November...beginning and ending

I cannot believe it is already November! Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I am so excited for the holiday season to come!

It is already cold here in Germany...we have the heaters going and often drink a hot chai in the evenings to take the chills away. I love Fall. It is my favorite season at home. All the beautiful colors, the clear blue skies and crisp air that fills your lungs. It is the season I have missed the most in my travels...I haven't been home for an East Coast fall in five years! We have fall here in Germany, but its not the same. They have some color and air and some blue skies, but nothing comparable to the East Coast. Hopefully, next fall I can enjoy it since we will be home in Virginia.

Our time here in Germany is coming to an end. I am both happy and a little sad to say so. Happy to be finally going home, to my country, to my family and friends. But I will miss my friends here and the season of life that is closing. The past five years have been a crazy adventure, we have traveled to 17 different countries and lived in 5. We have made so many sweet friends and have had many laughs, tears and trials. The Lord has done so much...shown us so much about the world, about people and about Himself. I have no regrets and would not trade our experiences for anything. My perspective of life is so different than what it was at 18. I am so thankful for that. I can say I see the world with new eyes.

With all this said, we have been feeling a great desire to return to the USA. I believe that the Lord has given a new love for our country and understanding of what in it is. I believe that we will always travel, always have a desire for the nations. Right now though, God has given us a desire for our nation. Which is good, because our nation is broken, bleeding and needs Christ. It might be in a different way than Morroco, Israel or Germany. But the need is still there. Especially the youth. God has given such a heart for youth, for our generation. We want to put ourselves in a position were those gifts and that heart can bring the most glory to Him. We do not know what the Lord has planned, this in another huge step of faith but I know that it is good because He is in it.

Anyways...I am so happy it is almost time for the holidays. Food, friends, laughs...so ready for it! There is a lot to look forward to this holiday season. Thanksgiving coming up, a Christmas decorating party, weekend trip, and my friend Maureen is coming for Christmas! Which I am super excited about! Cannot wait to see her! And we might be ringing in the New Year in Berlin! Can you tell I excited for the Holidays?!

Shalom

Devotional Musings

I read this poem this morning in my devotional...so beautiful.

"Who is this that is coming up from from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?" 

Song of Solomon 8:5

“Child of My love, lean hard,

And let Me feel the pressure of thy care;

I know thy burden, child. I shaped it;

Poised it in Mine Own hand; made no proportion

In its weight to thine unaided strength,

For even as I laid it on, I said,

‘I shall be near, and while she leans on Me,

This burden shall be Mine, not hers;

So shall I keep My child within the circling arms

Of My Own love.’ Here lay it down, nor fear

To impose it on a shoulder which upholds

the government of worlds. Yet closer come:

Thou art not near enough. I would embrace thy care;

So I might feel My child reposing on My breast.

Thou lovest Me? I knew it. Doubt not then;

But Loving Me, lean hard.”

Refinished

So I finally got around to refinishing these awesome chairs we got of the trash...
candy apple red all the way!

Time captured...

This was taken on our Hawaii trip with Paul's family last year. We were on a 4 hour hiking trip through Haena State Park in Kauai. While I hated that hiking trip, I will say that this is one of my favorite photos. It just has a certain quality about it. I love that Paul is smiling...and that you can see the coastline stretching into the distance. I am glad I got this shot when I did because this is the last time we are seen without being covered in mud. We literally all fell flat on our butts the whole hike. lol Anyways, here is a shot of the treacherous trail. Good times.

Around the World....

List of my top 10 favorite cities in the world to date...

Jerusalem, Israel

Prague, Czech Republic

Charleston, South Carolina

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Venice, Italy

Savannah, Georgia

Antalya, Turkey

Berlin, Germany

Salzburg, Austria

San Diego, California

There are many other places I have been that I really love as well...like San Francisco, CA. Dublin, Ireland.  Faro, Portugal. Malaga, Spain. Agadir, Morocco. Stockholm, Sweden. But they didn't make it on the top 10 list.

My next cities I want to check out are...Sainte Mere Eglise, France. New York City (I've been to airport but never in the actual city) Ciaro, Egypt. Buenos Aries, Argentina. Barcelona, Spain. London, England. Moscow, Russia. Petra, Jordan. The Grand Canyon. Niegra Falls and Alaska to see the northen lights. I would also really like to do a road trip across the USA. I think that would be awesome too.

Who knows if I will ever get to all these places...but then again I never thought I would go to all the places I have been. The Lord has blessed me so much in giving me so many opportunities to live and travel abroad! I never thought that walking by faith, obeying the Lord in some crazy ideas would take me all over the world and back again. I hope that never stops...

July...

Wow, I haven't written in a few weeks now. A lot has been going on. I started working as a cleaner at a gym called Fit X here in Münster. I've been getting up to work at 4:30-8:00am every morning for the past few weeks so maybe that has cramped my writing abilities since I feel like a zombie woman most of the day. Anyways...

This past month has been a fun one despite the cold and rainy weather here. We traveled to Berlin to meet up with our friends Sammy and Caleb. They live in Sweden, so Berlin was a good place to meet in the middle. I blogged about it on our ministry blog here: www.paulandbec.blogspot.com. Needless to say Berlin is now on my top 10 favorite cities in the world! I loved it! So much life, food, history, amazing architecture and people! It even had some dirt...which I know sounds weird. But seriously, here in Münster there is none,  so seeing dirt, cigarette butts, coke cans and some trash made me feel good for some reason.

The other night Paul took me out on a date in the city. I actually wore a dress and make up and did my hair nice. And Paul wore a nice button down shirt. We ate at Vapianos. Paul ordered his usual calzoni and I order a dinkle pasta scampi. It was so delicious! We then walked around the city, ate some ice cream and headed to hang out in our favorite cafe here in the city called Cafe Gasoline. It is an old gas station that they turned into a cafe and bar. We love the atmosphere there because it reminds us of how the cafes in Israel are. Except they don't have the awesome coffee that Israeli cafes have. It was really great dressing up and everything! I mean we hang out together all the time but we rarely dress up and on a proper date. It was super fun!

 

Bleeding Red, White and Blue...

I am very patriotic, I was raised that way. With each year that passes it seems as though I become more and more. I am not ashamed of it, traveling the world these past years I have realize how truly unique and special my homeland is. It is like no other country. The American people from the beginning were people who desired change, desired to be free and were willing to fight for the rights in which to do so. They were people of faith, people of determination, people who would not back down from a crazy tyrannic king and the world's strongest super power. As I read the Declaration of Independence yesterday, it truly is an amazing declaration for humanity. To believe that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness-" and to that "whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it". America has changed a lot of over the years, and I am not saying that Americans are always right about everything. But this one thing we have done good, and that is creating a country where the freedoms which God our Creator has given us can actually be lived. I am proud to be an American, I am proud of the truths our country was founded on. I am proud of the men and women who have died laying their lives down for these truths. To protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I love the spirit Americans have...to be creative, to take risks, to not back away, to be different, to hope for a better future. Paul and I have been watching this series found on YouTube called America: The story of US. It really has brought out the American spirit in us. Seeing why Americans are the way we are, all the change and hardships our country has gone through and triumphs we have had. It really is amazing!

Now that I got out all my patriotism, I can actually tell you how we celebrated yesterday being Americans in Germany. It was probably the saddest 4th of July we ever had, but we didn't let it get us down. We made hot wings with a Louisiana hot sauce. Potato salad, sweet southern tea of course. A red, white and blue dessert made from American jello, whipped cream and blueberries. Though there were no fireworks, we did listen to some patriotic music and watched some patriotic movies. The Patriot, just for the record is one my favorite movies, Mel Gibson is amazing! And I even got to talk to my family in the Great State of Virginia. Here are some shots of our lil' 4th of July Celebration.

Time captured...

Morocco 2008

This picture reminds me of all the different ways we traveled through the country of Morocco. We took planes, trains, buses, chicken buses, boats, donkey carts, pick-up trucks, taxis, motorbikes, jeeps and of course your feet got you most places. In this photo we were making our weekly journey to the market to buy some groceries. We succeeded in fitting eight people and a baby in this cart contraption. A bumpy ride and 20 minutes later we arrived at the shook. Our sides hurt way more than our bums because we had just about laughed the whole way there. We had a saying, that if you didn't laugh you'd cry...so it was just better to laugh! I am thankful here all I have to do is walk about a half block to get my groceries but I am sad to say I don't laugh half as much as I did in Morocco. Good times. Oh and on the way back home that day, we took a horse and cart...crazy!

What makes a house a home...

Pillows....

Pillows are the little things in a home that we often take for granted. Both sleeping pillows and deco pillows. I remember during my time in Morocco there were some nights when we didn't have pillows. And let me tell you that sleeping on your arm is not a productive way to getting a good night's sleep. Boy, was I happy to finally have a big fluffy pillow to sleep on. Being in Germany we have pillows of course...but when we first moved in we only had our two sleeping pillows. Our coach looked so sad without any color or pillows to lay on. So I brought some of my pillows from the States and recently made this pretty orange one to add some spunk to the big white coaches. I think it's lovely...

Other things I would like to add to the list in a more practical way, ovens and dryers. 1) Ovens are amazing and you shouldn't take them for granted. 2) You see here in Germany it is still very popular to line dry your clothes. I don't really understand why since its pretty cold and rainy most of the year. Dryers are expensive to buy and to run, thus Paul and I also line dry our clothes. And since we have had two days of sunshine in the last month, I am trying my hardest to get all the laundry washed and dried before the rain comes. I think God is trying to really teach me to be thankful for even the little things in life...happy laundry day!

Devotional musings...

Something I'm learning...


“And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings” (Ezekiel 1:25)

That is the letting down of the wings? People so often say, “How do you get the voice of the Lord?” Here is the secret. They heard the voice when they stood and let down their wings.

We have seen a bird with fluttering wings; though standing still, its wings are fluttering. But here we are told they heard the voice when they stood and had let down their wings.

Do we not sometimes kneel or sit before the Lord and yet feel conscious of a fluttering of our spirits? Not a real stillness in His presence.A dear one told me several days ago of a certain thing she prayed about, “But,” said she, “I did not wait until the answer came.”

She did not get still enough to hear Him speak, but went away and followed her own thought in the matter. And the result proved disastrous and she had to retrace her steps.Oh, how much energy is wasted! How much time is lost by not letting down the wings of our spirit and getting very quiet before Him! Oh, the calm, the rest, the peace which come as we wait In His presence until we hear from Him!

Then, ah then, we can go like lightning, and turn not as we go but go straight forward whithersoever the Spirit goes. (Ezek. 1:1, 20)

“Be still! Just now be still!

Something thy soul hath never heard,

Something unknown to any song of bird,

Something unknown to any wind, or wave, or star,

A message from the Fatherland afar,

That with sweet joy the homesick soul shall thrill,

Cometh to thee if thou canst but be still.

“Be still! Just now be still!

There comes a presence very mild and sweet;

White are the sandals of His noiseless feet.

It is the Comforter whom Jesus sent

To teach thee what the words He uttered meant.

The willing, waiting spirit, He doth fill.

If thou would’st hear His message,

Dear soul, be still!”

-Streams in the desert

Time captured...

"If I forget you, O Jerusalem, May my right hand forget her skill." Psalm 137:5


I love this photo...I remember this morning very well. A few of us decided to rise early and have devos together on the Temple Mount.  We were younger then, living abroad in the great city of Jerusalem. We were close, still are. We were real, passionate and loved every minute of the adventure we were on.  If there was ever a season in my life where I felt like time stood still it was fall of 2007. We laughed, we cried, we traveled, we shared each others burdens and spurred each other on. We had our jokes, our sayings, our reenactments of ridiculous things that had happened while on our journeys. We also had our serious moments too. Moments when tears would not be held back. Moments that overwhelmed you. We were only there 5 months yet it felt like years and then all of sudden it was over. Just like that. God did a work in our lives that was so deep and radical, it is hard to put into words. I know that every one of us left Israel changed, and for many of us longing to return. I had the blessing of returning in 2009 with my husband. It was another amazing season in my life. And now both of our heart's ache to return to the Land. 


Now we say along with all the Jews, בשנה הבאה בירושלים (next year in Jerusalem...)

What makes a house a home...

Quilts...

I have always loved quilts. Especially those old worn ones.You know...the ones that feel like you're being hugged by the arms of an old friend. Nothing is better than snuggling down in one of those. I love it that quilts see so much life. They are used over and over again and yet that warm feeling of an old friend never gets old.

My family has a few quilts that have been circulation of our home for many years. My parents have one that was made by an Amish women in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She hand stitched every piece. It is truly a work of art. Beautiful colors, tight stitches, lovely lines. Running my hands over the top of it, I can feel how much work went into making this cover. Paul and I don't have an handmade Amish quilt yet, we will have to save up some money for a "real" one. But we bought this cozy quilt when we were in the States. I like it because it has these big beautiful medallions of bright colors. It is kind of a Mexican inspired pattern. Which of course Paul loves! I do too.

I love that there is so much history and creativity behind the making of quilts. You could read for hours on all the different patterns and the story behind America's Quilt History. I remember growing up I was in a girl's quilting club. We would read literature on women and the making of quilts. We even started sewing our own quilts (which I never finished mine lol) as part of the class. I think I really gained an appreciation for quilts during that time. It was amazing!

I hope to collect some beautiful quilts for our family to use over and over again in the many years to come...

Devotional musings...

Sea of Galilee

"There are songs which can only be learned in the valley. No art can teach them; no rules of voice can make them perfectly sung. Their music is in the heart. They are songs of memory, of personal experience. They bring out their burden from the shadow of the past; they mount on the wings of yesterday. John says (Revelation 14:3) that even in heaven there will be a song that can only be fully sung by the sons of earth - the strain of redemption. Doubtless it is a song of triumph, a hymn of victory to the Christ who made us free. But the sense of triumph must come from the memory of the chain. No angel, no archangel can sing it so sweetly a I can. To sing it as I sing it, they must pass through my exile, and this they cannot do. None can learn it but the children of the cross. "  - George Matheson






...

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston South Carolina, a set on Flickr.

Inspiration for my anniversary dinner. Pictures from our 1 year Anniversary trip (2010) Charleston is one of our favorite cities in the world!

Here is the BBQ sauce recipe I used, sooooo good!

South Carolina-Style Barbecue Sauce -Paula Deen
Not all barbecue sauces are a rich red! In fact, if you have ever had barbecue in South Carolina you know it comes with a flavorful bright yellow, mustard-based sweet sauce.

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1/2 sweet onion, grated
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Sauté the onions in the butter until translucent, but not brown. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Yields: 2 cups