More Where That Came From

Well, I got SOO MUCH comment on my last blog that I couldn't help but give you more! Seriously though, should we not be in on this conversation? I had to find this article because Paul mentioned it the other day and it HAUNTS me. So, here are a few interesting facts, thanks for humoring me.

(Link to full article)

http://http//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15398149/

Humans will need two Earths, report claims

Global ‘footprint’ left by consumption is growing, conservationists argue

• "For more than 20 years we have exceeded the Earth's ability to support a consumptive lifestyle that is unsustainable and we cannot afford to continue down this path," WWF Director-General James Leape said in releasing the 2006 Living Planet Report in Beijing.
  

• "If everyone around the world lived as those in America, we would need five planets to support us," Leape added.
  

• In 2003, the report added, humanity's ecological footprint — the demand people place on the natural world — was 25 percent greater than the planet's annual ability to provide everything from food to energy and recycle all human waste.

• 
  "On current projections, humanity will be using two planets' worth of natural resources by 2050 — if those resources have not run out by then," the latest report said. "People are turning resources into waste faster than nature can turn waste back into resources."

• 
  "Humanity is living off its ecological credit card," Mathis Wackernagel, head of the Global Footprint Network, said in a statement. "While this can be done for a short while, overshoot ultimately leads to liquidation of the planet's ecological assets, and the depletion of resources, such as the forests, oceans and agricultural land upon which our economy depends."

• 
  The report noted that an index tracking 1,300 vertebrate species — birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals — showed that populations had fallen for most by about 30 percent because of factors including a loss of habitats to farms.
  

Too Good Not To Say Something

Paul had me listen to some more sermons from Rob Bell. I know they're sermons....bluch! But, really, they're interesting. If you're not sure where you stand on all the crazy "save the environment" talk, or know where you stand, but wonder if there is biblical truth behind what your heart is telling you is right....you really should take a moment to download these lessons and give them a try. I've only listened to the "God is Green" series, so those are the ones I am recommending.

http://www.creationcareforpastors.com/downloads.html

Straightforward and Logical

Lately I have been very cold natured. When others are out walking wearing a t-shirt I wear at least two layers and a winter hat. Partly it’s because of still fighting off this eternal cough, but mostly because I just get chilled so easily.

I went to the dentist the other day and was shaking all over so I did something I have never done before-I asked for a blanket. So, that helped with the shaking caused by the temperature, the rest of the shaking was due to my anxiety brought on by the drill in my mouth.

Maddi is just the opposite of me. She is one of the people wearing one layer when I’m wearing three. She says she’s never cold and refuses a sweater especially if the dress on underneath is one of her favorites. So, last night she decided to take off her fleece sweater and just have on a spaghetti-strapped sun dress. We haven’t run the heater in our house yet this winter and it has gotten down into the 30’s a few nights here, though it is usually like 60. So, it was probably 60 or so in the house and she decides to just wear her sun dress. I told her “Maddi, you’re making me cold just looking at you.” And her reply was, “Well, then, if you don’t want to be cold don’t look at me!”

And of course Paul was right there in the background listening and yelled “Good one, Maddi!”

Potty Training

WARNING…BATHROOM HUMOR AHEAD…No queasy stomachs aloud.

Has it ever surprised you when your kids start going poo in the potty how big their B.M.s are? I remember thinking Maddi’s were like adult size poops the first time I saw them in the shape they came out instead of squished in her diapers. I know it’s gross, but it is also such a wonderful feeling (whatever their size) knowing that you don’t have to wipe it off their bum anymore. Aaaahhh.

So, we’ve continued working with Olivia and she has progressed to not only peeing on the potty but also pooing. Now, we’re all familiar with the kids little training potties. They’re small, like our kids. But, as I just mentioned their B.M.’s are not really kid size. So, what has happened with Olivia is that instead of them extending out (like a hot dog), they squish up into lumps.

Now, here is the interesting part. The first time Olivia pooped in her little potty she stood up and looked at it and said “Elephant!” It had kind of mooshed and then hot dogged over to look like a trunk. So I agreed with her and we moved on. Next B.M…snake. Next one, cow. Next one, turtle. Dog. Cat. Etcetera, etcetera. It’s like playing that game where you name the shapes of the clouds in the sky, but only way more disgusting and you want the game to end as soon as its shape has been identified.

Kids are so fun, very creative and a little gross.

Maddi turned four on Thursday. She has literally been looking forward to this birthday since the day after she turned three. She has been talking about it, praying about it and wishing on stars about it. With all that anticipation a constantly-questioning-myself mom like me is bound to be nervous, but it turned out great.
Paul’s parents arrived by plane Wednesday afternoon and after a walk at a nearby park where we saw a spotted owl with the local “birders”, my sister, mom and nephew arrived. Thursday started out with opening one present from each person. The belle dress from us got a classic “It’s just what I wanted!” that is obviously exactly what parents want to hear. The photographed pink and black velvet dress from Uncle Al and Aunt Dayna got a “Oooooh Boy!” that was also very cute. Obviously by the photos you can see there was a “dress-up dress” theme and Maddi had to try on every one immediately after opening them. After opening a few gifts we all went to the zoo. It was a lot of fun for kids and us older folks. That evening we had a family dinner of spaghetti and meatballs-Maddi’s favorite. The kids helped me make cupcakes for that evening and we saved the long awaited Belle cake for the next night when Maddi had her princess party. Friday morning we were getting ready to take everyone to the beach and Maddi got in trouble. I told her to sit on the chair for four minutes since she was now four, but she bawled and argued with me that she wasn’t four and should only get three minutes. We continued to go back and forth until I figured out that she hadn’t actually turned four yet (in spite of gifts, singing, candle blowing and cupcakes) because she hadn’t had her Belle cake. So, after the beach and a bit of magic by my sister and I we had a princess party with four screaming girls and one antagonizing boy (and one very scared dad). We made tiaras, wands and played duck duck goose and my favorite “musical washcloths”. The kids were already running around in circles and screaming anyways, so we just decided to put on the music and let them chase each other and they actually stopped screaming. Anya and Elizabeth are more boy-like (energy wise) than any other little girls I’ve been around, so the games helped to drain them…before filling them with chocolate cake and ice cream and sending them home.
My mom, sister and nephew stayed here until Saturday morning and Paul’s parents left on Monday. The girls cried saying goodbye to both sides of the family. It was wonderful to have them here-even all at the same time. We loved it! Now the trick is getting them all to move here…hmm…
I’ve been thinking some about what Maddi has learned and how she’s changed over the last year, but I’ll have to save it for another blog. I’m sorry about my long absence in blogging. I’m still sick even after antibiotics and lots of coughing and it has me down a bit, but I’m hoping it’s done soon. We’re heading to Nor Cal tomorrow for Turkey day and are getting to join in my family’s tradition of running to feed the hungry. We’re gonna bundle up the kids and put them in a stroller and run a short race in the cold. It should be fun.

Halloween

So, I'll end the mystery and guessing. Here is a small slide show- think "Children's Literature." Hope everyone enjoyed the first holiday of Fall.

Fall

I want to post something new, but don't want to spend a lot of time.
In the last week we:
traveled 700 miles
got sick
painted gourds
Huh?
Yeah, I spent most of my time at my moms sick as a dog, sleeping, and painting. It was fun. I'll post a picture soon. I'm not very artistic, but I think they turned out quite nice. Fall is quickly becoming my favorite season. We've nearly got our costumes all ready to go. I haven't said what they're going to be yet have I? Any guesses? (Not you Timbra, I think I already told you).

Mexico

I've loved Mexico for a long time.

I guess it started when I was fifteen or so and took my first trips down to Tijuana to build a house with Habitat for Humanity. A few years later I was back in a small village outside of Ensenada camping with 50 or so youth doing VBS with all the kids from the village. AIM encouraged all students to love Mexico City; 1994 was my first trip down there. Paul and I spent a month or so at a children's home in Chihuahua, Mexico. And finally we lived in Mexico City from 2003 to 2006.

So, when I saw on Good Morning America that Diane Sawyer was in Mexico City I was very excited. So, this post is mostly to tell you to go to http://www.abcnews.go.com/gma/ to see her interviews with Carlos Slim (world's richest man) and Felipe Calderon. My favorite parts of the segment are not there. They showed her eating tacos (real Mexican tacos), showed Monarch Butterflies, and the divers in Acapulco. The recently added a female to the diving show. Ok, now I'm at my favorite. She spoke with Gael Garcia Bernal (small sigh) (ie: Brad Pitt of Mexico). Wait! That's still not the favorite. My favorite was where he took her. She asked him what was great about Mexico City and do you know where they went? He took her to UNAM. He talked about it being the hub of thinking in Latin America, about it's influence among all of Latin America. So, this is the part where Kristi got teary. I don't have any deep love for UNAM, though I did take classes there. But, I do love and have been influenced by many people who love UNAM. I love James and Erin Henderson. I love Sean and Jeni McClue. I love Benjy and Carolyn Brednich. I love Jay and Sherry Jarboe. I know that they have dreamt for God about UNAM, as I'm sure many other's have. I know that seeds have been planted on that campus for people to live radically transformed lives following Jesus' example. And I know that God is active now in Mexico.

So, my heart and prayers go out to my friend's and extended family in Mexico. I love you guys and thank my God every time I remember you in my prayers; praying that He will be faithful to complete the work He has begun in you!

A Few More

I thought I would post a few more pictures to try to entice anyone to go ahead and purchase their tickets to come visit us.

Sea Lions

When Mike and Karen were here we took a tour of Santa Barbara called the "Land Shark". We drove through down town and then drove right into the water and cruised around in the ocean a bit. The Sea Lions were very entertaining.

Kim Tagged Me

All right, I'll play for you Kim.

Here are the rules. 1)Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves. (2) People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (3) At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. (4) Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
8 things…
1. Paul and I were asked to be on a children’s show in China. I guess it was something comparable to Barney because they had costumes for us to wear and we weren’t going to have to speak Chinese, just dance around. Unfortunately the costumes were not big enough for us so we didn’t get to do it.
2. Another time in China a man whom we had met once called Paul and I at our apartment. After Paul tried to understand anything he was saying I thought I would give it a try and he finally kept repeating a phrase. He said “Wo Ai Ni” over and I over and I thought, “I know that, he’s saying I love you.” He totally freaked me out and I hung up the phone!
3. I have a horrible memory for the names of famous people. One time while dining at a restaurant with Paul in Lubbock, I saw Bobby Knight (basketball coach), and said hey, Paul, there’s “Bobby McKnight.”
4. I have a plethora of embarrassing moments, many of which come from the year I was teaching high school. One morning, instead of carpooling, I drove the hour trip by myself and ate trail mix while driving in the car. When I began teaching first period a student yelled out, “Mrs. Miller what did you do?” and began to scoff and laugh. I had dropped one of the chocolate covered raisins into my seat in the car and it melted into my pants and looked like I had had a different kind of accident in my seat!
5. It kind of embarrasses me now that I chose to walk down the aisle to “Endless Love.” How Cheesy. The fun part though is that I walked so slow (following the strict orders of whoever was in charge of the wedding) that the singers (Jason, Stewart, Angie, Selandra and Flee- I think) had to sing an extra round of the song. Yes, I liked all the attention.
6. To answer the question "where do your girls get their red hair"... The answer is: I have (on my mom's side) two red headed grandparents, one red headed aunt, a red headed cousin and a red headed sister. From Paul's side the girls have two red headed uncles, one red headed aunt (by marriage) and two red headed cousins. From what I know they have Scottish, Irish, German, Danish, English from my side and then Welch, German, English, and Mexican from Paul's side. So, yes, it runs in the family.
7. I wear a mask over my eyes when I’m sleeping. It’s become almost like an obsessive compulsive thing…gotta have it or it ruins the whole night.
8. When I was in the second grade I slapped a girl across the face while waiting for the bus at the bus stop. I also hit a boy across the face when I was like 16 because he wouldn’t let the girls play football with him in P.E. class. So much for Miss Nice.

I'm tagging Marci, Carolyn, Flee, Erin, Angie and Amy.

Just One

Paul's parents left today. I feel fine now, but felt really sad after they left. Family is such a good thing. It's so revitalizing to be around people you know love you 100% without any judgement. Really, that's how I feel about my in-laws! So, it was a great visit, and of course it is always great to have people love on your kids. Karen kindly let me copy her 500 or so photos that she took, so now I have something of value to share. And somehow for tonight I narrowed it down to just one...

Happy Birthday Olivia

Olivia turned two today. I really can't believe how fast the time goes by. Olivia's most recent accomplishments are: hopping on two feet and developing her speech. Over the last month she has been putting more and more phrases together. Of course her favorite phrase now is "Happy Birthday." She was saying "Happy Birthday" to everyone at lunch today and even said "Happy Birthday" to a dog. We celebrated last night with our small group and shared the cake with a lady from our church who has a birthday next week. Then tonight we had dinner and an ice cream cake at home with Grandpa and Grandma. They brought presents from each of the Aunts and Uncles in Colorado, so she ended up with a ton of gifts. She recieved three different musical instruments (even one that I had purchased-crazy mom). At the time of purchasing it I thought, "She needs to be a kid, who cares about a little extra noise." Now that there are more than I expected I may be saying that all loud toys can only be played outside! It was fun to share Olivia's special day with new friends (our small group) and it was also wonderful to have Paul's parents here. They'll be here for a few more days to take in all the sights. Tomorrow we're off to Anacapa Island National Forest.

Not so "fond" of diapers

Maddi went through a phase a few months ago where she was figuring out the word hate. Every time she wanted to express negativity she would use the word. At first it was fine but it got to be constant and Olivia was repeating it. It made me sad that a one year old was saying such a strong word so I told Maddi some other ways to communicate like "I don't care for this" or "I'm not fond of that." "I'm not fond of" stuck and is usually what she'll say, so I'm being nice and using the same phrase, though I really hate diapers and am so ready for Olivia to be done with them.

So, we've started intro to potty training 101. There isn't a lot of pressure, but Olivia is given some opportunity in the morning to run around pants-free and is encouraged to sit on the potty. The funny thing is that I'm not her greatest encourager; it's Maddi. Since we live in a two story house it's kind of a pain to go up and down the stairs for everything and just yesterday Maddi sat bawling at the bottom of the stairs because her shoes were upstairs and I wanted her to go get them. But, if I ask Maddi to run upstairs and get Olivia some books to look at while she sits on the potty she is up the stairs in 3 seconds flat.

Now if Olivia actually pees on the potty, which she is doing with more and more frequency Maddi is the first to hug and applaud her. So, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised yesterday when Olivia peed on her potty and Maddi wasn't there, that the first thing Olivia did was jump up run (away from me) out the door and yell upstairs "MA MA" (Maddi). I felt a tad dejected wanting to give her a high five and a hug and she just wanted to go tell her sister! But, she was back soon enough because I'm the one who dishes out the candy reward!

When Pigs Fly

I have exciting news that I never thought I would be saying. My mom is getting married! No date or plans, but there's a ring on her finger and we are thrilled! It's fun to see my mom happy and to have found someone who enjoys her. This could be turned into a longer story, but I just wanted to share the news. YAE MOM!!

Not So Phenomenal

It wasn't very nice of me to just die in the blog world. I'll try to be back. For now I'll leave you with a fun little story from a month or so back.
Maddi and Olivia were in the bath and Maddi tooted. Maddi giggled a bit and then admitted what she did. Then she suddenly shouted at Olivia, "Olivia! Don't drink the water! I tooted in it!"
The girls are so fun and sweet and honestly are the greatest joy in my life. But I often teeter between crying out of total abundance and "overfullness" of love for them and between this utter fear that I am going to ruin them for life and turn them into the complete opposite of what they are on their sweetest and best days. Ugh-parenthood.

Phenomenal

I found this the other day in a book of poetry by Maya Angelou. I was going to apologize for it being a bit racy, but that seems to do an injustice to the author. So, here it is for all girls out there to feel proud of who they are along with the men who love them. And God made woman...and said it was good!


Phenomenal Woman


Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Maya Angelou

Did anyone else see that they figured out why the bees are dissappering? It really made me happy to read. The bees pollinate a large percentage of the fruit that we like to eat and it looked rather bleak with them dissappearing all around the world. So hip hip hooray for the Spanish scientist who figured it out and Boo hiss to parasites!

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL1826459120070719

Relief from the Heat

These were taken in Rocklin at the park. It was just a public park where they had installed water devices for kids to run in. All the "water park" a three year old needs!

Thanks Amy

Lord, help me watch the words I say
And keep them few and sweet,
For I don’t know from day to day
Which ones I’ll have to eat.
Author Unknown

This was passed on to me and it comes appropiately when I said I would post daily and then the very next day I didn't even do it!

Does anyone care for an excuse? I rode my back that next day. Granted, it was no Tour de France, it was a Tour De Goleta (our local beach town) and it was like a 7 mile tour, but that night I fell asleep on the couch while Paul was reading Brian Mc Laren to me, and I NEVER fall asleep during our nightly reads (refer back to previous poem)...

I'm going to try to blog daily for one week and see what happens.
So, today I just wanted to say how happy I am to have my Sirius Radio back. I really didn't know how hooked I was on it until I went without for a month or so. I only listen to one station- The Coffee House. I love it. They play lots of Jack Johnson, and today I heard one of my favorites from James Taylor, "Something in the way she moves," Norah Jones, Madelein Peyroux...and lots of Acoustic stuff by people whose names I can't remember-very nice. It's weird how I used to listen to loud angry music and then the girls were born and, well, I've changed. Life isn't always calm, but I feel more peaceful inside and I guess my music preference shows it.

It's Late

I wish I wasn't always in a hurry here at the computer. It's late and it's a little scary in this church building late at night. The worst part is leaving out the side door and wandering out in the dark. I follow the path back around to the front and always here the lizards scurrying. I just wonder which night I will encounter more than a lizard, like a gofer or a coyote. At least I'm armed with my flashlight. So, I'm going to post a few pictures of the girls and run home.
Is anybody out there watching "Shaq's Big Challenge?" We're addicted. It's "light" entertainment, but obviously has a serious side as well and is really inspiring to see kids wanting to change their lives.
Happy all went well in Potter Mania days. I'll be calling a friend to see if I can borrow his book next week. I don't need the bill, or the book, but I do need to know how it all ends!

Home

We're back. We had a relaxing trip home. We did a few fun things like shop in Nevada City, ran though sprinklers at a public park in Rocklin,and went to a classic old car show in Auburn. I realized that I grew up in a town full of..."interesting" people.
The ride up and back was fun with our friends. Whenever the girls got bored they would just start squealing knowing that Anya and Elizabeth would respond back with an equally loud or louder yell. Really, the girls did great and I'm reminded often of how blessed we are by GREAT kids! Not far into the trip I was picking up old Slovak from years past...words like Kricit (yell) and pisat (pee) were used quite often.
I better go make lunch. Hope everyone is good. I just checked tickets to Mexico. Of course after telling all that we wanted to come visit the prices are double what they were two months ago. Ugh! We'll have to wait and see.
P.S. Gearharts- we're thinking about coming down for the retreat, but that's when tickets were $208 from LA to Guad. Let's hope they go back down!

Us in Solvang (See "Alive" Post)

Carpool Trip

I'll be gone for a few days. I was planning on going home next week, but then found out a family is headed the same general direction and asked if the girls and I could ride along (It seems like this is becoming a summer tradition for me) so we're leaving tomorrow for Livermore, where my mom will pick us up and take us to greener pastures.
The girls and I have been spending some time with Olga, Anya (5) and Elizabeth (3); and so when they mentioned going on their trip I asked about the possibility of riding with them since I was nervous about the 7 hour trip with the kids by myself. I'm glad they agreed.
I started wondering about where the audacity to ask them came from and I think it comes from 1)being married a long time (no empasis on LONG) 2)having really kind and generous friends 3)living overseas. I even wonder now if they were American if I would've been a little more timid to ask because we are generally very concerned with our personal time, and space and privacy; whereas since they are Ukranian it wasn't as big of a deal. I say that marriage gave me more drive to ask them for a ride not because I had to get away from Paul, but because marriage, like friendship has taught me that people really do like to help others and genuinely want to have community and closeness with others.
Anyhow I feel very blessed to be forming new friendships and that they are welcoming the girls and I into their "personal space." I think we're going to have lots of fun!

Alive

• Well we are still here. I'm sure you were wondering if our vegetarian diet swept us off the planet. I hate the word diet, so I'll stay "lifestyle." Amy, I went and got a vitamin B12; so, hopefully we're on the right track. We are serving the girls meat every other day or so. When it is there they really go wild, so I'm not sure if that's a sign of something. We haven't told a soul here what we're doing (I don't want to put anyone out) and so we are eating meat when we're with other people. It has averaged like twice a week-which is a big drop from our two servings daily! I feel like it is healthier, but will have to keep checking and learning.
  
• My Sister was here with her family last weekend. It was really fun. Tony and the girls had a great time and I feel like we're on our way to knowing eachother again. We spent better time with my brother-in-law than ever before and had a great time. We spent a day at the beach with them and finally got out the suits. Of course I was the only one who really got in. The water is a little chilly but bearable. We also went to the Danish town of Solvang which means "Sun Valley." It is about 45 minutes from here and is a tourist spot with lots of shops and Danish bakeries. Overall we had a great time and still want MORE visits!
  
• We also had 20 or so people over for the 4th of July. Our yard is large and shady in the afternoon. We wish the Hendersons could stop by for some Arrachera on the grill...I mean veggie Arrachera...Anyway, It was a nice time. The girls helped me decorate cupcakes with sprinkles and they love to have people over.
  Better Go-
  
• Hope everyone had a nice 4th of July. It was bitter sweet as my heart hurts for those in battle right now. God bring your peace...

It's all the "RAVE"

We started a "diet" yesterday. We are playing around with a vegetarian diet. Man...we've been in California like 6 weeks and "it" is already happening. We didn't set foot into "the land of fruits and nuts" with somekind of goal of fitting in. It must be in the water.
It started with a talk radio Paul's been listening to. He bought a book and DVD about this diet and we watched the DVD and that was about all it took for me to think I would at least give it a try. It basically talked about how cancer and heart disease didn't exist 100 years ago except among the elite rich who could afford meat. In asia where meat still is not eaten in mass quantity they don't suffer from the types of diseases that we do. There were people interviewed on the movie who, when diagnosed with cancer or heart disease, decided to avoid doctor's suggestions of chemotherapy and bypass surgeries, and cured themselves of their diseases by changing to this diet. It also talked briefly about the excess amount of water used to feed and process meat, as well as the land and forests that are cut down so that we can have more land for cattle to graze...so we can eat more meat. There is a lot of destruction of the earth going on solely based on humans craze for meat!
We also watched "Fast Food Nation" which was a fictional movie, but was based on the meat industry and the plants where the cows are slaughtered. It was a haunting movie.
RAVE is an acronym for...
No Refined anything (flour, sugar, etc)
No Animal Products
No Vegetable oils
No Exception
+ Excersize

So, I guess the idea is vegetarian, and vegan, but also not just surviving on a junk sugar diet either. I've had to do a ton of shopping for different types of foods and spent about 45 minutes in the produce section of the grocery store yesterday. That's a long time for someone who isn't a big shopper!
We'll let you know how it goes. Right now we're in the "gassy" stage. Try eating fruits, veggies, and whole grain all day! Yikes! This too shall pass.
Hope you all (Gearharts, Rush's...my loyal readers) are all very well...

Slide Show Experiment

I decided to play with the slide show that Timbra had used on her blog. These pictures are from Memorial Day weekend. They were taken at "The Mission" as it is called here in Santa Barbara. Remember all the artwork seen is just pastels and sidewalk. Amazing!
Not much new here. We planted a small garden of peppers (serranos just for Paul and his nolstalgic milanesa tortas from Mexico), tomatoes, and some herbs. The girls helped me plant and water. I'll post pictures later. We also found a new beach (new to us, that is) tonight on Father's Day. The girls loved playing in the sand, which honestly we haven't really done yet since arriving just over a month ago.

I don't have much to say, but wanted to say hi to those of you who still come around. We're doing well. We're adjusting to our new home just fine and the girls have handled the change wonderfully. There are always neat things going on around here, so we've done a few different things this last week.
Last Sunday we returned to the Pier where they have the memorial for those who have died in Iraq. Maddi and I helped many others light candles around the 3400+ crosses that are there every Sunday. It was a moving experience and I prayed for peace in the lives of those families as we participated in that memorial. There were families gathered around individual crosses and it broke my heart to know that they were hurting over a lost loved one. http://www.vfpsb.org/
We also went to I Madonarri. It's an art event here at the Santa Barbara mission where artists draw pictures on the walkways using pastels. I'll have to post pictures later; there are obviously many talented artists in the area. http://www.imadonnarifestival.com/im.html
This Saturday we went to the Big Dawg Parade. People dressed in costume with their dogs and joined the parade along with marching bands and such. The girls enjoyed it a lot. It may have been better if we were closer, but they got the gist. http://www.bigdogs.com/parade/vendorbrochure2007.pdf
I rode my back around a bit last week. That was fun too. There are trail right from our house that will get us to the beach. I don't feel ready for that yet; though it's just a few miles away. I did go up a very steep hill around the corner and only got half way up. I decided to walk the rest because I was committed and when I got up there there was a parrot in front of a house that greeted me with a loud "hi," though I thought "congratulations" would have been more appropriate.
Better Go...

To Friends

Just a couple of things...

1. We get a phone on Tuesday; hopefully we'll be able to talk to some of you after that.

2. Amtrak! Stephen and Kaylin found round trip tickets for $150 from Texas, so I just wanted to remind you (Phill and Keely) to search for all options. I thought the train thing might be fun from Colorado.

3. Our house sold! Yae!

Here's a couple more fotos as well. Enjoy.

Olivia

I finally downloaded my most recent pictures. I was looking for good ones of Santa Barbara to show you, but what I came up with was some really good ones of Olivia. She is really developing quite a personality. She is still less verbal than Maddi was, but that doesn't seem to stop her. She has lots of character and even more just plain goofiness. She is a lot of fun!

We Made It

Hi Everyone,
Well, we are now (unofficial) Californians. I think it will be official when we go to DMV and get our driver's liscences. That happens tomorrow!
Our trip was good. I can barely remember it now; a lot has happened in a week! We left Monday around 4 and drove to Amarillo. The next morning we let the girls swim briefly after breakfast and we were in the car by 10. We stayed in Arizona that night, but I've already forgotten where. The next day was my birthday and was fairly uneventful. But, we made it to Barstow that night and ate Mexican food at my request. We stumbled upon a fairly authentic restaurant and then bought an ice cream turtle pie at Vons. The girls were so sweet and excited singing happy birthday to me; I don't think anything can beat that. Paul bought candles and topped the cake, but then we couldn't find any matches, so I just pretended to blow them out. It was a step up from last year, because we were also on the road last year and we didn't even have cake. Maybe next year we'll do cake AND candles! Woa!
So, on Thursday we made it into town by 2 in the afternoon. Friday, Paul and I celebrated our 11th anniversary. My mom offered to watch the girls and we took her up on it and had dinner on State Street (a very touristy street here).
So far here we've: walked the pier at Goleta Beach at Sunset, gone to the park around the corner, hit an art exhibit (outside) and the more popular Pier in Downtown Santa Barbara, driven to L.A. and back (had flashbacks of Mexico City), saw some men catch a small Sandshark, saw a memorial to those who have died in the Iraq war (Called West Arlington, Santa Barbara-very cool/sad/good?), seen starfish, Paul preached his first sermon, went to a farmers market in downtown SB...
We are so thankful for your prayers and friendship...
We would love visits from everyone, and have room.
We will send pictures soon,
Kristi

Maddi's Last Ballet Class

This is a tiny bit from Maddi's ballet. Her falling on the floor was typical of every class. She might really enjoy baseball or soccer some day because she was sliding all over the place. I hope this works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUNOurdnKEw

National Day of Prayer

I just thought this was a good opportunity to mention a couple of web-sites that are really neat in assisting me in prayer.
It seems like it's been a long time since prayer came easy. But, I know that in those times I lived my life with more assurance, more hope and excitement about any kind of opportunities. I also felt less fear, negativity and anxiety in general.
So, if you're looking for maybe a new angle, or a little help these two sites are great.
http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html
http://www.sacredspace.ie/

The Final Countdown!

(We're not going to look like tourists, are we?)
Hey!
Does my title bring up any memories of an old song by an eighties hairband, "Europe?" What a great song! One of my very first tape, yes tape, purchases, and no, I'm not ashamed. Well, that's just a side note...
We are moving in 10 days!! I think we've nailed down the date. My mom will be flying in on the 9th and will help us drive out with the U-haul towing a car, our other car, our girls and, oh yes, the cat "Cookie." I don't really know what a three day drive with a cat is like. Do you have to tell the hotel people when you check in? Do you take the litter box with you? Is she going to be so confused by the time we land there that she'll just go sit in the middle of the road till someone puts her out of her misery? Hmmm...
We are very excited. I feel soo thankful, blessed and thrilled. I've compared my feelings to possibly how the Israelites might have felt leaving Egypt. I know Texans may take offense, but it's not really against Texans. They might feel similar if they were living in California and longing for their homeland of Texas. So, though I know that our hearts will not be truly at home until we are complete in God, I think that for me the scenery at least will be more "like home."

Speaking of Earth Day

I went to Saver's yesterday and got some canvas bags to use at the grocery store. I was very proud of myself. We've recycled for a long time (and it also always makes me feel proud too), but have alway just used paper or plastic bags at the store. When I was in line at the store the lady behind me said to her daughter, "Hey we need to get some bags like that as well." That made me glad. She had seen it on Oprah (also who reminded me) and though she looked a little bit like a hillbilly I thought, that is really cool.
So, what are you doing to consume less, reuse, recycle, etc? I'd love to hear your ideas.

A New Kinda Preacher

Angie's post about earth day got me thinking a bit. She asked if any church goers heard a lesson about "Earth Day" last Sunday, kind of like you would hear a lesson about Mother's Day, or Father's day on their appropriate day's. Rich Mullin's has a quote about Mary; in speaking about certain groups feeling uncomfortable how much Mary is honored in certain other christian groups. He said "Maybe it's not that we're honoring Mary too much, but maybe that we're honoring eachother too little." I wonder if it isn't the same with Mom's, Dads, eachother, Mary, and maybe other aspects of creation as well like...planet earth. It's not that it's such a dangerous thing to think about creation, be in awe of it and even love it, but it comes up as a big contrast to our general self-centeredness and non-respectful attitudes. All that to say, it would be a good thing to love, honor and cherish all of God's creation a little more.
So, I didn't hear any lesson about Earth day at church, but I think it's a super idea. Paul has been talking about wanting to be a "new kinda preacher." Maybe one that would speak about our responsibilities to be stewards on earth day, but what else? We've been trying to figure out what that would look like. What would a new kind of preacher look like to you? Ideas Please!!!

Be A Blessing

I guess I’m doing a series on our kid’s prayers without even having planned it. Maddi has said another thing in her prayers that I think is neat, though probably not typical, and if it came out of an adult’s mouth would sound very self righteous. But, it is an opportunity to brag and to lead into something that I’ve been learning that I think is so important. It doesn’t come up as often as her “thank you for all things new” statement, but more than once Maddi has said “thank you for the blessings I do.” At first it caught me off guard and I wanted to correct her. I thought we don’t “do” blessings, we “have” blessings. But as we all know, we have so much to learn.
I better tell you right now that this bit of preaching I’m going to go into is due mostly to readings Paul and I have done of various Brian McLaren books. He talks about this on more than one occasion and it really hits home. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the actual passages where he talks about this, and so all of what I have to say is going to be from memory (and might be a huge mess by the time I’m done with it).
Here’s the gist: God says to Abram in Genesis 12, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing.” God is making a promise to Abram and in hindsight we see that from his descendants Christ came, began a movement and those who follow Christ began to meet together…and on it goes. Now, we current day Christians seem to quickly grasp the first part of the promise. We are blessed. And there is no doubt that we are. We are blessed with freedom, grace, peace, forgiveness, wholeness, unity with God and others, and so much more. But, it seems that in our wanting to claim our “blessedness” we have wanted to make sure we could map out, chart out, and draw exactly how it is that we are blessed and the exact steps we took to get here, define who are (and inherently who are not in the blessed group), and then make sure that all of the people we have categorically placed in the out group know that we are blessed and they are not. But, in all of this exaggerated and true portrayal of what we do sometimes we have forgotten the second part of the promise-that we also we would be a blessing to others. God didn’t bless us, so we could sit and praise ourselves for being in this state of blessedness, but so that we could bless others irregardless of where they sit on our charts or labels. We are to be a blessing. No strings attached. Not only if they agree to x, y and z. We are to be a blessing. Period.
Now, I don’t think we should start thanking God for the blessings we do, though it is quite an amazing thought that God has entrusted us to such a great and really fun task! Thank you God for letting us be a blessing in spite of all our weaknesses.

New

Maddi has been lately thanking God for "all things new." I don't really know where it came from, but I like it. Spring is here and she has been thrilled about the trees and flowers blooming and has declared spring her new favorite season. We are glad winter is ending. We'll see where this blog goes...I may prove yet again to start and not follow through, but just to get started I'll repeat Maddi's words and be thankful for all things new.