On Farm Dreams

My dear friend, Hannah posted this video on Facebook last week. Wow! I mean, how awesome is his story? Multi-millionaire NFL star leaves career to pursue God's call of farming on his life. HE LEARNED HOW TO FARM ON YOUTUBE. Yes yes yes yes.

If you've read my old posts at all, you know I like (love) gardening. I don't know a dang thing about it, but I love it. To me, there's nothing more satisfying than preparing a plot, planting a seed, watching it grow, and giving the fruits of my labor away.

I've always dreamed of living on acreage somewhere outside of town. I've got a vision of it in my head. Chickens running free and rows and rows of veggies growing taller than my head. My heart skips a beat or two when I think about turning my love for gardening into something a little bigger, more substantial. Something that blesses many hands and many tummies.

When I got pregnant last December, I had to put my garden on the back burner for the year as I was just too pregnant and it was just too hot for me to tend to it with the care it needed. You should see it right now, it is an overgrown weed patch with stalks of dead okra standing six feet tall. The cats love prowling around in there. Anyway... Now I'm no longer pregnant, I've got a little babe to care for. But, I can bend down! I can strap my baby on my back and have two free hands! Then when Naomi grows a little older, I'll have two extra hands to dig in the dirt with. I like where this is headed.

I guess the point I'm getting at is that, like in my previous post, I've got a passion. I've got an itch to do something, and I'm realizing I have to make time for it. You know what I'm learning? Satan loves when we're passive about our callings and purposes, especially if they are going to impact multiple peoples' lives in positive ways. That's exactly where he wants us to be, stagnant and in a constant state of "wondering if." I'm onto him, and I don't want to entertain him anymore.

So, I don't know what this looks like for me, this whole farming thing. I know it'll come to pass because God is good and He has given me such peace and confidence about this big vision. For now, I guess I'll learn what it looks like to take small steps of obedience in my own backyard.

I love when Jason Brown says in the video, "When I think about a life of greatness, I think about a life of service." Just like Jesus, who did not come to be served but to serve. That's what I want my life to be about.

Yesterday's #Awkward Risk

Kev here. 

Yesterday, I had been anxious and worried about things. I noticed a women at the bus stop and felt like the Lord told me to get outside myself and pray for her. As I left work, I started to walk down the sidewalk towards the bus stop. Feeling very intimidated, I decided to veer off and go to my car instead. Then after sitting in my car for a minute, I mustered up the courage to go pray for her. Walked back down the sidewalk. "Hello. God's been challenging me to step out and pray for people and I wondered if there was any way I could pray for you today?" She smiled and said "Oh, you're fine! I have a bus pass." I said, "Okay! Well have a blessed day!" and quickly walked back to my car and drove off. Haha. Maybe she thought I said "pay" for you? I don't know, but I will say that I felt less anxious about the things I had been worrying about before I got outside of myself. Thanks God. Invigorating and totally awkward.

"Pital" Risks Pt. 2

Psalms 103 says, "Praise the LORD, O my soul and forget not all his benefits-- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion."

During our stay at the hospital, we adapted this verse and coined the phrase, "He redeems our life from the pital."

A week or so into our stay at the "pital", my dad struck up a conversation with a father whose family we had been seeing around. He relayed to me a bit of their story. Due to lack of oxygen, their daughter's organs had begun to shut down, putting her on complete life support for a week or so. But little by little, and "all thanks to prayer" according to the dad, organs began working again and she was now off life support. I ran into the Dad a few days later. Super nice fella! I asked how things were going and offered to pray. Organs still needed healing, she needed to be weened off the ventilator, and she needed to eat and gain weight. I praised Jesus for his sacrifice, proclaimed his authority on earth, and prayed healing over her. We crossed paths with them many other times and he always joyfully greeted us with a smile. One Sunday we were having a time of worship in the waiting room with friends and family and the Dad came and stood quietly by the wall and listened. They took their daughter home a couple weeks before us. From complete life support to complete health. Thank you God for miracles like this one.

Hospital Risks Pt. 1

Hey folks! It's Kev. Adrienne and I have been feeling a tug from the Spirit to get out and start praying for people we cross paths with day to day. It's an intimidating thought. You never know how people may react or what kind of situation you may get into. But in our opinion, the reward of doing so far outweighs the risk. In this "Risks" section of the blog ("Risks" link on the sidebar -->) we are going to document some of our experiences.

As most of you know, we just recently spent 50 days in the NICU with our newborn daughter Naomi. Just about a week into our stay at the hospital we'd become so confident in what God was doing in Naomi, we knew that if he would heal our daughter, he would heal other kids too. So we began reaching out to other parents. In most situations we had a common ground in our faith with those we prayed with and were most often encouraged by them in return. Here's what I can recall from one of those interactions.

Hospital Risks Pt. 1

We were in the waiting room one day by the kitchen area and a mom and grandma were talking over lunch. I overheard Mom say that her daughter had been born with her intestines OUTSIDE her body. Wow. I approached and asked if I could pray and they happily accepted... (as did most people we prayed for. There are so many people in desperate situations in the hospital and are looking for any hope and encouragement and help they can get. What a mission field.) I knelt down by their table and asked what daughter's current obstacles were. The intestines were back in her body at this point, thanks be to God and the doctors. Mom said at this point she just needed to digest what she was eating and gain weight. I don't remember anything about what I prayed, but it was most likely very awkward. Nonetheless, they seemed thankful. A couple weeks later, we ran into Mom again and she asked how Naomi was doing. She said she would keep praying for her and we told her we were still praying for her daughter as well. They ended up taking her home a couple weeks before we left. The babies get to ride out of the hospital in a red wagon on their discharge day. God, thank you for this girl's red wagon ride!

Doing what you enjoy

In an effort to be more attentive and obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, I find myself opening up Blogger while I've got a sleepy babe next to me (3 hour nap, what?!). It doesn't seem like such a risk to write a blog post, but I'm learning to discern, and some tasks are greater than others. Also, no matter how meaningless or thought-provoking, having people read what you wrote is kind of nerve racking.

Before I became a mom, I never thought twice about doing what I enjoyed day-to-day because I could do whatever that was so freely. Go to Target? Yes! Lunch with friends? Of course! Impromptu road trip? Count me in! Spend time in nature? Yes, thank you. No one else to assume responsibility for or to schedule around (well, except Kevin and he is always game for any of that).

Fast forward to today, nearly 3 months after Naomi's birth. I have found myself lost in a sea of dirty baby clothes and dishes and the mundane tasks that every day requires. I have to make brushing my teeth a priority if I want to get it done. Going out for any reason takes approximately 30 gazillion times longer with a baby. I forgot, yes, honestly forgot what I used to enjoy doing. Now, don't read this as I don't enjoy being a mom. Naomi is the sweetest sugar there ever was. But do read this: I'm not only a mom, and you're not only a fill in the blank here. I'm a unique, hand-crafted person, and so are you, whoever you are, whatever you do. God gave me [us] passions and a sense of humor and needs that cannot be fulfilled unless I [we] am meeting them with the things God has given me to enjoy. Ya feel me?

Yesterday, I stepped out for coffee with one of my dearest friends. I left the babe with Kevin and just went for it. AND IT. WAS. AWESOME. And get this, I was only gone for an hour. One hour of doing something you enjoy can bring so much freedom and such fresh perspective to your life. For me, sitting at a Starbucks with my friend having meaningful conversation is my jam. And I didn't realize how much I needed that until I couldn't do it whenever I wanted. I didn't realize how looking at Christmas decorations at Target could make me feel like a new woman (except I kind of knew this because something weird happens to me at Target when the Christmas decor is out). Or how watching the Cosby Show could bring such incredible joy. I'm so thankful for these little things that help make me, well, me. Refreshed. Renewed.

Is this making any sense? Of course I'm writing this now from the perspective of a brand new mom working around a completely different schedule and list of priorities, so I know that's different in a sense. But I really, really believe this is applicable to all people: moms, dads, single, married, whoever you are. We are all guilty of busying ourselves to the point where we forget to do what we enjoy. God has a personal love language with all of us. He knows what we love, he knows our sense of humor, he knows what makes our hearts excited. And he gave us those things for a reason. We can't abandon them, we can't extinguish them or throw them to the side. They are a gift that in some unique way connects us to our Creator.

So what do you love doing? Riding bikes, knitting, cuddling up with a good book, coffee with friends, playing music, or watching a movie by yourself? It can be the smallest thing, but I encourage you to make even the tiniest amount of time for it this week. I pray that in doing so, you'll discover just a little bit more about who you are and who God created you to be.

We're back..

And now there's three of us! Or four if the cat counts (Kev not pictured because someone needed to capture this sweetness). And we also changed the blog name, because Kevin will hopefully be posting on here, too.

We've had a heck of a journey over the last few months. As God continues to grow us and guide us, we hope to share some of that story with you. So stay tuned!

Adrienne

For Fun 02

Making: hand stitched embroidery hoops
Cooking: hard boiled eggs. I don't know if that's classified as cooking, but I just can't get enough
Drinking: all the sno cones I can get my hands on
Reading: blogs, always blogs
Wanting: to get my garden all cleaned up
Looking: at weekend get-away destinations for me and Kev
Playing: lots and lots of country tunes on YouTube
Wasting: time lounging in bed
Wishing: for more energy. Will I ever get it back?
Enjoying: alone time on my week off work
Waiting: on insurance companies to get back to me
Liking: all the fresh local peaches and nectarines on my table
Wondering: will baby be born with brown or blonde hair? or any hair?
Loving: spending time with girlfriends
Hoping: that Oklahoma doesn't reach any triple digit days anytime soon
Marveling: at the way God maps out our courses
Needing: pool time
Smelling: a lavender candle from my sweet sister-in-law
Wearing: leggings, leggings, leggings, and biker shorts
Following: lots of female farmers on Instagram. I hope I can join along side them one day
Noticing: my ever-growing midsection
Knowing: and accepting my limits
Thinking: how the next 8 weeks are going to fly by
Feeling: expectant, and not just for baby
Bookmarking: fall outfits. C'mere, skinny jeans
Opening: a box of cheddar Nut Thins (I promptly ate them in 20 minutes)
Giggling: looking through old pictures on my phone

The Livin's Easy

Well, shoot. I got a hankering to make a little post, so here I am.
It is officially summer. I am officially a quarter of a century old. This baby is officially occupying a majority of my abdominal region and just won't quit it.
Summer is a lot different as an adult. And by different, I obviously just mean no three month summer breaks from work. I remember when life was so hard as a kid, and now every year older I get, I realize life was just so sweet before high-school ended. Don't get me wrong, I love getting older and all the growth that comes with that. I wouldn't go back. But oh, to live without responsibility for just 1 more year...or even just like, 1 week would do.
This is my last childless summer, so I am savoring the time to (mostly) myself, enjoying the last couple months before my schedule will no long be wide open: blueberry picking*, yard work, day trips with dear friends, outdoor movies, solo pool time, impromptu outings with Kevin, going to Target by myself... You know, the finer things in life.
I hear children make things much more fun, getting to explore the world through their perspective. I know that comes with its share of trials, but we are trying to welcome it the best we can.

I'm confident every summer will just keep getting sweeter and sweeter from here on out.

*I cannot recommend Thunderbird Berry Farm enough. I have been twice this month for blueberries, and I plan to go back in July for their raspberries and blackberries. You just can't beat $ 3.00 a pound!

Well Hello!

Finally dusting off the pages of this 'ol blog for now. As you can tell, blogging is not my forte, but reading blogs is definitely a talent of mine.

Right before my last post in October, my oldest brother got married in Florida. I'm not sure why I haven't shared those photos, but maybe I'll get around to it one day. Our whole family minus our sister Down Under was all able to make the long trek down (and by long, I mean a nonstop 24 hours in a van with 7 people long). It was nothing short of a blast the entire time. I mean, our hotel was on.the.beach. It was beautiful. And it was so fun getting to celebrate that special day with Michael and family.