Ahhhhh... SPRING!

Pansies in the front

Bright Yellow Bushes

Our lilac tree is starting to bloom

Spring has come upon us and it is wonderful. Kurt & I have a bet on when the dogwood tree in our front yard will bloom. I have already lost but we shall see when the tree flowers. Perhaps tomorrow. Every year it is the most magnificent sight. It flowers white small flowers with red tips. It always blooms around Easter and is said to represent God's sacrifice as it is pure white with the (blood) red tips on the edges. The tree then sheds and it is a day of flowers falling all over the yard. It is so beautiful. It is 78 degrees today. So lovely. I thought I would show some pictures of the evidence of spring in my yard. (just disregard the half brown grass in the front. It was a very cold winter). I am so excited for all the flowers. Every day Izzy and I check our sweet peas that we planted. So far just dirt. Well here are some of the prettiest parts of Kansas City springtime.

Sunday

Sunday is my favorite day of the week. Monday is cleaning day so on Sunday there are no messes to clean up (yet). I love Kurto's tradition of Sunday morning breakfast. Hash browns, eggs and coffee. Israel is learning to love the Weaver secret recipe for the hash browns. (Thanks grandpa weaver). Kurt is really the cook & I am a great chopper. This is my job - to chop the onions and potatoes. Then we all sit down and eat a meal before church. It makes church feel less rushed. It makes me feel less cranky to enjoy family time in leisure and then go worship. It is wonderful. Today we enjoyed our breakfast with Ian Christianson from London. Israel calls him England. Church was so wonderful today. It moved my heart to tears. It was on the humility & meekness of the Holy Spirit. The meekness of the Holy Spirit to only speak what he hears from the Father & the Son and to do so for all of eternity. He is equally part God and yet he serves as the helper. This whole thing blew my mind. It gave me insight into the heart of God and his call for us to live in meekness (Matt 5). If you want to look more go to fotb.com & click on teaching notes for FCF. The sermon is from March 25th. It is definately worth a read.

just give me the *!^#*^!* coffee!

It is day 9 on the no caffeine and I am in some serious need of the coffee. The worst is the am when Kurto's coffee is brewing and all it is all I can do to just smile and nod. I think I'm almost past the negative effects of the withdrawals. Face it people I worked at Starbucks for 4 years, Kurto for another 4 and together we brewed one to two pots a day and had an average of way too many lattes to admit in writing. Yes I am officially a drug addict no more! We shall see how long this lasts... "Hi my name is Katchen & I am a starbucksaholic. I'd like a grande vanilla percent - wait no - a DECAF grande vanilla percent latte. Extra hot."

The Weaver Hotel

Hello everyone. Thought I'd send a formal invitation to let everyone know that although we are booked through middle of April we are open to housing any and all friends, family, extended family, ihopers, ihop visitors, internationals, and anyone moving across country who needs more than a couch. (English speaking is preferable although we did have a lovely visit with Minj Jong from South Korea.) This is our space. This wonderful garage/basement transformation has been a blessing to us as it allows us to not only raise support but also to meet people from around the world. So far we have had four different countries represented and tomorrow a pastor from England comes. We truly are grateful to use our home. So that being said... if anyone particularly from Southern California wants to come out to see a certain Israel Michael I suggest you put in your booking pretty soon. We get full pretty quick around here.

Israel Michael Weaver

Today Izzy & I were reading a book all about how God thinks your special. It was so cute. He & I were sitting outside eating cuties and throwing the peels. He said "God wants to cuddle me". It was precious. I kept asking him questions. I said "Israel how did God make you?" & he replied "he made me soooooo cute". I just laughed. I always tell him he is cute but for him to say this was over the top.

tired heart

Well I just got back from California. Usually I am refreshed by family, sunshine, the ocean and friends. I am tired, weary and broken. I have never been so happy to call Kansas City home. I think perhaps it is not Kansas City but the quiet life that I am privlaged to lead out here. Out here I can take the time to pause and reflect, go worship at any time I feel drawn, and just have a quiet place for my heart to heal. My Grandfather passed away on February 24th. This past CA adventure was to celebrate a live well loved. I did have a sweet time with my family. This time has made me aware of how special each member of my family is. It was filled with wonderful walks down memory lane, and encouraging words spoken from the heart. My papa left quite a legacy and my family is the testimony of his love.