It's up to you to comment with a caption. We'll choose the best caption each week and post it in the following Mondays With Maddie post.
Here's week one.
Monday, April 30
Mondays With Maddie 1
Jamie and I love to see our friends post pictures of their kids. We don't have kids yet. So the next best thing is our cat. We're now starting a weekly post: Mondays With Maddie. Each Monday we'll post a picture of her without a caption.
It's up to you to comment with a caption. We'll choose the best caption each week and post it in the following Mondays With Maddie post.
It's up to you to comment with a caption. We'll choose the best caption each week and post it in the following Mondays With Maddie post.
Thursday, April 26
Sleepy
If our weather is at all like yours, it's a good day for a nap. Unless you're a cat who's not used to being flashed (with the camera, not me). Isn't she cute?
Anniversary Gift
This blog is about to get a lot more fun for you and us. Our anniversary present to one another was a digital camera. Now it will be a picture blog, kinda like a picture book. So for all of you still stuck in kindergarten with The Cat in the Hat, this just got a lot easier. Here it is.
Our Anniversary!
Yesterday was our three year anniversary! I like to say we're three years old now.
In the last three years we've...
Lived in three houses: a rental from Dr. Judy Huffman in Marion, IN; our own home we bought in Marion, IN; and the parsonage in Baraboo, WI.
Graduated from college: Jamie the day before we got married; Josh a year ago.
Had a few jobs: Jamie at IWU's Accounts Payable Office, World Impact; Josh at IWU's Admissions Office and pastor of Parkway Wesleyan Church.
Had no children: Unless you count our kitten :)
Been asked several times when we're going to have children by several people: Probably by some of you reading!
Spent time vacationing in: The Outer Banks of NC (honeymoon); Mackinaw (last summer); another place in Michigan camping with Jamie's parents with a name that escapes me.
Lived day to day with one another, growing in our love and appreciation for one another. We've made it through some bumps in the road and we can honestly say we cannot live without each other.
Here goes year number four. I wonder if this makes us preschoolers?
In the last three years we've...
Lived in three houses: a rental from Dr. Judy Huffman in Marion, IN; our own home we bought in Marion, IN; and the parsonage in Baraboo, WI.
Graduated from college: Jamie the day before we got married; Josh a year ago.
Had a few jobs: Jamie at IWU's Accounts Payable Office, World Impact; Josh at IWU's Admissions Office and pastor of Parkway Wesleyan Church.
Had no children: Unless you count our kitten :)
Been asked several times when we're going to have children by several people: Probably by some of you reading!
Spent time vacationing in: The Outer Banks of NC (honeymoon); Mackinaw (last summer); another place in Michigan camping with Jamie's parents with a name that escapes me.
Lived day to day with one another, growing in our love and appreciation for one another. We've made it through some bumps in the road and we can honestly say we cannot live without each other.
Here goes year number four. I wonder if this makes us preschoolers?
Saturday, April 21
Loving the Weather
Today I took advantage of the beautiful weather and cleaned up our lawn from the tree branches and sticks that had claimed it over the winter. This is really the first time I've ever done any spring yard work and I enjoyed myself...afterwards I felt ambitious and put the first coat of paint on the exterior of our house's bottom half (we have a walkout basement). Before moving in last fall, the district totally redid the inside of our house and painted the top half of the outside, but time was too short and they couldn't finish that project. I thoroughly enjoyed the paint job and it is amazing to see the difference one paint color can make on a previously two-toned house.
Our next house projects include cleaning our basement, adding new flooring & paint at some point, and making it into a useable family room. Right now we can't really use the space except for storage, so it will be great to be able to nearly double our living space, especially with summer coming and the Brookhaven mission team heading our way.
The homesickness hit last night as we both realized that there will be no family campfires to enjoy at my parents' house this summer. We were both in the mood for an evening of relaxation and roasted hot dogs, and so are hoping to fix that longing and buy a firepit with our tax rebate. Hopefully that day will come long before these beautiful evenings end.
Josh and I are discovering that our backyard, which connects to the church's side yard, is the community playing field. Right now there are six elementary aged boys playing a game of football...Josh and I will have to go out and meet them one of these days. Saturdays are so different now that Josh is a pastor . . . his Saturday & night is the final push of sermon prep and bulletin printing. Mondays are his day off and they have now become our "Saturdays." Service last Sunday was wonderful, and we are both praying and hoping that tomorrow will be just as good or better.
Our next house projects include cleaning our basement, adding new flooring & paint at some point, and making it into a useable family room. Right now we can't really use the space except for storage, so it will be great to be able to nearly double our living space, especially with summer coming and the Brookhaven mission team heading our way.
The homesickness hit last night as we both realized that there will be no family campfires to enjoy at my parents' house this summer. We were both in the mood for an evening of relaxation and roasted hot dogs, and so are hoping to fix that longing and buy a firepit with our tax rebate. Hopefully that day will come long before these beautiful evenings end.
Josh and I are discovering that our backyard, which connects to the church's side yard, is the community playing field. Right now there are six elementary aged boys playing a game of football...Josh and I will have to go out and meet them one of these days. Saturdays are so different now that Josh is a pastor . . . his Saturday & night is the final push of sermon prep and bulletin printing. Mondays are his day off and they have now become our "Saturdays." Service last Sunday was wonderful, and we are both praying and hoping that tomorrow will be just as good or better.
Wednesday, April 18
Hope
I am alone this afternoon and evening...Josh has been invited to go to a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game with 3 other guys and so he just left...this is the 1st time since we've moved that he has had the opportunity to hang out with guys just for fun...and I hope he really has a blast tonight, and perhaps will become friends with them so that this is not just a one time event. He desperately needs guy friendships up here.
This week has been pretty uneventful; I am recleaning the house after having Josh's family here this weekend. We had a great time and it was fun to be with them...it always seems to take me a lot longer to clean up after an event compared to before having people over...perhaps the adrenaline just doesn't kick in as much.
Our ladies Bible study happens this evening...we are going to delve into the topic of HOPE. I am interested to see what the Bible has to say about it and how this study unfolds the concept. HOPE has been the word of the year for me...or at least these last 7 months. Although we are doing better up here; some days and weeks, the depression & hopelessness settle around us and it is hard to glimpse God's glory and plan in the midst of it.
We have been writing letters and praying that God will call at least one other person to live up here and serve with us for the summer or a year...a bit of a long-term mission project...It has been really hard to try and "figure out" how to minister & refocus a church & do all of the small unseen yet necessary tasks for "running" a church legally, much less smoothly, in our first year...IWU prepared us well; but there are some things that you only learn on the job, and this has been the hardest thing we have ever done in our lives. We'd appreciate your prayers in that direction...that someone would call us and come.
We are digging deeper into the remodeling project estimates & ideas. Josh has spoken with several people about quotes on jobs that need doing at the church...this could be a HUGE process...and the funny thing is, once we have all the estimates & ideas of what the necessary projects are (& there are a lot), we'll have to shave the list down to the 1 or 2 immediately necessary things that we can afford. We are getting to know the carpet, paint, electric & carpentry people quite well. They have been super friendly & their wisdom is invaluable. We hope to make the church feel homey & have sort of a coffeehouse feel to it, all with a modern-timeless-twist...if you know of anyone in the market for pews, send them our way!
This week has been pretty uneventful; I am recleaning the house after having Josh's family here this weekend. We had a great time and it was fun to be with them...it always seems to take me a lot longer to clean up after an event compared to before having people over...perhaps the adrenaline just doesn't kick in as much.
Our ladies Bible study happens this evening...we are going to delve into the topic of HOPE. I am interested to see what the Bible has to say about it and how this study unfolds the concept. HOPE has been the word of the year for me...or at least these last 7 months. Although we are doing better up here; some days and weeks, the depression & hopelessness settle around us and it is hard to glimpse God's glory and plan in the midst of it.
We have been writing letters and praying that God will call at least one other person to live up here and serve with us for the summer or a year...a bit of a long-term mission project...It has been really hard to try and "figure out" how to minister & refocus a church & do all of the small unseen yet necessary tasks for "running" a church legally, much less smoothly, in our first year...IWU prepared us well; but there are some things that you only learn on the job, and this has been the hardest thing we have ever done in our lives. We'd appreciate your prayers in that direction...that someone would call us and come.
We are digging deeper into the remodeling project estimates & ideas. Josh has spoken with several people about quotes on jobs that need doing at the church...this could be a HUGE process...and the funny thing is, once we have all the estimates & ideas of what the necessary projects are (& there are a lot), we'll have to shave the list down to the 1 or 2 immediately necessary things that we can afford. We are getting to know the carpet, paint, electric & carpentry people quite well. They have been super friendly & their wisdom is invaluable. We hope to make the church feel homey & have sort of a coffeehouse feel to it, all with a modern-timeless-twist...if you know of anyone in the market for pews, send them our way!
Tuesday, April 17
Family Time
Josh's family (Dad, Andrew, Nate, Grandpa Hilty and Aunt Karen) came up last weekend. Here are some pictures of our time together.
Nate skipping a stone at Devil's Lake.
Jamie and Karen preparing Sunday lunch. Lasagna!
Madeline, curious as ever!
Josh showing Grandpa how we'd like to change the windows in the church.
Front: Josh's Aunt Karen, Dad, Jamie
Back: Andrew, Josh, Nate (brothers)
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