Going out on a limb

I am about to share something with you all that is a bit scary.  You see, I've written a handful of songs (mostly in German).  And I'd like to share them.  They were written to serve God and His Church.  And I can't truly do that unless I share them.  So here they are.


More info about each song, specifically the stories behind them, is available on Soundcloud:  https://soundcloud.com/kimberking/sets/singt-dem-herrn-ein-neues-lied.  One of these days I promise I'll write out translations.

I have no idea how to record a song well.  I originally recorded them on Garageband so that I wouldn't forget them when I settled on the melody.  These recordings are one step up--I mean, I actually recorded the keys and vocal on two separate tracks!--to serve the purpose of sharing the songs.  I didn't have a good microphone--can we say, free headphone mic from Rosetta Stone--and I simply used default settings on Garageband.  So please listen with kind ears, and hopefully you'll be able to listen past the poor quality and hear the message of the songs.

I'd love to hear your reactions to the music, should God meet you through these songs.  That is my prayer.  The lyric sheets and chords are available for free; just email me at kimber.king@gmail.com.

Celebrating with my loves

My birthday was last month.  We started out the Sunday well with BAGELS!  Yum!

 

This picture cracks me up:  Gregory was praying for us.  Nathanael was scowling.  Eva was eating.  And I was taking a picture.  That's reality, folks.

We joined our church community for a sweet time of fellowship, followed by a simple lunch and a restful afternoon at home.  Then we ventured out as a family for pizza at Vapiano.  They had a little corner with toys for kids (hence why we chose the place), so the kids ate and then played and then ate and played and on an on...  which meant that Gregory and I actually had time to enjoy the restaurant and food!  That was a special birthday dinner!

 

And we ended it with coffee (which I regreted at 2am when I still wasn't asleep) and delicious tarimasu.  Yum!

Another birthday full of sweet memories!

A Dog for Fasching

We had a little black and white dog this year for Fasching!  My aunt made this costume for my cousins, and I wore it for Halloween as a kid.  This year, Grandma brought it just in time for Nathanael to wear.  He loved it, and the teachers were impressed with the home-made costume.  (I quickly told them I had nothing to do with it.)

See our costumes from last year here!

Recent entertainment

Gregory and I finished our 1000 piece puzzle.  Finally.  It was tedious at points.  What an accomplishment!  Go Bears!

Nathanael has been up to his own creations recently.  I love coming into him after his hour "quiet time" and seeing what he's created!

I've been attempting to train Eva from an early age.

Actually, it's really hard to get much cleaning done with her.  She wants to do it all HERSELF!  Don't interfere with this independent one!

And finally, we had some pleasant snow earlier this month.  We are NOT in Boston anymore.

Musings on Church Community

Today, Gregory and I helped lead our church in musical worship.  We haven't been able to do this together since Easter two years ago, when I was quite pregnant with our little gem.  This time, our friend Esther joined us in singing.  Last time, our friend Benedict played base.  I had a really special moment this morning, as we were at church running through the songs before the service.  I looked around and saw the people serving in various capacities, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude.  Something about it reminded me of serving in our church community in Boston, at Hope Fellowship and City on a Hill.  It made me deeply miss our friends and community in Boston, but it also was a moment that caused me to see afresh God's great faithfulness to us here in Vienna these past three years.  I am deeply grateful for how God has provided us with a church home and community, for the people which whom we are privileged to serve, for the children with whom our children are able to share life, for how God is drawing us all near to Himself as we share life and serve together.  I love Christian fellowship.  Spiritual community is a great passion of mine.  I am greatly thankful to God to be a part of a community here in Vienna, that although also made up of broken and sinful people, just like me, desires to know God and make Him known.  Today, as I was privileged to serve this community through music, my heart overflowed with gratitude to our great God for so lovingly placing us among these people.  We are being changed, and I pray we are being change-agents as well.  To God be the glory.

Just normal life

These kids love our morning walk to take Nathanael to kindergarten.

And Evangeline can barely wait until we head back out after lunch to pick him up!

I've captured some special moments with both kids recently, just sharing life.  These are some of my favorites.

Taking Daddy shopping for jeans; she was my shopping buddy!

A new routine: Skype book dates with Grandma!

"Okay, Mom, you can leave now.  I'm skyping with Grandma."

Illness with a cutie pie

So we made it through the worst of our family illnesses.  Look at this pitiful little girl's eyes.

She still had smiles to give, despite feeling lousy.

Eva has really been into bags lately, so we spent many a morning just hanging out, filling and dumping bags.

I tried to catch a picture in this cute Christmas outfit from Uncle Andrew and Auntie Angie, but she wasn't really into cooperating.

My little cuddle-bug.