Dear Andy

Dear Andy,

I remember your mother telling me, "He marches to the beat of his own drum." And our pastor saying, "He's comfortable in his own skin.". I think I giggled at their assessments of you, but I think these assessments are dead on.

You are the only person I know that is entirely sincere in saying, "I think I could wear the same thing every day." Perfectly worn boots, faded Wranglers, and a blue chambray Wrangler work shirt. But you're not afraid to wear your Chacos with those Wranglers (take that hipsters!). The world's trends and fashions change on a daily basis and, in all the good ways, you are consistent. Consistent in your love. You respond to me with gentle words when I am angry and hateful.

You are the only person I know whose iPod I sometimes wonder if it has Terets when it's shuffling. It goes from Bob Dylan, to some old 1920s recording, to Tom Petty, to Derek Webb... You know what you like and are going to stick with it and learn all about it, even obsessing over it sometimes. I'm glad you like me.

You are the only person I know who is so concerned about being honest that when you discovered that you had successfully ruined a surprise by sneaking around and then finding the tickets I had bought you to see Bob Dylan for the very first time, you chose to tell me what you had done with an apology, even though you knew I would be mad. Trustworthiness was more valuable to you than a facade of happiness. You have earned all my trust.

You are the only male member of your family who will sneak into your Nanah's kitchen after holiday meals and help clean the dishes. You aren't afraid of being "less manly" by helping in the kitchen. You are more concerned about loving and serving your Nanah.

You aren't concerned with driving a cool car. You sold that cool truck so you could marry me and provide for me. That makes you look way cooler than any vehicle ever could.

You aren't afraid of working a job that's not your "dream" job. You are not "above" working at a desk, even though a job placing you in God's creation would be your preference. You have learned an enviable contentedness while working at a desk all day (which you, like most people, don't love). You love providing for your family more than you love your own pleasure. You have found joy in playing music with friends and letting it be something to enjoy, not worship. I am thankful for this. It teaches me what is important.

You aren't afraid to change a poopy diaper. And by "a poopy diaper" I mean the kind that is not just in the diaper but all up the back and down the legs. I don't think I changed a single diaper of Maggie Rose's during the first week of her life. But then again, I can't remember if I've ever taken the trash out at this house, and it seems like you are always doing things like helping cook or clean. You are a true picture of how Christ loves the Church and "gave himself up for her."

You have vowed to not be the stoic at church, not to be the guy passively attending and never singing or displaying emotion. You long for all of your emotions and passions to be pointing towards Jesus Christ, the only One worthy of all your passion and emotion.

You march to the beat of your own drum. I agree. I want to march with you.

With All My Love and Affection,

Alissa

Books I Read in 2011

1. Christ Formed in You – By Brian Hedges

2. Choosing to See – By Mary Beth Chapman

3. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy – By Eric Metaxas

4. The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy – By Vicki Iovine

5. Pregnancy Sucks – By Joanne Kimes

6. The 360 Degree Leader – By John C. Maxwell

7. The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth – By Henci Goer

8. Radical - By David Platt

9. Shepherding a Child’s Heart – By Tedd Tripp – 210 pgs.

10. Secrets of the Baby Whisperer – By Tracy Hogg

11. Patton, Montgomery, Rommel: Masters of War – By Terry Brighton

12. Sacred Parenting – By Gary Thomas

13. Rightful Place – By Amy Hale Auker

14. C.T. Studd: Cricketer & Pioneer – By Norman Grubb

For the past few years, I've had the goal of reading at least a book a month - which I exceeded this year! Yay!!!

I especially enjoyed reading books written by friends: Christ Formed in You, by my brother-in-law, and Rightful Place, by Amy Hale Auker. What a pleasure it was to read from loved ones! Other highlights would be Dietrich Bonhoeffer's biography and Radical by David Platt. Give them a read!

Keepsake Baby Clothes

Andy's dad has sent me some boxes of fabric recently and mixed in was a box labeled "keepsake baby clothes". This was in it and you better believe that Maggie Rose will be sporting it when she is a little bigger!

Skinnamarink

I have found myself singing this song to my little baby. Honestly, I hadn't thought of the song in years (maybe decades), but somewhere from the recesses of my memory it just came out.

I looked it up on You Tube to see if I was singing it right. What I found was much creepier than I remembered. I guess my mind had blocked out all the creepiness for a good reason...

If you're brave, check out the video: http://youtu.be/EEEsX69iIxY .

11 Snapshots on 11-11-11

*Note: These were not taken today, but are just 11 random snapshots of Maggie Rose that I think are sweet!

You know you're a parent when...

5 Weeks in Pictures

Tomorrow our sweet Maggie Rose will be 6 weeks old. She is growing so fast! Her birth weight was 6 lbs. 13 oz., and this Wednesday she weighed 9 lbs. 4 oz.!

I just uploaded pictures this week, so these are late in coming, but here are the first 5 weeks:

Magdalene Rose: What's in a Name?

A little late, but this is for those of you that we didn't get a birth announcement to. Forgive me if you are one of those people!



Magdalene:
Technically Magdalene simply means "Of Magdala", with Magdala being a city. The word "Magdala" means "tower" or "fortress" or "elevated, great, magnificent".

But, as you might guess, we named our daughter after Mary Magdalene from the Bible. Mary Magdalene appears in the Luke 8:2, when Jesus healed her of seven demons. After this, she became one of his most loyal followers. When all of his male disciples (except for John) disappeared at his crucifixion, Mary Magdalene remained. She was also the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection, according to John 20 and Mark 16:9.

Andy and I particularly like the account where Mary Magdalene witnesses the resurrection, found in John 20:11-18:
"But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"—and that he had said these things to her."

Our prayer is that our daughter will have the same fierce love and devotion to Jesus that Mary Magdalene had.


Rose:
The name Rose is after Darlene Deibler Rose (1917-2004), a missionary to the Kapauku the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II. After the onset of the war, she was taken captive to a Japanese concentration camp, where she lived for four years. Her husband was taken to a different concentration camp, where he died, leaving her as a widow at the age of 26. During this time, Darlene spent one year in confinement, was beaten, contracted dysentery and malaria, and suffered many hardships. After the end of WWII, she returned to the United States, remarried, and returned back to her beloved Indonesia to live among the people whom she lovingly referred to as "my people". She served there for a total of about 35 years, where she and her husband served by teaching, preaching, providing medical aid, and much more.

When sharing her story, Darlene would adamantly say, "I would do it all again for my Savior."

Our prayer is that our daughter would passionately serve, follow, and trust Jesus, just as Darlene Deibler Rose did.

10 Things I Have a New Appreciation for Post-Pregnancy

1. Tying my shoes.
2. Picking things up off the floor.
3. Walking through small spaces.
4. Not having to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.
5. Sleeping on my stomach.
6. Sleeping on my back.
7. Being able to see my feet when standing up.
   
8. Breathing.
9. Not hearing constant comments about my size.
   
10. My ankles.
    

Handmade with Love

Today I'm officially 29 weeks pregnant. Crazy! The little hedgehog is wiggling, twirling, and kickboxing. Here is a sneak preview of the baby bedding my mother and I have been working on.

Persecution

I tell people all the time about the people across the world who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus. It's a concept I have a difficult time grasping living in America, where freedom of religion is seen as a virtue. I tell people to pray for the persecuted church, to give to those who are persecuted, to subscribe to Voice of the Martyrs (www.persecution.com).

But, for some reason, when I received a copy of this magazine in the mail I found myself turning it face down so I wouldn't have to see this while I was eating. The face of a woman who was badly burned for her faith in Jesus just didn't quite sit well with my cereal.

Maybe I don't care as much as I think.

Letters from Grandma

This past week my Grandmother (my dad's mom) passed away. We celebrated her life this past Saturday, exactly 13 years after my dad passed away. Now, together with all those who have believed in Jesus, they are enjoying Jesus face to face for all eternity. Below is a tribute to my Grandma that I wrote that was read at her funeral.



Letters from Grandma

As long as I can remember, I have been receiving letters from my Grandma. It was always a special treat to get a handwritten letter from her, which were full of everything from updates of everyday life, to strong opinions (which we all know she had many of), and intensely personal thoughts and feelings which are sometimes difficult to verbalize but seem to flow when written with ink and paper. I would return these letters, sharing all of the same things, sometimes clumsily as only a child can do, but slowly learning the long lost art of letter writing. The letters would flow back and forth between us, as we became special pen pals. As the rest of the world shifted from the age of the post office to email, my correspondence with loved ones shifted to quick and simple emails. Still, the well thought out, intentional letters between Grandma and I continued to flow as she remained my last remaining pen pal in a world of technology.

Now there remains boxes full of these letters, precious reminders of the love contained in each one. I will deeply miss these letters, and most of all I will miss my Grandma - the person of love and great character behind them.

Time Flies

As a kid, I always rolled my eyes when I heard adults talking about how time flies. But seriously... We're nearly halfway through 2010. (I guess that makes me old since I am now the one saying it). This has been an unusual, crazy, but great year for us. Because it's been so unusual and crazy, I have completely dropped my blog.

My goal is that I will be able to post some snapshots of our year on here before 2011 hits, and maybe get back into the habit of blogging this next year.

Books I Read in 2009

My very doable reading goal in 2009 was to read at least one book a month - and I succeeded! Here's what I read:

1. Brave New World
2. This Momentary Marriage
3. J. Hudson Taylor: A Man in Christ
4. Strengths Finder 2.0
5. Peace Like a River
6. Golden Boats from Burma
7. Margin
8. Screwtape Letters
9. The Scarlet Letter
10. The Missionary Call
11. The Chosen
12. Texas Life Accident and Health Insurance
13. Five Views on Law and Gospel

Redundant?

The Texas Pledge

Texans have a reputation that undoubtedly precedes us everywhere we go. "Everything is bigger and better in Texas," is what we brag. We pride ourselves in being the second largest state - second only to Alaska, which doesn't really count, right? It is the only state where the state flag is flown as high as the United States flag. And it's the only state where you'll see the shape of the state tattooed on arms, painted on the side of buildings, and made into chip bowls. People who come to Texas always comment on this, along with the Texas bragging that accompanies.

For such a prideful state, we sure do have a sucky pledge though:

"Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible."

Seriously, Texans? Couldn't we have come up with something a little more original?

My Favorite New* Ornament

*New = bought after Christmas on clearance last year, but the 1st time on my tree.

Reduction Destruction

In case any of you are interested, my good friends Dustin & Heidi joined Andy & I in creating a blog where you can follow all of our deals. The blog is called Reduction Destruction and we're using it to share the money saving techniques that we have incorporated into our every day lives that help us save more, give more, and spend less. We'll be posting deals and tips especially for those in the Lubbock area, but you'll still learn a lot even if you're not from here.

Please add us to your Google reader, follow our blog, and leave us comments and emails with your ideas or deals!

Am I the Only One?

Am I the only one who thinks that the words "family", "fun", and "bath" shouldn't be used in the same sentence? Much less in the name of a business?

Finds

Andy and I have begun to make a habit out of thiftstore shopping, garage selling, and frequenting local estate sales. Here are a few of our favorite finds...

A new pair of boots, just my size, for $6 at Goodwill:


A beautiful painting at an estate sale, $10. It needs a frame, but I don't have a clue what kind of a frame. Any ideas?


Pearl snap shirts for my husband, around $5 each. When we find these in his size, we snatch them up because you never know when you'll find them. We actually found more than are in this picture - he was in pearl snap heaven!!!