A Walk in the Snow

The week before last we got our first heavy snow. (Well, heavy in my mind! It was the first time they actually had to plow it.) It was Sunday afternoon, so while David was at work I decided to go for a walk. It snowed the whole time. I put on layer after layer after layer and headed out for my usual loop. It took about three times as long, but was ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. Sure, the cold is wearing on me, but this snow was nothing short of magical. I got some funny looks from people shoveling their driveway. I wanted to say "Hey, I'm from Alabama, don't judge me. I've never gotten to do this!" I didn't get as many or as quality pictures as I would've liked. I would pull my camera out from under my rain jacket for a few minutes but my fingers were frozen or too chunky because of gloves. But, here's what I did get so that y'all can appreciate the beauty and the crazy newness of my life here!

Our First Christmas Tree: Part 2

In which we wish we were in Auburn

A few weeks ago I wrote about the adventure of getting our first Christmas tree here. It finally came time to put up the tree. I started wishing that we had bought a real tree and snuck it into the apartment in the middle of the night under a sheet. But, we are abiding by the rules, and decided to unbox this thing. 

It looked really rough at first. Yikes. 

 Then this happened. We went crazy, obviously. It was one of the most exciting things I've ever seen and it made me miss being in Auburn very much. 

So since we couldn't be there to roll Toomer's, we decided we'd have our own post game celebration. If you are an Iowan and have no clue what I'm talking about, you can read a tiny explanation and see what is happening there right now at this site. Creepy? A little. Don't run that traffic light. 

War Eagle from the midwest! And Merry Christmas!

A Year to Be Thankful For

I was going to post this on my birthday, but other events that day caused me to leave it in the drafts. So, as I feel like enough time has passed that I'll get back to regular old blogging, here it is. Just for fun, a look at my last year in pictures! I always think of my life in seasons, and enjoy mentally recapping what each one has brought. My birthday falling on Thanksgiving was perfect, because I really have so much to praise the Lord for this year. It has been one of huge changes, and many challenges. But it has been rich and full! Here are a few high points.

I turned 21 and celebrated at the Castle House with some wonderful friends who I miss terribly right about now. 

Then in December somebody asked me to marry him! I love these pictures of my mom and I because there is so much joy. 

During spring semester, I did some pretty stereotypically Auburn things, like going up in Samford Clock Tower! I got someone to cover my shift at work so I could go and it was totally worth it. Thanks Cec and Joe for working this out!

RUF Winter Conference is always a good weekend! (Especially with these two!) 

Spring also brought showers and parties, which were a blast. This picture is from an Around the House dinner party that the Presley's and Smith T's threw us in Opelika. 

With (just a little) sentimentality, I finished classes and moved out of Auburn. 

The first week of summer was spent at RUF Summer Conference with these crazies. It was a wonderful week of refreshing teaching, worship, conversation, and fun. I am so grateful for the people the Lord brought into my life through RUF, and the truth that he taught me.

I spent the summer working with Trinity PCA Montgomery's youth group. One highlight of the summer was climbing a mountain during RYM Colorado week! I LOVED getting to know these two cuties and so many other girls. 

After wrapping up my internship, and David finishing his senior Design/Build, we

graduated on August 3rd! It was such a fun day with family and I'm glad I decided to walk, even though it was a little overshadowed by the next weekend! 

On August 10, we ate far too few bites of this delicious cake. And I also officially became an Oliphant. I am so grateful for the covenant of marriage and that the Lord has given me such a wonderful husband who loves me so faithfully! 

We had a blast on our honeymoon to the Pacific coast of Oregon. Two days we hiked in the Redwood forests, which was absolutely stunning. 

As soon as we got home, we packed up and moved to Iowa. (I figured corn was an appropriate picture to illustrate this season.)

Which basically  means my life looked like this disaster for the first several weeks. But we finally got the mess under control, and have been working on making this place feel like home ever since!

And here we are. Getting used to a new season, plugging along at work, and proudly being the only apartment in all of West Des Moines to fly an Auburn flag. 

The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Psalm 16:6 

Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

Psalm 115:1

Shadows

I don’t really feel adequate to write this post. But I feel foolish and silly moving on to other things with something so heavy so near. 

Thursday was a day to celebrate all the things we have to be thankful for. It was also my 22nd birthday. A day to rejoice in my full years. Yet on this same day in God’s providence it was time to say to one of his children - “come.” 

Gray Godwin was a 16 year old family friend. Our dad’s have been friends since the fraternity days in college. He was in the youth group I worked for, and went to Colorado with us last summer. I tutored him in Spanish. He and my youngest brother, along with the two dads, have been working on rebuilding and refurbishing an old Ski Nautique together. It sits unfinished in my grandfather’s barn.

Thursday morning Gray went Duck hunting on Lake Martin - a familiar, comfortable, soothing place full of joyful memories. He never came home. 

There really aren’t words. 

I can’t even begin to imagine the pain of Mr. Tony and Mrs. Beverly as the divers pulled their baby boy out on Friday afternoon.  

It isn’t fair. It isn’t fair. That’s what I kept saying to the Lord. This boy was so full of joy and life, such a caring big brother and a good friend. It isn’t fair that his life gets cut short at a mere 16 years. I cried again this morning while making breakfast because from now on, Mrs. Beverly only gets to make breakfast for four. Every single action of every day is going to be excruciating for them. 

In my mind, today Gray should be screaming War Eagle at the top of his lungs. Instead, football and College Gameday hype and championships seem silly. Don't get me wrong, I'm as big a football fan as any of them. But I know that to Gray the craziest Iron Bowl victory ever is not even worth a thought because he is in the overwhelmingly more glorious presence of the Almighty. 

I know that words are a dime a dozen, and can’t deaden the hurt that so many of my sweet Montgomery friends are feeling. But because I’m a words person, and writing is good to help me understand, because I’m far away, because my heart is excruciatingly heavy, and because maybe this little post can be a tiny part of God’s glory being proclaimed in his death, here are some themes that have been mulling in my head for the past two days. 

I’ve had several conversations in the past week about mourning and grieving. Ironically, one of them was on Thanksgiving Day. It was before I had heard from home, before I knew - but while helicopters scoped the area and rescue boats with sonar patrolled. 

To quote Mumford, because I love their way of phrasing this - “Hold onto what you believed in the light, when the darkness has robbed you of all your sight."

Here is what we know. 

Jesus wept. John 11:35 

In the next paragraph he raises Lazarus from the dead. Yet he still grieved and mourned over the death of his friend. It is ok and good and healthy to grieve. 

The friend I was talking with on Thanksgiving reminded me that in the Old Testament, mourning came in the form of sackcloth and ashes - they shared in each other’s griefs not by sharing trite sayings, or offering advice (remember how that went down with Job’s friends?) They ripped their clothes and sat there with them in their sorrow. 

Jesus enters into our grief with us. He KNOWS. As we enter into Advent, what a glorious truth to be reminded of in the incarnation. That our God became man and he KNOWS. He experienced the same grief that we do. 

And sometimes, that’s the best way to comfort and love those around us who hurt. When you hear news like this it is ok to figuratively tear your clothes in sorrow and cover yourself in sackcloth and weep. That is not a sign of weakness. 

Secondly, the thought patterns I mentioned at the beginning are my sinful tendencies, but often how we think in times like this. “It isn’t fair! No one should have to deal with this!” But no where in the Bible are those who follow Christ promised that life will be fair, or that we will be spared suffering. Rather, it is quite the opposite. Who am I to say that I could write the Godwin’s story better than the Lord?  Who am I to wish that these trials would be withheld, even from Cleve and little Anna? 

We are PROMISED in Scripture that God is sovereign. That His purposes and plans prevail. That he is ALWAYS working for our good and ultimately His glory. That He can write a better story for each of us than we could ever imagine. Who am I to think it isn’t fair that Gray only got 16 years? What a blessing and privilege for that child of God to be with him now rather than to stay here, where it’s broken. 

So this is my encouragement to those of you who may happen to read this that are grieving over the homecoming of this sweet boy, or anyone else who carries fresh wounds and gaping holes in your heart. 

This is our chance to hold on to the truth of God’s word that we know and believed in the light. This is a chance to, in the midst of deep grief, ask ourselves - Do I really believe that God is good, in holidays turned horrors? Do I really believe that God loves the Godwin family even when he takes their child and brother away? Do I really believe that this world is not all there is? Do I believe it enough to continually rejoice in my tears?

Our deep ache over death is a sharp reminder that this world is not our home. No matter how hard we try, we can’t reconcile death within us because it is not what we were created for. Death is a result of the fall. And it’s constant presence reminds us to long for heaven, to not find our significance in the shadows of this world, but to long for the new heaven and the new earth. Christ conquered death with his resurrection. The Gospel is our firm and secure hope! We deserve eternal death and hell but the creator and sustainer of the universe has given his only son to live the life we should have lived and die the death we deserved, taking our punishment and purchasing our eternal life with him. And he is making all things new. “He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” Revelation 22:20

I know that Mr. Tony and Mrs. Beverly are praising God, even in the darkest day they have seen. I am challenged and encouraged by that faith that says with Job: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (1:21)

Our First Christmas Tree: Part 1

In Which We Purchase the Tree

When David and I finally pulled into our apartment complex after way too many hours in a U-Haul, we sat in the office to sign our lease. I was concentrating really hard on signing Sarah Katherine Oliphant without taking 7 hours and accidentally having to scribble out Street. However, amid my intense focus I heard one fateful sentence come out of the apartment manager's mouth. 

"Sign here to say you know you are not allowed to have a real Christmas tree."

I froze. 

"Like, we aren't allowed to have one at all? Just in this apartment complex?" 

I was scrambling - the lease wasn't completely signed, we could still get out now!

"It's a city wide rule that no one living in a multi family residence in West Des Moines can have one."

I am still quite bitter about that conversation, as my ideas of that fresh greenery smell, a romantic trip to the tree farm, and making one of these flew out the third floor balcony window. 

So, rather than ever consider not having a tree, we caved and decided to get one of those impostors  The tree farm trip was replaced with a not-quite-as-romantic trip to Menard's last week when they had a sale. This place is like a combination of Sam's and Home Depot but 2 times dirtier and 3 times tackier. (If your dad owns Menard's, I recant that statement.) We walked past row after row of screws, Cliff bars, and discount books until I spotted a glow.

"I'm gonna have to let you go in there by yourself," my husband said and headed off to find some hooks to hang our bikes on in the outdoor closet in order to make room for said Christmas tree which we will now have to store 11 months out of the year. 

So I wandered into the enchanted forrest of LED snowmen, fake pinecones, and oversized, plastic light-up nativity sets that look like they are straight from the 70's.

I made it throughout the land of the dreaded "artificial trees" and finally found the steal we had seen in the paper. I called David who was now looking at laundry room shelves, and he came and scoped them out. We promptly realized we'd forgotten a buggy, so after walking all across the store to get one, loading it up, and checking out with a minimum of 7 card swipes until it read it - we made it home with this baby. 

Our 7 foot mixed pine. Now we just have to figure out a place to put it, and wait for it to actually be Christmas season in order to put it up, decorate it, and spray it with some sort of fresh-cut-tree-smell-spray that I am going to find and buy. 

Fall Playlist

As I have spent so many hours at home these past few months, I've been listening to even more music than usual. So just for fun this weekend, I figured I'd share a taste of what I've been listening to these days. {Guilty confession: as I write this I'm listening to Shakira (en Español of course). But hey, don't pass judgement on me for that one. It's hard to take 7 years of straight Spanish classes and not have some respect for those pipes.} Some of you may look at this list and know every song, but some of you may not, so I hope that you find something you like! I'm always always always up for new tunes, so feel free to comment if you have some suggestions! 
1. Rock of Ages by Auburn RUF 
I haven't found a way to listen to this unless you buy the CD. Which is totally worth it! I'm so thankful for the way the Lord used worship at RUF if my life during my time at AU.
2. The Wine We Drink by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors
My favorite from their latest CD. They never disappoint! 
3. I Will Wait by Mumford & Sons
4. In Memoriam by the Oh Hellos 
Get the whole CD for free! I discovered this brother sister duo last fall while procrastinating and searching the depths of Noise Trade. I have since spread the word to everyone I know and apparently thousands of other people have seen the light because they are quickly gaining popularity.
5. The Bad Days by David Ramirez 
I saw David in one of my first weeks here in Des Moines at a house show and he cemented every bit of respect I have for him as a musician and writer. Deep, honest, and so talented. 
6. Back to the Love by Handsome and Gretyl
7. Not Walkin Away by Emily Hearn
I had never heard of this lovely lady until she played a house show at the Castle House (where I lived my last year in Auburn.) But I was thoroughly impressed by her and she's a good lighthearted fun one to put in the mix. 
8. An Anthem of Invitation by Judah & the Lion
I realize this is a video of a guy painting, but it was all I could find for this song, and hey, he is pretty talented!
9. Thief in the Night by Stephen Gordon
No playlist for any season ever would be complete without a song from this guy. The trouble is just choosing which song to pick! I was first introduced to him when he led worship for a PCA Fall Retreat when I was in high school. He has also played at the Castle House and will always be one of my favorites. 
10. Go by Sandra McCracken Click here for her website. To the right you can listen to Go and download part of her album. Anyways, this woman has blessed me so much through her music, both on her own and in her Indelible Grace songs. In fact, both the songs sung before our wedding were hers! If you've never heard her angel voice - get ready! 
11. The Proof by Dillon Hodges 
12. Doxology - Yup the classic, performed by Stephen Gordon and Grace & Peace PCA worship team in Bowling Green, KY. Just go ahead and download the whole thing. You know you want to. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. It does my soul good to add this in the mix. 
13. Lay Me Down by the Oh Hellos
Ok I know I'm getting repetitive, but this is from their EP, not the same album as the other! 
14. Scarlet Town by Gillian Welch
Man this woman impresses me. You may remember her from her role in Oh Brother Where Art Thou. She's homely and haunting and this album may be one of my all time favorites. 
15. Green Eyes and a Heart of Gold by the Lone Bellow
16. Hail to the Lord's Anointed by Indelible Grace 
Ok, so I indirectly snuck in another Sandra song. Get used to it. She, Stephen Gordon and the Oh Hellos will not make their way off of this blog any time soon. 
17. Lost and Found by Katie Herzig
This has been a favorite since the summer before last. When I was first introduced to Katie I thought she was too much pop and not enough folk for my usual tastes. But she is just awesome. That's all. 
18. Another Story by the Head and the Heart

First Snow

Warning: The few of you from Iowa who read this blog should just skip this post, because you will undoubtedly make fun of me afterwards. You may resume reading when I post something new. 

Ok for those of you Southerners still reading who can relate, it was all I could do not to make the title of this post in all caps. Yesterday a little after noon, I happened to glance out the window and see little white flakes floating all over the sky. I promptly ran to the window and started screaming to my still groggy husband who works the night shift these days and was just waking up. "GET OVER HERE. IT'S SNOWING!" I then promptly took some pictures, ran downstairs to just stand in it and touch it. It was gorgeous, let me tell you. I felt like a little kid. I know that this is absolutely nothing compared with what is to come. But considering this is about as much snow as we had that one time in Daphne when I was 5, I decided that while it is still new to me, I am going to enjoy it as much as possible! I grabbed a giant handful of the fluffy stuff out of David's truck bed, just because it looked like fun. He laughed as I had to sit on my hands the whole way home to warm them back up. It was a good day. Now I'll let the pictures do the talking.

David broke out the brand spanking new ice scraper and cleaned off my windshield before he went to work so that I could go to Hobby Lobby. He takes good care of me. If any of you have tips for how not to lose the wonder of it - let me know! Happy Tuesday friends!