Camping Adventure

This weekend, Matt and Elijah went camping with Elijah's Caravan class. They went to McDowell Park, arriving around 6:30 Friday evening. They set up their tent, blew up the air mattress (camping in style ;)), put out their sleeping bags and were ready to begin their adventure.
One of the guys brought his grill, so they had hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner.
Next, Elijah and his friends, helped build the campfire, where they roasted marsh mellows and made smores, yum!
Then, Elijah ran around with his friends, playing tag, throwing things in the fire, and exploring the trails around their campsite. They headed into their tent around 11 pm! Matt said it was close to midnight when Elijah finally fell asleep.
Elijah woke up around 6:30 this morning (Saturday). (Seriously proves my point that no matter how late you put my kids to bed, they are still going to get up at the same time) He was so busy playing with his friends that he didn't eat until he got home (around 1:15!). Today they rode on a boat and went tubing. Matt and Elijah had a blast and can't wait to do it again next year. Maybe next time Kayla and I will join them...
Some pictures from their adventure:

HAIRCUT :)

Today, I had my first US haircut in over 2 years and my first haircut in about 6-8 months....

Needless to say, I was a little overdue.

My friend Jen recommended her friend at Living Art Salon and Spa in Fort Mill. Her friend was busy until May, so she recommended Kelly, who also works there. I asked her if she trusted her with her own hair. I was taking my hair cut pretty seriously and wasn't just trusting anybody! She said, "Yes, she cuts my hair."

Okay, so today I went and saw Kelly Ames (7049749078) and I think she did a great job. I am very pleased with it...will let you make your own decision. I do have to say that I have never had another stylist get my hair as straight as she did!!!

If you are in the Charlotte, Pineville, Fort Mill area and you need a hair cut, I would recommend Kelly!

Before picture...this is the only thing I have been able to do with my hair for weeks...

After the hair cut....

Now, if only I could make it look like this every day...it's very difficult for me to get my hair straight...but may have to start trying again...

Unofficial pet

Yep, it's true...we finally got a pet.
We didn't get it from the pet store, a friend or a neighbor.
As a matter of fact, the little fella just sort of invited himself into our yard and has taken up residence. As if that wasn't bad enough he invites all his friends and they run around the yard, playing as if they own the place...him and at least 5 of his buddies, running all around our yard, eating our grass. Uh-huh, you heard me, eating the grass, the same grass that we have been trying SO hard to get to grow! We are still planting grass seed and working on bare spots in our yard.
This little guy and his friends are working just as hard to be sure we don't have grass!

Here's a picture of him....
You lookin' at me?

He is so totally busted!!!

What do you think we should name him?

Before and After

Pictures of our house before we moved in and pictures after the house was painted and we moved in.

The living room before:

The Dining Room before completion

Kitchen Before:

Home school room before:

Kayla's Room:

Elijah's room:

Master Bedroom:

Kid's Bathroom:

(all the bathrooms are this color)

Formal Dining room/Entry way:

Kayla and Elijah helped pick out the colors for the house. Especially the colors for their rooms and the home school room. We hope you like our house of many colors, if not, no worries, you don't have to live here ;)

Rainbows

I recently posted a picture on facebook of a rainbow over our house.
One of the reasons this was so meaningful to me is because we had gotten a picture of a rainbow over our house when we lived in Kenya.

If you look closely in these pictures you can see the double rainbow, especially the one above...

 Another reason rainbows are so meaningful to me is because rainbows are so POWERFUL! I love rainbows, I think they are beautiful...but even better than that, is the meaning behind rainbows...
In case you don't know...rainbows are a reminder of God's promises...when Noah built the ark and God flooded the earth, he sent a rainbow as a sign and promise to Noah that He would never again flood the earth. Sure, we have floods, but all of mankind has not been wiped out since the days of Noah.
The Bible is full of God's promises and I am thankful that He keeps his promises!
The rainbow over our current house:

Thank you God for sending reminders that you still keep your promises!

Out of Control

I started this blog post this morning before Church....Little did I know how many times God was going to speak to me this morning!
My devotional today is sooooooo where I am at right now....
from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young:

Trust me, and don't be afraid. Many things feel out of control. Your routines are not running smoothly. You tend to fell more secure when your life is predictable. Let Me lead you to the rock that is higher than you and your circumstances. Take refuge in the shelter of My wings, where you are absolutely secure.
     When you are shaken out of your comfortable routines, grip My hand tightly and look for growth opportunities. Instead of bemoaning the loss of your comfort, accept the challenge of something new. I lead you on from glory to glory, making you fit for My kingdom. Say yes to the ways I work in your life. Trust Me, and don't be afraid.

I am tired of complaining about how things are going, as I am sure you are tired of me complaining about how things are going. Yes, we should be completely happy to be back in the states and we should be completely settled back in. But, we aren't. We are trying. We are trying to be content in all things, we are trying to make friends, but it is so hard when everyone already has there friends. It doesn't help that we are not out-going at all...my shyness still creeps in, especially in large group settings and it makes it difficult to connect with people.

It does feel like a lot of things are out of control and what routines?? We are working hard, but those normal day to day routines are just not completely here. I do feel more secure when life is predictable, I like predictable, I have NO idea where Elijah gets his difficulty with change! (That's a joke, he obviously gets it from me!)

I know that we are back here for a reason...God knows the plans He has for me and my family. I need to learn (again!) to be content in ALL circumstances...as I've done before. Instead of bemoaning the loss of my comfort ;) I know He is stretching us, molding us how He wants us to be...but does it have to be so tough ; ) ?

God is good, all the time. I firmly believe it...now I need to show that I believe it and quit gripping and complaining...

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 11-13

NOW, after Church I really need to add that the sermon today was totally JUST FOR ME...okay, maybe, just maybe, it was for you today too, but it was definitely for me...here's what I learned, and it actually cracks me up a bit, because of course there is a reason why things feel so out of control...I just needed someone to point it out to me.

The sermon today was titled "Reducing the overload...when the tank is empty." Really, seriously, after I just wrote about how I was overloaded and things were out of control?
The three main points:
1. Come to Jesus (of course I've done that!)
2. Give up control (you talkin' to me? Seriously, I have to let go?! Yikes!)
3. Learn to trust (ouch! I have my issues!)

The biggest point that was made today, for me personally, was the greater your need  to control the more stress you will have! Someday, not long ago, I remembered this and did it well,  I really started letting go of my control issues, learning to let more things go and really started to rely on Jesus more. But, then we moved, I moved out of my comfort zone and somewhere along the way I forgot! So, I started to try and control more and started to stress more. The pastor also said, "If you are stressed right now you are not yoked up with Jesus. (ouch!) Every time you get detached from Christ our stress goes up, when you re-connect with Jesus our stress will go down.
I can't tell you how much my burden was lightened this morning, seriously! Sometimes you really just need some one to point out what is right in front of your face. I should have known this...but I needed the reminder...maybe you do to...right now...

"If my misery could be weighed, if you could pile the whole bitter load on the scales, if would be heavier than all the sand of the sea! Is is any wonder that I'm screaming like a caged cat?" Job 6:2-3 (Mes)
My troubles are nothing compared to what Job went through...I really needed this reminder...

"...Learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:29b (NIV)

Thank you God, for speaking to me today and reminding me who can carry the burdens for me. Thank you for lifting these weights from my shoulders...thank you that you still speak to us today. Your grace is sufficient for me.

The New House

This is an amazing story that I probably will not do justice to...but I am going to give it my best shot.
We got off the plane Friday, December 16th and signed for our house on Tuesday, December 20th.
This was made possible by our fabulous realtor Jen Mildenberger!!
We started working with Jen about 6 weeks before we landed. We inquired about a property, which her lovely assistant was quick to get back to us with the information. Once they gave us the information on that particular house, they followed up and then asked if they could assist us further. We told them what we were looking for, what area and started sending back emails about which properties we liked and which ones we didn't.
So, when we stepped off the plane, Jen was ready bright and early Saturday morning to take us around and look for properties. She was very frank with us, pointing out some good features and some not so good features that we were not noticing in our jet-lagged state. We went home on Saturday with two possibilities.
Monday we started out again...on our last house we were feeling a bit discouraged, not having found exactly what we were looking for. So, Jen said there was another property available around the corner, it was a bit above our price range, did we want to look at it. We figured, why not?

Of course we fell in love with it! So, we went down to the Regent Homes office and had a chat with Susan Smith. Susan told us that they were running a fabulous deal, if you sign before the end of December you got ALL your appliances AND blinds included! Plus, Regent Homes was going to pay all our closing costs! We were still thinking we wouldn't be able to afford it, but Susan told us about a CHIP loan, which we'd never heard of, but essentially if you didn't make more than X amount of dollars you qualified...which we did! Then, if we went through BB&T as our mortgage lender we could get our interest rate really low.  We were thinking this was a pretty good deal.  So we signed a contract.  We started doing paperwork with BB&T, and they told us that since our credit was good, they would waive the mortgage insurance payment (PMI)!  Then BB&T lowered our interest rate again. 
  As we started working through the paperwork Jen told us that she got a bonus if we closed before the end of January and that she was going to split it with us! Who does that?! I have never heard of such a thing! Also, our closing costs were OVERPAID so our lender with BB&T, Lucy Lucinian, used the extra money to buy down our interest rate, just a bit more...
As we were working through this entire process, Jen and her assistant Lynn Marshall, went to bat for us...prodding each individual on, when it was needed. They were quick to answer any questions we had.
One other thing that I felt was way above the call of duty...we wanted a side by side refrigerator, instead of the one with the freezer on top (which was what was going to be put in the house)...when we mentioned it to Susan Smith she said she would see what she could do to make that happen. What she did was to pay for the upgrade fee out of her OWN pocket...again, who does that??? All these wonderful ladies worked really hard and had us moving into our house within a month of landing back on American soil. If you ever need to sale/buy in North or South Carolina, I would HIGHLY recommend Jen Mildenberger and her assistant Lynn. If you are looking for a new home, why not try a Regent Home, we are very happy with ours!
*As a side note...we have now been in our house for 2 1/2 months...Jen still calls/emails me to see how I am doing. She checks on our family, wanting to know if we've made connections, how she can help us feel more connected to the community, giving advice/referrals etc..
**As a second note, just because Jen shared her bonus with us, it doesn't mean that if she helps you buy/sale a house and she gets a bonus that she will share it with you ;). And, if you do go with Regent Homes, Susan Smith may not pay out of pocket to have your refrigerator upgraded :)!