Fall and Winter at the Beach
5:07 PM - Posted by Jeremy and Andrea Ritchie - 0 comments
My how life can change in a year! Last year at this time I was up early every morning to scrape ice off my car and bundle up in my heaviest coat before going out in the below-zero temps. Now, I'm lucky if I get to wear long sleeves, much less a jacket! Although it is taking a little bit of adjusting, I must admit it's been nice to be able to hang out at the beach in November and December!!!
Jeremy and I were blessed to have the Woodard clan come to visit us for Thanksgiving. We had fun playing with the kids, staying up late cheating at....I mean playing board games, and eating lots of food!









At the beginning of December, Jeremy and I went to visit my dad's apartment (we did see Dad for a day), and played on the beach at Fort Lauderdale. The sunset was amazing!!






What I love about Florida
3:21 PM - Posted by Jeremy and Andrea Ritchie - 1 comments
If you know me very well, you know that I absolutely LOVE Alaska. I didn't always enjoy scraping mounds of snow and ice off my windshield at 6 a.m. in below-zero weather, but looking up at the mountains almost always made up for it. When Jeremy and I decided to move to FL, I was excited because I know this is where God wants us to be. Even so, I was a little hesitant about leaving the mountains. After all, other than the beach (which is AMAZING), what is there to see in FL? We have been in FL for about a month now, and I have learned that God's creation is beautiful - mountains or not. And so, I've decided to take stock and share just a few of the reasons I love the Sunshine State...

1 - Palm trees everywhere! (Not to mention all the other kinds of trees!)



2 - BEAUTIFUL flowers! The colors are so bright and unique!


3 - Sitting on our balcony and watching the ducks, turtles, cranes, birds, snakes, geckos, fish....



4 - Being able to see storm clouds and blue skies in the same lens (this was taken just before I got DRENCHED on the way back from the mailbox!)


5 - CLOUDS, CLOUDS, and more CLOUDS





6 - Spiritual "picnics" under the moss trees (I don't have any pictures of this one, but it's a wonderful story about God's providence!)

7 - Being with the man of my dreams and living the life God has prepared for us


-Andrea


God is so good!
4:25 PM - Posted by Jeremy and Andrea Ritchie - 1 comments



If you had asked me four months ago, I would have told you that this September would be filled with grading papers, writing lesson plans, and preparing for another cold winter in Palmer, AK. Little did I know that God had other plans! I am now living in the Sunshine State (where winter is a foreign word) with my new husband, and I couldn't be happier. God's ways are not our ways, but they are certainly MUCH better! Patience is never easy, but when we wait for His timing, it's always worth the wait. Please pray for us and our new life in FL, as well as for our church (Cedars of Lebanon Missionary Baptist Church) and our pastor and his family. Stay tuned for more exciting details :-)

-Andrea