Proud

I watched yesterday as Sage rode her bike (w/out training wheels) around and around and around ... needless to say, we are proud. We have some pictures and video that I might getting around to posting ... but for now, just had to write about this is exciting moment.

5:40 A.M.

is about the time my kids have been waking up lately. I'm tired ...

The thin spot ...

Lately I have felt restless. That the is best word I can think of to describe my state. I have been excusing this feeling away by telling myself that it's summer and things are just a bit slower and less busy and so on and so forth. I find myself wanting to do everything and yet wanting to do nothing all in the same moment. There have even been moments of depression ... feeling down ... feeling lost.

When Henri Nouwen, chaplain of 9 years, was granted a 12-month sabbatical his first journal entry read ...

I have always dreamt about a whole year without appointments, meetings, lectures, travels, letters, and phone calls, a year completely open to let something radically new happen. But can I do it? Can I let go of all the things that make me feel useful and significant? I realize that I am quite addicted to being busy and experience a bit of withdrawal anxiety. I have to nail myself to a chair and control these wild impulses to get up again and become busy with whatever draws my attention.

I have not been making time to experience God in the "thin spots," ... that thin area where heaven and earth meet ... where God is fully present and realizable ... And like always I sit and wonder, "Why am I feeling like this?" instead of getting on my hands and knees and getting close to my creator who's cup truly fills my day (or should anyway). Our schedule has slowed down for the summer, and yet I find myself restless instead of rested.

So ...

...last week my mom and I decided to take the girls to the SB zoo. She had been wanting to take them on the train, so we decided she would take the girls on Amtrak and I would pick them up at the train station and then go onto the zoo from there. I boarded the train in Ventura JUST to take a picture of the girls and as I turned to start heading for the exit, I looked out the window and slowly watched the train stop (and my car -- illegally parked) fade away into the distance -- yeah, I got stuck on the train! Everything ended up working out ... but I must admit that I am not a big fan of public transportation. Something about the waiting around and not having control drove me a little nuts. Hmmm ... probably need to stuck on a train again.

Inspirationless

Is that even a word? Not a whole lot of inspiration for the blog lately. Is it a summer-heat thing? Is the blogging thing loosing it's luster? And then even as I write this I think, ah, whatever, don't need to post that ... Writer's block maybe. Oh well ..

Celebrations ...

Gradutation ... bridal shower ... wedding ... all in one weekend. Life is rich and full.

Sage's Birthday

We had a great day yesterday celebrating Sage's 4th Birthday!! Here is a link to the photos ....

Courting a Disney Princess

Just wondering ... what is the average courting period for a Disney princess and her prince charming? Sage and I were watching The Little Mermaid the other day and I always grumble inside when Ariel's fish, bird and crab friends are trying to get Eric to kiss her after only knowing her for 1 day -- AND -- Ariel doesn't even have a voice. All her little animal friends are actually disappointed ...
Anyhow. So, if I count the 3 days that Ariel is on land (after she gains some legs at the cost of loosing her voice), and maybe a few days prior to that, the total courtship is about 5 days. What about Cinderella, Belle, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Snow White ... etc.?

Gotta love the Internet

I don't think I watched one single episode of Brother's & Sister's for the entire '08 season and all I had to do was watch the season finale on the Internet and now I am all caught up. Doesn't get much better than that!

Ice Cream

Cory gifted us with 4 pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream Monday night after homegroup. My favorite so far is Mint Chocolate Cookie. Oh my ... it is really quite amazing. I have threatened to toss the pints into the sink and drown them in water various times, but I just can't bring myself to waste such amazing ice cream. Now I remember why I don't by the little pint sized ice creams -- they are way too good to stop eating after just a 1/2 cup ...

: - 1

Some links to further our blogging communication ....

http://www.netlingo.com/smiley.cfm

http://www.fingertek.com/smilies.htm

Anniversary

Celebrating 7 years of marriage : )

Knowing is Loving

It is no wonder that God not only loves me unconditionally, but everyone else in the world too. He knows me. He knows my story, my mistakes, my joys, my sorrows, my ups & downs, and my good and bad decisions. He knows that I wake up every morning and crave a hot cup of tea. He knows that I list my way through life, crossing off accomplishments as I go. He knows my heart and all of the desires of that blood pumping organ.
How much easier is it to love people when we know them? I wish everyone had a little conversation bubble above their heads which gave a brief snapshot of their lives ... and maybe a statement about how they were feeling at that very moment. How much more compassion would I have for others if I actually knew their story instead of inferring my own for them?

Weeds ...

Sage and I were weeding in the front yard today during which she asked the profound question ...

Mom, why did God send the weeds?

No Internet

Well, no, I haven't been avoiding you all. Our Internet was down over the past week so I have been a little out of it. Glad to be back in-touch.

Daddy and Daughters Day One

Guest Blogger: Daddy Ryan!

This weekend, the nursery is all mine. At 10:41am Amber left, and it's just me and the girls for the next two and half days. As Aspen would say, "It's no biggie."

Today we met Todd, Elijah (4) and Lincoln (1) for a morning of adventure.

We met up at a secret location and took the kids on an adventure that I doubt they will they soon forget.

We took them on a journey through 8 ft. high weeds, over a creek, under tunnels made by the trees & past huge boulders, in search of a cave that I hadn't been to in over 10 years.
Sage made it most of they way, Aspen and

Lincoln were held the entire way, and Elijah ran, jumped, and basically somersaulted as he blazed a path for the rest of us to follow.
The thistles were HUGE, & we most likely walked through tons of poison oak, but then, through the brush, looking like something out of an Indiana Jones movie, we saw a giant rock in which the cave was hewn. We made our way up the creek so we could climb inside.



Then, after tromping back through the poison oak, thistle, and weeds, we made it to the trucks and headed off to eat Ojai Ice Cream in the Gazebo at Libby Park.








We made it back to the house just in time for naps, where we all took long naps.

Now I'm just praying that none of us wake up tomorrow with itchy rashes.

Update: No poison oak, just ticks!

Something in the air ...

I am a broken record and this is my most recent song ...

Sage, share.
Aspen, please do not scream.
Sage, you can't just take a toy from your sister's hand ... you need to at least ask first.
Aspen ... do I need to count? 1 ....2 ....3 ....4....
Aspen, please ask nicely.
Sage, share!

Repeat it a few times, changing the tone from polite to not so nice and you might even be able to sing along with me ...

Some other moms have shared that they are struggling through the same thing this week. Something must be in the air. Whatever it is, I wish it would blow away -- fast!

I de-cluttered the house today ...

...which is a funny statement considering I have never pegged myself as a clutter-type person. But, over time, when things aren't put away where they are supposed to, clutter just happens. The kids have been gone all weekend camping with their grandpa, so I thought I would take advantage of my freedom and do some spring cleaning. I can breathe again.

A phone call away ...

Dropping to my knees in prayer has never been part of my life -- until now. Growing up I was always very content with "horizontal prayer," (i.e. laying in my bed, praying, sometimes dozing off). Which is still a great way to pray and makes up some of my prayer time, but, in our most recent women's bible study, Beth Moore, as crazy and wordy as she is, urged me to truly and actively Believe God, part of which (for me anyway), was getting the lowest I could and crying out to God, knowing that He hears my every cry and request.
During the study I was working through some personal dilemmas and was led to drop to my knees in prayer. I say "led" because I didn't feel like I had a choice in the matter. Now, of course, I did because of free will and all of that, but you get what I am saying.
Okay ... why, oh why am I rambling on about my praying habits? Get on with it, Amber.
Well, you see, since these "drop-on-my-knees" prayers started, I seriously feel like God is just a phone call away. I feel a real sense of relationship ... the one I always sing about but don't always feel. And I have to say that I am more than exited at this new change in my spiritual life. It, like my workout routine, often needs change and uprooting in order for further growth to occur.

Active

Ever since my bike ride down Sulfer Mountain my eyes have been open to alternative activities to running. I have ran my entire life and have somehow managed to make it to the gym at least two times a week since I was 17 and had come back from 2 months in Mexico and desperately needed to shed the extra cheese and beans from my body ...
It's been way too many years of the same regime. Time for an impeachment. We traded our single bike buggy for our friend's double buggy and today was my first try at "going to Von's for bread." Huh? I told Ryan the other day that I wanted to start riding my bike as much as I could ... even to go to Von's and get bread. After Von's, we flew back down the bike trail (going home is a breeze), and went a little further to Old Baldwin Road (hwy 150) to buy some fruit from Mr. Produce (is that really his name?). We picked fresh mangos, strawberries, bananas and apples -- all of which fit in the buggy.
Daily activity is a good thing.