Jeph the romantic...

So yesterday was a wonderfully romantic day. Some of you know how romantic Jeph can be. Well, since we started dating Jeph has done so many romantic and over the top gestures.
He has written amazing poems, songs, cards...he has created some amazing collages, art, pics turned into so much more. He has sent me on several different scavenger hunts. This man is truly a romantic!!
Yesterday was the anniversary of the day he proposed 6 years ago!

October 29, 2001...I had gone to Kadee Wiricks wedding shower and when I got back to Jephs place to watch a movie I got there and there was a note taped to the outside of the door....the note sent me to several other places where there were other notes(a scavenger hunt of sorts). I ended up at the new house his parents were building(the deck with a view of the bay/sunset one of our favorite places) he had our song "The Luckiest" playing, white lights, and rose petals everywhere..as I walked out on the deck he was behind me and I turned around...I was just thinking another wonderfully romantic evening. To my surprise he got down on one knee and told me so many wonderful things...he pulled out the ring and asked me to marry him....

I found out later he had already asked my parents and everything...this guy was so good! :)

So Oct 29, 2007...we had a romantic dinner in one of our favorite spots by candlelight, danced to our song and the rest is none of your business!!;)

Thank you God for my romantic and thoughtful husband!!!

Precious Children

Here they are my nieces and nephews....(from left to right) Ethan(3), Jaden(5 months),

Hailey(3 1/2), and Tyler(5 1/2). They are so precious...they are responsible for not only helping me to want kids but being my kids temporarily. :)

I just thought I'd post pics of 4 of the most important people in my life. Whenever I'm having a bad day...they are guaranteed to cheer me up. I have their pics all over my house and they are just so special.

I hope that parents know how important it is to love your kids so much, and to love them unconditionally, with everything you can, and to make them feel like they are the most important person in your life.

Having kids is a blessing and I encourage us all to take lots of pictures and document their lives, love them whole heartedly, hug and kiss them, just talk to them, and be available. How we treat our kids, nieces, and nephews...helps to make them who they are and that's a big, wonderfully hard responsibility. Cherish them because we are all lucky to have them!!

Need Help

I don't even know if this is something to post in a blog. I am having troubl posting my pics to the blog. I have posted pics to my myspace, email, etc...but I can't seem to get them posted to my blogs, profile...so I have tons of blog drafts but I really want pics added to them. It's funny because I think I figured it out at the beginning...but since I started blogging again I'm having trouble. So if someone could give me step by step instruction that would be so great!!! Then I could actually get all these blogs done and with pics. :)

The Calling-Retreat

The Calling

This weekend Jeph and I attended a Young Adults Retreat in Sunriver with our Netarts group. The whole theme for the weekend was the call...answering God's call in all areas of our lives.
Sometimes it seems obvious what God is calling Jeph and I to...and so many times it seems so fuzzy. We find ourselves asking so many questions...is this what God wants? If we don't do what God wants are we going to be punished? Do we have certain desires of our hearts and in the end they aren't what God wants so we will be miserable? Is God's best, not what we ultimately want?
After this weekend I have to say I have a whole new outlook on God's call on my life(Jeph and I both do). We really have come to the realization that God wants us to love Him, love others, and share Him, obey Him, and everything else will fall into place.
Wow, what a concept! So simple and yet we complicate it so much...I really feel now as though there is no distinct thing I have to choose..Jeph and I both will follow His commandments and move forward with starting a family and thats just fine and that makes God happy to see us happy!

This weekend was filled with good times, good worship, good food, lots of laughter, and I feel really cleansed and able to move forward once again in the kid direction. Thank you God for an eye opening weekend...it was much needed!
John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled." (thanks Marcy)

Week in Seattle

Well...last week Jeph and I were out of town. He had a work conference in Seattle Washington...so we got to go up and stay in a hotel for 4 nights. I had a pretty bad cold most of the time but by friday I felt a little better. ;) Wed night we went to a Mariners game, thursday we had dinner with Janessa and Devin...friday night Josh and Marcy came up. That was fun we ended up walking around Seattle, Pikes Place, and we saw the Red Bull soapbox races...it was such a good time. :)
I realized how much I love to just be with my hubby doing whatever, even if we are alone...we have great conversation, fun singing to our fav songs, sharing our concerns, fears, joys. It truly is a solid, happy marriage...I feel peaceful about that!
We both discovered how much we love Seattle...outside of the Seahawks. It's different than Portland, not as known by us. We are falling in love all over again in Seattle...it has made us just want to rediscover Portland. :)

I'll post pics of our trip soon!