a perfect weekend

Ahhhh....what a great weekend! Not only was the weather perfect, but we had such a great time catching up with friends, enjoying the outdoors and dressing up a bit.

Friday night we decided at the last minute to take my in-law's boat out on Mountain Island Lake with our friends Kendra and Scott. We love these guys...not only are they great friends but we have been co-leading a small group (called Blocs @ our church) since the fall. Kendra and Scott are expecting a little girl in September...we are sad that we won't be here for her birth but are so excited for them and this perfect little blessing. We always have a blast with K & S!




Saturday morning a group of girls met up at a local strawberry farm for the first pick of the season. We made sure to get there early so we got all the good ones...and good ones they were. We hope to do it again in May! It was a blast.



I was one tired girl after all the pickin'...so I made sure to have a low key and restful afternoon before the fun-filled evening. Daniel's work hosts an annual fundraising gala each year. This is our second year going and it is so fun! Its fun to get dressed up and mingle with lots of people...and of course, people watch, my personal favorite. We had a great time together.


I feel a deeper, more insightful blog post coming on...one that will show a little more of where things are at with me as we prepare to depart for Africa in the coming months. As I mull thoughts and feelings around in my heart and mind, I wish for some extra time in the day to write and express myself more meaningful on my blog...time just runs out too fast. I am counting down the days for school to come to an end (21 school days left) and to have some extra time in preparing my heart and mind for the upcoming transition in life...stay tuned!

50 People in 50 Days

I wanted to introduce my blog readers to a new "campaign" that we started on a couple of weeks ago on our Malawi website. As we approach the finish line in our support raising, we are praying that God will give us 50 people over the next 50 days that will commit to supporting us on a monthly basis. We need about $25,000 more in support, which comes out to about $2,000 a month. If you think about it, that's only 50 people giving on average $40 a month for the year we are in Malawi.

Below is the breakdown of the goal that we have set to meet in the next 50 days.

People @ Monthly support
30 @ $25 = $9,000.00
10 @ $50 = $6,000.00
5 @ $75 = $4,500.00
5 @ $100 = $6,000.00
Total $25,500.00

Would you consider partnering with us on a monthly basis to see this goal met? We know that God is moving in Malawi in great ways and we can't wait to get there to join into what He is doing. There are so many youth and children in Malawi that are in great need; they are in need of not only physical care, education, daily food, but they also need physical touch, to hear of God's love and to know that someone loves and believes in them. Please click on our link to the right and check out how you can sign up to be a part of our sending team.

Back from the Beach

It feels like I have been gone forever (a little taste of things to come for us)...but it was only a week. It is amazing how a week in one spot away from the daily grind of life can recharge you and relax you. We definitely feel relaxed but still I am not ready for my 6am wake up time in the morning. I only have 1.5 months left of teaching and I am trying to not wish the days away too fast...but it is a challenge. There is so much to do to prepare for our move to Malawi that I often feel frustrated that my time and attention needs to be on something different. I have to remind myself that it will all work out soon enough.

So...back to our vacation. We headed down to St. Augustine Beach, FL last Saturday (before Easter) with our friends, Zach and Jami. We got down there and relaxed, went to eat and roamed around the old (VERY OLD) town of St. Augustine.

The first night we walked around the old Fort in St. Augustine. This is us being crazy in front of the huge lights that shine on the old wall.

Easter Sunday was amazing, though I felt a little strange that I didn't go to church on Easter anywhere...I did listen to a podcast sermon while I went for a morning run on the beach. I totally loved my time alone with God and my thoughts as I jogged on the beach (very aware of my panting breath), watching the waves crash in rhythm and admiring His beauty of creation. It was an Easter morning that I won't forget.
St. Augustine beach with the old Lighthouse in the background....so pretty! The weather was awesome.

This pelican was showing off for the camera...literally. We were walking the pier and he landed just a few feet away.

Tuesday ended up being a very rainy and stormy day. Thankfully it cleared up in the evening for the guys to take the girls on a carriage ride around the historic town. Our driver/historian told us all about St. Augustine's deep history. We love stuff like this.

Zach and Jami left on Wednesday leaving Daniel and I to enjoy the rest of our week together, hanging out, talking, reading, dreaming, being quiet and enjoying each other. We needed it.

My Grandma drove an hour from Orlando to visit with us and tour the World Golf Hall of Fame. It was pretty impressive.

Daniel taking a pic with the Accenture trophy...aka "World Golf Championship" trophy. Daniel used to work for Accenture up until a few years ago.
After Grandma left us we headed to have dinner with our dear Jacksonville friends, the Baughman's and Bunso's. We always meet up with them when they are in town or when we pass through Jax. It was a great time.

Baughman and Bunso kids at Barbara Jean's on the intercoastal. YUM!
The weather throughout the week was great...one day was really stormy and the last day (Friday) was very windy! But we couldn't refuse a final walk on the beach.

Daniel catching me jumping on the beach.

Daniel on our windy walk...there was so much sea foam, it looked like snow blowing in the wind.

For Sale

I have been trying to find time all week to post...its just been busy throughout the days and each night we have had something going on. Finally...I have a little time during my student's nap-time today. It's our last day of school before the long-awaited Spring Break! Woo Hoo! Florida, here I come!

Daniel and I had a great time hanging out with my mom and step-dad last weekend! I didn't take many pics, but we had a busy few days running around town, taking them to favorite restaurants and having a great time together. It was a beautiful weekend on top of it all, just so spring-like! My favorite time of year.

My parents left Sunday. Shortly after they left my brother-in-law/realtor, Tim, came over to take pics of our condo and put it on the market. It kinda makes things more real for us. Its hard to believe that we leave for Malawi in just a few short months...I hope that our place sells. It wouldn't be so bad if it doesn't as we could rent it--especially with the way things are right now with the market. I was pretty anxious about it on Monday but was reminded that God's economy and timing isn't ours...He will provide just as He has with the $28,000 that we have already raised for our mission. And when He does sell the condo, we will give HIM the credit for it all.

Its official: the sign is in the window!

I am going to MISS these girls--Kendra and Rachael! Kendra and her husband are expecting their first baby in September, how sad I am that its going to be 10 months old when I meet the little one.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tuesday night we had a little girl's night dinner at Kayla's house. It was so fun and a bit overdue (I LOVE girls night!). Kayla had it worked out with Lauren to video skype at a certain time. Lauren is our friend that moved recently to teach English in Chile. (See Blog on Right.) It was so fun to be all together and share some time with Lauren....I LOVE skyping. If you have a skype account please feel free to search for me and add me to your list. Skype will be one of our main ways that we communicate while in Malawi (the blog and website will be one of the main ways too, naturally!)

Skyping with Lauren in Chile!

Well...I just can't say how excited I am for Spring Break (starting tomorrow)! Especially for the fact that we are leaving to go to Florida...I am picturing myself at the beach and falling asleep to the sounds of the waves crashing...soaking up the sun (don't worry I bought SPF 70 for my face, geez, I feel old!)

weekend is almost here

Ahhhh....the weekend is almost here with the promise of nice, warm, Spring-like weather!!! I'm so happy that its Friday afternoon--beyond happy!! This week has been a very LONG week for both Daniel and I and for no specific reason except that we are in need of a much-deserved Florida vacation! Next Thursday @ 4pm begins SPRING BREAK 09! Don't worry...you won't find me on any MTV contest show! :) We are leaving for St. Augustine either Friday or Saturday morning. Our friends, Jami and Zach are also joining us for 4 days--we are excited! I'm sure that I will have lots of pictures to post. I am mulling over a fund-raising idea that I want to share with you...but I need to give it some more thought. I hope to share it with you while I am on break. I will definitely need as much HELP as possible...aren't you curious? So stay tuned....

Until then, we are anticipating a fun visit with my mom and her husband, R.D.! They arrived in Charlotte this afternoon and are shopping at the Charlotte antique show while we are working. Daniel and I are really looking forward to our time with them this weekend. We hope to show them around our Queen city (thats Charlotte's nickname) and visit some sites that we haven't seen before. Yeah for family visits!!!!

Happy FRIDAY blog-world!!!