O night divine

The in-law holiday scheduling that almost every married couple inevitably goes through has worked out fine for us thus far, though having kids will surely complicate matters. We celebrated Thanksgiving in Michigan with my family since the Barton's whole family was just in town for our wedding, and then we'll join my family tonight for Christmas Eve for dinner and opening presents at midnight (as has been the tradition for as long as I can remember) after church, then fly out tomorrow on Christmas Day for a long weekend in Champaign, IL to spend time with the rest of the McLaughlins'. So many holiday traditions are ingrained in people since their childhood, so they are often hard to break, and I already think about what kinds we will instill in our own family.

This year I really only shopped for our niece & nephew, sister Aimee and a couple of other friends and co-workers, and we tried to make charitable donations for the rest. Last year the Barton & I had decided to make donations of the person's choice in lieu of Christmas gifts, and this year with everything going on in our economy we simply couldn't justify changing that, and we kept it local (Mosaic Youth Theatre & Detroit Rescue Mission). We also decided to increase our support to several friends called to service via mission trips to other countries, and as a gift to the Barton's sister Allison & husband Abe, their choice was World Vision, where you can sponsor a child or help a family with basic needs like water or a goat. Lastly, for our gift to both our parents and my sister Debbie & brother-in-law Romel we pitched in to send money to family members back in the Philippines (I really shouldn't take credit for this, as it was my mom's idea :).

Before I set out on cooking some dishes for tonight and some last minute present-wrapping, here's my final thought on the hype that has come to define Christmas. A nearby church had the line from Joy to the World on their marquee sign outside "Let every heart prepare Him room", simple and poignant yet for some reason it brought me near tears. It goes back to a message our pastor recently gave, that perhaps because we busy ourselves with doing things that are the "right" things, but in doing so we've often put aside the true goal. The line in the song is a sweet reference to Christ's coming, but in my selfishness I do a little gut check and wonder if there is adequate room in my heart if that happened today?!? Eek, I certainly hope so. But even in my daily life, is there room in my heart for life's happinesses and disappointments, family, friends and my faith?

I work every day, albeit harder at times than at others, towards to ability to say yes.

Merry Christmas, dear friends, may your hearts prepare Him room.

Celebrating the D

We kicked off the holiday season in style these last few weekends with four different events in Detroit. They left me with such warm fuzzies that I had to share so you could join in the festive fun next year!First on the docket was Noel Night http://www.detroitmidtown.com/05/noelnight.php, a fantastic evening in the cultural center area that features shopping, performances, carriage rides and free admission to over 30 institutions. The crowd favorite is ending the evening with a group sing-a-long of Christmas carols led by the Salvation Army band. Besides our layers of clothes that night for warmth we were aided by our full bellies after a great barbecue dinner at Slow's http://slowsbarbq.com/ for our friend Kim's birthday. And to our fellow suburbanites, I promise you that it is indeed worth the trip!

Next on the calendar was the opening performance of the internationally acclaimed Mosaic Youth Theatre http://www.mosaicdetroit.org/ , who had a weekend of shows called Woodward Wonderland, and I have to tell you that it was so much better than the Radio City Rockettes Christmas show we saw a few weeks back! Fueled by the premise of youth leadership through the arts (and the sad fact that 70% of Detroit Public Schools do not have music or arts programs), the 11-18 yr olds in the vocal & theatre groups truly blew me away by their homegrown talent. Move over American Idol! I bet even one of their stories would be more interesting than one of those silly teens that rollerskates into the audition room of that show. But I'm a sucker and will still watch it, so let's move on. The next day I left the hubby at home sick and joined a small group of volunteers at our church to support the efforts of Central Detroit Christian http://www.centraldetroitchristian.org/ , a faith-based organization who needed help at their annual Pride for Parents store that allowed moms & dads to holiday shop for their families. Basically these were garage sale prices, but all the items were brand new (and are donations)! What a fantastic idea.

Then this past weekend was our last opportunity to volunteer at the Detroit Rescue Mission http://www.drmm.org/, an organization that turns 100 in 2009, a wonderful testament to their service to the homeless and needy. We've been helping serve dinner monthly for the last couple of years, and our church will continue to serve there in different capacities like facility work and in the medical clinic, but there was a touch of sadness that it was our last time in the kitchen wearing those lovely hairnets :). (Jodi - in the spirit of your indulgent kindness we served up several Christmas cookies to each person, though this was mostly due to the fact that Sarah decided that she alone would bake 9 dozen!)

So, yes, Virginia, there is a Christmas, just as real as the joy in discovering the million points of light in the seemingly dark city of Detroit, if you're willing to open your mind & heart to it.

Reflecting on all these events makes me hope that we can all take pause this Christmas season to find the real spirit of family & faith in each of the things we do this holiday season (but of course even as I type this I am making mental notes about all the last-minute items I need to pick up at Target today!). What do you say, friends? Let's make the effort together.

Counting Down to Christmas

There are only six more days until Christmas. When I was a kid, we counted down the days until Christmas on an advent calendar my mom had sewed. We got a small candy cane each day until Christmas, except for my birthday, when I got a large candy cane. Today, this same advent calendar is hanging up in our condo.

Christmas is filled with these sorts of traditions, and I think our Christmas decorations to a large degree help to tell the story of our lives. In our house we've got the Christmas tree we bought together last year, and on that tree hangs ornaments that I received as gifts from my grandparents 30 years ago, an ornament I made in kindergarten (complete with a hilarious picture), elephants, a small John Deere 9400T Series Tractor, ornaments Liv made at a pottery painting night with the girls, a gift box with pictures of our niece and nephew and their cousin Sophie, the US Senate Christmas ornament from 1997. Hanging nearby is a star made of sea shells. Sitting on the mantle is a nativity scene. Sitting on a nearby table is an ornament Liv painted for 2008 - our first Christmas together.

And what a wonderful Christmas season it is.

Sisters

Some of my girlfriends are having some really tough weeks, some of the toughest in their lives. And thinking of how I and others can best serve them makes me so grateful of how many loving and generous friends that I have to count on, in good times and bad. Don't get me wrong, I love how my husband supports me, and I am fortunate to have had some great male friends over the years, but nothing is quite like having steady "sisters" alongside in the walk of life. Whether by blood, extended family, shared circumstances, travel buddies, old friends and new; these women are there to lean on when you are weak, stand beside you when you seek fortitude, back you up when you could use extra strength, and serve you when you don't even realize you need help. Hopefully we all have some of these - those we see and talk to regularly, and those who live miles away or you haven't talked to in months/years but you know you could call in the middle of the night if you truly needed too.

I sure do hope that men also experience this in their friends with a sense of brotherhood, but in any case, mad love to all my lady friends/sistas!

* To Jen, Jojo, Steph - I petition for you in prayer, may you find the strength to be uplifted in God's love in your times of need.

**To my older sister Debbie, happy birthday tomorrow!! May you be blessed with many more years to enjoy with your precious family.

Labor of love

Today I dropped off my first meal since joining our church meals team, who delivers meals to our church families in need due to illness, new baby etc. I liked the concept not only because I like to cook, but because it gave me a kind of nostalgic vision of church ladies stirring big pots of food and then delivering them in baskets. Granted, it was more like me rushing through making dinner last night even though it was my hubby's birthday (he has technically already celebrated over two dinners so far, with another tonight and on Sunday, just so you don't think I'm a bad wifey!) so that I could cook another meal, and then slipping and sliding up the driveway today with a paper bag and foil pan in hand, but still you catch my drift!

I remember my friend Claudia and I were once talking about how both of our mothers put homecooked meals on the dinner table every night for our families, in addition to hosting numerous parties and get-togethers over many years. Truly nothing short of a labor of love. I'll always have those memories (plus a few extra pounds to show for it!) of gathering around a table chock full of steaming dishes. I'll probably come to an even greater appreciation of this once we start our own family, but for now, kiss a cook today!

The Barton was born this day

Today marks the birthday of my favorite person! He is a serving husband to me, a loyal friend to many, and a loving uncle, son & brother.

My random piece of advice today is to my beloved single girlfriends - marry your best friend. Even though we've only been married for 2 1/2 months, I've already had little flashes of my life in 5, 10, 25, 50 years and it has made me believe that there is no other option. My hope for us is not just that our faith in God and love for each other would sustain our marriage, but that we would grow in appreciation for one another and that our relationship will reach greater heights through the good times & bad. That we would remember how we can say & do anything in each other's presence, how we sing silly songs at home, can laugh together at stupid shows & movies, bow our heads in prayer when we sit down to dinner, and after a long day sit around and simply share our work woes, or talk about politics, religion, sports, current events. Sometimes I pretend to gripe about my constant discoveries about how much smarter he is than me, but the reality is that I secretly love it! I'm a pretty competitive person in most things that I do, and when we were dating I was complaining to my friend Karin about how he could easily beat me at word/board games and she said "Wow, you must really love him!". So, yeah, it turns out I really do :).

Happy birthday, dear. I'm sorry you're feeling under the weather today, but know that I am so thankful for you, and I wish for many, many more healthy years with you to come. Love you!

A beautiful life

[Pictures of my hubby's handiwork: Laundry shelf (yay!), new Crate & Barrel shelves 1 & 2, engagement/wedding pictures and pics from the D hung with care. And our tree.!]

My friend Jordon commented earlier this week that her perception was that I was so busy she didn't know when I found time to eat and sleep, which of course was an exaggeration (especially to those of you who have kids to run around after!). However I guess I do pride myself on weekly management of a full schedule of a 45-50 hour work week, time with family & friends, keeping my house in relative order, running to the gym or on errands - but even then I have little twinges of guilt because I want to equally devote to my new marriage, but my hubby is awesome and he makes it as easy for me as possible. Bless his heart, he probably figured out long ago that I have a tendency to obsessively fill in scheduling holes as if they'd be snatched away from me if I don't! And thank goodness for my Comcast DVRs :). But I can't imagine what life will be like when we start having kids, I must admit that I'm more than a little bit afraid of what balls may fall out of my juggling act, but God-willing we'll figure out what to do when we get there.

All that said, I didn't take the time to blog for Thanksgiving, because I was actually too busy enjoying my time off of work! After the hustle & bustle of cooking/eating/shopping/visiting friends in town that took place Wednesday-Friday, I had a great Saturday with the Barton, we really took advantage of the rare weekend day where we had no plans or other obligations. We parted ways just in the morning when I went to a yoga class and he retrieved Christmas decorations out of storage, then after lunch we did some stuff around the house (see pics), then hit up the cider mill and grocery store in the afternoon before a nice dinner to celebrate our 2-month wedding anniversary and trimming our first joint Christmas tree. Good times.

So post-Thanksgiving, I'll still take the time to say thanks for being a part of my blessed life, my cup runneth over.....!

Giving Thanks

Things I'm thankful for this year:

• My beautiful, amazing, loving wife.
  
• My supportive and understanding family.
  
• Friends that support me when I need to be supported and challenge me when I need to be challenged.
  
• Tan-Tan and the Boopie Bear
  
• A great job (at least while my employer remains solvent!)
  
• Selling my house after being on the market for only five weeks
  
• Ridiculous high-pitched duets with my wife (at home!)
  
• Opportunities to serve and to give back to our community
• Wedding Workout Plan
• Wireless Internet
• Wonderful cooking from my wife and her family for Thanksgiving Dinner
  
• And for a God that has so richly blessed me this past year.
  

Happy birthday(s)!

I wanted to give a shout out to two lovely ladies who are celebrating their birthday today: my little niece Tanith turns two and my mother-in-law Donna (a/k/a Mrs.Mac) turns some undisclosed young-at-heart age :). We celebrate along with you, and hope that you feel blessed with the love of family & friends!

What can I say, Princess Tan-Tan? I admire a girl who knows what she wants and goes after it with gusto, and you certainly fit that bill! Sassy and smart, you share some qualities of your mama (Debbie) and your titas/aunts (me, Aimee, Mia). You're the only other girl that puts a special sparkle in my husband's eye, and because I love you, you may continue to offer your cheek to him for kisses :). And may you always have that spunk, and that dimply, heart-melting smile.

And while it's pretty common for some ladies to gripe about their mothers-in-law, thankfully that's not the case for me! Mrs. Mac is generous & loving, and as a retired elementary school teacher and now a volunteer at the local hospital, she is a helper at heart. I got such a kick at the Purdue football game where she cheered like it was the Superbowl! :) When the Barton talks about his childhood he often mentions her unconditional support, and I know she will always be a cheerleader for our marriage and our future family.

Happy birthday, we love you both!

The power of touch

No, not what you're thinking! I'm referring to my hubby's new toy, the iPod Touch. I used to tease him about his love affair with his Macbook laptop, but these days he's been stepping out on ole Mac to reach out and touch his new iPod, especially since it picks up our wireless Internet at home. He'll run to check it as soon as he gets home, and I'll look over to see him peering so intently into the colorful icons on its interactive screen that I often wonder if it is relaying state secrets to him or the answers to life's deepest questions. Or maybe he's really the secret agent of our household :). Oh well, I suppose it's my fault since I recently bought it for him as a gift! Actually, when we were on our honeymoon I pulled him into an Apple store as we were walking by and spontaneously suggested that I buy him one of the new iPods on the spot and I could use his other iPod Nano. So he was excited for a hot second, then he suddenly grew thoughtful and said that he would rather wait until he got home so he could research the different new models, and survey his friends about their pros and cons. Sheesh. Anyway, enjoy, my dear!

Our 1st Christmas gift

We recently received this plate in the mail as an early Christmas gift from Mr. & Mrs. Mac (a/k/a the Barton's parents :), as a commemoration of our wedding date, and we think it's beautiful! It already has a special viewing place on top of our new cabinet in the family room. They ordered it a couple months ago, but they are handmade at the Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI. By the way, if you have never been or haven't been to Greenfield Village in a while you really should check out this local gem that we have, it really is an amazing snapshot of history. We're really hoping we can check out the fireworks & DSO performance next year again during the 4th of July week, it was a great time - come & picnic with us!

The inscription that we chose for the plate is an excerpt of the oft-quoted biblical quote Joshua 24:15. While a pretty plate shouldn't have to remind us that our house serves the Lord, we figure hey we can all use another reminder, right?

Made in Detroit

The media is abuzz with talks about a possible government bridge loan to the Big Three automakers.  I would like to state for the record that due to my new familial status (hubby works for GM) and the fact that I was born and raised in the Detroit area and have lived here all of my life, I reluctantly agree that there is "no other option" given the economic ripple impact that would take place here in Michigan and nationally, even if it's a desperate short-term option that may not even get them to the point where the credit market turns around a bit.  However, I simply HATE that fact, because a big part of me wants to scream a stream of gibberish in the car at some of the commentators on NPR that sounds a little bit like "free market!  supply & demand!  it's a capitalist society, people!".  But I don't, and I will suffer in silence (for now) while my husband & his co-workers press on at a company that is quickly running out of options while celebrating their 100th year anniversary without much fanfare.  Cheers.

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Voodoo remedies

That's what I called my newest home remedies for this season's inevitable bout of colds when I was talking to a co-worker recently.  But aside from my usual tactics of a high-dose of vitamin C and an early bedtime, I've added a couple new ones.  Last year, I got on the Airborne tablet kick, which my friend Sarah dubbed "placebo" when I mentioned it a couple weekends ago.  And while I have no idea what its actual effectiveness rating would be in a consumer test against a sugar pill (or SweeTart?) my sister Aimee and I both agree that $6 is more than a fair price to pay for something that we believe makes us feel better, even if it actually does nothing for our physical symptoms!   
 
I stumbled upon the next remedy when I felt the full onset of cold symptoms one night recently. I had sent the hubby off to the gym solo, and was about to curl up on the couch and watch Prison Break when I decided a hot cup o' tea was in order.  I rooted around the cupboards to find a decaf version and came across something that the Barton had brought over from his old house, Throat Coat  http://www.tealand.com/ThroatCoat.asp .  I heated up some water and steeped it as directed, and drank it plain.  Miraculous!  OK, not really in the biblical sense, but my sore throat instantly felt better and my stomach was calm.   I'm now convinced that after a couple of antihistamine pills to help me get through the next couple of long 12-hour work days that ensued, a few more cups of Throat Coat and a pretty intense yoga class Saturday morning ("now, everyone reach up and elongate your side body just a little bit more before taking three knee dips to the floor, raise your arms higher!" -  say what?!?), I was as good as new.  Seriously, try it if you don't mind the hints of black licorice/anise.
 
My last remedy to report on I read about in some health magazine last week on the treadmill.  I picked up a teeny bottle of eucalyptus oil for $5 from Whole Foods, aka "Whole Paycheck" as the Barton likes to call it, and sprinkled a few drops on the steamy shower floor, and voila', an instant Vicks-like mist!  That's pretty much what it smells like, though you can get a variety of scents http://www.goddess-within.com/aucaesoi.html, this one was recommended to open up your breathing.  Good times. 
 
I'll sign off now to eat my vanilla almond granola bar from Trader Joe's for an afternoon snack, but before I do that I'll note here that I have not turned into a crunchy Generation Xer, so not to worry.  I'm still a regular retail-consuming (bad), Lexus-driving (bad for my husband's company, I know), sushi-eating, shower-singing, recycling, tattoo-bearing, Martha Stewart-watching, yoga-practicing, oatmeal-raisin-cookie-baking, churchgoing, conservative, Crackberry addict who loves her family & friends and weeps at the end of every Extreme Home Makeover episode.  Yeah, that's right.  So don't even try to slap a label on me.  Holla!
 
P.S.  Hope you're feeling better honey!

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Biscuits and Gravy

On our way back from Purdue, we stopped at a hotel that had a free breakfast in the morning. As hotels are one-upping each other with their breakfast options, this hotel offered a couple of hot breakfast options. One of them was the awesomeness that is biscuits and gravy. I rarely eat biscuits and gravy - I would never make it for myself, and I think I've only had it a couple of times in the past year. But there's something about white sausage gravy, flavored with black pepper, on top of fresh biscuits that I love.

Liv doesn't understand biscuits and gravy. Nor did two English couples at our hotel. While I was eating, one couple was staring at me, trying to figure out what was going on. When the other couple came down for breakfast, the first couple tried to explain to the second couple that you put this gravy on a biscuit and eat it. They seemed disgusted by this breakfast choice, to which I have one response: blood sausage.

But maybe it's just me. So let me ask - biscuits and gravy: no way or yes please?

Kiddie practice

Last night while saying grace before we had dinner, the Barton included "a great afternoon with our niece & nephew" , which of course made me smile. He knew early on when we were dating that I dote upon little Tanith & Kieran (sorry about the old picture Tan-Tan, but its just so darn cute! :), and quickly learned how much I valued spending time with them, to the point of scheduling other things around my regular weekend babysitting.  So while he may have started out trying to impress me with sometimes joining in with the kiddie outings, either way he has come to include them in his life as well, and I'm so grateful for that, plus its an interesting exercise to see what kind of parents we'll be like someday! 
 
I'm sure all you parents out there would probably say that its not an accurate picture since you don't have the constant  demands of care (nor the proper sleep deprivation!), but my only point is that I can already see a glimpse of how our division of labor might pan out.  Turns out I am much less patient (gee thanks, Dad!) when it comes to the discipline of a whiny toddler, for instance, and more than once I've found myself chuckling in the other room listening to my hubby take the tactic of a reasoned, logical approach to a painstakingly explaining something to a 3-year-old.  I'm probably much more likely to engage the age-old "because I said so!" parental standby after an initial attempt at explanation, which by the way does anyone remember not wanting to take a nap if given the opportunity?  It just kills me that kids so often fight sleep, when adults would shut the door to their office and turn off the lights for a quick snoozer if they thought it would be professionally acceptable.
 
Here's to having a little caffeine jolt this afternoon, and to keeping your head up (literally)! 

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Boiler Up!

Last weekend Liv and I went to my alma mater, Purdue. We went to the Purdue - Michigan game, where we had great seats thanks to StubHub, beautiful weather, a chance to hang out with my parents, and a Boilermaker victory. It was the first time Liv had been to Purdue, so I had a chance to take her around campus.

I've only been back to Purdue one other time since graduation - which is funny, since I got a master's degree from Purdue in the meantime through distance learning. Two years ago I remember walking around campus, and it was kind of strange - it had been years since I had been on campus, but I still could picture myself as a college student. This time, walking around campus, there was no picturing myself as a college student. It was great to remember the past, but it clearly was my past.

This helped me to realize just how much my life has changed in the past two years (all for the better!), and how much I've changed because of it. While my years at Purdue helped to make me the person I am today, I am not the same person that I was when I was at Purdue. And that is a very good thing.

If I had a billion dollars...

...I'd be the estimated total amount spent on this presidential race by the two major parties, apparently.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of smaller government, capitalism, etc., but does anyone else think that this money (from both corporate & individual donations) could've been better spent elsewhere given our current economic state of affairs?? 
 
Excerpt of "For the Love of Money" by the O'Jay's :
Some people got to have it
Some people really need it
Listen to me y'all, do things, do things, do bad things with it
You wanna do things, do things, do things, good things with it
 
Title inspired by 1 Timothy 6:10:
"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after,
they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
 
Several financial discussions during our engagement led us to talk about what our charitable giving strategy would be as a couple.  While I had always considered myself to be pretty generous, I was humbled by these discussions and the Barton's generosity.  And I have to tell you, that ever since we have set our collective giving level (at a bit higher level than I was previously used to) it has been so freeing, and it has allowed me to think more creatively and sometimes more spontaneously about our support of our church and other charitable causes.  On top of that, I swear we have been blessed at every turn as a result, it's almost hard to fathom why.  Only one of many life lessons I will learn from and along with my new hubby, I guess, he's just that cool :).

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Wedding pics

I can't imagine that anyone other us would want to dig through the hundreds of pictures we now have online, but if they are up for public viewing!  Check out www.pictage.com and search for the Visperas/McLaughlin wedding in September 2008.  Otherwise, here's a couple of cool ones that Aimee's bf Trish took..

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Nope

I'll be short here, as those that know me can guess that it's quite likely that I'll be sorely disappointed when several of the final tallies come in both locally and nationally. My fear is that as a society collectively suffering under the weight of the credit crisis, rising unemployment, etc., many have turned in desperation to undeserving sources for the hope we all seek right now.
Government is not the answer, my friends! (And it may not be Allen Iverson either - see previous post.) Perhaps for a brighter future we should instead look to the one who - at least in my book - is the only one who can claim a "righteous wind" at His back. I'm just saying. Oh yeah, and God Bless America!! (cue patriotic music)

Time for change

No, silly, I'm not talking about the elections here, but the risky Pistons trade (of Billups, McDyess & Samb) for Allen Iverson. Now I love me some Joe Dumars, but I'm just not sure what to think about this recent switch-up decision, mostly because I'm a bit worried about how he will fit into our overall team dynamic, which recently had another big change in Coach Michael Curry. I mean, we already have our main man of attitude in Rasheed, so I guess we'll see how the chips fall in the upcoming games.

Goodbye, Chauncey, we loved your leadership & spirit!

An unexamined faith is not worth having

...claims a church billboard that I read driving home from the gym the other night that got me to thinking. Obviously a play on the Socrates quote: "an unexamined life is not worth living", but I think the basic "unexamined" challenge can be applied in countless aspects of one's life - diet, exercise regimen, employment satisfaction, work/life balance, parenthood, marriage, friendships, and certainly one's spiritual health. I know that I struggle constantly with the idea of ensuring that my life means something and reflects the life that I want to live, but let's face it, sometimes I cast that solemn philosophy aside in my excitement to watch a new episode of The Office from the safety of my couch (oh, Dwight, how you make me laugh! :). So I issue the challenge to myself as well as anyone who cares to join in, remember to tune in to the faiths that make you tick, and step up your game if it seems a wee bit stale.

Ode To My Wife (in limerick form)

There once was a girl in Troy
Who was so beloved by a boy
When they walked down the aisle
He couldn't help but smile
And his heart became filled with joy

Happy one-month, my love!

Ode To My Husband (in haiku form :)

The man of my dreams

Loyal, loving, supportive

Happy 1-month, dear!

What a difference a year makes

My father-in-law Chuck aka "Mr Mac"made this same comment when they took us out to dinner when they were in town this past spring for the Easter weekend, as that Saturday night happened to be Bolivia's 1-year dateiversary :). His point was that life had dramatically changed for me, his son, and both of our families, as the Barton & I had gotten engaged in January and were in full-on wedding planning mode, in fact that same weekend we showed them the site we had chosen for our reception. And this fall, my favorite time of year, I had a bit of deja vu as we went out on a few outings just as we had done the year before, but this time it was as husband and wife, and it was pretty cool to reflect on how much life has changed since then.

This pic from last fall when we took my nephew Kieran to a fire station in Troy when they had an open house shows him looking up at "Tito (uncle) Bart" like "hey dude, that's my hat!", even though just like this year again Kieran was being stubborn/shy and not engaging in all the fun activities. Man, was it hot that day, and yet last weekend when we took both the kids to one of the open houses in Birmingham, it was a nice fall day - I've lived in Michigan all of my life and fully understand the futility of guessing the weather day to day. My niece Tanith was her usual fear-shows-weakness self as she wanted to climb up into the trucks and watch the fake fire scene, while her older brother shied into the background. And trusty sister "Tita Aimee" (who thinks she looks like the kids' nanny when she is out and about with them and any other adults) climbed over the carseats into the 3rd row of sister Debbie's Aviator to come along and hang out. I was even urging her to get in line with the other small children who were testing out the fire hose since they got to meet the handsome firefighter taking pictures, but while she may have been tempted, she didn't take up on my dare :).

Also this year on "Sweetest Day" (read: made-up Hallmark midwest holiday) just as we did on the third Saturday of October last year we decided to again visit the Lloyd Stage Nature Center in Troy, a beautiful 100 acre natural parcel that has some cool indoor exhibits for little ones, and about 2 miles of trails outdoors that are great for a short hike and taking in the fall scenery. We like the fact that we have a little sanctuary in our very own city, not too far up the street from the likes of a Target Greatland and the Somerset Collection (read: fancy mall) that my friend Rich calls my "mother ship", though I'm not quite certain why!

From changing leaves to outdoor Michigan outings to a lovely wedding to a man I love dearly, I now have more reasons to claim fall as my favorite season! Indeed, what a difference a year makes. Can't wait to see what happens next!

Once in a Lifetime

"And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?"

--"Once in a Lifetime", Talking Heads

I've asked myself this question a couple of times in the past month. How did I get here? On one level, ours is a fairly straight forward, boy meets girl, boy talks to girl for hours at a mutual friend's going away party, boy takes two months to ask her out, boy and girl fall in love, boy proposes to girl, boy sells his house, boy and girl get married, kind of story.

But I don't ask that question because I don't know our story. I ask that question because the place I'm at now is not the place I thought I would be at years ago. It's much, much better. So I bring to my marriage an open mind and a deep appreciation for God's goodness to me over the years. I don't know where the journey will take us - and I know that there will be struggles - but as the song we used for our reception entrance says, "I know that God, my God, God is good." And that's how I got here.

Genesis

Perhaps you're wondering about the seemingly weighty name of our new blog, or perhaps you're wondering how my husband convinced me to do this new-fangled techy thing (its okay Karin, don't be afraid, it's just the world wide web! :). And as I often like to approach things from unorthodox angles, I'll tackle the latter first. There wasn't a lot of convincing, to be truthful, in fact most recently it was my idea that we actually do it. When our friend Jodi (first) moved to Brussels for work after I began to plan our wedding (which I will blog about more later, of course!), she half-joked that I should write a blog while doing it, but I only seriously contemplated that for about 3 seconds given my already busy schedule and the addition of wedding planning to the heap. But now that we are mostly initially settled in to our happy marriage, I think we both have a lot of things to say (read: random thoughts) both individually and as a couple (read: celebrity couple name "Bolivia"), and I thought a blog would be an interesting outlet. That and perhaps this would be one way to keep the many friends we're blessed with updated on how we're doing and what we're up to. So either life will catch up with us and we'll neglect to post often, or we'll have too much to say - we'll see how it goes, stay tuned!

As for the blog name, after partcipating in an engagement class through our church we found ourselves talking quite a bit about the discussion we had about the concept of a covenant. We wanted to embrace this, and included one of its biblical mentions (Psalm 111:9 "He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever - holy and awesome is his name") as a part of one of our readings and songs (thanks Mariam!) at our wedding ceremony. Then this idea of the commitment we were about to embark upon became not so much intimidating as it was refreshing, as if it was simply a natural progression towards this life together that we knew we wanted. Now I know marriage is not that simplistic, but the blog name reflects our mutual vows to each other, as well as our hope to honor God with our lives.

Happy reading, friends!