Well, we have arrived back from MA, and we are very excited because passed his last exams! 
Chris
and I left on Thursday and drove part way. My mom was kind enough to
come up to VA to watch Josiah, so we could have a weekend away. This is
the first time since Josiah has been born that we have gone away
together and will probably be the last one until 2011. Once Sophie gets
here it will be back to nursing again, which means no overnight trips
for me. We drove to Sterling, PA and stayed at a Bed &
Breakfast. It was nice to have our living room area right beside a
brook. We were able to open the sliding doors for a little bit to enjoy
the bubbling sounds. Chris eventually got cold, and we shut the
doors. Chris was in heaven because they had cable, and he was able to
watch a little college football. Chris surprised me with a massage when
we got there, so it was very relaxing evening for the two of us. We
went out to dinner that didn't consist of trying to get in and out as
quickly as possible. We have a pretty neat story about our dinner
experience. Our waitress came over to get our drinks. When I told her I
wanted water, she lets out this BIG gasp. I was a little taken aback
by this, but then realized that she saw a big black bear come out of the
woods into the field right near where we were sitting. There were some
good ol' boys that came out of the kitchen, and they estimated that the
bear was close to 500 lbs.! It was absolutely amazing and breath
taking to see this bear in the wild. The photographer in me wishes I
had my camera, but I take moments like that as a special gift from God
for me to enjoy in my mind. Friday morning we got up and drove the rest
of the way to MA. We had a great dinner and worship service that
night. Chris was on the candidates who preached. He did a great job
preaching God's word and quite a few people shared with him how blessed
they were by his sermon. We stayed up a little too late Friday night
watching TV--as you can probably tell--we don't have cable!
Saturday morning was the big day when Chris had to answer questions
from the floor of the presbytery. He did an AWESOME job communicating
his convictions and God's calling on his life. After he got done
answering the questions, we had to leave so they could have any
discussion and vote. Just before they called us back in, we heard loud
clapping from the sanctuary--we knew then that he was voted to be
ordained! We are so glad that this two-plus year journey has FINALLY
come to an end. On November 1st, we will actually have his ordination
service where he will officially receive the title Reverend.
We
are glad to have this behind us, but our next big hurdle is getting
ready to move into our new place. The moving will be so much easier
than the ordination--Praise the LORD! Please take some time to look at
the pictures from our weekend and Josiah's 15 month pictures that my mom
took while here. By the way, he did great. My mom said that he didn't
get whiny or fussy the whole time we were gone. From the sounds of
things, she didn't give him much down time to miss us!
Please
keep us in your prayers over the next few weeks as we continue with our
daily responsibilities and prepare to move. Josiah will be having his
15 month check-up, so we are praying that there won't be any concern
about his weight. I will also be having my 24 week check-up with
Sophie.
Well,
it is official. Chris has been hired full time by the church to be in
charge of the youth and small group ministries. His first day is today,
and he was really excited to be going to one place for the day. He had
offered to drive buses for the school where he used to work, but they
have fewer students needing transportation, so they don't need him. He
did offer to be a sub bus driver, so they said that they would keep that
in mind.
Our next big
hurdle is the presbytery meeting at the end of the month. It will be
held in Springfield, MA, so I'm really looking forward to seeing some
fall colors! I've heard that the leaves are already changing! Chris
has one more interview that he is still waiting to be scheduled.
Hopefully,he will hear from them some time this week. My mom is going
to be coming up to watch Josiah for the time we are gone. Mommy and
Daddy are going to leave a day early so we can some time to ourselves.
This will be the first time that I have left Josiah over night, so it is
a big deal!
We have started packing our things and will be
moving to our new place the beginning of October. I'm so looking
forward to not having someone living above me anymore. The 3am and 4am
wake-ups are getting pretty old!
We bought Sophie her first
little girl outfit yesterday when we went to Target. There was LOTS of
cute little girl things, so it was good that I only came out with one
outfit!
Well,
we will keep you posted on how things are going. The next few weeks
are going to be pretty busy, so we ask that you continue to cover us in
your prayers.
Well,
we had our ultrasound today and found out that we are having a girl!
Her name will be Sophie Sugai. Sophie comes from Chris'
great-grandmother. Sugai (pronounced Sue Guy) is my Japanese
grandmother's maiden name. My due date is still on track, so it looks
like Sophie will be joining our family around January 22, 2010.
We
have had a lot of exciting things happening in the Greenwood family.
On Sunday, the church will be voting to make Chris full-time. We will
also be moving at the beginning of October. God has already blessed us
with an awesome place to live that will make Chris' commute 15 minutes!
One of my friends from my MOPS group emailed me last week to see if we
were interested in renting their townhouse since her and her husband
will be moving into their new home. Our little family went to see the
townhouse yesterday afternoon and after discussing it, Chris and I let
my friend know we are interested. It has 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms.
The kitchen has been remodeled with granite counter tops and stainless
steel appliances. There is a finished basement where Chris will be
putting his man cave and University of Tennessee decor. I will have a
room on the main level that will be my craft room and the kids will be
able to have their play room there, too. The master bedroom is bigger
than any of the rooms Chris and I have had since we've been married.
There is a deck right off the master bedroom, and I've already called
dibs on it being Mommy's special place. The master bathroom has a
whirpool tub and seperate shower. The kids will each have their own
room and they will share a bathroom. There is TONS of storage which is a
HUGE blessing. We are getting all of this for less than what we are
paying now, so God is truly blessing the Greenwoods!
We are
heading to Massachusetts at the end of the month for Chris' ordination,
so please be in prayer for safe travels and that Chris will be accepted
for ordination. Also, be in prayer as we get ready to pack and move to
our new place--that the transition will go smoothly for all of us.
