2012 Review

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ."

Philippians 3:7

Looking back on 2012, it's easy to say it was a "bad" year, but really, it was a mix of good and bad and all of the bad stuff actually worked out for our good. It was a year of loss, but also of growth and gain. As always, we experienced plenty of changes!

My sister wrote out her "Top 12 Highlights of 2012" by month, so I thought I'd do the same!

January: We celebrated our niece Kendra's 7th birthday at Roller City! We continued to enjoy the beautiful Southern California weather at the beach...even in January. I edited my first book that was published, "Inspiring Childhood, Inspiring Life" by Nadia Riell. 

February: Sara came to visit for a night and brought her son, who is Isaac's friend with her. Kyle stayed with the kids while Sara and I spent the night in a hotel in Huntington Beach. Later in the month, we went to Julian, CA and took a train ride to a gold mine. Heather took the kids and I to Huntington Library and Gardens...beautiful! 

March: We got to attend the OC Music Awards with our friends Dustin and Shadlie. My mom came to visit and I spent 2 of the days in bed with the flu! We continued to host/lead a Mars Hill Community Group in our home. We celebrated at Roller City again, this time for our nephew Mason's 5th birthday. Kyle surprised me with season tickets to Ahmanson Theatre! I edited my first novel, "The Lustre" by Kate Policani. Such a fun read!

April: Isaac had his Spring Break and we spent Easter with Nicole and her family. Also, two words: YO WEEKEND. I got to see my mommy friends for our annual girls' weekend! We rented a beach house near Clearwater Casino and danced to 80s music and watched 80s movies. I also spent a few days in West Seattle and got to see more friends and stay at Beth's house. 

May: Nicole and Jen both came over to help me out around the house. It was SO nice having them so close! All "h-e-double hockey sticks" started to break loose with Kyle's job. We dedicated ourselves to getting up early every morning to read our Bibles, journal, pray, and process together. This was a time that really solidified our marriage and our dependence on God. 

June: Isaac finished 2nd grade at Huntington Christian School. The school year got off to a rough start for him, but he ended up really thriving in this structured environment. His teacher was sweet and patient, and also pushed him to do his best and excel. Isaac developed a love of reading! Kyle's job at Mars Hill ended after 6 years on staff. I could write a book about that, but I won't. Kyle applied for jobs in Southern California and Seattle in all different fields. We broke our lease in Newport Beach and a group of friends helped us to load our junk into a moving truck and moved it to a storage unit. We truly felt loved by them and were so thankful for their help! Kyle met a lead pastor from a church in Las Vegas and they hit it off. We "celebrated" our 11 year wedding anniversary as "homeless" people, staying at the pastor's house!

July: We spent a week at a time share on the Strip in Las Vegas and enjoyed the pool. We ended up finding a wonderful house to rent in Vegas, so we moved there. We had help re-loading a moving truck from the storage unit, and people we didn't even know from the church in Vegas helped us unload! Kyle continued to job search and interview. I edited Kate's next novel, "Don't Judge a Book by its Magic", which was another really fun read. We started attending Grace Point Church in North Las Vegas. Cassaundra came to Vegas for her 40th birthday, and Isaac and I met her for a round of KISS Mini Golf!

August: Isaac started 3rd grade at Calvary Chapel Christian School. He's a real trooper and has adjusted very well! We adopted our sweet puppy, Shelly. I spent a day at the Mandalay Bay pool with Andrea, and Kyle and I had dinner with Mike and Corrin (lots of people visit Vegas!) We joined Gold's Gym...love that Cardio Cinema! Kyle started his "XP Consulting" business and was also offered jobs as a limo driver, Fiat salesperson, and at Starbucks. I got to join my sister for her friend's bachelorette party...this was seriously the best time I've had in Vegas! For Kyle's birthday, we found a restaurant that serves gluten-free pizza...we certainly aren't in Seattle anymore!

September: I began helping Sante Mama with their Medicaid accreditation. I love being able to work from home to bring in a little extra money. Marla and I started having weekly park dates, and discovered that we're MFEO. We became Covenant Partners at Grace Point and began meeting more people. Kyle also started consulting as an Executive Pastor at GP (whew!) We participated in our first "Servolution" on Labor Day weekend by helping out with a free car wash and cleaning up a park. Esther turned 3, and we had a little party for her with 2 other families. Vegas kind of started to feel like home.

                                                                                                                                    

October: Sara and I got to spend 2 nights in a hotel on the Strip to celebrate our birthdays, and had an AMAZING time! We shopped, got dressed up, and stayed out all night...who do we think we are?! Esther started gymnastics and was super cute. We spent my actual birthday visiting my Grandma, who passed away shortly after, at the age of 93. Isaac chose to go bowling for his 9th birthday, and on Halloween, we went to his school's Harvest Festival, which was awesome!

November: We had a parent-teacher conference for Isaac and he had all As! Jen and Mike visited and we met them for some drinks and dancing on the Strip. We spent Thanksgiving with my family in California. Kellie and Jeremy were also in town this month, so we met them for more drinks and dancing on the Strip! I also went to "First Friday" with Marla and ate meatballs, drank beer, and looked at art. I'm tired.

December: Esther finished gymnastics and we signed her up for ballet and tap, which will start in January. I was absolutely thrilled to be able to proofread Wendy Alsup's next book, The Gospel Centered Woman. I can't believe I get paid to read something so beneficial and timely. Isaac's school had a Christmas concert and my parents were able to come to see it. We spent a week in California for Christmas and kicked it off with The Nutcracker...something I'd been looking forward to for years!

So, while we did have some painful experiences in 2012, like Philippians says, we really have lost nothing because we always strived to know Christ better and to follow him. He has been faithful to us every day, even when we struggle to understand what he's doing. We know we're exactly where we should be, doing just what we should be doing.

I don't really like New Year's Resolutions...they rarely stick. But I am a fan of setting some goals and making a fresh start. In 2013 I want to grow where we're planted. Vegas is home now, and I want to get to know people here and truly live life with them. I want to continue to learn more and more about Jesus and to fall more in love with him. I'd love to do more editing. And I guess drinking more water never hurt anyone.

Getting back on track...

When things started looking sketchy and life kind of imploded in OC, Kyle and I committed to getting up early EVERY DAY to read our Bibles, pray, journal, and talk. We actually stuck with it for months, and it was an amazing time of growth. God comforted and encouraged us and gave us wisdom and peace. It also built our relationship with each other. We knew that God was with us and between us and we were clearly focused on Him and the plan He had for us. We told each other, "this is SO great...we NEED to keep doing this, no matter what!"

Um, yeah.

First, we stopped getting up early EVERY day. I mean, we wouldn't want to be legalistic, right? Then we got that dumb dog. For a while, she was up whining and needing to go out at night, so we were exhausted in the morning. Then she finally started sleeping all night, but as soon as we would get up, she'd wake up and want to go out, eat, and try to bite our feet off. It was kind of hard to focus and by the time she calmed down, the kids were up and the day got going. I know...it's a lame excuse. We tried reading at night, but by the time kids are in bed and things are wrapped up, I can read for about 5 minutes before my eyes start crossing.

So, time went by. Quite a bit of time. And I've been all over the place: unfocused, grumpy, irritable, fearful, short-tempered, and selfish, to name a few. I've felt distant from God and like I'm on my own.

Last night we stayed up too late watching The Walking Dead (why is it soo good?!) but Kyle said, "I'm setting the alarm for 5:45 and we're getting up, no matter what." We've said this before. He even set the alarm to country music as a torture device. But today, we actually got up...and it was great. No, it wasn't magical and we weren't full of joy. But, it's a start. And we both agreed it's time to get back on track. It just makes me more pleasant to be around when my heart is focused on Jesus and what He's done for me, which enables me to serve the people around me with gladness.

Today I read Colossians and this passage stuck with me:

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:12-15)

So today I'm praying for patience and thankfulness and looking forward to what God shows me tomorrow!

Grandma

Grandma at Nicole's wedding

My Grandma passed away this morning after 94 years of loving and serving her family. I have so many wonderful memories of her. She always took care of others before herself, especially in the kitchen. When my sister and I were little, we knew she'd always make "foot cookies" when she and Grandpa came to visit, or when we visited them. They were just foot-shaped sugar cookies with pink frosting for nail polish, but they were so good and fun to eat!

 Playing piano at G&G's house

Grandma and Grandpa had a house on a huge lot in Santa Ana and we loved to play in their yard. We spent lots of summers making homemade ice cream and snapping green beans. G&G always got up early and drank coffee and read the newspaper. Nicole would get up early and drink "coffee" with them (7/8 Mocha Mix, 1/8 coffee) and I'd join later to read the Funnies. We also always stayed up late at their house which was a treat for a little kid! I remember trying to stay awake on their shag carpet with a little velvet pillow, while watching Johnny Carson. 

With Grandpa in 1945

Grandma was an amazing artist. She painted beautiful oil paintings of nature, animals, and people and also did china painting. She painted lots of Christmas decorations, plates, and made me a gorgeous set of espresso cups and saucers painted with shamrocks and gold highlights. She also embroidered and quilted. I have a cute quilt with hand embroidered ballerinas that I can't wait to put in Esther's room when she gets a big girl bed. One of the things I love most is a set of dish towels that she embroidered with little kittens doing household chores. I've never used them because they are so special, but I think I will frame them and have a new theme for my kitchen. As Grandma got older, she started making hangers kind of crocheted with yarn and "doo dads." You could never leave her house without some.

Some grands and some greats (Esther in belly)

At one point, Grandma had a stroke and it became more difficult for her to speak and to hear. But until very recently, she was able to get around with help and always stayed in her own home. I am so thankful for my Aunt Carol, who cared for her for the last few years. She also helped to take care of my Grandpa before he passed away. She is such a blessing to our family for sacrificing to make sure Grandma could stay where she was comfortable. 

Grandma with Esther in 2011

This past weekend, for my 39th birthday, we went to visit Grandma. She had quickly declined and was in bed sleeping most of the time, but she did give me a huge gift. There were times when she didn't remember me right away, but during this visit, when I said hi and told her who I was, she said, "I remember you." I regret not spending more time with her when I had the chance. I wish I had been able to develop a relationship with her as an adult, and this is a hope I have for my kids with my parents.

I know she is in heaven now in a body that works perfectly, rejoicing with Jesus, and reuniting with her friends and family. I'm so thankful that I had a Grandma until I was almost 40 and am SO glad that I will see her again someday.

Weird things about Vegas

There are some weird things about living in Vegas and I'm not talking about the Fremont Street Experience, which IS very weird, by the way. Kyle and I went down there on our last date night and I kept singing, "The Freaks Come out at Night."

So, things that are different:

Almost EVERY time I drive somewhere, I practically get run off the road at least once. I haven't driven in tons of places, but Vegas has GOT to have some of the worst drivers in the country. I don't know if everyone is drunk or what, but it seems like no one can stay in their lanes. Most people also drive slow, until they get in a school zone, and then they're all up on your booty, trying to pass. The lights are flashing, people!!

If you want to take your kids bowling, you do it in a casino. There is a separate entrance, but hooray, my son gets to see chicks dressed like skanky cowgirls as we walk in.

Speaking of casinos, I'm pretty sure Jen and I have never said, "Hey, let's go play Bingo this weekend." It's just a normal thing to hang out in local casinos here. Also, grocery stores have a little slot machine section at the front of the store.

There are constantly fighter jets flying overhead. They are really loud, and sometimes they get so close you can see the details of the jet! Pretty cool!

Because of the Air Force Base, it feels like everyone is new. I've only met one person who was born here and one who's lived here for a long time. I've heard people say that if you live here for longer than 10 years, you're an honorary native. We've been in our house since July and in that time three new families have moved into the neighborhood, just on our street!

The rest of my list is weather-related because IT'S HOT HERE. But now it's starting to get REALLY COLD at night, too! Hooray, the worst of both worlds!!

I've never lived somewhere (as an adult) where you stay inside because it's TOO hot. In OC, we lived so close to the beach that it was pretty cool most of the time and when the wind blew, it got downright chilly at times. When I take Esther to the park, the sweat almost instantly starts pouring down my back and my shirt is soaked. Disgusting. Until the last couple of weeks, the parks have been mostly empty because it's just too dang hot. Today there were about 5 other moms at the park and it actually felt pretty nice.

I've seriously curbed my Starbucks habit, but when I DO order coffee, I like it hot. EVERY TIME I order coffee here, the barista says, "iced?" and when I say hot, she looks at me like I'm a weirdo.

Because it's so hot, people just naturally wear less clothes. I get it. But I still squirm a little when I see ladies in booty shorts and tube tops at church. Yeah, I need to get the stick out of my butt, I guess.

And, finally, I've been keepin' it old skool. I remembered that my mom used to put Vaseline on my face at night when we lived in Phoenix. My skin has been so dry since moving here. Last night I tried the good ol' Vaseline, and by morning it was all soaked in and my face was dry again. Pretty sure that wouldn't happen in Seattle.

That's my weird/different list for now. We'll see what my winter weird list is like!

Kids in Vegas?!

A few people have asked me how I feel about living in Vegas with kids. You know, the strip joints, prostitution, clubbing, etc.

It's funny. Several months ago, when life was more, um, cushy, we were trying to decide where to go for a family vacation. We thought maybe Vegas would be fun. It's warm and sunny, hotels have pools, and there really are a lot of attractions for kids. But then we decided against it because we didn't want Isaac to be exposed to all those images at this kind of pivotal age for a boy. There are billboards and taxi cabs with g-string bikini clad chicks everywhere you look, not to mention the people flicking the little business cards with pictures of the girls who will come to your room in 30 minutes or less.

So now God, in his sovereignty, has us living in the city we didn't even want to visit with our children. Obviously, we don't live in The Strip, but we do drive on the freeway and see buses with ads from time to time. I know Isaac will see more on a daily basis than a lot of kids. But if you go to the grocery store, your children will be accosted by Cosmopolitan and its advice on how to best pleasure your man. And in Seattle, The Stranger will gladly help you find casual hookups with any gender of your choice. Even if you live on a farm in Iowa, if you have internet access, your sons (and daughters) may be exposed to all kinds of things and images without your knowledge.

As much as I want to shelter my children from adult things, some of that is just laziness on my part. I don't WANT to talk about sex or sin with my kids. We're now in a city where we have the opportunity to have some honest (age appropriate, of course) conversations with our kids. We want to train our children to be faithful, loving spouses from an early age. That includes shielding one's eyes and mind way before ever reaching adulthood. It's an opportunity to discuss what it means to respect and honor women and not treat them as objects.

In the end, we know God is sovereign and has a definite, good plan for our lives. That doesn't mean that we won't suffer or sin or live somewhere that makes us uncomfortable. But we have to trust that God loves our kids more than we do and he is the perfect Dad. Sometimes he protects us and other times he allows things to happen in our lives to make us stronger and more like Christ.

So, those are my thoughts on raising kids in Sin City. It's really no different from any other city, suburb, or town...everything is just a bit more visible, which actually might be easier to deal with!

Bingo and Beer!

The other day I realized we've been living in Vegas for over two months! Only two months! It feels like we've been here forever...I'm not sure if that's good or bad. I think part of it was that we had a lot of family time together when we first moved and also got the house settled quickly. (That happens when your husband is unemployed.) Also, Isaac started school less than a month after we moved, so we got right into our routine. Maybe it's also because I so badly WANT to be settled somewhere. When we arrived here, we were exhausted and ready to land and stay for a while. That reminds me, I still need to write about how we ended up here!

Probably the biggest thing that makes being settled here is the people that God has put in our lives through Grace Point Church. One thing that stands out about everyone I've met is how genuine they all are. No pretenses, just honest conversations. That works for me! I've had some wonderful "Coffee Talk" time (call me up, we'll to-wak, no big whoop...hope you know what that's from...) with Angie, and we absolutely LOVE their whole family. I'm also kind of organically having weekly park days with another awesome, hilarious, real friend, Marla. Another great family who we really click with! We are also in a weekly community group and I've met some great women through that. Kyle is also developing relationship with other godly men and it really is like "iron sharpening iron."

So, the bingo and beer! Last night a group of gals went to the local casino during the football game. Yeah, me, football. But wait, it gets better. They had $1 beers...Bud Light. Anyone who knows me knows I NEVER condone the drinking of Bud Light, but...when in Rome! We also played bingo. Kyle and I developed a little bingo habit on our honeymoon cruise, but it was really low-key and slow-paced. Wow, these Station Casino bingo games are HARD CORE!! No chit chat allowed and you better be on your toes with your dauber! It was really fun and only cost $8 for 45 minutes of entertainment. Of course, none of us won anything, but it's about the playing, not the winning...that's what I'm telling myself. After bingo, some of the girls gambled some more, but I just watched and talked and laughed my head off. It was so great to relax with new friends. I also had the BOMB sandwich...turkey, cranberries, and stuffing on a big, full of gluten sub roll. Yea-uh!!!

It's so comforting to me to know that wherever we go, #1 God is with us, and #2 He's going to provide the people we need in our lives—people who will encourage, challenge, and walk with us.

We are all worshippers

As I mentioned in my last post, I went out for a bachelorette party a few weeks ago. We ended the night at XS, a posh nightclub inside Encore. I had so much fun, not just with the girls in the group, but dancing by myself. The music was so fantastic that at one point while I was dancing, I closed my eyes and just thanked God for creating music. I thanked him for giving people the ability to create all different kinds of music and for the opportunity to be alone in a crowd, just having FUN.

I know. I'm weird. And cheesy. But that's how I felt in that moment...I truly felt close to God in the middle of a bar!

Our table was a mix of our group and several other groups, including some guys from Hawaii who were celebrating a birthday. Hey, people who tend to get your panties in a bunch, don't get your panties in a bunch! I was talking to other human beings, not flirting or hooking up! Anyway, I talked to a guy named Jonah for a while. Somehow we got on the topic of what we did for a living and I said I was a stay at home mom and my husband was a pastor. He got a look of shock on his face and asked, "Then what are you doing HERE?" "Um, hanging out with some friends and having fun?" Then he asked something very insightful: "What do you think of all these people and this place? I mean, look at them...they are WORSHIPPING! Their hands are up in the air and they are worshipping the DJ or the music or alcohol or each other or something! Isn't this all evil?" Boom, there's my chance.

I told him YES, they ARE worshipping! That's because we were CREATED to worship. We were created to desire God and he's the only one who can complete us. Instead of looking to God to fill that void, most of us look to people, substances, experiences, sex, or status. All those things will fail and disappoint us.

He told me his dad was a deacon in his church and was always telling him how going out, drinking, etc were evil. So he pushed as to why I would even be in that environment. We discussed legalism and how God created ALL things to be GOOD. But we, as sinful humans, take what God made and twist it for our own evil desires. The human body and sex are good...but when we use people and treat them as objects...that's not good.

At this point I apologized for my mini-sermon. I mean, he's here celebrating a birthday party...maybe he doesn't want to talk about anything real. But he emphatically said NO, let's keep talking! We talked about Jesus, miracles, the Bible, the Book of Jonah (and how he ran from God), and living as a disciple. He said he had read the entire Bible, cover to cover, twice, but just couldn't buy it or, at some points, understand it. I encouraged him to pray for understanding and that the Holy Spirit would open his eyes, and to start with the Book of John. After we chatted for a while, we both moved on to our friends, but I had the opportunity to say goodbye when I left. He thanked me for talking about God with him. He said he thought the reason he was there at that time was so that we could talk and he could hear more about living as a Christian. Wow!!

I don't share this to say, "Look at me and what I did!" I hesitated writing this for a while, but decided to post it for several reasons. I think God is glorified and people are encouraged when we share what God has done. I say God because I'm normally hesitant to share the Gospel with people but, honestly, it's easier to share with a stranger when there is no risk of damaging or losing a relationship. So, I also share it as an encouragement to ME to be just as bold with the people I love! There is POWER in the Gospel, and it's pathetic how often I just don't share. I also wrote about this because I wanted to show that we can be missionaries ANYWHERE. God puts us in the right place at the right time and it's up to us to have the conversation. There are people everywhere looking for peace, love, acceptance, and hope...what a privilege to be used by God in a tiny way to help someone along their journey.

This morning Jonah came to mind and so I prayed for him. I'm sure I'll never see him again and I have no idea what he's up to. But I've committed myself to praying for him regularly. Who knows...maybe I'll see him walk by in heaven someday and he can tell me the rest of his story! That's my prayer, anyway!