Grad Party & Bonfires!!!

On Friday night we hosted Alicia and Sergio's graduation party!! The star of the night was definitely "Rockband"...I've never seen T rock it out on the guitar, or Alicia on the drums and Rachel on the Mic!!



We had amazing food!! Thank you to Balt for cooking for 40 people, it was worth the wait!



Then on Saturday it was over to Doheny Beach for Trent's B-Day celebration!! It was a beautiful day, perfect for volleyball!! Our team won 3 out of 3!! Woo Hoo go team Covey!



Happy Birthday Trent, we are so proud of you! You are so talented and what is so amazing is that you use your talent to serve the Lord! You have so many opportunities available to you, yet you have the wisdom and the patience to wait on the Lord and seek what He wants you to do. We are so excited for what the future holds for you and encourage you to always seek Him first!!
We love you! Your passion for life is contagious!!

Go Angels!!!

T got us 2 tickets to the Angel game on Monday night in the dugout suite!!
It was my first time going (to the suite) but T had been before and just couldn't pass up the opportunity!!!

I felt like such a celebrity walking into the suite...you literally walk into a huge "lounge" area...where the nice woman puts a invisible stamp on you, seen only by the "secret black light" :) It's so James Bondish...(maybe not)



So while T watched the game anticipating the Angels' every move, Mindy and I had fun people watching, eating and keeping our eyes out for random flying balls:) I really love the atmosphere, I love to see the families together, the dads explaining to their sons the score, or why the players wear that funny covering on their legs when they are batting, or why the players put certain weights on their warm-up bats..(which I actually found out...are their actual bats)and of course I had to have a hot dog and I usually get the huge ice cream cookie...but apparently that's a poor man snack because they didn't offer that in our first class seats:)



So a HUGE thank you to West Coast Firestop, and of course to my girl Mindy for giving me an unforgettable night, and tons of laughs!! Mindy, we totally have to hang out again, you make me laugh so much!! Thanks for making the night "fly" by!



All that was missing, was the Angels actually winning!! There is always next time!
Go Angels!! Woo Hoo

Congrats to Alicia!!!!

My niece, Alicia, graduated from Kennedy High School this week!! We are so proud of her and who she is becoming...
She is a joy to be around and has the heart of a servant! She is honest to the point that it's funny...she once gave me the very purse she was wearing because mine "looked like it was gonna break and I won't be seen with you wearing that one" hahaha, she is such a giver!!



She is going to college and is will be pursuing a career in nursing...she will be perfect for that: she doesn't mind all that blood, and she has a caring heart!

We love you Alicia!! We are so proud of you!
P.S. thanks for dessert last night

Day 15, Revealing Your Heart

If I truly had 30 days left (to live) I would become an excellent communicator! I would feel such a strong need/desire to express my love, forgiveness and gratitude to the key people in my life. The book suggests that before you can communicate with your mouth, your heart must lead the way, before you open your mouth to speak, you must first open your heart.

Jesus is the best example of speaking with ones heart, in that He communicated with us by leaving His home in heaven, coming to this earth, and putting on human flesh so He could reveal His heart to us. He opened up His heart and made Himself totally vulnerable. He risked rejection and was, in fact, misunderstood by many.
He did this for one reason- so we could see what God is like.

Until I open up my heart to those I love, I will never experience a communication breakthrough. Before the words flow, my heart must be exposed. We have to risk vulnerability to the point of possible rejection.

One way I can do this is to share my time. My time can sometimes be my most precious commodity. My time is valuable, and I don't like to waste it. It costs time to communicate effectively. Am I willing to pay that price??

The books lays out some "cost" to opening up your heart.
1. Share our time
2. Share our troubles, admit my needs
3. Share your true thoughts (in love)

So, many of you know the huge risk doing any of this involves for me. My biggest fear is rejection...But as I stated before I need to take risks to get any reward, no risk=no reward...Big risk=Big Reward... I'm preparing my heart to sit down and share with someone specific. It's a conversation that has been accumulating in my head for years now, and its a little unfair to the person, that they have no idea of my true feelings or my love for them...also the walls I have built around my heart have protected me but at the same time hidden me from all, whether good or bad...
I am ready to start tearing down that wall, and opening up my heart. I do know that not all risks end with a big reward, but I'm praying that this risk will be so worth it in the long run..

Is there a relational risk any of you need to take??? I would love to pray for you, please let me know, and please pray for me too!

Living Full Throttle!!

I'm on day 8 of my 30 day challenge. Today I am contemplating the "motorcross track" of life, the bumps, turns, curves and the crashes. We will crash/fail in life, its just a matter of when. But there is hope!!!!

The greatest power we need in our lives is the power to begin again(after a "crash") God is the God of second chances, and He wants to give us the power to begin again. It's not just the power for a fresh start; it's also the power to get back on the track and go faster than ever before!

The chapter focuses on 3 lessons that emerge from Peters crash site. Peter completely wiped out, he denied even knowing Jesus..not one time, but three times...I can't even imagine the way he felt. Yet God gave him the power to begin again....
Yay for second chances!!

I just want to share with you three things are so true & relevant to my life right now:
1. Because of Gods love for me, Failure is NEVER final or FATAL
2. Because of Gods grace, I can release my guilt and move forward
3. Because of who God is, I can surrender to God's strength

All I can end with is PRAISE GOD FOR SECOND CHANCES!!!

One Month To Live

In our small group at church we are reading through the book "One Month To Live" by Kerry & Chris Shook. The concept is clear: you have one month to live...how do you choose to live the next 30 days; living a no-regrets life.

For me, the book has been a great reminder/kick in the butt of what it means to live with purpose and to live intentionally. It's about taking risk, living out loud and living within your God given purpose!
I've taken a very honest look at my heart and how I've been living...I've been living a safe, risk free, pretty "low key" existence.

The last chapter I read was called "Dreamsicle, thawing out your frozen dreams"
This was a tough chapter for me, because I am not much of a dreamer. I am known as a realists, or a dream smasher...
Somewhere along the line, I stopped dreaming because I felt it was useless. My solution: if you don't dream then you can't be let down..no expectations, no disappointment. What a sad way to look at things, but honestly this is how I was "embracing" life.
No risk= no pain.

The challenge at the end of the chapter is to create a "dream box". So I'm going to try to put one together, also the next question if "what would you attempt for God if you knew you couldn't fail?" Well, that not a fair question at all...

This post is riddled with the disappointment that yet another month has gone by and again we are not pregnant. This is, by far, my biggest dream. Each month I experience a new level of depression, so for me to write down all my "dreams" is to open a wound that has never healed.

This next month, as I learn to live more intentionally, I would like to invite you to follow my journey. Follow me as I experience disappointment with new understanding and look at my past as just MY PAST...
I have a feeling the next month is going to be HARD BUT AMAZING for me. My heart is open and ready to allow the Lord to heal and sculpt me!!

Todays reading is "Kick start, living life full throttle" Charlies Angels, you've got nothing on me:)

Wet weather and smeeses!!

We went camping at O'Neill park over the weekend!! The weather was a little damp and cold...but we made the best of it!!! You would all be so proud of me for sticking it out. (even in the rain) Although we did have our 18 inch queen mattress, and our 2 canopies to cover us...but still I felt we were totally "roughing it", we still had to walk a little to use the bathroom.




So, SMEESES are the new "smore"...it's like a little bit of heaven stuck between two pieces of graham cracker...mmmmmm(you just replace the chocolate, with a Reeses) After about 4 of those, we called it a night...then the next day everyone (but me) took a 3 mile hike..I didn't go because the damp air and cold was horrible for my asthma., I didn't want to chance having an attack.




What I learned:
1. I don't like camping in the rain, too much wetness...not fun
2. Don't leave your shoes out overnight (in the rain)
3. My husband doesn't mind dancing in front of other people!! Laughing is good for soul!!

Out of hiding!!!

Wow, have we been busy....camping, eating, joining churches, hanging out, eating, getting ready for Alicia to graduate, eating...(you get the idea)
No more are our nights filled with just each other and our couch, gone are the days of solitude with our TV! Hello to a more FULL life & a more ENGAGED life!!

We have joined a small group, which we LOVE! My husband was soooooooo excited to be jumping in with both feet at our new church. We have always been so "relationally cautious". So careful before we open up and get to know people...WHY????
What were we waiting for?? NO IDEA!!!!

Tonight, at church, we are checking out the Youth group. We have always had a passion for junior high, but I felt that somehow God was done using me. So NOT true, and such a lie...
I truly have so much more to share, but will do at another time:)

Cheers to living a more ENGAGED life, and to new experiences...