The time change is killing me!

Here's what I think the deal is. I flew to the east coast on the Saturday of the time change - early morning flight and a time difference. Then I spent a week there on vacation - not a regular schedule and the time difference plus the days are longer down south. Now I'm back in Montana and recovering from the time difference and the early morning flight - but I wasn't prepared for the time change. Down south on vacation the sun was up and shining by 7 (I know this because the nieces were up by then) and it did seem to be getting dark earlier, but that's to be expected. Here at home, the sun is barely cracking the horizon by 7 and it is pitch-black dark by the time I get off work at 5:30! And the days are just going to get shorter and shorter for another 5 weeks or so. I hope I get used to it soon!

Back from Vacation

Thankfully, we don't need a vacation to recover from our vacation. We're getting some extra sleep to recover from the time change and the time difference and the early flight back, but other than that, we came back relaxed and ready to get back to business. What's the business we have to get back to?

• hunting - we have to stock the freezer for next year, send up a prayer if you will, we've got 2 weeks left
• church - music and AWANA and sermon and planning for Christmas and planning for next year
• pharmacy work - back to work, remembering what I knew before I left and learning more stuff

Also, pray for Phillip as he really was sick on vacation and the doctors are treating him for pneumonian (I actually spelled that right the first time!). Apparently, Aunt Christina also passed on the great car-sickness gene to her beautiful nieces and Anita and Phillip and to suffer through that on the way home. We love you all, and miss those we didn't get to see terribly!

Vacation

Well, I'm currently with almost everyone who reads this blog, but because my brother-in-law is making comments about how often I blog, I'm using his computer to for this post. We're in the "mountains" of North Carolina. I'm surrounded by family I haven't seen forever. My sisters and nieces that I haven't seen in two years, uncle I haven't seen since Michael and I got married and second cousins - well, I didn't know their husbands names or how many kids they had.

We're having a great time hiking around and exploring the lake and making sure my nieces and nephews remember who I am after so long. I should be blogging more later this week. Tomorrow Michael will join us. Love you, babe.

Grilling

This may not seem like the time of year for this blog title, but let me tell you a story. Last Thursday, when the snow storm was approaching, we decided to have friends over for dinner on Friday. When I asked Michael what he wanted to do for dinner - he said he would grill! When I questioned him, he said all he had to do was "step outside the garage door, what's the big deal?"

If you think that's funny, keep listening! I went to work Friday morning and told this "funny" story to my co-workers and their response was a collective blank stare. They thought that there must be more to the story, because what's the big deal about grilling in the snow?

Here's to figuring out how to do everything in the snow :)

SNOW!?!

Yes. It's Saturday late afternoon and the snow started a little less than 48 hours ago. And it's supposed to continue for another 36 hours! This is the earliest snow that I've seen since I've lived up here. There are probably 8-10 inches at our house. In town, probably 6-8. And some of our friends that live on the top of a mountain are having to wade through thigh-high drifts (that's about 2 feet of snow!) Visibility isn't too great, so everything kind of looks like a greyscale picture. I love to watch it snow!

Hope my weather report helps you cool off :)

By the way, if you need some encouragement or are always up for some good Bible reading, read Colossians and focus on all the places that tell us what we've gained in Christ, as individuals and as the church. It's a sweet, sweet time.

Back from Beth

It was such a blessing to be able to attend Beth Moore's Living Proof Live event in Billings this past weekend. Besides all the spiritual stuff I learned, I also learned that she always teaches new material for a new event - she doesn't have a "talk" that gets recycled at every Living Proof Live event. This weekend we got to hear Beth teach on a passage she has never taught on before - it was great. Isaiah 32:1-8 and she made us memorize verse 8: "A noble man makes noble plans and by noble deeds he stands." (and yes, I did actually memorize it and type it from memory) We had seven ladies from our church attend plus 3 others that we brought along with us. I'm praying for God to continue to apply His Word to our lives and to work miracles in us through it.

Michael gave a sort of "State of the Church" address on Sunday. He discounted it as a real sermon, but some people said it was the best one he's ever preached. He shared with the church the vision God has given him for our church - basically glorifying God through evangelism and discipleship. He even gave us some sanctified numbers to reach for. We're not trying to become a mega-church, but our growth does need to have some way to be evaluated. Ready for the numbers? His God-given goal for salvations is 12 in 2009 and 16 in 2010! He said if there were two camps, one of which said "How are we supposed to do that?" and the other of which said "That's all?", he would be in both camps :) He added that he loves kids and wants them to come to know the Lord, but he is burdened for the majority of these salvations to be of unchurched adults from our community! And he's already taken steps personally to adjust his schedule so that he has more time and opportunity to be evangelistic in his life. Intentionally hunting with unbelievers and playing soccer on Sunday nights with unbelievers are two of them.

We ask for your prayers that God would be glorified in our church and in the community. And also that we would be able to withstand Satan's attacks (he is always busy against those who are following the Lord.) Thanks for all your love and support. We love you.

Back in the swing of things

Well, the weather has turned to more cool days than warm ones faster than I thought it would, but I do love seeing snow on the mountains. Michael took Haddie out hunting the other day and is ready for water fowl and big game seasons to open.

Last Saturday we had a block party to kick off AWANA. It was cold and rainy, so attendance wasn't as great as we would have liked, but everyone who came had lots of fun. Our first night of AWANA was good, as well. I am working with Sparkies (K-2) this year with their new material and am excited to spend more time with the kids I had in my Vacation Bible School class.

Beth Moore is in Billings and I'm excited to be taking 8 other ladies from our church this weekend. We are also starting to plan a craft-workshop-outreach-thing to see if it will give us the opportunity to reach some women from Columbus for Christ. Michael is planning a "Bless the Hunt" event for the opening of big game season. He is teaching "Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life" as a men's leadership development Sunday School while my Ladies Sunday School is working it way through "A Woman After God's Own Heart."

I'm looking forward to all that God has in store for us this Fall and hope that you will pray with us as we seek His direction for our family and in our church. We love you.