I am supposed to be cleaning and organizing, but I decided that it is time to take a break. We've been going at it since before 9am this morning. But we have been making progress, which is a good feeling. This is probably the first time we have been this proactive for a move... every other time it was just throwing things in boxes and organizing when we got to our new home! In a way, though, we have to do the organizing now: We wont have room in our trailer to put all of our stuff, so we have to know what we are taking.
Not only is our week full of cleaning and getting rid of stuff, but is also involves getting ready for the 30 Hour Famine, which our youth is hosting this weekend. We are pretty excited about it, and have been raising money for Burundi, Africa. Plus, we have a benefit concert on Friday at 6PM, featuring our band, The Following:. It is our debut concert, and will also feature 2 other bands (Friends Of Jesus & The Sellouts). Its free to get in and there will be offering taken during the concert, with all money going to Burundi. We will also have some raffles for some cool items and a merch table for The Following:!
Along with all that, we have a candidate for the youth leader position coming from out of state today. He and his family will be here until Thursday doing some interviews and checking out what the job is really like. Wednesday night at youth he will be speaking to the kids, so we are pretty excited to have them visiting!
I should probably get some lunch going and finish organizing... I think its time for a Goodwill trip :) I love getting rid of stuff!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Summer And Such
If you read Josh's post, you have probably gathered some idea of how our life has been keeping us busy lately. With moving to a new location, a new job, and a walking toddler, we are always going.
Some other things that are keeping us busy:
We have been working on raising money for the 30 Hour Famine, and we are holding the event on April 27 -28. We are pretty excited for it, but it is taking a lot of planning and organizing. We are also keeping busy with our band, The Following:. Our first concert is a benefit concert to raise money for the Famine, and we are pumped to get to play with two other bands (also debuting), Friends of Jesus and The Sellouts. While preparing for that has been exhausting, it has also been a LOT of fun getting to know the guys in our band and also learning more about the talent I never knew I had (playing drums). While it is hard work, it is also something that brings joy to our life!
Another new and exciting part of life is me rejoining Weight Watchers. I had my first meeting today, and I am excited to have some help with eating healthier. As many of you know, I have blogged in the past about wanting to lose weight, and while I have done pretty well about staying active, I just can't seem to lose the weight. So Josh and I decided that it was time to go a step further. When I participated in Weight Watchers last time in 2009, I lost 16 pounds. Since we knew it worked last time, I was excited to choose to try it again. I am hoping that keeping track of what I eat as well as exercising/running will finally help me to lose the weight that I have gained from having a baby (plus the extra that was there before I got pregnant ;p)
Even in all the craziness, we have been enjoying life and learning a lot... From God, from the people He has placed in our lives, and especially from Aurelia!
Some other things that are keeping us busy:
We have been working on raising money for the 30 Hour Famine, and we are holding the event on April 27 -28. We are pretty excited for it, but it is taking a lot of planning and organizing. We are also keeping busy with our band, The Following:. Our first concert is a benefit concert to raise money for the Famine, and we are pumped to get to play with two other bands (also debuting), Friends of Jesus and The Sellouts. While preparing for that has been exhausting, it has also been a LOT of fun getting to know the guys in our band and also learning more about the talent I never knew I had (playing drums). While it is hard work, it is also something that brings joy to our life!
Another new and exciting part of life is me rejoining Weight Watchers. I had my first meeting today, and I am excited to have some help with eating healthier. As many of you know, I have blogged in the past about wanting to lose weight, and while I have done pretty well about staying active, I just can't seem to lose the weight. So Josh and I decided that it was time to go a step further. When I participated in Weight Watchers last time in 2009, I lost 16 pounds. Since we knew it worked last time, I was excited to choose to try it again. I am hoping that keeping track of what I eat as well as exercising/running will finally help me to lose the weight that I have gained from having a baby (plus the extra that was there before I got pregnant ;p)
Even in all the craziness, we have been enjoying life and learning a lot... From God, from the people He has placed in our lives, and especially from Aurelia!
Let's Talk Romance
Every married couple can use some romance in their relationship, and mine is
no different. It's easy to get caught up in the everyday things that must be
done and come home exhausted, just wanting to relax. Everything Romance
is a book that gives the reader ideas on how to romance their significant other.
It is a compilation of short stories, recipes, gift ideas, quotes, and even a
list of pet names for your sweetie pie.
This book was entertaining and full of helpful ideas for dates, recipes, and
gifts. While some of the stories were not to my liking, the book as a whole was
put together well. This book would be a great gift idea for a newly married
couple, or a good buy for if you were looking for some ideas to add some romance
to your own marriage!
no different. It's easy to get caught up in the everyday things that must be
done and come home exhausted, just wanting to relax. Everything Romance
is a book that gives the reader ideas on how to romance their significant other.
It is a compilation of short stories, recipes, gift ideas, quotes, and even a
list of pet names for your sweetie pie.
This book was entertaining and full of helpful ideas for dates, recipes, and
gifts. While some of the stories were not to my liking, the book as a whole was
put together well. This book would be a great gift idea for a newly married
couple, or a good buy for if you were looking for some ideas to add some romance
to your own marriage!
Friday, March 9, 2012
Hospital Fun or An Update on Aurelia
As many of you know by now, Aurelia was admitted to the hospital for the second time this year on Thursday. She has been sick with some colds on and off since she had pneumonia the first time in November, so when she started to get those symptoms again, we just thought we were in for another cold. To our surprise [not necessarily the kind that makes you all giddy inside], she woke up Thursday struggling to breathe easily. Noticing that this is how she was acting when we took her in the first time, I told Josh we should probably head to the hospital.
So our adventure starts at the Marlette Hospital at about 9am, if I remember correctly. Aurelia gets some xrays done and gets a breathing treatment, but is still wheezing pretty heavily. The doctor first told us it was croupe, and while I wasn't convinced, I thought he could be right. But they kept us for observation, and when the wheezing wasn't going away, the doctor gave us a choice: We can give her a steroid to help and send her home keeping a close eye on her, or transfer her to Saginaw, where they have a Pediatric Unit. He left after that, made some calls, and must have gotten conformation that she needed to be transferred, so sleepy little Aurelia was taken to Saginaw**.
When we made it to Saginaw, they put in an IV (Dad stayed strong while Mom left the room... I can only take that so much in a year!) and some blood samples, and the doctor came back (almost three hours later) to let us know that it was pneumonia and that she would be admitted (We already knew she would be admitted).
And that is pretty much the whole story. Now, the update... We saw the pediatrician today, and he said that she might be able to go home today because she was doing well. Then he remembered that she was still on oxygen, and said that she had to be weened off of that and must be off of it for 24 hours before she could leave. She hasn't had to use oxygen since 4:30 this afternoon, and her oxygen levels are really good. (They want it higher than 92% at the least, and hers is up at about 96-98%) She is also off of her IV, and is taking oral steroids, which means that we don't have to worry about pesky cords getting all tangled up all over her!
We have overall had a really great experience, and have met some of the NICEST nurses, doctors, and EMT's. And this time, we were ready for the long stay: I made sure to pack all of us an overnight bag, just in case this happened! Also, the food here is really good!!! Also, they have a play area that Aurelia has been able to enjoy some since she was taken off the oxygen machine, and that helps with the restless state she has been in.
A really fun side note: Our RA tonight is a wonderful nurse named... Aurelia! She is the first person I have met with the same name as our little girl, and everyone was excited for Nurse Aurelia to be taking care of baby Aurelia tonight :) It's the little things I am thankful for, and the little things that help get us through the frustrating times that seem to never end. So, even though I find myself writing to you from a hospital room where my daughter lay full of medicine and covered in band-aids, I can thank God for bringing us here, and only hope that He can use us in some way :) Praise God!!!
PS: Also, Pastor Len brought us some really fun toys to play with while we passed the time... I will put pictures up when we get home. He may have just started a new collectible item for the Hill household :P
**We even got to ride in the ambulance -- They strapped her car seat to the gurney, and loaded her up! It was pretty cool, and made for a nice easy ride. Aurelia slept the whole way and I met some nice EMT's!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Kony 2012
I've seen the name Joseph Kony popping up all over the internet lately, and I haven't really thought much of it. I just thought it was another thing/video that people were bringing attention just to be forgotten the next week. That isn't what has happened, so I finally watched the video. I wasn't ready for what I saw.
I didn't know who Kony was, and the whole point of the video was to make him known to people like me -- people who had never heard of him and the things he has done. Kony is the leader of the LRA -- the lord's resistance army, and he is the one responsible for all the African children being abducted and forced into soldiering. He also abducts children to put into the sex trade.
My favorite part of the video that I embedded into this blog is when it talks about this being the first time in history that America sent soldiers somewhere not for self defense, but just to do what was right.
These people are dedicated, and it is amazing how the world is coming together to finally put a stop to what Kony is doing. Its been 26 years and almost 30,000 children who have been abducted. Its time to step in and do what's right. Do you want to be a part of history? Watch this video, and see what you can do to help. Prayer is always the first place to start; let God do the rest.
I didn't know who Kony was, and the whole point of the video was to make him known to people like me -- people who had never heard of him and the things he has done. Kony is the leader of the LRA -- the lord's resistance army, and he is the one responsible for all the African children being abducted and forced into soldiering. He also abducts children to put into the sex trade.
My favorite part of the video that I embedded into this blog is when it talks about this being the first time in history that America sent soldiers somewhere not for self defense, but just to do what was right.
These people are dedicated, and it is amazing how the world is coming together to finally put a stop to what Kony is doing. Its been 26 years and almost 30,000 children who have been abducted. Its time to step in and do what's right. Do you want to be a part of history? Watch this video, and see what you can do to help. Prayer is always the first place to start; let God do the rest.
KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.
When You Feel Useless, Remember This
Aurelia seems to have yet another cold, but that won't keep her down. I think I second guess myself more than ever when she is sick: She is so outgoing and happy during the day, and then when nighttime comes, she is screaming and fussing and not sleeping. Thankfully, we are only fighting the virus now, since the tooth that has been trying to surface finally has. Praise God!
I feel like there is a lot I would like to write about, because God has really been working in my life (at least it feels that way. That's probably good, however, and normal when I put my trust in Him like I have been lately). First of all, Josh and I are just trying to trust that God has the whole plan for our lives worked out (which he does) and we just need to enjoy the life he has given us day by day.
The biggest thing God has been showing me/reminding me is that He made me, in His image, which means that He will use me just the way I am. I was reading Acts 4 (which is my favorite passage in the Bible, I think!) and it talks about God using Peter and John just the way they were, because they were "filled with the Holy Spirit". Verse 13, however, really gets me excited: " Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus." (NASB) This verse gets my heart pumping and adrenaline racing every time I read it. First of all, I picture all these important people of society standing around, watching how Peter and John are captivating their audience, and then they realize that these guys are just some middle class, minimum wage-type guys preaching their hearts out. With confidence!!
I want that to be me. I want to have the kind of confidence to stand in front of people, or amongst people and share the living Word with them. That kind of confidence, as this passage tells me, can only come from Christ. The kind of confidence that really makes you stand out as having been with Jesus can only come from being filled with the Holy Spirit. My prayer is that everyday I can have that confidence, and walk in His will.
We have to remember that if Christ used people like Peter (Peter!), then He will use us, if we only trust in Him and let our hearts and souls be filled with the Holy Spirit. It makes me think of the song that says to do 'everything we do to the Glory of the One who made you, 'cause He made you to do every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face' (Chris Tomlin, maybe?).
Sometimes I feel like I am not being useful in the Kingdom because all I do is pick up after Aurelia all day and clean the house. But if I do it for the glory of God, He uses it, and opens doors I never knew were there in the first place!
I feel like there is a lot I would like to write about, because God has really been working in my life (at least it feels that way. That's probably good, however, and normal when I put my trust in Him like I have been lately). First of all, Josh and I are just trying to trust that God has the whole plan for our lives worked out (which he does) and we just need to enjoy the life he has given us day by day.
The biggest thing God has been showing me/reminding me is that He made me, in His image, which means that He will use me just the way I am. I was reading Acts 4 (which is my favorite passage in the Bible, I think!) and it talks about God using Peter and John just the way they were, because they were "filled with the Holy Spirit". Verse 13, however, really gets me excited: " Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus." (NASB) This verse gets my heart pumping and adrenaline racing every time I read it. First of all, I picture all these important people of society standing around, watching how Peter and John are captivating their audience, and then they realize that these guys are just some middle class, minimum wage-type guys preaching their hearts out. With confidence!!
I want that to be me. I want to have the kind of confidence to stand in front of people, or amongst people and share the living Word with them. That kind of confidence, as this passage tells me, can only come from Christ. The kind of confidence that really makes you stand out as having been with Jesus can only come from being filled with the Holy Spirit. My prayer is that everyday I can have that confidence, and walk in His will.
We have to remember that if Christ used people like Peter (Peter!), then He will use us, if we only trust in Him and let our hearts and souls be filled with the Holy Spirit. It makes me think of the song that says to do 'everything we do to the Glory of the One who made you, 'cause He made you to do every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face' (Chris Tomlin, maybe?).
Sometimes I feel like I am not being useful in the Kingdom because all I do is pick up after Aurelia all day and clean the house. But if I do it for the glory of God, He uses it, and opens doors I never knew were there in the first place!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Celebrating 90 Posts.
This is my 90th post on my blog, which is pretty exciting! I think I will do something even more special for the 100th one. (although this isn't really that special.)
I am currently sitting in McDonald's, using the internet. It was nice and quiet, and I guess a game just got over because the place is now crawling with really hyper, noisy teenagers. I will admit I am a bit annoyed. I was also trying to work on t the blog for The Following:, but that isn't happening because I couldn't figure out how to use Blogger's new setup. That is kind of frustrating as well. I came here to get a little peace and quiet, but that isn't going to happen, so I will probably just go home. Not really a fan of the cussing and rudeness. I hope I wasn't like that when I was a teen.
Anyway, I am sure there was something I was going to blog about. Oh yes! Our band submitted our promo kit for Big Ticket Festival, and it was even a day before the deadline! I was pretty glad of that. It was more work than we expected, putting it together, but for two weeks notice, we did okay. Now we are just waiting to see if we will actually get in. In the meantime, we will just have to practice.
I really can't focus too much anymore. The teens are getting louder. Guess I'm signing off. Maybe I will finish later.
I am currently sitting in McDonald's, using the internet. It was nice and quiet, and I guess a game just got over because the place is now crawling with really hyper, noisy teenagers. I will admit I am a bit annoyed. I was also trying to work on t the blog for The Following:, but that isn't happening because I couldn't figure out how to use Blogger's new setup. That is kind of frustrating as well. I came here to get a little peace and quiet, but that isn't going to happen, so I will probably just go home. Not really a fan of the cussing and rudeness. I hope I wasn't like that when I was a teen.
Anyway, I am sure there was something I was going to blog about. Oh yes! Our band submitted our promo kit for Big Ticket Festival, and it was even a day before the deadline! I was pretty glad of that. It was more work than we expected, putting it together, but for two weeks notice, we did okay. Now we are just waiting to see if we will actually get in. In the meantime, we will just have to practice.
I really can't focus too much anymore. The teens are getting louder. Guess I'm signing off. Maybe I will finish later.
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