A Date Night Story

My poor phone ended up in a bag of rice, hoping that would revive it back to life.  Alas, it quietly slipped into technological darkness, taking my pictures and information with it :(.  This fairy tale has a happy ending, though...Jamie got a iPhone upgrade and we're back in business!

Sorry about my crude art skills- I have to work quickly with two kids around.  Thus, Chris didn't get any pants.  Sorry, Chris.

What Marriage Means To Me

 
Four years ago there was a wedding.
The wedding started at 2 pm and ended at 6 pm.
What remained in the aftermath of the celebration was a marriage.

Today, we celebrate the anniversary of a very fun party.
But, more importantly, we remember why we threw that big ol' shindig in the first place...
we had some very important words to say to each other, and some hefty promises to make in front of God and a lot of people.

In light of recent circumstances, I'd like to restate what marriage means to me...this time in my own disheveled, blunt, type-as-I-think words.  I thought this would be a good reminder to myself, to Chris, to our families and friends as we enter our fourth year of wedded "bliss".  Heh.  No, really.  :)

Marriage.
Marriage is doing life as a team.
It's making decisions for us, not me.  
It means ridding myself of all selfishness and putting another person at the front of my mind.
It's about finding my "niche" in our family- taking on roles and tasks that keep our household running.
It's about encouraging my husband as he provides generously for our family.
It's about sacrifice.  Daily.


Marriage is about loyalty.
It's standing up for the other person.
It's about patience and often giving the benefit of the doubt.
It's about respect, being confident in your spouse's abilities.
It's about HONESTY.
It's about being a good friend.


Marriage is NOT cheesy movie love stories.
It does NOT mean there won't be arguments.
It does NOT mean that it won't be lonely sometimes.
It's about sharing every smile and every tear.

Marriage is real life.  Fun stuff.  Hard stuff.
Marriage is HARD WORK.
It's accepting the other as a fallible human being.
It's knowing where they are weak and showing grace.
Marriage is LOVING UNCONDITIONALLY.
It means being open to new experiences.
It's knowing that the hard times will pass.
It's adjusting to different phases of life together, 
it's a constant in a sea of variables.
Marriage is LIFELONG COMMITMENT.

Marriage is a reflection of God's love for us.
It's a person to serve with, pray with, grow with.
It's God's plan for the raising of our family.
Our children boast features from each of us...
...a constant reminder of our union.
It's dedicating ourselves fully to setting a Godly example-
for our kids, our family and our friends.


As our Pastor stated eloquently in our wedding ceremony,
it's being HEROES, champions of marriage in a world that doesn't take it seriously.


Marriage is a GIFT.
And it's one for which I often neglect to be grateful.

Today, Lord, I'm grateful for my marriage and the honorable man you brought in to my life.  In our four short years we've endured some rough seas, which makes me all the more secure going forward- I know we can weather it together.  We surrender, every day, our marriage and our family to You.

Best Thing I've Eaten...

Okay.  If it's worth my time retyping a recipe while my child wriggles and cries on my lap, it's worth eating. 
Hands down, best thing I've eaten in a long time. 
And, takes about 10 minutes start to finish.  It's my kind of recipe :)

Avocado-Based Chicken Salad

1 Avocado
2 large chicken breasts, cooked (or 3 small)
squirt of lime juice
handful of cilantro, chopped
1-2 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon mayo (optional) for texture
dash of salt


Shred the chicken, combine with other ingredients and mash it up well.  You'll have to adjust the portions to taste...the above is what I used.  However, if you love avocado, add another.  If you hate cilantro (Grandma), well...I wouldn't make this because the cilantro is brilliant.  Trust me.

I scooped it on to Rosemary and Olive Oil Triscuits (um, DELISH!) which added some extra flavor.  However, it can also be slapped on a sandwich (ciabatta, anyone??) or just forked directly into your mouth.  Whatev. 

Interruptions

Life WAS just plugging along, relatively comfortably and rather painless.

THEN, 2009 and the subsequent years happened.

A dump truck load of pain was heaped on me and my family.

My brother's death.

A miscarriage.

A relocation that I didn't want.

My parents' divorce.

And, most recently, a child with a major medical problem.

The following questions have been on auto-repeat for quite some time:

WHY?  Why ME?

Why, God are you PICKING ON ME?

WHEN will this string of heartache come to an END?  

...as if I'm the only one in the world that has to endure such tribulation.

They're the easiest questions to ask.

On a recent road-trip, Chris and I had a timely reminder of God's desire for us during these "interruptions" in life.  We listened to a series by Louie Giglio called "Life Interrupted," where he suggests that we CHANGE the questions we are asking during  life's challenges.  Harder questions, because they require us to look beyond our circumstances to the eternal plan at hand:

1. God, what are you doing in the midst of this interruption?
2.  God, who do you want me to connect with during this interruption?
3.  God, how do you want to use me in the midst of this interruption?
4. God, what do you want to do in me in the midst of this interruption?
5. God, how can you be glorified during this interruption?

Life on this planet will never be free of interruptions.

It's not a matter of IF, it's a matter of WHEN. 

Your phone call, your pink slip, your break-up, your heartache....it's coming.

And WHEN they come, we have the choice to turn INWARD- and pretend that the universe orbits around us and our little lives,

or we can turn our attention UPWARD, and trust the God who is superintending the entire universe...while simultaneously wiping every tear from our eyes.

It may NEVER make sense this side of Heaven.

But one day, we'll see what God sees, and it will all be clear.

Sooo, while we're not exactly giving this newest interruption a big ol' hug, we are certainly not defeated by it...or any of them.  There is purpose in our challenge, power in our weakness, and beauty in the ashes!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  -Romans 8:28

Got Blue?

Blue Man Group rolled in to Fargo just in time for Chris' birthday this year, so we made a date of it!  A dear friend of mine from CrossWalk in Stockton tours as one of the Blue Men, and we were fortunate to get hooked up with some super duper seats right in front of the stage.  It was fun to be a part of all the interactive action (if you haven't been to a Blue Man Show, you'll attest to the fact that it's impossible to accurately describe...).  Even better was getting to visit with Kirk on his "off" night.  Our kiddos enjoyed meeting him, and had no idea they were in the presence of a "celebrity" of sorts! 

A de-blueified Kirk and Baby Carter.

Swimsuit Edition 2012

It's been birthday season for Kendall's playmates, and consequently we've been party hopping!  From open gyms to swimming pools, it's kept us busy as we graduate from winter to spring!  When Kendall was recently invited to a swim party, I realized I hadn't yet purchased a swimsuit for her (thought I had a few more months to think about that!).  So, while in California, I "took the plunge" and chose a sweet ladybug suit for her.  She modeled it perfectly...but model it is really all she cared to do, since she was NOT interested in the water!

What a little lady....bug.

An after-swimming treat!

Kendall's buddy Jazzy joins the Stavenger crew...and Chris decides three is a crowd!

The whole zoo (and birthday girl, Olivia- second from left)

 

Chin Up, Little Guy!

We've been giving Carter eye drops three times a day to help relieve the elevated pressure in his eyes...and it seems to be making him a much happier baby!  Stretches of contentment are lasting longer, though his eyes still appear irritated (red and watery).  Still the cutest little guy on the block!

Taking Care of those Baby Blues.

Hi there. 
To say that the last few weeks have been challenging would be a pretty big understatement.
And just as one tidal wave seems to subside, another comes along to replace it.
Locusts, anyone?

However, our family is pulling together and weathering the storms the best we can.
Keeping everyone healthy is a priority.

 The past few weeks, we've been noticing that Carter has been closing his eyes more than usual.
Not sleepy eyes.  The "it's-too-bright-in-here!!" kind of eyes.
So we took him to the walk-in clinic...
which referred us to our normal pediatrician...
who referred us to an eye doctor...
who has now referred us to an eye specialist at the University of Minnesota.

They are concerned that Carter has Pediatric Congenital Glaucoma, an eye disease that causes a great amount of pressure on the eyes and sensitivity to light.  We'll know more after we see the specialist in the cities later this month, but the treatment course is likely to end in corrective surgery.  Thankfully, we've caught it pretty early, and it tends to be reversible in these cases.  Gotta give credit to that mother's intuition...

Please keep Carter and our family in your prayers.