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Category: adventuring

don’t doubt

don’t doubt

I’ve been thinking a bit lately about why I choose to call this blog “the path less traveled.” From the first time that I read Robert Frost’s poem, it seemed to me to be a picture of the Christian life – a life that may be less traveled – and not just the of Christian life in general, but of my life.
Long ago I decided to take the “one less traveled by”. I decided that I wanted to let Someone Else take control of my course, to let go of my plan and follow His. I chose the path that led away from Self, toward Christ. 
Every now and then the other path looks so tempting, so easy. But then I remember that this is the one I have chosen, because it is good. It is sweet. Difficult at times, yes, but everything that is worthwhile is hard at times. By God’s grace I have been saved, and I am so very grateful.

a life that is so full of Christ that it leaks His grace.

We are still waiting,waiting to see what God has in store for us.

“I wondered what God was doing with my dreams. . .
He was rescuing me from them.

“… God’s order looked like disorder to me. I struggled with the shock that came by His rule. For me the theology of God’s unshakeable sovereignty had always been easy for me to verbalize, and suddenly, I wasn’t so sure what it meant to live it.

“God’s relentless love is after my total transformation. God’s love often brings hardship, confusion, and surprises. These things aren’t sent our way just to mess with us just because God is more powerful than we are – but they are from His hand of glorious grace, because He is exercising His power for the purpose of our hearts being transformed.

“Don’t doubt God’s goodness and love next time He allows something that unpleasantly surprises you. Instead lift your hands up to Him and celebrate. . . because you are being rescued.

“You are being transformed.
You are being loved.”

http://resolved2worship.xanga.com/741613511/valentines-2011-our-love-story-part-six/

California family – Emma’s first flight

California family – Emma’s first flight




seeing Auntie Julia again – so exciting!

meeting Grampa

meeting Great Gramma Moose

the Moose Clan

(Great) Auntie Leca

(Great) Auntie Kathy & Emma

Emma and I are in CA for a visit. We’ll be here for about a week and a half, and are enjoying meeting the West coast family for the first time!




Four Generations


getting ready ….

getting ready ….

… to move.
I just wanted to share a picture of our bedroom, because 1: I really like it (found out that I am quite fond of the color gray. John picked it and now I think that everyone should try having a gray bedroom at least once.), 2: I thought you might like it, 3: we have some wonderful memories here and 4: I know that it will never be the same again.
Once you move it never is. You can never really recreate a space in a new home. It just doesn’t work that way.
That’s a good thing, a very good thing, and I am looking forward to the change. But still, I will miss it.
wedding road trip

wedding road trip

A close friend got married in Michigan last weekend, and, since John was unable to go to the wedding, his mom (VERY graciously – thank you!!!!) offered to drive with me and Emma.
So, here are a few pictures from the weekend:

must start with these. of course. because there is an adorable baby in them. and a handsome brother-in-law. and it was the start of the trip.

John drove halfway to Indianapolis and Evan drove halfway to Cincinnati. We met at McD’s (which happens to sell a fair iced mocha).

bonding time with Grandpa S.

more brothers-in-law, making sure the van was ready (i.e. pretending to drive)

the bride’s family hosted a picnic for all the out of town friends and family on Friday night

a few extra hands on deck never hurts when it comes to getting ready for a wedding! Bobbie Sue had just finished curling and pinning up 12 other heads, and was running low on time …

all those years of arranging flowers from the yard came in to play here (I stole the pic off of Facebook)

Alanna and her dad

exchanging rings

the ring bearer and flower girls stole the show at the end

so precociously cute

catching up, so much to say and yet so little time

announcing Mr. and Mrs. Jim Soderna

Becca meeting Emma (Emma likes her)

various Romania alumni

the lovely and much adored Stefana “Mama” Copu finally got to meet our Em

a new venture, part 2: the path less traveled market, handmade

a new venture, part 2: the path less traveled market, handmade

A few days ago I mentioned that there were other new ventures to stay tuned for ….. and, here’s one of them! We have set up another site called “the path less traveled market“, and on it we will be featuring handmades for the home. We are starting with aprons, and plan to add other handmades as time allows. The blog site gives us unlimited space to post pictures of product details, as well as to feature addtitions or changes, and we have set it up to link to a hosting site that allows people to purchase our items through PayPal.

a new venture

a new venture

John and I have started a new bookshop online, hosted by Amazon.com. We decided that it might be a good way to supplement our income, and at the same time be a nice little home business for me.

It will work two ways: one, we are offering books that we either used or come across at thrift stores, and two, I am recommending books that I have read and enjoyed or profited from. If someone buys a book that we are selling we will obviously profit from it, but additionally, if someone buys a book that I recommend through the online shop, we will receive a commission.

If you are interested in buying one of the books we are offering, Amazon.com will usually offer to sell you a “new” copy. Ours though, are listed in the “used” category, and our seller name is PATHLESSTRAVELEDBOOKS. Other vendors may be offering the same book for a lower price, and if you would rather choose that one, please don’t feel obligated to buy from us!

I love the fact that I get to put all my years of recreational reading to use, as well as being able to pass on my favorites to others! We’ll still have to see how it turns out, but I am looking forward to it.

p.s. we may be doing a few other little “new ventures”, and we will keep you posted. :)

quote to ponder, pictures after the storm

quote to ponder, pictures after the storm

“By praying for our husbands and looking to the Lord rather than to our circumstances, we trust Him to carry both our husband and his burden. Then from the overflow of our hearts, we can give back to and encourage our men.” -shaunti feldhahn, For Women Only

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quote to ponder

quote to ponder

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
-anais nin

I saw this quote this morning across the top of my email account, and it reminded me of a conversation that John and I had last night. We were talking about ideas for the coming year and beyond – dreaming big and thinking outside the box – and John said, “but is my God too small for that? Rather, is my view of God too small?”

It is something that I need to keep learning, to see God as He is, not as who I would like Him to be, or who I think He is.
We will always have something more to learn about Him, about His character, and I need to be very, very, very careful not to “fashion an idol”, a god that I am comfortable with (Is. 44) but to let Him be. For He is great, He is awesome, and He is to be praised.

“Remember these things, O Jacob,
for you are my servant, O Israel.
I have made you, you are my servant;
O Israel, I will not forget you.
I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you.”
Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this;
shout aloud, O earth beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,
you forests and all your trees,
for the LORD has redeemed Jacob,
he displays his glory in Israel.
“This is what the LORD says—
your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:
I am the LORD,
who has made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself,
who foils the signs of false prophets
and makes fools of diviners,
who overthrows the learning of the wise
and turns it into nonsense,
who carries out the words of his servants
and fulfills the predictions of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’
of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be built,’
and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’
who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
and I will dry up your streams,’
who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd
and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.” ‘ -Is. 44:21-28

tropical storm Ike

tropical storm Ike

Yesterday the remnants of tropical storm Ike came through – sometimes at 60+ miles an hour (notice the shingles on the church lifting up)!

Ike promptly knocked out our electricity, so we had to improvise when it came to cooking dinner (and the headlamps from Anna came in VERY handy – thank you again!).
As the electricity was out, we had to do something else for dinner. The apartment complex does not allow BBQs, so … this was a surprisingly efficient substitute. The hot dogs actually got quite hot, and even had grill marks on them. :)
It even worked to boil water for tea this afternoon, and I was going to use the candles again for dinner tonight, but the power came back on just before I was going to light them. Bummer. (jk)

And today, to occupy myself with no electricity (a fun word to spell, by the way), I took random pictures of my tea, the apartment ……. You might get to see a few more later.