Annual Christmas Party...

Well, that time of year has come again for the Annual Briggs Christmas Party although this year it has been altered somewhat due to our living in an apartment.

This year, Rosario Cortes, a member of our church, has graciously opened up her home for us to host the Christmas party there. Joshua is of course creating culinary concoctions for the event such as Hawaiian meatballs, a Salmon appetizer, homemade fudge, etc.

We really will miss hosting the Christmas party for our friends and family in Virginia. Hopefully, next year, we will be in a house where we can begin again hosting our Annual Christmas Party.

We hope everyone is doing well and we are looking forward to seeing friends and family in about 1.5 weeks.

May the Lord bless you and keep you wholly in Him!

Contradancing!

Last Friday, we went to a contradance outside of Lincoln (yes there is a Lincoln in California) with Janice. It was Joshua's first time, and I don't think he knew what to expect. I used to go contradancing in Bluemont, VA years ago, and although the caller wasn't the best, it was great hanging out with Janice. We spent about 10 minutes trying to get a decent picture of the three of us, and this was one of the best (primary because I blink when the the picture is snapped). Anyway, we had a good time, and it brought back memories of contradancing in a country town with friends. See, Janice, I posted first!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I know it is the day after, but thanksgiving should be a part of our life everyday. Joshua and I are at his parents, and yesterday his siblings, their spouses, and their children were all here for Thanksgiving, and we all had a good time.

I am so thankful for my husband and for the Lord bringing us together. God has provided so much for us, and I know He will continue to watch over us. I am thankful for both of our families and for the fellowship we have when we are together. I am thankful for our church family in California and our close friends in Virginia and California. I am thankful for how the Lord led us to this day, and looking back, it is amazing how He has worked. I am thankful for all of the blessings the Lord has given us, and as our pastor reminded us on Sunday, gratitude should be the attitude of Christians every day for everything, from our wonderful salvation to the spiritual blessings to the Word of God to the fellowship of believers to spiritual and physical provisions.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! We are thankful for you and remember you often!

Yeah!

Joshua is coming back tonight from Virginia! He's been gone for a week, and even though I have kept busy and he's been busy in Virginia, I am so ready to have him home. I'll pick him up in about three hours.

Considering the past week, it has been especially difficult, but I know that the Lord's timing was perfect with Joshua being out in Virginia. Nevertheless, I'm excited that he is almost home.

By the way, we will be out in Virginia for Christmas in 37 days!

Celebrating Tom Shumaker's life...

Since Joshua is already out in Virginia, he will be staying with Mike and Jen Nevarr until Sunday, November 13, so that he can attend the family funeral and the memorial service. Please pray that during the memorial service we can celebrate Tom's love for the Lord and his continual service to the Lord. Also, pray for the unsaved members of the extended family to hear the gospel and receive the Lord as their personal Lord and Savior.

Our friend Tom

When we found out that Tom wasn't doing well, Joshua booked tickets to fly back to Virginia to see him. Tom has been like a grandfather to Joshua, and he has been very special to us. Anyway, Joshua flew out last night, and he arrived in Virginia this morning. Tom knew that Joshua was coming, and he kept asking when he would be there. As it turned out, Tom was holding on to life for Joshua. Joshua got to the nursing home in the early afternoon, and Tom went to be with Jesus just a couple of minutes later. Joshua doesn't know if Tom recognized him, but Tom knew it was ok to go.

We have so many memories of Tom, and we are both blessed to have had him in our lives. He was such a godly man, and he leaves behind a family who loves him as well as everyone else whose life he touched.

I think it is so special that Joshua could be there when he died. I wish I could have been there as well, but I am so thankful that I could spend time with him in October. It will be strange being back in Virginia at Christmas and not seeing Tom, but Tom is completely healthy now and he is with the Lord.

Every day is a gift from God...God is sovereign!

Well, I had intended to put up some pictures of our life here in the wonderful state of California, but that can wait. We received news today that our dear friend Tom and his cancer. He was diagnosed with cancer last fall, and after treatments, he was doing much better this summer. The cancer came back this fall, and although the initial tests presented conflicting results and it appeared like the medicine was working, he is back in the hospital, and tests now show that he has lymphoma in his bone marrow.

Tom is a strong Christian, and he has a godly wife and daughter who take care of him. He is always so positive, and we know that he knows that the Lord is in control. There have been so many times that we've gotten bad news about Tom, and then something changes, and the Lord allows him to feel better and gain his strength. Now, with the news today, it could be hard to realize God's purpose.

I know that every day is a gift from God. I don't always live that way. I don't think about how we are here today and gone tomorrow. We don't know what the future holds. I think about my dear friend June who died in 2002. She was so special to me, and I'll always remember how I saw her that last time at her house. June was 79 or 80, and we worked together for several years at HSLDA. I loved to visit her and her husband Ott, and one day in February, I dropped by her house. She had a huge smile when she saw me. The next time I saw her, she was unconscious in the hospital, and June died the next day. Every day is a gift...

I know that the Lord is sovereign. We don't know why things happen the way they do. The Lord has known since before time what each day holds, and He is not surprised. His plan is always carried out. Things happen for a reason. Tom's cancer is not a mistake. June's death 3 years ago was not something that was out of the Lord's control. We may not know why we go through what we do, but we will know at some time, either later in life or when we get to Heaven. We should be able to look back at what we experience and see God's purposes. If we are bitter and mad at the Lord, then we are saying that the Almighty God doesn't know what He is doing. But if we change, become more Christlike, lead others to the Lord through our witness through hard times, influence other Christians for good, and rejoice in the faithfulness of the Lord, then perhaps that is the reason.

May you all grow in the grace of our Lord as we our on the journey to Heaven.

36 Hours!

Last weekend, I realized how much I could do in 36 hours - I flew to Virginia and back to California and was in Virginia for a grand total of 36 hours! Joshua and I were invited to three different weddings on three different weekends in October (all in Virginia), and I really wanted to be at a least one of them. Well, as it turned out, since I have no vacation time at work, and two of the weddings were held on Sunday evenings, I ended up flying back for Joanna and Chad's wedding, which was beautiful!

I left Sacramento at 11:00 pm Friday night and I arrived at Dulles International Airport at 7:00 am Saturday morning. I picked up my rental car, and drove to my parents' house where I hung out for a couple of hours. Then I drove to the wedding in Maryland and had a great time since I hadn't seen anyone from Virginia since June when we drove to the other side of the continent! It was hard to believe that I was actually back on the East Coast. Anyway, after the wedding, I headed back to my parents and had a relaxing time with them and my sister Louisa, who in the time I have been gone has grown about 3 - 4 inches! She's catching up to me! Since I knew I would be having a packed day on Sunday, I stayed up as late as I could, which considering the red eye flight the night before meant I was functioning on little sleep. But it was worth it.

On Sunday, we went to church, and I saw most everyone from our Wednesday night shepherd group. I was able to see our friends Courtney and Eric who got married at one of the Sunday night weddings in October, and see how pregnant Elizabeth is. (She and Matt are having their first in February!) After church, my family and I had a quick lunch, and I drove to see our friends Tom, Mary and Carol Shumaker. I almost didn't go over to their house due to time, but I am so thankful I did. Tom is struggling with cancer, and as of Sunday he looked ok, but he is now back in the hospital, and everyone is waiting to hear the results from the latest tests. All of the Shumakers are dear friends, and Tom has been a special part of our life. The Lord's will will be done.

After visiting with the Shumakers, I drove to our friends' Jonathan and Christine's house to get together with our Tuesday night Bible study. It was great to fellowship with everyone. Jonathan and Christine's little Timothy is crawling and has changed so much since June. Kate is very pregnant now, and it was fun to see all of the couples. We miss both of our Bible studies so much!

I left that gathering and drove to the airport. My plane left Virginia around 7:30 pm, 36 hours after I arrived. It is good to be back home, especially since Joshua couldn't come with me.

I realized during my time in Virginia that I am feeling more like California is my home. I miss my family, and it was wonderful to see my mom face to face when we were talking. I miss friends from HSLDA and PHC, I miss our Bible studies and church, but life has changed. California is beautiful, we have jobs here that we like, we have a church, and God has been working on my heart to allow me to feel at home here. It was hard coming back to California, but my life is here now. Joshua and I are together, and I know that our home will be wherever both of us are.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to visit this last weekend. To all of you that I didn't see, maybe we'll see you in December at Christmas time, but remember that you are in our thoughts and prayers.

Yes, we are coming back at Christmas!! We'll be back from December 21- 28!!!

Our Apartment

Here are pictures of our apartment.



Harrison in the living room. The cat also likes to sleep on the dog bed.

Another view of the living room, kitchen table that we never use, and

the hallway to the bedroom.

Our bedroom...

Our computer on our dresser.

As you can see, we are quite comfortable in our apartment!

Weekend Fun and Thoughts

Last weekend, we finally drove up to Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe is only about 1 1/2 - 2 hours from us, and I had been wanting to see it since I've heard so much about Tahoe. The drive was beautiful, and the lake is awesome! We only went up for the afternoon, but we had a nice time walking around the town and on the beach. As Joshua always has grading or something related to teaching to do on the weekends, I enjoyed the trip even more because it meant that he was giving up time to take me to Tahoe. We will be going back, hopefully for a longer period of time, but now I can say I've been to Lake Tahoe.

Oh, Janice came over on Friday night, and we all had a good time, even with spending part of the evening looking for a missing wallet, which turned out to be in our car all the long!

If you ever get a chance to listen to sermons by Tommy Nelson (pastor at Denton Bible Church in Texas), take it. We had some series given to us in June, and I've been listening to them as I get a chance. He has a series on church history that is very in depth and thought provoking. Right now, I'm listening to his series on Ecclesiastes. The sermon today reminded me that God is sovereign in everything, and although His purpose may not be made known to you, there is a reason. That is always encouraging.

Our "Home"

When we first decided that we would be moving this summer to California, we decided not to buy a home right away. Part of that decision was the result of wanting to wait and possibly buy a new home. Joshua's parents' home was built by a builder that we really like and they are supposed to be starting a development near us. (We're still waiting for information.) But the other part of the decision stemmed from not wanting to be in the hurry to house hunt as soon as we moved. So, we decided to rent a one bedroom apartment.

Both of us are thankful for the apartment, and it has been fine for us. It is much smaller than our townhouse in Virginia, but it also encourages you to value and appreciate what the Lord provides. I know we will both be very thankful for whatever home we get in the near future.

We currently have furniture, books, unnecessary kitchen items, and other things (like decorations and pictures) in storage. We're making do with the space we have, and it is comfortable. The apartment doesn't feel like home, and I wish I could decorate it, but by not having it feeling like home, it will encourage us to make a decision about buying. By the way, we also have a dog and cat in this space as well. So, they probably feel confined also.

On the whole, it has been a fine place to live, temporarily. We will probably decide what to do about housing closer to the end of the year. We've been told that the new housing development that we like should have a sales trailer at the site in November. Lord willing, we will know then what we will do. In the mean time, we are learning about patience and waiting for the Lord's timing.

Virginia,California, and Connections

After almost three months of being in California, some things really make us feel we belong here, and then at other times, I really miss Virginia. Of course, we know that the Lord brought us to the Sacramento area, but it is hard at times to be away from friends and family in Virginia. I know Virginia - I grew up there. My family is there. Our friends live there. We have two awesome Bible studies in the Northern Virginia area. We met and got married there. I know what to expect with the weather. We could arrange to meet friends for dinner or just hang out. However, Joshua and I always wished we could spend more time with his family. It would be great if California and Virginia were next to each other, but they are not!

But, California is where God wants us, and He has made that evident. Joshua has fellow believers at his middle school, and one of them, Kevin, is friends with my friends Kevin and Amy, who relocated to the Sacramento area a couple of years ago. Our good friend Janice is a hour away from us, and God could not have worked that out better than He did. We found a church in Sacramento, River City Grace Community Church, which has made us feel welcomed as well as being fed each Sunday with solid teaching and God honoring music. Through Kevin and his wife and Kevin and Amy, we have met other couples in their Bible study, and we keep finding out how small of a world we live in. There is a couple in the Bible study that knows Joshua's brother Karsten and his wife Kim from college, and from our church, we have met guys that know Kevin and Amy and Janice! We thank the Lord for providing Christian fellowship for us, and we know that from all of our connections out here, He is showing us that He cares.

Also, since we are close to Joshua's family, we can spend time with his parents, Grandma Steinmetz, and his siblings. Karsten, Kim, and our nephew KJ live nearby, and so do Julie, Russ, and Isaac. Both of the nephews are adorable (pictures will come soon), and it is great to be near Joshua's siblings and their spouses.

Overall, I know I will always love Virginia, but I also know that California is now my home.

Briggs News...

Well Friends,

We finally broke down and created a blog. We will try to keep it updated regularly.

Carrie is enjoying her new job at Morrison Homes which thankfully (due to gas prices) is located close to where we are living in Folsom, CA.

Joshua is finding it interesting adjusting to a new school, new schedule and new parents. Coaching is going well. His 8th grade Girls' Volleyball team beat the rivals last week although they lost today.

Carrie really enjoys having Janice close by as they have been able to get together regularly and hang out. Carrie will be traveling back to Virginia in October for Joanna and Chad's wedding and she is excited about seeing everyone and anyone she can.

May God richly bless everyone!

In Him,

Joshua and Carrie Briggs