Things for which I am thankful...

For the heck of it, I'll share 39 things for which I'm thankful. I am thankful for:

1. God calling me into relationship with Him.
2. Choosing to accept that call.
3. God giving Lena to me to marry.
4. God giving us a healthy and wonderful and beautiful baby girl.
5. God providing us with another baby girl due March 26.
6. My extremely giving mother who has provided and sacrificed so much for me.
7. My sisters whom I love greatly even if I was a spoiled youngest child.
   
8. The work opportunities I have been given throughout my life (desirable and less desirable).
9. My overall good health.
10. The 30+ years my brain worked pretty well.
11. My passion to ride motorcycles.
12. My desire to put safety first (not only with #11 above).
13. Never being in any serious accidents (includes #11 above).
14. My friends. I have great friends. And I have a bunch of them. Thank you all.
15. Nysha being a Cowboys fan. I logically became a Steelers fan and they have the most Super Bowl Championships of any NFL team. =)
16. My financial troubles early in life that helped me be much better with them later.
17. God never leaving me wanting.
18. Never having to experience poverty firsthand.
19. Serving the people of both Mendoza and Buenos Aires (Argentina).
20. Serving the people in Bombo, Uganda.
21. Being able to live in a nice as well as big home in the community in which serve/work.
22. The influence my grandparents had on me.
23. The memories of my dad.
24. Our big screen TV.
25. Our big screen TV being HD.
26. DirecTV's HD signal that is projected on our big screen, HD TV.
27. My wife who doesn't squelch my passion for motorcycles.
    
28. My wife who may even encourage my passion for motorcycles.
29. My wife who is a far better shopper than me (the deals she gets are unbelievable; and she doesn't have to work at them like I do).
30. My wife who bakes phenomenal treats.
31. My wife who also cooks well (and often).
32. The baked treats in #30 not going directly to fat around my waste.
33. Living so close to work (so close that I have actually walked home and that I desire to ride my bicycle to work at least once a week).
34. The way God created my very detail-oriented mind.
35. The people that can appreciate my detail-oriented mind.
36. The ways I learn about God's character through being a spouse.
37. The ways I learn about God's character through being a parent.
38. That I am still willing to learn.
39. The cross.
    

We're in!

We had a very successful move. Thanks go out to so many helpers.

• The Lee family and Chad C. for boxes.
• For painting, thanks to Julie, Peter, and my wife.
• Our small group, co-workers, friends, and church attenders for doing the moving and loading of the truck.
• A special shout out to Herb and Peter for not only building the garage shelves but also making sure all the garage items were on shelves so we could actually park in the garage our first night in our new-to-us rental home.
• Another special thank you to Peter for having the ceiling fans installed, buying the garage shelving, garage wall cabinet, and the washer/dryer combo.
• FINALLY, THE BIGGEST THANK YOU FOR MY WIFE FOR PACKING NEARLY EVERYTHING. LITERALLY, NEARLY EVERYTHING!! (I would start to think I was a completely absent husband if I hadn't moved the boxes to the garage, lined up helpers, transferred utilities, got a smoking deal on the rental truck, etc. Notice that I feel that I am now only a slightly absent husband, not completely absent.)

Throughout this whole process, we have realized that God is really taking care of our needs. He puts things in place before we even know we'll need something down the road. Our prayer is that we'll find an ideal roommate to whom we can minister and love. We also hope to utilize our home to serve others. We appreciate your prayers for these last two things. Thanks.

Now hurry and come visit while there is an empty bedroom and bathroom downstairs!

Thanks Grandma!

Grandma Robinson bought Karis a set of books and DVDs that will help her get a head start on reading -- perhaps before Kindergarten.  She typically spends all day just sleeping, eating and pooping -- nothing too productive -- so I decided to get her started on the learning.

She looked a bit overwhelmed at first at all the materials.

But she picked a starting point and got to it.

She spent a good few hours studying.

Eventually she pooped out.  We'll resume again tomorrow...

Blessed By Friends

Derek and I typically don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. We agreed that it feels a little forced and way too Hallmark-y. We typically find ways to serve others on that day. This year was different. Our friends around us know how crazy life has gotten since we became a family of three, and moreso in the month of February.

In the beginning of February, I went back to work part-time. I am working 30 hours a week this month. It wouldn’t be so bad if I was getting more than 2 hours of sleep at a time! I’ve been doing three 10-hour days. Any day without at least one 20-minute nap is pretty tough! 

Since we couldn’t find daycare for Karis this month, Derek and my sister have been watching her while I'm at work. Derek has been working four long work days so that he can get an extra day off.  He watches Karis two days a week while my sister from LA comes to watch her the third day.  

Derek also started his seminary class. His classes go well into the evening on Tuesdays and it’s crazy how many assignments, tests/quizzes, and papers are required of him.

All that said, it was such a blessing when our friends offered to watch Karis so we could go out. How could we say no? On Friday night, we went out for late night appetizers and desserts. We got a chance to spend some uninterrupted time together and talk about more than just “How was your day?” and “Quick, get me a burp cloth. She spit up.” On Saturday, another couple watched Karis while we went to see a movie and grabbed lunch. It was great! Thank you friends! We appreciate you! 

Back on the Bike

The last time I rode on the motorcycle with Derek was when I was six month pregnant.  That was the point when my riding jacket was a bit snug and I had to put it away.  I've been looking forward to getting back on the bike for a nice ride.  I enjoy being outside, with my arms wrapped around my husband, and in silence with just me and my thoughts and tons of things to look at.  

We got back on the bike for our usual ride down Santiago Canyon.  Karis did great inside the tank bag.  No, we wouldn't take her on the bike.  We left her at home with my sister.  Thanks sis for watching our baby so we could go on a ride!

Thank YOU!

Derek and Lena have some unbelievably generous friends (and some are creative, too) . We are so grateful for all of you.