Blogs I Follow

David set up this blog long ago and I slowly but surely I began posting to it; now, I post 80% or more of the items but interestingly, I have never really known anything about design or settings. Today, I finally spent some time exploring and while I am not yet brave enough to change the background, I finally put a "blog roll" in place. There is now a list of many of the blogs I follow on the left side of the homepage. Check it out!

Conflict or Harmony

It's interesting, I suspect that people would say of me, "She doesn't mind conflict. In fact, she likes it." That's true but it's also totally not true... What?!

Let me explain. I have an analytical mind, I enjoy a debate (I get that from my dad). I have no problem with conflict in which there can be resolution. And that resolution, does not have to be me being right. I am happy to be wrong (just show me), I am happy to apologize, I am happy to compromise, I am happy to form a different opinion based on sound reasoning or fact.

Conflict in which I feel powerless, meaning: conflict in which there is not transparency, conflict in which there are malicious motives, conflict in which communication isn't present, conflict in which my motives have been assumed, conflict that is riddled with gossip, or conflict in which people assume that I don't get me feelings hurt--- these are the conflicts in which I do not do well with! They grieve me. I use the word 'grieve' in the most serious of connotations, GRIEVE me, they cause me physical ailment. I wrestle with them.

I am desirous of peace, desirous of reconciliation (I get this from my mom).

Where is all this coming from?

I didn't have some crisis in my life, I didn't have some major conflict or falling out yesterday. (Promise.)

I was reading this morning and came across this:

Ps 133:1 (NLT) How wonderful and pleasant it is

when brothers live together in harmony!

or

Ps 133:1 (NIV) How good and pleasant it is

when God’s people live together in unity!

This just struck me... I have lots of people in my life: family, friends, neighbors, associates, organization peers. There is conflict in these situations. Anytime you are in relationship with people for more than a year, there will be conflict (for many, it could take a day). All it takes is enough interactions to get past the superficial.

However, I am in a season of my life where there is peace. (in same cases, it's absence of conflict, in some it's mature relationship where conflict is easily resolved, and in some cases, it's just grace-filled situations paired with forgiveness.) It makes life so smooth. Harmony is wonderful and pleasant. It provides for so much freedom. Freedom to spend my energies elsewhere. Freedom to be creative and explore (which takes focus for me). Freedom to grow, engage, and flourish. Harmony is a gift. A gift that I am Thankful for...

I love the holidays and what I love most about the holidays is having family and friends around. I don't get to have all of my family around like I wish (many of them live FAR away or cost is just too much, or they have other family to visit). But I am so thankful for both our family and friends. And in this season of celebrating Thanksgiving, this passage spoke volumes to me about the blessings of harmony.

(And for all you natural debaters out there, no I don't think absence of conflict is all good or should last forever...I am just grateful for peace in this season of my life.)

My Miracle

Miracles come in all shapes and sizes. Over the last 3 weeks, we have had our own little miracle named Christina. Christina, you ask. Yes, a wonderful angel who on less than a week's notice came from Tennessee to stay with us for 12 days to help us out following my surgery. It was minor surgery but it required me to rest and do no lifting over 15 lbs (which is of course less than my 1-yr-old weighs). I needed a great solution on not much time and one that would create a calm and peace in our home. Christina (and her family) were our answer. Thanks God for providing this relationship years ago in Puyallup, WA so that our needs could be met this year in Washington, DC!

Nicole's Wedding

Tracy and I have known each other for about 10 years. I honestly can't believe it's been that long but it has. Seems that our kids have gotten older but we HAVE NOT. :0)

At any rate, when we met, I got to know Tracy's 2 daughters too (and Alan, her husband). Eventually, Tracy's oldest daughter started babysitting for us. She was great with the boys and our families became close. Nicole who has been known as "Miss Micole" because that's what Colin has always called her, became a regular around our house and we stayed close even when she started college and later moved to Ohio. We have been great friends with Tracy and Alan but I have also had a special relationship with the girls. I have always been a sorta "big sister" to them. As much as I can't believe it, Nicole is now 24 and her little sister Chelsea is 20! We don't all get to see each other often, but we had the awesome opportunity to spend time together this week. Nicole got married Friday Night. She was a gorgeous bride. Chelsea was a beautiful maid of honor. And Eric is getting a wonderful wife.

I looked at David after the wedding and remarked that I got a small glimmer during the ceremony of what it will be like to watch Sybella get married someday. It surprised me the emotions that I felt watching Nicole begin the amazing journey of marriage.

Here is a photo of Eric and Nicole sharing communion at the wedding. Chelsea is the Maid of Honor and Eric's Brother was the Best Man:

Our Small Group

We have an awesome Small Group! David and I host/lead a group at our house on Sunday nights. The group meets for dinner and then the kids go upstairs to the babysitters and the adults get to spend time in Bible Study and Fellowship. It's a time of connecting, sharing, accountability, and encouragement. I am so thankful for this group of friends; it's amazing to me how God has placed us with each other to "do" life together.

Our group has some married couples and singles in it, an unusual mix for many small/care groups, but for us, it works great! We have had people come and go in our group; that's part of the life cycle of a group, especially if it is a healthy, catalytic, dynamic, maturing group. However, we recently had to say, "Farewell" to one of our families who isn't just changing groups or doing something different for a semester. They are moving away and it's bittersweet. Brad and Glenda came to NCC last year as part of the Protege program for Media training. They left the security of being Senior Pastors to follow their calling to something new and a bit scary. They have finished the program and are now beginning a 9-month period of support raising in their journey to becoming full-time missionaries. We will miss them but are excited for the adventures they have ahead. Our group got together to have a Going Away Party to send off our friends. Here is a picture from the party:

**Not Pictured: Steve and Trish Arnold, Liam & Caitlin

"Different" (AKA Myrtle Beach Day 1)

We arrived in Myrtle Beach last night and today was our first full day on the beach. It was an awesome day (Praise God the weatherman was NOT correct in his forecast)!

“Different” is the key word for our trip; different than the other trips we have taken down to the beach because:

• · This time it’s not just the Simon Family, our great friends the Oswalds have joined us for vacation. We met Joel, Shauna, and Kylee almost immediately after arriving in Northern Virginia and we have been friends every sense. It’s always great to spend time with your friends, particularly when it’s fun stuff like: sun, surf, sand, and swimming. But, also, when you go on vacation with friends and you spend 24 hours a day together, you get to know each other on another level. You appreciate even more what you have in each other; already, I have learned more about my friend Shauna. I love how we are the same and I love how we are different.
• · This time the ladies started vacation without the guys. We departed on Sunday with all the kids and the guys will join us on Tuesday night. (A late departure for the guys was the best way to ensure that both families could go on vacation and that we wouldn’t need to bring 3 cars down to the beach.)
• · This time, the drive from DC to Myrtle Beach took about 2 hours longer. We stopped a bit more because of Cooper’s age, the toddler’s potty breaks, and the POURING rain (I could only drive 50mph for quite a while due to visibility---and I am not a slow driver).
• · This time, we are planning to Putt-Putt while we are in town. Myrtle Beach seems to be the Golf Capital of the World. And, I think that they have more miniature golf courses than any other city in America. Anyway, we have never putt-putted while in Myrtle Beach and this time we will hit one of the many, intriguing, creative, “over-the-top” courses. Now we just have to decide if we want to golf among waterfalls, fire-breathing dragons, pirate ships, or dinosaurs.

· I am sure that there will be other parts of this trip that are different than our other adventures in Myrtle Beach but the one thing that will not be different is that we are going to have a good time~

Carpe Cupcake (and Carpe Entrepreneurs)!

I got an e-mail today from Donna ('Annie'), who was a PTA Co-President with me in Puyallup, WA. We had lots of fun along with accomplishing tons of good for the school, students, and teachers. So, her e-mail was no surprise to me. Here is a snippet:

I have news. Recently, I opened a new business, everythingcupcakesbyannie.com. It all started with my sister's stamp 'original cupcake' (Lockhart Stamp Co.). I started making products with her images and feeding my ever-growing creative soul and... bing, bang, boom a business was born! Please visit my site and enjoy shopping through my calorie-free cupcake collection.

Now, I can't say that cupcakes are an obsession for me. However, I have a daughter, cupcakes are popular & cute, and I do whole-heartedly support entrepreneurial spirit! So, I checked it out and I plan to buy a gift for my daughter. I am sharing Donna's story because I want to support a motivated woman who has decided to do something she loves with the talents she has.

Writing this, I got to thinking about the other business owners I know: Jamil Evans owns a growing government contracting company (DC), Anthony Kirlew is a search engine marketing wiz (Phoenix, AZ), Gwen Grimes Sawyer (San Antonio, TX) has an awesome photography company, and there are many others, in fact too many to name, but....I think they would all say that getting started may well be the hardest and most important step.

Another business-owner who downright inspires me is: Brandie Hall. She is a Personal Trainer, Motivational Speaker & Life Coach but honestly, she is just an encourager like nobody else! She has taken her passions and uses them daily to create a living AND to benefit others. When a client connects with Brandie, they get a full service experience, not just an exercise plan. She educates, challenges, and designs a plan to get them to results. I haven't ever had a training session with Brandie (though I wish I had) but I know what she accomplishes, YOU CAN'T FAKE THE INTERACTIONS (AND RESULTS) THAT SHE HAS WITH HER CLIENTS. Facebook has given me a window into her business from the service and client perspective that marketing couldn't possibly capture....it speaks for itself (I could do a whole other post on creative use of social networking to not only promote your business but convey "who" your company is).

Launching a business of your own is no minor endeavor, but is anything worth having easy? It will take confidence and hard work, did I say 'hard work?' I meant REALLY HARD WORK.

These are just a few of the people I know who have exhibited confidence and commitment to being an entrepreneur. If you have been thinking about doing something new and different in business or life, take the leap!

Sisterchicks In Wooden Shoes by Robin Jones Gunn

I thoroughly enjoyed this book: Refreshing, realistic, and full of humor. This is a wonderful summer beach read. This is the first book by Robin Jones Gunn that I have read but I fully intend to read the rest of the Sisterchicks books. I also plan to pass on this book to one of my sisterchicks. (****see blog contest below) Another feature of this spectacular book is that it takes you on a short tour of Holland including churches, museums, and some famous Dutch people. Get the book, I promise you’ll enjoy it.

Here is the publisher’s summary and Author Bio:
Summary: When a mammogram result comes back abnormal, midlife mama Summer Finley makes a snap decision to relegate fear to the back burner and fulfill a lifelong dream. Summer heads for Holland where she meets up with tulips, wooden shoes, and her best friend, Noelle.
Pen pals since fourth grade, Summer and Noelle have never met face-to-face. Through decades of heart-level correspondence, they have sustained a deep friendship. A week of adventure helps both women trade anxiety for a renewed and deeper trust in God. When Summer confides in Noelle about the abnormal medical report, Noelle finds the freedom to share a long-held heartache, and both women discover they needed each other more than they realized.
Author Bio: Robin Jones Gunn is the best-selling and award-winning author of over seventy books, including the Glenbrooke, Christy Miller, Sierra Jensen, Katie Weldon, and Christy and Todd: The College Years teen series. The Sisterchicks® series has sold more than 300,000 units, bringing her total sales to more than 3.5 million books worldwide. A Christy Award winner, Robin is a popular speaker, both at home and abroad, and is frequently interviewed on radio and on television. http://www.robingunn.com/ http://www.sisterchicks.com/

**** To be entered in a drawing to win a free copy of the book, post a comment here on my blog or on my Facebook Note entitled “Sisterchicks in wooden shoes” before July 1.

Virginia Beach

Wanted to get some pictures posted from our impromptu mini-vacation to Virginia Beach this Memorial Day Weekend.

David was down here this week for a work "off-site;" last night, the kids and I drove down to join him and his boss, Greg. Greg's son, Max came along with us and we are all hanging out relaxing.

Connor took this picture of us this morning, our first morning in Virginia Beach:

The View during my run this morning:

Here are: Colin, Connor, Max (our friend), Sybella, and David in the Hot Tub.

Visitors in the Hospital

We have great friends! Some of them came to visit us at the hospital.
In the pictures below are: Shauna & Kylee, Anna, and Glenda & Mia.
Thanks guys for loving Cooper and Us. You're the Best!

Dominican Republic Trip GROWS into Long-Term Missions

WOW!!!!!

We are so excited to share our friend Katie McFaddin with you. Katie was one of our teammates on the Dominican Republic (DR) Missions Trip in January. God has such big plans for Katie. He used the DR Trip, along with its people, our missions team, and the missionaries we served with to water a seed that He planted in Katie's heart.
I am including part of Katie's newsletter/announcement here. But the short story is that 7 days is GROWING into a YEAR of missionary service through Katie's willingness to listen to God's voice and take action on what God laid on her heart during the recent trip to the DR.

From Katie's Newsletter: I’ve shared with many that while I was on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic in January, 2009 that I felt called to serve on a long-term mission assignment, but I had no idea exactly what, where, when or how… After prayer and getting advice from other Christian friends, I interviewed for the World Race with Adventures in Missions. The World Race is a mission assignment to serve Christ in 11 countries in 11 months with a team of 50 young adults. In February, I found out that I was accepted to run the race!
…and then I developed a “Jonah-syndrome” and went back to the chaos of work and comforts of life in Washington, D.C. I’m grateful that God puts us back in our place because as of April 17, I was spewed out of the belly of the whale, or in other words, RIFFED along with a large chunk of my former co-workers due to major budget cuts.
I’m so grateful that God is in control and He’s working through me, calling me to be His hands, feet, mouth and heart in all parts of the world. I’m ready to go, serve, teach, and to be used by Him!

Katie's race will begin in August 2009 and will include the following locations: Cambodia, Egypt, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Romania, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam and another country in Africa to be decided later.
If you are able, please consider supporting Katie. Prayers are always essential but consider financial support too. Katie will need to raise approximately $14,000 in the short-term just to embark on the journey and will need some additional support over the coming year. You can make a one time contribution or commit to monthly support. I assure it, it will not only be worth it but your contributions will have eternal value.

I am amazed at Katie's spirit, heart, and her willingness (in her words) to spend the year: ministering to the poor, sharing God’s love to widows and orphans, building community, growth, discipleship, and being a part of God's work all over the world. My greatest desire is to allow God to use me outside of my comfort zone and serve for His glory. During this trip, I will have the opportunity to pray for and minister to people who need to hear of salvation through Jesus Christ.

**Links to Katie's blog and support page are included.

10 Minutes with Willie

I got this text page today asking me, "What's for dinner?". 

Then I realized it was from a very close friend who lives in Springfield, Missouri. Turns out he was coming through town for work and I told him that if he was ever close by, he needed to call. 

There are some people who, when you meet them; in 10 minutes you can catch up on a life time and feel instantly close to. Willie is one of those guys. 

He towers over me, could bench press me, and yet he is the most humble and sociable guys you could ever meet. He started his own company over a year ago and we spent time talking about the future, business, life, and family. I have known Willie since 2002 and while I have met his family several times...he has never met mine. I was so thrilled to introduce my kids to this closest of friends.  

I did not tell Connor what kind of company Willie owns so when we walked down the street to meet him and Willie is driving this massive semi-truck...Connor was in heaven! He was so excited and this is what I love about Willie...He immediately introduced himself to Connor and just started loving on him. Willie gets it! He has such a heart for people and I totally respect his unwavering ethics and decisions to be with his family on the weekends. He said tonight, "Saturday is family day and Sunday is the Lord's Day"...I know he means it, lives it out, models it for his kids, and God is and will continue to bless him for his commitment to his convictions. 

Sharon & Cooper's Baby Shower

What a blessing! Saturday at 2pm, my wonderful friends, Shauna and Anna, hosted a beautiful baby shower for Cooper and I. I can't tell you how much it warms my heart to have such loving friends. David and I have only been living in Virginia for 18 months and if anyone who has known me for a while is reading this, you know how hard it is for me to make friends. I have always had lots of acquantances, but it has always taken me a long time to develop true friendships. Moving to DC was no different, in fact, it could've been harder. This is the center of all things closed, political and click-ish, which can easily make you feel like an outsider and make it difficult to establish trusting relationships. But God has been faithful in this move and I have awesome friends!!
So, back to the baby shower: my sister-in-law, Kristin, was able to drive in from Ohio along with her mom Debbie and her sister Amy (who David has known for most of his life). My mom was of course here and my godmother and name-sake, Sharon Perry was also in attendance. In addition, friends new and old whom David and I have met were able to attend along with others from church, from the military, and from our recent mission trip. Shauna and Anna created a beautiful event. The food was awesome. The atmosphere was special. The "activities" were creative and unique. They had the guests shape "babies" out of play-do and had me judge whose was the best. They created an ABC book for Cooper which we will read with him often, where each lady did a letter of the alphabet. They had all the guests sign a Pig "Piggy Bank" for Cooper instead of a guestbook. It is ADORABLE and what a cool, tangable memory for us to be able to look at daily. I just don't have words to describe how touched I am, thank-you seems so inadequate but it will have to do for now, so, THANK-YOU ladies.

**Don't forget that if you click on any mosaic or picture in our blog, it'll enlarge the pictures for a better view.

The women in the group picture are:
Front left---Laura Blackann, Lindsey Braley, and Anna Martin
Main Row (left to right)---Glenda McMath, Dana Frisillo, Katie McFaddin, Me, Kristin Simon, Debbie Havaich, Susan McDermitt, Jessica Powers, and Lambeth Evans
Back Right (left to right)---Shauna Oswald, Jenny Herald, Stefanie Chappell, and just in front of them---Sharon Perry and Bettie St.Clair
Not Pictured: Gwen Graber, Jenni Graber, and Amy Havaich who had to leave early

TAGGED

On December 16th, I was "blog-tagged" by Anna; unfortunately, I didn't realize it until today. [Anna- I was subscribed to your RSS feed, so your Blog came directly into my inbox....but since Halloween, your RSS feeds are not working. :( Unfortunately that means I haven't been able to follow as closely as I normally would. Sorry it took me so long to keep the game going.]

For anyone who doesn't know about "blog-tagging," it is a game going around the blogosphere in which bloggers are sharing five things about themselves that relatively few people know, and then tagging five other bloggers to be "it." They in theory keep the game going by listing 5 things about themselves and tagging 5 other people.

Here goes:

1. I was born in Honolulu, HI.
2. My husband and I had a completely Long-Distance relationship. We didn't live in the same state until several weeks after we were married. (This year we will have been married 12 years....so it worked out ok for us.)
3. I have completed a Half-Marathon and have aspirations to complete a Marathon.
4. I ran in the Olympic Torch Relay for the 2002 Winter Olympics that were held in Salt Lake City. The pictures and the torch (my proof) are hanging on the wall at my house!
5. I love Sports, the Theater, Reading and lately, changing my hair style.

Now, it's your turn:
Jen- another very busy friend and mom

Karen- a relatively new blogger and missionary

Shauna- a faithful blogger and friend

Glenda- a new friend

Denise- a friend and chef

Sybella's Birthday Party

We had an Awesome morning with friends over at our house for Sybella's Second Birthday. Thanks to Mia, Macy, Liam, and Kylee for celebrating with us (and all their parents too)!

Here are some of our favorite shots of: the kids, using the table favors, balloons, blowing out the candles, and the gifts. Sybella enjoyed the whole morning and can now answer "2" when asked her age.

Colin & Connor's Friends

Any time you move to a new neighborhood and new school, there are lots of questions you ask yourself:

-how will the kids adjust?
-will the new teachers be a fit?
-will they make friends quickly?
-will there be kids in the neighborhood to play with?
and on and on....

I wanted to post an update about how pleased we are with our move to Fairfax.
God has certainly been faithful, in His timing, to provide for us.

Many of you know that the move to Vienna, VA was a good one for us and for the kids schooling and sports in particular. They both flourished in school and with their teachers in particular. That made me even more nervous though about whether the move to Fairfax could measure up, and how the kids would fare with 2 school changes back-to-back.

Wow, we have been blessed. The kids LOVE school. Their teachers are an awesome match. Colin is doing better in school than ever and his teacher is not only pleased but is his 3rd biggest fan (behind mom and dad). Connor loves school in his typical sanguine response but is maturing as a student with a creative and inventive teacher.

As for the neighborhood, there are over 30 kids in our immediate area and it is routine for the kids to be hanging out with their friends as soon as homework is done. One of their good friends also has a younger sister that is 3-yrs-old so about 2 times a week, all the boys will play outside with their little sisters!

I couldn't ask for more.

Out with Friends

Sybella and I had a chance to go to a Tot-Swap (consignment sale) yesterday with our friends Shauna and Kylee. The girls move so fast now that I didn't get exactly the shots I wanted, but here are some cute ones of them outside and saying "good-bye."

How things get set in motion

This weekend I had the opportunity to marvel at how a master carpenter works. I am not going to share all the details but I will tell you that it takes pure genius and powers far beyond my capabilities to accomplish what God did…

11 years ago Sharon and I moved to the Pacific Northwest and as a seasoned professional in the soccer community I started refereeing soccer in the local area. This is where I met Tracy Kelly who was the treasurer of one of the leagues I served as a referee in. Tracy and her husband Alan became great friends of ours and they partook in some crazy adventures with us over the years. Their oldest daughter, Nicole, became our trusted babysitter in 2000. Through a series of events Nicole ended up moving to my home town of Youngstown, Ohio back in 2006. She is a paramedic and a wonderful gal.

This weekend I have to stop and say THANK YOU to Nicole for "doing her job". She was instrumental in a place and time where none of us could have influenced the situation.

BOTTOM LINE – God put in motion a story 11 years ago something that changed people's lives this weekend!

WOW…if you only knew the challenges between 1997 and today! How many times paths could have changed, people gave bad advice, road blocks appeared, and the situation looked bleak. And who could have imaged that being a referee in soccer would set in motion a chain of events that ended up saving someone's life?

I was reading several books and listening to a podcast today and here are some reflections:

1. If you succeed at the wrong thing you failed
   
2. People will criticize your choices but often can't grasp the bigger vision
   
3. Don't be ordinary – be EXTRAordinary
   
4. It's people who are willing to do the irresponsible thing that seems irrational who end up getting the responsible and amazing result
   
5. Ask yourself – What makes you cry, what makes you pound your fist, what makes you smile = YOUR PASSION
   
6. All too often we pick small dreams and accomplish them to fast – find big dreams and spend the rest of your life pursing them
   
7. When you step out in faith God will bless it.
   

 

Wild Goose Chase Blog Tour

I was selected to participate in the Wild Goose Chase Pre-Release Blog Tour. I received a copy of the book in advance to review (release date: Aug 19). Exciting!!

The short review is: AWESOME STUFF!

For those more accustomed to a actual book review, here goes:

With great anticipation I read Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson. Following his phenomenal writing for In a Pit with a Lion, my expectations were high. Mark did not disappoint. Wild Goose Chase which challenges readers to embrace passion in pursuing their relationship with God delivers its message on-point and in a reader-friendly way, never is there an air of preachiness or condescension. This is just a guy who lives the adventure in a human way sharing the journey with others. Mark’s ability to tell a story captivates readers. He uses many examples and people (names kept the same in order to reveal their identities) to show successes in living a life of pursuing God by the lead of the Holy Spirit or the ‘Wild Goose.’ Reading this book gives insight to the things and emotions that can hold us back. Mark is not ashamed to talk about fear, guilt, being too comfortable, grace, and forgiveness. Each person who dares to read this book will find a place to be challenged for growth in their relationship with Christ. I hear the message about “Loving people when they least deserve it or expect it” ringing in my head. And I am glad to say that I acted on it today. Mark’s priority comes through loud and clear and that is: not to have readers know “more” but to inspire readers to live their adventure by choosing action courageously.

Read this Book then share it with a friend!

On that note, I have a FREE copy to give away. The first person to leave a comment on this post gets it. Good Luck!

**If you would like to purchase the book now, try here.

Yikes! Twitter too...

Yikes, it has been a week since we have been on here. It is amazing how fast a week will zip by. Work has been really busy and the Colin is at Camp for the week. You would think our schedule would slow down but it hasn't. We went to dinner with a couple that we recently met and have become good friends with...Chad & Lindsey are great people! Love meeting new friends and building relationships.

Most of my adult life I was a firm believer in isolationism and liked my privacy. But over the years there were several close friends in the Pacific Northwest that we got to know and when we came to DC it became obvious how important and key those relationships were. Now we are rebuilding that network and close circle with people here in the DC and Northern Virginia area.

By the way...I signed up for a 'Twitter' account. For lack of a better description, it is where Blogging and Instant Messaging come together. The deal is you post shorter comments more frequently. I think I am going to use it to remind me of key events that I want to blog in more detail about and to let people know where we are and what we are up to.

Have a great rest of the week.

~David