the lions den

package of love 2

2012-01-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

we put together another care package to send to h and her foster family. we picked up one of those recordable books because we thought it would be cool for h to hear our voices. i thought it may be possible for beniah to memorize one page, but instead we had him say the last phrase on each page, while alternating who was reading the page. it was a little more time consuming having him read with us, but i think it was well worth the effort.

take one

take two

one day b was carrying around the bear, which i had warned him was for h. so i asked him about it.

vitamins, via, & candy for the family and a couple books for h. the bear was a gift for her from a family friend and the monkey hat was from her aunt tyler. its a little on the small side so we thought we should send it instead of waiting till she got home. its finally at the post office, waiting to be flown around the world. (don't ask how long i've had it put together..)

jojo

2012-01-23T17:59:00.000-08:00

why every little boy needs a jojo.

beniah is very blessed to have so many people in his life who love him. jojo, our manny, has won the heart of b while wrestling and running around the house with him.

learning how to long board

adventures in arizona: bisbee

2012-01-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

dave and i took advantage of the mlk holiday to head down to bisbee, arizona. we dropped beniah off at my dad's in sierra vista and continued down to the historic mining town for what dave calls "marriage weekend". while we are always working on our marriage (date nights, watching sermons together, reading scripture, reading marriage books, and praying together) in the past we've taken mlk day to ourselves. the past couple years we haven't truly "gotten away" because of beniah, but this year my dad offered to take him for the night so we ventured to bisbee.

as soon as we got in sunday night i saw the bisbee B lit up and wanted to take a picture for beniah. he loves pointing out every B he sees. he says, "look mama, B like me!"

it is such a cool town with rich history. we got there pretty late on sunday night, but spent all day monday watching a sermon series on song of solomon, discussing our marriage, and of couse, talking and praying for the kids. we stayed at the historic grand hotel in old bisbee. dave loved that we checked in downstairs in the saloon with an older man with a long grey beard. our room was very cool and the morning was complete with a delicious home cooked breakfast in the cute, cute lobby area. we talked with some other couples from tucson and the headed out for the day.

i stole this pic of the internet-the downtown was so cute. i don't know why i forgot to snap a photo.

the famous 1000 steps. every year they have a race up these steps. we made it to step 89 and decided to call it quits. :) who needs a workout on vacation?

after our steps we headed to the old bisbee brewing company and sampled some of their in home brews. i personally loved the free popcorn and homemade root beer. yum.

after our stop in the brewery we head over to the queen anne mine tour. a must see in bisbee since mining is what put this town on the map. the sign said that in the late 1800s bisbee was one of the largest and most cultured cities between st. louis and san fransico! didn't realize arizona was so cool.

i tried to get a picture was we trekked by on the train, but didn't angle the camera down enough. this shaft looked like a 45 degree angle down with tracks for the carts. i could not image trying to push heavy copper up that.

a cute little boy asked where the miners went potty. the tour guide was happy to show this off. he asked who wanted the job of pushing the potty cart our of the mine every night..

we were pretty deep in the mine, the website says 1,500 feet deep. our tour guide, a former miner, told stories of life working in the mines. it was definitely worth the expedition.

i loved that we parked the car in front of our hotel and didn't get back in it until we left bisbee the night after. maybe when b gets older we will take him back. i know he would want to see that big B on the mountain.

my soul waits.

2012-01-19T14:55:00.000-08:00

received word yesterday that submissions for eps (exit permits) have again been pushed back. and realized that we are probably farther down the list than i wanted to believe. so i of course scrolled through all the korean adoption blogs i follow and we all lamented together.

we long to bring our baby girl home and know that with each passing day we loose moments with her. i know she is being loved and cared for-that itself has gotten me through most of this waiting. but i still long to hold her in my arms and kiss her cheeks.

my soul waits on the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

holiday wrap up: thanksgiving

2012-01-13T07:57:00.000-08:00

as always, november and december flew by. and since we were waiting for the new year to ring in (because emmigration permits in korea begin processing again) i was okay with the whirlwind. so. here is thanksgiving in denver, christmas in sierra vista and then again in tucson.

beniah did great driving through the night to denver for thanksgiving. while on our way to the butterfly pavilion he began navigating for us.

b had fun outside playing catch with dada. he's slowly understanding what catch means-before if we tossed him a (usually) volleyball he would throw out his arms and then turn around so he wouldn't get hit by it. haha. so this is an improvement!

our family outing was to the butterfly pavilion. they had a room full of anachnids (spiders)..and cochroachs and..lets just say things i wasn't totally excited about. but the bees there were pretty amazing to watch-behind glass, because i'm afraid of bees.

aunt kristen holding rosie the tarantula. b took a turn after he saw aunt kristen do it. :)

phyllis LOVES finding nemo..so they watched the clownfish for awhile.

and then b got to touch one.

watching the releasing of new butterflys into the greenhouse.

brand new butterflys!

the butterfly pavilion was a lot of fun. they had a big greenhouse filled with butterflys just milling around and an area where cocoons hatched while you watched. pretty amazing stuff. they also had a short zipline and b took full advantage.

beniah had a ton of fun in denver. he talks about going back all the time. :)

our little girl

2011-12-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

we are honored and excited to introduce new photos of our little girl. we received them last week along with a physical update. her cheeks are to die for and i'm loving those pigtails. we can't wait!

ps. i must have misunderstood the photo policy before, there is some information that i can not share on our blog, but i'm happy to say we can show these photos!

superstar in the making

2011-11-30T15:35:00.000-08:00

we listen to a lot of music in our house and recently beniah started singing along. here is his cover of something in the water by brooke frasher.

adventures in arizona: (fake) camping

2011-11-28T21:02:00.000-08:00

i was really exciting to take beniah camping. not because i like to camp. in fact, i don't think i've really ever camped, camped, like sleeping in a tent, camped before. but i thought he would love it-and it was a way to continue to explore arizona. so we made plans..and then beniah got a cold, which turned our camping trip into a dinner by the campfire trip. (its okay though, because it would have been pretty cold too, lol)

we met dave's brother & family up at the gordon hirabayashi campground on mt. lemmon for campfire fun. the (big) boys had fun helping get the fire started and looking for "marshmallow sticks" to roast with. eli had fun eating and being cuddled. i have to admit, those hot dogs were pretty delicious and beniah had his first memorable bite of a smore-he loved every second of it (and half of dada's)!

i was really excited to check out this campsite after hearing about its history from some hiking friends of ours, but this just means we have another trip waiting for us!

total money surrender

2011-11-21T20:22:00.000-08:00

dave ramsey "ruined" our life almost two years ago. he threw out our plans to get our backyard done and many other fun projects around the house. instead, we tackled our debt. most of it was mine, brought from college. what we thought was capable to pay off in 18 months we actually pulled off in 12 months. then we decided to get moving on this adoption. enter $27,000.

we knew this was going to be hard work. it was going to be both emotionally and financially taxing, but looking back its been an amazing journey. i am humbled and honored to say that we have about $3000 left to raise. i can't believe we've made it this far and its only because of the grace of God. we have felt lead to adopt and God has provided every step of the way.

i felt lead to take a promotion-i honestly had trouble asking others for money when i felt like God was providing an opportunity for our family to bring in some extra money. this has helped tremendously and while it is so hard to be away from beniah, i work early hours so beniah is home with either dave or myself as much as possible. we also have some amazing people in our life who look after and care for him on a weekly basis. we are so grateful for their love for beniah and their support. speaking of my job, starbucks offers adoption reimbursement for up to $4,000 so we cashed in on that. and dave has also picked up some additional coaching jobs to bring in some extra money. when we paid off our debt to begin with we took the ramsey mentally-work, work, and work some more. do what you have to do to get it done. and so far, its worked.

by the way, have you seen our car recently? in five years of marriage neither dave or i were involved in a car accident..until this summer. we were rear ended, twice in a month. the first time dave was driving and the second time i was. ask beniah about it-he really likes to tell the story. since we own our car we took the money (twice), and applied it to our adoption fund. dave and my dad spent the weekend redoing our bumper (even though i was fine with the way it looked..as long as its safe and has a/c i'm good) and dave plans on finishing it up this week.

we've also done a number of fundrasiers: a photo shoot, poker tournament, car wash, and collecting ink and whip creme cartridges. outside of that we've had a ton of thoughtful and amazing people send us gifts. i have been surprised time and again by the generosity of those in our lives, some we haven't spoken to for quite some time. we are truly blessed.

when we started this journey a year ago we had no idea how we were going to pay for this adoption, but in the midst of surrendering ourselves-and our money-i look back and see how faithful our God is.

adventures in arizona: ft. lowell museum & park

2011-11-15T19:01:00.000-08:00

after asking many friends to share some of their favorite arizona spots, we asked a few to join us in our adventures. not only did we get free tour guides, we also got to spend some time with fun people.

we visited ft. lowell museum & park with our friends, the allertons. i had taken beniah to this park many times, but had never known the significance. we actually visited on the first saturday of the month which included free admission to the museum as well as a reenactment of sorts. they had erected a tepee out front and a military band played for a small crowd. i enjoyed seeing the women dressed up in their late 1800 fashions. beniah loved chasing the allerton's son, ethan around and around the tepee.

ft. lowell was used as a protective outpost just outside of tucson to help fight the apache wars. it housed officers and their families and enlisted men. james read that the fort was placed far away from tucson because the soliders were creating too much trouble downtown. a well known officer to serve at ft. lowell was walter reed. read more notes from wikipedia.

since beniah wasn't into reading all the notes in the museum i didn't catch all the history, but we spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the park and finding the hidden creek. i think beniah preferred this part of the adventure.

reach!

package of love

2011-11-14T18:24:00.000-08:00

about a month ago we put together a package to send to h and her foster family. in it we included a letter thanking them for their love for h and introducing ourselves a bit, a giraffe that beniah had picked out for h, some via, an arizona calendar, a jar of sonoran desert honey, prickly pear jelly, and a photo album filled with photos of our family (both nuclear and extended). i was telling dave i wanted to put together a christmas package for h & her foster family at dinner tonight and he asked me whether or not the first package had even made it. i told him that we aren't promised to be told if and when our care packages arrive..and honestly i hadn't planned on knowing, just hoping when we went to pick her up that we would find her with her giraffe.

i open up my email after dinner-and my heart skipped a beat. a new photo? she is sitting with her foster mother, foster brother and all the goodies we sent her. she is beautiful. dave and i were both speechless. i hadn't expected to receive any more photos! what a blessing.

i would love to share the photo with you, but for security sake we will have to wait. :)

operation christmas child

2011-11-09T18:53:00.000-08:00

i packed a shoebox for operation christmas child with a small group during college one year. and now that beniah is older i want to pack a box with him (and h) every year. last night, we took him shopping, and while i first thought we should choose to do a girl box so he wouldn't be conflicted about giving the fun stuff he picked out away, he actually choose to pick for a little boy. so we talked about the little boy who would be receiving all these fun toys and had him pick out stuff that he likes. he picked a big truck, small planes and tractor toys, glow sticks, blocks, a puppet, puzzle, some cranberries, yogurt covered pretzels, toothbrushes and toothpaste. we also prayed together for the little boy who would open the box. initially, i think his heart was conflicted-here are all these great toys i just picked out!-but as we talked through it he was excited to mail it to him and even asked if he could play with him. that made me smile, but i told him he is far, far away.

put together a shoebox this week-you can drop it off at several locations in tucson throughout the 21st of november!

you've got to love those sweet smiles on the kid's faces as they open up their boxes. :)

i am a robot

2011-11-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

happy (belated) halloween. beniah loved the weekend festivities-but mostly i think he wants to know why we can't go to our neighbor's houses everyday for candy.

while beniah was not very interested in helping us carve pumpkins he did like them once they were all lite up. and dave had fun showing some wildcat pride.

the knife stuck in the pumpkin makes me giggle

scooping the seeds

aunt jaime lending a hand

helping dada with his design

Cousin Eric leading B around the cake walk at a halloween party

The Robot

with the Reyes gang

the loot

in trying to keep things simple I spent some time thinking of a fun and easy costume..and whats more easy than some boxes?! beniah loved being a robot-he has sort of a monotone voice to begin with, but he loved saying "I'm a robot, whats your name?" the design was inspired by the robot from one of beniah's favorite videos-party rock anthem (which he can grow out of any day now, lol).

the world through b's eyes

2011-10-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

beniah got a hold of my camera recently and went crazy through our house. i started to delete them..and then i realized they were actually kind of cool.

adventures in arizona: pumpkin patch

2011-10-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

so recently i've decided to explore arizona more. let me explain. i'm still coming to terms with the fact that we live here. my mindset my freshman year at the university of arizona was "four years and get back out". i had moved here from seoul, south korea..one of the busiest and biggest cities in the world. i took public transportation everywhere, there was always people around which made me feel safe, korea experiences four seasons, and i love a good city. tucson is pretty much the anti of all these things and i was determined not relocate after college. fast forward four years and i'm married and my husband has a job here..so we buy a house..and suddenly i feel like i'm trapped (especially since the housing market crashed shortly after).

don't get me wrong. i haven't been hating everyday of my life here. mostly just when it is unbearably hot do i think these thoughts. but after a hike last year i commented on the BEAUTIFUL sunset. dave turns to me and responds "that sunset has been here for eight years". so i've decided that as a family we will be exploring more of what arizona has to offer. and now that the weather is cooling down (here and there) i think its the perfect time to start.

we've been going to agua linda farms in amado, arizona for the past couple years and i'm glad we went back this year. to the typical hayride around the pumpkin patch, pony rides (for an additional $5/ride), and petting zoo they added a jumping castle and mini corn maze this year. we have yet to join them for their movie nights on friday and saturday night, but next year we might settle in for the kid friendly movie. their food is pretty delicious and i was particularly impressed this year. i was holding my freshly made onion rings (yum), while beniah carried his hot dog basket over to get some ketchup when i hear "mama, it fell, it fell!". i turn around and his hot dog had come unraveled from his paper and was upside down on the dirt. i was not going to buy another one-i was out of fun money-but i felt bad. i knelled down to talk with him about it and one of the workers came over and took the hot dog from me and said, "lets get you another one." i think beniah was prepared for me to tell him that we weren't going to get another one because he teared up right away and fell into my shoulder. after a second to calm him down i told him they were getting him a new hot dog. his thank you to the man who showed up with a fresh one was truly genuine-and so was mine. my standard for great customer service is pretty high since i am in the customer service business and they definitely won my business for the next coming years.

my delicious fresh onion rings

his fresh hot dog w/ketchup :)

there were crickets all over..i think b looks like a pumpkin here haha

on the hayride w/uncle phil

the cousins and their pumpkins :)

in years past i haven't actually purchased our pumpkins there. beniah was too little to even realize if we left without one and i always thought they were overpriced. but as we were exiting i stopped to pick out two because they were actually cheaper than what i had seen at the grocery stores and i choose to put our money into a local business. and although i tried to encourage beniah to pick out a big one for himself-he choose a baby pumpkin (well, two actually..i gave in-they were so little!)

the cloud of the Lord

2011-10-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

warning: random emotional rambling ahead

we got news last week that we will not be able to travel until after the start of the new year. our initial timeframe was presented as november - february, and like i've done this entire process i began planning for the "long shot": february. don't get me wrong-i would have LOVED to see her come home sooner, but i wanted to prepare myself (and our family) to wait and if it happened sooner that would be great! but then we received some news that lead me to believe, hey this might actually happen before the end of the year! we were truly excited. there was our mistake. we got our hopes up. and it really was disappointing to hear that we will have to wait more and possibly even longer than february.

today our little girl is turning one.

the one year birthday is a big deal in korea. on beniah's 1st birthday we did a ceremony similar to what a child would experience. and it was hard enough knowing we wouldn't be able to provide that for H as well-at least not on her actual first birthday. but i also worry that the transition will be more difficult as she ages.

in all honesty the transition is scaring me beyond belief. i've known what to expect throughout this process: paperwork, raise some money, wait, more paperwork, more money, more and more waiting... but i've become more and more anxious about the transition (mostly because) it is completely out of my control. some parts of the process are out of my control as well (like waiting on paperwork from korea), but the transition of bringing her home and us becoming a family involves real people and real emotions. scary stuff if you ask me. i've been reading toddler adoption and i find myself putting the book down every so often while my heart aches for these moments to come.

over the weekend i've gradually come to accept that God's timing is perfect. just this morning i was reminded how He leads, directing us, and is with us when things are moving or are standing still.

"Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out-until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels."
exodus 40:34-38

the missional mom

2011-09-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

i have been reading some good books recently and decided some deserved a review on our blog. my list has been a combination of parenting, adoption, spiritual discipleship, with some "fun" ones throw in here and there. most of my books are recommendations from others, and this one was no exception. while at the lake this summer i had the refreshing opportunity to read the missional mom. this was recommended through a blog of an fellow adoptive mom and i ordered it right away. although i read it a couple months ago, i was reminded of it during my quiet time this morning.

not only was this book encouraging, but inspirational-it was able to put into words what i had dreamed parenting to be. she encourages the missional mom to resist cultural pressures, love "the least of these", be third-culture, engage in the needs of the world, and to create missional families. she reminds us that our primary calling is to be on mission for God, reaching those in this world.

"What I have seen time and time again, in my friend's lives, in my own life, and in the lives of countless others reflected in the Christian and secular media, is that we mothers often forget how mother hood intersects with the bigger picture of our primary calling and mission. Sometimes we replace our primary calling and mission by saying, 'Motherhood is my highest calling' or 'Motherhood is my primary mission.' When a secondary calling displaces a primary one, the confusion begins."

She goes on to reiterate, "I do not mean to devalue motherhood in the least. Motherhood is a critical secondary calling for those of us who have been given the priviledge of playing that role in a child's life. But we always need to put our role as mothers in the right context and never prioritize our secondary calling as a mother over our primary calling to know and love God."

it was a affirming and thought provoking book for me and i highly recommend it.

rain, rain.. please stay!

2011-09-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

on thursday tucson recieved the most rain in one day in forty years..and i loved every second of it. partly because it has been so dreadfully hot that the rain is a much enjoyed break and partly because it reminds me of summertime monsoons in korea (which actually last almost 24/7 for a month or two compared to twice a week rainshowers here). in any case, beniah and i have made it a habit to go play outside once it dies down a bit.

b is 3!

2011-09-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

i wanted to throw beniah a bash worthy of a three year old, but also wanted to keep it low cost and low stress. my initial thought was to have some people over for cake..and while looking at cake ideas i found a guitar cake, which inspired his birthday party: dance party! we frequently have dance parties in our house. our neighbors may randomly see dave or i (or joey) jumping up and down ridiculously to some random song...i wonder if they can see beniah too?

we had glowsticks and some christmas lights up for our dance party and the kids (and adults) had a blast.

how i wish you could see the adults attempting to do the dance from the video..too good. :)

the LePeau birthday candle

b's guitar cake that inspired it all

poker night fundraiser

2011-09-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

christe is not the only one behind on the game. a few weeks ago wayne with man tucson graciously offered to host a fundraiser card game for our adoption. it was amazing, fellowship around the card table, good food and we raised $300!

highlights included: the fight not to be first person out as whoever the lucky individual was got cursed with (i mean awarded) a j-e-t-s, jets! jets! jets! jersey, manny officiating to make sure all play was conducted in a vegas style manner, and of course the sharking juan pulled, its for charity right.

thank you all so much for the way you have blessed my family and my evening, i miss not being with you all more often. a special thanks to wayne and man tucson for hosting the event.

results: juan/team reody/ and of course myself split the first place pot and took home some classic ben wallis bulls jerseys! while john and aj rocked the jets jerseys hard!

...and the living is easy

2011-09-01T23:39:00.000-07:00

it seems i have failed at recapping our summer on time. here is a big update.

we spent the first two weeks of july at lake fremont in fremont, michigan. dave will tell you that its his favorite place in the world..and now beniah knows why! we drove throughout the night, taking turns along the way, so beniah could sleep in the car. when we stopped halfway in denver we got to spend the day with dave's brother and sister in law, steve and kristen. they were gracious enough to take beniah out to the denver children's musuem in the afternoon so dave and i could nap.

b talked about the fire truck for another week after this trip

ta-da!

then we made our way to lake fremont for (almost) two full weeks of eating, talking, laughing, eating, swimming, and hanging with family.

nothing completes the 4th like a sparkler!

the photo of the summer

squeeze in!

logically, b took water from the kiddie pool and put it back in the lake

"they go on like this.."

luke is thinking "umm..i'm not sure thats right b"

"yeh, exactly"

pan!

smiley girl!

poppo is a happy camper!

riding the tube w/mama

luke, so precious in the hammock

in poppo's sailboat

b choose uncle steve to put him to bed

after many attempts, dave checks "catch fish" off his list

eric's first try at water skiing

he did great~i know next summer he is going to nail it!

quick story from the trip: we had put beniah down for the night and were watching an episode of mad men with dave's parents when we hear him screaming. mimi goes upstairs to investigate and when she finally calms him down he points to my icy hot container. i take him in the bathroom and scrub him down, fingers, arms, and eyes included. afterward dave is in bed with him settling him back down to go to bed and beniah says to dave, "dada, thats not for my bottom," (the container looks like his diaper rash cream container) and dave says, "no, no buddy, thats not for your bottom". benaih again tells him, "dada thats not for my lips," (the icy hot is similar consistency to vaseline which i use on my lips) and dave says, "no, no buddy, thats not for your lips." finally beniah looks at him and says, "dada, thats not for my eyes," and dave again says almost through laughing "no, no buddy, thats not for you eyes." now he knows what icy hot is for: mama's back.

Week of Soup

2011-08-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

This photo caught my eye..and I could hardly walk away. It was on the NY Times cover about a week ago. What truly broke my heart was the caption, "a child at a hospital in Mogadishu." This is a refugee child of the drought in Somolia. I was outraged, outraged that a child is suffering and that to us, he or she doesn't even have a name.

I am always on the lookout for another fundraiser for the adoption. Especially since the ball is rolling a little faster than we had anticipated. And I got this idea from another adoptive couple-eat soup for a week and use the money that you have saved on groceries to donate for the cause of an orphan. I have been thinking about orphans a lot recently, most specifically the little girl we are pursuing an adoption with and my heart has been broken on their behalf. They deserve a family, they deserved to be loved.

And then I saw this photo and decided that we have been so blessed in this process. SO blessed. I have felt God providing again and again on our behalf as we prepare to bring our daughter home. So I am challenging you.

We are called to look after the orphans and the widows so clearly in the gospel. Let's sacrifice the bounties that we experience everyday in our lives for a week. Eat soup for seven days. And then donate the money on behalf of the orphans of the world. We have supported the work of World Vision for eight years and we will be donating what we save to them.

I challenge you. Join my family for the week and eat soup. Donate and look after orphans and widows .

the one we have been waiting for

2011-08-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

friends, let us share with you that we are pursuing an adoption of a nine months old little girl. she currently resides in a foster home in seoul, south korea. it is with great excitement and anticipation we await her arrival, it is expected we will make the trip to pick her up in the next 3-8 months. god has been very good to us through this long journey and we are blessed to call her our own. again we want to thank those of you who have been praying for our family and financially supporting this adoption.

duel in the desert press

2011-08-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

Coaching Trio forms Volleyball Camp

summertime...

2011-07-25T22:05:00.000-07:00

has the summer flown by for anyone else? i can't believe its almost august. and i can't believe i've posted almost nothing about our summer! prepare for a huge update:

we had a great laid back father's day weekend in early june. we met my dad down in sonoita, arizona for a afternoon of wine tasting. this is one of our favorite's, but we found a new place that served their port with a tasting of fudge. now, fudge is one of the keys to my husband's heart and he ended up taking a bottle of the port home. afterward we headed back down to sierra vista for dinner at my dad's, followed by a round or two of wii sports.

i'm not sure janet understood what she was getting herself into when we got out the wii. if you've met dave than you know that he is competitive..in anything. eating, volleyball, cards...wii.

now, i think we played bowling first and there was a lot of trash talking to be heard, mostly by dave. but this clearly shows that janet came out on top, followed by dave, myself, and beniah.

beniah had fun trying to bowl with janet.

after his loss, dave had to choose a sport he knew he could come out on top in:home run derby.

and poor beniah didn't realize playing wii with dada could cause such whiplash. (i'm sorry this video is sideways)

we also spent some late afternoons at clements pool-love the beach entry. i can sit on the shore and beniah (and rylan when hes with us) can essentially explore freely.

swinging with papa

family photo

tired boys after some intense swimming

hanging out at the "beach"

we also got to see family friends domi and ebby while they were in town. tia domi loves niah and spoils him every second they are together. we had fun at the party-beniah loved chasing the other kids around and dancing with them.

sputter, sputter, sput

2011-07-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

b has a new favorite book. on our weekly trip to the library i am always surveying the shelves for books that b will love-cars, trucks, trains...you get the idea. i'm still amazed that i find new ones each time. and this one, "sputter, sputter, sput" was a hit!

celebration

2011-07-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

we received word this morning that our homestudy has been approved and sent to korea! this means we are about a third of the way through our journey to bring our next child home.

i made a point at work this past week of saying that i was "expecting". that got a couple of gasps and questions of whether i was pregnant, but i explained that we too are expecting a child soon. while the parameters around an adoption are much more unpredictable the end goal is the same: bringing a child into a family.

ps. this was a post that never got posted. :) we received word in early june. still worthy of celebration!

white blank page

2011-06-01T23:34:00.000-07:00

why can't we all get along?

2011-05-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

why can't we all get along? a sermon on church unity. click "launch jukebox".

springtime is here

2011-05-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

i did easter egg hunts as a kid..but i honestly don't remember it being that exciting. after experiencing my first easter egg hunt as a parent, i think i understand why people do them. it was a lot of fun to watch b look around and have fun finding eggs.

we had a fun relaxing day with the reyes..a resurrection egg scavenger hunt for the big kids and a short egg hunt for the babies. the big kids also got to hide eggs for the adults..and i just want to say for the record that its okay for two adults to fight over an egg hidden in a patch of grass.

this past weekend we also celebrated mother's day. i was truly spoiled. saturday was a lazy day, dave booked me a massage (which was amazing), hung around the house most of the day and ended the day with a family hike at sunset. then on sunday morning we went out for chicken & waffles. it was a great weekend and i felt very blessed.

your cave

2011-05-10T22:54:00.000-07:00

to the finest mothers i know

2011-05-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

Add caption

movement

2011-04-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

i am thrilled to report that our homestudy has been sent off to holt international to be approved!! i have been waiting (admittedly not so patiently...) to hear this news. unfortunately because of my promotion at starbucks we will have to fill out some new paperwork and it may delay things a bit yet again, but i am still excited that there is MOVEMENT!

on top of that we have a car wash coming up on saturday, april 30th at academy of tucson middle school (7310 E. 22nd St. on 22nd, in between Kolb and Pantano). we will be washing cars for donations from 9 am - 2 pm and i have been excited by how many people have volunteered to help out. (but we could still use more help, so that means you!) we are hoping to raise $500 which will enable us to take the next step, filling paperwork with the us department of citizenship and immigration services.

knowing that things are moving along is exciting and has re-energized me to keep going. God's timing is so perfect.

thanks 할머니 !

2011-04-09T12:54:00.000-07:00

mvp

2011-04-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

food for thought

2011-03-31T16:03:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 58

In 2010, corporate profits grew at their fastest rate since 1950, and we set records in the number of Americans on food stamps. The richest 400 Americans have more wealth than half of all American households combined, the effective tax rate on the nation’s richest people has fallen by about half in the last 20 years, and General Electric paid zero dollars in U.S. taxes on profits of more than $14 billion. Meanwhile, roughly 45 million Americans spend a third of their posttax income on food — and still run out monthly — and one in four kids goes to bed hungry at least some of the time.

Entire Article: Here

lets go cats!

2011-03-22T12:16:00.001-07:00

best kid ever

2011-03-09T21:15:00.000-08:00

i just asked b to go get me a beer, he grabbed his chair, opened the fridge and brought dada a beer...it was amazing...just when i thought is wasn't possible to love my son any more.

if not now, when?

2011-02-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

thomas friedman does it again.

link of the week: if not now, when?

paul krugman: wisconsin power play

questions..

2011-02-17T09:03:00.000-08:00

i love when people ask me questions about our adoption. to some it might seem insensitive and rude, but to me its a chance to talk about my heart.

so why are we adopting? for one, it breaks my heart to think of all the children out there who need a family. its a natural right that a child should have a loving family. they are so precious and innocent and deserve to be loved and cared for. plus, as christians we are called to look after the fatherless, to care for the broken hearted.

i was reminded at revolution on saturday that we too are adopted into God's family and become like sons and daughters to Him. this is what first took hold of my heart as a new believer. it was refreshing to hear it and to tie in into caring for widows and orphans. we are adopting because He first adopted us.

and why are we adopting from korea? the question of whether to adopt domestically or internationally was the hardest decision we've had to make so far. dave and i both knew we wanted to adopt together. initially i was leaning toward local-a child in need is a child in need. and while that still holds true it was dave who asked "but don't you think we should adopt from korea?" dave has had a couple students who were adopted from korea and when i found out, my first reaction was "can i cook for them?" i love korean food-and i love sharing it. i felt like i was able to offer some insight into who they are as a korean. we hope to do the same with our child.

why holt international?

this amazing couple has inspired parents all of the world to care for children who are orphaned, abandoned, and in need.

so what is the situation like in korea? the most common question i get is whether we will be getting a boy or a girl..and the answer is i don't know! as opposed to china, there are more korean boys available for adoption. in country adoption has become more popular in recent years and families are typically more open to adopting girls than boys. in the first months the babies are in the care of dedicated caretakers and once they are two months old they are placed in foster homes. its wonderful that each child is raised in a family like atmosphere. then, for the first five months, holt tries to find local korean adoptive families. after five months the child is available for international adoption. when we visited my mom in seoul this past summer we were able to visit eastern social welfare society, which provides residence to children who have been relinquished by their parents.

i'd love to share more about our experience. what other questions do you have?

i was tricked..

2011-02-14T13:24:00.000-08:00

valentine's day has never been a huge deal to us... except for the first year.

dave and i had been hanging out together for a couple months as friends and i really had no idea whether or not he had feelings for me. we were in the grocery store as we had decided to pick up some ice cream and dave heard over the intercom "flowers 50% off". it was feb. 15th, the day after valentine's day and dave loves a bargain of any type. he looked at me sideways and stammered "do you...um..do you...". i hadn't heard the announcement and was shocked that the confident man i knew was having difficulty spitting something out. "do you want some..flowers?" he asked. my heart skipped a beat, because even though i wasn't sure if he had feelings for me i knew i had wanted to marry a man like him. he continued "ya know, cause they're half off and.." i smiled and we picked out the most beautiful bouquet of pink roses i had ever owned.

this morning i opened my inbox to an email "use cash for the tax program, if you don't have some come by the school, i do". i don't have extra cash laying around (only my grocery money, which i am super protective about) and dave knew i would have to stop by. i replied back for him to leave it at the front desk and i will stop by after the park. we walked in and the front desk told me to go on down to his classroom. honestly i was in a hurry, i wanted to get to the library, bank, and grocery store before beniah's nap. but he is always proud to show off beniah to his students. i took a seat at his desk and 15 girls walked into his classroom. one handed me a rose and then they proceeded to sing me "can't help falling in love" by elvis presley. i couldn't help the tears-the girls' voices were so beautiful!

i am blessed.

adoption: faith

2011-01-31T14:14:00.000-08:00

i have admittedly lacked faith in this adoption process, specifically in the area of finances. in an effort to be wise, it was my decision to delay the start of the adoption process until our car payment was complete, but even since that has been taken care of i still struggle with the faith that God is going to provide in this area. i shared that very thing with our small group when we announced we would be adopting.

since we announced we paid $300 for the application and before we could move on the the "home study" needed 2,000 dollars on hand. after our first meeting they explained we could start the home study process this week assuming we had all our paper work completed and the 2,000 dollars in hand.

christe and i both got a bonus for christmas which went straight into our adoption savings account, two very generous individuals sent us $100 to help with the process. one of christe's co-workers is in an asian sorority and they threw a bake sale at u of a and raised $100. our friend josh with jb photography did a photo shoot day for us that raised $200 and christe literally went around starbucks to starbucks collecting used co2 cartridges for weeks to add $18 to our adoption fund, we sold concession at academy basketball games...all that left us 600 dollars short.

i thought i was justified in my lack of faith, it was going to take us years to raise 10 grand, by that time the 2011 tax credit would be expired and we will have to come up with another 13k. this was until a friend from church handed us a check for 600 dollars last week, now we can continue on as scheduled.

if that weren't enough, i took a coaching job over the winter to help supplement adoption costs. i received my first check on sunday. the director handed me an envelope and said, "we decided to pay you more". the check almost doubled what i was contracted for.

oh, ye of little faith.

christmas 1, 2, and 3

2011-01-22T11:35:00.000-08:00

beniah was a very lucky boy this christmas. since we were flying out on christmas day we celebrated christmas with my dad and his wife janet on thursday, our friends the reyes on friday, and then saturday we arrived for a late afternoon christmas in chicago. he kept asking to open more presents everyday after. :) here are some (belated) photo highlights.

helping papa open his present

his excitement is priceless

enjoying some of janet's chocolates

david's big surprise!

special gifts from phyllis

trains, trains, and more trains!

bathtime!

"go faster dada"

a trip to poppo's work means fun in the warehouse for all the babies!

love this one :)

squirrel!

ahhh~ shiny person

fun at the children's museum

beniah and rylan

2011-01-18T22:42:00.000-08:00

these two boys have spent a lot of time together in their short lives. here are some fun moments between the two of them.

family photo shoot

2011-01-15T11:36:00.000-08:00

josh of jb photography put on a photography fundraiser at agua caliente park in honor of our adoption. he was gracious enough to give of his time and talents (not to mention suffer through being sick the day of the shoot!) to help bring home our next child. we are so grateful - and we got some great family photos! here are just some of the great pictures from the day.

i would highly recommend jb photography for your next photo worthy occasion!

district 8

2011-01-11T22:12:00.000-08:00

an unfathomable event happened in my voting district this weekend. to be honest, i still believe arizona and tucson specifically has a lot to offer. sb1070, liberal gun laws, failing school systems and all, this is where i live. receive it, reject it or redeem it? i choose the latter.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Arizona Shootings Reaction

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

The Daily Show on Facebook

new years resolution kept

2011-01-07T13:36:00.000-08:00

seventy-five percent of new years resolutions set are broken by valentines day. this may be why i typically don't set new years resolutions. improving myself is something i am always striving for anyway and i try not to jump into things just because. what i want is to change my lifestyle not just to change a habit. you may recall a post last year at this time seen here in which christe and i set an 18 month goal to be debt free (not including our house). the goal was not just a one year habit change but the first step in a life change concerning how we handle money.

because of the life-change aspect our resolution seemed different and i now know why. i heard a craig groechel sermon at church this week on new year resolutions that are good things verses God things. conclusion, we need God for a life-change.

being debt free allows us the flexibility to follow Gods calling on our lives. about six months ago, we started seriously talking about adopting, which became clear we could only afford if we were absent of our car loan (the last of our loans). with a little unexpected help from my parents and starbucks stock prices we were able to make our last payment on the car this month, completing out 18 month goal six months early. this freedom has allowed us to move on with our calling to adopt.

i believe our 2010 new years resolution was a God-thing as opposed to just a good thing. there is no way with out God we would have been able to finish paying off a student loan and two-car loans in 12 months. what are the things in your life that are not just good but would require God to change?

merry x-mas?

2010-12-23T12:34:00.000-08:00

what do you get when you mix religion, politics and comedy?

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Christmas Holy Week

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

March to Keep Fear Alive

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Jesus Is a Liberal Democrat

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

March to Keep Fear Alive

yoga for the heart

2010-12-12T12:27:00.000-08:00

i've always struggled with back pain, but so much so recently that i started sleeping on the floor. dave wasn't too happy about me not sleeping in bed with him so i researched "back exercises" on you tube and got back a ton of yoga videos. usually i would wait until beniah was asleep, but i guess once i did it while both beniah and rylan was here and they both tried to copy me. it was too funny. now every once in a while beniah will "stretch" with me.

tis the season

2010-12-10T10:14:00.000-08:00

christmas always seems to sneak up on us, but especially when living in arizona. with 80 degree days its hard for it to "feel" like the holidays. b's aunt tyler introduced us to the jesse tree, a family devotion that traces the lineage of jesus and ends on christmas day. we've had a great time sitting down together as a family, reading out of b's toddler bible and "talking" about the stories with him. i say "talking" because we usually don't know what b is trying to say! but he is too adorable when we pray, i had to post this video. along with the devotional we put an ornament on our tree that reminds us of the story-so you will see me pointing him to different ones as he is praying. he talks a lot about "the moon and the sun" (creation) and "the boat" (noah's ark).

thomas friedman: wikichina

2010-12-03T10:56:00.000-08:00

i am a huge fan of new york times columnist thomas friedman and this article is one of the best i have read: from wikichina

to be fair and balanced, below you can check out youtube sensation governor chris christie of new jersey sound like like an intelligent human being. this is not sarcasm, i don't know much about the new republican governor and i am a huge supporter of teachers and teacher benefits, but it was very refreshing to hear a politician answer a question directly and coherently. what you won't hear is question dodging or weightless talking points common amongst so many politicians today.

a visit with poppo and mimi

2010-12-02T23:19:00.000-08:00

dave's parents (poppo and mimi) were able to make it out to tucson for a good long visit over the thanksgiving holiday. we all got to hang out together, take a trip to the zoo, go for a hike, and of course, eat! here are some highlights.

i love corbin's face here! i mean, who doesn't love giraffes?

the funny thing about this picture was there was no animal in the habitat to look at, but we must have stayed there for almost 5 minutes!

b, taking after his uncle paul and watching the turtles swim around.

feeding the fish..who sadly were not that interested.

beniah fit perfectly in the cousin's red car. he loved driving around!

eric twirling beniah around in the swing. they both had so much fun with this.

reading time with poppo.

pre bedtime with mimi brings books and giggling!

our black friday hike in sabino canyon. we found a gorgeous spot to have a picnic.

a little help from dada.

exploring around our lunch site.

uncle dave/dada teaching the boys how to skip rocks.

humbled (& blessed)

2010-11-29T14:55:00.000-08:00

we have recieved some negative feedback concerning our decision to adopt from korea, but for the most part it has been overwhelming positive. and i have been extremely humbled by how many people are willing to support us in whatever way they can.

my partners, or co-workers, (and a couple other starbucks locations) are collecting used whip creme cartridges for me to pick up and take in to recycling. this is by no means bringing in big bucks (two weeks worth of cartridges equals about a dollar), but i can't help it and smile each time they excitingly drop a cartridge in the bucket.

another one of my partners is part of an asian sorority (alpha phi gamma) on campus at the u of a and has asked them to fundraise on our behalf. they are holding a bake sale this week on the mall. students that i don't even know are using their time and resources in honor of our next child.

and a friend from church is putting together a day of photography and donating a portion of the proceeds to our adoption fund. hes a great photographer and i'm so excited he is willing to use his gifts in this way. if you are interested in signing up, go to JB Photography.

and so it begins

2010-11-27T14:15:00.000-08:00

adoption has always been something i knew i wanted to do. the thought of a child growing up without a family deeply hurts my heart. all they want is to be loved.

since this has been a somewhat long process for us (always knowing this was something we wanted to do, but trying to figure out the right timing) i am finally relived to have begun! we sent in our application to holt international and we have been accepted into the korea program!

beniah helped me get the final paperwork mailed out for our application.

we are excited for the journey ahead!

one of our favorites on one of our favorites

2010-11-17T19:33:00.000-08:00

john legend was on the colbert report last night, of course our boy killed it. just found out colbert did imporv at the 2nd city...in chicago. christe and i will be returning to the 2nd city for a show with my sister and brother-in-law when we return home for christmas. really looking forward to it.

the song is shine and featured in the new documentary waiting for superman about the public school systems.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

John Legend - Shine

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

2010 Election

March to Keep Fear Alive

photo journal: fall

2010-11-11T14:20:00.000-08:00

its finally starting to cool down here, which i love. a couple pictures to get you through our fall season.

beniah loved going to dave's games and cheering on the lady lynx. i'm just amazed at how much hes grown since last season! by the end of the season he was walking around the bleachers and sitting with the students (mostly girls) and giving them high fives. he decided he was too cool to sit with his mom, so he's chilling on the stairs and watching intently. when everyone burst into applause beniah followed suite. dave said he saw him from the bench and it took all he had to not laugh!

on to the pumpkin patch. every year we go down to agua linda farm with the arizona cousins for some pumpkin patch fun. this year, dave's cousin lucy, was able to join in the fun. i think beniah's favorite part was the hay maze. he kept running around and around and getting stuck-then he was inspired by other kids jumping over the walls...that helped him get to the middle to ring the bell faster!

here is corbin joining in our family picture! too cute.

and how can you talk about the fall without bringing up halloween? while i am not a fan of halloween it was a TON of fun to watch beniah follow all the other kiddos around and get sooo excited about his candy. luckily he's still young enough that he forgot about it the next morning. :) check out our ryu from street fighter.

an inconvenient truth...

2010-10-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

glenn beck

2010-10-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

link of the week: being glenn beck

biiig aquaa

2010-09-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

beniah's 1st dip in the ocean was in the sea of japan. and he loved every second of it.

beniah's first spanish word was "aqua" and its one of his favorite things. he loves playing with water in any situation so seeing the ocean was truly exciting. he looked out across the horizon and said "biiiigg aquuuaa". it was so precious and made me wish i could remember the first time i saw the ocean.

while we were in korea we visited the ocean several times. it is a peninsula, so its surrounded by water on three sides (and north korea on one side). it was fun to see all the different kinds of beaches. we were fortunate enough to visit an island to the south of korea called che ju. this island was created from a volcanic explosion so while there are a couple of sandy beaches, there is a TON of volcanic rock and the shoreline is mostly rocks. here my mom traps a crab to show beniah.

wit

2010-09-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

wit some have it and some don't. i just found out an old high school buddy has been messing around with comics. he was always funnier then me...goose!

check out the rest of his comics here.

the wedding

2010-09-18T23:55:00.000-07:00

last month my dad got married and lots of family came into town. it was a great opportunity for some to meet b for the first time and to hang out with him. it still puzzles me how some people he warms up to right away (like my grandma and aunt diane) and others he prefers not to entertain.

in any event, beniah was supposed to be the ring bearer (which i knew wasn't going to turn out well), but he was so frightened he wouldn't let go of jojo, our babysitter and self proclaimed older brother of b. so jojo and b walked down together~actually pretty funny to watch. and then right in the middle of the service while i was holding him, beniah bent down, picked up a tortilla chip, and then "CRUNCH".

he certainly keeps life interesting. he came alive during the dancing, since beniah can't resist a good beat. he here is with his entourage trying to get him to do the twist. still makes me giggle to see his little body try to twist from side to side.

how often do you change your oil?

2010-09-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

link of the week: no reason to change oil every 3,000 miles

ultimate fighter

2010-09-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

preaching again this saturday in our ultimate fighter series on 2 timothy. should be a great night so come check it out here at 5pm.

thoughts on leadership

2010-08-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

The people can always be brought to the bidding of their leaders. All you have to do is tell them that they are in danger of being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.

Hermann Goering (1893 - 1946)

The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.

Colin Powell (1937 - )

testimony time

2010-08-24T10:35:00.001-07:00

a buddy of mine is serving in india, we get regular updates from him and i always look forward to the section he titles "testimony time". the following is his most recent testimony.

“Yah, yah!”
“No.”
I look at her straight in the eyes, trying to convince.
Please let it stop.
“Yah, yah!”
She follows me with her words as I walk away.
I feel her tug my arm with one dusty hand as she holds out the other.
“No.” I wave my hand up in a stop sign, continuing to walk away.
“Yah, yah!”

To my untrained ear, this sounds really arrogant.
I told her plainly no.
I had my reasons.
Hundreds of millions of poor. Will I stop for everyone?
Corruption and greed infiltrate normal, need-based begging.
There are better ways to help.

Yet she follows me and shouts, “Yah, yah!”
I feel like we are arguing.
No-Yeah-No-Yeah
“She is not saying ‘Yeah,’” my friend explains.
“She is saying ‘Ayya.’
“It is a term of high respect, like ‘Sir.’”
Oh.

The theology of poverty in India is similar as in the states.

The thought is, "How can I help the poor?"

We forget...we ARE the poor.

To see needy people is no longer difficult for me.
It doesn’t pain anymore to walk by the poor, the crippled, the malformed.
I adjusted to that a while ago.
The challenge is to keep them close.
To feel that they are not a number, but that they are your brother, the very image of God.

A man may give his son an apple because he knows it’s good for him.
But he also gives him candy, because he knows it’s good for both of them.
Undeserved, unhealthy, unhelpful candy.
And should I constrain my giving only to what is helpful?
But what will that do to help my soul?

a.s.who?

2010-08-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

had this sent to me by a fellow alum.

no. 1 reason to attend u of a over asu: we already know how to read!

thanks jamie!

if you eat it, they will like you

2010-08-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

in the summer of 2000 i spent three weeks in sao paulo, brazil on a short-term missions trip. i stayed with a host family along with one other guy in our group. maybe four or five days into your trip my roommate tom said to me about our hosts, "i think they like your more than they like me." not really believing him i responded, "why do you think that?"

"because you eat everything they put in front of you".

i teach geography and i tell my students repeatedly, "just because its different doesn't mean its deficient." this goes for food as well, except the kicker is food is tied to who we are as a people. have you ever heard someone from wisconsin talk about sausages, someone from maryland talk about crab cakes, someone from phili talk about cheese steaks, chicago talk about deep dish, colorado talk about beer, cali talk about sprouts, the south talk about...anything that will clog your arteries?

the same is true about those in different countries...truer, because there is a longer history of food, there is a deeper community surrounding food and frankly more likely a chance that food wasn't alway readily available like it typically is here in the states. in a lot of countries people eat all parts of animals because they didn't have the luxury of throwing excess away.

my last experience in korea was no different, i sat cross-legged, with achy knees at 18" tables with a million tiny dishes in front of me. "whats this?" i ask my mother-in-law. most of the time she would tell me, sometimes she would say, "just try it" and then she would tell me.

i would eat using chop-sticks, because thats what people use and it would take me longer to eat and i would continue eating long after everyone else was done and watch them clear dishes out of the way to move more food in front of me.

christe would look at me adoringly, "they like you".

"why?"

"because most americans don't eat this stuff."

beniah: international superstar

2010-07-25T16:41:00.001-07:00

obviously i am completely unbiased, but it seems the korean people really know a cute baby when they see one.

i often get asked if i'm like a "superstar" in kora because i'm tall, i'm american, have red hair and pretty much stick out. "do a lot of people stare at you?" i have been asked a number of times. the truth is no, especially not in the city. although i have had my share of moments, those just mostly took place in central and south america.

this trip to south korea was quite a bit different in this regard, we seemed to get lots of attention, lots of eyes and lots of comments. and of course when i say "we" i mean beniah. it was actually a little crazy, on no less than five separate occasions did random strangers, often two or three at a time, pull out their camera phones and take pictures of him. christe's mom would then very sweetly ask for 10,000 won or about 8 dollars.

on one evening christe was really craving a waffle, which is a dessert not a breakfast in korea. so we found a little cafe were three college girls happened to be working and ordered our waffle, which seemed to take a little longer than usual because the workers were very distracted. we sit down and almost immediately the manager rushes over with a cookie for b. after his first bite we turn to thank them again and all three girls were hunched over the counter, propped up on their elbows just staring at b with these big smiles, it was then the manager quickly realized she had forgotten to bring beniah some milk.

i guess beautiful people really do get free stuff.

happy anniversary

2010-07-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

more to come on our korea trip, but first...

feed my sheep

2010-07-15T06:09:00.001-07:00

while visiting my mom in korea we headed to kangnun to see my extended family. dave had met most of my mom's side on our last trip to korea, but because we were not yet engaged he did not meet my grandmother. i thought this was a little silly, i mean he had traveled half way around the world to meet my mom..we had discussed marriage..but my mom insisted. so this trip became the "meet grandma" trip for both dave and beniah. and thanks to everyone around him saying make sure you do this, but don't do that.. dave was a little concerned, to which my mom replied, "you are already married and have a baby, she can't do anything now". it was great to sit around the table with tons of my family-something i had done when i was younger-but this time with my family in attendance. the lunch went well, dave and i bowed to my grandmother and grandfather's brother and everyone got to love on beniah. overall it was a great afternoon.
then my uncle took us up to a sheep farm and beniah had a blast feeding the sheep! at first beniah was a little hesitant..and then he went through 4 baskets of straw all on his own. next to us was a couple with a very scared young woman who couldn't bring herself to hand the straw to the sheep on her own. he boyfriend pointed at beniah and said "look, the BABY is doing it!"

warning: dangerous book

2010-06-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

jesus for president was actually on my reading list for last summer, i ordered it from a third party through amazon and it never came, so i made a point to get through it this summer.

this was a book i had trouble putting down, but at times had to because it became too "heavy". it certainly is "a book to provoke the christian political imagination" and i would recommend it to christians who are willing to be challenged on their view of america and to all people who are not a follower of jesus for some great insight on what christian politics might actually look like from the perspective of jesus and the bible and not the perspective of "christian" politicians.

just a couple excerpts that stuck out:

"jesus is ready to set us free from the heavy yoke of an oppressive way of life. plenty of wealthy christians are suffocating from the weight of the american dream, heavily burdened by the lifeless toil and consumption we embrace. this is the yoke from which we are being set free."

"is it possible we can't see the destructiveness of our economy not because we don't know it's terrible but because deep down we feel that it's necessary and that therefore it's hopeless to criticize it?""

"is it possible to submit and to subvert? paul's life gives a clear yes, as does jesus' crucifixion...we find that paul offered a biting critique of pers are a creative path of revolutionary love. we might remember paul urging his friend philemon to illegally welcome back home a fugitive slave."

"christianity is at its best when it is peculiar, marginalized, suffering, and it is at its worst when it is popular, credible, triumphal, and powerful."

"to say that we must kill or enemies and join the popular project to 'rid the world of evil' is to call jesus unrealistic."

"as the parable of the weeds and wheat illustrates, jesus understood the destruction of evil to be not in human hands but in God's hands.

"the best way to defeat the kingdom of God is to empower the church to rule the world with the sword."

"the u.s. is arming over 75 percent of the world, while it tells folks to disarm, which is like handing out guns to kids in our neighborhood and telling them not to shoot each other."

"the danger is that we can begin to read the bible through the eyes of america rather than read america through the eyes of the bible. we just want jesus to be a good american."

"evangelicals are getting divorced, and gay folks are wanting to get married, and religionists keep accusing homosexuals of destroying the family."

"it's easy to have political views--that's what politicians do. but it's much harder to embody a political alternative--that's what saints do."

"every culture has a particular way of eating. some folks eat with chopsticks; others sit on the floor. in india we ate with our right hands. how do christians eat? christians eat with poor folks, with the outcasts, the marginalized."

"trusting God made jesus nonviolent"

"i heard iraqi people, even iraqi christians, call the leaders of the u.s. 'christian extremists...one iraqi woman said, with tears in her eyes, 'your government is declaring war and asking for god's blessing, and that is the exact same thing that my government is doing."

"the kingdom of God is not just something we hope for when we die bur something we live "on earth as it is in heaven".

"what the world needs is people who believe so much in another world that they cannot help but enact it."

unstoppable courage

2010-06-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

my church is taking part in this one prayer series in which thousands of churches are preaching the same messages to over 700,000 people. for our speaker this week we piped in craig groeschel the pastor of livechurch.tv. he spoke on courage and used this guy named benaiah as his example. so, if you are interested, check out some of the history and motivation for our sons name below.

about halfway in there is a moment in this sermon, one of the most real moment i have seen a pastor have...very exciting.

watch the sermon here.

two years and counting...

2010-06-12T00:49:00.000-07:00

wednesday marked two years of the lions den. therefore, along with a new look we honor the "tradition" of our first birthday seen here, with 12 of our favorite posts over the last year.

the best documentarites you have never seen

2010-06-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

energy:
a crude awakening - the name says it all
who killed the electric car? - interestingly enough the electric car is coming back...like 20 years later
war:
why we fight - love the connection to history
iraq for sale - war profiteering anyone?
business:
enron: the smartest people in the room - ah yes, evil corporations
wal-mart: the high cost of low prices - and yet another
the yes men - not a great film, but a funny concept
debt:
maxed out - serious issue that effects most of us
i.o.u.s.a - usa! usa! usa!
political campaigns:
can mr. smith get to washington anymore? - it was fun to see my government students get into this one last year
street fight - more corruption in politics? cory booker is amazing.
food:
food inc. - this will change the way you see your food.
beer wars - one of my personal favorites
all of the above:
blue gold - maybe the most important issue to confront concerning the future of the world a must see.
the story of stuff - i think this is a must see and at only 2o minutes long, well worth your time. watch it here.

on my "to see" list:
the thin blue line
born into brothels
guns,germs and steel
manufacturing consent
crumb
when we were kings

anyone got other suggestions?

building a city within a city: discovering sabbath

2010-06-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

the sabbath was not a topic i was initially excited about preaching on, due mostly to my own misconceptions about the day, but the more i learned and the more i implemented into my own weekly routine, the more i got excited about sharing.

due to high demand :-), you can listen to my most recent sermon here. but before you listen check out the teaser video we played before i spoke below, and in my music playlist to the right you can give a listen the song i will possess your heart -by death cab for cutie, our band nailed this cover, it was awesome, they even played the four minute intro during our "countdown" to the start of service.

all in all, i felt pretty good about it, i went in about as comfortable as i ever have before, yet i left the stage about as stressed as i ever have. i actually couldn't sleep saturday night until about 2:30am, that may have had to do a little with how long it was, anyway always a blast!

sabbath

2010-05-26T11:16:00.001-07:00

i am preaching this saturday at revolution on nehemiah 15-22. in preparation i read this book sabbath by dan allender, a very unique book. one might think an entire book on the sabbath would dive into its history, it would reference a number of the 70 or so passages in the bible about the sabbath, but not this book, it simply helps you practice the sabbath better.

as a history guy, i look for those aforementioned things and was a little disappointed at first, but as i got into the book i began feeling, just by reading, that i was experiencing the sabbath.

i told my wife, its almost like poetry, it sucks you in to the essence of what the sabbath is about. after i read the book, i read the back. "dan allenders lyrical book about the sabbath expels the myriad myths about this 'day of rest'. that was it, a lyrical book.

christe began to read it, "wow, forget preaching, you should just sit down and read out of this book!" i guess that's how highly she thinks about my preaching. :-)

if you are looking for some aid in experiencing the sabbath, check out allander's book. if you are unsure of what the sabbath is and how its applicable to your life, come check us out at revolution, 5pm saturday night.

food politics

2010-05-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

this article is pretty old, but here is just another reason to love chipotle (if their delicious burritos were not enough..which they are)

“Chipotle has been a leader in driving change in the nation's food supply,” said Batiste Madonia, sales manager with East Coast, in a press release. “When their representatives came to us to negotiate this agreement, we agreed that it was the right thing to do. With this framework in place, we hope to work with other companies that are looking to make similar improvements to wages and working conditions for Florida farm workers.”

i love tomatoes, which makes it even harder to read about how some of the workers are mistreated.

What happened at Navarrete’s home would have been horrific enough if it were an isolated case. Unfortunately, involuntary servitude—slavery—is alive and well in Florida. Since 1997, law-enforcement officials have freed more than 1,000 men and women in seven different cases. And those are only the instances that resulted in convictions. Frightened, undocumented, mistrustful of the police, and speaking little or no English, most slaves refuse to testify, which means their captors cannot be tried. “Unlike victims of other crimes, slaves don’t report themselves,” said Molloy, who was one of the prosecutors on the Navarrete case. “They hide from us in plain sight.”

how aweseome would this be!

2010-05-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

LeBron to the Bulls? 3 GMs think so

May, 13, 2010

May 13

11:20

PM ET

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By Chad Ford
Archive

Boston Celtics fans were chanting "New York Knicks" during Thursday's 6 every time that LeBron James went to the foul line. Maybe they should've been chanting "Chicago Bulls."

Within minutes of the Cleveland Cavaliers' elimination at the hands of the Celtics, the speculation about LeBron James' next destination resumed in full force.

In the space of five minutes I heard from three NBA GMs via text, e-mail and phone. All three said that based on the information they have, they believe LeBron will leave the Cavs.

More surprisingly, all of them said they believe the destination will be the Chicago Bulls. Two said they believe that John Calipari will be the Bulls' new head coach.

One GM went a bit further in a phone call a few minutes later. "I think the Bulls are really going to go for it. Look for them to offer the Cavs Luol Deng in a sign-and-trade for LeBron. That will allow them to retain most of their cap space. Then they'll go after Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh as well."

I'm sure we'll hear various scenarios involving the Knicks, Nets and Heat over the course of the next month. But it's hard to come up with any other scenario that would be quite as appealing for LeBron.

bono

2010-05-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

i read an article from christianity today on bono, his faith and his work in africa. like most one-named super-stars people tend to love him or hate him. i am more on the love-him side, i have always been a fan of u2 since my brother introduced me at a young age and i am completely ok with how he balances his faith and his works with his "rock-star" status.

you can read the article here or see below for some excerpts that stuck out to me.

"The idea that there's a force of love and logic behind the universe is overwhelming to start with, if you believe it. Actually, maybe even far-fetched to start with," Bono said. "But the idea that that same love and logic would choose to describe itself as a baby born in s— and straw and poverty is genius, and brings me to my knees, literally. To me, as a poet, I am just in awe of that. It makes some sort of poetic sense. It's the thing that makes me a believer, though it didn't dawn on me for many years."

"This is the defining moral issue of our time," Bono repeatedly told church congregations during the tour, which was designed to raise people's awareness of the one-two punch of AIDS and profound poverty that is claiming the lives of 6,500 Africans every day.

"This generation will be remembered for three things: the Internet, the war on terror, and how we let an entire continent go up in flames while we stood around with watering cans. Or not," he would say, sometimes pounding his fist for emphasis. "Let me share with you a conviction. God is on his knees to the church on this one. God Almighty is on his knees to us, begging us to turn around the supertanker of indifference on the subject of AIDS."

"There's nothing worse than a rock star with a cause," he said, as actors Ashley Judd and Chris Tucker, fellow speakers on the Heart of America Tour, stood by. "But celebrity is currency and we want to spend it this way. … It's preposterous and absurd that you have to listen to it from us. But that's how the news media works."

"I think our whole idea of who we are is at stake. I think Judeo-Christian culture is at stake," he said. "If the church doesn't respond to this, the church will be made irrelevant. It will look like the way you heard stories about people watching Jews being put on the trains. We will be that generation that watched our African brothers and sisters being put on trains."

"There should be civil disobedience on this. You read about the apostles being persecuted because they were out there taking on the powers that be. Jesus said, 'I came to bring a sword.' In fact, it's a load of sissies running around with their 'bless me' clubs. And there's a war going on between good and evil. And millions of children and millions of lives are being lost to greed, to bureaucracy, and to a church that's been asleep. And it sends me out of my mind with anger.

"This is what's important and why I would be doing this interview with Christianity Today, to implore the church to reconsider grace, to put an end to this hierarchy of sin. … All have fallen short. Let's stop throwing stones at people who've made mistakes in their life, and let's start throwing drugs."

There is little hope for most HIV-infected Africans, Bono told crowds on the Heart of America tour, because they cannot afford the $1 a day for medications that are readily available in the U. S. and Europe.

"People are dying for the stupidest of reasons: money," he said.

"We're not asking for money here," Bono said. "We feel we've already given the money. We're asking you to give the President permission to spend the money on this problem."

"Two and a half million Africans are going to die next year because they can't get ahold of drugs that we take for granted," Bono would say over and over again during the tour. "That's not a cause. That's an emergency."

"If Bono is one of us, then we have to take on the challenge of what he's saying. But if we can ostracize him and say he's not one of us, we don't have to think about the marginalization, we don't have to think about postmodernity, we don't have to think about the challenges he's laid before the church. If this guy is right, then I have to sort out my life," Stockman said.

video update!

2010-04-13T21:58:00.001-07:00

here's the video portion of my last post.. :)

i tried to capture all of beniah's lastest words, but made the mistake of giving him popcorn in the middle of my video. ooppsss. well, for now here is a snapshot of beniah's vocabulary.

and we had a fun time at our friend's house in their pool. beniah loves the water and had a lot of fun splashing around with dad.

beniah enjoying the coco show..i just love his laugh! note when he says "toto" he really means coco. although coco did play toto once in a middle school musical, he would rather not relive that night. beniah does that w/car too..it comes out "tar". :)

update!

2010-04-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

so i've been without a camera for a couple months now-which has been killing me! and means this post is long overdue and includes probably way too many photos..

we went on a easter morning hike, it was fun to get out in the fresh air and spend some quiet time together as a family..

and uncle paul came for a visit so b got to wear his cool sunglasses

beniah has become a huge fan of books~dr. seuss in particular! we have some of my old childhood books and he just can't get enough of them. "book" is one of his new favorite words.

The Story of Stuff

2010-03-28T08:43:00.001-07:00

The Story of Stuff
Posted using ShareThis

u.s. education

2010-03-04T12:49:00.000-08:00

dr. ravitch adjusts her philosophy on our national education system, as seen here from a conference she spoke at in phoenix.

“nations like finland and japan seek out the best college graduates for teaching positions, prepare them well, pay them well and treat them with respect,” she said. “they make sure that all their students study the arts, history, literature, geography, civics, foreign languages, the sciences and other subjects. they do this because this is the way to ensure good education. we’re on the wrong track.”

the superintendents gave dr. ravitch a standing ovation.

link of the week: building a better teacher

bible in a minute

2010-02-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

i don't know if these guys are lds, or just dressed up for the effect, either way this is classic.

a prairie home companion - tucson

2010-02-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

a prairie home companion aired from tucson this week.

check it out here.

hardest working woman around

2010-01-31T09:59:00.000-08:00

one thing americans seem to have trouble with is showing appreciation for those who work so hard to make your life better. whether its a boss with their employees, a husband with a wife or an organization with its volunteers, we have a tenancy to take for granted the hard work of others.

we recognized some of our volunteers at church last night and i began thinking about how very much my wife does, from taking care of our son, working 24 hrs. a week at starbucks, working 20+ hrs. a week at Revolution. she also watches our neighbors kids once a week. all while trying to keep her demanding husband happy and caring for others in her life.

i always knew christe had a great work ethic, but she continues to prove her ability to take on a lot of responsibility and excel in those areas at the same time. thinking about it i'm making one of those creepy connections between my wife and my mom (who is a borderline work-a-holic).

anyway, i love you baby. thanks for all you do.

Link of the Day

2010-01-23T06:57:00.000-08:00

The 3 Facebook Settings Every User Should Check Now

how sad is this?

2010-01-15T23:04:00.000-08:00

how sad is it that comedians can get the bible better than christians?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Haiti Earthquake Reactions

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Health Care Crisis

time of rest

2010-01-15T07:43:00.000-08:00

beniah & his beloved chair

No man ever laid on his death bed and looked up into the eyes of his friends and family and said, 'I'd wish I spent more time at the office.'

2009 was a wonderful, full year for our family. watching beniah grow into a little person who interacts with us in all his toddler glory and runs around until he collapses onto the floor from exhaustion. it was a full year at work, each of us working a number of jobs with both good days and bad. dave accomplished one of his goals by taking his girls volleyball team to state for the first time in school history. and we spent the year growing in friendships and having the opportunity to help revolution church grow. all these things are very life giving for us.

but because we are hoping to take a trip to korea this coming summer to see my mom and family we had to forego trips for thanksgiving and christmas. which actually turned out to be what we needed. our holiday season was quiet, relaxing, and low key. but when i realized that it would be a year and a half before we saw our niece again (the plan was christmas 2010) or that it would be at least 6 months before dave's parents would have seen beniah, my heart was heavy. i'm learning that kids change so much in the first couple years and i was longing to see that happen in my niece. so we planned a trip out to chicago for beniah and i to visit dave's family, without dave. i've had a number of reactions from people when they hear that i would be visiting dave's family without dave-but in all honesty i love these people and was willing to brave the flight alone with a squirmy toddler. and it has been worth it.

this break was exactly what i needed. i was beginning to grow impatient with some of my customers at starbucks, i was getting snappy with dave, and there were times i was not as loving with beniah as i could have been. being with family and being back in chicago has been life giving for me.

so, before i bore you too much more, here are some photo highlights:

mimi in paradise
kisses for ice cream

making a joyful..noise

sledding with poppo

helping uncle john play hearts

showing poppo how to sort shapes

making a snowbaby

miss lina loving all the toys at the children's museum

precious in pink

bathtime with mimi

"so when you pull this, it starts to play a song"

sledding!

2010-01-13T20:50:00.001-08:00

thanks to the chicago snow, beniah was able to experience sledding for the first time with poppo. so first we had to get all bundled up to go outside..

and then came the sledding!

initially he was all smiles and giggles..but what it really seemed like he wanted to do was walk up and down the hill by himself and watch all the other kids sled. it might have been the layers upon layers of clothing his mother put on him, but all in all a very fun trip.

i may be going bald, but at least i'll be rich

2010-01-05T17:54:00.000-08:00

something has been happening at my church over the last 6 months or so that has stuck out to me, i keep hearing different people say, "in x number of months i am going to be out of debt". people just don't talk like that...not even in church. i feel the norm in american society is to be in debt, assume everyone else is too, but pretend like your not.

i soon realized the cause of this phenomenon. the last couple semesters, revolution has had a small group or two study a personal finance book and people are actually excited about it.

in light of this christe and i decided to read the total money makeover and promptly made and made a new-years-and-a-half resolution, we are going to be debt free (except our house) in 18 months.

as i read this book and stroked my thinning hair up top, i became very excited about putting the old-school money lessons my parents had taught me to dave ramseys very simple very practical program.

my parents financial lessons:

always give back to God

save

don't get into debt

don't buy new cars

credit cards are bad

your top goal in life should not be money

bless others in any way you can

the total money makeover:

save money for an emergency

pay off debt as quickly as possible (credit cards and new cars are bad)

juice up emergency fund to 6 months income

save for retirement by investing in mutual funds and kids college with ESA

pay off the house

get your money working harder than you work for your money

give like crazy

the only real differences between the total money makeover plan and that of my parents is the simple way to exicute the plan, the hope given to those who are in debt, and the fact that when my parents were teaching me these lessons i didn't have any money.

we had james, diane and kids over for lunch soon after i had finished the book. we hadn't seen each other in a while and they asked if we had anything new going on? i explained all the cool things we were going to do (the yard, a trip to korea...etc.), then mumbled under my breath, "stupid dave ramsey". james quickly shot back, "don't worry, dave ramsey ruined our life too." yet we are both sold out to the plan.

so, i may be going bald, but at least i'll be rich.

a great book, id recommend it to anyone.

Link of the Day

2009-12-25T23:50:00.000-08:00

How Christmas is (Not) Celebrated in North Korea

oldie but goodie

2009-12-25T22:19:00.000-08:00

i was going through some footage of b and came across this one. dave and i both laughed and i had to post it.

our very own, dancing baby.

merry christmas to all

2009-12-22T16:44:00.000-08:00

somehow i was roped into getting dave a foosball table for christmas. granted, it was very inexpensive, the money went to a good cause..oh and dave told me he would put it out back on our porch. he had a great plan of constructing a table top and it felt reminiscent of friends. well, it is now upstairs in our loft and has settled in nicely. i actually don't mind it as much as i thought i would-and we've used it a lot. b loves to play around with it-and his job is to put the ball through the shoot.
i had the nephews give the table a try as well and they loved it too. not sure who won that game (since they're all on the same side) but they had fun.so merry christmas to all who come to our house and enjoy some foosball~ just know that so far my husband has kicked some butt. (challengers?)

i like to move it move it

2009-12-16T12:15:00.000-08:00

since his birth beniah has always been in motion. when he was a newborn his feet were constantly kicking, and in his own way i think he was dancing. i guess he was training for evenings of dance parties with his dad.

he is also really into climbing-and climbing everything hes not really *supposed* to be. he knows how to climb up onto our dining room chairs..and table. he climbs onto the coffee table..and everything in the garage..and has even scaled the toliet to look out the window above. so i resorted to a safe alternative-the playground.

our boy is getting bigger by the second!

Link of the Day

2009-12-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

Obama's Christian Realism

beniah goes to college

2009-12-13T09:03:00.000-08:00

all photos courtesy of kristina henry

Links of the Day

2009-12-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

- Going Cheney on Climate

- Cable Freedom Is a Click Away

- Married (Happily) With Issues

you might be a redneck if...

2009-12-07T18:22:00.000-08:00

learning is fun!

2009-11-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

i remember talking with a former boss about her child and all the new things he was learning. and it was amazing to think that everything that we know we have to learn-it seems very silly, i know, but i realized that you have to learn how to drink..how to speak..etc. and now that beniah is learning more and more it is so much fun to watch him grow in understanding.

coco, our dog, has one sweater that i will throw on him when it gets chilly. beniah laughed when i put the sweater on coco and has brought it over to coco several times when it was off. one time in particular it was on the stairs because it needed to be washed and beniah climbed up the stairs, brought it down to coco on the floor, and then put it on top of him. i told beniah that it was dirty and that we needed to clean it first and took it off of coco and headed toward the stairs...and then beniah burst into tears. he was so excited to see the sweater on coco!

beniah also loves to put socks and shoes on. whenever i tell him that we need to put his socks or shoes on he sits down on the floor and holds one foot up. it is so fun to see him connect the dots. he even reaches out to pull his velcro tab on his shoe to fasten it onto his foot.

occasionally i will take beniah along and go help or watch dave at vball practice. one day we walked it at the end and the girls were trying to serve 50 serves in a row so they were all lined up serving one after the other. beniah was standing on the sideline with me just watching when he raised his arm and thrust it to try to "serve" his own imaginary ball.

its amazing how our brains absorb so much information!

here are some photos from our trip to state last weekend: