Pi Kappa Phi FOUR! (why do people say that?)

My view while waiting for them to finish. Trilogy was a beautiful golfing community, I wish my parents (who golf multiple times a week) could retire there...

Go, babe, go. It was fun to watch him figure out how to golf. We're committed to learning, so we can join my parents some day. I don't want to be "a golfer," but it would be fun to do occasionally.

Past and present fraternity brothers, some more sober than others... I heard that someone "cart-surfed" (on TOP of the cart) that morning. NOT what you want to be doing at a nice place like this...

Life-long friends. (Carl is wearing a UW santa hat that he won in a raffle- I tried convincing him to give it to me, to no avail).

More Saturday Pics

Impromptu daffodil field. I actually hate the color yellow, but all the tulip fields with colors I like were crowded...

So I tried to take a 'from the car' photo. Didn't work out so hot.

In line at Snow Goose (yes, this is a 50+ person line for ice cream). I'm telling you, people, it's as exciting as Disneyworld.

Almost to the front. Carl's practicing his golf swing for Sunday's tournament.

Ah, bliss...

Happy group of friends.

Chef Casey

is proud to report that my culinary artistry is continuing to grow. In the past week I've made a:

Spicy Turkey-Cabbage soup
Cornbread Muffins with jalapeno jelly inside them
Swiss Spinach Quiche
Curry Chicken Salad
Vinaigrette Broccoli
Raspberry-Angel Food Cake Trifle

This is a record-setting month. Epic.

Kubb

Saturday, 7 of us played in our back yard, with two 'courts' set up, music, a bbq, plus Carl's homemade beers to accompany the group. It is such a fun game and I'm glad Bryan and Steph introduced us to it. Justin and Carl dominated people, Carl learned the game in Sweden from it's originators. Adam and Los had never played before, so there was a wide range of 'talent.' Let's just say I'm on the lesser side of the range.

A weekend of firsts: cycling, kubbing and golfing, oh my!

We had such a fabulous weekend with friends, and will post lots of pics to show some of our time. I love when random things work out and fire on all cylinders; we were mixing Navy, college and California friends, and the chemistry was great. Friday night we had three friends over for a meal and Settlers. At 5:45 am Saturday, Justin came over to pick up Los and Carl. The 3 of them cycled the beautiful Chuckanut Ridge Loop by our house, something like 36 miles, Los' first time ever riding that far. He wants to do a Half-Ironman this summer (swim:1.2 miles, bike:56 miles, run: 13.1 miles) and the running/swimming are a piece of cake to him. Cycling is the hardest part for him, but Carl (who has cycled across the country) was merciful and he and Justin would slow down and wait for Los periodically.

Saturday afternoon we played Kubb and then went to see the tulip and daffodil fields en route to the best Farmer's Market ever, Snow Goose Produce, where the world's best ice cream is served. Sunday Los and I woke up early and drove to Redmond where he played in the annual Pi Kappa Phi golf tournament, his first time ever shooting 18 holes. Luckily Bish knew what he was doing, and carried their team of 4. The low score was 11 under par and 120 people came out for the tourney. Burly and I walked on the equestrian trails around the golf course, and saw them a few times throughout the day. The miles of trails are beautiful and we saw ten horses/riders during our hour+ walk. We all collapsed from exhaustion Sunday afternoon, but had such a good time this weekend.

Mariners game: Say, "I'm drunk!"

Last week, we went with a bunch of friends to the Mariners-Orioles game. I used to be a big M's fan, not to mention baseball fan in general... I was in line in the rain on the day tickets for the season went on sale... but because they've sucked so much and because my bro used to be in the Orioles organization, I have changed my mind. However, the stadium and skyline are gorgeous, and we had a lot of fun, here are some pics from that night:



A lot of the guys had come down in an RV, so they were already pretty intoxicated by the time we met up with them. The lady that took this group shot said, "Say, 'I'm drunk!'" Everyone gleefully obliged.


Alcohol+making decisions= bad idea. Here Adam and Tony argue over buying tix from scalpers or the stadium

The only Pac-10 fans in the group

I love the sunsets and water view from the stadium

And the view of downtown

Los and our friend Justin

Long, slow, painful death...

I never thought this day would come. I am now realizing that I have to say goodbye to my beloved iBook. This weekend, our friend Carl said, "umm, something is wrong with your computer." The following was a blur, as I was in denial (say is ain't so!), but I'm think he said something like it is the slowest machine he has seen. Ever. And he's a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science. I trust him. And as the Mac Genius told me last weekend, "well, ma'am (read: IDIOT), mechanical failures are normal, these machines weren't built to last forever." WHAT?! WHY NOT?! I love my iBook. SO WHAT if it's 7 years old?! (which is like, a 100 years old, in technology-speed)

It matters more to me than any other possession I have. We have been through so much together. I've had it since b.c. (before Carlos). We've struggled through 5 YEARS of graduate school together. It has kept me connected to the larger world when my introverted self naturally stays at home hibernating. It, along with my trusty cell phone, has kept me to connected to Carlos when, for half our marriage, he has been overseas. And since we've never had a tv, or stereo, it is my sole source of music and dvd watching. How could it leave me at a time like this?

At many people's prompting, we finally sucked it up and got an external hard drive. I'm in the process of trying to pull everything valuable from my iBook, so when that final fated day comes, I will have made my peace and be prepared to say goodbye. Sigh.

Tulip Festival

Come one, come all, to the Tulip Festival in our beautiful neighborhood!

Young Life: part two- bragging

Permit me to brag a little bit about our great friends Nick and Lindsay, the local Young Life area director and his wife- two of the most awesome people in western Washington and the western world, who do live this way.

Background context: When I was ending college, I considered doing a two-year Young Life internship. As I talked with various area directors about it, I remember a gal encouraging me, “if you stay in Young Life, you’ll marry a Young Life guy.” I love YL, but among other (more important ‘call’-related) reasons, this was a contributing factor to me not doing a YL internship. Stereotypical Young Life guys (goofy extraverts or the more business-model type with the goatee and PDA) are great guys I want to be friends with, but not who I would have wanted to marry.

Fast-forward to 4 years later when we moved back to WA. Los and I went to a high school football game at the local school by our house. After having been so invested in teens’ lives in FL, we wanted to know what was happening in Burlington, so we looked up YL on the internet and found a phone number for Nick Wood, our area director. We invited him and Lindsay over to dinner, to get to know them, and to see what was going on in our county. What could have been an awkward shared meal turned into the beginning of a joyous friendship.

Nick is like the antitype of the typical leaders I knew in college. I have seen a lot of people with lots of good programs. I have seen a lot of people with lots of money. Nick and our area have neither of those and need help in those two areas, yet more teens flock to him and Lindsay in droves than almost anyone I’ve ever watched. Most of the kids in our area have known him since elementary school, and he’s volunteered and substituted in many schools and coached soccer, while being the YL leader. And Lindsay teaches in a super cute local middle school.

The amount of teens and families they have impacted in this valley is immeasurable. I am moved on nights like Friday’s banquet, where we get to hear about specific lives they have touched through their natural gifting. Teenagers everywhere are hurting and trying to decide who they want to be as adults, they need godly mentors. I know I am who I am today because I had people like Nick and Lindsay love on me when I was young. This world would be a better place if there were more selfless, humble people like our two friends who give their lives so that young people can find hope and a healthy path for their future. I am proud of and grateful for such friends.

Young Life Banquet: part one- Nuggets

This past Friday night, we went to our local Young Life Annual Banquet. The speaker was great and told some stories that were gems. He recounted playing hide-and-seek with his grandson. The goal of the game for this little boy is not to stealthily evade his grandpa, but to be found. He will rustle around in the bedroom closet or somewhere else, excitedly anticipating the moment when he is found by the one who loves him. The speaker then transitioned into how today’s teens are just like his grandson, making noise in closets and wanting to be found.

He quoted Eugene Peterson’s version of scripture from the book of John that explains our motivation for incarnational ministry, saying God put on flesh and moved into the neighborhood. He told the story of the YL leader at Columbine from the day of the tragic shooting there. Like many other days, Kevin came on to campus to meet with a student. And like many other days, the student had forgotten, and was a no-show.

So Kevin went into the dining hall and sat down with some students, getting to know them. A short while later, when someone came in announcing the gunshots elsewhere on campus, Kevin was there with and for the teens, diving under the table with them. He eventually helped lead them out to safety and hundreds of students came over to his house that week, processing with him. The speaker made the point that teens don’t need a big program, they need people who will dive under the tables in their lives with them.

Another story he told came from this past week in New Zealand. A Young Life leader there was with a group of 10 people, canyoning. They were pretty far out, when a flash flood came. The river water rose 50 feet in 30 minutes, and 7 out of the group of 10 died. Tony, the leader, was a 29 year-old guy, tall, strong and capable. He could have made it out of the river if he had only considered himself. But he had invited a student named Tommy along on the trip. Tommy had cerebral palsy and was less physically able. Tony refused to let Tommy die alone and did everything in his power to save him. When the survivors and rescuers found their lifeless bodies, Tony had Tommy on his shoulders.

The gospel isn’t incarnational unless it requires sacrifice. Hopefully not an actual physical death, but a sacrifice of comfort, a sacrifice of selfishness, and of time. It takes diving under the tables with people, it takes carrying people on your shoulders. What do you do to lift others up like this? There are as many ways to live it out as there are willing people. These stories inspired me to want to be a person like this. I don’t know what that will look like throughout life, but I want to be attentive to opportunities to make sacrifices for the benefit of others.

Atheist at Pebble Beach and Tim Keller Lecture

I didn't think about this a ton recently until I just watched this pastor from NYC Tim Keller lecture at Google about his new book. I wish I could have pointed the guy from last summer toward someone who can more eloquently pick apart "disproofs" of God.

Among my fun travels last summer, one thing I did was spend a week at Pebble Beach with my family for the 4th of July. The proximity to the links had no draw for me, since I am hardly what you would call a golfer, but I love to read, write, walk/run on 17-Mile Drive (arguably one of the best roads on earth) and hear ocean waves with the best of them, so I was in heaven. Almost.

The week was going smashingly (everyone but me golfing during the day, and then playing cards and drinking margaritas at night) until another houseguest found out that I was going to become a Christian minister. That is when the week got a little dramatic. At first he started making snide comments, but eventually he cornered me and berated me for a good hour about my beliefs. That's fine, I've met plenty of atheists before, and have had peaceable 'agree to disagree' converations. Almost always, it is a very personal thing to them and they have been wronged by believers, so the last thing on my mind is changing their opinions.

However, this guy was relentless and tactless, and the bad news for him (and for me, to an extent) was that I was not there by myself. My dad was there. And after he observed the dialogue for a short while, the father-bear-trying-to-protect-his-cub in him took over. The two men went outside, male testosterone full bore and mixed with alcohol (like I've always said, BAD combo) their voices escalating to the point of a senseless screaming match, ending with the exchange of F- YOU!'s. Super. Awesome vacation. Our families parted ways like the Red Sea.

My step-mom and I went off trying to find my dad, who was down by the water, steam blowing out his ears like in the old cartoons. I understood why he felt the need to be protective and angry at his supposed "friend." Yes, I agree, I think it is a good policy in general to have friends who will not attack your children.

HOWEVER, I felt tremendous compassion toward this man, which my dad was not aiding by saying, "I never want to speak to him again." I tried explaining that Jesus was persecuted all the time, and he still a) KNEW who he was and never lost sight of his identity and b) MET others where they were and c)LOVED people. This is my call as a Christian, and should hopefully be my dad's call too. We will hopefully always meet people who are different than us and learn from one another. Mutual respect is always better than categorically denying someone else's beliefs or discarding relationships with people who believe differently than you.

Calling

"Calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do and everything we have is invested with a special devotion, dynamism and direction lived out as a response to God's summons and service."
-Os Guinness


"Vocation comes from the Latin vocare "to call" and means the work a person is called to by God. There are different kinds of voices calling you to all different kinds of work, and the problem is to find out which is the voice of God rather than of society, say or the superego, or self-interest. By and large a good rule for finding out is this: The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work a) that you need to do and b) that the world needs to have done... The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness/joy and the world's deepest hunger meet."
-Frederick Buechner

GRADUATION

For those who've been asking for info, here's a little of what I found for the CA graduation:

Commencement will be held Saturday, June 14, at 10:00 a.m. at Lake Avenue Church, 393 North Lake Avenue, in Pasadena. The service itself will last a little more than two hours. The auditorium will be open for admission beginning at 8:30 a.m. In order to ensure adequate preferred seating for the families of all graduates, admission will require a Family Early Admission Pass until 9:30 a.m., at which time admission will be open to all. All graduates will receive an application for Family Early Admission Passes. There will be no fixed number of passes allocated per graduate. However, in order to ensure adequate and appropriate seating for the families of graduates, these passes will normally be available for family members only.

I have no idea how many people are graduating, doctoral candidates and master's-level students are all together. This place is massive, and will hopefully accomodate everyone with ease if you get there early enough. For our family, and my high school and college friends, we'll have some kind of get together that day as well, yet to be planned. We're staying (with JJ and Lisa Kissinger too) at the Embassy Suites in Arcadia, which KC told me is maybe 10 minutes away.

This is less than two months away! I can't wait! I will have announcements to distribute soon-ish.

I'll keep you posted on the small WA graduation, which is the previous Saturday. After 5 long years, what great celebrations those will be! Los and I want to have a WA party as well, some time this summer; but likely after our celebration trip to England, Greece and Turkey.

“I Want the Red Ones.”

Humor from the grocery store…

The girl in front of the line looks about 15, puts her 2 items down and says to the cashier, “Oh, and I want a pack of cigarettes.”

“Which kind?”

“Umm, I forget which ones I like, I think it’s the red ones; yeah, gimme a pack of the red ones.”

“The red ones?” the cashier asks quizzically and raises an eyebrow. (who says that?!)

(peering at the name) “Marlboro. They’re, like, not too strong, right?”

“Strong? I don’t understand what you mean…”

“Never mind, I just want one pack.”

“Okay, well I’ll have to see your ID”(Girl hands her her debit card)

“I still need your ID.”

“What? My picture’s on there.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t show your age.”

“Don’t you only have to be 18 to buy these? Come on… fine, I’ll get it. (She rummages through purse, sure enough, no ID) Oh, um, I must have left it in the car.”

“Then you can’t buy these, would you still like your other items?”

(Flustered and red, the girl scurries away, mumbling) “no, it’s okay.”

She leaves behind a box of tampons and a toothbrush.

Good times.

10 on 10

So some of my fun friends are doing the 10 on 10: posting 10 photos from 10 different hours of the day on the 10th of the month. I love the idea, but am a little slow in catching up to speed with them. I did take photos on the 10th (Thurs) but not all 10. Here is what I have for this month:

After a mellow day (not worth photojournalism) we had a reunion of my college Bible study. That was so fun as I love these girls more than life itself. Shannon now has two boys, Kirsty's preggo with their first, Jennie and I are just enjoying married life, and Erika and Jodi are pursuing their passions as singles. Being with these gals is always a highlight of my life.

Then we went to meet Monica and Erik's new baby, a girl born at noon, Audrey. Big brother Jackson is so excited about her, even if he tried to trade his grubby blue blanket for her clean soft, new pink one:)

Best friends and a sweet city skyline

The four ladies (and one boy in the oven)

The dad-to-be, the dad of two, and the wanna-be dad:)

Being Green and Sustainable...

So after I declared April to be Earth Month, I did nothing about it. Now the month is half over. Typical. My friends the Mazzarello's went Green Fest this weekend, and I hope to learn a lot from them when they come up to play with us. But I will at least post links to people and groups that are inspirational to me, like my two new bff's, one from each coast:
Matthew Sleeth who wrote the book Serve God, Save the Planet. He preached in Mars Hill's God is Green series that was so amazing last summer, and will be in MI again at the beginning of May- podcast him, you won't regret it.

And Cal's Michael Pollan, who writes lots of provocative things all the time.

Also check out some intriguing sites:
Earth Ministry and Grist

Spring Cleaning

Why do people only do spring cleaning in the spring? At the expense of exhibiting my geekiness yet again, I'll confess that I love it! This weekend in the glorious sunshine, we cleaned up our yard (at a 1/4 acre, quite the feat!), our garage and cleaned out our kitchen. Staying true to our Rob Bell mantra, we donated some stuff to Goodwill, gave neighbors sugary stuff that had to leave our cupboards, and recycled/tossed lots of stuff that has just been sitting around for 'some day.' It's appalling how long I had some stuff (like a can of soy protein powder that was 'best by 2004')- oops!

Los got his road bike tires fixed and is stoked to put some miles on the expansive farm roads around us this spring and summer. We also bathed Burly, he is like a new dog and smells so good. And Los cleaned the grill, a nasty but necessary task! So we had friends over and enjoyed fabulous Mahi-Mahi, Salmon and steak with salads both nights. We also went to church at FPC Bellingham and walked/ran around Lake Padden. I love spring. I can't wait to plant our vegetable garden, maybe next week? These are the days when I get SO sad about leaving the northwest. Who knows if we'll ever be back, perhaps not. So I am trying to soak in every last drop of the good life we have here. I am grateful for it.

Moving and Option C) none of the above

Well, we still don't know where we're moving, but we're getting closer to narrowing it down! We feel good about California and Texas (for VERY different reasons). Of course, I am hesitant to commit my heart to either of those places, b/c God (and the Navy) always seems to surprize you with option C when you were least expecting it. Choosing our next set of orders is a lot bigger than just 'where do we want to live the next 3 years?' If that was the only question, CLEARLY we would choose CA. My wonderful family, the wonderful weather, our fun friends, and all the opportunity there, plus the like-minded culture make it the shoe-in vote. Plus, I want our (future, currently non-existent) baby to be born in the best state in the union!

However, it's not quite that simple. What we're wrestling with is more of the long-term question, what does he want to do the rest of his life. I am pretty clear on my vocation, but he's still a little fuzzy. The TX job would give Carlos a lot more flight hours and he'd get to spend his time instructing students, a job he loves and is gifted in. He is a born leader, and wouldn't have those chances in CA. And the TX job opens up a couple of avenues for future vocation, both in and out of the Navy. He is brilliant and could do anything, but equivocates between wanting to stay in the military, or be an airline pilot, a lawyer, and a highschool teacher and basketball/track coach:) Maybe he'll figure out a way to do all of them? And then there's always option c, that we can't even predict or imagine just yet... All that to say, we'll keep you posted:)

Love God with all Your Heart, Mind, Soul and what?

This is not a theological reflection per se, but why do we strive to love God with all that we are, yet leave off that last bit about strength? Our bodies are our temples, so the scripture goes, yet most of us pollute the crap out of them with alcohol, drugs (caffeine: the 'Christian' drug) and even bad or too much food. At least I do. Being overweight seems to be a socially acceptable sin, what with 2/3 of our country falling somewhere in that camp.

One of my longest friends, Becky has inspired me to achieve bucket list #6. Unlike people who go on diets to drop from size 6 to size 4 (grrrr), she’s someone I can resonate with, since we’re both tall and large-framed. She has reshaped her lifestyle and lost 50 pounds thus far in her journey, feeling healthier than ever. We were both athletes and continued to eat like athletes when we stopped playing year-round sports. Carbs carbs carbs, ever since I was a kid. Because of that, I realized, I’ve gained about 35 pounds in the past ten years. I’m not proud of this, but I didn’t even notice it at first, because 4 pounds a year doesn’t seem like a lot… But they are sneaky little suckers and definitely snuck up on me!

So as I wrote about before, I’m starting my own journey about awareness, and change. I know it will take a long time, but I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been reading the book that she uses, and have learned more than I ever thought I would about things like my liver, lymphatic system, colon and supplements/vitamins. The author encourages organic food and cutting out alcohol, caffeine, sugar and empty calories. And (what may be the hardest part for me) drinking half your weight in ounces of water every day. That task alone makes me want to drop pounds:) Dave Lutz, a Seattle therapist and speaker that I like a lot, has recommended this to me before; but I thought it would be impossible. I see a sign- Many Bio Breaks Ahead!

I am intimidated to attempt to lose weight and be on a ‘diet,’ because this is something I’ve never done before. I don't know if I believe I can do it, which is sad, but honest. However, the awareness I’m gaining has been amazing. Like the difference between healthy food and unhealthy food. I heard someone say you should only shop around the outside walls of grocery stores. Sure enough, that’s where the fruits, veggies, protein and dairy I need is. It makes me sad that you have to have more money to eat more healthily- the cheap food is the empty-calorie carbs, sugary/salty stuff.

So anyone who wants some sugar, let me know, I’m cleaning out our cupboards of that stuff- I’ll be your sugar mama:) Maybe we’ll bring some back (in ‘moderation’) eventually, but for now, out it goes!

Burly's going to be FAMOUS!

I can't believe my dog is going to get published before I am, but here's an email I got this morning from New York. I had a good feeling about the submission, because I think Erik Torkells (the Budget Travel editor) may have a pug? So I sent one of Burly in Carmel with Los, and one of him on gorgeous highway 20 at Washington Pass when Erika and I were coming back from Winthrop. Both great vacations!

----
Pet Travel Story- Important Info
Congratulations!

Your pet travel photos were chosen for our 2008 June Reader's Issue! We are excited to show off your adorable pets in this special issue and we are even more excited to have you be a part of the process.

Right now we are working very hard to finish our June issue and we are trying to pull together the last little details before shipping it to the press. But before we can seal the deal I have one last request. Our editors have decided to add your hometowns into the text that will run along the side of your pet's photo. Please email me back your hometown (city, state) ASAP. We are short on time, so the sooner you act, the better. You can call or email me at anytime. If I don't pick up, I will at least get your message.

Thank you again and have a great day!
Sheryl McGloffin
Photo Department
Budget Travel Magazine
Tel: (646) 695-6703
www.budgettravel.com

Goal #25

Life resumed full speed and I've been too busy going to stop and write, quite a rude awakening after my glorious spring break of reading, writing, working out and relaxing. But it's all good stuff, no complaints. My two classes are looking awesome this quarter (OT exegesis and Pastoral Theology- only two left after that too! The light at the end of the tunnel is near!)

I decided instead of Earth Day (April 20) this year, all of April is going to be Earth Month. I want to write some blogs about stewardship related stuff... But I'm too busy right now, so I'll just say one little highlight, and then off to bed I go.

Having penned these 100 life goals is proving to be rewarding. Now I have something to stare at that instigates conversations and keeps me accountable to pursuing stuff that was only in my mind. One of Los' complaints to me (I know it may come as shocking that I am not perfect) is that he wishes I cooked more. What can I say, he's a natural, so I just let him do it. Not to mention, we have different philosophies regarding cleaning the kitchen as we cook- let's just say it's a cleaner home when he is in charge.

Hence goal #25. I am making some more effort, and am proud to say that in the past week, I have made:

Flax seed-cranberry-apricot muffins
Lemon-pepper squash
Portobella mushrooms
Tacos
Onion roasted potatoes
Garlic-Parmesan chicken
Tortilla soup
4-bean salad
and a Cake

This is revolutionary for me. I usually don't make that many things in a month! Here's to change. Feel free to send me a recipe. Or to come over and give me another reason to hone my culinary skills.

Love is in the Air

I decided this week that the ‘late-20’s’ season of life is weird, relationship-wize. I now have friends across the spectrum from married for a decade with three kids, all the way to not dating at all. It is weird to graduate from high school and all be relatively in the same place, and then over the currents of a decade to drift to such different destinations. But recently, a lot of new love has taken me by joyous surprise.

Just as all of my perennial buds are starting to burst forth with new growth and exquisite color, new relationships seem to be all around me- is it the spring? People have flown to Seattle this weekend from Nashville, Kansas and Texas to be with the one their hearts long for. I love hearing about new love, it is so sweet. To quote one friend last night, “I have to go buy a sleeping aid, I am too excited to sleep tonight.” Today and the next couple of days, these new couples will be cherishing every touch, every glance, every new memory made. I am glad for their hearts to be so happy. I remember those days with fondness. To those friends, I can't wait to hear how your weekends go!

And while I don’t yearn to go back to that stage myself, I want to make a conscious effort to keep ‘newness’ in my own marriage. If you’re reading this and have been in a relationship a while, I’d love to hear what you do to keep things fresh, and about rituals you have that make your twosome special.

Paris, Je T’aime

I usually don’t write movie reviews, but here’s another one. We just watched Paris, Je T’aime (Here's the trailer) and if you are a Francophile like me (my in-law's just came back from there this week and I can't WAIT to see what they brought back) or just a fan of, or curious about Paris, the city of light and love, you’ll love this movie. It’s shot like postcards, 18 total, by fabulous different directors and casts, each 5-8 minutes long. All around the subject of love. Some of the stories are tragic, some are heart-warming, some are awkward, some are random, some are funny and some are beautiful; all of them are poignant. Great movie.

Healthiness

So my little broski and I are trying to become 'healthier;' him by eliminating a habit, and me by adding a habit (exercise) and changing a habit (eating). I feel encouraged about it, and am proud to say I've now been to the gym or 'done something'every day for two weeks. Maybe it's the sunny days and spring time, or maybe it's something deeper within, but I am grateful for the motivation.

But just for the record:
#1- not only am I the world's least coordinated person when it comes to following an instructor at choreographed dance moves hence goal #89, but

#2- I am now officially also the world's worst Step Aerobics participant. Who invented that contraption? I want to punch them in the face. I spent 1/3 of the class just standing on my step staring at the obnoxiously peppy lady in front with the skirt and Britney microphone who was bopping around to Justin Timberlake and counts of 8.

So all in all, I am learning by awkward process of elimination, which classes I like (pilates, yoga, weight lifting, etc) and can add to my swimming and walking/running regimen. I'm thinking of entering a race as a goal, but that might be a ways off yet.

Awesomeness

For all those dying of curiosity about what I did on Sunday, read this!

Let there be Light!

When we were in Argentina, we bought a chandelier from a local designer. That was December. It is now April and we finally got bulbs to fit the sockets this past weekend. Turns out they had to be ordered from France (note to self: buy them simultaneously next time). They would have cost $90 to be Fed Exed to us, but we went to a local lighting shop and special ordered them= $5! Score. So here's some pics from our bedroom now.






























And here's our mountain view outside one of our bathroom windows:)

Birthday Flowers and Seeds

Here are some pics of the lovely bouquets I got for my bday. Though it was hard to be alone, I appreciated all the cards and calls throughout the day, which made me feel loved in spite of my sadness. Thank you friends:)

I've given 12 people Sweet Pea seeds now, and still have some left if anyone else wants some, please let me know!