Friday, July 31, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
My New Neighbors
They just built a Taco Bell right outside my front door. Literally. It's maybe a few hundred yards away from my couch.
This is ironic, considering they're like my least favorite chain restaurant of all time. Now I must greet each day with a purple and orange neon sign.
Taco Bell? More Like Taco Hell.
This is ironic, considering they're like my least favorite chain restaurant of all time. Now I must greet each day with a purple and orange neon sign.
Taco Bell? More Like Taco Hell.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
God's Timing
Chris and I recently discovered something about God's involvement in our story that totally blew us away.
Check this out.
The other night we were talking about many of our single friends. I mentioned how back in early 2005, I had a very revolutionary experience in my journey as a single woman. Being married was something I had desired for many years and I struggled with trying to truly be content to wait on God while still deeply desiring a husband. I felt like every time I prayed about it, I was in a way telling God I wasn't content. The thing was, though, there was no use pretending it wasn't constantly on my mind. It was.
As 2005 started, I made a decision that instead of pretending that it wasn't constantly on my mind, I'd acknowledge that it was and then give that to God. I made a commitment to pray every day for my husband - whoever he was and wherever he might be. Beginning January 1, 2005, I spent my 20 minute drive to work each day praying for my husband. I prayed for his heart for God. I prayed for his job. I prayed for his family. I prayed for his thought life. I prayed for his fears. I prayed for his dreams.
Even though nothing changed outwardly in my dating life, my attitude changed because I felt like I was finally doing something. It was empowering to be able to openly admit my desire and give it up to God.
I prayed very consistently from several months. Around the beginning of April, as summer approached, life got busier and I prayed with less frequency. However, for those three months, my prayer life had come alive in a way it never had before. And my struggle with being single took on a new purpose.
I mentioned this to Chris the other night. He got this knowing smile on his face and told me he wasn't surprised.
Because on April 24, 2005, after several months of soul searching, Chris surrendered his life to God.
Check this out.
The other night we were talking about many of our single friends. I mentioned how back in early 2005, I had a very revolutionary experience in my journey as a single woman. Being married was something I had desired for many years and I struggled with trying to truly be content to wait on God while still deeply desiring a husband. I felt like every time I prayed about it, I was in a way telling God I wasn't content. The thing was, though, there was no use pretending it wasn't constantly on my mind. It was.
As 2005 started, I made a decision that instead of pretending that it wasn't constantly on my mind, I'd acknowledge that it was and then give that to God. I made a commitment to pray every day for my husband - whoever he was and wherever he might be. Beginning January 1, 2005, I spent my 20 minute drive to work each day praying for my husband. I prayed for his heart for God. I prayed for his job. I prayed for his family. I prayed for his thought life. I prayed for his fears. I prayed for his dreams.
Even though nothing changed outwardly in my dating life, my attitude changed because I felt like I was finally doing something. It was empowering to be able to openly admit my desire and give it up to God.
I prayed very consistently from several months. Around the beginning of April, as summer approached, life got busier and I prayed with less frequency. However, for those three months, my prayer life had come alive in a way it never had before. And my struggle with being single took on a new purpose.
I mentioned this to Chris the other night. He got this knowing smile on his face and told me he wasn't surprised.
Because on April 24, 2005, after several months of soul searching, Chris surrendered his life to God.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Party Time!
Tomorrow we have our party-for-the-wedding-that's-not-a-shower. There will be men there, specifically Chris, and I've been informed that men "don't do showers."So it's a ... party. Yeah. A party.
I told him there would be lots of food there and that convinced him. He said he'd eat himself into a coma.
Seriously, though, I'm finally getting excited! Things are beginning. I'm sure when we open our first wedding gift it will really hit home.
Last night was my mom's 60th birthday and my cousin Peter's 24th birthday. We celebrated it with a traditional Tschamler/Moore family party - BBQ in the backyard, followed by coffee, several desserts (including my dad's homemade ice cream) and presents.
Here are a few photos of the fun...
The birthday king and queen.
The BEST chocolate cake I've ever eaten. Seriously.
Cody and Uncle Peter.
Present time!
We gave mom an engraved jewelry box. You know. For all her jewels.
We sang the Happy Birthday song loudly and completely off-key.
"Sure." - Jonah
Jon thought the game was Hit Uncle Jon's Hand. Jonah disagreed.
Jonah discovered beans picked right out of the garden.
My dad's famous ice cream. Coffee Oreo. It was delish.
The Worm. All those years we had the wrong cousin.
Good times. I love family.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Music is My Soul Food
Music.
It makes me dance.
It brings a smile to my face.
It's one way God reveals Himself to me.
There's a joy I find in music that I can't find anywhere else.
But it's not just me.
Watch how spontaneous singing on a French subway wins people over.
(Although sadly they're never able to get to the John Travolta look alike.)
And then there's this video ... one of my all time favorites.
This is the song that does it for me. I can't NOT dance when I hear this one.
What's your dance song of choice?
It makes me dance.
It brings a smile to my face.
It's one way God reveals Himself to me.
There's a joy I find in music that I can't find anywhere else.
But it's not just me.
Watch how spontaneous singing on a French subway wins people over.
(Although sadly they're never able to get to the John Travolta look alike.)
And then there's this video ... one of my all time favorites.
This is the song that does it for me. I can't NOT dance when I hear this one.
What's your dance song of choice?
Monday, July 13, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
The Pause at the Tippy Top
Fear not, my followers, I have not abandoned you! I've just been a little busy, is all.
Actually, what I feel like is that for the past couple months I've been slowly chugging up a very tall roller coaster hill and now I'm perched at the very tippy top. You know how you actually pause for a few seconds before you plunge over the edge into a near free fall? Yeah. That's how I feel.
I have discovered that the problem with not updating the blog as frequently is that I now have bloads to update you on! So let me try to fill you in in a somewhat coherent manner.
Vacation
Chris and I spent last weekend in Phoenix. Since the 4th of July fell on a Saturday this year, we had Friday off, so we made a long weekend of it.
Yes, we are crazy. We went to the desert in July. It was hot. 110 DEGREES hot.
We went down there to visit his aunt, uncle and cousin. It was a wonderful vacation. We spent a lot of our weekend sleeping, eating, reading and hanging out by the pool working on our tans. And also avoiding being pounced on by Roxie, the Michael Phelps of the Dog World.
It was fun to get a glimpse of Chris' childhood. I had a chance to see a bunch of old photos and I was able to verify a few things.
Uh, Mom? One quick thing. We need to talk about destroying some old family photos. Stat! Specifically The Dorky Years.
Anyway, after spending four days in AZ, my conclusion? Chris comes from good people and I'm a very lucky girl to be marrying into a family like his.
Wedding
I have some very exciting news! Danny Oertli has agreed to do the music for our wedding! I'd asked him a few months ago knowing it was a long shot that he'd actually be able to, but I'm happy to tell you that he's agreed! Here's the best part. Unbeknownst to him, Danny was actually a part of our story. You see, it was at one of his concerts that Chris first heard about Compassion. He sponsored a boy that night, who he later went to Kenya to visit. While in Kenya he met Gayle who told him about a job opening she was hiring for at Compassion. He applied and got the job and ... well ... you know the rest of the story. So Danny was a part of the beginning of our story and now he will be a part of our big day. Thanks, Danny!
Also we've managed to secure highly talented Dominican videographer. He is a friend of my sister's and graciously agreed to fly out from NY to film the day. Thanks, Roman. Eres muy generoso, amigo!
In other news, I finally got the invitations in the mail this week. It took a while, but it was SO worth the wait! (Not unlike my love story, actually.) My brother, a.k.a. brilliant graphic designer, made them. They are PERFECT. Exactly what I envisioned.
(Speaking of invitations, whoever came up with the idea of leaving four weeks to RSVP? Really. It takes five seconds, people.)
Anyway, there are a lot of details that are waiting on final numbers, so I've been anxious to get these out and start getting a better idea of how big this thing will be.
A few weekends ago we registered for some gifts. Chris agreed to do this for me. (Thanks, honey. Way to score some major points.) But I want to tell you about something else we're doing. We want to use our wedding to fund a project with Healing Waters International. The water project we are funding is in Barrio George in the Dominican Republic. It is actually connected to a Compassion project, which makes it extra special for us. So if any of you want to help us do this and make a donation, please mention our names in the comment section of the donation form.
Finally, and perhaps the news I'm MOST excited about, I picked up my dress yesterday! Three words for you: I. LOVE. IT. Seriously, if it were possible to be in love with an inanimate object, I would be smitten.
According to our trusty wedding web site countdown thing, there are 38 days until THE day. So tell me, at what point do I start getting nervous?
Actually, what I feel like is that for the past couple months I've been slowly chugging up a very tall roller coaster hill and now I'm perched at the very tippy top. You know how you actually pause for a few seconds before you plunge over the edge into a near free fall? Yeah. That's how I feel.
I have discovered that the problem with not updating the blog as frequently is that I now have bloads to update you on! So let me try to fill you in in a somewhat coherent manner.
Vacation
Chris and I spent last weekend in Phoenix. Since the 4th of July fell on a Saturday this year, we had Friday off, so we made a long weekend of it.
Yes, we are crazy. We went to the desert in July. It was hot. 110 DEGREES hot.
We went down there to visit his aunt, uncle and cousin. It was a wonderful vacation. We spent a lot of our weekend sleeping, eating, reading and hanging out by the pool working on our tans. And also avoiding being pounced on by Roxie, the Michael Phelps of the Dog World.
It was fun to get a glimpse of Chris' childhood. I had a chance to see a bunch of old photos and I was able to verify a few things.
1. Chris was a cute child. But even as a teenager he was totally adorable. It seems he was born that way.Sweetness.
2. His aunt, uncle and cousin were a very important part of his life. He's in, like, every photo album they own.
3. There was a time when he sported a mullet. A bleached mullet.
Uh, Mom? One quick thing. We need to talk about destroying some old family photos. Stat! Specifically The Dorky Years.
Anyway, after spending four days in AZ, my conclusion? Chris comes from good people and I'm a very lucky girl to be marrying into a family like his.
Wedding
I have some very exciting news! Danny Oertli has agreed to do the music for our wedding! I'd asked him a few months ago knowing it was a long shot that he'd actually be able to, but I'm happy to tell you that he's agreed! Here's the best part. Unbeknownst to him, Danny was actually a part of our story. You see, it was at one of his concerts that Chris first heard about Compassion. He sponsored a boy that night, who he later went to Kenya to visit. While in Kenya he met Gayle who told him about a job opening she was hiring for at Compassion. He applied and got the job and ... well ... you know the rest of the story. So Danny was a part of the beginning of our story and now he will be a part of our big day. Thanks, Danny!
Also we've managed to secure highly talented Dominican videographer. He is a friend of my sister's and graciously agreed to fly out from NY to film the day. Thanks, Roman. Eres muy generoso, amigo!
In other news, I finally got the invitations in the mail this week. It took a while, but it was SO worth the wait! (Not unlike my love story, actually.) My brother, a.k.a. brilliant graphic designer, made them. They are PERFECT. Exactly what I envisioned.
(Speaking of invitations, whoever came up with the idea of leaving four weeks to RSVP? Really. It takes five seconds, people.)
Anyway, there are a lot of details that are waiting on final numbers, so I've been anxious to get these out and start getting a better idea of how big this thing will be.
A few weekends ago we registered for some gifts. Chris agreed to do this for me. (Thanks, honey. Way to score some major points.) But I want to tell you about something else we're doing. We want to use our wedding to fund a project with Healing Waters International. The water project we are funding is in Barrio George in the Dominican Republic. It is actually connected to a Compassion project, which makes it extra special for us. So if any of you want to help us do this and make a donation, please mention our names in the comment section of the donation form.
Finally, and perhaps the news I'm MOST excited about, I picked up my dress yesterday! Three words for you: I. LOVE. IT. Seriously, if it were possible to be in love with an inanimate object, I would be smitten.
According to our trusty wedding web site countdown thing, there are 38 days until THE day. So tell me, at what point do I start getting nervous?
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