The latest

We got an offer on the house on Saturday night. We've countered their offer and are waiting for their response. We're not exactly sure when we'll hear back, because the wife is being induced today (she's 9 months pregnant!). Please be praying for us! Thanks!

Also, we've tried the only PCA church in the area the past two weeks. The people are super friendly, but we're not sure. The preaching, while quite biblical is pretty dry--of course most people seem dry in comparison to Pastor Bob, but...--we're probably going to give it another week or so. Then we might try a reformed church that we heard about. This is the part of the move that we have been dreading the most, finding a new church family. It's so hard when we were so blessed by our NCF family. But alas, I need to remember that God is in every detail of this move. He didn't lead us this far to abandon us--he'll lead us to just the right church in His timing!

A huge blessing has come in the form a friend of ours from college. Christina was on my hall in college when I was an RA. We were never very close, but we always got along pretty well. Since college we have kept in touch here and there because our sons are very close in age. Her son, Noah, is just 3 weeks younger than Jon. We always said that it would be great to live near each other so that they could be friends. It looks like they will be great friends after all. She and her husband moved to this area about a year ago when her husband got a job at Cedarville University. We've already had 3 playdates and have a couple more on the calendar. She seems as excited to have my friendship as I am to have hers! What a huge blessing!! I cannot express how thankful I am that God has sent her back into my life! (in the pic: Noah, Natalie and Jon)

"I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel." Psalm 71:22

Ahhhh...the sweet sound of silence

They are both napping at the same time--can you hear my shouts of joy? No, well, that's because they're very quiet so I don't wake them up! Hope you're doing well...more pics of our new place and updates on us coming soon! ~hg

My aunt

About a month after my brother Joe died we found out that my aunt Lori had esphageal cancer. I shared that many of you and asked you to be praying for her. Well, there have been many ups and downs since then--some that I shared with you and others that I did not. A few weeks ago (maybe a month now) the doctors told her that the chemo wasn't working and recommended hospice care to make her comfortable. On Easter Sunday, Lori went to be with the Lord. Towards the end she had lost so much weight--she started at approx. 280 and ended around 100 lbs.--and she couldn't eat. The cancer had spread to so many places. Through it all, she kept such an amazingly positive attitude. I talked with her in February when she had found out she had a tumor on her eye and she talked about the radiation she was going to get as if it was nothing more than stubbing your toe or something.
The funeral was the week after Easter--the same week we moved to Ohio--and it was good. Her husband shared the gospel, as well as the pastor. My grandma recounted a story about right after Lori was diagnosed. Lori told one of her pastors (the one that married Pete and I) about her cancer diagnosis and then said, "either the Good Lord will heal me or if it's my time, He'll take me home to be with Him--either way is fine with me." During her last few days she was asking everyone if she would see them in heaven. She told people she was going to get to be with Joe and Jesus.
It's hard to be sad in some ways--I'm really happy for her. She's out of her pain and suffering. But those of us here will miss her, especially her husband and her son. I just heard about scientist making it so we can live to be 150--no thanks. I think I'd rather not. Don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful for all the blessings in my life and I'm not asking to die tomorrow, but when God wants to bring me home I'm more than willing. In the words of Caedmon's Call, this world has nothing for me...

Getting started

This is a new blog for me. I'm hoping some of my VA friends will keep in touch with me on here. I'll post pictures and stories and I'd love to hear from you.

"Mommy, my lost my daddy!" and "What you doing in my bathtub, Mommy?" are just a couple of quotes that have brought a smile to my face this week as we start out in our new home in Dayton. After having Daddy home for two months, Jon is a bit confused about why he suddenly has to go to work everyday. While he loves his mommy, I'm not quite as much fun to wrestle with and I don't play chase as often!

Our new, smaller home is an adjustment for all of us. We've gone from the four bedroom, three bathroom house in the woods that my dad built us to a two bedroom, one bath condo in a little subdivision. The boys have never had to share a room before and the sleeping isn't going too well. Fortunately the laundry room is pretty big and we squeezed the pack-n-play inside. The original thought was to help with naptimes. However the past two nights have found Sam returning to the laundry room halfway through the night when Jon wakes up scared and crying, leading to Sam's crying, leading to Jon's continued crying and pleading, "Mommy, you take him out of here please!" We'll keep trying the sleeping in one room thing, but at least we have another option for those middle of the night flip-outs, when all I want to do is crawl back under the covers!
Jon's also not so sure about having to share a bathroom with us. I didn't realize that he was spoiled in this way, but apparently he was. This morning when I went to shower he came into the bathroom and asked, "Mommy, what you doing in my bathtub?" I told him I was showering and he continued to ask the question putting the emphasis on MY. Silly boy, two and a half and already possessive about his bathtub!

We, grown ups, are doing pretty well. Pete is enjoying the new job. He always enjoys a new challenge and right now he's got a lot of medical information to soak up. His office is just 2 1/2 miles away, so he popped home for lunch today! Also, the latest he's been home has been 6pm--and that was because his boss needed him to drop him off to pick up his car at the mechanic. He was given his first traveling assignment and it's really going to be hard on him. They need him to fly down to Florida and golf with some new clients--that's rough isn't it? (If you didn't know, Pete LOVES golfing. He was on his high school and college golf team.) He's happy, which makes me happy.
I'm missing my family and friends from Virginia, but it sure is nice being just minutes away from a grocery store or a mall. A friend of mine from college lives about 20 minutes away and we've made plans to get our boys together on Friday. Other than that I've spent my time trying to organize our new place, playing with the kiddos, and trying to memorize the verse Muriel May gave me--Isaiah 26:3, "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."

One last thing, speaking of trusting in Him, we've just lowered the price of our house again. Please be praying for wisdom for us and that the right buyer will come soon. We trust that God has brought us this far and He will continue to meet all of our needs. (Phil. 4:19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.")

much love! hg