One Whole Year!

In two days Joe and I get to celebrate our FIRST wedding anniversary! Here's a glance back at our first year.

July 2009 - Signed the lease on our first apartment!

August 15, 2009 - Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Smith

September 2009 - Adopted Tyler. Here he is ready to handle Monterey cold!

January 2010 - Down in Big Sur

June 2010 - Trip to the Midwest to see family!

Cheater Cheater

Today I challenged Tyler to a fight - so I took off my cute gold sandals - and glared at him; daring him to make the first move. He jabbed to the left - I dodged to the right. He followed but it was a fake and I had him chasing me all around! 

He never stood a chance and turned tail in defeat. But wait! He was headed right to my cute gold sandals! No! This can't happen! How does he know my only weakness? I watched in horror as he picked up my sandal and carried it around the room. 

He had what I wanted in the grip of his mighty fangs! How can I save them? Every possible scenario ran through my mind. Nothing. I admitted defeat and he politely dropped the sandal. 

I walked away with the gold - but he was the true and generous winner. 

The Big Week

A lot is going on this week.

Joe is speaking at church this Sunday.
I am doing two kids services and then setting up for the other two this Sunday.
We are preparing to fly to Indiana this Sunday on a red eye.

While each of those things is bringing our life stress right now they are all good things....

Joe doesn't naturally say, "I want to talk to 600 people this week"...(who does?) but he is prepared and will do great! I'm sure that God will speak through him to the congregation and it will go well.

I am so glad to have all of the young ones I do in my classes! With out them I wouldn't have a purpose at our church or a place to call my own. They often end up teaching me more than I feel I teach them. I get to sit in an office decorated with precious pictures, crafts and mementos from their little hearts!

We miss our families! If that means Joe has to get on a plane and I have to spend a week getting my lists in order, doing laundry, cleaning out the fridge, and leaving my Tyler that's what it takes. The plane will arrive safe, I'll try my hardest not to forget anything, the laundry is done, the fridge will wait, and Kathryn and Tyler will have fun together while we are gone.

I am looking on the bright side!

The Biggest Typo Of My Life

typographical error

–noun

an error in printed or typewritten matter resulting from striking the improper key of a keyboard, from mechanical failure, or the like.

 

 

That is what happened to me today. I was talking with friends on a Facebook thread about the oddity of a possible VH1 Remember The Teens Decade Special. My last reply was long and, ironically, I re-wrote it several times to make sure it said what I wanted it to say. Well...it didn't. Pretty much I ended up announcing to the vast realm of Facebook that Joe and I were pregnant. Which is not true. Agh...this has been a long day.

  

The Grunion are Running

Crazy things are happening in Monterey!

Every night Joe and I look out the window and see the squid fishermen on the bay. I tried to find a picture to post but nothing that did the sight justice. They fish at night and shine lights into the water (this is all hearsay so don't quote me) to catch the squid. Imagine stars on the water...it's like that. Each night we open the blinds there are a few more added to their number.

Today at our youth leader meeting we spent an hour talking about one of our leader's job. He works in a prison and told us all kinds of stories about what an inmate's life is like. I am laughing as I write this...but I caution you: the following material is of a graphic nature.

 There is a heavy population of a particular gang in this prison. Somehow the gang continually smuggled contraband into the prison without the guards' knowledge. Can you guess how they were doing it? Yep...they were smuggling things up there bums!

Apparently the way it works is someone in prison calls a buddy on the outside with a grocery list. A low-ranking gang member will then be the mule and get the items in by being arrested for...say...public drunkenness (I'd want to be drunk too if that was my job).  Once he is on the inside the items are...delivered.

These 'items' are a variety of things, I'm sure. What I'm wondering is how are they not ashamed of using, smoking, ingesting things that were once up someone's butt? Our friend says that he once smelled marijuana around some prisoners. "Are you smoking butt-weed," he asked them. So shameful!

On the home front I am itching to get my sewing machine from my parents' house this summer. There is so much sewing to be done in this house! Not to mention all the sewing that needs done for the Egypt themed Vacation Bible School this summer!

 Alright y'all - Office time!










 

Tyler - He's our baby.

Two weeks ago I took Tyler to the dog park while Joe practiced his drums. I usually meet really nice people at the dog park. That day I sat on the bench with the other "parents" talking about how old our dogs are, if they know how to raise their legs yet (Tyler tries and falls over), and what our dogs' favorite chew toys are. Another man joins our group with two beautiful Malemutes. The larger of the two is a male. "Dad" holds him close on the leash as the other dogs begin to sniff and greet.
"Is he friendly," I ask. As soon as the words leave my mouth the dog is unleashed and runs at Tyler. He snarled as he lunged at my baby! Tyler yelped so loud it sounded like a child crying. When I finally grabbed Tyler out of the reach of that horrible dog I saw blood and panicked! It wasn't as bad as I assumed but the dog bit a hole in Ty's ear!

The poor guy was so nervous around the other dogs after that so I took him to see Joe. The other owner didn't even seem to care. When I brought Joe back to speak with him he didn't even stand up from the bench and hardly apologized. 

He is doing much better now and has even been back to the dog park a few times.

Revelations

I love my family.

Psalm 39:4-7a

"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere hand breadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath. *Selah* Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps  up wealth, not knowing who will get it. But now, Lord, what do I look for?"

I read this passage tonight and could totally identify with David. It is sad to think that we aren't meant for a life apart from God and living here on earth is frustrating sometimes. Just as it sounds like David has lost hope in the world he says...

Psalm 39:7b-12

"My hope is in you. Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools. I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this....Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping. For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were."

We have hope in Him. The One who created us. 

Do you ever think about what your life would look like if you didn't care about what other people thought? What about if you didn't give into or let fear influence you? What then? I'd bet it would look very different.