Update on Life... - Kristin Sterk

A little update on our life again…

1. Is it really November? Wow! We haven’t even had a snowstorm yet! I know, many of you are saying “sshhh…” but in a way, if it’s going to be cold, I’d rather just have it snow. Honestly though, it hasn’t been ridiculously cold. In fact, today it was in the mid-50s! It was incredibly windy (as that is news here in Minnesota – it is always windy here it seems). The good part about the wind was that it was a “free” leaf blower – all of our leaves have fled our yard (which there were quite a few)! Talk about an easy way to leaf rake.

2. We have enjoyed going to school events! There has been quite a wide variety: everything from sporting events, to chapels, to plays, to random other events as well. We have LOVED getting involved in the community – or I should say attending community events. It has been a great way to get to know people and also for others to get to know us.

3. Dan has gone fishing a few times, but hasn’t been very successful. It is a tad cold for me to be out on a boat, so I stay warm in the house with my cup of tea. He caught a little pike yesterday, but it is just good for him to get out too. Though he came back yesterday saying he missed his fishing buddy – I had to make sure that was me, and thankfully it was :). I stayed back to watch the Michigan vs. MSU football yesterday – nothing more to say about that.

4. Speaking of tea…here are some of my personal survival skills for the winter here in Minnesota:

Drink LOTS of hot drinks in a day. I try not to drink coffee because it can do crazy things to my heart, so tea and cappuccino it is. Tea isn’t my fav, but honey helps!
Wear LOTS of layers. Wearing a coat indoors is not abnormal for me.
Fleece-lined leggings have been the best purchase in a long time. Enough said.
Blankets, blankets, blankets, at night!
Space heater is my friend.
Shivering to warm up my body is a beautiful thing.
If I’m cold, I just go on a run if I can
Soup has become a staple in our house
Running my hands under warm water is a must
Wear slippers everywhere
Asking for hugs from Dan to warm me up – priceless

I know…Minnesota is going to get a WHOLE LOT COLDER…

5. I am the new JV Girl’s Basketball coach at the local Christian school in town! I am EXTREMELY excited about this, as coaching has been something I have wanted to do for a long time, just never had the right opportunity. I coached junior high girls with my friend back in high school, so this is definitely a step up. I am looking so forward to this opportunity and feel blessed to be able to do it! Even though I can never play on a team again, I am okay with that – as long as I can coach! I love to teach and encourage others in their passion, so this is perfect!

6. Dan is going deer hunting this year about 3 hours north of us, which he is very thankful for! He wasn’t sure where to go at ALL, when we first moved out here, but after talking with some people, he has found a great place and a great person to go with. So hopefully we can fill up our freezer with some deer meat – and if not, as long as he has a good time, I am okay with that too!

7. We are anticipating going home for the holidays – wow, it is very different living 10 hours away! We are thankful that we can drive home and are able to do it in a day. We feel very blessed to even HAVE the opportunity to go home. Feeling humbled.

8. We continue to grow. We continue to learn. We continue to heal. Everyday, we literally stand in awe of where God has taken us and what He is doing in our lives. It is so hard to put into words what God is doing, but we just feel so blessed. I’ll be honest in saying that I sometimes am on edge because I fear something bad happening – it is my lack of trust. Last year, some things happened so quickly that we didn’t even know what hit us and I sometimes fear something bad is going to happen again. But it is in those moments that God grows my faith and reminds me that no matter WHAT, He has never and never will, leave our side – in the good or bad. So we are trying our best, despite our past, to just sit and enjoy a more “normal” life in human terms. Our life will never be the same, but we are enjoying this more “normal” life. We have grown so much spiritually and as a couple, and we couldn’t be more thankful!

Just a little glimpse into what has been going on with the Sterks…