favorites: home edition

51. stainless steel fridge. double doors. w/ ice machine & water.

52. full size washer & dryer

53. hardwood floors

54. not-white walls

55. real tile in the kitchen

56. fresh carpet between my toes

57. art on walls (at least some of them)

58. patio & deck

59. cherry blossom tree (twigs) in the corner

60. rain shower head coming out of the ceiling. great for us tall folk.

tonight we measure, nail & hammer.
for me, that means a nearly-finished home.
for you, that means pictures soon!

my weekend in nouns

alarm clock.  snooze.  snooze.  toothbrush.  shower.  coffee.  car.  cardboard box.  trash bags.  signature.  dotted line.  keys.  smiles.  hugs.  birthday party.  cheeseburger.  friends.  family.  kitchen.  dishes.  smiles.  coffee mugs.  coffee.  groceries.  prayer.  bed.  floor.  alarm clock.  snooze.  snooze.  snooze.  apple.  granola.  church.  smiles.  prayer.  learning hour.  high schoolers.  joy.  turkey sandwich.  cardboard box.  stairs.  mattress.  organization.  hammer.  nails.  vacuum.  pictures.  newspaper.  couches.  table.  desk.  smiles.  cardboard box.  pizza.  caesar salad.  Lost.  prayer.  smiles.  bed.

home.

let's roll.

The week was exactly what I thought it would be.  Lots of packing, lots of writing, lots of reading, and lots of cleaning.  And a whole lot of remembering.  

This little apartment has been my refuge the past 20 months.  I don't think I've done as much growing anywhere else as I have in this place.  That table over there?  That's where I ate many meals with friends, talking about how good God is and what he's doing in our lives.  It's where Danny and I shared our first dinner, too.  And that coffee stain to my left?  Danny came over one day after work and I was so excited to see him I knocked it right over.  We just let it sit there as we hugged and laughed.  Oops...  And that desk in the back room?  I learned how to sew on that desk and spent many late nights and early mornings telling myself "Just one more thing..."  And that patio?  That's where Danny and I sat our pumpkins for all the neighbors to see.  And that living room?  That's where 12+ girls would gather to study God's word and share life together.  And that oven?  I used it constantly as I started my search for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe.  (I'm still on the lookout.)  And that bookcase?  That's where we sat my computer when me and my high school girls made a music video.  And that kitchen?  That's where Danny and I made pancakes when I woke him up early because I couldn't sleep.  And that bed?  I did a lot of jumping there.  I hope I never get too old to jump on my bed.  And that space next to my bed?  I was on my knees a lot right there.  Praying, reading, discerning God's will for my life.  And that couch?  Well, that's where my Danny sat me down as he sung to me and got down on one knee.  It's also where we shared our first kiss.  This place is where I started seminary and where I had my first breakdown, too.  See?  I love this place.  I'm sad to go.  But excited for what's awaiting.  

There will be many new memories of eating and praying and reading and writing and sewing and hugging and laughing and jumping and loving life.  And then, one day, I am sure we will move again.  But the memories will move with me.  One more thing to take...one less thing to pack.  Perfect.  

So I guess this is it, little apartment.  Thank you for so much life and growing and learning.  I pray your next tenants experience your Spirit in this place like I did.

PS Did I really choose to move this weekend when my 30 page theology paper is due Monday morning?  Oh yes, I did...  Don't worry- that's the good part about being a "planner".  My paper is finished, the boxes are full, the cabinets and drawers are empty, and the walls are bare.  

Let's do this.

drumroll please.

Okay, it's time to share...

We're moving!!!!!!!

Well...I'm moving, at least!  We are renting a lovely little townhouse 2 cities away, complete with hardwood floors, a full-sized washer & dryer (which will hopefully only need 1 run to get my clothes dry, instead of the 3-4 times I have to dry my clothes now in my little stackable), a wonderful patio for dinner parties (Danny is going to drape our twinkle lights for me!), and pretty much everything we wanted in a home together, including affordable rent.  Oh, and did I mention it's right down the street from our church (my work) and just a couple freeway exits away from Danny's job?  I know...We feel really blessed that God has once again provided for us in ways we couldn't even imagine.  He. is. so. good.

So this next week consists of Target runs, lots of cardboard boxes, and doing everything I can to make this an easy transition.  Just over a week from today I should be lining cupboards, hanging pictures, and figuring out what should go where.  Sadly the one thing to make it really feel like home won't be moving in until after the wedding, but we are still so incredibly excited to make this house our own!

I realize my blog has been lacking in pictures lately.  My camera cord has already been packed away (my goal is a box a day!) but you can count on a picture tour of our new place as soon as I've fully moved.

This is just one more step to D & I making our lives one.  

Hip hip hooray :)

5 under 5!

Happy news!!!

My sis is pregnant with #3.  She says it's her last, but I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up like this.  (just without the teased bangs!)

This means that between our siblings Danny and I will be auntie and uncle to a total of 5 under 5!

1 little man

3 princess

and

1 peanut

Keep it coming sis, we've got lots of love to spread around!

Oh, and I forgot to mention that this little bean of a baby is due the day after my birthday! 

 YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And last of all...does today's Google home page make anyone else very, very happy?  The Very Hungry Caterpillar has always been one of my favorites.  :)

What I've discovered as a woman in ministry.

I was really blessed to work alongside 3 men for 3 years who loved the Lord, loved me, and encouraged me in the development and exercising of my gifts in ministry. We dreamt together, ate together, programmed together, worshipped together, prayed together, laughed at each other, and loved on high school and junior high students together. The fact that I was a woman in ministry...well, that never really mattered (except after a trip to Cosco). We were partners in God's work, sharing equally in every aspect.

It wasn't until seminary that I noticed my first 3 years on a church staff was really unique.  Incredibly unique. 4-leaf clover unique. The ratio of men to women is probably 4:1, depending upon the class. The men are asked to pray more often than the women. I've had 7 male profs and only 1 female. Not every man approves of us sitting among them, working and studying and training to be pastors. We are not always supported or encouraged. (But sometimes we are!) For a while there I was uncomfortable...self conscious...skeptical...even defensive. Not good things to be.

Here's what I've discovered as a woman in ministry. My gender has to come secondary to my calling. I don't want to be defined as a woman in ministry anymore. I want to be defined as a child of God who is striving in every area of life to be an obedient servant and follower of Christ. I can't always be skeptical as to how people perceive my leadership. I just have to fully yield my life under the guidance of God. I have to humbly trust any position of authority he ordains for me. And I have to carry the cross and love God daily. Loving and leading my students and volunteers will simply flow from that.

We are neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female. We are God's. And we must act, serve, lead, and live as such. I am free from having to explain myself or defend myself. I am free from wondering if a man is making that face because I am a woman or if he just ate something disagreeable earlier that day (I know the face...my husband-to-be's stomach rebels often). I am convinced that there is too much work to be done to worry about whether someone cares if I wear a skirt, curl my hair, or wear mascara.

We're all one in Christ. And that's what I've discovered as a woman in ministry, or let's just say, as a follower of Jesus.

sheesh

Is today dragging on for anyone else???

we registered.

It took nearly 4 hours last Saturday morning, but the job is done and it's crossed off my "To-Do" list.  We had lots of fun walking around the two stores (see side bar) with the scanner.  We laughed a lot, kept scanning each other's butts for our "wish lists", brainstormed over sheet and towel colors, and dreamt about what will go where.  It was fun.  And tiring.  And fun.

But my whole reason for sharing this is to ask you this:

What do you own at home that you are SO glad you registered for (or wish you would have registered for)?  Keep in mind what's on the registry is not all we will have...because I've been living on my own for the past couple years now I have accumulated a good amount of things like dishes, mugs, a BBQ, pots & pans, etc.

Oh, and happy Tuesday.  It's going to be a good one.  We're meeting with our DJ tonight over coffee.  Should be great fun!

PS I love my fiance.

and we love planning our wedding.

and our other blog stinks.  

Sorry.  

ch-ch-changes.

They're knocking at our door.

And we're gladly letting them in.

(or at least we will be in less than 2 weeks!)

More soon.  I promise!

We sure are excited.

P.S.  Don't worry...we're not eloping without you.

an idea.

Ours is an evening wedding, which will be intimate and incredibly romantic, but will also pose some photography obstacles.

I love this idea of a photo-booth made of hanging fabric.

I imagine a small table  next to it with a polaroid camera,  thin-tipped sharpies, and a handmade guest book.

What do you think?

Found via 100layercake.  For you bride-to-be's out there, bookmark this one!

on last night.

Last night I got to share about myself with the high school youth group.  It was great getting to tell them who I am, how I got here, and what I am passionate about.  We opened up to Q&A after I shared (just as we did with the junior highers) so they could really drill me on what they wanted to know.  They had some fun questions, like "When are you getting married?" (July 31), "What is your favorite food?" (tough one, but probably risotto with sauteed mushrooms), "Coffee or tea?" (coffee), and one terribly deep question, "Where did you get your jeans?"  (Really??)  Oh, how I love high school students with all that I am.

Even though spending the evening with high schoolers went flawlessly, the highlight of the evening was not the youth.  Rather it was...oh, what shall I call them?  Not the elderly...not the "senior saints"...not our gray haired friends...not the old people...let's call them the young at heart.  That's right.  We invited the young at heart (the 60+ members of our church) to join us for a time of good conversation, breaking down generational walls, awesome desserts, and, you got it...Bingo.

There were round tables around the room with about 8 chairs surrounding each.  In the middle of the table was a basket full of questions like, "What is your most embarrassing memory from high school?", "Who influenced your teenage years the most?", and "What is one life goal you have yet to accomplish?"  Both the youth and the young at heart got to share their answers to each.  To hear the stories, the wisdom, the memories, the lives of these men and women...I would've given anything to stay there all night.

I think we would all agree that last night our youth group was alive.  (And the coffee, fudge brownies, and chocolate mousse pies had nothing to do with it.)

i'm obsessed

with my fiance.  I love him so so so so so much.  It's hard not to tell him that 3850942.389 times a day.  Sometimes I swear I do...oops.  Luckily he tells me just as much.

Last night we shared some sweet time together.  Grocery shopping, BBQing burgers and baking sweet potato fries (um...delicious), taking an after dinner walk while it was still light outside (!), relaxing in the spa, watching a bit of Once, then the tuck in.  

Danny tucks me in all the time.  I have a hard time drifting off to sleep if he hasn't kissed me, pulled the covers up, and smooshed (a little red line is telling me smooshed is not a word.  I could have sworn it was!) the blankets around me just right.  But last night was different.  He tucked, he kissed, he pulled, he smooshed, and then we just sat there talking for an extra 45 minutes.  Laughing about our days, talking about how good God has been to us, dreaming about our future, wishing we were already married, hating the drive home, laughing some more...And then it ended with a few more "I love you's".  What can I say?  It's wonderful to be in love.

With that, a quote...

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.
-Thornton Wilder

more.

41 cold mornings

42 a plate of melting candles

43 graham cracker crust

44 the smell of an old book

45 bundling up for an after dinner walk

46 vanilla soy milk

47 love notes hidden around the apartment

48 wearing boots

49 tortilla chips with a hint of lime

50 early morning talks with my big sis

sorry i lied.

I didn't share with you about my prayer experience yesterday.  But at least I made it in just minutes before it turns to Saturday.

Wednesday I got overwhelmed for the first time at my new job.  Not because of the work load or the people or the bookshelf space I can't wait to fill or the crazy paper-folding machine or the risograph, but because of the reality that God has even given me this responsibility and opportunity in the first place.  Doubts kept creeping in my mind all day- big time questions like Am I effective enough as a woman in ministry  and Can I really do this and Are you sure God???  I kept pushing them out but around every corner of my day there they were again, jumping out at me and knocking me off course.  It was just one of those days I guess.

Anyhow, for youth group on Wednesday we had The Movement from the Dream Center from LA come and lead our service.  It was incredible.  (go read about what they do- it is quite a ministry)  After the service the 50 or so college students who lead this ministry dispersed themselves among our students and prayed.  It was such a beautiful sound- perhaps the best I've ever heard.  The quiet murmurs and the hovering of the Holy Spirit (something I've been meditating on a whole lot lately...remind me to tell you more about that later) was such a powerful experience.  I just stood in the back praying over the conversations that were happening.  Until this girl came up and started praying with me.

She was a leader of the leaders and a learner all the same, just like me.  Without me even telling her where my heart had been that day, she sat there and prayed over every single doubt that had been haunting me.  Affirming me of my ministry and of my call and of my competence and of my influence and even of my beauty.  One of the most powerful prayer experiences I've ever had.  For at least 10 minutes.  We were gripping onto each other's hands.  And praying so hard.  And actually sweating because of it.  And after we said Amen we hugged and I said Thank you, sister and she smiled with her eyes and walked away.

And that was my experience on Wednesday night.

Just what I needed.  Let's do this, God.

tonight i prayed so hard i sweat.

and it was amazing.

more tomorrow.

in the meantime, my favorites...

31  waking up to rain

32  getting a new anthro catalog

33  sitting on the kitchen counter with a bowl of _________

34  frozen muffins.  don't ask.  just try it.

35  a clean engagement ring

36  pj pants that don't shrink in length

37  a brand new tube of toothpaste

38  getting a scribble card in the mail from your niece

39  cheap black pens

40  remembering someone's name

and NOT...

Jason Mesnick

straightening my hair on a rainy day

snap peas

149

days

until I become

his wife

it's getting closer!!!!!