some much needed praise

hey everybody!
its kimberly. im sitting here on the floor watching some t.v. enjoying life and felt like writing. i wasnt quite sure what to write but thought that maybe you guys would want to hear about things we rarely talk about: the small things. ya know andy and i always talk about our job or our future or our frustrations or something but i think today i want to talk more about praises and small stuff.
first off, i dont know if you guys remember andrew talking about his inability to sleep throughout the night, but just because he hasnt written about it lately doesnt mean the problem has been solved. he gets by every night by popping melatonin or tylenol pm (for those really tough nights). however, he woke up this morning just ecstatic (and i was a bit surprised). see, every morning i wake up at least an hour before andrew and then have to spend 20 minutes shaking and pushing him to get him to crawl outta bed! but, today i ran downstairs to grab coffee and when i got back upstairs, there he was! awake, standing and helping me make coffee!! so, how cool is that? he said he got the best sleep he has in a year! and, he thinks it might be the new vitamins we bought in town. hopefully, nights keep going well. but, i am just so thankful (and he is too) for last night!
also, some of you know that i picked up beading last summer when cynthia taught me how to make a hair barrett. well, so, i started my work last june and just this last week finished it! it took me forever! when cynthia saw the finished masterpiece she exclaimed, "its amazing what you can do in 9 months!! see, for a normal person the piece i did wouldve taken probably 3 weeks max!! so, my friend and i are excited to start another project. shes out of town right now but when she gets back she is going to help me put fur on my gloves (i bought beaded glove tops and the gloves) so we just need to put it all together. once thats done, i am going to bead (on mooseskin!! my barrett was on felt) glove tops for any. i picked out a sunflower design and i thought that would be great because andy loves orange and blue. my glove tops were made with felt from a friend and they are beautiful. they have a white background, purple and blue flowers and green leaves. the design is beautiful and it will be years until i can bead as good as the maker of my gloves!! anyway, the real blessing here is that i finished my barrett and have met some great women working on them. another friend of mine works nightshift at the elders residence and just told me today that she was going to cut out square moose skin patches for me to start andy gloves on. i will be going to the elders to bead with her more this week which i am excited for. so, i ve got two wonderful people who are willing to work with this slow, slow SLOW beader!
also, our whole vacation was a huge blessing (which i know andy talked about)but it was sooo cool to go to the native bible church, it felt like home and we got to see some familiar faces. plus, there were so many great stories from people in the congregation who needed prayer and who just wanted to praise God. the whole trip it seemed like God was trying to catch my attention. i went to a bead store to pick up the colors for andy's gloves and there was this great amazing native woman who just radiated God. she was constantly singing his praises while she was on the phone and her and i get into a refreshing conversation about the villages and Gods miracles. she had 2 amazing stories of how God had healed friends of hers from cancer and other illnesses. i shared some stories with her too and after we talked i ran back to the hotel ecstatic to tell andy all about how blessed i was through this woman. the woman told me that she wanted to be in her village sooo bad but that there were no jobs for her or anyone and nothing with the hopes of retirement. she was 62 and had to work and own her beadstore just so that she could get by. but, she said that even though she doesnt know what she was doing with the store, as long as God gave her a big mouth she was going to talk to everyone she could! how cool huh?! well, then when i got back to the hotel, andy left and i was watching oprah! denzel washington (my fav actor ever) was on and the whole episode was about people who had changed your life and helped you in tremendous ways. then denzel talked about God for like 10 straight minutes. he said he thought he was s'pose to become a preacher but that he discovered acting was his way of setting an example for everyone and showing them his faith. i was amazed! i think God was really trying to get my attention that day! so, it was a fabulous day....topped off by flowers that andy surprised me with when he got back from the store! it was our 6 month anniversary. so, lately ive just been trying to praise God in as many ways as possible. he always looks out for andy and i and has allowed us to take this job and love it and meet new people, gain relationships and really gain a solid foundation for our marriage.
also, two more things. first, andy got to meet with the Brice Construction worker today who hires people and he said that if they needed anybody this summer he would definitely take andy on. he wassnt sure if he would need him though, simplee because its a union job and everybody from the previous year was planning on comin back so far. he said he'd keep us posted. so, thats a good thing.....at least the opportunity is there. and then, another friend has been comin in almost daily with questions about the bible as he studies it. hes been asking what the 430 years meant in galatians and other questions. its nice because andy and i are challenged to look up scripture. so, all in all, andy and i have a lot to be thankful for and i think its important to remember God in all the small things that have been happening lately.
so, with that in mind, i am going to go melt some delicious chocolate and dip it in strawberries for desert tonight. let me tell you that strawberries and chocolate may be the best blessing of all! especially since andy and i got to see real fresh fruit for the first time since christmas this past weekend!!! my recipe plan for this week is zucchini bread!!! fresh zucchini!!! thank you LORD!!!
we love you all!!! very much!!