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!