"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7
"Not only will He never leave you--that's the negative side of the promise--but He cares for you. He is not just there with you. He cares for you. His care is constant--not occasional or sporadic. His care is total--even the very hairs of your head are numbered. His care is sovereign--nothing can touch you that He does not allow. His care is infinitely wise and good so that again in the words of John Newton, 'If it were possible for me to alter any part of his plan, I could only spoil it.'"

--Jerry Bridges, Trusting God, p.199

I needed this today...and I could use your prayers. I have a nursing exam next Thursday, and I'm really overwhelmed by the material.

Mexico 2011

I promised this post over a month ago, and am just now getting around to it...but I hope you all enjoy it despite the delay!

On January 2nd, we stepped onto a plane and exchanged snowy Ohio for sunny and warm Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico!!!! My whole family went, and my dad's parents joined us as well. We had a wonderful time together! I opted not to take my SLR with me on vacation (part of me regrets that, but it was probably for the best), so unfortunately these pictures are taken with my point and shoot instead...

Our resort was HUGE! We all agreed it was actually a little bit too big, because it was very easy to get lost. It had 2 wave pools, a waterslide, a lazy river ride that turned into a rapid river every afternoon, and at least a dozen other pools. We enjoyed lounging by the pools and hanging out on the beach every day.

view from the balcony

pictures from the pools and beach :D

 On thing that we loved about this vacation is that we didn't stay at an all inclusive resort like we normally do. This gave us a chance to catch a taxi to some really cool, authentic restaurants every evening.

I think I had my camera out at dinner more than any other time.

A week of Mexican food? YES PLEASE!

The only meal not enjoyed so much is the 2nd down on the left...

Grandma lost her appetite when it came out =P

One of our favorite things that we did during our week long stay was ziplining. We got on a bus that took us up into the mountains. From there we were all given the different gear that we needed, and we started on a hike to the first zipline. We had a blast! The longest zipline was 1/4 of a mile, and the highest was over 100 feet up! It was pretty incredible to be able to look down while riding one across and see the rivers and trees below us. The guides were really fun and had us hanging upside down while zooming from one platform to the next. 

After our ziplines brought us down the mountains, we put on bathing suits and went swimming in a mountain river. The rocky sides of the river had super slick, short slides carved into them that shot us out about 10 feet above the water. The plunge into the icy river took our breath away, but was SO fun! Grace and Ian even enjoyed it, although Mom and Dad didn't even give it a try =P The little guys also really enjoyed the vast array of animals that they could pet. They had everything from bunnies to huge lizards *shudders* to monkeys. All in all, it was a really awesome day.

<3 my family <3

We greatly enjoyed our week, but were happy to come home and sleep in our own beds :D Our flight got delayed on the way home, making Jacob and I not such happy campers on having to get up for our first day of school, but it was very uneventful compared to last time we flew home from Mexico (I single handedly held up the plane for an hour and a half that time...but that's a story for another day =P), so no complaints here :D Despite our wishes, the snow was still here when we got home...but the memories from our week of warmth and sun are getting us through the remaining months of winter!

Forever.

On February 13, 2006, my Uncle Dennis, Aunt Barb, and their 2 sons- Paul and Kevin- met the new addition to their family. They had traveled to China a few weeks prior and finally the day that they had been waiting for had come! Little Leah was finally in their arms!
Now, 5 years later, it seems that there was not a day that Leah was not a part of our family. We all love her so very much and can't imagine life without her. These 5 years have flown by and Leah has adjusted so well. I took a trip back in time today to take a look at some pictures and blogging of my aunt and uncle's trip to bring Leah home. You can view their story by following this link.

This is the first picture that any of us saw of Leah
(age 14 months).

this was an updated picture that was sent a few months before the trip to China.
She was 23 months old at the time this was taken. 

Ephesians 1:5, a verse that many of us are familiar with, says "He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will." Today is Leah's Forever Day. For me, it's a wonderful reminder that I am forever a child of Christ. In comparing our adoption as sons and daughters of God with Leah's adoption, I find the wording of this passage wonderful. The passage doesn't say "because you measure up to all of His standards, God has adopted you." If that was so, none of us would be good enough to be His. But instead, the passage says that we were chosen through Christ according to the purpose of His will. He chose us before the foundations of the earth to be His own dear children. Leah had done nothing to gain the love of her family; they loved her even before they knew her. She was brought into their family because she was helpless and abandoned, and they wanted to give her a Christian home and family. In the same way, we have done nothing to deserve God's love. We are nothing without Him, can do nothing without Him. But that's what makes this love so amazing! It's unconditional love! No matter how we fail, He will never abandon us. And just as Leah never seems to have not been a part of our family, so it is for us when we are grafted into God's family. No matter what age we are when we are brought into this family, it's as if we had always been there.

Previously in the 1st chapter of Ephesians, we read "In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory. 13In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory."  Just as the little child, Wu Ke Fu, now bears the name of Leah Kefu McMichael, showing that she is a part of our family, we are marked with a seal of the Spirit. We are no longer who we once were; we are now heirs to the convenant in Christ Jesus! Praise the Lord for His great mercy!!!! 

Leah, Grace, and Ian <3

Leah and her family :D

Opening Christmas gifts.

Happy Birthday Ian!!!

February 10th at 1:29; that's what time I told Ian he had to wait till until he could say he was 7. I wanted him to stay 6 as long as possible. He's growing up so fast. I don't want to let go of the sweet little guy who tells me he loves me and that I'm the best big sister in the world. The adorable kiddo who gives hugs and kisses any time they're asked for. My Ian who won't go to bed until he says to whomever tucks him in "I love you, you're the best. Have a nice night, don't let the bedbugs bite. O, and what's for breakfast (he always needs to know!)?" So we came to a compromise. He could turn 7, if he wouldn't stop doing all those things!

The day and the hour came...Ian turned SEVEN yesterday!

I remember when my parents told us the news that he was coming. It was mid-June. We had all gone out to dinner one night at one of our favorite restaurants, Bennigans. Afterwards, the plan was to go shopping for Grace's 2nd birthday presents, even though she was with us. Dad started of the conversation with "So, you know how we were planning on going to the beach next fall? Well, we decided that we're going to go this fall instead."

Mom took over the conversation from there, "We think it'll be best, because it's not always easy taking a 6-month old to the beach!"

I cried that day. I remember at one point talking quietly with Jacob, and the tears just started falling. It didn't seem real, but we were oh-so-happy! I told my daddy that day that I'd been praying for this. God answered our prayers for Grace, and I just knew He could do it again. And so I prayed...prayed that mom would have another baby, and if God wouldn't mind, this time a boy.

It's so hard to believe that 7 years ago Dad took Mom to the doctor's office, who then sent her quickly to the hospital because she was so far along (with instructions to my dad on how to deliver the baby in the car!). I sat at home that day and watched Grace, and waited...and waited...and waited some more, until dad finally came and picked us up and took us to the hospital. I remember holding him for the first time. Our sweet little guy, such a precious gift that God had given us. Ian James McMichael, affectionately know and Bub and Eeeny-Meeny (shortened just to Eeeny most of the time) brings so much joy into our house!

Reading a card from mom and dad.

My gift to him were walkie-talkie watches
they ran around the house all day yesterday with these!

97 Years and 3 Days

It was a crazy weekend and I neglected this post...but since it's too important just to pass over, I'm doing it a few days late.

I stole this picture from my cousin who lives in SC ;P

Saturday was my great-grandma's 97th birthday!!!!! She's an amazing lady and we are all so very blessed that she is in our lives!!!! The photo below is part of the family that she has been such a blessing to! 

photo credits to my Uncle Raymond (http://www.rbphotostudio.net/)

                                      

These Kids Crack Me Up!

You Learn Something New...

You learn something new every day. Yesterday's lesson was that I'm too happy :D

Mhmmmm! I was having a conversation with one of my nursing professors today in lab. I told her how one of my other instructors told me that I never seem to be paying attention in class, which isn't (usually) true. I thoroughly enjoy my nursing classes and try my hardest to get everything out of them that I can. 

"Well, I have to tell you," my professor today said, "that when you first started in my class last semester, I didn't think you were paying attention either. You always have a smile on your face...nursing students aren't supposed to be so cheerful with all the stress they're under, so I just assumed you weren't even listening to me and that your mind was somewhere else! It wasn't until I started asking questions and you started answering them, and I started seeing your test scores, that I realized that you really and truly to listen to what I'm saying. 

I finished up what I was doing in lab and headed out to my car. I opened the door (almost falling over in the process because it was frozen shut), climbed into the driver's seat, and pulled the mirror down. I looked at myself in it and tried to make a straight face. I failed. *Shrugs* I guess I'll have to live with a cheery disposition my whole life, even if it does give people a false impression that I'm not listening sometimes :P But let me tell ya, it's a whole lot better than being miserable every day!

And as a random side note, I've also learned through nursing school that I'm fun to tease :P The girls in my clinical group call me the "baby" because I'm the youngest student in the nursing program. They always tell me to plug my ears when they're talking about something that they claim is over my head, haha. Yesterday we were practicing putting in IVs during lab, and discussing how we could practice more at home.
              "Ashley, you can go practice on your stuffed animals!"
              My sarcastic comeback?  "Nope, I got rid of all those when I turned 18!"
              One of my classmates looked at me and said "O, ok! That was, what, yesterday?"

Feeling Like A Little Kid Again

I got to spend yesterday with my wonderful friend, Angela :D We huddled up by the heater and talked the afternoon away. Peter arrived home from work around 5, and we all had dinner together. Somehow during dinner we started talking about how the younger Hopkins boys had been sledding off the garage roof. Peter pulled up this video from a few years ago and we got a good laugh out of it. Then Angela suggested that we call Gabriel and ask if we could join them for some 'sledding.' So we did!

The boys were so kind as to pour a bucket of water on one section of the roof to make it nice and slick for us =) I can't tell you how long it's been since I've had that much fun sledding, and I've certainly never done it off a roof!