year of change

If anyone actually still comes to check this page I will be surprised. Somewhere along the way this blog slipped out of my mind and I simply haven't sat down and taken the time to write.

We've loved using those gift cards from the wedding for date nights! This was at the Chophouse.

I thought once we got past the wedding and settled into our new routine I would come up with a weekly or monthly schedule and post frequently, but then summer hit and time got short, and, well, those are my excuses!

Easter Sunday

June 10 Brandon and I went back to the Mexican restaurant where we had our first date. It was funny to me to think we were marking one year of dating when we'd already been married nearly four months! Time has moved so quickly and so much has happened in such a little while.

 

McDonald's DOES count as a picnic sometimes ;) Especially when you want to try all their new sauces!

Summer is, as always, my favorite time of year. Despite the weird little bugs we keep finding in our house and the gnats slowly growing in number and the mosquito bites and crops of poison ivy it remains the best season of all in my mind! Saturday picnics at the park, a date night here and there, Icees, fishing, simply sitting on the porch swing, fresh fruit, homemade ice cream...I'm trying to intentionally enjoy summer more this year because I blinked once on our honeymoon and here we are in nearly July!

playing Jenga - our guestbook!

To update you on our lives...

We spent a week in Northern Ireland for our honeymoon and it was everything I could've ever hoped for! We stayed in a cottage near the sea, and although it was 78° in Tennessee on our wedding day it snowed every day we were in Ireland. We slept in, ate in cozy "pubs" (had our fair share of fish-n-chips!), and drove along the coastline. We're both quiet people and very much enjoyed listening to their friendly, lilting accents as many of them engaged us in conversation and wanted to know about where we were from and why we were there! It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, and it will forever hold a special place in my heart. One of our friends from church is from Northern Ireland and we stayed in the town his parents live in. They had us over for dinner our first night there and it was a comfort to know there were friends close by should we need anything.

snow outside of the restaurant we ate lunch at after miles of walking, white flowers at the castle we visited, sheep everywhere!, view of the Irish sea on our way "home"

driving on the wrong side, $5 lunch (so. much. food.), the cottage we rented, another snowy drive, freezing at the Harbour

Giant's Causeway, snow at a roadside stop, dinner at the "Mermaid" restaurant (coastal town)

to get closer to the airport in Dublin, we found this castle just 15 minutes away to spend our last night in!

Since then work has picked up for him and I've gotten busier helping with summer camps and other ministries our church has during the summer months. Saturdays off are precious and Sunday afternoon naps are almost tradition now. Cooking for two has been an adventure but I'm starting to get the hang of it! (Mostly thanks to the freezer that was a wedding gift from my brother!)

It's so nice to live 15 minutes from his parents, 10 from mine, and about 2 from the church! He works with his brother every day and I get to see Amie a lot since she teaches piano at the church some. Prayers I was afraid to pray have been answered in such numerous ways and some afternoons when I'm home alone I can be found tearing up because I remember the times I wept and prayed for the things God has given me today. Time, prayer, waiting...it's all worth it, just like everyone always tells you!

I hope you all have a beautiful summer and hopefully you'll be "hearing" from me again soon!

where i've been

If I have any readers left I'll be amazed. Five months is a long time in between posts and if it were a blog I follow, I might have stopped checking back for a new one by now too!

So where have I been and why have I not posted? Since August I've been doing the same things. Being an aunt, working at the church, and I haven't traveled anywhere. But my mind has been focused on something altogether different.

Life changes quickly, doesn't it? And sometimes you can be waiting on something and suddenly all the pieces fall together and God opens your eyes at exactly the second He wants them to be open. You see new possibilities that were there all along, but the timing just wouldn't have been right yet. God asks us to wait for reasons. Beautiful, happy, and yes, life changing reasons.

I'm not going to go into many details yet because something in me still cherishes keeping  my thoughts close to my heart and maybe it's old fashioned or silly, but I don't always want to put a lot of pictures and every little detail out into the public like the majority of the world does now.

But just in case anyone checks back here once in a blue moon, I wanted to put on here that the biggest life change is yet to come. February 23, 2018, I will be changing my last name!

It all started back on June 10 with our first date. On December 16 I said "yes!" (or more precisely, "yes, thank you!") and it's been a bit of a whirlwind getting everything ready in such a short amount of time. If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email and I'll try to get to it as soon as I can!

Because we're both old souls and don't remember to take pictures I only have one of the two of us that we took right after he proposed. I do have this one though that I really wanted to share because like my dad kept telling me, "it's probably right under your nose!"

I'm the girl in the bright striped dress. My fiance Brandon is standing slightly behind me to the left. 

This picture was taken over 20 years ago.

God is so good, isn't He?  He's always working behind the scenes to line everything up so we'll be ready when the time comes.

I'm hoping to write a longer post soon talking about Christmas, my birthday, my brand new niece Josie, and other things, but those might have to wait until after February ;) 

 

a matter of time

I have so many things I want to write about, but can never seem to land on a topic long enough to come up with anything. I think it's because I've learned over the past year that a lot of the things that seem to constantly be on my mind also cast a shadow over my spirit and are simply things out of my control that are better pushed to the side of my thoughts. Things that only time will resolve and reveal, and I just need to wait.

I feel like I write too much about the topic of waiting, but that's the season of life I'm in right now. A lot of areas in my life cause me to practice this. Waiting for approval to finish a job, waiting on information to complete a list, waiting for healing, waiting on the Lord...waiting.

Right now there are a couple of things I want to grasp in my hands and fix, to make better, change, or finish. But in these situations, that's completely and entirely impossible. I'm trying to wrap my mind around the fact that it's not that my hands are tied behind my back and I'm completely helpless - because that's exactly how it feels - but it's a matter of faith, of total surrender to the Lord's will and timing. It's trusting Him to finish the job as He sees fit, and in the timing He's ordained.

Faith still doesn't always come natural to me. I'm someone who naturally wants to get things done and take action. It's one of the few things I inherited from my mom - Ladies' Meeting at 6:30? Our dishes are prepared and on a warming tray at 3:00. She calls herself a Martha, and I feel the same way so often. When you're naturally bent in that direction, sitting with empty hands and a troubled heart makes you feel so helpless.

Waiting. I asked my dad about it a few months ago, talked to him about how I knew it was simple enough, but didn't understand why God required so very much of it for some people, why even in it's simplicity it can be so hard. He reminded me that waiting can be another word for serving - like when you're at a restaurant, the job of your waiter is to serve you. Perhaps that's what God wants more of from me, from others - service. Wholeheartedly for Him. It's a lesson in patience, in service, in surrender.

Just a matter of time. I can flip back in the pages of my life and see things that have come to fruition quietly. Things that used to be such a big deal to me, but somewhere over the years they became smaller in my mind until they were resolved, and I didn't even notice. One day I'll look back on today, on the burdens that are so heavy for me, and realize God had a perfect plan. Yes, these burdens truly are bigger, more life-changing, and yet, however badly I resist, they are inevitable. I'll look back and see change and heartache, but I'll also see grace. 

If God can show me grace through the lonely days, through the difficult changes, surely I can be gracious in my service towards Him. It's just a matter of time until He reveals the reasons, shows us the full picture.

A Mendicant of God

I stood a mendicant of God before His royal throne

And begged him for one priceless gift, which I could call my own.

I took the gift from out His hand, but as I would depart

I cried, "But Lord this is a thorn and it has pierced my heart.

This is a strange, a hurtful gift, which Thou hast given me."

He said, "My child, I give good gifts and gave My best to thee."

I took it home and though at first the cruel thorn hurt sore,

As long years passed I learned at last to love it more and more.

I learned He never gives a thorn without this added grace,

He takes the thorn to pin aside the veil which hides His face.

-Martha Snell Nicholson

patience

My dad was preaching at a church a couple of hours from home recently, and since it wasn't far away we all loaded up and went. Usually him preaching at a different church means we may hear a sermon we've heard before, but that's ok, even the same outline is completely different from church to church.

This particular time he gave a bit of his testimony and the history of Cornerstone. Now, this doesn't change, but I could listen to it over and over again. When he first came to the town we live in now, he was still in the convention. After his trial sermon, and older lady shook his hand and told him she'd been praying for him for twenty years. Since he'd only just met her, this was a bit confusing. After looking at her a bit confused, she said, "You don't understand, I've been praying for a Bible believing pastor for twenty years." That would have been around the time my dad was eight years old - the age he was when his abusive, alcoholic father passed away. This lady may have been praying for a pastor, but that pastor turned out to be my dad - and those twenty years in his life had involved several major car accidents, the way too early death of his mother, suicidal thoughts, salvation, the call to preach, marriage, college, seminary...you see where I'm going.

Due to a stand on the KJV and a few other issues, a few years later, my dad was asked to resign that church. He handed in his resignation, and when he and my mom got to the parsonage there was a group of people waiting for him. They wanted to start a church. An independent, King James only, Baptist church. Mrs. Hailey, our valiant prayer warrior, was part of that group. They first met in a tent, then a community church building that was falling apart, and then in '94 they moved into the newly built building we're still in debt free.

Today, Cornerstone has been going strong for 25.5 years. We've expanded our sanctuary 3 times, built a gym, a Missions House, a residents house, and a Sunday School building. We're at full capacity - and to be honest, we're probably beyond that but the only way to get more room will be an entirely new building for a bigger sanctuary. I don't say any of this boastfully because God has a different time frame for every person and every church, but I say it to illustrate the great power there is in fervent and heartfelt prayer.

Now, I've heard that story my entire life. I'm 24 and our church was established one year before I was born. I don't remember Mrs. Hailey but I've seen her prayer journal and my mom wears her ring. For some reason, sitting in that church that night, the twenty years she'd spent praying stood out to me. Twenty years is a long time. I wonder if God had given her any signs that her prayer would eventually be answered or if her faith was strong enough that she didn't need one. Growing up hearing about her, I feel confident it was the latter.

She isn't around today, she didn't get to see that our biggest "problem" is our growth - and how can that be considered a problem? People have moved from states away to attend Cornerstone...and all of the credit goes to God, but what if she had given up? There have been things I've prayed about for going on five years, and I feel like my answer must be a "no" because I've seen no progress, but what about Mrs. Hailey? The fruit of her prayers continues to produce more fruit. I think, if she could see Cornerstone Baptist Church today, she would be utterly delighted.

She prayed, and God had a plan. She had patience, and God provided in due time. 

This is a time a great turmoil and great opportunity in America. It's a time for action, but there's never a moment we can give up praying. When I think it's a lost cause, I remember Mrs. Hailey. Twenty years of prayers for the same thing. Can I be as faithful?

God may not answer our prayers in our time frame, and I've told Him a time or two how much that frustrates me, but His plan is much more complex than we can see. Our prayers may be helping someone we've never met. We may not get to witness the fruit of our prayers in our lifetime, but I sure am grateful for Mrs. Hailey. Without her prayers my life would probably be entirely different. I feel like there's a generation of people in our church my age and younger who are the products of her and seventy-something other people who stepped out on faith and prayer into the power of God. How can I not hope to do the same for a future generation?

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."

EPHESIANS 3:20-21

twenty-four

Ten years ago this coming March, I wrote a letter to myself to be read when I turned 24. I'll be honest and say that when my mom found it during my 20th year I went ahead and read it. I stashed it away and forgot about it until I found it last spring and read it again. I put it in a visible place and haven't read it since then. 

Today is the day I had anticipated myself opening and reading it again for the first time all those years ago when I was fourteen - two months shy of finishing the eighth grade!

I thought I'd share it on here today as a reminder that through ups and downs and happinesses and sadnesses, time does pass. Sometimes it feels like it's standing still, but I remember this day so clearly and ten years have come and gone since sitting at my kitchen table with my journal/stationary book and penciling these words. 

Here we go! (I will take breaks for commentary on each paragraph.)

(Disclaimer: 14 year old me was a bit dramatic and still not that great at spelling!)

03-29-07

Dear 24,

Before this letter is thoughroly written or read, one question remains unasked: Have you been raptured? The Lord, if you're reading this on earth, has not yet come back, so let us proceed as normal.

One question remained...even though I'd just started the letter! I was obviously concerned about how much time I had left - and I remember thinking it was quite possible I could be reading it even if I'd been raptured!

How I envy who you are, 24! I long to grow up! Has the past ten years been what you dreamed of it? Is your name still Kelley [current last name] or Mrs. ______ _______? Have you yet been to Ireland, "Oh, land o' your secret dreams?" What has life given you, what have you given life?

Ah, 14, how I envy YOU! No, the past ten years haven't been all I dreamed they would be when I was 14. If you knew then where you would be now, you might be terribly disappointed. But you haven't yet learned the lessons I have, and this side of some of those dreams yet to be realized really isn't so bad as you might imagine. I haven't been to Ireland, though I wish I could remember where it was I read that line! Incorrectly used, Miss Fourteen - everyone has always known you want to go to Ireland. Maybe someday. You'll go to Australia, though, and Germany and Hawaii and so many beautiful places. They were all so much more than you ever imagined. The Lord has given me much, I have not given back nearly enough.

Are you truly happy, Kelley of 24? Is your heart content, full of love? Does your face wear the smile of peace, and harmony with all? Examine yourself, coveted 24. Who are you, what have you become. Do you, 24, brim over with life, compassion, and joy? Do it. Whatever you need to confess, say, or make known, do it. Before it's too late.

Yes, very very happy. You can't imagine how full of love your heart can get - in two years you'll become an aunt! It's the very best thing you'll experience. 

Months ago that peace was a little elusive, today it is very present. I have become someone who knows that God's will won't always make sense but that peace is a wonderful sign that you're in it. I don't know if I "brim over" with it, but I'm very excited about life and the time and window of opportunity I've been given.

And seriously. Stop being so worried about time.

I'll close with one last warning: Youth is happiness. Never forget, or forsake your youth. Friends that are true, come from your youth. And family ALWAYS MUST come first. Remember that, my blessed 24. Always remember.

"One last warning" - what was the first one? ;) 

Getting older is also happiness, 14. You will LOVE your 20's (except for maybe 23, but 24 is shaping up quite nicely)! Your friends will change, but that's ok. When you are 16 everything will kind of flip-flop. When you are 17 you will make friends who edify you. When you are 18 and 19 you will discover that those friends will be with you through everything. They will cry with you when your heart is broken and they will pray for you as you find your different paths. You will become friends with their significant others and you will love their babies to death. Your family will mean more to you with each passing year. Just wait, 14. It doesn't look like you're imagining, but just gets better and better.

Always remember the dream: PUBLISHED!

Ha! Now there's a dream that's changed. You will eventually realize you aren't a... novelist? Novel writer? You will realize that you don't enjoy writing novels as much as you love exploring the intricacies of day-to-day emotions and growth and experiences. You will start this blog where you can write whatever you feel like and "publish" it yourself.

I wish for you courage, determination, and happiness.

I am now of the past,

14

I then listed on a separate page my likes (reading and writing), what I was wearing (my brother's old basketball jersey), what my family was doing (getting ready for my brother's wedding), my best friends, and who my crush was at that time - in very tiny letters at the bottom of the page. Some things are still embarrassing! ;)

It's fun to see what I was hoping for and how things have changed. In a lot of ways I don't even feel like the same person! Maybe I'll write a dear 34...or maybe dear 30 so I can open it sooner!

my heart is definitely full

gritty details

"The reality is that often the radical abandonment Christ calls us to is not some glamorous sacrifice, but simple obedience in the gritty details of everyday life." 

  

I don’t know where this quote came from other than it was in an email from a friend several years ago. If they came up with it themselves, bravo, because it’s been my “life quote” for some time now.

As I struggled with what to do on this blog a few months ago, I tried going back to the beginning to see why I started it in the first place. I was traveling to Germany with my friends, and it was a way to document and keep our families informed about our journey. I was also one year out of high school, had recently confirmed in my heart that I was not going to go to college, and I guess I thought that that trip was setting some sort of travel themed precedent for the rest of my single life or something.

I kept writing and sharing because it’s something I truly enjoy, and I thought before I knew it, the next destination would be ready for me to document. But there wasn’t a next destination for quite some time, the gritty details of everyday life really aren’t that exciting, and though I’m learning things every day, the “adventurer” inside me isn’t satisfied.

I would never describe myself as an true adventurer though. I’m not a daredevil nor am I very confident. However, I have a curiosity for other places in the world, and a desire to see as much as I possibly can in this lifetime. Once again, though, “as much as I possibly can” isn’t very much at this point in my life.

One of these days, I will be able to take more missions trips. One of these days I will finally go to Ireland. I will stand on the Cliffs of Moher, I will spend the night in a castle. These are things I really and truly believe I will do one day. Maybe I’ll be 50 and have finally been married and have grown children, or maybe it’ll be a spontaneous hurry-and-pack trip or maybe I’ll finally talk some people into going with me… or maybe it won’t happen, and maybe I need to be more content in the gritty details of everyday life. But I think it’s good to have goals and ambitions and dream a little bigger on those days when the everyday is closing in.

I cannot tell you about the glamorous sacrifices God has called me to, because He hasn’t. I rarely have to sacrifice anything – and if I do, it’s really not even a sacrifice, but a simple “no” to something frivolous.  

But neither can I brag about the gritty details of my everyday life. We humans can find the tiniest things to be proud about, and I’m not here to flaunt anything. I have nothing to flaunt, because all that I have and all that I am is a gift that I didn’t earn.

I am here to encourage and uplift when I can. I want this blog to be a happy place, and I will make it that to the best of my ability. My life right now is new recipes, DIY projects, babysitting, church ministry, and quiet days filled with doing my job and reading my books. It’s a simple, happy life that I’m content with. I will forever be reaching for the next thing, trying to skip ahead to the next chapter, and asking God to give me that mountain, but for now, I will enjoy my gritty details.

So whether you're on a big adventure to a place God has called you to, whether you're traveling the globe because it's your chance, or whether you live each day knowing the next one will be similar, know that simple obedience is the calling. The rest will follow, and one is no better than the other.   Embrace the unique, nitty gritty little things that make the day yours.

I realize this post sounds very, very similar to others I've posted recently. Bear with me, I'm figuring it out! ;)

My Life. . .up to now

I was born on January 5, 1993 in a tiny little town in middle Tennessee. I was born to Ronald and Rhonda, with two older brothers: Stephen, who was nine at the time, and Jacob, who was six.

I weighed 7 lb. 7 oz. :)

When I was 21 months old, my little sister Amie was born. My parents wanted to have a ton of kids, but God sometimes has other plans. My sister was the last of their children, and her name is Amie Grace, after God's amazing grace.

This will not just be about me, because so many people have had a hand in my story.

I've always been bossy, but when I was little I was really bossy. It didn't help that my brothers let me tell them what to do and did it most of the time. My sister and I were spoiled rotten by them, and we've had the BEST big brothers any girl could ask for. This is probably the reason I hope my first child is a boy. 

When I was two years old I got asthma. It's hereditary, and I have a few aunts and uncles and a cousin with it. Several nights growing up were spent being rocked by my mom, with my breathing machine held to my mouth until the medicine had me quivering. By the time I was six years old, I had been in the hospital with double pneumonia three times, and we had made several trips to the emergency room. This was a really scary time for my parents, and difficult on me. I learned how to write my name in a hospital bed.

I only remember a few of these trips, but one time we were flying down the highway, hazard lights flashing, and the blue and red lights came on behind us. My dad never slowed down, and the policeman pulled in behind us at the hospital. When we got out of the car he said, "I understand. I knew what was going on, and I wanted to make sure y'all got here safely."

The last time we made a trip to the ER was when I was twelve. My dad was preaching a meeting in Georgia, and it was a Wednesday night. Jacob carried me to the car and drove me to the hospital with my mom and Amie following. Our assistant pastor - my  Wednesday night teacher at the time - got there a few minutes after we did. A nurse in the emergency room is a member of our church, and any time one of us had to be taken (my brothers hurt themselves frequently - Stephen in ball, Jacob in many other things.) we could call her and let them know ahead of time. It always calmed me down to see someone I knew.

This trip, I was admitted to the hospital and had to stay three nights. My dad drove through the night and got there at 1:00 in the morning. I remember waking up (Jacob took Amie home and slept in my bed in our room because she was too afraid to stay in there alone) and he was standing at the foot of my hospital bed still wearing his tie. He was whispering to my mom, who stayed with me, and when I woke up he came over and prayed with me.

This little boy is Hudson, who is 8 years old now! His mom brought him to visit me :)

The first bouquet of flowers I got the next morning were from Stephen, who was in college. I had several visitors from church, and got stuffed animals, flowers, and balloons from friends and family. That was my last trip to the hospital, and I hopefully won't have another one until I have babies!

The treatments I had to take always made me feel full, and I didn't eat a whole lot of food. I was a skinny little beanpole growing up, and until I was 17 or 18 I still didn't gain much weight. My awkward years were truly awkward. I shot up all at once when I was 12, and I've grown maybe a quarter of an inch since then. At 5'4" I was taller than all the boys and weighed every bit of 90 pounds. Thank goodness that's over! :)

Because I had such weak lungs, there were a lot of things I couldn't do. I wasn't very active because once I lost my breath, it took the help of medicine for me to catch it again. Because of this, I developed a huge love for reading. I would read all day, every day. When I was in school, as soon as I was done with my work I went straight to reading. My mom let me because there wasn't anything else for me to do. In the summer I'd take my book outside and sit on our porch swing. By the time I was a teenager I'd already read hundreds of books, and I started writing and making up my own stories when I was twelve. I still love it to this day. My punishment as a kid was getting my book taken away.

When I was six years old, I had an asthma attack. It was September of 1999. Amie and I shared a double bed, and I'd already taken a full breathing treatment. I was laying on my back, concentrating on each breath I took. I have a super bad memory, but I remember this very clearly. I was thinking about the VBS we'd had that summer, and I started thinking about heaven and hell. I knew exactly what each place was, and I knew if you weren't saved you went to hell. As I laid there looking at the ceiling, my lungs started hurting, like they did a lot. It was hard to breathe, and I started thinking about what would happen if I stopped trying. If I just gave up and didn't try to get that next breath of air inside me. I knew I would die, and then it hit me - I would die, and I would go to hell. This scared me out of my mind, and I wasted no time, I didn't think about it, I got up and went straight downstairs where my parents were still up.

I actually went to my mom, and we both went to my dad. We went in the play room - which is now their bedroom/living room - and they sat in the two recliners and I knelt between them. We talked about when it meant to be saved - born again. They knew I was ready. My mom prayed first, and I have no idea what she said. I prayed next, and asked God to save me. My dad prayed last, and I don't remember what he said, either.

I don't remember much. I don't remember feeling like a burden had been lifted, just an enormous feeling of relief - though I couldn't have told you that then. I was so happy, and I wanted to tell everyone. Mama let me wake up Stephen and Jacob and tell them, and then she took me back to my room, gave me another breathing treatment, and I fell asleep.

 The thing about being saved young is that you don't remember everything. The little details eventually fade away, and all I can tell you is that on that night, Jesus came into my heart and saved me. The only doubts I've ever had are when other people say "I got saved at a young age, and got assurance at such-and-such age". It makes me wonder why I've never doubted mine, but I just accept it as a gift from God. He hasn't wanted me to doubt, and I haven't.

Over the years, I have slowly outgrown my asthma. It still flares up occasionally - during a stressful month or when the weather changes, and you will always find and inhaler in my purse. But I pretty much just forget about it now.

My little sister lost a lot of her hearing when she was three years old. We both had the chicken pox, but she was left with nerve damage on her hearing. It's never gotten better, but it's never gotten worse either. She wears hearing aids, and reads lips like none other. That's part of the reason I love sharing her music on here. She has truly lived up to her name. Because her struggle has made such an impact on my life, I felt like it was worth sharing. If you meet us, and talk to us, you may notice that sometimes I repeat what people say to her. It's an old habit I got before she got her hearing aids. When we were little our mom read us the Little House on the Prairie series. When Mary went blind, Laura promised to be her eyes. I thought that was just so cool, and promised to be Amie's ears. She doesn't really need me anymore, but old habits die hard!

During my teen years I struggled with being outgoing and friendly. I've always had my own little world - a world of fiction, like the books I read, and I just didn't see the need keep making friends. I have friends, and I've never been bothered if I'm alone. I actually really enjoy being alone!  But I've worked on it, and I'm getting better. I just wish that I'd listened to my parents and been friendlier at a younger age.

Jacob and Christine got married when I was 14. I had my first experience at having an older sister, and wasn't sure how to take it. We all grew and learned, and when I got my second older sister when I was 18, I was just glad both brothers were married and I could concentrate on myself! ;)

I became an aunt when I was 16, and since then I think everyone should be an aunt because it's awesome. 

When Jacob was in the fourth grade, my parents decided to home school. Stephen continued going to public school, and Amie and I went to the preschool at the Methodist church in town, but were home schooled after that. We loved it. Several of our friends were home schooled as well, and we went on some of the coolest field trips! I never felt deprived or sheltered, and I'm very thankful for my parent's decision.

We were introduced to missions at a very young age. I remember filling out my Faith Promise card, pledging to give 25 cents a week. I remember putting a dollar in my envelope, and then moving up to giving $5 made me feel like I was so rich. At the time, I was giving the majority of the money I had, and I never thought a thing about it. Giving to missions has always been natural to us, and it's one of my favorite things. I know people all over the world, and we have several missionaries out of our church. I wish everyone was involved in missions, because it's amazing.

 

When I was 15, my parents, Amie and I went to Australia to visit missionaries out of our church. We were there about 14 days, and it was my first experience seeing what missionaries actually do. When I was 19, Amie and I and several of our friends went to Germany. This was another experience entirely - this time my parents weren't with us, and we WORKED. Both trips were amazing, and I would love to take several more, and help many missionaries!

When I was 17, the four of us took a trip to Washington, D.C. This will forever rank as one of my favorite vacations. I LOVE history, and we saw many of the national monuments. It was amazing, and I wanted to live there! The best part of the trip was when we took a day and went to Mount Vernon. I can't explain the experience of standing on the back porch of father of our country's home, on that misty morning, looking over the Potomac River. George Washington said it was the most beautiful estate in all of the world, and I agree, 100%.

When I was 18, we went to Maui, Hawaii for Stephen's wedding. Obviously a favorite place - I've only talked about it once or twice! ;) Maui was one of the most gorgeous places I've ever been. The weather was perfect the entire 5 days we were there, and we made a day trip to Oahu to see Pearl Harbor and tour the island. It was wonderful, and I'm determined I will go back some day and stay much longer!

Those are my "travels" so far. I would love to tour/backpack Europe some day, I want to stay at least two weeks in Ireland. I want to stay in Italy for awhile and I'd love to go back to Germany. I want to go to Prince Edward Island, Africa, and another obvious one - Papua New Guinea. I love traveling, and it would be awesome if there is some of it in my future!

 Everything else is pretty much the same old story. Permit at 15, license at 16, car at 17, graduated at 18. People think that if you were home schooled you are either a genius or you're really dumb. I am neither. I stink at math and can't remember anything involving numbers to save my life. I love English, proper grammar, and putting words together. Actually, I adore it.

Choosing not to go to college was difficult for me. I won't write about it because I already have. But I love the job I have now! :)

At this point in my life I'm learning that God doesn't ask all of us to go somewhere and suffer for Him. Someone has to stay behind and "send" and for now, that's what I'm doing. The quote says, "Until God opens the next door in your life, praise him in the hallway." For some people, doing the will of God comes in one big dose of "Go here and do this." For me, it's, "Kelley, it's time to wake up and go to work." "Now, you need to print those birthday cards and send them out." "Ok, now it's time to go home and eat lunch." One step at a time, and I'm learning to praise Him in the hallway.

One thing that makes me and my siblings different is that we are pastor's kids. We grew up living in a glass house, in a town that does not love our dad. We don't have any secrets, and there were times when life was just hard because people can be cruel.

But God gave us an amazing church family. They're really the best, and I'm not just saying that. Sometimes, they're like our blood family, and that makes being the pastor's family so much easier. They make Daddy's calling so worthwhile.

I wouldn't change a thing about growing up "in the ministry". I love it. I love the people, I love the missionaries, and I just love the ministry. I'm so thankful to be where I am today.