On June 8th we celebrated Seth's 28 years with close friends for dinner out at Rio Grande. It was such a blast! Seth pretty much had the time of his life and was blessed with such thoughtful gifts from his guy friends such as a machete (which he opened in the restaurant and promptly had to put away...thank you Nathan and Patricia) as well as the Rocky Anthology box set (we ended up watching Rocky 3 after dinner per the birthday boy's request). Birthday boy was pretty spoiled this birthday. In order to make some time for us since this is his first birthday as a married couple I made some special arrangements to surprise him and take him away. Our day began with breakfast at a new favorite, "Crepes a Go-Go" and then off we went...
Upon waking up in the morning he got a card with some instructions to pack a bag and follow some directions to his last "birthday surprise." What he didn't know was that he would be using the clothes for. He of course assumed that he would just need them for a change of clothes later. Following the directions we ended up at Pentagon City Mall where I had put a pair of shoes that he had been wanting on hold for him at J.Crew. Being so surprised and blessed and totally thinking that was the sole reason we came there we walked around the mall some more in search of a new pair of jeans (which were never found) and then decided to stop for a quick lunch in the food court. While we were sitting there I decided to let him in on the final birthday surprise. We didn't just come to Pentagon City Mall to shop but we were there to spend the night at the Ritz (which is conveniently attached to the mall!). He was so excited it was adorable! We checked in and were delighted to have this room:
It was so fantastic. Such a nice place to stay for such a special weekend. The service was outstanding and our room was perfect. Whats not to like about a king size featherbed with tons of huge comfy pillows? For dinner we took the metro into DC to eat at The Old Ebbitt Grill. I picked this place because it was the last date night we went on before we got engaged and we hadn't been back since then. The food was outstanding and we had a great time together complete with yet another surprise at the end of dinner:
We got to go for a nice looooong walk after dinner (we got lost walking back to the metro, I guess my sense of direction has worn off since living downtown only a couple years prior) and got a special picture in front of the White House:
It was such a wonderful weekend celebrating my love's birthday and surprising him with so many special things! In other news, this past week we celebrated being married for 5 months and Seth also lost one of his good accounts. This has forced us to trust in the Lord that this is His best and that he will be faithful to provide and that ultimately all that he has blessed us with is a gift from Him! In times like these there is a temptation to be anxious and to fret, but we serve a God who has always been faithful to us. These words from a song by Matt Redman have encouraged us much to remember the truth of who God is in the midst of this small trial:
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?
Unexpected trials lead us to something that is higher than ourselves. He is at work in our lives to work all things together for good and we can trust that losing this account truly is God's best even in spite of the loss of income for our family. We trust in his goodness and have faith that what God will provide in its place will be even better and are even praying that God will provide a different account that is closer to home (most of his accounts are 1 hour commute each way). Even if God doesn't choose to answer that prayer now, we will keep praying.
We have been so spurred on in our faith by the example of the Davis/Miller families. Their young boy Micah has been suffering from a brain tumor for over a year now and will go home to be with the Lord apart from a miracle. It is truly amazing to watch how they have responded to that trial with such faith and joy in their hearts and a belief in God's goodness even if it means the Lord takes their son to be with Him.
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