Little Buug. Little Shug.

Last weekend I got to not only visit my favorite people in the whole world, my grandparents, but I also got to bring Steven with me! Now, a lot of people would say, "Why visit there?" and I would say, "'cause beyond all those corn fields and soy beans, it's where my roots are from; where most of my family still lives, so what's better?" So I FINALLY got to show Steven where I used to spend all of summers, most of my Christmas's, and a few New Years....Indiana! Here are some pictures from our wonderful trip:

First stop.... Grandpa & Grandma's House aka the most peaceful place I know!

And here is their barn. Well, its really Grandpa's carpentry workshop. You should see his work of art!

Here is a picture of his awesome garden.

Here is Steven picking some cucumber.

Check out this HUGE spaghetti squash and cabbage.

They also make their own homemade jelly out of these trees below: Pear, Apricot, Cherry, and Apple.

And we can't forget the corn fields!

Steven and I wish to be like them when we grow up!

On Thursday we took Steven to all of the hot spots in Muncie, IN:

The Water Bowl

Pizza King

God decided to show off his artwork with this beauty the whole day!

We even stopped by Ball State University. Grandma and Grandpa walk a couple of miles each day around campus. Plus we have some family members who attended and are attending! Go Cardinals!

and you can always count on Grandma having sweets around, especially Peppermint Sticks in the car!

On Friday we went to my Aunt and Uncles house for a family gathering! Here is their precious house in downtown Indy!

On Saturday we took this Indy Party Train....

To the Jazz Kitchen....

To celebrate the wedding of Sarah (my cousin) and her husband Brett!

and what's a wedding without Grandma & Grandpa showing off not only their dance moves but their 59 years of marriage!

As you can see, we had an amazing trip and can't wait to go back! Thanks to all of our family up there who welcomed us with open arms! Congrats to Sarah & Brett! We love YALL Indiana folk! xoxo

Begging for Prayers

My best friend, Rachel, has a brother (who is like the big brother I never had and used to get upset at my mom for not giving me a big brother… I used to ask for a big brother for Christmas all the time!). Anyway… His name is Adam and he is married to Eve… jk its Becca (who was one of our awesome photographers at our wedding), and they have a little girl, Jayci, who is 3 years old! Steven and I look up to Adam and Becca so much, for their faith and love for God is tremendous. We want to be them when we grow up someday!

Adam and Becca met in high school and grew together not only relationally to each other but towards Christ as well. (**Sidenote: if you don’t know the secret to a successful relationship, that is it. Steven and I heard this from one of our awesome small group leaders months ago and have not only told everyone about it but try and practice it ourselves. It is this: picture a triangle. You are on the right bottom corner and the other person you choose is on the left bottom corner. God is at the top corner. The more you 2 move closer to God, the closer you become to each other. Wala!). Back to my story… A little glimpse (very shorthand version) of their life story that I think of when I think of Adam and Becca is that after they got married, they quit their jobs to start a ministry and moved from their cute little house in east cobb to renovate a crack/prostitution house in downtown Atlanta to bring the Word and Love of God to that neighborhood… all while being the most giving, caring, and most of all humble people ever! The end.

Well this Tuesday, Adam and Becca were blessed with a baby boy, Caden Thomas Stanley! He was born at a healthy 7lbs 12 oz and 20in long. After a few tests they found that he did have a few heart issues so they have taken him to do more testing. I would try and explain the details of what is going on but since Adam was a high school science teacher at one point, he does a much better job of that here. Please read their blog posts so you can see exactly why I am writing this post. We need all of the prayers we can give to this family. I can only imagine the spiritual warfare going on within Adam and Becca, and even their little girl, Jayci, so the more hope and faith and love we can show and give and pray for, the better! Thank you in advance!

Adam, Becca, Jayci, the Stanley and Hofland families… we love you!

Here are a few pictures of the cute family themselves.