Reason 2,334 Why I Love Being Married...

I finally get some ability to modify my husband's wardrobe. :) So a few weeks ago, my dear, handsome husband went to church wearing a collared shirt that I hadn't seen him wear before (nor will see again). Apparently, this shirt was given to him (at this point, no problems) TEN YEARS ago. It was so worn out with holes around all the edges of the shirt & collar. I'm sure its striped design was a beauty in its own time (late '80s) but not now. Not the cute vintage that I love so dearly.

So after church, we did something I've been longing to do but have given much grace & delay in order to at least give my husband some time to adjust to a wife: we shopped for him. I've been still learning about his sizes and what styles I can get away with so it was a wonderful afternoon experimenting in Macy*s. We still had some gift cards from our wedding so I figured those would love to know it went toward a wonderful cause: new clothes for William. Those who know William know what an amazing feat this is: William AT A MALL, shopping for HIM. He frequents Goodwill, Salvation, other people's closets, etc. which I love as well, but this was so overdue.

Welp, he was such a good guy & didn't complain at all. He did say that he was 100% sure he wouldn't like anything there. I'm so glad we found great, clean, stylish, formalish shirts that he loves & feels comfortable wearing. We did mostly surfer-style which has gone a bit country--Good news for William. We got such a deal & walked out with 6 new shirts.


On Sunday, we went for new shorts at Kohls. I love Kohls although I don't frequent it as much as I'd like. Where else can a cheap girl get Elle & Vera Wang for such an affordable price? Eh, I digress. There's a great deal going on now so we got William really nice shorts for cheap. But I promised I wouldn't reveal which brand because it's too preppy. We were so pleasantly surprised with how well they looked (and not that preppy, either). We are 2 for 2 on William's clothes adventures. It's so good because it really builds his confidence in me! Just building steps for the future, here. All in my wifely duties!


And of course some cuties for me:

My Summer Color!

Is officially my color this summer. I have no idea how it happened but I've been drawn to it everywhere I go. My nails are orange, shirts, vases I want to buy for our house. I always think of my sister 'n law, Dorothy, who LOVES this color. It's so bright & happy like yellow but with a wilder edge to it. It's juicy & fun too! Summer has such fun colors to enjoy & wear. It definitely perks me up, especially when I forgot my cup of coffee as I walk out the door.

What's your color this season?

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

Happy Father's Day..

to the father of my future children. Another great part of this past weekend was watching William with two of his many nephews. He is so great with kids, especially when it comes to teaching them. William spent most of the time showing Alex & Zach how to wash dishes, set the table, cook, speak to others (especially each other) with love & respect-- just all around gentlemen. It was awesome. He also taught them about playing pool, wrapping up long cords, and other manly duties! :) I just sat back and watch this amazing man of God do his thing. Of course I knew he was great, but I'm so elated about how wonderful my husband will be as a father. He will be a gentle but solid leader of our family and that makes me so excited & confident!

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.