A Christmas Letter 08

Dear Friends,

Wow, can it really be Christmas already. This will be our second Christmas together as husband and wife and our first with a Christmas letter. God has blessed us richly in the last couple of years. We’ve been in Wapella for over a year now. Time flies by so fast. We’ve had a relatively busy year. Here are a few of the highlights.

In April we took James cousin Marranda in to live with us. This was a scary as well as an exciting time for us. Neither of us had ever been in charge of a 3 yr old around the clock before. But we all adjusted well and have had a wonderful time playing and learning together. We finally conquered the potty training adventure a couple weeks before Marranda started pre-school. What a victory that was. Marranda returned home December 19th. It’s hard to believe she was with us for 8 months. We have been greatly blessed by her time with us and we miss her lots.

Things at the church have gone well this year. Our numbers are struggling a little, but we’ve heard that can happen at the beginning of a new ministry. Our eyes have been opened in a number of ways to the joys, sorrows, and burdens of ministry. James is doing well in the pulpit. We are both teaching Sunday school and leading the youth on Sunday evenings and Wednesday afternoons. I lead a women’s Bible study during the week. The people here are very loving and supportive. God sure has blessed us with a wonderful place to learn about and do ministry.

In addition to working full time at the church James is finishing up his college class work this semester. He will do his internship here at the church under the supervision of an area minister and graduate college in May. Lord willing he’ll start seminary in the fall. I have been working on my thesis. I procrastinated long enough. I have three months to finish it and then find a job. I may be continuing my education in the fall. That is yet to be determined.

This past summer we had a lot of fun. For our first anniversary we went to New York City. It was our first time to visit and we had a great time. I think we covered all of Manhattan on foot. We needed a vacation to recover from our vacation, so we went to the North American Christian Convention with Marranda a couple weeks later. Then we came home and had a break. James helped to lead the jr high week of fishing camp at Little Galilee in August and we had VBS at church. Next year he will be able to Dean that same week of camp.

It has been one crazy busy year. We’re looking forward to what God has in store for us next year. This Christmas season has been a blast. We’ve seen all kinds of family and had a Christmas Open House that we consider a success. We are now home and getting ready for my sisters wedding on New Years Eve. James also has an intensive week class the first week of January. We are looking forward to a short vacation in a log cabin near Carbondale the second week in January.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
James and Beth

I miss my buddy.
She went home today.

A Christmas Open House

Hey Everybody,
We are having an open house for all our family and friends and want to invite you. We want to say thankyou for all of your love and support. I know this time of year is hectic and crazy, and you may not be able to make it, but we want you to know we are thinking of you. Please join us if you are able and bring your families.

When: December 21st ~~~ 2-5pm
Where: The McMillion Parsonage (For those of you in Lincoln, we’re about 25min from LCC.)

Have a Very Merry Christmas,
~ James and Beth

Thanksgiving Weekend

What a great weekend we've had. Marranda had a great time spending the night with her mommy Wednesday night. On Thursday we all got together at James parents house and had a lot of turkey and stuffing and pie. We had a good time hanging out with the family.

After supper we headed to my parents so that I could get up and hit the sales with my mom and sisters and Dave. We were up and at Kohls by 4am. I really wasn't looking for anything special, I just like to go and have fun, but this year I found some great deals and did most of the Christmas shopping for my family. We still have to do James family, but we'll get that done soon. James stayed home with my dad and Marranda. After we got all the shopping out of our systems for the morning we had an early Christmas party for Marranda. She had a blast opening up her presents. My family's taken her in as one of their own. Unless we make special arrangements sometime, that was the last time they'll see her for a while. I love going home to see my family. I miss them.

We had fun this morning. The kids got up and sang "I Will Enter His Courts." After lunch we took Marranda out and played in the snow. It was fun. That's the one other thing I wanted to do with Marranda before she went home. I'm glad we got to play. Tonight we have the annual "hanging of the greens" and our soup supper to follow. The gals here really do a great job decorating the church. It'll look nice. I'll post pics.

This week Marranda and I will begin baking and decorating a lot of cookies to deliver to the church people. I bought her a fun gingerbread apron so that she can help me. We're going to have lots of fun this month.

Marranda

One thing I am thankful for is the time we have had with Marranda. We found out today that she will be going for good on the 19th. We're sad that she will be leaving us, but we are happy that she will be able to be with her mom. Right now the sad's bigger than the happy.

It's hard to believe how much our life has changed in the last 2 years. Even just the last year. Marranda will have been with us 8 months by the time she goes home next month.

Right now it kinda feels like we're in a room full of doors, none are open yet and there all pretty blurry. We're not sure which will open and which will remain shut and which we'll go thru. The job door has shut for now. It's not really a fun place to be, but God always walks with us. We just have to wait for His lead.

I don't mean to sound so sad, I really am looking foward to the coming months. God is Good... He will provide as He always has. It's always fun to see when, where, and how God will show up.

graduation postponed

I've decided not to graduate this year. We found out that since James is going to be a full time seminary student that I get to go to school for half price tuition. That will allow me to finish the Masters of Religious Education degree instead of the MA in Christian Ed. It's a better degree that will open up more doors in the future. It was my first choice of degree until I got married and money was an issue. I'm excited about being able to finish it. The deadline for my thesis is April 1st. I am on track to finish it by then. I'll have the second chapter turned in by friday. I shared a small piece of it earlier.

That's the latest from our neck of the woods. We'll find out more about Marranda's near future next wednesday. My sister gets married next month. I can't believe Christmas is almost hear.

Proverbs 31... a real woman?!?!

Here's some of my musings on the Proverbs 31 woman...

So many Christian women are trying to figure out what it means to be “mature.” Often times they will turn to Proverbs 31 to read about the “woman of noble character” and hurriedly run the other way. At first glance the woman in this passage looks like a June Cleaver makeover, but that is not what or who this woman was. June Cleaver is far from the ideal woman. Many have suggested that this poem is simply a picture of wisdom personified and as such it summarizes the whole of Proverbs. However, others have argued that it is a picture of a wise woman of God. Here, as a conclusion to the book of Proverbs, Lady Wisdom is indeed personified and as such gives the readers a concrete example of a wise woman. The standards for Godly wisdom and maturity are beautifully laid out in this poem. If our goal as Christ followers is to become like Christ and true wisdom comes only from God (as the Bible says), then Proverbs 31 “certainly presents a pattern for women who want to develop a life of wisdom." It can be used as the measuring rod for godly maturity, for wisdom. A mature woman is a wise woman. Many women in scripture have exemplified the qualities embodied in this text [Deborah (Judges 4), Ruth, Abigail (1 Samuel 25), Elizabeth and Mary (Luke 1-2)].Today’s women should strive to do no less. I could be wrong, but for now, I'm thoroughly that this woman was real.

The Proverbs 31 woman will look different just about every time you see her, but the same qualities will shine through. We know that the foundation of her life is a healthy fear of the Lord. She is strong, honorable, and virtuous. She knows her worth. She respects her husband and he trusts her. She is strong physically, mentally, and spiritually. She watches her tongue and speaks carefully. She uses her blessings wisely and realizes that she has been blessed to be a blessing. She prepares for the future and has a joyful disposition even in the face of hardship. Finally, she leaves a legacy for others to follow.

God does not expect perfection, but he does expect perseverance. David is heralded as a man after God’s own heart, yet he failed miserably at times. Biblical womanhood is much more than the do’s and dont's of character attributes and outward changes. It’s a matter of the heart. It’s a mindset. A heart set on Christ. The whole bible supports and exemplifies biblical womanhood. A biblical woman is one who seeks Christ first and forsakes all else. All are welcome to join the pursuit. Isaiah 55:1 says “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!”

I have enjoyed my study. It has challenged and stretched my faith and my prayer life. There are many things I need to work on when it comes to being like Christ. The 2 chapter of my thesis will probably turn into a Bible study in the near future. I've been wanting to write my own, perhaps this will be the first. We'll see where the second half of this chapter takes me.

time management

What an easy concept to understand, but such a difficult one to put into practice. You’d think there’s not that much to do in a day. Take care of Marranda; keep the house clean; and do my thesis; keep up with church stuff; read my Bible and pray; and keep my sanity. Really those few things shouldn’t be all that hard to accomplish within a weeks time. I know I can’t do everything every day, but seriously. As I sit in my chair writing this Marranda has created another tornado. There are two basket’s of laundry sitting on the floor in the bedroom and more in the dryer. That pile never ends. The kitchen table has playdough caked on it and the dining room table has all of my thesis books on it. I’m not complaining, I’m just reflecting. Granted, when I get up from my chair in a few minutes I will begin to remedy the situation, but it will all be back in a mater of 24 hours… if I have that long. Some days I do well managing my time others need serious help.
This is all fresh in my mind, because of two reasons. First of all, Marranda woke up screaming before 5 this morning and none of us got back to sleep and have gotten little accomplished today. Second, I just finished a big part of chapter 2 of my thesis that describes the proverbs 31 woman. A big reason she was able to accomplish all that she did was her ability to be efficient and organized; to plan and manage her priorities. I really think that she is the picture of a mature Christian woman. I’ve got more to it than that, but her efficiency is mind boggling and is probably the thing I struggle with the most in that whole passage of scripture.
Well… James is now calling for lunch, so the tornado will have to wait and it’s time to go add to the dishes in the dish washer. …which I really think the proverbs 31 woman would have had, had it been available.

2 things...

We got a new car today. Our car was beginning to make those noises... you know... the ones you hear right before you start to dump all kinds of money into it. So we decided it was time to look for a new car. To make a long story short: we drove and drove and drove on Friday until we were sick of car salesmen. They are an interesting bread... i discovered i don't like dealing with them much. When we got home we found the perfect car on the internet, at least we thought it was perfect, but it was at a dealer in Peoria. So, at 7:30 this morning we took off for Peoria. The car in the picture is not the car that we went to look at. As it turns out, internet prices are not really negotiable at all and all they wanted to give us for our car was $50. We wanted to cry and we left disappointed once again. We found this car in the trading post. It was in peoria so we decided to check it out. I knew that when we needed a car, we would find what we needed, God's pretty cool like that. He never fails and has provided once more. The guy we bought it from was selling it for his mom. His dad died a couple months ago. They are christians and when they found out James was a preacher he offered the car to us for 7000 instead of 8500. Its an 04 chevy impalla with 40,000 miles and in perfect condition. It's a great car. We were very blessed by that family today. It wasn't what we were looking for, but its what we needed, when we needed it. Although, my heart broke for the sweet lady who had to sell her late husbands car. It was hard for her. Once again God used a bad/sad/difficult situation (death) to bless someone else. We were blessed to be the recipients. God is so good.

We also had fun taking Marranda trick or treating tonight in Hudson. Here are a few pics. Sarah was Popeye; Jake was a carpenter; Caleb was tigger; and Marranda was Little Bo Peep. Marranda doesn't like scary things, so we skipped the houses that were making scary noises and went to the nice ones. She had a lot of fun. So did we. Of course we all dug into the candy when we got home. :)

Fall...

Well, fall is definitly here. We have a yard full of leaves and a house full of chaos. It's been about a month since I updated so I thought it would be a good time to do that. Marranda's goin home soon. To make a long story short: We had her first and last dispo hearing a couple of weeks ago. They found her mom fit and when we met later that week to figure out a schedule we talked about a return home date for around December 19th. That's when Marranda gets out of school. We are all ready for this to be over. Marranda's been strugglin lately. She's not eating or sleeping well. She just woke up from her nap crying. We're not sure what all is going through that little girls head. Here's a couple of pictures of Marranda. She's chowin down on some corn on the cob from the apple and pork festival. Her class also took a trip to the firestation.






She's got a visit in an hour with her mom and her sister. James and I have a gift card to J. Bucks so we're going to go on a date. I had an interview with State Farm last Tuesday. We should hear something back from them in a couple weeks. Marranda and I will be in Lincoln for Harvest tomorrow. Next weekend we'll take Marranda up to James parents and hit all the rich folks up for candy so that we can confiscate her plunder. :) My sister's wedding plans are coming along nicely. James will be officiating their wedding on New Year's Eve. Should make for a good New Years Eve party.









I've got corn, pumpkin puree, and applesauce overflowing my freezer. We had free corn, apples and pumpkins given to us, so I made sure to put them to good use. We could really use more freezer space. I've been keeping my eyes out for an upright freezer. James said he doesn't want to break his back for the next ten years digging around in a chest freezer.



I can't believe the holidays are almost here. Crazy times.

boating...

This afternoon we decided to take the boat out one more time before we put it up for the year. We got it going and we got about 300 yards out and the motor died. We sat there for a minute trying to figure out what to do. We eventually got the two oars out and started rowing back to the boat launce. It took us a while but we got there. I really wish we had a picture. I'm sure we were a sight to behold. We loaded the boat by hand and came home. James proceded to mess with the boat and we found out that somehow the gas switch got turned off. We ran out of gas with a full tank right next to the motor. Who'd woulda thunk it. There's a sermon illustration or two in that story. Just thought I'd share our latest boating adventure. I'm glad we got through this one without voices raised and a fight... maybe we're starting to get the hang of this whole married thing. Have a great day.

prayer requests

I have 2 prayer requests: My mom called last night to tell us that my brother and sister-in-law had a miscarriage last night. Shoshannah was about a month and a half or two months along. They weren't trying to get pregnant, but were both very excited about becoming parents. My heart aches for them.

Marranda has been having a hard time lately. Her separation her mom is beginning to take it's toll on her. I think school hasn't helped that. She loves going to school, but I think that it has contributed to her anxiety. James suggested it could be that all the kids at school talk about their mommy's and daddy's. James and I are in agreement that it would be more beneficial for her to go home sooner rather than later. I just pray that Mary has learned what she needs to because of all this. It's gonna be painful and we will miss her; we have learned so much about ourselves and parenting while she has been with us. She has been such a blessing.

thanks for praying

Fall...

Hey Everyone. It's been a while since I've posted so here's an update on...

Me: Well, I turned 27 last month (the 29th). I gotta say I don't feel a whole lot older. I ended up having a good birthday. When I talked to Amy that afternoon, it hadn't been a great day, but it got better. (Amy, Thanks for listening to my rant.) That Wednesday night I had a cyst rupture in the middle of the night and spent Thursday at the Dr's and being sick to my stomach. On Friday James skipped school to work on his sermon which he really wasn't working on. grrrr. We had a meeting about a visitation plan for Marranda. We met up with James parents for some Tobin's pizza later that night. Gotta love Tobin's. That was a pretty long week, but it ended well. The last couple of weeks we've been enjoying the last of our summer freedom. Tonight we kick-off Youth Group. Tuesday night we kick-off women's Bible Study. Wednesday we kick-off Beacon Kidz. We've got a pretty good plan for the fall so we're looking foward to it all getting going. We're still working on the whole getting pregnant thing. Looks like it's not going to be as easy as we had hoped. However, that is not the case for my brother and sister-in-law. They called a couple weeks ago to announce that they were pregnant. We're happy for them. I really can't believe that my brother has reproduced... Lord help that kid. :) My brother's kinda nuts. I'll be getting the proposal for my thesis back tomorrow, then I get to write the second chapter. If they accept my proposal I'll be 20% of the way through the writing process. Yeah!!! It's about time.

James: James started school a couple weeks ago. He's enjoying getting back into the swing of things. This is his last semester of full time school. He'll do his internship here at the church next semester under the supervision of Greg Taylor. He's looking foward to that. He had a good morning this morning. He had a good Sunday School lesson and a really good sermon. I'm proud of him. The last year has been a good, but trying year. We got the truck out after lunch and took a trip to McDonalds for some dessert.

Marranda: Marranda also started school a couple weeks ago. She goes to Douglas Elementary every morning. She get's on the yellow van at 7:30 and get's back around 11:30. She has homework everyday. We have lunch and then she takes a good nap. She loves going to school. The next court date for Mary (mom) is set of October 14th. We'll have a lot of answers as to how long Marranda will be with us after that day. If Mary is found "fit" Marranda will probably be home by December. If not she'll be with us at least through the holidays. I don't know how I feel about all of that. I'm gonna miss her like crazy. We both are.

Well, that should do it for now.

A brief look back

What a summer.

We have been going going going. And now we’re getting geared up for a new school year.
We bought a pontoon off ebay and de-ghetofied it. James sister had a baby. We went to New York for our anniversary. A week later we took Marranda with us to the North American. Then James brother Abe was here for the week after that. Joanna got engaged to Super Dave. We’ve taken the youth group to Knights action park and Clinton lake and the Zoo. We’re taking them to six flags on Monday. We registered Marranda for school this week. We’re busily putting together lessons and activities for the fall. Though with all that the kids do it's a frustrating process. Everybody in our household has one week left of freedom before school starts. Marranda and James will go to class and I’ll start cracking at my thesis when Marranda starts morning school in a couple weeks. Shortly after that we'll start Beacon Kidz, Youth Group and Women's Bible Study.

Can you believe we moved to Wapella one year ago this week. It doesn't seem like we've been out of Lincoln that long. I don't know that I could put into words what all the first year of marriage and ministry has taught me (though I bet it would be a worthwhile effort). Perhaps it'll turn into a bloging adventure soon. That's all I've got for now... Talk to ya later. It's just about time for a Sunday afternoon nap.

random pictures of Marranda

She Did It!!!!

Yeah... a whole day in big girl underwear and no accidents. We Did It! We Did It!

Once again...

Well, once again we have Marranda sitting on the potty. This time is a little different though. Yesterday morning we put her in big girl pants and took her to the potty every 1/2 hour or so. We had a 5 victory's and 2 not so great moments. Granted the 2 not so great moments ocurred within minutes of her waking up from her nap and involved the dreaded # 2... twice. Anyway... we haven't had any accidents yet today and she just woke up from her nap in the car. We put her right on the toilet and that is where we find ourselves. She's had gas all day so we know she's gotta go. So I'm sitting on the floor in the bathroom waiting her out. That's all for now... Maybe I'll play a movie for her while she's on the pot... Who knows... we don't know what in the world we're doing. Later alligators.

another first...

Well, we've made it through our first funeral at Wapella. This was the very first funeral James has officiated. He did a great job. Lots of people came and told me that they really enjoyed his message. I'm proud of my preacher hubby. He couldn't have had a greater family to work with for his first go at this part of the job. Darlene was an amazing lady and everyone knew it. Everytime she saw us she just praised God for bringing us to Wapella. We rarely saw her at church over the last few months. She was a strong woman, full of grace, love, and joy. I've never known anyone to struggle with cancer the way she did and still praise the Lord without one complaint. We will miss her dearly.

...break time...

Well, we're back home again and we're finally sitting in our chairs taking a break. We got home early on Friday, but an hour after we got home James family walked in the door and shortly after that my family walked through the door. Saturday James wrote his sermon, I went to my sisters and then we went and had family pictures taken with James fam. Today we did church, ate lunch, then went boating with his family. Finally my chair calls my name and I sit. What a crazy summer. Marranda has a dentist appointment sometime this week, but I can't remember when and I swear I wrote it down.... somewhere??? I've been doing so good at keeping appointments straight, but this one got away from me. I'll be making some phone calls first thing in the morning.
We start our Tuesday and Thursday 5-7 visits with Marrandas's Mom this week. We'll do that until Mid August. Then we'll do every Tuesday and every other Saturday. Crazy schedule, but we do what we gotta do. That's all i've got for now... Love you guys...

Go...go...go...

Seems like that's all we've done this summer. We've been going since last August. Summer has been just as busy as the school year, though James isn't nearly as stressed. I can tell cause his hair isn't falling out like it does during the school year... seriously. Oh well... tomorrow we're off again. The North American Christian Convention is in Cincinnati, OH and we're headed that direction and Marranda is coming with us. We'll see how that goes... early mornings and late nights. It'll be good. I have quite a bit of family that will be there and an Uncle I haven't seen in a couple of years. I'm really looking foward to getting there.

The downside of this "vacation" is that the dreaded phone call about a death in the congregation is just days away. James is getting his first taste of death, and very soon, a funeral. He's not been to very many at all and this will be his first to preach. I don't miss it one bit. Though I must admit, my first inclination is to tell him what to do, who to call, and what to say... but he doesn't respond to that all that well I think he thinks I'm bossy. I really just have the urge to just do it myself... but the elders would not like that to much. Oh well... so goes life... and death... It really really really sucks.

When we get back from vacation we get a break for about 3 weeks. We've got a couple of church events, but nothing too major... at least no more trips until CIY. Our pocketbook needs a break.
That's all I've got for now... have a great week.

Our First Anniversary

Yeah... We're home. We had a great trip, but it sure is good to get home. Here are a few pics. We did a whole lot of walking and eating. I'm really gonna have to go to New York sometime with my sister so I can enjoy the culture and history of it all. My preacher husband doesn't necessarily enjoy that aspect of the city. Our goal for this trip was just to see as much as we could. We saw a lot.

Our hotel was kinda scary... but at least it was clean and in a good location. I've got pictures. Monday we got to the hotel and checked in, then we went to Times Square and walked around, then saw a movie.

Tuesday we went to The Today Show, saw more of Time Square, Central Park, a few churches, The United Nations, the Letterman Show, ate at an overpriced italian place, saw the Flat Iron building, had a drink, and called it a day.

Wednesday we got up early to take the subway down to the Brooklyn Bridge and walked across it. Then we walked to the Supreme Court House, the World Trade Center, and then to the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. When we got off the ferry we walked to a couple of old churches, then to china town where we had lunch... Gotta admit... First Wok has china town beat. Then we walked to little Italy and to Greenwich village and back to Little Italy for Pizza. It's very different from anything I've ever had, it was pretty good. It's so thin and floppy, I know why they fold it now... that's the only way you can eat it without it falling apart. After that we went back to the hotel for a break while we decided what to do that night. We ended up taking the subway back to the Brooklyn Bridge to see the skyline at night. On our way there we heard tons of motorcycles and when we came upon the US Supreme Courthouse we saw 2000 harleys and choppers. They have a rally every year where they raise money for some sick kids. It was really cool. Then we went to see the skyline and called it a night.

Thursday all we had time for was the Empire State building and the Yankees game. One of our elder's future sons in law scored us primo seats for the game. The owner of his company has season tickets right behind third base... he got those for us. The seats were awesome... unfortunately the game was pretty boring... Oh well... we enjoyed the seats.

Friday morning James decided to try a new route to the airport to save some money. On the way into the city we got on the NJ Transit from the airport to Penn Station and walked a few blocks to the hotel: $30. On the way back we saved about $20... but here was our route... Hotel to Subway, to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall Stop, walked to Path Train (by WTC), took train to Newark, Got on bus to airport (terminal A), took Airtran to Terminal B, to Check In...

We had a great trip, but we're pretty tired... The boat is fixed and we're headed out to pick it up and go to the Lake... Hope it goes well and I don't have to help haul it on the trailer again... Gotta go... see you all soon.

a new chapter...

Well... Menopause is officially over!!! We're about to hit our one year anniversary!!! We're also about to leave for a week in New York!!! We need a break. I'm looking foward to gettting out of podunk. We love it hear, but right now we need a break. James doesn't have to preach when we get back so all we have to do is get away and enjoy a break. When we get back we'll start our second year in marriage and in ministy. The second sunday after we got married, James started filling in out here in Wapella. It's hard to believe that we've been out hear just about every Sunday for a year. Life goes by so fast.

Marranda is doing well, she's at least sleeping through the nights. She is going to stay with James' parents next week. I hop that goes well. She's done a ood job of throwing my back out. She's pretty heavy and likes to be held. I haven't been holding her nearly as much, but my backs not feeling any relief yet. I went to Dr. Karen, but that hasn't helped much. I hope it's just knotts from stress and they will dissipate soon.

The past year and a half have brought many changes and callenges... I wonder what the next year will bring?!?!?!

New Baby

Here's the newest member of the McMillion Clan. Sarah (James' Sister) had her baby at 5:15 this morning. His name is Caleb Charles McMillion. He weighs 6lb 4oz and is 18 1/2 inches long. He's got a funny cone shapped head and is really cute. Sarah's doing great.

Stong-Willed

I've never really appreciated what parents of strong-willed children go through on a daily basis. I think I have the stubbornest kid on the planet, but only when it comes to certain things... like talking, saying her colors, and going potty. Marranda has reentered babyland and won't come out. She responds well to picking up her toys and eating (most of the time). But those other things are so irritating. I know she know her colors, but she refuses to call things by the right color. Everything is green or yellow.... i know she knows them. I know she knows how to go potty... she just won't. Marsha told me to break her from her return to babyland by not letting her get away with doing "baby" things, but man is it hard. She is such a fighter. We can put her on the pot for hours at a time.... nothing... we try the rewards system with everything imaginable.... nothing... we try withholding things.... nothing...
The talking thing is something i'm not sure how to tackle. She won't look me in the face to talk and when i try to enunciate for her to repeat she sticks her tongue out and talks. Ugghhhh!!!

HELP!!!

...and then there were four... sorta

We added a new member to the McMillion Fleet last week. James has been drooling over boats lately and is moaning and groaning because we live so close to the boat launch (10 min) and have no boat. He finally found a great deal on a 20ft pontoon. We looked at our savings account and decided to get it. It sure feels good to be able to pay cash for things. When we went up to Rockford for a wedding last week, James drove up to Racine, WI and picked it up. Gotta love ebay. We replaced the carpet, painted the sides, repositioned the seats and put new panels on. It's good as new. We can't wait to see if it floats tomorrow.

On a different note. My sister bought a wedding dress today. I haven't seen it yet and she doesn't have the ring yet, but it's coming very soon. They're talking about getting married in January. I really think they just can't wait any longer than that... if you get my drift. Oh well... she found a great guy. He'll fit in with the rest of us quite well.

My parents left yesterday morning for Washington State. My brother get's home next weekend. We're really exited that he and Shoshannah will be home soon. Too bad my parents have to drive his monstrous truck all the way out there. Unfortunaely, we won't get to see him until August when they come home again.

Marranda is doing well. She just got caught fillin her britches. She just won't tell us when she has to go potty. oh well. the time will come.

Potty Training...

Well, we've made it two weeks with a three year old. Our biggest obstacles have been bed time and potty training. If we let her nap in the afternoon until she wakes up she won't go to bed easily at night; if we wake her up early from a nap she can be a zombie all afternoon. Nap times are goofy. Some nights she goes to bed so easily and some nights she just wakes up screeming. We're not sure if she's having bad dreams or what's going on.

Potty training is a nightmare. She tells us outright that she's not going to tell us when she needs to go to the bathroom. She will sit on the pot for a half hour, get off and 15 minutes later wet her pants. Tonight I put her in some training pants with the plastic ones over them. She decided to fill them with pee and poop... When we asked if she would tell us before she had to go next time she looked right at us and said "NO"... ugghhh. So it goes... we'll keep trying... any suggestions are welcome.

We're still looking for a place for Marissa. She's Marranda's big sister and needs a place to live. Everyone is pretty much in agreement that it wouldn't be a good idea for us to take her. My heart breaks for her, I wish we could. Both of the girls had a visit with their mom last Monday, it went very well, we were pleased. I hope that through all of this, there can be healing.

That's all for now... I'll talk again soon.

...and then there were three

Hey Everybody, Here are a couple of pictures of our first night with Miranda. Mac n Cheese and Dora... what more could we want!?!

Is There A God???

Wow! My friend Meredith wrote a blog about this question. She googled trying to find out how to answer this question in a good way, but all she came up with were blogs and blogs of bad answers to the question. Try it. You'll find lots of blogs with people asking questions and many people saying that there is no God. They say they aren't sure. Some say that they have been "saved" at some time or another, but they don't go to church because it's corupt and they are a good person anyway so it doesn't matter. Some say it doesn't matter at all. Reading a few of these blogs and the answers is sufficient to yank me out of my little bubble I have once again found myself in. It is amazing how easy it is for my vision to be clouded. I forget that there are people headed to Hell everyday because I have been silent. What if I were to speak up... ???

Pampered Chef

Hey I'm having a pampered chef party on April 29th. If you want to come, let me know. If you can't come, but want to get something, let me know. Here is the website: http://www.pamperedchef.biz/havnfun

Deal or No Deal Flunkies

We were a couple of the goofs who went to the Deal or No Deal casting call. It was the first and last time I will do something like that. I had absolutely no desire to go, but James really wanted to go, so I went too. He told me I earned a lot of brownie points for that. We waited for 5 1/2 hours just to get in the car and go home again. Gotta be honest, didn't expect anything else. There were some crazy people there. By the time we got to the front of the line, they put you in lines of 10 people; then they rush all of you up to one table and you get to sell yourself to them for 20 seconds. I'm glad we didn't make it through to the next round. It was exhausting. Oh well. The things we do for our husbands... Have a great day everyone!

Finally... a job!!!

Hey! Take a look at my new boss...

He's a hard working man, with a hard working wife. His secretary resigned due to health and family issues and he wanted me to be his secretary. I really think he just wants to be able to tell people that he's sleeping with his secretary. HaHaHa! I don't think I find that as amusing as he does. Oh well, now I've got to figure out what to do with my extra $60 bucks a week. I think I'll save it for our vacation to New York this summer.

Hey... I got the first part of my 5 part thesis done and turned in. The proposal is being reviewed. Hopefully I'll be able to get going on the rest of it real soon. If feels good to have my drive back. I have been avoiding that thesis like the plague. It is so good to know that spring is here. Even though the wind is blowing furiously outside, it is starting to warm up. I've got a spot for a garden that I'm looking foward to being able to plant. Things have been going well in Wapella. James is wanting to go to the casting call for Deal or No Deal tomorrow in Decatur. He's trying to drag me with him. It's at the mall... I threatened to go shopping while he waits in line. Evidently that's not going to be allowed. Oh well. Hope everything is going well in your neck of the woods.

Easter

Hey Everybody,

We had a great day today. James preached a great sermon this morning. we packed the house out at about 150. I'm pretty sure we can't hold much more than that. We had a lot of visitors today. We had lunch here at the parsonage. It was my first really big, go all out meal, all by myself. It was quite tasty, if I do say so myself. :) Anyway, my sister came over with her boyfriend Dave, James parents and brother were here. He also had three of his friends that he grew up with come and stay for dinner. That was pretty cool considering he doesn't think that they had ever been to a church service before. It was an all around great day.

Yesterday we had a community Easter egg hunt in the park for the neighborhood kids. There certainly are a lot of them. If we could just reach a portion of the young families in Wapella alone, we could fill the pews with young families. The field is there, we just need the tools to be sharpened for the harvest.

I talked to my brother today, he's doing well. He and my sister-in-law have been in Iraq for about a year now. They should be coming home the end of may/beginning of June. They'll be out of the service and living in the area sometime in August. It'll be really exciting having them close. I miss them both. I know a lot of people are against the war and what's going on over there, but everytime I talk to Shoshannah, she tells us the good news about whats happening.

Oh well, here it is after 11pm and I'm on the computer. This medicine is still running it's course in my system. I dread going to sleep. The night sweats have been crazy the past couple of nights. I end up waking up multiple times and about 5 I give up and come out to James recliner where I can catch a few zzzzz's. Oh well, soon enough we'll get back to normal. I wrote a few weeks ago that I wasn't looking foward to babies, I think that's beginning to change. James was on Week of E last week with Little Galilee and I was able to spend some time with a friend of mine who has a 1 month old. It's funny what little bundle's of joy can stir up inside you. Although the babies name is Patience... you think that has anything to say about what my friend needed to learn or about maybe it encompases a big part of what motherhood is all about.... Gnight... time to try and catch those elusive zzzzzz's.

Menopause

Yesterday was my last official day of menopause. It's supposed to start working it's way out of my system now. I think that could take up to about 2 months. Who knows. I have a call into the Dr. to find out what we need to do next. It's really not a good thing to get pregnant while this drug is still in my system. I was reading other people's blogs about taking Lupron Depot and I had it pretty easy. I gained about 20 pounds, had headaches, hot flashes and trouple sleeping. Evidently that's nothing compared to what some women go through. I am looking foward to getting this stuff out of my system. So to celebrate, we're going out for steak tonight. Yeah! I like date nights. Talk to you later.

Yea Bread!!!!

How's this for a loaf of bread... Not bad for the third try. I gotta say... I'm a little proud of it.

We've had a pretty good day. We got to and from Lincoln without any snow. We played in the snow a couple of hours ago. I made homemade bread and homemade noodles. Mmmm chicken and noodles.

Right now James is reading a book and I'm watching the end of American Idol. We're going to watch a movie soon. It's nice to take a break every once in a while.

Thesis writting

Ugggghhh! Back to the thesis writting. I'm about halfway done with my proposal, which will also be the first chapter. Bad news is I hava a long way to go... Good news is I'm getting my drive back to get it done. I wrote quite a bit this morning and will write some more this afternoon. The sun is shinning, the snow is melting, the grass is almost green, and spring is on its way. Yippeeeeee! OK, so I haven't been outside yet, I know it's still cold, but it sure looks good from inside. Okie dokie... back to work.

Home Sweet Home

Well, I had my first attempt at bread making this morning. It went OK, but the bread was a little too heavy. I think I need to kneed it more and bake it a little longer. I'll try again another time. I think I was too impatient this time. You can't beat the taste of fresh bread.

Anyway... for those of you who haven't seen the parsonage. Allow me to give you a tour. Here is the kitchen where the bread making adventure took place. Next to the fridge is the door into the dining room and I'm standing in another door. It's just to the right of the little bakers rack in this small picture. Believe it or not, but this ceiling was green before we moved in.

Here is a picture of our living room. It has a great picture window that looks over at the park. The park has a shelter, playground, 2 baseball diamonds, a tennis court, basketball court, volleyball court, and a half mile walking path. We love it. Can't wait for spring to get here.

This next picture is of our reading chairs. We sit here in the morning and watch the sun rise out our picture window. The door to the left leads to our front door and James' office; the door on the right leads to the three bedrooms and bathroom.

This is our dining room. The door on the left goes into the kitchen.

This is James office. I painted it a couple of weeks ago. It was all paneling. James felt like he was in a wooden box.

That's all for now. Just thought I'd share a few pics.

Good Day

Today was a good day. Yesterday was not such a good day. Things just did not go the way they were planned. You know... you have those days when you're just focused on yourself and the whole day is crap... it was one of those days. Today I woke up with a fresh wind under my wings. We had a good day. James read 2 books, I got ready for Bible Study, and we visited with some wonderful people from the church this afternoon. We had a great Bible Study tonight. James and I watched a movie and now it's bedtime. Miss you all. Will write more later.

Making Noodles

Somedays I forget just about everything. Today I have already made 3 trips to Clinton and I have to go again in half an hour. Trip #1: I went to Clinton this morning to learn how to make noodles. In the process I took both sets of car keys and the church van. I used the van because James had to go to school at noon and I didn't know when I would get home. When I got to Wilma's house I realized I had both sets of keys and had to go back home. Trip #2: Then I came back to Clinton and Wilma Jackson taught me how to make noodles. We had lunch, we talked, and had a great time. I then went to the store to get some groceries. When I reached into my pocket for my debit card to pay, my life flashed before my eyes and I saw my debit card on the nightstand at home. So, home I came to get the card. Trip #3: Back to the store I went to pay for my groceries and home again I came. It's been a crazy day. Trip #4 will involve going and picking up the kids for our after school program. Oh well... James will be home by then.

Wilma Jackson has to be one of the coolest old ladies I've ever met. She's done just about everything. She is 89, a great cook, a wonderful encourager, and good for a swift kick in the pants if you need one (I haven't needed that yet, but it's only a matter of time). She and her husband live in Clinton and are a wonderful asset to the church here in Wapella.

It's been a good day, but a dizzy day. Such is life in the fish bowl.

8 Months

Wow... can you believe we've been married for almost 8 months. Life has been absolutely nuts. Shortly after getting married James took a full time preaching ministry and we moved to Wapella, Il. Who would have imagined there would have been so many changes over the course of a year. God sure does have amazing things in store for us. James and I are both pretty strong-willed, so we've had an interesting first 8 months of marriage. I've only got one month of menopause left and that aweful medicine will be working its way out of my system. Hot flashes really suck. Though I must say that I have not missed my monthly visitor and neither has James. I'm pretty sure he's morning its return. The doctor has advised us to try and have kids right away. I've got to be honest... that prospect doesn't thrill me at this point. Some days I can't wait to have kids, other days I just want to run the other way. I think I'm morning my loss of freedom. I know that new joys enter the picture with children, but so does great responsibility. God knows what's best for us and for our future, so we leave it in His hands. James is so excited to have babies, he's gonna be a fun dad. He'll be done with all of his college classes in December. He'll do his internship in the spring and graduate May '09. We're both looking foward to that. He goes to Lincoln 5 days a week and that get's a little old. Especially when he has to come home and put in a full day's work here.

James and I are pretty busy with the church. Sunday's make for very long days. James and I both teach Sunday School. I teach the 3-5th graders and James teaches the Adults. Fortunately James only has to preach once. After church we usually have a couple over for lunch or go out with someone. In the afternoon we take communion to the nursing home and get ready for youth group. We spend from 6-8pm with the youth group (we teach them too). After that we crash on the couch. On monday's we have Women's Bible Study. I have about 10-15 ladies who come over to the parsonage on Monday nights. We're studying various women of the Bible who made an impact. Tonight we're talking about Deborah and Jael: two very amazing women from the book of Judges. On Wednesday's we have Beacon Kids (like kids club) right after school. We pick them up in the church van and bring them all back to the church until 5pm. After that's all done we get ready for the next week's activities.

I've pretty much given up on the whole job thing. We picked up the youth ministry and some extra pay, so we don't need the extra job right now. My thesis has been coming along at the pace of a snail and is about to go into turbo speed. I promised James it would be done by December. We'll see how that goes...

Oh well... I guess that's all for now. I miss everybody in Lincoln... Wapella can be lonely at times.