Fall Colors

One of the most exciting parts of living in a state with lots of trees is the whole fall season. As much as I love Colorado and the beautiful aspens in their gold splendor, the brilliance of the fall colors here in southeastern Wisconsin was breathtaking. I cannot express how much I loved watching all the trees as they turned brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red. 

During peak leave-color-changing time, over my lunch break I would take the dogs for walks and snap shots of the trees just around the neighborhoods. It was so fun to see the variations, and to watch them change from day to day. 

I didn't touch up these pictures at all. They are simply quick snapshots from right in Oconomowoc. So grateful for God's creativity!

Fall is truly one of my favorite times of the year, and I loved every minute of it! Next year I'll see if I can get some snapshots of the leaves turning colors around the lakes. :)

fall snapshots

this week marked a seasonal shift: it snowed. i don't know why it is a shock to me. last year it snowed mid-october, dumping about 2 feet on the metro-denver area. so the fact that it snowed a measly inch in the middle of november this year almost seems a little late. nonetheless, it marks the end of one season and the beginning of another.

thankfully, jody, eu-mi and i were able to get out and enjoy the fall weather before the leaves all fell and the temperature dropped significantly. we went for a stroll at our favorite open spaces - cherry creek. amidst incredible wealth and some of the largest mansions i've ever seen, there are trails, ponds, and beautiful scenery that helps you forget that you're in the metro area. jody and i love to take the dog and just walk and enjoy the beauty.

i have also been thinking about how the end of 2010 marks 2 full years that jody and i have lived in colorado. it has been a challenging 2 years, for sure, but they have also been good years. years when God has shown Himself faithful to us, taking us deeper in our knowledge of His character and His provision.

this coming week i will be going home for a short visit. as i looked at my vacation time at work, i realized that i have not really taken any vacation time in 2010, and if i do not use it, it will 'go away' with the end of the calendar year. so jody and i looked at our schedules and realized that although there wasn't really a good time for jody to travel, i should go ahead and book a flight back to virginia. i am truly looking forward to this visit, but so sad that this is the second year in a row that i am visiting my family without jo. *sigh*

i will be in virginia from tuesday (16. nov) until monday (22. nov), and if you're there i would LOVE to spend some time with you, catching up. call me on my cell or at the parentals!

fall (change) is in the air...

the fall semester is here. i cannot believe it.

last tuesday, august 31st, jody started the fall 2010 semester at denver seminary, and so summer is officially over. SNIF SNIF! it was a wonderful summer, and i did not realize how much i'd enjoyed rest until classes started up again, and this past wednesday night our mid-week church services resumed, as well. as i look at our weekly schedule, it is (all of a sudden) busier than i had remembered, and i'm scrambling to prepare myself mentally for what life is like in this seminary season.

it is exciting, however. jody is taking 10 credits this fall - leading in intercultural settings (or sthg like that), homiletics (preaching), theology, and spiritual formation. we are meeting with new friends, jesse and rachel henkle, every monday night as our 'spiritual formations' group, and it's been wonderful thus far! it is so encouraging to have friends to grow with and bounce ideas off of as we work our way through this challenging season.

it is also exciting, because we see that the end is in sight. in the spring jody is set to take 11 credits, and he will graduate in may. may 13th is the last day of classes, and commencement is may 14th. may 14, 2011. that is 8 months.... or 245 days, to be exact. wahoo! as we realize that there is an actual end date to the season we have been in, it has definitely changed our conversations and our thoughts. we are processing more and beginning to pray with more of a focus in mind. my prayers have begun to look more like this: where, Lord? where are You calling us to? and what skills do we yet need to acquire to serve the area/people that you are calling us to? we have tossed around ideas of serving at a non-profit overseas (or stateside), of working in a church in america... of staying right where we are here in denver and continuing to serve our church here. it is an exciting time, where i sense the Lord stirring in my heart the need to be prayerful and intentional in the coming months as we seek the Lord's face for His plan for us post-seminary. i have no idea where we will end up, and i'm surprisingly open to whatever He has for us.

the verses that have reverberated in my mind recently have been: "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."(matthew 12:50).... 'Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me."' (matthew 16:24) and 'Peter began to say to Him, "Behold we have left everything and followed You." Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake but that he will receive a hundred times, as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life." (mark 10: 28-30).

the overarching theme the Lord has given me is that i must be willing to let go and obey Him, no matter where He calls me to. what i am seeing is, however, that i like it when i have a particular end goal in mind that i will be 'surrendering to'. it's so easy to surrender to His plan when i agree with it. the hard part will be joyfully surrending to His plan even if i discover He is taking me where i don't want to go. so my prayer must now be, Lord, i joyfully surrender to Your plan for me. help me to rejoice no matter where You take me.

as you think of us, would you pray for us? pray for direction, for strength as we finish this last school year, for a continued heart to serve and love our church... for open doors, and for balance. we love you all! thanks for your support!