Dailymirror.us

I am in such good spirits. I just heard a american airlines agent say those mystical words…the ones that are dreamed of..sought and wished for but rarely ever heard: “the flight is so light you can pretty much sit where ever you want!” So Becky and I snatched up the Exit Row and it is from said row that I am writing.

We have spent the last week in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and it has been incredible! Initially, it wasn’t my first choice. But Becky really wanted to go and to be honest, after the last month and a half, I could care less where we went as long as it was just her and I. So here is a brief glimpse at the trip….

We arrive in sunny San Jose, walk off the plane, down the tarmac, and into the customs area. We clear customs without a hitch and go in search of our lone check bag. This is where the story gets good… We find our bag without incident and proceed through imigration. Now Mexican Immigration does it a little different than the US; the xray every bag as you go through immigration. So Beck and I toss our bag up on to the xray machine and walk on through. Suddenly, the amigo watching the computer screen gets a funny look on his face and starts talking in rapid spanish to his xray buddies. Finally, one of them comes over and takes the bag out of the machine to an examing table nearby. No Problem. We have nothing to hide. He unzips the bag and starts going through it until he finds the three bath “bombs” that Becky brought along. Now, incase you don’t know what a Bath Bomb is, it basically looks like a baseball sized powder ball. It should also be mentioned that Becky’s spanish is much better than mine, but anyone that knows me knows that ain’t sayin much. So Becky is trying to explain what the ball is without saying the word bomb which is all that is coming to mind. Finally, the guy gets the idea of what it is because Becky keeps holding it to her nose but not to be dismissed, he continues to search around the bag to make it look like the bath bomb wasn’t the only thing he was looking for…so he pokes and prods around the bag and is just about to zip it up when he spies a very non-descript black plastic bag. At this point, I realize what he is about to do and start to laugh while Becky is just glad she isn’t being locked up for bath soaps. Eventually Becky realizes that he is opening up this black bag and wants to know why I am laughing. Then she gets an inkling of what is in the black bag and turns the brightest, cutest shade of pink I have ever seen. Let’s just say that the black bag contents (remeber this is our 1 year anniversary and we haven’t seen much of each other the last several weeks) contain, as Becky later coined the phrase, “Intimacy Enhancers”. And the Immigration officer played it like a professional straight man; he didn’t even crack a smile! Granted, in his line of work there is not telling what he has come across. Needless to say, Becky and I laughed the numerous times since then at the experience….

I am sitting in the the same airport, at the same terminal, and even in front of the same gate (before they moved our flight to the other end of the terminal) where I was exactly one year ago today. Becky has the same anxiousness that she had then about traveling (even though she loves to travel); I have the same exhausted look as i did when we arrived here just after our wedding one year ago. But there is one big difference: I love my wife now more than ever… and it isn’t just something nice to say or something I have to say, but rather a quite confidence in my love for her and even more our love for our Heavenly Father. There have been some sticky points and I am sure there will be even bigger ones to come; but I know that we can face it all not just because of the love we have for each other, but because our souls belong to God and because our love for Him will take first priority. There are times when I know I love Becky but I sure don’t like her very much (and vice versa!) But the core our love is not for each other but based on the eternal relationship we have with Christ. And because of that eternal assurance, I have a quiet confidence, not in ourselves or myself, but in what God has brought together.

This month has been a killer. The First week we were working on the WD set trying to finish it before the onslought happened; we didn’t. The second week brought all of the prep for the next two weeks which was intimidating to say the least. The third week brought VBS with it’s 4500 kids (thats 4500 per day) and 2 1/2 story beakers (it was a science theme). The third week brought Camp WOW (kids camp) in Stuart, Oklahoma which was a blast and exhusting all at the same time. But the fourth week brings Becky and I to DFW airport where we are headed to Mexico for a week long vacation and celebration of our 1 Year Anniversary.

The Book of Genesis shows that marriage was meant for companionship—“It’s not good for man to be alone,” It was meant for raising kids—“Be fruitful and multiply.” And Genesis gives us a third glimpse into marriage: It is meant for shared, fulfilling service. God places Adam and Eve in the Garden and says in essences, “Take care of this, you two. It’s a big operation, and you’ll need each other. Till, plant, replenish, create.”

We hunger for this. Cooperating together. Meshing. Working as a team on something bigger than both of us. God ha planted this hunger deep within every married couple. It’s more than a hunger for companionship. It’s more than a hunger to pour our lives into our kids. It’s a third hunger, a hunger to do something significant together. We were joined to make a difference. We were married for a mission. But too many couples, after developing companionship and having kids, may be missing one-third of what God created marriage for—serving him together. In marriage, as in other areas of life, Jesus’ words hold true: in saving out lives we lose them, and in losing our lives in love to others, we drink of life more deeply.

~This is from our Couples Devotional Bible and was written by Kevin and Karen Miller.

As Becky and I were reading this devotional thursday, it really hit home that God has brought us together, not just as soul-mates, and not just because we are better together than apart, but that we are better together for a reason! God has a plan for us as a couple and a path for us to walk down that will glorify Him. While I was at Focus, we read a book called Sacred Marriage and the premise of the book was ‘marriage is to make you holy, not happy’. Not that marriage doesn’t make you happy at times but rather marriage is not just for our pleasure but more importantly for HIS pleasure; for us to bring HIM glory.

ok…this is going to be quick and short….kinda like when they rip that wax off when you are getting…well, never-mind. Anyway, it has been crazy around the Carmichael household lately: Becky had been busy at work and they are slowly wearing down her defenses against becoming a project manager…but when you have the Vp of the company sending you an email saying what a great job you are doing, you gotta expect that…Wright’s Direction has been just as busy…we are taking the show kicking and screaming into the 21st century. One of my biggest pet peeves since starting with Prestonwood has been how “White Bread” the sitcom is but God has given much grace in making strides toward making it more relevant to kids from all kinds of ethnicities and soci-economic status. Look for those updates to be in the next month or so….

This week is bittersweet because Becky has left to goto Colorado Springs (thats the sad part) to see her sister Julie (G.I. Julie to non-family ) who is home from almost 18 months in Iraq (that is the supercalifragilesticexpialidocious part). Julie will be in Colorado Springs for about the next year doing state side training. It is SUCH an answer to prayer to have her home safe and for Becky and MaMa Howell to be able to spend this time with her.

On a side note, this is the first time that Becky and I have been apart since the wedding and it (Careful…censor non-church word) “sucks”!

T-Minus 2 hours and 40 minutes…and counting….Becky and I are sitting on our couch listening to Classical music and fiddling around with different projects. By the way, this would be thing #378 that I never knew about Becky: she is not a big fan of the New Years Eve party scene; not that I am but still, i wouldn’t have pegged her as a stay at home with the husband on NYE type of girl. To be totally honest, there is no other place (or party for that matter) that I would rather be at then right here spending a quite night at home.

Anyway, this being the last post of the year and all, I was trying to think of something really inspiriong to say that would be a fitting conclusion to this year and, per usual, nothing came to mind. The thing that did keep rolling around in the back of my head was that for the first year since I can remeber (so like 27 years) I am ready for a new year. There is simply nothing else that i could pack into 2007. It was so jammed pack full of blessing after blessing and trial after trail that I can’t imagine one more thing taking place! Here is the very brief recap:

1. I got married to the girl of my dreams in a wedding that I couldn’t begin to dream of followed by a honeymoon that was more special than i could have hoped. (this one was kind of a biggie)

2. I switched jobs & more or less careers. I went from a Producer at a film company to a Creative Director leading a team of creatives’ and directing a weekly sitcom.

3. I moved…again! and I moved Becky…again! (this one has been happening far to often over the past few years!!)

4. Did I mention that we planned a wedding by ourselves??

5. I turned one year older (this one has been also happening regular over the last few years)

6. We got a new baby! (See “We are expecting!!“)

7. I learned that God’s mercy is overflowing, especially when you have a performance go horrible wrong in front of your new senior pastor. (just beginning to laugh about that one)

8. While most of the above items are physical, the spiritual has been truly a comfort this year. God has deepened my relationship with Him in so many ways, yet in such a way that i see the need to go twice as deep with Him this next year!

9. Umm….I gained another sister, mom, and dad..err..”Chief!”

I am so tired (and overwhelmed with all that He did) that I can’t really think of all the other blessings and trials that I had this year but it has been one amazing roller coster that I would have never survived but for the grace of God and His might strength.

Yes, it is true. Becky and I have been praying and thinking a lot about this and I am happy to announce that we will be welcoming a new addition to our family. It was a little touch and go there because the first couple of times, things didn’t click as it were. But we just got the confirmation that everything has “gone through” and we are to be the proud parents of ‘little’ 35lbs. Hannah. Here is our first picture of her:

That is right! This ‘little’ bundle of joy will be coming to live with us the day after Christmas. Amy and Kenny from Border Collie Rescue brought her by yesterday for a few hours for her and Harley to get aquatinted and for them to check our her new digs. They were absolutely amazing as was Hannah! I don’t think Harley has ever had that much fun. In fact, Becky and I both woke up this morning actually missing her even though she had only been here for a few hours.

UPDATE:

Here is some more info on Hannah… Please go check out the BCRT Website!

BCRT Adoption Ad (Original)

PetFinder Adoption Ad (Original)

Her Photo Slide Show from here foster parents: Here

I actually heard about this story when driving to church this morning on NPR; then I found this article. To be totally honest, I am not sure that I would want to be quite that old. I mean, I am kinda hoping that God takes us both before our 80th Wedding Anniversary (I would be 107 yrs old!) But if I am here at 107, I really hope it is with Becky by my side.

I tried for the longest time to come up with a suitable quip but for the life of me I can’t think of a single one…”The Big Fish has left the building.”; “The Big Fish has flown the coup.”; “The Big Fish has sunk”…see? None of these makes any sense…course that is probably because I have no idea who “The Big Fish” is…here I go rambling again.

The long and the short of it is that I am leaving Big Fish Films where I have worked for over 3 and a half years. It is bittersweet because I have become very comfortable/confident at where I am and what I can do at Big Fish. But the sweet part is awesome! I am going to be working as a Creative Director at Prestonwood Church in Plano. More specifically, I am going to be working with a creative team to produce the show, “Wright’s Direction“. I will also be responcible for the Sunday morning “Big City” (4-6th grades group time) live production. It is so exciting not only to be directing a sitcom and working with kids, but also to work with the extremely talented team of individuals that make up the creative team.

So this is the closing of one chapter, and the beginning of another. But through all the prayer and seek God’s guidance on whether or not to take this step, I have been so thankful for Becky. THis is the first big decision for us as a married couple. Becky was amazingly supportive while letting me lead our family (of two) forward where God is taking us. I am so incredible blessed to have a wife like her.