Life As a Social Worker (Part 2)

Now that I have explained my faith, I can explain how I view my job as a social worker a little bit better.

When I think about my job, a million and one things start rolling around in my head. To help with understanding, I have organized my thoughts about my job into some recurring themes.

1)   I could not do this job if I were not a believer.

The biggest thing I have learned in this job is that I could not function one single day as a social worker if I did not believe in Jesus Christ as my savior. On a daily basis as a social worker, you are asked to make huge decisions for families and often in high pressure and stressful environments. You have to make decisions fast and sometimes you wonder if those decisions are the best for families. The Lord has taught me something invaluable at this job: I am not big enough to mess up another’s life. I used to go home at the end of the day and really think about things and mull over situations in my head, wondering if I have done something wrong for a family and made the wrong choice. In the end, the Lord has shown me that he is the author of all and the King of the universe. The Lord is a God of big details and small and nothing goes unnoticed by him. The Lord has taught me that he has a plan for each of my families, and that I am not big enough to mess that plan up. My life and this world are all for his glory anyways. This does not take away the responsibility of me doing the absolute best I can for my families, but I have found that I am able to give to the Lord the burden of wondering if I have done something wrong. I can’t mess up a decision: the Lord has it under control.

2)   I have to remember that I am working with extreme cases, and see it as a ministry.

Working for OCS, our department get thousands of reports of abuse or harm on a child per year. Those reports get investigated and when absolutely necessary, a child is taken out of his or her parent’s home. I have come to know and try to remember that I am working with extreme cases. I have to remind myself that there are good, loving, and wonderful parents out there who care about their children and also remember that I serve a loving Father in heaven. Most often, I am working with parents who have mental health issues or substance abuse addiction (drugs or alcohol). I look on my families with compassion because I realize Satan has a grip on them. Addiction is powerful, and I know that the “case plans” I develop are not what will really help my families. What they need is the gospel. I see my job as a ministry: I want to show as much love, hope, joy, and compassion as I can to them because I want them to see Christ in me. Working for the state limits my ability to share the gospel in words, but I want the way that I treat my families to make a difference for eternity. I find myself praying for them as I talk to them, asking God to save them. Prayer has also helped me find peace in some very crazy situations. “God is our refuge and strength, a VERY PRESENT HELP in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 This is truth.

3)   I have to separate work in my mind.

Something that has helped me in this job is taking steps to really separate my work life from my personal life. It is extremely necessary in this job. I do not think I would have made it this long in the job if I weren’t for the ability to separate work and personal. This job is demanding: you can never, ever do enough in this job. You will never get everything done that you want to. A common problem I see in my job is that caseworkers are given an extremely high number of cases. Because of this, I struggle to find the time I need to devote to each family which adds worry and stress to my job as I want to provide the best possible service I can to families. I have had to develop the ability to take lunches, leave work at 4:30 PM and not work overtime if I can help it, and take vacations. You have to give your body, soul, and mind the opportunity to rest because this job demands everything from you: emotionally, mentally, physically. It is very taxing and breaks are much needed.

4)   This job has stirred in me a heart for foster care and adoption.

I believe that one reason the Lord has me in this job is that he is preparing in me what he wants to use me for in the future: foster care and adoption. I know that because I have been a social worker and seen what happens behind the scenes, I will be better prepared as a foster parent and adoptive parent. Tony and I have talked about potentially fostering and adopting in the future and we both feel the Lord calling us to that ministry. I believe that more Christian families should adopt. Adoption is a picture of the gospel: by no merit or working of our own, we were chosen by the Lord to become his children. It is a beautiful picture: children need families that can love, cherish, and keep them safe.

“For he chose us in him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” Ephesians 1:4-5

I encourage you to consider foster care and adoption. This is true in my job: there are not enough families for children who need safe homes. All you need is a heart for kids. I can’t wait for the day that Tony and I can invite a little child into our home who needs a family.

5)   I find that my biggest frustrations are not with my families, but when the government system fails.

You may think that the hardest part about my job would be the cases I get: stories of abuse and neglect and broken families. This IS a very difficult part of my job. Often times, my families are very hostile to me and do not want to admit that they have a problem. It is heartbreaking to see parents who do no want to parent and may say they love their children, but put their addiction first. However, to me, this has not been among my biggest frustrations. Because I know the gospel, I feel compassion towards my parents. They are lost and in need of Christ. To me, what has been frustrating is when the system fails. Let me explain further. So, I am asked to write a case plan for each of my families. Part of my job is to develop a case plan that works for my families to get them to the point where they can be safe families. A difficult part is that I have to balance between what works for the families and what the court/ attorneys ask me to put in case plans to ensure families are safe. For example, often, we ask our families to go to treatment for their addictions. Treatment can be thousands of dollars. Families can choose to try other (cheaper) methods of treatment but often times they do not work. Paperwork also frustrates me in this job. It is a huge piece of this job and necessary, but often times documentation and administrative work takes away from the time I could be spending with my families. As a dreamer and creative solution seeker, I try to find the best possible solutions for my families but sometimes I do feel that what the system requires of me can get in the way of my case planning with families.

6)   We are all sinners and none more righteous than another.

This job has shown me how broken the world is. It is definitely a wake up call job. I have seen horrific situations and tragic things happen to children. It is easy to blame parents. Often times, however, I have seen that my parents come from homes where they were in foster care themselves because their families could not safely care for them. There is this perpetual generational sin that I see happens. Alcoholism and drug addiction are passed down from one generation to another and children never get to see parenting as it should be. I have had to realize over and over again that sin is sin and we are all sinners. I am no better than my families who have abused or neglected children. We all desperately need Christ. No one is more righteous than another. This leads me to act compassionately towards my families.

7)   I know the Lord has me here for a reason.

This is a lesson I am taught every day. I see that the Lord has put me in this job for a reason. There are days where people will cuss at me or yell at me. There are days where my families will cry, ask desperately for help, or plead with me. Every single day is an opportunity to heap endless love, grace, and forgiveness on broken and lost people. My families come to me humbled. To get to a point where your children have to be taken away is humiliating. I know the Lord is using me. My families come to me when they are homeless, hurting, addicted, broken down, beat up, and filled with fear and anxiety. What I can offer them is Christ. I aim to treat my families with a forgiving and loving attitude. In the end, we are all in desperate need of a Savior. I cannot save them, but I can show them through my actions and compassionate heart that there is more to this world than the life they have lived without a Savior.

These points sum up my biggest views about my job. There is so much more to talk about, but I find myself dwelling on these thoughts most often. Thank you for taking the time to read the musings of a social worker driven by Christ. I pray my writings point to His saving grace.

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Saved By Grace: A Salvation Story

So, in my last post I described my job a little bit and what life as a social worker looks like broken down into a daily basis.

I wanted to take some time to reflect a little more personally on what I do. But first, I can’t go on unless I tell you a little about my story with Jesus Christ and how my life has changed because of the Lord’s saving grace. A pause needs to be had so you can know a little more where I am coming from.

Let me tell you a little bit about my salvation story. When I was in 8^th grade around springtime, my family found out that my dad had stage 4 cancer, which means that the cancer had been caught too late and had spread to other organs up to an un=treatable point. At this point, my parents sat down and explained to us that my Dad had cancer and that they were going to do what they could to stop it, but things didn’t look good. About 2 weeks later, my dad took his own life. I believe that my father did not want my mother, my sister, and I to see him go through cancer and slowly die.

I struggled with his decision. At first, after my father died, it was very surreal and just felt like he was on vacation and would come home. Soon, it began to sink in and I just felt sick with grief. I needed my Dad. I miss him. I love him. Later, I felt anger at God over what happened and angry with my Dad for the decision he made. Around the angry stage, I was at a friend’s house in New Mexico and I went outside by the river. I just began to weep and weep and beg God to show me He was real. I poured out my heart towards God and told him how angry I was and that I didn’t understand why this had to happen to my family. I cried for hours, just yelling at God and listening to the river. At one point, I felt a tight squeeze around my body, as if there was an angel or as if God himself was wrapping his arms in comfort around me. It was a reminder, a sign. I will never forget that moment. As I slowly let out my feelings, I felt an unbelievable amount of love, peace, and hope begin to flood my body and soul. I felt as if a weight was being lifted off of my shoulders.

I cried out to God that I wanted to believe in his son Jesus, and I felt with everything in me that my whole life had changed. It was then that I believed in Jesus and wanted to have a relationship with Him. I had heard the gospel before but this was different. I wanted to know him for myself; I felt his comfort surround me in love. I felt his love for me, His child. I grew up Catholic and was raised in the Catholic Church. After this experience in 8^th grade, I had such a hunger for the Word and longing for the truth. I grew in my understanding of the gospel and wanted Jesus so much. The Lord blessed me with friendships and a group of girls that would walk in faith in Jesus with me. I am so thankful for my friends Mandy, Lindsay, Hillary, and Elizabeth who I feel walked with me as I began to grow in my faith in the Lord. Community in faith is so important. Off and on, I would go back to Catholic Church with my mom or the Baptist church with my friends or to non- denominational churches. The denomination didn’t matter; I knew one thing: I loved Jesus, wanted a relationship with him and was saved by grace with no doing of my own. I see now in my life that the Lord has perfect timing and is so, so good in his grace. I see that my father had his time on earth and the Lord used his death to bring me closer to Himself; that I would know my father in Heaven and have eternal life with Jesus. My heart had exploded for the Lord. My anger and hurt at my earthly father had turned into an overflowing of love for my heavenly Father in whom I found great rest for my soul.

“Come to me all who are weary and heavy- burdened and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

God gives rest to hurting souls. This is a truth I know personally.

Here’s the gospel, in case you haven’t heard. You’re a sinner. Yep, you think you are your own God, you think you can run your own life, you think you got it all going on and you don’t. Trust me, when you lose someone close to you as I did, it becomes clear: you don’t get to choose the course of your life. There’s something bigger going on. A greater power that is in control (and I'm so glad). Our lives are made, designed, planned at the beginning of time to serve one purpose and one purpose alone: to give glory to the God of the universe who reigns sovereign over our life. If you haven’t had a wake up call, you will, don’t worry. You will fail the one test that would get you into the school you wanted to go to and get you to the career you wanted. The person you always thought you would marry might break up with you, someone close to you might die, you might not be the person you always thought you would be. That’s because you aren’t the person in control here; God is.

We are sinners who every day want evil. We are selfish, self centered, self-focused, self indulgent, selfish selfish people. We are not good people. Just look at children, little toddlers. No one teaches them to be evil, they are born with it. We all are. Our hearts want nothing but evil. And we can never be “good” or ever “good enough” on our own. If we just keep on going on with life and never see our own sin and need for Jesus, we will spend eternity in Hell. That’s why we need God. Sweet, sweet Lord. A Father who loves us so much that he sent his own precious son to die for our sins. If this doesn’t make much sense to you, it’s like this. We need a bridge to God because He good. We can’t get to God on our own. Because God is good, he cannot accept sin. We can never be righteous enough. So, Jesus stepped in as a bridge between God and us. He wants us to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. He offered his life as a sacrifice so that we can be with God, in a relationship forever.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

A true understanding of the gospel brings so much joy because there is no way to “earn” salvation or “earn” a relationship with Christ. It is given freely, and it is a gift in the truest sense. One that you could never repay.

I found in my life that after I was saved, I had so much more joy. Even in the midst of a season marked by my father’s death, I found joy because I knew Christ and I knew that my life had been changed for eternity. My soul was saved! When I say saved, I was saved from darkness, saved from eternity in Hell. I love this picture (and it is a realistic picture): it is as if I was dead with no breath in me and the Lord breathed sweet life into me.

It is so true- I was dead in my sin and now walk in the light of life, true life, one that is lived for Him and for his glory.

“This is what God the Lord says- he who created the heavens and stretched them out; who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it.” Isaiah 42:5

This is my salvation story. How my Father in heaven looked down on me with unbelievable grace and saved me from eternity and darkness and called me to life in Him. How the horrific nightmare and tragedy of losing a Father at a young age can turn into a beautiful picture of the Lord’s sovereignty, his beautiful plan that is coming into place long before I was here on earth to bring the Lord glory.

May this story point you towards Christ. It is about the Lord and not me. It's HIS story. My hope is that you can see the Lord in my life and also that you can see Christ in all parts of my life, including my work as social worker. Because your whole life changes when you know Jesus. And this makes my approach different than others.

Merry Christmas today! Praise God from whom all blessings flow, He gifted us with a Savior in whom rich, true life is offered.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

Footnote #1: As a footnote, if you want to know more about the gospel, please send me a facebook message (Anna Luiken) or comment below. Christ is my life and I want you to know him too.

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Life As a Social Worker (Part 1)

Last January, I started working for the State of Alaska as a Children’s Service Specialist which means that I am doing social work for the state. I wanted to take some time to reflect on my experience so far and what life is like through the eyes of a social worker.

The dictionary defines social work as organized work directed toward the betterment of social conditions in the community, as by seeking to improve the condition of the poor, to promote the welfare of children, etc.

Social work had its beginnings in the social and economic upheaval in the time of the Industrial Revolution, in particular the struggle of society to deal with poverty and its problems. Today, you can find social workers in hospitals, schools, mental health clinics, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and private or non-profit agencies such as agencies directed towards working the special needs population or adoption agencies.

I work for what in other states would be called Child Protective Services (CPS). In Alaska, it is called the Office of Children’s Services (OCS) and is under the Department of Health and Social Services. Although I have a teaching degree and did not get my bachelor’s in social work, Alaska has a more open philosophy as to who they hire in the field. I work alongside those that have gotten a social work degree but I am called a “Children’s Service Specialist.”

My Office Building

When I started working at OCS, I began by starting with about 2 months of training. Four of those weeks I spent in a building learning about case planning and what to expect at the job. For the rest of the weeks, I was observing and going out with other workers to ask questions and being to see how different workers handled situations and what the job is like.

To explain my job in even further detail, the Office of Children’s Services in Alaska is broken down into different departments. The motto of our office is “Safe Children, Strong Families.” Our intake department takes reports of harm against children from the community. Concerned citizens can call our office, or fax or email, reports of harm. Those intake reports are developed into protective services reports and sent to an “Initial Assessment” worker. Basically, these workers investigate reports of harm against children (can be aged 0-18 and after 18 is sent to the Adult Protective Services). Initial Assessment workers will go out and begin interviewing alleged victims and alleged “abusers” (or “perpetuators”) and begin to ask questions about the event or what was reported. Reports often come from police or schools but can often come from concerned family or friends as well.

Initial Assessment workers must take the time to get to know the family and find out whether the allegation is true or not. These workers must gain collateral for their investigation. They will interview teachers, family members, nurses, doctors, neighbors, or anyone else that can give information as to an event of harm. The worker then talks with their supervisor and if they believe a child has been harmed, they will hold a meeting to discuss this with the family, the department, and anyone else who wishes to join. A petition for custody of a child may be developed, or depending on the situation, the worker may refer the family to our in-home services department which would work with the family and the child would stay in the home.

After 30 days, the case (cases are families whose children we are working with) will be transferred to the Family Services Department, which is where I work. As a Family Services worker, my job is to work with families through the life of a case. My first job is to do what I can to help a parent reunify with their child. At the point that I am working with the family, it has been deemed necessary that a child is unsafe to be in the home of their caretaker and the child is placed in the home of a foster parent, or if possible, a relative or family friend. I work with families on a daily basis by referring them to services to meet their needs and help them overcome what we call “safety threats” that have made them unsafe parents. Safety threats, for example, could be that they are unable to control their behavior (possibly substance abuse or addiction), that the parent is not realistic about the child’s needs, or maybe that the parents is unable to put the child’s needs above their own. The important thing about safety threats are that they revolve around a person’s behavior and not just something you can see on the outside. For example, a safety threat cannot just be drug or alcohol use. A parent can still be a safe parent if they find a sober caregiver to care for their child when they use substances. If a parent cannot overcome the safety threats and change the behaviors that make them unsafe, part of my job is to plan for a child to be adopted into another family. The federal government places guidelines on children who come into the custody of the state. By 18 months, a child must be in a permanent home. This is so that children do not linger in the system without a permanent caregiver to meet their needs. By 18 months, a parent must have changed their behavior and worked a “case plan” or it is my job to ensure that a child has a permanent home.

So how does my job break down into daily tasks? This is what I do on a daily basis:

1)   Home Visits (with Children and Foster Families)

I am required to see every child on my “caseload” every month. This means that I call every foster family every month and schedule a time to see the child. I can also see the child at school. This can be challenging. Some caseworkers have up to 30 cases (translation: this means seeing a child a day). Right now, I only have 13 cases which is manageable but still difficult with all the other tasks we are required to do. I typically schedule an hour per home visit. This is when I take the time to talk to the child, if they are old enough, about how they are doing. I will ask if they feel safe in the home they are in now. Many foster parents can also be abusive and it is important to maintain that each child is safe. I also take time to talk to the child or foster parent about the child’s well being: how are they doing mentally, behaviorally, physically, and in school? I have to make sure that my kiddos are getting seen by the dentist, doctor, or other specialists as needed. I have to make sure there mental health needs are taken care of. Many children that come into custody have emotional trauma and will need to see a counselor, psychiatrist, or psychologist to ensure that they are diagnosed properly and are healthy mentally and emotionally. I also take this time to talk to the foster parents. How are they doing with the child in their home? Are they bonding? Do they have any reports to give me about the parents? Foster parents have the option of working with the child’s parents. This means they can coordinate visits for the child to see their parents, phone calls, etc. Some foster parents are relatives (for example, a child will sometimes live with their aunt, uncle, or grandparent). Sometimes these relatives can report to me how they parents are doing if the parents are not in contact with me. They may be able to tell me where they are, what they are doing, or whether or not they have seen the child recently. A big piece of home visits is ensuring that the foster parent and child are a good fit together. Some foster parents, while committed to the child, may not be the best fit for a child. I have to ensure that each child is in the best home possible and in a safe home.

2)   Case Planning Visits with Parents (or Caretakers)

Another piece of my job is meeting with the parents (or caretakers) that we have removed the children from. This involves talking with the parents about the reason that we have decided to take custody of their child and how we can work together to help them reunify with their child. Every case is so different, and every family deals with the stress and trauma of the child being removed in different ways. Some parents are in denial and do not want to face the issues. Some parents want to put on a good face and will meet with me but then go out and act completely different. Some parents work actively on their case plan and want to do anything they can to get their children back. Case planning meetings typically involve talking about how I can connect my parents to services that help them meet their needs. For example, for a parent who struggles with using drugs or alcohol, a referral to a treatment facility may be needed. There are agencies that work with families on domestic violence, sexual abuse education, anger management, and more. My job is talk with parents about what they think needs to change, what I think needs to change, and talking about agencies that can help them get there if possible.

3)   Family Contact

Another piece of my job is ensuring that children are seeing their parents. I have to develop a family contact plan for each of my children. With 13 families, this can be struggle. We have what is called “Social Services Associates” who help watch children but we have limited staff. Often, it is my job to refer to other agencies who can supervises visits with parents and children or relatives or foster families who can coordinate those visits as well. At the beginning of a case, we have to supervise visits with parents and children to ensure a child’s safety. Sometimes, we can move to a child going out with a parent that we have removed a child from and the visit can be unsupervised by another.

4)   Court Proceedings

A big part of my job is being involved with the court system. This involves attending court hearings or trials, writing reports to the court in regards to how the families are doing, communicating with attorneys for the state and for the parents, and testifying in court as to my work with families. It can be scary at times, but I have found it easier the longer I am in the job.

The Anchorage Courthouse Building

5)   Administrative

A boring part of my job, but a huge part, is answering emails and phone calls. We get an endless daily amount of emails and phone calls from all of the people we work with: biological parents, foster families, the child (if they are older), schools, doctors, attorneys, agencies working with the child (such as mental health agencies or special needs agencies), inter-department calls and emails such as from my supervisors or upper management, etc. It can be extremely exhausting simply handling emails and phone calls.

My Desk At Work- Organization is key to making it through the day :)

6)   Documentation

In working for the state, it is important for me to document EVERYTHING. I have to document every single home visit, case planning visit, phone call, or work I do towards a case such as calling a family to search for a relative, etc. It takes much time to type up every documentation, but it is important for the court to see that a social worker is documenting their efforts towards working with a family.

7)   Referrals

I also work with other agencies in Anchorage, AK. For example, in Alaska, the state is able to license foster families but there are 2 other agencies that license families as well. Denali Family Services and Alaska Children’s Services are two organizations that are able to license foster families. We work with those agencies. We also work with facilities that a child may need to go to because of their mental health needs. We call these facilities “residential treatment facilities.” Some children need to be placed in a facility with trained staff that are able to meet their needs for example, if a child is suicidal, extremely depressed, bi-polar, self-harming, a runaway, or aggressive. It is hard to find a foster home to take a child who may have these extreme behaviors and it may also be unsafe for a child to be in a foster home until they are ready for a home environment. I spend time talking with these agencies and making referrals on a child’s behalf. In addition, I will make referrals to agencies to help the parents such as treatment for drug or alcohol abuse, parenting classes, anger management or domestic violence classes, etc. Often times, this involves 15-20 page packets that I have to fill out answering questions about my families. It’s a lot and its time consuming.

8)   Tribal Work

Alaska is a very unique place to work in that we work with a huge population of Alaska Native families. To those that are unfamiliar with Alaska, these are families that are native Alaskans and can come from a Native tribal background. It would take much too long to go into detail about all that we do when we work with Alaska Native families but a huge part of my work involves working with these tribes to ensure that a child is staying culturally connected to their tribe or making sure that they tribe is aware of a family and connected with the families we are working with. Tribes can intervene on behalf of a family in court and request a hearing or a trial for a specific reason.

Bonus: the view is beautiful from the courthouse

I wanted to take some time to talk about my job. Social work is a very often misunderstood field. People don’t know what it would be like to work for a place like CPS. This is part 1 of my story: the simple outline of what I do daily. Part 2 will be my personal beliefs about my work, incorporating my belief in Jesus Christ as my Savior and how that effects my work with families. In addition, I’d like to write in the future about the things I see every day that have affected me personally and have forever changed me.

I hope this gives you more insight as to what I do! Thanks for taking the time to hear about my job.

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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

The holiday season is here and I have been SO ready! Since October, I have been ready to kick Christmas into gear. We've got the Christmas tree up, sent out the Christmas cards, and did some Black Friday shopping for the fam.

My take: Wal- Mart is worth it! Tony and I bought an early Christmas present for ourselves: a Wii for only $89! Amazing. And the lines were not that bad!

Thanksgiving was a restful delight. We enjoyed SMOKED turkey (YUM!), all the fixings, and more pie than I should ever have ate. 

Tony and I are getting excited to take our 2 week Christmas vacation to Texas for some good family time. 3.. more... weekss.. we can make it.. I know we can!

I am so excited about this season to focus on Christ, our savior, in whom is our righteousness.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

A glimpse into our holiday season so far:

Got the Christmas tree up!

Christmas Cards already in the mail :)

Stockings up!

Got all the best Christmas movies out and ready to watch!

Kitchen is Christmasy :)

Decorated the apartment!

Bought a Wii on sale for Black Friday Woo Hoo!

YUM. Thanksgiving was amazing.

Had a wonderful time with Tony's family in their home in Anchorage :)

Lord, I am so thankful for the many blessings in my life. 

Made a caramel apple snickers salad. SO GOOD.

Ingredients: 8 oz cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 12 oz Cool Whip, 6 snickers bars, 4-6 granny smith apples. Mix it all up and add caramel sauce. YUM. Don't make the night before or it gets runny. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

Bourbon Pecan Pie. YES. Recipe here: http://southernfood.about.com/od/kentuckyrecipes/r/bl00227c.htm

Stuck on gingerbreads this holiday season. Love these little guys!

Got a real evergreen wreath.. smells like heaven!

More cookie making will of course be happening.

Wishing you a season of joy and blessings! Merry Christmas :) 

May all the glory be to Christ alone.

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Happy Halloween!

 Fall is in the air and I love it! 

I took some ideas from Pinterest and have been getting so excited about fall ideas: how to decorate, eat, party, and fall in love with fall :)

Spider snacks :) sprinkledwithflour.com

Owl printable! bhg.com

Oh, pumpkins, how I love thee!

A candy corn mix similar to the one I posted earlier! Yummy.

For recipe: scrambledhenfruit.blogspot.com

Amazing. Pumpkin Cake. noblepig.com

Halloween Party Ideas! onecharmingparty.com

Fall Decor for your living room!

Wee little pumpkins.

Decorate with orange of course!

LOVE fall wreaths :)

Drill holes in pumpkins!

Love this wreath and its fall colors!

PUMPKIN DONUTS. Need I say more? 

at-altitude.com

Go to: http://pinterest.com/annamkelley/holiday/ for more fall ideas and how to's!

Wishing you an amazing fall and Happy Halloween!

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10 Date Night Ideas

I got inspired to write about some great date night ideas! Marriage is such a sweet blessing and gift and I love going on date nights with my love :) Date nights are a necessary way to continue getting to know each other and be intentional about knowing what is going on emotionally with your spouse.

Date nights can be such a blast and a super fun way to change things up and get out of your routine! These date nights could be fun if you have been married 50 years or 5. Men should never stop pursuing their wives and wives, you should never stop being pursuable. 

Open your mind up to some date night fun! 

Pick one of these ideas and just go with it :)

Cheap (er) Ideas:

1. Vacation At Home

One day last winter, Tony and I were bummed out because we felt a little trapped indoors and it was snowy outside. So we made a vacation at home! We made Mai Tais and I put on a dress and Tony put on his Hawaiian shirt. We made fish tacos and then watched 50 first dates to remind us of our honeymoon in Hawaii! You could have a "vacation" of any type, though. You could have an Italian vacation with a nice wine and watch Roman Holiday. Be creative!

A fun idea to try on this date night:

One person describes a vacation they want to go on: waking up, the smells that are outside, breakfast they eat, the activities you could do, and slowly give more hints until the other person can guess the location. Then you switch!

2. Camping

Okay, so we live in Alaska. Yes, camping comes pretty easy for us since there a zillion GORGEOUS places to snuggle up in a tent together :)

But, I promise you can do this anywhere! You have to do the classic camping activities: pitch a tent, buy hot dogs (and chil if you want!), s'mores, take a hike, tell stories to each other! Tony and I love our hammock and we bring it everywhere. You can bring a book and read to each other in the hammock. You can also go camping in your living room too! 

3. Picnic in the Park

Make some sandwiches, or bring a thermos with some warm soup and had to the park! You can go for a walk, snuggle up in a blanket and read, or just people watch.

Or, like Tony and I, you can get a hammock and and snuggle in the hammock!

4. Game Night

Show your competitive side and get out the games! Tony and I have played: Monopoly, Poker, Settlers of Catan, War, and other card games!

I also like the Apps on my phone where you can play games like Family Feud, Words with Friends, or other games you can play with 2 people.

5. Dinner and a Movie

It's such a classic! Bust out the wine, a nice pasta or steak, and pull out some of those classic movies you know you will love. Tony and I are partial to action movies, but a little comedy or romance is always fun too!

More Spendy Ideas:

6. Nice Night Out

Make it a nice night and treat yourself to a nice restaurant! Sometimes you just have to live a little. It's okay to have champagne taste :)

7. Go to the Zoo!

Tony and I had so much fun one weekend going to the Anchorage Zoo. It was a blast. If you don't have a zoo, try the aquarium or museum in your community.

8. Weekend Away

Spend a little on a hotel in a town not too far from you with some fun things to do planned. It's always a good idea to shake things up a bit and spend some time somewhere else or a night! Kind of like a small vacation.

9. Head to the Ball Park

Get your head in the game and spend some time cheering on some local sports! Buy some tickets to your local teams: baseball, football, soccer, (in Alaska) hockey, and have some fun yelling for your teams!

And my favorite:

 10. Take a Day Off For Fun

Sometimes you just need a break from work. Take a day off and spend it together just lazying around the house or just spending time together. We need a break every once in awhile, and it's good for your marriage!

I hope you take some time to enjoy each other and continue to pursue each other. Enjoy these date night ideas! 

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Fall has arrived!

So, autumn is officially here and it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL here in Anchorage. I love seeing the mountains full of different colors of the trees- reds, browns, oranges, and yellows. The leaves are literally coming in through our door. 

I am LOVING anything pumpkin for the season of fall (and through Christmas) :).

I am amazed with the Lord and his creativity and imagination when it comes to the season of fall. 

I think fall is my favorite season!

I thought I would start off the season right with three different links to amazing fall recipes.

1) Veggie Chili

2) An autumn candy/ pretzel mix that is a super yummy party favorite

3) Chocolate Chip pumpkin muffins, of course! :)

If you could be in Anchorage, Alaska right now, all you would want to do is drive and drive and drive. My work recently had an event in Wasilla, AK which is right outside Anchorage so I got to drive and see how the trees look and the leaves falling. I LOVE it!

Psalm 104:24 "Oh Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom has thou made them all: the earth is full of your riches!

Try this amazing veggie chili recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grandmas-slow-cooker-vegetarian-chili/

Chili is my favorite food so I am partial to it. This one is veggie so make sure you remember that to tell your husband :) 

This party mix has been an autumn hit: http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/10/06/better-than-bleep-halloween-candy-snack-mix/

And fall is not fall without pumpkin muffins of course! I like to add chocolate chips and walnuts or pecans. YUM.

Try this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-muffins/

I hope you enjoy some of my favorite fall recipes!

Beautiful Alaskan Autumn.

I am so happy for the weather to be so beautiful! Means Tony and I can take walks in the leaves :)

Hope you are enjoying the autumn where you are.

More recipes and fall ideas to come!

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Goodbye, Summer!

So the word "frost" has been creeping up on weather news, as well as the word "snow on the mountains." Summer is officially over. 

With its farewell has come a lot of people at the work with the sniffles. My allergy medicine has been coming in handy :) It is a fierce and fast change of season. We went from "sandals are okay"/ "short sleeves are fine" to "you better bring a jacket and be wearing either rain or snow boots".

I never got to see this season in Alaska as I moved here last November. I do love Autumn, and will be posting some yummy pumpkiny recipes here pretty soon! 

The leaves are beautiful. Reds and oranges and yellows everywhere. The leaves have been coming straight through our apartment door. Autumn is here with style!

I think it is only fair to salute a proper goodbye to the days of summer. These are some of my favorite memories:

Taking hikes and seeing BEAUTIFUL landscapes.

Seeing the wildflowers of Alaska.

Going fishing for the first time.

Photo Ops.

Wading rivers.

Saying goodbye to Jessie as she starts college!

Roadtrips and scenic byways.

Happy Birthday Holly!

A much needed trip to Texas.

Aannd.. a visit from my best friend!

Hiking, biking, and camping in one trip :)

A fishing trip with my hubby.

Exploring.

Catching some fishies.

An airshow!

My first backpacking trip.

The biggest pumpkin I've ever seen!

Caught my first fish ever! A nice silver salmon.

A trip to Memphis, Tennessee and Graceland.

Olympics 2012.. Yes, please. Especially Gymnastics.

Sweet fellowship with our bible study group. Catherine and Tobi got married, and we all took a fishing trip!

I got some highlights!

I will miss this weather. A lot.

The most beautiful sights I've ever seen.

Sweet marriage. Hiking times together!

A memorable day long hiking trip along powerline pass with our married friends!

God, I am in awe of you.

Goodbye, Summer!

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