Happy Anniversary!

Artie and I just celebrated our One Year Anniversary! Hard to imagine. Some days it feels like we’ve been together longer and other days it feels like we were married just yesterday. Strange! Our first year was absolutely awesome! Awesome in being vital and important while also being fun and surprising. We have established some family traditions and patterns for our small McCall home, and left a lot of room for growth. We are husband and wife and absolutely best friends!!! I wouldn’t choose to spend my time with anyone else over Artie. I am the most accepted and built up when I am with him. We are always together. We laugh about that because we live together, work together, eat together, hang out together, and so on. I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.


We have a lot of fun together, I honestly could not count the times that we have shared our fun. There’s a lot of small things or moments that I treasure about our life together... like when we sit on the couch and he dictates his school questions to me while I type them (feels like we’re in school together), our walks to and from DIBC, I still absolutely love seeing his wedding ring on his finger (and not to mention mine), I love our meal times together on our small table for two, and then our cleanup time together hand washing dishes (you wash, I'll dry), my excitement when he decides to come to bed a little early (10:00 instead of 11:30), I love it when he’s in the middle of something and then I realize I’ve talked his ear off when he was trying to focus on something (we laugh that I seem to choose the strangest times to share something – I try!), I love that he knows how far I’ve come, I love that he notices the small things, I love his excitement about vacation, I love it when he gets all excited about a new technical toy and wants to show me everything about it (I usually smile big in my oblivion), I love how we read out loud on road trips, his incredible patience with my learning curve, I think it’s funny how I go to the Laundromat (because Artie doesn’t like to do laundry) and he calls me on my cell phone to say hey every few minutes, we maintain a pretty busy schedule but have a blast living it, he knows me so well and loves me wisely … I could go on and on about our friendship and our respect and our common interest and our differences. We love loving each other! I can’t imagine my life without him, it just wouldn’t be right! He’s the best thing that ever happened to me and I wouldn’t do anything differently regarding our first year together (adjustments and all)! I look forward to (God willing) many more years together – living the adventure of life side by side, laughing, struggling, changing, and most of all loving! Artie – I love yoU!!!

Raceful Endurance

It's been quite the winter here in Tampa lately. It's a chilling 45 degrees here tonight and it's supposed to get colder (that's cold for Tampa, you Northerns)! It kind of sets you in the mood for the Olympics doesn't it? We've been watching a lot of the Winter Olympics at the McCall home (at least what we can catch without cable). Artie and I have really enjoyed them so far. We laugh a lot while watching them, because as the speed skaters lean diagonally to make the perfectly cut turn, I'm leaning on the couch clearly into Artie's view of the television and Artie calls out, "You skatin' too?" And I affirm him that I'm just really into it and he replies with, "I can tell!" with a bright smile on his face.

It just astounds me that these people devote their lives to the perfection of sport (and half these sports are not anything you typically watch on TV, they're actually strange ... like the luge, who invented that sport?). Their commitment to hard work: blood, sweat, tears and time is just inspiring. Charlotte and I were watching the men's cross country skiing and saw such an incredible race. When they start the race there are 70-80 skiers all jammed together at the starting line. There was one competitor in front who was already a gold metal holder from the previous winter Olympics. The whistle blows, the clock starts quickly running and the first strides are in strong thrust ... then our gold winner, #4, takes a humiliating fall and one by one, skier after skier begins to tumble down - some seeming to be very painful falls. They scramble to their skies and attempt to fight their way to the front. We're watching in shock as Olympic winner, #4, is the last to be standing. They ski for 100 meters, then a stunning view shows #4 once again stopped completely on the snow having to change out a broken ski. Charlotte and I say our typical girl "awwww" and are saddened for him because his race is over. To our complete and utter shock, he then begins to give everything he's got to make his way to the ever so crowded bunch racing far beyond his reach. After a commercial break they show our friend #4 right there in the huddle of competitors passing one, two, three, five, twelve skiers! After a grueling hour and some they are almost to the finish line. He seemed to be out of sight again, somewhere in maybe 10th or 11th place. Then, out of no where ... he peaks in his ambition and determination and skies into the winning silver, 2nd Place! Charlotte and I cheer him on and congratulate him from Tampa to Torino, Italy! It was like watching Sea Biscuit or Cinderella Man, right here in the making, free of cost and the catchy "True Story" ring. A story of an athlete competing at the price of not giving up, not quitting.

It was so inspiring and encouraging to watch the perseverance of this Olympic competitor who swallowed his pride after a fall and rode to his victory! He had every right and reason to slide off to the side of the track. All the commentators would all grieve his loss and move on to those in the race (including myself). We would have all understood that he had little if any game left to give. But, in view of all the reality of his loss ... he skied on and pressed on toward the goal.

In the Olympics, all over the side lines of every race they have a slogan reading, "Passion Lives Here." I couldn't agree more! There is a truly deep abiding respect for those that devote their lives to discipline, hard work, commitment, coaching, pain, concentration and most of all PASSION. Sounds like characteristics of a life of a believer doesn't it? It does to me. The only (and major) difference I'd say is purpose. They purpose to win an earthly prize and to our greatest unworthiness, we (as followers of the Ultimate Prize, Jesus) purpose to win an eternal prize ... to the glory of God.

That is why Artie and I do all that we do. That is why Artie and I's life and family has the tone that it does. We want the Winter Olympic's 06 slogan to be the slogan of our home ... "Passion LIVES here."

Blessed

Phew... is it just me or is the year flying bye already? I can't believe its mid-February! Feels like we just had Christmas. Artie and I will be celebrating our First Anniversary soon (March 12th to be exact) ... hard to imagine!

You know, have I mentioned how absolutely blessed I am? Well - consider it mentioned, because some days I just sit back and think, "How did I wind-up with this life that I live?" I am humbled every day by the love of God that surrounds me in so many ways. Through the incredible man that I married and the wonderful relationship between he and I ... through the awesome church family that Artie and I not only are a part of but have the amazing priviledge to serve on staff ... through the dearest friends ... through our precious little apartment (where I wonder sometimes, how we fit any more than four at a time; but we do) ... through Artie and my families ... and through so many little things, I would be here all week writing them. Have you just sat down lately and listed out all that you have to be thankful for? It will completely change your day!

Just the other day, my neighbor Alicia and I sat on the couch and just bragged of the goodness and absolute perfection of the Person of Christ. Alicia just came to know Him as Savior and Lord over Christmas and she was describing to me how 'awe' struck she is right now of how God is working in her life. We discussed how it boggles our limited-human minds to think of the vassness of God and His plans for us on earth. So amazing!

Pastor Jeff has been talking about Grace in our services lately, which in short, is just the perfect message to remind you of the goodness of God. I challenge and encourage all of us to take the time to sit down and give praise for the good in our lives. Maybe, if you're like me, one of the top items on your list will be for the TIME in order to do it. Make the time, take the time and let it change you.

Coming Soon...

Hello Friends! Update is coming soon! Check back this week. Love to all!
Artie & Lela

Holiday Photos...

Christmas Eve at Papa's



Christmas night at Dad's

New Year's Eve at the Hightowers

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2006! I give my apologies for the delay in updating the blog, getting back into the saddle (Charlotte, I got a cliché right!) has taken awhile.

Our Christmas was great and honestly it was the busiest and most unexpected Christmas I have ever experienced! All my day dreams of our first Christmas being that of a relaxed timely manner, with hour upon hour to open each gift and extra time to give a big thank you, watching football in pj’s and of course have a nice breakfast casserole on our new wedding chine on the perfect candle lit table set for two. Well, let me give you a sweet and blissful reality … We would dash from one place to the next, watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers most exciting game of the season from our peripheral vision as we hurry to get ready, be a few minutes late for Christmas Eve dinner – because for goodness sake the Buc’s are in overtime, quickly clean our plates to make it for choir rehearsal for the Christmas Eve services, wake up to an alarm so we can open gifts before heading out, squeeze in some frozen cinnamon buns on paper plates for Christmas breakfast, Christmas services, lunch at moms, dinner at dads, and all the while finding moments here and there to say to each other, “Merry Christmas, I love you.” Phew!!!!!

Art got the long awaited mp3 player, or iPOD, for Christmas from me (or Santa – even though our apartment is so small Santa couldn’t have come in without either breaking a leg or knocking something over which probably would have been our all consuming Christmas tree). With the few Christmas morning hours we had at home before the schedules and gatherings began – Art managed to load over half of the mp3 player’s memory! So funny!

By the time Christmas night came, we realized how exhausted and out of gas we were and collapsed! We had much needed down time between Christmas and New Years to just hang out with friends and at home. So great!

We spent New Years Eve with our close friends and had a blast! We left talking about how awesome it is to have such fun and inspiring friends. Love you all!

New Years resolutions? Art says, “If you ain’t doin’ it now, you ain’t gonna be doin’ it later.” I begged to differ and confirmed over and over that I believe in and love fresh starts and new beginnings. They’re like a breath of fresh air for me. I love to take inventory and pray for God to widen my horizons more in 2006 than I knew in 2005. God has done so much in and around Art and I that sometimes it’s hard to imagine He would take us further still. In our marriage, for instance, we love each other so much more than we did on our wedding day – the first year is such a building time (building a home and tradition, building on our commitment, building more and more into the team we are made to be, and so on) – yet God promises to take us onward.

Onward … that word makes me think of a journey, a path, an upward climb. Life throws all of us turns and hurdles, and simultaneously our loving God offers us controlled steering and strength to jump, as we look to Him. Onward into year 2006, we stride –all waving back to the good, the bad – 2005 good-bye.

The Christmas Gift

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your strength. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself."
Matthew 22:37-39

So, this is Artie and I's first Christmas! So fun! This will probably be one of the few times that all the Christmas shopping is done so early ... simply because of our excitement and anticipation of giving our very first Christmas gifts to each other! We are so excited to wake up next to each other on Christmas morn' (for you Charlotte - haha)! Even though, every morning Artie wakes up and says - "Can we open our presents today?" And also, when we walk through our 'hallway' we pass by our already stuffed stockings and mention our temptation to just rip that thing off the wall and see all the goodies inside! Artie constantly threatens to shake the gifts wrapped for him out of his desperate need to know (our rule is no touching - really because I grew up where my brothers would measure the box they were getting to see if it matched the size box of the item they had asked for - yes, Justin I ratted you out!)! We'll probably wind-up with children that prohibit us from keeping the presents under the tree because daddy will always be joking and teasing about it too (thanks Artie!).

Excited - gifts make us that way, don't they? Whether you're receiving or giving - there is so much excitement! Christmas is all about gifts - the gift of salvation through God's Son, Jesus.

Just this past Sunday, I had the opportunity of watching the greatest gift ever given be received. Back in September, Artie and I had a sweet young couple move in our apartment building ... Milo and Alicia. We quickly adored them and they were immediately placed on our prayer list. Through various ways Alicia and I began to hang out (the power has gone out a couple of times so we hung out by candle light, we've gone Christmas shopping together, we've had Laundromat hangouts, etc). Through my time with her, there was one thing completely evident ... God was working in the privacy of her heart, through questions of existence, of Christmas, of purpose, of why, etc. Late on a Saturday night, she called and said that she would like to take the invitation to go to church with us. She came and expressed how much she loved the family-like atmosphere of DIBC. Throughout the week, I got phone calls and emails about hanging out some more and that she was very interested in going to church again. She came with us this past Sunday night and heard the message of Christmas - Who Jesus Is, Why He had to Come and lastly - What is our response? She decided to respond in faith! God extended the gift of forgiveness of sins and of life eternally with Him and she accepted it! Something she said to me on the way home rings true of this Christmas gift - "Lela, I don't know much and I have a lot to learn, but I'm so excited about my brand new life!" What better Christmas story than this?

So, as we celebrate Christmas and wrap gifts for our loved ones and unwrap with gratitude - let's turn our attention to the Giver of all good things - especially through the gift of Jesus! Love to you all!