fall

this week was great....

...ivy dressed up as a baby girl zebra

...aaron carved his first jack-o-lantern (he was a missionary kid)

...and we tried to take a family picture

we have about 50 ones like these... not ONE keeper. obviously this family isn't the most photogenic!!

amazing!!

yesterday--- just yesterday i was praying and worrying about finances... and TODAY we got a totally unexpected gift!

i am humbled

and amazed

and so so grateful.

it is so hard sometimes to live by faith with our finances but it is so incredible when GOD uses people to answer our needs and prayers.

why do i still give in to the worry?? the Lord has provided for us over and over again and I want to speak about His faithfulness in the good times and the hard times.

He is so worthy of my praise. He is good. so good.

this is ivy...

Ivy Ellnora Espe. Born May 16th 2011.

she's the best thing ever!

so fun

so flexible

so adorable!

redeemed

hello blog world... it's been over a year since i've updated the world wide web via this blog. So much has happened since my last blog- it's strange to look back.

summer 2010 was a difficult time-- I seemed that so many of my "securities" crumbled before me. From dreams being crushed, to a miscarriage, to being on a jury for a murder trial-- it was a crazy few months!

It's amazing how many things have been redeemed since that time.

Here are a few of the "turn arounds":

* miscarriage--redeemed to Ivy!! just a month after our miscarriage I was pregnant. i was pretty fearful during the pregnancy... i was so worried something would happen again and that my heart would be broken. it wasn't until she was in my arms that i fully realized that i was going to be a mom!! luckily i bonded very quickly and now i can't imagine life without her!

* giving up a dream-- redeemed to a new AMAZING opportunity! After a situation with my Y counseling school I thought I had to give up the dream of being involved with future counseling schools. This summer i got a call from a friend working in Belize-- they asked me to help lead and pioneer a counseling school in april! We are still working out the details but things are falling into place incredibly!

* housing problem-- redeemed to more than we could have imagined! Our small apartment was cute and fun but it was a bit cramped and FREEZING!! this summer Aaron's parents moved to central Asia and we took over their home. the rent is in our budget and we now have lots of space and a beautiful back yard!

* beat up cars-- redeemed to a snow worthy vehicle! along with the house, Aaron's parents have let us use their car for the next few years! It isn't as scary to drive in the winter conditions now!

* Aaron's job... Aaron was working at a facility for troubled boys and he was drained and frustrated by all of the issues up there. This summer he started working at a home for mentally challenged adults and he loves it! he has a flexible schedule that works around his schooling and he enjoys going to work now!

it seems that as I continue to trust in the Lord for my future and security He takes my little hopes and dreams and turns them into something better than I could have imagined.

I am blessed.