Still a bit out of sync

Once again, using this blog to show off my beautiful daughter. Shes 5 months old today. She started crawling yesterday. But she doesn't have all the movements down yet. Still a bit out of sync. Its pretty cute though.

Well, today me and rusty went to immigration. We are approved for another 3 years here in Japan. Thats pretty intense! We have been approved for 1 year visas in the past, so to be upgraded to a 3 is really great, and a lot cheaper! Praise God for that. We are still waiting to hear back about Adelle's visa, its still pending. So we will continue to pray for that to be tied up shortly.

On a different note, ive been really soaking in my devos lately. Im working my way through Jeremiah. Its pretty sad, but can feel my spirit being refreshed every time I read it. Its really great. Ive been picking up on characteristics of God. Thats been my main focus through it and its really fun. He is so consistent even in hard times.

Which is nice to hear right now. This has been a rough year for us. And we are still trying to find our "niche" with everyone and inside the ministry. Its a lot harder than people tell you it is. But its also been a great year for us (me and rusty) to grow together also. Really good.
Im just ready for the hard stuff to slow down :)

Im really hungry. Im making pasta tonight. Its tempting to start cooking, but rusty wont be home for another hour, so it would be ridiculous. I made chocolate mousse for dessert tho, because rusty was having a hard day at work. I think its nice to come home to a clean house, warm food and a special dessert after a rough day, don't you?

Also, im starting to notice creepy crawlies coming out of hiding lately.
Challenge Accepted.

Getting this off my chest

I think (and always have thought) that shortbread cookies taste stale.

For 20 something years now, I always try them because so many people like them but I think I'm just about ready to give up on it.


Sorry Shortbread, you had your chance.

...but in the name of fairness (or is it my addiction to sweets...?). If you have a killer recipe or happen to know the best ones around. I challenge you- no, I Dare you to make, purchase, acquire- whatever and give them to me to test.

I want to mean it with a passion

Today is Wednesday. I usually call my mom on Wednesdays. Actually, I had totally forgotten to call her before typing that. So I guess its good I did, and after this I will call her.

So we've done it again. Rusty and I are standing at one of those moments in our lives where we have no idea whats going to happen. Decisions that are out of our control could shape out lives drastically, and we merely have to sit on the edge of this cliff and wait for the command to either jump or stay our ground. I didn't know life was so full of these moments.

Sometimes its hard to sit and wait. And sometimes I feel like the wind of going to push me off before I've prepared myself. I don't have a parachute either. Some people say God is their parachute. But shouldn't He be the wind? Or maybe the cliff perhaps? At this point I don't know. But I do know that trusting God is a habit i am quick to unlearn and have to get put into these positions to relearn. Its kind of frustrating. But in a refreshing way.

I think its too easy to say things like "We just have to trust God" or "We really have to pray about it". Christian code words for "We will figure it out eventually" or "I don't want to think about it right now" but I want to mean it. I want to mean it with a passion that can't be extinguished before the next trial comes my way. Can't I just retain it for once?

Probably not.

But here we stand. Waiting.
Waiting is the hard part.

Oh, we are waiting for our Visa's to be approved for another year in Japan. We have run into some complications with Adelle which we are dealing with, but we are wondering whether it is affecting the status of our own Visa. But its out of our control. We can't do anything but answer the phone when it finally rings or go to an interview when they finally call us in, or fax some obscure paper or receipt. Trying to be good citizens takes a lot of work.

But I am learning. I honestly am. I see how strong my own will can be. So selfish and it really only thinks of itself. Things I want and things I desire. Forgetting the big picture.
I am learning in this situation to give up on those things. But its a daily battle. Hourly even.

But man, its okay. Life is only as hard as we make it.
Manda reminded me that things will turn out exactly how God wants them to. I love that girl.

They will. Whether we jump, stay or fall. They will.

international food authentication police

So i tend to watch more than my fair share of food related videos on youtube.

One thing i totally dont understand is upon reading the comments (an activity i am learning not to do) i always find some random user who has decided they are the international food authentication police.

Someone always leaves a comment like "What are you doing? I am from the country this came from and your making it totally wrong!"

Or "This is my countries dish! You are using the wrong ingredients!"

OR "I am from *insert country name* and i think you have a bad recipe. Here is the correct one
Long list and instructions pasted in with impossible to find brands and non-universal cooking terms."

I have never once thought about going to youtube and typing in like, cheeseburgers or apple pie and ripping on some foreigner who made it. I mean, i see apple pie here in japan and stuff and its completely different than american apple pie. I dont go into the bakery and try to teach the bakers who have graduated from a baking school the "right way".
But american apple pie wouldn't sell in japan. Its too sweet. So they made a version that works with the Japanese palette. Gosh!
Isnt that what all those youtube chefs are doing?

mutual trust

I went grocery shopping today. I have to walk down a pretty narrow road. Its the size of a one way, except this is japan so its a two way. plus a side walk. which is just a strip of green paint about a foot wide. So i was walking and cars get pretty close and i had a thought.

We thrive on mutual trust with one another.
Ive met lots of people who say they don't trust anyone. But honestly if they didn't they couldnt even leave their house.
The cars passing me by only inches trusted i would not make a sudden movement with either my own body or my baby stroller. As for myself, i trusted the person behind the wheel that they would not crash violently into my body or open their door as they drove by.

But if we didn't trust and understand that much about each other, neither could have gotten to where we where heading. So i think people who say that they "cant trust anyone" are attention grabbing.

But then again, maybe people like that need the attention. I don't understand hurting people all that much. So here i am, admitting that i don't understand people.