Bullets

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for me. There were and are so many blog-worthy moments and ideas ... but alas, I settle for bullet points.

- Went to Easter sunrise service, sung Easter hymns at nursing homes, came home to sleep and recoup and ate egg scramble, ham steaks and cinnamon rolls for Easter dinner.
- Was whisked away by my sister's on my 30th birthday (3/25) to get a massage, go out to lunch and get manicures and pedicures. Then finished off the night with more shopping with the hubby and a fabulous dinner at TGIF's : )
- Recouped on Wednesday (all that pampering was exhausting!)
- Worked on Thursday and then got to go shopping again for an outfit to wear to my official 30th birthday party. (shopping without the kids -- yeah! thanks mom!)
- Went to the Ranch House on Friday night with family and friends to celebrate my 30th. What a magical night ...

Other highlights ....
- Watched the movie, Trade. A must see, but hard on the heart and soul.
- Had a date day with Sage ... strawberry ice cream and gallery shopping downtown. She kept thanking me for taking her out ... guess I need to do that a lot more often!
- My dad underwent his first round of radiation on Thursday (he has undergone various chemo-therapy treatments but his new doctor wanted to go forward with the radiation).
- Found out my little sister is pregnant! Makes for 7 grandkids in 4 years!! Go sistas!
- Went to the women's tea with my mom today -- we never get mom/daughter time, so that was pretty special.


Now I am up to date!

Don't finish the novel ...

Pastor Paul encouraged us this week "not to finish the novel." Huh? He was talking about holy week and the events leading up to Jesus' death, including the death itself. He said, "Stop! Linger, wallow and experience the crucifixion of Christ this entire week, and don't go any further until Easter morning." He argued that without meditating on what occurred before the resurrection, how can we feel the full joy of the resurrection itself? So I got out my bible yesterday morning and read Mathew's account of the events leading up to the resurrection. I am hoping to read Mark's view today and then Luke's, etc. Still, it is difficult to find that quiet time to really reflect upon this entire subject, esp. with kids running around, snacks, lunch, dinner, etc. to be prepared, dishes to be cleaned, etc. But, God knows this. He knows everything. Hey, if you get a chance, come to the labyrinth, hosted by OVCC. If it doesn't get you into the mood I am not sure what else will.

www.ovcc.org

F.I.N.E.

Freaked Out
Insecure
Neurotic
Emotional

I was at the OBGYN today and a woman sitting in the waiting room was quietly crying. After a while she was called into see the doctor. I happened to look up when she was re-entering the waiting room. Fresh tears filled her eyes. She left the office swiftly and within 5 seconds I decided to follow after her. I caught her just as she was getting into her car and from a distance I said, "Excuse me, are you okay?" She had her cell phone up to her ear, but she responded, "Yes, I am fine."
I don't know what news she received. A possible miscarriage? Perhaps the loss of hope of having children at all? Whatever the news, nothing about her was "fine."
Of course, I am a stranger, so maybe, "I'm fine," seemed pretty appropriate. Whatever the case, it broke my heart to see this woman in pain and I pray God's healing on her heart.

Craigslist is Trafficking

Did you know that Craigslist is serving as a portal for human trafficking? Here is the article. Here is the main website to learn more. Awareness is the first step.

Sulfur Mountain

I have lived here all of my life and still never made the long bike-ride down Sulfur Mountain -- until yesterday. Cory set me up with a bike, gloves and helmet and Ryan drove us to the top of the mountain so we could make the downhill ride. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous were our views. Seriously, the ocean and greenery (even the cows, mules and horses) were amazing. We didn't stop to take any pics ... we were going to fast to stop! Hahaha ... j/k. Oh, and we were going to have Ryan pick us up at the bottom, but that didn't work out so then we got a killer glute work-out riding up the path back into Ojai : ) Ryan looked it up and I think it was a 15 mile ride ... no wonder I am so tired. Here's the link to flickr.

New word

Diarena, commonly known as Diarrhea. Sage's newest word to date.

I'm Sorry

I have had to say that phrase a lot lately. And yet today (while I was again saying it to none other than my mom) I realized that when I utter those words I feel the truth of what it means to die to yourself. In an apology ( not an "I'm sorry, BUT" apology) , I am humbled, I am broken, I am wrong, and whatever I was I don't want to be again.

The tally of my apologies this week ....

To Ryan: I am sorry that my words to you this week have been unkind.
To Sage: I am sorry that I lost my temper and yelled.
To my Mom: I am sorry that we got in a tiff this morning.

Where would I be without God's redemptive love and forgiveness? Somewhere very far from true joy and happiness.

High Heels

So ... you have to do it once in your lifetime ... right? I bought these heels for a party that Ryan and I went to in Orange County. I gained many inches in height and some serious foot aches ... all worth it, though. Look out, I think I will be getting a lot of use out of these.

Disneyland

We went to Disneyland on Monday. It was crowded but still a lot of fun. Thanks again Monica for taking us! (my good friend who can take 3 people in for free to the park because she works for ABC). Here are the rest of the photos.

Funny

While at Von's parking lot ...

Sage: Mom, why are there lights still on that tree?
Me: Oh ... I don't know. I guess they haven't taken them down yet.
Sage: How are they going to take the star off?
Me: Hmm ... I am not sure.
Sage: Maybe Jesus will come and help them.

Happy Birthday & Happy Valentine's Day

Aspen turned two this week (Feb. 15th) and we had a nice little Valentine's Day celebration with the girls. On Valentine's Day Ryan said to me, "I didn't get you a card," to which I replied, "I didn't get you a card either." Such romance after 12 years of being together ...

Cool new Dora glasses & dress-up beads

Pump-It-Up fun ...

Valentine's Day goodies

Pismo

I came down with something bad last week ... a cold/flu bug forced me onto the couch for a few days. We had already planned our Pismo trip a month ago, so Ryan decided that he was still going to go -- with or without me. As of Saturday morning I didn't think I was going ... all I could do was sleep. So, Ryan went to the store to shop for the weekend. My parents were also going on the trip and they were bringing the bulk of the food, but Ryan went and bought some emergency snacks ...
1. Dora/Shreck animal cookies (iced and normal)
2. Pony fruit snacks
3. Pop Tarts
4. Orange Juice
5. Cookie Dough
6. Wine
7. Chocolate Cookies
8. 3 apples
9. Diet Coke

I ended up being able to go on the trip and boy did we enjoy all the snacks!

Time

Beth Moore writes, "Time by itself does nothing but grow us old. What we do with time makes the difference."

What I have been doing with my time lately ....

• Enjoying my Beth Moore study
• Meeting up with cousins at the zoo
• Hosting Home Group (food, fun and games)
  
• Eating dinner with friends
• Trying to keep up with the laundry
• Dreaming about a new couch, new T.V. and freshly painted walls (in hallway & bathrooms)
  
• Worrying and praying for certain family members
• Watching my kids grow up
• Getting creative without our T.V. working for more than 20 minutes at a time
  
• Playing with my new phone (I can finally text now -- now I am cool!)
• Walking and lifting weights

That's just this week ... what will next week bring?

Hot Fudge Tootsie Roll Sauce

I was craving hot fudge the other night so I decided to look up a recipe to try to make some. As it was late at night and I wasn't going to rush to the store for any special ingredients I had to pick a recipe for which I had all of the ingredients. And I didn't want to spend too much time making it, so I picked a microwave friendly recipe -- mistake #1. I also didn't want to make a huge batch of this stuff, so I divided everything by 4 -- probably mistake #2. I followed the short instructions and it actually looked pretty good after a few minutes of cooking in the microwave. I scooped out some vanilla ice cream and poured the warm chocolate sauce on top. I took a couple of bites ... Mmmm ... not too bad. Then I took another bit ... Hmm ... it's a little chewier than the last bite. As I continued to take more bites, the chocolate "sauce" got chewier and chewier -- much like a Tootsie Roll. And you would think that I would put down the odd tasting dessert, but no, my hormones had the better of me that night and I continued on to finish every last bite. Don't think anyone is going to want this recipe!

I got tagged ...

Okay, okay, I'll play a long. But the only person I will tag is Ryan because I think all of my blogging cohorts have been taken up!

I love ...

• hearing Aspen say "bopper" (diaper)
• walking Shelf after an amazing rain storm
• living with my mom-in-law
• having movie night with my girls
• talking late into the night with my husband
• realizing that the mystery of God is greater than I will ever know
• how involved my parents are in my kids' lives
• chocolate-covered peanut butter balls
• Cadbury eggs

I hate ...

• scrubbing bathtubs
• being rushed
• when people story-top
• confrontation via email
  

If Not for My Husband

by: Amber Smith

If not for my husband
What a bore I would be
Eating bon bons and cherries
And only watching T.V.

If not for my husband
No adventures would I seek
Save for hunting down the missing sock
And wiping tears from some chubby cheeks

For he spurs me on toward camping
Toward snowboarding and more
Toward early mornings and late nights
In a car that fits no more than four

Still, it’s not until,
The wee hour before we leave
That I get that bit of excitement
And to my home a little less I cleave

For my worrisome mind wanders
And complains even more …
“But I’ll be tired, the kids won’t sleep
And I might even be bored!”

So here’s an ode to my husband
Who is ever the adventurous man
Creating many lifelong memories
Again and again

Tomorrow some ladies and I are making a turn-around trip to Sierra Summit (5 hrs 1 way) to go snowboarding. Ryan is already up there with the youth group so we are going to meet him up there for the day. I have tried to get out of this trip a zillion times and it wasn't until a few moments ago that I got really excited and I realized that I owe much of this excitement (and the exciting moments of my life) to Ryan, who is usually spearheading all of our trips. Thanks dear, I love you.

Snow!

I meant to post these a week ago, but life happened. So, here are some pics from when we drove up to Rose Valley to play in the snow after our recent rain storm. Sage couldn't wait to eat the snow, hence the funny pictures.

Pants & Visors

I was putting Sage's clothes away today and I noticed that her clothes rack was finally thinning out. I put most of her clothes in a dresser, but I usually hang up dresses, nice shirts and jackets. There was so much room in her closet that I decided to hang up her pants too. I remember trying to hang up her pants when she was a baby/toddler and if I didn't have any real pant hangers then I would try to fold the jeans through the hanger hole ... only to find the pants lying there on the floor the next day. After that I just decided to fold her jeans and put them in a dresser. So I was surprised today when I slipped her jeans through the hanger hole and they hung there perfectly. Surprised, sad, excited, and overwhelmed by how quickly all of this motherhood stuff is whizzing by me.
Then to top it all off Sage fits into my visor!! We were heading out for a walk and I put my visor on and Aspen wanted to wear hers (used to be Sage's) and I realized I didn't have one for Sage. I thought I would try my visor on her just in case it fit and to my surprise (again), it fit. I guess our little girl is becoming a big girl right before our eyes.

Songs

I have had this song stuck in my head all day after singing it at church this morning. I guess it's a pretty good song to have stuck in my head .... the tune is absolutely beautiful. Here is a link to a letter written by the author of this song, Stuart Townend.

HOW DEEP THE FATHER’S LOVE FOR US,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss –
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life –
I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom;
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer;
But this I know with all my heart –
His wounds have paid my ransom.

H2Ojai

I love water. But not just any water. My favorite is my mom's water. They have this crazy reverse osmosis system which makes the water taste as good, if not better than Aquafina. It is really the reason why I am such a water snob. I just really like that crisp clean taste of good water. Anyhow, lately we have been buying Von's brand water. It is okay and is a step up from water "purified" by a Brita filter. But the last two gallons of water that I bought from Von's tasted like chlorine, so I decided to try out H2Ojai. At just .50/gallon (cheapest in town), you get clean, fresh tasting water. This is 1/2 as much as Von's water (.99/gallon). And, if you buy 100 gallons (on a pre-paid card) then you can buy the water at .40/gallon. They have all of the fun accessories at the car-wash (inside it - where you pay for your carwash). You can sanitize and fill your bottles inside and there is a nice little cart to assist in bringing it back out to the car. I think they are just getting off the ground, so if you have been looking for good tasting water and don't want to pay the big bucks, try it out!