'babymoon'....here we come!

We are going away for the weekend to Cincinnati for our 'babymoon' trip! It will be our last little weekend away before Molly comes (and we are celebrating our 8th monthivseary of marriage too)! I am so thankful to be with my husband non-stop all weekend! We are so blessed and praise the Lord for His kindness He has shown us!

We are going to hit up the Creation Museum and the Planetarium tomorrow (Saturday)! And plan on swimming in the hotel's indoor pool, walking to breakfast to a local spot near our hotel we saw online, relaxing and reading together, and before we head back on Sunday we are going to hit up IKEA to look for some deals for our house and Molly’s nursery! :) We got an incredible deal at a Marriott's 4 star hotel! :)

I had a horrible dream last night that Mark got shot and died! It was so real and vivid that when I woke up this morning at 5:45am I had to call Mark's work and make sure it was just a dream! (Mark goes into work at 4:30am!) Thankfully, it was just a dream...and I have more time with my sweet Mark. It just made me thankful for him and his servant hearted-leadership in my life! He constantly is pointing me to my great hope-Christ and wants me to find all my contentment in Christ alone. It was just one of those dreams that made me appreciate the Lord's wisdom and provision in my life!

I'll put up pictures when we get back of our trip!
Grace and peace in our faithful King Jesus.

a full-time homemaker?

All I can say is that once again change is here. 2009 has been a lot of changes for me and I can only imagine that will continue in 2010 because we will be experiencing many first... yet it's freeing to know that we are in the exact spot/season the Lord wants us to be in! He determines our times and places according to what He has predestined to take place (Acts 4:28)!

Last night was my last night working for The Artist in You. It's hard to believe that since I was 15 years old I've always had some form of part-time job. Also, since before kindergarten I have not taken a semester off from school! This is the first time I will not be in school! That is a long time, since I will be 27 at the end of March! I have 1 more class remaining at Southern, it's my internship class for my Masters in Biblical Counseling. They only offer this course in the spring, so I won't be able to take it this spring because Lord willing Molly Hope will be arriving near the end of March-early April. So next year I will be able to take my last class in order to complete my Masters, if the Lord wills. I do desire to complete this degree since I'm so close! Yet, thankful for a season outside of school!

This is why it's transition time....I am now considered a full-time homemaker for my home with Mark. Wow, I've always desired this role, but still seem a little scary to take on. I know it’s a real blessing I do not have to work outside of the home, which will allow me to have time to focus on our home and help finish up the renovations needed before Molly comes in the next 2 months! Also, just provides me time to love and serve our church family, and not to mention learn more about being a better helper for Mark. Mark really has wanted me to be in the home full-time, and I'm thankful that he desires to be the provider for our family. Again, a blessing from the Lord. We came up with goals for each day for me to accomplish while Mark is at work. I even got to go walking this morning at 7am with a friend from church who lives down the street! So far day #1 has been good. Cleaned the bathrooms and cleaned the floors (the kitchen is next!). I just want to work hardly unto the Lord and not become lazy. We have plenty of things that still need to get done around here and made a list of projects that I can do without the help of Mark. Just going to need a lot of grace and self control to work wisely. Especially since my energy level is just not the same being pregnant.

Been reading online and learning from other woman how to be more frugal with our money. We are down to one car and one cell phone, which help a lot. We did get the internet (the slower kind) which is a perk but also a sweet helping to me while I'm here in the day. Still needing to learn and grow in this new role! Please pray! I feel so weak and need the Lord in everyway! The Lord is so faithful. And is gracious to give all the grace we need for each season. Regardless, we are all called to work since the Fall.  Now, just learning a different sphere of work.  And cleaning tolits has never been a fun task, but a task that needs to get done! :) I know things will look even more different with a baby! That's why I want to learn all I can before she comes!

(FYI-this is not really what I look like anymore...I can't find my cord to plug my camera in to download new pics..so hopefully soon I'll be able to put recent pics of me prego!)

wanting to run away tonight...

    We have lots to do on the house...feeling a little bit emotional tonight and just praying that we will get the upstairs finished before Molly comes! I know that she is only a baby and won't know the difference if there's pink paint on her wall, but totally want to be organized and nest before she arrives!

     I was explaining this to Mark tonight, yet with some tears.  He understands, but said he can't 100% promise it all well get done in time, b/c he never thought he'd hurt his knee...we can plan all day long, but the Lord is the One who determines the outcome.  He governs all our days and so I guess Mark was just wanting me to remember that I'm not the one who is in control.  I know this sounds silly and after posting this I'm sure I will laugh at myself for posting this emotional moment!  Mostly, I just need to be reminded that my hope is not in our house being perfectly organized and ready for our baby Molly or hope in anything external.  I must rest in the Lord and let Him be my final hope. 

    Pray for me in this...I do want to grow in trusting the Lord and resting He knows what is best.  My world will not fall apart if my home is not completly finished...most likely there will always be another project to do!  

   Thankfully, we can never really run away from the Lord.  Whenever I start to feel this away, I must remember what Psalm 139 says....read it below.  It's nice because we know the Lord will not let us run from Him and He alone is the one we can run to!  May we keep running to the Lord no matter how we feel or what the circumstance maybe...He alone is faithful and our resting place! 

Psalm 139:7-12

"Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

 even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me.

 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

and the light about me be night,”

 even the darkness is not dark to you;

the night is bright as the day,

for darkness is as light with you."

Where Do I Even Begin...finished this post!

  I haven't written on this blog is so long...and so much has changed in my life! The Lord's hand has been upon every turn and change, thankfully! For by His grace I have not run away from His ways! Though at times, I wanted to run...He has kept me and guided me into wonderful paths (both hard and good ones)!  This Psalm is super comforting...

PSALM 121

"I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;

he who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, he who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

the Lord is your shade on your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;

he will keep your life.

The Lord will keep

your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore."

I praise the Lord for all the ways He has moved me and has brought me into a new season in life!  I never thought that so much could change in a matter of months, yet the Lord loves to do the impossible and in doing so, grow us and make us more like His Son.   Here's a little list of what has been happening in the past year, all taylored-fit for me to learn how to depend upon and better know our faithful God!

Febuary 21, 2009...engaged to a wonderful man, Mark Gronotte.   He took me sking and gave me a surprise proposal on the slopes! Now the next 3 months were planning the wedding and finishing up my semester at Southern! We had so much help and encouragement along the way...thanks to my sweet family for coming all the way from Texas to be with us and for being in the wedding too (with all their kids-9!) 

May 28, 2009...We signed the papers and closed on our first home Thursday before the wedding!  This is for sure a fixer-upper home! It was built almost 100 years ago.  We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into for our first year of marriage!  But the Lord graciously opened it up for us!  There will be lost of pictures to come of the renovations we have done.   We just put our boxes in the house with the help of friends and family and came back after our honeymoon to see crazy mess of boxes!  It's been an adventure for sure! We have had lots of help from his family and friends from church!! We couldn't complete it without them! Its located just a couple blocks from our church! We have lots of friends from church who moved in nearby to help reach out to this community!! May the Lord bring many in Shelby Park to a saving knowledge of the Gospel of Christ!

May 30, 2009...we were married at our wonderful church, Immanual Baptist by our Pastor Ryan Fullerton.  By God's grace, our first kiss on the lips was at the alter, thanks for the Lord's kindness!We had such a wonderful time at the wedding celebrating the goodness of the Lord in fulfilling our desires to be married and with much anticpation to display the Gospel through our marriage! (I'll get a picture of us from our wedding soon!) 

June 1-June 7, 2009....We went to Disney World for our honeymoon!! It was a blast and a sweet joy to be with the love of my life, Mark in the funnest place on earth! :)  

June 30th weekend....We went on our first month-aversary to Mammoth Cave to go hiking! We stayed in a cute little cabin and enjoyed the beauty of God's creation!    It was such a sweet and joyful weekend!   and to our surprise we got Pregnant that weekend...we didn't know it at the time, but all dates point to this weekend!  More shock and surprise to come when we realize it several weeks later! :)

Well, the next 7 months have been dedicated to renovations on the house, working, and learning a lot of what it means to be a wife for Mark! (And feeling the ups and downs of expecting a baby!) The Lord has given us alot of grace for each other and through misunderstandings and joys we both can see the Lord's growth in us as we are approaching our 8th month of marriage! The more as time goes, the more we can see the Lord's hand in directing our lives together for His glory! 

Back in October Mark hurt his knee in a major way through teaching at his side job martial arts to kids!  He was doing a demonstration and came down wrong on his knee and tore the insides!! This put him in a brace for one month before we could get him into surgery! 6 weeks ago he had his surgery and it was a success!  This is his first week off crutches and able to drive himself to work! :) We did not expect this at all, but the Lord has shown us grace all along the way! I hate to admit, I didn't handle this very well in the begining.  However, the Lord has shown faithful throughout this whole trial and see that the Lord purposed it to do good in us and unite us in Him!  We are so thankful that Mark is on the way to recovery and is almost back to his full energy! :)  We had so much support and help through our church family and our family that we know we have been carried along by so many prayers and encouragement!  Praise the Lord for this trial, which might be the first time I have said that and meant it in my  heart! :)

I need to download pictures of my baby bump! It has grown alot by now! I'm in my 31st week of pregnancy and can't believe how much time has gone by! We are expecting a baby girl by the end of March! Oh, I see and can taste the kindness of the Lord in every detail of life!  May our lips praise Him and our hearts rejoice in the goodness of the Lord all our days!

More Pictures to come...grace and peace in Christ. :)