The Big Apple

Lars and I are going to the big apple, New York City!
This is both of our first time going to the east coast. For me, it's my first time going farther east than Indianapolis, IN, for him, he has never been farther east than Guymon, OK! Thank you for all of your recommendations on museums, landmarks, restaurants, places to see and things to do. We are definitely west coast kids at heart, so it will be so exciting to see the hustle and bustle of a truly iconic city that we have always seen pictures of and heard about. Not only that, but the tragedy of our generation occurred there: the 9/11 attacks. It will be so heart-wrenching but also beautiful to see the memorial and be on the sacred ground where the attacks occurred. The memorial is the only thing we have booked so far (yes, you have to have a reservation), aside from our plane tickets. Fun times are ahead!

The view from the top of Rockefeller Center, or "Top of the Rock", where I can't wait to go! That huge green space is central park, another on our list of destinations!

This Blog is not dead!

Hello all,

A lot has changed since August, the last time I wrote. For starters, I am now a first grade teacher in the Alhambra School District! I started the job mere days after graduation, and it has been a really challenging yet eye-opening experience.
Also, our 1 year anniversary is in 2 days! Time has certainly flown!
I have no inspiration to write anything else right now......yeah.

Compassion

I'm going to take this opportunity to vent about some of the issues that have been weighing heavily on my heart lately.

Not all of you live in Arizona, but if you do you have probably noticed a major increase of child abuse cases in the news, sometimes fatal ones, such as the case of Ame Deal, a 10-year-old girl who died in a footlocker or 6-year-old Jacob Gibson who is currently on life support with a head injury. Even though these stories are horrific I am always drawn towards reading them, partly to satisfy my curiosity and also because my heart breaks for these children and I cannot understand how anyone would ever hurt a child. There is so much injustice in our own backyard. Oftentimes these problems are often very complex and result from years and years of generational abuse.

Aside from abuse, there are so many problems that children face around the world. For example, in Kenya there is a massive famine and drought that is forcing entire families into filthy refugee camps, and causing parents to leave behind their dying children on the journey to these camps in order to save their other surviving children. My heart is torn apart reading stories like these. What is crazy to me is that in America and other developed nations, food and water are so plentiful,  and yet these children in Africa are starving to death. We badly need to redistribute the world's wealth to the countries and people that need it most. This is a big statement to make, and I know that it will require huge shifts not only to the world's politics and economies, but also to the compassion of our hearts. Especially as Christians, hearing about hurting people on the other side of the world shouldn't just be a sidebar to our day, where we read the story and then take for granted heading to the faucet and taking a big gulp of clean, pure water from the tap or opening up the fridge and eating a variety of fresh, nutritious, delicious food. It should make us uncomfortable, it should stir something deep within us that Jesus has put there -compassion. We need to take action by doing anything we can. I'm not saying I want to feel guilty about drinking tapwater or about going to the grocery store, but I need to be seeking ways that I can help others because I have been so blessed. Sponsoring a child through World Vision is a great way to start. Zanura Salimu Luhilila is our little 5-year-old we are sponsoring from Tanzania, and even though I have never met her, I love her so much. I feel that news corporations should be broadcasting these news stories more often and making it impossible for Americans to ignore the dying children that share the planet with us.

Another thing that really tugs at my heart are hurting animals. I used to not be very compassionate towards animals, mostly because I had never raised one on my own. But having Mumford has changed all of that. Being responsible for all of his needs has stirred up my motherly instincts, and now whenever I see a dog or a cat I think of him. I frequently check back on the Halo Animal Rescue website, where we found Mumford, to look at the dogs or cats for adoption, and I pray that they will find forever homes with good owners. My motto is now "Adopt, Don't Shop", because there are so many homeless animals coming to the Humane Society each day (121 a day, to be exact) who need loving homes that there's no need to go to a puppy store. Plus, they are available for adoption for much cheaper than pet stores or breeders. Check out http://www.azhumane.org/project121/. I think I am going to start volunteering at a pet shelter soon, because there are so many cats and dogs that just need someone to pet them and be a companion to them while they recover from wounds and wait for new homes.

Anyway, sorry to write such a lengthy post. This is not typical for me. But the issues of child abuse, child malnutrition and pet overpopulation are burning on my heart right now, and I feel obligated to share so that maybe some of you will be inspired to do something. Whether you are thinking about sponsoring a child or adopting a homeless puppy or kitty, you will be so happy that you did :)

Unveiling coming soon!

Soon I am going to be unveiling a special project that I have been working on for the last few months.
It involves hours and hours of knitting. And lots of trips to vintage thrift shops.
Stay tuned for more
:)
I like to keep you in suspense.

Mumford: Then and Now

On Thursday, we will have had our little Mumford boy for  a month. He has been such a great dog for us so far and he is doing really well with his training. He is very mellow and hardly ever barks unless he is playing. He loves to eat, sleep and chew on anything he can get his teeth on. We are bringing him with us wherever we go so that he can get more socialized and not be scared of people/kids/other dogs once he is full grown. He is quite the well-traveled pooch and is a little angel in the car - he just sleeps the whole time. (If you can't tell, he is pretty much my baby).

Anyway, the point of this post is that I contacted the shelter we got him from not too long ago to see if they still had his original adoption photo. HALO is a great no-kill animal shelter in the Phoenix area - check them out here). Sure enough, they had to photo still and I just about died when I saw it:

 

Mumford at 2 months

                                                           Mumford now - around 4 months

He is growing like a weed!

Meet Our New Addition

As some of you may know, we have a new addition to our family! His name is Mumford, he has four adorable little paws, soft floppy ears and black and white spots. He's the wiggliest little worm and we just love him.

He is a labrador retriever mix, and he will supposedly grow to about 60 pounds. But right now he is still a little guy. Lars saw his picture online on a shelter's website, and went to pick him up the next day. We have been wanting to get a puppy for a long time now, and we decided to take the plunge! It is a lot more work that I ever expected. In fact, it's a lot like having a newborn because we have to get up at all hours of the night. We are working on potty-training right now. He is such a smart boy and he's learning new things every day.

Stay tuned for more information about our new little family!

Seattle Trip 2011

Every summer I go to visit my mom, dad and brother in Seattle. But this summer was different, because I got to see my little brother graduate! We were there for a week and just got back today.

We accomplished EVERYTHING on our Seattle Bucket List :

• Go to Nathan's Grad Ceremony
• Go to the top of the Space Needle
• Eat at a food truck in downtown Seattle
• Visit Pike's Place Market and buy a bouquet of flowers
• Go to Dash Point Beach
• Hang out with friends and family

Here is some of the proof:

 

Me and my Bubba, Grad Ceremony 2011

Me and my Bubba, 1995-ish

Lars and Nathan, Brother in Laws for Life :)

 The family at "Buns", a Gourmet Burger Cart in downtown Seattle. By far the best burger I've had while sitting in a parking lot on an upturned bucket with constant risk of being run over or being approached by homeless people. Possibly the best burger I've ever had, for that matter.

 Me and my sweetie on top of the Space Needle. His first time, my second. Note the beautiful (only $15!!!) bouquet from Pike's Place.

And that's all for now, folks! I need to go recover from the head cold that I acquired from being in the chilly Pacific Northwest. A hot cup of tea is brewing :)