Riding Nana/Papa Horses

This is pretty typical of our family. Acting silly and laughing our heads off. This is the stuff I want to remember about Christmas (strange puns and all...)

Gingerbread Houses!

For the first time ever we made gingerbread houses. And better yet, we did so with our dear friends, the McCoy's. Rachelle and Jason made real gingerbread, totally impressive. I cheated and bought a $10 gingerbread house kit. No regrets! Here are Caedon, Adi and Djuna celebrating the completed sweet treats.

Front view:

Rear view:

I couldn't resist a sweet pic of little Piran (peer-en). I'm totally in love with this little guy, he's so amazing, sweet, and content. And when you make eye contact with him it's like the whole world lights up.And finally, a self-portrait of me and Finn. We used to joke around that I was Finn's mommy #2 because when he wouldn't let anyone else but mommy hold him, he would let me, which provided a much needed break for Rachelle and some cozy baby time for me. I kinda like the title.

Happy Friday?

Today has been quite a day already. First thing this morning after my shower, which is really the first thing so I suppose it would be more appropriate to say second thing this morning Cam calls me into the bedroom. What could follow might be fun and interesting, but instead I hear him say, "Ihry puked on the bed". Nice. I flipped on the light to find dog puke on the bed with two whole chunks of baby corn from last nights curry and rice dinner. Adi surely snuck Ihry a couple of "treats" and Ihry was now returning the favor. This pretty much set the tone for the morning.

After cleaning up dog puke, and inevitably cat pee and poop in the litter area (this is a broad term since lately Mojo does his thing wherever he feels like it, mostly within a few feet of the litter boxes but rarely in them - we're working with the vet on that) I finally got out the door. I needed to stop at Walgreens on the way to pick up our Christmas photos and some Cold-Eeze & Ricola for my weird slight chest congestion.

I drove the van because the tires are better and it's bigger so if I crash or some moron who doesn't know how to drive in the snow plows into me I'll have a better chance of survival than if I'm in the teeny Ford Escort. This choice meant that I accidentally left my badge in the car and couldn't get into the building without going to the guard station where they issued me a bright orange "loser" badge.

When I finally got inside and to my desk I opened my drawer to get my shoes, forgetting that I had taken them home with me the day before. Great, now I get to wear my big honkin snow boots all day long. Dragh. Then Cam called to make sure I got here OK and to remind me that I forgot my cell phone at home (if ever there is a time you should have your cell phone with you, it's while traveling in a snow storm!)

Finally I opened my envelope of photos and all 50 of them were chopped off! Only half of Cam's face showed and it said Merry Christma and Adilyn was cut off to Ad - we do occasionally call her that but that's not the point! Anyway, here's what it's supposed to look like:

I'm relieved to report that I'm not the only one having a crappy morning. My boss spent half an hour trying to figure out how to get logged onto one of the lab computers. A co-worker got stuck 3 times on her commute from Coralville and it took her 2 hours to get here. Yet another co-worker dropped her cell phone in the pee water in her toilet this morning. Another almost got run over by the crazy janitor lady who vacuums like a psycho near the main entrance at 8 am when most people are arriving to work and then scowls at people when they try to get by. Finally, another spilled her entire mug of coffee all over the passenger seat on her way to work. Those are just the stories I've heard. Surely there are more. Happy Friday!

Victoria's Sweet 16

Some photos of my niece's sweet 16 birthday party. We had lots of fun, and lots of sugar.

Saying Yes

It has been almost 2 years since I completed classes at Eastwind School of Holistic Healing. The "plan" was that I would quit my job at Pearson (which I had already done but continued working there as a temp in a different department to help pay the bills) and I would work from home doing therapeutic massage.

In the midst of the six month program I had my second miscarriage. Coping with the loss made it nearly impossible for me to do any more than the bare minimum. My studies were compromised and my desire to do anything career related fizzled. I put on the "I'm OK" face and plowed through, somehow (by the grace of God) managed to pass my board exams eight months after I completed my course work. That was one year ago.

Not long after I finished school I was offered a new permanent position at Pearson; between benefits and a considerable pay raise I simply could not turn it down. So the "plan" was adjusted so that I could work full-time and do massage therapy part-time. Within weeks of accepting the new position life's waves crashed over me once again and four months later another blast. Four lost pregnancies and the mere idea of giving anyone at all a massage felt exhausting, constricting. People don't just get over stuff like that. I'm still coming out of my "grief coma" - sometimes in leaps sometimes in creeps.

A few nights ago I woke up in the middle of the night. I didn't want to be awake. Not a surprise. But what was a surprise was what felt like God asking me to do something. It felt nagging, irritating, and I tried to brush it off. But I couldn't sleep. Finally I said, "Fine. If I can sleep now, I'll do it." Seconds later I was fast asleep. So now I have to do what I was told: the application for my Iowa Bodywork and Massage license is in the mail.

The bible is full of stories of God asking his people to do things they don't want to do. Again and again, those who say yes are blessed abundantly. I hope I heard right. I hope for God's blessing. I often ask God to bless me, "just because he loves me". It's time to return the favor.

Making Christmas Cookies

Oh, Christmas Tree

This year, decorating the Christmas tree for Adi meant that she had to dress up and be beautiful first. She has learned well from friend Djuna how to use what's around you to make an extraordinarily lovely gown.
When she heard that the tree had a skirt, she decided that the tree shouldn't wear it, but she should. So she found a ribbon in the decorations box, wrapped the tree skirt around her little body and asked for help tying her ribbon belt. I think it turned out beautifully.Now that Adi was well dressed for decorating a tree, she decided the tree could use a few pretty things too.
Under the tree is one of the cats favorite places to hang out, though that might change with Adi operating in "capture and hold" mode. Bella and Mojo aren't too excited about that so when Adi comes running, they go running ;)
This tree looks so much better in sepia! A couple of years ago I decided to buy plastic ornaments so Adi could play with them and I wouldn't have to worry about her getting hurt on broken glass. We're still using the plastic ornaments, but after seeing blogs from a couple friends and realizing that broken ornaments are part of the "tradition" I think I might pull out my real ornaments after all.
So now the tree has been relocated to the family room downstairs because I realized that on Christmas morning I can't think of anything more sweet than a new tradition of opening gifts next to a cozy fire in our new insert, which we totally love. So stayed tuned for new pictures of our tree with upgraded ornamentation.

Hillside Fellowship Church

When we were in Oregon I really wanted to visit a Vineyard Church while we were there. I did find one in Portland, but it would have been a 30-45 minute drive to get there from Aurora and after all the other driving we had already done we were feeling like another drive would suck and we wanted to go some where closer.

Shane's neighbors across the street have been doing a non-denominational church thing for a little while and they meet at the American Legion on Main Street in Aurora. I was reluctant because I knew it would be pretty small, we hadn't met his neighbors and we wouldn't be able to blend in. Everyone would know we were visiting. I know it's funny that I mention that, but as an introvert I really prefer that attention not be directed to me. In the end we decided we were both desperate for Jesus (not because the trip was bad but more because we hadn't been able to listen to Christian music or really talk about Jesus or faith, except with Adi when she brought him up, which was always a welcomed conversation from my perspective. I love talking about Jesus with Adi, and trust me, she likes to ask lots of questions about him. It's marvelous!

So off we go on our 3 block jaunt to church Sunday morning. When we got to Hillside Fellowship Church we were about 8 minutes early and no one else was there except Brian the worship leader, Zach the pastor (and neighbor) and a woman setting up who didn't tell us her name (shame on me for not asking --- I was nervous). We were so grateful that Zach greeted us as soon as he realized we were there. We chatted, met Brian and before long several others had arrived. I didn't do a head count but I'd say including children there were about 3o people there, give or take a few. It was teeny. But very homey.

They did things a bit different. We didn't worship until after the teaching which felt strange at first but it was totally amazing and well worth the wait. The teaching felt more like a bible study (which is how the church got it's roots) and it was fabulous. Zach acknowledged Cam and I during his teaching (and it felt OK - we were honored), he was animated, anointed and full of life. At the end while we were praying for the community they prayed for a safe return trip for us back to Iowa, again we were honored. We learned so much in such a short time. We took the super long way home so we could talk more about how God was stirring in us. Cam calls it the highlight of the trip. It was that good.

This experience gave me hope and inspired me. It showed me that a church doesn't have to be big to be alive (not that my church is that big at around 200). As I've gotten bits and pieces of feeling like I will one day be involved in a church plant, I felt like attending Hillside Fellowship was very much a part of God's plan to show me what a church in it's early phases can look like and I feel a lot less nervous about being a part of something like that some day when the time is right.

So I thank God for my trip to Oregon. I thank God for my family and for positioning Shane and his family exactly where they are. For connecting a few dots and leading Cam and I into an experience well worth telling about. I pray for God's favor on Hillside Fellowship Church, for more people to experience Jesus through them and blessing on their ministry, in Jesus' name.

Portland

Oregon Coast

When my brother Shane was making plans for us to come out for the holiday he asked what we wanted to do. The only thing I cared about was making sure Adi got her first chance to visit the ocean. So, the day after Thanksgiving we all piled into a vehicle and drove and hour and a half to the coastal town of Lincoln City, OR.
The weather was perfect for strolling about on the coast, taking in the enormity of the great Pacific Ocean.Surprisingly, Adi wasn't really interested in the seashells. The tide was super high when we first arrived so there weren't many to be found, aside from the occasional broken clam shell. Even though they were pretty and shiny inside, she preferred the smooth round pebbles instead.
Here's Papa and Adi. Nana and Papa took turns taking walks with her. Adi and I could have stayed forever, not everyone else was so convinced. Especially after...Nana and Papa were walking together with Adi when a huge wave came in above their knees before they could get out of it. Luckily Adi was held high and didn't get wet, unfortunately I didn't have the camera with me when it happened or I would have had a very funny video to post ;) Below you can see Nana and Papa have wet jeans. From left to right: Cam, Shane (my brother), Nana (my mom), Adi, Kris (Shane's wife), Papa (my dad).After the tidal incident, we all went to Bi-Mart so Nana and Papa could get some dry clothes. Adi and Nana also picked up some rain boots so they could wade in the water together. Adi was pretty excited about that!The ocean is such a fun subject to photograph. I love taking photos with sepia.A pretty picture of my little girl.On our walk back to the car Adi was a bit chilly so she climbed into my really large fleece jacket like a little papoose. It was very cozy.
And we couldn't resist taking photos of some of the flowers that were blooming at the coast. This splash of color was so wonderful!

First of Many Oregon Posts

First I have to say Happy Birthday to Grandma Marsha (12/1) and Uncle Travis. We thought of you on your birthday but completely failed to call... please forgive us!


So here Adi is on her first plane ride on our way to Oregon to visit my brother Shane and his family (wife Kris and step-daughter Maddy). We knew my parents were planning on being there for Thanksgiving and we didn't tell them we were coming... complete surprise for them! And woo hoo, somehow we pulled it off. They had no idea we were coming. It was hard to keep the secret so long!!

Adi's response to take off was, "wow, this is fun!" The trip on the airplane was so much more fun with Adi's excitement and enthusiasm.She didn't sleep on the first flight to Minneapolis but she finally gave up her fight against exhaustion on the 3 hour flight to Portland. We had all been up since 1:30 am Thanksgiving morning so we could get on the road to Des Moines where our flight left at 5:00 am. Sheesh, that was rough.
Adi spent a lot of time just watching the clouds and the view from her window seat. She's a big fan of flying, though she'll tell you that she didn't like the pressure part, gum didn't always help.
Boomer and Adi got along really well, it took a while for Adi to realize that not all dogs are crazy like our Ihry and she could actually pet and cuddle with Uncle Shane's dogs. Poor kid, it really made me wish we had done a better job training Ihry to behave better, especially with Adi. Maybe there's still time...Cousin Maddy's dad was in town so we only got to spend one day with her, but Adi really enjoyed the time she did have. She told me, "mommy, I really love Maddy". So sweet.