Zephaniah 3:17 -- "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you with his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." (ESV)
The other day I was walking across campus when I saw a rare sight. A young looking man was pushing a stroller with a sleeping baby in it. The baby was probably around a year old or so, and the dad looked like he could have been my age.
As they approached while I was walking to the SM building, I could hear some hip hop music getting progressively louder as I walked. Come to find out, it was the dad's cd player that was sitting on the top of the stroller that was blaring out a song that uttered a profanity every other word. In the moment I was disgusted, what kind of a dad would do that? Let the kid sleep! Or at least play something more calming.
I've heard it said that if a baby listens to Mozart or some kind of classical music when they are young that they will grow up smarter. Don't quote me on that, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing beneficial about the song that father was letting sing out to the TCC campus listen to...I wonder how that will affect that child in the future.
But then it hit me...What is my father singing over me? Another version of that verse says that God "will rejoice over you with singing" (NIV). He rejoices? Over me? That should change something in me. My response should be out of adoration and fulfillment of that joy.
My sister was in a musical recently, "The Secret Garden". It was pretty good, my sister was fantastic (as usual), but there was one scene that pulled on me in particular. If you don't know the story, you should go see the musical or rent the movie, but one of the veins of the story is about a crippled boy, Colin, and his father, Archibald Craven, who can't stand to be with his son because he reminds him of his deceased wife who died in labor.
One scene pulled on my heart: Colin was sleeping, and Archibald Craven snuck into his room and began to sing a fairy tale story to him. A typical story about a knight in shining armor, a dragon, damsel in destress, etc. And you know what happened? Colin dreamed about it, and it gave him hope, and changed his outlook on his seemingly hopeless life as an invalid and a forgotten son.
So what is my Father, our Father, singing over me, singing over us? He rejoices over us. He showers His love on us. His love is never ending. It has no bounds. Nothing we can do can separate us from that love. It is unconditional, it has no conditions. God does not expect us to do anything to win his love. We can't.
He brings us peace. God frequently speaks to me in dreams, and although sometimes those dreams can shake me up a bit and be a jolting warning of things to come, there is always peace. God is a God of peace. That's one good litmus test as to who is speaking to you, who is speaking over you. Satan will never, ever give you peace. Not true peace. Complacency, sure. Apathy, absolutely. But that is not true peace.
And what Satan speaks to you will never agree with the Word of God. That is another way that we can know who is speaking to us: God is always in alignment with Truth, His Word. He is Truth, and Truth is in His nature. Satan will not, truth scares him and breaks the holds he has on our lives.
So I ask you: What is God been singing over you? What has He been speaking to you about? And more importantly, how will you respond when you "wake up"?
Monday, April 28, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
an angel inspired me...
angel rios that is...:-)
"two kinds of people: those who use computers, and those who use apple's."
it's still true today... :-)
"two kinds of people: those who use computers, and those who use apple's."
it's still true today... :-)
Friday, April 18, 2008
the grand finale: how dave and i became dave and i part 6
in the midst of finals and some crazy wedding planning, along with a ton of other stuff, i have some time to finish up my series on the crazy process that this was of just getting to a point where God's timing and our hearts collided.
Alright, so at this point, dave has left Budapest. That day addison, lisa, the kiddies, and I went to margaret island for the day to ride around the island in one of the family bikes. it was alot of fun, and while addison and ariston were doing something (was it a sports day that day or something?) lisa and i had some time to talk. we were sitting on a blanket in the grass, entertaining silas when she asked me, "alright katie, what's going on between you and dave? i know there's something..." i was SHOCKED! i mean, if you asked me to bet if dave was thinking something i'd bet yes, but no one else had said anything to me, so i thought i was just going crazy and that my mind was not where it needed to be...i told her that i thought i was just going crazy and she said something like, "yeah, it's going to be really interesting when you go back to tallahassee, i'd be surprised if he didn't say anything to you."
later that night we were back at their house, and addison totally called me out. now, i had no idea that dave had talked to addison about me, so i thought it was cRaZy that addison was so sure that dave liked me. hah hah hah! addison was working on his computer after dinner, the topic of dave and i hadn't come up until we started talking about the purse from israel that dave bought me and addison said something like, "yeah, i'd think something was up if someone gave me a purse like that..." then he looked at me like he had nailed me, and he did! in my mind i was like, "no way! he knows?! oh my gosh!!!" i was stunned. and the whole night lisa and i were just giggling like crazy, i was SO excited that they thought that something was going to happen!!! i told them about EVERYTHING, all the way back to...well, post 1 of this series :-D it was great. i didn't get to bed that night until like 3 AM i was so excited. but still guarding my heart, i chose not to think about it too much, and just pray for dave and for God's will to be done.
but the next day we heard from him. his plane was delayed in milan. for like over 24 hours, it was crazy. but he had me on his computer, so he says he was ok...just going crazy because he wanted to see me! he called the tweedy's that night, but since they were out on a date, i answered the phone and got to talk to him for the few minutes he was allotted on the airport phone. how i missed him! it was agonizing...
but he made it back to the states eventually. and i'll speed up the story a few weeks. my last week in europe was spent in prague, czech republic, and vienna, austria and dave was in the states working on MPD. but while i was in my very last days, dave came back to tallahassee...about 30 minutes away, he called my house to catch up with my parents and let them know how he was doing...and of course, he got an invite, as hoped :-) and a red flag went up in my mom's head and she told my dad, "he's coming over to ask about katie..." my dad told her to not jump to conclusions, but she was right!
dave came over and after eating a HUGE sandwich that my dad made him, and some comments made about my dad's knife collection, dave mustered up the strength to ask my dad for his permission to talk to me about pursuing a relationship. and of course, they said yes.
so i get back from budapest, and amidst all the stories and pictures from budapest, i kept talking to my mom about dave. but she couldn't affirm me or anything, becuase she knew that he liked me! but thanks to my dad's instructions to dave, he called me the day i got back into tallahassee. he wanted to meet up and "hear more about my mission trip", etc. we set up a time for friday morning to meet at the n. monroe starbucks at 10 am. but the funny part was that i saw him that night. i went to worship practice right after we talked on the phone, and he was at ihop helping out with the construction. a bunch of us went to steak and shake, and we just so happened to get seated across the table from each other! :-) it was fun, i was going crazy, i couldn't believe that i was finally back in tallahassee and dave was there. but i didn't want to make him think anything, so i payed attention to other people too :-)
later that night i told renee hill about dave. and that explained alot of things to her. she said, "that's why his heart has been fluttering! he's been so smiley since he got back, and it was YOU! it was because of YOU!" that was great. renee and i just gabbed and gabbed about guys til really late...
the next day, wednesday, was rennai palmer's birthday party. so renee hill came over so we could get dressed and do our makeup together. you know girls :-). and she let me know that dave was going to be there...i was kinda nervous, but i got my hair done, and wore my LBD. it was fun, and it was good to see friends again after having been gone for so long. and dave was there. but we didn't talk at all, until he walked renee and i out to our car, and i said, "i'll see you tomorrow at starbucks right?" he said yeah, he'd be there...so i went home, and tried to sleep...
the next morning i woke up at like 9 am, got dressed, had something to eat and headed over there to get to starbucks promptly at 10. dave had called addison that morning, to get some last minute advice and affirmation because i hadn't given him a clue about my feelings for him at all. so i get there...
all the tension from the last summer, and heck, the last 3 years is at a climax. i was so nervous. he was so nervous. but there was peace. i gave him some things i got for him in budapest, and after he got his coffee we sat down. (i was even using the purse he bought me that day!)
after the usual, "how are you doing?" "good, you?" "good!" dave went for it. it was great. he said, "well, i just wanted to get together with you to hear about your last weeks in budapest, and actually i also wanted to talk to you about something..." and he just dove right in. he went on a 5 minute monologue about all the things he liked about me, about how he was called to international missions and how he thought it was so cool that i was too, and how he had been praying about me for so long, and that he felt like it was God's will to see if this was heading toward marriage. then he asked me what i thought, and i said very concisely, "pretty much the same thing!" dave said, "umm, can you elaborate on that?" and i did. i said almost the same things he did, but back to him.
that day was amazing. the man of my dreams wanted to get to know me. me! wow. i got to "not so awkwardly" hug him before getting in my car at starbucks. once i got in my car, i just squealed with excitement!! i was SO happy! i praised God for working everything out, it was incredible! then i called my mom and renee and spilled the good news! it was great. and later that night dave picked me up and we went to the olsen's house to a little ihop party. it didn't seem like anyone noticed that we arrived together. but it was so much fun. i still remember sitting on the chair in their living room and seeing dave in the kitchen, smiling back at me.
he's made me the happiest woman in the world, and i can't wait to be his wife in 29 days!
wow, i love telling our story, i've really enjoyed writing this blog, so thank you for reading! i hope it has encouraged you single folk to not settle, but to consume yourself with our Lord Jesus Christ during the season you're in, and fully trust God to bring your mate to you in his timing, because he will.
and for you married folk, i hope this makes you remember the early years of your romance with your spouse. that's part of the reason i wrote this blog, so i can print it out and reread it years from now when i might be forgetting little details of "our story" :-) G
od bless you all, i'm so glad i could share this story, this incredible testimony of how God did a miracle in mine and Dave's life. as dave said in a card he sent me just days before he proposed, "who would've thought that a guy from Erie, PA and a girl from Southern California, almost 9 years apart in age, would end up in Tallahassee, Florida and be so drawn to each other?! Chance? I think not."
and here's your assignment!:
Dave has agreed to do a guest appearance on my blog, as so many of you requested!!
His one requirement however, is that you comment back with your thoughts and questions for him and i, and we'll post a blog answering them!
so if you have any questions for me, or if you want to get his thoughts on some of the crazy situations of our pre-courtship, comment away! i'm looking forward to answering them! thanks for reading!
Alright, so at this point, dave has left Budapest. That day addison, lisa, the kiddies, and I went to margaret island for the day to ride around the island in one of the family bikes. it was alot of fun, and while addison and ariston were doing something (was it a sports day that day or something?) lisa and i had some time to talk. we were sitting on a blanket in the grass, entertaining silas when she asked me, "alright katie, what's going on between you and dave? i know there's something..." i was SHOCKED! i mean, if you asked me to bet if dave was thinking something i'd bet yes, but no one else had said anything to me, so i thought i was just going crazy and that my mind was not where it needed to be...i told her that i thought i was just going crazy and she said something like, "yeah, it's going to be really interesting when you go back to tallahassee, i'd be surprised if he didn't say anything to you."
later that night we were back at their house, and addison totally called me out. now, i had no idea that dave had talked to addison about me, so i thought it was cRaZy that addison was so sure that dave liked me. hah hah hah! addison was working on his computer after dinner, the topic of dave and i hadn't come up until we started talking about the purse from israel that dave bought me and addison said something like, "yeah, i'd think something was up if someone gave me a purse like that..." then he looked at me like he had nailed me, and he did! in my mind i was like, "no way! he knows?! oh my gosh!!!" i was stunned. and the whole night lisa and i were just giggling like crazy, i was SO excited that they thought that something was going to happen!!! i told them about EVERYTHING, all the way back to...well, post 1 of this series :-D it was great. i didn't get to bed that night until like 3 AM i was so excited. but still guarding my heart, i chose not to think about it too much, and just pray for dave and for God's will to be done.
but the next day we heard from him. his plane was delayed in milan. for like over 24 hours, it was crazy. but he had me on his computer, so he says he was ok...just going crazy because he wanted to see me! he called the tweedy's that night, but since they were out on a date, i answered the phone and got to talk to him for the few minutes he was allotted on the airport phone. how i missed him! it was agonizing...
but he made it back to the states eventually. and i'll speed up the story a few weeks. my last week in europe was spent in prague, czech republic, and vienna, austria and dave was in the states working on MPD. but while i was in my very last days, dave came back to tallahassee...about 30 minutes away, he called my house to catch up with my parents and let them know how he was doing...and of course, he got an invite, as hoped :-) and a red flag went up in my mom's head and she told my dad, "he's coming over to ask about katie..." my dad told her to not jump to conclusions, but she was right!
dave came over and after eating a HUGE sandwich that my dad made him, and some comments made about my dad's knife collection, dave mustered up the strength to ask my dad for his permission to talk to me about pursuing a relationship. and of course, they said yes.
so i get back from budapest, and amidst all the stories and pictures from budapest, i kept talking to my mom about dave. but she couldn't affirm me or anything, becuase she knew that he liked me! but thanks to my dad's instructions to dave, he called me the day i got back into tallahassee. he wanted to meet up and "hear more about my mission trip", etc. we set up a time for friday morning to meet at the n. monroe starbucks at 10 am. but the funny part was that i saw him that night. i went to worship practice right after we talked on the phone, and he was at ihop helping out with the construction. a bunch of us went to steak and shake, and we just so happened to get seated across the table from each other! :-) it was fun, i was going crazy, i couldn't believe that i was finally back in tallahassee and dave was there. but i didn't want to make him think anything, so i payed attention to other people too :-)
later that night i told renee hill about dave. and that explained alot of things to her. she said, "that's why his heart has been fluttering! he's been so smiley since he got back, and it was YOU! it was because of YOU!" that was great. renee and i just gabbed and gabbed about guys til really late...
the next day, wednesday, was rennai palmer's birthday party. so renee hill came over so we could get dressed and do our makeup together. you know girls :-). and she let me know that dave was going to be there...i was kinda nervous, but i got my hair done, and wore my LBD. it was fun, and it was good to see friends again after having been gone for so long. and dave was there. but we didn't talk at all, until he walked renee and i out to our car, and i said, "i'll see you tomorrow at starbucks right?" he said yeah, he'd be there...so i went home, and tried to sleep...
the next morning i woke up at like 9 am, got dressed, had something to eat and headed over there to get to starbucks promptly at 10. dave had called addison that morning, to get some last minute advice and affirmation because i hadn't given him a clue about my feelings for him at all. so i get there...
all the tension from the last summer, and heck, the last 3 years is at a climax. i was so nervous. he was so nervous. but there was peace. i gave him some things i got for him in budapest, and after he got his coffee we sat down. (i was even using the purse he bought me that day!)
after the usual, "how are you doing?" "good, you?" "good!" dave went for it. it was great. he said, "well, i just wanted to get together with you to hear about your last weeks in budapest, and actually i also wanted to talk to you about something..." and he just dove right in. he went on a 5 minute monologue about all the things he liked about me, about how he was called to international missions and how he thought it was so cool that i was too, and how he had been praying about me for so long, and that he felt like it was God's will to see if this was heading toward marriage. then he asked me what i thought, and i said very concisely, "pretty much the same thing!" dave said, "umm, can you elaborate on that?" and i did. i said almost the same things he did, but back to him.
that day was amazing. the man of my dreams wanted to get to know me. me! wow. i got to "not so awkwardly" hug him before getting in my car at starbucks. once i got in my car, i just squealed with excitement!! i was SO happy! i praised God for working everything out, it was incredible! then i called my mom and renee and spilled the good news! it was great. and later that night dave picked me up and we went to the olsen's house to a little ihop party. it didn't seem like anyone noticed that we arrived together. but it was so much fun. i still remember sitting on the chair in their living room and seeing dave in the kitchen, smiling back at me.
he's made me the happiest woman in the world, and i can't wait to be his wife in 29 days!
wow, i love telling our story, i've really enjoyed writing this blog, so thank you for reading! i hope it has encouraged you single folk to not settle, but to consume yourself with our Lord Jesus Christ during the season you're in, and fully trust God to bring your mate to you in his timing, because he will.
and for you married folk, i hope this makes you remember the early years of your romance with your spouse. that's part of the reason i wrote this blog, so i can print it out and reread it years from now when i might be forgetting little details of "our story" :-) G
od bless you all, i'm so glad i could share this story, this incredible testimony of how God did a miracle in mine and Dave's life. as dave said in a card he sent me just days before he proposed, "who would've thought that a guy from Erie, PA and a girl from Southern California, almost 9 years apart in age, would end up in Tallahassee, Florida and be so drawn to each other?! Chance? I think not."
and here's your assignment!:
Dave has agreed to do a guest appearance on my blog, as so many of you requested!!
His one requirement however, is that you comment back with your thoughts and questions for him and i, and we'll post a blog answering them!
so if you have any questions for me, or if you want to get his thoughts on some of the crazy situations of our pre-courtship, comment away! i'm looking forward to answering them! thanks for reading!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
how dave and i became dave and i part 5
alright we made it to budapest! :-D so this is mid july of 2007...i'm there, completely mission focused, serving God and serving the team there...and then dave walks in...and although my focus was still on why i was there, it was nice to have him there too! :-)
the first night he got there, he showed me some pictures from israel, and gave lisa and i some pretty scarfs...my first gift from dave! :-D
the next day was sunday, and as i had been the whole summer, i was playing on the worship team...and it just so happened that i was leading a song that morning..."lead me to the cross", off the hillsong united we stand album. great song. and it's one of dave's favorites now :-) after church the tweedy's, dave, and i went to lunch off of andrassy. we were talking about the service that morning and dave remarked, "that was the most beautiful worship song i've ever heard. you did an amazing job, i really loved it!" and my heart just stopped right there. and i couldn't do CPR on myself...just kidding. but wow. what a compliment! later we went to the open market that was on the chain bridge, and talked some. nothing too monumental there, it was just so nice to be around him. :-)
the next day, monday, dave and addison went off to see the city and i stayed home with ariston and silas. don't get me wrong, i love love love love love ariston and silas, they are the two cutest boys i've ever seen and i miss them SO much! but i really really wanted to go with dave and addison. i asked addison that morning if he wanted me to go with them, and he said something like "no, we need some guy time". little did i know, dave wanted me to go too...but that was good, dave told addison about me that day, but i'll leave the rest of their conversations for him to tell you :-) oh, and praise the Lord, that night dave got a haircut...israel will surely grow your hair gents...:-P
the next day though, i did get to go into town with dave and addison, to english conversation class at a cafe in pest. on our way there, addison would tell dave about different landmarks, etc and i would walk behind them...but every now and then when addison finished telling dave something, dave would slow down his pace to walk next to me! :-) man did i feel special. he'd ask me about my family, how i was liking budapest, stuff like that...and then addison would start talking about another monument, and dave would give me a funny look, making fun of addison, but with a little pain in his eye because he wanted to talk to me...good times. english conversation class was great, here's a picture:
on the way back, it was FREEZING cold. it was windy, and my sweatshirt didn't do anything for me...so dave offered me his green zip up jacket...:-) now everytime i see him wearing that jacket i think of this...after a though walk up the hill, we made it back to the tweedy's home. :-) that night i called my sister colleen just to catch up and i told her that dave was staying the week with us. she asked, "is that weird having him there? i know you like him..." i was shocked, i hadn't told her anything, so of course i denied it. she asked me why and i replied, "because, well, umm...he's hairy! he's like a hairy mountain man...he hasn't shaved since before israel...i'm not a big fan of facial hair..." hoping that he didn't hear me through the door to my room, i ended the conversation and peeked cautiously outside...phew! i was in the clear...
wednesday...now wednesday had some funny things happening...on wednesdays i go over to pest for worship practice at the church office. unfortunately, i had to go by myself that day, dave stayed at home and now he says that he wanted to go with me, but he didn't want to be too forward. haha! worship practice was good, and i made my way back home about 2 hours later...i've just trekked up this hill with a keyboard on my back, and as i'm walking into their flat to go to my room, i see dave in the living room playing with ariston. i thought to myself, "aww, he's gonna be such a great dad someday..." i continue walking, but look back to see if dave saw me come in, and i noticed something that absolutely stunned me...
he had shaved! his israeli beard was gone!!! :-D but i couldn't believe it...just the night before i told colleen that i didn't like him because of that beard! come to find out, addison dropped the hint that i didn't like the beard...earlier that summer addison, lisa and i were talking about "guys on the horizon" and what i did/didn't like in men. i told them that i wasn't a big fan of facial hair...so when i was at worship practice addison asked dave about the beard. dave said that he was just growing it out because he was in israel. addison then asked, "well what if the right girl comes along and she doesn't like it?" dave replied, "well, if the right girl comes along then i'll shave it off." so addison told him, "Well! the right girl doesn't like it!" about a minute later, dave walked into his bathroom and shaved it off...and then i came home...and i saw his gorgeous, ruddy tan, and freshly shaven face. and i stopped walking, exhausted from the walk home and still with this big keyboard on my shoulder. and i stared. with my mouth wide open...i was stunned. then i blinked, regained composure, and RAN into my room! i shut the door behind me, put my keyboard down on the floor, and buried my face in my pillow on my bed and prayed SO hard...that's the beard story :-)
later that night, as previously prepared, i was the chef for the evening. chicken picatta was on the menu, and i was gonna make my way to dave's heart through his stomach! :-P it was great, he loved it, and he liked the leftover's even better :-D then after that, i was practicing some worship music out in the living room, and dave asked if he could record me...on his computer...now that's not too forward. :-) but i didn't mind :-D so i played "lead me to the cross" for him, and it's still on his computer, and it's now on his ipod as well.
the next day we just relaxed around the house, hung out, watched "cinderella man" while watching the boys...and later that night we all went up to gellert hill to see the city at night. on the way up dave and i walked next to each other and talked about different things...what a stud he showed himself to be that day, he carried silas all the way up the hill...and that baby weighs alot! like 20 lbs at the time! almost made me swoon...:-) at the top, i was taking pictures of the tweedy's when dave asked addison to take a picture of him, then i asked addison to take a picture of me. then addison suggested, "why don't you two take a picture together?" trying not to be more awkward then the moment already was, i cooly said, "sure". so here's what we call "the awkward picture" :
after that we walked down the hill, dave and i were next to each other again, talking...it was so nice just be around him. he has always been one of my favorite people...well now, he's my number 1 favorite :-) that night when we got back from gellert, he and i were up late, he was packing, and i was writing an email to my mom or something...before i went to bed he gave me a beautiful purse from israel that he had picked out for me...my second present from dave! i loved it, and i couldn't believe that he had given it to me!
the next day he left to fly back to the states. he left the house at 4 am, so i said my goodbye's the night before...little did i know that he would get stuck in the milan airport overnight, and he'd be thinking of me the whole time, listening to "lead me to the cross" on his ipod, and watching me on his computer...
the first night he got there, he showed me some pictures from israel, and gave lisa and i some pretty scarfs...my first gift from dave! :-D
the next day was sunday, and as i had been the whole summer, i was playing on the worship team...and it just so happened that i was leading a song that morning..."lead me to the cross", off the hillsong united we stand album. great song. and it's one of dave's favorites now :-) after church the tweedy's, dave, and i went to lunch off of andrassy. we were talking about the service that morning and dave remarked, "that was the most beautiful worship song i've ever heard. you did an amazing job, i really loved it!" and my heart just stopped right there. and i couldn't do CPR on myself...just kidding. but wow. what a compliment! later we went to the open market that was on the chain bridge, and talked some. nothing too monumental there, it was just so nice to be around him. :-)
the next day, monday, dave and addison went off to see the city and i stayed home with ariston and silas. don't get me wrong, i love love love love love ariston and silas, they are the two cutest boys i've ever seen and i miss them SO much! but i really really wanted to go with dave and addison. i asked addison that morning if he wanted me to go with them, and he said something like "no, we need some guy time". little did i know, dave wanted me to go too...but that was good, dave told addison about me that day, but i'll leave the rest of their conversations for him to tell you :-) oh, and praise the Lord, that night dave got a haircut...israel will surely grow your hair gents...:-P
the next day though, i did get to go into town with dave and addison, to english conversation class at a cafe in pest. on our way there, addison would tell dave about different landmarks, etc and i would walk behind them...but every now and then when addison finished telling dave something, dave would slow down his pace to walk next to me! :-) man did i feel special. he'd ask me about my family, how i was liking budapest, stuff like that...and then addison would start talking about another monument, and dave would give me a funny look, making fun of addison, but with a little pain in his eye because he wanted to talk to me...good times. english conversation class was great, here's a picture:
on the way back, it was FREEZING cold. it was windy, and my sweatshirt didn't do anything for me...so dave offered me his green zip up jacket...:-) now everytime i see him wearing that jacket i think of this...after a though walk up the hill, we made it back to the tweedy's home. :-) that night i called my sister colleen just to catch up and i told her that dave was staying the week with us. she asked, "is that weird having him there? i know you like him..." i was shocked, i hadn't told her anything, so of course i denied it. she asked me why and i replied, "because, well, umm...he's hairy! he's like a hairy mountain man...he hasn't shaved since before israel...i'm not a big fan of facial hair..." hoping that he didn't hear me through the door to my room, i ended the conversation and peeked cautiously outside...phew! i was in the clear...
wednesday...now wednesday had some funny things happening...on wednesdays i go over to pest for worship practice at the church office. unfortunately, i had to go by myself that day, dave stayed at home and now he says that he wanted to go with me, but he didn't want to be too forward. haha! worship practice was good, and i made my way back home about 2 hours later...i've just trekked up this hill with a keyboard on my back, and as i'm walking into their flat to go to my room, i see dave in the living room playing with ariston. i thought to myself, "aww, he's gonna be such a great dad someday..." i continue walking, but look back to see if dave saw me come in, and i noticed something that absolutely stunned me...
he had shaved! his israeli beard was gone!!! :-D but i couldn't believe it...just the night before i told colleen that i didn't like him because of that beard! come to find out, addison dropped the hint that i didn't like the beard...earlier that summer addison, lisa and i were talking about "guys on the horizon" and what i did/didn't like in men. i told them that i wasn't a big fan of facial hair...so when i was at worship practice addison asked dave about the beard. dave said that he was just growing it out because he was in israel. addison then asked, "well what if the right girl comes along and she doesn't like it?" dave replied, "well, if the right girl comes along then i'll shave it off." so addison told him, "Well! the right girl doesn't like it!" about a minute later, dave walked into his bathroom and shaved it off...and then i came home...and i saw his gorgeous, ruddy tan, and freshly shaven face. and i stopped walking, exhausted from the walk home and still with this big keyboard on my shoulder. and i stared. with my mouth wide open...i was stunned. then i blinked, regained composure, and RAN into my room! i shut the door behind me, put my keyboard down on the floor, and buried my face in my pillow on my bed and prayed SO hard...that's the beard story :-)
later that night, as previously prepared, i was the chef for the evening. chicken picatta was on the menu, and i was gonna make my way to dave's heart through his stomach! :-P it was great, he loved it, and he liked the leftover's even better :-D then after that, i was practicing some worship music out in the living room, and dave asked if he could record me...on his computer...now that's not too forward. :-) but i didn't mind :-D so i played "lead me to the cross" for him, and it's still on his computer, and it's now on his ipod as well.
the next day we just relaxed around the house, hung out, watched "cinderella man" while watching the boys...and later that night we all went up to gellert hill to see the city at night. on the way up dave and i walked next to each other and talked about different things...what a stud he showed himself to be that day, he carried silas all the way up the hill...and that baby weighs alot! like 20 lbs at the time! almost made me swoon...:-) at the top, i was taking pictures of the tweedy's when dave asked addison to take a picture of him, then i asked addison to take a picture of me. then addison suggested, "why don't you two take a picture together?" trying not to be more awkward then the moment already was, i cooly said, "sure". so here's what we call "the awkward picture" :
after that we walked down the hill, dave and i were next to each other again, talking...it was so nice just be around him. he has always been one of my favorite people...well now, he's my number 1 favorite :-) that night when we got back from gellert, he and i were up late, he was packing, and i was writing an email to my mom or something...before i went to bed he gave me a beautiful purse from israel that he had picked out for me...my second present from dave! i loved it, and i couldn't believe that he had given it to me!
the next day he left to fly back to the states. he left the house at 4 am, so i said my goodbye's the night before...little did i know that he would get stuck in the milan airport overnight, and he'd be thinking of me the whole time, listening to "lead me to the cross" on his ipod, and watching me on his computer...
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
how dave and i became dave and i part 4
wow. i'm glad you all are anticipating my blog posts so much! :-)
how do you like the new layout? nice eh? :-)
alright where were we...oh right, he just called me and my heart is racing a million miles an hour...ok.
so, here comes the relatively emo freakout. i ran and told my mom everything that was said in the phone conversation, and tried to grasp for reasons why he would want to hang out with me...still unsatisfied, i called one of my girlfriends and kinda flipped out...well, i was a little tempered, but still, i had no idea! i mean, i knew that i had told him that my schedule was wide open that week, but that worked?! no way...after some calming words, my mind was put to ease, and it was decided that dave just wanted to hang out and talk about missions...like he said.
so we met up later that week after my classes at the starbucks on tennessee...it was wednesday i think. haha, side note: i wore his now favorite outfit that day. ladies, if your man tells you he likes one of your outfits, wear it! he'll feel extra special :-) ok, end side note. i remember some stuff from that day...i got there early, but i was feeling really sick, up until the point when he got there...i ordered a frappuccino, and he ordered some coffee cake. i remember him praying and thanking God for his coffee cake right in front of me, after i had sipped down half of my drink without praying...a little convicted, but aww that was so sweet! he prays over his coffee cake! :-D and so we talked about israel, and china, and europe, etc. and that was that! it was a pretty short time, nothin major. just a campus minister hangin out with a student, encouraging them to go to the mission field...and letting me know that he wants to do that someday too...
it was either the next night or the thursday following, i was at ENCM. i had seen the announcement on the screen about the need for an au pair for the tweedy's in budapest, but i hadn't given it much thought until then. i went home, emailed addison, and asked my parents what they thought about me going to europe. addison wanted me there for the WHOLE summer, and my mom said "no" to more than 2 or 3 weeks. but she eventually changed her mind, and about a week after than encm meeting, i bought my tickets. i had a month to raise almost $3000 to cover the trip, but God met all of my needs, and more! during that time, dave was also raising support, for his trip to israel. haha, funny, i cut him a check to help him get there, then he sent me a check that was three times that amount. way to one up me dave! haha, no it was great. fun memory. :-)
pretty soon after dave found out that i was going to budapest, i heard from him that he was going to be "stopping by" there on his way home from israel. he'd be spending about 4 days in budapest in july, pretty close to the end of my stay there. yeah, that's what i thought! "was that on purpose?" later on i found out, it kindof was. it was a strategic move to "scout out the land" to see if ENCM could send a team there the following spring break, which we did! addison tweedy took that excuse, but he had a little hunch about dave's side-trek too...
oh here's a funny story: later that week or so, dave organized a group of people to go out to eat and then to ihop to pray for a bit. i still have the text message he sent me, it reads: "From: Dave am getting a group together to hand gout tonight, probably get something to eat or a smoothie and then go to the house of prayer. Wanna come?" little did i know that he pretty much organized that outing because he wanted me to come...but i didn't know that at the time, so i declined, making up the excuse that my family wanted to have dinner together, which they did, but i could have bailed...but i did tell him i'd be at ihop later...and i was. but once he came in, i couldn't concentrate...AT ALL. this had happened a few times previously. a couple times when i was on the team playing on the stage, and i couldn't go anywhere! but that night, when i saw dave come in, i took off. i left almost immediately. i didn't mean to be rude, later i found out that he was pretty bewildered when i left. but i couldn't just stay there and see that amazing man praying and encouraging the group that he was leading. it was just too much. so i left...
then about 2 weeks before i was supposed to leave for budapest, i was in jacksonville taking care of my aunt who had just come out of a major surgery. the sunday before i left was the last time i thought i'd see dave...it was kinda hard to say goodbye, i still didn't really know that much about him, but i was still crazy about him. i really felt at peace about everything, and i gave God complete control of the situation, so i wasn't worried, or thinking about him that much.
one of the reasons i chose to go to budapest was because of dave actually. in a way i wanted to see if i could go a whole summer without seeing him...then he decided to come to budapest for a few days...so i guess i'll never know...but from now on, the answer is no! i cannot go another summer without dave!...my dave. :-)
anyhow, i'm in jacksonville, and i sent him a text message on may 10th, wishing him a happy birthday. then he called me! we talked about a bunch of random things. it was one of those conversations where both of us wanted to keep talking and talking, but we were trying to keep from being awkward the whole time, so there was alot of, "do you have to go? we can talk some more later if you do..." but neither of us had to go, and neither of us wanted to go, but neither of us knew that neither of us wanted to go!!
crazy? ridiculous? you're telling me! i was going insane with excitement and happiness! :-D
anyhow, it was fine, i left for budapest, but not before texting him a final farewell and see you soon. :-)
and my time in budapest was so great. i learned so much. i helped out alot with the worship team in the church there, and helped out with the outreaches, and took care of the tweedy boys. and i read alot of addison's books. alot on relationships actually. :-) and i was praying alot. not just about dave, but about where God was taking me, what the fall was going to look like, what i needed to prepare for. little did i know that all the talks with addison and lisa about relationships and marriage, and all the reading i did on relationships, marriage, parenting, etc. that was all preparation for the next season i was being led into...
but i was kinda in the dark as for what the next season was to be like. God didn't give me some amazing dream about dave sweeping me off my feet, etc. so i just served where i could, prayed alot, read alot, worshipped God alot...and silently counted down the days until dave would come to budapest.
and he finally did. i had to stay home with the boys while addison and lisa picked him up from the airport. i was listening to a sermon series on the song of solomon (that dave and i are going through right now!) when he walked through the door, completely loaded with bags. we exchanged hello's and an awkward side hug, and then he got settled into his room where i had folded his towels perfectly and orderly...i don't think he noticed that, but that's ok! he was there! :sigh: happiness...
the rest of that week was alot of fun, alot of things running through my mind, and alot of memories...that will be shared on my next post!
still hooked?
how do you like the new layout? nice eh? :-)
alright where were we...oh right, he just called me and my heart is racing a million miles an hour...ok.
so, here comes the relatively emo freakout. i ran and told my mom everything that was said in the phone conversation, and tried to grasp for reasons why he would want to hang out with me...still unsatisfied, i called one of my girlfriends and kinda flipped out...well, i was a little tempered, but still, i had no idea! i mean, i knew that i had told him that my schedule was wide open that week, but that worked?! no way...after some calming words, my mind was put to ease, and it was decided that dave just wanted to hang out and talk about missions...like he said.
so we met up later that week after my classes at the starbucks on tennessee...it was wednesday i think. haha, side note: i wore his now favorite outfit that day. ladies, if your man tells you he likes one of your outfits, wear it! he'll feel extra special :-) ok, end side note. i remember some stuff from that day...i got there early, but i was feeling really sick, up until the point when he got there...i ordered a frappuccino, and he ordered some coffee cake. i remember him praying and thanking God for his coffee cake right in front of me, after i had sipped down half of my drink without praying...a little convicted, but aww that was so sweet! he prays over his coffee cake! :-D and so we talked about israel, and china, and europe, etc. and that was that! it was a pretty short time, nothin major. just a campus minister hangin out with a student, encouraging them to go to the mission field...and letting me know that he wants to do that someday too...
it was either the next night or the thursday following, i was at ENCM. i had seen the announcement on the screen about the need for an au pair for the tweedy's in budapest, but i hadn't given it much thought until then. i went home, emailed addison, and asked my parents what they thought about me going to europe. addison wanted me there for the WHOLE summer, and my mom said "no" to more than 2 or 3 weeks. but she eventually changed her mind, and about a week after than encm meeting, i bought my tickets. i had a month to raise almost $3000 to cover the trip, but God met all of my needs, and more! during that time, dave was also raising support, for his trip to israel. haha, funny, i cut him a check to help him get there, then he sent me a check that was three times that amount. way to one up me dave! haha, no it was great. fun memory. :-)
pretty soon after dave found out that i was going to budapest, i heard from him that he was going to be "stopping by" there on his way home from israel. he'd be spending about 4 days in budapest in july, pretty close to the end of my stay there. yeah, that's what i thought! "was that on purpose?" later on i found out, it kindof was. it was a strategic move to "scout out the land" to see if ENCM could send a team there the following spring break, which we did! addison tweedy took that excuse, but he had a little hunch about dave's side-trek too...
oh here's a funny story: later that week or so, dave organized a group of people to go out to eat and then to ihop to pray for a bit. i still have the text message he sent me, it reads: "From: Dave am getting a group together to hand gout tonight, probably get something to eat or a smoothie and then go to the house of prayer. Wanna come?" little did i know that he pretty much organized that outing because he wanted me to come...but i didn't know that at the time, so i declined, making up the excuse that my family wanted to have dinner together, which they did, but i could have bailed...but i did tell him i'd be at ihop later...and i was. but once he came in, i couldn't concentrate...AT ALL. this had happened a few times previously. a couple times when i was on the team playing on the stage, and i couldn't go anywhere! but that night, when i saw dave come in, i took off. i left almost immediately. i didn't mean to be rude, later i found out that he was pretty bewildered when i left. but i couldn't just stay there and see that amazing man praying and encouraging the group that he was leading. it was just too much. so i left...
then about 2 weeks before i was supposed to leave for budapest, i was in jacksonville taking care of my aunt who had just come out of a major surgery. the sunday before i left was the last time i thought i'd see dave...it was kinda hard to say goodbye, i still didn't really know that much about him, but i was still crazy about him. i really felt at peace about everything, and i gave God complete control of the situation, so i wasn't worried, or thinking about him that much.
one of the reasons i chose to go to budapest was because of dave actually. in a way i wanted to see if i could go a whole summer without seeing him...then he decided to come to budapest for a few days...so i guess i'll never know...but from now on, the answer is no! i cannot go another summer without dave!...my dave. :-)
anyhow, i'm in jacksonville, and i sent him a text message on may 10th, wishing him a happy birthday. then he called me! we talked about a bunch of random things. it was one of those conversations where both of us wanted to keep talking and talking, but we were trying to keep from being awkward the whole time, so there was alot of, "do you have to go? we can talk some more later if you do..." but neither of us had to go, and neither of us wanted to go, but neither of us knew that neither of us wanted to go!!
crazy? ridiculous? you're telling me! i was going insane with excitement and happiness! :-D
anyhow, it was fine, i left for budapest, but not before texting him a final farewell and see you soon. :-)
and my time in budapest was so great. i learned so much. i helped out alot with the worship team in the church there, and helped out with the outreaches, and took care of the tweedy boys. and i read alot of addison's books. alot on relationships actually. :-) and i was praying alot. not just about dave, but about where God was taking me, what the fall was going to look like, what i needed to prepare for. little did i know that all the talks with addison and lisa about relationships and marriage, and all the reading i did on relationships, marriage, parenting, etc. that was all preparation for the next season i was being led into...
but i was kinda in the dark as for what the next season was to be like. God didn't give me some amazing dream about dave sweeping me off my feet, etc. so i just served where i could, prayed alot, read alot, worshipped God alot...and silently counted down the days until dave would come to budapest.
and he finally did. i had to stay home with the boys while addison and lisa picked him up from the airport. i was listening to a sermon series on the song of solomon (that dave and i are going through right now!) when he walked through the door, completely loaded with bags. we exchanged hello's and an awkward side hug, and then he got settled into his room where i had folded his towels perfectly and orderly...i don't think he noticed that, but that's ok! he was there! :sigh: happiness...
the rest of that week was alot of fun, alot of things running through my mind, and alot of memories...that will be shared on my next post!
still hooked?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)