blog world - - -
our wedding pictures are up.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2299276&id=17022221&l=fa4981d33f
go there to view (:
we are so in love with them.
our photographer did a great job at capturing the day.
enjoy!
julie
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
stirring.
i have been trying to write this blog for over a week now.
but everytime i try...it just doesn't happen. maybe today is different.
you'll never know though. i may highlight and delete everything again.
as you all know from my previous post, sweet little josephine tested positive for HIV. since that post, she's been put on medication and has responded soooo well to them. what a blessing and a joy to hear. she's smile and laughing and seems to be in a lot less pain. her parents put up to videos of her today. though i know that many people enjoy watching them, those videos are extra special to me. for over almost 3 years now, i have known josie, played with josie, loved josie, prayed for josie, pleaded with God to do a good work in her body. the Mayernick's were a direct answer to my prayers. so thankful for them. every morning i wake up and check my blog roll...hoping they updated their blog with good news, pictures or stories. and what do you know! today i got a video. thank you Jesus.
so all that's gone on in the past week has really spurred my heart to prayer and thinking. in addition to all that my head is doing on it's own, my husbands jon foreman cd has been in the car and playing over and over. there is a certain song that i have been drawn to, listening to it over and over and over and over. it's called equally skilled. i was going to post lyrics but here is a link to the song [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0VsJKV6j6c]
it's not the direct message of the song but here is what i have been thinking.
God sets his people in families for a reason.
And when we treat our families without love and respect we take this GIFT for granted.
we almost cheapen the relationship.
[are you following?]
in the middle of the song are these lyrics:
The day of justice comes and is even now swiftly arriving
Don't trust anyone at all not your best friend or even your wife
For the son hates the father the daughter despises even her mother
Look! Your enemies are right, right in the room of your very household
this is what our society has done. we've cheapened the relationship. we've taken out of joy and blessing and trust of so many families and replaced it with hate and dishonesty and jealousy. but ohhhh look at the BEAUTY of what a family can really be. God calls himself Father. paints a pretty good picture of how God views family. it's important to Him. so important.
i am convicted of this when my ugly side comes out towards josh. i don't mean to be ugly but i let lies get in the way of truth and start to give in to my selfishness and stubbornness. it's not what my heart wants. i'm working on it. and lately, i have felt the depth of this truth that God has set me in a family for a reason. there is something special to be learned from it.
and then my mind goes on to this:
as a Believer and one who wants what the Father wants, what do i do about those without a family? what do i do about the fact that there are SO MANY people without a family around the world? there are many causes for a person not being in a true family relationship but my heart has been focusing on orphans. orphans. close to 147 million orphans in the world.
i know it's abrupt but all of a sudden, i don't feel like writing much more.
147 million. God is doing something.
My heart can't stop racing. He's moving.
Something is stirring.
Josh and I are praying.
Love to you all.
but everytime i try...it just doesn't happen. maybe today is different.
you'll never know though. i may highlight and delete everything again.
as you all know from my previous post, sweet little josephine tested positive for HIV. since that post, she's been put on medication and has responded soooo well to them. what a blessing and a joy to hear. she's smile and laughing and seems to be in a lot less pain. her parents put up to videos of her today. though i know that many people enjoy watching them, those videos are extra special to me. for over almost 3 years now, i have known josie, played with josie, loved josie, prayed for josie, pleaded with God to do a good work in her body. the Mayernick's were a direct answer to my prayers. so thankful for them. every morning i wake up and check my blog roll...hoping they updated their blog with good news, pictures or stories. and what do you know! today i got a video. thank you Jesus.
so all that's gone on in the past week has really spurred my heart to prayer and thinking. in addition to all that my head is doing on it's own, my husbands jon foreman cd has been in the car and playing over and over. there is a certain song that i have been drawn to, listening to it over and over and over and over. it's called equally skilled. i was going to post lyrics but here is a link to the song [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0VsJKV6j6c]
it's not the direct message of the song but here is what i have been thinking.
God sets his people in families for a reason.
And when we treat our families without love and respect we take this GIFT for granted.
we almost cheapen the relationship.
[are you following?]
in the middle of the song are these lyrics:
The day of justice comes and is even now swiftly arriving
Don't trust anyone at all not your best friend or even your wife
For the son hates the father the daughter despises even her mother
Look! Your enemies are right, right in the room of your very household
this is what our society has done. we've cheapened the relationship. we've taken out of joy and blessing and trust of so many families and replaced it with hate and dishonesty and jealousy. but ohhhh look at the BEAUTY of what a family can really be. God calls himself Father. paints a pretty good picture of how God views family. it's important to Him. so important.
i am convicted of this when my ugly side comes out towards josh. i don't mean to be ugly but i let lies get in the way of truth and start to give in to my selfishness and stubbornness. it's not what my heart wants. i'm working on it. and lately, i have felt the depth of this truth that God has set me in a family for a reason. there is something special to be learned from it.
and then my mind goes on to this:
as a Believer and one who wants what the Father wants, what do i do about those without a family? what do i do about the fact that there are SO MANY people without a family around the world? there are many causes for a person not being in a true family relationship but my heart has been focusing on orphans. orphans. close to 147 million orphans in the world.
i know it's abrupt but all of a sudden, i don't feel like writing much more.
147 million. God is doing something.
My heart can't stop racing. He's moving.
Something is stirring.
Josh and I are praying.
Love to you all.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
He's always a step ahead.
josephine, the little ugandan girl that i once dreamed of having my daughter and living with me in the States is being adopted by the amazing mayernick family that resides in the nashville, tennessee area.
their first ugandan court date was supposed to be yesterday morning in kampala.
it was pushed back 2 weeks.
they took that sweet little girl in for her medical examination that's needed for the adoption process. i don't even know how to do this because it absolutely breaks my heart to write this but one of the tests performed was an HIV test and it came back positive.
it breaks my heart that her little body has had to fight this for who knows how long now without any help from the amazing medicines out there. it frustrates me that she lacked the medical attention she needed from those that could offer it so easily. i am thankful for the mayernick's that are physically walking this road with josie and for all of those out there that are walking the emotional and spiritual road with them.
i've seen God heal people before my eyes. i don't doubt that God could heal her precious body of such an evil disease. however, even if a complete healing doesn't happen, the presence of God is not made smaller, if anything, it is only enhanced. for where evil is trying to win, God is already there, fighting a bigger battle. may we all trust God to work in her body and be the Conqueror we know he is.
i would give anything to hold josie in my arms right now and kiss her.
but i can't. so i pray.
i sit here and i pray.
i pray for her body.
i pray for the mayernick family.
i pray for the court system in uganda that the adoption process wouldn't be slowed down.
i pray for guidance.
i pray that joy would come each and ever morning for all of those involved.
God, we pray you would show up in all of your mighty Glory.
i don't know what else to write.
hope and sadness and love and peace are overwhelming my heart right now.
God of peace, be near.
Monday, September 7, 2009
quaint on 1st
blog world: we're moving in!
josh and i signed the lease and we have a place!!
it was the blessing that we were waiting for.
[i think the jumping up and down and quietly squealing in the bedroom when the landlord walked into the kitchen is enough to prove my sheer delight in the place we were in]
it's on 1st Street...how quaint.
decent size living room/dining room.
good size bedroom with great closet storage.
hallway closet with deep shelves.
carpets were cleaned yesterday.
cute bathroom. it lacks a bathtub but has a great shower reminiscent of this:
josh and i signed the lease and we have a place!!
it was the blessing that we were waiting for.
[i think the jumping up and down and quietly squealing in the bedroom when the landlord walked into the kitchen is enough to prove my sheer delight in the place we were in]
it's on 1st Street...how quaint.
decent size living room/dining room.
good size bedroom with great closet storage.
hallway closet with deep shelves.
carpets were cleaned yesterday.
cute bathroom. it lacks a bathtub but has a great shower reminiscent of this:
kitchen is the perfect size.
good counter space. new fridge.
stove/oven isn't something to write home about but it works & we're thankful!
the hallway is super short but one of it's corners is perfect for a cute little table.
our own washer and dryer - we don't even have to share.
andddd utilities are included. which is so good because as we all know, canada gets COLD in the winter and with my body and the warmth that's needed to make it comfortable, it's nice we don't have to pay for the gas bill!
oh. and we get to paint anything and everything we want!
jonah, one of joshs friends, is a painter and is helping us out tonight/tomorrow so we can move in on thursday or friday! [give the little place enough time to air out. the way my mind has been lately, the less fumes to influence me, the better (: ]
since most everyone we know lives out of town, we plan on doing a little photo album of our place so that people can see...since they can't visit ): it's better than nothing i suppose.
today i'll go over to the place with some of our stuff and then make what i imagine to be a very long list of things we need. between all of the 'first time groceries' we'll have to buy there is the long list of common household items we'll have to purchase. good thing Josh had 6 hours of overtime last week...? i'm just kidding.
God has provided in crazy ways in our lives. we're learning/training ourselves not to let finances worry us and stress us out. our money is not our own and what we need will be provided. we're also looking and praying for places to give our money. we're huge believers in that what we're given should be redistributed to various needs.
"this is my prayer in the harvest - when favor and providence flow
i know i'm filled to be emptied again - the seed i've received i will sow"
i pray that your heart would be open to the needs that surround you. Lord, help us all not to cling to the things of this world but let us use what we've been given to bless others in their need. it's time for the followers of Jesus to get creative and eager in giving.
i'd love to hear your thoughts on just about...anything.
stay tuned. our life is never boring. [well...sometimes it is.]
good counter space. new fridge.
stove/oven isn't something to write home about but it works & we're thankful!
the hallway is super short but one of it's corners is perfect for a cute little table.
our own washer and dryer - we don't even have to share.
andddd utilities are included. which is so good because as we all know, canada gets COLD in the winter and with my body and the warmth that's needed to make it comfortable, it's nice we don't have to pay for the gas bill!
oh. and we get to paint anything and everything we want!
jonah, one of joshs friends, is a painter and is helping us out tonight/tomorrow so we can move in on thursday or friday! [give the little place enough time to air out. the way my mind has been lately, the less fumes to influence me, the better (: ]
since most everyone we know lives out of town, we plan on doing a little photo album of our place so that people can see...since they can't visit ): it's better than nothing i suppose.
today i'll go over to the place with some of our stuff and then make what i imagine to be a very long list of things we need. between all of the 'first time groceries' we'll have to buy there is the long list of common household items we'll have to purchase. good thing Josh had 6 hours of overtime last week...? i'm just kidding.
God has provided in crazy ways in our lives. we're learning/training ourselves not to let finances worry us and stress us out. our money is not our own and what we need will be provided. we're also looking and praying for places to give our money. we're huge believers in that what we're given should be redistributed to various needs.
"this is my prayer in the harvest - when favor and providence flow
i know i'm filled to be emptied again - the seed i've received i will sow"
i pray that your heart would be open to the needs that surround you. Lord, help us all not to cling to the things of this world but let us use what we've been given to bless others in their need. it's time for the followers of Jesus to get creative and eager in giving.
i'd love to hear your thoughts on just about...anything.
stay tuned. our life is never boring. [well...sometimes it is.]
Friday, September 4, 2009
wish i had plans.
apartment searching has the potential to ruin a persons brain.
seriously. it's like a brain numbing process.
everything looks the same after a while which isn't good.
josh and i are believing that there is a good place out there for us but at times, it's hard to keep up the motivation to KEEP looking. it's pretty sad when you've practically memorized the listings on 3 different sites. oh man.
josh has been working for one week now. he says that the days pass by really quick which is a blessing considering he's working a little bit of overtime each day. however, i think he's pretty pumped for his first paycheck. i'm so proud of him...he really is fantastic. takes such good care of me too.
my favorite part of the day is picking him up after work at the train station. [thank God for public transportation - it helps us a lot in a city like this] he's so cute (:
there's a gym here. it's called SpaLady. [awesome, yes?] it's an all female gym and there are 3 locations in the calgary area. i'm hoping that our cute, awesome, great, fantastic, homey new place is close to one of their gyms. it'd be sweet. their classes look good. however, is SpaLady doesn't work out, there's always the good fallback of GoodLife Fitness.
what is my life coming to?! i'm blogging about the GYM.
cher is on the ellen show.
i wish i was cher.
i kid, i kid.
but really. i'd pay good money to see her show.
i live with 3 cats right now. i have actually come to not mind 2 of them.
if any of you out there know of any cats that do NOT shed, let me know.
maybe i'll invest in one of those!
ok. now for REAL. what is my life coming to?!
i'm saying i'd buy a CAT?!
for those of you that know me pretty well, you'll know how BIG that is
i'll leave you with this very classy picture.
quite typical. my dad golfing. me...who knows.
[ps - you can't tell but my dress is unzipped. let me remind you of how HOT it was that day...heat index was over 105. i needed to uh, excuse me, air out and apparently adjust myself. i am the classiest...]
be well my friends.
seriously. it's like a brain numbing process.
everything looks the same after a while which isn't good.
josh and i are believing that there is a good place out there for us but at times, it's hard to keep up the motivation to KEEP looking. it's pretty sad when you've practically memorized the listings on 3 different sites. oh man.
josh has been working for one week now. he says that the days pass by really quick which is a blessing considering he's working a little bit of overtime each day. however, i think he's pretty pumped for his first paycheck. i'm so proud of him...he really is fantastic. takes such good care of me too.
my favorite part of the day is picking him up after work at the train station. [thank God for public transportation - it helps us a lot in a city like this] he's so cute (:
there's a gym here. it's called SpaLady. [awesome, yes?] it's an all female gym and there are 3 locations in the calgary area. i'm hoping that our cute, awesome, great, fantastic, homey new place is close to one of their gyms. it'd be sweet. their classes look good. however, is SpaLady doesn't work out, there's always the good fallback of GoodLife Fitness.
what is my life coming to?! i'm blogging about the GYM.
cher is on the ellen show.
i wish i was cher.
i kid, i kid.
but really. i'd pay good money to see her show.
i live with 3 cats right now. i have actually come to not mind 2 of them.
if any of you out there know of any cats that do NOT shed, let me know.
maybe i'll invest in one of those!
ok. now for REAL. what is my life coming to?!
i'm saying i'd buy a CAT?!
for those of you that know me pretty well, you'll know how BIG that is
i'll leave you with this very classy picture.
quite typical. my dad golfing. me...who knows.
[ps - you can't tell but my dress is unzipped. let me remind you of how HOT it was that day...heat index was over 105. i needed to uh, excuse me, air out and apparently adjust myself. i am the classiest...]
be well my friends.
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