Prayer Request

I'm leaving tomorrow to work with Operation Mobilisation in the Netherlands for just over a week. My employer is kind enough to sponsor mission trips for employees to participate in. Our company has already been on trips to Hurricane Katrina-ravaged parts of the South and to Central America, and now it's Europe's turn.

I'm super excited, but also a little nervous. Considering our entire dating and engagement time was long-distance, Dave and I have gotten quite used to being together every day. Please pray that we'll do fine during our week apart. In addition to that, please pray for the safety of our mission team, for the unity of the team and those we'll be working with, and most importantly, for the work of God to be done in us and in those we minister to in the Netherlands.

The February Experiment

By the end of January, Dave and I realized the fast pace of life was negatively affecting our relationship. We felt distant, probably because we were busy running here and there, and once we were home, the most appealing activity was vegging out with the Xbox or a book--not much room for quality time together.

We had a good talk and decided that, for the month of February, we'd set Saturdays aside for "Dave and Erin" time. With the exception of one Saturday (where Dave had obligations at church and I met up with friends), we made no plans with anyone other than each other.

Let me tell you, it was probably the best decision for our marriage so far. We visited another church one Saturday so we could worship together (something that doesn't happen for us since Dave is leading the children's ministry every week). We drove to Rockford over Valentine's Day weekend to get away from the hustle and bustle and explore a new place together. Yesterday, Dave took me out for dinner at TGI Friday's and then on to an enjoyable play.

As I look over the past month, I can see how much our relationship has benefited from our together time. It may not be possible to set aside every Saturday for ourselves, but we now know that making "Dave and Erin" time one of our top priorities will reap many benefits.

Happy that we get to spend time together

Checking out a canoe at the Burpee Museum in Rockford

We had an adventure just trying to find the museum.

Our First Burns Supper

The Illinois St. Andrew Society holds an annual Burns Supper, and thanks to some family friends, we were able to obtain free tickets to attend last Saturday night. The night was filled with haggis eating, toasting, and ceilidh dancing. We had a great time.

Dave with the American version of haggis. It tasted like meatloaf with a punch of spices.

There was so much food that I couldn't eat it all. Notice how the neeps were left untouched. ;-)

Laura and I have known each other since we were babies--and now she has a "baby" of her own, two-year-old Andrew. Her parents got the tickets for us. Thanks, Dr. Tim and Auntie Cathy!

Winter in Chicagoland

Dave has been learning quickly that Chicagoland is known for its extreme weather: super hot and humid in the summer and freezing cold in the winter. This isn't anything like the moderate climate of his beloved homeland (although we have the serious wind in common with Aberdeen). A couple of weeks ago, we had a stretch of sub-zero temps that closed many schools and left those of us with non-education jobs praying that our cars would start each morning when we drove to work.

This weekend should be much nicer, with temps barely passing the freezing point. We'll be enjoying the "balmy" weather.

A Christmas Story

One of the many Christmas stories the Gwynnes can share this year began with one of the first frosts of the winter. We were out scraping our car's windshield in the frigid morning, when I saw one of our neighbors take a spray bottle, spray his truck's windows, then get in and drive away. There was absolutely no scraping necessary for him that morning. My numbed fingers hurriedly typed a Google search for "de-icing spray" as soon as I got a chance, and that's when I found this product.

With requests for Christmas wish lists given a few weeks later, I added PPC Ice Chek to mine and figured I'd probably get a bottle of it to try out.

On Christmas morning, when my husband, parents, brother, and sister-in-law gathered in my parents' living room to open our stocking presents, I was the first to open a lovely bottle of de-icer. Next, Dave opened one of his largest stocking presents--a bottle of PPC Ice Chek. This was followed by the same present for my brother and sister-in-law. My mom had found a great deal and was looking out for her children when she decided to buy us all some de-icing spray. Dave and I were well stocked for the rest of this winter.

Well, last night, when Dave and I were finally able to open our presents for each other, he started laughing when I picked up one of my gifts. As I opened it, I realized what was so funny. The Gwynne household was now the proud owner of not one, not two, but three bottles of de-icing spray!

How We Spent Our Friday Evening

Friday afternoon, Dave got a call from one of our friends, asking if we were available to babysit her two young boys while she and her husband went shopping that night. Although Friday night was supposed to be our only evening at home for the week, Dave and I knew we couldn't pass up the chance to babysit these little guys. (Seriously, they're the cutest kids on the planet.)

We helped them finish eating their supper before settling down in the family room to watch The Polar Express. The picture above is how the boys were for most of the movie. Their attention was completely captured by the film. As soon as the movie was done, we got them ready for bed, tucked them in, read a story or two, then headed downstairs to watch an episode of Say Yes to the Dress (my choice). Our evening of childcare was a pleasant surprise in our busy week.

Sights of the Season

Over the first week of December, Dave and I worked on decorating our apartment for Christmas. Here are a few pictures of the final product:

I decorated our tree using the hodgepodge of lights, garland, and ornaments I had accumulated/been given over the years. We ended up with a very "American," tree--red garland with white and blue lights. I think it turned out well.

Our little Nativity scene. I love it, even though it isn't quite accurate.

Christmas candle warmer with a cranberry chutney-scented Yankee candle warming up inside.

One stocking for Dave, one for me, and another one for me because my stocking is so small.