Our last white winter??

We got some snow this week. I love those lake effect 1.5-2"/hour snows. I knew that it was supposed to be coming Wednesday night and I knew that it had arrived for sure when I heard the snow blower going at 6:15am Thursday morning (the man who lives in the other half of our duplex loves his riding snow blower, he's normally up really early for work but didn't have work this week. He wanted to be sure that Glenn could get out if he needed to go in to work today, it was so nice!) When I got up around 7 I just stood at the window and stared at the beautiful snow coming down and collecting on the big trees behind our house. Tears started to roll down my cheeks. This beautiful snow is normal to me. It is home. This is likely the last year we will live in a Great Lake effect snow belt for a long time, if not forever. I am going to miss these lake effect snows! Eventually I went out and shoveled the walk (the snow blower doesn't fit down the sidewalk) and went back in to get to work on packing.

Beautiful trees in our back yard

about 13"

Our helpful neighbor and his snow blower

We weren't very effective in packing that day so finally I relented and went out with Abigail who really wanted me to play with her outside. We clambered up a large pile of snow made by the neighbor's plow guy and then started working on a snow fort. Eventually Glenn made everyone come out to play (some of them were grumpy about it at first but everyone was glad they did at the end of the day). We worked on snow forts for a while.

Glenn played with us then had some fun taking some pictures of us as well.

 We ended up attempting 3 different kinds of forts but didn't finish any of them before it started getting dark.

At that point we were also hungry but realized that we needed onions to make dinner which meant a walk to Tops. We decided to all go to get a little bit of exercise. (BTW - I have thoroughly LOVED living a little over a quarter of a mile from a grocery store! Not a necessity but definitely nice to look for in a future home. We usually just walk and everyone carries something home in one of our re-usable bags.)

On the way to Tops I was ahead with a couple of the kids and Glenn was behind with the others when I realized I'd forgotten my list and a coupon that I wanted to use. I turned back to talk to Glenn and he pretended to be scared of me and made a jump for the snow pile on the non-street side of the sidewalk.

 Everyone thought that what he did looked so fun that they wanted to try it as well. We all randomly jumped into the snow piles on the side of the sidewalk trying to clear the ~15" ledge of snow without having our body hole in the snow connect to the sidewalk. It was decided to call the game "Jump" (original, I know).

Lydia didn't quite clear the ledge

Caleb jumped pretty far though

 Here's Glenn and Caleb showing off their "Jump" skills.

I'm really grateful for all the beautiful snow God has given us this past week. These couple of weeks we have left here may be my last chance to experience a good New York snow for a long time. After playing in the snow this week the kids have decided that if we end moving somewhere where there is no snow (some of our options get snow, some don't) we will have to go on vacation during the winter somewhere where there is snow. We'll be reverse snow birds ;)

Man of Sorrows

I've been struggling lately. I always struggle with depression at this time of the year but this year it's worse with with news I've heard. I was making dinner this evening Glenn asked what he could do to help and I asked him to just hold me. He did and I started crying. The kids asked if I was crying because I was cutting onions. No, not this time.

This year there are added reasons to the normal reasons I struggle this time of the year. At first it was our soon departure from this town and these people that I've grown to love over the last few months and the unknown of our upcoming mystery months. Then tragedy struck and my heart broke for the families of Newtown, CT - I've hugged my 7 year old more in the last week or so grieving for those parents and others that lost loved ones. Then today my heart is broken for the families in Webster, NY as more chaos erupted so close to one of our former homes. I grieve also because I found out today that Jeanette, a sweet girl I went to school with at two of the three colleges I attended and often shared rides with to and from New York on breaks, passed away unexpectedly yesterday morning.

Tonight, after dinner, I sat and played Christmas Carols on our keyboard for a little bit. Once I got through most of the Christmas songs I flipped a few pages ahead (I like Christmas songs but Easter songs are my favorite!) and came across the hymn "Man of Sorrows" by Phillip Bliss and it comforted me, helping to remind me that Jesus knows the pain we feel. It made me think of Isaiah 53, that passage written hundreds of years before the first Christmas but so clearly predicts the events of the first Easter weekend...

He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. [He's been there - He knows grief beyond what we could ever imagine!]
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down.[Our sorrows weigh Him down - we don't carry them alone!]
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God's paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. [This part reminds me of the many whose lives have been cut short midstream recently... Jesus' life was as well.]
But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. [Who else can say that they have done no wrong? No one.]
But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave.
But it was the Lord's good plan to crush him and cause him grief. [Another one of those things I totally can't understand - how God can see it as a good plan to crush Jesus and cause Him grief but I know that so often it has been a good plan for Him to crush me and cause me grief. Oh Lord, help me to trust what I know about You and not look on my circumstances!]
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord's good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. [I don't know what will be accomplished by all this anguish lately but I know that my salvation was accomplished by Christ's anguish and for that I am so grateful. I know that He is at work and He will accomplish something from all this anguish that is being experienced this Christmas season.]
And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. [THANK YOU JESUS!]
(Isaiah 53:3-11 NLT)

Maybe you are struggling this Christmas season to find joy and are overwhelmed by the burden of the sorrows you bear. Look to Jesus, the Man of Sorrows. He is the only true source of joy. He understands your sorrows and wants to carry them for you.

“Man of Sorrows,” what a name
For the Son of God who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim!
  Hallelujah! what a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood;
  Hallelujah! what a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless, we,
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
Full redemption—can it be?
  Hallelujah! what a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die,
“It is finished!” was His cry;
Now in heaven exalted high;
  Hallelujah! what a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King,
To His kingdom us to bring,
Then anew this song we’ll sing
  Hallelujah! what a Savior!

"Man of Sorrows" written by Phillip Bliss

Once again, my favorite quote from Andrew Murray comes back to remind me...

In time of trouble, say, "First, he brought me here. It is by his will I am in this strait place; in that I will rest." 

Next, "He will keepme here in his love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as his child." 

Then say, "He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons he intends me to learn, and working in me the grace he means to bestow." 

And last, say, "In his good time he can bring me out again. How and when, he knows." 

Therefore, say, "I am here (1) by God's appointment, (2) in his keeping, (3) under his training, (4) for his time." ~Andrew Murray.

SO thankful for my Man of Sorrows. "For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning. Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]. " Hebrews 4:15-16 Amplified

Lord, we are at a time of need. Help me to draw fearlessly, confidently, and boldly to Your throne of grace. Thank You for the grace and mercy I always find there. Help me to trust You even when there are circumstances I can't understand. Thank You for Jesus - the Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief - and for the reminder that You are with me and that You understand sorrows. You are in control and have a good plan, even if it is more painful than the plan I'd choose. Help me to trust You more. I love you. Thank You, Thank You so much for Jesus.

Interview Trip ABCs

One fun thing that we like to do on the way home from times away from home is make an ABC list of things that we want to remember (or at least do remember, even if we wish we didn't). It is a fun way to look back at what we have done.

This time, besides doing our big ABC list we decided we should play the ABC memory game. We went around the van and each started with "We've been on the road almost a month and during that time we..." and then listed off everything that had been mentioned before and added something for our letter. It was a fun way to fill an hour on an almost 30 hour drive from Colorado to NY (we did make 2 stops - one in OH to see my brother's family and one in NY to see my grandparents on the way home to break up that 30 hours).

Here is our list from the game of our time away from home:

"We've been in the road for almost a month. During that time we...

Ate at Artic Circle
Saw Bison (and Big horn sheep)
Ate at Culver's (and Chick-fil-a)
Drove through Denver (and Dayton)
Saw grandpa Earl early in the morning [1:30am and 4am actually - Thanks Grandma & Grandpa for hosting us and getting up at crazy hours to let us in!]
Far, far, far in our Ford
Grand Junction is gorgeous
Horses galore
Interviews were long
Jon burned the turkey
Kansas was flat
Love is like jello
Mountains are majestic
Naomi was met
Oklahoma is OK
Philips were a blessing
Quesadilla from Estavans (good thing someone ate one or we wouldn't have a Q!)
Reynolds house - our home away from home
Spending money at Sierra Trading Post (securing Steph's job ;)
Tremendous amounts of tortillas tasted
Utah is unique
Van Huesen was Voted a bad word
Wyoming is wonderful
Xavier (and the rest of the Schwindts)
Yak meat was yummy
Z plate - the end to several alphabet games

We played the above game partly because we had played the ABC memory game to make a packing list for our month long trip on our way home from NH a few weeks before we left. It ended up getting pretty silly. We couldn't remember everything from the end of the alphabet and I am SO glad we didn't bring most of this stuff but here's our silly packing list.

"We're going on an interview trip and we're going to bring:
An apple
A Bible
Cake
Dog
Elephant
Fan
Glenn- he's the one interviewing
Holy Spirit to guide us
Iguana
Jet
Kangaroo
Lion
Mess cleaner upper
Nail clippers
Oklahoma- all of it
Pizza
Quail
R
S
Ties
Umbrella
Vet - to take care of the animals
Water
X
Y
Zebra

And... last but not least... here's our big ABC list. It is not complete, I am sure. We started it just after the missions conference so we have a bit from then but then didn't add to it again until after the last interview... so here's what we have. So grateful for the opportunity to have a quick look at our country and some great residency programs. Here's a few words to spark our memories. Feel free to ask if you want details ;)

A- Abigail, Africa, Asia, assess, ABWE, Adolph brothers. Artic Circle, Abigail's birthday, acrobat videos with grandpa, art in downtown areas, alpine tundra, Amtrak, Abby, antiquing, Arkansas, animal game, "air ride equipped" - helpful place we discovered to find a "q", (Aunt) Amy
B- Bible focus, Bob M, Brother Daniel, breakout sessions, Bob C, "be there", bison, big horn sheep, buttes, Black Friday shopping at Sierra, black turkey, back packs, battery for our van, Brody, (Aunt) Billie, Bryan, bridges, Brave, bb, broken leg (thankfully not our kid!), BJ's
C- Cortney, Caleb, catered Chick-fil-a, catering, candy, conference, Carolina, "cash - I found 25 cents!" (L), CMDA, challenge, cookies, Casey VC, Cate M-D, Culver's, cake, Colorado National Monument, Colorado, (Aunt) Camy, Christmas lights, cucumber sandwiches, Cafe Rio, cookie sandwiches, College Station, Cheyenne, Colorado River, cabin filter, Chick-fil-a with family, cousins, cheese stick, car wash, children watchers, Cooper Tire rebate, Carna
D- David S- CMDA, (Uncle) Danny, (Uncle) Darwin, Denver, dead deer, Dallas, Dephanie, Dan
E- EHA, evangelism, "Everything, Everyone, Everywhere", Ella, Estelle, (Gpa) Earl, elk, Eisenhower Tunnel, Estevans, egg nog
F- Forever Reign, "Frank Smith" -missionary doctor in Laos, First Wednesday, fog, Fort Worth, free food, facebook to update people easily, Fred, fire station visit and playing on fire trucks, Fort Worth Botanical Gardens
G- Glenn, God's love, God's presence, goodies, generation iY, Global Missions Health Conference, Greeley Freight Station Museum, Grand Junction, grandparents - Nelson, Reynolds & Nicodemus, grandpa's garage, grandpa's golf cart, gas stations, Glennwood Canyon, Greeley, Give us Your Courage. gas station tacos
H- Hannah, Harley Jo, Howard S, Hawaiian Haystacks, Holiday Parade, Hyatt Place, hot chocolate, HABA games, head lamps, hedge apples
I- I TEC, intentionality, ice cream, interviews, Idaho
J- Jayden, JPS, Jack S, John & Shea E, "Joshua Problem", Jason, Jon, "jello", jerky, (Uncle) Jerry - he's home!, (Aunt) Joy, Jasoh
K- Kristen S, Kentucky, Kansas, KFC, Kyle
L- Lydia, Louisville, life changing, Lilites, Lou, Lander, Left Center Right, Lamberts, Loki hat, Lion King, long horn cows, Lamplighter Theater, Luxury Diner, libraries, Luke
M- Maverick, mentoring, Melissa & Christo P, majestic mountains, Malachi, Mississippi River, Mexican food, movies from aunt Stephanie, sleepovers with Aunt Stephanie
N- Nikki, Naomi, (Aunt) Nancy, new tires from Noltz Tire, Nicodemus, Nelson, number game, No Name Rest Area, nativity making with gma Nelson
O- oil changes, Oklahoma, Ogden, oil wells
P- preparation, prayer room, Patrick Allen, pronghorn, Philips, Powell, Pocatello, prayer, Pappasitos Cantina, Pizza Hut, Pandora Radio, pecans
Q- quesadilla
R- Rilynne, Robin M, Russell, Reynolds, Robber's Cave, residents, rocks, (mostly clear) roads, resident dinners, (Aunt) Ruth
S- Side by Side, Schwindts, Sarah, (Aunt) Sue, Stephanie, (no!!!) snow, Sierra Trading Post, Smartwool sweater, Smokey, sorting stuff with gma Bernie, Sheraton, Spider Solitaire, Subway, Sebastian, skiers, (Russell's) school, swimming, sleep overs
T- Tim E, Ten Thousand Reasons, Taco Johns, Trapper Loop, Ty, tortillas, tunnels, thrifting, time zones, Texas
U- Utah, U-turns are labelled "authorized vehicle use only" in several states (helpful for alphabet game)
V- Via Christi, Van Heusen, Vail potty break, vomit 2x, Valerie, voted, Vivek
W- "Would it be helpful to you if I prayed for you?", worship songs, Wyoming, Wichita, Wreck it Ralph, windmills, (beautiful) weather, West, wide open spaces, Winnie, wallet- lost and found
X- Xavier
Y- yak meat
Z- Z-plate

Thankful for fun memories as a family! Praying for wisdom on our next steps.