Taco Casserole

Ingredients: Ground beef (I substitute ground turkey)
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1/2 cup salsa
Sour Cream
1 pkg. crescent rolls
1/2 bag tortilla chips
1 pkg. cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. In 9x9 baking dish, cover bottom of dish with crescent rolls and bake as directed.
2. Brown meat.
3. Follow directions of the taco seasoning package and add 1/2 cup of salsa.
4. Once crescent rolls are done baking, pour meat mixture over the crust.
5. Spread sour cream over meat mixture.
6. Grate cheddar cheese over the sour cream.
7. Sprinkle crushed tortilla chips on top.
8. Bake until cheese is melted.

**Additional ingredients can be added to this recipe or subtracted from this recipe! It is very simple; but very tasty!

Letter to Baby

Dear Sweet Baby,

We have dreamed of you for so long.
I wonder, are you a boy or a girl?
Will you have my eyes, or Daddy's lips?
I pray that God covers and protects you, "He shall cover thee with his feather, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be they shield and buckler" Pslams 91:4.
Please snuggle in tight, we can't wait to meet you!
I pray that my womb is a perfect place for you to grow.
We want to see your first breath of life, hear your first word, take your first step, hear the words "mommy" and "daddy", having those fantastic ordinary days with our family.
Right now, we can only dream of meeting you and holding you in our hands.
I love having you in my belly, we have put our faith in God, and know that His timing is perfect.

Until we meet,

We Love You,
Mommy and Daddy

10 on Tuesday

1. Currently, we are in OKC, OK for the week with my brother Caleb.
2. Last night we were able to spend some time with our good friends, Lindsay and J.J-Caleb, my brother cooked Chicken Alfredo for us all.
3. We had a great missions conference in Altus, Oklahoma last week.
4. Sunday we have a meeting here in OKC, then we get to go home.
5. Please pray for my follow-up ultrasound. I had an ultrasound before we left and the baby's heart rate was a little slow, they are not concerned since when I had had the ultrasound the heart was just really beginning to form. I to am not very concerned; but there is a piece of me that is bothered...so just pray that the baby's heart rate has increased.
6. Thursday night, we get to spend some time with more friends Caleb and Laura Carter! Fun stuff!
7. The weather has been gorgeous down here in Oklahoma, last week there were a couple of days where it was in the high 60's-almost the perfect weather for me!
8. Saturday, Lindsay and I get to have some girl time and I am SO excited to have that time with her! Lunch and window shopping-fun times!
9. I am not very creative today with my thoughts today...but, speaking of creativity, I want to welcome my friend Deanna to the Cricut Expression Club!
10. I am thankful for friends that God gives us to travel the journey with!

A Photo Memory

I remember this night well, July 9th, 2007-the night Joseph and I got engaged! This picture was taken at Tello's, a very fancy and expensive italian restaurant on Lake Michigan. Let me take you back with me to how the evening had started. We had just spent the day out with Joseph's mom and had gotten back to the house when Joseph told me to get dressed up for the evening-he would be taking everyone out to dinner. I didn't have a lot of time; but quickly dressed and looked for Joseph; but he was nowhere to be found. His parents informed me that he had to make an errand and would meet us at the restaurant. This all seemed fine, maybe a little odd; but I didn't question it...well, I did question silently the fact that I was the only one dressed up. I planned on asking them what errand Joseph had to make as we drove to Haven, Michigan; but I couldn't get a word in edge wise since his parents had suddenly became very chatty. Once we arrived to Haven, we sat in a gazebo to await Joseph's arrival. Once he came, he made no mention of the errand he had to make. We split away from his parents, they took one side of the street and we took the other side to browse the tourist shops-it was a great time, especially since Joseph was willing to buy me a couple pieces of fudge and caramel! Apparently, he already knew his way to my heart! After we browsed the shops, we decided it was time for dinner and we went to Tello's which was quite an experience in of itself! The menus were written in italian, without prices and neither one of us can read italian! We ended up ordering plain old spaghetti...we knew that had to be somewhere on the menu! The waiter offered us wine and looked at us like we didn't belong when we informed him that we don't drink...we ended up ordering sodas and he brought them to us in wine glasses with straws that he had snipped in half. During the middle of the very expensive meal, Joseph's phone rang and he informed me that it was a preacher that he had needed to talk to about a meeting, so he excused himself. As Joseph made his way back into the restaurant and to the table after the phone call-which later I learned was his alarm clock-he promptly went on one knee. Now I must admit, deep down I had a feeling that this would be the night he would propose; but suddenly it was a reality and my heart went crazy. From his back Joseph pulled out a single red rose and gave it to me as he said something along the lines of, "Kendra Marie, you know I love you right? You know I want to take care of you for the rest of my life right? I want to be with you forever and always, will you marry me?" To which I just stared at him and did a little nod of the head, I didn't know how to speak suddenly. Joseph was like, "is that a yes?"! It sure was a yes...we left the restaurant and watched the sun set on Lake Michigan. It was a very simple and sweet evening, when I went home that night in the guest room a dozen white roses awaited my arrival. As I lay in the bed that night, I just replayed the night over and over again and again in my head....I had waited my whole life for a night like that and you always imagine how you want it to be or how you think it should be; but when it becomes your night and the way your husband to be does the proposal it suddenly becomes the way it always was supposed to be...better than you could have ever imagined.

My Secret

So, you want to know my secret right? Why else would you be here? I would like to think that you would come by just because you love reading my blog; but that might not be the case because you are probably like me a naturally curious person…if someone has a secret-I want to know! Okay, well almost all secrets…some secrets I would rather not know about. However, I have a feeling that my secret is one you want to know about! As a matter of fact you probably are getting very annoyed with me because I just keep making you read and not sharing my secret!
My secret begins February 21st in Mattoon, Illinois-where Joseph and I were at for a meeting. Actually, it begins before then; but those details are very personal and I don't think you want to know about them and the story really begins in June of 2008. But, let me get on with the secret and if you want to know the details you can keep reading further and I would encourage you to please do! My secret is…on October 23rd roughly, Joseph and I will be having a baby-I am pregnant! I am 7 weeks!
So, for those of you that are interested, let me take you back to the beginning-June of 2008. Joseph and I decided it was time to go off birth control and have a baby. I remember thinking, "in just a couple months I will have a baby in my tummy" and whenever Joseph and I would pass the baby department in a store we would eye the baby clothes and point out cute outfits. We even talked about baby names. It was just so exciting to us and we really thought we were ready for that chapter of our lives and just naturally expected God to agree with us and give us a baby. Days, weeks, months and even a year passed by with still no baby in my tummy. Friends became pregnant easily, people that weren't even trying to get pregnant were getting pregnant, friends with children were getting pregnant again…frankly, there were times in this journey that I became very sad and discouraged. When we would go to meetings, people would ask, "do you want kids?", "when do you plan on having kids?" Of course I want kids and I planned on having kids forever ago-we were trying; but it just wasn't happening. Then when I would tell people the truth about things, they would say, "God knows best", "well you probably don't want kids when you are always on the road", "just be satisfied with your husband"-I know all those things and its easier said than done. I realize God knows best-I knew that throughout my journey and to be honest is our life ever ready for kids? So really, I don't care if I am always on the road or not, I wanted a baby. Joseph and I were happy with each other and we have come to realize that on this earth him and I are enough for each other. But, knowing all the right answers….doesn't necessarily make things easy. Knowing the right answers didn't make it easy when nights would come and I had just realized I wasn't pregnant or someone would tell me they had just found out they were pregnant and were excited to see how God answered their prayer because they were in His will-implying my relationship with the Lord might not be right. Nights where I would lay on Joseph's chest and just cry out loud to him and the Lord. I would cry out, "I will change whatever it is in my life that needs to be changed so that the Lord can really see that I am ready for a baby." I would ask, "when is it my turn, why must I keep waiting?" My husband hurt for me, he felt my pain and I know he so wished he could do something for me, he promised me, "we will have a child someday if not from your womb, we can adopt-we can do something". But, I would just cry out, I want a baby in my womb…I don't want to adopt. I don't believe there is anything wrong with adoption, I just believe that God had given me that innate desire to carry my own child and that is what I wanted to do. Each month my husband and I learned how to stand together and learned how to comfort one another and receive comfort from the Lord. Slowly, we realized that God sees the big picture and the works He is doing in our lives are for our good and His glory. As we grew in the Lord in this area of our lives it doesn't mean things were always easy, some months were easier than others and some months the Lord had to really work overtime on us to remind us of the work He was doing in us while we waited. Let me now speed up to about a week and a half ago.
Joseph and I were at my grandparents for a visit, I was suffering from a cold and just waiting for my dreaded "friend" to show up. While at my grandparents, I learned that someone I am acquainted with was expecting…on this day I was having a particularly hard day and that news hit home hard. I had to excuse myself to the room we were staying in, by the time I got to the room, I could no longer hold my tears. I just cried out to the Lord, I said, "Lord, I'm at the bottom of my barrel, I can't keep doing this each month…being late just to realize I am not pregnant, I need you to rescue me from this Lord-do something Lord. I'm trying Lord to learn, do whatever it is that You need me to do; but I'm done Lord, its up to You…" When I finished praying, I felt real peace and with grace I continued to wait for my dreaded "friend". Well, the following Sunday we were sitting in church and I was figuring out some things when Joseph shared with me that in his opinion, I was pregnant. I looked at Joseph and told him not to get excited because every time I take a pregnancy test it never gives me the answer we want. I really didn't think I was pregnant; but agreed to purchase a home pregnancy test from Wal-Mart. Monday morning came very quickly, Joseph was still sound asleep and I decided to crawl out of bed and take the pregnancy test. I slipped into bathroom whispering a prayer, "Lord give me grace." I took the test, placed it on the counter and looked away. Then I looked back and it looked like two lines had appeared-I have never seen two lines before! I started screaming, "JOSEPH! JOSEPH! BRING MY GLASSES I THINK I'M PREGNANT! I THINK I SEE TWO LINES!" Joseph ran in with my glasses and looked at the test and confirmed two lines; but just to be safe I decided to take the other test and it said yes to! Sitting on the toilet announcing to my husband was not the romantic image I had originally had in my mind to tell him; but to be honest it was just so hard to believe. We have wanted this for so long and to then realize it was finally happening was very overwhelming. I started pacing the hotel room, crying and exclaiming to Joseph there's a baby in my tummy-I've wanted this for so long-thank you Lord! We called our parents and my siblings to tell them the news; but ordered them to keep it under wraps until we had it officially confirmed by my doctor. The appointment to see my doctor was made for Friday….I was so nervous that she was going to tell me the pregnancy test had given me a false positive; but instead she told me congratulations and that I was due on October 23rd! I was only 6 weeks at the time; but she sent me for an ultrasound to confirm the due date because she wanted to proceed with caution since she knows our struggle. So, we have already been able to see our baby, though to be honest our baby doesn't quite look like a baby yet…however, its our baby and we already love this little one God has put in my tummy. Joseph kisses my belly every day and tells baby, "I love you". Its still very surreal to me, especially since most days I don't really feel pregnant; but everyone tells me that its nothing to be concerned about! Our baby does have a slow heart rate as of now; but they expect it to be okay and told us not to be concerned…we are however already committing this to the Lord.
I know we are not very far along and some people may think we should wait to share the news; but this baby is already a part of our lives. I want to enjoy this time, I don't want to look back at my pregnancy with regret because I had spent it in fear or doubt. This baby is a gift and we are trusting the Lord to let me carry the baby full term, I have no reason to believe that He will not allow me to do so. So, if you disagree with me sharing my news "early" please keep it to yourself. Please keep it to yourself, the risks of having a baby in my tummy-I know there are risks; but I serve an amazing God who has brought me through the drought and answered my prayers, He has put a baby in my tummy-I now have peace that I can have a baby!
I am now seven weeks pregnant and am actually feeling great despite an occasional wave of nausea and hormonal issues. I can already tell that my skirts are feeling tighter, my winter coat is already not very comfy to zip anymore and the upper part of my tummy is getting a little firmer. I am trying to eat healthy, you know get some fruits and vegetables into my daily diet and I do try to drink water. Though I must admit, I feel as if I have to choke down the water when I drink, I just despise water-it has no flavor, plus it makes me go to the bathroom even more and I already go a lot! Ugh! I also get hungry more frequent than I use to and I tire earlier, usually go to bed when I can before ten!
So, now you know my secret….please pray for me and baby that we stay healthy and have a wonderful pregnancy! Again, Joseph and I are SO excited!

A "Real" Post

I have been thinking that I haven't posted a "real" update in ages! So, here I am posting a "real" update!
Currently, Joseph and I are at home for missions conference at our home church! Sometimes,it just hits me how much I love my home church, the people there and just being there! Tonight, I just loved being there-it felt like home and I felt so loved by my friends there!
While on the road this trip, we were in two missions conferences which were drastically different. The first conference was kind of a let down, we never got to meet the pastor during our time there. I just don't understand how a pastor can get behind the pulpit and emphasize loving the missionaries; but doesn't even have time for them himself?! However, the preaching was great there and really hit home.
Our second conference was in Georgia and it was by far one of the greatest conferences I have ever been to! Joseph and I felt so loved and wanted there! Upon arrival, the table for our display was covered with goodies and snacks that I don't think we will ever finish! Every class we visited gave us money and gifts like blankets, towels, jewelry, candy! The final night of the conference, ladies in the church made each missionary wife a quilt-mine is SO beautiful and it even has a matching pillow case! They also took us on for financial support that night! The preaching was also so wonderful! They did so much for us, I don't really have time to share it all. But, I want to share on the final night of the conference when we were standing on the platform receiving gifts and seeing our plaque go up on the wall to join the missionaries they already support, I felt so revived! Sometimes we look at things and wonder what is God doing, you want to keep going on; but you don't understand why you have to keep going on. This is where I had been at. I don't know if anyone has ever been in this place or can relate; but that week I realized once again the importance of the job that is at hand for Joseph and I. As I stood on that platform, receiving gifts, hearing testimonies about us, I was humbled at what people saw in Joseph and I that I don't even see, humbled that people are willing to 'put their money' on us, intrust us that we can get the job done. When we left that conference, I told Joseph, I want to go-I want to be in Norway. Even now thinking about it, tears come to my eyes...I'm ready to keep pressing on. There are people counting on me even now.
We leave Monday for Oklahoma and will be gone for a few weeks. Short trips this time around; but I think Joseph is trying to book summer. We need meetings. Please pray that we can get meetings for summer.
Well, I am worn out-its time for bed!

10 on Tuesday

1. In just a short time Joseph will be on the road home for a few days!
2. We are scheduled to be in our church's missions conference!
3. Next week it will be off to Oklahoma!
4. We had a great time at my grandparents last week-very relaxing and good food!
5. God is always good, God is always right! Praise the Lord!
6. It is snowing, ugh! Snow, snow go away come again another day! I am really sick of snow.
7. Yesterday we drove from Manttoon, Illinois and arrived to my parents for the night.
8. The inside of our van will look so different by the end of the day! When we get home, Joseph will unload it of all its goodies that have been retrieved on the road and I think the van will then be able to breathe again. lol!
9. I think I am finally at the tail end of this silly cold. What a relief it will be when it is completely gone.
10. Yes, my post today was kind of drab; but I wanted to post because I don't know when I will have the opportunity to post again!

A Photo Memory or 2!

Wow, where does the time go?! In 2000 I headed off to Heartland Baptist Bible College to start my freshman year! It was really a great year, I believe mostly because of my roomies-Becky McCracken and Lindsay Benson(Lusk)! We had so much fun, roommate bonding days where we went to McDonalds for every meal, did Mary Kay pedicures and facials, pumped air into an inflatable couch and took it back to our dorm room in a Cougar...with all of us in the vehicle as well! Sometimes at night, after lights out I would crawl into Becky's bed and we would just talk and look at pics of her at the time "crush"! I remember laying in bed, talking after lights out while Lindsay was doing her homework...then smelling something weird and realizing there was smoke coming from her pillow that had caught fire from her reading lamp! Those times happened ten years ago...now fast forward ten years! Lindsay and I are both married...Becky will be married this summer! I am married to a missionary to Norway, Lindsay and her husband are actually back at HBBC, getting ready for her husband to graduate and seek the Lord's will for where He will have them to go and to be honest I just know Becky works at a hospital and her husband to be works at Heartland I am not sure what the Lord has planned for them. I am just grateful that the Lord allowed me to remain friends with the girls who made my freshman year so memorable. Though we all did lose touch with another at some point the Lord allowed us to "find" one another again...I believe the Lord knows the people we need in our lives. I am truly grateful for my friendship with Lindsay-we have so much in common, we are traveling the same journey in a very personal aspect and the Lord knew I needed someone like her to walk on this personal journey with, she understands me in a way others can never understand. Becky will always be the one that gives us the laugh or the smile we need along the way, she has the joy of the Lord and a very real walk with the Lord. Ten years ago, the Lord knew that today I would need Becky and Lindsay in my life and I praise the Lord that He sees the big picture!

20 in February

1. Busy, busy-I haven't even been able to think about my blog since the beginning of February.
2. We have been in two missions conferences this month-one of which has taken us on for support! Yay! Another step closer to Norway!
3. Joseph has had a cold and now I think he has shared it with me-what a blessing he is to my life! lol!
4. Currently, we are with my grandparents in Kenosha, Wisconsin! I love my grandparents!
5. The missions conference in Georgia was awesome! They treated us so wonderfully-our van is loaded down with goodies! One of the goodies is a homemade quilt that is beautiful! Each missionary wife in the conference was given a quilt that was made by a lady in the church!
6. One more meeting in Gays, Illinois and then we get to go home to be in our church's missions conference.
7. This past Monday, Joseph and I were able to spend some time with my good friend Amber! I love being able to catch up with friends!
8. How would you say this, Le-A? Its a girls name...any ideas? Are you maybe thinking Leah? Because that is what I initially thought; but no its Ledasha...so funny! The pastor we were with in Georgia was telling us about this name of a little girl he knows in Pennsylvania!
9. I am really getting tired of snow and ice. We had to leave Elgin, Illinois in it and drive to Georgia through the night-it was only to be a 12 hour drive; but because of the horrible snow and ice it took us 17 hours.
10. This past Sunday I was able to teach a ladies Sunday School class...I taught the lesson that I will be teaching for ladies retreat at my home church in April.
11. I'm beginning to wonder if 20 in February was a good idea? I did it to help catch me up on everything...but I have a feeling that 12-20 are really going to cause me to think hard.
12. Why do I always have to think that I need to know everything that is going to take place? The whens, the wheres, the hows? Shouldn't it be enough that God knows all about it? Yes, it should; but I must admit there are days that it is easier said than done.
13. I have been so tired lately, could it be that I am still trying to catch up from going a whole night with no sleep last week? I go to bed at night and wake up still feeling tired. Then I get a burst of energy and then I am tired again.
14. What a blessing it was to have our oil changed, our van washed and vacuumed by the church men in Georgia! Our van looked great-then we had to drive through the snow again!
15. In March, we will be in Altus, Oklahoma for a missions conference which will be followed by a meeting in Oklahoma City.
16. While in Oklahoma City we will stay with my brother in his new apartment. I am curious as to how he is decorating it! I have a feeling it will say boy all over it!
17. This past month we were able to spend a few days with Joseph's parents, we had a nice visit with them! Checked out golf clubs for summer, played wii...good times!
18. Since being married, Joseph and I don't get to celebrate Valentine's Day on its actual given day-we are usually traveling or in a meeting. I am not complaining. So, Tuesday Joseph took me to Olive Garden for lunch...I love the breadsticks at Olive Garden. I appreciate my husband not forgetting me and doing something special for me.
19. We were also able to stop and see Joseph's cousin Holly for 5 minutes at college, she goes to Hyles Anderson in Crown Pointe, Indiana.
20. Okay, my blog is finished until who knows when and now its off to address all of our prayer letters!

10 on Tuesday

1. Happy Birthday to me! Yes, today I have turned 28...2 years away from my midlife crisis! Haha!
2. What a day this has been, we were driving along our way to Georgia for a missions conference. We decided to call our meeting and see what time they wanted us there tomorrow and they informed us that they had changed the missions conference to next Wednesday! We were in the middle of Kentucky when we learned this information, thanks for telling us right!
3. We are now currently in Marion, Illinois for the night. We were tired of driving, we have been on the road since 7 this morning and have decided to drive to Joseph's parents-which is still another 7 hours from here. To say the least Joseph and I were sick of being in that van today and are thankful to be in the night with nowhere to go.
4. We were able to get a discount at the Comfort Suites hotel and are staying in a suite with a double wide tub with jets-so nice and relaxing and I think well deserved! lol!
5. This past weekend, was so fun for me! It started with meeting Diana for breakfast at Panera Bread, getting my hair done, lunch with my sister and Amy and ended with going to visit my parents in Iowa!
6. Even though today was spent in the van, it was nice to be thought of and get so many phone calls and text messages that wished me a Happy Birthday!
7. Do you know laughter has no negative side effects? You should try it sometime!
8. I am so hungry-haven't ate since this morning and we are now waiting on our pizza from Dominos.
9. I cannot believe that I am accomplishing the task of posting 10 on Tuesday...on Tuesday!
10. I am thankful for today, things might not always be what we want them to be; but it is always more than we deserve! This life, God has given me is already more than I deserve!