What I've been up to...

Looking at my blog, I have come to the realization that I have not been very diligent about posting. I guess I don't think I really have that much to post about. Maybe I'll have to start sharing stories about my pets... fascinating, I know!

The last several weeks, Nathanael has been working loooong hours, or overnight. Since I don't work outside of our home, I have the ability to have a flexible schedule and stay up when he's working and sleep when he's sleeping. But, let me just testify that I truly believe that God did not make humans nocturnal creatures! :) The week that Nathanael had to work overnight was CRAZY! It seems like no matter how long you sleep during the day, you're still completely exhausted from having your schedule messed up. Our cat, Finley, also hated it. She was very confused as to why we were not sleeping at night and giving her the normal prowling around time to herself (see, I told you I was going to start blogging about my animals).

My parents came to visit us this last weekend. We had a great time showing them around our new city. We took lots of pictures at the zoo, which I'll put up once I finish editing them (I love picnik.com!). We also did a ton of shopping, ate some awesome steak and pineapple coleslaw at Great American Land & Cattle Company (where we watched a police drama unfold outside the window- complete with a police officer with his gun drawn climbing a fire truck ladder onto the roof of the orthodontist next door), went to a church potluck (my dad now has more friends at our church than we do), and treated my parents to their first Five Guys burgers (yum!).

I've also started doing something at church that is completely new territory for me... I started playing the keyboard for Wednesday night church. It involves playing accompaniment for the piano with a strings sound.. it's actually a lot less complicated than it sounds. I've been a little nervous, but I think it will be good for me because it's forcing me to work on sight reading music and playing in keys other than the ones I'm comfortable with. In another words, it's making me not be so lazy and learn some new things. Plus, I'm not playing alone, so if I make small mistakes, no one will notice (hopefully!).

Lastly, I've been working on a new song. God has really been convicting me about giving my burdens to Him- really, truly giving them up... not just saying I give them to Him and then taking them back. He's been reminding me that He is able, He is strong, and carrying my burdens myself limits me to what I can do about them instead of allowing Him to show me what He can do. This song, "I Will Give You Rest", came out of that...

"I Will Give You Rest"

-Jessica Caudill

How many times have I knelt

At an altar to pray,

"Lord, my burden's heavy.

Please take it away?"

Yet many times when I stand,

It's still clutched in my hands,

And it seems I hear my Father say,

Chorus:

"My yoke is easy, my burden's light.

Rest in Me through the night.

Cast your cares on Me, for I know what's best.

Run to Me, hide in Me,

Surrender, stop fighting Me.

Come unto Me

And I will give you rest."

Beloved, have you found yourself

Sinking down in despair?

And the fight you're fighting

Is like one who beats the air.

Take your cares to Calvary

And leave them there at His feet.

Give your burdens to the One Who waits there.