In December 2011 I started working at Student Life - a ministry designed to support the 24/7/365 job of the Church to support their Children and Student Ministry. While not every day is full of the wonderful parts of ministry, it is good. I love being able to help serve churches, volunteers, and ministers in the areas of growth and discipleship. I can say this because TJ is a youth minister and I have lots of minister friends - Youth Ministers are some of the most helpless creatures ever created! I'm kidding - but only a little ! :)
We also started doing a small group/Bible study group with three other couples around that time. It has been challenging and rewarding. I have grown to really count these people as some of my best friends - and they truly are friends because they've seen me at some of my worst moments. I believe that God, in His perfect design for us, created us for community. We are designed to "do life" with other people. I mean God Himself is three persons existing as One, Great God. He said to Himself in Genesis, "Let us create man in our image..." So yes, there are times when I need alone time and space, but I truly love the community TJ and I get to be apart of weekly.
We had the chance to go to the beach with our small groupies in June. It was great - great weather, great friends, and the best seafood in the world! Amber and I did a spray tan before we left so we were looking good too! :)
In July our sweet friends, Andrew and Rebekah, told us they were expecting their first little one! :) It has been such a privilege for me because I have gotten to document, through photos, Rebekah's expanding belly! (Side note - Rebekah and I do photography together! :) She is super talented and we both enjoy working together and I think we do a pretty fabulous job. Here is the link to our Image 1:27 Facebook Page - Enjoy!) Below is one of my favorites that I have taken of them so far!
We had a super busy summer and fall with all sorts of youth ministry activities.
BIG NEWS! We had our FOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY November 1, 2012!!! We decided to keep it low key because we had so much going on. We stayed home, painted cabinets, and just hung out together. It was so nice! We did have a great dinner at Surin 280, I got to get the soup that I just love! It's a coconut, curry type soup. I could seriously drink like hot tea or something... Ahh, just thinking about it makes me want to drive to 280!
Another BIG thing happened in November... Are you ready? We found out that we were expecting our first baby! AHHHHH!!!! Crazy, right?!?! It was (and still is) so surreal. I took the test while TJ was still at work with one of our church members, Rick, and I remember just laughing to myself, thinking that it couldn't possibly be real. Well, those things don't lie - I did another test and sure enough before I could even cap that thing, those two little lines showed up! It was so hard to wait that hour to tell TJ but I really wanted to tell him in person. I went to pick him up from Rick's house and he just kept jabbering away. I tried really hard to get him to leave so I could tell him. Finally, I got him away and told him to stop the car and I just said that I had news... He looked at me like he thought I had done something terrible - I just gave him the pregnancy test and he was just as stunned as I was! We both just laughed, like it was a joke. But it is no joke! I am 14 weeks and 3 days... We got to see Baby Phelps at our 6 and 10 week appointment and then, just yesterday, at the 14 week appointment we got to hear the HEARTBEAT! Best sound in the whole world! And when we go back in a month we have the chance of finding out what gender Baby Phelps is. We are still in awe that God has picked us to be this kid's parents, we will do our best - with help from Jesus! - to raise this child to love the Lord and love others.
I'll have to add another post in the next day or so because we had a little more happen too. I just don't want this post to be too long! Until next time, learning that melodious sonnet!
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