Meghan's Blog Spot

The past 4 months...whirlwind!

2010-02-04T09:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I am officially a mom! I know this announcement is coming late because I'm such a horrible blogger. Thought I'd catch up on the last 4 months. Being pregnant was one of the most fun things I've ever experienced. Getting to feel that little baby move around in there, hiccup, kick was incredible. I was extremely huge at the end of it, I'm talkin HUGE. I didn't think my body could stretch like that.

Birth was also amazing, due to my amazing support team and drugs. I was going to try to go all the way naturally but come to find out, I have a pretty low pain tolerance. After the drugs kicked in, I had a pretty fun day...sipping hospital cocktails...yum, talking with friends and family, laughing! Everything I wanted the day to be. All in all, 8 people were in the room to see little Amilee come into the world...Jeremy and I, my mom Kathie, my mother-in-law Gwen, Erica, Kassie, Kristena, Liz, another nurse, and my doctor. Some people think I'm crazy, but I'm so glad they were all there! It's such an amazing thing to see! Thanks for being my cheering squad!

So the first couple weeks after Ami came home were full of all kinds of emotions, exhaustion, and amazing visitors. Nursing is excruciating at first, recovery was gnarly, and the sleep deprivation is nothing I've ever gone thru so I was pretty miserable. I love little Ami but man oh man, it was tough being a mommy. The complete loss of independence was at first more than I thought I could handle. Jeremy was so amazing and such a support, so caring and understanding. I couldn't have asked for a better partner in this. It's so amazing to see him with Ami. He sings to her and it puts her right out. So cute. My parents stayed for 2 weeks and were such a support...mom cooked and held the baby, dad fixed just about everything on our 8 month old fix-it list (plus some). He also had "papa time" at 5am every morning so I could sleep. Amazing. After they left, I had great dinners delivered from Stirring friends and my amazing sister-in-law Erica and niece Ava came over a couple times to help clean and take the baby so I could rest. Thank you! It is so nice to have a family like I do.

We had a couple photographers...Hannah Howell and Brent VanAuken....take pics of Ami. Naked baby pics are not too fun...there is always that chance of explosive diarrhea and that is exactly what happened. Twice. Here is a family pic from Hannah...

Ami and I went to NM to see my parents at 2 months. Got stuck in the Denver airport for 26 hours. Great fun with a baby, but everyone is so helpful when you have a baby with you. We had a great time, great grandma was there and Uncle Matt...

Despite the poop, throw up, crying, etc that all babies do, I am starting to really enjoy being a mom and having her cuddle with me, smile at me, need me. She's an amazing little gift from God and I'm so thankful to have her. Ok, time to get back to it. Hopefully it won't be 4 months from now that you hear from me next.

45 days to go!!!

2009-10-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

Amilee is now 4 lbs and roughly the size of a pineapple. It's so funny how they compare your baby to a fruit most weeks. I'm sure there is old man humor somewhere in there. Mostly I've just heard "2 turkeys in the oven this year, eh?" Even from a Winco checker.

Hopefully she doesn't look like a scaley turkey!
I've been loving feeling her kick, and so far it hasn't hurt at all. She's very gentle, but you can definitely see her rolling across my tummy. For the past few days she's had bouts of hiccups. Hopefully to her its not as much of a pain as it is for us to get hiccups. I'm loving being pregnant and I feel huge (in Juno's words "I'm a planet") but it is so worth it! I can't believe I only have a month and a half left, it's gone by soooooo fast (hopefully Jeremy will make it back from tour to see her enter the world)! Ahhhhhh! Before Jeremy left, Emily took some maternity pics of our little family-including Marley. Here is the site if you'd like to see more. I love all of them-thanks, Em!!

Amilee

2009-07-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

So here is my little girl and her hand waving at us! She has great fingers and a really straight neck from what I can see! Yay!
This ultrasound was waaaay better than the first. (The first technician we had scared the crap out of me with doom-and-gloom scenarios of what could be wrong. This technician actually explained things to us, showed us everything possible anatomically...even though baby kept crossing her legs, not wanting us to see anything down there. I know she was just being really modest and not at all difficult. ( ; I'm so excited! I'm already so much more attached in a weird way knowing what is growing inside. Jeremy's going to be such a great daddy and I'm sure she'll be a daddy's girl, playing electric guitar and bass, running a studio, touring with the band. I asked him if he was excited that it was a girl and he said he was but it meant he was going to have to kick more guys butts (some words have been changed to keep this blog clean) than he thought...
This also means way more clothes, shoes, makeup, drama, tampons, weddings, etc. Whoa.

Bug bites and shaving cream.

2009-07-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

So I got home tonight from Erica's family birthday dinner (Happy birthday, Erica!) and found 2 things...1. from the front gate to my front door-shaving cream. All over the side walk, all over our porch, a giant shaving cream heart on our house, cream covered door knob, and "sucka" written on our doorstep. IF YOU DID THIS...do not confess, seriously. I'm pretty ticked. I will probably throw my preggo hormones into a punch to your throat. It would hurt.

And 2. a giant knot on my forehead from a little blood sucking insect or a swarm of them. I have no idea how I did NOT feel this thing sucking my brains out. It is HUGE!!! I kind of wish it was a zit so I could have the satisfaction of a puss explosion when it popped, but no, it itches like crazy and looks horrible. Ugh. Here it is...

So, I'm going to bed now. Ticked and bitten but really excited for tomorrow. Tomorrow morning I will find out if I'm having a Cohen or an Amelie. I'm so excited!!! I'll let you know!

Hawaii!

2009-06-24T19:03:00.001-07:00

Just got back from a week of relaxing on beautiful white sandy beaches, snorkeling with turtles, eels, and an octopus, kayaking, hiking into a volcano, eating delicious food, and hanging with great friends. The Faulknors invited us to join them on the big island, and we could NOT say no! Our favorite thing to do is vacation and snorkel on the Hawaiian islands.
Jeremy and Brett were like little boys when it came to ocean. We couldn't get them out of the water. At one point Jeremy called out to Em and I that he was standing on the only rock on this beautiful, pristine beach ten feet into the water. I just happened to have been in that area and didn't remember any rocks. I kinda laughed and said make sure your not standing on a turtle. He kinda got a weird look on his face and looked down and sure enough the "rock" swam away!
Two days into the trip, Jeremy's cell phone and my nice digital camera ended up in the ocean and were completely ruined (I won't tell you who did it, but it wasn't me!) So dang, we had to rely on the professional photographers to take all the pictures of us!
Anyway, it was so nice to just get away, forget about work, and just have fun with friends! thanks, Faulknors!!!

Baby

2009-06-24T18:21:00.000-07:00

so i'm going to have a baby! i know I was supposed to blog about this 2 months ago, but well, it's been crazy. within 1 week (at the end of April) we finished the studio (which is beautiful-I'm so proud of Jeremy), moved the offices, organized the Stirring's music art and film festival,moved into our new home, and found out that we're pregnant...talk about an amazing week. All at once. it was information overload but all great information!
I'm getting more and more excited about the baby. At first, i had so many fears-mostly of miscarriage, then of what we were going to do once the baby came. I had crazy dreams of weird looking baby boys with random teeth coming out every which way, having the baby early and not having anything ready, etc, etc. I kept thinking "what the heck did we do, what am i going to do with a baby?" i felt bad thinking that but I heard its kinda normal. after getting over some fears, i feel better and more capable of bringing a little person into the world. We don't know the gender yet-but we have names so I'm officially claiming them! Haha. If it's a girl...Amelie Joy, if it's a boy...Cohen Jeffrey. we'll find out in a couple weeks!

Moving Day--This Saturday!!!

2009-02-23T09:46:00.000-08:00

So we're signing for the house tomorrow, and we'll be able to move in on Saturday! I'm so excited! So....9am my house on Saturday the 28th if you can help us move! Everything is almost packed-thanks to my amazing friends, Sarah Schepens and Emily Branca and Kristena Hayes, and we have a huge uhaul truck ready to go! Let me know if you can come help! Thanks!

drywall is from you-know-who!

2009-02-05T11:54:00.000-08:00

In three days (hopefully) we will be done with the drywalling process. I will be so glad to not have to slice, break, screw, caulk another piece of drywall! My muscles hurt, my fingers hurt, my shoulders hurt, my knees are bruised, it looks like it snowed into my nostrils.

So....if anyone wants to come help with the final drywalling, I will be there for the couple days and nights!

Thank you to the faithful drywallers of the Soundhouse...Joe, Devin, Chris, Matt Kluttz, Jacob and parents, Covers, Ryan, Jeremy, Juan, and to many other volunteers (Dan, Nate, etc) who put some time in caulking and screwing! (let the jokes begin...) I appreciate you! I'll post some pics later...

confessions: friends, feelings, and fear of man

2009-02-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

This week brought up a lot of stuff for me. It's been the best week and the hardest week in months. I spent a couple hours yesterday afternoon with two good friends at Starbucks (thank you, my lovely friends!). I've been needing that time with friends for awhile-too much time with the guys drywalling and caulking lately. It was so good to just catch up on life and what God's doing in theirs, encouraging one another, praying for each other, confessing. It was amazing to me that the hidden emotions and doubts and fears and feelings of mine are shared in one way or another with the women around me. Sometimes I feel so alone and weird in what I'm feeling that I start thinking that no one cares, no one sees, everything's falling apart, I can't lead, I'm not capable, I'm not a good person, I, I, I, me, me, me. I'm really tired of Satan trying his hardest to get me to fall into this pit.
Nate's message on Sunday was incredible! Exactly what I needed to hear. I get to this point sometimes when everything is about me. I start becoming jealous of what other people appear to have, fearing what they think of me, I get bitter at the anointing, the blessings, the "words" they get, their great relationships with God and others. I'm dishonoring in my thoughts. I become so focused on what I don't have, that I forget everything that God's doing in my life, who He's created me to be, the dreams He has for me, the amazing undeserved blessings He's given me, the husband and friends He's put in my life. Something Nate said has really stuck with me..."God had everyone else when He created you." I almost started weeping at the thought that He wants little ol' ME, He loves ME. So why in my life do I go thru these stupid cycles? It's so frustrating. I know God is teaching me so much thru this-honor is HUGE in this-and I know I'll pull thru with his strength. I don't feel hopeless-that's the cool thing. I'm frustrated, but full of hope that I am becoming who God made me to be-his daughter, made in his image. So that is my confession. And my hope.

Updates...

2009-01-27T17:59:00.000-08:00

So the house inspection went well...I got to scour the house, all the nooks and crannies, and I absolutely love it!! Benji said we're great with financing (financial peace paid off-yay!), termite inspection on Thursday, insurance taken care of, the sellers are taking care of all loan fees and if all goes well we'll move in on Feb 20th. It all seems to be falling into place. I'm almost ready to ask "what's the catch?", because you know there always is, but I'm afraid to ask. Unless I just did...
It seems so surreal that we're getting our dream house! There are a few things that need to be put in (lights, sink). Apparently, when someone forecloses on a house, they take the light fitures and copper piping to the sink. Who knew? Oh, and no dishwasher. Hmmmm...
So here's a bigger picture of the house.

The studio is getting done slowly but surely. There's a drywall party goin on tonight if anyones interested! Actually there's one every night this week and until the drywall is DONE! Don't be shy---we need your help! Even if you don't know what drywall is! It's a great workout, and you'll sleep like a baby tonight (unless you fall off the ladder 12 ft up. We won't make you work on caulking......It's messy business, but I'm so excited to see this dream of Jeremy's come about. Stirring worship teams can practice here, art and creative juices will flow out of the Soundhouse. I can't wait! I had a good day off from the studio work yesterday(not so much a day off, more like I couldn't move my arms) , but I'm ready to get my muscles goin again. Hope to see you there!
So here is what our next month looks like...work work work and pack, move Stirring storage this Friday, work and pack, move into house on 20th, work and pack, move stirring office on 28th, work and pack, move Jeremy's studio March 1st, work work work and create, Erase the Dark March 6th. Yeehaw!

Our 3 adventures

2009-01-22T15:31:00.000-08:00

I know everyone is pretty used to seeing my once-a-month blogs summarizing my life. I feel like I have so much to blog about. Like 23 different things. So I'll write about our 3 adventures.

1. baby. as in we'd like to have one. after 7 years of being pretty much anti-kids (they would probably ruin everything), we are now finally ready to take the leap into cute cuddly baby, poopy diapers, bottles, sleepless nights, buggers, . i'll keep you updated.

2. studio. so jeremy and i are opening a recording studio-the Soundhouse. huge undertaking-1400 square feet of double walls, double framing, double insulation, double caulking, double drywall. that's were we are right now. drywall. if any of you would enjoy working out for a couple hours hanging drywall with us, we would appreciate it! i think I've lost 10 pounds and gained a ton of muscle. for the last two weeks I go on a run with marley in the morning, go to work for 8 hours, come home to change into work cloths, go hang insulation and drywall until I can't raise my arms anymore, then I fall into bed and pass out. seriously, if you suffer from insomnia, work construction until you can't move, then drop into bed. it will be the best night of sleep of your life. anyone want to help? just coming to the studio to gawk at all of us working is NOT helpful. you know who you are. HUGE THANK YOU to joe, bethel guys-jeff and daniel- and the school of ministry crew, scottie d. dan and nate and devin, and juan for donating your time and kicking butt on this studio. we're so excited to see this dream of jeremys become reality. it's unbelievable the work he's put into it while also working full time... i'm so proud of him!

3. house. it's really old and beautiful and I'm so excited. so excited. we looked at the house 3 months ago and didn't feel we should make an offer at that time even though we LOVED it. so we prayed and waited then last week we offered and they approved. what the heck. could our lives be more crazy right now? nope. we just figured why not get it over with at the same time?

so here we are-baby, studio, house. in the craziest time of our lives, and God has been speaking to us. about honoring, inheritance, his call on my life, about his perfect timing, boldness, marriage, needing to say "no" more often. we started derrick's training group and i must say it was super intense in the best way. i can't wait to get together again-our group is the best-and just bond with one another. i'm excited to learn.

anyway, hopefully i'll be able to write a little later. bear with me in this "season", you probably won't see me very often unless you're with us rockin walls and slingin mud and when you do happen to see me, i'll be the exhausted one who can't lift her arms... ( ; ok, now i'm going to bed.

10 Things I'm thankful for this month...

2008-11-23T22:46:00.001-08:00

I.
Going to Castle Lake with Jeremy and Marley...so beautiful. Also the argument Jeremy got into with a manager at a taco place on the way up. We got free nachos which were delicious....

II.
A couple days of rain, cuddling up on the couch with a book and a candy cane latte. I love rain more than any other type of weather.

III.
Beating Billy Brown (who writes blogs about playing poker), Matt Moseley (I heard he's pretty good at poker), and Jeremy (doesn't like playing games at all) at cards and winning $18. It was my second time ever playing poker. I guess having no strategy is a strategy after all...

IV.

Finding this fish-eye picture Emily took of us at a bowling alley. I don't know why I'm celebrating. I totally lost that day. I'm pretty sure I barely cleared a 70.

V.
My incredible friends in Redding and my amazing breakfast club, complete with stories, insight, and elephants revealed. Yum, breakfast. Every week I split delicious cream of wheat or a bowl of oatmeal with my friend Jenna. I wish I ordered the pastry above. Oh, Sarah & Jenna...Psalm 95:2..."let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song." I'll leave the music and song part to you though.
VI.
Beth Moore and Daniel and Danielle Fleck. Crazy learning times. Dreams and Visions. The definition of Submerting. Having friends you seek God with. Trusting Him fully with your life.
VII.
Yes, the "lame" Twilight Movie Premiere. I loved getting together with everyone, despite the fact that the movie could have been a little better and Jeremy almost gouged out his eyeballs. Can't wait for New Moon. Hehe.
VIII.
Tonight. Seeing a community come together for each other, the men calling each other out to fight for the women, the women calling each other to bring things into the light. People young and old telling their stories. Amazing. I've never felt more supported, encouraged, and a part of something great than I do right now.

IX.
Bend, OR. Sipping tons of Trader Joe's Chai Lattes with the fam. Taking walks in the bitter cold. Stuffing my body with a huge Thanksgiving meal (favorite dish: sweet potatoes covered in marshmallows). Hanging out with the nieces and nephew. Later I'll pass out in front of a guaranteed lame movie due to the excess
X.
Sleeping. Right now.

The day I've been waiting for...

2008-11-20T15:47:00.000-08:00

My day has consisted of

anxiously awaiting midnight.
which means one thing....twilight premiere.
the day I've been waiting for for 4 months.
i'm so giddy and anxious and impatient and nervous.
after tonight, i don't have to watch the preview twice a day.
I CAN'T WAIT!
exactly 8 hours left. i'm going to pee my pants.

i am starting to wonder what i was thinking going to a midnight showing. I don't think i've ever done this before-not even in high school. jeremy puts a movie on at 8:30 and I'm out in 10 minutes. hopefully, we'll all be so hyped on caffeine and sugar that we won't be able to sleep until tomorrow morning. and there was no way i was going to miss this.

i'm seriously worried about people talking during the movie. pet peeve people. do not ruin my perfect night with your chatter. i've told (yelled at) people before in the middle of the movie that i don't need their commentary. so....if you don't want to be embarrassed tonight or tasered, don't open your mouth in the middle of the movie. ok, i'm done. i have to go back to watching the clock.

yippee!

retreat

2008-11-10T21:26:00.000-08:00

So I went to a staff retreat this weekend. I love retreats. I love the laughter, the games, the prayer, the connections made, the relationships strengthened, the things you hear from God, the inside jokes, the good food, playing mafia 3 times getting refreshed. It was at an amazing house, complete with hidden rooms behind bookcases, beautiful scenery, fun idiosyncrasies, strange sounding toilets.

During our times together the first 2 days, I listened as some had profound experiences, were refreshed, received words from the Lord, had an awesome time alone.

I got more and more agitated.

Usually I have a great time at retreats, but every time I sat down to study or think my mind started racing. Not racing with important, God things. Small, menial things. Things that aren't important. I couldn't stop it. Crappy. Frustrating.

Later on Saturday, God gave me A LOT to process....words about my past and how it's shaped my thinking.... belonging....pastoral....prodigal son's brother....not all related ( I think ). Anyway, I think this part of my life is really about working on who I am, working on my habits, attitudes, thoughts, feelings. Ugh. I don't know which is worse...not hearing or actually hearing and having to work on things for a very, very long, long time.

So here goes...

what's going ON?

2008-11-03T17:06:00.000-08:00

It's been 2 months? What the heck? I keep thinking last week was September. Sorry, my 7 faithful blog readers. I'll try to do better....

So today is ranked in my top 10 days of 2008, despite the driving drum beats from below (I'll explain later). I absolutely love days like today. It's the fireplace, oversized slippers, sweats, hot chocolate & favorite book in hand kind of day. (finally, I've been waiting for months for these rainy days to hit Redding) You don't want to do anything, the rain makes you down to enjoy life. It reminds me of my favorite Seattle days when we had a REAL beautiful fireplace...

I love my fake fireplace now, though. It's very portable. I can take it into any room and it heats it up in like 4 hours. It also "sets the mood" if you know what I mean....

Ok, Scott Davis' driving drum beats are shaking my house right now and have been for 5 hours. Things are falling off my walls as I write. I feel like I'm in a cartoon right now, flailing around like a crazy person catching things falling off the wall. I was talking to Sarah today and she could hear the drums thru my cell phone. Crazy....I'll probably have a headache later but oh well. Such is life being married to a musician/studio engineer.

So today I was able to sit and think, which is seriously a luxury for me. I am usually thinking about my to-do list. Today I was not. I thought about Dan's message last night-so clear, so good, so God-breathed. I was imagining changing the world thru peace, thru humbleness and wondering what that world would look like. (thanks, Dan).

This elephant series that we doing right now at the Stirring is rocking me. Jeremy got this word from the Lord several weeks back for himself..."it's not about this or that, it's about Me". I think this totally describes the past couple messages on Greed, Sex, Politics, Drinking. I think we've talked about all of those and what they mean, but Nate and Dan have really gone even deeper...it's not about this or that, it's about Me (God). It's about the kingdom first, it's about loving others, supporting, praying.....

Danielle and I decided to do a Beth Moore study on Daniel and so far it's been incredible-diving into the ancient history of Judah and Babylon and Daniel and Nebuchanezzar. As Dan was talking about his new word "submerting" last night I was thinking that word describes Daniel's life. He submitted to Nebuchanezzar, but led a subverted life in that kingdom. I've never been one for Bible studies, but it's been so good to read and understand and link stories and prophecies. Anyway, that's what's goin' on.

RANDY MILLER

We're having dinner with Randy and Kristyn in a couple minutes. Pray for their family-for healing, for strength, for finances. I have so much faith that God is going to heal Randy of cancer. I don't know when, but I've never believed in anything more than I have that. Oh, spread the word that people can give to the family thru the "mercy fund" at the stirring-mail or online at thestirring.org.

Thanks for listening!

Randy

2008-11-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

This past week we found out that the tumor they removed from Randy's body is cancerous. This news is such a blow to anyone who knows Randy. Randy the rock...the passionate friend...Jesus follower...the dedicated father...Kristyn's loving husband...the talented Myriad drummer...our motivational speaker. It's confusing to me. How can this happen to someone as great as Randy? The Millers are amazing friends to anyone lucky enough to know them. This past week has been so hard on them-not knowing what to think or expect, what to do. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. I know they are feeling so loved and supported by their community....keep it comin'! Here's the letter the Myriad sent out...

Friends and family,

As some of you may have heard, our band mate Randy Miller had a tumor removed from his upper torso near his shoulder on Friday. Initial analysis has come back that the tumor is cancerous. The specific type is still being determined and we will keep you all informed as we know more. We ask for your support and prayers for Randy, his wife Kristyn, and children Connor and Gillian during this time.

There are immediate and ongoing financial needs for the Miller family. For this reason, a mercy fund has been set up through The Stirring, a non-profit organization in Redding, CA. There are a few different ways you can send donations to the family. One is online at www.thestirring.org . Located to the bottom right of the main page you will see “ONLINE GIVING”. If you click on this link you will be directed to a secure page where you can set up an online giving account. Once the account is set up you will see the “MERCY FUND” and be able to send secure, tax-deductible donations to the family through this organization. Donations can also be sent in the form of a check to:

The Stirring
RE: Randy Miller
3468 Bechelli Lane Suite E
Redding, CA 96002

Any financial support you can give in order to help the Miller’s through this difficult time is appreciated.

Thanks for your prayers,
The Myriad

Vampires

2008-08-31T18:17:00.000-07:00

When I'm on a roll, I'm on a roll...3 blogs in one month!!! I couldn't not write about this....

About 6 months ago, my sister-in-law, Erica, handed me a book "Twilight" and said "seriously, read this. it's so good. it's about vampires." I think my exact words (in my head) were "yeah, right. probably not." So 6 months this book has been sitting on my bookshelf collecting dust (sorry, Erica).
Two Saturdays ago I picked it up reluctantly and I read through the entire series in 9 days. I've been obsessed and completely void of a social life for 9 days. I can't think of anything else. I entered into an entirely different world of incredibly good looking vampires, compulsive werewolves, and clumsy humans, and now I can't seem to come back to "normal" everyday life. I poked myself with a knife while unloading the dishwasher and looked around to see if a vampire smelled my blood. If someone around me does something truly impressive and skillful, I've thought to myself, "I wonder if he/she is a vampire?" Am I going crazy? I hope not. I just need to transition into real life again.
It takes an amazing author to write a book that 1. you can't put down, 2. you can't think of anything else, 3. is clean, and 4. you have a time of mourning when it's done and immediately want to pick up the first book again. I've never been more infatuated with a book (or series) than I am with this one and I've never been more depressed when I finish (Erica, I will never doubt you again!). I don't want to ruin the book, so here's my advice: "Seriously, read this. It's so good. It's about vampires."

Farewell for now, sweet friends

2008-08-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

Goodbyes are so hard. I cried 3 times when I heard that 2 of our best friends and Marley's BFF were leaving Redding, and I've cried 5 times this week. Em and Brett were really the first couple we started hanging out with after moving to Redding. They are the kind of friends you call to come over and have a chill night, to play games with, to mix drinks with, to plan parties with, to go bowling, to BBQ with, to laugh with, to have a lot in common with, to have a dog that your dog is best friends with, to share holidays with, to cry, to reminisce, to pray, to ask advice, to jam with, to worship with, to be comfortable with, to eat sushi with, to take pictures of everyone and their dog. My heart is happy for them to begin this new adventure in San Diego, to be just the two of them again, to be happy in their jobs, to have better opportunities, to meet new friends. I will miss them terribly at the same time. I know (thanks to everyone that WILL be hiring Em to do their weddings, baby, engagement, and family pics) that Em will be back quite often (I WILL be threatening your life if you do not hire her), but that doesn't fill the humongous void there will be day to day. Their presence here the last few years has changed lives, has ministered to so many, and has brought a joy to each of us. I'll miss you terribly, Brett and Emily and Teryx, but I wish you the best in SD and you better get a blow-up mattress because Jeremy and Marley and I will be on our way to visit in a couple days (haha).
Here's to the last few years of laughter, tears, puppies, house projects, Moscato, the Stirring, bowling, holidays, and FRIENDS FOREVER. . .

Christmas and pink Santa Hats...

Delicious...

Happy New Year's before Brett passed out...
Happy New Year's AFTER Brett passed out...

Birthdays, Grad Parties, and big lips.... Marley and Teryx- BFF's...
Merch girls....

Sunbathing @40 degrees for fame (at least we had donuts and coffee).....Photo shoots and nutritious foods...

San Clemente, boogie boards, and bloody noses....
All the girls.....

Aren't you proud of me, Em? I will get better at blogging...just for you!

My Summer in a nutshell

2008-08-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

this summer was one of the most eventful summers I've ever had. sad, I know. here's a look into it...

THE WEDDING

So, I went to Pete and Jamie Metz's wedding in Tahoe (congratulations!) with Kristena. I'd never been to Tahoe before, everyone kept looking at me as if I was insane when I'd tell them that. It was so beautiful and the wedding was at an amazing location and Pete and Jamie are such a great couple. ... PS. this blog will be full of pictures

THE INVASION
A few weeks after the wedding, Jeremy flushed out a mole. Not the spy kind, the actual rodent kind that was destroying our backyard. For some reason this summer we've been invaded (for those of you who know about our squirrel problems in Seattle-this might not be a surprise to you). I feel like Noah. It's as if God is calling them to our house two by two. First the 4 cats that have adopted us. Then the Mole we named Herbie. We drowned him the day we met him. Then the ants (only not two by two-more like two million by two million) all over our carpets, our bed, our kitchen. We've been thru 4 cans of Raid and will probably all perish early from all the fumes we've inhaled. Then the opossums. Oh, the opossums. We've trapped 4 and had them "relocated". They like cat food and my laundry room and we even found a baby one curled up with the kittens. I think they're so ugly their cute. You decide.... Then the fawn in the backyard. Yes, a fawn ("Bambi"). It got trapped in the alley behind our house and decided to sleep in our backyard until Marley scared the little guy half to death. Ok, here are the picks to prove our invasion...they're a bit gross...

The Mole...
The Opossum...
SAN CLEMENTE

Every year our family goes to San Clemente. It's my favorite thing to do all year. We sit on the beach most of the time, BBQ, play boche ball, swim, Jeremy sits in the hot tub whenever there is a spare second. This year was a little different. We slept most of the time. We were crazy tired (I think this happens more when you get old). We also witnessed a crazy drunk driving accident, where the car ended up about 10 yards from us and upside down. It was right after we took this picture:Kristena and I on the beach...
Jeremy, Me, Kristena, and the waves...
Ava, Adiah, and Erica created this sexy mermaid body for Uncle Jeremy.

DISNEYLAND
Oh, Disneyland. The happiest place on earth...that is, until around 8pm when all children AND adults start to self-destruct. Literally, there is a HUGE difference in mood in the park at the beginning of the day and then at the end of the day. Hopefully the kids have fallen asleep in the strollers by the time you try to leave, if not they are most assuredly having a meltdown on the trolley. Here is a glimpse of our day in the blessed park of mirth and wonders and log rides....

This is me, pre-drench...

Rachel joined us...
California Adventures...
Ava will be on So You Think You Can Dance someday, and they'll show this photo that her favorite auntie took...

New Mexico
The Land of Enchantment (or entrapment - as some of the locals say). I flew in right after our SoCal trip and had a blast with the fam. (Jeremy had studio work and festivals to go to). Probably my favorite time was spent with my mom-staying up late and talking talking talking, oh and the time with Grandma doing crossword puzzles, with my dad at the baseball games, and riding with Matt on his motorcycle. I'll post some of those pics later when my mom decides to learn how to attach a picture to an email. Haha. Seriously a good time with the family.

Dad

Mom

Brother

The Girls

Well, that about wraps up my 7-blogs-in-1. I hope you enjoyed the exciting happenings of my summer, and I hope this pacifies you for at least another 2 months. Sorry you had to stare at weird "alien kitty" for so long. Peace.

Today

2008-07-01T00:34:00.000-07:00

I woke up today looking forward to my day off. I had a massage, did a little shopping, got groceries, worked out. I also took Zoe to the vet. She peed on my bed (Yay) yesterday and I found crystals (UTI symptom). I think the vet made a mistake and gave me horse pills for my little sick cat. It took my 15 minutes to try to shove the horse pill down her throat, along with a syringe of water. In the end, I was super frustrated and winded. Zoe is not a cat to lay down and have me shove a pill down her throat. She's a fighter. This is I-booth Zoe ...Tonight in my second attempt accomplish this seeming impossible task by myself, I ended up crying, my arms were torn up, I dropped some choice words, and the pill is not being dissolved in a tummy-it's on my counter and kind of gummy. And I'm pretty sure Zoe is traumatized for life. She will never be the same. Sooooo.....tomorrow I will go back to the vet and ask him if he had in fact mistaken my 10 pound cat for a 4000 pound horse.

6 years

2008-06-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, time to catch up on some blogging...So it's been 6 years since Jeremy and I said "I do" in the New Mexican heat and started our lives as husband and wife. It's been a crazy 6 years....together we've moved 6 times, lived in 4 cities, renovated a crooked house, killed 9 squirrels, adopted 1 dog, 4 cats (+ 8 kittens), captured 5 opossums, toured 32 states together, seen 36+ rock shows, been hooked on 9 televisions series, been on 8 budgets, and the list goes on. It's been a great road, with few potholes, a couple detours, but overall a totally blessed road. God knew we'd be good together. Jeremy is the most patient, gentle, wise, considerate person I know, he knows my love languages, keeps me laughing, loves animals, has a passion for God, is a talented musician, and is an amazing best friend. Thanks, lover, for 6 amazing years!

Thank you for taking our pictures, Em! We love them! You did an amazing job!

Auntie

2008-05-22T15:37:00.000-07:00

I love being an auntie. I spent all day Monday at Nate and Erica's house and loved every second. Kids say and do the funniest things and it makes me want to be that innocent and honest. It makes me want to have kids for selfish reasons-to listen to their opinions and laugh later with someone about what they said or did.

Erica and I picked Ava up from school and she matter-of-fact-ly informed us that she did NOT like the snack (trail mix that Erica had never seen before) packed for her lunch today. She confirmed that she had told "grammy" that she did not want that snack, "but then grammy stuffed it in anyway. uuhh." It was all we could do to not laugh hysterically. Actually I think I did laugh hysterically.

Later I set up an obstacle course for the girls to have bike races. Ava won the first one by a mile. I explained that it would be nice to give Adi a chance to win too, so the next race Ava dramatically pedaled slower than a six month old and Adi won. All fine and good until the 3rd race. Ava was just rounding the corner for the win and Adi came out of nowhere with the most determined look on her face , pedaling as hard as her skinny little legs could and pretty much did the craziest cut-off I've ever seen. She sailed past the finish line with a huge gleeful smile and Ava melted down. It was a fun day.

Kittens

2008-05-22T15:23:00.001-07:00

ok, so I love these 4 kittens, but as much as I would love to keep these precious creatures, I already have a zoo. they will be ready in a week and I know someone wants a kitten (or two) out there. they are super friendly, comfortable with dogs. there is a white one (above), white and orange, orange with white feet and chest (above), and all orange. just let me know.

2 in one day!!! World record!!

2008-04-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

So...anyone want to go with a team to Africa or Philippines or Haiti or somewhere in August? I'm going. I have to go. God's calling me to go. There's no question.

Sound the trumpets!!!

2008-04-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is my third blog in over 2 months!!! I'm sure everyone is on the edge of their seats, waiting for a glimpse of some epiphany I've had over the last month. "It better be good" you say, "after all this time..."

So, here goes, I'm saying "goodbye" to the Olympic gold medal for blogging twice a year (thank you, Nate, for pointing out my non-blog blog).

For some reason even after Jeremy leaves for tour and I should have TONS of time on my hands, I don't seem to have a spare minute. I try to fill every last bit of it with errands, walks with Marley, picking up all of Marley's toys, making sure the kittens are still alive and cared for, house chores, erase the dark, the Stirring, hand watering the massive amounts of grass, planting grass, vacuuming up all the cat hair, etc. Ugh. That list just exhausted me. haha.

When I go home the last thing I want to do turn on Jeremy's massive computer thing that sounds like a semi truck. He borrowed my perfect little laptop that fits perfectly on yes, my lap, and gave me this monstrous thing to use to blog and check emails. haha. A blog for me is this huge hurdle now that I have to jump-most of the time I just run around it. I applaud Dan, Emily, Anna, Amy, Nate, & Erica for being sincere blog heads. You guys are my inspiration, thank you for the comments, I'm glad you haven't lost hope in me!

Back to being busy....this seems to be a general theme in my life lately-or for years. First, the women's retreat when we talked about Mary and Martha (in case you had any doubt, I am a Martha-constantly trying to make people comfortable, feeling responsible for everything, comparing and asking God why others don't kill themselves to get things done) , then Dan's message on Sunday about family and not being too busy to be a part of each other's lives, and other conversations with Jeremy and multiple friends.
It's amazing how God knows what we need to hear when we need to hear it. For years Mary and Martha's story has come up at every retreat I attend. Without my permission. Before the women's retreat, I would have been happy to never ever hear the story again. I was mad at Jesus for not sticking up for Martha. It was always Mary, Mary, Mary. Until this retreat I felt like I had no choice but to be busy and get things done and work until I'm exhausted-like good 'ol Martha. I can't be silent-my mind is constantly making to-do checklists, I can't stop for a second or I feel guilty-I know SOMETHING needs to be accomplished! Luke 10:42... Mary has chosen what is better. Chosen being the key word. I have to choose. Do I sit at Jesus feet and listen? Or do I go through life never knowing what it is to rest, missing out on Jesus and family, feeling lonely lonely lonely, missing out on the beautiful things in life because I'm rushing by?

Anyway, just a little piece of what's been happening in my little life! Hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned, I'll be back next year!

excitement, dreams

2008-02-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

There's a sense of excitement in the air. Even though I have an incredible headache right now, I still feel it. I feel like God is doing something crazy right now. I don't know what it looks like at the moment but He's working-in my life, in other's lives around me. Giving them dreams, fulfilling them, changing life courses, bringing friends and communities together to seek him, giving them a desire to reach out and touch someone else's life (otherliness). Does anyone else feel this, or is it just me? I've realized in the last month that I need to live NOW, not wait for the future. Not wait for what could happen, just DO SOMETHING! I need to speak truth, encourage people, pray for people. Maybe I'm experiencing life like never before.
Marley feels it to. I can tell. He's usually at the window, looking out anxiously. Waiting to experience what's out there-beyond his four walls. Right now, though, he's passed out next to me at the office after devouring a delicious Java Detour doggie bone.

I'm Confused

2008-02-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

I consider myself a smart person, but I can't for the life of me figure this blog thing out. The pages and technical terms seem way out of my league. Even the question mark help circle confused me. Can someone tudor me or something? I'm pretty sure Marley could figure this out faster than me... maybe I'll go play fetch with him. I know how to do THAT!