This week...

I will be heading back to the states this week to be with my parents. My dads cancer is back so I'm going to stay with them in Columbus and help out as much as I can. We are praying hard & staying positive.

summer 2011 - daddy building the deck

I have made Rob a calendar & a few recipes for the fridge. Also getting things organized so he knows where stuff is... he once called me "Mary MoveThings Hall"... so I guess I better make sure I haven't hidden any stuff before I leave the country :) 

It usually takes a few pics to get an un-blurry one

 I'm gonna miss Rob & the pups like crazy but I need to be with mom & dad right now. It will be good to see them & cuddle with Jack again. I am excited to head back to the US because it is home to me... but my heart is heavy right now. 

I am so thankful to have met such awesome people in Sig already. In just a few months we have met real, honest, encouraging friends.

PS...I reactivated my cell phone with Verizon so when I get to the states I can call & text like normal

Carnevale & things

Sometimes my thoughts are organized and meaningful. Sometimes they are still random and short. Here are some random and short ones.

Its rainy in Sig today

Got my first hair cut here this morning

I love being healthy

I also love chocolate chip cookies (thanks jen!)

I miss home so much

I try to fight the urge to listen to my favorite country songs. They make me miss home even more

I love our dogs. They make life better

I love our new friends. They are awesome

I love traveling & exploring. Sicily is amazing. And this experience will make me better

Reminding myself to set aside my longing for home and look for what is lovely

I actually go for a run sometimes. Linc really likes it

Rob is a pro at making popcorn on the stove. Its awesome.

excited about making my own chalkboard when i find the materials- tutorial. thanks pinterest

I love mornings. I hate rolling out of bed. I would always always always rather stay cuddled in our warm & cozy bed than put my feet on the cold tile floor and get up. But once im up, I love my good morning kisses, coffee, breakfast, talking to the dogs, devotions, couch cuddling, and view of the mountain when its clear

I am looking for jobs and I’m still waiting to hear back about being a volunteer visiting nurse for moms & babies. I hope to get a job here soon but if not, I’m still excited about volunteering

Cant wait to make a trip back to the states. Oh Georgia & Florida…what will I do when I see you again?! Rob has seen so many places and knows so well what its like to come home again. I have never been home sick or returned home after a long time or after a trip to a foreign land! Oh just to see that red georgia clay, the beach in jax, panera, chick fil a, longhorn, pine trees, magnolia trees, blanding blvd (silly I know), my sweet friends and family, and lots of people that speak English…I could go on and on…oh what a day that will be

Moving on…

I went with some friends to Carnevale di Acireale this weekend (Rob had to work). It’s several days of parades & celebration in a town called Acireale. There are huge floats, people dress up with hats/masks/costumes, confetti & silly string EVERYWHERE..very funny..everyone sprays/throws confetti on eachother, lots of music, food, lights, fun!

me & jen in our masks (i kept telling her no one would

know i was an american with my mask on. im pretty sure i was wrong)

eric

brian, chris, kk

jen & phil

in front of a float

it was packed! so glad we went early. the italians really value family & everyone went from old to young. everyone was being silly. i would laugh & politely throw a little confetti towards someone who seemed like they weren't into it...not smiling..i thought they were unarmed... little did i know they were experienced at this carnevale thing and were just waiting to throw a ton of confetti at us or whip out their can of silly string! it was a good day. i'm still finding confetti hidden in random places like my boots & pockets.

now off to clean, organize, browse amazon for some needed things, job search, decide on dinner, & wait for hub to get home :)

LOVE

Here is a blurb on Christianity from my brain today. Sometimes I just have to organize these thoughts and get them out.

I have been thinking about how Christians speak & behave.

I understand the importance of identifying with a local church body & that the dynamic of a body of Christ should be complex, full of love, having accountability, convictions, edification, teaching, and encouragement. The bible directs us as Christians to worship together & be part of the body in Hebrews 10:24-25, And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the Day approaching.

We know there are ungodly attitudes that some Christians have today, that turn people away from Christ and the church. For example, being unloving, unforgiving, discouraging, judgmental, etc. An unbeliever may have contact/relationship/friendship with one Christian, and it turns out that this Christian makes the unbeliever NOT want to learn more about Christ & gives him a negative view of ALL Christians. We are all sinners and this problem is a result of sin. It will continue to be a problem until the end of time and we go to live with our Father in heaven.

This problem is not a reason or excuse not to be part of a local body of Christ. It simply makes us pray harder and be more wise when trying to find a church to be a part of. This problem is also not a reason for a Christian to deny Christ, the church, or the word “Christian”, but it is all the more a reason to use these words and show others the love of Christ and what a Christian should really be, and to change the negative view that some have of the church by showing them something new.

All of this being said, I have a few people in mind that have shown me through their words and actions that, though I think attending services and meeting together with other believers is important, being passionately loving, forgiving, accepting, and encouraging is more important. This last sentence may not seem like much of a revelation. Of course we know God’s word tells us to be Christ-like in all of these ways. It isn’t news that we should be all that the bible commands us to be. But my point is in 1 Cor 13:1, Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. I love this verse. My thought here is that a believer that is Christ-like and always shows others love, but does not attend church, can still lead others to Christ. But a believer who is unloving, unforgiving, unkind, or  uncompassionate, but goes to church, will still more likely turn others away from Christ.

I still think that God wants us to be part of a local church and to grow in the body of Christ, but I am reminded today in 1 Peter 4:8 that we should Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

1 Cor 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

LOVE 

More Etna

Another trip up Mt. Etna with new friends :)

Lately..

lately we have been hanging out with new friends & getting a little more settled in. rob has gotten into rock climbing & i've been doing spin classes. i hate spin while i'm doing it, but i love the way i feel after! we have visited the chapel on base & we like it so far. i plan to start volunteering on base soon & i'm really hoping to get involved with volunteer nursing

other stuff....

i love our new couch!

its awesome/big/comfy

our little yard gets MUDDY when it rains.. but im hopeful that the dryer summer months will bring a nicer yard for us & cleaner doggy feet!

starting a new collection for memories of italy & being crafty...

wreath

bath mat

trees

bulletin board

backsplash

because i didn't want to get behind in scrapbooking, i just made a photo album for 2011. i would love to  scrapbook 2012 but we'll see:) it made my heart warm to look back over all of my pictures from the last year

continuing to pray for daddy's health & for all my friends & family i miss so much. you mean so much to me.. being away has made me appreciate yall even more!