Happy Birthday Diana

Today is my sisters 30th birthday. For some reason her being 30 does not translate to my head-I will forever see her as 17 and me as 13. In honor of her very special day I wanted to remind her of 30 of my favorite memories of her life.

1. All the summers we stayed home and you made me suffer through Golden Girls and Diagnosis Murder and now I watch them all the time because they make me think of you.

2. The time I slept walked into your room and woke up in your bed (and then pretended to sleep walk every other night so I could stay with you). Thankfully every one in the house let me think I was tricking everyone.

3. The year we drove separate for family vacation and we had the most fun ever. I will never forget that year. I will especially never forget DR. PEPPER!!!!!!!! (crying I'm laughing so hard here) and then the lady who said that your daughter (me) looked just like you and then you were paranoid you looked that old hahahahhaha.

4. That night in the kitchen when you told me you were leaving your job and going overseas to do Journeyman-few times have I ever seen you that sure and that excited.

5. The time I convinced you to tell mom you couldn't find something in that pantry and she got huffy and swung open the door and I was hiding inside and scared the living daylights out of her. I almost peed in that closet waiting for that moment. To date the best scare and reaction of all time haha.

6. That infamous night I threw up in your hair-and your comment to mom and dad was, "Can I go back to sleep?" That was also the night we decided blonde was a bad look for you.

7.  That Sunday morning I sneezed Fruity Pebbles all over you and we died laughing. I can never eat them without thinking of that.

8. Bullwinkle. Nothing more needs to be said about this.

9. All the performances and impressions I would do on the fireplace simply to make you laugh-and you would never let me down by crying you would laugh so hard.

10.  The time you broke my guitar-Dad superglued it back but it was never the same..

11. How much you loved when I played the Saxophone for you. It was amazing I didn't become a profession with my talent.

12. The first time you came back from college and met me at the bus stop-I was so proud to show you off.

13. How mom swore she was not taking us shopping together anymore because we never would focus and just would hide in the clothes racks and laugh hysterically.

14. How anyone reading this list is probably thinking these things happened when we were kids and a good portion of them happened in our 20's hahahhahaha.

15. The year you started interpretive movement at church and got to wear the pants and I was so jealous so I joined and that year we went with velvet floor length dresses...speaking of, those dresses in general.

16. The time you sang Shifting Sand at VA beach mission trip and ever since then that song is one of my favorites of all time.

17.  Mom making us dress alike which wasn't so bad for me but since you are almost 5 years older it kinda really stunk for you!! haha.

18. That you wore skinny jeans before they were cool (ok, I'm losing it over here).

19.  Your honesty about who you are-it makes me love you even more (if that is possible). You don't pretend to be someone you aren't and it is the most refreshing thing to be around.

20. The time I drop kicked you to the floor after you told me I may have learned how to do that in Taekwondo class but I couldn't do it to you. Your face was priceless.

21.  The time I sat on a chocolate chip cookie and got chocolate all over my pj pants and you could not stop laughing.

22. Buck teeth and the video with the fake firecracker (Im doing the impression here now haha).

23. Just my pair of boots...

24. Last night when you ran slam into me because it was so dark and you thought I had kept walking. Oh, I am still laughing so hard about that.

25. When you first started driving and we would blare the cd player and sing on Sunday nights on the way to church. I remember thinking life could not possibly get any better than that.

26. Landon-seeing him love you and you being so happy is honestly one of the greatest joys in my life.

27. The way you always have my back. You and I will always be fiercely protection of each other. You can always count on me to be there for you, and I know the same.

28.  The way just one word or look can send both of us into a fit of giggles. This has gotten us in more trouble than I can even count.

29. The insane amount of inside jokes we have: Mary did you know, dirty jeans, My name is Laura, etc.

30. The millions of conversations we have shared. Laughing, crying, joking and serious -they all mean so much to me.

Happy birthday. I am so thankful you are nearer (although not near enough). My life is fuller and happier and definitely funnier with you in it. Love you.

Lelly

My sister got married!

My sister got married! I have so many things to say about this, but it felt most right to just leave my toast here again for her. I meant every word-even though I cried though most of it! You were beautiful and Landon had the most beautiful vows I have ever heard (other than Daniels, who of course are first).  It was everything I ever hoped for you. I love you.


Diana,

When I think about having kids some day, I always hope they have the kind of relationship we have.
Growing up, you were always such a mama bird-mothering me in every way..which was fine because I always enjoyed being babied. I cant even begin to count how many times you covered my behind--and of course I was so rotten I always let you take the heat (although somehow I think Mom and Dad always knew the truth).
Our fights were few and far between, and ALWAYS ended when we heard mom's van pull in the driveway. We would frantically wipe each others tears asking, "Does it look like I've been crying?!" And that was that, we let it go.

I think about the godly woman you are. My earliest memories questioning Jesus always involve conversations with you. We were always, always more than just sister-our bond is tied by the Lord, and it's clear why we've been so close-it's the bond that cannot be broken.

I smile now thinking about how mom used to always say, "You will be in each others wedding, and you will DEFINITELY be each other's maid of honor!", and we would get so grumpy that whoever was our best friend at the time would have to stand second instead. 20+ years later, as much as it pains me to admit, Mom was right. And I feel so honored to have stood next to you in my wedding and yours. You really did deserve that spot in my life and I will never regret it.

I have always seen you as wonderful, funny, so smart, zealous for Jesus and missions, a bleeding heart who would do anything for anyone regardless of the cost, and an absolute beauty inside and out. And today, I can honestly say you married a man who sees the same-and I am so happy for you!!

Landon, you should know you are the only man deemed worthy of Diana. As the song "I DO" goes, "it's always been about me, myself, and I. I thought relationships were a waste of time. I never wanted to be anyone's other half-that was the only way I knew till I met you." Landon, you changed everything-in the most wonderful way. I have no clue how many hours we even obsessed over your emails/conversations with her while you guys were overseas. Diana would call and say, "He said my hiar looks good-what do you think that means?" And of course I would respond the obvious-HE'S SO INTO YOU!! And you obviously were, so I think I gave good advice.

Landon, your love for Jesus and Diana are evident and we are so happy to have you apart of our family.
Even though i am the baby, I have always taken the role of protector of Diana. Always making sure I said what she really wanted to, but was too sweet to say. Today, I am giving her to you, entrusting you will continue to protect her in every way.

Martin Luther once said, "The first love is drunken, but once the intoxication wears off, then comes the real marriage love".
This is so true. As you weather the storms of life and face the difficulties of marriage your love will become stronger, better. Even more than today, the happiest day of your life.

Remember to offer each other grace upon grace. You will both need it. You will need to remember that on days when you are tired, and frustrated, and selfish (which will probably be most days). There will certainly be difficult days, but do not worry, for God's strength and goodness is best seen in your weakness. There will also be many wonderful days-days so good you will lay your head down at night wondering why God would have so richly blessed you.
Marriage is truely the greatest example of the gospel I have known.
As you sereve on the mission field together, you will realize just how wonderfully gracious the Lord was to give you such a perfect partner in life.
The greatest adventure of your life started today-together. We pray God's blessings and grace on your marriage. We love you both.

Wedding 3

Most people hope for one good friend-I have four.

My first day of college I remember thinking, "I hope I make a good friend". Little did I know that the Lord was about to bless me x's four.

Freshman year I met 4 girls who became my best friends. We lived on the same hall our first year then moved in as roommates the next 3 years. We shared laughs, tears, love/loathe for boys, broken hearts, secrets, and a relationship with the Lord.

One of the greatest blessings of our friendship is the sheer joy we take in celebrating each others wedding.

On Friday, Jen married Jeremy-making our third wedding together! I wish I could begin to explain the excitement shared between us when one of us gets engaged. You know its about to be a seriously good time with your best friends!
We chat for months prior to the big day all about how excited we are!

Jen was a stunning bride. One of my favorite things about watching your best friends get married is how genuinely happy you get to see them. It really is a blessing and joy to see how much we have all grown up.

Each wedding stirs up emotions in you from your big day. I don't even try not to cry anymore-its a beautiful and wonderful thing to see two people commit their lives to the Lord and each other..forever, good & bad, rich & poor, through it all.

I am so thankful that as each year goes by we still remain close friends. No matter how far apart we are we always pick up exactly where we left. 

Jen-you were everything every girl hopes to be on her wedding-STUNNING. I am so happy for you and Jeremy. We pray you both will continue to be a light for Christ. Thanks for letting us share in your special day. 

Libby did such a good job as the MOH-I know Jen was so blessed to have you girl-your toast tore us all up!! 

A look at the special day...

Happening in June

Alaska has finally gotten with the rest of the world and is warming up nicely. Thank the Lord!
Not much exciting has happened-we have been working lots!

My favorite restaurant in Alaska opened (the tourists are beginning to file in by the bus loads). I insisted we visit weekly, which Daniel has willingly obliged -I mean we are ready for one good meal a week! The pizza is out of this world, but my favorite is their baked tomato soup-delish.
If you ever visit Alaska, head on over to Denali and check out Prospectors Pizza.

                                                                 Behold the goodness..

I am so overly excited for June for many major reasons. I am heading home for a few weeks to be in 2 weddings.

My college roommate and close friend Jen (who goes by Jenny now, which I will never get used to,lol) is getting married! Weddings are only the most exciting reason to get with my best friends and be in another one all together again. I am so ready to see my girls! I will blog more about this-so be looking out for it!!

Secondly, my SISTER is getting married. WHOA. I don't know why it felt so normal for me to get married but it is SO surreal for her to be getting married! She is going to make a stunning bride (lucky lucky Landon) and I already know I am going to cry through her entire wedding-getting the water proof mascara now!! I cant wait to spend some pre-wedding time with her and celebrate her special day!!!

Thirdly, Daniel will join me for Diana's wedding and then wisk me off for a quick vaca to Arizona to see the Grand Caynon, and Colorado for the royal gorge jump, garden of the gods, pikes peak, and maybe a little rafting! It will be a whirlwind crazy time but we are SO EXCITED!

The adventure continues..

How I almost died

My Pastor, Gene, told me once, that you get more reads on your blog if you can come up with a catchy title. I completely agree with this, and so after our conversation I took a look at my blog only to find out that my most read blog was, "We're moving to Alaska". Not surprising.

 Ok. I admit it. I didn't almost die. I mean I DEFINITELY felt like I might at the time. But mostly I know that a large percentage of you are reading to see how I almost died..not sure how I feel about that.

... I digress. Here is what really happened.

For those of you who know me well you know that we LIVE by my bucket list. I keep an album on FB which I regularly add pictures to once we knock something off my list. I am always adding to the bucket list-much to Daniels delight..hehe.

I have many "Alaska only"adventures that I am currently focusing on. One of those happened to be snowmobiling.

Now neither I nor Daniel had ever been snowmobiling, but I mean, hey, it cant be THAT hard. So when one of the guys who Daniel works with invited us to go with him and some friends, we were on board.

We probably should have considered that Cantwell, AK is one of the most extreme places to snowmobile in the world-for experienced riders..which was certainly not us. This became apparent when literally we went to start the day and went up the first little mountain and flipped the snowmobile. Basically from that point on I was terrified..especially after we soon after flipped again and then 5 minutes later i completely flew off a good 5 feet from the snowmachine.

At this point I decided 2 things. 1. This was the worst idea ever. 2. If I made it out alive it would be a miracle.

Granted, the snow was so deep when you flipped you literally landed in 3 feet of fresh snow covering many more feet of settled snow-so it never hurt-except your pride. But it DID sufficiently scare me half to death each time. I kept thinking, "this is it Lord...You're taking me home today".

Ok, so looking back I was probably being a little dramatic. But what made this so different from all the other crazy things we've done-I never felt secure. Usually you skydive, or whitewater raft and at first the adrenaline is pumping and your terrified, but then you realize this is awesome, and the excitement clouds your judgement enough your enjoying it. This-this..there was nothing but crystal clear understanding I was going to die. This was, "I'm about to fly over the mountain and I cant see if there is ground or a 20 ft drop awaiting me." You would come up on these mountains so vertical that you felt like you were going to slide off the machine, only to just barely make it on the top and hope you didn't drop because you weren't sure if there was ground over the mountain.

It was probably good that the machine was so loud no one could hear what I was saying..
I kept thinking the entire day of a saying my college roommate Jen used to say. It had to do with being tense and a penny-if she reads this she will know haha.

 Here are a few pictures from our adventure.

For those of you enjoying the warm weather at home-it's been snowing here. And it's cold, so very cold!! Thank the Lord for warm clothes and heat. Truly, I think God had me in mind when heated car seats were created. It's the small things in life...

-Leslie





 

We made it

I read a quote this week:

“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for.”-John G. Shedd-

Apparently Mr. Shedd has never been to Alaska.
This is precisely what I was thinking when after getting up at 4am for our 6:30 flight, we were told that our plane was having maintenance issues. After about an hour it was clear that we were going to miss all our flights for the day, and this plane was not taking off. We had to be rerouted on the only available plane which was going to get us in Alaska at 2am-6am our time. 24 hours being awake. Here is what was running through my mind...

In fact, I'm fairly certain that was my exact face. Daniel encouraged me to sit down while he dealt with everything (mostly because he was afraid I was going to embarrass him in my grumpy state..which okay, was probably true). After getting over the fact that there was nothing we could do and we just needed to put our "happy faces" on and do what we needed, we began are really long day.

 I always enjoying flying so much more when I am with Daniel. Unfortunately for him, being his size means flying is mostly miserable, although he never ever complains. Our last 2 flights (and longest ones) the person in front of him leaned their chair back all the way. People-consider this when you crank that chair back-don't do it! Daniel gave me his grumpy face which always makes me laugh so hard mostly because he is the least grumpy person ever and even in a terrible situation he cant help smile when I start losing it.

We were near delirium and by the grace of God still were able to love each other when we landed in Alaska. It was 2am and we were tired and praying our luggage had been rerouted correctly. We got nervous when one of Daniels suitcases mysteriously was sitting by itself in the airport...okay..
We got our luggage which had thoroughly been beat to death and surely dropped and drug though the dirt..but hey, we have our luggage I said (proud that I was being the positive one). Daniel went to pull his handle..and nothing. After a few minutes of rage yanking the handle it was decided it was broken beyond repair.
So here we were: It's 2am and we are dragging our luggage through the snow in 10 degree weather freezing. I look ahead of me at my husband trucking angrily through the snow as he somehow lugs his "nemo" suitcase in one hand and his second in the other hand, and reach the rental car which is thoroughly buried in snow and were given the tinest snow scraper imaginable..and I bust out laughing. Ï mean REALLY!?!?!? it was such a cryable situation that all I could do was laugh. So there we were losing it like 2 sleep deprived maniacs who just want to be done with this day.

We made and have been getting situated since. We are so happy to be getting into somewhat of a normal schedule. And when I think about that quote, I realize that as good and safe as it is to be in the "harbor", God has designed us for so much more. So, here's to sailing our ship.


 The last frontier.

-Leslie

We're moving to Alaska

We are only a few days away from picking up and moving our life for 6 months at a time-for 2 years..to Alaska.

Let me back track here for a minute.

I met my husband in highschool. I saw him, did a double take, and the rest as they say, is history. And that was the beginning of literally the biggest adventure of my life.

When we graduated college, me with a degree in I.O. psychology ready to change the world, and Daniel with a degree in electrical engineering ready to..engineer?
We got married that summer, and thankfully both had really good jobs. We were happy and so blessed-but Daniel was traveling a lot.
The nature of what he does involves him doing engineer work all around the world. Most of the time for weeks at a time. Despite that misery I feel when I am home alone, this has always afforded us the treasure of traveling the world for basically free. Our first year of marriage Daniel spend weeks in California (where I got to visit San Francisco and Yosemite to see the redwoods), Cap Cod MA (where we ate the best cupcakes, and saw the plymouth rock, and soaked up the sun on the beach with my sister in law), along with many other trips.
Last summer Daniel started running a job in Alaska-for 6 months. I was able to visit him, which was awesome and we trucked along working separately. We were genuinely happy, but we both hated being apart. The job is a three year 6 months at a time (then come home and work then back).
Fast forward a few months to the decision to hire me and allow us to travel together. My husbands dream-boss at home and at work! lol.

So I quit my job, started working with Daniel, and here we are.

We are so happy to be able to travel and work together but I keep asking why we couldn't have the Hawaii job?!? Can I get an Amen??

Being married is an adventure-the best kind.
A year ago if someone has asked me if this beach loving girl would be moving to the Arctic I would have died. Snow-negative degree weather-carhartt and steel toe boots-no malls or fancy coffee joints? um.... no.
But being with my guy, seeing the northern lights, snowmobiling in one of the top locations in the world, whitewater rafting in the national park, and dogsledding..did I mention being with my guy???Totally worth it.

It will be lots of working, a little fun, more working, and cold-so very cold, BUT we'll do it together. And that, well that's always an adventure.

-Leslie

Suffering & Questions.

I think I posted a total of 1 time in 2012-WOW. This past year has been INSANE and I realized how much has been going through my head, which accounts for why I have written so little.

 Do you ever has so many things going on in your head, you struggle to write simply because there is not enough pen & paper to fill your thoughts? That was me. This entire past year. Many, many good things. Some not as obviously so.

 In particular this has been a year of LOTS of questions for the Lord. I know the Lord has truly been pruning my theology and faith, which has been good, but also incredibly challenging.
Today, I read an article about one of my favorite musicians, Sandra McCracken.
She was *quoted (in answer to her lyrics/music),
 "there is a thread of hope that runs even in the darkest fabrics. I want to put that in there because in our season in life – where we are as a culture and in the world – I think cynicism can take over so easily. As a follower of Jesus, even, I try to weave that thread of hope into these songs and words. Hope is like a muscle we exercise; we choose to believe in these moments that these things will be made right. This is what we hope for. It’s like a new freedom to allow your heart to be broken because if you didn’t have hope, that would just be a bottomless pit. Those two things have a delicate balance, where we find ourselves living somewhere between the brokenness and the hope."

 This was so very moving to me. It truly inspired me to write again. I have seen lots of sorrow this year in sweet friends.

When I look on the Horizon, I see an often overwhelming wave of even more sorrow coming. Who can we trust but you Alone Lord?

 During this season the Lord has pushed me to trust His character, despite my often confused feelings.
 I can trust He is good: Nahum 1:7-really the entire Bible, time and time again he is Faithful when we are not!

 I do not have to fear: Isaiah 41:10, 2 Tim 1:7, Psalm 62:6,Psalm 23  

 He actually, truly, evidently hears my prayers: Psalm 116:1, Psalm 66:19, 2 Kings 20:1-6, James 5:16, Genesis 21:17, Genesis 30:22-24, 2 Samuel 22:4,7, Revelation 8:4 and so many many more in scripture!

 Even when He doesn't answer (my way), I can trust his character and be confident he is still good(see all above).

And largely a verse that I have dwelt on LOTS this year is:  

Romans 11:36(NLT) "For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen." 

 This has been the answer to many many difficult questions I have asked the Lord. And to be honest, it is a tough pill to swallow sometimes.
Everything is intended for His GLORY. not ours. my mine. His.
What a great act of mercy that God would create us, let us exist,, and be completely devoted to His glory.
I am so thankful for this truth. I am so thankful that even when I do have answers I can trust that we are created for His glory.

As my very wise friend Emily Jennings said, "It is hard when we have difficult questions that cannot be  answered in pretty packages neatly tied in bows."


May you too ask difficult questions, with difficult answers, you are willing to hear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cCqZ7FfeQU

-Leslie

*Article on Sandra McCracken: http://www.curatormagazine.com/jennisimmons/a-red-balloon-of-hope-part-2/