Sufficient Grace

Our time here in Italy is coming to an end, and as it does I am hoping to take some time to look back. I want to document some of our everyday life and adventures over the past two years. This is a glimpse of our first week here in Italy,  getting over jet-lag and travel sickness, spending endless hours in the hotel, meandering around the base, walking to get pizza and gelato for my birthday, and taking the bus to explore downtown Vicenza for the first time.   Watch this video of our first week in Italy:  

I haven't posted on here in YEARS! I thought about starting over completely, but it's kind of fun to look back on previous posts. In fact, that is partly why I am on here again. I love being able to look back and have something tangible to help me remember and bring perspective. Plus, I have been much less active on social media (can't seem to figure out where to land in that arena), and I have missed having an outlet for sharing/connnecting. I know some, grandparents in particular, are missing the tid-bits I used to share about our lives...i.e. the grandkids! I can't promise this will be anything profound, or even worthy of your time, but I think, if nothing else, it will be good for me. It will be a place for those random times I really want to write or share somewhere other than my journal. And I promise, lots of pictures of the kids.

Y'all, can I just be honest about something? Marriage is HARD. It takes work, commitment, love, forgiveness, & communication. It takes continually yielding to the Lord and asking for His help and wisdom. We need His strength to love like we should, we need His grace to extend kindness and selflessness to each other. I, for one, cannot do it in my own strength, sometimes a simple "I'm sorry" feels like trying to swallow a brick. We may look completely carefree, happy and totally in love, and we are, at our best. But we are also so broken. We are working through some tough things. We are learning how to change and grow as life brings ups and downs and crazy curves. We are selfish at times and we hurt each other. We are lazy sometimes and don't want to put in the work for intimacy. We get lost and forget from whom comes our help. We have had A LOT of changes and challenges over the past few years - three kids, three big moves, new jobs, heartache, struggles w

Today is Good Friday but my heart is heavy as I remember and think on the death of Christ. How He died for us, in our place. The heaviness of our sin that He willingly took upon Himself. The way He was beaten for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. The weight of the whole world was literally on His shoulders as He carried that cross to Calvary. And He took all of this willingly, because He loves us so, and because of His love and devotion to the Father. He was obedient even unto death - a death and punishment that He in no way deserved. And the Father, out of His great love for us, willingly gave His one and only Son to be the propitiation for our sins. What great sacrifice, what great love. I am still working to fully understand and accept such love. I want the weightiness of this event to really sink in. I want to appropriately morn the suffering that God the Father and God the Son endured for us, on our behalf. I want to be sobered. I want to weep in gratitude. T

A journal entry from a few days ago: Sitting here in the semi quietness of my home. One little baby is fast asleep, her sweet rhythmic breathing near enough to hear. The other little guy is in his room for a nap, but has instead been playing somewhat quietly for the last hour and a half. I'm stealing a few moments alone with the Lord. Reading my devotional, sipping on coffee and whispering quiet prayers to my Jesus - mostly prayers of thankfulness. In this moment, my heart is incredibly full as I am reminded of God's great faithfulness and amazing goodness. Such undeserved favor and blessings in my life. When I think about my happy babbling toddler in the next room or my sweet, peaceful, sleeping beauty right next to me, or my handsome, hardworking husband who should be home from work in a couple hours, I am overwhelmed with love and gratitude. Oh the joy. And while these may be my greatest blessings, they are certainly not my only blessings and with that knowledge my hea

We were so blessed to be able to get some pictures done recently and instead of posting them all on Facebook, I thought I would share them here. Beware there are a lot of pictures - 37 to be exact! :)   I am so incredibly blessed by my beautiful and wonderful family. Pregnant feet, good thing I got a pedicure ;) Such a handsome little man we have been blessed with - love him! This one cracks me up, Elijah was much more interested in playing on the beach and in the sand than he was in taking pictures, in this one he yelled "Stop-it/freeze, bobos" haha from "Go, Diego." Sorry to those of you who have no idea what I am talking about. Either way, it is obvious that he had had enough :) I love holding hands with my man! Although, we are holding hands kind of oddly in this picture, I think it is because my fingers were starting to swell...haha oh the joys of pregnancy.  I love this one. And this one - little sandy booty.