Our 4th Anniversary

Jeremy surprised me with a trip to the Redwoods for our anniversary. We spent a long weekend exploring and getting pampered. Below are some special moments from our trip:

Clearly, he did an awesome job with planning our trip!

Below is our favorite memory, not just of this trip, but to date, as a couple.

We were in our beautiful hotel room, getting ready for a beautiful seafood dinner on the coast when we came up with a beautiful idea. 

Jeremy went to gather 11 balloons: 7 for every year that we've been together and 4 for every year that we've been married. We decided to take them on the beach before dinner and release each one with a hope/dream/prayer/wish for our marriage, future children, family, careers, and life in general. 

I loved every touching second of that moment on the beach with my husband.

Be Kind: Week 2

Week One of my love challenge was the never ending struggle of displaying a sense of patience. Much like every person I have ever met, I have a very specific set of stressors that cause me to lose my cool and become a bit of an impatient toe tapper. I was challenged, to say the least. The next element of displaying Godly love is kindness.  I needed to look this one up. My thoughts were "okay, so I just need to be nice this week? No problem!" For the sake of keeping this Love Challenge, an actual challenge, I decided against looking at this week as the easy week and learn what true Godly kindness is...

 

What is kindness?

Kindness starts with caring—being tenderhearted and compassionate toward others. If God wants us to be kind to animals, how much more to people! (See Proverbs 12:10).

Next, we must make it our goal and habit to be actively looking for opportunities to show kindness. When we see one, we need to act quickly before the opportunity is gone.

The Greek word for "kind" is chrestos. Part of its meaning is useful, which makes it clear that biblical kindness involves action. "Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions" (1 John 3:18, New Living Translation, emphasis added throughout).

Action includes some kind of self-sacrifice and therefore generosity on our part, especially of our time. (That doesn't mean we neglect sufficient rest and whatever is needed to refill our own well.)

Of course, the emphasis on deeds over mere words does not mean words are unnecessary. Action includes words. Encouraging words of comfort, courtesy, compliments and even correction can be heartwarming acts of kindness. Several biblical proverbs attest to this.

What to say and not say should be guided by awareness of the sensitivities of others. We must help people heal from their emotional wounds rather than rubbing salt in those wounds. Sadly, when people know what "buttons to push," they often use that insight to further hurt each other.

Our motive for "charitable deeds" should not be to impress people (Matthew 6:1-4). The greatest rewards from God come when our acts of kindness are done humbly, quietly and, when practical, anonymously.

Doing someone a favor to get a favor in return is not wrong unless it's illegal or unethical (like bribery). But a favor done to get some benefit is not true kindness. Genuine kindness is lending a helping hand when you expect nothing in return.

Kindness should begin with our kin. Ironically and tragically, many people display their most unkind behavior with the ones they should love the most. God is not unaware of this hypocrisy.

And Jesus Christ emphasized that we must be kind to everyone, not just our family and friends (Luke 6:31-34). If you do this, "your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to [even] the unthankful and evil" (verse 35).

(from the amazing site http://www.ucg.org/christian-living/fruit-spirit-kindness-heart-helping-hand/ . I often reference this site when I need to take a deeper look at something that seems far too simple)

Clearly I am up for a bit more of a challenge than simply "being nice." Week 2? Be kind.

Yesterday...

... was a frustrating one. I am looking forward to this weekend and 7 events. In one weekend. Sort of crazy, especially considering the fact that, that is not all that I am responsible for.

My morning started off so wonderfully. Jeremy went to yoga with me and followed yoga with coffee that we were able to sit down and enjoy together. That and this sun rise:

I took that with my phone, out of the window of the coffee shop. The live show was so much more brilliant. Great start, yes? Through a series of events throughout the day, my mood was drastically changed and came home with a full on pout. Not a great thing for Jeremy to come home to after his long day at work. This was also the first time in weeks that I have been able to greet him as he got home. I have been getting home much later than he does. That's not really ok with me either. More pouting. I decided to try to take a nap. Couldn't fall asleep. Naps are weird. Sort of in a worse mood, now. Then, I tried to be productive. On a normal mood day, this would totally cheer me up but since this was a very abnormal mood day, it didn't. I just kept thinking about all of the things that I didn't have time to get done and how things have been neglected. For example, I noticed that the top of a hung picture wasn't dusted and literally rolled my eyes. Ouch. I could drag this on, but you get it . Terrible. Mood.

So, what changed my mood? Here was my brilliant plan: as soon as Jeremy walks through the door, him and I are going to clean like there's nothing in the world we'd rather do, for one solid hour (we CLEANed the entire house, shampooed carpets and all), go for a walk to chat and de-stress, then relax/watch a movie/eat in bed for the rest of our night. He went for the plan (thank goodness) and it was wonderful.

And that is why our guest bedroom looked like this, this morning. We camped out in there last night until we went to bed! It was so fun. I never even go in there unless I'm hanging laundry or cleaning it. Also, we have a strict no tv in our bedroom rule and Jeremy has a strict "no eating in bed" rule. I'm definitely going to keep the guest bedroom in mind for the next "Toni's in desperate need of relaxation" night. In addition, I realized how much Jeremy has been spoiling me this week, so tonight it's my turn. Don't take your hubby for granted, ladies! Most likely, he is loving you in the way that he would also like to be loved. Return the favor and count it all joy!

I'm just so...

I've not used my blog to vent or pour out my feelings or ramble in the 3 or so years that I've had this blog. Well, today changes all of that! Lucky you! I just feel that I have to get out there the kinds of wonderful changes that have been going on in Jeremy and I's lives. I feel so content and humbled lately. The kind of feeling that can only be explained as warmth in my heart as I'm fortunate enough to observe the fruit of obedience to my Father. My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Jeremy and I have gone through a lot in the past 6 1/2 years. And when I say a lot I'm talking some pretty terrible, self-inflicting, digging deep holes, make or breaking, trying, testing, nearly impossible to overcome... that kind of a lot. From being homeless, to overcoming drug addiction, to losing a child, we have been put through the ringer. I don't say that with resentment, but joy. Weird, huh? There are times that I look back at our past in disbelief. Never, did I envision my life going the way that it has. Interesting how that works, huh? Jeremy and I both grew up in Christian homes but veered into some years onto the road less traveled. We are both people that, apparently, needed to find what else was out there before we found our way back to our chosen path. God has done some amazing things in us. In the past year or so, Jeremy and I have both recommitted our lives to Christ and have not looked back for a second. I am so thankful that we hit rock bottom. Also weird, huh? I know there's a saying out there that says something about not knowing or appreciating where you are now until you can see where you've come from... something like that. It basically sums up how I feel about being grateful for the mud in my life and in my past. There is no room for pride because I can see where my life ends up when I place it in my own hands. I see now how precious my life is and how I don't trust it to anyone but my Creator. I'm so encouraged by the character challenge that Faith in Christ is. It's so wonderful to feel weight lifted off of my shoulders because of the freedom I have in God. I don't have to own all of the negative stuff that this world throws my way! How crazy. Can you imagine a life, where, because of a sequence of events turning a good day into a bad day turns good again because Christ already died for all of that bad stuff? How freeing is that?? I can literally, see the amazing changes in my life when I'm walking in Faith. My reactions to things are tamed and in control, I treat a negative turn of events as a challenge and a faith tester making me not only closer to God but so appreciative that He can bring me out of it, I love people, I'm such a better wife and friend, and even in the midst of a trial, I can smile and be still in what God is to me, knowing that He is strong when I am weak. How do I know this for sure?? GREAT question. Simple answer: I've been in God's presence and I've been out of it. My life in it, is full of abundance. I'm not talking diamonds, business deals and an exploding bank account. I'm talking about REAL abundance. The kind that overflows from your heart and onto the people around you. Abundance of love. Love that's shown in the most real and purest way. I hope that one day my actions explain this better than I can with words. I feel so blessed in trials and humbled in victories. I love with all of my heart. I am so moved by what He has done in my life and in J's and in our marriage and relationships. I'm not even going to edit this because it's basically just rambling and jumbled.. I'm just so..

blessed.

We're Three!

August 17th was our third anniversary. We decided to go back to where we said "I do" for the first time in 3 years. Gold Beach. It's the furthest Oregon southern coast you can travel to before hitting the California border and one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It's so surreal to walk around the same beach, same walk way, same ocean that we did 3 years ago with butterflies in our tummies and chaos going on around us! Here's some pictures from the beach (I could one-hundred-percent live there full time):

Easy to see why we chose GB, yes?

We relaxed a ton but also went to West Coast Game Park and on Jerry's Rogue Jets.

We have been so blessed and are so thankful for each other. I completely realize how cheese ball we are, and I apologize, but secretly I love it.

My Momma's Visit

Our long awaited house guest came on August 10th. We spent the following 8 days together. It's been 3 years since I've seen her in person. You can bet your button that we spent every moment possible together!

Aug. 10- Day one - Mom flies in to PDX and we stayed up until 2 am chatting
Aug. 11- Day two - Pedi's and dinner out at my restaurant
Aug. 12 - Day three - Drive to Central Oregon to visit with my brother and his family/Momma cooks for us for the first time in YEARS!
Aug. 13 - Day four - Entire day at Sun Mountain Fun Center (we did go-karts, mini golf, batting cages, arcades, bowling and bumper cars... the whole enchilada)
Aug. 14 - Day five - My brother, momma and Jeremy went shooting (I don't do guns) and we headed to pit stop in Sunriver to visit with an Aunt of Jeremy's and also at Jeremy's Grandmother's farm in Pleasant Hill
Aug. 15 - Day six - My mom and I canned about 4 jars/3 different recipes and had Jeremy's family over for dinner and to visit.
Aug. 16 - Day seven - Dinner at Grandma's. We gave my mom a full tour of the entire farm
Aug. 17 - Day Eight - Dinner at my Father-in-law and his wife's house/church
Aug. 18 - Day Nine - My mom and I drove to the airport... I bawled.

And some pic-chas:
Dear Mom,

We love you and were so so blessed by your visit. You are such an incredible woman and a great example to me in so many ways. I'm so lucky to be half you!

I LOVE YOU!

Mere Christianity

A little bit of a vocab lesson (and by saying the word "lesson" understand that I don't think that I'm teaching you something you don't already know) according to my marketing class:

Attitude- a consistent evaluation, positive or negative, about people, places or things
Motivation-a need that causes action
Satisfiers-factors that meet needs
Learning-a change in behavior due to past experiences

I'm reading a book I was given as a Christmas gift from my brother-in-law, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I'm sure you've heard of it, it's one of the biggies. I grew up with Christian morals and standards as a child. It was the pillar of my upbringing. I have always believed that if you stand firm on something that you were told to believe then you aren't standing firm at all, you need to experience it for yourself. Make it your own. Know exactly why it is you believe what you do... not just because mommy said so. While reading this book I've been very motivated to share it with other people, I'm learning a lot and it's creating a new perspective and a new attitude on why my faith meets my needs... I've spent a good amount of time trying to run away from the path that God has for my life. Faith and Grace pull me back in, every time. I've been doing a lot of reading and researching. Equipping, if you will. I want to understand why I feel what I feel. I'm the halfway person, you know.. there's the person that is ok with just "that feeling" and basing their faith on that, these people don't need proof. Truth is truth and that's the end of the story.. Others need facts and dates and history.. more of an intellectual ground to stomp on. I'm inbetween the two. I always have been. 'Mere Christianity' is a very logical way of looking at the Christian faith. I have been challenged, humbled and convicted by this book. C.S. Lewis is brilliant. Here's a few quotes I've underlined, so far.. (I'm only 150 pages in)

~"Strictly speaking, there are no such thing as good and bad impulses. Think once again of a piano. It has not got two kinds of notes on it, the "right" notes and the "wrong" ones. Every single note is right at one time and wrong at another. The Moral Law is not any one instinct or set of instincts: it is something which makes a kind of tune (the tune we call goodness or right conduct) by directing the instincts."

~"In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that-and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison- you do not know God at all. As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you"

~"To love and admire anything outside yourself is to take one step away from utter spiritual ruin; though we shall not be well so long as we love and admire anything more than we love and admire God"

~"Charity means 'Love, in a Christian sense.' But love in a Christian sense does not mean an emotion. It is a state not of the feelings but of the will; that state of the will which we have naturally about ourselves, and must learn to have about other people."

~"We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means-the only complete realist."

~"And what matters is the nature of the change in itself, not how we feel while is is happening. It is the change from being confident about our own efforts to the state in which we despair of doing anythings for ourselves and leave it to God."

I can't wait to finish this book, undoubtedly, with a new fresh perspective on Christianity.

Fever

It has been getting pretty hot and feverish around here. With Jeremy out of town, it's hard if either of us get sick. We just want to be taken care of by each other. Unfortunately this type of fever won't be going away any time soon. We're talking years. I'm talking baby fever. And... Jeremy.... has... got.... it..... BAD! It could be coming from the fact that he's going to be turning 29 in July and maybe nearing 30 has something to do with it? Or maybe it's the fact that he's been working in a home with small children and it's creating this urge? It definitely doesn't help that we have an entire closet full of baby gear in our weight room. We're talking breast pump, bottles, clothes up to one year, picture frames, the start of decor if we have a boy (we are doing a "lake tahoe/cabin" feel with a boys' room, that's IF we have one), toys, a stroller, a play pin, several swings and bouncies, a heartbeat monitor, baby books, a car seat.... I can't think of more but I'm sure the list would go on if I got up to look to see what was in those bins...

Now, you get the idea, right?
Oh! and not to forget the swings and bouncies skeletons that are filling the shelf in the closet.

Now, why is all of this stuff out of their bins? Well, Jeremy is home the first part of this week and I decided to show him all of the stuff that goes into the first stages of a babies' life. He had no clue what over half of the stuff was. I didn't do this to shut him down or to humiliate him, I just wanted to show him that having the stuff doesn't mean we are ready. And if knowing what the stuff is and how to use it all was going to be rough what about the actual baby? I know that he will be a fabulous father, but I think this education cured his fever a bit and helped his head to get back on track so we can stick to the plan!

side note: I actually adore the fact that he is the one with baby fever, and that he actually sat the hour and a half to listen to what each of the baby things did! He's so very much a keeper!!

A Story...

...told by my dad, published in my Grandmother's book 'Confessions of an ex-Jehovah's Witness':

We stood on the slick, brown path at the top of the cliff, shivering, dripping wet, not really conscious of what had just happened. "Am I in trouble?" Toni asked. I choked down the lump in my throat, smiled and answered, "No, honey." She was silent for a few moments, no small accomplishment for a chatty 7-year-old. "Well" she said finally, "I guess God just didn't want me dead yet." All emotions broke loose. I knelt down in the mucky path and held my precious daughter in my arms, tears shamelessly falling down my cheeks. Other hikers may have passed us by. I do not recall. All I could think of was what might have happened, could have happened to Toni. And me.

*************

It was a beautiful May afternoon in the Pacific Northwest. The rain was much warmer than normal for this time of year.

I had carefully chosen an ambitious outing for myself and my three kids: Tyler, my oldest, was all boy at 11. Cali, my youngest was 6 years old, had a wanderlust; I'd have to keep a close eye on her. And Toni. "Little Miss Socialite," my wife called her. She had a God-given gift of leadership that did not need teaching but did need mentoring.

The outing I had chosen for that Saturday afternoon was a hike I'd found in a trail guide for children. It appeared to be a relatively easy hike in the foothills of Snoqualmie Pass. The guide showed a beautiful waterfall on the trail, plus a natural waterslide. It was unlikely that we would be able to enjoy the waterslide because the spring runoff would be fierce.

The rain drizzled steadily over us, but the thick pine canopy reduced the rain to a faint mist. Happily, we marched in a single file up the trail to the first top, a 50-foot drop called Franklin's Falls. The scene was breathtaking and the kids loved it.

The thick, foggy mist made our hair and face wet and cold, but the kids didn't seem to mind. We lingered for awhile as the falls poured thousands of gallons into Denny Creek, making the smooth rocks at the base of the falls waxy and unsure. Then, we returned to the trail.

Again, we formed a single file as the path wove up and away from the river into the dense forest, and back along the canyon's edge some 30 to 40 feet above the creek. Occasionally, we would wander away from the path and look over the edge of the cliff, admiring God's handiwork, stopping once to eat a quick lunch. I encouraged the kids to explore safely, within eyesight and earshot of myself or one of the other kids. These were smart kids, eager to wander but conscious of their surroundings and potential for danger.

Off to the right we could hear the thunder of another waterfall. This one was not on the map. We left the trail to find it.

There it was, smaller than Franklin Falls, but no less beautiful. It fell at least 40 feet straight into a steeply declining chute of rapids. I could see now why the guide said we would not be able to delight in the waterslide; the river was angry here, rushing by at a speed I could not calculate. I stood in awe of the raw power being generated. The sound was nearly deafening, and I did not notice that my three children were climbing down for a closer look, with Toni, the natural leader, in front.

I started down after them, being mindful of the glassy smooth rocks that were thinly covered by new green moss.

"Watch your step," I yelled over the din of the falls. "Those rocks are really slippery!"
Toni nodded. Tyler waved, but Cali held back a little and let me pass so that I could help her down.

As I reached back to help Cali down a small ridge, I heard a scream.

I whipped my head around just in time to see Toni falling headfirst over the cliff's horizon.
Strangely, I was not afraid, was not panicked. I felt a profound sense of urgency and concern, of course, but never fear.

"Stay put," I told the other two. I quickly made my way to the cliff's edge. I listened intently for a response to my calls and finally heard the sweetest sound I shall ever hear: "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

Somehow, she had managed to miss the massive rocks jutting from the face of the cliff, missed the huge log that lay placidly across the boiling river, and miraculously, missed the wrathful current itself.

"I'm coming, baby. Daddy's coming," I called back. The closer I got to the steeply sloping cliff's edge, the less footing I found. Suddenly, my feet slipped on the mossy rock. The sky became the ground the ground became the sky; pain began to stab at my back, my leg, my arm as I tumbled helplessly down the cliff, bouncing off boulders and the huge pin log before becoming instantly, briefly airborne, and finally splashing in the the freezing water. I came up immediately, gasping and ready to fight the fierce current.

Incredibly, the current charged past behind me, a scant two or three feet away. I stood now in approximately five feet of slow-moving, almost still, water where the cliff face made a sharp inward V-cut into the mountain. To the right and left of the V-cut the icy water rushed madly by, oblivious of the sanctuary where I landed.

Toni was clinging to a small flat rock at the base of the cliff. She looked so tiny and courageous there as she silently struggled to grip the smoothed edges of stone with her small, frosty fingers.

"Daddy's here, Daddy's here," I panted. "I gotcha, baby."

I wadded over, the water still up to my chest at the base of the cliff. I pushed Toni up and out of the water and onto a small lip. From there we slowly made our way up the face of the cliff, crawling, grabbing crevices, shoving our knees hard against the stone, and dragging ourselves upward, our clothes still weighty and hanging with the drenching from the river below.
I briefly looked up. I saw my son, whom I'd completely forgotten about, leaning precariously down with a small strap he'd taken off the water bottle.

"Get back!" I barked. "We're OK. Go back up." Somewhere far above us, Cali was safely embracing a huge tree.

We continued our struggle up the cliff, finally emerging at the ridge where we began our trek.

Later at home, we examined our wounds. Toni had somehow managed to escape with only a small scratch on her leg. She had fallen approximately 20 feet, head first. I had bruises on my back, legs, arm and side, plus a very painful sprained left wrist. I had fallen closer to 30 feet.

That night when we said our prayer, we took our time.

Since that day, God has reminded me of the incident and the significance of many aspects of that trip. Such as how we as human beings are so easily lured by the things of this world when we stray from the path that God has chosen for us, and how easy we can fall because of our weaknesses. But he also reminded me that when we do fall, we can still call out for Him because we have a relationship with Him; He is, after all, our Father. And when we call out to Him, He is swift and sure to come.

(A time after my dad was haunted with the details of this traumatic day he woke up in the middle of the night and wrote this song)

************

The path is narrow, the cliff is steep
I try to focus, but sometimes I fall deep
And no earthly man can save me from my fall
There is only One Who hears my call

I'm cold and weary, my strength is gone
I'm bound to stumble; how long can I go on?
And just when I'm about to give it in
He gives me the hope to try again

I cry out, Oh Father, and He comes to me
I reach out to Him, and He takes my hand
And like a frightened child I'm clinging to the Rock of my salvation
until He comes

He comes for me

***************

I ran across this book today while looking for something in our book shelf. I forgot that this experience was published. And until reading the book several years ago, didn't know that my dad immortalized this memory on paper. I'm moved by Grace and am driven by His plan. He's not finished with me yet.

PEACE

I woke up this morning at a little before 5 am with not an ounce of sleep left in me. I was wide awake and ready to chase after whatever details the day had on it's itinerary. Jeremy was not so wide awake, quite the opposite, he was narrowly sleeping...?... Anyway, trying not to wake my equally narrow sleeping dog, I got onto the computer... 20 minutes later... I couldn't stand it anymore... C'mon! Wake up! I was able to carefully wake Jeremy and convince him to take a walk with me and the pooch if I got him coffee at our neighborhood espresso stand. We arrived at home with darkness still blanketing the sky, still so I decided to work out and get a little bible reading in. I've been reading in Galatians and decided to look up a study online to partner with my reading. Along with the study of each verse, it also had descriptions/definitions of each term pertaining to the context that it's in (ie "Law" in this book is talking about the Mosaic Law in the Old Testament, as oppose to "Gods Law" in the New Testament). Galatians is a letter to the Galatian people written by Paul, an apostle. In several passages he emphasizes peace. Peace. A word jam packed full of meaning. I think depending on the person/circumstance that word is jam packed full of relative meaning. The mom with 5 toddlers may have a different perspective on what peace is to her versus the single student about to graduate Law School. These perspectives are possibly far more circumstantial meanings as oppose to the state of definitive peace. This study defined peace as:

"A cessation of conflict, a state of contentment, and quietness of heart, a sense of well being."

After reading this I realized how important my daily lists aren't and how little importance my busy-ness is. If you can't find peace, you're in a constant state of chaos. I realized that I need to find less pride in all of the things I've accomplished at the cost of loss of sleep, good attitude or eating and find myself in a state of stillness and peace. After thinking about it, why am I adding to the worlds' chaos with my own? My mission to get into the habit of practicing a peaceful state.

Blessed to Bake

I proposed the idea several weeks ago to the leadership at my church to start a baking group with the ladies who serve in the nursery at my church with me. With 200+ childcare volunteers it is hard to get to know everyone just by going to the gatherings. Last night was the very first baking evening. Only 2 ladies were able to make it, but it was so fun getting to know them! Jeremy and I have been getting to know a lot of people in our church by going to classes or multiple gatherings a week and by serving wherever the church needs us and I love this body that God has placed us in. It's not a country club of believers, it's not a religious meeting-doing our weekly religious duty-, everyone we've met is so real and open about their testimony which encourages us to do the same. It's truly changed our lives.

(I like much more crisp, than apple in my apple crisp)

The ladies and I baked apple crisp last night and it was YUMMY! I thought I would start off simple and would definitely take advantage of the apples on our tree that are about to be composted if we didn't use them for something. I had planned to also make some apple tartlets with the ladies but, I didn't thaw the puff pastry in time. Which actually worked perfectly because I was using a recipe that I'd never tried before (a brave move with guests, I know) so I gave the tartlets a try after the ladies left. They are so easy and sooooo delicious!After watching a youtube video on how to make tarts and studying the recipe I totally winged what I ended up baking and they ended up tasting wonderful!

The way I did these are terrible for you. Probably 500 or so calories per tartlet. I've given up sugar/sweets for a month or so and since then have had sugar head ache withdrawals and now am at a point, apparently, where if I have sweets it gives me a head ache. So, the leftovers are going to be a frequent visitor in Jeremy's lunch box.

For the Tartlets:

~Spray a muffin pan with non stick spray
~Cut Puff Pastry to fit each hole with a little over hang
~Cut about 5 medium apples into tiny pieces and reduce with a little water and mix in some cinnamon, a small handful of dark brown sugar and a pinch of flour
~After the apples are soft and the mixture has thickened, spoon into each puff pastry and fold the excess puff pastry over on each side
~Bake on 375 for 35-40 mins

To Top:
~Reduce any jam you'd think will taste good (apricot, plum, strawberry, etc)
~Brush onto baked tartlet
~In a double boiler cream together butterscotch and whipping cream to drizzle over top of cooled tartlet

Viola!!

I had half of one last night and they were sooo yummy. I haven't weighed myself this morning, but something tells me that numbers have increased for sure!

I can't wait to continue this idea and get to know more of the ladies!

Meet My Mister

Meet my Mr. Busy, my Mr. Driven, my Mr. Sweetheart, my Mr. Thoughtful, my Mr. Strong, my Mr. Creative, my Mr. Selfless, my Mr. Giving, my Mr. Handsome, my Mr. Talented, my Mr. Handy, my Mr. Loving, Caring, Successful, Overcoming, Godly, Patient, Tolerant, Smart, Helper, Teacher, Best Friend. My Mister Husband.

There are moments in a marriage that pleasantly and proverbially slap you in the face with a "and THIS is why you chose this mister to be your forever." Today, Jeremy and I woke up with a list of things to do. We've been working every day this week on our house/yard and are nearing the end of our list of "to-do's." Jeremy has also been working long days in an attempt to finish numerous small jobs to prepare for his monster job he's got coming up soon. I'm so impressed with the amount of energy in him. He is a get er done kind of guy. And with a willing attitude, which is key. With the list dwindling down and a sleepy/rainy Saturday to wake up to neither one of us were quick to get out of bed to get started on the house before we went to work. Jeremy started several things on the list and went outside to pick a giant bucket full of apples from our tree (without me asking) for my baking day I have planned with some ladies from our church on Monday. He thought enough about what I had going on to pick those apples for me and my friends. This may seem like a small thing to be made into a big deal, and honestly he does sweet/thoughtful things like this all of the time, but today we were both worn out and unmotivated. Despite being burnt out, he thought of me first. I am a blessed woman. Love you J!

Teamwork

My dad came from Bend last weekend to visit. We played some music, ate, laughed (can't help that when he's in around) and.... did yard work. I know, weird right? Well, he had a use for some plums that were growing on our 3 plum trees we have in our back yard. We picked what we could but the tops of the trees were impossible to get to. What to do? Well, get out the chain saw and chop those trees down, of course! In other words he helped us prune our fruit trees. It was an overdue chore that we completely neglected last year. They're basically bare now! My OCD loves it! I would rather see bare and manageable than full and over taking the back corner of ours and our neighbors yards.

Happy Fall!!

Despite the sprinkles of sunny weather and heat here and there, Fall has crept up and fallen upon us. Fall is a season that I have gradually fallen in love with. I love roaring fire places, pumpkin/apple spice candles, fall decorations (my Halloween decorations are already out), fresh baked ____ (fill in the blank), knee length boots, fuzzy socks, hot cocoa, yumminess slowly cooking in the crock pot, cuddles, fog, crispy mornings and .......... FOOTBALL!! Football is especially awesome this year. Why? Well, a very generous father in law of mine decided to give all of his children/step children/childrens' significant others University of Oregon Duck season football tickets for Christmas. A gift that truly keeps on giving! Their first game was two Saturdays ago and started off the season with a 72-0 defeat over New Mexico. If you know anything about college football, a win like that over N.M. isn't a huge deal, it's sort of expected. Rest assured. The Ducks are legit this year. Proving themselves with a 48-13 defeat over the TN Volunteers. Moving us from a top 7 team to a top 5. GO DUCKS!

Wedding Season Continued

About 3 or so weeks ago I was asked by my sister in laws best friend to coordinate her wedding. I was blessed and honored to even be considered. And not simply because it was a big deal to be asked to be such a big part of someone's special day, but because of who Megan is. Who Megan and Josh both are. I have grown so incredibly fond of the two of them since meeting several years ago. Their love for one another is truly unique and inspiring. Anyone who knows them, can't help but smile at the thought of this remarkable couple. Weddings are always special for one reason or another, even it's at the thought of getting free food, let's be honest. But this wedding was jam packed full of special surprises, flawless planning, sweet family and moments that will permanently have a reserved section in my memory bank and was special for the love that they have for one another. It was a lot of work, but so worth seeing Megan's dream wedding come to life.

Thank you for all of the memories and for letting me be a part of your big day.
CONGRATULATIONS
to Megan and Josh Lenhardt
You deserve all of the happiness in the world.
We love you

The Steinberger's are Now Toddlers

This about covers the trip I'm about to revisit. This past Tuesday my husband and I celebrated our graduation from infancy to toddler hood in the world of marriage. Yep, we turned 2. August has proved itself as a very busy month for us this year so we postponed our trip to Yellowstone National Park for September. But of course had to do something on the day of (and surrounding) our anniversary. So we took the day that marked our 2 years as man and wife as a great excuse to camp on the beach. Camping is an inevitable summer activity. Well, it used to be. We haven't gone once all summer. Busy bodies means no time to sleep outside. HA! It doesn't sound like such a bad thing when put that way, huh? In any case. We love to do it and have missed it this summer.We did some golfing, frisbee throwing, kite flying, shopping in Lincoln City.... and relaxing.

While packing for our trip we found one of the signs I made for directing our guests to the wedding site. We wanted to bring it to use it one last time before we got rid of it.

Apparently the sign was incredibly visible to everyone in the camp ground. On our first night we took the hound down to the beach and after walking past a couple two camp sites down from us, we heard a "congratulations, happy honeymooning!" It completely cracked us up for several reasons. a. (the obvious) it wasn't our honeymoon and b. who camps for their honeymoon? We love to camp but, honeymoons are designed to be a tad more special, according to us. It just struck a funny bone.

To My Dear Jeremy,
I love you more and more everyday. I am so excited for our future and what every day holds for us. I can't tell you how much I've learned from you, all are things that have added to my quality of life. We are becoming such a solid team. I have never had so much fun, love, laughter, music, appreciation for everything small and big, adventure, spontaneity in my life until I met you ... I am consumed with our ability to meet in the middle and see each other eye to eye. I love our friendship and our inside jokes. I love that you think I'm the funniest person in the world. I love that half of your ingredients fall on the kitchen floor when you're making me dinner, the effort is so appreciated and end result is always delicious. I love that we've blended 2 very, very different upbringings and took the good and made it great. I love your curly hair even though you thought it would prevent you from making friends when you were little. I love that you're a rock solid Godly man. I love that you always call our dog "hound" and think that because she is so sweet, so will our children be. I love watching you do things that you are passionate about and are amazing at. I can't wait to grow old with you, embark on new adventures, and create a lifestyle of not having the biggest house, or nicest cars but one rich in memories and faith.

I love you with my whole heart and with all that is within me,
T

Family

It's no secret that family is among the most important additions to our lives. This is unbelievably true in my life. I am so blessed to have my in-laws near my home and so close to my heart. My immediate family is equally close to my heart but much farther from my home. A couple of weeks ago my husband and I traveled back to my home town, Bend OR to my dad's house. I love to see my dad, and we are fortunate enough to see him very often. This trip to Bend was very special because my Aunt and her fiancee were in town from San Diego. I haven't seen them since before they got engaged and it was so wonderful to see them. My Aunt Kerry and I get along like we're sisters and have a very special bond. I love her so much. And her fiancee is fantastic! He's hilarious and hospitable and treats Aunt Kerry like the princess that she is and that she's always deserved to be treated like. I am without words when trying to explain how priceless a genuine smile on her face is. It was so wonderful to see you, Aunt Kerry and Craig. I love you both so much!

This is the 4 of us at Jeremy and I's favorite park, Drake Park in Bend.
Craig wanted to make sure he got to do things "Bendy" so we had to take him there and Pilot Butte.