Lovin' Louisville: St. James Court Art Festival

 Lucas with his nieces, Gabi and Lulu.  Gotta love Lulu's collared dress aka Lucas' shirt.  ;)

 We were FREEZING!

I love these girls.  

Lulu 'fighting' with her tio for the Kettlecorn.

Priceless.

Consider the Cost

Living here in Louisville has been a true blessing for us but it has also come with a steep price tag.  What has it cost us to leave everything in Miami behind to move to Louisville?  Simply put, it has cost us more than we ever anticipated.  Why?  Because the cost is not measured in dollars but in those invaluable things, like family and friends that were left behind, which certainly cannot be assigned a numerical value to.  We have traded all that we knew and loved for our number one love, Jesus Christ.

And this is precisely what He calls us to do and expects of us.  In Luke 13:26-27, Jesus empathically states, “If you want to be my disciple. You must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life.  Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.  And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciples. “

It may sound a bit radical but the truth is that Jesus will not and cannot settle for second place; it’s all or nothing.  And I have a feeling that this season in our life is just a taste of what lies ahead for us. I know that being called to serve Him is a huge privilege, one which I do not take lightly.  I recognize that attached to this great privilege is the high cost I am asked to pay.  The cost that I am only beginning to understand now.  Yet a cost that when I think of all He's done for me, I can't help but consider what a low cost it is to pay to follow Him.

Our Cottage Getaway in Pictures

Our cottage.

Look closely.  We stayed in Cottage #13.  Talk about scary. 

Re-enacting a scene from a scary movie.  I'm the helpless girl.

My hubby on the grill.  We had some chicken wings, skirt steak, and Argentine sausage.  

Before our kayaking adventure.

 The lake where we went kayaking.

 Lucas getting ready to go kayaking.

 Here I am attempting to kayak.  I admit that I wasn't very good at paddling.  It took me a while to get the hang of it.  

 Lucas looked like a pro.

Feeling accomplished after our first kayaking session.  1.5 hours of paddling = quite a work-out.

"Don't be a T-U-M-B-L-E-W-E-E-D." 

 A cute farmhouse we saw on our way from the distillery to the cottage.  

 Driving by a farm with a whole lot of cows.  Now this is what we call grass-fed cows.

Lovin' Louisville: Farmer's Market

Here in Kentucky visiting The Farmer's Market is THE thing to do on Saturday mornings. If you're in the mood for some fresh omelets prepared with free range chicken eggs, they've got it. If you want fresh brewed coffee, they've got it. If you're looking for some grass-fed beef, chicken, meat and bacon, they've got it. Beautiful flower arrangements made on the spot, check. Fresh squeezed lavendar lemonade, check, check. Anything and everything you find here is, well FRESH.

The reason we love The Farmer's Market so much is that we get to handpick our produce and meat for the week which makes it pretty easy to eat the Paleo way. Although I'm not exactly sure how The Farmer's Market will function in a couple of months when it starts to cool down here. I have a feeling that the cold weather won't be much of a factor for the Kentuckians. I can't promise this Miami girl will brave the weather right away but come berry season, I will definitely hit The Farmer's Market again just to find some organic berries. It just might be worth the chill. We'll see.

The Farmer's Market at Beargrass Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Almeida's at the Farmer's Market on 8/20/11

I loved this sign. "Happy cows and pigs make great meat!"



These apples still have the leaves. How cute is that?

Lucas picking some colorful peppers.

I love this farmer's hat. It reads, "Kentucky Proud."

I promise that the basil really smelled THAT good and it tasted even better. Lucas prepared some delicious pesto sauce with this baby.

If you look closely you will find a Mennonite woman. I thought she was Amish but my brother-in-law said the Amish probably wouldn't travel to the city.

Live entertainment. I think it was some type of Bluegrass country music.



This is where we get our skirt steak for BBQ's which are known as Cook-Outs here in Kentucky.




See you next Saturday.

Lovin' Louisville: Making Friends

Having Dinner with The Smiths at Tumbleweed on the River.

One of the coolest things about living on campus at Southern Baptist Theological Semianry (SBTS) is meeting new, young couples that are so much like us. Mark and Melissa are originally from Ohio. Mark is studying to be a pastor and Melissa is a teacher.

Last night we went on our first double date. We exchanged our thoughts on ministry, discussed our backgrounds and shared our future aspirations with each other. There was much wisdom to be gained from this young couple. It's exciting to see how God will continue to build this friendship He has orchestrated.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
-Proverbs 27:17

The Seminarian's First Day

You know the joy a mother feels on the first day of school when she gets to send her children off to school? Every year, as an elementary school teacher, I am privileged enough to somehow participate in this marvel. The intricate intersection between parent and child letting go of each other to face something new. The point in which a parent chooses to hand his/her child over to another adult for the sake of their child, knowing that something good will come of it.

To some degree, I was able to experience that same emotion today as I saw the most important person in my life set off on his first day as a seminary student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. The sole purpose of our move from Miami in which we left everything we knew and loved behind to pursue God's call is finally coming to fruition.

Lucas,

The joy I feel in my heart seeing you begin your journey as a seminarian in SBTS is indescribeable. Sheer blissfulness is what I sense as I see the infectious smile on your face, the spark in your eyes and that ambition you possess. I am completely and utterly humbled with God's goodness. I am so incredibly grateful for this opportunity, the opportunity to see you chasing after God's will no matter the cost. I am thrilled to be a part of this adventure. May the Lord continue to speak to your heart and use you for His mighty purposes. I will gladly follow you wherever He leads, 'til the ends of the Earth. Te amo tanto meu Brasileiro.

Your linda,
Indi

Just outside our door and the Seminarian is ready to meet his destiny at SBTS.

The place where his two loves meet: God and music.

Heading off to one of his classes; he can hardly contain the excitement.


I hope your first day was simply amazing my love. I am so proud of you.

Airing out my Dirty Laundry

Our new washer and dryer duo with our first load of dirty laundry.

If you know anything about me and husband, then you probably already know that we come from humble beginnings. For the first five and a half years of our marriage we rented a small one bedroom apartment in "Little Havana" just minutes away from the church where we met and from my first teaching job. We had everything we needed except two very key appliances: a washer and dryer. Unfortunately we didn't realize how essential owning a washer and dryer was until we were met with our weekly date nights at the laundromat. Sometimes, I went on my own and believe me I was no exemplary follower of Philippians 2:14 which exhorts us to, "Do everything without complaining or arguing." I dreaded the laundromat, I dreaded being vigilant over the dryer to make sure that I would get to it before someone else, I dreaded laying all of our clothes on a folding table and unraveling our precious undergarments in front of complete strangers. It was humiliating to say the very least. However, God saw it fitting for me to teach me a lesson or two on humility.

As I sit here writing to the ever so pleasant sounds of our High Efficiency dryer tumbling in the background, I can't help but smile. God may not have given me what I thought I wanted when I wanted it. He gave me what He knew I needed when I needed it. Five and a half years ago, he knew that more than needing a washer and dryer, my character could benefit from some fine tuning. It may have taken a long time to finally get our washer and dryer but it was so worth the wait.