Ivory

This is my new Casio CDP 100. It has 88, fully weighted, glorious ivory keys and the sound of a grand piano. To say that this is the most exciting purchase I have made in a long time would be an understatement. Since moving to Norman in 2006, I have had very few opportunities to play the piano. The dorms and the little apartments I have inhabited have not exactly been conducive to musicianship. To be honest, our current home is a little small for the new addition to our living room, but it is a sacrifice I am willing to make for the present. My skill level is nowhere near what it used to be, but I am hoping that my fingers will catch up to my mind in no time. The best thing about my Casio CDP 100? It is a $700 digital piano that I got for $350 dollars. Thank you, Guitar Center. Thank you, everyone who gave me graduation money (even though I told you not to).

How is student teaching, you might ask? I couldn't be happier. I have a classroom full of 9 beautiful middle schoolers, five of whom have Downs Syndrome. The classroom teacher is so kind and helpful. She lets me use all of her resources, which is extremely useful because I started making all of the lesson plans and teaching this week. I love my "job" and am becoming more convinced every day that this is exactly where God wants me to be.

In Christ alone,
Mary Rachel

Recently, I have been reminded of my love for writing. My high school journal was full of poems and short stories, and even this past summer, I began again to fill the pages of my journal with thoughts and imaginings as they would come. The busyness of everyday life often prevents me from having the time I would like to sit down and pick up a pen. In fact, the only writing I've really done lately has been in this blog. I have pondered the idea of one day returning to school for a Professional Writing degree. This would not be any time soon, but I do like the idea of it. I feel certain that I could never make a career out of writing. Only the best of the best do that. Besides, I am going into a profession that I love even more than writing. But it would be nice to write on the side. The problem is, I fear that my writings may just be mediocre. It's hard to be look honestly at your own work. People may tell you that you are really talented, but are you really? Maybe they are just being nice. When it comes down to it, the only opinions that matter anyway are those of the editor if you want to get something published. But whether I ever get anything published or not, I'd like to put my pen to the page more often. And so, at risk of my own embarrassment, I may start posting more of my writings.

Hacked

To be honest, this has not been the best week ever.

On Tuesday night, I received one of those phone calls from my mom- you know, the kind you always dread. She said that my Nana's husband had suddenly died. This is the same Nana whose house flooded earlier in the week and who had the stomach virus on top of it all. Her husband, B.L., was not technically my grandpa because she remarried a few years ago, but we had all come to love him very much because of the way he loves my Nana. Thankfully, Andrew was able to take a sick day at work so that we could go down for the funeral on Friday. I was amazed at how well Nana seems to be handling everything. Truly, the peace of God "surpasses all understanding". Despite the circumstances, we both enjoyed getting to see so much of my family, and some entertaining things occurred while we were there. Here are just three, all of which come from Nana's hilarious brothers and sisters:

*-Aunt Mary (comes up to Andrew and puts her arm around him): "Well my goodness, we just have a lot of catching up to do! I haven't seen you since you were just a little boy!"
-Andrew: "Oh, uh... yeah I guess we do..." (Have I ever seen this woman in my life??)
-Aunt Mary: "Oh dear, you're not Timothy, are you?"

*Aunt Viola (speaking of having her home remodeled): "We had those bricks laid...you know, by one of those people who lays bricks."

*A huge bowl of Velveeta cheese and Rotel was sitting on the counter, waiting to be melted to make cheese dip. Everyone was fixing his plate, when Uncle Harlin came to the bowl.
-Uncle Harlin gets two huge chunks of cheese out of the bowl and piles it on his plate with some Rotel tomatoes on top.
-Dad: "I think they are going to melt that to make it into cheese dip."
-Uncle Harlin: "Oh, were they?"
-Dad: "Yeah, but I guess it's whatever you want..."
-Uncle Harlin: "Oh, well ok." And sits down to enjoy his snack.

I ran 20 miles yesterday. It was not awful. I actually rather enjoy the solitude of beginning a run in the 5:00 hour on a Sunday morning while the rest of the world sleeps. Call me crazy.

Our bank account was hacked into this weekend. Fortunately, the bank called to report some "unusual account activity." We will be able to get all of our money back by calling the fraud department tomorrow when the banks reopen. Some World of Warcraft nerd bought about $400 worth of gaming equipment on our debit card. Apparently, what people do these days is put card readers into machines so that when you pump gas or pay for groceries, they can steal your card number and PIN information. The world continues to astonish me with its depravity. People may not be sinning any more than they were hundreds of years ago, but they sure are finding more creative ways to do it.

We got a nibble on the car this week. The guy is actually coming to look at it today, which is the most interested anyone has been. Last night, I was at the car wash with my dad, trying to clean my Beetle and get it ready to show. Let me preface this by saying that we had gotten the top replaced a couple of months ago and had not tried it out yet (because the dealer told us to wait at least 30 days). We decided to put the top down, just to make sure everything was in mint condition. Well of course, one of the back windows would not go back up. I had to call the potential buyers this morning to let them know about this situation. They were very understanding and are still coming to see the car. I know that God always does these things for our good, but sometimes I really do get annoyed with the timing of them and the way they seem to happen one right after the other.

To end on a good note, I have raised all of the money I need for the Peru trip! Andrew still has a little way to go, but people have been so gracious, and God is continually reminding us that He always provides for His people.

In Christ alone,
Mary Rachel

Grace Upon Grace

As I am writing this, I am looking outside to a quiet sunny day with temperatures in the 40's. What a nice change from the bitter cold we have been having! According to the weather reporters, this has been the coldest winter Oklahoma has had in many years. A few days ago, the wind chill was eleven degrees below zero. There are still remnants of snow from the Christmas Eve blizzard, but those should be gone by the end of this week. After experiencing the past few weeks, I have become more convinced that I would be absolutely miserable living up north in the winters. I don't know how people do it. Just shoveling snow every morning would be annoying enough, aside from the weather itself! However, my perspective on temperatures has changed significantly over the past few weeks- I used to shiver in 40-degree weather; now it seems nice!

Thankfully for both of us, Andrew's busiest time of year at work is officially over. The 70-hour weeks were wearing on both of us, and we almost did not know what to do with ourselves when he got home at 6:30 yesterday! People always comment, "Oh, well he must be making great money!" Which is true. But after all of this, I can see with clearer eyes why so many rich people are unhappy. The quest for more and more earthly riches leaves people empty of energy and void of the hope that genuine relationships bring.

A brief update on marathon training: I am right on track for where I am supposed to be at this point. I ran 18 miles on Sunday, which is 2 miles more than I have ever run. I felt great after running 16 miles last week. This week, I did not feel so great. In fact, I could hardly move. I sat in the bathtub for at least an hour afterward. I am feeling more confident every day, though, that running a marathon is actually possible for me! No one ever said the training would be easy...

A highlight of this week was a Progressive Dinner that we attended on Friday night. The group consisted of friends from our church (UFC), RUF, and Christ the King (the PCA church in Norman). We hosted the main course (along with the Greer's) and went to two other houses for the rest of the meal. The evening was laid back and refreshing. Two new couples came who have started attending our church recently, and Andrew and I already love spending time with them. Their names are Brian and Amy, and Seth and Rhiannon. Seth and Rhiannon have two little girls. Both couples are just a few years older than us. I think we would both say that the thing we will miss most about Norman (beside our church) is the relationships. God has been so gracious to provide sweet friends who have been with us since the beginning of college (Katherine and Mitchell), as well as new friends through church (Cliff and Nichole) and RUF (the Serven's). These are the things that really make leaving difficult.

Yesterday, I had the worst day I have had in a long time. A many of you know, I started working for a family who has twin boys with autism, as well as two other kids. My understanding of the job was that I would mostly be working with the twins, doing behavior intervention and tutoring. I knew that I would help the other kids with homework some, and I was more than fine with accomplishing these tasks. Well, the job has not exactly worked out like I thought it would. To make a long story short, I have basically been nannying. Many of you probably know my thoughts on nannying (it is not my job to raise other people's kids), but yesterday just confirmed them a hundred times more. I was supposed to go to half-day kindergarten with the twins to sub for one of their aides, which was fine because I sub in similar situations often. I showed up at the school on time, waited around for half an hour, and finally received a text message from the boys' mother about 15 minutes after the bell had rung, saying that the boys were sick and would not be at school. Okay. So, I headed to their house a couple hours later (despite the fact that the boys were sick) to do their behavior interventions. When I arrived, Mom was not at home. Sam, one of the twins, was doubled over on the bed because his stomach was hurting so much. I tried to get some tutoring done, but I quickly saw that it was going to be of no avail on such a day. Shortly thereafter, Dad came home with Jenni (the oldest girl). Dad went straight to bed (he was sick, too), and Jenni threw up and also went straight to bed. A few minutes later, the housekeeper returned home with Landon (the middle child), who barely made it in the door before throwing up all over the floor. Poor kid. He went to bed. I was sent to Target to fetch some "pear sauce", and after coming back unsuccessfully, I was sent once again and told to look with the baby foods. I found the item, headed back to the house, and was sent out yet again to retrieve anti-nausea medicine. I won't go into the rest of the day in detail, but to sum it up: I ran errands, held trashcans while kids threw up in them, cleaned up puke, ran around the house getting stuff for Dad, and finally was sent to deposit a check in their bank on my way home. Mom finally returned home after six and a half hours. I did feel sorry for the kids. It is never fun being sick (and they need their mom to care for them when they are!). But I left the house yesterday with an intense feeling that this is NOT what I signed up for.

I hate ending on a bad note. It really has been a good week. Yesterday marked six months of marriage for Andrew and I, and what a glorious six months we have enjoyed. God has truly provided "grace upon grace."

In Christ alone,
Mary Rachel

Grace Upon Grace by Sandra McCracken

In every station, new trials and troubles call for more grace than I can afford
Where can I go but to my dear Savior for mercy that pours from boundless stores?

Grace upon grace! Every sin repaired, every void restored, you will find Him there
In every turning He will prepare you with grace upon grace.

He made a way for the fallen to rise; perfect in glory and sacrifice
In sweet communion my need He supplies
He saves and keeps and guards my life.

To Thee I run now with great expectation to honor you with trust like a child
My hopes and desires seek a new destination
And all that You ask your grace will provide.

Grace upon grace! Every sin repaired, every void restored, you will find Him there
In every turning He will prepare you with grace upon grace.

Looking Back

What were YOU doing 10 years ago today? I remember sitting in my parents' car on New Year's Eve. I was in sixth grade, and we were on our way to the annual New Year's Eve church party. I was thinking about how different my life would be if Y2K brought about the changes that many people expected it would. Of course, when the clock struck midnight, we rang in 2000 and everything was exactly the same as it had always been. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday that this happened, but an entire decade has already passed. Although not without its downs, the first decade of the 21st century has been a good one for me. I always think it is amazing how some things can seem so dreadful at the time, but looking back over the years, I remember almost all good things.

2009 has been a big year, for obvious reasons. Andrew and I got married and faced all the changes that event brought, including settling into a new home together and combining bank accounts. Andrew got his first "real" job in February and has been working there since. I graduated in December. 2009 has been memorable for some maybe not-so-obvious reasons, as well. I think Andrew would agree in my saying that this has been the year of car trouble. Aside from his wreck a little over a year ago, my car was vandalized for the second time since I've had it and has had several other problems (none of which have been cheap to fix because it is a VW). Oh, and it has been for sale for SIX MONTHS. On a brighter note, we became much more involved in our church this year, which has been a huge blessing. We have loved seeing UFC grow and change over the past year and couldn't be more happy that the Lord led us to such a Christ-centered church and allowed us to build such genuine relationships. Our nephew, Jack, was born this year. Andrew decided he wants to go to seminary. All in all, I would say it has been a year of growing. We have both learned a lot about each other- learning to love and serve each other better and trying to please God in all we do. The first few months of the year were rough. I was on medicine that was making me crazy, and this was making Andrew crazy consequently. But I can honestly say that the last five have probably been the best months of my life. God has been good.

Last night, we rang in the new year with our sweet friends, Cliff and Nichole. We had some traditional New Year's snacks while enjoying great conversations. We also played two games: Ticket to Ride and Bananagrams. I liked Bananagrams better because I tend to think more with the right side of my brain. Andrew liked Ticket to Ride better because he wins every time. Last night was a reminder of what a joy the whole year has been. It ended in much the same way it began- surrounded by blessings and friendship.

I'm looking forward to what 2010 will bring. It will most likely be a year of change for us, mainly because we are probably moving in the fall. I'll start a new job teaching, and Andrew will begin seminary classes, Lord willing. It is comforting to know that God will be in the same place He has always been in the midst of all of our changes.

I used to make about 10 New Year's Resolutions every year, but then I would forget what they all were and not really keep any of them. This year, I'm trying to keep it simple.
*Read the bible all the way through. I started this last year and am looking forward to finishing this year.
*Memorize at least one bible verse/passage per week. I used to be really good about this back when my parents made Tim and I do it every week, but I have not been so diligent lately and would like to rebuild this habit.
*Wear my retainer every night. Seems like a stupid thing maybe, but my parents paid a lot of money for my straight teeth, so I'm thinking it would be good to keep them that way.
*Run a marathon.

To end, I'll leave my favorite New Year's poem. May you all have a blessed 2010, and love and be loved in return.

In Christ alone,
Mary Rachel

Recipe for a Good New Year
To leave the old with a burst of song
To recall the right and forgive the wrong;
To forget the thing that binds you fast
To the vain regrets of the year that's past;
To have the strength to let go your hold
Of the not worthwhile of the days grown old,
To dare to go forth with a purpose true,
To the unknown task of the year that's new;
To help your brother along the road
To do his work and lift his load;
To be kind to your neighbor and spread good cheer,
Is to have and to give a Happy New Year.