hot, hot and hot!

It's 84 degrees in north tustin right now...alex is currently installing our brand new room air conditioner, and I am dying of heat! We are very excited that we had received some money as an early wedding present and were able to get a sweet little A/C unit at home depot! I can't wait for it to be working!!

two weeks!!!

Today marks two weeks until the big day!

There are still a LOT of things to do, but the biggest cause of stress is actually the moving piece...thankfully alex is pretty much done with school as of this week and will have more free time to help! But when it comes down to it, I'm just excited to be married to him! but really, who wouldn't want to marry this ::

happy birthday emma!

This weekend, little Emma Platt turned one! Alex and I were happy to be a part of Emma's special day, and see all of our friends from Revolution. Emma was also dedicated at her party which was awesome to be a part of. Here are a couple of my favorite photos that alex took (you can find the rest at alex's flickr site)




(Beth Hutton took the picture that alex took a picture of)

oh the craziness...

life is one big wonderful mess of crazy right now! as the big day is getting closer, excitement is growing and so is the to-do list! I thought that i'd be making a dent in it at least, but it seems that the more I do, the more I need to do! But, I'm having fun and soon alex will be done with school work which will be GREAT!

in other news of craziness, my best friend (and maid of honor) Kristin messaged me today...she's no longer in South Africa, she's in Sri Lanka! Just in case you were wondering, those are about 5,000 miles apart! Then she's back to Hawaii where she lives (about 8,000 miles from Sri Lanka to Hawaii) then she flies to Watts (another 2500 miles) to do ministry, THEN she'll be in Orange County with me getting ready for the wedding!! So basically she's still got about 16000 miles before she's here! now THAT is crazy!

The last couple of weeks, Stacy and I have been meeting in the 5th grade classroom at 8am for pilates! Kathy and Ashley have both come once, but mainly it's just Stacy and I. It's been really fun, and we're already feeling stronger! It's super fun, and although we're both pretty tired during the day, it's totally a great way to start the day. Hopefully we'll be able to keep this up through the summer...minus the honeymoon of course!

Speaking of honeymoon and wedding...we have less than a month to go! We have definitely hit the point where we are busy 100% of the time...not that we weren't already busy 98% of the time....We've started all of the buying, and prepping...alex really likes cutting ribbon for the favors...well, actually he totally hates it! We're meeting with Michael tonight to plan the ceremony, so that's exciting...so many fun things happening!!

summer is here!

Well, the temp was 96 yesterday and that tells me that summer is definitely here! Alex has a pool at his place, and we figured we'd never go in because it's not heated, but we didn't care yesterday!! We had fun being cold on a super hot day!! Thankfully, my bridal shower was this weekend, so we had some giftcards to Bed, Bath & Beyond and were able to go get a new fan to help cool off his place.

So, the bridal shower was awesome! There were so many awesome women there who definitely made me feel loved! The most special part for me was when the hostess invited everyone to share something with me. Of course I was on the verge of tears the entire time, but it was very affirming to hear nice words not only about me, but about Alex too. I'm so lucky to have so many people in my life who really appreciate him too. I got lots of presents which was fun too! All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better day! Here are some pics from the shower...

opening presents:

me with my neice Naomi:

my sister Celeste, sister-in-law Vilay, Alex's mom Karen, and Grandma Angie:

catherine and i

Laura, Traci, Linda and Gina

Stacy, Amy, Kathy and Brandi

Ashley and Gina R.

busy.

Fridays are typically my one completely free day and it's usually the day that I have a couple of errands to run, and then I get to relax. today is not that kind of Friday. I have a feeling that from now until after the wedding, I may not have another "normal" Friday. My to-do list is about a mile long today, but i do think I'll feel a lot better when everything is done, and I can just relax with alex!

in happier news, my friend Jaci sent me an awesome gift for the bridal shower. She isn't able to fly down, but she sent an amazing package that made me feel very special, and that was super fun! She sent me just about everything anyone could ever want for a wedding scrapbook. I don't scrapbook, but now I definitely think I will start..everything looks so fun!!

the shower is tomorrow, and I am very excited to see everyone and have a great start to the weekend!

it strikes again...

Today I was woken up bright and early. Alex was calling to let me know that his back was out...AGAIN!! Such a bummer. So I packed up the heating pad and headed over to deliver some things that would hopefully at least help him cope with the pain. This time he was not about to wait for the doctor that pretty much did nothing for him last time and happens to be an hour away, so...he went to see the chiropractor for the first time. Thankfully, it seemed to really help, and he sounded so much better afterwards and was even able to make it to class. So, alex is now a believer and I don't think that will be his last time to visit Dr. Dean!

the craziness begins...

So to add to the craziness that is my life right now, my sister Celeste is due to have her second baby one month after the wedding! This is obviously a wonderful thing for our family, but the timing of it all is hilarious!! I feel like today is the day that it all gets crazy! My schedule has been pretty jam-packed for a while now, but starting today, I no longer have my Saturdays. Celeste's baby shower is today, my bridal shower is next weekend...then baby shower #2 the following week..and I have wedding related things all of the rest. It's a crazy season, but by the end of June, Alex and I will be married, and baby Sofia will be with us! I honestly don't know how my mom is keeping her sanity with one bride and one mama-to-be...she's going to have the biggest shiniest jewels on her crown in heaven!

So my first week back in the office was great! Even though 90% of Monday was spent returning emails, I was able to get a LOT done this week. The funny thing is that after taking 2 weeks off, I am further ahead than I have ever been! It's awesome...of course, it's only because of my amazing intern and team that I am not overwhelmed with everything! Well, because this was such a productive week, I have really been able to enjoy my "weekend." Yesterday I hit the beach with Brianna to start working on the wedding tan, and today, Kathy came over.

It's been rough with the different sabbatical schedules to see the girls from work, but today Kathy came over and helped me work on the wedding favors. We also ate lunch at Haute Cakes. It was so yummy! I had only been there for breakfast before, but lunch was amazing! It was fun to see Kath, and it definitely made favor-making a whole lot more fun!

This week, Alex also got his website up which is awesome. Check it out at here. It's pretty impressive and I'm so proud of him!

today is a good day...

Back in January, Alex and I started counting down to our wedding day. January 1 was 150 days....today, we have made it all the way to 50 days! It's coming so quickly! When we first got engaged, I know my mom would have loved a year long engagement, but now, she will herself admit that I was not made for a long engagement and I'd probaby drive myself crazy!!

Another reason why today is good is totally obvious....The Office returns tonight!! Alex and I have really missed our friends at Dunder-Mifflen. In case you can't wait for tonight, here's a little clip for you.

victory!

The wedding invites went out this week, and Alex and I are both so incredibly happy about this! It was quite a process to get them printed, cut, stuffed, labeled, and mailed! I am so proud of Alex, he did a great job on them! It feels like a huge weight has been lifted now, and I can enjoy the last part of my sabbatical!

On Friday night, Alex and I went to the Padres game down in San Diego. We drove to Oceanside and then took the train the rest of the way. Unfortunately, we were in Dodger zone and I decided quickly that Dodger fans are the worst!! (sorry Nicole!) It was freezing cold and so I did have to forgo fashion and cover as much of my face as possible...here are a couple of shots from our night (oh yeah, we got a new camera as an early wedding present, and it's amazing) ::

Alex taking in the view on the train:


out front:


my new favorite Padre...this pic was taken from our seats at the top of the stadium!


trying to keep warm:

sabbatical :: day three

I am very much enjoying my sabbatical. I am loving the book that we're reading...it's been a long time since I've enjoyed a book this much. The daily envelopes are fun to open and read. I have felt very challenged, yet at the same time, super encouraged. Being the introvert that I am, I am so content with days all to myself! I am learning to not be so hard on myself, and not be so work-focused. I am realizing that normally, I put so many things before my quiet time and I am so not happy with that. I was talking to my best friend last night, and she was talking about needing some down-time with God to figure some things out. She said something that struck me...she said,"I need more time with God. My hour in the morning just isn't sufficient." As soon as she said it, i began to wonder...What would that look like for my life? I definitely know that I have been in that place. I also know that I want to be there again. I looked at the people in my life and the amount of time I spend with them...would I be happy if each day I was only able to spare 1 hour to be with Alex?? NO WAY! I would definitely find a way to cut things out to make more time for him...so now I ask myself...why don't I do that with God? Anyways, these are just my thoughts during this time. I met with my sabbatical group today and we talked about ways to add rhythms to our lives that are sustainable...we all agreed that we don't want to create a mountaintop experience that we would be unable to sustain. I've definitely been doing some thinking these past couple of days, but, I am also just incredibly thankful for leadership that recognized the need for us to rest and be filled up. On the agenda for today...work out....work on invitations...and a bike ride (it's a BEAUTIFUL day)!

sabbatical :: day one

Today is the first day of my sabbatical. ROCKHARBOR is giving every staffer a two week sabbatical that is partially guided but has quite a bit of freedom built in. so, for two weeks, I am going to give up all things RH for the pursuit of rest, joy and development. I can't tell you how excited I am for this. I feel like the last year has been one huge blur...life just goes by too quickly and you can definitely get lost in ministry and begin getting your identity from it...instead of from the one who has blessed you with your ministry. I know that for me, the rest component is huge. I am most excited to just be with very little on my plate. To keep an aspect of adventure, we find out our "assignments" day by day, and have a couple of group days. I do know that we will be reading Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen and I'm pretty excited about it. Have I said that I'm very excited about these two weeks?!

my obsession has returned...

somewhere between Easter, work, school and wedding planning, Alex and I have become addicted to 24. Netflix just can't send the discs fast enough for us!! Now, I've been obsessed with the show for years now, but I had never completely seen seasons two and three! Sad, but true. The fun part is that I've gotten Alex hooked and we started over beginning with season one. I own season one, and we blew through that season. We've been renting season two and thus are moving at a much slower pace than we'd like. I am loving the show more than ever and loving Jack Bauer more than ever...i think Alex even has a little man crush! :-)

traditions.

Easter has officially come and gone, and while I am definitely happy to get back to the normal rhythm of life, I am so excited about all that God has done and is doing through Easter 2008. There are already numerous stories of lives being changed, and it is always a beautiful thing to watch. There was so much going on during all of last week and Easter services in the kids tents were awesome, but I think my favorite part of the entire morning was being in service (even though i got fried) and seeing all of the people come down to the prayer tent after the invitation was given (yes, i kept my eyes open!). Yes, I love kids ministry, and I think it's vital, but at the same time, just imagine how life-changing it will be for the children of the people that accepted Jesus. Their whole world just got rocked. Imagine being a 2 year old and having your parents marriage restored. They might never know (although hopefully one day they'll hear the story) but their life will never be the same. Wow. It is such a privelege to be a part of the very large team that worked on Easter. God is faithful to bring the people, and our volunteers are faithful to carry out the labor...and boy was there labor! We had four 30x30 tents, one 40x40, and two 40x60s! All together we had 762 kids on Easter morning...add the 384 from Good Friday, and we had over 1,000 kids over the course of the weekend. There are certain moments when I'm very humbled to be a part of this amazing team, and this weekend was one of them. Sometimes I still can't believe that I get paid to do this!

Easter was also the anniversary of Alex serving in Children's Ministry. It has been a joy to watch him grow and develop as a teacher and leader over the last year. He pours himself into this ministry in such a self-less way, it's amazing to watch. I am consistently in awe of his servant's heart and desire to serve our Lord. I am lucky to be marrying such an amazing man! God is so good!

Easter at the Pacific Amphitheater has become somewhat of a tradition. This past week has actually been full of traditions...the Wednesday night set-up with volunteers, the Good Friday services, the continuous prayer walk from Friday to Sunday, and of course Easter morning...then...there's the family tradition of getting together at my grandparents' house and eating together. Planning a wedding has also made me look at traditions, only most of the wedding traditions really have no importance to me, and I have begun asking myself, "What's the point?" I understand that some things hold meaning, but should you feel pressured to follow a tradition just because tradition says you should? The more I think about it, the more I want to buck traditions that mean nothing to me.

easter week...

...has officially begun!! it was a little overwhelming, but this year everything feels way more organized and thought through...possibly because I've been on staff a whole lot longer!

On Tuesday we loaded up the truck and yesterday, we unloaded and set up all 7 of the tents! We had a huge volunteer presence which was AWESOME!! Friday we'll have our 3 Good Friday services at noon, 4 and 5:30, and then we'll load up truck #2 with all of our toys and head over to the Fairgrounds again on Saturday morning to unload and finish up some details.

I can't explain how excited I am to help bring Jesus to Orange County. If you know of anyone that needs an Easter service to attend sent them to oceaster.com, or send them up to the Fairgrounds at 9 or 11:15a on Sunday!

perfect for today.....

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26

whirlwind.

today has been a long day to say the least. some friends of mine are hurting as am i, but at the end of the day (now!!) I know my God is big and powerful and sovreign. he is mighty and gentle and his spirit moves.

again, i feel like life is moving at an incredible speed, yet it's still not May!! Alex and I are super anxious to get married, but at the same time we are enjoying every second that we are able to spend with each other. This semester has been tricky with Alex in school three nights a week...i've been babysitting at least two nights a week and that adds on the fun! but...even in all the busyness, we are coming along well with wedding plans, and i've been TRYING to catch up with friends...which isn't working so well, but i did get to see Steph and the kiddos last week so that was a plus. Maliah started T-Ball and so we were able to catch the opening day game....it was SOOO cute to see all of them out on their miniature field! Alex took lots of pics, here are a couple ::


and in the midst of everything, Easter is coming up so fast i can't even think straight! we took our traditional trip to LA to buy decor items for the tents...yes, we do Easter with hundreds of kids in tents!! Last year i had one 40x80 tent for preschool, and this year i have one 40x80, one 40x60, and one 30x30! I am super excited to see all of the kids that come, and all of the families that will come to Easter at the OC Fairgrounds. And of course, it holds a special place in my heart since I met Alex at Easter set-up last year! who would have guessed that one year later we'd be planning our wedding!!...

whew...

...the last month has flown by!! When I look at the calendar I can't believe that it's only been a month since we started our premarital class! We also realized that we didn't take very many pictures of everything! Let's see, where should I start? Well, once Alex's back was finally better, we started actually leaving the house which was quite nice! We've had a month of premarital classes, and have one more to go. We have finalized all of the big stuff for the wedding, and now I'm working on all of the detail stuff, which is in and of itself a mountain. Alex is is school three nights a week, and we have children's services two days a week, which really doesn't leave much time for anything else. Today is the first day that I've really felt overwhelmed with everything. It's easy to get lost in the to-do list, but I'm trying to stay above it all!