My Niblings

One of my friends recently informed me that you can speak of your nephews and nieces in one word: niblings. Therefore, I have taken advantage and started using the word lately. We have been watching Addison a lot lately, and sometimes we take care of Quinn for a little bit. 

On Thursday I watched Addison for part of the day at Gabriel and Emily's.

His inquisitive little look.

Loungin' on the couch waitin' for Dad.

Cuddles with Aunt Lydia

Lydia's face is very funny. 

My niece Quinn.

Her little tiny mouth

It's strange going back and forth between big baby and very little baby.

Sometimes I really wish I was a mother now, but I am not. I get to be an auntie, and that is what God wants me to be for now. 

I LOVE my niblings. 

Shadow and Sun

Black and White

Little Greens

Sun through the Blades

Magnificant

Walking, walking, walking

Dark Shadows

Present Dark, Distant Light

At Dusk

Cool Evening Sun

Trees and Light

Life as I Know It

Now that school is done, I have been spending a bunch of time with the fam fam. Yesterday, we spent a greater part of the day freezing at a park for the end of the year picnic. It was good to see everyone (most everyone) before we all scatter.

Biggest news yet:
                              Priscilla and Justus finally had their baby!!

They named her Priscilla Quinn and will call her Quinn. She's adorable with a shock of black hair.

Here are some pictures of life lately.

The apple blossoms.

Bethany in the AirBNB where the fam is staying. I will be joining them tomorrow.

Lydia looking solemn. 

Lydia looking happy.

Mom and Dad standing or walking. Hard to say. 

Lydia walking through pedals. 

Blossoms of some sort. 

Two terrible pictures of an adorable little Quinn.

That's it for today, folks. 

Completed: Freshman Year

It's been quite the ride. So many changes have taken place since August 2017. God has brought me through so much, and I am overjoyed and super thankful that His will works out best.

There are so many things that would be different if it hadn't been for the struggles I have been through, the people I have met, the circumstances I have come across. I have so much on my mind, and I don't know how to express it.

All I know is that God is good. He is amazing and knows what is best. He surely does work in mysterious ways. I am glad it's not up to me to figure everything out.

"This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes."

~Mark 12:11

Right Around the Corner

The end is right around the corner.
I am overjoyed, and that excitement sometimes takes away from what still has to be done. I still have my two final finals, and then Freshman year will finally be over. Two years later.

I sit in the east-side Hebrew class room with the morning sun already high in the sky, while I study for philosophy and theology exams.

Gotta get back to work!

Here I am. 

Artos

Our school started a little art booklet a few years ago called Artos. The students are given the chance to enter a work of art or poetry or something that they have created. Yesterday, the published booklets were here and we had a little get-together where people could read what they had submitted or talk about their art.

It was fun hearing people explain their work and read things how they meant it to be read or seen.

I had entered something last year, but they didn't like any of it, so I decided to try again this year. I entered a cartoonish picture and my little girl picture. Only the girl made it in, but that's understandable, and I am pretty happy about it.

The original had "Talitha" written in German Black Letter in the upper right corner. Oh, well, it wasn't "professional." I'm thinking, when was art ever professional?

This is a picture one of my class mates drew with ink. I thought is was really well done. I love the detail.

And, I realize that this is the 3rd time I have posted in one day. My apologies. I don't care. 

Happy Saturday!

A Memoir to the Honorable Singing Kitchen Men

It was our last day together.

All 6 of us were in there: 5 guys and 1 girl, me, of course.

In August 2017 when I first began after-chapel lunch cleanup duty, my intentions were to get free lunch. The 3 honorable men were junior at the time. We were cleaning and drying dishes, and they began to sing. 

That's when I knew I was working in there not just to get free lunch.

Over the next several months, working in the kitchen on Wednesday afternoons was a refreshing, worshipful time for me. The practice was to sing at least one song, though sometimes the men would forget. I would make sure that we sang before they left. Back then, it was only the 3 honorable and then the beautiful Elisabeth and I. Those were good days because there was a good female voice. This year we don't have Elisabeth, but 2 more men were added to our number. Thankfully, they are both very good singers.

Anyway, this Wednesday was our last time with the 3 big boys. They are seniors and graduating next week. It's sad and strange and happy all at once.

I have grown to know them better, and they are all like big bros to me (obviously, Tyler is a big bro). So, this week we all insisted that we sing a couple songs before they left for class. I recommended "Great is Thy Faithfulness" because that has been a theme especially in Tyler's experience here at Bethlehem College and Seminary. We really sang with our whole hearts that day. It was real sweet and worshipful. Then Brax began one of his favorites, "There is a Fountain." Boy, we have some good singers in our little kitchen a cappella group.

It was a little nostalgic as the three left, and one of my younger pals said something like, "I'm gonna have to memorize some hymns over the summer." Yes, amen to that. We don't want to lose our kitchen singers.

So, goodbye to the honorable singing kitchen men. They have passed the baton along to a new generation.

Sorry, this has become very sentimental. Haha!

And, life moves on.

Just Four Months

That's what my parents told me back in December and January when I began to doubt my decision to go back to school. Four months, yes, but a hard four months.

Four months later, here I am, still alive.

On January 11th, I left my home once again and returned to the frigid north. Exactly four months later, it is warmer, and I have completed all my freshmen classes.

Now for finals.
Yay.

But, God did work in my life over these past 4 months. I have seen a lot of growing since I first came back. It went so fast, and yet January 11th seems like so long ago. God has drawn me closer to Himself and shown me more of His glory.

Jesus is King, He is in control, and He's got this.

Through Glass

Light through glasses: window pane and spectacle lens.

The River

The foaming, rattling, crashing, thundering, waters of the river.

And He tells them where to go.

White Light

As the weather changed, so did the sun. The light shines white some days. I took several pictures one day to show this.

I lined these shells up on the outside window sill last year before I left. When I came back, I was so happy to see they are still here.

One lone shell with beautiful detail.

Stucco

Peeling 

Little flowers

New life

Afternoon sit on the steps

The spicket

Flowing, running water

Cracked

Through the window

Bed room

Yep

Climbing out the window.

A non-snowed-filled parking lot. Also, it's Saturday, so an empty parking lot.