in the box by the bookshelf... the pic frames on the bookshelf are waiting (just 10 more weeks!) for pics of our new family!!!  .... obviously, there is still tons of room on the bookshelves for more books and toys!! Yea!

**Sidenote: Do you see the hideous blue blinds??  I'm just saying.... :)

*we had a crib from a friend, but that style ended up being recalled (after all the hard work by friends to load it in my car too- sorry!), so once we had to start from scratch I went with white (something else I said I'd NEVER do).  In a weird way, it helps the walls not look so white themselves... plus it's very girly and will convert to a toddler bed later!  The bedding is Coco Dot Bedding from Pottery Barn Kids and has light pink, green, blue-ish/aqua and brown (thus the colors you see around the rest of the room). 

*the recliner is probably one of the best investments..the brown goes with the room, it's leather so spills and dog hair can easily be wiped clean, and it's SO comfortable (it rocks too). (I missed the picture of Matt napping in there yesterday, he loves the chair as well!)

*I had to have some color on this wall.. her name is perfect!  We spray painted the letters a light blue/aquaish color and then sprayed a light sparkle.... I hung them with fabric and it looks SO cute! 

*An up-close pic of the flower arrangement I made to sit on the bookshelf...

*Up-close view of the crib.  I have since moved the pillow with her name on it to the recliner, but this view gives you a better idea of all the colors!

Overall, I am very happy with the way things turned out! I love the simple shapes and I love that I had so many options of color to bring out.  It's the only room in the house completely finished and I am looking forward to spending lots of time in it!  

Lighthouse

I'm reading a book called Catching Fireflies by Patsy Clairmont.  It's very simple, but she is so funny!  (I have heard her speak once too and she's even better in person)  Anyways, each chapter is a short little thing about some type of light.  Today was all about lighthouses.  I have seen a lighthouse.  A few years back we went to visit family out in California and they drove us up the coast to a lighthouse.  There were about a million steps to get down to it and we had to race because it was closing soon!  I just remember those stairs being exhausting with all the wind blowing in from the coast.  We did make it and were able to see the lighthouse.  It's pretty cool that one small building (small in comparison with the entire coastline) can shine a light so bright that ships can see exactly where to go.  Lighthouses are built to keep ships safe, at night the coastline can be so hard to see.  The ships need the lighthouses so that they know exactly where to go in the darkness. 
In this chapter of Patsy's book she talked about how different people in her life have been a 'lighthouse' to her during dark times.  We all need 'lighthouses', those people that come beside you during hard times to encourage and pray for you.  The people that you can look to for Godly wisdom and advice.  The people that will just sit with you and listen because you need someone to talk to.  It was also a great reminder that we ourselves are sometimes called to be lighthouses for others.  What a huge responsibility!  You might not think so, but think about the trust someone puts in you to share their secrets- to share their darkest times.  It takes a lot of courage to share with people your dark times, but what a relief to know that someone is there... waiting along your dark coast... just for you.... just so that you can find your way out!  I definitely believe God puts people in our lives to be lighthouses for us... to guide us back to Him and the safety of the shore.  I also believe we need to be careful when people rely on us to be their lighthouse for a time...  we need to make sure to be completely worthy of that trust and we need to be walking with Christ (the ultimate lighthouse) in order to help others out of their hard times...but what a huge blessing to be there for someone else and for someone to be there for you! 
Just something that really made me think today :)  I would love one day to travel up the East Coast and see all of their lighthouses-- especially some that still shine today!

2008 CA Lighthouse

Told you they were hard to climb!

Look at the small building and the entire stretch of water beyond! 

 

Things every Vet's Wife should know:

1. Always check pockets for needles- in fact, needles and other viles of medicines can show up anywhere in your house or car, so be careful!

2. Always wash your clothes separately from your husbands or else your clothes will begin to smell like medicine too-- even if you use the best detergent!

3. Never expect dinner to be on time- if you're hungry, eat.  Then re-heat and sit and talk with him when he gets home.

4. An "off" weekend, doesn't really mean he's off... it just means "on-call until a horse gets sick"

5. If you want a true "off" weekend, go out of town- and leave early so that no one can call him in before you make your getaway!

6.  Have a strong stomach to handle dinner conversation when out with other vets- (try to sit with the spouses if you haven't developed this yet)

7. Limit the number of vet books that can be out on the coffee table at one time or else you will be overrun!

8. Don't leave the family thermometer where he can access it.  If you do, go to the store and buy another- there is a good chance he has used it on the dog once or twice.  :)

9. He is a Doctor, but your personal health issues do not always match up with animal issues- go to a real "people doctor", do not let him diagnose you.  :) Definitely let him use the ultrasound machine to see your sweet baby if you are pregnant, but nothing beyond that! :)

   Finally.....

10. If you get to go to a call with him, stand back, but be in awe that this animal that doesn't speak will soon be better because of your husband!

**I am married to the most excellent of vets (when he's not leaving needles out and stealing my thermometers)!  It's not always easy with his schedule, but he loves what he does and the challenge each case presents.  We're always adjusting to new schedules, but being flexible is key.  I wouldn't want him to do anything else, he's too smart to waste such a great gift!  Great job Matt- Love you!

5 yr Anniversary dinner date 8/12/2011

I Cross My Heart

...I cross my heart and promise to
Give all I've got to give to make all your dreams come true.
In all the world you'll never find a love as true as mine...

     This song, by George Strait, was played at our wedding 5 years ago today!  We've been through a lot in the short 5 years, but I wouldn't change anything. 
     We married the year before Matt started Vet School, thinking that vet school would be one of the most challenging times of our lives and we wanted one "easy" year before diving into all that work.  We were so wrong!  The first year definitely came with challenges.  Even though we had dated for 4 years, we still had to figure out how to make our 2 separate lives 1 life.  We still had to deal with family struggles, but this time it was magnified because there were 2 families involved!  We still had to finish up our last year of undergrad, rearrange finances (or how we spend money), and learn the quirks of living with each other.  We were both working and I remember being thrilled when we got back our tax refund.... Matt quickly reminded me that's because we technically made less than the poverty level.  Oh well!  :) That was all just in the first year... the 4 that followed proved to have challenges too, just different ones.
     I say all this because clearly we were wrong about a lot of things going into marriage- like there being such a thing as an "easy" year!  While we've moved past the poverty line (thank goodness) life has not been this easy dream I thought it would be.  However, through the past 5 years we've definitely learned to be each other's number one supporters.  This and, more importantly, our faith in Christ, has been the driving force of our marriage.  Even though each year comes with it's own set of challenges, we've managed to have plenty of fun through the years too.  I have scrapbooks full of trips we've taken, games we've been to and so many more great memories we've made over the past 5 years!!  I am so thankful Matt and I have made our 2 lives into 1 great life.  I'm thankful for the support he has been to me.  I'm thankful for the struggles so that we can grow.  I'm thankful for the fun times and happy times!  I'm thankful that these next 5 years will bring us to a completely different stage in life... parenthood...  and the growth that will come from that.  I'm thankful to have Matt by my side through anything we will face.  He is an amazing husband! 

HAPPY 5 YR ANNIVERSARY! 

*Some pics from the last 5 years*

Aug 12, 2006

April 2008

January 2010

May 12, 2011

Blessings

Ok- I told you yesterday that there were 2 songs that have really encouraged me over the past few months.  Today I'll explain the other song....

Laura Story's "Blessings": **This is not the entire song**

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?
We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

**I've bolded the parts that have really stuck out to me.**
 
     1. First of all, we are reminded by this song that God hears everything we ask of Him, every desire, every need and everything we think will make us happy.  But you can't miss those few lines that also remind us that He loves us so much that He won't give us lesser things.  Sometimes what we want is not what God wants.  We have to trust that He's got our best interest in mind and that He wants to give us the best. 
     2. Secondly, the chorus is amazing.  The entire chorus should be bolded, but I stuck with just the last part.  What if all the trials we have in life are mercies?  It doesn't seem like this can even be possible sometimes, but behind every trial something good can come of it.  My whole life I have loved the verses from James...

"Consider it pure joy my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds

because the testing of your faith develops perseverance"

James 1:2-3

The verse goes on to talk about what perseverance leads to etc....  But joy in trials?  That is SO hard to do.  But joy isn't the same as happiness is it?  Those of you who have been through hard times understand this.  Joy is deeper, it comes from within.  It doesn't mean everything is just perfect the way you planned, it means that you've accepted God's choices and through that you can find a deeper meaning... a deeper purpose. 

     3. Thirdly, this next verse ends by reminding us that all the while God just wants us to have enough faith to believe in His plans, to believe in His love for us.  Sometimes that seems like we need a lot of faith, more than I have at many times... but then wait...  didn't God say something about a mustard seed?  Yes! 

"Truly, I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain,

'Move from here to there', and it will move. 

Nothing will be impossible for you."

Matthew 17:20

A tiny mustard seed can see you through the hard times.  Isn't that cool? 

So... this song has many reminders in it for me.  I definitely feel this move has tested me in ways I did not plan on, but I'm looking forward to seeing God's mercies through these trials, and praying that I have just enough faith to believe and to find the deeper joy... God's deeper purpose...  God's blessings....

I Will Follow

For the past 4 1/2 or so months our life has been pretty much turned upside down.  I believe God speaks to us in many ways and gives comfort in many ways.  For me, I have had a few solid friends, great verses from the Bible to encourage me and music.  Yep, music...  there are two songs that have "spoken" to me during these months of change.  The first I will talk about today...

Chris Tomlin's "I Will Follow"... here are some of the lyrics:

Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow...

All your ways are good
All your ways are sure
I will trust in you alone
Higher than my side
High above my life
I will trust in you alone

     Obviously, this song can take on different meaning for different people.  However, I distinctly remember hearing this song for the first time after we had come back from our initial Kentucky visit.  I won't lie, I cried.  Right then, I knew we'd be moving and I knew we'd be moving to Kentucky.  Some people may call this a coincidence, some may think I'm completely crazy.  But I truly believe I heard this song as a comfort.  Yes, I cried, but that's because I HATE change and I was completely happy and comfortable with our life in Texas.  The song was a huge comfort because it continually reminded me that God was in control and that by following Him our ways would be sure.   

      A week or so later, Matt called on his way home from another job possibility, I knew he'd made up his mind.  He told me that the other possibility just wouldn't work and he wanted to accept the job in Kentucky.  All I remember saying was, "I know."  I'm sure he thought I was crazy too-- but I did know... I was just waiting for him to come to the same conclusion :).

     Just because I know we're supposed to be here and I definitely feel that God led us here, doesn't mean it's been easy.  In fact, it's been harder than I imagined it would be!  When I hear this song, it still helps to remind me that we have a purpose here, we're just trying to figure it out... and maybe we may never know the purpose... that's where faith comes in, trusting that God has a plan even when we don't see it. 

      So today... I'm thankful for the friends who call and txt and keep me sane, for the time I get to spend in God's word and the verses that He gives me and for constant reminders of God's presence through music!!   

C'est la vie! (It is life)

Ok.. last two questions that I get all the time:  What do you do? How is Matt?

Well... I am definitely not as busy as I used to be and that has been a HUGE adjustment.  However, I'm trying to enjoy the downtime before Caylee comes and learn to just relax.  (That's harder than you'd think!)

So... I do random things... make sure the house is clean, laundry, cook meals (this is a first!), run errands, read (a lot of reading), explore town (I can't get used to all the UK stuff around here... definitely feeling out of place and need some Aggie gear!) and stuff like that.  Yes, it's pretty boring and uneventful, but sometimes it's a nice change from working since I now have time to do all this without getting flustered.  Oh.. and you can't forget yoga... yep, yoga.  Once a week there is a yoga class for pregnant ladies.  I went hoping to make some friends, but that hasn't quite worked out.  The class is a little weird (it's yoga!), but the stretching feels good and it's a nice break from the regular daily events. 

Matt... he's good.  The first month was rough, it's that learning curve for everyone.  The other vets are learning about him and he's learning about them.  This is their "down" season, but they've still remained fairly busy for the most part.  As they give Matt more leeway he enjoys his work more.  If we're both completely honest we still miss Texas and wish we were there, but we're here and trying to make the most of it.  He is learning a LOT more than he ever thought he wanted to about thoroughbred horses and the way these farms work.  It can be intense and frustrating at times, but what job isn't?  He does enjoy working out of his truck!  I personally think it's gross.... you get in and it smells like pills and powders and everything you'd imagine a pharmacy to smell like, but crammed into a smaller space!  I guess he's used to it now and it's convenient for him to have all the drugs with him as he travels from farm to farm.  If I'm honest it also makes me a little nervous... he has SO much with him and I'm always afraid someone will try to steal stuff (plus this stuff is not cheap!), but I guess that's what locked doors are for... and it's not like he ever travels to a "ghetto" or anything... these farms are top dollar, GORGEOUS farms! 

So... that's our life...  pretty uneventful at the moment, but just 3 more months and that will all change!  I'm definitely ready for these months to fly by...

Church

One of the next questions I most commonly get is: Have y'all found a church?

Well... yes and no... we aren't 100% sure yet, so I'll explain.

I have tried 3 churches since being here. 

The first felt like I was going WAY back in time... I even opened a hymnal! Something I haven't done since I was a kid!  They were very sweet, but when you walk in by yourself, pregnant to an older church you get LOTS of stares and sad looks.  I did not go back to that church :)

The second church, Immanuel Baptist Church, was recommended by my ultrasound tech girl actually. Matt was able to go with me the first week.  They have 2 Sunday morning services, so we tried the latest one.  It was very good, still had some older music and we could definitely tell we were in their more "traditional" service.  (No big deal for us, we love that!) The next week I went back and tried their "contemporary" service as well as a ladies Sunday School.  I wasn't too crazy on the service... it was sooo dark- even during the welcome they didn't turn on many lights.  I LOVED the ladies SS class.  They were instantly nice to me, started conversation quickly and very very sweet.  They didn't spend too much time gabbing about gossipy type stuff bc the teacher wanted to jump into the lesson.  She was very prepared, well-spoken and you could tell she really enjoyed teaching these ladies and they really enjoyed learning!  The donwfall to this church is that they currently are looking for a Senior Pastor (according to the tech girl, something not so good happened) AND the second sunday I visited the Music Minister resigned (his family is being called to serve in Hawaii... too bad Matt and I didn't get that option!)  It's always hard for a church in transition because you never quite know which direction they will take, but it's definitely still in the running.

The third church, Porter Memorial Baptist, I have been to 2 times on a Sunday and once on a Wed night.  That's the biggest draw to that church... they have a Sunday night and Wed night service-- very good for us because Sunday mornings are almost always out for Matt.  We finally heard the Senior Pastor speak on Wed night (he was away on sebatical).  He was great- kept our attention for sure.  I will attend a ladies SS class this weekend to see how other parts of the church are.  Even though Matt can't go on Sunday mornings, I plan to.  That's why a ladies class would be perfect... it's never quite my age group of people, but I don't want to go to a couple's class and be half a couple everytime. 

So... those are the 2 we've found.  So far, nothing they've said has drawn any red flags (biblically speaking anyways).  We definitely want to find a place to get involved, but it's difficult! 

Some tips for those of you that have new people visit your SS class....
    *Don't stare at them for a while before talking to them- trust me, we notice
    *If you can, invite them to lunch (sounds silly, but I have been dying to go to lunch with someone and so far that has yet to happen.  Sure, I guess I could invite someone, but when you listen to their conversations you hear how busy they are and don't want to intrude... plus I don't want to sound desperate!)
     *Send follow-up letters. (I received 2 from the ladies at Immanuel and it was just a nice gesture- I realize it's that person's job in the class to do that, but don't neglect it or think it doesn't matter- it does)
      *Try to remember them the next time they return (many of the ladies remembered me the second time and that was so comforting!)
      *Tell them about other things the church offers, but don't overwhelm them

It's hard being the new person, so just keep that in mind the next time you see someone new!  Don't be afraid to ask them either... many times the draw to a church isn't so much the preacher or music (though that is important), it's the fact that someone was nice, someone took the time to notice and shake hands, someone cared...

Rain

Back to the common questions I have been getting since we moved up to Kentucky... this one seems silly to even blog about, but people do ask so here ya go: What's the weather like?
  Well... I wish I could send my Texas friends some of this...

It's a massive thunderstorm that just rolled through.  You can't see the lightning, but there is plenty.  It seems every time the rain comes, lightning always comes with it.  Kentucky has some great lightning!  Today the power went out, which is not normal, thank goodness.  We probably get rain 3-4 times per week and about 2-3 of those times it's accompanied with loud thunder and lightning bolts.  I don't mind the rain, I just prefer not to be out in it, so it means more time at home...

It's not too hot here, although they think it is.  Anything above 90 and you're looking at a heat advisory.  Seriously!  The humidity is a little higher, but the rain always brings it down and cools everything off.  I'm thinking the cold weather is right around the corner and I'm not prepared for that at all!!!

I don't know when the leaves will begin to change colors, but I imagine it will be late Sept into Oct... maybe there will be a little color left in Nov.  I'll be sure to take pictures of that when it happens too! I imagine the farm will be gorgeous if they all change together.... 

There ya go folks... that's the weather!

"But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains

and valleys that drinks rain from heaven." Deuteronomy 11:11

  

Jeremiah 29:11

On the 4th Sunday I was here in Kentucky I went to church and then attended a Sunday School.  It was a women's class and the teacher taught over Jeremiah 29.  What perfect timing!  I have known these verses forever, but she put everything in a new perspective.  So...  here is what we talked about...

The title of the lesson was: When Change Happens (convenient right?!)  She began by giving us a little background to the chapter.  God's people had been exiled to Babylon (she went into more detail than this, but this will be long enough as it is).  Of course, when you're uprooted to a new area you aren't always happy... especially if you are forced as these people were.  There had been many false prophets telling the people that their time there was short and not to worry because the Lord would release them soon.  Jeremiah came in and told a different story... the lesson was split into 3 main ideas based on what Jeremiah was telling the people.

1. Re-establish normalcy in your life:  In verses 5-7 Jeremiah tells the people to build houses, plant gardens, marry, have kids etc.  He basically is telling them that while they are here they need to continue on with their lives.  God didn't want the people waiting around thinking they could go back to their land anytime soon, He wanted them to move on.  He didn't want them living in the past.
      This is a great reminder for us when change occurs.  Any type of change brings disruption to our lives, sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad.  But we have to regain our sense of what is normal.

2. Reject unrealistic dreams: In verses 8-9 Jeremiah is telling them to not believe the false prophets.  He's telling them to guard themselves from un-truths.  The most interesting verse to me is verse 9.  "Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have."  I think about the number of times I try to rationalize why something should be and if I do that in the right way, I can have others around me telling me that I am right.  I don't need people in my life to tell me I'm right all the time.  I need people to tell me the truth- even though it may be hard to hear.  These people were doing the same thing.  They were convincing each other that going home was just around the corner and that their previous life was much better than this one.  Jeremiah was the first to stand and say, "Look, this is where God put you, this is the present.  Stop living in the past and figure out what it is that God wants from you now."  Those are the kind of people we need in our lives. 

3. Remember the Lord is in control: In verses 10-14 (we all know these)... it's a reminder to the people that no matter what happens God is in control.  It's interesting that we focus on verse 11 so much and in the process miss what verse 10 says.  Verse 10 says "...when seventy years are completed..."  This stay in Babylon wasn't going to be short-term.  These people were in it for the long haul- some would never see their land again.  I caught myself during this part thinking that we have to remember that God is in control, but along with that we have to remember that God's timing is different than ours.  Wow- that hit me hard.... 

    I have so many future plans and places to be (Kentucky is not on my list either).  But the truth is, I don't know that.  I don't know how long God has us here.  I don't know why we had to leave Texas at a time when I felt like I needed the people there the most.  I do know a few things:
      * Change has happened, whether I like it or not.     
      * I need to get involved and regain a sense of normalcy up here (which I am trying to do)
      * I need people around me to encourage where I am right now (which luckily I have!), but I need to stop trying to convince myself that this change is short-term, bc it may not be.
      * I need to know God is in control (which I do) and I need to wait for His timing (which is hard!)

    Change is tough... whether it's a move, new job (and a baby!) like us, whether it's a loss of a family member or friend, whether it's a happy event like a wedding, whatever that change is...little or big.... we must always be looking for God's will in our lives and finding ways to create new normals. 

Life is about new normals...  that's what I learned from this message anyways....  

Weekend Visitor!

This weekend my sister came to town! I was so excited to finally have something to do on a weekend. (Matt only has 1 weekend off a month, so it makes for a long weekend when no one is around)  :)  She's never been to Lexington so I tried to hit the spots I knew people normally go to.  Of course, everything here is horse related, so it could get kinda boring if you're not into the thoroughbred racing.  But either way we had a blast!  Here are some of the things we did....

Keeneland:  This is the race track located next to our house.  It only holds races twice a year, but they also have a lot of horse sales and such going on.  If you want to spend a couple hundrend thousand dollars on a horse, it's the place to be!  We were there early enough to watch them train the horses... they were just going too fast to get a good picture of....

Lexington Farmers Market:  Every Saturday from Memorial Day Weekend thru Labor Day Weekend downtown Lexington has a Farmer's Market.  It's so fun!  It's small, but you can taste test things, listen to street performers and more importantly for us.... get Crepes!  I have loved Crepes ever since we went to Paris about 5 years ago...  They are super thin pancakes filled with whatever you want.  We bought this to split.... we put Nutella and bananas in it... VERY DELICIOUS! 

Kentucky Horse Park:  This is a huge park where they have different horse shows.  This particular weekend they had a Reining Show going on that we had friends riding in.  I didn't even think to take a picture as he was riding, sorry (told you I'm getting used to this blog thing)...  but we did go up to see him show.  Matt happened to be off this weekend and was up there most of Saturday helping them out.  It worked out pretty well because he was able to get some business out of it!  Several people needed a vet- IMMEDIATELY- (or so they always think).  He was there to treat their horses and several people in Lexington now want him to begin working on their farms.  Yea!



 The rest of the day Saturday was spent seeing a movie (Crazy, Stupid, Love- I don't recommend it), showing her around the farm, relaxing at home and going to bed so we could go to church the next morning.  Sunday, we were able to go to a church that I have tried once.  I was hoping their pastor would be back in town, but he was still out and his son filled in.  I still like the church and Matt likes the fact that it has a Sunday night and Wednesday night service... that gives us more options since Sunday mornings are typically out for him.  We'll probably go back and try an evening service next weekend.  This was us before church... again... these pictures are not great for a number of reasons, but oh well.   

After church we went to Panera Bread and then Cass headed back to St. Louis.  It was  fun weekend and so far, her being just 5 hrs away is the only plus to living in Kentucky!  Thanks for coming it was great to have you!