John Piper Interview on Suffering and God’s Sovereignty

Cade and I are in a Sunday morning book club that is going through Tim Keller’s book, A Reason For God. This week the chapter we read was about one of the classic questions that we ask ourselves: “How can God be good and allow suffering?” Tom, our fearless leader, had us listen to this interview that NPR did with John Piper back in January of 2005. Piper speaks about suffering and God’s sovereignty in light of the Tsunami of 2004. Even though it is now 5 years later, I can’t help but marvel at God’s timing since I am personally still thinking a lot about what happened in Haiti and now Chile.

I want to be careful not to hype the interview too much, but I can honestly say that it has been the most helpful Biblical explanation that I have EVER heard regarding suffering and God’s sovereignty.

I would LOVE to hear your feedback. These 30 minutes will not be wasted.

John Piper Interview

(Scroll down to NPR Interview Tsunami – Jan. 2005)

recent updates… in no particular order

There have been so many things going on but none of them seem to deserve an entire blog post so I’ll summarize.

For Valentine’s Day weekend, Cade and I went to a ballroom dancing class. I had always wanted to do this with Cade. In fact, it is on my bucket list. So when we were offered a “free” group lesson we went. Overall, it was a fun experience but there were numerous things that would keep me from going back. For starters, the studio seems to get a huge kick out of switching dance partners so that you can “learn from other dancers.” Well, I’m sorry! I am here to dance with my husband and him ONLY. Deal with it. (Yes, we declined switching and they let us alone.) The second thing that threw me for a loop was how contemporary and popish the music selections were. Who wants to ballroom dance to Taylor Swift? No, thank you. I want classics! Of course at the end, they tried to sell us a whole package of dance classes which I politely but firmly declined. I have gotten surprisingly blunt the older I get (well, in some situations. =)

On Saturday morning, I was about to walk out the door, when I heard a rattling coming from the chimney in our living room. I peaked around the corner and saw a bird jumping/walking along the wall towards the hall. I quickly opened the front door and alerted Cade of our situation. The bird thought he’d take a tour of the dining room and kitchen, poop, hide and THEN give Cade a good scare before going on his jolly way. We went to Home Depot that afternoon and purchased a chimney cover for the roof. =)

While we were at Home Depot, we also picked up a programmable thermostat. If you don’t have one, you should! Period. They are delightful!

For the first time EVER I booked a newborn baby session because of a search on GOOGLE! Heck, yes! I love “word of mouth” referrals but I will gladly take new clients from of our amazing google ranking. We are still on the FIRST page when you search for “Nashville Baby Photographer.”

Last weekend we ate smores with our friends around their fire pit. It was fabulous!

Recently, I have been thinking a LOT about success: How I define it. How the world defines it. What the Christian perspective is. How I want to be successful in my life as well as my business. On and on. I have started multiple blog posts about this but none of them have gotten very far yet.

For the past 3 weeks, Cade and I have been getting up early (I won’t mention the exact time because some of you will roll your eyes at my definition of “early”) to have a cup of coffee, read the Bible and pray together. I can’t express how thrilled I am at how God is working in our lives! Cade was also asked to be co-leader for our Neighborhood Group and he has accepted. It has been wonderful so far!

As I write this I am watching the 2010 Winter Olympics, specifically the women’s figure skating. I have loved this sport ever since I was a little girl.

I think this is enough random updates for now. =) Sorry there are no photos for today.

celebrating “la bebé”

Our good friends Javier and Nicole are expecting their first baby girl in April. Stephanie, Tiffany, Katie and I hosted a baby shower for Nicole last weekend, which as a first for me. The shower turned out so well. The food was delicious (which reminds me, I need to get Steph’s recipe for the chicken salad she made – the best ever!). For the first time I made carrot cupcakes. They are officially my favorite!

Us hostesses, bought Nicole a high chair and some bottles. We decided to use the high chair as part of our decoration – a great holder for the plates and napkins.

Steph used some of the bottles as vases. So cute!

There were SO many gifts which made me so happy for Nicole!

It was so sweet to meet Nicole’s mom and grandmother who came all the way from Minnesota, where she grew up. It was truly a fun experience!

BEST dessert ev-ah!

Back when we had cable I watched a lot of Food Network shows. One of my favorites was the Barefoot Contessa. One afternoon I copied down this recipe because it looked amazing but then I promptly tucked it away in one of my cookbooks and forgot about it.

Last night I realized that I had some plumbs that needed to be used and I remembered this recipe. The whole house smelled amazing as it slowly baked in the oven. As soon as the “tatin” was done, Cade and I tried it and we couldn’t believe how delicious it was. Seriously. I would have paid $5 for a piece of it at a restaurant.

Try it!

Plumb Cake Tatin

P.S. I made two small changes to the recipe (which was a bit of a risk but I didn’t have a choice since I didn’t have those particular ingredients. =) After I tested the outcome I proudly, promoted my changes to Cade. 1) Leave out the lemon zest and 2) exchange the sour creme for plain, vanilla yogurt.

winter wonderland

After only 3 and a half years of living in Nashville, we finally got to experience some Tennessee snow! It began snowing on Friday morning and by noon Cade was allowed to come home. The “state” had officially closed (which meant his company had no one to work for). It kept snowing all day, but the roads weren’t bad yet. We had a fun and relaxing afternoon, venturing out to Ugly Mugs for some coffee with friends.

Saturday morning we got up and took some pictures. Our neighborhood was so quiet.

Saturday afternoon we went “sledding” in our backyard with a few trash bags. Jordan, our neighbor boy, came over and helped us create a small path that the “sleds” followed. Cade and I also took a walk around the neighborhood but decided that by the afternoon the roads were too icy for our comfort.

It’s currently Sunday morning and we still haven’t gone anywhere. It is crazy to see how many cars try to make it up the small hill beside our house even though it is covered in ice (which is only beginning to melt). One car tried 4 times and finally gave up. Just now, another car came sliding towards our curb while trying to make the turn. Oh goodness.

I love the snow. It’s been the perfect excuse to stay home.

New Year’s Eve (2009-2010)

For the last several years our New Year’s Eve plans have ranged from doing nothing, to going out to eat (just the two of us), to celebrating with about 30 people. This year, as we began to discuss plans with our close friends, we all decided that it would be really nice to keep this year’s event small and intimate. Shaka and Stephanie offered to host and prepare the main course. Will and Tiffany brought some crackers and cheese. Nicole (and Javier who came after his shift at the ER was done) made amazing creme brulé.

It was decided that we would dress up – which was super fun! (Cade even helped me straighten my hair… a first!)

We played some “get to know you” games during supper and then the boys worked on their Tetras skills.

Almost midnight!

Watching the “ball drop” on T.V.

The next morning Cade and I hosted breakfast at our house… some of them even came in their PJs. (I think we’ve begun a fun tradition!)

It is such a blessing to have close friends in Nashville!

Marvelously made

The following book review is by NO means meant to be a hint about any baby happening in our personal lives! Just thought you should know upfront! =)

About six months ago, a friend of mine recommended this book to me: Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. She had recently become pregnant and she was telling me that before that process ever began, she found the book to be extremely helpful and educational in more ways than just understanding a woman’s fertility. At the time I put that thought on hold but a few weeks ago my curiosity lead me to look it up on amazon. When I saw that there were OVER 1,000 five star reviews I just HAD to know what I was missing out on. I ordered my used copy for $4 and as soon as it arrived, in all of its 458 page glory, I began to read.

At first I was slightly skeptical because I’ve heard people talk about using the “natural method” of birth control but it never seemed to do the job (if you know what I mean). But now after reading the book, I would love to have a conversation if not confrontation with some of them to see if they were actually DOING what the book says.

All this to say that after being on the pill for 4 years, Cade and I have decided that we want to give my body a break from those hormones. Even if you aren’t considering changing the form of birth control you currently use, I would highly recommend this book simply to understand and appreciate your body more.

It is an excellent read and it will expand your concept of how awesome our Creator is too!

Christmas 2009 – Indiana/Nisly style

This Christmas was spent with my side of the family – the Nislys to be specific. Ever since I was a little girl, my dad’s family has gotten together every three years. The siblings and grandkids (and now great-grandkids) live all over the US so it’s hard to have everyone travel much more than that. But we sure have a lot of fun when everyone is there. Many of my dad’s side had still never met Cade, so it was high time we made an appearance.

On the way to Indiana, I traveled up with my parents and Beth and Saulo to Illinois to visit my mom’s parents, who now live beside her younger sister. Duane, Lili and the boys came the last afternoon and spent a few hours there as well. Cade drove up to Indiana the day before Christmas since he had to work that whole week.

One of the highlights from our time in Illinois was when my aunt remembered a toy that my mom gave their family when we moved to Ecuador. This was probably my favorite toy growing up: a race track of sorts for marbles. Needless to say, Adrian and Jonathan were entertained for HOURS!

Once we got to Indiana, we were given the keys to a friend’s duplex. Saulo, Beth, Cade and I got to stay there by ourselves and had a jolly time talking and playing games into the wee hours of the morning. Both Saulo and Cade came away with renewed motivation for learning English and Spanish.

And it snowed!

The whole weekend was great, even though it was overwhelming because there were so many people there (around 80-90 I think.) Food was good. Talk was great and getting to show off my husband was the best!

While were in Goshen, we also got to meet up with my dear friend Shivy and her husband, Jeremy. I have missed having her close by. It’s hard to believe that it has been more than 10 years since we lived together in Ecuador and shared so many things.

Back in Nashville…

Cade and I had every intention of exchanging Christmas gifts this year… but it came and went without them. We talked about it a lot, and I am thankful that at least we are on the same page: when we need or want something throughout the year, we discuss it and then buy it. But it’s hard to go out and spend money for the sake of doing it when we have things, like a) a trip to Italy or b) a fence, that we are saving for instead. Cade’s parents however are WONDERFUL at giving gifts. So when we got our Christmas money, we decided that a shopping trip for a few new clothes was in order. We now both have a few great new pieces to add to our wardrobes. How fun!

P.S. Express is currently having a pretty good sale on sweaters and tops. That’s where I spent most of my $$. Thanks again Momma and Poppa T!

Slacker

Yup. That’s me.

I haven’t updated my blog as I normally do and I honestly think the biggest reason is because I’m embarrassed. Yup. I made a commitment to photograph 365 days of my life and somewhere around Thanksgiving I gave up. There. I said it. I haven’t wanted to admit that because I hate not following through.

Oh, well. If I could go back and change my lazy attitude that took over, I would. But it’s done now.

I have also been really busy with a photographers conference this last weekend and I am SO excited about this year. I have a renewed passion and new ideas for how to continue to improve what I offer.

I’ll write some more of that later, but I wanted to at least break the silence. =)

Basement Apartment – Improvements #2

Over the last few weeks we have been working hard to get our basement apartment ready for our new tenant. We started by replacing all of the windows and the main door. Then we repainted the entire basement plus all of the wood paneling in the living room/kitchen area that used to be a light green color (chosen by our previous tenant). This time we chose a neutral, light tan color for the walls and bright white for the trim.

My dad even got in on the action so that I could take 2 days off and travel with them to Illinois before Christmas. (Thanks again Dad for all of your amazing help!)

When we got back from Indiana, I finished up the white trim and then cleaned the apartment before we had our house appraised. We are working towards canceling the PMI we pay monthly on our mortgage. I’ll let you know as soon as we find out the details about that.

Here it is with the new paint and updates:

Cade put some nice trim around the top of the bar area and I had a lot of fun caulking it in. In fact, after I worked on the windows too I decided that caulkin’ should be my new profession ’cause I have some hot skillz. =)

The bedroom.

Bathroom. (Don’t forget to notice the new windows!)

We are pretty excited about how it turned out. Each year we keep making it better! =)