Jason and I are the proud owners of THIS hot set of wheels...

So, Jason went to Washington and came back with a mini van. Basically his incredibly generous sister and brother in law bought a new van. Instead of trading their old one in they decided to give it to us as a wedding present. Not bad eh? Ok, granted...I've said to myself over and over..."I will never be a mini-van mom, I will be an SUV mom." But, here I am, not even married with a mini-van. Honestly though...IT'S A SECOND CAR! Jason and I have been "sharing" his truck...i.e. Jason, the incredibly kind and generous boyfriend/fiance let's me drive it a lot and he sometimes drives it. Sharing a car could be okay except for the fact that we live in two different homes. That makes it complicated. When I don't get to drive his truck I ride my bike. It's very nice to realize that I can drive whenever I want. Yay! His sister said that we can keep it or sell it...depending on what we end up doing and whether or not we need the money. We'll hold on to it for now though. I will say though that it's not easy to register an out of state vehicle. Tough stuff I tell ya!!! Anyways, so that's our surprise blessing. The Lord is SO good!!!

Oh, and the picture above isn't actually the van...though it looks the same. Ours has a good sized crack in the wind sheild that needs to be fixed. We'll get around to that soon I'm sure. :-)

Guess what I did...?

I went to the beach and wore a BIKINI!!! Oh yes, that's right. I went to the beach in NOVEMBER and sat in 80 degree weather....I love California! The plan was to work today. There didn't end up being that much to do though. I'm reading the last book of the Twilight series...yes, yes, me too! I decided "Hey, I'm going to use this opportunity to go to the beach and read!" When I opened my drawer to look at the bathing suits I saw my cute $4 bikini that I got from Ross. It hadn't been touched. I bought it because it was cute, cheap, and would want it once I got married. As I sat and looked in my drawer I contemplated my current skin tone status...tannish (for me) legs, that is up till my shorts line. My thighs are white...my stomach it WHITE. My shoulders and arms are an ok shade. And my lower back is white. A nice conglomeration of skin tones...all on one body. So I thought...hey, why not? So I wore it. I didn't go with anyone that I knew. I didn't see anyone that I knew and I sat kind of away from everyone. The funny thing is that I was just another bikini clad girl in a crowd of hundreds. I probably drew MORE attention to myself in a one piece...funny as that is. It was nice too. It was WAY cooler. My back and stomach sweat so much in a one piece. I didn't feel all that awkward...though I didn't see anyone that I know. It was fine. The results...my stomach is a shade darker...so it's just white instead of transparent! haha. My face got the most sun. Not sure how...I had a shirt over my face or a book in front of it the whole time. AND...my hair is a shade lighter...as usual. I guess that's good. I was starting to get "winter roots". I'm not really a "natural" blonde. I would be a dark blonde if I never went into the sun. It's so reactive to the sun's rays though...it just bleaches it like nothing else. I hadn't been in the sun for a long period of time in a couple of months so I was actually getting "roots". So, that was my bikini experience. Not bad. I'll still wait to wear one in front of Jason though until after we're married :-) haha.

To-Do

Hello all! I hope everyone has had a good week. Mine went pretty well. Not too shabby at all! :-) So let's see...what has happend since the last post?

Well, Tuesday we voted and had marriage counseling. I'm pretty sure that we only have two left. Wowie! A little crazy. We're also at the "Less than 3 month" mark. Weird. These last few months have flown by. We have Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks, and then Christmas a month later. After Christmas is New Years and then the wedding will only be about a month away. CrAzY! And yet quite exciting! :-) The holidays coming up are going to make this time fly by.

Jason and I were supposed to have our engagement shots yesterday. He ended up going to Washington instead to see his sister and baby #3. Now he has 2 nephews! Litte Chase. So, he's been gone since...well, only yesterday. He'll be back on either Saturday or Sunday. I kinda miss the guy! ;-) No really, it's really weird when he goes away...or I go away for a while. It just seems...unnatural. I'd say that's a good thing though! hehe.

I have a big to-do list for this week to get done while he's gone. So, here it is:

• Order my veil
• Order envelopes
• Meet for flower appt.
• Fix upholstery in truck
• Call the cake lady
• Get invitations cut and ready for print
• Enter all guests and addresses into computer
• Wash the truck
• Call Judi
• Figure out the questions we didn't know from our marriage mtg.
• Turn in Chile app.
• Purchase bridesmaid sash fabric
• Finalize our registries

It think that's it. I guess that's good. It will keep my busy! :-)

Anyways, I'm off to watch o movie that I rented...a girlie one. One that Jason would not want to watch...though he probably would if I asked him to. BUT...I'll save him the trouble!!! :-)

Election 2008

Well, I'm still in shock but...Obama is our new president. It was so odd. We were watching the Decision 2008 thing. One by one, McCain was gaining states. Obama was ahead and yet...I thought, hey it's still not over yet. Then we went to a commercial. When it came back to the program it had a picture on the screen of Obama with a "The New President of the United States." I was in shock! WHAT!?! Jason thought that it was a mistake...that they put that up too early. But, it was true. During that commercial break Obama received his 270 electoral votes making him the new president. They should have broke it to me a little more gently. I was kind of mad! :-)


My thoughts are one...it's kind of cool that he's a minority...that we as a country are over that. But that's about as far as it goes for me. The news and everyone went on and on and on and on about the fact that he was black. Everyone was crying in Chicago. Not sure why but it irked me. I said to Jason, "Who CARES what color the man is...Is he going to be a good president!?!" I kind of forget that he's considered "black". Not sure why. Isn't he part black, white, and some middle eastern? It took me a while to realize that he's the first "black" president.


So...Obama won. I'm "ok" with it in the sense that there is not a think that can be done. We can pray and trust the Lord. I was amazed at how much of an idol Obama is to so many. Most of the people that I know are McCain supporters and so I think that I was a bit naive going into this. I did not realize how obsessed people are with him...it was really weird. It will be sad when he too lets them down.

So, I guess that's my two cents on all of this. Not sure what else to say. Is it true that Prop 8 passed??? I tried to find the results but it may be too early. I thought I saw somewhere that it did though. My source may have been facebook though...not sure how reliable THAT is. hahaha

Two days till Halloween. What will YOU be?

Hello all!

Well, I'm back. I've returned from my dark 6 day trip of depression...where I retreated to a cave and wallowed in my sadness (if you are confused read the next post). Ok, so maybe not. I actually forgot about blogging though and just remembered. It's a lot more fun to read other people's blogs sometimes...easier too, then to write on your own.

So, yes, the bike is still gone. I was talking to Jason and Mike W. tonight at Growth Group and he was saying how the Lord had really been gracious to him in not allowing him to really miss a lot of the activities that he loved before his accident. It was funny because I was thinking about that yesterday. I mean, the day of and the next day...I was really sad. On the other hand though, I haven't missed it like I thought I would. I think that the Lord has just really helped me to release it and move on. Soooo...there you have it. You can ask me more about that though when I have to deny or be left behind on my first mountain bike ride. That hasn't really come up yet so we'll see how I handle it. :-)

Well, I did purchase a new bike. It's a commuter/hybrid bike. Basically it looks like a mountain bike, has no suspension, and has thinner road tires. I like it a lot. It's a Trek. Some guy on a motorcycle today (at the stop light) pulled up next to me and complimented me on it even! haha. Anyways, it's nothing fancy. It was pretty much the cheapest bike we could find. It will serve me well I believe. We also got a MUCH thicker metal lock that weighs about 10lbs for it. Hopefully that will deter the next person.

On another note...the Harvest Festival. So, Jason and I have the coolest Halloween costume idea. Oh yes. First I suggested we be milk and a cookie. I was going to make a milk carton out of a refrigerator box and Jason could wear it. Then I would cut two round circles out of cardboard with shoulder straps and paint a cookie on it. He didn't like the idea of being in a box all night. Bummer. I thought it was very cool!!! :-) Last year he was a scuba diver and I was a fish. Good times. This year...if all goes as planned...we will be another very cool combo costume. I'm SO excited. As long as we can get my dad's help we'll be fine. SO....come to the Harvest Festival to see what we will be. If you can't come I'm sure I'll post a pic on this thing the next day.

Ok! Well, have a great rest of the week and I'll chat with you all in a few days!!!

Oh the Sadness...

Well, today was a very emotionally draining day. You may be asking, "why"? I will premise this with the fact that you all may think that this is kind of silly. BUT before you do...just think back on all the posts that have involved mountain bike rides...how much I love doing it...all the good times...all the time and money spent in putting my bike together. Then maybe it won't seem so foolish.

So, here's the story...
First I'm riding my nice mountain bike around town right now because my other cheaper one got stolen. Remember the dumb story about me leaving it outside overnight at the bike shop? Yeah, that was really stupid of me. So, I've been riding around on my nice mountain bike when I don't have Jason's car.

So, this morning I thought, "Oooh, I'll go to Starbucks in the Marigold Center and have a little quiet time/do some marriage counseling homework." I got to the Starbucks at about 10:15am. I locked my bike up to the bike rack that is RIGHT THERE. The one between CVS and the Starbucks. It is in complete and plain sight. I went inside, got my coffee, and sat down. Jason called me at 10:30am. I walked outside to talk to him (I don't like talking inside where everyone can hear you). While I was talking to him I glanced at the bike rack and saw my lock hanging from the rack...and NO BIKE! I started freaking out on the phone..."Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh." I thought at first that I didn't actually shut the lock...or that it was my error and that someone had just grabbed the bike. When I walked over to the lock though...it had been cut. They CUT the lock! WHAT!??!!! Here's the thing too. There were people sitting outside right next to it. I had asked them if they saw anything. They said "No, not at all." I don't remember but I don't think that those people were sitting there when I walked into the Starbucks...

So, some how this person timed it just right. I had only been in there for 15 minutes and they managed to do it...in plain sight...sometime when I was inside but when there were no people sitting outside where they could see him (I'm assuming it's a guy...could be wrong though.)

When I told Jason on the phone he jumped into his car and rushed over to try to find the person. I guess he drove all around the area. No luck. I ended up calling the police and they came out and did a full report. I really took the whole thing hard. I was weepy when it happened and had to hold back the tears and stay composed. I was fine with the police officer but the second I saw Jason...the walls came down. I cried so hard...the kind where you don't breath and drool. Quite lovely. :-) It was just so so so sad. It's one of Jason and I's favorite things to do together, we invested a lot of money in the bike...ugh. On top of all that...you just feel so stupid, so duped, and so violated when someone steals from you. I mean the bike wasn't worth a TON of money...maybe $700-$800...which is low in the mountain bike world. It was MY bike though...I loved to ride it...and now it's gone. It's sad that Jason and I probably won't go on a mountain bike ride together again...at least not in a long, long time.

Anyways, we decided that the guy probably does this "for a living". He probably will part the thing out and make even more money. It wasn't some homeless person who just needed a bike. It's a tiny frame, it has a pink headset...it was someone who was able to recognize that it was worth money. I assume that they do this often since most people don't carry lock cutters in their back pocket. So that's my sad story. :-(

I guess the Lord is seeing this as a refining time. I guess that's good in the long run but it sure hurts while you're in the midst of it. Anyways, I can already see the Lord's hand at work in providing another bike for me to get around town on...which is so great. I opened up my drawer with my cycling jerseys and shorts in it. So strange that this phase of my life could really be over. *Sigh*. But...we can still pray that is would be recovered!!!!!

Not much to say...

I can't believe that it is already Wednesday. Gosh, I feel like the last few weeks have just flown by. I think that it's because we have so many things going during the week. We have growth group on Wednesdays, and marriage counseling every other week. Every Wed. now comes with the same thought, "Wow, Wed. again?" The same thing with marriage counseling. Those two weeks just fly by. Crazy but...we only have 3 1/2 months left. At our next marriage counseling appt...it will be 3 months away. Then after the 3 month mark...we start saying 2 months and so and so weeks. 2 months sounds really close. I can't imagine what it will be like when we are saying "One month." Ok, I definitely just got ahead of myself there...


Not too much is happening on the marriage prep front. There's a lot of things we need to do...like order my veil, candles, figure out flowers, and call the wedding coordinator for Grace (yep, still haven't called her). We also need to confirm the whole tux thing. I need to call the cake lady about our cake and call Judi who is in charge of decorating the reception area. So much stuff...and yet...zero panic. I keep thinking, ahhhh, it'll get done! :-) And it will (hopefully! Although I had another dream a couple of nights ago that it was the day of and we had practically nothing done. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off.) Oh did I tell you that Allie C. is going to be heading up our food at the wedding? That's right. Did you know that "heading up the food" means that she will grocery shop for us if we want. Um, that's amazing. So, I don't have to worry about food, I don't have to worry about reception decor. I don't have to worry about sanctuary decor. Wait! What will I do the day before the wedding? Oh yes, that's right...get coffee, a manicure, and sit back and relax. haha. (We'll see if that really happens...hopefully though!)


Also, a confession...I practiced applying my make-up last night. I felt like a bit of a dork. I figure though if I do it 5 times or so before the wedding then when the actual day comes I'll be good to go. I would get it done but it's like $60 (and I've already stated that they do it a tad to heavy for my liking!). I'd also rather spend $6o and get that in make-up...something I can actually use again. Things I need to work on are...applying eyeliner (Oh, I can apply it...but in a straight, EVEN, and nice line?...um, needs some work), applying mascara (this too I can apply...it's my staple make-up because my eyelashes are so bLoNdE, but I get it all over my eyes when I do it. Normally it's not a big deal because I use a Q-tip and fix it. But when you apply eyeshadow first...you don't really want to remove what you just did. Which brings me to the next one...), eyeshadow. To me, this is the hardest. I bought some colors that I'm happy with...just need to put them on in an appealing way! Things I'm good at doing: foundation application (I don't wear it really but I mastered this skill quickly...big accomplishment eh?), cover up application (this is another staple make-up for me), and lip gloss application. :-) I'd say on a scale of 1-10 I'd give my self a 6 today. It was weird to see the make-up on though...def. way more than I'm used to and yet they were neutral, nice tones. Nothing crazy. My favorite part...the blush and the color of lip stuff I picked out....LOVE it!


Ok, enough about that.

Well, I think I'm done typing now. I believe I shall grab some java and curl up in the WARM morning sun. I'm loving this hot weather. Is it too much to ask for it to stay like this until February? Maybe global warming will have an effect this year and it won't get cold. That would be nice. If that DID happen...I would officially LOVE global warming!!! Who needs glaciers? Definitely overrated!!! haha.