Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Everyday Glory

God's glory is all around us. It is in the rising sun, the laughter of a child, and the tender bud pushing up through the soil. It is in the comfort of a friend and the kindness of a stranger.
His wonder is everywhere, if only we look for it.

Here are images of God's majestic creation, just outside our door...

























Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Southern Living

The south is home to a crazy culinary event that centers around creepy, crawly crustaceans. It's called a crawfish boil, and people flock from miles around to peel and eat (and suck the heads) of these things. Saturday was our first mudbug boil as Mississippians, and it was Leila's first time seeing a crawfish. Here she is checking out the bucket of live crawfish being "purged" in salt water. Nasty! Liliana missed the critters, but had a special outing with Grammy and Grandfather. Since it included playgrounds, animals, ice cream and a Happy Meal, we're pretty sure she liked the arrangement!

I'm not a fan of seafood. I've tried every squirmy sea critter that's been put in front of me, and I haven't enjoyed a single bite. It's too bad, because we now have access to fresh seafood all of the time. So, that's my husband's department. Since I wasn't going to eat any crawfish, I decided I had to hold one. This bad boy was still alive!


After the outdoor festivities, we took it inside for a little Rock Band action. I'm a mama, so I've never gotten into any video games...but I could definitely get into this. I LOVE to sing, and I'm always too nervous to sing in front of an audience. But I did it anyway...and it was so much fun! Here are some of my fellow rockers and friends!

Monday, March 02, 2009

Home to Stay

Please forgive my sporadic posting since our move to Hattiesburg. I'm still adjusting to this new life, and my blog has suffered serious neglect. Although living in the south has come with some huge changes, I love it. Not only that, but I belong here! It seems crazy to say that, especially since I was digging my heels into the St. Louis dirt just a few months ago...but it's the honest truth. I feel it. I know it. I truly belong here.

It's amazing how God has blessed us during the past four months. He has put terrific people in our path, and we now have wonderful friends and a loving church family. We fit right in, and it's such a fabulous feeling. A huge thank you to everyone who has helped us to feel so welcome!

Here are some of our closest friends at Mardi Gras last weekend. The Greers (on the left) also teamed up with us for the FPC chili cook-off in January...and we took home the big prize! The Kanes (on the right) are our mirror-image friends who live across the street. Chami and I are training for a half-marathon in April. We have so much fun together!
Above is a group of girls from the church. Most of these gals are in our Sunday School class and the Tuesday night Bible Study. I had an opportunity to share my testimony at the last study, and I was so blessed by the experience. I look forward to hearing everyone else's stories in the months to come. This was the first girls' night out, and I'm hoping it becomes a regular thing! I love my girlfriend time!
All in all, things are good. On the health front: I'm recovering from my third bout of the stomach flu, and my girls both have bronchitis. It seems like everyone I know is battling some type illnesses. Wade is the only healthy one. He just returned from an 8-day trip to Arizona and California, and we celebrated his birthday on Thursday. Happy Birthday, Wade!
Lots of love from Mississippi!
Blessings,
Ramona