​* THIS POST CONTAINS BOTH AFFILIATE AND PRODUCT LINKS,
​ALONG WITH LINKS TO THIRD PARTY WEBSITES MENTIONED IN THE POST.*

Happy Memorial Day! Yes, it's a day late. We apologize for that. This past weekend we took a road trip to visit our son and his family in New York. We have come to the season of life where we are now traveling to visit our own kids for the holidays.

But who doesn't love a road trip. Good tunes. Great conversation. Interesting things to see. Yummy snacks to munch on. And of course, the fun you have when you arrive! And we had fun!
​

On Saturday, we visited a couple new sites to see. The first stop was TURNING POINT PARK, TRAIL, AND RAIN GARDEN​. "Located in the Charlotte neighborhood near Lake Ontario on Rochester's northwest side, Turning Point Park covers 275 wooded acres along the banks of the Genesee River. Hiking and biking trails will help you discover the park's distinct areas, from the wooded oak forest called "Bullock's Woods" to the cattail lined shores of the river. Enjoy the nature watching and beautiful river views from its trails." - the Turn Point Trail website. To read more, click here: TURNING POINT PARK, TRAIL, AND RAIN GARDEN​.

The park was impressive. As we walked the boardwalk, we saw a number of wildlife including, turtles, a bald eagle,  various other birds, and what we think were Salmon. The other cool thing about the walk was that the boardwalk was railed and fenced, so we felt very safe and secure allowing our 3yr old grandson to run around.

Saturday afternoon was spent at the hotel pool, cooling off and having fun splash around with the kiddos.

Sunday morning we attended church, then visited Kirby Farm Market, a family farm and market in Brockport, NY. We saw some of the most vibrant flowers we have seen at a nursery or farm. We mean, they looked amazing!!

We then enjoyed a late lunch at the ROAM Cafe, on Park Avenue, Rochester, NY. ROAM is a quaint, cozy eatery with a great menu, drinks, and comfortable atmosphere. The cafe sits in a beautiful neighborhood alongside a number of shops and additional eateries.

Monday's adventures included breakfast at one of Jay's favorite eateries, the Hilton Family Restaurant, and a cookout with just the family at our son's apartment. It was the perfect way to wrap up our time together. 

It really is a change of seasons for us as we get used to having our adult kids spread out. It makes you think through family get-to-tegethers, holidays, and gatherings. No doubt we'll have to plan this upcoming holiday season, but for now, we're going to do the best we can to visit, stay connected, and enjoy these moments!

​- jay & amy

​* THIS POST CONTAINS BOTH AFFILIATE AND PRODUCT LINKS,
​ALONG WITH LINKS TO THIRD PARTY WEBSITES MENTIONED IN THE POST.*

It was Monday, May 2nd, 2022. One year ago. Our day started at 3:30 am. We made the trip into Pittsburgh, to Magee Women's Hospital. It was time to have the cancer removed from Amy's body. One year later and we are celebrating being cancer free.

The words, 'you have cancer,' can be devastating. And they were. We were scarred. We had questions. We had concerns. We had fears. But we had God. We said, "God, we will trust you. Whatever comes, we will trust you." And we did.

This Tuesday, May 2nd, we celebrated Amy's year, cancer-free. One year, cancer free. It's a wonderful milestone! And worth celebrating. Nothing special. We went out for dinner. We ate steak. We only eat steak when we're celebrating something big. One year cancer free is a big deal.

But this isn't about the food. This is about the time we were able to have to celebrate God's faithfulness and goodness in our lives over the past year. And He was, and is. He provided and protected, time and time again. Through our family, our church, our small group, our neighbors, God provided. Through our doctors and nurses, surgery, MRIs and bloodwork, medicine, therapy, and a whole lot of rest and healing; God proved our protector.

I'll never forget that day, May 2nd, sitting in the waiting room. I'll never forget discovering that our lives would forever be chanced. We'll never be the same. While cancer free today, the risk or awareness that cancer could return will always be something on our minds. But we're not going to live in fear of the maybe. No, we're going to continue to trust God. 

We are grateful for this season. Would we have chosen to walk the path we just walked? No. But do we recognize that God was moving in our circumstances, in our marriage, in our family? Yes. Absolutely. And for that, we are grateful. Grateful for his blessing, and constant presence in our lives.

What does this year hold for us? We don't know. But we're going to step through the year knowing that God is Sovereign over all things. 

​- jay

* THIS POST CONTAINS BOTH AFFILIATE AND PRODUCT LINKS,
​ALONG WITH LINKS TO THIRD PARTY WEBSITES MENTIONED IN THE POST.*

Last week we posted a blog called, The Couple That Prays Together... While out for dinner, we noticed a sweet older couple come into the restaurant. As their food arrived, the husband bowed his head and led his wife in prayer. It was a moving moment.

As we were preparing for that post, we asked the question, "What does it look like to be a couple that prays together?" 

For years, we have tried to make prayer an integral part of our marriage. We have had seasons where we've been faithful in prayer, and seasons where we weren't. But we have always bathed milestone moments and significant events in prayer. 

So what does it look like to cultivate the habit of prayer? More specifically, what can couples do to nurture their relationship to be one of prayer. As we thought about it, we wanted to come up a few simple ideas that we, and other couples, might but into practice. Here's what we came up with.
​

Start small. To make the commitment to pray together is huge, but start small. It takes time to establish a good habit, learning to pray together is no different. Start committing to praying together for a week. Then a month. Then onto the year and and beyond. You want a healthy, ongoing habit of praying together for the rest of your marriage. Make the commitment to pray together.
​

Praying together is the goal, but committing to pray together cannot eclipse the importance of praying individually. Each of you must also commit to developing a personal prayer life. This is more than a blessing over your food, or the prayers we pray at church. These are the prayers you pray for each other, your kids, friends, and for the larger community. For YOU! These are the prayers between you and God; to praise, worship, offer thanks, and make your supplications. You need this time to connect with God. Not only is this a great time to connect with God, but it is a great time to be in prayer for your spouse! And that leads us to our next thought.
​

How often do you pray for your spouse? I would hope you do on a regular, or daily basis. But let me encourage you to make this more than a quick sentence prayer of, "Dear God, please be with my ________." or, "Dear God, please change this or that about them." No, praying for your spouse means you are taking time to pray for them; specifically, intimately, and for their betterment, which means you are praying that God ultimately changes you. We learned this lesson as we read through Stormie Omartian's books, The Power of a Praying Husband and The Power of a Praying Wife. (Which we highly recommend!) This leads us to our next thought!
​

Stop praying generalized prayers! Pray specifically! Take the time each week to sit down and ask your spouse how you can be praying for them, what you together can pray about, and how you can pray for others. Be specific. No unspokens. Get down to the details. Be open and honest. Let each other really take time to share how they can be interceded for. Keep these lists in your Bible or prayer journal, or wherever you practice your habit of prayer.
​

We want to invite you to pray with us. As we step into the month of May, we want to invite you to join us in 31 Days of Prayer! Now, this is not a, 'we're physically getting together to pray.' No, this is an invitation to simply commit yourself to a month of prayer. Starting today, Monday, May 1st, 2023, make the commit to Pray Together as a Couple, to Pray Individually, to Pray for Each Other, to Pray Specifically, and to Pray for Your Kids! 

Leave a comment if you choose to commit to the month of prayer. We will check in throughout the month to see how you're doing, and share how we see God moving in our marriage and family! Of course we would love to hear from you throughout the month, so feel free to leave comments on our Facebook!

- jay & amy