Boris the Bear

Ethan loves his bear. Jason and I took it upon ourselves to name him Boris. We know another bear by the name of Boris who belongs to the Muntaneu family. They are Romanian and have funny names for several of their children's toys. Ethan loves his Boris.

We were very fortunate to become such good friends with Daniela and Stelu when their daughter was just a baby. We saw them go from a family of  2 to a family of 3 and change so much.

They lived in an efficiency apartment when we first met them. They invited us over and we walked in and saw- a bed, a huge desk, a pack n play, a tiny kitchen with a tiny dining room table and one bookshelf. I thought- where are we going to sit? I learned very quickly that these people were the real deal. We had the best time that night. When it was time for Lavinnia (their daughter) to go to bed- they put her down and turned out  the light. We sat in the dark for a good 5 minutes in silence. When she was asleep the light came on and we continued our evening. We sang and talked and laughed. It was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Daniela would have me over for dinner each Thursday and we would go to a Bible Study together. Jason and Stelu would play ping pong or video games for hours. Daniela and I would cook together or get coffee and talk. It's a rare thing to find a couple that both Jason and I are such good friends with.

I miss them and would love to have them close. Daniela would be able to offer me so much wisdom and compassion with new motherhood. She is a wonderful mom and I use her life as a measuring stick for mine often. If she can do it, I can do it. It keeps me going sometimes.

Daniela and 2 of her kids- Adiel and Elyse.

 Lavinnia and her Princess Esther dress she made with her mommy.

Stelu and Danutzza

Love them. So, we have Boris as a daily reminder of some of our best friends ever. 

Getting Ready with Prayer

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please Him (God), for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek him.

What a truth. I am holding onto that truth right now.

So, any day could be the day that I go into labor. Apparently, bringing the worst pain I have experienced in my life. I need to pray a lot right now. I need strength and encouragement from my Heavenly Father to make it through.

Last night, we had our community group (our small group with our church). We split up guys and girls for the second half and share our prayer requests. Then, we  pray for each other. Last night, instead of praying for everyone, they all wanted to pray for me specifically. How humbling that these women would want to pray for me and what is coming this week! I was and am so encouraged. Hearing their prayers was like hearing the heart of God. They were praying things for me that I had not even thought about. It was really sweet. I hope that God will reward our seeking of Him together last night!

I also wanted to post a few pictures from the surprise shower that these same women threw for me a few weeks ago. I was beyond shocked. They got me good. :)

Some of God's Greatest Gifts are Unanswered Prayers

The title may lead you a little astray, but I have been thinking about so many of my prayers that have been boldy and blatantly answered by God lately. I thought I would share. My heart is overwhelmed with how much God really cares for my every need....

4 people have inquired about taking my long term sub position- 3 of which I know personally and would be fabulous

I'm pregnant!

Very specific situations at work have been made better and more glorifying to God

Jason is a deacon of finance (one of his dreams)

My good friend Dana is pregnant and due soon ( we had been praying for a long time for pregnancy together)

Some family members are being drawn closer to Christ in the most unexpected ways

Our friends who have been missionaries in the 10/40 window were able to come back to the states and find a job working with the same nationality of people in America while they persue a degree that would help them to go back and do a better job - and God is providing for their every need

There are still a lot of prayers that I have. These are just a few that have been constant in my life for the last year or two that have been answered. I am so encouraged. I know that some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers because they stretch me to wrestle with - why am I asking? Is this what God would want? What is God calling me to do in this? What does scripture say about this? And they force me to rely on my Savior for things- that I know are only possible with Him.

Jude 24-25
 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

A Whole (Foods) New World

I had never been to Whole Foods before Monday. It was out of pure intimidation. People seem to have strong opinions about this grocery store-- it's too expensive, they have the absolute best produce, everything is organic and natural, etc. Jason and I are very money conscious. We clip coupons, shop the sales, and shop at Food Lion. We try to keep our grocery bill down.

But Monday was different. I had a gift card. A student gave me a $25 gift card to Whole Foods. He is one of my favorite students and the gift his family gave me at the end of the year was like a ticket to take an adventure to this mysterious place ---- Whole Foods.

So, I enlisted the help of my friend Lauren. I knew she had been there before and even makes her own salad dressing with balsamic vinegar and olive oil she purchased from Whole Foods. I knew she would be the perfect guide to take me through the store for the first time.

And, boy did I need it. There was an entire aisle of granola. Not the boxed kind, but the kind you buy in bulk. And you are allowed to sample it without paying for it. You can make your own peanut butter. And they have a cheese bar. There must have been 50 different kinds of cheeses. Lauren introduced me to the meat section. We bought a prepackaged parmesean chicken that the meat men at Whole Foods had prepared. I thought it was 2 pieces side by side in the package, but it was 2 pieces on top of each other in the package. It was a huge portion. Then came the bakery. I could put on some pounds if I shopped there every week. They had fruit tarts and cheesecakes. It was a far cry from the sheet cakes I usually see at my local Food Lion.

I purchased:
2 lbs red potatoes
1 pkg blackberries
1 watermelon
2 ears of corn
1 pkg of parmesean chicken
balsamic vinegar
4 izze grapefruit sodas
1 french baguete
1 very large container of spring mix salad

For a grand total of $35. I ended up paying $10 of my own money.I think that is a good price for all of the things that I ended up buying. I don't think I could shop there each week for the same amount of money I spend at Food Lion. But, I think I will go back for special things. Mabye one of those fruit tarts....