Along THE WAY

Work

2012-02-15T07:00:00.004-06:00

Fairbanks Memorial Hospital

So, I am in my second week of work. First week was basically just hospital and nursing orientation, which just means lots of sitting in a room listening to other people talk. I do have to say that they did a great job with orientation. Way better then the orientation I received at MedWest. So, this week I am getting oriented on my unit and so far so good. There is a lot of classes I still have to take to get certified to do some of the procedures they do and also to moderately sedate people for those procedures. The four departments within our unit is wound care, iv infusions/iv team (PICC lines), pain center, and endoscopy/small procedures. I am excited for the challenge and look forward to learning a lot here. I am also excited about how well they seem to treat and respect their nurses here.

Happy Valentines Day

2012-02-14T07:00:00.006-06:00

Valentines Day this year will have to be a family affair. When you don't know anyone, its probably not a good idea to leave your son with some stranger. If I'm being totally honest I don't think we have ever really done Valentines Day....GASP! I think Zac might have gotten me flowers and a card the very first year, but I would much rather him do something like that on a completely random day of the year then a forced holiday for love (did I type that out loud?). To me it just means a lot more when it is totally unexpected, because then I know he was thinking about me other then when people told him he had to be thinking of me. So, we will just spend time loving on Avery, enjoy the time as a family, and reflecting on what true love really looks like...."Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perserves." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

The Weekend

2012-02-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

So thankful for Saturdays and good weather! Zac and Avery had been in the apartment all week. Zac is without a vehicle right now and they were really READY to get out of there. Outings never last long with little ones, but it was still worth the effort just to get out and see a little of Fairbanks and get some fresh air. We went to a place called Value Village to look for Avery a new pair of kicks now that he is walking. People at church always got on to me for bringing him with no shoes on...but the boy couldn't even walk :) Now I have no excuse! Not to mention Fairbanks is a little cold to just have socks on. Value Village is just a huge consignment store, which I thought was appropriate since Avery may fit into these shoes for what, a month?

After the consignment store...which was a flop on the shoe side (not many shoes out there for a walking 9 month old!) but a sucess on the book side (like we needed any), we decided to go eat at a place called Gallos. Gallos is a Mexican resturant, which looked mexican inside but did not taste anything like the mexican we have back home. We kinda expected that though when almost every employee was from another country other then mexico ;) It wasn't bad, just not what we expected. Probably will check out other Mexican resturants next time we have the craving.

Sunday Avery was up again at 4:30....little booger...so we all had a nap around 7 before church started at 10:30. We visited First Assembly of God here in Fairbanks, and Avery stayed in the nursery the whole time (we were so proud of him!), which allowed Zac and I to get a better feel of the church. We will probably visit there again.

Mr. Mom

2012-02-11T07:00:00.005-06:00

"Do you see, do you see what I have to put up with?"

It is so different being the "working" parent. I had real reservations about if I could do this, and honestly if Zac could do this...Mr. Mom that is (he hates when I say that). I am so blessed to have a loving, supporting husband, who really is an incredible dad and I should never have doubted his ability to stay home and provide for Avery. It really is quite a blessing, and amazing time for them to spend together. I laugh every time I come home because the house is a complete wreck, but I always know they have had a good time. Today for instance you couldn't even walk on the floor there were so many toys out. Zac said Avery got bored so even new toys we were saving for later found their way out of the package today. Good thing for me I am not OCD about being neat, not even a little. My mom can vouch for that...right mom!?! My floor used to be covered in clothes and I would sleep with my bed piled high on one side with stuff, didn't bother me (did I just admit that!) :) Thank goodness Zac IS a little OCD (just a little or else he couldn't handle the mess) and he cleans up the destruction at the end of the day.

I knew six years ago that God was calling me to be a nurse and having this opportunity to minister in the calling He has placed on my life, in Alaska, is just an incredible gift. Some ask if I will regret not staying home with Avery, and I admit it plays in the back of my mind, but I know that this is where God has us at this time and for this season and I can rest in that (and with Avery getting up at 3:30 every morning I have LOTS of time I get to spend with him (:). And, I rest in knowing that the the godly husband that I married is training Avery up in righteousness and truth, and teaching him what a man of god looks like. I'll tell you, there is nothing better then knowing that my son has that godly influence in his life at such a young age. Kids see so much hurt and sin at such a young age these days and many lack that godly influence in their lives, so that sin becomes common place to them and they grow up thinking its ok. I want Avery to know the difference, and it is my prayer that he lead a pure life, and follows hard after God.

I can't wait to see what is in store for us as we listen to and let God continue to lead us in this amazing adventure

2012-02-10T07:00:00.002-06:00

"Whatchu talkin about Willis?"

My sweet sweet handsome little boy who does not like to ride in the car or sleep late in the mornings. So far here in Alaska we have been getting up around 3:30 every morning because of Avery's internal clock...geez Avery lets get with the program. A few days this week he has let us sleep until 5...so generous of him don't you think!?! The boy is sleeping in a closet sooo I can kinda see why he doesn't want to stay in there for very long. I remember when we were little and my parents put my little brother in the closet on vacation. He became the laughing stock of the family (jk JJ) and to this day we always crack on him for sleeping in the closet. AND now I have my son in a closet....AND we're not even on vacation! I am teaching him to live below his means, as in no large nursery with plush toys decorated all around and a soothing glider in the corner...thats good don't you think? You will find him living in one of those Ecohouses that are about 250 square feet when he is older and he will think it is the norm.

I can't wait to take Avery to the Ice Festival in a few weeks! They have already started carving scluptures in front of a lot of stores. The hospital I work at has one at every entrance. These are no small sculptures people! I hope to get a few pictures this weekend, they are so cool!

Trying to get adjusted

2012-02-09T07:00:00.005-06:00

Trying to get adjusted here in Fairbanks has been quite a challenge so far. When we arrived it dipped to 50 degrees below zero and stayed there for a couple of days. Going out was difficult and quite dangerous for us new alaskan drivers. Not to mention Avery HATED getting suited up to go outside...i mean HATED. Not only did he hate the suiting up part but he HATED being shoved into his car seat in a big fluffy marshmellow suit (I kinda would too, I don't blame him). So, needless to say, for the first week we did not venture out much unless we had too. This was one of the coldest winters Fairbanks on record in quite some time.

This week it has warmed up above zero every day. On Sunday we went to try out a church in North Pole, only Avery didn't cooperate (once again it really wasn't his fault). The service didn't start til 11:15 which meant Avery was already 15 mins late for his nap. You mamas out there all know what that means. We kept him in the service until about 12 and then took him to the nursery. Zac left him playing with some blocks and he was fine, but about 15 mins later our number flashes up on the screen in service...uh oh. He apparently is in the stage that he realizes when we are gone now and he hadn't stopped crying since realizing that. When Zac arrived he stopped crying and just sat there, so Zac tried to leave and the crying resumed. Much to his defense every single face was new and Zac and I are the only two stable people he has had for the past couple weeks...poor guy.

Yesterday it was 80 degrees warmer then when we arrived, a woping 30 degrees, IT WAS STILL COLD though. Good thing I like cold. Oh, and it being beautiful here helps a bit too :)

The masked bandit

2012-02-08T07:00:00.000-06:00

When we arrived in Fairbanks it was 35 below zero and around 2:30 in the afternoon. This meant we only had about 1 1/2 hours of daylight left in the day. Our plan was to get the trailer unloaded before it got dark. When we arrived at our apartment, we were shocked to find it reaked of smoke. I called the housing director who quickly told me it was a non smoking building. We found out it was coming in through the vent in the bathroom, so someone upstairs was smoking in their apartment. We told them we would not stay in a smoky apartment and could they please find us another place. So, for the evening they sent us over to a place called Wedgewood Resort which was across town. Since this was supposed to be temporary we did not unload the trailer. The next day the temp dropped to -50 and the ice fog was so bad you could not see one car length in front of you. If it wasn't for GPS we would have been lost 1 mile from the apartment. On monday, they still hadn't come up with a good solution for us, so they told us to just stay here for the duration of our temporary housing agreement. We were a little concerned at first 1) This was a one bedroom and we really wanted 2 bedrooms 2) It was across town and the other apartment we were supposed to stay in was right by the hospital. I had planned to walk across the street to work so Zac could have the car (we sold his truck, PTL) 3) This place was WAY more expensive and we were concerned we were going to have to pay more (This place also doubles in price after May 16th...wowzers). So, since their really wasn't any other options...we are staying here. It is a nice place, and we are making the one bedroom work for us. It does have a walk in closet, so guess where Avery is??? Yep in the closet. And so far, the hospital is not asking us to cover the difference. When we finally unloaded the uhaul it was probably 35 below outside. When you first step outside it doesn't seem so bad, but boy when you are out there for more then 5 mins you REALLY start to notice it. Zac did most of the unloading outside (about 15mins in he said he couldn't feel his fingers, even with gloves on). He would set the boxes inside the door and I would take them down the hall to the apartment (we are a good team (:). He wore the mask to protect his face, only problem was his glasses iced over instantly and he couldn't see a thing! Poor guy, we gotta get him some de-icer for those things.

Parks Highway

2012-02-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

On Jan 26th we drove to Wasilla, Alaska which is only about 40 miles outside of Anchorage. Zac was a little hesitant to continue on to Fairbanks due to the time of day and we were both concerned about the temp. Even though we had rented a satellite phone for the trip we were still uneasy about traveling when the temp was scheduled to be -30 with wind chills -55. We had never experienced these kind of temps so to say we were anxious is an understatement. When we got up the next morning I was just ready to get there and convinced Zac that we should just go ahead and go for it...in the back of my mind I was thinking...WHAT are you crazy :) But we did, we went for it. When we headed out it was -9 and dropping fast. About ten minutes into the trip it was -15 and we had already seen 7 moose (unfortunately I did not get a single picture). The lowest we saw it get during the trip according to our car was -35. My feet which were by the door were ice about 1 hour in, even in the car. The windows of the car also iced over from the inside from our breath. We are so thankful God got us to Fairbanks safely and with no flat tires! Oh and our moose count by the end of the trip was TEN!

Whittier, AK

2012-02-06T07:10:00.001-06:00

When we ported in Whittier, Alaska I have to admit I was a bit scared. It was about 10 degress out, the wind was blowing about 40-50 mph (so it felt a lot colder), and it was a complete white out. It was like we were stepping out into a whole new world. There is only one road out of the port and it led right to a tunnel in the mountain. The tunnel is only one lane and is about 5 miles long so you have to wait about 30mins if you miss the light. As we were sitting at the light waiting to go through the tunnel we watched a man walking outside wearing what you think you would see in Antartica (Big full coat with fur hood). He was barely able to walk because of the wind blowing so hard and I really started to wonder what we got ourselves into. It was a real wake up call to the adventure that was ahead. Needless to say I started praying really hard that we didn't have an accident or get a flat tire on our way to Anchorage :) It was about 50 miles to Anchorage and the roads were covered in snow. We made it in good time though and felt a huge sigh of relief once we arrived. We had the car winterized in Anchorage so we stayed the night in the Sheraton...big change from the ferry!

Most of these pictures were taken through the window of a car

Fixing to into the tunnel

Whittier

Snow everywhere

Pulling out of the ferry

Pure Alaskan beauty

2012-02-04T18:39:00.002-06:00

Shortly after pulling out of Yakutat we came up on some extraordinary mountain views. Once again pictures just don't capture the majesty of these mountains. I stood outside on deck and was just in awe of what God has created. Later that afternoon we encountered a snowstorm and you could not see a thing. Zac attempted to go out on deck and about got blown away the wind was wipping so hard. It was so weird being on a boat and in a snowstorm. I guess I just always associated boats with sunny warm weather :)

Yakutat, AK

2012-02-04T07:02:00.002-06:00

We ported in Yakutat, AK early on the 24th. The setting was really beautiful. We did not get off the boat but enjoyed the view from on deck. From the reports of other passengers there was a general store in town and that was about it. I believe Yakutat is about as big as Rhode Island but only has around 200 families living there. We had fun taking some pics on deck but had to be super careful because it was so icy.

Juneau and the Kennecott

2012-02-03T07:59:00.001-06:00

We ported in Juneau, Alaska on Monday the 23rd and disembarked from the Matanuska at 9am. We weren't scheduled to leave Juneau until 4pm so we had plenty of time to explore. It is so hard to describe how beautiful everything is, pictures just don't seem to do it justice. About an hour or so after heading into town it started dumping the snow and we did NOT want to get stuck and miss the ferry, so we took a short loop around town and headed back to the ferry station. You can see from one of the pictures it was a complete whiteout at one point. Zac was in heaven. The Kennecott was a much bigger and newer vessel but the rooms were much smaller. When we checked into our luxurious half room we realized it was going to be a tight squeeze. We could barely fit Avery's pack in play in the room. It was touching the wall and the bed, which only left about 2 feet of floor space in the whole room...yikes. We went to the Purser's counter and explained the situation, and the lady told us it would be around 100 dollars to upgrade to a bigger room. We had already spent so much money already that I told Zac we would just deal with it and the lady graciously said "well you know what, we aren't full so I will just upgrade you for free." Praise the Lord!

Ketchikan, Alaska

2012-02-02T07:45:00.004-06:00

I was born in Ketchikan, Alaska so it was really special that the ferry stopped there for a few hours and we were able to get off and walk into town. You know growing up I thought it was neat to tell people that I was born in Alaska, but then they would ask me how I liked it, and I would have to tell them I couldn't remember Alaska at all since I was so little when we left. Now moving back, people here ask me where we moved from and I tell them North Carolina and then add "but I was born in Ketchikan", it's almost like you instantly earn a little more respect with them :) thanks mom and dad

Here are a few pics of Ketchikan!

The Coast of Alaska

2012-02-01T07:30:00.001-06:00

What a great experience, I can't begin to explain how much I enjoyed this trip. The sense of adventure, the beauty, and the joy of knowing we are in God's perfect will. This trip was worth all the headache, worrying, and stress of moving :) It was so beautiful, we had such an amazing time and Avery was such a trooper.

Ferrying

2012-01-31T07:19:00.004-06:00

Riding the ferry was so much fun and after getting adjusted the first night, Avery slept the best he has ever slept in his life! I guess it was the rocking and vibration of the boat. The second night our room heated up to almost 90 degrees and they couldn't get it to cool off so they put us into a different room, which was much bigger, AND they didn't charge us! God works all things for our good :) We are super blessed!

These pictures were taken on the first day of our voyage

Boarding the Matanuska

2012-01-30T08:38:00.000-06:00

We boarded the Matanuska on Friday Jan 20th. We were all very glad to have made it safely on board. It was a long friday. We left Seattle around 8:30am and reached Bellingham around 10:30am. We were not scheduled to leave until 6pm but our car had to be in line for the ferry by 3pm. We had no where else to go so we hung out at Fred Meyer for a while, ate lunch and then went to check in for the ferry. We ended up being in line from 1:30 until a little after 4pm when we finally were able to pull aboard. We unloaded our things, took a tour of the ferry and then went straight to bed!

Jam Packed

2012-01-29T07:00:00.002-06:00

The faithful driver (at least he had leg room!)

Don't know if you can tell but thats my lap...covered in stuff

I can barely see Avery!

Yikes!

Uncle Todd making sure Avery is not squishedMy viewAre we there yet???Get me out of here!Not another inch of spaceAs you can tell...no leg roomI must be a contorsionist

Travels in the Lower 48

2012-01-28T08:36:00.007-06:00

Seattle, WA

On friday Jan 12th Zac and his brother Todd headed out of Franklin, NC on their trek across the lower 48. By late monday night (the 15th) they had made it to their destination of Seattle, WA. It's a good thing they drive so fast. Shortly after they arrived a huge snowstorm hit the west. Avery and I flew into Seattle on Thursday the 19th around 11:15am (8:15am eastern time) and not long after they closed the airport due to snow and ice. Todd was scheduled to fly back to Charlotte the next morning but they had already canceled his flight. He had to hang out in Seattle until the 21st. Zac and I were watching the weather and the news and all reports were saying roads were closed, power lines down and ice everywhere. We weren't sure if we would make it to Bellingham in time for the ferry so we decided to head out super early and take our chances on the roads. Turns out there was no need to worry! The main highways were clear and we made it with plenty of time to spare.

A few pictures Zac and Todd took along the way

We made it...well almost

2012-01-26T18:57:00.002-06:00

Just a quick update...We made it safely to Alaska. We are currently in Wasilla, Alaska. We will probably be staying the next few nights here in Wasilla until it warms up a bit in Fairbanks. Zac does not want to be unloading the trailer when it is 40 below. We had an absolutely amazing trip! Alaska is BEAUTIFUL can't wait to share!

Half way there

2012-01-19T19:02:00.004-06:00

Quick update...wish I had some pics of the flight but alas the camara got packed (gonna have to dig it out when we get on the ferry)

We are all now safely in Seattle. The only problem is...are we going to make it out of Seattle on time? Avery and I flew in to Seattle around 11:15 today but due to the snow and ice had to sit on the plane for a while because there were so many delays, and canceled flights. The gates were just full and help was short due to the weather. The shuttle bus from the hotel Zac and Todd are staying at had to come pick us up because the Rav is socked in with snow. Zac just spent an hour outside scraping snow and ice off of the car in hopes that temperatures will warm up enough tomorrow for us to make our destination...Bellingham. Shortly after I arrived many flights in and out of Seattle were canceled. Shew, made it just in time. We are continuing to pray for favor, protection, and that the Lord go before us and prepare the way making every crooked path straight!

We got this!

2012-01-18T06:29:00.008-06:00

"You will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is stayed on You" Isaiah 26:3

Mighty Man of Valor

So, Avery and I are supposed to fly into Seattle tomorrow around 10:30am. Currently it is snowing in Seattle and they are predicted to get around 12 inches (according to Zac, aka the weatherman). Alaska Airlines has already canceled 38 flights in and out of Seattle...yikes. Zac has also been concerned about the trip from Anchorage to Fairbanks due to ice and snow. It is around 350 miles from Anchorage to Fairbanks which would normally take around 6-7 hours but with the road conditions we are predicteding it will take around 12-13 if we were going 40 miles an hour. My Dad is concerned about gas stations along the way, lodging if we weren't able to make it, and the possibility of us getting stranded with the snowy conditions. Sooo many things to consider. With the temperatures being WELL below zero we have to be prepared with extra blankets in the car, food, gas, flash lights, clothing, extra tires (in case one blows) and so many other things. Needless to say that makes one a little anxious

I'm not scared mom, I got this!

"Do not be anxious about anything but in everything with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make your requests known to God, and the peace of God which surpassess all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus" Phil 4:6-7

Arise!

2012-01-17T06:39:00.002-06:00

Wake up sleeping church, wake up body of Christ, wake up you who claim to be followers of Me! Have you not heard the words I have spoken, have you not listened with your heart and comprehended that which I have already laid before you? The message I give is not new, only hidden by your sin, by your unwillingness to repent and turn from that which is keeping you from Me. I have loved you with an everlasting love and I will not relent, I will not give up on you. Return to Me, be refreshed by the waters of My spirit. Let go of the things that have held you in the spirit of prayer, the things that have shackled you and kept you from crying out to Me. I am not shocked by your confessions, cry out to Me, release those things that have hindered the move of God in your life. I desire to draw close, it is you that is hiding yourself from Me, I am not hidden. I long to reveal Myself, open up your ears, open up your eyes that you might see that I am He that is jealous for you.

Ephesians 5: 1-14

"Walk in Love 1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know,[a] that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
Walk in Light 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit[b]is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says: “ Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”

A quick update and some encouragement

2012-01-15T18:50:00.003-06:00

So, just when we thought we were doing good to get rid of 3/4 of our belongings, we quickly found out when we started actually packing that tiny 5x8 foot trailer that things were just not going to fit (even after all my "purging"). That was a very stressful day and I hope that day does not come around again for a very long time. I mean there's not much more we can get rid of :) Seeing the car pull out with all of our stuff was kinda surreal. I mean there is NO going back now (not that I want to, I know this is where the Lord wants us). Zac has already made it almost out of Wyoming and will probably be in Seattle a few days early which is certainly better than a few days late. Avery and I have been enjoying some quality time with Nana and Ranger and will certainly be sad to see Thursday come. However I am super encouraged. Last Wednesday night a lady from church received a word from the Lord for me. Zac and I had slipped out a little early because of Avery so she wrote it down and gave it to my mother. I finally was able to read it on Thursday evening and it was like water to my soul. Thursday was the day we spent packing the trailer and getting everything out of the house. It was not a fun day and I was drained, tired and quite frankly discouraged. This was what the letter said "My beautiful daughter, I have opened up a door for you that no man can close. In a place where there is physical darkness, My light will break forth as the dawn within you as you begin this new job. You will bring bright light into a place where there was once light, but out of fear, that light has been hidden under a basket. The light I have put in you will dispel those fears and the light of many will break forth. Your obedience to this call will bring about favor and promotion in your job." I couldn't help but cry and thank the Lord for His grace and mercy. I am so thankful for those who are willing and obedient to speak what the Lord has put on their hearts, what a blessing.

Purging

2012-01-11T07:10:00.004-06:00

Even after getting rid of half of our belongings, we are finding that we STILL have a lot of stuff. You would think after moving 6 times (more then that if you count moving into and out of storage buildings and in with my parents) that we would be down to the bare essentials. Because of the situation, I found myself getting rid of things we need, example: our bed, and keeping things like a box of gift bags and wrapping paper or 8 jars of pasta sauce that I got for free (who thinks 8 jars of sauce will remain intact across 4,100 miles? ). I actually laughed out loud when I was packing it at the shear craziness. In all actuality those boxes probably won't even make it in the trailer because now that we have everything (well almost everything) packed and stacked in the living room we realize that we are going to have to purge just a little bit more. Like the 4 boxes of books that weigh about 60lbs each (for some reason it is just really hard to get rid of good books even when you haven't picked then up in 10 years). So, the things we "think" we just can't live without are really just things that will soon be forgotten when not in our presence. This has really been an eye opener of how attached we can become to our things.

Alaska Part V: The icing on the cake

2012-01-08T12:12:00.000-06:00

OHHHH you are not going to believe this...it is just the icing on the cake or as Zac says the "cheese on the cake" (yeah he's a little strange (: ).

This is the quick version and I hope it makes some sense and I didn't butcher it to much since it is coming second hand. Zac said he "had to much to do" and didn't have time to sit down and write it out. So here goes...

Well, on saturday Zac's family came up to take back some of our things that we know will not fit in our small 5x8 foot trailer. They decided to stay at the Hampton Inn (it's not that we don't have any hospitality, we just don't have any FURNITURE). Anyways after Zac had dropped his family back off at the hotel and was leaving to come back home to get me for dinner...guess what he spotted...YEP a vehicle with ALASKA tags. He wasn't letting them get away this time ;) the lady was climbing in the vehicle when Zac yells "Hey! Are you from Alaska". Turns out it was a grandmother, mother, and daughter. As Zac was talking to them he told them we were moving up there next week and they asked what part. When Zac told them Fairbanks, the daughter said that was where her fiance lived. Turns out the lady Zac was talking to used to live in Fairbanks and had tons of connections up there still. She asked Zac what was taking him up there and he said "It's a long story", she said "Is it the Lord?" Zac just kinda laughed and said "Well yeah as a matter of fact it is". She said "I think this is God". She asked if we knew a couple named Don and Sherri Dodd who live up there and it happened to be the pastors of the one church we visited while we were there. Not only that but she asked if we knew a lady who is actually on the board with Zac at church...small world or big God???

Alaska Part IV: The real McCoy

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

If you missed the last few posts you might want to catch up with Intro to Alaska, Alaska Part II, and Alaska Part III. Gosh, you would think after ALL that confirmation that we would be solid in our decision, no turning back, no second guessing. But that wasn't the case. When in the situation it is so hard to grasp what God is doing. Do we trust ourselves to make the right decision, or for that matter, do we trust God to lead us down the right path? The question of moving to Alaska was settled, but we kept tripping over the how/when/where/why. How were we going to get there, when would we leave, where would we go, why are we even going? Now, looking back and reading over our journal at all God did to bring peace and confirmation it seems crazy that we ever doubted. Even still I have moments of fear, moments of thinking we are crazy (which we are), moments where I think all this was just a fluke. And then peace floods in and I remember who I serve, a God who promises to never leave us or forsake us, a God who says He has a future and a hope for my family, a God who says call to Me and I will answer and show you great and mighty things.

SO, after applying for the job at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, we waited...and waited...and waited (ok it was probably only about 3 weeks but it felt like an eternity). Let me tell you waiting is NOT easy. I can't remember the exact date but Zac and I were traveling to Shelby to see his family. We were a little frustrated and discouraged and we started talking about Alaska and saying how we just wish we knew what we were supposed to do. I would say about 5 mins later my phone rang. "It's ALASKA" I said to Zac. That phone call led to a trip to Fairbanks, Alaska completely paid for by the hospital. The Lord let us "spy out the land" before making our decision to move. What a huge weight off of our shoulders to be able to visit Fairbanks before we made our decision to move (where was our faith?). Not only that but there is no way we could have afforded to go on our own, so having the hospital cover the cost was a tremendous blessing.

We arrived in Fairbanks on friday Dec 2nd and left tues Dec 6th. Immediately when we stepped off the airplane at the Fairbanks airport Zac had a huge grin on his face and said "I already love it". Cold and snow are two of his favorite things. We had three full days to visit and see Fairbanks. I was scheduled to have an interview on monday Dec 3rd with the nursing supervisor, the manager, and 3-4 staff nurses. I was a little nervous and had been praying for favor. On the day before the interview the weather was super bizarre for that time of year, it actually got in the 40s with misty rain. So over night things turned super icy and they actually closed school (they never close school in fairbanks, not even when its -50). Needless to say no one but the nursing supervisor could make it in for the interview (somehow I made it though?) so I didn't really have an interview (Praise the Lord!) well I had one over Skype weeks prior where I just got to ask tons of questions. There was never the grueling interview questions that everyone dreads. She just gave me a tour of the hospital, asked if I had any questions, said they wouldn't have flown me up there if they weren't interested and that they would call in a few days (with an official job offer).

And here we are...selling all of our things, packing up and moving to Fairbanks, Alaska. Moving in the winter is not exactly ideal but we know God has a plan. Because it is winter there is really only one way to get there safely and that is drive across the country and board the ferry in Bellingham, WA (well we could have all flown and shipped our stuff but it was even more expensive). Zac will drive with his brother and Avery and I will fly to Seattle, WA so he doesn't have to be in a car for 8 days. All we are taking is our Toyota Rav4 with a 5x8 foot uhaul trailer (not much fits in a 5x8 trailer). Just the ferry costs alone were around 4,100$ and they charge by foot so you could imagine if we had a huge uhaul with all of our stuff. We will be on the ferry from Jan 20th to Jan 25th. We will dock in Whittier, Alaska and then drive to Anchorage to have our car winterized before driving the 400 miles to Fairbanks.

I admit it is scary even now thinking about everything: the financial costs, the long journey, the weather, and all the unkowns we will encounter along the way....BUT we expect to see great and mighty things as we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness!

Alaska Part III: Is this for real

2012-01-05T06:00:00.007-06:00

Now if you thought the story posted the last two days Intro to Alaska and Alaska Part II:Alaska is in the air were a little on the crazy side, just wait til you hear "the rest of the story".

I left off yesterday with Zac and I making the decision to actively consider and pursue Alaska while continuing to pray that we were heading in the right direction. You know we often question if we are hearing the voice of God and discerning His will. If Zac and I had based our decision off of seeing one Alaska tag, or one person speaking to us about Alaska, or one scripture, or one dream then I would say that we would be off. But when you truly desire to hear the voice of God and and are seeking His plan for your life, He will speak in many different ways (2 or 3 witnesses, or in our case 20 or 30 cause we were scared to step out(: ) and the dream you had, the scripture you read, the peace you feel in your heart, the tag you saw over and over again, and the person you talked to that confirmed what you had been thinking all fit together.

Ok back to the story...to me, it was settled, we were moving to Alaska. I didn't know how, when or where, but I knew we were going. I think because Zac is the head of this family and felt more responsibilty to provide and make the right decision he struggled a little more with that decision even though in his heart he wanted to go. I think because of the huge responsibilty and weight he felt, the Lord brought confirmation time and time again to bring peace to his heart. I could not possibly tell you how many times he saw ALASKA tags wherever he went or how much it was brought up in converstation without him leading in that direction. I will do my best to give you a few instances by date, but after a while we stopped writing them down because it was just funny the amount of times it came up. (Some of these I have already mentioned I just wanted to put them all together)

6/26- Saw Alaska CD, Zac's cousin randomly brought up Alaska, Saw Alaska plates driving home form Shelby, Zac's dad woke up in the middle of the night and God spoke to him about us going through storms (I'll share the significance of that later) and wrote a letter telling us to let God's anchor be our compass.

6/29- My dad mentions Alaska to Zac

6/30- Zac's friend from Pennsylvania came down (Zac has helped him move 4 times and was there for him when he was going through transition in his life.) He was the first person we shared Alaska with because he did not live here in Franklin (I forgot we had told one person until I read back through the journal) and we needed a sounding board. It bore witness with him and he shared Proverbs 16:9 with us "A mans heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps". As him and his family were leaving Franklin they saw Alaska tags...confirmation to him that we were going in the right direction.

7/11- Zac was fasting and saw Alaska tags on white truck

7/13- Zac, Avery and I were leaving walmart and saw a green van with Alaska tags front and back. Also we had been praying that the Lord would soften our parents hearts and confirm to them that He was leading us in this direction. After coming home from the beach mom said her and dad saw Alaska tags 3 different times. Once seperately and once together.

7/15- Zac was doing a few errands and had 3 specific things on his agenda 1. Go to storage building to get something out 2. Go by post office 3. Get a haircut. When he finally got to the post office, he realized he locked his keys in his car. A good friend works at Nantahala Lumber so he walked over to get a screw driver and as he was coming out there was a car parked across the street at a haircut place with Alaska tags. He wasn't supposed to have locked his keys in his car, he wasn't supposed to walk over to Nantahala lumber and he wasn't supposed to see that car at the hair salon...or was he? He decided to cross the street and get his haircut. He talked to the lady from Alaska and she encouraged him to GO. At the same exact moment he got a call from his friend from pennsylvania who said he was praying that God would direct our steps...coincidence...i think not.

7/17- Man from church spoke about when he lived in Alaska, leaves falling, the presence of God and the wind blowing in the distance. "winds of change"

7/17- after church we were eating with my parents and I asked mom when/where she first became passionate about the Lord...she said "when I lived in Alaska"

7/24- a close friend from church spoke to Zac and I something she felt the Lord was leading her to tell us. She said "If God is your desire, choose which one you would like to do, if there were 2 job opportunities, or 2 houses, or 2 decisions, choose which one you would like. Don't fret over it because God will be with you wherever you are."

(no dates for some of these in our journal)

-Even after all these confirmations we still had no clear direction as to how we would get to Alaska or even where in Alaska we were supposed to go. During this time we found out a house we had previously looked at had went into foreclosure. I knew we shouldn't go look at the house but Zac was a litle discouraged that we hadn't moved forward yet with Alaska and was again questioning if we were hearing the voice of God. I told him it was his decision and he decided to go look at the house again...our thoughts were, what could it hurt? In between deciding to go we went to subway to grab some lunch. Becky (our real estate agent (:) called and left a message asking if we were going to go. As we were pulling out and listening to the message we passed a car with Alaska tags. A clear sign that we would be disobedient if we went to look at that house.

We eventually moved into another rental and a month went by. Zac applied for 5 or 6 jobs with no positive response. I am ashamed to say we got discouraged and again questioned whether we were to move. "Oh ye of little faith".

-One weekend took a trip to Highlands and again saw a car with Alaska plates front and back...it stirred our hearts once again (by the way we never saw the same car twice...i think they were angels)

-I got an email about a job in Fairbanks, Alaska in the Special Procedures department at the hospital. Something I have been wanting to do since I started nursing. BUT I had said in the beginning that I didn't think it would be God if I had to get a job (don't ever say that, His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways higher then our ways). How wrong I was.

-Zac saw Alaska plates coming home from work after I shared with him the email I received about this job and we decided to apply

Oct 18- Our Anniversary, we learn that Oct 18th is ALASKA DAY...HA do you think God has a sense of humor?

Oct 19- Zac cried out to God for more confirmation and when he got to work a man randomly said to him "didn't you say you were going to quit the DOT"...which he had never said

Oct 20- While at training in Asheville, Zac saw Alaska plates in the parking lot

Oct 22- We went to the Fall Festival in Franklin with my mom. While we were walking up the hill to the festival a car passes us with Alaska tags. When we arrive the first person we talk to says "Guess where I just got back from...ALASKA." While we were speaking with her a lady comes up and hears us talking and says "Oh she is from FAIRBANKS" speaking of a little girl see was pushing in a stoller. Her daughter lived in Fairbanks. As we were leaving the Festival and pulling out of the parking lot we saw a different car with Alaska plates.

Oct 24- Zac went on the Fairbanks Daily News Miner to look at the webcam in Fairbanks. They have a place below where you can comment and talk to other people. The very first comment of the day read "Had a great time in Frankin, NC this weekend!" (ISN'T THIS GETTING HILARIOUS!?!)

-Zac and I went out of town to a Perry Stone conference. We were supposed to stay fri night and sat night. Avery had not slept all night on friday and we decided to leave early. As we left we went out of our way to stop at Chick-fil-a (our favorite!) and what do you know...Alaska tags in the parking lot.

Whew...enough for one day? Come back tomorrow for the conclusion (if I can do it in one post) of this story.

Alaska Part II: Alaska is in the air

2012-01-04T06:00:00.003-06:00

If you missed yesterdays post Intro to Alaska I shared a little bit about how Alaska first came into the picture. I ended the post yesterday sharing the story about the house we were SUPPOSED to buy and were even living in, just waiting on closing day. I don't know if I shared this before but way back in the beginning when we were first looking for houses I think Zac and I both knew that we weren't supposed to buy a house (especially after time and time again the door was shut) but our desire for our own place was so strong that it out weighed the leading of the Holy Spirit (not a good thing). We had even discussed after every closed door that maybe the Lord wanted us mobile for some reason, as in able to pick up and go with nothing hindering or tying us down. But, even that did not stop our hunt for a house. Only God's divine hand protected us from that which we could not see. Because even though we were blinded by our desire for a house the Lord knew our hearts, that we truly did want to please Him and be where He had destined us to be.

So after learning the terrible news about the house and hearing that it was not safe to be in, we decided to go to Shelby, NC where Zac's family lives. We had already planned the trip and now it was an escape from this shocking news. When I got up on saturday I found Zac at the computer looking at houses on the internet. He was trying to provide for the family, he was desperate, he knew we needed a place to live and he was tired of renting, he wanted a place of our own. I sat down beside him and out of frustration again (out of no where because we had not even visited the idea since avery was born) said "well, why don't we just move to Alaska". Of course I wasn't serious, I had totally forgotten all the previous confirmations. We had Avery now. God wouldn't want us to move now that we had Avery...right? I'll just be blunt...when I said "lets move to Alaska" to Zac he said "shut up" not in a mean way but in a don't even joke about it way, because his heart longed to go, longed for adventure, longed for some sort of "answer" to everything that had happened. Little did I know but after that moment Zac started asking the Lord to bring 2 or 3 more confirmations if this was something we were to pursue.

We were staying at Zac's sisters at the time, and later in the afternoon when Zac went upstairs to the room we were staying in he bumped into a stand holding a bunch of DVDs and the only one sticking out was a DVD called ALASKA. Ok I admit that could be pushing it a little bit and seem cheesy but when you hear the rest of the story it doesn't seem so cheesy. The next day at church Zac was speaking to his cousin who he hadn't talked to in probably two years. They were just shooting the breeze when out of no where his cousin says "yeah I lost alot of weight when I lived in Alaska". Now remember Zac had prayed for confirmations but had not told anyone he had done so, nor had he mentioned Alaska to anyone. He did not even tell me about praying until we were driving home. As he started sharing with me about what he had prayed and the two encounters he had, a car drives by with ALASKA tags. We were a little shocked to say the least. So, at this point we decided to seriously pray about and consider that the Lord was speaking to us about Alaska. Three days later Zac was moving the rest of the stuff out of the house with my dad when my dad just randomly starts saying "You know Zac, when Melinda and I moved to Alaska we learned how to deal with adversity, and I sense you are going through a lot of adversity". We still had not mentioned Alaska to a single person and Zac was a little taken off guard that my dad brought it up...to him more confirmation. Also as I was praying and seeking direction the Lord led me to read back through my journal. I found two dreams that I had written down each about Alaska. He also lead me to the scripture in Isaiah 45:2-3 in the message bible

"I will go ahead of you clearing and paving the road, I will break down bronze city gates, smash padlocks and kick down barred entrances. I'll lead you to buried treasures, secret caches of valuables. Confirmations that is is in fact I God, the God of Israel who calls you by name."

I was just encouraged by the scripture, but Zac likes to seek out scripture and dig deeper into the meaning. He decided to look up the definition of cache (found in scripture above) at dictionary.com The 3rd meaning said Alaska or Northern Canada. a small shed elevated on poles above the reach of animals and used for storing food, equipment. Now the actual definition is not as significant but the fact that it mentioned Alaska was like a blinking light going off on the page...just plain strange. Now his heart is really stirred and excitement building so he decides to fast and pray. Again during his lunch break he goes to Lowe's and sits in the parking lot, only this time he parks where he cannot see any other cars pulling into the lot. God has a way around things. Although Zac thought he had parked to seclude himself from all other cars, down the hill was the State Employees Credit Union. As he was sitting there praying, reading, and listening for the Lord to speak a white truck pulls into SECU with Alaska tags front and back. COME ON!

So, on July 1st Zac and I went for a walk on the greenway. At this point I knew the Lord was speaking to us about Alaska. I shared with Zac a teaching I had just listened to about destiny and being in the place God has ordained you to be and that being where the abundance flows. It bore witness with me and with him and we decided at that moment that we would actively consider/pursue moving to Alaska. But don't you know doubt and fear will creep in at any given opportunity...yes there's more

Intro to Alaska

2012-01-03T08:45:00.006-06:00

This story is fairly long, so I will break it up to prevent eye strain :)

I don't know if any of you remember from the stories of when Zac and I first met, but one of the things that peeked our interest in each other (silly as it may seem) was the fact that I was born in Alaska (Ketchikan) and Zac had also lived in Alaska (near Anchorage) when he was around 7 years old. Now...on with the story....

After Zac and I got married we moved to Whittier, NC and rented there for 9 months. We then moved back to Franklin and rented a small house for a little over a year on Childers Rd. After finding out we were pregnant and that a close friend was moving and needed someone to rent their house until it sold we moved out of a small two bedroom house into a four bedroom house on Palmer Dr.

If you are keeping track that is 3 moves in less then 2 years. (During all this time we were also looking for houses to buy and we were offered a small house to live in rent free and even started fixing it up but the Lord had other things in mind). So during the grueling process of looking for houses and putting offers on 4 different houses with nothing going through, it got a bit discouraging. One Sunday afternoon after looking at yet another house and it not being the one, Zac and I were riding quietly in the car when I piped up with (out of frustration) "lets just move to Alaska". Well that lit a fire under Zac and got his heart stirring and he said "really? cause don't say that if you don't mean it, I would move there in a heart beat". I said "sure, why not" (at this point it was just me and Zac, we had not found out about Avery yet). We were ready for an Adventure. I kid you not, the very next day at work my very first patient of the day had an Alaska T-shirt on and we struck up a conversation about Alaska and she starts telling me how I should move back and how much nurses are needed there...at this point I just shrug it off and thought...hmmm interesting. Not two hours later I admit a new patient to the floor and out of the blue he starts talking about how he had just came back from...ALASKA. Ok now I am thinking this is a little strange so I call Zac and fill him in on the details. Of course this gets Zacs heart stirring even more so he decides to fast and pray and see if this is something the Lord is leading us to do. The day he spent fasting, he drove to Lowe's on his lunch break and was praying and seeking the Lord for direction and up pulls a car in front of him with ALASKA tags. He describes it as one of those moments when you KNOW God is speaking...his heart started beating wildly and he just felt the presence of God fill his truck. To us, these were confirmations that the Lord was leading in that direction...but guess what the next day would bring...news that I was pregnant. When I called Zac the next day to share with him that I was pregnant the first thing he said was "guess we are not moving to Alaska". Little tip for all you husbands reading this...NOT the first thing you should say after hearing news that your wife is pregnant! Needless to say he was right, all thoughts about moving to Alaska went out the window...even after such dramatic confirmations (don't worry there are TONS more confirmations to come). Who wants to move 4,000 and some odd miles away from their family when a grandbaby is on the way?

Ok back to Palmer Dr... we moved in Oct 2010 and Avery was due the end of April. Around the first of March we found out that the house we were renting had a potential buyer and they wanted to move in May 1st...uh oh...scramble. So, Zac and I started looking at houses to buy again. Insert house story here http://bekahandzac.blogspot.com/2011/07/count-it-all-joy.html ...this is only the tip of the iceberg...to be continued

Fairbanks, Alaska

2011-12-22T10:40:00.001-06:00

Everything is happening so quickly and life is about to change dramatically. After ALOT of praying and seeking, Zac and I have made the decision to move to Fairbanks, Alaska. WHAT!?! I know, trust me, I KNOW. That WHAT!?! goes through my mind everyday that passes. One month is not alot of time to get things in order and say your goodbyes before moving 4,100 and some odd miles away. Our peace and comfort lie in the fact that we know the Lord is calling our family to Alaska (I hope to post the whole story soon...it's long...and crazy). Despite the "knowing" it is still scary and we occasionally have thoughts of "are we doing the right thing?". Leaving your family and friends is never easy, especially when you can't come home in a days drive (or two or three...or four...you get the point) or without paying out the wazoo for plane tickets. If we think too long about all that we are leaving fear and doubt start to creep in, but if we fix our eyes on Christ the author and perfector of our faith excitement and joy abound! The Lord graciously allowed us to "spy out the land" before making our decision. Below are a few pictures from our recent trip.

Travels

2011-12-17T18:00:00.000-06:00

Family

The faithful driver

Backseat drivers ;)

Avery LOVED the big city lights ATL

ATL traffic

Think I'll just have a snack while we wait

Beautiful mountains from the air

LOVE LOVE having this view

This is how we got through the flight

Beautiful sunset

Alaska Airlines

Big Boy Seat

Seattle Terminal

Fun can be had anywhere

More of those beautiful mountains

Mom I'm tired enough with the pictures already

Sleepy Boy

Seriously...again with the mountains...i'm obsessed

Such a good boy

Mom and me

Dad...struggling ;)

Look Dad I can read chinese, or japanese or whatever language this is

Lovin on Littleman

Family's First Flight

Adventure

2011-11-23T08:27:00.006-06:00

It is 1 degree Fahrenheit in Fairbanks, Alaska today which is quite warm compared to the -37 that it was two days ago. Why is that important? Well, we will need to be prepared for the temperature change when we step off the plane next friday (we don't want an Avery popsicle). They say -20 is really like 10 degrees here so I don't think our skin will freeze in the first minute (which is the mental picture I get in my head when I hear -37). A couple weeks ago at church Zac was praying and worshiping and our pastor came up and laid hands on him and said "the word of the Lord for you is adventure". The last 7 months of our life have been quite an adventure, but I think what is in store for us will definitely top that. Who knows what God has planned but we are ready and willing for the "Adventure".

I don't know if you have looked up the definition of adventure lately but it kinda gets my heart pumping a little fast: an undertaking usually involving danger and unkown risks; the encountering of risks; an exciting or remarkable experience.

Adventure can be exciting but it has an element of fear to it too if you let your mind go in that direction. It's not easy stepping out in the unknown especially when you are not exactly sure if that next step is to the left, straight ahead, or to the right. I am thankful we have Someone leading us who says "you will hear a voice behind you saying this is the way, walk ye in it."(Isaiah 30:21)

This is only the tip of the iceberg...to be continued.

Knowing Him

2011-11-21T08:17:00.000-06:00

"the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him" Ephesians 1:17

Who doesn't want wisdom and revelation? But, could it be that the Spirit of wisdom and revelation is not given to those who are only seeking wisdom and revelation but to those who are seeking the Father? The Message says "to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life.."(Eph 1:17) Oh that we would know Him personally and intimately, and that knowing Him would become the chief desire of our hearts. I don't know about you, but I know there are times when my eyes are not focused or clear because they are fixed on my problems, or just everyday life, instead of fixed on knowing Him. What I get from this scripture is that if I would just redirect my engery to knowing Him instead of "trying to figure it all out", then as I get to know Him wisdom and revelation about Him brings everything else into focus and I would more easily discern what it is He is calling this family to do.

Getting Big

2011-11-15T09:08:00.008-06:00

Just a few updates on "little man"

At 6 1/2 months

He is sitting up by himself
Starting to crawl
Thinks he's big and wants to walk but he is not ready yet
Eating real (if you can call it that) food
LOVES his daddy
No longer "hates" the car
Has mastered falling asleep at naptime and bedtime without crying for an hour
Still wakes up in the middle of the night
Has less hair then when he was born
No teeth but sure does drool alot
Still the CUTEST, SWEETEST boy I ever did know :) (course I'm partial)

Sleepover with the cousins

2011-11-14T04:08:00.000-06:00

Levi and Cora came over this weekend for a fun sleepover. Avery loved being the center of attention and Cora had a real live baby doll to play with (just what she wants for Christmas). I forgot to take the camera but on saturday I took them to the Build and Grow Science Lab at Lowe's so they could make their own Science Lab kit complete with test tube, bowls and instructions on how to blow up your mothers kitchen ;) (just kidding on that part). We had a blast and can't wait to do it again!

Family Photo Sesh

2011-11-07T17:38:00.006-06:00

Photos by

DPhotography

Avery was super tired at the time of these pictures (he didn't take a nap that day) but she was still able to get some great shots!

Sleepless nights

2011-10-30T17:09:00.003-05:00

Exhausted!?! Yes...we are. We decided to go on a small trip this weekend to Cleveland, TN. Some friends of ours invited us to come down for a conference and so off we went. We left Franklin around 4pm on Friday afternoon, grabbed a quick bit to eat at Applebee's and headed to the Conference which started at 7pm. We didn't really think the whole thing through, we were just excited to be in God's presence. Avery was a champ. He normally goes to bed between 7:30-8:30 (remember he's inconsistent so its never the exact same time) so I wasn't sure how he would be at the service. He loved the music and much to my suprise did not get cranky at all. He finally feel asleep around 9pm in the moby (which did not fare well for us the remainder of the night) and slept until we left around 9:45 and headed to the hotel. I have to confess I did something I should NEVER do and have fussed at my husband for even suggesting. The hotel was only like 1 mile away so I left him in the moby instead of putting him in his carseat...shame on me...I didn't want to wake him up but that is no excuse. Don't worry I have already reprimanded myself and will not do it again (mainly because he woke up right when we pulled in anyway).

Ok so then he was up...and I mean up. He was laughing and talking and I guess thinking it was the start of his day. So we played with him a little while hoping he would start gettin tired. Finally a little after 11 I nursed him and laid him down, crossing my fingers that he wouldn't pick tonight to cry for 2 hours (since we were in a hotel). No such luck...so I did the unthinkable...put him in the bed with us ( I did a lot of no no's this weekend). Which usually works and he goes right to sleep but NOoooo not this night...not the night we are in a hotel and the whole world can hear him. I think he maybe feel asleep for an hour and then we were up with him until 4:30 when I finally made Zac get out of bed and we put Avery in the car and started driving. Normally Avery hates the car but we had no other choice and thankfully for us he was so tired he fell asleep in about 5 mins (5 mins of all out screaming which I hadn't let him do in the hotel so as not to wake up everyone). So back to the hotel we go praying that he will stay asleep....nope. But lucky for us he was to tired to put up much of a fight and we layed him in the bed with us until we had to get up around 8:45.

The next day he was a jewl though. We went to two more sessions at the conference and he wasn't cranky or fussy. Silly boy just didn't want to sleep, afraid he might miss something. I will add other than the sleepless night we had a great time and really enjoyed the conference.

Oh and the whole reason I wrote this was because Avery was still asleep at 6pm tonight from his nap and I went in to wake him up and he was so out of it I just couldn't bring myself to wake him up. So I just snapped some sweet sleeping pictures instead and let him be (hope we are not up for a late evening).

Sleep for everyone? Not according to Avery!

2011-10-19T02:20:00.000-05:00

Some days my son just does NOT want to sleep. Take for instance monday...he would not take a nap all day (and we were having pictures taken that evening of all days!). Then when putting him to bed that night I thought for sure he would go right to sleep. But NO, he cried for at least an hour and a half before finally falling asleep. He wasn't really fussy during the day, he just WOULD NOT take a nap. The next day however he napped just fine but still had trouble falling asleep at night, and woke up twice. He is just inconsistent and hard to figure out :) We usually try to shoot for 3 naps about 45mins-1hr long each day, but every day is differnt. We have tried the whole schedule thing and he just refuses to adhere to it (or is that mommy who sometimes loses track of the schedule...hmmm). I will say though that when Zac keeps him on Fridays while I go to work he usually sleeps like a jewl...wonder what his trick is!?!

Put on Love

2011-10-18T15:33:00.000-05:00

"Above all things PUT ON LOVE, which is the bond of perfection" Col 3:14

Since it is our Anniversary today I was just sitting and reflecting on the last three years and I found this verse so fitting. One of the biggest things that struck me about this verse was "put on love". Most people start out thinking love is a feeling, something that comes naturally. In reality, we have to make an effort to love because feelings fade. Which is so true in a marriage. Marriage is about commitment, it's about perserverance and long suffering. Yes, there are so many great times but there are also hardships and struggles and that is what makes a marriage strong. Zac and I will be the first to admit that there are ups and downs in marriage. We have been through a lot in 3 years (prob not more than the average family but seems like a lot to us) and I think God has taught us to lean on Him and rely on each other through those tough times. I confess, marriage is work when you do it right (not saying that we always get it right cause we don't) but I declare all the time over our marriage that it will LIVE and not die to show the goodness of God, His grace, and His mercy. Our lives are a testimony to the fact that God's Word is true and that as we delight ourselves in Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts.

Happy 3rd Anniversary!!!

2011-10-18T09:15:00.000-05:00

Zac and I are celebrating our 3rd Anniversary today (well there won't actually be much celebrating today seeing how I won't even see him til after 9pm). I feel like I have known him forever and yet I can't believe that 3 years have already gone by (does that make any sense?). We are super blessed and so thankful for everything God has done and we look forward to many more years serving Him and loving each other.

Story of how we met

Toboggans!?!

2011-10-11T14:28:00.000-05:00

Is it really that time of year already...I feel like I some how missed spring and summer this year. Do you think it had anything to do with having a baby (Can you believe I already want another child)!?! Avery is going on 5 1/2 months and I want the time to start going backwards so that he will stay little. But, since that isn't going to happen we will just enjoy EVERY minute of EVERY day. Fall is our favorite time of year. To me it is just so refreshing with the cool breeze and beautiful leaves. The average person wouldn't need a toboggan just yet...but Avery is NOT the average person ;) (plus my mom knits such cute toboggans and I couldn't pass up the chance to put one on him!)

A Father's Love

2011-10-11T10:35:00.000-05:00

Is there anything sweeter than seeing a Father loving on his children? It sure helps put into perspective how our heavenly Father feels about us. When I watch Zac with Avery, I am reminded of my Fathers love. The bible tells us that our Father rejoices over us with gladness, that He quiets us with His love, and that He sings over us (Zeph 3:17). He knows when we sit down, and when we rise up. He is familiar with ALL of our ways. He knows our coming and going, for all of our days are written in His book (Psalm 139). Our Father is not distant nor is He angry, but He is the complete expression of love (1 John 4:16). His desire is to lavish love upon us simply because He is our Father and we are His children (1 John 3:1). He is the perfect Father, offering more than our earthly Father ever could. In Jesus, His love for us is revealed (John 17:26). Jesus, being the exact representation of His being came to demonstrate that our Father is for us and not against us (Heb 1:3. Rom 8:31). I am thankful for the love Zac has for Avery and for the reminder of the love my heavenly Father has for me!

When you don't know what to do...Walk

2011-10-10T18:21:00.000-05:00

Zac and I have been making it the nightly routine to go for a walk after dinner. Mostly because this is Avery's "fussy" time (cause he gets tired and needs a nap but it's to close to bedtime!) and the only way to keep him from fussing is go for a walk or put him in the bathtub. Well He LOVES the outdoors and loves going for walks so out the door we go! It has been great for Zac and I. We get to spend that time talking and catching up with each other. The past couple nights we have talked about destiny and where the Lord is calling this family. Lets just say I am excited for the adventure God has in store and look forward to what is ahead of us!

Fall...MY FAVORITE

2011-10-09T20:56:00.000-05:00

Is there anything better than mountaintops and fall colors!?!

Family hike

Avery getting geared up for the hike

Let's do this!

The three stooges

Father son talk

Avery was making sure I didn't get any closer to the edge

Through the thickets

Yes my God created THAT!

Fall's fabulous colors

We love hiking and Avery...a good combo

Avery saw a cool bug on the ground and was not interested in picture taking

Waiting for Zac to catch up

Whiteside

He finally caught up...and he's not even wearing a 14lb baby

Beautiful

I could do this every day

Leaves

Family time

Avery wondering how we are gonna get back up the rock we climbed down to get here

Contemplating

Flowers of fall

Tuckered out...

Fell asleep halfway

The end

God's gift

2011-10-08T19:30:00.004-05:00

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a gift from Him."

Psalm 127:3

As parents, we have a brief 18 years to make a godly impact on our children. A few short years to teach them about our loving Father and train them up in righteousness. 5 months of Avery's life has already passed in a blur and in the scheme of things, 18 years is not that far away. As I was reflecting on that I was humbled by the opportunity God has given us in raising godly children. As parents God has commissioned Zac and I to make an impact on the next generation through our children. What a joy and a privilege to serve in such a way. Now that I have Avery I can't imagine life without him and I am not quite sure what I actually did before he ever entered the world. He has softened my heart in so many ways and has given me a greater understanding of the love that our heavenly Father has for His children. Avery is definitely a gift from God!

Just some fun Pictures

2011-08-31T17:00:00.000-05:00

Family fun on the Four Wheeler :)

Lovin the pool!

Get me out daddy!!!

Someone does NOT like riding in the car

Daddy seriously...

Finally Avery has a nursery

Yum..thanks Nana

Livin it up with the ladies

Kisses from Auntie Pam

Fun times with Pawpaw

Yes...I can drive a Kubota

I am a big boy and I like to hold my own bottle

See how cute I am

Junk in da trunk

Swimming in Auntie Pam's pool

Can I jump off the diving board?

Hair Styles

2011-08-22T08:30:00.009-05:00

When you have hair this amazing the sky is the limit when it comes to styling!

The wind blown look

The Spike

The bedhead look

Comb over...

The almost but not quite normal do

The wind tunnel do

The Fohawk

Styled and ready to roll

The academic look

Mail

2011-08-19T11:52:00.004-05:00

My little man loves to get the mail...little does he know that going to the mail box is not near as exciting as it used to be (yes I am old enough to remember the days of writing letters and pen pals) and most of the time all you come back with is 3 bills and an envelope that says "must open now" and turns out to be some insurance company trying to get you to switch to their coverage...BORING. However Avery seems to find it fun and exciting (thats because HE doesn't have to pay the bills) and has made it a daily routine with his Nana. Maybe we should start ordering more things online and then it really would be fun :)

Figuring it ALL out

2011-08-18T08:50:00.005-05:00

So, Zac and I have been trying to "figure it ALL out"...parenting that is. We have been measured and found wanting. Our latest task has been trying to figure out how to get this sweet little bundle of joy to sleep at night. Avery has been doing very well with nap time, but he seems to have amazing endurance when 8 o'clock hits. We start bedtime routine around 7 by bathing, singing or reading, nursing, and then praying right before we lay him down at 8. For the past 2 weeks he has cried for almost 2 hours every night (with us going in and shush patting him every 5-10 minutes) and finally around 10 I give in and get him up and nurse him to sleep. He also rarely sleeps more than 3-4 hours before waking up (shouldn't he be sleeping the whole night by now?). So if any of you seasoned parents out there have any miracle suggestions we are definitely open to it!

Weeping may last for the night

But JOY comes in the morning!

Avery reading

2011-08-11T13:59:00.000-05:00

Because it's fun to READ!

2011-08-11T10:11:00.006-05:00

Growing up reading was one of my favorite past times. In fact I even remember making a competition out of it in Elementary school....Accelerated Reader...anyone remember those days!?! I was just ok at a lot of things growing up, but never really the best at anything...except reading (how dorky right). In fact I loved reading so much I was put in a national magazine for top Accelerated Readers (my claim to fame). We started introducing Avery to reading while he was still in mommy's tummy (who knows if he even heard us) and have tried to read to him even in these early months of life. Hopefully he will pick up on my love for books and reading! The short video of Avery listening to The Christian Mother Goose stories is in the next post...I think he likes it :)

While I'm Waiting

2011-08-04T09:02:00.005-05:00

"I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry" Psalm 40:1 Amplified

Over and over again the Lord has spoken to Zac and I this week to "Wait on the Lord". We have been seeking direction and guidance the past month and we are eagerly waiting for the Lord to reveal His will and His calling for this family. I admit though the "patiently" has been the hardnest part. I heard a quote by Jentezen Franklin that is so true "We live in a microwave generation but we serve a crockpot God". I find that is the case with Zac and I right now, we feel as if the Lord has given us some sort of direction but no timeline and we are struggling with wanting it to happen NOW. The thing is though that God does not work on our timeline, He is outside of time and one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. That is where the "expectantly" waiting comes into play. If we lose that expectation of what God is doing and preparing while we wait, we will most likely lose the dream and the vision that He has given us. The Lord is forever going before us and preparing the way and if there was no waiting there would be no preparation and we would undoubtly charge right into a disaster. So just remember God is probably doing the most when you feel that He is silent, because He is preparing the way and working things out for your good!

Count it all joy

2011-07-14T08:57:00.005-05:00

So many things have been going on the past couple of months. It is a little hard to digest and get a handle on. I have already mentioned in a previous post that the very week Avery was due we had to move out of the house we were renting due to it selling. Avery was born on the 29th and we had to be out by the 30th. Thankfully we were ahead of the game and moved out a couple days before he arrived. We moved all of our belongings into storage and moved in with my parents temporarily while we waited for the house we had made an offer on to close. We were very excited and knew we were getting this house at a great deal. Everything seemed to be going our way as far as getting the house at a good price, not having to pay closing cost, no private mortgage insurance, and an amazingly low interest rate. Not to mention Becky our AMAZING realtor (and best friend) got us into the house a month before closing rent free! Things couldn't have been going any better (besides a few minor hiccups with repairs on a new build that had never been lived in) UNTIL we were walking in the neighborhood one Sunday evening and our neighbors stopped to talk with us. They asked us if the owner had disclosed any information about the house...we said "ummm no, what kind of information". They went on the describe what sounded like a horrific mold invasion of the home. Apparently the upstairs plumbing had leaked while the house was closed up for a couple months causing the ceiling to cave in, the downstairs hardwood floors to buckle, and mold to grow all over the walls. Needless to say we were shocked at such a story and wondered how much of it was true. So, we immediately went home and pulled up some of the carpet in the upstairs hallway and nursery and sure enough found evidence of ...MOLD. The next day we talked to one of our other neighbors who gave us the exact same story. We felt sure that the owner had fixed the problem and it wasn't as bad as they were telling us because the house looked fine. We had ServePro come out to look at the mold we had found which was dry. They cleaned up the area in Avery's room and told us that it was not a major issue which made us feel better. We decided to offer the bank less money with them doing and extensive mold test and fix the problem ourselves as long as the damage was not huge. We were fairly confident that the test would come back with minimal problems. We were WAY wrong. The testing was being done by Environmental Solutions Group out of Greensboro, NC. They come in and do air quality testing as well as moisture readings. I came home to find the inspector and Zac wearing N95 masks (which is what we wear in the hospital for tuberculosis patients) at that point I knew things did not look good. The inspector told us that he was getting some of the highest readings he had ever gotten in a home and that this home was "very sick". He told us we should not be living in the house and either to throw away all of our soft goods or wash them in special detergent. When we got the report back there were about 3 different kinds of mold spores in the air one of them being what they call a "no tolerance mold" that should never be found in a home. He told us our decision about buying the house should "be painfully obvious". His suggestion was that the house would have to be completely gutted and remediated and even then there was no garantee.

After finding all this out Zac spent the next 2 weeks moving things out of the house (on his own since I couldn't take Avery back in the house) and back into a storage unit. We are now back with my parents praying and asking the Lord for guidance and direction. We are confident that He works all things for good and protected us from something potentially very harmful and devastating. We know that even though things have been extremely difficult, He has a plan and a purpose for this family even if we can't see it at the time. I pray that as we wait our hearts do not become weary or discouraged. We are taking it one day at a time and trying "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" because in the grand scheme of things this is a very small ordeal to God and one day will it really matter if we had our own house? This is really just a blip on the timeline of eternity and when we are able to look back I pray that we are able to say that we handled this situation with patience and long suffering, and that loving God and His people mattered more to us than a house.

Besides, Avery hasn't seemed to mind...he is just chill :)

Avery Favory

2011-07-13T09:57:00.010-05:00

Fun times with Avery!

Little Man

2011-06-22T14:03:00.010-05:00

Wow time flies! Avery will be 8 weeks old in a few days. Zac and I are super blessed and we have so much fun with him. Zac calls him "Little Man" and I find myself calling him an assortment of things mainly "Bubba" or "Bubs". He already needs his first hair cut but I just can't bring myself to do it. It is already hanging well over his ears. He also JUST lost his umbilical cord (with a little help from mommy which I hate to admit). I was starting to think that he was going to be 18 and still have it attached. If anyone has ever heard the Veggie Tales song "I ain't got a belly button" that was going to be Avery's theme song. I also thought that we were well on our way to sleeping through the night after two nights of only getting up one time to nurse, but last night dashed all my hopes after he woke up three times. He also LOVES when his daddy gets home from work. Zac can make him smile like no one else (Avery must think he looks funny...JK!). Yesterday when I put Avery down for a nap he was belly laughing in his sleep...it was super adorable :)

Watching Levi and Cora slip-n-slide wishing he could get in on the action

He loves his Nana!
Aren't I cute?!?

Laughing

Daddy time

Deer in the headlights look

I LOVE bathtime!!!

He's modest ;)

Bedtime

Pictures do lie...the next shot was of Zac rushing over to catch him as he was falling over

Mom look at me!!!

Can I get up now?

Daddy trying to console "Little Man"

Mom my eyes!

Handsome dude

Look at that hair!

2011-06-14T08:08:00.009-05:00

What was I thinking when I said I would have more time to update the blog AFTER Avery got here....i was truly mistaken :) Here is a quick recap of the past couple weeks. He has grown so much and it makes me sad that my little boy is already getting big. He is smiling and laughing now and it just makes my heart melt.

New Beginnings

2011-05-06T12:06:00.002-05:00

AVERY JAXON LAIL

6LBS 4OZ

19 1/2 INCHES

BORN APRIL 29TH AT 1:15PM

Avery is here!!! I can't even believe that he is a week old today. Before I know it he will be 18 and leaving for college. This time last week they had just laid my new little bundle of joy on my chest for the first time...what a sweet memory. Speaking of memories here is a recap of Avery's arrival.

Last Wednesday the 27th I started having contractions but nothing regular or with a pattern. On Thursday they started becoming more regular but then would fade away, until around 5pm when the contractions started to become a little uncomfortable and were coming around 7mins apart. I tried to go the bed with the contractions about 5-7mins apart but that just wasn't happening. Around 2am I got up to go to the bathroom and discovered that I was having some bright red bleeding which concerned me. I called my doctor and she didn't seem concerned and said it was probably just my cervix opening (sorry for all the details) but that I could come in and get checked if I wanted too. Well, I didn't want to drive all the way to Asheville for them to tell me it was nothing and I wasn't in labor yet. I debated for about and hour whether to go or not and finally convinced myself I should head on over. We got there around 5am and I was still bleeding a small amount so they called the doctor to come in and check me. The doctor said the bleeding was nothing to be concerned about but that it was good that I came in cause I was 6cm dilated and 80% effaced, she said "you are having this baby today!".

They admitted me to a regular room because they told me they didn't have any birthing tubs available. My and my mother walked the halls for about 30-45mins and as soon as the day shift nurse came on around 8am I asked again about getting a room with a tub and she gladly moved me to what they called "water world". I immediately got in the tub which helped to ease the contractions. I had an incredible nurse at Mission, so helpful and such a calming presence. I told her from the beginning that I wanted a natural birth and she never once pressured me or even asked me if I wanted something for pain. Mission is what they call a "baby friendly" hospital so they support natural childbirth and breast feeding. Anyway around 11am the contractions started becoming harder and lasting longer...whew I can remember it vividly. By about 12:45 I was ready to start pushing so the doctor came in and gave the ok. Thank goodness for me I only pushed for 30mins and out came sweet little Avery Jaxon. Zac was awesome, encouraging me and supporting me the whole time. He was also VERY fascinated by the whole process and didn't miss a thing during the delivery, and he got to cut the cord which made him so happy.

Oh, Avery is calling (crying) so more to come later... :

Baby Showers

2011-04-10T20:06:00.000-05:00

Zac and I are SUPER blessed and so thankful to everyone who gave each and every special gift. Just wanted to say a special thank you to Morgan, Teran, Lauren, Becky, Lindsay, Callie, My Mom, Pam, and Paula for taking so much time and effort to put these showers together (If I left anyone out PLEASE forgive me) they were wonderful!!! We can't wait for Avery to get here and meet everyone :) I would have posted more pictures but it took me three days just get these on here...super slow computer.

"To Blessed to be Stressed"

2011-03-31T05:58:00.002-05:00

Our posts are getting fewer and far between, hopefully that will be remedied soon, as I will be home more often after Avery comes. Our lives have been a bit full lately with life and getting ready for a new addition to our family. We recently found out that the house we are living in is in the process of being sold (the reason for the title of this blog) and we will probably be moving out before Avery makes his debut. Suprisingly I am NOT stressed (seeing how I am 9 months pregnant) and am fully confident that the Lord is working ALL things for our good seeing as He knew this was coming and was not thrown off guard. Granted, we also had some idea this could happen when we moved into a house that was for sell, we just didn't think the timing would be so close to my due date (or we had hoped anyway). So we are praying that the Lord will open up a new door for us...and in a hurry. Zac and I so want to be in the perfect will of God that sometimes I think we struggle with making decisions because we are afraid we are going to miss Him. Do we rent again, do we buy, do we move to another city, or do we continue to wait patiently on the peace of God to guide us in His divine will? Moving is not a huge issue for us seeing how this will be the 4th (yikes) time we have moved since getting married and we are always blessed with wonderful help, it's just KNOWING where we are to move. HE is able to do exceedingly abundantly ABOVE all we could ask or think...thank goodness for His promises!!!

Afternoon Adventures

2011-03-03T15:21:00.004-06:00

Oh, how I love the mountains! We couldn't live in a more beautiful place. I am so thankful to live in this area. Zac and I took an afternoon to enjoy a leisurely hike at Whiteside. I could stay up there for hours just soaking in the peace and quiet I experience when on the mountain top. It reminds me of the story of Elijah after he had run from Jezebel and he heard the still small voice of the Lord while on the mountain top. I always feel like I can hear the voice of the Lord more clearly when I am in the woods or on the mountain because there are not all the distractions of every day life. One of our dreams is to live on top of a mountain and God says in His word that He will give us the desires of our hearts!!!

LIFE

2011-01-20T13:34:00.002-06:00

It's so crazy to think that I have a life growing inside of me. When I feel him kick and squirm I am constantly reminded of this little blessing that God has formed for His great purpose. Jeremiah 1:5 says "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you." Wow, it is amazing how God works to bring about His plan for our lives and how He has ordained the days that are in store for us. We can't wait to find out what he is like, and we pray that his heart is for the Lord!

"Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day."

Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message)

Along THE WAY: Honduras 2010: bettter late than never!

2011-01-06T11:01:00.001-06:00

Not sure why this posted way back in November but here is the link to the recent post :)

Along THE WAY: Honduras 2010: bettter late than never!

Tim Hawkins Things you don't say to your wife

2011-01-05T09:30:00.001-06:00

Thought I'd take this moment laugh a little and to brag on my husband! This song cracks me up but it really doesn't fit him at all. I am so thankful that God gave me such an amazing serving smart husband. For instance just the other day when it snowed and I still had to make it to work, Zac was off, but He got out of bed at 5am cleared all the snow off my car, started it to warm it up, and took a shovel and cleared a path for me to walk to my car without getting wet pants. Now there's a real man for you! I can't wait to see what an incredible dad he will be!!!

A White Christmas

2010-12-29T14:53:00.006-06:00

December 25, 2010

What a beautiful way to celebrate Christmas, seeing snow blanket and cover the earth just like we are made "white as snow" as the shed blood of Jesus Christ blankets and covers His children! Zac and I were so excited to wake up to snow on Christmas day and the excitement continued throughout the day as the snow continued to fall. We enjoyed an amazing morning with family and later headed out into the snow to play. We even convinced my dad to take us out on an adventure to experience this magnificent treat! Just a few pictures from our outing :)

Christmas Morning Whiteout

2010-12-25T21:50:00.004-06:00

Zac and I woke up to beautiful snow falling on Christmas morning! We quickly got dressed and headed over to my parents house with our car packed with gifts and overnight bags. It felt like we were packing the car for an entire week. Zac thought this snow was the best Christmas present ever :) Just a few photos of our morning drive over for Christmas breakfast.

When I Think About The Lord

2010-12-23T12:24:00.001-06:00

Does this season make you think about the Lord? Sometimes its so easy to get caught up in what the world has made Christmas. I know I am guilty. It's not that the Lord doesn't want us to enjoy this time with family and friends, He does. He wants us to be a blessing to others and to be blessed. Remember to Think About the Lord this Christmas and remember what He saved you from. I know for me this song brings back memories of when I was at NC State and the Lord grabbed my attention and showed me exactly how and why He had saved me. What a blessing to remember ALL that He has done. Count your blessings this season..name them ONE by ONE!

Let it Snow

2010-12-18T14:45:00.002-06:00

My husband is obsessed with snow. He doesn't just "like" snow, he is "in love" with snow. When he finds out that we might have snow he sits for hours at his computer looking at weather models and trying to predict just what it will do. When it snowed just a few days ago he was up 5 times that night just to get up and look out the window to see what it was doing. Now, I am a fan of snow too, but I get quite a kick out of seeing him peer for hours out the window while the snow pours down. He says at least 100 times "BABE come seeee this" or "BABE its a white out you HAVE to see this!". He could possibly enjoy snow more than any kid I have ever known. If he knows it is snowing on Cowee Mtn or in the Gap he always has to take a drive just to see what its doing. I caught a few pictures of him peering out the windows...

He is for You

2010-11-30T16:48:00.000-06:00

So thankful that God says He will never leave us or forsake us!

Fight for whats Right

2010-11-26T19:13:00.006-06:00

"I hate divorce says the God of Israel. God of the Angel armies says "I hate the violent dismembering of the 'one flesh' of marriage." So watch yourselves. Don't let your guard down." Malachi 2:16

God fights for marriages, and so should we. God fights for marriages for HIS Name sake. The bible tells us that God's desire from a marriage is godly children. Divorce seriously alters the life of a child and I believe that is why God says He hates divorce. God made marriage and His Spirit inhabits every detail of marriage. "The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy" and he knows God's plan for marriage which is why he comes against a husband and a wife.

"What God has joined together, let not man separate" Mark 10:9

Honduras 2010: bettter late than never!

2010-11-26T10:14:00.016-06:00

In November I had the privilege to go to Honduras on a Medical Mission Trip with an amazing team. We shared Christ with the people of Honduras through medical support and the Word of God bringing hope and the love of God. I almost didn't make it on this trip but God certainly had a different plan. After finding out I was pregnant I was hesitant and had backed out for numerous reasons: money, taking more time off work, people telling me it wasn't a good idea, fear that I would harm the baby and the list went on. Not too many weeks before the team was scheduled to leave the Lord really started working on my heart, asking me to trust Him that His hand was not so short that He couldn't provide for every need, that He couldn't protect this child, and that He couldn't do exceedingly abundantly above all I could ask or think. So against advice from many I decided to trust God and said yes to Honduras. I did however ask God for confirmation because the Bible says out of the mouth of two or three witness everything shall be established. Two days later I was riding with my husband in the car and we were listening to Jentezen Franklin and he was preaching about the fields being "white and ready for harvest" and asking "where does your treasure lie". It was my first confirmation that I had made the right choice to be a laborer on the mission field. The second confirmation came only two weeks before we were to leave. Zac and I went to a revival service at Whittier Church of God and the guest minister that night felt like God was telling him to invite all the visitors to the front. Zac and I went up and stood at the very right hand side of the altar. The minister came and started praying for everyone starting at the people directly to our left and continuing down the line. Finally when he was done praying we were the only ones left standing at the altar and as he started walking toward us he said "I feel like God is giving me a word for you...MISSIONS...does that mean anything to you". I started crying and told him that I was leaving for Honduras in 2 weeks on a medical missions trip...PRAISE THE LIVING GOD! He started prophesying over us that God would provide everything needed for this trip and also that there would be many more trips in the future where many would see the power of God. God is SO good.

The trip was amazing and there are many stories to tell but the one that I want to share happened on the first day we headed out to set up our first clinic in one of the villages. Honduras is not known for smooth roads, and most of them are not paved. On our way out to the first village we were driving on a dirt road with numerous pot holes. About 45 mins into our hour long drive the truck carrying all the supplies got a flat tire. While the men worked on the flat, we headed on to the village in the van. I believe God uses all things for good, even that flat tire, and even though at first it might have seemed discouraging He used it for His glory. While we were waiting on the truck to arrive with the supplies our interpreter began speaking with the people about Jesus and asked our pastor to say a few words. While he was speaking the Holy Spirit started laying something so heavy on my heart for these people. He started giving me a word for them and I felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest, I knew I had to speak or I would explode. It wasn't a long word but I prophesied what the Lord had given me, I knew that He was speaking through me and it felt so good to deliver a message I knew was from Him. If that word was all I went to Honduras for, it was well worth it and I would do it again in a heart beat.

2010-11-26T08:45:00.003-06:00

"In everything give THANKS for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" 1 Thess 5:18

So thankful for my family! We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving at my mom and dads. I am even more thankful I got put on call and didn't have to go into work...YAY! We had an early lunch and then spent the rest of the day relaxing, playing bean bag toss, snacking ;), building a ginger bread house (that was destroyed by an earthquake or looks like it anyway), and finally ended the day watching Prince Caspian.

Lead Me

2010-09-29T17:02:00.006-05:00

Did you think we had disappeared (if anyone actually reads this blog (: ) from the blogging world? I am quite sure that October has been the busiest Month this year for the Lail family. We have moved, went on vacation, celebrated 2 years of marriage, and enriched our lives at a Ultimate Refreshing conference all in one month. I have learned alot about my husband in two years and there is still ALOT to learn in the years to come. I have also learned a great deal about myself along THE way. As much as I would love to say that marriage is easy and a piece of cake I have to be honest in the fact that yes marriage is a true blessing but it is also something that requires sacrifice and a servant's heart. My husband does a great job at both of these, usually always putting me before himself. I am thankful for these two years of growing and stretching and I can only imagine what lays ahead with a child on the way! Sometimes it is hard for me to let go and let Zac lead this family but ultimately that is God's design for marriage, which is a picture of Christ and the church. Watch this video...the message will bless you.

YouTube - Lead Me (Acoustic - with Lyrics) by Sanctus Real/

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
So, they are no longer two but one. Therefore what God has joined together let not man separate." Matthew 19:6

Wives are looking for their husbands to lead, but God is looking for someone to follow His lead. He is looking for His children
to follow the design He has set up in His Word. He is looking for believers to love and to forgive and to come back to the commandmant to
love God with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit and to love others as yourself. He is looking for believers to let go of hurts and offenses
so He can shower them with the healing and blessing He so longs to pour out. Will you let Him lead???

Our little Blueberry

2010-09-15T13:30:00.009-05:00

So Zac and I found out a couple weeks ago that I was pregnant. It shouldn't have been a complete surprise...but it still was. We weren't exactly trying and then again we weren't exactly trying to prevent it either. I think our attitude was that whatever God's timing was that would be fine with us...until I found out that I was indeed pregnant. Don't get me wrong I am super excited and thrilled it just took a while for those feelings to sink in. Please don't think any worse of me, but my first reaction was to cry and think "what are the going to do". I was in no way ready or prepared to bring a child into this world...but is anybody ever really ready? I have to admit that my mind was racing with all the reasons it was not good timing...most of them selfish of course. And my husband who I love very much was also shocked because the first thing he said to me was..."Are you sure" I said "yes I am pretty sure" again he says "you're sure?", I told him that I had alreay taken two different tests to make sure. Well, when he got home from work he had to see to believe (doubting Thomas) he made me take a third pregnancy test while he stood and watched it change from one line to two.

So, our lives are about to change, for the better I am sure of, but change neverless. I am praying with all my heart that Zac and I will be good parents raising our children up in the word and not up in the world. We know God already has a plan and a purpose for this little ones future as He is fashioning and forming them in my womb. What an incredible thing that is taking place inside of me, it makes me more amazed at my God and His greatness.

Zac now goes along singing "I'm going to be a daddy, I'm going to be a daddy" at least once a day. I think he is going to be a great dad and a proud father. I am keeping a journal for our first little one of prayers and scriptures that the Lord puts on my heart along the way. I pray I can be diligent enough to continue until they are old enough to understand and start keeping a journal themselves.

Oh and if you are wondering about the blueberry thing... When Zac was looking on the internet to learn more about the baby, he came across something that says our baby is the size of a blueberry...which sounded alot better than a lentil or a kidney bean so it stuck! :)

Mrytle Beach

2010-09-15T12:53:00.005-05:00

We took a short trip to Mrytle Beach at the 1st of Sept to celebrate Zac's 29th :0 birthday and to visit his family. We had a great time mostly laying out on the beach and eating... way to much! Zac's dad spent quite a bit of time hunting for shark's teeth while we were there and he ended up coming home with quite a collection. We saw a few sharks while we were there jumping out of the water chasing fish. Zac seemed to want to go into deeper water after seeing the sharks...me on the other hand not so thrilled. I love the ocean and something about being there always makes me want to think a little deeper, try to hear what God is speaking to me. I don't know if its the wind always whipping, or the waves crashing, just something about it makes me think He is trying to speak. I wish I would have listened a little harder while we were there though, its always in the early morning or the late evening when things start to settle down that I feel His presence the most. I feel like the weekend went by way to fast and I had way to much on my mind to enjoy it to the fullest. That and the fact that Mrytle Beach is not exactly quiet and serene. As much as I love the ocean though it will never compare to my love for the mountains! I didn't end up taking many pictures but here are a few from the short weekend.

Family Fun

2010-08-19T12:45:00.004-05:00

Had dinner with mom and dad the other night and I actually cooked! Shocker I know...its not that I do not like to cook, but most of the time we are too busy and its just easier to whip up something fast...fake cooking I call it. I am actually a pretty good cook when I put my mind to it (is that bragging?) or at least Zac thinks so ;) We had a blast with mom and dad eating and playing games and of course I pulled out the camera! Me and mom were having fun with the camera while the men talked about manly things...sort of.

His Name and His Renown

2010-08-09T15:51:00.006-05:00

Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws,

we wait for You;

Your name and Your renown

are the desires of our hearts.

Isaiah 26:8

You know alot of times in church we sing songs like "All I need is You Lord", "Your all I want", or "This is my desire..to honor You", but then we leave and other things start to invade that desire that we just so passionately sang about. It's not that we don't love God or that we really don't want to make Him first in our lives, it's that life just has a way of stepping in and getting in the way. Life... Im talking obligations, work, family, friends, social gatherings, entertainment and the like. When I read Isaiah 26:8 I am humbled by my weak attempt to make His name and His renown the desire of my heart. When I read this verse I see a person so full of passion for God that they live and move and breath Him. Let me ask you this...Why would people want what we (christians) say we have if what we really have looks exactly like what they got? In other words if our lives are as passionless and empty as the nonbelievers why in the world would they come running after a life such as that? Quite frankly I believe that people have had enough of a watered down gospel message that is void of the anointing and void of the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you think thousands of people would have gotten saved if the disciples hadn't come preaching with demonstration and power accompanying the gospel of Jesus Christ. So many churches and so many Christians are trying to share a "relevant" Jesus leaving out major pieces of who He really was. Jesus came to save, He came to deliever, He came to heal, He came to set the captives free, He came to wash away sin by the power of His blood. That's the Jesus that people will respond too, that's the Jesus that the discples shared with many getting healed and set free. I am believing that as Zac and I make a commitment to share the full Gospel nothing held back we will begin to see the signs that follow by the power of the Holy Spirit (Mark 16:15-18) Not by our might and definitely not by our power, but by HIS SPIRIT!

Those who are wise shall shine

like the brightness of the firmament

And those who turn many to righteousness

like the stars for ever and ever

Daniel 12:3