"By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather
And autumn’s best of cheer."
~ Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885
The arrival of September has brought deliciously cooler temperatures to our area. Ah, September.. how did you get here so fast? Seems like just yesterday we were celebrating our 2nd anniversary. Speaking of which, here are the promised pictures from our romantic get-away to Ocean Isle, NC.
Ocean View
My handsome husband. I love him!
Our anniversary cake! This is the start of a new anniversary tradition. I whipped this up the night before leaving and adorned it with chocolate sea shells and a message in a bottle for my Sweetie. =)
Some highlights from our anniversary celebration:
~ Wearing the anniversary dress Brent got for me. I love it!
~ Playing in the sand and sea, then dipping in the pool afterwards.
~ Laughing as we took pictures with a tripod and timer! Not the easiest thing to do, but my husband is awesome at it.
~ The never-ceasing wind. See our video below for the wind-swept hairstyles we were sporting after pictures.
~ Dining on fresh, locally-caught flounder and pasta with lemon caper sauce. Amazing! Brent and I have since tried to recreate the same dish and have come pretty close. It was so delicious. *happy sigh*
~ Opening the present from my sweetheart: Two darling rings (for two years), with each of our birthstones.
~ Completing our delightful evening by re-watching our wedding video and reliving happy memories of our special day.
More pics here.
We spent the Labor Day weekend tent camping at the beach with the family and had a wonderful time. Well, except for getting rained out the morning of our departure. We got soaked to the skin as we took down camp! Still, it was so good to be at the ocean again (can you tell we are beach-lovers?) and enjoy it together as a family. I never cease to be amazed when I stand on the ocean's shore of how big and powerful God is. We also saw beautiful sunsets each evening we were there. Pictures and video are still on the camera yet, so I will share them with y'all another time.
Thank you for praying for my Grandma. She is still in the ICU, but is stable and doing much better. The little improvements that she's making are little miracles. Praise God! While so much is still unknown as to what's causing her health issues and what her discharge plans will be, we are confident that God is going to continue what He's begun in her life. She's such an inspiration to me. She lays bedridden and hooked up to equipment, yet the joy of the Lord shines on her face and she is at peace. I know the doctors and nurses don't understand her response, but she is clearly living out this verse: Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. ~ James 1:2 & 3 Lord, give me faith like my dear Grandma's, so that even in uncomfortable circumstances, I keep my eyes focused on you, holding on in faith to your promises.
While visiting Gran in the ICU, we met a pastor who had just lost a loved one in the same unit as Gran. He spoke with us and prayed for Gran right then and there, and then visited my parents' home a few weeks later. He shared some verses that the Lord had placed on his heart with us, and the message of those verses keeps coming to mind and encouraging me.
In the beginning God.. God ordains life's first cry and final breath, and the time in between.
Be still and see the salvation of the Lord. Time to stop kicking and fighting in my own strength to figure out and handle God's plans. Being still is the result of complete surrender. Why do I even *think* I have the capabilities of managing life when the Almighty is the ultimate life-giver and taker? As I surrender and wait, God is going to show up.
The battle is the Lord's. When He shows up, the enemy had better watch out! Time and time again, the Word is filled with examples of battles that were won despite overwhelming odds (i.e. Moses and the Israelites versus the Egyptians, Joshua and the battle of Jericho, David and Goliath). Our God doesn't work based on statistics or human knowledge, His ways are beyond our ways and His thoughts above our own. I can leave the how and when up to Him, He's going to work all things for good and for His glory.
It's not easy. There are some days when I get down. There are some people that don't understand, that think we (as a family) should do things differently. But as Nehemiah went about rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in the face of opposition, we also hold on to what we feel the Lord has called us to, no matter what people think. We wait, we hope and we pray, and God IS going to show up. I hope this has been an encouragement to you as I know so many of you are going through difficult times. You are not alone. Keep the faith, locking your eyes on Jesus. You're going to make it through, I promise.
Well, it's time to wrap this up and call it a night. God bless!
Love,
Anna
Love you so much!