New and Improved!

We've spent many hours fixing up our backyard to make it our own...and here it is!











The hard work pays off in the end. Almost every morning the dogs wake me up early and we go play catch outside, or eat breakfast together in the shade (don't worry they have dog food and I have granola :o) I love my backyard!

A New Direction

A new direction...

It's not always easy to go a different direction than you thought you were supposed to go. But when God is orchestrating the change, there's no way to ignore what's going on-trust me.

This past school year I've wrestled with a lot of things. Faith for one. Not that I don't have faith, but rather the continual growth of what I trust God with. My "plans" is another one. I've always been a planner. My mom would tease me and my organization because everything had to be just so. Even when something appeared to be messy, I still knew where everything was. I planned out my life from an early age. I figured around 25 I would get married, before that I would become a choir teacher, and around 27-28 start having a family. NO I'M NOT PREGNANT. Everyone always asks that. My point is, I plan...and generally I've pretty much stuck to my plan (although I did get married at 22). I did become a choir teacher, as I'd always dreamed I would be. I knew in junior high I wanted to be a choir teacher, and while some people in college still try to find a major, that was something I never had to deal with.

Well recently I've felt a great unrest in my soul about my career. I prayed on my knees so many times for the Lord to give me some direction and my answer was always, "Just wait, there's something big around the corner." Well, I waited (and probably could have been more patient) but I found that something big.

Beginning almost immediately I will be working for a non-profit ministry called Streetlight. Their purpose is to eradicate child rape for profit here in AZ. I bet you didn't know Phoenix had a huge problem with child human trafficking. The statistics are nauseating, but instead of sticking my head in the sand I decided to do something about it.

After learning about this industry that is polluting our state I couldn't stop thinking about this company. I mean, eat, sleep, work-the whole two weeks this place was on my mind. So I prayed and prayed and finally sent off a volunteer/missionary application not really expecting anything to come of it. God thought otherwise. Turns out one of my college roommates works there, and I've already begun the training process. God moves in some pretty miraculous ways.

So what now? Well, I'm going to finish up my school year at Mesa. There's only one more week left of school, and I will cherish the memories. Then, as I told Patrick, "I'm going to spend the next two days being a bum and sleeping in to catch up on the past year. But after that I have work to do!" This summer I will begin volunteering at Streetlight, and by the time they get up and running (hopefully around August...fingers crossed) I will be a community supported staff member. Talk about faith. Yes, that means people will be supporting me financially to provide my income. A little scary at first, but really when you think about it...God would never give me the dream and then say, "Peace out, good luck!" I know he will provide for all my needs! And after the details of this story have unfolded before my eyes, I can't wait to see what else he has in store.

So this is the new direction I'm headed. In this water I can't see to the bottom, but that's been a part of my own growth-pretty cool huh? So there goes my plan. Not out the door, but rather into the arms of the one who knows where I should be. And I haven't been stripped of my planning nature. Already I've smelled a quick breeze of the future a handful of years from now in L.A. God knows I like to have vision and organization; after all, he made me this way!


Make sure to like Streetlight on Facebook! And check out their awareness campaign company Branded.

Hiking

Today we decided to eat breakfast in Fountain Hills, then go for a hike. We ate at Flapjacks, a great little breakfast restaurant and our friend Michelle was working-which certainly made it worth the drive! After being stuffed from breakfast we took the dogs out to the McDowell Mountains and went for a 2 hour hike.

Everything was going really well, so we let the dogs off leash a few times and when people were nearby we would put them back on leash. They would never hurt anyone, but some people are afraid of dogs and we try to be kind pet owners. So we came to the side of the mountain and there wasn't anyone around so we let them run around a little bit. They would go just a little to far for comfort, then we'd call them back and they would come back. Suddenly, a poor unsuspecting lizard crossed the dirt path in front of my dogs and they darted after it. Patrick and I always laugh a little because let's face it, it's funny. But this time when Kiri came back she had two cholla cactus arms attached to her. Right away she tried to lick it and got several needles in her tongue. So Patrick and I spent the next few minutes trying to get these needles out of her. It was really difficult because they weren't single needles like most cacti. Instead, there were clusters of needles attached to one another. So it's not like you can just pull one out. You must strategically decide where you're going to place your fingers on the cluster so you don't get poked, and at the same time try to make your dog hold still. We got most of it out, and even got a large needle out of her tongue. The rest we couldn't get without tweezers, plus she seemed fine so we kept walking the rest of the hike. When we got to where our car was parked we noticed the rest of the needles fell off, thank goodness. Everyone piled in the car and Kiri was panting like crazy. I found 3 more needles in a cluster attached to her tongue. I know it sounds terrible, but really, you wouldn't have known they were there-it didn't even bother her. So I deneedled her tongue and we headed back home. Gotta love big dogs :o) We had a great time!

How Men are different than women part 2

How women eat Creme Brulee...
















How men eat Creme Brulee...





















Better yet, here's the environment in which they eat Creme Brulee (notice what's on TV?)

The Man I Love

I will argue on any day of the week that I have the best husband. He's selfless, considerate, compassionate, a strong man of God and the perfect mate and friend for me. Patrick just turned 26 this week and I tried to make him feel as special as he really is to me. I mean, who doesn't appreciate feeling cared for?

So it started last Sunday, the day after we came back from New York. He was catching up on some sleep, and I bought a couple of Angels Spring Training tickets for the game that afternoon. We hurried and got ready and headed out to the game. The tickets were for the lawn seats, but honestly I think that's the best place to sit!



After the game we went to Z Tejas, one of our favorite places to eat! Since we were in Tempe, we decided to take a stroll down to Tempe Townlake Park.




The day of his birthday I took the morning off, and we had breakfast at the Farmhouse Grill in Gilbert. So delicious! But it was the only meal I needed for the entire day.



Yesterday we had a small get-together with friends and family. Played some Quelf (you should check it out-so fun!), broke open a pinata, and partied until 1:30am! And don't forget the famous birthday cheesecake.



Happy Birthday to the man who makes my life a dream come true.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!

New York City, The Big Apple, The City that never sleeps...

New York!

We've just arrived from New York on a week long trip with 30 students. Tiring? Yes. An unforgettable experience? Yes.


It started out with a red eye flight and everyone was so energetic-so energetic that they talked most of the flight there. Anyhow, we got there at 6am NY time, which was 3am our time and it was go go go! Along the way we saw Times Square, a Broadway Show, lots of shopping, and of course Carnegie Hall!

The whole reason for this trip was because we were invited to sing at Carnegie Hall-a great honor! So our call time was 8:00pm, and our bus was supposed to arrive at 7:40pm. I gathered up all the students, we went outside and there was no bus. So I waited for 3 minutes, then called our tour guide who was busy running a festival in another part of NYC. His phone died and I couldn't get through for a good 10 minutes which made me nervous. Finally he called back and frantically I said, "our bus isn't here, please call to find out if they're on their way." It was now 7:53pm, and we had 8 minutes to get to Carnegie for the performance! He called back 2 minutes later (7:55) and said the bus driver went to the wrong hotel but is on his way and will be there shortly. Yes I was incredibly stressed and upset. At 8:00, our call-time, I called the tour guide back and said, "I need the bus drivers number." I called the bus driver and said, "You were supposed to pick up my group 21 minutes ago. Where are you? We are singing at Carnegie Hall-this isn't just any concert, we're singing in Carnegie Hall. Get here fast!" The response was, "I'm sorry ma'am I was parked somewhere else and now I'm stuck in traffic." My response, "I know there's traffic but you need to find a way to get here now. Our call time was 3 minutes ago. Drive fast." So he finally gets to our hotel at 8:11pm (the concert started at 8:00), the students run on the bus. Patrick is the last to board and he says, "Get us to Carnegie Hall fast. Drive fast. We cannot miss this concert, so do what you need to do to get us there." That driver tore up the streets, and it's a good thing because I was so angry I was shaking. The thought that went through my head was, "if my students don't get to sing in Carnegie Hall, the whole reason for this trip, because of this stupid bus driver someone is going to get fired or they're going to have to get a restraining order for me." So we got there at 8:23pm (really good time for a bus through all that traffic) and the students literally ran off the bus all the way up the stairs to where everyone was waiting. Lucky for us there was a group that began the concert and we were second. I went around to the house and we were just in time to hear the final piece of the Wind Symphony that played before us. Just by the hair of our chinny chin chins! Had he taken just 7 minutes more I don't know if they would have been able to sing! So I sat in the audience with Patrick and the other two chaperones and tried to calm my heart from racing. It was very stressful and I can honestly say I have never been more angry in all my life. Well, the concert was great! I cleaned up Carnegie of all their programs and brought a ton back with me! Now I can look back on this experience and laugh a little. I'm glad it all worked out in the end. It certainly was an experience to remember!

Overall I think the students had a great time, the chaperones had a blast and we all got to know one another a little better. I'd do it again......just not tomorrow :o)