Durham

David and I recently went to Durham, NC to visit friends of ours. Justin and Kristen moved from TX to D.C. last year, but we hadn't visited them yet because it's still too far of a drive for a short weekend. Conveniently so, Durham happens to be about exactly half way for the both of us.  Hooray, we had a solution to see each other!  It was a charming little city.  We walked around, ate a lot of good food, played disc golf and a whoooole lot of board games.

David's epic finishing frisbee-throwing pose.

I've concluded that Pandemic can't be won with 4 people.

Thanks for the quick reunion, guys!

3rd annual LaDow visit

 Tiffany and Wane visited again, hooray!  And then we went to Savannah.  Happy happy happy.

 

***This  picture was taken at The Lone Bellow concert we went to on Friday night.  We weren't allowed to take pictures during the performance but it was super incredible and everyone should go listen to their music.

Thanks for coming y'all.  The visit was too good for words.

Working woman

Sorry it's been a little vacant around here lately folks.  I didn't realize how much less free time I would have working a full time job.  Go figure.

And by full time job, I mean full time job working on my clinicals.  Still no graduation or pay check yet, but it's so close I can taste it.  Despite paying tuition to work, I absolutely love where i'm doing my clinicals right now.  I'm surrounded by a group of wonderful, supportive therapists and i've really loved working in pediatrics again. Difficult, yes, but so much fun too.

The biggest news around here is that after 7 months of  doing missionary work in China, my parents are finally back in the States! I'm so happy that they are here for now.  I sure missed them.

The weather here has been insane lately (as is the case for the rest of the South too I guess).  I posted the pretty pictures of when we had snow, but then two weeks later we had a devastating ice store that we are still cleaning up after.  But in the days between the cold and precipitation, we've also had sunny and 70 too.   A couple of weeks ago we went camping with some wonderful friends (and two pups) on one of those days. We had a blast...until we went to bed and we remembered we're on the ground in the cold and can't sleep.

I hope everyone is starting to get consistent spring time weather, wherever you are!

A living hope

This weekend was a heavy one.  There are several people from different parts of my life who are mourning the loss or sickness of their babies right now.  Miscarriage, infant death, aggressive cancer.  All of sweet little ones.

I sat face to face with a dear friend who recounted her recent miscarriage to me.  It brought back burning memories of my own similar loss. It was a vulnerable and heartbreaking conversation...one that can only be had with someone who's been through the same tragedy that you have.

At the end of the weekend I sat back and just had thoughts I honestly didn't want to wrestle with.  How do you explain things like this? Not even to other people, but just to myself?

The fact of the matter is that this world is sinful and broken in terrible ways.  But what Jesus did changes everything.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." - 1 Peter 1:3-7  

Truly, in the core of me, it's the only thing I can cling to when the world is dark.  We're never promised a suffer-free life.  But Jesus dying for us has conquered death and sickness.  It still happens, but it's been overcome. We still grieve and hurt and cry.  But because there is heaven, and Jesus has made that possible for us, we have comfort knowing that death doesn't separate us if we know Him.  He is a living hope.  One that is untouchable and everlasting.  I love the sound of that.

Snow Day 2014

Moving to Augusta, Georgia I never thought I'd see it snow. 

Dexter was in his camouflage element.