Vacation Pictures

These are a month late. Pretend like we just got back and we won't feel so bad. :)

Poppa J teaching Josh how to set up their huge-mongous tent (so he could have it all ready for them come July in Devil's Lake State Park).

Part of the photo board for Josh's brother Andrew's gradution. Jamie and my mom worked on this for a few hours.

A picture of Jamie I couldn't get upright. She's learning how to decorate cakes with her mom.

Jamie and Tiffany being goofy. Those two can be just as silly as me and my three brothers.

The van being towed on our way to Michigan to see Jamie's grandpa. Needless to say we missed the noon meeting by a few hours.

What vehicle is this? The 2007 Ford F150 with the extended cab that we rented when the van broke down. For some reason all I hear now is we need toi buy a truck.

Goofing off.

Falling down while goofing off.

Some of our best friends from Jonesboro, IN...Stephen and Michelle Mowat. We had a good time playing Rook together and going out to Ivanhoes for ice cream.

Sunday morning at Brookhaven. It was children's Sunday, so the KOH kids' choir sang.

Josh, The Graduate, and Nate.

Jamie with our niece Olivia (she's growing up quick!).


The Goobers: Nate and Andrew.

Wow, It's been a month

An entire month since we last posted . . . we've been running ragged--so here's a quick update on our lives...pictures to come when I can find the camera.

Car Wash/Bake Sale---was FABULOUS. Four out of our 5 new families participated, as well as 14ish teens/kids. We made $440 and sent 3 girls to camp with the rest of the money going toward our remodeling fund. One of the best days since we've moved up here.

Vacation--HECTIC. We spent 37 hours in a vehicle, made 2 trips to Michigan, were at graduation for Josh's brother, Andy, a funeral for our friend, Eldine, the hospital with my grandpa, and the car repair/rental place, as well as Marion/Brookhaven/home & with both sets of families. Great time, but we had to crash when we returned because we were so worn out.

The next week brought church catch-up and remodeling pricing & helping friends move. . . and then last week was District Conference...where we learned not to always go for the cheap motel room when you really desire and desperately need a good night's sleep. Conference was great...it was good to be with fellow Wesleyans and other pastoral couples. We got to know Ben & Ingrid Kidder better. They are church planting in Minong, WI, a village of 500 people. Their previous church was going through the refocusing process like ours is now, so they had some great insight and encouragement to share with us. And the worship & speakers at conference were fabulous! We got home late Friday night to an overflowing answering machine and a list of long to-do's for this week, including the funeral of a young man who passed way tragically. Pray for Josh as he officiates this funeral tomorrow...that he might have inspired words of comfort and hope for the family & friends.

Master's Praise gave a concert at our church on Sunday morning....and were FABULOUS (this is my new favorite word)...we had a great time with Brent, Branden, Dan, and Jon...it was nice to have "college-aged" guys around the house and the church...and our congregation loved the concert ("Wow, those guys were awesome! Can they ever sing!"). Today, while Josh worked through his day off, I baby-sat 2 kids whose family has been coming to our church recently. I had so much fun watching T-ball, reading stories and playing with them...and my respect is renewed for all of you who are parents already. I was tired when they left!

So, that's the short & sweet update...hope all is well. It's nice to be back at the keyboard again after a month away.

Vacation in 4 days!

My hair has gone through therapy...and I think we've got it tamed into a decent rendition of something nearly in-style! I even got compliments on it at church from some of the girls...Josh keeps rating it on a scale from 1-10...the first few days it was a 1 or below...and this week we were up to an 8...hopefully he is being honest and not just saying it!

The real reason for writing: We are coming home (INDIANA) this week. We leave on our first official vacation Thursday afternoon, and we are so excited for it. You'd think we were going on a Cruise or something...that's how good it will be to be home for a week and not try to fit visits with family into just 2 days or less. We've realized that sometimes it is harder now that both of our families live only 20 minutes from each other because we always feel like we need to be everywhere as much as possible, and there's really not a whole lot of rest to be had...but it's worth it to be with our families. We'll be traveling from home to home a lot this vacation...it seems like nearly every other day we are at a different place.

But: we are coming to Marion (my real home!) on Saturday and will be there through Sunday after morning service at Brookhaven...We are eating at Ivanhoe's at 5pm on Saturday, and had hoped for our friends/family to meet us there so that we could be with you for a little bit of time that day...Hopefully, it will fit into your schedules...I don't know of another way to see everyone in just one day. We emailed, but haven't received many responses back.

Anyway, that's it for now. We have 6-10 girls (age 10-14) coming to our house tonite for a bowlathon & overniter. Then we have a carwash & bake sale on Monday to raise money for camp registrations...I hope they have a good time. It will be the first thing we've done with them since Christmas, and several are new to our church. So, we'd appreciate your prayers.

Wistful Thinking

A few weeks ago Amy posted about her unsuccessful haircut experiences. I understand. I've had several bad cuts in my life. In kindergarten my mom decided to save money and cut it herself . . . and I ended up looking like a hick-child with a mullet. She took me to the hair stylist after school pictures were taken . . . so I have a great photo to remind me not to be as frugal with my kids. The next very bad haircut (I've had many more than this, but these are definitely the worst) happened the day before my senior pictures . . . I left the salon with feathered chunky hair and now have senior pictures that I'd prefer no one see.

I've been craving a haircut for several weeks now. It's been a good two months since my last one, and my hair has been driving me crazy. For the last year, I've been growing it out long...but recently, I got the urge to cut it short again . . . and so I've been looking forward to this salon visit. When I arrived, it was lunch time. That should have been a clue that I was in trouble. There was only one stylist there, and she sounded tired, like she just needed a long lunch break away from scissors and customers. I'd decided to go to a new salon, the one in Wal-Mart (that should have been my next clue that something might be wrong), so that Josh could also get the oil changed in our car at the same time. He dropped me off; I walked in, picked up a magazine and read an article about getting the right cut and style from your salon. Perfect timing, I thought. Apparently the key is in the initial communication between you and the stylist, before she takes the scissors in her hands. The article told me a picture would help the stylist better understand my needs . . . and lucky for me--I'd brought a picture--four, in fact, showing exactly the style I wanted (one I'd had back in the summer of 2005)...the short, layered, flippy kind . . . a little longer in back, with long side bangs that frame my face . . . something my brother would be proud of and compliment me on. I'd even made sure that Josh still liked that hairstyle before leaving home today.

I shouldn't have bothered. The stylist took a look at the cut in the picture, told me her version of it ("one chop at the chin and another at the ears"), and started whacking. I've never had such a fast cut. She asked me about the bangs . . . I told her that I get annoyed when my bangs brush my nose . . . and so she whacked some more until I had a straight line of bangs above my eyebrows . . . the cut ended within 5 minutes . . . she blew it dry, and when I looked in the mirror for the final once-over, I saw a combination of poof and short mullet . . . a triple combination of June Cleaver, Lucille Ball and Betty Rubble staring back at me. My new hairstyle makes me look like I'm in my forties or fifties. (The goal was summer-flippy-fun-young cut, not this!).

Josh didn't comment too much in the salon except to say, "I have to get used to it." Later, in Subway, the truth came out (which I completely agree with): "You look like you're from another decade." Thanks, Honey. He has been really great . . . tonight he sat down with all of my styling gels, sprays and mousses, my hairdryer, curling irons and straightener to try and create a style that would put me back into this century . . . his attempts were valiant, but I don't think he's going to want to do my hair every morning. He did say he'd still walk with me in public, and he offered me his baseball cap to wear for the next few months. I'm so grateful!

I guess I thought that as I age, bad haircuts would become a distant memory. Now, I only wish I could explain to anyone I pass that my hair isn't supposed to be this way...and even though it will grow out, I still have to live with it for the next few weeks until that happens. Needless to say, I miss Kathleen, our stylist in Marion, and it's time to find a new salon up here. (I've added these classy cuts to the blog to give you some uplifting humor . . . definitely at my expense . . . #1: Kindergarten frugal cut #2: Senior Pic #3: Two weeks ago #4: Tonight, after some major depoofing by my husband. . . hopefully I'll be able to laugh about this most recent cut in a few days!)

Mondays with Maddie 3

Last week we posted Madeline stuck in the window . . . the winner for that post is Mom, whose caption goes like this: "Give me a high-five, Mom! I climbed way up to the second story window. Next time I'll try the tree!" Today's picture is my favorite so far. Can't wait to read your ideas. The winner will be posted next Monday.

Mondays With Maddie 2

Thanks to all who commented on last week's pic. Maddie is becoming a star and she doesn't even know it. Perhaps that's a benefit of having a cat right now. Wew don't have to worry about how embarrassing the pictures are. We don't have to apologize for the comments you write. Kinda nice, huh? Here's the moment you've been waiting for: the winning caption.

"If curiosity kills the cat, I at least want to die with a full belly!" by Pastor Matt and Laura Aspinall

Here's this week's picture. Look closely or you'll miss what's happening here. Enjoy commenting. We'll post the winner next Monday.

Surprise Visitors

Sunday Jim and Roxy Lo surprised us by walking into church just as service was beginning. Jamie was leading our opening song, which just happened to be "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty." Coincidence? I don't think so.

It put such smiles on our faces to see them. We went out to eat afterward at Cracker Barrel. It was almost like being back at the Gas City restaurant.

Jim and Roxy are good friends from IWU days. Jim married us and taught several classes we were in. He was also Jamie's boss for two years at IWU's World Impact. They attended Brookhaven with us and we consider them to be our mentors, people we can share joys and sorrows with and know they will listen and most times be able to give wisdom.

Thanks you two for brightening our day!

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.

Here's week one.

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?

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.

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!

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)

Paradigm Mission Trip

Brookhaven's youth group is coming. What an exciting week that will be! They plan to be here for a week in late-July/early-August. Boy do we have work for them!

We're hoping to do a mini-VBS and have them help with whatever remodeling is happening at the time. This is another prayer request for us. Pray that logistics will all work out for each person who needs to come. Pray that God would prepare the team for what may not seem like a "mission trip." Pray for the team as they raise funds to come. And pray for God to use them when they're here.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

Life in March

We're alive! See subtitle of our blog if you're wondering why we haven't updated lately. Okay, really we've just been busy and are slacking. So this post might be a little longer than normal.

The snow is definitely gone. We're loving the early spring weather and we're excited to take advantage of the state park. We just need to purchase the year pass. We're also going to become members of a fitness center that's just a few blocks from our house. Jamie's been there once and loved it. With our health insurance we save 20% off the normal rate and they pay you to work out (kind of like IWU does). One of the ladies at our church works out there, so we'll be able to spend time with her and hopefully meet some new people too.

Maddie, our cat, is at least three times as big as when we got her. The vet says she'll always be a little on the small side though. We can't wait to get her de-clawed. What a menace! If she's not clawing up the furniture, it's the curtains. If she's not jumping on the kitchen table, she's trying to climb our picture window (with a good amount of success). Her favorite activity is to lay on our couch staring out the picture window. She'll fall asleep there for hours on end.

Enough about the cat....

We're are also volunteering at the local kindergarten a couple days a week. It's been fun meeting kids and getting to know the teachers we help out. Hopefully we'll be able to someday meet their parents as well.

Other big news (no, we're not expecting) is that we're looking into remodeling/updating the church building this summer. Jamie now works part-time for a construction company in town. She shoots nail guns and is learning to roof houses. I wonder how many of you I had going there?

She really does work for the construction company, just as their financial guru. She keeps the checkbooks in order and has been getting things ready for tax time. All this to say her boss is DeLon Davis, an IWU grad! He and his family had been attending our church back in the early 90s but stopped because they were immediately asked to volunteer for every ministry position possible. Now we're at least hoping they can help us figure out what can and can't be done to improve the building. Please pray we'll have wisdom to know how much we can spend, what's essential and what's not, etc.

Hope life back in Indiana (or wherever you're reading from) is going well.

SNOW

If only we had a camera. That's what we've been saying since we came back home Saturday.

Last Thursday Jamie and I made a quick trip to Indiana. Jamie's dad had hip and knee replacement surgery on the 12th and is recovering at home now. It was hard enough staying in Wisconsin for the surgery, and he hadn't been feeling well, so we went down. The physical therapist says he is coming along well, and will only need 2 weeks of therapy instead of the 5 weeks he had planned.

We had a great though short time there, and wished we could've stayed for the World Impact Commissioning Service at IWU Saturday night. We're now glad we didn't. If we had, there's no way we could've made it home.

We now have over a foot of snow. It's still falling as I'm writing. Our church parking lot finally was plowed this morning because it's been a constant downpour since Saturday night. If only we had a camera. Needless to say, church was canceled on Sunday. I didn't want any of our people having to wake up to shovel their drives and then drive on semi-plowed roads.

Woohoo for snow!

If I didn't have to work this week, I'd be out in the snow making a fort or something.

Avoidance

Ok . . . This is a first attempt at writing again--so it's rough & raw. Anyone willing to take a shot at editing/critiquing is welcome.

Avoidance

“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
--James 1.5 (TNIV)

I must have Avoidant Personality Disorder . . . I read the description of it in a psych book once—the one that all the doctors use—it was my college roommate’s textbook. And the description seems to fit. You see, I get scared by the littlest things—like seeing a friend by chance at the grocery store. I hide if I can, sneaking around the next aisle just so I won’t have to say, “Hi, How you doing?” and start a conversation from there. Throughout most of my life, it has been easier to avoid conversation starters than have to frantically think up the words that become small talk. Perhaps because I am not a “think on your feet” kind of communicator. Or perhaps because small talk eventually becomes deeper conversation, the kind where you place your heart on your sleeve and hope the other person accepts you. And I have deep expectations for friendship—some that I won’t be able to fill, and others that I don’t expect anyone else to fill either. So, instead of talking to that person in the next aisle, I walk the other direction, intent on looking for the right brand of . . . something.

This avoidance disorder doesn’t just happen when I’m faced with unplanned conversations . . . My self-diagnosed psychosis has a hand in nearly every area of my life—except maybe for brushing my teeth and eating breakfast—you know, the usual out-of-bed routine.

My family labels me a procrastinator, and that label would apply, for I’m writing this three hours before my new writer’s club meeting . . . but I’m discovering that this need to avoid goes beyond procrastination’s normal realm. While I wait until the last minute do some routine things, the tendency to avoid begins when I am face to face with personal opportunities for success and failure. Decisions to volunteer my time, to start healthy eating habits, and especially, to write again. And while I hate to admit it, my avoidance has a lot to do with doubt.

Doubt in my God-given abilities to try—and to succeed. Succeed not just once but over and over again. It’s one thing to write for a college assignment. It’s an entirely different thing to write for the sheer fun and work of writing. What if I actually write something of value and people read my words—and then want me to speak on that subject? What if I have no words left to say than those already on the page? Or—and this may be my worst fear—what if my words are valuable to no one but myself?

I’ve taken a break from writing—The last three years I’ve only written emails and grocery lists; I haven’t even journaled. Nothing creative or reflective has graced my computer screen or paper. And I wonder, have I buried the gift God gave me? Buried it so deep that the gift is now lost? Do I have the courage to see if it is still there—hidden and waiting to be born one more time? Am I ready to birth whole essays, poems and stories not just for myself, but for others’ eyes and hearts, as well? And what words will come first? Words that will cut or heal?

And so I stand here with my doubts, wondering and waiting, and a little bit believing too. And I think I'd like to make a choice.

The Indianapolis...

...Colts won the Superbowl!!! Woohoo!

Hilty January Update

So it's been a little while since we've posted. Oops. Here's an update on the month of January for us.

The kitten. Maddie (we call her Madeline more often because it's her I'm-in-deep-trouble name), is getting bigger. She enjoys playing with her yarn, cardboard boxes, our feet, getting onto the table and countertop in the bathroom, and drinking the leftover water in the tub after a shower. Don't ask me why she does the last one...I don't know. But everytime we take a shower, she jumps in immediately after the water is off and lays down, gets wet and laps up the puddles. Goober. We love her and wouldn't know what to do without her. Right after Christmas our neighbors brought us another kitten, because they knew we wanted one. But they didn't ask if we still wanted one with Maddie in the house. So we took it. For one day. It was sick, with junk running out of its eyes, and it wouldn't eat. We took it to the humane society because right now we can't afford to keep two cats.

Women's ministry. I may not be best qualified to write this, but here goes. The women have been meeting bi-monthly for Bible study and monthly for fun nights. In January they made take-home shower sundaes. They put bath poofs and salts and foot massage stuff into a sundae glass. They also had Mary Kay facials. They've been averaging about 5-8 women per time. I'll let Jamie fill you in more about this and about writing later.

Men's ministry. The men of our church have been going out for breakfasts bi-monthly for prayer, a short devotional, and fellowship. Some of the guys who are normally shy have started opening up. And the food's good too!

Snow/weather. It hasn't been much worse than an Indiana winter. Today we had temps around zero and below. I guess they're calling for 30 below in a few days. They wait to close schools here until it gets 50 below. I wonder if IWU would close for that....probably not. We had two good size snowfalls earlier with a total of 8 inches or so. There's still a few inches on the ground now. We still haven't tried skiing. Maybe someday.

Ministers and Mates Retreat. What a wonderful time! We were so excited to meet lots of the other pastors and wives. I don't think we could ask for a better district all around. Dr. Jerry Pence was our speaker. We felt like he was speaking directly for us and our church. It was neat to meet the pastor who fixed up our parsonage, and one of the former ministers of our church (Alan Tripp, who was here in the 70s. The parsonage was built under his leadership and almost split the church). It was extremely encouraging to hear we were being prayed for over and over.

Right now we're getting ready for Lent, a Valentine's Day party, and Jamie hopes to head down to Indiana to help take care of her dad after his surgery (Feb. 12). He's having his other hip and knee replaced. If you think about it, pray that it would work out logistically for her to go down (me without a car). She also hopes to make it to the World Impact Commissioning Service.

We'll try to update more regularly from now on. If we don't, just smack us.