Heston & Kelli

Praise the Lord!

2010-02-25T09:40:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to say "Praise the Lord!" that Heston got a job! It is part time, but he is working with kids in an after-school program at a fitness center. He does so well with the kids and of course they love him! He certainly has a unique gift to connect with kids, and people in general for that matter. We are just continuing to pray that God will continue to open doors where he can use those gifts for His glory!

Thanks for your prayers and support - God will continue to lead us and guide us in HIS PERFECT WAY AND TIME!!

Hello! Anyone still read this? =)

2010-02-06T11:13:00.014-06:00

Hello Everyone! I am really not sure if anyone still reads this blog anymore. If you do, leave a comment. I have been a horrible blogger since we moved here to PA about 2 1/2 years ago.

So, in the last 6 months since I blogged, what has happened?

Well, let's see...in August 2009, my "baby" brother, Colton (18) moved in with us to go to RACC to study Business.

We bought a boat that we keep down in MD. Fun times! Amazingly it cost less than my first car =)

I started a new job at the same company in September. I go into Berks County schools and provide comprehensive behavioral health assessments, run in-school support groups, assist in interventions, give presentations, and communicate with concerned parents and caregivers. I really enjoy it!

Heston unfortunately became unemployed at the beginning of September, but God has been incredibly FAITHFUL and we have somehow always been able to pay our bills even though it doesn't seem possible. God has and continues to teach us many lessons. We are waiting to see what doors the Lord will open up, but we KNOW He has not forgotten about us!! God has blessed us with amazing friends and family. Their encouragement and support is amazing!

I graduated with my Master's in Mental Health Counseling from LBC on December 18. My entire family came to PA for the occasion and it was SO FUN to all be together!! My husband threw me a graduation party =) Call me crazy, but I really do miss being in school. My husband is happy to have me home in the evenings now that I am finally done with my internships, which I have been doing for almost a year and a half. Now I am studying for my National Counselor's Exam which I will be taking in April. The end goal is to become a Licensed Professional Counselor.

It was so fun having my whole family here and we had an early Christmas with them. And my mom and my sister got to stay for a few extra days =)

We had a wonderful Christmas with the Frey family and it was only the 2nd Christmas of our 6 1/2 years of marriage that we woke up in our OWN HOUSE!! It was great!

In January Heston turned the big 30. I threw him a surprise party and invited all our friends and family. I was able to pull of the surprise and it was so much fun!!

God continues to show Himself to us. We are truly blessed by a wonderful church family and so many friends living mere blocks away =) So fun!

I will try better to keep up with this blog.

And what post from me would be complete with a picture of Phoebe =)

Our 6th Anniversary

2009-08-13T20:05:00.006-05:00

We decided to celebrate our 6th anniversary by taking a weekend trip down to Baltimore to enjoy the city, look at boats, and especially spend time with each other!

Our lives are very busy right now and it was so wonderful to get away and spend some quality time together. The city was AMAZING, the food was great, and our accommodations were wonderful! Our first night we got a 4 star hotel for 1/4 of the price! It was right at the Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore. We then got a restaurants.com coupon for 80% off and had dinner at a wonderful Thai place.

We enjoyed walking around the inner harbor and stopped to get dessert from the cheesecake factory. Yum!

The next day we went to look at boats

and ended up in NE Maryland in Elkton where we enjoyed our wonderful bed and breakfast. It was so neat!

We waited out a rain storm and then went out to the deck to enjoy the hot tub. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend. I can't beleive it ahs already been 6 years. Time sure does fly! I can't wait for many more wonderful years together.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-23T18:18:00.002-06:00

In just 2 more days, my whole family will be together!! My parents, Bryce, Bri & Colton are flying into PHL airport on Tuesday and then we are all headed to New York City! We are staying in New York and spending some time in the city. I am so excited!

I am so excited that we will all be together for Thanksgiving because it has been 10 years since we have all been together. I made so many lists and am so excited to cook all of the Thanksgiving food and enjoy my family. I am excited for them to see our house, where we live and work, and our church!

Hurry up and get here, everyone! Heston, Phoebe & I are so excited! Love you all and see you soon!!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and hope you are able to spend some wonderful time with family friends.

OH, and we are already planning a midnight shopping trip Thanksgiving night. Fun times!

2008-10-17T17:42:00.003-05:00

My husband kindly reminded me the other week that I have not updated our blog in FOREVER. It is the truth - sorry!

Things are busy here in the Frey household. The Lord is still teaching us much and we are continually waiting on Him to show us the next direction for Heston and his work. Praise the Lord that He has provided him a job until the next door is opened; I know many are not so fortunate. There are many opportunities, but the doors keep closing. We know the Lord has the perfect door opened and He will lead us to that door as long as we follow His will. We have learned a lot and I am so glad that we have a Heavenly Father who cares about us and loves us and wants what is best for us. Even though we don't always understand, we know He has a pefect plan for us.

I am staying very busy this semester with working full-time and school. I am taking 9 credits this semester and completing my practicum, which is 9 hours per week. After the first night of my practicum I knew I was in the right line of study/work; God made that very clear to me! I am so glad I have the opportunity to see and put my education into practice and look forward to the opportunities that lay ahead. In January I will be half way done with my master's - yeah!

We have been working on some of the finishing touches on our house and Heston was able to put a deck on the back of our house!! It is awesome. I am not sure if I have a "before" picture, but here is the end result!! Thanks, Babe for doing such an amazing job!

Our 5th Wedding Anniversary

2008-08-03T17:27:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it has been 5 years since I became Kelli Frey. Yes, a lot has happened, but 5 years has flown by. I love my husband now more than ever and I think we still feel like newlyweds. Part of that may have to do with the fact that we felt like we were starting over when we moved to PA 1 year ago. A lot has happened even since being here in PA for one year. We know God has a plan for us and we are excited to see what that plan is. God is teaching us many lessons and for that we are grateful.

Last weekend we went to Philly to go to the King of Prussia Mall, IKEA and a Phillies game. We had a great time! We had a nice dinner at the cheesecake factory, thanks to a gift card.

Then Friday night, we had a date night and went and saw the new batman movie. That was great! Saturday morning, we slept in, had waffles for breakfast and then headed out. We went to Buca di Beppo's for lunch, which interestingly enough we went to on our wedding night.

Then we headed out to the outlets in Lancaster. We had a great time! We actually met up with some of our great friends as well. We shopped and found some great deals, had a quick dinner at Panera and then headed to Sight and Sound. We saw the production of In The Beginning and it was as amazing as anyone has described. We definitely want to go back again! It made the creation and fall so realistic.

Anyways, we had a great anniversary and we are excited that God brought us together and He chose us perfectly for one another. We are excited for His plans to continue to unfold for us. He is faithful to us and we are eternally grateful to Him.

My Birthday

2008-07-22T16:46:00.003-05:00

Today is my 27th birthday. Wow! That sounds old, but I don’t feel old. Today has been a great birthday. It started off with my husband wishing me a happy birthday before he left for work. My boss greeted me with a happy birthday and a gift. Then she took me out to lunch at a Mexican restaurant I have been wanting to try. She also bought Dilly bars from Dairy Queen for the office to enjoy. Yum! I returned to my office and had 2 beautiful bouquets of flowers waiting for me. One one from my parents and the other was from my wonderful husband. Pictures are below. Then I came home and Heston had Papa John's waiting for me =) That was the icing on the cake . Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes, cards, texts and phone calls. I feel so loved!

In celebration of my birthday, I decided to list 27 things that I am thankful for:

1. The salvation I have through the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. My wonderful husband, Heston, whom I have been in love with for 6 ½ years, and have been married to for almost 5 years.
3. My wonderful family who I love and miss very much!
4. My wonderful in-laws – I couldn’t ask for a better family to marry into.
5. My wonderful, beautiful black cat and baby, Phoebe Faye Frey; she makes me smile and feel loved no matter what.
6. Our wonderful house that God hand-picked for us. It has been so fun making it our own.
7. My wonderful job that has allowed me to get my foot in the door of a vocation of helping others.
8. The education that God has allowed me to receive, both at Northland and at Lancaster Bible College. I am so excited to continue my education and use the education God has allowed me to have to help others.
9. I am thankful for coffee, especially Starbucks!
10. I am thankful for the ability to read. Yeah for summers when I have time to read!
11. I am thankful for the wonderful friends that the Lord has placed in my life. Of course they are spread out all over the country, but I am thankful for the special times He has given us to share and for the love and encouragement I receive and can also give to each of them.
12. I am thankful for the wonderful church God has led us to. I know that was one of the biggest prayers and desires of our hearts when God moved us to PA that He would lead us to the perfect church that would meet our needs spiritually. He did just that and we are so very grateful!
13. I am thankful for music. I love the worship songs that cause me to reflect on Jesus Christ in ways that stir my soul! I am thankful for the way music can cause me to focus on Christ and Him alone.
14. I am thankful for the ocean and the wonderful peace and serenity it shows me.
15. I am thankful for watching the sunset. It shows the beauty of God’s creation and it is especially enjoyable when I am with my husband.
16. I am thankful for special date times with Heston. I am thankful that after 5 years of marriage, we can still find the time for special dates. Thanks, Babe!
17. I am thankful for God’s Word, the Bible, and for the ability to learn and glean wisdom and knowledge to apply to my life.
18. I am thankful for the ability to pray to Jesus Christ. I am thankful for the way God lays people and situations on my mind and prompts me to pray for them. I am thankful for this special relationship I can have with my Savior.
19. I am thankful for the times I can find a great deal while shopping, whether it is for groceries, clothes or things for our house.
20. I am thankful for the amazing smile I see on Heston’s face when I find the perfect gift, make a good meal, or do something special for him.
21. I am thankful for beautiful flowers. I may not be good at growing them, but I definitely enjoy their beauty.
22. I am thankful for God’s protection of me, my family and friends.
23. I am thankful for God’s provision. He never ceases to amaze me. He has given us so much and we can see His hand a work in our lives.
24. I am thankful for vacations, especially when I get to see my family. After being away from my family for so long, the times together always seem much more special.
25. I am thankful for my favorite foods: Mexican, pizza, tiramisu, and so many others!
26. I am thankful for my health.
27. I am thankful that God has given me 27 years here on Earth. I pray that I will grow closer to Him this year, learn to serve Him better, learn to be a better wife and grow in Him.

Blessings in the form of a rug

2008-06-26T16:11:00.003-05:00

The Lord has been teaching Heston and I a lot lately and we are always amazed at his provisions and blessings. I was having an interesting day at work yesterday as my boss if "office-less" and has therefore been in my small space the last 2 weeks. It is not easy, but I constantly am reminding myself that she does not have an office and she is not trying to be in my space but has to. Anyways, I spent quite a while giving over many situations in my life to God and just talking to Him and praying. It was a great time! After lunch, we went over to our old office to pack up our boxes and that was not a fun process as it was hot and it we had no electricity. I went and did my packing and then went up to help her. Long story shortened, she has this rug I have admired since she bought it. I asked if she was going to bring it with her and she said no and asked if I wanted it! I was so excited! I Think the reason I liked it so much in her office was because I knew how good it would look in my house. I told one of my friends about this a while back and we talked about this situation. I thought it was so awesome how God gave me this special blessing!

Then today, she gave me a $50 gift card as a thank you for putting up with her and for being flexible with the office move. Again, another unexpected blessing.

I just wanted to give a shout out to my wonderful husband. He has been working so hard with his summer job and also working on his business plan for the restaurant. I am thankful for how he is working hard to provide for us and also to plan for our future. I am thankful for his encouragement with my graduate school adventures. He is a wonderful husband and I am so glad that God led me to him. I can't believe our 5th anniversary is coming up.

Wonderful Vacation

2008-06-14T18:45:00.003-05:00

We just got back from a wonderful vacation to the Outer Banks, NC. We went down there with all of Heston's family and we had an awesome time! We rented a house right near the beach and spent our time relaxing by the pool, playing in the ocean, having great food, and having fun being together. I have TONS of pictures so I will post some here, but the rest are on facebook.

Yeah for summer vacations!

Hello

2008-05-18T18:40:00.002-05:00

I just thought I would give an update on what is going on with the Frey family. We are doing well and are excited to see what the Lord is going to continue to lead us and guide us.

Heston's last day at LBC was on April 30. He took a week or so off of work to do things around the house, work on his business plan, and catch up on some other things. He started working with Breyer Construction this past week and has enjoyed being active again. He is not used to the manual labor, but he is enjoying it! We are very thankful for the job that the Lord has provided for Heston.

My grandparent's (Clingerman) 60th wedding anniversary is this summer. They are having a party for them on Sunday, June 1. My aunt asked if we were all planning on coming and due to finances, my sister and I weren't planning on going. However, she said that if we were able to get the time off of work she would help us with the tickets! Thank you Aunt Brenda!! How special it will be for all of us to get together. It will be a fast weekend, but it will be worth it. I will be sure to post pictures.

The next Saturday, we are leaving for the Frey Family vacation to the Outer Banks. Since we have been married, all of our family vacations have been to see family (which is great!!), but we have not gone on a vacation to a random place. We are looking forward to the warm (hopefully!) weather and the beach and also spending time with family. I am hoping to get a tan, too =)

Trip to Georgia

2008-04-27T19:43:00.001-05:00

I'm leaving on a jet plane....

2008-04-15T20:17:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow night my mom and I are flying to meet my sister in Georgia for the weekend. We are all very excited. Mom is feeling a little better about leaving now that Grandpa seems to be doing better. My uncle will be with him until my mom gets back on Sunday night.

We are looking forward to a fun girls weekend and enjoying the many beautiful sights of GA and of course doing a little shopping. See you both tomorrow =)

Update on Grandpa

2008-04-15T20:15:00.002-05:00

Thank you for your prayers for my grandfather. My mom called me Sunday night to let me know that his kidneys are now functioning properly and that the irregularities in his kidneys were due to the medicine for his shingles. They changed his medication that night and my mom called me Monday morning to let me know that he was up, eating breakfast and asking questions regarding his medicine. This is a huge praise as he has not been able to eat much or talk coherently for the past 2 weeks. My uncle flies in to CO on Thursday morning, and now my mom is feeling a lot better about flying to GA to meet my sister and I for the weekend. Thanks again for your prayers! There is still a long period of recovery ahead, but he in on the mend.

Update on Grandpa

2008-04-12T21:14:00.003-05:00

My mom called me a few minutes ago to let me know that Grandpa's kidneys are not functioning well now. He is on strong medication to fight the infection of his shingles, but his kidneys are not able to process the medication. They will take an ultrasound tonight and see what the problem is. He does not know about his kidneys yet and he was just saying today, "What else can go wrong". Please keep him in your prayers. He is discouraged and in so much pain due to the sores all over his body from his scalp to his ankles and then also from the bone spurs on his neck. He gave everyone a big scare earlier today as his blood pressure went way low and he couldn't breathe well. Apparently he was dehydrated.

I know God is the Amazing Healer and we are trusting in Him to heal my grandpa. Please pray for my mom as she is at the hospital when she is not at work or else she is with Grandma. Pray also for Grandma as this is very draining for her.

My uncle is flying in this week to spend some time with him so we are grateful for that. Mom & I have a trip planned to fly to Atlanta on Wednesday to see my sister, so pray for wisdom for that. We are hoping he will get better, but we will take it day by day.

Thanks for your prayers; we all appreciate it.

Prayer Request

2008-04-09T16:29:00.003-05:00

Please pray for my grandpa. He went into the hospital early last week due to some intense pain. They sent him home once, but he was back the next day. After he was there for several days they found bone spurs on his neck, which is causing him intense pain. He will have to have surgery but it not an emergency. He has not been able to tolerate the pain well and has thus stayed in the hospital. However, he has now contracted shingles. Please pray for him and my grandma and also for my mom who is trying to take care of them and make sure that Grandma gets the rest she needs. Please pray for wisdom regarding the surgery. He is 85 years old and so the surgery is a big thing. If you think of them, please keep them in your prayers. Thanks!

Rough Weekend

2008-04-07T19:48:00.003-05:00

Heston had a rough weekend this past weekend. He hurt his back about 2 and a half weeks ago, but after a very painful week and a half it seemed he was on the mend. He had a full week of work which ended with a sports banquet Friday night. After it was over he joined us for small groups. We stayed late and talked and played games etc. Heston was looking forward to an exciting day of fishing with his buddies now that his back was feeling better.

HOWEVER….

Saturday morning at 8:30 Heston woke up yelling and screaming because he was in so much pain with his back! I thought maybe it would go away but it seemed to be getting worse. So I was half asleep trying to call the hospital and his family to see if someone could come help me get him in the car. We got to the ER around 9:30 and they gave him a shot and a muscle relaxer to try to help alleviate the pain. It seemed to help and then they took x-rays to rule out any broken ribs or fractures. The x-rays came back negative and although they don’t know what is causing this extreme pain, they sent him home with muscle relaxers and pain medication and told him to take it easy for the next few weeks and hopefully it will heal itself. The medications make him very sleep so he slept most of Saturday evening and part of Sunday afternoon. The rest is what he needs, I guess.

Here are some pictures of him and Phoebe enjoying some quality time. Phoebe lover her daddy =)

We would appreciate your prayers concerning Heston’s back and also prayers for our future. We will keep you posted!

Great Evening.

2008-04-02T19:33:00.002-05:00

Last night, Heston & I were able to enjoy a great dinner out thanks to a gift certificate we received in the mail to a local restaurant called Austin’s. It is always more fun to go out to a nicer restaurant when you know it won’t cost you too much money. It was great to be together! When we got home, we went out for a long walk up the main street near our house and then over to his parent’s house. It was nice to chat with them for a while and relax. Then we made our way home and watched several flight for life helicopters land on top of the hospital which is only about a block from our house. I have always heard them, but have never watched them land. It was cool because you could even see the people up on the roof. There were about 5 helicopters in and out in a matter of 5 minutes! It was amazing how they could maneuver those helicopters so quickly.

Spring is definitely here and I am so thankful! Yesterday was rainy in the morning but then hit the low 70’s! It was so beautiful!

I just wanted to say thank you to my husband for a wonderful evening out. It is the best feeling in the world to spend the whole evening with my best friend. I love you very much, Heston and I am continually praying that God will continue to lead us and guide us in our future.

Learning Lessons

2008-03-25T18:23:00.001-05:00

The Lord is teaching Heston & I many lessons. As you know, the Lord led us away from Northland this past summer for Heston to take a job at LBC. However, Heston will not be retuning to work at LBC in the fall. I think we have known that he would not be going back since this past November, but now his last day will be April 30. It has been difficult to sort through the feelings and questions of why God brought us here if the job opportunity that brought us here is no longer. We have been forced to trust God in an even greater way. We had to trust God to leave Northland as neither of us wanted to leave, but God led us each step of the way and we know that He led us here for a reason. It is hard to understand His ways, but we can rest assured that His ways are far above our ways. These are uncertain times and we are unsure of what the next step will be, but we know God will lead us and guide us as only He can do.

We have found a great church to be a part of and have enjoyed the fellowship and spiritual growth. We are praying about getting involved in the junior high youth group and have joined a small group which has been so beneficial to building Christian friendships and accountability. We are praying about becoming members and want to make sure that this is the church that we are to be members of.

We were able to see Northland’s Men’s volleyball team play in a tournament at LBC 2 weeks ago. It was WONDERFUL to see familiar faces and enjoy the fellowship with the Herron’s. After they left Heston & I both teared up as we miss NBBC so much. We allowed ourselves to wonder what would have happened if we would have chosen to stay at Northland. But they we caught ourselves and reminded ourselves that God brought us here to PA and away from Northland for a reason. It was especially fun to see my good friend Jamie’s little brother, Chris. He has grown up a lot!

We would covet your prayers as we seek the Lord about what to do. We know He has a plan for us and we can rest in that. We have several opportunities and trust the Lord to lead us down the right path. We will keep you all posted as the Lord makes His will known.

Easter Weekend

2008-03-25T18:19:00.000-05:00

The Easter holiday is always a special time for Christians. This year, I was able to attend a Good Friday service for the first time. I was so excited! Our pastor read the Scriptures that led up to Christ’s death, but it was done in a way that it sounded like it was coming from someone who would have been present at each of those times. It really personalized those passages and made me see it in a different light. We observed the Lord’s supper, which was a wonderful experience following the reading of that particular passage of Scripture. We also observed baptism. That was also a special time as it is symbolic of Christ’s burial and resurrection. It was a wonderful experience and it was only dampened by the fact that Heston couldn’t go with me. He hurt his back on Thursday and wasn’t able to get out of bed to go with me. He was a trooper and made it through the weekend, even though he was in a lot of pain and is at the doctor’s now trying to find out what exactly happened.

We had a good Easter with Heston’s family. It was good to be with family on Easter as it has been just the 2 of us or a few friends for the past several years. I didn’t take any pictures but I am sure others will be posted. Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!!

Please Pray...

2008-02-27T09:03:00.001-06:00

Please pray for a 4 week old baby at my parent's church who is in critical condition with RSV. I know the family will covet your prayers. Thanks for praying.

Let it Snow!!

2008-02-22T09:00:00.002-06:00

I feel like we are getting our first official snow storm of the winter. We have had plenty of ice storms and dustings of snow, but not much accumulation!! I am looking out the window watching the HUGE snowflakes come down. I attempted to go to work this morning, but I was slipping and sliding everywhere even with my 4 wheel drive on, so needless to say, I turned around and came home. I was a little emotional when I came home because it is the worst feeling in the world to not be in control when you are driving! I am glad I made it home safely.

I am now at home attempting to do some work via remote access. I only have access to my email, but am able to get some stuff done. My wonderful kitty is asleep on my lap keeping me warm.

My grad class tonight is cancelled and I am wondering about tomorrow mornings class. I can't say I would be disappointed.

I think the Lord knew I just needed a day to relax and be away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Hope you all have a happy and safe Friday!!

The Old seen as New...

2008-02-10T18:02:00.000-06:00

Have you ever been in church and heard a familiar song yet it seemed like you were hearing it for the first time? I had that experience this morning. We sang the song "I have decided to follow Jesus", which has been true of my heart for many years, but it was an amazing experience really listening to the words, realizing the sincerity of those words and having that special time along with my Savior. I think being in a new church has helped me to see a lot of things that I have always known and believed in for what they really are. My relationship with Christ is the most important relationship in my life and because of that relationship I have eternal life. It is neat to have reminders of God's promises to me.

Colorado Pictures

2008-01-10T21:33:00.000-06:00

Heston & I had a great time in CO. We had a long flight out there and are definitely purchasing straight through flights the next time.

We were able to spend lots of time with family and friends and even got to enjoy the snow CO got by sledding. We were definitely the oldest "kids" on the hill, but we had a really great time! Tom & Crystal and their dog Kuna met us as well as some guys from their church.

We had a second Christmas with family on Sunday and that was really fun. Grandma & Grandpa and the cousins came over as well as Aunt Brenda.

We got do do a lot of shopping and we were also able to eat out at Maggiano's thanks to a generous gift from a friend.

Hope you all had a wonderful season and enjoy the pictures!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T18:47:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, we were able to have all of Heston's family over for Christmas Eve dinner. I will have to get pictures from some of them since I didn't have my camera out. We had a great time being together.

Heston and I woke up for the first time in our own house on Christmas morning. Heston was anxious to open presents so we went down to open our gifts. He actually gave me two last night because he couldn't wait. He got me 2 scarves and gloves, and the nativity scene from Willow Tree to go with the Creche he got me for my birthday.

My gift this morning was an earring and necklace set with diamonds and rubies. It is beautiful and was very unexpected. Thanks, Babe =)

I got Heston a brown leather jacket and gloves and I think he liked it.

Phoebe got a new bed for the living room which she has already broken in.

We went over to Heston parent's house around 2 and had wonderful dinner with everyone and then opened presents. Then we watched movies and played games. We had a great time!

Heston's Parents opening a gift.

The three little kiddos together.

Mady

Logan asked Santa for John Deere underwear and that is just what he got =)

Victoria looking pretty in pink.

My family in CO has lots of snow. The guys have all been out plowing/shoveling since early this morning and are back out now. Crazy weather, but at least they got a white Christmas and can make a few extra bucks. Heston wishes he were out there.

Tomorrow is back to work for me, but Heston has the next few days off to do some things around the house and to relax a little bit. We leave on Saturday to go visit my family in CO. Brianne is back from Africa as of this past Wednesday. It will great to be all together again.

Hope you had joyous Christmas!!

Our New House

2007-12-09T16:24:00.000-06:00

We have been in our new house for a little over a week and we have loved every minute. Not every detail is finished, but it already feels like home. Phoebe loves it too =) Here are some pictures for you to enjoy! Sorry they are not in order.

The Happy Couple =)

Our Bedroom

Bedroom #3

Basement

Another view of the laundry room

Phoebe investigating her new house

The Dining Room

The Kitchen

The Living Room

Bedroom #2

Heston & Brad packing the truck

Our tree lined street

The laundry room - I LOVE this room!!

Tomorrow is the Big Day!

2007-11-29T18:35:00.000-06:00

The day has finally arrived. As of tomorrow, we will once again be homeowners! When I began the countdown to closing I thought it would never come, but like all things, it has finally come. We are very excited!

Our realtor has a moving truck that they allow they buyers to use for free (besides gas) so we are picking that up first thing in the morning. Then we are headed off to our storage unit to pack up our belongings into it. We then have our final walk through at 2 and then closing takes place at 3. We are hoping to begin moving into the house around 4. We hope we can get A TON done on Friday evening because I have class all day Saturday and Heston has to be at LBC for 2 bastketball games. We know it will all work out and we are so excited to be in our own home. I even think Phoebe is excited. She is use to it being just her in the house and not having to be around dogs.

I will be sure to post pictures once we have them. Thanks for all of your prayers as we have gone through this moving and buying/selling process. We have seen God work in our lives, even in the small details.

Snow, Thanksgiving, and our New House

2007-11-19T16:49:00.000-06:00

I know I know, I never post on this anymore. Sorry! We woke up to our first snow fall today. I didn't feel prepared for it at all! That is not a good way to start a Monday Morning, especially since all of our winter wardrobe is still in storage.

We are looking forward to having Thanksgiving with family this year. We have had our own Thanksgivings the past several years that we have been married. The last time I was with family for Thanksgiving was when my family drove up to MN and surprised me my freshmen year of college. That was a fun time!
We are definitely looking forward to the break from work, the great food, spending time with family, and of course shopping on Black Friday! If anyone knows of any furniture deals, let us know.

Lastly, we are counting down the days till we move into our OWN HOUSE!! When we wake up in the morning, it will be only 10 days. We are both so excited. It has been great living with family and we greatly appreciate your generosity as we go through this transition, but we are excited to be on our own again. I think at times we feel like we are still visiting. I can't wait to have my own dishes out, see my own things and just be the two of us. It occurred to me the other day that this will be the first Christmas of our married lives that we will wake up in our own house!! We have always been in CO with my family or here in PA with Heston's family. Heston was so excited about that, especially since he LOVES Christmas. I am going to have to make sure there are some presents under our tree, even through our big present to ourselves is our house. I will definitely post pictures! Please pray that things continue to go smoothly with the house.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

House Update

2007-10-24T14:06:00.001-05:00

God sold our house in Wisconsin!! It is amazing to see His faithfullness displayed in our lives. We closed on our house 2 years ago, October 15. If our house would have sold before that date, then we would have had to pay taxes on what we made since it was within 2 years of our purchase date. In the back of my mind, I kept thinking to myself that God wasn't going to sell our house until that date. And guess what? The papers were drawn on that date! We serve an awesome God!

We are now in the middle of deciding what to do regarding housing. We had an apartment lined up to live in until our house sold, but now that it did sell, we are not sure if we still want to rent or if we want to purchase a house.

Heston is actually out looking at houses today, but last night, we found a house that we think would be ideal for us and our future family. We are going to go look at it tonight and I am so excited!

I don't know if God will work in the same way as He did with our last house purchase, but on the way home from turning down a rental contract, we came upon our house in WI. With that house, it was as if the Lord was laying it in our laps and we couldn't deny His perfect hand in it.

I have been praying that we could make enough money off of our house in WI so that we would be able to purchase exactly what we need for our family. I am excited to see how the Lord is going to work!

My husband mentions often about my lack of blogging. Sorry!! I have a more time consuming job than I once did and a lot of times I don't feel like I have a lot to blog about!

I do thank you for keeping up with us and for your prayers; we greatly appreciate it!

No matter what happens with the house we are praying about, we will be moving somewhere in 2 1/2 weeks as Hillary & Steve, Heston's sister & her husband, who we are living wiht sold thier house and they have to be out the middle of November. We know God has all of those details under control.

Update on the Frey's

2007-09-26T20:19:00.000-05:00

I know, it has been WAY TOO LONG since I last posted. I enjoy looking at everyone else's blogs and forget about my own. Plus, I always like to upload pictures and I haven't had any recently. I also don't have time to post things at my new job.

We are both doing well. Heston is very busy with his job, but he enjoys it. I am enjoying my job as well and also my grad courses that I am taking at LBC. I am excited to be in a job where I will be able to use my counseling degree. The Lord had that planned perfectly.

Heston & I looked at an apartment today and we will be on our own soon. We are excited to be settled. We are still praying for the sale of our house. We know God has those details planned out, but it is hard to wait!!

We found a great deal the other night. We went to K-Mart to get some curtains for my new office and we just happened to look at their clearance section. I saw a tv/entertainment unit that held a TV, 1 cabinet, and 4 shelves. It was marked for $28 and I knew we couldn't pass that up. When we went to check out, the lady scanned it and it came up to $13.99!! We couldn't believe it. We left our previous entertainment center in WI since it was so big, and God led us to this smaller, more appropriate for our apartment, unit. It is neat to see that God cares about the little things.

Hopefully soon I will be able to post pictures of our new apartment!

Great Weekend; Bad Monday

2007-08-19T18:48:00.000-05:00

This post is a week overdue, but I thought I would share it anyways. Last Friday, Heston & I went to Maryland to spend the weekend with Heston's parents on their boat. We had a great time. On Saturday, Heston spent the day crabbing. He actually caught 19 crabs!! He had so much fun. We got a lot of sun on Saturday and we both got burned pretty bad, even though we put sunscreen on. That part was not fun at all.

That last part leads to the bad Monday. Well, Monday morning, my car wouldn't start. We thought we had "fixed" the problem over the weekend, but apparently not. Thankfully I only work 1 mile from where we are living so my boss came to pick me up. Heston was working on my car that night, getting under the car, cleaning things, changing the battery, etc. He was using WD-40 and some other cleaner and it ended up dripping on him, especially his hair. Well, he came in and took a shower. Suddenly, we hear screaming coming from the shower. At first we thought someone flushed the toilet or something, but the screams and yells kept coming, louder and louder! Heston's sister, Hillary, is a nurse so she ran to his aid and asked what was wrong. He was writhing in pain. We put bags of vegetables and steaks all over his back and his shoulders, but nothing seemed to help the burning and stinging. Benadryl wasn't working either. After about and hour and a half of intense pain, we took him to the ER. I don't think they understood how much pain he was in. We think what ended up happening was the chemicals from the car cleaners got into the newly broken open blisters on his back. He said on a pain scale of 1 to 10 he was at a definite 10. Life is always interesting with Heston! Glad you are feeling better, Babe.

Here are some pictures of the weekend.

4th Wedding Anniversary

2007-08-06T20:12:00.000-05:00

Our 4th wedding anniversary was last Thursday, August 2. Neither of us could believe that 4 years have gone by already! We were planning a get away, but decided we probably shouldn't spend the money. So, I decided to plan a surprise anniversary celebration night for Friday night. I bought gifts as clues for each step of the date. Before we got into the car, I realized that the whole surprise thing was not the best idea for Heston =) He really didn't like the fact that he did not know where we were going!

His first clue was 2 sodas and our favorite chips Flamin' Hot Cheetos. I got our favorite pizza from Papa John's. Yum!

We stopped by Heston's parents house to eat since it was close to the next clue and they were away for the weekend. I then gave him the second gift, which was a DVD copy of our wedding video! you have no idea how special this was. That was the FIRST TIME we had ever seen a video of our wedding. Someone recorded it at our wedding, but it seems to be a never ending project. Apparently a guy at our church had video taped the wedding and had it filed away. That was a GREAT anniversary present.

The next gift/clue was movie theater candy. We went to see the Bourne Ultimatum on opening night. It was a great night, but I won't be making surprise date night an activity for the future.

Thanks, Heston for a wonderful 4 years. Thanks for the beautiful card =) I love you very much and I look forward to many more years with you.

Weekend on the Boat

2007-08-01T19:39:00.001-05:00

After Sharon Jordan's wedding this past Saturday, Heston & I drove up to Maryland to spend some time with his parents and go out on their boat. We got there around 6 pm and we went by boat to a great restaurant. It was so fun! I wish I would have had my camera out the first day because the next day was pretty rainy. It was great to sleep on the boat Saturday night, but we felt like we were still "floating" even after we got off of the boat. Sunday morning we had breakfast at a neat little restaurant and then we also bought about 2 dozen crabs for the Frey clan to enjoy. It was also Heston's mom's birthday so it was fun to be able to share that with her. Thanks for a great weekend, Mom & Dad Frey! Here are some pictures of our weekend.

The Front of the boat

Heston & his mom

Sitting in the captain's chair

Heston loved driving the boat. His Navy days came in handy.

Heston may have enjoyed his crabs a little too much =) I love this picture...

My Captain =)

Just some pictures

2007-08-01T19:05:00.000-05:00

Heston and his "Congratulations" cake for his graduation and his new job.

Madelyn loved the blue frosting!

Madelyn and her Uncle Heston

Phoebe playing in Uncle Steve's water =)

Heston and Coach Herron trying on some hats while at a store near Shady Maple where we had lunch with the Herron's and Josh & Anna Beers.

A group of us at Sharon Jordan-Howard's wedding - fun times!!

The Fab Four

Update

2007-07-20T22:43:00.001-05:00

Well, we have been in PA for 3 weeks. Time has flown! We are gradually finding our way around everywhere and getting reacquainted with old friends.

The Lord graciously allowed me to find a job at the Caron Treatment Center which is a center for those who are addicted to drugs or alcohol. I am actually working in the Student Assistance Office which sends trainers into the local schools to do presentations on tobacco addiction and also help those who are already addicted. It is a sobering thought to look at the reports and see how young kids start smoking and also for the reasons that they start smoking. I truly believe that this job is from the Lord as He worked out all of the details:
1) My resume fit the job description to a "T"
2) My office is 1.07 miles from where we are staying
3) The timing was perfect
4) My boss is a great woman who is hard working and caring

Heston is thoroughly enjoying his job and is getting things ready for the school year. He has enjoyed getting to know some of the people at the school.

We are still praying for our house to sell. We know God will sell it in His own perfect timing. It is always hard to wait, but God has been teaching us to trust in Him and to look to Him alone for guidance. We are thankful for His faithfulness to us and for directing us in each step of the way. We are excited to see what He is going to continue to do in our lives.

Where We are Moving

2007-06-27T09:22:00.000-05:00

Hello to All!
It appears that I haven't made it clear exactly where we are moving and what we are doing. At the beginning of this spring semester, as we started thinking more seriously of our future after Heston's graduation, we started asking about full-time positions here at Northland for Heston. However, God had other plans. Josh Beers, who is at Lancaster Bible College, called Heston and asked him if he would be intersted in a Sports Information Director Position at LBC. We didn't know what to think as we thought we would be here at Northland for years to come. But as we begin to talk about it with others and received prayer and much counsel, we realized that God specifially opened that door of ministry to us. Heston went out and interviewed the beginning of May and accepted the position.

It will be very hard for us to leave Northland, as this has been our home for the past 4 years of married life and then our school for the 3 years before that. We are eternally grateful for the friends we have made, for the decisions that we have made and for all of the lessons that we have learned. We are so thankful for the years that we have spent here at Northland and are excited to see how God is going to use that training in our future.

We are excited to be a part of a new ministry and also to be close to Heston's side of the family. We are praying for the quick sale of our house so we can get settled in Lancaster.

We are looking forward to catching up with all of our friends who live in PA. Please pray for us as we are packing up tomorrow night and then starting the long trek out to PA on Friday morning.

2007-06-26T17:01:00.000-05:00

Wow, it has been a while! We have been very busy the past month or so. We had our big grad class the first week of June, the next week I went to visit my family in CO to help my grandparent's celebrate thier 60th wedding anniversary and also to see my sister Brianne who was home from Zambia. We had a wonderful time!

We are packing up our house as we are loading our truck on Thursday night and leaving on Friday morning. We have someone who is interested in purchasing our house and told us they would let us know by tomorrow what thier thoughts are. It would be a huge burden relieved if the house were to sell before we moved!

We will be spending a week relaxing and getting settled and then Heston will start working on July 9. I applied for a job at the school so we will see how that goes.

Thanks for your prayers and words of encouragemet. We are sad to leave Northland, but we are very excited about this new phase of our lives that the Lord has so evidently led us into.

We will definately keep everyone posted! Please pray for the sale of our home and for safe travels.

Here is a slide show of my time in CO. More to come!

Happy Birthday, Bryce!

2007-05-22T20:21:00.001-05:00

Bryce celebrated his 27th birthday the Monday after graduation. Brad Gaugler made Bryce his famous "has beans" cake. If any of you have had that before you know how good it is! Thank you very much for making that, Mr. Gaugler!!

Bryce wasn't feeling too hot and he doesn't really like birthdays, but he humored us with blowing out the candles and letting us sing to him. Happy Birthday, Bryce!! Thanks for coming to see us.

Family Pictures

2007-05-22T19:52:00.000-05:00

We had a good weekend with my family. I was so happy that it worked out for them to come out one more time before we move. Dad & Bryce helped Heston put a deck on the back of the house. Phoebe wasn't sure what to do with all of the extra people, but she did enjoy the extra attention

We took Mom to Four Seasons for Mother's Day. The food was great and we had a great time.

Kelli, Dad, Colton & Bryce at Moose Jackson's in Iron Mountain

Mom & Dad on Mother's Day at 4 Seasons

The kids, minus Bri

The Deck

Heston & Dad working on the deck

Kelli & Colton on the front deck

A picture of us admiring our newly built deck

Thanks Dad, Bryce & Colton for all of your help on the deck! We couldn't have done it without you. Sorry to put you to work!! It was great to have you all and we look forward to having you visit us in PA! We miss you, Bri!!

Heston's Graduation

2007-05-22T19:24:00.000-05:00

I know this is long overdue, but better late than never! My parents and two brothers, Bryce & Colton, were able to come up for Heston's graduation. The weather was the best in the 7 years that I have been here at Northland. We had reserved seats so it was nice to not be rushing around that morning trying to get there early. Phil Hunt spoke at the graduation and mentioned my sister who is working for him in Zambia. That was really special! After graduation we made a stop at the Grind.

The Happy Couple

Us with Jen Ramos

Richlene & Colton

Dr. Horn & Heston

Colton & Kelli

The Family

Us & Shannon Murdock

Bryce enjoying his coffee in a "lounge" chair

Update

2007-05-09T14:44:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for your words of encouragement and for your prayers. It has been very exciting to see what the Lord has been teaching us through this time of uncertainty. We have been praying since the beginning, that the Lord would make it VERY clear to us whether we are to stay here at Northland or whether we are to move on to another ministry. We are still praying that prayer and still waiting on Him as we seek to make the best decision for our future.

I am very excited that my parents, and two brothers will be flying in tomorrow evening to see Heston graduate on Saturday. We are very excited that the Lord worked it out for them to come out and visit, especially since we may be moving on. I am glad that we will be with Mom on Mother's Day and Bryce on his birthday on Monday. I am sure I will take lots of pictures!!

Here is a quick recap of this past week. Heston & I drove down to Green Bay last Wednesday evening and stayed in a hotel. Heston had hurt his back the night before by moving boxes and playing basketball. Needless to say he was walking like an old man. We stayed in a hotel down by Lambeau Field. We woke up early on Thursday and I dropped him off at the airport. I then went back to the hotel and watched TLC and then headed to go shopping. I met my friend, Sarah Neighbors for a quick lunch at Noodles and Company, did a little more shopping, and then headed home.

Heston spent Thursday and Friday at Lancaster and then the rest of the weekend with his family. I wish I could have gone! Phoebe and I spent a lot of quality time together and she was especially cuddly. On Saturday night, Heston called to say good night and out of the corner of my eye, I see Phoebe chasing a mouse around the woodstove. Heston asked if I was sure it was a mouse! Yes it was! It went back behind the TV so I moved it out so Phoebe could get to it. Sure enough, the mouse comes running out, but Phoebe was still behind the TV looking for it. She is not the world's best mouse catcher. Needles to say, we didn't find the mouse that night.

Sunday morning I went to pick Heston up from the airport. After collecting all of his belongings after the zipper on his suitcase was ripped (of course it wasn't the airlines fault!) we went to the mall for a little bit and then headed home. It was so nice to have him back home!

Heston had two finals on Monday and his exit exam on Tuesday morning. We are thankful that he is done!

The Lord is continually causing us to trust in Him. At times it seems like we have everything figured out and then something changes. We are anxiously awaiting to see God put all of the pieces together. We are thankful that the Lord has chosen to use us.

The Lords Hand

2007-05-01T14:40:00.000-05:00

This post is from me, Heston, Kelli's husband. This is a first! The information below is how the Lord has moved in our lives and how He has shown us that He is in control...

The information I am to give you goes out to you because of what the Lord has done in my life and the wonderful love He has provided to us all.

Yesterday, April 30th, this is what I shared with the girls that are currently on the soccer team. (it is a little lengthy, but good)

Names of Christ
He is the Chief Cornerstone
-There is always a start for something, on a building it is the foundation and there is always a beginning part of any building.
-Dr. Bennett always talks about “setting the rudder of the ship”. That setting will define where you are many months and years down the road. In all areas

He is our Counselor
-God has all wisdom. He needs no one to give Him advice. We only need to seek after it and ask for it.
-He loves to give counsel to men. Men often refuse it, but He has given it.
HAVE YOU REFUSED COUNSEL? From God, from Godly authority.

Finally
He is Wonderful
-In the beginning God promised He would send a Savior to deliver them from their sins.
-We have seen God in both forms- God and man- while man he remained perfect
-He remained wonderful-
-AS A SINNER, THAT’S ALL I NEED!
-Are you looking for the external? Pleasure, rewards, etc…

What about obedience- faith living
-Is it easy?
-IT MEANS LIVING BY PROMISES NOT BY EXPLANATIONS
-Abraham and Sarah, Job,
-We must learn to live by faith, or our world will fall apart

When as a child, I laughed and wept,
Time Crept
When, as a youth, I dreamed and talked,
Time walked
When I became a full grown man,
Time ran
And later, as I older grew,
Time flew
Soon I shall find, while traveling on,
Time gone

At the age of 75, Abraham enrolled in the “school of faith”
At the age of 100, he was still being tested through faith
“When we stop learning, we stop grown; and when we stop growing, we stop living”

Gen. 22
1. Expect tests from God
-Family test, fellowship test, fortune test, fatherhood test, farewell test
-We must have occasional tests- why would we trust if nothing ever fails us!
-Understand that not every test is a temptation- but they can just caused by our sin
-if we would have started by obeying-the temptation would not exist

2. Focus on promises not explanation
-Our faith is not really tested unless we are asked to bear what we think is unbearable
-When anything happens, one may ask “why me, Why Lord?” Right away we want an explanation
-As soon as we begin to ask “why” to God, is when this should determine you do not view God as a true provider of all and that He is our only provider we need.
-Faith does not need explanation, faith rests on promises

3. Depend on God’s provision
-As Abraham walked up to sacrifice his son, what could he depend on?
-He could not depend on his personal feelings, friends.
-Abraham could only depend on the promise and provision of God
-It is only then that we see what our Father can really do for us.

4. Seek to glorify God
-Because we are sinners, we will look for “Ways to get out of this!”
-What about glorifying God a asking “What can I get out of this Lord?”

5. Look forward to what God has for you
-God wants to provide for you!
-Abraham was blessed by God- given new assurance, new approval, new son, and finally he was given a deeper love for his God.
-We need to be assured that Gods gifts do not take place of the giver Himself
-It is worth to go through trials when at the end the Lord can say, “well done”
-Do you believe that? Not just believe but is it lived out in your life?

Can change be a trial? Of course! If we do not have our focus set properly on our God, yes, change can feel like a trial.

I say the above to say this- When Kelli and I moved to NBBC we thought it was going to be forever! We were so happy and so ready to become a part of this staff and what NBBC stands for. I still see that as true, but I see that the Lord used the past 6 years to prepare me for other things. With some restructuring in the Athletic office Kelli and I find ourselves being moved by God. With the moves I began to apply at several colleges for specific jobs. The Lord convicted my heart for doing so. He kept me on my knees all night one night and taught me that He is the only one I need to rely on. The next morning I received a phone call from another Christian College. What an awesome answer to prayer. This coming Wednesday, I will be flying to Lancaster Bible College for a final interview.
The Women's Program will continue with qualified coaches! Those alumni, please pray for Kelli and I as we continue to pray for the Lords guidance. Future athletes that I have been communicating with and are a part of this group- continue your future at NBBC if that is where the Lord has directed you! Those current student athletes, as a Coach and Kelli as a "mom", we have had several sleepless nights. This is not easy. But is awesome to see the Lord direct.
We ask you all to continue to pray!
-Those on the Uruguay trip- It will continue. I will have more information on that soon!
In Christ,
Coach and Kelli

Junior/Senior Banquet

2007-04-29T15:58:00.000-05:00

This is a bit overdue, and I know I haven't posted for a while! Sorry!
Last Friday night was Heston's Junior/Senior banquet. It was held at the premier center in Iron Mountain. It was fun, especially since we got to sit with our friends, Vivian and Kraig.

Heston & Kraig

Julie, Scott, Heston & Kelli

Heston, Kelli, Vivian, Kraig

Kelli, Shawna, Heston

Kelli & Kim

My wonderful Husband

2007-03-30T12:31:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say that I have a wonderful husband. He is such a wonderful man who works so hard and gives so much. He is kind, thoughtful and compassionate. I am thankful that the Lord led us together and that He has allowed us to grow closer together and closer to Him. I am thankful for his leadership in our relationship and for desire to serve the Lord in his life.

Last week, Heston bought me a special gift, just because. It was a beautiful right hand diamond ring. I have always wanted one and he found one and surprised me! He said it wasn't much, but boy was he wrong...even the thought behind the gift was enough for me to realize what a special husband I have! Thanks, Babe...I love you very much!

Then, I came home from work yesterday, and Heston yells "something is done, wife" (that is his name of endearment for me "wife") and I go into the main bathroom and he tore out the old floor and laid down the new floor, all in one afternoon. What an amazing man! I am so thankful for him and his hard work. I am also thankful for the skills that he has. He has saved us so much money with the little repairs that he can do on our house. He is also in the process of building a retaining wall on the side of our house. It looks great already! The entry way floor is the project for this weekend.

The Lord is taking us through some things that are really causing us to trust in Him completely. I know this is where He wants us and often times God uses different circumstances in our lives to cause us to rely on Him and trust in Him completely. We are thankful for these times and are thankful that God is in control and He knows what is best for our lives. I am so glad we can rest secure in that!

Update

2007-03-15T10:25:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven't written in a while. Heston finished his student teaching this past Friday. He is so excited to be done! We went out for Chinese food to celebrate.

Heston spent Saturday installing a water tank to help with our water supply. We have a decent well but the recovery time is very slow. It seems to have helped!

Sunday we drove down to Green Bay and I dropped Heston off at the airport because he was traveling to Oklahoma for a PR trip. It was a basketball tourament for 1,000+ teens. He just got back late last night. I missed him alot! I enjoyed shopping in Green Bay on Sunday and then having some of the soccer girls over on Tuesday night.

Today we are headed down to Milwaukee to stay with our frinedsRuth & Steve. Heston has an appointment at 7 am tomorrow morning at the VA hospital with a surgeon to see whether or not he will have surgery on his back. We are looking forward to the weekend away, spending time with our frineds, and celebrating Haven's first birthday!

Spring Break is next week, but we will just be working. Maybe one of these years we will go somewhere for Spring Break!

Good Quote

2007-02-27T09:10:00.000-06:00

Nothing is too great and nothing is too small to commit into the hands of the Lord.

-- A. W. Pink

Praise

2007-02-26T16:19:00.000-06:00

Since Heston has been student teaching the past 7 weeks, his paychecks have been very small since he can only work about 10-15 hours per week instead of his usual 40. The Lord always provided for our needs, and we were able to get some extra money over Christmas since Heston was able to snow plow while we were in Colorado. But this past weekend we received a rather large check from the military in regards to Heston's schooling. The Lord is awesome and it is so neat to reflect back on how He has always provided for us, above and beyond what we can ever imagine. I praise the Lord for that!

By the way, Heston only has 9 more days of student teaching! Praise the Lord!

5 years ago today

2007-02-23T09:39:00.000-06:00

Five years ago today, my wonderful husband and I began our relationship. I remember being in the library and my friendSharon Jordon pulled aside my other friend, Elisabeth Ashmore, and told her that Heston liked me. Of course, Elisabeth told me, but I didn't know what to do. You see, I knew that Sharon kind of liked Heston. Later that day, Sharon asked if we could go to the Grind. We sat down and she told me that there was a boy that she thought I should like. I was trying to evade the question because I knew where she was going and I kind of knew how she felt about it. She was adamant that she wanted me to like him and told me that he would be calling me later that night. I remember being in my room and then Heston called and asked if we could go to a basketball game. We then walked and talked and went over to the rec hall and talked some more.

There were alot of other things that happened and I am not 100% sure the order of everything, but previously, I had asked him to fix my headlight because I knew he was a "fix-it" kind of guy. He graciously went out in the freezing cold and fixed it. I offered to take him to coffee, but he politely declined. This was before I even knew he liked me. I remember another time we were in the rec hall playing Rook and my teammate left so I asked him if he would play on my team. Apparently he was xtremely nervous, but he did end up playing. It seems like such a long time ago, and it was, but I am forever grateful that the Lord brough the PERFECT man into my life in His own timing.

We got engaged 6 months later, on August 28, 2002 and we were married a year later on August 2, 2003.

Whenever Heston tells people how we met, he always talks about how he asked Shyla who I was, and she told him that he should get to know me. I met Heston the first day or so of class that we had with Dr. Zichterman, Guidance Counseling. I thought he was nice and all, but the guy never even talked to me. We would both get there early, he would wave to me, then sit 1 or 2 seats away from me for the whole entire semester. Apparently he liked me this whole time but never even said anything! Crazy guy! I laugh about this now. He pulls out details of that fall semester that I had no idea he was even paying attention.

Heston, I love you very much and thank you for being a wonderful husband. I have enjoyed these past 5 years with you so much and look forward to many many more! Thank you for all that you do for me and for loving me. You are a wonderful person and I am so proud to call you my husband, my best friend!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

2007-02-19T14:52:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday, Grandma! I hope that you have a special day. I miss you very much and wish we could see each other more often. Hopefully I will be coming home in June when Bri comes home from Zambia.

Thank you for being a wonderful Grandma. I think my favorite picture of you and I is when you made us matching shirts (the red ones with little flowers) and you also made me a jean skirt with white fringe on the bottom. I wish I had access to that photo because I would scan it in. Maybe I can find it and to that later.

Thanks for all of the letters and notes that you send and for the little things you send up with mom when she comes to visit.

I hope that you have a special day and that your surgery goes well tomorrow. I will be praying for you!
I love you and miss you very much!!

Grandma & Brianne

Grandma & Laura

NBBC vs PBBC - Last Ten Seconds

2007-02-05T16:03:00.000-06:00


An away game at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College After a free-throw, NBBC outlets the ball and hits a last second shot to win the game! PBBC, NOT PCC

Lord, Change us--Change Me

2007-02-01T09:20:00.000-06:00

Here is a devotional that came in my inbox this morning and I thought I would share. It really encouraged me to make the changes that would reflect my relationship with Christ. I took a Grad Class with Dr. Zempel last week and one of the requirements was to do a project where you choose a topic(s) to work on in your life. I chose the topic of self-discipline and had 5 categories underneath: 1)Reading my Bible 2)Prayer 3)Eating healthy 4) Exercise 5) Cleaning my home. I am hoping that the accountablility of this project will help to make each of these things a habit in my life. I love practical projects such as this one! Anyways, here is the article:

Lord, Change Us -- Change Me!, by Tom Norvell

God said, "I will also put a new spirit in you and change your way
of thinking. I will take out the heart of stone from your body and
give you a tender, human heart. (Ezekiel 36:26 ERV)

Lord, change us. Change me.

How can I remain the same when I've seen what I've seen and heard what I've heard and experienced what I've experienced. I cannot remain the same. I am not the same person. You have changed me. You are working in me and around me to make me more like You. Lord, change us. Change me.

I have heard about children being neglected, abused, kidnapped, ignored, aborted and discarded. Because I have heard these stories I must change.

I scan the channels on my television, and I see the faces of children starving to death in a land far away. I hear of programs designed to help these children, your children, and help is being given. I want to do what I can to make sure they are not forgotten. Because I have seen and heard these stories, I have been changed. Lord, change us. Change me.

I heard that crime continues to rise. Robberies. Home invasions.
Abductions. Murders. Rapes. Some are considered almost acceptable. Some crimes are too horrendous to mention. Because I know these things I am not the same.

I am not the same!

I know that families are falling apart. A husband walks away from his wife and his children. A wife tells her children, "I just don't love your daddy any more." Somehow that is supposed to help them understand why she does not come home at night. Because I know these things happen, because I know some of these people, I have been changed.

Because I have stood with my brothers and sisters and poured out my heart in praise and honor to You, I am not the same. Because I have publicly committed my life to You, I am not the same. Because I have surrendered my heart to You, I have been changed. I am not the same.

Lord, change us. Change me. Continue to put these truths in my mind.
Put these experiences in my path. Put Your people in my life. Show me what it means to worship You. Continue to convict me that I must continue to change so that I can become more like Your Son. Help us to continue to change until we fully become Your people.

Lord, change us. Change me.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

2007-01-29T10:44:00.000-06:00

My Grandpa Huffman turned 84 years old yesterday! He is a very special person to me and I am so thankful for him! He served in World War II and married my grandma shortly after (They will be married for 60 years in June).

They had 3 kids, of which my mom is the youngest.

He worked at NWA in Minneapolis until retirement. They then moved to Oceanside, CA for 10+ years. We LOVED to visit them there. They moved to Colorado in 2001 (I think) to be closer to my mom & their son. I love having them so close and it has helped us to build an even more special relationship.

He is such an example of a studier of God's Word and prayer. He knows his Bible so well and shares it with us. He always tells us that he is praying for us, and he is.

Thanks to him and his early teasing, all of us grandkids love coffee!! He laughs about it to this day.

He always use to give us licorice sliders. All of us kids will remember those!

Remember the "no kissing on Tuesdays"? Well, I can think of several times where we got him. Remember that one time at Starbuck's?

My Grandpa is a wonderful man and I am very thankful for him.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa! I love you very much!!

Christmas Pictures

2007-01-19T18:40:00.000-06:00

Here are some Christmas Pictures. I know it is late, but that is okay. We got back to WI on January 3 and we haven't stopped since!! Heston started student teaching 2 weeks ago and we had a grad class last week where we had about 50 pastors here on campus. It was a great week! I will share pictures of our banquet later.

Bri, I am sure that you will enjoy alot of these pictures! I am not sure if Mom was able to email any of them to you.

We all had a nice Christmas breakfast with Grandma & Grandpa Huffman and Aunt Brenda. After that Dad read the Christmas story and then we opened presents. After Christmas dinner, the cousins came over. It was a great Christmas! And yes Bri, we all slept under the tree; we missed you!!

Christmas Breakfast

Kelli & Heston Christmas Morning

Dad

Mom

Bryce

Colton

Aunt Brenda & the boys

Grandma Huffman

Grandpa Huffman

Kaylee, Karissa & Kara

Kara

Lesley & Colton

Karissa & Great-Grandpa looking at his new flashlight

Happy Birthday, Heston!

2007-01-11T09:58:00.000-06:00

Today is Heston's 27th Birthday! I made him cupcakes to take with him to his 6th grade class at Faith, where he is student teaching. I am also making him a shoofly pie for his birthday cake. He LOVES those! Then it will probably be out to Chinese for dinner.

I am thankful for such a wonderful husband. This is the 5th birthday that we have spent together. Heston, I love you now more than ever and I am so very thankful for you! I love you very much and I know you will love your present!

Date Night

2006-12-24T17:26:00.000-06:00

Heston took me on a date to our favorite Italian restaurant, Maggiano's. It was the restaurant where we almost got engaged (see explanation in comment section) and also where we had our rehersal dinner. We had a great time together and some great food! To go along with tradition, we got our picture taken! Thanks, Babe, for a great date! I love you!

Wisconsin? Nope...Colorado!!

2006-12-24T17:00:00.000-06:00

We left Tuesday morning for Milwaukee, WI. We had a wonderful time with Ruth, Steve & Haven. They took us to one of our favorite restaurants, P.F. Chang's. Thanks guys!! They dropped us off at the airport and we flew to Minneapolis. We arrived on time, but were told that our second flight was delayed. I called my mom & she said that Denver was supposed to be getting 1-2 feet of snow!! We weren't sure if we would make it, but we arrived in Denver around 11:45 pm, just mere hours before the "Holiday Blizzard 2006!" We wok up the next morning to about 17 inches of snow. It snowed and snowed and snowed some more. We ventured out to the grocery store to get some essentials and some baking ingredients. Mom & stayed home the whole day baking and watching Christmas movies. The boys, including Heston, went out plowing! Praise the Lord for that extra money! I think we ended up with about 28 inches of snow. It was fun being stuck at home and getting some holiday baking in and also sledding at the park with my mom & Colton. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!! Have a very Merry Christmas!
Our Street

Colton, my little brother, Snowboarding

Mom & Colton

Daisy May playing in the snow!

Praise!!!

2006-12-13T15:07:00.000-06:00

Praise the Lord! Heston passed all of his classes!

Final Exams

2006-12-11T08:42:00.000-06:00

Please pray for Heston as he takes his 3 final exams for the semester. He has 2 exams today, one in Foundations of Education and one in US History. Then on Wednesday, he has a final exam in Teaching Social Studies. He is not feeling well so it was a bit of a struggle to study last night, but we are praying that his hard work will pay off and that he will pass all of his classes!

Hope you all have a good Monday!

Early Christmas Presents

2006-12-07T09:51:00.000-06:00

My husband is just like a little kid when it comes to presents. He received my present in the mail yesterday and he was SO excited! He made me close my eyes while he put it in the car and then he made me go inside first and stay in the kitchen while he put it in the back bedroom. Then he wrapped it up and put it under the tree. A few minutes later, he asked if I wanted to open my present! I said "no" and that I could wait. He was the one who couldn't wait! We went to town and he bought me another Christmas present that we have been wanting for our house for a long time: an over-the-range microwave. He really wanted me to have it and I must admit, it was on my Christmas wish list.

We went home and installed it and I went and wrapped the present that I got for him and put it under the tree. He asked when he got to open his present and I said he had to wait. He said "fine, then you can't open your Christmas present!" Finally, after going back and forth a few times, I said that after we cleaned up the kitchen, we could open our presents. He was SO excited. We were both convinced that we knew what the other got for our presents, so we wrote it down: I was right; he was wrong! Anyways, here is a little glimpse into the Frey household of Christmas.

Presents underneath the tree

Kelli opening her present

My new Kitchen Aid Mixer - Thanks Babe!!

Heston opening his present

Lovopoly: A personalized version of Monopoly

Our new microwave

My beautiful curtains!! Thanks Mom Frey!!

Egg Nog Latte's & Pumpkin Pie

2006-11-27T18:56:00.000-06:00

'Tis the season for some of my favorite foods including those mentioned in the titles of this post! Heston & I have been using our espresso machine to make wonderful latte's!! We ate the last of the pie tonight, which is probably a good thing. I made Heston's favorite pie, shoo-fly pie. He LOVES it!!

We had a great Thanksgiving break. The week started out rough as I was sick for 3 days, but I made it into work for half a day Wednesday and then came home and started making all of the holiday festivities. I LOVE making all of the trimmings & desserts. Heston had a side job laying some carpet on Wednesday and didn't get home till late, but we still had to run to Wal-Mart so we ended up staying at Wal-Mart til 11 pm! It was kind of fun, though, almost felt like we were kids again!

We slept in Thursday and I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We put the turkey and ham in the oven and just waited for the kids to come over. We had 4 college students over and enjoyed a wonderful meal and great fellowship.

On Friday we ventured down to Appleton to do some shopping. We had a great time.

Here is a picture of the Thanksgiving table (minus the food & people- oops!)

Here is the mantle that my mom helped me decorate

Phoebe was mad that her daddy wouldn't let her sit at the table!

That night, Heston & I put up our tree. It looks beautiful!! Phoebe enjoys chewing on the branches but hopefully she will get over that.

Our Christmas Tree

My Christmas village & our stockings, including Phoebe's

The Dining room table centerpiece from the Frey family Christmas dinner last year

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Less than 3 weeks of school left for Heston; Praise the Lord! Then it is off to student teaching for him.

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

2006-11-13T10:55:00.000-06:00

Today is my mom's birthday. I wish I could be there to celebtrate with her, but I am thankful that she was able to come up and visit me for a week just last month. I have pictures on my camera that I will post once I get them off of my camera.

I am thankful for such a wonderful mom that loves all of us so much. She is a true pictures of love and sacrifice for her children and my dad and I am so happy to call her my mom. She has truly become one of my greatest friends. I know I can call her at any time and she will drop anything to talk.

Thank you, Mom, for you love and kindness. Thank you for your part in making me the woman I am today. Thank you for your constant prayers and love. I hope you have a special birthday! Let me know when you get my box in the mail! I love you, Mom!!

Mom with her brothers

We are Home...

2006-11-06T15:56:00.000-06:00

We are home!! We had a great week in Florida with the Women's soccer team and although we received 6th place, I beleive alot of lessons were learned and it was a growing year for the returners. Here is a picture of the team for you to enjoy!

We arrived back at Northland around 7 pm and made it home shortly after that. It felt like we were gone for a month instead of just a week. Our kitty, Phoebe, was more than happy that we were home! She was on my back, like I was giving her a piggy back ride. She had one paw on either side of my neck and her head laying down on my shoulder. Every time I put her down she "cried". She tried cuddling all night! Crazy cat! She was just happy to have her mommy & daddy home!!

It was great to see my pastor & his wife from Colorado, The Scott's. It is always nice to see people from back home.

Heston went through his last pre-registration today! For this we are extremely excited. We did find out though that one class he needed to take during winterlude is no longer being offered, so we will have to see how we can work that in. Heston doesn't really care if he gets to walk across the platform to receive his diploma, but that is something that is important to me and to his parents. Just pray that he would be able to get all of his classes completed so he can graduate!!

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers as we were away last week and for your encouragement for the girls.

3-0

2006-11-02T17:11:00.000-06:00

The girls played great yesterday against BBC. They held them at 0-0 through the first half. BBC got 2 shots within the first few minutes of the second half, but we held them until the last 4 seconds when they got a header. Keep in mind that this is the #1 seed and we were the #5 seed. BBC also won first place at last year's tournament. Let me tell you, though, they were very impressed with how much our girls have improved. We had a "day off" today so the girls slept in and then we had a brunch and then watch our competitor for tomorrow, Tachoa College, the #4 seed. We are hoping and praying that we will win tomorrow night's match so we can play for 3rd or 4th place on Saturday. There have been so many posotive comments from the coaches on how well the girls did yesterday and have much they have improved.

We are off to watch the guys game at 7:30 this evening against SouthEastern Universtity. I will keep you all posted! Thank you for your nice comments and prayers!

Ah, Sweet Florida!

2006-10-31T21:22:00.000-06:00

Yes, we are in Florida right now!! We are so excited for the girls that they made it to the National Tournament here in Kissimmee, Florida. The Lord has brought together a great group of girls who desire to serve the Lord and just happen to be pretty good at playing soccer! We drove through the night Sunday night to catch a 7:30 am flight out of Chicago. We arrived in Florida Monday afternoon with just a few small delays. The girls changed and then they headed out to the soccer field for a practice.

Today, they had a long practice and therefore I got a little sun! This Wisconsin white girl has not seen sun in a very long time and therefore, I got quite pink! And sad to say, it is quite one sided as the sun was on my right the whole time. Oh well, hopefully it will even out by the end of the week.

Tomorrow the girls play BBC at 2:30 pm EST so if you think about it, please pray for them to be victorious, if that is the Lord's will. Pray that there will be no injuries and that they would do thier best. They are a young team, but I have no doubts that they can pull off a victory. I am excited and nervous all at the same time.

The Lord has already given us several unique opportunities to talk one on one with the girls this week. We care about them so much and love the opportunities to point them back to Christ. We are just simple tools that the Lord has chosen to use in this ministry and we are thankful for it!!

One More Game...

2006-10-18T08:56:00.000-05:00

The snow has come and gone...Really, it wasn't that bad! Just the initial shock of it all was tough! Last Thursday & Friday's games were very cold, especially Thursday's, in Superior, WI. I don't ever remember feeling that cold! It was not fun for me sitting on the bench and I know it wasn't fun for the girls playing. They played well, but still did not come out with a win. Friday's game was in Minneapolis and was slightly warmer, but still very cold! The girls won in double over time - it was the greatest game to watch! The girl who scored the final point is one who doesn't play much. It was exciting for her and definately for us! We are now anxiously awaiting to find out whether or not we will be going to Nationals down in Florida. I am trying not to get my hopes up! The girls played yesterday at Finlandia University. It was a rough, physical game, but they came out with a Win, 3-1. It was a good trip and I got to see my friend, Janae Scott, as she was up there visiting her family while Jono was hunting. The girls play one more game on Saturday so we are looking forward to that!

My mom is coming tomorrow! I am really excited! I am picking her up in Appleton tomorrow evening and then we are staying the night so we can get more shopping in on Friday. I am looking forward to spending time with her up here since last time she was up was for Bri's graduation and it was just SO BUSY! We have lots of plans and we will see if everything gets done!

My grandma had surgery on her left hand yesterday to releive a pinched nerve and numbness due to carpel tunnel. She is doing well! She has to have a less evasive surgery on her right hand when the left one is all healed up. She is excited to not have numb fingers anymore!

Snow!

2006-10-11T17:54:00.000-05:00

Well, we are currently getting our first snow. It is a little early, but that is Wisconsin for you! We leave at 5 am tomorrow morning to drive to Superior, WI for a girls soccer game. They play UW Superior and then on Friday, we go to Minneapolis to play North Central. It should be a good trip, but a VERY COLD one! I am going to pack all of the warm clothes that I own! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday, Phoebe Faye Frey

2006-10-05T14:31:00.000-05:00

Three years ago today, Phoebe Faye became a part of the Frey family. Last night we were reminiscing about the first night we got her. We had only been married for about 2 months and Heston was working late with campus services. I had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for him to come home. I finally heard him walking up the stairs and he told me to close my eyes. I had no idea what he was doing, but he put this little black kitten on my stomach! She worked her way into my heart within minutes. That night, we found a make-shift litter box and got her some food and milk and she slept on the floor by our bed for the WHOLE night. Her motor was so loud that we couldn't go to sleep for a while. We asked around for the next couple days to see if anyone was missing a black kitten, but nobody knew of anyone. Little did we know that she was the Belford's kitten! She had gotten shot with a bb gun while they were on vacation and had therefore wandered away. Anyways, long story short, they let us keep her, although her name would no longer be Mary, which the Belford kids named her. Phoebe is definitely spoiled, but she is our child until the Lord gives us real kids. She greets us at the door every time we come home and she loves to go on walks on her leash. Hope you enjoy her little slide show!!

We're Back

2006-10-04T08:25:00.000-05:00

We have actually been back since Sunday night, but the last few days have kind of been a blur!!

The soccer girls won their game on Thursday against Robert Morris College, 4-2 who had previously beat us at home 4-2 so that was really neat to turn it around! Friday they won against Lincoln Christian College. That was a very chilly day, but it was a great game. Saturday they lost to a Division I, State Champ team, Trinity Christian College. They played well, but did not get a win. Right now they are 6-5 (won 6, lost 5). They are doing very well this season!

Heston's parents met up with us on Saturday morning after driving 12 hours to Chicago. We had a great day with them and we were so excited about the things they brought us! They thought they looked like hill-billies driving with everything piled up in the back of the pick-up truck and a blue tarp over it. I should have taken a picture! I not only got 1 set of curtains, but 2!! The kitchen ones are up and they look great! I am still waiting to put the family room ones up because I have to purchase a curtain rod which hopefully I can get done tonight. What a difference those curtains made!

We spent Monday evening trying to rearrange the furniture so that it would all fit and look nice. After a few attempts it all worked out!! I will definitely take pictures and post them for all to see.

Hope you all had a great weekend! I can't believe it is Wednesday already! This week is flying by. That is fine with me! My mom is coming to visit 2 weeks from tomorrow! I am so excited!!

Fun Weekend Ahead

2006-09-26T09:05:00.000-05:00

We have a busy weekend ahead of us. On Thursday morning, Heston & I, along with all of the soccer girls, are headed down to IL to play 3 soccer games: Robert Morris College, Lincoln Christian College, and Trinity Christian College. I am hoping and praying that they continue to play well! I always drive the mini-van and I always enjoy listening to the conversations that go on in the van. I also enjoy the talks I am able to have with the girls. It will be a great time away to get to know the girls better. Thanks to all of you who prayed for me the other day when I met with one of the girls. We talked for about an hour and a half and when I felt at a loss for words, it seemed like the Lord would direct me to a thought or scripture to share. I believe this is just the beginning, but I praise the Lord for the opportunity He has given me to share with the particular girl what the Lord has done in and through my life.

Heston's parents are driving down from PA to Chicago on Friday/Saturday to deliver a dining room suite for us. It was in the house that they purchased this summer and they want to give it to us. There are so many pieces to it and I am looking forward to making it a part of my home. I will definately take pictures once we get it all settled!

Also, Heston's mom is bringing me my kitchen curtains! Yeah, I am so excited! I bought the curtain rods and curtain clips this past week and I am looking forward to having a finished kictchen! Thank you!! I will DEFINATELY take pictures!!

We are staying over Saturday night to minister in a church on Sunday. It is a great opportunity for the girls as well as for Heston & I.

Well, hope you all have a great weekend!!

Discilpeship Opportunity

2006-09-22T13:29:00.000-05:00

Today I have an opportunity to meet with one of the soccer girls one on one. I have always desired to be available to these girls and I always get super excited when one of them seeks me out to talk. Every single time I feel so inadequate! I feel like I should be the one who is still being discipled, but God has taught me so many things throughout the 25 years of my life and I love being able to share things with the girls that were huge struggles for me and that only by the grace of God, He brought me through victoriously. So if you think about it, please pray for me and I have opportunites to talk to these girls. Pray that they would see Christ's love through me and that I wouldn't attempt this without the strength of Christ. I am excited for the opportunity for the Lord to use me!

Update on life

2006-09-18T10:48:00.000-05:00

Thanks for those of you who prayed for Brianne's trip to Zambia. She made it safely to Zambia last Tuesday. Her roommate is really sweet and her room is very nice (I think she was a little surprised!) She as her own room and they already had a mosquito net above her bed and a fan blowing in her room. The Lord allowed her to make it there safely and for that we are extremely grateful! My mom also found an affordable way to call her.

2 weekends ago, we traveled down to Rockford, IL & Milwaukee area for 2 soccer games for the girls. I had packed all of our stuff and put it out on the deck for Heston to load up, which included his lap top. When we got to the hotel later that night, we could not find his lap top ANYWHERE. We thought for sure it was stolen because we both remembered it being out on the deck. So on the way home, I found myself praying that we did leave it outside in the rain instead of it being stolen. Sure enough, when we got home, our friends who were watching our house had put the soaking wet computer bag inside the front door. Thank the Lord for a wet computer instead of a stolen computer (it still works - PTL!). That taught us a lesson!

This week at Northland are the Revival Meetings. Pray for revival amongst the Student Body & Staff. This is always a great week, even though it is exhausting both physically & spiritually.

Also, pray for our ministry amongst the Girls Soccer team here at Northland. The Lord gives us daily opportunities to minister to these girls. I appreciate the opportunities even though I often feel inadequate. Pray that I would forget myself and give without hesitation of my time and resources to these girls. I have already learned alot about myself through these girls. We just found out that we are going to be able to go on a mission's trip next summer to Uruguay with the girls soccer team. The girls are so excited! We are already beginning to pray that the Lord will bring in the money and allow the right girls to come on this trip. One girl on the team, who was only planning on coming for this fall semester, had been praying for another opportunity to go back to Uruguay. That weekend, Heston had mentioned the trip and she said it was as if the Lord was directly speaking to her. This may lead her to stay at Northland for longer. Pray for her!

The highlight of my week last week was when we were in Milwaukke playing Mount Mary, Ruth Sauers called Heston's cell phone and asked where we were at. Sure enough we were less than a mile from her house!! So while the girls were warming up, I got to go visit Ruth & Haven and see thier new house! It was great to see you, Ruth! I wish I would have had my camera. I can't wait until we can go down and visit you guys.

Well, I have alot of other things to write about, but these are the main things. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Bon Voyage, Brianne

2006-09-11T08:49:00.000-05:00

My sister, Brianne, left for Zambia at 6 am this morning. She won't actually arrive in Zambia until tomorrow afternoon at 12 noon our time. That is one long flight!!

Kelli & Bri this past summer

The Lord worked out a seemingly small, but amazing thing. Within the last 2 weeks, we found out that an acquaintance from back home was leaving for Zambia 1 day before Brianne. My mom has always been a little bit leary about Brianne traveling by herself all the way to Zambia. This boy was with the same mission board as my sister as well. Anyways, after a few days of talking and praying about it, my mom decided to call the mission board and see if this boy could fly out 1 day later in order to be on the same flight to Zambia as my sister. She talked to the mission board and expressed her concern of Brianne flying by herself. The man had to call the travel agency. He called her back a while later and he said, "you're not going to beleive this, but when I called the travel agency, for some reason, Nic's ticket had been returned to them and they weren't sure why!" He had asked if they could possibly change his ticket and since it hadn't been fully issued, they could make the necessary changes so that Nic and Brianne will be able to travel on the same flight to Zambia. Even better yet, Nic got the very last seat on the flight! We serve a great God.

Brianne and the boys after graduation

I got a quote in my inbox this morning that said "No one is safe by his own strength, but he is safe by the grace and mercy of God". How true that is! We often worry about the safety and health of Brianne as she is in Africa, but she is safest where she is going because she is in the center of God's will.

Brianne in China holding a Red Panda

Bri has created a blog and will hopefully be able to have time to keep up with it! I will post the link on my sidebar. Pleae pray for her safety travels these next 2 days and then as she gets settled in Africa and for the ministry that she will be a part of for the next year. She will be working with Phil Hunt & his family at the college they started as well as thier various other ministries.

Baby Haven Faith

2006-08-28T09:28:00.000-05:00

Last month, we ran into Ruth and Steve Sauers and their baby Haven when we were at the mall in Green Bay after Kim's wedding. We decided to go out to eat with them at Noodles and Company. My sister Brianne and brother Colton were with us as well.

Brianne held Haven after she was done eating so Ruth could eat. Here are some pictures of the cute Baby Haven Faith.

Haven was getting hungry so mommy tried to appease here with a cup! It was SO funny! We were all laughing so hard!!

The Sauers moved down to Milwaukee a few weeks ago. We sure miss them! We got married the same summer and we lived in the same apartment building for almost 3 years. We miss you guys but are looking forward to our visits to Milwaukee!

Goodbye, Patchie.

2006-08-17T11:35:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday night, my childhood kitty, Patches, found her final resting place in her most favorite place, our garden, under the cat mint. Patches was 17 1/2 years old. She had a good life! We will miss her. Thank you, Mom, for taking care of her since I got married.

Here is where Patchie spent most of her time; in the garden.

I got Patches when I was 8 years old. I remember picking her out of the litter of kittens and going to the store to buy her necesseties. I picked out quite the combination of her collar and leash: yellow collar with rhinestones and a bell, and a green and white leash. Good thing she didn't care! She had 3 kittens when she was pretty young; that was fun!

My sister Brianne and Patchie

Good-bye Patchie, I love you and will miss you!

Kim's Wedding and Visit with Brianne & Colton

2006-08-15T09:37:00.000-05:00

I am a little behind in posting, mostly due to the fact of my last post and then we went on a family vacation with the Frey side of the family. We had a great time down in IL with everyone. Thanks Heather and Kevin for opening up your home to us; we had a GREAT Time! I will post pictures of our vacation later.

My little brother Colton flew up to Iron Mountain on Sunday, July 23, to attend Northland's soccer camp. He had a great week, even though it was REALLY hot!!

Saturday, July 26, Kim Yager and Ken Courts got married. My sister, Brianne, was a bridesmaid, so we gathered Colton up from camp and headed down to Green Bay for the wedding. That was the last time Heston & I will see Brianne before she leaves for Africa in a few weeks. She was exhausted since she has been counseling at Woodland's camp in Georgia all summer. Anyways, the wedding was beautiful and it was so good to see Brianne.

Colton, Brianne & Kelli after the wedding

My hubby and me

Colton stayed with us for a few extra days and praise the Lord that he was with me when we had to take Heston to the emergency room with his concussion and broken neck. It was nice to have him there to help and also to help me keep my mind off everything.

Kelli, Bri & Colton

Sisters - I will miss you, Bri!!

Our 3rd Wedding Anniversary

2006-08-02T14:01:00.000-05:00

Three years ago today, I married my best friend. I am so very thankful for my husband! In our few short years of marriage, we have been through alot, but we can still find joy in each other and most of all in our God.

This anniversary was reminiscent of the week before our weddding. 3 years ago when Heston was traveling to CO for our wedding, I got paged over the intercom at the airport telling me to pick up a white courtesy telephone. I called and they said Heston was very ill and they were not going to let him off of the plane. I went to the emergency room at the airport and waited for him. He looked horrible! They were finally going to let him go and they checked his heart rate/blood pressure one more time...then frantcially said they could not release him and whisked him off in an ambulance!!! I found my car and followed him to the hospital. He spent the night in the hospital and had several follow up appointments up until the day before our wedding.

The day of the wedding, I pulled up to the wedding site and saw ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars!! I was freaking out! It turns out that my hero of a husband was trying to resuciate a man who had fallen in the lake at the wedding site!!

Well, this is how this anniversary is reminiscent of that day. My husband has been in the hospital for 2 days due to a broken bone in his neck. This was a result of 2 incidents, one Friday night with a soccer ball and the other on Monday with a golf cart. He blacked out on Friday and then had short term memory loss on Monday. The Lord protected him! Thankfully he is not in any more pain than he is. I am also thankful for the VA hospital. If not for that, we could not afford to pay for Heston's health care due to his upcoming back surgery and the care of his kidney disease.

The Lord continues to provide for our needs. We are looking forward to picking up Heston's parents tonight at Iron Mountain Airport!

p.s. I will post pictures later! Dial up is not the frined of pictures!!

The Big 25!

2006-07-24T13:52:00.000-05:00

Well, I turned 25 on Saturday, July 22. Birthdays just aren't what they used to be. I remember all of the anticipation and opening of the presents and cake! And my mom always put the birtday sign on the door and the Happy Birthday table cloth on the table. Great memories! This past few years have been slightly different than that.

Heston took me out to dinner on Friday night and then we went over to some friends house till late. Saturday morning we slept in. I got phone calls from all my family on Saturday so that was nice. Heston bought me a bike and a dozen roses and gave me a really sweet card.

My little brother flew in last night and he brought me gifts from back home. He got me a scrap book for my cat that I REALLY wanted, and my sister got me 2 pairs of cool earrings. My mom sent me the matching canisters for my Pfaltzgraff set - I am so excited to set them up!! I also have some birthday money to spend so I am looking forward to that!

Thank you everybody for the presents!

I made myself cinnamon rolls instead of a cake. They were wonderful! Eat all of this junk food now because in a few weeks I am going on a diet!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Good-bye Tommy, Tricia & Gabriel

2006-07-14T12:28:00.000-05:00

Our good friends, Tommy & Trica, and their little guy Gabriel moved to Kentucky! We will miss them greatly. It is so hard when good freinds move away. We are so happy for them, though, and the opportunity that the Lord opened up for them! Keep in touch guys!!

Kelly, Tricia & Kelli

Camryn Making Faces!!

Kelli & Gabe

Gabe in the truck with his Papa

Craig, Camryn, Kelly, Tricia & Tommy

Sorry it took me so long to post these pictures! They were not cooperating. Tommy & Tricia - we miss you guys and think and pray for you often!

More Family Pictures from CO

2006-07-12T10:23:00.000-05:00

I have been waiting to get a few more pictures from my time in CO, but I just decided to post what I have right now. I got to meet my cousin Mark's little baby, Maddox Mark. He is absolutely adorable! He was born on May 31. He looks like his daddy, and maybe a little like his mommy, Kira!!

Maddox with Auntie Laura

Maddox with his great grandma

All the little cousins. Kaylee-8, Karissa 5, Kara 11 months, Maddox 1 month. Frey family, you may remember Kaylee and Karissa from the weddding. They have grown SO MUCH sine then.

I also got to meet my cousin Lisa's baby girl, Kara. She was born in August, but I had only seen pictures of her!

Kara with her mommy, Lisa

Kara with her Uncle Mark

Dad, Colton, Grandpa & Uncle Mike

Like I said, I have more pictures, but I will have to post them later! My mom has them all because Heston had our camera in Germany.

He is coming home!! FINALLY!

2006-07-03T11:17:00.000-05:00

My dear husband is finally coming home! It has been 2 weeks, 2 days, and 22 hours (by the time he comes home tonight) since I have seen him! I am so excited. I am just hoping that he is not so exhausted when he gets home. The time difference is 7 hours so he will get home around 2 am and to him it will fee like 9 am. I hope he can catch up with his sleep sooner than later. Tomorrow is a holiday so that is definately a good thing.
I decided to post some pictures of my wonderful husband of almost 3 years!

Can you tell that Heston is looking forward to being a father? He is going to be a GREAT daddy!! SOMEDAY!!

My wonderful husband...I have missed him so very much!

My "Baby" Brother

2006-06-29T11:13:00.000-05:00

I had a good time spending time with my baby brother Colton. He is not so little any more! I am about 9 1/2 years older than him. We are pretty good buds, though! It was amazing to look at how much he has grown since my wedding. He was only 12 years old at the wedding and now he is 15!

Colton and I always enjoy bowling together. I took him out on Thursday night and we bowled two games! I beat him! I got a turkey during the first game; he was pretty annoyed! We had a great time and now he owes me ice cream when he comes up to Northland for soccer camp.

Colton also likes to drink coffee; I guess I drank coffee when I was his age!

These are my grandparents (if you couldn't tell!!)

This last picture was taken before he left for the choir tour with churh.

The crazy thing is that HE JUST GOT HIS DRIVERS PERMIT!! Now that was an interesting experience. He has to have it for a whole year before he can get his license, though. He will catch on, I am sure. I can say that I was a little nervous as he was driving and I was in the backseat!

It was fun, Colton to hang out with you! Have fun on Choir tour and see you in a few weeks for soccer camp! Don't forget to bring me a birthday present! =)

Family Watchdog - Must Check out!!

2006-06-28T10:26:00.000-05:00

This is a website, Family Watchdog ,a friend of mine sent me. It shows all of the sexual predators in your area. You simply type in your address, and then it shows you all of the sexual predators in your area, including their information, description, address and crime. I found 2 right close to my house! YIKES! But the key is to be aware so I thought I would share it with you all. Pass this on to your friends, too!

Baby William

2006-06-27T13:39:00.000-05:00

Like I said earlier, I was able to meet my best friend Jamie's baby son, William Everett. He was too cute! I had seen pictures of him, but to see him in person was great! Jamie and I had a great time catching up. We can go so long without talking or seeing each other and then just pick up where we left off! Hopefully William and Jamie will be flying up to see me here in Wisconsin this weekend! Yeah!

Kelli & William

William, Kelli & Jamie

The handsome couple, Jamie & Bill and thier beautiful baby, William

William learned to crawl on Father's Day! How special.

I babysat William on Friday night while Jamie and Bill went out on a date. I had a great time with William, but I am not quite ready for mommyhood! =)

Still a few more days

2006-06-23T22:27:00.000-05:00

Although I still have a few more days of vacation, I thought I would recap what we have done so far!
I arrived on Saturday and hit the ground running! I wasn't home for more than 5 minutes before we were gone the whole day shopping and visiting my grandparents. We had my favorite pizza, Papa John's, at the grandparents house that night.

Sunday was Father's day and it was so neat to be here with my dad. After church we went to my cousins house and I met my new baby cousins, Kara and Maddox. Kara is 10 months old and Maddox was only 18 days old. I had a great time playing games with my little cousins Kaylee and Karissa who were 2 of the flowergirls in my wedding.

Monday I got to go visit my best friend Jamie and meet her baby son, William. He is 9 months old and is SO CUTE!

Tuesday was mom's day off of work so we spent the day shopping and spending time together.

Wednesday I spent the day with my friends Sherry and Bailey. Bailey was in my wedding and it is amazing to see how much she has grown! I am proud of her.

Thursday I spent the morning with Jamie and William again and then had lunch with Aunt Brenda. That was a lot of fun!

Today, mom, Grandma, Grandpa and I went to Boulder CO to drive around and walk up Pearl Street Mall, see Boulder Falls, and then we sat by the river. The weather was perfect and it was nice to enjoy God's creation. I am babysitting baby William tonight so his parents could go out on a date to see a Barber Shop Quartet. We went to starbuck's to see my friend Jenifer. William got tired so we came home and he went right to sleep! He is such a sweet baby, but it makes me realize I am not quite ready to be a mommy...

I MISS MY HUSBAND! It is so weird not to be with him. It is crazy, though, because he calls me and it sounds like he is next door instead of in Germany! Our phone calls are expensive, but well worth it. I miss him so much. I got him the perfect anniversary present and I can't wait to give it to him. I love buying him presents because he is such a little kid when it comes to guessing what they are and opening them. It makes it worth it!!

Well, just wanted to keep you posted on what is going on! I will add the pictures later because it would take FOREVER to upload them on my parent's dial-up.

Hope you are all doing well!!

Heston's Germany Blog

2006-06-16T16:32:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to Heston's Germany Blog. Hopefully he will be able to get internet connection while he is in Germany in order to keep us updated. Thanks for your prayers!

It's Vacation Time!!

2006-06-16T10:51:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning, Heston and I leave for vacation! We are excited, and sad at the same time. You see, Heston is going to Germany and I am going to Colorado. It is not fun being apart, but we didn't really have a choice this time. Heston is going to have a great time in Germany playing soccer and being near all of the hoopla with the World Cup and all. Praise: The Lord brought it all but $150 for his Germany trip! The Lord is good to us and we thank Him for it.

I am looking forward to going home since I haven't been to CO in 14 months. I am excited to see my Grandparents, family and friends. My sister is counseling at Woodland's camp in GA so I won't get to see her, but I will be able to spend time with both of my brothers. I have 2 baby cousins that I have never met and also I am looking forward to meeting my best friends baby son, William. He is 9 months old and I have only seen pictures. It is going to be a busy week seeing everybody, but definitely worth it. It is so weird going home without Heston...I wish he were coming with me! By the way, my flight leaves at 5:55 am tomorrow morning! Good thing it is only from Iron Mountian...

I will try to keep my blog updated from time to time, but my parents only have dial up so we will see how that goes. I think Heston is going to start a blog for the Germany trip so if he does, I will be sure to share the link!

Another week done...

2006-06-12T17:26:00.000-05:00

This past week was our semi-annual MM/DSM class here at Northland Baptist Bible College. We had about 55 pastors/missionaries, 7 wives, 11 children from all over the world. Families came from Tawain, Brazil, Mexico, Singapore, Phillipines Canada and I am sure others. We had a great week where the men, and thier wives, were able to learn more about Biblical Holiness from Dr. Sam Horn, Dr. Les Ollila, and Dr. Doug McLachlan. The ladies also had several awesome speakers! It was a great week. I love my job for that reason - working working working getting ready for the class, and then having all of the men and thier families here. It is so neat and rewarding to see how our efforts, through the Lord's strength, have ministered to these men and thier families. This was my 3rd class and I love the fact that each time I get to know more and more people in the ministry. It is neat to see what the Lord has done in thier lives and ministries since the last class.

After the last class, I wanted to start a prayer list where the Graduate Studies Department would take a certain number of students each week and pray for them. And not only would we pray for them, but we would let them know via email that we prayed for them and ask them if there is any specific way that we can pray! I know this is a great ministry and can be strengthened if we take the time to pray for them. Many of these ministers of the faith are attacked daily and I know our prayers on thier behalf will strengthen and encourage them and help to thwart the devil's attack. That is going to be my afternoon project! Hopefully I can get it done before too long and pray for them all individually before the next class in January!

I also have pictures of the banquet centerpieces that you all gave me feedback on, but I will have to wait to post pictures until Heston can get them off of my camera!

Tracy, Keara, Julie, and Shannon: you all know the sigh of releif that you can breathe once the class is over! And you also remember the mess that is left after all of the guys leave! That is my job for the rest of the week; returning everything to its rightful place! But that will keep me busy until I leave for HOME ON SATURDAY!!!

God's Special Blessing

2006-06-01T12:38:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to share with you that the Lord has given Heston and I two very unexpected blessings in the last 2 weeks. I can't be specific, but it reminded us and confimred to us that the Lord is still in control and that He truly cares for us! We are Lord willing going to be able to pick up our Montero on Saturday. Please continue to pray for that situation, especially that we will find the best person to buy it that can purchase it for top dollar. We already know that the Lord will work out those details!

Also, please pray for the funds to continue to come in for Heston's trip to Germany. He still needs about $800 before he leaves on June 18. We are very thankful for what the Lord has provided already and we are excited to see Him continue to provide both for Heston and the other guys on the team. Thanks for your prayers on our behalf!

Babysitting Eden & Chloe

2006-05-31T09:47:00.000-05:00

I realized I have not posted in a while! The internet has been down at our house for a few days because of a lightning storm we had and I have been super busy at work so haven't had time to post!

Here are some pictures of Eden & Chloe when we were babysitting them on Friday night so Brent and Carissa and Emma and Andrew could go to Joel's graduation at Faith in Coleman.

Chloe eating dinner!

Eden Eating her chicken and pizza. She could even say chicken. I tried teaching them to say Kelli but they woudl just laugh. Maybe someday! =)

Chloe the super woman!! She loved this mask and didn't want to take it off.

Eden tried the mask, but it didn't stay on her face quite as well! It was so funny to watch her walk around.

Here is a picture of Eden "shopping"! She loves to try on shoes and necklaces. Carissa is going to have her hands full when she gets older!
It is fun to babysit with Heston and it makes me look forward to when we can have kids of our own. Carissa: Thanks for letting do our laundry and play with the kids! You guys are very special to us and we are so glad that we are friends! We had a great time!

Man in the coffee bean

2006-05-25T09:03:00.000-05:00

In this pix of coffee beans there is a mans face. This is bizarre - after you find the guy - it's so obvious. Once you find him - it's embarrassing, and you wonder why you didn't see him immediately?

Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, your right half of your brain is better developed than most people. If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1 minute, your right half of the brain is developed normally. If you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein. If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, the advice is to look for more of this type of exercise to make that part of the brain stronger!!!

And, yes, the man is really there!!!
If you are stuck and cannot find him--the answer is below. Dont scroll down unless you really give up.

Keep looking first before getting the answer. I was sorry I looked and thought this was a joke.

answer: look about 5 beans in from the bottom left hand corner!

I will let you know that I had to cheat because I could not find it. My friends Crystal and Julia looked at and Crystal found it after I gave her some hints, and even after Julia saw it, she still wasn't satisfied! Anyways, just thought I would share it wiht you!

Mother's Day

2006-05-22T16:39:00.000-05:00

Here is a Mother's Day picture taken on the deck of the Blind Duck Inn in Kingsford. It was great having everyone together! I know my mom enjoyed it.

Wonderful time with family!

2006-05-18T10:19:00.000-05:00

I had a wonderful time with my family! I had everything all in one post, but it was SO LONG! I split it up a little so it was a bit easier to read. I still have other pictures to post, but I will spread them out and share them from time to time.

Mother's Day

2006-05-18T10:18:00.000-05:00

Saturday night we played games and Heston cooked us a great italiain dinner of spaghetti and meatballs! We said good-bye to Grandma and Grandpa as they were leaving early Sunday morning.

Sunday was Mother's Day and it was the first day in a long time that my mom had all 4 of her kids together! We went to church just for Sunday School and then we went to the Blind Duck Inn for Mother's Day Brunch. We got her some neat things from the Pampered Chef. (Pictures to come...I left my camera at Carissa's)

We dropped Dad and Bri off at the airport and headed back to the house to say Good-bye to the boys. Bryce, Colton, Nate and Jose left that afternoon!

Let me tell you, after they all left, mom, Heston & I took a 3 hour nap! Phoebe was glad to have things back to normal as well.

Monday mom & I relaxed all morning then went to talk with some friends - Joe & Kelly Bolduc and then over to the Belfords! We stayed over at the Belford's and had grilled hamburgers - Yum! We had a nice spring walk and of course enjoyed our time with Carissa.

Mom had to leave on Tuesday =( but I will see her in 4 weeks when I go home while Heston is in Germany! That made saying good bye alot easier. Before she left we visited a few shops in town and then had lunch, coffee and dessert at Moose Jackson's.

I love my family so much and I was so glad to be able to spend time with them all!

Graduation

2006-05-18T10:17:00.002-05:00

Saturday was graduation for my sister Brianne! Since I am on staff, Susan Wagar reserved us 10 seats so we didn't even have to go early to get seats! That was so nice! It was hard getting pictures of Brianne on stage, but Heston was able to video tape it. It was pretty chilly and a little bit rainy, but otherwise a good day! I am very proud of Bri. She leaves on Saturday to go to Woodland's camp in GA and then she leaves in September for Zambia Africa for 1 year to work with Phil Hunt and his family.

2006-05-18T10:17:00.001-05:00

Friday Dad and Heston spent the morning hanging new blinds in all of the windows. Until we get curtains we needed something in the windows for security - it looks very nice! My mom helped my scrub my floor and got the "impossible" stains out - AMAZING!! What is it about mom's that can do those sorts of things?

Grandma & Grandpa Clingerman arrived Friday evening. We grilled shish kabobs and then headed to the spring concert. It was nice!

2006-05-18T10:17:00.000-05:00

I had a wonderful time with my family. I picked up Mom & my sister Brianne from the Iron Mountain airport on Wednesday around 1. We had a wonderful lunch at The Garden Place which is a new eatery right by the library and Moose Jackson's in Iron Mountain. Then we went grocery shopping and headed home! It was so fun showing my mom my house! She liked it alot!

Thursday we had a huge rain storm with 60 mph winds! It was pretty scary...especially since dad was flying in and the boys were driving in. We lost electricity around 2:30 and then headed to campus so Bri could throw Kim Yager a bridal shower. We had a pretty good turnout in spite of the power outage and torrential down-pour! The guys all arrived safely while we were at the shower. The drive home was interesting since there were trees all over the road! We were still able to cook since we have a gas stove.

We had a good time talkign in front of the fire! Since the power was out, the water pump wasn't pumping water so we ran out of water - that was intersting! Thankfully the electricity went on about 10:30 p.m. which meant we had heat for the evening! Praise the Lord! It was pretty cold outside.

My Mom is Coming Today!!

2006-05-10T09:09:00.000-05:00

I am having a hard time focusing this morning at work because my mom is coming at 12:30 today! I am so excited! My sister is also coming around 5 so we will have a girls day! I had so much fun getting the house ready for my mom to see for the first time. I have sent her pictures along the way, but she hasn't seen it in person yet. She said she has had a hard time picturing what it looks like! I AM SO EXCITED! Here is a picture of my mom with her two brothers...

My brothers are leaving today after work/school and driving through the night so they should be here around noon tomorrow. Then Dad flies in at 5:30 tomorrow evening. Then my dad's parents will be here on Friday sometime! My mom's parents are sad that they can't come, but since Granmda just had back surgery a few months ago, she is really not up to traveling 1100 miles whether it is by plane or car! We will miss them!

We are going to have a house full, but we will have so much fun! I heard rumors of having snow on Friday...hopefully that is what they were, RUMORS!

I will be sure to take lots of pictures and post them from time to time!

Good Weekend

2006-05-08T09:56:00.000-05:00

We had a good weekend this past weekend. Heston played 2 soccer games this weekend: Northland Soccer team vs. Germany soccer team. They are getting in shape and prepared for their missions trip in June to Germany. He is a little bit sore, but he loved it! They also had their championship intramural B-B game on Saturday and his team one! Yeah!

I spent Friday and Saturday painting the trim in the 2 spare bedrooms and getting the rooms prepared for my family to come on Wednesday! It is great to have an incentive to get everything done. Saturday night, Heston asked me what else I wanted to get done. I told him that I wanted to finish the border in the kitchen. It was around 5:30 or so and I thought we could get it done pretty quickly...that was not true! We spend like 2 1/2 hours trying to get the border up. The paste was not sticking, the edges were curling. We could not figure out why the other walls we did had worked perfectly! That was until yesterday afternoon, I decided to look at the directions AGAIN only to realize we didn't give the border enough time out of the water for the paste to "activate"!! Wish I would have understood that on Saturday night. Well, now that we know that, we are going to try to put up the rest either tonight or tomorrow night before everyone gets here. Heston keeps telling me that everything doesn't need to get done before they come...I know that, but it doesn't change the fact that I want it all to get done!

We had a great day at church yesterday. Sunday school with the 2 and 3 year olds was fun as we talked about baby Moses. Then in the service, they had a baby dedication for all children 3 and under. I think Pastor was right, half of our church was up there! It was great to see a lot of the kids in our Sunday school class up there. One of the little girls in our Sunday School Class, Savannah, wanted to sit with Heston & I during the service. She enjoyed looking at her new Bible that the church gave all of the kids that were dedicated. We are going to miss her when they move this summer!

Then, we were able to go to lunch with our good friends, Kelly & Craig and their daughter, Camryn. Then back to church for the afternoon service. It was a service dedicated to those who are graduating, whether it was from kindergarten, high school, college, or master's degree. It was great to see all of those who have finished their degrees and also sad because many of them will be moving on.

We also officially became church member's yesterday. That was neat! We sang 2 of my favorite songs in church: Abba, Father and In Christ Alone. What a great time to put our focus back on the Lord Jesus Christ.

As Heston and I have prayed, we don't know what the Lord is teaching us through this time of dealing with our car and the financial strain that comes along with is, but we are seeking to learn the lessons that He has for us.

Please pray for Heston as he takes his final exams this week. He has worked so hard this semester and I am just praying that his grades reflect that.

Quote for the Day

2006-05-04T08:04:00.000-05:00

This quote was in my inbox this morning and I thought I would share it:

God never promises to remove us from our struggles. He does promise, however, to change the way we look at them.

-- Max Lucado

How true that is! We think we have found a solution to our car situation. It is still not fun or ideal, but I think we have come up with the best option as of yet. We are still seeking counsel in what exactly to do. I will keep you posted! Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!

Two Praises!

2006-05-02T16:04:00.000-05:00

I have two praises to share with you today. This morning, when I was getting dressed, I found $15 in the back pocket of my skirt! Later I was talking to some ladies in our prayer group and asked, "Who puts $15 in the back pocket of a skirt?" thinking that it was really odd that there was money there. Then as soon as I said it, I said "God does!" He blesses un in such small ways and I am so thankful to Him.

Second, I have been battling with my insurance company, dr. office, and perscription by mail company over a mix up in a perscription that my doctor wrote. The perscription that he wrote ended up costing my $50 more than what I normally pay! I was pretty upset that I was having to pay for his mistake! I called each of the above mentioned offices at least 5 times. I prayed that I would keep a good attitude with the Doctor's office especially since my dr. is a Christian and the nurses/receptionists know that I work at Northalnd. I got a call from a lady at the office just a few minutes ago saying that they were going to pay me the difference between the costs of the medications! Praise the Lord!

Even though our car situation is looming over us, I know God is still in control. Just look, he chose to bless us with $15 and a $50 return check. God is so good and He will always provide for our needs!

Thanks again for your prayers and I will continue to keep you posted!

"I tell you, if you are serious about wanting to be like Christ, He is going to put you in circumstances where your only true choice is to become like Him."
--Francis Frangipane

Update on the car

2006-05-01T11:35:00.000-05:00

Well, the news is not good on our car. To fix it, the cost will be approximately $6,500. When we only spent $1,000 more than that to purchase the vehicle, it doesn't really even out. Please pray for us as we make decisions on what to do. I know we will lose money, but just pray that we will lose the least amount possible. We know the Lord is teaching us through this and I know someday we will know, but just pray for us. I am thankful that both of our dads are wise, Chrstiain men and have given us advice in what to do in this situation and in so many areas of our lives. We are very thankful for our fathers!