Lukewarm

Are you Lukewarm?

Watch this video by Francis Chan: Lukewarm and Loving It! and give me your feedback.  Our bible study watched it and it gave a lot of great perspectives.


-Hayley

I like to take pictures too!

I have some friends that love to take pictures and are amazing at it!  If you hang around me long enough, you will understand I always take pictures of things going on and the memories to look at later through my scrapbooks.  But I also like to 'try' and take artistic photos as a hobby.  I have no idea what I am doing, but it is still fun.   Below are some pictures from a trip in 2007 that  I took in Switzerland in the Alps.  I just took them off of facebook from an old album.  Let me know what you think!

Obviously, I did not take this one :)

A really pretty lake

A man smoking a cigarette

This one makes me laugh.  I try and think they are married and she is mad at him and turning away and he is like, 'whatever'.

Baby ducks swimming

This one is my all time favorite.

Another shot of the first lake

I feel like this little girl is trying to catch up with her family, but feels so small and is trying to fit in.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and an even better week!

-Hayley

Toms Shoes

 I have always wanted a pair of Toms shoes because of I love the mission behind them.  Below is the kind and color I love and would one day like to get for me and to also help a child in need.  I think that is so awesome!  Learn more about their mission on their website.

Toms

Compassion

I apologize to all of my readers or lack there of, if you are out there (Steffany) and reading this then I apologize for not writing this week.  There have been so many crazy things happening!

First off, God has blessed me with a job!  I know that this blog is about a woman transitioning, which is me and I am, so I might have to take off the job part, but it is about me transitioning in life and we all transition at some point.  I am working at Washington State University (WSU) doing some really cool outreach opportunities to high school students.  I cannot wait to see how this changes students lives.  So this past week, I have been getting up early to be at work at 8am.  I am used to sleeping in and cuddling with Rudy and even sleeping in later.  But I am so grateful for a job!  Rudy, is not as grateful because he misses me.

God is doing some really crazy and amazing things in my life.  I cannot pinpoint what it will look like but God is challenging me in ways I never thought possible.  I know I am a passionate person, and am finally figuring out why God has made me this way.  I have all of this passion stored up and get fired up but never do anything about it (besides going on mission trips in the past).  I want to be radical!!!  And I know it is God working within my own heart.  I came  home from our care group Monday night (Bible Study) talking to Sean and did not feel satisfied with myself.  I stated that I hate it when something happens to someone and people say, oh thats sad or ill pray for you (granted Sean said well, maybe its because that is all that person can do is pray) but I feel like for me I can do more than just pray.  I want to help people in need regardless.  With that said, I feel called to help a student in need (physical need) on WSU campus that needs a kidney transplant.  I do not know all of the details and I have not even met this person, but basically, both of his kidneys are failing and I want to help.  I am not sure if he has any insurance or if he can afford this surgery, but he still needs a donor.  I even feel called to go and see if I am a match.  I cannot just sit back and let this person not receive help because it costs to much, I will do everything within my power to support this person and to find out what I can do.  If any of you has any experience with this, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Below is a verse that stood out to me about compassion and doing things, rather than just talking about it.

1 John 3:16-24:


16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.


19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."

Picture

Monday night I felt like I needed to listen to God's word about Compassion, so I looked at the back of the Bible and read some verses to Sean, but the last one stood out, 1 John 3:16-24.  I feel like God hit me on the head and said why not, Christ laid down his life for you, so stop loving with your words, but with your actions in truth.  I know that God gave me compassion and love for others and it is finally the time for me to act.  I just thought I would share this with all of you, because it is laying so heavy on my heart.

-Hayley

fellowship

Picture

I had such a wonderful Sunday today, filled with lots of fellowship.  I love worshiping the Lord and enjoying God's wonderful people.  I even met some women from the church and had some great fellowship time.  It is so vital as women to have christian fellowship.  I am so thankful for the women God has placed in my life :).

ALIAS

Sean and I really got into the show Alias, that was on tv a couple years ago.  It was really good.  We borrowed it from our friends and we finally finished the last season last night (season five).  I love watching shows on DVD because you can watch as many as you want at a time, plus when the end of the season cliffhanger happens, you just pop in the next season.  I am glad we finished, so we can move on with our Friday nights, but it was really good.

Any other shows to recommend?

-Hayley

I love frames

I love buying frames to put pictures in.  My favorite is when I find a really great old frame from the goodwill.  I never buy frames full price, and only in department stores new like Michaels if I have a coupon or if they are on sale.  It makes it that much more fun.  Sean says I have way too many, but I love it.  Of course, for our wedding we got married in a barn and I had to have a 'family wall' where we put all of our engagement pictures and pictures together in frames for everyone at the wedding to see.  It was a lot of fun buying frames and painting them and putting our pictures in them.  The only problem was what to do with them after the wedding?  Most of them went into our bedroom :).  I cannot wait to have a wall full of frames or to have a hallway full of our children's pictures.  Below you can see how the pictures looked on our wedding day.  Also, the last picture is a great wedding present idea, to google letters or take pictures of letters to form a last name to give to newlyweds or a birthday present.  It is really fun and unique.  

-Hayley

painting :)

I painted yesterday and I felt so alive.  I have not painted since my undergrad in college.  I love it :)  Below is the progress, it is still not done.

A pretty white canvas

Acrylic paint 

 Water container

more sky

Adding the grass background

Adding a little of the grass detail on the right

More grass

photo of it in black and white

What makes you come alive, that you have not done in awhile?


-Hayley

Rudy Wednesday

:)

Rudy was cold after a day of sledding, so I took a beanie and put it on him.  He actually looks content in the second picture.  He is so adorable and actually looks like a little kid.

Dancing in fields of grace

Doesn't she seem at peace?

Man, I wish I was there right now.

Love this picture

I feel that God is teaching me a lot of things right now, which is great.  I started this blog called Woman In Transition because that is exactly where I am right now.  Let's face it we all are in transition at some point in our lives whether or not we choose to be.  We can be going off to college starting a new adventure, or leaving those close friendships behind to start a different adventure.  You could be starting a new job or ending one or in between :).  You could be engaged or getting married, or going on that first date.  Or like be me not so long ago, watching chick flick after chick flick hoping to find 'that special guy'.  You could be married and wanting a child, but the timing is not perfect right now.  I am learning to love each new season and embrace it because before I know it I will be at the next transition of my life.  I wish I was dancing right now in a field of wildflowers and enjoying the sunshine on God's perfect canvas.  

I wish I could say that I embrace every time I am in transition.  I think that I do love some more than others or wish I was at a different place in my life.  For once, I think that even if I am unemployed, waiting for an answer to a job, that I can be content in my surroundings.  I do have my days where I can be frustrated with our economy or my own economic situation.  Let's face it, graduating with my masters degree and not having a job is a huge wake up call.  Shouldn't people be knocking on my door wanting me?  Haha, I am only kidding, I am actually humble :).  I need to enjoy this time because I do not get this very much.

When I was finishing up my masters degree and writing my thesis, I was so busy it was hard to breathe.  I love my husband for being so patient and understanding with me.  I just wanted so bad to be done so I could watch a tv episode or a movie or do whatever I wanted without the stress.  Now, I almost want to be busy.  Isn't life funny that way?  I need to enjoy waking up whenever I want, in my sweat pants and playing with Rudy.  I can look out the window at the snow or rain and be snuggled next to the fire.  But I also have bills to pay and can sometimes worry about that.  I need to not have my security in materialistic things or in being comfortable.  I just want to lay in a field with my Bible and enjoy Jesus.  But guess what?  I can do that in my living room or lay in the snow or rain, but that would not be as much fun.  So now that I have the time to think about my life and enjoy being in transition, what is God really teaching or stretching me in?

To be Patient.

To be Content.

To love Him.

To get to know Him more intimately.

To give when it is a sacrifice and can really stretch me financially.

How do I react to those things?

(honestly), complaining or being frustrated.  At first, I was excited, making my little or I guess not so little list of things I wanted to accomplish in my new free time.  I wanted to read book after book and watch movies or shows I haven't in a while.  I wanted to have Jesus time.  I am still excited for those moments, but it is hard as well.

I know that right now in my life God keeps saying Proverbs 3:5-6 to me: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight".  I have heard this verse before but it is really hitting me now in this season of my life.  My pastor even talked about this passage.  Aaron stated that although God will make your paths straight, you still have to walk the path and take action in faith.  This is what God is teaching me or showing me in my life.  I need to have faith and dance in his fields of grace.  I do have faith, but I need to have constant and unfailing faith all of the time even if I am frustrated or do not understand something.  

Just as God is challenging me, I challenge you.  Have faith and enjoy where you are at in your life.  Do not complain and wish you were somewhere else in your life.  Enjoy this season because you may never get it back.  Love this time that God has blessed you with and make use of it.  And as Robin Williams stated in Dead Poets Society, "Carpe Diem", Seize the Day!  

-Hayley

time flies too quickly when your surrounded by loved ones

I had a wonderful, but too quick of a weekend with my parents.  We had a lot of laughs like usual while playing wii and other games.  I tried out a recipe that I had not used in awhile.  I also made cookies before they arrived!  The recipe I tried was chicken lettuce wraps.  I love the chicken lettuce wraps from Sangria, a local restaurant in Moscow, Idaho so I tried to recreate them.  All I did was defrost chicken, cut it up, add different sauces I had in my fridge for the sauce= ketchup (very little amount), bbq sauce, teriyaki if you have it, or any of those sauces mixed together.  I also added water chestnuts, peanuts, onions, and the noodles from top ramon.  Sounds weird, but it is very easy and tastes great.  Below is a picture.  Don't forget to use a head of lettuce for the wraps and to wash it early, because you do not want wet lettuce wraps :).

Rudy, my little helper making sure the cookies are turning out :)

My wii 

My dad trying to play wii

These were too funny

Getting ready to play some cribbage!

Rudy passed out!

Overall, it was a great weekend that was way too short.  How was your three day weekend?  I appreciate all my friends and others who read my blog and hopefully laugh a little bit.

-Hayley

Family Friday!!

Yesterday was my first day of subbing!  It was only half a day but still it was very exciting for me to be back in the classroom.  I cannot wait until I will have my own classroom and my own students!!!  Below is a picture from my student teaching days, man I had no idea what I was doing some days and others I knew this would be passion.  Below is a picture of me on my last day of student teaching (it was very casual for my last day).  I also had a cart behind me where I kept all of my classroom materials, because I had three classrooms I used throughout the day.

On another note, my parents are coming today!  I love it when they visit.  Any time family visits it is so much fun.  Of course, what did Sean and I do all morning today?  Clean!  Our house is usually pretty clean, but when parents come into town, it is deep cleaning day.  Rudy loves barking and chasing the vacuum cleaning, its pretty funny!  Plus, I love the smell of a clean house.  The cleaning supplies mixed with scented candles= amazing!  I cannot wait until they get here.  I love being able to host family or friends, because I feel so grown up and love being the hostess.

I know with the Henry's that something hilarious and always unexpected will arise and we will store it in our memories forever.  That is why I love family, being together sharing stories and creating new ones.  There is always so much love in the room.  Below is a picture of my parents:

My mom and dad on the sounders train before the game.

My parents at our wedding.  They had a blast!

I cannot wait to share some more pictures from the weekend and our crazy adventures.

-Hayley