Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Kate is Great
This post is in honor of my beautiful, excellent, loving wife on her 29th birthday. (This is her husband posting, by the way.) I consider myself blessed beyond measure. Those who have gotten to know her through this blog have seen a glimpse of her sweet, gentle, funny, and passionate nature; those who know her personally will tell you that she is so much more. I thank God each day that he has partnered me with such an amazing woman! I've learned so much from her about life, godliness, love, grace, and compassion - she has (directly and indirectly) spurred me on more and more to be the man that God desires me to be. She is a phenomenal mom, wife, daughter, and friend. I love to be near her as often as I can be (unfortunately I have to work 40 hours a week) because she is such a joy. Here's to another year of living life with my best friend and seeing what God has in store for us. I love you, baby!
Monday, January 14, 2008
My Boyfriend
Yesterday was a special day. Six years ago, on a long car ride in his Corolla, Cale became my first (and last) boyfriend. And I became his first (and last) girlfriend. We headed out that night to have our DTR after a few months of spending a lot of time together and our feelings for each other becoming more and more apparent. (For those of you uninformed that means Define The Relationship talk.)
Much of that car ride is a blur, but there are a few stand outs in my mind. Right as Cale got to the crux of the issue the song "Tainted Love" came on the radio. I didn't think that was a good sign and promptly asked Cale to turn off the music. To this day, if I hear that song on the radio (which thankfully isn't that often) I am immediately taken back to that moment and the hope and promise and excitement and joy that filled my heart.
I knew that my life was changing in an immeasurable way in that moment, but I had no idea what was really ahead of me. I didn't know that three months later we would be engaged and six months later married. I didn't know that the Lord would send us to Namibia and back. I couldn't imagine the joy that would come with our daughter. I was just a girl on the brink of falling in love with the sweetest boy she'd ever met.
In the craziness of our life today, I need to take more moments to stop and remember how that girl felt. I am still just a simple girl in love, and loved by, the sweetest boy I know.
Much of that car ride is a blur, but there are a few stand outs in my mind. Right as Cale got to the crux of the issue the song "Tainted Love" came on the radio. I didn't think that was a good sign and promptly asked Cale to turn off the music. To this day, if I hear that song on the radio (which thankfully isn't that often) I am immediately taken back to that moment and the hope and promise and excitement and joy that filled my heart.
I knew that my life was changing in an immeasurable way in that moment, but I had no idea what was really ahead of me. I didn't know that three months later we would be engaged and six months later married. I didn't know that the Lord would send us to Namibia and back. I couldn't imagine the joy that would come with our daughter. I was just a girl on the brink of falling in love with the sweetest boy she'd ever met.
In the craziness of our life today, I need to take more moments to stop and remember how that girl felt. I am still just a simple girl in love, and loved by, the sweetest boy I know.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
The Many Faces of Hay
*Smile*
What??!!
Wow- my hands actually fit in my pockets!
That's fantastic!
Now I'm stuck.I love this girl!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Randomness
It's been a slow week at our house. Haven and I have spent many an hour playing Memory (well, our own condensed almost 2 years old version of it), pretending in her kitchen and with her baby doll, coloring and having her "help" me clean and cook. It's so delightful to watch Haven do many of the tasks that I do as she takes care of her baby or makes me a cup of tea in her kitchen.
I've also had the pleasure of helping a friend celebrate a birthday with a girl's night out. I have some wonderful friends who are doing the same for me and are taking me out on the town tonight to get a head start on celebrating the beginning of my 29th year. There are some other lunches and dinners in the works for the next few weeks so I'm going to be well stocked on Girl's Nights for a while! Long conversations and emails with friends have left me feeling very blessed to have such godly women in my life.
Since this post really has no real direction, why not add to the randomness with a few of my new favorite things? Great idea! Haven received a Barnes and Noble gift card for Christmas and one of the books we picked out was a classic, Color Kittens. It's a Little Golden Book and I love this story. It's sweet and clever and beautifully written and illustrated. Haven loves it, too so we get to read it every day.
While we are talking about books, I got Quick Fix Meals from my mom and have made a few recipes already. Healthy, good and easy- what more can you ask for! I'm a bit of a cookbook junkie and have tons on my pantry shelf. But this one will stay near the top of the pile for frequent reference!
Cale and I have spent many an hour watching The Office Season 2 this week. One night we even went to bed at8:30pm and watched episodes on the computer for 2 hours curled up under the down comforter. Add that to my list of faves of the week! I can barely stand the awkward tension between Jim and Pam and I even know how it all works out! We had watched several of these older episodes, but there were some that we missed including my new favorite episode- "The Injury" when Micheal burns his foot on the George Foreman grill. I could not stop laughing!
One of my birthday presents from Cale was the Bare Escentuals starter kit. I have seen all the different mineral make-up infomercials and have always thought I would like to give them a try. I heard from several different people who were using this how wonderful they thought it was so I decided to ask for it for my birthday. After three days of using it, I am a new fan! I do not have/ have never had good skin. My mom told me that I would stop breaking out when I got pregnant. She lied. I still get zits and break outs (although Amber and I joke that our zits keep us looking young). I wasn't expecting miracles- it's still my skin no matter what kind of gunk you cover it up with. But it really is amazing. Even tone, natural looking and easy application. It is pricey, but I know that it's going to last me for a long time. Free shipping from Sephora sweetened the deal, too.
I'm not sure why I feel compelled to share this, but I love clementines. They are hands down my favorite winter fruit. And joy of all joys, Haven has discovered how much she likes them. We've offered them to her on several different occasions, but this week she decided that she was all about them. She easily eats 2 a day. It's quite a habit to keep up with.
Another one of my Christmas gifts was the new Jimmy Eat World cd "Chase This Light". It's been in my car for the last few weeks and while that's not the best place to really listen to a CD, I have to say that I love this album. It's classic Jimmy and I love Jimmy. It's no "Clarity", at least not yet, but it's great, none-the-less. Go buy it!
The weekend lies ahead of me and we don't have a lot of plans. I'm just looking forward to some quality time with my two favorite of all favorites, Cale and Haven.
I've also had the pleasure of helping a friend celebrate a birthday with a girl's night out. I have some wonderful friends who are doing the same for me and are taking me out on the town tonight to get a head start on celebrating the beginning of my 29th year. There are some other lunches and dinners in the works for the next few weeks so I'm going to be well stocked on Girl's Nights for a while! Long conversations and emails with friends have left me feeling very blessed to have such godly women in my life.
Since this post really has no real direction, why not add to the randomness with a few of my new favorite things? Great idea! Haven received a Barnes and Noble gift card for Christmas and one of the books we picked out was a classic, Color Kittens. It's a Little Golden Book and I love this story. It's sweet and clever and beautifully written and illustrated. Haven loves it, too so we get to read it every day.
While we are talking about books, I got Quick Fix Meals from my mom and have made a few recipes already. Healthy, good and easy- what more can you ask for! I'm a bit of a cookbook junkie and have tons on my pantry shelf. But this one will stay near the top of the pile for frequent reference!
Cale and I have spent many an hour watching The Office Season 2 this week. One night we even went to bed at8:30pm and watched episodes on the computer for 2 hours curled up under the down comforter. Add that to my list of faves of the week! I can barely stand the awkward tension between Jim and Pam and I even know how it all works out! We had watched several of these older episodes, but there were some that we missed including my new favorite episode- "The Injury" when Micheal burns his foot on the George Foreman grill. I could not stop laughing!
One of my birthday presents from Cale was the Bare Escentuals starter kit. I have seen all the different mineral make-up infomercials and have always thought I would like to give them a try. I heard from several different people who were using this how wonderful they thought it was so I decided to ask for it for my birthday. After three days of using it, I am a new fan! I do not have/ have never had good skin. My mom told me that I would stop breaking out when I got pregnant. She lied. I still get zits and break outs (although Amber and I joke that our zits keep us looking young). I wasn't expecting miracles- it's still my skin no matter what kind of gunk you cover it up with. But it really is amazing. Even tone, natural looking and easy application. It is pricey, but I know that it's going to last me for a long time. Free shipping from Sephora sweetened the deal, too.
I'm not sure why I feel compelled to share this, but I love clementines. They are hands down my favorite winter fruit. And joy of all joys, Haven has discovered how much she likes them. We've offered them to her on several different occasions, but this week she decided that she was all about them. She easily eats 2 a day. It's quite a habit to keep up with.
Another one of my Christmas gifts was the new Jimmy Eat World cd "Chase This Light". It's been in my car for the last few weeks and while that's not the best place to really listen to a CD, I have to say that I love this album. It's classic Jimmy and I love Jimmy. It's no "Clarity", at least not yet, but it's great, none-the-less. Go buy it!
The weekend lies ahead of me and we don't have a lot of plans. I'm just looking forward to some quality time with my two favorite of all favorites, Cale and Haven.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
That's my girl
After being in the house for the last several days with a sick kid, I decided we both needed to get out for a bit. The after Christmas clearance at the outlets was calling my name so I told Haven we were going to go shopping this morning. She got very excited and was cooperative as we were getting ready to go. The drive to the outlets is about 25 minutes and 15 minutes into it Haven got restless. She started shouting/crying/whining at me, "I wannago shop-pin! I wannago shop-pin!" I told her we would be there soon and she smiled and said, "Target?!"
Today I feel as if I truly am training her in the way that she should go!
Friday, January 4, 2008
Delusion
I haven been reading The Importance of Being Foolish by Brennan Manning the last few days. The following quote, from the opening chapter of the book, has been disturbing me since I read it. In the book, Manning is quoting author Michael Quoist who says:
These words sting. They make me uncomfortable, squirming in my seat because they speak too loudly the truth of who I am. I am far too easily impressed by myself. My mind is full of delusions about myself, and ultimately about who Jesus is in my life.
It's time to change the way I think.
"We are satisfied by our decent little life. We are pleased with our good habits; we take them for virtues. We are pleased with our little efforts; we take them for progress. We are proud of our activities; they make us think we are giving ourselves. We are impressed by our influence; we imagine that it will transform lives. We are proud of what we give, though it hides what we withhold. We may even be mistaking a set of coinciding egoisms for real friendship."
These words sting. They make me uncomfortable, squirming in my seat because they speak too loudly the truth of who I am. I am far too easily impressed by myself. My mind is full of delusions about myself, and ultimately about who Jesus is in my life.
It's time to change the way I think.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Christmas almost past
It's already the third day of the new year. I'm guessing that disqualifies me from posting something enlightening about the joy of 2007- all I learned and the great things that God did. That's sooo last year; it's time for looking ahead. But I think that my tardiness also makes it silly to write about all my hopes and plans for the new year. If I really wanted to do that, I should have done it three days ago.
Instead, I sit here on the third day of 2008 with a little bit of holiday hangover (and no, not that kind of hangover!). We were gone for five days over the weekend and New Year's and so I am back home trying to get back into our groove while also squeaking out the last drops of holiday cheer we have left in us. As much as I am ready for the fresh start the new year provides, I am holding on to my last little bit of Christmas for a few more days. I would normally have every last bit of our decorations boxed up and put away by now, but being gone for a few days has made me a bit nostalgic. The snow has done the same. In my crazy head, I'm pretending that I really am having a white Christmas (forget what the calendar says.) So it's a few more days of Christmas music, the tree lit at night and of course, Christmas cookies.
At the rate I'm going, I figure I'll be ready for it to be 2008 by late next week.
Instead, I sit here on the third day of 2008 with a little bit of holiday hangover (and no, not that kind of hangover!). We were gone for five days over the weekend and New Year's and so I am back home trying to get back into our groove while also squeaking out the last drops of holiday cheer we have left in us. As much as I am ready for the fresh start the new year provides, I am holding on to my last little bit of Christmas for a few more days. I would normally have every last bit of our decorations boxed up and put away by now, but being gone for a few days has made me a bit nostalgic. The snow has done the same. In my crazy head, I'm pretending that I really am having a white Christmas (forget what the calendar says.) So it's a few more days of Christmas music, the tree lit at night and of course, Christmas cookies.
At the rate I'm going, I figure I'll be ready for it to be 2008 by late next week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)