House Picture

Several people have asked to see a picture of our house. I just took some this week. Here is the outside of our house and the kitchen. I LOVE the kitchen. We have now been in our home 7 months. Enjoy!

My "Special" Night

I have had a really busy week. This is the week we close the books at work so it is my busiest week of the month. Since I helped out at another location the first of this week, I had less time than normal to get my stuff done. I will be done on time tomorrow though. M called me on his way home from work and asked me if I was going to be done tomorrow. When I told him yes, he told me that I deserved something special because I had been working so hard. So we ate dinner at Carl's Jr. I know that doesn't sound special at all, but it truly is the thought that counts in this instance. There are VERY few places to eat out where we live and we were both almost home. So we ate at Carl's Jr. Isn't that fun?

Speaking of fun...about a week ago I was in the office of the manager where I work. He is a really nice Christian man, and we were just visiting because I hadn't seen him in a long time. Another girl came into his office, and he shut the door. He told her that I was also a believer (there are not many where I work...a very liberal organization). She immediately hugged me! I don't know why that struck me as being so funny, but I really enjoyed meeting her and knowing that she is a fellow believer. I think because I am not around Christians often, I really cherish the time that I am around someone who is.

Peace

Isn't peace a wonderful thing? Now, I am not talking about peace as the world defines peace (how do they even know what peace is?). I am talking about true peace that can only come from the Prince of Peace Himself.

I was recently contemplating applying for a new job within my company. It is a job that I REALLY want and have been working toward for a couple of years now. In fact, at the moment it seems to be the only step in a forward direction. There are many pros to having this job, but I found just as many cons. I talked with several people who encouraged me to apply for the job and were completely sincere in their support of my moving in that direction. That felt great and I thought for a time that was a confirmation that I should go for it.

Then I paused to think about what it is that I really want. I want to enjoy my job, and somehow find a way to glorify God as I sit at my computer all day (When contemplating this, I often think about Joseph who always "worked as unto the Lord"-whether he was in prison or working as a house servant.). But I also want to enjoy my family...even if there are only two of us right now. I want to come home from work and be the best "housewife" I can be. I want to put a good, healthy dinner on the table and take care of my home. It finally hit me that this was a much better aim for me at this time. I would not say I am old-fashioned by any means, but I do feel like I am responsible for keeping a clean, comfortable home (M thinks I am crazy for this).

So where before I was changing my mind every other minute about this decision, now I am at peace with staying where I am...at least for now (isn't that just like me to leave this open in case I change my mind?).

Movie & Book Review

M and I rented Because I Said So last night (with Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore). I had been wanting to see it since it came out in theaters. I must say I was really disappointed. I won't spoil anything, but it wasn't what I expected. There was a lot about sex and the mother drove me absolutely crazy! I guess I didn't really know what the story was from the trailers.

I recently finished reading Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas Sparks. I really like his books and have read most, if not all, of them now. I have always wondered why his books are a bit sappy and really sad...this book explains a bit about that. This book is about 3 weeks he spent with his brother (aren't I brilliant to have figured that out?). It was an interesting book, and I learned about some different places around the world.

I was going to ask for suggestions on good books to read. I just got a long list from a friend today. I am headed to the library tomorrow to see what I can find. We are going to Michigan this weekend for a family reunion. I figure this will be a good time not only for some r&r but also for some reading.

Good (but very short) Weekend

This was a fun and very short weekend. We went to a party Friday night for M's boss and another guy from work's birthday. They both turned 40 recently. It was a lot of fun and I visited with some folks I haven't seen in a long time.

Saturday I had to work half day and M helped a guy from work move into his new house. We went out to dinner and then headed home for some r&r.

Sunday, we visited a church we haven't been to in a while. We have now lived here for a little over 2 years without a church home. It has been miserable at times. This is the first time in my life that I have no Christian friends to hang around. We spend most of our time with non-Christians. It has been interesting and God has taught me a lot about my own pride and "self-righteousness." Anyway, the church service was really great. We were both so thankful to be there and have hope that this could be a church home for us. It is still early to tell, but things are looking good right now. We won't be able to go back for a couple of weeks...we are going to be out of town this weekend and then have company two weekends in a row. But we are looking forward to going back there...that is a feeling we haven't had in a long time.

After church, I had to rush home so I could make it to work. I don't work on the weekends very often, but I am filling in for someone who took off for her daughter's wedding. It has been fun because I am doing something I don't normally do. It has been a little bit of a challenge but a fun challenge.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

So M told me I was a liar after reading my last post. So I must now tell the truth.

M did not get a sunburn because he was only using 4 SPF sunscreen. He got a sunburn because he only applied the 4 SPF sunscreen once during the day.

There...the truth has been set free. I feel better now.

Soaking up the Sun

We went to a water park with some friends this weekend. We were there the entire time it was open from 10 to 6. I don't remember the last time I went to a water park and I really don't remember going down any water slides so maybe I've never been before. I had a lot of fun! It was crowded in the afternoon and there were lines all over the place. It was really fun though. I thought it was funny that they called the slides "rides." My favorite "ride" consisted of sitting on an innertube with M, going into a dark bowl, and going down like you were in a toilet bowl. It was dark so you didn't know where you were going or what was happening. In fact, I went on two or three rides that were very similar. I think I laughed the whole time. We will definitely have to go back next summer. M didn't think the rides were exhilirating enough, but they were just right for me. I can't believe we were there 8 hours. M is a bit sunburned today, but since I am Little Miss 30 SPF I am not hurting today (he is Mr 4 SPF - what does 4 even do for you? He's got that good skin that actually turns tan rather than paste-y white.).

Fun Friday

M has been given every other Friday off recently but hasn't actually taken off work for any of them. So I decided he needed to take his free Friday this week. I took off work as well so we could do something fun together. We decided to play golf (when I say "we", I really mean M and a friend played while I watched and took pictures). I took a few lessons last summer so I wanted to hit a couple of balls as well. My shots were terrible, but I had a really good time and the day was perfect for playing golf. I have attached a few pictures of our day at the golf course. When we got to the 5th or 6th hole, we saw this antelope. I got as close as I could before he took off. He was just wandering through the golf course. Doesn't the golf course look beautiful against the mountains?
After we were finished, we ate a quick lunch and went to see the movie Stardust. It was a little slow at times, but generally it was a good movie and we enjoyed ourselves.
A huge thunderstorm was coming when we got out of the theater. We got home right before it hit our house. At one point, it sounded like the lightning hit just across the street. It was a crazy storm, but our grass could definitely use the rain.

My Oldest, Dearest Friend

I keep losing my blog!

Julie is my oldest and dearest friend. We have been friends almost all our lives. We can go months without talking and pick up right where we left off. I think our friendship is unique in that we are so different, yet the one thing we have always had in common and that binds us together is our faith. Julie is the most fit person I have ever known and has been gracious enough to help me with a workout program in hopes that I will lose my round shape (she's my own long-distance personal trainer).

These pictures are of us growing up. The black and white picture was taken the month before I turned 3. Aren't we cute? This picture is one of my most prized possessions. I get a thrill each time I look at it. Julie gave it to me right before I got married. I am so happy to have it! She has always been a true friend and I am so thankful for her.

Company Picnic

We went to M's company picnic on Saturday for a bit. There were a lot of games and slides for the kiddos to play on but not much for adults. We had a good time visiting with folks though so that was fun. It was a beautiful, yet warm (close to 100) day. Then we came home and M mowed the lawn while I pulled weeds. I must say that I have enjoyed pulling weeds the two times I have done so at the house. I don't really enjoy pulling the weeds, but it is fun to have a house with a yard.

Here's a picture of us at the picnic. We don't seem to take many pictures of us anymore so I've decided to start taking the camera when we do fun stuff. That way we can look back and see what we looked like. Plus, I just really like pictures of us!

Catching Up

Recently, I got the bug to start scrapbooking again. I didn't realize how long it had been since I have worked on my scrapbook. I pretty much stopped while studying for the CPA exam and didn't pick it up again until last weekend - I started with the end of 2005. I bought some new embellishments on Friday so I have been enjoying using those. I have had a really good time and am pleased with how some of the pages turned out. I got some fun ideas from a couple of magazines I checked out from the library. I feel like a kid with a new toy!

Cirque du Soleil

Matthew and I recently went to our fourth Cirque du Soleil performance. We have now seen Alegria, Mystere, Varekai, and most recently Corteo. The shows are really fascinating (at least I think so). The performers are incredible and the music is beautiful. If you haven't seen a Cirque du Soleil performance, you should check out their website. It really is a beautiful experience!

http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/

Vacation in Seattle

We took a vacation to Seattle, WA in July to visit our friends Nathan and Melinda. Melinda and I had a ball doing the touristy stuff around Seattle (went to Snoqualmie Falls; went downtown to the Flight Museum, Air Park, Pacific Science Center, saw the painted pigs downtown, and went to a Mariners game; went to Victoria and Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island; drove to Deception Pass and Whidbey Island) while the guys hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. Here are some of my favorite pictures.

Friday Night Fun

Last Friday night, I decided to see if there was any creativity in me at all. I had been wanting to play with all my paper and stamps to make some cards. This is what I came up with. The first one is my favorite. I think the paper is SO cute! I hope to get better the more I do this kind of thing. We'll see!

Brand New Blog

So I started a blog about a year ago, I think. It became a conversation between a friend and me. I thought it might be fun to create a blog that I could share with all my friends and family to let everyone know what is going on with Matthew and me.

mmmellowyellow - you may wonder what this means. Well, I wanted to pick mellowyellow because I am quite mellow (both a crown and a curse) and my favorite color is yellow. Mellowyellow was taken so I added "mm" to the beginning for my initials. I think it's quite fitting!

I hope experience life to its fullest as "take it all in."

Enjoy!