Update on Garden

Silly, I know..but I need to post more updates so here's one... about my ever growing garden. We have over a dozen tomatoes growing from the one plant I potted awhile ago. I also have 2 baby green bell peppers now and the green bean vines are crazy. I now completely understand the whole 'Jack & the Beanstalk' thing. This thing is a monster & started to take sun from my other plants. I'm so hoping that the flowers will soon bear some beans to make this giant thing worth it! :)

Weekend in the Mountains

I got finished my first year of teaching and to celebrate William & I left Friday afternoon for the woods. One of his many brothers works at the Young Life Woodleaf camp. It was such a blast to get away from everything & enjoy nature. Man, I have been missing that so much. We hiked, canoed, ping-ponged, swam, and rode these things called ridge runners--basically caged motored cars--around a dirt course. We walked everywhere. It was fabulous. We did leave 'the blob' for our next trip up. I did, however, read my InStyle magazine & a book during the long weekend. WOW! Such personal accomplishment that has been abandoned this year. William even got some information about working on staff there which is exciting. I'd love to work for a Christan camp again. And to do it as a married team would be a dream come true. We also stopped in Vacaville to visit & dine with an old friend of William's. The couple are having twins in late December. They were so cute.

Going Green

Green Thumb that is. I've picked up gardening recently & love it.

Well, really, I bought some already growing plants at Home Depot & Lowe's and make sure I water them regularly. I did do some potting which turned out to be a wonderful Sunday afternoon well spent. William hung paintings on our walls while I potted. Domestic life is fabulous-- I have no idea how those feminists went wrong. Now, I'm no Mrs. Cleaver, but I'm willing to learn bit by bit. I've always loved the idea of a veggie garden so at least I've started.

Our starting variety: a bean plant, 2 tomatoes, and a basil. I love seeing them grow! I can't believe I haven't killed them. I thought surely they would perish under my thumb. What a miracle! My primal beginnings have been encouraging. We hope to continue this success & add to our potted garden. The top picture is of the bean plant that has been growing so well. Here's some more of our tomato & large troff with the bean, basil, and some white flowers. William and I found that cool watering can at a local hardware store.

A Day for Play

Well that's what we had hoped for when we drove out to Santa Cruz on Sunday. It was a gorgeous day and a wonderful drive. We got to Santa Cruz in mid-afternoon & enjoyed walking around downtown. William and I have been really pressed for hang out time so it was great to get away for a bit. Unfortunately the good feelings didn't last the entire time. Welp, we started a not-so-brief discussion about a difference in purchasing opinion when we were interrupted by a homeless man. "This is my bench. Can you please get off my bench. People give me money here. That's my bench." So, who were we to argue? And the man wasn't leaving so we left instead. We still made it to the beach & had a relaxing time. It just didn't go as planned. Here are some pictures of our beach time. Including William climbing & getting wet.(And boys will be boys, won't they?) :)

Sweet Girl

When William and I were visiting family during Easter Break, we got to hang out with Ashaya Rubena Evans. She is one of William's (now our) nieces and Dorothy's daughter. We love her dearly & she has grown from a shy little child to an adorable little lady. She loves Dora, knows her letters and numbers, and cried horribly when "Uncle
Will-yum "had to leave to come back up north.



I was so lucky to play with her one afternoon while Mom was at work. We played all sorts of board games & that girl beat me every time! I almost resorted to peeking at up coming cards in CandyLand or modifying my spins in Chutes & Ladders. Good thing I'm bigger than that! :)We love you, Miss Ashaya!

Good News!!

I officially signed on for another year at Vintage Hills in 5th grade. I'm so excited to continue what I've started here & especially to be able to continue to work with such fabulous women!! And an expectual bonus: no moving! Yahoo! :) I'm so grateful to be able to grow roots & learn from my colleagues and friends.

Fostering Family Fun

Here's some pictures from Easter! Enjoying & remembering the day Christ rose from the dead! We are really enjoying vacating & being with family. Waking up & playing with our youngest nephew, Josiah, an Easter egg hunt, lots of food & family! I'm working hard on documenting events & such since I so enjoy looking through the pictures.

Spring has Sprung!

We can't wait to visit with our Swenson family in Orange County. So many warm faces, hugs & stories to exchange. I'm so blessed to have married into such a big family. Three cheers for Spring Break!

Identity Crisis

Yesterday, my dear friend & fellow co-worker, Sarah, pointed out that I've gone through so many identities this year: new teacher (5th grade), singlehood (Arterburn), marriage (Swenson), homeowner (Stanley townhouse), & the culmination of chopping my hair off last Saturday. She's so right! I have jumped through many stages of my life in just one short year. I love all my new identities so much. At the last stage, I decided to cut my hair again & quite short...people having been doing double-takes. It's so great & fun, reflecting all the other stages. With all these new identities comes many responsibilities too. With another turbulent teaching week (what, with spring break right away the corner), I realized how much it takes to stay grounded.

Our pastor has been preaching on Genesis this past month & it struck a chord in me. Our identities are clearly laid out in the very beginning--man and woman: Image-bearers of God, started in deep, intimate connection with The Creator, dependent on one another, hard working and free-spirited. These reminders have been so beneficial during my changes this year. I've loved every moment of them, but they are still changes that affect the core of who I am. Although, I found myself with a weakly formed back-bone when faced with stressful tension, I still have a stronger root in Christ. I have a solidly formed identity that is given to me by grace. I'm so grateful for this new identity that I didn't & still don't have to work at or prove. Christ did that for me and I get the joy of celebrating, growing & relishing that identity.

With so many years as a nomad, air-mattress sleeping, college student, it's such a new experience to be rooted somewhere & establishing my new identities as wife, teacher, and adult. As hard as it is, I love coming into these new roles. Yet none of my training has truly prepared me for any! :D More photos to come.

Married life: Month #1

We love it! It's fun, delightful, exhausting, rushed, exciting, relaxing, humorous, annoying, and all around wonderful. A few little quirks have surfaced: William showers much more frequently than I do, snores occasionally, and we haven't yet agreed on the proper way to do laundry. But we love the ability to share life: chores, evenings, showers, meals and all. We recently watched Swing Kids from our outside patio (thanks to William's old projector & an old blanket thrown up against the side fence). It was wonderful before the rain came. :) This month has been a rough transition back to busy life. William is working and schooling full-time. And for me, 5th grade has become a steam locomotive cut loose from its tracks and barreling down the side of a mountain. But we're adjusting and keeping each other laughing. I'm thankful for the Sunday afternoons on our bed: usually including a nap, homework, talking, reading and the like. It's like college dorm life again, except I'm learning more about my husband than about Italian History or the Connection between Communication and Law. I love learning more about my best friend & lover.