Lorren Says...

Fail

2011-02-11T22:34:00.006-06:00

Well, it's finally happened. I failed a test. My only consolation is that it was a really challenging test and I don't blame myself for failing, although I can't let it happen again. This history test was 40ish multiple choice...20ish fill in and 5 quotes. Oh yeah...and 62 points on a map..no key. All from memory.

I'm sorry..I thought you said 62 points on a map, all from memory. **nervous laughter**

Well, Mr. Bookman wasn't lying when he said, "If you don't know the map points..you're dead." Why wasn't that quote on the test? I would have gotten it right.

Anyway, I was nervous Mr. Bookman was going to yell at me for failing, as I've seen happened to some students before. He had counted up my score wrong (19 less than what I was supposed to get and believe me..I needed them) so I had to go talk to him after class. Right before it was my turn to talk, he called two freshman up. He told them, "Look, you two need to start studying. You either get your butts in gear, or withdraw from my class." I think I wet my pants a little. But, to my surprise, he didn't say one word as he looked over my test and corrected the grade. Phew...I wet my pants a little more in relief.

**Saluting** So, here's to you, Mr. Bookman, for not yelling at me. Consider my butt officially in gear. I'm off to change my pants.

Mr. Bookman teaches my history class.

2011-02-05T22:53:00.006-06:00

I really enjoy my history class...the professor is a military-like gentleman that reminds me of Mr. Bookman from Seinfeld. You remember..the library detective.

He's also probably in his 60s, which makes dealing with 18 year olds even more fun. He was reminding us that we have a test on Monday and that when the tests are graded we have a week to come to his office to see the grade. After that he destroys them. One of the students asked him,

S: So, we can't keep our tests after they are graded?

P: No, I don't want copies of the test floating around campus. Do your other professors let you keep the tests?

S: Yes, they do.

P: Well, they probably also have Facebook accounts and Twitter, or whatever you call them, too.

Ooookay. Then he was telling us about the original theaters and how an outdoor theater here in Colorado is like it. He asked us who all had been to that theater and several students raised their hands. He told them, "You all probably went there to see Guns-N-Roses or Smashing Tomatoes." I couldn't help but laugh. I wanted to tell him he was talking about my generation..about fifteen years before these students were even born.

Ahh..it's these moments that help keep my sanity!!

Who needs milk and butter??

2011-01-24T19:14:00.003-06:00

With school taking up a large majority of my time, the whole family has been pitching in to make sure things get done. That also means that meals, on some days of the week, are quick and easy. Take tonight, for example, we had hot dogs and mac/cheese. I had an interesting conversation with my nine year old while I was making the mac and cheese. (I've allowed her to make this by herself on occasion).

(Me, mixing butter in the noodles)

A: You put butter in the noodles?

Me: Yes, you're supposed to.

A: I don't.

(Watches me pour milk in, too.)

A: You put milk in it, too?

Me: Yes, don't you?

A: I have never done that in my whole life. I just pour the powdered cheese in and mix it with the noodles.

Me: Riiight.

Well, this explains a lot!

There's no crying in baseball!

2010-10-08T10:28:00.002-05:00

Math and I have a terrible history together, and with it comes a lot of baggage.

"You aren't ever going to get this."

"Everyone is catching on but you."

"You're a terrible test taker."

"You're the last one in here, the teacher is ready to leave and you're still working on your test."

"This is going to end up just like it did in High School."

One of the challenges of going back to school has been un-believing (is that a word?) the lies that I've been carrying around about math since high school. To say that I struggled is an understatement. I allowed my weakness in this area to define me, which is ridiculous.

I took my first math test yesterday and all of those lies came rushing back to me to the point where at the end I actually started to tear up and had to fight off crying. The line, "There's no crying in baseball!" came to my head and I actually smiled. After struggling with a particular problem for what seemed like twenty minutes, I felt the Lord speaking to my heart. He told me, "Whether you figure this problem out or not, it doesn't change how I feel about you. You are of infinite worth and a treasure." I'd love to say that after I heard this I solved the problem and went on my merry way...but that did not happen! In fact, I couldn't even talk to the teacher when I turned my test in, and now I'm sure she thinks I'm some kind of super-freak, but it is what it is. This college experience is teaching me that I'm not defined by what I "produce", that God loves me no matter what I do or don't do.

I think He wants to remind you of that today, too.

School Daze

2010-09-02T16:43:00.010-05:00

My full time semester has started at Western State college, whose mascot, contrary to popular belief, is not a snowman:

It's actually this mountaineer man...

Who likes to cut down trees I'm guessing. Anyway, I had a great first week, although I will admit I was nervous about going. I made it through geography without much excitement and went to my next class: science. This class was a freshman class...with all freshman students. People probably 15 years younger than me. Yikes. I swallowed my pride and found a seat. Thankfully, the girl next to me was very sweet and didn't mind being friends with an old lady. We have the same group of students for lab and that first day we went on a field trip to a valley. I'm trying my best not to draw attention to myself when the girl next to me says, "I forgot to bring my backpack..can you carry my notebook in yours?" I put her notebook in my backpack. "Oh, and my keys, too?" I smile and take her keys and add them to the load, the whole time thinking to myself, "Oh yeah, Lorren, cause that's not mom-ish. Why don't you just ask everyone if they need anything carried and remind them to go potty before we leave." I felt like I was doing a great job of not being too overbearing but still offering input during our lab. I knew it was going well when one of the girls said to me, "Do you mind if I ask how old you are?" "33", I told her. She replied, "That is so awesome you are going to school....at your age..with students our age." Wow...thank you? Wasn't sure how to respond to that one!!

Anyway, I am very thankful to have the opportunity to go to college. I'll have more stories later, I'm sure, but for now I guess I should go and finish my homework. (You mean I actually have to do work while I'm here?? Great.)

It wasn't Mt. Everest but it might as well have been!

2010-08-14T15:45:00.012-05:00

Our family just got back from a week at the amazing Horn Creek family camp near Westcliffe, Colorado, elevation 9,000 feet. Our dear friends, the Molegraafs, met us there. We only get to see each other once a year so it was such a blessing to reconnect with them. While we were there, Aaron, Hans and Kylie (16) decided to climb to the top of Mt. Horn, which is about 13,000 feet. Star and I decided we wanted to do it, too, so the next day our husbands graciously went up it again. I have to say this: that climb was one of the most challenging and difficult things I've ever done in my life. And I'm including giving birth to two children and running a half marathon. That mountain took us 8 hours to climb...8 hours!!! I was wiped out. These pictures are out of order so let me explain them:

This is a picture from the peak that I reached, called "False Peak". I think they call it that because there is another peak right above this one that truly is the top one. Seeing as I was about to die, I opted out of climbing that top one and settled for the "false" one. Aaron, Hans and Star made it to the top. I cheered them on from my perch.
More views from the top..
I thought that the climb up was a challenge...and then we reached tree line. Folks, believe me when I tell you I almost didn't make it. I literally had to take ten steps and stop for about a minute and try to catch my breath. There was NO air up there!! I want you to take a moment and look at your ceiling. That's how steep it was to that peak. Help me, Rhonda! As I made each pain staking step closer to the top, I thought to myself that there must be some Biblical principle that God was trying to teach me. Something about never giving up, reaching your goal is difficult, etc. Unfortunately, the only thing that came to my mind was, "Why the hell am I up here?"

Of course, what goes up, must come down. The walk down was even more of a challenge. We were all sore and exhausted. There was a portion of the trail that was rocky all the way down. Aaron called it, "Boulder Alley", I felt like, "Stair master from hell" was more appropriate.

While I was sitting and catching my breath on False Peak, I had to marvel at how close we were to the clouds and how all the insects, squirrels and chipmunks just continued on their merry way. It made me feel so small sitting there as the world did it's thing around me. Hey...maybe I did learn some Biblical principles! "Look the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or stow away in barns, yet their Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:26. That being said, I'm never climbing a mountain that high again. Never.

Cutest thing ever!

2010-08-03T20:56:00.004-05:00

The girls showed their two goats in July and did a wonderful job! I had no idea what all went into showing goats...it was an educational experience for all of us!

Audra won 6th place and Zoi won 4th in showmanship. The kids have to keep eye contact with the judge and smile, make sure they never stand in front of their goats (which could block the judges view) and they are also judged on how well they handle their goats.
Here are the girls in the ring. The judge is asking Audra questions about her goat...this is where we didn't do that great.

Zoi and Trigger.
Audra and Chester.
Next stop...State Fair! The girls will show their goats again on Sept. 4th.

UP!

2010-07-05T14:13:00.004-05:00

We've gotten to do some pretty amazing things living here in our small town. I have to say that today ranks way up there (pun intended!) as one of our favorites!! Our family was invited to ride in a hot air balloon early this morning. The girls and I went in the basket first, and our balloon was one of the first balloons up in the air. It wasn't very windy (which I was thankful) and we floated up over the town for probably 20 minutes. The girls had fun finding our house and it was amazing seeing our beautiful town from so high up. The pilot finally landed us....right in the middle of a residential street. What an experience! I know we'll never forget it.

June..in like a lion out like a... wait a minute, it's gotta be your bull. (Tommy Boy, anyone?)

2010-06-27T22:45:00.010-05:00

Wow, June has been the busiest month of my life (*echo*...life..life....) Here's a break down for ya...

Weeks 1 and 2: I co-directed VBS for our church this year so these two weeks were devoted to VBS. And mental breakdowns. But mostly VBS (with a side of mental breakdowns).

Week 3: Aaron and I celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary in Ouray, Colorado, It was marvelous! We had a one room cabin all to ourselves. The cabin had a wood burning stove in it that Aaron repeatedly used to try to give us heat exhaustion. More on that later in a post entitled: "Aaron repeatedly tried to give us heat exhaustion."

Week 4: We pick up the girls in Colorado Springs where they were staying at Aaron's parent's house and then head to Denver to pick up my parents and niece who had flown in from Texas. We then proceeded to drag them mercilessly around the state of Colorado before dumping them back in the Denver airport a week later exhausted and with altitude sickness. We had sooo much fun, though!! Again, more on that later.

Week 5: Zoi is off to a week of camp all by herself. She is going to have a wonderful time, I know!

Stay tuned for more pictures than you ever care to look at...but you will because you're nice like that.

"If it were easy I would do it." -Fav quote from the half marathon

2010-05-20T20:55:00.007-05:00

Let me sum the half marathon up in two words: flipping awesome! I pretty much rocked it, especially considering the longest I ran before it was 5 miles. Every mile I ran past mile 6 I said to myself, "This is the longest I've ever run in my whole life!" It's even better if you say the above quote with a "Nacho Libre" accent. Go on, try it. Fun, isn't it? Anyway, I had so much fun with my friend, Robin, and 20,000 other runners. There isn't anything else like waiting with that many people till you get to the starting point to start running. Talk about adrenaline high! I exceeded my goal of not dropping dead and ended up running the whole thing in 2 hours and 36 minutes. I was amazed at how the miles just clicked by. That is, until I reached mile 12. Mile 12 was weird because my body and mind weren't tired but my legs were done. I probably looked like an idiot but I kept slapping my legs telling myself I was not going to stop. I got some Gatorade from the people passing out drinks on the side and that seemed to give me the sugar boost I needed. Mile 13 was easy compared to that! It's amazing what the human body can do! I'm excited for our next venture, running a marathon in January in where else but the happiest place on earth. Care to join me?

Well, I can mark "Run a half marathon" off my bucket list. Next on the list: making a slow-motion video of me walking down the street with an exploding building in the background. Sweet.

Dream

2010-04-29T15:48:00.005-05:00

A couple of months ago I had a dream...one of those dreams that are SO real you are relieved when you wake up and find that it wasn't real. Anyway, I decided to write it as a short story...the child in my dream was a little boy, just so you know.

My mother grabbed my hand and we ran towards the bridge. The gravel was thick on the road and crunched under our feet as we made our way. Finally, I could run no more and she swung me up into her arms. I could feel her heartbeat pounding through her soft neck as she held me to her, running as fast as she could. We passed a family dressed as if they were heading to church. A small boy of my same age met my eyes and I wondered how our lives could be so very different. As we neared the end of the bridge, she put me down and told me, “Now you run. I need you to run.” We looked out and could see the dark city covered in a fog, promising us thousands of hiding places in its shadows. If only we could hide there, we would never be found, but it wasn’t possible. We’d never make it in time. Mother and I took the next best option and ran under the bridge. There were many posts covered in darkness. We chose one but could see flashlights shooting their beams in the distance; searching for us. Mother and I backed away and ran to the corner to hid behind the post. “Remember, my darling, I love you more than life.” She said and rubbed my hair, her heavy breathing filling the quiet night. “Don’t worry, Mother, Grandfather will take care of me.” I assured her. A bright beaming light invaded the darkness, shining near our faces. Mother shoved me far back into the dark corner. “Stay hidden!”, she hissed quietly. Mother turned from me, put both her arms up, and walked out from the darkness. “I’m here.” She told the officers. The two men shined their flashlights in her face as she inched toward them. They grabbed her roughly by the arms and dragged her to their car. I never saw my mother again. I was six years old.

Like Thelma and Louise only we aren't driving our car off a cliff.

2010-04-19T22:11:00.005-05:00

Saturday Aaron was quarantined in the guest room while he was sick. That night, I went to check on him and what I found was a man with glazed over eyes, face illuminated by his computer screen, watching 14 episodes of this:

Ah, yes, "Prison Break". Now, Aaron is not much of a tv watcher, so I was curious what was so fascinating about it that it had captured his attention. I sat with him to watch an episode and that's all it took; I was hooked. We watched three 45 min. episodes that night before finally calling it quits and going to bed. Today, we crossed everything off our to do list, locked ourselves in the guest room, and watched three more episodes. When we found we only had two more left until the end of the season, we took each other's hand (like Thelma and Louise before they drove their car off a cliff) and plunged forward toward the black abyss.

Aaron looked at me and said, "I like this movie." I had to correct him, telling him this is a tv series, meant to be watched once a week, not a 14 episode marathon. Oh well. You say tomatoes, I say tomatoes.

I do know the girls watched a movie and ate some candy, but beyond that, I'm not sure. Eventually we did feed them dinner....McDonald's, at about 7:30. Well, I should go. I have to..uh...wash the dishes..yeah!..wash the dishes...and uh...get ready for bed.

Oh, alright, we are off to start season 2.

Is it Monday yet?

2010-04-18T20:09:00.002-05:00

Good grief. I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm actually excited it's Monday tomorrow! We have had the busiest weekend! Saturday I:

- started out with a 5 mile run (was supposed to be 10 but I pooped out)

-went to Wal Mart for car wash supplies

-12:30-3 helped out at a fund raiser car wash for Zoi's class

-3:30-5 worked at the church getting ready for today

-5-whenever, went to the store, made dinner, solved all the world's problems and then went to bed.

Today:

-was my turn to do King's Kids (our children's ministry)

- ate lunch

-staff retreat from 1-5

-came home, freaked out about a dirty house

- demanded the kids clean up, etc. etc.

Did I mention Aaron was sick all weekend? Uh huh.

Friday we begin our trip down (or is it across?) to Oklahoma for our half marathon. So excited to see one of my best friends, Robin! I have yet to run more than 6 miles but I've decided whatever happens, happens. At least I'll be in good company. :)

2 girls and their goats.

2010-04-16T15:39:00.002-05:00

Imagine you are 8 or 10 years old.

You love animals.

Your parents finally let you join 4H.

You get the last two baby goats available for adoption to raise.

The owner of the farm tells you that you are responsible for holding, petting, singing to, talking to, whispering to your new baby goat.

You'd probably be on Cloud 9.

Just like these two kids.

The girls are pretty excited, too.

What's up?

2010-03-27T10:33:00.006-05:00

What I've been doing lately:

1. Eating whatever is in sight. And whatever isn't in sight. Especially Cadberry mini eggs with the crispy outer chocolate shell. Mmmm....

2. Pining for Spring Break. We still have one more week to wait! Ugh!

3. Playing "Words with Friends" on my iphone. And not very well, I might add.

What I haven't been doing:

1. Running. Last week was a flop in my running schedule because I swore it was trying to kill me. What's that, you say? My half marathon is in 5 weeks? Noted.

2. Watching cable. We are trying something new. We've disconnected our cable and are utilizing our internet more. Most of the shows we can find on hulu and we also have a subscription to Netflix where we can watch movies instantly. Aaron hooks his computer up to the tv so we can watch them on the big screen. "Hoarders'' is even on there! Who knew?

3. Spending money. We've been taking Dave Ramsey's course "Financial Peace" and we are so close to paying off our credit card and then it's on to paying off our Rendezvous. Very exciting!

Hope everyone is doing well!

You caught us, we love garbage cans!

2010-03-17T20:50:00.003-05:00

So our town has just made available to us those big green garbage cans that all look the same. We had to choose which size we wanted, and for some reason we picked the smaller one (which I'm sure we'll be switching out). Anyway, the city was driving through the back alleys dropping off the cans, but for some reason we didn't get one. Then, I heard our doorbell ring, and a guy from the garbage company said,

GG: Hello, we are confused.

Me: Okay...what's causing the confusion?

GG: Well, we are wondering why you have two garbage cans in your garage.

I go out to my back yard to find three garbage men looking curiously at the two cans already in my garage. Apparently, Aaron had put them in there.

Me: Well, I guess my husband put these in here. They must be the neighbors' cans (both houses next to us our seasonly empty).

GG: Yes, but which one belongs to whom?

Me: I promise we aren't stealing garbage cans.

GG: Oh, we know! We're just trying to figure out what happened.

After explaining that my husband probably put them in there to be neighborly, they gave us our trash can and laughed when I told them that we secretly love garbage cans, and like to hoard them.

Yep, they caught us!

Surprise!

2010-03-02T17:05:00.009-06:00

Aaron surprised me this weekend...I mean really surprised me...and took me to Ouray (pronounced "yer-ray") for the night! Ouray is a tiny Switzerland-esque town in the mountains of Colorado. It is full of natural hot springs.

The hotel we stayed at, the "Weisbaden" (which I believe translates into "Heaven on Earth"), has a natural hot springs cave underneath the hotel. The hot spring there gets between 108-110 degrees...hotsy mamma!
This is a picture of the "vapor room", the room before you walk into the cave. It was too dark in the cave to take a picture, but the whole place reminded me of "Goonies". I kept expecting Chunk to jump out and do the truffle shuffle.
Enjoy the pictures of our room taken with my camera phone...cause that's how I roll.

"Is this Heaven?" "No, it's a massage table." Part of my gift was a one hour massage. Yay! It would have been even more wonderful if I didn't have a ticklish spot on my lower back. The slightest move around that area and I almost go flying off the table.
After we left the hotel, we stopped to watch the ice climbers for awhile. Of course Aaron wanted to immediately go ice climbing.

Just want to say thank you to my wonderful husband for an awesome weekend!!

Cross country skiing...I will own you.

2010-02-27T08:40:00.006-06:00

Trying to train for the half marathon in April is proving challenging with all the snow on the ground. I had made the decision to cross country ski for the amount of time of miles I should be running that day. On the third time I had been, there was a lady on the track cc skiing. I promise you, she looked like a gazelle out there. Her skis barely touched the snow. I did a double take thinking I had seen wings on her back, she was that graceful. Now, take me on the other hand. I looked like a baby out there. Literally, go get a nearby 18 month old and put her in cross country skis, that's what I looked like. "Goo goo gaa gaa...me want to ski!" I was slipping, sliding, and falling all over the place. Not pretty.

I get home and Aaron asks, "How did you ski without wax on those skis?" "What wax?" "You're supposed to wax those down before you go so you can stick to the snow better."

Information that would have been useful yesterday.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-19T15:43:00.008-06:00

This Valentine's Day, we were invited to the Powder Horn Community Valentine's day dance. Powder Horn is about 45 minutes from here and consists of mostly ranchers. They come together for events in their old one room school house. That night there was a live band who sang country music. It was so much fun! We danced to almost every song. I only got a few pictures with my cell phone camera, but here is Aaron dancing with the girls:

The 16th was my birthday and we all went out to eat at the Old Miner's Steakhouse. I had salmon....yummo!

My sweet friend, Carol, made me this beautiful carrot cake. It was delish!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!

Hilarious!

2010-02-17T21:46:00.005-06:00

The girls were watching "Spiderwick Chronicles" this afternoon. They were watching the scene where the brother and sister are practicing jousting and arguing at the same time. After hearing the characters argue I told the girls:

Me: That's what you two sound like when you argue.

Z: Yeah, but we don't fight with swords.

Me: The Bible says the tongue is like a two edged sword.

(Pause)

Z (to herself): Well, that backfired.

Vegas is for lovers...or is that Vermont?

2010-02-10T15:32:00.009-06:00

Las Vegas...meh. I could have done without that stop. I had fun for a little bit, only because I won $17 at the penny slots. I was so excited because I never win anything! My name is never drawn out of a hat, no star is ever under my seat, my ticket number never matches the winning one. That being said, I cashed out right away and stood at the counter hackling greedily into my 17 dollars until security came and escorted me out of the building.

Before we headed back to the hotel, we made one more stop at a casino that was supposed to be really nice. By this time it was late and we were all very tired having left at 2:30 that morning. Finally, all the noise, people and hoopla became too much for Aaron and he was ready to leave. Here is the text conversation between the two of us that followed:

A: Where art my wife?

L: Penny slots at the front. (This text did not go through, little did I know.)

A: Is my wife alive?

L: Yes. At the penny slots in the front. (Again, text did not go through.)

A: Where?

(pause...I didn't know he texted me because I was trying my hand at the penny slots again)

A: Time to go.

(Again...nada from me)

A: Entrance.

L: OK

A: Let's go.

L: I'm at the entrance.

A: No you aren't. Come to where you walked in.

L: I'm at where we walked in.

(at this point he thinks I'm trying to trick him and he gets really mad.)

A: Serious? Let's go!!

(I might have heard the words "fricka fricka fricka" at this point. I'm not sure.)

Unbeknownst to us, there were TWO entrances that each of us were waiting at. I was so turned around and I just stood there, refusing to move. I finally called Aaron and said, "I'm not hiding from you, I can't find you!!"

We at last reunited and had a good chuckle about our misunderstanding....the next day, of course.

You see what happened was...

2010-02-01T08:06:00.005-06:00

Remember a couple of months ago when I told you I was going to run a half marathon in Huntington Beach, California in February? I had high hopes of running my little tail off, and was looking forward to meeting a goal I had made for myself. Then this little convo happened with my beloved:

Aaron: Nathan missed the sign up for the half marathon and now it's filled up.

Lorren: Oh no! You signed me up, right?

Aaron: You aren't signed up?

Lorren: You didn't sign me up?

(crickets chirping..blank stare)

Lorren: If you are joking around with me I'm going to be so mad!

Aaron: I'm sorry! I thought you were already signed up!

(Cue me stomping off to my room and slamming the door.)

(Ten minutes go by...he knocks on the door)

Aaron: I really am sorry. You can sign up for the 5K.

Lorren: I don't want to sign up for the 5K!

I sign up for the 5K. Next month I get in a wreck. I couldn't have run the half if I wanted to.

See? It all worked out! He's lucky we had that wreck! Just kidding.

(please note: this is not me.)

While everyone else is running the half or full, Nate and I will be hanging out at In-N-Out Burger waiting for them to finish.

On the way to Cali, we'll be stopping in Las Vegas for the night. Yee haw!! Aaron's mom is coming up to take care of the kids. I'm excited to go on a mini-vacay with my hubs. And the other 8 people that are going with us.

Dear blog..

2010-01-30T09:19:00.004-06:00

Are you there, Blog? It's me, Lorren.

I know I've been neglecting you lately. I plan on changing that. Here's what happened in the month of January:

1. We were in a stupid wreck. I'll post pictures and the story of how it happened after we get all the insurance stuff figured out. That took up the month of January.

2. I started working part time at my church as the co-director of the children's ministry. It's been a lot of fun and I really enjoy it!!

3. I still work part time at the preschool/kindergarten as the assistant to the director of children with special needs. Love this job! The lady I work for is a Christian and has her doctorate in behavior studies (or something like that) and gives parenting classes. It's like I have my own parenting expert to give me advice every day!

4. The girls are doing fabulous, and make us laugh daily. I truly enjoy being around them. It's sad that they are growing up so fast.

5. We leave Friday for California! We are stopping in Las Vegas Friday night. Aaron's mom is coming up to stay with the girls. SOOO excited!

Here's to you, February,...my birthday month. It was nice knowing you, January. Don't let the calendar page hit you on the way out!

Lorren

On second thought...

2010-01-23T21:25:00.002-06:00

I took my last post down in light of the recent earthquake in Haiti. There isn't a doubt in my mind that we wouldn't take in one of those precious children that have become orphans. I wish it were that easy, just open your home and a child who needs a home will get dropped off. I know a lot of you feel the same way I do. My fervent prayers and thoughts are with the people of Haiti.

Deep thoughts by Lorren: Bold

2010-01-12T23:17:00.002-06:00

I want to be bolder. In my faith, actions, decisions, etc. But, in order to be bold I have to practice being bold and therein lies the problem. I'm too much of a chicken.

That is all.

Avatar: a movie review

2009-12-30T10:15:00.006-06:00

Aaron and I went to see the movie "Avatar" last night. I thought I would give a review of the 2 hour and 40 minute rated PG 13 movie. **Spoiler Alert** Don't read this if you are going to go see it. Unless you want to know what happens...then read on.

(Deep breath)....ok...so there was an ex-marine that looked like Mark Wahlburg only he wasn't Mark Wahlburg.. Because planet Earth didn't have any green on it anymore, he was sent to this "base" place on another planet where they were trying to make friends with the natives to get this special expensive rock. The humans would go in this machine thingy that would transport their minds into a body of an 'avatar" (the name of the natives) that looked just like them. The avatars were really tall and blue creatures with tails and long braids with these weird wavy tenticles at the ends that they connected with their animal thingys (who also had these tenticles) in this weird bonding so they wouldn't have to say what they wanted it to do, just think it. Anywho, Jake was sent in to spy but of course he falls in love with one of the avatars and they have this really weird, awkward, creepy avatar make out session. The 3D glasses didn't improve the scene much. Ew. Yada yada yada... bunch of stuff blows up....the end.

I like to rate movies on how many times I get up to go to the bathroom. This is a delicate scientific balanced ratio of number of sodas drank to how much I'm willing to miss of the movie. This movie scored a 2 Pepsi refills with one bathroom visit. Not bad!!

In all fairness I must add this is a visually beautiful movie and people that can write/draw/produce pieces like "Avatar" amaze me!!

I think the elves knew what they were talking about...

2009-12-23T22:57:00.006-06:00

I was watching my most favorite movie, "Elf", and was struck by the significance of the "Code of the Elves." Read on and see if you agree...

1. Treat every day like Christmas.

Lord, remind me year round about the miracle that took place that day. "You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High." Luke 1:31-32

2. There's room for everyone on the nice list.

"For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

3. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

"God comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:4

"And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone." 1 Thessalonians 5:14

I knew I liked that Buddy for a reason!!

Christmas festivities....

2009-12-22T10:22:00.003-06:00

Saturday Aaron and I ran in the Santa 5K here in town. It was great to run together and hilarious to see the other 50 Santas running around town.

Aaron looks like a slim and trim Bob Harper Santa while I look like I need to lay off the cookies a bit. He kept that beard mask on the whole time! Mine lasted about one minute and then I started to get fuzz in my mouth. Off it went!
Sunday Aaron baptized our Zoi girl! She was beaming with pride. We are so proud of her.
We told her she could pick anywhere she wanted to go eat after church. Guess where she picked? Subway. Hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas season. 3 more days!!

What the...

2009-12-17T18:42:00.004-06:00

Who is responsible for this?? This jumbled mass of...whatever...is actually those ornament hooks that you attach to ornaments. I pulled them out to hang up the ornaments on our Charlie Brown tree and this is what I found:

After trying in vain for about an hour, I gave up and hanged (hung?) the whole blasted thing up on the tree. Now it's a lovely star ornament. See? Ingenuity at it's finest.
By the way, a note about our hideous yellow draperies. They came with this house we are renting and we aren't replacing them. The end.

Oh, Christmas tree!

2009-12-15T20:23:00.004-06:00

What's the difference between Charlie Brown's Christmas tree and ours?

Not much, I'm afraid! (And don't be hatin' on our mustard yellow draperies).
For the first time ever, we have a real Christmas tree. Our friends, the Klugs', invited us out to their 200 acre horse ranch for a sleep over and some family fun. They were wonderful hostesses, and we had a fantastic time. Of course I forgot my camera, but I know we'll never forget the time we spent there. Here's some of what we did:

* watched Christmas movies

* helped Julie do the chores for her 30 horses

* rode the pony

* rode on the sled pulled by the snow mobile

*made and decorated Christmas cookies

* had a hot dog cook out

* picked out and cut our very own Christmas tree in the mountains (well, Aaron did)

* attended the Powder Horn community Christmas party

It was at this party that it finally hit me Zoi is growing up. Santa and Mrs. Clause came to see the kids (why doesn't she have a first name?) and Zoi looked at me as if to say, "Mom, seriously?". I looked at all the younger kiddos there and thought of course she doesn't want to do this! She's almost 11. Boo. Many thanks to the Klugs at Powder Horn ranch for a fantastic time!

Winner!

2009-12-13T19:47:00.004-06:00

We have a winner for the journal!! It's....

Robin!! (She also has a recipe blog, too).

Congrats, Robin! I'll get that journal to you as soon as I finish it! Hopefully you'll get it sooner than you got that apron. Oh wait...

Live and learn.

2009-12-05T10:22:00.002-06:00

Last night we went to the lighting of the huge Christmas tree downtown. The tradition is Santa comes down Main St. and the tree lights up when he reaches it. With sub-artic temps, my girls were not looking forward to going, but Aaron and I forced them to. We were going and they were going to enjoy it, darn it! While driving over in the car, I told the girls Santa was going to be there. Not believing in Santa, they were not impressed. Audra told me: "I'm looking at Santa right here," (pointing at Aaron) "and here's Mrs. Clause" (pointing at me). Where does she get this stuff from? (Seriously, if you know where she gets it from, could you tell me? I really want to know.)

I wasn't actually that cold, save for my feet. I wore regular shoes and I swear my feet were blocks of ice. Next time, I'm wearing boots.
I love Aaron's hat...he looks so handsome!
Here's us in front of the tree. We left right after that because we are a bunch of panty-waists from Mexico and we were freezing.

Hope everyone is enjoying this Christmas season!!

Bah Hum Bug!

2009-12-02T18:57:00.003-06:00

Over Thanksgiving break we stopped at some thrift stores to see what goodies we could find there. The girls love getting books (and I love that they are so cheap!) and had picked out some to buy. Audra had grabbed one that was really too advanced for her, and insisted on trying to read it. While we were in the store. In the aisles amongst chaos. She was having a hard time, and the singing Santa next to us didn't help the situation any. He cheerfully sang "Here comes Santa Clause" to all the shoppers while Audra painfully tried to sound out each word. Finally, she'd had enough. Slamming her book shut she looked at Santa next to her and shouted, "Oh be quiet, Santa!"

I couldn't help but laugh.

The reason I am still Team Edward

2009-12-02T12:56:00.003-06:00

After the movie ended and I got to see on the big screen Jacob in "reel" (hur!) life, I tried to decide if I was Team Ed or Team Jake. After much deliberation, I'm still Team Edward. One huge reason stuck out to me, and here it is:

Edward has been alive, what, 108 years? After all that time, he never found anyone that he loved. (Correct me if I'm wrong on this, I haven't read the books in awhile so I'm just guessing on facts here.) Jacob, on the other hand, was 16(?) and was all goo goo ga ga over Bella. To me, Jacob just had a crush (cue David Archuletta) while Edward truly was in love.

That's my main reason for still being Team Edward, even though he did look really pale and pasty in this movie. I was also SO glad Jacob cut that hair of his. Me no likey his hair long.

What team are you on...and why?

I went to see that one movie.. what's it called? Oh yeah..

2009-11-30T20:55:00.006-06:00

While we were in Colorado Springs during Thanksgiving break, I took the opportunity to go see "New Moon", even if it meant I had to go alone. The closest movie theater to us (at the moment) is thirty minutes away and the screen is this big. I didn't want to watch it on a tiny screen so I just waited. I'm glad I did, because I really did enjoy it!

During the movie I had to use the restroom (no surprise there) and while walking down the empty hallway, I saw two guys walking in my direction. I thought to myself, "Self, wouldn't it be scary if they followed me into the bathroom?" I entered the bathroom and heard something behind me...it was one of those guys! Oh..wait a minute...it was a lady with really short hair wearing a jumpsuit. Whew...I almost used my karate chop action on her. She got lucky.

After watching the movie, I've decided I'm still Team Edward. I shall tell you the reason I am still Team Edward in my next post entitled, "The reason I am still Team Edward." Stay tuned.

Sneak Peak

2009-11-20T18:53:00.003-06:00

I wanted to show you some pictures of the journal I'm going to be giving away to one of you lucky readers as soon as I finish it (forgive my terrible camera and it's lame picture quality-it knows not what it does).

It's not too late to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. It IS too late, on the other hand, to take your name OFF...especially if after seeing this picture you don't like it! Aaron says it looks like the cover is wearing lingerie because of the piece of lace on the front. I thought the lace was so pretty and feminine so I added it on there. Regardless, this lingerie wearing journal will be in it's new home very soon!

Don't mind us, clothes, we just live here.

2009-11-19T13:32:00.007-06:00

Our bedroom is where clean, folded clothes go to die. It's almost like they are telling me: "Oh sure, you can wear us, wash us, and then fold us. But we'll be danged if we let you put us away. You can take away our lives, but you can't take away our freedom!" I spent most of the morning last Saturday cleaning and organizing our room. Sure glad I did that so I would have a place to put all the clean clothes.

Look at these lazy clothes! Good for nothing, I tell you. Yes, this is our microscopic room. This house was built in the 1920s, apparently before people used dressers (ours is in the closet) bedside tables, or just needed room to move around in general.

Snow...snow...snow!

2009-11-14T13:10:00.008-06:00

Many thanks to all of your sweet comments while I took a quick break. I'm especially grateful to "Anonymous" who suggested I try women's v*agra for free. And no, it was not Aaron who left that comment. I asked him. Anywho, we woke up this morning to snow everywhere! And even though it has since melted, it sure did put me in the Christmas spirit.

On that note, I've decided to have a give-away!! I'm working on something really special, and I hope all of you will leave a comment and enter because it would be really awkward and embarrassing if no one did, mmmkay? So, go on and leave me a comment of your favorite thing about Christmas (smack on the rear).

I'll let you know when it's done. Hope you are having a great weekend!

(P.S. I didn't spell out that word above because I don't want people who search for it to be directed to my site. :)

Please hold...

2009-11-08T11:00:00.003-06:00

The blog you have reached is unavailable at this time. The author has decided to take a break for awhile. Please leave your message after the beep.

BEEEEP!

Fail!

2009-11-04T20:57:00.003-06:00

This week has been so weird. My youngest has been sick with what suspiciously resembles the flu. That being said, I haven't had time to do an Awkward Wednesday post today! I'm so sorry. Maybe next week I can get my act together for you guys.

Oh, all right. Here you go:

I think I'm smiling so much because I just ordered a hat off the tv to cover that ridiculous hair cut!

Trick or Treat!

2009-10-31T22:09:00.005-05:00

Tonight was really only the second time my girls have ever gone trick or treating. They had a blast! Zoi was a doctor (that cast is fake):

Audra dressed up as Aaron (notice the t-shirt):
Aaron was a chicken:
And I was warm and comfortable!

By the way, our movie made it past the first round!! Next judging will be December 16. Yippee!

It's time!

2009-10-30T08:00:00.002-05:00

Remember waaaaaay back in March when Mona and I wrote a little screenplay called "Run to Me"? Well, tomorrow is results day!! I'm a mixture of not getting my hopes up and trying to stay positive because you just never know.

I'll let you know what happens!

Awkward Wednesday

2009-10-28T18:19:00.002-05:00

If you haven't checked out Awkward Family Photos yet, do yourself a favor and take a look! It is hilarious!

I'm going to let you guys write the caption for this picture:

I can't stop staring at my toothpick legs!!!

Chicken Parmesan recipe

2009-10-25T12:58:00.003-05:00

You will love this recipe for 3 reasons:

1. It's delish.

2. It's easy.

3. See numbers 1-2.

Chicken Parmesan with Angel Hair pasta

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 eggs, beaten in a bowl

2 cups of crushed corn flakes cereal in a bowl

Italian seasoning (not the dry salad dressing kind, but the kind in a shaker)

shredded Parmesan cheese

shredded mozzarella cheese

package of angel hair pasta

jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a glass pan with Pam.

Add some parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning to the corn flakes. Also, salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all together. Roll the chicken breast first in the eggs then in the corn flake mixture. Place in the pan.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes until chicken is no longer pink.

When the chicken has about 10 minutes left to bake, boil a package of angel hair pasta according to directions. When the chicken is done, place on a plate of angel hair pasta and cover all of it with spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese on the top.

Weekly menu planning

2009-10-24T18:14:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted my menu in weeks...which is what I do. I start stuff and never follow through. That being said..here ya go!!

Sunday: Chicken parmesan with angel hair pasta

Monday: Salmon, rice and veggies

Tuesday: Bean soup (I make this once a week and thankfully my family loves it)

Wednesday: Beef stew

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: Goulash (My dad used to make this and we loved it:)

Hope you are having a fabulous weekend! I'm off to brave the grocery store!

Awkward Wednesday

2009-10-21T19:01:00.001-05:00

From the looks of my suit, I had a lot of business to take care of in the 5th grade....

"Eleanor, cancel my appointment with Katie this afternoon on the playground. I'm up to my ears in homework. Also, hold all calls and tell my mother I'll call her later. Grab me a chocolate milk while you're at it, will ya?"

Things I have in common with Shakira:

2009-10-14T15:11:00.006-05:00

1. When I wake up in the morning, my hair is in "free for all" mode and it reminds me of Shakira's.

2. I would also like to think that my hips don't lie, either.

Some random questions I'm going to need answers for:

1. Why do I like to sleep on my stomach with just my toes off the end of the bed?

2. Why do I have to blow my nose right after I put my foundation on?

3. Why does my ear sometimes suction cup to people's cheeks when I give them a hug?

4. Why do I chew on the inside of my cheeks when I think about stuff?

5. Why am I chewing on the inside of my cheeks as I type this? Is it because I'm wondering what hips have to lie about?

Oh you know what day it is....

2009-10-14T08:46:00.005-05:00

My eyes popped open and I sat straight up in bed when I realized last night that today was Awkward Wednesday already!! No worries, no need to panic, I had a little goody all prepared for you.

I just have one question: were we planning on holding the puppies or wearing them as hats?

Yee Haw!

2009-10-09T15:18:00.000-05:00

My little cowgirls!

Prom 1993/95

2009-10-07T17:16:00.004-05:00

While going through old pictures after Aaron and I were first married, we each found our old prom photos. Rather than throw them away, I made a little alteration, that we we could always be high school sweethearts, even though we grew up in different states. Creepy? Maybe. Slightly disturbing? Most definitely.

Review time: it's like story time only without the story.

2009-10-04T15:40:00.013-05:00

If you are looking for an entertaining, family friendly movie that will have you laughing at the funny parts and crying at the sad parts, avoid the movie, "Ponyo". I literally blacked out half way through and then woke up thinking, "Am I STILL watching this movie??"

I hadn't even heard of it, and now I know why! It was Japanese animation, which is fine, but the whole movie didn't make sense. Take my word for it, it was terrible. Disney owes me 2 hours of my life back.

My Ipod is constantly playing these two artists: Zach Williams and Jon Foreman.

Zach has a really blues/soulful sound to his music. It reminds me of something you'd hear in the south. If you go to his website, you can hear a few of his songs.

Also, I am digging Jon Foreman' s albums. He's the lead singer of Switchfoot that made a solo album (actually there are four albums named after the four seasons). It's got a Cold Play/Sigur Ros type feel to it.

Awkward Wednesday

2009-09-29T14:52:00.008-05:00

In honor of one of my favorite blogs, Awkward Family Photos, I've decided to name Wednesdays "Awkward Photo Day" to help us all get through "hump day". I am willing to sacrifice and put myself of the line because I love all you people, and I appreciate you reading my blog. Now, I have dug deep, deep into the well of awkwardness and came up with so many options, but I've decided to bless you with this little gem:

My freshman year high school ID card. I know. You thought it was a mug shot of my brother at first, didn't you? Remember this post where I proclaimed my deep desire for a cute, short haircut? Well, this was the product of such desire. Stay tuned, people, I was in the basement for what seemed like forever and found some amazing fodder for this blog. You're gonna learn to love Wednesdays, I promise.

Momma's Girl

2009-09-28T13:34:00.006-05:00

My youngest daughter has always been a "momma's girl". And not just your regular "I like to be around my mom" momma's girl, I mean "If you leave me I will scream my head off and bang my head on the floor until you come get me" momma's girl. When she was younger and we would drop her off at Sunday School, I would wheel her in the classroom in her stroller and instruct the teacher to leave her in it. She wouldn't cry if she was in her stroller for some reason.

I was going through her baby box the other day and found some hilarious pictures. Audra HATED having her picture taken by strangers. She just wouldn't have it. Here are some examples:

2 years old: This picture was taken right after she peed all over the sidewalk...she was so upset about getting her picture taken.
3 years old: After several failed attempts, she finally allowed her picture to be taken with one condition: yep, I had to be in it.
3 years old, first day of school.
2 year old class picture...can you spot Audra?
This one is hard to see, but Audra is in my lap, face covered, of course.

These days, you would never know Audra was like that. She is 8 now and loves to have her picture taken. All though it took a few days to get used to public school again ("I don't like being away from you for a hundred years."), she loves going to school. What a sweetie!!

You say tomato...

2009-09-27T16:06:00.003-05:00

Youngest daughter comes downstairs and asks:

YD: Mom, what does "sensual" mean?

Me: Uh......sensual? (Me trying frantically to think of a definition that will require the least explaining) Sexy?

YD: Disney talks about being sexy?

Me: Wait a minute..what did they say?

YD: The movie I want to watch comes on at 8/7 Sensual.

Me: OH! You mean CENTRAL! It's a time zone.

YD: Oh, ok. (on her merry way again)

Good grief.

More favorite things...

2009-09-24T10:09:00.004-05:00

My skin gets so dry here, especially my hands. I really like Palmer's cocoa butter lotion. It works really well and I get to smell like chocolate all day which is never a bad thing. Is 8 years after having a baby too late to try to get rid of stretch marks, cause I heard it helps with that, too. Hmm...

Mi gustan mis dientes ser blancos. So, I brush my teeth with this:
This toothpaste works at whitening your teeth. I'll stop before I start sounding like a commercial. Just try it, mmmkay?

Biggest Loser time!

2009-09-21T18:53:00.009-05:00

Twins!!

Tonight is the second episode of "The Biggest Loser". I was so excited that it started last Tuesday! I knew it was going to be a great season when...

* They played "Angels and Airwaves" song, "The Adventure" in the opening credits. That is a fantastic song.

* Daniel picked Shay to be his parter for the season. I was so worried she was going to be picked last!

* Bob and Jillian announced they will be training the teams together. My theory on this is Bob is tired of losing every season and threw a fit. Love ya, Bobby!

* Bob asked Coach Mo if he was going to be the first one to go home and Coach said, "Nope, not the first one!" (Maybe the second or the third, but not the first!)

I am really looking forward to this season!

It's a small world...

2009-09-21T10:39:00.005-05:00

You know that feeling you get as a child when you would see your teacher outside of the classroom? To be honest, I had this experience in college when I saw my professor at the grocery store. I made a complete fool of myself. "You're here! I just can't believe it." She responded with, "Yes, I do go to the store". This was 4 years ago, people. I so reminded myself of "Buddy" from "Elf". I'm surprised I didn't ask her what her favorite color was. My point is, seeing people out of context just throws me off.

Imagine my surprise when we were on the top of Mt. Vail and I hear someone calling my name. It was my friend, Kristi, from Oklahoma! Our husbands worked together at Life Church before we moved to Mexico. What are the chances of seeing someone you know not only in Vail, Colorado, but on top of a flippin' mountain! It made my day seeing her. It's a small world, after all!

Favorite stuff!

2009-09-20T21:13:00.007-05:00

There are some things in this world that I just can't live without. I mean, I guess I could if I had to, but...you know what I mean.

I had never heard of Scentsy candles before I was invited to a party. I'm so glad I went! Scentsy is scented wax that you warm in a warmer (imagine that!) and they smell so good! They are also reasonably priced which I loved. There are so many scents to choose from....it was a difficult decision. I finally landed on "Welcome Home" and "Cinnamon Cider". They smell so fall-ish. (They even had a "Twilight" scent, which I thought stunk, by the way.) If you ever get invited to a Scentsy party, go! You won't regret it.

McDonald's coffee. Mmmm. I think it is SO much better than Starbucks, and cheaper, too. The best part is you just tell them how much cream and sugar you want and they fix it up for you.

This mascara has changed my life. My eyelashes are almost non-existent and I love the way they look when I use this! You use the white side first and then the other side....second. Anyway, it puts these "tubes" on your eyelashes that wash right off in the shower. L'oreal Double Extend mascara. Try it!

Caramello. The best one dollar I could spend at Walmart. Especially if I'm by myself and don't have two kids asking me for everything in the whole world. Then I eat it in peace on the way home and destroy the evidence. Caramello. Yummy....

What's some of your favorite stuff??

What we are eating this week....

2009-09-20T21:02:00.002-05:00

Monday: chicken and dumplings

Tuesday: bean soup

Wednesday: leftovers

Thursday: baked potatoes

Friday: ??

Saturday: this chicken crock pot stuff

Sunday: burritos

Our Vail get-a-way...

2009-09-19T20:53:00.011-05:00

Aaron's parent's invited us to meet them in Vail for a quick get-a-way. Of course we said yes. Z's first question was how long does it take to drive there. I said I wasn't sure. She said that was too long. Great. Aaron was out of town so the girls and I loaded up and drove through the mountains.

These two kiddos sat in the back and watched "Hannah Montana the Movie" about a thousand times and listened to the songs in the movie another thousand times. I knew it was time to turn it off when they kept singing "cocoa-dot it"during the hoe-down song and I gripped the wheel and said, "It's POLKA-DOT it!" with clenched teeth.

We swam in the swimming pool, soaked in the hot tub, and rode a gondola up to the top of the mountain.
I know we are looking at the wrong camera but I like this picture of us so it's going up.
Here is Aaron's mom and dad (Mookie and Grandpa) riding in the gondola.

We had a fantastic time soaking in the views. I love how God's creation shows off His majesty!!

Here we are heading back down after getting rained/sleeted on. We had a great time!!

I found my heart!

2009-09-18T15:23:00.004-05:00

While unpacking the office the other day, I came across this:

This might look like a simple sequin heart, but it's much more than that! Aaron taped this heart to my computer while we were dating and working at Focus on the Family. I kept it, and it's been taped to the fridge of every house we've ever lived in (that's eleven years of houses!). I was so sad when I couldn't find it after we moved to Mexico. I thought for sure it was lost. Imagine my happiness when I found it in a box of Willow Tree angels that I hadn't unpacked in Mexico. Now it's right back where it should be....on our fridge. It's the little things, isn't it??

A letter from a fan to Zooey Daschanel...

2009-09-14T15:27:00.008-05:00

Dear Zooey,

Hi. You don't know me, but I'd like to change that. I think you're great. When I first saw you in that one movie about an elf who looks for his real father in New York, I was smitten. Then, when you sang, "Why can't we be friends?" in "Bridge to Terabithea", I wanted to sing it back to you. (So seriously, why can't we be friends?) I love your style. You remind me of Audrey Hepburn, which, by the way, I kind of named my second daughter after...and...wait for it....my oldest daughter is named Zoi. What is the chance of that happening? You're engaged to the lead singer of "Death Cab for Cutie", which happens to be my favorite band. I'm considering cutting my bangs to look like yours. Is that weird?

I think you're a great actress (and you have a fantastic voice) so keep up the good work.

Sincerely,

Lorren

P.S. Call me.

Hoard much?

2009-09-14T15:07:00.005-05:00

Lately, I've been addicted to the series "Hoarders", on A&E. To be honest, I enjoy watching shows where people change (by the way, "The Biggest Loser" starts tomorrow night!!!). This morning I was looking for my passport and some other stuff in our "important" filing cabinet. We each have a file and mine was STUFFED to the brim! Hellloooooooo, can you say "hoarder"???? Here is an inventory of the "important" items in my file:

-Sam's card from 1998

-voter's registration from Houston

-a ton of those Social Security statements

-my thyroid tests results from 1998

-Broadway ticket from New York, 1997

-a billion saved birthday cards (a friend once told me she saves every card she has ever gotten and now I feel obligated to do the same)

-a "Woman's Day" magazine from February 1977 (that's my b-day month)

-"Woman's Day" magazine from March 1978

-Blockbuster card from when I worked there...in 1995

-fellow employee addresses from a preschool I worked at in 2003

-Christmas tree assembly instructions

-Alcatraz ticket from 2005

-"People" magazine from Sept. 11, 2001

-Calendar from 2001

-"People" magazine from when Obama was elected

-name tag from the funeral home I worked at in 1999

I think it's time to get rid of some stuff. Don't you?

The word for today...

2009-09-09T09:42:00.003-05:00

This is the first time I've been home while the kids are in school. Don't get me wrong, I love all the free time, but sometimes it can get a little old. Audra asked me the other day, "Mom, what do you do all day while we are gone? Watch tv and go on the computer?" Me: (nervous laughter) "What? Pfft.....no! (cough, clear throat, chuckle) Why? Who you been talking to?"

Actually, I've been getting a lot done around the house: laundry: check....vacuum: check...twiddle thumbs: check...stare at the wall....check.

Momma needs a job, y'all!

I am happy to announce, though, that I'm going to start subbing at the schools here soon. This will give me the opportunity to work and the flexibility to still get things done around the house (and if you think by "things" I mean watching the "Hoarders" marathon on A&E you'd be CORRECT!).

My new ride...

2009-09-07T13:29:00.008-05:00

What I enjoy most about living where we are is the opportunity to ride our bikes everywhere. We added a new member to the family just last week.

Isn't she lovely? She has a bell on her to alert pedestrians that I am cruising up behind them.

A sweet basket that is removable and has a strap that I can take in the grocery store.
My favorite part of my new bike...the seat!! More than enough room for this bum-o-mine. Love it!

The best salad EVER!

2009-09-03T14:40:00.002-05:00

I got this recipe from one of my best friends, Robin. It's her birthday tomorrow, so happy early birthday, friend!!

Isn't it beautiful? Let me tell you, it is even more delicious than it is pretty.

Here's how you make it:

*1 bag of frozen white/yellow sweet corn

*1 1/2 cartons of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

*green onions, chopped (Aaron doesn't care for green onions so I don't put that many in. It's up to you)

*fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes

*olive oil

*vinegar (here's where it gets shady, I kind of just drizzle both the oil and vinegar in. Robin might measure it, I'm not sure)

*I like to sprinkle salt on it

Mix it all together. I make it and then put it in the fridge for the corn to thaw and the green onions to spread their green onion-y taste around. SO good! You'll bring it to parties and people will ask, "Did you make this yourself?" and you can respond, "For rizzle nizzle!"

Bean soup..it's like stone soup only you don't add a stone and you aren't tricking people into donating stuff.

2009-08-31T23:13:00.007-05:00

So I was going to try to be all Pioneer Woman and take pictures of the making of the bean soup I told you about. This is the only picture I ended up taking:

This soup was not as easy as I anticipated. First of all, I tried to be a hero and make it from scratch, instead of using canned beans like I normally do. It started off well. I bought two bags of beans and soaked them over night, per the package directions. Note to self : two bags of beans are WAY too much. The next day, I rinsed them and tried to put them on a low boil, to which the beans responded by boiling over. I cleaned up the mess and again put them on a low boil. Again with the boiling over. Rinse and repeat, and we've got a boiled over mess on our hands again. I was thinking to myself, "For rizzle nizzle, beans?? Are we seriously doing this again?" (FYI: The term, "for rizzle nizzle" is my new thing. You should try to use it, it's fun. For example, "Are you excited about the girls going back to school tomorrow?" "For rizzle nizzle." or "Are you loving the nice weather where you're at?" "For rizzle nizzle." I'm not sure what it means and I'm too afraid to look it up in Urban Dictionary.)

Moving on.

At this point, Aaron's grandpa, who was in town visiting, suggested I put the soup in a Crock Pot like he does. It shouldn't boil over that way. I asked him, most respectfully, why he couldn't have suggested that ten boiled-over pots ago. We all had a good laugh.

Anyway, the soup turned out great. Here is the recipe for those who are interested!

**Beans (for sure not two bags but maybe one?)

*ham hock (I didn't use this but wished I did!)

*package of bacon, cut up into pieces and fried

*small onion, diced

*2 jalepenos, diced. (I removed the pulp and seeds but that's up to you. Be careful touching the insides, that stuff is nasty!)

*1 small tomato, diced

*cilantro, cut up

*Rinse beans and pick out the bad ones. Cover in water and soak over night.

*Add to Crock Pot and cover with water. Cook on high. They need to be simmering the entire time until the beans are soft (and should always stay covered in water). I started in a pot so I'm not sure how long this will take starting in a Crock Pot.

*Add the ham hock.

*When the beans are done, add the fried bacon.

*Sautee onion, jalepeno and when those are soft, warm the tomatoes. Add all to the beans.

* Add the cilantro.

*Salt and pepper to taste.

Hope you like it!

Weekly menu planning

2009-08-29T13:05:00.003-05:00

Now that school is starting and I'll (eventually) be going back to work, I'll be planning out weekly menus again. I thought I would post them here, just for fun. If they help out another wife/mother, fantastic!

Saturday (today)-I'm not sure yet...ha ha!

Sunday: grilled chicken, bean soup, corn/tomato salad

Monday: Fiesta chicken enchiladas, salad

Tuesday: red beans and rice, salad

Wednesday: salmon, sauted asparagus, brown rice

Thursday: eating at a friend's house

Friday: twice baked potatoes and mini-meat loafs (We will see how well this day goes over.)

If you want any of these recipes let me know. The bean soup is AMAZING, as well as the corn/tomato salad, which I got from my friend, Robin.

You gotta have friends...

2009-08-28T10:07:00.002-05:00

We have moved 3 times in the past two years. That is a lot of packing, U-Hauling, and crossing a lot of borders. For the most part, the girls have done great, but I know leaving behind the friends they've made has been the hardest of all. My oldest had a really close friend in the first grade and hasn't really made a special friend like that since. I was so excited and relieved when we went to Open House last night. She had already made two friends at church and they ended up being in her class. Before we made it to the room, the girls rushed in and saved her a desk so they all could be together. As we walked in the room, they bombarded her with, "Zoi!! We saved you a seat!!". It made this momma's heart feel good to see my Zoi-girl accepted like that.

Audra and her little friend, Hannah, were two peas in a pod. They were constantly off in their own little worlds, just the best of friends. It literally broke my heart to see them separated because they are soul sisters, I believe. They've already made plans to go to the same college so they can become vets and open a clinic together. She's already had to leave two other precious friends the other two times we've move, and now she's left Hannah. I prayed last night that all this moving wouldn't affect Audra's heart towards finding friends and that she would find a friend like that here.

We are so happy to be where we are right now....our job, our community...everything. What a blessing! We don't plan on moving for a long, long, long time!!!

Yummy recipe

2009-08-26T22:12:00.003-05:00

Summer isn't over yet! I wanted to pass on a delish recipe (from my friend Shannon) that you must partake in before you cover the grill for good.

(I stink at writing out recipes. I never claimed to be Rachel Ray.)

Exotic Hamburgers

-hamburger patties, seasoned with salt and pepper, grilled

-sliced onions, sauteed in butter

-mashed avacado, spread on the buns

-grilled pineapple

-chopped cilantro

-cheese

-toast yer buns

Stack all the ingredients and enjoy!

Fashion Show

2009-08-24T17:26:00.006-05:00

The girls came home Friday night after being gone for what felt like forever but was actually just 9 days. Muckie and Grandpa took them back to school clothes shopping and the girls gave us a fashion show.

Pretty cute if you ask me!!

A few of my favorite things...

2009-08-23T14:15:00.006-05:00

At our new house!

There is a small stream in front of our house. The girls had boat races down it yesterday. (Note: I was informed by the locals that our stream is in fact a "ditch". The girls called it a lake, so whatever!)

I love that our mailbox is on the front porch. And check out that swing! Lovely.
The view from the street. Isn't she cute?
I really love the Aspen trees! When the wind blows, the leaves look like they're clapping.
The city closed off Main Street for a car show. So fun!

Carving out some fun!

2009-08-21T17:20:00.007-05:00

Corny title, I know. I couldn't help it!!

Last year, about this time, we were at South Padre Island, checking out the sand castle competition.

This year, we went to a chainsaw carving competition. These people carved animals out of trees. It was amazing to watch.

Isn't it incredible how they carved that spray paint can shape on the eagle's head?? Miracle workers, I tell ya!

How we were welcomed to Colorado. Twice.

2009-08-14T18:51:00.007-05:00

The second day of our trip to Colorado took about 7 hours. We were so excited to be in Colorado that we stopped at the border and asked this Harley biker dude to take our picture. After that, we piled into the car and continued on our way. The girls and I wanted a light lunch so I was on the look out for a Super Wal-Mart to stop at for fruit and Lunchables. We passed a Wal-Mart on the left, but I missed the exit and chose instead to go to a Safeway in Trinidad, which is a town about 20 minutes into Colorado. We got our lunch and I headed back on the highway. Now, the highway around Trinidad was under major construction and I had a hard time figuring out which way to go. We made back to the highway, though, and were on our way. We passed another Wal-Mart and I remarked to the girls that we could have stopped at that one, too, if we had just drove a little bit further.

Aaron called and we chatted for awhile before I came up on a sign that read, "Welcome to New Mexico". What the.....

I had gone the wrong direction on the interstate!!

Ugh, I was so upset! Thankfully, it was only 20 minutes in the wrong direction but that still added another 40 minutes to our trip. We waved at the "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" sign again, opting this time to drive on pass.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time I have done this. Once, after visiting a friend in Ft. Worth, I was spacing out and didn't realize I was going the wrong direction until I read a sign saying I was near Oklahoma. I had gone an hour in the wrong direction.

While I am good at many things, directions are not one of them, apparently.

Magic cups and numb bums...

2009-08-11T18:44:00.006-05:00

Highlights from our trip thus far:

1. I thought Chick-fil-A was playing a joke on me by giving me cups with holes in the bottom (on two separate occasions) only to discover there was an earring sitting "post up" in my cup holder. This would explain the holes in the cups.

2. My car is now a sticky Dr. Peppery mess. See highlight #1.

3. Audra and I have synchronized bladders. This is important to know because I blame all bathroom stops on her.

4. Driving 8 hours isn't all that bad. Especially when your bum goes numb because that means you can drive that much longer without stopping.

The Goodbye Tour

2009-08-08T20:24:00.006-05:00

The girls and I are making our way through Central Texas on what my mother in law calls "The Goodbye Tour". One of my best friends, Robin, and her family were vacationing in San Antonio so we met them down there for 24 hours of fun! We hadn't seen each other in a year which is a crying shame. I love that we picked up right where we left off, though. We all went out and ate Mexican (go figure) restaurant near the San Antonio River Walk.

Love this lady!
I wore my boots for the first time! Audra took this picture and told me to put my foot up. I think she's an aspiring photographer.
Four beautiful girls!!
The next day, I drove through Austin and met up with my best friend from high school, Jessica. She's awesome!

Stay tuned for more pictures and updates as we make our way to our new home.

I'm looking forward to turning 50 because at least then I'll be dressing age appropriate.

2009-08-05T23:27:00.003-05:00

Why is it that when I don't have money to spend on clothes, I find all sorts of cute things, but when I do have money, I can't find one decent piece of clothing?? I've never been one for clothes shopping, and now that we are moving to a colder climate, my whole wardrobe is going to need an overhaul. The problem is I hate shopping for myself!! I wish I could afford to hire a personal shopper that would hand me clothes that would look great on me, no thinking necessary on my part. I have also been accused of , ahem, dressing older than my age (the boots I just bought are excluded since they ROCK). I just really like simple, classic, non-trendy clothes. I be needing some help!!

These boots are made for walking!

2009-08-03T15:42:00.006-05:00

(Alternate title: "Don't squat with your spurs on."

After we decided to accept the job in Colorado, Aaron asked me if I was sad I wouldn't be a Texan anymore. "Oh, I'll always be a Texan" I told him. Then I went all "honkey-tonk yee haw" on him and started two stepping with a stranger. Aaron just groaned and rolled his eyes at me. This is the first time, however, that I've ever owned a pair of real, authentic cowgirl boots. We bought them in Mexico and the guy assured me they are "hand cut". (He kept saying that over and over again.) Let me assure you, they are beautiful!!

"Look, Miss Grouchy Pants. It's time for a wardrobe change."

2009-07-26T20:35:00.002-05:00

I've been using that phrase a lot lately, mostly on myself. Despite the fact that in less than two weeks I will be residing in a mountain town with amazing weather (the houses don't have air conditioners because they don't need them!), beautiful scenery, etc., I am still dealing with the wrath of Mother Summer here in Mexico. Take right now, for instance. It's 90 degrees....in my living room!!! We close off the bedrooms in the evenings to make them cool enough to sleep in at night. As long as no one comes near me or tries to touch me during the day, I don't bite their head off. It's a win-win situation.

I have been busy packing away our stuff. Wow, it seems like only yesterday I just did all this. Maybe because it was only a year ago that I did do all this. The girls have been bugging me to help so I told them to pack their books. Of course they packed every single book they owned in a box that is now 250 lbs and too heavy to carry. At least they got to help!!

New stuff

2009-07-24T10:21:00.002-05:00

I'm here! I'm alive! It has been a whirl wind here lately and I haven't had a chance to catch my breath. The best news is...we have a job! We will be working at a small church on the Western slope of Colorado. We flew up last weekend and Aaron led worship and gave a message. What I loved the most (you'd guess it would be the weather/scenery) was the people! Everyone was so nice and there were a lot of couples our age. Loved it! We will be moving in two weeks so I've been frantically trying to get everything organized. I'm failing miserably at it, of course.

We've also had company in town. Or country, whatever. Our dear friends, the Molegraafs, came down with 5 of their kids (they have 6). We had a great time at the beach and hanging out. My sister, brother and niece come down for a couple days today, so I'm really looking forward to that. I'm going to be posting some things later this week, when I get a chance. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Thanks a lot, nature.

2009-07-06T22:30:00.004-05:00

Caution: this post contains words such as "sap" and "dangly thing" in ways that God did not intend for them to be used.

I was sitting in the living room visiting with Aaron and some friends when the girls come bursting into the living room. "Mom", they say, their eyes as big as saucers. "We need to talk to you. In private." Ok....I lead them into Audra's room and sit down on the bed. "What is it?" They look at each other, take a deep breath and say, "there are two dogs outside that are stuck together by their hieney's and there is sap coming down from one of their dangly things and then a third dog came up behind one of them and started doing this (insert imitation of a dog...uhm...you know...). What's wrong with them?" Uh, yeah. So, for some reason I cannot comprehend, we all march over to the offending dogs which by this time are "unstuck". My two girls are looking up at me for explanation. Now, I have already had "the talk" with Zoi, but Audra is oblivious to all that. Well, was at least. I gave her the most generic explanation possible. I might as well have explained the whole thing after what they saw today. Thanks a lot, nature!

It's Official!

2009-07-06T07:54:00.002-05:00

Aaron and Jonathan's book, "Crabgrass and Oak Trees" is available for pre-ordering! It comes out August 1st. Please visit www.rhizomepublishing.com to pre-order! Thanks for your support.

I'll take an order of shadiness with a side of creepy, please.

2009-07-01T21:02:00.005-05:00

Ah, life. Just when I think I've run out of things to write about on this blog, life serves up a big ol plate of fun. The following is a true story. Seriously, I could not make this up.

So, today I headed over to the States by myself. The kids stayed here with Shannon because I was going to be bringing one of the staff's family, who were down visiting, back with me in the car. I had a ton of time to kill, so I decided to go to the dollar movie. Aaron was already in Texas doing some work, so I sent him a text letting him know I was going to see a movie before meeting up with him. The movie I really wanted to see, "Ghost of Girlfriends Past", didn't start until 5:30. It was only 4:25 so I looked to see what else was on. "17 Again": 4:30. "Hmm...how shady would it look for me to be going to see "17 Again" by myself? Eh, not a big deal", I told myself. I bought a ticket and went on in.

I was fine until Zac Efron hit the screen. And then I started feeling uncomfortable. The fact that I was a 32 year old woman by myself in a dark theater watching a 20 year old guy just became too creepy for me. I considered leaving. Before I could, though, I saw a man heading down my aisle right towards me. "He's not going to sit here, is he?" I thought to myself. Sure enough, he sat down. It was Aaron. I giggled nervously. "I was just about to leave. I'm feeling a little bit shady sitting here watching this movie by myself." "YOU feel shady?? I assumed you and the girls were here to see "Hannah Montana". How do you think it looked for an old guy with a beard to buy a single ticket to a kids movie? And because that's not creepy enough, I then went into the "Hannah Montana" theater looking down each row for you guys. Nice." I couldn't help but laugh. I told him, "I'm sure they knew you were meeting your family in there." "How?", he demanded, holding up his ring-less finger. "I'm surprised I didn't get the cops called on me!"

Alright, Aaron, you win. Although creeping in the back of a "Hannah Montana" theater is definitely shadier than a 32 year old woman watching Zac Efron on the big screen in a dark movie theater, it is a close tie.

Summer!

2009-06-29T21:58:00.006-05:00

Summer is:

-going to the dollar theater and then spending 25 bucks on popcorn and drinks.

-having soft feet from going to the beach and rubbing your feet in the sand

-buying a huge pack of those frozen popsicles and loving them as much as your kids

-stopping at Dairy Queen after the beach. Every time. No exceptions (Mom's rule).

-painting fingernails and toenails a pretty lavender color

-eating gummy bears that have melted together because I left them in the car

-waiting until at least 8pm to go outside because that's the coolest time of the day

-running back inside to hide from the mosquitoes that are so big they need their own airport runway.

-watching your daughters' hair turn blonde and their bodies brown from the sun.

-seeing your husband fry even though you put 60 spf on him.

Hope you all are having a fabulous summer!!

"Dirty Dancing" lift and cat nighttime antics

2009-06-22T11:44:00.006-05:00

Lately, all I do is sit around and try to focus on not focusing on how hot it is. I'm about to pull a Pedro and go shave my head. Actually, scratch that, because then I'd be forced to wear a wig and I've heard those are most uncomfortable. So, imagine my excitement when our friends, the Cooper's, invited us to come to an event called "Blues on the Hill" and spend the night at their house in Harlingen (read: AC!!! Yeah, bay bay!)

We waited until the sun had gone down and trucked over to the hill to listen to some Blues. I have to admit, the music was great, but the best part was watching all the intoxicated people dance. There was one couple, in particular, that I could not keep my eyes off of. The couple was in their 50s, and they were getting down with their bad selves, let me tell you! The woman kept swinging her long, curly hair around in a circular motion which would cause her scrunchie to fly off in the opposite direction. Undeterred, she would saunter over to it, pick it up, and pull her hair back into it's half pony tail, all while jamming away with a white man's over bite. I was waiting in anticipation for the "Dirty Dancing" run, jump, and lift, you know the one they practiced in the movie over and over? Sadly, this did not happen. Not enough Bud Lights, I suppose. Maybe next year.

Meanwhile, back at the camp, last night I look out my front window to find not one, not two, but FOUR cats hanging out on the front porch. I thought to myself, "What the Hello Kitty is going on out there??" Now, two of them are ours, but the other two? I guess they heard there were free snacks and drinks at Milo's and decided to crash the party.

I swear I could hear the bass thumping and "Rhythm of the Night" playing in the background. Cats these days. Not to worry, I was responsible and took away everyone's keys.

2009-06-21T15:37:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day, Dad!!

I love you!!

Too many choices...

2009-06-15T21:31:00.004-05:00

Aaron has a hard time making choices when it comes to food or clothes. Want to see the boy panic? Ask him white or wheat? Brown or white gravy? What three sides would you like? Take for example, Sunday, we went to Luby's to eat lunch. (Don't be judgin'...we were hungry!) We were thinking it was a buffet and were surprised when we got there and found it was like a cafeteria (I guess "Luby's Cafeteria" should have thrown us off to that). Anywho, we decided not to eat there and left. As we got back in the car, and Aaron said, "Did you see that menu on the wall? So many choices! I couldn't focus on one thing. I was so overwhelmed." We then hightailed ourselves over to another fine eating establishment called "Golden Corral" where we dined with all the elderly people also eating lunch at 11:30 in the morning. We then continued on with our day where I fell into a food induced coma and was consequently very ashamed of my gluttony but not too ashamed because it was all very good food. As good as food can be at restaurant with the word "corral" in it, that is.

Moving on.

That day, Aaron bought two pairs of grey Dickey's shorts and five blue t-shirts from Target. The groups are down here for the summer, and he'll be working outside with them while they are here, building houses, etc. Aaron said that he loves his "uniform". It takes the guessing out of what he should wear that day, and don't forget, he hates making choices on things like this. He told me he was going to open a restaurant where you don't get a choice, you just eat what he brings you. I asked him, "Kind of like here at home every night for dinner?" His eyes lit up. "Yes!", he said. So, don't be surprised if one day you hear about a restaurant he opens called "Mom's Diner....you get what you get and don't throw a fit."

Say what?

2009-06-14T18:31:00.014-05:00

I don't know about you, but I love cleaning my ears out with a cotton swab. Seriously, it feels so good, I feel like I should smoke a cigarette afterwards. I think the fact that you aren't supposed to put a cotton swab in your ear canal makes it even more exciting....like you're having a secret rendezvous or something. I'm one step away from making a phone with my hand and putting it up to my ear and mouthing "call me" after I throw it away in the trash.

Recently, though, my left ear has been giving me trouble. Sounds are coming through really muffled. Is this directly related to my cotton swab misbehaving....like a bad episode of "Cotton Swabs Gone Wild"? Water in my ear? Sinus problems? I'm not sure. But after having my children bother me ten thousand times while I type this, I'm wondering if I want to have my hearing back in that ear. I can just pretend I don't hear them!

Eleven Years...

2009-06-13T09:48:00.008-05:00

Brad Pitt? Justin Timberlake? Bob Harper? Pfft. Who needs em? I've been married for eleven years (today) to this guy right here:

We've had our ups and downs, to be sure, but let me tell you: the first eleven years were the hardest. Bah dum chah. I stole that joke from a pastor whose name I can't remember. So, in honor of our 11 year anniversary, I'm going to tell you 11 things that I love most about Aaron.

1. He is hilarious. He makes me laugh every day. Take the above picture, for example. Just the look on his face makes me laugh. I'm chuckling right now as I'm typing this.

2. He plays piano. He can sit and make up tunes for hours. Ever seen "Twilight"? Move over, Edward.
3. He's great at surprises. He loves to take me on romantic getaways.
4. He's an encourager. Aaron has been the major force behind my running and writing.

5. He keeps his word. If he tells you he's going to do something, he's going to do it.

6. He loves the Lord with all his heart. His relationship with God is raw and genuine.

7. He's a fantastic father to our girls.

8. Re: picture below: No words necessary. But in case you need words, he's a hottie!!
9. He's honest. He admits his faults and failures.

10. He's adventurous. He loves nature and to be outdoors.

And number 11....

He puts up with my love for 80s and 90s music and the fact that I sing them at the most random and inopportune times. On that note, I leave you with the chorus of a song I'd like to dedicate to my husband of 11 years:

"I Melt With You" by Modern English

I'll stop the world and melt with you.

I've seen some changes but it's getting better all the time.

There's nothing you and I won't do.

I'll stop the world and melt with you.

Love you, Babe!

On the hunt.

2009-06-09T10:18:00.006-05:00

Well, it looks like the Havens train will be once again moving on. The end of the summer will be moving time for our family. We are currently in search mode for another job. I'd love to live closer to either side of our families (one is in Texas, the other in Colorado). But, seeing as we have this habit that we like to call "eating", we are willing to go anywhere. If any of you have any job leads, please send them our way!

Please keep us in your prayers as this isn't the best time to be job hunting. I know that despite the economy, God never changes. He is our constant!

Home!!

2009-06-08T17:54:00.005-05:00

Oh my word, I have missed all of you so much! The first thing I wanted to do when I got home was write on my blog. It's good to be back. Everything is so green from all the recent rain. It's hot, as usual, but I won't complain about the heat (until later, that is). I've decided to write about some of the events in bullet style:

-The trip to Scotland was so much fun, and I only had one public melt down!! Yahoo!

-The funniest comment I heard on the trip was from a 13 year old Scottish girl. She said she was disappointed with our group. After I asked why, she told me it's because Americans are supposed to be fat and not one of us were fat. I explained that was a stereotype...kind of like me expecting Scottish people to walk around with kilts and bagpipes. I didn't really say this, but I sure thought it. Number one requested word I say by the kids: "awesome".

-We had a fantastic time in Lake Tahoe. The weather was perfect and the mountains were beautiful. It was great to see Aaron's family!

-Aaron pulled out a gray hair on my head. A gray hair!! Next thing you know I'll be tweezing stray hairs of my chi.....hmm. Next thing you know I'll be trying to hide crow's fee....nope, too late for that, too. I guess I'll just focus on trying to grow older gracefully.

-After we landed in Austin, we went to New Braunfels where my sister lives and floated down the Comal River in tubes. We picked the wrong day and wrong time of day for that matter. The river was so crowded with drunk college students it was ridiculous. The girls got an eye full of drinking, smoking and rowdiness, but at that point there wasn't anything we could do about it. I did come to the conclusion, though, that everyone can wear a bikini, but not everyone should where a bikini.

-I'll put up some of my favorite pictures from the trip later. Hope you all are doing well!

Jet Lag

2009-05-28T21:41:00.002-05:00

I have come out of my "break" to write about jet lag. And no, I'm not talking about a pop singer from China (Mona). I'm talking about that feeling of walking around upside down with cotton balls stuck in your brain...of it feeling like it's 3 in the morning when it's only 7 in the evening. When I was in Scotland, I was 6 hours ahead of Mexico time. Now that we're in California, I am 8 hours behind Scotland. I've been trying to stay awake like you are supposed to, but it's been impossible! Here's hoping that I recover soon. I'm going back to bed.

Taking a break...

2009-05-27T11:45:00.002-05:00

I'm back in the US! I had an amazing trip and I'm so excited to reunite with my family (I still haven't seen them yet!). We are meeting in California for Aaron's sister's high school graduation. I'm going to take an internet break while I'm here, but I'll be back when I get home with all the funny, sarcastic, ridiculous livin' in Mexico posts that you can handle!!

New friends.

2009-05-18T16:42:00.003-05:00

My new friend Dora from Uganda.
Her sister, Danielle.
This picture is for Aaron. We talked about fair trade chocolate tonight during the youth club. I ate a ton of chocolate.

Tonight I went with some of the girls to the youth club. This one was at a very nice church. I talked with Dora and Danielle, sisters from Uganda that have lived in Scotland for about 5 years. Dora asked me if Smallville was a real place (I guess from the Superman tv show?). I told her no, I didn't think so. Danielle said, "I know Forks is a real place." I told her she was right, it was. She asked me in surprise, "You like Twilight?" I responded, "Pfft...do I like Twilight." We proceeded to have a fantastic conversation about Twilight. Which books we liked, our favorite characters, etc. She was so excited to meet a fellow Twilight fan. We exchanged e-mail addresses so she can let me know what she thought of the new movie. Apparently, at the MTV music awards May 30th they are going to show a scene from the "New Moon" movie. So you guys make sure to tune in! Isn't it exciting to see Twilight unite countries and bring them together?? Just kidding. I was grateful for something to have in common with the girls so we would have something to talk about. That makes things a lot easier and less awkward.

Dora told me she just graduated from high school and was going to "uni" (short for "university") to be a pharmacist. Did you know in Scotland, college is free for Scottish residence? If you want to be a doctor or a lawyer, you can go to college for free to do that. The sad part is, I've found, that the youth aren't really encouraged to go to college. They are almost trapped in a cycle of low expectations. I was very glad to hear that Dora was going to college. I wish her the best!

3 day recap

2009-05-17T14:18:00.006-05:00

"Hiya!" This is the greeting the people use here instead of "hi". (It's said all at once, not "hiya" like a karate chop or something, by the way.)

Had a quiet Sunday today, which was really nice. I'm used to sleeping 8-15 hours a night in Mexico (this is said with just a touch of sarcasm. Just a touch, though.) so all this running and gunning has been wearing me out! Friday night, we helped with a youth outreach called "Create". It was an open mic event where teenagers and their bands could come and play to an audience. There was a snack bar and a ping pong table, etc. I had the best job there: stand guard in the hallway and make sure no one goes back there and tries to get it on with anyone. I loved it because it was away from all the loud noise of the bands. Am I getting older or what? It was great seeing the young (13 years old and up) band member get so excited about having a place to play their music. Some of them weren't half bad, either!

Yesterday, we helped out at a kids event, which was interesting. Scottish children do not listen any better than American kids. I almost stopped one boy from throwing a water balloon on a moving car. I say almost because he didn't listen to me and threw it anyway. Nice. After that, we were able to stop into a beautiful cathedral for a bit. We'll be back in that area later on this week for more sight seeing.

This morning we went to a local church which was fantastic. Everyone was so welcoming ad the church was exciting and full of life. Tomorrow starts another full week for us. I'll keep you posted!!

Much love!

I am the biggest dork on the planet.

2009-05-15T10:01:00.005-05:00

***sigh*** Seriously, ya'll. I'm in accent heaven. The Scottish accent is my favorite, and you know what's funny? We met some teenagers last night that love the American accent and wanted to just sit there and listen to us talk. It was great. And....guess what?? I got someone to say "breakfast"! Cha ching!

Anyway, I have free time to let you know what we've been up to. Yesterday, the group worked on the YWAM base that we are staying at. They worked outside pulling out tree stumps and creating an edge around the sidewalk to eventually plant flowers. That afternoon, we headed to Paisley for an outreach called "PIG" (Paisley is Great). We set up a grill and grilled sausages to hand out to people for free. It was a great way to meet some people of the community and to bless the folks down there.

That night, we split up into groups and went to different youth clubs. When they told me that people walk here I didn't realize that they meant that literally people walk everywhere. It's part of the culture to either walk where you are going or take public transportation. Our group of four walked 2 1/2 miles to the center of Paisley, took a bus 30 miles away, and then another 2o minute walk uphill to the center. We worked with younger children first. One of them told me I looked like Rhianna. I know I'm tan but I didn't think I was that tan. They proceeded to ask us if we had ever met anyone famous. I told them I had met Kip from Napoleon Dynamite but only one girl was impressed. After they left, the older teenagers came. That's when the fun started. At first, it was really awkward...we all just kind of stood there not knowing what to do. Then, the students found out we were American and really started talking. They asked us all kinds of questions, (Such as, "Do you watch Family Guy, have you met the president, did I like George Bush, do you hate Canadians"), and asked us to say different words. It was a lot of fun. I was very shocked that some of them were very hard to understand, their accents were so thick and they spoke so fast. All in all, I had a great time.

Cheers for now! More updates soon.

"The Toilet"

2009-05-12T05:29:00.005-05:00

As I'm sure you all know, the UK refers to the bathroom as "the toilet". There isn't much mystery involved when someone announces they need to use the toilet. You pretty much know what they are going to do: use the toilet. I much prefer our terms for the toilet: "the restroom" or "the bathroom". I could be powdering my nose, writing a novel, solving the world's problems, or I could just be using the toilet. You would never know.

This particular toilet seat happens to be as cold as stone. Sitting on that thing literally takes my breath away. Don't believe me? Go get an ice cube out of your freezer, pull your pants down a bit, and rub it on your warm bum. That's what it feels like. I'm guessing it's because the seat is porcelain, not plastic (the toilet seat, not mine. Just wanted to clear that up). In any case, I'm watching for signs of frost bite on my hiney.

Made it!

2009-05-11T09:46:00.006-05:00

My home for the next two weeks...

My room...isn't it cute?
The neighborhood.

2 states, 3 countries in 24 hours

2009-05-09T08:58:00.003-05:00

Would you all do me a favor? Would you pray for me while I'm gone? I might even consider putting a picture up of my one arm sweat ring or my space ship head from Jr. High if you say yes. Here are some things you can pray for:

1. Confidence.

2. The gospel will be clearly told and received.

3. That I will listen to the Holy Spirit's voice and that he will fill in the places that I lack.

4. Safety for my family here.

5. The group from Georgia I am meeting over there.

Thanks, people!! Next time you read this blog it will be written in Scotland! Unless something super funny happens and I just have to post. Then it will be here.

Lorren Says...

Fail

Mr. Bookman teaches my history class.

Who needs milk and butter??

There's no crying in baseball!

School Daze

It wasn't Mt. Everest but it might as well have been!

Cutest thing ever!

UP!

June..in like a lion out like a... wait a minute, it's gotta be your bull. (Tommy Boy, anyone?)

"If it were easy I would do it." -Fav quote from the half marathon

Dream

Like Thelma and Louise only we aren't driving our car off a cliff.

Is it Monday yet?

2 girls and their goats.

What's up?

You caught us, we love garbage cans!

Surprise!

Cross country skiing...I will own you.

Valentine's Day

Hilarious!

Vegas is for lovers...or is that Vermont?

You see what happened was...

Dear blog..

On second thought...

Deep thoughts by Lorren: Bold

Avatar: a movie review

I think the elves knew what they were talking about...

Christmas festivities....

What the...

Oh, Christmas tree!

Winner!

Live and learn.

Bah Hum Bug!

The reason I am still Team Edward

I went to see that one movie.. what's it called? Oh yeah..

Sneak Peak

Don't mind us, clothes, we just live here.

Snow...snow...snow!

Please hold...

Fail!

Trick or Treat!

It's time!

Awkward Wednesday

Chicken Parmesan recipe

Weekly menu planning

Awkward Wednesday

Things I have in common with Shakira:

Oh you know what day it is....

Yee Haw!

Prom 1993/95

Review time: it's like story time only without the story.

Awkward Wednesday

Momma's Girl

You say tomato...

More favorite things...

Biggest Loser time!

It's a small world...

Favorite stuff!

What we are eating this week....

Our Vail get-a-way...

I found my heart!

A letter from a fan to Zooey Daschanel...

Hoard much?

The word for today...

My new ride...

Menu

The best salad EVER!

Bean soup..it's like stone soup only you don't add a stone and you aren't tricking people into donating stuff.

Weekly menu planning

You gotta have friends...

Yummy recipe

Fashion Show

A few of my favorite things...

Carving out some fun!

How we were welcomed to Colorado. Twice.

Magic cups and numb bums...

The Goodbye Tour

I'm looking forward to turning 50 because at least then I'll be dressing age appropriate.

These boots are made for walking!