Sights of Seattle (pt 1)

OK- by now I'm sure you are tired of hearing about our vacation in Seattle. Well, we were pleasantly surprised by how much we like it here! I wanted to do a photo blog this week to share the beautiful sights of Seattle. Enjoy! Thanks for being with us along the way :)


View from our rental house (just wish the power lines were gone but I guess we need power:)

We went to the store and bought some yummy food. This is what we came up with for our first night at the house. Steak, potatoes, garlic bread, salad and Chocolate strawberries for dessert.

One of the many gorgeous views we had on our drive around the area. Can you see Mt. Rainier in the background? We have many more of that mountain coming later.

A tree on the beach we thought looked hilarious.

At the beach- notice how big we are smiling! (Lord, can you add a beach to Oklahoma pretty please? Then all would be well. Thank you so much)

Friday Update (from Seattle)

Hey friends! We wanted to update you real quick. We arrived in Seattle and we are loving this city! Here are a few of the things we have been doing:

• Went to the beach and enjoyed the beautiful landscape
• Visited the Space needle (twice) and took lots of pics!
• Went to the Science Fiction Museum (not as boring as it sounds :) they had tons of movie memorabilia and also a ROBOT exhibit with about 200 robots
• Visited the "Experience Music Project" which was also a lot of fun. I practiced my "scratching" skills on an old album and Brandon got to drum and learn some Nirvana songs on the guitar.

Today we are heading out to Pikes Place Market. Tomorrow, we will be out whale watching, and then Sunday we are going about 3 hours north of here to take a boat tour and see a beautiful lake and the mountains will be our backdrop.

Hope you have a great weekend! We still haven't had time to upload the pics because we are wanting to fit in everything possible (but will probably add some this weekend).

A Beautiful World...Let's Dance!

I don't want my kids to grow up....

I'm loving the stage we are in right now with the boys. I realize this will change once we adopt but am enjoying it while it lasts. The boys are independent (which I love), they are great at going places (I love even more) but they are also getting so stinkin' grown up (which I wish I could stop just for a bit!)

Even though I have loved every stage, I think I am having time to stop and smell the roses during this one. Sometimes I complain about our life being too comfy cozy right now, but I don't take for granted the fact that we have great family times right now and actually get to enjoy one another's company. We are staying put for a while at least:)

So- let me give you a couple of examples of my 2 grown ups...

Ethan (age 5) loves to cuddle and snuggle. He also can't go to bed with out a big hug and kiss and I love that part! So, the other night, I place a big smouch on his lips and he asks "Mommy, are you wearing lipstick?" I say no. "Hmmm, well what was that wet thing that you just got on my lips?" . I told him "It was just a big juicy kiss " and laugh. He says "no more juicy ones please". Oh- I was crushed. I mean it wasn't a french kiss or anything. I guess he just wants more of a peck on the cheek (note to self: only give Ethan a big slobbery kiss when he is already asleep!)

Merrick (age 8) is my explorer, big time reader, very cut throat honest guy, our future CEO. So, we are talking about how tan the boys are getting. He says "I like tan skin". I say "oh you mean you like the way your skin looks?" he replies "No, I mean I like it when girls are tan". HUH? What?? (Note to self: Go purchase a muzzle and some duct tape, I need to tape a boy down until he's at least 10 yrs older!!)...(and Kim H, I actually did have to check my spelling because I spelled it duck tape just like you said we do!! ha ha. )

So, lovin' the stage, and hatin' the shortness of it :) Thank you Lord for my family!!

I don't want to grow up...

Remember that song? (singing)..." I don't want to grow up, I'm a Toys R Us kid....there's a million toys at Toys R Us that I can play with"...(man they should really give me some endorsement money)

But seriously, I don't want to grow up and am not sure when I ever will. Take for instance Saturday night. ABC had a Disney night (like they used to when I was growing up) and they showed an Original Disney movie called "Camp Rock" starring the Jonas Brothers.

You should have seen me and the boys cuddled up on the couch. Each commercial was about a Disney show or video. They even had "Wipeout" commercials (which my boys are dying to see- ha ha). After the movie they went behind the scenes and showed some music videos.

I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT! Not just because I got to bond with my boys, and cuddle up on the couch with them, and order my favorite Pizza hut breadsticks to have delivered (which is a special treat in our home because it's usually only Little Caesars around here).

It was because I got to feel like a kid. I went from actually being a "kid", to remembering when I was a kid, and now getting to enjoy things with my kids. Very cool.

I was telling B that although we both hit (clears throat) *35* at the end of this year- we are both just kids. Kids at heart, kids learning the way, kids enjoying the simple things.

And that's just the way I like it! Growing up is so overrated :)

Friday follow-up #5

Here's our week in a nutshell...

• The boys are finishing up swim lessons today. They LOVED taking them at Pelican Bay. I highly recommend it if your kids can't swim (or even if they can, but need a little refining)
• I am starting to pack today for our trip next week. I'm already getting little butterflies in my tummy from knowing I will miss the boys. I know it will be a blast but I sure will miss my little buddies!
• We got a little 2 1/2 ft deep pool (about 12 feet wide). The boys are in heaven! They played "Marco Polo" the other night in that thing. It was so cute. They didn't care that they were bumping into each other :)
• This weekend, our church (along with about 1500 other churches), is taking up a special "offering" during ONE PRAYER, to start about 500 churches in several countries. Very exciting. If you want to read more about it, check this out.
• The boys are participating in the library reading program where they get prizes each time they read 8 books. Wish they had that stuff for adults! I've been reading a LOT lately:)

What have you been up to this summer? What are your weekend plans? Is your church participating in ONE PRAYER? Do you like to read? Do you know how to swim? :)

Gotta brag on our friends for a bit (pt 4 of 4)

Want some more good music? Well, check out LUMA! These guys also grew up in the youth group we led. They have grown up so much! They are ALL amazingly talented in the music area. They are also quality men. Brandon and I mentored Stephen (guitar player) and his wife, and Brandon performed their marriage ceremony! Stephen played on the worship team with Brandon for years. Marcus (bass) and Adam (drums) were also active in the youth group and played music with Brandon sometimes. Hunter (vocals) was one of the first "kids" we had over at our house from the youth group. I still remember when he was shy about getting up on stage and singing. I always knew he had the talent!!We love these guys and know they are going to make it big! Great quality music right here, folks! OH- also, their song "Wake up" was featured on an episode of MTV's "The Hills" this past season.

Buy their merchandise here to support their new recording

Go HERE to order their EP

Here's a clip from a live show they performed some time last year. We were actually at this one singing along:)

Gotta brag on our friends for a bit (pt 3 of 4)

Gotta brag on Matt Doane for a bit....Matt was one of our "youth kids" back in the day. He turned out to be one of our best friends. He recently moved out to Los Angeles and is doing great out there (although we miss him!). I don't know all the technical terms for what Matt does but I know he is a smoke artist/colorist, and did editing on "End of the Spear" (by the way if you haven't seen this movie yet, rent it on DVD- we loved it!), "Beyond the Gates of Splendor", and "Miss HIV". The photos on the right were taken when he was on location filming "Miss HIV".

Here are his FLICKR photos, they are amazing!

Here is his editing reel. Pretty cool, huh?

Can't believe all that talent is bottled up in one guy!:)

Gotta brag on our friends for a bit (pt 2 of 4)

Second entry for our "talented friends" goes to Kevin Ely. Kevin is the video producer for the Internet campus. He switches the live tapings every week for the IC. He also produces videos of Brandon when he speaks. He has been working for Lifechurch.tv for a LONG time! Pretty sure he will be famous soon. He can make anything look good! He has made countless videos for the church which were brilliant as well.

Kevin just finished a film called "Rainbow around the sun". He helped direct and write the film. The premiere in OKC over the weekend was a big success. Unfortunately, we didn't get to view it :( They also premiered the movie at the South by Southwest conference in March 2008. Kevin is humble, obviously creative, and just a likable guy. Here is the trailer for the movie. Hope you get to view it soon! It looks amazing! I want the soundtrack :)


Rainbow Around the Sun - trailer from kevin ely on Vimeo.

Gotta brag on our friends for a bit (pt 1 of 4)

We have some talented friends and wanted to highlight them this week. Enjoy :)

BTW- this is our 200th post! Does that mean anything? I know on TV shows they celebrate each 100 or so. Should we throw a party? Nah- we will just say THANKS to YOU for reading! You make it so much easier to write since we know someone will be reading.

Ok- so, here's entry #1 for our talented friends (although they are in no particular order!)...

Meet Marcy Priest! Marcy has been singing at our church ever since I can remember us having the Edmond campus! She is humble (obviously talented), and just gorgeous on the inside and out. She recently released her album and it's fantastic! You can buy it HERE. Take a listen to her music HERE. Marcy has a heart of gold and a smile and laugh that brightens anyone's day.

She has been selected as a nominee for the 2008 Independent Singer-Songwriters Association Award in the Pop category! Congratulations Marcy! Can't believe she is already being nominated and she just released the album like a month or so ago!!!

Go add Marcy as your friend on Facebook if you'd like. Pretty sure we will be fans for Life!! :)

The Wedge

You thought I said Wedgie, didn't you? NO- I said Wedge! It's a pizza place we tried out today. We had several friends recommend it and so we went today.

First off, let me tell you that we went out to celebrate today for lunch. Today we turned in our paperwork for the adoption. As of this point, all we needed to do is complete so it's now in the hands of the State and we get to start the "matching" process. It's going to be an exciting season around here.

So, we went to "The Wedge". It was a unique atmosphere (which we loved). They gave the boys dough and let them make their own pizzas! Ethan made a dinosaur pizza and Merrick made a vampire one (although we are not sure where he heard about "vampires!").

Brandon and I tried one of their pizzas called the "Italian Stallion". They also had options to build your own pizza. The pizzas are literally right out of the oven because you can watch them make them right in front of your eyes. They don't deliver because they want you to get your pizza fresh and hot! We loved it and hope to go back soon! We recommend you stop by if you get the chance. It's located in OKC on Western Ave (just south of I-44).

Our waitress even let us sample their gelato (which was awesome!) We had the pistachio, chocolate and mocha. Save room for dessert when you go.

The service was great too! I'm telling you we just had a GREAT experience there:)

Faces of the Internet Campus #8

Wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to another "face" from the Internet campus! Keith is going to be moving soon to help start a Lifechurch.tv network church with The Byers family. Keep them all in your prayers as they embark on this new journey.

Meet Keith Cleaver...



I love being a part of the Internet campus!

Movie Poll Results

I wanted to share the "movie poll" results with you.This was the poll posted on the side of our blog for a while.

Most people were anticipating Prince Caspian coming in at 13 votes. Second was a tie with Indiana Jones and The Happening coming in with 5 votes and then Wall-E with 4 votes.

In fifth place was Dark Knight with 3 votes. Then Kung Fu Panda, Speed Racer, and The Incredible Hulk all having 2 votes. Rounding out the list was Sex and the City and The Mummy 3 both with 1 vote. No one picked the choice "I don't like movies".

For the movies that have been released, have you seen them? Can you give us your feedback- sort of a little review for our viewing audience:) How often do you go to the movies?

The Heavenly Man

I have not posted on here in quite a while, but I have just read the most amazing book, The Heavenly Man: the remarkable true story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun. Do you have a passion for the things of God, but feel like there is just something missing? Does it feel that something in your relationship with God is not quite right...not quite on? I live there. I wonder if I can truly understand the depth of God in the culture I live in. Well, read this book.

The Heavenly Man will not only introduce you to an incredible man of God, Brother Yun, but it will shed light on the revival sweeping through China despite persecution. You will be amazed, inspired, and challenged. I am tired of taking the Word of God for granted. I am tired of my lack of expectations and belief...not expecting an extraordinary God to move in extraordinary ways.

If you love being challenged, this book is a must read! What books have challenged you lately? Or inspired you? How often do you read?

Out of your element?

I think I'm starting to grow up a bit! I'm starting to realize things that I enjoy and don't enjoy, as well as things I am good at and not so good at.

Recently, I have been put in situations where I am leading where I just don't feel comfortable. It's a stretch for me. You know how you do things that come natural and easy? Well, that's where I like to be. Not that I want life to be easy, but I want to function in areas where God has gifted me. I want to be challenged for a season, but I shouldn't stay there- it's just NOT natural.

Let me give you an example. I love to love on people. I do that through hospitality. Hospitality can be shown in many different ways. My way is trying to make people feel relaxed and comfortable. There are times when I am not "trying" at all and people will tell me that I made them feel "welcome" or comfortable. It's something that just comes natural.

Then, put me in a situation where I am out of my element and I crumble. I begin to look inward, get insecure, get nervous...it becomes something that I think I can do but really can't. I take it all in my own power rather than letting God work through me. I am learning to say no in these situations because it's OK to not be good at everything! I would rather do a few things well, than do several things mediocre.

What are your natural gifts? What makes you "out of your element"? Tell us about a situation where you have succeeded or a situation where you bombed.

We've got some talent at Lifechurch.tv!

Here's an incredible promo the video team made for "At the Movies" which starts in July. I love how they added some of the regular Lifechurch.tv jargon on there. Also, ONE PRAYER started this past Sunday and it was very challenging and inspiring. Check out the message here.

Visit www.oneprayer.com for more details and find out how to get involved!



To God be the glory!!

Traveling tips?

We are headed on a trip to Seattle in a couple of weeks. We had planned on using our tax "stimulus" check. At this point, we have used that and plus some:( I was calculating the expenses last night (as far as attractions, parking, meals, etc.) for the trip. We are trying to be as frugal as possible but also letting ourselves be comfortable and not stressing the entire trip about money. We rented a house where we can cook some of our own meals and hang out at in the evenings. We also rented an economy car and are planning outings according to when places have specials or discounts. We are seriously going to eat Ramen noodles and PBJ the week before we go...hee hee. I've even thought about buying little jugs so we can refill with water rather than buy bottled water while we are there (but I don't want to go overboard:)

I was just curious if anyone else has any tips on saving money while on vacation? Again, like I said, we want to enjoy the trip and "splurge" a little but also be very aware of how much we are spending. What kinds of things do you pack that help you be prepared and not have to run out and buy something extra? Do you pre-order tickets to events you are attending? Any ideas on how to raise some money here before we go? What do you do in order to have enough to be able to splurge on special occasions? (We have had some other expenses come up so are sort of limited in our budget right now).

We can't wait to see Seattle! We will post pics on here when we return:)

Friday follow-up #4

We have been a little sporadic on the blog lately. Posts might not be as consistent due to summer but hopefully we will get our groove going:)

• One Prayer starts this weekend. There are about 1350 churches taking part and about 800,000 people. It's inspiring to be a part of this history making series!

• The boys start swim lessons Monday- looking forward to it. Our local swimming pool had a great deal ($30 for 2 weeks of lessons for 1 hour a day).
  

• Speaking of the boys- they were jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath it today (always a favorite around here). I caught them spitting and then trying to make their spit fly up in the air as they jumped. Then, they crawled underneath the trampoline (after the spit had dissolved of course) and pretended like they were in a rain-forest. Boys will be boys. I love it when they don't know I am listening:)

• I'm not getting into facebook at all. I seriously don't know what the fascination with it is. I keep getting requests from people and just keep ignoring them. If I don't log in for a day or two, I have like 60 requests for things (such as movie quizzes and flower patches). Am I missing something? I will probably stay on it to keep connected with people but am not digging it like I thought I would.
  

• Nothing else happening around here. We are still just catching up from the trip and having house guests.
  

What's going on at your place? What random comments can you share with us today? How are you? Weekend plans? As ALWAYS- thank you for continuing to read! We appreciate you so much!!

LOST

How many of you are LOST fans? Or should I say LOST fanatics? This is one show Brandon and I watch religiously.

So- we finally saw the Season finale online on Monday night and we have so many questions! The more they answer, the more they give.We miss Charlie! We loved seeing the Desmond/Penny reunion ( at least there was one moment of non-turmoil!)

What are your thoughts on LOST? Any theories? Why is John Locke now "Jeremy"? Where did the Island go? Did Michael and Jin die in the blast? So many questions....so little time! (Oh wait- we have PLENTY of time because LOST won't return until the Spring!- BOO)

Jacob's Ladder

As I stated earlier, we just got back from a micro-mission. Brandon and I had been prayerfully seeking a mission trip for both of us this summer. Although, we wanted to take our family back to Monterrey, MX, we felt like God had something else in store. We thought about Sierre Leon, Haiti and then NY. We ended up in Chandler, OK (only about 45 minutes from where we live!). Kind of ironic, huh?
We learned that sometimes we want the "big thing" and our example of a big thing is totally different than the Lord's. We didn't need to fly away to make a difference. We had a GREAT experience at Jacob's Ladder and want to go back!

Our group of about 20 completed 10 bunk beds, worked on roofing, framing, and windows. We did landscaping and mowing and tree clipping. Most importantly, we bonded together as one from all over the US, for one common goal. We worked as a team. We also bonded with God. To see Him move in so many different people's lives is completely cool. To be able to serve alongside my online life group women was humbling.
Has God shaken you up lately? Has He met a need in a way you didn't expect?

WOW

Wow...that's all I can say about this past weekend! I will probably be posting a ton about our past 5 days. 5 days? That's all? It seems like we made so many memories and did SO many things in only 5 days.

I wanted to tell you all about yesterday. We went to Lifestock which is an annual celebration held at a local amusement park. We had about 3000 Lifechurch.tv attenders from the local OKC campuses.

It was HOT, but it was a ton of fun. We had roller coasters, yummy food, a concert, and then baptisms. Baptisms are where I get all choked up. There were over 300 people that got baptized. That means that about 10% of the people there were taking their first step as a Christian and being baptized.

The picture above is of 2 of my online life group women getting baptized. What a privilege to get to be able to witness this! :) Rachel is from Maine and Kywanna is from Illinois.

It was one of those days that just confirms why the Internet campus exists. It was such a reward to meet these women in person. They are on the plane right now as I type. Write some encouragement to them below!

I will share more about the mission trip we went on a little later. It was such a positive experience. We can't wait to go back next year! We were so proud wearing our "Internet Campus" shirts around:)