Saturday, December 20, 2014

Change is coming!

Beginning January 1, I will be consolidating all three of my blogs into one at melanishock.blogspot.com.

All previous posts from eatthisbooklogos.blogspot.com will now be available at melanishock.blogspot.com.  You will also find all previous posts from questmiles.blogspot.com as well as theparsonshouse.blogspot.com.

If you are a follower on any of these three blogs, please go to melanishock.blogspot.com and follow us there.  We want to continue to be able to continue to communicate with you!

The past five years have brought numerous changes and advances in technology.  Beginning in 2015, we will be expanding our web presence in several different areas, including online Bible studies, webinars, free downloads, apps, etc.  We will also be attempting to make our website more useful and interactive for you.

Please sign up at melanishock.blogspot.com or follow me on Twitter @melanishock or @eatthisbook and we will bring you news of the changes as they happen!

© 2009-2014 by Melani Brady Shock

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

thankful...


...for the Clouds, the Rain, the Gloomy Days...

...the Busyness, the Frantic, the Mundane and Boring (whoever even HEARD of that last word?!!)...

...the seasons of Sickness and Sadness and Sinking...

...for Fitbit and MyFitnessPal and the new Blogger app...

...for a God who understands that I am human and because of Lack of Rest, too much Fast Food, and Midlife, I sometimes lose sight of the Big Picture and stomp around grumbling about Details of the Mission.  And He loves me and doesn't make me feel bad at all when I Repent.

...for a Fireplace on Cold Winter nights.

...for my Crockpot.

...for the Parson, the Kids and Dog, the Brother and Sister-in-Law and Mother. And the Homeplace.

...for 2013. 

Friday, September 7, 2012

don't EVEN try

I am back in the United States for the rest of 2012 and the amount of closet clean-out, drawer straightening, and organization that is happening would boggle the most OCD of minds.

Don't EVEN try to stop me.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Black



The Parson, the Good Wife, the Parson's Son, and the Parson's Daughter have all donned their Blackest of Black.

Death has come to our hometown.  A few years back, we bought Emma Watson's old place and fixed it up.  Since we are all from Mayberry, we needed a place to stay when we go back.

Life will never be the same now that Andy is gone.


Saturday, June 23, 2012

this life we lead

It's been 14 months.  Fourteen long, weary, battle-strewn, hot, heavy, pressure-filled months.

A lifetime.  Grief, anger, pain, despair, loneliness, victory, joy, pressure, new seasons, new vistas, new dreams...death of unfulfilled goals, white flags of surrender, reality of defeat...these months have not been boring.

Fourteen months without even one day away that was not filled with ministry responsibilities.

14. Fourteen. Ten + Four.  14 x 31 = 434 days.

Even God rested for a Day after he had worked 6.

So.  The Parson and I decided about 3 weeks ago to call a Halt to the Madness.  All the flying and the running to and fro has netted us quite a goodly sum of Award Miles for airline travel and we could actually take off for Nepal with free tickets if we had a hankering to spend the night in Nepal.

So, we wiped the calendar clean.  With bleach.  And told everybody, "Don't call us, We'll call you."  And secured the tickets and reserved the 4-Wheel Drive and found the perfect Hideaway House in a cool place far, far away from the Swamp.

We leave Monday morning!  At 8:30 a.m.!  Whoop!  Don't call us, We'll call you.

Even Jesus rowed to the other side of the lake to get away from the press--the crowds--the noise that was bombarding His brain...it's Biblical, these days away.  Yes, indeed.

The Phone Call came this morning.  A Dear Friend of over 40 years passed away during the night.  A gathering of friends and acquaintances who are not church-goers (and most of whom we have not seen for over 20 years) but have been Dear Friends for a lifetime will be gathering to celebrate her life and bid her farewell.

On Monday.  At 11:00 a.m.

And they have given The Parson the Honor of Preaching her funeral.

On Monday.  At 11:00 a.m.

And THAT, my dear readers, is a perfect example of this Life we Lead...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

introversion at its finest...

My secret place.

If I told you where it was, I would have to kill you.

(just kidding.  sort of.)