NYC weekend

It's hard to believe, but our time here in Lancaster is drawing to a close - we can't believe we have less than 3 weeks left here! One of our last hurrahs on the east coast was a trip into the big city this past weekend. We found a great hotwire deal on a hotel, so we took the train in and had a wonderful time walking around, eating, watching people and shopping. A few memorable stops: Magnolia's for their incredible cupcakes, Sara Beth's for a delicious brunch, Villa Mosconi for the best manicotti in the world and our new favorite find, Supermac, a teeny tiny restaurant with a huge selection of macaroni and cheese dishes. My wonderful husband also surprised me with a trip to the flagship Louis Vuitton store on 5th Avenue, where he let me pick out my first LV bag. We were also extremely blessed to be able to help a couple of people in true need, immediately after we asked the Lord for such an opportunity. All in all, it was a weekend we'll never forget.

For those of you who don't know, my dad and brother leave today for a two month adventure around the world. A missions-minded organization has hired Austin to shoot pictures/video of orphanages and God's creation, and my dad gets to go along as his assistant. My dad is an amazing photographer and as he passed that gene down to Austin, this trip is not only going to provide incredible father/son time, it will also offer unparalleled photographic opportunities. They will be in 15 countries over the next 8 weeks... this is allowing me quite an opportunity to trust the Lord with two of the people who mean the most to me. PLEASE join us in prayers for safety, health and discernment during all of their travels. You can check out their really cool travel blog for daily updates.

We're leaving for Phoenix on Friday, so please keep Brian in your prayers as he prepares for his interview. We'll keep you posted!

Interviews!

We found out this morning that Brian got an interview to the ortho program in Phoenix, AZ! He was able to visit this program several months ago and it quickly became his number one choice, so we are absolutely THRILLED that they extended him an interview. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN has also offered him an interview and he may receive interviews from other schools over the coming weeks, but as we have been praying specifically for Phoenix, we are breathing much easier to have heard from them.

I flew back to Lancaster last week so I'm grateful I could be with Brian when he heard the exciting news. My parents have been with us for the past week and we've had a great time showing them around the area - our week included trips to Philadelphia, DC and Gettysburg. Brian's parents are flying out tomorrow so we can't wait to introduce them to all of our favorite spots! The Phoenix interview is on October 6, so please keep Brian (and the decision-makers) in your prayers over the next few weeks. We know ultimately the choice is in the Lord's hands, so we trust that His will be done. Thanks for celebrating with us and for all of your prayers along the way - we'll keep you updated!

Running the race

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about running.

When we got to Lancaster, Brian decided to start an exercise routine. A beautiful trail, a little more than 1 mile long, surrounds our apartment complex, and he has faithfully been running it twice 5 days a week. Let me say that I am SO proud of him for doing this - it is NOT easy. I've joined him for the entire run a few times, but usually I cut in only for his last lap. That's because I hate to run. I will gladly do the elliptical for 90 minutes, but ask me to run 2 miles and I can barely make it.

I watched both the men's and women's marathons in the Olympics this year, and when the runners entered the stadium and neared the finish line, I was brought to tears. Being able to relate (a very little) to the pain their bodies must be in, and the relief of being almost finished, and the encouragement they must draw from the crowd - it's helped me view running in a new light. It's also brought Hebrews 12:1 to mind:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

My dad often reminds his Sunday School class that the race we are running is NOW. We are not preparing for a race we are going to run someday - we are currently, this very minute, running the race that the Lord marked out for each of us before the beginning of time. And we have a great cloud of unseen witnesses, cheering us on as we make God-honoring decisions, even if no one is there to see with earthly eyes. I'm not going to try to predict the return of the Lord, but for the past year, with the help of my dad, I've been closely following world events. I truly believe we are living in the last days. The finish line is near. NOW is the time (and I'm saying this to myself) to throw off the sin that would hold me back from wholeheartedly following the agenda of my God. NOW is the time to forget myself - to discipline myself to HIS glory. I want to run like I have never run before. No matter if I'm tired or weary - NOW is the time to show perseverance, to push myself and to end the race running with all of my might.

I love all of you fellow runners - remember that we are in this race of life together - God has given us to each other to be a source of encouragement and strength when we grow faint. On that note, I want to share an incredibly powerful video with you. My brother, Austin, is working on a web site for a new book called The Bravehearted Gospel and the clip is posted on that site. Click on the link and then on "video" - I guarantee you'll be ready to hit the trail hard when it's over!

A hard decision

I was very disturbed to hear on AFR (American Family Radio) this morning that Hallmark cards has recently announced that it will soon begin selling same-sex wedding cards, in order to satisfy "consumer demand." Although gay marriages are only legal in TWO of our 50 states, Hallmark is trying to be relevant to as many people as possible. Here's an article with more details and a picture of one of the cards we will soon see in stores.

I wrestled for a while with what I should do, because I love Hallmark cards. They're all I ever buy. I can always find exactly what I'm looking for whenever I visit one of their stores. But I don't want my money, thought it may not amount to much, supporting an organization that is actively promoting homosexuality. So I just sent Hallmark an e-mail, through afa.net, to let them know that I will never again buy a Hallmark card. I'm not happy about this and I hope they'll reconsider their decision, but until they do, I don't feel that buying their products is a wise use of the money that the Lord has given me to steward.

On the same note, about a month ago, McDonald's helped sponsor the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade and also paid $20,000 to become an official "organizational ally and corporate partner" of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. When AFA asked McDonald's to remain neutral in this culture war (not support OR fight it), the company refused, stating that they will continue to proudly support the gay agenda. We don't eat at McDonald's often anyway, but I've had my last happy meal unless they change their stance. It's really very sad, but Brian and I are trying to honor the Lord and His precepts in ALL areas of our life, even if it means giving our dollars to Wendy's instead of McDonald's.

The past few weeks...

I have been too busy to blog, and I apologize. I'll try not to let it happen again!

I am currently in Wichita, working for the next three weeks on the collateral for a big wedding (I had to leave all of my supplies here since I couldn't fit them in our car during the move). Poor Brian is now stuck in Lancaster, all alone, so we are hoping the time goes by quickly until we can be together again. 

Before I left, we had the chance to visit the Betchers (Brian's aunt, uncle and cousins) who live in Leesburg, Virginia, which is a suburb of DC. The drive to Leesburg took us through Gettysburg, so we briefly stopped and walked around the huge exhibit they have at the site of the battleground. It is one of the most extensive, impressive displays I have ever seen. We are hoping to go back before we leave the area because we could have easily spent the entire day wandering around the museum and driving to all of the different sites on the battlegrounds.

Since the Betchers live so far from the midwest, Brian hadn't been out to see them for years, so we had a great time getting a glimpse into their world on the east coast. They took us into DC on Saturday, where we went to the International Spy Museum (SO fun!), a presidential exhibit at the Smithsonian, the White House, the Capitol and several other memorials. I had never been to DC before, so it was really fun for me to see in person all of the buildings I have only ever seen in history books. We also got to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics with the Betchers - I'm sure everyone has seen it by now, but if not, here's a link to the entire first hour. Absolutely amazing. 

After an overnight delay in Memphis where she had to spend the night all by herself, we picked my brave sister Lesley up at the Baltimore airport and brought her back to Lancaster. She spent a week with us before we both flew back to Wichita together. We had a really fun time together, but unfortunately don't have many pictures to show for it since we are both very bad at asking strangers to take pictures for us. :) We spent a good deal of time at the largest mall on the east coast, picked peaches and apples in an orchard, tried our best to spot Jon and Kate plus 8 (they live in Lancaster County), found the best pretzels in the world and ate more chocolate than we should have in Hershey, PA. I love having a sister.

Until I go back to Lancaster in September, we won't have anything too exciting going on, but I'll try to take a break from all of my work and post some random happenings or deep thoughts. :)

Chapman family update

In case anyone didn't see Steven Curtis Chapman and his family speak on Good Morning America today, here's a link to the video clip. They are all so genuine and such a testimony to the hope of the gospel and of heaven. The family will also be on Larry King Live, for the full hour, on Thursday, Aug. 7.

Unruffling our feathers

During our drive out to Lancaster, Brian and I watched The Bucket List, which is a pretty funny movie about two guys who have cancer and decide to make, and then fulfill, a list of all the things they want to do before they kick the bucket. When we got to Lancaster, we made a "bucket list" of our own - a list of things we wanted to do before we leave the area in October. One of Brian's favorite childhood vacations was driving up the East Coast with his family and staying at bed & breakfasts along the way. Since I have never experienced one, we added a b&b to the list and started researching our options. We ended up choosing The Ruffled Duck, a cute little b&b in Oxford, MD, right on the coast of the Chesapeake Bay.

The Ruffled Duck is owned by the sister of some of our friends from Wichita, so we had been hearing wonderful things about it for a couple of years. It was everything we hoped it would be - a quiet old home with lots of character, overlooking the water in a quaint little town. We started Saturday off with a gourmet 3-course breakfast and then headed over, via a car ferry, to the nearby town of St. Michael's. After walking the main street and window shopping all morning, we spent the afternoon sailing around the Chesapeake Bay (the boat was operated by an oyster catcher, so we got to see him "drudge" some oysters). We had dinner that evening in the nearby town of Easton, where we got to try Smith Island cake, which is named for a local island and was just declared the Maryland state dessert. It was an impressive stack of nine thin layers of yellow cake with chocolate frosting between - here's the recipe if you ever want to attempt it. 

Sunday morning we enjoyed another delicious breakfast and spent the morning exploring Oxford by bike. For our drive back to Lancaster, we chose a different route so we could visit Annapolis, the state capitol of Maryland. The highway took us over the Bay Bridge, which is an absolutely unreal structure, 4. 3 miles long and 190 feet high, that crosses the Chesapeake. I was very thankful that Brian was driving because I couldn't have done it - I could hardly even look out the window because we were so high. Annapolis was just past the bridge, right on the water and absolutely gorgeous, with flowers and greenery everywhere. We spent most of our time in the Historic District, where we saw the capitol building, the Naval Academy, and boats and yachts everywhere!

Thanks for praying for our friends the Briscoes, who I mentioned in my post last week. Holly and Addison have had a great week and are progressing well. Unfortunately this week I have another request to share about some friends from Wichita. On Sunday, Clark and Erin (Davis) Moeller were on their way back to Wichita from Colorado in a soft top jeep. Right outside of Pueblo, there was a malfunction in a mechanism on their rear axle, causing the jeep to flip several times before being stopped by the guard rail. They were both pinned underneath. Erin's right wrist is intact, but she has lost everything but her pinky on her right hand. Clark is in ICU with several broken vertebrae, a fractured wrist and lots of gashes on his head. There are also concerns of potential infections in both because of all the gravel and dirt found in their wounds. Neither should be alive, so their families are praising the Lord for saving them, but healing and adjusting will be difficult, especially for Erin with the loss of her right hand. I know they and their families would appreciate your prayers during this time.