Georgia Apple Festival

While we were in Georgia we got to go to the apple orchards. We got apple bread. Apple donuts. Apple butter. Apple cidar. All was delicious!Matt and his dad at the apple orchard. Matt and I at the apple festival. It was really cold and windy that day. But it was a lot of fun to go to my first Georgia Apple Festival!A littl afternoon hike to Gennett Poplar tree. This was a hike that Matt used to go on with his family a lot growing up.

John, Gabe, me and Matt. The first time we attempted this picture I set the timer, and then was running down the slippery hill when I slipped and landed flat on my back. Ouch. But I still made it into the picture before the timer went off! :)Us showing how tall the tree is.

Matt, Gabe, and John at the apple festival...trying to keep warm.

Matt and me by the Georgia Apple sign. Loved having lots of apple bread, apple donuts and apple cidar while there!

Matt, John, Gabe, Alex and Alex.

Matt and his dad jamming a little.

Matt and I drove down to Birmingham to see Heather and to meet Chris. So fun to get to see them! I got the see the beginnings of Heather's gorgeous wedding dress!! I forgot to take a sinlge picture of our time with Heather and Chris though. Soo bummed. Me, forgetting to take pictures?! Ahhhh!Matt and his (our) :) precious nephews. Evan, Robby, and Kyle. They adore their uncle Matt.

The cousins. John, Alex, Matt, me, Lara, and Ishi.

Cute little Evan.Robby and Evan.

We had a great time in Georgia with Matt's family! So glad we got to go see them. And so glad we got to see Heather and Chris...and meet Chris before their wedding in Guatemala in December!!

Matt's Coming Home!

So, the date for Matt coming home has changed a few times. The latest date that I had recieved was that he was supposed to be tomorrow. But then, I got a call at 4:30am saying that the plans had changed and they were not going to get to come home until....who knows when. Matt said that it would hopefully be next weekend sometime...but that they were not sure when it would be. I was pretty bummed all day today. But in typical fashion...plans changed again! I just got off the phone with Matt. They are sending him home...on Monday! I think it is for real this time. He is booked on a commercial flight on Monday, and should be in Anchorage Monday evening sometime. Now, I am trying to not be a pessimist and yet still remain realistic and realize that plans could change again. So, for now I am SOOO excited that my husband should be home Monday!!! God has answered my prayers today (as he always does), but today was especially evident for me. Can't wait!!

Putting it in Perspective

Because of the tradgic story of 3 people whom I have never met, my life perspective has once again been altered. It is amazing to me how quickly I forget, or get wrapped up in myself, and do not cling to the lessons that God has taught me so many times before. The short version of the story (which does not do it justice in any way, shape or form) is that Brady and Sara had been married just a little more than four years in February 2009 when they found out that Sara had breast cancer. Around that same time they also found out that Sara was pregnant with their first child. They endured months of surgeries, doctors visits, hospitals and chemo throughout the pregnancy. In early September Sara delivered a healthy baby girl named Chloe. Less then 3 weeks after she delivered, Sara began having headaches and then had multiple seizures. She then passed away on September 22. You should really read their blog to hear the whole story from their perspective. I read their blog just the other night from start to finish. After reading it I could not sleep. I lay awake in bed with a heavy, and prayerful, heart and with tears in my eyes. I was so convicted of my own selfishness. This young family has endured so much in the last 9 months, and yet if you read their story you can see how fully they have relied on and trusted God even in the worst of it all. I remember after Tyler died it took me months, if not an entire year to even begin to say that God was working in this tragedy to mold me into his image. And still, there are so many days where I cannot even wrap my mind around the fact that Tyler is truly gone and that I will not see him again until Heaven. There are days where I can hardly breath because I miss him so much. And there are still days where I get frustrated that it was his time to go home. And yet this small family saw in the midst of their trials and trusted in the midst of their trials that God was using and molding them and that God had a plan for them. I stay so focused on my own stresses, frustrations, disappointments, and fears. And so often in the midst of all of those things I do not seek to see what God is trying to teach me and how he is trying to make me more like Christ through those things. In the past months with Matthew being gone I have been so selfish. I have stayed so focused on this very small difficulty in my life, when this is only a very small trial in my life...if it can even be called a trial. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that I shouldn't miss Matt or be sad that he is gone. But I should be praising God for his safety and should be open to what he has for me here while Matt is gone. And, I do not think that I should no longer miss Tyler. But, my perspective has once again been altered. I pray that I can daily live with my eyes open to what God is teaching me and that I will never take for granted the numerous blessings in my life. And that I will constantly remember that this life on earth is only a whisper in time. AND, that I will daily know that God's plan is the best plan for my life.

Please pray for the Brady and Chloe Sullivan and the rest of Sara's family.

"I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear. I will help you'." ~Isaiah 41:13

" I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before then, and make the rough paths smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." ~Isaiah 42:16

Evening Sunset Hike

Since today was the day that Matthew was supposed to be home we spent the day staying busy. First of all I talked to him on Skype for an hour or so this morning. And then we went and found Matthew's birthday present. I had thought of a few things that I wanted to get him, but hadn't decided for sure on what to get him. So, finally made a decision today and bought it! And then, we also went to Barnes and Noble and I bought a new book that my mom recommended for me to read. I love to read, so I am very excited to have a good book to keep me entertained. :) Somewhere during the day I also watched some Georgia football. Always fun! Then we went on a little hike. The trees have changed colors soo fast! It is amazing. Spring, summer and fall are all very short lived and move very quickly here! Starting in April the snow begins to melt. By mid June it is almost all melted. And then by the first of September almost all of the trees have changed colors and we are expecting to start seeing snow in the next few weeks. Crazy! But, the trees are gorgeous right now. Sarah, Devin and I decided that if we didn't get out and take pictures of the beautiful secenry soon it would be gone before we had the chance! And then, after our little evening hike we went bowling with a few of my friends from work. All in all it was very good day! Below are a few pics of the hike.

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the son of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." ~Romans 8:18-27

Quick Update

Matthew was supposed to be coming home tomorrow morning at 9:00am. He called me on Sunday and told me the details of when and where to pick him up. I was so excited to have a specific date and official time to pick him up! Then he called me on Tuesday with bad news. The plans had changed and he was not getting to come home on Saturday. So, now we have no idea when he will come home. It will be sometime on or before October 6th. I am hoping for before then, but I am realistically expecting to not have him home until October 6th. Matt's birthday is September 22, so I am very bummed that I do not get to be with him on his birthday. And, I had planned a birthday camping trip with two other couples on September 25-27 that we will not get to do now...but we will just have to celebrate when he gets home!

I am so blessed to have Devin and Sarah still living with me! I don't know how I would have handled that sad news without having them here with me! It is so fun having them live with me. It is nice to have someone who cooks dinner and cleans up the dishes and days that I work and it is fun to have someone to cook dinner for on days that I don't work. Matt and I are so blessed by their friendship, and we look forward to getting to live in the same town with them for the next few years!

AND, today is Mama's birthday! I wish that I could be in Texas to celebrate with her. I could not ask for a more amazing mom. She is always completely selfless. She is so thoughtful and encouraging. While Matt has been gone she has always been sure to call me often and make sure that I am doing okay. She and Papa came to visit me a few weeks ago to make sure that I didn't get to lonely without Matthew here. And, she and Papa let me use their American airline miles to go see Matt in Guam back in July! Mama has always been such a Godly example of what a wife and mother should be. I am so blessed to have her example to follow and her words of encouragement and wisdom. Happy birthday, Mama. I love you!

Heather's Engaged!!

To see the story you should check out my sister-in-law Kara's adorable blog post!

http://karasheets.blogspot.com/

I am so excited for Heather and Chris! Matt and I haven't gotten to meet Chris yet and won't get to until a couple of days before their wedding...but we are so excited for both of them and can't wait to meet Chris!

The rest of the pics...

I don't know what happened to that picture. :)

The sunset was beautiful while we were camping!


Mama caught some fish eggs. :) She also caught a humpy. A humpy is a kind of salmon...but we were told by the locals that it is not any good to eat...so we threw all the humpies back.

Me and Mama fishing.

Me and Papa taking a break from fishing.

Papa caught a humpy too. He also caught two pink salmon!

Devin and Sarah had a great trailer that Devin built...it was so nice of them to come along and let us use their trailer. It has a great little kitchen area!

Me holding the humpy that I caught. I also caught a 22" silver salmon.