Right up my ally...

So I just read up on the orphanage I may be serving at in August...It's a medical care orphanage!! Now I really really really want to go :) One floor is dedicated to post-op patients who need care and are waiting for adoption. Two floors are for chronic children who have little chance of being adopted. One floor is for terminal patients. And one floor is where minor surgeries (plastics, cleft or ortho) take place. This care center is only for orphans up to 5 years old. It is in one of the poorest Providences in China where most of the "special needs" orphans end up.

This is the population (medical) I already have a heart for, work with, am comfortable with, and have skills to help. I feel like God is orchestrating this in ways I wasn't even aware of. It is so hard to not get my hopes up. If I am not part of this team, I will know this isn't where God wants me, but I really want this adventure.

Please pray for these kids and the people that are take care of them daily!

Not gonna lie...it feels pretty good to get back into my proms dress. Just a few pics to show the difference 20 pounds can make.

A is for...

ASIA!!

China to be specific. This is the change I have been longing for. The people, more specifically, the orphans in China have pulled on my heart strings for as long as I can remember. And within the last year, God has put the word "GO" on my heart as well. I applied last night to go with Show Hope missions to Luoyang, China, August 1-15. I would work with a team doing service projects at Maria's Big House of Hope, an orphanage started by Steven Curtis Chapman and his family, as well as spending time showing love and hope to the children there. I ask for your prayers as God may or may not continue to lead me toward this trip. I'm excited for the opportunity!

And I am so thankful for a supportive and selfless husband, who has encouraged me to start this adventure. Love you, baby.

No More Countdowns

It has been almost a year and a half that I have been a wife. It seems a lot longer than that...in a good way.

I watched the video of my wedding tonight, which I received for my birthday. It was pretty cool. Besides noticing all of the "minor" details that didn't pan out or I would have changed, it was pretty special to watch the day I gave my heart fully to Nate. The music was awesome, flowers were beautiful, but what I remembered was knowing I had arrived at the day which required so much preparation. So many countdowns.

Being a year and a half into marriage, I can truly appreciate the effort Nate and I spent preparing not just for our wedding, but for our marriage. While 99.9% of our marriage has been wonderful, there have been tough days. Days when it is a choice to love. By no means have I mastered this, but I am learning that coming out of the hard days truly makes a marriage stronger. And seems to bring on many more "easy" days.

While there aren't any more countdowns, preparation doesn't have to end for a marriage based on the Love of a Mighty Savior. It's a good life.

Saving Money?

So, is there some trick to using coupons? It sounds like a no-brainer. Clip, or print out, small pieces of paper for items you buy anyway and save 55 cents. Easy, right? No.

Not only does it cause me to question everything I buy (Do I really need that milk? I don't have a coupon for it...or, Yes, I do need those 4 boxes of Cereal that I won't eat.) And even if, by chance, I have a coupon with me for something I am buying, I won't remember to hand it to the lovely lady checking me out, and ripping me off. Which further discourages me from clipping coupons because, hey, I'm not going to remember it anyway.

I would love to be one of those thrifty, tricky wives who spends 4o bucks on week of groceries.

Why did God create us to eat?