Cutie-Pie

I may be a little biased, but I happen to think that my little guy Javen is the cutest little boy I have ever seen! Not only does he have this sweet face, but his energy and personality is equally sweet! BabyGap.com is having their annual "casting call". This is when they search for new baby and kid models for their web-site, store banners/flyers, etc. I decided to enter Javen, just to see what happens! All of the applicants will be narrowed down to 20 from each category. Then, it's up to the public to vote for their favorite from that top 20. That is how the winner is chosen. Grand prize...a family trip to SanFransisco for a photo-shoot with Gap and a $1000 Gap shopping spree! It would be so exciting, even if he just made it into the top 20! We shall see...

Oh snap...

This is just one of the amazing photos that were taken by Amanda Williams last weekend at our family shoot.

Yes, I know, we are incredibly good-looking.

Try not to be jealous.

In approximately 5 hours, Justin and I will be leaving for a weekend away from...everything! 2 days in Galena for the Rock Church marriage retreat means; relaxation, quality time with each other, good friends, good food, good...ya know!

My dearest blog-post page, I shall see you next week!

I wonder...

 I wonder what I would have been like, had I not fallen in love with Jesus. There's no telling the ridiculous decisions I would have made, or how many people I would have allowed to take advantage of me. I think that if I would have never became a christian and a pastors wife, then right now I  might be living out one of these 2 scenarios...which makes me wonder if I'm a little bi-polar, because they are so opposite!

1. I would be...

Worshipping "mother-nature". You know, one of those hippy-type, eating organic granola , wearing hemp jewelry and peasant skirts. Painting in the park.

I would have many, many tattoos

I would give much of my time and money to "good-causes", that have nothing to do with the Kingdom of God.

Or...

2. I would be...

A rock star

I would wear skinny jeans and super mod tops or vintage band t's, everyday. 

I would have a bright-pink streak through my hair

I would have many, many tattoos (hmmm?)

I would be completely worshipping myself and giving in to my sinful desires.

I would be deep into debt due to spending all of my money on designer jeans, shoes, etc... 

With either of these scenarios, I would be...

Hopeless. Wondering why these things that are so appealing to me, have left me so empty.

Thank you God for rescuing me from what I could have been!

I am beyond thankful to be living a life fulfilled, through Jesus Christ.

Walking the fence

This afternoon while cleaning the bathroom, oddly enough, this scripture came to my mind. It is a familiar scripture, but I had never heard it spoken through The Message translation, so I looked it up;

Revelation 3:15-16 "I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You're not cold, you're not hot- far better to be either cold or hot! You're stale. You're stagnant. You make me want to vomit."

Woah...that's harsh. But sadly, that is true of most of us, at least some of the time. We become so acclimated to church, and the routine of it that we become stale, stagnant, without growth or passion.

God obviously wants our whole heart to be on fire for Him. But it's crazy to me that God would prefer for us to be cold, to completely turn our back on Him, than to be luke-warm, walking the fence.

I am being challenged to uncover areas where I might still be keeping just a little for myself. Areas where I am selfish, prideful, and not allowing God to do all that He wants to in my life. Areas where I am tempted to just touch my toes into dangerous territory.

Which side of the fence are you on?

Mmmmm good.

Caramel Apple Spice

Do It

Enough Said

Here it comes again...

In about 9 days, we will be here.

Where? Beautiful Galena IL

What? Rock Church Marriage Retreat

Why? Some much needed R&R, as well as 2 whole days of quality time with Justin.

I look forward to the marriage retreat every year. My anticipation usually starts about 6 weeks before the retreat. I love Galena, and as I mentioned in a previous post, I love this time of year. Most of all, I love my husband. Weeks go by and even though we are usually together at home in the evenings, it is difficult to spend real quality time with each other. That is why I love this annual weekend experience. No distractions. (well, other than some great shopping maybe) No cooking, no cleaning, just chillaxin. Can't wait.

What a small world...

Wednesday afternoon I took a trip to the hair salon with Christianna (she was chopping 6" and needed emotional support!) I was browsing through some hair catalogues when I saw a photo that got my attention. I was shocked at seeing this particular model, because she looked shockingly similar to a friend of mine, Liv Ryan. So I began taking pictures of the model in the catalogue thinking "Oh man, I have to show Liv that she has a twin out there somewhere!" The more I looked at the photos, the more I began to think...Ok, is this seriously her?

I texted Liv, just to find out for sure;

Me: "Hey, did you ever do any modeling for a hair catalogue?"

Liv: "Yeah, like 3 years ago..."

Me: "Holy crap! I am staring at a photo of you in the catalogue right now!"

It was so crazy! It must have been a similar emotion to just finding out you're related to a celebrity or something!

Who would have thought that photo shoot would land in a catalogue, and fall into my hands, at a small salon in East Moline IL. Maybe it is a small world after all...

 

I love this guy...

I have the most amazing husband on the face of the earth!...I'm pretty sure about that. Justin works countless hours every week  for the church, in addition to being a wrestling coach, running a coffee shop, and maintaining a healthy family life. He also willingly puts up with my multiple weekly rehearsals, and late-night weekend gigs, while he is left with Javen. I don't know anyone like him, and I'm so glad he is mine!

Penny pinching gone wrong...

In an attempt to save a few extra bucks at Wal-Mart this week, I decided to buy the generic brand of diapers, instead of the usual Huggies. For those of you who are unaware of the technology behind diapers, here's what happens; When the diaper gets wet, the lining expands and turns into a type of gel. This morning when I went to get Javen from his crib, he was covered in these tiny gel-beads, due to diaper-leakage. He was grossed out. Thank you generic brands of the world for saving us all a little cash, but I'm afraid I will return to my name-brand diapers. 

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!!

This is what Sundays used to be:

10:00am- Church

12:00pm- Out for a relaxing lunch with family and friends

1:30- Home to watch a movie, take a nap...do nothing!

This is what Sundays have become:

8:00am- Sound check

10:00am- Church Service #1

12:00pm- Quick run for lunch between services

1:00pm- Church Service #2

1:45pm- Home to put Javen down for a nap, and try to chill out for a few minutes.

3:30pm- Small group

5:00pm- New Wine rehearsal

7:00pm- Leadership training (once a month)

Do I miss the good old, relaxing, do nothing Sundays? Yes

But do I love what God is doing through us at Rock Church? Heck yes

My fall & winter lust-list...

Boots by Mark Nason

If you haven't seen this line of boots, you have to check them out! Especially the guys...

Super cozy down coat by Soia&Kyo

Jeans by True Religion

Butter-soft leather bag by Marc Jacobs...yummy.

Grand total for all of these fabulous items... approx $1200!!! A girl can dream, can't she?...

My dillema...

I have been in denial of the fact that my hair looks better short, for the past 4 months or so. I am trying to grow it long, but am beginning to suffer from a severe lack of patience. Here is what my hair could possibly look like, if I continue to grow it to my desired length...

Otherwise...chop-chop. 

What do you think oh faithful readers? 

Poor little fella

I am an animal lover at heart. I can usually find something cute about even the most unloveable furry creatures. This guy however...well that's just nasty. Is he even alive? Looks very little like a dog, more like a dead rat to me. Gross...

My favorite season

Today for the first time in 2008, I could feel autumn in the air.

I love everything about fall. I love the way the air feels just right, not too humid, not too cold or hot. I love the way it smells, like burning leaves or an apple cinnamon candle. I love the colors of fall, the way that God reaches down and paints each leaf so vividly. I love the way that the fallen leaves sound as you crunch through them. I love being huddled under a blanket at a football game. I love jackets and sweaters, and comfy worn out jeans. 

I love fall. 

Big, Beautiful, and Broken

This is our TV. For the past week, this is all that it has done, yep...broke. No picture, no sound...broke. We called the repair center last Tuesday when this happened, only to hear that the soonest a technician could come look at the TV would be today, a full week later. Me, being a stay-at-home mom, became slightly concerned about this situation. However, this week I have realized how much I DON'T need a TV! I really have hardly missed it. I've been able to spend so much more quality time with Javen, playing in the backyard, going to the park, making forts. Also got to start a new book, and do some artwork. This, has been a refreshing week. However, the technician just left our house, and he left some bad news...$700 to fix our TV! That's not even right. This TV is less than a year and a half old, it's not some cheap generic brand, and we paid a pretty penny for it! The guy said that we need to call Hitachi and pitch a fit, and hopefully they will cover the expenses for us. *Sigh...

What about you, could you do it??? Challenge yourself to give up TV for 1 week, and let the creativity flow!