Oh, Hey

Sorry for the absence in writing this blog. We have been busy and time has slipped by. Lo Ciento.

So what have we been busy with?

-Baby, obviously.

-We have had a series of amazing visits over the last few months. In April we had were lucky enough to have Barbara here for a solid 10 days, I believe. She made us some awesome dinners and helped with the kids. It was awesome having her here. I am so thankful to have her as a mother in law. I got lucky, I don’t think I could have gotten anyone better. In May we had Brett and Kara and Zac here. What a treat that was. Late nights just talking. We got the chance to hear Brett teach, in person, not online. I got to proudly sit next to Zac as he shared his testimony and taught from Mark at the Sunday night Jericho Road Bible study. I was amazed at how Kara ingests Sriracha like it’s water. In June my mom was here for 10 days as well. What a blessing. She shared her room with the kids the whole time. It was a great relief for us. She made some more awesome motherly dinners and left our freezer full of lasagna and french onion soup. Each visitor was especially hard to say goodbye to but with each visit came a renewed affirmation of God’s plan for our lives.

-Monday is my day off so we have decided that each Monday until we leave we are going to do a family outing of some sort. Two weeks ago we had a picnic and spent the afternoon at the Mer Bleue Bog. It had a beautiful boardwalk through swamps and woods. Johnny was quick to say that there would be gators EVERYWHERE if this was in Florida. Instead there were beaver trails and funny plants. This past Monday we spent the afternoon at the Museum of Civilization. Impressive for sure. We still don’t know what we’re doing this coming Monday so if you have a suggestion, bring it on.

-We have begun packing early for several reasons. 1)Again we have to make the decision of what we are and aren’t taking. 2)We don’t want to put it off and freak out about it as the day is quickly approaching. 3)Our landlord is beginning to show the place so instead of putting things in the corner we decided this would be a good chance to just box them up.

-I have been running lately. You may be familiar with the #HASSELHOFF phase I went through. Well, that turned out to be a one hit wonder just like the program’s namesake. Now my program is the 1 Kings 18:46 program. I’ve always hated running and never been very good at it. I prayed a while back that God would give me the desire and discipline to run and He has. Over the past couple months I’ve been running 20+ miles a week. I usually do a 5k early in the week, then a couple 4-5 milers during the week, and then a long run on Saturday. The longest run I’ve done so far is 13 miles. I’ve become obsessed with distance and for some stupid reason I really want to try to run 50 miles in one day. Anyway…

-I took Johnny to see a longtime hero of mine play in Ottawa. Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music. I’ve known Chuck on an informal level for a while now and had the opportunity to interview him once for REAX magazine. An interview that turned into talking about fishing instead of the tour I was supposed to be asking him about and got cut majorly short in the final print. I got a hold of Chuck before his Ottawa show, a show that was supposed to be 19+, and asked if he could do anything to get Johnny in. Not only did he get Johnny in but made it one of the most memorable nights that Johnny, and I, will have for a long time. Chuck gave Johnny a harmonica, a shirt, and a record signed by him and the band. He also had Johnny help him with his soundcheck. It was an unreal experience. You can see some photos if you click here.

-The kids are in VBS this week and loving it.

-Lastly, and most significant, to me anyway. Rachel. Rachel is amazing me everyday in many ways. Her wisdom, her patience, her love. Daily she goes above and beyond, both as a mother and a wife. Proverbs 18:22 says “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.” I can attest to that. It’s true. You want a biblical picture of who Rachel is? Read Proverbs 31:10-31. I knew that I loved her when I married her but I had no idea the deal that I was getting. I have been incredibly blessed by her. Proverbs 27:17 talks about how iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. I usually think of men in my life when I read this, guys like Zac, James, Brett, Andy, my dad and so on. However, I realize that daily Rachel and I are sharpening each other and it’s amazing. God knew what He was doing with marriage. It’s a sort of self sustaining fire and as long as both are earnestly seeking Him, He will provide more than enough fuel for that thing to keep going. Praise Him!

Anyways, as you can see, we’ve been busy. I promise I will get better at being more consistent with the blog. Until then, be excellent to each other.

Grace and Peace,
Ryan
Matthew 9:37-38

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