The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. ~ Psalm 16:6 nasb

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Celebration

The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 NASB


Christmas is a time of longing, and waiting--with the sure knowledge that it is coming and nothing will stop it.  It's not faith, because we know it will happen.  We celebrate the waiting and longing for a Savior, knowing it has already happened and we'll get to celebrate soon, on that designated day.  In light of this knowing it will happen, I post this Our Journey post.

Celebration

Several weeks ago, Fernando went on a job interview, then got in the Suburban and started driving home.  As soon as he was on the highway, his mobile phone rang.  He answered (Bluetooth), and a perky lady started talking to him about how she was in possession of his resume, forwarded to her from another company he had applied for but wasn't quite a match.  That human resources manager had forwarded it to her, thinking he may be a good match for that company.  So she called.

Fernando scheduled, then held, a phone interview with her.  And then, a face-to-face interview at No-- in Schaumburg.  Everyone seemed to really like him!  They gave him a tour of the building and each department, had him talk to human resources about benefits, and introduced him to lots of people.  They scheduled a follow-up phone interview, then a background check and drug test.  And then Fernando waited.  And waited.

He called/emailed back once or twice, but didn't hear.  Then, finally, the HR lady got back to him--they were waiting to hear back from Fernando's references!  We thought he'd have this job, but oh, the waiting was interminable.

Finally, on a Friday, he received a phone call from J.  She scheduled a phone call on Monday at 1pm, at which they would formally present their offer to Fernando.  We knew no matter the terms, we would accept.  There was no other choice.

On the same Friday, Thomas received a phone call.  FF-- was looking for a diesel mechanic apprentice, and could he come in for an interview at 1pm on Monday?  So now there were two things to look forward to on Monday at 1pm.

Monday came, 1pm came, and Fernando received his offer.  It was a solid, good offer, and he accepted it. 

Then we waited to hear from Thomas; we waited all afternoon.  My parents arrived; we were going out to dinner with them.  We told them that this dinner would now be a celebration, with Fernando's new job.

Still no word from Thomas.  So we went to dinner.  I finally texted him, and found out that he finally came home.  This could be a good thing, I thought.

Upon returning home, Thomas told us the reason he was gone all afternoon--he accepted their job offer and was busy filling out forms and driving to get a physical and a drug test.

Our celebration was doubled; it was almost too much to handle in one day.  Almost.

I'll leave this story here, short and simple.

As we approach the celebration of our Savior Jesus, come to save us from our sin, our hearts are full.


Back to life,
Christine

Read previous segments here:

The Beginning
The Injury
The Furnace
The Waiting
Employment
The House
The Phone Call
The Truck
The Car
The Business
Nightfall
The Gift
Eight Days
Broken Path


Visit my photography blog
Visit my photography website

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Christmas is Coming

November 27.

On a cold, spitting-rain afternoon, the guys indulged my desire for a Christmas tree.











It's a beautiful tree, and once its branches settle down I'll decorate it.  Now to wait...


Back to life,
Christine

Visit my photography blog
Visit my photography website

Friday, November 25, 2016

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving, from prep to celebration, in pictures.

Making pie.

Cutting bread for stuffing.
 
Joe helps, too!

All the pie!!



Fernando is the Master Carver.

There's Dad, doing his thing--helping out by tasting the turkey!


I had Mom press the shutter release this year.

This happens a lot.

Pie, pie, pie.


Back to life,
Christine

Visit my photography blog
Visit my photography website

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Tea Time

November 12.

I'm still working, Fernando is still looking for work--with a potentially good outcome that Lord willing I will be blogging about soon--and this particular day included a special tea time with Sarah.


This young lady keeps me young (I still feel like a 21-year-old at heart!) with laughter and conversation, all deep and meaningful, and all while sipping tea and sampling yummy treats.

It is a precious thing to have women in your life with whom you can open up and share deeply, just jumping right in and exposing your heart, knowing they are trustworthy and knowing they will listen without rejecting, encourage where needed, and laugh or cry with you.  Sarah has an amazing heart, and I shared a beautiful afternoon with her.


Back to life,
Christine

Visit my photography blog
Visit my photography website

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Saturday, November 5, 2016

Jake's Tree

Early November.

Jake's tree is still bright and colorful!




Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.

Emily Brontë


Back to life,
Christine

Visit my photography blog
Visit my photography website

Friday, November 4, 2016

Dad and Mom

November 3.

Next, it was Dad's and Mom's turn for portraits.  They were willing to go on the two-mile walk to find some good portrait locations, so away we walked.

This first photo is their favorite, and will make an appearance on their Christmas cards.


Of course I took some photos of whatever happened to catch my eye as we walked.



It was still very colorful along Loop 4.



I put my long lens on and captured a few more images.


The sun shining through yellow leaves.

It was a good day.


Back to life,
Christine

Visit my photography blog
Visit my photography website

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

You and Me

October 31.

I love that Fernando tells me, Go grab your camera and let's go for a walk.  So back to the Arboretum we went.



I love that you are awed by the colors of autumn, just like I am.



I love that you stop when I stop, and that you carry my tripod for me and get it ready so I can capture scenes such as this.



I love that you willingly pose for portraits with me; these moments are so precious to me!  So few couples get their pictures taken together.  I'm glad you do this for me, so we can have memories in photos that will last.



And, I'm thankful for a remote shutter release!!  And that I remembered to bring it!



I know you're always willing to pose for a kiss.  I love this photo!


Thanks for the day spent together.  Thanks for posing with me, and letting me boss you around for photos.  I love you.


Back to life,
Christine

Visit my photography blog
Visit my photography website