Team Thompson!

Overwhelming love.

2011-10-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

I was browsing a blog I found through pinterest, and found this:

"Today, we (Kate and I) went in Ellie's room to hang up some clothes. I laid Kate on Ellie's bed and did my little job. When I turned around to pick Kate up, she was just laying there staring at me... waiting for me to talk to her. All I had to do was say "hi baby" and she did a whole body smile. In that moment I felt so much love for this sweet little girl. I sat down on the bed and kissed her a million times, trying not to cry. Sometimes big love for something so small is just overwhelming." - Jen Johnson

It sucked the air out of my lungs and the words from my heart. This is exactly what I've been feeling lately.

Sunday Night

2011-08-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

Oh Sunday night, how you make my heart ache. You're so bittersweet. One last sweet slow evening with my loves before the busy week begins. One bitter last slow evening with my loves before the busy week begins.

Since going back to work after Noah was born, Sunday night has always been hard. My eyes still well up with tears and my face gets hot and my throat gets lumpy just thinking about having to leave my sweet little man the next morning. Every. Single. Week. It's so hard for me to not lose perspective.

I'm grateful I only have to work three days a week.
I'm grateful on those three days Noah gets to be home with his Daddy.
I'm grateful for my healthy, happy boy.

But my heart still aches and my eyes still burn with tears as I get my lunch ready for the next day. It's hard for me to remember that God wants to use me at my job, too, and it's even harder for me to remember that this job is a blessing from Him. A huge, fat, here-you-go-even-though-tons-of-other-people-were-probably-way-more-qualified-than-you-for-the-job kind of blessing.

And every week, my heart is settled by that reminder. My job is a blessing. I have a purpose at my job. God sees my heartache. He knows my pain. And He loves me through it.

(thankful)

Four Months

2011-02-21T18:38:00.000-08:00

You can never understand the love of a mother until you become one.

It's unlike anything I've ever felt before. It's wild, crazy, and I love it.

I heard him before I saw him; that teeny, tiny first cry. And I drew in a big breath and exhaled deeply as I thought, "that's my baby". Tears rolled down my cheeks and my heart was bursting with emotion. It was a moment stopped in time that I will remember forever.

Noah:

You are just over four months and you are more amazing than ever. You're rolling, laughing, talking. Oh, your laugh is my favorite! You think getting dressed is so funny and always giggle when we are changing your clothes. You also love your changing table! You're grabbing your feet, smiling, and still very interested in those chubby hands. You love your daddy and his voice. You love it when he sings to you and plays the guitar. You are discovering your tongue and love to stick it out. I often find you smacking your lips and blowing bubbles. Oh boy, you drool like crazy. So much so that you've gotten a little rash on your chin that we are having a hard time getting rid of. In the morning you wake up so happy and are usually very content to lay in your crib and chat and play by yourself. Your momma is so appreciative of those few extra minutes of sleep.

You are already showing signs of stranger anxiety, and I'm thinking you might be a shy one. But, don't worry. I know what it's like and we will get through it together. You are trying so hard to sit up, as well as to grasp things on your own. You can hold on to things well if we put them in your hand, but you usually miss when reaching for them. This frustrates you like no other. As soon as you get an object in your hand, it goes straight into your mouth. Another thing you love is to roll from side to side. Not to flip completely over, but to lay on your right side and roll over to your left.

You are interested in books and love being read to. Its so fun to read to you and have you listen so intently and study the pictures so earnestly. The car still puts you to sleep, and you still love your swing. You love to chew on your fingers (or someone else's) when they are covered with a blanket. You are working on some teeth.

You're still a little baldy, but you are starting to get some fuzzy hair like a little chickie. You're starting to get heavy...sometimes I look at you and wonder if that face could get any fuller or if those thighs could get another roll, and suddenly it happens. You fill up the bassinet at your Grammy's house. My little newborn is grown up!

Oh, how I love you! I am so overwhelmed with gratitude, so incredibly grateful to be your momma. You're my favorite boy. Xoxo times infinity.

Two Thousand Ten

2011-01-21T11:14:00.000-08:00

This was the most life changing year I've ever experienced. I know that every year is life changing...because change is inevitable...

But this year was big.

Twenty Ten started out painful.

We lost our first baby at the beginning of the year.

I miscarried.

It was one of the hardest things we've ever endured. It left me hurt, confused, vulnerable and numb. But we got to go to Eugene for a conference, which gave us the opportunity to mourn with some of our closest friends who still live there. It was healing and life giving for me, and I'm forever grateful to the Lord for orchestrating the timing in that. This is the first time I've ever said anything about it publicly, and it's very freeing.

But the rest of the year was filled with surprise, wonder, and amazement. Jesus made 2010 the year of more for us. More life, more fruit, more grace.

In March we found out I was pregnant. Eight weeks pregnant! Due October 21. Oh, what a flood of emotions! It was an incredible surprise from the Lord. We were not expecting this at all. Renewed, healed, fulfilled. So excited! As Spring arrived with new life, my belly began to swell with new life as well. It was so precious, so perfect, and so Jesus.

I spent my first trimester making close friends with the toilet, but it didn't matter. I would do it all over again, still. The summer was spent celebrating, preparing, growing. Thankfully, we were blessed with an unusual mild summer which my pregnant body greatly appreciated. Again, grace.

School started. God miraculously gave Levi favor with the middle school down the street. Week after week at the Christian club he was leading at the school, he led dozens and dozens of students to Christ. This trend continues! More life, more fruit, more grace.

And then it came.

The ninth month. Week 36. Week 37. Two days shy of week 38: labor. An early, unexpected, thrilling surprise. And exactly 10 months (almost to the hour) after losing our first baby, Noah Gregory was born.

Redemption.
Redemption.
Redemption.

Noah means peace, comfort, rest. And oh, how that precious boy has already lived up this name...

This boy made me a mama. And this year was one crazy, wild ride. And I'm so, so grateful. So grateful for the life. So grateful for the fruit. So grateful for the grace.

So grateful for the more.

Last Night

2010-08-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

Last night I sat down to write about meeting Levi. I want to write down our story before I forget any more of the precious little details. Of course I have our story written in various journals as it was happening...but I wanted to have it in one place, all at once. And as I was writing, I began to sob.

I met Levi on the day I moved to Eugene for college. And for some reason, I was flooded with all of the emotions that came from that move. The heartbreak, the anguish, the excitement, the anticipation.

Maybe it's because I'm pregnant and hormonal.

Maybe it's because my little brother is turning 22 tomorrow, and I was already feeling pretty nostalgic and sentimenal about that.

Maybe it's because we found out yesterday that a man that was very, very influencial in helping Levi turn his life around, clean up, live for Jesus, and who taught him very important life lessons, passed away.

I'm not sure.

But this morning, there's a big lump in my throat that won't go away.

I never got to meet Chuck....but I know how much he meant to Levi. And I'm so grateful to Jesus for using him in Levi's life. I know that a huge part of the man Levi is today is because of Chuck. My heart is broken for Chuck's family...for his wife and eight sweet children. I couldn't imagine losing my daddy or my husband. I'm so very grateful that Jesus has preserved my family this far. I'm also so very grateful that Chuck is finally healed. Chuck had been dealing with cancer this past year, and from my understanding these last few months have been very, very rough. Oh sweet Jesus, Holy Spirit the Comforter, please come...

Promise me you'll always remember:
You're braver than you believe,
stronger than you seem,
and smater than you think.

-A.A. Milne

Branson and Fabric

2010-07-31T23:14:00.000-07:00

Last week we ventured to Missouri for a mini Thompson family reunion. I had never been to Missouri, nor the real midwest in the summer, so it was fun to experience it all. I left feeling so so so grateful that California has dry heat. Most of the time I was a sticky mess, but it was oh so fun.

We stayed at a fishing resort on a lake in Branson. We took a boat to dinner, had a surprise baby shower, canoed, fished, mini golfed, had frozen custard for the first time, and ate real well. It was a short trip but so fun.

We've been getting ready for Noah and lots of creating is going on around here. Levi's been drafting plans for a crib, and pricing all of the supplies he will need. I've been sewing, sewing, sewing...and really, I can't get enough of it. I feel addicted to it lately. It's been so life giving and satisfying to me. I've even caught myself day dreaming at work about the project I'm going to work on when I get home. Thanks to Dana from MADE, I've found some really cool places in downtown to buy fabric. My two favorites are the FIDM scholarship store and Michael Levine Loft. At the FIDM store you can get fabric for $1 a yard. At the Loft fabric can be purchased for $2 a pound! There is something about being around fabric...the colors and textures...the possibilities! All I want to do is buy fabric these days. Although, I am having a problem committing fabric to a project. I will purchase fabric with a certain purpose in mind, but sometimes I love the fabric so much I find myself backing out of the idea because I'm just not sure if that's what I want to do with it.... I act like I'm never going to find fabric I like again. HA.

We've had the strangest, coolest summer I can remember. I'm not holding my breath for the real summer heat to continue to hold out. I know it's coming. It's just sneakily waiting around the corner to get us when we least expect it. Don't get me wrong, it's been warm, but nothing like usual. I'm grateful because I know the bigger I get the more uncomfortable the heat is going to make me...

I'm feeling a bit sad that we are coming into the final months of summer, but there are still so many fun things a head. These next few months before Noah is born are completely packed out for us. Thankfully, most of it is really fun and exciting things...like weekend getaways and old friends moving into town! I'm really trying to savor these final months with just Levi before Noah comes, but we really can't wait for him to get here! He moves like crazy and already gives me a run for my money. I can't believe how much I love him!

Everyday.

2010-06-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Levi and I read Ephesians 5 together....and I've read it every day since on my own. I can not get enough of it. I'm stuck on it. And I love it. I've been reading it in The Message version the last few days, and it kind of smacks you around a little. I like a good smacking. :)

Stuck on:

Ephesians 5:1-2 (emphasis mine)

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

A Weekend

2010-06-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

Petrillo's Pizza.
Clearance scores on maternity jeans.
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
Sleep. Oh, glorious sleep.
Grocery shopping.
World Cup.
The Hat.
Guitar lessons on the front porch.
Gardening.
Sweeping.
Cleaning.
Church.
Rest.
Swinging.

These two...

2010-06-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

...have become quite the pair. Yes, they are up on the roof. Just another Saturday afternoon activity. :)

They both love to build, crave movement and adventure, and LOVE being outside. Cristian is our neighbor, and we treasure him. He absolutely adores Levi and wants to do anything Levi's doing. It's sweet to watch the way Levi interacts with Cristian, accepting his little sidekick and graciously spending hours and hours with him.

We are so blessed to live where we do. Levi gets to speak into Cristian's life greatly. Cristian's dad isn't around, and Cristian looks to Levi as a father figure.

In the mornings before school, Cristian comes over and they study the Bible together. This is good on so many levels, but one that's really important is that Cristian is getting help with his reading while studying God's word. I'm usually gone before Cristian is over, but I love that they have this time together.

Last weekend when Levi was building the porch swing, Cristian was right there with him...asking all kinds of questions and doing whatever Levi asked. Today they kicked the soccer ball around in the yard and some how ended up on the roof. :) With school ending soon, I know it only means many more hours spent on the roof, kicking the soccer ball, playing video games, and taking on new projects. Oh, how it delights my heart....

Porch Swingin

2010-06-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

One of our greatest desires is that our home will be a place of refuge. Not just for those that live in it, but for everyone that even steps foot on our driveway. We strive to make it a place that feels good.

Our current home is a rented one and I adore it. It's small and cute and old. It has a good size yard, big shady trees, and an awesome front porch. There's a breeze that blows down our street almost every evening, which makes for great outdoor living. Our street is busy which in our area makes us feel safe, but it's not so incredibly busy that its annoying. We love it here.

Before we moved in, the landlord did some renovations to the house and redid the garage because it was falling apart. Someone over estimate though when buying supplies and there was lots of left over wood, paint, nails, chicken wire, etc left over. Levi and I have talked about how fun it would be if we could use those supplies to build things. What we would make we had no idea, but it was still fun to dream.

Back to the porch and the breeze. The porch has always been a bit bare. I've always wanted some cool outdoor furniture so we could sit, eat, play out on our porch especially on warm summer nights. But all of the furniture I liked didn't exactly fit into our price range... so we used camping chairs. Not exactly the cutest things, but they worked and were the right price- free.

One night the idea of having a porch swing popped into my head....and I could not get it off my mind. I knew that they were expensive, but I also knew that my hubby could build one. How hard could it be? Plus, he's a builder. He's good with his hands and he loves hard work. It gives him life to create, hammer, saw, sweat. So I asked him about it. I tried really hard to persuade him by telling him I'd be his assistant and do all of the grunt work (haha). He laughed and liked the idea, but wasn't sure. We looked online at different plans and ideas and figured out it really wouldn't be that hard....but Levi just wasn't feeling it, so I let it go.

On Memorial Day as we were getting out of the car after a quick bite to eat, the awesome California breeze began to blow. The sweet brush on our skin was irresistible. Levi didn't want to go inside the house. He looked at me told me we were going to start on the swing that evening! We got permission to use the wood and we went out to the garage and started gathering what we needed it. We were burning daylight, but Levi was able to cut all of the pieces we needed.

This past weekend he finished it....and I LOVE it. It is perfect. Sturdy, well made, comfortable....and deeply satisfying knowing my talented husband made it. We've enjoyed it so much over the last few days, and it blessed me to no end that he made it! He enjoyed building it so much he even made a little table/bench/footrest to go with it. It's so cute! Someone has even offered to pay him to make them one!

On Sunday after church we enjoyed lunch on our porch swing. Some of our students came over and we spent the afternoon lounging around with the warm breeze on the new swing. It was perfect. I felt full and overflowing....and I was so deeply thankful. Thankful for my husband, the breeze, and my students. Thankful to be surrounded by them and to be able to provide them a place of refuge. They covered our front porch and lawn and all I could do was drink it all in. I love afternoons like that one.

Long Over Due

2010-05-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

At lot has happened since I last posted. For one, our internet is fixed!

Becky is out of the hospital and doing great. She had surgery and an internal defibrillator was implanted into her so that if her heart stopped again it would immediately be shocked. We are so grateful to the Lord that he has sustained her!

I turned another year older and we found out that we are going to have a baby boy come October. Yes, you heard me right. I'm pregnant! We are so, so excited.

I got a new lens for my birthday and Levi was so good to me. He went shopping with me and made me a delicious dinner! It was so good. For my birthday we still have to go to The Nickel Diner in downtown to have a maple bacon doughnut and a piece of Peanut Butter Potato Chip Chocolate Cake but it hasn't worked in our schedule for us to go yet.

We went to farmers market this week and have been garage saling with my mom this past month. It's been fun and we've gotten some incredible steals on baby stuff!

Last night we went on a spontaneous drive up PCH. It was fun, beautiful, and refreshing. It was a warm night and the ocean air felt so, so good. Summer is certainly on it's way!

So Much.

2010-04-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

There's a lot to update about.

Unfortunately, the internet at my house has been down for a few weeks. Modem issues I guess. Talk to the man, that's his department.

For now, here's my favorite song of the moment:

Love Came Down
Brian Johnson

If my heart is overwhelmed and I cannot hear your voice
I hold onto what is true, though I cannot see
If the storms of life they come, and the road ahead gets steep
I will lift these hands in faith, I will believe

I remind myself of all that you’ve done
And the life I have because of your son

Love came down and rescued me
Love came down and set me free
I am yours
I am forever yours
Mountain high or valley low
I sing out and remind my soul
I am yours
I am forever yours

When my heart is filled with hope, and every promise comes my way
When I feel your hands of grace, rest upon me
Staying desperate for you God, Staying humbled at your feet
I will lift these hands and praise, I will believe

Becky

2010-04-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Becky, one of my best friends from high school (the girl I wrote about in the beginning of this post), collapsed in her office in San Francisco. Her heart stopped and she (obviously) stopped breathing. Thankfully, there was a doctor on site who revived her. She was rushed to the hospital by ambulence. Her parents were told to come as soon as possible. Seeing as how they live in Idaho and her dad is battling cancer, that was impossible. So Jessica, her older sister and a co-worker of mine, left work immediately and got on the next flight to San Fran.

Thankfully, Becky is okay. She spent most of yesterday in a coma like state, but is awake now and talking. Last I heard, the doctors still don't know what caused the incident and if there's any other damages, like to her heart.

Her mom will be there on Saturday morning.

If you think of it, please pray for Becky and her family. They are already enduring such a difficult time, and this definitely doesn't help.

I'm so thankful to Jesus for preserving her life. I'm so thankful that his hand has been on her through out everything. I'm thankful she was with people when it happened, that a trained medical professional was in the building, and that she's receiving great medical care in San Fran. I'm thankful Jessica was able to go be with her. We are trusting Jesus and his plan for Becky's life. We are trusting Jesus to continue to heal Becky and work out all of the details.

Oh, sweet Jesus... you are so good.

Easter, Rain, Earthquakes, Plants

2010-04-05T13:25:00.001-07:00

Easter was a good day. We celebrated at church and then we went to my parents house and celebrated some more. We stuffed our faces and talked about how the cross became the symbol for Christianity. We laughed. We hunted for Easter baskets, even though all of the children are well into their twenties. I wonder how long it will continue? Forever, I hope. I found mine right away. It took Levi forever to find his. He just doesn't know all of the spots yet. With time, he will. We took my parents dog home with us. He is vacationing at our house for a week. It's fun having that little guy around, and it's fun to give him back, too.

There was a 7.2 earthquake yesterday just south of the border in Mexicali. We felt it all the way up at my parents house! Yikes. So many earthquakes reccently. Feels weird. But, Levi & and I are as prepared as we can be... I think. We have an emergency kit and a plan. You have to have these things when you live in California.

I woke up this morning to the pitter patter of rain. It was refreshing. Sometimes I miss the rain so much. The drive to work was horrible because rain does that to California, but I enjoyed the rain so much. It was so refreshing and welcome. It's late for it to rain here, but I'm so glad it did.

Tonight I will go home and being to plant my garden. This year we are growing tomatoes, cilantro, chives, bell peppers, jalapenos, and habenero peppers. Levi wanted to grow habeneros as a joke since they are so hot. Some kind of joke! I would also like to grow peas, lettuce, strawberries, cantelope and some kind of squash. I have to wait and see how I am doing on space before I add those things.

It's mid afternoon and I'm ready for a sweet treat. Off to find one!

It doesn't get any easier...

2010-03-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

This week has been a whirlwind of delight.

On Saturday morning I hopped on a plane and flew to San Francisco where I spent the afternoon with one of my oldest, sweetest friends. It was a very sweet treat and I loved being with her. I loved getting to see and experience where and how she lives. Our time together was too short. But a weekend visit is coming!

Saturday evening Leslee arrived in San Francisco. She picked me up and we headed south. Home, to my home. Los Angeles. We've spent the week touristing, eating, and laughing. Les learned to longboard. Experienced Jerry's Famous Deli, longboarding in Manhattan Beach, Yogurtland, Hollywood Boulevard, The Getty Museum, and the world's most incredible doughnuts from Stan's. Seriously, if you're in LA and you like doughnuts, you need to go to Stan's. Please get The Huell. You will not be disappointed. We made chocolate chip cookies and Ree's Jalapeno Poppers. [Please note, we made the ones from her cookbook which include cheddar cheese and green onion in the cream cheese, and you brush them with BBQ sauce before baking.] We went shopping in Burbank's thrift stores and ate dinner in Old Town Pasadena.

Seriously, we ate and ate and ate. I wonder how much weight I gained?

But today it all comes to a close... back to reality. My heart is so heavy. I have a huge lump in my throat and feel like I've been on the verge of tears all morning. It never, ever gets any easier saying good bye to her...and it probably never will.

[pictures later]

Rascal Flatts

2010-03-23T10:08:00.001-07:00

Rascal Flatts will forever remind me of my freshman year of college... of Levi & Brandon, their countless attempts to teach me to throw a Frisbee correctly, and cruising around Eugene in Levi's CRX with the windows down, the cool fall air messing my hair up. :)

This morning as a Rascal Flatts song came on my Pandora, it almost felt like I got punched in the stomach. BAM! Memories and home sickness flooded my mind. I was taken aback and had to stop what I was doing for a second.

I'm so grateful to have such precious, precious memories from college. I'm so thankful for Jesus and the way his hand so heavily rested upon me, and the way it continues to do so. And, I'm so grateful that I get to spend my life with Levi and for the memories that are to come.

My life is so good.

Tiny Homies

2010-03-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, I can be ridiculous, crazy, over the top. I can usually put it away and pull it out when necessary, but sometimes it's beyond my control. A few weeks ago after a meeting with our students in IMPACT, our discipleship group for jr high and highschoolers, I couldn't stop calling the kids tiny homies. I also couldn't stop laughing about it. First, they think it's funny that I say homies because I'm "old" and white. Second, they all think I'm weird but love me anyway. Anyway, the name has stuck and now every student is a tiny homie to me.

The most hilarious thing about it is watching some of the kids get frustrated by it. Some of the boys get a little irritated because they think I don't understand that I am shorter and smaller than them. I know it's one of those things where you have to be there, but it's so funny to hear them try to explain to me how they are bigger than me. "But Katie, we are BIGGER than you. We can't be your TINY homies." Oh yes, sir, yes you can.

I haven't stopped calling them tiny homies. Now they understand they just have to deal with it. Secretly, I think they like it.

And to me, they are my tiny homies....my little babies that are learnin' to love Jesus. I'd much rather be called tiny homie than a little baby....

My favorite part...

2010-03-08T13:02:00.001-08:00

We watched the end of the Academy Awards last night.

This was my favorite part:

"...I would like to thank what this film is about for me which are the moms that take care of the babies and the children no matter where they come from..." -Sandra Bullock

Grieving

2010-03-05T13:34:00.000-08:00

Right now I have a lump in my throat that's nearly suffocating me.

I don't know why, but I can't stop reading Grieving Gracefully. It's a blog about a daughter's journey through grief over losing her mother.

Maybe it's because during the four years that I was in college, I lost 3 family members. My uncle, my grandmother, and my mom's cousin (and one of her best friends)...a woman who was like an aunt to me. And, I didn't really know how to grieve. I was alone. Of course I had friends, but no family. No body else who felt the sting and the ache of the loss. I didn't really know what to do. And it's not like college affords you the time to stop and deal with these sorts of things. It felt awkward to me to just blurt out "my grandmother just died" to people who didn't even know my family.

I remember when my mom called to tell me she passed away. I was walking upstairs in the girls dorm. I was coming around the curve just about to reach the stairs to go to the lobby. I braced my self against the wall. I slid down slowly, and cried. I tried to remain composed for as long as I was on the phone. But then I couldn't take it anymore so I hung up.

I was home for Christmas break when my uncle died...home as in California. I was actually a counselor at a winter camp my old youth group was attending. It was up in the mountains and there was no cell phone service. My uncle had brain cancer and we knew the end was near for him. I called my mom everyday from the payphone just waiting for the news. And then I got it. I hung up the phone and Elwyn was standing there. He hugged me as I cried. But that's all I can remember about this. I can't remember coming home from camp and being with my family. I can't remember any talk of a funeral or memorial.

I can't remember how I learned when Lynn died. I was in the middle of my junior year in college. I was planning my wedding and a RA in the girls dorm. It was a busy year. We knew her death was a possibility but it felt so sudden. She had lung cancer. I think I blocked it all out because this was the hardest one for me. I didn't know how to deal with the pain of losing her, and I hadn't really dealt with the pain of losing my grandmother and uncle.

Sometimes I think it was God's grace that I was away from my family during those times. I can't imagine seeing my sweet family hurt and grieve and carry so much pain. It would have ruined me. The natural seperation of being in another state was so bittersweet. It protected me yet hurt at the same time. I knew I needed to get through school...so I buckled down and plowed through.

It feels good to get to deal with it now. To grieve and release and read someone else's journey. God never fails to surprise me when he chooses for us to deal with things. But I'm grateful, and his timing is perfect. And even though it's kind of weird to be crying at your desk during your lunch break, I'm thankful for quiet moments that allow this. And I'm beyond thankful for God's grace in protecting my heart...

Cooking and Cleaning

2010-03-04T18:01:00.001-08:00

Growing up, my mom used to tell me that her mom used to tell her to find a man that could (and would!) cook and clean. And she did. My daddy is an amazing cook and cooked most of our meals growing up. My dad does his own laundry and does his part around the house. Growing up I did not know that this was not the norm, especially in days gone by.

I didn't specifically seek someone out who could cook and clean, but I got one. Levi loves to cook, and he's a bit of a clean freak by nature. I've never been more appreciative in my life of those qualities until now. I work full time and have to commute to get to my job. I spend approximately 10 hours a week in the car. Depending on the time of year, I'm often gone before the sun is awake and home after the sun has gone to bed. Most week nights are full of church activities and different things going on with our students. By the time I'm finally home for the night, I often collapse. Levi has stepped it up majorly. I tease him and tell him he is my house husband, but in this season of our lives he kind of is. He works from home and his work hours are very, very flexible, making it much easier for him to take on the majority of the responsibility of our home.

Sometimes it's frustrating and I feel like I'm playing the wrong role. But, I'm learning to be grateful for where God has me and be satisfied with being where I am at. One day I would love love love to be a stay at home momma, but right now this is where we are. And I'm so grateful that at the end of a really long day, the dishes are done and the laundry is folded and dinner was delicious. Levi is really good at taking care of me...and he's never once complained. Man, that guy is such a stud!

[Valentine's Day date...long boarding at Santa Monica Beach]

Hey I be gone today
But I be back around the way
Seems like everywhere I go
The more I see
the less I know
But I know one thing:
That I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you
[say hey michael franti]

Provider.

2010-02-19T11:58:00.001-08:00

Last month we incurred some unexpected, large (for us) medical bills.

I wasn't worried, because I knew that God would provide for us. I also wasn't worried because we set aside money every month to cover unexpected expenses. We were just disappointed that we would have to spend that money paying off this bill and that we would have to start all over in building that fund back up.

God's proven himself over and over again in the provision department, and I knew that worrying would be pointless. So we thanked God, and we trusted that he would take care of us.

A few weeks later, we received an unexpected gift in the mail marked specifically to go towards that bill.

Of course He would come through.

We thanked him and praised him and marveled at how good he is. Then we waited, and wondered what else he would do.

We got the bill earlier this week and discovered that it was significantly less then what we were originally told it would be...with no explanation.

HA.

Father is soo good to his kids.

I'm so grateful to be his!

Right now...

2010-02-17T10:53:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking... about all of the updating I need to do. A lot has happened in the past few weeks! I'm also thinking about how busy the next few months are going to be.

I'm looking forward to...a fun weekend with friends, the marriage partnership conference in March, and summer.

I'm planning...on planting a garden, helping friends move (only across town, so glad they aren't leaving us!), a summer camping trip at the beach.

I can't get enough of...this beautiful California weather. She's showing off, that's for sure. Our days have been sunny and in the 70's!

I'm learning...to live again, how to get my edge back, and a lot about sewing.

I'm loving...creme brule coffee creamer, my new camera, celebrating my husband, refashioning/recycling/repurposing clothing (check out ruffles & stuff and made by lex), longboarding by the beach, and Jesus.

safe with you

2010-02-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

Learning inside
I will be safe with you tonight
You cause the smile
And the teardrops in my eyes
Locked inside your every movement
Will I stand or will I fall?
Trapped inside of your walls of glory
I am just as the dead leaves fall

Safe with you
Safe with you

Chaos in my head
The whole universe is at rest
When I'm in your arms
Jesus is when I feel the best
Locked inside your creative being
Whirling about your unfailing truth
Attacked with power by ferocious love
Salvation alone belongs to you

Safe with you
Safe with you

Lifting up my voice
To the God who really sees
The God who is consumed
With loving thoughts of me
The screaming winds
And the crashing of the oceans
Shifting sands and the changing of the seasons
As I stand in awe and wonder
Nothing in the world has prepared me for you!

Jesus, Jesus, I'm safe with you

-skillet, safe with you

Summer...

2010-02-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

photo credit:R.Blanco

I know it's still a long way off. But I've got plans for summer, big ones. (Actually, the correct term would probably be dreams.)

I've been back in California for far too long with a out a surfboard. It's officially time to start saving. Hopefully by the time my birthday rolls along I will have enough money to purchase an used longboard. I don't want/need anything new or fancy. Just one that works and gives me a sweet ride.

I plan to spend a huge chunk of my free time at the beach. Not that I have a lot of free time, but I have enough. I will make enough. My body is longing for some early morning surf sessions (even before work, yikes that's early)....and the exhaustion, delight and satisfaction that comes from long days spent with the ocean & summer sun. My body and spirit will thank me. I know it.

My first two summers back in California were spent painfully transitioning. The first, transitioning out of college life/intense, close community and feeling like my heart was ripped out of my chest. The second, transitioning into the corporate world and the life of having a real, big girl job. But, this summer will be different. I am way more adjusted. I feel like this summer is brimming with hope and possibilities. I know I still have a few months to go, but I'm eagerly anticipating it's return.

[Now....will someone remind me of this feeling when I am despising the 100 degree + weather?!]

Date Night.

2010-01-28T22:33:00.000-08:00

In-N-Out.
Double Double, Cheeseburger, Animal Style Fries, Coke.
Realize we are the only white people.
Laugh.
Inhale food.
Satisfied.
So thankful to live in California.

~~Run~~ Drive home.
Grab games.

Starbucks.
2 Mochas, 1 grande, 1 tall. No whip.
Took awhile, worth the wait.
Perfect dessert coffee.
We are the only white people again.
Laugh that we still notice it.
We love Los Angeles.
Laugh.
Skipbo.
I win!
Laugh, do a victory dance.
Walk out side.
Levi proclaims, "Ah, I love California! It feels so good out."
Sigh.
Take delight that my guy has fallen in love with my home.

Walk to Target.
Look at camera bags.
I like the cute one.
Function over fashion Levi argues.
No compromise for me.
I'm for Fashion.
Wait.
Look at clearance in every section.
Find a gift.
Purchase.
Leave.
Realize we forgot milk.
Go back.
They are out of milk.
:(
Laugh.

Home.
Get ready for bed.
Chat.
Laugh.
So full.
So refreshed.
Dream.
Zzzzz...

Change

2010-01-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

Normally I'm resistant to change. I don't really like the transition period that comes with change. In fact, I hate it.

So, it's pretty rare for these words to come out of my mouth:

I'm ready for change.

A Tiny Bit Devastated...

2010-01-21T17:15:00.000-08:00

When I pulled up to my house this afternoon after work, I gasped.

The crazy storm that we are having snapped my beloved lemon tree. Seriously, this tree was one of my favorite things about our house. Nothing like having fresh lemons in your backyard all year long. I was seriously devastated, and I can't stop thinking about it. I know it's just a tree...Ha I feel ridiculous.

Also, I only took like three photos when I was in Eugene. This is the best one.

hahahahaha!

Random.

2010-01-20T12:20:00.000-08:00

[WARNING: This post is excessively long! Sorry!]

I'm home from Eugene.
So, so bittersweet.
The trip was wonderful, fulfilling, but way too short. Levi & I attended a conference for youth pastors which was good, solid, and life giving. We saw lots of people that we hadn't seen since we moved, and got to chat with some old professors. We also got to spend time with our dear friends, but not enough. Levi got to see one of his best friends that he hasn't seen in almost three years. It was a very sweet time for them.

But now we are home and reality has set in...but we are encouraged, challenged, ready.

The first few days back are always the hardest and the loneliest. My mom asked if I was homesick...and I said yes. That's the best way to describe it.

On another note, we've been having a crazy rain storm this week. I know most other parts of the country are just laughing at us right now...but it's bad. California was not built for rain....the roads, drains, gutters are all over loaded and flooded. Tons of car accidents have and are occurring. The power has been going out. The area that suffered from the largest wild fire in Los Angeles County history this fall is really suffering. Since all of the trees and shrubs and plants that helped hold the soil in were burned away, there's mudslides and all kinds of problems...for something like 250,000 square miles. People have been evacuated from their homes and everything. I can't imagine having to be evacuated because a fire is coming too close and then a few months later having to be evacuated again because mudslides could come crashing into your house.

But California needs the rain. Desperately. We were suffering from a huge water shortage. I say, bring it on. I love it.

This morning on my drive to work I found myself thinking of Labor Day weekend 2004, and the night I tried to rescue the drunk, drowning man from the ocean. I haven't thought about it for a long time...but this morning the memory of it was vividly playing in my mind. It was late, past midnight. We decided to go to the beach for some night body boarding...and just to play a little bit. We knew it was dangerous but we were careful. We played it safe.

I was sitting in the sand with Kristi. I had just gotten out of water and was taking a break. As Kristi and I were chatting, Justin came running towards us, yelling for me. "A guy is drowning, a guy's drowning!" I had been lifeguarding that summer...this is what I was trained for. I jumped up and started running. I could see Nicholas trying to pull the man to shore. He was tired. The man was large and the waves were rough. I made it to the man and Nicholas let go. I remember trudging through the waves trying to drag the 250lb+ body to shore. The man was at least 125lbs heavier than me. The man wreaked of alcohol even though he had been swimming in salt water.

Worn out, I began CPR while someone else called 911. The man's family was frantic and hysterical. Screaming, crying, yelling...it didn't help that they were heavily intoxicated. I was doing all that I could. When I pulled him out of the water he was already foaming at the mouth. I remember the circle of people forming around me and the man, even though it was near 1 am. I also remember the couple that cheered me on and encouraged me to keep going. I needed that desperately. Those minutes felt like hours. After the paramedics arrived, I tried to find the people that were encouraging me...but I couldn't. I collapsed into someones arms. It was either Justin's or Nicholas', but this where it starts to get fuzzy. I was exhausted and overwhelmed. I cried and prayed. I wasn't able to resuscitate him, and neither were the lifeguards/firemen that came and took him away.

I was eighteen; young, getting ready to leave for college and just trying to build a few more memories with friends. Even though I was trained in these skills, I didn't expect to ever have to use them. No one wants to, at least.

I got home late that night. I woke up my mom. I just needed to be told it was okay. I was shaken up. I knew she would understand, her and my dad met lifeguarding. They were proud of me, my dad especially. I was offered a position to lifeguard at the beach where I rescued the man...but I turned it down to go to college. Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if I took that job instead....

but I'm so glad I didn't.

I don't know why I thought about it this morning. I haven't thought about it like this in a long time. But it reminds me how thankful I am...to know who and what I know. For Jesus, my family, my friends...and for LIFE.

Eugene.

2010-01-10T16:29:00.001-08:00

I'm going to Eugene soon....and I absolutely can not wait. It's going to do my heart & spirit so much good.

I can't wait to see my sisters and buddies and be hugged and squeezed and loved.
I can't wait to eat at yummy local familiar places till my belly feels like it's going to explode.
I can't wait to go to the city where I met & fell in love with my husband.
I can't wait to go to the city where I discovered so much more and Jesus and love and life.

I'm so excited to go to a place that feels so much like home.

2010-01-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

"So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised."

Hebrews 10:35-36 NLT

2010-01-04T08:55:00.001-08:00

Back to the daily grind. Sigh.

Waiting.

2010-01-03T21:41:00.000-08:00

Hebrews 9:27-28 (NLT)
And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

"but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him."

Today I was caught red handed. I've been a tired, grumpy girl. I've been throwing selfish fits and tantrums, demanding for things in my life to be my way. And then tonight I was reading about old ways of worship and how Christ is the perfect sacrifice. How Jesus changed everything, and I benefit more than words can express because of it. And I got to repent. I had the opportunity to be forgiven and restored. And I was reminded that I get to eagerly wait for Jesus. Not just for His return to earth, but for his will to unfold in my life.

I was put back in my place. It feels so good here, I don't know why I ever leave.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-28T18:02:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from freezing Colorado! We hope your Christmas was merry and bright!

Half Done.

2009-12-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

It's been a weird Christmas season for us this year. We put up Christmas lights, I baked cookies with my momma, and we got a Christmas tree. We put the lights on it and made our annual popcorn & cranberry garland and have watched Home Alone and A Charlie Brown Christmas. And it was all really fun. But we haven't put up any ornaments. That's kind of how everything feels right now...half done.

It's been a hard couple of weeks, and suddenly this solid ground feels shaky. We've been forced to press in harder, and to really know that God is good despite our circumstances. I'm tired. I feel disappointed, frustrated, and ready to be done. It doesn't help that I have a cold right now, either. With a lot of things going on right now, all I can do is wait. I hate waiting.

When I was in college and would find myself homesick I would listen to the Beach Boys. I grew up listening to them, and they brought me the comfort of my California home. Surf, sun, family.
Needless to say, I've been listening to the Beach Boys Christmas album a lot...it makes the waiting seem a little easier.

I'm reminded that I'm not here to be served by God. I'm here to serve him. I'm thankful to be put back in my place. Though things feel weird, hard, and unfair, I know that I know that I know that God is still good. And there's nothing in the world that can take that away. It's who He IS.

I'm so thankful for his grace and his mercy, and the way he refines me during these "trials". I know that my issues are so minuscule compared to the problems in the rest of the world, and sometimes a little perspective is good.

I'm thankful that Jesus was born as man....and I'm beyond thankful for what he did for me...

Swagbucks

2009-12-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

Have you guys ever heard of swagbucks.com? It's a search engine that gives you points (swagbucks) for using it. It's powered by google, so the search is pretty good. You trade in the points you earned from using their search engine for prizes. They have everything from mp3s to giftcards to an iphone. My favorite prize is the $5 amazon giftcard for 45 swagbucks (or points). Then I can use it to buy pretty much whatever I want! This website is really, truly, legit. I've earned 5 $5 amazon.com giftcards just for doing something I already do.

There's a toolbar you can download so you can search directly from your web browser. I have this set up on my computer at work, since I search things often. It's easy and it's so fun to win points!

If you are interested in signing up, click here. Or you can click on the little white square on the side of my blog that says Earn Free Prizes.

It's awesome to pretty much get paid for something I am already doing!

Where's the line?

2009-12-02T15:24:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me knows that there's no gray in my life. It's black or white. This way, or that way. All or nothing. There's nothing in between. I can't help it. I can't stand the gray, muddy, unclear.

Sometimes this creates big problems for me. Lack of patience, understanding, compassion. Easy to judge. It's hard for me to understand people who don't see things black and white. And it's extremely hard for me when I'm in a place and I can't find the clarity, the division, and I'm stuck in a mixture.

Where's the line? Where's the line between enough already and keep pressing in? Where's the line that determines when it's time to quit, change, move on, or just get low and keep going? Where's the line between my sin, my wanting out, and God's grace, timing, compassion. I know that God know's my breaking point. He knows when enough is enough already.

But what do you do when you feel like you're going to explode because you can't wait anymore?!

I'm blowing this issue hugely out of proportion. But I feel so frustrated!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T19:40:00.000-08:00

Our Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. We went to my uncle's house in the desert and stayed for a few days with my parents, bro, and grandma. It was good to get a way, eat tons, and relax. We went to a really cool place called the Living Desert. It is a botanical garden/zoo/nature preserve/animal hospital. It features all kinds of desert life. We go to see some cool animals and some weird plants. It was fun. It was really nice to have a break from work and just get to rest. On Wednesday, my boss let us work a half day. It was so fun to come home in the middle of the day! Such a treat. I made a pumpkin pie, which, by the way, was a *huge* success, and got to hang out with my hubs. It was so good. However, somewhere in the midst of the weekend I managed to get a cold. Now I'm laying on the couch resting, wishing I wasn't congested. :)

Good things are coming and we are eagerly looking forward to Christmas. Levi put up the lights last night...but I didn't even get a picture cause I wasn't feeling well. Boo. This weekend I'm going to bake Christmas cookies with my momma.

November is nearly over. This has been a month of shiftings and changes...and I feel like they will be really played out and experienced more in the coming months. On Thursday we can finally go grocery shopping again. Woo! This grocery fast has been interesting to say the least. Almost anyone who knows me knows my addiction/love/need for a huge amount of carbs....pasta, rice, bread, etc. I love it, crave it, need it. But I can honestly say that during this month, I grew so tired of them. Shocking, I know. But when all you have been eating is ramen, mac n cheese, spaghetti, etc it starts to get really, really old. Wow, I can't believe I would ever say that. I miss the privilege of getting to eat what I want and when I want it. We did discover how to make easy and SO delicious chicken teriyaki rice bowls. Yum! They are delish. Nutrition wise, we ate so horrible this month I kind of feel disgusted. And we still have a lot of stuff left...but the cupboards, fridge and freezer and pretty bare. I should have taken before and after pics.... oh well.

LIFE

2009-11-16T18:44:00.000-08:00

"They didn't give you life so they can't take it."

{Holy Spirit, you are good}

My life comes from Jesus.

[I needed to declare that]

Running & Sunsets

2009-11-12T17:31:00.000-08:00

Over the summer I made a goal to get back into a running routine. Then I got inspired to run a 1/2 Marathon. Training was going well until I found out that the registration for the 1/2 I wanted to run was already closed because it was full. I know it doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but I was really discouraged. I still was running, but less scheduled and more sporadic. This last month I didn't run at all. Feeling sluggish, tired, and uncomfortable the past week, I knew I needed to start running again. I had gained back a couple of the pounds I had lost (please note, weight loss wasn't my goal in running, just a nice result of it :) and I was just feeling gross. But, I still could not find the motivation.

Until Tuesday night. God said to me, "Run with Me." I felt a twinge of excitement. I tried to wake up Wednesday morning to run, but I couldn't get my butt out of bed. Then last night, I heard and felt it even stronger. Run with Me. I knew it was time. I knew I had to. So this morning.... I tried to get up..but again I couldn't. So I purposed to run after I got off work. I text Levi while I was at work and asked him for accountability. I got home, immediately changed in to running clothes and ran out the door. Literally. And lo and behold was one of the prettiest sunsets I've seen in a long time...and it definitely was not like that a few moments before when I was driving home from work.

Run with Me.

We had such a good chat.

{Thanks God, for the encouragement. Thanks for being interested in me and knowing me and how much I need to run it all out. Thank you for the alignment that happens in my spirit and my emotions when I run. Thank you for hanging with me, and being awesome.}

The run was good. It felt so good. And it was like a race against the sun. Or maybe...the Son?

wow, that was cheesy!

A Crazy Weekend

2009-11-09T15:37:00.001-08:00

We took our students to Aquire the Fire this weekend. It was busy but good! It was so good getting to hang out with our kids. My favorite times of the conference were breaks, lunch & dinner...the times were we just got to eat, play & hang out. And I really realized this weekend how much I love our students. I love my kids! And just when I think I couldn't possibly love another one, when I couldn't possibly hold one more, God surprises me. He opens my eyes and I get to catch a glimpse of someone's destiny....and my heart melts all over.

And even though sometimes it's so hard being here...and I get frustrated and things just don't seem like they are going anywhere......... I really love our kids. And I want to have more. Lots and lots and lots more.........so we can point them to Jesus, show them their destiny...and see their lives transformed by the Living God. by Yaweh.

because that's what makes it worth it.

On another note...

Today I am encouraged by this verse:

Malachi 2:15 (New Living Translation)
"Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth"

And I am so.incredibly.deeply.unexpressibly.thankful to be the wife of Levi's youth.

Grocery Spending Fast

2009-11-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

We were sitting on the couch Tuesday night and Levi had a crazy idea to not spend any money on groceries for a month and just eat what we already had. Since it was only the third, we decided to go for it this month. We will only be purchasing milk, butter, eggs & (maybe) bread because we need those things in order to cook the rest of the food we already have. If I have enough yeast I will just make the bread, but I think I'm almost out. The only exception to this is that we are going to buy olive oil because we are completely out of, and the ingredients necessary to make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.

This is going to be a crazy month. We have a pretty good stockpile thanks to couponing & sale shopping, but I'm sure near the end of it we will be having the weirdest meals. I am looking forward to this crazy endeavour! We will save a lot of money this month, that's for sure. However, I'm not too sure how frugal this really is. I didn't build that stockpile over night, not even over a months time. So in December we will have to be really careful about what we choose to purchase grocery wise. I don't want to blow our budget or blow through all the money we've saved from this month because our cupboards are bare...

We want to do something real fun and out of the box with the money we save. We're praying for ideas!

Please note we will still be going out on dates, out with friends, my parents, etc. But, we will still be sticking to our budget for eating out, so we won't eat out in place of buying groceries. Does that make sense? We just aren't purchasing any groceries except the above mentioned.

Here we go!

We're Still Having Fun...and You're still the One...

2009-11-02T13:27:00.000-08:00

2 years and 4 months and 10 days later, and here we are.

I love that man.

[Dear God, Thank you for giving me such an incredible man to be my husband, guide, protector, provider, lover, friend. He teaches me so much about you and your love and is so patient with me. ]

This week we danced to our song, Forever & Ever Amen by Randy Travis. We don't listen to this song often. It's just for special moments...like walking down the aisle on our wedding day, and when Levi learned it on the guitar and played it for me on Valentine's Day. But this last week, we just needed it.

These past two & a half weeks have been crazy, emotional, & a whirlwind. But, at the same time, they've been fun, exciting, and good. Levi went on a last minute trip to Colorado to be with the fam during a hard time, and I got some quality time with some girls I haven't seen for a while. We carved pumpkins with my brother. We played games with our students on Halloween and stuffed our faces with burgers & candy.

Mostly, I've been tired. Tired of feeling dirty, being in dirty places, and feeling that constant pressure/desire/longing to be clean & known. I really do love Los Angeles. And last night, her skyline was beautiful against the orange sunset and I was reminded how much I really do love LA. Sometime's it's just exhausting and overwhelming and so much. But Father is so good. And He loves Los Angeles more than I ever could and He knows how tiresome she can be.

For awhile now Levi & I have felt that November will be a month of change, shiftings, shakings. We are in day 2 and anticipating what is to come. I've been looking forward to this month for months and now that it is here I feel nervous and my stomach is in knots a lot. Trusting, trusting, trusting. Waiting is hard.

This past Wednesday youth group was awesome. We had been praying for a change, that this particular Wednesday would be different. And it was. We didn't make it past worshipping Jesus with songs. We just couldn't stop...and it was beautiful. I got to pray for several of our students and lots of healing happened! Lots of breakthroughs! Lots of new life! Oh, how refreshing it was to my spirit. I was definitely in my element...

Here we go. On to a new month, a new season, a new change. I am resisting the urge to hold on for dear life and just enjoy it. I know these next two months are going to fly by-they always do.

But the forecast today is sunny with a high near 90. Um, Sun, have you forgotten that it is November? That it is Fall? I know this is SoCal but this is a little extreme. Could you cool down your rays a little or go hide somewhere? Cause everyone around here is gettin' real tired of 90+ degree days. We're ready for hoodies.

Other Things

2009-10-14T17:31:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my parents celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary! Oh I am so blessed by their marriage. We went to the UCLA VS UO football game on Saturday with them. Even though UCLA (my dad's an alumni) lost terribly, it was still so much fun! We even tailgated with them before the game, haha.

It's finally cooled down...for now anyway. So, I've been enjoying lots of this:

Levi went to the fashion district downtown and picked out some fabric for some new pillows for our couch. I sewed them Monday night.

I finally broke out my inheritance from my grandmother:

She's beautiful and still works like a charm. My grandparents were gourmet cooks. When my grandmother died I got her pro-line Kitchen Aid mixer. I've had it for ~~three~~ four years but could not bring myself to use it. I've used my mother's growing up and I know how wonderful they are. For some reason I just couldn't use it yet. This week I did.

I went over to my other grandma's house after work on Tuesday for dinner. It was perfect because it was pouring rain and traffic was terrible. It only took me 15 minutes to get to her house and it would have taken me who knows how long to get to mine. She made an incredible meal for me. Homemade butternut squash soup, twice baked potatoes, green beans, steak and berry pie. Delicious! She recently got back from a month long trip with her good friend to England. She gave me this:

A totally cute handmade apron from a little shop in a little town in England some where. I love it! I wore it while using my Kitchen Aid mixer and made these:

I also made apple bread and banana bread this week. I made the banana bread from the bananas from the banana tree that grows in between my house and the neighbors. Yum!

Oh, how I love fall. It's been so fun to enjoy cool weather, rain, clouds, and fog...even with all of the traffic it brings. Oh how desperately the land needed this rain. It felt so good. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 80 degrees...but shh. That's tomorrow, and tomorrow has enough worries of it's own.

Now, back to my apple cider...

Apple Bread

2009-10-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

Last night, after making this, I decided to make some kind of quick sweet bread. We had apples, so I searched apple bread on allrecipies.com....and I found this. Except, I made some changes. This is what I did:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups apples - peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
A couple of splashes of apple juice

In bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, place oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and apples. Stir into flour mixture. If too dry, add a splash of apple juice until all ingredients combine. Divided mixture between two greased 8x4 bread pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until bread tests done. Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack before removing from pan.

It was delish! It probably didn't need that 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Next time I will omit it.

Next week I want to make pumpkin chocolate chip muffins...but I probably won't be able to wait until next week. :)

My Favorite Things About Today

2009-09-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

-Pumpkin Spice Latte with Jessica before work (my first one of the season!).
-Praying with Jessica before work.
-Overcast weather that's lasted well into the day...The sun is definitely poking through but the clouds are still hanging around.
-Getting to spend an evening with my hubs...

Eugene

2009-09-26T22:00:00.001-07:00

Levi & I got a chance to take a little vacation and visit Eugene! To all of my friends that live in Eugene and read my blog that I did not see, I AM SO SORRY! When we were in Eugene I was totally out of it, totally checked out and for relaxing. We pretty much only saw the people we stayed with (Jordan & Hannah, and the duplex fam). We got home and I realized there were so many of you I would have loved to have seen if time allowed.

Levi was there partly on business, for a planning conference, but it was still a wonderful time of being filled up and loved on. Levi & I got a much needed break from the city, our church, and everything our life in Southern California entails. It was refreshing to be around good good friends, and it was awesome to worship with people that know us deeply. I'm so thankful for the Smith fam, and for girls prayer. I feel re-centered, refocused, and cleaned up.

Our trip consisted of a lot of eating, sleeping, and relaxing. That's pretty much all we did.

the river

buds back in action

at the Lucky Noodle Cafe (soo good!)

my bff.

Vero Espresso House
This place is new to Eugene. Hannah took me there on my second to last day in Eugene, and I was so bummed that I hadn't gotten to go there earlier in our trip so I could have spent more time there! I fell in love with this place! They serve Stumptown Coffee, which is awesome. The atmosphere is cozy, fun, and relaxing. I loved it. On my last day in town I had a few hours to myself and I spent them there. I really love this place and hope it thrives!

Painting Day.

We spent a day at the duplex painting. It was totally fun, refreshing and waaaaay relaxing.

I love my buds and miss them so much already. I really miss being in Eugene. I love it there. This trip was seriously so.good.for.us. God knew exactly what He was doing with the timing of this vacation. It could not have been more perfect. And to top it off, I got to come home to see two more of my Eugene friends that were visiting SoCal! They picked me up from the airport and spent a few days with us. It made coming home so much easier knowing that they were there.

I will write more about my trip later. :)

Today.

2009-09-09T13:28:00.000-07:00

Offer to God your job itself, along with your fears and misgivings about it.
Let His courage encourage you.
The day will come when the task will be finished.
Trust Him for it.

Elisabeth Elliot

I needed those words today. So thankful I found them.

In other news, my list of treats to bake is growing longer by the second. Cookies, cakes, breads, pies, the list goes on. I've reccently discovered so many fun food & baking blogs that I could make it my career to read them all day. I'm so excited to bake some of this deliciousness I've found! The problem: it's still 90 degrees out most days, and it's supposed to get hotter this weekend. Turning the oven on when it's 90 degrees outside just doesn't work. At all.

I keep telling myself, "just a few more months, just a few more months" while the rest of this country is already celebrating Fall. Don't worry, I'm not a pouty baby.

On a random note... we are taking vacation soon...and there, I will surely experience Fall...and probably freeze to death. I'm starting to get excited, but it isn't real yet. I haven't traveled with my husband since last Christmas! Fine, I'll admit it. I became a spoiled baby and traveled often during my college years because I went to college out of state (even if I was just traveling home, it was still traveling).

Today is 9-9-09. Weird.

That's My King!

2009-09-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

That's My King

I don't know how to make the video just show up on my blog, but you should really click that link above. You will be encouraged!

Fall isn't coming...

2009-08-31T18:53:00.001-07:00

There's so much talk on the blogsphere of Fall coming! People writing of ways to decorate, yummy things to bake (like pumpkin bars), cook (homemade soup), and drink (pumpkin chai lattes), beautiful colors, and cold weather....but when it's 105 degrees out, it's really hard to believe that Fall is coming.

I will admit it, I am a bit jealous. I never experienced the beauty and splendor of Fall until I moved to Oregon for school. Growing up in California, we didn't have the luxury of experiencing this season for what it really is. And now that I am back in California, I'm sad and I miss fall. I miss colors, I miss leaves falling off trees, I miss cold weather, warm drinks, and the excitement that hangs in the crisp Fall air.

This is the second September that I will not be going to school. The second September in 18 years. Yikes. Still feels strange, but not as strange as the first.

But September is almost here. School has started for some, and will start very soon for most.

And Fall really is coming... even though it doesn't feel like it.

And that reminds me... that God is here and God is faithful, even if it doesn't feel like it. Even if I am lonely, tired, and overwhelmed... He is still good. He is still here. And he is still more than faithful.

I'm so thankful.

P.S. Levi & I spent this past Saturday at the beach with a good friend. So, so lovely. I may not have real fall but I surely have a real, long summer. So thankful.

Please notice that huge sun. It was so vibrant and red. I wanted to take photos, but we were driving.

fire season.

2009-08-27T08:36:00.001-07:00

I can see smoke billowing up from the mountains across the valley from my desk at work.

Fire season is here.

Protect Southern California, Jesus.

This week has been hard. Dealing with difficult news from several directions. Pray for us, we need it.

On another note, on Monday evening I made The Pioneer Woman's Coffe Cake. Literally. And it is delicious.

Seattle and Friends...

2009-08-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Seattle for a wedding. Levi went to Portland because he was in a seperate wedding on Friday night, which I didn't get to go to...couldn't get off work early enough to get a flight in time to make it to the wedding...And Levi couldn't go to the Seattle wedding because he had to be at church on Sunday, so it was a girls weekend for me! Two of my dear friends from college were married on Saturday evening! It was beautiful, and so fun. Lots of friends from college were there, making it a mini reunion. It was life giving to me.

Of course I spent the whole weekend with Leslee, helping her get Allie (the bride) ready and taking care of things. Upon arrival at the airport I found out I was in charge of Allie's hair. Nothing like a little last minute pressure. Oh but Allison turned out beautiful! Simple, elegant, fun...totally her.

Got to pray with my spirit buddies, what a treat! It was such a delight to see everyone after so long. Especially Danielle! I hadn't seen her since we moved over a year ago. AHHhhhhh. Wish I had more time with her!

On Sunday Les, Nicole & I spent the day in Seattle. We went to Pike's Public Market. We went to the first ever Starbucks, ate some awesome grilled cheese sandwhiches and mac n cheese and a cheese shop, and gorged ourselves on doughnuts from TopPot Doughnuts, a classy local doughnut shop. I know it seems strange to have the word 'classy' describe 'doughnut shop,' but it truly was! It was the classiest doughnut shop I have ever been in. We walked all over down town, went down to the water front, and just had fun. It was so much needed girl time and I really treasured it. I cried on the plane home, almost the entire way. Sigh. It's hard to say bye to your closest girls.

P.S. that man in the post below is my daddy. He will be 58 next month.

My Inspiration.

2009-08-21T12:16:00.001-07:00

See this man?

Please guess his age.

In this photo, he's running for the California State Life Saving Association Regional Championships. He got second place.

Do you see those muscles bulging out of his leg?! When the photo is printed you can really see it.

My Momma.

2009-08-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

Update!My mom text me this afternoon that the results came back negative!! Not sure of any details, but really glad to hear that :)

My mom called today. She had a mammogram a few weeks ago. The doctor's office called her today. They found something in her right breast. She goes back on Thursday for another mammogram and an ultrasound.

If you think of it, please pray for her and my family.

Los Angeles.

2009-08-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Los Angeles: Home to the richest of rich and poorest of poor. One of the largest melting pots in the world. She's fast paced, high tech, yet dead stopped during rush hour. She's beautiful and breath taking and ~~dirty~~ ~~filthy~~disgusting all at the same time.
Los Angeles. An economic power house. A place where dreams come to life. A city where ideas are launched around the world. Stars are born here, made here, yet lives are ruined here. Destroyed here. Ended here.
Los Angeles. One of the most materialistic places on the planet, yet full of so much g r a c e. Nations come here. Children laugh here. Men cry here. Fierce loyalty lies here.
Los Angeles. Home to beautiful beaches, stunning stars, and potent pollution. Where the sun sinks into the ocean every night, and unbelievable colors stretch over the land. Where people fake it to make it. Where keeping up with the Jones' is an understatement.
Los Angeles. Safe, yet dangerous. Alive, yet dead. Bursting at the seams with people just trying to make it. One day at a time, she covers them. Hope floods the streets.
Los Angeles. She's the City of Angels. She has huge destiny. The strength, drive, and force to change the world. She does this, every day. But when will she really fly?

Los Angeles, come into your destiny....You aren't the City of Angeles on accident. Grace over flows here. Life is waiting to be born here. So much more is supposed to be here. Come out of suppression. Get ready to burn. Wake up from your slumber, YOU WERE MEANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD FOR GLORY.

Summer Camp [captured] 2009

2009-08-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

worship.

salvation.

baptism.

holy spirit.

prayer.

love.

power.

games.

fun.

extreme.

stretching.

running.

fighting.

pushing.

deeper.
deeper.

deeper.

deeper.

fly.

adoption.

healing.

grace.

rest.

friends.

love.

Determined.

2009-07-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

Determined.

Sweat breaks out on my forehead.
I will run this race with everything in me.
I have to, I need you.
I hate the thought of not being with you.

Your perfection, you grace. They captivate me.

I need you.

I will run. Hard. Long. Fast.

Sometimes I will jog, I will walk. Sometimes you'll carry me...

but I will finish.

Because I live for those moments in your throne room
and I can't wait until I live there forever.

Heaven is my home

and I will run till I get there.

13.1 Miles

2009-07-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

So I failed again. Last week I didn't even run one time. Yikes! I decided I needed a different goal to work towards. After chatting it over with a few people, I decided it's time. I've wanted to do it my whole life, so this fall I'm going to run a half marathon. Yikes! I've thought about doing it several times, but now I really want to do it. And... I found out about the Los Angeles Marathon in March 2010. It goes from Dodger Stadium to the BEACH. I want to do that, too!

Now I need to decide which halfer I'm going to do. There's a few in the fall, and I need to pick one and register. I'm scared. Nervous. Excited. I feel like there's no way I can do this. But I know that with Jesus, discipline, and a heck of a lot of training... I can. It's time to plan out my training and go for it.

I failed. Sort of.

2009-07-13T21:26:00.001-07:00

I didn't run four times last week. I only ran three times. Not to make excuses, but I am okay with it. On Thursday night I baked desserts and prepped dinner for 60 people. That in itself was a work out. Then on Friday night I cooked food for sixty people. And that was another work out. :)

On Saturday, Levi & I went to the beach. So, so fun! We swam and played in the ocean and layed out and relaxed. It was so good to get away with him for the day!

All this to say, even though I didn't run four times like I wanted to, I was still active on most days. I ran Monday, Wednesday and Sunday. This week I am aiming to run four times of course, and eat more fruits and veggies.

I enjoy running. It makes me feel good. I love the time I share with God while on a run. It's refreshing and really fun.

It felt good to go to the beach. The ocean always feels like home to me...

Today

2009-07-07T17:49:00.000-07:00

Today I got an issue of Surfer magazine (free!). Reading through it made me realize how much I really miss being in the water. My spirit loves the ocean. I'm not sure why I've stayed away for so long.

I've only missed one summer in California. Every other one for my whole life I've spent in this beautiful state. I'm thankful. I love California's summers. I love summer, period.

Also, I am so thankful to be God's daughter. I am so thankful for the favor that rests on me, the peace that washes over me, and the love the flows through me. I am so thankful for my heavenly Father's gigantic heart.

Independence Day

2009-07-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

This year the 4th of July was different. I've always been thankful to live in America and to have the freedoms I do, but this year it was a bit deeper. It felt more personal... I understood a tiny bit more the sacrifice that happened, and continues to happen, for the United States to have the liberties it does...and I'm so, so thankful.

We had lots of fun! We went to my uncle's house in Rancho Mirage, which is near Palm Springs. We went for a hike in the mountains with my uncle and grandma. My grandma is an amazing lady! She's in her 70s and kept up with us! To get up the mountain you take this crazy tram thing:

We also went swimming, ate good burgers, ribs, brownies, cake, etc., went to a date farm with the fam and had a date shake, and went to a local Indian casino where Levi made $10 playing the slot machines. I had neve had a shake with dates in it, it was pretty good. Dates are naturally super sweet, so it made the shake taste crazy sweet! We went to the local college for a fireworks show, which was awesome! They had fireworks in the shape of a smiley face! I had never seen those before!

On the tram

The thing that is crazy is at the bottom on the desert floor, it was 110 degrees. When we got up to the top, it was 68 degrees!

Levi being crazy

We made it!

On anouther note, I am setting a new goal: to run at least 4 days per week. I wanted to do five days, but that seemed a bit over zealous and I don't want to set myself up for failure. Plus, this allows me room to grow later. It doesn't matter where, when, how long or how fast, just as long as I do it. I'm posting this so I will be accountable! It's time to get back in shape...and I actually miss running. Did I just say that outloud? HA.

Summer Has Arrived.

2009-06-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

Summer is officially here. It literally happened over night. For most of this month, it has been gloomy and cold (around 65!). Strange & dumb. Everyone wanted the June gloom to go away. It was like this on Thursday. Then on Friday, it was HOT...and it's been in the 90's ever since. Hello Summer, how I've missed you!

What a fun weekend we just had! On Friday night we went to my parents house and had dinner. Went shopping with my mom, and relaxed. It was nice! On Saturday Levi & I celebrated our anniversary (2 years!) since on our actual anniversary (tuesday, june 23rd) we were hosting a team of students from EBC...which, by the way, was very fun and very refreshing! Friday night we spent the night at my parents...and Saturday morning we got up, ate breakfast & drove to Ventura Beach. It was a foggy and overcast but fun! We poked around in antique shops and art galleries, and then ate lunch at In&Out. I know, I know. Out of all of the good little cafes in Ventura we picked In & Out. But Hey! It was our anniversary. :P Then we got in the car and drove down the Pacific Coast Highway. It was so beautiful to drive along the ocan...and just get to enjoy God's creativity and splendor. We stopped at a little no name beach in Malibu. We were laying in the sand and we both fell asleep...only to be awoken by the rising tide that sucked away one of Levi's favorite flip flops (and they aren't cheap, either). That was very sad. Thankfully, because we had spent the night at my parents the night before, he had other shoes in the car. After searching for the flip for awhile, we gave up and drove down to Santa Monica. We walked around 3rd St Promenade and then we ate dinner at PF Changs. It was perfect. PF Changs is where Levi proposed to me so it is sentimental to us!

It was a great day filled with fun, laughter, and celebration of God uniting us together as one. I truly love that man and it was awesome to have the day with just him.

Yesterday evening we worked in the garden! See, I'm starting on my goals already (also, I spent Saturday in the sun, that also counts as working towards getting tan)! I really love gardening and wish I knew more about it.

Also, I've been baking.

Don't ask me why the loaves of bread are cooling on their sides. This is something Danell taught me to do when she was teaching me about baking bread during one of my classes in college. I just do it because I trust her!

p.s. that adorable pooch at the top is Jackson, my uncle's dog that we watched. I miss him so much I can't stand it! We're going to visit him for the 4th of July! :)

Summer Goals

2009-06-26T13:25:00.001-07:00

A few summer goals...

-Read & Complete 3 books. One that I started months ago & I really need to finish, one good fictional, and one that I will learn/grow spiritually from. Maybe this doesn't seem like that many books, but I haven't been able to finish a book since I graduated college.

-Get tan. It's about time that I look like I live in California again. I still look like I'm from the North West. Pasty white. YUCK.

-Expand my garden. This requires Levi's help, but he already told me he'd do it. :)

-Turn my blog into a book like Kimberly did.

-Try a new recipie every two weeks.

-Hem Levi's jeans. I've been needing to do this since Christmas. What a patient husband I have. :)

-Sew new pillow cases for the couch pillows. Have you seen those pillows? They are so nasty. BUT they are so awesomely comfy I can't stand to get rid of them.

And..... I will stop there. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself!

Lately...

2009-06-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

Levi's family came out for a week long visit. They stayed at an awesome beach house in Manhattan Beach. It was so fun to see them and get to hang out with them. We went to the Getty Center, ate some awesome Cajun food, skated and biked around Manhattan and Hermosa, and just had good family time. I had to work for most of their visit, but it was good to see them. I love spending time with my new brothers, and the last few times we've gone to Colorado they've been busy with work, school, girls, etc.

A little bee I found in the garden at the Getty, with a flower that I love.

We also have been dog sitting my uncle's adorable pup, Jackson, the last two weeks while he was on vacation with my parents and grandma. They went to Hawaii and seemed to have forgotten to take us with them. Lol. Jackson is such a sweet, good dog. We loved having him. It was sad last night when my uncle picked him up, and it was sad this morning to wake up and not have a little friend ready to play.

Last weekend we babysat this little guy, Owen, while his mommy & daddy were at a marriage retreat. He was a little sick and teething so it was a bit rough for him, but we loved having him. Jackson (the dog) and Owen loved each other and followed each other around.

Today we are having a Summer Kick Off Party with our students, which means BBQ, music and lots of water balloons. Too bad a I have a nasty sore throat/cold. Hopefully I will be able to enjoy it instead of being a party pooper. Ha....

Can't sleep...

2009-05-31T00:15:00.000-07:00

I slept in this morning and still took a two and a half hour nap today...which of course means I can not sleep right now. Levi slept just as long as I did, but does that mean he is awake now, too? Of course not. That man can sleep anytime, anywhere. Just as long as he can get comfy and close his eyes within minutes he is out. So he is fast asleep in our freezing room because he insists on blasting our little window AC unit all night long (why someone would build a house in SoCal without central air is beyond me). So I've just been laying there...and because I'm not tired I can't turn my brain off.

Today we had a car wash with our youth to help them raise money for summer camp. It went okay. It was a strange day and as overcast ALL DAY LONG and I think that kept people away. I think we are going to try a new fundraiser this year, doing a dinner & entertainment kind of thing. I can't stop thinking about it and ideas are flooding my mind. I really need to write them out so I can stop thinking about them.

When we got home from the car wash, I showered, ate and then fell asleep. Woke up 2.5 hours later and was pretty drowsy for a while after that. We got an invite to dinner at the neighbors house. Can't turn down carne asada! Came home and I made brownies from scratch. They are dang good, if I do say so myself. Started going nesting crazy and needed to do something. So I took all of the books off of our bookshelves and put them back up color coded. All the reds together, blues, etc. And I love it. It makes me happy. But I realized we have a ton of books, some doubles from classes we both took in college. Time for a garage sale or ebay!Tomorrow I am going to work on our bedroom, and this includes my clothes.

Confession: I have way too many clothes and it has seriously gotten out of control. Most people don't know the extent of how bad it is. But it is really b.a.d. Vulnerable moment: it's so bad I can't fit all of my clothes in my closet and 5 drawer dresser. Time to majorly downsize. I will add this tiny disclaimer: After living in Eugene, Oregon for four years, I have accumulated lots of bulky winter items such as sweaters, coats, etc. Also, when I moved away to school one way my mother felt like she could still provide for and take care of me was by purchasing me new items of clothing. Especially in the beginning when I did not have any of these winter items and I FROZE my butt off. Now that I am back in beautiful Los Angeles, home of 70 degree winters, I no longer need as many winter items.

The problem is that I am a perfectionist...so when things get majorly out of control like this, I just shut down. It's extremely overwhelming and I can't handle it. I start running from one thing to the next instead of taking it one drawer at a time. Which is the plan. Tomorrow: tackle the clothes on the floor of the closet (probably after I take another nap...ha).

My birthday was last weekend! On Friday night we met up with some friends in Pasadena to celebrate. Then on Saturday, Levi woke me up with breakfast in bed...w had my favorite pancakes in the whole world: Oatmeal Banana Chocolate chip with peanut butter and whipped cream on top (yes, I get all of my calories in for the whole day in one meal). Then we went to Disneyland! It was SO SO SO FUN. I was a bit worried that it was going to be super crowded due to Memorial Day, but surprisingly it wasn't! We had such a good time. We even watched the fireworks this time and got to see Tinkerbelle fly from the Matterhorn to the Castle. Also, they have a cool promo going on right now for SoCal residents: Its a 2fer. Buy a one day park ticket and come back another day to go to the other park for same price! And, when it's your bday you get in free. So, I got in free and we get to go back and go to California Adventure for free! Woo! I have pictures to upload, but the camera is dead and I'm too lazy to charge it. I guess that's for another day. On Sunday after church we went to my parents house to celebrate the day of my birth. We stayed the night and spent memorial day relaxing around their house (well, my dad worked...). It was wonderful.

Also, Levi got me the 25th Anniversary Commemerative Edition DVD Set of all 8 seasons of the Cosby Show! We've been watching an episode every night. Seriously, that show is HILARIOUS!

My garden is growing! I have two jalepenos growing, with lots of flowers! My tomato plant is covered in flowers, too. I love it. My snap peas are looking a little funky. I'm afraid they've gotten a disease or something.

I think I'm finally sleepy enough to actually fall asleep. Phew.

New Things.

2009-05-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...it's been awhile.

What can I say, I've been a busy girl. We've been having lots of fun lately and experiencing a lot of firsts! Levi got to baptise one of our students during a Sunday morning service. Levi experienced his first Dodger game! We went with Kyle & Jessica and it was tons of fun. Then, two days later, we went with my parents and sat behind home plate! So cool! Levi preformed at a memorial service. We went to the aquarium. We've had some date nights at the beach! I went to Eugene for a quick but wonderful visit. Levi visited his family in Colorado and was welcomed by a HUGE snow storm and came home to California's 90 degree heat. So much more happened I just can't think of everything at the moment. I decided to be better at capturing our life with photos. Here's a few of my efforts.

I am also growing a garden, but the pictures are on my camera still. Love love love it. :)

Crazy February

2009-02-24T19:41:00.000-08:00

I can't believe this is the last week of February and next week it will be March. It felt like last week was the beginning of January!

The 13th was Levi's 25th birthday! We went to all you can eat sushi (his fav!) with some friends to celebrate! Levi got a Flip Mino HD, a tiny video camera (its the size of a cellphone!) for his birthday. It's so cool. It plugs straight into the computer and uploads everything crazy fast. We love it.

On Valentine's Day we spent the majority of the morning deep cleaning our house. How romantic...lol. But it was so nice to get it done and out of the way and to be able to enjoy it. Then we went shopping (for the flip and a new hat for Levi with his birthday money) and relaxed at our house. Levi made me an awesome dinner of bread with dipping sauces, radiatore pasta with Alfredo sauce, chicken, broccoli, garlic, bell peppers, and a bunch of other veggies. We had chocolate moose for dessert. I got him some of his new favorite boxers. That is a treat because they are expensive! He got me a new purse and perfume, and he also learned our song on the guitar and sang it to me. :) So precious. It was cute because he was so nervous to sing to me!

I loved it. It was a great weekend!

On Saturday my mom competed in the Power Lifting State Championships. She got gold for her age group! Way to go Mom! She looks amazing (definitely not like a bodybuilder..in order for a woman to look like that she would have to talk supplements/drugs/hormones). We're so proud of her!

On Sunday Kyle & Jessica's baby boy turned one! I went to his party that I made 100 cupcakes for! He was of course, awesome, and did an incredible job enjoying his special birthday cupcake. A friend of ours got $800 tickets to the Nascar race for free and invited Levi, so he went to that. He was laughing because he had no interest what so ever in Nascar, but really enjoyed the experience. He had a lot of fun.

We also got a new desk this weekend! We never really had one. We used a card table from Levi's bachelor days. I was sick of guest bedroom/office looking like a pile of junk. So, we found a nice corner desk on Craigslist and got a good deal on it. Levi spent a lot of time putting it together and rearranging furniture in that room. Now it looks like a real guestroom, and someone would actually want to stay there! It feels much better, and we enjoy spending time in there.

We are trying to plan a trip to Eugene soon! And we are saving for a new laptop since mine is dead. Its nice to have fun goals like that!

2009-02-16T18:34:00.000-08:00

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? Biggest Loser or cartoons.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch. Occasionally caesar.

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Fish.

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order? Coke or Cherry Coke.

5. Where did he go to high school? Ponderosa.

6. What size shoe does he wear? 11

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Shoes. Books. Guitar picks.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
Turkey- with everything and anything on it. The more the merrier.

9. What would this person eat every day if he could? Chocolate or cinnamon pop tarts.

10. What is his favorite cereal? Cereal in general is a favorite of his. He loves lots of kinds...cocoa krispies, total, lucky charms...

11. What would he never wear? A speedo. Lol.

12. What is his favorite sports team? The Denver Broncos.

13. Who did he vote for? McCain.

14. Who is his best friend? Brandon Hauser, Jordan Bemis, Brent Dunn. Me.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Take forever to put away my clean clothes :)

16. What is his heritage? English, Greek, and a little bit of some other stuff.

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? Chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate.

18. Did he play sports in high school? Not for high school. But he's played lots of sports like hockey and soccer. He played soccer in college.

19. What could he spend hours doing? Playing guitar, playing games and chatting with friends, reading the Bible & talking with God.

20. What is one unique talent he has? He's really good at making conversation---with anyone, anywhere, no matter what the circumstance is. Thank God he can do that, I'm so shy!

2009-01-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

Oh boy. I haven't updated this in a long time...again. Mostly it's because right before Christmas our laptop crashed and is now dead. :( It was a very sad sad day for me, considering everything from the last 5 years of my life was on the laptop with very little backed up. Let's just say I definitely learned my lesson. Levi and I decided we want to get a macbook, so we are currently saving money for that.

The holidays were awesome. We spent Christmas Eve and Day with my fam, and flew out the next day to Colorado. We got to spend 9 full days in Colorado (one of my longest visits yet!). It was so fun. While we were there Levi's grandma from Nebraska came to visit, too. It was good to see her. On our last night there we hung out in downtown Denver. We ate dinner at a place that I can't remember the name...something like Ted's Montana Grill. Anyway, it was really good. I had bison for the first time! After dinner we went to the theatre and saw Jersey Boys, the broadway story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. I absolutely loved it.

This past month we've been busy as usual. I have been adjusting to my new job, which I love. It's fun to work with friends and do something I am good at. The only bummer is my commute, but I'm also adjusting to that as well.

We've gotten to use our fire pit lately, and that's been awesome. Also, almost all of the lemons on my lemon tree finally turned yellow! I am thinking about making lemon jelly but I am kind of scared because I heard it is very difficult. With just a few cold days, the weather down here has been around the 80s! Its really nice but at the same time its kind of weird to have spring weather in the middle of January. I wouldnt mind if it was a little colder.

Levi's birthday is in about 2 weeks- we may be going to Disneyland! We might also go snowboarding, we will see.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T08:47:00.000-08:00

All of our mid-week church services were cancelled this week...so, we decided to take a break and hang out at my parents house. Levi and I have been staying at my parents house since Sunday night, and it has been so much fun and felt so good to be home, especially around this time of year. It works out perfect because two of the girls I work with live in near my parents so I have been able to carpool to work with them. My parents house will always feel like home to me.

I am so excited that it is Christmas Eve! It feels like I have not had Christmas in forever. Last year we spent Christmas in Colorado and Nebraska with Levi's family. It was tons of fun, but I really missed my family. And, all of their Christmas traditions are so different (but fun!) from my family's it didn't really feel like Christmas to me. I am so thankful that we get to be with my family this year.

Also, on Friday we are flying out to Colorado! So, it's like we get the best of both worlds. We will have a late Christmas with Levi's family. I know this must be a little bit sad for him to not be with his family on Christmas for the first time, but I'm sure it helps knowing that we get to go be with them the day after.

Its raining its pouring the old man is snoring...

2008-12-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

Today started out really weird. First, I was delighted to wake up to lots of rain. It's funny how much I started to miss it when I couldn't stand it in Eugene. However, I woke up at 3 am to lots of rain...and was up for about an hour. Why? I have no idea. Then, when I woke up when my alarm when off, I had a headache. Boo.

It's freezing in my house because we can't turn the heater on. Why you ask? Because Levi insists that the best place for the Christmas tree is right in front of the ONLY heat register/vent we have in our home. It's huge though, it's taller than me (I know that's not saying much...but it's not a tiny vent is what I'm trying to say). So, we can't turn the heater on or else the tree will catch on fire. So I freeze.

Because of this coldness, I decided I wanted a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. So, I make my oatmeal and am about to eat it on the couch with a nice warm blanket...and somehow, I managed to drop my cellphone in the bowl of oatmeal. Totally covered and nasty, I pull it out. I tried to clean it the best I could without getting it wet and ruining it....and for a few hours, it didn't work. BUT it does now! So that's good.

I went to work and then ran a bunch of errands feeling tired and kind of sick, mostly from this headache that won't really go away even after an Excedrin migraine which usually does it. Thankfully, the headache is gone now. Naturally, as I am driving around I am listening to Christmas music. I am flipping between two different radio stations that have continuous Christmas music playing except for commercials. So, I am listening to K-Earth 101, the oldies station playing "Classic Christmas" tunes, and the dj says they are giving away a $50 gas gift card to someone who is the 8th caller when some Christmas song by Elton John comes on. I thought to myself, "Oh that would be cool. I'm going to pre-dial the number on my phone in case the song comes on while I'm driving home" Not really expecting anything, I all of a sudden realize the Elton john song is playing.. I think. Nervously I call. Busy. Dang. I decide to try again. It's ringing. I am getting so nervous at this point because what if it's not the right song, then I am going to look like an idiot...and then Shot Gun Tom, the DJ answers..."Whats your name and where ya calling from?" I manage to squeak out (I don't know why I was so nervous) Katie and I'm from Rosemead. Then he has to ask me how old I am because I sound like I'm 12 on the phone. Anyway, I won! It was so fun to win something on the radio! And my voice was on the radio! Cool!!!!

So, my weird morning & afternoon ended up being AWESOME. I credit this all to the Lord, of course.

I got home, called my mom, told Levi & made dinner. Then we had a leadership meeting at church which went very well... I feel blessed, content, and pleased...even if my house is freezing. :)

Thanksgiving

2008-12-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

Wow this past week and a half has been incredibly crazy but tons of fun!

Where to start??? A few days before Thanksgiving Levi & I both got sick.. puking sick. We aren't sure if it was the stomach flu or food poisoning, but all I know is I am glad it only lasted 24 hours. On Wednesday night, Leslee, Hannah and Jordan arrived at our house! On Thursday we went to my uncle's for Thanksgiving. It was such a treat to be with my biological family and my friend family at the same time. It was so good and so refreshing to see everyone. At my uncle's we ate, listened to his stories, went in the spa, went for a walk, watched part of the original miracle on 34th street, etc. It was really fun.

On Friday we woke up at went to Roscoe's House of Chicken & Wafffles in Pasadena because Jordan was dying to go. Then we walked around Old Town Pasadena and shopped. We went to Tia Gladys' (an amazing authentic Mexican restaurant) for dinner. Then we went the Festival of Lights in Griffith Park near the LA Zoo and came home. We made homemade hot chocolate and attempted to play a game. In the middle of the game Levi noticed a GIGANTIC bug crawling around on our floor in the living room. Everyone screamed. Finally we caught it. It is called a potato bug or a Jerusalem Cricket. Jordan got it all on video, so when he uploads the video I will post it. It was hilarious and the bug is disgusting.

On Saturday Levi made pancakes and then we went to Chinatown. Everyone got some cool junk. Then we went to the Santa Monica Pier and walked around Santa Monica. We ate at Claim Jumper's for dinner. We hung out the rest of the night at our house. This was Hannah & Jordan's last night with us. Leslee got to stay until Thursday!

Early Sunday morning we said good bye to Hannah & Jordan. We went to church, relaxed at home and then went shopping at Americana at Brand in Glendale. Leslee got some great deals on clothes and it was fun to see the place all decorated for Christmas! Then we went and ate at Maggiano's. Yum!

On Monday I had to work and Monday night we had a leadership meeting at church. For some reason I can't remember what we did in the afternoon that day.

Tuesday I went to a job interview and Leslee and Levi waited at a nearby Starbucks. Got the job! Woo! Then we went shopping, ate at the Habit and saw Melissa Joan Hart (the girl from Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Clarissa Explains It All), went to Ikea in Burbank, went to some other stores, went to Porto's (a yummy cuban bakery), went to Wal-Mart, came home, made dinner. Then Leslee and I went to WalMart again while Levi was putting up Christmas lights to get a few things we forgot. Came home, Leslee finished making cookies and finally went to sleep.

Wednesday we went to lunch with our pastor, to Target, and youth group. Then Les and I attempted to make bath bombs.

Thursday we went to Manhattan Beach and took Les to the airport. Sad day.

It was so crazy but it was so fun. I miss all of them so much...

2008-11-23T00:29:00.001-08:00

Tagged! I love these things.

2008-11-20T23:53:00.000-08:00

The "5 THINGS GAME"

The rules are to write 5 things under each of the 5 headings, and then tag 5 other people.

10 years ago...
1. I was 12 years old.
2. I was in junior high.
3. I had crazy sleep overs with various people like Kimberly where we ate the most bizarre combination of foods after going to the grocery store with my mom at all hours of the night.
4. It was still the 90's.
5. I had to wear a uniform to school.

5 Things on Today's "To-Do" List...
1. Go to work.
2. Go to Dulce's volleyball game.
3. Have Paul, Melissa and their baby over for dinner.
4. Go to prayer at church.
5. Get the remaining ingredients needed to roast the turkey for the thanksgiving lunch we are having at church this weekend.

5 Snacks I Enjoy...
1. Leslee's chocolate chip cookies
2. cheese sticks and apples
3. apples and peanut butter
4. any kind of fruit, really
5. cheez-its!

5 Things I Would Do if I were a Millionaire!
1. tithe
2. pay off our student loans
3. buy a house
4. save it
5. give it away to family, missionaries, and charities

5 Places I Have Lived...
1. Canyon Country, CA with my family
2. Eugene, OR in the girls dorms
3. Eugene, OR in apartment nine
4. Rosemead, CA with my husband!
5. that's it.

5 Jobs I've had/Still have...
1. Lifeguard at Hurricane Harbor
2. Bridal Consultant at Cruz's Bridal and David's Bridal
3. Librarian Assistant at Eugene Bible College
4. Office Assistant at Cornerstone Services, Inc
5. Church Administrator at Open Bible Rosemead

5 People I'm tagging:
1. Kimberly
2. Jackie
3. Bre
4. Jen
5. Brittany

Not So Good

2008-11-16T18:48:00.000-08:00

So on my last post I wrote about that 5 Minute Chocolate Cake... well, it wasn't that good. It would work if you were craving chocolate cake and it was late at night or something. Mine turned out a bit dry and had a little too much cocoa. Maybe sometime I will try again and experiment adding something like sour cream to see if it makes it a little bit more moist, or cooking it for a little bit less time. Anyway, the whole process was still fun!

Wow I can't believe that Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away! I am so excited, not only for the holiday but because this means that I will get to see Leslee, Hannah & Jordan in less than two weeks! Woo!

These last few weeks have been really busy. Last weekend was Ignite, a youth conference for the pacific region of Open Bible Churches, in Lodi, CA. We took our students to it and it was awesome. God did some really cool things in their lives! It was also really neat because I got to see a lot of people I haven't seen since we left Eugene and even before that. It was a treat! The only sad thing that happened was on the drive up one of our vans broke down. A mechanic from our church donated an 8 passenger van to the church for the youth to use for trips and stuff. We were so excited and so thankful for it...until it broke down. We were driving through the grapevine and right after Gormon it just broke down. We had to get it towed and ended up having to rent a van. Even though dealing with all of that added an extra 4 hours to our trip, we some how made it on time for the first session of the conference! Woo hoo!

We spent Friday night and Saturday in Santa Clarita with my family. My mom had her first power lifting competition on Saturday. Now before you freak out my mom isn't a body builder- she's not one of those women who looks all nasty and manly. In order to do that you have to take testosterone supplements and stuff. When you look at my mom you can tell that she is in shape, but not that she can lift really heavy weights. She did excellent and the comp and we are so proud of her! We don't know what she won (we know she won something but not sure what place) because those things take forever and we left after she finished her events. We were too tired & hungry to wait around for the awards ceremony. She will find out this week. We almost did not get to come home last night because of the crazy fires. All of the freeways and streets leading in and out of Santa Clarita were shut down most of Saturday because of the fires. Finally late last night they opened the 5 so we were able to get home.

The fires continue to blaze on. It's really heart breaking. On Saturday I heard that more damage had been done to homes and structures in just that day than the damage that had been done in the last decade. I am thankful that God really cares about these people and is taking care of us. It is all smokey and smelly outside. Blah.

Leslee and I at the farm in Eugene

Me petting a goat...and yes, I used that same hand to eat a apple cider doughnut from the farm without washing my hands. Sick, I know.

5 Minute Chocolate Cake

2008-11-10T16:19:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from one of my favorite blogs The Bargain Hunter. Some of the deals she writes about are only places found only in Southern California, but a ton of her stuff is about things that are nation wide! Check out her blog, it's really incredible and I've gotten a lot of good deals from it. Plus, you can also subscribe to it and have it emailed to you.

Anyway, I thought this recipe looked fun and I wanted to remember it, so I'm posting it. I haven't tried it yet but plan on it tonight. I will let you know how it goes. It looked good for a last minute dessert!

Ingredients:
1 coffee mug
4 tablespoons flour (that's plain flour, not self-rising)
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips
small splash of vanilla

Directions: add the dry ingredients to the mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but that's okay. Allow it to cool about two minutes, then wiggle onto a plate and eat. Makes enough for two.

Surprise Visit to Eugene

2008-10-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago my mom surprised me and gave me a free round trip ticket so that I could go visit Leslee & friends in Eugene. I wanted to keep it a secret from everyone and just show up at Leslee's door, but I couldn't risk her being busy, so I told her. Just her and her roommates knew and I got to surprise a ton of people.

It was amazing. It was exactly what I needed. It was so refreshing, relaxing, and fun! Went to some of my favorite places and saw some of my favorite people. We went to worship at the Smiths, Bene Pizza, Sweet Basil, Great Harvest Bread Co, Perigino's, Sweet Life...and Thistledown Farms. Nicole made my favorite chocolate cupcakes and they had a party for me. It was fun.

Leslee has all the pictures because my camera died.

It was just incredible to get away for a little bit and see my best friend. It felt so good to get prayed for by them. It was good to see my family.

8 Things Tag from Kimberly!

2008-10-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

8 Shows I Watch
1. Biggest Loser
2. Jon & Kate Plus 8
3. Ace of Cakes
4. Oprah
5. Martha Stewart
6. Rachel Ray
7. 30 Minute Meals
8. Extreme Home Makeover

8 Restaurants
1. Maggiano's
2. PF Changs
3. Casa Bianca's
4. In-N-Out
5. Mcmenamins
6. Tia Gladys
7. Pei Wei
8. Macaroni Grill

8 Things I did Yesterday
1. Slept in
2. Ran errands
3. Went out to breakfast with Levi
4. Hemmed my new jeans
5. Cleaned out the huge ice chest at church
6. showered
7. ate pizza with our students
8. watched a movie with our students

8 Things I look forward to
1. Next week. The carnival will be over :)
2. My wonderful friends coming down from Eugene for Thanksgiving!
3. Carving pumpkins and going to the pumpkin patch.
4. Christmas!
5. Going to Denver the day after Christmas and seeing my family!
6. Relaxing at the beach.
7. Being a mom one day
8. My oven being fixed.

8 Things I love about Fall
1. Cute Halloween decorations
2. Leaves changing colors
3. Chili and caramel apples
4. Fall colors. I LOVE LOVE LOVE them.
5. Holidays.
6. Pumpkins
7. The change in weather... it's refreshing.
8. Eugene. Eugene in the fall is my favorite.

8 Wishes
1. For every single person I love to live no farther than an hour away from me.
2. To get to travel the world
3. To not ever have to worry about money.
4. To have a 1950's oven in a house I adore in a place I love.
5. To have a big family of my own
6. For Gretchen to win the lottery.
7. For us to win the lottery.
8. For it to be my job to travel the world and pray for people.

8 People I tag
1. Brittany Lutz
2. Julie Cole
3. Leslee Simmons
4. My Mom!
5. Amy Neilson
6. Levi
7. Gretchen Ramsey
8. Beth Souther

Finally...Fall!

2008-10-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

It feels like I have been waiting forever but it finally feels like Fall around here.

This weekend we spent at my parents so Levi could finish my moms kitchen and wow does it look amazing! I am so proud of him! Pictures coming soon. Anyway, this weekend was cold and windy! Well, I guess it wouldn't be cold to most people that live every where else in the country, but weather in the 60s definitely feels cold in Southern California. It felt so fun to wear a sweatshirt and cuddle up with a blanket on the couch. Too bad it is supposed to be like 90 tomorrow.

However, with the winds comes fire season. Unfortunately there are some major major major brush fires happening right now all over So Cal. If you think of it, please pray. Lots of homes and buildings have been burned down or damaged, and the winds are only going to get worse. I'm so thankful for firefighters who work so hard during times like these.

With this little rush of Fall, I have been dying to bake stuff... except our oven does not work. We can call someone and have them come look at it and the church will pay for it, except I have no idea who to call. Sometimes I forget that I am new to this area and it's a teensy bit frustrating.

This weekend our church is having a Carnival Celebration to celebrate it's 60th anniversary of ministry in Rosemead, California. I have been in charge of it and it's really coming down to crunch time now. I am going to be a busy girl this week and weekend!

2008-10-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

What a crazy life this has been!!

Last weekend we had lots of visitors and lots of fun and went all over Southern California.

On Thursday night Levi & I picked up Jennifer and Gregory from the airport and then took them back to our house. We just hung out and talked for awhile and went to bed because it was late. Friday we woke up and went to Chinatown, Santa Monica Pier, lunch at In-N-Out and then to Hollywood. Then we drove them up to Valencia so they could meet up with Jennifer's parents. They stayed Friday night with them and went with them to Six Flags the next day, and Levi and I hung out at my parents house and stayed the night. Gretchen came over (it was her birthday!) and we ate some good ice cream. I was so exhausted.

In the midst of all of this, Ben calls and says he might be coming down and bringing Jake with him. They really wanted to go to the USC vs UO game on Saturday night. They got some amazing deal on last minute tickets, so they bought them....except.... they missed their flight out here on Friday night. So they next morning at 650 am they were on a plane out here. On Saturday morning I woke up and it was cold and raining!!! Then I realized I had nothing to wear to this High Tea my grandma's English friend put on for my grandma's birthday. So, my mom ran me over to Kohl's and she bought me a cute fallish dress. Ran back home, got read and then I had brunch with Gretch, Beth and Jessica to celebrate Gretchen's birthday. Then we went to Buffalo Exchange and I got a pair of $169 jeans brand new with the tags still on them for $28.50. Awesome. Next came Grandma's birthday tea. That was a lot more fun than I thought it would be and I had some really really good tea and food. Hung out with my mom in Pasadena after that while Levi, Brent, Jake & Ben were at the football game.

My mom took me back to my house and then Levi and the boys came home, and then Gregory and Jennifer did. In the middle of Sunday morning (330am!) we had to wake up to drive Gregory and Jennifer to the fly-away. Took them and got home at 4 am and got to sleep for four more hours and then had church. Left church, went to Venice Beach with Ben and Jake and ate at Islands, and then took them to the airport. I was so exhausted by the time we got home, I started crying for no reason. I did not know what to do with myself.

Even though I was so tired it was so fun. It was so fun to have visitors! Now I can't wait for Thanksgiving when Leslee, Jordan & Hannah are coming down. :)

Tonight we are hanging out with Justin & Kristi which should be fun. We are spending the weekend in Santa Clarita because Levi is trying to finish my mom's kitchen up.

Next Sunday at church we are having a Carnival at church! Fun!

2008-10-02T17:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight our first guests from Oregon are coming to visit...Gregory and Jennifer! I am excited, except our house is a wreck. I really need to clean but I have a headache/no motivation/no energy. Brent is over playing the wii with Levi so it feels weird to start vacuuming and crap. This weekend will be interesting to say the least. I have to juggle friends visiting + gma birthday tea + friend birthday brunch + work. It wouldn't be nearly as bad if I hadn't had a terrible cold for the last week! As busy as it is going to be, it is going to feel so good to not be so dang lonely. Of course I have Levi, and I am so grateful for that. I could not have moved down here alone... But it's just horribly weird to go from having several good, close friends that you hang out with very often to having approximately 3.

Tomorrow I think we are going to do touristy stuff. Maybe Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood, China town, etc. Whatever Jen & Greg want to do. It's going to be fun to see a familiar face. Ben was supposed to come to go to the USC vs. UO game but I don't think he is coming anymore.

For Thanksgiving Jordan, Hannah, & Leslee are driving down. That is something I definitely cannot wait for. I miss those three so. dang. much. I can't wait to hug them. If the weather is nice maybe Leslee and I will go surfing! What a great idea.

Oh to dream...

Oh and this...below is a photo of an actual restaurant a few blocks away from our house. Obviously the name means something different in Vietnamese (I think that's what kind of restaurant it is) than in English, but you have to admit it is still hilarious.

On to another culture...
A few of my favorite things about being a part of a Hispanic community:
-Love. Love. Love. These people will love you to death.
example: I am every adults "mi hija" (which sounds like "mija").
-Touch. I am guaranteed several hugs and kisses from pretty much anyone. People that have touch/spacial issues would hate this.
-I never go hungry. There is always someone making something somewhere. If not, there is a man pushing a cart down the street selling corn and snow cones OR there's the grocery store on wheels OR there is someone carrying around Hot Cheetos to help tie you over.
-Language. It is challenging and FUN. It's been fun learning to communicate and fun to be getting better at it/have more confidence.
-It's okay to be late(however, these last two I have a love/hate relationship with).
-Togetherness. These people love to be together. It doesn't matter what we are doing...they just want to be around each other. FAMILY.

2008-09-26T16:24:00.001-07:00

Now that it is officially fall, I am feeling disappointed. Since I moved to Oregon, fall has become my favorite season...and maybe that's because I never really experienced Fall growing up. I have spent the last few days at my parents house in the 100 degree heat. I think I am going to really miss having a real autumn. :(

Now, enough whining about missing and being lonely because that's all I ever talk about on here. I really do love my life here! I love our cute little house and our fun backyard. I love the breeze that blows down our street in the evening and sitting on our front porch eating dinner. I love living three doors down from our place of employment and getting to walk to work!

I start work for our church on Monday morning. Exciting! I am looking forward to it...but at the same time it sure has been fun to just stay at home and be a wife and help Levi with our students. Of course I will still be involved, I will just be a little bit more busy.

Levi is remodeling my mom's kitchen and it starting to look really good. The cabinets are almost done and they look great!

Next weekend some friends from Oregon are coming down. This should be really fun but a really busy busy weekend! Gregory and Jennifer are for sure coming, and I think Ben might be too. It is also Gretchen's birthday on friday and I told her awhile ago I'd do something with her and on Saturday I am going to a tea party for my grandma's birthday. I will be the youngest one there. Ha.

I am tired. I have a sore throat that feels like it is turning into a cold. boo. :(

I want to go to a farm and go apple picking. I'm trying to figure out a place to do it that is not really far away. Also, we are going to go to Lombardi ranch to get pumpkins this year. Fun! :)

2008-09-16T19:48:00.001-07:00

I just realized this week that living in Los Angeles makes me an Angelino. HA. or maybe its Angelina....

Last week my mom turned 50! Go mom! We went up to my parents house for the weekend to celebrate her milestone. The best part of it is how optimistic and happy my mom was about turning half a century old. She was proud of it. She's feeling great, looks great, and doing great. I'm so proud of have such an active, happy mom! She's being working out for awhile now and she looks awesome. In November she may enter a weight lifting contest! I'm so proud of her, and I'm proud that she found something she loves and can excell at that is so healthy for her.

For her birthday, Levi is remodeling her kitchen. Lights, paint, cabinets, floors, etc. So far he has ripped out the old flourescent light fixtures and installed reccessed lighting. It looks absolutely amazing! It is so fun to have a husband that is so handy and so talented! He is so good at doing anything that involves working with his hands...and if he doesn't know how to do it, he will learn and learn really quickly. He's so dreamy... :) heheh.

This weekend I'm going to have lunch with my grandma! That will be so fun! I am excited to get to see her. She went to Africa this summer. She traveled with a tour group specifically for elderly women. She flew all the way from LA to South Africa ALONE. That woman is crazy! She knew no one on her tour, but it was her life long dream to go there on safari... she had the trip of a lifetime and I am looking forward to hearing about it!

Things around here are busy. We are busy with our students but we love it. I got hired to work as an administrative assistant for our church. I start in October. It's part time... so right now I am trying to figure out if I really want to get another part time job to have full time hours. I've applied for a few things and looked around, but I don't really feel settled about anything.

I miss Eugene today. Ugh. And Becky. Really bad. Maybe that's because it was her birthday yesterday. My heart is just lonely for familiarity.

Trying to make plans for the holidays and figure out plane tickets and such. Might not be going to Colorado for Thanksgiving, even though this is our year to do that. We might just leave Christmas night or the day after Christmas and fly to Nebraska (where Levi's family will be) then drive home with them to Colorado and fly out of there to get back home. We'll see... praying that Father will bless us financially to go!

2008-09-09T19:48:00.000-07:00

"So Adam and his wife were forced to flee Paradise, and Adam named her Eve, because she would be the mother of all the living. But her firstborn, Cain, became a murderer, and her second son, Abel, his victim.
As the years passed, sorrow chased sorrow in the heart of the first woman, and the last we see of her we imagine her not as a creature springing fresh from the hand of God, but as a woman in anguish, giving birth to another child. Her skin now stretches like worn canvas across her limbs, her hands claw the stony ground, grasping for something to hold on to, for anything to ease her pain. She can feel the child inside, filling her, his body pressing for a way of escape. The cries of mother and child meet like streams converging. And Seth is born.
Finally, with her child cradled against her breast, relief begins to spread across Eve's face. With rest her hope returns; a smile forms, and then, finally, laughter rushes her lips. Try as she might, she cannot stifle her joy. For she remembers the Brightness and the Voice and the promise God gave: Sooner or later, despite many griefs, her seed would crush the serpent. In the end, the woman would win" (19).

-Ann Spangler & Jean E. Syswerda in Women of the Bible: a one-year devotional study of women in scripture

2008-09-03T23:04:00.000-07:00

When all I wanted never turned out the way I planned
Seemed to far out of right for my hand
I ran to you

When I fall
Fall so hard at the thought of my failures
Knowing deep down inside that I am yours
I ran to you

You gave me a purpose
A plan for tomorrow
Wiped the tears from my face and give me joy for my sorrow
You lead me through life’s storms
Carry me when I’m worn
You mend me when I’m torn
Every time I run to you
Every time I run to you

When my foundations
They were torn out from under my feet
All my doubts left me broken and beaten
So I ran to you

When life controls me
All my worries and fears stripped and bound me
You released me and told me I am free
When I ran to you

Cause you gave me a purpose
A plan for tomorrow
Wiped the tears from my face and give me joy for my sorrow
You lead me through life’s storms
Carry me when I’m worn
You mend me when I’m torn
Everytime I run to You...

--hannah joy, run to you
http://www.myspace.com/hannahjoym

Sneak Attack!

2008-08-28T23:53:00.000-07:00

Wow it has been a crazy week! Wednesday the 20th Brent & Liz spent the day at California Adventure and then spent the night at our house. They stayed with us until Saturday. On Thursday they went to Disneyland and on Friday Levi and I got to go with them to the LA Zoo! It was fun! I hadn't been there in a very, very long time. It was fun to re-live childhood memories including the plastic animal toys that the machine makes right in front of you. You better bet that Liz and I were on the look out for those and when we found them, we both made giraffes. :) After the Zoo we rested up at my house and went to dinner at PF Changs in Pasadena. Yum! After dinner we came home and had a fire in our fire pit and made dough gobs (smash a grands biscuit around a stick and cook it over the fire...when its "baked" pull it off and stuff the hole from where you stick was with honey or chocolate chips. YUM!!!!!!) and laughed a lot. I filled Liz in on the neighborhood happenings while they guys were at the store getting stuff for the fire. The next morning we went to Chinatown and had pizza for lunch. It was fun being a tourist in my own town.

On Sunday after church Levi and I came home and got ready for a sneak attack surprising-levi's-dad-for-his-birthday trip to Colorado! Our plane landed in CO around midnight. Levi's mom was the only one that knew we were coming until a week before we came when she told Jordan so that he could pick us up from the airport. Some stuff came up and Blake ended up having to drive to pick us up with Jordan, but it was still a surprise for him too. We sneaked in the house so we wouldn't wake up Levi's dad. The next morning everyone was up early and out of the house for school or work and still Levi's dad has no idea that we were in his house...lol. June (Levi's mom) had this whole scheme and tricked Greg (his dad) into thinking that they were going away over night to celebrate his birthday. So he went with her that morning to her classes (she's working on her masters) and then they were going to take the light rail (like the metrolink) to downtown Denver. But, Levi and I drove Greg's truck (without him knowing, of course) to the light rail station and were waiting for him by the ticket booth. Surprise! It was SO FUN and he had NO clue that we were there. So he of course figured out the the over night trip was a scam. We ate lunch with them at the cheesecake factory and then hung out.

The trip was a short one because we had to be back for church on Wednesday evening, but it was so fun. It was wonderful to be with Levi's family. We had good food, good prayer, fun games, and just good time together. I love being with Levi's family. I always come home refreshed and rejuvenated and ready to go. It was like my batteries got recharged. Our trip was so short that now it feels like it was ages ago.

Today I went with some of my girls to the mall. Then we came back to our house had had a fire in our fire pit and roasted marsh mellows with the neighbors. We have been doing lots of that lately...I love it. It's so fun and relaxing. I am trying to think of new things to roast on the fire or ways to spice up s'mores. Of course everyone loves s'mores, but it's fun to change it up once in a while. Anyone have any good ideas?

2008-08-17T23:41:00.000-07:00

Today at church the women from the Spanish service made pupusas! YUM! I love being apart of a spanish congregation. They know how to eat and will make any excuse to get together and have food. :) It makes me love being here. I treasure the sense of community our church has. It is wonderful. There is always someone in the kitchen with something for you to eat.

From Wikipedia: "A pupusa (from Pipil pupusawa) is a thick, hand-made corn tortilla (made using masa de maíz, a maize flour dough used in Latin American cuisine) that is stuffed with one or more of the following: cheese (queso) (usually a soft Salvadoran cheese called Quesillo), fried pork rind (chicharrón), squash (ayote), refried beans (frijoles refritos), or queso con loroco (loroco is a vine flower bud from Central America). There is also the pupusa revuelta with mixed ingredients, such as queso (cheese), frijoles (beans), [1], and chicharrón or bacon."

Yum. They were so good. It's fun getting to experience Mexican food that is authentic and delicious. Carlos made us take like 5 more home. Yay for lunch tomorrow.

I got to talk to Becky tonight. She just got home from the Ukraine from her missions trip. Go girl! I'm so proud of her. She starts work again next friday at Starbucks and is saving her money to come down here and visit her sister's family and me, of course. :)

I also got to talk to Leslee. We are trying to plan a BFF get away trip. We are thinking of San Francisco in late September. I don't know if I can wait that long to see her, though.

My friends Danielle & Ryan and their children are moving to Washington in a few weeks. I am excited for them! They are going to be senior pastors of a church up there. The only thing I am sad about is that when I visit Eugene they won't be there. Lol how selfish.

This weekend was crazy busy but fun! On Thursday evening we went up to Santa Clarita to hang out with my family and some friends. We went bowling with Gretchen and her family. On Friday morning, Sam Singer cut my hair and then I got my eye brows waxed. I got to hang out with Beth in the afternoon. Went to dinner with my parents and then hung out with Gretchen while Levi hung out with Brent for his birthday. We got home late Friday night. Saturday we took our students to the beach. It was tons of fun! We went to Manhattan Beach and it was perfect. It wasn't too crowded and the water was so warm. I of course got sunburn because I am still Oregon white. But, the burn has now turned to tan. I am still working on looking like I belong in California :) Today was a good day of fellowship and rest. We went to church this morning, and Levi lead worship. Levi preached to the whole congregation (for the first time!) because our pastor is out of town, and he also co-lead worship with Carlos.

I am looking forward to this week. I am hoping it will be productive and full of creativity. I am addicted to watching the Olympics. Poor Levi. He likes it, but not as much as I do...so he kind of gets annoyed when I want to stay up all late and watch it. He just cares about watching the finals. He's so patient with me. I am so thankful!

2008-08-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since I last wrote in here...partially because I could not remember the password and email that I used to make this thing, so I wasn't able to log on. Lol.

For my birthday in May, I had a party with all of my favorite things and favorite people! Also, Levi and I had the opportunity to go up the McKenzie River and stay in a cabin for the weekend for a birthday get away! It was so beautiful. We went exploring... saw waterfalls, a really cool lake, some awesome rivers, a secret garden and the hot springs

In the beginning of June EBC had it's annual Seniors' Honor Banquet...that was fun!

In the middle of June.... I graduated!! Yay! My family including my grandma came, as well as Levi's parents and brothers. For some reason we only have one picture from when I graduated, and Levi looks...uh, not his best. :/ hahah... I was also in Cori & Gary's wedding!

After all of the fam left, we started packing. At the end of June, we moved down to California. We unpacked everything and a week later left to go on a cruise to celebrate our one year anniversary and my graduation from college!

Now we are youth pastoring. We got back from summer camp with some of our students yesterday. It was so fun! However... I am still trying to recover from the major lack of sleep. I'm not very good remembering to take pictures so I only have a few.

It has been so good to be down here and be close to my family! I love it. Last Thursday we went with my mom and brother to Americana At Brand in Glendale. It is a new outdoor shopping mall that is compared to The Grove. It was really fun and looks like Disney Land at night. We got some cool new clothes and it was fun to be with my mom and Scott.

2008-05-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

So many of my friends that go (or I should say went) to other schools have already graduated... :( I still have a month to go! Ugh. However... I am trying to enough this month as much as possible. I am in disbelief that I am actually graduting! It happened so fast yet so slow at the same time. Earlier today I was looking through photos of the last four years for the Senior's Banquet... and I ran into some photos from high school, particularly from high school graduation. I can't believe that in a month I am graduating from college. Wow.

Next Friday is my birthday! Woo!

Today it is really hot outside.... 90 degrees! It has not been that hot here since the beginning of September. It feels so good... like California! :) I love this time of year in Eugene, but normally it is not this warm. Eugene is so fun in the spring--everything and everyone comes alive, especially on campus. I love it. It has always been on my favorite times of year here.

In about a half hour I am going with Cori to pick up her wedding dress. I can't wait to see it on her! I am so excited. She is going to look so pretty... :)

2008-04-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

Oh man it has been a while since I last wrote on here. A lot has happened!

Last term ended (thank God!) and we went to California for Spring Break. It was lots of fun! Four of our friends from EBC came down, and I taught them how to surf. Levi & I got to spend a lot of time with my family and our friends from down there, it was great...

Another thing that happened over spring break: we visited a church that offered us a position doing youth ministry! After a couple of weeks of prayer and weighing our options, we decided to take it! We will be moving to Rosemead, CA the last weekend of June. We are very excited to be close to my family again!

My final term of college is in full force and almost half way over. This time of year is always frustrating because all of my other friends at other schools are getting ready to graduate/be done for the summer in only a couple of weeks so I am slightly jealous. I don't graduate till the middle of June. That is alright, I know it will be here soon enough...and the reason we graduate so late is because we don't start until the very end of September.

Anyway, we are so excited to be moving, but so scared at the same time! I love, love, LOVE Eugene and I feel so torn about leaving, but Levi and I know this is the right decision for us. I wish we could move everything we love about Eugene down to CA! Ha. Eugene is such a unique place... It is one of the most beautiful places in the whole world. ahh... it's going to be hard to leave, but we have so much to look forward to....

2008-03-07T15:45:00.000-08:00

I'm crazy. That's what I've decided today. Ha! School is driving me nuts right now. I am really glad that this term is almost over. Then it will be spring break! I can't wait to go home. I feel like I have not been there in forever. Leslee, Allie, Andrew and John are driving down while Levi & I will be there, and I am going to teach them how to surf! So excited to go to the beach.... just to lay in the sand in the warm sun. Oh how I miss that sun these days! There is nothing like it in the entire world.

A few weekends ago Becky came to visit. It was so incredibly good to see her...I miss her like crazy and I am so glad that she came! In just a few weeks she is going to Youth With A Mission (YWAM) to their base in Montana. There she will have three months of lecture/teaching, and then she will spend two months on a missions outreach to another country. Her possibilities are India, Thailand, Ukraine...um and now I can't forget the last one. I am so excited for her. It is going to be soooo good for her!

First Blog

2008-03-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

So a dear friend of mine for many years told me that I should start a blog, so I am! I don't know what I was thinking... I mean really, when do I have enough time to write in a blog? :) Maybe when I'm working as a librarian's assistant in the school library...

Speaking of school, only two more weeks left until finals week...then the term will be over! After that I will have around 15 credits to finish and I will graduate with a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies.... I tend to think of people with college degrees as grown up...and in three months... I'll have one. Does that mean I'll be a grown up? Ahhh.

Last week was the most challenging week I have had (academically) in my entire college career. It was stressful and exhausting. After weeks like that, I am excited to graduate...but after weekends like the one I just had, the idea of graduation starts to taste really bittersweet. After living in Eugene, OR for almost four years, it finally feels like home and I finally feel like I have my family here. Leaving this place (if we do anytime soon) is going to be so hard. I don't want to have to start all over again some where else. I LOVE it here....but I guess the beauty of leaving would be in the adventure. I know that my Father is so faithful to us, and I know that where ever we end up going he is going to lead, guide and direct us. I am excited about the future, but at the same time I love where we are at right now. So, so bittersweet.

We are going to California for spring break! I am very excited to see my family and my old friends. It feels like I have not been home in forever...which is definately way, way too long. Hopefully it will be warm and sunny the entire time we are there (well, I know for sure it will be warmer than here!). I'm craving California weather like crazy. I guess you can take the girl out of California but not the California out of the girl. :)