Jim has been gone for five days now. It's been a very long five days, and I can't believe I still have 6 to go.
I spent today with two friends and three babies. What a wonderful way to spend the day! Shauna and Jordan were delightful to talk to and Alivia, Luke, and Emily definitely put a smile on my face! Tonight I'm headed to have dinner and a movie with my girlfriends.
I only received one message from Jim today. He's headed off to the mountains and will not be in contact with me for the next three days. Please keep praying for his health and safety!
Cries had: 1.5
Days to go: 6
Friday, January 9, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Day 4
Sorry for the pathetic post yesterday! I literally came home from a LONG day at work, fell asleep on the couch, and forgot to eat dinner. Reason #47 why God gave me Jim - he takes care of me when I can't take care of myself!
On a happier note, Jim sent me TWO emails and TWO text messages today! Here are some tidbits from those messages:
"So... let me tell you about taxi rides. First of all, the fact that I am alive today tells you that they were successful trips. That being said, safety is not the feeling that one gets while riding in a taxi cab or hotel bus. The '100% Perfect Hotel' was anything but perfect, but the bus/shuttle ride from the airport to the hotel was worth however poor the hotel accommodations were. So awesome! I feel like I could make an awesome video game out of that kind of ride... truly amazing. People don't use cross-walks, nor do the vehicles slow down for them. I can't tell you how many times we almost killed someone. And I'm pretty sure the rules of the road are 'if you have the larger vehicle (or crappier one) then you get the right-of-way.' So, to sum up... truly unique experience with a heightened sense of fear, but in the end coming out OK. Pretty fun!
And let me tell you a little bit about 'hot-pot'... I'm at about 6500ft above sea-level, so it's fairly chilly, but the "hot-pot" experience warms you right up. Basically it's a HUGE bowl of soup that they bring out (I have a picture), and then you throw stuff in it while it boils. Stuff you throw in it includes: ginger, bean sprouts, lotus root, carrots, squash, lettuce, bakchoi, mini-mushrooms, and then a giant carp-looking fish (complete with fish head and eyes) that was alive about 4 minutes prior to throwing it in. Fun stuff."
I can't post everything his email said, but I do want to let you all know that his meetings have been very successful, and he is very encouraged by the work that is being done there.
As for me, I wrapped up my last day of work for the week and am very much looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow! After work, I enjoyed a delicious dinner made by our dear friends Reece and Shauna at their house and played with their baby girl (who gets more delightful everyday!) To top it off, I received some much-needed updates from my husband. I can't express how thankful I am to know that he is well and having a successful trip!
All in all, what a great day! Thank you all for your continued prayers, encouragement and support - and for feeding me!
Cries had: 1.5
Days to go: 7
On a happier note, Jim sent me TWO emails and TWO text messages today! Here are some tidbits from those messages:
"So... let me tell you about taxi rides. First of all, the fact that I am alive today tells you that they were successful trips. That being said, safety is not the feeling that one gets while riding in a taxi cab or hotel bus. The '100% Perfect Hotel' was anything but perfect, but the bus/shuttle ride from the airport to the hotel was worth however poor the hotel accommodations were. So awesome! I feel like I could make an awesome video game out of that kind of ride... truly amazing. People don't use cross-walks, nor do the vehicles slow down for them. I can't tell you how many times we almost killed someone. And I'm pretty sure the rules of the road are 'if you have the larger vehicle (or crappier one) then you get the right-of-way.' So, to sum up... truly unique experience with a heightened sense of fear, but in the end coming out OK. Pretty fun!
And let me tell you a little bit about 'hot-pot'... I'm at about 6500ft above sea-level, so it's fairly chilly, but the "hot-pot" experience warms you right up. Basically it's a HUGE bowl of soup that they bring out (I have a picture), and then you throw stuff in it while it boils. Stuff you throw in it includes: ginger, bean sprouts, lotus root, carrots, squash, lettuce, bakchoi, mini-mushrooms, and then a giant carp-looking fish (complete with fish head and eyes) that was alive about 4 minutes prior to throwing it in. Fun stuff."
I can't post everything his email said, but I do want to let you all know that his meetings have been very successful, and he is very encouraged by the work that is being done there.
As for me, I wrapped up my last day of work for the week and am very much looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow! After work, I enjoyed a delicious dinner made by our dear friends Reece and Shauna at their house and played with their baby girl (who gets more delightful everyday!) To top it off, I received some much-needed updates from my husband. I can't express how thankful I am to know that he is well and having a successful trip!
All in all, what a great day! Thank you all for your continued prayers, encouragement and support - and for feeding me!
Cries had: 1.5
Days to go: 7
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Day 2
I can't believe what our weather is doing here. This time yesterday it was 20 degrees outside with snow and ice everywhere, and now it is almost 60 degrees with severe winds that have succeeded in blowing away all the snow, ice, and many of the neighboring building's roofs. I even managed to get two tumbleweeds stuck in my car on the way home tonight. This is the Tri-Cities we know and love!
I spent my second day without Jim hard at work at the hospital. Later, I enjoyed a delicious dinner and the wonderful company of my parents and sister at their house.
I am happy to report that Jim has made it safely to his destination! Praise God! He sent me an email this morning containing this message:
"The plane ride was brutal for the first couple hours. Terrible turbulence that didn't stop for almost 2 hours. Several people got sick. Anyhow, after that it was pretty much smooth flying, but the whole 12 hours in an airplane is absolutely brutal on my extra-large body. The seats were no bigger, if not smaller, than the seats we had on our way back from Tampa. Like I said, brutal!
However, I did survive the plane ride, and now I have to survive the '100% perfect hotel' (that's actually the name of it) through the night. Should be exciting! :)
So far everything is good. I am absolutely exhausted, as I resolved not to sleep (as did everyone else) on the plane ride. We're hoping to shock our systems into the current time, but we'll see how that works out."
Jim also let me know that his phone has not worked since he arrived, so the best way to contact him would be to send him an email to his personal account. He will be checking that account whenever he gets access to a computer.
Thanks for your continued prayers and support! I will keep adding updates as I get them.
Cries had: 1.5
Days to go: 9
I spent my second day without Jim hard at work at the hospital. Later, I enjoyed a delicious dinner and the wonderful company of my parents and sister at their house.
I am happy to report that Jim has made it safely to his destination! Praise God! He sent me an email this morning containing this message:
"The plane ride was brutal for the first couple hours. Terrible turbulence that didn't stop for almost 2 hours. Several people got sick. Anyhow, after that it was pretty much smooth flying, but the whole 12 hours in an airplane is absolutely brutal on my extra-large body. The seats were no bigger, if not smaller, than the seats we had on our way back from Tampa. Like I said, brutal!
However, I did survive the plane ride, and now I have to survive the '100% perfect hotel' (that's actually the name of it) through the night. Should be exciting! :)
So far everything is good. I am absolutely exhausted, as I resolved not to sleep (as did everyone else) on the plane ride. We're hoping to shock our systems into the current time, but we'll see how that works out."
Jim also let me know that his phone has not worked since he arrived, so the best way to contact him would be to send him an email to his personal account. He will be checking that account whenever he gets access to a computer.
Thanks for your continued prayers and support! I will keep adding updates as I get them.
Cries had: 1.5
Days to go: 9
Monday, January 5, 2009
Day 1
I spent Day 1 without Jim getting a lot accomplished - errands ran, house cleaned, boxes put away from Christmas gifts, etc. I also enjoyed a shopping trip and lunch with Shauna and Alivia (my dear friend and her nine-month-old baby girl) which included finding awesome sweatpants for Jim, snuggling with a cuddly baby girl, and Blizzards from Dairy Queen.
Jim spent today flying, first from snowy Portland to snowy Seattle, and then embarking on a 12.5 hour flight. Both Portland and Seattle experienced snow and freezing rain last night, so praise God he made it safely to Seattle, and his final flight was on time! I was able to speak to him on the phone before he left Seattle, and he was sad to report that the seats on the international flight were just as small as the seats on the domestic flights we took to Florida. Pray that he does not go stir-crazy sitting in a cramped seat for 12.5 hours!
I will most likely not get to speak to Jim again until he returns to the States as international calling rates are really expensive. He is hoping to send me a few text messages along the way, and if he has access to a computer some time I may get an email. I will keep everyone updated as I find out more information!
In the mean time, thank you for your prayers and support. I especially have been overwhelmed with the generosity of our friends and church family during this time. What a blessing it has been for Jim and I both to know that I will be taken care of while Jim is away!
Cries had: 1.5
Days to go: 10
Jim spent today flying, first from snowy Portland to snowy Seattle, and then embarking on a 12.5 hour flight. Both Portland and Seattle experienced snow and freezing rain last night, so praise God he made it safely to Seattle, and his final flight was on time! I was able to speak to him on the phone before he left Seattle, and he was sad to report that the seats on the international flight were just as small as the seats on the domestic flights we took to Florida. Pray that he does not go stir-crazy sitting in a cramped seat for 12.5 hours!
I will most likely not get to speak to Jim again until he returns to the States as international calling rates are really expensive. He is hoping to send me a few text messages along the way, and if he has access to a computer some time I may get an email. I will keep everyone updated as I find out more information!
In the mean time, thank you for your prayers and support. I especially have been overwhelmed with the generosity of our friends and church family during this time. What a blessing it has been for Jim and I both to know that I will be taken care of while Jim is away!
Cries had: 1.5
Days to go: 10
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Jim's out of town...
Jim's out of town for the next week and a half. It's the longest we've been apart since our marriage two years ago, and the furthest distance (as Jim is going half way around the world!). I will virtually have no contact with him during this time, but I promise to try and post updates if I get any.
Cries had: 1.5
Days to go: 11
Cries had: 1.5
Days to go: 11
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Our New Year's Resolution - 2009
Oh, for celebrating the New Year... that one special time of the year where we make resolutions to do something for our benefit, like losing weight or eating healthier. Last week, Pastor Keith encouraged us to make the best New Year's Resolution we could make - reading our Bible.
How do you get to know someone? By spending time with them, of course! So what better way to get to know God more than spending time in His Word? To accomplish this, Pastor Keith is encouraging us to read through the Bible in one year. Our church is following a chronological reading plan and each Sunday Keith will preach on one of the readings from the previous week. If you would like to follow along with us, you can access our daily readings and Keith's weekly sermons at www.qbc.org. There is a direct link to the day's reading with an audio file that will even read it out loud to you!
Pastor Keith doesn't just stop at daily readings - he encourages us to read through the Bible more than once in a year. He shared with us the story of a man who began to read his Bible from front to back, as much as possible in one sitting, like you would a good book. This man read through the entire Bible in two months, and has continued to read it this way ever since, averaging reading the entire Bible five times in a year. Can you imagine how close this man is to God? How easy would it be to know the will of God when making decisions when you've read through the Bible that many times?
Jim and I have decided to make this our New Year's Resolution for 2009 - to read through the Bible in a year. We encourage you to make this your New Year's Resolution too!
Our other New Year's Resolution? To stick to our budget, use cash for our purchases, and pay off the rest of our debt. You can join us in this quest in our next Financial Peace Class, beginning January 11 at 6:30 at Quinault Baptist Church. To learn more, visit www.qbc.org or www.daveramsey.com.
Happy New Year!
How do you get to know someone? By spending time with them, of course! So what better way to get to know God more than spending time in His Word? To accomplish this, Pastor Keith is encouraging us to read through the Bible in one year. Our church is following a chronological reading plan and each Sunday Keith will preach on one of the readings from the previous week. If you would like to follow along with us, you can access our daily readings and Keith's weekly sermons at www.qbc.org. There is a direct link to the day's reading with an audio file that will even read it out loud to you!
Pastor Keith doesn't just stop at daily readings - he encourages us to read through the Bible more than once in a year. He shared with us the story of a man who began to read his Bible from front to back, as much as possible in one sitting, like you would a good book. This man read through the entire Bible in two months, and has continued to read it this way ever since, averaging reading the entire Bible five times in a year. Can you imagine how close this man is to God? How easy would it be to know the will of God when making decisions when you've read through the Bible that many times?
Jim and I have decided to make this our New Year's Resolution for 2009 - to read through the Bible in a year. We encourage you to make this your New Year's Resolution too!
Our other New Year's Resolution? To stick to our budget, use cash for our purchases, and pay off the rest of our debt. You can join us in this quest in our next Financial Peace Class, beginning January 11 at 6:30 at Quinault Baptist Church. To learn more, visit www.qbc.org or www.daveramsey.com.
Happy New Year!
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