Nice things in store for NOVEMBER!

November is a wonderful month. We have lots to look forward to and so many things to be thankful for. This time I am going to try to do my month list by listing things we are thankful for and looking forward to this month.

New jobs....this is old in the sense that I have been at my job for two months but we are very thankful for the fact that we both have jobs that we love and enjoy. It is a blessing to have a double income right now and to be able to give and bless others.

Otoño. So there are no "f" in November but there is an "O" and otoño is fall in Spanish. Yesterday we enjoyed hiking at Pilot Mountain and on the drive out there we kept commenting on the beauty around us. The leaves have changed colors and everything looks so vibrant right now. God's beautiful creation is exemplified this time of year around her.

Ventures...I would say adventures is more like it. This year we have enjoyed spending time with friends and family on many random ventures. We started the year between Virginia and Costa Rica, then back to NC for an overkill of WINTER and white wonderland, wonderful times getting to know friends and spending time with them here, more Virginia with family in May, Figure 8 in May, Charleston for our anniversary in June, Virginia in August, Cleveland in September and so many more trips to come! We thank God for friends, family and all the 'ventures He takes us on.

Exercise. If you know Chris and I, you probably know that we love sports, being outside and working out. I am thankful that we both enjoy said things and get to do them together. I am thankful that we are healthy and can exercise regularly!

Marina Alling Rice. Our sweet niece was born a week and a half early on October 13th. She made her entrance into the world at 12:24 am. We have enjoyed looking at her pictures with Mom and Dad and big brother Sam but really can't wait to get up there to see her in person. We are also thankful that we get to see the entire Rice family for the first time since January in Virginia for Thankgiving!

Best food ever. So I could go on and on and on about how much I like Thanksgiving and the food we intake on that day. I really have learned to appreciate fall-ish food more the last few years. I like warm soup on a cold day, pumpkin bread and other yummy treats and oh Thanksgiving food. Homemade turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, green beans, salad, cranberry sauce, gravy, pie and so on. But what I am truly thankful for is the ability to make all these delicious foods and to be able to spend time with family enjoying them!

Enjoying God's word. I have really enjoyed digging into Esther and I Corinthians this month and the Adoption series at Westover. So much good stuff. I will write more about it in the next few weeks as I get my head around it!

Reading. Over the last two months Chris and I have started reading more for fun. I used to read for fun all the time then college happened. I don't know what about college happened but I quit reading for fun as much. We have been enjoyed getting back into reading for fun and watching Everyone Loves Raymond!

We hope and pray that you enjoy the next few weeks as we remember all those little and big things we are Thankful for and spend time with family and friends. May God abundantly bless you and your family!

Short Random thoughts from October!

October seems to have flown by. Like first weekend and snap your fingers and now it is the last weekend. This month has been wonderful. On October 13 our sweet little precious niece was born at 12:24 am. Marina Alling Rice was 20.25 inches long and 6 pounds 11 ounces of amazing niece.

At Westover Church, where Chris and I go to church they are doing a series on Adoption. Not a sermon series I had ever encountered before but have absolutely loved. The first two weeks we were reminded that God adopted us into his family and loves us so dearly and then this week and next week we are talking about how to live this out. I highly recommend going to http://www.westoverchurch.com/onlineresources/worshipservices and listening to the whole series.

One thing that stood out to me today was the fact that there are 145,000,000 (that is one hundred and forty five MILLION) orphans around the world. Wow....that is like everyone that lives east of the Mississippi. Not everyone is called to adopt a child into their home but we are called to do something. Chris and I will pray and seek for a long time to figure out what we are going to do but we are going to do something very soon!

James 1:16-17: ²⁶If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

OCTOBER

Its October and I am behind a couple days but here is what I am excited for this month!

Out with the summer weather and into fall weather. We drastically went from summer to fall...from 95 to 75 in about a day. Along with this wonderful relief from the heat came the fall colds all over the office and into our home. It will leave soon I hope!

Cleveland. I went to Cleveland Ohio this past weekend to celebrate with my sweet friend Amanda. We had a great time working on wedding stuff, seeing her wedding dress, shopping, eating the most fabulous caramel apples, wedding shower, time with my Ohio extended family and fellowship! I can't wait to see her get married in two months and to stand by her side for this joyful event.

Thanksgiving. You are probably thinking that is a November event but November doesn't have any Ts and I am excited for Thanksgiving right now because I get to see my family that is around the world. Chris and I are driving to Falls Church VA to Peter, Betsy, Sam and precious baby niece, Karen is flying in from the cold midwest city of Chicago, Mom and Dad are flying in from the tropics and we all get to spend a couple days together. Eating, talking, eating, touring DC, eating, doting on niece and nephew, eating, family time....I can't wait!

Out with Baseball and onto Football! Much to my nephews dismay I am not as big a fan of baseball as he is. He is just too cute for words when he gets excited about baseball. Now it seems like every night there is football on TV these days. This weekend is the Elon-App State Football game and I am all about some Elon Football...rooting on the phoenix from the comfort of my own home and avoiding going to Boone. GO ELON PHOENIX! I guess baseball is not over but football has taken over so its ok. Chris also just informed me that Hockey starts this week. We base our TV watching on what sport is on TV: football, hockey, basketball, golf...etc...etc!

Births. Our niece is set to arrive any day now or around the 26th. We can't wait to have another little precious girl in our family. We know that Peter and Betsy will again be great parents and Sam will be a great big brother. If you want to see some of the latest and cutest on Sam visit http://the-rice-pad.blogspot.com/.

Everything Soup. I was never a big fan of soup growing up but I have discovered some great soups and my crock pot in the last year. So I am excited that it is cooling down and I can use the crock pot for some delicious soups and come home to a ready to eat meal!

Reading. It is such a joy to be able to read again and not for classes. I should have figured this out earlier but I finally started picking books up again this month. I have also decided that I am going to focus on a couple books of the Bible ever month. In September I read Galatians and Ester. This month I am on Ruth and I think I am going through I and II Corinthians. I love the books about some of the famous women in the Bible. So inspiring for me.

So here is to a great October full of fun, adventures and all sorts of pumpkin and warmth inside. Maybe we will even carve a pumpkin this year since we have been talking about it for 4 years!

SEPTEMBER

So I know the month is half over but there is so much to be excited for in September so I decided to share some of those things:

Summer weather turns to fall and hopefully it will cool down a bit here! This is crazy for the girl that love summer to admit but I am ready for some cooler weather!

Exciting changes for the us. I started a new job the first week in September. The first week was an adventure and so far we both like this new change!

Parties...its actually a wedding shower at the end of the month but I am excited to go to Cleveland for a weekend to celebrate Amanda's wedding and to hang out with my best friend.

Training. Chris and I are thinking of training for a half marathon. This is just in the thought process but I am getting excited about it. It would be fun to run but finding the time has been a challenge.

Expecting...not me but my wonderful brother and sister-in-law are expecting a little girl in October and we are all excited to meet her!

Mandy's Wedding Shower weekend. I am going to mention this twice because the count down is down to 15 days and I can't wait to see her. Its been way to long. Spending time with Mandy is such a blessing and blast for both of us!

Birthdays!! At the end of this month it is my birthday! I never was a big birthday person but this year I seem to be really excited about my birthday.

Exciting Church changes...we have really enjoyed being a part of Marriage Foundations. We have learned a lot for a base for our marriage and really appreciate Alan and Emilie and Spencer and Gracia. What a blessing that has been. But we have moved on to Adventures in Marriage. This is certainly an adventure but I can't imagine a better person to spend this adventure with. I love Chris!

Reconnecting after summer. this summer has been busy and has been fun to reconnect with people after the summer of lazy days, evenings at home playing tennis and basketball, working out and friends and family time!

I am going to try to do this every month...lets see how it goes!!

Ode to Amanda

In December, my best friend Amanda Lynn Cochran is getting married. She's marrying Stefan Schaefer and then moving to Detroit, Michigan. So this is an Ode to Amanda.

Mandy and I met freshmen year of college for me at Elon University. We met in our Statistics class. About two weeks into class I sat down next to her and we started talking. We had seen each other at IV or somehow she decided that I looked interesting...haha! After class we went to Acorn for lunch. After about an hour she had to go to class. She gave me a big hug and determined that we were friends and that we should hang out again. Little did I know that our friendship would blossom into what it is today.

My next memory of Mandy was a couple weeks later on my birthday. My birthday freshmen year fell on the same weekend as parent's weekend. The awful time when everyone's parents come to campus except for yours. My dad was in Ecuador and my roommate reminded me daily that her parents were coming. I was pretty miserable. Oh and I was homesick/cultural shocked and ready to go home. Mandy found out it was my birthday and decided to make me cookie cake and decorate it with chocolate balls. She picked me up from work and we went to celebrate with some other friends at her house. The chocolate balls did not end very well on top of the cake so we took them off, put them in a Ziploc bag and labeled them poopola. The bag then went on some guys front porch.

Over my freshmen year Mandy led a Bible study for me, Danielle, Heidi and Nancy! We had a grand time spending time together, digging into God's word, being introduced to some Burlington's must including Cook Out and La Fiesta and playing some amazing pranks. At the end of freshmen year we all went our ways for the summer but we all staying in touch. Sophomore year started and Danielle, Heidi and I lived together. We weren't able to keep Bible Study going but our friendship remained.

Throughout sophomore year Mandy and I grew closer. We went through frustrations, questions, long conversations, complaints about work and school, crazy professors, a couple pranks, and encouraging each other in our faith. Mandy helped me endure several broken relationships, bronchitis and finally getting to the end of the school year. That summer I lived in DC and she lived in Cleveland but we endured through long cell phone calls and a couple visits! We came back to Elon and lived together for Mandy's last semester at Elon. At this point Chris and I started dating. In January Mandy graduated and much to my dismay moved back to Cleveland. Which gave me the sudden need to go to the cold North several times in the next few months and years.

Our friendship continued as we talked for hours on the phone, emailed, planned my wedding after I got engaged in September of my senior year. Mandy came for a weekend and helped me find my wedding dress. We also both cried, laughed, vented and trusted God for long months as we dealt with frustrations with life, relationships, looking for jobs.....etc....etc AND of course the many joys from life, relationships, finding jobs....etc...etc.

On June 6th, 2009 Mandy stood by me as Chris and I got married and I can't wait until 12/11/10 when I get to return the favor. Amanda is one of the most amazing, passionate, loving, fun people I know. She always gives her all into everything she does, whether its work or friendships, her relationship with Stefan or her relationship with God. She is creative and so very organized. There is always a splash of green, red or orange in life when Mandy is involved. She has to match her belt and shoes. She has a awesome sense of style and always is doing something fun with her clothes. And if you have ever met Mandy you know that she is drop dead gorgeous inside and out. She has a beautiful smile and a laugh that is contagious. I know that God has great plans for Stefan and Amanda as they move onto the next step in their relationship and to a new city. God Bless and lots of love from Costa Rica or the Blond Mexican!

Even more on God's Blessings

In my last post I mentioned God's blessings and it seems like he just is piling it on right now...which Chris and I love.

1. I GOT A JOB!!! A good friend of Chris and mine just started at SafGard/SRMax a couple weeks ago and he mentioned that they needed someone who speaks Spanish which brought me into the thought process. In the matter of a week I submitted my resume, had an interview and got a job. All the glory goes to God.
2. Chris' annual review went well at work and he got a raise. I think Chris deserves a lot of praise for the job he has done. He has worked long hours, giving up his weekend to work and working some really late nights. I am so proud of him for all his hard work!

3. We got to spend a great weekend with Peter, Betsy and Sam and ??? in Northern Virginia. We had a great time walking/running with Sam and Betsy Friday, talking for long hours with Peter and Betsy, helping in picking the name for our little niece that's coming in October and going to a baseball game. Sam absolutely loved watching the guys HIT IT and baseball game. It was such a great blessing to see them!

4. If hurricane Earl doesn't decide to ruin our labor day weekend we will be heading to the beach on Friday with Will, Laurie, Ben, Becca and Albert. So excited for this weekend and the beach!

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow.

God's Many Blessings

It seems like the last few days and weeks have been filled with God's many blessings. As I have looked for future opportunities for work, I have stated that I trust God but many times I want to control the outcome myself. A couple weeks ago I found out that yet again a door had been closed and I hit a rock wall...I knew nothing and knew I had to let go. Then came the blessings:
1. the first blessing was the following Sunday in the form of a sermon by Chris Lewis at Westover. It made me realize that God deserved all the glory and it wasn't about me among other things.
2. the following Sunday was blessing number two. When Don Miller preached on not hearing God's thunder or anything from God and wondering why our prayers weren't answered. I sat in two services in a row tears streaming down my face knowing that God was speaking to me. As Don asked the first question from king David God my God why have you forsaken me, I was fully aware that he was speaking to me. I heard a pastor quote my exact words to God from days earlier and to Chris so many days since then. If you don't go to Westover or even if you do I recommend listening to these two sermons. You can find them at http://www.westoverchurch.com/onlineresources/worshipservices. The sermon titles were: The Storm of Glory and Where is the Thunder Now.
3. This weekend was blessing number three. I have seen God take care of me and my family numerous times but never have I seen it so clearly as I did yesterday. I went to the gym in the morning with Chris, then to the bank, then to the store for weekly shopping, then back home to drop everything off, then to the farmers market with friends, then to Target and finally to Harris Teeter to get their salad bar for lunch. When I pulled into the parking lot and parked I heard and felt something drop below my car. I was hungry and thought it was my imagination. I got back in my car to go home and started to back up to the awful sound coming from underneath the car so I pulled forward and decided to look at it again. In the rain I walked around and found nothing. I called Chris but he was at the movies. I then called AAA and they sent a tow truck. I went and ate my salad and some Feeney's for some comfort and called my dear friend Kaitlin. She calmed me down and prayed for me. Nothing had me prepared for what my tow truck friend had to say. At the very moment when I parked the right front Axle on my car broke. As soon as I pulled the car forward onto the tow truck it collapsed. Had this happened on the road or interstate, I could have been killed or in serious trouble, my car would have been destroyed. He told me repeatedly that God took care of me and protected me today. I was in shock. He told me to sit in the truck and he would get it all hooked up to take it to get fixed. As I got in, I knew God was there, two Bible's lay on the front seat. Once we decided where to take the car, I talked with my new friend and found out he does a tow truck business as a ministry to help people and bless them. That was awesome. My car is now being fixed and I am safe and sound!!

God is so faithful and it is so true He proves himself over and over and over again.