Mother's Day 2015: Little Things

One morning this week as I was wiping down the kitchen counter, I thought about a blog article I read recently, one that encouraged moms in the mundane tasks of daily living by reminding us of a passage from Matthew 25 about the sheep and the goats:


³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"


I went back and looked for this blog to share with you, but it's already buried in my Timeline, so I guess you're just stuck with my reflections. 

Can you wrap your head around how blessed we are to know that these little things matter to Jesus? 

When I change a poopy diaper, I'm serving Jesus.  
Sweeping floors? Serving Jesus. 
Sitting still nursing? Serving Jesus. 
Putting a hot meal on the table? Serving Jesus. 
Washing clothes. Washing dishes. Folding diapers. Wiping counters. Wiping noses. Singing whatever song is the current favorite for the 38594th time. 

All of these things MATTER. My little needy son is "the least of these," and all these little tasks matter because I am fulfilling God's calling of raising this little boy. They matter because they are service-- service to my son and to my husband. It is humble work, and it is Kingdom work. 

Be encouraged, Mamas. I think today can feel a bit like the day after Christmas. There's no breakfast in bed, no sweet sticky gifts and cards, no flowers--just another Monday. But be encouraged. Our children may not always remember or know how to say thank you, but Jesus sees our humble, bodily-fluid-filled days, and He is blessed. 

Be blessed by His love for you. 

Adventure well; Live fully.
HAK 

Moby Gimli Bat-Cat

Good Morning!

How about a happy cat story to start your day with a smile?

Once upon a time, there was a tiny little kitten. As far as anyone knows, he was only 6ish weeks old when he was abandoned at a PetSmart near Chattanooga. He was black with a grey undercoat and amazingly social, affectionate, and playful. 

One day, a husband and wife wandered into this same PetSmart. They were there to buy a white betta fish and name it Moby Dick (the wife was nerdy like that). On a whim, they decided to go say hi to the cats in the adoption center. They were busy sticking their fingers in the cages and cooing at the cats when they heard a most insistent mew. They looked around to see where it was coming from just as the little kitten crawled out from under the cages. He stunk to high heaven and had fleas galore, but the wife picked him up anyway. It didn't take long to figure out he had no where to go, so the couple decided to take him home and try to convince their landlord to let them keep him. 

On the way home, they named him Moby. Little Moby was so tired that he fell asleep in his litter box as soon as he ate a little bit of food.

They took him home, bathed him, and made sure he had plenty to eat. He fluffed up and settled in very quickly--loving both his makeshift bed and his little mouse. 

But, alas, the couple's landlord was the only soul on earth not completely vulnerable to Moby's charms, and he would not let them keep him. But, after a week of agonizing over the fate of the world's best kitten, HA met Erin. Erin and her hubby have two kids and three other cats, and were thrilled to add this feisty, loving kitten to the mix. So, for about 6 months, Moby lived with them, enjoying kitty-friends and being carried around like a dishtowel by the little girl. During that time, he grew up quite a bit!

He never quite grew into his ears, though, and was known as the Gimli Bat-Cat. 

Then, in March, Erin called HA and asked her about readopting the Bat-cat. He has a knack for mischief that was just a little overwhelming with 5 other potential mischief-makers in the house. HA drove to Chattanooga the next day and brought him home to the Studio. 

The Mob-ster is still crazy, but also crazy cuddly. There is certainly never a dull moment!

 (He's also still not sure if he's cat, dog, or human. ;-) ).

And they all lived happily ever after--including Erin and her family whom we love very much! 

Adventure well, Live fully.
HAK

Knightlet #1

Howdy, Everyone!

Shortly after my last post, Hubster and I got some exciting news: Our first Knightlet is on the way! 

I wish I could eloquently describe our emotions and thoughts, but it's really very simple: we are so happy. 

Rather than trying to keep the secret, we told the whole world pretty much right away with the help of our Moby-cat:

 

While I can promise you he doesn't really have a clue that I'm pregnant, he's the only one that has reveled in the exhaustion of the first trimester--he's getting spoiled by all this extra cuddle time! 

Our parents are over the moon--which is the most wonderful thing ever, and my friends are excited, too (and maybe just a little overwhelmed ;-) ). 

And, after weeks of waiting, we FINALLY had a prenatal appointment this week and got to see our little baby (and his/her heartbeat!).

 I'm 9 weeks along, and just can't wait till December 18th! 

Talk about a new adventure!

Adventure well; Live fully.

HAK

 

A Month's Adventures

Happy April 1st!

It has been over a month since I blogged, y'all, which is just nuts to me.  In some ways, I suppose my life has been too full of living and has left little room from writing about living. 

I've been on Instagram, so those who follow there have seen all that I've been up to. Two things on that:
1) FOLLOW ME! @MesAventureHAK 
I definitely Insta more than anything else because I love sharing snapshots of daily life.  
2) Look up^^^ I added that cool, scrolling bar of photos this morning. Those are my Instagram pictures via SnapWidget. So, if you click a picture it will take you to SnapWidget, but you can link to Insta from there. Fun stuff. 


There will be more stories on all of the below soon, but for now let me give you a fly by of the last month:

1) Moby Gimli Bat-Cat. He's that silly black cat in so many of my photos. He has quite a story all by himself, but the gist of it is that we have the best cat in the world!

2) Biking. With only 7 weeks till the Tour de Cure, training is in full swing. Audrey has been a trooper as I challenge her day after day to push her mind and body just a little further in the saddle. To climb one more hill, pedal one more mile, practice riding on the roads and in the rain, etc. 

3) Drawing. I won't be so bold as to say that I'm doing a drawing a day, but I'm trying to do several a week. Some are just quick sketches inspired by a verse in my morning devotions, and others are exercises in my sketchbook. I tend to be a bit pencil shy--strongly preferring my paintbrushes-- but the time has come for me to develop my drawing skills. 

4) Reading. I.love.reading. But I've done less and less of it in my spare time over the last few years as college work has dominated my reading energies. With just a month of university left, I am being more intentional about building "fun reading" back into my life. I recently finished Demon Fish and Ender's Game and am now tackling Atlas Shrugged. Good stuff. :-) 

Remember, I always love to hear about your adventures in the comments or on any of my social media outlets! Be in touch!

Adventure well; Live fully. 
HAK   
 

A Lesson from the Fishes

Happy Friday, everyone!

As y'all may know from Facebook and Instagram, I set up my aquarium this weekend. 
29 gallons of Amazon River happiness. 

The tank is still cycling, so we'll see if everyone makes it through these critical next few weeks, but for now we have 2 striped angel fish, 6 lamp-eye tetras, and 6 cory catfish (3 different varieties: 1 green, 1 julii, and 4 sterbai...we kind of bought all the leftovers at the pet shop).

I knew that these fish were very different from each other (even though angels, tetras, and corys are a pretty common community tank combo), but since this is my first community tank, I'd never had the opportunity to see how different species reacted when introduced to a tank . 

By the end of the day, I had a few thoughts:

Tetras

My apologies that they are so far away, but they are shockingly camera shy. Just trying to get this shot was an adventure--the angels love to hog the limelight!

So how did they handle their big ol' home?
As soon as the dropped in they just started puttering around like it was no big deal. They've explored some since, but they were overall pretty nonplussed by the whole thing.  

Angelfish

We call this guy Quatro (he has 4 stripes), and we also have Trip (3 stripes). Quatro is certainly the dominant one and has decided that he loves the camera...though he hasn't quite figured out how to hold still. haha. 

Anyway, these guys are about the size of a quarter and already growing. Quatro has shown mild signs of aggression (that dominance thing), so we're hoping that doesn't become an issue as he gets bigger (they'll both be bigger than my hand at full size). But let me tell you, that tough guy act was NOT a thing the night we put them both in the tank. They both had freaking panic attacks. If I hadn't been so worried about them adjusting well, it would have been funny. They had been moved from a crowded, bare store tank to my wonderfully planted Amazonian haven...and they were having a cow. It was ridiculous. 

Cory Cats

 If you are not an aquarist, this may be  the first time you've heard of "cory cats." Corys are catfish and members of the family Corydoras. They are small, usually growing to 2-3 inches in length, and they are much more active and diurnal than many other catfish. They are very peaceful and prefer to life in schools. Really, they're like a bunch of swimming puppies. 

The top photo is of my Green Cory and the bottom is a Julii Cory (We also have 4 sterbai--they look a lot like the Julii, but without the black dorsal and the stripes on the side). I bought the Green Cory first because he was just so active and playful, and we got the rest to keep him company. 

Unlike the tetras who took everything in stride or the angels who panicked, the corys seemed to embrace being introduced to a new home. As if on an adventure, they immediately began to explore their new tank and make themselves at home. It was only a day or so until I found they'd dug quite a hole against one of the logs to give themselves a new hidey hole, and I've found them everywhere from under the java fern to lounging on the Amazon Sword leaves. I often find them swimming excited laps or all piled together in a corner. 

So, what's the point?
Here's the point:
I want to be like the corys. 
I don't want to act like life is either no big deal or the scariest ride ever. 
I want to admit that I may not know or understand it all and embrace new things with a bit of excitement, making a conscious decision to focus on the learning, growing, and process of life rather than a race for perfection. 
I want to focus on the good stuff. For example, corys typically prefer to school with their own species, but we couldn't find 6 of any one species, so we just bought all the oddballs--and they all seem to be getting along just fine. They'd rather have 5 other corys of 2 other species than be alone I suppose. I want to embrace the folks in my life without expecting them to be perfect or just like me. I just want to do life together, each teaching and learning. 

As I told y'all, I recently started a job as "Mary Poppins" for a teen girl and her teen brother. We've been spending the last few weeks learning how to do life together. They and their dad keep talking about stuff that I'm teaching them, but let me tell you--I am learning so much and being so blessed by these kiddos. They ask me to plan and be patient; they ask me to try new things so we can figure out paths to success; they ask me to walk away from my homework for Apples to Apples or biking, or just a story. They ask me to laugh and love and, most of all, just be with them. They ask me to make time and room in my schedule, my thoughts, and my heart for them. We're not just alike; none of us are perfect. But, like corys, we're finding friends and safe places and room to swim and time to discover, and those are treasures. 

Keep calm and Cory on. ;-) 

Adventure well; Live fully. 
HAK  
   

Mary Poppins and Walking by Faith

For the first time since I started writing, I have a back-log of blog ideas. BUT, for today I simply want to pause and reflect:

I start a new job today. 
I'm going to be "Mary Poppins" for my best friend's youngest two siblings because their mama went Home unexpectedly in October. 

I'm neither mom nor sister, but it's my job to love and care for and teach these two young teenagers in the best ways I can so that they continue to grow and so their dad has more time during the work day to provide for his family. 

I woke up this morning feeling daunted. 
I'm excited beyond all belief--I love these kids, and I love nannying. 
But I woke up this morning staring my own weakness in the face.

On the one hand, I'm well equipped. I've got about 8 years of nannying experience under my belt, I'm a great cook, and I have a lot of confidence in these kids. But it's a new road for all of us. School, doctors, dinner, home responsibilities, spiritual growth, love and encouragement...my job bumps up against and includes all these things. It can be overwhelming to think about.

I ran myself in circles for awhile this morning before I came up short:

My inadequacy is not what matters: Jesus matters. 
Walking by faith, being faithful in prayer, lifting these kids and their family and all of these responsibilities to the throne of grace daily, hourly, minute-ly. That is what matters. 

This job has been on my heart for the better part of two months. 
I feel called to it, and I'm so blessed that God moved us back to Atlanta, and that I have this opportunity. 

Join me in prayer for these kiddos, their family and friends, and for me as I seek to show them Jesus in how I love and care for them.

Adventure well; Live fully. 
HAK

Going Boldly: Atlanta or Bust!

The Hubster and I are moving tomorrow. 
The first move of our married life. 

We've been waiting, dreaming, and praying for tomorrow for over a month (and in some ways, longer). 
He'll be taking a new IT job, I'll be back to doing child care (in addition to Etsy), and we'll be closer to my family and many of our friends.

The Burrow is almost packed. I'm hiding out in our room as I type because it's the last semblance of order in our home. There are boxes and spreads of the last remnants of packing everywhere. 

This move is our dream.
But it's a little heartbreaking to leave our first little love nest. 
We spent our wedding night here. 
This was the first place we welcomed our parents to our home. 
Friends have come up from Atlanta, over from Covenant, down from Cleveland...
More than once faces have lit up in surprise at how often we have company...and just how many people you can fit in our little home! 
John painted these walls and built our furniture with love and care, turning a (very) humble mobile home into a sweet little cottage. 
We grew veggies in the summer, filled wine bottles with flowers, and hung succulents in the windows. 

Obviously we'll still do many of these things in Atlanta, 
but there's something about the first time. 
Our first home.

Woven in all these things are our friends, especially all the lovely ladies I've had to tea. 
One of them, probably the Burrow's most frequent visitor, asked me yesterday how it has been saying our goodbyes this week. 
Honestly, I've been trying not to think about goodbyes.
We're all grown up, and Atlanta isn't far--that means there will still be visits and teas...
 
But I'm going to miss hugging JE and NS almost every day, swapping chocolate chips with SS in the library, whispering in class with KR and MK, Sunday afternoons with our small group...

Then I look forward:
Meals and games and walks and talks with Mom and Dad. 
Tea and coffee with MD, MH, S&FtP.
The Reelets--who are growing up way faster than I care to admit. 
Meals and homework and life with A&AS. 
Breaks and holidays when "my girls" come to town, and we go to the Forum or out for Mexican, or a night in at our new apartment.
New friends that we don't even know yet--other newlyweds, young families, small groups, John's coworkers...
Visits from out of town friends--and a guest room to host them!
Perimeter.
My favorite bike routes.
The luxuries of Target and Trader Joe's. 
A sunroom-studio that I am determined to transform into arting heaven. 
An aquarium--and eventually a cat and dogs, too. 
The Someday Knightlets.  

I hope we'll name our new home...and all the homes yet to come. 
It's an old tradition that delights me. 
I can't put into words the rush I got when I realized that everyone was catching on to calling our home here "The Burrow." It still thrills me. I smile every time. 

So, we gather our skirts (proverbially), our belongings, and our courage and go boldly further south. 
We are blessed. 
We have been blessed here, and blessings won't stop with a move. 
We will grow--in wisdom, love, experience, relationships, blessings, and grace. 


"The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen."  (Philippians 4.23)

Adventure well; Live fully. 
HAK

Gift of Life

I knew days ago that I wanted to write this post. 
I was supposed to write and publish it yesterday. 
But even today it took several minutes to even find a title. 
Every year I think words will come more easily. 
They never do. 

January 22,1973.
Roe Vs. Wade.

January 22, 2014. 
41 years later. 
54.5 million abortions later. 

I'm not going to beat around the bush, y'all. I am vehemently prolife. Frankly, no, it's not your body, your life, or your decision. God in His grace placed the gift of life in you, and it's your baby's body, your baby's life, and God's decision. 

But let's clear up something else, too: 

I don't hate you if you've had an abortion.

I wish I could make you a cup of tea, hug you, and talk about it--or maybe just sit there and drink our tea. I know it's often fear that leads to the decision, and I'm so, so sorry that you were so scared. I grieve the physical and emotional pain you've been through, and I grieve your baby. Whether or not you share my griefs, you don't need one more angry Christian in your life. I'm really sorry if you've experienced that anger. You need a hug. You need love and grace. Christ alone can set you free from fear, regret, pain, guilt, grief...the list for all of us goes on and on. We are all in bondage without Jesus. We could talk about that over tea if you want. I'll make scones, too--we could be talking awhile.

Like I said, I meant to write this yesterday. 
As much as I am passionately pro-life, I shy away from January 22.
"Right to Life" day.
It's a humbling day where words don't come easily. 

About 23 years ago, a 17 year old girl found out she was pregnant. 
From what I understand, she considered abortion. 
It would have been so easy for me to be part of the 54.5 million. 

And yet, I'm sitting here writing this blog post. 
Over the course of her pregnancy, my birth mother not only chose to carry me to term, but came to know the grace and freedom of Jesus, too. 

The end of October 1991, I was born and then adopted by my wonderful parents. 

Every January I think about how my life hung tenuously in that balance. And yet, miraculously, a terrified teenager chose 9 months of pregnancy. 
A young couple was given a baby--a baby for which they had long prayed.

Amazing Grace. 

My life is neither mine, nor a right. 

It's a gift.

God forgive me for the times when I forget that. 

January 23, 2014. 

A day to be thankful. 

Adventure well; Live fully.
HAK

Why the Hubster is a German Shepherd

I don't know how many of you have seen my Hubster when he gets really happy and excited, but he just sort of shakes all over as though he might burst. I love to tease him about this, joke that he's like a dog wagging his tale. But lately, I've been thinking about the dog analogy. 

I came to the conclusion late last night that my Hubster is like a German Shepherd. 

 Photo Credit: Anne Almasy                                     Photo Credit: doozydog.com

1) The wagging thing. I think it's seriously funny and adorable. John works really long hours, so when he has the energy to get really excited and happy, it's a treat!

2) Cuddling. The Hubster loves to cuddle. No objections here--I do, too!!

3) He loves to be outside doing something active. Biking, hiking, rollerblading, walking...you name it. 

4) He's always game for an adventure...unless it's really late at night, then refer to number 2. ;-)

5) He loves learning new things. The Hubster has been studying for IT certifications, and I love watching his motivation and listening to him explain things about computer networking that are way over my head. 

6) Good naps are practically a sport. This used to bug me...but I've been learning the fine art myself lately, and I'm appreciating it a lot more!

7) Food. Lots of GOOD food. My man loves his nutrition and a yummy experience--good thing I like to cook! 

8) Toys. Granted, the Hubster far prefers his Nokia Lumia to a frisbee, but you get the idea. Also, he takes seriously cool photos on that thing. Like this one:

Photo Credit: John Knight

Now, these things are all true, endearing, and wonderful about my Hubster, but I think there are more meaningful comparisons to be made, too. German Shepherds can be wonderful family dogs, but they also command our respect because they are powerful animals. Likewise, my Hubster is tender, but he is also admirable and commands my respect.

9) His love is very deep and true. I read an article yesterday that suggested that our society fears and thus demeans mens' love--the way a man loves his wife and the way he loves his guy friends. It got me thinking. I see that depth and strength of love in John. It's powerful, and I think the article may have been on to something when it suggested that we are anxious about that kind of power in our society. After all, it was love that took Christ to the cross for our salvation. J.K. Rowling showed us in her villain, Voldemort, how detrimental, shriveling and deadly it can be to underestimate love. We don't want to make that mistake--underestimating the love of our spouses, fathers, brothers, or Savior. As John's wife, I have a lot of security from his love, and I don't ever want to take that for granted. 

10) He provides. While we may not think of German Shepherds as providers, we do, I think, consider them working dogs. John works very hard to meet our needs and to pursue his desired career in IT to take care of our family. I think we have really experienced God's blessing on that work in these 7ish months of marriage, too, as we have been blessed more than we ever dreamed. 

11) He protects. Everything from falling asleep with one arm wrapped around me to investigating things that go bump in the night to killing scary spiders to making sure my tires are full of air before I drive to Atlanta...John looks out for my safety and peace of mind. 

12) He is patient. In dogs we tend to classify patience as loyalty, I think, and John is loyal, but I really want to highlight his patience. In the words of Steve Brown, "No matter what your husband says, you are hard to love." This is true of me, and I am daily reminded of how patient John is with me. What a blessing!

There you go...a somewhat humorous way of looking at 12 things I love about my Hubster. I hope all of you are as blessed and loved by your spouse as I am by mine!

Adventure well; Live fully.

HAK

Little Things

My first thought this morning was simple and exciting: Christmas is in one week!

Of course, I immediately thought of those last few gifts I need to wrap. But I soon returned to a vision of a week hence: fresh waffles and sausage, opening stocking gifts (including a WONDERFUL Barnes and Noble gift card that I happen to know about), making a big lunch to be shared with my parents...the joy of being together on my favorite holy day. 

My thoughts also shifted to the task at hand: finals week. I think this week has been my least stressful finals week ever. Each morning I review, and at 2pm I take a final. Not too bad. This morning I was halfway through, but tonight I am 3/4 through. Tomorrow I will finish up, then take myself on a lovely shopping/coffee/book buying outing. Atlas Shrugged is at the top of my Barnes and Noble list. I've been looking forward to it for months.

Speaking of Christmas reading: I'm re-reading the Hobbit for the first time in a decade, and I'm listening to Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix. Getting lost in books has certainly helped this week!

My hubster brought home two succulents yesterday that are living in mugs on my table. 

Contrary to tradition, I made Snow Day Cake for a party last night. It was wonderful. 

I also made Aunt Laurie's cookies. Yummmm. 

The echoes of a friend raving over my hot chocolate. 

A new book about fish arrived in the mail today. 

Friends coming up for an adventure on Friday.

I made a bright, colorful, far too large salad for dinner. 


So what's the point? 
 I wrote a couple of weeks ago about Christmas delight. 
Tonight, I remind you again:
 
We are busy. There's much to be done these next few days as we prepare for the holiday. 
But don't get so busy that you lose track of these little special things--new plants, favorite desserts, books, friends, yummy food...

They're small, rather daily things that we tend to lose track of this time of year. 

But these things are priceless. 

Treasure them in your hearts. 

Adventure well; Live fully. 
HAK