Inside the Head of Nicole

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from The Lovatos!!

I hope you have a wonderful year filled with God's love, hope and grace!!

Now... how cute is this kid?

Re-Entering the Blog World... Maybe... We'll See...

2011-12-22T22:04:00.000-08:00

This is my attempt to re-enter into the blogging world. I have been so bad the last few years! I am going to set the goal of blogging at least once per week in the new year! This isn't going to be a long blog, so enjoy the pics of my brother, sister and me with our significant others! Also, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

The Shape of Mercy Book Review

2011-05-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

A book about the Salem Witch Trials? How could it not get any more exciting than that?

The Shape of Mercy is a great book that follows three ladies, Mercy Hayworth, Lauren Durough and Abigail Boyles, who all have very different stories, but somehow they are intertwined by love.

The book begins with Lauren Durough a girl who is the only child of a very wealthy businessman. She tries to live a "normal" life throughout the book, by living in the dorms at her college, finding a regular job and trying to make "normal" friends.

Lauren begins working for an older lady in Santa Barbara who has an old diary from a girl named Mercy Hayworth of the Salem Witch Trials. Lauren has been asked to transcribe it and so she begins to read the diary. Abigail, the older lady, helps with the deciphering of some of the words and as she does her and Lauren form an odd sort of friendship.

During the time that Lauren is transcribing the diary she meets Raul, who she mistakenly believes to be some f the "help" at a party for her uncle. It turns out he is a firend of her cousin who goes to school with him and is a premed student. Lauren then makes another mistake in thinking that now he is just another privileged kid easing his way through college. The reality is that he has worked hard to get where he's at and Lauren comes to realize this as they end up liking each other and subsequently begin dating.

Lauren finds out some disturbing things about the diary as she finishes it and is not happy with the way things end. She has an argument with Abigail and things blow up. As the book ends Lauren and Abigail find a way to reconcile and they learn that mercy can have many different meanings.

"The girl in between has learned that mercy is defined by its giver." - Susan Meissner

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

By the Numbers...

2011-05-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

To my wonderful husband,

1- The number of children we have together. Hopefully another one sometime in the future, but until then we definitely have the cutest kid around!

2- The number of years we lived in Orange County. Some of the best times and hardest two years of our marriage. Especially since I was the one bringing home the bacon. ;-)

3- The number of "big" mission trips we've been on together. I LOVE that we were able to experience Kenya together and that we were able to serve the kids in London with each other and that we got to go to New York again, but this time serving God.

4- The number of folding chairs we used to have until you told me to put one in the shower to sit on after I sprained my ankle and it soaked through to the cardboard part. But that's okay cuz it just means we can now only have three people over instead of four. ;-)

5- The number of years we've now been back at Mag and I wouldn't change it for anything. Even though I was super hesitant to come back to Riverside we knew this is where God wanted us to be and still does!

6- The number of times you've been to Nashville for Lifeway. I love that you get to consult for/work with them, but when are you gonna take me again? Just don't take me when it's 90 degrees and the humidity is at 90%.

7- The number of times we've moved. Which is crazy, but I think we may be pros at it now. Do we ever have to move again? :-)

8- The number of spiders a person swallows on average in a lifetime. I'm thinking it might be more for you, since you tend to get bit by spiders a lot!

9- The number of times I've asked you if I could have a turtle and no matter how sad I look and how much of a puppy dog face I give you I'm still told to go research it and then we can discuss the whole turtle as a pet thing. :-)

10- The number of years we've been married. Through all the crazy, beautiful, sad and happy times these last ten years I love you more each day! I wouldn't change the last ten years for anything and I can't wait for 60 more! :-)

I LOVE You! Happy 10th Anniversary Mikey!!

Book Review: Lady in Waiting

2011-02-15T12:10:00.000-08:00

Lady in Waiting is written by author Susan Meissner. A new author to me and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Most of the novels I read tend to follow a girl in her early twenties, unmarried who falls in love and the couple live happily ever after.
This novel is very different in that it follows two different ladies and at different times in history. The first lady is modern day Jane Lindsay, who lives in New York, is in her mid to late forties, married and runs an antique store. The story begins with her husband telling her he wants to live apart from her for awhile. As the story progresses she finds a ring in some piles of merchandise sent to her antique store. This ring belonged to the Lady Jane Grey, whose story is told through the eyes of Lucy Day, the dressmaker. The novel then goes back and forth between Jane Lindsay's life and the affect of her separation and Lucy Day's story of Lady Jane and her tragic life.
The novel takes the two stories and shows a picture of love and the choices we make for ourselves as women. Whether you have been married for many years, such as Jane or were never married to the one you loved, such as Lady Jane Grey the take away from this book is that you have choices to make and you must stand up for what you believe in.
I love the way that Meissner used the historical figure of Lady Jane Grey as a parallel (using the ring) to the modern day Jane Lindsay. She captured the beauty and grandness of the 16th Century, but also showed the dark and frightening side of the Reformation.
I would recommend this book for anyone who loves a novel filled with history that is intertwined with love, romance and women standing up for that in which they believe.

I have not read any other novels by Susan Meissner, but I am definitely putting her novel The Shape of Mercy on my must read list. You can check out any of these novels on Amazon.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Book Review: Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball

2011-01-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

This book is set in a North American city, most likely in the Midwest, and tells the story of two unlikely people who meet, fall in love through a series of events and at the end attend a magical ball together.

The problem with this book is that although you get to know the characters they never really feel as though everything is fully divulged. The characters did not seem to be well developed for my taste. It was almost as if the author has known these people her whole life and expected you to know who they were too, but never by revealing too much.When something is revealed about a character it seems to be glossed over very quickly. The end of the story was wrapped up too quickly in my opinion and could have gone on for at least two more chapters in order to give the characters a little more time to develop. The magical fantasy part of the story was also never really explained and even though it had some parallels to Christianity it was never really clear.Maybe my expectations for the book were too high and I should have just enjoyed the easy reading that it was, but I just want to be able to tell it like I see it. :-)

If you are looking for a book to read that gives you romance and fantasy rolled into one this is the book for you. Enjoy yourself as you dive into a new world of wizards and magical romance!You can watch a trailer for the book here. Also, you can buy the book on Amazon if you click here.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"

A New Year!

2010-12-31T20:52:00.000-08:00

I couldn't think of just one thing that stood out to me this year as a favorite memory. I think there are a few and a few days I wish I could have had a do over, but overall it's been a good year! Below I thought I would sharre with you some of my favorite photo moments from this past year! As I go into this new year of 2011 my prayer is that God will soften my heart in all things and that I will give up control to God in every area of my life!!

Enjoy the pics!

Helping with the Laundry

Downtown

Mike and his grandma with his cousin Matt who is in the Marines and was out training in Twentynine Palms for a few weeks. We were able to visit him for a few hours which was great!

Mother's Day 2010

I love this because after a red eye flight to North Carolina we drove over the border to South Carolina and went to Starbucks because we wanted to say we'd been to South Carolina too! :-)

Swimming Lessons

After a hike up Mt. Rubidoux

My mom came with us to San Francisco to watch Addie which allowed me to do ministry with our high school students and I am super appreciative of it.

The Pumpkin Patch

Have a wonderful New Year!!

50 Free Shutterfly Christmas Cards

2010-11-29T12:56:00.000-08:00

I know I already wrote about this below, but I have had some other guidelines given to me by Shutterfly.com that I will need to follow in order to receive the cards. :-)

In the past I have bought a few things from Shutterfly including their photobooks, which I love using to make a yearly book for my daughter and the calendars which I have given out as gifts to family members. This year I'm excited to be able to use Shutterfly for my Christmas cards because they do such a good job at a reasonable price. They also have many, many options. You can check out all their Christmas options here.

My favorite card that I am planning on using is the one below:

I love how simple the design is and how there is an option for multiple pictures in order to possibly show different sides of our personality as a family. I also want a card that says Merry Christmas on it because this is the true reason for this time of year: The birth of Christ! :-)
I'm excited that we will be able to send out these cards to share with our friends and family about our life this past year through pictures. What a great way to share the memories that we have had all year long with those we rarely get to see!

Also besides Christmas cards Shutterfly.com has other personalized photo items to buy.

You can find desk calendars if you click here to give to your husband/wife or dad/mom or maybe the grandparents:
You can also find personalized birth announcements if you click here. It is so nice to be able to send out an announcement with a picture on it that friends and family who live far away get a chance to see the baby when they are little.

With all this said I hope you look into trying out Shutterfly.com. It really is a great company that sells quality products at a extremely reasonable price. Thanks for reading my post and I hope everyone enjoys the holiday season!!

Shutterfly.com

2010-11-24T08:01:00.001-08:00

I love this website! I have bought a few things from it, including cards and photobooks and calendars. It is so easy to use and is such an easy way to keep memories without stressing yourself out. I am writing this post because if I do I will get 50 free Shutterfly cards to use. I will be using them for my Christmas cards and I know it's going to be so easy. If you've never checked it out before you totally should. I wouldn't be promoting this if I didn't think it was a good website. Even if I do get something free out of it. :-) If you have a blog and would like to do this too you can check the link out here. Also, you can link to the Shutterfly website here. I encourage you to check it out! It's great!

What's on my mind...

2010-10-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been thinking about doing something other than just being a stay at home mom. It's nice to be able to have the freedom to just pick up and go anywhere we want and not have any time constraints, but I need something that gets me out of the house and not just something like going to the park. In my head I have been throwing around the idea of doing photography... mainly childrens photography. Now some might be saying... "Nicole, there are sooooo many people out there with their own, extremely good, photography business, why get into that market?" I have loved photography since I was in high school. I wanted (for about a year) to go to photography school very badly. My parents weren't too thrilled with the idea so it was put out of my mind. By the way, I have no hard feelings toward that. God obviously placed me at CBU for a reason and it was a great experience. I love being able to capture a moment with a camera!

Sooooooo....... as I sit here thinking about "starting" my own children's photgraphy business I look forward to the plan God has for my life and I hope that if this is something in my future I will have support. First step... pray! Second step... buy a nice camera! :-)

Here is a picture I took of Addie (with my mom's nice camera). Enjoy!

Stuck in a Pit and Needing to Look Up...

2010-09-01T09:28:00.001-07:00

I've written before about how I struggle with anxiety and depression and I have for 9 years.
I have been reading this little book by Beth Moore titled Looking Up When Life is Looking Down. It's been a great read (and quick). Something that she talks about is getting out of the pit you're in. Sometimes we place ourselves in this pit without even meaning to, but then we must get ourselves unstuck with the help of God and scripture. I'm learning more and more that scripture is what helps us defeat the enemy. God could just take this away from me (believe me I ask Him to all the time), but I know that right now he is allowing me to go through this for some reason. I may know the reason someday or I may never know why.
When I truly accept who I am becoming and who God is molding me into only then will I feel free from this "pain". I know that I can do anything with God and that I have to give up this control I'm feeling, it's hard, but God is more powerful than any thought or feeling or struggle I may be going through. I will continue to pray that I will put this past me and truly live for God in everything I do, so that I can be the best wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend and most importantly child of God!

Letting Go...

2010-08-20T22:24:00.001-07:00

I have to give up control... that's the bottom line of everything I do in my life. I have a hard time not trying to control every situation of my life and when something doesn't go exactly like I planned I feel as though I've failed. What I have to learn from all situations is to let go and let God take it. Deep down in my heart I know this and I believe this, but putting it into practice is not always so easy.
Today we took down my daughters crib and put up the toddler railing. Nothing crazy, but still a big step. This one little thing made my heart hurt for a while thinking about her growing up. I know she has to grow up and learn things and I wouldn't want her to stay little and always having to do everything for her, but it still feels like one of those situations I want to control, but I know I can't.
I have struggled with anxiety for the past 9 years and have recently gone off medication in hopes of being able to control it with more healthy eating, exercise and prayer AND relying on God more. It's been hard and I know that I have to let go of the things I can't control, but I'm finding with knowing that God wins every time there shouldn't be anything that I can't do, even as simple as letting my little girl grow-up.

Below is a picture of Addie at the recent beach trip we went to with our high school students:

All By Myself...

2010-08-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

I know I'm not really all by myself. I have God and I have friends and family, but this weekend I am a "single mom" and let me tell you it's hard. I'm am so totally blessed with how much my husband does. He takes out the trash, will give Addie baths, cleans up after dinner, plus a multitude of other things that I don't have time to name off. He's pretty darn amazing! So, when he leaves for a few days I usually call my parents and ask to stay over there. This time I decided I could do it on my own and be totally fine. That was until last night when I didn't fall asleep until 2:30am. I had about a thousand different things running through my mind and it just wouldn't shut off plus I would just be falling alseep and I would hear some weird noise.

I don't think its that I can't do all the above things on my own, because I can and I would. I think it's mostly that I get lonely and I need people around. Yes, I am aware that my daughter is a person, but it's not the same. Our conversations are usually about Tinkerbell, Dora or if she went poo poo. :-) So, I called my mom up this morning and asked if we could come crash with them for a few days which she was totally fine with. The other reason we didn't originally stay with my parents is that my brothers girlfriend is visiting from Idaho this week and is staying in the spare room. Which is totally fine (and by the way I love her, she's super great) and both Addie and I can sleep pretty much anywhere.

So, as I sit in my parents living room writing this lovely blog I feel a lot of relief that I will have people around me to converse with this weekend. i will no longer be "all by myself."

More Pics: Days Two & Three

2010-06-23T08:32:00.001-07:00

I know I cut Mike's face off, but it's the best one I took! :-)

Addie loved this area since it had porch swings and big rocks to sit on!

We took a picture similar to this in Tennessee, so I thought we better take one in North Carolina too!

The view from our back patio!

Addie wearing her hat... it lasted about 10 minutes, which might be a record!

Some gorgeous flowers near our apartment!

Days One & Two Pictures!

2010-06-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

Right outside the airport in Charlotte

Welcome to Charlotte, North Carolina!

Welcome to South Carolina!!

Starbucks in South Carolina!!

Driving to Ridgecrest, North Carolina!

Mellow Mushroom!

Downtown Asheville

Addie & Daddy!!

Ridgecrest Days One & Two

2010-06-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

Day One:
We arrived in Ridgecrest, North Carolina after an evening wedding (that Mike performed), a drive to LAX from Cherry Valley, a red eye flight (with very little sleep for myself)to Charlotte, a 20 minute drive into Fort Mill, South Carolina to go to Starbucks (just so we can now say we’ve set foot in South Carolina), and finally a two hour drive to Ridgecrest, North Carolina. The drive was beautiful and we saw a LOT of trees and some beautiful houses and churches along the way. When we arrived at Ridgecrest it was about 10am (7am our time). Basically we entered our apartment and I slept for a good hour and a half while Addison played with everything from the suitcases and Mike took a shower. After this Mike took Addie on a walk trough Ridgecrest to explore. When I got up we decided to drive to eat somewhere and then go to Walmart to get some breakfast foods. We ended up at Sonic, which was pretty good and then off to the Walmart Super Center. It was one of the nicest Walmart’s I’ve ever been to. When we got back to the apartment we all took about a two hour nap, which was super nice. After this we got up and drove into Asheville and ate dinner at Mellow Mushroom. We went to one of these in Tennessee and absolutely loved it. This one was good, but a little different. The food was still good, but we had a strange lady come up to us during dinner and she stood extremely close to Mike and asked if we had bifocals and then preceded to say she knew it sounded weird and kind of slurred her words. I think she wasn’t quite all there. It was just sort of awkward more than anything. After dinner we walked around downtown Asheville a little bit and we were able to enjoy the beauty of the buildings mixed with the hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We drove near the Biltmore Estate (it’s the biggest house in the US with about 250 room, I believe) but we didn’t go onto the grounds because it costs way too much for us. After driving around Asheville and then back through Swannanoa and Black Mountain we came back and skyped with my parents and watched some fireflies. It was pretty cool and I tried taking some video of them, but it’s hard to tell when they’re on the screen.

Day Two:
This morning Addie and I woke up at about 10am which was a very nice night of sleep for both of us. We got ready (making sure to put lots of sunscreen on) and Mike came back from a meeting and then off we went to have some BBQ at a place called Okie Dokie’s Smokehouse. It was pretty good, not the best I’ve ever had, but still tasty. We came back to the camp and Mike greeted the youth pastors at registration. In case some of you are wondering what we are doing in North Carolina I’ll tell you. Mike is a consultant for Lifeway Christian Resources (they basically put out church curriculum) and for the last few years he has been asked to come to their main conference centers and train the youth pastors of the students who come to camp. While the students are in specialized tracks, which is anything from hiking to arts and crafts, Mike will be able to hang out and train youth leaders and volunteers from the over 60 churches that are here this year. There is about 1600 students at camp this week. One of the largest I’ve ever heard of and that they’ve had so far this summer (we’re at week 3)!! Is is a greta opportunity for Mike and a wonderful opportunity for us as a family to travel to a state we haven’t been to before. Also, I have to pay for my flight and this is the last time we can fly before Addie turns 2 and we have to pay for a seat on the plane. Tonight we will eat dinner in the cafeteria here with a whole lot of southern teenagers.It should be fun and tomorrow we may go to the Arboretum in Asheville so, I’ll keep you posted. We don’t have internet in our apartment here so I have to write this when I’m in one of the many other buildings. I also forgot my cable for the camera back in the apartment so I will have to post pictures and video stuff tomorrow. So sorry! More to come tomorrow.

Vacation's Coming Soon...

2010-05-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

In a few weeks we leave for North Carolina... this will be our first time to this state. It should be a fun experience. Mike will be teaching at a conference. (He isn't the main speaker he's just doing some training for the youth pastors.) I'm looking forward to being there and exploring a new place. I love researching the places I'm going to and then seeing the sights when I get there so that should be fun. I'm looking forward to having a little bit of down time (as much as you can with an almost 2 year old) away from home.
What I'm not looking forward to is the three weeks leading up to the trip when I have to pack for myself, Addie and some for Mike. I also have to figure out what types of snacks to bring (if I have time to get some there), make sure everything is taken care of when we're gone and make sure I don't leave the house a mess only to come home to a mess that I won't want to clean up. The last thing I'm not looking forward to is the red eye flight we will be taking. We leave LAX at 10:30pm on the 19th and arrive in Charlotte, NC at 6:00am on the 20th, only to have to drive two hours to Ridgecrest. It will be a looooooong day!
I know I sound like I'm complaining and maybe I am a little, but when all is said and done I am going to try and enjoy this last plane trip as a family, at least for a little while, because Addie will be two years old soon and we will have to pay for a full price ticket. I love my kid, but I am not paying $300 for a flight where she takes up less room then some people's carry-ons. :-)

I'll be back to write again about what happens on our trip!

I know, I know...

2010-05-09T17:07:00.001-07:00

It has been way too long since I've been a consistent blogger (if I ever was), but I just thought I would post something today with it being Mother's Day and with myself having a little bit of extra time to do such things, such as write a blog! It has been a very nice and relaxing weekend. Friday night we went to a play at King High School (Ashley Setzler's last one of high school) and yesterday we cleaned up in the morning, but we were able to go to lunch with Mike's mom and grandma and relax after that. Today I was blessed to be able to have time this morning with my mom, Mike's mom, Mike's grandma and my sweet little Addison (the reason I get to celebrate this day)! Below is a picture of Addie and I on Mother's Day this year and last year. What a difference a year makes! Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there! :-)

A Few Lists...

2010-03-02T21:03:00.000-08:00

Lately I keep finding lists of stuff I want to do. The first list goal I have is to see all the National Historic Landmarks in California. There are 138 and I have been to 9! I think I have a few more to see. :-)

The next list is the Top 25 Restaurants in Riverside. I have been to 6 of the 25, but a lot of them are on the upper end of my budget, so we'll see how fast I can get through these ones!

The third and final list is 101 Things to Do in Riverside. Out of 101 I have done 20. Still a long way to go! What's funny about this one is that I have never been to the Riverside Art Museum (it's on the list), but I have had art "hanging" there. When I was in fifth grade we had to draw a nature picture with pastels and mine was picked along with others from the elementary schools in Riverside to hang in the museum for a limited time! Kind of cool, but we never went and saw it, so I still ahven't been there. Someday! It's on my list now! :-) One of the other items on this list is the CBU Theater Department. I counted as having done that since I sort of feel like I lived in the theater while I attended CBU!

All this to say I'm eager to get started on all these lists. Overall there is 264 things to do on my lists! That's a bit overwhelming, but I think I can do it!!

My Beautiful Daughter...

2010-01-25T15:39:00.000-08:00

Addie just turned 18 Months on Saturday! She is one little comedienne. She is super sweet and is learning new words everyday. She always has something funny that she is doing. Yesterday I took her with me to my Bible Study because she was sick and I didn't want her to infect the other preschoolers. She decided at the end that she would get down on all fours and kick her leg up behind her like a donkey. Very funny and very distracting, but she's so cute so it was okay. :-) We went to her 18 Month check-up today and she received two shots (HIB and H1N1). She also had to have some blood drawn. She did fairly well. The doctor said this is a hard appointment because they just don't want anything to do with the doctors. That was certainly true for Addie. She did say bye, bye and blow kisses to the Dr. when she left. She is 25.6 pounds and she is 33 1/2 inches long. Soooo tall! I think she is taller than I was at her age. She says lots of words, her favorites being: Cheese, Juice, Mama, Dad, Bye Bye, Choo Choo, Night Night, Uh-Oh, Gapa (Grandpa) and she can say lots of animal sounds which include a snake, a cow, a dog, a duck and a sheep! She likes to talk to us a lot in her own little language and she LOVES reading books. She is finally sitting somewhat still while I read her books. We have to go fast, but at least we get through it. Addie also loves to sing the alphabet (sort of) and she likes to count. She prefers the number two, but she sometimes counts along with us. She also LOVES to dance as you can see in the video I will post later. The last 18 months have gone by fast and slow and Addie has grown so much. I'm definitely looking forward to the crazy antics my beautiful little girl will bring to us in 2010!!

MOPS...

2009-09-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

Today began a new year of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). For those who don't know it is a program designed for women who are moms to preschool age children. There is also a program for the kids going on at the same time. It is such a wonderful outlet for mothers, especially at the beginning of motherhood when your life gets turned upside down. :-)

I have to confess that last year I was not going to join in the group because I felt a bit of pressure coming from many sides. Being the wife of a youth pastor you have eyes on you at all times, so I really wanted to be defiant and not join a ministry that I was "expected" to join. I'm so glad I didn't listen to myself and that I listened to God! MOPS has been such a blessing for me. It has helped me to forge new friendships to learn that it's okay to have mommy guilt sometimes. I've learned to be a little more laid back in the things I do. To not sweat the small stuff!! I've learned that I'm not the only mom who has days she just wishes she could have five minutes to myself. I've learned that God is in control of my life and that I can't do this "mom thing" without His help or the help of others.

All this said, I'm really excited this for this year and all the new friendships that will be formed and all the new things we will learn! It's going to be a great year "Together on Planet Mom!"

I have a deep dark secret...

2009-09-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe it's not a deep dark secret, but it is something that not many people know about me.

Okay, so here is the big reveal:

I secretly wish I was British.

I wish I lived in England and had a British accent and that Addie had a little British accent too. I LOVE London and I have been thinking more about it lately. It's been two years since I've been there and I think I left a little piece of my heart there. I just love the people, the atmosphere, the public transportation, and the parks that are everywhere (and people use them). I know that I eventually will go back there, but until then I will just keep "secretly" wishing I was British. Cheerio!!

Amazing Website...

2009-09-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

This is such a great website out there for all you moms. I love it and they have really great deals!!

Not so good at this whole blog thing anymore...

2009-09-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

It seems like I go a really long time between each blog and I shouldn't because I always have a lot to say. :-) It has been an extremely busy summer! Every other week had something going on. The fall slows down a little, but the first part still looks to be fairly busy. We were lucky enough to have two "vacations" this summer. The first you saw was in Glorietta, New Mexico. It was sort of work for Mike, but still a good time of getting away. A week ago we were able to take a nice week long vacation. We started it out in Fresno visiting Mike's family. It was super nice to get away and not have to worry about our routine or anything with church. We came back on Wednesday and we hung out at home on Thursday and went to a Luau at Mike's grandma's senior living facility. It was very nice and the food was pretty good. Addie loved the rice!! On Friday we drove to Redondo Beach and went to a place called Seaside Lagoon. It was a place I used to go to when I was younger and it was fun to take Addie. We also drove around where I used to live and saw my old house I grew up in and my church I grew up at. Both have changed a whole lot! On Saturday we hung out at home and went to the Farmer's Market and Trader Joe's. All in all vacation was pretty relaxing and I wish we could have it everyday. I guess then it wouldn't be vacation! In a few weeks we will go on our final vacation of this year. (I promise we don't usually travel this much.) We will be traveling to Nashville, TN (my first time) where Mike will be teaching at a confernce or youth workers at Lifeway. After this we will then head out to Denver, CO to visit Mike's family and one of my roommates from college and her family. It should be a lot of fun and I will try to post pictures from that trip.

I'm praying that this fall will be a wonderful time of connecting with old friends, making new ones, strengthing current friendships and for Mike and I to take time to grow our marriage. I know that God can do amazing things and He has already shown me how powerful He is. I pray that I can learn to rely on God more and trust in His plan for my life. We can't do it on our own and I am learning that more and more each day!

One Year Ago Today

2009-07-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

My baby was born a year ago today! It is hard to believe that Addison is one already! Most moments have gone by quickly, but some of it slowly!

Here is a picture of Addie and I last year:
Here is a pic of Addie and I this morning:

A year has sure made a difference... both Addie and I have thinned out a little. :-) I don't know what this next year brings, but I'm sure it will be filled with lots of joy because of this little girl!

Happy Birthday, Addison Rose!

Addie's Message...

2009-07-04T20:32:00.001-07:00

New Mexico... Our Last Day...

2009-07-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

On our last day we decided to drive through Santa Fe one last time on our way down to Albuquerque. We drove through the town and past the capital building. When we got to Albuquerque we wanted to eat at this place called Top Dog, but it was closed, so we ate at a place called Whataburger. It was pretty good. After this we went to Old Town Albuquerque and "shopped" around a little. I bought an anklet made by a Navajo lady and I also bought a little bracelet for Addie. It's the perfect size and so cute! We then drove over to the aquarium and botanic gardens. The aquarium was okay. Addie loved the jellyfish. The botanic gardens was great and had this little area especially for kids. Addie was pretty indifferent to it, but I think she enjoyed it a little. When we were done we drove over to a Mexican Market to find some Hatch Chiles for Mike's dad. We were not successful, but we tried. Our trip home was pretty good until we were on the plane from Phoenix to Ontario. We accidentally sat in the wrong seats. We were supposed to sit in 20 B & C and we sat in A & B. It wouldn't have been that bad but the flight attendant (man) was very rude about it. Our seat buddy was totally cool with it and very nice. He said he would elbow the flight attendant the next time he walked by. He didn't, don't worry. We also had super bad turbulence on the flight which made it worse. Overall, our flying experience was great with Addison. She slept on the last leg home. We are going to Tennessee and Colorado in September, so hopefully Addie does just as good. Enjoy all the final pics!

This is the state capital building in Santa Fe.

Mike enjoying his whataburger!

Little Cowboy Mikey!

A beautiful old church in old town Albuquerque... it still has services and is over 200 years old.

In front of the plaza

In the aquarium looking at the Stingray's! Addie was pretty fascinated.

The shark was pretty cool and has a whole lot of teeth!

In the fairytale garden sitting on the ant!

Going down the tunnel slide! Soooo fun and sloooow!

Inside the large pumpkin

Inside the beautiful ceremonial garden

Flying away from New Mexico and the Rio Grande.

Glorieta: Day Four & Five

2009-07-04T16:55:00.001-07:00

I'm sorry I slacked on giving you an update everyday. I got lazy and didn't want to upload pictures so I didn't think you wanted a blog without pictures.

Day Four (Wednesday):
This was an extremely lazy day for us. Addie took two naps because the night before she slept horrible. She woke up off and on between 1 and 4. Not fun. We pretty much stayed inside and went for a walk to the little snack shop and the chapel. Here are a few pics of Addie throughout the day and the one Mike took of the "sunset". He sort of got out there too late to get a real colorful one.

Day Five (Thursday):
This was our last full day in Glorieta. We tried to make the most of it by going on lots of walks and taking lots of pictures. I was able to take some time in the morning to walk out to the prayer garden and spend some much needed time alone with God. It was really good! We did take a little drive to a place nearby called El Dorado at Santa Fe. We stood in line at a Subway for almost about 30-35 minutes. There was one teenage guy behind the counter doing everything and he was going super slow. That was about all we did, so enjoy the pictures of our last day at Glorieta.

The beautiful prayer garden!

I told Addie to lean back on daddy... this is what she did.

Our final sunset in Glorieta!

Glorieta: Day Three

2009-06-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

Today was another beautiful day in Glorieta. I really wanted to stay asleep in bed, but with an 11 Month Old that is highly unlikely. Addie and I caught the last half of Mike teaching the Bible Study with the leaders this morning. He did a great job! After this we walked around the lake and took some pictures while waiting for lunch to start. We had lunch at the camp again and today it was lasagna... not too bad. After this Addie and I went back to the room and napped. It rained for a good 10 minutes while we were inside. When Mike came back we got in the car and headed for Pecos National Historical Park. We were able to "hike" around and see an old Indian Pueblo. It was pretty cool to be able to see where the Pecos people lived many years ago. After this we drove down to a place called Bobcat Bite to have some burgers. They were pretty delicious and I ate all 10 ounces of mine! We were able to stay for the entire speaking time in the chapel tonight. It was great. The speaker does an amazing job of communicating his point to the students and the adults. Tomorrow is another day so I'm sure I will have more to tell! :-)

I turned around in the bathroom and couldn't find Addie anywhere... this is where she was... in her suitcase behind the chair with her pacifier... silly girl!

The Chapel at Glorieta

Addie loved watching the ducks on the lake!

A giant Bible and cross near the Dining Hall

At the start of the trail

Beautiful Cactus?

Going down into a ceremonial place (Kiva)... I conquered many fears with this... sort of!

Inside the Kiva... Mike took this I didn't go all the way down.

The Mission... the only building still really there.

Yes, it's as small as it looks!

Another beautiful sunset to finish out the day!

Glorieta: Day Two

2009-06-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

Today it was our first full day in Glorieta. Mike got up early to go to a meeting for the Fuge staff. I "slept" in until 7:30am which would actually be 6:30 California time. Addie and I got ready and while Mike was teaching his track we walked around. We went and saw the lake and walked around the building called New Mexico Hall. After this we walked with Mike down by the lake and over to the Dining Hall for lunch. I don't know what I was expecting but it was pretty much your typical camp food... corn dogs, hot dogs, beans, broccoli and a cookie. The cookie was good and that is all I have to say. While Mike taught his afternoon tracks Addie and I both napped. I don't really like to nap, but my body told me I needed one. When Mike was finished we drove into Santa Fe and ate at a place called The Shed. It was pretty good food... sort of a southwest Mexican restaurant is how I would describe it. My tacos had the chicken underneath them so I sort of had to eat it with a fork and knife. We also explored a few shops and saw the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. It was very beautiful. We came back to listen to the music and the speaker at camp. I had to take Addie out for a little bit since she was making a lot of talking noises, but from what I heard the speaker is a very good communicator. We took some pictures by the chapel and we were able to experience a beautiful New Mexico sunset. Enjoy the pics. More tomorrow!

My tasty dinner!

The Cathedral

On our way back to Glorieta!

My beautiful daughter

The Family

Another gorgeous sunset to complete our day!

A Promise is a Promise...

2009-06-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

I said I would try updating you on my trip to Glorieta, NM so here goes:

Day One: Travel Day

We left after church this morning for the airport. We had a flight from Ontario to Phoenix and then Phoenix to Albuquerque. Once in Albuquerque we had about an hour drive to Glorieta, NM which is just outside Santa Fe. The conference center is beautiful from what I could see when we drove in, but it was just getting dark. By the way, Addison did amazing on both flights. She slept the entire second flight. I have a few pictures from throughout the day so I hope you enjoy. I'm sure there will be much more to tell tomorrow when we will have had a whole day to explore.

The first flight... doing good so far!

In the Phoenix Airport with daddy!

The mountains in Albuquerque... beautiful!

The sunset in Glorieta... this picture does no justice to it.

Addie and daddy playing on the King size bed! Soooo fun!!

I'm Back!!

2009-06-22T16:00:00.001-07:00

Okay, after a long time not updating my blog I'm going to try and be better at updating. The last few months have been a bit hard for me personally, but I know that each day is getting better and writing on my blog should help. :)

Our lives have been crazy lately.... we moved into a new house that we bought, my sister graduated from high school, my niece Lyla was born, Addie started swim lessons and this next week we are taking our first family airplane trip to New Mexico. I'm going to try and update you everyday from New Mexico next week. I think we will have internet access so it shouldn't be too hard.

Life has been crazy, but I'm hoping that things will slow down a little after our crazy summer! Enjoy the pics from the last few months.

A New Post...

2009-05-08T15:50:00.000-07:00

I just posted a new blog on Addie's site: addisonrose.wordpress.com. I truly promise I will update you with a nice long blog soon. :-)

It has been FOREVER....

2009-03-30T19:38:00.001-07:00

Life has been pretty busy lately. We moved into our new home about a month ago and I've been trying to get things unpacked and organized. It is quite a slow process, but things are slowly coming together. I thought I would post a few recent pictures of Addison. She is 8 months old now and is growing like crazy. We went to the doctor today because she was sick and she weighs 19 pounds. She probably weighed more, but I think she's lost a little bit from being sick. I'll try to post some pictures of Easter and our new home soon, but I'm on my own next week cuz Mike's gonna be in Mexico with our high school students.

Enjoy the pics!!

This is right before Valentine's Day!!!

In our new home!

St. Patrick's Day!

Sitting up so nicely!

At Tricia and Barry's Wedding!
(Our attempt at a nice moment, not so much for Addie)

We're buying a house...

2009-02-26T10:01:00.000-08:00

For the last few months Mike and I have been in the process of buying a house. Escrow was suppose to close on Monday but it will not close until this coming Tuesday. Here are some things I have learned in our home buying process:

If a realtor says they are available 24/7 don't believe them, they have a life outside of real estate. But if you tell me this as a realtor please don't show up late or not call back for a day after leaving a message or call back after not having listened to the message. Seriously.

If you receive a gift of money from someone tell them to give it to you in cash because if it's any other way they have to track about 8,000 trails of paperwork and it takes forever.

Buying fairly brand new is better than buying old with character unless you have a million hours to fix it up. (No Wood Streets for me)

Living in one room as a family for a month is hard and results in little to no sleep for me and Mike, not Addie.

Mike and I have very different tastes in paint colors and design, which we already knew, but now we really have to compromise.

Having all your stuff in storage results in wearing the same five outfits week after week.

God provides even in the moments when you feel like you may be overextending yourself.

When I am in my new home I will post some pictures! Until them my life may be super busy and I won't have a lot of time to post, but what else is new!? :-)

Vote for my daughter...

2009-01-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know this is purely selfish on my part, but I entered a photo of Addie in this Great American Baby Photo Contest. Each month they give away $2500 to the baby picture with the most votes. Not a bad deal. The only thing is that Addie's picture needs your votes in order to win. So, if you read my blog and would love to vote for our cute little Addison that would be awesome. With all that said, we would love to have your vote. I also believe you can have one vote each day. You can click on the link below and it will take you right to the voting page. Thanks!!

https://www.greatamericanphotocontest.com/voter1/index.aspx?referid=EmailFriends&p=1010348&x=.jpg

A New Post...

2009-01-04T19:27:00.000-08:00

I posted an update on Addison here and I will be coming soon with a new update on this blog when I get a chance. Have a Wonderful New Year!

The Last Minute Holiday Shopper...

2008-12-22T16:06:00.000-08:00

Every year during the holidays I make it a point to finish my Christmas shopping a week before Christmas. This year, not so much. My dad always waits until almost the last minute to do his shopping which would drive me nuts, but it's totally a "tradition" for him. This year even he's finished with his shopping before me. :-)

I have actually attempted three times to go out and finish my shopping. The first time I planned on going, but then I decided I was too tired and it was too rainy. I would have had to bundle myself and Addie up and get in and out of the car at multiple stores and that just takes too much effort. The second time was on Saturday. I was going to go in the afternoon, but them our Realtor called and was going to show us some houses, but that turned into a few hours of waiting for him to get back to us. Needless to say, we did not look at any houses and I did not get any shopping done. The third attempt was this afternoon. I picked up Mike at work to go to lunch together. We had a lovely lunch at Farmer Boys and then I dropped him off at the Honda dealership to pick up our other car. As I was driving towards our lovely mall I relaized I did not have the stroller because it is in back of the car I usually drive... the Honda... in the shop... not ready for me to drive yet. So sad.

My next attempt is tonight when Mike can watch Addie andI can get the shopping done a little bit quicker. If not, Mike may not be receiving and gifts until after Christmas.

Merry Christmas from our Family...

2008-12-16T16:32:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Laundry...

2008-12-11T10:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it was definitely time for me to do some laundry. I dread folding it, so this is what it looked like at the end of the day.

Before

After

Such a great face...

2008-12-09T13:15:00.001-08:00

A Thanksgiving Post...

2008-12-09T11:46:00.000-08:00

I have been super busy the last few weeks and forgot to post some pictures from Thanksgiving. I only have two pics form that day for some reason. The first one is Addie and me and Mike's cousin Kate and her daughter Alexis. Alexis was born exactly one week before Addison. The second picture is Addie helping me look at coupons for Black Friday! Enjoy!

Addie Speaks...

2008-11-19T19:02:00.001-08:00

Well, maybe not words, but she sure has something to say. You can check it out here.

Going Green...

2008-11-19T11:48:00.001-08:00

A few days ago Mike and I were talking about how we need to do a better job of "going green". For the past year I have been doing a few things to go green. I have switched over to environmentally safe cleaning products. We have reusable bags for Trader Joe's. I have been buying organic milk and I try to get other organic groceries. Our local Ralph's is a Fresh Faire Ralph's which means they have a lot of organic fruits and veggies and they buy some things locally. We also use energy saving bulbs in our house. We also recycle most of our stuff. I know we can do better and we are getting there. I am slowly switching to organic make-up, but since I don't wear it that often it is a slow process. Bare Minerals is a good brand. Anything that is a mineral powder is good. I am also heavily thinking about changing to g-diapers for Addison. I just have to figure out with the amount of diapers she goes through if we can do it financially.

I think it is important that we take care of the environment that God has put us to live in. HE wants us to take care of the environment. No matter if you think there is global warming or not we need to take care of this planet so that our kids (and us) don't have to live in a mess now and in the future.

Live from New York...

2008-11-18T14:41:00.000-08:00

It's Saturday Night! If you know me you know that I love Saturday Night Live. Sometimes it a little too gross for me, but I have loved it when Justin Timberlake has hosted. I was just talking with someone about it on Sunday (I had not watched this last weeks episode yet) and told them one of my favorite sketches was "Bring it on down to Omletville." I also thouroghly enjoy "The Barry Gibb Talk Show." After having this conversation I watched Saturday's episode and this was the best I've seen on Weekend Update in a long time. For your own viewing pleasure:

My Favorite Reality Show...

2008-11-12T13:55:00.000-08:00

The Amazing Race. I LOVE it! It is possibly my favorite show of all time. Although it's a race (no pun intended) between that and The Office. To move on and the reason for writing this post is that I have a goal to be on this show. I have never had a desire to be on any other reality show. It combines two things I love... travel and competitiveness and possibly a third... running. Now you may be wondering who I would run this race with. I'm sure you're thinking that Mike and I would be absolutely wonderful running this race together. Not a chance. I would probably get so frustrated with him it would not be pretty. Don't get me wrong I love my husband a ton and I think he is the most amazing guy, I just don't think we would work well on the race together. Next, if you know me, you might think I would take my mom. Nope. Again, love her a lot but I think we would just stress each other out.

My choice is my dad. My dad and I are a lot alike and he is super fit and athletic for being a man over 50. (If you read this dad, I love you!) Now, I like to think I am athletic, so I think that would be a bonus for our team. We would definitely be able to beat someone in a foot race. I have traveled internationally so I sort of know what that looks like. My dad has not. My dad will pretty much do anything unless he feels that it is going to harm him or his family. He's not afraid of heights and I am. He doesn't really like to eat weird things but I do. So, overall I think we would balance each other out. I've even asked my dad about it and he said he would do it with me. The only problem we have now is having an angle to actually get on the race. We could pull the whole, "My dad was gone working a lot when I was little and I never got to spend time with him and this is a chance for us to get to know each other." The only problem with that is my dad did work a lot when I was little, but I think we know each other pretty well. So who knows I guess we can just apply and see what happens. I guess I better go and start working out. :-)

This is the most recent picture of my dad and I and it's over a year old. So sad. My hair is cute though. :-)

What a Cutie...

2008-11-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

Addie has grown so much in the last two months. The top picture is Addie when she was a month old and the bottom one is her at three months. You can check out more cute pics here.

Today...

2008-11-04T10:07:00.000-08:00

did you?

Decision '08...

2008-10-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading up on all the propositions and I think I have finally decided on my votes for all those. My final decision for president has not been made yet. I know where I am leaning towards, but I feel as though I need to look up some other issues and views this person has in order to make my final decision. I'm not someone who likes to share their political views, but I just thought I would let you know where I'm at. I may let you in on who I vote for if I feel like I can make a good enough argument to defend my choice. :-)

Pumpkin Patch...

2008-10-28T09:53:00.001-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch on Friday with my mom. The pumpkin patch at Live Oak Canyon next to the 10 Freeway is super awesome. They have u-pick pumpkin fields, pumpkins that are already picked that you can choose, horse rides/petting zoo, a corn maze, bounce houses (not my favorite), ATV rides, hay rides, and a hay castle. It just feels like fall when you go there. I bought Addie a tiny pumpkin and I got another small pumpkin for our house. Next year will be lot's of fun and Addie will be able to pick out her own pumpkin. Enjoy the pictures!

If you want an update on Addie you can click here.

Burning Ring of Fire...

2008-10-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked my first call to 911 and hopefully my last call. At about 4:45 yesterday afternoon I turned on my oven to preheat it for our dinner. When I saw that the oven was ready for the food I walked over to it and saw flames inside. I opened it up and looked to see that some oil that had spilled (from a previous dinner) was on fire. The flames weren't horribly big so I thought that maybe I could blow on them (I know I'm dumb... I was fanning the flame). This obviously made them bigger and I closed the oven. The flames went down a bit because of the lack of oxygen, but I thought I better call 911 to have the fire department come out and check on it. The 911 operator was very nice and stayed on the phone with me until the fire trucks arrived. He was very nice and we carried on some polite conversation. The fire trucks arrived a few minutes later. First a smaller "pickup" size truck came down, then the big fire truck and then on the main street next to mine was another one. They told the third one to leave when the saw my entire house was not burning down. My first initial thought when they arrived was that my house was messy and I looked like a mess. :-) They went in and I guess put it out. I didn't see since I was in the front room with Addie. They brought out a fan and some fire deodorizing spray and were gone within 20 minutes.

I am very grateful to the Riverside Fire Department. They were very nice and super cool about everything. Needless to say, I going out today and buying a small fire extinguisher. Oh yeah... and I'm scrubbing out my oven. :-)

Today is my Birthday...

2008-10-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

28 years ago today my mom gave birth to me. Thank you mom for going through labor. I now have a better understanding of what hard work that is. :-) Last year around this time I made a list of 27 things to do before I turned 27. Here is that list and what I did and did not accomplish:

1. Read 27 Books (Fiction & Non Fiction)
I'm pretty sure I met this goal. I forgot to count. But I did finally finish Blue Like Jazz. I really liked it a lot and now I am making a goal to read a book I got at Christmas last year by Donald Miller called Through Painted Deserts.
2. Be a better leader
I'm working on this everyday, I hope that I have been able to lead students in a better way
3. Visit at least one new state
This one was shot down when I got pregnant
4. Run a half marathon
Same as above.
5. Write an article for a youth journal or something similar
I have many thoughts but nothing yet on paper
6. Write at least 10 scripts for youth ministry
I think I wrote one and I have this other idea that keeps floating around in my head and it's actually a musical of sorts.
7. Take at least 4 more graphic design classes
I have taken 1 and a half (I had to go on modified bed rest during my spring class). I will begin taking classes again this Spring
8. Work out three times a week
I was until I went on modified bed rest during my pregnancy
9. Play the keyboard/piano more
I don't think I played once this year.
10. Finish my wedding and college scrapbooks
Nope, but I did start on my London scrapbook.
11. Be an awesome wife
I strive to do this one everyday. Some days are good, some days are not so good. :-)
12. Buy my first house
Possibly starting this process soon.
13. Take a cooking class
Nope
14. Start a discipleship group with teenage girls
Nope
15. Buy a Mac computer
Nope
16. Be an awesome aunt
Trying.. I don't get to see my nephew that often though... so sad. 17. See a TV show taping in L.A.
Nope
18. Go back to London
Nope, not this year, maybe next year.
19. Go camping
Nope
20. Go on a week long vacation with my husband
Went on vacation to San Diego, not a week long but it was still nice.
21. Start designing stuff for people & churches
Nope
22. Eat healthier
Pregnancy helped this. Having my daughter did not. I'd say I did good about 3/4 of the year
23. Volunteer somewhere other than at church
Nope, but I would like to do this when Addie gets a little older and I can leave her for a little longer
24. Connect better with friends
Somewhat... I'm not the best friend. I'm super forgetful and a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to calling and emailing people back
25. Work on being less stressed
I think I did the best with this... I still get stressed about things, but I think I am doing better everyday
26. Ride Space Mountain at Disneyland
Pregnancy kind of shot this one down too.
27. Be more faithful in my quiet times with God
I did well with this until I had a baby... now I need to make more of an effort to find time to spend with God.

Overall, I didn't meet many of my goals from last year so I am not making a list for this next year. I am going to try to accomplish some goals without writing them down. I did have a baby thoguh and that was a long term goal so I think that can take over and count for like half of the goals I made last year. :-)

Brilliant Bows...

2008-10-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

I have tried to put bows and headbands in Addie's hair from day one. At first all I had were some headbands from Target, but then I was introduced to Brilliant Bows. A girl I went to college with started this business and I love that she did. Thanks to someone giving us a gift certificate to the website we now have a whole lot more bows. If you have a daughter or know someone who does and they like to wear bows in their hair check out this website. They have all different types of bows and they are specially designed to fit either an infant or toddler. They are also great for infant girls who don't have much hair. She made sure of that. Check it out!

Addie loves wearing her bows:

My daughter likes shoes like her mom...

2008-09-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

Some Addie Pics...

2008-09-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

There is an update and some pics on Addie's website. Non-Addie post coming soon.

Addie...

2008-09-16T14:15:00.000-07:00

To get an update on Addison you can go here.

If I had been born just a little earlier...

2008-09-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

There is this website circulating around the internet right now called Yearbook Yourself. You should go check it out. This is what I would have looked like if I had graduated in 1974, which is when my parents did. I am putting a picture of me and then my mom in 1974 up and you can see the eerie resemblance. Well at least the hair. :-)

Sorry mom to post your picture. I think you look pretty though.

God Loves You...

2008-09-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

God loves us no matter what, but how come we can't always wrap our brains around this? If you are a parent you love your child no matter what they do. Right? God loves us the same way, yet I think we just get into the daily routine of life and forget this (I know I'm generalizing and this isn't everyone). God loves us in a completely unconditional way. This means under any circumstance that we may encounter he loves us. This means that no matter how much we think we've sinned he still loves us. I try communicating this to my students all the time: No matter what you do God will always love you even if you feel like you have the crappiest life and it seems like no one is there. I write this because I know that there is a lot of hurting people out there and a lot of people who think they have to do it on their own.

So... remember today when you think you are all alone or you may have done something stupid that God loves you for who you are, flaws and all.

Check It Out...

2008-09-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

My friend Sarah just started a blog. She's a pretty awesome person and amazing youth worker. Go check it out!

A Video

2008-08-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

I figured out how to post videos on youtube and below is my first Addison video. I know I have now officially entered the mommy world when you can hear me talking in a higher pitched voice than usual on the video.

I hope you enjoyed this little video. I'm sure there are a lot more to come.

Some New Pics...

2008-08-28T15:34:00.000-07:00

I have a few moments while my daughter is happily sitting in her bouncer to post a few new pictures of Addison. She is now 5 weeks old and still doesn't have her nights and days figured out, but hopefully she will figure it out soon. Enjoy the pics...

Introducing Addison Rose Lovato...

2008-08-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

We Did It!

2008-07-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

Addie has finally arrived! She came into this world on Wednesday, July 23rd at 5:28am. She was 20 inches long and 9 pounds 13 ounces. If you would like to see pictures of her you can check out her blog here.

Once I get the hang of this parenting thing :-) I will post more blogs.

I've got hobbit feet and I'm ready for some action...

2008-07-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

My feet are pretty much swollen all the time right now unless I don't walk on them all day. When I do elevate my feet though the swelling goes down pretty much to nothing. I'm hoping that Addie will come any day now (actually any minute would be even better).

People keep telling me that "the first one always comes late." Not true. I came a week early and I was the first one. None of my moms kids came late. I'm pretty much set out to prove all those people wrong so I'm hoping this girl gets here within the next week. Even the nurses at my NST appointment saw that I was scheduled to come in this morning and they said they actually checked to see if I'd already had the baby. One of the nurses said that I've been coming in so long that she thought surely by now I've popped this baby out. Obviously not the case when they saw me.

I will be 39 weeks on Monday. Pregnancy is sooooo long the last few weeks.

In my family both my sister and I are born on our grandma and grandpas birthdays, my brothers birthday is the day before my other grandmas birthday. So, my moms birthday is Tuesday. I 'm thinking that Addie is just waiting to come out and share her birthday with her grandma.

Let's just hope she comes out soon, like tonight... or maybe tomorrow... because tonight would be too quick and I'm gonna need that epidural!

Kaiser must think I'm a single mom...

2008-07-11T17:36:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday night I had signed up for a class at Kaiser. This class was all about teaching you to breastfeed your baby (sorry for the explicitness) :-) ! Mike and I had decided a while ago that he didn't need to come, after all he's not going to be the one feeding the baby so what would he really need to know. Apparently I didn't get the memo that said you should bring your husband because out of the 15 people that were there I was the only one without a significant other. It's a bit awkward to simulate feeding a baby with 7 other men in the room. (This coming from me and I'm not super shy about things). The nurse kept shooting me these sad looks every time she would say something about your spouse bringing you the baby at night, etc. I thought it was a little bit rude, but mostly funny. One of the other nurses had to be my partner to show me what it will be like when my spouse hands me the baby at night. This nurse preceded to ask me if my husband wasn't here because he was working. I said that he sort of was (he was supposed to be working on his message for Wednesday night). I told her he was a pastor and working on his message and she asked me, "Wow! How did you snag a minister?" I was a little caught off guard and told her we just happened to meet in college. After this we didn't talk again, so I didn't have to explain anything more to her. Overall, the class was pretty informative, but it's a bit hard to simulate feeding a doll as opposed to a baby that actually moves. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully soon! :-)

A website for our daughter...

2008-07-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

I set up a blog to post pictures of Addie and to update people on her life once she arrives. You can check it out here. Enjoy!

Any day now...

2008-07-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

Addison has three more weeks till she is supposed to arrive but I'm okay with her coming any day now. Everything is pretty much as ready as it can be for her to come. I'm excited for her to get here so we can see what she looks like. Above are some pictures of her room. All we have left is to get a mattress, but she won't need that for another month or so. All my tests have been looking good, so we just have to wait and see how everything goes when she finally gets here. Thank you for all you prayers and encouragement during this time. We truly appreciate it!

An Update on Addison Rose...

2008-06-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for those who read my blog that I haven't updated in a while. It's been a crazy few weeks. I have seven more weeks to go and everything aches. My back, my belly, my feet, my back, my sides. Did I mention my back? :-) I have to go in twice a week for non stress tests and every two weeks to a special doctor. They found some extra fluid by Addie's heart, so please be praying that she comes out healthy. The one great thing about going to the "special" doctor every two weeks is that we get to have new ultrasound pics of our daughter all the time. I'll post them below so you can see how cool they are and they also did those creepy 3D pics, but ours look pretty awesome and we didn't have to pay any money for them.

Our Baby is a Cutie...

2008-05-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

I had to have another ultrasound today, which resulted in us getting to see more pictures of Addie. I will post them below. I would ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers because I have a few more tests and a doctor's appointment this week. I'll try writing a post to update you next week on everything that has gone on this week.

And now for the fun stuff:

This was cute because we got to see her little tongue moving. I'm glad to know that my kid has a tongue so she can eat and talk. Her face is turned to the side looking out at everyone. Her mouth and tongue are down by her arm.

This is the fae looking at us again. The large black area is her brain area.

This is a profile of her. That would be her foot. sticking up not what you may think. She is definitely a girl, but I decided I wouldn't expose her this time since her anatomy is much more defined. :-)

This was the most awesome pic which if you can't tell one of her feet.

She is already 3.5 pounds, which in all the books I read it says she should be around 2.5 or 2.7 pounds at 29 weeks. Either I'm further along or she's super big. We'll know more tomorrow. Once again, thanks for all your prayers during this time. They are very much appreciated.

2.5 Months to Go...

2008-05-10T14:51:00.000-07:00

I am sooooo ready to have this baby. I am still on "modified bed rest" so my life hasn't been particularly interesting these last few weeks. I go on Monday to have another ultrasound to make sure with my high blood pressure and everything that Addison is growing right. I then go on Tuesday to see my midwife and hopefully everything goes well with her and all my blood work. Above are some of my seventh month pictures. Hope you enjoy!!

My Weekend...

2008-04-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

My weekend was not a very exciting one but had a little more action than my week. My wonderful husband was gone at a retreat this weekend.

This is my husband after Mexico with the "lovely" beard he grew while down there.

.I had to have blood drawn on Thursday and this is what my arm looks like:

I think it was the lab techs first time becasue it took her forever to draw two viles of blood and she pinched my arm when pulling the needle out. Not to mention the lovely bruise she left for me. I have never bruised while giving blood before and I had to give five viles one time and it probably took the lady no more than a minute to take all that. It took this lady about two minutes. Oh well.

On Friday I hung out on my couch and my mom and sister brought me dinner. Then on Saturday my whole family (mom, dad, bro, sis) came over and mowed the front and backyards and cleaned up our patio and pulled about a hundred weeds. It was amazing. I love my parents. Not just because they did this but because they are just so willing to do those things at anytime. They also made it easier for Mike when he comes home not to have to do that. I don't have any before pics but it was pretty bad. The side yard was so bad my dad used the weed whacker to take the grass down to a normal level. My dad also felt bad because he weed whacked an alligator lizard in half. Here are some after pics and all the bags they filled up:

They also filled up the entire green waste can. It was pretty crazy.

In the afternoon my mom took me to get a pedicure. This was extremely nice and since all I was doing was sitting down during it we figured this could count as "couch" rest.

I apologize to anyone who thinks feet are gross, but mine aren't too bad in this picture especially given that I just had a pedicure.

I spent the night at my parents house and came home this morning to sit on my couch some more. And that folks was my weekend in words and pictures.

I'm a Couch Potato...

2008-04-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning I had a regular doctors appointment. When I got to the nurses station she weighted me like they always do and took my blood pressure. I ended up having high blood pressure and I had gained about 11 pounds in three weeks. Now I know I'm supposed to gain weight during pregnancy but this seemed a bit odd. They weighted me about three times and took my blood pressure. After talking with my mid wife the end result was that they needed to take some more blood, (I had already had blood drawn before my appointment that morning.) and I had to do this thing they call a non stress test (NST). The non stress test is where they check my blood pressure and the babies blood pressure and also they check to make sure the fluids are all good. My test turned out great. Everything looked fine. My blood tests came back negative also. I was also put on couch rest. This basically means that I can go to the bathroom and that I shouldn't do any housework or stand for long periods of time. Needless to say, I have been pretty bored all week sitting on my couch.

I had to take another NST on Thursday and the nurse looked at me kind of crazy and asked why I still had to come in if all my lab results looked good. I didn't know, so she talked to my doctor and my doctor ordered one last test to see if I have high levels of protein in my urine. If this is the case I could possibly be developing hypertension in pregnancy (PIH) or preeclampsia. There are things they can do to help with these, but the best remedy is giving birth (weird, I know). It can be pretty common for women to get these things in their first pregnancies. So... from Friday morning to Saturday morning I had to collect my pee in a large jug and then drop it off at the Kaiser Lab on Saturday. It was sort of funny having to carry a large jug of pee (in a brown bag) to the lab and stand in a line for a few minutes.

I have a doctors appointment on Wednesday, so hopefully my lab results will be negative and I just had a weird moment of high blood pressure. :-)

My Husband...

2008-04-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

He comes home tomorrow! Yeah!!!! I am so excited! He has been in Mexico all week building a house with about 25 other adults and students! I don't typically get too sad when he's gone because I can usually talk to him and update him on every detail of my life at the moment. Unfortunately he has no cell service in Mexico so I can't have any discussions with him until tomorrow. I did get a message from his intern Ben who went down for a day. That was nice, but not the same as hearing Mike actually deliver it. It will be soooo nice to have him back home and spend a few days hanging out and relaxing together because I'm sure he will need it. So, tomorrow at five I will be super excited to see my husband in all his glory covered in Mexico dirt and possibly a "beard." I'll post a picture if he has a beard. :-)

Obsession with the Belly...

2008-04-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

Ever since people have found out I was pregnant they have had this obsession. The obsession is to pet my belly. I just don't understand why people want to touch it. They can't feel anything. She moves around just enough for me to feel her and even when Mike tries to feel her moving she stops. Side Note: Mike is allowed to touch the belly, but not for super long! My theory is that she doesn't like people touching my belly either, that's why she stops moving. I try holding my own hands in front of my belly so people don't touch it, but sometimes it doesn't work. They somehow sneak their hands in there.

When people ask me why I don't like it this is what I tell them:
" How would you like it if someone came up to you and started to pet your stomach area? It would be strange right? Yes, there is a baby in there, but when you touch my belly you are touching me not my baby. To me that's just a bit creepy!"

So, if you know me and you see me and you have the urge to touch my belly... please don't. I won't get mad, just a little weirded out.

We're having a...

2008-03-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

This is what we sent to family and friends to let them know what we're having(I'm sorry if we didn't send it to you, but you can see it

Yesterday we went to have an ultrasound for our baby! Here are a few pictures from our day:

We're in the parking lot!

What are we gonna have?

It's a Girl!!!

Here are some “pictures” of Addison Rose Lovato, due July 28, 2008!

This is as if you are looking straight up from underneath the baby (as if she were sitting). That’s her girl parts it’s pointing at.

This should be self explanatory.

This is the face (yes we know she looks like one of the creatures from the Mummy Returns) and her hand is at the top of her head waving at everyone!

We’ll try to keep you updated as things get closer!

Love,

Mike, Nicole & Addie

I'm finally getting into this baby thing...

2008-02-21T17:09:00.001-08:00

I have added some "exciting" features to my blog. I think I am finally getting excited about having the baby. Don't get me wrong I've been excited the whole time, but I think I'm realizing the realness of it more now! :-)

Three More Weeks...

2008-02-20T17:39:00.000-08:00

Three weeks from now I will know the sex of my baby. I know I haven't talked much about my pregnancy or really blogged much at all lately. It's been pretty busy in LovatoLand right now. We moved a week and a half ago to a new home. Yeah. We move a lot. It's what we do. Anyway, back to the whole point of this blog.

In three weeks I will get to know if I'm having a girl or a boy. I see pros and cons to both of these cases:

If it's a girl-

Cons

If my child is like I was, we could have a very "crazy" little child. I was very close to being like the girl on the exorcist!
When shes a teenager we will have to let her out of the house and talk to teenage boys. I know teenage boys, I don't want my daughter to hang around them.

Pros

I get to buy cute girl clothes for her and put cute bows and headbands in her hair
I'm a girl, so therefore I know how girls work (for the most part) mentally, phsically, emotionally and socially.

If it's a boy-

Cons

I don't want to have to deal with them when they are teenagers and start to go through puberty. I know what boys have on their brain 98% of the time!
You can't always dress them as cutesy as girls

Pros

They would probably be pretty mellow. Mike's pretty mellow and the boys on my side of the family are pretty mellow. I would like that!
I would be the only girl in the house and therefore it would be required for me to still be treated like a queen! :-)

No matter if I have a boy or a girl I will still love them! To update you on the rest of my pregnancy, here goes:

I have had no morning sickness (a bit nauseous for a few weeks back in December) and I am now in my second trimester at 17 weeks. I am barely showing. Most of the time people can't tell I'm pregnant. I'm gonna soak in the fact that I'm not huge yet because I know the day is coming. I haven't felt any movement yet. I have heard the baby's heartbeat and all is good there. The baby tends to move around a lot every time we go to the doctor. My doctor kept trying to listen to the heartbeat, but the baby kept swimming away and moving around a lot!

We are very excited about it all and will try to keep you updated more frequently!

Baby, Baby...

2008-02-14T14:05:00.000-08:00

I have set up a baby pool for people to guess what gender our baby will be, how much they will weigh, their length, etc.. Once the baby is born the website will figure out who has the best guess based on a point system. I hope you make a guess and who knows, maybe their will be a sweet prize for who has the best guess. :-) The link is below:

Chick-Fil-A...

2008-01-22T10:11:00.000-08:00

Mike and I love to go to Chick-Fil-A. I think the food is great and the restaurants are always very nice and clean and the service is friendly. The only thing I can't stand about Chick-Fil-A is the fact that they have this large cow that walks all over the restaurant while you are eating. I wouldn't mind it so much if it didn't bother me while I was eating, but it does. It is a very uncomfortable feeling to have a large cow come over and try to get your attention when you are trying to enjoy your meal. I know that it shouldn't annoy me that much and that little kids love the cow, but knowing that someone is staring at you (while you eat) from behind that cow suit is just a bit creepy to me.

Random Man and the Bat

2008-01-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

Scary (Funny) Event Numero Uno:
A few days ago I was getting ready in the morning for the day. I thought I may have heard a knock on the door, so I walked over to the door looked through the peep hole and thought I saw someone walk off to the right. I figured it was someone trying to sell something and they had given up so I went back to getting ready. A few moments later I heard something on the other side of our house. The gate is very hard to open and it scrapes against the ground. I went to our back door and noticed a man walking into our backyard with a ladder. I opened the door a crack (which apparently scared the man, because he jumped) and asked him what he was doing in my backyard.
Side Note: Now if you know me really well you know that I can be firm and a loud talker at times(to put it nicely), which is what I had to do with this man, since my heart was pounding a thousand beats a minute.
The man told me he was from AT&T and had to fix the phone line. He said he came to the door, but no one was home. I told him that obviously I was home, but he didn't wait for me to answer the door. He kept insisting that no one had been home. (I had not left my house since the night before). I told him that it was extremely rude for him and scary for me to just enter my backyard without permission and that he had to leave and come back another time. He was pretty mad at me, but I was not going to allow some random AT&T guy who didn't let me know he was going to be in my backyard come in and fix something. At least he could have left a note on the front door (He didn't, I checked)!!

Scary (Funny) Event Numero Dos:
Mike and I went to the mall on Friday and we were in Macy's riding down the escalator when all of a sudden I felt something on my head and I saw this shadow out of the right side of my eye. I flinched and then started telling Mike to get it off me. He just looked at me and started laughing because what I apparently had thought was a bat (yes ladies and gentlemen, a bat) was his finger moving hair away from my face. Mike has this thing were he thinks the hair that happens to be covering my eye at that moment is bothering me so he moves it. I know he's trying to be all sweet, but to me it's just creepy, especially when I think it's a bat. WE did have a really good laugh after it though!

Drum Roll Please...

2008-01-13T15:06:00.000-08:00

It has been many months since I last blogged. Since my last post my life has been busy and very different. We found out some exciting news this past November. Mike and I will be having a baby this coming July!! July 28th to be exact. I am just about 12 weeks along. It has been hard to keep this a secret from people, but for the most part we did pretty well. We let it leak out slowly to our friends and family and we told our high school students today (along with it getting out to the whole church by the time we left)!

I have felt absolutely great other than a little bit of a nauseous stomach the first month or two. I haven't puked once which has been great! I am not showing yet, which is okay with me because I think I may have a hard time adjusting to extra weight since I've been pretty thin my whole life.

We are very excited for this new stage of life and excited to see what God has in store for us. Below is a lovely picture of my uterus or the baby (which we call Paquito for now, until we know the sex) you decide! For those that can't read ultrasounds, the baby is the peanut shape inside the black pickle shape. The head is on the right and the rump (butt) is on the left. Enjoy!

My Weekend In Words & Pictures...

2007-11-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

This last weekend Mike and I were in Orange County. Mike was asked to speak at a retreat for students at Shoreline in Fountain Valley. On Friday we drove to Orange County early to go to Disneyland. It was a much less crowded day than on my birthday. We went on Pirates, Haunted Mansion, The Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer's Island, Indiana Jones, It's a Small World and Roger Rabbit. It was a pretty good time! Mike spoke on Friday night at the church and on Saturday afternoon and Saturday night. We drove some junior high girls around for an Amazing Race Scavenger Hunt. It was fun for us, but a disadvantage for them with two people who don't know the area. I think the still had a good time. We had church on Sunday and our student leaders came over last night for some enchiladas. Our weekend was super busy, so today we decided to relax. We did some Christmas shopping, ate some free Chick-Fil-A and saw the movie "Dan in Real Life" this afternoon. It is a very, very good movie! All in all it was a very nice weekend. Enjoy the Disneyland pictures below.

Long Time, No Blog...

2007-11-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a few since I last blogged. Here's what's happening in my life right now:

I am still plugging along in my photoshop class. I have about 6 t/2 weeks left.
I just threw a baby shower for my sister-in-law and I'm about to become an aunt in less than 2 months! Pretty exciting!
I was asked to be in the dance group for our church's Christmas production again this year! I'm still thinking about it after it just about killed me last year! :-)
I'm reading a book right now called Girls Ministry 101. It's okay so far, but it seems like I would get more out of it if I was a girl youth minister. I'll give you a full review when I'm done.
I'm supposed to start designing a banner for the junior high ministry at our church, but I haven't been able to have access to Photoshop in the recent past.

That's pretty much my life right now! Not super exciting, but that's good because for once I'm not crazy busy!! I posted a few pictures above from our church's Trunk or Treat. I was Batgirl for our superhero themed trunk!

I am doing good...

2007-10-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

I just realized a few minutes ago that I haven't yet posted about my results from my surgery. In case you need to be updated, here's the short version:

I found a lump on my breast about two months ago and the doctors suggested I have it removed. It was removed a little over two weeks ago (actually there were two) and I got the results at the end of last week. The results said that the lumps were fibroadenomas (I believe that means cysts).The biopsy was negative for everything. I am doing well and only have a small scar.

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support during this extremely rough time in my life. I truly appreciate it all.

Happy, Happy Birthday...

2007-10-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

In California Adventure holding my freshly made tortillas

The "N" is for Nicole

Today I turned 27. It started off with me going to my class, which I was late to, so my seat was taken. This prompted the professor to talk for 5 minutes about people making sure to sit in the same seat every time. When I got home Mike gave me my gift from him. It is a book that I am looking forward to beginning tonight. We then headed out to Disneyland. We got about 5 minutes down the freeway and turned back to get the camera. We went to Sonic for lunch before heading into Disneyland. We went to California Adventure and here is what we did:

We got me my button that says Happy Birthday
The Animation place
The Monster's Inc. ride.

After this we headed over to the Boudin Sourdough bread place and the Tortilla place. I got a package of freshly made tortillas for free for my birthday. We left California Adventure and headed into the Magic Kingdom. We rode the monorail and Winnie-the-Pooh. The lines for everything were about 40 minutes to an hour long. We even tried to ride the cars at Autopia (which we usually don't go on) but they closed it down right as we walked up. We decided to head home after only two hours at the park. When we got back to Riverside we went to Best Buy were I bought the Across the Universe soundtrack with birthday money and then we went to Sees Candy were I picked out a half pound box of chocolates.

Overall, my birthday was pretty good. Although, I still haven't received a call from my own mom. The woman who birthed me. Maybe I should call her, she is the one that did all the work 27 years ago! :-)

27 Things...

2007-10-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

I know I have been writing a lot about goals I have for my life and everything, but I saw a friends post about the 25 things she is going to do this year (because she is turning 25) and decided that I am going to list my 27 goals for this next year (since I'm turning 27).

1. Read 27 Books (Fiction & Non Fiction)
2. Be a better leader
3. Visit at least one new state
4. Run a half marathon
5. Write an article for a youth journal or something similar
6. Write at least 10 scripts for youth ministry
7. Take at least 4 more graphic design classes
8. Work out three times a week
9. Play the keyboard/piano more
10. Finish my wedding and college scrapbooks
11. Be an awesome wife
12. Buy my first house
13. Take a cooking class
14. Start a discipleship group with teenage girls
15. Buy a Mac computer
16. Be an awesome aunt
17. See a TV show taping in L.A.
18. Go back to London
19. Go camping
20. Go on a week long vacation with my husband
21. Start designing stuff for people & churches
22. Eat healthier
23. Volunteer somewhere other than at church
24. Connect better with friends
25. Work on be less stressed
26. Ride Space Mountain at Disneyland
27. Be more faithful in my quiet times with God

So, those are my 27 goals to accomplish before I turn 28. I'm going now so I can get a start on these things.

I'm turning the big 2-7...

2007-10-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

In just a few short days (4 to be exact) I will be 27 years old!

I used to be in an hurry to grow up. To accomplish all the goals I had. Go to college, get married, live in a little house with a white picket fence and have those 2.5 kids. Yes, I went to college and now I'm back in college. Yes, I got married, but who knew I was only going to be 20 and still in college. Yes, I live in a little house, but it doesn't have a white picket fence. No, I don't have those 2.5 kids, but hopefully someday soon.

It's funny to me the things we dream about as a kid and how different a path God leads us down. I am thankful that I have had (almost) 27 awesome years on this earth, but I have to have some better, non stereotypical goals for the next 27!

I Did It!!!

2007-10-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

Today was the day of my minor outpatient surgery to remove the cyst from my body. At this current time my husband is out of the state so my mom came with me for moral support. They wouldn't let her stay in the room while they did, so she had to wait about an hour in the waiting room. I know my mom was nervous for me and didn't want to sit out there and just wait, but she ended up talking with the people out there.

Side Note: Something to know about my mom is that she can pretty much strike up a conversation with just about anybody, anywhere, at anytime. It's amazing to me because I am sooooo not like that.

The surgery took about 45 minutes. At first both the doctor and I couldn't find the cyst which was a little surprising cuz I've felt that it was gigantic for the last few months. After a few minutes it was found and I laid down on the table as the prepping began. The nurse held my hand which I think I squeezed pretty hard, but she just kept standing there. The worst part (note: stop reading now if you get queasy with medical things) was the numbing shot and the sounds of the doctor cutting the skin and then the actual cutting out of the cyst. It really didn't hurt just pressure and pulling. They said I did a really good job and I kept thanking the doctor for taking it out and being so patient with me.

I always think that I am the worst patient when in reality I'm probably not that bad. I didn't even cry, my eyes just welled up with tears a little bit, but nothing came out. Thank you so much for the support I've gotten from everyone through this difficult time. The last step in this whole process is just waiting about 2 weeks for the results of the biopsy. I hope that everything comes out negative!

A Pastor's Wife...

2007-09-27T15:40:00.001-07:00

I have been involved in youth ministry for about 7 years now and the wife of a youth pastor for a little over 6 years. I never wanted to be a pastor's wife (or PW as some lady once told me), but never say never because it always happens anyway. I have no wisdom about youth ministry. I have no wisdom about being a pastor's wife. What I do have is 6 years of experience and this is my "advice":

A few months ago Mike was teaching a class on youth ministry and he had me come in and talk with his class about being a pastors wife. Below is my outline from this class:

Frustrations in ministry (being the wife):

· Always being watched

o How do I deal with it? I try living a life that pleases God and no one else.

o Example: “Inappropriate Clothing”

· Church members always wanting you to volunteer for everything

o I learned this early on. You need to know when to say “No”

o Example: People ask me a lot of times to do things that don’t fit in with my “sweet spot” (Girl Student Leaders, Video/Technology)

· People always assuming that you know everything that is going on in the youth ministry

o In a small church and youth ministry you probably will know what’s going on all the time, but any time you get over a ministry of thirty or more most likely you can’t know everything

o Example: Guys Game Night (not going to know what’s going on at this)

Positives in Ministry:

My Involvement

How lucky that God knew exactly where I would be in ministry 8 years ago when He told me I was going to work with students?
Being married to a pastor helps me to be involved on a deeper level in youth ministry then a lot of other volunteers (I get to be in the know before a lot of other people)

Things to make sure to ask when interviewing at a church:

· What do you see as the responsibility of the youth pastor’s wife?

· What are your expectations?

· Am I required to be a volunteer in youth ministry? (The answer should be: No! You need to find the place God has in mind for you!)

Balancing Marriage and Ministry (What Do We Do?):

Date Night
Day Off

Your day off is your day off, whether it’s Monday or Wednesday or any other day of the week. You need to take time to relax and NOT deal with anything at church, unless it’s absolutely necessary (ie. the church is on fire)

Boundaries

There have to be boundaries in ministry. You need to take the time to put God first and then your family. Your ministry is Important, but not so important that you neglect other areas of your life

Conclusion: Being the wife of a youth pastor (or a pastor) can be difficult, stressful and hard at times but doing ministry together is what counts and who better to do ministry with than someone you love and who gets you?

I don't know if any pastors wives read this, but if you do I hope this can be helpful to you, especially if you are just starting out in your marriage. If any pastors read this always encourage your wife in what they do in ministry whether it's with youth, children or singing in the praise band and show them this to let them know they aren't alone.

I love youth ministry!

Taking Time to Rest...

2007-09-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

My life is constantly in the fast lane of the freeway! I am constantly on the run from one thing to the other. I tell people I have been super busy and then wonder if they think I'm making it up because they are usually the people I don't see all the time. I also sometimes wonder why I am so stressed when I don't work outside the home and I have no kids to take care of. This is why I have made the decision to cut back. I don't typically have a problem saying no to things, but sometimes I have trouble saying no to my husband. That is, until this morning. I have been talking about not volunteering with our Wednesday night program at church. I feel it's not the place for me right now and I'm not excited about it. This morning Mike told me I should just stop volunteering there starting now, so I said okay and he asked if I could at least go next Wednesday. That is when it happened I said no! Flat out no, I'm not going to. I think Mike was shocked by my response, but he is totally on board with my decision. SO as of 10am this morning I will no longer be volunteering on Wednesday nights.

I think so many times in our lives we get caught up in dong too many things. WE go from one task or activity to the next I know there are times that I "forget" to spend time with God because I've got to get to the next thing on my list. I forget to stop and listen to what God wants me to do. That is why I'm going to take the time to stop doing everything under the sun and just... rest.

You Stay Classy, San Diego!

2007-09-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

On Friday Mike and I went down to San Diego for the night. Mike was teaching a conference down there at this thing called Leadership Training Institute. We made it down to San Diego at about 2pm and we shopped around, got some Baskin Robins and checked into our hotel. Our friend Josh picked us up to go have a meal with him at this place called Point Loma Seafood. He told us it would change our taste of fresh seafood and he was absolutely right. I had some of the most delicious shrimp I've ever had! Thanks for taking us Josh! The next day we went to the conference. Mike had two people at his conference and I read the whole day. It was awesome!! I had my camera, but I forgot to take any pictures. Sorry. You'll just have to imagine what it looked like.

The Office: Jim as Dwight vs Dwight as Jim

2007-09-17T14:38:00.001-07:00

The Office... An Amazing Show!

2007-09-17T14:29:00.001-07:00

I love to watch The Office. If you asked me about a year and a half ago if I liked this show I would have made a face and said, "No Way! It's horrible!" That was until I watched it again after having only seen about 3 minutes of the show the first time. I used to work in an office when I was in college and when we first moved to the O.C. I worked in another office. My experiences were nothing like those of the characters on TV, but I can always pull out a hint of a situation I had while working in that environment. So, to show you how much I love The Office and to share with you how excited I am for the fourth season I have a little video for you to watch above! This is my favorite scene from last season.

***I just added this video stuff to my blog so the video actually shows up as a different post. I'm working on figuring out how to get it into my actual post and not separate. So for now enjoy the video meant for this blog post in the post right above!

****And I am totally a blogging machine today! I have never posted this many times in a day, let alone in a week! Well, maybe a week.

The Computer Lab

2007-09-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

I had time today to go to the lab for my class and catch up on my classwork and "homework". For the most part I was able to work in a classroom alone with just the humming of the computer modems. This was until about 40 minutes later when two guys walked into the room. Now I want you to know that there are probably a good 20 to 25 computers in this classroom. All which are not being used at the moment except the one I am on. But, of course, the two guys decided to choose the computer right next to me to work on. They were extremely loud and rude and talked the entire 15 minutes they were there and it took me about 1o of those minutes to read about two pages of work (out of about 25 pages). It was not good! I just don't understand. Why do I always find myself in these strange situations?

My College Professor...

2007-09-17T09:45:00.001-07:00

This past friday CBU lost a wonderful professor, Melodie Yocum. She passed away from cancer. Melodie was the very first professor I ever had contact with at CBU and for the most part taught a lot of the classes I took for my degree. She gave me the opportunity of a theater scholarship without having ever seen my acting ability. She also gave me my first role at CBU by basically making up a part of a fairy not in the script. Melodie was my professor, director, actor and friend. In the last few years I did not talk with her much. Mainly because our paths didn't seem to cross as often. I had the privilege of being directed by Melodie in two plays at CBU and a multitude of scenes. I also had the opportunity to direct Melodie a few years ago in a play about the life of Ruth Bell Graham (wife of Billy Graham). I have also had the opportunity of acting alongside her teenage son. My heart goes out to him right now as I can not even imagine what the feelings must be like to lose a parent at such a young age.
Please keep the Yocum family in your prayers as I am sure this is a difficult time for Melodie's husband and children.

And the Diagnosis is...

2007-09-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

I went to see the doctor at the Breast Clinic this morning and all is well in the life of Nicole. At least in that area. I do have two.. yes two... lumps in my left breast and the doctor I saw recommended that I have them removed. He said that they are fibrocysistic or something like that. So on October 5th at 8:30 in the morning I will be having a local shot in that region and they will remove the two cysts leaving only a small scar and I will be awake the entire time. I am not looking forward to the being awake part during the procedure, but I will deal with anything if it means not having the lumps anymore. The doctor said he likes to do this so if it happens again in say, ten years, I will be just as scared about it and get it checked out.

I am extremely relieved that the diagnosis was good and I thank everyone who reads this blog for your prayers. Please continue to pray that everything else in this process goes well.

Words, words, words...

2007-09-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

I have a lot on my mind right now, but the thing that's driving me crazy the most is the fact that I have to come up with video ideas for about 8 videos that I know of plus a few more that I have yet to know the topic of.

Let me start at the beginning for those who may be confused:

Last year I began a ministry with students at church that makes videos for our high school ministry. Last year went fairly well, but it could have always been better. There aren't exactly a lot (none) of scripts out there to use with making videos. Therefore, I have had to write a lot of the scripts and adapt some other things. This year I have decided to hold auditions. Not to cut any students, but to place them in parts that suit them. I am ready for the auditions this weekend, but I am having some trouble coming up with scripts for announcement videos. I want to be able to give them some scripts to take home and memorize. I have A LOT of thoughts in my head, but I almost can't get them out of my head fast enough and sometimes when I do they don't come off as well on paper. I feel as though I am gong insane!!!

To quote Shakespeare in Hamlet: "Words, words, words."

I don't know what I'm gonna do!

I'm still in school and I'm still smilin'... barely...

2007-09-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

Warning: Extremely lengthy post ahead!

Today was my second day of school and it was okay. I feel a bit lost in the class, but I assume it's normal for it only being the second day. I sat down at the same computer I had last Wednesday (we are sooo creatures of habit) and next to the same guy. I said "hi", he sort of nodded then we went back to our computer screens. Mine decided to freeze on me and I felt like an idiot when I raised my hand to have the professor help me. (To clarify I would usually just reboot the computer, but our syllabus tells us if there is a problem to leave it to the professor. I like to follow rules.) I asked if I should reboot, she said "No!" She pushed some keys and couldn't seem to fix it so she decided to reboot (go figure!) As soon as she walked away the computer came back on and was in the same freeze position as before. I again raised my hand for her only to tell me to share with the guy next to me. He did not look amused and neither did I. You see, I am a kinesthetic learner and therefore must do things as I am being taught. I rolled over about three inches to sit next to "random guy" (I was not paying attention when role was taken in order to hear his name) and as the professor showed us things about Adobe he was like 3 minutes behind everything she did. I again, was not amused. We were then given a 15 minute break. I called Mike, used the facilities and then went back to sit down at my still frozen computer. There was about 5 minutes left so I watched as "random guy" used his already (I believe) advanced photoshop skills to tweak a pretty amazing picture. Apparently he works as a photographer for some design company. After a little more of the professor showing us some basic work space stuff she told us to do Lesson 1 in our books. "Random guy" was very nice and told me I could take his computer since he didn't have the book yet. He then proceeded to reboot the computer and of course it actually turned off and came back on... unfrozen! He basically grunted to me to use my disk and share my book with me. I obliged even though I was thinking "I really don't want to share and he already knows more than half the class anyway." He then was obviously going faster than me and I kept apologizing to him for being slow. I think about it now and I'm really not sure why I was apologizing for my being slow when I was letting him use my book but, whatever! Overall, it was a pretty strange second class, but I'm still sticking it out!

Back to School...

2007-09-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

Today I went back to school for the first time in 4 years!

In case you are lost and don't know me or talk with me personally I am going back to school to obtain a graphic design certificate so I can hopefully do some free lance design for churches and companies and whoever else will want to higher me. The following is my first day at Riverside City College:

I was a bit nervous because I didn't have a clue where my classroom was and I heard it was hard to park at RCC. My class began at 8am and I had no trouble finding it, which was a relief. I took a seat at a computer (which are Macs, by the way, so that was awesome) and the professor was a lady which I was not expecting, but still cool. Turns out the lady was only subbing for the real professor because she is at a conference. Our actual professor is also a lady, which is still cool with me. We were then given a syllabus that has the wrong class dates for everything so that's a bit frustrating. The final project is worth half my grade! As the sub was reading the syllabus she told us we need a 1GB USB drive and then asked if anyone had one to show. Of course being the nerd I am brought one with me so I had to be the one who showed the class what it looked like. That was bit goofy because by the looks of my class I'm pretty sure we all know what that is.We then began to watch videos on something call Bridge, which from the 4 videos we watched I can only decipher that it is a storage spot for all the other Adobe applications. That took about an hour and then we had a break. After the break we opened up Adobe Photoshop and took the next hour and fifteen minutes to make a flier about a lost animal using shapes and tools on the tool bar. I proceeded to make a very crudely drawn lost chicken. I can't wait until the actual professor comes back so I can learn things a little better. Overall today has been an interesting first day back to school.

I am not sure why I have such a goofy expression on my face becasue it was too early in the morning for me to look that excited!

What I did on Labor Day...

2007-09-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

Today we decided to go to Disneyland to watch our friend Eric "Puddles" Putman run in the Disneyland Half Marathon. He finished in about 3 and a half hours and we were able to see him right after he crossed the finish line. Great Job Eric!! We went on four rides today (I went on 3). They were all inside rides because it was like 235 degrees outside, in Anaheim, at about 10am. We went on Space Mountain, Pirates, Soarin' Over California and Grizzly Rapids. On the last one I ended up getting the most wet (which usually happens on those types of rides) and my pants and half my shirt were soaked for about 2 hours. It was fun... can you hear the sarcasm. Overall the day was pretty fun, yet exhausting due to the heat. Below are some pics from the day.

Eric right after he finished

Mike and my brother, Eric, right before the rapids begin

Right after the rapids. My whole left and back side was soaked.

It actually rained in Riverside as we were driving home! Amazing!!!