Thought for the morning

By grace He makes all things new

Hey-Oh! Back and Blogging

Well, well, well friends...it has been awhile...and I mean awhile! Sheesh. I have not posted a blog in just about a year...sad? maybe. But my blogging life is not over. I am back! and I am excited to update you all on the life and times of the Keisers. P.S: How awesome is Fall?

Quick Updates:

• June 30- Sacha's last day working at Goddard
• July 1st- We moved to a new apartment in Marlton, NJ, the town where our church is located
• August 1-16- Trip to Europe (England and Portgual) for Emily Keiser's (Todd's sister) wedding
• September- Sacha is job searching, Todd is back in grad school

Now for a longer winded version...buckle up!

One of my kids dressed as Tinkerbell for Halloween

I finished up my job in June and it was a whirlwind of goodbyes as we left the shore to move west to Marlton. It all happened so fast and it took me a while to process everything. My last day was Thursday June 30th and then we moved the very next day! As I looked back on my time at Goddard, I was overwhelmed with how much God had blessed me in that time. I know it sounds crazy to say that, because this past year was very hard for Todd and I. It was a very slow process making friends and work was very tiring and stressful at times However, now that its all behind me, I can truly thank God for the amazing relationships he drew me into this past year. Because of that, my last day at school was full of tears. I was so encouraged by how sweet all of the parents and teachers were to me and I am so thankful for every one of them. I miss my kiddos everyday and I hope to stay in touch with many of the families.

English Tea and cakes :)

Summer rolled on and in August we got to go on the trip of a lifetime. We hopped the pond to London for the wonderful wedding of Emily (Keiser) Manning  (Todd's sister) and Paul Manning. It was so much fun! Todd and I were so thrilled to get to spend a lot of quality time with his family, while at the same time seeing all of the amazing sights in London. The first leg of our journey to England was a megabus ride from Philly
to Boston where we stayed with the wonderful Chris and Katie Pletcher. We got a great tour of Boston, which I LOVE! It is such a walkable, clean, beautiful city and I am definitely excited to go back for more visits in the future. I have always loved New England and its charm and Boston most certainly did not disappoint. Next we took a red-eye flight *interruption:candid moment: okay, yes the flight WAS cheaper...and yes, it did get us there safely, but, it was far from comfortable and I felt exhausted for the next 4 days...end candid moment*. Upon arriving to England, I was whisked away to the Hen-Do (a British bachelorette party) where we went to English Tea (fancy, I know), saw the sights of London from a river tour on the Thames, ate dinner at a quaint Italian restaurant, and ended at one of Em's favorite pubs .

The London Eye from the River Thames tour

Sister-in-Laws

Em's outfit for the day  L for Learner Bride

Tower Bridge

New in New Jersey

Whats new? 

Well lets start with....my job!

I got a job as a lead pre-school teacher in Brick, NJ (the town right next to ours). Getting the job was pretty unexpected because 1) my internet job searching had turned out to be rather disappointing and 2) I have no prior teaching experience (aside from teaching Sunday school). So, needless to say, there was a lot to take in right away. A lot is expected of me at the school. I write lesson plans, schedule the day, and follow detailed corporate guidelines. It is definitely more than I expected to be responsible for at a preschool job. My co-workers are great. I really have enjoyed getting to know them and I look forward to forming closer relationships with them. This however is not as easy as I hoped. Since I am a lead teacher, I am in my classroom pretty much the entire day, only seeing my co-workers in passing, or on my lunch break. So, even though its not much, it is nice to have social interaction with women my age throughout the day. 

Next...Todd and I!

We are doing really great! Marriage is really fun and it is so nice to have a buddy here in New Jersey to do everything with. He is currently on travel with work in Virginia, so for the first time, I am home alone in New Jersey for a week. It should be an interesting to see what I end up doing with all of my extra time. Last weekend we went into NYC to visit Todd's brother, his girlfriend, and Todd's parents. It was a fun day in the city: perfect weather, lots of exercise (the positive way to say tons of walking!), football (however sad to see Alabama defeat PSU), and cheap chinese food! Though we haven't found a reason to say "We love New Jersey", it is really nice that we are so close to Philadelphia and New York City. I like short trips into cities to do fun things, but then its nice to come back home afterward. The city is definitely too fast paced for me.

Social life..?

Ha. Well Todd and I DO have a few friends here. We are starting to hang out more with a few guys that Todd works with and their girlfriends which has been cool. Its just tough because when we moved to NJ, we left behind a HUGE group of AMAZING friends. Its tough out here in the real world and seeing as neither of us ever had to leave our friends behind for college, this is our first big friend transition.  However, since both have amazing friends from home and are trying to keep connected as much as possible. We miss them a ton! It also definitely helps that we have each other. 

It was so great to get to see so many of them over Labor day weekend for the wonderful Meg-now-Baker and Jeremy-still-Baker wedding! That was a blast! Their wedding was beautiful, the weather was beautiful, the clems was delicious...gosh you just couldn't ask for a better weekend. Though it was just a weekend, and we returned to good ol' Lakewood, NJ, it was definitely refreshing for the both of us to see so many good friends, reconnect, and be back home in State College, a place so familiar and dear to our hearts.

God time

I am finding that I have been bouncing around quite a bit but I have spent some time revisiting Deuteronomy- which I have to say is my favorite book of the Old Testament if not the Bible! I don't know if I would go as far as to say this is a wilderness experience (being without friends in a new unfamiliar place)...hmm well maybe I would...I don't know. Anyway, Deuteronomy has been giving me some great encouragement about why God takes us through times like these. Check out chapter 8! It was so helpful to me while in Kenya last summer. I have also spent sometime in Ephesians 2-3. So many great truths about where God has brought me from, and what he wants me to do in my life as a Christian. It is also helpful in the way that I look at the people around me and grow in my ability to serve and love them.

Welp! That's all folks! Update me on your lives pleasseeeeee! 

sachakeiser@gmail.com

Thanks for reading :)

Sacha

New Jersey-licious

Hello hello...finally another post. Man! Its been a crazy month. Wedding! Honeymoon! New Jersey! ay yay yay so many changes. I can't believe that its all actually happened. Well the photos from the wedding are COMING SOON! Very Soon! But in the mean time, if you haven't already seen them, you can see a preview by clicking HERE!

The wedding was amazing! Todd and I absolutely LOVED our day and we agree that it couldn't have been better. The ceremony was so special to us and the reception was off the chain! We loved dancing with all of our friends and it was really hard for us to pull ourselves off the dance floor :)

We went to beautiful Mexico for our honeymoon and it was so much fun! We relaxed by the bright blue Caribbean ocean ,

Explored Mayan ruins at Tulum

Soaked up the Mexican beauty, and enjoyed finally being together as husband and wife:

So now we're settling into our new apartment in Lakewood, New Jersey. Todd is enjoying his job at NAVAIR and we are slowing developing friendships and finding our way around Jerz. We checked out the infamous Jersey Shore (during the day haha) and it was pretty nice. Its definitely a positive that we are so close to the beach.

We went to a church last week and really enjoyed it. We also went to their young adult group called Resolved. It reminded me of a Nav night in the sense that there were a good number of people our age, we sang worship songs, heard a message, and then socialized a little bit. We met some really nice people. We are thinking that we will probably end up going to this church but the only downside is that its an hour away..wah wah wahhh...We know its a decent hike, but we really want to get plugged into a church and get involved with a community there. Its a definite possibility that Todd and I will end up moving closer to the church when our lease ends in May. Its a lot to think about since we pretty much just finished unpacking all of our stuff here. I dont really want to think about having to pack it all up and do the whole move thing again. But oh well, it would be worth it to be closer to that community (not to mention PA, and all of our Philly friends!!).

 What I'm Learning:

I am currently reading Hosea and I am really liking it. Along with that, some of the things the pastor at church has been talking about have caused me to be praying that God would help me to understand his grace better each day. Grace is such a difficult word to understand in our world today where it is so easy to believe that everything you have is something you deserve, because you worked for it! But grace is God's undeserved favor upon us. Even though we deserve nothing, God lavishes his blessings on us each day. The beauty of summer, the air we breathe, the amazing tastes and smells of food, the joy of a laughing child, sunsets etc...are all examples of God's grace towards His children. Grace is not a familiar concept, nor an easy one to grasp. Especially God's grace. 

 The pastor at the church we went to was telling us that when CJ Mahaney is asked the question: "How are you doing CJ?" 

He responds: "Better than I deserve"

My hope and prayer is that I can answer that question in the same way and continually remember the grace of God and the way he has blessed me in so many ways.

Finally, I leave you with this:

 

-Sacha

Psalm 40

  

¹ I waited patiently for the LORD;
       he turned to me and heard my cry.

 ² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
       out of the mud and mire;
       he set my feet on a rock
       and gave me a firm place to stand.

 ³ He put a new song in my mouth,
       a hymn of praise to our God.
       Many will see and fear
       and put their trust in the LORD.

 ⁴ Blessed is the man
       who makes the LORD his trust,
       who does not look to the proud,
       to those who turn aside to false gods. 

 ⁵ Many, O LORD my God,
       are the wonders you have done.
       The things you planned for us
       no one can recount to you;
       were I to speak and tell of them,
       they would be too many to declare.

 ⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
       but my ears you have pierced ;
       burnt offerings and sin offerings
       you did not require.

 ⁷ Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—
       it is written about me in the scroll. 

 ⁸ I desire to do your will, O my God;
       your law is within my heart."

 ⁹ I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
       I do not seal my lips,
       as you know, O LORD.

 ¹⁰ I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
       I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
       I do not conceal your love and your truth
       from the great assembly.

 ¹¹ Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
       may your love and your truth always protect me.

 ¹² For troubles without number surround me;
       my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
       They are more than the hairs of my head,
       and my heart fails within me.

 ¹³ Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
       O LORD, come quickly to help me.

 ¹⁴ May all who seek to take my life
       be put to shame and confusion;
       may all who desire my ruin
       be turned back in disgrace.

 ¹⁵ May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!"
       be appalled at their own shame.

 ¹⁶ But may all who seek you
       rejoice and be glad in you;
       may those who love your salvation always say,
       "The LORD be exalted!"

 ¹⁷ Yet I am poor and needy;
       may the Lord think of me.
       You are my help and my deliverer;
       O my God, do not delay.

You Choose- To Do or not To Do

The wedding is in 4 days and I am tired. There are so many loose ends to tie up before I can marry the most wonderful man in the world. That being said... I feel like my to do list is never finished- do you ever feel like that? I am sure that you do.

Its as though I get a lot of things done and I feel accomplished for a brief moment and then I realize all of the other stuff that I need to get done. Will this ever end, not likely. I know that life after college only gets crazier. Thinking back to when I was a kid and my biggest concern was which flavor ice cream I wanted to get when the ice cream truck rolled by makes realize that life only speeds up. It doesn't usually slow down. Yes, there are those moments of rest that God so graciously blesses us with, but I believe that those moments of rest are only preparing us for what He has in store for us. God didnt intend for us to lounge lives away. He didn't intend for us to have lives where all we do is decide what flavor ice cream to get. God has called each of his children to be a laborer for Him. 

This thought makes me stop and wonder...is all of my busyness centered on glorifying and honoring God? Or am I simply filling my days with "me-time". Sadly, for the most part, my answer is the latter. It is so easy to get swept up in life's to do list. Pick up this, drop off that, e-mail her, buy this...How is it that its so easy to neglect time with the most important thing in my life, the Creator of the universe.

I have been quite convicted lately about my lack of time alone with God. I can blame it on the busyness but as soon as I do, I remember this:

Every day consists of 24 hours. It is up to you what you do with those 24 precious hours. It is your life and your choice. Choose to be a good steward of your time.

That is my goal. Even in the craziness of life, that I could be a good steward of my time and choose to prioritize my time with the Lord above all of the seemingly pressing to-dos.

The concept of choice and choosing has been in my mind a lot lately. I want to explore that more...but I'll save it for another time.

thanks for reading :) 

a pictures worth...

A thousand words right? Well what about the pictures that leave you speechless, and breathless?

For me, the pictures that command my attention and demand my silence are always the ones that I have taken. Not because I am even close to a pro photographer, but because in an instant I am transported back to the moment when I snapped that photo. For example, when I look at the pictures above, in one second I am back in Kenya, playing with the children at the Jami children's center in the Kibera slums. I can hear their rowdy voices and excitement as 6 Americans from Pennsylvania spend only a few hours of their time with them. I can see them crowding around the boys in our group and hanging on them like a tree. I can see the giant smiles they wear on their faces when they cant even understand the english words we are speaking to them. Our smiles create their smiles which only encourage our smiles. How can a child who has so little have so much joy when a college student in the US who has so much, complains about not getting the next best thing?

In a moment I am back in the safari van standing in awe at God's beautiful creation in Africa. I can feel the warm breeze on my face as the sun sets over the Masai Mara plains. I can see elephants and giraffes roaming in the distance and I can hear the grass rustling in the wind. I see my team mates around me in the van taking it all in beside me. A moment that only those 5 other people can remember.

Pictures have the ability to connect people. They connect the people who are in the picture to that moment in time, to that place where they were, and to each other. I love the way that pictures can remind you of growth. Not only do you see the physical changes that take place in people through pictures, but you are also given the opportunity to remember the personal growth you have experienced by looking at a picture.

 Highschool

 

 Freshman 

 

Sophomores

           

  

Juniors

Seniors

Looking back at these pictures reminds me of how much I have grown through my 4 years in college. They remind me of the amazing friendships I have made, and the multitude of ways that those friendships have impacted me. My walk with God has been strengthened so much because of these people and their commitment to walk beside and encourage me. For those of you reading this who were a part of my 4 years- thank you so much!

There is so much power in a photograph. For me, a picture is worth far more than a thousand words. Today, in a world that hardly remembers what it means to stop and smell the roses, a photograph gives you the opportunity to reflect on one second in time. A second in time that you may have breezed past the first time not fully understanding its value. So...

slow down,

take pictures,

and let yourself be transported into the moments of the past long enough to appreciate where you've come from, but not long enough to forget about where you're going.