oh how he loves us

Posted by Megan

My thoughts in this post have repeatedly been going through my mind over the last few weeks. How it will unfold is yet to be seen. Maybe you’ve heard the song “How He Loves” by the David Crowder Band. I haven’t been able to get the words out of my head lately. I’ve been waiting…waiting for weeks to hear results of what I feared would be bad news. And regretfully I must say that the results are in fact negative. As I’ve waited and feared the worst, my mind has mulled over the words of this song. I have asked myself if the news was bad would it mean God would stop loving me…of course not! I know that, but really…do I know that deep down in my heart? Yes, I say with my mouth and in my mind. Should a failure overshadow how much God loves me? Absolutely not! Does a bad situation mean God is not with me? Nope again! Even in my darkest or most difficult moments, God is nothing less than my EVER PRESENT help…STEADY and UNCHANGING…LOVING Father.

This song has also touched my heart as I think about the waiting, expectation, joy and heartache that I have seen others close to me go through recently. I’ve completely lost track of the number of friends who are currently exploding to tell of their joy that they are expecting a little one or those that have endured the waiting and are about to pop or those that are reveling in happiness as they hold their newborn. But then there are a few that I know are also mourning the loss of their hope and feeling crushed as their new one slipped away suddenly. In the joy and in the sorrow…God has not changed from being a God who cares…who is always ready to pour out His affections on us.

My heart also is moved for one whose ground was not just shaken but the floor completely fell through…leaving a pile of rubble to muddle through. There was some waiting and hoping circumstances would change but to no such avail. This dear one and God are putting the pieces back together…one step and one day at a time. For one whose situation would appear to be some kind of failure, I believe that one day in hindsight one will look back and see God’s glory in it all. God is pouring out His love with each step.

A few last words from the song…a reminder that God, who sent His one and only Son to earth to die for you and me, simply LOVES…He loves you and He loves me…HE LOVES! With puffy eyes from too many tears and tears that will still probably fall in the days ahead, I keep walking in faith and basking in His love.

From the David Crowder Band, “How He Loves”

“I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,

When I think about, the way…

That He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves.”

Tea and Treats

Posted by Megan

A holiday season tradition that always seems to creep its way into everything are the sweet treats. They seem to find their way in front of us and beat down on the will power of resistance. This past week was “treat week” at my work. Last year I was working at a client’s office during the annual treat week so I avoided most of the goodies. This week, however, I was in the office all week, and it was an unusually slow week. Therefore, each day the table in the kitchen was filled with goodies saying “eat me.” It seemed that just a little bite of everything added up too quickly.

Then I topped off the week with the annual Ladies’ Christmas Tea at our church. I also had to miss out on this event last year so I was very excited to take part in it this year. Several women in the church host a table by decorating it and bringing out their fine china. Most of the ladies at my table were friends of my hostess that don’t attend the church. It was nice to visit with the ladies. Everyone who attended brought their very best…you guessed it…treats! The evening also included a few Christmas carols and a special message from the guest speaker. Her message was based on the seasons of life. I found special interest in her message because she and her family were missionaries for many years and only recently returned to the states. Their transition has been a difficult one but one in which God is working. As it says in Ecclesiastes, there is a time and season for everything. Whether we are in a difficult season or a joyful season, God is constant…He is there…He does not change. There is such HOPE in knowing that!

Although I ate more than I should have this week, I did enjoy tasting everyone’s special Christmas treats. I’ve taken the long road to get here, but the reason I started this post was to share the treat I made for both of these events. I decided to branch out a little and make a sweet Georgian treat to share. It’s actually the first time I’ve attempted to make something Georgian in America. That being said, I stuck with something very easy…gozinaki (candied walnuts). Gozinaki is actually a treat enjoyed by Georgians at the New Year, but I thought Christmas was a good time to give it a try. Honey represents the sweetness of the new year to come, hence why gozinaki is the treasured treat served at New Year’s. Now I didn’t have any Georgian friends here to try my gozinaki, but I hope that I would have made them proud. I did use one of my wooden spoons from Georgia, and I wore my Georgian wool slippers while making the gozinaki, so I hope that somehow a little bit of Georgia made it into the gozinaki. Those who tried it seemed to like it, and it tasted like I remember, so I guess I would call it a success!

Here’s the recipe if you would like to try the sweet treat:

3 ½ cups shelled walnuts
1 cup honey

Toast the walnuts lightly at 350 F for 10 minutes, then chop them coarsely. In a deep saucepan bring the honey to a boil. Stir in the nuts and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring periodically, until the mixture is thick. Be careful not to let it burn.

Pour the mixture out onto a moistened wooden board or oiled marble slab. With a spatula, spread it ½ inch thick. When cool, cut into 2-inch diamonds.

For crisper gozinaki, shape the cooked mass into a rectangle on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 10 minutes. When cool, cut the candy into diamonds as directed above.

Giving Thanks

It's Thanksgiving so of course it's time for a Thanksgiving post. There will be a lot of turkey and all the fix'ns to go with it over the next couple days. There will be lots of family time and possibly some Christmas shopping. What sometimes gets lost at this time of year is the "giving thanks" part of Thanksgiving, so we don't want to neglect to share our heart of thanksgiving.

Before our Thanksgiving meal at church last Sunday, several individuals stood up to share something they were thankful for this year. It was so touching to hear about the ways God has moved in people's lives, opportunities He's given them to share Christ with others, many miracles He has performed, and countless ways God has intervened at just the right time. God is our Healer, our Redeemer, our Provider, our loving Father...and the list goes on.

We have talked a little bit about some things we are thankful for this week. Although not all inclusive, here are a few:

• Eachother - We can honestly say that we highly value and love each other. Life for us has been more rich and full with the other by our side.
• Family - We love both of our families. Sharing time together and making memories is priceless. We are very thankful that we get to spend as much time together as we do whether for Monday night family dinners or traveling to see eachother.
• Home and Vehicles - Our cozy apartment is just what we need for now and our cars get us where we need to go.
• Our Jobs - We are grateful to our employers...even when work can be difficult and trying at times. We know it has been tough for many to find work, and we pray that God would provide for those in need.
• Georgia - We are very excited to be on the path to Georgia. It's a journey getting there, but God is providing for us and preparing us along the way. We are thankful for what God is going to do through us as we continue to let His will be done in our lives.
• God - We are so humbled by His love and grace to us. There have been some challenges in the past year or so, but God has been ever faithful through all of it. When we are blind to His hand at times, He meets us with love and opens our eyes to the work of His hands. We are filled with awe that we can know God.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Exercising

Posted by Wade

Megan encouraged me to start riding bikes several years ago when we started dating. At that time I weighed somewhere around 300 pounds. I remember one of our first bike rides. It was in the Springfield, MO area (very hilly for those of you who don't know the area). I almost lost my breakfast in the first ten miles (going up a few of those hills) and had to give up on the way back and waited for Megan to come pick me up. Slightly embarrassing for a guy who was trying to impress his girlfriend.

As I improved on keeping up with Megan, I remember using the Bible verse she taught me in Ephesians 6, "Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power...." That helped me get up a lot of hills on my bike. Now that I am a bit more used to going up the hills, I don't have to rely on that verse as much to make it. That happens to me spiritually when things in life are going good.

It reminds me that I need to exercise my spiritual life more than anything (especially in the good times) so I can get through the bumps, hills, and mountains of life when they happen. Reading the Bible and praying are necessary to exercise spiritually, and I don't want to forget I need to do this daily. I am so thankful God has helped me lose 85 pounds since those first bike rides AND has conveniently reminded me in other ways to exercise spiritually. I pray we all are reminded often.

Commissioning Service at OPAG

Today, we spoke at our first church service since we have started raising support for our mission assignment. We were very very nervous as public speaking is a little bit outside our comfort zone. Plus our church recently combined our two worship services into one so all the pews were filled!


God was so faithful in providing us confidence and the words to speak. We thank God for that...He always provides! We really enjoyed getting the chance to share our heart and passion for serving in Georgia. We are excited to share the hope and encouragement that Jesus gives us and has given us throughout our lives with the national people. The Georgians are amazing and we look forward to serving them.


We are also thankful for our church and pastor. They prayed over us, and it was an amazing feeling to have the leaders standing behind us both physically by laying hands on us and spiritually through prayer. God is awesome, and He shines through our church!


Our fall newsletter should be going out in the next couple weeks. We love you and hope this post finds you well and you are encouraged today because of our great God!

Mshvidobashi!

A few months ago, a friend living in Georgia shared the following story. With her approval, we wanted to share this story with our readers because it is an insightful glimpse into Georgia.

When I go to the bazaar to buy something, for example a pair of shoes, the sellers often tell me: "Mshvidobashi!" "Mshvidoba" means "peace", so they wish me: "In peace!". For someone like me who has grown up in peaceful Western Europe, it was quite puzzling in the beginning – why do they say that?? Over time, I have begun to understand better what they want to express, language-wise and content-wise. The long version of this wish is "Mshvidobashi mogakhmaros Ghmertma!" which means:

"May God allow you

to use it in peace!"
(in reference to the shoes I just bought).

In its history, Georgia has seen so many wars, that’s why

they have this wish

deep in their hearts.

Since I have lived in Georgia under increased danger of a new war, I now really understand well why the people talk about peace when they purchase shoes.

I am thankful to God

for every day

I can wear my shoes in peace.

Are you thankful for every day you get to wear your shoes in peace?

Something for us all to think about.

Missionary Associate Commissioning

This past week we went to our Missionary Associate orientation training in Springfield, Missouri. We had a great time meeting other missionaries going all over the world. At the end of the week we were part of the commissioning service which was amazing. We would love you have your prayers as we prepare for our first speaking opportunity at our church on November 8th. We have 15 minutes to share our heart for Georgia. More to come soon in our next newsletter...... Not on our newsletter email or mailing list? You should be! Just let us know!

Katy Trail

Posted by Wade

Before the alarm went off on October 1, 2009 at 5:30 a.m., I was awake and ready to get out of bed. The day was the beginning of the 236 mile trek from Clinton, MO to St. Charles, MO via the Katy Trail (an old railroad bed that was converted to a bike trail. Matt and I had been preparing for the ride for months by doing long rides on the weekends. However, we weren’t quite prepared for all the challenges of the adventure we would encounter along the way.

As we drove away from Overland Park, KS to get to our starting point, the rain and lightening were non-stop. We began to wonder if we would be able to start the bike ride as we had planned. The forecast showed a slight opportunity during the mid-morning, but there was a good chance it would rain much more that day. We arrived in Clinton at around 8:30 and parked at the trail head where there was one other car. There weren’t too many people starting the ride, but we were determined to. We waited about an hour and the sky lightened up. After a quick bathroom break, we got the bikes off the car rack, loaded up our bags, and headed out.

The first day was interesting. The Katy Trail guidebook that we had mentioned it was slightly uphill until Boonville, MO. They didn’t really mention that it seemed uphill all the way to Boonville. It seemed so. After about 12 miles, a loud pop came from behind me. I knew instantly that Matt had a blowout. We thought we would at least make it further before we had a flat tire. This wasn’t just a tube that had a hole in it, but a shredded tire (Matt’s bike was brand new). Needless to say, we weren’t quite prepared for a bad tire. We were prepared for flats as we had six spare tubes. So, we called ahead to Windsor, MO to see if there was a store that had tires for sale. There was, so Wade rode ahead five miles to get the new tire while Matt started walking. The first store had every tire except the right size for Matt’s bike. The store owner said he didn’t think anyone else in town had tires for sale. Could this ruin our whole trip? Would we have to stop after 12 miles to go back to the car?

Matt had called a Bed and Breakfast that also rented bikes so I decided to call them to see what they had available for purchase. Buzz answered the phone and agreed to “come down” to meet me to see what he had. Buzz was a nice man, and was definitely one of those small town country guys. He searched through his tire rack and found a tire that was the size we needed. Then he began looking for the price list. I was thinking, “He knows I am desperate so this might be expensive.” I was surprised when he said, “Well, I can’t find my price list so I’ll charge you $4.” Sold, and I began my ride back to meet Matt who had walked a few miles.

We put on the new tire, aired it up, looked it over and deemed it safe and then began our journey again. Each time we went around a curve, it seemed like the trail went on forever – of course, uphill. We finally arrived in Sedalia; we were both starving. We stopped a local couple who were walking and asked for some ideas for lunch. He named off about every fast food restaurant in town. One he suggested was “Spanish” rather than Hispanic or Mexican. We selected Subway. The turkey sandwich and chips tasted great and hit the spot. We were ready to ride – uphill.

I began to hear a few rumblings from the sky, but I chose not to believe it would rain. I just continued enjoying the scenic view of the fields of crops to our right and left. Of course, rain. It gave Matt and me a chance to try out the ponchos I bought for the trip. I’m sure I didn’t have mine on quite right as I was soaked. We kept riding through the rain. Our bikes (and us) were caked with a mixture of water and dust from the gravel trail. It was just part of the adventure as we were riding uphill, in the rain, on a slushy trail. Let’s just say our average speed wasn’t that great.

As the sun set on our first day we approached the bridge over I-70 that would get us into Boonville. It was a welcomed site as we looked forward to the pizza we would order for dinner, a hot shower, and a bed where we could crash. Day 1 of our adventure was complete with Matt riding 74 miles and me riding 80 (since I got to go get the new tire). We averaged 10.3 miles-per-hour that day.

Day 2 started at 8:30 after a continental breakfast and a trip over to the truck stop to air up Matt’s tire. Little did we know that this would be a common occurrence today. We rode through Boonville and north of town over the Missouri River. It was a bit nerve-racking riding over the bridge with a stiff crosswind. That was a long bridge. As we approached Rocheport, MO, Matt noticed his tire again. We were concerned, so we had the bike shop in Rocheport look at the tire and tube. Sure enough, another hole. We spent about 45 minutes there waiting for the bike shop to work on Matt’s tire.

Rocheport was a nice town; I would like to stay there next time I ride the trail. There were several people riding and many B&B’s to choose from. Off we were, hoping to make good time as this was our longest day; at least the wind was at our backs. We made it to McBaine, MO where we at Lucy’s Bar & Grill. The locals kind of looked at us funny as we walked in the place. It was right on the trail, but they acted like they hadn’t seen bike riders before. There was one employee in the place, her name not Lucy, who took our order and then went and cooked it. She said she got in trouble by her boss for making the hamburgers to big. They were big and pretty good.

After we finished eating, we started again. This time we made it to Hartsburg, another nice town. Dotty’s Café was the place to stop here. Matt talked to a man at the trailhead and found at that Dotty’s had great cobbler. Yes they did, blackberry cobbler. We had to have some.

Today we ate a lot. Our final stop for the day (well, almost our final stop) was in Portland, MO at the Riverfront Bar & Grill. Yes, another bar & grill. For Matt, another hamburger. I, however, went crazy and had a corndog. I hadn’t had one of those in a long time. The place was pretty empty. I used the bathroom here which didn’t have a sink. That was odd, but when I came back out, I found the sink. It was in the room with all the dining tables. Never seen that before. We loaded up on Gatorade and water and headed out; it was getting dark fast and we still had a tent to setup when we arrived at our stop for the evening in Bluffton, MO.

We had five miles to go. I was riding in front and was anxious to get to Bluffton as it was getting dark. I thought it was pretty spooky riding through the middle of nowhere and in the trees at dusk. I kept looking back to make sure Matt was coming. Finally, with a few miles to go, I checked again and Matt was not to be seen. I turned around and started going the other way. There he was, another flat tire. By this time, we knew the routine. He had his job and I had mine. We changed the tire and aired it up – again.

Finally, we finished our ride for the day – 85 miles. We arrived at Steamboat Junction campground where our tent, blankets and pillows awaited us at the “concession stand”. This was a self-service stand with a refrigerator and a bowl where you were to put your money. We found our camping spot and began to setup up camp for the evening. We were tired and cold. The temperature was going to get down to 45 degrees by morning. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Our camping neighbors for the evening found a special way to stay warm. They were drinking and partying and didn’t care that we wanted to sleep. I believe they went to bed about 2:00 am. We must have fallen asleep in there sometime, but we didn’t sleep much. It was interesting and we didn’t have any trouble waking up to get going at sunrise. It would be our final day of riding; 70 miles to go until we were in St. Charles.

Megan was to meet me in St. Charles and would be driving from Overland Park, KS that day. I was excited to see her and spend the night at the B&B. We planned on a nice dinner to celebrate the ride.

We began riding at 7:00 am and arrived just outside of Herman for breakfast. We had a nice breakfast sandwich and were able to use the restroom to change clothes as we didn’t trust the bathroom facilities at the campground. Outside the grocery store were a few Shriners raising money for the Shriner Hospital. He told us several stories of some of the kids they had helped. My dad was a Shriner so I was familiar with what they did. He earned a donation from us and we were on our way. Much of the day was riding along the Missouri River or fields. It was a beautiful sunrise. However, the sun wasn’t out long. We were cold most of the day.

Our plans for the day included stopping in Defiance at Matt’s Godmother’s house for lunch (and a surprise dessert). The dessert was brownies. They were awesome. It was nice to eat somewhere like home. From there we had 20 miles and one flat tire left. We made it; we actually made it. We rode 236 miles. We averaged 11 miles-per-hour while riding our bikes a total of approximately 21.5 hours. Five flat tires all together.

Praise God for our safety and physical ability to make it. We could not have made it without His provision.

Leila Grace's Day at the Zoo

Yesterday was our day with our niece Leila Grace to celebrate her 4th birthday. We already had plans to go to the zoo for a four mile run that Leila's mom Alissa and Uncle Wade were participating in. During the race, Aunt Megan and Leila took some interesting pictures of rocks. Leila would make a good photographer someday. They made it to the finish line of the race just in time to meet up with Uncle Wade to go look at animals. We saw some sea lions, elephants, a pig, tropical birds, a tiger, and lots of monkeys. Leila was very interested in the merry-go-round and playground with the slide. We were told not to look at her until she wanted us to, then she would start at one end of the jungle gym and climb to the end where the slide was. She was trying to surprise us as she came down the slide. We would finally hear her say, "Ok, now you can look" followed by her unique laugh and scream. Leila also enjoyed eating her popsicle. She didn't let any drip which is pretty impressive for a four year old. In fact, she diligently held a napkin under it the whole time she ate and licked it to make sure she didn't lose any of it.

We rented a stroller for Leila, but she didn't want to ride in it, and when she got tired, she really didn't want to walk either. A few times she just stopped walking, put her hands on her hips, and refused to move forward. She wanted a piggy-back ride the whole time. Finally, Uncle Wade showed his stubbornness and told Leila she had two options...to ride in the stroller or start walking. She replied "No, my options are to ride on your shoulders, ride in the stroller, or walk, and I want to ride on your shoulders." She's a smart one! However, we didn't give in and she finally started walking again.

We had a fun time showing Leila some of the animals. Even though we had a few of those moments that four year-olds can create, we loved the day with Leila! Leila is amazing and we are so glad she is part of our family. Happy Birthday Leila Grace!

Thirty, Flirty and Thriving

Posted by Megan

When I was 13, I didn’t dream about being “thirty, flirty and thriving” like Jenna in the movie “13 going on 30”…not even anything close to it! In my mind, thirty was so far off and simply meant something related to being an adult, which I equated with being married and having children and doing whatever else I thought adults did. Well, I will be 30 tomorrow. I know…hard to believe! I’m trying to figure out how to spit those words out if someone asks how old I am. I am entering a whole new decade and that seems rather strange.

It feels like one of those milestones where I should evaluate what I’ve accomplished or not accomplished and how I am going to meet those goals in the next year, 5 years, 10 years, and on. My natural tendency would be to look at all the things I wish I would have done by now and be too hard on myself for not reaching those goals. Worse yet, would be my tendency to compare myself to other people my age or even younger who have accomplished far more than I may ever. Yep, that’s my human side with an inner drive to do more, be more, have more….more, more, more.

Almost every day of my life I feel the need to accomplish something. Big or small…doesn’t usually matter, but I need to check something off my to-do list with each passing day of my existence. Today I will reflect on something that wasn’t on my to-do list. I’m not going to add anything to my to-do list either. I am going to CELEBRATE 10 exciting accomplishments or moments in the first 30 years of my life (in no particular order):

1. I graduated at the top of my high school class, and it doesn’t matter that there were only 4 of us! It was still a special accomplishment. I also have a college degree, and I put it to good use every day.

2. I am married to my best friend, Wade. He is the most amazing, loving, romantic, encouraging person in my life. Marriage has been better than I ever expected or dreamed! He was absolutely worth waiting for when sometimes it seemed there might not be anyone for me.

3. I still get excited thinking about the high moments in my life. By high, I mean being up in the sky…on roller coasters, in a hot air balloon, parasailing, and even, skydiving! I still get excited just flying in a plane and looking out the window at this great big world.

4. I have visited 28 of the 50 states in the USA, and I have visited 12 countries outside the USA, which includes 5 of the 7 continents. I’m ready to start filling up my 3rd passport with more stamps. God created a diverse and breathtaking world, and I am thankful to have seen as much of it that I have. My first trip out of the USA was at age 15 when my parents allowed me to go on a mission trip to South Africa, and I haven’t been the same since!

5. I lived in one of those countries for 2 years…Georgia (not the state…I know some of you are still confused about where I disappeared to for so long). There are no words to sum up this experience…it was priceless!

6. I spent the first 18 years of my life growing up in small town mid-west America and proud of it. My parents still live in the house I grew up in, and I love to visit there. There is something about the roots that I have there that have gone deep, and I highly value the consistency of growing up in one place being taught day by day what really matters in this life by people that are very dear to me even today.

7. In 30 years, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know many amazing people who have made my life even better – the Chanute friends that I shared so many growing up experiences with and still share gatherings with and can pick up conversation with after months as though I talked to them yesterday…the Evangel friends who love me as me and challenged me to spread my wings and dream bigger…the after college friends who helped me find my place “in the real world”…the many missionary and Georgian friends that feel like family…and now the other young couples that Wade and I have befriended and are learning about this stage of life together. Somewhere in between all these groups are others who have graciously allowed me to know something about them and learn from them and laugh with them. I hope they can say that I added something of value to their lives too.

8. I have a wonderful, supportive family! I love getting together! I like family traditions and I like making new memories. I love family dinner night each week. I am constantly amazed by the big imaginations that my nieces and nephews exuberate and the witty comments that come from their mouths. I like hanging out with my sister-in-law, and I even love my brothers and have forgiven them for the trauma they caused me as a child. I love hearing my parents bicker about who gets to talk to their favorite daughter first on the phone. My family multiplied when Wade and I married last year. There are many new traditions and memories that have filled my life in just a short time. I have enjoyed all the visits we have shared over the past year. I love staying on the "farm." And I loved learning how to make apple butter as much as I have delighted in eating it. Family is a blessing!

9. I love how my lungs fill up with fresh air as I pedal long and hard on my bicycle…especially when it’s outside the city limits! I have ridden as far as 90 miles in one day and have done numerous 30, 40, and 50 mile rides. I never get tired of it!

10. I have put on many leadership hats and many were quite outside my comfort zone…stretching me just a little more. From student council, to yearbook editor, to activities board treasurer and Crosswalk ministry board treasurer, ‘Big Sister’ with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, fundraiser, public speaker, Sunday school teacher, etc. Under each title, I failed a little and a lot and I learned a little and a lot and I became a better person because of it.

Now that I am turning 30, it doesn’t quite feel like I imagined it. However, I am happy about the first 30 years of my life and hope I’ll be blessed with 30+ more!

This little girl is 30...

Rudy Potocnik, Age 6, Chicken Dancer

Once again we enjoyed another Potocnik birthday! This time it was Rudy's turn to spend some quality time with Uncle Wade and Aunt Megan. Rudy spent the afternoon with us as this was our birthday present to him. We each tried to guess where Rudy would want to eat lunch (Megan voted Taco Bell and Wade voted Pizza Street). Wade was right! We enjoyed the pizza buffet at Pizza Street in Lee's Summit, Missouri. This is definitely a favorite of all the Potocnik kids!

From there, our adventures took us to the Deanna Rose Farmstead in Overland Park, Kansas. Rudy insisted on climbing to the top of everything he possibly could, including a large slide which he said was his favorite part about the farmstead. (If you know Rudy, he is a monkey and has already broken both arms in his first 6 years of life. We just wanted to take him home without any broken bones!) Our favorite was Rudy getting attacked by the baby goats as he was trying to feed them a bottle of milk. They chewed on his shorts and shirt, but luckily not his fingers. It was a successful feeding! We also liked the bison, cows, and chickens. There is a lot to do there, and we give it a thumbs up (it's FREE fun too!).

Next stop...the AMF Bowling Lanes! Besides Megan and Wade having a side competition for the highest score (which Megan won!), Rudy did pretty well considering the ball was almost as big as him. He got one strike...awesome! We were quite entertained by the dance Rudy came up with after each turn at bowling. Hence, how he earned the "chicken dancer" title.

The ride home was pretty quiet. We believe we won the match of us versus kid since he fell asleep and we didn't. We'd say it's a sign he had a good time! We love Rudy and were blessed to have the afternoon with him. Happy Birthday, Rudy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Georgia

We are excited to begin posting about some major changes going on in our lives. We were recently approved to be Missionary Associates to the nation of Georgia (where Megan worked for two years before we were married) and were able to get our first support letter and prayer card sent out just yesterday. As we begin the process of fundraising and training for our missionary assignment we would definitely appreciate your prayers.

Thank you so much for reading and we hope to use this blog as a way to bless each of you and to keep you up to date on our progress toward moving the Housh House to Georgia.

Sweet Corn Fest

Can you believe the July weather? It's been so nice out so we've been enjoying it as much as possible. The coolest weekend in July happened to fall on the day Wade couldn't wait for...the Sweet Corn Fest at Powell Gardens in Kingsville, Missouri. He's had it on the calendar for several months...his mouth drooling at the thought of all that sweet corn. The botanical gardens are almost an hour's drive from our place so we don't go as often as we'd like but we always enjoy it when we do get to go. The sweet corn fest was part of the new Harvest Garden, an edible garden, with fruits, vegetables, and a small vineyard. It's still in it's beginning stages but will be enjoyable as it grows a little more.


We had no idea there were so many kinds of sweet corn. We tasted...well actually, we had all we could eat of about six different kinds. Wade's favorite was bodacious. Megan's favorite started with the letter "A" but we can't remember the name...there were too many to remember...oh well. As you can see from the pictures, it was delicious! (For a certain friend who might care to know...we left no corn on the cob = )

After filling ourselves with sweet corn, we walked through the rest of the gardens taking lots of pictures and enjoying the refreshing weather. It was also nice to be out of the city for awhile. So July is nearly over and on to August we go.

One Happy Year

It's true, but we can't believe a whole year has passed by since we were married last June! It's been a year of many changes but many happy memories! After spending two years separated by land and sea, we found that we really enjoyed the sheer joy of just being together again. We also have enjoyed some of our favorite activities such as bike-riding and playing games. It's been a great first year of marriage! We are excited about our 2nd year ahead as God continues to draw us closer to Him and to each other. It has been amazing to look back and see all that God has done to bring our lives together and reveal His plans for us as a couple and not just as individuals. We are very blessed and very thankful that God brought us together!

Roadtrip Stop #8 - Home Away From Home

The only place better than home is a home away from home! Southwest Missouri seems to always feel like just such a place for us. We enjoyed lunch with some friends and had Andy's frozen custard once or maybe twice...it is the best frozen custard! We also stayed with some of Wade's family. The purpose of our vacation stop was the wedding of Wade's nephew T.J. to his lovely bride Becca. The couple had a beautiful day for a wedding outside by the creek. The outdoors happens to be T.J. and Becca's favorite place to be so the location fit them perfectly. Congratulations T.J. and Becca!




Today we made our way back north to Kansas City with our car loaded down. We somehow squeezed in an extra carry-on named Jayce. Wade's 6-yr old nephew came to KC with us for a few days. It should be a fun few more days for us! Megan is going back to work tomorrow, but Wade and Jayce will be busy having lots more fun!

We drove over 3,000 miles to visit friends and family in four states over the past two weeks. The little Prius averaged 46 mpg which significantly helped with the gas budget. We only had a few rainy days and lots of warm sunny days. We really enjoyed each other's company as we traveled. We are especially grateful for the many wonderful people that we were able to visit! Thanks everyone for making our vacation a memorable one!

Roadtrip Stop #7 - Ozark National Forest

After sleeping one night in the Dallas area, we drove up through Oklahoma and then back into Arkansas. In north central Arkansas, we stayed in a cozy cabin in the middle of the Ozark National Forest, just south of the Buffalo River. We had hoped to go canoeing, but the weather did not cooperate for us. We decided to spend a rainy day inside but did manage to squeeze in a short walk between rainfalls. It was very relaxing to just hang out for the day. Our second day there it was raining in the morning but cleared off by the time we reached the trail we wanted to hike. The hike took us to an Indian Rockhouse. The rockhouse was basically a very large and partially open cave which at one time made a nice home for Indians in the area. The weather was perfect for the hike and the views were beautiful around the Ozark Mountains. After our hike, we enjoyed a little more relaxation time. Our cabin had all the ammenities we could want minus any tv stations or internet access...however, the days without these time fillers added to our relaxation. Just one more stop to tell you about in the next post!

Roadtrip Stop #6 - San Antonio, TX

We spent our weekend in San Antonio visiting a missionary family that Megan worked with in Georgia. We really enjoyed seeing the Jenkins' again and meeting the newest member of their family, Niniko, a "westie" terrier puppy. We spent most of our time with them just talking and catching up on each other's news, but we also spent some time enjoying the sites and activities in San Antonio. One of the most popular sites in the city is the Alamo and Riverwalk. Our time at the Riverwalk included a boat tour, browsing in the little local shops, and a Mexican dinner on the river. We also visited Sea World. We were a little bit limited on time there, but we got our money's worth of entertainment on the roller coasters and watching the top three shows...the ski show, the divers show, and, of course, the performance by the killer whales. Wade's favorite show was the ski show, and Megan's favorite was the killer whales. Sea World was one of our favorite entertainment stops on our vacation thus far! We are very grateful for the opportunity to visit with old friends and enjoy some of Tammy's delicious cooking again!

As we left San Antonio this morning, we took the scenic route through Fredericksburg, TX. It is a such a quaint, unique little town with dozens of local shops selling many locally made items. The town is a German settlement in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. In honor of the German roots of the town, we dined in a German restaurant on some wienerschnitzel and noodles. It was delicious and Wade's first schnitzel experience! We only spent a few hours there but could have spent at least a few days in the area. On our way back out to the main highway, we stopped along Hwy 290 for some fresh peaches. It's a bit early for the prime of peach season, but we did find some small ones that were PERFECT! In the next few weeks, they will be overflowing with peaches...yummmmm!

Our next stop was an unknown when we started out on our vacation, but we have since found a cozy location. We are going to take in a little fresh air and peace and quiet. We will fill you in on the details later...stay tuned!

Roadtrip Stop #5 - Houston, TX

Stop #5...our vacation is flying by too quickly! After about 7+ hours on the road from the middle of Arkansas to south Texas, we arrived Tuesday evening in Conroe, TX, just north of Houston. The long drive brought us to see a dear friend that Megan met in Georgia. Ana came to America last summer to attend university and study psychology. She hopes to return to her home in Georgia in a few years to put her knowledge to good use helping her people. It is so great to reconnect with such a sweet friend! It has also been interesting to learn about Ana's cultural experiences in America as Megan had when she was in Georgia. Ana is studying for the GRE so she has not been able to do much with us during the day, but we have enjoyed our visits over breakfast each morning and dinner in the evenings. Ana lives with a family in Conroe who was gracious enough to let us stay over giving us more visit time with Ana.

So during our day time hours in Houston, our first point of interest was the Johnson Space Center (NASA). We spent an entire day there and certainly got our money's worth of space knowledge. It was so interesting! We toured the space center and got to see the old mission control room, a full-scale model of the International Space Center which is also used as a training center for astronauts, and the Saturn V that was built for Apollo 18 but was never sent into space. Back at the space center/museum, we watched a few video presentations about trips to space, the International Space Station, and the history of space developments. Wade's favorite activity in the space center was the flight simulator. He "learned" to land a space shuttle and now considers himself a "pro." However, he and Megan both crashed the shuttle a few times...oops! We would recommend this tourist spot, but you do need most of the day to really see it all.








Our second day in Houston, we spent time and money doing some shopping. We didn't go anywhere special but we both needed a few things and never seem to have much time for shopping when we are at home. For lunch, we enjoyed our favorite chicken, which we can also get at home, Chick-fil-a. The rest of our afternoon was spent doing leisurely things like planning the end of our trip next week, reading, updating the blog, checking email, etc. It was a nice relaxing day!

Friday morning, we are off to our next destination...San Antonio!

Roadtrip Stop #4 - Little Rock, AR

We arrived in Little Rock last Monday evening. We had plans to have dinner and stay the night with T.J. & Cindy (Wade had worked with T.J. before moving to Kansas City) on our way to Texas. After being shown to our room, we talked for a while and found out T.J. had been promoted to "Senior Manager" which is a great accomplishment. We congratulate him on his significant promotion!

We dined at a local mexican restaraunt. The food was great even if the service was a little slow. We also enjoyed long discussions about auditing and accounting (there were 5 accountants at the table!) and getting caught up on old times. No one Wade worked with while Megan was oversees had ever met her so it was nice to finally get to meet some of these people rather than just talk about them.

Thanks to T.J. and Cindy for allowing us to stay in very nice accomodations!

Roadtrip Stop #3 - Walking in Memphis......

While we didn't see Elvis during our brief stop to Memphis, TN, we did check out Beale Street. When we arrived it was before lunch and not many people were out so we assumed that most of them had not awakened from the night before.


We did see a few street bands playing the blues. They were great even though we really don't have any business judging musical talent. We contributed to the "blues bucket" a few times. This involved putting money in a bucket when the band sent someone around to collect "fees" for watching the band.


We moved on to the B.B. King Club restaraunt. We hadn't planned on eating as we were travelling on to Little Rock for a dinner with some friends and had just had a sandwich. However, Megan talked Wade into sharing a BBQ sandwich since she knew he would regret passing up a chance at BBQ. It was delicious, and Wade thought it was the best BBQ sauce he had ever had...so he bought some. Good thing he didn't miss out on the BBQ in Memphis!



After lunch, we hopped back on 40 west and headed to Little Rock...........

Roadtrip Stop #2 - The Home of Country Music...and the Parthenon?

The next stop along our journey was Nashville, TN, to visit the Gollers (D.J., Megan and Jayce). On Saturday, we took a tour of the city on a trolley. It was a tourist's trolley to show the famous landmarks of the city. There are many music recording studios where famous musicians recorded their hits and many places where the "wanna-be's" play most of the night trying to get recognized. We saw the capitol building and the place where "Hee Haw" was recorded. The Parthenon was also on the tour list. Although this is not the real Parthenon, the trolley driver claimed it was within 1/16th of an inch of being the same size as the real Parthenon in Greece. We'll take his word for it. Who knew we would see a replica of the Parthenon in Nashville?


Most of all we just enjoyed the time with family. Jayce and Wade had their routine wrestling matches. Jayce is going to be able to beat Wade up soon as he turns 7 in the fall. We played lots of family games too, like Yahtzee, Golf, and Settlers of Catan. Wade proved he can still beat Megan (his sister) at "Pounce," although she fought hard to stay in the card game until the very end.


The most challenging part of this stop was keeping the pronouncement of Megan and Megan correctly. Megan (Wade's sister) has a long "e" where Megan (Wade's wife) has a short "e". It is more difficult than it sounds, at least for Wade.

Our hosts were very gracious even down to Jayce sharing his bubblegum toothpaste with his Uncle Wade. Yum, it was good!

Roadtrip Stop #1 - Cape Girardeau, MO

Our adventure started on Friday, May 22nd (which happened to be our 11 month and 1 day wedding anniversary...in case you wanted to know). We were very very excited to begin our roadtrip vacation which we have looked forward to for several months.

As we travelled through Missouri, we saw every highway patrolman on the payroll of the state. They were out in full force, and we saw at least 20-25 patrol cars! It is probably a good thing that Megan drove most of the way through Missouri or Wade may have gotten us a ticket!

We didn't have too many stops along the way through Missouri until we met up with some friends to have dinner. 4 years, 2 months, and 3 days earlier we had our first (blind) date because of Craig & Mona. We met them in Cape Girardeau and travelled a few miles south to Kelso, Missouri - population 527. We proceeded to go "downtown" and stopped at a restaraunt named "Ray's." It was a inside of an old bank building and is famous for its steaks and pizzas. Craig and Mona don't pick bad places to eat so we knew it would be a great local place to eat. We both had salad, a ribeye and shared creme brule for dessert. The experience was awesome and the food was delicious. We also really enjoyed catching up with Craig & Mona.

From there, we moved on toward Nashville. We went through the western part of Kentucky and then entered Tennessee. At about 9:45 we arrived at Wade's sister's house, Megan, to enjoy a few days of hanging out. More on those activities later.........

Good Morning, Baltimore...

No we didn't go to Baltimore...just across Missouri to St. Louis. Then why does the blog post title include Baltimore you ask? Because our weekend getaway took us back to 1962 in Baltimore, Maryland, the setting for the Broadway play "Hairspray." Good morning, Baltimore is the first line of the first song in the play and it's been running through our heads for the past 2 weeks (we are a little slow in posting...but hey, better late than never). One of Megan's Christmas presents from Wade was a weekend trip to St. Louis for a play at the Fabulous Fox. Because of busy season at work, we planned our trip for after April 15th. The timing of when we could make the trip also happened to be the weekend "Tracy Turnblad" was in town...thus our choice of show at the Fabulous Fox. The theater was amazing! It first opened as a movie house in 1929. The ornate and detailed architecture is breath-taking! The play was very upbeat and entertaining! We highly recommend a trip to the Fox and seeing a performance of "Hairspray" playing somewhere near you.



Our weekend was short but very relaxing and refreshing. A few of our other activities included going up in the St. Louis Arch for a view of the city. It was Megan's 1st time and Wade's 5th time (he really loves riding in the egg/pod things that take you to the top of the arch). The day was a little on the windy side so the the arch was moving about a quarter of an inch each way, but it felt like much more than that. We also took in a fantastic meal on The Hill, the Italian district of St. Louis. We ate at Cunetto's which was so worth the wait! We definitely give it 5 stars!!!!!


Lastly, we spent an afternoon strolling around the Missouri Botanical Gardens. It happened to be Chinese Culture Days at the gardens so they had a new Chinese garden they had just opened and many Chinese cultural things around the gardens. The flowers were gorgeous! We would have liked to do more in St. Louis, but it will have to wait for another trip...hopefully, sometime later this summer. The city makes a great little getaway!

Two Become One

Oh how we wish busy season had not sucked away our time leaving the blog neglected. We are still here and enjoying the special moments we get to share together when not at work. Just a few more weeks until life can be "normal" again.

This blog entry serves to commemorate one of our recent special occasions. The event was not really for us, but we had the pleasure of celebrating the marriage of Megan's best friend Kelly and her man Jess. It is odd that today we sit and watch as near blizzard conditions are blowing through, but last weekend was as beautiful as one could hope for in March. Saturday was a tad on the cold and rainy side, but that was the play day before the wedding on Sunday. Besides, we spent a part of that day in a cave near Springfield, MO, so the weather wasn't an issue. Kel and Jess invited family and friends to join them on a ride through adventure at Fantastic Caverns (great idea...if we do say so ourselves!). If you've never been there, you can't miss it! We decided there must be at least 400 signs on the highway for it. Later, we enjoyed a Thai dinner provided by Mr. Tong. Another great idea...wish we would have thought of that one! The food was fabulous! We enjoyed getting to know some of Kel and Jess' friends and family.

And then came Sunday morning with a bright and early start for a bright and cheery day! The weather was perfect! The couple chose an old renovated firehouse for their special day. The building had lots of character just like them. It was awesome to see family and friends really pull together to turn the large room into a magical place for their ceremony and reception. The girls spent the morning upstairs primping and such but also just hanging out and having fun too. Hairstyles were provided by Megan's brother (nice work as always, Gregg!).

As the small, private ceremony approached, the stress was low and excitement high! The happy couple was ready to take their vows. It was an honor to stand next to Kelly in full support of the commitment she made to Jess, just as she stood next to me 9 months ago when Wade and I tied the knot. The most memorable moments in the ceremony were seeing the complete joy on Kel and Jess' faces and watching as the parents gave away their children and blessed them with their love and prayers. Of course, no ceremony is complete, until the final pronouncement and the groom's opportunity to kiss the girl...and that he did!

In less than one hour the firehouse was crawling with more guests for the heart of the party! Appetizers and creative fruit artwork were provided by Cooks Kettle. And then on to dessert! Did somebody say cut the cake...I mean pie?!?! YES...there was pie! Every kind of pie you could ever want or imagine, plus homemade ice cream...yummmmm! After showing off some embarrassing childhood photos of the two, the reception drew to a close. The couple went to change into their comfy clothes, and the happy Heugels sped away in their decorated CRV!

So a toast to the newlyweds...may you have a happy, blessed, lifetime of love! You are welcome to come visit any time, so long as you bring us more pie (because ours is gone now = ).

Warm Winter Days

Warm winter days are such a breath of fresh air! We love them! Last week, Wade and I took advantage of our free Saturday afternoon after working to have a picnic lunch at a nearby park and a walk on the trails. We are hoping for more of these days to help us get through busy season at work. And...we are hoping even more that the warm weather now does not mean more really bad weather ahead. It's another lovely day...so go enjoy it!