surprise!

go here to see what i got to do last weekend :)

God is so good!

last weekend i was able to pull off a HUGE surprise to my sweet girlfriends and show up in time to go to the beach with them! i'm in the states for a couple of weeks while Ben is away, and it's been exactly what my lonely heart has needed. the Lord provided some great plane ticket deals, and i've been able to see lots of friends in the last week that i've been in the states.

pray for my sweet hubby as he's working super hard, and that we can get through these next weeks before we can be together again. i'll be back in japan the beginning of august.

ps: i can't put any of my pictures up now, but i'll post a ton when i get back.

happy summer! :)

it's beginning to look a lot like....

christmas?! well, not really! haha. i say that only because i got my first christmas card order on friday! so i busted out all my christmas paper that has been tucked away since last year, and got started. here are a few i've done so far (the order is for 50)...







funny side note - her name is "MERRY" (spelled just that way) - seems fitting for christmas cards, doesn't it? :) she is actually my kindergarten aid at school, and is a big help to me in the classroom! we got together on friday to do a little classroom shopping at the wonderful 100 yen store, and when i showed her the cards i've been making, she told me she wanted some! she also ordered 25 thank you cards, and i've been working on those too:



what a blessing! the Lord is so good, and knew i needed something like this to put my energy into. He always provides. this summer has been tough and exhausting emotionally, but the Lord is teaching me, and using this time to show me i still need to work on being dependent on HIM alone.

ben has had a few days off this week to relax, and got to go snorkeling the other day! he said it was very neat :) i'm always thankful when he gets a break cause he works so hard!

happy 4th! i spent the 4th here working on cards as i didn't really feel up to a big crowd, and we can actually see the fireworks from our apartment, so i watched them from the window in my pjs. exciting stuff, i know. :P hope you all enjoyed your holiday! love from japan...

July!

A new month when Ben is away means it's just a little closer to when he's coming home. :) That's always encouraging to this girl who's here anxiously waiting for him. :)
It's been raining NON-STOP all week. Today was the first break, and it was a welcome one! Because it's been so dreary, I haven't really done too much this week...
Except of course make a few more cards, and today I painted a sign to use in my classroom this coming August. Here, take a look:

I am still trying out that card book and playing around with different layouts:






And here's the sign. Let me preface it by saying I am definitely not the world's best painter! At all! And I wasn't the happiest with how the "welcome to" turned out, but I think it will still work. :)


So that's all the news here.
Ben's been able to relax a little this week, which is a blessing! He works so hard. We are planning a little vacation this fall too, which we are super excited about! We haven't really taken one since our honeymoon, so it will be wonderful. :D

Let me leave you with these words for today...
Very familiar verses, but ones that hit home especially as we are trying to figure out our future, and what to do next. It's such a comfort. I read it today in the Message, and thought I would share it with you, too.
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
He's the one who will keep you on track."