Indian Table Runner

My boss travels to India and China somewhat frequently to recruit graduate students. He usually goes two or three times a year. Sometimes, we get lucky (or he is really nice) and he buys gifts for all of us. I love it because our home's decor is kind of Asian...plus we always had friends that would bring gifts back for us from their homes. So we have quite the collection of international gifts. Last time my boss went to India he brought back these beautiful hand beaded/embroidered pillow cases, which Jon and I decided to use as a wall hanging. This time, we got really lucky...at least that's my opinion. He brought back the most beautiful table runners. They are hand beaded and have been hand stiched. The one I picked just happend to match quite well with the pillow case he got me last time and the rest of our house. I was so excited, although when I got it home last night, I realized that I am not sure where I will put it. We love our kitchen table because it is very unique in size. It is a large, round, modern looking table that we just happen to love. Although since table runners are typically made for rectangular shaped tables, I am not sure what I will do with it. Hmm...I am sure I will be able to figure it out, because it is just so nice that it deserves a good location. So we will see. I really just think that it is great that my boss does that for us and it makes my day everytime!!

A Beautiful Evening

As you may already know from previous blogs, I am absolutely ready for spring to be here. Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful day. Weather.com predicted a high of 50!!! I walked outside in the afternoon to find that the sun was actually a little warm and that the ridiculous wind that we have been having still didn't make it cold out. It was beautiful, and I wanted to be out in it. Of course I had to go back to work, but I quickly opened the window just to soak in as much of the nice weather as possible.

I always go to the gym right after work. Yesterday was my running day, but for some reason I just could not bring myself to go. I even drove there and found a parking spot. I started to get out, but really did NOT want to go. Most of the time I really enjoy going to the gym, so I just decided that I could give myself the day off. Looking back, I think I really just didn't want to be inside. As I was driving home, I drove past a park and decided that maybe I would go out for a run. I thought of another park in town that is close to my house, and decided to go there. I had gone "running" there last summer, although I couldn't make it around once, so can you really call that running? I was a bit hesitant to go, since I had so much trouble last year, but then decided, what the heck. More than anything it was just my excuse to get out!!! I didn't mind going and walking for an hour if that's what it would take to get me outdoors.

So I went and did quite a bit of running, although that isn't important. I got outdoors with the sun on my face and the wind in my hair, and I literally felt like I was walking on clouds. Suddenly I was filled with tons of energy, I had a smile on my face, and my time flew by. There were lots of people out walking their dogs and playing with there kids. It's like spring was actually here!! I even got to sit in the grass (which done below was starting to turn green).

There is just this certain energy that I get from being outdoors. I cannot explain it, but it is incredible. It is why I love to hike. It is why I love to camp. It is why I love just being surrounded by nature. I noticed when I was finished that I smelled like "outside." I probably smelled like other stuff too, but all I could smell was "outside." It's the sent that stays with you after you have been doing something outside, whether that is laying out or exercising, or sometimes just going for a walk. It was beautiful.

Last night ended up being the most amazing evening. I cannot wait until I am able to do that more often. Long bike rides, nice run, roller blading, etc. Oh it just makes me so happy!!! What a wonderful gift from the Lord last night was. It was just one of those little things that he does to show us that he loves us and wants to meet our needs. He is a beautiful God.

The Promise of a Garden

I have a friend at work who is probably my mom's age. Her name is Maureen. She has three sons, but they are all older and none of them live in town. She lives alone and has a big yard that she can't take care of on her own. We were talking the other day about how she wanted to work on her flower beds and get some nice flowers planted this summer. I, half joking half serious, said to let me know when she was planning to do this because I would come over and help. I told her that I love to plant flowers and gardens, I am just bad at the up-keep. So we made a deal that I would help her get started (and get to plant some stuff too), and she would do the up-keep. We will split whatever grows...I am so excited. I love flowers and getting out in the yard to plant something that will turn into something beautiful is one of the best things I could do with my summer afternoons. Also, Maureen is so excited about it. She even recruited one of sons to help with the "manual labor" part of it. The plan is to plant flowers and then in one of the corners of her yard, we will actually plant some fruits and veggies. I think she's already got some raspberry bushes and rhubarb, so we will add some zucchini, squash, tomatoes, and maybe red peppers to the mix. I am so excited about it, especially because Jon and I live in an apartment and can't really plant stuff of our own. It makes spring seem that much closer and it makes me happy!!!

Rattling Desk

I have a great office. It is my own, and I only share it with the copy and fax machines. I love that it is my own space. It has, however, become difficult to work in peace over the last several months. It all started at the end of last summer when the University started doing some major construction on the library, which is about 30 yards away. The parking lot between our two buildings became a construction site as they broke up the concrete to put in larger piping for this library expansion. Just a few months, I thought. Plus, they are just trying to improve the campus and we should complain. It's do-able, although our building has no air conditioning so opening the windows in the summer is a must. We all made it work, and looked forward to September when this construction would end. Two months later (November), it got too cold to lay concrete and the snow began to really pile up, so they quit for the winter. Finally peace!! Not so much. It was at that point that they began replacing the windows in our entire building. Remember that I live in Wyoming and November, December, and January can be brutally cold. So we cranked up the heaters, and tried to bear it. They didn't actually get to the windows in our office until January. Big open holes in our walls in January!!! We didn't freeze to death, but the noise was difficult to work through. We actually found ourselves having to yell at students, just to be heard. The windows have been replaced in our office and the offices above and below us. Whew...no more desk rattling or yelling at students. Wrong!!! Within a few days of the window replacement, they began remodeling one of the basement wings of our building. Lucky for the Graduate School, it is directly below us. So I sit today, as I have every day for the last nine months trying to work, while my desk is shaking and my computer screen rattles. I just found out this morning that the projected time frame for the basement repairs is seven months!! We will get to endure all of this through September...and that is if all the construction is completed on time. Ugh!!! I just hope that it gets quieter in the future, or I may be crazy come September!!

My First Book

I have been thinking a lot about writing a book lately. I have always kind of wanted to do that, but I kind of feel like I need to experience life a little more first. I've got all of these ideas for books in my head and I have "started" several. This means a page or two here and there.

I have always wanted to write about missions or something like that, but I am not a "missionary" so what could I possibly know about missions?? Ok so that is a little far fetched, but that's my thought process. I have considered writing stories. I do have a lot of those and I have a lot of friends who have a lot of stories, I just can't come up with a theme. In my head I see chapters dedicated to the work going on in different countries around the world, or perhaps to different ordinary people that I know that have served in various places.

I just can't figure out the format or the what the purpose of the book would be. Any suggestions??? I will definately give credits to anyone who helps if I ever complete it or publish it!!! Anyway, I think it could be a cool idea, and even just in typing a bit here I have come up with some more ideas. I'll keep you posted on the progress if there is any!!!

Some pictures

This is a herd of elk that we saw on the way to Denver. Khalid instructed me to take a picture, or five. This is one of the things I do love about living in Wyoming. Where else can you see a huge herd of wild elk on the side of the road??

These are some pictures from the Phoenix Suns game that we went to in Denver. Jon is posing with our friend Khalid, from Saudi Arabia, after finishing his first professional sporting event. He had a great time, although we were watching his two favorite teams play. It was a great evening to get to hang out enjoy each other's company.

These are from Valentines Day...actually the day before. I had dropped Jon off after work (we carpool) and then I went to the gym. Apparently he had been working on this all afternoon, and finished up while I was at the gym. That is why the picture of us is so bad...I didn't even have time to take a shower when I got home. He made my favorite steak, filet minion, had flowers and a glass of wine waiting when I got home, and to then to top it all of, we had molten chocolate cakes for dessert. I do have a great hubby!!!

30th Anniversary Celebration

My in-laws will be celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary on Monday, in Hawaii. I cannot believe that it has been 30 years. It seems like just yesterday they were celebrating their 25th in Oklahoma. Jon surprised them with a party. Their friends and family from all over the country came to celebrate with them. It was great, and now another five years has past. They are coming to Laramie on Friday since we are on their way to Denver. They are going to drop off the girls and head to Denver on Saturday morning. I am excited because Jon and I are cooking a beautiful dinner for them and I get to play hostess. I LOVE playing the hostess. It's great...and if that is incentive for anyone to come for a visit, I promise to be an excellent hostess for you too!!! We will be having yummy steak and all the fixings that go with that, along with dessert and wine. Jon said he wants to use our china too, so it should prove to be a fantastic feast!! I am so excited about it. I hope they gather from our preparations how special they are to us and how much we love them. I am truly blessed to have married into such a wonderful family. That means I have two great families to enjoy. What more could a girl ask for??

The Wild West

On to a lighter subject today...Jon and I went to Casper last weekend. Capser is about two hours away and much, much larger than Laramie. They probably have like 75,000 people living there. So anyway, one of Jon's cousins was playing in the state basketball tournament there, so we went and Jon's parents came down too.

The drive to Casper from Laramie is a really pretty drive. Last time we saw two huge herds of elk on the side of the road. The drive is through the mountains kind of...Wyoming mountains are different. They are very much plains covered in sage brush, rivers, and creeks and rolling hills up until you hit the mountains. I love them. So anyway, it's a beautiful drive and we often see different types of wildlife. This trip was particularly exciting. There were some hawks which are pretty cool because they are big birds and of coarse antelope and deer. We also saw a beautifully colored phesant in the middle of the road. We had to swirve off the road so we wouldn't hit it...not the smartest bird, but really pretty.

The highlight was the eagles. We saw at least 4 golden eagles. These are massive birds. We actually pulled off the road as one was landing on a fence post. I was frantically looking for my camera, but it flew off before I could find it. It was amazing watching him fly off and go over the top of our car. It was huge!!! So then on our way home Jon and I both had our eyes on the sky, and again we saw a large brown bird. It turned slightly and there flying just above us was a beautiful bald eagle...and shortly after, another one was perched on the side of the road. It was truly amazing getting to see these beautiful animals!!

We were reminded that this is something we LOVE about Wyoming. Some much of it is untouched by civilization which allows the animals to live freely. It's really beautiful here in it's own way. And it's like its mostly just for those of us that live here. Tourists would never take the road that we took to get to Casper, but the locals do all the time. It's like it is a little treat for those of us who really appreciate it. I will try to get some more pictures next weekend. We are going back for a basketball tournament, so I will be "armed and ready" with my camera!!

Random Things that have been on my Mind

I have been thinking a lot these days. When I tell Jon that, he usually says something along the lines of "oh, no!!" That's mostly because he knows that there is going to be a long story coming. What can I say, I am a girl of many words!!! I have been thinking a lot about my role in this missions stuff. Several things have come up over the last few weeks that have gotten me actively thinking about what role Jon and I have in all this. We are certain that we have a role, it is just that sometimes I question the value of it. I am usually reminded quickly that our role is valuable, although it may seem small.
The pastor at our church spoke a few weeks ago about ministry and how we are all supposed to be active in it. Jon and I have a heart for international students and that continues to develop and grow the more we have them in our lives. The constant difficulty with this is that there seems to be very little "fruit." It seems that we end up spending most of our time developing relationships and sharing, but little time seeing the fruit of that labor. I truly believe what my friend Erin and I talked about once. She said she can just see being in heaven one day and running across someone...then we are going to think, "I didn't know they were going to be here!!" I think that our (jon and me) role is to cultivate the ground. Sometimes we don't even get to see the seed get planted in the ground.
Sometimes I feel so sorry for myself because what we are doing is so hard, and most often not "rewarding" by the terms of the world. Some people would even say that we have been unsuccessful. I have learned and am still learning that I cannot let the worlds view of success define me. The Bible does say that our reward will be in heaven. I know that. It can just be so hard sometimes. Plus, I want to take some credit for what has happened!! I guess that's probably why I don't get to see some of this stuff, because my pride definitely gets in the way.
I have no idea why Jon and I are here most of the time. I don't know why Jon's supposed to be in school pursuing an accounting degree. I don't know why I am working in a job that is not what I believe I am meant to do. All I know is that this is what we are supposed to do. I read a friend's blog today and he was talking about how he met with a young couple who were leaving their careers and applying with the International Mission Board to go overseas as full time missionaries. My friend said they "were the living the American dream and didn't want to be." He was an accountant and she a school teacher. In my heart I thought, "maybe that will be us someday." Oh how I long for it to be us. We are having to deal with this "American dream." And let me just say that it is incredibly tempting, but I don't want it to be. It is hard to not get caught up in the "stuff" of the world....where will we live, where will we work, how much will we make, when should we buy a new car, etc.
I guess in my heart I found myself envious of this couple because my heart just wants to Go so badly. I do hope that someday the Lord will allow us to serve Him in another country, but for now, another part of this country is where we rest. Perhaps He just wants me to realize that He has us here for a reason. Perhaps it has nothing to do with other people; it is about me and where I need to be first before I can serve Him elsewhere. Perhaps he just wants me be content serving Him here...He knows that I would be willing to go as far as He leads. Maybe the problem is that I just don't think He is leading me as far as I think He should and I just need to be content that He has lead me here.

Housing Markets-Yuck!!!

Jon and I have been looking at houses in the Denver area, which is where we hope to end up, to buy lately. Even though we aren't going anywhere for over a year, we both like to know what we are looking at. We are kind of planners!! So we were checking things out and getting quite overwhelmed at the cost of living there. The only other places I have looked at housing prices is Laramie and Oklahoma. Laramie is very similar to Denver, but let me tell you Oklahoma is CHEAP!!! I couldn't believe it when we first moved here. Basically, for the same that you could get a nice house (150K) in the OKC/Edmond area, you get junk here. JUNK!!!

That's what I thought when we moved here. I thought, either we are going to have to spend twice as much money on something of "equal quality" or we are going to have to live in a dive. I pictured a scary neighborhood and running from my car to my house at night...well so I still don't know about that, but I do know that it's not as bad as I thought. Denver, fortunatly for us, has been hit hard by the economic downturning, which has opened up lots of potential opportunity for us. We are probably going to look into some of the foreclosure markets. Any tips on that would be great!!!

It's tough though because part of me wants to have a nice, "dream house" whatever that means. I realized the other day that I would rather have something small, that won't strap us for cash, than something really nice. Being the planner that I am, I have been thinking about when we have kids, having a guest bedroom for our family and friends to use, having a cool "game room" for our kids, and finding the place that we are going to be in for a long time. I get a little ahead of myself don't I?? So I started looking at a website that has listings in the area we are thinking about, and it had a mortgage calculator on it. So I put the number in that were required, and realized that the houses we were looking at were at least double what we are paying now in rent. Whoa!! That doesn't fit at all with the way we want to live our lives. Jon and I are big "get out of debt and save" kinds of people. I was quickly humbled and remembered our priorities are different. So I just need to relax and I do believe that when it is time, there will be a house that is perfect for us. Please remind me of this later on, as I tend to "forget" about stuff like this if I am in denial. Bring on the dives!!! I told Jon we may have to install a security system or something, but I am willing to do whatever it is that we can afford.

I have had such a peace about these last few days knowing that even though we aren't doing what may seem "normal" we are trying to do what's best and we believe what is honoring the Lord. So I am excited, and think that in the next few weeks we will find ourselves in that area of Denver checking things out!!

Spring Fever--not predicted to go away soon

So it was nice out on Saturday, but incredibly windy, so it ended up not being nearly as nice as was predicted. It was actually quite chilly. So Jon and I were both a little bummed about that. I was busy doing stuff around our house, and didn't get to the "snow removal" on Saturday, but it turned out to be a good thing since it snowed several inches yesterday!!! Bummer!!! This week is going to be cold and nasty...there's snow predicted a couple of times this week. So I am a little bummed because I really want some nice weather!!! Well either way, I suppose that it is inevitable, but just not soon enough!!! Jon and I saw on the news that people were playing golf in Denver this weekend. We were jealous, and just reminded once again that we are really ready to move there!!! Patience, patience, patience!!