Jesus is my Rock(et)...

For those of you who really know Dylan, this story will probably seem very commonplace. For those of you who don't, this will give you a clue to the one-tracked mind he can sometimes have.

Dylan is very much in a space shuttle/rocket/outerspace phase right now. He loves the space shuttle and can name more parts of the shuttle than most grown ups. If you ask him to count to ten, he will do so perfectly... backwards! He shakes and rumbles around the house as if it were about to blast off, and he is perfectly disappointed that he is too young for space camp.

Back to the thing that made me laugh today... While driving home from the grocery store, we were talking about how God gives us the Holy Spirit to help us. After stringing a few parts of our conversation together, he finally spoke up, and the conversation continued like this...

Dylan: How does the Holy Spirit get inside you? Does he go through Jesus? Well, does God live here on earth too?

Mommy: No, God lives in heaven. (Choosing to answer the simplest question of the three)

Dylan: Oh... well, is heaven here on earth?

Mommy: No (choosing to leave it at that)

Dylan: Is heaven up in the sky? Is it in outer space?

Mommy: Uh... (No answer... not really sure what to say at this point.)

Dylan: (long, thoughtful pause followed by a loud shout) WOW!! When I go to heaven to see God, I'm going to ride on a rocket!! I'll definitely need that astronaut's suit now, Mommy.

I guess the next conversation will need to include a more detailed explanation about how Jesus is the only rocket to heaven...

An Anniversary of Sorts...

This month marks the third anniversary of our move to Ohio. If you would have asked me 5 years ago if I'd ever end up in Ohio, I would have laughed, figuring there would be no possible reason or opportunity for me ever to move to the Midwest. It's just not a place this Southern girl ever gave much thought, but the Lord has His ways and they are much higher than mine.

So, here we are... The road to Ohio was marked with much difficulty, and it proved to be a time where our faith in God was stretched farther than it ever had been before. We had deep roots in Houston and along the Gulf Coast --- family within a few hours drive, a brand new house that we had just built, friends with whom we had true fellowship, and a church that was vibrant, passionate, and in pursuit of making the name of Christ known among the nations. We had also just added a new member to our family, our son Dylan, who was born premature and was struggling to gain weight those first few months. In my mind, a move to Ohio seemed absurd.

For ten months, my husband traveled back and forth each week between Houston and Ohio while we waited for our house to sell. At times, we weren't sure if the move was going to happen, but God in His sovereignty worked all things out for our good and for His glory. Finally, after ten months, our house in Houston had sold, we had put down a contract on a house in Ohio, and we were making the long drive to the Buckeye State.

That was three years ago, and since then, I have come to love living here in Ohio. We've added another member to the family, a baby girl, and with two curious little ones, there is much to do around here.

A few months after moving, a friend from Houston had asked me if I had been able to see through God's eyes why we needed to move to Ohio. At the time, I hadn't, and to this day, I don't fully know why we are here. I do know there have been many blessings along the way, and God has used this time in my life to "work" on me affecting great change that wouldn't have happened otherwise...

Here are just a few of the blessings I count as a result from this move...

• having my husband home every evening instead of the weekly long-distance commute he was doing


• living in a small community that feels idyllic on an ordinary day


• experiencing all four seasons and discovering that autumn is my absolute favorite time of the year (never had a true fall before!)


• adding a baby girl to our family


• being able to stay home with our children and being available to my husband without the additional distraction of an outside job


• a cozy, quaint 1940's Cape Cod home that has plenty of quirks


• neighbors that are like family to me


• a small group that seeks to know God and bring Him glory through all that they do


• Maple trees and apple orchards, raking leaves, enjoying summer evenings on the deck (it was always too hot in Houston to really enjoy this)


• Daffodils, tulips, and hycainths in the spring


• Blankets of pristine snow after a winter storm


• And most of all, being right where God wants you to be

Shhh... It's a surprise...

Dylan's 4th birthday is only about a month away, and in lieu of a party, we've decided to whisk him away on a surprise mission --- to see a "real" space shuttle!!

For months, he has asked to have a Space Shuttle Birthday, and he has all kinds of space shuttles picked out as gifts he hopes to receive. It finally dawned on us that he would probably be shocked to see how large the real ones are, so the planning began.

For his birthday, we are heading out to Washington, DC to see "Endeavor" on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles and from there we'll track our way back to the capital to hang out on the mall for a few days. DC is one of our favorite cities!

The only thing he know is that he's going on a special mission for his birthday which will more than likely involve the riding of an underground subway (another total fascination of his). Perhaps we can capture a snapshot of his reaction to walking into the room with Endeavor staring him in the face...

A summer photo blitz...

Summer has been really fun around here. In fact, it's been so much fun that blogging has been among the very last things on my mind recently. So, my apologies to those family members who rely on this sites for pics and updates (cough... cough... Karen)!

The children are really growing up... Brooklyn is at all-time activity high and Dylan lives his entire life in turbo drive. That means we are able to really enjoy all that Central Ohio has to offer... and we have!!

Hiking the Olentangy River Road Trail...

Franklin Park Conservatory's Blooms & Butterflies Exhibit

Waiting for Daddy to get home after one of our long days out...

More to come later...