Change is only the beginning of a new adventure...

On December 15, 2010, I wrote in my prayer journal:

I pray today about Trevvor's work.  Bless the work of his hands and may it bring him a measure of fulfillment at the end of each day.  Show him what Your work is for him and give him the strength and courage to do it.  Teach him to do all that he does for Your glory alone.  Let him be content with the job he has if it is Your will for him.  Show me how I can best help and support him in this area, Father.

The next day, I asked for the same things, adding:

If this job is Your will for him, let him find fulfillment, contentment, and even enjoyment in it.  If it is not Your will, then direct him to where You want him to be at the proper time.

I need to stop being surprised when God answers prayers in BIG ways, because about two weeks later, Trevvor got a call from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Big 4 international accounting firm that he'd interned for in Birmingham last spring.



They wanted to offer him a position as a first year associate, starting ASAP.



Last spring he had an opportunity to have a position there starting this coming fall, but first he would need to do a 12-month masters' degree program in tax accounting and then sit for the CPA exam.  He didn't relish the idea of going straight back to school, and wanted to try management accounting for a while (which he's been doing since last summer here in Huntsville), so he turned down the position at that time.



But apparently things have changed, both on their side and ours.  On our side, Trevvor was realizing that he enjoyed tax accounting much more than management accounting.  On their side, they needed an incoming associate with or without a masters' degree and a CPA.  Trevvor was their first choice, despite not having either of these.



Long story short, a few days after the initial call, Trevvor accepted the position.  Since then, we've kept busy by interviewing (and now training) replacements for his position at my dad's company and traveling the hour and a half to Birmingham once a week to look at houses.



It has certainly been an adjustment, shifting my future plans from a Huntsville local (close to my family and high school friends) to a Birmingham one.  To make things more difficult, only two months ago did we place membership at a wonderful church of Christ right down the road from us, and now we'll have to begin the "church search" all over again!  *sigh*



But overall, we are sure that this is a very positive move (literally and figuratively) for us.  Trevvor is thrilled about his upcoming job--which starts February 7, a week from today--and I am so proud of him.  I'm mostly excited about buying a house:  it will be so wonderful to call a place "home" for more than a year or two!  (On the housing note, we think we may have found one we'd like to place an offer on, but we're seeing it for a second time this afternoon before doing so.)



In conclusion, keep us in your prayers as we make this transition.  It will be hard for my family, especially since they've been used to having us right down the stairs for the better part of a year now.  And buying a house, moving, and being a tax accountant at this time of year can all be stressful things.  But with your prayers and support, we can handle it.

Change is only the beginning of a new adventure...

On December 15, 2010, I wrote in my prayer journal:

I pray today about Trevvor's work.  Bless the work of his hands and may it bring him a measure of fulfillment at the end of each day.  Show him what Your work is for him and give him the strength and courage to do it.  Teach him to do all that he does for Your glory alone.  Let him be content with the job he has if it is Your will for him.  Show me how I can best help and support him in this area, Father.

The next day, I asked for the same things, adding:

If this job is Your will for him, let him find fulfillment, contentment, and even enjoyment in it.  If it is not Your will, then direct him to where You want him to be at the proper time.

I need to stop being surprised when God answers prayers in BIG ways, because about two weeks later, Trevvor got a call from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Big 4 international accounting firm that he'd interned for in Birmingham last spring.



They wanted to offer him a position as a first year associate, starting ASAP.



Last spring he had an opportunity to have a position there starting this coming fall, but first he would need to do a 12-month masters' degree program in tax accounting and then sit for the CPA exam.  He didn't relish the idea of going straight back to school, and wanted to try management accounting for a while (which he's been doing since last summer here in Huntsville), so he turned down the position at that time.



But apparently things have changed, both on their side and ours.  On our side, Trevvor was realizing that he enjoyed tax accounting much more than management accounting.  On their side, they needed an incoming associate with or without a masters' degree and a CPA.  Trevvor was their first choice, despite not having either of these.



Long story short, a few days after the initial call, Trevvor accepted the position.  Since then, we've kept busy by interviewing (and now training) replacements for his position at my dad's company and traveling the hour and a half to Birmingham once a week to look at houses.



It has certainly been an adjustment, shifting my future plans from a Huntsville local (close to my family and high school friends) to a Birmingham one.  To make things more difficult, only two months ago did we place membership at a wonderful church of Christ right down the road from us, and now we'll have to begin the "church search" all over again!  *sigh*



But overall, we are sure that this is a very positive move (literally and figuratively) for us.  Trevvor is thrilled about his upcoming job--which starts February 7, a week from today--and I am so proud of him.  I'm mostly excited about buying a house:  it will be so wonderful to call a place "home" for more than a year or two!  (On the housing note, we think we may have found one we'd like to place an offer on, but we're seeing it for a second time this afternoon before doing so.)



In conclusion, keep us in your prayers as we make this transition.  It will be hard for my family, especially since they've been used to having us right down the stairs for the better part of a year now.  And buying a house, moving, and being a tax accountant at this time of year can all be stressful things.  But with your prayers and support, we can handle it.

Part I: Children are blessings from God... all the time.

When people find out we don't use birth control not only because we're ready for kids but because we're morally opposed to it, we get some strange and varied responses.  This doesn't surprise me given that two years ago--when I was taking the Pill myself--I would have been slightly offended if someone made that statement, no matter how gently it was worded.  I thought the Duggars were crazy.  Families were huge if they had more than four children.  I was sure the Pope was dead wrong on the birth control issue (ironically, now it's one of the few things he and I would agree upon).



But things change.



I came to realize that when I said, "Sure, babies are a blessing from God," I would silently add, But not all the time.  I had taken a disturbingly pro-choice stance on the issue, though I never would have admitted it.  Babies are a blessing from God... if they're wanted.  Sounds a whole lot like "Every child a wanted child," no?



Recently as I was clearing out my laptop's "My Documents" folder, I discovered a saved AIM conversation with Trevvor that occurred while I was studying in England in 2007.  We were talking about our upcoming engagement and eventual marriage.  And then, right in the middle of discussing the kind of family car we wanted to drive (he wanted a station wagon; I wanted a mini-van--we got the station wagon last summer), the conversation took this turn....



sncasto87: we're gonna have BABIES

futbolcampo: i'm still not quite sure how that will all work, but if you say so

sncasto87: well, we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it

futbolcampo: alright, sounds good

sncasto87: i'm not having a kid until we're 25 if i have anything to say in the matter

sncasto87: i'll make my womb refuse to reproduce

sncasto87: so it's a long way off, bud.

sncasto87: yey for BIRTH CONTROL.



Out of one side of my mouth, I was so excited about being the future mother of Trevvor's children... yet I wanted to graduate from college.  And I wanted to go to grad school.  And I wanted to work for a couple of years.  And wouldn't it be nice if we were married for a while first, and maybe even settled in a house?  Because I already knew that once I had babies I would stay at home--I'd always known that--but I wanted to have a "life" first.  So I took the Pill, making my womb incapable of reproducing, just as I said I would.  In my mind, babies wouldn't be a blessing at that time because I had things on my agenda I wanted to get done first.  Never mind that God might have a different plan for me, and if that plan included babies then I was going against His will by taking birth control:  babies were not an acceptable option and I would take measures to ensure that He didn't "bless" me with them.



Put in those terms, it sounds absurd, does it not?



If only I'd known how badly I would desire children three years later... and that I would struggle to have them... and be heartbroken.  And this struggle in part thanks to the effects of the Pill I then praised!  Irony of ironies.



And so I understand the view that people have of us "full-quiverers," as we're labeled.  When I say that we don't believe birth control is biblical (that is to say, you cannot find an example of preventing the conception of a child written in a positive light; rather, you find story after story of children being sought-after blessings), I sometimes get responses like this:



"But what if the mother was raped?"

"But what if the parents aren't married?"

"But what if the mother is a young teenager?"

"But what if they already have many mouths to feed and they can't afford another?"



Though I more often get responses like this:



"But you need to be married for a few years first."

"But you should be done with college at least."

"But you need to have a financially good job."

"But it's best if you buy a house first."

"But student loans need to be paid off before adding the expense."



And on and on go the "reasons" for delaying having children, even when the parents are of age and married, and even when they have a safe place to live and a decent job that pays the necessary bills.



All of these "reasons" for not having children... I've said them myself at one point.  But this is the world's view of having children--not God's.  With God, children are always a blessing, never a curse--no, not even an "inconvenience."  Does this mean the situation is always ideal or just what we want it to be?  No.  But God's ways are higher than our ways... and this is the topic for the next post.

Part I: Children are blessings from God... all the time.

When people find out we don't use birth control not only because we're ready for kids but because we're morally opposed to it, we get some strange and varied responses.  This doesn't surprise me given that two years ago--when I was taking the Pill myself--I would have been slightly offended if someone made that statement, no matter how gently it was worded.  I thought the Duggars were crazy.  Families were huge if they had more than four children.  I was sure the Pope was dead wrong on the birth control issue (ironically, now it's one of the few things he and I would agree upon).



But things change.



I came to realize that when I said, "Sure, babies are a blessing from God," I would silently add, But not all the time.  I had taken a disturbingly pro-choice stance on the issue, though I never would have admitted it.  Babies are a blessing from God... if they're wanted.  Sounds a whole lot like "Every child a wanted child," no?



Recently as I was clearing out my laptop's "My Documents" folder, I discovered a saved AIM conversation with Trevvor that occurred while I was studying in England in 2007.  We were talking about our upcoming engagement and eventual marriage.  And then, right in the middle of discussing the kind of family car we wanted to drive (he wanted a station wagon; I wanted a mini-van--we got the station wagon last summer), the conversation took this turn....



sncasto87: we're gonna have BABIES

futbolcampo: i'm still not quite sure how that will all work, but if you say so

sncasto87: well, we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it

futbolcampo: alright, sounds good

sncasto87: i'm not having a kid until we're 25 if i have anything to say in the matter

sncasto87: i'll make my womb refuse to reproduce

sncasto87: so it's a long way off, bud.

sncasto87: yey for BIRTH CONTROL.



Out of one side of my mouth, I was so excited about being the future mother of Trevvor's children... yet I wanted to graduate from college.  And I wanted to go to grad school.  And I wanted to work for a couple of years.  And wouldn't it be nice if we were married for a while first, and maybe even settled in a house?  Because I already knew that once I had babies I would stay at home--I'd always known that--but I wanted to have a "life" first.  So I took the Pill, making my womb incapable of reproducing, just as I said I would.  In my mind, babies wouldn't be a blessing at that time because I had things on my agenda I wanted to get done first.  Never mind that God might have a different plan for me, and if that plan included babies then I was going against His will by taking birth control:  babies were not an acceptable option and I would take measures to ensure that He didn't "bless" me with them.



Put in those terms, it sounds absurd, does it not?



If only I'd known how badly I would desire children three years later... and that I would struggle to have them... and be heartbroken.  And this struggle in part thanks to the effects of the Pill I then praised!  Irony of ironies.



And so I understand the view that people have of us "full-quiverers," as we're labeled.  When I say that we don't believe birth control is biblical (that is to say, you cannot find an example of preventing the conception of a child written in a positive light; rather, you find story after story of children being sought-after blessings), I sometimes get responses like this:



"But what if the mother was raped?"

"But what if the parents aren't married?"

"But what if the mother is a young teenager?"

"But what if they already have many mouths to feed and they can't afford another?"



Though I more often get responses like this:



"But you need to be married for a few years first."

"But you should be done with college at least."

"But you need to have a financially good job."

"But it's best if you buy a house first."

"But student loans need to be paid off before adding the expense."



And on and on go the "reasons" for delaying having children, even when the parents are of age and married, and even when they have a safe place to live and a decent job that pays the necessary bills.



All of these "reasons" for not having children... I've said them myself at one point.  But this is the world's view of having children--not God's.  With God, children are always a blessing, never a curse--no, not even an "inconvenience."  Does this mean the situation is always ideal or just what we want it to be?  No.  But God's ways are higher than our ways... and this is the topic for the next post.

Songs in the Morning

We had an emotional morning today as we discussed our family, church, and home. After talking together, I had this song singing in my mind as I fixed Trevvor's lunch and long after he departed for work, so I thought I'd share it with all of you.

The Lord knows we want a baby to raise up in the nurture and admonition of Him. He knows we're searching for a church where we can serve Him. He knows we want a home of our own before too long.  He knows we desire an income which doesn't take Trevvor away from his family every day, all day.  He knows our hearts desires.

But while we are waiting, He has us in His arms.

Songs in the Morning

We had an emotional morning today as we discussed our family, church, and home. After talking together, I had this song singing in my mind as I fixed Trevvor's lunch and long after he departed for work, so I thought I'd share it with all of you.

The Lord knows we want a baby to raise up in the nurture and admonition of Him. He knows we're searching for a church where we can serve Him. He knows we want a home of our own before too long.  He knows we desire an income which doesn't take Trevvor away from his family every day, all day.  He knows our hearts desires.

But while we are waiting, He has us in His arms.

The Bestest Best Birthday

This weekend was one of the best weekends I've had in recent memory.  My darling, wonderful husband whisked me away for my birthday to a rustic cabin near De Soto State Park in Alabama.

Since we're living with my family, we don't get as much "alone time" as we used to.  So instead of a party, we decided what we needed was just some simple time together.

We left early on Saturday morning without me having any idea of where we were headed.  We stopped at a garage sale or two along the way before arriving at De Soto. Now, I love De Soto.  (My friend and I used to go there when we were growing up to hike and play in the river.)  So De Soto is where he brought me.

We spent the midday taking a laid-back hike on some easy trails around the campground before eating a late lunch at the Lodge.  Then we headed to the cabin, which was part of Bear Creek Cabins in Fort Payne.  There are 5 cabins on the property (we stayed in #4) which are built to re-create the 1800s Little House in the Big Woods feel.

It was essentially all one room; the only room with a door was the bathroom.  The kitchen/dining area was on one side of the stairs, and the sitting area was on the other.  Up the stairs was the loft, in which the bedroom could be found.

I loved its simplicity and size.  If we knew that--for whatever reason--we would never have children, we would want to live in a cabin just like that. But we are certainly praying for many children, so we may have to enlarge the floor-plan just a bit.  ;)

We had a quiet Saturday evening resting and cooking and reading... and watching "Star Trek: The Original Series."  I'm quite a nerd, really, and so while I highly doubt we'll let our kids watch ST, I enjoyed reliving a few memories with Captain Kirk and his posse of space cowboys.

Trevvor had planned all the meals for us:  for dinners we had some hearty chili; sandwiches for lunches (which we actually didn't end up eating); Sunday's breakfast was blackberry pancakes and turkey bacon; and Monday's breakfast was French toast and more turkey bacon.  We also had several snacks and of course cake!  He made me a coconut cake and added some homemade coconut fudge to go along with it.  Isn't he incredible??  We also found our favorite apple juice (Martinelli's) and brought it and the red wine that my French host-mother had sent me last year along for some special drinks.  All in all, the menu was perfect.

Sunday we got up about 7:30, and after a lazy morning, we went hiking in Little River Canyon, which was almost in our backyard.  At first we just stopped and took pictures at overlooks, and then we saw a sign for a trail that went the 1/10 mile into the canyon.

It was incredibly steep and quite rocky, but with Trevvor's aid I made it all the way down in one piece.  We stayed down there about an hour, wading in the river (quite an adventure in a skirt), clambering on rocks, taking pictures, and just enjoying God's creation.

That Sunday evening was much the same as the one before, except we traded "Star Trek" in for "Homestead Blessings:  Canning" and "Soap Making."  It seemed fitting to learn pioneering skills during our cabin stint.  :)

Monday was my birthday, and unfortunately also check-out day.  We left our sweet cabin about 11:15 and headed to Mentone, AL, where Trevvor had found some quaint and artsy lunch locales. We ended up eating at The Wildflower Cafe, which serves only natural and organic foods (apparently Mentone is an artist community).  We both enjoyed our meals; Trevvor ate a Greek salad and I had an interesting but tasty stir-fry.  When the owner found out it was my birthday, she gave me a free piece of carrot cake!

After stopping at a post office in Henager to mail off some post-cards, we drove home.  Mom and Chris surprised me with another cake, some flowers, a balloon, and cards.  (Of course, my main gift from my family and Trevvor was the sewing machine, which I am LOVING, by the way.)

Dad came home a bit later and the family made steak and potatoes while Trevvor and I took a walk, savoring the last minutes of our "vacation."

It surely was the bestest best birthday, don't you think?

The Bestest Best Birthday

This weekend was one of the best weekends I've had in recent memory.  My darling, wonderful husband whisked me away for my birthday to a rustic cabin near De Soto State Park in Alabama.

Since we're living with my family, we don't get as much "alone time" as we used to.  So instead of a party, we decided what we needed was just some simple time together.

We left early on Saturday morning without me having any idea of where we were headed.  We stopped at a garage sale or two along the way before arriving at De Soto. Now, I love De Soto.  (My friend and I used to go there when we were growing up to hike and play in the river.)  So De Soto is where he brought me.

We spent the midday taking a laid-back hike on some easy trails around the campground before eating a late lunch at the Lodge.  Then we headed to the cabin, which was part of Bear Creek Cabins in Fort Payne.  There are 5 cabins on the property (we stayed in #4) which are built to re-create the 1800s Little House in the Big Woods feel.

It was essentially all one room; the only room with a door was the bathroom.  The kitchen/dining area was on one side of the stairs, and the sitting area was on the other.  Up the stairs was the loft, in which the bedroom could be found.

I loved its simplicity and size.  If we knew that--for whatever reason--we would never have children, we would want to live in a cabin just like that. But we are certainly praying for many children, so we may have to enlarge the floor-plan just a bit.  ;)

We had a quiet Saturday evening resting and cooking and reading... and watching "Star Trek: The Original Series."  I'm quite a nerd, really, and so while I highly doubt we'll let our kids watch ST, I enjoyed reliving a few memories with Captain Kirk and his posse of space cowboys.

Trevvor had planned all the meals for us:  for dinners we had some hearty chili; sandwiches for lunches (which we actually didn't end up eating); Sunday's breakfast was blackberry pancakes and turkey bacon; and Monday's breakfast was French toast and more turkey bacon.  We also had several snacks and of course cake!  He made me a coconut cake and added some homemade coconut fudge to go along with it.  Isn't he incredible??  We also found our favorite apple juice (Martinelli's) and brought it and the red wine that my French host-mother had sent me last year along for some special drinks.  All in all, the menu was perfect.

Sunday we got up about 7:30, and after a lazy morning, we went hiking in Little River Canyon, which was almost in our backyard.  At first we just stopped and took pictures at overlooks, and then we saw a sign for a trail that went the 1/10 mile into the canyon.

It was incredibly steep and quite rocky, but with Trevvor's aid I made it all the way down in one piece.  We stayed down there about an hour, wading in the river (quite an adventure in a skirt), clambering on rocks, taking pictures, and just enjoying God's creation.

That Sunday evening was much the same as the one before, except we traded "Star Trek" in for "Homestead Blessings:  Canning" and "Soap Making."  It seemed fitting to learn pioneering skills during our cabin stint.  :)

Monday was my birthday, and unfortunately also check-out day.  We left our sweet cabin about 11:15 and headed to Mentone, AL, where Trevvor had found some quaint and artsy lunch locales. We ended up eating at The Wildflower Cafe, which serves only natural and organic foods (apparently Mentone is an artist community).  We both enjoyed our meals; Trevvor ate a Greek salad and I had an interesting but tasty stir-fry.  When the owner found out it was my birthday, she gave me a free piece of carrot cake!

After stopping at a post office in Henager to mail off some post-cards, we drove home.  Mom and Chris surprised me with another cake, some flowers, a balloon, and cards.  (Of course, my main gift from my family and Trevvor was the sewing machine, which I am LOVING, by the way.)

Dad came home a bit later and the family made steak and potatoes while Trevvor and I took a walk, savoring the last minutes of our "vacation."

It surely was the bestest best birthday, don't you think?