Weekend Adventures

Hope you had a good weekend. I am a big fan of exploring and checking out new places. This weekend was another weekend of firsts for us. Danielle's brother came to visit. It's always so fun to have people visit and reminds us of the great people we have in our lives. It also gives us opportunities to see new places that we don't normally get to visit.

Saturday morning, we got up early and drove to Bowling Green, KY. That's about an hour north of here and a good drive. We went to Lost Cave. A storm was moving through so we didn't explore the property much, but I think another visit would give us a chance to see more around the property. What we did do there was take a boat ride through a cave. The price was a little steep for the experience. You take a 5 minute walk to get on the boat and then you set off in the cave. Watch your head, the first part of the cave has a low ceiling. I managed to bump my head a few times as we went through it. The 15-20 minute tour teaches you about the questionable history of the cave. There is a good story about people who restored it the past few decades. This was fun to do, but as my brother-in-law said: you do this once and you don't need to do it again. That said, we had a good time together and stayed mostly dry.

What I would recommend you check out is the Corvette Museum. This is just off the interstate. I'm not a car guy, but I found this to be a great learning experience and one of the better museums I have toured. They do a nice job explaining the storied history of the Corvette - while also making it very visually appealing. This was a very relevant museum that would appeal to people of any age whether you like cars or not. You get to look at all different models of Corvettes and they have a neat cafe that is very reasonably priced where you can grab lunch.

Sunday afternoon, we went to the always impressive Jack Daniel's distillery. I highly recommend this to anyone visiting Middle Tennessee. Have a great week!

-Ryan

Vision in the Valley

I have been doing a lot of praying lately and a lot of thinking. In this process, I have realized that I feel I am in some kind of valley right now. You know what I mean - down low enough where the hills are tall enough that you can't see what is around you. I don't like this place and I'm not here because anything is wrong or bad, it's just a place I find myself right now. I spent some time in prayer last night as I was going to sleep and I realized this isn't the place I want to be. Life is full of these times, but I don't think God created me personally to be stuck in these places - so I started praying for something bigger. I started praying for Vision in the Valley. Not sure if this makes sense to you, but it does to me. I don't want to miss what I'm supposed to see right now. I want to see what is around me, what is ahead of me and what God has in store for me. I know this valley isn't a permanent place and I know God is seeing me through it. Today, I am praying for those of you in a similar valley. I'm praying God will give you vision and motivation that will get you through it. I've written before that these are crucial days in our lives. I can't wait to get above this point and praise God for what he taught me here. My friends, let us be thankful valleys aren't forever!

-Ryan

My Foundation

In the first post, I told you that I have tried to live my life with three types of people in it. People that build into me, people that hold me accountable and people that I build into. I started by telling you about the people I have built into and the lessons I learned from them. Now, I'm going to tell you about those that helped build into me. I consider these people to be part of "My Foundation." Mike There is a man that has had more of an impact on my life than he'll ever know. As a young boy, I was interested in TV news and he was already doing it. Mike attended our church and my Dad asked him if I could shadow him at work some day. Mike was open to it and let a wide-eyed overweight kid see his dreams come true. I followed Mike around from story to story - day after day. Mike photographed, edited, reported and anchored the news. He gave me my first taste of the TV newsroom. As a shy kid, it took a special person to be able to relate to me. Mike's ability to connect with me and value me not only helped shape my career, but shape who I am as a person. I manage the way I do and focus on the things I focus on because Mike taught me values at an early age in TV. You can't put a price on this. I followed in Mike's footsteps, getting my first job at the TV station he worked. Now Mike is a pastor. Time will tell if I continue to follow in his footsteps! Dave At my darkest moment of life, a guy I hardly knew walked through the scary doors it with me. I was in college, experiencing some health issues. My cousin who worked at the college introduced me to a guy who was interested in media. He and I went out to coffee and drove a couple hundred miles as he listened to what was going on in my life. Instead of overreacting, he calmly helped me make some tough decisions and he stood by me in those decisions in the weeks and months to come. He was a role model and a friend. For several years following, he would check on me and my health. Dave prayed for me, listened to me and encouraged me. He also taught me how important that is to do for others. I hope my efforts in this area will be honoring to both him and more importantly the Lord. Dad This probably isn't a surprise, but the man responsible for my foundation - more than anyone else is my father. He raised me to love others, raised me to care for others, raised me to work hard and raised me to love the Lord. He didn't do this by telling me everything, he let me learn it and he loved me through it. Unlike a lot of people, I grew up with a Dad who interrupted meetings to take care of me, who would drive hours to make sure I was okay, who provided a calm voice in a chaotic situation - you don't get that anywhere else. Dad taught me value in taking care of people. He taught me "helping people" could be a hobby. I am thankful for my Dad teaching me how to be a Godly man in an un-Godly world and that you can be successful while standing for the Lord at the same time. I have a firm foundation because of Godly men committed to showing me the way. It is their legacy I hope to carry-on for others. Next Post... The people that kept me accountable

The Original Three

Throughout my life, I have focused on having three types of people in my life. People that build into me, people that hold me accountable and people I get to build my life into. Over the next few days, I will write about these different people in my life because I think the lessons learned from them are so valuable both for you and for me and these lessons deserve to be in writing. Today, I am going to write about "The Original Three." These are three guys I met when I began doing youth ministry many years ago. It was my calling to build into their lives, but what I learned from them far outweighs anything I could have taught or given them. Today, I am honored to call these guys, now adults, friends. In no particular order, here are some valuable lessons I learned from them. I hope you'll learn something too. Chris I met Chris when he was in 6th grade. Chris always walked into our youth room full of energy and excitement. He made people laugh! Chris and I used to eat pancakes with his family before church and then go to Starbucks. We found so much to laugh about! We took every chance we got to laugh at ourselves. Chris taught me to slow down a little bit and enjoy the process of life. I remember teaching him how to drive my car which had a manual transmission. Yeah, because that's what a youth worker should be doing with his students! Like any good driving teacher, I took him on a hill the first time, a steep one. Of course, the car stalled and Chris didn't worry or get panicked, he laughed. What a gift! Through so many things over the years, Chris chose to smile and accept what was going on - instead of focusing on everything that was wrong. Chris is a successful guy now doing what he loves - selling cars. Chris is successful because he focuses on what is good and refuses to let tough times take him out. Jeremy Jeremy didn't want to talk to me the first time he met me at youth group. He was shy and so was I! After all these years, finally talking to me probably seems like the biggest mistake of his life! Ha! Truthfully though, Jeremy is a gift from God and a gift to my family. Jeremy didn't have it easy. In fact, Jeremy had it pretty tough - but you sure wouldn't know it now. I am not going to go into specific details, but let me just say - Jeremy overcame circumstances few could overcome. I know it's because he had faithful parents, solid people in his life and a God who loves him. I always appreciated that Jeremy would ask God to prove himself to him - and God certainly did. So what lessons do we learn from Jeremy's life? The thing that stands out to me the most is: Jeremy faced his fears, so can I. As a child, as a student and as an adult, Jeremy has faced his fears and done so better than anyone I know. Jeremy is honest about life, has an incredible memory and a great sensitivity to people. I believe God has blessed Jeremy with these traits by the way he handled everything that came his way. I am so proud of Jeremy. He is college graduate, successfully working in the financial industry and living for the Lord. I thank Jeremy for teaching me that great things come out of tough times. Chase Oh, what I would do right now to have the opportunity to sit at the dinner table with Chase and his family. I met Chase when he was in middle school. I instantly hit it off with him and his family. I know I needed them more than they needed me. Chase became my little brother. We would share meals together with his parents, we would go to various church events and find countless ways to laugh at each other - and others too! But what I have always appreciated about Chase is how good he makes people around him feel. I always wanted new students to be around Chase because he didn't care where you came from, what you are going through or who you are - he just wanted you to be happy and have a good time. Everybody liked Chase because Chase liked everybody. As Chase has gotten older, his love and acceptance of people has grown. Chase is a hard worker and cares deeply for people. It was so great to have him stand beside me on my wedding day. You've just read the stories of three people who I thought I would get to impact. Instead, God used them to impact me. I hope they know that. We all live miles apart, but I certainly cherish the friendships I have with "The Original Three" - and am thankful God used them to teach me to focus on what is good, to persevere through tough times and to love those around me. I'm proud of these three young men for following their dreams, attempting to live the best life they can and for their friendship. I have been blessed by their lives and I know others will be as well. When you feel God calling you to be part of someone's life, don't ignore it. Who knows? You may be on the verge of getting a new friendship that will last a lifetime. Next post... The three people that impacted me.

Life in Nashville

You probably have read some of our Facebook and Twitter posts and have seen our big news on here about the adoption happening, but I realized I hadn't written much to update you on our lives here lately. Next month, we will celebrate four years of marriage and 2 years in Nashville. I must say, it seems a little strange that half of our married life and soon to be more will have been spent here in Nashville. Here is a quick update on what has been happening and what we have been learning here in Middle Tennessee. As you know, Danielle and I felt God calling us here to Nashville a couple years ago. We had been praying about what he wanted us to do and where he wanted us to go. At the time, we couldn't pinpoint exactly where we would be going, but we knew we'd be leaving all that was familiar to us. An opportunity came up for me in Nashville. I interviewed and took the job. My how time flies. I'll never forget when I was interviewing here and drove to Gaylord Opryland. It wasn't open yet because of the flood, but I pulled in the parking lot and I called Danielle. I told her this was the place I felt God was calling us. I was scared, anxious, nervous, excited and felt so much peace about it. Two years later, I must say I still have those feelings at times - especially the peace from God. Living here has been an adjustment for us in many ways. In some ways, it has been very easy. Going to church is a normal thing to do, people say they pray for you all the time. Nashville has a healthy economy, you don't see people struggling here the way they do in other places. We know it is happening, it's just not as evident. People here are proud to be from Nashville. They take great pride in this part of the country - like I have never seen before. On the flip side, this is not an accepting culture. I see so many people here longing to be loved for who they are. Sure, this is the case everywhere - but it's different here. Because of a well-documented past, people here still struggle to accept each other the ways you see in other parts of the country. We are honored that people here have accepted us and we have embraced the people of Nashville. Enough of my assessment on Nashville. Here is what Danielle and I have been learning. We have learned to take care of ourselves by ourselves. I am so thankful we learned this at such an early part of our marriage. We haven't had our parents available to rescue us or take care of us. We have learned to rely on each other for everything. This has made us so much stronger as a couple. At the same time, we have learned that God provides the right people in your life at the right time. Because we don't have family here, we learned that friends can also be family. Never in my life have I been blessed so much by friendships. We have celebrated holidays with friends, birthdays and so much more. We have leaned on them to help us and I hope we have been there for them. The word friendship has a new meaning to us and we are so fortunate God put these people in our lives. We have learned God gives us direction. From the moment we moved here, God has been guiding us. He has shown us which steps to take and where to go. God is doing a great work in our hearts. He is teaching us patience, understanding and trust. I don't think we would have learned this if we hadn't made the move here. Living here, Danielle and I have been able to see so much of the country. We have been to Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, Illinois, North and South Carolina and all over Tennessee. It's been important for us to embrace the culture and the people here. We are doing that. This is making this experience in our lives so much sweeter. All of this to say, we long for our family. I long to share dinner with my parents, to sit and visit with my Grandparents, to give my Nana a hug, to play with my niece and nephew, to talk with my sister, to walk along the lake by my in-laws home and breathe in the fresh air. There is one thing that hasn't been replaced on this move and that's the love I have for my family. I miss them every day and long to be with them again. God has taught me to pray so much more and I'm so thankful for that. Danielle and I believe God is the creator of our future and we are looking forward to what he has in store for us. That said, I could never have planned this part of our journey better and I have a feeling the next part will be just the same. We know many of you have brought us before the Lord and we thank you for it. God is stirring up a great passion in our hearts and we look forward to seeing him make things clear to us in the months and years to come. -Ryan

You're adopting, now what?

Several times a day, I walk by a room in our home that is nearly empty. I look through the door and see a large giraffe some dear friends gave us a while ago for our baby's room. This giraffe will always be special to us. It is a visual reminder that before our child is born, people are already praying for him or her. As "someday parents" who have prayed a long time for this child, it is so encouraging to know others are praying as well. At times, I go in the baby's room and stand and look around. I imagine what it will be like someday. I know some nights I'll be picking the child up and wiping away his or her tears, I know other days I will be rocking him or her to sleep and other times we'll be playing and having fun. I can't wait to walk in there and see our baby stand-up and smile - anticipating us coming to lift him or her from the crib. When we began the adoption the process, I really protected my heart and even my emotions. I still do. But as time goes on, I'm allowing myself feel the future. I have prayed about this a lot and I feel this what God wants of me. I'm allowing myself to ask questions, to wonder what it will be like to parent an adopted child. We've done a lot of research, talked to a lot of people, read a lot of books - but none of that can really prepare my heart. That's for God to do and I leave it to him to change my heart. The one consistent thing about this adoption process is waiting. That's what we are doing. We are waiting and praying. It's actually a really good place to be. We know we may be waiting and praying for years and we're okay with that. Sure, we want things sooner - but we're learning patience. We have seen Satan try and take us down through this process. He tries to discourage us and I know he's ramping up his efforts, but life experience and knowledge and faith and verses from the bible remind us our God is victorious and the battle is already won. You know another thing I have really appreciated about this process? I've significantly increased how much I pray. I communicate with God a lot more often and I'm my relationship with him is growing and changing and I know it will continue to do so. So today, I wait. I'll walk into the baby's room this evening - which until a few weeks ago, I called the extra bedroom and I'll pray. I'll pray for our child's birth-mother, I'll pray for the birth-mother's heart, for her life, for her safety, for her protection and I'll pray for her child. I'll pray that she'll be pleased with how we raise her child, that God will bless her in mighty ways for sacrificing and that God will meet all of her needs. This is a beautiful time in our lives. We are getting an education that money can't buy, but one only the holy spirit can provide. I will forever treasure these days and the time with Danielle that I really cherish. Ryan

Our News

Family & Friends,   We have some news to share with you - and we know it will come as a surprise for some, but we feel now is the right time to share with you.  Danielle and I have begun the process of adopting a child.  We began praying about this a long time ago.  Both of us thought about it before we got married and we discussed it more after marriage.  The Lord used a conference that Danielle attended last year to make it clear to us that he was calling us to adopt a child.  At the root of this calling for us is: How do we give back what we have been given?  We are often reminded that to whom much is given, even more is expected.  We know we have been given a lot in life and we know even more is expected of us - and this is part of that.   While volunteering at the church early last year, Danielle came across an adoption agency.  We did some investigating and decided to go with them.  Since this is on the internet, we are being a bit a vague on a few things like the agency, but you are welcome to ask us anything individually over email, the phone or any other private way of communicating!  Back to the agency...we chose this particular agency because it is there for the mother, her family and the child which directly lines up with our purpose and values.   So, how did we get to today?  Beginning last fall, we filled out a lot of paperwork, attended a meeting, filled out some more paperwork, attended some weekly classes through the winter and filled out a lot more paperwork!  We were interviewed individually and together in the Spring - both by the agency and a psychiatrist.  We then had our home-study earlier this Summer, another round of interviews and a final home-study.  Danielle made some scrapbooks for prospective birth-mothers to look at and our home-study was just recently approved - which brings us to today.   Later this month, we will officially begin waiting for the child the Lord has for us.  This could take weeks, it could take months, it could take years.  However long it takes, we know this is what God has called us to do and we are preparing as best we can for the child he will provide for us.  As we talked about what God was asking of us, we felt the Lord calling us to be open to a few things.  One of those is that we are open to loving a child with disabilities, another is that we are open to loving a child of another race.   I expect you to be wondering right now if we are unable to have children of our own.  As far as we know, we can!  We have been called to adoption at this time in our lives and have responded to the call.  We have no idea what the future holds, how many children we will have, if we will adopt again or get pregnant.    This is a lot to process right now and we want you to feel free to ask either of us questions.  We will be posting more on this in the days ahead and we will also be making our blog private to protect our information and give you more access in our lives during this exciting time.  It is our prayer that we will honor the Lord as we pursue what he has in store for us.  We appreciate your prayers and support going forward and are so thankful to have you part of our lives and this great journey!   Much more to come in the days and weeks ahead.   Love, Ryan & Danielle