Growth and changes

Hey friends. It's been a while (ahem). Seems that life has been very busy with work, ministry, and nesting. Yup, this (California)momma bird has been full swing into gathering all the twigs and straw to build a nest for her baby bird. It has been one of the most joyous parts of pregnancy to paint the walls, hang the curtains, iron the clothes, dress the bed, organize the drawers and closets, etc. all in preparation for the tiny occupant moving in within the next six weeks. Below are some pictures of all the changes in the house.

Whew! I can't believe Karis' arrival is so close, and I must admit that the old saying "how time flies" sure has applied to my pregnancy. In many ways I have been thankful for the expediency of this time in my life. Work has helped distract me from worrying any more than I have. The usual (and unusual) first time parent concerns have been present for me but probably not as much as they would have been had I not had my work to distract me. Not only do I get to do what I love in my job, but I am finished working in two weeks and then I will be left with about 3.5 weeks to go before the due date. Nice timing!

Matt and I have been totally blessed in the last few months as we have been preparing. Lately God has blessed me by allowing me to find some great sales. Regarding the aforementioned nesting habits, I found that preparing the nursery wouldn't suffice to prepare the house. I also needed to redo the living room. Thanks to some generous birthday gifts and some killer deals at Pier 1 and the always affordable Dollar Tree, Ross, and Wal-mart, I have redecorated my home and can breathe a sigh of relief that it is how I want it to be. My home environment is very important to me, and having it reflect my taste and personality is no minor feat on a tiny budget. Yet I find that I loooove the adventure of finding clearance/used items and building a room to suit my taste out of limited financial resources. I do think that God has been so gracious to allow me to redecorate on my budget. I sometimes have to fight the idea in my head that just because you are in ministry and/or have limited resources then you can't have your heart's desire in home decor. Well, the Lord has shown me over and over that I can colorfully and creatively decorate my home...in fact it speaks of His creativity and work in my life and his delighting in my personality that yearns to have a creative environment. Below are some pictures from the living room redo.

These curtain panels were the inspiration for the room redo...marked down to $11 from $50, I couldn't pass them up...even if they were a color I don't normally decorate with--blue. Then again, we are undergoing lots of changes (as the title of this post implies) so why not mix up my home's color palette a little bit!


Pier 1 had this wonderful large glass plate marked down to $7 and the wooden vase was $4.

Trader Joe's has the best price on orchids-$7 for this beauty. The hurricane vases were $2 in the craft section of Wal-mart...while 'Wally-world' usually doesn't boast of great style for the home, I love the vases in the craft section because they are often cheaper than the vases in their regular home decorations section. Classic look and cheap...I'm game.

Fun pillows from Pier 1-$3! Crazy deal, I know.

Ok, enough of the home tour. On to other growth and changes. Matt snapped a few of these shots of me today. The background should be familiar to you guys as we often shoot pictures in our backyard. The field behind our house has been home to three cows the last few weeks. They have lived truly in the lap of luxury under the California sun eating up the overgrown grass on the hills. I guess the "Happy cows come from California" commercials are pretty accurate! Anyways, these are some updated shots of me and the cows.

Here are the backyard cows watching Matt do my photo shoot.

Just a few more things to share...the baby crib quilt is back and it is fun! I am so blessed to have this custom crib quilt. Here are the pictures from the final project. The second picture is the bumper and skirt. It's definitely fun and funky. I figure the patterns probably won't lull Karis to sleep much, but at least she might turn out to be really creative and fun loving.

Well, thanks for sticking with me through this long post. I had lots to share over the last month, and this post didn't even begin to cover all of it. I am going to post again soon as I want to upload a link to Matt's sermon he preached today. The Lord really answered our prayers about this sermon...we prayed that the Holy Spirit would help him to find his preaching voice/style, and it really showed today. I have had a lot of thoughts about ministry as of late (the ups and downs) and hopefully I can process it is some and blog about it. I will say that watching Matt speak from his heart and use the gifts God has given him has caused me to be thankful that the Lord has us here and working at a church. We are richly blessed. Imperfect and ever fighting our imperfections....but nonetheless, richly blessed!

Baby bump update

Ok, so it looks either sweet or very goofy, but this was a picture my sister-in-law shot of Matt and I (at Matt's request). The background is beautiful and it does show my baby bump, as of 2 weeks ago. Thought you guys might enjoy the update. Sorry I don't have a full post this time, but stay tuned--I have been brewing over a blog post idea the last couple of days. Happy Thursday!

Vegetable perfection

Vegetables: I would venture to say I am fairly normal when I admit to eating them because I know I need them. But if I am honest, I often find them lacking in the delicious factor. Well, I have found a cooking method that is a perfect marriage of healthy and tasty. Roasted vegetables is my secret. Cut up almost any of your favorite vegetables, toss them in olive oil, sprinkle on the Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, bake at 400 for 40 minutes. I promise you that you have never had such a tasty and healthy serving of vegetables in your mouth before.

I have to say I tend to be somewhat Mediterranean in my cooking style...I love to use fresh ingredients, simple seasoning, and even simpler methods of cooking the food. Roasting is a simple cooking method with little preparation required but drawing big flavor rewards. It draws out some of the moisture in the vegetables thereby concentrating the vegetables' flavor. The only really important thing to remember is that all the vegetables need to be chopped to approximately the same size for even cooking. The cooking time and temperature is really a guesstimate on my part. For a more exact recipe check out Foodnetwork.com and look under the show Barefoot Contessa. She often roasts vegetables in her shows. There are many delicious variations you can try, depending on your mood and the other dishes being served with it.

1. Italian mix- I make this mixture most often: zucchini, red onion, roma tomatoes, red peppers, eggplant, garlic cloves (whole).

2. Roasted Carrots- an elegant way to cook carrots by themselves.

3. Winter root vegetables- parsnips, carrots, butternut squash, etc. Excellent around the holidays.

4. Roasted Asparagus- our favorite way to eat asparagus. Roast this for about half the time of other vegetables.

5. Roasted potatoes- a great alternative to fries because roasting them will cause them to become crispy. I will often toss these in herbs for a little added flavor.

There, you have it. My current cooking secret to a satisfied tummy for me, my husband, and guests in our home. Enjoy!

Fun times

Matt and I have been so lucky this past week to have his sister Kelly visiting from Florida. We've shown her some sites out here in the great west, but for the most part we have relaxed and enjoyed each others company. It has been a great rest and rejuvenating experience for Matt and I, and hopefully Kelly hasn't been bored by the whole excursion. I wanted to post some pictures of the highlights. Kelly leaves on Tuesday, and we'll be sad to see her go. Dang those states separating us from family--any wonder why I named my blog From Coast to Coast?!

Oh how I love you...sushi!

In many ways Matt and I are opposites. He is a meat and potato man; I love more delicate flavors. He is an all-you-can-eat buffet man; I love to sit down and enjoy the ambiance of a restaurant where the meal is prepared specifically for me. He is a comedy central man, and I love a good foreign film. Ahhh, but there is something so wonderful and delicious that brings us together: our love for those tiny bundles of joy called sushi. Tonight we pulled out the rolling mat, wasabi, sticky rice, all the other trimmings and created a sushi feast for two. Who cares if we ended up eating it on t.v. trays while watching Matt's favorite show on Comedy Central...we shared a sushi meal! It was awesome. We've found out that this meal which is usually crazy expensive at local sushi restaurants can be made at home for a fraction of the cost. Check out Alton Brown's sushi episode on Food Network. Special thanks to my mother-in-law for sending us the Japanese dishes for my birthday...it provided the much needed ambiance (despite the aforementioned t.v. trays!)

Amazing Grace for my Family

Ok, so I am not a fabric person normally. But I have been so excited the past few days over my recent (and pricey) fabric purchases. A friend of mine is giving me a custom made quilt with the fabrics that I picked out. She is sending the fabrics to her mom, a seasoned quilter, and having her make the quilt, bumper, and skirt. I am just so excited to be having my own stuff which has been handpicked by me with my specific taste made specifically with Karis in mind. It is going to be just how I wanted it...fun, funky, modern, and a little bohemian looking.

Lately, Matt and I have been able to get our hands on this pregnancy thing...literally. What I mean by that is the last week has been full of washing clothes, rearranging the guest room into a nursery, checking out the endless amounts of baby gadgets and high tech equipment (of which I wonder how much is REALLY necessary), and the afformentioned fabric purchase. The arrival of our baby girl is becoming tangible in more ways as well as she is using her arms, legs, elbows, and who knows what other joints to kick and jab telling me she is thriving in the womb. And for that we are immensely grateful. A few posts ago I mentioned we were going through a challenging time. With enough distance from the crisis I can safely share some of what we've gone through. We discovered I have some physical traits that have a good likelihood of being passed down to Karis. The news was no less than shocking, scary, and even had a touch of shame to go with it for me as I realized that the things about my body which were different could now be passed down to my daughter and possibly in a more severe way. Thus began a series of phone calls and doctor's visits to truly get to the bottom of the mysterious and unwelcome discovery. Through it we have discovered that Karis is looking healthy and, like I said before, appearing to thrive in her cocoon. More tests will need to be done when she is born, but for now we breath a sigh of relief as the appearance of real danger has gone away.

How crazy and amazing is grace? This is the question I am left with as I look back over the last month. We picked the name Karis because it is the Greek word for grace. Throughout the last month, the Lord has revealed to me just how perfectly her name was chosen for her and for us. Initially I casually thought, "Cool. Grace. We certainly can only parent a sinful human being as sinners ourselves by the grace of God." As these physical concerns surfaced this month, I began to realize that her name was taking on a new meaning. It is truly by God's grace that we can even have a child and that she would be born healthy. What's even more than that is that God's grace would sustain us if she were unhealthy or abnormal in any way. God's grace would allow us to be overcome with joy and fulfillment in the birth of our daughter, no matter her physical condition. That was the second realization of the powerful meaning of her name. The third meaning is what took me by surprise the most and has honestly led to the most healing in my life. I realized it is God's grace in my life that I walk the path of uncertainty, fear, and disgust at myself that came through this. God has provided healing deep within me that has allowed me to accept the things about me I have always hated and to realize God made me who I am. What's more is that if he chooses to have Karis look like me, I will adore her. I have come to accept who God has made me to be. That is incredible grace or, better said, Karis in my life.

That is all for now, folks. I have the next two weeks off for spring break, and I couldn't be more thrilled or in need of rest. I am sick once again with what appears to be some form of cold/allergies/flu. Hopefully it won't develop into any full blown sickness requiring medicine. Like I said, this job working with kids is rough on my pregnant body. But I am choosing to look at it positively and think I must have super human immunities by now! Have a great weekend.

Life is about to change!

I started washing some of the clothes we have received for Karis. I thought I would share with you what I saw when I opened up my washer tonight. Practically everything was some shade of pink...much, much more pink than this family has ever seen the likes of before. I just giggled to myself realizing how much life is about to change!

Gross! Gross!

I just wanted to post a quick note to ask that you guys pray for me. I came down with a nasty stomach bug today. This is one of many illnesses to add to the list in the last six months. I know I am at high risk for getting sick being that I spend time with kids in a small room talking in close proximity. Half of my kids this week told me they had been sick in the last week, they were currently sick, or they were 'not feeling well today.' Great! Add to that my own immune system being down, and we are here with me battling sickness #4 since I became pregnant. So I ask that you guys pray God will strengthen my body, protect Karis once again, and bring rest to my mind so that I will continue to trust that God will keep me and Karis safe for the rest of this pregnancy ride. Thanks all, and have a great weekend.

Down for the Count

Well, the last two weeks have been nothing short of exhausting. Last Tuesday I came down with the cold virus that is going around. I was out all last week from work and missed some work this week. I am still fighting it off as my body's immune system is weakened by the fact I am creating a life inside of me. Pregnant women are more susceptible to illnesses, and I have certainly seen my fair share of illness this pregnancy (the flu, strep throat, and the cold virus). But little Karis is still kicking along letting me know that mom's illness is not going to get the best of her. The weeks have been trying in other ways too. I would ask that you guys keep us in your prayers as we have been battling some personal (not bloggable at this time) stuff this week. God is seeing us through it and providing healing, but as is the case with all trials, the painful parts are never fun to walk through.

Yesterday, Matt took these pictures of me outside of our back door. I wore this shirt to work today which I bought the other day even though it screams "Hey, I am pregnant!" Normally, I look very small for my six month pregnant state. But yesterday, I decided to be bold and flaunt my belly. It was funny because the kids I counsel at school were really coming out with their observations and questions. One student told me her friends were all saying things about me. At first I thought, "Sweet, I am making the elementary gossip column." She then went to ask if I was pregnant. Another student told me he already knew I was pregnant and that I should know that the proper way to treat a hungry baby is to put a pacifier in the baby's mouth. I am getting mothering advice from a second grader! My favorite comment of the day was from a student who looked at me and said, "Your stomach is growing!" I commented, "I wonder what that means?" He just looked at me, grinned really wide and said, "Mine is growing too." Ahh, you can't make that stuff up!

I am off to a retreat with the ladies from my church this weekend. I am hoping the weekend will provide some much needed encouragement and nourishment. Have a great weekend all.

On vacation and mommy boot camp

Exhaustion and Relaxation
The last two weeks have been a doozie for us. Matt and I have been working crazy long hours, spending tons of time doing church stuff (this does fall under Matt's job but my involvement is voluntary), and we have had very little time to spend with each other. Last weekend we and 5 other adults drove 25+ students to the Sierra Nevada mountains for the annual youth group snow trip. Matt went into that event being completely exhausted and depleted of energy. That is not a great way to enter an action-packed, responsibility-heavy weekend. Yet in the midst of the activity, we were blessed once again by the wonderful relationships we have with the students and the amazing youth staff. We love the youth staff and consider them all to be such good friends. We came back from the trip on Monday afternoon and jumped right into a crazy, hectic week that included a church activity every night. Then, to really round out a completely exhausted Matt and Alina,...Matt went to the San Jose area with our Pastor for the bi-annual denominational meeting with other pastors in the region. This was an overnight excursion. Yeah...we are beat. And now we are going to crash. The two pastors of our church basically ordered Matt not to come back to work until Wednesday. I love our pastors and am so glad that they fight for Matt's sanity (and therefore mine as well). What do I plan to do in my two days off with Matt? There are really three basic items on my agenda for Sunday and Monday. 1. Go to the Coast and soak in some of the natural beauty, 2. Watch the Oscars, and 3. Watch some of the Oscar-nominated movies. I plan on eating a lot of popcorn and getting some ice cream to go with the movie watching. I figure there aren't too many more days of freedom, pampering, and relaxation left in my future so I might as well eat it up while I can.

Youth leaders should never curse!
...especially in front of one of the youth. Long story short--I was driving to the mountains this weekend and another driver was driving recklessly beside me and almost caused me to get in an accident. My brain freaked out and before I could apply the filter to my mouth, it was spoken. I felt horrible! I apologized a number of times to the one youth who had heard and then shared what happened with the youth staff later. It was awesome because I saw grace in action as they consoled me and sympathized with the situation and assured me God even forgives youth leaders who curse.

Mom boot camp
Lately, I feel that I am being trained for mommyhood. Yesterday, I was awoken to Matt coming in and waking me up in a panic saying, "I have to leave on this trip in 30 minutes and I need you to get up and take care of Keller." Let me explain what Matt was referring to. Keller got into the trash a couple of days ago and ate some raw pork that I had thrown away....gross, gross, gross. But it gets even grosser because raw pork sitting in trash overnight does not mix well with our dog. What Matt was referring to by saying I needed to take care of Keller was that there were 5 "piles" in his office due to Keller's sickness. I spent much longer than I wanted to cleaning up the mess only to say goodbye to Matt for the night and then head to work myself. The morning was tiring and hectic and I felt like a mom juggling many responsibilities. This morning I woke up to Keller being sick again, and this time she had also thrown up as well as leaving some more "piles." I had to attend traffic school this morning (which was a bummer to begin with), and so I spent the little time I had early this morning cleaning up Keller's mess and praying that she would be ok as I left her for the day in her kennel. I didn't have any choice, but as I sat there in traffic school I felt like a single mom caring for a sick child while still having to go to work. Matt was out of town, and I alone had to make a decision to let Keller ride out her sickness. I dealt with some serious guilt while I sat there learning about traffic signals and safe driving speeds. But fortunately Keller seems to be doing ok, and I don't feel like such a horrible dog mom. I managed to weather the storm alright, and the Lord was very gracious to answer my pleas to keep Keller alive while I was gone.

Well, I am exhausted and headed to bed. Matt and I just finished watching Little Miss Sunshine. It was awesome and I highly recommend it. Enjoy the picture from last weekend of me with the girls in my cabin. They were awesome and we had such a great time together. I love all of these girls.

Such a friendly little girl!

Hi everyone! Whew, well if you are reading this, you have been so kind and patient to follow me through the multiple changes my blog has been through. I am glad to be back and to see you back. I welcome you to the new blog address with a picture of my very friendly daughter waving hello. These were pictures that were took at last weeks ultrasound. How wonderful and precious to see her for the first time, even through the grainy quality. Matt and I also received a VHS of the ultrasound and have proceeded to show it to anybody and everybody who has walked through our door in the last week and would humor our first time parent giddiness. Enjoy the pictures, and thanks to all of you who have let me know you followed me over to the new address.

Ultrasound's Eve

The last few weeks have been busy with the normal goings of our family: lots of work, juggling home life and work/ministry life, a belly (and whole body) growing weekly, and mounting excitement for tomorrow's doctor appointment. I look forward to each doctor's visit with bated breath for a whole month. On the day of my appointments I can hardly concentrate at work because I am just so excited to talk about my pregnancy with my doctor and have her validate/calm any questions or fears. When I mention to Matt my excitement, he is surprised. To him it is just an appointment. Now, don't get the wrong impression...Matt is excited and is being changed by the idea of becoming a father soon. But it is different for each of us. For me I am pregnant and reminded of it on a moment by moment basis because the baby is growing IN me. I have read that it is obviously harder for husbands to grasp the full reality of the pregnancy until the baby comes out the chute. How many times do you hear about the man feeling faint at the first sight of the baby as the weight and reality of the baby finally hits him. For the woman, she has lived with the physical reality for 3/4 of a year. All that being said, tomorrow is an extra special doctor's appointment. Thanks to the amazing advances in technology we will meet out baby via 3-d ultrasound, and hopefully (if the conditions are right) find out if I am carrying Asher or Karis. Soooo exciting!

I am beginning to really show. I'll post another picture here soon. For a couple of weeks now I have been turning other adults heads at work as they do a double take at my tummy but politely refrain from asking and satisfying their curiosity. But today was the first time that the kids I counsel started doing double and triple takes. It's funny because even they are culturally trained that it is impolite to ask (and thank goodness...how embarrassing it is to be asked when you are in fact not pregnant!) One such student today kept peeking glances and then quickly looking away. I smiled and said, "Would you like to ask me something?" She looks at me and cautiously asks, "Are you pregnant?" Very funny and cute.

Well, I have cooked one of my favorite Cuban dishes tonight and the smells drifting in my office tell me it is done. I know I am not the most frequent of bloggers, but rest assured you all can expect a post again very soon!

Moments of greatness

I don't know about you guys but I find that there are moments of greatness that go unnoticed in my home that must be shared with others. I wanted to share a few with you now.

Great scenario #1:
This first scenario is reenacted in our home about once every 2-3 months. It is entirely avoidable, but instead we reenact it because of stubbornness and a need for coffee. It goes like this. Matt is sitting at his computer in the morning. He is perusing over the email, daily news, or whatever computer related business he is working on at the moment. I am somewhere in the house doing my own thing in peace and tranquility....when out of nowhere I hear Matt screaming, "OH NO! HURRY, HURRY, HURRY! GET A TOWELLLLLL!!!" Yes, the delicious black coffee has inevitably spilled on one of his many expensive computer parts. What is even greater in this scenario is my dropping everything I am doing in a split second, dashing towards any region of the house that might have a towel, tripping over 1-2 pieces of furniture, and stumbling into his office to help clean up the mess. With a couple of keyboards, mouse(s), and other parts in the graveyard due to this coffee stubbornness, you would think we would give up this moment of greatness.

Great scenario #2
We have a mouse problem. We live near a huge field and during the cold months, our home is the obvious place for these critters to cozy up. Not cool!...but it has provided some hilarious moments of greatness in our house. Recently Matt awoke from a dead sleep in the middle of the night because he heard something. In good 'Matt the protector' fashion, he rushed out of the room to investigate. He approached the kitchen and realized that the noise was strikingly similar to someone rattling open the door leading to the laundry room, and thus he began yelling obscenities to scare the intruder. It turned out my husband was awakened in the middle of the night, stumbling half-awake into the kitchen, and yelling obscenities....at a mouse stuck in a trap trying to escape behind the stove. Moment of greatness!

Great scenario #3
This is also a mouse related tale, but it pays respect to a mouse, oddly enough. In our effort to catch these critters the last few months we have grown to respect one dearly departed mouse. Most of the mice go down in shame in either a glue trap or traditional snap trap. One mouse received death by snap trap but was a hero going down. We heard a trap go off one night right before bed. Gross as it sounds, we were both exhausted and decided to discard of the little guy in the morning. When we awoke in the morning, the mouse was no where to be found. Even more mysteriously, the trap was missing. Thus began my hunt for the missing mouse. No where in the kitchen. No where in the laundry room next door...until I moved some storage boxes and found the creature. The little guy had dragged himself and the trap nearly 10 feet, squeezing around large objects. He fought all night long. He was a hero.

Great scenario #4
Ok, one more mouse tale. (Like I said, we have a mouse problem!) This one occurred this evening. As I was doing the laundry yesterday, I noticed 'evidence' that a mouse had sneaked into the dirty laundry basket. Using a healthy dosage of bleach, I feverishly began that load of laundry hoping to disinfect the mouse germs. When I went to put the load in the dryer this evening, I found the load wasn't the only thing put through the wash. Just inches away from my fingers was a washed up and drowned mouse. (Note: add drowning to the list of possible ways to get rid of mice!) Needless to say, what brought Matt (and Keller) running into the laundry room on this night was my shrill scream. Ah....Even I have moments of greatness.

Refreshment

Matt and I were really blessed to be able to take the last few days and explore the San Jose area. Last Thursday Matt officially started his vacation and was faithful to "vacate" his responsibilities at the church in search of some much needed rest, relaxation, and unchecked free time to do as he wished. On Sunday we left our area for the trip up north to the San Jose area. Now, our vacation wasn't anything extraordinary, but I have to say it was beautiful in its ordinariness. We spent one night at a beautiful hotel and another night at a stripped down, rustic, freezing-cold lodge. Both of these nights away, while different in the extent of luxury they afforded, granted us 3 whole days of time together without deadlines, work calls, endless hours in front of the computer, and a twelve hour work days. It was awesome. We laughed and each of us realized once again how much we not only love each other but also thoroughly enjoy each other's company.

We spent one night in a cabin at a retreat center just outside of Santa Cruz. It was really wonderful to be surrounded by the beauty of the forest. We went on a hike and saw waterfalls, gigantic pine trees, and incredible views of a mountain creek. What was more amazing was that we were just 10 miles from the Pacific ocean. That is one thing about California that amazes and astounds me. Mountains and forests backing right up to the ocean equal incredible beauty in my mind. I wish you all could experience it some time in your life.


We are looking at 17 weeks with Mattalina, and I have to say I hit a milestone today in the pregnancy. I was sitting at dinner and felt a little gas bubble in the front lower part of my stomach. For those of you who have been pregnant you know this is not gas but the beginning of many movements to come from Mattalina in my belly. It was awesome and I took a moment to sit back in my seat and enjoyed the beauty of a life moving around in me.

I thought I would satisfy the curiosity of some of you out there by posting a pregnancy shot of me at 17 weeks. (I know others of you would rather I didn't :-) ) What can I say...the body becomes rather lumpy during pregnancy and it certainly looks odd during the first 4-5 months. I got some stares at the belly when I first went back to school but I could tell no one felt comfortable saying anything lest the growth be due to gross holiday overeating. Anyhow, here is a shot for you guys. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

I can't believe a whole month has gone by! It is pretty typical to get uber busy during the holidays, so I will hide behind that tired excuse for why it has been a month since my last update! The first half of the month flew by in the business of working. My job keeps me busy and on my toes as I am faced with new challenges every week. Yet I must say it is nice because I feel as if I know more of what I am doing. I am getting into that routine in a job where I can begin to relax in the routine, but I also want to remain eager and ready to learn new things. I find my job very fulfilling, working with kids as a school counselor. But I also am very aware now of how it is just my job. I worked hard in school and got all this way to land a career in order to realize it is merely that...just a career. My life is more than my career and for that I am thankful. As my baby belly grows, I am reminded of how life is really bigger than any one aspect of our lives. I am a child of God first, before: wife, daughter, mother, counselor, housekeeper, friend.

The second half of the month was many things: ironic, disappointing, fun, trying, fulfilling. I finished up my last day of school on the Thursday before Christmas. Ahh...what bliss I felt having finished up the first half of the school year, and I was so looking forward to relaxing and enjoying my family's arrival on Saturday evening. Friday came and I had some youth girls over to bake cookies. I purposefully put off cleaning our home for Saturday, knowing a day would be plenty of time to make the house ready. Friday night rolled around, and so did a fever...and chills...and a headache. A midnight call to the on call physician lead to an after midnight run to 5 stores looking for a thermometer and tylenol. Matt had not slept well that whole week and was swamped with work because of the Sunday church festivities. Yet, there we were at 1 am searching for an open store. A rough night's sleep and a few hours later, I am throwing up in a trash can and completely miserable. For those of you who know me well you know of the drama of Christmas 2004. It began with throwing up and ended up with a 5 day hospital visit and 30 hours unconscious on Christmas day. So as I sat there unable to keep anything down and pregnant to boot, Matt and I decided to go to the ER for fluids and anti-nausea meds. I sat on the hospital bed angry and bitter that life was repeating itself 2 years later (family coming, Christmastime, me in the ER). It turns out I had strep throat (undoubtedly contracted from one of my students). Well, good friends and an understanding family helped us during this frustrating time. Brooke stayed with me at the hospital while Matt went home and sped cleaned the house. Our other friend Linda took me home and got prescriptions filled. My family doctored me back to health over the next week without showing too much disappointment over my condition. Really my family was so gracious, and it sure helps that they can be entertained by sitting around and talking for hours!

Around Wednesday I began to get some energy back. Thursday I took my family on a tour of Morro Bay. We saw the elephant seals, ate at an awesome outdoor fish market, and rode up the coast to the mountains. They loved the scenery, and I loved feeling alive again. On Friday we took them on a whirlwind tour of San Fransisco. It's always fun to take people to see the city sites. I am really thankful for the time I had with them, and I have even been a little depressed since they left. It is always hard to see family go. I am not good with transitions.

In baby news, I am 15 weeks now. My belly is beginning to pop and feel a little heavier every day. I am so grateful that the baby has seemed to survive my recent illnesses like a champ...it just speaks to me of God's sovereignty. He will grow this baby regardless of my condition or fears. I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday. It is probably still too early to tell the sex but hopefully we will hear the heartbeat. I hope in another month we'll get to know if Mattalina will be wearing pink or blue. We have some names picked out, and I am pretty excited about them. They have significance to me. For a boy we are liking Asher Michael and for a girl we are keen on Karis Alina. Karis is Greek for grace (of which I feel it is only by God's abundant grace we will raise this human life) and Asher is Hebrew for happy or fortunate (of which I feel describes Mattalina's father, God's gift to me). So we shall see...these names are still in the works.

Well, that is all for now, folks. I just have to say the picture up at top was taken on Sunday. Matt and I came home from Church and realized we matched, even with our doggie. We don't normally walk around matching each other. Happy New Year!

Shake, rattle, and roll....

We're official...Californians, that is! Matt and I survived our first earthquake this week. On Monday night we were hanging out when we heard a slight rattling of the windows followed by a loud crashing sound similar to what you might expect to hear if a large truck passes by your house and then veers and runs right into your house. The earthquake was a 4.1 on the scale which is considered merely "light." Bummer...I was scared by the "light" one--I can't wait for the serious one! I know earthquakes come with the territory, but I gotta say I am no friend to earthquakes. But all the locals assure me that I will get used to these strange geological occurences. We'll see.

In other news, I had my first doctor's visit yesterday. It was pretty standard as I imagine the first appointment of the first pregnancy is for any woman in the US. I was hoping that the appointment would contain more "evidence" of life swimming in my belly, but alas we were given the run down of all the genetic and developmental abnormalities/diseases our baby could have and what test we should have to determine if the baby has it. Matt and I looked at each other after each one thinking, "Well, even if Mattalina has xyz what difference does that make?" Well, rest assured the nurse practicioner saw that exchanged look and shared that early detection gives you "options." One of said options that she mentioned at least 2 times was termination! I was shocked and astounded. I know abortion is legal in America, but I was not prepared for my OB doctor to mention (I dare say even promote) the idea of it in my pregnancy visits. That took me by surprise.

The doctor tried to locate the sound of the heartbeat, but she said the baby needed about 3 more weeks and then we could hear the rapid heartbeat of the tiny one. I'll admit, I was praying I would be able to hear the heartbeat. So far the only proof I have had of life in my belly is 2 pink lines and some nausea. I am ready for more satisfying proof. But I prayed to God, as the doctor put the doppler machine away, that I would trust in him to grow this baby. That is my prayer in these early months when I cannot feel or see my baby...I know Mattalina is in God's hands.

Well, that is all the news for now. Matt and I are headed to the store to shop for the 2nd Annual Charlie Brown Christmas Party for the youth group we are hosting tomorrow night. Should be fun and festive. Have a great weekend, all.

On Thanksgiving and other things...

Happy Belated Thanksgiving to you all! We have had an eventful last few weeks since my last post. I entered a grueling two weeks of constant nausea and morning sickness following my last post. I barely made it through each counseling session with the kids, but through constant prayer for God's strength and moments of relief, I have made it through that bad stretch of morning sickness. I still battle it now but it seems to be more manageable through constant snacking and taking rest breaks.

The first of our wonderful holidays guests are here. Matt's parents arrived Monday, and Matt and I met them down at the Los Angeles airport. We then spent the next two days touring Los Angeles and San Diego. It was a lot of fun seeing those parts of California that were new to all of us! We went to the San Diego zoo and enjoyed the world famous experience. The pictures posted are all from that zoo adventure. It has been wonderful to have family around for the holiday. It makes it truly feel like a holiday. We were back at our home for the Thanksgiving feast of steak and bake potatoes. We were all exhausted from our trip and decided to have a quick and good meal we could all chip in to make. I woke up with green bean casserole on my mind--which is weird because I normally don't wake up with any food on my mind these days except the prayer that I will be able to squeeze some measly crackers down my throat. So I proudly sauntered out of bed and announced I wanted green bean casserole along with our steak dinner that night. Well, the ingredients were purchased, the casserole prepared and baked, and come dinner time, a healthy portion doled out onto my plate. What then, you ask? I could barely stand to look at the stuff! Ahhh, the finecky stomach of the first trimester. I slinked into my bed to rest off the nausea in sheer embarassment over my "green bean" failure! I think Matt and his parents laughed or perhaps they were annoyed but were gracious enough not to show it!

Without a moment to spare on this western trip, Matt and his parents were off to tour San Fransisco on Friday. They stayed the night in a fancy hotel, rode a street car, drove over the golden gate, visited Fisherman's wharf, and ate at our all time favorite Chinese Restaurant. I decided to stay back and rest. The San Diego/LA trip took it out of me. Speaking of taking it out of me, I have found these last few weeks of pregnancy to be quite the learning experience for me. I feel the Lord changing me and sanctifying me in ways so deep and good that I hardly know how to express it. It has been hard having my body belong to someone else. This new little person is causing my body to lose it's sense of independence, stamina, hunger, etc. So far pregnancy has taken so much from me. I cannot go one hour without feeling so gross, and that is hard for me. I adore food. I am a huge foodie, and pregnancy has caused me to despise the smell of my kitchen (even when nothing is cooking I can't stand to be in there). My body is already starting to change and some clothes are beginning to be too tight. So where does the sanctification part come in? Well as I think about these inconveniences and the stolen sense of control over my time, body, emotions I am lead to think that this is merely just the beginning of a long road of giving of myself for my child. Sure, I am called to do this in my marriage but it takes on a different reality with child bearing. Once this child is born I will be caring for the constant needs of that child. I will have to "steal" moments to tend to myself. That is such a hard reality for me!!! I am big on personal space, independence, control. Yet, deep down inside I feel this joyful sense that God is refining me, and the experience of motherhood is yet another one of His tools. It's that sense of the old, sinful, self-serving part of me being torn away and the new self becoming more glorious.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy the shots!

Moo

Grazing is the new way of life for me, it seems. I am 6.5 weeks along in this pregnant journey and so far no symptoms, until today. Nausea has hit me, and it seems the only way to prevent it is to maintain a steady act of eating....little bits of food all day long. I am already tired of eating and thinking about eating. But tonight as we settled into our seats at the movie theater and I began to feel a sense of panic about being locked in a row of people without any food to graze on, I realized that I should get used to this way of life... One that is always concerned with the essentials (food, sleep, and the toilet). Once MattAlina arrives then will begin my journey of making sure all those essentials are met for him/her. What a journey this is and totally life- changing. I am really enjoying it. I have also realized what a calling motherhood is....the other day I looked at Matt in all seriousness and asked him if he was jealous and sad he didn't get to carry this child. After laughing he looked at me very dumbfounded and said emphatically, "UH, no! For starters, it's not even possible." I had an odd moment of sympathy and sadness for him that he misses out on this intimate connection, but then I realized that a lot of girls feel called to this journey from the moment they begin holding baby dolls. What a crazy and fun time!

Big News!

Well, it's official. Two pink lines equal a little bundle of joy arriving to our home in 9 months. We can hardly believe it and are beside ourselves with joy. I will write more later, but I wanted to make the official internet announcement. Keep us and little "mattalina" in your prayers as he/she is the size of a sesame seed and developing some very important body parts this week. I am so glad we have nine months to get used to the idea of raising a human being. Yikes and Yippee, all at the same time!

Intern numbers and holiday visitors

There have been many new things going on in my life recently. For starters, Matt and I have started a community group in our home. We've invited friends from church and other places. It is still small and we hope that it will grow into a group that welcomes people from all walks of life, people who have a relationship with Jesus, those who are just curious, and everything in between. It has been interesting embarking on the small group journey, never knowing who will show up or how the evening will go. It has caused me to give up control and just let things develop as God leads them. As you think of us, please pray that this small group with develop as we seek Christ and his kingdom.

The other new thing in my life is my new job, as I have shared previously. I love this job! I find it so rewarding. I get to be that adult that is excited to see the kids and make them feel like they are the most important thing in my day. Their faces light up when I walk in their classrooms---seriously, it doesn't get any better than that! Some have told me how happy they feel when they talk about the "secret things," and I know what a privilege it is to listen to their broken lives and be a caring and listening adult. On a further note of praise, I received something very important and long expected today in the mail. I have been waiting with baited breath the last four months to get my intern number which allows me to start billing hours towards licensure. For most of you this won't make much sense, but rest assured it was a major hoop that I jumped through. God has allowed my counseling career to blossom in tremendous ways in the last month and a half. To commemorate the thrill of the white envelop sitting in my mailbox waiting for me to discover it, I took a picture with the official slip stating I am now a marriage and family therapist intern in the state of California. I know it's kind of goofy. I was left wondering why I always get "fat-face" when my picture is taken.

On to holiday news, Matt and I are excited about the arrival of family over the next few months. His parents are coming for Thanksgiving and mine are coming for Christmas. We are so thrilled to have family making the long trek to see us and what our lives are like out here. Yay for holidays spent with family! I also followed up on a book tag I received months ago from two of my sisters in law. Sorry Kelly and Megan it has taken so long. Here is the book tag I promised I would complete.

1. A book that changed your life: The Ragamuffin Gospel (Brennan Manning). This book was an incredible and risky dive into the depths of grace. Radically changed my faith during college!

2. Book you’ve read more than once: Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls (Mary Pipher). This is such a good resource for parents, youth pastors, teenagers, anybody who has ever been an adolescent girl, had an adolescent sister or dated a woman who was once an adolescent girl. (I think that covers everyone.)

3. One book you’d want on a desert island: One of those trick books that when you open it up has the inside carved out so that there is room for objects. What would be the objects you ask? A satelite phone, a compass, and one of my Dad's famous rolls that as kids we all thought we could live off of for a week because they were so dense.

4. A book that made you laugh: I haven't been in the habit of reading books that make me laugh...maybe I should.

5. A book that made you cry: Ragamuffin Gospel, again.

6. One book you wish had been written: The Answers to Alina's Teenage Years Dilemmas, by God.

7. One book you wish had never been written: The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands (Dr. Laura Schlesinger). [Puke, gag, blech]

8. Book you’re currently reading: I actually just finished a book called White Oleander (Janet Finch). I am loving the newfound pleasure and relaxation to be found in reading for fun and not for assignment. This didn't turn out to be a lighthearted, relaxing read, but it did further stir my passion and desire to adopt a child one day.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: Swan (Francis Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun).

Waffle House part duex

Sunday we had our second installment of the waffle house tradition. The batter was more easily prepared, table set in advance, waffle iron put out fewer waffle gems. All in all, this edition of the waffle house was smoother. We thought through ways to make it more convenient so that we wouldnt become burnt out so easily on this feast. It was a lot of fun and it seems to be a hit among people, even if it is carb-overload.

Things have been going well here at the homestead. Matt is hard at work starting his computer business, on top of the work her does for the church. It is a busy time of life for him, and quite honestly it probably wont slow down for him anytime soon. He is such a hard worker, and I immensely admire his determination so much. We have been attacking our debts with a vengeance and it is really starting to get us excited at the prospect of becoming debt-free in the next couple of years. My counseling job is getting off to a slow start as I wait for the parental consent forms to trickle in to my school mailbox. I saw my first student on Tuesday and I loved it. I was a little nervous going into it being that it was my first time. But the student was adorable. He didnt speak very good English so I had to rely on my rusty Spanish. The session looked more like an episode out of Spanglish. It was soooo fun. I am really motivated to learn Spanish this year. Matt and I both want to. Our area is 30% hispanic and we feel it is an inevitable fact of life that we must be bilingual. We have both been wanting to become fluent for some time but recently felt the necessity. We have some elderly neighbors who are Colombian who we are going to ask if we could come over once a week to converse with over a cup of coffee and practicar mi espanol. Another motivation would be the ability to talk with my grandmother and grandfather, both of whom know very little English.

Well, that is all for now. It is hard for me to post without an accompanying picture, but I have none to share. And for some reason my apostrophe key wont work--my grammar efficient mind can barely stand it. Have a great day!

In love with Autumn

I don't know about you guys but every season that hits I think, "I love this season. It is definitely my favorite." Oh but what an unfaithful person I am because that next season hits and I abondon my true love and claim my new favorite in that season. Well, once again, I have decided fall is my absolute favorite season. Here in California it is quite a bit more muted than on the east coast. Things here actually get more brown than they normally are and eventually turn green in the winter. It's backwards, and yet I am growing accomstomed to its unfamiliar beauty. The temperature has dropped some and that gorgeous golden sun is casting its rays. I also love how fall brings the anticipation of all things scheduled and busy (i.e. school, holidays, etc.).

But I am also enjoying my fall for more reasons than I just mentioned. Many of you know how difficult my job has been for me (6,000 miles put on my car in 2.5 short months, overnight watches of assaultive children, schedule changing at the drop of a hat). On top of these stresses, I just found myself feeling like I wasn't liking what I was doing. The job required me to do things that felt outside of my realm of passion, gifts, likes, training. But it was what the Lord provided for me, and I was thankful for the job and income I could provide. About 3 weeks ago, after probably the worst day yet on the job, I got a random phone call about a position I had applied for 6 months prior. It was an internship with 2 elementary schools located 1-2 miles from my doorstep providing counseling. Long story short, I am now a school counselor 25 hours a week and I still do 10 hours with my old job working with clients I already know and have a relationship with. Throughout the interview process, I couldn't believe how wonderful this position sounded to me. From my love for little children, my desire to work in a neutral environment like a school setting, my desire to do actual therapy, and the prime location, I prayed Hannah's prayer that God would give me this desire of my heart and help me if he didn't. God did give me this, and here I am getting hours for my Marriage and Family Therapy Lisence and gaining awesome experience. I am still in awe of God's blessing on my life, and I wanted to share my joy with you all. God does answer prayers, and in this case his answer was "Wait for it...wait for it...ok, here you go [a long, hard year later]." There were so many times I was angry at God for not providing me with a counseling job. I expected I would easily find a position once I had my master's degree. Well, a lot more hard work and humility was to come my way before I would land this awesome position. I am grateful for God's hand in all of this, and once again I see the beauty of trusting in Him.

Changing the subject slightly, Matt and I just spent the weekend with the youth group camping at a nearby lakesite campground. It was a nice transition point for me from the old work schedule to the new schedule. I love taking a few days to live outdoors around a campfire. It was nice and chilly throughout the weekend, making the campfire a thing of beauty. I snapped a few shots and thought I'd share the highlights with you. Hope all are well. Thanks for holding out for the update.

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Waffle House

Matt and I decided to start a tradition here at our church: once a month we are going to have 10 people over for waffles after church. Today was the inaugeral Kodatt Waffle House Brunch! We have wanted to have some sort of regular meal where we could host people in a rather casual manner. What inspired the waffle idea is our waffle maker--by far the nicest kitchen item we received for our wedding (it retails at Williams Sonoma for $100). For the first five years of our marriage we have pulled out this pricey item maybe 4 times total. A couple of weeks ago we were talking about this unused machine and decided we should make it earn its keep here. So dusting it off, heating it up, and setting the table with all the toppings, we were off... having our pastor and his family of 8 over for a carb-overloaded feast. So maybe we made too much batter and the eggs were a little tough and the bacon took a while and made a mess--but all in all, this is a Kodatt tradition from this day forward. These are some pictures snapped from the day (aren't I looking marmish in my apron?)--I meant to snap some shots of the feast but the feast itself took all my attention.