A look inside

No Pair-ee for Me

2011-01-06T17:12:00.000-08:00

So I have my 5^th tip to Bosnia coming up in March…sheesh. Today, as I was looking into airline tickets I noticed one ticket which had an overnight layover in Paris on the way home…hmmm…the wheels started turning.

It would work perfectly. I would arrive at the Paris airport in the afternoon, check into a hotel, and take a taxi to see the Eiffel Tower. I’d take some pictures, walk around a little bit, try to make mental notes of what it’s like to be on Paris soil, and cross "visit Paris" off my bucket list. Then I’d go back to the hotel, have some dinner at a nearby cafe, and depart for home the next day.

Then I really started thinking about how I’ve felt during my last four trips to Bosnia. By the end of the trip (usually 8-10 days) I miss my kids and husband terribly. I’ll get teary-eyed, in the middle of a conversation with someone, just thinking about them. I start counting down the hours until I’m on my 12 hour flight headed home. I’m usually sick and tired of being in a foreign country -- where I can’t read what’s on the menu, and therefore have no idea what I’m eating, I get charged astronomical fees to take a taxi anywhere because I’m an American woman, it’s nearly impossible to find wifi, my clothes smell like cigarette smoke, and I just want to be HOME.

So I did it. Before I second guessed myself, I clicked purchase on the ticket that has me going straight to Bosnia and straight home in as little time as possible (7 days this time -- a new record!). I just had to chuckle to myself, and I guess that’s why I’m typing my thoughts out loud, because I REALLY love my family. When given the choice to spend a day in Paris or a day at home with my family, I choose them. I will always choose them.

Thankful Thursday

2010-12-09T05:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Sarah’s last basketball game of the season with her school team. I absolutely love watching my girl play. And on this Thankful Thursday, I am so very thankful that I was able to see every single one of her games. She had 10 games, all of which started at 3:30 in the afternoon; and I was there for every single one. I saw every basket, every steal, every juke, every fast break…I didn’t miss one play!

I’m thankful for a job with flexibility that allows me to come and go from the office as needed, and work from home when I miss hours in the office. It’s definitely not stress-free by any means, but the flexibility is so nice to have in this busy season of my family's life, and for that I am thankful.

Now I’m going to brag.

Sarah with the ball

Sarah is an awesome basketball player! She’s always been ambidextrous, which has really paid off in basketball and softball. She can switch hands while dribbling without batting an eye. She’s got the crossover down like nobody’s business. She dribbles between her legs while the defense is pressing; she even dribbles behind her back. She’s fast, scrappy, and aggressive. She's content driving to the hoop and then making a stellar pass to her teammates. I love watching her jump in the air in excitement when one of her teammates scores...she absolutely loves providing the assists. She’s just plain awesome.

Ok, bragging session is over.

All three of my kids are in this picture! Daniel is in the eagle mascot suit, Olivia is holding the flag during the National Anthem, and Sarah is #13.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Colossians 3:14-16

Re-Entry into Blog World, Take Two...

2010-12-07T16:52:00.000-08:00

Oh boy, this is embarrassing. I just cringed as I read through my last blog post.

One of my favorite sayings is, “we judge ourselves based on our intentions, but judge others based on their actions.” So very true. Think about it.

Well, I’m asking whoever reads this to graciously judge me by my intentions. I sincerely meant every word I typed 14 months ago. I truly missed this. I honestly intended to do a simple, snap-shot blog post once a week. So, as my 13-year old son would say, “epic fail!”

So why today? Well, today is my 34^th birthday. And to be honest it’s been a crappy day. I feel entitled right now to be lazy at work. It’s my birthday and people don’t know it; and they’re treating me like it’s any other day, but it’s not…darn it! :)

Anyways, I’d like to share with you a passage of scripture that I’m hereby claiming as mine for my 34^th year of life:

But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.

Job 23:10-11

You see, I’m in the midst of the desert right now. I’m in a place where I can honestly say I feel there is not one person in this world who understands me, has an inkling of what I'm struggling through, or knows what's in my heart. (Dramatic? Yes. But the feeling is real, and I'm being painfully honest.). But this verse reminds me, without a shadow of a doubt, HE alone knows the way I take. HE alone sees my heart, HE alone understands where I’m at and what I’m up against. And in the midst of this difficult time, I want my feet to closely follow in His steps. I want to follow Him without turning aside. I will not comfort myself with self-pity or excuses. I will be faithful. I want to look back on this season of my life and see I came forth as gold.

When I read through the postings of this blog, it’s like I’m reading thoughts and happenings of another person’s life. It’s at times painful. I miss this past life of LizzyG. Things have changed drastically in our family. I am struggling. I am feeling alone. I am facing mountains which seem impossible to climb, and I just want to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over my head and stay there until God makes the mountains crumble; and it’s safe to come out. But that’s not His way. And one thing this foolish 34 year old woman has learned over the years is, His way is perfect.

As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:30

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

So…back to blog world. I’m not even going to attempt to play catch up on the last 14 months. I’m simply going to start from today. My birthday. My life where it’s at right now. My kids with all their imperfections. I’m not going to try to make you believe I have it all together, I’m a flawless parent, my house is always clean, I have a fantastic job, I have a perfectly balanced life, that I rise while it’s still dark to do my morning devotions, go for a morning run, pack my kids’ lunches, put on perfectly pressed and very trendy clothes for work; and my children wake up with smiles on their faces greeting me with a kiss on the cheek while I prepare their eggs and bacon, and after our morning meal together, we all saunter out the door at 7:30 am, and sing praise songs on the way to school.

The only correct statement in the above paragraph is, “out the door by 7:30 am.” I will never confess to what happens in order to get us to that point. I’ll just hint at the fact it may involve pop-tarts, mascara being applied while driving, and my youngest arriving at school without any shoes (yes, it’s happened).

PEACE OUT!

I've Missed This

2009-08-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while. 189 days to be exact. I’m not really sure why I stopped posting to my blog. I think most of all it was lack of motivation. Yes, of course life has been hectic and busy, but it was more than that. I think I was putting pressure on myself to always come up with something interesting to post, and when I didn’t have anything exciting to write I would wonder “who in the world would want to read about the trivial details of my life and look at pictures of my kids over and over again?”

But I’m feeling that tug again…that desire to try and capture those special little “mundane” moments that happen in our day to day living. This is such a precious time. I have my first child knee deep in the waters of middle school,a head-strong tween daughter who still wants to hang out with me (but is now wanting me to take her shopping for cute outfits and lip gloss instead of asking me to play Polly Pockets) and I have the joy of still seeing life through the wonder and innocence of a 4 year old.It’s a wonderful whirlwind, this season of life that I’m in, and I don’t want to forget one moment. Before I know it, this house will be empty on the weekends as they’ll be out hangin’ with their friends, and Sarah will prefer to go shopping with her group of high school friends rather than with me. I want to look back on these busy days and smile at the wonderful memories we made along the way.

So here I am, right back where I started on June 7th 2007, just wanting to capture these special moments, not caring if this blog is interesting to anyone other than my family, and especially not worried if it makes for an interesting read. I’m excited to chronicle this journey of the Garland family, even if it’s just one post per month. (although I do hope to write one post per weekend, but I won’t say that out loud , as I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. :] ) I even found a site where you can have your blog printed into a photo-album-like book...so excited to do that!

So, I’m feeling motivated again, and for all the right reasons. :) Throughout this week I will be cheating a little. I’ll be backdating posts and will be updating my blog with at least one post per March, April, May, June, July and August.

There were many wonderful memories made over the last 6 months and they’re worth digging back up. Plus, Olivia’s first day of school is just around the corner…you’ve just gotta have a blog for milestones like that.

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 1:6

Turning 12

2009-04-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

On April 21, 1997 I held this little boy in my arms for the first time. I'll never forget, that same night, Jon and I praying over him and asking God to give us the wisdom we needed as parents. Today, 12 years later, we still pray for him at night. (and us) Although, I somehow think there's a little more desperation in our prayers now then there was 12 years ago. :) Isn't it amazing how you can love a moody, stubborn 12 year old just as much as you can love a sweet, adorable newborn?

He's our son and we are thankful God gave him to us.

We love you, Daniel!

For this child I prayed...So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord. ~1 Samuel 1:27-28

A Lesson in Submission

2009-03-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

My return flight from Bosnia and Herzegovina allowed for a day layover in Frankfurt, Germany. While planning my trip, I realized I would arrive in Frankfurt at 6:00 pm and my flight didn’t depart until late in the afternoon the following day. This was pretty exciting to me and I began searching online for the perfect, trendy hotel to stay in, right in the heart of the city. Well, I found the perfect hotel and my plan was to take a taxi from the airport to the hotel and then go exploring the downtown district of Frankfurt in the evening…it was all planned out and I was looking forward to it.

Howerver, just a few days before I departed on my trip my husband began to voice his concerns about this little “end-of-trip excursion” of mine. He was concerned for my safety, and just didn’t like the idea of me walking around Frankfurt by myself.

I was frustrated. I’m a very independent, stubborn person and I like to have my way. But at the same time, I totally understood where he was coming from, and tried to put myself in his shoes. So, because I love him, and would want him to do the same for me if the roles were reversed, I cancelled my reservation in my little, trendy downton hotel and booked a hotel that was right next door to the airport. Thus, producing these enticing photos of my stay in Germany.

Frankfurt Airport

Restaurant in Frankfurt

Authentic German Dinner

Authentic German ElevatorThere you have it folks! My grand tour of Germany.

Try not to be jealous.

Oh, P.S. I had a lovely layover in this beautiful airport in Slovenia. It was nestled in the mountains and felt like we were out in the middle of nowhere...and the espresso was out of this world!

March Madness, part 3

2009-03-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

The country of Bosnia and Herzegovina is sharply divided by ethnic barriers. There are the serbs, the croats, and the bosniaks, each with their own dialect, religion and customs. People from these three regions rarely interact and there are major prejudices towards one another. The purpose of the Youth Leadership Program (very quick summary) was to take 6 students and 1 teacher from each of the three regions (Banja Luka, Tomislavgrad, Tuzla), bring them together and have them visit the U.S. for 4 weeks, where they attended a Civic Education Institute at Willamette, worked on community service projects together, visited high schools, lived with host families, and overall learned how we as Americans come from all different religious and ethnic backgrounds, but still volunteer and work together to make our communities a better place…basically learning the rights and roles of active citizenship.

Having said that, I think one of the most rewarding parts of my trip was the very first day of the Pre-Departure Orientation. Lejla (Program Officer from the Embassy) and I waited in the lobby of the hotel for the different groups to arrive. They were all traveling into Sarajevo from their various hometowns. The group from Banja Luka arrived first, as shown in this picture.

I have to admit I was nervous to meet these teenagers, not sure what they would think of me and how friendly they would be. But they were the most friendly, polite, wonderful kids! They immediately greeted me with huge smiles and hugs and we sat and chatted while waiting for the other groups to arrive. The group from Tuzla arrived next and it was so cool to see the kids from Banja Luka spring up from their chairs and rush over to greet these kids, who normally they wouldn’t interact with. It was amazing to see them introduce themselves without any inhibitions. The circle got larger and there was much laughter and boisterous conversations. Lastly, the group from Tomislavgrad arrived and it was the exact same thing…immediate welcoming and we all sat around the table in this huge group getting to know one another. And this is the best part. Take a look at these pictures. These were taken right outside my hotel room door in the hallway. This is what it was like every evening. Every single student in the hallway, playing UNO, talking and laughing until the hotel staff would come up and tell them to go to their rooms. You would never have known these kids had just met. You would never have known these kids were from three distinct and divided regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was an incredible thing to witness.

The daily sessions went well. I would cram each night, preparing for the next day’s sessions, and it always turned out better than I expected.
By the end of the trip, I was flat out exhausted, and couldn’t wait to get home to see my family. I will always cherish the memory of Olivia running up to me at the airport and hugging me as tightly as she could…ahh, I get teary-eyed just thinking about it. I had missed my kids so much, and it was hard to be so far away from them, and for such a long period of time. I also was able to surprise Sarah by picking her up at school the day I returned. It was so sweet to see her shocked, yet trying to maintain her cool composure while at school, reaction.

And…I get to do this all over again in March 2010. Actually, I don’t want to think about it just yet. Anyways, I’ll leave you with what very little pictures I took while in Sarajevo.

March Madness, part 2

2009-03-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

(Boarding my flight from Munich to Sarajevo)

The flights from Chicago to Sarajevo went by quickly. I mostly worked like a mad ape on my laptop, fine-tuning my materials. One of the coolest moments came as I was working on my “culture-shock” presentation for the students, and was able to reflect on my experiences of traveling to Russia when I was 15. I was able to use my experience and relate to what these kids would be going through. I had been praying that God would prepare the way for me to bond with these high school students for His glory. That I would be able to connect with them and build relationships, which would open the door for me to share the truth of the gospel with them as the program progressed. Long story short, He answered that prayer.

Another cool little way God provided this was, while on my flight, the movie Twilight came on. This is a movie I would have never chosen to go see in the theatre or rent on DVD. I ignored it the first time it came on and kept working. The second time it played, I shut my laptop and decided to watch, merely for the purpose of resting of my brain. This movie ended up being a huge bridge for me to connect with the Bosnian girls. They were all HUGE Twilight fans and we were able to have many engaging conversations about the movie. :) It was clearly a “God thang” that he allowed me to see that movie before meeting the girls.

Anyways, arriving in Sarajevo, I was exhausted and prayed for strength and clarity of mind. Oh, and it was frrrreezing there! I snapped this picture out of the window of my taxi cab.I took a taxi to my hotel, dropped of my luggage and went straight to the Embassy…totally intimidating experience. The Program Officer, who I had been previously corresponding with, was one abrasive, type-A, aggressive lady. She was all business. Inside, I was shaking and having one of those “I just want to do laundry all day, every day again” moments, and on the outside I was putting on my most confident “don’t mess with me because I know what the hell I’m doing” faces. :)

I survived the meetings and traveled back to my hotel, thinking I was going to crash and get some much needed sleep. However, I found it impossible to go to sleep. (dang jet lag!) I ended up watching two entire movies in Bosnian with no English subtitles, before finally nodding off for a few hours sleep.
(The ever-exciting view out of my hotel window. Amazing that you can travel halfway across the world and look out your window, and still feel like you're in Salem.)

To be continued…
(Suspenseful, I know!)

March Madness, part 1

2009-03-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

Looking back on the month of March it’s hard for me to remember much other than work. Unfortunately, I was immersed in it...or more like drowning in it. We (Willamette University) received a grant from the US State Department to administer the Youth Leadership Program with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The grant began in September 2008, and by March it was in full swing. Of course, as Program Manager, my wheels were turning 24/7 from recruiting host families, interviewing host families, tracking expenditures, preparing and submitting the quarterly grant reports, creating and constantly tweaking the program schedule, recruiting local non-profits to work with the students, recruiting Willamette professors to teach their sessions, and ironing out all the logistical kinks that come with administering a month long program. By the time March came, I was only 1 month away from the arrival of 18 students and 3 teachers from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On March 8th, I headed over to Sarajevo to conduct the participants’ Pre-Departure Orientation. I was to arrive one day early to finalize my preparations. The next day was to be an all day meeting at the US Embassy in Sarajevo with our program officers, and the next day was to be the start of the 5 day long Pre-Departure Orientation, which would consist of all day sessions from 8 to 5. I was responsible for providing all the materials, and giving two 2-hour presentations daily. Since I was putting together 21 binders, each containing 60 pages of materials, (that I created, thank you very much!) I decided to pack the empty binders, and arrive 1 day early in Sarajevo, take my thumb drive to a print shop and print all the pages of materials and assemble the binders. This way I wouldn’t have to lug around all that printed material on the way over. And surely one full day was plenty of time to finalize the preparations.

Well, I arrived at the Portland airport for my departure and sure enough…my flight to Chicago was delayed. No big deal, right? Wrong! As I waited for hours upon hours at PDX I slowly began to realize that I was going to miss my connecting flight from Chicago to Munich which then connected me to Sarajevo. This ended up meaning I had to spend the night in Chicago because the next flight to Munich didn’t leave until the next day. Which meant I would arrive in Sarajevo a day late…I would literally go straight from the airport to my meetings at the Embassy. Aaacckk! There goes my prep day!

(A self portrait of my extremely frustrated self in my Chicago hotel room)

So, once I arrived in Chicago, instead of seeing the city, I spent most of the night and the next day in a Kinko’s shop, printing materials and assembling binders…it was great fun. This was one of those moments where the thought crossed my mind, “Why did I complain about the monotony of dishes and laundry when I was a stay at home mom? What I would give now to be home in my ugly sweats, no make-up, hair in a pony tail, and folding laundry on the couch while listening to the sound of my kids fighting with each other and my husband coming home asking what was for dinner.” I seriously would have sold my left arm for it.(This picture sums up everything I was able to see while in Chicago.)

(However, being stuck in a fancy hotel has its benefits...aka room service!)

To be continued...

Proud Mommy

2009-02-22T19:16:00.000-08:00

I remember those moments when Daniel and Sarah were in Pre-School and they would be up on the big stage singing in their Christmas programs. I clearly remember sitting in the audience, with a lump in my throat, my eyes welling up with tears, and that feeling of being so proud of my kids overwhelming me. Well, for those of you who haven't had the joy of raising kids past the first grade yet, let me tell you that feeling never goes away.

My sweet Sarah decided she wanted to learn how to sew. Her grandma gave her a sewing machine for Christmas and I enrolled her in a sewing class. Last Monday when I picked her up from class, this is what she made:

Pajamas!!!

In case you're thinking I helped her, think again! I can barely sew a button on a shirt, and have no idea how to even thread a sewing machine. She did this all on her own.

Daniel...ahh Daniel, how do I say this? Well, something that has always bothered me is Daniel is quite often misunderstood by those around him. For some reason he comes across different to people than the person he really is; the person Jon and I know him to be. Daniel is compassionate and full of kindness. His soft heart prompted us to adopt this cat. Now, Jon and I DO NOT like cats. But due to Daniel's persistence and constant plea for justice and humanity, we took in this stray cat. Since then, this cat has become Daniel's best friend. She only likes to be in Daniel's room and always goes in and sleeps with him at night (I put her out in the garage after Daniel goes to sleep and then let her back inside in the morning before he wakes up. Shhh...don't tell. I love my clean carpet too much, and would probably kick this cat to the street if I ever found a wet spot on the carpet.)

Another proud mommy moment has been hearing the sounds of TobyMac boomin' from Daniel's room. TobyMac is his all time favorite, we listen to him on the way to school and any time we drive anywhere at all. Recently, Daniel even took one of his TobyMac CDs to school for his teacher to play during class free time! I can't tell you how happy it makes me to know my pre-teen son thinks Christian music is cool...Here's to hoping that never goes away!

Olivia, she is what fills with our home with laughter. Unlike Daniel and Sarah at her age, Olivia spends her week days with someone other than me. I think it must be hard for a four year old to spend a few days a week with Grandma and learn that you have to obey your Grandma too. But she has done wonderfully, and I'm so proud of her! I come home each week night to a big "MOMMYYY!", huge hug, and an ear to ear smile. She is such a sweet, loving girl and I'm just so proud of how well she's adjusted since I started working full time.

And yes, these mushy pride-filled feelings overflow to my husband as well. He had knee surgery on Feb. 9th and has been ordered to put no pressure on his bad knee for four weeks. That means his left foot stays off the ground at all times. I can't tell you how many evenings I would walk into the kitchen and see him on crutches, hopping around on one leg doing the dishes. I would come home from work and the laundry would be done...He's quite the amazing one-legged "housewife" I tell ya. I've been quite impressed.

And, whoa...hold the phone! Literally, as I'm typing this, Jon just hobbled in the front door with Daniel and lo and behold he has a triple grande skinny vanilla latte in hand...just for me. Sigh, I just love the weekend.

Blessings to you all!

Celebrating New Years with Style!

2009-01-03T00:06:00.000-08:00

January 1, 2009 at 12:00 am This picture just cracks me up.

We are quite the classy family, aren't we? Sarah's sporting the "rock on" sign (or whatever that means). Daniel is in shorts and barefeet out in the cold and rain, pointing fireworks at his sister's head. Jon is, well, for lack of a better word...screwed. He injured his knee while at work and is unable to move it or walk on it. Hopefully, we'll have MRI results soon. Oliva is just plain crazy. She's outside at midnight in her PJs and pink dress-up ballerina slippers yelling,

"Happy New Years!"

Our New Year's Eve consisted of countless hours of battling each other in Guitar Hero, movies, popcorn, rootbeer and fireworks.

Doesn't get much better than that!

HAPPY 2009!

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:8-12

Christmas at Grandma Donna's

2009-01-02T19:33:00.001-08:00

~Christmas #5~

I have to admit Christmas at Jon's mom's house is something I always look forward to. Donna is so sweet. She knows I've spent the last few days baking and cleaning, hosting and cooking a big Christmas meal for my family. She knows I'm worn out and always insists I bring nothing at all. Believe me, she is one stubborn woman and there's no use arguing with her. It is so nice to show up at her house on Christmas afternoon and just RELAX and put our feet up!

Jon, his sister, Carey, and the girls

Daniel is soooo excited about his new lego set.
Olivia watching a movie on

her new portable DVD player

Sarah is in love with her new

guitar...move over Taylor Swift! We had such a fun time laughing at each other while playing Catch Phrase!

Christmas Day was simply wonderful!

Christmas with Grandpa D.H.

2009-01-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

~Christmas #4~

Grandpa gave Olivia an adorable princess tea set, with a tea cart to boot. She has been wheeling this around the house ever since, and offering us delicious cups of tea. Daniel and Sarah were very excited about their new books from Grandpa. He knows just what kind they like. A blurry, but sweet picture of Jon and his dad.

Christmas Morning...just us

2009-01-02T05:38:00.000-08:00

~Christmas #3~

On Christmas Eve, the kids slept out by the Christmas tree.Olivia wasn't too happy about Daniel and Sarah waking her up so early on Christmas morning.

Daniel and his new Webkinz Hedgehog.Sarah and her long awaited Webkinz SeahorseYESSSSS!!!!!SA-WEET!Crazy morning hair didn't stop Olivia from ripping into her presents

My wonderful husband gave me this fabulous new jacket...love it (and him)!!!
Jon is having way too much fun with Guitar Hero!

Christmas with Liz's Family

2009-01-02T05:19:00.000-08:00

~Christmas #2~

Yes folks, this is my little brother Ben. He is a senior at Seattle Pacific University and is a really cool guy and an amazing, gifted musician. Because of this, and his occasional choice to wear tight jeans, Sarah bought him a Jonas Brothers poster in hopes that he might pursue stardom amongst 9-13 year old girls. What do you think?

My sister, Susanna, and her adorable little family

My little sister, Abby (isn't she so cute?!)

Olivia and her cousin, Victoria, decked out in their new princess dresses.Big hug!!!
My sweet little nephew, Ethan. I love this picture and the look of quiet anticipation on his face.
Grandpa Bob with Victoria, Colton and Olivia
Olivia is over-the-top excited about her new cupcake set!
Grandma Cathy is even more excited about her new Mp3 player.
Ethan, Colton and Sarah...so sweet!
Daniel spending some quality wii time with uncle Ben

Christmas at Grandma Connie's House

2009-01-02T05:09:00.000-08:00

~Christmas #1~

These cousins have been celebrating Christmas together since they were babies.

There is some serious present-opening strategizing going on here.

My sweet little Olivia Joy
Jon and his step-brother, Rob, doing what they do best...chillin' on the couch. Daniel and Aric, cousins and buddies

Sarah, Olivia and Aleksa. Three sweet girls.It was very hard to tear Olivia away from the Christmas train. She loved playing with it, just like Daniel and Sarah did when they were little...sigh. Where does the time go?
Olivia loved snuggling up to Aunt Kellie

Just like every year, everyone had a great time celebrating Christmas together!

Christmas Memories

2009-01-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

Our family had a wonderful Christmas together. You'll have to bear with me, I have so many pictures from Christmas and I just want to share them all. :)

So, just a little heads up, if you are not related to us, you may find the next five posts rather monotonous. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Here we go, Christmas 2008 in review...

It's almost Christmas!

2008-12-24T09:51:00.000-08:00

I have to say I feel almost as excited as my favorite boys from the '90's look. Isn't Joey so cute? Anyways, the shopping is DONE! The presents are wrapped. The Christmas cards were mailed out with plenty of time to spare. Our house and tree were decorated by the 1st of December. The all day baking marathon is finished and my kitchen is clean again. And I am spending the day singing along to my favorite Christmas music while preparing a big Christmas Eve dinner for my side of the family's celebration tonight.

It has been a wonderful, stress-free and enjoyable month of December.

I think this is the first time in my life I've actually kept a New Year's Resolution. Last January, in a blog post, I made this promise:

"So I've been thinking, I hereby make a promise, a New Year's Resolution if you will, to enjoy Christmas more next year. To be better prepared. To get the decorations down from the attic, shopping completed, and Christmas cards written by November. Christmas only comes once a year, and for such a short time. Yet it comes with so many opportunities to make memories and to bless others. You just need one thing: TIME. Next year I want to do whatever it takes, so that come December, I have nothing but time. Time to relax and enjoy my family and friends."

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. May your homes be filled with peace and joy, and your hearts overflow with gratitude for the gift God gave us on the very first Christmas: His one and only Son, who did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

(Matthew 20:28)

10 Years of Faithful Service

2008-12-20T11:44:00.000-08:00

It was early December of 1998 and my little 19 month old boy and I walked into Joanne's Fabric Store. I was 9 months pregnant with a little girl due to arrive any day. I saw these adorable snowmen stockings, two big ones and two little ones, and just had to buy them. I took these little snowmen home to our tiny duplex and hung them on the 1970's rock wall in our living room.As the years went by, I discovered a little thing called the Pottery Barn. :) Oh, how I would flip through the pages of those catalogs longing for such nice things to decorate my home with. Every Christmas season, I would admire the beautifully personalized velvet stockings, and try to figure out a way to fit them into our already strained December budget. But, no such luck, and I would hang those snowmen year after year. Well, this year, I got a big surprise, a wonderful thing called Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving). And guess what? On that one day only, these stockings which would normally have cost $142 ($25 each plus $17 shipping) only cost $50 total!!! That's right, $10 each plus free personalization and free shipping!!! I was ecstatic!However, when the kids and I were unpacking the Christmas boxes, they couldn't believe we weren't going to hang the snowmen stockings.

"But mom, we love the snowmen stockings. We ALWAYS put those up every year."

They weren't too excited about my new, "nicer" stockings. I too felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of not hanging the snowmen up.

After all, they've been apart of our lives for 10 years now. Oh, the memories they've shared with us over the years. They hung on the mantel when a little two year old Daniel opened his first Thomas the Tank engine set, when Sarah shrieked with excitement at the sight of her new Princess scooter, when we celebrated Christmas with loved ones who are no longer with us. They were still hung on the mantel as we walked in the door on December 29th, 2004 with a new little baby girl in our arms. Yes, I miss the snowmen stockings too. Sometimes "nicer" isn't always better.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

As I type this, the snow continues to fall!

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

I John 4:9-11

Her Special Day

2008-12-19T22:24:00.000-08:00

Our sweet Sarah turned 10 years old today and she got a present she's been wanting for a very long time: Her very own digital camera. Do you think she's excited?Sarah Grace came into this world ten years ago today, blessing Jon and I more than we could ever have imagined. She is our precious little girl who greets us with a smile and a hug each morning. She always has a song in her heart and a kind word to share. As she enters into her "tween" years, I pray she continues to grow into a young woman of noble character, just as her name means.
Happy 10th Birthday Sarah,

we love you!!!

Proverbs 31

What a Wonderful, Wintry Day!

2008-12-17T18:27:00.000-08:00

Today was our third consecutive day with snow! I thoroughly enjoyed a "work-from-home" day. Daniel and Sarah were able to have their good friends William & Mikayla over and spent the whole day outside sledding!Lucky for me, Olivia only likes to be out in the snow for about 10 minutes and then she's ready to come inside. She's been content looking at the snow from inside while playing with her toys. I loved spending the day with my kids today. This snow has been quite the unexpected blessing!

Christmas Confession

2008-12-15T22:07:00.000-08:00

Today our kids each received an individually wrapped Christmas present from my wonderful grandparents in Colorado. Now, at our house, we don't put any presents under the tree until the kids are fast asleep on Christmas Eve. There's a reason for this.

Anyways, I watched Daniel study this present from his great-grandparents. He shook it, smelled it and held it up to the light to try and see through the wrapping paper. That's when I so intuitively said, "If I so much as see a scratch on that wrapping paper, the present belongs to me. No accidental rips or tears, no peeling of the tape. Any tampering whatsoever, and it's gone. You understand? Good."

Why would I assume my son would try to peek at his present before Christmas? Simple, he's MY son! As I said those words to him, I was grinning on the inside, thinking, "if he only knew!"

This reminded me of something I haven't thought about in a long, long time. So in the spirit of the season, I will share with you:

When I was a teenager (I remember I started in the 7th grade), I opened every single one of my presents before Christmas. Yup, that's right. I would wait for a night when everyone was gone and I would slit the tape ever so carefully. I'd gently unwrap each and every present, look at it, and then wrap it back up exactly the way it was before. Then on Christmas morning I would open all of my presents in front of my parents and act so surprised and excited. I did this every year and they never knew. Horrible, I know!

I think I already regret revealing this little dark secret of my past. Ah well, you can't change the past, but you can learn from it...Learn to make sure your kids don't pull the wool over your eyes like you did to your parents. :-)

Sorry Mom & Dad if you're reading this. I really did appreciate all the wonderful gifts you bought for me growing up - from my yellow Coca-Cola sweatshirt to my Casio double casette player. You always made each Christmas special.

There, I've come clean.

Move over Hugh Jackman!

2008-12-12T01:18:00.000-08:00

People Magazine got it wrong! My man puts this guy to shame!!! Let me explain:

Wednesday morning I woke up not feeling so well. My throat was sore, I felt achy and weak all over. I shrugged it off and went to work anyway. Well, about halfway through my day, I felt horrible! In fact by the time 5:00 rolled around I was praying, "Lord, just take me now." I was miserable. Shaking with chills, burning up with a fever, horrible body aches, etc. And two things came to my mind:

1. After going down three flights of stairs, it is a 10 minute walk from my office to my car and the thought of getting up from my desk and just walking down the hall seemed unbearable.

2. I was a complete idiot, and wore these shoes to work:(I took this picture while I was in Texas to show you how crazy I was for wearing these heels for 12 hours. And yes, I'm able to access some of my old pictures now! Oh, and I checked out a loaner laptop from the University...Hooray!)

Now let me pause for a moment and explain to you I am by no means a wimpy person. I've given birth 3 times...naturally, no drugs. I've been skydiving, I've ran 2 half marathons while not being in very good shape. I rarely complain when I'm sick. But this time was different. I wimped out. I called my dear sweet husband, who was right in the middle of making dinner for us, and asked, "can you please come pick me up and drive me to my car?" He hesitated for a moment and said, "you want me to drive all the way to your work, so you don't have to walk to your car?" I explained to him how sick I was and I really needed him to do this for me...and he did it, without another hesitation. Now, that is a SEXY man! (In case you're still thinking, "I can't believe how demanding she is to ask her husband to do that", I did have 103 degree fever when I got home. So, I felt somewhat justified.)

Right now it's a little past 1:00 am. As I type this, I'm listening to the police scanner and can hear my husband's voice. (He's on a traffic stop on the corner of Commercial & Chemeketa). So far tonight he's made two arrests, responded to a domestic disturbance, and a bar fight involving 8 males. I love falling asleep to the sound of the scanner. Sometimes I'll wake up in the middle of the night right when I hear, "Sierra 549" (that's Jon). I'll smile, listen to what's going on, and go back to sleep. Anyways, I type all this to say, if People Magazine were to take my vote for "The Sexiest Man Alive", I would give them a much better candidate. My guy does laundry, washes dishes, cooks dinner, picks up kids from school, reads Princess stories AND breaks up bar fights.

Rewind...to November 13th

2008-12-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

It's November 13th, 9:00 pm and my first night in Houston. I've been awake for 40 hours...no joke! Despite my exhaustion, I'm determined to stick with my promise of blogging every day in the month of November, and post something, anything, for all of you. So, I do. I post my Psalm and Proverb for the day and literally fall asleep with the laptop next to me in bed.

I wake up the next morning and turn my laptop on to listen to music while I get myself ready for another long day in Texas. (Everything's bigger in Texas, remember?) It stays on for about two minutes and then crashes. I try again, same thing. From that point forward I was without a computer while I was in Texas. I can't tell you how disappointed I was! Every day I took great pictures. I was even able to drive to Austin and visit my friend Janell, and yes I took pictures. I then drove to Waco and visited my wonderful brother, his wife and my sweet adorable niece, Emma. Yes, I took LOTS of pictures....great pictures that sadly, I can't share with you.

The tech office at Willamette University was able to recover all of my files, but the computer is dead. This was a laptop that my work issued me to use, and I'm still waiting to hear if my boss is going to purchase a new one for me. I'm crossing my fingers for a MacBook Air. :)

Our home laptop also kicked the bucket about two months ago, so the Garland family is officially without a computer, and is in the process of shopping for a new one.

I'm sorry I didn't get on here sooner and let you know what was going on. The only computer access I have is at work, and there really is no time in my work day to post a blog. Plus, what good is a blog post without pictures?!!!

I hope to be back in the game soon!

Just the good stuff

2008-11-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

can't...keep...eyes...open.
So I will leave you with the good stuff:

God is higher than anything and anyone,
outshining everything you can see in the skies.
Who can compare with God, our God,
so majestically enthroned,
Surveying his magnificent
heavens and earth?
He picks up the poor from out of the dirt,
rescues the wretched who've been thrown out with the trash,
Seats them among the honored guests,
a place of honor among the brightest and best.
He gives childless couples a family,
gives them joy as the parents of children.
Hallelujah!
~Psalm 113:4-9 (The Message)

A refusal to correct is a refusal to love;
love your children by disciplining them.
~Proverbs 13:24 (The Message)

Running on Fumes

2008-11-12T23:59:00.000-08:00

In exactly three hours from now I will leave my favorite place on earth, my home, to catch a horribly early flight to Houston. Blah!

And yes, I'm not going to bed tonight. In fact, I still have to pack. And yes, I did get up at 5:00 am this morning. And yes, I did work a twelve hour day today. And yes, I did submit two grant reports before I left tonight. And yes, I am seriously considering quitting my job. And yes, I have officially used this platform to complain to anyone willing to listen.

So whoopty-do, I fly to Houston and stay in this hoteleat at this restaurant and sit in this hot tub Even after looking at these pictures, I'd still rather stay home. In fact, I suddenly feel the urge to belt out Sinaed O'Connor: "I could eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant, but nothing, I said nothing, nothing compares to you (hot husband, wonderful adorable children, my little house)...Oooh oooh!"

So I'm feeling a little glum tonight my faithful blog reader(s?). But not to worry, I will remain dedicated and focused to your blog reading needs and keep my promise to post every day for your reading pleasure.

....praying for strength (not only for me, but my poor husband who will be a single parent for the next five days)

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Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. ~Psalm 112:1-7

An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. ~Proverbs 12:25

On a lighter note

2008-11-11T20:58:00.000-08:00

My adorable daughter Sarah and her adorable friend Mikayla started their own "web show".

It's called Say What?!

What could be better than getting together with your best friend and making silly videos? This video is one of my favorites.

So if you're extremely bored, want to partake in silly nonsense and be reminded of how fun it was to be a 10 year old girl, you can check them out!

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The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness. ~Psalm 111:7-8

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. ~Proverbs 11:2-3

To Meghan, With Love

2008-11-10T23:43:00.000-08:00

About two weeks ago Meghan asked me for my sweet-n-sour chicken recipe. I said, “sure, I’ll email it to you tonight when I get home!” Like I said, that was about two weeks ago. So Meghan, and anyone else who needs a good idea for dinner, here it is:

Sweet – n- Sour Chicken

This is my go-to recipe, it turns out delicious every time!

1 to 2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Garlic salt
Eggs
Flour
2 Tbs. oil

Sauce:
¼ cup pineapple juice
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup ketchup
½ cup vinegar (either apple cider or white)
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. soy sauce

-Combine sauce ingredients in sauce pan, stir well and heat on low to medium heat while preparing chicken

-Cut chicken into small pieces (a little bigger than bite size)
-Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt
-Dip chicken pieces in egg (I usually crack about 6 eggs in a large bowl, stir and then add all the chicken in at once so they can soak in the eggs while I work. I realize this is a tad wasteful)
-Coat each piece with flour
-Heat oil over medium high heat
-Add chicken pieces to hot oil, brown until golden on each side
-Place chicken in 13 x 9 inch baking pan
-Pour heated sauce over chicken
-Cook uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
-We like to eat this with rice and broccoli and then finish off with a big dessert!

My aunt emailed me this picture today. That's my little sister on the left, my grandma, and the big-banged, velvet dress wearing, me! I remember being so excited getting this new doll...if only life could be that simple again.
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The Lord is at Your right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath. He will judge among the nations. ~Psalm 110:5-6

He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray. He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. ~Provebs 10:17-9

What would you do?

2008-11-09T23:42:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make: I did Daniel's homework. Am I a bad mom? Would you ever do your kid's homework, or is that something totally off the ethical radar for everyone but me?The poor kid was up to his eyeballs in homework one night, so not wanting him to stay up until midnight, I started working on his science poster for him while he worked on other subjects. It was just drawing a volcanoe and labeling the different layers of the earth's crust and types of volcanic rocks. I tried to make it look like a 6th grader's drawing, but my perfectionism took over. I couldn't stop, I should have only done about half, but I kept drawing, adding in trees, coloring the sky blue, and check out my lava chamber...I got that just right! Daniel was like, "oh mom, that's way too good. My teacher is never going to believe that I did that!"

Well, luckily Daniel's teacher didn't question who did the poster, he got an "A" AND a good night sleep. So it all worked out!

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But you, O Sovereign Lord, deal well with me for your name's sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt. I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads. Help me, O LORD my God; save me in accordance with your love. Let them know that it is your hand, that you, O LORD, have done it.

~Psalm 109:21-27

Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning. ~Proverbs 9:9

Better With Time

2008-11-08T22:08:00.000-08:00

Today, Jon and I celebrate our 11th anniversary...some things just get better with time
Today has been the perfect day.

With every year that passes, I am amazed at how God has directed our steps. I don't mean to get too mushy on y'all, but I love this guy so much. On this day eleven years ago, we were young, crazy in love, and full of enthusiasm for wherever God would take us. Today, we are older, deeply in love, and thankful for God's faithfulness - how He has bonded our hearts closer together through years of joy, disappointments, trials, tragedies, celebrations, and the challenges of putting up with each other day in and day out for eleven years. :)

It's amazing how someone can know everything about you, all your faults and shortcomings, and yet love you even more than they did when they had no idea all those flaws existed.

(I love this picture. We were trying to take a picture of ourselves and kept busting up laughing.)

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. ~Ecclesiastes 4:9,10

Just The Two of Us

2008-11-07T16:36:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken five minutes ago at the Starbuck's in Bend, Oregon.

We are in heaven right now. We arrived at Eagle Crest last night and are enjoying an Anniversary weekend getaway...just the two of us! Something that doesn't happen very often.

Right now, the little things are the biggest luxuries to me, such as, not setting my alarm, waking up and getting out of bed whenever I feel like it. Taking a long shower and not being rushed, watching C-SPAN, working out in the middle of the day and not at the end of a tiring day, going on a walk with my husband, just having an uninterrupted conversation with my husband is a treat in itself.

Well, I don't mean to brag, but we're off to go see "Body of Lies" with Russell Crowe (my favorite actor), go shopping and then enjoy a nice quiet dinner. Ahhh...I love getting away!!!

Convenience=Happiness

2008-11-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

SA-WEET! I have made the most wonderful discovery. Now, some of you are going to laugh that it has taken me so long to figure this out, but I have just discovered Google Reader!!! Do you know what a huge difference this makes in my life? This is truly life-changing folks.

Let me give you a little background:
*WARNING* Boring, Detailed Daily Schedule ahead

5:00 am - Alarm goes off. I always hit snooze 3 times which means I get out of bed at 5:27. Shower, paint my face, straighten my hair, find something to wear that doesn't require ironing, decide if it's worth it to wear fabulous heels or just go comfortable and wear my favorite go-to Report flats.

6:15 am - Wake up Daniel. Repeat 3 times every 10 minutes until he is up and in the shower. Make breakfast. Pack his lunch. Make sure he has all his assignments in order, gym clothes, water bottle, and backpack packed.

7:15 am - Leave the house (nothing short of a miracle I tell you)

7:30 am - Drop Daniel off at the big scary world also known as Middle School. He always says the same thing to me every morning as he's leaving the car, "Wish me luck and pray for me today mom". And I always say, "I will, I love you buddy" with a lump in my throat. As I drive to work, I keep my promise and pray for the little guy(who is only about an inch shorter than me).

7:45 am - Call numerous people "idiots" and "morons" and tell them "it's not that hard to use your turn signal retard"

7:55 am - Pray for forgiveness

8:00 am - Begin my day at work

4:00 pm - Leave my office and walk across campus to the Willamette University Spark's Center(fitness center). This is pure torture, ladies! Do you know how old and fat I feel running on a treadmill next to a bunch of college students? I do not recommend this.

5:00 pm - Arrive at my favorite place: HOME! Followed by a family debriefing, where everyone simultaneously starts filling me in on their day.

5:30 pm - Make dinner, or sometimes if I'm lucky Big Daddy takes care of this for me, or sometimes (quite often) we have frozen pizzas and dinosaur chicken nuggets.

6:30 pm - Clean up, help kids with homework and piano practice, spend time with Olivia, lay out clothes, pack backpacks, brush teeth, say prayers, get everyone in bed.

10:00 pm - Pass out (Actually, it's usually like 11:00)

Notice anything missing?

BLOGGING!!!

That's right folks. Number one reason why I didn't post a new blog in over 12 weeks: TIME. There has been little to no free time where I could sit down and type out boring, random happenings of my life for you all to read. But the thing I've missed the most about blogging is YOU! I've really missed reading everybody else's boring, random happenings in their lives. I love checking in on everyone and seeing what you're up to, and looking at pictures of your adorable children. So this is where Google Reader enters the scene and forever changes my life.

I have everyone's blog entered into Google Reader so I just go to that one site and it shows me if anyone on my list has updated their blogs...Genius!!!

I am on my computer all day at work. I don't take a lunch break, because I'd rather just get the 8 hours over with and go home. But...by law, I'm entitled to two 15 minute breaks. :)

I now just click on my Google Reader, and Booya! I can see if anyone has a new post, and I have time to leave a fabulous, witty comment that could only come from LizzyG! It's been wonderful! Every day I just do a quick check, and now I can stay on top of all the exciting happenings in Blogland! Very convenient, which makes me very happy.

Olivia and I cuddling with my new nephew, Colton

Perspective

2008-11-05T21:28:00.000-08:00

Voting isn’t something you do every year or two. We cast multiple votes each day. We cast votes for heaven or hell, for grace or truth. For self-control or self-indulgence. For the Spirit or the Flesh. For abiding in Christ, or independence from Christ. For wisdom or foolishness, and for blessing or curse. Every decision we make, every action we take—and the heart attitude with which we conduct our lives—casts a vote for one kingdom or another. Every vote counts. God tallies them. Eternity will be affected by them. You can still talk to parents and kids in your neighborhood about the value of unborn children, and offer support and help as needed. You can go to city streets and homeless shelters and offer your service. Your ballot may not have made a difference, but your vote to love your neighbor will. God won’t overlook it, as He won’t overlook a single cup of water given to little ones in His name. Our next chance to vote is right here and right now, whether we spend time with God, pray for His help, read His Word, serve our family, help the poor, give to help the dying and needy in the Sudan, entertain this thought, speak these words, watch this television program, or click on this Internet site. (You already vote often; so vote wisely.) The key to change and influence in this world is not, and never has been, politics. It is faithfulness to Jesus. In the end, which will never end, acts of faithfulness—many of them quiet, some seen only by God—are the votes that will count, bringing the eternal results that will matter.

“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

Circumstances change: Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. (Proverbs 27:1)

Our Savior does not change: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

Only by trusting in Christ and His promise of the world to come can we find peace: Trust God; don't worry; be at peace. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am…Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:1-3, 27)

No matter what direction our earthly country may be going, it is our never-ending heavenly country that we should represent: All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-16)

America may or may not unravel in coming decades, but God’s kingdom certainly won’t. People of the world don't need America; they need Jesus. While living in the wreckage of this sin-stained earth, let’s realize the world's main problem is that it's inhabited by people like us, sinners in need of redemption. These thirsty people need us to reach out our hands and extend to them, as cold water, the love of Jesus.

This text is just a small excerpt from Randy Alcorn's blog. He had many, many more good things to say today (and every day). I encourage you to stop by and read today's post in its entirety.

Cause and Effect

2008-11-04T10:28:00.000-08:00

So, I've been tired lately (see excuse #5 in the previous post). Not getting enough sleep. Staying up way too late and getting up WAY too early. I've always enjoyed my type-A personality. I loved calculus and chemistry as a student because it's all based on formulas, which are based on unchanging facts. You figure out the formula you can figure out the problem. I'm the handyman at our house. Give me any size project to put together and as long as I have instructions to follow step by step, I can do it. I've always been a logical person, making my decisions based on pros and cons, black and white, without emotions getting in the way. Yes, I would say I'm not an emotional person at all. At times I've even been frustrated with my frequent inability to show emotion.

Well, I've come to realize that
lack of sleep = unexpected emotional outbursts

Example #1: Last week I took my daughter and her friend to see High School Musical 3. In the very opening scene of the movie Troy's basketball team is playing in the state championship game and they're losing! It's half-time, Troy and his friends break out in song and rally together to give it all they have. They come bursting out of the locker room (still singing: "The way we play tonight is what we leave behind! It all comes down to right now it’s up to us!") to a cheering crowd and warm up for the second half...and I'm crying! Yes, that's right, actual tears rolling down my cheeks. I was crying, true story! It didn't stop there. I cried when Gabriella moved away. I cried when she called Troy to say she couldn't come to prom. I cried at the end of the movie. What the heck is wrong with me?!!!! I didn't even cry the first time I saw Titanic or Braveheart or when Heath Ledger's character died in The Patriot. I didn't even cry when I watched Old Yeller as a child, or Where the Red Fern Grows.

Example #2: A friend of mine invited me to attend the Habitat for Humanity fundraiser breakfast this morning at the Conference Center downtown. So, I'm sitting at a table with mostly strangers, watching a video presentation of the work that Habitat for Humanity does. Yep, the tears start rolling. I'm crying and can't stop! Then people who have had homes built for them get up to share their personal stories, and oh boy, I kept wiping my eyes....I felt so stupid! (That said, I was very impressed with the work Habitat for Humanity does and the way they run their organization.) There I was, sitting next to these well-dressed men and women in their business suits...the only one crying. Sheesh! I've got to get more sleep!!!

Random picture to go along with this random post: Olivia, my niece Victoria, and Sarah, rockin' out!

There's a first time for everything

2008-11-03T23:48:00.000-08:00

I've heard of this happening before, but thought it would never happen to ME. :)

I just typed out this long post about what's been going on in my life over the past 12 weeks (since I know you're just dying to find out). One hour later, I click to publish and...it posts the older version that I started earlier in the day, which was two sentences long!!! My long, beautiful, witty post...GONE! Where did it go? I don't know, I have no idea what happened. I DO know that I'm tired, frustrated and have to get up in five hours, so I will try to re-create that wonderful post another day.

Well, I'll give you Part 1.

Here are the top 5 excuses why I haven't blogged in over 12 weeks:

1. I started working full time on August 18th

2. My camera broke in August AND our home computer got sick and died a few weeks ago :(

3. I'm a political junkie

4. Daniel started middle school

5. Feelings of stress and exhaustion on a daily basis. (I'm working on this, okay)

You will just have to wait in nail-biting suspense until tomorrow, and I will fill you in on how these 5 reasons are related to my shameful lack of blogging.

The good news: Today is November 3rd and I read Psalm 103, one of my all-time favorite Psalms! I just had to share the whole thing and highlight some of my favorite parts. I hope you take the time to read through it. Wherever you're at, whatever you're going through, this Psalm will lift you up and remind you of God's faithfulness and goodness. It's worth the read:

Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul and forget not all his benefits-
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever

he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children-

with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
The LORD has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all.
Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, O my soul.

And what blog post is complete without an adorable picture? Olivia and her dear friend Ella on Halloween with their matching dolls...so precious!

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

Proverbs 3:3

The Reason Why

2008-11-02T22:42:00.000-08:00

This picture alone sums up the reason why our family goes to the Retirement Home every year on HalloweenIf you look closely, you can see a tear in this man's eye. As I watched from a distance, I saw his face light up when Daniel sat down on the couch next to him and struck up a conversation.

It brings so much joy to these wonderful people to see the kids each year . We always leave feeling so glad that we took the time to go. This year almost didn't happen. As October 31st started to creep up, I told Jon it was literally impossible for me to get everything ready this year, and I just didn't think we could go. He reminded me of how much it means to the elderly people and how it's just as important for our kids as well. So Big Daddy (as he likes to call himself) took over! Calling the retirement home, arranging a time for us to come and how many gift bags we would need to bring. Multiple shopping trips with a 3 year old in tow to the Bible Book House, Walmart, Targt & Winco. Then he and Olivia stuffed 105 gift bags full of goodies...I didn't do a thing! So thanks to Jon, we didn't miss out on any of this: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.... Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me. (Matthew 25, The Message)

Yep, it's November 2nd, so as promised, here's your Psalm & Proverb for the day :)
Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. ~Psalm 102:1-2

For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. ~Proverbs 2:6-8

November Pledge

2008-11-01T23:43:00.000-07:00

I hereby pledge to blog every day in the month of November.

Yes, you read the above sentence correctly...every day this month!

It has been 12 weeks and 3 days since my last post, so I have plenty to share with the few people who will stop in to see if LizzyG is still alive and blogging. This is no simple task people, so please don't count on anything too deep or meaningful. I do however, want to get back in the habit of reading a chapter in Psalms and Proverbs each day. So today I started in Psalms 101 and Proverbs 1.

My theme song is God's love and justice, and I'm singing it right to you, God. I'm finding my way down the road of right living, but how long before you show up? I'm doing the very best I can and I'm doing it at home, where it counts. I refuse to take a second look at corrupting people and degrading things. ~Psalm 101:1-3 (The Message)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. ~Proverbs 1:7

Can you guess who Sarah dressed up as for Halloween?

My Kind of Weekend

2008-08-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we went camping with some good friends of ours, and had such a fun, relaxing time. Lucky for us, our friends brought their boat and we all enjoyed hanging out on the lake as much as possible. Daniel getting ready for take off... And he's off!

He kept yelling, "measy, measy!" A word he made up for in between easy and mediumAnd Sarah kept yelling, "faster, faster!"
My friend Arminda and I getting ready to be whipped around the lake. Her husband, Will, DID NOT take it easy on us. My neck and shoulders are still sore!Even Olivia got to go for a ride!She was a little traumatized after her 1st tubing experience. Luckily her good friend Dewey was there to comfort her afterwards. Jon showed off his moves!And he was also quite proud of his flame-broiling bacon skills. He is now referred to as "The Wilderness Man"

We all had such a wonderful time. I absolutely love being in the outdoors! On the top of my "most favorite things list" is diving off a boat in the middle of a lake. Oh man, there's nothing better! Jon and I had so much fun jumping off the boat with the kids and swimming around. It took a while to convince Daniel there were no sharks or pirhanas prowling around in the dark, deep water. After we threw him in a few times, he eventually got over it and enjoyed swimming around.

The funniest part was when we were out in the middle of the lake and Daniel had to go to the bathroom. Jon and I were like, "just pee in the lake." Daniel FREAKED out in disbelief..."What? Ewww gross! It will get on my swim trunks!" Finally, when he realized we weren't going to drive the boat back to the dock so he could use the bathroom, he swam far away from us and let loose. And oh boy, after that both him and Sarah thought that was the coolest thing ever! They couldn't believe we would let them do such a thing! I swear every 10 minutes, one of them was happily exclaiming, "I'm peeing right now!" I guess that's what happens when you take city kids camping :)

Good times!

It definitely was a perfect weekend...Spending the day on the water, soaking in the sun, sitting around the campfire, making smores, all 5 of us sandwiched in a tent, and spending time with good friends. And of course their dog Dewey was the highlight of the whole weekend. Ahhh...good memories! I'm ready to do it all over again.

Finally!

2008-08-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

Do you remember when Olivia cut her own hair a few months ago? Well, when her hair is down this is what it looks like:The other side of her head is shoulder length hair. It was only the left side that got completely chopped off. So thanks to Nikki, aka the miracle worker, now it's a cute and EVEN chin length bob!I think it turned out pretty darn cute

Thankful

2008-07-31T22:27:00.000-07:00

Jon just returned from visiting Travis in Kansas City, and Trav is doing much, much better. He was released from the hospital last Friday, and has been resting at home. He still has difficulty seeing clearly and is moving around quite slowly. He will be undergoing surgery within the next month or so. Jon had a wonderful visit with him.
Even in the midst of his illness, Jon said he had nothing but encouraging words to say and was frequently laughing his famous laugh. The two of them had a great time together. As I was looking through some old pictures, I found some good shots of these two old friends. Excuse me as I reminisce :)

YWAM - 1997 in Kona, Hawaii

Trav holding Daniel Ski trip 2002
Haiti 2004 Celebrating our 30th birthdays - 2006
So happy together :) Kansas City 2008
I'm definitely thankful to have my husband back home. And I just want to sincerely thank all of you who shared my "heavy heart" with me last week. It was a difficult time, and I felt like I just needed to write what was going on inside. It was so kind of each of you to take the time to read and leave an encouraging comment. I was overwhelmed by your kind words...thank you. And both Jon and I are extremely thankful for everyone who prayed for Travis. He is truly our brother in Christ, and we are so thankful that God has more work for him to do!

Sharing My Heavy Heart

2008-07-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 18th, 10:00 pm - I received a phone call. It was the mother of Jon's closest friend Travis. He had collapsed earlier that day and was rushed to the hospital. The doctors found a blood clot at the base of his brain. He's in ICU, unable to move and barely has the strength to open his eyes. He's 31.

I talked with his mom for quite a while. She is a strong, faith-filled woman, but still wonders how one minute her son can be healthy, full of energy and life, and in an instant, without warning, come so close to death. When I hung up the phone, I immediately called Jon at work. My heart broke as I heard the emotion in his voice.

I have light heartedly made fun of Jon and Travis in the past. They're like two girls. BFF's. They call each other all the time and frequently send each other emails. They've gone on several trips together through the years. Travis and Jon are like brothers. And all joking aside, they've kept each other accountable through the 11 years they've been friends. They're honest and real with each other, sharing openly about their struggles. Travis is an amazing, gifted and caring man who is a blessing to everyone he comes in contact with. I could write on and on, but one person comes to mind when I think of Travis: The apostle Paul. Travis has traveled all over the world, giving up many comforts and the desire to be "successful" in the eyes of others, in order to pursue God's will for his life. He's a vivid example of a life wholly surrendered to Christ, following Him at any cost. In fact, Daniel's middle name is Travis. We knew that if there was any person we would want our son to look up to and model his life after, it would be Travis. My heart is heavy as I pray for him tonight. The thought of him laying in an intensive care unit, immobile, and in pain breaks my heart. Jon will be leaving later this week to spend 5 days with Travis and his family in Missouri. Sunday, July 2oth - My brother Jeremy's birthday, he would be 35. No one knew the significance of the day, not even Jon. I went about my day like it was any other day, but inside I swear I could physically feel the heaviness of my heart. I struggled with the decision whether to visit his grave or not. To me, it only echoes the empty feeling I feel inside. He's not there. I have to merely look at his name etched in stone. Later that day, I received a phone call from my Dad. With his voice shaking, he proceeded to tell me that a friend I went to school with collapsed suddenly on the basketball court and died. He was 31. The words hit me like a physical blow. My eyes are filled with tears even now as I type this. It brings up the questions I've suppressed for so long. Why? How can this be your plan God? He had his whole life ahead of him. I instantly think of his wife, parents and brothers. Knowing all too well the indescribable grief they are experiencing. They had no warning. In an instant their lives are changed forever. And I ask, "do you see their tears and do you feel their pain?" And I'm answered with Psalm 10:14, "But you, O God, do see trouble and grief."
On Thursday I will go to the church I grew up in. The same church where Dan and I went to youth group together. The same church where Jon and I were married. The same church where we remembered Jeremy during his memorial service. This same church will yet again be the place I go to remember someone who has gone too soon. Yes, my heart is heavy. This picture makes me smile. It was taken when I was in the 7th grade at our church's winter youth camp. That's my brother Jeremy in the center with the microphone. Darrin (Angela's husband :)) is on his right, Duane is on his left, and Dan is standing next to Duane. They made up new lyrics to the song "Bad to the Bone", and were singing "Bad for the Lord".

High School graduation. Dan is standing on the right.

Our pastor has been teaching a series on the Psalms. The week before last week he taught out of Psalm 42, where David is questioning God:

My tears have been my food day and night,

while men say to me all day long,

"Where is your God?"

I say to God my Rock,

"Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,

oppressed by the enemy?"
My bones suffer mortal agony

as my foes taunt me,

saying to me all day long,

"Where is your God?"
Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:3,9-11

A Big Introduction

2008-07-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

Well, the day has come. My daughter Sarah started her very own blog!

Her blog is called

The Way I See It...

And it is complete with her favorite music (lots of Hannah Montanna & High School Musical) and a cool pyzam layout!

She has been wanting to have her own blog for quite a while. Of course I was a little apprehensive, but overall I feel it's safe. It will be a fun outlet for her to write about what's going on in her life, and post pictures of fun day to day happenings.

You're welcome to stop by anytime, but please don't mention her last name or where we live. :)

(I think I've watched one too many Dateline episodes)

Having said that, she would love to have some blogging buddies. If any of you ladies have daughters who have been wanting their own blog as well, maybe now's the time! Sarah would be a great blogging friend, and of course a faithful commenter!

How To Swim the Perfect Race

2008-07-07T00:15:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of the Olympic Trials, Sarah will demonstrate for you how to swim

the perfect Medley Relay.

Step 1

Grab a team mate and visualize swimming your race perfectly.

Step 2
Proper stretching is an absolute must !

Step 3

Wait patiently with your team in the bullpen.

Step 4

Look cool, calm and chillaxed while you wait for the start of the race.

Step 5
Sarah exemplifies the perfect ready position as she waits for her team mate to touch the wall.

Step 6

Power off the wall with a strong shallow dive

Step 7

After your race, discuss technique and form with a knowledgeable expert.

There you have it! Now you're ready to be the next Darra Torres, the first American swimmer to compete in five Olympics: 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008. She's 41 years old!!! She's beating the speedos off of her little twenty-something competitors.

We middle age women rock! :)

Olivia Joy

2008-07-06T23:48:00.000-07:00

Hope your 4th of July weekend was as fun as Olivia's!

The Pepper Snatcher

2008-07-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

I came home from the grocery store and put the ingredients for dinner on the kitchen counter. (fajitas... mmm yum!)

Of course I got distracted, and about a half hour later went into the kitchen to make dinner. The bell peppers were gone. Where did they go? They were just here. I looked everywhere. In the cupboards, the fridge, and I even checked in the car just in case I lost my mind and really didn’t unload the grocery bags. No bell peppers.

It had been a while since I heard from Olivia, so I went in her room to check on her, and this is what I found:

She told me her puppies were hungry and needed some food. So I snapped a picture before taking my peppers back.

Mystery solved.

And with a thief this cute, I had no choice but to let her off the hook. After all, she was just taking care of her hungry puppies.

June in Review

2008-06-30T06:14:00.000-07:00

In honor of the last day of June, I thought I'd share some pictures I've taken over the last few weeks.I spent a whole week in Las Vegas with my work (blech!). I thought about taking a picture of myself in the mirror each morning to display my wonderful outfits for you all, but decided against it. I felt a little too vain. But I did have to dress nice each day. That got old after the 2nd day. And I have a guilty confession to make: I packed 8 pairs of shoes. Ridiculous, I know! But I did wear a different pair each day, and had a pair of flip flops to wear at night. This is the only picture that got taken on my camera while I was there. This is a group of debaters from Singapore that IDEA (my organization) sponsored to compete in the NFL National Tournament. Yep, that’s right folks, the National Forensic League National Tournament was two weeks ago. What? You missed it! I’m shocked. Actually, I saw my first Lincoln-Douglas debate and was quite impressed.

On to more important happenings...

Sarah caught two fish all on her own!
Daniel had no such luck.
Olivia caught this little guy all on her own. Seriously, the fish was in the water close to the shore, and she just reached in and grabbed it! She kept saying, "I caught him with my bare hands!"She then carried the fish around for about an hour or so. I kept telling her to put him back in the water, but she said, "no, he needs fresh air". And then later, without warning, she hucked it into the water, and said "he needs his mommy now". The poor, dead fish just slowly sank under the water. So cruel, I know. Please don't report us to PETA.I like my catch the best.These city kids had a blast visiting our good friends who live out in the country. Jon's cousin, Duane, so kindly offered to let Daniel drive his lawnmower. Oh my goodness, they were thrilled! I was scared out of my mind. I was sure he was going to drive into a tree or through their house.
Nothing says summer like a BBQ with friends and family I can't believe how this month has just flown by!

Looking forward to enjoying many more relaxing, sunny days with my family...there's nothing better.

And So It Begins!

2008-06-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

SWIM SEASON IS HERE!!!

Daniel and Sarah had their first swim meet of the season

Sarah starting her backstroke race

She was neck and neck with this girl the whole way, and inched past her at the end!

Sarah blew away the competition in freestyle!

I LOVE THIS PICTURE! Jon is cheering Daniel on to the finish of his race.Olivia had the luxury of watching the races from the comfort of the kiddie pool. Of all the sports the older kids do, swim team is Olivia's favorite. There's ususally a kiddie pool at each of the pools the kids compete at...So she loves going to the swim meets!

My 3 kiddos...they are growing up so fast!

Western Days!

2008-05-23T21:59:00.000-07:00

Today was Western Day at school. Why? I couldn't tell you. But the kids had fun dressing up for it. And like I've said before, Daniel is incapable of giving a natural smile for the camera.
On a completely random side note, let me share with you one of my greatest pleasures... it's called, "the laundry walk".

I did it this morning like I do so many other mornings.

I walk through the house, going through every bedroom, both bathrooms, the kitchen, the living room, the front room, and I gather up each and every piece of dirty laundry.

Oh the indescribable joy when all the darks fit into the washer making a full load, and I have all the whites sitting in the laundry basket waiting patiently for their turn to be washed. Every article of dirty laundry is accounted for! Before I walk out the door, I put the darks in the dryer and the whites in the wash. And for that brief fleeting moment, all is right in the world.

Looking Back

2008-05-21T21:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the house I grew up in,

in Bend. Well, not exactly "grew up in". I lived there from birth to eleven years old. Even though we moved to Salem when I was fairly young, I have so many good memories from my time here. We didn't have a TV when I was a kid, so my two older brothers and I spent every spare minute running around outside, riding bikes, making forts, climbing trees, sleeping out on the back deck in the summer, skiing to the grocery store in the winter. I remember even jumping off the roof of our house into the snow. Just looking at this picture brings back so many memories. In fact, every time we drive through Bend, I am always flooded with memories....Good times!My brother Jeremy on our back deck.

On Mother's Day weekend my two brothers stayed at our house. Nate flew in from Texas and Ben drove down from Seattle. On one of the nights, my adorable little brother Ben cooked an authentic organic, Seattle-hippy-style dinner for all of us. :) I was so impressed: Grilled eggplant with humus, spinach, red peppers, kalamata olives and feta cheese. And it was actually amazingly delicous! Both of my brothers are actually very talented musicians, and can sing VERY well. So the three of us competed against each other singing High School Musical songs on the Wii. Nate was undefeated, so Ben and I kept trying and trying to beat his high score, but no such luck. Although, I did take them both to school in Wii sports as we played into the "wii hours" of the morning. And I must let you know I'm the undisputed tennis champ! Olivia absolutely adores my brother Nate and followed him around everywhere he went.

Daniel and Sarah had their big Spring Piano Recital, and they both did so well. We kept our tradition, and had a big after-party at Konditorei, where the kids get to pick out the biggest, yummiest piece of cake they can find. It's a hoot with Grandmas, Grandpas, Aunts & Uncles, because we all order a different kind of cake, and then sample each others...yummmm! I'm so glad I started this tradition. Pure genius, if I do say so myself.

On Mother's Day we all went to my mom's graduation ceremony at Willamette University. I'm so proud of my mom and her amazing accomplishment. She worked very hard for that degree!That's my adorable, little sister Abby on the left. And once again, we celebrated with more food!

It's been a busy, but good last two weeks. Looking back, I have so much to be thankful for.

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

To All You Wonderful Moms...

2008-05-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

Can We Go Back Now?

2008-05-10T22:53:00.000-07:00

Getting Out of Town

2008-05-06T23:06:00.000-07:00

We feel very blessed to be able to get away for a few days. It has been so refreshing! Yesterday we spent the day at Eagle Crest, and now we are enjoying Sunriver for a couple days. I've been a little camera happy, so you'll have to endure a lot of pictures!
Who needs to go to the pool? Olivia LOVED "swimming" in this big jacuzzi tub!
She loved the real pool too!
I have no idea what Daniel is doing in this picture
Ready...Set...GO!
We have been trying to break the news to Daniel that he's not a little kid anymore, he just hasn't got the hint yet :)We are really enjoying our short time away...if only it didn't have to end so soon!

On a Lighter Note...

2008-05-05T00:19:00.001-07:00

I'm quite embarrassed about my frizzy hair in this picture. Jon snapped this with his cell phone right when I was heading out the door to go get it cut. Who fixes their hair before they go to the salon anyway? Obviously not me! Ta-da... The new do!

(Ladies, Niki Quarles is terrific. If you need a new stylist, go see her!)

And where have we been spending most of our free time? Three words:

It's Softball Season!

My Little Lefty

The Sideline Kid

It's been hard to keep my eyes off the 3rd base coachAs you may have guessed, life in the Garland house has been quite busy lately. Which would explain my one lonesome blog post for the whole month of April...ouch! That's an all-time low!

We are all doing well, and enjoying this busy time of year. I am counting down the days until summer, when life seems to move at a more relaxed pace. I will definitely try to do a better job of keeping in touch with all of you dear family and friends. Until next time, enjoy the season God has placed you in, and be blessed as you remember His faithfulness...regardless of our shortcomings, He is faithful!

"We tend to be shortsighted about life, so caught up in the present that we lose sight of how brief our time on earth actually is. It is easy to attach too much value to the wrong things and assign significance to the wrong accomplishments and, in the process, dilute those things that carry eternal significance." ~Mayo Mathers, from the book "Finding Adventure in the Ordinary"

11 YEARS AGO TODAY...

2008-04-21T00:04:00.000-07:00

I became a mom.

And what a beautiful day it was. God blessed Jon and I with a precious gift, our Daniel Travis. He is such a treasure, and even now as he turns eleven, he is still my little buddy. He's a night owl just like me, and we have had many wonderful conversations late into the night. He's a thinker, and he shares his thoughts freely. I enjoy hearing everything that's on his mind. He's honest, he always tells us when he's done something wrong. He loves to read. He loves to think up new inventions. He has some great ideas of what he would do if he was president. He wants to be a doctor when he grows up, and has promised to buy Jon and I a vacation home when he does. He has a strong sense of justice, and doesn't stay silent when he sees something wrong. And even though he hates to practice, he is a gifted pianist. He's my little boy (even though he's almost as tall as me), and I love him so very much.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIEL!!!Jon holding Daniel for the first time

Newbies!

This picture makes me laugh. It reminds me of one of my favorite memories: Jon and I giving Daniel his first bath. It took us about 20 minutes to get everything set up and the water temperature just right. Then we got out our trusted Baby Book and read step by step directions on how to give a baby a bath. Poor guy, he was our test run. But he seems to be turning out OK.

And one more thing....It was 10 years ago today, on Daniel's 1st Birthday, Jon and I looked dumbfounded at the positive pregnancy test on our coffee table! Yep, a sweet little girl was on the way, which didn't quite fit into our "4 year gap between kids plan". God had a different plan, and we're so glad He did!

MY SUNSHINE

2008-03-30T14:23:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness these portraits were taken before she cut half her hair off! And I have to tell you, my dear husband gets all the credit for these wonderful portraits (these are scanned though, the quality is much better in person!). Since I was working, Jon got her all ready and took her in to get her portraits done. I am pleasantly surprised that her hair isn't messy and her dress isn't wrinkled. Jon even drove out to Silverton to pick these up for me while I was out of town. Thanks Jon.

I love these portraits! She truly is my little sunshine in her little "lellow" dress.
I love you Olivia Joy!

I'M COMING HOME!

2008-03-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

I have been in Colorado for the last couple of days, and right now I'm sitting in the Denver airport with nothing better to do then, what else? Post a blog of course. I spent 7 hours at PDX on the way here, and have had 8 hours of sleep in the last two days. And what could be better then lugging around a big heavy suitcase full of books? I'm not complaining though :)
Right now I'm sitting in a lovely little cafe overlooking the fountain in the airport (if you've been there, you know what I'm talking about), sipping my mocha and eating warm chocolate bundt cake. And this being my second trip with IDEA (my work), I'm thankful for the opportunity and how it forces me to step outside of my comfort zone as I promote our organization. I really feel my communication skills improving as well as my sense of confidence. Here are some very nice college kids I met (they were my favorites).But boy do I miss my kids' faces. Oh yeah, and that guy I call my husband, I miss his smile too. Can't wait to get home. I brought my camera, but was not able to take any pictures of Colorado. The drive from Denver to Colorado Springs was breathtaking, and I was wishing I could pull over and take a picture of the mountains. But Coloradoans drive like crazy people! The speed limit is 75 mph, and you don't dare drive under that lest you get plowed over by a monster SUV! This morning was freezing, I woke up to a light dusting of snow, and driving back to Denver freaked me out a little. I was in this little PT Cruiser, and could see the ice on the road, and people were just flying by like it was no big deal! Oh well, I survived, and can't wait to get home! Geeez, you'd think I've been gone for 10 days! OK, back to people watching...

BEAUTIFUL

2008-03-23T06:27:00.000-07:00

Today of all days is the most beautiful of days. It's a day to celebrate. He is the reason. He paid the ultimate sacrifice, giving us the most beautiful gift. He is our beautiful reward....nothing else.

Some of you might shake your heads in disagreement, and I don't blame you, but, we have never given our kids Easter baskets. Oh, the deprivation, I know. However will they recover from the emotional scars? Maybe I'll pay for their therapy bills when their older. And before you start feeling really sorry for them, every year their Grandma has a big egg-coloring fiasco with them, and she gives them each a basket with candy. And please don't get me wrong, I in no way think less of people who celebrate with candy, baskets and gifts. It's a fun way for kids to celebrate such a special day.
But for me, it all started with Jon and mine's first Easter together. I will never forget it. He had been a christian for just over a year. He bounded out of bed that morning, and woke me up saying, "Liz, it's Easter!" He gave me this beautiful card (which I still have, and also a few more he's given me over the years on Easter, which is pretty amazing because Jon is usually an anti-card person), and in it he wrote how of all the days to celebrate, this is the day! Look at what Christ did for us! Because He died and didn't stay in the tomb, neither will we! Psalms 51 refers to "the joy of our salvation", and Jon was a shining example of someone having true joy in his salvation. It was so real to him, so authentic, so amazing and exciting. It took me by surprise, because for me, growing up in the church my whole life, Easter had become very mundane. Everyone gets dressed up, goes to church, sings the same songs you sing every Easter ("Celebrate, Jesus celebrate....He is risen, He is risen, and He lives forevermore...", I can almost hear you singing along), listen to the same type of Easter message you hear every year, turn and tell the person next to you, "He is risen, He is risen indeed", etc., etc. But that year, seeing the true joy my husband had in knowing Christ died for us and gave us eternal life, changed my whole perspective on Easter. Christ's sacrifice and victory became real to me again through the child-like faith of a new believer, my husband.

As our kids grew, we just never got into the candy, and the baskets, because it just wasn't important to us. A few years ago, our kids came home from the neighbor's house telling us of all the candy and gifts this boy had received, and they were wondering why we didn't give them anything for Easter. I tell you, it was the coolest thing to sit down with our kids, and read in detail the humiliation, pain and suffering Christ endured on the cross....for them, for all of us. And then reading about the joy of the disciples when they found the empty tomb on Easter morning. It was such a beautiful moment to explain to our kids, "He is our reward. There is no greater reward then salvation and eternal life." And that's why we celebrate Easter. We have already been given the greatest gift, there is nothing more that we need.

Now, did our kids really grasp that? I don't know, but I think they caught a glimpse, and someday I pray they will fully understand.

Do they wish they could wake up to a big fat Easter basket full of candy and gifts? What kid doesn't.

When they're grown and have kids of their own, will they spoil them with a ton of candy on Easter just to make up for what they didn't get as kids? Maybe.

But I pray they will truly come to an understanding of what it means to seek after God, and find that a relationship with Him is far more rewarding then anything this world has to offer. I pray that they will learn to seek the Giver and not the gifts.

Even as adults, we are constantly looking at what God can bless us with, and how can He make our lives more comfortable and easier. It's a little something known as "the prosperity gospel". Best selling books and televangelists market this gospel even to the poorest of poor. Telling you if you just say a specific prayer God will give you prosperity, or if you send in your donation God is going to bless you with material wealth. And God wants you to have the "abundant" life, full of big houses and nice cars. But what John Piper (one of my faves) has to say in this short video, is something we all need to be reminded of.

He is our reward. He has already given us all that we need. He is enough. He is beautiful.

Happy Resurrection Day!

Great Is Your Reward In Tacos

2008-03-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

"So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." ~Matthew 6:2-4

We've all heard the saying, "great is your reward in heaven".

But sometimes a nice little reward of tacos sounds good, don't you think? Or some carne asada burritos? Or even some crispy tostadas with fresh guacamole?I was greeted with a wonderful surprise when I walked in the door from work tonight. I was greeted by my husband, and my husband only. Jon's mom had taken the kids to her house to color Easter eggs, an annual tradition she has done with the kids since Daniel was a toddler. (Side note: I have never colored an Easter egg in my life! And Olivia ate a dye-tablet tonight.)

We took advantage of the rare, childless moment, and went out to a quick dinner at a restaurant close to our house. When we walked in, a young waiter looked at me and smiled. I instantly recognized him, but couldn't remember from where. When we sat down at our table, he came over and said hello. Then it all came back to me!

Flashback:
About two months ago, I witnessed a pretty bad car accident, which happened right in front of me. I checked on the vehicles to make sure everyone was ok. There was a hispanic woman who was pretty shaken up and crying hysterically. She had two toddlers and a baby in the back seat. I stayed with her and managed to calm her and her kids down. After a while, I asked her if she was on her way to pick up a child from school. She said yes, and wrote down the child's name. Three schools and one hour later, I finally found the boy who was waiting for his mom to pick him up. He was a sophomore at West High, which is quite funny, because the mother told me he was in second grade (I guess she meant 2nd grade in high school). So all along I was looking for this little boy. Anyways, I told the boy what had happened and that I would take him to the scene of the accident. I guess having my 3 kids in the back seat convinced him I wasn't going to abduct him. He was such a polite boy, and very thankful. When we got to the accident, he lovingly took care of his mom and younger siblings and gave the police officers all the information they were needing. I was so impressed with his maturity and concern for his family. You don't come across many 16 year olds like that.

Back to Tonight:
As we finished our dinner, he came over to our table and handed me our bill. He opened it up, and said, "here, this is for you". I looked at the bill, it said $0.00 and there was also a gift certificate for $25! He got teary-eyed as he told me how much he appreciated what I had done for him and his family. I tried to tell him it was no big deal, but he insisted we take the gift. We were blown away! What a kind young man. And what a blessing for Jon and I.

See, sometimes God does reward with tacos!

Playing Catch Up

2008-03-17T23:45:00.000-07:00

Meet DeweyNo, he's not ours, but we sure wish he was.He is the sweetest little Yorkie and belongs to our good friends. They brought him over for dinner last weekend, and our kids were in absolute heaven. Olivia has now named every single stuffed puppy she owns, Dewey.
Goodness, where has the last two weeks gone? It's been a busy time in our house, and I'll give you a quick update:

Olivia got her driver's license Jon let her sit on his lap and "drive" the car up our driveway and into the garage. She was thrilled!
Daniel took over my position at Willamette University He had the day off of school, and was able to come to work with me for a few hours.

I really enjoyed having him there!We made a new friend: Diego Diaz

What a precious, beautiful little boy!(To cut or not to cut, that is the question. I'm thinking about getting a short, sleek, chin length bob. Hmmm....what to do? I gladly welcome your opinion.)

Jonny's Kids:
These two brown-eyed cuties look so much like their Dad, it's unreal.

Yesterday I ran the 8K Shamrock Run in downtown Portland with my sister-n-law Carey. It was a beautiful crisp, sunny spring morning, and we both finished with a PR time. It was such a great run, and we had so much fun! The best part about it was, while I was driving, I listened to 104.1 fm which, I discovered, plays non-stop worship music on Sunday mornings. I sang to every single song on the way there and back. It was amazing, favorite song after favorite song would play, and I just sang my heart out :). It really was a special time of worship. And for me, running is my conversation time with God. That's why I love it so much. I hit the road, and I just quiet my mind (I'm not an Ipod girl, I never listen to music while I run), and pretty soon all my thoughts start to surface, and I just start talking to God. I pray about everything that comes to mind, and often while I'm running I feel such a sense of gratitude. I feel so at peace, and all the things God has done for me come to mind, sometimes overlooked in the busyness, I remember them in the quiet while I'm running and thank Him. Anyways.... I write all this to say, it was a perfect morning. I worshipped the way up to Portland. Had an awesome talk with God while I ran, and worshipped all the way home!

Later that day, I was cutting Sarah's hair, and had a few pairs of scissors on the kitchen table. Somehow, when I wasn't looking, Olivia snuck up and grabbed a pair. Halfway through Sarah's haircut I realized I hadn't heard or seen Olivia in quite a while. I found her hiding behind the piano. She looked up at me and said, "I do nuffin" (translated: I didn't do anything). I looked down and saw the scissors in her hand.....HOLY MOLY! She cut her hair! On the right side of her head, she cut above the ear all the way towards the back. I so badly want to show you a picture, but I can't get my camera to work...bummer! She looks so funny though, and I don't even know what to do. I can't even it out, because she literally would have a boy's haircut, but I can't just leave it, because looking at her straight on, the left side has hair and the right side doesn't. It's quite a sight!

Well, I apologize for this random, scattered blog post, but it's all I got right now :)

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

~Romans 12:3

INDIANA JONES, RAPUNZEL, AND A TRAGEDY

2008-03-02T16:36:00.000-08:00

Last Friday was Dr. Seuss' Birthday. To celebrate, the school allowed the kids dress up as their favorite book character. Daniel desperately wanted to be Indiana Jones, but is he a book character? Yes! We searched Ebay, and found some Indiana Jones books, so we justified it. Sarah had no idea who to dress up as. We pondered the idea for many days, and finally we found great inspiration from her Hannah Montana wig! So she put on her Easter dress, braided her wig, and.....Voila!!! She transformed into Rapunzel.
As I sit here at the kitchen table this fine Sunday afternoon, I will also share with you a picture of tragedy....

That my friends is a Triple Grande Nonfat Sugar-Free Vanilla Latte, which cost me $3.95. This lovely 130 calorie drink was purchased at 9:12 am on our way to church. For some odd reason, my husband and I actually shared an engaging conversation on the drive to church :), so I didn't even take one drink. I Felt kinda weird bringing a coffee into church, but did it anyway as I didn't want to waste my $4 treasure. We have been looking for a new church to call "home" for quite some time now (a strange and awkward proccess, if you've ever experienced it, you know what I'm talking about), so I was unsure of this church's "coffee rules". During church, I only took a few drinks because it made this weird, slurping-suction-type noise each time I took a drink. I am quite certain I was annoying the man next to me. (What is coffee etiquette in church anyway? Anybody know?) Oh well, "I can re-heat it when I get home", I thought. As soon as we pulled into the driveway, Olivia shouts out "I gotta go potty right now!" So I race to get her unbuckled and into the bathroom. Yep, leaving my beautiful, perfectly hand-crafted latte in the car. At precisely 3:08, I remember my lonesome coffee, waiting patiently in the car for me. I seriously considered re-heating it... Seriously! But then the voice of reason took over: That latte was made 6 hours ago!!! So yes, a true tragedy. This wonderful latte was completely wasted! It broke my heart.

What a beautiful Sunday though! As I typed out this week's schedule (I'm a serious, obsessive, compulsive list-maker), I began to feel the anxiety creep in. The older kids were outside playing baseball, Olivia was in her room playing Little People, and Jon was at work. So I seized the moment! I walked away from the computer, as well as my stressful thoughts, and with my Bible in hand, plopped down on the couch. I read a blog post today about The Romans 12 Challenge. You read Romans 12 once a day from now until Easter, and see what God impresses upon your heart. So I started today. And what a perfect time to start. Those feelings of stress and anxiety...gone!

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. ~Romans 12:9-13

Did you hear that?

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer"

Those are some words I need to put into action this week...I hope you do too!

Public Service Announcement

2008-02-25T19:41:00.000-08:00

Out of the kindness of my heart, I would like to share some beneficial information with you, my dear blog readers....all 5 of you. This is just too good to keep to myself. Now this will only be of good use to you if you live in Salem:

drum roll please...

On Wednesday, February 27th, Dutch Brothers AND Java Crew in West Salem are giving away free drinks all day!!!

They are both on Wallace Rd. and only about 200 yards away from each other. You could wait in line at Java Crew, get your Super Quad Iced Mocha with whip cream, and then drink it in your car while you wait in line at Dutch Brothers .

Since I know most of you are just as heavily addicted to caffeine as I am, I thought you would find this information to be very useful. No need to thank me, it's just a little perk you get for reading my blog. See, aren't you glad you stopped by?

Guess Who Has a Birthday Today?

2008-02-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

She always has a smile on her face

She loves her husband

She loves her girls
She loves her friends

She loves her coffee

She loves to shop

She loves to run

She loves to drag me out the door for a long run with her

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ONA!!!

I hope you have a very special day. I'm so thankful for you, and that God has brought us into each other's lives. I think you're simply wonderful!

And This Just In:

Another little guy wanted in on the birthday action! Baby Diego Samuel Diaz born today at 8:55 am.

Congratulation Eddie and Meghan, he's beautiful!

It's Official, The Recession Has Hit!!! (and other random thoughts)

2008-02-22T23:16:00.000-08:00

Well, that's my opinion anyway. I just paid $15 for cheese, and $11 for milk! And they were on sale too! 2 2lb. blocks of cheese and 3 gallons of milk. Almost $30 for milk and cheese that will last us about 3 days.

I'm having random thoughts tonight.

I sit here drinking a bottle of Henry Weinhard's root beer, mmm....good. The rest of the fam is in bed. I should be in bed too. But it's been a long day, it's been a long week, and I feel like vegging out all by myself. I know, I'm pretty wild and crazy, root beer and blogging, a dangerous mix.This morning I was driving Olivia to pre-school/child-care, and I was late as usual. I came whippin around the corner, driving way too fast (I always do, it's a bad habit I just don't want to break), and right there sat a police car. "OH CRUD! I'm going to get a ticket" was my first thought. And as I turned into the church parking lot, I looked over at the patrol car, and it was Jon!!! He switched his lights on and waved at Olivia, and she was so very excited. He pulled in next to us, and took Olivia and walked her into school. She was all smiles. And so was I, as I raced to work. My sweet husband just saved me 10 minutes, and now I wasn't late. Jon said when he walked into her class, all the little kids were so excited to see a "real police man". One of the kids shouted, "Whoa! Olivia's dad is a fireman!" The teacher asked Jon if he could stay for a few minutes so the kids could talk to him. This sweet Mr. Mom also chaperoned for Sarah's class field trip this week. They released trout, which started as eggs in their class aquarium, into the wild! And Mr. Mom even took pictures. It's funny because the school needs volunteers for the spelling bee. They asked me, but I had to decline due to my work schedule, so I volunteered Jon. When I told him, his response was, "you want ME to volunteer at a spelling bee?!" And then we both cracked up laughing at the thought of him judging a spelling bee. Poor Jon is dyslexic and can't spell worth beans! I'm pretty sure any kid in Sarah's class can spell better then him.

I've talked about Jon, Oliva and Sarah. What about Daniel? Daniel, what a unique kid! So, he's in fifth grade. And they're now having "health" class. Last week, the male teachers took all the boys in a seperate room to talk about the male reproductive system. They told the boys they could anonymously write down any question and they would answer their questions. So what does Daniel do? He's laughing as he retells this to me. "Mom, (he he he) guess what I did (he he he)? Even though I already knew the answer, I wrote down, "can you tell us how babies are made?" Ha ha ha! You should have seen the look on Mr. Sutter's face when he read my question! And he said they can't answer that question until we're in middle school. Ha ha ha!"

He thought he was so clever! I love that guy so much. He's so smart, he's always thinking, he always has something to say...literally always! He really has a special place in my heart. It's true, there's a special bond between a mother and her son. A few nights ago, the two of us stayed up really late working on a big class project. It was such a special time, just the two of us, talking away about so many different things. And we made a killer poster for his oral presentation too!

Well, I've rambled on long enough this Friday night. But did you know I could beat any one of you in Wii Sports? Yep, that's right! Did you know I've been craving Rolos? Did you know I had a fabulous hair day today? Did you know I worked 10 hours today, and I'm glad it's the weekend? Did you know I REALLY want to blog about politics, but am refraining? Did you know I struggle with contentment? Did you know I really want a dog? Did you know I'm thankful you read this boring blog post all the way to the end? Happy Weekend!

Treasure Found!

2008-02-18T23:11:00.000-08:00

I made a wonderful and exciting discovery today. A while back I read a book titled, "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn. I absolutely loved it, and have a great deal of respect for him, as he is such a gifted teacher and writer, and so full of wisdom.

Well , I have to admit, today I was doing some "blog lurking" (you know, when you read a friend's blog and then click on a friend of theirs you don't know, and then another unknown friend of a friend, and so on. Am I the only one who does this? Maybe! Should I not be admitting this? Probably!) Well, I stumbled accross Randy Alcorn's blog! Now I know this might not seem that exciting to some of you, but let me tell you, it's worth going and checking out. I went back and started at his very first post, which wasn't that long ago...June 2007. And I'm going to be reading a post each day. He is so down to earth and real, yet at the same time has such wisdom and a Godly perspective. Reading his posts are like sitting down at a table with some good coffee and listening and learning from a dear friend.

And speaking of a dear friend, tonight I was talking with a friend on the phone, and we were talking about the doubts and questions that we as Christians go through. Like, "why do I even call myself a christian? How am I really living my life for God? This is too hard, why try? What does it all mean?" And I told her how I have always longed for and needed a Godly influence speaking truth and wisdom into my life. Whether it's through a book, a friend who I respect, or taking the time to listen to a radio broadcast (my favorite is Chuck Swindoll), I NEED IT. We have to take the time to feed ourselves spiritually, otherwise we grow weak and fragile, "tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching" (Ephesians 4:14). I am not by any means minimizing the need to spend time studying the Bible. Everything we need is in God's Word, it is our daily bread, our sustenance, we could not be disciples (aka learners) of Jesus Christ without it. But I have found, as Proverbs says, "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another", I need Godly influences in my life.

I am speaking to myself more then anyone, but I also hope to encourage even just one person. If you are in a stagnant place, you're not moving forward, you're having doubts, or maybe have never pursued the knowledge of who God is, I encourage you, seek Him out. Whether it be through the Bible, a book, a friend, the radio, or even the simplicity of clicking on Randy Alcorn's Blog once a day and reading a post each day, you will be feeding your soul. You will be making a start, a step forward. And you will be glad you did.

Here is an excerpt from one of his posts that particularly spoke to me:

"In a fallen corrupted world, people keep searching and searching, like frustrated channel changers, never finding what satisfies (and often never turning off the TV to look elsewhere). Ultimate satisfaction can be only found in God, the gracious giver of all good things. We were made for Him and we will never be satisfied with less. Coming to grips with this is one of the great keys to Christian living. As long as we hold onto the illusion that we can find what we’re looking for somewhere else, we’ll never give ourselves fully to God. It’s easier not to. And yet, in the long run, the easy road we choose proves to be much harder than the hard road we turned away from.While we as Christians should know this above all others, how soon we forget. At the end of the day, if we haven’t found a reason for peace and contentment, is it because we were looking in the wrong places and to the wrong people? Christians can live, practically speaking, as if we were atheists.How many times in the last 24 hours have you consciously looked to God and said “Please, my Savior, help me find in You today all that my heart longs for?” I did it just now, because I wrote it. And I did it, essentially, earlier today twice, once because I wasn’t feeling joyful, and knew I needed to direct my heart to Him to find a reason for joy. The second time was when I was praying for people I love who are facing challenges. I’m facing a few myself. God can use those challenges to remind us we can’t find peace apart from Him."

I have placed a link to his blog over on the right side. I hope you go do some reading!On another note, has anyone else been LOVING the sunshine? The weather lately has been so beautiful, and the kids and I have really enjoyed getting outside and playing. I can't wait for spring! I need to get rid of the "snow theme" on my blog....winter is almost over!

My Rock-n-Roll Valentine

2008-02-17T23:43:00.000-08:00

When my two older kids were little, I vividly remember the lump I would feel in my throat as I watched them up on the stage during their Christmas Programs. They would wave excitedly at Jon and I, and then sing "Away in the Manger" at the top of their lungs. Oh, it was such a proud and emotional moment. Well, I have news for all you young moms out there, that feeling never goes away. Last week, Sarah's class had a music program at her school. (Now, before all you relatives out there start getting upset, and wondering why you weren't invited, I didn't know about it until the day of the program!) The school gym was completely full of people...standing room only. And Sarah had this part where it was just her and one other boy on the stage at the microphones, and she didn't even blink an eye. She just sang her heart out and even threw in some dance moves, as the song was titled, "Rock-n-Roll Valentine" (Gotta love public school). Jon and I were just smiling ear to ear as we watched her. We couldn't believe that she wasn't the least bit intimidated by the large audience. And I got that feeling, that same feeling I got when I watched her as a little 4 year old. I was so proud of her, and she even still waved at us! And I'll let you in on a little secret. The boy standing right next to her is the one she has a crush on! What a little cutey eh? When I asked Sarah why she has a crush on him, she answered, "I just like his hair, and the way he talks." Well, he just better scoot over a few inches, and not even think about "crushing" on Sarah. I'm telling you, I'm starting to get a little bit of an anxiety attack when I hear my sweet little girl talk about having a crush on a boy...yikes!

Every rock star needs a post-performance celebration.

And they went wii, wii, wii all the way home!

I snapped this picture of Daniel and Sarah right after they found out they were getting a Nintendo Wii. We have been trying to get one for them since before Christmas. So for Christmas, we wrapped up their games and controllers, and a note saying as soon as Best Buy gets them in stock they get a new Wii. We've been calling Best Buy every day asking if they have any in stock, and the answer was always no. While we were at Baskin Robbins, after Sarah's program, Jon called......and yes!!! We all jumped in the car and raced to Best Buy. We have all (especially Jon and I) been having a little too much fun playing it latley!

Little String Bean

2008-02-07T11:18:00.000-08:00

Poor Olivia.
She has the most thin, scraggly, stringy hair. No matter how much I wash it and brush it, she always looks like her hair hasn't been washed or combed in a week.

She didn't get this from me. I was born with very thick, natural curly hair, which was just peachy in the early '90's, I had the biggest hair around! But now...oh boy! If I don't blow dry and straighten my hair, I have the biggest, frizziest afro! What I would give to have thin, straight hair!!!

And Sarah, is my little mini-me. She had a head full of ringlets as a toddler, and now has thick wavy hair which is always a headache to try and fix before school each morning.

(She was so cute, I couldn't decide on just one picture)

So, I decided to give Olivia a haircut. With the help of her favorite guacamole chips, she sat pretty still!
And I think it turned out adorable!

Random Tips of the Day:

Dunkin Donuts coffee is not that good. Resist the urge to buy it, even if it is on sale.

If you go to the store without make-up on, you WILL see someone you know.

The Super Bowl rocked and Super Tuesday, well... I won't go there. I will keep my blog politically-free :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!!!

(cue music...) Where in the World is LizzyG?

2008-01-31T13:05:00.000-08:00

Life has just been too busy lately. Something had to give. So I put blogging on the back burner for the last couple of weeks. This morning I went back and read my very first post. It was so simple, and reminded me of the reason I started this blog. So look for short and sweet posts in the future, filled with lots of pictures of our 3 crazy kids. And I will aspire to be more like my friend Angela, and keep my camera with me at all times. These last few weeks have been busy, but filled with some fun moments together as a family. Unfortunately, I took very few pictures, but here are some random pictures to make up for lost time:

Sarah had a big birthday bash with her friends from school! What could be better then,

SWIMMING

PIZZA

AND A SLEEPOVER!

MONDAY, JANUARY 28th: 1/2 INCH OF SNOW AND NO SCHOOL!

IT'S A GOOD THING SHE'S WEARING THOSE SNOW PANTS!

AFTER BRAVING THE BITTER COLD, WHAT BETTER WAY TO WARM UP THEN A NICE BIG BUBBLE BATH?

POOR DANIEL LAY SICK ON THE COUCH WHILE THE REST OF US ENJOYED THE WINTER WONDERLAND...ALL TWO HOURS OF IT.

AAHHH, POOR GUY...

He gets home from work at 8:30 am. The deal is he takes the kids to school at 9:00am. But somehow, in that short amount of time, he ends up on the couch like this. And we all quietly tip-toe out the door trying not to wake the sleeping beauty.In closing, I will share some valuable wisdom learned over the last couple weeks:

When you're feeding your kids chicken broth with croutons added in, it's time to go to the grocery store.

When one family member gets sick, watch out, you're all going to get it!

When you go 18 days without exercising, and eat lots of junk food, you wills start to notice some extra padding around your hips.

When you have 10 girls over for a sleepover, you probably won't go to bed until 3:00 am. And when one wakes up at 7:00 am, they're all going to wake up

One of the brightest moments in my life was scheduling a pedicure with my mother-n-law and sister-n-law the day after the party

When you put on High School Musical (1&2) for ten nine-year old girls, they will all sing along to every single song with great emotion and gaze starry eyed at Troy and Gabriella, which will then invoke feelings of panic in you as a mother.....They're too young! Shouldn't they still be playing with dolls?

Funny Moment: Jon was frustrated with Daniel for a VERY good reason, and said, "what is wrong with you? What were you thinking?" Daniel replied, "Maybe it was your sperm Dad, maybe it was a bad one" Jon and I cracked up laughing. Gotta love that open communication!

If you go through a lazy phase and don't do any housework for 3 days, you WILL be sorry! It's not worth it, get off the couch!

If the president of your organization assigns a project to you, feelings of stress and anxiety will follow (I just want to wash dishes and do laundry all day again!!!)

When you and your husband take your kids to a rock concert at the Ikebox, a lengthy discussion about not judging people by their appearances will follow.

Very few things make me happier, then watching the expression on my kids' face when they wake up to snow.

Rediscovering one of my favorite things: Tuesday, 1:00 am, couldn't sleep (thanks to that nice little project), and Jon was working. I opened up the curtains in our bedroom, crawled back in bed and watched snow fall to the ground. It was the most beautiful, peaceful sight.

Until next time...

CALL US CRAZY!!!

2008-01-13T22:04:00.000-08:00

WE TRAINED

WE SHOPPED

WE CONQUERED!

My friend Ona and I ran a 1/2 marathon today! I'm so proud of Ona, she ran the whole thing, even with extreme pain in both knees. The woman was determined! We both had such a great time. It was a perfect day for a long run...no rain! We ran through beautiful countryside out in Turner, running past fields of cows, sheep, and pigs! It was a little foggy with a nice cool mist in the air. It really was a pleasant run. It was especially fun, because both of our husbands were there cheering us on! They were such goofballs though. At mile two they parked and cheered for us, yelling out, "good job, you're almost there!" And then a few miles later I heard something like, "we're cold now, we're getting back in the car, you keep running though!" But it made me laugh, and it was fun to see Jon's face every few miles. Right around mile 11 I hit my wall. My body felt so fatigued, and my legs felt like heavy weights, it took all I had to keep running at my target pace. And all I could think about was crossing that finish line and having a nice warm cup of coffee...I finished....

And I had my cup of coffee!

What a wonderful sense of accomplishment. This time last year, I was 20 pounds heavier and could barely run 1 mile. It feels so good to work towards a goal, and see it come to fruition.

Thank you Ona for keeping me accountable! There were many days when I didn't feel like going for a run, but I knew you were going to ask me if I ran. So I would go, just for you :)

So keep asking me!!!

And what blog post would be complete without a picture of Olivia? She is my adorable stretching buddy. She loves to stretch out with me, before I take off for a run. It's so cute, and she actually does all the stretches pretty accurately. Who knows, maybe one day the two of us will be out there running together!

Once was lost, but now is found

2008-01-06T05:44:00.000-08:00

.....MY CAMERA!!!!

I love my husband dearly, but I have learned over the years, when something goes missing, it is a waste of time to ask him. He never knows. Even if he really does know, he doesn't realize it and says, "I don't know".

Example: When my husband does the laundry (which I am extremely thankful for), and I go to put on my favorite sweater...it's not there. Where is it? I just washed it.
"Jon, when you were hanging up clothes, did you see my short sleeve black sweater?"
"Uhh, no. I don't know. I don't think so."
Lo and behold, two weeks later, I find it in Sarah's closet mixed up with her clothes. So I've learned to just not even bother asking Jon when I can't find something.

I have been frantically looking for our camera over the last two weeks. I have looked under every seat in both cars. Checked the glove boxes. I've checked all my purses :). I've looked under couch cushions and furniture. I've looked in every single cupbpoard, drawer and closet in our home....no camera.

Last night, without even expecting an answer, I asked Jon,
" have you seen the camera?"
"Oh yeah, I put it in the video camera bag in the hall closet"
"What!!! Did you not realize I have been looking for it for the last two weeks?"
"Uh, no."

Lesson learned: 99% of the time my husband never knows where anything is. But that 1% is worth asking about.

So here are some lovely pictures from Christmas Eve day, spent with some of our favorite people in the whole world.

The Rock Star and The Mommy

a.k.a Ella and OliviaThe boys

Daniel, Jon, Darrin with his little Dylan, and Duane.

Jon is threatening to give Dylan a knuckle sandwich if he doesn't smile. (kidding)

Two Hot Mamas

aka Liz and Angela, two great friends

Why Is Christmas Over?

2008-01-05T13:11:00.000-08:00

How do you tell a 3 year old Christmas is over?(Will her bangs ever grow out after catching on fire? I'm beginning to think not)

And yes, Olivia is 3 now. She turned 3 on December 28. And yes, I should be banned from blogging forever due to my appalling lack of documenting Garland family events. The last two weeks have been a blurry haze. So much has happened, and yet I wasn't able to find 5 minutes to get to the computer and even turn it on. On top of that, I can't find my camera. The last time I saw it was Christmas Eve day when we were able to have a wonderful visit with our dear friends and relatives. So Shauna or Angela, if by chance you haven't used your diaper bags since Christmas Eve, check and see if my camera ended up in there! :)

So yes, no pictures of Christmas 2007. No pictures of the week long visit with my brother, his wife and little girl. No pictures of all our adventures these last two weeks held for us...so sad.

But back to the title of this post. Olivia can't seem to understand why we are taking all the Christmas decorations down, and is having quite a hard time with it all. Jon hasn't been able to take the outside lights down yet. Last night she went to the front window, looked out longingly and said,

"please mommy, please can we turn on the kwissmus likes?"

"No sweetie, Christmas is over"

"Why not?" (which means why)

"Because it's a new year now"

"But I want to see the pwetty kwissmus likes"

"No Joy-Joy (her nickname), Christmas is over"

"mooommmmyyy!!!" (as she sprawls herself out on the ground and fake cries, hoping I'll give in. But I won't, my pride is too great. I will not risk our neighborly reputation and turn on Christmas lights after January 1st....that would be soooo wrong!)

But how do you tell a 3 year old Christmas is over? She doesn't want it to end. She loved every single twinkling light, every ornament on the tree, each and every figure in the nativity set, which is now missing Joseph's hand, an angel's wing, and a donkey's ear. Her new found love for Christmas is so sweet, and reminds me of how I used to be as a child. Christmas has always been my absolute favorite time of year. But the last few years I have been enjoying it less and less. Why is that? The meaning of Christmas alone should be enough to fill our home with joy, as we reflect on what Jesus did for us: Coming to earth in the form of a helpless baby, so he could live a life blameless, without sin, take our place and die a sinner's death, so that we might have forgiveness and eternal life. Isn't that enough?!!! Why do I allow myself to get so stressed out and wrapped up in the materialism of the holiday? So I've been thinking, I hereby make a promise, a New Year's Resolution if you will, to enjoy Christmas more next year. To be better prepared. To get the decorations down from the attic, shopping completed, and Christmas cards written by November. Christmas only comes once a year, and for such a short time. Yet it comes with so many opportunities to make memories and to bless others. You just need one thing: TIME. Next year I want to do whatever it takes, so that come December, I have nothing but time. Time to relax and enjoy my family and friends. And most importantly, time to share the life-changing message of Christmas, by blessing those who are in need. As I look back on our past Christmas' as a family, my favorite memories are the ones when we focused on giving and blessing others. That will by my focus next year! So I guess you can say, I've learned a valuable lesson. And I am looking forward to this new year, and all that God has in store for our family. May God bless you as head into this wonderful new year!

"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." ~Hebrews 12:1-2

I will leave you with my precious few pictures I have of December:

OUR SWEET SARAH

2007-12-20T22:16:00.000-08:00

Sarah turned 9 years old yesterday...9 YEARS OLD!!! Where has the time gone? I know that sounds cliche, but seriously, it seems like just last year we were celebrating her 3rd birthday. Except then we were having a party with ponies and princesses, and now it's all about Hannah Montana. I so wish I was able to post the video of her playing her Hannah Montana guitar with her headset on, singing her heart out..."This is the life, hold on tight, this is the dream, it's all I need" Oh, it is so adorable. And reminds me way too much of myself at that age.Since the day she was born, Sarah has brought Jon and I so much joy. She is truly a blessing. She always has a smile on her face and is so excited about something, anything! She's excited it's time to go to school, she's excited it's Saturday, she's excited it's morning, she's excited it's dark outside, she's excited it's time to get in bed and read books...she's just always happy. Sarah has always loved those around her unconditionally. She just accepts everyone, and has never given thought to who they are, what they look like, or where they come from. She just loves, and show kindness without even thinking about it. One of my favorite memories of Sarah was when she was three. My brother Nate and his wife Margaret were staying with us during the week of Christmas, and we all decided to make a bunch of cookies and fill socks with toiletry supplies and go hand them out to the homeless. The picture below is Sarah frosting the cookies that we handed out that night. Well, we were down at the park handing out the plates of cookies and toiletry items, and there was this one very gruff looking man who wouldn't accept anything that Jon or I tried to offer him. He angrily went over to the curb and sat down. Jon and I were always within arms reach of our kids. But all of the sudden, little Sarah looked over at that man, walked away from Jon and straight over to the grumpy man. She held out her plate of cookies for him to take. Right as Jon and I caught up to her we saw the man slowly take the plate and then he asked Sarah, in a low, quiet voice, "can I have a hug?" Jon took a protective step closer to Sarah, but then, without hesitation, she just lunged forward and gave this dirty, not so nice, nor nice-smelling man a big hug. And he just held her for what seemed like a long time. He hugged her so tightly, his eyes were closed and we could see he was starting to cry. And Sarah just hugged him. As my own eyes filled with tears, I knew that this man had been through more then I could imagine. And Sarah's willingness to show love unconditionally blessed this man more then anything else could. She was truly showing him the love of Christ....And that's my Sarah. I know the name Sarah means princess, but some definitions say Sarah means "of noble blood" and Proverbs 31 is a description of "the noble woman" and that is why we decided to name her Sarah. Our desire and prayer for her since the first day we held her in our arms is that she would grow to be a woman of "noble character" and as Proverbs 31 says:

"She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."We love you so much Sarah, and are so thankful for the gifts God has given you. There is no one else like you. You are truly becoming a young woman of noble character. And we pray that you will continue to grow as someone who is beautiful on the inside, with a kind and loving heart, desiring to please God and show His love to everyone around you. I can't believe you are 9!!! You're half-way to 18! We hope your birthday was special, and we love it when you dress up like Hannah Montana and sing for us. You are OUR superstar!

SURRENDER

2007-12-08T22:10:00.000-08:00

I'm giving you my heart, and all that is within

I lay it all down for the sake of you my King

I'm giving you my dreams, I'm laying down my rights

I'm giving up my pride for the promise of new life

And I surrender all to you, all to you

I'm singing You this song, I'm waiting at the cross

And all the world holds dear, I count it all as loss

For the sake of knowing You, for the glory of Your name

To know the lasting joy, even sharing in Your pain

There comes a point in one's life when you realize, no matter how hard you try, how hard you work, how late you stay up, how early you wake up, how well you plan...you just can't get it all done. My heart has been heavy today. I'm overwhelmed. I'm disappointed. Feelings of failure and anxiety are permeating my thoughts. As I stood at the kitchen sink tonight, exhausted, and worrying about the week that lies ahead, I realized I've been trying to make it on my own strength lately. I've rushed out the door too many mornings without spending time with the most important Person. I've made too many decisions without Him. I've been parenting my children without His guidance. I've been looking at my life through the eyes of the world, hence my feelings of inadequacy. I heard this song for the first time tonight, and it was one of those moments where you realize God, in His goodness, is taking the time to speak to your troubled heart. I hope you take the time to listen to this song. I hope it reminds you, as it did me, to lay your heavy burdens down at the feet of Jesus. Let Him take your worries, your fears, your disappointments, even all the things you hope to do and become...just lay it down. Commit yourself to Him, take His hand and let Him gently lead you. His ways are perfect.

"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for

apart from Me you can do nothing.

~John 15:5

I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. As for God, His way is blameless; the word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God, the God who girds me with strength and makes my way blameless? He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high places.

~Psalm 18:1-2, 30-33

POOR, DECEIVED CHILD

2007-12-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

Last night we were at the outlet malls, and all of the sudden it started snowing! Fake snow that is . Olivia was ecstatic, she thought it was real snow. She was running and jumping and shouting, "it's snowing, it's snowing!" She even laid on the ground and attempted to make a snow angel. So for those of you who live in the Willamette Valley, and are looking for free entertainment for your kids: take them to the Outlet mall! They have fake snow blowing every night from 6 to 7 pm. It's back by the Gymboree store, and it actually is a lot of fun! (I apologize about the poor picture quality, these were taken with my cell phone)

When I was tucking Olivia into bed, she said in her sweet sleepy voice, "Mommy, I had fun in the snow tonight"

She had no idea she it wasn't the real thing!

EIGHTEEN YEARS LATER...

2007-12-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

Happy 30th Birthday Shauna!!!

Shauna with her nephew, Trey

(Thanks Angela for the picture)

If I remember correctly, I met Shauna when I was in the seventh grade and she was in the sixth grade. She was a new student at Salem Academy. We both stayed at Salem Academy all the way until our high school graduations. We played varsity volleyball together, she was our team's exceptionally gifted setter, and I was the incredibly talented defensive specialist :) With my perfect passing and her perfect setting, we were the backbone of our team...right Shauna?!!! :)

We were also in the same home-ec. class together, and as cooking partners, I have vivid memories of us dropping eggs on the floor, and making eclairs that looked like flat oval pancakes! And oh, how could I forget Mrs. Patterson's class?! Shauna sat right in front of me and I would always talk to her. Right when she would turn around, we would hear, "Shauna, please stand at your desk for the remainder of the class!" Oh, Shauna I'm so sorry! It was always my fault, and you always got blamed for it. I remember saying things to purposely make you laugh, and then you could never stop laughing and always got in trouble.

I clearly remember having a conversation about a certain boy who she thought was very cute....his name was Duane. I also remember chatting with Shauna about Duane's cousin, Jon, who I thought was pretty darn cute. I was honored to have Shauna as a bridesmaid in my wedding, and I was thrilled when she elbowed out the competition to catch my bouquet! I remember her pulling me out on the dance floor at Darrin and Angela's wedding. Neither one of us could dance (private school does that to you), and we laughed so hard. I remember how beautiful she looked on her wedding day, and how, for a girl who doesn't cry easily, I got tears in my eyes as her and Duane exchanged vows. We have both had our share of tears over the years, and at times my heart has truly been broken for my friend. Yet just 2 1/2 years ago my heart was overflowing with joy, as I watched her hold her brand new baby girl. She is one of the most devoted and affectionate mothers I know. And although we don't get to see each other very often, every time we see each other, we just pick up right where we left off. I always feel like we're 16 again, laughing it up! Shauna, you truly are a joy. You always have a smile on your face, and something encouraging to say. I'm so thankful, that after all these years, we've remained friends. I'm so sorry I'm posting this so late on your birthday, but I thought about you throughout the day, and I hope you had the most wonderful day. Welcome to the thirties!!! We will wear our age with pride!

OK, I can't resist, one last picture.....

WINDING DOWN

2007-12-02T22:40:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here on my comfy couch in my fuzzy Oregon State sweatshirt (sorry Jill) and my flannel pj pants, sipping Moroccan mint tea - my favorite! And there is no place I'd rather be. I love being home. This past weekend was a whirlwind, and I'm glad it's over. I have just returned from the NCSS (national council of social studies) conference in San Diego. I am too tired to recount all the details, so I will leave you with a few pictures. Since I'm sure you were all waiting with great anticipation to hear about my trip :)

Yes, such a nice little set-up isn't it? I did that, thank you very much. I spent 18 hours standing in this booth talking to high school teachers about how to integrate our materials into their social studies curriculum....umm yeah. When no one was in our booth, I would frantically read the summaries of each book and try to memorize key phrases so I could repeat them back to people, and sound like I knew what I was talking about

This is what it looked like outside. Cold and windy, with pouring rain on Friday. Do you know why I was most disappointed about the rain? I wasn't able to wear my favorite peep toe pumps....I brought three different pairs. Good thing I had back-ups though, you can never pack too many shoes!

Number 3 favorite part of my trip:

The coffee maker in my room made incredible tasting coffee. Maybe it was because I used the $5 a bottle water to make it :)

Number 2 favorite part:

This glorious bed....simply amazing. I hated getting up in the morning.Number 1 - all time - absolute favorite part of my trip:

Seeing my good friend Janel and her family. She is an amazing, uplifting, wonderful person. And any time I am able to spend with her is a good time. And we had such a great visit together. I will post more about her and her adorable little boys later. Oh, and she is Ona's sister-n-law and is thinking about starting her own blog. So hopefully you will all get to know her and her family very well real soon.

A DAUGHTER'S LOVE

2007-11-28T21:32:00.000-08:00

I am heading out early in the morning to go to San Diego for three days. No, it's not a spontaneous romantic get away for Jon and I. My work is sending me to a conference. Unfortunately I will have very little free time :(

All the kids are in bed, and I found this card Sarah left out for me. This just cracks me up, so I thought I would share it with you. She's very worried about me flying on an airplane.

Maybe if I have time I will take pictures of my "executive suite" at the Hilton just to gloat. And maybe I will walk around in my Egyptian cotton bathrobe and eat my breakfast out on the balcony :) Or maybe even go for a run on the beach.

But trust me, if I had the choice to stay home this weekend in my pajamas with my kids, and not go anywhere, I would take that choice in a heartbeat. I would rather be home then anywhere else.

BEING A FINISHER

2007-11-27T13:13:00.000-08:00

Blog Party Homework Is Done!Ok, ok, if I can finish a half marathon, then I guess I should finish my "homework" for this little Blog Party. I am only doing this so I won't be turned away at the door tonight. And for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, all the women who read each other's blogs are meeting tonight for a "Blog Party". But everyone had to post their answers to these questions before the party. So staying true to form, with just a few hours left, I finished the task!

What is your Motto?
Matthew 6:25-33
"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

What superhuman power would you most want to have?
Like the old "I Dream of Genie" show when she would just cross her arms and blink her eyes and it was done. I would love to blink my eyes and have the dishes be done or a beautiful dinner made, the floors cleaned, etc.

What makes you laugh?
Hmmm....Honestly I don't laugh very easily, I don't cry easily either. I am a very non-emotional type A personality. I'm logical, competitive, and practical. Do you still like me? If anything makes me laugh, it would be my husband. We have kind of merged our senses of humor together over the years. He knows how to make me laugh.

Cats or dogs?
Neither.
Do you like me at all anymore?

Would you rather be a little smarter or sexier?
Tough one, it's almost a toss up, but I have to go with smarter.

What's the one thing you'll never understand
Professional athletes and celebrities. The amount of money they make is insane, and dare I say, undeserving. While the rest of the world is living in poverty and dying of hunger, they're buying their 6th mansion....it's not right.

My life would be simpler if?
I didn't have to work

The big decision I'm currently wrestling with is...
Cash or credit.
I have always wrestled with this. To be perfectly honest, after all the bills are payed and groceries are in the fridge there is very little, if any, left over for anything else. There are so many things I want to buy for our home, so many things for the kids, so many things for ME, new handbags, new shoes, new clothes, and the list goes on and on. This time of year is particularly hard for me...I love Christmas. I love giving gifts, and I so badly want to buy everything from the Pottery Barn catalog, especially the matching stockings with our names embroidered on them, along with a matching tree skirt. But I don't, and I won't. This is where my motto comes in handy :)

A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER

2007-11-25T21:51:00.000-08:00

I can not put into words how wonderful these last two days were. My friend Mindy and I arrived in Seattle at 11:00 am on Saturday, stopped by the Westin and got all our event packets and everything we needed for the race. Then it was off to enjoy downtown Seattle for the day, one of my all-time favorite places. It was an absolutely beautiful, clear day and downtown was all decked out for Christmas. We went out for lunch, ate fattening lobster bisque soup, but we were running 13 miles the next day so it was justified. Went from store to store to store, and found some good bargains. Stopped in at a doughnut shop, once again perfectly justified. Then after much more shopping finished the day off with a delicious Italian dinner and creme brulee for dessert...yep we justified it. Downtown at night was beautiful, all lit up with Christmas lights, bands were playing music, and tons of people out shopping. We had so much fun on Saturday I kept forgetting the real reason we were in Seattle: To run a half marathon...yikes! Mindy is such a great friend, she's so funny and easy-going. We really had wonderful time together. Well, Sunday morning we woke up at 5:00 am to get ready for our race. You can't run 13 miles without mascara and lip gloss you know. at 6:45 we left our hotel and stepped outside to freezing temperatures and the moon shining brightly above the Space Needle. As we were walking down the street in the dark, we started seeing people from all directions, decked out in their running gear, heading in the same direction as us...that was an amazing sight. As we were standing at the starting line waiting for the blow horn to start the race, I was so nervous. Can I really do this? Before I had time to change my mind, we were off. We started right under the Space Needle and ran all the way down 5th street through downtown Seattle, the street was lined with spectators, and it was so amazing to see runners, shoulder to shoulder, as far as you could see. I was feeling good all the way up to mile 6, and then I really started feeling weak and couldn't keep up with Mindy's pace. Being the rock star that she is, she surged ahead of me and I just kind of settled into my granny pace and started talking to myself, "You're good Liz, you can do this, you feel strong, you're not even tired, you can keep running for another hour......". And then it happened, right at mile 7, there was this ginormous steep hill that actually went on for a long time, over half a mile. And I couldn't do it, I had to walk about half way through it. I was disappointed in myself at first, but now I think it was a good decision. When I saw the mile 8 sign, I knew I was going to make it, all I had to do was run 5 more miles, and I do that all the time. It was a beautiful run, we ran down by the water, and then through a wooded park, the sun was shining, the air was cool, spectators were cheering you on...It was awesome! Seeing the 10 mile sign was incredible. I couldn't believe I had ran 10 miles, the longest I've ever ran in my life, and I only had 3 to go! I tried to pick up the pace for the last two miles, but my poorly trained body was physically incapable. It took every ounce of will power to keep my legs moving on the last mile, and there were quite a few hills at the end. As I started getting closer to the finish line, the street was lined with tons of spectators cheering you on. I felt like I was back in one of my high school track meets running the last 100 meters of my 1500 meter race. I sprinted as hard as I could across the finish line, and when I stopped I seriously almost cried...I did it! What an amazing feeling that was. And I even finished with a better time then I was expecting. As I am typing this, my whole body aches, and it's going to hurt when I have to get up and walk to bed, but I am so glad I did this. And Mindy and I decided to make it an annual tradition! It really was a perfect weekend.

BEFORE:AFTER:

Another great part of this trip was that I got to see my little brother Ben, who lives in Seattle!

See You On The Other Side...

2007-11-23T22:52:00.000-08:00

...of the finish line that is

Tomorrow morning my good friend and I are heading up to Seattle. Why? Oh, to do some shopping on Saturday, go out for dinner, stay the night in a hotel, wake up the next morning and....run a 1/2 marathon. WHAT?!!! I know I'm crazy, I can't believe I'm doing this. Back in August it sounded like a good idea. Oh sure we had plenty of time to train and get ready. I had it all scheduled out, how many miles I would run each week, it was a perfect plan. Then life happened. And I haven't been able to run near as much as I needed to. So 13 miles should be loads of fun! My goal now is to just finish without stopping. So wish me luck! And to all you blog party girls, I promise I will post my homework Sunday night when I get back....IF I make it back!

A Happy Ending

2007-11-19T22:30:00.000-08:00

Last night was wonderful. After eight straight days of sickness, we had one lovely day without vomiting. We were all healthy....almost. Daniel and Jon were still feeling a little under the weather. But Jon and I attacked the dirty house with amazing energy, doing load after load of laundry, washing dishes, cleaning bathrooms, and Jon so sweetly cleaned the toilets. He REALLY wanted to take a picture of the dirty toilets for the blog, he thought it would be the perfect post....yuk! He excitedly called us all into the bathroom to look at it before he cleaned it. I tell you, our husbands are just little boys in big grown-up bodies.

Well as of now, I still work Sunday and Monday nights at Newport Bay. I know, crazy. Well, I had to leave for work at 5:00, so I was rushing around trying to get dinner ready and the house clean before I left. I started to get in my "stressed out mode" realizing I had only an hour left to shower and get myself ready, and then like manna from heaven, the phone rang. A sweet girl from work called and wanted to know if she could work for me because she was needing to make some extra money. Hallelujah! Of course I said yes. And so after a long, tiring week we all sat down to a wonderful meal together as a family: my famous rolls and home-made chicken noodle soup for our fragile tummies, with sparkling cider to celebrate! It was completely wonderful, a perfect ending to a long, exhausting week. God is good!

Just Call Me Super Mom

2007-11-17T22:45:00.000-08:00

I have to apologize to my dear blog-friends out there (and the grandparents, aunts and uncles...you count too). I have been away from blog world for over a week now! I feel so out of touch, and I am looking forward to catching up and reading all of your blogs.

Where have I been? Disneyland? The beach? A week filled with too much fun to blog? Well, let's just say it's been a week I hope to never repeat. It all started last Saturday when Sarah woke me up in the middle of the night, and I rushed her to the bathroom. I held back her hair and rubbed her back, and told her she was going to be ok. When she finished throwing up, I promptly gave her a glass of water, and gently wiped her face. This repeated about seven times before morning. Sarah was sick for about three days. Then it was Olivia's turn. I stayed up all through the night with her Tuesday night. Trying to catch the puke in a bowl, washing sheets, washing it out of her hair, washing her face and comforting her until she would stop crying and fall back asleep. I didn't even need to set the alarm, by the time 6:00 am rolled in I had already been up for hours. It was off to work. Jon took care of Olivia during the day,and when I got home he headed off to work. Well, Thursday (Olivia's still sick) about 3:00 pm, it hit ME like a rumbling tornado. I ran to the bathroom and took my turn driving the porcelain bus. But I didn't even have time to recuperate, as the kids needed to be picked up at 3:30 from school. When we got home, I was back in the bathroom driving the bus. I can't remember the last time I was so sick. As this continued all through the night, I began to feel sorry for myself. Oh how I wished there was someone there to feel sorry for me, to hold my hair back for me, or get me a glass of water, or even a towel to wipe my face. But no, a mom has to take care of herself. The next morning my husband came stumbling through the door saying he had to come home from work early because he was so sick. As he laid in bed repeating what I had just gone through the night before, I painfully got the kids ready for school and in the car. I tried not to resent Jon as he laid in bed all day Friday, and even though I was still very sick, I took care of Olivia, picked the kids up from school, did the dishes, washed dirty sheets, and made dinner. And so I bestow upon myself the well-deserved title of Super Mom. As I type this, Jon is still in bed sick and Daniel has thrown up nine times today. I will sleep in a sleeping bag on Daniel's floor, so when he wakes up I will be there to make sure he makes it to the bathroom, I will rub his back, and tell him he's doing good, I will get him a drink of water, and yes...I will gently wipe his face with a clean towel like only a Super Mom can.

A Promise Made

2007-11-08T05:56:00.000-08:00

November 8th, 1997

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

~Ephesians 3:20,21

We put this verse on our wedding program. It feels even more relevant to us today then it was ten years ago. God has truly done immeasurably more then we could have ever asked for or even imagined. He has blessed our marriage and our family so greatly since the day we were married. He has walked right along side us, as hand in hand, Jon and I have walked through some deep valleys together, and have partied on the mountain tops. To Him be the glory throughout all generations, through OUR generations, our grandchildren and great grandchildren. May God be glorified through their lives, as they live lives dedicated to serving Him. One of the many special things I remember about our wedding was our vows. I thought I would share them with you, just as a reminder to all of us of the promises we have made:

I Elizabeth take you Jon to be my wedded husband. With deepest joy I receive you into my life that together we may be one. With confidence I submit myself to your headship as unto the Lord, and I promise you my deepest my love and my unselfish devotion. Because God has prepared me for you, I will ever help, comfort and encourage you. Therefore Jon, I pledge to you my life as a loving and faithful wife to share with you in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health. To forgive and strengthen you, and to join with you so that together we may serve God and others as long as we both shall live.

I need to remember that every day, through the dishes, the laundry, the hectic schedules, and raising our kids, I made a vow, a vow to God and to my husband. I vowed to be unselfish and encouraging. I vowed to be loving and faithful. I vowed to forgive, strengthen and to serve. Every day, I need to be living out these promises. But one thing I've learned over the last ten years, I can only do it through God's strength!

Happy marriages to all of you today!

Sweet Princesses

2007-11-06T12:42:00.000-08:00

This last Saturday, my sister-n-law Carey and I took Olivia and Sarah to Disney's Princesses on Ice. We had such a fun girls day! And all four of us girls loved the show.From one mom to another, the picture below is an example of what not to attempt! The effects of the sugar alone was a disaster. One funny sidenote: When we were walking to our car and Olivia dropped her cup and the melted snow cone made a puddle on the pavement, Olivia said, "oh, it's potty now"Olivia was so sweet. She sat on the edge of her seat, and clapped with excitement as each new princess came out.
And what trip to The Rose Garden is complete without a trip to Red Robin? Olivia loves to ham it up for her Auntie. And Sarah made good use of her Red Robin balloon. Good Times!

A Tradition of Giving

2007-11-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

Six years ago, Jon's grandmother, Fern, lived at a retirement home. We took our two little kids all dressed up to go see her on Halloween. Well, when we got there all the residents came out of the woodwork to see the kids and try to get some free hugs. Jon's grandma was grinning ear to ear as she enjoyed the attention and everyone telling her how adorable her great-grandchildren were. Well, Jon and I both saw how lonely these wonderful elderly people were, and how much joy a smiling child can bring into their lives. So the next year we went back, but this time armed with gift bags! We made crafts and cards. We bought bookmarks, tracts, sugar free candy and hot cocoa packets. And the kids went around handing the bags out to the "old people" (as the kids call them). Sadly, Fern passed away in January of 2005. But we still go back every year, although it's not the same without her there, and we miss her very much. Well, this was our fifth year doing this, and we had a blast! Most of them remember us from previous years. The kids go through the dining room handing out gift bags. I feel so overwhelmed with joy as I stand back and watch them. They are so excited to hand out the bags, and they really do want to bless the people there. They were such troopers too! Tonight, an old man asked if he could give Sarah a kiss (yikes!), and she sweetly said, "how about a hug?" And Daniel ended up getting a big kiss on the cheek from a sweet old lady! After dinner, Daniel and Sarah played
piano for a very appreciative audience.

And we all enjoyed hanging out for a while and visiting with the residents. And Olivia was happy to give away as many hugs as she could!

After the retirement home, there was one last tradition to uphold, which is mine and Jon's favorite: Dinner at The Roadhouse! The kids love it because they can show off their costumes, be noisy and throw peanuts on the floor. Jon and I love it because we love steak and prime rib! Then, with our tummy's full, it was off to visit with relatives.Finally, it was time to head for home. And with chocolate still on our faces, we said goodnight!

An Oscar Worthy Performance

2007-10-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick update on my first day of work:

I felt like the biggest fish out of water ever!!!

It was quite humorous actually. I felt like I was some sort of actress playing the role of a distinguished business woman.

My boss is a well respected professor, and president of something, I don't remember exactly. We spent most of the day strolling around the campus, going into different offices as he introduced me to all sorts of important people. Why? I don't really know. But as he introduced me to the Dean, I had to keep whispering to myself, "confidence Liz, confidence". I felt so out of place. Especially when he asked me to join him for lunch, and we sat down at a table with Willamette faculty members, who were all deep in conversation using long, knowledgeable words, and I kept thinking, "I need to refill their water glass, oh wait, I'm not a waitress right now"

But, overall the day went well. I held my head high and walked around like I owned the place. :) It was sort of a freebie, as I didn't have to do any actual office work, which I am thankful for, because I am scared to death. Yes, I've taken the appropriate courses, but can I actually do the job? I don't know. I'll give it my best shot though!

The best part of my day was the fact that Olivia had a great day! I will be working 20 hours: 2 full days and one half day. We only needed someone to watch Olivia on one of those days, as Jon is home on the other two. So on Fridays she will be going to Court Street Christian Childcare. I was so worried about how she would do, but she loved it!!! We really built it up, and have been telling her she is going to school. We bought her a new Little Mermaid blanket and pillow for nap time, a Cinderella lunchbox, and of course, what first day of school would be complete without a new pair of shoes? She was so cute in the morning before we left, as she was so excited and kept saying "I go to skewl"

But let me tell you, leaving her there was hard. Not for her, but for me. In ten years of parenting I had never done this before. She jumped right in and started playing, and had no problem saying goodbye, but I was worried sick about her all day. Thankfully, Abby text messaged me a picture of her sleeping at nap time and said she was doing great. Thanks Abby!

And how do you bring such a great day to a close?

With ice cream of course!

Modern Day Miracle

2007-10-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

I received a phone call today.

Not just any phone call, but a phone call from Willamette University..... offering me the position of "part time administrative assistant for the International Debate Education Association"

Now let me tell you what a miracle this is. I have no office experience whatsoever. And I thought surely there would be many, many more qualified applicants then myself. I do however, have a wonderful dear friend who works for IDEA. She told me back in June this position would be opening, and thought I would be perfect for it. Plus, we're good friends and we would get to work together, so how fun is that? So, since June I have been preparing myself to be qualified for this position: Taking a QuickBooks course and fine tuning my Excel skills. And also, this job was one of the reasons we decided to not home school this year. So all of those middle of the night comments on your blogs, were usually because I was up late cramming in an online QuickBooks course, and when I couldn't bear to look at one more spread sheet, I would check out and head over to Blog World.

I am beyond excited right now! My interview was just two days ago, and I start tomorrow - yikes!!!

But why am I so thrilled about this job?

I have been a stay at home mom for 10 years, 6 months and 5 days. Well, sort of. When Daniel was 6 months old I began serving at Newport Bay Restaurant two nights a week, and have been there ever since. It was a great way to supplement Jon's income. Believe it or not we lowly servers make pretty good money. Are you ready for this? When it's all said and done, I make an average of $30 per hour. So working 15 hours a week has been very helpful financially! And the nice part is I worked at night, so I could stay home with the kids during the day and was even able to home school for four years, and Jon would be with them the two nights I worked. But now, our kids aren't so little anymore, and every night seems to be jam packed with some sort of activity. And, not to mention waitressing for 10 years is starting to take its toll. I don't quite enjoy it like I used to. And being surrounded by 20 year old college students doesn't quite boost the self-esteem either. So I am extremely looking forward to this new change. Oh, and did I mention if I am working at Willamette when our kids are college age, they can all three go to Willamette University for FREE!!!

Olivia and I enjoying a tea party out in the sun a few days ago. This sunny fall weather has been so beautiful. And I have especially been enjoying my one on one time with Olivia while Daniel and Sarah are in school; although I have been missing them and our home school days together greatly! It's definitely bittersweet.