Meet Deebo!

Deebo is my brother-in-law. He is 36 years old, lives in Sweet Home Alabama, and manages a sporting good store. He loves the Lord, Tennessee football, and having a great time. He is an excellent uncle to our children! Deebo has a great sense humor and is very outgoing. I can assure you he comes from a wonderful family. He is an all around great guy! Feel free to comment or e-mail me at michellemitch5@gmail.com

Deebo and my daughter at LuLu's in Gulf Shores, AL. 

Deebo and my son also at Lulu's the next year.

Sky Wire Live

One day last fall (probably around the time I wrote my last blog, ha) our family sat not so patiently in front of the TV for a few hours, watching a man rise up 24 miles above the earth with the goal of jumping from the edge of space. Which he did. And to our cheers, he landed perfectly on his feet. I think the program was titled "Space Jump Live."

So, earlier this summer when I saw a similar program on the Discovery Channel called "Sky Wire Live" I was immediately hooked and pressed record. It was a few weeks later that we sat down to watch and what I witnessed has not left me. I sat there with our family and wept the entire time.

If you are reading this, I highly encourage you to watch at least part of the video. I'm certain there are those with a critical spirit who will question his faith or denomination, but look past it. Go deeper. Here is a man who is (yes, voluntarily) in a perilous situation yet nothing but praise flows from his mouth. There is such a lesson to be learned in that. Whether you're in a place or peril or peace, praise the one who gives you life.

The disciples were amazed. "Who is this man?" they asked. "Even the winds and waves obey him!" Matthew 8:27

Psalm 57:10

Yesterday our family met up with some sweet family friends at a pumpkin patch in Franklin. The drive was amazingly beautiful. (And long. I now recognize that going anywhere from our new town is like going to Grandmother's house...over the river and through the woods!) 

There were several moments on the way though that I was just captivated by God's creation. In the past two weeks, there have been several deaths between our former and current community. The beauty of the day yesterday was a gentle reminder that even in trial, God is still God, and good. The blue sky, fluffy white clouds, and autumn trees were breathtaking. 

After several hours of exploring the pumpkin patch, my friend B and I took our girls into an old barn while the boys went through the corn maze. The barn was adorable and had little activity centers for the younger children. As I walked in, I saw this hanging on the wall.

 

 

My heart was overwhelmed at yet another reminder of His goodness. I'm not sure which version of Psalm 57:10 this is (the closest I can find is Amplified) but I absolutely love it. 

So thankful for His love and the reminders He gives us.

Canoes and Calculators

Hello, hello. I would apologize for my lack of updating the blog, but since when would that be a new thing?! Maybe now that we are nice and settled in this new season of our lives I'll be more consistent in keeping the blog updated. No promises though ;)

2 weeks ago some of our very dear friends visited and we went and canoed a local river together. All the fun canoe shots are on W's phone, but these two were taken in the van before we canoed. All 4 kiddos proudly donned bandanas. I don't think Sam realized she was outnumbered by the boys. Little Missy can sure hold her own. The picture of the boys makes me laugh because it was their "mean" picture...immediately followed by the sweetest giggles. You'd never know by looking at those tough faces!

Years ago I spent a summer in Columbia, SC doing summer missions through our BCM. My mission partner for the summer all but adopted me and her family always had "brown cows" in their freezer. I think the "Brown Cow" is specific to Mayfield popsicles, but I'm not 100%. Anyway, since we've moved here the little grocery store in town sells the Purity brand, called "little dippers." They are my all time favorite treat. Each one is 80 calories and the ice cream/chocolate ratio is perfect. I've now passed the love of brown cows on to my family. Here is the evidence.

 

The next picture cracks me up. I was in maximum chill mode, watching Netflix on the iPad in our bedroom. Earlier that day we'd spent time with an older family from church, and they gave both children calculators. In case you don't know, my husband is Captain Macintosh. Sir iApple. Steve Jobs' heir apparent. Needless to say, Sam was obsessed with the pushing buttons on the calculator. She came into the room and rested her back on my back, propped her feet up onto my feet. I call this picture "make yourself at home!"

We are starting homeschool again tomorrow. We're shaking things up just a little bit from last year and doing 1st grade again. Several factors played into my decision, but ultimately I know this is the right thing to do. On a scale of 0-encouraged with homeschooling, I'm floating at about a -5 right now. I keep finding myself justifying myself to other people and constantly defending our decision to homeschool...which is exhausting. Just keeping swimming, just keep swimming as Dorie (and Stephanie) said.

In other exciting news, I am planning a trip to NYC this fall. Whoa. Just typing it out makes it real and exciting. A sweet friend and I are going to see this dapper fellow on Broadway:

Source: truly-classy.tumblr.com via michellemitch on Pinterest

If you're not familiar with his hunkiness him, he is Dan Stevens, who plays Matthew Crawley on Downton Abbey. I'm tickled pink to be going and so grateful my hubs will let me frolic in the Big Apple for a few days.

Hope all is well with you and yours...I'd love an update if I haven't heard from you in a while!

 

New Beginnings

(sorry for the order of the photos! I can't figure out how to put them in order with my captions!)

Hi!

My computer is still resting in a box so I'm updating from my iPhone. We'll see how this works out!

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. W preached his last sermon at our church in P-Town on Father's Day. They gave us an amazing going away luncheon and I cried the whole time.

The following Wednesday the moving truck took all of our belongings to our new town. I loaded up with Sam, Duke and all of our bedding for the trip over.

The church members came by the droves to welcome us to our new home. They brought tons of food and we had our first dinner in our new house that night.

Our first Sunday the congregation gave us a pounding. If you're unfamiliar with this practice, they (in theory) each bring a pound of food. Our cup(board) runneth over!

Yesterday some of our former youth (now all grown up college students) surprised us by coming over for church. They are the best!

The house is almost put together. We all love the space we've acquired compared to our old house. Which still has not sold, so all prayers appreciated!!!

Proof is in the Pudding

In our gardening adventures recently, Mr. L has been brave kind enough to let me have a go at the tiller. I love it! It validates this feeling I have for using large power tools. I will confess that although I have not taken down the fence around the garden, I may have come close. Turning corners and starting new rows takes practice. And I seem to occasionally forget that I must release the handle in order for the tiller to come to a stop.

When I first showed W the pictures of me tilling, he wasn't 100% convinced the images weren't staged. I can hardly believe he would ever doubt my tilling abilities :)

All in all, my countrification process is moving right along.

Seasons of Friendships

A few years ago (wow, maybe 10 years?) I read the book "The Five Love Languages" for the first time. I wasn't married, wasn't dating...just a girl in college. Several years later as W and I prepared for marriage, I read it again. I have always been "quality time" first and foremost in how I receive love. Coming in at a close second is "words of encouragement."

 

This still rings true today. I treasure notes that friends send me. I'm not going to pretend that I am uber classical, but in a day when e-mail and text messages are convenient, I appreciate the time and effort that is put into sending a card.

Friendship has been heavy on my heart lately. I've lost a friend in the last few months. I tried as best as I knew how to handle the situation with grace, all along praying "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly more than we can ask or imagine, according to the power that works within us (Ephesians 3:20)" begging that this friendship be spared. 

It wasn't spared. And it hurts.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Esslesiastes 3:1

I've also been thinking of the above verse. I know that God gives us friendships for different seasons in our lives. And as He gives, He also takes away. I have several friends in my life that no matter distance nor time apart, we always pick up where we left off. We may rarely see each other and only have heart-to-heart conversations maybe 2-3 times a year. But, it always seems when we talk that no time has passed. 

And sometimes, it's more evident that time has passed.

I talked to my sweet friend Megan this week, who is now engaged to be married. (Meg, this is my confession to you!). We met in college and even lived together for a brief time before W and I were married. It was a time in both of our lives where our faith seemed to be unstoppable. It made me so sad that our conversation the other day was surface level and a wee bit awkward. Yet I'm not sad, because the time that our friendship was so intimate holds a special place in my heart. I know that though the friendship doesn't look like what it used to, it's still there...it's just a different season.

We moved to this town two weeks before T-Pup was born. Now, almost seven years later, we are preparing to start a new chapter in story of our life. W will graduate in two weeks with his Masters of Divinity. Shortly following that, he is to be ordained/commissioned as an Elder (still a 3 year probation period following this step) in the United Methodist Church. He will be the new pastor of a church about an hour from here. We'll move into their parsonage in June and a new season will begin.

I want to be a seasoned friend. I want to always encourage, never tear down. I want to send letters of "hey, friend!" without reason to make others smile. I want to be on my knees for sisters in Christ who are up to their elbows in their children's diapers or wedding plans or ministry. As I think about what my friends are to me, I'm convicted of the friend I have not been to them. 

I want to be a good friend.