Some January Fun

Usually, January is a big ole blur of post holiday blahness for me, but this year, our January kept us hopping. It started out with a bang, as we stayed the night over at our friends' home in the valley for your New Year's Eve. Their kids & ours had a blast as you can see, and they banged pots and pans together in the front yard at midnight to welcome in 2011. Shaw family, we love you guys!

But even more exciting than that moment, was Dan and I actually went on a little get-away trip to Morro Bay & San Francisco for our 14 year anniversary. I must say that was all made possible because of our sainted niece, Rhaquel, who flew out from Washington and watched our girls for 4 days and 3 nights. And when I say "sainted," I'm barely exaggerating, this girl is a gem! The girls keep saying that they miss her, and believe me I miss her too! It was an awesome blessing to have peace of mind that our kiddos were in good hands and to be alone with my husband, absorbing the beautiful weather in Morro Bay, and then the eclectic sights of San Fran.

Funny thing is this, I definitely have reached a new phase in life as I enter into my mid-30s. When I was younger, big cities like San Fran & L.A seemed so inviting to me. They were places that were full of life, energy, and possibilities. I have to say that now as I reflect, Morro Bay was much more enjoyable to me than San Fran. It was scenic and beautiful and very calming. The What once seemed glitzy and glamorous to me now struck me as a bit gritty and over-priced. My youthful independence & sense of adventure have been replaced by a concern over the amount of germs that had passed through the San Francisco transit system bus I sat on, and I kept thinking, man strollers would be tough to maneuver in this place....

Oh man, having kids really does change you, doesn't it?

PS
That plate pictured above is the "anniversary dinner" my girls prepared for us. Move over Emeril....

Grandma Elizabeth

My last blog entry was 1-11-11. That morning I woke up and thought about my wedding anniversary and how good God is to provide me with that blessing. That evening, before I went to bed, my dad called with the news that my 92 year old grandmother (on my mother's side) had gone to be with the Lord. Despite my tears, I still was reminded that God is good. After a decade of dealing with dementia & senility, it was a blessing to know, that Grandma would not have to suffer anymore. The grandmother I once knew has actually been gone for a long, long time.

So bear with me as I share a couple of things that struck me as we shared in a memorial with friends and family this weekend.

1. I learned a lesson. In my short life, I have been very protected, blessed, and sheltered, and therefore, I have very little experience with death or grief. I honestly did not know how much a letter, a note, a phone call, or a box of flowers can impact someone until I saw the effect that it had on my own mom. I feel terrible that in the past as friends or acquaintances around me have dealt with death, I did not go out of my way to acknowledge them. These small gestures mean the world to those who are grieving, my lesson learned, is this, in the future, I will try to remember that acknowledging another person's loss is a true expression of love and kindness.

2. My grandma was not really herself in recent years, but I did have some time as we walked through her house this past weekend to remember what a gentle, quiet spirit she truly was. She was an artist, a painter, a teacher, a lifetime choir member, and piano player. And all of her gifts and talents were things she used to serve her church. That is the legacy I reap the benefits of, generations of church goers who loved the Lord and in turn loved others. I am so grateful for her quiet, yet faithful example. I will always cherish our Friday nights taking grandmas with us each week to her favorite local, now extinct Mexican restaurant, El Conquistador, with it's bull fighter murals and unending supply of tortilla chips. I will always remember grandma's stories of her teaching days and the joy that she expressed to me when I became a teacher like her and her mother before her. I will always remember her deep appreciation for nature and that she knew the names of all the flowers. And I will always remember her sitting on her turquoise blue (her favorite color) couch, watching Wheel of Fortnune, while solving the weekly crossword puzzle in the paper, with her ratty, old springer spaniel, sitting loyally at her feet....

1-11-11 Happy Anniversary To Me!

Us Now, Us then....we've multiplied!

1-11-11 = Our 14th Year Anniversary!

And guess what I still love the guy, and for some odd reason, he still loves me! We have so much to be thankful for....

- Thankful that God has given us the grace to put up with each other each day despite our sinful, earthly natures.

- Thankful we both had Christian parents that prayed for our spouses for years before we even met.

- Thankful we had the same foundation in Christ, and studied together at the same awesome

Christian college - The Master's College

- Thankful we've spent almost 13 of our 14 years together at the same church learning and growing, surrounded by faithful saints and consistently Christ-centered teaching; Faith Community of Oxnard... What a blessing!

- Thankful for those 4 little trouble maker daughters that wake us up in the middle of the night, cost us more money than we have, and interrupt all of our meaningful conversations.

Hold The Whip

So I saw that some of my fellow bloggers listed out meaningful and thoughtful resolutions for the New Year. I don't really like to make resolutions, because I never follow through with them and then I feel like a loser in March when people are asking me so how's that whole exercise thing going? And then I give them the blank stare and wonder if perhaps they're addressing the person behind me.

So I had to think of it this way: Baby steps. One small resolution, that's not ridiculous like hey I'm going to be nicer to my kids, yell less, and start ironing.... I mean really. And we all know I'm not switching over to brown rice and soy milk. I'll die before I buy organic produce (I hate spending money on food when I could be spending it on accessories), and I'm certainly not going to give up caffeine or anything like that.

But I was thinking, I could make a conscious effort to cut out a few calories in my life, now that I'm facing being 35, and I'm no longer the 98 pound 16 year old that had Mountain Dew and old fashioned doughnuts every day on my way to school for breakfast (see I have evolved). Now it seems calories are actually sort of creeping up on me, slowly, bit by bit, year by year, despite my denial and insistence things fit weird because "I just had a baby," wait, how old is Morgan now? Oh never mind. So here's my resolution folks. When I go to Starbucks, and order my most favoritest drink, a grande Carmel Macchiato with whip, well, from now on, I'm going to sacrifice, and ask them to please, hold the whip.

Sigh. I really like whipped cream. It's so good, but apparently it adds a bunch of calories to the already excessive and unnecessary drink.

So there it is, there's my resolution. If you run into me at the coffee shop and I have a whipped cream mustache, please feel free to confront me and make me feel very small.

On Behalf of My Other Daughters

About a year or so ago, I think I mentioned something about a cute little 3 year old boy planting a kiss on my 2nd oldest daughter Noelle. I didn't think much about the fact that he had singled out Noelle, I just thought it was a cute, kind of funny story.

Then this past Sunday at church, a little 5 year old boy (the pastor's grandson actually), approached my husband, and said, "Just so you know, I'm going to marry Noelle someday." Dan took a serious tone, and replied,"Are you asking me if you can marry my daughter?" The little boy said, "yep."

Well, as Maylin recounted the story to someone in the back of the church, yet another little 5 year old boy objected right in front of me, saying, "I was going to marry Noelle...."

Wow, she's popular.

I would just like to say, that Noelle Christina is my namesake, and perhaps with the name, came all of my less favorable qualities. She talks too much (like me), she's overly dramatic (also like me), she has a propensity to stomach aches (me too), and truthfully, she can be quite a handful (possibly this is all my fault).

My other 3 daughters remind me more of my much more agreeable husband. Maylin is diligent and hard working, she can really stick to a task. Lorelei is easy going and likes everyone. Morgan is fun loving, and laughs at life.

The point is fellas, I appreciate your interest in Noelle, but I would like the world to note, I have 3 other perfectly charming daughters, and if you offer me the right amount of cows and goats, I'd be happy to hand them over.

But if you insist on pursuing our little Noelle, it looks like you'll have to take a number, and in the words my father once used when addressing Dan about whether or not he could marry me. Sure... but remember, no refunds!