Saturday, September 3, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 16

Day 16: What I Ate
We ate out a lot the past 3 days due to birthdays, friend hangouts, etc. Each time we went out I would remember I had to take a picture of my food, but then forget as soon as it came! I didn't even get a picture of my first ever sushi experience (had a California roll at Mobo Sushi here in Santa Cruz, super good).

This morning Randy took me out for brunch at Center Street Grill (one of our newer breakfast finds) and I told him I needed to take a picture. Thankfully he kept me on task and reminded me before I took a bite! I ordered the "create your own omelet" with brie, green onions and ham. The breakfast comes with potatoes (they use Yukon gold, um.. yum!) and toast - I chose sourdough. I love how they even decorate the plate with parsley confetti, this picture was meant to be ;)

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 15

Day 15: Your Shoes
I LOVE these heels. I bought them with a gift card for my birthday and totally dig them. They have a platform so it's not quite as hard to walk in them and they are super cute!

Here's a link to them at Kohls.

We're officially halfway through with the 30 Day Photo Challenge!

Special (in a good way)

One of the more interesting things that has happened since Andrew started school is adults at our local haunts noticing he's not with me. The conversation usually goes something like:

Them (grocery clerk, barista, etc) "oh, did Andrew start school?"
Me "yes, he's in first grade now."
Them "wow! That's so great, how did the first day go?"
Me "really well, he's such a social kid and he loves school so it's easy for him to go."
Them "he really his such a nice, social boy. You guys have done a great job."

Now I'm not sharing this with you to toot my own horn, believe me, if we were perfect parents we'd already have written a book or 10 and be cashing in! Thinking about these conversations this morning made me realize how much the seemingly "little" interactions we have with people each day may truly mean a lot more to them than we realize.

I realize this isn't a new revelation, but take a second to think about what it would look like if every interaction we had was purposefully meaningful. To Andrew these interactions are all special and meaningful. He looks forward to going into the usual Starbucks, Togos and grocery stores so he can see his "friends". If we go at a different time and I tell him his friends won't be working he always quips "don't worry, that just means I can make new ones". Writing that line and picturing him saying it, just made me realize what a truly special boy he is to think that.

Here's my challenge (including to myself) try to make each interaction today a meaningful one. When the person tells you their name, remember it (I'm so guilty of this). Talk to them realizing the human being they are and love them in the way God expects us to. What a different life we would all lead if we just took the time to do it.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Proud

Right now Randy is at an informational meeting for the AIDS Lifecycle Ride. The ride is something he has wanted to participate in for quite some time and I'm so proud of him that this may finally be the year. Doing this ride would put R completely out of his comfort zone, but his passion for showing the AIDS community Christ's love (which is different from how many people believe the church treats the community) outweighs the discomfort of having boundaries pushed.

I'm super stoked to be supporting him in this and will be posting more about it as we find out information - how you can support him financially, through prayer, etc.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 14

Day 14: Flowers

Monday, August 29, 2011

First Day of 1st Grade

Today was A's first day of 1st grade, I can't believe time has gone by so fast. It literally feels like yesterday that we brought him home to stay with us for the first weekend. I had a rough time last night after he went to bed (definitely didn't want him to see Mommy's tears) coming to terms with the fact that my little buddy wouldn't be around in the afternoons to hang out with me anymore. He started full school days going from 8:45-3:15.

Thankfully, he loves school and is such a social little guy so it makes it a lot easier for him in new situations. He was so excited to go today to see all his friends, have two recesses, and learn new things. Randy and I were concerned with how he would be at the end of the day figuring he'd be tired and horribly grumpy but I was pleasantly surprised to find him totally content and happy! We went to The Penny Creamery with some friends from school to celebrate the first day. Such a great milestone and day.






30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 13

Day 13: From A Distance
The close up picture yesterday was Lola's tail. Here's a picture of her from a further distance.