joseph life

January & February Happenings

jordan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:35:36 +0000

We arrived safely home from our trip to MN and life has been going non-stop since then. We had the privilege of spending a day with our good friends, the Drevlows, while they were on their way out to the “land of sunshine”. It was fabulous to see them once again before they moved to CA, pursuing a worship pastor position. We pray that God will use them as they step out in His leading. Also, that He will bring us back together someday! I said goodbye to the Drevlows and Chris the same day. He traveled to SD for the annual SALT conference for Chi Alpha.

While Chris was in SD I had some much needed “alone” time. I missed him immensely but it was nice to sit down and breathe when the girls were asleep and realize that no one wanted a piece of me. I was able to readjust to being home and organize new things accumulated over Christmas. I needed some time to get life back in order before it would all start again.

As we knew it, it did all start again. Chris returned home and back to school and work he went. The girls and I started MOPS again and all the other commitments we have with Chi Alpha and whatnot. Honestly it is all overwhelming when you think about everything that has to get done. But also very mundane in the same respect. You do it one day, just to wake up and do it again the next.

Fortunately we serve a God who is so much bigger than anything we have created in our small little worlds. We can feast on the person of Jesus, the words of our ONE TRUE God. We can spend time with the only one who knows every part of our being, the one who can only be the most perfect friend our hearts long for. We can ask Him to share His secrets with us, and He WILL! This is what excites me for each day. This is how I am able to wake up and keep going. Sure, there are times that are easier than others. But in reality, if I didn’t know God, I’m not sure I would make it every day. Even though I do know Him, yes, some days are a struggle. But in the end I have HOPE.

May your hearts meditate on this Psalm of David

PSALM 8

Oh LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels. And you have crowned him with glory and honor.

You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen-even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!

Here are just a few photos of our happenings lately as these thoughts and ponderings (and many more) have consumed me to the point of putting most everything else aside, including taking photos. So hopefully more to come soon!

Christmas fun at Grandpa & Grandma Fleming's

A "big girl" bike!

Thanks for keeping us busy Grandma!

An accomplished artist, but watch out for her...

or she'll get ya!

Focused at work

So proud of Mr. Snowman

Happy Holidays

jordan — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:25:31 +0000

Pumpkin pie making

jordan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:07:07 +0000

Here’s what we started with…

Prepping ourselves

Dig in!

ooey, gooey

Aubrynn watching intently wondering if she should join in the mess

thoroughly enjoying playing with the seeds

wedges…

turn into puree…

turn into PIE!

let the feast begin!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

p.s. The pie turned out absolutely delicious!! I’m still working on perfecting my crust so it “looks” presentable. Looks don’t matter though, right?! As long as it tastes good

photo update

jordan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:32:09 +0000

Here are some recent (or somewhat recent) photos of our adventures in daily life!

Cleaning day. I have helpers now!

Mackenzie in her daily tasks of serving meals. What a mom!

Last days of summer…

family photo opp

My MOPS table this year

3 best buds!

A trip to the Farm

do you read the mission blog?

jordan — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:25:58 +0000

…well you should if you don’t!

I’ve been writing some due to Chris’s busyness. You should check it out here:
mission blog

more than just a “vacation”

jordan — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:47:37 +0000

As I mentioned earlier, Chris and I were able to take a couple of days away while we were in MN and spend some time alone. Thanks to grandparents!

On our anniversary this year (June 11) Chris surprised me with making reservations at an English style bed and breakfast in Hayward, WI. Check out their site here @ McCormick House.
We had heard about this place from our good friends the Drevlows, but hearing about it doesn’t do it justice. You have to go to experience it for yourself!

I did only have to wait a bit before experiencing this amazing place but it was truly worth it. I was apprehensive about leaving the girls because it had been awhile that Mackenzie was away from us and we had never left Aubrynn. But after thinking about it, it had been 2 years since we had gone away. Our previous anniversary was spent moving our home to MO. So this was some needed time away.

It was absolutely wonderful. The house is beautiful and the yard that it sits on is fabulously relaxing and quiet. It is run by two gentlemen, one from England and one from MN. They take good care of you while you are there and have made their lives there. Hearing about how they ended up there is a great story of wanting to slow down and taking a chance. The town of Hayward is a cute little tourist spot. The McCormick House is only a couple of blocks from the downtown area so a nice strolls pace will get you there. We had our fun at miniature golfing and go carts, antiquing, and perusing all the little shops that people have uniquely and creatively dreamed up. We also spent time just doing nothing.

For more photos click here

For me it was a time of breathing, like I had said in the previous post. I felt like it had been a long time since I had gotten a big, deep breath of cool, crisp air. I had been feeling a bit uptight about some things. A couple of weeks prior to leaving for MN, I had stopped nursing Aubrynn kind of randomly. I was torn because I knew I kind of had to in preparation for our trip away but she was still so attached. So it just kind of happened that way. But with me stopping this, I was finding some new found freedom. I was able to get up in the morning and go for a run or stay out a bit later at night with girlfriends because I didn’t have to be home for Auby. But I was feeling frustrated because I didn’t know what to do with myself! I didn’t remember what I liked to do or even if I liked to do anything at all! I wasn’t pregnant or nursing anymore, so who was I? I think every mom probably goes through this but it was very frustrating for me, until I got to the McCormick House.

I was inspired by all the little shops with artsy ware and creative memorabilia. I remembered that that’s what I like. That’s what I’m attracted to. That’s who I am. I missed looking at the world with an artists eye. Observing every detail to capture the perfect photo or slowing down and letting your hand guide you as paint is put on a canvas. I love art because it’s just an expression of who I am. There are no rights or wrongs. There can’t be, it’s just art. I have FREEDOM in what I create. I don’t have to create it for anyone but me. I choose if I share it with someone. No one can judge me unless I choose. I remembered that that’s how I enjoy life and that’s what had been missing.

I had a revelation that I just need to be who I am. I need to stop trying so hard and just let what’s in me come out. I have a problem with thinking people are always judging me but I think my problem is that I judge myself way too much. God and I had a little conversation about this and I am working on it. I desire to be who I am. I believe that I need to express myself through whatever means that may be. We all need to express ourselves. If no one expressed themselves this world would be a boring place. So I encourage you to express yourself. Don’t be afraid to be who you are. Think of it this way, if you don’t, you are depriving me of being inspired!

It also was reaffirmed to me that it’s not worth doing something unless you can share it with someone. I had some wonderful time with my good friend Danielle while in MN. I am inspired by her. She has decided to take a chance and display her art for all to see. Check her out here @ Danielle Alana Photography. I miss being with people I can share life with. I can’t tell you how much I want to have those relationships here. As I long for those new friendships, I miss the old ones too. There are those people who will never be able to be replaced. It was great to connect with Danielle while in MN although it was heart breaking that we have to live so far apart.

So it was a fabulous time away and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Chris is an amazing husband and I can’t believe it’s been 4 years! I love him more everyday and can’t wait to continue our lives together. It was a great time to reflect and think upon some things, all of which I am trying to place into motion while at home living the daily life. I’m remembering to breathe daily and to enjoy life more with little snippets of surprise here and there. Expression is the key word these days.

Yes, we did make it home!

jordan — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:16:16 +0000

And sorry it’s taken us so long to say hello! We had a wonderfully relaxing time visiting family and good friends in MN. It was such a refreshing time to be in the beautiful “land of 10,000 lakes”. I forget how beautiful MN is when I’m away from it. Especially the North Shore. Why did we ever move?! Unfortunately we didn’t see as many people as we would have liked to or get as much done as we would have like to, but it was some needed time to just slow down and remember to enjoy life. I think sometimes I truly forget to breathe when I’m not consciously aware of it. Having the extra help around with the girls and nothing “to do” around the house I was able to expand my lungs and take in the oxygen I’ve been depriving myself of. It was also a huge blessing to be able to take a couple of days and get away, just the two of us. I’ll post on that later. We did enjoy spending lots of time with our families.

(We do have photos of our time in Two Harbors with the Josephs but I’m not sure where they are at the moment. Hopefully I can post them soon.)

It was hard to say goodbye to everyone knowing it will be awhile before we see them again. It’s hard to return to a place where we don’t have the strong connections and relationships that we have in MN. Slowly we continue to work on growing our “community” here.

So as we knew ahead of time, upon returning home, we were going to have to jump right into the school year. And yes, we did. Chris started stuff with move-in at MSU the weekend we got back. And he’s been going ever since. Thinking and praying about this year ahead of us I got the feeling that this was going to be a trying time, or rather a time of testing our faith. The newness and excitement of moving and starting something new has wore off and the things of the future are still too far ahead to really grasp yet. Well, classes for Chris have been challenging. Actually just second year Hebrew and Greek. The profs are really diving in but have said it should slow down soon. Pray that Chris will have the strength to get through those classes and that he’ll have time to relax. His preaching class with Doug Oss is his refreshing time. He absolutely loves him and connects really well with him. Pray that he will be able to ask him to mentor him this year. Last week the breaks went out on Chris’ car and will be about $500 in repairs. Please pray that it will be fixed quickly and for alot less $$$! It’s ok having one car right now because it makes the girls and me slow down a bit and be more creative but I know they will be anxious to get out of the house soon.

Meetings for table hosting with MOPS will start soon. I’m excited to get more involved with the group and meet some amazing women. It will be nice to connect with some older moms called “mentor moms”. I’m always looking for people to gain wisdom from and I know they have lots! Please pray that we will be healthy this year so we can make it to the meetings.

So far the girls and I have been able to make it on Monday nights for the large group meeting of Campus Life, well at least for a little bit; it doesn’t start until 8 pm :). It has been nice to be able meet and connect with students and feel like we know a little bit of what’s going on. I will be leading a core group with about five girls. A core group is a group for the leaders of the ministry to be discipled. Basically like a small group for leaders. I’m excited but also a bit anxious not knowing these girls. I know that it will be a great experience for all of us.

Sorry it’s so scattered. I’ll try to post more frequently now that we’re home. Thanks for all of your prayers as we were traveling to and from MN. And thank you for your continued prayers. We appreciate all of you. Please don’t hesitate to communicate with us while we’re home in MO. We love you all!

headed to MN

jordan — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:17:59 +0000

We’re getting ready to travel to MN. Here’s the plan:

leave MO on Thursday, July 23 sometime after lunch
arrive in Two Harbors early morning on Friday, July 24

travel to Plymouth Wednesday, August 5
leave for MO on Wednesday, August 12 sometime after lunch

We’d love to see you all if you’re around. Get in touch with us if you’d like to get together. Please pray for safe and sane travels!

See you soon!

visitors part 3

jordan — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:07:30 +0000

Park

Random

kisses from Grandma

yay for new sunglasses!

“twinkies”

playing with Auntie

at the stop sign of course

one of my favorites!

pigtail day

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

visitors part 2

jordan — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:05:21 +0000

Butterfly Festival @ Nathaniel Green Park

beautiful gardens

…more

can you find the bee?

hello mr. duck

caterpillar inside the butterfly house

beautiful butterflies…

making a caterpillar craft

Grandpa in charge of 2 hot, tired, and hungry little girls

Auntie trying her hand at it