A Lot to Say...

Well, I've been busy, what with not working and all, and I have seriously neglected this blog. Here's what I've been up to:

Our friends Amanda and Janelle came to visit for Memorial Day weekend. We had a lovely time and of course I took no photos. I've been meaning to post these pictures, however. I didn't take them, and she didn't do it here, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to show everyone how INSANE she is.

Apparently, she went rattle snake hunting, which is basically finding snakes, pinning them with a stick, and then picking them up. She thought this was fun. She is crazy. (Not to mention, she took her 10-year-old niece with her.) I guess there's just not that much to do in Tulsa, 'manda?

Amanda wearing a snake as a hat - The snake is pinned, now to pick it up
The craziest thing I've ever see Amanda do

I've also attended Marc & Ashley's wedding reception in Seattle, which included a nice time in downtown Seattle with Brad & Noelle, and Matt & Cristin. Of course, again, I took no pictures of Matt & Cristin. I did get these, though, of the rest of us! (Cristin, will you send me copies of all the pictures you took?)

Noelle meets Hannah Montana! - Brad & Noelle at the Pike Place Fish Market
Brad at the First Starbucks Ever - Brad & Noelle
Martin & Betsy - Martin, dreaming about the yacht we will never own

Then Martin and I went to Tijuana, Mexico, on another AMOR Ministries trip to build a house. (Our first trip was in February of this year.) We had a great time! I can't even begin to relate how satisfying it is to build a house for a family.

Click on any of the photos to see the whole set. We had so much fun, but worked so hard. I'm still digging cement out of my ears.

On the trip, however, Martin started feeling a familiar pain in his eye. Martin had a case of iritis about a year ago, which was hugely painful and scary. At that time, we were told that one case of iritis is no big deal, but if you get it twice, it can be a sign of an auto-immune issue, like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. To make things more complicated, when I lost my job and we switched from a group plan to our own individual plan on BCBS AZ, he had to sign a waiver for both his chest and his eye as "pre-existing conditions" which would not be covered, at all.

Well, in Mexico, on Saturday, all of a sudden Martin started feeling the same pain in his (other) eye. We weren't sure if it was all the dust, sweat and sunblock that was in all our eyes just irritating it, or if the iritis had come back in his other eye. He was OK on Sunday and Monday, but by Tuesday morning it was so bad he stayed all day in our darkened bedroom. He finally got in to the doctor this morning, and they confirmed that he does have a severe case of inflammation in the eye. He's got steroid drops and other drops that keep his eye dilated, and a follow-up appointment on Friday. He also has to get an appointment with his PCP for blood tests to rule out any other things (lupus, RA, even TB). There's a 60% chance that there's nothing else.

He's got a video shoot on Saturday, editing all next week, then another video shoot the next Saturday. They have already prepaid him for this job and he can't not do it - there are many other personnel involved in the shoot that are depending on him. Right now, his right eye (his shooting eye) is completely clouded and so sensitive to light he just stays in our room. He obviously can't do the shoot on Saturday (in this current condition), so he needs immediate improvement.

Martin in his Bat-Cave (click on image to read notes) - What it REALLY looks like in there

On top of that, although we're doing OK financially with both of us at home, a huge medical ordeal that our insurance won't cover puts us on shaky ground. Please pray for favor with our insurance company, as we work to see what they will cover in spite of this waiver, and wisdom to know whom to ask for help.

Not to mention that we just paid $95 for more meds for JT, because of his own eye issues. Just think, when we got this puppy, I told Martin if we had vet bills over $100 we would just put the dog down. JT doesn't know how close to death he was. :) Oh, I am so kidding: it will break my heart to have to do that. I love his silly little furry butt. (He's looking like Spaceman Spiff in his collar. Check him out.)

Poor little guy doesn't fit through the doggy door with his big collar

And finally, I've been greatly amused by this comic:

Probably because the "dead squirrel" comment reminds me of my family's endless amusement with roadkill. Don't ask. We're weird.

Update [7/16/08]: Martin's eye is getting much better. He's been taking steroid drops and the inflammation has greatly decreased. He has a follow-up appointment in September for the blood work, but that seems like more of a formality than an urgency. We're still looking into our insurance issues, but the good news is that the ophthalmologist gives a 50% discount to his cash customers.

Where Have I Been?

When Shannon tells you you're shannoning, you know it's got to be true. Well, I have good reasons, people.

On May 16, um, shall we say my "employment status" changed. You can call to get the full story. Anyway, Martin and I decided that I've been wanting to work from home for a long time, and we're taking this opportunity to make that a reality.

The following weekend Janelle and Amanda came to visit. We also had a freak cold snap - it was rainy and in the 70s on Memorial Day weekend, when it had been 109° just days before! We had a lovely time with the ladies, and we were sad to see them go. (I'll post pictures whenever Janelle gets around to sending them to me.)

On Memorial Day, we threw a last-minute party, the perfect party if I do say so myself. No RSVP, very little set-up, everyone brought their own meat and a side to share, and they came and went all day. We had a great time with everyone who showed up, and it only took 30 minutes to clean up after! Of course, the weather returned to normal and it was warm and sunny and Martin burned his head.

All the while, we've been working on the impending E3 move. This next weekend, June 8, we'll be meeting on Sunday mornings (currently we're on Sunday evenings) in a movie theater. I'm very excited about the change, but it has been tons of work to get all the stuff organized, signage designed and printed, postcards, web updates, etc.

Not to mention that we went to Nashville for a friend's wedding. (Lisa Shaker's daughter and Dan's sister, for those of you who are wondering.) We arrived at 2:15 PM on Friday, the wedding was at 6:30 PM that night, then the reception, then we flew out the next afternoon at 3:05 PM. We were literally on the ground 24 hours and 50 minutes. Martin edited a quick preview video for a party to be held Saturday night, on Saturday morning, and we were exporting and burning the DVD in the car on the way to the airport. He did a fantastic job, by the way - it was a candlelight ceremony, which makes it very difficult to do video! You should see the final project... it's gorgeous.

So, needless to say, I've been busy. And when you're working from home, there's no "off" time. I feel like I work more hours now than I ever did before. (And then, just when I'm feeling successful, Martin asks, "But how much of that is paid work?" and I realize how much free work I do. Oh, well, treasures in heaven, right?)

It's A Boy!

My friend just had her 4th child and 1st boy! Here's a video of baby Ethan.

Congrats, Shawn & Stephanie!

What a Weekend!

• When I got home Friday night, Martin surprised me with a super-clean house. He hired some help (Alinea) and it was sparklin'! So great.
  
• Friday night we had dinner with friends that turned into a great game of Taboo. My team won! Woo-hoo!
  
• Saturday morning, inspired by my newly cleaned house, I did a lot of spring cleaning and about 8 loads of laundry. We also bought a new comforter for our bed - I love it, M hates it - and some great laundry room accessories.
• Saturday afternoon, Martin and I did a photo shoot with Emily. We had so much fun! Check out a couple of the photos here.
• Sunday, Martin and I celebrated our 6th anniversary. It doesn't seem like 6 years have passed! Thanks to everyone for the cards.
  
• Sunday night, church was awesome! Brad shared some really challenging thoughts on communion. Great quote: "The church is the only organization created for the benefit of its non-members." Check it out here!
• After church, we had dinner and a meeting about our next AMOR trip to Mexico in July. (We went in February to Rocky Point.) Anyone want to go with us this time?

What a great weekend. What did you do this weekend?

Pictures from This Weekend

Holla

If you don't already know (I just found out this morning), RJ has a blog. Deep thoughts, and a lot of SNL videos.

Go check him out!

(Thanks, Randi, for letting me steal your killer photo.)

The Weather and Other Ramblings

We haven't quite hit our summer stride yet, but it's been consistently in the high 80s to 90s for the past few weeks. I hear that we're looking to pass 100° next week.

What's hilarious is that I'm sitting here in my office, wearing a light sweater over a tank top, with my space heater blasting. The other residents of the office are on a drastically different temperature setting than I am, always. They have the front door open and the AC on.

This office never gets below 72, and ironically I think it's colder inside during the summer months than it is in the winter. (I use "winter" loosely here, as we usually stay in the 40-60° range, and it doesn't last very long.) On my lunch break, I usually go sit somewhere in the sun in my car, and warm up.

I'm also cold at home, where I cuddle up in a huge fleece blanket when Martin turns on the air. Last night, I was finally comfortable in our bedroom, and Martin was literally sweating. I know this is a common imbalance in marriage, but I think we're even more out of sync than most couples.

That's why I love AZ. It's hot most of the time, and whenever I'm freezing inside, I can go outside and warm up.

So why am I going to Seattle this weekend?

Friday Few Showers High 51°F Low 39°F Precip: 30% Wind: SSW at 6 mph UV Index: 4 Moderate Humidity: 71% Sunrise: 6:01 AM Sunset: 8:14 PM Occasional showers possible. Highs in the low 50s and lows in the upper 30s.

Saturday Mostly Cloudy High 63°F Low 46°F Precip: 10% Wind: SE at 7 mph UV Index: 4 Moderate Humidity: 66% Sunrise: 6:00 AM Sunset: 8:15 PM close More clouds than sun. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the mid 40s.

I'm going to freeze!!!

I'm flying out Friday morning to attend a Father/Daughter event with Nick. I'm coming home Sunday morning, so it will be a very short trip. I'm also flying standby, so I'm going to try to pack light (no liquids!) and carry on. I'll have to borrow warm clothing, which is fine, because I don't own much!

Plan A

"God always has Plan A for your life."
Brad Larson

I have heard Brad say this 100 times, and I know he sincerely believes it because he has lived it.

Last night I had a conversation with a dear friend. She's a single mom in her late 20's, and just found out she is one of 45 million Americans with an incurable but treatable STD.

She's really sincere and growing in her relationship with God, but she's had a long journey to get to this point. Like all of us, she's made mistakes, and she continues to face consequences for the choices she made years ago.

She was really discouraged, and said that she thought at this point that maybe it just wasn't meant for her to find a husband. Although I understand her point of view - who wants to have that conversation with a guy that you like? - I had to argue with her.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

God's gifts and God's call are under full warranty
—never canceled, never rescinded.
Romans 11:29

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Psalm 37:23

True, God's plan for our lives is like the shortest distance between two points. In his perfect plan for our lives, we leave Point A and go directly to Point B. Sometimes, in our view, there is no way possible to get from Point A to Point B. And so we make right turns and left turns, trying to figure our own way to the place we want to be.

In our lives, we make choices every day. God's spirit lives within us and directs our steps, and with his help, we can make the right choices. But when we don't, when we choose our own way, that doesn't change the final destination. It just changes the path we take to get there.

No matter what we have done, no matter how many self-inflicted detours, there is always time to make a U-turn and follow God's directions to get to Point B. God always has Plan A for our lives.

Grandpa

My nephew Parker just learned to ride his bike without training wheels. My dad posted some pictures of the big day, including a staged accident when Grandpa apparently tried to ride the bike and fell down.

We haven't seen Parker since before we moved to AZ. He's getting so big... makes me sad to miss so much of his life.

Anyway, this photo of my dad cracked me up, and I thought I'd share.

Janelle finally sent me more pictures from Analise's party.

They are great examples of:

1. Why iPhones aren't called iCameras.
2. How pictures sometimes aren't worth 1000 words.
3. How great it is to get together with friends that make you feel like you've never been apart.

A Long Weekend

Just got back from a long weekend in Tulsa. . . I had a blast! It's month-end at work and I have tons to do, so I thought I'd post some pictures. Yes, I took pictures! It took some serious discipline, and my camera died halfway through the party on Saturday, but I managed to record MOST of the people I saw! (Some more pics from the party should be coming soon, and I forgot to get a picture of Lee & Missy West.)

Enjoy!

Hello, Roxy

We've been looking for a friend for JT. He's such a high-energy little guy, and unless Martin takes him to the dog park for an hour every day, by the time I get home from work he's chasing his tail. He even makes chewing on a bone an aerobic activity. He literally wiggles and fidgets and jumps and flips and rolls and fights all night if he hasn't been properly stimulated during the day.

So we've been puppy-shopping. Yesterday, I saw an ad for a little girl minpin/chihuahua, just a month or two younger than JT. She looked just like him in the photo. I knew, immediately, that this was the one for us. I wanted to name her Pixie.

The problem was, they were asking way more than we were prepared to pay. Money has been real tight the past few months, and we just didn't have that much to spend on something that is arguably not necessary and will in fact cost us much more than just the initial purchase. Martin and I both had Christmas money left and talked about using that, but it was still half of what they were asking for her.

Last night at our LifeGroup, I was sharing with a couple friends how much I wanted her and how we had asked to get her for half the price and I was hoping the owners would respond favorably. A friend asked us how much and offered to loan us the rest. Although it really wasn't that much money, Martin reminded me that we had made a commitment to no more debt as part of FPU, and he was so right. Plus, I don't know that I'd want to borrow money from a friend, or go into debt, no matter how small, for a pet. So we said thanks, but no. Then she offered to give us $20. A few more chipped in, and before we knew it, we had just enough to get her.

Martin went and got her this morning. He'll have to post about that experience himself. She and JT get along great and almost look like twins. When I found out that her name was Roxy, I decided that was even better than Pixie.

Thanks to Terri, Tonya and Alinea for your love and support. It takes a village, people.

Games

If you have known me for any length of time, you know I like to play games. Any kind of board or card game, really. Not so excited about video games, although I can play Tetris for hours.

Sidenote: Now it's been said that I'm competitive, but it's really a misperception. I like to trash talk, for the sake of the talking of trash. And I don't care what rules we play by, but I do like to know the rules and then play by the rules we agreed on. (This comes from growing up with my little brother, who always cheated at games. He stole money if he was the banker in Monopoly. He lied when I hit his battleships. He's grown up to be a respectable adult, and I don't think he's extended his cheating into real life, but I still watch his hands when we play cards. And now someone else in my life does the same... but more on that later.) In the end, though, I don't really care if we win or lose (but like everyone, I prefer winning), but it's the playing of the game that I love.

In the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to play games on three occasions, and it's been so much fun. I played Balderdash with a large group (I would recommend a smaller group: it took FOREVER to get through one round!) and learned the words aprosexia, bathetic, and prunella. Truly, my life has been enriched. Of course, the last person you'd expect to cheat, Brad, was cheating in the last few rounds. At least he was man enough to admit it. Although I'm not sure how we all missed that he was looking up the words on the computer in front of us. So, Brad, when I tell you that you're just like a brother to me, what I mean is, you cheat just like my brother.

Then, we had an impromptu get-together and ended up playing one of my top 3 favorite games: Cranium. When we lived in Tulsa, Martin and I played this game so often that we actually knew most of the answers on the cards. It's been a while, and I think they've got new cards, because I only recognized one card, and it was a song I had to hum, so it didn't matter that I knew what it was. This game is so much fun, and you always end up laughing at someone's humming skills or acting skills or drawing skills. Especially when someone is doing a Sensosketch (which is like a Pictionary card - you have to draw a picture and have your teammates guess the word, except you have to do it with your eyes closed!) and his teammate doesn't realize he has his eyes closed, and says, "Dude, you draw like a retard!" Or when the person you're trying to imitate is Joe Friday, and your teammates have already guessed "Friday", and you say, "My first name is like, 'a cup of (blank)'", and your teammate yells out, "Tea Friday!"

A few nights ago, we got together with David & Emily and ended up playing DVD Trivial Pursuit. It's a slightly dumbed-downed version of the original game, but they still beat us by a huge margin. However, the last question (that we played anyway... we called the game for time and there was no chance of a last-minute rally for the Leeuwners) from the DVD played a tune and you had to identify the boy band. This was the song: (at least I think it was, which is kind of the point). David guessed *NSYNC, and I jokingly said, "How do you know it wasn't Backstreet Boys?" Turns out, it was the Backstreet Boys! I laughed, because I really didn't know either way, and said, "I don't know these boy bands. All I know is Justin Timberlake was in *NSYNC and Nick Lachey was in Backstreet Boys." Apparently, I don't even know that. David (how does he know so much about boy bands?) pointed out that Nick Lachey was in 98°. I had to look it up in wikipedia just to see who was in Backstreet Boys. (No one who's done anything since, I guess.) And I still can't name a single *NSYNC song! (Upon consulting the wiki... I see Bye Bye Bye. How could I forget that song?!) Anyhow, the point is... for all their records, promotions, videos, merchandise and hype, we still can't tell them apart. Or maybe the lesson is that if you're not a 13-year-old little girl, there's no way your brain can hold such useless information.

Whatever the game, I just love to play with friends. It's such a great way to get to know someone better, and makes great memories!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's 52nd birthday. And I'm going to see her tonight! I leave right after work today to fly to Seattle for a whole week.
I can't wait to see my family.

After two weeks of being alone (busy, busy, busy, with lots of friends, but alone), it will be nice to stop all the frenzied activity and just kick back with some of my favorite people.

We'll be driving up to Silver Star Mountain in British Columbia, Canada, to spend the week in my uncle's ski house. They just got 10" of snow, so it should be fun... and freezing. Good thing there's a hot tub!

And then Sunday, I get to see my best friend Christi who just moved back to Oregon to start her practice. I can't wait to see her!

I dropped JT off at Christi's sister's house in Chandler last night. She's going to be watching him all week. I called her this morning, and he didn't give them any problems going to sleep last night (he was worn out from playing with their puppy), but he pooped on the carpet. Twice. Way to represent the family, JT. I'm really going to owe Tim & Michelle a big one.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone!

The Wiggles

No, not those ones!
These ones!

They've moved, internetically speaking, and want to make sure everyone knows where to find them:
David's Blog
The Family Blog

Stop by and give them some comment-lovin'!

Short Post, Big News

Do I hear the pitter-patter of little feet? No, we're not pregnant, but Analise is out of PGN! Congratulations, Adam & Shannon! I can't wait to meet the little cowgirl-princess in person.

Welcome to the Neighborhood

Alinea's in the blogosphere! I'm really excited, because she's a thinker, and she always has something good to say. I can't wait to hear what she's got on her mind.

Check her out.

No pressure to post now, huh?

Dream A Little Dream

I have been having really vivid dreams lately. I think it's the allergy medicine I'm taking at night. I have these active dreams all night, and I wake up exhausted, like I didn't sleep at all. Thank goodness it's Friday and I can sleep in a little this weekend.

Last night, I had a dream that is still with me this morning. Do you ever have dreams that create such strong emotions that you still feel it when you wake up? Sometimes Martin does something in my dreams and I wake up so mad at him, then have to realize that he didn't do anything at all!

The dream I had last night was this:
I walk into a large church. (It took me a while to figure out which church it was, but it was the church in NC that I attended in high school and college.) I feel like I should know some people, like I should belong, but everyone is a stranger. There are some people who seem familiar, but they don't talk to me. I walk up to the front of the right section, where I always used to sit, but there are no seats. I go to the back and put down my purse, but then I don't know what to do. I try to find the production booth to DO something, but can't find it. I feel lost, unwelcome, and really, really out of place.

I still feel a little of residual emotion from that dream this morning. It's really an awful feeling, wanting to belong, but not belonging.

I'm so thankful for our church, The Life at Scottsdale. We are pretty small, and there are always seats open at the front, back, wherever! I hope that we are friendly and make people feel welcome (you don't want to make new people feel like they stick out, either, so it's a delicate balance of friendliness vs. weird fakeness). Sometimes it feels really uncomfortable to approach someone I don't know and make conversation (I'm really shy -- I know, no one believes me), but it's worth it to make them feel like we care. Because we truly do.

We had an impromptu movie night at our house after church last weekend. We had a house guest, Kissy Harris, and knew some people might want to hang out with her. So we invited anyone who wanted to come over for a movie on our big screen. Anytime we have a get-together at our house, we invite everyone. It's easy to in a church our size! Anyway, I invited a girl who has been coming to our church for a few weeks. She said, "I've gone to church my whole life and no one has ever invited me to do anything."

That made me so sad! I can't imagine what life would be like without my church family. My life is so enriched by each and every person who calls The Life their home. I couldn't pick a better group of people to "do life together" with.

So this is a thank-you to everyone who makes my church warm and friendly, and an encouragement to us all to make sure that no one ever feels like I did last night in my dream. If we can't make someone feel loved in church, where are they going to feel loved?

7/7/07

We had a great time at Tonya's 30th birthday party last night!

Click on any photo for the whole set.

SURPRISE! Martin's 28th Birthday Party