Red, White, Blue, & Gold

To say I'm an Olympics enthusiast may be an understatement.

This biannual meeting of the best athletes in the world may be one of my favorite couple weeks every couple years.  This year's winter games in Sochi, Russia were no exception!

Before watching hours of skiing, ice skating, bobsledding (I mean bobsleighing), snowboarding, biathlon, ice dancing, and curling (we can't forget curling!) and tracking each medal won and each disappointing loss, we welcomed the games in typical ChezMK fashion!

Miranda and I threw a pretty sizable shindig for the Opening Ceremonies, more sizable than ChezMK can easily accommodate.  Our par-tay was complete with themed snacks, photo backdrop, medals to win, a winter wonderland, Team USA pride, and lots of Olympic spirit.  Check out some of the highlights!

Olympic Ring-Themed Chip Dips

Torches to Carry the Olympic Flame

Bobsleds (4 Man, of course!)

Ski Slope Cake!

Winter Wonderland!  There may have been more snow hanging from our ceiling than there was at the games!

Suspended O-Games Rings

Medals for the Game Winners

Ring-Themed Candy Favors

Team USA Gear for Party Guests Who Didn't Bring Their Own

Photo Backdrop!

Medal Tracker!  USA ended up in 2nd, but we'll look forward to first place next time!

What can I say? Chez MK loves the Olympics!  Can't wait for Rio 2016!!

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Adventures in Accounting

I love adventures.  My favorite kinds of fun are usually a bit out there - sky diving, hang gliding, scuba diving, etc.  But last week I took on a different kind of adventure that didn't involve jumping out of an airplane or wearing a wet suit.  This one requires my glasses, a calculator, and a refresher course on being a student.  

I'm taking a 200 level accounting class.  Yikes.

I haven't been in school for three and a half years.  I haven't been in an undergrad class for five and a half years.  I've gotten pretty used to being on the other side of online learning, so switching back to student mode, while still maintaining professor mode for the classes I teach, has been interesting!

I'm looking forward to the class content-wise.  I have dearly missed math, so playing with numbers sounds super fun.  Plus, it will be a great benefit to my administrative role at Living Bread.  I have some accounting-type responsibilities and, before taking this job, had about zero accounting exposure.  

But there are parts of it that will be challenging.  Like all the comic sans in the course shell.  And the difference in structure from the classes I'm used to.  And having to a group project with who knows who.  

Either way, it's a new adventure, and I'm excited about it!  

What new adventures is 2014 bringing your way?

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Scubie-dubie-duba

A year ago, I dove in.  Almost literally.  It wasn't actually until March that I took my first literal dive, but I made the decision a year ago.  

I learned how to scuba dive.  Whoa.

It's been a pipe dream of mine for a while.  It was a hypothetical ambition.  *Someday* I wanted to learn to scuba dive.  Scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef is on my bucket list.  But the super-far-into-the-future bucket list.  But around last Christmas/New Years, I decided to do it.

I did the research.  I found classes in my area.  I even (kind of) talked a friend of mine into taking the class with me!

I did it.  

I learned how to scuba dive.  It was on my life to-do list, and I did it.  I checked something off my list.  

Somedays, when I feel like I'm not making progress toward a goal or like I have nothing to show for the nearly 27 years I've been around, I remind myself that I know how to scuba dive.

Now to actually go diving somewhere...

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2014 - Immanuel, God with Us

This past Christmas was an interesting one for several reasons.  Certainly, it was a joyous time of celebrations with family and friends.  Yet at times, in the midst of these celebrations, I felt a tinge of loneliness.  While praying through this loneliness during a season that's supposed to be all smiles and warm, fuzzy happiness, God whispered in my ear, "I came."  I came for you.  I came for you when you felt alone.  

In the midst of the loneliness of the world in sin and in need of a Savior, God showed up in person.  He came to fill the longing in our hearts and the sadness in our souls.  He is the ultimate cure for the loneliness of mankind.  He continues to be with us day in and day out along the journey of life.  This year, I want to live in light of his presence.  Immanuel, God with us.  He came.  When we needed him most, he stepped in.

I think the implications of this truth on my life are many, but I want to focus on a couple specifically this year.  The first implication of God's omnipresence on which I want to set my heart is his constant companionship.   

Throughout the Bible, there are many times when God promises to be there for us and not to leave us on our own:

It is the Lord who goes before you.  He will be with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.  Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20

No matter what I may face, I will never have to face it alone.  Sometimes I may feel alone, but God's word says otherwise:  I am never alone.  As I walk through days that might seem filled with loneliness or filled with community, I can always have confidence in the Lord's presence.  

The second implication of Immanuel on which I want to focus this year is the accountability of the Lord's presence.  Having a consistent awareness to God's presence in my life should hold me to a higher standard of conduct and a greater desire for personal holiness.  Would I make the same choices if I was keenly aware of Christ's presence in the room?  Would I do what I do if Jesus was watching?  Well, he is watching, and I need to live in light of this presence.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Psalm 139:2-3

Nothing escapes the Lord's awareness and his knowledge.  He knows the choices I make; he is there watching me make them.  This makes me desire to live in a way that will honor his presence in my life.

So, this year, I want to find comfort and conviction in his presence because he came.

Immanuel, God with us.  God with me.

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Wait on the Lord

Hard things happen, things we don't always understand or can't control.  These words from Psalm 37 have been a special blessing to me over the last few weeks as I have faced some hard things.  

This is a beautiful reminder to stay committed to the Lord, trusting him that his purposes are being fulfilled despite my limited understanding.  I love the promise of the Lord's steadfast love in the midst of challenges; I never have to face anything on my own!

It's also a good reminder not to try to manipulate a situation to turn out the way you want it, but instead to trust the Lord and let him work it out.  The temptation is to be impatient, to get angry, to worry.  But we are called to trust, delight, commit, be still, wait patiently, fret not, refrain from anger.  And wait on the Lord.  

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