House Renovations

So the renovations are coming along slowly but surely. I'm sorry I haven't uploaded any pictures. i will try to get them up soon. SO far we have all but 1 cabinet installed (we were missing one piece but we have it now and will be finishing this week). WE need to cut and install the counter tops. By the end of the day today we will have all electrical done, and then once the counter tops are installed we will have out appliances installed! Right now they are just sitting in the breakfast nook teasing us since we can't actually use them yet! Once everything is installed we will finish painting!! I can't wait! Pictures coming soon, but thought I would give you a quick update!

~brooke

Christmas Moola

I LOVE Christmas time, and I can feel it quickly approaching! Everything in me wants to begin decorating and shopping for gifts, especially with Jon's birthday coming up here in the next few weeks! I found this Christmas budget planner on this blog of a friends that blogs about "good deals". You should check it out! But for now I will post the budget planner - upload it and let me know if you use it and like it! I'm going to try to use it this year!

http://christmas.organizedhome.com/printable/houseworks-holiday-plan/christmas-budget

contemplation

Today I have been contemplating why becoming an electrician or plumber isn't much more prestigious. It seems to me they get paid an awful lot.

I hope my husband isn't upset with me for posting this.

Twenty-six

I CANNOT believe that I am 26. I know I am still very young, but 26 sounds so much further down the road than I feel. Maybe that is why a married a younger man ;)! But I did have a fantastic birthday! Thanks for all of those who wished me well via facebook, and who helped to make my day special!

First thing yesterday morning Jon had me open my gift from him. It was a beautiful new winter coat, and lucky for me yesterday morning it was cold enough to wear it! Jon and I actually road to church together, which we haven't gotten to do since we moved to Louisville, and he sat with me through the worship service - he is normally in the video booth - and it was so sweet! We also got to make a stop at starbucks on the way to church!

After church we went to my Grandparents house for lunch. There I opened other gifts, I got a little spending money, a few giftcards to Macy's from Jon's mom and his grandparents, and his grandparents also got me an adorable pandora bead shaped like a house in honor of Jon and I's first home!

My parents got me this incredible purse from Banana Republic! It has red interior which is adorable and it look FABULOUS with my new coat!

Once we left my grandparents Jon had a few of my closest friends waiting for us at my parents house as a surprise to me (Thanks Lindsey Poenie for helping Jon out with that one!) Lindsey, Jenna, Sarah Cress, and the Laing's. They had chocolate meringue pie from the homemade ice cream and pie kitchen, and we just hung out all afternoon!

For dinner Jon took me to my FAVORITE restaurant, Jack Frye's. It was such a fantastic Birthday! My mom is actually in Florida this week, so I did miss spending time with her, she always makes things so special, but Jon really went above and beyond! I'm so thankful for a Savior who loves me enough to provide such sweet people in my life to show me His love!

New Kitchen

For those of you who know me, you know the the kitchen is my FAVORITE room in the house. I LOVE to cook, and I just love how people congregate in the kitchen! My love for the kitchen has made the process of putting in a new kitchen so much fun! I adore our appliances and cannot WAIT to use the stove for the first time! Last night we picked out our kitchen cabinets. Once we close on Friday the order will be placed for them and we will have them in around a week. (We wanted to make sure everything goes ok with the closing before we placed the order just to be safe). So... here they are. They are not the EXACT set up that we will have of course - this is just a floor model, but this is the style of cabinets we will be getting. We will not have a Range hood like the one in the picture because we have an over the range microwave, but we will have a tall pantry like the one in the picture... So this is basically just the finish and style, but you will have to wait with us to see our set-up!

Kitchen Appliances

The day of closing is quickly approaching, and our kitchen has NO appliances, so this weekend Jon and I went and purchased our appliances. We have been shopping around for quite a bit, and ended up making our purchase at best buy believe it or not! They definitely had the "Best Buy" - ba-dum-chhh! But in all honesty, when you buy 4 appliances you get 20% off and that was right up our ally! So, with no further ado, here is what we got...


Frigidaire - 26.0 Cu. Ft. Side-by-Side Refrigerator with Thru-the-Door Ice and Water - Stainless-Steel





















Frigidaire - Gallery 30" Self-Cleaning Freestanding Gas Range - Stainless-Steel





















Frigidaire - 1.7 Cu. Ft. Over-the-Range Microwave - Stainless-Steel













Frigidaire - 24" Tall Tub Built-In Dishwasher - Stainless-Steel




















So I pretty much LOVE our appliances and can't wait for our new kitchen! We are going to look at cabinets on Tuesday! The only little glitch is that our appliances won't be delivered until November 14th - which means we will live in our home for 2 weeks with NO appliances - sounds like a lot of dinners at mom and dads!

an Update

Lost is going on in the lives of the Malko's (as always), but here are a few updates...

1. The girl's retreat went fantastically! We didn't have as many girls as I had hoped, but the ones who came were exactly who God has picked to come, and it went so very well! We had a great tim, and learned a lot in a casual laid back atmosphere! The stage set-up was adorable, and everything went as planned! One exciteing thing was, as a direct result of our weekend talking about Priceless Relationships, one High School girl asked a leader to be her mentor! Exciting stuff!

2. Lo's wedding was BEAUTIFUL! Unfortunately it did rain, so we weren't able to do it outside, but the rain plan was LOVELY! We had the ceremony and reception in the same place, and all of her fall decorations with Pumpkins, leaves, and gorgeous flowers, all in one place was stunning. Not to mention Lauren was the most breath taking bride I have ever seen! Lauren and Chad are now Mr. and Mrs. Keeling, and we couldn't be more thrilled for them! Pray for them as they are honeymooning in Cabo!

3. The inspection on our house went very well! They only found minor things that needed repairing! God is so good to us! We submitted a list of repair requests to the owner, and he agreed to ALL of them! Praise the Lord! October the 23rd is quickly approaching and we cannot wait to be home owners!

4. We are now trying to take out homeowners insurance so that we can get in the house BEFORE the 23rd and begin painting, to help the move in process go more smoothly - it will be up to the owner if he will allow us to do this or not - so you can pray about that for us as well!

Please message us and let us know how you are doing - or IF you have a blog we don't know about! Thanks for all of our readers! WE are glad you care about us and want to join us in this walk of life and faith and love!

~Brooke

Inspection Day

Today we will get the new house inspection done at 2:30. Pray Pray Pray that everything goes smoothly and there is nothing major that comes up!

Also, WHY is it so expensive to fly during the Holidays??? Seriously - the airlines should discount this time since they get all their flights booked. Looks like we'll be making the 1000 mile drive once again!

BUT it is soooooo worth it to see everyone we love in Fort Myers! Can't wait for December!

~Brooke

Life is busy

It has been so long since I have posted, but life has been so busy. This weekend I have the High School Girl's Retreat for Highview Fegenbush, and I have been so busy with the details of that. Also, my sister's wedding is next weekend, October 9th! We have had showers, and have been making plans, and are soo excited! Jon is still loving work, though he is as busy for every. He is also doing very well with his first semester back to school and is loving classes! My one class is going well also. SO all around life is good.

Jon's mom will be celebrating her birthday on Thursday, and we are so sad not to be there to celebrate with her! (But her gift is in the mail :) ) But we miss Jon's family so much, as well as all of our friends in FL. We will be going down for a visit in December and can't wait! Though we have so much to do between now and then.

We are loving the fall! It is my first fall in 3 years, and Jon's in much longer. The cool weather is so refreshing. It makes you want to be out all the time - what a reminder of God's grace in our lives as the seasons change. Can't wait to see some colorful leaves, and visit Huber's Orchard to pick some pumpkins!

We also have some BIG news. We have a house under contract! WE have come to an agreement with the owner on price, and now are just waiting for the inspection to clear so we can close! WE are so excited to purchase our first home, and we just love it! It is right off of Eastern Parkway - a great location, and it is cute as a button. All brick, with hardwood floors a separate dining room, a 2 car garage - all the things we were looking for. Also, it has an upstairs that is not yet finished as well as a basement that is finish-able. These are some long term projects that we are excited to take on! Can't wait to have you all over for dinner!

A few changes that we hope to make are to remove the awnings, add shudders, and plant some landscaping - on the outside. WE also have a porch swing we will be painting and hanging on the front porch! We can't wait to move in towards the end of October!

Pray for us as we move into this new season of owning our own home, pray for the neighbors in our new community, that we can build great relationships and be a light on Lydia Street, pray for Lauren and Chad as the are joined together in the Lord through the gift of Marriage, and for the Highview Fegenbush High School Girl's retreat - the the Lord will be brought glory, and that the hearts of the girls will be impacted for His Kingdom!

~Brooke

We made an offer

Today Jon and I made an offer on a home here in Louisville, so we thought we would share some pictures. It is a cute ranch style home built in 1958, and has only had 1 owner! The lady took impecable care of the home, and though a few things could use some updating it is totally move in ready! We are praying that the if this is the home that the Lord would have us in, and if these are the nighbors that the Lord would allow us to be a light to that the offer will go through. We will know very soon, so please join us in praying!
This is the living room, and under all the carpet is beautiful hardwood flooring that is alreay finished!

This is the view from the dining room into the living room. If you notice EVERY SINGLE room in the house is painted this same pale pink, even the baseboards are this color! haha! Task #1 (if we get this home) = new paint!

This is the kitchen. It still has the original stover from the sixties in perfect working condition.

This is the huge basement that they have "finished"! It will be a great space - there is even a little chalkboard on the wall for kids in the future :)

This is the large backyard. We would love to pour a nice big patio out here so we can enjoy the lovely weather here in Louisville!

Thanks for all of your encouragement to Jon and I, and the prayers as we venture on this new journey!

I admit it

I admit it, I am a terrible blogger, or at least I have been lately. I don't really have an excuse life has not been busier than normal. We do have some new things going on. Jon has been accepted to Boyce college to begin his bachelors (again). He will be working towards a BA in Christian Leadership with his emphasis on Church Leadership. I have also been accepted to begin my Masters degree. I will be working towards an MA in Christian Leadership with my focus on Women's Leadership. We both start classes in just a few week. Jon will be taking 3 and I will be taking just 1 to start! So pray for us as we begin this new journey attempting to be students, husband and wife, and full time employees all at once!

Another exciting thing coming up is that Jon has been asked to go to Guatemala to do some video of the mission work that our church has been doing there. He will go August 22nd - 25th with just our Senior Pastor, his son, and one other man. We just found out YESTERDAY! and the trip is in 3 weeks! But nevertheless Jon is so excited! What a great opportunity!

Well, we are loving life, praising God, and as busy as ever! We miss all of our friends and family in Fort Myers, and all over the place! We are excited for our dear friend Lindsey Poenie to be moving back to Louisville on the 15th! And we PROMISE to post some pictures this weekend!

Have a great day! :)

Sorry It's Been so long

Sorry it has been so long since the last blog update! We have had a lot going on lately - and I have a ton of pictures to post once I get them loaded in my computer! But for now here are some highlights of recent/upcoming events...

• My baby brother turned 17 - how did this happen?
• Jon and Janal Hughes came to visit
• Jon got into and out of Karting all in a 3 week time period - haha
• Jon and I are turning in our applications to both become students (again) in the fall!
• Jon's mom arrives on Thursday to visit for the weekend - a double plus - fun with Jon's mom whom we miss, and a great excuse for a 3 day weekend!
• Chad's birthday celebration is tonight at my parents house
• Today and tomorrow Jon is attending a Media Conference for those who work in churches/Christian organizations. It is called Gurus and he is having a great time so far - learning so much, networking, and getting some inspiration! A Hiatus of sorts!

So check back soon for some awesome pictures! Thanks for keeping up with us!

Fun Friday Night

Last night Jon and I had several friends over to the apartment. My sister Lauren and her fiance Chad, Lindsey Poenie, Kristy White, Lauren Farmer, and Alyssa Laing! We had a blast just hanging out and laughing at old times! I think back fondly on the college days, and miss hanging out until ridiculous hours, and studying at Java, and being around so many friends who are in the exact same life stage as myself - that in between stage - where your schedule is different ever day and more flexible than you even realize! But honestly I prefer where I am right now - I love being Jon's wife, and the keeper of our home, even the cooking and the laundry is a delight! But times like last night make me thankful for the path the Lord guided me through to get me here! I have sweet friends :)

Sweet Friend

Lindsey Poenie!

I am so excited that my dearest friend is coming in town to visit this weekend! Linds is going to be surprising her dad and brother to celebrate Father's Day and her little Bro Garrett's birthday! And lucky me - I get the joy of hanging out with her Friday Night! It has been far too long! Get excited!!!

Weekend Fun

This weekend was so much fun! The weather in Louisville was PERFECT, and Jon and I got to relax and spend time with friends and family! On Friday we went to lunch at Corbett's (see previous post), went shopping for Stew's birthday - this Thursday, got our driver's licenses changed to KY -DO NOT ask Jon about this experience, he was not a happy camper, and had our first softball game - well technically it was the third but it was our first one we were able to make. In the softball game Jon had an AMAZING catch - he was in the outfield and the bases were loaded and the score was 7 (us) to 5(them). The ball looked like it could go over the fence, but Jon jumped and caught it - much to my surprise (and his - you should have seen the look on his face - haha)! It was a fun time!

On Saturday I worked a bit and then cooked dinner at home for us. Jon went out to Charlestown IN with my dad to check out this Cart Racing thing they do out there. I think Jon may get into this hobby - in lieu of auto cross since they only meet on Sunday mornings here! I think it will be a great thing for him, my dad, bro, and whoever else wants to join them!

On Sunday we had a wonderful morning of worship at Highview! We then ate a yummy lunch of Chicken Fajitas with my family and played cornhole all afternoon. I love to play this game, and my whole family has gotten pretty good! But I must say the Ringo's came over, and Dean Ringo is a champ at cornhole! Unbeatable - at least at our house :)

Praise the Lord for beautiful weather and great fellowship!

The Perks of the Job

As the Concierge for the Seminary I have been contacting local restaurants to build relationships with them, learn their reservation and large group policies, and get copies of their menu. One of these Restaurants, Corbett's, located near the summit offered to treat me and a guest to lunch. I took Jon, and we went on Friday for lunch!I had never been to Corbett's before, and it was such a lovely place! Even though it is located in a somewhat industrial area with a branch of Norton's nearby as well as Costco, when you sit on their patio - which we did - thank you Lord for the perfect weather - you feel as though you are in the country! WE enjoyed the Prix Fixe 3 course lunch and it was fantastic. We were most impressed with the appetizer course - Jon had the Quesadilla and I had the Calamari - hands down the best Calamari I have ever had! It is a bit pricey ($20 for the lunch 3 course prix fixe and their lunch entrees are from 10-13 dollars), but well worth it! The atmosphere, service, and food itself was divine! I highly recommend it for a special date anniversary or birthday! I'm sure their dinner is fantastic also with prices ranging from $20-35. Click the link where I first mentioned Corbett's and check out their website - the pictures do not do the atmosphere justice!

We Miss Fort Myers

Since I was finally able to load all of our pictures onto my computer, I can fill all of our loyal blog readers in on the last bit of time we spent in Fort Myers... the week before the week before we moved - no I did not accidental type that twice, i really meant the week before the week before we moved - my family (minus Lo) came to visit. Here are some pictures...

Jon and I at Ichabod's

Me, Stew, and his friend Brandon

All of us to dinner at Ichabods

Stew hanging out with the Gorilla at Jungle Golf

Stew and I at Jungle golf - he wanted to drop the golf ball and try to get it in the picture - do you see it?

When my family left we got serious about moving. Saturday before Easter, Brooke and Tori spent all day at our house - the truck was mostly loaded and we were doing last minute cleaning and packing the "little" stuff - but WOW did we have a lot of little stuff! We could not have done it without them! LATE that night - like 9pm we FINALLY finished and treated them to dinner at Jason's Deli - MAN we MISS these girls!!!

Jon and I on Easter - our last Sunday @ McGregor :(

Jon enjoying his Easter bunny with his Grammy

Jon and his papa checking out the load Jon had to pull - I can't believe he drove this 1000 miles!

Jon and his papa right before we pulled out :(

Jon and I - our last few seconds @ Paseo!

We are loving Louisville, but we do miss Ft Myers, and the sunshine, and our lovely home in beautiful Paseo, and most of all our friends and family! We can't wait to visit, it couldn't come soon enough!

1 Year of Marital Bliss...

Jon and I took 2 weekends to celebrate our anniversary. On the actual day, May 16th, we just relaxed together, slept in, went to lunch, open gifts, went to see my bro dressed up for Jr. Prom, went to eat at Jack Frye's - which by the way was the ABSOLUTE BEST meal either of us had ever eaten in a restaurant! We also saw a movie - but it was boring! Here is a pic of us dressed up to go to dinner on our actual anniversary...

I got Jon a picture that he liked of me from after our wedding for his office and a subscription to car and driver magazine!

Jon got me a charm for my Pandora bracelet that is silver and gold with "M"s all over it! I love it!

This past weekend (The 22nd-24th) Jon and I went to Chicago to get away together for our anniversary! We stayed at an amazing hotel called the W Lakeshore and it was awesome! Here are some pics of our room...

There was a window that went from the bedroom to the bathroom...

And since it was our anniversary they gave us a lakeview room and breakfast vouchers... here is the view from our hotel window.

While shopping on the Magnificent Mile we found this lego store that had crazy things made completely out of legos...

Here is us in the giant bean in Millennium Park...

We also visited the Art Institute of Chicago! They had some pretty amazing works of art there that surprised us! We were able to see the American Gothic by Grant Wood, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat, and a ton of Monet's work!

Saturday Night we went to see Legally Blonde the Musical on Broadway and had SO much fun!

And our FAVORITE thing we ate all week was Portillo's Chicago Hotdogs! Yes we had Chicago Pizza, and went to a really nice place to eat before the show, but we ate here TWICE it was SOOO good!

We also visited Navy Pier

And OF COURSE we road the Ferris wheel - which we could see from our hotel window!

We had a great time! What a joy to celebrate one year of marriage to Jon! He truly is my delight :)

Reasons Why I Need My Camera Charger

1. Tomorrow is Jon and I's 1st wedding anniversary
2. Tomorrow is also my little brother's Junior Prom
3. Sunday-Tuesday Meg, Liv, and Whitney are coming to visit
4. Friday Jon and I leave for a weekend trip to Chicago to celebrate our wedding anniversary

(It would be sad not to capture this all on film....)

5. Our blog has been devoid of pictures for far to long
6. We haven't even SEEN the pictures from our move
7. Non of Jon's family, or our FL friends have seen pictures of where we live

And the list goes on....

Dear UPS

I'm sorry I wasn't home when you brought my camera charger - I didn't know it required a signature :( Please bring it back...

On the Lookout

For my camera charger! In our move from Fort Myers to Louisville we packed our camera charger - somewhere - and it is still packed - somewhere - SO.... I ordered a new one (since there in no way we can unpack all the things that are still packed into our little apartment), and it should be here TOMORROW! woohooo, which means I can FINALLY upload and post pictures from our move, PLUS use the camera again! Especially for Saturday which is our 1 year Anniversary. My how this year has flown by! So, please UPS, delivery my charger on time :)

Mother's Day

We had a great time celebrating Mother's Day yesterday! We went to church, and in church Jon's 1st video that he has made for Highview played - it was a video interview of 2 families in our church who are going through/have gone through the adoption process. It was wonderful! (Mom cried and I was close). Dr. Moore delivered a powerful message on adoption, but vertical and horizontal. We were challenged to not keep reaching back to the orphanage (the world) but to remember that we were adopted - past tense - and we are now sons and heirs, living for the inheritance that is promised us.

After church we went to my parent's house for lunch. My grandparents, and my dad's sister and her family came over. We had a yummy lunch of lasagna, bruchetta, and salad followed by wonderful desserts (Cherry Delight, Beatty's Chocolate cake - thank you Ina, and Strawberry cake). Then we played Cornhole in the backyard and just enjoyed the day. I had never played cornhole before and it was so much fun!

For Mother's day this year we got my mom, Jon's mom, and Jon's grandmother Pandora bracelets (well my dad actually got my mom the bracelet so we just got her a charm). I love my Pandora Bracelet - it is a new kind of charm bracelet where you add beads that actually slide onto the bracelet. Here are the charms we got the mothers in our lives.... (Jon's mom's first, then Jon's Grammy's, then my mom's)

Chicago Bound

To celebrate our one year anniversary, Which is UNBELIEVABLY on May 16th (I just cannot believe it has happened so quickly), Jon and I will be spending a weekend in Chicago. We will actually be going the weekend following our anniversary because there is a convention happening in Chicago, for what we are unsure, but it has made it quite difficult to acquire a hotel room that is affordable, but none the less we are excited! We will be staying at "The W Hotel Lakeshore" and while we are there we will be seeing "Legally Blonde" the musical, on Broadway while we are there. We are very much looking forward to our trip. If any of you have suggestions of restaurants, or sights to see while we are there let us know!

Getting Settled

It has been far too long since we have blogged, so I will give you an update on the settling process.

Jon and I are "in" our home, and it is close to being finished - we still just have to hang a few pictures and the curtains. It is soooo much smaller than our first home, so unpacking was a chore just trying to get everything to fit. We ended up leaving a lot of things packed for the next move - we are no anxious for that at all! We love the area we live in. We actually walked to dinner the other night, and have walked to the grocery store! We live close to our jobs, to my parents, and to lots of shops and restaurants - which is fun!

On the job front - Jon started Monday at Highview, and is still aching to get started! The first week has been a lot of meetings, a lot of prep work, and a lot of ordering equipment, and once the equipment gets in he will probably be busier than we anticipate. I have also found a job here in Louisville, which I started on Monday. God has had his hand in our move so much I cannot even explain it all, but here is the short version... I was riding around Thursday looking for a job when I got a call from the Southern Baptist Seminary saying that a friend, Dan Dewitt, had recommended me for a job as "Concierge" to the new welcome center called the "Sesquicentennial Pavilion". I went in to interview Friday, and then for a second interview Monday. They called Monday night and offered me the job, and asked me to start on Tuesday. Needless to say it all happened very fast, but the job is fantastic, and I love it! Plus the benefits are amazing - Jon will get to go to school at Boyce for free, and I will probably start my Master's degree - very slowly- for free!

We miss Fort Myers so much, our Family and friends, and church, but God continues to show himself faithful in more ways than I can type :) We are so glad to be following His plan!

I will post pictures as soon as I can find my camera charger (or buy a new one)!

Upcoming Events in the Life of the Malko's

Life has been so busy lately that I wonder how it can get much busier, but I know it will! Jon and I are excited that my family (minus Lauren) will be coming to visit on Saturday. It is Stewart's spring break, and my parents are bringing him with his friend Brandon, not to mention it is their last chance to come to our Florida home! Jon and I both have 1 more week of work left as of today, and then we pack for a whole week. I still have to admit that this all seems more like something we are just talking about than something that is actually going to come to fruition! Keep my family in your prayers as they drive through the night on Friday! Pictures will come soon!

Change of Plans

So... one thing I have learned with this move is that we HAVE to be flexible! Unfortunately the landlord of that cute house in the previous post went back on some of the agreements we had made, so Jon and I are actually going to move into a different place. It is still an adorable condo, with a cute courtyard, hardwood floors, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and a large eat in kitchen (no dining room). But it is really cute - I don't have a pic for now - but we will soon.

Other progress made: Got a new bank account @ Chase, and have our Penske truck reserved!

Thanks for your prayers - keep em up!

The BIG Move

So Jon and are are getting very excited details of the move solidify. This weekend I went to Louisville to find a home for us. We have decided to rent at first, so to not make a hasty decision buying, and to get financially settled at our new jobs. The difficult part was that we wanted to get a 6 month lease, so that we will be able to buy soon! I looked at SOOOO many places, and finally stumbled onto a little jewel in the Highlands. It is on Wrocklage, which is right across for the Kroger in the Highlands. It is a duplex, and Jon and I will be living on the first floor. It is so cute with hardwoods throughout - 2 bedroom, 1 bath, and we love it :) Here is a picture of the outside, and I will post more of the inside once we fill it with our things!

I had such a great time in Louisville visiting family and friends. I got to spend some quality time with everyone in my family individually, and with a few friends as well! Needless to say, I am glad to be back with my husband :) but this trip made the move seem even more realistic, and I am excited now :) It is coming so fast. My dad, mom, brother, and his friend Brandon will all be visiting Fort Myers in a week and a half for Stewart's spring break, which will make our time left here fly by. Pray for us as we make this transition!

Wordle

I've been seeing these on other blogs, and I thought they were pretty cool. You can enter your blog url and wordle will create one based on the words you have used in your blog! Try it for yourself @ wordle.net

You can click the image to make it bigger.

Change...

Jon and I are preparing to make a big change in our lives over the next few months...

A little Background: For the past 2 years Jon has been praying for opportunity to use his gifts and talents (as a video producer) to glorify the Lord and advance God's kingdom. He has volunteered his services many times in the church - and these times were some of the most fulfilling work he has ever done! I see him light up when he has the opportunity to use the creative talent that the Lord gave him to encourage believers and to see the gospel proclaimed! About a year ago Jon felt a strong calling to use these gifts in full time ministry. Over the past year the Lord had begin to develop so many ideas in Jon's mind of how video - a great means of communication in today's society - could be redeemed to reach the world with the message of the cross! Jon sought advice from older men in his life of the best way to pursue this, and through prayer and God's Word Jon knew that the best way would be to partner with a local church family. Jon began to look for churches that had this same desire, and were ready to take the next step, but there appeared to be no open doors. He and I continued to pray, but with an understanding that we were going to do all that we could to be faithful this day until the Lord brought an opportunity to us. Our specific prayer was that "If and When the Lord wanted Jon to use his gift in full time service that the Lord would open the door and we would gladly walk through it". We continued to serve faithfully here, not putting that desire aside, but trusting the Lords timing.

Fast Forward to Semi-present: About 6 weeks ago, Jon got back in touch with a church that he had talked with a year ago who had the vision to use Video Ministry int heir church, but was not quite ready to hire someone for the position. They were ready! And interviewing about 20 people. Jon and I began to pray that the Lord would put His Man in this position - whomever that may be. Jon began to go through the interview process, mostly over the phone since we were 1000 miles away! Honestly, the interview process was hard - we were very uncertain, there were times of discouragement, but our prayer became "Lord, if this is not where you want us please close the door and we will be content"; We had to lay our desires at the foot of the cross and trust the Lord! A little over 2 weeks ago this church flew Jon up to meet with the staff to see if Jon would fit as a part of the ministry team. On Jon's trip he was extremely encouraged - He was blown away by the focus this church staff had on reaching people for Christ - their dreams of a Video Ministry lined up with exactly what we had been praying for for over a year! At the end of Jon's time this church offered Jon a position to be the "Director of Video Production" We were thrilled! Jon came home, and we prayed, mostly thanking the Lord for his faithfulness, and graciously accepted the position the following day!

The Future: My last day at work at McGregor will be April 2nd. This is a bittersweet time for use right now. Fort Myers has truly become our home. Our entire dating relationship, engagement, and marriage has been here. We have made life long friends here, especially over the past 4 months in our Sunday School Class! Jon's family is here. We love the High School Student Ministry, and it is breaking our hearts to leave these students, but Ultimately we know that the best place to be is exactly where the Lord leads you. And we have full confidence that this opportunity is from the Lord! So, in mid-April we will be packing up and moving to..... LOUISVILLE! Jon's Position is at Highview Baptist Church - which many of you know is my home church. Once again, God is so faithful to give us exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine! Jon and I would have gone ANYWHERE that they Lord called us - what a blessing to go to a place where we already have family and friends!

Please pray for us as we began this new season of our lives - serving full time in ministry, picking up our lives and moving 1000 miles away. We are so anxious to see what the Lord has in store!

Underground and some big life changes

UNDERGROUND WEEKEND 2009 begins TOMORROW! I can't believe it is here already! For those of you who do not live in Fort Myers, Underground Weekend is a discipleship weekend for the students at McGregor Baptist Church. This year our very own Pastor will be bringing the Word, and a band from Mississippi called "Liberty" will be leading us in worship! It is going to be an incredible weekend with about 150 people participating in some way shape or form! Pray that the Lord already begins to work in the hearts of all those involved, and that His name will be lifted High all weekend! I can't wait to see all of the life change that the Lord does this weekend! Jon will be staying at the church with the High School Guys - leading a small group of 11th graders. I will being doing a lot of Administrative stuff - making sure everyone is where they are supposed to be and have what they need. I will also be bouncing from house to house - spending time with all of our amazing High School Ladies! We are both very excited!

As for the BIG LIFE CHANGES taking place soon in the life of the Malko's, I will save that for next post ;) - which will most likely be the beginning of next week - Stay tuned!

Valentine's Day

Jon and I had a wonderful Valentine's Day together - our first as Mr & Mrs. Our plans were to go to the beach and rent jet ski's, but when we arrived at the beach it was as if a cloud had planted itself right on the island! We decided that we would rather rent jet ski's on a sunny day, so we turned around and went back to our community pool where it was beautiful and sunny! We had our picnic lunch there and just relaxed in the sun all day. That night we went to dinner at Outback, and went to see the movie Taken which we highly recommend! It was a fantastic day, and such a blessing to spend it with my wonderfully sweet and attentive husband! I simply adore him :) Here are a few pictures from the day....

Before we headed to the beach (and then back home :))

Our picnic lunch - chicken sandwiches, chips, carrots, cantaloupe, and water - ohh and of course cookies for Jon.

Me excited for our day

Jon excited to be driving haha

At dinner @ Outback