Strawberry Jam and Motorcycles in the Livingroom

Good Monday morning to you all!

There have been a few activities around here that I would like to share with you :)  This past week I took our Vita-mix on its maiden voyage.  The Vita-mix is a high-powered blender that can pulverize about anything.  It was given to us as a wedding gift, and I've really enjoyed using it so far.  It is a great machine to make healthy meals out of whole foods, and it can make some pretty tasty snacks too that maybe aren't as healthy :)  A few things that I've made are applesauce, strawberry jam, potato soup, fruit smoothies, bread dough and almond butter.  Most of these have tasted pretty good, and even if they don't I have a wonderful husband that will eat it anyway! 

Making strawberry jam! Thanks to Mom Hanenburg for the recipe :)

Another recent event is that we had our nephews, Dylan and Landan, overnight this weekend.  They were very fun and very high-energy.  They set up our tent and had a little camp out in our apartment, and in the morning we went to Dordt's Rec Center to play soccer and basketball.  They also enjoyed playing ball with Dan, playing Apples to Apples and riding our couch cushions as motorcycles in the livingroom... don't worry, they wore our bike helmets for safety!  Here are a few cute things they said while they were with us:

1.  On our way to Sheldon to bring the boys back home, Landan started whimpering in the back seat.  Dan asked him what was wrong.  Landan replied, "You're gonna tell my mom that we were naughty when we were at your house."  Dan said, "Well, were you?"  Landan said, "Yes".  Dan replied, "Now, whose fault is it that we have to tell your mom that you were naughty?"  Landan paused a second said sadly, "...ours...". 

2.  Although Dan and I enjoy our selection of books, Dylan was not impressed....not many of them have pictures.

3.  After their night of sleeping in the tent, we could hear a little rustling around, so we knew they were awake.  We heard them doing a little talking too, so we listened in.  Landan was telling Dylan that he was thirsty and wanted to get up, but Dylan told him to stay laying for just a couple more minutes :)

 4. Dan and I were explaining to the boys that we are going to move to Pella (4 hours away!). They were not in favor of this. Landan said, "I don't think you should move to Pella... and God doesn't want you to either".

Dylan is looking at the only interesting thing on our bookshelf: Lord of the Rings.
Landan is checking out the hide-a-bed... at this point he thinks he might be sleeping there because we haven't told
them about the tent yet :)

Pillow fight!

Yesterday at church we heard a sermon about living our days with purpose because our time on this earth is limited.  Our days are numbered, and we don't know when the Lord will call us home.  May we live each day full of joy and ready service for the glory of our Heavenly King!

With love,
Leah

Our Humble Abode

Hello!

Life is starting to fall into rhythm for Dan and I.  He has been going to class (via bike...most days!) and working on senior design, which is a project for Vermeer.  Work has been going well for me, and I'm adjusting to the longer drive.  Thankfully the weather has not caused any problems with travel.  I worked this past weekend, and one of my patients made a funny comment that I just have to share :)  This elderly fellow is a patient that I've worked with before, so we are somewhat familiar with each other.  He knew that I had been engaged and planning to get married.  This is the first time I've cared for him since I've been married so we chatted about the wedding for a bit.  Then he asked me where my husband was from.  To which I replied, "Iowa".  He paused a moment, then looked me in the eye and said, "Watch out for them Iowa people... they can be crafty".  I'm not sure exactly what he meant, but I guess you could say I've been warned! This is not the first time I've sensed some skepticism about marrying an Iowan; my dad has seized many opportunities to caution me about the risks :)

Dan and I are amazed at the ways the Lord has filled our lives with blessings.  Here are a few things that we have been reminded of lately:

1.  Scripture.  What an amazing thing it is that God has chosen to give us, in writing, instructions on how to speak, work, serve, pray, worship, communicate, raise children, treat your spouse, treat your neighbor, treat your enemy and spend your time.  May each of us continue to pursue the Lord daily through His written word.

2.  Marriage.  Some may say that we are still in the "honeymoon" phase of marriage since we have only one month of wedded bliss under our belts.  This may be true in some ways, yet the Lord has already used our marriage in the (sometimes uncomfortable) process of refining Dan and I into more Christ-like people.  We are in the process of figuring out how to live together as a couple and what it means to be a husband and wife.  We are taking joy in learning how to show each other the love, trust and respect that the other needs, although some days are easier than others.  We're so thankful that God has brought us this far in our relationship, and we hope that he will continue to walk with us in the years to come as we look to him for strength and encouragement.

3.  Bikes.  More specifically, Dan's ability to ride his bike.  Just this afternoon he arrived home from Dordt with a package.  It was a box of glassware that we purchased online and had delivered to Dordt.  Somehow he made it home on the icy roads without breaking a single glass.

4.  Our apartment.  It is nothing fancy, but we're so happy that God provided a place for us at just the right time for just the right price.  Here are a few pictures:

May the Lord be near to you all.  Have a wonderful day!

With love,
Leah