Katie's shower

Katie R is getting married! Her bridesmaids threw her a shower this past Sunday, and it was a ton of fun, thanks girls for throwing it! I am so happy for Katie and Matt and their wedding here in a few weeks :)

the day we rode the Monon

On my first day off of work, I talked Ryan into riding the entirety of the Monon Trail. Turns out we rode about 30+ miles which is pretty cool. But it was a great ride, and something I've wanted to do since we moved here to Indy.

Our trusty bikes!

We stopped for burgers about half way through

And we finished!

Holy cow what a ride! Great first day of unemployment, tomorrow the real work begins :)

Garvin wedding

Angela and Hoy were married this weekend! The ceremony and reception were both outside, and it was a beautiful day.

Congrats guys!!

the canal

We have had some beautiful evenings lately! I'm sure those of you in other parts of the country have as well, but here is my tribute to the nice Indiana fall evenings. Last week I took a long walk around the canal right before sunset to just walk, pray, think, and get out of the house for a little bit. I happened to grab my camera, and snap a few pics of things that just stood out to me that evening. Nothing spectacular, just simple beauty, thanks for taking a look :)

I love this old church, we used to live right across from it, and I loved that it was part of our view every day.

Water hitting metal at the north end of the canal

The sun reflecting off the fountain

purple flowers.

I thought these looked pretty neat with the sunlight

There were lots of vegetables at the urban garden

And this sunflower is fading, a sure sign that fall has come.

Purdue v. Ball State

We headed up to West Lafayette on Saturday for the football game! Ryan's brothers go Purdue and Ball St, so it was fun to go see the rival schools.

It was pretty good game, Purdue won! It is always great to be back up in West Lafayette, and we always try to stop by some of our favorite food and coffee places. We met up with Brad Martz, and his beautiful girlfriend at Vienna (hello vanilla latte! yum!). Afterwards we stopped by Kara and Ryan's house to see their new puppy. So adorable. We had dinner at Von's Dough Shop, the calzones are just as delicious. Although, Ryan and I were quickly reminded how we gained weight so easily in college... And lastly, every trip to Lafayette should end with a bonfire and hot cider at the Speichers.

Some things never change :)

wedding time

Amy and Michael's wedding!

Behind on recipes!

I have been coming across quite a few delicious recipes lately and I haven’t been sharing!  So sorry, but here is a start:

German Pancakes.

I used to love these when I was little, and they are best with homemade syrup.

 http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/German-Pancake

Hot Corn Dip.

I brought this to a cookout, and it was a big hit.  Very very good!

 http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/02/hot-corn-dip.html

Creamy Pesto Alfredo.

For all of you with basil plants that grow much faster than you can eat, give this a try to use some of it up.

 Pesto Sauce

Roasted Tomatoes and Cipollini.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/09/roasted-tomatoes-and-cipollini/

The Draft

2nd annual bible study fantasy football draft.  I know, we’re intense.

A Wedding and a Cookout

This weekend we were able to spend time with Ryan’s parents on Friday, see a friend off to Costa Rica, and be back in Cincinnati for a few days to celebrate a wedding, and enjoy a cookout with friends.  What a gorgeous weekend! 

I was reminded this weekend of God’s faithfulness in the midst of the small chaos that is our life right now.  Years ago in college I had the opportunity to spend a summer in France doing ministry with Agape (Campus Crusade for Christ in France), and it forever changed my life.  I hate to sound dramatic here (even though Ryan would smile and say I am usually dramatic :) ), but there was one moment in particular when I felt that God spoke to my heart and forever changed my view of God’s love for the world. (I even remember where I was sitting, what I was reading, and the time of day…)  Somehow, even just for that one moment a lot of things made sense, and I knew God was calling me to something.

I know that Ryan has had similar experiences in his life as well.  After spending time reading through scripture over and over, listening to the advice of others and lots and lots of prayer, it’s becoming more clear that right now, New Zealand is that something.

How faithful is God to plant that small seed five years ago, and carry through today.  Through school, exams, graduation, jobs, student loans, marriage, moving, friends, family – all of it, God’s desire is greater.  I know that a life can’t necessarily be built on a “feeling” in a “moment”, but I am thankful for that moment of clarity.  And even more than that moment I am thankful to be able to look back on God’s faithfulness over the past five years.

There have been a lot of hard days lately as everything starts to become more concrete.  Friends and family, as much as they love us, don’t always understand.  Packing up and selling our stuff, giving away our beloved cat, saying goodbye to a paycheck, etc…  But it has caused us to rely more and more on the Lord, which is an awesome thing, even when it’s hard and I honestly just don’t want to.  I know that God is faithful, and it makes me glad that we will know that more and more over the coming months.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
      How unsearchable his judgments,
      and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
      Or who has been his counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God,
      that God should repay him?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
      To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Romans 11:33-36

 

Sorry this didn’t end up being much about a wedding or a cookout :)

Mini Golf

Last week our city group had a fun night.  We went to Rustic Gardens, and played some mini golf!  Now, I wouldn’t share just any putt-putt place with you on here, Rustic Gardens is very unique.  Literally mini golf, with real grass and everything!

We had a great time, and the course was definitely a challenge.  I, unfortunately, came in last because of a very ridiculous wishing well.  Check it out sometime, they are open through November!

Not New Zealand related…

So, right now you can buy Milano cookies in the dollar bins at Target!  Um, yes please!

Office reaction

This is how my co-workers feel about me leaving my job…

I guess it’s good to be wanted?  :)

So where is Welly?

Or Wellington that is.  Here is New Zealand…

 

And there in the middle (south tip of the north island) is Wellington!

Thought it might be helpful if anyone is scratching their heads wondering where in the world is New Zealand :)

STINT Briefing

We have been pretty MIA for the month of August after being in New York, and then heading to STINT Briefing up in Chicago for a few days and seeing family. I recently announced that Ryan and I are going to be changing things up here soon. We are moving to New Zealand to work for Campus Crusade for Christ in Wellington! Our focus will be ministering to college students at Victoria University.

At STINT Briefing we spent time in training and getting to know another of our team mates, Max. The rest of our team is already in Wellington, and we will hopefully be joining them in just a few months! STINT is what Crusade calls their “short term international” interns. We had a great time with everyone going to our part of the world, the south pacific (Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia).

And had some fun with the crazy Fijians…

Of course we had to get a Fiji and New Zealand picture. The entire Fiji team is from Miami University, which is pretty cool. They are a bunch of college friends with a shared vision of reaching the lost in Fiji together.

And of course, Purdue pride. Stu and Blake are headed to Berlin, Germany for the next year. And Justin will be coaching the team to Slovenia. After having so many friends do STINT or join staff with Crusade, it is crazy to actually be a part of this world now!

That’s all for now!