So many things...

I'm terrible at keeping up with this.  My life has been a blur of random hecticness (I'm pretty sure that's not a word).  So, I have some quick snaps of what we've been up to lately and I'm hoping to elaborate on some of them soon!

First, we had puppies.  Actually, our beautiful Miniature Australian Shepherd had puppies...and they're muts.
This is mom with some little pups:

This is a super cute close up of one them at around 2 weeks: Notice that it looks pretty much nothing like mom.

So, needless to say, puppies have taken up some of out time an energy.  Revival came and went.  We took the youth on a scavenger hunt at the zoo.  I have some great pictures of that, and I feel that it is worthy of a post all it's own, but, here's a group picture:

If you'll notice, we all had jackets and some even hoods on.  This is because the day we had planned to go was the coldest day of spring break.  Perfect, right?

Sadly, another thing has monopolized our time recently is Lost.  Ty and I have foregone cable.  In it's place, we have sponsored this little beauty through Holt International:

Her name is Iam, she's 6 years old and in an orphanage in the Phillipines. I greatly encourage you, if you have $30 a month, to sponsor a child.  It has changed our lives and the way we care about less fortunate people.  If you don't have the money to sponsor, spend some time praying for all of the children in orphanages around the world that need a good home!

But, the reason I'm telling you this is because of our infatuation with Lost.  Like I said, we don't have cable, so, we watch Netflix instantly through our wii.  This results in getting hooked on complete seasons of shows to the point where it isn't unheard of for us to watch a season in the matter of a few weeks.  Please don't judge me.  SO, when we get back from our busy weekends at church retreats (for Ty) and Biology conventions (for me, of course), I'm hoping to share some things that have gone on in our lives lately!

Randomness

My husband and I do the financial freedom plan by Dave Ramsey.  Actually, we use his common sense principles - but I refuse to pay the money for the books, dvd's, etc.  Anyways the reason I was saying this is because I was day dreaming today about what I would do with the extra money we will have each month when we finally get completely out of debt, and, one of the first things I thought was - I can start cooking with real butter again!  Yeah...I am that cool and like to live life on the edge.

Maybe I should rename the blog

Let me preface this by saying I have all kinds of ministry related things I could blog about right now, but this is what is on my mind so this is what is being written.
I woke up this morning feeling sad about not having kids/ quite possibly not ever having biological children.   This then brings about the thoughts of where in the world will we come up with the $30,000+ to adopt  a child?  People try to tell you to be patient, but what I've learned are the people that say that have never had a hard time getting pregnant.  It's hard to be patient.  So, what I decided to do this morning was to stop moping, (another skill I've learned since all of this started a few years ago) get up and enjoy the quiet house that will cease when/if we have children.
As I was getting my coffee, I looked up at the cabinet door that I keep my spices in and read the verse I have taped on it.  (I tape Bible verses that we are wanting to memorize in various places in my house and switch them out from time to time, sometimes I succeed in memorizing them, sometimes they just serve as encouragement - I highly recommend it!)  The verse I looked at this morning was Isaiah 55:8-9  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." God's plan for my life is so much bigger/better than I can comprehend.  He knows what he's doing!  Even though all I can think about right now is how I want to have children and stay at home to take care of them and help my husband at the church; God sees the entirety of my life in one glance and knows what is best for me and what I can handle.
In January, as I was looking back on the seemingly tough year we had had in one aspect, I realized the immense amount of blessings God has given us and will continue to give us - children or not!
Jesus in John 16:33 "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world."