The DeWitts

2011-08-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

The Girls are Coming, the Girls are coming!

Next weekend most of this crew will be here....

To Celebrate this Young Lady's upcoming Wedding!
(You're welcome Jen)
Hopefully, there will be more great pictures like the below, Rachel is bringing her old recital costumes for us.

In other fun news, Annie has officially moved to the city & I got to see her this past week. We had dinner with her and her "friend" this past Tuesday & even stayed out until midnight. The next day was a little rough but totally worth it!

Sean starts classes this week, I'm a little sad because I know this will mean I will see him less but as always I know he will do great. We even did a little back to school shopping the night we went to dinner with Annie, he is a pretty cute student if I do say so myself.

Found this fun pic of me and Sean from our beach trip, apparently we only took this picture of the two of us. Gotta get better about that!

Hope everyone has a great week!

A Very Fun Weekend

2011-08-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is already Sunday night but Sean and I had such a fun and relaxing weekend.

The week was kind of a whirlwind - he got home Tuesday morning at 6:30 after traveling for about 24 hours. I was so happy to have him home - we got to catch up for about 30 min and then I had to head to work. We spent the rest of the week just catching up and listening to each others stories. I'll have to post some pictures later from his adventure in Alaska, it was such a cool trip! Work was good this week, really busy but good. I'm always learning something new and taking on more responsibility. I'm very blessed to have this job and it is great to be able to walk around Chicago in the summer time, it's been in the 70s here and feels amazing outside. And now that Sean is finally home I've been catching up on some much needed sleep. One of the downfalls of him being out of town is that I do not sleep well or at all. I had been getting 3-4 hours of sleep each night and now that he is home I've been sleeping like a baby! (Even sleep in till 11:00 on Saturday and I haven't done that in a long time)

This is the shirt Sean brought me back from Alaska, to say it's tacky is an understatement. I guess this is true love.  I can already tell he is going to try to wear this somewhere.

Friday Night -
We went to our favorite Italian restaurant in Naperville, La Sorella. We had an amazing meal and I got to hear more fishing and bear stories from Alaska. After the movie we walked around downtown for a while and then headed to the movie theater to see The Help. I loved the book, honestly couldn't put it down and have been so excited for the movie. I really enjoyed the movie, they definitely changed some things from the book but overall very good. I did think that some of the southern accents could have used a little work. Some characters sounded very authentic where others sounded very forced. I think when you are from the south you know what real accents sound like. Sean even said he enjoyed the movie as well which is big because it didn't have any super hero characters or fast car chases.

Saturday we (really just me) slept in till 11, it was glorious. After that Sean and I headed to downtown Wheaton for a run/walk. He ran, I did a walk/run combo (which is really more walking than anything). The trails have been great to get my ankle use to running again because they are made up of crushed lime stone and it's very soft to run on. We got done with our run just in time because a huge thunderstorm moved thru the area. Below is pic I took when we were done, there is a really cool bride that overlooks the train tracks and you can see part of the clouds moving in. 

After our run we went to Target for groceries. I even managed not to get distracted in the clothes section and just stuck to our list. Sean describes me as a bit of a wanderer when we go to Target - I've tried explaining that is part of the Target experience is just to wander around the store until you find something that catches your eye. Luckily for him we stayed on task. We did end up purchasing the new Skinny Girl Sangria which is pretty tasty.

Sunday we went to church and then headed to Trader Joes to buy stuff for Sean's yummy red beans and rice dinner. The kid can cook - this is definitely one of my favorite meals that he makes, especially in the winter when it's freezing out.

Sean is currently getting back into school mode which makes me a little sad that it's already starting up. I'm always so proud of how much he studies and how much dedication he has but I also know that means there will be a lot of time spent writing papers, reading, etc. I can be a little bit of a distraction to his work sometimes but overall I try not to pester him too much when he is studying.

Sean working on one of his professor's syllabus

(Side note - he is not wearing capris just has his sweats pulled up)

A fun find of the weekend was the below picture of me and Miss Lily. I found this picture in an old planner. This was the first time we met. Melts my heart to think of how little she use to be and how big she is getting. My sister says she changes everyday and I hate missing out on all of it but I know we will always be close no matter how far a part we are.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

I'm A Bad Blogger

2011-08-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

Not really a surprise but I really am a bag blogger. It's been 4 months since my last post and I've thought about posting so many different stories lately but can't decide on one. So I will do what I do best and do a quick recap. Last time I posted I was about to get my cast off - well, I did get it off the very next day and have been getting back to life! It took about two weeks in my walking boot on crutches, then I went down to one crutch (everyone in my office called this the "Tiny Tim" walk from a Christmas Carole - it was pretty funny), then to a just the boot and then to the brace and then finally I'm free of all supportive devices.

Sean called me robo cop while I was in the boot - love him and his jokes

I wake up every day grateful that I can walk by myself, get in the shower or walk across the street. Truly, truly blessed to do these things. I even ran this past week for the first time. It wasn't pretty or fast - it kinda looked like a combination of Kermit the Frog and Phoebe from friends but it was amazing to have the ability back.
I'm still on the blood thinners and will be until Feb. They have been testing me to see if I am predisposed to blood clots. The first time they tested me I had a protein and an antibody come back irregular but if you are on birth control or have a blood clot (which I had both at the time) it can cause the test to have a false positive. So this past week they retested my antibody to see if was back to normal but it still came back irregular or as they call it "positive". So now I'm on the blood thinners until Feb - not really happy about the news, I was really looking forward to stopping the medicine in Sept. The biggest pain is that I have to get my levels tested every 2-3 weeks. They will retest my antibody in Feb, not really sure if anything will come back different but at that stage they will take me off the blood thinners and talk about what I need to do long term. I've really handled the news pretty well, the only scary part of the doctor appt. was when my hematologist told me that women who have multiple miscarriages tend to have irregular antibodies like mine - she said it's not certain that I will just because I have an irregular antibody but still scary to hear. For now, I'm trusting the Lord and just having faith that all things will work out in His timing.

MAY
In May Sean and I got to go home for 11 days, which was such a wonderful gift. My work was doing a test in the Fayetteville Walmart so I got to work from our Bentonville office for an entire week. While we were in town I got to help throw a shower for Jennifer Walker, celebrate my sweet sister's birthday and see Sean's sister and her boys. It was amazing to be home, see our family and friends and feel at peace. The chaos of all my medical drama caused quite a bit of anxiety in me during the spring (and that is putting it nicely) and to feel the peace of home, of my parents house and of my friends hugs made things so much better. I even got to go to Fellowship for church and I can't describe the peace of that place, I just know it's good for my soul. Sean was also extremely happy because we got to eat at his favorite place, Mr. B's in Rogers and he ate an entire plate of their ribs. It's a pretty cute pic of him if I do say so myself.

Handsome Husband

I also got into a painting kick and painted canvasses & stools for our nieces and nephews. They were really fun to work on and turned our really good. Sean even helped me pick out colors and quotes.

Mr. Luke's Painting - "Let the Wild Rumpus Begin" - from the movie Where the Wild Things Are. If you know Luke, then this quote makes perfect sense.

Lane's Painting - I really liked how the colors looked together

Lily's Stool - I've painted each of my nieces stools over the years and I figured Lily needed one too, it turned out super cute.

JULY
In July we went to the beach with my family and it was amazing. Sean and I hadn't been to a beach since our honeymoon and we were beyond excited. We were suppose to go the year before but with the oil spill we ended up cancelling our trip. Luckily, Sean and I were able to fly - we didn't get into FL until midnight on Friday and woke up at 6:30am on Sat because we were so excited to be at the beach. All 9 of us stayed in one house in Rosa beach, a little past Destin which is our normal vacationing spot. It was truly one of the best weeks of my life, we would wake up around 8:30 or 9:00 and head straight to the beach and not leave until 5:00. (Side note - even with my ultra sheet SPF 70 sunscreen my skin still freaked out because of all the sunshine, I developed a lovely sun rash as I like to call it but I never actually burned - my skin was not use to that much sunshine it just didn't know what to do, hahha - Sean on the other hand wore SPF 30 and got so dark it was ridiculous - please see below for a comparison of our skin tones - I pray our children have his skin color). We only went out to dinner a couple times and cooked the rest of the week at our house. It was so nice to spend time with our family and have no work or school worries. We watched movies at night or played games. My nieces are growing up so fast, it's hard thinking that we are missing a lot but it made me very grateful for the week I got with them. So very thankful and blessed that my parents took us all for the week. I had a difficult time coming home to cloudy and noisy Chicago but there will definitely be more beach trips in the future.

Beautiful beach

My Lily Pad

Silly Sisters

Sweet Family

My white skin and my tan husband

AUGUST
August has already been pretty busy for us. We went to the Dupage County fair with our friends Tim and Shawna, it was so much fun. It was like we were back home, pig races, livestock, rides, games, etc. Not as country as the Benton country fair but still pretty fun and we had some good laughs. We are very thankful for our friendship with Tim and Shawna, by far some of the coolest and smartest people we know and they are expecting their first child, they will be amazing parents!

The first weekend in August my sweet friend Chelsea (Who is still listed in my phone as Chel B - her maiden name) and her husband came to visit for the weekend and we had a blast with them. Chris had just finished taking the law bar exam and was in much need of a break from all his hard work. Sean made his famous pasta and sauce Friday night and then Sat we went out shopping and to a comedy show in the city and then to our favorite restaurant in the city, the Athenian Room - the best Greek food you will ever have. It was so much fun to just catch up and enjoy our time together. We had so much fun just walking around the city and enjoying the beautiful evening. Chelsea and Chris are currently living in Tulsa and have been dealing with 100 + temperatures for a long time so a cool Chicago night was heavenly to them. Chelsea is one of those friends that it doesn't matter how long it's been since we've seen each other - our conversations just picks up where it last ended. Just a wonderful and faithful friend. Miss her already.

Sean left that Sunday at 3:45 in the morning for Alaska and I even got up and drove him to the airport. He and his dad went on a fly fishing trip and he is just now getting home tomorrow at 5am. I am so ready to see this kid. We were only able to email this past week and a half. It was pretty weird not seeing my husband or being able to talk to him. Even though I missed him like crazy and had to drive myself to and from the train everyday I was so excited that he got to go on this trip and have this experience with his dad, truly a once in a life time sort of thing. I may even try to get him to blog about it when he is back. He definitely deserved a treat after everything he did while taking care of me back in the Spring. I also have to brag on him a bit because he did really good before he left - he knows that I am not a fan of staying by myself so he left me lots of surprises before he left. Below are some pics of my surprises. Little and big things like this remind me how blessed I am to have him as a husband.

Surprise # 1 Homemade chocolate cake - it will change your life

Surprise # 2 The 2nd book in the hunger games
Not going to lie - I got totally hooked and can't wait to see the movies

Surprise # 3 New Essie nail polish

Surprise # 4 Last but not least... A new longchamp bag, I was completely shocked that he remembered me saying I wanted a black one for the winter..he is a keeper

That is basically everything that has been going on with us. The girls are coming in town for Jen's bach party at the end of August and that will be a blast - I'll be sure to post a recap after that weekend.

We love and miss you all - Love, Mik

Spring Is Coming!

2011-04-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

I am beyond excited that Spring has almost arrived in Chicago! This winter was extremely long and we are so ready for sunshine and warm weather! One thing I didn't know until I lived here is that during the winter the sun starts setting at 3:30 and it is dark by 4:30 so the fact that the sun is out when I leave work now is just a huge blessing - I've been continually thanking God when I leave for his gift of sunshine!

In honor of Spring arriving I talked Mr. DeWitt into purchasing some cute new hand towels from Target this past Saturday. As a result of our graduate school budget we don't do much shopping so these cute hand towels made my day - they are definitely brightening up the kitchen!

Also, some of my amazing and sweet friends have been sending me little get well goodies! I forgot how much fun it is to receive letters and gifts in the mail! Jenny-Pepper Walker and her awesome fiance Will S. sent me a cup cake kit from Saint Cupcakes - http://www.saintcupcake.com - it was so fun! It was three freshly baked cupcakes, icing and sprinkles. It came with a super cute note and fun instructions - I meant to take a picture of the cupcakes but....we pretty much ate them right on the spot so I only got a picture of the cute instruction sheet.

And then on Friday I got a great get well package from Brooke C.
She sent me some magazines, fun note cards, my favorite candy - Hot Tamales and a super sweet note! Just love me some Brooke - miss her and her beautiful baby Stella!

And last but not least my dear friend Amy A.'s mom sent me a super sweet note telling me she had been praying for me and hoped I was feeling better. I love Amy's mom Debs - she is the best and I love her to pieces! I feel very blessed by my friends and their families! My group of girlfriends are all close with each others moms and I love them all so much!

Fun side note - I am suppose to get my cast off tomorrow (praying that this will happen and they won't put me back in another cast), my mom is arriving tomorrow afternoon and my sister will be here on Thursday! Yea for a fun week with family!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Professor DeWitt....Well almost!

2011-03-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

Exciting news for the DeWitt household!

Sean taught his first lecture today at Wheaton College. One of his current Grad Professors asked him to teach her class on Jansenism (17th & 18th Century Catholic Reform movement in France). He had written a paper on the topic over the summer and she liked it so much that she asked him to teach the class! And on Thursday evening he will teach her graduate class on the same subject! I'm so proud of this kid!

Of course I had to take a quick picture of him before he left the house - he will definitely be the most stylish professor out there when he is done with school!

Continually blessed and amazed by this guy-I also forgot to mention in my last post that we celebrated our two year anniversary on March 21st. Really can't believe it's already been 2 years-looking forward to what God has in store for us.

Where to Begin...

2011-03-25T14:26:00.001-07:00

Where to begin friends -
To say that it's been a crazy month would be an understatement.

Earlier this month Sean and I flew to Breckenridge, CO with his family for a quick ski trip. We had been looking forward to this for a long time! Needless to say I did not participate in the skiing but I did enjoy some time reading, watching movies and I spent a day at the spa. We had a great time with our family, ate at some really great restaurants and I got to have lunch with Blake and Amy Area one day which was so much fun! Sean had a great time skiing, he's pretty good from what I hear and loved just getting to relax.
While we were there I had some discomfort or cramping in my right leg (which is the broken ankle leg). The pain was in the back of my calf and I didn't think much about it because it wasn't where my leg was broken and just thought it was a muscle cramp from being in the cast. The day we flew home the pain was a lot worse, I've never wanted to get off a plane so bad in my life. I honestly just thought my leg was tired from being down all day (usually I try to elevate it as much as possible) but with a 2 hour flight and a 2 hour car ride from Breckenridge to Denver my leg was not happy.
We got home Wednesday night and I woke up in the middle of the night with the same intense pain, still thought it was muscle cramps and went to work the next day. Same thing happened on Thursday night and finally on Friday morning after I realized my toes were starting to turn pink when I stood up we called our Orthopedic doctor and his nurse told us to go to the ER because it might be a blood clot. Not really the news you want to hear but we handled it pretty well and got ourselves over to the local ER. We spent about 5 hours in the ER, they had to cut off my cast and do an ultrasound of my entire right leg to check for blood clots. They didn't find any blood clots on the ultrasound and we were very relieved - nobody was really able to explain the leg pain expect for muscle cramps. With my cast cut off I was put in a temporary splint for the rest of the weekend until Monday when we would go to see our Orthopedic doc and he would have to put a new cast on.
So Monday rolled around and we went to the Orthopedic doc for a new cast (and at this point I was about 1 week away from getting my cast completely removed and being put in a walking boot. A few people at the ER even mentioned that I would probably get put in my walking boot early since I was only a week out so I was really excited about that possibility.) When the doctor came in to review the X-rays with us he told us that they found a second broken bone in my ankle that they did not originally know about. (Sean later told me he was very proud of me for not crying in that moment) I had not only broken the outer bone but also the inner bone (Fibula and Tibia) and as a result I would have to be in a cast for 3 more weeks. Again, not the news we wanted to hear but we handled it pretty well, I made Sean take me to Chick-fil-A afterward for breakfast to ease the pain and disappointment. So I had a new cast put on and was back to work.
For the rest of the week my leg was pretty sore because I was in a new cast which was super tight and made my toes swell up but I no longer had the crazy leg pain so I thought we were done with all the crazy medical drama. Turns out I was wrong.
I started noticing that at night I was having this weird chest discomfort, it's wasn't necessarily sharp pain but it was just uncomfortable and it woke me up every night that week. I felt like I was going crazy because typically I am a very healthy person and never have anything wrong and it didn't make any sense for me to be having chest pain. I thought that maybe it was in my head and I was making it up but finally after the fourth night of it I made an appointment with a doctor to have it checked out. At the appointment all my levels and stats were normal, the doctor thought it was probably heart burn from all the Ibuprofen that I was taking for my leg. She took some blood just to rule out any possible issues and I felt pretty good when we left. When my results came back the next day they were higher than normal (I can't even tell you what test it was or what my results were but I just know that they weren't normal). We went to the doctor the next day which was a Saturday and thankfully our same doctor was working. She assured me that even though my levels weren't normal it could be a number of things and it didn't necessarily mean it was something serious but she did order a CAT scan just to rule out the possibility of a blood clot (I think she really just did it because I looked so frantic and scared). So off to the same hospital Sean and I went and I had the CAT scan. At this point I'm so frustrated with myself and start thinking I've made up all the symptoms and that I'm now wasting more money and our Saturday in the hospital. Sean was so great and supportive the whole time and was so patient with me. When the test results were ready they put us in a room and our same doctor called to tell us that they in fact did find blood clots in both my lungs and that I would be taken down to the ER and pumped with blood thinners. I of course, being an emotional wreck, started crying and it really wasn't from fear but just relief that I wasn't going crazy. They think that the blood clot started in my leg (the crazy pain I had in the back of my leg) and that by the time they did the ultrasound it had moved up to my lungs). So after the call they wheeled me down to the ER, took an insane amount of blood so they can test to see if I'm predisposed to blood clots or if was just a result of the flying and started me on blood thinners. We ended up staying the night at the hospital just so they could monitor my levels.
We got home Sunday from the hospital and slept the entire afternoon - we were beyond exhausted. I had to share a room with an elderly Italian woman at the hospital named Ida and she snored like a freight train and continually set off her heart monitor during the night & since Ida was a female Sean wasn't allowed to sleep in the room with me - he had to sleep on a couch in the lobby. Needless to say we didn't get much sleep that night.
I worked from home on Monday since I was still pretty tired from the weekend and then went in to the office on Tuesday and Wednesday. Since I'm now on blood thinners I have to get my blood levels checked everyday until they reach the therapeutic level so we have been to doctor's office everyday this week, I now know all the names of the nurses who work in the diagnostic lab and my arms look like I have an illegal recreational habit.
On Thursday we had an actual appointment with the doctor and she reviewed all of my blood work and was happy with how my levels were progressing. It was a really good appointment, we got to ask her lots of questions since this blood clot thing is completely foreign to us - we really just wanted to understand what we need to do in order for me to heal quickly. At the appointment I told her that I felt like I was starting to get a cold and asked if she would just check it out. Sure enough, turned out that I have an upper respiratory infection and double ear infection. Again, not the news we wanted but I am now on some serious antibiotics and already feel a lot better.

So this is where we have been, it's been beyond a wild month but I am so thankful for my wonderful husband who has continued to serve and take care of me through this stuff. It's been pretty overwhelming and scary at times but during those moments all we can do is pray and turn things over to God because there is no way we can handle this stuff on our own. We are also so thankful for our family and friends who have continued to pray for us and check in on us. My sweet Caroline even sent me flowers when I got home from the hospital! Sean's parents sent us extra gift cards for food & my parents sent us some money so we could hire a cleaning service for our house (I literally can't wait to scrub this house when I'm back on 2 legs). We are especially thankful for God's grace and guidance through all of this, I have to be honest and say I don't understand all of it but I continue to trust that He is doing a great work in us and hold on to Him.

Please continue to pray for us, for total healing and peace. That there would be no other health set-backs and we would just improve from here. And that I would get my cast off as expected on April 4th. Love you all and thank you for the prayers!

Funny Comments by Sean

2011-02-28T18:08:00.000-08:00

I have to brag on my husband - just a little bit - not too much cause he will get a big head but a little.

He has done an amazing job taking care of me this past week. With a broken ankle I'm pretty much out on all household duties - cleaning, laundry, cooking, etc. In our normal world Sean typically does most of the cooking while I stick to the cleaning. It's a pretty good system and we've grown quite found of it. (I'm actually working really hard to suppress my OCD cleaning tendencies until I'm back on both feet)

Now that I am down to the use of one leg Sean has taken over all duties plus his school studies, going to class and taking and picking me up from the train. He also leads our community group and takes meals to a family that is currently facing some tough times once a week. To say the kid is a superstar would be an understatement.

By the time I get home from work I'm completely exhausted - (please see below for my awesome knee scooter that I am currently riding around the city. I know I look ridiculous but the thing is a life saver and gives everybody in my office a good laugh. Also please note that I now have to use the handicap lift on and off the metra to get to work - I feel like I'm living in a completely different world). Once home from work I have a new routine of walking in the door and falling into our green comfy chair and resting my leg for the rest of the evening. Sean then lovingly cooks dinner, serves me and cleans the dishes. He also helps me in and out of our shower since we don't have a bathtub and it takes a pretty scary hop to get into the shower.

He really is just the greatest but I also have to share his funny comments. For those of you who know our relationship Sean and I are big jokers, are rarely serious with each other and are full of sarcasm. These characteristics aren't for everyone but they work for us. So below are some funny comments that my husband has made since I've broken my ankle. Please don't take them the wrong way but understand that a huge part of our relationship is humor.

Comment 1: (Sean walking out the door to night class)
"Okay, so don't fall or anything because I'm not going to answer my phone while I'm in class."

Comment 2:
Me: "I'm so thankful for everything you've been doing lately, I will be able to help out as soon as my ankle is better"
Sean: "I know, when you're better I'm not doing anything for a month - seriously I may even leave the toilet seat up for kicks"

Comment 3: (Sean riding my knee scooter throughout the house)
"I just did a 90 degree turn on this thing - Mik you really don't have to keep all 3 wheels on the ground all the time"

Comment 4: (texting)
Me: "I'm good - mom helped me get in the shower earlier which was much needed"
Sean: "Yea you did stink"

Comment 5:
Sean now refers to me as "Scoot" or "Scooter" - a lovely nickname that will probably be around for a while. I receive several texts throughout the day that say "Hey scoot, how's it going?"

Comment 6: (texting last Tuesday which wasn't my greatest day)
Me: "I'm okay, had a melt down earlier but I'm okay now."
Sean: "Happens to the best of us. I threw coffee on Cathy (my mom) when I got home because I was so emotional"

There have been several other funny comments from Mr. DeWitt this past week but I'll leave those between us for now. I'm very thankful that God has blessed me with such a selfless and funny husband. As my wonderful Grandmother told me this past weekend "Y'all did a good days work finding each other" - just makes me smile thinking about this. I pray our life would be filled with many more opportunities where we can show Christ's selfless love to one another - (hopefully we are done with the broken bones though). It really has to be Him working through us otherwise we'd never be able to do this on our own. It hasn't been easy the entire time but through the difficulty we've learned to turn to God and seek his Spirit.

Hope y'all enjoy the awesome pictures of my permanent cast and knee scooter below!

Also Sean believes that the knee scooter should have a name so if you have some creative ideas let me know.

A Broken Ankle

2011-02-19T16:26:00.000-08:00

Please excuse my lack of blogging! Not sure where I've been but it's been way too long since I've blogged.

This past week has been extremely busy for us!

Monday was Valentine's Day - Sean surprised me at work with flowers and homemade cookies! He really is the best! I love that he came all the way down to the city just to ride the train back with me! Since we are on a "graduate college budget" we had a romantic dinner at Chick-Fil-A. Which I couldn't have been happier about! I also bought Sprinkles cupcakes on my lunch break as a surprise for him! Let's just say we didn't need to eat for the rest of the week after all those calories!

Tuesday night we had community group after work with our great friends!

Wednesday was crazy at work and then I flew out that night to Cleveland which is where our company headquarters is located for an all day meeting on Thursday. I got in around 11 and Sean's dad picked me up from the airport and I stayed at their house. I got about 5 hours of sleep, had breakfast with his mom and sister and then headed to the office with his dad. Did I mention that I am working at the same company as Sean's dad? I love it!

Thursday we had our all day meeting, grabbed a quick bite to eat before our flight and arrived in Chicago at 8. My parents got in town at noon on Thursday for a weekend visit and I couldn't wait to see them! I finally got home around 9:30 after the world's longest cab ride home and got to catch up with them!

Friday I was exhausted at work and it ended up being a really busy day! Sean and my parents came to the city to meet me for lunch and then they went to visit the Field Museum for the afternoon. We met up when I was done with work for a great dinner at Hugo's Frog Bar! It was delicious and I enjoyed a tasty margarita with my dinner - much needed after a busy week!

We had big plans for Saturday - lots of shopping and catching up on life. I was so excited! I hadn't seen my parents since Christmas and had been counting down the days until their visit. My mom and I started the day off with a fun run through Glen Ellyn. This was the first week that the sun has been out in ages and the weather has been amazing - the snow is almost gone! We started out doing great then we came to an ice patch on the sidewalk, we walked in the grass to avoid it, then we had to walk on part of a driveway to get to the next part of the side walk and the next thing I knew something in my ankle popped and then I was in the grass/mud. As soon as I landed I knew I did something to it, we called Sean and he came to pick us up. Of course in the mean time someone had called 911 and the police and an ambulance showed up - I was beyond embarrassed and kindly told them that I was fine and didn't need their help! We then made a trip to the emergent care clinic, waited a couple hours (which all I could think about was "I'd really rather be shopping" - selfish I know but I really didn't want to waste the only day I had with my parents in a doctor's office). After the X-rays they told me that my ankle was broken. I really couldn't believe it - I've never broken a bone in my life and I really didn't think it was broken. I could move it some and we thought it would look a lot worse if it was broken. The weird part was that the doctor talked to us for 10 minutes about my injury and what happened before she told me that it was broken - I kept thinking "maybe you should have started out with that news first sister!" As soon as she told me I started crying, I wasn't in pain I just didn't want to have to miss out on a great weekend with my parents and we are suppose to go skiing in a couple weeks with Sean's family so I knew I'd be out on that.

So now I've got an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon on Monday to get an exact game plan (hopefully no surgery is needed and it's a clean break). I'll be getting a permanent cast then too. I'm not allowed to go to the city for work until I have my permanent cast. Getting around the city on crutches should be interesting to say the least! Let's hope I don't fall in the middle of a cross walk!

Though this weekend hasn't gone as I would have planned I know we are beyond blessed with great family, amazing friends, great health (minus a broken ankle : ) ) and I've got some great care-takers right now! Most importantly we serve a mighty God who loves us beyond our understanding.

Below are some pics from today's adventure!

P.S. prayers would be appreciated that I would learn to be patient and sit still - two things I'm not very good at : ) and for Sean as he will helping me out till I'm off the crutches

Please excuse my unpolished toes! Temporary Cast

Where's Your Heart Tonight?

2010-10-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

It's a simple question. Where's your heart tonight? What's consuming you? What are you dwelling on?

For me it's an easy answer. I'm beyond nervous about my new job. I only have 2 days left at my current job before starting my new job in the city. The nerves started setting in this past Monday and have been pretty constant. My head is swimming with worries, doubts, fears, insecurity. What if I show up and have absolutely no idea how to do anything? What if I don't connect with anyone? What if I don't like it? What if I've made a mistake leaving my current job?

I'm trying to keep my head focused but it's honestly been a challenge not to let the fears overwhelm me.

I'm not the type of person who gets nervous frequently but when I do...let's just say I'm a bit of a mess. I like to be in control and I like to know exactly how to do whatever task I'm suppose to do. And when I feel like I may not know how to do everything perfectly that is expected of me I don't handle it well : ) According to my mother I have always been like this, so at least I'm consistent!

So for tonight this is what I am trying to focus on:
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me,or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. " - Philippians 4:4-9

I love this verse because it's not just a suggestion or recommendation but it's a command "Do not be anxious about anything..." We are not to worry about what tomorrow may bring but have faith that God is sovereign and faithful to those who fear Him. He hears our prayers and is faithful to answer them. He is near to us and His peace will console our weak hearts. I have faith that the Lord has brought me to this new job according to His perfect will. & "...Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

I'm so thankful that we serve such a mighty and loving God, I'm so glad my life is about Him and not about me. So thankful for all His many blessings.

Love and miss you all!

Change in Perspective

2010-10-25T19:52:00.001-07:00

I spent most of my day worrying about myself, my life, my job, my long commute (also yelling at other drivers who drove too slow for me)...everything had to do with me.
Then I came across this blog tonight and had a great change in perspective by the Lord.
How quickly my viewpoint changed. Please spend some time reading and praying for the people of Haiti tonight. I spent some time just looking through the pictures and praying for all the faces I saw. Pray specifically for my friend Katelyn's team that will be traveling to Haiti in the first part of November. Pray that God would use them in mighty ways, that they would share God's love and salvation to all those they encounter and that they would feel God's presence and spirit leading them each and every day. Please pray that MANY people would come to know our loving Father, that they may rest in his arms and feel the peace & comfort that is His love. Praying for you Kate, be safe and know we are praying for you!

http://beyondthismountain.blogspot.com/

Fun New Pics!

2010-10-24T19:15:00.001-07:00

Here are a few fun pics from our recent adventures!

How is it already October?

2010-10-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where the time has gone but it is already mid-October and I can't remember the last time I updated our blog.

Here is a quick recap of what has been going on

1. On September 14th, my sweet Grandma Helen met Jesus. On August 22nd we discovered that she had an bleed in her brain, she immediately had surgery and made it through but never fully healed from the damage that had been done. My incredible mom, aunt, cousin and sister all stayed by her side day and night for the next weeks and tended to her every care. They showered her with love, grace and respect. They read scripture over her, sang hymns to her & my sister would wash her feet & rub them with lotion so she could be comfortable (can't help but think of when Jesus washed his disciples feet). It was amazing to hear how they would stay by her side, night and day and just love on her. It was extremely hard being far away & not being able to help take care of her but God provided supernatural strength and comfort to my family during this time. I know she felt their love and care during those final days. And ultimately I know that Lord welcomed her home, into a place where there are no tears, where there is joy that we can't imagine, and all the Heavenly Hosts are singing praises to the Him. I feel that this has been a season where the Lord is teaching me that all that is in this world is His. Through this season of loss I have felt the Lord pressing on my heart that even though we may lose people or things of this world, ultimately it doesn't matter - all that exists is His and this world is only a temporary stop before we spend eternity with our King. My aunt and mom asked that I read scripture at her service, they asked that I read Psalm 23 - The very next line after Psalm 23 is the first part of Psalm 24 and it reads "The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains" - what peace this scripture delivers, knowing that it's all His, it's all in His hands - what a wonderful perspective this is. I miss her so much but am so excited about where she is. I'm not sad for her (a little sad for us who are here without her) but very excited for the day when I get to see her again!

Also, I have been slightly obsessed with the below lyrics & YouTube link from Hillsong United.
This song just explains the beauty and majesty that we get to look forward to!

You Hold Me Now

VERSE 1:
On that day when I see
All that You have for me
When I see You face to face
There surrounded by Your grace
All my fears swept away
In the light of Your embrace
Where Your love is all I need
And forever I am free

PRE CHORUS 1:
Where the streets are made of gold
In Your presence healed and whole
Let the songs of heaven
Rise to You alone

CHORUS:
No weeping no hurt or pain
No suffering You hold me now
You hold me now
No darkness no sick or lame
No hiding You hold me now
You hold me now

VERSE 2:
In this life I will stand
Through my joy and my pain
Knowing there's a greater day
There's a hope that never fails
Where Your Name is lifted high
And forever praises rise
For the glory of Your Name
I'm believing for the day

PRE CHORUS 2:
Where the wars and violence cease
All creation lives in peace
Let the songs of heaven
Rise to You alone

BRIDGE:
For eternity
All my heart will give
All the glory to Your Name

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT2v0NodZRs

2. I.turned.25.
Still not sure how I feel about this number but celebrating sure was fun!
It's hard being away from family and friends on my birthday but Sean did a great job making me feel special! We saw the Lion King this past weekend and it was a wonderful date! Very grateful for the fun adventures we get to have right now! I forgot how much I loved that movie and all the songs from it!

3. Sean and his Mom ran the Chicago marathon!
Let me just tell you, these 2 have so much more dedication than I ever will! I am so proud of them both. It was a hot day for the Chicago marathon and they both finished with great times! Sean took a short trip to the medical tent afterwards due to some dehydration and muscle cramping but after some Gatorade he was released! That part I could have done without but I had Bill and Michele there to keep me company while we waited for our brave and fast runner! I even got to hang out with one of my favorite people that day! Mrs. Brooke Robinson was in town watching Finley run the marathon and we happened to stumble upon each other before the race started! We got to play all day together while the boys were running their hearts out! I love her so much! Not only is she a brilliant photographer but she is so stinkin' fun! Also, please note that my mother-in-law got 7th place out of her age group! 7th place!! She is AMAZING! I'm not even sure if I could walk a marathon and she took 7th place! So proud of her!

4. I.Got.A.New.Job.
Still feels weird to say this but I got a new job this past week.
I'm excited and scared all at the same time. It's in the city so I will now be taking the train to work and won't have to be driving my car 10+ hours a week. It's just so surreal to think that I am old enough to be working in the city of Chicago. I'm from a town where our highway was a two-lane road and now I'm working in a HUGE city. It's a great next step in my career, I've got a lot to learn and I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for me at this new company. It's sad to leave my friends at my current job, my current boss is my best friend that I have here so it's definitely going to be hard leaving her. Last Monday I pulled her aside and said I needed to talk to her as a friend & that a new opportunity had come up for me and I didn't know what to do. After I explained the details to her she immediately and without hesitation said "You have to go, Mik", "you have to go" - I couldn't ask for a better boss or friend. Even though she knew she would be losing a worker, she put me and my career before herself. You just don't find people like that very often.

I'm sure that there are more updates but these are the big ones! I'll post pictures soon too!
Love and miss you all!

Heroes

2010-09-04T20:59:00.001-07:00

I have lots of heroes in my life but I thought I would highlight one of them tonight...this young woman just leaves me speechless. I hope you enjoy her blog and come away changed

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

This is What a Blessing Looks Like

2010-08-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends!
Well I just realized it's been 2 months since my last post, not a great record but things have been crazy!

I will post more of an update later but below are a pics of our new place.

The Lord definitely had his hand in bringing us this new home. There is no other word to describe it other than blessing. We now have a very warm & cozy home - hope you enjoy the pictures!

Guest Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Living Room

Kitchen

Living Room

Bathroom - which I am in LOVE with!

Sunday Recap

2010-06-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

Cute Husband

Navy Pier

Bike path that runs along the entire shore, we are planning to bike this soon!

Great views!

Beautiful city!

Recap of Last Weekend!

2010-06-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

Start at the bottom and work your way up...Sean competed in the Warrior Dash and I tagged along to take pictures! Let's just say it was hilarious! I am even thinking about participating next year...but we will see...that is a lot of mud!

This is the warrior helmet you get after you complete the race!

I took this for Kate - Harry Potter was at the race too!

Once you completed the race you got a beer and a chicken leg...classy

These guys were just funny!

Shrek and Fiona were at the race too!

This is as close as I got!

Look real close for the guy in a green one-piece!

Best part of Warrior Dash is that people dress up in costumes!

Who wants a hug?

Covered in mud

A little muddy

This is my husband after the race!

Go Sean Go!

Sean finished earlier and I wasn't ready for him so the pics are all far away

Hanging out before the race

A band played as all the runners competed

This is what we walked into....Sean was very proud of me that I didn't leave!

All checked in and ready to go!

Shoe donations from the DeWitts

While Driving Home Today

2010-06-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends!

Things have been very busy and crazy lately at work! I become so focused on other things that sometimes I completely forget that we live next to one of the coolest cites in the world!
I was driving home tonight from work, a little later than usual so traffic wasn't too bad, and as I got on the straight stretch of 294 I looked to my left and saw the skyline of Chicago! It was so crazy to see the city in such a short distance away - I always think of the city as being so far away - we can feel so secluded in the burbs with our cute little houses and parks. I know I have times that I become very homesick and miss everyone but it really is such a gift from God that Sean and I are getting to experience so many wonderful things in the first few years of our marriage. Seeing the skyline tonight really made me want to make sure that Sean and I take advantage of this time in our lives and where God has put us. New personal goal - get to the city more often and not just Michigan avenue : ) I hope that we get to go exploring in the city soon! If you have any good suggestions of where we should go or what we should do let me know!

Miss and Love you all!

Nesting

2010-06-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,

I wanted to give one of my best friends a plug for her new business adventure!
Jennifer L. Walker is one of the most incredible people I've ever known, she is a loving teacher, wonderful friend, she is extremely intelligent, and now she is a small business owner!
Be sure to check out http://www.nestingnwa.blogspot.com for the cutest things you'll ever see!
So proud of Jennifer and I know her business will be a huge success!
Let her know what you think!

Love and Miss you all!

Where We've Been

2010-06-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,
Well it's been too long since I've posted but life has been crazy!
I just looked and my last post was in March! Yikes!

Here is a short recap of where we have been!

April - Sean finished his first year of grad school!
There was lots of studying towards the end of the semester and I am so happy that he is done.
It's nice to have my husband back!
Bill & Nicole made the trip over for Easter and we had a great weekend with them!
Sean and Bill made a delicious pot roast for Easter Dinner.

Last day of school!

This is what a grad students desk looks like during finals!

Happy Easter!

Dinner at La Sorella

Yummy Pot Roast!

May - My sweet Grandpa Ted B. Michie passed away in May. We went home to celebrate his life and got to spend time with my extended family. It was a difficult time but we also celebrate knowing that he is restored in Heaven with the Father.
While we were in Tulsa we grabbed lunch with Kate and her boys - it wasn't long enough but it was great to see them for just a bit!
While home we also got to see our friends. We miss our friends a lot and it never feels like we get to spend enough time with them. We spent a wonderful evening at La Huerta filling up on some much needed mexican food!
Our trip home was too short but it was great to be in NWA for a few days!
We also went to Cleveland for Memorial weekend to be with Sean's family. We had an amazing cookout and I had the best pedicure of my life with Nicole! It was great to spend time with them and the extended weekend was a great treat!

Here is a picture of Sean and I with my Grandparents at Christmas '09

Sean & his nephews

My Lily Pad

Lily in the car on the way to Tulsa

Yummy Food!

Two Peas in a Pod!

Sean & his Sweet Mom

Michele, Sean & Nicole

Relaxing on the porch!

June -
June has consisted of working, working & working. We have been short staffed at work and there has been a lot of 10, 11, 12 hour days. Also the city of Chicago thinks that it is a smart idea to start construction on every major highway during the summer time, which has resulted in some long days : ) I'm hoping things slow down at work soon so Sean and I can enjoy the summer!
Sean celebrated his 26th birthday on June 10th and his mom celebrated her birthday on June 12th. Michele and Bill came over for the weekend so we could celebrate together. We had a wonderful time, great food, and laughed a lot. Sean and his mom went for a run on her birthday - they are getting ready for the Chicago marathon & they are both going to do great!
Michele made her famous chocolate cake & we got to do a little shopping!
I am also excited to announce that today ended our apartment search. Sean and I have been looking for a new apartment to live in for almost a year : ) We've probably been to 15 different apartment complexes & have kept our friend Katie, who has a full time job and does Real estate on the side, extremely busy. Katie and her husband Dan are a part of our small group and have been helping us look for a new place to live. They are a wonderful couple and not only have they spent a great amount of time with us, they have also been in prayer for us which is a true gift. Katie found us an incredible place this past week and we finalized everything today.
I can't wait to post pictures of our new place once we are in - should be mid August so stay tuned!
Though this process has been exhausting and long, it's been a great time for Sean and I to rely on the Lord, we have tried to seek his will and guidance thru this process and I feel we have learned a great deal. I hope we are always seeking God's will no matter what we are doing or where we are.
Sean & I at the Wheaton Carnival

Funnel Cake is a must at carnivals!

Happy Birthday Sean & Michele!

Lots of Cards for the birthday boy!

Famous chocolate cake

You gotta have birthday plates when you have birthday cake!

So this is where the DeWitts have been this summer, I'll try to post more next weekend after Sean's competes in the "Warrior Dash" - let's just say this is a 3.5 mile run with obstacles (and these obstacles consist of fire, cars, mud, barbwire, etc.) Should be interesting!

Love and miss you friends!

Happy Anniversary!

2010-03-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Sean and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary! I still can't believe it's been a year. In so many ways it seems like we have been together forever and at the same time it has flown by! Very grateful for the gift of marriage and the lessons we continue to learn, and always grateful for the gift of the cross.
Here are some pics from our weekend!

Yummy dinner prepared by the Chef himself...DeWitt secret recipe

Sooo good!

Love me some flowers!

Movie date after dinner...can you tell it's a Friday night and I'm spent!

The top of our wedding cake that my mother so lovingly mailed to us! It looks a little rough but it still tasted great! We are pretty sure that the UPS guy just kicked our box down a flight of stairs!

Wedding cake..check...wedding dvd....check....wedding pictures...check
Ready for Lake Geneva, IL!

Downtown Lake Geneva, little cold (the midwest decided to start snowing again that day) when we were there but you can tell it's a fun place in the summer time!

Fun cafes and shops...very quirky.
It reminds me of the set of a movie

My date for the weekend...he picked this restaurant for lunch...
I don't think we will go there again! haha!

Still having fun even though the food was a little sketchy!

Our room at the bed and breakfast

This is the lake view from our room...
You can see that the water is just starting to unfreeze..crazy midwest winters!

Happy Anniversary!

Family In Town

2010-03-25T19:12:00.001-07:00

My mom, sister and aunt came to Chicago!
Here are a few pics from their visist!

I finally got to the Art Institute downtown!

Even though it was cloudy day the pictures turned out really cool!

The Bean!

Can you tell I need a hair cut!? haha!

Me and Meme

Picking the girls up at the airport!

Will and Jen Visit The Windy City

2010-02-21T19:26:00.000-08:00

What a great weekend!

Our wonderful friends, Jennifer Leigh and Will S, came to Chicago for the weekend and we had a blast!

I have been missing my friends A LOT lately and this trip was a great pick-me-up! I hadn't seen any of my friends since Christmas and it was starting to get to me!

Jen and Will arrived Friday to beautiful sunny weather and spent the day playing in the city.
They arrived in Wheaton (via the Metra) Friday night where we picked them up from the train station and headed to dinner in Naperville.
We ate dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant, La Sorella Di Francesca. AMAZING food - from the delicious caesar salads to incredible entrees - we ate till we were about to bust! Not only is the food amazing but the atmosphere is very cozy and it was a great place to catch up on life with our friends!
We got to show Jen and Will a bit of downtown Naperville with their lights and cute stores - we didn't make it too long because it was starting to get a bit chilly!
Saturday morning arrived with Jen's famous pancakes and my homemade biscuits (not really homemade..more like from the Pillsbury can, but still great).
After breakfast we spent the morning getting ready and then headed to downtown Wheaton.
We drove around and showed Jen/Will the Wheaton College campus, the downtown area, and drove thru the beautiful homes that surround the campus. We love the houses in downtown Wheaton, there is not one house that is the same, and they all have so much character. Jen only got to take a few pics due to Sean speeding thru the neighborhoods, but it was still a great time!
After touring the homes we went to our favorite sandwich place in Wheaton, Shane's Deli - now we miss Stonemill almost as much as we miss our friends, but Shane's makes a pretty great sandwich. I had the potato soup and a rice krispy treat the size of my head.
Once we were full again we headed off to discover the shops of downtown Wheaton. Mostly we just laughed at the silly stuff people sell but did find one good shop, Paper Works - it's a fun little gift shop that had some pretty cute stuff. We also took our guests into the crazy sports store on the corner of main and front street. This store never gets old, they have so much stuff in there you can barely move and most of it is from the '70s - including the creepy maniquins.
We took the metra into the city that afternoon and had a great time walking the streets. We tried to find a fun cupcake shop but after realizing we past the closest one we gave up and headed into some stores. Sean stopped in the Puma store and gazed at some new shoes ( as much as I wish we could get him some, he really doesn't need any more shoes). Even though the weather was cloudy we got some great pics and enjoyed just being with great friends!
We stopped in Sephora for me, I had a gift card and wanted to get my usual perfume which I've been out of for weeks, unfortunately not all Sephoras carry my scent. No luck there but we did get a chance for the boys to try on some fun sunglasses at the Sunglass Hut. After many pictures of the city and each other we ventured into the American Girl Doll store. I had never been in one of the American Girl stores and it was amazing! I would have loved this place when I was younger! It was so fun to walk around the store and look at all the things that they have for the dolls now. We even had fun assigning each of the new dolls to our friends - we found a great fit for Borris! After we had our fun in the AGDS we headed into one of the greatest stores on Michigan Ave - J.Crew. Jennifer Leigh is a loyal customer to J.Crew and it was a blast to see all the new springs arrivals. They had so many beautiful dresses and skirts...made me wish Spring would arrive soon! We then headed to State street - my favorite part of downtown Chicago. It's not busy and has a very funky feel to it. We of course went straight to Anthropology - Annie's favorite store - and had a blast! I could play in their home section for days! Even though the DeWitts are on a pretty serious budget these days I did get to purchase 2 little fun glasses - as my mom calls them "juice glasses" . They are precious and I hope to collect these in the future. They remind me of something my grandmother would have in her house.
Finally after we were all out of shopping steam we headed into Carmines for a yummy dinner - we had no problem eating Italian food 2 nights in a row! It was a wonderful meal with wonderful company! And the cheesecake wasn't bad either! After dinner we caught the Metra back to Wheaton. Jen, Will, and I all had fun chatting on the way home and my studious student Sean read his grad books so he wouldn't get behind. As I always say he is a lot more studious than I would ever be!
Sunday was another great day! Jennifer and Will joined us for church at Harvest and after the service Sean had to go tutor a student. So the rest of us went to Noodles & Company for lunch. After we were full (yet again) Jen and I dropped Will off at the house so we could watch the winter Olympics and we headed to the greatest store ever...HomeGoods. Jen and I compare this store to T.J.Max on crack. It has the cutest home pieces at insane prices! As we were about to check out Jennifer announces that she is going to purchase something for me for letting us stay at our house. After about half an hour of arguing I gave in and became the proud owner of a fun blue lamp! I can't tell you how much I love this lamp and my sweet friend for her kindness.

Jen and I pouted as the boys made us pack up her things and get ready for the airport.

It's hard to admit when a weekend is coming to an end, especially when you won't get to see your friends for a while. Sean and I are so blessed to be where we are at right now and to be learning so much about life. It can be challenging and lonely at times but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. God has placed us here and continues to teach us new things every day. I'm thankful that He has brought us to Wheaton, I'm thankful for His love and mercy, and I'm thankful that he has blessed us with so many wonderful friends.

Below are some of the pictures from this weekend! I'll probably try to post them with captions later too!

Night Friends!

A Weekend With The DeWitts

2010-01-18T18:52:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun pictures from this past weekend! Sean got glasses, we ate lunch at a yummy Thai restaurant, and we toured the neighboring town of Glen Elyn

Forgot to Mention That I'm In Love...

2010-01-15T19:31:00.001-08:00

With Miss Lily!
How sweet it is to be an Aunt and this little one has stolen my heart!
I miss you and all of our nieces and nephews!
Even though we don't get to spend a lot of time with them we enjoy every minute of it!
How blessed we are!

"These are a few of my favorite things...."

2010-01-15T19:02:00.000-08:00

Sean's parents gave me an incredible camera for Christmas and needless to say I've been taking pictures of everything. I've always loved photography and pictures, and am very excited about my new hobby!

Tonight I was looking for a reason to use my beloved camera and decided to capture some of my favorite things around our house! Take a look!

The Little Things In Life that Make My Day

2009-12-11T18:12:00.000-08:00

So here is something to make you laugh..

It's Friday, I went to work early so I could get off work early! Great Idea!

So I got in at 6 and left at 3!

It was so amazing to leave work while the sun was still out! PS the sun starts setting at 3:00 here!

I got home without traffic, got to see my husband, finished up work while on the comfort of my couch with a friends episode on in the background.

After I finished work, I cleaned around the house, did 4 loads of laundry, and pretty much accomplished my Saturday to-do list by Friday night!

I know by admitting this it shows my OCD-ness to cleaning and organizing, but I can't tell you how happy I am that I don't have to do ANYTHING tomorrow but hang out with Sean and probably nap!

Here's to looking forward to a great weekend!

What The Dewitts Have Been Learning....

2009-12-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

I tell people all the time that Sean and I are continually learning here in Chicago.

It amazes me how much we have learned in our short time here and I know there are many more lessons to come.

I was telling my mom on her last visit here that the thing that God has been putting on my heart the most is this: People need love.

It seems simple, but the more God has opened my eyes and my heart I realize that people really aren't given love that often.

When people are given love it is based on performance, conditions, or requirements. From what I have observed I don't think people are freely offered unconditional love.

I think a majority of people go throughout their days thinking about themselves, their to-do lists, their families, their job obligations, etc.

We ask one another in check out lines "How are you doing today" but no one ever gives a real answer, we typically throw out the "I'm fine" - which should be code for "not good". And when someone does give a real answer it makes us feel uncomfortable.

But as I said earlier, The Lord is at work in The DeWitts and He is all about molding our lives to look more like His and less like the world.

Recently, Sean began talking to me about a girl that he worked with at Starbucks. (For those of you who didn't know my amazing husband worked at Starbucks when we moved here, it was an incredible experience for us - it taught us a lot and allowed me to see Sean as a true servant of the Lord). Sean's former co-worker is pregnant with her second child, experiencing pregnancy complications, and her husband has recently lost his job. He keep saying he felt like he needed to do something, but wasn't sure what. I have to be honest and say that the first few times he mentioned this I listened but never really took heart. I keep thinking it's getting close to the Holidays, people are already on tight budgets because of the economy, what could we really offer, and that it might be uncomfortable asking people to help. Basically I was being a jerk and putting limitations on the Lord.

So the more we discussed it the more we prayed about it. After much prayer Sean reached out to our friends and family back home. He wrote a beautiful email asking for prayer support and financial support from those that could help. What an incredible response we received! So many people sent gift cards to grocery stores, gift cards to Toys R Us, and monetary gifts.

This past Saturday Sean and I were able to met up with his former co-worker. Sean had sent her a text to let her know we had a gift for the baby. Before we left we prayed that the Lord would make this moment His and most importantly that she wouldn't see our faces on this gift, but Christ's. We arrived to the coffee shop, said hi, and had some causal chit chat. Then Sean began to ask her how she was doing. Not a quick "hey how's it going" question, but a real and sincere question. I loved watching that moment, watching the Lord speak thru my husband and reach out to another human. After listening to her describe what had been going on in their lives Sean quietly said that we had been praying for her and her family. And that we had reached out to some of our family and friends back home and that we all wanted to give her and her family a gift for Christmas. She barley opened the envelope before closing it back up and starring at us. She spent about a minute speechless looking back and forth between our eyes. It was one of the coolest moments I've experienced. No words were needed, but we felt the love and thanks that was in her heart. As soon as she gathered herself we were all hugging and crying (except for Sean who says that female emotions make him uncomfortable). She kept saying "How did you all do this", "Why did you all do this", "You don't know how much this means to my family", etc. We simply explained that we wanted to help and that we had friends and family that also wanted to help. That it was our joy to help her. And it truly was the sweetest joy I've ever felt.

As we left and went about the rest of our Saturday errands I began to realize that this is what the world needs more of. More people sharing God's unconditional love, more men like Sean who not only hear the call from Christ, but act upon it at the right time. More people like our friends and family that are so willing to step up and help, despite the cost or circumstance. I told Sean that I wish that everyday of my life could be like that moment...sharing hope and joy with others. For I know that I would be a different woman if that was my life. Maybe it can't be everyday but I hope it becomes more common. I hope I am open to the Lord's desire for my life. Our pastor said this past Sunday that "obedience is doing what God wants, when God wants it, with a God honoring attitude. And the secret to obedience is....love." Tonight I pray for obedience to God's will for my life and always unconditional love for his people.

We love you all!

The Dewitts

Prayers

2009-10-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while and have lots of stories to tell, but tonight I just want to share what Sean and I have been praying for.

Please feel free to leave us a message if we can be praying for you and please feel free to send up a prayer for us too!

Here is what has been our hearts lately..

Sean's PHD program - It seems a little crazy to already be thinking about what school Sean should get his PHD from considering that he is in his 9th week of his Masters Program! We found out pretty soon after starting the Masters program that different schools have different requirements for their PHD programs...so if you find a school you like you better have met all of their requirements. Sean and I really like living in Wheaton, but we aren't sure if Wheaton College will be the best choice for Sean to get his PHD from based on his career goals post-school. Our main prayer is that we go wherever God wants us to be. I tell Sean quite frequently that it doesn't matter where his diploma is from - God will use him however He sees fit. We've been asking God to reveal to us where he would like us in the 2nd stage of graduate school. There are lots of options; options to stay up north & options to move back down south. Of course my heart gets a little giddy thinking about being in the South, but I really am at ease knowing He is going to take us where He desires.

Love for People - so Sean and I have both entered into new work environments and are surrounded by lots of different types of people (Let's use the phrase "non-southerners") We have both been really challenged to have positive attitudes and serving hearts, not because we aren't use to different types of people, but we both work in stressful/chaotic environments. (Today especially - I prayed for lots of love for people!). Sean and I desire to be different, to show people that we are living for something other than worldly desires, but it can be really hard to do that. I must say that God has truly blessed me by providing two wonderful and caring co-workers! I love these new girls and am very grateful to get to work with them everyday. I think the biggest challenge in jobs and careers can be deciding to have a positive attitude and deciding to love people during times of frustration and misunderstanding. I'm trying to teach my mind and heart to love those that frustrate me and hurt me. Not easy, but I'm trying.

Family - Our family is incredible and we are truly blessed to have them. Both sides of our family have had lots of big changes lately and Sean and I have been praying that God will guide all of their decisions. We pray that he will ease their stress and show them grace thru challenging times. We also pray for all of our nieces and nephews that they would have Godly parents who show them Christ's love and that they would one day have a personal relationship with God.

Hannah Grace - my long time friend, Jennifer Reeves (Watson) got married this past summer and had the sweetest little girls in her wedding as flower-girls. One of the little girls recently became very ill. Jen has been posting updates on Twitter and Hannah has been on my heart quite a bit. This past week Jen sent me a link to Hannah's parent's blog. I spent my entire Monday evening reading every post. It is just incredible what this little girl has been thru and how strong her family has been. It's amazing to read the emotions expressed in one blog...hurt...sadness...misunderstanding...grace...love...hope... all in one post. Sean and I continue to pray for her and I love to come home from work and read the blog and see how she is doing that day. I pray that God heals her body, provides her comfort and peace now, that she isn't feeling any pain, and continues to give her parents strength, and the doctors wisdom in their actions and decisions. Please be sure to pray for Miss Hannah if you get a chance!

Friends - Sean and I have lots of wonderful friends that we love to pray for. We pray that God would guide their actions, that they would be seeking Him in their daily lives. It's a very exciting and different time for our group of friends. We've had lots of friends move, graduate, take on new responsibilities, new jobs, etc. We miss getting to be around them, but hope they know how much we love and miss them. We both try to stay in touch with friends (the only good part about my 2 hour commute = lots of good phone time!) and always want to know how we can be praying for them. So let us know what we can be praying for you about!

I have lots of more prayers to share, but I want to include a cool passage from a John Piper book that Sean and I are reading right now. The book is called "Pierced by the Word"

Pg. 15

"But let us not tell Jesus what love is. Let us not instruct Him how He should love us and make us central. Let us learn from Jesus what love is and what our true well-being is. Love is doing whatever you need to do to help people see and savor the glory of God in Christ forever and ever. Love keeps God central. Because the soul was made for God."

Love you all and know the DeWitts are always praying for you!

Night Yall!

Lions, & Tigers, & Bears...& Dinosaurs!

2009-09-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

So Sean and I have been busy the past few weekends!

We went to Cleveland to see Sean's family - got to spend lots of quality time with everyone, went to the Cleveland Zoo and even saw a few dinosaurs!

Sleepy Rhino!

Sleepy Sea Lions!

Cute Polar Bear!

Mr. Lane playing with his new Dinosaur toys - he can name them all for you!

Funniest picture of the weekend! Mr. Lane's camera smile! I think he was a little frightened of this big guy!

Mr. Lukey laughing up a storm and holding his hands! Laughing at his Ninny!

Thinking deeply about something - love that he is holding his hands!

Love the hat!

The Cleveland Zoo has a really cool Dinosaur exhibit and Mr. Lane was all about it!

Love this face!

T Rex!

And last weekend Sean and I took a trip into the city for our 6 month anniversary & to celebrate my birthday. We had lots of fun just walking around the city and chatting about life!

We also got to see our friends Mat and Kelsey Hency who were in town visiting Mat's brother. It was great to have some Arkansas company and to cheer on the hogs with our friends! Next time I will remember to take a picture of all of us!

The Bean

View from our Room!

Our Cool Hotel - it was attached to one of the Theaters

More Dinosaurs!

Just hanging out in Millennium Park on a Saturday

Cool view from the Art Institute

We would love to go to a concert here! So if you're in town call us up!

Even though we are having lots of fun we do miss our family & friends! So come visit soon!

Pictures of our new place!

2009-08-28T17:16:00.001-07:00

Okay Here are some pictures of our new place!

As you can tell it's pretty much the same setup as our old place!

Here in Wheaton

2009-08-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

Well friends, we are here!

Sorry for the delay in the post, but it has taken me a while to get settled.

It actually didn't take me long to get everything unpacked and placed around the condo (thanks to my wonderful parents & my OCD-ness), but it has taken me a while to process this new stage in our lives.

The new place is great (still getting use to the linoleum floors - these things are hard to clean!), but we are definitely ready for visitors so please start making plans to come see us! Clean sheets and towels await you!

We really like the area, it is very cute! There are lots of little quaint shops, restaurants, pretty houses, and fun parks! The only real complaint we have is that there is no good mexican restaurants. At this point I would give my right arm for some cheese dip from La Hacienda! So if you are coming up please bring some with you!

We have been to the city twice now. Each time we have taken the Metra which is fun & interesting! Typically there are lots of loud children and on our last journey a man feel asleep next to me and drooled all over his shirt! A sight to see! Don't worry Sean took pictures if you want to see!

We've visited Michigan Avenue, Navy Pier, & Aquarium! The Aquarium was really fun, but a little crowed on a Saturday with all the kidos! We definitely want to try out all the other museums!

Sean has started his grad classes and you can now find him reading, reading, & reading. My next purchase will be to get him a desk lamp even though he insists that he doesn't need one.

I will hopefully begin working soon. My office is about 45 min away, but the drive really isn't too bad. Perks about my new job, there are windows! Those that have worked at Walmart know that this is a big deal! More info will come after I start!

Things here are going well, but I am definitely missing family and friends back in AR. I hope everyone visits soon! We really do want all of our friends/family to come see us here! Also I've just downloaded SKYPE so all those who want to chat Tuesday/Thursday are great for me!

Miss and love you all!

I will include new pics as soon as I download them!

A cute little condo in Fayetteville

2009-07-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

As I've said in my previous posts we have a very cute home! Sean and I are very blessed to get to live where we do & are sad to be leaving our home. Included are a few photos of our home and the recent decorating that I've done. For those of you who were familiar with Sean's bachelor pad before we were married you will notice quite a bit more color, glass vases, and flowers.

Missing AR, but excited about IL

2009-07-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick summary of what I will miss most about Arkansas

1. Family - this is a given!

2. Friends - another given - I am beyond blessed with a great group of friends! Loud, crazy, dramatic, and fun!

3. Fellowship - I am going to miss our church

very much, hope to find a great church family in Wheaton.

The following are in no particular order

4. Walmart - I'm from NWA and I'm a big fan of getting everything you need in one store.

5. Chick-Fil-A - I love me some Chick-Fil-A fries and a sweet tea

6. The Hogs - I've been a Razorback fan all my life and will miss watching the pigs play football this year. I am also going to miss tailgating with the hood and my family.

7. Fall in Fayetteville - it doesn't get any prettier than Fayetteville during the fall

8. Sonic - I should invest in Sonic based on the number of visits I pay them each week. Special shout out to my sonic friends on Walton - you guys have gotten me thru my year at Walmart.

9. Glo - There is not another store that I love as much as Glo - probably cause one of my besties works there - Amy! I am definitely going to miss my visits here and all of the fabulous products!

10. Stone Mill Bread Company - everybody knows that this is my favorite sandwich shop! I am currently on a chicken salad sandwich kick (thanks Jen), but do love their soups and a grilled turkey sandwich! They also have amazing iced tea! I hear the north isn't too great with making iced tea!

11. Our Home - I love our little condo! We are very sad to be leaving our amazing little home - we've been very blessed, but I am excited to get to decorate a new home - I'll need help from all my friends with this so start booking your trips!

12. Pesto Cafe, Hugo's, Rick's Bakery, Tim's Pizza, Racha Thai (This is Sean's favorite place in the world) are our favorite restaurants in Fayetteville.

13. I can't forget my work friends! I am most definitely going to miss all of my coworkers! It's not very often that you truly enjoy the people you work with - Thanks for the great party last Friday Clare!

Things we are excited about doing in Chicago!

1. Chicago Cubs Baseball - based on the appearance of uniforms I have decided that we will be Cubs fans - can't wait to purchase my first cubs hat!

2. Navy Pier - I am excited about visiting Navy Pier and taking lots of pictures!

3. Eating at lots of yummy restaurants with Sean! We have been given lots of recommendations by people of where to eat, we will be sure to try them all out, and to discover where the best pizza is in Chicago.

4. Shopping - now we are about to be on a entirely new type of budget but I do hope to get in some good outlet shopping! I saw a Crate and Barrel outlet on our last visit to Naperville

5. Concerts - We have heard that there are lots of great concerts in Chicago - Sean wants to definitely see Josh Ritter while we are there.

6. Zoos and Museums - Sean and I are very excited about his family visiting us in Chicago - and we are looking forward to taking his nephew Lane to all of the different museums and aquariums!

7. Sean's family will only be 5.5 hours away now so we are excited about getting to see them more often!

8. Basically I want to visit all the art galleries, museums, comedy clubs, and historical monuments that Chicago has to offer!

9. I am very excited for all of our friends and family to visit us! I hope we have lots of visitors and plan on posting a visitor calendar soon so people can begin booking their trips!

10. I look forward to making Wheaton our new home, becoming familiar with the area, walking around town and Sean's campus. Maybe even buying a house down the road!

This is all I have for now, check back later for more updates!

Tires and the Adult World

2009-07-23T18:14:00.000-07:00

For the most part I truly enjoy being a grown up or at least semi-grown up. But there are a few drawbacks...tires. Tires may be one of the least fun purchases ever. For starters they are expensive and boring. They definitely aren't a fun purchase. You can't play with them, you can't try them on, they aren't even fun to show off. Luckily Sean has made my first tire buying experience a little easier. He kindly traded cars with me today and bought me four brand new tires. Now my drive to and from work will be much safer...as long as the slow drivers stay out of my way! So thanks to a great husband who not only cooks my meals but fixes my car!