We Are Moving Again

After almost 3 1/2 years at Cornerstone Church in Boone, Iowa, we will soon be saying our goodbyes and beginning a new ministry at a church in Minnesota. While this may seem sudden and out of the blue, it isn't for us. Jeff has been wrestling with this since summer.

Over the past couple of years, we have come to love the people and the ministry here in Boone. We have seen so much growth, in attendance as well as spiritual growth. While we will miss everyone, we know that God is preparing a very special person to take over the ministry here; a person that has the gifts and talents needed to take this church to the next level. Jeff's last day at Cornerstone will be January 31st. He will go ahead of Josh and I as we stay behind to get the house sold.

We will be moving to Watertown, Minnesota to pastor a small church. Watertown is a bedroom community of about 5000 people and located in the far western metro area of the Twin Cities. It is about 10 minutes from Crown College. Most of the small, re-development churches that we go into have an older congregation and Jeff and I are the "youth". Not so in Watertown...Jeff and I will be some of the oldest people there. This is a very young congregation with LOTS of children.

I will be sharing more about these changes in our lives in future posts.

Christmas 2009

Christmas has been very different this year for our family. We have been so busy, I just haven't had time to really get into the Christmas spirit. This is a little disappointing because I love the baking, colorful lights, trees, cards, parties, etc. that comes with the holidays. But even without all the glitz and glamor, Christ is still the reason for the season. Baby Jesus arrived without any fanfare or celebration. I'm sure that the day of his birth didn't turn out the way Mary and Joseph had hoped or planned, but never the less, it was a special day.

My day was special, too. It was my first Christmas as a grandma! The kids had fun ripping through their presents and of course wanted more. Bryce just wasn't himself today and was running a fever. He did eat pretty good once we got some Tylenol in him. I enjoyed cuddling with Hailey at the end of the afternoon when she was wanting to take a little nap. All in all, it was a pretty good day. Holidays with the family is the best!!

A Tribute to Dodger

On Friday, December 11th, Josh and I took Dodger to the vet to be humanely euthanized. He was almost 10 years old and the best dog that a family could ever ask for. This was a very hard decision for our family to make but we felt it was for the best.

Over the last few years, Zach has gradually become more and more allergic to Dodger. It has recently gotten to the point that he is only able to be in our home for about 15 minutes before starting to have problems with sneezing and wheezing. As much as I love my dog, I love my son more, so we decided that we could no longer have Dodger as part of our family. We considered other options such as giving him away (Dodger, not Zach), but due to his age as well as several physical and mental health issues that he was developing, we didn't feel that this would be a good choice for him.

I am constantly reminded throughout the day that Dodger is gone, like when I drop food on the floor when I'm cooking and realize that I have to actually clean up my own mess now! I will especially miss him when it warms up in the spring and he's not there to go for walks with me. I am thankful for all my photos and memories. He won't be forgotten.