What a day...

Well, to say that today was not what I had hoped/expected, would be a bit of an understatement. Here's why:

We've been planning to spend today (which happens to be my birthday) at Sea World, just the 3 of us. The day started out with an hour of extra sleep (which was so appreciated) and a quiet shower that I got to enjoy without interruption (this does not happen often around here). I discovered upon getting out of bed that I had pulled a muscle (or something) in my back/hip and had a hard time bending over or lifting anything. (I felt like an old lady) The shower seemed to help though so I was hopeful for the day. Jaye and Hope showed up with donuts for breakfast so that was a fun surprise and a yummy way to start the day!

We finally made it to Sea World around 12 or so and made it to one of Hope's favorite shows, the pet show. Within minutes of leaving the show, Hope fell asleep in her stroller . Jaye and i took advantage of her naptime, found a nice quiet place to sit, and enjoyed some lunch and relaxing. She took a great nap so we figured we'd have a happy kid the rest of the day! We stopped and grabbed her some lunch on our way to see another show that we thought she'd enjoy. Shortly after sitting down Hope puked a lovely shade of light blue ALL over me. Once I got her cleaned up and got myself wiped off, she seemed to be okay and was happy about the show. She was glued to the show and really seemed to like it. I figured she must be feeling better! Rather than smell like vomit all day, I opted to visit the $10 and under store and found a pair of shorts to wear. They weren't very stylish but at least they were clean and didn't smell like puke!

Hope seemed fine still so we played a bit, went to the Shamu show, saw the penguins, went on the Elmo ride and just let her run a bit. She seemed to be doing well. After all that we figured Hope would be hungry since she hadn't really eaten all day (well, besides 1/2 of Shamu cookie). We found a place to eat with something she'd enjoy so Hope and I staked out a table while Jaye waited in line. While we were eating Hope started being clingy and asked to lay in her stroller. I had a feeling she wasn't well and that feeling was right...she puked EVERYWHERE. Her stroller was covered, she was covered, her special blankie was covered, her other blanket was covered, her clothes and my shoes/legs were covered. At least it wasn't blue this time. Thank God for babywipes and napkins. Thankfully she missed MY clothes this time as I really didn't want to buy any more Sea World clothes! But, she was a different story. Thankfully I had packed a towel and pajamas so we had 1 last outfit, but they weren't warm ones...just a little nightgown. Back I went to the $10 and under store to find clothes or a blanket or something to keep her warm. I decided on a blanket and hiked back to our table and got her cleaned up and warmed up. She fell asleep almost immediately once back in her stroller. Jaye and I finished dinner quickly and decided we best head home.

We drove home in silence...I think Jaye and Hope slept the whole way and unfortunately, there weren't many good radio stations so I just channel surfed until we got back to our area where I could find some music to listen to/sing along with. 2 hours seems like forever when you are driving in silence and it's nighttime!

We made it home though...As soon as we got home I covered Hope's bed in towels (just in case), Jaye sprayed out the stroller in hopes of removing the vomit, and I got our load of pukey laundry going. Fun huh?

So, needless to say, my day was not at all what I had envisioned or hoped for, but oh well. We did have some fun moments though and at least we were able to enjoy a few shows and some sunshine in between rounds of vomit! And to end the day, I found a fun present waiting in the mail for me! And now it is time for a shower and most definitely bed!

Up, Up, and Away!

A couple weeks ago Hope, Jaye, and I head down to Temcula to witness a piece of their hot air balloon festival! Jaye and I have talked about it for years, but it's always just past or we have something going on that weekend. This year, we woke up bright and early and hit the road to catch a glimpse of the balloon launches on Saturday morning. We had to leave the house by 5:45am! Hope still talks about how Mommy got her out of bed to see balloons, a month later!

We weren't really sure where to go or what we'd see so we just pulled over once we found a spot on the side of the road. It ended up being a great spot to watch the balloons!

The only character or shaped balloon was Smokey the Bear...Hope did not like him at all!

At one point there was probably 15-20 balloons stretching across the horizon...it was so amazing! It was so hard to get good pictures with our phones and camera...wish I had a professional camera so we could've captured the beauty of it.

The balloons took off from all over and landed all over as well. This one landed fairly close to us and it was interesting to see the process of actually landing and then deflating the balloon and packing it up.

These three were right above us for awhile...someday I am going to get myself up in one of those balloons! I don't have a "bucket list", but if I did, riding in a hot-air balloon would be at the top!

I am still kicking myself as we had the opportunity to go up in a balloon when we were in Kenya. We had a chance to go up over the safari area or game park, but I think we opted out as it was a quick ride and LOTS of money. I wish we would've done it. Oh well, I'll get up somewhere else someday! I am determined!!

BROTHER!!!

On Thursday my little brother graduated from high school. I am such a proud sister!! The last few days have been the start of an incredible journey for him and I am so excited to see what God has in store for him and for his future!

As always, the pictures are in reverse order, but I'm not going to stress about it. At least they are all here! Above is a picture of our whole family, including Grandma...I love it! I love too that my sweet brother is all snuggled up to ME! I have loved that kid since the moment I first saw him in the NICU on the day he was born! I vowed to myself back then that I'd be involved in his life and that we'd be close...I think it worked!

I love this picture of the 4 of us! We have added members to our family now, but this is still the core of who we are! I am so grateful for this family of 4, for a brother who I get to share life with and that I did not grow up an only child (well, at least after 12 years old)! I love that I've been able to watch Aaron grow and mature and become a man of integrity and character! He is disciplined and determined and has such a kind and loving heart! He's just an all around good kid!

I've always teased Aaron that he would be Hope's favorite...even before she was born I used to tell him this. Well, this last week that has definitely become the case! Aaron is going to China this summer for 6 weeks on a mission trip and his team has been practicing out in Riverside. He stayed with us on Wednesday night and Hope was so excited. She had a hard time falling asleep because she knew he was coming and asked about "Uncle Aaron" first thing when she woke up. On Thursday we all drove out together to the graduation and Hope wanted Uncle Aaron to sit by her. She searched for him during the ceremony, and was so excited to talk to him after he finished. In the picture below she is telling him all about the graduation!

It's been so fun to see Aaron warm-up to Hope lately too now that she is bigger and can interact and talk with him. He is so good with her and she adores him!! We are definitely going to miss him while he is in China this summer, but I am so excited for him to venture out and take this step of faith/independence! I know God is going to use him mightily and I have a feeling his heart will be changed as a result of his trip!

I am so proud of my little brother (who I think may actually be as tall as me now!). I can't wait for when he comes home and will be living right down the street from us! We are so excited to have my family live close and to be able to spend more quality time with them!!

Vegas!

For the last year we've been planning to get away for our 5th anniversary. We had originally wanted to go to San Francisco, but between gas, hotel, parking, etc. it was just too much money. As we thought about options, we decided to look into Las Vegas. We found some great deals and started planning!

We found a room for $24.95 a night at Hooters (yes, I know...it's the last place I ever thought we'd stay) and with the deal we got on the room we were able to buy tickets to see a show too! Our hotel was actually quite nice...the room was a great size, very clean, quiet, etc. I was actually quiet surprised! We even got coupons for free wings!! (which was AMAZING...I've been craving hot wings from Hooters since we got back...go figure)

We went Weds-Fri and were able to miss LOTS of traffic and the crowds by going mid-week! Our 1st night we had dinner at the MGM Grand buffet. The food was alright, but I enjoyed the dessert bar more than the food itself. After dessert I thought it'd be fun to visit Circus Circus as I had memories of there as a kid. On our way we stopped at the PBR Rock Bar to watch some play-off hockey. It was a great place...low key, great atmosphere, and TVs everywhere! Then we were back to our journey to the other end of the strip. After walking almost 4 miles to get down there I was extremely disappointed. Circus Circus was pretty dumpy and not worth the walk. Oh well. By the time we got to our room that night we had walked 5+ miles! Yikes!

Thursday we walked the strip some more. We had AMAZING crepes for breakfast at the Paris hotel. WOW, they were incredible! We found a few fun souveneirs and then decided after some shopping that we were tired. We found a great little place off the strip to get pedicures and enjoyed relaxing together. Thursday night we got to see The Lion King together. It was fun to get dressed up and see a show! Last time we saw a show together was over 5 years ago!

After our show we went back and changed. We grabbed dinner @ the hotel (the amazing wings previously mentioned) and then set off to explore some more! We hung out in the Luxor and had fun taking random pictures in the pyramid!

We grabbed one last meal at the Paris on Friday as Jaye found 2 for 1 coupons for their buffet. I ended up eating more crepes (they were SO good) and Jaye filled his plate with round after round after round of shrimp! Our bellies were quite full! We stopped at some outlets to shop on our way home and thoroughly enjoyed more time together! It was really fun to shop with Jaye as he helped me piece together outfits and encouraged me to try new looks and styles. All in all, it was a wonderful trip and we so enjoyed quality time together!

It's hard to believe 5 years have passed already! I am so blessed to be married to my best friend and to share my life with such an incredible man!!

Are you Speaking My Language?

I just finished going through a box of old letters and pictures. I started out looking for a specific picture and ended up spending 30 minutes reading through old letters from friends, grandparents, boyfriends, mentors, etc. As I read through the letters I got to wondering why in the world I still had all these pieces of paper, words on a page, and then I remembered the "5 Love Languages" and got to thinking about what my love language is. I had taken the quiz/assessment awhile back and was curious if my "love language" was still the same. Here's how I scored (there were 30 questions total):

12	Words of Affirmation
5	Quality Time
6	Receiving Gifts
6	Acts of Service
1	Physical Touch

I've known that "words of affirmation" are important to me, but as I was looking through old letters, I realized that I have always valued these "words". This is why I still have boxes of letters/cards that date back to elementary school...the words others say and write to me speak to my heart, to the core of who I am. These "words" that people have shared with me over the years have been sources of hope and encouragement, inspiration and accountability.

Thinking about these "love languages" have gotten me thinking about not only how I receive love, but how I give it. I have always been a letter writer and have always found it easier to write out my feelings in words on a page or screen. Its so easy for me to share "words" with others as that is what comes naturally to me. But unfortunately, those closest to me may not "speak" the same language as me and "words" may not be as fulfilling or meaningful as they are to me.

So then, how do we learn to "speak" each other's "language" if it is not one that comes naturally to us? And, how do we help those around us learn to speak our "language" if it is not one that comes naturally to them? Here we are trying to "speak" our love to those we love and we may be coming up short and completely miscommunicating with them. How do we learn to speak this new language that may seem quite foreign to us in order to cause our loved ones to feel valued and cherished? It seems like quite the vicious cycle to me...if I'm not feeling loved b/c no-one is speaking a language to me that is life giving/fulfilling which in return leaves me feeling quite empty, what do I have to offer to those around me?!

It seems like something so simple, learning to "speak" love to those we care for in a way that actually matters to them and resonates deep in their heart, and yet I wonder, have we taken the time to ask? Have we taken the time to genuinely ask those we care for, how we can better love them and "speak" to them in a way that speaks to their heart? I know I've fallen short...

	What's your love language? Take the assessment here: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/assessments/love/

Proud to be an American

This evening I had the incredible opportunity to support my little (well, he's not really very "little" any more, he's 18) brother as he performed with New America Singers at Camp Pendleton Marine Base...

We arrived about an hour early as we had to follow the team on base in order to get on post. As we sat out by the car waiting, several platoons of men marched past in formation. The platoons marched by, chanting their steps and responding to their Drill Instructor. I couldn't help but be in awe as I watched them march, thinking of the commitment they had made to serve their country in this way. Hope was enthralled with the "toy soldiers" marching by and even once we went inside the chapel to wait, she kept watching out the window for them.

When it was time, the men marched in and took their seats. (Nothing like a room filled with 150 sweaty men in uniform) As the performance began, the men were welcomed and made aware that this was to be a Christian performance. They were given the option to wait in another room if they did not want to be there and I don't think a single one of them left. I really wasn't sure what to expect from either group, the singers or the recruits.

Aaron's team sang a variety of songs and various team members participated in puppetry and dramatic readings. At one point, as Aaron's group sang "I'm proud to be an American", the men stood one by one, side by side, shoulder to shoulder, truly representing what that song is all about. As I looked out over the sea of desert camouflage, it hit me that it is these men who will go to war to fight for our freedom and to keep our country free. It is these young men who have committed to spend 90 days in boot-camp and maybe even their lives, leaving their families and all that is comfortable and safe in order to begin their careers in the United States Marine Corps.

At one point Aaron's group (Aaron is my brother) presented the gospel. The team shared the message of salvation boldly and simply and I was a bit curious as to how these recruits would perceive them and receive their message. When the time came to give these men an opportunity to receive Christ, at least half of the room raised a hand. WOW. Here are these young men, stripped of all that they have for 90 days, hungry for the One who knows them as individuals, as a beautiful creation, a masterpiece. Hungry for this God who will guide them through whatever endeavor or danger they may face, a God who promises never to leave them or forsake them.

The chaplain told us about 70 men raised their hands and had accepted Christ. The chaplain announced to the men that there would be a baptism @ 6:30am tomorrow and any who received Christ were invited to come and profess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord. There was a bit of extra time at the end where Aaron's leader asked the men if any of them had prayer requests that they'd like prayer for. One after the other they stood and asked prayer for their baby who had born since they'd been at bootcamp, for their Grandma who was ill, for family who had lost a loved one, for a Dad who had been diagnosed with cancer since the recruit had been at boot camp, for their platoons to make it to graduation day in June, etc. Here was a room full of recruits, training for the fight of their lives...while the world continued on around them outside of that base.

For maybe the 1st time tonight, I truly felt proud to be an American. Not that I am not thankful or grateful to live where I live, but I'm not sure I've ever felt pride in my country like that. It's really hard to put into words the overwhelming sense of pride and gratitude I felt towards these men tonight and towards the many men who have given their lives to serve our country and fight for our freedom. As the men asked and sang "Proud to Be An American" for a second time, I couldn't help but look around the room and feel truly proud to live where I live, in the country I am in.

Thank you to the men and women, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, who have chosen to serve in the Armed Forces and to fight for our freedom. Thank you to those who have chosen to hold them loosely and have let them go, many times for months and years at a time, in order to pursue their calling to serve. Thank you to those who have lost their lives in many battles, near and far, in order to protect those who cannot protect themselves.

To the recruits we shared the chapel with tonight, I commit to praying for you and for your platoons and the families you represent as you continue on this journey of service and dedication to our country. I commit to raising my daughter to honor this country and deeply respect each of the men and women who have chosen the Armed Forces and to teach her the value of her freedom.

"Mother's" day!

So, tomorrow is Mother's Day... a day we celebrate our Moms and all that they are to us. I had the opportunity this past week to listen to a great talk about mothering...looking at "mother" as a verb or an action, rather than just a single person. We all gather things and learn from our own Moms, whether it be positive or negative, and we then carry that on to our own children. It's caused me to think this week about not only my own Mom, but also those who have "mothered" me over the years.

My own Mom worked hard to help provide for our family, she always dressed me well and assured that I was matching and looked cute. My Mom cared for our home and kept it clean and was always quick to welcome others inside. My Mom is the queen of inviting people over for coffee and hosting late night conversations that often last into the morning. My Mom is a night-owl and has kept me company on many a drive home from work over the years. My Mom is a bit of a perfectionist and if she asked to do something or create something, there is no doubt that she will do it well and will stay up until all hours assuring that it is just right.

It seems I am quite the opposite of my Mom in many ways and yet I am so thankful for the lessons she taught me and the example she led for me. I am grateful for how she loved me no matter what and put up with me all these years! I love that not only is she my Mom now, but she is also my friend. I love watching her with Hope now and seeing another side of her now that she is in the role of "Grandma" to my sweet girl!

I have been blessed with a few other women who have "mothered" me as I have grown and I am so grateful for these women as well...Some walked with me for many years, while others walked with me for a season. Either way, I am grateful for these Godly women who helped shape me.

When we moved back to California when I was in 4th grade, I somehow became quite taken by my music teacher. I don't know what it was about Cheryl, but I just thought the world of her. Over the years, she was my teacher in various subjects and took the time to teach me well. Thanks to Cheryl I have always LOVED English and writing. I think part of the reason I ended up at APU, was thanks to Cheryl and a trip we took in 7th grade to visit the campus. In high school I got to be a babysitter to Cheryl's girls and even got to help her teach summer school...Cheryl continually made time for me and invited me to share life with her and her family over the years. It is hard to believe that her "little girls" are now not so little at all.

The summer after 6th grade I met Julie at Jr. High camp. Julie was on staff at camp and somehow, I was drawn to her. Sweet Julie put up with numerous letters being sent and was so kind in responding to my many letters over the years. Although I mostly "knew" Julie through letters, I was privilege to witness her incredible faith as her husband was diagnosed with cancer. Still to this day, I am reminded of her unswerving faith and trust in God to heal Greg. Julie taught me what it meant to trust in the Lord with all my heart.

My freshman year of college I got the opportunity to go to Guatemala (again) with a new group...a group of police officers. Not sure how I got to be a part of that group, but I am thankful for the trip and the meeting of Tami. Tami walked with me over the next year, offering advice and guidance and helped me seek out God's will in various instances and situations. She heard me out, listened, and helped me to seek truth.

A few years out of college God led me to work at a church...the last place I ever thought I'd work. He allowed me to connect with Debbie early on in my time there and I am so thankful. Debbie met with me weekly for several years and I really feel as though I learned a TON from our time together. Debbie helped me walk through some pretty tough stuff and helped me learn to deal with my past in order to move forward. She asked me the hard questions and really challenged me grow in my relationship with Christ, my friendships with others, and even in my role @ the church. Each time we met, I knew she was going to ask me what I was learning and reading. Because of her unconditional love and acceptance, I was able to confess where I'd fallen short and rather than chastise me or make me feel bad, she'd encourage me to choose differently and do it different next time. There was awhile when I desperately needed those times together. I am grateful that now I can call her "friend".

I am so thankful for my Mom and these other amazing women who God placed in my life to "mother" me over the years. Happy Mother's Day Mom, Cheryl, Julie, Tami, and Debbie! I am so grateful for each of you and the way that God has used you to shape me and mold me into the woman/mom I am today.