Quote the Rabon

January 31, 2012

2012-01-31T19:23:00.001-08:00

Breaded Garlic Chicken in Lemon-Butter Sauce. New recipe. Super tasty.

January 30, 2012

2012-01-30T19:31:00.001-08:00

I really like clouds that look like this.

January 29, 2012

2012-01-30T12:01:00.001-08:00

First squirrel picture of the new year. It was bound to happen.

January 28, 2012

2012-01-28T18:32:00.001-08:00

For dinner tonight I made Stephen, Dan and I Three Cheese Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Tomato in it. But I forgot to take a picture before we ate them all so this is from the recipe it was based on. Super tasty.

January 27, 2012

2012-01-28T07:12:00.001-08:00

This tree is awesome. There are quite a few in Parker I want to get pictures of.

January 26, 2012

2012-01-26T21:06:00.001-08:00

Gas under $3...I've missed you the last few years. I'm glad we're getting reacquainted.

January 25, 2012

2012-01-25T18:58:00.001-08:00

They finally opened the road from Castle Pines to Parker via Hess road. It made for a lovely drive home.

January 24, 2012

2012-01-25T06:58:00.001-08:00

So excited to see my nephew in a few weeks!

January 23, 2012

2012-01-23T21:24:00.001-08:00

Cool new app for my phone... Collages! :) I get a sense this will come in handy.

January 22, 2012

2012-01-22T20:09:00.001-08:00

Homemade cinnamon sugar pita chips with ice cream and strawberries :)

January 21, 2012

2012-01-21T19:15:00.001-08:00

Two of my favorite guys: my Daddy and my nephew.

January 20, 2012

2012-01-20T19:29:00.001-08:00

About a third of the way through book 5 of 2012 :)

January 19, 2012

2012-01-19T20:33:00.001-08:00

January 18, 2012

2012-01-18T19:56:00.001-08:00

Sunrise outside of our bathroom window this morning. Looks like fire.

January 17, 2012

2012-01-18T05:47:00.001-08:00

We went to dinner and then watched Captain America with Brandon and Meghan.

January 16, 2012

2012-01-16T19:47:00.001-08:00

My husband knows the way to my heart.

January 15, 2012

2012-01-16T19:42:00.001-08:00

4th book of the year. If I stay on this pace 18 won't be a problem at all.

January 14, 2012

2012-01-14T20:46:00.001-08:00

We went to the Gossetts' house to watch the game tonight and the boys all Tebowed pre-game :) minus Kevin of course.

January 13, 2012

2012-01-13T21:28:00.001-08:00

Game night at the Athertons :)

January 12, 2012

2012-01-12T18:35:00.001-08:00

I really like palindromes.

January 11, 2012

2012-01-11T17:28:00.001-08:00

Dusk after a day of snow

January 10, 2012

2012-01-10T19:14:00.001-08:00

He's taking wonderful care of me as I'm fighting off a head cold. Soup and ridiculous amounts of orange juice...mmm.

January 9, 2012

2012-01-10T16:42:00.001-08:00

The only thing better than knee high socks when it's cold? Knee high argyle socks :)

January 8, 2012

2012-01-08T19:16:00.001-08:00

My friends are talented. They commented and liked my pins before any of us were born :)

January 7, 2012

2012-01-08T11:51:00.001-08:00

Dad sent me this picture of the pups. Harley Houdini looks like she's plotting her next escape.

January 6, 2012

2012-01-06T19:40:00.001-08:00

The Rockies.

January 5, 2012

2012-01-05T15:53:00.001-08:00

My book came!! Hooray! Now to finish off "The Screwtape Letters" so I can start reading this one!

January 4, 2012

2012-01-05T06:32:00.001-08:00

Reason #25732 that I love my husband... These are the conversations we have :)

Goals

2012-01-03T20:32:00.000-08:00

I don't really like resolutions, so here is something a little different.

Goals for 2012:

Complete the Couch to 5K training program to get back into running
Read at least 18 books (progress can be tracked on my blog to the right)
Complete a second Photo A Day project
Make a realistic budget with my husband and stick to it
Actually finish the Bible Study I bought an embarrassingly long time ago
Get pregnant again (God willing) and have a happy, healthy pregnancy
Blog more frequently
Spend more time nurturing relationships

I may add to this list as time goes on and I think of more.

January 3, 2012

2012-01-03T18:56:00.001-08:00

Sunset from the Target parking lot

January 2, 2012

2012-01-02T19:49:00.001-08:00

Due to car problems, we got an extra day with our family. And of course my buddy Sophie, whom I am going to have withdrawals from when they do leave. We've bonded.

January 1, 2012

2012-01-01T17:55:00.001-08:00

Spending the day with my favorite person as we celebrate 5 years together :)

Rollercoaster

2011-12-21T13:42:00.000-08:00

One of the single happiest moments of my life occurred in the early morning hours of October 27, 2011. I woke up, went straight into the bathroom and took the first pregnancy test of my life. After waiting three minutes, Stephen went in to read the results. He grabbed the test, smiled and told me we were pregnant. I squealed and jumped on him.

That night, we called our families and closest friends and told them the good news. Every one was excited for us and I loved being able to tell everyone about our baby. I called the doctor the next day to schedule my first appointment. They recommended coming between 6-8 weeks, so it was set for November 14. The next few weeks were like floating on air. The two biggest dreams of my life were coming true: to be a wife and to be a mother. I got gifts for our baby from friends immediately. Like purchased within an hour of my call.

The first appointment did not go as expected. They did an ultrasound and the doctor found the yolk sac and the fetal pole, but no heart beat. She said it could just be too early and that I might not be as far along as we thought. She recommended that we come back in a week and we would check again. She did say that this could be a sign that we would miscarry. Of course, that's the one word that sticks in your head. I was nervous and scared, but Stephen, as always, took excellent care of me. I talked to a few friends and family who had a similar experience with their first appointment and got to feeling better.

After the longest week of my life, we went back on November 21. They used a much fancier ultrasound machine this time and within seconds we could see Baby's little heart fluttering on the ultrasound. Right away, I felt all the anxiety go away and felt secure in our pregnancy. The ultrasound tech was even able to find Baby's heartbeat with the doppler and we could hear it! There's nothing like that feeling. Baby measured at 6 weeks, 2 days, which was about 11 days younger than we had estimated based on my last period. The heartbeat was at 90 beats per minute. They said that was a little slow and asked us to come back in a week to check to be sure it would speed up.

That week was Thanksgiving and we spent it with my parents. We were all happy and loving the fact that a new little member of our family would be born in a few months. I posted our ultrasound picture on Facebook as we were happy and confident that our little one would be okay.

November 28, 2011 will always be one of the worst days of my life. We went to the doctor again and they did another ultrasound. When Baby's little heart wasn't fluttering on the screen immediately, we both knew. Our baby was no longer alive. The ultrasound tech tried very hard to find it, but the heartbeat was not there. Baby was still measuring at 6 weeks and had not grown since our last appointment. The doctor talked us though our options and we chose to let my body miscarry naturally instead of inducing it with medicine or having a D & C. We walked to the car and even though I held it together in the office, I couldn't hold it together once we were alone. Stephen comforted me and prayed for us. I swear I'd be lost without him.

After the new longest week of my life, we lost our Baby on December 4, 2011. The doctor said that the baby was so small, I probably wouldn't even notice when it left my body. I can assure you that was not the case. I saw our baby. It was a surreal experience to know what was going on but to not believe it. Thankfully Stephen was home that day and took the most amazing care of me before, while and after it happened. Exactly a week earlier we were watching football with friends and showing off the picture of our baby with such joy. And now that joy was gone.

I took the next day off of work because I wasn't ready to see people. I know my coworkers are amazing and would comfort me and love on me and care for me. But I wasn't ready for that. I knew a hug would bring tears. I didn't want the kids to ask why I was sad. I didn't want to have to lie to them or try to explain it to them. Sitting at home wasn't really that fun, either. But at least when I went to Chipotle to get food, I didn't have to explain anything. They didn't know I was ever pregnant, so they wouldn't know I lost our baby.

The emotions have been so crazy. One minute I'm sad and can't hold back the tears (right now). The next minute I'm angry. How could this happen to us? How is it fair that this happens to us, after we did everything right? We waited until we were married. We waited until we had established ourselves as a married couple. We planned for this baby. I had been taking prenatal vitamins for three months before we conceived. I started drinking milk, which is one of the things I dislike most. I was eating better. How is it fair that people who don't intend to get pregnant, who never wanted children or who don't love their child's father get to have perfect, healthy babies and we lose ours? Then comes the self-pity.

If I try not to think about it so that I don't feel these emotions, I feel like a bad person and that I don't care enough. How can you NOT think about the loss of your child all the time?

And then, I feel embarrassed. I feel so stupid for putting it on Facebook and telling the world and then having to un-tell them. And I feel like a failure. I feel like a bad mom because I couldn't even keep my baby alive long enough to be born. The doctor said it's not my fault. That there's nothing that I could have done differently. They say that 50% of miscarriages are chromosomal and the other 50% are unexplained. Well I can tell you that they 100% suck.

People don't know how to react when something like this happens. I can tell you I wouldn't have known how either, so I can't really blame them. People say they're sorry and I know they mean it. People ask what they can do to help... there's not really anything. Some people don't say anything at all because they don't want to make it worse. Some sent wonderful, heartfelt cards.

But the most helpful responses were from people who had experienced this themselves. I can't tell them thank you enough for opening their hearts (and possibly their own wounds) to talk me through this. You know who you are. Only they can understand the ridiculous range of emotions you feel in a single hour when you're dealing with this. Only they can understand the physical symptoms you're going through, no matter how gross/upsetting the details are. To those people, thank you. It helped more than you know.

The doctor said that the most important thing to take away from this experience is that we CAN have kids. I CAN get pregnant. This is not a fertility issue. And yes, that is HUGE. I would be even more crushed if we could not have kids.

But, I think the biggest thing that I can take away from this is how blessed I am to have the husband, family and friends that I have. Stephen has truly gotten me through this, while dealing with the loss himself. He held me when I cried (on many occasions), got me food, kept me from making stupid decisions (like going to a friend's house that Sunday to watch football-- he knows I would have powered through it for him but if I had lost the baby in the bathroom of a friend's house we'd have had to move and never contact those people again), heated my heating pad through the cramps, and was just there. He prayed for us. When all I could do when I opened my mouth was cry, he went to God for us. I had two people close to me offer to fly out and be with me when I was told that I would lose the baby. That's love. I had people texting me constantly to check on me and tell me they love me.

I'm obviously still dealing with this. I don't like to talk about it. I'm still emotional when I think about it. I still cry, heck, I'm doing it right now. And I still don't think it's fair and I still don't understand why it happened. I feel a little twinge of pain every time I see a pregnant person, or a friend has a baby or I hear that someone is pregnant. But I don't stop being happy for them. I know the joy they are feeling. And I pray that they never feel the pain that we've felt.

The last month has had the highest high and the lowest low. We've felt the purest and most amazing joy and the most profound pain.

But God is still good. God will bless us again and we will have a perfect, healthy, amazing baby (or two... or more). But we won't stop loving the Baby we lost. But for now, Baby is in heaven hanging out with Jesus and getting to work on our mansion up there while we continue to live down here.

Summer is drawing to a close...

2011-09-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

And I'm not sure that I'm ready for it. We've been back in school for about a month now and the weather is starting to change. It only got to be like 72 degrees today and the high is 64 for tomorrow. I like that it's not 90+ but if it's going to drop off that quickly, I'm not sure I want it. It's rainy and dreary and even though every one in the world seems to like Fall, I'd like to hang on to Summer for a bit longer. Although, salted caramel hot chocolate is back at Starbucks so at least if it has to be Fall I can drink myself into a salted caramel coma and sleep through it.

The end of summer came with a great time with Sandi for me and a great time in Vegas for Stephen. I'm pretty sure that we didn't stop talking for three days straight catching up on anything and everything that we haven't talked about since February. It was great to sit down and eat lots of amazing food and go visit beautiful places and just hang out. The weekend passed too quickly but I'm grateful to have had the chance to have Epic Best Friend Reunion: Denver 2011. Here are some photos:

In Evergreen at Evergreen Lake

At Red Rocks

Red Rocks from the stage

At Daniel's Park

While she was here, we spent one evening watching a chick flick and eating ice cream. We watched "Something Borrowed," which is based on a best selling novel. I had heard it was cute, as had Sandi, so we figured we would give it a shot. After watching the movie, we both sat there completely unsure of what to think about it. If you have any intention of reading the book or watching the movie, I would consider not reading the rest of this paragraph as I am going to completely spoil the movie for you. Essentially, the story goes that Brunette Friend had crush on a guy in college. Being too nice for her own good, she ends up setting up her best friend (Blonde Friend) with him. Blonde Friend and Guy get engaged. Brunette Friend accidentally tells Guy that she had a crush on him and they end up hooking up. Then they fall in love, keep cheating on Blonde Friend and eventually Guy breaks it off with Blonde Friend for Brunette Friend. Only to find out Blonde Friend was cheating on Guy with Weird Guy. Meanwhile Childhood Guy-Friend confesses his love for Brunette Friend only to realize she is in love with Guy. In the end, Brunette Friend gets Guy and Blonde Friend and Weird Guy end up together. Childhood Guy-Friend ends up alone. (I didn't like the movie enough to remember their character's names). WHY is it that in our society a movie about screwing over your friends and cheating on your fiance and lying is considered good? Why is it considered cute as long as everyone ends up with who they wanted (no matter the cost)? What does that say about the social norms of our society? It is a sorry state of affairs. I know that I'm kind of a prude when it comes to most things but seriously- this is okay? I guess it shouldn't surprise me when some of the richest and most popular people in our society only have notoriety for making a sex tape. But REALLY? Teenage girls are going to go see movies like this and think that's okay. And parents already don't spend enough time with their children so who is going to steer them in the right direction when they're surrounded by such poor examples? And why is it that the ONE person in the movie who is honest with the person he loves the entire time, who doesn't ruin his relationships due to an inability to resist his carnal desires and who only tries to support his friends ends up alone? It's just dumb. And that is my rant about "Something Borrowed."

Over the last weeks we've had lightning and thunder in the evenings. We were treated to an amazing show a few nights ago and I LOVED getting to watch it and I took some pictures and a three minute movie. Here are a few photos:

Something that was really cool yesterday was that we had no plans for Labor Day when the day started but between when Stephen got off work at 1:45 yesterday and around 3:30 we were able to set up a BBQ at our place and had 5 friends able to come. Brandon, Chris, Kevin, Brandon & Kelsey were all able to come and we had a good time watching Star Wars, talking about all kinds of things, sitting down by the fire pit and drinking Chris' home-brewed beers. A good time was had by all.

We also had the last of our fantasy football drafts last night so we are set to go for the new season. I have 3 teams that should do well and I'm looking forward to getting together with the SuperMan/WonderWoman League group for games again this season. Guaranteed friend time every Sunday and Monday is always a blast.

My parents are coming to see us for Thanksgiving, which is great news! I was starting to really get bummed out that I wouldn't see any of my family for Thanksgiving due to Stephen's work schedule but we will get to spend it with family. I'm really looking forward to having our first Thanksgiving in our own place and hosting (but mostly pumping my mom for her recipes/strategies/knowledge). It's a bummer that I won't get to see the rest of my CA people anytime in the planned future, but I'm happy to see them. And hopefully our Rabon side will be here for Christmas so I can put all that stuff I learn from my Mom at Thanksgiving into practice and spend some quality time with them.

One Year Colorado Anniversary

2011-08-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

In commemoration of our first year in Colorado, I have made a list of things I've learned since living in Colorado.

- There is no such thing as a "typical" Colorado season. Every person that you talk to says it is "NEVER this *insert adjective here* (rainy, snowy, cold, hot, humid) this time of year!"

- There are a grand total of 10 black people in the state of Colorado, with the exception of professional athletes. Coming from the Bay Area, which is fantastically diverse, I get overly excited when I find some diversity.

- Despite the fact that we are East of the Rockies like the label says, Best Foods is still Best Foods here, not Hellman's.

- People in Colorado LOVE being from Colorado, moreso than any place I have been before. They even put these stickers on their stuff:

- I know now what a carabiner is.

- No matter what time of day it is, no matter what the weather is and no matter the danger to one's self, there is ALWAYS someone working out outside in Colorado.

- No matter what time of day it is, no matter what the weather is and no matter the danger to one's self, there is ALWAYS someone at the dog park by our house.

- Despite the fact that I always forget to check packages for high altitude cooking instructions, my food has not turned out badly. They generally range from something like 5000'-6500' and we live at 6469'... what do you do if you're even higher than us?

- Even though Brandon thought differently, no one (outside of friends) has talked crap to me when I wear my Raiders jersey.

- Driving in snow is not always completely terrifying but sometimes it definitely is.

- As I already knew, but it is constantly confirmed, my husband is the perfect person for me-- he has helped me through all of the big changes of the past year and has made the move less difficult just by being himself.

- No matter how much time has passed, I still miss my family and friends constantly. It's not homesickness and it's not sad, but I definitely miss being able to see them at the drop of a hat.

- No matter how far away we are, my family and friends back home are still so important to me. There's nothing like a decade plus of history with someone that is just so refreshing.

- Being a Young Guns softball wife is so much fun. I love getting to sit out there every week and support my amazing husband and get to know the girls better. I love our post-game Chili's meals and spending time with the group.

- You do eventually get used to the altitude and don't feel like you're going to die every time you exercise.

- Coors Field is beautiful.

- There are some really great people here. We know some fantastic people.

- I am the only person over the age of 3 who has never skied or snowboarded.

- Deer, coyotes, rabbits and foxes just run around like they own the place. Which is pretty sweet.

- The Denver Aquarium has tigers. I don't know why.

- It doesn't have to be snowing for there to be a snow day. So far mine have all been sunny, there's just snow on the roads.

- When it's been -18, 5 degrees feels amazing.

- There is still so much more to explore here. :)

Family Time

2011-07-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, we got to spend a lot of time with our families this last month and it was great!

In Fallon, we got to see Mom, Dad, Holly, Ashlyn, Gram, Grandpa, Nana, Papa, CD, Ash, Slade, Uncle Gary, Aunt Laura, Gabriel, Arianna, Gianna and Katelyn. Not to mention a visit from Nikki, Aaron and Parker Glass! And of course the pups: Lily, Paco, Sasha, Caddy and Mo. It was a great week full of good food, softball games and lots of just hanging out and catching up. I hadn't seen Nana & Papa and the Pinedas in almost a year, so that was really nice.

Then, after we returned to Colorado, Stephen's parents and sister drove out from Nashville to spend a couple weeks with us. Dan and Brandi came down from Craig so we had the entire Rabon clan together for the first time since our wedding, I think. We left Texas at Christmas the day Dan came (we only saw each other in the airport) so that doesn't really count. We all got to spend 4th of July weekend together-- playing softball and volleyball and enjoying catching up. Then the next weekend Dan came back and Mike, Marcie, Dan, Matt, Stephen and I hiked in Rocky Mountain National Park to Mills Lake. It was a great visit and even though Stephen and I worked, we got a good amount of quality time.

And now, despite the fact that it's only July, we're a mere two weeks away from the first week of school. Our staff week is the first week in August (setting up classrooms, etc.) and then the kiddos return on August 9. It's been a crazy busy two weeks at the school getting all the supplies ordered and class lists made and finding a new teacher as one from last year has decided to move on. The transition has been a lot of work and craziness but I think that we're going to have a great year with the set up we have now. I'm really excited to see some of the kids who didn't come to our summer program and get to know the new children. It will be here before we know it and I'm looking forward to my second school year there.

For those who don't already know, Stephen was promoted at the end of June to Store Manager. I, of course, am very proud of my husband and how hard he works to provide for this family. He's going through transition at work, too, and so has been working very hard to get everything set up and ready to go. He's doing an amazing job (but really, did anyone doubt that he would??) and he's learning the ins and outs of the new position. He's very humble and didn't want to make a big announcement, so I'm just going to brag about him here :) I'm pretty sure it's my job as his wife and I love doing it.

Stephen will be going to Vegas at the end of August again with the SuperMan League to draft for Fantasy Football so I have been in talks with Sandi to get her out here for another visit. She's got the time off and Chris' blessing and has been looking at plane tickets so I think it's a go! I'm VERY excited about this. Catching up and mischief to follow!

Summer time and the livin' is easy...

2011-06-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been months since I blogged, which seems weird to me, but time is just passing by so quickly. I feel like New Year's just happened and it's almost mid-June. I know they say time goes by faster the older you get but geez, I'm not THAT old yet! It's amazing for me to think that I've been in Colorado almost a year (less than 2 months to go!) and that I've worked at Parker Montessori the majority of an entire school year and a few months shy of a year (September). Life is funny like that. I feel like I'm still new to the area but at the same time also sometimes forget that I've moved until I see a freeway sign saying Denver is north and Colorado Springs is south. I guess that means that I'm comfortable here. I know how to get to all the important places, anyway, and I've developed routines around the places, people and events here. It still sucks to be far away from our families and some of our closest friends, but life is still good.

Warm weather is finally upon us and I couldn't be happier about that! That snowing into May thing is not really my style. Give me a few 75-80 degree days in a row and you've got one happy girl on your hands. Now if we could just turn this darn wind into some gentle breezes we'd really have things in order. Overall, though, I'm looking forward to enjoying the warm months and the green trees and grass that have finally emerged from their hibernation.

Summer time has also brought changes at work. While we do have summer camps going during June and July, we have a significantly lower enrollment during those months. It has a lot do with our clientele-- we have a lot of stay at home moms or families with nannies so the majority of the children that we have during the summer are our students with two working parents. We get a few from the SAHM families, but only like 2-3 days a week and only for the mornings. Just a little time for the kids to learn and retain from the school year, have some socialization and give Mom a chance to run errands, etc. Because of this, my hours have been cut back significantly. I'm working just under half the amount of hours per week that I worked during the school year, which has been quite a change for me. I'm not liking the pay cut at all, but I'm trying to make the best of the extra time off. I've been reading a lot and I'm looking into starting to volunteer at a local food bank in July (I'll be gone and they'll be closed the remainder of this month). I spent an hour laying in the sun reading on Wednesday and that was pretty fantastic. I also gave blood, which I've been overdue for. Speaking of overdue, I finally took Josie in for a recall notice I received from Toyota in March... I know, horrible car owner. They had to order the part, so I'll need to take her back in, but at least I've got the time now. Maybe I'll even go to the dentist... super overdue for that one! So maybe summer will come in handy to catch up on some things... and hopefully make it to a few Rockies games!

On Wednesday, Stephen and I are headed to Fallon to see my family. I can not possibly tell you how excited I am for this trip, for a couple reasons. #1. I get to see so many people who I love and miss like crazy! #2. An entire week with Stephen, where neither of us works! That's amazing! It's going to be so great to see everyone, and I'm so happy and blessed that so many people are making the trip from various places to see us :) It's going to be Dad, Holly & Ashlyn in Fallon, Mom, Gram & Grandpa from Vacaville, Nana & Papa coming up from Victorville and CD, Slade & Ashleigh from Pleasanton. I'm even trying to get in some Nikki Glass time :) It's going to be a full house and a crazy week but I am looking forward to seeing everyone so much! We're hoping to get a group family picture in while everyone is there-- yes, everyone in the picture!-- and I can't wait to see it and have it and show off how amazing our family is. Divorce has not torn the two sides of my family apart and I can't express how much I LOVE that about my family. There's going to be so much family, fun and food that I'm taking my running shoes with me so that I don't gain 100lbs. I've already plotted a course on the streets by Dad's house. Maybe I can even get one of the 6 (yes, SIX!) dogs that will be there to run with me. Yes, we are crazy. 13 people, 6 dogs, 1 house. Oh dear.

Then, we'll get back to town, have a little over a week and then Mike, Marcie and Rebekah are headed out from Nashville to stay with us for a couple weeks! We've already got Matt living with us for the summer and Dan comes down from Craig from time to time so we'll have a house FULL of Rabons :) They'll be out here for the 4th of July (and the block party that comes with it) and then will spend the next couple weeks having some quality time with us, their friends here in CO and enjoying being "home." It should be a great time. I'm sure that Dan will probably come down with Brandi at some point so that should be fun for everyone to be together! My "relaxed" work schedule will be a definite advantage during those weeks to maximize the amount of time I'll get to spend with everyone. Looking forward to that!

This summer is going to be filled with family and I LOVE that.

And, because a blog post is kind of boring without photos, here are a few from recent family fun in Colorado:

The Rockies game for Dan's birthday -- beat the Cardinals 15-4!

From Mom's Easter Visit!

From Gram & Grandpa's Mother's Day visit!

What happens when Matt goes shopping with us :)

Young Guns softball is back!

Heartbreak

2011-04-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

Despite the multitude of blessings in my life, something has been weighing on my heart heavily. I have an amazing job that allows me to spend time getting to know the children we care for and their families. I have shared joy with families as they welcomed new babies, as they celebrated buying a house and as they got new jobs. And I absolutely love being the first person that they meet when they come to the school to tour, the person who remembers the little details about their family/child and welcoming them into our community. I truly am grateful that I get to be that person in our school.

However, with getting to know the children and their families also comes heartbreak when life is hard for them. Our children range in age from 15 months to 6 years old and some of them are dealing with things in their lives that they are just too young to deal with. We have children dealing with alcoholism in their families, children dealing with the possibility that their parents' marriage may not last, children whose parents work so much that they only see them one day each week and children whose parents are in treatment for serious diseases such as cancer. I've grown to know and love these kids and seeing them deal with such adult issues is really hard. I just want to scoop them up into my arms and hold them and comfort them. And there are some days that that's exactly what they want and need, so I do.

It breaks my heart to have a child burst into tears at and then explain to me that the card they're making for their dad shows him falling down the stairs that morning because he's intoxicated. A young, beautiful, amazing child witnessing that and seeing the way it affects them and their sibling and mother. Having children under the age of 10 attended Al-Anon meetings to try to support each other as their family tries to rebuild itself while being ravaged by alcoholism is just so hard. I'm sure it's a great program and that it is helping immensely, but the fact that they have to go just makes me so sad.

It breaks my heart when I get a phone call from a parent asking if their child can stay at school longer because the parent who normally watches them in the afternoon can't watch them because they are too drunk to drive. At 11 am. On a Wednesday. An amazing, bright child misses out on quality time with their parent because they chose alcohol instead.

It breaks my heart to know that children may have to deal with parents splitting and possibly divorcing and having to deal with life changing dramatically. Even if the parents get along well, life will not be the same. And those children will deal with a variety of emotions like sadness and anger and confusion.

It breaks my heart to know that there are some children who don't get to see one parent hardly ever. A parent told me that because they have to work so much, they only see their child one day a week. And they make that day a special day just for the two of them, but it is so sad to think of all the time lost. That parent is grateful to even have a job in this economy, which is totally understandable. But, as Stephen pointed out, if they only have that much time with the child, where is the time with the spouse? How can a marriage stay strong for the parents and the child with so little quality time?

It breaks my heart to know that children are dealing with the possibility of losing a parent to a serious illness. We have a parent who is a cancer survivor (thank the Lord) who is living with the after effects of increased testing each time they are sick- blood work, chest x-rays, various scans. We have another parent currently undergoing treatment for cancer and I believe the prognosis is good, but it's still scary. The very thought of my parents or grandparents getting sick makes me want to burst into tears and I've got a good 20+ years of life on these kids.

And it breaks my heart to know that this is not an anomaly. These children are a few of many, many children who deal with topics far above their age and maturity level. These children live in Douglas County, the 7th richest county in the nation (that statistic was on the radio earlier this week). They do not live in a rough area, yet they suffer with some of the same afflictions. So it breaks my heart to know there are children who deal with these topics as well as poverty, drugs, gang violence, etc.

So I pray and pray for these kids and their families. I pray for God's healing, for God's peace and for God's will in their lives. And I am there when they need me, in whatever way they do. There are some mornings with the children that a child will stand with their body against me and have me play with their hair. For 30 minutes straight. If that's what they need for comfort, that's what I'll give them.

Children are just SO precious. They are gifts from God meant to be loved, cared for, nurtured and brought up by parents who love them unconditionally and make them the priority. They deserve the very best that their parents can give them.

As I pray God's will for these children, I think of Jeremiah 29:11.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I already love my future children so much and I want so badly that they should never deal with the pain these children are dealing with. And I know that Stephen and I will try as hard as it is humanly possible to take care of the children that God entrusts to us. And with His help and the help of our family and friends, I feel confident that we will take care of them in the best possible way.

Time for Some R&R (&R&R)

2011-04-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

This blog brought to you by the letter R!

Running:
I'm back to having a routine with my running. I know, I know, in the course of this blog I've stopped and started 2-3 times, but I'm back in action and getting my butt kicked by my treadmill every other day (which comes to 3-4 times per week). My shoes and I have now logged 344.6 miles together. I logged into Nike+ for the first time in a long time (I've been uploading runs straight from my iPhone) and checked out my status in both my "Run Across America" challenge and progress to Nike Level Blue. Using my friend Google, I saw that I am almost completely across Washington and will be entering Idaho soon :)Doesn't seem like much when you zoom out and see the whole USA, but that's pretty far on foot! I am also 276.5 miles away from the next level, which means I'm over halfway there. It's the small victories.

In addition to running, I've been dabbling in yoga and pilates on my off days. I haven't been as dedicated with those since returning from Spring Training but it's been easy to get distracted with Rockies games on and a cute husband to cuddle. He's been working more mornings, so he's home when I get off work. A blessing to be sure, but it's hard to turn down cuddling on the couch in favor of exercise.

I have also been making an attempt to eat healthier. I'm watching my calories with the Loseit! app/website and eating a whole bunch more fruit. I love fruit, so I don't understand why I didn't eat more previously but I love my breakfasts of Cuties clementines, strawberries, raspberries or blackberries. So good. I've lost a little weight, which is always a welcome side effect. Nothing to write home about, but people are noticing a little bit of a slim down (Stephen & coworkers). That's nice :)

I'm also looking to start trying new recipes including more healthy ingredients such as quinoa. I found a black bean and quinoa chili recipe online as well as a quinoa & tomato salad that looks pretty good. I located it at King Soopers and will hopefully be trying it soon. We've got our meals planned for the next two weeks (we're trying to save money and waste less) so perhaps after that.

Reading
Thanks to a snowy day last Sunday, some relaxing evenings at home and Stephen closing two nights this week, I made it through three books this last week! How crazy is that? Totalling about 1500 pages, I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Redeeming Love & The Unnamed. The first I found disturbing, the second I found redeeming (appropriately named) and the third I found interesting/odd.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was for my Colorado Book Club. The book was interesting as you follow the mystery plot, but call me old fashioned, reading about rape, sadism and murder are just not my cup of tea. I felt that the detail given to these sections of the book were excessive and that I wanted to know more about the family mystery than the sad society that exists in Sweden. Each section began with a depressing statistic about the amount of sexual assault in Sweden (I'm not naive enough to pretend there isn't plenty of sexual assault here in the US, but it makes me sad to think about, much less read about in detail) and every person in the book has had an unfortunate history with sex and it is largely portrayed badly or without importance. People in Sweden apparently give it away like it isn't a big deal (yes I know that happens here too, doesn't make it a good thing). Maybe I'm just a big old prude.

Redeeming Love was everything a girl could hope for out of a Christian historical fiction novel depicting the story of Hosea & Gomer from the Bible. Not going to lie, I couldn't remember the story of Hosea off the top of my head (for shame!) but this book does contain elements of sadness and forced sexual relations but the story also helps the character involved to deal with it. Whereas those who suffered in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo were not given any help following their incidents (unless death counts), this story follows a "soiled dove" as she is shown God's love through a man who, knowing her past, is willing to love her no matter what. A solid depiction of a man being "Jesus with skin on" as Pastor Ben used to say.

The Unnamed was an odd book. The premise is that a man has an unnamed, undiagnosable disease that causes him to walk without stopping until he reaches the point of total exhaustion. He has no control over this and it often occurs when he would least like it to. It follows his struggle to handle the illness, his wife and daughter's struggle to help him as well as understand it themselves, and his undying love for his wife, no matter where the disease takes him. He struggles with thoughts of suicide, questioning the existence of the soul/God, how to "beat" the beast, how to keep his job as a lawyer and how to be there for his family. It sort of reminds me of The Time Traveler's Wife in his inexplicable disappearances and waking up in random places. It wasn't a bad read, though I'm not sure it lived up to the acclaim it received. Here I go being a prude again, but I'm not sure that the F-bombs dropped throughout the book or the descriptions of sex acts between him and his wife helped advance the story. It sort of reminded me of The Human Stain in that respect. Swearing for swearing's sake annoys me. It only makes you cool if you're in junior high and think you're a rebel. And even then it doesn't make you cool, it makes you an idiot.

Reflection
Stephen and I are one week away from hitting our First Wedding Anniversary. It seems crazy that it's been a year and I've spent some time thinking about the days leading up to our wedding. I laughed to myself this morning thinking about my obsessive compulsive need to check the weather forecast for our wedding weekend literally every thirty minutes leading up to the big day. Having an iPhone is a blessing and a curse sometimes :) I was thinking about how many incredible people were praying for that weekend to be great... it was amazing to have so many people speaking into our lives in such a positive way. I thought about my amazing bridesmaids who threw me an incredible bridal shower, who helped me with invitations and favors, who gave me advice and love throughout the planning process, who are the best friends a girl could ask for. Man, I miss being close to them. I was thinking about how I wasn't nervous about marrying Stephen one bit before or on our wedding day- I was nervous the day of about the ceremony and things running smoothly, but never once did I get nervous about marrying Stephen. That was the easiest and best decision of my life. I was thinking about how extremely blessed we were by the people who came from all over to be there for our wedding-- family & friends poured out their love to us in person and through cards and gifts. I was thinking about how this is the first of a lifetime of anniversaries for us and how each year we'll be more in love and have more reasons to celebrate as our little family grows.

We'll be going to my first Rockies game at Coors Field to celebrate our anniversary. There's nothing I love more than experiencing life with Stephen by my side.

Really Exciting Upcoming Events:
April 18- Our Anniversary!
April 21-25- Mom is here to visit!
May 6-9- Gram and Grandpa Tom come to visit!

Spring Training 2011

2011-03-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

There's nothing quite like a road trip to make some great memories. Sandi and I have had some epic road trips- many of which ended in a trip to Disneyland and more inside jokes than I can count. Mom and I have had our fair share of trips that have been both short and long but have produced laughs for years afterward. For Spring Training 2011, Stephen, Brandon and I braved the 13 hour drive in one day each way to get to warmer temperatures, sunny skies, In-n-out, Whataburger and some Rockies baseball.

The Preparation
Having never been to Spring Training before, and sad to say a single Rockies game in my life (though I have watched many a game on TV), I may have been overly excited for my first year. It was probably a combination of excitement, availability and cuteness that lead to the purchase of 3 Rockies related clothing items the day before our trip. I went to Target to get a Rockies hat. Totally necessary for blocking the sun and avoiding sunburn on my face, right? Obviously a practical purchase. Here I come to the Sporting Goods section and lo and behold, there's an entire end cap of Rockies hats. After a short deliberation, I selected a hat which would be both functional and really cute. Then, to my left, there's an entire aisle of Colorado sports teams apparel. I probably should have walked away, but I was drawn in. Jersey style shirts, tee shirts, hoodies, and baby clothes (oh man those are the cutest). I start browsing and decide to buy myself a tee shirt-- after all, with my Rockies jersey and Spilborghs shirt I only had enough Rockies outfits for two games and we were going to three. I found a boys' large CarGo shirt and decided I would get that one- kids clothes are more cost effective anyway. Then I felt bad that Stephen wasn't getting anything. So I found him a Jimenez tee shirt. As I was walking away, a spot of purple catches my eye... there was ONE Tulowitzki women's shirt left, in my size, and super cute. Back goes the boys' CarGo shirt and into my cart goes the Tulo shirt. Some things just can not be helped.

This is a photo of what we packed for this trip (minus my Spilly shirt):

Add some Gatorades, water bottles, sunflower seeds and peanuts to that and we've got a trip.

Day One: Hitting For the Cycle
When you're too excited to sleep, 5:00am comes really early. Having packed the night before, all that needed to be done was shower, lock the house and head out. Brandon arrived around 5:45 and we headed to the store to get cash and ice for our cooler. One quick run through the Starbucks drive thru and we were on our way south on I-25.

There are 4 ways to participate in a road trip: Passenger, Driver, Sleeper and DJ. Consider these much like hitting a single, double, triple and homer. Not every person in the car can hit all 4 but when you do, it's going to make for a good time. I was lucky enough to get to do all 4, making the 13 hour drive feel much shorter than it actually was. Combine this with music from three different iPods, reminiscing on songs of years past and pondering the suckiness of the lives of various farm animals and you've basically got the mentality of this trip.

Our first stop was in Trinidad, CO to get some gas and Mickey D's to fuel the next leg of the trip. The boys told me that Trinidad is the sex change capital of the world, leading me to eye every person in the overly busy McDonald's suspiciously. Man? Woman? Some were unclear. Trinidad has some really cool old brick buildings (some of which are apparently a college) but I was happy to be moving on out after getting some much needed potatoes in my life. Love me some hash browns. I even got a short nap in on that full belly.

Next we stopped in fabulous Las Vegas...New Mexico. Now I'm not gonna lie, I haven't been to the real Las Vegas since I've been old enough to partake in any of the activities for which people generally go to Las Vegas, so maybe I'm not the best judge of this but Las Vegas was not all it has been hyped up to be. I mean, the strip did have some classy places-- Days Inn, the BK Lounge and Devil's Tattoo (who pride themselves on using a clean needle every time!)-- but there was something missing. Maybe it's because we hit it in the morning and I didn't get to see the strip all lit up...

I took over driving here and DJ duties so some classic rock was in order. Brandon took the backseat and a nice long nap while Stephen watched a movie on his Netflix app. So it was me, some awesome music and the open road. Now I'm a desert girl-- I just love the look of a desert landscape with the shrubbery and rocky ridges. Maybe it's being born in Arizona or visiting the CA High Desert all through my life but the views were gorgeous. I drove through Santa Fe (which is much smaller than I thought it would be) and Albuquerque (and remembered getting snowed in there once with my brother and Dad and eating at an awesome Mexican place called Los Betos) until we stopped just outside of Gallup for some gas and food. It was a nice drive but I was getting antsy to re-enter my birth state. It's been a while but I'll always be an Arizonan at heart.

Brandon took over driving duties and we crossed state line to a drive full of rock formations, random dinosaur statues at every gift shop and awaiting a drive through the Tonto National Forest. The boys were surprised to see the beauty of a forest and mountainy area in Arizona but I remember spending time camping as a kid. Payson, AZ is a really cute little mountain town and we made our last stop there before driving the last hour and a half to our hotel. The drive was beautiful. We caught the sun going down over the mountains and I was eating up having the windows down and it still being warm. I can't wait for summer.

We arrived at our hotel and got all checked in. Our room was nothing fancy but we did have a beer fridge. I don't like beer so I'm sure you can imagine that I was not the one who named the fridge, though it did keep my Strawberry-Orange Gatorade nice and cold. Within minutes we were locating the nearest In-n-Out and eating our own little pieces of heaven. I was also advised by a very drunk Giants fan to not drink when it's hot out. When I didn't acknowledge his advice, he reiterated it. Repeatedly. Guy was barking up the wrong tree. With full bellies and a long day behind us, we returned to our hotel, watched some ESPN and passed out.

Day Two: Hitting the Sweet Spot
Our first game was on day two-- Rockies at the Reds at Goodyear Ballpark. Goodyear is the furthest ballpark from where we were staying but was also the closest to my old stomping grounds of Luke Air Force Base. I was really excited for this game, donned my hat and Rockies jersey and was ready for the sunshine, hot dog and baseball. Nothing hits the spot quite like a day in the sun. After some delicious Whataburger, we headed for the stadium. When we approached and parked, I was surprised by how small the stadium was. Home of the Indians and Reds, Goodyear Ballpark is super small and very homey. This made it easy for us to walk right up to the bullpen and watch John Maine warm up for his start.

After they warmed up, one of the Rockies' catchers tossed Stephen the ball and we were set to find our seats. He was nice enough to give me the ball :) which I carried around like a trophy when we were looking for our seats. We were just beyond the bag on the first base line, four rows from the field and enjoying a gorgeous sunny day.

The boys had some beers, I had a hot dog and we watched as the Rockies fell to the Reds after 9 innings. Though we did not win, we did enjoy the time watching as Rockies up-and-comers, Spring Training invitees and a few starters were out there showing what they've got. After a great many "Dex/Spilly, love that guy!" exclamations as well as some "Franklin Morales, why do we even keep that guy?" questions, we left the field ready for two more days of baseball, our first trip to Salt River Fields at Talking Stick and slightly sunburned.

We made a detour to see my birth place and home for the first 8 years of my life, Luke Air Force Base. Unfortunately they had closed down the roads near it for crowd/traffic control for the air show they had that day (which led to a double show during the ball game! LOVE the sound of planes flying overhead...Air Force brat represent) so we couldn't get very close. It was nice to see it and remember a very happy childhood inside those gates.

That evening we decided amongst ourselves that instead of going to chain restaurants we'd try out some local stops. We were feeling Mexican (but really, when aren't we?) so we called down to the front desk in hopes of getting a local's recommendation. The chick at the front desk had no idea (who DOESN'T know a great Mexican place in their area, I mean, REALLY???) and so we consulted the internet. After scouring Urban Spoon, Yelp and Google, we decided to head down to a place called Mi Patio. The food was okay, nothing to write home about, but one thing of note was that there was a table full of Dodgers fans there. It's truly a thing of beauty to see fans from so many different clubs in one place all decked out in the colors of their favorite team. Every place we went there was someone representing their team. LOVE that.

Day Three: If You Build It, They Will Come

Rockies vs. Angels at home. Salt River Fields at Talking Stick (hereafter to be referred to as Talking Stick) is the brand new and gorgeous new Spring Training facility of the Rockies (and Diamondbacks, but that's less important in this story). When we drove up, listening to Miley Cyrus no less (thanks, boys and thanks Troy Tulowitzki), we were all in awe of the magnitude of the complex. There are several side training fields and three team stores on the premises. The sticky-uppy-lighting fixtures (which, yes, is a technical term) remind me of the Bay Bridge, which I love and miss, so I may have thought it was more beautiful than others.

The classic saying "If You Build It, They Will Come" held true. It was a sell out-- 12, 209 people were in attendance to see the Rockies host the Angels. The lawns were covered, the seats were full and there were people milling about the entire game. Truly a capacity crowd. Our seats were along the third base line, right next to the Angels bullpen and right next to CarGo. We also had a great view of Tulo doing his thing.

The game started off great... our lineup was pretty similar to what it will be on Opening Day and the matching purple Tulowitzki shirts that Brandon and I wore to the game were christened in incredible fashion. Tulo opened the game with a three run homer and we went CRAZY. He followed it up with a solo home run and we knew he hit them for us. We were sitting in a pretty rowdy section (which is always fun--even if they were Angels fans) but the game was great.

The boys has some beers and I had a hot dog. Let me tangent now for a moment about hot dogs. For me, you just can't go to a baseball game without having one. Since the days of attending the minor league Mavericks games with my Papa and having MavsDogs to going to A's games with the Adys and loving $1 hot dog night, a hot dog is a baseball game MUST. Talking Stick has got it right. Not only was the Rockies' hot dog double the diameter of the Reds' hot dog (please keep your "that's what she said" comments in your heads!) but it was much tastier. As a baseball hot dog connoisseur, I would like to put a hearty stamp of approval on the Talking Stick hot dogs. I hope that when I make my first trip to Coors Field that the RockiesDogs can hold up to the high standard it set for Rockies games for me.

The game ended in a 6-6 tie in the 10th inning and we stuck around for a while after the game to allow the crowds to clear out.

We stopped in a couple more team stores and then grabbed our mitts and played catch in the parking lot. It was a lot of fun to hang around and enjoy the ambiance of baseball.

We headed over to the Salt River Resort Casino to have the boys try their luck on the blackjack tables. They played for a good while before we decided to call it a day and find a good, local restaurant to eat at. Thanks to the internet we found a little hole in the wall Japanese place in Scottsdale called Hiro Sushi. The wall was covered in pictures of famous Japanese people who had eaten there, including Daisuke Matsuzaka, Ichiro Suzuki, Kosuke Fukodome and Hiroki Kuroda. This looked promising. The boys had sushi and I had the teriyaki chicken dinner. It was GOOD. The boys say the sushi was really good (though I say YUCK) and we left happy. We also tried to find a ColdStone locally but the GPS took us to the ColdStone HQ. No ice cream for us :(

Day Four, Part One: Called On Account of Rain
We were hoping the weather reports would be wrong. We were hoping the rain would hold off long enough to squeeze in 9 innings of baseball vs. the defending World Series champion Giants.

We started the morning at Over Easy, a local breakfast place once visited by Guy Fieri and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Our plan to eat locally extended to the morning hours now. The place was packed (it had been on Saturday, the first time we tried to come, too) and their menu included some interesting fare. Not being an egg person, I went with meat and potatoes--classic Amanda. Hash browns and bacon. Can't go wrong there. The boys had two Over Easy meals and really enjoyed them. Stephen had The Wolfpack-- bacon and your choice of eggs sandwiched between two layers of hash browns. If it weren't for the eggs I'd be all over that. Brandon had the corned beef hash and claimed it was the best he'd ever had. Definitely a good stop.

We headed down to Scottsdale Stadium under ominous skies. Knowing that we may get rained out, we parked at a park about 10 minutes (by foot) away so that we wouldn't have to pay for parking. The Stadium is tiny and has bleachers on the outfield seating. We had lawn seats so we made our way to the lawn with rain misting us. By the time we got settled it was drizzling.

We were seated next to a very friendly Giants fan who talked to Brandon about the NL West and players the Giants had lost since last season. He came out from Alameda to see them play. The game started and every inning brought more rain and more pain to one Mr. Tim Lincecum. In the 3 innings that were played before the delay, Timmy had 7 hits and 5 runs against him and was pulled out of the game. As a Rockies fan, we were rejoicing in the outfield lawn. Our starter, Matt Reynolds, had a no hitter going. We were getting pretty wet by the time they called the delay. We waited around about 10 minutes before realizing they would have no choice but to cancel. They announced it over the loud speaker as we were just outside the stadium walking to the car. For the three innings we saw, it was a great game. There were a lot more "Dexter Fowler, love that guy!"s to be said and an adorable little boy tumbling down the hill to watch during those three innings and despite being very wet, I loved every minute. The lawn is a unique experience and it was fun to have it.

Brandon wanted In-n-Out once more before we left town so we headed to lunch where, as we walked in the door, we were greeted by fellow Rockies fans. There were fans of all kinds there since all the games got rained out. After soaking up the baseball camaraderie while gorging ourselves on some burgers, we headed back to the hotel.

Day Four, Part Two: Highway to the Danger Zone
Upon returning to the hotel we had a short pow wow and decided that we would head home and try to beat the storm in the mountains. We had been planning to return the next morning via Flagstaff but remembering my youth and snow trips to Fort Tuthill, we opted to return the way we came. We got packed and in the car in record time and hit the road. We got to Payson and gassed up the car and noticed that the rain drops had become snowflakes. With Stephen at the wheel we headed up the mountain and were greeted by snow both on the ground and falling from the sky. Luckily Stephen's experience and my choice to distract myself with The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo helped to keep the stress level to a minimum. There were cars that had gone off the road (they must have been driving too fast) and the place looked like Narnia but we powered through it. Once we got to Holbrook, AZ, the snow was falling but not sticking. We were out of the woods by Alburquerque (at midnight, no less). I was in and out of sleep a majority of the trip home but I distinctly remember the GPS trying to lead us down the highway to hell.

The boys, powered by coffee and soda, navigated us safely home, where we arrived around 6am. After a quick goodbye, Brandon went home to his own bed and we went upstairs to our own bed where we promptly crashed.

Lessons Learned:

1. Spring Training is a must. Every year, if possible.
2. Don't make your GPS angry by going against her wishes or she will lead you down the path of unrighteousness.
3. Getting out of a food rut and trying local fare can pay off.
4. Don't listen to drunk Giants fans.
5. Always pack a waterproof jacket. You never know.

Overall, I'd do it all again in heartbeat. It was an awesome experience I am happy we had, especially since we decided a month ago to actually go for it. I can't wait to go back next year and the year after that, etc. I can't wait to take our kids someday. I can't wait to meet up with fellow baseball fans for games in the future (Ady family I'm looking at you!!). I can't wait to be those people who know people at Spring Training because they go every year.

Love After All, Matters the Most

2011-02-28T19:06:00.001-08:00

Another month has come and gone and I can't believe that it will be March tomorrow. It seems like we just celebrated New Year's and we're already two months into 2011.

Since my last post, we have settled things with the car. Stephen went ahead and claimed the accident with the guy's insurance (which also happens to be ours) and they had their own adjustor look at it. Whether it was the combination of a dirty car covering previous vandalism and -7 degree weather or that the Jeep is actually worth more than we thought, we did not have to total Alexander. And we're both hugely thankful for that. The adjustor estimated the damage and handed Stephen a check to repair it with at our own discretion. Since the damage isn't that bad and it's a Jeep and looks rugged any way, we were able to bank the check for other uses. Combining that with our tax return, we were able to pay off my credit card completely and make a huge dent in Stephen's credit card. This is a REALLY good feeling. It also helps us to get closer to a place where we can start talking about having little Rabinos (Rabons + bambinos= Rabinos).

We also threw a Pro Bowl party since my last post. It was a lot of fun to have our friends over to the house, eat some kalua pig, drink some Mai Tais and make the most pointless NFL game of the year fun. We had a pretty good turn out (Us, Brandon, The Gossetts, Jameson, Kevin, Lauren and Mindy) and the food was a hit. So much so, in fact, that we cooked the other half of the giant pork butt to take over to Brandon's for the Super Bowl :) Seriously, look at the size of this thing:

The Super Bowl was great- we were all cheering for the Packers, so it made the experience that much better. It was great to see one of my high school classmates out there playing and bringing a ring back to Vacaville. It was kind of sad when it was over, knowing that that particular group of friends got together every week to watch football together and football was over. Hopefully we'll find many reasons to still get together going forward. Those of us in the Rabon household definitely felt the post-football season "hangover" of knowing that it would be months before another football game. We'll get a slight taste of football during the draft at the end of April, but then it will be months again... sigh.

Lucky for us, Rockies baseball has started in Spring Training and in a matter of weeks we will be there enjoying the Arizona sunshine and the boys of summer with Brandon. We're trying to make it as cheap as possible, so we're driving down (my car gets great gas mileage) and splitting the cost of the hotel and games with Brandon. It's still a good amount of money but the experience will be amazing. Road trips always lead to great stories (Sandi, I know you know what I mean!!) and let's face it-- sunshine, a hot dog and baseball? Is there anything wrong with that? The stadium, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, is brand new and gorgeous.

Plus it will be nice (and probably kind of weird) to be back in my old stomping grounds (I did a lot of stomping between the ages of birth and 8). I'm interested to see if I recognize anything and if so how different it looks. It should be a great trip and I'm really looking forward to seeing the Rockies take on the Reds, Angels and Giants.

Thanks to my amazing husband donating the free flight he earned to the cause, I was able to go back to California for a long weekend and get to visit with my family and friends. It was so great to get to see everyone and catch up. Let me tell you, this was a weekend talk-a-thon. I spent 4 hours catching up with my former boss and family friend, Judy and then later that night spent 5 hours catching up with my amazing "Bad Things Happen in Chapter Two" book club. Thank the Lord for technology so that Nikki could webcam into the conversation. My dad and Holly came out too, which was great. We were able to have long family talks with them, Mom, Gram and Grandpa. I love my family. We certainly put the fun in dysfunctional and I love it. I was also able to hit the must have California meals-- In-N-Out, Murillos (with a great group of people, including the Adys and Matlocks) and Chin Hua. I ate VERY well.

We are quickly approaching our first wedding anniversary... with as fast as this year has gone by we'll be there before we know it. I think about our wedding very often and how truly perfect it was. Every time I think of it, the memories are nothing but good and they make me smile constantly. Being married to Stephen is the best thing ever. I'm so lucky to be married to my best friend, a person I trust with my life, who I am always proud of and love to brag about, who I respect and admire and who loves me better than any one else possibly could. I am so happy to be his wife.

The title of this blog is from "Love Never Fails" by Brandon Heath. We played this song during our wedding ceremony when we did our first communion as man and wife & when our parents came forward to pray over our marriage. It is so strongly connected to that memory and the feeling of that moment that I get emotional (ridiculously happy) when I hear it. I also think of our DJ, who though not a practicing Christian, felt an intense spiritual moment during that part of the ceremony due to the depth of what was going on paired with the music. He made it a point to mention it to me during the reception and to another wedding guest who told him what it was he felt-- the Holy Spirit moving.

2011

2011-01-22T10:58:00.000-08:00

Since the new year has started we have had some good times. We spent New Year's Eve with the Athertons, which was fun as always. There were games, pool, fireworks and of course a midnight kiss with my handsome husband :) It was also FREEZING. We went outside to set off fireworks (which turned the snow on the road black) and then ran back into the warmth of the house.

The next weekend Stephen went to Vegas with some friends and my dad came to visit :) Dad and I had a lot of fun hanging out. I drove him around the area and showed him where I work and where Stephen works and he helped me pick out (and helped pay for) my treadmill. Then Matthew helped us put it together. I treated them to BWW and we watched the end of the Jets-Colts game there. It started snowing like crazy the next day and so I drove the Jeep to take Dad to the airport because the roads were so snowy and it was still coming down. We got 6-7 inches on our deck from that snow. It also kept Stephen from being able to fly home (more proof that snow is evil) so I spent that snowy night alone in our gigantic house. I was less than excited about that. On the plus side, I got the next day off as a snow day and was able to be with Stephen for a good portion of the day because of that.

Unfortunately not everything has been so awesome. On Wednesday Stephen was on his way home from work and got in a car accident. He was stopped at light to turn left and another car was turning right onto the street he was on, lost traction, and hit him on the driver's side and then smashed head first into the car behind him. Thankfully, Stephen is okay and I could kiss that Jeep for protecting him. I, of course, freaked out when he called and told me and was not satisfied that he was okay until he got home and I could see him and hug him. Alexander (our Jeep) has some damage-- scraped down the side, dented where the doors meet, plastic runners and wheel well casing cracked and the entire back left bumper was taken off. Poor guy :( Here are some photos:

Stephen took Alexander to the shop the next day and the estimate to repair the damage was $2962. Alexander is an amazing car but he's only worth $2000-2500 due to his age (he's a 98) and some other vandalism that has been done to him :( We love him and we don't want to total him so we're trying to work with the guy so that he'll pay us outside of insurance. Also, we can't really afford to get another car and another used car will have a hard time living up to the awesomeness that is Alexander. So we're still in process to figure this thing out and hopefully it will all get squared away very soon.

We're hoping to get our taxes out of the way soon (once I ever get my w2 from VCS... I haven't worked there in 5 months... they should have sent it to me when I quit in my opinion. I wasn't coming back.) and that extra money will be nice to have to pay off my credit card.

Things I'm looking forward to soon:

- Super Bowl
-Hopefully making it out to Nashville to visit the Rabon side of the family
- Hopefully making it out to CA to see the Padilla side & friends
- Mom coming to visit for Easter
- Gram and Grandpa coming to visit in early May

Looking Back on 2010

2010-12-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it but there are only 12 days left in 2010.

2010 has been an amazing year for us and it seems surreal that it's already almost coming to a close. We have been extremely blessed with all of the events of this year and I am so happy to have spent 8 out of 12 months married to my best friend. As our Christmas letter said (which most or all of my faithful readers received), this has been a year of doing. Planning a wedding, getting married, moving into our first apartment, moving to Colorado, getting a new job, traveling to CA for Thanksgiving, leaving for TX tomorrow to spend some time for Christmas with the Rabons, spending Christmas Day & having dinner with the Athertons and going to wrap it up with New Years (celebrating 4 years together!).

Here are some highlights from the last year:

January

We rang in the New Year with some of our best friends, progressive rummy, and The Truth.

February

We spent quite a few weekends traveling to North Lake Tahoe to arrange wedding plans with various vendors. The more time we spent there, the more we knew it would be perfect for our big day.

March

Our nephew Slade turned two years old in March and the family celebrated at a nice park in Manteca. He is such a cute and smart boy!

On March 28 my amazing bridesmaids threw me the best bridal shower of all time. It was such a huge blessing to be surrounded by family and friends and to be blessed with A LOT of awesome gifts. The company, food and games were all great.

April

We had the only beautiful weekend weather-wise in April to spend with family and friends dedicating our lives to each other. It was such an amazing day and every time I look at pictures I remember just how perfect it was. We were blessed to have our parents pray over our marriage as part of the ceremony.

We had the best wedding party ever. I just love our friends and how well they all mesh and how it was so natural to have them all together in one place. It was incredible.

We spent some time down by the lake with our amazing photographers, Charlotte Geary and Mike Pritchard (and baby Pritchard, come to find out later...). We have such epic wedding photos thanks to them and God's beautiful handiwork.

We danced the night away...and I'm not even big on dancing. A true to testament to the fun-ness of our friends and family and the musical prowess of our awesome DJ, Derek.

Then, a week later we went on our honeymoon to BEAUTIFUL Kauai, thanks to the generosity of Aunt Lori and Uncle Bill allowing us to use a week of their timeshares.

The gardens were beautiful.

So were the beaches :)

The company was amazing!

We hiked around in Waimea Canyon

And drove some beautiful backroads.

May

In May we really settled into our first apartment together. Stephen traveled to Colorado for Dan and Matt's graduations from college and high school, respectively.

June

In early June we were able to attend an A's Fireworks game with a group of friends including the Adys, Nikki, Vannah and the (now) Rogers. It was a great night with a great theme: Hair Bands!

With the help of a great many people, we were able to throw Mom a 50th birthday bash! People came from near and far (Nana and Papa, CD, Ash & Slade and Holly) to celebrate one of the best people in the world on her birthday. It's safe to say she was shocked!

For Stephen's birthday we went to another A's game and got to watch the A's defeat the Pirates in a most unusual way... the last out was the runner being hit by the ball.

July
July was a month of firsts and lasts. It was common knowledge at this point that we were going to be moving and we wanted to make a few last stops at special places. We also had some very special firsts.

Stephen and I went to the Redwoods for his first time and most likely the last time either of us will go for a while.

Sandi invited me to take part in Jack's first trip to the beach. Stinson + beach picnic + family = amazing.

We were also able to celebrate with our best friends as they purchased their first house together and started a new chapter of their lives.

August

We arrived at our new home in Colorado on August 2. With the help of Mom, Dad and Holly we were able to unload all of our stuff, get some rooms set up and begin getting settled into our new life.

Sandi came out to visit me at the end of August while Stephen was in Vegas and we had a great time talking about everything in life, seeing Garden of the Gods, adventuring and ending up at a Dueling Piano bar.

September

In September, I spent some time getting the house decorated for Fall. Home Goods provided me with some great decor and I enjoyed dressing our home up for the season.

Also in this month, we added a grill to our family and had fun learning to use it. I also got my job in September working at Parker Montessori with some great coworkers and adorable kids.

October

In October I spent some time exploring the area around our house and taking in the fall colors.

We also went to the mountains for the first time since we moved out here. We went for a nice hike at the Maroon Bells and the drive was also lovely.

I also started by Photo A Day project with this photo, taken on the drive home:

This project will essentially be a photo journal of a year of my life. It's on my Facebook though I am thinking of making it a blog for continuity sake as well. I should probably do that soon before I get too many more and won't want to transfer my little write ups.

November

In November I did some more exploring of our area, this time going out of the Metro area a bit.

We also got our first snow in November.

This one was from the morning after.

Chris came to visit us mid-month and the boys went to the Broncos vs. Chiefs game. Lucky for them the Broncos played really well and won. This was Chris' first Bronco game.

We flew back to California for Thanksgiving and got to enjoy time with family and friends whom we have missed a lot.

The whole family on our Thanksgiving :)

I couldn't believe how big our nephew had gotten in just a few months! He's talking up a storm and even gave me some kisses :)

We put up our first Christmas tree the day we came home from California. It was great to start off the holiday season right away with my favorite person.

December

My company Christmas party was on December 3 and was a great time of bonding with the lovely ladies at PMEI. It's really a great group and I'm blessed to be a part of it.

Mike and Marcie sent me the most beautiful roses for my birthday with a card that says "You are ours now!" What a great feeling it was to read that card :) And Stephen wrapped my gift in the official Rabon wrapping paper (shiny, green paper that has been in the family for forever from a department store that went out of business). We went to Hacienda for dinner with Dan and Brandon. It was nice to have great food with the guys and watch some football. Very low key birthday.

Stephen, aka best husband ever, knowing my great loves for the zoo and Christmas lights arranged for us to go to Zoo Lights at the Denver Zoo. It was awesome!!

It was very romantic to walk around the zoo hand-in-hand enjoying the lights and the night. We had hot chocolate and a churro and spent the evening enjoying each other's company and looking forward to doing the same with our kids someday.

What a year it has been! And we still have almost two weeks to enjoy with family and friends before 2011 comes around. Obviously there was so much more that happened this year than I have written about (wedding planning madness, leaving VCS, Young Guns softball games, MNF at Brandon's house, etc.) but I wanted to put some photos up to represent a busy and amazing year.

Looking forward to an equally, if not more amazing 2011 :)

A Ma Vie De Coer Entier

2010-11-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

It seems to me that this year has seen a boom of engagements and weddings among the people that I know. And really, who can blame them, 2010 is a great year to get married :) Not that I'm biased or anything. And of course, I wish them all the best-- though most are acquaintances, it is impossible not to be happy for people as they begin the next and best chapter in their lives.

In the last couple months I have had some time to talk to friends about relationships and love and it really gets me thinking about how beautiful it is to have found the person God intended for me. I feel truly blessed and can only wish the same happiness for all of my friends.

I recently spoke with Chris and Stephen about how we have these amazing single friends looking to find a quality person. And not to say that I did everything right in my dating history, but we talked a lot about how the most crucial part of dating is to present yourself in a way that shows the core of who you are. Instead of focusing on the external things that make you attractive or "exciting," to find a person you could spend the rest of your life with you have to focus on what are the non-negotiables of who you are and what you believe and showcase those. And if there is one true blessing of having a long distance relationship, it's that Stephen and I were able to talk about all of the truly important things VERY early on in our relationship. And that's how I knew within months that I could spend the rest of my life with Stephen. We talked about our faith, our families and what we wanted from the future. We talked about how we both want kids and how we want to raise them in a Godly home with love... and discipline. We talked about the roles we see in a relationship and how Stephen and I are both very traditional in that regard. He is the leader of our home and that's exactly how we both want it (and how God intended it). He wants to be the provider and I want to be a wife and mother first and foremost. We talked for hours on the phone every night--- he heard me at my best and at my worst. We had a family situation within the first month we were dating and I called him in tears and he took care of me in just the way I needed from 1200 miles away. I knew from that moment I could count on him to always take care of me, come what may.

Another time, another conversation: a group of friends was discussing what it means to love someone. Most said that when you can truly put the other person before yourself and strive to do so, you love the other person. And that is such a beautiful and crucial part of relationships. I try really hard to keep in mind what is important to my husband and how I can make him happy. Being mindful and thoughtful of this really helps me to put him first. And he does the same for me. I know he does things I want to do that he isn't crazy about (watching Glee with me, for instance) and I really appreciate that selflessness.

There are a lot of things that we both enjoy and that helps too. But being willing to try things the other is interested in or supporting each other in what we choose to pursue strengthens our relationship. I just love Stephen's writing. He is very talented and very witty. And I try at every occasion to encourage him because he really enjoys it. From Fantasy Football posts as our league commissioner to his Tebow editorial on Facebook, I just LOVE when he writes. And I feel like he is always encouraging me with my photography. I'm not trained in any way, never took a class or anything, but I just really enjoy it. And he encourages me, doesn't get annoyed when I stop every 5 seconds to take a picture of something and on day 18 of my Photo A Day project when I was already in bed and hadn't taken a photo, he helped me to think of one to take and made sure that I didn't miss a day of my commitment.

We are blessed to be surrounded by married couples-- family and friends-- who we can look up to as examples of a Godly relationship. We're still new to this whole thing, but we have people around us to give us inspiration to keep Christ at the center, love each other unconditionally, respect each other, always work on communication, and strive to serve each other in the ways God intended. And I hope that for those friends we have navigating the dating scene that we can be that for them some day.

I am blessed and I am grateful.

For those wondering, the title is French for "My Whole Heart for My Whole Life." :)

First Snow of the Year

2010-11-09T17:25:00.000-08:00

Today at approximately 2:30-3:00pm it started snowing. At first I thought it was only rain, but then the snowflakes got much bigger and much fluffier. And just like our kids, ages 2-6, I was staring out the window like it was the first time I'd ever seen snow. Which isn't true, but this is the first time it has snowed somewhere I live and drive and work. (It did snow in Oklahoma but I was a kid and didn't have any real responsibility) I was expecting snow on Thursday, but when I got up today it was sunny and 50 degrees at 7:30am. Then the storm started to roll in and then BAM...Snow. Apparently that's just what Colorado is like.

Here are some pictures of the snow:

The front of our house

The deck

On the deck, looking right

On the deck, looking left

The Stephen and Amanda snowpeople I made :)

My handsome and awesome husband went out just now and bought my some hot chocolate and a snow brush for my car. I used my lunch bag to get the snow off the windows and mirrors today but he always takes such good care of me :) I also bought flannel sheets yesterday so I'm very excited to put them on the bed!

So as I sit here sipping my hot chocolate, I am trying to think of what has gone on that I wanted to post about. The snow kind of distracted me...

We'll be in California for Thanksgiving and Texas around Christmas-- we're both very excited to see both sides of the family. Chris Ady will be here this weekend and he and Stephen will be going to the Broncos v. Chiefs game on Sunday. It will be great to have a visitor and for them to have some special guy time :)

I've started a Photo A Day project on my Facebook. So far I haven't missed a day since October 21. It's been fun to document something from each day and I'm sure when it's over I'll enjoy looking back on a year of my life and the things that I found important or interesting each day. I'm trying to avoid having the same picture over and over (such as a ton of sunsets or cloud pictures) and so far so good.

I'm really enjoying my job. I really like my coworkers and the kids/families at the school. It definitely has a family feel and even though I'm the youngest working there (by only about a year or two) I feel like I fit in pretty well. We've always got a lot going on and it keeps me busy, which makes my work days go by quickly. Some of these kids... they're just so cute... I may or may not be attached... :)

I'm feeling pretty comfortable with knowing where I'm going out here now. I do know the major roads (locally) and how to get to the places I need to go. I'm feeling confident in going on random drives and adventures now that I have a basic knowledge and can guide myself back to the familiar fairly well. I've discovered some really pretty areas and some nice shopping :) Here are some photos from my last adventure down to Colorado Springs and the North Cheyenne Cañon State Park:

Headed toward the park from the Broadmoor area

Exiting the park

Helen Hunt Falls

As I was driving into the park

It's definitely a place I plan to go again. There's an area called Seven Falls (which was closed for renovation unfortunately) which boasts the most beautiful canyon in Colorado. I also saw the biggest deer that I've ever seen in person. He easily had 7 points on each side of his antlers. And he walked right in front of my car. I was driving slowly so it was no big deal but I was too dumbfounded to get to my camera in time :(

Married life is still ridiculously awesome and I love every minute we get to spend together. He gives me more reasons to love him every day... like hot chocolate and snow brushes :)

Dinner is just about ready so I must go but hope to update more soon!

Married for 6 Months :)

2010-10-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

Six months ago today I married my best friend. Life since we got married has been crazy-- moving out of Mom's house into an apartment, quitting my job & Stephen transferring jobs, moving to Colorado, finding a new job and learning a new area-- but it has been the happiest six months of my life. Getting to be with Stephen every day makes life feel whole. Not that life before was bad or lacking, but it's just that this feels like how life should be. I love our evenings together. I love sleeping next to him every night. I love talking to him about everything going on in our lives. I love watching sports with him curled up on the couch in our opposing team's blankets. I love learning how to make new food for him or making peanut butter cookies randomly just because I know they are the kind he likes. I love getting to be his biggest fan and supporting him in everything he does. I love talking about the future. I love when he refers to us as "our little family." I love how he knows the things I like and encourages me in them (like photography).

This photo was from one of my walks on the trail behind our house to take photos of the fall colors. Stephen came with me and it was so fun having him there. I was down on the ground trying to get the angle just right and I looked up and he was taking a picture of me taking pictures. He ended up getting me like mid-sentence asking what he was doing so it ended up being a horrible picture but I thought it was a sweet thing for him to do. I think it was when I was taking this one:

Thanks to working at a school, I have a few extra days off this week for Fall Break. On Thursday Stephen and I are planning to go up to the mountains for the first time since we moved out here. He's planning to take me to Maroon Bells where he thinks I'll be able to take some "epic" pictures. :) I love how he thinks of that kind of stuff for me. We'll do some hiking in the area and I'll bring my camera. It's up by Aspen I think so it should be a pretty drive. The mountains have had some snow, so I'm interested to see how it looks up there. Here's a photo from the internet of the Maroon Bells:

I'm looking forward to spending an entire day together and enjoying nature and having some fun with my camera. Plus wearing my cute hiking shoes and cute Camelbak :)

Tonight Stephen has a special roll out of new technology at work so we're going to go out to dinner between his normal shift and when he has to be back to supervise the roll out of the new system. It's not the ideal situation, but I'm happy to be able to spend any time with him. We'll make up for it on Thursday.

God is good...

2010-09-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

All the time.

As always, God provides. I am now gainfully employed at the very job which I mentioned applying for in my previous post. I've worked at Parker Montessori for two weeks now and I really like it there. Everyone that I work with is very nice and the kids are really cute. I have most of the ~85 children's names memorized, though some children take a little longer to recall because I only see them two days per week. The parents that I've met so far have been friendly, too. AND there's a Del Taco and a Chipotle within a block of my work. This could spell trouble for my bank account and waistline, but I've been good so far :) The drive to Parker isn't too bad (about 15 miles)-- I use the back up at Lincoln Ave. to check my email on my phone since I currently have to wait 3-4 cycles of the stoplight to turn due to construction-- and the area where the school is located is really nice. It is just outside of downtown Parker, which has cute older buildings, and there is a nice park right across the street. Here's the Google Earth image of the front of the school:

My desk looks out that window just to the left of the door. :) I have busy days, which is nice because they go by very quickly. There's always something to do and I do spend some time with the kids (Thursdays and Fridays I supervise the nap room for 30 minutes-- there are 4-5 kids) which is fun. I spent some time with the toddlers one morning (we had a teacher out and I filled in for 15-20 minutes to maintain proper ratio until I could be relieved) and they are just so cute.

At the risk of really grossing some people out, I have to mention how awesome marriage is. Being married to Stephen has been the most amazing experience of my life. It is so amazing because even though we've only been married for five months, I feel like we've been married forever-- like this is the way life was meant to be and we've finally reached the perfect state of things. Living with your best friend is so fun. We have a great time together, even if it's just sitting on the couch watching episodes of the West Wing. I like getting to do "wife things" for him, like cooking dinner and trying new recipes. Lately I have made jambalaya and salsa chicken, both for the first time, and we were able to talk about what we liked about each recipe and what we'd do differently for next time. We just bought a grill Friday night and we're both excited to use it. We had steaks the first night (thanks to Brandon helping us pick it out and teaching us how to cook them). I decorated our house for fall, which really I probably would have never cared to do before, because it's ours and I want it to look nice. We get to talk about the future and where we and our little family will be a few years from now. We talk about how awesome (and cute!) our future children will be. Being married just feels right. It feels like this is where I belong. If there's one thing that this move has proven, it's that my home is where Stephen is. I miss my family and friends and lifestyle in California (and yes, I get homesick for the people and places "back home" from time to time) but there is no way I would have been able to adjust this well to life in Colorado if it weren't for the comfort and security that having Stephen provides.

Again I'll say... God is good.

September Already

2010-09-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

We've been living in Colorado just over a month now and we're pretty much settled in. We have somewhat of a routine (okay, so we have Young Guns softball every Tuesday night) and that helps. Things will really be much more "official" when I get a job. That unemployed boredom I mentioned last post as not having settled in yet? Yeah, it's definitely settled. And making me slightly crazy. Or killing brain cells. Or both. I've been watching America's Next Top Model marathons (which I love...but really...) and Say Yes to the Dress (which I also love). I have been reading a bit as well, so trying to get some brain cells back :) I've put out resumés to a variety of places, so hopefully I'll get a job soon. I just put in a resumé today for a job that I think I would be very well suited for and definitely have the experience to do well. I hope they think so too.

On Tuesday nights, Stephen plays softball with some of the guys that he also plays fantasy sports with. The Young Guns won their last game (the first winning game I've been to) and that was really great. The wives/girlfriends and I were going crazy! There have been 4 of us usually but we had 6 last game so we had a relatively large cheering section. I also joined a fantasy football league with them (we're the WonderWoman league to the guys' SuperMan league) and we had our draft on Wednesday. I had the number one draft pick, which kind of felt like winning the lottery. I have a really good team so I hope that my team will do really well my rookie season in the league.

Last weekend Stephen and the SuperMen went to Vegas and Sandi came to visit!! It was so exciting to have her here and have some normalcy from home. No offense to the really nice people I've met out here, but Sandi and I have been practically inseparable since we were 14/15. You can't beat a decade of friendship and all that we've been through together: high school, college, marriage, and my little buddy Jackson. We stayed up until 3:15am the night she got here talking about anything and everything in the world.

We went exploring on Saturday and ended up at Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, Cave of the Winds and Chez Cirque Dueling Piano Bar.

On Sunday before she left we went to the Columbine Memorial. It's actually not very far from where I live at all so we stopped by. It was a beautiful area and the memorial was very moving. I was in tears practically the entire time. Going to a place like that reminds you both of how sad and dangerous the state of the world is but also how beautiful it is that there are people who are willing to put themselves in danger to help and protect people. To see how a community, a state, a nation can come together in times of tragedy to love and support each other. Tragedy really shows the worst in people but also showcases the best. It reminds me of a quote from a speech on the West Wing that I saw just last night (Stephen and I have been watching it and just finished season 3. I love it. I never thought I would since I'm not very political, but I do.) The context is included in the quote:

"More than any time in recent history, America's destiny is not of our own choosing. We did not seek nor did we provoke an assault on our freedom and our way of life. We did not expect nor did we invite a confrontation with evil. Yet the true measure of a people's strength is how they rise to master that moment when it does arrive. Forty-four people were killed a couple of hours ago at Kennison State University. Three swimmers from the men's team were killed and two others are in critical condition, when, after having heard the explosion from their practice facility, they ran into the fire to help get people out. Ran into the fire. The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels tonight. They're our students and our teachers and our parents and our friends. The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels, but every time we think we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we're reminded that that capacity may well be limitless. This is a time for American heroes. We will do what is hard. We will achieve what is great. This is a time for American heroes and we reach for the stars. God bless their memory, God bless you and God bless the United States of America. Thank you."

(Yes, I cried. It's me. When don't I cry?)

Hopefully by the next time I update I'll be gainfully employed. I've been praying hard for it, so I have faith that the right job will come along and I'll get it. God has always provided before.

Colorado Livin'

2010-08-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been in Colorado almost a week and have been very busy getting the house set up. We had my Mom, Dad and Holly here until Friday morning to help us move and they were a HUGE help! Photos of the house as it is now can be found here: Flickr Album: Colorado Home The house is big and beautiful, but very large when you're home alone. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but I am definitely happy when Stephen gets home from work! Matthew will be living here with us for another week or so and Dan has been in and out this weekend so that has been nice.

Stephen has started up playing softball with some of the guys already (he played his first game the day after we arrived in Colorado!) and will be starting up a fall league with them as well. Spending evenings on the softball fields will feel a lot like growing up on them watching Dad play.

We've had some great thunder and lightning storms since we've been here and I've enjoyed them. It's rained a bit, too, but it's nice to have it only in the evening/night and not too hard and not lasting for a week on end like back home. It's been sunny every day since we've been here and nice.

Stephen and I went for a nice walk on the trail behind the house last night. It'll end up being my running trail while it's still nice (once it snows I'll be putting on the winter weight, I'm sure!). We saw loads of grasshoppers and a couple bunnies (there was one in our backyard yesterday...it was so cute!) It's much more hilly than Alamo Creek Park so I'm sure it'll take me a while to get used to it (plus the heightened elevation) but it's nice and convenient. There was a sign that there are coyotes in the area, but it also said how to deal with them (don't run, don't turn your back, look as big as you can, back away slowly, and if all else fails and they attack, fight back). Let me just say I have no qualms with punching a coyote in the face. With my left hand... this rock on my ring finger could draw blood :)

Here are some photos of our walk:

I went on my first grocery store adventure on Friday to the King Soopers around the corner. It will take me a while to get used to the set up, but everyone who I've encountered working there has been super nice. I even made dinner the last two nights (the giant Stouffer's lasagna was on sale and it fed Stephen, Dan, Matthew and I with leftovers!) so I've been able to enjoy the ample counter space, island and pantry! It's a lot of fun having a real kitchen (as opposed to our little apartment kitchen). I'm getting so spoiled living in this house!

So far I know how to get to these very important places:
King Soopers, Safeway, Gas Stations, Starbucks (lots of them, actually, including Stephen's store), Del Taco, Chipotle, Buffalo Wild Wings, Free-Standing Chick-fil-a, Target, and two softball fields. I know more places, but I'm hitting the highlights.

I've been looking around online at job search sites and haven't found anything that I'm too excited about. Then again I'm not too excited about getting a job, so that might have something to do with it. I've been busy most of the days since my last day at VCS (packing, moving, unpacking) so the boredom of being unemployed hasn't quite settled in yet. I'm sure it will soon. Plus I don't really know what kind of job I want so that doesn't exactly help either. I would rather avoid retail (7 years of that was more than enough) but we'll see what's available. I'd love to get a work from home job (mainly cause the thought of ample snow and driving in it is a bit scary) but it's hard to find legit ones. Oh well... :)

Sandi is coming out to visit me while Stephen is in Vegas with the guys-- I can't wait!!!

Saying goodbye to California

2010-07-12T21:20:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that we've been talking about/ planning this move for months, it's finally public knowledge that we're planning to move to Colorado. August 1 is the day we start driving to our next big adventure as the Rabons :) My mom & dad are both helping us to move so I'll get to show them our new home and the area where we'll be living (plus use them for manual labor). Mom and I started to pack up the apartment tonight- just a few little boxes with DVDs and books and such. It feels like we just moved in and we're already heading out.

4th of July weekend I was lucky enough to be able to take a couple trips to say goodbye to some of the natural wonders we have here in California.

Friday, Stephen and I drove up to the Avenue of the Giants to see the Redwoods. We drove through the Chandelier Tree, drove the entire 32 mile Avenue and enjoyed exploring in the forest. We also had a lovely drive up and back talking and singing and sleeping (okay so maybe only I slept-- we didn't get home til almost midnight!). It was a lot of fun getting to spend the entire day together and going somewhere beautiful.

On Monday, Sandi and I took Jack to the beach for the first time. We went to Stinson Beach, which has been my favorite beach for years. I've been going there with friends and family for a few years now for fun, for healing, for reflection and for a gorgeous view. I've gone on the spur of the moment and just sat there taking it all in. The first time that Sandi and I went (by accident of course), we were both pretty close to tears at the beauty. We made it in time to see the sun setting... it was amazing. Add to that some "Indescribable" by Chris Tomlin and lets just say it was a once in a lifetime experience. When Sandi's Tio Mario died, I took her to Stinson Beach. It was windy and overcast but the waves have a way of soothing the soul. When Stephen moved to California, I took him and Brandon to Stinson and we ate hot dogs on the beach and those two crazy guys went in the freezing water while I watched from the warmth of the rocks. Stephen and I went there on a long, beautiful drive with his dad (and continued on to Pt. Reyes). And now to add to lots of wonderful memories, I can say I was there for Jack's first beach experience. :)

I'm not sure what other places I'll be able to make it to before we leave, but I am so happy to have been able to see those two before we go.

My last day at work will be July 28, Stephen's will be July 29, our lease ends July 31 and we're leaving town on August 1. It's going to be a busy rest of the month!

Family Milestones

2010-06-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

Since we've been married, our family has had so many big things happen.

In May, both of Stephen's brothers celebrated huge accomplishments. Dan graduated from Colorado State University, Fort Collins with his bachelor's degree and a job all lined up with a company that he interned for last year. Matthew graduated from Rock Canyon High School and has been accepted to Vanderbilt University to start this fall. Stephen was able to fly home and spend some time with the whole family to celebrate both of these big events.

Last weekend, Mom and I were able to attend my baby cousin's graduation party in Victorville. Joey graduates this Friday from Victor Valley Christian School. Here are a few pictures from the trip (taken by my Aunt Susan- unfortunately Joey isn't in either)

Speaking of milestones... I can't believe that my little cousin Gary has a baby! (See above pictured adorable baby, also named Gary) Which also means that both Tori (pictured, blue dress) and I are aunts. How weird is that? It seems like just yesterday that all of us cousins would spend every summer in Nana and Papa's pool...convincing Papa that we needed to go Elking... living off samples at Costco...

More changes and milestones are coming soon but we're blessed to have been able to spend these precious visits with our families.

Special Moments

2010-05-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

The CEO of the school that I work for writes a daily devotional that he sends out to the parents and staff. He always writes about things going on in the lives of his family and friends and relates them to a lesson or scripture. Here is what he wrote the day after our wedding and I wanted to include it here because it meant so much.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daily Devotion

Ephesians 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her"

We went to a staff member's wedding today in Tahoe. It was glorious in so many ways. We realized on the way up that the boys had never been to a wedding! While they didn't know what to expect, we did hear Nicholas whisper to Connor, "I'm not sure exactly what happens, but I do know they have cake." They were in for so much more.

A setting like Tahoe, with snow in the mountains and a glorious lake as a backdrop, is hard to surpass. In this case, however, the ceremony and reception did top even the beauty of the surroundings. The marriage ceremony was subtle, moving and superbly spiritual. The bride and groom took their first communion together as husband and wife and they looked wonderfully in love at all times. As beautiful as it all was, when the parents of the bride and groom came up to form a prayer circle with them, I was in awe. The Holy Spirit was truly at work in every heart in attendance. When I spoke to the DJ, he told me that although he wasn't a practicing Christian, he was touched by the time of communion, the time of prayer, and the music chosen for the ceremony. He said that something had opened up inside of him. I said, "Welcome to the feeling of the Holy Spirit."

There were so many wonderful moments today, but one that certainly touched us was when the groom's brother, and best man, gave his toast. He is three years younger than his brother, just as Connor is to Nicholas. When he spoke, it was what we would certainly love to hear from Connor about Nicholas some day. He remarked that he had always followed his older brother's footsteps and had yet to find the path in error. He also told of how lucky he was that he was guided and cared for as he grew up and what a great man his brother had become. In so many ways we heard the relationship of our boys being defined.

Today was such a glorious day in so many ways, but it was also a reminder of how important it is to pray for our children. I have been to many weddings but never have I felt the presence of God like I did at this wedding. There was no doubt how much these two love each other and yet, as evident as that was, their love for God was even more obvious. This wasn't a day all about them like so many weddings... this was a day about their love for God and their gratitude to Him for bringing them together. After today, I am going to make it a real priority to pray for the future spouses of my children. I want for each of them the joy and love I witnessed today.

There is so much more that I could write about, but suffice it to say that we participated in a first for our boys, a wedding that will be indelibly etched into our minds. A wedding performed in his beautiful land and guided by the Holy Spirit...

Congratulations Amanda and Stephen, and thank you for including us in your blessed day!

Blessings....Paul & Krista

Married Life

2010-05-12T20:47:00.001-07:00

Photo by Charlotte of Charlotte Geary Photography

According to my Facebook, we've been married now for 3 weeks, 3 days. And let me tell you, married life is awesome!! I know they say that this is the "honeymoon phase" and that we'll grow out of it, but I sure hope not! I just love being Stephen's wife. I love being able to call him my husband and take care of him and be with him every night. I love having things that we can call "ours."

Like our last name, for instance :) I went to Social Security today and my new SS card should arrive within ten days! I'm legally a Rabon now!! I still need to change it on my driver license, but the soonest appointment they had was May 25... that's quite some time from now. I might drop in after work one day and see if I can get in sooner. I even looked up Davis and Fairfield DMV, but it was just as long. They should give preference to newly married people since we're an excited bunch.

I was asked if I had come across any things about Stephen that surprised me since we've been married and now live together. I can honestly say that I have not been surprised. He doesn't leave the toilet seat up and neither of us like to make the bed. We both leave clothes around a bit. And none of those are problems. When I cook, he volunteers to do the dishes. I have cooked...yes, I can sense your shock. I truly fall in love with him more every day. Mushy, I know, but we can be sitting on the couch watching Bones and all I can think is how crazy about him I am and how much I love being with him. I get all aflutter.

I love our little apartment. Photos can be found here: My Flickr Page

Pictures from our honeymoon in Kauai can be found here:
Also Flickr

We had a wonderful time. The weather was great, the food was also good (I highly recommend the kalua pig burrito at Olympic Cafe in Kapa'a if you're ever there) and it was super relaxing. We spent a lot of time just enjoying the time together instead of going on excursions to kayak, zip line, movie tour, etc. It was just what we wanted. Stephen made me Dirty Shirleys throughout the week (a spiked Shirley Temple- we used Cherry Vodka) that were delicious and we watched a lot of ESPN. We also rented 3 movies (State of Play, Sherlock Holmes and Valkyrie) and sipped champagne on our balcony. It was lovely.

As I said in the previous post, the wedding went amazingly. The weekend was beautiful weather wise and also beautiful to be surrounded by family and friends on the biggest day of our lives. Every time I look at pictures I fall back in love with that day. And I can remember all of these incredible moments thanks to the photojournalistic style Charlotte and Mike used as well as lots of pictures from family and friends. I get giddy thinking about our wedding. It was just so perfect. I was so happy to see all of the hard work we put into it come to fruition, we couldn't have picked a better wedding party (this group is truly our closest friends and family and are amazing together) and we could feel God's hand on the day as well as the entire planning process.

Stephen and I are reading the New Testament in a year together to be sure to keep God/Jesus as an integral part of our marriage. It's something that we both look forward to every week night and we're looking forward to getting a weekly newlywed devotional book to supplement on weekends. Marcie (my mother-in-law, how fun is that to say!!) gave me a book called "Created to Be His Help Meet" to read. It's about the role God gave to women in marriage. I'm probably 2/3 of the way though and have been able to glean some useful knowledge from it. It will be helpful to make me a better servant and better wife for Stephen.

We are living a truly blessed life.

We're Married!!!

2010-04-23T11:39:00.001-07:00

Photo by Charlotte of Charlotte Geary Photography

After 8 months of planning and waiting, I'm finally married to my favorite person in the whole world!! :)

The day was amazing and perfect in almost every way. The little things that didn't go as planned just rolled off my back and I enjoyed everything. It was truly perfect.

For a full gallery of our photos, visit this site: Our Wedding Album

We leave Sunday for our honeymoon in Kauai, so I need to go do laundry and pack. :)

Three weeks to go!

2010-03-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

We're three weeks away from being Mr. and Mrs. Rabon! I can't wait!

Big changes since the last time I wrote:

Stephen and I have secured our first apartment! We'll be moving into Sandpiper Village here in Vacaville on April 1. Well, Stephen will move in and we'll be moving over all of the amazing bridal shower & wedding presents we have received so far. Then I will join him after the wedding. We don't exactly have a lot of furniture, but it's our place and I can't wait to share it with him! We sign the lease tomorrow afternoon and then I'll do the walk through and get the keys Wednesday afternoon. I am so happy to have this taken care of.

Today was my bridal shower thrown by my amazing bridesmaids. Everything was wonderful- there were about 13 people there and two very adorable boys (Slade and Jack). They did a great job on the food, the decor, the games and everything. Plus I made out like a bandit. Our entire living room is filled with presents and there are quite a few that Stephen doesn't get to see...yet :) I'm so blessed to have amazing friends who love me enough to throw such a great party for me.

Lately I've been doing lots of designing of things- you can see our place cards above. I also randomly made programs one day and they are sooo pretty! I really like them-- which is hilarious since I didn't think I wanted them. Funny how that works out.

All of our final payments are coming due... which is less than exciting. Our final Charlotte payment has been put on my card- that'll take a couple payments but I am hoping to get some help on that one. The florist gave me the final amount today so we'll put a check in the mail for that. Bakery is due 10 days prior. Venue will be charged to Dad's card automatically 14 days prior and then reconciled depending on actual usage afterward. DJ is due night of. I can't believe how quickly it's coming up and how far away it still seems. I am looking forward to having everything come together. It's all compartmentalized in my head so I'm eager to see the whole picture.

I am so excited to see everyone and have every one together. It's going to be awesome.

Flirting with the OR/WA border...

2010-02-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

Just a little map to show my progress in the "Run Across America" challenge. I'm not 100% sure it's the exact route used originally, but close enough? I've gone 224.6 miles and am now in/around Roosevelt, WA (which there are apparently two of, by the way, this is the one in Klickitat County). I'm just about halfway across Washington/Oregon and will cross over into Idaho next. It'll be a long way to Idaho, but it'll be really exciting to hit a new state. Less than 400 miles (finally) until I hit Nike Level Blue. Green is a huge level (I think it's like 470 miles? ) but I'm chugging right along.

Stephen and I went up to Tahoe on Saturday and booked the bakery and semi-finalized plans with the florist. She's going to send me the estimate and if needed, we can change things. But she's got the basic idea. It was really nice. There was a light snow fall and all of our vendors are super nice. And they all have deposits paid so that's a big load off our shoulders.

While we were up there, we also saw some adorable mountain houses... of death!! Check out these ridiculous icicles!!

Because this must be documented for history...

2010-02-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

Winner of the best possible stamp to use on a wedding response card.
Especially when it's a "regrets!"

Must have been the ONE envelope we missed to pre-stamp.

HAHAHA

February

2010-02-02T21:10:00.000-08:00

February already and I couldn't be more excited. 75 days until we get married :)

We're headed up to Tahoe this weekend to finalize plans with the florist and meet with the bakery. We've secured the dj, so after this weekend all of the big stuff is booked. That's a nice weight off. We've been getting a somewhat steady stream of response cards since we sent the invitations out. We've got 49 wedding guests confirmed so far :) We have received some "regrets," but that's totally understandable. I'm just happy that the people who are coming are coming.

Stephen has Valentine's Day off :) Not sure what we'll do, but it sounds lovely to have the day together.

Stephen and I are going to Colorado the last weekend in February to visit his family. I'm very excited. I haven't seen them since we got engaged, so it's been long overdue. It'll be a quick turn around, but should be a nice visit.

Running Update:
Since 4.10.09: 218.10 miles :)

Booyah!

2010-01-18T18:36:00.000-08:00

Today was a big day run-wise. I was really annoyed that the rain was going to literally rain on my parade, but thankfully there was a break in the storm for Stephen and I to get a run in. We ran 4.64 miles- just over the amount needed to push me past 200 miles :) My legs hate me, but I was not going to let a week of rain keep me from my short term goal. Take that, nature. You can't stop me when I get my mind set to it. I'm so lucky to have Stephen there to celebrate with afterward and to continually keep me going. Plus he's really handsome when he runs :)

Totals:
Since 4.10.09: 200.03 miles
Since 10.20.09: 105.54 miles

We went up to Tahoe yesterday and stopped by the bakery we're planning to use and met with the DJ we're going to book. We have an appointment to meet with the baker February 6th and will hopefully meet with the florist that day as well. The DJ is awesome- very knowledgeable, honest, and British. His accent is awesome and he already knows about the Vitamin String Quartet- he has like a dozen of their songs on his computer already. Based on his Facebook pictures, it really looks like he throws a good party. Looks like we're pretty set on the big things.

We mailed out our invitations on Friday, so local people have already received them and everyone else should be getting them in the next couple days! I'm excited to start getting responses back.

Stephen and I are getting married 3 months from today :) 90 short (hopefully) days until I get to be Mrs. Rabon. I'm getting really excited about getting to see family that I haven't seen in a while and spending time with close friends. It's going to be awesome. And a week in Hawaii with Stephen... I can't wait.

Book Club went on a field trip to Borders today and picked our next book: Julie and Julia. I've already read about half of it. There are definitely some differences from the movie, but I'm enjoying it. I'm also looking forward to our next meeting- we always talk about way more than just the books and there's Del Taco involved usually. To quote Ina Garten, "How bad could that be?"

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T14:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to my few devoted readers :) New Year's is particularly special to me as it is the day that Stephen and I had our first kiss and started the relationship I have with my future husband. You can see in the above picture the recreations of our midnight kisses from 2007 and this year. It's interesting to see how we've changed physically (my hair was so long!) as well as to think of how much deeper our relationship has become and how much more I love him each and every day. We'll be going out to Cheesecake Factory tonight for dinner like we did last year :) I love him so much. And you know the best part?

WE GET MARRIED THIS YEAR!!!
That's pretty much my new favorite phrase now that it's 2010.

We rang in the New Year with Sandi & Chris, Nikki & Aaron, and Carmen over at the Ady/Glass Compound. We played Wii Sports Resort and Progressive Rummy, as well as enjoying some Asti and Bean Dip (The Truth- because chips just can't handle it).

Despite the fact that I have still been unable to kick this cough I've had since right before Christmas, I went for a run today. It was just one of those things where I just had to start the new year off right. So, I went and ran a couple miles around my neighborhood. It felt good. It felt right. I just had to do it. I've taken too much time off for this cold and I just can't keep being sedentary. If I do, it increases the chances that running won't stick. And it has to stick. I've quit after 3 months before and I refuse to do it again. I don't do New Year's resolutions, but if I did, this would probably be it.

So, beginning 2010, here are my totals:

Since 4.10.09: 173.23 miles
Since 10.20.09: 78.79 miles

Here's to a year full of love, laughter, running, and a new adventure for Stephen and I :)

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T20:22:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was our last one as an unmarried couple!! :) Next Christmas we will be married for 8 months already. How exciting is that?!? And we've already got a few Christmas decorations- our two reindeer and our snowman army (okay, so there are 4 of them) and some big pretty silver and white snowflakes I got before Mervyn's closed. I'm so excited to decorate our own place and our own tree and start our own Christmas traditions. It's so exciting!!

And, for more excitingness... Friday is our 3 year anniversary! I just love him so much and I am so blessed to have been able to call him mine for three years (almost).

I spent a long time sorting my iPhoto library today and finding a lot of old photos that I hadn't looked at in a long time. A ton of fun memories and good times. A lot has changed over the years but it's great to be able to look back and see where I've been (both in terms of places and mentally/emotionally/physically/etc). I still need to go through and delete some photos that made sense at the time but no longer do, but it is much more organized now. I look forward to filling it with wedding photos and photos of our first place and eventually some day our kids... :)

Green at last, green at last, thank God Almighty, I am green at last :)

2009-12-17T21:14:00.000-08:00

In case the title didn't give it away, I finally reached Nike Level Green!! The last 15 miles seemed to drag out forever (and having to take 3-day breaks because of the rain didn't help) but I have finally reached 155 miles on my NikePlus shoes/sensor. I was so excited and love the new Mini background!

Only 462 miles until I reach Nike Level Blue! Crazy to think about but I'm running so often now that I'm sure it will come sooner than I'd have thought a long time back. I'm trying to do two days on and one day off, but sometimes life gets in the way (mainly because of my work schedule and the sun going down not being compatible right now). I've run Monday-Thursday this week to make sure I got in those last few miles to green and to allow for a night off with friends tomorrow night. Stephen, Sandi, Chris and BWW? Heck yes!

Totals:
Since October 20: 64.91 miles
Since April 10: 159.32 miles (not bad for taking July 24- October 20 off...)

Christmas is a week from tomorrow, which is crazy! December has just flown by and I feel like I haven't had a moment to take it all in. My birthday (which was only a week ago as of yesterday) feels like it was a month ago. Work has been busy with the 3rd graders choosing their instruments this week and Christmas programs in Early Education. Looking forward to 3 day work weeks the next two weeks :)

I've been reading "The Year of Living Biblically" by A.J. Jacobs. It's pretty funny. I really like the outsider looking in perspective. I really enjoyed "The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at Liberty" by Kevin Roose so I am excited to see how this one ends and how the experience and immersion in the Bible changes Mr. Jacobs.

Stephen and I will celebrate three wonderful years together two weeks from tomorrow. He's so incredible and I am so lucky to have him. He gives me more reasons every single day to love him and be thankful for him. We've been counting down the days to our wedding by reading the Psalms backwards from 150. It's so awesome having that time together as he tucks me in for the night and he reads them to me. We read those and the daily Proverb. It's so wonderful to have a man like Stephen as my future husband :)

Speaking of which, I've been trying on the new last name a bit lately. As in (to Sandi) "Is it just the Adys and Rabons going to BWW or are the Glasses coming too?" I rather like it :) Plus it's like a million times easier than "Is it just the Adys and Padilla/Rabon faction going to BWW..." I can't wait until it's official. (Then I can change my blog title to "Quote the Rabon" officially too!)

It's December already...

2009-12-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

New totals:

Since October 20: 50.31 miles
Since April 10: 144.72

I'm currently 10 miles away from Nike Level Green, which I'm pretty excited about. Today's run was a comedy of errors. First, it's only like 40 degrees outside. It was really, really cold. Stephen loves me and bought me a beanie and mittens (not gloves so I can wear my engagement ring comfortably) so that helped out a lot! Then I'm running and my keys fall out of my pocket. Problem is that I didn't notice until a while down the trail so then I had to go back looking for it. This really slowed me down because I didn't want to run past it. So I find them and get going. It's really starting to get dark and I'm thinking that my current lap would be my last. I get to where I have about half a lap to go and the iPod dies. Just turns off. I stop, check it, and sure enough, no battery power. So I finish the run (roughly .25 miles) without music and without it being recorded. I was rather frustrated by then, mainly because I wasn't sure any of it would save since I didn't get to close out the workout. Luckily, when I got home, everything before my iPod died was stored. Funny thing is, my iPod had almost full battery when I started. Better luck tomorrow, I hope.

Yesterday we had almost the entire fantasy football league over to celebrate week 13- the end of the regular season. It was lots of fun and lots of food. Between my family birthday party on Saturday and the Fantasy Football party on Sunday, I feel like I put on like 10 pounds. But it was soooo good. I love being able to have my closest friends and family all together in one spot having fun and enjoying each other's company. It just feels right.

Stephen and I went to our first premarital counseling meeting with Pastor Ben on Wednesday. It was nice- sort of a get to know you type meeting. He was pleased with how well-read we are on marriage and relationships as well as where we are financially and future-planning wise. I look forward to meeting with him again come February.

Two days until I turn 25- crazy how different life has become in the last year- but definitely in a good way!

I love my fiancé

2009-11-29T21:23:00.001-08:00

I can't wait to marry this man.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T18:12:00.001-08:00

Despite the fact that Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I am going to go ahead and list things I'm thankful for tonight.

I'm thankful for:

*God's love, forgiveness, and provision. He has blessed me in ways I could have never imagined (most of which will be listed below). We have really felt His hand in our engagement and wedding planning as we've been able to get everything together so quickly and perfectly.

* My amazing and perfect-for-me fiance. Stephen is truly a gift from God and I am so excited to see how our lives will continue to be woven together when we become husband and wife. I can't wait to start our own family traditions for the holidays and to see where God takes our lives. The next year or so is going to be full of changes and adventures and I'm looking forward to taking them on together!

* My family- they're the best. Yeah, we don't all live close by and we don't see each other as often as we'd all like, but they are a blessing. All of them. We've expanded in the past year and will continue to do so as we get older and get married and start new branches of the family tree. I can't wait to see them all at our wedding!

*My new family- The Rabons. So we're not legally family yet, but I'm marrying into a family full of wonderful people who have raised Stephen to be the man he is and the man I love. I don't get to see them often, but I look forward to spending lots of time together in the future as our families join together to be one big family.

*My friends (aka the family by bonds instead of blood)- I have incredible friends. And the amazing thing about my friends is that I know I can count on all of them no matter what the situation whether I have known them for a year or 10 years. I can't wait to get us all together for the fantasy football party and the wedding... it's going to be so much fun. I'm so glad everyone gets along because I love having everyone in one place!

*My job- during a time when a lot of people are losing or have lost their jobs, I don't take for granted the fact that I am still gainfully employed. And I enjoy my job- I work in a ministry that "trains up children in the way they should go..." and I have some really great co-workers.

*That I live in the land of the free because of the brave-- I am so thankful that there are men and women in uniform who are out there serving the rest of us with such dedication and sacrificing time with their own families.

And now for the little things/ superficial things (in no particular order):

Running at a beautiful park, puppies (Paco might be a daddy again soon!) , Mom's home cooking for a few more months, Facebook- it keeps me in contact with friends and family who live far away, Chipotle- without which Stephen might never eat, laughing until I cry, our incredible engagement pictures (see below), cool toys like my iPhone and Nike+, Book Club, random balloon/Lego rescue missions at the Nugget, my car for having the soul of a monster truck in the body of a Corolla, Stephen's blanket- it's so warm and cozy, Glee, The Big Bang Theory, Chuck, and Lost, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Okay, so maybe not that last one, but the list could go on.

Here are a few of our amazing engagement pictures, taken by Charlotte Geary.

New Totals:
Since October 20: 37.7 miles
Since April 10: 132.08 miles

I've got a Turkey Day running date with Sandi tomorrow while the boys play basketball and Jack cheers them on. Should be a great start to a day filled with family and food! :)

Exciting Stuff

2009-11-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

Exciting things have been happening on both of the major fronts that I write about:

Wedding:

-We got our amazing engagement pictures in! Oh, they are so great and I love them so much! They can be seen here: Charlotte Geary Online Gallery
-I tried on my dress with my slip and shoes and it was great. It had been so long since I'd had it on that it was like having that "oh wow" moment all over again. Plus, I remembered the earrings that I borrowed from Gram for prom and tried them on with the dress, so assuming that I don't find anything else that I simply must have, I have earrings.
-We've picked out some Save the Dates, so once we get the high-res files from Charlotte of the two pictures to go on them, we'll be able to order them and send them out.
-We have an officiant!! Mitch Ady called last night and said that he would marry us! We're both very excited about this and now we just need to set up our premarital counseling and we'll be set to go on that front.
-Sandi and Jen Mumaw both ordered their dresses in the last week, so I'm very excited about that. I can't wait to see Jen's in person and Sandi's is awesome. We had a lot of fun in Roseville picking it out and getting Mom and I some shoes :) I'm beginning to think that the "getaway" dress will be a honeymoon dress. We're literally going to be driving down the street to our hotel, is it really worth changing for a 5 minute drive? Plus, I can always send my dress back down to Vacaville with Mom or someone the next day. No big deal.
- We booked our flights to and from Hawaii for our honeymoon! We also rented a convertible Mustang to cruise the island in! It's going to be so much fun. We'll be living large for a week and I couldn't be more excited.

Running:
Since the last update, I hit a new low for average pace: 11:38/mi. I hit it yesterday. The crazy thing was that I didn't feel like I was doing that well (I think the cold weather and wind makes me feel like I'm going slower) but when I ran up to Stephen and looked at my iPod, there it was.

-I'm about 31 miles away from reaching Nike Level Green, which means that I will soon have passed through the first two levels (yellow and orange).
- I finished my goal of 5 runs under 12:20 in a month. It only took me 11 days. I really thought that I wouldn't be able to do it, or would cut it very close, but I continue to do better than I think I can. That's refreshing.
- On the Run Across America challenge, I have just entered Mount Pleasant, Washington. :)

New Totals:
Since October 20: 29.27 miles
Since April 10: 123.62 miles

I recently finished the second novel that my friend Nikki wrote and now have in my possession her first. I'm quite excited to read it!

I'm so excited about the Holidays this year... and I think that's mainly because I know that next year will be the first set that Stephen and I are married!!

The way you walk, way you talk, way you say my name It's beautiful, wonderful, don't you ever change

2009-11-10T18:44:00.001-08:00

After taking off Thursday-Monday from running (in part because I was in Colorado Fri-Sun), I wasn't sure how today's run was going to go. It was pretty chilly when I left work and rather overcast, so I wasn't really feeling like it was going to go that well. However, once I started going, it actually felt like it was coming naturally to me. For the first time. I had some good runs in the past, but it never felt like this before. It was really amazing to feel like I actually knew what I was doing! I'm sure that it may not always feel that way and that I'll have some runs that aren't as great, but tonight, I felt like a runner. Running for Mortals really stresses the point that no matter what your body is shaped like (thin, muscular, and sleek like the runners in the Olympics or slow with more to love like us mortals) or what your time/distance is- if you're out there doing it, you're a runner. And today I really felt like it. I felt like little old me with my love handles and all was actually an athlete. I'm telling you, that book is a great read! I've read it twice and both times I felt like I gained a lot. So, without further ado, a picture of my iPod that I took while at a stop light showing the fruit of my labor:

I finally broke the 12 minute average mile time mark!!
I'm really proud and I was so pumped afterward. :)

My new totals are:
Since Oct 20: 22.94 miles
Since April 10: 117.29 miles

Our trip to Colorado was really great. Super quick turn around so it was slightly exhausting, but Brandon was an excellent host, I got to meet some of Stephen's fantasy football friends, and, of course, we took our engagement pictures! Charlotte is just awesome. We had such a great time and minus my brief fall down the mountain (haha), everything was really fun! Plus Charlotte said that we should be able to view our portraits tomorrow, so I'm pretty much dying to see them! Having worked with Charlotte for this affirmed our decision that she is definitely the photographer for us. She's super sweet, fun, easy going, not afraid to get dirty and very very talented! I'm looking forward to having her take our wedding pictures in April even more now.

Once I get a link to our online gallery, I'll be sure to post it here and on Facebook so that all parties involved can see them!!

Quick Update

2009-11-04T22:07:00.000-08:00

Writing this on my phone so I am going to keep it brief.

My shoes for the wedding came today and they are even better than I thought they would be. I love them so much! Pictures will be forthcoming when I have a bit more time.

New running totals:
Since Restart: 20.85 miles
Since April: 115.20 miles

Taking the next four days off for the trip to Colorado. When I return, I will probably have to join a gym so that I can continue to run over the winter months when darkness and bad weather get in the way of my plans. I'd much rather run outside than on a treadmill, but considering there is only 30 minutes on either side of work that is light out, I'll probably have to cave.

The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

2009-11-01T18:06:00.000-08:00

The above title is a quote from John "The Penguin" Bingham. He's a columnist for Runner's World Magazine and co-authored the book I'm currently reading, "Running for Mortals." I actually read it once already the first time I was attempting the running thing, but felt that it would be just as valuable a read as before. And it has been. The book is encouraging and inspiring to a novice runner who isn't full of confidence. It's great. It's got some humor and some real down to earth writing that doesn't come from a position of expertise in a sense that he is better than you. Instead it comes from someone who has been where you are. It's a good read.

I'm taking on a new challenge- running two days on, one day off. I ran yesterday with Stephen (playing basketball) and today with Sandi. My legs are sore and I'm very much looking forward to a day off tomorrow. But both runs were decent and they both ended with a feeling of accomplishment. I had some right calf pain both days- I think I just need to stretch it out better/more and I'll be fine. Morning runs are nice (Saturday was around 11 and today at 8am) because you get to start your day off with some activity and increased energy. Evening runs are also nice because you get to work off the day and have the time to think and clear your head from the work day. Due to the daylight savings time change, I'm not sure when I'll have light to run. I'm going to have to pay close attention tomorrow as to when the sun comes up/goes down to plan my course of action.

Our trip to Colorado this weekend is also going to throw off the running schedule. I'll run Tuesday and Wednesday, with a break on Thursday. I would be running Friday and Saturday but we leave for Colorado Friday and don't return until Sunday so I'll have to adjust for the week and return to steady running next week. After this week, however, I don't have any trips planned to complicate the schedule. I'll still have put in three runs this week before we leave.

Here are the new totals:
Since Restart: 16.65 miles
Since April: 110.99 miles

According to the Across America challenge forums, today I crossed a bridge over the Columbia River. Just 11 more miles until I hit Mount Pleasant, Washington. :)

Other than that, there isn't much other news to report. My sample invitation should arrive any day now and my shoes are supposed to be in on Wednesday. Stephen and I went and visited/ made a payment on our wedding bands and I totally fell in love with mine all over again. It's SO pretty. Debating whether or not to get them soldered together. I don't want to be without my rings for any length of time... but according to online sources they can wear each other down spinning separately. Sigh. I probably will get them soldered, I just need to find out from Shane Co. how long that will take. And decide whether to do it pre-wedding or post-wedding.

Book Club meeting tomorrow night with Sandi and Nikki to discuss "Eat Pray Love." Should be a good time.

It's a love story, baby just say yes...

2009-10-29T21:14:00.000-07:00

So I have gone out walking/running 6 of the last 10 days and am feeling really good about it. I am making some progress in being able to run more. Between Sunday's run and Tuesday's run I shaved a whole minute off my mile time by running just a little bit more on each lap. It was really amazing and uplifting. Today's run wasn't quite so good but better than Sunday's. It's the little progressions that help make this more fun to do. Tuesday was also the first time that I let Stephen come with me. He didn't run with me, but he was there. I had been too embarrassed and self-concious to let him see me out there doing something that I'm not particularly good at. Plus, considering he has run competitively in the past, trying to run in front of or with him was daunting for me. But, it's a start, right? It meant a lot to have him there and to work on getting over some of my insecurities. He's been supportive the entire time and I am so lucky to have a fiance who cares so much. He's awesome. And it was so nice to run up to him on the basketball court and have that warm hug to collapse into.

So, my new totals are:
Since Restart: 12.48 miles
Since April: 106.80

Wedding Notes:

-Engagement pictures are a week from Saturday. I'm praying that global warming will hit Colorado so I don't die of hypothermia.
-I neglected to mention in my last wedding post that I have made an alterations appointment for January 9th. Yay more progress.
- My shoes are scheduled to arrive next week!!

I purchased an iPhone on Tuesday night with the help of Stephen and Mike. It's pretty much the coolest toy ever!! It also gives me the ability to track my fantasy football team on the go (like I need that...) and I love that. Sundays are saved!! I can do other things and still obsess about my team!!

On Running...

2009-10-25T18:52:00.001-07:00

Nike was nice enough to give me the above certificate for (finally) going over 100 miles since I started using my Nike+ Sensor. It took 43 runs to get there, but I made it. Today was a 2.03 mile run (my 44th total). The park I run at is just beautiful right now. The trees (and there are many of them) are starting to change colors so it's this beautiful symphony of green, red, orange, and yellow. Plus, running there around 5pm means the light comes beautifully through the trees when I run the back stretch and I wish I had my camera at the ready. Running and taking pictures at the same time could prove to be impossible. I really enjoy running there more than anywhere else.

I realized that I didn't really set my running parameters at the start of this blog. I do not intend to run every day (at least not yet, maybe one day!). I plan to go every other day, if possible. My poor legs need that day of rest. I am still alternating walking and running, though I hope that as my endurance increases, I can run the whole time.

The most important thing though, is that I am not running for the purpose of losing weight. If I do, that's a great side effect, but obsessively tracking minor weight fluctuations has been part of the reason this didn't work before. The last time that I did this, I was also counting calories ( eating 1300 or less each day, per the recommendation of Livestrong.com for losing 1.5 lbs. a week) every day. When you are tracking your eating and exercising and not losing ANYTHING, it is very discouraging. Stephen told me that I needed to give it more time, but those who know me know I'm not a patient person at times. So, despite the fact that my Wii Fit so lovingly tells me that I'm overweight (Stephen and I did Wii Fit yesterday and my abs hate me today...jackknives are my friend and enemy in one), I'm going to do this to feel better. To feel healthier. To look healthier maybe, but not to get to a goal weight. Or a goal pant size. I think this is a much better way for me to do this.

Nike Running has challenges that you can take part in to make the process more fun and have some friendly competition. I'm not too competitive, so I joined one today called Across America. It tracks your total distance and plots where you are based on the cross country run done by Paul Staso in 2006. It goes from Oregon to Delaware. 3,260 miles in all. So, at my point I have just crossed over from Oregon to Washington. It started at Elsie, Oregon and I crossed over just past Portland. Here's the route: Run Across America. It took him only 18 weeks. It will most likely take me a few years, but it would be amazing to finish!

If anyone has song suggestions for running, let me know!

New Totals:
Since Restart: 8.32 miles
Since April: 102.63 miles

Wedding Party

2009-10-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

As an addendum to the last post, here's our wedding party:

Sandi Ady, maid of honor

Dan Rabon, best man

Jen Mumaw, bridesmaid

Brandon Atherton, groomsman

Nikki Glass, bridesmaid

Josh Hayes, groomsman

Jen Matlock, bridesmaid

Chris Ady, groomsman

Ashleigh McCabe, bridesmaid

Chris Padilla, groomsman

Rebekah Rabon, bridesmaid

Matthew Rabon, groomsman

Despite the fact that 4 out of 6 of my bridesmaids are married (and one of the others will be very soon), I really really don't like the term matron. It makes people sound like they are old, lonely, and own 30 cats. So, no offense to their husbands, but they are maids for the day :) I like my girls too much to make them sound old.

And of course, the cutest unofficial bridal party member ever: SLADE!

My Big Fat Mexican Wedding Post

2009-10-24T08:52:00.001-07:00

Okay, okay, so this post has very little to do with my being Mexican but I'm not Greek, so I had to improvise. I have created a timeline with pictures to show the progression of the wedding planning process. In making my timeline, I realized that we have been very industrious. Without further ado, here it is:

August 22: Engagement!! Best day ever! The picture to the left is the ring and the Facebook mobile upload that started it all! How my phone didn't explode that night, I have yet to discover. It went off almost non-stop for 4 hours. I was so ridiculously happy that day and have amazing friends and family who dropped everything to celebrate with us.

August 23: My dad, brother, Ash, and Slade came up to have an engagement lunch with us. Dad brought my mom's wedding dress up from Victorville with him. We unpacked it and saw that it was amazingly preserved 28 (almost) years later. I decided if possible, I'd like to use my mom's veil. Well, once it's updated a bit.

September 4: Engagement party with Gram and Grandpa Tom

September 5: Bought my wedding dress!! Amazing day with amazing friends. Sorry, no pictures. Stephen sees this :)

September 13: Stephen, Mom, and I toured the Historic Hotel Woodland as a possible venue. Very pretty, food looked great.

September 19: Mom, Dad, and I toured the Chateau. It was GORGEOUS. I fell in love with the place. Stephen wasn't able to go because of work, but he told me that he'd know by my reaction that it was the place. Mom and I cried in the car when we went to leave because we both knew this was it. I knew I am going to walk down that aisle and marry Stephen. It's SO gorgeous there. And the people were friendly and very helpful and the lake is less than 5 minutes away and the whole atmosphere is just lovely.

September 22: Bridesmaid dress shopping with 5 out of 6 bridesmaids (Rebekah is in Colorado, so it's a little harder for her to come). Two of the girls ordered their dresses and the others have good ideas of what they want to get. Very successful trip.

September 24: Dad signed the contract and paid the deposit for the Chateau. It's officially ours on our wedding date: April 18, 2010. I also made us a wedding website this day. Our Wedding Website

September 25: Stephen and his mom went to meet with my dream photographer Charlotte Geary. I am so lucky to have a fiance who loves me so much that he works hard to see that I get what I really want, even if I've kind of given up on it. She's AMAZING. I've been following her work online longer than I've known Stephen and have always wanted her to take my wedding pictures. I figured between the cost of photos and travel expenses it'd be impossible, but Stephen always takes care of me and we're going to make it happen.

September 30: Due to the amazing generosity of my Aunt Lori and Uncle Bill, Stephen and I booked the lodging for our honeymoon. They gave us a week for a wedding present at the condo of our choice through their timeshare company. We'll be honeymooning in Kauai :) We're both very excited to go somewhere beautiful and tropical and relaxing. And for a whole week!! How lucky are we?

October 1: Signed the contract with Charlotte Geary and paid the retainer fee. Our wedding pictures are officially going to be the most amazing ever.

October 2: Stephen and I take a trip to Incline Village. He finally gets to see the Chateau in person and he loves it too. We also got our marriage license while we were there (!!!!!), researched some beachfront picture places, checked out where we plan to stay our wedding night, and met a florist. On the way home, we stopped in Roseville at Shane Co. and selected our wedding bands. They're on layaway :)

October 5: Mom and I went on the hunt for our cake topper. Operation Cake Topper was a success. Stephen got off work and we quickly got down to business building it :)

October 9: Stephen and I registered at Target. It was lots of fun. Mom was at Women's Retreat with church and bought me a hair comb to attach my (her) veil to. I gave it to Carol (who works with me and is awesome and crafty) the following Monday to take it off the Juliet cap Mom used and attach it to the comb Mom bought.

October 17: Stephen and I went to Men's Wearhouse and picked out the tuxes for the guys and set up our group account. To the left is the tux style: two button notch lapel. They'll be wearing black of course. The vests will be different, though and they will all have normal ties, not bowties. The groomsmen will have apple vests and ties. Stephen will have a white vest and black tie. The fathers will have a dark shade of silver vests and ties. We'll see what we can find for Slade, the unofficial member of the wedding party. He'll no doubt be up there, he just doesn't have an official job besides being ridiculously cute. Baby tuxes are pretty much adorable no matter what colors they are.

We also had a very busy ordering day that day! We ordered our toasting flutes and cake servers, my shoes, my slip, favor tags, and a sample of the invitation we're thinking of getting. We have since received the flutes, servers, and favor tags.

The pictures are kind of hard to see, but the toasting flutes say "Mr." on one and "Mrs." on the other in between the bands. The cake cutter and server say "Mr. and Mrs." down the handles. The shoes say MrsRabon on the red stripe :) I love them.

October 18: Mom, Ash, and I went shopping for her mother of the bride dress. She ordered it. She looks amazing in it and is sooooo cute. I love it!! And she loves it. Which is really important.

Other than that, we asked all of the members of our bridal party during this time. We also have an appointment with Charlotte for engagement portraits on November 7th at Garden of the Gods. I'm really excited for that.

There is breakfast calling my name (thanks Mom!) so I'll make a wedding party post sometime in the near future. This took me a very long time. Getting the html right was somewhat annoying.

As a side note, I did a 2.03 mile run yesterday. This makes my totals:
Since Restart: 6.29 miles
Since April 10: 100.58 miles

First Post

2009-10-22T17:29:00.001-07:00

So I decided yesterday to create a blog to track a few things in my life:

the wedding planning process and my attempt to be in shape.

I suspect it will slowly become more than that as I have a tendency toward endless rambling, but it's a starting point.

I feel that we've made great strides in wedding planning in the two months (as of today) that we've been engaged. The next post will be a timeline and picture post of what we have accomplished/decided/received. I hope that by blogging I will be able to keep all of our loved ones in the know as well as get some ideas or input from people. Plus it will be fun to look back on later :)

The getting in shape thing... well that's a little trickier. I'm lazy by nature. I'm not one of those people who just loves to work out and has no motivation problems. I have LOTS of motivation problems. I get easily distracted and easily discouraged. If I have a better offer (such as spending time with Stephen or my family or friends), the work out is cancelled. I started running earlier this year. It was the end of March and then on April 10 (I believe, it was Good Friday) I tried out my cool Nike+ Ipod sensor. It was love... well puppy love. The fleeting kind. I like a good toy. I ran fairly diligently through July 24. And then I stopped. I can't recall why exactly (I took a week off once because my knees hurt, but that was earlier) but it just ended. The first week I no doubt made excuses (my knees hurt, I'm tired, allergies, it's too hot, etc.), but it quickly turned into quitting. And it was easy for me to do. They say it takes 21 days to make a habit (or something like that) but that sure didn't work for me.

I'm disappointed in myself to know how I might have actually been somewhat good at this thing if I hadn't taken a 3 month hiatus. I might actually be able to run the whole distance (I trade off walking and running). I might have been ready for a 5k. But alas, I did take the hiatus and now, I'm trying to bring running back into my life.

I ran for the first time since July 24 yesterday. I tried to the day before but was having a wardrobe malfunction so I walked instead. Note to self: make sure pants have a drawstring before purchasing. It wasn't my best time and I certainly couldn't go as far as I once could, but it's a start...right? Stephen is amazing and encourages me so much- he even puts stars on my calendar the days that I run. I'm so lucky to have him. And lucky he loves me even though I'm lazy and whine about my sore legs the next day.

Here's to a new start!

This will appear on the bottom of most posts...or at least the running ones- I have yet to decide.

Total distance run/walked since I restarted: 4.25 miles

Total since April 10: 98.54 miles