Sisterhood Adventure || A Roadtrip to Manitoba

Upon the occasion of the birth of a certain charming little gentleman...it was decided that it was once again time to embark upon another Canadian adventure, this time to take another visit to Manitoba, to visit the aforementioned gentleman. (and his parents, naturally!)

(for previous epistles of our road trips to this land, see here and here)

The trip was quite pleasant and was made even more so by delicious coffee and conversation. =)

This was the first road trip we have ever taken in which sister love spent more time behind the wheel than I did. I left on the trip quite exhausted and spent much of our traveling time slumbering soundly.
Our drive up was mostly uneventful. Quite calm and peaceful. Sister was driving when we went through the border and the guard literally barely even glanced at our passports. I couldn't believe it. (if you remember from past experiences-see above links at top of post-I have quite a repertoire of border crossing stories) This was sister's first time driving us through the border and it seemed rather unfair that it would go so smoothly for her. I rejoiced in her success however. =)
The only "moment" that occurred was a very stressful fifteen minutes in which we were driving on E and couldn't find a gas station ANYWHERE. (for those of you who have been through the Pembina border area before, you know what we mean-there's just not much there at all for quite a ways!) For most of that time I was sleeping and had no idea of what was happening. I woke up to us driving through a little town, and I said, "wait, why are we not on the main road?" And sister said, "Well...we've been on E for quite a while now, and so I am desperately searching for gas. So you could pray for that, if you want to."
It's not that we're worried about being stranded somewhere.
But when you are out in the middle of nowhere, and you have NO phone reception whatsoever...then, yeah, it's not really a good time to run out of gas.
Praise the Lord, we finally found a gas station before completely running out!
We made it to Neepawa in record time and arrived in time for dinner.

Such great memories we always make with cousin love and her husband. So good to be back with them again. We had many great conversations and lots of laughter around that little kitchen table!

Of course meeting this little man was just amazing. We had such grand times of snuggles and giggles!

Baby laundry folding, gift unwrapping, and fun things of that nature commenced.
Our visit landed right on cousin dearie's birthday which was so special. Loved being there for it and making some amazing birthday memories with her!

His shoes!! His little tummy! =)

The first morning was spent walking and picking up a few groceries in the little town of Neepawa. 

Back home, a delicious lunch was prepared by these two while I attended to the baby. =)
I gave cousin a Pioneer Woman cookbook as one of her birthday gifts and whilst drooling over the many recipes therein, a certain sandwich recipe was discovered. It was a dreamy combination of apricot preserves, turkey breast, and cheese, all melted between bread into panini sandwiches.

It did not disappoint! Combined with fresh tomato basil cream soup, it was the perfect lunch!

Birthday cheesecake pie, brought over by cousins' mother-in-law on her birthday.

We had lots and lots of chats about life, him and I. =)

A late night of the legendary Bean Game, complete with much laughter and competitive goodwill. =) Well, mostly goodwill. We may have, once or twice, thought about losing our tempers at cousin's husband's way of weaseling in and winning effortlessly. Like how did he do that?!
But overall everyone was mostly kind to each other. =)

If you haven't played this game, you need to check into it. We love it!

One day we ladies and lil man went out on the town. (aka, to the nearby metropolis of Brandon) 

We had a lovely time filled with many adventures. 

First stop was for coffee. Naturally. 

Cousin dearie took the us to try a new certain little hipster joint which was declared a national success. 

The cups were quite small but the coffee was strong and the latte art superb and the taste divine so the smallness was willingly excused. =)

Next stop was Value Village.
Value Village is Canada's epitome of a grand thrift store chain and a most delightful place to find treasures. Sister and I make it our goal to visit a VV at least once every time we go to Canada.

While sister and cousin dear tried on a multitude of items in the dressing rooms, the little man and yours truly had a most wonderful hat-modeling session with the row of hats hanging outside of the dressing rooms. This experience involved him looking at the phone screen with wide and sometimes perturbed eyes and myself trying to take a decent selfie without completely dying laughing at how hilarious he looked in some of the styles. In the midst of this little adventure he lost some of his breakfast but thankfully the hats were spared and things were cleaned up and back to normal in record time.
Record, that is, when you have a shopping cart full of clothes and you are trying to locate the diaper bag and wipes underneath everything while holding a chubby baby and trying not to get aforementioned breakfast over more things than yourself and child. =)

As you can tell by this picture...an adventure was incurred.
After purchases were made, we ladies headed out to the truck. It so happened that due to certain malfunctions, it was necessary to unlock the truck with the key, manually. Cousin dear inserted the key and turned but to no avail. She tried several times but just could not get the door unlocked. Sister and I tried our skills at various key insertion moves and twists and tricks but nothing worked. The door simply would not be unlocked. Someone mentioned asking for help but no one was wanting to that so all three continued trying to their utmost to unlock that stubborn door.
Finally a certain husband was called and the tale of woe poured out.
It seemed that he thought that the key was not being inserted properly which was somewhat offensive to us ladies as we had all been trying our UTMOST and had each inserted the key many many times. Cousins' husband mentioned asking a man for help. I was vehemently apposed to this suggestion (why in the world would a man be able to unlock the truck if three women couldn't? Exactly!) 
but eventually the situation became so desperate that cousin determined to ask for help. She flagged down a gentleman and he came to our assistance. He tried and tried but to no avail as well. He was so sweet though-he had the dearest British accent and was genuinely kind.
At last it was decided that we would have to call in professional assistance. Which we did...and then went back inside of VV to wait. By this time we were all starved, and to tell the truth, we were all feeling somewhat grumpy. Thankfully we were together which meant that we really couldn't be grumpy for long, no matter how frustrated and hungry we may have been.
Within 15 minutes the pros arrived. Well, their company logo arrived, along with a boy who looked more like a teenage bum than someone who would actually be able to successfully unlock our truck. However, he got it unlocked, and we were eternally grateful, and we got in the truck and laughed and laughed. =)

Lunch at a dear little pita place. #pitaloversunite

Now this is cool. I didn't even know signs like this existed. But I am a huge fan. Seriously, what better people to honor than new parents and mothers?
Shopping places everywhere should take note and implement this. I was so impressed.

At the mall, a visit was made to this sweet little tea shop that was bright and cheery and smelled divine!
it was also sister's and my first time to be introduced to Ardenes.
(a Canadian chain similar to, oh, maybe like a mash-up of Rue21 + Forever21 + Maurices?)
We loved it!

Current life motto. I dearly loved this sign on a store we were passing, and I took a picture so I wouldn't forget it. =)

Did I mention that we ate like queens?!

Breakfast of champions with baby of champions.

Snuggles with the sleeping angel boy.

Yet another delectable lunch. (observe little squish in the corner. Doesn't he look so huggable?!)

Afternoon caffeinated beverages. Always with plenty of whipped cream!

The last night of the visit there was a grand little cookout. The sun was shining and the fire kept away the minimal chill. Such a lovely time.

Last hugs and coffees. So very blessed to have this lady in my life. She is the dearest soul.

On the way home, we went a bit off the beaten trail and drove over along the top of Minnesota, to International Falls, to surprise one of our dear friends for her birthday.

The surprise was a COMPLETE success and the big hat, the birthday singing, and the unexpected "whipped cream in the face event" will never be forgotten!
It was a short and sweet stop of just two hours, but we talked non-stop, ate delicious mexican food, and had a grand time celebrating life + friendship!

Love these girls!

A *most* questionable little gas stop of sorts was visited, amongst multiple other fuel stops. One little pump! But it did the job.

 By the way, in case you have not noticed, our fuel stops are gas stations and Caribou coffee. You know, fuel for the car, and fuel for the drivers. =)

We had a rather desperate two hours of desolation driving along the top of Minnesota, in which we were looking and looking for a bathroom facility. (and finally eventually did find one) 
Other than that, most of the trip up to this point had been quite calm. 

We were nearing the twin cities Saturday evening, zooming right along. I had resumed the wheel and was laser-focused on home. The trip had been lovely but after all, we were nearing the happy sights of my happy place and I was excited to be back. So anyways, we were moving along, in the rain, at an, um, fairly rapid state of speed, and I remarked, half to myself and half to sister, "How completely uneventful this trip has been!"

"No weird border guards, no hold-ups at the border, no major things forgotten, nothing lost, no breakdowns, and we only ran into three sketchy guys! I'd say that was a pretty calm trip compared to our past record. It must be because I let you drive most of the time! I should let you drive more! 

Like literally, nothing has gone wrong. This is crazy."

Friends, the words were out of my mouth no more than five seconds before I popped over a ridge and whizzed right by....well, you know, a keeper of the peace. I did what I do literally every time I pass one of those white cars-I began to pray, "Lord, please, no...not tonight! I want to get home..I don't want to be stopped...just please...." 

Yeah. Like two words into that prayer, things spun into action with a little light show of sorts. 

And you can imagine the rest.

Bless his heart...he really was a nice young guy. We went through the whole thing:

Him, "M'am, are you aware of how fast you were driving?" 

Me, "um, yeah, I have an idea....around __?" 

Him, "HMMMM. And may I ask what's your rush?" 

Me, "Well, umm, I just wanna get home!!!"

(or something equally idiotic-why can I never think of something witty to say at this point?)

He let me off with an "official epistle" (cause that just sounds nicer than saying ticket) 

and told me that he was only going to fine me for half of my offense speed. (in other words, the amount I was over the limit; he only charged me for half)
Which was sweet of him but it was still a horrific amount.

When the whole deal was over and I rolled up my window and resumed driving, everything was deathly still. I stole a glance at sister. She looked back at me: "Well, what am I supposed to say? How many times do we have to talk about this and how many times does this still have to happen?"

*monkey hands over eyes emoji*

It was a lovely journey with the sista, overall. We had a marvelous time, many memories made, and another successful road trip for the books!

Sometimes I feel a little strange posting these adventures, because they are somewhat personal, but I want them documented for myself to remember some day, you know?

Right.

Y'all have an amazing weekend!

 -Chels

When Life Appears Peachy (but it really isn't)

It was a cold Sunday morning, last December.

My week had been rough. Actually, kind of beyond rough. My world felt about as upside down and inside out as possible, and basically no one knew. It was a pretty low point and I was really struggling.

But it was Sunday morning. And it wasn't going to help anyone to wear my life on my face, so I pulled myself together as I knew I needed to, and headed to church. I spent the hour prior to church as normal, helping my pastor's wife get her babies all ready and to church, and I finally slid into a seat in my class's room just as announcements were starting.

Our Bible fellowship class always start out with prayer requests and announcements. Someone asked if there were any prayer requests. All was silent...no one said anything. I was such a mess with my own internal struggle that I was halfways tuned out and not paying a whole lot of attention to what was going on around me anyways.

Our leader got up to give the lesson. He looked at us and smiled as he said, "Well, its great to know that everyone's life is so peachy that there are no prayer requests!"

There were a few looks exchanged, and half-hearted laughs, and I could literally feel the vibe around that table, and I knew I wasn't the only one, that was thinking "My life? Peachy? Not a chance! If only you KNEW."

His statement stunned me. At that moment reality hit me between the eyes. Hard. I was out of my fog and in the zone immediately. I could think of a whole lot of descriptions for my current circumstances in life but peachy was not even close. I realized, "People have NO CLUE."

And then I got to thinking. If I had all this stuff in my life, and nobody knew, and I was faking everyone so well in concealing pain that I had...then for all I knew everyone else in my class was at the same place.

That hit me hard too. Really? It rocked my world to think about this. Who knew the pain of the girl sitting next to me? Who knew the monumental decision facing the guy across the table? Who knew the stories of their struggle of current living and just doing life? Surviving?
Probably no one...just like no one knew about me.

I thought about this a lot that morning during our class, and I continued to think about it in the coming weeks. It struck me so greatly that I started a blog post about it (this) and I'm finishing + posting it now, five months later.

This experience made me think about several things.
First of all, it made me realize yet again that just because someone looks perfect and like they have it all together, doesn't mean they are and do.
Secondly, it showed me how important it is to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. If I sense Jesus wanting me to talk to someone, or send a note or text of encouragement, or just take a minute to stop and pray for someone, I need to do that RIGHT AWAY, even if I have no idea what they are going through. Because chances are very good Jesus put them on my heart for a reason, and they are going through something of which I may have no idea.

It was funny; I had already been thinking for a while about this concept of being more sensitive to the Spirit's leading. I had seen several situations in my life where just a simple text to let someone know I was praying for them, had been just at the time when they needed encouragement, even though I didn't know that beforehand.

But this experience in my class in December got me thinking about it even more. "How many people are going through life, putting a smile on their face + stuffing the pain, and nobody takes time to ask them how they are REALLY doing, because they assume that because they look perfect and like they have it all together, that everything in their life is peachy?"

I was so convicted at this! It is so easy for me to go through life and forget that there are also other people out there who may be going through things of which I have no idea. Some personalities are more open + honest about their struggles, but there are many people (like me) who often just stuff everything inside and wear a smile, trying to make it through without other people knowing what is really going on. There are pros and cons to each side, obviously---there is a time when honesty + openness are very good, and other times when one has to just learn to deal with things and move on. The whole world doesn't always need to know of our struggles. At the same time, it isn't a good idea to always keep everything bottled up and put forth this facade of perfection.

I honestly didn't used to write posts like this. For much of my life I have felt like I could be more effective by "having it all together" and being as "godly" as possible. I struggled with bondage from feeling like I had to be a good example; like I had to look good, regardless of what I was actually experiencing or feeling.

Don't get me wrong, I am still striving for godliness. But more than having a beautiful, picture-perfect life, more than having it all together, more than any of that...I just want to be used in my brokenness. This life is not about perfection. It's not about giving an impression of a perfect life. It's about being REAL. Real with Jesus, and real with people.

I feel like as Jesus is showing me freedom in some of these areas, that there is a need for me to be more open + honest. I struggle with life at times just like anybody else. I have so many flaws it's really quite humbling! I feel sometimes as though I am a kindergardener in the school of life, instead of being a twenty-something year old who you would think should have a lot more of life figured out by now. But even in this very humbling and broken state, my heart is to be honest and share as I'm learning. Not when I have arrived, or reached a state of "perfection" in the areas I write about. But I need to write when I am "in the midst", because that is when the true testing happens, and where the heart is the most vulnerable. That is when we can push each other on to new heights in the Lord...when the fire is hot and our hearts are being tested.

I hope something said here can challenge someone else in the area of being open to the Holy Spirit and reaching out to people in your life, even if it looks like those people's lives are perfect and "peachy". For all you know, there are layers of hurt and pain hidden beneath the smile, and that person you spend time with today may be in desperate need of someone to say a kind word or a prayer and just give them a little extra Jesus.

Just because they are putting on a smile and "looking the part" doesn't mean their life is peachy perfect.

 Listen to the Spirit. Reach out. You just might make a difference bigger than you know.

-Chels

Sisterhood Adventure || A Roadtrip + Ontario Wedding

Once upon a time...two sisters planned a trip to work a wedding in eastern Ontario. 

Ah. Weddings. If the sisters had their choice they would very possibly do nothing but weddings. They are dearly in love with weddings and everything that happens at these wonderful events. With the sisters' current job schedule (aka touring with the family band half of the year) there don't end up being very many weekends available for them to do weddings. So when wedding requests AND their schedules line up together, it is a happy time. =)

When their sweet Ontario friend asked them to come and do the music + bridal hair/makeup at her wedding, the sisters knew they wanted to go if it was at all possible. With the crazy fall schedule they were running it took a little arranging and planning, but the details finally worked out!

As usual, the sisters divided and conquered with the planning of the trip. Sister A was responsible for vehicle details, arranging directions + stops, and communicating with the bride about the music details. Sister B was responsible for food packing, coordinating the hair/makeup details, and making the schedule.

Everything finally came together and early on Friday morning (think 4am!) the sisters headed east in their little red car.

In Fort Wayne, Indiana, there was a stop made at the incredible Sweetwater Sound. The sisterhood had been commissioned by the fam with several instruments that were in need of repair.

The stop was quite informative-if they would've had more time they definitely would have had fun browsing the place.

As it was, they were laser-focused because they had a rehearsal they needed to attend and not much extra time to spare.

It was slightly awkward because brother had said his guitar had a crack in the center, so sisters took the guitar in and then the guitar repair guy couldn't find the crack and he said "are you sure?" and sister A said "of course I'm sure-I SAW it with my own eyes!! I don't know what happened to it but it was there!" So then of course guitar repair guy thought sister A was being a little odd but she was adamant that there WAS a crack so repair guy took the guitar to the window for better light and praise the Lord he found the crack. Apparently depending on weather and such, cracks can become bigger or smaller. In this case, it had become smaller. Who knew?

Getting all of that figured out took a while, and the sisters were getting anxious to get back on the road because time was running tight. They walked with pep in their steps towards the door and deliberately ignored the rather unique looking group of lounging guys that said "hi" and seemed to be hankering for a conversation. (Not happening, gentlemen) The sisters definitely had more important things on the agenda, such as a wedding. No time to stop and chat with random sketchy men today. (well, or ever)

Chipotle is where it happens. The sisterhood's restaurant of choice. Amazing sister B even had the foresight to purchase drinks ahead of time (because we all know that they are cheaper at the store than they are at the restaurant!) and bring them along. (because fizz with Mexican food is just perfection)

Unfortunately, the sisters hit Chipotle at a very busy time of day. They had to wait in line for 20ish minutes. Sister A decided to quickly run to the bathroom because the line was just going nowhere. Of course, right when she left everything sped up and sister B was up to order within seconds. Sister B tried to order for Sister A and ordered the wrong thing so when Sister A got back she had to hold up the line by changing her order. (because WHO EVEN gets a bowl when they can get a BURRITO for the same price? Okay, the healthier version of the sisterhood, which would be Sister B. NOT Sister A) Naturally then both the guy behind the counter AND the guy behind her in line were both upset for the holdup. But such is life.

Other than that the experience was fabulous. =) So was the 86% dark chocolate that they had in the car to top things off as they drove away later.

Beautiful skies and scenery from the window during the drive.

And then the sisterhood had the story of the border crossing.

Mercy, what a saga...

To start things off, they were running just a tad behind. (as mentioned previously) 

They had been keeping stops to a minimum and speeding right along, but the drop off at the music store had taken longer than planned, and that infamous line at Chipotle didn't help either. Things were pretty tight to make it to the rehearsal on time. So there was no extra time for border issues. (fingers crossed...)

They drove up to the checkpoint and handed in their passports. Right from the beginning there was trouble. The border guard was, um, less than ideal, to put it mildly. Sister A took one look at him (or rather, it was when he took one look at THEM) and she knew she would not want to meet this guy in a back alley. He started off asking all sorts of unnecessary and personal questions and honestly sister A was just wanting to get AWAY from the man. At some point in his list of interrogation, he asked if the sisters had guns or mace along. 

Well, they did not have guns, but they did have mace. Sister A had no intention of giving up her mace, so she said no, but sister B (who would never dream of lying) sweetly said, "Well I have mace." 

Whereupon the border guard got upset and demanded that she hand it over (like really? Why is that weird for a girl to carry mace? Especially when going to Canada? Not that Canada is bad place exactly, but seriously...if their other border guards are as disturbing as this one was, one would want mace in their purse just for the possibility of having to use it on the guards!)

Anyways. The border patrol guy told Sister B to put her mace up on the dash. Then he leaned out of his window and almost down to the sisters' car and looked Sister A straight in the eye and said, "Now young lady, you are going to drive straight over to there (pointing to the search area) and you are going to get out of your car and give them this mace and this paper and then they are going to search your car. And if they find ANYTHING ELSE of this nature in your car, they will arrest you before you even know what's happening." 

Now. Sister A is not a gullible person. She is not easily intimidated, and she is quite confidant in her ability to get out of difficult situations, particularly those involving men.

However. This guy was CREEPY. 

He was also dead serious. 

And Canada has strange rules. 

For all she knew they very well might arrest them.

And the sisters were already running late for the rehearsal and had no extra time to spare for jail escaping, which was what would follow in case of an arrest. (naturally) Normally, of course, this all would have been no problem, as sister A would love nothing better than to add "escaped convict" to her repertoire of adventures.

But. There was a wedding at stake here. A deadline to meet. Things to do, places to go. 

What if, just what if, they did find her mace during the search...?

She just couldn't risk it. 

So sister A did what was her only option. She looked up at the guard and she opened her mouth and said, "Well actually...I have some mace as well." 

Sister A's note to self for future: Say the truth in the beginning. 

To make a long story short, you can imagine that this revelation did nothing to increase the jovial less-than-cordial spirits of the guard. Quite the contrary. He was furious and had no qualms about letting the sisters know it.

The sisters were commanded to exit their car. Then their car was searched top to bottom. Next they were told to "sit and wait" while several different people went through their list of offenses and matched things up with their IDs.

Both sisters were quite frustrated by this point, because they were getting the distinct and very accurate vibe that they were being treated like twelve year olds, which was exactly what was happening. 

FINALLY after multiple explanations and signing a form saying they would not sue to get their mace back (don't think it wasn't considered!) they were allowed to continue on their way.

Relief!! Self inflicted speed limits (in other words, a lack thereof) ensued as the little red car sped away, on towards the destination.

Next the sisters lost phone reception, which meant that in addition to being unable to call anyone, they also lost service with their GPS. Now they were in the middle of a strange land with no GPS and no ability to call anyone. Quite a situation. Thank heavens that sister B is much more directionally skilled than sister A and was able to somehow navigate the situation and get them to the correct destination, in spite of the aforementioned non working technical devices. (now that is skills, people!)

They finally arrived at the church, just half an hour late. Thankfully the dinner portion of the rehearsal was first, so no one had to wait on them for the actual ceremony run-through. The rehearsal went well and the sisters slept quite well that night after the very full and interesting day!

Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful. The sisters spent the morning curling, styling, and applying.

Above, a details shot of a few of the essentials of the trade!

The sisters have their craft honed to best fit their loves and skills in various areas.
Sister A does all the curling. Sister B does all the makeup. Sister B also does all the updos, and occasionally sister A helps with braids/down styles.

Time to get the bride ready!

Done!

So beautiful!

The wedding was at 1pm, which made for a pretty full morning! The sisters literally arrived at the church at 12:20pm and closeted themselves in the bathroom for fifteen minutes to try to make themselves presentable before starting the prelude music at 12:40pm. 

(the best marketing for a hair/makeup team would be to have decent hair/makeup themselves, right? Right. Sisters' to self: ALLOW MORE TIME NEXT TIME TO IMPROVE ADVERTISMENT PACKAGE =))

Here are a few shots to give a better view of the finished hairstyles...

The wedding was beautiful-so Christ honoring, and it was such a blessing for the sisters to be a part of this special day. The bride and her family were so kind + gracious to them and the sisters truly felt right at home. 

The sisters provided all of the music for the ceremony. The bride had asked for only sacred selections, so between her requests and the sisters' ideas, they had put together a list of various hymns for each part of the ceremony. 

Included was Come Thou Fount (groomsmen/groom), Great is Thy Faithfulness (bridesmaids' processional), How Great Thou Art (brides' processional) and To God Be The Glory (recessional)

One of the beautiful bridesmaids-here you can see more of a close up shot of her hair and makeup.

The sweet and lovely Mr + Mrs

The sistas grabbing a quick selfie with their dear friend, the beautiful bride.

The cupcakes at the wedding were really the last word in cupcakes.
All of the food was, for that matter. The sisters weren't able to stay for the main meal but they grabbed some of the snacks and cupcakes for the road and found them to be delish!

Beautiful skies on the way home.

Coffee time! A sweet friend had given the sisterhood a Canadian Starbucks gift card last summer. Due to an intense schedule and no available time the sisters had been unable to use the gift card on that tour. It came in handy this trip when they stopped for supper and coffee on the way home, right at the Canadian/USA border.

Speaking of the Canadian/USA border. You would think border crossing No.1 was enough for one trip, but apparently not. The sisters were destined for yet another adventure.
(what is with them and the border?)

While waiting in a long line at the border, about sunset time, the sisters chatted while sipping their coffee and eating their dinner. Things were going along quite well when suddenly sister B said, "Um, don't look now buuuut....I regret to inform you that the two dudes in the car next to us are checking you out."
Whereupon sister A laughed and said "yeah right-whatever".
And sister B said "I am not exaggerating in the slightest."
And sister A said "oh help. Well, okay, I won't look then. Tell me when they leave."

Well, you guessed it...the people up at the front of both lines were taking eternity to get through, which meant that the sisters were stuck right next door to these two, ahem, "gentlemen", for a significant amount of time, which seemed to stretch infinitely longer due to the rather "boring-holes-through-you" stares. At one point sister A did venture to look and then she wished she hadn't. (Gracious!)
People should keep their eyes on the road.

Near Fort Wayne, around 10pm, it was time to stop for the night. With Sister B being employed at
a hotel and all, she wasn't about to just go to the first one available.

No, it seemed to be necessary to drive around and try to snag the best deal possible by pitting the hotel's rates against each other and trying to get each to lower their prices. Sister A patiently drove Sister B back and forth until a rather uncommonly good rate at a very nice establishment was finally achieved.

There had been several different driving routes available for the trip, but the sisters choose the one that went through Fort Wayne because they really wanted to stop at one of their favorite churches on Sunday morning. 

(Note: this church, The Ekklesia, is amazing, not because the church or the people in and of themselves are amazing (which they ARE) but because JESUS IS THERE. This shouldn't be a rare thing, but unfortunately it is. There are a whole lot of churches out there that have lights and glam and glitz but you have to search to try to find Jesus in the middle of all of it. This church isn't like that. Jesus is just all over everything they do-on their faces, in their worship, EVERYWHERE. It is a beautiful thing. The worship service was incredible, as was time spent in the "war room", pictured above. )

The pastor + his wife took the sisters out to lunch after the service. Such a rich time of talking about Jesus and what He was doing in their lives. Both sisters are eternally grateful for people like this who take time to INVEST and pour into others' lives, all for the cause of Christ.

Sister selfie at a rest stop.

A fuzzy but beautiful phone shot sister B took of one of the bridges they crossed.

And there you have it-another adventure taken, another wedding accomplished, and another sisterhood roadtrip saga for the books. 

The end.

(special thanks to the wedding photographer, Liz Heikoop, for use of her pictures. You can see more pictures of the wedding on here blog, here)

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Hope y'all enjoyed following along on our adventure! =)

  -Chels

Thanksgiving in My Heart

I just love it how my Jesus works in such unique ways. How He orchestrates the timing of things He brings into our lives. How He's truly "got it" all in His hands, all along.

These past few weeks Jesus has been doing a sort of overhaul in my heart. Purging, cleaning, refining, and replacing. Showing me my selfishness and the depth of the ingratitude that was in my heart. Filling me, beginning with a little bit and then just growing and growing, with a sense of how blessed I am. And it only hit me on Wednesday that all of this was happening at THANKSGIVING. Imagine that. Love how He works! It didn't even occur to me until that moment, that all of this tied in with the current holiday season. When it that came together in my mind it just made it that much more special that God would care and work all of this out in my life in such a way, in this season, that I would never forget that lesson that I learned Thanksgiving of 2015.

It all culminated with an amazing message on thankfulness, Wednesday night at my church. I am still in awe of the work Jesus has been doing, and how that night my heart was just so tender and ready to repent and forsake the spirit of ungratefulness that I had been allowing to seep into my life in so many areas. I am not a person who cries easily, usually just a few times a year, to be honest. But I've found lately that my eyes have overflowed more than once with just a feeling of overwhelming. Overwhelming difficulty, overwhelming love, overwhelming peace, overwhelming doubt, overwhelming fear...pretty much many feelings of all types that have just had this one thing in common-they were overwhelming, and way too much for me to deal with on my own. And lately, just an overwhelming sense of the goodness and graciousness of God.

The one thought in particular from the other night's message, I just haven't been able to forget. And that is this: "Gratitude is the gatekeeper to our hearts that keeps sin out of our lives". My pastor pointed out that night that ungrateful people are the ones who struggle to gain and have victory. And that grateful people, who are characterized by gratefulness and a spirit of joy...well, they have just that. A spirit of JOY! This truth has just rocked my world-such a simple little phrase, but there's so much in that. I've got to keep gratefulness number one. I can't ever stop thanking God for all He's done! I want gratefulness to drive my life, my outlook, who I am. I want to be characterized by it. I want gratitude to flow out of me and run out onto every area of my life and every person in my life.

Something I've been working on being more intentional with lately is taking extra time to journal about what God is teaching me. I've always been one of these girls who journals all the time. (smile) But recently its been even more intentional, what I write. I don't want to forget the victories, because they are such a testimony to God's goodness. I also don't want to forget the valley's, because those are also a testimony to the special grace God gives to His children when they are going through difficulty. So I just get out that journal and powerhouse through. Some days I'm really struggling, and it comes out pretty scary on paper. (keeping it real!) And then other days its an outpouring of jumbled thoughts along with a few notes from a sermon, or lines of a song, or something else random yet important to me, that gets stuck in there with everything else.

So here is part of a journal entry the other day, and some other thoughts that fit at the end just now as I was typing it:
"Abounding in thankfulness right now. My little heart is just full to the brim with wonder at the blessings of Jesus upon my life. God has been good, so good..and I have been so blessed. I've been allowing my joy to be robbed by dwelling on what wished I had, or thought I deserved...rather than focusing on how much I have been given that I am so undeserving of! Jesus has given me the gift of eternal life through salvation in Him. He has given forgiveness for the many times I fail. He has given second chances abundant. He has given me the awesomest family in the whole world, complete with siblings who are my best friends and closest confidants and parents who are my heroes. He has given me a church where I am privileged to feast on the richest food for the soul, the Word of God. He has given me friends of the very best kind-the ones that will listen and care and speak truth into my life even when the truth isn't always easy. And what just blows my mind more than anything else right now...is that He has given me the opportunity to come freely and boldly unto the throne of grace, at any time. His arms are always open and His compassion is always free and boundless. His grace knows no limits and His heart beats with love for ME! He is truly the greatest of Fathers and I am so blessed. "

God is Always Good

"I don't know why...I don't know when,

I don't know how you will be make it through, but I know Him,

And He is God and He is kind,

Sometimes its in the darkest night we find,

God is always good, God is always good,

Always was, always is, forever He will be,

God is always good to you and me.

He knows your hurt...your broken heart,

He knows everything that's led to where you are,

And He'll provide all you need,

So rest in His unfailing love, and see,

God is always good, God is always good,

Always was, always is, forever He will be,

God is always good to you and me."

(listen to this song here. it is so powerful)

You may be thinking tonight that your trial or your burden is too small for God to care. Or you may be facing the mountain of your life and you're honestly just not sure if you can trust Him with it.

Let me encourage you, friend. You will find so much joy in just letting go and thanking Him. He cares about everything from the smallest to the greatest of difficulties. As the song says, He knows your hurt! He knows your heart! What a comfort to know that even when it might seem that everyone around you misunderstands, HE KNOWS AND UNDERSTANDS PERFECTLY. And He's got it. He's got YOU covered in every way possible.

And you know what else? He wants you and I to THANK HIM. He doesn't want us to wait until things are perfect. He doesn't want us to wait until He answers. He doesn't want us to wait until the difficult season is past. No...He wants our praise and thanksgiving in EVERY season in our lives.  The good, the bad, the in between..all of it. He wants our thankfulness. He wants to see us live in abundant joy and gladness, no matter if the waters are rough and choppy, or smooth as glass.
If we will just choose to be thankful and rejoice. "Just REST in His unfailing love, and see!"

Now that I have finished writing this and am looking back over it, the words looks somewhat jumbled and thrown together. And it reminds me of how my life feels sometimes. But. Thank goodness we don't wait until we are perfect to proceed, because then we would never go anywhere. This is what God gave me tonight. I post this as a reminder to myself and a reaffirming of the work He has been doing in my life. If a part of it can be a blessing to you, than I am thankful for that as well.

"In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

May y'all be blessed this evening, and reflect on God's great goodness to YOU, 

'cause there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for!

-Chels

Why I Wear What I Wear

Calling all ladies! Today, you're getting the lowdown on my clothing standards! So exciting!
(ha, NOT!)

In all honesty, yes, this is what I'm talking about here today. But its the nitty gritty-the stuff all we girls deal with. So not really that exciting. Just to clarify. =)

It never ceases to amaze me how people are so interested in what I choose to wear. So many times I just want to say "Please, just go home and ask God what He wants YOU to wear. What's it to you what I wear?"

But the truth remains that this is a very real struggle in our culture. Women who follow Christ want to dress in a way that honors and glorifies Him and Him alone. And sometimes, navigating those waters of standards and convictions can be rough.

I know, I've been there.

So today, I want to talk to you girls as an older sister. Pull up your chair, and imagine that we're having a little chat together. With coffee, of course. And cream in the coffee. And both the coffee and cream in a big oversized mug that fits like four cups of coffee/cream mixture.
Now we're all set! =)

First of all, I don't have all the answers. Not even close-goodness, no. I mess up, and I make mistakes,  and I'm right there with you wading through the racks at the store and having those times when I get discouraged.

To be totally honest, I even have my moments where I think, "Eve had it SO EASY back before there was sin. She didn't even have to worry about modesty at all!"

Seriously, can you imagine? How nice would that be? Just...no clothes. No worries if it was not enough, or two much, or whatever. No agonizing over if a neckline was too low or pants were too tight if you didn't have any of that to begin with. She just didn't have to think about any of it. What a life!

Okay, okay, I digress....Moving on!! (hehe)

If you are looking for a formula, you will be disappointed in my answer today. Because the answer isn't measured in inches, or fittings, or lengths, or types. It isn't measured in tight or loose. It isn't measured in pants vs skirts, or shorts vs pants, or skinny vs baggy, or high vs low, or any of that.

That is just not the point.

The answer is found in knowing the Word of God, and in knowing the God of the Word.

Here's the deal. Whether you like it or not, what you wear matters. Your clothing is the first impression someone gets of you. (scary thought, that!)
Before you have a chance to say anything, your clothing has already made a statement about the kind of person you are. And if you are a child of Jesus Christ, than you're gonna need to be dressing a little different from everyone else. You are set apart. You are PRECIOUS in His sight. And you are DIFFERENT.

I'm a lover of quotes on this subject. I've found some great ones that I want to share with you:

"My fellow women of the world: 'Put on some clothes. You want men to give you the time of day? Leave a little up to the imagination, and respect yourself. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the beholder is anyone you want it to be'."

"If Cinderella didn't need to take off her dress to get the prince, then neither do you." 

"Modest is not something to be ashamed of. It is strength, not weakness." 

"What you wear is your billboard. So...what are you advertising?"

"Dress how you want to be ADDRESSED."

Aren't those amazing? I would highly encourage you to write down one or more of them and tape them up on your bathroom/bedroom mirror, or wherever you get ready for the day each day. We all need good reminders like these!

I understand that this modesty thing is easier said than done. We live in a culture where everyone wants to tell everyone else what to wear. You know what I mean---it's either that super legalistic friend who tells you she "can't be friends" unless you start dressing "like a real Christian" (as she puts it), or its that left-wing aunt who tells you that you need to "stop being so frumpy and always wearing gunny sacks".
Honestly, thank goodness we aren't in this to please people because it's just about IMPOSSIBLE! Let me say that again-it IS impossible. Everyone either thinks you are too liberal or too conservative. Once in a blue moon someone recognizes the  beauty and class in true modest dress and tells you so, but those moments are rare and if you're living for the affirmation in those you will be sadly disappointed because they don't happen very often.

Quick commercial break here though...I have to tell y'all the story of how this actually DID happen the other night. My sister was telling me about how a guy at work told her that he appreciated that she dressed modestly and beautifully. I must admit I flipped out and said "Allison! Who was this man? Is he brother-in-law material?!?!" to which she rolled her eyes and responded, 
"Chels, he was like FORTY!" 
Bummer. 
Obviously I totally agree that she dress modestly and beautifully but it's not every day that someone else TELLS you that! And a man at that! I wish it wasn't so rare but honestly it is and when I heard that a GUY told her that I was extremely impressed. And wanting him for a bro-in-law. Except that he was forty. So I guess not after all. (sniffle)
End of randomly inserted story. =)

Girls, we can't listen to the sources that want to dictate our wardrobes, whether negative or positive. Those dress codes and rules and "it has to be this length and this size to be modest"?
Those lists were all written and directed and planned by humans who are just as liable to fail and be wrong as anybody else. Also, remember that we aren't called to answer to a church or an organization, for our dress standards. We are called to answer to the ONE who designed modesty, the One who loves us more than anyone else ever could, and the One who is waiting and willing to guide each of us in our quest for godliness in our dress.

Quick note here to the few guys who were brave enough to read this post.
You might think it's weird to tell a girl that you appreciate how she dresses. Well, it's not weird. It is a BLESSING to us women, and we love you for it! Well maybe not literally. But you get the point. You have no idea how much it means.
 I'll never forget a few years ago when I was at a conference and one of the young men stood up during sharing time and publicly addressed all of the young women who were attending the conference. He specifically thanked us for dressing modestly and said how much he appreciated being at a conference where he didn't have to be constantly adverting his eyes. He probably didn't think anymore about his comment afterwards, but let me tell you that I KNOW I'm not the only girl who still remembers and greatly respects that guy for sharing that, even though it was 4-5 years ago. It was such an encouragement to know that there are still a handful of guys out there who not only notice but who care and appreciate the work it takes to dress in a godly way.

And it is work. It is definitely the path less chosen, and the harder of the two options. It takes time, and courage, and hard work! But it is infinitely worth it.

We've got to get back to the place where the only basis for our life, the only basis for where we stand, how we stand, and WHY we stand, and what we do and subsequently wear, is JESUS CHRIST and HIS WORD.

That's it. No minus, no plus, NO ADDITIONS. Just you and God and seeking His face.

I said it before, and I'll say it again-I don't have the answers. There are different clothing items that, to be honest, I'm not sure about. I wear what I wear based on personal standards that the Lord has led me to, and also certain family standards that my family has, and that I have chosen to honor as long as I am living at home. I find that, as with anything, it is very dangerous to get to a place where we think we have it all figured out, where we think we "have arrived" and know the perfect "dress code". I feel right now like I know less than I ever did! Except for one thing, and that one thing is that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God does care about this area of my life, and that He will be faithful to guide me if I diligently seek His face and His truth.

At the end of the day, I want more than anything else to be able to say, "I stood firm on Jesus Christ and His Word and the truth that He showed me."
This is not only the area of modesty, but also in every other area of my life.

I love each of you girls. That is why I am sharing this with you. My heart's cry is for every woman reading this to find true joy in serving Jesus in every area of her life, including through her clothing, because it is a service to Him! 

I view my wardrobe as an act of worship. After all, if it glorifies Jesus, that is worship, right? Right! 

God's Word has so much to say about this. My favorite verse on this subject is found in Corinthians:

"What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, 

which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price:

 therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Most importantly, we can't forget that the heart of modesty really has nothing at all to do with actual clothing, but it is all about having the FEAR OF THE LORD and the Holy Spirit living within us:

"Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30

I'll end on a light note, with a favorite quote that is funny, but really quite sobering when you stop and think about it: 

"Dressing immodestly is like rolling around in manure. 

                                  Yes, you'll get attention...but mostly from pigs."

You don't want that, honey. Pigs Boys like that aren't worth your time. Jesus created you for SO MUCH MORE. 

So step out of your box. Be different. Be set apart. Choose the royalty and dignity and glory that is fitting for a daughter of the Most High King.

And that is why I wear what I wear!

 I'm praying that each of you will commit to seeking Him in this area of modesty, and that you will be blown away by His faithfulness in showing you what He wants you to wear!

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! 

And. Be back this weekend for a super exciting guest post 

and giveaway of an amazing book on modesty!

-Chels