Sweet Amy

We had a great weekend visit with my dear friend Amy. Amy and I met at church probably 7 years ago.

We ran regularly together, and I ran my first 1/2 marathon with her in 2004 (I think!). We broke our time goal of finishing under 2 hours. At the 9 mile point we had 3 minutes to make up, so we booked it. We said to each other, "I have to stop talking now" and took off. Every couple of minutes, one of us would shout out a bible verse to help motivate us. And we made it!

Amy is so gracious and loving. Every time I'm with her I feel like I can be totally me. It's wonderful to have friends like that in your life where you can let down your guard. And find understanding and encouragement.

Amy has been through a lot in the last couple years. She has been brave and courageous in spite of some pretty harsh circumstances. She has been a testament of beauty and grace. And I am honored to be her friend.

Amy starts PA school at Wake Forest in 2 weeks. We are rooting her on as she takes another courageous step! We love our Amy, and are so grateful she is in our life.

Proud wife

Isaac has 2 interviews today: 1 for MBA school at NC State, and 1 for a job interview. As I was asking Isaac 50 questions over dinner last night (to prep for the interviews), I got reminded over and over again how smart, talented, and well-rounded my husband is. You go Isaac! You're going to do great today!

Isaac has taught me a lot about grace too. When things are really stressful and chaotic... Isaac is calm and stays positive. I have a tendency to descend into a mild state of panic and pretty much freak out. Watching how Isaac handles things, though, makes me want to be more like him. I know God also created me to be who I am... but I certainly would like to be more like my husband.

I love you sweetie. Thank you for inspiring me.

Grateful in spite of the uncertainty

Isaac and I have found an amazing church in Raleigh. We got married there is September, and feel connected to our new church "family." First Presbyterian is right downtown, but brings people from all over Wake County. Our pastor Ed and his awesome wife Jenny live right next door to my sister Carolyn. And so when we're at Carolyn's we often get to pet their adorable yellow lab Molly.

It's the first time in a long time that I've felt connected to a community of believers. Our pastor is truly gifted and has challenged us to learn more about the word. He comes fairly frequently to teach our young adult Sunday school class, and that is such an honor. The church is truly investing in the next generation.

Our SS class is growing more and more. And we've been able to reach out to one another when new babies arrive, and in outreach to the community as we feed Habitat for Humanity volunteers and homeless families. I have truly needed this ministry as a source of personal growth and to feel like there is something "bigger" and more important out there.

On the uncertainty front... Isaac had a phone screen for one job at Eaton that did not go as well as we would have liked (although the position doesn't really suit Isaac either). And we found out he isn't being considered for another position in the Raleigh area. That was a lot to absorb in a short amount of time. Since Isaac is completing the Leadership development program at Eaton, we expected that people would be vying for his skills and talents. But in this economy, every thing is messed up.

Isaac is handling this very well, but we certainly would appreciate your prayers. On a positive note, he has an interview for MBA school at NC State on Friday morning (evening program). So we have that to look forward to.

So, we're counting our blessings in the midst of so much job uncertainty. But just as he's proved over and over, our God is faithful and will never leave us or forsake us.

The Love of God

Isaac just told me that on his run to the YMCA last night (we live about 1.5 miles away)... a man in a suit on a bicycle shouted to him, "Trust in the Love of God." This is just what we needed to be reminded of. And I'm so grateful Isaac had his iPod volume level low so he could hear what the man said to him.

It reminded me of a Mercy Me song I love. Here are most of the lyrics from that song:

"The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell
The guilty pair, bowed down with care
God gave His Son to win
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin.

Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade

To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints' and angels' song."

God's love is measureless and strong, and will always endure. I am so, so grateful for the reminder of his love for us.

God loves you too!!!!!!

Back in Carolina (NC that is!)

I'm finally back from Greenville, SC. Being away from home for 10 days is WAY too long (especially when I only planned/packed for 5). I ended up driving through some pretty severe weather at the very end. We had about 8 tornadoes touch down around this area. But I'm safe and sound.

I hate to steal Isaac's thunder (never know when he's going to post...) but he took his GMAT today and did very well. YAY Isaac! He worked really hard studying and preparing. When I looked at some of the math questions it took me WAY back... to high school! Goodness. I haven't had to calculate the area of a circle in close to 15 years. So, bravo Isaac. I am really proud of you, and know you are completely relieved to have this behind you.

We're off to France 2 weeks from today. This will be a wonderful respite for us. With the stress of my big project at work, Isaac's GMAT, and Isaac's job situation (trying to find a job since he's completing his leadership development program at Eaton), we need a break! It will be nice to have some time together away from our cell phones, computers, and all those nagging house projects we've been meaning to get started on. I'm still a little nervous that I will have a hard time relaxing on the trip. As most of you know, I'm pretty high strung. And with all that's been going on lately I'm going to have to work extra hard to wind down. (Doesn't that sound funny--working EXTRA hard to WIND down? The story of my life people!) : )

God truly has been gracious and faithful to us. I'm trying to learn every day that HE has our best interests at heart. So we don't have to worry (Matthew 6). What better hands are there to be in besides God's?

Still in Greenville, SC

I left for Greenville on April 26th to work on the "go live" of my big project. Things went pretty well with the exception of the physical scanner we use to get work into the software system (luckily email and fax can get work in there too!). After spending about 20 hours on conference calls and web exs with the vendor, I finally got them to admit that it was their issue. And they hope to have a fix by Monday (not holding my breath). So, I'm staying in Greenville this week so I can go back to work there on Monday.

Isaac drove down late night last. It wasn't till about 6:30 that I made the decision that I need to come back Monday... and driving 10 hours (5 hours each way) for 36 hours at home didn't seem great to me. But, I'm really glad Isaac drove down. He's studying for his GMAT now while I catch up on a week's worth of mail and update my blog. : )

There was a little voice in the back of my head that said, "Andrea, don't worry about it. Just go back home." But I just couldn't leave the business unit in a lurch. They worked so hard last week to adjust to processing their work on a image on a computer screen vs. having the actual piece of paper in front of them (it's harder than you think--especially when your "claim" is 50 pages long!). So, my work ethic won out, and I'm going back Monday.

My hope is to get them squared away by Wednesday. But we'll see. Isaac has his GMAT exam on Wednesday, so we'll both be working hard this week.

Fortunately... FRANCE is 18 days away! It will be such a welcome adventure after spending this year working really hard with the Run for the Roses 5k and work at BB&T. We are spending 4 days in Paris and 3 days in Nice. Can't wait to stroll the Champs d'Elysee and see the Mediterrean sea in Nice. We're hoping that everything settles down with the swine flu so we can make the trip. Some minister in Europe recommended no trips to the US and Mexico, so I'm hoping they don't freak out and close their boarders to US and Mexican citizens. We'll see.

Isaac has been such an awesome support to me. I was surprised by an arrangement of gerbera daisies in my hotel room when I returned on Wednesday. They are so beautiful and the sentiment and effort it took to make that happen means so much to me. God gave me an amazing husband.

Hope you all are well. Feeling really grateful for my friends and family this week. Love you all!