Sooooooo, I am a little late on that post...

...but a lot has happened.

We moved.

Again.

Thanks to some great people from our church family, it was out easiest move to date. They packed the truck and unloaded it here at the new place in THREE HOURS FLAT. Isn't that amazing?!?!?!

Now the unpacking of the boxes is going to take much longer than three hours. I'll be blessed to get it all done in three weeks!!

Why the move? We were given an opportunity to move into a 1700 square foot unit vs. stay in our 900 square ft one. We thought about it...for a second. :o)

My girls aren't all four crammed into one room and we have lots of closets. I can close the linen closet(s) door easily and , maybe my biggest thrill, I can get out of my bed... ON EITHER SIDE!!!!!! (pictures coming!)


I missed delivering my post on the one year anniversary of Nathan's lay off, but I think that was God's design. He has been so very faithful to us during this time- meeting and exceeding any need we have had. With the exception of scattered moments, we are living in Joy. I have learned this year that Christ + 0= JOY. My circumstances are irrelevant to my JOY. Listen to me carefully when I say this: I am not trying to live in Joy. I am not making lists to help me remember to live in Joy. I am not praying that I will find my Joy. I am just simply LIVING it. God has provided His Son as a living sacrifice for my sin. Jesus now sits in Heaven, because death cannot hold a true child of God. period. THAT is my Joy.

I have frustrated, emotional moments. I am flesh like the rest of humanity. It happens. When it happens, I find that living daily in the Joy of my salvation allows me to push past those moments in an instant and stand again on the truth of Christ. JOY!!

In other news, we have a plan for the future. We aren't going public with it just yet, but it is a plan. We both feel the Lord leading us in this and it is a wonderful and familiar feeling- one very similar to when we felt the Holy Spirit pressing us to move our family to NC for seminary. We are unified in this and have recv;d affirmation from many of our trusted counselors. It is big...but you have to wait a while to hear it. For now, please just pray that the Lord will make clear His provision and plan and that we will remain faithful to His calling.


Stay tuned....

New Semester started...

...and Nathan is taking a whopping 15 credit hours. That would be 5 classes for those out of the academic loop. they may sound like nothing for a high schooler or even some universities, but in graduate school- in THIS graduate school, it is a HUGE work load. We have been shutting out most of the outside world this week while we work through our family schedule for the news semester, making sure it works well and has balance. So far, so good, but that is where I have been.

Next week marks ONE YEAR since Nathan was laid off of his job, so look for a big post then and a HAPPY ONE at that. (No job news. Didn't want to get your hopes up in THAT way, but it is a post that is sure to bring JOY to your heart!)

Until then, pop over to my friend Jessica's blog and enter to win in her new give away. I am not going to tell you what it is, because I want you to go look for yourself and see ALL that she does, but I will tell you that she is "SEW" very talented. :o)

Have a great week!

Martin Luther King, Jr., (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968)

A few years ago, Graycen (my oldest) was trying to tell me about a little girl in her preschool class that has become a good friend of hers. She told me everything she could THINK of to describe her: always wears pigtails with pretty bows, her favorite color, sits beside so and so, taller than her other friends, wore a pink shirt on such and such day when I was there, etc.. FINALLY, a few days later the class photo came home and Graycen came running to me to show me who this little girl was that she had been talking about. Guess what? She was the only non-Caucasian in the class. Graycen never thought to describe her that way, because she just doesn't see the difference.

I couldn't think of a better tribute to the work of MLK, Jr. if I tried.

Isn't she luh-valeeeee? Isn't she wuuunderfu-ul...

Grace, my Grandmother and where my oldest daughter gets her name.

Nathan sent me away this weekend to Charleston to spend some time with my Grandmother. She is 84 and still full of spunk. Her health, however, is declining and she went under hospice care on Monday. I enjoyed being able to spend some time with her and serve her some. I wish that there wasn't 300+ miles between us, so I could be with her more. I am so grateful to Nathan, who not only took care of the children solo, but also wrote a 4 page paper for his Jterm class that started on Monday.

All In A Decade!

Since Y2K, I have: (not necessarily in order)
- spent 41 months pregnant
- spent 45 hours in labor
- had 3 surgeries (including 2 C-sections)
- surrendered my gall bladder, with gratitude
- came very close to dying (during 4th delivery and, in turn, first C-section)
- spent 43 months nursing babies
- successfully potty-trained FIVE children!!!
- watched my vehicle evolve from a cute, white 2dr Honda Accord to a not-as-cute, charcoal, 8 passenger Suburban, filled to the brim with car seats and boosters
- lived in 3 different states
- built a house from dirt up
- sold a house
- learned that the words "house" and "home" have very distinct meanings and learned to place appropriate value on each of them accordingly
- witnessed my husband and two children surrender their lives to the Lord and turn to Jesus as their Savior!
- witnessed my husband and oldest daughter be baptized, in obedience of God's Word.
- wept over and also celebrated the home-going of a much loved Grandmother
- (with Nathan) affirmed a call to devote our lives, full-time, to the ministry of furthering God's Word and Kingdom
- packed up 4 kids (4 & under) into a minivan and loaded everything we couldn't sell, donate, or throw away into a 32 ft UHAUL and left all familiarity behind us to pursue the above mentioned call.
- became an UNDERGRAD student's wife
- typed more papers than I could have ever IMAGINED
- witnessed Nathan earn his Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies
- became a GRAD student's wife
- spent 4 years (combined)working as a portrait and event photographer
- made more than a few friends that I am CERTAIN will be in my life forever, regardless of where the Lord sends us.
- OH! I began blogging to journal my thoughts and experiences for my children!

Whew! The list grows and grows the more you think about it! I wonder what this next decade will bring with it? It is amazing to think about.

What did YOU do since Y2K?

From our family to yours...

(our 2009 Christmas card & letter)

Dear Friends and Family,

When we think back over our lives, there are certain memories that stand as markers of time or seasons that your mind automatically scrolls through. For our family, 2009 was a year FULL of those mile-marking memories.

For the first time ever, our family took a Disney vacation! We spent a week in Orlando, staying at a Disney resort and enjoying a great time of rest and excitement all at once. We saw priceless looks on the faces of the children when we surprised them (in Jacksonville, FL) with the news that they would be standing in front of Cinderella’s castle in just a few short hours! The week was a wonderful time for us to be together as a family and create life-long memories for them AND for us. We spent at least one day at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios and had a meal with a handful of Disney characters on each day. You will have to ask the children what each of their favorite moments were, but be prepared to sit a while. I don’t think any of us can claim just one.

After five years of balancing full-time work with writing research papers and being a great Daddy to five energetic children, 2009 marked the completion of Nathan’s undergraduate work! In May, Nathan graduated, earning his Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies. It was a WONDERFUL day for the whole family, as we all felt a sense of accomplishment. We feel extremely blessed to have been placed on this journey together as a family. In August, Nathan began working on his Master of Divinity in Biblical Counseling. He is also finishing his second year as an intern at our family church, where we fellowship with a beautiful church family. In these last five years, we have all learned and grown in our walk with the Lord in ways we cannot measure by degree or merit. God has used this time in NC to teach us about who He desires us to be and how He desires us to minister to this world.

In addition, 2009 marked an end to homeschooling for our family, at least for now. MaryEvelyn and Cooper joined Graycen at a GREAT charter school. Graycen (age 8) entered 3rd grade and adjusted to the added responsibility and heavier workload. MaryEvelyn (age 7) had a seamless transition into 2nd grade and loves going to school. Cooper (age 6) began Kindergarten and is having a great time discovering the foundations of learning. Ella (age 5) and Annagail (age 2) have enjoyed having a smaller crowd at home during the day and have become “bestest friends”, as they say.

Finally, it would be difficult to mention all of these wonderful mile-markers in 2009 without also mentioning one of the biggest mile-markers of this year for us. This year Nathan was laid off from his employer and has spent the last ten months seeking employment. Although it is hard to be a part of the large number of Americans that are struggling to find work in this current economy, it has also been a mile-marker of TRUST and FAITH for us. When we look back on this year, we will remember how the Lord completely held us through all of this. Finances are obviously tight and it takes a lot of preparation and communication to keep things going, but we have been held in the Grace of the Lord this year. We have enjoyed time together. We have been able to minister to others that are going through struggles. I can honestly say that we have laughed together more this year and have enjoyed true PEACE that comes from knowing that God’s plan for our lives is better than anything we could have ever dreamed up. We find strength in verses like Isaiah 12:2,"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation." We find comfort in verses like Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” During this time, we have also enjoyed getting back to doing portrait & event photography and are watching the Lord grow our business according to His perfect will. You can check us out at www.kariseenimages.com.

Looking forward to 2010, we pray that, regardless of our circumstances, we will continue to seek His will for our lives and that we will continue to rest in the provision of Christ’s birth, His life, His death for our sins, and His resurrection. Our prayer for you in 2010 is that you, regardless of circumstance, will know this peace also. When we celebrate Christ’s birth at Christmas, we are praying that each of you will know the peace and love that can only come through a very personal relationship with God. He was more than just a baby born in a manger. He is THE way, THE truth, and THE life (John 14:6). Our prayer for YOU is that 2010 is a “mile-marker year” that reflects JOY and BLESSING that comes from living in Christ alone.

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year to You!
Nathan, Angela, Graycen, MaryEvelyn, Cooper, Ella, & Annagail Murray

Sounds heard from the sofa...

It appears that the swine flu that we had in OCTOBER has had some lingering effects. I have a full-blown bacterial respiratory infection! Nathan has been his usual sweet self and allowed me to rest for the greater part of the last 4 days.

Here are a few snipets of conversation that I have either HAD or HEARD from my spot on the sofa:

(a conversation between Ella-age 5 and Annagail-ag 2 1/2 as they were playing dolls on the kitchen floor)

Annagail: I hurt my b-u-t-t (Annagail has learned to spell it from her sibs tattling on her)

Ella: Sissy, you can't say b-u-t-t!!! You can saaaaaaaaaaaaay bottom. You can say fanny. You can even say tushy! You cannot say b-u-t-t!!


********************************************************************
(playing make believe phone call with Annagail this morning)

Annagail: Mama, Aalice is on da phone fo you.

Me: Oh, okay
(taking the phone and trying to livin' up this imaginary convo)
Me: OH! Hahahahahaha! Alice, that is the funniest thing I have ever heard!

Annagail: (taking the phone back to hear the joke) *GASPING and giving me a disapproving look* : MAMA! That is SO not funny at all! Her baby is bleeding!!!!

Me: Oh, whoops.

*************************************************************

I enjoy listening to my babies play. They come up with the silliest things to say.