Saying Good Bye

These past several days have been full of good-byes and see-you-laters. We've moved away from family and friends just once before as a couple, but I think moving away from Daytona presents a totally different circumstance. We've made wonderful friends here, and many of them have become our family. It's a beautiful thing until the good bye comes.
Thank you to everyone who welcomed us into their lives here in good ol' Daytona. Jesse and I are ever so thankful for the times we had here--we leave full of amazing memories. Hopefully this is a see you later more than a good bye.

Spreading Christmas Cheer

Here's a quick photo of Jesse and me at our parents' 30th anniversary party! It was a fun time!!

After a scrumptious dinner, a few of my friends and I decided it was time to spice up Lynn's house and get him in the Christmas mood. Soon later, we were skipping through the Christmas trees at none other than Walmart (the only place open at 9:30pm).

Lynn just happened to already own a tree base, so setting it up was quick and easy...I'm laughing because everyone is telling me which way to turn the tree to make it straight...all different directions.

Had to enjoy a little break and eat DONUTS!!! This is Jo, Emily, Lynn, me, and Ben.

Emily and I were tasked to put on the Christmas lights. Lynn quickly hung his stocking in a precarious place, hoping Santa will come soon! Hopefully Santa likes darts.


I'm thankful for friends--especially during this time living apart from Jesse.

God's Country

Virginia is absolutely beautiful. We have some dear friends (our adopted family, the Walkers) who call Virginia God’s country…now I see why. Rolling hills, creeks and rivers, and miles and miles of country. Perhaps someday I’ll get that ranch I’ve always dreamed about! The most beautiful thing about Virginia—Jesse. We finally got to spend some quality time together. We went for walks, spent time with Jay and Brenda (my cousins), made a quick drive into DC to get a glimpse at what it is, and just enjoyed being together.
Here’s a pic from my drive home…sorry I don’t have pictures from actually being there…guess we were too enthralled with each other to take pictures. Hahaha.

Bonfire Buddies

When the weather gets chilly around here, they call it a cold front. I like to call it excellence! Some friends of ours had a bonfire to celebrate the chilly (finally fall) weather. We all bundled up, and surprisingly, were cold! It's amazing how the high 40s feels like the low 30s when you've been living in the 90s for so long! Whew, it was absolutely wonderful! Lots of laughter, yummy food, and best of all, time with friends.

Sitting around the fire

Saying good bye to Emily in case Jesse didn't see her again before moving.
Making cinnamon-sugar rolls to roast over the fire...didn't work out because the guys were too ambitious in their baking and burned every one of them! Haha. I ended up baking two other batches in the oven. It worked out in the end.

Brief Update

God is teaching us patience and faith. Patience with him and patience with each other. Faith in Him and faith in each other.
Jesse has been offered a job in D.C., and while we’re excited about the prospect of a new career and even a new place to live, we’re hesitant to go gangbusters. The organization he’d be working with has been slow to send information and sometimes seems obstinate in providing us direction. Because of this, we don’t know if Jesse begins work this coming Monday or in a couple weeks or in a couple months.
We’ll keep you posted on more as we begin to know more, but for now, I just ask for prayer. We need guidance, and I especially need to learn patience. Thank you!

Weddings and Water

Two weekends ago, Jesse flew home to Silverton to celebrate JJ and Jamie’s wedding. He thoroughly loved spending time with family and friends and catching up with everyone. The wedding day was beautiful and everyone was all smiles. He also seems to be feeling stronger--at least everyone comes up to him and says, "Wow, Jess, you're looking great! You've put on some weight!" Perhaps he's the only one you can say this to and it be a good thing. Ha!
Though I definitely missed Jesse while he was gone for the week, and was VERY ready for him to return, I also enjoyed my independence. I cleaned (which you all know I love to do), went out with friends to some great sushi, finally went clothes shopping with my birthday money, and then had a fun kayaking trip with Emily and Kyra.

We had to take a picture of us driving the big truck...we looked pretty ghetto driving down a ritsy part of Ormond Beach with our red truck (lots of rust and dents) with two kayaks sticking WAAAAY out of the back...I'm sure it was violating all road rules. Haha.

Jesse and I are doing our best at taking advantage of the beautiful Florida weather while we can. :)

Joy Amidst Trial

Jesse’s second Remicade infusion went well, again without any complications. Thankfully, he hasn’t had any adverse reactions beyond some minor lower back ache. We continue to pray that God would use this drug to heal his body and fix that colon of his. It would be so amazing if this works and Jesse can return to his love: physical activity.
We were talking to a friend yesterday about relationships and such and it came up that Jesse has been sick ever since I’ve known him—it’s strange to consider I’ve never known my own husband to do all the things he loves. When I think about how much he’s had to give up, it breaks my heart. For someone who loves being outside and being active, Jesse has taken his condition in a manner that only Christ could give him strength for. If you lived near, you’d know what I was talking about. Jesse doesn’t complain—he could be griping about not being able to go play basketball with his friends or always complain about how he doesn’t feel well—but he doesn’t. He does what he can and pushes himself to get better.
I say all of this to let you know how to pray for him. It’s easy for me to report his condition and progress in healing, but I can’t even begin to imagine what goes on inside his heart and mind. Please pray he’d be healed, but also pray God would put joy in his life—little things to look forward to on this journey of his. We went to a park this week to shoot hoops, and I have to say it was the first time in quite a while the smile on his face stuck like plaster.

And the Beat Goes On....

Life always moves on. We’ve jumped back into the swing of things, and Jesse has done an incredible job at slowly regaining strength to continue working and writing his research paper. Last Friday was his first Remicaid infusion, and the whole experience seemed to go without a glitch (though I suppose Jesse should be the one writing this so he could give THE accurate portrayal). So far, we haven’t really seen any changes in his digestive system, but continue to pray that this treatment will be successful.
Though not a student any longer because he’s not enrolled in classes, Jesse will continue to work on completing his research paper so he can officially complete his Masters program. In the meantime, he’s working on a project for Embry Riddle as well as tutoring undergrad students throughout the week. Jesse is just so incredible—I’m so proud of him for all the hard work he’s put into this program. We’re still waiting on jobs, so when we know something for sure, we’ll definitely post it up.
I’m still pluggin’ away at my position at NASCAR, which continues to be interesting. Without a specific job description at this time, I just do whatever needs to be done—anything from editing documents to scanning contracts to testing out software. It’s been a humbling process and probably very good for me. Middle School Youth has been going strong, and with the new school year started, we’ve seen some new faces, which is always exciting. This coming weekend, we’re doing sleepovers—one for the guys, and another for the girls. It will be good to hang out with them away from the church and grow closer.
God has been faithful to us throughout the hurdles we’ve jumped the past several weeks. He’s surrounded us with loving friends and family and has sent encouragement in creative ways. I’ve been in awe at how, despite my ability to put my Bible on the shelf and not always listen to God first, He still takes care of me and loves me. Wow—God is such an amazing Father. I’m reminded every day at His Hand in our life.

Health and Hospitals

Our little adventure in the hospital has reached its end. Jesse should be going home tonight, something of which he’s been looking forward to for the last couple of days. His white blood cell count has returned to a healthy level (3.7 yesterday! A big change from 1.3!!) The doctors have removed Jesse from the TPN (food through a bag), and he’s graduated to eating on his own now. He’s on a low-residue (low fiber) diet, and will need to take the transition fairly slowly, but his appetite is completely back. Before we went to the hospital, he hadn’t had an appetite for about two weeks, off and on. Guess I better start getting into the groove of grocery shopping again! It was cute—his night nurse last night was so excited for Jesse to be off the TPN and getting prepared to be discharged. She’s been one of his main nurses the full 9 days and has invested a lot of time and care with him. Last night, we all just wanted to throw a celebration. He’s the youngest (by far) on the floor, and the nurses have enjoyed visiting with him and getting to know him. Jesse will begin taking Remicade—an infusion drug—and we hope and pray it will be affective, and he’ll begin to feel comfortable being more active. Thank you for all your prayer and support--God was with us throughout this whole process, and we definitely felt your prayers.

Field Family: From Three to Four

Jesse decided it was time to get a second parakeet. Sooo, after about an hour of hemming and hawing in the pet store, we decided to give it a go. Bentley has been extra lovey lately, so hopefully he'll extend that to his new little friend, Kolby. For now, we have two cages until they get acquainted. This picture is a bit deceiving because this new little guy has a bright yellow head and what looks to be white is actually yellow on his wings. He's very pretty...still growing his little tail though.Bentley checking out this new "thing." So far, they're doing okay together. The biting is pretty minimal.And here's the culprit himself....

Blessed

When the refrigerator is stocked, the electricity runs without interruption, and the Netflix movies arrive right on schedule, it's easy to overlook them. What happens when the money doesn't run as plentiful, and the pantry begins to become bare? We certainly notice that. The same goes for health. Most of us hop out of bed (okay, some stumble out), get ready, walk to our vehicles, and then for the rest of the day, we move about performing our duties. We don't notice these things, we just do them out of habit--out of necessity. But, what happens if we can't even begin to think about getting out of bed or taking a shower? What if we can't climb the stairs to our office building? We certainly notice that.
Jesse hasn't been feeling well these past several days, and I realize now more than most times how blessed we are to be able to perform daily responsibilities. Just how our bodies tolerate a meal is a blessing. I guess I may be rambling a bit here, but it's become so aware to me how much I take for granted. I look around me right now and see an apartment full of furniture and STUFF. Many days, I walk right past all this stuff and neglect to even have regard for it. Many places in the world would think me a queen, and so often times I feel a pauper.
I'm reminded, especially this week, to be thankful for what I do have and not wanting of what I don't have. We are blessed.

Birthday at the Zoo

Finding Home in Christ

Living far from family and friends hasn’t exactly been what we expected it to be. I think we both envisioned our time in Florida to be full of adventure, new experiences, and opportunities to travel a different part of the country. While we’ve had our share of adventures, new experiences, and some opportunity to travel, they haven’t been exactly what we expected.

Needless to say, both Jesse and I have been homesick these past two years, and sometimes feel overwhelmed with the loneliness being apart from family brings.
Just yesterday I was looking at photos from Jesse’s parents’ trip to San Diego. As I perused through them, it wasn’t long before tears started rolling down my cheeks. I wanted to transport myself into the pictures to share in the good times they were having together. TOGETHER. That’s what we miss.
Since waking up this morning, this idea of homesickness has been heavy on my heart and mind. Just as I sat down to my desk to begin work, it donned on me that I’m rarely homesick to be TOGETHER with Christ, and He’s right here! I don’t have to pick up the phone to call him or write an email to share a story. I can speak to him right here, right now. Why is it so difficult to pray when we’re lonely or to open the Bible to listen to Him? Why is it that we search in countless impossible locations for the one thing that is sitting right in front of us? Jesse and I will always miss our family and friends when apart from them, but I wonder: would we be less homesick if we found our home in Christ?