Nate and Lindsey's Ongoing Adventures

2009-11-23T08:40:00.000-08:00

Linds on one of her brutal hils...

Gotta love the van art...

Shower anyone?

Well, we made it! We completed the 202 mile race in about 31 hours. There were a total of 112 teams who signed up for the race. What a group of people... The runner's/volunteer's spirits made the race a memory we will never forget. Here are some of my favorite team names...

We're probably cheating...(our team name)
We Thought This Was A 10k
Team Rx
120 Dead Toenails
The Faster We Run, The Faster We Drink
3 Dudes and 18 Boobs
Huff-n-Puffs
intrigued by fatigue
Spandex Sprinters

I am proud to say that no one walked during the race legs either. What a brutal day and a half it was. The most challening part of the race was trying to fit in sleep. Our vans first leg started at around 2 p.m on Friday and we ran until around 7 that evening. We then had about 5 hours to get to our next starting point (about 30 miles ahead), grab some food, and try to catch a few winks of sleep. We were back running again just after midnight and continued until about 5 a.m. We then had about 4 more hours until our next stint. We caught a little sleep and some food and started running again around 10:30 a.m on Saturday morning. Needless to say it was a long and rough 36 hours.

Lindsey 8 mile leg was probably the most difficult leg of the entire race. We all were under the impression that Florida is flat... We found out that Zephryhills is not flat like the rest of the state. Linds had about 4 killer hills that were about .5-1.0 miles long each from start to finish. She was a trooper and made the 8 miles like a champ. The bloody sock pictures are the result of her eight mile leg. I made it also! My last 8 mile leg (after running 6.6 and 6.8 miles) was especially brutal. With about 1 mile left to go, I got passed up by a guy dressed as a Ninja. He was in all black and both long sleeve shirt and pants... Maybe that is why he was running so fast!

This race definitely made us question our sanity. Who pays money to have the trash kicked out of them like this? Umm... I guess we do. I think everyone on our teams will put the running shoes up for a little while... Now we just gotta start looking for our next adventure.

Nate

Lindsey's feet after her brutal 8 mile leg

Each tick mark represented a runner we passed during our legs

(we didn't subtract from those who passed us)

Sleep? Who needs it?

Just about to start our second leg of runs at just past midnight... (Above)

Me just before my 2 a.m 6.6 mile leg (Below)

2009-11-19T10:43:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the excessive time between posts... Life has been crazy! We bought a house, I am in school working on my MBA and training has made life very full lately.

Well tomorrow and Saturday are the big days! We have had our legs assigned and Lindsey will be running a total of 14.7 miles on Friday/Saturday. Her legs are:

Leg 1: 8 miles

Leg 2: 3.7 miles

Leg 3: 3.0 miles

I am not so lucky. I will be running 21.4 miles total. My legs are:

Leg 1: 6.8 miles
Leg 2: 6.6 miles
Leg 3: 8 miles

Needless to say we are both a little bit nervous about the 36 hours of racing. Who knows how our body will respond to the punishment of the distance, lack of sleep, and cramped quarters of the vehicle we will be traveling in. It should be interesting.

Nate

2009-09-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

Just about two months until race day and we have kicked the training up a notch. I ran 11 miles over the weekend (5 on Friday and 6 on Sunday) and ran 4 times during an 8 day span. Man I totally can identify with all the problems serious runners experience from the aches and pains in the knees and feet, to the chafing, blistering, and soreness of random parts of your body. We still are averaging about a 10 minute mile pace over our runs. We will have to continue to push the distance up over the next 6 weeks or so. It seems that we are running at a better pace but then a few weeks ago but our times haven't improved all that much. I am so proud of Lindsey as she has become a champ on these runs and has been pushing me. She will tell anyone how much she hates to run yet is killing all of our training runs. Here is a picture of Andy Bernard from the office. This is from the Office's fourth season premier where the gang does the "Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run For The Cure." I can totally identify with the problem he faced while running. I got a kick while thinking back on the episode during a 6 mile run and experiencing some discomfort that Andy was fearful of. I will leave you with this quote from the episode... "Why run for rabies? Because it's "the foaming, barking killer," that's why."

Nate

2009-09-11T11:31:00.000-07:00

Time to dust off the old keyboard and document our latest adventure... We are in the process of training for the Ragnar Relay. Call us crazy but we thought it would be fun to run across the state of Florida with 10 other people in about 36 hours. We start in Tarpon Springs (West Coast of Florida) and end up in Daytona Beach (East Coast of Florida). The total distance traveled will be 191 miles. Each of the 12 runners will alternate running and do 3 legs. Each leg will be from 3-9 miles. For those of you who are not the best at math... we will each do 9-27 miles over 36 hours.Here is the link for the Florida race in case your curiousity gets the best of you. Ragnar Relay Florida
I though I would start blogging again to document the painful training journey leading up to the race on November 20-21. We have just over 2 more months to get ready and I am already hearing frequently from Lindsey about how bad her toes are hurting from blisters. It should be an adventure. Here are some pics from a previous relay to give you a taste of what the race should be like... Enjoy!

A little diddy I put together

2009-01-28T20:31:00.001-08:00

Here is a compilation from our 08 & 09 trips to Colorado

2008-08-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

The summer has come to a close and we are back in the swing of things again. The summer was great but went by way to quickly. We were able to spend quality time with both sides of the family and enjoy our new niece and our nephew (all the rest of our family). It was after spending a week with our then 6 week old niece Sophia that we both realized that kids were still far off for us. Summer was also the time when we were introduced to a great game called "dingle balls" or for the pg version "ladder golf". We were able to hone our dingle tossing skills with many games up in Michigan. We able to enjoy some time on the lake with Lindsey's extended family and some time on the beach with my family. On of the highlights of the summer was experiencing Uncle Rick's famous soft serve machine at their lake house. I felt a little sick after downing 3 or maybe 4 ice cream Sundays in a relatively short period of time. Good thing the machine was only fired up one day while we were up there, otherwise I would have put on 15 instead of the slimming 5 pounds I added while on vacation. Oh yeah... I also learned to ride a motorcycle this summer thanks to my brother-in-law Pat. Man what a rush!

Nate

2008-06-05T06:37:00.000-07:00

Josh, A pink helmet just for you!

Nine Seconds... The amount of time it takes to recite the alphabet up to the letter S, the amount of time I can comfortably hold my breath underwater (Just kidding I am more in the 15 second range), or just under 1/3 of a normal TV commercial. Nine seconds, not a whole lot of time. This past Sunday, race day for the Madeira Beach Triathlon, 9 seconds is all that separated a man and his wife. Luckily I emerged on top, the victor of my household with a little piece of my ego intact. That is until I think back and remember the part of the race where a 70 year old man whizzed by me on the bike after starting minutes behind me, or I look at the race results and see that I was thoroughly smoked by 10 plus minutes by a 13 year old boy and also beaten by more than 3 minutes by a 10 year old girl. Yes I said that right... She was 10, and a girl (nothing against the female gender for all you feminists out there)! Lindsey can vouch for how amazing this little girl was as she was passed up by the mere child during the run.

Well the race has come and gone and we have both survived. The race; .5 mile swim, 15 mile bike, and 3.2 mile run completed. Our respective times were:

Nate: 1 hour 46 minutes and 30 seconds
Lindsey: 1 hour 46 minutes and 39 seconds

The funny thing about the race is neither of us knew how close we were to each others times as our start time was staggered by 8 minutes. The experience was a great one. We were both wide-eyed throughout the experience as we watched in amazement as 1000 people competed in the triathlon, then we realized we were in it as well and it was time to get moving once again. We both accomplished the only goal we had going in; to finish the race. When asked if I enjoyed the triathlon my respond is always the same; "Yes I enjoyed it, but just not when I was actually doing it". Now it is time pick up training for the next one... And next time I am gonna blaze by that 10 year old so fast that she will wish she never entered the race! Enjoy the pictures.

Nate

2008-05-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

Well tomorrow is the big day. We compete in our first triathlon. Training has been an experience to say the least. We hope that we are ready. Thank goodness for people who have guided us and lent us the right equipment. Just a side note... when we first started training Lindsey was convinced that it would be a good idea for her to ride her beach cruiser for the triathlon (if you cant picture a cruiser bike thing the wicked witch of the west in the Wizard of OZ). On another note, our first neice was born on Mother's Day. Lindsey's oldest sister gave birth to Sophia Elizabeth who was just under 7 pounds. From the looks of it she is gonna be a prize fighter! Well, I will post later this week and let you know of the pain and physical torment we experienced.

Nate

2008-04-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long. Life has been full since moving back to the states. Thanks to youth pastor and fellow blogger Chris G. I have been encouraged to start posting once again. Life is going well for Lindsey and myself. We have settled into a routine after all the craziness of moving halfway around the world. Lindsey is about to finish up the school year as a fifth grade teacher at a local school and I am working for Western Reserve Life Insurance Company. We are currently attending Saint Petersburg Calvary Chapel. Oh yeah... Our bit of excitement currently is a looming Triathlon. We will compete in the 23rd Annual Madiera Beach Triathlon which takes place on Sunday, June 1st. It will be our first one and we are excited and a little bit nervous. It will be a 1/2 mile swim, 15 miles on the bike, and a 3 mile run. We will relay the stories of pain as they come. We miss everyone in Australia and our church family in Jupiter,Fl.

Here is a the website for the triathlon we are competing in.

www.madbeachtriathlon.com

Nate

You hope that we wear these cool suits dont you?

2007-08-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

Man... I never realized how much stuff I had taken for granted... Life has been crazy trying to get things back in sync after being gone for a year... Enough about that. Our flight back home from Australia were great. We did a 3 day "mini holiday" in Nadi, Fiji. We enjoyed the island and relaxing after a crazy week at Hillsong Conference, but we were taken advantage of by the local village salesmen. Those native islanders really know how to pull at your heart strings. Hillsong Conference was an incredible experience... My future goal is to attend the conference as a delegate and to take in the whole experience. Lindsey was able to attend a few of the night rallies and saw the Watoto Children's Group, TD Jakes, and Jentzen Franklin. After our 3 day stopover in Fiji we were in for a change of pace upon arriving in LA. After being out of the country for a year, one has to adjust back to the pace which things happen back in the states. It has been a good transition though... It has been great to see friends and family. To our "family" and friends we left behind in Sydney, we miss you all like crazy... You truly impacted us in a tremendous way. To all who made the last year possible and espicially those who kept us in their thoughts and prayers, we say thanks...
God truly stirred and developed passions within us which have changed our lives...

Nate and Lindsey

2007-07-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hooray... We are home. We arrived back in the U.S . two weeks ago. Sorry it has taken so long to update but things have been crazy. We have been catching up with friends and family and trying to adjust to the 14 hour time diffence. I will post some pics from our time in Fiji and do a more in depth update soon. Here is the new Hillsong United Video... It is great... Enjoy

Nate

Point Of Difference

Add to My Profile More Videos

2007-07-08T06:22:00.000-07:00

Hillsong Conference was completely amazing... Many lives were changed and it was awesome to be a part of that. After completing 80+ hours of volunteering over the 5 days of conference I am taking a much deserved holiday. My days at conference included setting up and packing back down literally about 2,000-3,000 chairs a day and moving countless barriers to help with crowd control. It is amazing what goes on behind the scences of an event which draws about 30,000 people daily. Tomorrow we are off to Fiji for 3 days before coming back home... We said our goodbye's today. It was hard... We have made many close friends in our time here whom we will miss dearly... After our year here in Sydney we made friends from all over the world and look forward to staying in touch with them... Looking back over our time here I cant beleive that our year here is already over. This past year has been incredible... We have grown tremendously, been stretched more than we thought was possible, faced many challenges, and had amazing expereinces woven through it all... This last year has impacted us greatly and I am still trying to process all that God has done in us. I thank you all for your prayers, thoughts, comments, and support over the last year... You have played an incredible role in our lives and we couldn't have done it without you... America... Here we come...

Nate

2007-06-26T18:10:00.000-07:00

We are coming down to the end of our year in Oz. We fly out in 12 days. Just trying to tie up some loose ends before July 2nd. July 2nd-6th is Hillsong Conference... I am serving and Lindsey will be attending the night rallies. It should be amazing. I think we are expecting our 40,000 delegates from across the globe.

Last Thursday evening Lindsey put on an event at the college we work for to promote awareness of the child soldiers problem in northern Uganda. The night was a great success. About 50 people turned up to eat a meal, listen to live music from students at the school, and watch the documentary. If you dont know anything about the invisible children go here...

Invisible Children

The event raised almost $500 which all go to help these children in need. We had a great response from the people who saw the documentary for the first time. Several are planning on showing it to others. That was the main goal for the night... to get others involved in helping with this problem and letting them be creative in how they go about doing it. We all have a part to play...

Nate

2007-06-07T23:36:00.000-07:00

How many of you have bought a coffee this week? ...or maybe it's a nice cold drink...winter has come upon us here is Sydney and I have definitely been buy my share of coffee and tea. But if we could all just give up $3 a week we could not only touch lives, but alter lives dramatically. This is the challenge I have given to all the students at Wesley Institute where we work, and it's a challenge I give to all those who read this. Invisible Children have dubbed it the tricampaign. On top of that, I have been planning an event for the Wesley Instute that will take place on June 21st. It's going to be life changing for many of the students. The event includes dinner (I'm cooking again of course), live bands, and we are showing the entire Invisible Children documentary! Time is overdue for raising awareness for social justice issues. This is only one of them...it's just a beginning...but I believe God sees our hearts...and our $5 donations and He moves mountains with them. Please pray for our event that God will send people our way and their hearts will be touched. Also, if you haven't seen the documentary it's will rock your world. Visit their website....here's the tricampaign trailer. Love you all! Lindsey

2007-05-20T01:10:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been very full. We celebrated Lindsey's 24th birthday, took our house rock climbing and spent a weekend up the coast. I was on a two week break from school before starting back for my third and final term. We celebrated Lindsey's birthday with our students and I organized and cooked dinner for Lindsey and a few close people from church. We had a great time at Lindsey's birthday dinner, and the food turned out well. Thanks mom for making me cook when I was younger, it has paid great dividends.

Rock climbing was amazing. We took a group of about 20 from our house and had an absolute blast. I had the thrill of my life when I took a 25 foot fall from the top of a wall before my safety rope caught me. I had just raced up the wall to set a new record and my partner was not able to keep up with the slack I was causing because of my blazing speed. What a rush... Yes I am still young and somewhat invincible. Other than that we have been staying busy with the inner city kids ministry at church. In the upcoming weeks both Lindsey and myself have the opportunity to preach. It should be great and stretching. Lindsey will be speaking to the little guys (ages 4-7) and I get to speak to the older kids ages 8-13. Time is flying by... less than 7 weeks till we return

nate

2007-05-01T05:16:00.000-07:00

Well it is amazing to be back together again with my wife after a two week hiatus. The time apart was hard but it just makes it all that much better to be reunited. Lindsey has been back for a little over two weeks now. We have been enjoying spending time together once again. Today however was somewhat of a sad day. We said goodbye to a couple from college whom we have grown close to over these last nine months. Kenny and Krina (as pictured above) left today to go back to Washington state before moving on to San Antonio. One of the greatest things about being over here is how many amazing people we have met from all over the world. The caliber of people we interact with daily is incredible.

My third and last term off college kicked off today. I cant beleive that we are coming to the end of our year in Australia. It has been amazing and we are trying to maximize the time we have left. We are taking a group of about 20 people rock climbing this friday evening from our house and it should be a great time. I will post pictures. Also tomorrow is Lindsey's 24th birthday... hooray! We miss you all and appreciate all of your prayers. Look forward to seeing all of you back in the states in just over two months.

nate

2007-04-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

Only 3 more days until my wife comes home... hooray! While my wife is back in Florida eating some good healthy American food I have had to find ways to occupy my time. Just a quick sidenote... Seriously Americans are very blessed! Where else in the world can you go where at two a.m. you can either get your "fourth meal" from Taco Bell or an iced coffee the size of a big gulp from Dunkin Donuts with a boston creme? I cant wait to come home and eat. One thing I have been able to do a little more of than usual is surfing. Last Friday a few of us guys had a great slumber party and then got up at the crack of dawn to go surfing. Seriously though... if any of you ever have to get up at 5:30 in the morning I feel your pain. If you are up before the sun rises than you are up way to early... Well it was a good morning to say the least. However, I would trade all my times surfing for my wife to be here with me.

2007-04-05T05:36:00.000-07:00

Ok... So I am by myself here in Australia. I have come to find out that Australia is a very lonely place without my wife! I miss her like crazy... I used to think that I was pretty independent... I no longer hold that view of myself... I am needy! Lets just say that I really miss my wife! Lindsey is back in the states for two weeks for a friends wedding and I am holding down the fort back here. Here is a really powerful quote I came across... hope you like it... let me know your thoughts....

nate

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us...And as we let our own light shine, we unconciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." (Nelson Mandela)

2007-03-26T00:37:00.000-07:00

Hooray for being married 1 whole year!!! We look forward to at least 70 more! As many of you know Nate and I celebrated our first anniversary on March 18th! Due to the massive women's conference and album recording that weekend...we actually didn't get to celebrate too much! But of course, my AMAZING husband had something much grander up his sleave than a cafe lunch and an evening in the acer arena with 20,000 other people. It all began to unfold at a very ealier 6 am as we caught a train to the city. Through some rather beneficial connections, Nate and I were able to share with a friend of ours a wonderful breakfast in the private executives lounge of the 5 star Swissotel in downtown Sydney! Not only was the food great but the view was immaculate! After returning home to finish some work, we packed the minivan (yes that's right) and headed off to Callala Beach, about 3 hours south of Sydney. God was faithful once again and a friend enabled us to make our home for the next 3 days in a wonderful vacation home there including a 3 minute walk to the beach. We spent the rest of the weekend surfing, relaxing, driving through beautiful countryside, visiting small towns, and vineyard hopping! It was a great weekend to be away, we are so thankful we had awesome people to help us out back home! My husband is the best and I only hope that next year I can rise to the standard! In all seriousness, God has really, really blessed Nate and I this year and we are so thankful for everything and for each other and we really do look forward to what God is going to do in us and through us as we continue our adventure together! We love you all, thanks to so many of you that set amazing examples of marriage for us to follow- especially our parents!

Lindsey

2007-03-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

An incredibly busy weeks is ahead of me. Hillsong's annual Colour Your World women's conference is this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It should be an adventure! 22,000 women and I get to be there for 16 hours a day. As a student our schedule for conference looks like this... leave church at 6 am, serve all day and leave the conference at 10 pm to head back to ther church, get up the next morning and do it all over, this is what I will be doing Thur-Sun. It should be a few days where I get to live off of adreniline, God, and the much needed cups of coffee (just a quick side note... Australia knows how to make coffee and us Americans could learn a thing or two). To top it all off on our anniversary ( Sunday, March 18th) we get to be a part of Hillsong One. It is the live recording of their new album. Dont worry everyone... we are taking off for the weekend the following week to celebrate our first year in marriage. Lindsey and I decided that we will rotate each year who gets to plan our anniversary celebration and I am up for the first one. So Lindsey has no idea where we are going or what we are doing. All I can say is that it is gonna be great! We miss you and love you all!

nate

2007-03-06T04:41:00.000-08:00

Hello once again... We just got back from a family trip to the movies. We saw Blood Diamond... Great movie but pretty hard to watch. Anyway here is a trailer for the documentary Invisible Children. The documentary is about the child soldier problems in Uganda. I came across it a few weeks ago and it has really impacted Lindsey and I. This is one of the big projects Hillsong is trying to make a difference in this year. Check out their website for more info... A great quote which has impacted us from Hillsong's Vision Sunday is "we can't do everything, but we must do something"

http://www.invisiblechilren.com

nate

2007-03-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! We just wanted to give a little update on how we've been keeping ourselves busy down here. We've had lots of "family time" with our students, including a sailing trip! When we are not with our students....we're at church! We are helping coordinate a ministry and community among young couples in Powerhouse (college group). Last Friday was vintage night (as seen in the pictures)! Nate and I joined in on a couples pool tournament...but sadly lost when someone hit the 8 ball in...hmmm. After a late night with Powerhouse, we wake up at 6:30 and head back into the city to work with our inner city kids ministry- IMPACTkids. It's been challenging but fun working with the kids on both Wednesday and Saturdays! We are excited to see how God is going to work in these ministries! Please pray that as we are out in the community Christ's love will be saturated into these kids and their families. We love you guys and miss you heaps!

Lindsey

2007-02-25T03:26:00.000-08:00

Hallelujah... our internet is finally back up and running! Thought you might enjoy some pictures from our trip with the family over summer break. Things are back in full swing once again for us at the house. We have 20 students living with us and one more who will hopefully be here soon. We have a few more boys this term (11 instead of 4) so Lindsey has to cook a lot more food. Classes are going well for me at Hillsong. Both Lindsey and I have gotten really involved in a few different aspects of the church. I will do a post a little bit later. Enjoy the pics...

nate

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2007-02-14T15:07:00.000-08:00

Hello again. We are still experiencing internet difficulties but I will not dwell on them. Let me just say that it has been about six weeks now since we were told "your internet will be back in a few days". The Australian motto which was brilliantly coined by Lindsey's father, after stopping in to eat breakfast and leaving the restaraunt 90 minutes later, is "No hurries... no worries"!

Now to catch you up on what has been going on here in Oz. Lindsey and I were able to take a few days off while renting out the house and go camping for a night, a few hours north. The trip was incredible! The scenery was amazing. We had one of the coolest experiences of our lives on the trip. We went out for a surf on a deserted beach by the area we were camping. While in the water we noticed a pod of about 25 dolphins playing in the water about a hundred feet from us. The dolphins made their way down to where we were surfing in the water and we were able to get within about 3 feet of them... It was amazing!

Now onto the highlight of the summer break. Lindsey's parents and aunt and uncle came over and stayed with us. Lindsey's parents were over for two and half weeks and her aunt and uncle for 10 days. After spending two days touring Sydney and tiring them out so they would sleep through the night and have minimal jet lag, we set out for our first adventure. We hopped on a plane and flew up the coast to the famous Whitsunday Islands... We took a two day sailing trip through the islands and were able to snorkel parts of the Great Barrier Reef. Immediately what comes into ones mind is a beautiful sailboat, sailing off into the sunset while everyone on board is eating seafood and drinking champagne... I think we all had these romantic ideals in our heads before boarding the ship. Let me just that the sailing was amazing because of the scencery not because of the ship. On the flights over the question was asked if each room would have its own bathroom... Upon getting on board we realized that there were two bathrooms for about 35 people. However we all did get to stay in the same bunk room with only 10 other people. Our time on board was special, to say the least... After recovering from the initial shock of what sailing aboard the our ship, The New Horizon, would be like we were able to find different ways to pass the time. The time sailing was great... we made countless great memories and had a whole lot of laughs.

After getting off the sailboat we hopped in a rental van and drove 8 hours north to the city of Cairns (pronounced cans). We spent the next few days relaxing in a beautiful apartment and souveneir shopping and trying to finds deals on opals. We took a scenic train ride through the rainforest and went to a crocodile farm where we got the chance to pet koalas. This part of the trip, unlike the sailing experience, no one wanted to end. We flew back to Sydney and spent one more day with Lindsey's aunt and uncle before saying goodbye. Lindsey's parents still had another week so we were off again to see different parts of the city. We took them to the beach and Lindsey's dad had his first experience surfing, we went out for a day and took in the Blue Mountains, and spent time throughout the city. Needless to say it was a great time. It was hard to say goodbye, and made us miss home a whole lot.

Since then school for me is back in session. Also we have had our students move back in and have about 10 newbies. We look forward to a full and fast paced semester. Well we miss you all like crazy!

nate

2007-01-26T20:18:00.000-08:00

We are still having internet difficulties so I am sitting in an internet cafe... Actually we are about to leave to go on a sailing trip in the Whitsunday Islands and then go out to the Great Barrier Reef with Lindsey's parents and Aunt and Uncle... They flew into Sydney two days ago and we spent the day yesterday touring the city. We are looking forward to sailing and will post some pics when we get back!

nate

Go Colts!!!

2007-01-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has taken so long for us to post... We have been and still are having internet difficulties... Should be fixed within 48 hours hopefully... We want to wish you all a late "Happy New Year" and say that we will post some pictures as soon as the internet get back up and running at our house.

nate

2006-12-25T03:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone... We beat you all to Christmas and are just wrapping up our Christmas as you are starting yours. I guess that is the advantage of being 16 hours ahead. We had a very nice Christmas. We were taken in by a family and were had a very multicultural Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve with a family from South Africa, one from Botswana, a few people from Canada, a New Zealander, someone from Denmark, and a native Australia. Our Christmas Eve dinner was Australian style however, straight from the barby. We then had a nice Christmas dinner with travelers who are crashing at our house for the holiday break. So we ate our first "Irish Christmas Dinner" here in Australia. Lindsey was a baking machine and churned out heaps of Christmas treats. I overindulged and got a pretty bad stomach ache. Christmas afternoon we headed to the beach and enjoyed the sunshine and warm weather. We hope that your Christmas is amazing and we miss you all terribly. Happy Holidays...

nate

Oh yeah... Here is a little Christmas treat for you all... Check out these links, we have a special surprise... Thanks Mock!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=b11e46327f6cf12a29b5056G06122416 (Nate)
http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=87ec025f62f43e05a97dde5G06122416 (Lindsey)

2006-12-22T16:59:00.000-08:00

As Christmas is fast approaching Lindsey and myself are staying busy getting ready. Christmas in Australia is different... Most people are throwing Christmas Barbeque's and are gonna head to the beach. I guess the beach thing isn't all that foreign for us Floridians. Lindsey has been baking up a storm and I have been enrolled as her helped. Needless to say we have enough sweets to feed an army.

Also wanted to share with you some great news and an answer to prayer for us. Now this will require a little background info. Since moving to Sydney Lindsey and myself have started playing poker in a few of the pubs around the area. We enjoy playing the game and found it to be quite big over here. We go and play at the same two pubs reguarly... dont worry... No real betting is involved, just strictly for fun. Anyway it has been a good opportunity for us to meet people where they are at and develop relationships with them. We are trying to live out the command "go into the world and make disciples". We have been praying that God gives us opportunities to share our faith with people at these venues... Anyway we have had the opportunity to share about our faith and church and why we are over here. About two weeks ago a lady took us up on our offer and attended a "Christmas Spectacular" put on by our church. The night was awesome, the program was incredible and a the gospel was presented. Our friend was really impacted by the program and went to get a Bible after the show. What an answer to prayer. Please keep her in your prayers that God continues to reach her and draw her unto him... Also keep us in your prayers that doors will be opened and that the people we come into contact with will get a realization of God's all encompassing love for them... We thank you so much for your cards and prayers , they mean so much to us. Have a merry Christmas...

Nate and Lindsey

2006-12-14T03:46:00.000-08:00

Summer is here! So how are we keeping "busy"...let me tell you. Well, we are renting our the rooms in our student housing complex for the summer. As of now, all the renters are great! Nate started to work for a constrution company, until finding out that he needed a specific "green card". Oh well, tarring in a clay ditch during 100 degree weather wasn't all that fun anyway. We both took on some odd jobs, including a taxi service to the airport and deck work. Some hightlights from the past few weeks: Nate took me to a beautiful graduation dinner put on by Hillsong College. So, we put on the spifiest outfits we could find (of course I found mine at the mall that day), and headed of to Le Montage (even sounds fancy). The dinner was wonderful; it was a great way to end the year! We also had the opportunity to take a Harbour Cruise one night with the college. Not exactly the boat we had hoped for, but it was still a lot of fun! Well, we are just getting ready for Christmas. It's a bit hard considering it's in the 90's, but we can pretend. Hope you are all enjoying the Holiday season, we miss you!

Lindsey

2006-12-02T21:16:00.000-08:00

Wow... I can't believe that we have been over in Australia for almost half a year. Time has passed quickly. While being over here there has been one topic which God has taught us a lot about through many different ways. It has been the topic of sermons we have listened to, we have read about it in books, and we have been challenged to show it in our interaction with our students and people in the community.

"The world can do almost anything as well as or better than the church. You need not be a Christian to build houses, feed the hungry, or heal the sick. There is only one thing the world cannot do. It cannot offer grace." (Gordon MacDonald)

This quote from Philip Yancey's What's So Amazing About Grace? has challenged us to live our lives differently. We have been challeneged to live our lives as a conduit, where the grace we have so freely received flows out from within us to a hurting world.

We miss you all and look forward to seeing you all again!!! Happy Holidays!

nate

2006-11-25T18:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving a few days late. Lindsey and I got together with some of the American employees whom we work with. We also had a few honorary Americans who experienced their first Thanksgiving. It was quite a chore to locate a Turkey large enough to feed 10 people here in Australia. We also struggled to find the necessary items such as cranberry gel, pumpkin pie ingredients, and a few other things we all take for granted. The meal turned out amazing thanks to the culinary ability of Lindsey others. My job was just to eat and I did it very well. We over indulged our stomachs, then relaxed by playing game and watching a Christmas movie. While we missed being with our families on Thanksgiving having friends and American food lessened the pain. We hope that you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving and have survived the post Thanksgiving shopping. We miss you...

nate

2006-11-19T03:09:00.000-08:00

The house is once again quiet as we have made it through to summer break. Lindsey will have a few months off from the cooking and grocery shopping for 25. It was very hard to say goodbye to the students as we have made friendships with them. We have 8 students who will not be returning to us next term beacause of graduation and returning to the states. While the term was stretching for both of us, we have grown as a couple and as individuals. Being surrogate parents for the term made us realize what great parents we both had growing up, so to both sets of our parents we say "thank you" for the amazing job you did raising us. It also made us realize how many kids dont have this blessing growing up. I will leave you with a few quotes from thank you notes we received as student left. Thanks for all your prayers!

nate

"You're great, you have made the house a brighter and more enjoyable place"

"Hottest of all mothers..."

"Your cooking is the best best, seriously!"

"You two made this place so much of a home to me. Best dad ever. I haven't had a dad that pays so much attention to each of us. Bring that into your family into the future".

"You're much cooler than my real dad"

"Best temporary mum ever!!! Your hair is sexy!"

"Thanks for being my dad and asking questions of the boy and being protective"

"You guys are some of the greatest people and have forever impacted my life"

2006-11-12T04:57:00.000-08:00

Here is probably one of the greatest commercials I have ever seen. Most of the commercials here are horrible but this one is great. We saw it a few weeks back whil watching TV. Hope you enjoy it... Let us know what you think.

nate

2006-11-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

It's official...some of you others may try and deny it...but I have the most wonderful husband in the world! Two weeks ago, Nate surprised me and took me to see Cirque De Soleil under the big top here in Sydney...it was amazing! For those of you who have never seen one of their shows...here is a little free advertising...you must go. (there is one in Orlando!) The music and costumes and set and stunts just take your breathe away. Not to mention there is array of hilarious masks you can try on after. (Note: Our Slideshow). Another fun activity we were apart of was our Final Goodbye House party...of which yours truly was the "caterer". Yes, summer is approaching, and we are saying good bye to 7 Americans, 2 Aussie graduates, and 1 Dutch RA (resident assistant). It will be very sad to say goodbye to all of them...we have grown rather fond of our students! With that being said...we threw a big bash last week at the house! It was a lot of fun and a chance for us all to get together and bond...good times! Well, Nate is almost done with his first term at school. We are looking for some extra jobs...and hoping some family will come over to keep us company during the long, hot summer weeks. We both really miss all of you and I would have to admit and little jealous of your time together during these holiday months :) Keep us in your prayers, we love you!

Lindsey

2006-10-21T05:04:00.000-07:00

ENCOUNTERFEST 2006: 2500 youth, three days, encountering Christ!
We had the privelege to attend Encounterfest,Hillsong's youth conference last week. There were about 2500 middle school through college age youth there. It was pretty amazing to see the leaders of the next generation abandoning themselves to God. There were two guest speakers. Nate and I learned a lot, but also enjoyed comimg together and full on worshipping Christ. My favorite aspect of the conference was on the last day, we all loaded on buses and made our way to Plumpton High School.

That entire Saturday was dedicated to renovating the school, putting on a festival for the community, and cleaning up the suburb. It was like "Extreme Makeover: Highschool Edition." All of it was done simply to say "Hey, we love Christ and we love our neighbors so here's a free gift for you". The temperature reach above 100 degrees and of course, keeping with the Aussie norm, there was no air conditioning. By the end of the day we were hot, sweaty, covered in paint, and a little loopy from all the fumes, but it was such a great time!The next day we had a big barbeque for our house, and Chef Nate grilled up some mean KANGAROO! Yes, you heard me correct...surprisingly it was so good even our vegetarian ate 4 steaks. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, we miss you like crazy! (Christmas decor is up in the stores and I'm having a bit of a hard time!) We love all of you so much!

Lindsey

2006-10-14T02:01:00.000-07:00

Crikey... Maybe the dingo ate your baby! While in Australia we have had the chance to look at an interesting culture from the inside. Here is a slide show of a few of the things which we thought to be quite comical from our "American" frame of mind. Hope that you enjoy it...

nate

We have had
the opportunity to get involved with some of the different ministries of the church. This past Wednesday we spent the day with over 3,000 children ages 4-12 at an event put on by Hillsong called "Kids Fest". This event had games, rides, an activities for the kids to do. The highlight of the day was the DVD recording of the 3rd Hillsong kids worship DVD. It was so awesome to see the innocence of children during worship and the joy and excitement many of them had. The ultimate purpose of this event was to see children come to Christ. Lindsey and I were with a group of 50 children who we work with who are from the inner city. We believe that there were many seeds planted and that children's lives were changed. The other picture was taken at Hillsong weekly Women's morning Lindsey attended with a student from the house. In one week we will be attending Encounterfest which is the youth conference for youth ages 12-25. We are really excited about this and are believing that lives will be changed. Even though the pace of life is busy and we are involved in many great things we miss our families and all of our friends. We appreciate all the prayers and support.

nate

2006-09-21T01:44:00.000-07:00

As you can see from this picture, we have had the opportunity to see what it is like to be "parents" in the midst of crisis. Actually the picture has nothing to do with our crisis, it was just a family outing to see "Nacho Libre" on it's opening week in Australia. Some things take quite a while to reach over here, particularly movies. Now about these crisis experiences. We had a student nearly total her car last week. To make the situation worse the near wreck became an actual crash a few days later as the student was broadside by another vehicle. In the midst of all this we had students going to the doctor's for various illnesses. One student was then sent to the hospital where his appendix was taking out immediately. Eight days later he is still in the hospital and has developed an infection and had other complications arise. We joke about how God might be preparing us for having a large family one day (which is at least five years off from now). We have had time to enjoy the students and school as well. Through Hillsong Colleg we have been working with a group of kids from the a suburd not to far from the church. Each Wednesday we go and visit a group of children in their neighborhood and just make contact with the family for a short time. It has been very rewarding and we have developed strong relationships with these children in a short period of time. We have started attending a small group from the church which will help us build community within a large church. So overall things are well and we are learning and growing through the many different experiences which we are thrown into. Pray for healing for our student who remains in the hospital and that God will continue to guide our path as we are over here. We miss you and love you all....

nate

2006-09-09T03:11:00.000-07:00

As the first week of classes has come to a close, I have already begun to feel the stretching that will take place over the next year. During the first few days we were told that we would be stretched beyond what we normally experience. The first week of classes emphasized leadership and coming outside of our comfort zones. The teachers have definitely challenged us in many ways so far. During this time we were able to meet a great group of people from all over the world. The students at the college come from 51 nations around the world! As for the church itself the pace is fast and furious. As college students we are very involved with the running of the church. We serve in different ministries. I am invovled in security, logistics (set up and tear down for meetings), Impact kids (an inner city outreach), and Powerhouse which is the youth service for 18-25 year olds. Lindsey will be serving along side of me with the Impact kids ministry. We are excited serving together. Pray that God's love shines through us as we go out into the community.

2006-09-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

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Our nice, relatively calm Aussie life has come and gone. Nate began Hillsong College last Wednesday. In celebration we decided to join 30 American students from Wesley on an all expense paid trip to Canberra, the Nations capital. I know what your thinking...if it's anything like D.C. with all the hustle and bustle...that would be a great adventure. Well...it's not. But, while it is a relatively quiet town, we did get to go to the Papua New Guinea Embassy and the American Embassy...office, (not actually allowed at the embassy), and a few museums. The trip was rewarding because we were able to get to the know the students! The second day while the students went to parliament....I got violently ill, and started what became a week long "epidemic". At least it wasn't my cooking! So instead of seeing museums and galleries and memorials....I saw a lot a park benches. Now that we are back, I am having to quickly get used to shopping and cooking by myself, but both Nate and I are excited about Hillsong and the things we will both learn from being a part of their vision. We still miss you all, and it is good to hear from you through comments and emails! We love you!

Lindsey

2006-08-28T16:58:00.000-07:00

As I sit here on the eve of a new chapter in my life I am overwhelmed with a sense of God's faithfulness. A desire burned into my heart nearly three years ago is going to start being fulfilled in less than a day. We all have these burns or dreams, deep desires that we are scared to reach for. We push them down or move them aside too scared to reach for the impossible. What if they are just my own desires? What if I try and fail? We have a thousand excuses why we shouldn't... A thousand reasons why we should go back to normal, why we should play it safe. What if we dared to dream... dared to accomplish the impossible... dared to live lives which are bigger than ourselves and what we can do on our own. That my friends is what living is all about. Doing things which we can't possibly do on our own. Stepping off a cliff with no one to catch us except God. Daring to reach for what is deep within us. What if we dared to live our lives as big as our God truly is? What a life that would be...

nate

2006-08-22T01:43:00.000-07:00

We have had the opportunity lately to develop relationships with some of the students under our care. The pictures are of us going out to coffee with a few students from the house. We spent some time with some students this past weekend. We went out for coffee friday night and Saturday took about 10 students to the beach. This upcoming weekend we will be going to Australia's capital, Canberra, with all of the American students. Both Lindsey and I have been able to pour into students lives in the short time we have been here. We have had the opportunity to pray with and discuss issues with certain students. We ask you to keep both us and the students in prayer. That the Lord will continue to touch lives and to heal those who are hurting... Quick sidenote. Only 8 days until I start classes...

Nate

2006-08-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

Hello again. We decided yesterday to go out and explore before things get to busy once I start school. We headed out to the Blue Mountians. It was about an hour and a half drive from our house. We spent the day hiking throughout the mountains and enjoying the breathtaking scencery. By the end of the day our legs hurt from the stairs that we climbed. In all honesty we climbed a few thousand stairs to get into and then back out of the valley. It was a great experience and we slept well after the hike. We hope you enjoy the pictures.

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2006-08-10T03:31:00.000-07:00

The days and weeks are begining to go by faster. It is hard to believe that we have been away for almost a month. It is exactly 20 days until I start classes. We have been attending Hillsong Church (where my college stems out from) since arriving. We are going to get more involved with the church. We plan on joining a small group from the church and developing deeper relationship. A great quote I heard recently said that "just attending church services is like being engaged... You have all the troubles of marriage without any of the benefits" (Matt Chandler Lead Pastor, Village Church). Just a quick side note... if any of you want to have you life messed up (by messed up I mean transformed) in a good way podcast Matt Chandler and the Village Church. We want to develop some meaningful relationship within the church while we are over here and a small group seems to be the way to go. Other than that we are in a routine that goes like this... shop, cook, sleep, cook, sleep, shop, cook... and so on. Did I mention that we cook and shop alot? The picture up top shows what happens when you have a miscommunication during an order for toilet paper and paper towels... We mistakedly ordered almost $900 worth of tp and paper towels... Oh well. One thing that we wont have to order for the rest of the time we are over here!

2006-08-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words... So I guess I have about 8,000 things to say. Enjoy!

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2006-08-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

Well thing are running quite smoothly at the house. So we decided to see some the of country as well as the city. We went hiking for a day at Galston Gorge....and finally made it to the Opera House! Thought you might enjoy some pictures of our escapades!

Here is Nate climbing up the mountain! He is definitely the stronger of the two of us.

We hiked 10 miles to the "fish ponds" only to find no fish and a small, but beautiful river. They should really think about renaming that sight.

I made it! I was sore the next day though :) We were the only ones not hiking with a ample supply of food and water. Oops...next time.

Here we are at the Opera House. Not the prettiest day out...but we had a good time exploring the city! Sydney is quite beautiful. Hope you enjoyed seeing our journey for the week. Thanks for all your prayers, we love hearing from you as well. We love you all!

2006-07-25T04:22:00.000-07:00

A whirlwind of grocery stores, butchers, trolleys (shopping carts), produce stands, order forms, and more order forms is what our life has quickly turned into. Nate and I are "house parents" to 22 college students at a Uni (university) called Wesley Institute. And while the free housing and food is a great blessing, the job comes with its challenges...like multiplying all my cooking by....12. (and we questioned our 3rd grade teacher why we needed to know our times tables that high) The students have moved in and classes have begun, and so has our fun! After being married for a mere 4 months, Nate and I have gone from quiet evenings alone after a quick 15 minute meal...to chopping veggies and meat for and hour and then cooking for another hour and trying to figure out if 17 lbs of meat will really be enough...which it wasn't; dropping students off at school and picking them up, filling numerous grocery carts full of food, and cleaning up after all is said and done. But there are many joys to the job as well. The students are tremendous, very helpful and kind. We all live in a big house and hostel, eat meals together, watch movies, play games, and function- so far (it's only been a week)- with no real problems. All in all our new job is a great new ministry and really a blessing straight from God.

We have had a couple of wonderful days without work. After going to Manly Beach once, Nate insisted on finally spending his long saved graduation money on a couple used surfboards. Last weekend he got his first shot of some Aussie waves. Do remember seasons are opposite and it is dead winter here. Which is why you could find me, the "supportive wife" on sitting on the shore with three layers on, reading a book. But the weather is looking more beautiful each day so we are looking forward to a nice Aussie spring. We miss all you guys back home, and love reading your comments!

2006-07-16T01:54:00.000-07:00

Well we are currently adjusting to living in a new place. In Australia it is the middle of the winter. It feels like one is standing near the "chilibin" looking for your favorite late night snack but cannot find it anywhere. It is winter and it is pretty cold. The temperature is about 40-60 degrees. Our first few days have been quite educational. We have learned many things in our first few days on Aussie soil. We have learned that if you want to make a phone call one must first dial "nort"... it took us a while to realize that "nort" is actually zero. On a recent trip to the grocery store we realize that our eating habits would also be changing. A daily staple in our diets while home was the All-American Turkey Breast sandwhich... a healthy and economical snack. We were surprised to find out that turkey lunch meat cost about $25 a kilo or $12.50 a pound. If that wasn't a big enough shock our jaws dropped when we saw the price of bananas... $15 a kilo ($7.50 a pound). While there are many things that are more expensive and harder to find... onions are very cheap over here.

nort- the number zero
chilibin- a refrigerator

2006-07-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally made it. After a little over 30 hours of traveling we arrived in Sydney, Australia. We have been here for just over 48 hours now. The flights were long but uneventful. Just wanted to let everyone know that we are safe and that we miss everyone. Thanks to everyone who helped us get over here.