You see - my birthday is coming up in a couple weeks and I've decided that all I want is for Paul to actually contribute a posting!
So Paul... will you grant me my wish? ;)
Belated Valentines
The one non-blurry photo we took! This was at dinner before going to see Cinderella at the ballet! A perfect evening! Even if we were rained out on!
Filling in the gaps
Where has another month gone to? I guess the Oremlands are just plugging away at life. Paul has been up to his usual gig: working hard! Earlier in January an iPad application was released that Paul worked hard on with his team.
I continue to run around without my head attached. Work, School, Internship. This quarter is tough because I have two classes and so every other Wednesday I am stuck at school until 9:30pm (5 hours of class). The great news is that I passed my big comprehensive exam, so in 4 months (from tomorrow) I will graduate with my M Ed. in School Counseling.Very exciting to say the least. Though I have schoolwork to finish... my head is in the clouds thinking about jobs and working on my placement file.
We have been enjoying great community with our Church. It has been wonderful to be apart of other peoples growth in Christ as well have people speak into our lives and marriage. Very encouraging, not always easy - but always worth it. We are also getting into the groove of being the service leads for the 9am Children's Ministry Service. It has been an amazing experience serving with Paul, it is also very challenging as it definitely forces me to rely on God's faithfulness and providence.
We are finally healthy as February rolls in. Paul and I have been battling head colds since Christmas. Crossing my fingers that our immune systems are finally up to par.
This past Monday marked 6months of being married. How did time go by so quickly? I am truly feeling more settled into our new life and am really excited to be married to Paul and to be growing together!
And in final news, our dog Charlie is pretty awesome - you can see her on YouTube!
Hopefully this post fills in the gaps of what we've been up to for the past month! I need to post some pictures... hopefully we'll take some cute ones on our Valentines Date this weekend!
I continue to run around without my head attached. Work, School, Internship. This quarter is tough because I have two classes and so every other Wednesday I am stuck at school until 9:30pm (5 hours of class). The great news is that I passed my big comprehensive exam, so in 4 months (from tomorrow) I will graduate with my M Ed. in School Counseling.Very exciting to say the least. Though I have schoolwork to finish... my head is in the clouds thinking about jobs and working on my placement file.
We have been enjoying great community with our Church. It has been wonderful to be apart of other peoples growth in Christ as well have people speak into our lives and marriage. Very encouraging, not always easy - but always worth it. We are also getting into the groove of being the service leads for the 9am Children's Ministry Service. It has been an amazing experience serving with Paul, it is also very challenging as it definitely forces me to rely on God's faithfulness and providence.
We are finally healthy as February rolls in. Paul and I have been battling head colds since Christmas. Crossing my fingers that our immune systems are finally up to par.
This past Monday marked 6months of being married. How did time go by so quickly? I am truly feeling more settled into our new life and am really excited to be married to Paul and to be growing together!
And in final news, our dog Charlie is pretty awesome - you can see her on YouTube!
Hopefully this post fills in the gaps of what we've been up to for the past month! I need to post some pictures... hopefully we'll take some cute ones on our Valentines Date this weekend!
Reflections & Resolutions
I have neither at the moment. I am not even quite sure where 2010 even went!
Honestly, two-thirds of the year was spent just keeping my head above water. I was working full-time, in class full-time, and was completing practicum hours for my degree. On top of all this I was trying to plan a wedding. And on top of all this - experiencing life: joy, sadness, sin, heartbreak, and growth. Life moves forward.
The final half of the year has been all about... change. Change with marriage, changes with my job and responsiblities, changes in community, and changes with school.
So here I am - sitting at the airport in DC. Day 3 of a new year and not a clue of what to even do about the previous year.
At this point, I doubt I will have too much time to reflect - so like life, I guess it is time to move forward.
Resolutions for 2011?
- Pursue God's will and mission for myself and my marriage with Paul.
- Graduate, graduate, graduate!
- Find balance (not idolatry) with food and health.
- Continue to grow, expand, and challenge the type of community that surrounds me.
The how's of these resolutions (besides graduation) are fuzzy. But, at least I have a start!
Honestly, two-thirds of the year was spent just keeping my head above water. I was working full-time, in class full-time, and was completing practicum hours for my degree. On top of all this I was trying to plan a wedding. And on top of all this - experiencing life: joy, sadness, sin, heartbreak, and growth. Life moves forward.
The final half of the year has been all about... change. Change with marriage, changes with my job and responsiblities, changes in community, and changes with school.
So here I am - sitting at the airport in DC. Day 3 of a new year and not a clue of what to even do about the previous year.
At this point, I doubt I will have too much time to reflect - so like life, I guess it is time to move forward.
Resolutions for 2011?
- Pursue God's will and mission for myself and my marriage with Paul.
- Graduate, graduate, graduate!
- Find balance (not idolatry) with food and health.
- Continue to grow, expand, and challenge the type of community that surrounds me.
The how's of these resolutions (besides graduation) are fuzzy. But, at least I have a start!
Suffering Well
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh,a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corninthians 12:7-10
I (Charity - the only one of Paul + Charity that posts) have always thought that if I was diagnosed with some sort of terminal cancer or disease I would be able to suffer well. To not lose hope in God, to point others to Christ. I think (and only think) that I could do that because I would know that the suffering wouldn't be a lifetime.
I wonder what Paul suffered from. I wonder how he endured once God told him his strength was sufficient. I wonder if he ever questioned God's strength or asked Why Him? I suppose I wonder because I personally do not suffer well and these questions haunt me from time to time.
10 + some years ago I had my first bout with headaches. They were overwhelming. I had read an article about migraines and was convinced that is what I had. When I told my parents, they were under the assumption that I was creating symptoms from having read the article. I took a lot of ibuprofen in those teenage years.
In college the headaches seemed to return with a vengance. There are nights I remember laying on the floor of my dorm room. all the lights off, towels covering the crack under the door because even that little bit of light hurt. I didn't have much for health insurance so I didn't feel that I had options.
After college I worked at a chiropractic office and was able to get free treatment. Those years were some of the best in terms of finding some type of cure - though not always fool proof.
I am sure I prayed throughout these years - but I imagine my prayers were "why me" and "please heal". In my mind, I didn't deserve to suffer like this.
Over the years I have seen more doctors and have hodge-podged different medicines together and sometimes I find relief and sometimes I don't.
In my mind though, I suffered well. Looking back, I realize that because I had the luxury of being selfish, I didn't suffer well - I escaped well.
My headaches (or migraines, depends which doctor I see) have been returning more frequently. My prayer still tends to be "take this away". It doesn't occur to me to ask for strength or God's sufficiency. I see that more clearly as I try to interact with Paul while having a headache. Well, more like my lack of interaction. I am mean, impatient, avoiding, etc. I'm upset because I don't want to feel minimized. I want attention and care, I want to be number one. My character truly shines when I suffer.
God wants to be number one. Mine, and Paul's.
Anyways, long story short - I have really realized lately that I don't suffer well, I suffer selfishly and impatiently. This is something that I am still wrestling with. I get what I need to do... I just cannot seem to get myself to do it in the midst of the pain. Prayer welcomed.
and THREE makes us a Family!
Get yo mind out of the gutta!
Okay... title is kind of silly - but by 3 I mean Paul + Charity + Charlie:
Charlie turned 3 almost two weeks ago! Isn't she the cutest:
She truly is part of the family! Paul has had Charlie since she was 6 or 7 weeks old... so she is his baby! And I am just a sucker for those big brown eyes!
And she is quite the cuddler!
Charlie's favorite things to do are: Watching the world go by out the window, chasing balls of any type, chasing squirrels, swimming, sniffing, and of course eating!
Nicknames include (but definitely not limited to): Char-naners, naners, bobos, bobo-see, and Char.
The three of us make a great little family!
Happy Birthday Charlie!
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