Posting a Letter

Dear Avery,

Hello! This is your Auntie Jen writing, letting you know that it was such a pleasure to meet you! And to mention that if you ever want to come and live with us, you can.  You look an awful lot like a 3 month old Hadassah so you'd blend right in, it really wouldn't be a problem. We would love to have your giggles and cuteness at our house!

Now there are a couple of hurdles to overcome, but I think we could work on that and find satisfactory solutions. There's the border of course. That could prove to be tricky. But I think we can manage to sneak your birth certificate into your suitcase and dress you in red and white. No blue. That might help.

And then there's Roxy. Would you miss her a lot? Because there's potential for her to come with you. I'm sure we could discuss sleeping arrangements with Gus and he'd be willing to share. He's nice like that.

Of course there are your parents. And I think that could prove to be our biggest challenge. Not to mention your grandparents. It won't be easy, but you never know. We could work things out.

In the meantime, do know that we loved meeting you, cuddling you and that we really look forward to seeing you again soon. Please keep our offer in mind.

Until next time,
Auntie Jen

PS: Hadassah wants you to know that she really enjoyed reading to you...

...even if it didn't last too terribly long. She said something about a short attention span??

Missing our "Second Thanksgiving"

We received an email a couple weeks back saying "we want you over for Thanksgiving! Coming?"

Oh how I wish we could. Because for 4 years, Tim and I had the privilege of having two thanksgivings a year! One in Ontario and one in Michigan. So we'll be missing the grand American Thanksgiving dinner and the friends around that dinner table. And the turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving you Americans!

It's good to be reminded...

Sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in your own life, that some things slip out of your mind. And when it slips out of your mind, it so quickly slips out of your prayers. Heather put this up on facebook and I'm grateful to be reminded to pray for The Omega House and the issue of abortion in general.

The Omega House is something I've posted about before (see here). And it seems as though they've just had a "family-friendly" protest against those men and women at the Omega House who diligently pray for the patients and doctors at the abortion clinic next door - and there's talk of more protests in the future. I pray that God opens the hearts and eyes of those organizing these events - and thank Him that He "continues to work in the midst of this wickedness". (quoted from Misty, who put it so well)

Move #1 - Back to Canada

Many boxes + Many helpers = One fabulous move. THX HELPERS!!

Off to get a new sister-in-law...

Tim and I have been humming "Gooooin' to the Chapel and we're (ba bum) goin' to get maaa-aa-aa-ried" lately. Because this very Saturday, this couple is going to get maaa-aa-aa-ried:

Warning: I about to make a comment on the lightning speed of time. You may or may not be very sick of me talking about time and how it flies because I've been mentioning that a lot lately. So kindly prepare yourself.

TIME FLIES!! Sometimes it feels like just yesterday that I said to Tim "hey - do you think your brother and Cherise would work?!" And other times it feels like Cherise has been in the family the whole time I've been in the family. It's only when I mention our wedding to her that I realize she's a newbie. (She wasn't there, see, and that just seems odd to me. Ya know?)

So we head back to GR another time to welcome her into our family. Tim and I are emcee's, and so we've been cramming this past week with wedding prep. Last night was a late one.

Jen is sleeeepy and hoping she doesn't have to drive later this afternoon. :) But it'll be worth it! We can't wait to celebrate with them!

As for other things - life is good. God is faithful. Tim has made a decision and is sitting on it for a bit, so we'll be announcing where we're headed in life shortly. I have a bunch of pictures to show you! For starters, I'm going to back track a little. Waaay back to our packing days. This is one item we couldn't leave behind:

A few lasts...

Boxes are packed. U-haul is ready for pick-up in the a.m. And I am tired.

But before we head off, I wanted to post a few pictures of the fond memories we've made in the past couple of weeks. Thanks everyone who's been a part of them!

We spent an evening celebrating Zach's birthday...and it happened to be a great way to see some of our seminary friends:

And another night we had a BBQ with some friends...just for fun:

(take a look at all those kids...!!)

Then there was the beach day with the Huck's. It was a little colder than you're average beach day, but it was lots of fun!:

And now I'm off to sleep in our bedroom for the very last time. Our bed frame is currently taken apart and tucked away and I'm having the weirdest recollection of the very first time we slept in this room - with just the mattress on the floor. Time fliiiiies!

G'nite GR. G'nite friends.

Last few days

Here we are - back from synod week - and into our last few days at our home here in GR. Tim is taking tomorrow off and I'm really looking forward to it! Poor guy's exhausted, so I picture him sleeping in tomorrow. Hopefully this is what Hadassah looks like during the "sleep in hours" tomorrow:

This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago, and this will be another fond memory of GR. Our little back slab of pavement. Hadassah has had lots of fun out there - I wish I would've taken picture of her and Levi and Caleb out there going crazy with the water and drenching eachother. It was hilarious! At first Hadassah didn't know what to do when she got pelted in the face. I heard her tapping at the door and when I looked over she was pointing at the boys with a slightly disturbed look on her face. But she got the idea quick enough and soon was joining in the fun. (see...we don't let her splash us...so she thooooought.......)
The step. Hadassah has been sitting on the bottom step for most of her life. Before she walked even! She'd crawl up to it, pull herself up and plunk down for a sit. She'd watch me working in the kitchen, eat her snacks here, curl up with books here. Let's hope our future home has such a prestigious spot!
By the way - this may be your last glance of Miss Piggy. She got lost. In Canada. But she's a trooper! "Daddy, piggy's gone. We get another piggy!" Tonight - her {stuffed} puppy did the trick in bed..."til we get a new piggy, mommy".

Our track record with things filled with fluff'n'stuff is lousy at best.

Poor kid.

My "Miss You" List con'd

It all started with Derek.

Four years ago we moved to Grand Rapids. A couple weeks after we got settled in, we had our first dinner guest. Derek had been at PRTS for a year already, but had recently moved out of his first house, to room with Marty. We took pity on his singledom. Because not only was this two guys rooming together ... this was two seminary student guys rooming together. We assumed that home cooked meals would not be high on their priority list.

And so our Wednesday night "guys over for supper" ritual started. Over the past four years, I've absolutely loved cooking more than our average amount of food so that we could have a couple of guys over for dinner. There were some regulars (Derek, Marty, Derek, Mark)...and a few not-so-regulars. There were some tried and true recipes...and a LOT of experiments.

And ya know what? I'm gonna miss them! Cooking for them, hearing their theological discussions, joining in on their laughter, listening to them read stories to Hadassah while I finished up a meal. Wednesday nights were good nights.

So...thanks guys! You've been a great part of our "GR experience".

Sunk.

You know those moments throughout life when suddenly something hits you like a ton of bricks and you have to sit down for a sec to take it all in?

That was today.

I was sitting on the couch reading Hadassah a book and I could hear my voice echoing.

Yes, echoing.

Am I going to tell you why my voice was echoing? Yes. I shall.

For the past few days I've been in packing mode. Major packing mode. And did you know that when you take big all the pictures off of your living room wall, you echo?

Well now you know.

And that was my moment. The moment where I had to stop reading to Hadassah and sit back and let it all sink in. ("Mommy, read! *tugging on my sleeve* Mommy!!!" )

What sunk, you ask? The fact that we're moving in three weeks, that's what! Originally we were looking at early August. But one night we sat down, looked at a few 'life factors' and said "Ok then. End of June it is."

*Sigh*

Things around the house are looking like this. Emptier and emptier.And this. Boxes. Everywhere.And this. Look how lonely and bare those walls look! And see again - the boxes (on the right). They're starting to stockpile. At least I have something to do while Tim crams for his synod exam next week, right?

Right!

Girls night had a change of venue...

Ever had a girl's night in a hospital room before? Nope - me neither.

Until last night! For some reason, chubby cheeked Aaron David Engelsma decided that he too, should partake in a girls nite out! And why not?! Technically he's attended girl's nights for 9 months. This time, he wanted to put faces to the voices he's heard laughing and chatting "out there". Congratulations Chris and Heather! And thanks, Heather, for letting us have girls night in your room. I think Aaron was a little perturbed that he couldn't munch on the snacks Suzanne brought...what do you think?:

My "miss-you" List cont'd

Tonight I want to tell you about a favorite store of mine. (I'm sure everyone in GR who knows me is smiling right now because they know exACTly what's coming...).

It's big. It has my kinda stuff. It has great prices. It has even greater clearance racks. It's ever changing. It's........
And yes. I am going to miss...and I mean "do I really have to shop at Walmart again?!" kinda miss...this store!! Whenever I do design work for friends in the states and they say "I can't legally pay you, but what can I get you...?" I more than happily chime "Target gift cards please!".

The best was when I came home one day with a Target bag in my hand, only to find a Target package waiting for me at the front door! What can I say?! I ordered online a skirt to guarentee a size and stopped in for sidewalk chalk and a card two days after I ordered it...and for some reason my husband won't let me forget it!! haha (no worries - that doesn't happen everyday!!)

Good buy Target.

I packed my first box

Crazy, eh?

But going to my in-laws to help pack up closets a while ago (was it three weeks ago now? man time flies!) gave me the itch.

Perhaps I should back up. Rewind. Start from the beginning.

As most of you probably know, since most of you who read this (I'm assuming...) know us, my father-in-law is a minister. (hi dad). He has recently accepted a call to another church. And so, they move.

As most of you probably know, since most of you who read this (I'm assuming...) know us, my husband is studying to be a minister. (hi babe). In fact, he's already graduated. Our student visa's are going to expire in August. And so, we move.

Awhile ago I went to help my mom-in-law work on packing her closets. I won't go into details about her closets. She'd shoot me. ;) But let's just say it was a trip with three purposes.

1) To help mom pack her closets. Check.

2) To give Tim uninterupted time to write his thesis. Check.

3) To give me an adorable daughter-in-the-suitcase picture to post on my blog. Check.

But packing someone else's boxes made me want to ... pack!

So I did.

One box down.

174 to go. Ish. Possibly more.

Probably more. Hopefully less.

My husband has graduated.

Four years.

Eight semesters {+}.

One hundred some-odd credits.

Thousands of prayers.

All wrapped up into one neat and tidy package. Someday soon I'll have to bring that gold trimmed paper with all the signatures on it to Hobby Lobby for a snazzy frame.

In the meantime we sit and wonder "Did it really happen? Was grad last Friday? Are we really truly almost outta here?" Yes. Indeed it was. Uh huh!

Every moment had, every paper written, every class taken, every thought digested and stored away, every tough week, every exam studied for...every single day was a gift. God started and ended each day, even though we so often went along our way as if we were the one's accomplishing the day. He's been molding and preparing and teaching the whole way too! And so...we.are.thankful!

Here are a few shots of the evening...(sorry for the poor quality!) Here he is, getting his diploma.And they all stood up there and waited while the diploma's were handed out. 11 guys present, I believe and 3 unable to make grad.Us. Obviously. :)Tim and 'the guys'. These are the 3 HRC students who went through all four years with Tim. These gentlemen have had lots of fun, deep conversations and debates. We're praying for all of you!Thanks for everyone's congrats and prayers! We really appreciate it. Especially all of you who came from the true North strong and free!!

One more thing: When ones husband gets an "A" on his thesis, does one have bragging rights?

My "miss-you" List

The fact that our time in GR is coming to an end sinks in more and more each day. Emails from friends to plan last-time get togethers. Events (like grad) sneaking up on us. Paperwork being filled out as we get ready to sell our townhouse. Stuff like that.

And so I made a list. This time it's not my usual "check" list. This is simply a list of the things I will miss when we're gone. Perhaps it's a sad kind of list. But each item on the list has left, and will leave fond, fond memories.

And aren't you happy? I'm going to share that list with you, one by one.

First up, Student's Wives Bible Study.

Once a month, a group of ladies gather together. These ladies consist of Professors wives (the whole thing is headed up by Mary Beeke), minister's wives and the wives of the students attending PRTS. When we first moved here, there was a small enough group that we easily fit into the Beeke's living room. But as the seminary grew, so did the number of wives, and so we made the necessary move to the seminary itself. I think it's safe to say that every single student's wife looked forward to these meetings. It was an opportunity to study a book together, pepper the "seasonsed" pastor's wives with questions, and to find comfort and encouragment from their shared experiences.

This year we studied this book: And this past Tuesday was the last meeting of the season...making it my last meeting ever. Will I ever miss these ladies! A special thank you to the pastor's wives who have led these always helpful meetings, and to the ladies who I've shared the learning with. You will all be in my prayers!

We had a special guest at this particular meeting. Lorna Donnely. Her husband is doing the graduation address tomorrow night, and since they're 'around' this week, Mary invited her to join us at our meeting. What a sweet, kind woman with an open and obvious love for her Savior! She encouraged us in using our homes for hospitality, not only to Christians, but for non-Christians. I found that point particularly convicting because it's so easy to entertain our friends and people with which we have a common ground. But what about those who we don't share any interests with? They, too, need to know the love of Christ! And what a better way to show it than through hospitality.

Keep posted for the rest of the list!

Adventures in GR: Part 3

Itching to know where we went next !?

Well...let me show you.Unfortunately my plans were a little...rained out.

Another place I'd been told about but had yet to go was "the park behind the fire station across from Meijer". Huh?! There's no park behind the fire station people!! Surely I would've seen it. You're crazy.

But alas, one day as I drove to Meijer with determination to prove all these people wrong (because really, if the best park in GR were right across from my grocery store, I woulda known!), I saw it. Flashes of bright primary colors. Scads of children. Open fields. The kinda thing you can't miss, really.

Oops.

Ok, so they were right. There IS a park behind the fire station. And it's fabulous. Although this is the only picture you have of if today (and may I saw that the equipment you see is only a quarter of the equipment there...), Tim and I toured it a few date nights ago and it is a charming park.

Lots of equipment for kids to play on, including a very cool flying...thing and a standing spinner that took my breath away. Literally. The kind of thing I would've loved as a child, but got dizzy remarkably fast on as an adult.

But that's not all! There's a sand volleyball court. Tennis courts. Soccer courts. And a cement hiking path (or two or three...we didn't venture on them all) through quiet woods and a meadow and marsh.

And one other thing made me smile. Most of you will think it a very silly thing to give a person a little thrill of excitement, but it did. I couldn't help it. They painted the picnic tables and garbage cans ... now get this ... they painted them a delightful shade of ... AQUA!!!! Oh the joy!

So if you do get a chance, go. If it weren't for the rain, we'd be regulars.

Adventures in GR: Part 2

Animals. Fuzzy, fluffy and cute. And lots of them, all in the middle of town.

Were we at the zoo? Nope! We were at the Critter Farm. Run by a sweet couple who not only bring you on a tour of their farm, but who also do a great job of showing God's hand in each of these animals. Did you know that an egg yolk becomes a chick's tummy? Fact #1 of many we learned that day.

There was one rather sad fact from that day. My camera battery only lasted half of the tour! But I do have a handful of pictures of some awfully cute animals to show you.

There were cats...ducks...bunnies...goats...They also have chickens, horses, cows, turkeys and a donkey or two. (that's when my camera quit on me) Thanks to the Critter Farm for your great tour! We'd recommend it for sure! All of us had a great time...And so we've discovered another 'new spot' in GR. We haven't been discovering something new every week, as hoped, between the busyness and rain (I'm listening to the pitter patter of it right now). But we've got a couple of months yet!

On a side note, I'd like to say that I'm super proud of my husband, as well as very happy for him. He's finished his thesis!!! Woohoo!!! Good thing we were gone for a week, to let him work. And work and work. And work. It...worked. :)