Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.
~Mary Oliver
~Mary Oliver
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Update before the weekend
short, quick sentences.
no time.
*still haven't hear official word from the local adjuster. they said my car will be a total loss, but i don't know what the means really. hoping to hear from them today.
*went on a walk last night with the girls. there are like TRAILS behind our house. it was awesome.
*going to the iowa vs wisconsin game tomorrow
* we haven't had rain in like a month. 70% chance of rain tomorrow. awesome.
* paul's whole family is coming. his mom and my mom are watching all 6 kiddos while we all go to the game. it's an annual event. RAIN WILL NOT STOP OUR FUN. :)
* BECKY IS IN LABOR!!!! anxiously waiting to hear word of baby dirks arrival!!!! i'm guessing BOY. we shall see.
* i got sick. fever, chills, sore throat. but i'm much much better today.
* still trying to move boxes/furniture into the house from the garage. we may never get unpacked.
* cooked/prepared food all day yesterday. we are having a birthday brunch on sunday to celebrate Macy, Lani and Ayla's birthdays. figured since everyone was going to be here, we could knock all those birthdays out at once.
* after everyone leaves on sunday, lani is having her "friend" party. she's having 3 friends over. my sister, mom and myself (not sure WHAT i'm going to do) are going to get the girls all fancy. hair, make-up, painting nails (my job) and then take them out to eat. should be fun. lani is excited. she's going to be 7 next week, but has never had a friend party. it's cute.
i think that's it. lots going on. all good. looking forward to a fun, relaxing weekend!!! i feel totally prepared and i just need to pull food out of the fridge/freezer. love doing it all in advance!!
happy weekend and GO HAWKS!!
no time.
*still haven't hear official word from the local adjuster. they said my car will be a total loss, but i don't know what the means really. hoping to hear from them today.
*went on a walk last night with the girls. there are like TRAILS behind our house. it was awesome.
*going to the iowa vs wisconsin game tomorrow
* we haven't had rain in like a month. 70% chance of rain tomorrow. awesome.
* paul's whole family is coming. his mom and my mom are watching all 6 kiddos while we all go to the game. it's an annual event. RAIN WILL NOT STOP OUR FUN. :)
* BECKY IS IN LABOR!!!! anxiously waiting to hear word of baby dirks arrival!!!! i'm guessing BOY. we shall see.
* i got sick. fever, chills, sore throat. but i'm much much better today.
* still trying to move boxes/furniture into the house from the garage. we may never get unpacked.
* cooked/prepared food all day yesterday. we are having a birthday brunch on sunday to celebrate Macy, Lani and Ayla's birthdays. figured since everyone was going to be here, we could knock all those birthdays out at once.
* after everyone leaves on sunday, lani is having her "friend" party. she's having 3 friends over. my sister, mom and myself (not sure WHAT i'm going to do) are going to get the girls all fancy. hair, make-up, painting nails (my job) and then take them out to eat. should be fun. lani is excited. she's going to be 7 next week, but has never had a friend party. it's cute.
i think that's it. lots going on. all good. looking forward to a fun, relaxing weekend!!! i feel totally prepared and i just need to pull food out of the fridge/freezer. love doing it all in advance!!
happy weekend and GO HAWKS!!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
What a welcome home...
While driving home from the airport tonight, at 10:30pm, I hit a deer.
I'm fine.
My car is not.
Won't know for sure until tomorrow, but I'm guessing they will total it.
Awesome.
Welcome home to me....
I'm fine.
My car is not.
Won't know for sure until tomorrow, but I'm guessing they will total it.
Awesome.
Welcome home to me....
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
preparing to head out...
We realized late last night that we hadn't gotten a single picture together.
So this is it...our documentation of our first visit as "long distance friends".
Not super pretty.
Which is perfect for our friendship.
No false pretenses, often messy but always real.
So I'm hiding in my room.
I hear them all awake out there, getting ready for the day.
Maybe if I don't go out, I won't have to leave. :)
It's been a great few days. My soul will rest easier.
But gosh, I will miss her just as much!
So that kinda sucks.
Can't wait to get home to my family though.
And I feel refreshed and ready to dive into the busy week ahead.
That's what good friendship will do for you.
Thanks Jody...love ya.
So this is it...our documentation of our first visit as "long distance friends".
Not super pretty.
Which is perfect for our friendship.
No false pretenses, often messy but always real.
So I'm hiding in my room.
I hear them all awake out there, getting ready for the day.
Maybe if I don't go out, I won't have to leave. :)
It's been a great few days. My soul will rest easier.
But gosh, I will miss her just as much!
So that kinda sucks.
Can't wait to get home to my family though.
And I feel refreshed and ready to dive into the busy week ahead.
That's what good friendship will do for you.
Thanks Jody...love ya.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Tonight
Fun dinner out tonight with some of Jody's "Denver Girls".
Yummy dinner, more deep discussions, good times.
The blogs are really an amazing way to "meet" people. I love it.
There was no small talk. We were way past that.
Right down to the good stuff.
LOVED that.
And I finally got to meet TISHA!!!
YAY!!
When I knew I was coming to the Springs, I knew I had to get together with Tisha.
She showed up at Jody's door tonight and it was so easy.
Within 5 minutes we had covered church, adoption, children and marriage. :)
Kidding...kind of.
Never a doubt in my mind that it would be awkward.
She is just as I expected...only better.
And shorter.
For real.
At the end of the night I asked Jody to take our photo.
And as I stood next to her I said, "Oh great...I'm going to look like an amazon next to you."
And look.
I did...
Yummy dinner, more deep discussions, good times.
The blogs are really an amazing way to "meet" people. I love it.
There was no small talk. We were way past that.
Right down to the good stuff.
LOVED that.
And I finally got to meet TISHA!!!
YAY!!
When I knew I was coming to the Springs, I knew I had to get together with Tisha.
She showed up at Jody's door tonight and it was so easy.
Within 5 minutes we had covered church, adoption, children and marriage. :)
Kidding...kind of.
Never a doubt in my mind that it would be awkward.
She is just as I expected...only better.
And shorter.
For real.
At the end of the night I asked Jody to take our photo.
And as I stood next to her I said, "Oh great...I'm going to look like an amazon next to you."
And look.
I did...
But that's ok. I don't mind making others feel good about themselves.
A great evening, indeed.
Makes me love this blogland even more.
Thanks girls! It was fun.
And I'll be back...most definitely on a Monday night someday soon.
A bottle rocket
I believe life is a bottle rocket, a celebration, and it requires everything we have, and it demands that we battle through fear and resentment, and it demands that we release our need to be the best, the prettiest, the most perfect and together, because the big thing, the forceful beautiful thing is happening already, all around us, and we might miss it if we're too busy meeting expectations or winning awards.
-Shauna Niequist (Cold Tangerines)
-Shauna Niequist (Cold Tangerines)
a few thoughts so far...
1. I arrived around lunch yesterday. We ate at a very fancy restaurant and I felt totally out of place. :) I encouraged Jody's 2 youngest boys to "scare" her as she came out of the bathroom...which was a really fun idea. Problem was that instead of Jody coming out the restroom door, it was an older lady. She did not find it as funny as Quincy, Zeke and myself did. Oops.
2. We sat outside on the porch all afternoon. It was so so gorgeous. Drank coffee. Talked. Worked on our computers. Colored with the children. Got all caught up on lots of things. Good for the soul.
3. Jody has an amazing aunt Deborah who made chili and delivered it to us. We ate together and chatted for a long time. I love her. So enjoy her company.
4. Church. Well...I'm not really sure what to write about this. I feel as though it deserves a whole post of it's own. Or at least several bullet points of it's own. I will say this:
a) their church is awesome.
b) at Andy's very first strum of the guitar, the floodgates opened. not kidding. like horrible, ugly crying. man, do i miss worshiping under him.
c) i feel so sad for all those who love the Landers and were witness to their very ugly, VERY public downfall but who cannot be witness to GOD'S HEALING POWER in their lives in person. they are so much healthier on so many levels. it's great to see. and healing for myself as well. i wish i could express how important i feel "the rest of the story" is here. HEALING. RESTORATION. GRACE. wow. that may have played a huge part in the embarrassing tears that did not stop flowing for over an hour. i feel very strongly that that's the story that needs to be told. and the piece of the puzzle that so many of us are missing out on. through the pain and the sin and the brokeness, a new life has emerged. exciting for them. so happy for them. so thankful for the staff at this church and how they have chosen to love the Landers. This side of the story is where God gets to be revealed. Very awesome.
5. I have been able to meet several of the people in their community here. And I'm so thankful for these people who have been dignity restorers for the Landers. They have been sensitive to their needs. And their healing has happened through this sensitivity and grace.
6. Lunch at Red Robin in Colorado is VERY different from lunch at Red Robin in Davenport. (See the twitpic along the sidebar to find out why!)
7. Only at the Landers house would 6 children come running up the stairs screaming "MOOOOOMMMM!!!! There's a cat in the basement!" And really have a cat down there. No, they do not own a cat. I couldn't stop laughing about this.
8. Saw "Life as we know it" tonight. It was a good movie!! Really loved it. And gosh, I even cried again a couple time.
9. Big discussion tonight in the Landers living room on theology. Now I know nothing. But I love to listen and put in my ignorant 2 cents worth. And I'm thankful for these two who don't make me feel like an idiot when I do. It was a heated debate and I'm kind of surprised no children awoke!
10. Finally, you should know I have a headache tonight. Not sure if it was the crying, the mental breakdown in church, the crying at the movie, the beer with dinner or the heated discussion after dinner. I'm thinking it might be a little bit of all of those things. One thing I know is true...I love them. And big things are happening her in Colorado Springs for them. And I'm thankful. (ok...so that's 3 things i know are true.)
goodnight...
2. We sat outside on the porch all afternoon. It was so so gorgeous. Drank coffee. Talked. Worked on our computers. Colored with the children. Got all caught up on lots of things. Good for the soul.
3. Jody has an amazing aunt Deborah who made chili and delivered it to us. We ate together and chatted for a long time. I love her. So enjoy her company.
4. Church. Well...I'm not really sure what to write about this. I feel as though it deserves a whole post of it's own. Or at least several bullet points of it's own. I will say this:
a) their church is awesome.
b) at Andy's very first strum of the guitar, the floodgates opened. not kidding. like horrible, ugly crying. man, do i miss worshiping under him.
c) i feel so sad for all those who love the Landers and were witness to their very ugly, VERY public downfall but who cannot be witness to GOD'S HEALING POWER in their lives in person. they are so much healthier on so many levels. it's great to see. and healing for myself as well. i wish i could express how important i feel "the rest of the story" is here. HEALING. RESTORATION. GRACE. wow. that may have played a huge part in the embarrassing tears that did not stop flowing for over an hour. i feel very strongly that that's the story that needs to be told. and the piece of the puzzle that so many of us are missing out on. through the pain and the sin and the brokeness, a new life has emerged. exciting for them. so happy for them. so thankful for the staff at this church and how they have chosen to love the Landers. This side of the story is where God gets to be revealed. Very awesome.
5. I have been able to meet several of the people in their community here. And I'm so thankful for these people who have been dignity restorers for the Landers. They have been sensitive to their needs. And their healing has happened through this sensitivity and grace.
6. Lunch at Red Robin in Colorado is VERY different from lunch at Red Robin in Davenport. (See the twitpic along the sidebar to find out why!)
7. Only at the Landers house would 6 children come running up the stairs screaming "MOOOOOMMMM!!!! There's a cat in the basement!" And really have a cat down there. No, they do not own a cat. I couldn't stop laughing about this.
8. Saw "Life as we know it" tonight. It was a good movie!! Really loved it. And gosh, I even cried again a couple time.
9. Big discussion tonight in the Landers living room on theology. Now I know nothing. But I love to listen and put in my ignorant 2 cents worth. And I'm thankful for these two who don't make me feel like an idiot when I do. It was a heated debate and I'm kind of surprised no children awoke!
10. Finally, you should know I have a headache tonight. Not sure if it was the crying, the mental breakdown in church, the crying at the movie, the beer with dinner or the heated discussion after dinner. I'm thinking it might be a little bit of all of those things. One thing I know is true...I love them. And big things are happening her in Colorado Springs for them. And I'm thankful. (ok...so that's 3 things i know are true.)
goodnight...
Saturday, October 16, 2010
So fun!
They have wireless on airplanes now.
Obviously it's been a while since I've been on an airplane.
And OBVIOUSLY I need to fly more often! :)
It's totally fun. Drinking my coffee, updating my blog, catching up on email.
Thank you AirTran! :)
Obviously it's been a while since I've been on an airplane.
And OBVIOUSLY I need to fly more often! :)
It's totally fun. Drinking my coffee, updating my blog, catching up on email.
Thank you AirTran! :)
Friday, October 15, 2010
Rocky Mountain hiiiiiiggghhhh...COLORADO
Did you know I love John Denver?
Well I do.
Which makes sense because I also love Colorado.
I think it's a requirement for anyone who loves Colorado...you must love John Denver.
Anyway...I'm going there.
Leaving my campground/home in less than 7 hours.
A teeny tiny bit excited.
It's fairly difficult to decide what to finish up before heading out. We are living in a bit of a disaster zone.
But it will wait. I'm certain it will all be here upon my return.
Another exciting tid-bit is that my US Cellular air card can be used anywhere. It's basically like a cell phone. Uses the same signal. And I'm bringing it. So I can be online in the airport and in the car and everywhere. So that's kind of fun.
Paul will be holding down the fort while I'm gone for the most part. Jennie is taking Ayla Sunday night and returning her Tuesday afternoon. (THANK YOU JENNIE!)
Everyone appears to be very unconcerned with my upcoming departure. Which is good, I suppose.
Back to packing. Which is difficult to do when you are nowhere near UNpacked in your new home.
Yay!! Colorado, here I come!
Well I do.
Which makes sense because I also love Colorado.
I think it's a requirement for anyone who loves Colorado...you must love John Denver.
Anyway...I'm going there.
Leaving my campground/home in less than 7 hours.
A teeny tiny bit excited.
It's fairly difficult to decide what to finish up before heading out. We are living in a bit of a disaster zone.
But it will wait. I'm certain it will all be here upon my return.
Another exciting tid-bit is that my US Cellular air card can be used anywhere. It's basically like a cell phone. Uses the same signal. And I'm bringing it. So I can be online in the airport and in the car and everywhere. So that's kind of fun.
Paul will be holding down the fort while I'm gone for the most part. Jennie is taking Ayla Sunday night and returning her Tuesday afternoon. (THANK YOU JENNIE!)
Everyone appears to be very unconcerned with my upcoming departure. Which is good, I suppose.
Back to packing. Which is difficult to do when you are nowhere near UNpacked in your new home.
Yay!! Colorado, here I come!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Camping all the time.
That's what I feel like.
Like we are camping all the time.
Our whole subdivision just feels like a campground.
Fortunately, we love camping!
View from our balcony...
My view while I'm washing dishes...
My view while I'm eating meals...
My view from the couch downstairs...
This cancels out the decor.
Sorry...it just does.
And I've grown over the years to learn to appreciate this even more than beautiful woodwork and 10 foot ceilings and contstant projects.
We seriously love it out here.
SERIOUSLY.
Like we are camping all the time.
Our whole subdivision just feels like a campground.
Fortunately, we love camping!
View from our balcony...
My view while I'm washing dishes...
My view while I'm eating meals...
My view from the couch downstairs...
This cancels out the decor.
Sorry...it just does.
And I've grown over the years to learn to appreciate this even more than beautiful woodwork and 10 foot ceilings and contstant projects.
We seriously love it out here.
SERIOUSLY.
The exterior...
You may have guessed we didn't buy this house for its decor! :)
But the setting is amazing.
As you are driving down our street, this is the first glimpse of our house...
(and yes, it is still GORGEOUS here in Iowa. can't beat this weather. and the colors!)
But the setting is amazing.
As you are driving down our street, this is the first glimpse of our house...
(and yes, it is still GORGEOUS here in Iowa. can't beat this weather. and the colors!)
You continue past the house to pull into the driveway...
Did I mention the attached garage?
Oh, I did?
Sorry.
And the back of the house....
Walk out basement.
Balcony upstairs.
See that rocking chair up there?
That chair + cup of coffee + Iowa in the fall = heaven
I'll give you one guess as to when our house was built.
Some clues.
Our master bath...
Just a sample of some of the lighting.
Ooooo...we'll never get rid of these beauties! :)
Our master bath...
Just a sample of some of the lighting.
Ooooo...we'll never get rid of these beauties! :)
Fireplace downstairs...
fireplace upstairs...
So what do you think?
You'll never guess.
Ha!
And trust me...there is more where this came from!
OH! a vitamin update!!!
The response has been quite literally overwhelming...
The total thus far, you ask??
1,250 bottles of vitamins.
275,000 vitamins.
Over a thousand pounds of little, tiny, health-giving, poverty-fighting pebbles.
On their way to some precious kids.
Wow.
Can you say unbelievable?
Thank you so very much to all who contributed.
Thank you so so much.
Wish I could deliver them myself...
The total thus far, you ask??
1,250 bottles of vitamins.
275,000 vitamins.
Over a thousand pounds of little, tiny, health-giving, poverty-fighting pebbles.
On their way to some precious kids.
Wow.
Can you say unbelievable?
Thank you so very much to all who contributed.
Thank you so so much.
Wish I could deliver them myself...
ok...i think that catches me up photo-wise
Whew!
all caught up.
i seriously have not taken any picks of moving IN.
need to do that.
but i'm preparing for a trip and i've had classes and stuff.
so it'll have to be next week.
but trust me. it's pretty awesome here.
feeling kind of spoiled actually.
and i know you're not supposed to love "stuff", but i do love my attached garage.
and my main floor laundry.
and my yard...oh how i love my yard.
it's great.
my class the past couple of days was amazing.
felt passionate again about something i had lost along the way these past few years.
it was exciting.
i felt my pulse racing a couple of times.
The Struggling Reader K-2 was the class.
pretty intense and lots of info...but i loved every minute.
(except the MISSING AYLA part of it!)
we are slowly unpacking and at this rate we may not be done until NEXT halloween.
but that's ok. i really don't feel any pressure.
and that, my friends, is awesome.
goodnight...
all caught up.
i seriously have not taken any picks of moving IN.
need to do that.
but i'm preparing for a trip and i've had classes and stuff.
so it'll have to be next week.
but trust me. it's pretty awesome here.
feeling kind of spoiled actually.
and i know you're not supposed to love "stuff", but i do love my attached garage.
and my main floor laundry.
and my yard...oh how i love my yard.
it's great.
my class the past couple of days was amazing.
felt passionate again about something i had lost along the way these past few years.
it was exciting.
i felt my pulse racing a couple of times.
The Struggling Reader K-2 was the class.
pretty intense and lots of info...but i loved every minute.
(except the MISSING AYLA part of it!)
we are slowly unpacking and at this rate we may not be done until NEXT halloween.
but that's ok. i really don't feel any pressure.
and that, my friends, is awesome.
goodnight...
The birthday boy...
...may have enjoyed it as well.
Ya think he may have been a little hot??
Ya think he may have been a little hot??
What more could a 4 year-old ask for??
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The weather has been PERFECT for weeks
So beautiful out.
I love this time of year in Iowa.
LOVE it.
So Ayla, Willow and I took a hike one day...the day she got groomed...just hours before.
I love this time of year in Iowa.
LOVE it.
So Ayla, Willow and I took a hike one day...the day she got groomed...just hours before.
It was beautiful.
And the nice weather has been continuing ever since.
I wish it would stay for MONTHS instead of weeks.
Willow
Willow has had an even crazier month than us.
First of all...she got spayed.
Right after we moved out of the house she had grown to love. :)
And then, a week later, she got groomed.
BEFORE:
First of all...she got spayed.
Right after we moved out of the house she had grown to love. :)
And then, a week later, she got groomed.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
She needed it.
I sent a couple pics to the breeder and got some terrible news.
Willows mom had gone in to be spayed and it seemed as though everything was fine.
Then right before Ronda (the breeder) went to pick her up, she laid down and died.
Ugh...made me sick.
She was only 6.
And Ronda and her family LOVED her so much.
Very sad.
Anyway, Willow loves it here now.
So hopefully all the madness was worth it!
So neat
Sometime in the past month there was a ballet on the river front here in town.
It was so cool.
Turned out to be a beautiful night.
So we packed up and headed out.
We got to ride on a cart pulled by horses from our car in the parking lot.
And the dancing was incredible in my book.
Although I know nothing about dancing unless it's in your car to the tune of Party in the USA.
But honestly, don you know 3 people who do do this??
It was so cool.
Turned out to be a beautiful night.
So we packed up and headed out.
We got to ride on a cart pulled by horses from our car in the parking lot.
And the dancing was incredible in my book.
Although I know nothing about dancing unless it's in your car to the tune of Party in the USA.
But honestly, don you know 3 people who do do this??
The sun was starting to go down at the end of the performace and it was simply beautiful.
So glad we got to enjoy it.
(and all the previous pics are of the kids in the park during the performance. they lasted about 15 minutes before they needed to run off some energy. it was nice to let them run while i still enjoyed!)
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