rebecca's blog

Moving!

2008-05-22T00:27:00.007-04:00

School ended on Thursday. I moved out of my apartment on Saturday. We were blessed to have many friends come help us load all my stuff into a U-Haul for the 3-mile drive to the New Apartment. In the past few days, Deric and I have worked a lot to make things feel settled...it's coming along quite nicely! :)

Marisa makes sure no one steals my goods. :)

this caravan cracked me up. a U-Haul, pick-up, motorcycle, and SUV...all for one one-bedroom apartment. :)

Bryan takes a breather after hauling stuff up 3 flights of stairs.

our first dinner guests came over Saturday night. We had a classy dinner of beer, reheated pizza, and popcorn. :)

Our first romantic dinner in the New Place: Thai take-out. :)

Here are the latest photos, taken Wednesday evening. Notice the suitcases. We leave early tomorrow morning for a week's visit to the East Coast!

Getting the Marriage License!

2008-05-15T00:24:00.001-04:00

A visit to VA!

2008-05-13T12:34:00.003-04:00

Deric & I are heading to Virginia on Thursday (5-22), and we're excited!! We're only there for a few days, and I'm going to try to show him as much as I can. There are several things we'll try to do, like sightseeing in DC and hiking Skyline Drive. Friends and family are invited to join us for any of our adventures. :) If you'd like to see our "schedule," it's posted as a note on Facebook. Or you can email me and I'll send it to you. Otherwise, just give me a call.

Visitors!

2008-04-26T11:50:00.002-04:00

It's been a blessing to have so many out-of-state visitors over the past 3 months! Laura came is late February, Mom a couple days after her, Gramma and Grampa in early March, Deric's parents and brother the second weekend in March, and Stacie in early April! Here are some photos from their visits:

Wedding Planning!

2008-04-26T11:28:00.006-04:00

It's been a LONG time since I've posted something here. Perhaps that's because life's been a blur lately. Not a bad blur. A fun blur. But a blur nonetheless. :) It's been months of balancing of work, school, homework, jazzericse, spending time with people (including a few out-of-state visitors!), and WEDDING PLANNING. Planning for 6-7-08 has been fun, and I'm so thankful for Deric and all of his help. Even though he's taking 16 grad-school credits and working part-time, he still makes time every Saturday to sit together and plan. It truly has been a fun process for us, and it's bonding us together. I'm also thankful for our amazing parents and friends for all of their help. Only 42 days left, but we have all the big things done! To catch everyone up, here are some snapshots of the planning process from the past 3 months:

One of our first Saturdays of wedding planning. (Location: Jefferson County Public Library. Date: February 16, 2008)

We're working our way through a book called 10 Great Dates Before You Say "I Do."It's a great book recommended to us by our friends the Clarks. Each week we go out for a fun date and read a chapter of the book together. (Location: Applebee's Restaurant, Date: February 15, 2008)

Registering was SO MUCH FUN! (Location:Bed, Bath and Beyond and Target, Date: March 22, 2008)

Our "Invitation-Preparation Party," where it took us about 3 hours to stuff and label the invites. Thanks to our friends for helping! (Location: Jess's apartment,Date: April 19, 2008)

I'm ENGAGED!!!

2008-02-01T02:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday and last night was an evening full of surprises, the biggest of which was a Big Question along with a sparkly diamond ring! Yes, Deric proposed, and I said YES. I'm SO EXCITED and also still in shock...I wasn't expecting his question to come last night, but I'm glad it did!

Here's the full story: I knew Deric wanted to celebrate my 27th birthday with me and that he had special plans, but I had no idea what they were. He picked me up around 5:30 and we went to a super-cute and classy German restaurant in downtown Denver called "Cafe Berlin." As we approached the restaurant he said, "This is as close to Germany as I can get you right now." :) It was so great to eat German food, hear German music and speakers, and see photos of Germany...I had flashbacks to my childhood. :)

After dinner we walked a bit and then a horse-drawn carriage pulled up. (He'd made reservations for the carriage). We enjoyed a 30-minutes carriage ride through downtown with a very nice and talkative driver. :) It was so quaint and fun, especially because most of the Christmas lights were still up.

After our ride we started walking back toward the car and, for the first time all evening, Deric started acting a bit nervous as he started sharing some words from his heart. For the first time all evening, I thought, "Oh my gosh, is he going to propose?" We were approaching a statue of a bull when he stopped, turned to face me and kept saying schmoopy stuff. Then he said, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you" and got down on one knee (yes, right there in the snowy sidewalk!). He pulled a ring box out of the inside pocket of his overcoat (which I was wearing because I was so cold) and asked me to marry him. I felt like I was in a dream or watching us on TV or something. I couldn't believe it was actually happening! I giggled and said yes and he said, "I just want to take the bull by the horns"* and I started cracking up. He stood up and we hugged and kissed, then he pulled the ring out of the box and explained why he picked the one he did. ""The two bands become one and the diamond is at the center... So, the diamond represents Christ; His work and grace in each of our lives and His place at the center of our relationship. The two bands represent two individuals blending into one. " My hands were shaking as he placed the beautiful ring on my finger. It fits perfectly, and I LOVE it. :)

*For those of you who don't know, I really like the phrase, "Take the bull by the horns." :)

I was still very much in shock and thinking, "What just happened? Did that really just happen?" when a homeless man came up and asked us for money. Deric talked with him for awhile, which gave me a chance to take some deep breaths and gaze at the rock on my left hand. After the homeless man left, we took a couple pics by the bull, prayed together, and then Deric said, "Let's go to Starbucks...there are some friends there to see us." He'd told our close friends to meet us there for a "birthday celebration." Only one of them (Deric's roommate) knew about the proposal. It was such a blast to be with those close friends and enjoy the moment and excitement. I was so giddy I couldn't even eat my birthday cake! :)

After we all left Starbucks, Deric and I drove back to my apartment and tried to just bask in the moment and soak it all in. We asked each other a lot of questions, brainstormed about the future, spent some more time in prayer, and just enjoyed being together.

I still can't believe that I'm engaged to Deric Sneller! This whole relationship has been one surprise after another, and last night was no exception! God is so faithful, so full of surprises, and the Giver of all good gifts. I thank and praise Him for bringing Deric and me together and to this place, and I look forward to the future!

PS: None of the dates, places, or other details are confirmed yet, since we only had an hour or so to brainstorm about them last night. Don't worry, I'll keep you all posted! :)

"Only the Black Notes"

2008-01-04T11:52:00.001-05:00

Wintley Phipps explains negro spirituals and then sings "Amazing Grace."

hiking near Phoenix

2008-01-03T21:58:00.001-05:00

a much-needed break: dec. 15th-jan.4th

2008-01-01T17:44:00.000-05:00

Whew! It was a tiring semester at Denver Seminary, and I thank God that I finished without having too many breakdowns. :) After the last final, Deric and I celebrated at a steak and rib restaurant, which was a special treat. The next day, Dec. 15th, we loaded up his '70 Chevy truck and drove about 13 hours to his hometown of Parker, South Dakota. It was a fun raodtrip, complete with singing, lots of candy, prank calls, serious conversations, and reading aloud (I read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe).

we visited my friends, Travis and Julie, in Lincoln, NE.

I enjoyed a week with his family in SD. I slept and ate a lot, and got to meet several of Deric's family members and friends. It was a fabulous first week of vacation.

Sioux Falls

On December 23rd, Deric drove me to the Omaha Airport and I flew to Phoenix to be with my parents, gramma, and brother for Christmas. The climate change was nice. :) Christmas was fabulous, even though we really missed Jonathan and Jessica. We did get to talk with Jonathan briefly on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was wonderful to hear his voice, even though the connection from Iraq was really choppy.

our neighbors' decorated cactus :)

Dec 29th-30th we drove 5 hours to Irvine, CA, to visit family friends. We had a blast walking around UCLA's campus and watching the Bruins beat UC Davis. Sunday morning we walked along Corona del Mar Beach, and I waded in the Pacific Ocean for the first time in my life. It was so refreshing to see and smell the ocean after living in CO for the past 7 months! :)

Yesterday, New Year's Eve, was a really fun day because we went horseback riding on a mountain trail. Even better is that we got to watch the sun set behind the mountains. It was an hour and a half ride, so I'm sore today, but it was totally worth it! They even gave us chaps and cowboy boots to wear, so we all felt very Western. :) After our trail ride we went out to eat ribs at a local hot spot.

It was a perfect way to end 2007. Welcome 2008!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! :)

symphony night!

2007-12-09T19:09:00.000-05:00

Deric and Jess and I joined a group of students for a classy evening at a Denver Symphony Orchestra performance.

16th Street, downtown Denver

Jonathan in Iraq

2007-11-16T11:55:00.000-05:00

My brother, Jonathan, left for Iraq two weeks ago. He said goodbye to his wife, Jessica, and my parents in Ft. Hood, TX. I'm so thankful for his service for us and our country. He'll be flying Apache helicopters over there for the next 15 months. Even though it's difficult to be separated, I'm grateful that we have internet and phone to keep in touch. Below are two photos of his departure from my mom's camera.

Thanks for keeping him (and Jess) in your prayers!!

Meet Deric.

2007-11-06T07:20:00.000-05:00

It's my pleasure to "introduce" you to my boyfriend, Deric! He and I met at school back in late September, began dating very soon after, and have been having a blast ever since. He's in his 3rd year of an MDiv degree and he wants to be an Army Chaplain. We're enjoying getting to know each other, he's amazing, and I consider him such a gift from the Lord.

Here are some photos from the past month:

At a mission organization's fundraising banquet.

with his truck.

at the Taylor Swift concert.

after brunch with the springstons.

And here are some fun facts about D-Rock (his nickname):

-grew up in a small town outside of Sioux Falls, SD
-works part-time as a valet
-his birthday: February 8, 1983
-passionate about people and relationships
-loves kids (was a camp counselor for several summers)
-interned at Focus on the Family Institute for a semester during college
-is a 2nd Lt. in the Army reserves
-doesn't own any movies (doesn't watch many either)
-used to work for Youthworks (a missions organization) and has been to China
-graduated with a ministry and Bible double major from Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN
-has a slight upper-midwest accent (dontcha know)
-likes dogs (esp. Golden Retrievers) better than cats
-plays the guitar and sings (baritone)
-likes to read
-has never jazzercised...yet. :)
-favorite colors: blue and purple
-used to run Cross Country in high school
-used to do theatre
-is doing an independent study on the psychology of killing (in relation to being a soldier at war) in order to be a more effective chaplain
-hopes to graduate and be ordained (Baptist General Conference) in December 2008
-he grew up fixing up old cars with his dad and brother
-drives a white and orange 1970 Chevy pick-up truck that he restored this summer
-loves all different types of music, a current favorite is country-singer Taylor Swift
-is a fun dancer

"The Mom Song" Sung to William Tell Overture with Lyrics

2007-10-25T16:36:00.001-04:00

this is amazing. and dedicated to my mom and all the moms who read my blog. :)

Miami U. Cheezies a cappella: Facebook Song

2007-10-24T18:00:00.001-04:00

so funny, so true.

Fall begins!

2007-09-23T22:38:00.000-04:00

My favorite season is here!!! And in honor of my first autumn in Colorado, I wanted to head into the mountains to see the infamous yellow-leaved Aspen trees. So after church and lunch today, Jess, and I headed west on I-70. The scenery was just as beautiful as we'd heard about and hoped for, in spite of the cloudy sky and scattered showers. Enjoy the pictures...and enjoy the season! :)

great new music

2007-09-18T00:52:00.000-04:00

one of my favorite musicians, sara groves, has a new album coming out november 6th. it's going to be great!

in the meantime, you can hear her newest single, "when the saints" on her myspace page...after listening to that, click on her music video "i saw what i saw." (but be prepared to get goosebumps and maybe even tears)

http://www.myspace.com/saragroves

also another great artist, chris rice, has an awesome new song called "lemonade." listen to it at his myspace:

http://profile.myspace.com/chrisrice

enjoy! and after you listen, leave a comment and let me know what you think. :)

"marry your best friend"

2007-09-14T14:09:00.000-04:00

interesting commentary on marriage written by a friend of a friend:

http://www.xanga.com/PaPaTevia/602290716/25-years-of-learning---marry-your-best-friend.html

Baby Thorne!

2007-09-04T09:51:00.000-04:00

Caleb Rock Thorne was born very early Monday morning...Congrats, David & Jess!!! He's so handsome!

Sarah Pullen's visit: 8.31-9.3

2007-09-03T23:08:00.000-04:00

One of my best friends, Sarah P, came to visit over Labor Day weekend. We had a blast galavanting around Colorado. We tried to pack as much in as possible in 3 days. Here are the highlights (you can see tons more on Facebook!):

Friday evening in front of the state capital building.

outside casa bonita, the amazing mexican restaurant-adventureland, where we celebrated sarah's 25th birthday. (thanks, Randy, for the awesome suggestion!)

Saturday we headed south to Colorado Springs area. First stop was Garden of the Gods.

then we began our drive up Pikes Peak ("America's Mountain")

Sunday we headed nothwest to Rocky Mountain National Park for a day of hiking.

Alberta Falls.

our final destination: mills lake. elevation: 10,175 ft. 5.8 miles round trip.

it rained off and on all day; by the time we reached the lake it was thundering really loudly (plus it was chilly!). we were a bit nervous the sky would open up and drench us. but thank God, we made the entire hike without more than a sprinkle. :)

resting and taking in the view.

we met up with janet (a friend of mine from VA) and nichole (janet's good friend) for dinner in boulder...a fabulous way to close our day!

first day of classes!

2007-08-28T23:20:00.000-04:00

I call all heaven to witness today
That I have put on Christ.

I choose no other Lord
Than the Maker of heaven and earth.
This day I walk with Him
And He with me.

I fasten close to me this day
That same Jesus
Who came to us as flesh and blood
And was Himself baptized in the Jordan River.

He died upon a cross to rescue me,
Broke free from death, its conqueror.
He left us, to return the more certainly.
All these truths and their power
I fasten close to me this day.

Resisting my own selfishness and sin,
Refusing to live as a slave to riches,
Pleasure or reputation,
Rejecting Satan and all his lies,
I call on heaven to witness today
That I have put on Christ.

-Celtic Daily Prayer, pp. 210-211

The prayer above was one I receited this morning (along with all the new seminary students) at our chapel service. I found it so moving and appropriate; an excellent way to begin this new season of my life. I'm so thankful for God's leading and bringing me here and providing for my every need. He is such a faithful and good God! Thank you, also, for your support, encouragement, and prayers. I'm so thankful for my family and friends. :)

Yesterday marked the beginning of the Fall '07 semester and today I attended my first class at Denver Seminary. The class is called "Understanding the Gospel & Acts" and is taught by distinguished professor Dr. Craig Blomberg. I ended up sitting next to a neat girl that I met at new student orientation on Friday. She's about my age and from Texas and we really hit it off. So that lessened the first-day-jitters.

After class I met briefly with my advisor, a lady I admire and respect a lot. I remember talking with her back in January when I came for a visit. She used to fly in the Air Force and also was a Chaplain for many years, so she has tons of neat stories.

Now I must go read chapters 1 and 2 of my Greek textbook. (Class is at 8am tomorrow morning!) But I want to close this post with a prayer. It's the prayer that the continuing students prayed over us, the new students. I love it so much that I just have to share it. It's a prayer that I pray over you, the reader. Blessings to you!

May the Father of Life pour out His grace on you;
May you feel His hand in everything you do
and be strengthened by the things He brings you through:
This is our prayer for you.

May the Son of God be Lord in all your ways;
May He shepherd you the length of all your days,
And in your heart may He receive the praise:
This is our prayer for you.

And despite how simple it may sound,
I pray that His grace will abound
And motivate everything you do;
And may the fullness of His love be shared through you.

May His Spirit comfort you, and make you strong,
May He discipline you gently when you're wrong,
And in your heart may He give you a song;
This is our prayer for you.

May Jesus be Lord in all your ways,
May He shepherd you the length of all your days,
And in your heart may he receive the praise,
This is our prayer for you.

Amen.

-Celtic Daily Prayer, pp. 292-293

Imogen Heap - Just For Now (live at Studio 11 103.1FM)

2007-08-18T16:40:00.001-04:00

wow. this is fun to watch.

2007-08-16T14:28:00.001-04:00

1,500 plus inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Cebu, Philippines at practice! This is not the final routine, and definitely not a punishment... just a teaser.

Sarah Ramira's visit: Aug. 9-12

2007-08-13T21:23:00.000-04:00

Sarah Libby Ramira, a good friend from college, came out to Colorado to visit this past weekend. It was so awesome to have her here! We spent our first day together hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, which was so breath-takingly beautiful!

This bold chipmunk ran right onto Sarah's lap and began chewing on her Subway wrapper!

Our final destination: amazingly-clear Emerald Lake, elevation 11,000+ ft!

Sarah and Megan went to middle/high school together, so it was a reunion for them too. :)

At the Rockies game Saturday night. (Rockies CREAMED the Cubs, 15-2!!!!)

Sunday evening Sarah came to our work picnic, where we had to dress in a certain "era." She and I wore Togas and tried to look Roman. :)

Megan and I busted out the karaoke!

so cute.

2007-08-13T20:59:00.000-04:00

five-dollar DC-10 dare

2007-08-09T11:58:00.000-04:00

Background:

My good friend, Jon, and I have a friendship based on 5-dollar bets. It all started back in November when he dared me to raise my hand in church history class and ask my professor about religious snake handling (which I did, as awkward and embarrassing as that was). We've gone back and forth a few times with it, although the last couple I've refused to do because they're too ridiculous (either that or I'm too chicken).

Which brings us to the story:

This past weekend I traveled to and from Phoenix to visit my fam. When I talked with Jon on the phone before boarding my flight back to Denver, he told me all about the dangers of DC-10 planes. Then he dared me to a) ask a flight attendant if our plane was a DC-10, b) then tell him/her about the dangers of DC-10's, c) get the person next to me to sign a paper saying that I sucessfully asked the above-mentioned attendant the question, and d) post the story on Facebook. All this for a meager $5...but, as the adage says, it's the principle of the thing that counts (plus as a grad student, I can use all the additional income I can get).

I decided to risk embarrassment, rise to the challenge, and complete the dare...I just had to figure out how and when. Now, you need to realize my context: 1) this was a late-night flight, so most people were really quiet and/or sleeping, 2) I was snug in the window seat with a not-so-talkative woman beside me and a very large sleeping man in the aisle-seat. I imagined how I'd ask the question as the attendant served the drinks, but when that time came it just didn't feel right. She was in such a hurry and she didn't seem approachable at all. Plus, in order to be heard, I would've had to practically shout across the two people in the seats next to me.

It was about this point in the flight that I realized a U.S. Airways pilot (in uniform) was sitting in front of me. "Aha! I'll ask him," I thought, "Surely in dare-world a pilot is equivalent to a flight attendant, if not more impressive."

So as the plane taxied to the arrival gate, I leaned forward, tapped the pilot on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, may I ask you a question?" He turned and said, "yes." (at this point a few people turned and looked at me because my voice was one of the only ones in the plane.)

"Is this place a DC-10?" He replied with a very quick, "NO." (and his facial expression changed from a smile to “are you serious?!”) I'm sure I turned a bit red as I said, "Oh okay…I didn’t think so... What’s a DC-10 like?"

"Much bigger…This is a 737. I think Fed Ex uses DC-10’s, but most commercial planes are 737’s…They stopped flying DC-10’s back in the 80’s…"

Remembering part b of the dare, I kept talking, "I heard a rumor that DC-10’s are somewhat unreliable…their engines fail and wings rip off and stuff…is that true?"

"Yeah…back in the 80’s a plane’s engine fell right off. That’s never good."

Then there was nervous laughter from both of us and the conversation pretty much ended.

Now, to clarify...I couldn't complete part c of the dare because 1) the woman sitting next to me did not seem interested in talking with me at all, 2) I didn't have a piece of paper to record her written testimony of the event.

this is a DC-10.

this is a 737.

trip to ARIZONA to visit the fam: Aug 3-6

2007-08-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

Last month, my parents moved to Phoenix where my dad took a new job as a legal advisor for the Dept. of Veteran Affairs. Last weekend, I took a two-hour flight to visit them. Daniel was there visiting before heading back to West Point, and Jonathan and Jessica decided to hop over from Texas. So it was a spontaneous Romaneski reunion. The four days were packed with activities like swimming in their backyard pool, eating great food, laughing, and seeing the sights of the Supersition Mountains, the Salt River, a genuine ghost town, the Grand Canyon, and Sedona. It was such a gift from God to be able to all be together and have such a great time. I took TONS of photos (the scenery was so pretty!), but here are some highlights:

welcome to the gun show.

daniel doing a flip into the pool.

i got to see my friend, daniel liu, who lives in phoenix. he and i went to namibia in'98 on a CTI missions trip; it was great to see him again!

friday evening we climbed to the top of the "mountain" by my parents' house.

dad and me almost at the top.

jon and jess at the top in time for the sunset.

my parents' house

"it really is sharp!"

saturday's visit to the Superstition Mts.

chillin' out in the salt river.

a most-excellent "surf 'n' turf" dinner with special guests, uncle cec and aunt mary.

sunday we drove up to the grand canyon!

sunday night we stayed in a cute cabin on luke air force. base

matchy-matchy cowboy hats. :)

quaint shopping strip in sedona.

sedona is a very artsy place. :)

Go Muff Commercial

2007-07-28T20:01:00.001-04:00

Check out this hilarious video my brother, Daniel, made for a marketing class at West Point. and start your day the GO MUFF way! :)

YFC annual picnic: western-themed! :)

2007-07-28T19:35:00.000-04:00

Springstons Sleepover!

2007-07-27T18:48:00.000-04:00

Last night Mary, Sam, and Mason Springston spent the night at my apartment b/c Sam had to go to CSU's orientation. The four of us had a blast hanging out: eating dinner, jamming, and playing "Loaded Questions." It was a night to remember, that's for sure. :)

Things got even more crazy when we pulled out the nose flutes. :)

Mason demonstrates how to put a fitted sheet onto a bed.

(he made this up all by himself!)

Andrea Kohl passes through Denver

2007-07-26T18:28:00.000-04:00

andrea kohl and i first met in 1988 in europe. her parents and my grandparents worked for the same missions organization in germany and twice a year we'd get together for conferences: once in the summer (in lauterbrunen, switzerland) and once in the winter (in beatenburg, switzerland). it was during these week-long conferences that andrea and i cultivated our friendship and went on many adventures. some of our stories include getting lost in a small mountain town, wading in ice-cold creeks, and our sledding episode where we flipped over a fence (you'll have to hear the story in-person).

when i moved from germany to virginia in 1991, i had to say goodbye to andrea, but we've kept in touch and have been able to see each other again a couple times over the years. she was in denver for a week and stayed with me for a few days. it was such a blessing to see and talk with her again. she will move to okinawa, japan, next month to continue working with malachi military youth ministries.

circa 1989, switzerland

circa 1994, kansas

circa 2006, virginia

circa 2007, colorado

My New Job @ YFC

2007-07-20T18:08:00.000-04:00

I began my new part-time job about three weeks ago, and I'm LOVING it! I'm working as an administrative assistant in the World Outreach Department of Youth For Christ (www.yfc.net). I walked into the office on my first day and found myself surrounded by maps, flags from other countries, newsletters from missionaries around the world, international artifacts, and people who have both a passion for Christ and traveling. I felt like I was home! :)

I'm working with a few familiar faces, including my former youth pastor, Bill Springston, and my friend from college, Megan Lake! Our department is responsible for recruiting, training, supporting, and debriefing all American YFC missionaries. Even though my role is small (I work about 10-15 hours a week), I feel so excited and honored to be a part of such an effective and respected organization (YFC was founded in 1944 by Billy Graham and a couple other guys). Plus, YFC has impacted me and my walk with the Lord since my first missions trip back in 1996!

Megan and Me.

DD (a way cool co-worker) and me. Bop-it has already made its appearance. :)

My space.

More or Less

2007-07-20T18:00:00.000-04:00

I've been in Colorado for about six weeks now, which has provided time to observe the new culture. :) I've collected a list of "More and Less," comparing here to Northern Virginia:

More:

-motorcyclists (without helmets)
-mountains
-altitude sickness / headaches
-people with tatoos
-SUVs and pick-up trucks
-Aspen trees
-Evergreen trees
-streams and creeks
-people doing outdoorsy things
-random and short thunderstorms
-hitchhikers
-comfy shoes (i.e. Crocks, Tevas, Chacos, etc.)

Less:

-oxygen :)
-mosquitos
-humidity
-sports cars
-"vanity" license plates
-wide rivers
-police cars
-lush green foliage
-rain
-fashion-concious people (i.e. women with high heels/pearls, guys with pink polo shirts :)
-traffic

Parents passing through: July 2-3

2007-07-20T17:37:00.000-04:00

I meant to post this earlier, but forgot. :) My parents passed through Denver on their way to their new home in Phoenix. It was awesome to have them stay the night in my new place and show them around Littleton & Denver!

Here are photos from the Captial (we climbed the stairs to the top of the dome--quite a view!) and a Catholic cathedral.

Weekend in MD/VA

2007-07-10T22:45:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was spent in Virginia and Maryland visiting with friends and attending Matt and Meg Hoffman's wedding! It was a whirlwind visit, but so much fun to see familiar faces and places.

Friday night was spent with Beth, Megan, Sarah, Justin (Sarah's older brother), and Dimitar at the Cheesecake Factory.

I highly recommend the Dulce de Leche cheesecake!!

Saturday (7-7-07!!!) was spent at the wonderful Hoffman wedding in Petersburg, VA. It was a nice ceremony, fun reception, and Meg was a beautiful bride.

Elizabeth and Robbie tell Katy they're engaged. :)

It was so fun to be with so many old friends from Mary Washington!

I'm not sure why I'm leaning into Dana like that.

Kelly with baby Brooke Roberts

Sunday morning I went to church at TFC and then lunch at Anthony's. In the afternoon I hung out with my grandparents, aunts, and uncle. Then Rob drove me up to Baltimore, where we met up with Meghan and enjoyed the sights of the Inner Harbor.

Monday morning I met up with Paul and we enjoyed an awesome brunch before he drove me to the airport.

Thanks to all of you who drove me around and let me stay with you...I had a BLAST and you made it hard to come back to Colorado!!! :)

4th of July adventures

2007-07-10T22:02:00.000-04:00

This was actually my second Independence Day in Colorado. The first was back in 2000 when I interned with Military Community Youth Ministries in Colorado Springs. (Who knew that I'd be back here seven years later, this time as a resident? :)

Anyways...Jess and I headed to Washington Park (the best park in Denver) for a BBQ with some of her friends from church. We hung out there for about four hours, playing volleyball, eating good food, and talking with new friends.

this is the cute little puppy that kept wandering over to our picnic spot. i was tempted to snatch him up and take him home with me. :)
Adrian, me and Jessica.

There are these pretty flower gardens in Wash Park.

The highlight of the day was getting to ride on a motorcycle (it's always been a personal goal of mine :). One of the guys in our group owns a Harley and was happy to take me around the block. It was everything I dreamt it would be and more! :)

Adrian, Jess and I wanted to find a spot for fireworks, but since all of us are new to the area, we weren't sure where to go. We started asking around the park and a woman outside the porto-potty told us that the best fireworks are at Evergreen Lake. We packed up and drove 45 minutes west into the mountains. Once at the Lake we were excited to stake a claim and watch "the best fireworks show in CO." It wasn't too long, however, until we realized that something was awry...there were only about a dozon people at the lake. We stopped an older couple and asked them, "Is there a firework show tonight?" They replied, "Oh no, they haven't had fireworks here in seven years." They told us about a show 20 minutes south, in a little town called Indian Hills. So we drove there. But that show was cancelled because of potential forrest-fire hazards. (go figure.)

at Evergreen Lake, a really pretty place.

Not sure whether to laugh or scream, we looked at each other and decided to just head back to Denver and try to find something. By the time we got there, it was nightfall and we were drained, about to call it a night and give up. Instead we thought we'd head back to my apartment to watch a movie. Ironically enough, as we pulled into Holleywood Video to rent a DVD, we noticed people gathered in the parking lot. We ended up sitting there with them, eating cherries, sour watermelon-flavored gummies, and McDonalds, and enjoying three simultaneous firework shows: one to the east, one to the south, and one to the west. It was awesome and a great memory...we kept laughing at the irony that we drove for hours trying to find fireworks when all along they were half a mile from my place. :)

Earlier in the day, Adrian commented, "This is going to be the best 4th of July ever...I can just feel it." One thing is for sure: it was definitely memorable. :)

Jazzercise in USA Today:

2007-07-03T22:18:00.000-04:00

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-07-02-fitness_N.htm?csp=34

2007-06-30T14:37:00.000-04:00

Last night I met two new fun friends: Charity & Adrian. We had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and then headed into Downtwon Denver to walk around and get to know each other better. We hit it off right away (we knew we'd be friends because our outfits were all color-coordinated :).

Jess brought this AMAZING cake.

Taking the bull by the horns, one of my favorites things to do. :)

Ridgway with the Kriegshasuers

2007-06-25T17:16:00.000-04:00

on saturday morning i left littleton and began a seven-hour drive southwest to a small town called ridgway (half an hour from montrose, an hour from telluride). i went to visit the kriegshausers, good friends from virginia who moved out there in january. the drive out was long but beautiful! here are some photos from the roadtrip:

early on in the trip. notice the "elk crossing" sign. :)

blue mesa lake, the largest in colorado.

it was very desert-y out there...

approaching ridgway.

I blinked and missed the turn onto the one-road of ridgway, so i turned around, kept my eyes WIDE open and finally found the kriegshausers' house. That evening, Kellie, Chris, Michael, Lisa, and I went to Ouary (closest town) for a trip to the hot springs. it was very relaxing. :)

the quaint town of Ouary.

Lisa points out where they'd gone hiking last week.

The HOT SPRINGS!!! the water's temp was about 104 degrees.

Lisa and me at church on Sunday. (Roger gave an excellent sermon.)

This is the lot where the Kriegshausers new house will be. Amazing, isn't it?
kellie, roger, chris, lisa, and michael.

i left sunday around 3pm and made it home around 8:30. i encountered some weird weather on the drive...

i've decided that i LOVE aspen trees. they're so beautiful, especially when the wind's blowing because their leaves sort of "shimmer."
(sepia-toned)
i think this is a ranch...either that or some sort of convent.

(sepia-toned)

Boulder with Mallory

2007-06-23T00:42:00.000-04:00

Tonight I traveled one hour northwest to Boulder, home of the University of Colorado. My super-special "Godsister," Mallory, is there for the summer. (We call each other Godsister because her parents are my Godparents and vice-versa.) Anyway, she and Jayson (her boyfriend) and I had a blast walking around campus and downtown.

Mallory lives with about 35 other college students in a former frat house where there are...

FOUR fridges!

Huge bean bags!

mice (her pets).

and a stuffed buffalo head.

The CU campus is just beautiful. Amazing architecture... a few times I thought I was on the set of a Shakespeare play.

Getting a bit bolder in front of Boulder's boulder. (You like like that play on words? :)

Godsistas for LIFE! :)

New Plates

2007-06-19T14:58:00.000-04:00

This morning I went to the local DMV to get a Colorado license and new plates. I'm used to DMV visits being absolutely terrible (notorious in Virginia), so today I was pleasantly surprised. Coloradans are just so friendly and nice, even if they work at the DMV. Within 20 mins or so I had my new license. For my new plates, I had to first get an emissions test. I was nervous about my car passing because last year in VA I had quite an ordeal with the emissions test (as some of you may remember). But it passed and I went back to the DMV to get my new plates. I feel like an official native now (well, maybe not really, but I can at least appear to be while driving my car). Only problem is that when I don't know where I'm going and inadvertantly cut people off, I won't be able to say, "at least they know I'm not from around here" because my Virginia plates have been replaced.

Old Plate.

(Shedding a tear because I miss Virginia.)

New Plate.

(But happy to be living in Colorado!)

Hiking in Mt. Falcon Park

2007-06-17T18:14:00.000-04:00

Toady after church, Jessica (my new friend!) and I went hiking at Mt. Falcon Park, about a 20-minute drive from Littleton. The weather was uncharacteristically hot, but we still had a blast enjoying God's beautiful creation. Here are some photos from the afternoon's adventure:

can you see the bee?

On our drive back, we spotted a huge elk! It was very exciting, especially when he started walking toward my car. :)

"As the deer [or elk] panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after Thee..." Ps. 42:1 :)

And now, the photos you've all been waiting for...

2007-06-15T01:01:00.000-04:00

My completed apartment! Kinda hard to encapsulate it in photos...I tried to snap shots from all different angles so you'd feel like you're getting a virtual tour. :)

That's a pull-out couch, so when you come to visit, you'll have a place to sleep! :)
Don't worry, the bop-it's here (just hiding)! :)
The balcony's view.

my new wind chime from the dollar store! :)

(My oval mirror will go above my dresser, but it was damaged in the move, so I have to wait for them to fix it.)

The view from my bedroom window.
the furnace closet. (also where I store the ironing board, iron, vacuum, a suitcase, and toolbox.)
the washer/dryer closet...because I don't have those, I use this for more storage.
Last night was the first time I cooked in my new place...
looks colorful and well-balanced, eh? :)

Adjusting to Colorado

2007-06-15T00:38:00.000-04:00

I can tell I'm going to like it here. It's insanely beautiful--constant view of the Rockies, nice "wide open spaces," weather in the 70's-low 90's without humidity, and frequent sunshine. The culture's nice too; not nearly as face-paced as the DC area. People seem more laid back and outdoorsy. Fashion is much more low-key around here, which is an advantage for me, since I've always been one step behind when it comes to fashion and what's cool. People seem to value comfort over style. For example, this afternoon I saw a woman in a jogging outfit (pants and a jacket) that was tye-dyed aqua and pink (I was on the phone with Catherine at the time, so she can vouch for me :). The Washingtonian in me scoffed and muttered, "oh my gosh, she totally doesn't shop at Ann Taylor!", but the Coloradan in me thought, "hey, you know what? that looks comfortable and fun...you go girl!" :)

I think I'm gonna like it here. Of course, there are many differences and things that I'm still getting used to...things like:

-the Altitude (I still get winded climbing up two flights of stairs to my apartment)
-Nice drivers (they actually slow down to let me in when I have my blinker on!)
-the dry air (lotion and chapstick are essential here...along with drinking lots of water)
-Seeing the mountains in my rear-view mirror
-living alone
- seeing motorcyclists without helmets (there's no law requiring them to wear one, so most don't. It kind of freaks me out and makes me nervous.)
-people-oriented people (i.e. grocery-store cashiers, bankers, neighbors, etc.) who don't mind having a conversation with you

I might add more later...right now that's all I can think of.

Setting up the Apartment

2007-06-15T00:20:00.001-04:00

Whew! I forgot how much work it is to move into an empty place! There are so many random things you have to buy...like a broom and toilet paper and ziploc bags...and furniture. I quickly found the local dollar store, two Targets (one's a Super Target!), a HUGE thrift store, and a Bargain Barn, where "Everything's One Buck!". After 4 and a half days of unpacking, organizing, shopping, unpacking, putting stuff together, hanging pictures, unpacking, organizing, buying groceries, and cleaning up, I'm finally ready to call this place "home." It's a beautiful apartment; just the right size, and it's been fun to decorate. Here are some photos from the past few days of setting up:

Had to buy some furniture from Target. The two teenage guys who helped me load up were cracking up at my little car. But I told them, "hey, this car made a cross-country trip and then a trip up a 14,000-foot mountain...being loaded up with several large pieces of furniture is nothing!" (okay, I didn't really say that, but I should have.)

I quickly realized that doing a solo-move forces me to do things that I don't really like and/or am intimidated by. For example, opening up a new bank account, mounting shelves on the wall, and putting furniture together. I've never put furniture together all by myself, so this was a daunting task for me. Fortunately, a friend gave me a toolbox the day before I left, so I was fully-prepared, complete with safety goggles. (thanks, jon! :)

Ta-Da! It turned out all right! Altogether, I assembled an end table, a coffee table, and a three-drawer cabinet...quite an accomplishment for me!

And now for something completely different:

2007-06-15T00:17:00.000-04:00

A serious post.

Saturday afternoon I drove Liz to the airport...it was hard to say good-bye to my roadtrip/move-in partner! She made the trip so much fun and I thank God (and her husband, Dom!) for allowing her to come out with me. As I drove away from the airport alone, it finally sunk in: I'm not going back to Virginia; Colorado is my new home. Then I felt overwhelmed: missing my friends and missing the familiar sights of Northern Va. I got a bit emotional and fearful. That night I read Isaiah 33:5-6, which says,

The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.

He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.

I find such comfort in those promises. I was reminded that God has always and will continue to be my sure foundation. And when things feel uncertain and scary, I can trust in Him and the salvation He's provided through Christ. He has already blessed me with a smooth transition, a supportive and generous family, a friend to accompany me on the roadtrip out here, and amazing friends who call and write to remind me of their love and support. I'm overwhelmed at His goodness and blessings; without Him, I am nothing.

And I want to thank you, my family and friends who are reading this, for being so amazing and supportive. Knowing that you're praying for me and hearing your encouragement is like wind in my sails. Thank you so much! And I hope you enjoy the blog--it's my way of showing you around Colorado, at least until you come to see it for yourself. :)

Installment 8: Liz's Last Day

2007-06-14T23:56:00.000-04:00

Saturday, June 9th.

We slept in and took our time getting ready before heading into downtown Littleton for some lunch and exploration. Downtown Littleton is super cute; it reminds me of downtown Fredericksburg, but not as big. There's a Main Street and several privately-owned restaurants, boutiques, and shops, all of which are unique and full of character. We ate at a cafe called "Abe's," which I know will become a favorite spot for me. The good thing about where I live is that I'm only about a mile and a half from downtown, so I'm going to try to make it there at least once a week, to absorb the inspiration and quaint-ness. When you come to visit, we can walk around downtown and you'll see just how cute it really is.

outside of "Sisters' Coffee Shop"

installment 7: Adventure Day

2007-06-14T19:44:00.000-04:00

Friday, June 8th.

In the morning, Liz and I headed an hour south to Colorado Springs. First stop: Focus on the Family's welcome center (Liz and I both enjoyed "Adventures in Odyssey," so we had fun checking out Whit's End). The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, and Pikes Peak. The evening ended with a relaxing visit to the hot tub in my apartment complex and then an AWESOME dinner at "Claim Jumper."

That's Pikes Peak in the background.

Yes, that's the Focus on the Family Bookstore, yes that is a cardboard cutout. And no, they didn't kick us out.

Liz and John Avery Whittaker.

At Garden of the Gods.

Refusing the refuse (leave it to English majors to get a kick out of that).

We had lunch in downtown Manitou Springs, at the base of Pikes Peak.

the sign at the entrace to Pikes Peak Highway. This would be quite the drive...the entire trip took about 3 hours, and we praised God for keeping us safe the whole way up and back. The drive's not for whimps, that's for sure.

beginning the drive to the summit. an hour and a half later, we'd be at the tippy top of that mountain.

a beautiful resevoir lake about 7 miles into the drive.

gorgeous views the whole way up. (liz had my camera...i can multi-task, but not during this drive.)

several times i had to coax my car to keep on climbing.

those are the guard-rails.

we got stuck behind this truck, which made the drive extra fun.

the last mile was the worst, with high winds, snow drifts, and muddy roads. i'm not gonna lie, i was nervous...and praying the whole time.

finally at the top! it was SO COLD and super WINDY. probably in the low 30's with a wind chill below zero.

breathtaking views (literally!)...there's half the amount of oxygen in the air up there than at sea-level.

Katherine Lee Bates wrote the lyrics to "America the Beautiful" from this summit.

where the railway ends.

my little "engine-that-could" among all the "big dogs."

the drive down the mountain was interesting too. several signs warned "HOT BRAKES FAIL. USE LOWER GEARS."

there was even a mandatory brake check halfway down.

We stopped at the lake to take in the gorgeous view.

"i can't believe we were at the top of that mountain," said liz. :)

the bumper sticker reads, "i survived the drive. pikes peak."

my car was so muddy after the Pikes Peak journey...

...but there's a car wash place across the street from my apartment!

"this is my specialty!" -said liz as she grabbed the vacuum.

our celebratory dinner at "Claim Jumpers," a restaurant recommended by Liz's husband. I'd never eaten at one before, but I can tell you right now...it'll be one of my favorite places to eat.

liz and i shared all that food, i swear. :) it was seriously one of the best meals i've ever eaten.

installment 6: Move-in Day

2007-06-13T18:50:00.000-04:00

Thursday, June 7th.

Liz and i arrived at my new apartment Thursday morning (after an unintentional scenic tour around denver--apparently E470 is different from C470), just in time to meet the movers. we spent the morning taking inventory. After an MSG-filled lunch at a local Chinese buffet, we drove into the city of denver to check out the sights.

Location: Littleton and Denver, CO.

Poor plant barely made it.

liz takes inventory

me in my new living room with all my stuff

downtown littleton

on our way to the city

we had a little...incident at starbucks.

i was so excited i did a cartwheel (that's the captial building in the background)

liz snaps a shot of the U.S. Mint.

in front of the capital

the mile high city!!

16th Street Mall = very cool place for shopping and eating and general merriment.

with Riley, Megan's cat

installment 5: Road Trip, Day Three.

2007-06-13T18:17:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, June 6th.

Liz and I left lawrence around 8am (central time) and headed north to visit Ft. Leavenworth (I lived there from 1993-1996). it was a walk down memory lane to see where i spent my 7-9th grade years.

Around 11am we were on I-70 heading west. Winds were dangrously high--about 55mph--so the drive was more tedious and we had to keep the top up all day. We enjoyed Kansas's exciting landscape (wheat, cows, and the occasional tractor) for about 7 hours before we finally crossed over into Colorado.

We arrived at Megan Lake's beautiful apartment in Littleton around 9:30pm, mountain time (two hours behind EST).

Daily Stats:

States visited: Kansas, Kansas, Kansas, and finally COLORADO!

# of hours driving: (including trip to Ft. Leavenworth) about 10

Gas stops: 2

Where we ate: McDonald's for breakfast, Arby's for lunch, Qdoba (awesome Mexican place) for dinner

Rest stops visited: 2

Number of Cokes consumed: 4 (two each)

Saw lots of: wheat fields, prairie dogs, goats

Goals accomplished: fed goats, saw the "biggest prairie dog in the world."

Realizations: Western Kansas is REALLY flat and there's nothing to block the wind, my car is really light-weight, the "biggest prairie dog in the world" isn't real--it's made out of cement (but it still was the highlight of our day).

Aaron and me on his balcony.

Where Liz and I slept.

The Main Post Chapel...so many memories here!

where the Romaneskis lived for three years.

Cannons overlooking the Missouri River.

Patton Jr. High School...many memories here too!

Yay for Colorado (finally!) !!

installment 4: Road Trip, Day Two.

2007-06-11T18:52:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, June 5th.

After seeing some tanks and the Gold Depository at Ft. Knox, Liz and I were on the road by 8:30am. The day's weather was perfect, so we drove most of the trip with the top down. Around 3pm we saw the St. Louis Arch and we reached our destination--Lawrence, Kansas--around 7pm. We stayed with my good friend, Aaron Brizuela, who happened to be celebrating his 24th birthday. (He and I have known each other since 1987!) Aaron took us to Chipotle and then to the movies to see Shrek the Third.

Daily Stats:

States visited: Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas.

# of hours driving: about 8 1/2

Gas stops: 2

Where we ate: Fazoli's for lunch, Sonic for root beer floats

Rest stops visited: 0

Number of Cokes consumed: 4 (two each)

Saw lots of: tanks, bugs on my windshield, cows, farm fields

Goals accomplished: rode with the top down, got Sonic root beer floats, got a truck driver to honk, drove through a drive-thru and ordered only water.

Realizations: I love the song "Black Tambourine," by Beck (Liz played it for me, and it was the first I'd heard it.), you can have a dance party in the car, Aaron's car is almost dead but can be started by rolling down a hill and shifting into first gear (we experienced this first-hand).

Installment 3: Road Trip, Day One.

2007-06-11T00:01:00.000-04:00

Monday, June 4th:

Liz and I set off from my parents' house in Alexandria, VA, around 8am and arrived at Fort Knox, KY (close to Louisville) around 9:30pm. It was a long day, and we were glad to make it to the LLoyds' house that night.

Daily Stats:

States visited: Virginia, Maryland, West Va, Kentucky

# of hours driving: about 10

Gas stops: 2

Where we ate: picnic lunch (with home-made sandwiches from Gramma), McDonalds for dinner

Rest stops visited: 4 (we liked West Virginia's best)

Number of Cokes consumed: 4 (two each)

Saw lots of: butterflies, rolling hills, thunder clouds, hail.

Goals accomplished: finished one audiobook (Man of Vision, by Merilee Pierce Dunker), bought an atlas, rode with the top down.

Realizations: Liz and I both have and love our Crocks (see photo), when taking a roadtrip, normal eating rules do not apply (i.e. you can eat Pringles at 10am and have two milkshakes a day, etc.), plants aren't meant to be in the backseat of a convertible while driving 65 mph, "Shimmy Shakes" from Sheetz are AMAZING, Kentuckians are into hunting and taxidermy.

We encounted a few intense thunderstorms in Kentucky. One was so bad that I had to pull over on the side of the interstate until it was over. It hailed for about 3-4 minutes. It was neat but also a bit nerve-wracking.

Installment 2: Saturday, June 2nd

2007-06-03T07:37:00.000-04:00

What a fun day! Began with hiking at Great Falls with Kate.

Dinner at church celebrating Katherine's graduation from the Fellows Program.

Saturday night my roommates threw an incredible Colorado-themed goodbye party. There was--among other things--trail mix, granola, Coors beer (tap the Rockies), watermelon, and cake. And some friends came dressed as Coloradans (open to interpretation)...it was a great evening, and it meant a lot to me to spend it with so many friends.

(John Denver made a guest appearance.)

(Do you get Matt's shirt? Hint: Focus on the Family's headquarters are in Colorado Springs.)

Paul came ready to quote Dumb & Dumber: "Big Gulps, eh? All right! Welp, see you later!"

Installment 1: Transition to Colorado

2007-06-02T16:34:00.000-04:00

Friday, June 1st: Moving Day

This is the first in a series recording my move to Colorado. Yesterday was moving day...the movers came at 9am and were gone by 11:30am. I'm not sure when I'll see my stuff again...sometime on or before the 18th. The three-day roadtrip begins Monday morning...stay tuned for more installements! :)

Some "before and after" shots.

Leslie, William and Elizabeth come to say good-bye.

Kelly came up to help me clean. We sanded and spackled and sprayed anti-mildew stuff. Now it's all ready for Erica!

Good times.

Sprinkler Fun!

2007-05-13T09:57:00.000-04:00

Sarah and I visit Mary Washington

2007-05-09T23:28:00.000-04:00

Sunday afternoon, Sarah and I made a spontaneous roadtrip (one hour south) to Fredericksburg so I could show her my Alma Mater: Mary Washington College (now called the University of Mary Washington...I'm still in denial). It was an absolutely gorgeous day; perfect weather for an excusion to a beautiful college campus. We enjoyed sitting on the rocks of the Rappahannock River, playing frisbee in Ball Circle, driving through downtown,and eating Carl's ice cream.

In front of Monroe Hall.

Congrats to Kate & Graham!

2007-05-09T23:20:00.000-04:00

Graham proposed to Kate on May 5th (and she said yes)!!! :) Here are some pics from their engagement party on May 6th.

Her ring's SO GORGEOUS...
...I had to put on my shades. :)

slip n slide

2007-05-09T23:00:00.001-04:00

When's the last time you played with a slip n slide? (I think for me it was Kansas1995 at Jr. high youth group. We were having a "Jell-o Bowl," so the slip 'n slide was coated in Jell-o. It was awesome and very fun, until a friend of mine fell and hit her head and got a minor concussion.)

A few days ago when I was baby-sitting we got the slip n slide out and they played for about two hours straight.

For some reason, it looked much shorter and smaller than I remember it being when I was a kid. :)

William and Elizabeth, two of the coolest kids in the world.

Conversation with William during lunch:

W: My uncle has a beard. He's pretty radical though.
R: Radical? What do you mean?
W: He's cool. Really cool.
R: Oh okay...Am I radical, William?
W: No. You're a girl. Girls aren't radical. Unless they're surfers.
R: Oh.
W: I'm pretty sure my uncle 'hangs ten.'

Denver-Bound

2007-05-09T23:00:00.000-04:00

Most of you probably already know this via mass email or Facebook, but I'm heading to Colorado in just a few weeks (move-out date: Monday, June 4th) to complete my graduate school at Denver Seminary. This decision was based on a number of reasons:

-I knew I wouldn't be able to finish my degree via distance, so I would have to move to either VA Beach (and continue at Regent) or transfer to another school.
- Colorado seems like a great place to live (I interned out there one summer and always hoped to return).
-Denver Sem. has strengths in the areas I'd like to become stronger in (pastoral counseling and spiritual formation).
-The school has a stellar mentoring program.
-I have a handful of friends there,including my mentor and his family.
-There are tons of churches and ministries in the Denver/Co Springs area.

It's hard to think about leaving Virginia and all of my wonderful friends here, but I'm looking forward to what the Lord has in store in this next chapter. Right now I'm feeling all sorts of emotions, but mostly excitement. Last Friday I turned in my final assignment--a term paper for New Testament 2: Acts-Revelation--so I'm officially finished with my first year of seminary and my time with Regent University.

Now I'm gearing up to move out west. And songs like Chapman's "This is the Great Adventure," Dixie Chicks' "Wide Open Spaces," and John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" are on replay in my head. :)

Also, my roommies are hosting a little shin-dig on Saturday, June 2nd, starting at 8pm. If you're in town, stop on by and say good-bye!

"She was born in the summer of her twenty-sixth year..."

National Gallery of Art: March 29th

2007-05-09T22:33:00.000-04:00

Took the kids to the National Gallery of Art for a wonderful tour of religious art. The docent was amazing; she had the entire group of kids (and adults) captivated for over an hour.

Two of the coolest kids in the world by the fountain while we wait for the Museum's doors to open. :)

I have to admit, this painting kinda makes me laugh...what do you suppose Daniel's thinking/praying?

Erin's baby shower: March 24

2007-05-09T22:21:00.000-04:00

Erin and her two grandmothers. Erin named her daughter (Campbell Rebecca) after her grandmother, Reba , on the left.

Erin and Katie and me...a little college reunion.

Erin's lovely corsage included a rattle. (had to get a photo of that!) :)

Mrs. Witthoefft, Erin, and her sister, Lauren.

(By the way, that dessert was incredible!)

Dad in Phoenix, Mom to follow soon.

2007-05-09T22:15:00.000-04:00

In early April, my Dad began his new job in Phoenix, AZ. He's living in a furnished apartment and house-hunting. All of the potential houses have pools in the backyard, and some have hot tubs too!! I think I'm going to enjoy my visits out there. :)

He seems to be doing well and acclimating to the desert temperatures. Mom's already been out there once to visit and she'll move out there after her job contract is over in late June.

First picture is the view from outside my dad's office; second is from a trip to Sedona.

Modular Week at Regent: March 5-9th

2007-05-09T21:55:00.000-04:00

I spent a week attending class at Regent's main campus in Virginia Beach. I got to stay with Dana, a good friend from college, in her apartment directly accross the street from the Chesapeake Bay beach. It was an awesome week!

AND I'M BACK!

2007-05-09T20:39:00.000-04:00

So sorry I've been so delinquent with the blogging over the past couple of months!

Lack of blogging was caused by a conglomeration of reasons, including (but not necessarily limited to) :

- I became a member of Facebook, an online community that allows members to view photos, make updates, and leave messages. Yes, it's very similar to a blog, but not a suitable substitute. I feel like I neglected my "first love." (Incidently, if you're not already a member, you should sign up. It's free and easy-to-use and really helpful with keeping in touch with people!)

- My laptop had some major issues back in early March. Long story short, I ended up reformatting the laptop and using an IBM thinkpad (thanks, Matt!) to finish up my semester. This thinkpad is great, but for a long time I couldn't upload my photos from my camera, thus I ignored the blog.

- I had no idea my blog posts would be so sorely missed! Thanks to your prompts (and because I'm a people-pleaser), I've rededicated my commitment to blogging.

So, there you have it. Now, because of the backlog, I'm going to post a few entries simultaneously. These entries will attempt to cover the highlights of my life since February 25th (although I'm sure several funny stories will inadvertantly get left out.)

Feel free to comment away--you know it helps my self-esteem to see people's responses.

Ahh....It's great to be back. :)

Snowy Sunday

2007-02-25T16:16:00.000-05:00

Today after church, Sarah and I bundled up and went for a long walk in the AMAZING snow. We had some adventures along the way, including (but not limited to) making snow angels, sledding other kids' sleds, rolling down a hill (and realizing it was much more fun when I was little), sitting in furniture on the street, shaking tree limbs until becoming covered in snow, sliding down a playground's slippery slide, and licking frost off a pole. I love playing with Sarah; she's so fun.

When we got home we made snow ice cream. If you've never tried this, let me encourage you to do so (see recipe below). There's nothing quite like it. :)

Recipe for Snow Ice Cream:

5 cups of pure white (not yellow) snow
1 cup of half and half (or milk. You could also use powdered creamer or milk)
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract (you could use mint or almond instead)
dash of salt

SHE HAS A NAME!

2007-02-23T17:19:00.000-05:00

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for!

My new guitar's name is...

(drum roll, please.)

Eva Alegria
(A-vah Ah-lay-GREE-ah)

Doesn't that have a nice flow? :)

I chose this name for several reasons:

a. I love the Eva/Eve metaphoric link to the tree-of-life inlay.
b. Eva Peron really is an early muse of mine, and I love Webber's EVITA (My mother knows me well).
c. I like the sound and meaning of the Spanish word, Alegria (joy/happiness). I hope this guitar--and my playing it--brings joy to God, others, and myself.

Now, who was the "Anonymous" person who suggested that? Show yourself!

And now for my thank-you speech:

I'd like to thank all of my avid and enthusiastic participants; I couldn't have done this without you. :) I sincerely appreciate your support and input. I was overwhelmed at all of your thoughtful contributions. I liked so many of the names, I had a hard time choosing! (How am I ever going to name a pet? Or a baby?!)

Sunday Afternoon

2007-02-18T22:02:00.000-05:00

Spent the afternoon at Great Falls with Mom, Dad, Daniel, and Molly. It snowed while we were there, which was very awesome.

"The river looks so placid, before the tumultuous waterfalls...gotta put my SAT vocab to work." -Dan

Dan rock climbing.

Me rock climbing.

Dad and Mom.

Dan, Molly and Me.

Wow, Dad.

Family Update

2007-02-18T21:53:00.000-05:00

HUGE family update! This past week, my dad accepted a job with the Department of Veterens Affairs...in Phoenix, Arizona!!!!! Their townhouse is for rent and he'll move out there in early April. Mom has to finish up her job, so she (and Molly the dog) will move out there in early June--right in time for the hottest season of the year. :)

Always an adventure in the Romaneski family. We just can't seem to rid ourselves of the gotta-do-something-different-every-couple-years military mindset. :)

dan the man's new car

2007-02-18T21:40:00.000-05:00

Dan came home this weekend...And bought a brand new car: a Volkswagon GTI. We had a photo shoot: him with his car and me with mine. :)

Not only did i get to ride in the sweet car, I also got to drive it. And, I must admit, it's a verrrrrrry sweet ride. (Although it doesn't come close to my '99 Cabrio. :)

random pics from the weekend

2007-02-04T19:32:00.000-05:00

spent this weekend in cambridge, maryland, for my church's women's retreat. it was awesome to get away and enjoy so much time with friends. on the way home, sarah and i stopped at st. michael's and had lunch with a couple of my college friends, matt and katie sevon. we hadn't seen each other since may 2003 because they were in bolivia for 2 years. it was a fun reunion and a great weekend!!

help me name my present!!

2007-02-01T23:45:00.000-05:00

My favorite birthday present this year came from Mom and Dad: a beautiful Ibenez acustic guitar with mother-of-pearl inlay along the neck and a leather strap that keeps it in place. (Do I sound like Ralphy in A Christmas Story? :) I absolutely LOVE this guitar; its tone is rich, its sound is clear, and its physique is impeccable. :)

I couldn't help but start to call it Excalibur, but i don't think this is the best name, for three reasons:

1. I didn't pull it out of a stone
2. It's not meant to be used as a weapon
3. The name seems too masculine for such a girly-looking instrument

So I've decided to ask your opinion. What do you think I should call it (her)?

Note: the inlay is a "tree of life" metaphor, just to give you material to work with.

my birthday: january 31st

2007-02-01T23:03:00.000-05:00

i had a fabulous birthday on wednesday! in the morning as i was doing some reading for school, there was a knock on the front door. i opened it to find a tall box from "1-800 flowers." inside was a "money tree," a type of bonsai plant from my stud-brother, dan. he sent a plant instead of flowers b/c it'll "last longer and will serve as a reminder that 26 is for kicks..." (at least, that's what he wrote on the card.) :)

when i went to baby-sit, and the kids had a homemade poster on the door, and we enjoyed cake afer lunch. kate came over in the afternoon and brought the incredible creative dessert: breyer's mint choc chip ice cream over crumbled oreos (yes, it tasted amazing). jonathan and jessica, my bro and sis-in-law, sent me an awesome present too: a t-shirt with napoleon dynamite dancing and "check out my dance moves" written on it.

my birthday concluded with a fun dinner at my parents' house. my grandparents came too.

mmm...food from Outback Steakhouse!

one of my most favorite desserts = cheesecake!!

gramma gave me this hat she got in hawaii...

we had some fun with it. :)

at the end of the evening, just as i was getting ready to leave, my dad came down the stairs with a surprise present for me: a new guitar!!!! check out the next post to see pics. :)

Twenty-Six and Lookin' for Kicks: your input needed!

2007-01-30T21:55:00.000-05:00

saturday night we had some peeps over for a birthday bash. my roommates really made it a special evening: megan made an amazing 4-layer (chocolate and strawberry) cake, and sarah and bethany prepared tons of snacks and desserts. it was fun to have a house full of people, and fun was had by all...even vin diesel showed up ready to party!

Nattie and I check Vin out and admire his crown.

blake sent me this AWESOME "edible arrangement" just in time for the party! I didn't even know this sort of thing existed...isn't it cool?

dimitar and sarah

meghan's my best friend from elementary school, and we still have tons of fun together. it was an honor to have her there from baltimore.

sarah and me

meghan, me, graham, and amado goof around...

dimitar and me.

does anyone else find this photo a bit creepy?

caleb checks out the "yard of bubblegum."

mary washington college, represent! katy, me, robbie (he actually didn't attend MWC, but we let him in the picture anyway), elizabeth, ben, and matt

of course there was hula hooping involved. the guys really got into it.

things got a little crazy when i danced to ace of base's "all that she wants." some consider me outgoing.

the cake looked so bright with 26 candles on it!
i'm sorry to say that it took me two breaths to blow out all those flames...

we played one of my favorite games, "loaded questions," late into the night. (a margarita-umbrella and an empty beer bottle served as extra game-piece-markers.)

rob checks out one of the books from our coffee table.

dimitar shows us "what to wear."

gavin really enjoyed the vibrating ladybug massager...

At the party, I asked my guests to write down their ideas for what "kicks" I should look for this year. Here are some of their ideas, verbatim:

-go scubadiving
-go to trapeeze school in Baltimore
-sing for money in the streets of D.C.
-go skydiving
-take swing dance lessons
-"I'm talking about a place called Aspen."
-vote democrat
-win a roller skating limbo contest
-sky-bungee-jump-boulder-rapell-climbing
-attend a professional wrestling event...and bring a homemade sign.
-audition for American Idol
-see a Broadway show in N.Y.C.
-Jazz @ Lincoln Center

Now, this is a fabulous list. It gives me things to aim for; things to keep the adventure of life going. But I'd love to hear your input. You can either select your favorite from this list, or (better yet) add one or more of your own (keep them PG-rated :).

my trip to colorado: jan 20-23

2007-01-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

this past weekend i flew out to colorado to visit with friends and check out denver seminary. i had an awesome time. i'd been out there in the summertime, but never the winter, so it was fun to experience all the snow!

"i thought the rocky mountains would be a lot rockier than this..." -lloyd christmas (dumb & dumber)

saturday night i stayed with family friends, the johnsons, in colorado springs. sunday they hosted lunch and some friends came over. a good time was had by all.

with bill, mary, sam, and mason springston.

with lindsay and jac and kay and mal.

after lunch, kay surprised me with a birthday dessert, complete with candle and gold doily. it was the best ding-dong i've ever tasted! :)

funny story:

on my rental car reservation i requested an economy car, but when i showed up all they had available was a grand caravan! "it's a free upgrade," the car guy said. but in my head i was thinking, "more like a free downgrade." here i was secretly hoping for a jeep liberty or ford escape, and i get stuck with an extra long minivan. did the guy think i had a bunch of kids to take to soccer practice or something? couldn't he see that i'm twenty-five-and-alive (and completely by myself)? i sighed as i stood before the expansive mass of white-ness which would transport my small suitcase and me all weekend.

as i drove down I-25, i couldn't help but laugh. i felt like a mom (which isn't a bad thing, i'm just not there yet...), but without any kids in the back seat. i was tempted to buy a "my kid made the honor roll" or "i love soccer" bumper sticker just to complete the experience, but i figured the rental car place wouldn't appreciate that.

best ride EVER. you wish you could drive this (or maybe you already do).

sunday brought more snow, and as I drove the hour north to denver I realized that minivans aren't really the best vehicles for snow driving.

thank God, i made it safely to megan's apartment in littleton.

monday morning i headed to the campus and spent the day meeting with people...it was great!

sights around campus.

the view from behind campus.

monday night megan introduced me to red robin's endless basket of steak fries and flat-tire beer. so good!
"okay, now a serious one..."

sunset behind the rockies. so pretty!

this semester's classes

2007-01-09T19:43:00.000-05:00

spring semester began yesterday (is my month-long break really over already?).

I'm taking World Religions, Missions in the Local Church, New Testament 2 (Acts through Revelation), Church History 2 (starting at the Reformation), and Survey of the Old Testament.

let the reading and studying begin! :)

"hot town, winter in the city..."

2007-01-09T09:43:00.000-05:00

we had a fun time in DC on an unusually warm winter day (highs in the mid-70's!).

katie and me outside the sackler gallery of art.

stephanie, ben, kate, and graham enjoy lunch at eastern market.

sunrise: january 6th

2007-01-07T09:31:00.000-05:00

from my backyard patio...beautiful!

visit with the wright family...Jan. 2nd

2007-01-05T09:47:00.000-05:00

meg and me.

with victoria and emmy. i love these girls!

Ben's funny story from Ghana

2007-01-04T11:30:00.000-05:00

my friend, ben cubbage, is a missionary with Mercy Ships. He's been in Ghana, Africa, now for a little over a month.

check out his AWESOME story he shared with us back in early December. it's hilarious. :)

So.

A few days ago I was getting a tour of all the secret nooks and crannies of the Mercy Ship called the "Anastasis," all the holds where we store stuff, the engine room, and the dark recesses of the ship where we put all the extra medical supplies and ropes and sailing doo-dads.

Then (it was about 1 am, since the night watchman at the time was showing me around) I asked if I could see the "bridge," that's the part of the ship with the steering wheel and that fancy brass nautical stuff where you look over the bow from a huge window. So we go up there. And the night watchman proceeds to tell me all about the history of this 50-year old equipment. We play with the steering wheel and the big compass.

I walk over to the window and look out into the harbor. And what catches my eye but a big red lever. Hmmmm?.....What is this? A red lever. I wonder what it does?.....

So the curiousity is too much. And before the watchman can tell me it's not such a good idea, I pulled it!

And then sounded the loudest noise I've ever heard! A foghorn, usually meant for alerting ships several miles away that we may be a crash course. But instead we were in harbor, in the largest port in West Africa, and it was 1 am. And then the captain and all the engineers got up and ran around trying to figure out how to turn the darned thing off. They apparently were unsure about how to go about doing that.

Needless to say, I think I may have woken up almost the entire boat. That's about 300 people aboard a giant hospital ship: patients, doctors, engineers, deck hands, community development folks, you name it. And from outside it sounded like the foghorn reverberated across the whole harbor (which is full of lots of HUMOUNGOUS cargo ships from all over the world)! So I don't even want to know how many people were cursing me under their breath in some foreign language.

But, finally after 20 minutes they turned the valves off for the foghorn's air supply and there was once again silence. The only problem was that the whole ship was awake and the captain was not so happy. So he took me in his office and we had a little chat. He was stern - but gracious. After that I decided to never again touch another mysterious lever.

So - I hadn't been in Africa, or even on the ship, for a week. And I've already gotten to meet the captain. The circumstances were a bit abnormal - but maybe I'll be able to look back on it and laugh :)

insight from Rick Warren

2007-01-04T11:11:00.000-05:00

Rick Warren is the pastor of Saddleback Church in California; he's also the author of best-seller PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE.

In this 2005 interview by Paul Bradshaw, Rick said:

People ask me, "What is the purpose of life?" And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God
wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body, but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act, the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ-likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountain top, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, inspite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches,equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes for my life? When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, "God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better." God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.

That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.

Amber's funny story from Kenya

2007-01-04T09:57:00.000-05:00

my friend, Amber, is a missionary teacher at a school called Akiba in Nairobi, Kenya. In a recent email update, she told this story. I think it's so funny I just had to post it. :)

I wanted to give you a quick update on the things that have been going on in my life here in Africa. Akiba ended its school year at the beginning of December...I got to attend my first end-of-the-school-year assembly in Africa. Each class got up in front of the school and did a skit or song. It was tons of fun. The kids were adorable, and many of them are very talented.

The next day the teachers had a teacher party at the school. In the states our teacher parties usually mean going out to a restaurant (or having one cater at the school), but this teacher party was about teamwork. When we arrived we were each put on a team to help. I got put with the women peeling and cutting potatoes (they quickly moved me to cleaning rice after they saw that I couldn't peel quickly using a knife).

The thing that was most shocking was the presence of a sheep when we first arrived. Apparently Abraham the sheep was to be our lunch. I was not too thrilled about the fact that I was watching my lunch eat grass in the courtyard. The male teachers slaughtered the sheep right there in the school's courtyard; I hid so I wouldn't have to watch it. However, one of the guys who works at the school decided to bring over just about every part of the animal for me to see- beginning with the heard as soon as it was cut off. Apparently the fact that I was grossed out by the entire event was humorous to all of the other teachers.

After Abe's death he was roasted over hot coals- Nyama Choma (grilled meat in Kiswahili). At lunch time the table was full of tons of African dishes (and some American cookies made by yours truly) and then the meat was brought it. I watched as the other teachers grabbed a piece as it was being passed around- I politely passed (to the sound of their laughs) and decided to become a veggie for the day.

Farewell Abe, I hear that you made a fantastic meal.

For other great stories, check out her blog at http://runningwithelephants.blogspot.com/

and the "Kenya Connection" website: www.kenyaconnection.org

new year's day at gram and gramps' house

2007-01-03T09:37:00.000-05:00

gram and the ham.

dan and the ham. yum.

never too old for the kids' table. (jess, we missed you!)

for once i'm not the one in the spazzy picture. :)

more NYE pics, courtesy of Dimitar :)

2007-01-01T18:26:00.000-05:00

yes, i am a dork (in case you didn't already know).

Welcome 2007!

2007-01-01T15:43:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Stacie and I outside the Rock Bottom Brewery.

i realize this is a ridiculous picture and i look quite goofy. but hey, i was having fun (and wearing Dimitar's sunglasses). :)

Christmas Day

2006-12-25T14:38:00.000-05:00

ah, Christmas morning at the Romaneski house. laughter was abundant, and good times were had by all. ths year was especially fun as we got to enjoy Jess's presence (and presents). :) Last year Jon and Jess were on their honeymoon, so we missed them! here are some highlights, as demonstrated through photos.

Jess painted this for my parents. isn't she an amazing artist?

jonathan got a special award, i mean present. on the box was written "fragile" (not really, but it would've been a good touch) and when he opened it up he found a magnificent piece of art. (you'll only appreciate this if you've seen the movie A Christmas Story, which is a Romaneski favorite.)

"Only one thing could pull me away from the warm glow of electric sex in the window..."

Jon and Hayley.

since J&J are moving to Ft. Hood, they got a lot of Texas paraphernalia, including this gift from Dan. this gives new meaning to "taking the bull by the horns."

Dan gave me a yard of bubblegum balls! (he got tired of me stealing from his.)

i got some really awesome and goofy presents this year...i guess it's a reflection of my fun-loving personality?...i'm kind of a big deal, you know. :)

dan dons the goofy hat.

gramps with the goofy hat.

it all was a bit too much for molly. she "lay there like a slug. it was her only defense." (can you name that movie quote?)

Christmas Eve

2006-12-25T14:22:00.000-05:00

Last night was our annual Christmas Smorgasbord dinner at Mom and Dad's house in Old Town, Alexandria. It was a full house: Jess and Jon, Dan, three grandparents, Uncle Tom and Aunt Marcia, Aunt Paula, Cousin Jess and Winston all the way from Texas, Chris and Sara (Jess's parents), two dogs and two cats. Oh, and tons of awesome food and desserts!

decorated firetruck

2006-12-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

Last night I was on the phone with a good friend of mine (Robin) when I heard sirens and loud Christmas music. It wouldn't stop and only got louder. I stepped outside and saw a firetruck coming down out cul-de-sac. Only it wasn't a regular firetruck; it was completely decorated with Christmas lights and had a Santa sitting on top!! Robin couldn't understand why I was so excited and hyper, but it's not every day that you have a decorated firetuck with Santa outside your house! :)

A Christmas version of 1 Corinthians 13

2006-12-23T11:22:00.000-05:00

this is pretty cool, unfortunately, i don't know who the author is.

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of love will endure.

You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.

family dinner at my house

2006-12-22T23:08:00.000-05:00

singing "the 12 days of Christmas on the ithmus" (panamanian version)

dad plays bop-it

graham cracker creations

2006-12-20T12:57:00.000-05:00

Last night we attempted to make gingerbread houses (except with graham crackers, not gingerbread). it was interesting, to say the least.

this is the "meticulous" team. they planned for about 45 minutes before starting construction.

gavin was very proud of the final product.

this is the "laid back" team...their creation started out as Stonehenge and ended up a slanted igloo.

of course, no party at our house would be complete without some hula-hooping. :)

Poll: how much is too much?

2006-12-17T21:33:00.000-05:00

This Christmas Season I've noticed several houses that have gone above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to decorations. Garnished lawns jam-packed with characters and blinking lights have caused me sensory-stimulation-overloads and driving distractions. And it's made me stop and contemplate the reasons behind the dramatic ornamentation. Perhaps it's a "keeping up with the Joneses" complex, a tangible reflection of the American tendency to think "the bigger the better," or maybe it has to do with parents feeling pressure from their kids. But whatever the case, outdoor decorating for the holidays has become quite the endeavor and expense.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love Christmas decorations; I think they add so much to the season and festivities. But when do they cross the line from tasteful to tacky? Or is there no longer a line? How much is too much?

And another thing: what's with all the inflatable Christmas decorations* that are in yards these days? How do you all feel about those things? I'd love to hear your input, especially if you're a regular blog-reader who's just never left a comment (*cough* randy). You can use the following options to indicate your opinion, or just create your own:

a. They're terrible and tacky. If there was one in my neighborhood I would pop it with an ice pick.

b. I live next door to an inflatable-character owner, and I don't mind. But that doesn't mean I want one in my yard.

c. I love 'em! What did we ever do without them? Christmas is so much more Christmas-y with those guys around! I wish I could afford to buy one for my yard.

d. Hey! How'd you get a photo of my house?

*Inflatable Christmas decorations are "highly visible, festive, novelty items that add excitement and fun to your front yard. They are basically giant nylon or vinyl balloons. They can crown any piece of your property, from the peak of your roof to your snowy driveway. They are made of heavy-duty material to withstand all kinds of weather, including sleet and frost.You can purchase them deflated in a carrying case, and then inflate them for seasonal use. Inflatables are a perfect choice for Christmas, since they can be snugly tucked away in a closet or garage until next December...
An electrical pump accompanies new inflatable Christmas decorations. You have probably seen many varieties of inflatable Christmas decorations as you did your holiday shopping or brought peanut brittle to your neighbors. There is Santa Claus waving, sitting atop a sleigh, popping out of an inflatable chimney, or holding Mrs. Claus's hand. A vignette could be created with a Nutcracker, Christmas tree, and a gift-laden train. Or you could position a snowman to watch the elves as they tie Rudolph and the other reindeer to the sleigh.Since they are designed to attract attention outdoors, these novelty items are usually quite large. A candy cane could reach up to 10 ft (3 m).
A penguin and polar bear would dwarf the real creatures. Even inflatable Christmas decorations in the shape of your favorite cartoon character could tower above the trees. Best of all, they can be outfitted with small light bulbs, so they are just as merry at night as they are during the day." (taken from an online ad for Inflatable Christmas decorations)

Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for your insight. I just want to understand the world around me better, and your comments help.

Merry Christmas, from my scantily-decorated house. :)