I decided to import all of the posts from my old blog into this one, and I will be going through them in the upcoming weeks to delete the unimportant ones. I figured that it might be valuable to have my posts from my “pre-Brennan” years on here as well! 🙂 So, you’ll notice a huge influx of blog posts, but don’t feel obligated to go back and read them! They date back to 2003. 🙂
Category: Life as we know it
Winter…
I used to blog all the time. Lately, I write posts in my head all the time but they never end up on the blog.
I was thinking today about one that I wrote in January 2010 regarding Winter, and I thought it was worth re-posting a portion of it:
My most recent pondering has been about Winter. As this is only my second “true” Winter (since I lived in California for 25 years), I am still adjusting to months of frigid temperatures, white powder covering the ground, and salt on the roads. Winter is bleak, yet beautiful. More than anything, Winter has taught me to fully appreciate Spring, Summer, and Fall. Someone recently described Winter as a time when God allows His creation to rest…a time for the ground to cease growth, and even a time for humans to spend time inside resting, enjoying the warmth and the time not spent tending gardens, mowing lawns, etc. Winter makes us more passionate about the other three seasons, and gives us greater joy at their arrival. I still marvel at all four seasons, recognizing that God didn’t have to create four–He could have kept things constant and thereby boring, and we would have never known the difference. This is yet another way God shows us that we are loved.
I post this mostly as an encouragement to myself, because I am not enjoying winter this year. It was 11 degrees when I left for work this morning. Bitter cold. I long for warmth…
It’s amazing how quickly my sentiments toward winter have changed. This is shown through the amount of pictures I have taken each winter since 2008 (slowly decreasing), as well as the amount of times I have blogged about it. 🙂
In January 2009, I posted this about my experiments with freezing liquids: http://lesaclose.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/the-results-of-my-experiments/
In December 2008, I was thrilled with new weather terminology: http://lesaclose.wordpress.com/2008/12/19/lesas-list-of-winter-weather-terms/
Now I am taking Vitamin D3 and hoping that it’s a mild, warm winter.
All in all, I still know that I am called to be here, and that God never gives us more than we can handle. 🙂 Yet, I still don’t feel like embracing this frigid season…thankfully it’s only three months out of the year!
I’ve been told that I need to blog more…
…so here goes. 🙂
I used to be so good about blogging and journaling. I’m not sure what has changed, or why I’ve found it so easy to just not write at all. However, I realize that it is an important exercise and I need to be writing things down so that I don’t forget what has happened.
Life has been GREAT. Not challenge-free, of course, but truly great. We can’t complain.
Most recently…we got nearly 10 inches of snow this past weekend. The last time that our region had an October snow was in 1972, and they received 2 inches. So, to say that this was record-breaking is an understatement. I’m having a hard time thinking about winter coming, so I’m not going to take the next few weeks of 50-60 degree weather for granted! Here in Hershey we are definitely ready for “normal” weather for our area…not 70+ inches of rain in a year!
Brennan and I are LOVING living in Hershey. We are SO close to work, we have great neighbors, we love our new place, and it’s been an absolute blessing to live here already. It’s amazing how God brings us exactly what we need!
We are five days away from celebrating our first anniversary…and I am amazed at how this year has flown! A year ago, I was in Red Bluff, crazy busy, just ready to be married and have the wedding planning/executing over and done. Now, we are happily married, enjoying every day, and are SO thankful to be done with wedding craziness! 🙂 We’re celebrating our anniversary on Friday/Saturday by staying at a very nice place, and we will eat our (currently frozen) cake and sip our apple cider (from the wedding) on Sunday. It’s going to be a restful, wonderful weekend, celebrating the blessings of our loving Lord who brought us together!
We are praying through several decisions right now in terms of ministry opportunities, and it’s really exciting to see what God is bringing our way.
We’re being very intentional about slowing down our schedule and spending more time at home, which has been very good for me. I’ve literally started writing down “stay at home” days on my calendar because I have a tendency to fill up every spare minute with some activity…and I’m worn out. It’s incredibly difficult, but I’m getting better at just relaxing at home every once in a while!
Speaking of resting, I finally sought out medical assistance for my knee which was injured on November 20, 2008 in a car accident. I have an MRI on Thursday morning to determine the next course of action, which may be surgery if it is indeed a tear. God is in control, and we are trusting Him with logistics (living/working on the second floor, for instance)and finances!
God is at work all around us, all the time, and I’m loving watching Him work. When I moved to Harrisburg in 2008, I never expected to find such diversity here in terms of people and countries represented. But, I am constantly finding out about other cultures who are making their home here–such as Haitian refugees, Burmese refugees, etc. And I love it! God is bringing people from all over the U.S. to Harrisburg to plant churches and to reach out missionally to these people, and I am excited for us to be part of this!
Brennan and I are heading to California in January to celebrate Christmas…two weeks late. Why? Because we are saving $800 in air fare! It is incredibly expensive to fly anywhere at Christmas-time, but especially to California since it’s such a tourist destination. So, we decided to think outside the box and found tickets for $400 total roundtrip for BOTH of us! God is so good! I can’t wait to see my family!
It’s been a great first year of marriage, and I can’t wait for each one to follow.
Fundraising Update!
Thank you SO much to all who contributed to my 3-Day, 60 Mile walk fundraising! You helped me go from 18% to 44% in less than a week! AMAZING! I am only $94 away from hitting 50%, and my goal is to reach 50% by May 4th!
If you’d like to donate directly to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, you can do that here! http://www.the3day.org/site/TR?px=5639655&fr_id=1624&pg=personal
If you like Pampered Chef and would like to order this month, our consultant is giving us her ENTIRE commission, on top of what Pampered Chef will send to us! Great way to stock up on awesome kitchen tools AND join the fight against breast cancer! Click on the following link, click on shop online, then enter “Bucks for Boobs” as the organization. http://www.pamperedchef.biz/dorothyd
I am still selling Mary Kay products, and this month I will donate 30% of all purchases to my 3-Day Walk! If you would like to host a skin-care class, let me know! My website is always open: http://www.marykay.com/lesa.brackbill
Every dollar helps…what is keeping you from donating today to help find a cure for cancer?
Dignity…
Today was my third “hair donation” in the past five years (January 2007, September 2008, January 2011). I donated 9.5 inches this time–the first time was 10 inches, and the second time was 9. It’s so strange to barely be able to get my hair into a ponytail after having such LONG hair for the past six months. But, I love doing this!
I started growing my hair out and donating it because of women in my family who had started to do it (including my mom and my cousin Melanie–I know there are more…). I realized that this was such an easy way to help restore a woman’s dignity during her chemotherapy treatments and the resultant hair loss…
For the first donation (2007), my cousin Kristin and my friend Dannylle did it with me. We road-tripped up to NorCal for the weekend and donated our hair.
The second time was two months after I moved to Pennsylvania…and I don’t have any pictures of that process because I did it impulsively one day (and should have waited a couple of months). This was taken a couple of days afterward (with my former roommate).
This time, I had hoped to wait until April so that it would be slightly longer, and slightly warmer outside. 🙂 But, I got to the point where it just “had to go”, and my wonderful friend was able to cut it for me today!
Brennan and I have a cousin with cancer, and she just got her wig a little while ago…we saw her yesterday, and it renewed within me my desire to do this as long as I am able.
I really don’t say any of this to sound like I’m bragging–because I’m not. Not at all. I am just deeply moved by these women who are fighting such a terrible disease and have to lose their hair (a source of dignity and self-worth for women). If I can do something as simple as grow out my hair, I want to do it! 🙂
It takes an average of six donated ponytails to make one wig.
Consider doing this–yes, it takes a while, but it’s SO worth it! 🙂
Random Thoughts and Happenings…
- This is my third winter in Pennsylvania, what I consider to be my third “real” winter ever. And I’m already finding that I’m not as excited as I was about the first two. It snowed a little last Friday, and rather than be thrilled and overjoyed–as I was the past two years–I found myself saying things like “oh great”. 🙂 Amazing how quickly the newness of snow can wear off.
- We are busy. Way too busy for our liking! Starting tonight, we have something to do/somewhere to be every night until the 28th. How does this happen?
- I really wish we were going to California for Christmas…especially because Papa Fay has Alzheimers, and we don’t know if he’ll remember us next summer. But, I’m excited about possibly having my first “White Christmas” 🙂
- Our apartment is finally feeling like a “home” as we slowly unpack, rearrange, and get rid of cardboard boxes. 🙂 We caved in last week and turned on the heat a bit, because 54 degrees is about fourteen degrees too cold for us.
- I started the “thank you note” process the other night…I have 150 cards to write–and while we are both thankful that we get to write these (because we were so blessed by our friends and family!), the number is a bit daunting…as is the etiquette rule that says you have eight weeks to get them to people. We’re at six weeks now. 🙂
- The band that I am a part of is recording a demo this weekend, as there are a few venues that have opened up to us, but they require a demo CD. Thankfully, our “leader” has a recording studio in his basement. It’s been SO fun to play/sing in this band–but it has definitely challenged me and taken me out of my comfort zone at times. Three gigs last week alone…and more to come.
- I have raised 9% of the $2,300 for the 3-day walk that I am doing in October! Still selling calendars!
- All in all, life is good. We are loving being married, and have determined that it is far better than engaged life. There is nothing like starting and ending every day with the one you love most. 🙂
Night at the Hotel Hershey…
Brennan won a free night’s stay at one of the cottages at the Hotel Hershey way back in February, and we were SO excited to finally get to use the gift certificate! Of course, this would be the day that I leave my memory cards for my camera at home, forcing us to use our phones to take pictures.
When we checked in, we were given complimentary chocolate bars, and tickets to The Hershey Story (a great museum!) and the Hershey Gardens. We opted to go to the museum, and when we came back we found chocolate-covered strawberries in our room! There was also a card, congratulating us on our wedding. So nice!
We went to dinner at one of the Hotel’s restaurants, and when we came back, they had come back to our room to do “turn-down service”, and left us with slippers (that we were allowed to keep)!
We decided to get room service the next morning, and it was absolutely amazing!
We truly felt like royalty the entire stay, and really enjoyed every moment! The Hotel Hershey is an incredible place to stay, and I am so thankful that we got to experience it! We were well rested for our Pennsylvania reception the next morning, which was SUCH a blessing! Many thanks to all who made it happen, and to all who came to celebrate with us!
The TBS Ranch’s post about our wedding…
The ranch where we got married has a blog, and they did a wonderful write-up about our perfect day! Check it out!
A New Beginning…
On November 6th, 2010, we said the famous words, “I do”…and our lives will never be the same!
I’ve been blogging since 2003 as a single woman, and decided it was time for a fresh start as a married woman. 🙂
This will (hopefully) be a way to regularly tell our friends and family what we’ve been doing, as we tend to have lots of adventures together!
My old posts are still available to read if you’re interested! http://lesaclose.wordpress.com
–Lesa and Brennan
Reminiscing…
I love going back and reading old blog posts, especially from the summer of 2004. It was a summer of so much personal and spiritual growth!
Today, as I was looking at my blog for a specific reason, I came across this post from May 29th, 2004:
So I mentioned yesterday that I wanted to post some Elisabeth Elliot quotes…and I will. 🙂 I wish I could post them all, but no one wants to read all of them. So here are a few, my favorites–and the ones that spoke to my heart so clearly.
“Taken in a spirit of trust, even loneliness contributes to the maturing of character, even the endurance of separation and silence and that hardest thing of all, uncertainty, can build in us a steady hope.”
Loneliness is difficult–but it is something we all face at one time or another. God is teaching me each day that I need to find my fulfillment in Him, because no man can complete me fully…only God can. And if I learn to rest in Him, then I will be able to more fully love the man I will marry someday.
“Suppose He should ask me to wait five years? It stuns me to think of it. Yet–could I imagine that the mercy of God which has stretched to me from everlasting to everlasting could be exhausted in five years?”
That quote especially spoke to me because I’ve already been waiting almost 6 years…and often the thought that I might be waiting another 6 makes my heart despair…but this quote has caused me to think a great deal about this, for whomever God has for me will be worth the wait, no matter how long it takes. I just have to be patient, learn to be “content whatever the circumstances” as Paul tells us…because really, what is another 5 years? It’s not like those years will be a waste by any means…so I need to remember that it is okay to be single, it is okay to be uncertain about the future, because God knows and is in control.
I found this worthy of reposting, because that was almost 5 years to the day that I started to become friends with Brennan…my future husband. 🙂 I’m so glad that God prepared my heart even then to wait “another five years”. 🙂 Believe me, he was well worth the wait!
Even So, Joy 