4 years and counting...

Kelly: I'm going to tell you all a story.

Once upon a time, there were two twin blondes, who after each of them spending time in Europe, decided to write a blog together. Nothing was really done for a while, just a lot of talk. Finally, they decided to write it, and they called it The H and K Chronicles. They didn't know where this blog would take them or how long they would have it. But here now, 4 years later, and H and K is still going! They are so happy by the fact it's still going and hope for 4 more years and beyond. The End.

4 years! I still can't believe it. Unfortunately this has been a slow year for us and blogging, as we haven't done much. But it's been incredibly busy filled with good and awesome things, and for that we are extremely blessed and grateful! I hope that some of you have been encouraged and blessed by what you have seen us write, because looking back we have been the same way! So once again, thank you! Thank you for sticking with us and journeying on our lives with us. We don't do this for fame, attention and whatnot; we just do it because we enjoy it and we want you all to enjoy too if you wish. So here's to 4 years and hoping for many more!

Holly: Man, times flies when you're having fun!!!

Like Kelly said, this has been a pretty light blogging year for us, and we are sorry about that.  It's just been a whirlwind of a year and sometimes I still feel like I'm trying to catch up! When we started this blog 4 years ago, we didn't have a plan, really. We just decided to keep writing and go with it, and here we are still going with it! I'll admit, there were a few times when we did talk about possibly stopping, just because of life craziness, but we just couldn't. We don't do this for followers, we don't do this to see how many comments we can get, we don't do this to link-up or "get ourselves out there", so to speak.  We do this because we love writing and we love sharing what's going on in our lives with those who care about us (And we've realized that there's A LOT of you, and for that, we are so grateful!!! ^_^ )

It's shaping up to be a pretty exciting rest of the year, so stay tuned, and thanks for hanging out with us these past four years!

August 20, 2011: date of blog launch

August 20, 2012: one year after blog launch

August 21, 2013: two years and one day after blog launch

August 21, 2014: three years and one day after blog launch

August 23, 2015: Taken 4 years and 3 days after launch. 

Clueless Americans on the half shell

Kelly: I have been back in the states for a little over a week now. I was recently on a mission trip to Peru, and it was incredible! If you want to read more about the trip, please refer to my own separate blog, which you can find the link for in the "where to find us" section on the home page. Ok, that's enough of my shameless plugging. Anyway, since I've been back, I've realized I've harbored a bit of resentment. Resentment towards Americans and our society as a whole. Yesterday, after reading the same junk I read on Facebook day after day, I got sick of it and took a hiatus from it for the rest of the day. In that time, instead of complaining about it, which is what I wanted to do, I prayed and listened to Third Day. And I felt better. The resentment is just geared towards cluelessness in general. We just don't get it. I was at Kroger after a 3 hour work training and a lady was complaining to an employee then to me that a small head of broccoli was being sold by the pound. She then proceeded to tell me, in not so many words, that I was essentially getting ripped off because the particular broccoli I had chosen had "just stems." I said it wasn't a big deal and just walked away. It really wasn't a big deal to me, and I thought to myself I have bigger fish to fry than to worry about $1.39 broccoli.

Sis and I have been rewatching the latest series of Doctor Who, and The Doctor puts it exactly the way I feel; "the human race is never satisfied." Truer words have not been spoken. It seems like someone just has to complain about something. Or post or talk about the same stinking thing day after day on the same subject. It's just downright exhausting if I'm going to be honest. Yesterday I couldn't get those Peruvian people out of my head. They would simply love what we just carelessly complain about. It's challenged me to just be cognizant about my thoughts and ask myself if what I'm thinking or feeling is really worth getting so worked up over. Is broccoli being sold by the pound really worth getting worked up over? Is yet another "terrible two" worth, or spat with your family, or another "I hate my job", worth getting worked up about? In 2 days is it going to matter? Is it going to matter in a couple of hours, or a couple of years down the road? Chances are? Probably not. Hey, this is just for myself as it is for anyone who decides to read this. I'm just saying, I think we can all do a bit better in just being aware of our audiences and what's going on around us. There's enough negativity and drama in the world as it is.

Holly: The title of this post does seem a bit harsh, but it's only because Kelly and I are just as clueless as anyone else.  We have SO MUCH to learn from our brothers and sisters living in poverty, in third world countries, even those living next door to us.

Something I haven't been able to get out of my head is something that was said at church last week: We have absolutely no idea how to have relationships with people anymore, actual face-to-face, personal relationships without devices. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about: the couple at the restaurant or coffee shop, sitting across from each other completely absorbed in their phones. The individuals on social media who constantly post things like "My [spouse/significant other] is the BEST at everything, all the time, he/she is so awesome because he/she does this and this and this..." To the couple at the restaurant or coffee shop, put the phone down and realize what an amazing opportunity you have in front of you: the chance to share life with someone, the chance to spend time with someone you care about.  To the social media posters, I'm sure that your spouse/significant other is the BEST at everything all the time and is so awesome because he/she does this and this and this: Please tell them that, and tell them often.  We don't need to know that.  THEY do.

I actually sat down and wrote two letters last week.  Yes, actual pen-to-paper, catching up on life and sharing life with a friend I haven't seen in a while, and a friend that could be something more.  The people that Kelly interacted with in Peru have nothing, literally, nothing. But what they do have is each other, and that is so much more valuable than complaining on Facebook, or $1.39 broccoli. Kelly has been challenged to be more cognizant of her thoughts, and I'm taking the challenge as well. Because, chances are, we really do have it a lot better than we realize. 

Welcome to our new home!

Holly: Hey everyone, it's just me today! Kelly is currently day 5 into a 10 day mission trip in Huancayo, Peru! She will tell you all about it once she returns.

I'm on my lunch break right now, and since taking a break outside really isn't much of an option thanks to all the bloody rain we got last night/this morning, I figured I would share a few pictures of our new place. Aside from having to come home to just myself and the kitties every night for the past almost week, I am quite pleased.  We think it's an older building, and it has a few quirks, but again, I am pleased! The location is very ideal- I can make it to work in just under 20 minutes, same will be for Kelly too. It's about 5 minutes away from the first Richmond exit off the interstate, which is where a lot of our Richmond favorites are located.  A little more than 5 minutes the other way, and you're in downtown! We're pretty fortunate! :) Plus, it's QUIET, and it's a beautiful neighborhood! I've been there almost a week and haven't heard a peep from our neighbor, and the only other noise is perhaps a few late-night rabble rousers out hooting and hollering, but that is it! Now if the cats would stop getting into stuff in the middle of the night, I'd be golden.  The unpacking process has been slow, but it'll get done when it gets done.  It's liveable right now, which was my goal from the start.

Anyway, onto the very brief tour.  More pictures to come once more gets unpacked and put away! :)

This is the living room as of Monday evening, so barely 48 hours after everything had been moved in. It's a little small, but it's cozy. This is the view from the bottom of the stairs that lead upstairs.

Living room as of yesterday! A bit more has been unpacked, but not too much has changed, with the exception of some Time Lords and hobbits on the wall :) Notice my two helpers completely unaware they're getting photographed.

Living room from the kitchen view. This still isn't all of it.  Again, small, but cozy.

The kitchen, which is the perfect size, honestly. I was not sold on the border at first but now it's growing on me. I love the cabinet colors too!

The bedrooms aren't pictured yet; there's 2, and they're HUGE. They're also still full of packed-up stuff, so stay tuned! There's also a little patio space (currently occupied with empty boxes and totes), and a little side yard.

So there you have it, folks, our new little humble home! God gave us what we need, even if it isn't necessarily what we wanted at first! In the long run, we'll be saving money, which is always a good thing, and we hope to have people over soon.  If you would like our new address, let me know :)

A Richmond chapter begins

Disclaimer: There is a lot of talk about God in this post.  We believe we can ONLY give the credit to Him! Once you read this, you will see why. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to speak to us privately about them.  Otherwise, enjoy the story, and if you feel inspired, praise with us! :)

H: Wednesday we found out that moving into the house was no longer an option, without any real concrete explanation.  Disappointed and frustrated didn't even begin to scratch the surface as to how we felt.  I wrote in my journal for a long time, pouring out my frustrations and anger to God.  Yes, I was angry.  I don't like being angry, and I even apologized.  There was no holding anything back.  At one point I wrote, "I've learned in the journey of becoming a follower of Jesus is that we still have an obligation to show Your love, even if we don't feel like it."  Quite frankly, I didn't feel like it.  We had spent the last two months praying, putting our faith in people following through, only to be left empty-handed and disappointed.  I went to bed unhappy that night, utterly defeated and spent.  I'm surprised I got any sleep at all.

Kelly was due to come home from Ohio Thursday, so I shared with our house church members that we would not be there, so we could spend the evening catching up, relaxing, and discussing our next steps.  But what I didn't mention was that Thursday morning, I heard that still small voice, something, in my gut say, "You shouldn't go to church tonight."  I couldn't explain it.  (That was the first God moment, although I didn't know it at the time)

We went out for Chinese and we'd barely been home five minutes when Kelly got a Facebook message from a co-worker of hers, saying she had spoken to somebody about a duplex available in Richmond (God moment #2). On the phone, she said that a couple was going to look at it the next day, and asked if we could look at it that evening.  We dropped everything and drove up there.  Yes, it was that split-second of a decision! We had no trouble finding the apartment and were immediately taken to the location and the quietness of the neighborhood, despite it being right off the interstate.  Kelly's co-worker arrived a few minutes later and we asked how she knew the landlord.  This was her response (another God moment):

"Oh, I just talked to her on the phone just now.  I've never met her before.  I was just driving through here and I saw the sign out front, and I thought 'This is for Kelly. I want her to be in a safe neighborhood.'"

We were like ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME.

Jennifer, the landlord, arrived a few minutes later.  In addition to her infectious personality, she mentioned that a police officer lives down the street and that her niece works at the preschool nearby (Remember the talk about a safe neighborhood?) We helped ourselves to looking around, and, admittedly, it is a downgrade in terms of size and space, but we've learned over the last year that we've had too much space.  The rent is more than $100 LESS than what we're paying now, and the place was near immaculate, there was new carpet, a small patio outside, plenty of parking, a washer and dryer hooked up (!!!), and, most importantly, Yoda and Wiley are welcome! :) Needless to say, it was not a difficult decision.  By the end of the night, a key was given to us and we had signed the lease!

The drive home was a combination of a daze and utter exuberance. God had shown up! Big time.  If we had gone to church, we would have missed the Facebook message and, ultimately, the phone call, the apartment would have been shown tonight and probably taken, and we would still be stuck waiting until the end of next month.  But now, there is no more waiting, and we have a cute new duplex in Richmond waiting for us.  All thanks to God!

K: While reading this, I thought of Holly. Gave up a UK, full-time benefited job for what she does now for the sake of being happier and less stressed out. I also think about getting my first job; that moment and time when I was just ready to give up was when I got the magic phone call. That's what happened here last night; God gave us what we needed, not what we wanted. I remember so many times praying "God just get us this house. Just get us this house." I'm not going to say it was as if my prayers were falling on deaf ears, because I don't believe that. Rather I just felt that this house we were seeking so hard for was just not going to happen. I always had this small notion in the back of my head that it was just going to not work out. Perhaps that was God's way of saying that He had something better for us. Because let's face it, the last thing we actually needed was MORE space and more money to be given for rent.

I truly believe that God talks and shows us what we need in a lot of mysterious yet awesome ways. I remember walking into that duplex and was like "this is it." That "aha!" moment. I don't believe in coincidence. I think coincidence is just one of the many ways God speaks to us. Though I can't hold claim to actually hearing His voice, I can hold to the fact that His fingerprints were ALL OVER THIS. There's really nothing more I need to add to this. It's all been said. We are excited to begin this new adventure and see where else He will take us. My ending is this; if you're waiting for something and feel like throwing in the towel, that's usually when a corner will turn. Sometimes it's not a good corner, but in our experience it usually is. Keep the faith, and remember that God is good.

House stuff, other stuff and what we've learned

Kelly: And once again, we apologize for the extremely large gap in between posts. Life has gotten somewhat in the way again, in good ways though. For starters, I'm getting ready to leave for Peru in a few weeks. Has it really been that long since an update? Yes! Anyway, I'm going to Peru in 2 weeks. A few folks from church, myself and a cohort in Georgia are getting together to do medical missions/children's ministry. We leave on the 1st and will be gone for 10 days. Wee bleep! So preparations for that have taken up a bit of my time, and there's still a few things I have to do but I foresee they will not be too terribly demanding.

As most of you all know, we are still in the process of getting ready to move into our first house...hopefully. Just for clarification, we are NOT buying. Still renting, but it's a nice house and for the price per month it's a pretty good deal. We looked at it last week, met our landlord and his wife, filled out our application and are now waiting. The wife was not too keen on the idea of us bringing along the fur babies, but we said leaving them behind was just not an option. She didn't come right out and say we couldn't have them, rather "preferably not." So now we're waiting and hopefully we will hear something soon. Throughout this entire process, it's been a series of just waiting. Waiting for answers, waiting for God's direction, waiting. And learning how to be patient and be ok with waiting. And learning and doing my best to maintain a positive attitude while getting things here packed up. Seems like some creepy-crawly bug freeloaders want to come along too, but I've had to give them a few smacks, sucks in the vacuum and a big firm no they are not allowed. That in and of itself is a whole other ordeal for another time. So yeah. Lots of waiting, but God has really shown us how to basically handle that, even though we feel like going crazy 99.9% of the time. It really does hold true that God doesn't give you patience; He gives you circumstances and scenarios in which you have no choice but to just be patient. And wait.

So there you have it. It's been exciting, knowing that something great is going to happen. Not knowing when it will happen has caused a bit of anxiety, but I keep telling myself it'll be worth it. Having a sense of humor throughout this process has helped greatly too, because if I wasn't laughing or trying to get sis to find the humor we'd probably be crying. Thanks for hanging with us, and we are looking forward to many many house parties!

Holly: And here I am, a couple of days late! I shared this entire process with the small house-based church we've been attending, and there was a comment that said "It's a good thing we're all so patient, right?" I WISH! Some days, I must admit, are much easier than others.  Some days it takes everything in me to not just take a flamethrower to the entire place and dance upon the ashes when it finally burns to the ground. But we can't do that (And we definitely shouldn't do that). Some days, most days, I just grin and bear it and deal with it, silently praying that one day, ONE DAY, we WILL hear something and we WILL be in a much better situation. Like Kelly said, though, God has shown us a lot through this waiting game.

I've been reminded one of the points from a sermon a couple of weeks ago, and I'm probably butchering it to kingdom come, but it was something to the degree of that you don't have to necessarily like your circumstances to keep trusting God. Do I like that we're basically sitting ducks? No, I don't.  I wanted to be out of our apartment months ago! But, unfortunately, life doesn't work that way. I'm just really fortunate that I have my faith in Jesus in the first place, because if I didn't have at least that hope, I really don't know what I would do. I'm also really fortunate that I have such a strong network of people that are cheering us along, encouraging us, also making us try to see the humor in it all, praying for us, offering to help us move, and so on.  It's good to have people! :)

So that's where we are right now.  Hopefully the next time we post it will be with a moving date and plenty of pictures and happiness galore! Thank you all for journeying along in this craziness with us!

ALEP Mid-Summer: A continued family reunion

H and K: Howdy! You get both of us again!

It's been a little while since our last post.  Can't believe how June has just seemed to slip right through our grasp.  Heck, next week is the 4th! We've been rather busy, traveling and going here and there. Unfortunately we still have not heard any word on our house-to-be, but we are keeping the faith and holding out that we will hear something soon.

But enough of that. Almost two weekends ago we went back to the Shire! Yes, that's right.  You may remember how all of this ALEP craziness started back in September. This gathering was not official, not planned, just whoever was available to escape for a weekend of unplanned relaxation, conversation, and generalized merriment.  And all of those it certainly was!

It's hard to capture the atmosphere we've come to love in this ALEP group.  We all come from such vastly different walks of life, from vastly different parts of the country, even (a few traveled from as far as Virginia, Texas, and even Canada!).  But what's so amazing about this time, these ALEP reunions, is that, for just a few days, there is no worry.  No stress.  No negativity, pessimism, or stress of any kind.  It simply ceases to exist as soon as you see the signs welcoming you into the Shaker Village. The laughter, the cheerful conversations, the food (oh. my word!), the time we cherish and spend together...it's the best form of therapy that we can possibly imagine.

The next event is in April of 2016. While we won't be able to go for the entire weekend (these fun gatherings do cost money), we will definitely return for a day.  Because even just one day is worth it!

Until next time! :)

ROBERT!!!! <3 

:) 

Sunset in the Kentucky Shire 

The meatless results (and a house update?)

H and K: It has been seven days since our last post, and if you remember, we took it upon ourselves to go one week without meat.  So...how did we do?

Honestly, we didn't find it too challenging.  Some days, it was hard walking up Main Street and catching a whiff of the cafe's burgers, or resisting devouring an entire order of chicken wings from Papaleno's.  We did have one "cheat" day, Saturday, in which we attended a cook-out sponsored by Kelly's work.  We didn't go too crazy, though, in the sense that we both had just one chicken wing. Fried rice became a good friend of ours. Our weight didn't really change either, which we kind of expected, but that's ok, considering that wasn't the end goal.  We were just curious...and a little bit broke.  So will we do it again? Probably.  We had to get pretty creative with some of our recipes, but overall we enjoyed incorporating more veggies into our diet. The drastically reduced cost of groceries for the week was a good incentive, too!

And this concludes our one week without meat.  We learned a lot, had a good time...but honestly, if anyone would care to drop off a couple of steaks or a rotisserie chicken, that would be pretty amazing.

Switching gears a little, and we're just going full disclosure here, because we can do that here.  In case some of you are a little behind, we are in the process of moving, this time into a house.  We do have a house lined up, although we've only seen it from the outside.  However, here's where the situation gets a little hairy: The family that is living in the house now is waiting on a closing date for a house they're buying.  Once they get their closing date, they will move out, and we will move in. We are not buying, we're renting (Just in case that wasn't clear).  We do not know when this closing date will be.  It's been two weeks since we first made contact with our eventual landlord.  When I called him last week, hoping to affirm my fear of him not giving the house away to someone else, he informed me that they still had not reached a closing date, but that he still had our contact information and would reach out to us when they closed.  That was a week ago.  We still have not heard anything.

Honestly...it's been hard.  Our many frustrations with our current living situation, for reasons we don't wish to discuss at this time, have nearly reached a tipping point.  Let's just say it's gone on too long. Period.  In addition, it's just the waiting...the waiting and waiting for a phone call.  My (Holly) hopes soar every time my phone rings, and plummet when it's someone else besides the phone call we're anxiously waiting for.  It's the doubt...the doubt of wondering, nearly agonizing ourselves, if this is ever going to happen at all.  It's discouraging- another day that passes with silence, with no news. But through all of this, we've learned a lot about grace, and we are thankful for that. I (Holly) read Proverbs 3:5-6 recently, and I've been heavily meditating on that, relying on that promise in God's word.  We've been praying.  We've been praying a lot.  And still waiting.

So that's where we are right now.  If you feel led to pray for us, please do so.  And pray for the family that is waiting on a closing date; it's probably just as frustrating for them, if not more so, than it is for us. But we KNOW that something better is coming, and we KNOW that God is faithful.  It's just that some days are easier than others, and we thank God that He can handle our joys and our frustrations as well.  Thanks for following along with us, as always.  We hope to hear something soon.