Georgia On My Mind

Jared has been home with me in the United States for just under a month now. In just a month's time we have celebrated his return in downtown Indy, enjoyed special moments with family and friends, moved to Atlanta, Georgia and as of today, we are officially debt free! Our God is a God who provides!!!

Living in Europe...more specifically...living in one of the most expensive countries in Europe, far from our loved ones and distant from our comfort zone, really stretched us in so many ways. The daily challenges we faced in the last two years were very overwhelming most days. But through it all we leaned on our faith that God will always take care of us. And He has NEVER failed us.

Sunday night we found our new church home at Passion City Church here in Atlanta and one of the worship songs that night called 'Always' by Kristian Stanfill shares these lyrics:

My help is on the way

Oh my God

He will not delay

My refuge and strength 

ALWAYS

I will not fear

His promise is true

My God will come through 

ALWAYS

I lift my eyes up

My help comes from the Lord

This song resonated with me because we faced some major storms and battles these last few years and I know we will face more in our future but God's promises are true ALWAYS. And the truth that "He will not delay"...even when in the midst of struggle and waiting when we are thinking "anytime now God!" ...He is not delaying His timing...He is ALWAYS right on time. Looking back I can see His perfect timing in it all. And because I have seen how He has taken care of us in every single detail up to this point, I can return to these words and trust in them when fear and trials come up again. 

We are so grateful to be where we are right now. We are loving our new city so far! We are within 5-10 minutes to all the major grocery/shopping stores, restaurants and everything we could possibly need. (no more hiking up and down mountains and catching trains to get anywhere! YAY!) We're in a quiet, safe area just outside of the city and are looking forward to doing some more exploring once we are fully settled in. 

It was like Christmas for us going through all of our things that have been in storage for over 2 years! It was heaven sleeping in our OWN bed for the first time in years! The cats seemed to feel right at home immediately too. They're already walking around like they own the place! ;)

More praise to share....Jared and I have been here in Atlanta for one week exactly. On Monday I applied at a local portrait studio, got a call back within the hour and had an interview the very next day. I had my second interview today and left feeling really good about it. I just got a call a few moments ago and was offered the job as the Senior Photographer! This is such a blessing! Moving to a new place as a photographer, it takes time to build up clients and because we will only be here for a few short months, it didn't make sense to invest what would be necessary to gain clients only to pick up and move again in a couple months and have to rebuild all over. With this job, I will still be able to do what I love and when we settle permanently in a few months from now, I will have this experience under my belt. I'm really stoked! :)

Just wanted to share a quick update for those who have been praying for us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for every prayer! We are so incredibly blessed and want to take every opportunity to shout how great our God is! 

Home Sweet Home

It has been a really long time since I've blogged. Jared and I came back to America for the first time in 2 years on May 4th and have been on-the-go ever since. I haven't had much of a chance to sit down and update my blog until now. We wanted to enjoy this time to the fullest. And I believe we have!

Jared's Dad, Step-mom and sister were waiting for us when we stepped off the plane and it was so good to see them and hug them! It was so surreal to be reunited again! The cats did so good on the trip over. We didn't even have to sedate them and we didn't have any problems getting them through customs. It was miraculous how in just a few days of being back in America we saw Tot's health improve without the need for any medicine or treatment. He has returned to full health and we are SO thankful!!! Still not certain what made him so sick in Switzerland but I think it was a number of things...lack of climate control since there wasn't any central air/heating there, or perhaps a negative reaction to the food/water there. Not sure...and I really don't care at this point...I'm just so happy he is 100% healed! He's gained all of his weight back, his fur is soft again, he's no longer lethargic and he doesn't have the nasal issues anymore. Praise the Lord!


We joke that Tot saved Jared's life but there is actually a bit of truth to that. Just days after arriving home Jared had a physical where they took his blood pressure and it was so high that he was at serious risk for health issues. All of that Swiss stress had apparently gotten to him and were it not for this emergency trip home for Tot then we may not have caught the problem. Amazing how in just a week's time of being in America his blood pressure went back down to normal. That gives you a clearer idea of just how much stress he was under over there. He almost wasn't able to return with us but God made a way showing once again how he works in mysterious ways and always takes care of us.

The first thing Jared did once we touched down in America was LITERALLY kiss the ground. Then we immediately ate at Qdoba and he had a Mt. Dew! :) We drove to my parent's house (my childhood home) and as soon as we got in the driveway I burst into tears. Two long years of trials and hardship had come to an end and I felt overwhelmed by the mere sight of what had always been a safe sanctuary for me...it felt even more so now. My nephews had made a "Welcome Home" banner for us and my family had decorated it with American Flags and made it very patriotic with red, white and blue everywhere. I got a little taste of how military families must feel after a long deployment. Pure joy. Relief. Patriotism. Love. There really is no place like home. 


Upon our return we were able to spend time with so many friends and family(after 2 long years this time was PRICELESS!), we traveled to 4 different states, watched just about every movie that was in theater this month, exercised together daily, dined out at a new restaurant almost every single night, Jared drank Mt. Dew like it was water, took sunset walks around the neighborhood every evening and we got to drive our car again! We have been having a blast! :) Freedom feels SO good!!

We were also able to visit Atlanta recently and see exactly where we will be living in a few months. We are even more excited now. It's such a clean and friendly city with so much to see and do! We're definitely going to enjoy our time there.

I've been able to get back into photographing families since I've been back as well. Oh how I've missed it! I just photographed my first newborn session last week and have determined that babies are my favourite subject to shoot by far! :) I had so much fun and was really happy with how the photos turned out! You can check out My Photography Blog for a glimpse of that session and other upcoming shoots. :)

Feeling really blessed right now. The Lord has really carried us through a lot over the past few years and is continuing to guide us with His strength and love. We are so thankful for all God has done for us and for all of the wonderful people He has placed in our lives to help us along the way. Our story is continuing to unfold and we smile at our future. :)

Thank you for all of your love and prayers.

True Love

Today is Good Friday and this Sunday is Easter. But what makes these days so significant? What are we commemorating?

Come close, listen to the story....



Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... (1 Peter 1:3)

True Love by Phil Wickham

Come close listen to the story
about a love more faithful than the morning
The Father gave his only Son just to save us

The earth was shaking in the dark
All creation felt the Fathers broken heart
tears were filling heaven's eyes
The day that true love died, the day that true love died
When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn’t move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that true love died, The day that true love died

Search your heart you know you can’t deny it
Come on, lose your life just so you can find it
The Father gave his only son just to save us

The earth was shaking in the dark
All creation felt the Fathers broken heart
tears were filling heaven's eyes
The day that true love died, the day that true love died
When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn’t move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that true love died, The day that true love died

Now, Jesus is alive!
Jesus is alive!
Oh, He is alive!
He rose again!

When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn’t move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that true love died, The day that true love died

Come close listen to the story.

Innsbruck, Austria

This post is a little late, forgive me for that, but we've had a lot going on lately. These photos are actually from our visit with Emily in January. I shared our trip to Germany in a previous blog post and from Germany we drove to Innsbruck, Austria. It was a pretty scary drive. We were driving through heavy snowfall the entire way and later learned that while we were there, Austria had record snowfalls. We had dinner with a couple from Turkey while we were in Austria who were on their way to a ski trip with friends. Apparently the roads were so bad and there had been reported avalanches that many of the roads were closed and lots of people were stuck overnight. We were blessed because we got there before the weather got too terribly bad and by the next day the roads were all cleared for our drive back to Switzerland.

Austria was beautiful covered in snow. We happened to be there during the winter youth olympics so there were lots of people and things going on. Here's just a glimpse of our time there....

Snowy roads on our way to Innsbruck, Austria

Jared and I in front of the colorful buildings in Innsbruck, Austria

The Golden Roof in Innsbruck, Austria

Clock tower and narrow streets of Innsbruck, Austria

Jared and I in the Youth Winter Olympic bobsled

Vienna Style tenderloin and potato croquettes at a local family owned restaurant.

 It was delicious but more food than what we're used to living in Switzerland!

Fancy building in Innsbruck, Austria

Innsbruck Cathedral

The colorful buildings lining the waterfront in Innsbruck.

Hope you enjoyed our trip with us. :)

Birthday Love

Yesterday marked the beginning of my last year in my twenties. I am officially 29-years-old. It's also my last birthday in Switzerland and I can't tell you how good that sounds! I'm really looking forward to 30 because it means I will be celebrating State-side! I may start sounding like a broken record, but I am SO ready and excited to be home!

As you know, I share the same birthday with my nephew, Isaac. To this day he is THE BEST gift I've ever received on my birthday. Followed by Tot, who was my birthday gift in 2010. Thanks to Skype, I was able to (virtually) be at Isaac's birthday party in Indiana. I'm SO thankful that despite the distance between me and my loved ones I can still virtually enjoy those special moments with them. I cannot believe my birthday buddy is SIX! He's such a smart, spirited and impressive kid! I'm so proud of that boy! Can't wait to give him a big hug in a few more months!!

Birthday flowers from Jared and photo of my birthday buddy! <3

Aside from enjoying my family from afar the best birthday gift I received was news from the vet that Tot's culture came back negative. He has been sick for nearly 3 months with a nasty bacterial infection in his ear and after many trips to the vet, countless nights of dosing him with various meds and LOTS of prayer...we finally got a miracle. The vet told us how concerned they were about the bacteria being fatal or possibly causing Tot to be on medication for the rest of his life...his chances of full recovery were very slim they told us. And although they want to play it safe by continuing to keep him on the meds for a few more weeks to ensure that the bacteria is definitely out of his system...the vet is very optimistic...and so are we. He is acting much more like his old self which indicates he is feeling much better. Poor guy went through a lot! So did we...it was so hard to watch him fight this with the fear that he may not make it. He was so weak, lethargic and out of it for so long. It's a huge answer to prayer to see him active, with his appetite back and being his funny, sweet self again! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers and please continue to pray that the bacteria is gone for good and doesn't relapse!

Tot and I on my birthday...yes those are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pjs! 

They are kind of awesome! :)

On top of these blessings, Jared and I got to enjoy a visit from my best friend, Emily a few weeks ago. She was here for about 2 weeks and we made lots of great memories with her! I'll have to share photos and stories from our adventures with her in a future post.

Before I end this post I want to say thank you for all of the birthday love I received through phone calls, emails, texts and comments. I am overwhelmingly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family in my life! Each one of you made this year and my birthday so incredibly special! And thanks to the generosity of friends and family, together, we were able to raise $275 (and counting) for Compassion International that will help children and families in need. God bless you!  http://wishes.causes.com/wishes/436701

Anniversary Cruise - Part VII

The last port we visited on our anniversary cruise was Venice, Italy. I had seen photos and paintings of Venice for years and had a dreamy idea of what it would look like in person. It definitely has a daydream feel. Take a look at some of the photos from our trip and see for yourself...

Venice shoreline taken from our balcony on the cruise

Venice shoreline taken from our balcony on the cruise

Gondola rides

Gondolas on the Grand Canal

One of the many canals in Venice

Floating farmer's market in Venice

One of the many decorative windows in Venice

Large, ornate cathedral in Venice

Distressed buildings with lots of character

Grand Canal at sunset

Venice skyline silhouette

To view the rest of the blogs from our anniversary cruise series click HERE

Anniversary Cruise - Part VI

I apologize to my faithful blog readers that these cruise posts have been so sporadic. We've done some traveling in between, had a few stressful events occur and I have been lacking motivation to update my blog. If you missed my previous blog posts about our cruise you can view those: HERE.

I wanted to briefly share about the remainder of our cruise. We made stops in Athens, Rhodes, Olympia, and Corfu, Greece and then ended our travels in Venice, Italy. To be honest, I wasn't impressed with Rhodes, Olympia or Corfu Greece. I really don't have a lot of photos to share from those stops and don't really recommend making stops at any of these places. There are much more exciting and beautiful parts of Greece to explore. Athens, however is worth sharing about. The Acropilis and Temple of Zeus were two very impressive ruin sites. The size of these ancient ruins are so impressive especially given they were built long before modern tools.

Temple of Zeus

Temple of Zeus from on top of the Acropolis

Theater of Dyonisis

Jared and I in front of the Theater of Dyonisis

Acropolis in Athens

Acropolis in Athens

We also enjoyed the changing of the guard ceremony at the parliament building in Athens. It reminded me of that Monty Python skit "Ministry Of The Silly Walks". We were cracking up for days over it but the Greek definitely take it very seriously.

Video I took of the changing of the guards in Athens

Monty Python Ministry Of The Silly Walks for comparison :)

One more city to cover...Venice, Italy...which I'll have to save for next time because my bed is calling me. The last few weeks have left me exhausted. I'll try to post the "series finale" tomorrow sometime. Thanks for being patient! Hope you're all doing well!!

Anniversary Cruise - Part IV

The next place we visited while on our 12-day cruise was Santorini, Greece. Santorini was the main reason we booked this particular cruise because it was one of the few that stopped there. I had been drooling over photos that I had seen of this Greek Isle for years and dreaming about seeing it for myself. It definitely did not disappoint. WOW! It is one of the most beautiful and charming places I have ever been.

Once reaching the island we had the choice of either taking the gondola up to the village of Fira or we could take a donkey. We decided to take the gondola because they were the same price and I've never had luck with riding four-legged animals. The gondola ride up the steep cliffside was actually pretty frightening. I have never been a huge fan of heights though. Once we reached the top it was totally worth it. What a view! 

view from Fira, Greece

looking down from the gondola to Fira, Greece

We headed into the village and started looking for a place to rent a scooter. All of the tourist websites I looked through beforehand recommended taking a scooter to the nearby village of Oia. So that's exactly what we did. We felt a little like Harry and Lloyd from Dumb & Dumber riding our tiny scooter but it was so much fun! :) The views on the way to Oia were amazing! We just pulled over the scooter and took some quick snapshots all along the way. It was about a 30 minute ride from Fira to Oia.

standing in front of our scooter in Fira, Greece

one of the many stops we took on the ride over to Oia to take capture the beauty

Everywhere we looked was whitewashed buildings, blue domes and cobblestone streets. It was like walking through a dream. So beautiful. We took lots of pictures of the buildings all stacked on top of one another along the cliffs, did some souvenir shopping and wandering then stopped to have some lunch. The restaurant had an amazing view and I enjoyed THE BEST Greek Salad I have ever had in my entire life. So good!

Jared and I in Oia, Greece

Oia, Greece

LOVED all the blue doors in Oia, Greece

Jared in Oia, Greece

One of the many blue domes in Oia, Greece

Where those people are seated is where we had lunch in Oia, Greece

The view from the restaurant where we had lunch

another view from the restaurant

Oia, Greece

Oia, Greece was full of blue doors, windows and gates...LOVED IT!

more views of Oia, Greece

We scootered (yes, I just created my own word) back to Fira to return the scooter and head back to the ship before sailing away into the sunset. We both agreed that Santorini is a place we would love to come back to and stay a couple days. I hear the sunsets viewed from the island are spectacular! Maybe we'll go back one day. I'm so happy we were able to see as much as we did. We had a fabulous time!

Taking the donkey path back down to the cruise ship

sunset over Santorini, Greece from our balcony on the cruise

To check out the rest of our cruise adventures go HERE.

Banner Year

2012 is right around the corner and I am so excited for what God has planned. Jared and I were talking tonight about all of the things that have happened in 2011. We smiled about the adventures we've shared and laughed about all of the crazy challenges we have had to face living here in Switzerland. We can laugh now because we survived it....but there were many moments that at the time we were definitely not laughing...we were praying. We prayed often for for sanity, clarity and strength.

Visiting a foreign country and LIVING in a foreign country are two totally different things. This is my second round of living overseas (I lived in Brazil, South America as a teenager) and neither experience was easy. I am not at all ungrateful for this experience. I realize the tough times were necessary for my own personal growth, but I don't want the "pretty pictures" to fool anyone into thinking that living in foreign lands is picture perfect. Yes, it's beautiful...but with that beauty comes a price. And in Switzerland it is roughly DOUBLE the price of everywhere else. Not too mention the challenge of communicating, transportation (or lack there of) and the most challenging thing of all....being so far from loved ones.

I could go on for hours - even days - about the contrast between America and Europe but the one thing I want to emphasize is that Americans are more privileged than they realize. This week I want you to go through your days and think about all of the things you have that make your life easier or better. Your car, your ability to communicate, your affordable groceries and unlimited choices, your central heating and air, relatively hassle-free housing, your family and friends...anything and everything you do and experience in your day, I want you to imagine how much tougher life would be without those seemingly "expected" things and give thanks for them. When you feel a desire to complain...replace those thoughts with gratitude of what you are already blessed with. This whole experience has made me realize that while we think we have it tough...there are others who have it even tougher. And there's always something to be thankful for so...be thankful.

My hope for you is that this new year is filled with continued blessings and a renewed spirit. We're looking forward to seeing many of you in 2012! Let the countdown to homeward bound begin! :)

Oh...and Jared started his own blog too. You can read his first post here: Immanent Survival. It shares a little bit from his perspective. Staying true to himself it is thoughtful and purposeful with a side of sarcasm! :)

Anniversary Cruise - Part II

Our first stop on the cruise was to Naples, Italy. We booked an excursion offered by the cruiseline (my very first excursion experience) and took a private boat cruise along the Amalfi coast which was really beautiful. All of the buildings stacked along the shoreline was very picturesque. The boat took us to the town of Amalfi where we docked for a few hours and did some exploring and shopping. I was able to test out my new point and shoot camera that Jared got me as an early Christmas present. Having a nice DSLR professional camera is great but it's a bear when it comes to taking self portraits so I was happy to have a pocket-size camera for the trip! My husband is way too good to me! :)

Jared and I along the Amalfi Coast

one of the many little shops in Amalfi

Us in front of St. Andrew's Cathedral in Amalfi, Italy.

another view of the Amalfi coast

From there we took the boat back along the coast and then hopped on a tour bus for a scenic drive to Pompeii. For those who may not know, Pompeii is an ancient Roman city that was destroyed and completely buried during an eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Touring the ancient city was fascinating. There were some plaster casts of a few of the victims that were discovered. It was a sobering sight because it captured the tragedy of literally being buried alive by the ash and lava. Some of the ruins that were uncovered still looked very well intact and our tour guide gave some very interesting historic details along the way. 

City of Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius in the background

inside one of the homes in Pompeii

Plaster casts of some of the victims at Pompeii

We couldn't go to Naples - the home of the very first pizza - and not have a slice...so we ended our day by enjoying a giant slice of pepperoni pizza! Not a bad way to start our travels! :)

Next stop...Turkey! There is a lot of history to share from our visit to Ephesus, Turkey in Part III of our anniversary cruise. It was probably our favourite part of the trip. If you missed Part I of our Anniversary Cruise adventures you can check out that blog post HERE.