Church Goings-on
- I am still singing in the worship band at church. We practice once a week, and I am really enjoying it. I've stopped being nervous when I get on stage, so that is good. This week we are doing a throwback to my childhood and singing "Shine Jesus Shine." Hopefully the electric guitar will update the sound a little bit, but it's kind of fun! If you want to hear something really adorable, listen to the African Children's Choir's version of the song. The accents are great!
- My friend Nicole and I have started leading the youth girl's group at church. We meet at my house once a week, and we are doing a Bible study on the book of James. So far it is going really well! The girls are great, and fun, and they consume a huge amount of snacks.
- Have I mentioned that we love our church? Well we do! The people aren't perfect, the services aren't perfect, but there is great fellowship and love for each other and for God, and that is what it is about. It is a blessing to be a part of it.
- We are looking for a house to buy, but it has been frustrating. It is expensive to live out here, so our budget is on the low end. This county is rural and only recently has started being developed, so there are few neighborhoods, and they are expensive. What we can afford usually ends up being a very outdated, small house on a single street that is not part of a neighborhood. If the houses were more reasonably priced, we could buy an outdated house and fix it up, but at these prices we just can't afford to do that. So far we've looked at about 40 houses and put offers on two, and neither one worked out. We would rent a house, but rent here is way more expensive than buying, so that won't work. So we're kind of stalled out, waiting for more houses to appear on the market.
- Working, unfortunately. I have been looking for a part time job for several months now, but so far no luck. The pickings are very slim for an Englishy person in this VERY engineering/military-oriented town. I want to contribute monetarily to our family while we have no children, but I do not want to find myself in another full time job that I am miserable at, so I am being picky about what I apply to. I may have to start lowering my standards.
- Summer! Summer here is not terribly different from summer in Houston, it seems. We've been hitting the upper 80's and even 90 degrees lately. I told James that I like summer, and he remarked that I say that about every season. I just enjoy having seasons! I'll groan about the heat, but it is fun to pull out my skirts and flip flops.
- My Casper boy. He's just so darn cute! Here he is with a sock on his head...James likes to play games with him. :-)
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Books I am reading
- A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. This is supposedly a classic, and Nicci, I know it is your favorite book, but I am just not feeling it. Owen is just so weird, I have a hard time relating to him. But I'm giving it a full chance, so we'll see how I feel once I've finished it.
- Little Bee by Chris Cleave. I'm listening to this on audio, and I like it. I am a visual person, so I always like books a little less when I listen to them instead of read them, but this one isn't bad. It's about a refugee from Nigeria.
- How We Got the Bible by Neil R. Lightfoot
- Second Corinthians. Ahh Paul, you never fail to confuse me. I have to read most chapters twice just to figure out what he's talking about.
- Right now I'm on a Gilmore Girls kick.
- I just saw the trailer for Les Miserables coming out this Christmas. It stars Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman, and it looks really good. I may have to reread the book in preparation.
- Audrey Assad - O My Soul (her whole Heart album is great)
- Passion - Lay Me Down
- Bruno Mars - Marry You
- Artists for Haiti - We are the World 25 for Haiti
- Jeremy Camp - Overcome
- These cookies have become one of my favorites. Citrus is perfect for summer! I found the recipe on Pinterest, but it is originally from an LDS (Latter Day Saints) magazine. Just so you don't think I read the magazine. :)
- A summer wreath for the front door. I'm going for something like this, we'll see how it turns out.
Well that's all for today! What are you up to?
