update needed

I actually think it been almost 2 years since I posted and because of that this blog is SO. TOTALLY. OUT OF DATE!

1.) I do not have long hair anymore.
2.) I don't wear glasses... those are fake... yes, I am cool {not}
3.) Davin grew 2.5 years older and about 5 gazillion inches. (I like hyperbole, can ya tell?)
4.) Jonathan still looks the same. He's had the same hair cut since 7th grade. (Hyperbole? Nope, thats the truth.)
5.) We have another kid! His name is Levi.

Jonathan always laughs because I am always changing this thing. I have switch the name of this blog 70 hundred times (hyperbole). I want to change it again (suggestions?) I am never satisfied with the layout. I want it to look all legit and professional, but seriously? I am not professional and not legit either. But I digress.

Bare with me, faithful followers... I am working it out. But in all honesty, I have lots of itty bitty diapers to change and pb&j to make, and oh yea... I have to remember to eat lunch and breathe and sleep and shower and laundry (a joke, because that never gets done) and a hubby to spend time with and and and and and and..... a whole lot of really good stuff God gave me.

I am sure you won't mind, right?

You are so great. Take me as I am. GRACE! You are so Christian ;)

Hello. My name is Misha. Remember me?

Yeah... hi. I feel sheepish showing my face (?) around here after such a long absence. And I should, because I just spell checked the word absence. Come on now, has it really been that long since I have typed a simple sentence??

... I guess you are right.

With the whirlwind of change happening these past few months, I am surprised I remember to put on deodorant.

{{sniff}}

whoops...

I have two kids now and honestly, its been great and crazy! I feel silly even saying that because I do realize that SO many moms have more than two kids and two kids probably sounds pretty easy. To each his own. I like it. My little one won't be a newborn forever and this whirlwind will settle. One day I'll forget what it felt like to be moving from one need to the next and I will miss it. For now, I think these little posts are therapeutic for me, reminding me whats important and having fun will doing so and possibly helping me release some creativity... even if I always spell grammar with an "er" first, before being corrected and compose crappy paragraphs and incorporate inappropriate uses of punctuation. TO EACH HIS OWN! I ain't no writing pharisee. I'm probably slightly rebellious and that might have to do with my squeaking through high school english unnoticed. How did I do that? Maybe I should hire an editor?

Oh well. To say the least, I think I am back to my dusty ol' blog. She's outta shape and we're gonna try and get back to working out ;) I missed you all! Its good to be back.

In sickness and in health..

Humiliation

"Let me never forget that the heinousness of sin lies not so much in the nature of the sin committed, as in the greatness of the person sinned against."

Excerpt from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions.

P. S. I love that book! It's been an awesome addition to my devo times.

(for all my grammar loving friends... I can't do italics with my Blogger app! Just a little "fear of man" coming out right here - do you still think I am cool and smart? Ok good, didn't think so... because if you have read more than 2 posts by me you would know I am a freak ((in a bad way)) at using punctuation properly and grammar is a sad lack of mine. So lets face it, I am still typing in parenthesis!)

Love God & hate sin - thats all I got to say

Valley of Vision

"When You lead me to the valley of vision I can see You in the heights; and though my humbling wouldn’t be my decision, it’s here Your glory shines so bright. So let me learn that the cross precedes the crown, to be low is to be high, that the valley’s where You make me more like Christ.

In the daytime there are stars in the heavens but they only shine at night and the deeper that I go into darkness the more I see their radiant light. So let me learn that my losses are my gain, to be broken is to heal, that the valley’s where Your power is revealed.

Let me find Your grace in the valley. Let me find Your life in my death. Let me find Your joy in my sorrow, Your wealth in my need. That You’re near with every breath in the valley."
----

What I love about this song is the truth it brings to the reality of our trails. To go through a trail is to find yourself in the "valley of vision" - that the beauty of Christ is brighter and higher and bigger when you are so low. How often do we consider our trials actual mercies from God for us to receive his grace, his life, and his wealth in our time of need. The only supply that matters, that lasts, are his... that our losses are gain: Gaining Christ.

My favorite verse says, "In the daytime there are stars in the heavens but they only shine at night and the deeper that I go into darkness the more I see their radiant light." I can lose sight of God's radiant light, his goodness and glory and all-sufficiency in the midst of bright shiny days... yet as I go deep into the darkness of life's trails, how brightly he shines before me! The darker the night the brighter the star.

Please listen and be encouraged in the midst of your test.


"I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2

Something

I thought that tonight was the night that I needed to at least post something...

So there; something!

Just kidding, that was lame. What a lame reentry into the blogging world. You would think after 2 months I would have had something better then that. Oh well. I feel kinda special that I have a few faithful followers and therefore feel the freedom to say whatever I want.... after all, if you stuck around this long - after a 2 month sabbatical- I think that you will still love me and my lame-o jokes.

I sincerely do hope to keep up with all the things I want to record here from now on. Now that I have my trusty iPad I think the opportunities to type away will be much frequent, give that our desktop is down in the basement office (which is under construction- pics to come). Honestly, I feel like a little mole down in the basement office. So I plan to blog on the deck in the fresh air!

I want to update on home improvement projects, but there ain't NONE yet! Or about a total body makeover from an intense exercise program, but that DEFINITELY ain't happening. So until then you will have words. But as for now it is movie night and my popcorn is getting cold :)

Social

I'm alive.

Barely.

We got moved into the new house. I met 4 neighbors. Linda, Jan, Dave, and Marvin. Marvin mowed our lawn. He came flyin' up our drive way on his gigantic 'titanic' of a lawn mower and said ever so nonchalantly, "Say, why don't I finish up and then come on over an' mow your lawn."

Ummm?? YES PLEASE!!

That was so nice... maybe he did it because he saw me literally washing the entire bottom half of our house (on the outside), (it was dirty-ish), (the gutters are full of dirt and are hanging on a slope), (we'll get to that later..) and he felt sorry for me OR, based on my obversvation of Marvin's yard, he likes his grass lookin' spiffy and having a neighbor with wild grass to your knees ain't so good for the neighborhood ;) Either way, we got a free cut a la Marvin. He even collected and bagged up our grass and stacked it all neatly for the garbage man... he said that clumps of grass in the yard looks "trashy" - and boy would we have had clumps! Marvin had to unload his (huge) grass collecting bags after circling the backyard ONCE and our back yard is not big!

Thanks, Marv!

... can I call you Marv?

So, we have officially met 4 more neighbors than we have ever met at any of our other homes.

We are so social.

sporadic

Sporadic. You know what... I originally spelled it "sporatic" - just goes to show you I am a true English failure! But that's okay because I have people who love me... and you still read my blog, so its all good. Although I am sure I lost some of you out there since I have been so sporadic in my postings. I strongly dislike when I have such long writing strikes, but you know what... I have been busy! So here are some updates on my life (just pretend that you care for a moment):

• We sent in the preliminary application to Bethany Christian Services to apply as adopting parents! Can't.Even.Believe.I.Just.Typed.That. YAY! Still haven't heard back... waiting.. waiting.. waiting.. maybe they think we are weird?
  
• Because we just started the very very beginning of the adoption process, I am now convinced every other second that I could in fact be pregnant. Even though I am absolutely not pregnant... nor are there any signs pointing to that possiblity. So I end this bullet point assuring you (and myself) No. I am indeed NOT pregnant... But I am pregnant by adoption :)
• My friend Katie and I have officially started our photography business Wild Olive Photography - I can't even type enough words to explain how FREAKING excited I am about this. I - <3 - Photography, and it is the first thing I have ever started and haven't given up on. This is huge, my friend. HUGE. My reason for the success: because it is 100% for adoption (as in all profits go toward our adoption funds - Katie and her family are adopting too!)... so God is literally making it happen. Snapping the shots, if you will, and bringing in clients. I think I have also finally found my niche and passion. My hobby. I am so grateful all around. Once I get our blog pretty and complete I shall post a link ;)
• WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! So much to talk about on this subject... but I will need to wait for another post on this 1.) because I have a sink full of dishes that needed to be done 20 minutes ago and 2.) I want to take pictures so I can show you the refrigerator ... its from the 80's ;) .... I sense many "before & after" posts on the horizon! We close June 1st. The day before my birthday. Happy Birthday to me.
  
• This week Jonathan and I celebrated 3 years of marriage! We have done a lot in 3 years! Bought a house, started down the road of adoption, had a baby, moved to a new town, graduated college, laughed a lot, and ate more Portillo's cheese fries and chili dogs than most people do in a lifetime. I love him.
  

Okay, I am done for now. It is cold in my house and my fingers are frozen and stiff... makes for many typos. Its all my fingers fault. Okay, that is a lie.

Grace

Words that speak to the sinful perfectionism I chance... and inevitably fail to achieve. Thank you God, "for your daily sufficient grace."

An adoptee adopts: her story.

Thanks to the Abba Fund blog for posting this video!

Mary Hiatt's Story from Kensington on Vimeo.