Photography Giveaway!

Our friend, Tara, (who did our super fabulous newborn pictures) is having a giveaway! If you live in the Bay Area & need some family pics or need a creative gift, head over here and post a comment!

Baby Shower

We're visiting the Swenson Clan in OC! We were able to book it down here in enough time for me to attend another girlfriend's shower. She's due in November, 4 weeks earlier than me. She also doesn't know what's she's having so it was all browns, greens, and yellows! I was really impressed by all the really cute gender-neutral clothes that ladies gifted. And there were no repeats!! I didn't win any games. It's really hard to be pregnant & talking about your current life without using the word "baby". My sis-in-law who is also pregnant was there too. Ruth is a month later than me. So the three pregnant ladies got to hang out & catch up!
(Miss January, Miss December & Miss November)

Book Club

A few months ago, my friend Heather started a book club with some of the girls in our complex. It has since grown to be around 7 of us ladies. And it is SUCH a blast!! I've always wanted to join a book club, since I love reading & discussing literature--especially with others with different perspectives & insights! Last night, I was in charge of leading the discussion for our latest book, The Time Traveler's Wife by Aubrey Niffenegger. Such a wonderful novel! (W has even picked it up & is almost done with it.) We had a great discussion about characters, themes, and other topics within the novel. And the fact that many of us were balling by the end. ;) Adult books are such tear-jerkers!!

Come Friday night, we'll be out for a book club date night to see the movie!! So excited to finally see it. It's been so hard waiting especially after finishing the novel. I'm really interested to see how they'll portray the novel plus I love Rachel McAdams!! And I can tell just by the trailer that I'll love the clothes too. Good signs so far! ;)

Our next books are called Sarah's Key and Night. Both books cover the Holocaust & I imagine will be pretty heavy. So it's off to the library & store for another box of tissues!

2nd Annual Shakespeare in the Park

One thing that I really love and appreciate about our little community is all the fun FREE things there are to do, especially during the summer. And FREE is definitely both W & I's favorite price!! SF Shakes did a fabulous job with this year's production! We totally loved the up-dated comedy with funky costumes & props! Last weekend we went to our 2nd Annual Shakespeare in the Park on Saturday night! Three other couple friends from church joined us in the fun. We rode our bikes to the park, enjoyed a picnic dinner & watched "Comedy of Errors" from the comfort of blankets & chairs-- as cute Addy demonstrates here...
Joy showing off the night's program with BJ!
Um, yup! Just us!
The lovely Fosters!
Our new neighbors! Whoo-hoo!

Breakfast for 8

This past weekend I got a very tiny taste for what it must have been like for my mama-in-law with 7 kids at breakfast mornings. We had the most guests over ever in our house on Friday night and come Saturday morning, they were hungry!! :) We loved having the company & chatter!! I served onion-red pepper-eggs, cinnamon rolls, and chicken sausages! I was thankful to have made the right amount so everyone walked away full. Although it was fabulous, I don't think I'm ready for any big formal meals like Thanksgiving or Christmas. But I'd definitely do this style again.

Fun Friday

It all started with a visiting friend who I haven't seen in awhile!! We caught up while she was up here for her spring break! Too early in the morning...  :)

It all continued with Happy Hour at Redcoats with some of awesome girls, then ended at my parents' house for dinner with Grandma & Uncle Jon (who's also visiting from out-of-town).  

After dinner & desert are over!

William enjoyed practicing his BB skills too!

How Bad Do You Want It?

Here's me right when I got into line for it...

Can you find me? I'm the last one. My friend, AV, and I went to the Danville Parade yesterday for the morning. We arrived & barely found a parking spot a good walk away. We then wanted our Starbucks so we waited in line for 1 Hour! 30 minutes to order & another to make it. Apparently, we wanted it pretty badly. I've never waited that long for an caffeinated beverage, nor do I think it'll happen again. I'm a pretty impatient gal, but we were just chatting it up in line.

Can you believe it? Would you wait that long?! I've heard that they're closing 600 stores, but that's not because people don't want their Starbucks. It's because people pick one store & don't go to the one across the street: over-saturation of the market. Classic economics.

The Parade was fun, very similar to Pleasanton's. I went to hang out with AV & enjoy some good people-watching. A great time had by all... even the very first hour there!

Friends With Big Hearts

Recently, I've been blown away by amazing people. We have dear, dear friends who have done so much in the name of the Lord. They have sacrificed money, status, time, energy, mental strength, etc. to love others. All of which aren't inherently evil, by any means--just things that I find distract me daily. Mostly it's loving those who are hard to love that is so dang difficult. But these friends make it a point to DO something, not just talk about it.

I wanted to highlight some of our friends that we have know through the years that give their life (whether career, time, talents, finances or all) to ministry: loving others, and bringing the gospel--through videos, song, blankets: the ways to love others are endless & yet I am challenged every day to do just that. I jump to complain about the annoying or mean mom that e-mails me heartless words instead of focusing on how I be a positive change in their child's life while spending a year with me, in class. I want to save myself from grief/annoyance instead of lovely reaching out to others. Poop. But thankfully I have great friends who are good examples for me. Here's just a small listing:

Kate Hurley-- a traveling musician (awesome organic music too!)
http://www.vilgiate.com/kate/
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=48904293

Tim & Kirsten Jenkins-- missionaries in Europe spreading gospel to closed countries through videos
http://www.missionarygirl.org/blog/

Sarah Masciana-- local missionary to those in need
http://laborofloveministry.wordpress.com/

Joey Brunette --YWAM Staff in Hawaii
http://www.brunettetravels.blogspot.com/

It's been a growing experience for me as I marry & talk with William about a family. A family is a ministry just like any other organization or group that files for non-profit status, in hopes of bringing Christ to others. A mother or father has just as much responsibility with their own children as a youth pastor does with his high schoolers. They both are leading little ones to know who Jesus is & why he died for us. It's a pretty daunting task to think about, but an exciting one too. No matter where the Lord leads us, William & I will be missionaries: in our career and with our family. Even if it's just our nieces & nephews for now! :D