Organized Chaos

2007-04-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

It was recently brought to my attention that I haven't updated my blog since August.. who knew???
So, as I'm sitting here at my desk at work, with nothing to do (because despite what Dave thinks, the phone REALLY does only ring when he's not here) I decided to update the blogging world on my life, if there is in fact anyone left that actually visits this site. (doubtful)
I have a tattoo update. As some of you may know, I have always wanted a little tattoo on my foot. My parents are tyrannical, and said that I could get a tattoo if and ONLY if I was prepared to be on my own financially. Now, to be honest, I've often wondered if this was only a scare tactic, or if they would ACTUALLY cut me off financially. In any case, I'm about two and a half months away from being cut off anyway, so I'm in the clear as far as the tattoo is concerned. You see, the draw to the tattoo on my foot was that it was unique. Many people have stupid little tattoos on their lower backs, or hips (no offense if YOU happen to have one of those stupid little tattoos) but not a lot of people have tattoos on their feet. However, recently I have noticed more and more foot tattoos. Sadly, I'm afraid that tattoos on feet are becoming ubiquitous among members of my generation. So, despite my looming freedom (you don't expect "looming" and "freedom" to be side-by-side in a sentence... until "freedom" becomes synonomis with "poor") I don't think I will be getting a tattoo anytime soon.

On a different note... Luke and I bought a house. We closed March 30th, so Luke is moved in, we have some accent walls painted, and we've made valiant strides toward decorating. Our couches are being shipped from overseas, so they won't arrive until May (despite the fact that we ordered them in the beginning of March). And, believe it or not, a house doesn't actually look put together with dining room chairs as the seating in the living room. Our washer and dryer also wasn't in stock when we ordered it, and then there was a delay, so Luke has been wearing dirty clothes for a month now. (I'm mostly kidding).
We love it, which is a good thing since it makes us very very poor every month :-) and we're excited to start our life together in a place that we can call our own.
We're hoping to start on landscaping the backyard as soon as possible, so you all can come for a BBQ.

I'm still waiting on some construction setbacks that are keeping me from starting my new job as the office manager at Total Property Resources. I'm one book away from finishing my real estate license training course (although, I HAVE been one book away for a lot of months now) life got a little crazy, and I need to motivate myself to finish the stupid course. In the meantime, I'm still nannying, and coordinating the childcare for Mothers of Preschoolers, and as of recently, I'm assisting in the office of Cornerstone Appraisal.

Life is good. Wedding planning is coming along (at least I think it is). And Jesus still continues to overwhelm me with really good things.

-there you have it... an updated blog... so until next year... ;-)

2006-08-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

BIRTHDAYS
Yesterday was Nicolette and Lindsay's birthday... yeah.. they have the same stinkin' birthday. They like to celebrate their "birth week" instead of their birth DAY, so they drag out the whole occasion... well this year I was in charge of planning for them, and I put my foot down... NO weeklong celebration. So in an act of mercy and love I decided to give them a FULL day of birthday-ness. Every hour for 12 hours yesterday they had a different friend deliver them roses and a little card that said one special thing about them. Then we all went to dinner and had a little party at the guys' house. Here are some pictures...

Lindsay doing birthday devotions at Bellataza

Roses (these were the 10:00 roses), coffee, outside table, the Lord... what a good day....

Nico doing HER birthday devotions...
Birthday dinner with the crew

Yeah... these are some GOOD lookin' birthday girls
We added a 3rd Crazy to this picture
I realize that this looks like we're standing in a circle and praying... and you're thinking to yourself... how spiritual they are, taking the time to intercede at a party... but ......... the truth is... they're all dancing to Justin Timberlake... I'm ashamed to say it
More dancing....
and still... MORE dancing...

2006-08-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

Wedding Time!!
no... not my OWN wedding yet.. someday though.. someday :-)
Luke and I drove up to a little town just south of Vancouver BC on Friday (a good 8 hour drive) stayed with his parents in their motor home, went to his cousin Yvonne's wedding on Saturday, and drove back all day Sunday in the motor home (increased to a 12 hour drive.. but WAY better in the motor home)
The wedding was beautiful, the food was iffy, the people were drunk.. all in all.. it was a good time :-)
We watched LOTS of 24 in the motor home on the way back, did some napping, and some eating, and some talking.
well.. you can just look at the pictures.. I didn't really take all that many.. but enough for you to get the idea.

Luke in the car on the way to the wedding
Driving.. somewhere.... to breakfast maybe??

Luke in his tux before the wedding.. really the fact that he's in his tux PROVES that it's before the wedding, because he and his dad both changed out of their tuxes RIGHT after the ceremony was done...
Being an usher means being an offical "chair mover" too apparently..
RIGHT before Luke took off his tux.. I figured that pictures would look nicer like this than with him in jeans and a tee-shirt
ah.. yeah that's cute :-)
"Stop messing around.. we're trying to take pictures..." such is my life....

2006-08-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

RANDOM PICTURES
These pictures are random, but I haven't had my camera with me in a long time, and it's been a REALLY long time since I posted something on here... so I figure they're better than nothing.

Me, Stephenie (Schphinecaux) and Austin (Dumpy Face) on the drive to the coast for Oneighty Summer Camp. You might be saying to yourself, "Wow Self, that would have been so amazing to be able to drive in a car and not have to ride the busses with all of those crazy loud obnoxious kids.." But let me tell you, I WAS still with crazy loud obnoxious kids... we just happened to be in a car.. and those crazy obnoxious kids happened to have already graduated from high school... and I may have happened to be one of them... good times.. good times.. good and frustrating times :-) I love you guys

Stephenie and Chloe at the first MOPS North Steering meeting. Chloe is quite possibly the most beautiful little girl in the whole world.. and her baby sister... crazy cute..... Stephenie on the other hand......... well.......

2006-07-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

Luke and I at the covered bridge in Westfir

2006-07-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

PICTURES!!!
Just some picture that Andy took before he left for Egypt

Luke being a rockstar... hmm.. so out of the ordinary... (and no, he's not high he just has tired-eyes)

Andy and Luke... you can't tell in this picture but they both have soul eyes
Andy, Luke and Casey
Me and Luke... again, he's NOT high
Ok, that's a little better... at least both of our eyes are open
ahhhh....blush... it'd be a really cute picture if it wasn't so blurry...
Nicolette and Lindsay

2006-07-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

OK Folks
I check this blog everyday for comments. Because THAT my friends, is exciting!! But do you know what I find when I do my daily check??? Disappointment... that's all I find... Disappointment.
Leave me comments.. make my day better

2006-07-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

Summer Lake Day
Lindsay, Nicolette, Scott, Lorelei, Brandy and I (and three little kids) took a little trip up to Elk Lake on Saturday to soak up some rays and do a little lake-swimming.
Here are some pictures.

2006-07-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

New Battles
I realized recently that in my quiet time, and in my journal I'm afraid to write down or talk about the good things in my life. I'm afraid it will serve as a painful reminder when they go away. And I began thinking about why that is my mindset. Why do I constantly feel like "this too shall pass"? I doesn't make sense, I could come to no logical conclusion, there is no basis for that feeling.
But my life IS really good right now, in fact, there are a lot of things that I didn't even know could BE this good. But I want God at the center of it. I don't want my eyes so focused on the good things around me that I lose sight of Him in this. He is still my sole affection, still my heart's desire, still my refuge.
"You give and take away" I have learned that well, I have learned how to fight through, and praise Him when things are hard; learned how to be with only Him in the midst of a crazy, scary crowd; learned how to bless His name, even when He's taken something away that I thought I needed and wanted.
But I haven't learned how to fight this battle yet (and it's a good one for Him to teach me now). I have gotten really good at being content and complacent waiting for Him to "take away" before I'll praise Him, before I'll get really close to Him, before I'll bless Him.
But I am determined to walk through this new battle with grace. I won't get stuck in waiting for Him to take this away from me before I'll praise Him. If he DOES take it away, if this ISN'T His best, I WILL praise Him because I want His best and nothing less. But I'm not ging to sit around and wait for that to happen, I'm going to love and get caught up in the situation He has me in right now.
Both feet in. I'll abandon my escape route.

2006-07-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

Unlikely Encouragement

I will run when I cannot walk
I will sing when there is no song
I will pray when there is no prayer
I will listen when I cannot hear

Sitting in the waiting room of silence
waiting for that still soft voice I know
offering my words up to the rooftop to Your heart
trusting that this closet's where You are

Lord I know if I change my mind
You will change my heart in time
Sovereign Lord this time's from You
so I sit in the waiting room of silence
cause its all about You

I will fight when I cannot feel
I will trust when You dont seem real
I will tell when I cannot speak
I will step when I cannot see

2006-07-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

VEGAS BABY!!!
Nicolette, Lindsay and I took a roadtrip down to Albuquerque a couple of weeks ago, and on our way back up to Oregon stopped in Las Vegas where Seth and Luke met us for a fun-filled night of gondolas, fancy restaurants, and waiting in 118 degree parking garages for a locksmith to make new keys to Luke's car.
All-in-all, it was an amazing trip, it was really good to get to see old friends from Albuquerque and catch up a bit, and really fun to be in Las Vegas.
Luke and I got stuck on our "romantic gondola ride" with an old couple from Vegas that was celebrating their one-year anniversary. Apparently the tradition in Italy is for the young couples to make out under the tunnels while you get serenaded, so... we akwardly sat there as the old couple across from us did just that... the WHOLE time...
awkard, but really funny afterwards. :-)
Here are some pictures from our trip.
This is Luke sleeping in the car, me being bored driving by myself, and taking funny pictures of him... He hasn't seen them yet... shh... don't tell.
This is Lindsay with a little Colorado city in the background... what were we doing in Colorado you ask??? Well.... This is what happens when I fall asleep and leave Lindsay and Nicolette to do the navigating... we end up in the middle of Colorado... 5 hours out of the way from where we're SUPPOSED to be... it's a good thing THEY had a good time.

Healthy eating habits of a road-tripper.
The infamous gondolas.....
Our fancy restaurant experience...
The picture is really blurry, and you can't see the icky couple in this picture, but you get the point...
The happy-crew entertaining ourselves at the Venetian while Luke broke into his car to get the gondola tickets.
Apparently I'm the only one that enjoyed being lost in Vegas for an HOUR before we found the strip, and ultimately the Venetian where the boys were waiting for us... what do you think, does Lindsay look like she's enjoying herself in this picture??
And finally, this is us at the Hoover Dam, we had the picture taken really fast because we chose the great parking area that is surrounded by port-a-potties, and turns out 118 degree heat and nasty port-a-potties is a bad combination.

2006-07-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

Giving in:
I know that these days everyone has a blog, so in an effort to remain "individualistic" I have avoided it. That said, my best friend Keri is in Japan right now on a missions trip and she wanted me to get a blog so that she could keep up with me and so that I could put pictures on here for her to see.
Plus, i don't actually care that much about being my own person... go with the flow, swim downstream, that's what I always say!!! :-)
So welcome to my life.. it's basically just organized chaos, but I love every minute of it.