Summer Daze

Oh how summer has come and gone so quickly. I believe it’s true what they say, “the older you are, the faster time flies,” because this summer flew! Trying to remember the days of summer is difficult. This was my second summer here in South Dakota, my first in the city of Spearfish. It may not be humid here, but it sure wasn’t snowing through the months of June, July and August. I love getting that question from those back home, “Does it get hot in South Dakota?” It’s like they think that there is always a foot of snow on the ground. Yes, it gets hot here. Into the 100s. Currently, it is 91 degrees. What is also funny is the question I get from the locals around here, “Does it snow in Kentucky?” Yes, it snows there, and the past few winters, there have been huge ice storms. I guess when that is all you hear from the media, those images stick in your mind.

Back to my summer in Spearfish… At the beginning of the summer, I was working in Rapid City, driving 100 miles a day between driving to work and back home again. Gas was too expensive, and I did not like the fact that I was wasting an hour and half in the car, when I could have spent my time doing many other things. It did give me the chance to talk to people from Kentucky, especially my mom, and some friends from college. Yes, I talked on the phone, while driving. I worked for the hospital, and loved the kids I worked with. I think about them all the time and wonder how they are doing and how big they have grown since I last saw them. At the end of July, I started working at Culver’s – a restraint known for its burgers and Custard (ice cream). Most people there have been working there since it opened three years ago, but there are a few of us newbies. I would have to say my favorite part of the job is meeting new people from around the country and seeing familiar faces from church or the young adults group Joel and I attend. It’s a job that suits its purpose: money and experience. I’m not complaining about it, except for the fact I work weekends, but hopefully that will change soon.

Speaking of the young adults group, Joel and I started attending at the beginning of the summer after we took our youth to a church in Spearfish for a concert. The church we attend has several children, youth, and adults, but rarely is there anyone there close to our age. It’s important to us to connect with others in our age group, and we found a young adults group that meets on Monday nights. Some nights we do a Bible study, other nights are spent sharing what’s going on in our lives, while some are spent doing community work. This group is a necessity for me because of the difficulty I have had finding nearby friends. I thought I was good at making friends while I grew up in school and in college, but that was much easier with them being in the same class as me, or living in the same building, or in walking distance. We all had at least a couple similar interests, one obviously being that we were all college students. After graduation, and becoming a wife, I learned how difficult it is to find friends, and to find time to spend with them. Joel and I are hoping the Edge group will give us the opportunity to grow closer to Christ (which it has) and to give us some genuine friends.

We also spent a little bit of our time traveling. During 4^th of July weekend, Joel and I flew down to KY to spend time with family. Every day was full of fun memories, and usually included a pool. And boy did we need it, with the humidity. Who knew moving away for just a short time would make you forget about the steamy hot south. Nevertheless, it was an amazing time and was way too short of a visit. If only those plane tickets weren’t so darn expensive! Michael, my teenage (birthday on 8/19) brother flew back with us, went to youth camp with our church, then stayed for another 2 weeks. It was nice spending time with him, and two weeks was just enoughJ. We also traveled to Denver with my new brother and sister, Joe and Bethany, and their new baby boy Samuel. It was a great time with the guys (minus Samuel) hanging out at a music festival called Heaven Fest and the girls (plus Sam) spending time in the city. We walked around “wash park,” ate sushi, had pedicures, and just enjoyed the company of girls. I was able to get closer to Lindsay (another new sister) and was able to spend lots of time with Bethany and my nephew! I hope that fall and winter bring as many memories as did this summer!

One of my favorite places to go, the City Park in Spearfish

one of the youth having fun on a Sunday night, after we went out for ice cream

celebrating  Joel's 26th birthday in Denver with his favorite, carrot cake

Samuel's big smile!

his momma sure makes him happy

Joel surprised me with flowers one day after work

The Voice of a Woman Never Changes

 While at work the other day, I found out the devastating news that all Borders Book Stores were closing down, then realized I had a gift card that I needed to use up before I ran out of time. One of the books I bought is titled “Slightly Bad Girls in the Bible,” Written by Liz Curtis Higgs(she actually lives in Louisville, where I grew up). Each chapter starts off with a modern day story to help relate to what is later shared, the Biblical story. This particular one was about Sarai (later Sarah) and Abram and Hagar. In a nut shell, Abram was told by God that he would be the father of a great nation. There was only one problem, he had no children. Him and his wife were both old in age and were confused how that would be possible. Abram did have full faith in God, but his wife wasn’t so sure. After several years of an empty womb, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She offered her servant, Hagar, to her husband so that he would be able to have an heir. What amazed me was how similar Eve and Sarai were with their actions and their words.

Women have a way with persuading their husbands to do what they want them to. Both Adam and Abram were men of great faith and were content with where God had them. Genesis 15:6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Other translations say that Abram “sat right with God.” However, his wife easily talked Abram into not trusting God and to follow her way.

A wife’s words towards her husband are sometimes more powerful than she recognizes. “The man is the head, but the woman is the neck. And she can turn the head any way she wants,” My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Oh, how true is that quote. Genesis 16:3b, 4 Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. Look at the parallels with Eve’s actions in Genesis 3:6 when the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and ate it. Both women took and gave and both women took the lead. The fruit of the tree looked good, and it gave Eve something she desired. Hagar was young, said to be attractive, and was used to get something desirable – a son, an heir.

As most of us know, the actions both of these women took did not have such good results. Several things happened because of Eve’s persuasion including Sin, which includes death, child labor pain, they were banished from the Garden of Eden, and man had to work hard to eat the food from the ground and would have to worry about the thorns and thistles. With Sarai, when Hagar became pregnant, Sarai became jealous and treated Hagar badly. And later, after both bore their sons, Ishmael, Hagar’s son, became the son of Islam and Isaac, Sarai’s son, became the son of Israel, and the feuding is still continuing today. Who said women couldn’t change history?

I hope this is as much of an eye opener to my readers as it was to me. Women can be very powerful, especially with the words they chose to use with their husbands. I do not believe that it is a bad thing to speak your mind my any means, just that maybe we should think it over once or twice before we share our powerful words with our husbands. Also, our words can be used to benefit them, not to only hurt them. I know that one of the greatest things I can do for my husband is to give him a word of encouragement. It’s what keeps him going.  

Family Time

Although today is not a weekend day, it sure did feel like it with Joel and I both off of work and Bethany, Michaela, and Samuel visiting for lunch and fun family time. Only a few times before had I been able to spend time with Michaela, Joel's sister. Before her visit to South Dakota this summer, the only other times I had seen her were during hectic family weddings. The first, Bethany and Joe's, when Joel and I had only been dating six months and most of my focus was on him or old friends I was reconnecting with. The second was mine and Joel's, and had little time to make memories with out-of-town family. I was told my Joel and several of his other siblings that I reminded them of Michaela, and was excited to actually sit down and talk to her and get to know her. At least in my eyes, we were able to fall right into place as if I had known her as long as Joel's other sisters and brothers. 

Lunch was yummy and full of the typical cook-out menu, and one of my favorite veggies cooked on the grill: cabbage. Afterwards, we all loaded up in the truck and headed to the Historic Fish Hatchery or as Bethany shared with Michaela , "we are going to watch fish mate." Previously, I received an amazing gift from my mother, a new camera lens, and was so excited to try it out. I had thought it didn't work for my particular camera, but to my surprise, it was compatible! I am so pleased with the few photos I got of Samuel, Joel and Michaela. I only wish I had the lens sooner!

Silly Samuel was Sleeping a lot today

and very comfy with Aunt Michaela

Joel and Michaela at the Fish Hatchery

Samuel and Uncle Joely hanging out at the city park

Smiling at Joel

See why I love my lens?

None of the pictures were edited in any way!

To finish off our day's adventure, we stopped at the second hand store so Bethany could find some things for Samuel. And guess what! Everything was 50% percent off! Woo hoo! We came home with a carload of things Bethany was able to find, an Old English china set for Michaela that was worth so much more than what she paid, and a bread maker worth $70 more than what I paid (only $5)!