2013 has been a hard, but blessed year. As I look back at the year we have probably done more traveling this year than ever. We’ve had a hard time trying to finish well, but at the same time we’ve seen the Lord do some pretty amazing things in our life this year. It has also been a year of new friends.

Just before Christmas last year we received our dog Sophi. Most of Anora’s year has been filled with walking, training, playing with, and sleeping with Sophi. She even dressed the dog up for Halloween. Jeremy put time into making a princess dress for the two of them. Over the summer Anora participated in the city dog show. Sophi won best large breed, because of all tricks Anora taught her. And Anora won 4th place as junior handler.

2013 has been a year of learning for Anora, but when you’re a kid, isn’t every year filled with learning? Last winter she participated in Choir. While I think she really liked it, she did not volunteer for it this year. She has been learning how to cook. She has made pancakes by herself, custard with very little help, meatballs, and lastly a homemade dog cake. The cake was for the dog to eat or humans; the humans were not fans.

She is in 4th grade this year. Her school is just a few blocks from our house so can walk to and from school most days. She has a best friend who lives in the other side of our duplex. She also has 2 other friends in the neighborhood and a couple at school. While her grades have been all over the place, good and bad, she really likes her teacher and her math is improving by leaps and bounds.

In October she decided she wanted to play the violin in the school orchestra. She really is pretty good for not knowing how to read music at the beginning and only participating  for a few months. She even played for the church program in front of a lot of people. And her first concert was this week for the 3rd graders. 

While Anora’s year has been a series of sprints, Jeremy’s has been a marathon. Last winter he participated in a class to train “Steven’s Ministers”. This is intended to train laymen in the  church to help with visitation and light counseling to people in the church in need. He became certified in that. This training also helped with some school credit.

He had 15 credits this past fall semester. So that is 15 class hours per week plus another 15 at home doing the homework. This coming semester he will have 16 credits and one intensive in January. But, with the Lord’s help, he will graduate on May 10, 2014.

He started 2013 out ministering to a very small church 20 miles away. They were very kind to us and we still have friends there. But in the spring he made the move to a bigger church closer to home. The new church is named Stavanger. He is one of 3 associate pastors. He teaches a Bible Study at a nursing home in the country every-other week; has a group of people he visits; teaches 7 teens Confirmation most Sundays, and leads Youth Group every-other week with the other associate pastor.

Shannon will be celebrating her 2nd anniversary in the President’s office January 3rd. They are very good to her there. This job has stretched her English skills to the breaking point, but has really helped her people skills, working with pastors and leaders; improved her computer skills; has learned that how something looks is just as important as what it says. She has also developed the new skill of remembering peoples’ names, only be the grace of God!

    This summer she started on the first quilt for her and Jeremy. It is a mix of different blocks that mean something to both of them. She had to take a break on it to work on baby quilts. 6 friends had babies this fall, one with twins. 7 baby quilts were made in just about 4 months.

    Over the summer we had several more families move to Fergus Falls to attend seminary. And 2 brave women took the reigns of leadership. While Shannon still tries to get to Bible study it has been harder with Jeremy’s additional obligations. In the fall there is an annual retreat for the all seminary women to get to know one another. This year Shannon, as a senior wife, gave her testimony. Though nervous it was delivered and received well.

Jeremy and Shannon celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary year. What a milestone!

We had several adventures this year while traveling. In June we flew to Brockville Ontario

Canada to spend a few days with Jeremy’s family there. There was a tall ship festival at the same time. We got to see a lot of amazing things and make memories with the family.Later in June we house sat for one of Jeremy’s professors. It was wonderful, out in the country on a lake. We took rides in his boat, caught many fish, and just relaxed. Anora’s favorite part was their huge couch in front of a huge TV with cable. It was difficult to pull her away from the Disney channel.

We were able to make a trip to Iowa too. We stayed with Shannon’s parents and made a

quick trip to DeWitt for church even. Wish that trip could’ve been longer.

In July we participated in a joint VBS (vacation Bible school), between Jeremy’s church and a friend’s church. The churches are near each other in the country. The theme was “Go Tell it On the Mountain”. Jeremy made himself a costume of a Ram who was also a rock climber. The kids really responded well, and it was nice being part of a VBS again. Shannon led a group of six 5th grade boys. While it was energizing to see these kids have a good time and talk faith, it was exhausting at the end of the day.

    Our biggest, life changing trip of the year was in November. We traveled to Nampa Idaho, a suburb of Boise, with the goal of candidating to become their next pastor. We stayed at a couple’s home and got to know them and their beautiful kids. We had meals at people’s homes, toured the parsonage (church’s house), we had a pizza at the church, and a pot luck. Jeremy taught Sunday School and gave the message at the service. It was a great experience and we made some good friends there. A few weeks after, we received a “call letter”: a letter offering Jeremy the position of the new pastor!!! We have agreed to start in June! We sent the acceptance letter in late December. Now we’re just trying to finish our jobs, ministries, and school well. And make plans for a move.

We have been so blessed by all of your support, financial help, and many prayers. The Lord has truly blessed us on this adventure. While it hasn’t been easy, we haven’t been alone. With you by our side, and the Lord above we’re making it. May the Lord bless you as he has us.

Antler Photos

We've started a photo album from our time here in Antler, ND.

Follow this link to view it!

a little and a lot!

Apparently I only take time for this blog when a dear friend or mom gives me a rough time about not updating it.
So, I'll attempt to update you all a little.

Hockey as I'm concerned is over, all the teams I follow are out of the playoffs and I have only gotten to see one game all year.

Anora is letting 1003 dogs out this morning to use the yard. Her imagination is alive and well.

Matt & Fred, Jeremy's brother and Dad are talking of a visit here later in the month. That would be nice.

I am nearly complete with another quilt. A secret woman and the DeWitt Church gave me some bundles of blue tone fat quarters and I've had them pieced for quite a while. But I'm attempting to machine quilt for really the first time. It's going better than I thought. I had to read a book to really learn it though.
I also completed a quilt top and pillow case for Quilts of Valor. I really enjoyed that.
I also completed a little brag book of all the quilts and fabric crafts I've finished.

We have gotten netfilx "watch instantly" here. It's nice and a little addicting. We had an old computer hooked up to the tv at first, but after a while the computer just couldn't handle it all. So we purchased a little box "roku". We love it. Next step is to decide if we can get rid of our cable and phone. It's nice to get the local news for storms, we don't get that w/out cable. Need to think about that one more.

So there was the so little, we really don't have much real news to report-but we do have one big thing to report...

Jeremy will finish his Bachelor's degree in about 1 week. He has one paper and 2 tests to complete. Paper and a test in Comparative Religion, and one test in Church History I think it is. He's so close. Being Thursday he may need to roll over into next week yet, but he has 2 weeks of the semester to complete it all! He has finished his class at the local seminary as well. Their graduation for 4 friends is 14th. Coincidentally on Jeremy's birthday.

Please pray for Jeremy's patience and for safety for our summer.
Blessings, to you and your families.

Loss of first tooth.

Anora lost her first tooth today! Yippy! Tooth fairy has us penciled in.

Inspection today.

House inspection didn't go well. They want us to cover the basement floor somehow. With plastic and gravel or put down a thin layer of cement.It needs electrical work too though we don't know what yet.This is all so the buyer to get his FHA loan. Would've been nice to know all this before we left town, and could've fixed it ourselves. We offered to get the inspection when we still had money and so there was no surprises. But we were reassured it wasn't necessary, so now surprise!

Jeremy is out walking it off. I'm spilling my guts.

Maybe we'll just come back to do the work ourselves, but would only have 1 day to get it all done and 2 days to drive. Or maybe we'll hire it done. But closing was scheduled for the eom, and it needs inspected again before that. So we've got like 1 or 2 weekends to get it done. And I've already made plans for my birthday weekend, though it could be canceled. Grrr.

Hoping for some inspiration. I certainly don't have an answer, nor should anyone else, just venting here.

house

We accepted an offer on the house last night. We still have to pass inspection, and he still needs final word on financing today. But we’re in the home stretch. If all goes well we’ll close at the end of Oct. Thank you for all your prayer. And still throw up the occasional prayer that the rest goes well.

First Day of school

When they say school starts in the fall up here they’re not kidding. It’s 55 degrees and drizzling her for the first day of school. The bus co. said be 15 min early so we were and it was 6 minutes late. That’s 20 minutes waiting. We’re both pretty wet. But Anora was finally excited! She’s been dreading school all summer till yesterday. And this morning there is no stopping her. I think if the bus wouldn’t have shown she would’ve walked (2-3 miles)

It was Jeremy’s first day of work too. He’s an aid on the special needs bus. So he took off at 6:15 to start his route. And then he’ll get to come home and do his online studies and then off to “Pericopies (sp)of John-Greek” in the after noon, and then another bus route again.

They say he’ll be able to pick up Anora at school with the bus eventually, but not this week yet while they iron out the routes. So for this week it looks like Anora will be going to the YMCA after school. I’m a little nervous, she and I have never been there, and we haven’t had a chance to prep her on what to expect. Trusting God and praying a lot about this. They do a lot of bus switching here too. She takes one bus in the am from home, and then switches to school. That seems easy enough, but then takes a bus from school (one of many) to the switch and can either take the frog home, or one of many that go to the Y. I hope she’ll figure it out; she’s not one to ask for help.

I’ll post some photos.

This is the view of our back yard from our back door. Both of the garages are ours to use. There is a great little garden back there.


There is sunflower growing back there, planted by the home owners. It just fascinates me.

While here is the view from our front sidewalk. Those white boards down there is the skate rink for winter. the large grassy area has been used for soccer and football lately. And there is a large hill you can't see for sledding.


And here is the front of the house from where I park. Those are 20 stars from street to door. I'm losing some weight.

progress?

I need to start by apologizing for not writing more. I've been at my new job for 3 weeks now and have started training on the bookkeeping part of it. I'm still loving it, and I understand most of it. But there are still really simple things that still lose me.

Jeremy is studying right now for his Greek final tomorrow. He has unofficially passed already though, so that is a big load off.

We seem to be all healthy. And we've even had company! I'm excited to have a house large enough to entertain!

I'm making some co-worker friends, and Jeremy is getting to know and like some class mates. Anora has become friends with then neighbor girl and her dog.

We've moved the computer up to the dining room today. Seems a little easier to get to, less fighting over the television (previous computer monitor) and I can keep an eye on Anora's computer use a little easier. She has started liking computer games more and more.

Anora's 7th birthday is next Saturday already. We're expecting Jeremy's mom and step dad to arrive sometime before then. But no real plan on what we're doing for her birthday. But she has made a very clear very short list for us. So not much wiggle room. Zhu Zhu play house, an additional zhu zhu to go with it, and a specific computer game.

School for her doesn't start till Sept 7th!. So we have a while to wait for that, but that means more time for school shopping.

Big news that isn't gotten very far: Jeremy has a job too. Starting also Sept 7th he'll be an aide on the special needs bus. So yeah, 2 pay check family.

Blessings to you all!

leaving work

You know, I'm finishing the last hour at my job. I'm about to walk out of here for the last time. (turned in my key so no more walking in)I really thought I would be jumping for joy, singing and dancing. But I'm not. It's not that I'll miss this particular building or business. But I think I will miss all the woman who have driven me crazy for the last year.

Also looking at it up close, sure this step is ending, but it's just that- a step. We have so many steps in front of us. This is just a big one, and we're embarking on so many more. Life just looks like a series of steps right now. Like a apartment building and I live on the top floor with no elevator.
Hmmm*sigh*

Open house please sell my house!

We had our first, and hopefully only, open house this last Sunday. We had a good turn out 10 prospects signed in. Only couple of kids were looking for their 2nd time with their parents. They're still working on getting the money though, have a lot of paper work to do yet. Keep praying ! We had 2 showings today too! Though we haven't heard how they went I'm hopeful.

That is, coincidental, my key word for the month HOPE. As we were leaving MN this last trip I was all a fret about the house and plans and money. And the sigh for Hope MN came into view. "OK God, I got hope, your kind of hope"

We have a going away party at our church on Sunday. They've all been quite the support system to us for the last 6 year. I'll need the tissues handy!

Thursday 7/16 is my last day at work. Don't need the tissues handy for that farewell.
And 7/23 we pick up the moving truck and fill it! We'll pull out of town on 7/24~! Yikes.

Just hanging onto HOPE.

Quick trip to Fergus

This weekend we took a quick trip to Fergus. We decided to find a place to store the camper and take it up early. Our friend Barb found us a co worker willing to let it set in her yard. Nice lady. Nice yard too. So Jeremy hooked the camper up and the 3 of us rode 9 hours in the front of the truck. The trip up was great. Anora was well behaved, and we all had a lot of patience. I like that Anora had to sit beside me and hence cuddle. I tried to drive the camper, but I only did it for just over an hour before needing Jeremy to drive again.

First thing Saturday morning I had an interview. It would be just maybe the perfect job. Customer service and light bookkeeping and billing! I'm trying not to get my hopes up. It's only part time, and there is another person interviewing for it.

Then we went to the house we're going to rent. The family who owns the house is out and let us come in to measure, look at details. We found out the drive way is more narrow than I had remembered, but that the hill the house is on isn't nearly as extreme as I remembered. We even took photos so I can start planing furniture layout and kitchen tools! There is a little garden we didn't know about too!

We met some new friends on the trip, and saw some old friends on the trip too (long time friends, not in age!).

The trip back didn't go as well. I was trying to do most of the driving to make it up to Jeremy for him driving the camper. First somehow going through the cities we either got a rock or something on the windshield and developed a long crack right away. By end of the 10 hour trip it was around 9" long. We'll have to decide what, if anything, to do about that. We took a walk through Cabala's and bought a Caribou Coffee. I missed out exit coming back into Iowa for my highway. And took us way out of our way! Darn it! By then we were all tired and edgy. The rest of the trip we were all just ready to be home.

On Thursday before the trip I gave 2 weeks notice to my temp agency. It went well. I think they will really be sorry to see me go. Not counting that Thursday it's really 8 days. This is a 4 day work week, and I'll just work 4 days my last week. Nice little blessing there.

We have an Open house scheduled for the 11th. I'm hoping we won't need it though. At this point I'd rather have any income from the sale and not have to worry about the house beyond July 24th, than have to worry about paying mortgage for another month or 2.

Our friends at church are having a little going away for us after Church on the 18th too. That is when the water works will start. It may not end till were in Fergus for a day. This church family took me from a new believer to ready to be pastor's wife. They've trained me and nurtured me. They've helped my fruits to grow. They've shown me a different way to live and behave. I just gotta know we won't be gone for long and we'll make a point of coming to visit. It's easier for me knowing that I'll be coming back for family, but coming back for church family won't be quite as easy.

We'll I think I've caught you all up, and please keep praying.

oh boy

Well our house is a little crazy these days!! Literally the house is still for sale, showing today and tomorrow, and offered it back to the first person who wouldn't come up in price again, but now she won't return her own realtor's calls.

Anora has just finished swim lessons. She enjoyed them but alas couldn't float on her back, and didn't pass yet this year.
She'll be starting our church's vbs next week. that should be fun! She loves all the teen councilors! And Jeremy might be able to take that time finally do something, anything, he's wanted to accomplish this summer.

Jeremy has been busy trying to find people to fill his shoes at church. He's been cleaning and showing the house for sale. And well, Anora is a full time job all on it's own. He's worked his old job a couple times now at West, and he'll be doing it a couple more times.

I'm looking forward to being done at work, still not counting the days, but have my last day penciled on my calendar. I have been job hunting though. Have been turned down by 3 places for sure now, and have an interview July 3rd for a part time job with the Church. I hope to get it, but it's only part time, and would need an additional part time job then. So the hunt continues.
I had a huge up for me. I told the story of me and God yesterday to some co workers. It was the first time I've said how and why I love God to people who where not really believers! I have the will to go on for another week.

My aunt Karen pass away today. She's had cancer for many years and had been really suffering with it the last month. Please pray for her husband and 4 kids and 10 grand kids ( I think that's the count anyway)

still showing

Well, I haven't writen because there isn't much to update.
We're still showing the house a couple times a week. I'm totally ready to be done. I'm tired of cleaning, and tired of hiding out "stuff". So that is the next big hurdle a head of us to tackle.

Anora happily came home from church to shout the good news, 6 weeks till the move. *hit in the gut* I had been counting. So promptly counted and was somwhat releived to find it's closer to 7 weeks.

I'm filling out a few job aps and have put out a few resume's. Nothing too stressing in that area yet though.

If you haven't already heard our plan is to pack truck 7/23 and drived 7/24 and unload 7/25. So please put us on your calendar if you're able to help!

Blessings for you, I'll keep ya'all updated when we have any updates.

showing

House showing is going well. We've had one offer already, but turned it down, couldn't come to a common ground on price. But it showed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday too. I'm ready to be done keeping the house clean.

We also went to the Augusta's Concert band and Orchestral band. It was wonderful. Anora's first indoor concert she had to sit though. She tried to act like she didn't like it at fist, but then it grew on her.
Blessings to all.

quick happenings

Well, many of you knew we had a date with the realtor on Thursday just for photos and measurements. We showed it yet on Thursday afternoon. Then again this afternoon. Our realtor called today and has a written offer already! We'll see her tonight to look over the offer.
Oh, and our listing is online now too. You can find it by looking up the address on ruhl-ruhl.com
Wow! Please pray we'll make wise choices. I'm sure we'll be fine, but we are excited. Hopefully the offer is for closing in July and for full price!
May you be as blessed, or more, as we are.

Mommy Day

Happy Mothers Day

To my Mommy and Mommy-in-law,

To all my Mommies-in-Christ,

To all my peer mommies.

May you get a homemade card,

a hug, and a glass of wine!

Blessings!

Inspiration!

Tomorrow I'm (Shannon)on a trip to Inspration Point! It's about my favorite place in the world.
This is my 4th year. It's like a lunch or coffee break with God. It's relaxing and quiet, it's fellowship, and lots of time by lake with my bible. No cleaning, no cooking, no kids. Lots of time to be busy, or do nothing at all. It's tender and fun. It's as close to heaven as i've been.
It's a long trip though, so pray for the drivers and cars.

It's Official

Jeremy got his acceptance letter from Faith Sem. yesterday with a plan for his courses and his timeline! We're jazzed and things are in the works.


We also got the Kitchen cleaned an extras packed. I've gotten a good start on the bedroom too, so Jeremy has less to do.


This weekend I'm off with 8 other ladies to bond with my friend Jesus! I've been so busy haven't had much time with him. Hope to spend some serious time in the word and in nature, and worshiping.

Blessings to all my friends.

Photos