Can you believe I am actually updating...

So, it's been a while since I have done anything on here.  I updated my background around March or April thinking that I would update with a post sometime after that.  It's now the end of June...  I haven't actually posted since November.  Lots has happened since then.  Chloe is now 3 and life is rushing by.  I plan to try to stay on top of updating on here again.  I know that I love checking other blogs and am always disappointed when they are not updated, so I guess I am hoping to keep others more updated on life in the Amburgey household through this blog.

 I can't go all the way back to November because well, that was a long time ago and I really don't remember everything that has happened since then, so I will start with last weekend:)  Phil, Chloe, and I took a trip up to Chicago with our friends Pete and Jess (and baby Caleb).  It was a blast!!  Phil keeps joking that he wouldn't mind moving there.  I'm not so sure I would go that far, but we did have a great time.  We spent time with Vic and Sharon Mead (Jess's parents).  They were very generous and let us stay at their house and kept us entertained.  On Saturday, Jess, Chloe, and I met up with my friend Tara and went to the outlet mall in Naperville.  We found great deals and had a great time walking around and chatting.  Chloe also had her first Starbucks experience.  She had a strawberries and cream frapp.  She LOVED it!!  The boys had a great time on a run with a running group that meets in Lake Forest.  Saturday evening we enjoyed authentic Chicago style pizza and some very yummy ice cream.  Sunday after church we went to Legoland and had lots of fun.  During our time there Phil and I weren't too sure Chloe was enjoying herself because she was tired, but she says it was her favorite part of the trip.  The ice cream was second...that's my girl!!  I will try to get some pictures of our trip up here sometime soon and I will make my best effort of keeping this updated:)

Within the past week, there have been two people who I knew in high school that faced the question of faith. Do you continue to place your faith in God, or do you walk away from a faith you have know since you were a small child? While these people aren't really a part of my life today (except through Facebook), I can remember fun times with both of them. Times that we were surrounded by our identities in Christ. One made the choice to cling to the grace that God has given her. One, we will call her Samantha to protect the innocent, chose to walk away. I guess this situation made me try to imagine my life without Christ. I can't do it. Samantha said she has never been happier in her entire life. Those words lead me to believe that she never truly knew God. Was she following the ideas and "rules" of other Christians? I guess there is only one person who can answer that question. I think of times in my life when I felt like I was at the bottom. The only reason I was able to stand back up was because God was there to lift me up. This is probably the 4th time in a week this idea of "Christian rules" has come up for me. The thing that I am realizing is, it's not about a score. It doesn't matter how many things I "get right". It's about a relationship. The things that I do after that (reading my Bible, following God's commandments, praying) are a result of that relationship. My prayer is for Samantha's daughter. I pray that God sends an amazing person to show her the true love of Christ. I also pray that the scales will be removed from Samantha's eyes. I know she feels like this is the end of this subject in her life, but I think it's just the beginning. She knows the truth, and I hope that makes it so she can't sleep at night. I pray that God grabs her heart and shows her His true self. Not the ideas other Christians have given her, but true love, grace, and acceptance. I also am praying for other friends that may be at this same place. Sometimes we don't know what is truly going on inside a person. This is my reminder. It hurts when someone turns away from God. I cannot fathom how He is feeling today.