Rain!

And Abby finally got to wear her rain coat.

One Month...

One month from today, Aaron and I will be bound for Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where we'll be shooting a wedding for some awesome clients of mine. I had to renew my passport and it just arrived -- I'm so excited! Now I think we're about set and all that's left to do is WAIT.

Getting Out There

This morning in my quiet time, I read the following passage in Deuteronomy 6.

4 God, our God! God the one and only!
5 Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!

6-9 Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, stitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.

I was really challenged by it. I feel like oftentimes, I make God a part of my life... put him in a cozy little corner, but if I'm honest, most of the time I'm not really talking about Him morning to night, everywhere I go, and I'm not sure I always love Him the way we are commanded to in verses 4-5.


Over the last couple weeks at church, we've really been challenged to invite friends, neighbors, etc. to a series we have coming up. This week we were so excited to have one of our neighbors visit our church for the first time and they loved it! I was so thrilled, and I felt God really challenging me to invite more of my neighbors. I was excited, but a bit intimidated at the thought. What will they think? Would they even come? and so on.

Sunday afternoon, Aaron came in after talking with David and Shannon (the neighbors who had visited that morning) and told me they are coming back next week and they are bringing another couple of our neighbors next week! How's that for challenging?! They've been one time and already are inviting people. How many people have I been deliberate about inviting over the eight years I have been there? How many excuses have I come up with? Well, I think it's becoming clear that I need to put my fears aside and just get out there and start talking... start really loving God with all of me... it's scary and exciting.

Hold me accountable!

The Park

Carson and I decided to get out of the house for a while to play -- no work, no errands, just fun. So, of course, we headed over to the park where Carson played like he was a giant robot and I sat down with a coke and a book (The Count of Monte Cristo). It was relaxing. I needed that.

It's been kinda fun having just Carson at home during the week. I had a couple years of having just Abby before he was born, and I'm excited about having some special time with just him before he heads off to school in the next couple years.

The other day, we were in the car running errands and he was cracking me up talking about all the things he would be able to do when he was a grown up -- use scissors and knives, walk by his self without a mommy, call Jackson on the phone and say, "Hey man, what's up? How's it going, dude?" It made me laugh.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Last night, Aaron got down his yearbook from his senior yearand reminisced a while. When I pulled out my camera he knew exactly what I was up to and made me promise that I'd at least post my yearbook photo too. :)

Last Days of Summer (Maybe?)

Yesterday, we were out running errands here and there, doing our regular thing and around 4:00, I noticed something... It's not miserably hot outside! I didn't even know what to think. I had become convinced this day would never come! Now, it's probably not realistic for me to think that this might actually last... but we took advantage of it last night and sat outside most of the evening, grilled, and let the kids play in the sprinkler (we're housesitting for Bill & Sandy, by the way, this is not our house. The kids spent most of the evening putting on a concert and making up songs, and Aaron and I couldn't help but smile and enjoy life as it should be.

After the kids went to bed, we decided to mix things up and have a game night like we used to years ago when we had no cable and no money, and we had so much fun... even though he beat me 225-203!

Happy Birthday, Amy!

Amy is one of my dearest friends and one of the wisest women that I have ever known. We met not long before Aaron and I were married and she was one of the few people (sadly) who told me that I was going to LOVE being married -- that it was one of the coolest things ever. Her wisdom, insight, and friendship have been invaluable to me throughout the years and I feel so lucky to call her friend.
Last week she celebrated a very special birthday, so on Friday night she invited her closest friends to celebrate with her at Maggiano's. It was an amazingly fun time with good friends, good conversation, and (of course) good food. We did their "Family Style" dining and had course after course of delicious italian fare. The kicker came after we had stuffed ourselves silly with cheesecake and creme brulee (not to mention the stuffed mushrooms, calamari, gnocci, lasagna, chianti beef, and chicken saltimbocca that had come before), the waiter walked out with MORE desserts! Unbelievable!