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| Christmas 2008 |
"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." Proverbs 19:21
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
We've Moved!
We've sold our house and are now renting a duplex about 2 miles from where we were - closer to our work and school.
The main question that has come up during this process has been:
Why sell in this economy?
- Re-prioritization: we want Kimberly to be able to stay home with the kids, and with our mortgage payments that was not financially possible if we were to also live within our means (i.e. without debt).
- Even though we sold our house at a loss, the above reasons and the fact that our time in Michigan will expire when Archer finishes his PhD in a couple of years, we decided it was prudent to sell now.
The Miracle of How it Happened:
-May: We put the house on the market originally in May, had a lot of interest but no bites, and through a series of unfortunate experiences ended our relationship with our original realtor and regrouped.
- October: We discussed our options and the state of the market with a new realtor, crunched numbers, and decided to try again at a much lower price point.
- October 20th: Relisted the house.
- October 25th:
- Cleaned like mad for first showings and an open house. Prayed upon leaving the house: "Lord, please help someone who sees it today want to buy it. You can do this, and we believe if it is your will, you will!"
- Got a call that night with an offer way below what we could afford to do, and after a few days of negotiation, and to the surprise of our realtor, the buyer came up!
We moved out November 15th, closed on the 18th, and we are now continuing to unpack and declutter. We are praising God for His continual provision of a home and livelihood for us!
So.. downsizing from a 3 bedroom house with a full partially finished/furnished basement, 2.5 car garage and private enclosed backyard to a 2 bedroom duplex with a shared carport looks like this at the moment:
Needless to say we'll be decluttering next!
"[Do not] put your hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but put your hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."
1 Timothy 6:17
The main question that has come up during this process has been:
Why sell in this economy?
- Re-prioritization: we want Kimberly to be able to stay home with the kids, and with our mortgage payments that was not financially possible if we were to also live within our means (i.e. without debt).
- Even though we sold our house at a loss, the above reasons and the fact that our time in Michigan will expire when Archer finishes his PhD in a couple of years, we decided it was prudent to sell now.
The Miracle of How it Happened:
-May: We put the house on the market originally in May, had a lot of interest but no bites, and through a series of unfortunate experiences ended our relationship with our original realtor and regrouped.
- October: We discussed our options and the state of the market with a new realtor, crunched numbers, and decided to try again at a much lower price point.
- October 20th: Relisted the house.
- October 25th:
- Cleaned like mad for first showings and an open house. Prayed upon leaving the house: "Lord, please help someone who sees it today want to buy it. You can do this, and we believe if it is your will, you will!"
- Got a call that night with an offer way below what we could afford to do, and after a few days of negotiation, and to the surprise of our realtor, the buyer came up!
We moved out November 15th, closed on the 18th, and we are now continuing to unpack and declutter. We are praising God for His continual provision of a home and livelihood for us!
So.. downsizing from a 3 bedroom house with a full partially finished/furnished basement, 2.5 car garage and private enclosed backyard to a 2 bedroom duplex with a shared carport looks like this at the moment:
Needless to say we'll be decluttering next!
"[Do not] put your hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but put your hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."
1 Timothy 6:17
Friday, October 24, 2008
Baby Batch #2 - First Photo
No, we didn't find out the gender, but BB#2 is a very active kiddo! The whole family got to watch him/her move around on the screen! (I'm not sure that Lily go the connection between the picture and the "beh-bee" in Mama's tummy, because she pointed and said, "Dog"). But twas fun!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Big Sister
Who: BabyBatch#2 (no we aren't finding out his or her gender)
Due: March 4
I'm feeling great. Feeling lots of baby movement, which is a blast!
Lily is doing great, talking nonstop. She now thinks that bellies are babies, and has on a couple of occasions pushed out her tummy and poked it, saying "Ba-bee!" very excitedly. She also loves to brush her teeth and have play dates where she can boss her friends around.
We have been thinking creatively regarding our work schedules, and I'm swapping one day a week of childcare with a friend, and have also tried the incredible flying granny nanny idea (thanks, NYTimes!) with my mom, and hope to make it a once a month deal. So it's been busy!
Most are probably informed of our news, but if not, please forgive the mass announcement!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Back to Life in the United States
I think I have gotten used to brushing my teeth with tap water, although not all of our digestive systems have fully recovered from our trip. We've gotten used to not having the internet at home, too!
General updates from us:
- As part of our conclusions from our trip to Ghana, Archer will defend his field prelim. in two weeks, then work on a project for his dissertation that will not require travel to Africa. We are still interested in being missionaries, but believe the Lord has confirmed that Archer needs to pursue teaching first, and do things here in the USA for the immediate future.
- As a replacement for his side-job at the VA Hospital which ended in the spring, Archer has started working at Menlo one day a week, and has really enjoyed it! He's at home now reading up on Java (programming language) and figure out how to teach our coworkers about some GUI layout stuff.(If that didn't make any sense to you, just know that Archer "can't wait to get up in the morning" to work on this stuff, and is increasingly convinced that he should be teaching Computer Science).
- Kimberly has become more involved in the women's ministries at our church, and went to a meeting a week ago with lots of women's ministry leaders from our denomination (EPC). It looks like my time in Bible Study Fellowship has really prepared me for these new tasks. It has been exciting to see how the Lord is working through His Church from a bigger-picture view!
- Lily is growing into a fun, cheerful little girl. She talks almost constantly, has recently being answering "no", or "no way" to everything, and eats mass quantities. She particularly loves pizza, and ate 2 full pieces recently in one sitting! She loves swinging and slides at the park, and is really getting pretty independent. Check out the latest pictures and videos!
General updates from us:
- As part of our conclusions from our trip to Ghana, Archer will defend his field prelim. in two weeks, then work on a project for his dissertation that will not require travel to Africa. We are still interested in being missionaries, but believe the Lord has confirmed that Archer needs to pursue teaching first, and do things here in the USA for the immediate future.
- As a replacement for his side-job at the VA Hospital which ended in the spring, Archer has started working at Menlo one day a week, and has really enjoyed it! He's at home now reading up on Java (programming language) and figure out how to teach our coworkers about some GUI layout stuff.(If that didn't make any sense to you, just know that Archer "can't wait to get up in the morning" to work on this stuff, and is increasingly convinced that he should be teaching Computer Science).
- Kimberly has become more involved in the women's ministries at our church, and went to a meeting a week ago with lots of women's ministry leaders from our denomination (EPC). It looks like my time in Bible Study Fellowship has really prepared me for these new tasks. It has been exciting to see how the Lord is working through His Church from a bigger-picture view!
- Lily is growing into a fun, cheerful little girl. She talks almost constantly, has recently being answering "no", or "no way" to everything, and eats mass quantities. She particularly loves pizza, and ate 2 full pieces recently in one sitting! She loves swinging and slides at the park, and is really getting pretty independent. Check out the latest pictures and videos!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
A New Era- Batches Without Internet
I am writing now from the public library, since Archer and I have decided to really chop our spending and cut off our internet service to the house. So our new Saturday tradition (twice in a row now) is to run (literally) up to the library with Lily in the jogger, and take turns with the laptop and playing with Lily.
We're getting back into the swing of things here. I think more Ghana thoughts later, but expect less frequent picture and wordy updates, since we're offline. :)
That said, new pictures and videos are here!
We're getting back into the swing of things here. I think more Ghana thoughts later, but expect less frequent picture and wordy updates, since we're offline. :)
That said, new pictures and videos are here!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Ghana Videos
Here is a sampling of our videos from Ghana.
#1: Experience midnight with a wakeful (hyper) Lily who decided that it wasn't sleepy time yet!
#2: Just listen to how loud that rainfall was.
#3: A relatively calm intersection in Kumasi. The view from the restaurant was just great! Note: No stop sign, No light, No rules.
#4: The view from our hotel in Cape Coast. You can hear the preaching from the pentecostal church on the hill. (It was 2pm, and had been going a looonnnggg time.)
#5: Lily and her friend Bismark, who "helped" his sisters run the refreshment shop at the Cape Coast Castle.
#6: Walking along the Canopy Walkway in Kakum National Park.
#1: Experience midnight with a wakeful (hyper) Lily who decided that it wasn't sleepy time yet!
#2: Just listen to how loud that rainfall was.
#3: A relatively calm intersection in Kumasi. The view from the restaurant was just great! Note: No stop sign, No light, No rules.
#4: The view from our hotel in Cape Coast. You can hear the preaching from the pentecostal church on the hill. (It was 2pm, and had been going a looonnnggg time.)
#5: Lily and her friend Bismark, who "helped" his sisters run the refreshment shop at the Cape Coast Castle.
#6: Walking along the Canopy Walkway in Kakum National Park.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Ghana Pictures
Well we are mostly back and settled into home again.
One of our main goals for this trip was to see what it would be like for us to live in Africa long-term, if (for instance) Archer were to work as a professor at an African university. We are still processing (and will be for a while) what this trip means for us long-term, but we are still interested. I think the short version of our thoughts is this: we now have a better idea of what kinds of things would be difficult, or we would need to consider when thinking about living overseas long-term.
Our trip was good, though not every moment enjoyable. We learned a lot about ourselves and how we cope, as well as many, many things about Ghana and its people, culture, economic development issues, etc.
Thanks for all your prayers! God is sovereign EVERYWHERE.
(mostly for my super-ornithologist/herpotologist-expert sister-in-law)
One of our main goals for this trip was to see what it would be like for us to live in Africa long-term, if (for instance) Archer were to work as a professor at an African university. We are still processing (and will be for a while) what this trip means for us long-term, but we are still interested. I think the short version of our thoughts is this: we now have a better idea of what kinds of things would be difficult, or we would need to consider when thinking about living overseas long-term.
Our trip was good, though not every moment enjoyable. We learned a lot about ourselves and how we cope, as well as many, many things about Ghana and its people, culture, economic development issues, etc.
Thanks for all your prayers! God is sovereign EVERYWHERE.
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| Ghana Trip |
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| Ghana Flowers |
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| Ghana Wildlife |
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
First Week in Ghana
We have officially been here a week, as of yesterday. It has been good, and yet pretty rough in some respects.
We have gotten acclimated to the logistics of being here - catching taxis, bartering for a reasonable rate (and knowing what that rate should be!), finding our way around Accra, eating lots of Kelewele (fried plantains. YUM!), and brushing our teeth with bottled water.
The challenges have mostly revolved around the logistics of traveling with a very small person who usually sleeps a lot and whose circadian sleep cycle is still on Michigan time. Lily and I were fighting off a cold when we left, and after the low sleep of our 30 hour travel time, so she and I got the full-fledged colds, and having her sleep cycle completely whacked out has made for some continued sleepless nights and some hotel-bound days. Lily also decided that her 7th tooth needed to surface this week. With Archer gone to his conference at first from 7am until 8:30pm, and me being mostly stuck in the very small (but clean) hotel room with a usually-very-easy-going-but-exhausted-and-uncomfortable-and-fussy one year old made for a rough first few days.
Praises:
- Archers conference presentation went well last week, and he had some good meetings with the contacts he had at Ashesi University and the University of Ghana this week.
- Despite the challenges I am noticing how quickly I have gotten used to things here - I started a list of things that initially surprised me but now are no big deal, perhaps Ill include that later.
- God is sovereign and all-powerful over all the earth. We have had no fevers, we found a pharmacy close by with cold medicines (the only drugs I neglected to bring from home), and have been able to enjoy some of the sites we had anticipated, and we are safe!
Current Events:
Today we took a long bus ride from Accra to Kumasi, which was a fascinating ride, just watching life in Africa from my seat-a great taste of the city of Accra, then the gradual shift to country-life, beautiful countryside and a gorgeous sunset! We will be here for 2 days, Arch will meet with some people at a Technical University, then we will then take the bus to Cape Coast. We are now in a lovely Bed & Breakfast that is a much better room situation than our single hotel room in Accra, and we are thankful that we did not make reservations before we got here and could play it by ear- so last night we went through our Ghana tour guide and assessed which setup would work best for our needs with Lily. Now we have a huge, immaculate room in a nice big house outside of Kumasi, with a big breakfast in the morning!
PS-Turns out I forgot to bring the cord for the camera, so pictures will have to wait until we get home. But theyll be worth it!
We have gotten acclimated to the logistics of being here - catching taxis, bartering for a reasonable rate (and knowing what that rate should be!), finding our way around Accra, eating lots of Kelewele (fried plantains. YUM!), and brushing our teeth with bottled water.
The challenges have mostly revolved around the logistics of traveling with a very small person who usually sleeps a lot and whose circadian sleep cycle is still on Michigan time. Lily and I were fighting off a cold when we left, and after the low sleep of our 30 hour travel time, so she and I got the full-fledged colds, and having her sleep cycle completely whacked out has made for some continued sleepless nights and some hotel-bound days. Lily also decided that her 7th tooth needed to surface this week. With Archer gone to his conference at first from 7am until 8:30pm, and me being mostly stuck in the very small (but clean) hotel room with a usually-very-easy-going-but-exhausted-and-uncomfortable-and-fussy one year old made for a rough first few days.
Praises:
- Archers conference presentation went well last week, and he had some good meetings with the contacts he had at Ashesi University and the University of Ghana this week.
- Despite the challenges I am noticing how quickly I have gotten used to things here - I started a list of things that initially surprised me but now are no big deal, perhaps Ill include that later.
- God is sovereign and all-powerful over all the earth. We have had no fevers, we found a pharmacy close by with cold medicines (the only drugs I neglected to bring from home), and have been able to enjoy some of the sites we had anticipated, and we are safe!
Current Events:
Today we took a long bus ride from Accra to Kumasi, which was a fascinating ride, just watching life in Africa from my seat-a great taste of the city of Accra, then the gradual shift to country-life, beautiful countryside and a gorgeous sunset! We will be here for 2 days, Arch will meet with some people at a Technical University, then we will then take the bus to Cape Coast. We are now in a lovely Bed & Breakfast that is a much better room situation than our single hotel room in Accra, and we are thankful that we did not make reservations before we got here and could play it by ear- so last night we went through our Ghana tour guide and assessed which setup would work best for our needs with Lily. Now we have a huge, immaculate room in a nice big house outside of Kumasi, with a big breakfast in the morning!
PS-Turns out I forgot to bring the cord for the camera, so pictures will have to wait until we get home. But theyll be worth it!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Day 3: Arrival in Accra
We are here, we are in our hotel, and are in an internet cafe that's a 2 minute walk from our hotel. We had an uneventful but exhausting flight down here, and a relatively eventful hotel run-around last night, when our reserved hotel did not have a room for us, and so took us to another hotel, where we ended up sleeping, having breakfast (toast with butter and jam and dry frosted flakes), and our hotel came to pick us up this morning to bring us to our new and much nicer room for the rest of the week. Archer is still working on them to get us to reimburse us for the room that we did not sleep in, not the cheaper room we did sleep in. We spent the morning settling in, cleaning up, and napping. Last night we did have a minor scare when we realized we lost Lily's little backpack, which I thought had the anti-malarial meds for Arch and Lily, and Lily's benadryl. Turns out the meds were in the big backpack, and this morning the bag was found and brought to us from the cab driver who had ferried us between hotels. We're glad to have Lily's magnadoodle, bibs, and two books back. :)
We had a yummy Ghanaian lunch of Kelewele (fried plaintains), jollof rice (took an houra nd ahalf and is REALLY spicy) and chicken kabobs, plus some fresh bananas and a mango that Arch bought on the street (and we washed appropriately). Lily and I are going to go take a nap and relax this afternoon, our tour of Accra is planned for tomorrow (a change b/c of last nights' events), and Arch skipped the pre-conference events today in order to help get everything settled. He's planning to go while we nap to register at the conference and will likely go to the evening presenters' dinner while Lily and I chill at the hotel. It's been good for Lily to have a more unstructured day after our 2.5 days of travel.
Pray we can get Lily on a good schedule here and that our hotel and Archer's conference stuff goes well. Also pray that I can get acclimated and feel comfortable knowing how/where to go shopping, etc around town and doing stuff.
Praise God for our safety and comfort now!
We had a yummy Ghanaian lunch of Kelewele (fried plaintains), jollof rice (took an houra nd ahalf and is REALLY spicy) and chicken kabobs, plus some fresh bananas and a mango that Arch bought on the street (and we washed appropriately). Lily and I are going to go take a nap and relax this afternoon, our tour of Accra is planned for tomorrow (a change b/c of last nights' events), and Arch skipped the pre-conference events today in order to help get everything settled. He's planning to go while we nap to register at the conference and will likely go to the evening presenters' dinner while Lily and I chill at the hotel. It's been good for Lily to have a more unstructured day after our 2.5 days of travel.
Pray we can get Lily on a good schedule here and that our hotel and Archer's conference stuff goes well. Also pray that I can get acclimated and feel comfortable knowing how/where to go shopping, etc around town and doing stuff.
Praise God for our safety and comfort now!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Gone to Ghana
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Touristy Places to Visit
- Accra, Cape Coast, Kumasi
- University of Ghana
- Kakum National Park (rainforest walkway)
- La Pleasure Beach, Accra
- Lighthouse near James Fort, Accra
- Cape Coast Castle
Interesting Items To Take When Traveling to Africa (with a baby)
- PeaPod for the baby to sleep in, treated with anti-mosquito spray
- Mosquito net for mom/dad
- Enough diapers to handle travelers' diarrhea (about 170)
- Pharmacy: anti-malarial prescripts, antibiotics, & long list of etc.
- Food for small tummies: graham crackers, Pediasure, fruit bars, & Cheerios
- Universal sink stopper, with other laundry supplies
- Baby carrier(s) - sling for sleeping on the plane, front/back pack for walking trips
- UV protecting sun-hat
We may be able to upload pictures while we're gone, so if we do, they will be here!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Happy Spring!
Things are coming alive here in Michigan! The sun is shining a lot, the days are longer, and we have been moving forward towards our trip to Ghana and towards selling our house. We have decided that we no longer want to afford our little house, so it is on the market. We have had to do quite a bit of work on it to get it ready to sell, which we had anticipated doing in our next couple of years in Ann Arbor, but have sped up due to our desire to sell. So that's been busy! Lily and I (Kimberly) have had a horrible 3 week cold/cough that has been going around, which made things extra crazy here until this last week when we started feeling better and getting more sleep. Coming out of our sickness, Lily now sleeps with her "Daw", a very soft stuffed dog my dad gave her, and we know that benadryl helps her sleep, which will be useful on the plane to Ghana! We leave in two weeks for Ghana, so the next couple of weeks we will be incredibly busy trying to finish up some house projects, pack, and plan for our trip, and for the visit of the Deals' to Ann Arbor for Memorial Day! In the midst of this Archer has his field prelim paper and defense to do, so we are a little overwhelmed but helped by seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! We will not be doing Bible Study Fellowship next year, and hopefully we will be in a less expensive living situation, and are making some other lifestyle changes that we hope will help us keep from being this overcommitted in the future! We want to live purposefully and busily, but not so busy that we cannot maintain our relationship with each other, our families, and our sanity at the same time. So here we go! Please pray for our preparations for Ghana, for Archer's field prelim writing & defense, and for the Lord's provision for our homestead!
Lily's Latest:
"all doh" = all done.
"boo zah" = food, please
"daw" = dog (her personal favorite thing in the whole world is Padme, and Padme's stand-in, Sparky the stuffed dog, who is allowed in the crib)
-- Twirling, running around, several successful potties, lots of signing, especially "please", and loves to pick flowers!
Lily's Latest:
"all doh" = all done.
"boo zah" = food, please
"daw" = dog (her personal favorite thing in the whole world is Padme, and Padme's stand-in, Sparky the stuffed dog, who is allowed in the crib)
-- Twirling, running around, several successful potties, lots of signing, especially "please", and loves to pick flowers!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
No Fulbright for Kenya
Archer did not receive a Fulbright grant, so we are trying to figure out what our next steps should be - whether it is pursuing other funding possibilities for research overseas, cranking out a dissertation here in Michigan on a completely different topic, or?? Please pray for both of us to have wisdom and clear direction as we figures it out! Archer knows that his passion and calling is for teaching, but isn't really sure what that looks like - teaching what? to whom? and what's the best way to get there?
Monday, April 7, 2008
Going to Ghana
Yes, Ghana. For almost 3 weeks beginning at the end of May. Archer has a conference on eLearning, and Lily and I are going along for the ride. We will start in Accra, go to Kumasi, then down to Cape Coast and back out of Accra. Archer will attend the conference then do other scouting and connecting with Ghanian folks doing similar research, and then we will do some vacationing on the beach and seeing the main attractions of Ghana! I am working on connecting with local missionaries in Accra and anticipate that Lily and I will serve there while Arch is working. We will also just do things like market and probably other touristy things, depending on my comfort level.
The tickets are purchased! We are praying that this short trip will be a good for Archer's work, but also as a crucial taste of ministry in Africa for me (Kimberly), as we wait ever so patiently for news of funding for the proposed year of research in Nairobi, Kenya. Pray for us- we need wisdom, safety, health, and guidance from the Holy Spirit! And if you know anyone in Ghana, let us know!
The tickets are purchased! We are praying that this short trip will be a good for Archer's work, but also as a crucial taste of ministry in Africa for me (Kimberly), as we wait ever so patiently for news of funding for the proposed year of research in Nairobi, Kenya. Pray for us- we need wisdom, safety, health, and guidance from the Holy Spirit! And if you know anyone in Ghana, let us know!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
L.ily Minerva's Namesake
My grandmother, Minerva Northcutt, was a precious woman. She's been gone almost3 years now, and I still really miss her. She was gentle, generous, sweet, clever (funny!), loved ice cream and playing the piano. She died shortly after Arch & I were married, and I tend to think she was waiting until after our wedding to go see Jesus. Perhaps my wishes are biasing me, but I do think that my daughter, Lily Minerva, has some inherited "Minerva" characteristics, already obvious by her early age of 12 months 1 week. She loves ice cream, and loves to eat in general, she's funny, brilliant (really, I'm not biased), loves music, personable, good-natured and easy-going. The latest clincher that we named her appropriately, however, was the below picture of Lily M. She had her cup of milk, and asked for Mama's water, too. So she got her own water. And apparently, she, like her great-grandmother, likes to have multiple drinks with her meal. Maybe this is only funny to other Minerva-descendants, but this is such a classic "Minerva-ism", I had to share.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Happy Birthday Lily!
For Lily's first birthday, her Grammy & Pop and Aunt Hope all came to Ann Arbor to celebrate with her! She had her first legal chocolate (she did sneak some candy at Aunt Melissa's at Christmas), gave lots of smiles, and opened lots of fun gifts! Thanks, everyone! She even got to Skype with her Aunt Anna in Vietnam, who got to see waves and the "I love you" sign from Lily!
Stats: Lily is:
- Walking across rooms, but still crawling if she's not feeling adventurous.
- Eating lots of yummy foods, especially bananas, raisens, blueberries & raspberries and NOT spinach!
- Talking up a storm, saying things like "ba ba ba" and "bwuh", and "da da da" (the latter is while pointing at her dad, so I think that one counts!)
- Chasing the dog
- She likes to sweep (see recent videos), do laundry (especially sorting socks and diapers), and blow her nose.
What fun our little girl is! Thanks to all who are virtually celebrating with us! Praise God for the blessing of this child of His.
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| Lily's 1st Birthday |
Stats: Lily is:
- Walking across rooms, but still crawling if she's not feeling adventurous.
- Eating lots of yummy foods, especially bananas, raisens, blueberries & raspberries and NOT spinach!
- Talking up a storm, saying things like "ba ba ba" and "bwuh", and "da da da" (the latter is while pointing at her dad, so I think that one counts!)
- Chasing the dog
- She likes to sweep (see recent videos), do laundry (especially sorting socks and diapers), and blow her nose.
What fun our little girl is! Thanks to all who are virtually celebrating with us! Praise God for the blessing of this child of His.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Random News
General:
Archer is off to an Intercultural Conference with the University of Michigan for a week. Lily and Mom will be home hanging out and trying to do some projects while Dad's away. Archer is getting close to finalizing his reading list for his field prelims, so that's GREAT! Once he is examined on his mastery of the material he has chosen, all that's left is the dissertation! (By all, we mean, he has to propose what the dissertation is, how he's going to do it, actually do the research, write the paper, and defend it to several of his advisors. Takes a couple of years, actually. But the field prelim is a big milestone. If he doesn't pass it he gets no PhD. :)) He also has a paper accepted to an infrastructure conference in San Jose in September!
Africa:
- We are not going to the Conference in Dakar, Senegal.
- Archer has applied for a couple of other grants to do research in Kenya/Uganda, as either supplementary to the Fulbright or instead of it. These grants don't fund an entire year, more like a couple of months, but could be good alternatives if Kenya is unstable or he doesn't get accepted for the Fulbright.
Lily:
Lily is almost ONE! She's walking a couple steps at a time (if she forgets she's not holding onto something), eating tons of solid foods (she especially likes bananas, and hates spinach). She's babbling a lot (well, to Mama it's babbling, but I'm pretty sure Lily knows what she's saying!), and asserting her independence more and more. Almost a toddler! ACK!
Archer is off to an Intercultural Conference with the University of Michigan for a week. Lily and Mom will be home hanging out and trying to do some projects while Dad's away. Archer is getting close to finalizing his reading list for his field prelims, so that's GREAT! Once he is examined on his mastery of the material he has chosen, all that's left is the dissertation! (By all, we mean, he has to propose what the dissertation is, how he's going to do it, actually do the research, write the paper, and defend it to several of his advisors. Takes a couple of years, actually. But the field prelim is a big milestone. If he doesn't pass it he gets no PhD. :)) He also has a paper accepted to an infrastructure conference in San Jose in September!
Africa:
- We are not going to the Conference in Dakar, Senegal.
- Archer has applied for a couple of other grants to do research in Kenya/Uganda, as either supplementary to the Fulbright or instead of it. These grants don't fund an entire year, more like a couple of months, but could be good alternatives if Kenya is unstable or he doesn't get accepted for the Fulbright.
Lily:
Lily is almost ONE! She's walking a couple steps at a time (if she forgets she's not holding onto something), eating tons of solid foods (she especially likes bananas, and hates spinach). She's babbling a lot (well, to Mama it's babbling, but I'm pretty sure Lily knows what she's saying!), and asserting her independence more and more. Almost a toddler! ACK!
Friday, February 8, 2008
'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
(Matthew 25:31-26)
I have recently become aware in a more personal way that much of the world is starving, homeless, and/or angry and living in fear. Following the recent events in Kenya has become more personal for us as we anticipate living in Nairobi for a year. Archer was told by the US Fulbright-Africa liaison that so far no Fulbrighters have been affected and that he need not attempt to change his application (to possibly switch to Uganda), but just wait and see what will happen. So we pray for wisdom for ourselves, for safety for the people in Kenya, and for God to work in the corruption and anger and soften people's hearts towards each other.
Also, as Archer and I have discussed the possibility of adopting a child more seriously, we have become aware of many ways to help needy children (and their families) other than through adoption. Medical or educational short-term mission trips, sponsoring a family to be given animals or other means of feeding and supporting themselves, sponsoring a child to have food, medical treatment, and education, building orphanages, or 'family' houses for orphans and their supported mothers. In our own country, there are food pantries, pregnancy counseling centers to protect the unborn and their mothers, shelters, after-school programs, foster parenting, child advocacy, and many other ways to contribute financially or as a volunteer.
This isn't going to become a solicitous blog, but World Vision has a ton of ways to help people who need food, shelter, health care, education, and eternally, Christ.
I have recently become aware in a more personal way that much of the world is starving, homeless, and/or angry and living in fear. Following the recent events in Kenya has become more personal for us as we anticipate living in Nairobi for a year. Archer was told by the US Fulbright-Africa liaison that so far no Fulbrighters have been affected and that he need not attempt to change his application (to possibly switch to Uganda), but just wait and see what will happen. So we pray for wisdom for ourselves, for safety for the people in Kenya, and for God to work in the corruption and anger and soften people's hearts towards each other.
Also, as Archer and I have discussed the possibility of adopting a child more seriously, we have become aware of many ways to help needy children (and their families) other than through adoption. Medical or educational short-term mission trips, sponsoring a family to be given animals or other means of feeding and supporting themselves, sponsoring a child to have food, medical treatment, and education, building orphanages, or 'family' houses for orphans and their supported mothers. In our own country, there are food pantries, pregnancy counseling centers to protect the unborn and their mothers, shelters, after-school programs, foster parenting, child advocacy, and many other ways to contribute financially or as a volunteer.
This isn't going to become a solicitous blog, but World Vision has a ton of ways to help people who need food, shelter, health care, education, and eternally, Christ.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Kenya?
Good News:
- Archer made it through the first round of selection for a Fulbright grant to do research in Africa next year. This means that he is now one of 15-20 students recommended to the Kenyan government for them to select which ~10 US students they want to have doing research in Kenya next year.
Bad News:
- Selecting Fulbright scholars probably isn't super high on the Kenyan government's to do list at the moment. We're trying to keep abreast of the latest developments and will plan our year accordingly! Pray for peace in Kenya and restoration and safety for its people.
- Archer made it through the first round of selection for a Fulbright grant to do research in Africa next year. This means that he is now one of 15-20 students recommended to the Kenyan government for them to select which ~10 US students they want to have doing research in Kenya next year.
Bad News:
- Selecting Fulbright scholars probably isn't super high on the Kenyan government's to do list at the moment. We're trying to keep abreast of the latest developments and will plan our year accordingly! Pray for peace in Kenya and restoration and safety for its people.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Lily's First Museum
The Hands-On Museum, a children's science museum here in Ann Arbor. It was so awesome, we're considering a membership! Lily loved it!
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| Hands On Museum |
The Best Family Dog
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| Padme |
Padme Boxy Batcheller is the absolute best dog ever. She had some special moments of cuteness this week so I've decided to publish them.
Her Stats: 2 yr old Pit bull/Boxer mix. Personality: Affectionate, energetic, guard dog
Loves: Lily, being petted, sleeping, snuggling, playing, running sprints in the backyard, and her best friend Harley (a Rottweiller)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
The Stairs Chronicles
Two months after her first small leg raisings, she makes it up two steps before her mother whisks her off the stairs! See the progression (really quite entertaining)... Also new this week - "ba ba ba" and several other consonant/ "ah" combinations!
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| The Stair Chronicles |
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year!
I woke up this January 1, with this view outside my kitchen window, and thought of this verse in Lamentations. Snow is such a great reminder of newness and purity! Thank the Lord that His mercies are new and perfect every morning, every week, every month, and every year! I thought this was an excellent reminder from the Lord as we remember the past year and begin anew.
"I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness."
--Lamentations 3:19-23
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