The Friday Five Faves Edition - Vol. 8

I have a whole lot of favorite things today. I'm a "do-re-mi" away from singing My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music.

"Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things"

I've compiled a top 5 a la My Favorite Things, plus one line:

1) Back and front yards full of plush green grass. I promise to show you pictures of the back yard once the dirt dries from all the thunder storms. I didn't want to carry Zoe through the mud last night.



2) Taking my Zoe to Shrimp Kipper Class. I love the YMCA. They have a fabulous facility and great teachers. Zoe and I both love it.

3) Unpacking boxes full of my dishes made of glass. I cannot tell you how nice it is to have "my stuff" again. I forgot how much I missed my Fiestaware.

4) While learing the new celebrity baby names. Zuma Nestor Rock Rossdale? Really? Where they sitting around their London flat, the baby kicked her rib, Gwen shrieked ZUMA and they settled on that name? Then decided that wasn't enough, so they decided to add Nestor and Rock to it because that completed the flow? Do these people not realize the child will live with that name FOREVER! They're almost like the Zappa family for the new millenium.

Without the LSD.

5) And putting pictures into frames. My favorite thing to decorate with is pictures. I love seeing our family's memories as I go through our house. To me that makes it a home. I've found two boxes full of framed pictures. It's so much fun looking through them all again. I can't wait to replace those pictures with more recent ones. Zoe isn't 3 pounds anymore!

These are a few of my favorite things! Happy Friday!

The Bed Head Edition

During the move process, Zoe was a little confused about what was taking place. I wonder what thoughts went through her mind as she saw all of her belongings being packed up and taken away.

The good news is she LOVES the new house. She walks around like she owns the place.

In even better news, she's sleeping so well there. Which has made the move very easy for this mommy.

When she woke up a couple days ago, this is what I saw:

That was some good sleeping.

The Cardboard Edition

I've been swimming in a sea of cardboard for the last 96 hours. There's still plenty more where that came from, too. I've got at least another 96 hours of swimming left.

I'm not complaining. It's like Christmas. I haven't seen our dishes since April 2007. I had no idea I had such cool stuff. All of those people that came to our wedding and brought a beautiful dish or set of glasses, thank you. They are lovely.

It's like I'm seeing them for the first time. Again.

All that painting I did before we moved in totally paid off. The rooms are cozy and cute. Except the master, it also has to be kinda manly. N doesn't like anything too "cute."

I'm actually a little giddy with excitement. It is so nice to have a home, with a place for all my shoes. The bottom of my closet is like a little nod to Noah's Ark. They're all lined up two-by-two ready for me to wear.

N has been such a trooper. He's hung blinds, curtains, moved heavy boxes for me to unpack and hooked up the television for Zoe.

It would be totally uncool of me to also not send a BIG thank you to all the guys who helped us move on Sunday. When it was 103 degrees. In the shade. Josh, Robbie, Chris, Dave, and John - thank you all so much for your help. Once N gets the BBQ up and running, you will have to come over for some grub.

Also a big thank you to Mom for bring sandwiches, chips, cookies and drinks for the guys. We got about 612 thank you's for the food.

Without further ado, here are some pictures of our pad.

Zoe playing in the living room.

Living and dining rooms. With Tigger and Rabbit.

Zoe's cozy room.

Zoe's room (the other side).

The girls' bathroom - complete with Roxy shower curtain.

N and Zoe with the two ladies who helped make our home a reality. Thank you Grammy and Aunt Mer. We owe you so much.

Because I'm a little over the moon about the house. Expect more pictures. LOTS more pictures. Especially since the yard was put in yesterday!

The MIA Edition

I'm going to be MIA for the next 4 days. I have several excuses for this.

1) We don't have internet at the new house. I know I could run to Starbucks or Service Station, grab some java and get some internet time there. I'm not going to.

2) Because I have a Type A personality. Everything must be in its proper place as soon as possible. Which will be somewhat difficult.

3) Because I have a 1 1/2 year old to contend with. She likes to help me with everything.

4) Including taking the wrapping paper that protected our belonging in storage out of the trash bag they're in and all over the house.

5) Which doesn't help the Type A personality. Getting the paper back into the trash bag takes a higher place on the priority list than blogging.

6) As a consolation for the lack of updates, I will post pictures upon my return. (Do you like how I bribed you to keep checking?)

I'll see you on the other side of all the boxes. Much love to all.

The Friday Five Faves Edition - minus 4 - vol. 7

I have to be honest, this week has been a total blur. I've painted three bedrooms, only to discover that one of them needs a second coat. We've been moving stuff over to the new house slowly and trying to get shelves lined and the house ready for the rest of the stuff. We're sorting through some life changes that I'll blog about at some point.

Zoe has been an absolute angel through the whole thing. We have a portable DVD player that she watches while I work on something at the house. There are those times she just wants to sit on my lap and help put down shelf liner. What's not to love. It's like a big sticker to her. She likes to attach those to her shirt, arms, hands, feet, etc.

Last night as I was painting the front bedroom, she was in the yard pulling weeds with Grandma. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen.

This is really just a long excuse as to why I don't have 5 Friday Faves today. I really only have one. Rick Rolling.

On the way to work today the DJ on my favorite station was talking about songs that you hear and are immediately stuck in your head. Apparently there is an e-mail going around that leads you to a website that plays Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up. The word for this e-mail is Rick Roll. If you get one, you've been Rick Rolled.

Apparently I'm totally out of the hip loop because this is the first I've ever heard of it. It actually made me chuckle.

What really got me laughing hysterically was Mercy Me's cover of the song. Apparently you can find it on their website, but I've yet to be able to.

Have a great Friday!

The Mountains and Valleys Edition

There have been times in my life where I could really understand what the Israelites felt like wandering through the desert for 40 years. It makes me feel bad that Moses never saw the Promised Land. That's not our typical fairytale ending.

God doesn't promise fairytales. He knows there will be valleys or deserts in our life. He does promise to walk through them with us. Inevitably, He usually leads us to the top of a mountain. Sometimes quickly, sometimes after the proverbial 40 years.

The last few years have been a series of valleys and mountains.

My most recent valley seemed long. Almost 15 months long. I gotta be honest, it felt like 40 years. There was much growth in our faith, as people and as a couple. While the valley was long, it wasn't without purpose.

In the matter of a week, we were on our way out of that valley and onto a mountain top. Through N's family's real estate investing, we are able to move into one of their homes here for the time being. It answered so many prayers and helped both N and I feel hopeful. We saw some light at the end of the tunnel. While the house in Puyallup hasn't sold, we will have our own space for the time being. Praise the Lord!

This week has proven that sometimes God takes me up on that mountain to show me the valley ahead. He provides me with hope and shows me that He is in control. While there is a deeper valley ahead, He will guide me through it.

Right now we're standing on that mountain, looking ahead and seeing that God isn't done carrying us through the valleys of life. We're entering a new valley.

As I reflect on my life, it's in the valleys where I meet God. Where I see Him in all His glory. The mountains provide me with a chance to breathe, but they don't challenge me. They don't force me to grow. God wants me to yearn for Him, to know Him and to trust Him unconditionally. For me, that happens in the valleys.

As I walk down this mountain into the next valley, I am nervous. It is the unknown. But I know God is going to use this valley in a way I cannot fathom. He's going to use it for His glory.

Luke 3:4-6 - As is it written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

'A voice of one calling in the desert,

Prepare the way for the Lord,

make straight paths for Him.

Every valley shall be filled in,

every mountain and hill made low.

The crooked roads shall become straight,

the rough ways smooth.

And all mankind will see God's salvation.'

The Going for Gold Edition

I'm sure most people are glued to the television watching the Olympics. It would be un-American not to. Unless you have to get up before 8:00 the next morning, then you're just being cautious about your sleep.

The whole international date line is a bit much to handle during the Olympics. It's a good thing Bob Costas is in Beijing or it would throw him into a frenzy of rambling while trying to do time zone math.

Oh I kid. He'd have a computer to tell him the time in Beijing.

Seriously, it's on from 8:00-midnight here. I love gymnastics and swimming. Yet I am stuck catching highlights because my little peepers can't stay open past 11 o'clock.

I've realized something about the Olympics. If over-emotional, hormone driven crying spells was a sport, I'd metal in it and set records.

Watching the 2008 drummers in the opening ceremony made me a little misty-eyed.

It's only getting worse.

Just seeing Michael Phelps on the podium sends tears streaming down my face. Then they always pan to his mamma cheering and jumping. I almost can't breathe.

Seeing the two alternates for the men's gymnastics team on their events sent tears down my cheeks.

Hearing that Kerri Walsh got her wedding ring back because of 20 volunteers made me do the ugly cry.

Even hearing the story about the pandas being so close to the epicenter of the earthquake started the tears.

I'm a blubbering mess for 2 weeks.

Except when I saw the Oxygen channel had some Olympic coverage at 6:00 last night. I was so excited. Something before bedtime.

It was equestrian jumping. That doesn't really do it for me.

Now the trampoline, that's another story.