On the brink

So today I was reflecting how I feel that so many people in my life are "on the brink" of a major decision in life. To have kids, to move, to stay, to buy a house! David and I have been wrestling with the thought of moving for the last few months. We always knew that Florida wouldn't be our long term home, but we weren't sure how long. We're nearing the 2 year mark of Florida and I have to say I love it here. Especially since we were able to find a cool church. It has made the difference in the quality of our lives here. I keep praying that God will give me direction, that I'll feel confident about one decision or the other. I've thought about fasting and praying but really don't really know exactly how/what to do when I do it. I mean I know to pray but am not sure exactly the purpose of doing it. I want to be focused. I feel lost. I want to feel like I'm moving toward a goal. I'm stuck. Anyone have any suggestions in how to get out of a rut? How to move forward? I want to badly to know where to go or what to do!! Learning how to trust God has been a life long lesson for me. To give it over. To release control. Maybe that's all I can do at this point.

Pictures of the house!

David and I moved to lovely Glades Way in August. Its so different from our last place in that our last place was new, in a new area and a townhouse. Now this is an older house, with a big yard in an older part of town. So its actually the opposite! But it works for us. I can't wait for the day that we can buy a house, this one we're renting.Sorry, the quality of the pictures aren't great!

Dog Halloween costumes!

These are a couple of ideas I have for my dogs!

fall party (pics)

Bringing fall to Florida

Ahhhh the sigh of relief I get on a Friday morning. I don't even mind getting up early! I'm pretty excited about the weekend because Saturday David and I are going kyaking with a local group at Philippi Estate Park! I've never been kyaking here in Florida and am excited to see how much it differs from lakes and streams. We're probably going to go ocean kyaking to see all the beautiful mangrove forests. Most boats can't get too close to the magroves that grow on the shore because of their elevated roots. Mangrove forests are an essential part of Florida's ecosystem, so many fish and wildlife live within their groves. AND, I'm super excited about hosting a fall party on Saturday! Since we don't have the four seasons here in Florida, I wanted to introduce my friends to fall activities so we're going to dress up in sweaters and scarves (hopefully it'll cool down this weekend) carve pumpkins, drink apple cider, roast pumpkin seeds and sit on a bale of hay! haha Its cheesy but my friends here were actually excited! Probably because they're all locals! Can you imagine never really seeing a beautiful fall day with the leaves turning golden yellow, red and orange? Never smelling a crisp fall day? Never riding on a tractor on a cold night? Those are some of my favorite memories, and I'm bringing them here to Florida!!

Congrats Obama!

President Barack Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize
By KARL RITTER and MATT MOORE (AP) – 20 minutes ago

OSLO — President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a stunning decision designed to encourage his nascent initiatives to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the Muslim world and replace unilateral American action with international diplomacy and cooperation.

Nobel observers were shocked by the unexpected choice so early in the Obama presidency, which began less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama woke up to the news a little before 6 a.m. EDT. The White House had no immediate comment on the announcement, which took the administration by surprise.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee lauded the change in global mood wrought by Obama's calls for peace and cooperation but recognized initiatives that have yet to bear fruit: reducing the world stock of nuclear arms, easing American conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthening the U.S. role in combating climate change.

"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," said Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Nobel Committee.

Still, the U.S. remains at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Congress has yet to pass a law reducing carbon emissions and there has been little significant reduction in global nuclear stockpiles since Obama took office.

"So soon? Too early. He has no contribution so far. He is still at an early stage. He is only beginning to act," said former Polish President Lech Walesa, a 1983 Nobel Peace laureate.

"This is probably an encouragement for him to act. Let's see if he perseveres. Let's give him time to act," Walesa said.

The award appeared to be a slap at President George W. Bush from a committee that harshly criticized Obama's predecessor for his largely unilateral military action in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The Nobel committee praised Obama's creation of "a new climate in international politics" and said he had returned multilateral diplomacy and institutions like the U.N. to the center of the world stage..."

Associated Press Writer Ian MacDougall contributed to this report.

Video! (puppies!)

Time with family

As some of you know David and I ventured to Dallas, Texas to attend David's grandfather's funeral. When David first discovered his grandfather, his namesake, was sick he was completely devastated. It was so hard for him to be away from his family. He was able to fly out for five days to go spend with his grandmother, who requested him to be there. The funeral was a celebration of the rich life of David's grandfather. He left a legacy not only in his professional life but also in his personal life, being praised by his sons as "never saying a cross word to mother," was grieved by his own foxhole mate from World War II. There were tears of joy on everyone's face, all recalling their own personal memories of David Senior. Although everyone missed him dearly there was a smile on everyone's face, because no one felt untouched by his life, everyone felt loved by David Senior. David cherished his memories with his grandfather, recounting how he used to take him to classic car shows when he was young and how proud he was of his grandfather, who would win every car show with his magnificent recreation. Although the circumstances weren't the best it was still refreshing to be around family. I was able to go there for three days and spend time with David's family. Even though it was short it gave me a small boost. Everyone was loving and somehow the hugs of family members mean more. We all celebrated the life of David Ralph Senior and cannot wait to spend eternity with him.