Everyone has an infamous bath picture.
This one just happens to be after I colored my tooth :)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wordless Wednesday
Everyone has an infamous bath picture.
This one just happens to be after I colored my tooth :)
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday musings
Jason and I went to church together in what seems to be a really long time. Most of the holiday times we were gone for the weekend and I was in Seattle last weekend. So we finally were able to go together. Yay! I was curious as to what the next segment would be. Since we started going to North Coast Church we had been dissecting the book of Acts. All of Pauls many missionary journeys were applicable to our times in having faith when the situation you're in doesn't really scream to have faith in. It was a long drawn out process since we had started going to NCC in September.
So, we go into church today and there's a big cartoonish sign that says "FEARLESS" with buildings and stuff in front of it. It almost like the "kablooey!" banners from the old Batman & Robin days. I was intrigues. The passage we were to go through was Joshua 1:1-9. I didn't realize that 9 little verses could be so amazing and impacting.
I mean, the first verse just says that Joshua was now in charge of leading God's people to the promised land. No biggie. He only had Moses to follow! Um, hello God, are you sure you have the right God? Pastor Chris makes a point that in those few verses God basically repeats himself, "have faith", "do not be discouraged", "do not tremble". Why would he make it a point to say these things so much? Um, cuz Joshua was probably making messes in his pants!! No pressure, you only have to follow the example that Moses started. Easy peasy. Haha. Uh, no.
Pastor Chris made a few excellent points. We worry. We worry about things material. We assume we have security in heaven because we said the prayer, but most of us only ask for help or thank him when things go our way or we're totally desperate.
"I will never leave you nor foresake you". We think we're at the end of our rope. We're really not. In these book Joshua is called to go to Jericho and defeat the city. When he is on his way, toting 40,000 behind him, he comes across a man with a sword raises. Joshua sees the irony in this as there is 1 man vs 40,000 and decides to go talk to him. He asks "Are you for us or against us". He said "neither". He then tells Joshua the land is holy and he needs to take off his shoes. Pastor Chris interpreted this as Jesus (who would not come for a long time ahead) tell him he was neither for him or against him.
At first we think, but that is God's chosen people, why wouldn't he be "for" us. Then comes the great example. Take any of our basketball skills. I'm lucky if I make 1 of 10 shots. Kobe and Jordan come on the court and I ask if I can be a part of their team. I'm lucky to be able to just PASS to Jordan let alone be on his team. Pastor likens us to God in this respect. I would be hell-a lucky to be on the team at Kobe and Jordan, he sure as heck isn't going to chose to be on my team, i'm subpar. Well, i'm taking the example a bit far because God would like us to all be on his team, our skills just aren't up to par :). Anyway, so because of this, this sworded, possible Jesus, says that he is on "neither" team.
Another take home point with all of this is how we rely on God. In bad times mainly. "God, the economy is so bad, please help", "What job should I get?", "I pray for my health now that I'm sick". Chris says, funny (as if he is God speaking)...I hear you praying to me about your work, but you never including me in your work before, you never included me in your health or in your finances. So why now? Because you're desparate? How about seek me in everything? It hit me that this is the lifestyle that I should be called to. A higher purpose. Pray for my work, pray for my husband, pray for my friends. Keep him in my life always, not when it's convienent.
I'm sure I'm not saying it correctly. If you're interested in more, you can always listen to the message online. It's totally worth your time!!
So, we go into church today and there's a big cartoonish sign that says "FEARLESS" with buildings and stuff in front of it. It almost like the "kablooey!" banners from the old Batman & Robin days. I was intrigues. The passage we were to go through was Joshua 1:1-9. I didn't realize that 9 little verses could be so amazing and impacting.
I mean, the first verse just says that Joshua was now in charge of leading God's people to the promised land. No biggie. He only had Moses to follow! Um, hello God, are you sure you have the right God? Pastor Chris makes a point that in those few verses God basically repeats himself, "have faith", "do not be discouraged", "do not tremble". Why would he make it a point to say these things so much? Um, cuz Joshua was probably making messes in his pants!! No pressure, you only have to follow the example that Moses started. Easy peasy. Haha. Uh, no.
Pastor Chris made a few excellent points. We worry. We worry about things material. We assume we have security in heaven because we said the prayer, but most of us only ask for help or thank him when things go our way or we're totally desperate.
"I will never leave you nor foresake you". We think we're at the end of our rope. We're really not. In these book Joshua is called to go to Jericho and defeat the city. When he is on his way, toting 40,000 behind him, he comes across a man with a sword raises. Joshua sees the irony in this as there is 1 man vs 40,000 and decides to go talk to him. He asks "Are you for us or against us". He said "neither". He then tells Joshua the land is holy and he needs to take off his shoes. Pastor Chris interpreted this as Jesus (who would not come for a long time ahead) tell him he was neither for him or against him.
At first we think, but that is God's chosen people, why wouldn't he be "for" us. Then comes the great example. Take any of our basketball skills. I'm lucky if I make 1 of 10 shots. Kobe and Jordan come on the court and I ask if I can be a part of their team. I'm lucky to be able to just PASS to Jordan let alone be on his team. Pastor likens us to God in this respect. I would be hell-a lucky to be on the team at Kobe and Jordan, he sure as heck isn't going to chose to be on my team, i'm subpar. Well, i'm taking the example a bit far because God would like us to all be on his team, our skills just aren't up to par :). Anyway, so because of this, this sworded, possible Jesus, says that he is on "neither" team.
Another take home point with all of this is how we rely on God. In bad times mainly. "God, the economy is so bad, please help", "What job should I get?", "I pray for my health now that I'm sick". Chris says, funny (as if he is God speaking)...I hear you praying to me about your work, but you never including me in your work before, you never included me in your health or in your finances. So why now? Because you're desparate? How about seek me in everything? It hit me that this is the lifestyle that I should be called to. A higher purpose. Pray for my work, pray for my husband, pray for my friends. Keep him in my life always, not when it's convienent.
I'm sure I'm not saying it correctly. If you're interested in more, you can always listen to the message online. It's totally worth your time!!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Wordless Wednesday
Jess took a picture of me walking in Segovia. I love this picture!
For more Wordless Wednesday, come over here
Monday, January 12, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
100 things
Joelle had this on her blog, I thought it was fun. Just copy/paste and put in bold all the things you have done. Have fun!
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (in general)-who will bold this??
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance-does being in the ambulance while you're mom was being transported count?
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Systine chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a company
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check -- Ooops!
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (does outside the gate count?)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake-I think the dead sea should count
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (in general)-who will bold this??
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance-does being in the ambulance while you're mom was being transported count?
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Systine chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a company
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check -- Ooops!
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (does outside the gate count?)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake-I think the dead sea should count
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day
comeon people!!
Man I was crazy busy today. Seemed like they wanted me to authorize one New Years resolution after another. By that I mean the oh-so-lovely detox's! Ugh. I heard it all today..."I wanted to be a good role model"...she says after drinking 1/2 gallon of vodka since age 14 and now is in her 50's. Too late for that! Or, "my mom won't give me her credit card back until I get sober". LOVELY! That's an awesome motivation to stay sober. Heck, it might work but still is not a valid reason. I think this job is jading my sensitivity to the disease model of drug use.
Another, comeon people!! moment was my assessment tonight. I got slammed at work and then got notification to go on a mobile assessment. It was really sad because this guy has basically lost everything, has a restraining order against him, wife stole his money and he's in a nursing home trying to recoup his back. The staff were annoyed at him and called me to get him out of there. Long story short, he got more irritable when they dc'd him on meds he was FINE with before. No reason why they were dc'd. So I basically told him we wouldn't take him and to get him back on those meds, which he even agreed to. Dude, psychiatrically hospitalizing people is a p retty big deal..you can't do that to someone just because they annoy you. Sheesh.
The upside of my day. While I drive an hour to and from work with all the lovely traffic I listen to some pretty great music. Today they started playing something that I could tell was older, but has a great rock vibe to it and I just wanted more and more. After a few songs they came on to say it was Pink Floyd. I know it's no surprise that they're good, but I've never really sat and listened to them. They're amazing! Granted that was pretty much the only song that I've heard...i'm sure more but none that I could recall off hand. Anyway, if you have recommendations of a Pink Floyd song/album, send me a note! I want more!
Another, comeon people!! moment was my assessment tonight. I got slammed at work and then got notification to go on a mobile assessment. It was really sad because this guy has basically lost everything, has a restraining order against him, wife stole his money and he's in a nursing home trying to recoup his back. The staff were annoyed at him and called me to get him out of there. Long story short, he got more irritable when they dc'd him on meds he was FINE with before. No reason why they were dc'd. So I basically told him we wouldn't take him and to get him back on those meds, which he even agreed to. Dude, psychiatrically hospitalizing people is a p retty big deal..you can't do that to someone just because they annoy you. Sheesh.
The upside of my day. While I drive an hour to and from work with all the lovely traffic I listen to some pretty great music. Today they started playing something that I could tell was older, but has a great rock vibe to it and I just wanted more and more. After a few songs they came on to say it was Pink Floyd. I know it's no surprise that they're good, but I've never really sat and listened to them. They're amazing! Granted that was pretty much the only song that I've heard...i'm sure more but none that I could recall off hand. Anyway, if you have recommendations of a Pink Floyd song/album, send me a note! I want more!
Monday, January 5, 2009
The sickness continues
As the new year kicks off, I was hoping for grand entrance for 2009 since 2008 was a bust...but sadly I've been battling a nasty cold in welcoming the new year. It feels like it's only been getting worse. Luckily I have meds and should be better in no time.
I didn't put out Christmas cards this year. I wasn't terribly motivated to figure out a picture to put on a card and then address all of the envelopes while trying to figure out gifts to get people. I know that millions of people do it every year, but I opted out. Maybe next year. I did, however, want to put out some sort of Christmas letter due to the crazy year we had. So why don't I just put it in my new found blog! What a great idea!?
We started of 2008 with a bang. We took a nice trip to Oakhurst, freezing our butts off but all managed to leave relatively unscathed. I got pitched off my quad for trying to do a donut, my dad twisted his knee, but Jason prevailed through it all! We were quite proud of him. In February I went part time at my counseling job in order to go back to college part time. Jason and I had decided for me to go back to school to pursue pre-nursing. I took 2 classes: Anatomy and Chemistry. I fought hard to get into the Chemistry class that was closed for 2 weeks! But persistance paid off, I got an A in that class and got a wonderful rave letter of recommendation from my prof.
Sadly, during that semester while dealing with school and part-time work, I was never home. Helen, my stepmom, went into the hospital for about 3 weeks. She had decided that she was going to stop chemo treatments. We all agreed and supported her decision but were sad to see her taken from us. I tried to go over to the hospital or to the house when she was on bedrest on my breaks from school. Sean was able to fly out for a few weeks to spend her last days at home. All of us kids and my dad were there when she passed. It was incredibly sad and tragic, but surprisingly peaceful as well. I miss her like crazy. It's been tough, I've never had someone close to me pass. I hope this won't happen again for a long time. Around this time also brought us some exciting stuff. We got our first puppy, Oslo in mid-april and I passed my MFT exam 2 days after my birthday! It was a long time coming and I'm so happy to be officially DONE with collecting hours and studying. Blah.
Summer brought us a few more trips to Rincon with my dad and Oakhurst for the 4th of July. I also got to do a quick trip to visit Joelle for Sex and the City weekend! It was fun to visit her while she was pregnant. Can't wait to do champagne nights again. In June I quit my job to take two more classes and go full time. I nearly went insane as I had the most jacked up professor for Physiology. Lets just say that 5 weeks of 9-1pm 5 days a week was MORE tedious than 5 weeks of 9-3pm 5 days a week. It was that bad. Pulled off an A in that class too! Whoo hoo!!
During the summer Jason was looking for a job as his game released and we thought it would be best that he find a job out of the house. We had a few leads that disappointed us but by the grace and chance of God, Jason found a job in San Diego! So two days after I took my finals, we hired 2 men to pack up our house and headed down to San Diego! Sadly, our first night of the move our dog Oslo got scared and managed to escape from our backyard. We were devestated as we were looking forward to having him in our big house with a big backyard.
Jason worked during the day and it was now my turn to find a job. God blessed us with leads and a job within a week of moving down here! Because of new hire paperwork, etc. it took FOREVER to start the job. Unfortunately, because they didn't work me as much as we needed financially, I had to look for another job.
After the move we decided that we needed to get involved in a church. We found North Coast Church which is a ginormous church down the road. They have these things called Growth Groups, which we decided to join immediately because we figured it was the only way we would meet people in such a big crowd. We were so blessed by doing so. Having people pray for you and keep you accountable has been a great thing for both Jason and I in our marriage.
In the meantime, taking us to October, we decided we really wanted to have another dog since we loved having Oslo around. I searched around for weeks waiting for the perfect dog. I was unsure about most that I found until I found this little black pup at the shelter. She had the cutest little face and as soon as I saw her it was like an "ah-ha!" moment. I put a hold on her and she was ours a week later. Heidi has blessed incredibly. She has such a sweet disposition and is our "snuggle pup".
I did manage to secure another job. God has totally blessed us with this position! The perks are awesome and it basically is doubling our income. I just finished my first month of training and have been getting great feedback. We got to have our white Christmas up in Oakhurst this year. It was beautiful arriving there while it was snowing. We made a snowman and I made a snow angel :). The year finished with both Jason and I getting sick, which could be indicitive of cleansing 2008 from us. I feel like we made a lot of progress in 2008, but am not sad to see it go at all. I hope 2009 brings us more blessings and happiness. Too many tears shed this year.
I will try to blog consistently and consisely...and I will do my best to condense it. I had a lot to say. Hehe.
I didn't put out Christmas cards this year. I wasn't terribly motivated to figure out a picture to put on a card and then address all of the envelopes while trying to figure out gifts to get people. I know that millions of people do it every year, but I opted out. Maybe next year. I did, however, want to put out some sort of Christmas letter due to the crazy year we had. So why don't I just put it in my new found blog! What a great idea!?
We started of 2008 with a bang. We took a nice trip to Oakhurst, freezing our butts off but all managed to leave relatively unscathed. I got pitched off my quad for trying to do a donut, my dad twisted his knee, but Jason prevailed through it all! We were quite proud of him. In February I went part time at my counseling job in order to go back to college part time. Jason and I had decided for me to go back to school to pursue pre-nursing. I took 2 classes: Anatomy and Chemistry. I fought hard to get into the Chemistry class that was closed for 2 weeks! But persistance paid off, I got an A in that class and got a wonderful rave letter of recommendation from my prof.
Sadly, during that semester while dealing with school and part-time work, I was never home. Helen, my stepmom, went into the hospital for about 3 weeks. She had decided that she was going to stop chemo treatments. We all agreed and supported her decision but were sad to see her taken from us. I tried to go over to the hospital or to the house when she was on bedrest on my breaks from school. Sean was able to fly out for a few weeks to spend her last days at home. All of us kids and my dad were there when she passed. It was incredibly sad and tragic, but surprisingly peaceful as well. I miss her like crazy. It's been tough, I've never had someone close to me pass. I hope this won't happen again for a long time. Around this time also brought us some exciting stuff. We got our first puppy, Oslo in mid-april and I passed my MFT exam 2 days after my birthday! It was a long time coming and I'm so happy to be officially DONE with collecting hours and studying. Blah.
Summer brought us a few more trips to Rincon with my dad and Oakhurst for the 4th of July. I also got to do a quick trip to visit Joelle for Sex and the City weekend! It was fun to visit her while she was pregnant. Can't wait to do champagne nights again. In June I quit my job to take two more classes and go full time. I nearly went insane as I had the most jacked up professor for Physiology. Lets just say that 5 weeks of 9-1pm 5 days a week was MORE tedious than 5 weeks of 9-3pm 5 days a week. It was that bad. Pulled off an A in that class too! Whoo hoo!!
During the summer Jason was looking for a job as his game released and we thought it would be best that he find a job out of the house. We had a few leads that disappointed us but by the grace and chance of God, Jason found a job in San Diego! So two days after I took my finals, we hired 2 men to pack up our house and headed down to San Diego! Sadly, our first night of the move our dog Oslo got scared and managed to escape from our backyard. We were devestated as we were looking forward to having him in our big house with a big backyard.
Jason worked during the day and it was now my turn to find a job. God blessed us with leads and a job within a week of moving down here! Because of new hire paperwork, etc. it took FOREVER to start the job. Unfortunately, because they didn't work me as much as we needed financially, I had to look for another job.
After the move we decided that we needed to get involved in a church. We found North Coast Church which is a ginormous church down the road. They have these things called Growth Groups, which we decided to join immediately because we figured it was the only way we would meet people in such a big crowd. We were so blessed by doing so. Having people pray for you and keep you accountable has been a great thing for both Jason and I in our marriage.
In the meantime, taking us to October, we decided we really wanted to have another dog since we loved having Oslo around. I searched around for weeks waiting for the perfect dog. I was unsure about most that I found until I found this little black pup at the shelter. She had the cutest little face and as soon as I saw her it was like an "ah-ha!" moment. I put a hold on her and she was ours a week later. Heidi has blessed incredibly. She has such a sweet disposition and is our "snuggle pup".
I did manage to secure another job. God has totally blessed us with this position! The perks are awesome and it basically is doubling our income. I just finished my first month of training and have been getting great feedback. We got to have our white Christmas up in Oakhurst this year. It was beautiful arriving there while it was snowing. We made a snowman and I made a snow angel :). The year finished with both Jason and I getting sick, which could be indicitive of cleansing 2008 from us. I feel like we made a lot of progress in 2008, but am not sad to see it go at all. I hope 2009 brings us more blessings and happiness. Too many tears shed this year.
I will try to blog consistently and consisely...and I will do my best to condense it. I had a lot to say. Hehe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)