One BIG Summer!!

When I think about our summer it is all a bit amazing, daunting, ridiculous and hysterical all at the same time!  We have so much fun news to share - I almost don't know where to start ... almost - hehe!

Of course I must start off with introducing you to our precious little boy, Shepherd Bryan Crowley!  He was born on June 8 at 1:59pm.  He was 7.25 lbs and 20 inches long and absolutely perfect.  Thus far he has been super laid back and such a sweetheart.  We are all truly in love!  Here are a few pics!

Secondly - Bryan graduated from Denver Seminary!!!  I could NOT be more proud of my amazing man.  He now has a Masters in Christian Formation and Soul Care - and he has truly learned so much.  It has been a tough road - but well worth it.  To quote him, "This spring semester was chalked full of classes (16 credits) and just about buried me, but God was faithful to supply the right amount of rest and resolve in order for us to make it through to graduation."




It was a special day when he walked - it felt like a great ending to a long journey.  And that afternoon he flew back to Arkansas for a job interview - which leads us to our next big announcement!

We have accepted a job at Fellowship Bible Church in Cabot, Arkansas!!  Bryan will be the Family Pastor and we could NOT be more excited!  This is a satellite campus of our home church in Little Rock, so it is somewhat familiar and yet very new.  We will be working alongside some very dear friends which is a huge blessing.  We are just eager to get there and dive in.

The way that God brought us to this point and this position could only be a work of His hand - which is so affirming.  We had actually been approached about the position a few other times but just never really gave it much serious thought.  We had a lot of assumptions (wrong ones) and it just didn't seem like the right fit.  And then Bryan got a text from Brad Herndon one day this spring asking if we were sure we weren't interested in the role.  We just laughed at how this job kept resurfacing - so we decided that we needed to at least pray about it and see what the Lord was up to.  It was astounding how quickly our attitudes began to change and we found ourselves drawn to find out more.  To make a long story short - within a few weeks we truly felt that God was at work and when Bryan went to visit after graduation - he walked away feeling like Cabot was the place for us.  Amazing!  His start date is July 15!!

And our last bit of news is that we have a contract on a house already!  I have not laid eyes on this house in person - which is hysterical to me!!  The first time I set foot in it will be the day that we close (July 9).  But Bryan, my Mom and Katherine have all seen it and they all said the same thing - this is the house for us!!  You would not believe the things that I am most excited about with this house - a garage, a pantry, 2 bathrooms, ceiling fans, a laundry room, a linen closet and just space!!  I wasn't gonna be too hard to please on this move.  Our apartment has been great - but we are ready for a place to really call home.  Here is a picture!  Isn't it cute!?



I truly cannot thank you all enough for supporting and encouraging us through this crazy journey!  We have been so blessed with friends and family!  Thank you for your prayers, for keeping up with us, for financial support, for EVERYTHING!  We could not have made it these 2 years without your constant support.  It has been felt and has made a huge impact on us.  We are forever grateful.

Here are a few more fun pics from the past month or so!



Our girl graduated too!!!  On to Kindergarden next year!  WOW!

 
Love these two boys!

 
Fun at ITZ Pizza - they had a ball!


  Happy Father's Day Bryan!  We love you!!!

Oh the joys of job searching!

Bryan graduates from seminary 1 month from today!!  The past 2 years have been some of the hardest of our lives, and yet God has been molding and refining us in totally new ways ... and it has been good.  We have been changed for the better and are excited about the next step in our journey ... wherever that takes us.

The job search has definitely dominated the conversations around here.  Not only are Bryan and I talking about it a lot, but we get asked about it as well.  Questions like "Are you looking in a specific area?" - "What kind of job are you looking for?" - etc.  Well, just so you all know.  We are looking all over!  Our preference would be a bit closer to family - but we are very open.  Bryan's real passions are discipleship and community so there are a number of roles that he could get excited about.  Positions like Discipleship Pastor, Small Group Pastor, Campus Pastor, Community Pastor, etc.  If you know if any positions open - please feel free to email Bryan or myself and let us know!

He has sent his resume to a few positions that we have heard about through different websites.  And he has had some really encouraging conversations with a few churches that we have connections with - but nothing official yet.  So there have been some positive things going on - but it is a bit of a waiting game at this point.

So that is where we are ... waiting.  It is hard because you send a resume off or have a conversation, and then all you can do is wait to hear something back.  Bryan is much better at this whole thing than I am.  It has been a bit of a roller coaster for me.  I know and trust that God has a GREAT plan for us - I don't doubt that one bit.  It is His timing that scares me.  Our baby boy is due June 9 and we need to be out of the apartment by August (since Bryan won't be a student anymore).  So really, we need to move by the end of July.  So for this "planner" - not having a plan for something this big that is just a few months away is really hard and scary for me.  And I am sure the pregnancy hormones aren't helping!

I tell you all of this to ask you to please pray for us if we cross your mind.  Please pray for God's very clear direction for us - we ONLY want to be where He wants us.  And I realize that this may not be in His plan, but I am praying for a job by the time we need to move.  Please also pray for faith and patience for us.  We all know how hard job searching can be - so please just pray that we can cling to the Lord and find rest knowing that He is in control.

SO ... on a lighter note!  We have a lot of fun things coming up which I am so thankful for.  We have a bunch of family coming to visit over the next month and a half.  Bryan is truly on the last stretch of school - it is gonna be such a great feeling when he is done with this semester!  We are under 2 months away for our baby boy being born and we are getting SO excited to meet him!  It is springtime which means amazing weather and we are spending a ton of time outside which is always a good thing.  So much to be thankful for!

We cannot thank you all enough for journeying with us over the last 2 years.  There have been a lot of ups and downs and your prayers and encouragement have truly helped carry us through the rougher waters.  You are each a blessing to us!

As always - a few pics!


The McConnells came in town for their spring break - all the cousins!

 
Easter - so precious!

 
 Handsome boy!


Such sweet friends - couldn't get a good pic of them standing still!


Fun at Pump it Up!  Gotta love Groupon!

Oh BOY!!

Well hello world!!  I feel like I have been in somewhat of a hybernation these last few weeks.  We have been soaking up time with my mom and this precious little addition to our family!  I proudly introduce you to our new neice - Macy Katherine McDonald!



What a joy this little girl is - and such a sweetie pie.  My Mom left today after being here for 10 whole days - so fun!  It has been really nice having so much family time - but it is time to get back into the swing if things and buckle down for these last couple months.  This semester is actually flying by!

I also want to introduce you to our youngest SON!




We found out on our anniversary that we are going to have another sweet little boy in our family!  We could not be more excited.  He is already very active in my tummy and keeping me on my toes.  It has been really fun watching our kids with baby Macy - knowing that they will be doting on their little brother in just a little over 3 months.  They have both been amazing with her and so sweet - very encouraging for me (especially with Drew).

On another note - we are getting Bryan's resume together this week and will begin the job hunt in March - CRAZY!!  I was looking at a few job postings on a website and it hit me that we could really end up anywhere by the end of the summer - and then I had to take some deep breaths.  I am truly excited about whatever God has in store for us - but it is a bit overwhelming to think about at times.  I share this with you because we truly covet your prayers.  I won't go into all the details about this move that are on my prayer list at this point - but suffice to say that we need God's timing to be over every detail in allowing things to fall into place.  This is just going to be a BIG summer!

Other than all that fun news - the only other thing going on around here is SNOW!!  We got about 20 inches a few weeks ago, and just about the time it had melted from the playground - we got another 10 inches!  It has been nuts!  But we have had a blast doing some sledding behind campus and just sunggling up and eating good soups.  And then yesterday is was like 55 degrees and sunny and it made me so ready for spring I can hardly stand it!  Colorado weather - we LOVE it!

Prayer Requests:

- Baby Boy - continued health and growth.  I am feeling much better thankfully, but will be very excited about not being pregnant after he is here! =)

- Job for Bryan - please pray for God's very clear direction and desire for us.  And pray that God would handle all the details.

- Bryan - just work and school alone take up 36 hours of his week, and that doesn't include all the reading and writing he has to do.  Pray for endurance and productivity.

- Finances - pray that God will provide what we need.

Love to you all!
Corrie

As always - here are a few pics!


Crazy Snow!


Sledding!


Jordan's "Mad Hatter's Tea Party" for Valentine's Day!


Baby Macy just a few hours old!


This is the "backyard" to the seminary - awesome!

Thanks for journeying with us!
Corrie

Deep Breath

Wow - where do I even begin!?  I have been thinking for some time that I need to update the blog, but to be honest - I just haven't had the energy or the clarity of mind to write down my thoughts!! =)  So much has happened over these last few months that it is too overwhelming to report on everything - so I will just deal with what is current.  And will post some fun pictures at the end to explain the rest.

Ever so thankful - things have changed a lot since my last post about our miscarriage.  God was so faithful and allowed us to get pregnant again the following month and I am now in my 17th week - crazy!  This pregnancy has been a bit of a roller coaster.  There was a lot of anxiety at the beginning following the early miscarriage that we had recently experienced.  And around the time I began to settle down - the nausea started.  With Jordan and Drew I had about 2 rough weeks and then I was good to go.  But I am still having some off days with this one.  I am a lot more tired and my stomach can be a bit of a mess at times.  One of the biggest triggers for my anxiety is sickness and obviously pregnancy has presented a lot of challenges in that area.  If I am being honest - it is a daily fight - but one that God helps me win most days.  We are praying that my energy will return soon and that I can "settle in" and enjoy this pregnancy.  We find out the gender in a few weeks so we are excited and praying for a healthy growing little Crowley.

We had a great Christmas holiday spending time with family in both Little Rock and Kansas City - we are so blessed.  We wish we could have seen all of our friends in both places, but we weren't in one place long enough to do much of that without it costing us family time.  But please know that we miss all of you and think about you often.  It has been a bit rough getting back into the swing of things this week - which may be good evidence that we were able to really relax and let down while we were away.  It was a much needed break before this last push!

Bryan is about to start his final semester of seminary!  It is going to be a very full spring for him with taking 16 hours and working 20-25 hours a week - but I know he can do it.  I could NOT be more proud of my husband - it has been no easy task!  He has had to juggle school, work and family and has done an amazing job.  He has jokingly said a number of times, "I may not be smarter when I graduate seminary, but I will be older."  God has grown both of us in ways that we would have never fathomed and while it has been hard, it has been very good.

As we look ahead, it is hard for Bryan and I not to get too overwhelmed with all that needs to be done.  Between finishing seminary well, looking for a job, having a baby and hopefully moving by July or August - we have just a few things on our prayer list!  When I look at it as a whole it feels daunting and impossible.  But one of the big things that this "planner" has been learning over the last year is how to take life one day at a time.  Honestly - we are truly so excited about whatever lies ahead.  We know that God has a perfect plan for us and we find amazing peace in that.  We are so ready to settle in somewhere and have a new place to call home.  It is as if we having been missing it without even knowing where it is!  And yet - that is this life isn't it?  God is preparing the ultimate home for us.  And that longing for home is the echo of eternity in our hearts - when we can be with our Father!

Well this momma is needing to get dinner going in a few minutes so I need to wrap this thing up!  Here are a few of our prayer requests:

- Baby #3 - Please pray for health for both baby and momma.  Pray for energy for me and against any anxiety.  With all the changes coming (mixed with pregnancy hormones) I know there will be some "uneasy" days.  Please pray that I can take everything in stride and hold tight to God's very capable hand.

- Bryan - pray for strength and endurance to finish this race well.  It is encouraging to see a light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel is still long.  There is still a lot to be done.

- Job after seminary - the job search will begin in the next few months and while we are excited about where we will end up, job hunting is just hard.  Please pray that God would direct us and that we would be sensitive to His leading.

- Finances - oh how I long to not have this on our prayer list!  Bryan is increasing his hours of work (which will be a bit of a stretch for him), but we are still going to come up a bit short.  With what has been given and pledged, we need about $5,000 to not have to take out a loan.  We know God will provide however He wants to.  He has already provided so much (example: I was approved for Medicaid so this baby will not be stressful for us financially - HUGE praise)!  And so many of you have sacrificed to help us out and believe me when I say that we are humbled and amazingly grateful - and our prayer for you is that God would bless you back abundantly!  However - the need remains.  If you would be interested in helping us out, please send any contributions to the following address (and all contributions are tax deductible):

Fellowship Bible Church
Attn: Rosie Stephens
1401 Kirk Road
Little Rock, AR  72223

Ok - so here are a few pictures to highlight the past 3 to 4 months!



Our big girl turned 5!  She is such a joy!


Drew learned to ride his big boy bike!

 Halloween is always so much fun!  We had Jessie and Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story.

 
 The holidays in Colorado!

Happy New Year everyone!  Thanks for reading and keeping up with us!

Be still ...

"Be still and know that I am God."  Psalm 46:10

This has been one of those weeks that I have felt God carrying me, refining me and whispering to me throughout each day.  And I know it is because I have been so in need of His presence - needing to know He is there.  Needing to know He is in control.  Needing to know that He is peace.  Needing to know that He has purpose in ALL things.  And in one of my deepest moments of need - He brought me back to this quiet verse in Psalm .... "Be still and know that I am God."  What a wonderful place to rest.

God has been tugging on my heart the past few days to update the blog, and I have been pushing back on it because I haven't been ready to share what all has been going on with us.  But He has continued to nudge, so here we are.

This past Saturday we had our first miscarriage.  We were not very far along but were already getting so excited about adding to our family.  It was a hard day just waiting to see what would happen.  But as I prayed, God gave me such peace in knowing that He is in control.  Although I was not fearful, the saddness was more than I was expecting.  That afternoon was when God brought me to the verse in Psalm and it was like He was speaking directly to me, "Corrie, be still and know that I am God."  Thank you Daddy for your precious words for they were my comfort and strength.  By that evening we knew I was miscarrying and we were able the grieve the loss of that little life.  It was just so sad.

After a couple of days, I really felt like I had dealt with the miscarriage and was feeling ready to move on with life (not to sound harsh).  But my body was feeling very off and my stomach was a mess.  I was feeling a lot of the same symptoms as when I was dealing with all the anxiety back in the winter, which was very discouraging.  I got off my anxiety medication in June and had been doing so well.  It was all so confusing, trying to figure out if it was a result of all the emotions I had experienced, the pregnancy hormones, anxiety, or possibly just a common stomach bug.  I was very fearful of sinking back into the anxiety battle which was beyond daunting to think about.

I am thankful to say that I am doing much better now.  I got on some medicine for my stomach which has helped a ton.  And I am fighting off the anxiety well without any medicine.  Every day I am feeling better and that is a huge praise.  My biggest struggle right now is all mental.  It is hard not to think about the "What Ifs" when it comes to getting pregnant again.  But I know I can't dwell there.


I went to a new Bible study yesterday.  We are going through Beth Moore's study of David (she has revised it) and I cannot begin to tell you how timely it is for me.  What better time to do a study of a man after God's own heart, when my heart is so raw and weary.  I feel like it has been used as a punching bag over the last 15 months and I am needing some time of healing.  I am prayerful that that is what this study will bring.  Even this morning as I was doing the first lesson - I was amazed at how thirsty I was for His Word - and how quickly I was refreshed by it.  Oh God - wash me in the water of your Word!

I don't want it to sound like the last 15 months have been bad ... they have actually been amazing in so many ways.  But they have also been some of the hardest of my life as well.  Funny how that works.  God has been refining and molding me in ways I would have never expected.  But when I look at how God is equipping and preparing Bryan for ministry - I can't help but think that God is preparing me as well for whatever lies ahead for us.  God has already used my struggle with anxiety to help encourage other women.  What a creative and mighty God we serve.

In the midst of all of these hardships, we are so thankful to have two amazing children who are a constant source of joy for us.  Drew has been potty training for a little over a week now and is doing amazing!  I cannot tell you how much I was dreading it, but he has exceeded all expectations - praise God!  And Jordan had her first day of preschool today and loved it!  When I picked her up she was glowing.  The only downer was poor Drew missed his buddy all day - it was really sweet.  What a blessing that they love each other so much.

Although these last few weeks have been a roller coaster, we have had so many great things going on as well.  Just to name a few: We got to see all our family in August which was so much fun.  Our boy turned 3 years old - crazy.  We got a mini van from some dear friends who gave us a great deal.  My sister Katherine and Sean are expecting baby #2.  We got to see the Zac Brown Band and Red Rocks - so cool.  Bryan's new job is going great.  And we are all healthy ... God is oh so good.

I would like to share a few prayer requests:

- Please pray for us as we continue to process these last few weeks. Pray for peace both emotionally and physcially.

- We are still raising support which is just hard.  We are so thankful for what all we have been given and we are so tired of asking for help in this area.  Please just pray that God would provide in a mighty way.

- Bryan is scheduled to graduate in May which means that we will need to start job searching soon.  Please pray for guidance in this area.

Corrie


Here are a few pictures from the last month:


A morning at the park for Drew's Birthday

 
An awesome day at Breckenridge when my Dad and Nancy were here!

 
Zac Brown Band at Red Rocks for $20 - awesome!!!!

 
First day of preschool!

 
 Rockin' the potty training!


 Ready to do some downhill mountain biking!


Fun at the lake!

Summer brings change!

It honestly makes me laugh how much things can change between my blog posts!  It is just a perfect picture of our life here - always something around the corner!  Not bad necessarily - just new.

The main thing that has changed for us is Bryan's job.  After a month of training at The Tavern, he came home after his second real shift and said, "I don't think I can do this.  I truly hate waiting tables."  We hoped that a new restaurant would be better, but it was honestly more stressful.  It was causing him to not sleep well and dread going to work - it just wasn't worth it!

But God has been so good and has already brought along another job.  He just started working for a ministry for the elderly.  There are these 6 assisted living homes around town where he will be doing maintenance 20 hours a week.  He is already a handyman of sorts, but he will be learning some new things as well which will be nice when we are home owners again.  He can decide which hours work for him each week and can back off on weeks where he has a lot of tests or papers.  We are amazingly thankful - God is so so good.

Our one hesitation with this job is the fact that we only have one car.  Thus far we have made it work with very few problems, but this job will make it a bit harder.  So we are praying that God would either provide a second car for us, provide money for a mini van, or that He would work out our schedules so that it would not be too difficult.  I know that he can do any or all of the above and we are trusting Him with it.  He has given us a "peace beyond all understanding" - which is just a testimony that it is truly from Him.

On a lighter note, we have had some visitors over the last few weeks which has been a blast!  Bryan's parents were here for a good long visit.  We relaxed, laughed, ate good food and played a lot of cards (which Bryan or Alice always won).  So that was a blast.  And then my Mom just left yesterday and we also had a great time.  We had a girls day where Kat, Mom and I did some shopping, ate at a fun lunch spot and just enjoyed time together.  We also just played and got caught up.  Time with family is always so refreshing for us!

We truly feel like we are soaking up the summer which has been awesome.  Bryan has been playing Frisbee Golf like crazy (I do believe that he is a bit addicted).  There is a course across the street from us so he goes over there most days for at least 20 or 30 minutes - and a lot of time with a couple of buddies.  Nothing like some fun free entertainment in Colorado in the summer!

We also got up to our uncle's condo with some dear friends over Father's Day weekend.  It was stunningly beautiful!  The crazy thing was that one day we were hanging out in the village in jeans a t-shirts, and the next morning it looked like a blizzard - it was awesome!!  See pictures below!

I can tell that my time is limited due to nap time with 3 kids (we are watching our nephew Tate for a few days with Kat & Sean are on a trip).  So here are our main prayer requests!

- A second car.  As I said above - we know God could answer this in many different ways.  But it is a big one right now.

- My anxiety, I am starting to wean myself off my medication so we praying for a smooth and healthy transition!  I have been feeling normal and like myself for awhile now, so we are very hopeful.

- Finances.  We are going to make another push on support raising soon to help us in this last year.  If you are at all interested in hearing more about where we are financially or how you might be able to help - please let me know.  We could NOT do this without help - so every little bit is a huge blessing!

Here are a few pics to highlight the last month or so!


Fun times at the Children's Museum with PaPa and Grammy!


Frisbee Golf with some buddies in the mountains - they were all loving life!


Father's Day Weekend in the mountains


My boys!


The next morning - CRAZY!!  And so beautiful!


Fun in water fountains at such a cool park!




Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs with Nonie

Semester End!

It is really hard to believe that by this time next year, Lord willing, Bryan will have graduated.  My how time does fly it seems.  We are two semesters down here at Denver Seminary and we are so thankful for God's reassurances that we are right where we are supposed to be.  He has continued to break and refine us in ways that I am not sure we would have experienced anywhere else, or under any other circumstances.  He is molding us to be more like Son - and for that we are so thankful.

Bryan just finished his second semester about a week ago and he did great.  We are so proud of him!  It was pretty stressful at the end when he wrote 30 pages in a weekend and had to study for 2 big finals - but he finished strong and is thankful to be done for a little while.  He is taking 6 hours this summer which will consist of 2 intensive classes that will each be 2 weeks long.  One in June and one in July.  So that will allow for some non-school time over the next 3 months which is much needed.

Thankfully, the kids and I were able to go to Little Rock while Bryan was so busy with school and we had such a great time.  Thank you so much to all of you who were praying.  I was a little "anxious" (for lack of a better word) about going home after such a hard trip in December.  But God was so faithful.  I prayed for it to be a FUN trip, great time with family and friends, and anxiety free - and I am so thankful to report that it was all that and more.  The kids had a ball and loved time with their Nonie and cousins.  What a blessing!

Big news - Bryan got a new job!!  He is waiting tables at a really cool new restaurant in downtown Littleton called The Tavern.  They officially open next week so he is training right now which is pretty extensive since it is a brand new restaurant - but he is excited about it.  The best part is that it is about a mile and half from our apartment!!  And with one car, that is huge!  He has already ridden his bike to work a few times which he loves.  We are so thankful.  So our prayer now is that it is a good fit, that he can be a light for Jesus, and that it is a job that he will want to keep until he graduates next May.

We have some great praises in the ways that God is moving and providing for us!  Obviously, Bryan's new job is a big praise in that department.  He also got another scholarship for this next year for $2000 to help with school - amazing!  I am going to start helping out at Jazzercise as a class manager that will allow me to do Jazzercise for free!  And we have continued to be amazed and humbled by the generosity of friends and family who have sacrificed to help us financially.  I think I say this every time, but we honestly cannot begin to express our gratitude.  We could NOT do this without the help of our home church, friends and family.  Thank you a thousand times over!

One of the things we are really excited about for this summer is fun family time.  There are so many things to do and see here in Colorado and we are really wanting to take advantage of that while we are here.  For example, we drove down to Colorado Springs one day this week and just got to explore which was so fun - and everything was free!  We went to the Focus on the Family Adventures in Odyssey area which was so cool and the kids loved.  We also went to the Garden of the Gods and had a ball.  Bryan and I could not stop talking about how majestic it was.  It is so beautiful here and we are wanting to soak it all in this summer.

Well, my downtime is about over!  Here are a few prayer requests:

- As I said before, please pray that Bryan's new job is a good fit and that Jesus would shine through him!

- I am starting to explore a new job opportunity doing some photo editing.  As funny as it sounds, pray that I am good at it and that God would help me make some good connections.

- Finances.  Again, we have been so blessed, so it is really hard for us to ask for more.  But we will still come up short in the end if we don't raise more support.  Please pray that God would provide for us in a mighty way.

Amazed and Thankful,
Corrie

Here are a few pictures from the past few months:

At the Little Rock Zoo with Nonie and the McConnells


Riding the train at the Zoo.


My little troopers on the airplane.


Fun family day!


The Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.