Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving.

Today, I am thankful for so many things, and I've decided to do a list of one thing for every year of my life...(*in somewhat chronological order...not necessarily order of importance!)
1. I'm thankful that the Lord blessed me by allowing me to be born into a Christian home where I knew of and heard about His love for me before I could even understand it. I am thankful for my salvation at a young age which, no doubt, kept me from a lot of the heartache many experience in life. I don't say that boastfully, but humbly, recognizing God's grace and goodness to me.
2. I am thankful that God blessed me with a husband who loves me, but loves the Lord more. Andrew is so smart and gifted. I'm grateful for the 5 years of marriage God has blessed us with and for the amazing journey we are on now while he works on his PhD.
3. I am thankful for my parents and for being able to personally witness their selfless service to the Lord my entire life. The ministry is more than a full-time job, yet, even in their constant working, our family was always the priority. I have watched them show grace to people who have been deeply hurtful, and I hope that because of their example, I too can be a gracious person.
4. I am thankful for my Dad who has always been my biggest cheerleader and encourager. I am so thankful for the time he took to be my Coach in high school and invest not only in my life, but also in the lives of my friends. I am grateful that he is in better health than he has been and am proud of his hard work.
5. I am thankful for my Mom who is my best friend. She is busier than any other mom I know, yet always managed to keep our home tidy and fix us dinner. She is so thoughtful of others and makes anyone she knows feel special by remembering their birthday or offering sympathy and encouragement.
6. I am thankful that when I was only 3 months old that God moved our family back to Wichita, Kansas. Most people who meet me find out quickly I'm a Kansas girl, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It is home, and there is just no place like it.
7. I am thankful for a close family. I honestly can't imagine a better childhood than the one God blessed me with. I will always treasure our family vacations and the memories made driving to all 48 continental states together.
8. I am thankful for my brother, Michael. It was clear at a very young age that he would be a leader, and the success that God has blessed him with at such a young age in being a City Councilman and now State Senator, has solidified that. I'm so proud of him. He is such a people person, and I admire his ability to make friends.
9. I am thankful for my brother, Tyler. He was the baby of the family, so I often tried to play the mom role, but I'm grateful for the little things like convincing him #14 was the best jersey number, in which he listened to me. I'm also grateful for his sweet wife, Katie, and that when he married her, I gained not only a sister, but a friend.
10. I am thankful for grandparents who were part of my life so significantly growing up. I got to see them on Sunday mornings and nights, Wednesday nights, and usually one or two other days during the week. That gift is one I will always cherish.
11. I am thankful for Grace Baptist Church which is full of people who invested in me and prayed for me my whole life. Very few experience the blessing of the same church their entire life, and I feel so privileged that God allowed this in my life.
12. I am thankful for growing up at Sunrise Christian Academy and the solid education and good friends I made during all of my school years there. I have such fond memories of volleyball and basketball games, road trips and State Championships.
13. I am thankful for my parents paying for a year of Bible college for my brothers and me, and the friendships I made because of that. Many hear the rules of BBC and roll their eyes, and although I too can be guilty of that, it was an incredible year and I made some of my best friends for life there.
14. I am thankful for one of my best friends, Crystal, who I met while we played volleyball together at BBC. We have been roommates and apartment neighbors, and she has been loyal to me for the past 12 years.
15. I am thankful for one of my best friends, Rachel, who I also met at BBC. We spent the summer of 2005 together in Thailand and I will always look back on that summer fondly.
16. I am thankful for my in-laws. I always hoped that I wouldn't have one of the typical in-law relationships where you can't stand each other, and God blessed me by giving me the exact opposite. Marrying into the Albritton family added a best friend into my life, and I'm so grateful for their love and support.
17. I am thankful for the Master's degree God allowed me to pay for as I went. I look back on those years and truly, 100%, have no idea how I lived on so little and yet didn't take out a loan. It is a testament of God's provision.
18. I am thankful that God provided for Andrew to get his Master's degree without paying a penny for it. His hard work allowed him to get his degree without us going into debt, and I am so grateful for that.
19. I am thankful that in the midst of a hard year when we didn't understand why Andrew couldn't find a job, that God provided me with a job that I loved. Watching Link and Hawk was a joy and my heart overflows with gratitude to God for placing them into my life. I miss those boys dearly.
20. I am thankful that God gave Andrew the desire to pursue a PhD and that the Lord opened the doors for us to move to England.
21. I am thankful that the desire to live overseas and do ministry is being played out in our lives right now. Although we are not in full-time ministry, God is opening doors and we are confident He has a plan for us living in England, aside from Andrew's education.
22. I am thankful for the details God worked out in allowing us to move to England. Even though there have been bumps in the road, we have seen God's hand over and over. I am grateful for Kia and Negin, who we had only heard about through a mutual missionary friend, taking us into their home while we found a place to live.
 23. I am thankful that God provided us with an amazing apartment. I have been meaning to blog the details of how it was undeniably God who orchestrated us being able to move in here. It is the perfect home with nice appliances and the most ideal location we could have ever dreamed of, had we even known what we were most wanting in a home.
24. I am thankful for the church God has given us in England where we have made friends and are settling in. It is amazing to know we can be thousands of miles away from our regular church routine, yet still praising the same God. It is a good reminder of God's worthiness, that no matter where we are or who we are surrounded by, He deserves to be praised.
25. I am thankful for technology. It is amazing to be living on a different continent than our family and friends and yet still be able to talk, even more than that, to see each other face to face while we talk. It is a blessing that makes life over here much easier.
26. I am thankful for America. I am thankful for the freedom we have and for the little things that we often take for granted. If there is anything we have learned in our time here, it is to appreciate the conveniences of America. Life is just easier in America, and I know I don't thank God for the little things nearly enough.
27. I am thankful for the ability to travel. I love to travel, and since leaving America in September I have been to Nottingham, England; Amsterdam; Paris; London; and Edinburgh, Scotland. I recognize that few people ever get to see other parts of the world, and I am so grateful that God is allowing me to do so.
28. I am thankful for holidays. I have so many fond memories of holidays growing up, playing with cousins at our grandparents house, and eating lots of yummy food. I'm also thankful that even though we're not always together, we can look back and remember the good times.
29. I am thankful for Dr. Pepper. I know it is a silly thing to be thankful for, but I love it. And I can't wait to have it out of a fountain with lots of ice when I'm back in America at Christmas.
30. I am thankful for Kansas Basketball. Again, I know it is quite trivial, but I enjoy the thrill and excitement of basketball, and my loyalty keeps me anchored to Kansas.
31. I am thankful that in 21 days we'll be in London boarding a plane to come home for the holidays. I am excited to be reunited with family and friends and celebrate Christmas together.

I know I am blessed, yet I often don't take the time to be grateful. My prayer is that I will be more thankful and mindful of God's goodness and blessings in my life.  

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Summer. And Memories.

Before I jump into life in England, I need to mention a few of the highlights leading up to our departure.

At the end of May, we were able to spend an entire week at home in Wichita which flew by as fast as a regular weekend trip home, but nevertheless, was a sweet time with family. We celebrated Tyler and Katie's birthdays and I was also able to go on a quick day trip to Clinton, Oklahoma with my mom, dad, and Michael to put flowers on my Grandma Walker's grave. It is hard to believe she has been gone for 13 years. She was a strong woman, yet meek. She did not loudly voice her opinions, but she stood her ground. She was the most talented seamstress. I wish I would have valued her amazing ability more fully when I was young. She made the best chocolate chip cookies and chocolate sheet cake. I miss her dearly. It makes me sad that my memories of her are not as vivid as they used to be, but I am proud to be part of her heritage. At the end of our week home, we celebrated my Grandpa O'Donnell's wedding. This also made me miss my Grandma O'Donnell. She was a strong woman who was fierce. Not fierce in a negative way, but fierce in her love and passion. She was not afraid to voice her opinions, and often did. She was a wonderful cook and made cooking for masses look simple. I'm so blessed that in the summer of 2009 (the year before she died) while we were living in Wichita that I had the opportunity to cook with her on every Wednesday night before church. I miss her deeply. Losing both of my grandmas has changed the entire dynamic of our extended families...what used to mean huge groups of people gathered around the table for holidays, now means finding random times here and there where we can all get together. Holidays are a mixture of sweet memories and sad longings without them, but it has strengthened the ties of my immediate family, which I didn't even recognize was possible until this transition happened.

Back to summer. Most of my summer was spent nannying two little boys who stole my heart. I am thankful for a job that I loved, and even miss. Summer was also spent playing lots of mini-golf with Andrew and my best friend, and occasionally a few other friends. We celebrated the 4th of July with Andrew's family and friends, a tradition that has become a dear holiday. There were the other usual summer fun activities of the pool, dinner with friends, and shopping. I also had a close friend come visit us in Springfield which was a wonderful time. In August, we were home to celebrate Michael's birthday and winning the primary election for the Kansas State Senate! We were back home again to celebrate my birthday in September which was also the day we finished our paperwork for our visas for England! Some sweet friends gave us an awesome going away party- Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest themed! The next week was spent saying our goodbyes and packing for our move. The reality was setting in and we were excited! I did not let myself get too emotional because I knew we would be home in 3 months, and with the tool of technology, I knew I would stay in close contact with my family, and that we would be home before we knew it. (Well, here we are, I'm typing a recap of summer, and we are exactly 1 month away from our flight back home, and indeed, it has flown by!)

April Showers bring May Flowers.

So, it turns out, I'm terrible at keeping a blog. And it's not even because I have nothing exciting to share. I guess it's because typing from an ipad takes FOR.EV.ER. but then I can't even use that as an excuse as I now have an external keyboard. So now begins the hard part of where to even begin.

As I came back to my blog, this was a post I had started, and never returned to...for 6 months! Whoops. But for my own sake, I'm going to do a quick version of what I think I had intended to share all those 6 months ago.

April began with a bang. KU won their first game in the Final Four against Ohio State and were playing for the National Championship in New Orleans against Kentucky! We had toyed with the idea of going to the Final Four, but my mom and dad couldn't really get away, and I was nervous to spend that much money on tickets, only to be stuck with tickets for the Championship game if KU lost...I mean, I knew they could do it, but this team had already far exceeded expectations for the season, so yes, I did have my doubts. However, they did win and were playing for THE National Championship. In true O'Donnell fashion, we made a trip of it! My dad had to preach on Sunday morning and my mom had to get lesson plans ready for a sub, so they didn't leave Wichita until Sunday afternoon around 3. They came to Springfield, and we (my parents, Tyler and I) piled into our Suburban and drove through the night. The extra space allowed us to spread out and get decent rest when it wasn't our turn to drive. Andrew's sister and her family live on the Northshore of New Orleans, and they graciously allowed us to sleep a few hours and shower once we arrived at 6 am. They had made awesome signs welcoming us and cheering for KU along with us! It was so sweet! I'll never forget this trip. Before the game, we got caught in a rain storm and were soaking wet, but it just added to the insanity of the trip! Although KU didn't win, it was an amazing experience! I am so glad for such spontaneous and passionate family members...the only thing that would have made it better is if Andrew, Michael, and Katie would have been able to go with us. Oh, and KU winning, too, I suppose!

April also meant Easter. And a weekend in Kansas City with my mom, mother-in-law, and best friends seeing Beth Moore. This is also the only time I've ever slept in between my mom and mother-in-law, but it makes me smile every time I think about it. April also meant Andrew's birthday...the last blog I managed to post.

 The May flowers began with an actual trip to a seed store in Mansfield, Missouri with my mother-in-law and a dear friend. We bought zinnias and planted them in my in-laws front garden...they turned out to be a sight to behold this summer! Andrew and I spent Mother's Day weekend on a road trip to Dallas with his parents which was so much fun! Then, on May 15, our hard year of not knowing what we were supposed to be doing and wondering why Andrew hadn't found a job came to an end. Andrew did a Skype interview with a professor from the University of Nottingham who was interested in his research proposal, and during the interview, she offered him a place to begin his PhD work under her supervision! We were ELATED! We have always had a heart to go overseas, but we never really knew what God wanted us to do. We knew that this was His will, and were excited to embark on a new adventure. May ended with me getting to be home 3 weekends in a row, which is the rarest of treats for me! It was an exciting time in our lives!

The dark, heavy clouds were being lifted, and we were surrounded by signs of hope. A new adventure. The showers had brought bouquets of flowers bursting through at just the right moment. God is so good. We still don't fully understand why we had to wait so long, or exactly what He was teaching us during that year and 2 days after Andrew finished his Master's, but we are CERTAIN that it was not in vain, and that His goodness goes above and beyond what we deserve.