Quick Post:

Our date night was a blast! I surprised Luke and took him to dinner (sushi) and the West Lake Acrobats of China (at the Gallo Center for the Arts). It was an amazing evening. Luke was very surprised, especially since I had to fib even to Adi to keep it a secret! The food was great, the entertainment incredible and my date...well let me just say that I have one HOT husband;)

The weather has been so lovely and I have been glad to spend more time outside. The sun was warm on Saturday and so we decided that it was time to bring out the little pool. Adi had a great time playing and splashing around. Here are a few of my favorites...

and just for fun....

Adi summer 07

Adi Summer 08

Time flies.

I sat outside this afternoon watching Adi swim in her little pool and reminisced on this last year. Actually, I reminisced on the last 4 1/2 years of marriage and the journey that we have been on. I thought about the feeling of dating my sweet Luke. The anticipation of waiting for him to pick me up for a date, or waiting for his call. The joy when he told me that I looked beautiful, and the giddiness I felt when he would whisper sweet nothings into my ear. From the day he asked to date me, my heart was his.

I thought about the nights that we would lay in bed after a year of marriage and talk about wanting a child. We knew that a baby would completely change our lives and we felt like we were ready. Adalin Rose was born and my oh my was that a blessed day! My little 7pd 12 ounce girl came squealing into the world and completely changed our capacity to love forever.

I thought about the first year of her life. All of the ups and downs of having a newborn. She was quite the "easy" baby, but there were still days that I thought to myself, "why do woman have more than one of these?"

I thought about how the Lord blessed our desire to have another baby so very quickly. Within two months (by Adi's 1st birthday) we found out that I was pregnant. Adi and her brother or sister would be 21 months apart, and that sounded perfect.

Perfect is His plan. Even when my flesh thinks it should be different.

I thought about this last November when I found out that I was pregnant again. The crazy emotional roller coaster ride of having yet another baby inside of me, and the uncertainty that came with it. "I am not forgetting you Olivianna," I would whisper to her. I feared moving on, hoping again for a child. What if something happens again? What if this baby has problems too.

I thought about sitting on the doctors table the week before Christmas and hearing the doctor say that there was no baby inside of me. That sac was there, I was pregnant, but "this pregnancy will not result in a baby." Hope crushed. Again.

I thought about all of the people in the world who suffer from infertility and multiple miscarriages. I thought about my sister in love and my cousin, who have the desire so strong to birth a child, but have not been able to. And the defeat every month when a period starts.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future. Jer 29:11

I looked at my 2 1/2 year old daughter, and was thankful. Thankful for a healthy child and for the blessing of the day to day that I get to share with her. Thankful for the love that she has brought to Luke and I, and for the hope that we truly do have in Christ.

Each day is a gift and I want to unwrap it with joy and thankfulness to the one who gave it to me.

And now I must think about tonight...I have a date! I am super excited...because it is a surprise date, and those are my favorite kind!

A lot has been going on these last few weeks.
Because I am not in the mood to blog right now, and because it has been 2 weeks since my last post, I will just post a couple of collages.

Baby Lucas was born last Wed, the 18th at 1 something in the morning. I had the amazing privilege of being his first photographer! He is such a handsome little guy, and mommy did such an amazing job birthing him. This is my sweet friend Christine's 5th child. Her sweet Charlotte is in heaven with Olivianna. To read her story click here: http://babycharlotte-4hisglory.blogspot.com/
I found this cool sheer hanging material thing (for over a crib) at a thrift store and put it up outside to see how long it was. Adi had a great time playing inside of it. We (or should I say "I") decided that she needed her pretty blue dress on for this play occasion!

Apparently it is more fun to paint on yourself than on the paper!

Last Thursday we had a fun day at the park with friends...

We spent some time outside together on Saturday...daddy and Adi love to hang out on a warm spring day!

Today I went over to a good friends house and we did some pottery. I made a tall mug that I will use for my iced drinks in the summer. After she fires them in the kiln, we will beautify them. Very Exciting!!!

This last set is from the amazing photography seminar that Trishia and I went to in San Fran last Friday. It was amazing and we both learned a ton. We also both won something which was super cool! These are from when we were goofing off before the seminar.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

Well, I totally blew it these last two weeks with my #11 of 27 things to do before I turn 28. It has been over a week and every time I sit down to blog, I think of a 100 other things to do around the house. I can get so scatter brained and before I know it, Adi is awake from her nap and I have gotten lots of odds and ends done, OR nothing at all!

Yesterday I was very proud of myself for going ALL day without ever sitting down. Adi and I went for a walk in the morning with a friend, in which she screamed the whole entire time. We then ran a quick errand to drop off my China Trip application (more on this later) and came right home for her nap. Although it was only 10:45 in the morning, Adi was exhausted!

We purchased a new armoire for Adi's bedroom from IKEA last week and Luke put it up for me on Sunday. Her closet right now is stuffed to the brim with clothes and Rubbermaid bins, so I knew that I needed to "clean" before I transferred clothes from one place to the other.

As the routine goes often...I began one project and ended up doing something completely different. I think I was on my way outside to put trash in the garbage can and I got sidetracked by the beautiful lighting and fresh air in the backyard. SO, I ran in and got my camera...and the 18 beautiful long stem red roses that Luke brought home for me last week, and started to experiment. I read in a photography book about making rain...and so that is what I did for a couple minutes. This is what I came up with....

Because I had my camera out, I decided to take pictures of our two bikes that we are going to sell on craigslist, and than I thought of the chair inside the house that is taking up too much room, and decided to bring that outside to take a picture with the thought that maybe I will sell that too. After I took the pictures, I put the chair in the shed, which made me think of putting all the other stuff that is on our side yard into the shed. So for an hour I did that! Before I could move and clean the patio table, I needed to get the 3 storage bins of little girls clothes out of the way. Sooo...I opened up that can of worms. An hour later, Adi and I had sorted and bagged up 4 bags of baby clothes. The nice items will go to Olivianna's Closet, the gently used to the thrift store, and some to Adi's cousin Lexi. Finally, an hour and a half before Luke got home (which I told him that I was going to get things transferred from closets) I decided I better get in there and do something. We pulled the bins out and all the junk that was on the bottom. Of course everything I pulled, Adi opened and played with. Luke arrived home, Adi's room looked like a tornado went through it (still does) and no clothes were transferred. I finished my day with some wonderful friends at a Mary Kay girls night party. Good food, fun conversation, free beautification (don't think that's a word) and an excitement to come home and see my handsome husband. Girls nights always refresh me!

Well, I am super excited! I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to go on a mission trip to East Asia with a team of men and women who love God and love people. Lord willing, I will be leaving July 27 and returning August 8th to teach cheerleading at a high school with a team of other girls. Cheerleading is one of the most sought after sports in China right now. I am excited to find out why!!! Along with cheerleading there will be five other clinics going at the high school. There will be volleyball, soccer, basketball, ESL and quilting. Through these clinics, we will be able to build relationships with the Chinese and share the love of Christ with them.

It was really cool how the opportunity was presented, and I praise God for allowing me to be open, willing and ready!


Two weeks ago at Perspectives we had an amazing speaker named Bob Blincoe. At one point in his talk he held a little lamp up and read this quote: "If you cannot see very far ahead, go as far as you can see." The lamp was an ancient lamp that in biblical times would be placed on the foot in order to see at night. They could literally only see one foot ahead of them. The verse "You are a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path (psalm 119:105)" really came to life for me. He also talked about taking inventory of what we have been given, and ask God how He can use it for His glory.

So the next day, while I was driving to Ripon, I was praying out to God that He would show me the next step in this journey. That He would show me how He wants to use what He has gifted me and blessed me with for His glory. I poured my heart out to Jesus and proclaimed the truths that He has for my life and for His glory.

The next afternoon, after MOPS, was our church's mission lunch. Many of the missionaries that the church supports were there and we were given the opportunity to get to know some of them. After the lunch was over, Luke introduced me to the leaders for the East Asia Trip. Luke had met with them a few weeks before and had heard about the need for cheerleaders. He than told them that I was a competitive cheerleader for 4 years and.....God did the rest!

One very interesting thing I must add...before my miscarriage, I was due the 12th of August. I would have never been able to go on this trip! He makes all things for the good!!!!
I am so very excited to be used by God in this way, and ask that you please pray for me and our team as we prepare for this trip. With an opportunity like this I am going to need the prayer and support of as many of you as possible. Please pray for my heart to be humble and right before the Lord as I prepare spiritually for this trip. Please pray for our health and safety as we travel through East Asia. Pray for the team relationships that will be birthed and that we will work together for His glory. Pray that I can get in shape and be disciplined with my eating/working out so that I am in good physical shape to do the Lord's work. Please pray for finances to come in as I have to raise all of it in the next 2 1/2 months. And last, I ask if you would pray for the men and women that we will be interacting with. That they will see the love and light of Christ in our lives and ask us about it. May we always have an answer!!!

One last thing! My #13 will happen on the 20th of this month! I am attending a Tots 2 Teen photography seminar with Trisha in San Francisco. I am soooooo excited!
This evening I will be posting some photos of a family that I did a shoot with over the weekend! So very sweet!

and a few of my sweet girl....

Crazy to think that it was a year ago on Thursday that we found out about Olivianna's condition. What a difficult year it has been.

Until next post...

Christ be lifted high

For fun...