Showing Off

Christian and I have recently been noticing how God has just been loving this opportunity to show off his creation. This fall has been just so beautiful! I think that we can both officially say that Fall is our favorite season. Days like today are just perfect. Cold, crisp, and still managing to be sunny and beautiful. I am so thankful for this season, not just the literal season, but for this season of life. Being engaged to the best man ever, anticipating the wedding day, getting ready to graduate from university, and getting things ready to move across the country and get Christian into Bible college. I just can't emphasize it enough just how excited I am for Christian to finally be able to study the thing that he has the greatest passion for: Jesus, and the Bible. I can almost see him bouncing his knee up and down as he thinks about how great that it will be for him to learn all of these great things! So, Emmaus-ites, prepare yourselves. ;-)
Also, the latest and greatest thing that Christian and I have been up to is going through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. Not kidding, that is the best program EVER! We have learned so much, and we are only three video's into it. The best part is, not only do we love learning these great pieces of wisdom about finances, but we love watching and learning it together! Christian has been amazing. He has already written up a budget sheet, and is always on top of making sure that we stay in step with the program and watching the videos whenever we have the chance. I am so thankful for his initiating and his persistence in making sure that this gets done. God has blessed me richly with this man. :-) (Sorry, cheesy moment.)

So, this part is a little more random, but I have a song that is one of my absolute favorites. It's by Big Daddy Weave, and every time that I hear it, I get what I call, "God bumps". This is where I feel the Holy Spirit in me responding to a moment of real appreciation of God's glory and majesty, and I get all choked up realizing just how small I am, how great my God is, and how, despite all of my shortcomings and sub-par performances in my life, the Lord still knows me, and cares about my deepest, desperate needs. The lyrics of the chorus to one of BDW's songs is,
"He made the lame walk, and the dumb talk. He opened blinded eyes to see that the sun rises on His time, yet He knows my deepest, desperate need... I wonder what life would be like if we let Jesus live through you and me?"
I took these pictures earlier today, because the view on my drive home was just this amazing. Like I said, God has no shame in showing off what he's made. ;-)
"For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him." - Colossians 1:16

Autumn in a Cup

I love waking up on mornings like this. Mornings where the sun is shining its rays through the light fog. It's quiet and still, and I can step outside in one of my favorite fall outfits, and see my breath as I hold my warm coffee cup in my hand while the sun warms my face. Happiness.

The last couple of months have been a real flurry. Time has gone by so fast, and I find myself today being hit with the realization that in a mere two months from today, I will marry my best friend and love. How amazing. I am torn between thinking that two months is just too long, and thinking that two months is going to fly by faster than I realize. It's hard to try to take everything in, knowing that this is possibly my last fall in Oregon, either forever, or at least for a really long time. I'm trying to memorize the views from my drives home from various destinations, jamming my schedule with spending vast quantities of time with family and friends that I love and will miss dearly. It's hard to not get emotional, thinking about leaving what has literally been my home for twenty-two years. In fact, as I'm writing this, I'm sitting in a Starbucks on PSU campus, getting all choked up. Anyone who knows me, knows that I never cry publicly. How about I focus on how good my nonfat chai latte tastes...Mmmm... There we go. Much better.

While life remains crazy and time is getting shorter, I really have to direct attention to the One who is orchestrating our adventurous lives: God. The Lord has literally carried this whole process. In retrospect of everything that Christian and I have gone through to get to this time is innumerable. I'm completely positive that there are even more innumerable things that He has done that I have failed to notice. I have seen Him work in people's hearts. For example, our professors in terms of setting our finals one-to-two weeks before finals week, just because... Without us even asking! That is just one example out of my a-fore said, "innumerable" blessings. If you are interested in hearing more, I would love to share them. God's goodness and faithfulness is something that I just cannot hesitate to talk about.

I think that I will close with some prayer requests, just in case anyone thinks of us and would like to pray.
1) That Christian and I would be able to focus on our schooling and the present. It's so much easier to think of the future: our family and friends coming into town, our wedding day, honeymoon, moving to Iowa, Emmaus. But we have to remember that we are still in the here and now, and our most current duty is to our studies (ick...). 2) That the Lord would prepare us mentally, physically and spiritually for each other. That He would prepare us to love, serve and bless one another to the best of our abilities, and that through our marriage, be a shining light for Him. 3) That the Lord would provide us with a home, and I (or both of us) with a job(s) that would allow me (primarily) to take care of our needs while Christian is in school. 4) That God would provide a good group of friends (and church) for us to encourage us, hold us accountable and build us up spiritually and in our marriage. 5) That Christian and I would be able to have the time and means to bless and encourage others with the use of our home. We both love to be hospitable, love to have people over for food, coffee, games, just talking, etc. Also, that people would feel the freedom to come over and spend time with us doing whatever. This is the area that we are most excited about, and also the area where we both feel probably the most intimidated. What if people don't accept us? What if our place is too small? What if we can't afford it? What if our schedules don't allow it? As far as the schedule thing, the first and utmost priority is that Christian and I have time together, just for each other. While this comes first, we would still really like the have the time for others, too.

Thank you, everyone who has read this, and has been/is/and will be praying for us. Prayer and thanksgiving are so crucial to everything we do, and God does listen and He does care, because it's all for His glory. :-)
"You must also help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many." -2 Cor. 1:11 

Summer Lovin'

The last two weeks have been simply fantastic. Between family vacation, wedding planning and just the smaller and greater ways that God is allowing things to fall together is making this time of life so fantastic. We started this month with a great weekend at the coast, accompanied by two of our dear, dear friends, Ryan and Brigette Tack. It was overcast and slightly wet, but the hike we took that day was such a wonderful time of fellowship and marveling together at the creation of our Lord.
The very next week, my parents took Christian and I down to Bend for a nice little getaway. Wow, Central Oregon is seriously the place to go when you want to get a 20 minute tan. Christian and I went on long, amazing bike-rides together (one which was between 12-15 miles, which killed me because the last time I rode a bike was in Australia (which ended in my first, over the handlebar crash by the by)). We even got to float down the Deschutes river holding hands, talking and people watching. The whole time together was amazing. So wonderful to get away from the typical day-to-day life, being able to spend some good quality time with family and learning to take advantage of this precious time that we have left here in my "home".
This crazy fun month has ended with a trip to the Hillsboro Saturday Market and the Washington County Fair, both of which are fabulous places to run into people you know. I took the opportunity to snap some pictures up of silly kids and great products.
God has blessed us so much in life, as well as this month. I am sure there are several ways that we have not even realized, but in the ways that we have noticed, they have been great. Literally. Great. Christian was given a new place to live, with a couple who are letting him live with them for free, gave him a car, and are literally taking care of him as though he is the son they never had. We also found out that Christian's parents will (Lord willing) be able to come for the wedding, which we had been told prior that it would be impossible, and they couldn't afford it. We just found out, today in fact that two of our closest Paraguayan friends, Allen and his beautiful new wife, Daisy will be coming to be a part of our special day as well! There are so many other ways, but the rest are a little more personal ways that the Lord has just provided and provided over and over again. I am constantly amazed at the ways that God shows that he has his hand on Christian and I. My soul is at peace, knowing that God is so clearly in control. We are so looking forward to the times to come, knowing that this God who gives so abundantly never changes, whether things are seeming good or bad to us. Not every piece of a mosaic is pretty, but it takes every piece to make the beautiful picture.
Here are some pictures of our July :-)

Mission Accomplished!

Okay, so for those of your who read my last blog post, I ended it by saying that another thing on my "first time" to do list, was make a strawberry/rhubarb cobbler. Well, this last Tuesday evening I went to the farmer's market to buy some fresh, local produce. I was getting kind of discouraged  because almost every booth was out of strawberries already, and it didn't look like anyone was selling rhubarb. As I was leaving, I happened to pass a booth with, to my great happiness, strawberries!!! Not only did they have strawberries, but upon walking up to the booth to take a look, I saw that they had a big box of fresh rhubarb sitting behind the table (not visible to passers by). I asked if I could buy some, and sure enough, strawberries and rhubarb at the same stop! Yay!

Last night, I looked online and found an AMAZING recipe for strawberry/rhubarb crisp, which I realize is a bit different than cobbler, but my goodness it sounded so good. The recipe called for 3 cups of rhubarb, but I only had about one and a half... I didn't realize how much I would need at the time that I bought the rhubarb stalk. I saw that I had some blueberries on hand, so instead, I used about 2 cups of those. I am proud to say that the end result was a delicious strawberry/rhubarb/blueberry crisp!!! (If I do say so myself ;-)) If anyone wants the recipe, here it is http://allrecipes.com/recipe/rhubarb-strawberry-crunch/detail.aspx (granted, I tweaked the measurements and ingredients a tiny bit, but it's all depending on what you think will taste the best :-))

 I got there a bit too late with the camera. My parents and my man had already begun to devour it. ;-)

A Week of Firsts

I think that the blog title pretty much says what the content of this post is about. This week was my (Linda's) week to experience a lot of "firsts". For example, this week I was blessed with the opportunity to photography my first wedding! And let me say, it was the best first experience that I ever could have asked for. Duane and Elaine and all of the guests and relatives were SO easy to work with, the weather was beautiful, and the setting was gorgeous. This week I was also given the blessing of sharing my man's birthday with him for the first time... You know, when I could finally give him his birthday present the same day as his birthday without having to ship it, I could make him a birthday cake and watch him eat it, etc, etc. That was amazing. I posted my first post on my photo-blog, and am super excited about that. I also hiked Multnomah Falls for the first time ever which, trust me, is a lot harder than it sounds.
All in all, this week has been an amazing week. Not just because of the events, but the weather has been beautiful. It hasn't really set in yet that this will be my last summer as a single, my last summer in Oregon (probably for a long time), my last summer in school and my last summer with all of my childhood friends and family close by.
So many things are changing, and while they're changing for the better, I can't help but wish that it could all stand still just a little longer. As summer school is coming to an end and wedding plans are being set in place, my heart gets excited knowing that I will get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend and love, but I know that soon the bitterness of leaving will take it's toll. The thing that I must keep reminding myself is that regardless, God is so in control. He is leading me and Christian to far better things, and that ultimately my life is not about my comfort, but about finding my worth in glorifying my God. I must pray also in all things. Like James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." And also like the famous quote, "I don't know what my(our) future holds, but I know Who holds my(our) future."

Back to the theme of "firsts", I think that another first that I will attempt this week is making my first strawberry/rhubarb cobbler! (Thanks Julie, for the inspiration of that idea ;-)) Wish me luck on that venture!

Dad-Day

I'm sure everyone is aware that today is Father's Day. It's pretty self-explanitory... Father's Day= a day to celebrate our dads! I am so thankful that we have this holiday. It's a fabulous excuse to show our dads just how much we appreciate them and their examples in our lives. Of course, I think it's important to keep in mind that we should make sure that we are thankful for our dads every day, not just on their birthdays or this holiday.
I have to say that my dad is one to go in the dad hall of fame. To list all of the amazing ways that he is (in my opinion) the greatest dad ever would never do him real justice. I think the biggest reason why I am so thankful for my dad is because while he is not perfect, he has still been the one who has, throughout my whole life been the best representation of God the Father to me. I know what my relationship with my God should be like because of the example of that relationship that my dad has had with me since I was still in my mom's tummy.
Thinking back over the years of my life and all of the things my dad has and is to me brings tears to my eyes. Time seems to go so quickly... My dad is the one who first taught me about basketball. He's the one who always let me win  when we would race from outside to the kitchen door whem mom called for supper. He's the one who taught me to appreciate classic rock music, as well as how to waltz. He's the one who sang, "My Girl" to me every time I would cry after hurting myself or having a bad dream. He would lay in bed with me and read me stories from the Bible and pray with me every night before I fell asleep. He taught me how to shoot a gun. He taught me that "good" is the enemy of "best". He is the one that prayed with me when I first asked Jesus into my heart.
One thing that I have grown to look back on and appreciate with all of my heart is my dad's approach to discipline. As I grew up and disobeyed, lied or was disrespectful, my dad would justly discipline me, but every time he did this, whether it was once every few days or multiple times in one day, he would always give me a big bear hug afterwards, kiss my face and explain to me why he was punishing me. He always made sure to remind me of my wrong, but to also explain that it was out of his love for me and out of obedience to the Lord, that he needed to correct the otherwise sinful ways of my heart. I feel like this very much describes our relationship to the Lord. He is just and punishes us when we need it, but it is always for our good and out of the most intense of loves. As I look back, I see that this man (my dad) has been nothing but a constant blessing to my life. He has been and still is tough, but loving. Strong, but tender. Wise, but goofy. Heroic, but humble.
I realize that not everyone has the sort of dad that I have just described. But what is cool is that no matter what kind of various dad's we have here on earth, we have one Father who fits my earlier descriptions to a "T". He is perfect, and the way He is does not vary. With Him, there are no "types", "kinds" or "versions". He is the perfect Father.

I am the most privileged of daughters in that I have the two best dads that I could ever hope for. AND that good news is, I will get to spend eternity with both of them in Heaven. Thank you, daddy, for all you have been to me, all that you are, and all that you will be for me in my future. Luzzies.

A Day at the Zoo

Today was a gorgeous day. I was so blessed to be able to spend this long awaited sunny morning with my sister in law and her two adorable kids playing and laughing and running and splorin' (as Matthew would say). There is just something about vitamin D that can make you feel amazing, even if you didn't get very much good sleep the night before. That, with a combination of crazy cool animals and my family made this day just great.
I also learned yet again, that I should always, without a doubt bring my good camera with me whenever the opportunity to take stellar pictures presents itself. I always end up thinking, "Hey, maybe I should take the Canon today," but then I don't because its "big and heavy and draws attention to myself". Still, there were so many moments today where I would have loved to have that camera with me to take some great pictures of some great, irreplaceable moments. I wish that we could have more than just our memory to capture some of life's best moments. Our memory is so clouded, or we miss/forget such detail sometimes...
On another note, I was just marveling (well, me and Matthew especially) at all of these crazy animals and parts of creation that the Lord has made. They are all so unique and designed each for it's own special purpose. I wonder sometimes how the Lord thought up some of these crazy creatures? I can't help but think that when God looks down and sees some of these animals that he just chuckles to himself in a way that clearly demonstrates his joy in his creation. I hope that I can make God respond that way to me sometimes. I want so badly for him to delight and find joy in me.
After we came home from the zoo, Matthew gave me a picture that he had water-colored. It was a picture of me and him holding hands with a bald eagle flying over us. Granted, I had no idea what the picture was of until he told me, but the fact that he thought enough of me to paint a picture of us holding hands was such a sweet gesture that it melted my heart. I'm telling you, little kids have an insane way of just making your heart melt like butter sometimes.
Thank you Amy, Matthew and Claire for such a great day today. You are all a precious joy to my life, and I am so thankful to be a part of your lives.
As Madison Taylor would say, "Luzzies!"