Blessed Be The Name of the Lord

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'

Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name



We used to sing this song at our church in Cincinnati, Crossroads Community Church. It became hard to sing as it became apparent that we would be leaving Crossroads (and Cincinnati) and moving to California (the "desert place"). It is even harder to sing at our new church in California as it brings back dear memories of friends from Crossroads that I miss so much and also because, at the same time, I get overwhelmed with God's blessing and provision in my life.

We sang this song over the weekend at our California church, The Crossing, and it made me think about our journey across the continent and just how much has happened to us in just a year. Sometimes when "the darkness closes in", I have to remind myself to "chose to say, 'Blessed be the name of the Lord'". But the longer I live, the more I see God's amazing hand in my life and am truly grateful that I am his child.

Bowling

Sky in her bowling shoes!



Wednesdays will be my tough day this semester as Ken will be at school all day and then has a class from 6-9:30pm. Today was my first official Wednesday of the semester and Ken's first official day back teaching. I actually had a wonderful day!


In the morning, a friend from Talbot, Amy Olson (some of you have an awesome purse that she made), and her 2 kids stopped by. The kids played and we had a great time of talking and catching up on life. Her husband has to go in for nasal surgery next week and they just found black and white mold in both bathrooms of the house they are renting so they could really use your prayers as they have a lot going on right now! Please pray that God will provide what they need for the surgery costs (they have minimal insurance) and that Derek would recover quickly and not fall behind with his classes due to the surgery. Thanks!


Then this afternoon we went bowling with the MOMS club and had a really great time. The place we went to put up bumpers so that the kids couldn't get any gutter balls and they also had a metal ramp that the kids could use to push their balls down (so as to gather momentum and actually knock down the pins). Sky's final score was 83. She was more into dancing on the floor in between turns but she had a blast. Sky really liked her bowling shoes too.


I learned something new about bowling alleys. I always thought that the shiny alley floor was due to extra laquer. No. The shiny floor is shiny due to oil and that oil is VERY SLIPPERY. Don't ask me how I learned this!


Ok, I'll tell you. Sky's ball was going so slowly that I thought I would just give it an extra nudge toward the pins. BANG! Down I went. Thankfully I landed on my hands and only have a sore palm to show for my stupidity. Sorry, I didn't get any pictures of that one!


Then tonight, while Ken was gone at school, I watched Sky's friend Charlyse so that her parents could counsel with someone from their church. This actually made the night go by faster as she and Sky played so nicely together and I only had to watch Brad. I offered to do it again as it went so well.

Being Appreciated

Today I took Sky to the doctor for her TB test for preschool. Sky was crying hysterically before we even entered the doctor's office. Everytime she cried, Brad cried. Then they both cried all the way home in the car. Many people looked on in amazement and horror. I was thinking to myself, "Ok, it's going to be one of THOSE days!".
Then the doorbell rang and I was handed the most beautiful assortment of chocolate dipped fruit I have ever seen. It was an Edible Arrangement and it was from the dean of Talbot and his wife, saying thanks to me for helping out with the Talbot students and their wives. Wow! All the crying stopped. The power of chocolate is amazing.
I feel so appreciated and loved (and it definitely helped me get through the day). The Talbot community is great!

Church Anniversary

Today we went to church at our home church, The Crossing. Next month The Crossing will celebrate it's 20th year and we will be doing service projects, giveaways, and outreaches to celebrate. Today the main pastor was absent and an associate pastor gave the message. At the end of the service, he talked about donating money to surprise our pastor with a Harley Davidson at the 20 year celebration. Recently we went through a campaign to get money to build a new building and our pastor gave away the money he had set aside for landscaping his backyard, getting high def tv, and buying his Harley among other things. We were excited to be able to participate (in a very small way) in this gift for him as he has given so selflessly to the church.
Tonight we went out for shaved ice (my new thing) and then took the kids to a park to play. It's been pretty hot lately but thankfully the sun was going down by the time we got there. Sky and Brad love going down slides together. It's really cute-they both giggle all the way down.
Brad loves watching the Baby Einstein movies right now but he wants an adult to sit with him and explain what each thing is during the movie. It's so sweet to sit with him (although I don't get anything done) and talk about what's on the movie. He tries to say "water", "moon", and a few other words. He's at such a sweet age. He really doesn't listen though. If we tell him no about something he just smiles his devious smile and continues what he was doing. He's a charmer, for sure.
Sky will begin attending preschool on Sept. 8 and she is very nervous about it (as you would expect Sky to be). She has recently started stenciling with my school stencils and she has been coloring in the lines much better lately. Grandparents, expect some new Sky artwork for Grandparent's Day on Sept. 7. She's been busy.

Vacation in Palm Springs

Every other year BIOLA treats the faculty and their families to a 4 day vacation/retreat at a resort in Palm Springs. Palm Springs is about 2 hours away from here and it is truly the desert. It is so hot and the ground is so parched. I've heard that the peak season there is in January.

We stayed at the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort with all meals provided and all expenses paid. What a treat! The place was amazing with 7 pools, a water slide, hot tubs, a spa, etc. They also provided childcare for about 5-6 hours a day. It was really my ideal vacation: lots of friends and acquaintances all around, lots of kids for Sky and Brad to play with, and even some time alone without the kids. It was truly wonderful and I feel so relaxed. I can't wait to go again!

Disneyland Day 2

Guess where we went again yesterday. Guess where we're going tonight. We are having such a blast with our Disneyland passes. Yesterday we did Toon Town and the Princess Faire along with the Disneyland railroad.
I waited in a very long line for a very long time so that Sky could have the chance to meet 3 "real" princesses. The princesses were so great. They really took their time with each kid (thus the long wait, I guess). One of them asked Sky what was her favorite thing to do to which Sky replied, "Go to Disneyland!" Another one asked Sky what was her favorite ride to which Sky replied, "The carousel." And another one asked Sky what was her favorite part of Disneyland to which Sky replied, "The princesses!" Sky also attended a coronation ceremony where every girl was crowned a princess and every boy was crowned a prince.
Sky really wanted a HUGE princess lollipop that she saw at one of the vendors. There is no way that I am shelling out $6 for a lollipop but Sky had received a Disney gift card for her birthday so she used that to get the lollipop. It will probably last her until she's 12 (unless the ants find it).
Today I also registered Sky for preschool for the fall. 3 half days a week. We were on a waiting list for the preschool that we really wanted Sky to attend and we just got a call on Friday that she got in. Yay! I think she is ready and will really enjoy it. Please pray for a smooth transition for her and for her to make friends quickly.
We also went out for frozen yogurt with the MOMS club and then to lunch with daddy and the Denhams at Biola cafeteria.

Disneyland

Our first visit to Disneyland was sooooooo much fun! We saw Mickey as soon as we entered the gates! Walking down Main Street was such an exhilarating experience! What an amazing place! I do think that Disney World in Orlando is done on a much grander scale but Disneyland will be just perfect for our family. And it is literally 15 minutes from our house.

We only spent about 4 hours in the park. We rode the Alice in Wonderland ride, the spinning tea cups, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, the carousel, and Dumbo the flying elephant ride.

Does anyone know whose castle is in Disneyland? I suspect it is Sleeping Beauty's but I'm not sure.

We also saw the Disneyland parade with all the characters. I almost started to cry-it was so awesome and we have saved for it for so long. Sky felt like all the princesses were waving to her and she was waving back with all her might.

With our pass, we also have access to the California Adventure Park which we are looking forward to exploring as well. If anyone wants to come out for a visit and go to Disneyland with us, this is our year! You are welcome to stay with us!

Hollywood Bowl

What an incredible couple of days we have had! On Thursday night we went to the Hollywood Bowl with some friends from Talbot, Susan and Dennis Gaines. They go to the Hollywood Bowl frequently and they wanted to show us how fabulous it is. Susan packed an amazing picnic dinner which we enjoyed when we got there. We saw "The Planets", the LA orchestra played music for each of the planets. While they were playing there were images from space of that planet on the big screen. It was really pretty cool. The Hollywood Bowl is located under the Hollywood sign as seen in one of my photos.

On Friday we received our new dishwasher! Yea! Then when Ken came home from work we went to Disneyland and bought our annual pass! Much thanks to those of you who contributed towards this for birthdays, anniversaries, etc. We've been waiting for this for a long time and we were not disappointed! I will do a separate entry on our first trip to Disneyland and include some pictures as well.

Today I went to a ladies spa day at someone's house. This house was amazing-it had a pool and hot tub and the grounds were beautiful. There were all sorts of spa products to try and I enjoyed painting my nails and trying on new makeup. My friend, Amy, sells Avon and she let us try all sorts of fun products. Avon really does have some cool things!

Tonight we went to church so that we can spend another day at Disneyland tomorrow. A funny thing happened when I picked Brad up from the nursery. One of the workers said, "I don't think he's going to eat much dinner-he sure ate a lot of snacks". That was so funny because we ate dinner BEFORE we went to church-a big dinner of fish, rice, peas, and then crackers in the car. Then she said,"Does he just eat all day?" To which I replied, "ALLLLLLL DAY!" That's our boy! We'll have to increase our tithe so that there's enough food in Kid's Club after Brad is there.

Movie Success

We went to another free movie at the theater today and it actually worked! We saw The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything and we saw the whole thing. Brad got a bit restless towards the end but I just kept feeding him.
After the movie we went to my friend Amy's house for a pool day. It was a beautiful day and a perfect pool day.
Then we had the Denhams here for dinner. We ordered out at Juan Pollo. They have this great deal-2 whole chickens, 2 salsas, and 20 tortillas for only $13.99! There is always so much food and tonight was no different.
We're looking forward to tomorrow when the Denhams come over during the day for a play date. Ken and I go to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl with some friends tomorrow night while the kids enjoy an evening with a babysitter. We've heard so much about the Hollywood Bowl and are very excited to go.
Also, great news-today Ken finished his manuscript of his dissertation updates and will be submitting it to the publisher soon. Please pray that the publisher would work on it and that it would be published soon.

Brad's Head

Brad woke up the next morning with no swelling whatsoever so I didn't even bother bringing him to the regular pediatrician. He's been fine since then. In retrospect, I guess we didn't really need to go to the ER but better safe than sorry... I included some pictures of Brad's multicolored forehead.

We had a nice day together today. I did a craft with some kids from the MOMS club at the library today and then the librarian presented some stories. Then we selected and checked out some new books and movies. We stopped by Ken's office and ended up going to the cafeteria and having lunch with him.

Ken took the kids to Chipotle and the park tonight so that I could host a Talbot Wives care team meeting at our house. I am so excited about Talbot Wives starting up again! The care team is a special team of women within Talbot wives who will care for and encourage the other women. I am really excited to work with these women and minister alongside them! They are great people!

Ken and I have been very tired lately as we've been staying up late watching the Olympics. It's just so riveting!

Irvine Regional Park

Yesterday Ken watched the kids while I got a perm. My hair is a bit crazy right now-move over Dianna Ross! Then we went to Chipotle for lunch and then to the mall. While at the mall, the kids saw Abby Cadabby (of Sesame Street). Ken bought them some chocolate covered raisins at See's Candy (a California favorite), which Sky proceeded to dump all over the floor in the middle of the mall. Then the race was on to pick them up before Brad ate them off the floor. Never a dull moment...

The Irvine Regional Park is about 30 minutes away from us and I had won a free train ride at the MOMS Club dinner a few months ago so we thought we'd give it a try today. The train ride was pretty short but the kids enjoyed it. It even went through a small tunnel.

Then we visited the Orange County Zoo, which was a very small zoo, but it was big enough for the kids to run around and see the animals. Sky enjoyed feeding the goats and sheep. I thought the bear was probably their best animal. He was pretty cool and very active.

We also spent some time at the playground and Brad enjoyed his first sno cone. The park also rents bikes, paddle boats and offers pony rides. We will come back another day to enjoy those activities. The paddle boats look like giant tractors and the bikes have side by side seats so that two people can ride together. That will be fun when Brad is old enough not to jump off the bike.

So we came home with 2 very tired and dirty kids and Ken and I had big plans to put them to bed early and work outside in the garen/patio when it wasn't so hot.

Unfortunately, Brad used his head to dismount his tricycle and we spent a few hours in the emergency room instead. He initially had quite a nasty knot on his head but the ice really took the swelling down and he seems fine. He did have to have a CT scan (which you can imagine was loads of fun). Ken stayed with him for that while I waited outside with Sky. We could hear the wailing all the way in the waiting room. We will visit his doctor tomorrow (missing a watermelon picking activity with the MOMS Club) for another checkup just to make sure that everything is all right. Keep checking the blog for some before and after pictures of Brad's head. I'm sure this is just the first of many emergency room visits for him!

Prince Brad

We were goofing around today with some of the crowns in Sky's dress up bin. Sky was trying to get Brad and Ken to wear a crown and be princes. Here are some pictures of the crazy moments.

We had lunch with Ken at BIOLA again today. We have really taken advantage of the summer $5 deal! Most of my friends are on vacation or have visitors this week so I've been a little bored. I don't know who will be happier to see my friends return-me or Ken. He bears the brunt of my social calendar when the friends aren't around.

Tonight we went to a concert that had a band that played all Beatles songs. We knew most of them but some people were really into it. Sky and Brad got a balloon from the crime-fighting dog, McGruff. Both balloons have already met their demise. Brad is such a charmer and he knows it! He went from blanket to blanket meeting people. Sky had fun doing more roly polies down the hill. The evenings here are so nice but it has been so hot during the day!

"Scary" Movies

A local movie theater has free kids movies every Tuesday and Wednesday. Sounds nice-free and air conditioned! Yesterday we decided to go and see a Carebears movie. So, we bought some popcorn and went in. We had barely sat down when Sky started crying that because the movie was "too scary". So we went to the next theater which was showing Over the Hedge. We lasted a minute in there when an animated bear came on to the screen and that was the end. More crying, more leaving. So, we abandoned all movie-going efforts and headed for the car with our bag of popcorn.
We then decided to go to the La Habra Children's Museum which is very close by. We had a blast there as they had some new exhibits and this was the first time we've been there since Brad got very mobile. He was digging into everything. I wish I had my camera with me...
Last night when Ken got home from work, we all went to the local hair cut place so that he and Brad could get haircuts. Brad SCREAMS bloody murder when he gets his hair cut and I thought it would be fun for Ken to see that and share in the joy. So, Ken held Brad while he got his little buz cut and Brad didn't disappoint with his theatrics. After the ordeal, we all needed some $1 minis frozen yogurt at Golden Spoon.

Relatives in Los Angeles!

Today we met some relatives that I have right here in LA! My grandmother's first cousin, Millie, and her husband, Jim treated us for dinner tonight at a restaurant near their home. We had such a nice time together and I hope we will be able to see them periodically. It's just so comforting to know that I have some relatives nearby. Millie told me about growing up with my grandmother and she commented on how much I look like my grandmother. Jim told us about his family and how he met Millie and about his work as a pathologist, etc. Millie also showed me pictures of their kids and grandkids. They have 9 grandkids! We really enjoyed getting to know them and they were very patient and sweet with Sky and Brad in the restaurant.

After we had dinner with them we took the kids to the aquarium. Our membership expires soon and we wanted to get one last visit in before that happens. We let Brad out of his stroller and he was just running everywhere. He has only 1 speed and that's FAST. As you can see in the pictures, Brad moved away before the camera could capture the images. He climbed a huge flight of steps and ran through every hallway in the aquarium. I can't really tell you what we saw because it was all a blur. And then he didn't even fall asleep on the ride home. He's a wild man! We bought Sky a stuffed Orca whale in the gift shop because she really needs more stuffed animals. She only has about 500. But she's not spoiled...

Another Anniversary

This weekend marks our one year anniversary of moving to California. Last year at this time Ken had just arrived in California and was busy unloading the moving truck and setting up our home while I was getting ready to board a plane with my friend Becky, a six week old Brad, and Sky.
Wow! It has really been an amazing year full of new friends, new experiences, new church, new job, etc. It has also been lonely at times and difficult, especially as I have been staying at home with the kids. But, all in all, it's been a wild ride.
Some weird California cultural observations:
There are fruit trees everywhere. Some call CA "the land of fruits and nuts". We have a pink guava tree in our front yard. Before we moved to CA, I had never even heard of a pink guava.
No humidity but the locals still complain of it. I'm sure we will too in a few years.
No rain or snow. There are no seasons unless you drive up north or so we've been told...
Desert, mountains, and beaches all within a 1 hour drive.
Lots of fake boobs and "perfect" people.
The Governator.
People mow their lawns even when there is absolutely no need to do so. The grass really doesn't grow much out here.
Roses grow wild everywhere.
The houses are small with no basements and the garage is usually right in front of the house so when you pull into the driveway, all you see is GARAGE. Many walls have cracks in them due to past earthquakes. The houses are, for the most part, very close together. We can hear the neighbor's phone ring and we can hear them answer it.
Highways are called freeways and are designated with the word "the". So, there's the 5, the 105, the 110, the 405, the 605, etc.
There are frozen yogurt places everywhere. Our town alone probably has 5 different chains represented.
The population is very diverse. There are people from all over the world here and that means great opportunities to learn about different cultures, sample new foods, and shop in unique stores. Brad is definitely a minority with his blonde hair and blue eyes!
There are deadly spiders like the black widow and brown recluse. I'm convinced our town is built on one enormous ant hill. We just can't seem to get rid of them! There are no mosquitoes to speak of but the flies will pester you until you hear a perpetual buzzing.
There are weird birds and the common birds that we grew up with are strangely absent. There are no robins or cardinals or blue jays but there are flocks of parrots.
We still haven't seen any movie stars but we don't exactly hang out in any of the hot spots here.
People get around via skate boards, scooters, golf carts, roller skates, bikes, etc. Sure, people drive cars too but there are also so many other forms of transportation.
Well, these are just a few of our musings on our new life in this strange land. Thanks to all of you who helped us through this year of transition! We couldn't have made it without all of the prayers and support!

Cheap Electronics

Well, we've lived on a starving college student budget for so long that many of our electronics are having issues or dying altogether. Granted we never purchase the top of the line or state of the art equipment (actually we usually buy the cheapest or closest to it).
It started this spring with our digital camera going on the fritz and we were able to replace it at a reasonable cost. We used part of our economic stimulus check to replace our 7 year old lap top that gave off warnings of dying every day. But now we have a video camera with a screen that no longer works, a portable dvd player that won't play the dvds, and a vcr that doesn't work either (Sky is going through video withdrawl as all of her princess movies are videos).
So today I went around to Best Buy, Circuit City, and a mom and pop fix it shop, all of which said that they don't fix things like that or, if they do, that it would be cheaper to just buy a new one. So, a lot of running around with very little progress. I guess we need a few more economic stimulus checks...
Tonight we went to a picnic in the park for our friend, Susan's birthday. Sky made a little friend named Sammy and they climbed trees and ran around for a solid 2 hours. Brad ate about a pint of blueberries and loads of other things that he scavenged from the fellow picnickers. That kept him busy for a while.
One would think Sky would be exhausted and ready for bed but we just had a big crying episode. Sky has been terrified of sleeping for a long time and she sleeps with her light on every night. Well, recently it has been even worse and she is truly terrified of spiders, nightmares (even though she's never had one and doesn't even know what they are), and any other host of things she can conjure up in her mind. It's really getting to be an ordeal when we put her to bed. She usually wakes up Brad and he gets screaming too which is just tons of fun. Any thoughts/advice from the blog readers?