Advent, Part 2

It's not that Andree is a Grinch. He really likes Christmas. Well, he really likes presents and special dinners. As he puts it he loves "the secular holiday of Christmas." Which I can appreciate. And I'm grateful he's enjoying and sharing the Advent Calendar with me every night before bed. However I think Pig and he might be secretly related after reading this in Pearls Before Swine yesterday.

Frugal Christmas Decorating

My favorite decorations for Christmas are paper. I'm sure when I have a whole house to decorate (aka more than our little nest) I might feel differently but for now decorating with fun paper has been simple, attractive, and cheap. The last few three years I've used scraps of paper that I have (not quite sure why I have so much but I have tons of papers). This year I went to Michael's on Black Friday and got a pad of patterned paper by Amy Butler.

This year I made a length of Christmas paper chains, some paper ornaments, and some paper snowflakes to hang on the walls. I used almost entirely blues and greens and love the way they look. It's simple and it's pretty and it fits our little nest perfectly.

(Camera phone close-up on the paper chains.)

New Tradition: Advent + Countdown

After three years of marriage Andree and I are starting to give more thought to what we want to begin to have as our family's Christmas traditions. So far the biggest "tradition" we have is me pushing for a "real" tree and Dre selflessly wrestling with one and getting it in the stand and then watching football. One thing we've started this year is having a Advent calendar//countdown to Christmas.

I got the idea and layout from a template on the Giver's Log blog. (Full of tons of fun gifts ideas for every person you can think of! It's fun to just look at the fun collection of things she posts.) Under each flap I posted a portion of a verse from a list of suggested Advent readings. I cut the readings to only 24 and the countdown will end with my favorite "Christmas" verse.

(The calendar/countdown before Day-1 was read.)

I threw it together and made last minute changes so it's not perfect in appearance (and we found a verse last night where the reference and the passage did not match up). But it's a sweet minute together each night reading the verses. I'm so grateful Dre was willing to bless his little wifey by participating and being excited with me. I can't wait to have littles and I know I'll spend far too long trying to come up with the perfect calendar to use for them (maybe a trusty old classic pop-up like my mom had for Cynth and I).


I love the concept of Advent. I love the idea of remembering. Remembering that Christ really came to earth, came as a helpless infant; that He really interruppted history and lived amoung us as a man. God only intervened in this way in human history once and it's worth recalling the specialness of it and the purpose for which He came.

Thanksgiving (5) Hope. Forever.

And finally, on Thanksgiving itself, we are so thankful for the eternal hope we have through the grace of God. There are so many rich quotes full of the truth of what that means and so many verses that I could use. One that struck me a few weeks back when I read it was the quote below. It's in a book that the history major in me is loving because it combines primary source documents with a few pages of preface for each section and traces the solidifying and defending the doctrine of Christ. I am so grateful that even in a world that despises God and often the belief in God that through His grace I know that He is real and I live for a life after this one and a world that I was made for where there will be no more tears, no more pain, and no more death. I just love the way this quote puts it as Ignatius defends against the idea that Jesus did not really come to earth as fully God and fully man.

"But as for me, I do not place my hopes in one who died for me in appearance, but in reality... He was crucified in reality, and not in appearance, not in imagination, not in deceit." Ignatius in "The Epistle to the Trallians'" quoted in For Us and For Our Salvation

Thanksgiving (4) Technology in 2009

It may seem like a small thing but on certain days I can't help but think of how different life would be without what I consider "modern technology." Life is so busy and full right now but at least for me and several of my friends the majority of our days are spent on the computer. The fact that I can "chat" my friends and still experience meaningful conversations that both challenge my heart, make me laugh, and keep us all in touch is such a unique part of the blessing of living in 2009. I can't imagine how much more I would miss Pate if there were no g-chat conversations or group chats with her and Rach or text messages to be shared to include her in Jan's labor. I can't imagine how much more I would battle with being a supportive and God-fearing wifey without being able to IM Jan on a rough day of battling my heart. I can't imagine how much farther away my little seester would feel without random texts back and forth and being able to know that she tells creepy guys that hit on her that her name is "Rebecca." (I'm flattered... I think?) I love being able to see what's going on with Diana via FaceBook or keep in touch and watch baby Lucy grow on Beth's blog.

Technology can be a distraction and an unhelpful one so much of the time. But at the same time there is much about it that I am grateful for and grateful for the tool that it can be for good things.

Thanksgiving (3) Care Group...Plural.

Goodness. Can we imagine our lives without the KG? I don't think so. I never would have expected, and I'm sure Dre couldn't either, what exactly leading a care group of 18 year old singles would be like. We never would have expected how these "kids" (:-P) have wiggled their way into our hearts, how much we love the ease with which they take over our home on Tuesday nights and eat our pickles, and the provoking way with which they are seeking to live their lives in a manner worth of the calling they have received (Ephesians 4). I never knew how dear the girls in particular would become to me. They are my friends; I love all 16 of them and love knowing each of them and living my life along side them. I love laughing 'til we cry in ladies meetings, meeting for lunches and coffees and random chat time in parking lots with them. Goodness. I am so grateful that God created this group and let us be a part of it. KG, we love you.

As care group leaders we get to be in a bonus care group: our marrieds care group led by Josh and Kelley Murphy. Again, we had no idea how much we'd fall in love with this group or be affected by the fellowship and help we've already received in it in just a few short months. The affect it has had on our marriage is going to be long-lasting I am certain of it. Some of my favorite times this fall have been laughing together at the kitchen table at the Murphy's and being challenged on the deck at their house as well. It's a joke in our group of friends to say that "God knows your size" meaning that God knows exactly what is best for you. This care group has truly been an expression of God's provision for us in knowing exactly "our size" for these months of waiting and wondering. There just aren't words for how grateful I am for this group and that we get to be a part of living life with these people. We love you guys.

Thanksgiving (2) Work

It's been a season of waiting and wondering what the future holds especially for my dear Andreecito. One way that God's provision has been very real and tangible has been in providing work for us.

I love my job. Working for and with the people of Sovereign Grace Church of Frederick has been a dream job I didn't know I had. My bosses are the best in the world who not only are skilled at their jobs but care about the people they serve and me. Mondays tend to be one of my favorite days of the week because I get to sit with them, laugh with them, and learn from them. It's certainly a unique situation working all together but from three separate locations but for now it has worked and I am grateful for how God has built this church. My job is certainly unusual in the fact that I work for a church I love but am not a member of and my job description is kind of an "all of the above" type of position but it has been such a wonderful, at times challenging, and fun job.

Dre has been faithfully pursuing work and possibilities " in the meantime" while we wait and I'm so challenged by his willingness to work at things that aren't his preference and get up each day and leave the house in order to faithfully provide. I'm so, so grateful to God that He has recently provided him with a job that he enjoys at the Montgomery Mall Apple Store.

Like the quote I posted last week said: "God’s grace has given wonderfully, but not wastefully; freely but not foolishly; bountifully but not blindly." And goodness. I am grateful for the provision of His grace evident through work and the enjoyment of work.

Thanksgiving (1) Each Other

After spending a full 24 hours with each other how we can we not start "Thanksgiving week" without expressing thankfulness for each other? I can't even put into words how much different marriage has been that I expected and I'm sure Dre did too. It's been way harder but so, so much richer and fun than I could have imagined. I am so grateful that in what God has ordered for our lives in the last year + of being "in between" and of waiting that I have had Andree to hold onto. He has been a tangible expression of God's goodness, provision, and love for me. The way he has specifically pointed me to the cross and to truth over the last few months has been one of the biggest helps in this "season."
It's been a busy few months and we're looking at more weeks ahead with little time together and little time for each other other than saying goodnight. We spend more time together when we're asleep than we do during the day--but hey at least we have that. :-) I'm so grateful for how hard my husband is willing to work to provide for us and to pursue work in a way that demonstrates grace-motivated diligence.
I love you darling. More and more every day. I'm so proud of the man you are and the man you desire to be. I respect you much and can't wait to be aware of how much more God has done in and through you next year.

we're anything brighter than even the sun
(we're everything greater
than books
might mean)
we're everyanything more than believe
(with a spin
leap
alive we're alive)
we're wonderful one times one
--e.e. cumming

Happy Easter

Came upon this verse in my quiet time the other day and loved the way it looked forward to what Christ accomplished in his death and resurrection. What amazing truth and hope!!

"Therefore hear this, you afflicted one,
made drunk, but not with wine.

This is what your Sovereign LORD says,
your God, who defends his people:
"See, I have taken out of your hand
the cup that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
you will never drink again." (Isaiah 51:21-22)

KG Christmas

This year we attended 3 Christmas parties, all in one weekend which made for a busy season of festivities. We had a fun CG Leaders Christmas at the Smith's house and then later that evening caught the tail-end of the Remy's holiday gathering. The final party of our Christmas season (and weekend!) was a special "KG Dinner Party hosted by the KG men in honor of the KG ladies" and oh what a blast it was! I can't help but detail it here for memory's sake.

Those boys made us (Andree and I, as well as every girl in the KG) so proud. The evening started off with a limo (!!) picking up the girls to drive them out Josh Cooper's house where the boys took coats and had appetizers and drinks waiting. Then they led the girls to the dining table where there were place cards which doubled as encouragement notes for each girl and a salad. Next Chef D-Sav had created a delicious chicken alfredo entree. The boys were so adorable (and manly of course) serving the food, refilling drinks, and attending to every need. They had even planned out dinner conversation by giving Andree and Bryce the responsiblity of dinner conversation so there was never a dull moment. (Especially once we found out Bryce had googled for conversation topics.) After dinner the girls were served tea (a KG ladies favorite) in the living room and entertained by the one and only Josh Cooper performing on cello (another favorite) while the boys prepared the cheesecake with strawberry drizzle dessert. I think one of the highlights of the evening was when the boys disappeared for a few minutes upstairs and then came back dressed as each other and put on a skit for us which gave us a behind the scenes look at the men's meetings planning the evening. -- Guys, I know we've told you and we probably won't ever get over how incredible the evening was. Your intentionality in the plans you made to bless and surprise each of us was such a joy to witness. Our expectations were blown away and the night was one for the memory books.

The Amazing KG Men (minus Eric and Nick): Bryce (as D-Sav), Neal (as Bryce), Stephen (as Neal), Josh (as Stephen), Andree (as Josh), & D-Sav (as Dre).

_________________________________________________________________
My darling, what a joy it is to watch you lead and befriend these men. You do such an excellent job of leading this care group and the ways in which you motivate with the gospel, lead with love, and sincerely care for each and every member of our group and have made them your/our friends make me love you more. I remember not too long ago attending a care group dinner put on and hosted by the care group men in the Garf/Fam days. I remember it most of all because that was the first night we hugged, simply as friends but somehow I remember it. Must have been a sign. I love you baby! I cannot wait to watch you similarly lead and teach our sons someday.

Merry Klessmas

All the Dronkies under the tree with their presents.

This year we did something different for Christmas. In the past we've spent Christmas Eve with the Kless family and then flown to NY on Christmas morning (bright and early!) to be with the Price family at my grandparents house. This year we spent Christmas Eve with the Klesses but instead of heading to NY spent our own quiet Christmas at home together. We slept in, ate cinnamon rolls (or Dre did, I had apple cake), opened our presents (we got both each other vests!), and just relaxed. One of our favorite people Jess came over for Christmas Day with us and we watched A Christmas Story together and napped. Then we had a lovely Christmas chicken (maybe someday a turkey but for now a chicken works just fine) dinner together. It was a sweet and relaxing day, definitely the most relaxing Christmas I've ever had.--Then (thanks to the super deluxe coffeemaker my in-laws gave us the night before) we drove up to New York in the middle of the night to surprise my family when they woke up in the morning.

I don't have a very good picture of our tree this year. It's not quite as cute as it was intially, before it's numerous attempts to end its own life. But it was ours and it fit our little apartment quite well so I can't complain.

Me and Jessers before dinner. (You can see I really dressed up for Christmas this year.) I'm so grateful for her faithful friendship to both of us and the delight she takes in loving others.

Merry Christmas

"So do not let it surprise you, unbelieving soul, whoever you are, do not let it strike you as impossible that a virgin should give birth, and in giving birth remain a virgin. Realize that it was God who was born, and you will not be surprise at a virgin giving birth."
(Augustine, 370.3)

Merry Christmas friends!! We are so grateful to have so many incredible friends in our lives. May today and the coming year be sweet times of savoring our Savior. We love you!

Merry Klessmas!

Merry Christmas Daisy! :-)

I'm totally against Christmas-ness before 12/1 (other than pestering Puppa about what he's getting me and when we can get our Christmas tree) so I had to wait a few weeks to do this...
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1178334916

(Janners, I'm pretty sure Sethmus would love to be an elf...)

Happy Thanksgiving!

(stolen from dear Lyds :-P)

We have so very much to be thankful for and it seems that each year our list grows. Here are just our top five:
1. Each other--What an amazing blessing marriage is! Neither of us can imagine life without the other. Lamentations 3 rings true daily in our relationship: "His compassions never fail. They are new every morning."
2. Our BFF's--From the Nutters, the Remys, the Whites, the "former" Bang cg crew, the K-Marc group, Nurse Jess, and oh so many others! We are rich in friendship! We love you all so very, very much and thank God for you!
3. KG--Oh man. What fun we have with you all! Our singles group is bar none the best care group out there. Fellowship, laughter, food, and encouragement mark every meeting it seems. We cherish the memories we've already made together (does Neal go to bed earlier on Thanksgiving? should kg start standing for 'Kingdom of God' instead of 'Kless Group'?) and the time we've spent together before our Father. We are spurred on to follow God more because of you all--not simply because we are humbled and out of our league in trying to care for you but because of your godly examples to us.
4. Our families--We are so blessed to have both families living nearby. We know that it's not a common experience to be able to pop in to visit either family whenever we like. We're so grateful for the way that our parents and siblings love us, pray for us, and enjoy spending time with us. We're so grateful that God created our new family from two wonderful families that both happen to live in MoCo.
5. Our home--What an amazing blessing our little love nest is. Almost every day I look around me in disbelief that this lovely, well-equipped, warm little home is ours. We are so grateful for the physical provision and the wonderful family who opened their home to us. What a joy it is for us to know and share life with each of them: Denny, April, Conner, Jake, and soon-to-be Elijah, we thank God for you!

And hopefully our acknowledgment is obvious but the reason we're able to enjoy each of these things, the reason we have any of these things is because of our great and glorious Creator! These "things" make us amazed but our hearts are truly in awe when we consider what God has done for us in sacrificing His perfect sinless Son for us, opening our eyes to that glorious truth, and then beyond that blessing us with such a comfortable life here on earth.

"Oh, enkindle a flame of undying gratitude to You, on the clay-cold altar of my heart. I mourn and lament that I am so little and so feebly affected by the magnitude of Your mercies, and especially by the riches of Your grace and love manifested in Jesus—that my affections are so little alive to the incalculable obligation under which I am laid to Him who has 'loved me with an everlasting love.' I am doubly Yours. Creation and redemption combine in claiming all I am, and all I have, for You and Your service. Good Lord, preserve me from the sin of insensibility to Your unwearied kindness—of taking Your mercies as matters of course, and thus living in a state of independence of You. May my whole existence become a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving—may all my doings testify the sincerity and devotion of a heart feeling alive to every gift of the great Giver; and, especially, may I be so brought under the constraining influence of redeeming love, as to consecrate every power of my body and every faculty of my soul to Him who so willingly consecrated and shed His very life's blood for me." (John MacDuff)

Something about Valentine's Day

We're snowed in!!

On our "first" Valentine's Andree was in the hospital. We had a special "super time" with me sitting on his bed with a new haircut and pink sweater and he eating the spaghetti he'd chosen special for that night's dinner since he knew I loved pasta. He has surgery the next day. Patricia reassured me when I realized at Einstein's Bagels that the potential love of my life was under the knife while we enjoyed bagels and juice that they were only going to "gut him like a fish." Good friends, good memories. :-)

This year Andree's sick. It's not fun having a sick hubby. I've decided I'm definitely not ready to be a mommy because having a hubby so miserably sick is making me want to cry. I think--and Nurse Jess does too--that he's got strep. He's got a horrible sore throat (cute voice!), fever, headache, dizzy etc. He's living on water, Tylenol, popsicles, and grilled cheese. He's not interested in eating anything else. I'm hoping to get him to a doctor at some point but we'll see with this snow.

I'm really sad he's sick but he's very entertaining when he's ill. On Monday when he was feeling crummy he watched two whole episodes of "10 Years Younger" which he would not normally watch (at least without me being the one in control of the remote). He gave me a running commentary on it and let me know that he "likes when they do men because it's more of a dramatic change." (They did a makeover for a 30 year old IT guy who at the start of the show had hair to his bum. It was impressive.) Yesterday he was pretty much just straight up miserable--but did manage to watch a Montgomery County school board meeting on public access TV as well as several math problems being solved on some other special channel. (How does he find this stuff?) Today he's miserable, in and out of consciousness (sleeping), and "not thinking clearly." He's let me know that I am not allowed to shovel us out of the snowed-in status we're in because the noise scares him when he's sleeping. Instead his recommendation is that I wait until all the snow melts and then I can dig it away.

Please pray the Puppa Bear feels better. This Mama Bear sure misses him.
This is how my love sleeps when he's sick. I think he looks like he's hiding from something. Maybe me and the thermometer. He also takes up this position if I turn on Oprah while he's napping.

(And a special shout out to everyone's favorite Texan, and the only Texan Andree loves, for making the sick kid's night last night with this e-card. Priceless.)

God Became Man

We hope you have yourselves a MERRY little CHRISTMAS!!!
"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

(Sorry, if we forgot to send you one. It doesn't mean we don't love you lots!!)

Christmas Cookies

This past weekend Andree and I spent most of our Sunday at his parents' house in Damascus making cookies with our favorite 4 year-old sister.

We made a big mess and had a lot of fun and at the end of the day were very impressed with Clarisa's amazing decorating skills.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the "end result" but there were probably at least 6 dozen cookies in the shape of stars, bells, snowmen, teddy bears, gingerbread men, gingerbread girls, and Christmas trees.

Most of them were decorated in pink and purple because Clarisa was in charge.

O Christmas Tree O Christmas Tree

The first year of marriage has so many fun adventures packed into it! The adventure for today--one day before our six month anniversary--was choosing, setting-up, and decorating our first Christmas tree!

My darling hubby found the tree! and he's so strong he can carry it everywhere!


Two of our favorite people in the whole wide world: Mr. and Mrs. Nutter! We both enjoy spending our Sunday afternoons and evenings with them--Redkins time for Andree with Justin and Target/grocery shopping time for me with Erin!--and are so grateful for the friendship and fellowship God has provided through them. We're grateful for their super skillz help in picking the best kind of tree and securing it to the car.


So many wonderful prizes to be found at Target! Mom bought us these last year on the day after Christmas in a pre-wedding insane quest for white Christmas lights.


I'm not sure what Andree's favorite part of the tree is: the Redskins ornament he just received as his first Christmas gift or the package still sitting under the tree that he keeps shaking to try and guess what's inside. ;-)


This is my new friend and favorite ornament: my very own Pigwidgeon! He's very cute and special.



Our lovely tree!--You may not find this in the Macy's 5th Avenue window but we think it's beautiful!