New Phone!!

I got a new phone and that means a new number:917 434 8458

xoxo
Carissa

A bunch of things you already know...

Hey Girls! Since Jen threatened us, I am updating you as well. There is not too much to update you about, but I do not want to incur Jen's wrath. (we have all witnessed it--not pretty.) First, my sister and her baby Savanna are doing well. Savanna has gained some weight and seems to be healthy. Please keep them in your prayers in the months to come. Also, Joe just got an internship working as a chaplain at a nursing home near our house. That is a big relief for us since he has a certain amount of field credit hours he has to accomplish in order to graduate next December. Also, my dad has been out of work for a year now. He is pretty discouraged about the situation and the constant rejections. I'll be back in class at the end of January and we are very much looking forward to finishing our last year here so we can move back north--where it's normal. Here is a pic of Joe and I Christmas eve:

You girls are in my thoughts and prayers. Miss you!

I'm Updating for the New Year (and if you know what's good for you, you will too!)

Hello Girls! I haven’t given a real update in a while and seeing how it’s the first of the year, I thought I’d catch you up a little on what’s been going on here in CT. The real answer is…not very much. Life goes ever on and on with all the good and the bad rolled in. Here are some highlights (if you can even call them that) of the past couple of months:

1. Micah left his job at the Huntington Chapel. This I’m pretty sure I told you all about. He’s currently working for friends of ours doing screen-printing and will be going to Gordon Conwell starting in late January. He’ll be commuting twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday), three or so hours both ways. He’s also in cahoots with a friend from the Chapel who is in cahoots with some rich people who are funding the flipping of a house that will start in the spring or summer. An offer was just accepted on a house so Micah’s already scheming about that. Other things about Micah – he’s buying a 1984 VW Rabbit that is diesel with the hopes of converting it to bio-diesel and running it off vegetable oil. We’ve become somewhat environmentally conscious. I’m not sure how that happened, but he’s terrible excited about it. I want to kick myself every time he talks about it, but that’s marriage J
2. We are attending a new church. It’s called Church of the Apostles and I heard about it through a variety of students at school whose families attend. It’s an Anglican church (so Episcopal only not really) and it’s INCREDIBLE. The bishop and his wife are amazing teachers and we have been fed more there in the few weeks we’ve been attending than in the past couple of years at our old church. We are truly being blessed and are so happy to attend there. God teaches me so much every week with each new sermon.
3. Speaking of God…let’s talk about learning the same lesson over and over and over and over. Anyone else dealing with this, or am I the only thick-headed freak around here? Accepting God’s timing and trusting Him has been my perpetual lesson. Long story but Micah and I have been trying to get pregnant for a little over a year. Some of that time we couldn’t try because with our trip to Ghana one of the vaccinations you had to get you can’t try to get pregnant for six months. Sooooo…it’s been a lot of trying, waiting, praying, peeing on sticks, crying, etc. My emotions have been crazy-go-nuts. One minute I’m fine and accepting of God’s will, the next I’m pissed and yelling a lot. It’s fantastic. I know…I KNOW He has a plan. Very slowly it seems, I’m learning to accept exactly what that means for my life. I get it…it just sucks sometimes. You understand J

OK – so that’s all that’s exciting in my life. Work and school is ever the same. I hate my life and want to quit my job but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

I leave you with some pictures from Christmas (top is Micah, me and our dog Simon. Micah made us all matching hoodies for Christmas. We're losers. The bottom is Micah, me, Carissa, Zola, Amy, Allison and her boyfriend Josiah). Sorry for the extensive rambling. You should consider yourselves lucky it’s not way longer considering how long I’ve not posted.

Merry Christmas!

Hi girls! I wanted to write a quick note and say Merry Christmas to you and your families. So, it's been kind of a tough year all around but I pray you will have a wonderfully happy Christmas and New Year. Praise God for the start of a new year! I hope it will bring us all together at some point, but we can worry about that later :) I love you all so very much.

I have some sad and scary news as well. I found out yesterday morning that my sister (who was 6 months pregnant) had to have an emergency c-section. Her blood pressure was really high and her platelets were really low. (I don't really know what all that means but I don't ask questions.) Anyway, the baby is just over 2 pounds but as far as I know is still alive and is on a respirator. My sister has already had a miscarriage and she and my parents have been very nervous about this pregnancy. Please keep her and her husband Joe and her very little baby girl in your prayers right now. They can really use it.

Gingerbread House!

Hello Friends. here is what we do in Connecticut.


and another!

Merry Chirstmas y'all

Table Rock Lake

Hey girls,

Here is a picture from October break when we went to the lake for the weekend. Hope you all are doing well. MISS YOU!!