home away from home

When we left Lawton one of the hardest things to say goodbye to was our church family at Western Hills Christian Church (WHCC.)  We had become active members, established friendships, and we were growing spiritually.  It was my first real church family experience.  Being a military family this meant a great deal to us.  When a job (in my case my husband's job) requires you to relocate every couple years it is important to find people in your new city on which you can rely.  This is why upon arriving in Augusta we immediately began church "shopping".  Searching for a church is one of my least favorite things to do!  Especially when coming from a loved church, it was hard not to compare all the new churches to WHCC.  It's also hard to get a true feel for a church by just observing one service.  With church services being held once a week, it can take months and months to finally find a place you want to call your own.

MM and I share 3 main church criteria...
1. The message of the church needs to be Biblical and the pastor needs to be speaking God's Word and Truth through himself.  Not focusing on the doctrines of his denomination, the creeds of men, or the teachings of earthly psychologists.
2.  The congregation needs to be welcoming, a place we felt we could belong.  Once we find a church, we like to jump right in; volunteering for events, giving of offering, connecting with fellow believers.  A church is a vessel for building relationships!  If your church is not helping you to grow in your relationship with Jesus and not uniting you with friends who will hold you accountable and build you up when you have fallen, then I would encourage you to begin church "shopping"!
3.  The worship needs to be meaningful.  This is more of a want than a need.  Marshall and I both like contemporary worship.  It's more relatable and enjoyable.  With that said, keeping traditional hymns alive in the church is important.  [Another love of WHCC was the great mix of old and new music.]  It would be a sad event to have a generation of Christians grow up never knowing Amazing Grace, How Great Thou Art, The Old Rugged Cross, Jesus Paid It All.

After visits, discussions, and re-visits we found a church that meet these 3 criteria!  It's funny because at first it was one of my least favorite churches that we had visited and I wasn't too concerned with going back for a second visit.  Luckily we did though, because The Quest Church is were we have chosen to take root while living in Augusta.  I excitedly look forward to Sunday mornings . The music and the message feed my soul.  To help sustain me through the week I have joined a women's bible study, while MM and I both attend a young married couples small group.  We are meeting great people, anticipating to build some lasting friendships, and hoping that this church is as hard to to say goodbye as Western Hills was when PCS* time is here. 




*For non military folks, PCS = Permanent Change of Station.

http://www.thequestonline.com/   Our Augusta, GA church

Saint Patrick's Day

I just love St. Patrick's Day!  It's spring and everyone is wearing my favorite color!  It is uniting to walk down the street and see all the strangers of my city dressed in shades of the same color.
We spent the first part of the day relaxing.  When Baby J woke up we put him in bed between us and he drifted back to sleep, so we had a family sleep in!  It's so cozy being together and when I woke up for the second time that morning I was smiling.  
After lunch we wanted to get outside and enjoy the amazing (80 degrees & sunny) weather!  We drove to downtown Augusta and noticed that it was busier than normal.  As we strolled down the sidewalk we passed many green-beer-drinking folk enjoying their day off work/school, but we would also occasionally pass a child whose face was painted or who was holding a shamrock balloon.  Neither of us were aware of anything special going on in the city (guess we should watch the nightly news or read the newspaper more often), but apparently Augusta likes to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!

The Augusta Commons is a large area of grass that sits between the buildings of Broad Street.  It was transformed with vendors, a stage, and inflatable games.  It was a mini-fair and being a total surprise to us made it extra exciting!  After exploring the festivities, we took our shoes off and relaxed on the grass.

There was a clogging/tap dance performance that was really fun to watch.  The littlest performers were adorable and the older ones were quite talented.  Made me want to tap too!











On Thursday nights we meet with our small group from the church we have started attending here.  There are 7 young married couples that get together once a week.  It's a great little group of people.  Being that our meeting night fell on a holiday, we celebrated by having a shmorgishborg of green food and drinks.  Green cheese, green dips, green cupcakes, shamrock cookies, green mint candy, green lemonade.

A day away

Due to the odd hours and days MM (medical man) works in the ER, we like to make the most of our weekends together.  We went to Columbia, South Carolina for a change of scenery.  It's an easy, one hour, straight interstate drive.  The Vista On The River is an area near the University of South Carolina.  It's a nice collection of little shops, restaurants, and a couple pubs.  We lunched at The Blue Marlin, a southern seafood restaurant.  We tried their fried green tomatoes, which were fairly tasty, but compared to Meers' fried green tomatoes... well nobody can compete with Meers!  (For those lucky enough to have experienced Meers you know what I am talking about.  For the rest of you, if you are ever in the Fort Sill/Lawton, OK area you must go!)  We had their Parmesan crusted Grouper.  It was so light and fluffy... there's such a difference in the fresh seafood of living near a coast and the stuff you get when living in the Midwest.  I think we are going to get spoiled here!

After lunch we found Columbia canal and riverfront park.  Thank goodness we don't leave home without the stroller because there was great trail running between the river and the canal that we were able to enjoy.  It was beautiful outside.  Sunshine and in the 70's!!  

 

One part of living in the south that I do not plan on getting used!  MM likes to scare me by randomly acting as if he has spotted an alligator near us.  It's really not funny.  

BISCOTTI

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 tablespoon almond extract
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together the oil, eggs, sugar and extracts until well blended. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the egg mixture to form a heavy dough (As tempted as you may be do not add more flour). Divide dough into two pieces. Form each piece into a roll as long as your cookie sheet. Place roll onto the prepared cookie sheet, and press down to 1/2 inch thickness.  TIP- the dough is very sticky and is much easier to handle if your hands are slightly damp.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Remove from oven and slice each one crosswise into 1/2 inch slices using a pizza cutter. Place the slices cut side up back onto the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 4 to 6 minutes on each side. Slices should be lightly toasted.  
4. If you want to jazz up your biscotti try adding nuts, cranberries, chocolate, etc.  Let your imagination soar and mouth water!