St Augustine's Best Kept Secret: Fudgebuckets and Sand Castle Cafe.

In August of 2012 I married the love of my life.  We had a small wedding which was a perfect day for us and exactly what we wanted. I planned the wedding and reception and my husband was on honeymoon duty. I told him nothing. no preference.

After being sent off we stopped by CVS in our wedding attire. We got snacks and went to my apartment which became ours to change and grab our stuff. We hit to road and I fell asleep. I woke up to not knowing where we were but I knew we were at a hotel and we were together. Fast forward to the next day we got up and went to breakfast. I still had no idea where we were until my husband finally spilled the beans: we were in St. Augustine Florida.

This trip was perfect. We ate great food, saw the sights and had an amazing time making memories together. One night we were walking down Charlotte street after dinner and were greeted by a man and his wife: Gary and Michelle. They owned a fudge and ice cream shop and had bubble wands and kindness. They gave us some suggestions for places around town. We had plans to go back for dessert with them that night, but time got the best of us and we didn't make it. The next night my husband had planned a carriage ride on one of those beautiful horsedrawn carriages that ride through the city. We had dinner at Harrys seafood, and we had wanted to stop at Fudgebuckets to grab dessert for our ride...but again time got the best of us. We went on the ride, and what was supposed to be an hour ended at 40 minutes. Normally this would have bothered me (for someone to say one thing and do another) but on this night it meant we had 20 minutes to get to that fudge shop. We ran. literally. And little did we know what we were running to.

Gary and Michelle are a sweet sweet couple. Not only did they feed us ice cream and fudge but we noticed that they had a cross above their exit door. We mentioned liking it and got to hear about their wonderful testimony. We stayed talking until well past 11 with these great people. The next day we were headed back home.. stopped by to say farewell and said we would keep in touch.

and...we did.

We have been up to see them 3 times in the last year. They have opened their home to let us stay, fed us  and encouraged us. We have gotten to see them take a leap of faith, run after God's will and go from a small fudge and ice cream store to a big restaurant a few streets over called "the Sandcastle cafe". A wonderful place with great food. AMAZING food is more accurate. (I recommend the fried chicken, the burgers, homemade potato chips, crab cake eggs benedict, garys philly cheese steak...basically everything I've tried.) But more than great food...it's a treat to go there to see the great people.

God truly blessed us with this couple and friends if your ever in the area I pray you will stop by and visit them as well. We just returned last night from spending thanksgiving with them and while in the fudgeshop Michelle referred to us as her guests to a customer. The woman asked how we were all related and my husband said "In Christ." While a simple answer it describes so perfectly our friendship with them. God chose us for each other and did a great job in the choosing.

While personally I'm excited to see what else God does with their business, I'm thankful for their friendship and for their hearts for God. Please support them if you get a chance and don't leave without a fudge bucket (I recommend peanut butter but she has a ton of flavors).

Friends you never know where you will meet great friends. I met my husband at a concert, Gary and Michelle on the street, and I can't wait to see what other ways God intersects my life with great people.

<3

Thanksgiving Comes Out of a Heart of Joy.

Hello friends.
Being that my word of the year is thankfulness- I can't very well NOT post on thanksgiving..right?

It's been a tough week, and it would be easy for me to focus on places I'm not thankful.
As I wrote last time: thankfulness is God's will for us. That is a lesson that has amazed me in the last few weeks. When I'm uncertain about where I should be or what I should be doing I come back to this truth. This beautiful beautiful truth that He has called me to thanks in all circumstances. And it's that calling that got me through this past week. Was I thankful in each moment. No. far from it. But have I grown in my ability to be thankful. Absolutely. And it is as thought God knows I need a little nudge in the right direction that He provides so much.

After the roughest day of work so far- my last patient ended up being a blessing. I was able to share love and encouragement with her. I was able to see that God had me there for a reason even when I feel like I'm in over my head, God is there giving me hope to hold on to.

In a morning of frustration with an uncooperative patient, where I felt like I knew nothing- - I was given a kind woman who thanked me for my wisdom.

He gave me some of the best people in the medical field to work with. The woman who helps me with billing is so kind and encouraging. The nurses are so willing to help no matter if they are "my" nurse for the day or not. The providers are helpful and the staff overall is very sweet. Are they perfect: no. But no one is. I'm thankful for them and how they teach me even when they don't know it.

God sent me a dog to warm my spirit in September of 2011 when life was hard, my faith was trying to grow, and my life was a whirlwind that I was trying to make sense of. It's a cold day and we are ignoring the "no dog on the couch" rule. She's cuddled up beside me and I can feel her cold nose pressed against me. Every once in a while she takes in a deep breath and her legs twitch with puppy dreams next to me. She's past due for a hair cut but she's the best 4 legged friend I've got. She truly is a joy and a light to my life.

God sent me my husband in 2012 and what a gift that has been and what perfect timing. I have grown so much in our marriage. It's been tough at times, but it's never been tough to know that God chose us for one another. Hands down I could not have picked someone as amazing as my husband is without help. Nor do I deserve the love he gives me each day but I can't be thankful enough for it. Even on our toughest days we grow stronger and what a blessing that has been.

And in all He has given me over the years there much He hasn't. I don't have a family to call my own truly outside of my husband and puppy dog. I don't have parents that will be grandparents to our kids. I have debt not riches. I have asthma and hearing loss and a continual battle with skin issues. And if I focused on these things..the things I don't have... it would be easy to not be thankful for the good I do have. It would be easy to blow the have nots out of proportion to what I do have. If I have learned anything at all it's to know that we are all missing something. There is not one perfect family, one perfect situation. God carefully allowed what He has in my life to shape me and grow me and give me a testimony that can bring glory to Him alone. What's the best is He brings me moments to share this testimony and proclaim His love and provision often and when I get to do that for a moment I can see why each imperfection was perfectly allowed.

Wisdom 5:21 says "Bolts of lightning will strike right on target as if the Lord had made a bow out of the clouds and was shooting arrows." What a beautiful image that God knows not only the hairs on our head, but He orchestrates each strike of lightning. Sometimes lighting illuminates a summer night sky on the beach. Sometimes it accompanies a strong rain storm. Either way, God is in control.

As advent approaches and the church prepares for the celebration of the birth of our Lord, we have much to be thankful for. No matter how many lightning strikes or joy and devastation in our lives, Christ came to redeem us. The greatest gift of all.

So friends lets not buy into the cheap commercialism the world is selling you this time of year. There is so much more that God has for us than food and objects. Let's not settle for the things of the world but rather have our hearts renewed with a sense of gratitude and joy that comes only from the Lord.
Praying for that blessing for you friends. For joy and peace for you and that you will see how much there is to be thankful no matter what the circumstances. Let's let the next lightning bolts God allows to light us on fire with a thankfulness that makes us overflow in a way that is uncontainable. The very essence of this day is thanks-giving. An overflow of thankfulness that leads to giving. A heart of such gratitude that praise is all we have.

<3

Happy Thanksgiving to you.

God's Will for us.

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it- luke 14:28

As a type A personality, I can tell you... I'll sit and plan that tower...count the cost...recount the cost..plan some more...count again... and when I'm double and triple sure- I'll build. I've done this most of my life as I grew up with not a whole lot of consistent support and throughout highschool, college, and graduate school didn't really have anyone to lean on other than God. Yet God provided, in miraculous ways. And I found that when He made it clear that I was going to be a PA...that I didn't really have time to sit and count and recount before I built because I had 3 weeks before classes started, and I had no way to pay for it than student loans. So I avoided counting. I avoided looking at my interest rate. I avoided watching the debt add up each semester because I knew there was nothing I could do about it until I graduated.

Now. I'm graduated.

Now they e-mailed me "we are so excited for your graduation.....your student loans are coming to haunt you." Ok so maybe they don't use the word haunt, but they do email me reminding me that I do have loans and I do owe more than I make. But that cost- while great- while maybe not counted and recounted by me- God knew the cost. God knew where He was sending me and God helped me to succeed and survive the program.

I wish I could tell you I just barely survived. But I didn't. I graduated with honors and was chosen for Pi Alpha. God didn't just bring me to it and bring me through it He grew me, shaped me, and made me the person I am today. He allowed me to succeed, gave me the strength to get through the long weeks, and provided a job for me. I've gotten 2 real paychecks so far and I have to tell you that while meeting with a financial planner yesterday he just kept reminding us that we are starting off the right way and that we are in the beginning steps. There is a way out. But its going to take diligence. It's going to take sacrifice. It's going to take trust in the Lord for the unseen. And all the while our financial planner said two things to help us "you know prayer works...and fasting does too." Encouragement from an unlikely place. A reminder to return to where God pushed me for the year: thankfulness. Eucharisteo.

And in this year He has stretched me in a way I couldn't imagine. From pushing me to find truth in faith and not just what sounds good, to learning more about a church than I knew and realizing everything I've been told hasn't always been true even if it made me "feel" good. A church that observes the eucharist and don't think I don't notice that work being the very word of thanks. The very thing I wanted in 2013 as I know His word teaches over and over again :

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Wanna know Gods will: thanks. in all circumstances. Even when the tower is built and you didn't count the cost. Even when you can't see the end in site. Even when you seem crazy to the rest of the world. Even when all you have is tears. thanks. thats Gods will. You don't have to discern it...search for it ... try and figure out the celestial morse code. You don't have to claim a dream or vision to know it. He spelled it out.

Thanks. In all circumstances. Period.

Friends please pray that you and I will be thankful. that you and I will pray and fast in a way that causes thankfulness to pour out of us with no hesitation.

thanks.
in all circumstances.
Even if you owe more than you make.
even if you made a mistake.
even if the things you can't mention.

thanks. in all circumstances.