The Skeens

A Sweet Season

2012-01-14T17:13:00.011-06:00

Okay…..an update is so long overdue! Well, we’ve begun our 2012 year by hitting the ground running! I realized when looking at my last post that I haven’t posted anything since we’ve been pregnant! So I’ll backtrack and give the whole past 8 months in a slightly detailed nutshell J

On July 18, 2011 of last summer, Michael and I found out that we were, quite surprisedly, pregnant with our first baby! We were blown away for a little while, but as the realization began to sink in, we shifted our focus of things and immediately began to prepare for parenthood! This has taken a host of shapes and forms in the past several months. It’s been such a joy to register for baby things and work to figure out nursery colors and themes, all of that has been so exciting, but that truly pales in comparison with our spiritual preparation. Because our baby girl is a surprise gift from the Lord (and one we are daily more blessed by, challenged by, and immensely thankful for), our mentality shifted quickly rather than having some time of thought to slowly shift to “parenting 101.” Lol. As we began to pray, search Scripture, and carefully select reading material that will point us to Scripture and validate God’s Word regarding parenting, we found ourselves being consistently stretched by the Lord as He began to work in our hearts an understanding the weight of what He’s entrusting to us. Biblical parenting is an immense responsibility that seems daunting (because it is J) but because it was God working in us to prepare us for this step that He had clearly directed for us, we’ve seen His daily grace richly lavished upon us as we discuss everything from deep issues regarding our responsibility as parents as laid out in Scripture (particularly Ephesians 6:4), our approach to discipline (Proverbs is full of direction on that front) and what it will mean for us to “train her in the instruction of the LORD” (Eph. 6:4). We’ve are so privileged by the Lord that He would entrust this child into our care – and give us the sole responsibility of training her to know Him, know her need of Him, and pray fervently that she will see that need and receive his gracious gift of salvation. How weighty does that sound? Quite. But we are witnesses of his daily grace as He has worked in our hearts to prepare us and even to graciously reveal areas of sin that we each must Scripturally address and “work on” (Eph. 4:24-26) if we are going to be faithful, biblical parents.

We have been encouraged and convicted by several biblical resources that do a fantastic job of clearly representing Scripture and using it as the source of direction on how to parent rather than incorporating man-made systems infused with a worldly approach that isn’t faithfully accurate to Scripture. Below is a list of some of the resources we’ve enjoyed and look forward to working through together in the coming months.

- The Faithful Parent – Stuart Scott and Martha Peace

- Teach them Diligently – Lou Priolo

- Give them Grace – Elyse Fitzpatrick

- Big Truths for Young Hearts – Bruce A. Ware

So that’s been the bulk of our approach to our baby’s arrival. Working on our hearts and getting ready for the task of being daddy and mommy J Some of the more practical preparation has been a blast as well: like registering and preparing her nursery. J Yes, our first baby is a girl! Much to my surprise! I was certain we were having a boy, but we confirmed on November 1, 2011, that our tiny little life inside was indeed a baby daughter! How humbling it’s been to prepare for her arrival, to pray for her physical growth, to pray for her spiritual condition and that God would graciously draw her to Him in saving faith! We’ve enjoyed each step! By God’s grace, we also decided on her name: Abigail Grace Skeen. She’s due March 22, 2012 and we’re excitedly counting down the days J

We did have quite a bit of excitement, to put it mildly, on Christmas day of 2011. I was just shy of 7 months and began having very regular contractions early that morning. So, we spend part of our Christmas morning in the Granbury Medical Center ER! They hooked me up to a fetal monitor and checked on Abigail. She was just fine, thankfully! They attributed by contractions to stress and dehydration. With a promise that I would stay off my feet and takes things slow and guzzle a TON of water – they released me after a few hours of tlc there in the OB wing. J Since then, we’ve been able to talk with and see my own doctor who confirmed that I have not begun to dilate (praise the LORD) and that I certainly need to take things slow and remain as stress-free as I can. But, other than that, and with regular two-week testing to make sure I’ve not begun pre-term labor, we’ve begun the year as gingerly as possible. J

On another front, this weekend has been a particularly busy one. God has graciously provided a rental house for us to make into our home as we become a family of 3! We’re so excited and grateful for His provision in this. Preparing the house and actually moving is an entirely momumental task, but God has been helping us each day with that, as well! This weekend’s focus has been painting the ENTIRE interior of the house. Painting the house was part of our rental agreement, and it’s been exciting to pick wall colors and begin the process of “nesting.” Actually painting has been a challenge though. Thankfully, my wonderful mom, who is a pro at painting, graciously came out this weekend, and she and Michael, along with several sweet friends from our LifeGroup at church, have been steadily cracking away at the task! (I love to paint, but I can’t be on my feet for long periods of time – another means of keep contractions at bay – and I can’t subject tiny baby Abigail to the paint fumes) so my part in this stopped with the color selection and has continued on with regular prayer for them as they tackle this HUGE task. They are over at the house now, trying to finish things up tonight!

So that brings me to my next topic of discussion - Michael. My husband has been such a clear picture of Jesus Christ throughout the past several weeks. During my ER trip, incorporating all the life changes we’ve had to in order to keep me rested and relaxed, getting the paint and painting the WHOLE house, preparing to pack up and move (yes, we’re doing that in TWO weeks!), preparing to take me to our baby shower in Granbury this coming weekend (thankfully the doctor has cleared me for travel one last time before Abbie arrives), and everything in between! God has been graciously equipping Michael with all that he needs to stand up under the weightiness of our life right now, and I have been so abundantly blessed at Michael’s leadership, his peaceful and trusting attitude in the LORD, his diligence each day to make sure I’m taking it easy, his practical help in and around our home for daily tasks and moving preparation. Through all of it, he has remained gracious, patient, loving, hopeful, joy-filled, and Christ – exemplifying. I’ve been so humbled by his attitude and his gracious way of living through all of the ups and downs we’ve encountered! He’s going to be such a wonderful father. Not because he has it all figured out, but because he’s humble – recognizing his need for the Lord and faithfully searching God’s Word to find and apply the Scripture needed to help him be the godly husband and father God has called him to be, the kind of husband and father he wants to be. The longer we’re married, the more I see how gracious God has been to bless me with my husband. What a gift!

The next few weeks hold a few more milestones for us to get through – and we’re trusting the Lord for each step (and packed boxJ). February should be a relatively relaxing month. We’re working hard to keep it that way. Some of our anticipations for February include:

- Finishing Abigail’s nursery preparations (I’ll post all about her nursery and the color scheme we decided on soon, then I’ll post pictures of the finished result)

- Celebrating several birthdays (including mine)

- Unpacking!!!

- Taking our birthing class at the hospital

- And Praying the contractions stay at bay until March – then she can come J

So that’s the Skeen update in nutshell! We’re just past the 30 week mark, so only 10 more weeks to go! We’ll be 8 months in about 1 ½ weeks and I can hardly believe it! I’ve begun to experience enough discomfort at this point in the game to be ready for the end to get here quickly, but I’ve been learning how to have a patient and joy-filled heart during the waiting and I’m thankful for God’s daily grace. J

I’ve included just a few pictures from our Christmastime. After several days of rest and constant hydration I was finally feeling well enough to get on my feet and my sister graciously agreed to take a few maternity pictures for us! Here are a few:

Looking forward to being a more faithful blogger this year and documenting Abbie’s first year! Thanks for checking in. Check back soon for more details about her nursery and what God is doing in our lives!

May the God of Hope fill you with all Joy and Peace as you Trust in Him!

Michael, Kate, and Abigail J

Friendship and Fellowship!

2011-06-27T10:31:00.012-05:00

So - the past few weeks have been busy, busy ones......and we're not through the fire yet! Thankfully busy, in this case, has also equaled FUN! We've been enjoying visiting with family and friends in the past few weeks.

First, we recently drove home to Granbury to visit with my family. My brother, Taylor, got married a few weekends ago on June 18th. The wedding was beautiful! It took place at the Dallas Arboretum Gardens and it was so wonderful to watch he and my sister-in-law, Nia, make their commitments to each other! We enjoyed the chance to catch up with family! Such a blessing!

After the wedding, we rushed back from Dallas in time for me to get to a baby a shower! My dearest and oldest friend, Jenny, is expecting her first baby! Jen's husband, Jason, was our wedding photographer last year! These are such dear friends of ours and we are thrilled for them as they anticipate becoming parents to their sweet baby girl, Anna Kate. The shower was a great time of fellowship and laughter! Jen and Jason were blessed with a lot of gifts to prepare for their Anna Kate needs :)

I was particularly blessed my the devotion given by a dear friend and mentor, Lisa Palmer. Lisa's husband, Keith, married us last year, and they have been a dear source of love and encouragement in our lives. I was very challenged by a lot of what she spoke on in terms of how motherhood is a stretching time that God uses to reveal idols in our hearts. I am so thankful to observe and learn as I watch other dear friends experience parenting before us! What a gift from the Lord to see other learn and grow in their love for the Lord and their dependence upon him - such an example. I was so thankful for this!

After the shower, we went home and collapsed from such a busy day!! We enjoyed the rest of our time at home with mom and dad and sarah, and I was able to go over to Jen's parents house on Monday and catch up with her and some of the fam! What a gift of time that was to me!

Then we loaded up and hit the road...and Sarah came too! She came out to visit last week and we had such a good time watching the Masterpiece Series of Charles Dickens' "Little Dorrit." Or at least we tried to watch it.....the discs were pretty scratched up and the disc would pause or skip at the most crucial parts of the movie. After trying Peanut Butter and not fully succeeding, we went to the most informed source about these things......google :)

There we discovered that furniture polish is better known to do the trick. We tried that....and google did not fail! The furniture polish worked like a charm and we were able to see Amy Dorrit finally unite in marriage with Arthur Clennam - for those of you who haven't seen this series, it's well worth the watch! And no, I did not spoil the ending just then....it's obvious from the beginning of the movie!

Sarah went home a few days later and this past weekend we caught up on house cleaning! YAY! Michael was not as enthusiastic as I was - but he was such a champ and definitely helped out!

Now its Monday and we have a fairly short week with a long weekend ahead of us - particularly long for Michael. He's heading into Dallas on Wednesday afternoon to meet up with Michael DeGroat and the rest of the groomsman for Michael's wedding! Michael (Skeen) is the Best Man in Michael's wedding and so he's heading in early to be apart of preparations and to throw Michael's Bachelor Party. I'm heading that way on Thursday afternoon in time for the Rehearsal Dinner and then the Wedding on Friday evening. On Saturday, we're heading back to my parents to celebrate the Fourth of July!

So......those are the most immediate plans for the Skeen household. We've also been implementing some goals for ourselves that we're slightly daunted by, but excited about nonetheless. I'm going to tell you about my goals...but I'm gonna have Michael tell you more about his! (He could explain them so much better than I can anyway!)

For me: I've begun preparations to FINALLY begin my NANC training. I've been anticipating working through this certification process for the past few years. I think we're going to get the ball rolling this year. Through this trianing program, I will be working toward my Biblical Counseling Certification. I'm really excited about everything I'm going to be learning and how I'll be stretched spiritually and academically through this endeavor. For those of you who haven't heard of NANC before, it stands for the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors. For more info, visit their website, it's pretty convicting!

I've ordered a few books to begin studying, and they should arrive today! I'm looking forward to the challenge!

Well, thats about it for now. I'm looking forward to more pictures and information to post after our wedding/4th of July Celebration this weekend!

Thanks for dropping by! And on a more serious note, I want to encourage each of you to pursue God's Word more deeply. This is something He's been working in my heart about. Studying and Knowing God's Word is the foremost and primary way that He will speak to our hearts, convict us of sin, and make us more like Him. It is only through knowledge of His Word that we gain greater knowledge of Him. Scripture is the tool by which we are made to know who God is, who we are in correspondence to Him, how desperately we need a Savior, and how to receive in faith the greatest gift ever offered.

"The unfolding of your Word gives light, it gives understanding to the simple" Psalm 119:130

May you know to joy of being kept in the Love of Christ!

Michael and Katie

It's Summertime again :)

2011-06-14T23:38:00.020-05:00

Hello All!

I promised a recent post and here it is! Since my last post a few things have changed in the Skeen home :)

First, we've celebrated our First Year of Marriage! God has been so gracious and faithful to us in this first year! We've learned so many things about ourselves, each other, and we've seen God's faithfulness in new and deeper ways! To celebrate our anniversary, we went to San Antonio for a week. We spent time on the Riverwalk, we drove into the Texas hill country, we went and saw the new Pirates movie (thoughts?), and....we shopped! We completely finished our Christmas shopping (well...almost). It's the most ahead I've ever been when it comes to Christmas gifts - we're thrilled :)

Our time in San Antonio was refreshing. We were able to focus on time alone with the Lord and just to recharge and focus on each other. Such a wonderful gift of time the Lord gave us down there. While we were there, we happened

upon this amazing restaraunt: The Guenther House. The Guenther house is actually built inside (and outside) the preserved old house of the family who started the Pioneer Flour mill. It was so neat to learn about a piece of history I didn't know about before (I'm the huge histo

ry buff in our family....thank you, Drs. Kubricht and Johnson for inspiring my love for history :). Not only

was the history neat, but the food was INCREDIBLE!!!! I think we took more pictures of our plates than we did of ourselves :) Here are a few pictures from our trip as a whole:

We went to Gruene and Wimberley, Tx, in the hill country and we definitely enjoyed the food out there as well.....can you sense a primary theme of our trip....yum!

Another major change in our home is that I have stopped working in the Admissions Office at LeTourneau. This was a prayerful decision that was a long time coming. My time in Admissions was so valuable. In many ways, God used my time there to teach me a lot about what team work looks like and how to be a team player. He also taught me a lot about myself - how much I need Him in every task and situation, especially when I'm working in a roll I am not naturally inclined toward. Also during my employment there, God taught me a lot about reliance upon Him for grace and for strength to get through challenging times. He really taught me how to value my home and husband even more. As time passed, Michael and I really noticed how the stress of that particular position wore on me health-wise and prevented me from caring for my home and my husband and keeping those as greater priorities than work. We had several conversations and seasons of prayer and we sought God's Will and direction in this. Finally, we knew it was time for me to look for something less time consuming and straining. We began to pray for God's provision. Within a week of beginning applications I had an interview lined up with a sweet Christian family here in Longview. They had just recently moved to the area and they were looking for someone to nanny their little baby. We interview with them and enjoyed that time of fellowship immensely! They offered me the job a few days later and we accepted! God worked out all of the details of this situation so wonderfully! He humbled me with his provision and timing! I finished my time at LeTourneau, went on vacation, then came back and began nannying. So thankful for the needed change. I'm enjoying nannying very much! I've already been stretched in new ways and I see God using this new situation to teach me more about who He is and how He's created me to have a need for Him, in small and big ways! So thankful for His grace and presence.

Those are the biggest changes in our home at this point. Life continues on as normal and I find new joy, each day, in having my time with the Lord and in serving my husband. Speaking of Michael, he came home the other day with a story that humbled me incredibly and taught me to admire and respect the man of Christ that Michael truly is.

A few days ago, Michael came home a bit later than normal. When he did, he told me this story: He had been driving home when he noticed a man on the side of the road walking in the heat with a gas can. God really convicted Michael's heart to help this man, so Michael turned around and asked if he needed a ride to a gas station. His car had broken down and he had pushed it out of traffic all by himself and was walking to try and get gas. The man accepted Michael's offer and got in the car. (PS - This is not like us, to pick up a stranger on the side of the road - when I heard Michael share that he did this, I was shocked! He is all about safety and caution. I knew that God's Spirit was really leading Michael in this for his to have been willing to do something so out of the ordinary). During their ride back from the station to the man's car, Michael started talking to him about Christ. He ended up talking about how so many people claim Christianity, but it's really a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that means something. The man shared with Michael that he knows the Lord and wants to follow Him. Before he got out of the car, Michael prayed with this man. With this complete stranger! My husband prayed that he would draw close to God and lean on him for strength and grace. The man got out, thanked Michael for his help, and was gone. By the end of Michael's story I was in tears. His humility and willingness to obey God's Spirit to help someone in need was humbling enough, but his gentle boldness to talk about Christ and pray with this man threw me over the edge! I was so proud of my husband for his obedience to the Lord and for his boldness for the gospel. Such an example!

On another Michael-note, he's doing well! He keeps busy at work. He's also begun to set new, more challenging goals for himself at work to improve his understanding of other areas of the company. I'm so proud of his willingness to work hard. He is such a wonderful provider and leader in our home :)

I recently became a busy-bee and created a little garden, of sorts. I've been really wanted to pot some plants to have outside our front door. This past week, I went ahead and bought some flowers to pot. They've been doing really well. I water then every day and they just bloom and bloom. I'm so thankful!

Well....that's about all we have for now. We're heading home to Granbury this weekend to spend some time with family and with my dearest childhood friend, Jenny, who is coming in for a visit :) Hopefully my posts will be more frequent and regular!

May the Peace of Christ richly dwell within you,

Michael and Katie

Brand New in Every Way

2011-01-22T19:31:00.022-06:00

Hello Friends!

Well I will humbly admit the obvious.....I am a terribly inconsistent blogger :) Life is a busy thing, and we have had a lot of life and a lot of busy lately! Still it's been good, and this new year was toasted in with thankfulness and anticipation for what God is going to do with and for us in 2011!

Some Holiday highlights:

We were blessed to spend Christmas with Michael's family down in the Houston area! It was great to be with family and have the chance to see most all of Michael extended family as well! This was a huge gift in and of itself to have to chance to catch up with everyone! Michael's granddaddy was admitted to the hospital during Thanksgiving time, but had recently been moved into a rehabilitation facility shortly before Christmas! We were able to see him a number of times, and we're thankful for the progress he's making there! God has been very gracious to Granddaddy and we're thankful for his heart that wants to serve the Lord and be a fighter :)

Something else we were thankful for during the Christmastime was a chance to visit with our sweet little nephew, Matthew, who isn't so little anymore. Such a chunky little guy :) He is such a pleasant and happy baby! He loves to laugh and smile and his dimples are the cutest thing! We enjoyed getting a more lengthened bonding time with him for the week we were there!

Of course the best thing about Christmas was celebrating the birth of Christ. I was reminded of the great sacrifice and love on God's part to send His Son to earth and of the young women God chose to be the mother of Jesus. Mary's words humble me, "I am the bondservant of the LORD, let it be done to be according to your word" (Luke 1:38). How few are the moments when I look at the scenes of my life and utter with my heart those words of trust, commitment, and faith.

Something else we had a chance to enjoy while in Houston was a Christmas photo shoot with Michael's dad! Rick is such a gift photographer! We enjoyed braving the cold to get some good "Our First Married Christmas" shots taken :) Here are a few!

After our time with Michael's family, we made our way through some of Texas' smallest "towns" (if a dairy farm and a tumbleweed can be called a town :) and headed north-west toward my hometown, Granbury. We spent the New Year's Holiday with my family :)

We had a blast hanging out at home catching up with family and drinking tea (well, I enjoyed the tea, Michael not really a "tea and crumpets" kind of guy :) Michael and my dad enjoyed their time at a local shooting range with target practice and Michael's pistol. Mom and Sarah and I enjoyed our trip to the square for my needed visit to the PanHandle- the small and charming "gourmet kitchen tool shop" that I used to work in located on Granbury Square. We also visited the fabric shop where I picked out some fabric to make some throw pillows for our home :)

We were able to spend some time visiting with my brother and sister and each of their groups of little ones. Kids grow up so quickly - it reminds me of how fleeting life truly is and how much we must cherish the time God graciously gives and choose to use it for His glory!

After the New Year, we headed home, back to Longview. We unpacked and stocked up on groceries, and then headed back to work. Recently we had a mini "ice storm" here in East Texas and so my wonderful, Mr. Swepco of a husband was called into work one Saturday to prepare for the snow/ice storm ahead. Thankfully, the storm didn't hit Longview too hard, but Michael still had to put in about 14 hours of work over the weekend. Here are some pictures of the snow:

This season for me at work has been a busy one with the New Year. Our major Preview Events take place at the beginning of the Year, so it's been a crazy time training new tour guides to give campus tours, scheduling individual visits for future students, and registering the students planning on visiting campus for our Preview events. This past Thursday and Friday were the days of our Engineering Preview. We had about 50 students visiting with their families. All in all we had an additional 130 or so extra people on campus. This was a really neat experience for me (minus the stress of getting the event pulled together) as I had the chance to meet students and parents who are praying about the next step and their college decision. In his preparation for one of his presentations, my boss showed me a part of the presentation he would be offering to the Preview Visitors. One slide caught my eye more than anything else: "Top Three Most Important Choices in Life: 1) Choice of Savior, 2) Choice of Spouse, and 3) Choice of College."

That first one is what really grabbed my attention: "CHOICE of Savior." I thought about who my Savior is and what it means to choose him for my own. What a mighty God I serve! Jesus Christ is the best thing about my whole life. From him, everything else has it's meaning. As I've been getting used to what it's like switching from single college student to married, full-time office employee, I've found myself jostled a bit in the mix as I've been learning how to balance things in life and how to be like Christ in the process.

I so appreciate my husband and his wise council and leadership that he uses to lead me to look at the Word and God and live it out in all things. I appreciate Michael's leading in establishing financial goals for us to meet this year and his initiative in helping us search for a church family. I thank God daily for Michael's godliness and leadership in my life and in our home. After Christ, I have no other delight than to serve and bless my husband, and no greater supporter and encourager than in him!

As I've been getting used to working full time, God has been teaching me how to value what is best and most important. To remember that my work, though valuable, beneficial, and fun, at times, is temporary in comparison with my home and what God calls me to be producing and maintaining there. What things I help my home to flourish in are things that have eternal value. I have the privilege of being a homemaker because I am Michael's wife. Our home is meant to be a place where Jesus is Lord, where love, joy, and peace are the tones and attitudes of the atmosphere and where Michael and I may find rest and security from the waves of life. Our home is where God wants my heart focused, even if I am physically working outside of it for a time. Our home is one of my focused projects for this year. Learning to cultivate a place of rest, where Jesus is the heart of focus, where food and sleep and fun are enjoyable and a blessing. I've enjoyed making those throw pillows and baking cookies for my husband :)

Something else God has been teaching me is how to be a godly employee; how to value my work and how to interact with the people I work with. God has been teaching me what it means to love the people I work with by choosing to be like Christ no matter what. No matter how uncomfortable or unpopular that may seem, I'm learning to put off any thought or worry of myself and instead do my work as though working for God and not for man, knowing that God has placed me in this time and this place not just to complete daily tasks and be paid for it, but more importantly to stretch and challenge me to display the life of Christ in my life while at work.

I've been learning to how to do my job well, while also caring for the people that I work with and alongside. I've been learning how to pray for my co-workers and how to be the presence of the Lord in my office by choosing to live out God's Word by the power of His Spirit. I'm excited to see what new things God teaches me as I allow him to use me as his tool in the daily achievement of tasks as well as a tool in His hand to produce whatever eternal results he wants me to be a part of!

So, this year is categorized by a lot of new in the Skeen household. New year, new job, new time of life; new goals, new challenges, new things to overcome; new ways to obey, new area of growth, and new situations to enjoy! The only thing not new is the Savior that we have chosen. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is the constant in my life, the One who enables me to live selflessly to bless my husband, to work hard alongside Michael to meet the financial goals we've established together, to enjoy the challenges, to cherish the sweet moments at home, to pour out myself to serve others, to use my gifts to edify the body, and to grow into the image of God that has already been created "in righteousness and holiness of the truth" (Eph. 4:24). I am new creation; He is the same, steady, mighty, holy, sovereign God of all things. Nearly everything about our lives this year might be new, and I'm thankful for it, be it easy or difficult.However, the one thing that remains the same as it has ever been is Jesus Christ, who He is, and what He wants with my life: that "I make it my ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him." 2 Corinthians 5:9

Pray for us as we embark on 2011 and all the new, exciting, and challenging experiences and learning that await us!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope..........." (1 Peter 1:3)

Michael and Katie

Fall Time!

2010-10-28T21:20:00.005-05:00

Hello All!
I know it's been forever so I decided to post! This will be a quick post, just to catch everyone up on the latest news! We've been home to both parents visiting with them in the past few weeks, and that has been a SUPER blessing! We're noticing more and more how much we miss not being closer to our families. Still, we're enjoying our new married life here in Longview!

We've been prayerfully looking for a church to call home, I've been baking pumpkin bread, we've been carving pumpkins, drinking hot chocolate, rearranging all the furniture in every room of our home, watching movies, and laughing a lot!

We've been learning a lot too! God has been so very gracious to us! In addition to the individual lessons that we both seem to be learning (one specific thing for me is further Scripture memory :), as a couple we're growing in our trust for God's provision and for his timing of things. We're learning contentment that is filled with joy and thankfulness for where God has placed us right now. We're learning, still more, to live Scripturally in all things....looking to what God's Word says about life (and it has something to say about EVERYTHING), and then choosing to act on it rather than feelings. Marriage has been the greatest blessing of my life! How thankful I am for my wonderful husband who is such a godly leader! I love being his helper and watching him grow more and more into the image of Christ. His godliness is very humbling for me, and I find myself spurred on my his good example to love and serve the Lord more and focus on myself less!

So...that's us in a nutshell! We've got some other exciting things coming up for us this holiday season, but more about those things later!

"To those who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood,
May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure..... " (I Peter 1:2)

Michael and Kate

A Time to Grow........and Bake Bread :) August 2010

2010-08-06T12:23:00.031-05:00

Hello All!
Yes I'm back again with another belated update :) The past month has been a crazy one but filled with lots of fun and memories! Lately, Michael and I have undertaken the task of working in our office. Up until this point it was so full with boxes and other miscellaneous stuff that you could barely walk into the room! Now, after lots of team work and effort, its looking quite a bit better ;) Earlier for July 4th, we went home to Pearland to visit Michael's parents and family. While we were they, we had the opportunity to spend some time with our tiny nephew, Matthew! He's grown so much and is beginning to show more personality! His little laugh and smile are super precious :)

Later in the month we traveled home to visit with my family and celebrate my sister's 15th birthday! We enjoyed the time to spend with family and church family-friends. Its been a really long time since we've been home to visit either set of family just for the sake of being with family. The past year has been completely occupied with wedding planning, showers, pre-marital counseling visits and the wedding itself. It was so nice to just visit and enjoy being with our close family and friends just to be with them!

A few weeks after that, Michael's parents headed out this way to visit with us and see our new little home! They came during the weekend of the "Great Texas Balloon Race." This is an annual event every summer held in Longview which features hot air balloons and their pilots from all over the country. They come to Longview for a weekend to participate in various types of races and to show off the balloons in the evenings at the Gregg County Airport. Michael is on the Board of Directors for the event so he works this event every summer. His job is to be awake and available when the balloons are flying in the morning-time just in case one of them should get caught in some power lines. In that case, Michael is responsible for finding the balloon and calling the SWEPCO dispatch to come and try to safely get the pilots down and out of danger! Thankfully, no mishaps this year and all went well. Michael still had to wake up at 4:30 each morning though :) However, this year he got lucky! Michael's dad, Rick, is an avid photographer and quite gifted! Since Michael's parents were visiting, Rick woke up with Michael each morning to go photograph the balloons taking off for their races! One morning he even got to take a ride in a balloon and he got some great shots from that experience! To see some of his pictures, click here: http://bit.ly/btjNcj

We so enjoyed having them come visit! During the afternoon on Saturday, we went with them out to Shreveport, LA, to visit with Michael's Aunt and Uncle and cousins and got to enjoy boating on the lake! This was a new treat for me! I've never been tubing on a lake before, and it was SO MUCH FUN getting to ride the big inner-tube and get pulled along behind the boat! We both got a bit sunburned, but it was worth it!

Now that August has arrived we're laying low! We've been here, there, and everywhere for the past several months, that we're finally taking some time to just be home for some consecutive weekends, back-to-back, which is a luxury we still have not experienced since our marriage has begun!I'm finding that as the house gets more and more organized and things get put away that I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself during the day! This has been an interesting personal time of learning for me. God has been so faithful and good to teach me about how to trust Him more in His timing of things and how to discipline myself to be content with where He's placed me. Sometimes I find I'm tempted to complain of boredom, but God has been faithful to remind me that my focus is to be on Him and my goal is to please Him with my thoughts and attitude. Right now, God has provided time for me to be about my home developing it into a quiet place of rest and refuge for Michael to retreat to at the end of the day! What a privilege it is to work at laundry and dishes and organizing closets and cooking, knowing that my sweet husband is blessed by those efforts and that the Lord is delighted by my tasks! So, even though life may seem a bit slow at times, God is helping me to be thankful for this slow season, teaching me to "sit back and relax" and learn to go slower and learn how to rest and learn how to be content with a different kind of work, a different pace of learning. Yes, this is certainly a time to grow! A time to learn God's Word more and live it out in new ways, a time to study my husband more and seek to find new ways to bless and help him, a time to step back from everything else that would clammer its way into my life and make it too busy and instead take time to be still, to meditate, and to rest. God is very good and patient to teach me new things that I need to learn! I'm so thankful He is constant and steady!
During my days at home, I've begun to re-famliarize myself with old habits that I enjoyed before college made life so busy. I've been reading a lot more lately! Some books I've been reading are for fun and "down-time" and others are for growth and deeper study! I'm focusing on two books right now, although we have SO MANY BOOKS and our bookshelves are quite full! One book I've really been enjoying is a bible study on prayer by Susan Heck called "With the Master: On Our Knees." I have so enjoyed learning about different prayers throughout the bible and how to pray using God's Word. To look into it, click here: http://amzn.to/cthFhv
The other book I've been enjoying is called: "The Pemberley Chronicles" by Rebecca Ann Collins. This series is a spin off of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" and is written so well! For those of you who enjoy Jane Austen, you would most definitely enjoy this series as well! If you're interested, click here: http://amzn.to/bEpA2I

Another habit I've gotten used to again is baking! A few weeks ago I baked a Bumbleberry Pie for dessert time with some friends! It was so tasty!

My newest baking endeavor has been slightly more complex...and emotional :) My wonderful mother-in-law always baked homemade bread while Michael was growing up. During our dating time I got used to this wonderful bread whenever we were in Pearland visiting! Well, I've attempted many times in the past to get some of Pattie's bread starter and begin baking this bread myself, but I've always failed to actually get to the point of baking because my starter would always die! Mostly from my own negligence and lack of care in feeding it regularly (yes, I know, it does sound like its alive and living inside my refrigerator, because it IS!). This time, I've actually managed to make it past the first few steps and actually make the bread dough, let it rise overnight, separate it into its little loaf pans, and then rise again. I'm supposed to bake it tonight, so we'll see if its a success or not! I'm determined to learn how to do this bread the right way, even if it takes a million tries! Hopefully it will only take one and Michael will enjoy homemade bread tonight with supper :) I'll let you all know how that goes!

Let's see, the only other Skeen news I have to share is that we've recently been enjoying Netflix and all the movies it has to offer, and we have been hooked into this relatively new T.V. series called "White Collar" produced by the USA Network, the same producers of "Monk" and "Psych." The series has been really good so far! For those of you looking for a good "Dinner and a show" night, check out White Collar! http://bit.ly/16nNcI

Well, that's about all for now! I think I should really be better about more frequent posts that are less lengthy than a small novel :) I will make this promise though: our apartment is unpacked enough now that I will post pictures of our little home this weekend!
Until then, may your hearts long to please the Lord!
Michael and Katie

I have the joy, joy, joy.....

2010-06-20T21:00:00.015-05:00

Joy, a Webster definition: "the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good-fortune, or by the prospect of possessing what one desires, a state of happiness...." Joy. What is joy? People often associate joy with happiness, as though the two are interconnected, one and the same. This above description of joy seems well meaning at first glance, maybe, but in truth, if you look more closely, more deeply, you see that the whole focus of this definition is: self! How to be happy, wanting to feel happy, wanting to be satisfied by whatever you crave, whatever object or things makes you feel complete. How selfish! How sad that the world thinks this is all joy really is: an emotion or state of being when you have gained what you desire most, whatever that is, in order to secure your own happiness. I wonder, does it last? Is there merely one item or goal that each person desires and once they attain or achieve possession of it, then are they happy forever? I think not......

Joy, God's definition, courtesy of His Word: "a fruit of God's Spirit" (Gal. 5: 22), strength-providing: "the Joy OF THE LORD is your strength" (Num. 8:10), a state possessed when facing even the most terrifying of situations if trusting God for the outcome, knowing He will be glorified: " [Jesus] who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb 12: 2), the state of knowing and feeling joyful in response to the security found in God's power and the rest offered when trusting in Him alone, "But let those who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy...." (Ps. 5:11). An attitude that we are to choose to adopt in praise to God AT ALL TIMES, not only when we feel happy, "Rejoice in the LORD always, I will say it again, Rejoice!" (Phil. 4: 4), and a feeling of happiness and security that guards our hearts when we trust in God "May the God of hope FILL YOU with all joy and peace AS YOU TRUST IN HIM" (Rom 15:13).

Most importantly, joy is not about us! Joy is not self-generated (cannot be invoked or created by us by mere will), but is a gracious gift of God's Spirit. God's Joy provides us with strength, God's joy may be felt and found even in the most difficult of situations, and while joy is a gift of God and given through His Spirit, it is still an attitude that we must adopt, and position of our heart with the goal in mind to glorify God and not ourselves. Joy is NOT an emotion, although the world defines it that way. Joy may be accompanied by an emotion at times, or expressed as an emotion, but that is not what joy is. Joy is a gift. Joy is a spirit-enabled fruit of Christian sanctification, joy is an attitude we must discipline ourselves to adopt knowing that it is powered and provided by the Holy Spirit and not only of ourselves.

Joy is about God being glorified! Joy is about our hearts reflecting an attitude that pleases Him. Joy is about us not focusing on ourselves, our wants, or our ever-changing feelings or appetites, but it is rather about us pleasing the Lord, seeking to be like Jesus and not gratifying ourselves. Joy comes from obedience, regardless of whether life is pleasant or not. Joy is both given and practiced.

Joy is an attitude, a gift, a choice, and a reflection of God's own character being lived out in us by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit.

Noah Webster is widely acclaimed and known to be a smart, intellectual man. His dictionary of word definitions is impressive. However, his definition of joy is sadly lacking, uninformed, and incorrect.

Are you joyful? Do you seek to rejoice in God and who He is? Have you let him teach you how to find joy in Him? He alone is the true source of joy; nothing else satisfies like He does. True joy is only found in a relationship with Jesus Christ that leads a person to seek to bring God glory in every area of life, through every situation.

How thankful I am to have had the perfect example of a joy-filled and centered life. Jesus Christ lives out what true joy is.
"...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the JOY set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of god. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grown weary and lost heart." Hebrews 12:2-3

A life focused on Christ, one seeking to bring him glory and obey him, is one able to experience joy and be filled with it. only God's joy provides strength.

I encourage you to meditate of these truths of God's Word and examine your heart to see if you are willing to be joyful for God's glory!

Just another daily challenge that God brought to my heart and mind. I hope you will join me in cultivating true, God-given, joy!

May you be abundantly filled with God's Joy!

Michael and Katie

Delight Yourself in Me

2010-06-16T14:45:00.006-05:00

Hello Friends, This post is really just a tidbit of what God has been doing in my heart the past few days! A more traditional post will follow later, but for now, I've entitled this post after a famous bible verse, "Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart" Psalm 37:4. This verse is so rich! So many people misunderstand the intention of God's heart that is revealed here. His desire is that our delight and our foremost ambition and goal would be to pursue him, find rest in Him, find joy and delight in his presence, and be excited for whatever he grants to us. If our hearts are so full of Him, then what we receive from Him will bless us! If our desires are entirely consumed with Him, then what we truly desire will be exactly what he desires for us! I invite you to enjoy these lyrics from a song by Caedmon's Call, called "We Delight"

We delight in the law of Your Word
We delight in the Son who was perfect from birth
We delight in the day He's returning to earth
Hallelujah, hallelujah

We will bow our hearts because we are free
As we raise our hands to give You glory
Father of life and love and infinite worth
We're delivered by blood that flows from the tree
Draw us near to You, vessels of Your mercy
Before the invention of man... the glorious trinity

We delight in the law of Your Word
We delight in the Son who was perfect from birth
We delight in the day He's returning to earth
Hallelujah, hallelujah

We will lift our eyes to the clouds and the flame
Lord, You guide our steps and restore us again
The nations of man will rejoice in the God of the wilderness

We delight in the law of Your Word
We delight in the Son who was perfect from birth
We delight in the day He's returning to earth
Hallelujah, hallelujah

Take a moment today to stop and find delight in the LORD! How good is He! How loving and truthful and kind. Psalm 86 says, "Lovingkindness and truth have met together........righteousness will go before Him and will make His footsteps into a way." (vv. 10 and 13).

Be blessed today by rejoicing in His presence and finding delight in who He is and whose you are!

Michael and Katie

Psalms, Praises, and Pancakes :)

2010-06-05T16:08:00.006-05:00

Hello Again,

I've been so busy the past few days, but here I am with another update. Earlier this afternoon, I made brunch for Michael and I: buttermilk pancakes :) They tasted SOOO good! It has been so much fun setting up our little kitchen and then getting to cook and bake in it! It seems all I've been doing this week is more setting up and cleaning! I finished our bathroom a few nights ago, and last night Michael helped me get rid of some more boxes and clear up our living room. The cleaning goal for today is to finish the dining room and then start taking some pictures so everyone can see our little home!

On another note, I read Psalm 145 again this morning. This is one of my favorite passages in all of Scripture. Its filled with such joy and praise to God! I love to read it out loud and think of each verse and what it means. I thought I would share one of my favorite parts with you all and I hope that you will take time to meditate on it and think of how good our God truly is!

"Everyday I will bless you, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate........." Psalm 145: 2-5

How easy it is to forget to worship and praise God throughout the day. Whenever I find that I need to be offering thanksgiving to the Lord but I can't think of what to be thankful for, I turn my head to look outside and take in the beauty and the scope of God's creation. How intricate each detail is, and how perfect is his design in it all. If he designed even the trees, clouds, and flowers with so much care, think of how much more precision and care went into creating us? Psalm 139 is a good one for thought about how God's lovingly creates us, but that is for another day!

Well, I'm off. I need to tackle our dining room and then to begin thinking about making dinner. We hope you all are doing well! Keep coming back for more verses, pictures, and random stories about how our life as newlyweds continues along!

May you each purposefully keep yourselves in God's rich Love, (Jude 21)

Michael and Katie

P.S. I just added a music player with some songs Michael and I have been enjoying as we unpack and put each thing in its own place. We hope it blesses your heart and it has ours!

Terrific Tuesday!

2010-06-01T12:32:00.013-05:00

Another update for you all :) This past weekend for Memorial day, Michael and I spent Saturday and Sunday running around picking up those essential items for living that we still needed: towels, pots and pans, etc. My husband is the most wonderful man on earth! Poor guy! He just really hates Bed, Bath, and Beyond at this point, but he stuck it out and we got what we needed :)

Yesterday we hung around our new little home as I continued to organize our kitchen while Michael set up our tv and hung our curtains! After that we ate dinner, watched a new movie and made milk shakes with our "Magic Bullet" :)

Today I woke up with Michael, made him breakfast before he left for work and then went back to bed for three hours. I am still SUPER tired after graduating and getting married and getting sick on our honeymoon (yes, I got the flu in the bahamas, I know, perfect timing) and then moving!

Thankfully, the "settled" status is becoming more of a reality as every day passes. I'm excited too because my "wedding run" is beginning. Next week I fly up to Colorado to be in the wedding of my dear friend and roommate, Laura! I can't wait. About a week after we get back from Colorado, I get to be in the wedding of my other sweet dear friends and roommates, Kaylee :)

My life is full but oh so sweet! Its so nice to do my own married laundry in my own married home, and cook for my own married husband :)

During all the time I've been spending washing dishes and doing laundry, the Lord has been teaching me something. Prayer is to be the soundtrack of our every moment. Jesus was always in perfect unity with his father, and this same oneness is what God desires for us to have with him also (John 14 and 15). I was reading in Acts 10 the other day about the Italian officer, Cornelius, who feared God and worshiped Him. A phrase in verse 4 caught my attention. When the angel appeared to Cornelius he told him, "your prayers and offerings have ascended as a memorial before the Lord." How sweet. This man's faithful and regular prayers ascended before God and God remembered him. Prayer is our gift! We are able to communicate with our Father and Creator at any time! How gracious God is to us!

This is just something God has been developing in me this week, and I wanted to pass it along.

More updates, and pictures to follow, I promise! For now here are a few :)

May the Grace of the LORD Jesus be with you all!

Michael and Katie

15 days since the Big Day :)

2010-05-30T17:50:00.002-05:00

Hello Everyone!

I've been thinking about how terrible I've been at updating our blog! Things have been so hectic! Still, I wanted to send a little newscast on whats been going on since our wedding day! Our wedding was wonderful! Pictures to be coming soon! We enjoyed our honeymoon in the bahamas, and then we came back and quickly began work moving ALL of our stuff into our new apartment. That was such an ordeal! Thankfully, God was so gracious and some friends of ours from Michael's work came and labored with us! Their help really sped things along, and we were able to get all settled in. Now, I just have the wonderful task of unpacking all the boxes and finding a space for each thing! Once we're all organized, then I can start decorating :) Can't wait for that!

God has been so good to us! We're enjoying marriage, and we're excited to see what God has in store for us in the near future! Thank you all for your sweet prayers and thoughts! Hopefully now that I've finished college, I'll have more time (and sanity)and I'll be a more avid blogger!

Again, pictures to come, so keep checking back!

"May the God of hope fill you with all peace and joy as you trust in Him" (Romans 15)

Michael and Katie SKEEN :)

Greetings in the new year!

2010-02-02T10:07:00.002-06:00

Hello all!

This is just a quick post to let everyone know that we are still here! We've been super busy lately, and the busyness is about to pick up another notch!

In just a few weeks we begin our "race to the wedding" with 6-7 consecutive weeks of traveling all over the state of Texas for wedding showers, premartital counseling, nephews being born, and more showers :)

When all is said and done, we will be happily settled back in Longview for only a few more weeks, and then we get married! Very exciting/hectic times!

Nothing too exciting taking place today, though. I am about to continue working on my very last Exegesis paper for my college career! and Michael is busy at work!

Anyhow, just wanted to pass on a little "hello" to everyone! We'll be posting more throughout the remaining months of engagement!

Toodle-oo

Michael and Kate

"Therefore let all you do be done in love"

Belated Update :)

2009-12-16T18:38:00.001-06:00

Hello All!

I apologize for neglecting our updating for the past several weeks; life has been SO busy! So here we are to update you! :)
A few weeks ago I (Katie) went home with my roommates, Emily and Laura, and we went with my Mom and Sarah to shop for my wedding dress. We spent the first day in Dallas, but didn’t find anything. The second day we went to the first shop in Ft. Worth, and I found my dress!!!! It is beautiful, and God was so gracious to bless up with finding it :)
A few days later, Michael and I went to my parent’s house to spend Thanksgiving with them. We enjoyed our time there, eating food, sleeping, and hanging around with my family. Michael and I were also able to finish our lengthy registry at the Panhandle as well as begin our first session of pre-marital counseling with my pastor, Keith.
Also during our trip there, we went with my family to choose a Christmas tree and then Michael, Sarah, and I decorated it the night before we left! We had a wonderful time…..and the turkey was really good too!
Since we’ve been back in Longview, I have been running around crazy just trying to finish all the requirements and the assignments for this semester! Earlier this week I was preparing to give a group presentation in my Paul’s Prison Epistles class. We had to present our research for the exegetical passage that we worked on together. Presenting was really fun! I enjoy getting to speak publicly, especially if I’m presenting/teaching about the Bible!
Michael has been really busy at work lately, as well! He’s been working on a few end-of the year projects with deadlines that have hit in the past few weeks leading up through this week. He has been such a good worker though! His diligence and perseverance are very inspiring to me in my own school work! He’s been doing great!
I should mention one other “bit of news” I suppose! My roommate, Laura, and I will be moving off campus for next Spring! It was so neat the way God worked everything out, and the opportunity just sort of fell into our laps! So, amongst all the busy studying for finals, we also are packing up and slowly moving our things across town! Such exciting times :)
As a conclusion to this little update, I am posting some silly videos of me and Michael. The other day, while I was sitting on the couch and working on some wedding stuff, Michael was trying to balance himself on Laura’s half-deflated Pilates ball. He kept falling off, that I kept cracking up laughing! So then I gave it a try! We hope it makes you smile :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Grace and Peace to You All,

Michael and Katie

Halloween Happens

2009-10-31T22:41:00.007-05:00

Today is October 31st and as such would not be appropriate unless I were typing this with a mouth full of candy.

This has been a fun weekend. Last night we went out to eat at Cheddar's. Kate helps me so much. When I go out to eat at a site-down place, I'm looking forward to being able to relax and not rushed. Unfortunately, our waiter was not the most relaxed or attentive employee in the building. So here I am getting uptight, and Kate lovingly reminds me how to be relaxed and that we're here to enjoy ourselves. We got some kind of spinach dip thing because Kate really wanted it. I ordered a "man burger" (half pounder with lots of bacon) and Kate got fried shrimp and chicken fingers. It was really good. After stopping by every section in LifeWay Christian Book store, we made it into the theater. We saw "Love Happens". Kate liked it, I thought it was alright. I mean, how much can a guy really like some movie about a man who lost his wife, writes a book, makes a million, meets some random girl who helps him learn to morn and ends up falling in love? And of course, no trip to the North side of town is complete without a quick trip to Starbucks. So we zip through the drive-through and again I learn something about myself: I am slowly losing my resistance to coffee. It is a very normal thing for me to get Kate a white chocolate mocha, and me to drink half of it. For that very fact, I am now required to get a size larger than normal because I'm "going" to be drinking some. All in all, it was a great way to end the week.

Saturday rolls around and I go back to bed 3 times.... because it's Saturday and I can. Poor Kate wasn't so fortunate. She had to work on an exegesis paper over Numbers 25. I never knew it was possible to write over 14 pages on something from Numbers!
I'm staying on campus tonight because it's Halloween and I want to do what I can to stay off the roads tonight. After putting a few hours of "Smash" in with the guys, I headed over to Kate's apartment, ordered some pizza and watched Freedom Writers with her roommate Laura and boyfriend Abe. Pizza + pretty much anything = good times.

Tomorrow after church, we're headed over to Kilgore to tell Mrs. Bellus that we're engaged. Mrs. Bellus is a sweet 84 year old grandma who loves us and would feed us lunch when we visited. Later tomorrow evening, Kate will hit up the books again and I'll go back to church to help out with youth group.

There are about 30 tenth-grade guys in the youth group and I am still trying to learn all their names. I'm also excited about playing piano in the youth worship band.
Thanks for stopping by! Keep checking back with us :)

Michael and Katie

Busy Life......and other things :)

2009-10-28T23:42:00.008-05:00

Hello Again! I've discovered how much I love blogging! I've always loved to write, but I never really knew how much fun it is to just write about random things. I'm beginning to identify with Julie in "Julia and Julie." Its a movie about a girl who takes a whole year to cook through every single recipe in Julia Child's "The Art of French Cooking" cook book. As she cooks, she blogs about her experiences.
Anyway, that was a long introduction just to say, that I'm back with more to say about this week :) To be honest, I am really looking forward to the weekend! School is beginning to wear on me and I'm ready for a break, a LONG break! But, until Christmas break arrives, this weekend will have to suffice. Still, even with feeling tired by school, I've appreciated the classes I've been taking. My two favorites are, no surprise, my Bible classes: Pentateuch and Paul's Prison Letters. I LOVE being a Bible major. I love to Learn :)

Okay. Enough about me! Michael is doing well also! Work has been busy for him though. Still, he's been learning more and more about his work and I see him growing in his abilities weekly! We're really excited because we're going home next weekend to visit Michael's parents in Pearland. We're going to go to a Pearland Oilers Football game, and I get to see where Michael went to High School and played in the Marching band for four years! Other than that, I can't think of much else to report. I have an American History Test tomorrow, and then Michael and I are going to make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner :) I'll update soon! Oh! One more thing......these are some
pictures of me and my dear friend and roommate, Laura, while we were cooking in our apartment kitchen this past weekend!
In true Pauline fashion:
Grace and Peace Be With You,
Katie

Updates :)

2009-10-25T17:26:00.006-05:00

Hello!

It's Sunday, and I just finished working on an Exegesis Paper. Its late afternoon and I'm about to go and make dinner for me and Michael before we go to see a Movie: G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra. Michael has been waiting to see this movie forever, so we're gonna go see that tonight :)

This weekend has been lots of fun though! On Friday evening my roommate, Laura (who is a fantastic photographer), went with us to take some preliminary engagement shots here in Longview! It was SO much fun! We walked around and smiled and laughed for about an hour and a half- how could that be anything but fun?

As for the wedding updates, last week Michael and I went home to visit my parents and while we were there we spent a copious amount of time trying to determine where our ceremony and reception are going to be held. This was a much more difficult experience then I anticipated, but it was so neat to see how God worked every detail out!

We had looked at a few different churches and venues in the Granbury area (my hometown), and had decided on a church, but still couldn't find a reception spot. So, Sunday Michael drove back to Longview, but I stayed at home with my parents (since I had a fall break of two days off from school) and decided to make use of my time! Monday I got started on calling around, and I think I spent 6 hours on the phone ALL DAY LONG talking with different venues. If it wasn't one thing it was something else: they weren't available on the date we wanted- or any other date within a month of the one we had chosen- they couldn't accommodate our number of guests, they were too far away, or they were ugly! One place was booked up through November of 2010! People are crazy!

By the end of that day, I had reached my wits end. I stopped and took a minute to pray and I just told God that I could not get this done! I had tried all day long and nothing was easy and nothing was falling into place, and I was just going to trust him to make it clear where he wanted us to be.

After that I took a break from searching. The next morning before me, Mom, and Sarah, headed out to Longview to bring me back to school we went and looked at Pecan Plantation. I was praying that it would be available on May 15^th like we were hoping. They were available and I LOVED the location spot! It offered everything Michael and I had been hoping to have for our reception!

I was feeling SO thankful and SO relieved. Then, we got hit again :) This time it was the church. The administrative assistant at the church we had looked at and were planning on booking called to tell me that the children’s ministry director had mistakenly not reserved the Sanctuary for that weekend to set up the props and rehearse for the children’s musical Sunday, May 16^th. So, the church that we thought we had suddenly was gone!

Still, it was SO neat the way God arranged things. While on the phone with the one lady at the original church, I was reminded of another church in Glen Rose that I liked, and so I called them and sure enough they were free for May 15^th and the cost to use this church is significantly less than the cost of the other church!

It was SO amazing to see God work everything out once I chose to let it all go and trust Him completely!

So, whew, that has been the crazy week we’ve been through! Taking the pictures with Laura was a nice conclusion, though, and I’ve posted some of the pictures so you can see!

Also, though it is still in progress, Michael and I have posted our wedding website:

http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/MichaelSkeen&KatieReed so feel free to check it out!

Blessing on your week,

Michael and Katie

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or imagine according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

Exciting Beginnings!

2009-10-12T22:34:00.001-05:00

Hello! Michael and I are just beginning our blog as a pre-married couple! We'll be posting our engagement story and more pictures soon! Check back with us :)