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!

another step...

Today Alex and I started Premarital Counseling at RH. It was a great class! Roger Tirabassi and his team are fabulous! There are 200 people in the class with us...I guess that's what happens when your church is a lot of college students and single people! Anyway, we are really excited...i know Alex is definitely looked forward to learning how to express his feelings (ha!)!

reception site in place...

After getting hooked up on the wedding site, we had a chat with the Pavone's
and we're going to squeeze in the sweet backyard! we're sorry to say that it will not be
a pool party.hehe!

back pain sucks

For the past week, Alex has had the WORST back pain. It's kept him out of work...and even kept me out of work a little! We've watched enough movies and TV to last a month, and for anyone who knows Alex, he's very anxious to be moving around again! If you have a minute, please pray!!

The Wedding site!

we did it! we set the date for our wedding (May 30, 2008) and found the perfect ceremony site...it overlooks the beach in Carlsbad and we couldn't be happier. here's a sneak peak...

more pictures...

Here are some more pics from our engagement...I haven't seen Michelle yet, so I don't have all of them, but I found a few on her facebook!

This is the whole Family Ministry Team wearing the most amazing sweaters ever!!...this is right before alex's toast...


I think these ones speak for themselves:

suprise!

Monday night, Michelle Anthony hosted a Christmas Party for our Family Ministry staff. It was a tacky sweater party so we (almost) all showed up in ugly sweaters! Michelle gathered us all outside and took some group photos, and then gave a toast. It was awesome, and I figured we'd go back to the food and laughter pretty quickly...

...i was wrong...

Alex stepped forward and said that he wanted to make a toast as well. He said that he was thankful for Family Ministries because that's where we met, and that he's fallen in love with me. At that point my memory is a fog because i saw him walk forward and start to reach in his pocket to get something. I knew he was going to propose and I was so excited. I started laughing and crying and the same time! He got down on one knee (and neither of us can remember what he said!) and asked me to marry him...

...of course I said YES!!!. Chantal (Michelle's daughter) was snapping pictures the entire time. Michael prayed a blessing over us, and I quickly removed my tacky sweater for the second round of photos!

I don't think either of us could be any happier! It was great that he did it with our ENTIRE family ministries team (minus Brianna who caught my sickness!) who really has walked alongside us for the past 6 months. Kit, Tommy, Keri and Michelle were in on it, and Alex was very smart to not tell any of the gals I work with because I was completely surprised! It was a great night, and there's only more goodtimes to look forward to! The question of the hour is...so, when's the big day?? And honestly we have no idea! We just got engaged 2 days ago! I will definitely keep everyone informed on the wedding planning...as soon as there are some plans to tell! I don't have the pics from Chantal yet, but here are some shots minus the tacky sweaters::

the big present

So for Alex's surprise, I blindfolded him and we headed up to Anaheim Hills where a friend of ours had set up for Alex to take rides in some amazing cars! He didn't know where we were until we started driving uphill and didn't stop driving uphill for quite a while! He figured it out, but was super excited anyways!! He was able to ride in the Ferrari Enzo, and a Bugatti. Neither of us had even heard of a Bugatti, but it is the coolest car I've ever seen! Here are some fun pics of the day...

Leadership Christmas

Last night we (the church staff) held an event to thank and honor our leaders forthe past year. The decor was very "winter wonderlandy" and there was even a white carpet for our wonderful leaders to walk down! It was a super fun event complete with amazing desserts, two gameshows, the craziest version of The Twelve Days of Christmas you'll ever see, and dancing!! I must admit the dancing was my favorite part! We had so much fun being silly and the best part of the night....i got ALEX out on the dancefloor!!!

This is such a fun season....our next party is monday, and we will be wearing the UGLIEST sweaters you've ever seen!

p.s. I am giving Alex his Christmas present tomorrow so there will be pictures up soon. It's a BIG suprise and i think he is going to be so excited he might pass out....stay tuned for the pics....

little chefs

Yesterday I took Maliah to her cooking class...she had tons of fun and it was super cute to watch :)


in my car... then eating her creation

making dessert and loving the chocolate frosting!

finally

I've been meaning to post pictures of this for a couple of weeks now, but i've been waiting for alex to upload them :) on October 20&21, we launched four new classrooms in children's ministry. Two of the rooms are mine and i am super proud of them! There is a dot room, and a candyland room. Andrea Reece helped me with the design and the wonderful boyfriends and husbands of the kids ministry staff, and some faithful volunteers helped me bring the design to life!

...and you can see what alex's favorite part of the new room is!

girls night out

Last night, 17 of the ladies on staff went to see Wicked! It was definitely stressful trying to finish up work and be ready to leave at 5, but it was well worth it! I had so much fun with the girls, and the show was pretty amazing too. I feel like the last person on earth to see it, but so glad that i did get to experience it. if you haven't seen it, you definitely should, because it's amazing!

now it's back to the craziness of trying to open two brand new classrooms this weekend...

back

because Jeannie called me this morning and told me that i need to keep up the blog, i will TRY to not be a super slacker and make this thing worth while!..and since i'm now addicted to facebook, i can post this on there like nicole does!

so how about a quick update on the life of angelina...

...well, i've been sick recently which is not fun...fever...chills...badtimes...
...2 new preschool rooms open up next week, and you better believe that there will be pictures as soon as we finish decorating because they are going to be SO CUTE!!
...today is my first day off in 3 weeks!! and i plan to do nothing...

well, that's all for now...time to get back to the nothingness that i was doing before jeannie called.

goodbye blog.

so i think going three months without a post means that i am a blogging failure! no one probably reads this anymore, or ever did, so i am officially done blogging. goodbye blogging world.

because you asked...

okay so people in the non-myspace, non-rockharbor worlds have been asking to see pictures of me and alex (well not really me...just alex...so here you go (jenny!):

håkan inge backman.

today i woke up to a phone call from none other than håkan!! I missed his call on wednesday and almost cried becaus i miss him sooo much! so yah, it was great to be woken up by one of your best friends from halfway across the world! (håkan lives in sweden) We had a great conversation and of course there was TONS of laughter because i don't think there's anyone that can make me laugh harder!! and the best news is that he has a layover in LA this september and i get to see him...so what if it's only for 4 hours!! YAY!

it's going to be a good day.

busy.

i think that's my only excuse for not blogging. i am a busy slacker.

so i guess some updates are in order...

1. i am moving to costa mesa this weekend...

2. i am dating an amazing guy....

3. as of july 1, i will be full time at RH

that's pretty much it for now i guess! time to work...

because i don't want to be one angry muchacha....

...i will blog.

i really don't have a whole lot to say...i hung out with steph and kaelyn last night, and here's a little bit of the action:






that's all for now...must go shopping...

time for a little rant...

now it may be late and i am probably cranky, but i am really seriously sick and tired of people taking political views and claiming that (or at least implying) their view should be the blanket christian view on a topic. believe it or not people, Jesus had no party affiliation, no stance on many of the minors that people battle over. please can we stop sounding like idiots and practice what Jesus DID preach....LOVE GOD. LOVE OTHERS. bottom line.

okay i'm done now...maybe i shouldn't read blogs late at night...or maybe i just shouldn't read them anymore!

theiheartrevolution

tonight i made a hillsong united cd for amy with some of my favorite united songs. there is no doubt that hillsong has some amazing worship leaders that are undeniably annointed by God. so i decided to start reading about what they're doing and i came across a blog posting by joel houston (the leader of united) that talks about THE I HEART REVOLUTION project that they've got coming in 2008. It really inspired me. Let me know what you think...Here's what he said:



THE I HEART REVOLUTION

I have a t-shirt.. it has an "I" which I'm thinking is in particular reference to the person bearing the garment.. a heart – which has accordingly become the universal symbol for love.. and an "N standing along side a Y" – which is intended to refer specifically to the city of New York as opposed to other acronymic possibilities such as "nebulous youth" or "ned's yaught"

Now I just like the t-shirt.. but the truth is; i heart ny.. I really do.. it's an incredible city; the skyline.. the lights.. the landmarks.. the frenetic pace of it all with it's orchestra of sirens, car horns and life in motion.. a statue called liberty? Banana coloured taxis.. the sky lost amongst scrapers.. and in the midst of it all a jungle within a jungle pretending to be a park.. I love it.. there's intrigue and character to be found around every corner.. it's a city of a thousand personalities.. a cocktail of cultures and colours fused together to create a landscape that in many ways has become a symbol of the modern era.. but what makes new york new york.. and what I love most about the place; is the people.. they are in truth it's definition.. they are the movement, the energy, the life within the structures.. they are the landscape the sound-scape.. the history and the future.. they are ny.. and they are what I heart..

see the world is a place made up of places.. and every place has a history.. and every place's history is reflected in what becomes it's culture.. and culture itself is defined through its people.. and the people; well, they are the future… and the future is now..

so then - looking at it in the same light but from the other side of the room; at this moment in history, we are the people in the places.. and we are the ones defining cultures.. and we are the ones creating history.. and so the question must be asked…. If we are the future; how's it gonna look..??

I don't know about you.. but if our generation is remembered for ipods, myspace, and youtube we missed it.. if history speaks of our generation as self indulgent pioneers of the digital age, reality television and purpose built celebrity we'll have failed.. the world will change by itself.. for better or for worse.. it changes daily.. but who will be the ones to shape it.. and how will it look?

in and of itself revolution is neither good or bad.. revolution represents change.. a shift in culture.. History is marked by revolutions.. social and political.. some have represented victory, freedom and justice, however on the flip-side.. too many have become infamous representations of despair, oppression and injustice.. all it takes for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing.. for the church – the hands and feet of Jesus and His plan for the salvation of this big, broken sphere of dirt, water and life we temporarily call home, this has never sounded with more urgency.. it's time for a revolution.. fuelled by a dissatisfaction with self-centred living and complacent faith.. driven by a desire for truth, love and justice..

that's what this is all about…
every generation needs a revolution.. and this one needs to look, sound, walk and breathe like love..

it's not a new concept.. it's an eternal concept.. it's the reason we are alive.. it's the fundemental call of what it means to be a follower of Christ..

Love God.. love people.. that's it.. that's the revolution.. revolutionary I know.. but if we understand what that means.. if we get it.. if we establish in our thinking how that looks.. and we start living it.. we will change the world.. it's not so much about the big stuff.. it's just about the stuff.. it's about the people in the places being the answer - in the places.. and together; becoming the answer to the big stuff.. it's about your backyard.. it's about my backyard..

The world has watered love down to slogans and t-shirts.. lollipop pop songs and popcorn munching excursions in visual indulgence... all of which are fine.. but we throw the word around.. we confuse it's definition.. we diminish our understanding of God's command.. love is the quintessential human emotion.. it is the desire of every human being to experience, and in turn express love.. and God himself IS love.. and he desires to be loved.. and who are the carriers of His spirit..?? it's us…

So that's the call.. that's the mission.. that's what this is all about..

A generation expressing their worship; moreso expressing their heart for worship in the action of love.. toward God.. and toward the world we live in.. and the people who inhabit it.. it's not about highlighting the darkness.. it's about becoming the light that diminishes the darkness.. it's the gospel.. and it is now..
we're all in this together..
much love...

joel

((please note: this is not called 'I heart revolution… we don't love revolution.. we're a part of a revolution fuelled by our love for God.. our love for life.. and our love for people.. it's called "the I heart revolution.."))

oh, and fyi, the new hillsong album releases in the USA on May 22....it's already out other places so you CAN get it if you really want.