peterson's place

January 31, 2012

2012-01-27T13:25:00.001-08:00

Drake is scheduled to arrive into the world on

Tuesday, January 31, 2012.

The C-Section procedure is set to begin at 1:30 p.m.

That's the plan, unless any more surprises come up. I'm doing ok. This is all taking its toll on me for sure. Feeling really exhausted and overwhelmed. Desperately wanting to just hold my baby. At the same time, trying to cope with the fact I will most likely not get to hold my baby for awhile. We're prepared for him to be whisked off to the NICU right away, and we trust the team of doctors who will be taking care of him. We're bracing ourselves that we may not have long with our sweet baby boy. Trying to stay strong and not utterly fall apart at the mere thought of losing him. An emotional juggling act that I still can't believe I am in the midst of.

Drake's Latest Plan

2012-01-24T17:58:00.000-08:00

This past week has been an emotional roller coaster to say the least! We've been through differing doctors opinions and difficult choices during our time here at UCLA. Last Thursday after seeing the Cardiologist, we learned that Drake's heart had gotten worse. This led the cardiologist to feel the best decision was to deliver Drake ASAP. However, our OB had a different opinion, thinking it was better to continue to wait to allow him to mature and gain more weight/strength. Thursday night, Jon and I were totally overwhelmed. The doctors had presented both sides and told us "It is up to you what you want to do." We couldn't do it, making such a HUGE decision on the timing of his birth was too much. The pros and cons seemed too brutal. The main issue was presented as whether we wanted to risk death in utero or death out of utero. Both risks are very probable. So we were faced with: Keep him in and let him develop, but risk sudden death due to an arrhythmia in utero. OR Take him out and risk complications of prematurity on top of heart failure and hydrops, therefore leading to risk of death shortly after delivery. How do you pick between those things?? We didn't. We said we wanted more time to make a decision (I guess sort of by default opting to give him more time). We asked for another appointment with the cardiologist to see if Drake's heart was rapidly getting progressively worse on a day to day basis. He happily agreed to see us on Monday. We also met with our OB again yesterday, and she gave him a good look too via ultrasound. He had not gotten any worse over the past 3-4 days. Actually, one thing, the umbilical flow to the heart, actually looked a little better!

Sooo.... all that leads to the most recent update on Drake. Which was emailed out today:

Hi all,

The latest news to share is that Drake will only be cooking for another week at the most. After several ups and downs and back and forths, all doctors have come to agreement it is best to not let him stay in utero much more than a week. This is due mainly to two factors 1) His condition is very poor and he is at high risk for death in utero. 2) Although my preeclampsia remains stable, it is still severe and best not to push it much longer.

The cardiologist will be examining Drake again on Thursday. If his heart looks worse on Thursday, they will deliver him via C-Section either the same day, or the next day. If his heart looks the same as it did when he was examined yesterday, they will wait until Tuesday for the C-Section.

Once Drake is born, no one is sure how he will fare. The main priority will be to get him stabilized ASAP, which means he will be handed over to a team of doctors and taken to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). There are no surgeries that can be preformed for his condition. We've been thoroughly counseled on the reality that his chances of survival are poor. It could be hours, days, weeks, etc. The cardiologist said he believes there is about a 1% chance he will live very long without a heart transplant.

Many of you have asked what will happen once Drake is born if he does survive. I will do my best to answer that based off what we know right now. As soon as Drake departs from the womb and is stabilized, they will examine him thoroughly to try to determine what will be most helpful to treat him. They will also begin all the steps to evaluate him for a heart transplant. If he is considered a candidate for a heart transplant, the wait for a heart will be a couple of months minimum. (Key word there being minimum, since he will be so little the wait will be long!). The prediction is that Drake will need to remain in the hospital, under intensive care, until a heart is available. We're praying that he is able to maintain his strength and keep his fighting spirit during this time.

However, as we've said before, we also know we are literally praying for a miracle. That has always been the case. So far, he already is a miracle. The doctors all are surprised he has made it this far. This leaves us all filled with Hope, and leads us to pray for a BIG miracle. Drake will have many challenges to face and many odds to beat. Of course it is our personal desire, for our baby to be one of God's miracles. This is one of those seasons of faith where it is extremely challenging to pray for God's will, because we want our baby, alive and well, in our arms forever! We know we have to put all our trust in the Lord, and that no matter what happens, he will carry us through and he will be there. We're experiencing that every day now, as we are surrounded with love and support from others. God has been so good to us. Also, the gift of being at one of the best hospitals in the country. The team of doctors and nurses have been not only brilliant, but also kind and compassionate. We are very lucky.

A few specific prayer requests in addition to what we have mentioned above. As if the above were not enough to ask for! :)

1) I (Stacy) am extremely nervous about the C-Section. I know it is a very common procedure and I'm sure I'll be fine. I'm less nervous about the medical aspect of it, and more concerned about the psychological aspect. I'm terrified of the spinal epidural procedure (phobic of IV's/needles) and also very anxious since Drake is at such high risk and I will just have to be laying there. Prayer's for Jon's as well in this regard- strength and a calm spirit as he has to support his crazy wife who will probably be completely panicking, and as he watches his vulnerable son being born.

2) Peace for the upcoming days as we await for these final milestones and decision points before Drake is born.

3) Safety and good health for our family amidst all of this. Our parents are already here and others will be traveling to be here once the delivery is a "go".

Much love and thanks,

Stacy, Jon, and Drake Peterson

The "One, Two....Pow!"

2012-01-18T17:50:00.000-08:00

Well, things certainly can change quickly! Within a week I developed severe preeclampsia. Before I get into things, for those of you who have no idea what preeclampsia is here is definition of from the Mayo Clinic Site:

Preeclampsia is defined as high blood pressure and excess protein in the urine after 20 weeks of pregnancy in a woman who previously had normal blood pressure. Even a slight increase in blood pressure may be a sign of preeclampsia. Left untreated, preeclampsia can lead to serious — even fatal — complications for both you and your baby.

So what's the One- Two, Pow? Well... it sort of felt like enough to be dealing with the fact that our baby might not make it, or be very sick, but then when my health went downhill really fast.... we were thinking it was a little overkill for pete's sake! One of those times where you say, "Really God, now this too??" Despite the question, God is with us and completely carrying us through this experience.

Last Weds at my OB appointment in Santa Barbara, my blood pressure was up and I had started to look puffy. She sent me in for lab work and since I was still recovering from a virus anyway, told me to stay home from work the rest of the week. Thursday around lunch time, Doctor called me back, saying my liver enzymes were high and I needed to get to UCLA to have them check me out further. They wanted me at UCLA in case I needed to be admitted, since this is where Drake's delivery will occur. Thursday, we drove to UCLA and were here until late Thursday night. After several hours of tests and monitoring, they agreed to let me go home to Santa Barbara under the condition I was on bed rest, checking my blood pressure at home, and going in for check ups at least twice a week. It felt a bit like a "false labor experience". We had our bags packed and ready to go. We decided to keep them packed just in case.

I was disappointed to have to start my leave from work much more suddenly than I anticipated. I had sort of been hanging onto work, happy to have something else to think about, invest in, and get me up and going every day. Also, I like my job and genuinely care about the families I work with and I hated leaving them with such short notice. My supervisor was incredibly supportive when I had to call her and tell her I was done, all of my co-workers have been amazing supports through all of this, which really put my mind at ease. We discussed getting to word out to all my clients and how my clients would be covered while I was gone and set up one final "bed rest style" meeting for the next week, where I could have my last formal case review time with her and let her know all the loose ends that needed to be wrapped up along. Good thing we already work very closely and she knows where my clients are at in their process, needs, etc, because that never happened......

On Sunday afternoon I began having some pains under my ribs on my right side and my blood pressure started creeping up. We called our primary doctor at UCLA and she told me to go to Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara right away, to have them run more labs and check me out. They hooked up me and Drake and our local OB met us there. Almost immediately upon seeing her, she told us we needed to get to UCLA. So, off we went.

I was admitted to Labor and Delivery upon arrival at UCLA on Sunday Night. after a few more blood draws and urine samples done STAT, I was diagnosed with Severe Preeclampsia. I was immediately started on a IV drip of Magnesium Sulfate drip, which is a medication to increase blood flow and prevent seizures (which apparently was the danger zone I had entered). Side note: The IV/needle experience warrants a blog post in and of itself, coming from someone who has needle medical phobia. I will have to share my thoughts on all this later as it has been quite a process for me through this pregnancy. Anyway, getting my IV in for the meds was the most awful part of all this for me! It wasn't your typical experience either. Of course, the girl who is a needle phob gets the veins that decide to do funky things at the time the needle needs to go in (Makes me a little light headed just to talk about it again). After several different pokes, several different nurses, injection sites,methods, etc. the nurses gave up and decided they needed to call the Anesthesiologist on call to get it in. I tried to zone out as much as possible and practice relaxation exercises with Jon, while in the meantime I was literally shaking and my body had gone into a panic. Obviously, it eventually ended up in.

The Mag drip makes you feel like have been hit by a truck almost instantly. It also makes you feel like you suddenly entered a sauna or decided to lay out in death valley. They warned me I would probably feel like I had the flu for the next 24 hours, and they was pretty much correct. It also made me really loopy and tired, so I was at least sort of out of it for the whole thing. It can also make your body go toxic, so close monitoring is required at all times and you are not allowed to move much at all.

Steroids were also ordered for Drake. At this point, they did not know whether or not I would stabilize and they wanted to be prepared in case we need to go in for a C-Section within the next 24-48 hours. The steroid shots I was given were to help Drake's lungs mature faster. (Not to enhance his athletic skills, but Jon says that would be OK too). They kept him on a constant monitor throughout all of this, and he stayed the same, just plugging along with his little miracle heart that really shouldn't still be working- Good Boy Drake, you're a tough cookie!

By Monday evening, there were many things to be grateful for:
1) They were able to stop the Mag Drip (thank God!).
2) So grateful that Drake had stayed the same (again, PRAISE God!)
3) Our parents were able to hop on a plane and get out here, and were in my hospital room by late Monday night. (Such a relief and blessing)
4) I was showing signs of stabilizing and starting to feel much better.
5) An amazing hubby who has been by my side second by second. Keeping me calm, and keeping me laughing too!

So where are we at now? I still have severe preeclampsia, but I'm stable. However, I have to be at the hospital, on hospital bed rest, until the time comes for Drake to be born. The timing of that is still on TBD basis, day by day. All depends on two factors now: Me and Him. We're really in this together! They still want him to cook as long as he can since he isn't getting any worse. The more mature he can big, the less prematurity complications he has to deal with on top of his heart condition. However, they also don't want to put me at any higher risk, so it is a balancing act. Our doctor gave us an average guess of two weeks, but really, who can predict. None of this has been predictable!

I have family here with me. My parent's are staying at a hotel near by and Jon's Mom is also here. Jon's Dad is in Congo for work.... so we've only had minimal communication with him. (Prayers for him appreciated also!) He is scheduled to be back in the U.S. on the 24th. My dearly beloved friend picked up and drove out here from Vegas to be here, amazing!! (Love you Ali!). Other who are nearby UCLA have visited as well. Also, flowers and some fun packages have ALREADY begun to appear in my room. I feel so spoiled and very loved, thank you!

Being on bed rest has allowed me some time to write a long post, so thanks for reading all the way through! I'm sure there will be more to come. Unless things take another quick turn......

Most Recent Belly Pic

2012-01-11T21:05:00.001-08:00

I think I've grown in the past 11 days, but here I am on New Years Eve.

Feeling the Love!

2011-12-31T13:54:00.001-08:00

Thanks to everyone who has sent words of encouragement! We've been showered with love and appreciate all the notes, emails, texts, flowers, yummy treats, and gifts. I decided to make this board and hang it in Drake's room. (Yes.... I just spilled the name!!)

Everytime I browse through it's contents I'm moved to tears. We know our little guy is covered in prayer. The Lord is near to him, and near to us. God has been working through

others to remind us that he is there, always. He knows our little ones name.... and now you do too :)

Isaiah 43

¹ But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
³ For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.
⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
⁷ everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

Photo Shoot of Mom, Dad, & Baby P

2011-12-28T22:52:00.000-08:00

Before all this happened, I was sort of anti-belly/maternity photos. Knowing that we don't know how long we have with our little guy, my outlook totally changed. I decided I wanted to capture as much of this pregnancy as possible. Of course, still desperately hoping I get to hold him in my arms and take all sorts of photos of him once he's here! My wonderful friend, Jess, willingly agreed to take some photos for us. I'm so happy with how they turned out and we will treasure them forever!

The Heart of the Matter

2011-12-16T21:21:00.000-08:00

Many of you have probably already heard, but our little guy in tummy is currently experiencing heart failure. In case you did not see the email I sent out last week (sorry if I accidentally missed you or did not have your email!) here is the lowdown:

After noticing some concerns on one of our ultrasounds, one of our physicians referred us to a pediatric cardiologist here in Santa Barbara. This was back in mid-November, and we couldn't get into the pediatr ic cardiologist until December 6th. Initially, they didn't think it was anything urgent, so the wait was not a problem.

On December 6th, we had our appointment with the pediatric cardiologist. It was during this appointment, that we quickly realized there were some significant concerns regarding our baby's heart. I can't even begin to explain the emotions that flooded as we sat there and tried to digest what he was saying. With the equipment he had, he couldn't exactly tell what was going wrong, but he could see that the heart was not functioning properly. He told us he believed our baby was "in danger" and asked us if we could get to UCLA soon. We said of course, that we would do whatever we needed to do. He asked us to wait for a few minutes while he went to call his colleguages at UCLA. He came back in about 15 minutes and told us he had booked an appointment for us at 9:00 a.m. the next morning. A little alarming that it was all happening SO fast, but we were also very glad there would not be a long wait for us to get more information.

That afternoon was very emotional, especially for me. I had asked the doctor if there was a chance our baby might not make it, and he said yes. The answer I DID NOT want to hear. I was heart broken and terrified. How is it that this was happening? I've known lots of people who have had pregnancy complications, birth defects, and scares a long the way. BUT how was it that all of a sudden MY baby might not make it?? At 26 weeks, I really thought we were in the clear. Jon was very supportive and comforting that day. Although he was also nervous, he went into caretaker mode and did his best to keep me staying positive. Neither of us slept much that night.

The next morning we left at the crack of dawn to beat L.A. traffic to make it to the appointment at UCLA Hospital. There we had a two hour appointment with ultrasounds and fetal echocardiograms with the Chief of Pediatric Cardiology at UCLA. The entire team there was wonderful and made the experience as pleasant and peaceful as one can ask for under the circumstances. This time, I was in "crisis" mode and had my social worker hat on. I was prepared to hear bad news, ask questions, take notes, and just try to take it all in. It must've been by the grace of God alone that I remained calm and totally at ease for the hour I had to lay on that table in various awkward positions while they looked at Baby P.

Then they shared their findings. Our baby is currently experiencing heart failure. Although his growth is on track and all his other organs look good, his little heart is not functioning properly. I won't go into the extremely technical details, but feel free to ask if you want to know more. Basically, the Dr. said that there was no technical diagnosis for what he was seeing. It wasn't consistent with any heart defects he has seen in the past. The gist of it is that the baby's heart ventricles were thickened (causing weakness) and the valves are not opening and closing correctly to allow for proper blood flow. His heartbeat has remained strong despite this and all the structures of the heart are in the correct place and well formed. However, since his heart is already beginning to fail him, they are very concerned that it may get worse as he grows.

The doctor at UCLA said that in fact he expects it to get worse, but there is always a small chance it may get better. There is nothing medicine can do at this point. No in-utero surgeries and it is too early to take him out, especially given his fragile condition. There is a significant chance our little guy may not make it out of the womb. There is no way to tell, we just need to wait and continue to monitor him as long as he remains alive in my belly. If he gets progressively worse then they will likely operate via C-Section and take him out early. If he stays the same, they want to wait as long as possible to deliver him with the hopes that he will continue to grow stronger. The doctor optimistically pointed out that sometimes babies do amazing things and just get better with no explanation- he has seen that happen too.

No one has any idea what has caused this, it may just be a genetic abnormality. Which means there could be other underlying genetic conditions that have just not shown up yet, but so far all the genetic testing has come back clear. We were told that there is nothing we can do differently. I don't need to be on bed rest, we don't need to be hospitalized, we just need to wait and continue follow up with doctors and be cautious of any signs of miscarriage or of pre-term labor.

If he makes it through to delivery (which of course is our prayer!!) then I will be delivering at UCLA where resources are high and the Cardiac team is one of the best in the country. He will have battles to face once he is born, heart surgeries and possibly even a heart transplant.

SO in sum- we have a journey ahead of us with this little guy! We have no idea what it will look like and what the timing will be. This all happened last week and so far nothing has changed as far as we can tell. We went in for one follow up appointment with our OB here in town. She checked on his measurements, heart rate, and all that. No new updates. I find great comfort every time I feel a little kick, or even better, a big one!

As I asked in our email to friends and family, please join us in praying for recovery of his heart. We'd love to be one of the cases that the doctors just don't understand how he was healed and witness one of God's miracles happen in our little babe. All our hope is that he is a little fighter and is going to make it through this! We just don't know. Please also pray for us- that we have the strength and peace to deal with whatever may happen. We know he may not make it. Of course we can't bear the thought of losing him and we will continue to dream about raising him as our son, but we need to be realistic in how we cope and process all of this.

I will continue to blog and post updates, but if anything major happens, my posting may obviously be delayed.

Aloha

2011-12-16T19:51:00.000-08:00

I've fallen behind on blogging again. A LOT has happened! Let's start with the fun things.... in the next post I will update you on the not so fun things.

We enjoyed a wonderful trip to Hawaii over Thanksgiving. A "baby-moon" trip if you will. Despite missing our flight on the way out (UGH- L.A. traffic and a NIGHTMARE of a parking mishap), we made it over to Honolulu all in one piece. The trip was very relaxing and we spent a lot of time sitting on the beach, one of my favorite hobbies. Although we are surrounded by beaches here, there's nothing like a tropical beach! The water was MUCH warmer and clearer. The weather was also much warmer, but I will not try to claim that it is "cold" here now because I know better :) One of my longtime bestest friends and her significant other had decided to take a trip for her 30th Birthday, and they conveniently agreed to join us in Hawaii. Also, coincidentally, some of our very close family friends also happened to be spending Thanksgiving in Hawaii. It was very fun to have such quality time with great friends.

Here is the next "belly" shot. At the top of Diamond Head Mountain in Honolulu.

Belly Shot #1

2011-10-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, I finally surrendered to a belly pic. Here I am at about 20 weeks. Not the best shot, but it will do the trick for all your curious minds. My Mom was in town this week and she was also eager to capture the belly on film. It was very fun to have her here. We went on a little maternity spree which was quite the surreal experience. Pulling on those pants with panels for the first time .... well here we go, I guess I'm not getting any smaller! I swear maternity clothes are designed to make you look MORE pregnant. The clothes in photo are maternity and I think they do a good job showing off the baby bump. I still have a decent amount of clothes I can wear that don't make me look pregnant, but I'm getting to the point where I figure I might as well be out and proud :)

It's Blue!

2011-10-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

It's a BOY! The doctor said he was 100% sure.... bold statement, but we will take his word for it. We decided to have some fun with sharing the news and had some friends over for a "surprise sex cake". We colored frosting on the inside of the cake according to Baby P's sex. Which let me tell you it is not easy to cover that up from the outside with white frosting. I recommend chocolate frosting to anyone else who wants to make a "sex cake". We had our friends wear pink(or purple) or blue corresponding to their guess of what the baby was. Our friend, David S., had the birthday closest to our due date so we let him cut the cake. Jon took a little video and here it is.

The 3D ultrasound was just as amazing as everybody says it is. It was so cool to be able to watch him scan the little boy from head to toes, inside and out. I had no idea that they could even look inside to the heart and brain. Dr. wants to see me again in one month due to a very minor concern about the separation between two layers of the placenta that should be fused together by now, but I'm not going to go into detail about that. We are just saying our prayers that everything will be ok and that God is watching over Baby P. All of his vitals, etc, looked great so we were very happy to hear that!

Above: Head with arm wrapped around it

Below: Head, umbilical cord and other stuff

Happy Birthdays to Us

2011-10-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

Well September has come and gone and I have managed to get 1/2 way through October without posting anything about all our September milestones. It was a busy month as usual- we both have birthdays in September and it is also our wedding anniversary. It also tends to be a busy time of year with work for both of us, so the month flew by!

Our celebrations were small and low key this year. We figured we have enough going on with expecting a baby this coming year. We are also taking a trip to Hawaii in November, so that will be time for us to celebrate lots of things! Plus, Jon had his big thrills last year for his 30th Birthday and mine is awaiting NEXT year, so we did not feel the need to go all out. We enjoyed time out with some of our closest friends and hosted a game night at our place mid-month. For our anniversary we ended up spontaneously playing mini golf ( I ALMOST beat Jon...and I had 3 holes in one!) and going to dinner. This year marked 7 years of marriage for us. Here are a couple of photos from September 2012.

Processing "The big news"

2011-09-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

So this baby thing is really happening! We are very excited and grateful everything is going smoothly so far. To be honest, I was fairly shell shocked at first. Jon has been the one who has been glowing since the moment we found out. Good call on his part, he masked his utter enthusiasm and remained calm as I processed the reality of all that was about to happen.

Now, I can't claim it was a 100% surprise, because, well, we all know how these things happen. Many people have inquired if we were "trying". I have to say, this can come across as quite an intrusive question. Depending on who asks it of course. I don't mind if close friends ask, most people who know me well know I'm a pretty open person. However, when mere acquaintances, co-workers, or distant friends want to know the down and dirty of how this happened, I find it a little inappropriate. Also, I have had a few people assume we've been trying for a long time. Anyway, here is my answer to that question. NO, we were not "trying". We HAD begun talking about family planning options, and we had already taken the foster parent orientation class. (Quick side note here if you will allow me: this was VERY interesting in and of itself, because I usually TEACH these classes. I could write an entire post about this, but I won't get to sidetracked and I'll stop now). We were definitely warming up to the idea of becoming parents and thinking about the different avenues of parenthood and building a family. However, the planner side of my personality was winning over, and I did not feel all of our ducks were in a row quite yet. I was also not mentally in a place to take that big leap of faith.

Funny thing is, usually when we need to take big leaps of faith, they are not planned leaps :) So now here I am in the midst of a big leap of faith, and just trusting this will all work out. More than anything, I'm so grateful to have this little peanut inside me. (I guess now it is technically more like an orange inside me). Even though that positive sign initially threw me for a loop, and there were three because I took three tests....I quickly realized I should feel more blessed than any of the other neurotic emotions I was facing.

Also, I'm very grateful to report that it seems I've been very lucky as far as symptoms go. I only had one bad day of nausea, but otherwise I've been OK in that department. I have been VERY tired and also not sleeping well, but that SEEMs to be getting a wee bit better. Some head aches, some cravings, definitely some absent mindedness, and some other little things, but nothing major. We did have one little scare thrown in there a couple weeks ago which lead to an unexpected trip to the doctor, but everything checked out just fine. My belly is growing and to me it looks very obvious. I've only had one person admit that they can tell I'm showing. I think that is because most people are trying to be polite during this awkward stage. So far, I can still fit into all of my clothes. Although within the past few days "fit" has become a little more questionable. Some pants are getting too tight and there are several shirts that do not flaunt things I want flaunted.

The news is for the most part out there. I haven't started telling the clients that I work with yet. There are a variety of reasons for this- my plans for leave are still up in the air, it can be a sensitive subject in the field I work in (this could also be a whole other post), and it can also put un-needed focus on me when the focus needs to be them.

Otherwise, it has been very fun to share the news and receive the support from friends and family who share our excitement. I thought I would post some cute photos from when we told my parents. This will be their 1st Grandchild, so they are very excited. Coincidentally, they had already planned a trip out here since my Dad had to be in California for work. I'm SO glad we got to tell them in person- that would have been really hard for me to not be able to share with them face to face. We told Jon's parents via Skype, which was also fun and quite amusing, but unfortunately we don't have any photos to show for it.

At first, my Mom was confused by her gift.... she quickly caught on.

It took my Dad a minute. His priceless process captured...promise this is completely candid!

A champagne/lemonade for me/ toast and the proud Grandparents to be:

Oh, one more thing you may be wondering. Yes, we are going to find out if it is a boy or a girl and we can't wait!! Should have some news on October 19th if all goes according to plan.

Parents to Be

2011-09-15T11:49:00.000-07:00

We are officially announcing it to the world. Baby Peterson coming at you March 2012. Here is the first photo of Baby P. ( Sorry peanut you are already on the web!) We just cleared the first Trimester. All is well so far!

I will write more to elaborate on this special news soon, but it's on Facebook, and I felt my blog deserved to have the news posted too :) Always thought my first personal post about parenting would probably involve foster care or adoption, but instead we have a bun in the oven.

Fun with Vino

2011-08-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

Santa Barbara County is home to over 100 vineyards and a few hundred tasting rooms. Needless to say, it is a fabulous place to wine taste! Fun fact: You may already know that the 2004 hit film, Sideways, was filmed in Santa Barbara county. This brought a lot of attention to the region making it more well known. I'd venture to say it is a mini Napa Valley. Wine country is BEAUTIFUL and we are so lucky to be able to enjoy it and share it with visitors. We're also lucky to have such amazing wine at our fingertips (which has also unfortunately increased our wine budget and maybe made us a tiny bit snobby about our wine). We've become members at a couple of wineries, this way we can bring friends to taste for free, and we also get discounts on the wine.

Hopefully, this little photo montage will give you a "taste" of Santa Barbara Wine Country. It also will give you a taste of how many visitors we've had. Not everyone that has come out has made it into these photos, but many out of town visitors have gotten to experience wine country! The photos also showcase what happens after you've visited a few vineyards... people start to get a little goofy! (Captions above photos)

Me & Kristel @ Gainey

(visiting from Chicago)

Us w/ Tim & Sandra @ Firestone & Fess Parker

(visiting from Oregon)

Jon w/ Ali & Terry @ Kalyra

(visiting from Vegas)

My Dad @ Fess Parker

(visiting from Chicago)

Us @ Fess Parker

Rachel @ Gainey

(visiting from Michigan)

Us w/ Brian, Megan, Ryan & Brigit @ Sunstone

(Visiting from Wisconsin/L.A.)

DBG Girls @ Roblar & Kalyra

Bethanie, Annie, Greta, Britta, Me, Lori, Annie

(visiting from Northern Cali, Chicago, Seattle, Colorado, & Florida)

Us with David, Steph, Jeffrey@ Bridlewood & Kalyra

(Local Friends)

So... if you haven't made it out to see us yet, maybe this post will entice you! Cheers!

LCSW

2011-08-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

"How do you not get emotional about your work?" ... "Do you have to take kids away?" ....."Are there really foster kids where we live?" ..... "Do you like your job?".... and my favorite, "Are you analyzing me right now?"

I ALWAYS get a lot of questions about my job. I'm currently a Social Worker for a private foster care agency, and in the past I've worked for private adoption agencies. I genuinely appreciate that people are interested in my work and I hope this post doesn't bore you to pieces as I attempt to explain where I'm at in my career. I'm not going to get into answering many of the above questions... not in this post at least, that may be more interesting, but it will be for another day. However, I would like to explain an important milestone that has arrived. :)

So, I'm sure you all know that I completed graduate school in 2008 and obtained my Masters Degree in Social Work. I was then able to call myself an "MSW". In the world of social services, the letters after your name become a big deal as far as professional identity. Not just because you get letters after your name (although that part is fun!), but because it legitimately impacts the kind of work you are able to practice. Although I was very excited to have completed graduate school, I knew I wouldn't feel finished until I made it through the next professional hurdles. For social workers, I think it is safe to say that becoming an LCSW is considered a high accomplishment and sort of the ultimate credential. (Unless you want to get all fancy and go for a PhD). LCSW stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

The requirements for becoming a LCSW vary from state to state. Enter in... the complications of moving from one very strict state to another... to make it an even more extensive process.

Reminder:

Generally speaking, there are several steps across the board to make one eligible to become an LCSW.

1) Once you have your MSW, you have to work for approximately two years under the direct clinical supervision of a LCSW. Clinical Supervision is kind of like "counseling for the counselor". Through supervision, you work with your supervisor to help you process emotions that come up when working with your clients and make sure that these emotions are not interfering with your ability to make proper judgements about treatment and intervention. It also provides a place for direct feedback and guidance in how you are practicing with your clients.

Here is the catch, just because you are employed as an MSW, doesn't mean you will automatically have an LCSW to clinically supervise you so you can obtain supervised hours that count. I've had some great supervisors who were very experienced MSW's and were an awesome source of support, but I wasn't able to count this time of employment towards my hours. It isn't necessarily a shoe in, so when you are able to land employment and be supervised by an LCSW..... many people advise that it is worth it to stay at that particular job merely for the hours alone! I've been SUPER lucky in this regard. In Illinois, I was able to obtain one year of direct supervision. Upon moving here, I was able to start right back up with supervision with another LCSW at my current agency. I feel VERY lucky that this all worked out.

I also feel very lucky that my hours from Illinois transferred to California and I didn't lose any time. (Except the time I spent over the masses of required paperwork, but that is a given I suppose).

Supervision hours- complete..... CHECK!

2) You have to make sure you meet State Educational Guidelines. In Illinois... check, done! In California.... oh no, there are MORE classes you have to take after your masters degree that are specific to the state of California policy, etc. Ugh. Thankfully, they can all be done online. However, they were not free and they took a lot of time.

Finished those... CHECK!

3) In the mean time you have to obtain an interim license known as an ACSW (Associate Clinical Social Worker) and pass exams showing you have completed the online classes. (More fees, more paperwork)

CHECK!

4) Finally, once all of these things are complete. You complete an extensive application that requires verification from various professional parties, state boards, and also verifies that you have not committed any crimes or gone off your rocker yourself. Once this application is complete, you pay again, and send it off for approval. Approval to TAKE the LCSW test.

CHECK!

Then, you wait 60 days for a letter saying you are eligible to take the LCSW exams... CHECK! I got it this week!!

5) You study your butt off to take a standardized exam that has a 47% pass rate in California. If you pass the first exam, they tell you CONGRATS, now pay more money and sign up to take the next test! So then you study your butt off again to text the next exam which is diagnoses based. This one has a pass rate of about 60% (slightly better).

SO..... that is where I am at in my professional journey. If you've made it this far in this post, I'm impressed. Thank you.

Once you pass both tests, you then apply to get your license to become a practicing LCSW. That is my goal. I have one year to complete it before I have to go through the application process again. I'm really not excited to study, and it is going to require a lot of discipline. I'm definitely not in study mode anymore. But, this has been my "professional goal" if you will for a long time, so I've gotta go for it. Being an LCSW would open up many more opportunities for me such as private practice, supervisory roles, teaching, research, etc.

Wish me luck as I attempt to turn myself into a book worm for the next several months!! I'm motivated, but I also am not looking forward to spending hours studying and I'm not a naturally good test taker so it is all nerve racking!

In order to add a bit of fun to this post, here is a photo of me on the eve of graduating with my MSW. Pictured with a few of my favorite graduation gifts, a travel size DSM-IV and a Freud action figure. Just call me nerd now :)

Past Due

2011-08-03T13:33:00.001-07:00

If this blog was a library book, I would be responsible for a HEFTY late fee.

Thankfully, no late fees involved. Can you believe I'm ACTUALLY posting again? I never had the intent of letting this be one of those blogs that just fades away. I'm all about closure, so there would have at least been a closure post if I were going to put this blog to rest. Instead, it was just not happening.

There you have it, I'm going to try to get back into blogging. A few reasons why: 1) I have realized I miss it as an outlet for writing, sharing, and some tidbits of creativity. 2) I have realized that by NOT keeping up on my own blog, other people's blogs slip past me. This may sound selfish, I don't mean it that way at all. When blogging is not on my radar, it is just not on my radar to keep up on checking other blogs. Being far away from so many close friends and family, it kills me to realize I'm missing out. Whether it be big news, or little day to day moments, I genuinely want to stay connected as much as possible. To those near and far.3) I think it is fun. 4) I decided it is probably healthy to have some methods available to procrastinate at work or distract myself when I get too stressed out. 5) I'm finally feeling more settled, comfortable, and capable of sharing myself once again (the move to California was quite an extended transition, not going to lie!).

Rather than trying to back track and retrace everything I neglected to blog about over the past t1 1/2 years.... I'm going to start fresh with today.

Today I post my "intro post" back into the blogging world. Hello friends- hope you are still out there! :)

2009-11-17T18:22:00.000-08:00

I know it has been awhile!

Was going for a total overhaul of the blog, but instead I have ended up with total procrastination! I keep trying to find time to sit and put all my thoughts into writing.- do something more creative with the site. Was hoping to go back and re-trace, but now I have waited too long and that feels like a major task. It is time to just start somewhere if I don't want this blog to die!

Time is really flying by. I can't believe we have been here for over 2 months. I still can't believe we live here. Most days I am still sort of bewildered by the whole transition- very grateful and very happy. Then there are the days where I am hit with a wave of feeling shell shocked, lonely, and disoriented. The weekends are especially hard. I think the best advice I got before we moved was to allow myself to grieve all I was leaving behind. Although we have arrived at an exciting opportunity, beautiful place, and new stage- what we left behind wasn't bad. Who wants to say good-bye to family, friends, church, comfort, stability.... So, in sum, which is all I got for now.... We are doing great, still feels right, but not without some emotional melt downs :)

Peter on the other hand has faced a few more obstacles. Although he loves the beach, laying in the sun, and having his own yard... He did not love getting sprayed by a skunk. Peter eagerly ran to the skunk, excited that a new friend had come into his yard to introduce themselves. We YELLED, scurried, laughed, and ran inside just in time to miss being sprayed ourselves! He also does not love that he has doggy allergies here and ended up with a skin infection apparently known as "The Santa Barbara Itch"! He is presently on drugs and had to have several large patches of hair shaved off. Poor guy looks homely.

We've had many fun visitors both from in state and out of state. That has been a blessing! My parents come for Thanksgiving and arrive this weekend- looking forward to that.

So, there we have it, not much to it, but there is a post to get me going again...

2009-10-05T23:21:00.000-07:00

Note:

THIS SITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

(Just like the rest of our life)

Please visit again soon! Renovations almost complete! :)

2009-09-20T23:26:00.000-07:00

Above: Unloading at our new home in Santa Barbara, CA!
Just a glimpse of the GIANT TRUCK, not a fun ride for 2,00o miles!!

Thanks for helping us unload Ryan & Eli!!

EVEN BIGGER thanks to the packing/loading crew back in Chicago...don't have those pics yet and that will deserve a post in and of itself!!

Above: Brant & Pagoda

This Pagoda belonged to my Grandma who passed away a couple years ago. Meaning, it traveled farther than any of us!!!! I now have a family heirlom in my lawn--- it all the way from New Jersey to California!

Also, our parents were so awesome! We are so grateful they have been able to be along side us for the move! My parents followed our PENSKE truck in our little Honda Civic and also took part in dog watching, hotel searches, and desperate gas runs! Hey, it was a road trip! Jon's Mom flew out and was here to help us unload. Dad P. is in Africa... c'mon, what kind of excuse is that!! ;)

Tribute to Dad D.... he was in his glory and was such a great help! He really should be a groundskeeper, nothing makes him happier than some good yard work, hosing down a house, cleaning outdoor windows, and "cleaning dirt". He bought us a hardy supply of yard tools, I think so they will be here for him to use when he comes to visit. Like I said before, Mom D. and Mom P. were super helpful at unpacking, cleaning, pointing out parental insights.... :) So sad to have them so far away!! :(

Happy Note- See Below

Burying a sock in the yard....
Peter is a very, very, HAPPY dog!

And then we quickly transitioned to ....

5 year anniversary...

Wonderful Weekend Get-A-Way in Ojai!

On our way "home" to Santa Barbara, I encountered my first fire experience..
Mind you, this was a minor one...didn't even make local news!!! Yikes!!

09/09/09

2009-09-10T00:09:00.000-07:00

09/09/09

I am not saying how old I turned today... because people tend to think I am either A LOT younger than I am, or, A LOT older... so I will let it be a mystery! :)

Anyway, yup, Happy Birthday to me! Thanks for all the face book messages (gotta love technology, anyone who sent a paper card gets hero points! No really, I do it too, and it is an easy way to stay connected and I genuinely loved all the greetings!!! )

Along with Happy Birthday, I am still processing...Happy Moving, "Happy" Good-Bye to Beloved friends & family, Happy New Rental House, Happy 5 Year Anniversary, Happy New Job, New Culture, etc. etc......

Which.... is why I declined my hub's very nice offer to take me out anywhere I wanted tonight and instead voted for Pizza and a movie at home! We have been out either at restaurants, fast food, or at friends homes, since we left Chicago. SO much has gone on, I am E-X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D!!! I know there are a ton of emotions going on, but right now, I am working to stay functioning and appearing normal at my new job! Haven't had time to let it all filter. Don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of tears along with shouts of excitement, but that doesn't mean any of this makes sense quite yet!

So for my "birthday". Mind is kinda numb after all the moving transitions and two really intense days at my new job. I have enjoyed time with family and friends here in Santa Barbara. Jon bought me super cute Rainbow Flip Flops (even if he did buy a size 6.5 when I am size 8, its OK... they were green and I loved them!!!) Also,YES, it has been sunny and beautiful :) In addition, m y employers have also been AMAZING and so sweet and generous, I feel very, very, lucky!!

2009-08-27T12:10:00.001-07:00

finished up work,

packing is in full swing,

changed our address,

canceling bills,

saying good byes...

I am guessing my next post will either be from the road, or a few weeks from now once we are settled in! Just a few other things to take care of.

New Casa!

2009-08-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

Here it is!

God has a sense of humor.... so we always end up with 7s and 5s in our life.... Jon's cell number (I won't post it on here) but it is something like 773-5*5-7757. One of our license plate #s is also a pure mix of 5,7, and 3.

So we are taking it as a good sign that our new address is .... 735!

House is a tiny 2 bed, 1 bath, kitchen, living room, laundry room. The entire yard is fenced and there is a 1 car garage. We are excited about it! Can't wait to have our own space and it is also in the neighborhood we had talked about being in! Yeah!

Peterson Casa de Chicago

2009-08-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

"Man" time..

This was probably our last time hosting in Chicago at our place, which still seems so un-real! I was really, really, sad when the night was over. But we had a great time welcoming our out of town friends... Bethanie & Jeff along with kiddos Halli & Miles (uh, uh, hem...they happen to live in Califronia, yeah!!) and Lisa & Joel with dear little man Isaiah ( they live in Colorado so they are going to be equi-distance, phew!) The rest of you I just can't deal with realizing we are leaving you, so take that lack of explaining your presence here as a compliment!

My camera was also lost/maybe stolen this weekend, so I am stealing my wonderful friend Greta's photos! Thanks!

I guess we do have decent outdoor space..

Below: Bethanie, Miles, Me, Lisa

Isaiah: Halli, let me in ...please!

Our friend's make pretty cute kids.. and they are already pushing for them to be sweethearts. I must admit, they would be a super cute couple! And, look, she is already dying to run her fingers through that hair!!!

2009-08-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

Here is the summary version, still hoping to get the whole journey into writing, but that may not happen any time soon... so we won't leave you hanging any longer.

SUMMARY STEPS OF OUR DECISION TO MOVE

1) Jon grew up in Santa Barbara, California.

2) It is incredibly beautiful and there is an amazing community of people there

3) We have always wanted/seen ourselves living in California (winter, snow, flat lands... don't bring out our strong traits)

4) Jon is connected with the Habitat for Humanity (where he presently works) office in Santa Barbara through a connection with a family friend. They have some nice conversations..

5) Nice conversations turn into "maybe" they would like to talk about him joining their team in the future.

6) "Maybe" they would like him to join their team turns into they would like him to join the team... now.

7) Stacy takes all this with a grain of salt and doesn't get her hopes up, but is also very excited. Stacy looks at Craigslist and applies for a job that looks intriguing.

8) Stacy has phone interview the next day.

9) They want to talk to Stacy further...

10) We travel to Santa Barbara for a dear friends wedding, and also both have job interviews scheduled in between wedding activities.

11) Jon learns he will receive a job offer within the next few days.

12) Stacy has a great interview.

13) Jon gets job.

14) Stacy gets job.

15) We decide.. WE ARE MOVING!!

Oh yeah, and in between these steps, we prayed a lot :)

Clearly, God has opened doors for us. That has been our prayer all along and our key phrase. I can't tell you how many people we told over this past year, "Well, we aren't trying to move to California, but we are open to it, and if God opened doors I think we would run through them!" I don't think either of us expected doors to actually open!!!

As it became clear things may be moving forward, we spent weeks going through the pros and cons of moving. We struggled with not wanting to get attached to the idea, but also realizing we needed to make life decisions based off the idea it may happen. We thought about the move (maybe too much in attempt to be logical) and realized that we couldn't just pick up and move to the most expensive state in the country and just expect to make it. More importantly, the decision to leave family, friends, our Church, stable jobs, owning a home, a diverse city with endless activities at our fingertips... there are a lot of reasons not to move!

However, when we were in Santa Barbara just a couple weeks ago we had to work really hard to come up with reasons why we wouldn't move there if things fell into place. Really, it is such an incredible place- and God's beauty surrounds you all the time. Our brother/pastor put it well as we were driving around and he said- this is why the phrase "It's all good" came out of California. Because you just look from one direction to another and say, "God made this all and it is all good".

By NO means do we think Santa Barbara is perfect. The struggles people face are deep and often hidden. There is still racism/classicism and a struggle just to survive. And the state may also break off the country and fall into the ocean one day.....

It is with such joy and humbleness that we can say, this is where we know we need to go. It is a huge risk, but where would we be without taking risks? We are excited to see how God will use us and what he will teach us. We know it will be hard, but we have such a peace about it and are ready to start down this road and see where it takes us. Everyone has been super supportive (with a balance of being sad) which is also confirmation for us.

Wow. Anyway, we are super excited, and also overwhelmed. Lots of closure that needs to happen and more decisions to be made.... We are working hard to continue trusting as God has taken care of us countless times in the past, we trust that everything will work out just as it is supposed to.

Announcement

2009-08-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

We are moving to California at the end of the month!!

HOPE Ranch

2009-07-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

“May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.”

Hope.

Hope has always been a powerful, driving, and meaningful concept and reality of faith for me throughout my life. Just think of life without Hope? I can tell you it = depression at best!

I can't imagine surviving without hope. Some do, and I would imagine their days are not pleasant. When times get really really rough, I am not sure I could literally bring myself to survive without hope. During my most difficult days, that is all that has brought me through and kept me out of bed.And I haven't even lived through anything really really rough.

Hope keeps us breathing, gives us reason to get up again after we have fallen down.Hope is with us during times of uncertainty.Hope is God's sacred form of encouragement and peace.

That being said...I was happy to Welcome Hope Ranch into my life with open arms

..... more to come!

He's Ever Over Me

2009-07-22T00:18:00.000-07:00

So, we are facing the potential for major changes. The way this plays out has various options, but we do know it is time to do things in a different way. The "why" question (is a good question) and what it comes down to is ...we feel an innate desire to place ourselves in an environment where we feel we are encouraged to grow, thrive, and most of all, are able to use our gifts and serve as we are meant to. We are not sure exactly where this may be, may be here... may be some where else. All we know right now is that there are decisions to be made.

Tonight I was feeling a tad restless and overwhelmed. I am not typically one to ask God to reveal specifics to me. I have been blessed that in the past, God has revealed himself and been with me in a way that I just know what I am doing is either right or wrong. However, I have recently worked with a few families where God has been very clear, in a not cheesy way, but a real way. This made me wonder, ok, so how does this whole call on God to ask him to "speak" to me thing work. So I decided, to take in all I have learned, from friends, family, church, the bible... and call on God, for real, for real. Whenever I do this, he listens (why don't I do it every day, I don't know, I am a fool, a human, a sinner, but praise God for grace!)

Anyway, I took the lead of fellow believers and decided to pray for a specific verse in the midst of my anxiety. It took many moments for me to re-adjust my thinking... "OK just keep praying, you are not crazy. Either you will hear God or you will not. Just try to keep your little ADHD body still and see if God has anything to say" ....Well, I can't really explain it, but just like that.. I heard Psalm 121. Meaning just that. I didn't know which Psalm this was, but I heard that and immediately responded. " Ok, don't know what this is, but I know I need to read it!" One thing I have learned is key is that when God talks... you better listen right away even if you just "think" you heard him. Cause when you respond, you realize, oh crap..., Yeah, that was God alright! I actually did hear him! Here is the Psalm, which turns out, is one of my favorites even if I didn't recognize the number.....

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

I rest assured, that God always watches over me, even if I am a sleeping fool. Wow, that is an amazing God. And, I face life questions knowing that he is with me, and I couldn't ask for more peace than that.

Popples, Wuzzles, Fluppies

2009-07-08T17:43:00.001-07:00

What are these things.....

Popular toys from the 1980s, all of which were still living in my parents basement!

One high light of our summer thus far was helping my parents have a major garage sale at their house. They are re-doing a lot of the house and therefore keep discovering more um...how do you say...junk? No really, actually a lot of it wasn't junk, but just incredible how much my very wonderful mother has kept. Mainly stuff from when my brother and I were kids. I am appreciative of her sentimental thoughts, but the time to go through all my toys was over due!

It was actually a lot of fun to go through and see all the toys which were dearly loved, but totally forgotten! Of course I could've recounted my favorites such as Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Kids, Barbies, Rainbow Bright, and Pound Puppies. However, there was a whole other mess of other creatures and characters. Such as the Popples, Wuzzles, and Fluppies. Any one else remember.....

JEM
Glo Worm
Hot Looks
Lady Lovely Locks

I am sure there are some others I am forgetting, it has been a few weeks since I sorted through kid-land in my parents basement. I had mixed emotions in response to this occurrence. Nostalgia of course. Remembering how exciting it was when Barbie's surf shop was finally put together or the joy that came from attaching all the strange little hair pieces to Miss Lady Lovely Locks. Gratitude was another... I had SOO much stuff! Seriously, were we at the toy store every week? Really it was probably large in part to the people who know kids toys best....Grandparents! Frustration.. why on earth did I have so many toys and why are they still here!! Those were two separate issues which I won't go into too much, but point being- so many children in this world don't even have one special toy. I was reminded of the little boy in Ethiopia who was ecstatic to get a tennis ball, the house keeper who was brought to tears when we gave her a small stuffed bear to take home to her daughter, and some of the adopted kids I work with who don't know how to play with toys because they have never seen them.

My intention is definitely not to criticize anyone for providing their kids with a multitude of toys to enjoy! This experience was for me, a good reminder of the vast contrast of children's play experiences across the globe. This is hard when we think about how little many other children have. However, it is also a reminder of how amazing children and their imaginations are. Sticks become bats, magic swords, or animals. Games might be born from cans, rocks, or cracks in the street, and trees become secret palaces and land marks. Certainly, whether locally or globally, it is not the toy that is responsible for the well being of the child.

We are not parents yet, I am sure we will be some day (no... we are not pregnant, because I am sure that was going through a lot of your heads...). When that time does come, I am sure it will be very hard to not get caught up with all the latest toys and trinkets little Jonny Jr. is begging for. And I am sure I will be equally excited about some of the funny little creatures that I presently pass up whille roaming through Target. I do hope though, that I will keep perspective and balance in mind. For those of you who are parents, I wonder how this experience has been for you?

Imagine Spot 2

2009-06-29T22:42:00.001-07:00

Apparently You Tube is my new favorite way to post blogs...

Or the only way I have time! Will try to write more soon, but loved this one..

Jesus Is My Friend by Sonseed

2009-06-23T21:43:00.001-07:00

If this doesn't make you laugh while also brightening your day, I'm not sure what will! Also, it will be stuck in your head for days....

Just like old times....

2009-06-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

During my high school years I was ALWAYS injurred. Whether is was sprained ankles, stiches, burisitis.... most of my memories of the cross country season are from the side lines. I distinctly remember my coaches words at our senior year awards, "Stacy has suffered from various injuries and ailments, but she has still been a valuable part of this team." It was my trademark in a very sad way.

The first few years of college I switched to "working out" more so than traditional running. Maybe my body just needed a break, because when I began to train for things again, I seemed to be "injury free". It is true that running is probably the worst physical activity for your body and I am remembering that again now.

As it looks now, I am going to be opting out of this race on Sunday. I have been having trouble with my foot (and my back, but that is more just achy than injury). I am pretty sure I have a stress fracture in my foot. At one point I thought it was a broken toe, but I think it is problem with my foot in general. For the past month, I haven't been able to make it past 6 miles without developing intense pain in my foot. It then lingers for the next few days. So I am thinking 1) I am not very well trained for this race and 2) Doesn't seem like a good idea to possibly aggravate this injury to the point where I couldn't run/walk for weeks as opposed to days.

I am kind of bummed about this, because it looked like a really fun race! There is also a part of me that feels relieved too. A lot of about this particular race, and the training for it, felt more like a hassle and something I "had" to do. That is not why I run, I run because I love to run and it is a source of stress relief as well. Also, I have to admit part of the thrill of the 1/2 marathon and the marathon I ran before was that I was facing a new challenge and seeing how far I could push myself. Perhaps I have crossed these extremely long runs off my mental check list? Probably not forever, but right now I am not sure I have he mental capacity needed for such intensity :)

Anyway, I may show up and see how much I can run. However, for me I also know that there would be a strong chance that I would not stop and push myself further than I should. I have a tendency to get a little obsessive when I start something- I don't like leaving things unfinished!

I have enjoyed all the motivational song suggestions! Please feel free to keep passing them on, they have made my more recent runs much more rejuvenating.

Get up offa that thing!

2009-05-22T23:07:00.001-07:00

So I received a reminder email today from "13.1 Marathon Chicago" that was titled, Only 18 days left!. Maybe that was supposed to be exciting or encouraging, but to me it meant (for lack of a better way to put it), Oh crap......

Haven't really been running much more than 4-6 miles a few times a week. So I am very behind training wise.

Anyway, I am signed up and I will be at the start line on June 7th. All I can do is move forward from where I am now. So here is my request from my faithful friends and blog readers-

What songs inspire you to move? I am working on putting together an official "Stacy 2009 Run Mix" that will need to be about 2 hours long. I usually don't train with music, because running is a time for me to clear my head and process thoughts and feelings. However, this time I need that extra "umph" to keep me goin! So please share with me, whether you run/work out or not.. I have shared on of my favorites, now your turn:

What songs inspire you to get up and make your body move?

Take me out to the ball game.....

2009-05-12T22:38:00.000-07:00

Go CUBS!

Doesn't get much better than a Chicago Cubs game!

Very happy to have a co-worker/friend who shared her gifted tickets with the Glenkirk girls!

Even though I have been feeling crummy lately with a sinus head ache (I know, I look it too, ick!) , I can't pass up tickets to a Cubs game! It is hard to not be happy while at Wrigley Field. Especially when the Cubs are winning and weather is cooperating! It was a perfect night for a ball game!

2009-05-07T17:57:00.000-07:00

Just a quick shout out, there are fires in Santa Barbara again. This is the second time this year, please keep our family and friends in your prayers if you have a moment.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8037211.stm

Well we have been home over a week now.

The first few days we were home, I could tell I had actually gotten a good vacation. When I left work, I was able to take off my work hat and leave it at work. It was wonderful to leave each day and not feel burnt out or burdened. Now I am back to reality and despising this whole working full time thing! It was so much better to lay in the sun, read, go out with friends, shop, take walks, and explore new areas. Anyway, I am not trying to complain- SO happy we got a vacation. It just made me realize how much I really needed one and how important it is to literally remove yourself from all your habitual surroundings every now and again.

On our vacation, we were actually quite busy. In a good way.

The first weekend was Kim & Henry's Wedding. Their reception site was so beautiful, but also very low key. Park side beach setting. It was ideal!

Then we headed to Palm Springs. (We were actually in Rancho Mirage, which is one of the cluster cities around Palm Springs, but no one has heard of it, so I just say Palm Springs). My parents were actually also out for vacation/work so we spent some time with them in Palm Springs. It was unseasonably hot for this time of year. Got up to 108* You know what they say though... "It was a dry heat". I don't mind heat, I would take that over snow. It was definitely a little toasty though!
Above: Dinner with Dolans at Pacifica

Above: Hiking at Palm Canyon

After a few days there we headed to the Marina Del Rey area of L.A. to see some friends. Don't have pictures of everyone, but we spent time with Ben & Brigetta, Ryan & Brigit, and Josh. The Olsen's brought us to a boat party, which was very fun!

Then we headed back to Santa Barbara to celebrate Montecito Covenant Church's 50th Anniversary celebration. This is the church that Jon grew up in. His dad was a pastor there for 23 years before moving to Chicago to take a position with the denomination. It was great to be there for this special event. This community was such a huge part of Jon's life! I should say it is his very large extended family. Of course, we also saw "real" family and more friends while there too.

Jon & his Grandma Lucille (who amazes me, she is quite a fire cracker for 92!)

Noel & Jon

and then- we did get back on the plane and leave the beloved and beautiful state of California.

2009-05-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

Hello! We are back. Got home late on Monday night. Back to work bright and early Tuesday morning.

We still need to finish unpacking!!! We had a wonderful trip and will try to write more and get pics up soon.

Vacation

2009-04-15T21:44:00.001-07:00

Karin Shelton

VACATION:

1: a respite or a time of respite from something : intermission

2 a: a scheduled period during which activity (as of a court or school) is suspended

b: a period of exemption from work granted to an employee

3: a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation

4: an act or an instance of vacating

or....VACATION: We leave Friday, Amen!

We will be attending a wedding and visiting family and friends in Santa Barbara, CA. We will also spend time in Palm Springs and L.A. There our primary focus will be enjoying a chance to RELAX (not work), sit in the sun, play golf, run outside, read,shop, go hiking, and sleep in. The anticiapation of this has been keeping me alert and functional the past month! I really get the definitions this time around.

My job, for real?

2009-04-07T22:41:00.000-07:00

I had one of those days today where I literally woke up and said... "How did I actually end up here?"

I don't know if any one else has experienced this bizarre realization that seems to come from no where.... you will know if you have.

Here is a very brief summary of how it goes. Today I woke up, took a moment to make sure I was awake, then literally said to myself (in my head), "Oh my gosh, I am actually an adoption social worker." For some this may look more like, "I am a Mother", or, "I am a Surgeon", or, "I am a Pastor", or, "I am a Musician"...etc, etc.. I am sure I will have other moments in life where I feel this way other than today. I have had them in the past, for example, " How did I end up climbing the Alps with a gang of street children " or "I did make it back to Africa" or, "How did I end up with a condo, a husband, and a dog, in Chicago!" Life truly can be surreal.

Yes, today I woke up wondering how it could be true I was living out something I imagined once during my high school years. I vividly remember the details of the conversation. I was driving in my parents white Buick, we were just past the Cantera movie theaters on Deihl Road, it was late, we were chatting and I said something along the lines of, "I think I know the perfect job for me. I would love to help families adopt children who have special needs, or just help families adopt, and work with them throughout what all that means. There has to be some sort of job or counseling for that, right?" Truthfully, I have no idea where this desire from such a young age came from. I did not understand what it really means to be an orphan or to be adopted. However, I did know it was something I could grow to understand, and I wanted too.

Here we are today, and I actually have that job, wow. I am not sure how it happened. Although, really of course I know, it was all God. Here we go Jeremiah 29:11... he does have a plan. I have known this all along, but not remembered it in the midst of stressful transitions, secular work places, and bad management. It is so easy to get caught up with the worldly path of finishing degrees, internships, getting into the field, and then landing a job. It it easy to forget why, and how, I got where I am. Thank you Jesus! I know I am blessed to be where I am.

Yes, I know. Trust me, I know, many of you have heard me complain, cry, and vent about my job. Thank you, I appreciate you listening. It is VERY complicated and stressful. However, just today I had a client ask me, "Do you find it fulfilling?" And I can answer truthfully with a resounding, YES! For that I am thankful. I am happy to be a part of many resolutions, meeting needs, and building families. Also, I am so happy and so lucky to be in a place I actually imagined I might be 10 or so years ago. Seriously, who thinks that will actually happen,!! I sure didn't- and I def. picked a very specific route!

I am not sure if I see myself in this type of work forever. However, I do know that I "get" adoption, and all of the factors that come along with it. I love what I do. Even though the systems in place,the powers that be, and the people involved, are not always easy to work with- at the end of the day I am working to build families and meet peoples needs and that is completely amazing and humbling to me more and more each day!

2009-03-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

Beautiful and brave,
Intuition and instinct lead you.
Rest assured, you are resilient, and ready,
To trust on behalf of your beloved child.
Here you are, heartbroken and honest.

May I give you a glimpse of your strength and impact, by simply saying, I am so shaken and moved by your strength and intimate love.
Only you know- how this feels, what is best, and how to cry for this child.
Thank you.
Here we are now. Hopeful and wishing for happy ever after.
Every day we will think of you, and offer prayers of thanksgiving. Most of all, we
Recognize all that you are, your face, your body, your blood, your womb, your love.

Check this out!

2009-03-09T20:51:00.001-07:00

Ben and Eric (our friends who are aspiring young talents) have done it once again! Their "Barack, Paper, Scissors" game is a hit on you tube!!

They are too funny, and so creative! This isn't a political statement or anything, it is just for fun! It was also recently featured on CNN. See link http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2009/03/09/ntm.barack.paper.scisso

Have fun playing!

Can anyone...

2009-03-04T22:15:00.000-08:00

Tell me how to fix my comment moderation not to read:

Jonathan, Stacy, &amp Peter Peterson

I have tried to navigate blogger settings/tips,etc.... but I am no computer whiz- how do I get rid of the "&amp" part? Or is that just how it shows up to me?

On that note,so yes, I have a Blackberry now (only because I ruined my other phone due to snow/water damage-one of the only positive things that has come out of snow this year!). And I HATE that with every email I send from my phone it says, "Sent from my Blackberry" How do I get rid of that?? Sorry if I seemed like a snoot to all of you have received emails with notice that I have a new electronic device I am unknowingly endorsing.... Hey, it is still no i-phone :)

Clearly my strengths are not in technology...

My Tribute

2009-02-23T23:31:00.000-08:00

It has been Black History Month. It still is for another week or so. I wish I could've engaged more, but for right now, without looking back- here is my way of recognizing this time.

Below you will see a few quotes from prominent figures who have inspired me. In some way, these quotes all relate to my current state of mind. Also, I picked quotes that I felt we could all relate to, despite stances on race, politics, or religion. Let us recognize these individuals who, as result of the color of their skin, have had to go un-recognized in the past, and even now. And let us be thankful for the HOPE, that times are changing, and our world is moving to a place where this is becoming less and less of an issue ( day by day) as we recognize our prejudices and move forward with reconcilation and joy.

The following few quotes are from folks who have made great contributions to society, made us all laugh, helped us relate to one another, or all of the above! Happy Black History Month 2009! To start us off, here we go.....the one and only Bill Cosby! (Really, from me, did you expect anything different??? I know I am obsessed :)

"The past is a ghost, the future a dream. All we ever have is now."
- Bill Cosby

"The question is not whether we can afford to invest in every child; it is whether we can afford not to."
-Marian Wright Edelman

"I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."
-Michael Jordan

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
-Martin Luther King

"That . . . man . . . says women can't have as much rights as man, cause Christ wasn't a woman. Where did your Christ come from? . . . From God and a woman. Man had nothing to do with him."
-Sojourner Truth

"My hope for my children must be that they respond to the still, small voice of God in their own hearts."
-Andrew Young

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
-Martin Luther King, Jr

"I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself. "
-Maya Angelou

"You can cry, ain't no shame in it."
-Will Smith

"When I was a kid, my mother told me that if you could not be a good loser, then there's no way you could be a good winner."
- Halle Berry

"Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand."
-Colin Powell

Dear Blog,

2009-02-13T22:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Blog,

We are sorry we have neglected you. As you know, things have been a bit hard to manage lately. High pressure work situations, some family drama, and well... just trying to keep our heads above water.

All in all, we hope you know we are fine. Thank goodness for grace, faith, and community. It has just been one of those phases where work/professions have been very consuming, but in the right way-just part of the calling, if you can make sense of that. We hope we have made sense of it, and are we are following a leader and doing our part to, " Keep on, keeping on!" ...And very thankful for the many ways we have been blessed. We know there is really no room to complain. We are joyfully living out our callings. Which some of your friends may understand how that can also be quite difficult! Please feel free to tell them we are open to their insights and advice!

Thank you for understanding for our neglect Blog,

Jon & Stacy

2009-01-23T10:46:00.000-08:00

"We are sorely in need of strong ethical leaders to go out ahead to show the way so that the moral standards and perceptions of the many will be raised, and so that they will serve better with what they have and what they know."

~Robert K. Greenleaf~

This quote just happened to be in my devotions earlier this week. I thought the timing was quite uncanny :) That is all for today!

Puggle pianist !!!!!!

2009-01-15T22:25:00.001-08:00

This is why we love puggles.

2009-01-07T17:15:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Wedding! The past few weeks flew by with lots of fun, family, and hustle bustle- here are just a few pics of all the events!

Christmas #1 - Dolans

And #2- Petersons...they out number Dolans by far!

Happy New Year!

2009

Congrats Greta & Scott!
Below: Instead of clanging glasses for the bride and groom to kiss, they requested that people sang a song with the word love in it. Here we are preforming "Love" Frank Sinatra style complete with motions...

That baby better like to dance! Annie is in her 8th month, but that didn't stop her!

And now, life is back to normal. Although we had a lot of fun, it is actually quite nice to be back to a normal routine.

The answer is just a few balloons away

2008-12-21T23:38:00.000-08:00

If you live in the Chicago area you know, it has been insanely cold. If you don't...well, just sing your praises as we experience the thrills of frostbite!

Peter, along with his other doggy "friends" have not done so well in this climate. Clearly, he is no Husky. He is a short haired wimp of a dog. And to top it off, this combination of salt and chemicals we now use to DE-ice is excruciatingly painful and not animal friendly at all!! Hence the rise in sales of doggie boots. We have seen this as Peter has been limping outside recently.

Anyway, the past few days he has run away from his leash and the familiar call, "Peter, want to go outside?" Usually this can get his attention despite any other circumstances. This time, no luck. He is no dummy, it is painful to be out there! He runs and goes to his room/cage. He would rather just be left alone, exiled, then go out there! I don't blame him. We have had to force our dog to take care of business... only in Chicago...sigh....

So, on it goes- I heard about this tip at the salon. Amazing things you learn at the salon, really. Here it is.... balloons.

Our little prancer! Nice legs there, huh??

Here you go dog owners- it actually worked! A cheap and easy alternative to buying those expensive boots. But, when your dog can't go out to pee- you obviously have to do something.

Here is the answer-

1) Purchase a bag of size appropriate latex high quality balloons, for us that meant 12" balloons. For smaller dogs, smaller balloons, bigger dogs- bigger balloons, you get it. This will cost about $1.99-$3.00

2) Trim the balloons at the neck. Meaning, before the circle takes shape- cut off the long skinny part, got it?

3)Somehow convince your furry friend that slipping these colorful slippers on his/her already sensitive paws is really quite fun (Disclaimer: This IS the hardest part- would be the same if they were $30.00 boots though!). We recommend lots of treats and praise. And, we also realize this is quite an ordeal for a dog- but is definitely cheaper than a trip to the V-E-T!!

4) Try very hard not to laugh as your pup begins to moon walk and look pitiful

Peter says, "Really guys?? I look like a string of Christmas Lights! Or, why don't you just send me to the Circus and we'll call it a day."

5) Take the pup out as quickly as possible. The balloon booties may not have a high tolerance level, nor were they actually meant to be booties- so you have to operate under the appropriate time frame. AKA- when you know they MUST have to go after at least 7 hours of refusing- get out there!!!

6) Upon arrival home- remove balloon booties ASAP. Give the little booger a treat in order to try and erase this memory as soon as possible and replace it with something somewhat pleasant.

And, that is our, "oh so important", wisdom for the day. THE END

Oh, the weather outside is frightful....

2008-12-09T16:36:00.000-08:00

Actually, nothing about it is delightful,
And since I have places to go...

Stop the snow, stop the snow, stop the snow!

Well, my winter blues have arrived. I seem to get more scrooge like every year when it comes to winter! Especially now that I am out on the road for 50% of my work hours. There is nothing fun about having to brush your car off while you are freezing, trying to maintain professional appearance, and trying to be somewhere on time. Also due to the snow, I got stuck in a clients driveway the other day which was embarrassing for both her and I (OK, probably more for her since she fell on her bootie as I was finally pulling away... I felt so bad for her!!).

Although I will admit, the snow that is gently falling from the sky at the present time is kind of pretty... BUT not pretty enough for me to ever ever say I like snow, or that winter is "not that bad".

I am very grateful for a warm place to live, a husband who can help with "snow care" when he is home, and that it is just snow after all.... not a natural disaster. It just makes me crabby :)

Lately...

2008-11-26T12:55:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Bea!

2008-11-19T21:59:00.000-08:00

Hey, I am famous!

OK, not really at all...... but my blog writing caught on somewhere else. I can't believe they included this much of the writing...
http://orphan.childrenshope.net/index.php?id=390

In the meantime, Jon and I are doing fine. We continue to pray for our family friends who have lost their homes in Santa Barbara, CA. Thankfully, all our immediate family is safe. But still- we can't believe the tremendous devastation this community, so close to home (was home), has faced.

Blessings to all!

-Stacy

Fire

2008-11-14T17:14:00.000-08:00

To those of you who have inquired about the fires in Santa Barbara, California- thanks for your concern!

For those of you who don't know- Jon grew up in Montecito(Santa Barbara). We have family and many friends there. This morning fires broke out at this point around 100 homes have been lost. This includes a few close friends homes. Thankfully everyone is safe. It seems to be moving away and under control, but this is still very scary! It was literally on the brink of Jon's childhood home. Crazy!

We know the family in this video:

http://www.truveo.com/Fire-Destroys-Dorm-Complex-At-Westmont-College/id/808084700

We love you Santa Barbara and you are in our prayers!!!

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aeZoq5X6aUg8&refer=home

We are still waiting for our Risotto

2008-11-11T20:50:00.000-08:00

Rice. It is a mystery. I can never get it right.... that is without my rice cooker appliance.

How is it that I can mess up one of the most commonly eaten foods in the world, over and over again....

Anyone else experience a rice cooking disability and proclaim dependence on the rice cooker??

A tidbit on why I am so excited about Barack

2008-11-10T15:08:00.000-08:00

I think one of the major things people might be misunderstanding about Barack Obama as president- he IS change. The fact that we have finally elected a individual who is not a white male to be our president is a historic change. This is a change that has already resulted in a renewed sense of hope. For many who have felt like racism is a beast that is too large to conquer, an injustice that will never be understood, and a constant debate filled with frustration- we now have hope that progress really has been made. This is a change. It is a change for a group of people who can now look at our president and see that their race is no longer a reason to feel hopeless. It is a change that now our country has really "walked the talk" and proved that we can elect a president based not off the color of his skin, but the content of his character.

I understand Barack has huge challenges ahead of him as the next president. Just as McCain would have. I don't think Barack's campaign slogan of "Change" was ever really about walking into the White House and changing the way our government works. I am sure there are things he will put efforts into reforming ( I hope so at least!). However, there are also things that will need to remain stable.

The major principle behind the "change" we are all so supportive of has already happened. We have made a change in the way we elect our presidents, who is able to make it as a candidate (men, women, black, white...etc), and who actually is the face representing the diversity that truly exemplifies America.

P.S. I am not a proponent of merely electing someone to office because they are different. Which is why it is so exciting to now have a president who can be this change, but who brings the kind of personal and moral character America needs right now. Along with this is his passion for looking out for the well being of all people, his ability to run a phenomenal campaign (this success shows his ability to succeed and know the needs of the people!), an amazing team of supporters and advisers, and experience which will prove itself credible. And I can't forget to give special kudos to his wife- she is a true role model for women. Willing to put her children first above everything and make this a known priority. But also an intelligent and accomplished woman. And she looks great doin it too! :)

A word

2008-11-08T16:06:00.000-08:00

Just a note....

This past week, I have had numerous conversations with people about the election. I have to say, I am grateful to have such a diverse group of political opinions shared within my friends and family. I truly believe it is important to learn from one another.

However, I also just want to put this out there briefly and will likely write more later ( I seem to be saying that a lot lately! I have been busy!!) Anyway- having opinions and values that tend to align with the democratic party is not a new thing for either Jon or I. Personally, I have always been interested in politics. I also am proud to say that I have opinions that are based off thoughtful reflection- enhanced by my education, my faith, and personal efforts to continually make myself aware of what is going on in the world. For me, this meant that when I first learned about the work Barack Obama was involved in (several years ago), he became I person I greatly respected and trust as a leader. Needless to say- I am very grateful that he is our new president and that I was able to be a part of history in the making. A few people have implied that we voted for Barack because it was trendy, edgy, or "going against the flow". And that, is just not true.

OK I am off my soap box for today. :)

We Were There

2008-11-05T00:32:00.001-08:00

2008-10-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

Friday Evening: I leave work feeling tired and stuffy. Proceed to come home, take a short nap. I took a quick trip over to the gym to complete 30 minutes of light cardio. Arrive home, shower, plant myself on the couch. The sneezing and nose blowing begins. Jon was kind enough to make dinner, pasta of course! We watched half of a movie and went to bed early (this is a major indication of when I am not feeling well, I don't go to bed early!) At this point, I had begun to dread what the 26.2 miles might be like.

Saturday: Although I had every intention of rising early and taking a quick jog to remind my body it would be running very early the next day, that didn't happen. After a relaxing late morning and afternoon at home, Jon and I took Peter out for a run/walk. Only 20 minutes or so- this is what all the training plans recommend- we aren't crazy. After that, I felt depleted. Not a good sign. I start to worry.

We head to the marathon expo at McCormick Place. I sleep the whole way there, I feel sick. The parking for the west entrance was full, so we had to pay full price to park on the opposite side and walk all the way through McCormick Place. Side note: we only went through about a quarter of it, but that place is HUGE! I guess I had never wandered around much in there before. Anyway, now is when I really start feeling bad. I felt dizzy and nauseous. I didn't want to stop moving though- I just wanted to get in, get my packet, and go. As we approached the expo my stomach began to turn. Laughter. I began laughing as I usually do when feelings just don't make sense. Jon asked, "Ok, what is so funny?" I reply, "I feel awful! I shouldn't be feeling this way before a marathon, this is not good."

We make our way through the expo with me holding onto Jon's arm. It was very crowded and there was a lot of activity going on! Conveniently, you have to walk through all the vendors booths before you can claim your packet. We made it. Got the big red shoulder bag/back pack made of plastic. After a few Gatorade samples, we made it out. I began to feel a little better on the way out.

By the time we made it to the car, I was still feeling spacey and loopy, but a little better. I call my Mom back, she had called at least 3 times to see how I was feeling. I got the speech again from Mom and Dad, "This isn't something you have to do. Don't push yourself. If you can't finish it is OK. If you can even accomplish 1/2 again that will be awesome. Most people can't do that, and most people aren't even able to train for a marathon." I tell them I know, but that it would be very frustrating not to finish. I then proceed to talk to my Mom and tell her, I am just really nervous because I know I didn't train like I should have and I feel like I set myself up for failure (light bulb goes on....hmm, is this "sickness" maybe psychological??) After finally dealing with the reality that I was extremely nervous to run this race, I began to feel better. Not totally better, I was still afraid of failure and not accomplishing my goal.

By this time, it is about 6:00 p.m. That is when the real defense mechanisms started to set in. I knew I was going to get up and run this race, and try my best, but I couldn't think about it. I began to feel better. Yup, the butterflies and dizziness were definitely psychologically induced. After a quick search through the pantry in attempt to scrounge up our pre-marathon dinner, I decided a trip to Trader Joes was in order. Now, I am really feeling much more like myself.

8:45 p.m. dinner is ready. This is actually normal dinner time for us, I know- we belong in Europe! Pasta again. We eat while enjoying the last half of our movie, which runs longer than we thought it would. 9:30 rolls around, we pause the movie to put away our dishes and Jon proceeds to go into pre-race mode. For him this meant laying out his clothes, gathering his other gear, making sure the coffee brewer was set, lining up some vitamins and Advil on the counter, and going to bed. Very cute, very logical, this man knows how to prepare for events! What did I do? I had a glass of wine and watched the rest of the movie :) I knew I wouldn't be able to go to bed.

11:00 p.m. I went to bed. I had to take 1/2 a Tylenol p.m. at 1:00 a.m., but I slept!

5:45 a.m. Jon arises and is ready to go! He walks Peter, he eats, he is chipper.

6:15 a.m. Jon attempts to wake me up. Not happening yet.

6:30 a.m. I know that the "5 more minutes" window has passed, so I get up. I throw on my running clothes, some sweat pants, toast a bagel, and I am ready to go. That is how I work :) I did gather a few things such as band aids, Advil, and power bars the night before to have with me when I run, so I wasn't totally in denial.

I was very quiet on the entire car ride down, and I my stomach did not feel well. Panic had made its way back into my system.

7:00 a.m. We arrive downtown to find the streets are already starting to close and we missed the chance to park in the designated marathon garages. Opps. We find a garage several blocks up from Millennium park and quickly trot towards the race entrance. It was our warm up. Which was actually perfect. I had tried telling Jon before that you don't really "warm up" for marathons. You can just consider the first 3 miles your warm up, and then you can stop to stretch and keep running the rest of the 23 miles. So I was glad we avoided that argument- one way to put a positive spin on running late.

Wow, it was crowded. After pushing our way through to the gear check and using the port a pottties (material for a whole other post....eww, they were somethin else!), it was time to jump into the start corral.

Pace groups were spread out in 15 minute increments from a 5 hour 45 minute finish up to around a 3 hour finish. We were able to weave our way through the crowd up to the 5 hour pace group. At this point, it was about 7:55 a.m. The crowd was solid and we weren't getting any further.

8:00 a.m. I guess the start gun went off. We were too far back. We heard nothing.

8:10 a.m We take a few steps.

8:20 a.m. Finally begin walking.

8:30 a.m. We are able to pick up a slow jog and finally cross the start line!

I was running a marathon. Crazy. Don't worry, I am not going to describe every ten minutes, nor every mile, in detail. However, one of my hallmark memories occurred before mile 1. As we crossed under the major bridge/overpass by Columbus and Wacker the wall was lined with men who had decided to uhh... how do I put it, take a leak :) I am not sure if this is some sort of marathon ritual, or if that many men really had to pee before even reaching mile 1. The wall was already covered and the wall continued to be consistently lined by men who hopped up to take care of business. There were some police nearby who just laughed.

Miles 1,2,3 I was still pretty subdued. I was not so excited. Not feeling great. Jon, on the other hand, was in great spirits. I pretended not to appreciate his loud enthusiasm, but inside I was grateful for the distraction and optimism.

It is true, the crowds for the Chicago Marathon are amazing. Indescribable. Signs, music, costumes, performances, the whole way through.

Mile 3: I think we were in Lincoln Park..... there was a women standing on the median with a large cow bell and had the whole crowd going along with the cheer "Let's Go!"after each round of clangs on her bell. It was around that point, I turned to Jon and said, "I'm OK now. I can do this! We are running this marathon. I feel fine!"

Mile 5: Jon's foot starts to hurt and the sun is beginning to get quite bright! We walked for about 1 minute and he stretched a little bit. We kept going.

Mile 6: I see a girl on the sidelines cheering who I ran cross country with in high school. Haven't seen her since high school. I yelled out her name as we were running, and she actually heard me and saw me! She was quite surprised and very excited, so that was a fun little pick me up.

Mile 7: Jon's enthusiasm is now gone, but my spirits are up. I turn into the encouraging one.

Mile 8: The group of men in very short shorts who are performing a baton twirling routine alerts us that we are entering boystown.

This neighborhood was so fun to run through! The energy was high and the music was blaring. I believe the band members were all drag queens. I try and tell Jon to keep looking up to see the sights and focus on his surroundings-it will keep him entertained through the next mile.

Around Mile 9: Jon said he needed to walk. I asked if I could keep going. He told me to go, but try to stay to the left as we had discussed. I said ,"I love you hunny, you're doing great!" and I kept going. I stayed to the left and tried to slow my pace a bit.

Mile 10: I stopped for a minute at the aid station, hoping I would find Jon. I searched the crowds, no luck. I kept going.

Mile 11: I almost ran past our friends Nate and Richelle who were standing up on a bench with signs for us. Thankfully, Nate yelled as I was passing them, and I turned around and went to say hi. I stopped for a quick chat and to look for Jon again. After snapping a photo and thanking them, I continued forward.

Mile 12: I am now sure I am going to finish this race. I was getting more competitive with myself and wanted to try and beat my last 1/2 marathon time, so I sped up. It only took me a few minutes to remember that was probably a bad idea. It wasn't worth looking like a rock start at the half way point if it was going to hurt me later on.

Mile 13: Half way. I think I am running too slow because it has been 2 hours and 10 minutes. (I ran my last half in 2 hours) Again, I remind myself that this is not a 1/2 marathon and seeing as I hadn't trained properly for a full one, my goal was just to run the whole thing.

After this point, honestly it gets kind of blurry. I was in go mode. I don't remember a lot about the course. A few things that do stick out between mile 13 and mile 19:

It was getting hot.
My legs hurt.
Several runners stopped at a Subway along the route and bought sandwiches, I found this to be very funny.
There was a women who had three large dogs dressed up in too toos.
They had raised the warning level to RED (Level 3 out of 4) due to the heat.

Mile 20: Pilsen Neighborhood- Awesome! This neighborhood was oozing with community. Everyone was out there cheering. There were Salsa dancers, mariachi bands, and more. Many families were handing out snacks and water to runners.

Mile 21: China Town. I am beginning to feel tired and hurting pretty bad, but I know my family might be cheering for me in Chinatown. They can't see me walking!! I have to keep running since I haven't stopped so far!! The crowds were massive in Chinatown. As I turned the corner, there was a Chinese Dragon and live music. I searched the crowds for my family, looking for my Grandma's trademark grey afro which is easy to spot. No luck. As I got towards the end of Chinatown, but good friend Kristel spotted me. She was right on the sideline and she jumped into the crowd and began running with me... in her jeans and flip flops! She had forgotten I was running and was actually looking for someone else. This provided a great boost of energy and inspiration. I was struck by how encouraging it was to see a familiar face at that point. I never did see my parents, so I figured they must've already headed to the finish line.

Mile 23: I am hot, in pain, and tired. I am now making a conscious effort to stop at every aid station and drink Gatorade and water. Even though my appetite wasn't there, I ate a banana. I also look for every chance I can to run by the spectators spraying people with hoses or handing out snacks.

Mile 24: Only 2 miles left. I am soaked. I have been pouring water on myself every chance I get in effort to keep cool. I was almost too wet! My legs and feet HURT. I keep going and I am looking forward to finishing.

Mile 25: Please stop spraying me!! By this point, they had opened up hydrants and were making sure everyone on the course was cool. There were a few points where there was no option not to get wet. I walk for about 30 seconds in order to make sure I can run through the last mile.

The last mile felt very long. I couldn't wait to see that finish sign. I tried to keep an eye out for my family, and maybe for Jon. I wasn't sure if he had to stop due and thought maybe he would've taken a bus back to the finish.

The adrenaline kicks in and realize I am running the last 1/2 mile of a marathon. I am filled with emotion and disbelief. I look for my family. I pick up my pace and have a strong stride. I see the finish and I run as fast as my sore little body can go. Passing people is the goal at this point. I do. And then- I finish! I wasn't thinking about posing for the finish camera like everyone else, I was serious......

The clock said 4:57. My watch said 4 hours and 25 minutes, which would be about right if you calculate in the 30 minutes it took us to cross the finish line.

Immediately after, I felt weak and it felt hard to walk. I kept moving forward through the masses to get my shoe chip clipped. A finisher medal was placed around my neck by a man who said, "Great Job!" I want food and water....

I make it out of the finish section and head to gear check where Jon and I are supposed to meet. He wasn't there. At this point, I start thinking- this is no fun, I just finished and I ran the whole thing and I am all by myself!! I finally get my phone to work and call my parents. They were still in China town!! They couldn't believe I had finished and apparently the runner notification messages weren't working so well. My Dad was shocked and I heard my Mom saying, "How does she sound, is she OK?" My Dad was laughing and said, "She sounds fine! She is fine, she's done!"

To sum up afterwards, it was crazy and crowded! I didn't know what to do about Jon as he still wasn't at our meeting place and no one had notification of where he was at. Almost an hour had past since I finished. I tried not to worry and figured that he must of made it close to the end and then needed to take a bus back which was why it was taking so long. I just stayed put and waited for whoever would make it to meet me first- him or my family.

Finally, I spotted him at the Gear Check on the opposite side of the tent. He had just finished! I couldn't get to him so I yelled and we each made our way to the end of the tent. I was so happy to see him and so proud of him! I couldn't believe he had it in him to finish. Jon is athletic, but not really a runner, and had been having trouble training due to various ways his body wasn't responding well to running over 10 miles. He was pretty exhausted and in pain and extremely relieved to have it all over with! I am not sure I would've kept going if I were in his shoes, it must've been horrible! But he did it!

The timing of these races is always sort of weird, but my official time according to results was 4:34. I was 13,509 out of 31,401 finishers. I am happy with that, considering I was freaking out the day before and hadn't run more that 16 miles before this! However, I already have this crazy idea in my head that maybe if I actually trained, I could do a lot better and maybe I need to do another one.........

Maybe not. How bout 1/2 marathons?

SO that is my long recount of the marathon. If you read the whole thing, you must really love me or just be a running dork like me! I will write more about what all this meant to me, but for now- I will leave it at this- One week ago we both finished a marathon- woo hoo!

2008-10-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

Here I am remaining postive and taking a stupid pic at mile 11!

Our loyal and super encouraging supporters/friends Richelle & Nate at mile 11.
More photos to come soon of along the race... but here are some from afterwards.

Jon's Poor Feet!
Running for a Cause: Children's Hope International

26.2

2008-10-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

We did it!

I will post more as soon as I am able- recovering may take awhile!

Here we go....

2008-10-11T10:22:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of all the ways you say "Good Luck" and the saying "Break a leg!" came to mind. I had to laugh, because I am slightly worried I just may break my leg, fall on my face, or pass out tomorrow!

I have been feeling slightly under the weather. Not bad enough that it would hold me back from anything at any other time. But it makes me nervous - when I went for my last easy 3 mile run yesterday, my chest felt heavy and I was quickly exhausted. I am feeling OK today- I slept in, even though I told myself not to do that. Because now I probably won't be able to fall asleep tonight! I started to force myself to get up early, but Jon pointed out if you can sleep well now, then just keep sleeping. Probably good advice since I needed some rest.

Anyway, enough of the rambling! We are headed to pick up our race packets. In about 24 hours, hopefully we will be close to 23 miles or so. At this point, I am just hoping it isn't an absolutely horrible experience and I actually leave feeling like I accomplished something.

That being said, this really shouldn't be about me or about the race. As I am running, I assure I will be thinking about what inspired us to finally sign up to run this marathon:

Over 143 million children are living without adequate medical care, nutrition and shelter. Most of these children can never be adopted. They are destined to live in orphanages or on the street. Explore this site to discover how you can sponsor a particular child or support a project for the benefit of many children. YOU can bring homes, health and hope to children in need.

2008-09-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

Just a little post to say we are here! It has been a crazy few weeks filled with flooding, work events, and birthday celebrations! Happy Belated Birthday to me :) And Happy Birthday to Jon- coming up on the 30th.

I think it is funny that I tend to forget our actual ages- since I am the baby of most of my friends I usually naturally round up for the last few months of the year. And I don't know why I can't ever accurately state how old my husband is... I even posted it wrong on an evite, opps! Anyway, for those of you who are curious- I am now 26 and Jon will be 28.

We are trying our best to squeeze in as much running as possible! I am actually very excited to take on the whole 26.2, but I also know it will not be pleasant. I have not been as diligent as I should've been about training. I'm sorry- but once you have been running for over 2 hours you start to think about all the other things that need to get done. Training for this whooper sort of can take over your life! I think I have decided that I am more of a 1/2 marathon person. BUT I will have to convince myself I am actually a marathon person for the next month! Jon is still hangin in there- he doesn't really like running. Kind of funny isn't it. Someone who doesn't like running signed up to run a marathon- ha! Well, it was his idea, I promise. He asked me the other night if once I finish the race, I will come back and finish the rest with him.... I love you dear, but I don't think I will quite have it in me to turn around and start running again! I have been known to do that in 5k's but that is a bit different. I determined to finish this race, and I do have a goal in mind, but it isn't going to be painless. I am actually planning on it being quite painful. Which is why I think I will resort back to 1/2 marathons from here on out. But, I could be wrong- maybe it will be AWESOME! Anyway, we will both cross that finish line one way or another!

Seattle 08

2008-09-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Seattle last week! Who knew we really so many people in Seattle! Really, it was a little crazy to realize how many connections we have there.

Below: Peterson Family- Chris, Aurora, Sage, Erik, and Torston

Above: Tim & Sandra, Us, & Austin

Above: Austin, Jon, and Alison (Ali, Al, etc.)
Below: Deanne & Jon
Above: Welcoming Britta to Seattle! Good Luck with Law School!!

It was wonderful to spend time with our nieces and nephew- and of course, their parents Erik and Chris! We finally met Torston, our nephew, I can't believe it has been 9 months! He is a pretty cute little fellow with his tow head, huh? I never expected to be such a sucker for a little blondy! I am always the one who makes fun of my "Swede" friends and family. Maybe I am biased cause he is my nephew, or maybe because he looks just like Jon did as a baby.... but I think he is one cute little booger!
Ali and Austin were amazing hosts for the week! It was so refreshing to just be with one of my bestest buds in her home and in her life. Each night we all stayed up far too late telling stories, laughing at random jokes, sharing secrets, and just enjoying being with each other. I am so grateful to feel like Austin has become a close friend too- and not just because he is Al's husband. It was hard to leave not knowing when we would get time like this again!

We also celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary! Crazy! Is next year really 5 years? It can't be! Five years was going to be our marker for so many things- start thinking about a family, go to Italy, move out west........ I can't even imagine these things now! It really crept up much faster than we've expected. We are very content with where we are at- happy just being together, done with school for awhile, having the freedom to travel and follow our spontaneity.... not ready for the kiddos to appear anytime soon!

Anyway- on to the rest of September- there is much more to be celebrated! Here are a few more pics:

Clearly, I look a little unsure about the Baby Bjorn. As does Torston..... he was fine :)

Cheers!

Preview

2008-09-04T22:38:00.000-07:00

Adjusting

2008-08-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe it has been a month since I started my new job! Time has flown by. I think I am finally feeling settled and somewhat adjusted. I recently came to a point of acceptance- this position is more demanding, more stressful, and takes more energy than I expected. I was warned it would be quite a "big" job, but that's hard to understand until you start doing the work! The transition has been a bit overwhelming at times, but I feel like I have began to develop my own groove and go with the flow.

On another note- I am very excited for the weekend! The next few weeks are going to be busy. Tonight we head to Michigan to spend time with some great friends. On Wednesday we leave for Seattle to visit friends and family. Our 4 year wedding anniversary is also quickly approaching, along with both of our birthdays! September is always a packed month!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

2008-08-15T22:48:00.000-07:00

NOTE: This post from below.... yeah, I was trying to post that about 3 weeks ago and it wasn't going through,I tried about 7 times. Anyway it JUST showed up today, seven times! Weird! Thanks Melissa for pointing it out ASAP so I didn't look like a crazy woman!

Mamma Mia! The Movie - Chiquitita (video)

2008-08-15T18:25:00.011-07:00

Mamma Mia!

I loved this movie! There are other scenes that are far better than this one- however, it hit the spot! I am so grateful for GREAT friends- who I know would come running with whatever I need. Whether that be tissues, bible verses, a stiff cocktail, a long run, or just a good long talk- I know you are there for me and I am so happy to be able to just "be" with good friends! You know who you are- you all take on various roles whether that means you reach my soul in a spiritual, personal, professional, or just down right fun way! Truth be told- the best of friends do all those things!

Which is why I love Chiquitita- I deeply treasure my friends who I know would do this, and so much more, for me!

P.S. I can't get enough of this movie- I am a sucker for Broadway goes Hollywood! (Doesn't mean I don't appreciate Broadway in all its entireity- it just isn't as easy to see!)

P.P.S. Special shout out to Annie Mc/H who also recognized the importance of this film and suggested it was "blog-worthy". I agree- but Annie- start a blog! Any one else think so- here is you chance to say so! In a happy way of course :)

2008-08-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

THE GRILL BANDIT

Coming soon.... the story of the grill bandit.

Summary: A neighbor snatches Jon and Stacy's minature grill from their yard and runs. A casual Sunday afternoon turns into chaos as the Peterson's attempt to get their grill back. Once the local police get involved, the whole block comes out to support the cause. This tale is filled with suspense, drama, and a cliff hanger ending.

As summer flys by...

2008-07-31T17:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry its been awhile since the last post. I have been adjusting to my new job! So far it has been great.

Here are a few of the awesome perks: I love my co-workers, the office is only 6 miles away from home, our department (which is only 4 people) has our own building, this building used to be a small school and comes complete with a giant fenced in yard, there is no dress code, I can work from home, I can expense items such as paper, ink, etc. when working from home, I set my own hours, and of course- the biggie- it allows me to continue doing what I love -providing social work services to adoptive families. Oh yeah, and I get paid to do this!

The negative: It is going to quickly turn into a 40 hour + work week as I get further into my rather large caseload. Of course, no organization is perfect and it takes some getting used to working in a new place. BUT all in all, I feel so blessed!!

On another note- these photos are from last weekend. We had a great time at Ravinia, Hootie and the Blowfish played. Hey, they aren't my favorite band or anything, but it doesn't really matter who plays at Ravinia- it is always fun! Then we headed up to Sawyer, Michigan to hang out with some of our friends who have summer cottages. It was wonderful to be with good friends and relax.

Rachel & Branden on the Ravinia Bus

Self portrait of Stacy & Jonny

Gearing up to Kayak on the rough waves of Lake Michigan

2008-07-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed spending a week house sitting/dog sitting for my parents out in Naperville. It was weird for me to feel like I was in vacation in my own home town... but it has grown so much! We enjoyed several of the hot spots such as Jilly's Piano Bar, La Sorella, The River Walk.. I also enjoyed a few precious hours with an old bestest bud, Abbi and her CUTIE son, Griffin. Anyway we are happy to be back in our home in our own space- even though we appreciated the large yard, central air conditioning, open spaces, quietness, absence of traffic, etc.... It is nice to be home. There is no place like Chicago! Plus, things have felt so hectic lately and it is comforting just to be settled for a few weeks.

ALSO- exciting news- I (Stacy) now have a full time job!! I accepted a position with a local adoption agency and will start on Tuesday. I will also still continue to work as much as possible for CHI- an agency I fully support and respect!

Speaking of CHI... we are working hard to really try and keep up with Marathon training... man, it takes a lot of time to train for 26.2 miles! I can handle the hour runs, but when having to figure out how to schedule runs over an hour- when we are both available- that is a bit of a challenge! Reality check that we will need to be INCREASING this and start scheduling up to 4 hours- yeah, that is a pretty big deal I guess! Jon's knee has started to flare up- hopefully this is just a fluke. I have been doing OK, but this humidity can be rough- again, scheduling runs has begun to matter. I tried to run at 2:00 p.m. the other day and really thought I might pass out- I was tingling and spacey after 20 minutes. That never happens to me, but I also never usually run during the middle of a 90* humid day! From now on I will stick to my safe running hours- before 11 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m....

2008-07-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

"It is the willing acceptance of Americans, both those whose roots here extend back over generations and those who arrived only yesterday, to try to make a nation in which all people share in the promise and responsibilities of freedom." - Obama

This year's photos are quite similar from last year! However- we have now officially become locals to our neighborhood . We BBQ'd at home- but as 9:00 p.m. approached (we ate late, as usual!) we quickly packed up our turkey burgers and headed over to Olympia Park. We didn't want to miss the fantastics fireworks show we learned about last year! We love it- it is totally underground- still not sure how they get away with it ( but I am sure it is due to the unique population of our neighborhood, which I will not say anymore about on this blog-ask if you want to know more). Anyway..... it is actually quite a show and we enjoyed it again this year!

This year, I had many thoughts running through my mind on Independence Day. Mostly, I am so grateful for the liberty and opportunity my country provides. However, I still struggle with many things about the U.S. For example, one thing that struck me today, Isn't it funny that for our official U.S. Celebration/Holiday we spend an INSANE amount of money on fireworks? How does this really contribute to welfare of our citizens? Is this really the best way to celebrate and bring people together to recognize how great our country is? What would other coutries think knowing we spend millions- billions + in each state to put on this show- yet people across the world don't have access to food and water? I know, I know- I have a sensitive and tainted view right now- Ethiopia is quite eye opening, I have no hesitation in saying that! However, I also will admit- I have always had a fairly global perspective and try to see most things from a larger perspective. People who know me well can testify that I am usually on this "soap box". Really though- that is OK, I am more than happy to be a voice for others and recent experiences have just confirmed that is a part of my calling.

Anyway- I am truly happy to be a U.S. citizen- don't get me wrong. I appreciate the right to education, services, food, medicine that are provided here. Even if there are flaws in the system- we have it so good here compared to MANY MANY other places! So for so many reasons....I say- Happy 4th of July! I also say- it is important for us all to be conscious of our responsibilities that come along with being so blessed to live in a country that provides so much- as I was told during my youth- "You are Blessed, but only in order to be a Blessing to Others."

2008-06-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been missing Ethiopia. I know we weren't there long, but I have been home just long enough now to be totally settle back into typical American routine.

I have been missing constant interaction with people on the streets, the value of long conversations over freshly roasted coffee, and living with the mentality that time, distance, and plans do not take precedence to relationships with others.

I have found that the question I am asked most often in regards to our trip is, "What stands out as your favorite moment?" Truly, this question is so hard to answer- there are too many!! However- I can say my favorite thing about the trip was the people. Ethiopians are the most welcoming people I have yet experienced. Through my travels- I have met many wonderful and hospitable people. However, never have I been in a country that was so eager to welcome foreigners. This isn't something I am proud to admit... but we arrived in Ethiopia expecting to be pick pocketed, heckled, and at least have a few unpleasant run ins with strangers. This is partially because this has been a reality in every other country I have visited. Also, the guide books had us convinced that the streets of Addis Ababa were pretty rough and tough. Nope. Not one tiny problem. In fact, more often than not when we looked lost - people would approach us and ask if we needed help. Many people were eager to talk to us because we were farangi (foreigners), but not one of them had anything negative to say- they were just genuinely interested in what we were doing in their country. I don't blame them for wondering!

My opinion of Ethiopians is that they are warm, genuine, passionate, and timeless. I was also quite impressed and humbled by the great pride they have in their country. Almost everyone seems to have a solid knowledge of the history of Ethiopia. Whether it is explaining the line of rulers for the past 100 years, descriptions of the regions and 150+ tribes of the country, ancient trade routes, landmarks, or discoveries made (most notably coffee and the first human skeleton- "Lucy")- they are eager to share the richness of Ethiopia with others.

Despite living in conditions that in some cases are almost intolerable, they live with the kind of faith that can move mountains. Miracles are a reality, as people rely on prayer to heal when no other resources are available- we heard countless testimonies of this. God is with his people and revealing himself in awesome ways. I suppose when people die in your community every day, there is a consistent shortage of food and water, and general hardship all around- God feels it is necessary to take more dramatic measures. After all, isn't when we see his work in our life personally that we truly believe? It would be really easy to go to Ethiopia and see the suffering and think God isn't there. It is that bad. BUT- HE IS! And his people know it too!

So- my point in writing this post..... obviously, I was touched and inspired by the people in Ethiopia. In saying this, I don't just mean the individuals I got to know- I mean the people in the streets, the mini bus drivers, the shop owners, the saratanas, the guards.... you get the picture- all of them! Here are a few of the faces we did get to know- that will remain in our hearts forever (very cheesy, but also true!)

From now on, I am not going to keep posting only about Ethiopia. If something comes to mind I really want to share on this blog- I will! BUT I as I mentioned before- I also spent a lot of time putting pictures and words together for a presentation. I feel like if I keep trying to re-hash out all the details I will never move on with my life! I hope that makes sense, I don't want to keep my experiences or thoughts to myself- and by no means do I want to forget! I just don't want anyone expecting me to tell story after story about Ethiopia on this blog and not post about the rest of life that is happening now!

2008-06-25T23:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.childrenshopeint.org/E-News/June08/food.htm

Teachers?

2008-06-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

•

•While in Ethiopia we spent several days teaching children at the House of Hope, ages 2-7. This was a bit of a surprise assignment, but we were more than thrilled to take it on!

When we walked into the classroom we were greeted by twelve children beaming at us with some of the biggest brightest eyes I have ever seen! Our hearts were instantly captured. On the first day, we had another teacher with us in order to translate. She introduced us and then each of the kids took turns saying, "Hello my name is ____. How are you?" It was so cute! Some of them had this English phrase down pat, but others required more time and great concentration.

Thankfully, Jon is a kid magnet and I have some experience teaching kids, but not enough that I have a memory bank full of lesson plans to draw on! The first day we were given a few suggestions by the other teacher, but the rest of the days we were on our own. The language barrier was a bit challenging at first, but we benefited from this in the long run as it forced us to learn some basic Amharic very quickly! It really didn't take long to establish a basic routine- our primary goal was to teach them English since all of these children will be adopted by families in the US. Each day we went over English vocab including- the ABCs, counting,colors, animals, and body parts. We also taught them a few songs that were repeated each day. Head, shoulders, knees and toes was a hit! However, since there was such a wide age range- activities were split between the beginning and end of class time and the middle section of class pretty much turned into to a Montessori approach.

During this time, we let each of the kids pick an activity to work on. Some picked coloring,others picked writing or counting workbooks, and a few of the youngest enjoyed story time. As each child worked on their assignment of preference we were impressed by their diligence and eagerness to learn.

All of the kids were nothing less than absolutely adorable! We could tell you stories about each of them. But for now, just one short story......

The first day we were told that one of the little girls didn’t speak. During class time she was attentive, but mostly kept to herself. Each day she became more and more engaged with us and others. She adored being read to- and would giggle and smile continuously throughout each story as she sat on our laps. After a few days, we were delighted to hear beginning to talk!

Of course, we don’t know much about her circumstances before coming to the House of Hope. However, it is likely that her mute behavior could’ve been a result of trauma. For young kids, this doesn't even have to mean witnessing something horrendous. Any time children are separated from their primary caretaker- which may be due to death, poverty, or abandonment, this constitutes trauma in and of itself. It is common to see kids who have been through trauma demonstrate a developmental regression of some sort. Often times these children are able to catch up and recover their abilities after receiving specialized attention and adequate care that ensures a safe environment. So-it was so encouraging to see how well cared for the kids were at the House of Hope -it was also amazing to witness a child's transformation and maybe have played a small role in it!

–

–* Photos of the children weren't allowed- sorry! You'll just have to trust us that they were cute as a button!*

•

2008-06-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

Hi there. I just want to leave a quick note to say I am so encouraged by all of your responses to our posts about Ethiopia. It means a lot to know you are so eager to hear about our trip. Trust me- we have a lot we want to share! In addition, the people of Ethiopia need to be heard and we hope to be an avenue for their voice in some way, shape, or form. I haven't had as much time as I would like to devote to posting- but this is a good thing! I have actually been busy with work and pursuing further work opportunities, therefore leading to a delay in posting. As all this unfolds, I will post on that as well... now I feel like I am going in circles.

We are working on a comprehensive PowerPoint. Please note, I really feel like nothing we ever come up to share our experience will ever do it justice! You just will have to come with us next time on one of our mission adventures to really understand...Anyway- so I will try my best to post stories and keep going with the blog. I am a true believer that well told stories are the best way to share, and these stories are ones I really long to share- they just may be a bit delayed. If you are interested in getting a copy of the power point (don't worry it isn't a lame one, it is mostly pictures) please let me know and I will make sure you are on our distribution list. Wow, "distribution list" that sounds so official.... don't get your hopes set too high- this is just me doing my best to match photos with some facts/stories. Alrighty- hope you are all well! Love ya

First Day Out

2008-06-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

After a goodnight of sleep, we woke up ready to start exploring Addis. Our second day in Ethiopia proved to be a quite an adventure!

Guided by our friend (now GREAT friend!) Richelle- we made our way all the way up Entoto by minibus. The Entoto mountains surround Addis Ababa, and a historic Orthodox Church is located on the highest peak overlooking the city. Emperor Menelik II built his palace near the Church and lived their with his family before the modern city of Addis was established. One day his wife was overlooking the valley and had a vision. She told her husband that a new city should be started and their empire should move down the mountain- thus Addis Ababa (which means "New Flower") was founded.

Now, I am not going to lie. I wasn't excited to take the minibuses. They were cram packed with people- and as I mentioned before- the traffic in and of itself scared me. BUT I hopped on in willing to just go with the flow and let myself really "experience" the culture. It was def. a demonstration of trust. We had no idea what was going on and just followed along as Richelle led us from one mini bus to another asking in Amharic "Where are you going". Each mini bus has a mini route that goes to a designated place. So it honestly took about 15 rides to get up Entoto. We traveled this way for about an hour. Each mini bus slightly different. Some with many seats, others with a few and lots of floor space. One thing the same- each of them did not accept an empty inch so we always waited to take off until a few peoples laps were occupied. I felt like such an outsider- mainly because I didn't understand anything being spoken around me. The bodies next to me were SO close, but all I could do was smile. I had nothing to say besides the few words I had picked up at this point such as hello, please, and thank you. I wished I could talk to people or understand what the drivers were yelling out the window.

Anyway- we made it up to the top- and it was beautiful! A sight to see. That was the first and last minibus ride. A few days later, a minibus exploded from a bomb likely placed by terrorists. a few days later, it happened again. Needless to say- no more minibuses for us. Thank the Lord for protection. However, our friend Richelle continued to ride them daily. Minibuses are the cheapest way of transportation and for most people, the only option to get to and from work or the market. I was struck by Richelle's statement, "Afterall, my life is worth no more than anybody else who rides the minibuses." It is true. I was sort of ashamed by my fear realizing most people don't have the luxury of paying for drivers or taxis to take them from place to place without fear. As our time in country continued, I would continue to be reminded over and over again of how fortunate I am.

Below: Entoto Church and some kids that couldn't get enough of having their photo taken.

Arriving in Addis Ababa

2008-06-03T12:49:00.000-07:00

The first leg of the journey was an overnight flight from Chicago to London. Quite uneventful except for the funny coincidence that we were on the same flight as a few of our friends from church who were on their way to India. Our layover left us with about 7 hours to hang around in London. It was the middle of the day so we decided to store our bags at the airport and hop onto the tube. Thankfully, we have been to London before so we weren't feeling rushed to go see all the city has to offer in 7 hours. Truthfully, I don't even remember what stop we got off at. We just wanted to walk around and stretch our legs and get some coffee. It was a nice afternoon, but by the time we got back to the airport we were feeling pretty tired!

Just happened to walk by and notice this landmark....
I thought this guy was too cute. Wish our dog was that well behaved!

The next flight was direct from London to Addis Ababa. I really hadn't slept at all and was not feeling great by this point. Again, nothing too eventful except that the guy sitting next to us on the plane resembled Jon's older brother in an almost scary way!

At about 7:30am their time, we finally landed in Addis. As soon as the plane turned off- we could tell it was HOT! The airport was about what I expected- decent size, pretty modern, a little dirty. Customs didn't take terribly long went smoothly. After getting our bags and going through security- we headed out to begin the adventure.

Jon's Dad was gracious enough to give us Hilton points, so for the first and last two nights of our trip we were able to stay at a really nice and comfortable place for free! This turned out to be a huge blessing! As soon as the crowds of people parted a bit- we instantly saw the Hilton's outpost at the airport. The Hilton's airport staff greeted us promptly and walked us out to the taxi lot to take the Hilton Shuttle bus. Such an easy connection was beyond wonderful since we were both feeling quite disheveled and exhausted.

We hopped on board and made our way out of the airport and onto the streets of Addis. It didn't take long for me to become overwhelmed with feelings of fascination and fear. The fear due in part to the absolutely INSANE driving on VERY busy roads with people just jumping into the middle of the road to cross as they please. It was so crowded and so busy- I was a little taken off guard by that. Fascination set in as I tried to take in the surroundings which felt like a fantasy world. For any of you who have traveled internationally to place that isn't extremely "westernized" you may be able to relate to my feelings. I have done quite a bit of traveling, but this was maybe the first time I was bewildered by the differences mixed with some odd feelings of familiarity. Sort of that, "Whoa. Where the heck am I, how did I get here, and am I crazy??" feeling.

It is virtuously impossible to describe Addis Ababa. Some words that come to mind are -Dusty, dry, hot, crowded, smelly, smogy, colorful, vibrant, active, secretive, historic, grieving, trying, fighting, hilly, surprising, and urban. Quite a complex place.

Taking photos in Addis proved to be very difficult. Whenever a government guard is in sight it is best not to snap photos- or so I was told. I decided not to risk trying. Their were guards all over the place. Also- any sort of government building, space, institution, or monument- no photos. Many of the locals were not keen on getting photos taken either and several of the orphanages also have no photo rules. Anyway- I will post my best efforts to capture some typical sights on the streets of Addis.

2008-05-30T10:06:00.001-07:00

So we've been to Ethiopia and back since my last post! Sorry I didn't have time to post before we left- things were a little hectic!

Anyway- the trip was amazing to say the least. As soon as I recover from the travel- I will post more. If you can't wait- please feel free to visit our Church on Sunday to hear more first hand and see some pics!!

Closing Summary

2008-05-10T10:26:00.001-07:00

Well.... today is my graduation open house- now it is official- I have graduated with my Masters in Social Work. I really can't believe it actually.

Looking back on the past three years (that is how long it took) so much has happened. The first year of school I was only taking a few classes and nannying. That was an adventure....
The next year, I took a job working part-time at Chiropractor's office...also an adventure... and began school full-time. I was supposed to start an internship in December, but due to a mix up of paper work, I didn't start until March.

Thank God for that mix up, because it landed me at Children's Hope, which is exactly where I was supposed to be. Before I began interning, I have to admit- I was frustrated by the insane amount of hours we are required to intern without pay. BUT this frustration faded almost instantly as I fell in love with the work I was able to do at CHI, realized how valuable "practice" experience was, and genuinely looked forward to going into the office. The staff there has been wonderful to say the least. We all worked through some tremendous challenges, both personally and professionally, and I learned things I never expected to learn!

Being able to work in the international adoption field was such a confirming experience. I was finally able to be involved in something I had studied for years. Adoption, especially international, has been a long time interest of mine. Goes back to high school actually. I have no idea why I became so interested in international adoption while I was in high school, wasn't really a big thing then like it is now. I think I just thought it was fascinating- and no doubt, God gives us all specific interests and passions for a reason. I will spare you the details of my entire professional journey- and simply say God continued to place opportunities in my life that increased my desire to work with adoptive families. So, like I said, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work at CHI- it was the perfect place for me to intern.

And of course- part of school- the classes. Oh all the classes. Some were amazing, some were annoying, but all in all I got a great education. Theories, diagnosis, methods of therapy, cultural competency, development, systems.... When I stop and think about it- I realize how much I really did learn. It is a great feeling to feel "equipped" to go into the professional world with a solid education backing you up.

Anyway, just thought I would post a little summary reflection. For me, and for you. Because now- it is done! I am no longer just a "student" I am an MSW :)

Bill Cosby- Dentists

2008-05-06T15:23:00.001-07:00

Seeing an Idol

2008-05-06T14:40:00.001-07:00

I got to see this routine live this past Saturday! If you know me even remotely well, you know that this was a dream come true. (Go ahead, Call me lame, I can take it) Jon bought the tickets "secretly" as my graduation gift... I still haven't figured out how he slid this by me, but I think it involves taking out extra cash gradually while at the grocery store....sneaky booger! Cosby is 70, almost 71, and still can make me laugh like no one else. He does speak a little slower, and seem to loose track of where he's going- but it is hard to tell if this is part of his act or his age. Probably some of both- he's smart like that. It was clear a lot of the work was improve and he was so interactive with the audience, it was great! He did end with one of his classic routines, and it was still just as funny it was when he performed it live on TV 24 years ago.. The Dentist.

2008-04-30T08:28:00.001-07:00

Done with papers!

Very tired, but done!

2008-04-25T09:50:00.001-07:00

Stacy: Finishing up FINAL papers. Trying to go into hermit mode so I can finish. Not doing so great at that so far. Also has been sicky: Yellow Fever Vaccine Side Effects + Bad Salad+ Stess+ Allergies+ Sensitive Body= Feelin kinda cruddy these days!

Jon: Working hard for Habitat and also busy with real estate. Being a supportive husband to a wife who has been kinda distant and crazy lately. Happy to have a wife who will hopefully be employed in the next month or so!

my name is lisa

2008-04-16T22:09:00.001-07:00

This is a short film made by some of our best buds. I know I am biased, but I love it and would encourage you to watch. Especially if you are interested in aging, mental heath, or family systems. Congrats guys on your awards/accomplishments thus far! My professional background, social work and psychology, allows me to especially appreciate your focus on a personal story- while tying in the impact on both the family and individual living with mental illness- In this case, Alzheimer's.

AND-Now that I have figured out this you tube connection to my blog, I may be hooked!

i still don't like needles

2008-04-15T21:20:00.001-07:00

For all you who know me even remotely well, you know needles are not my strength. Well, I thought I was "growing up" a little bit, but I guess not. I still can't handle it. This morning Jon and I went in for round one of our vaccines for Ethiopia. On the way there Jon asked if I was doing OK. I said, "Yes, this isn't like getting blood taken. It is just shots, I won't pass out or go into hysterics. It doesn't mean I like it, and yes my stomach hurts a little, but I will be OK."

Ha ha.

And the condensed version goes-

*After 2 shots*

Nurse: "Are you OK?"

Me: "Yeah.. I think so, I am fine.."

Minutes later my husband tries to get moving: "See no big deal.Good job. Can you stand up?"

I walk into the lobby-

Me: "Did this shot go into my muscle? It really hurts.. I can feel it now...."

Nurse looks up: "Oh umm go sick back down.....Oh...OK you're OK. Here you go, just put your head between your legs."

In sum: Jon was late for work because "My wife doesn't respond well to needles and I need to make sure she has recovered from her shots." God bless him.

Anyway. I was actually more frustrated today than anything. Why am I such a weirdo?? This past year several people in my life have gone through major surgeries, cancer, intense and scary childbirth situations, and other overwhelming medical situations. It makes me feel so ridiculous when I can't even handle a few shots! I feel so blessed to be healthy and can't imagine going through what others have endured. I have so much respect for these folks and admire their strength. I am confident God gives people the strength they need to get through situations whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual. I trust that it would be the same for me, somehow I would get through- even if I can't handle a few measly shots!

Oh well, in the meantime I guess it was wishful thinking that I would get over this. It is just one (among many) of my body's funny little quirks. I used to think it was a phobia but don't know anymore, because I was actually much calmer today. But like I said- it was "just a shot".

We'll see what happens when I get get to go back for more in a couple weeks....

2008-04-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

Well I know we have a long way to go (and have complete faith we will!), but wow... we have been together 7 years! Crazy! To think it all started with a set up. Who knows what would've happened without the help of good friends. I was far too stubborn at the time and not willing to get into anything too serious. HA! I now must say I am a big fan of the NPU tradition, Roommate's Revenge. It wasn't such a revenge this time...we ended up marri ed :)

My favorite part is that on our first date we came up with a practical joke to play on friends (it was APRIL FOOLS day) and there was no hesitation on either part to do such an awful (but harmless) thing.

All in all, it is a blessing and a mystery to look back and see how God places people together at the perfect time.
(Undergraduate Art Final Project)

P.S. The white dots on the photos are reminders of the good old days when I actually developed these myself. Shows what tiny dust molecules can do without technology stepping in :) Perfection in photography was VERY hard back then...a mere five years ago

Run for Hope

2008-03-21T09:20:00.000-07:00

A year and a half ago I conquered 13.1 miles and finished the Chicago 1/2 Marathon under my goal time. When I crossed the finish line one of the first things I said was, "How do people do this twice!?! There is no way I will ever do a marathon!" Well I guess I just needed some time to let the memory of how hard that race was fade, because I am signed up to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon this October. (Maybe its kind of like when women give birth and say I will never have another child.. OK, not THAT painful...)

Actually, we are both signed up! My hubby surprised me one evening a few weeks ago when he said, "You know, I think we should sign up for the Marathon. It would be something good for us to work towards together." Jon is a wonderful husband and I was deeply appreciative of his gesture- but let's be honest- he's not big into running. He can do it, and he has, but he also doesn't particularly love it. If he actually follows the training plan, it is likely he could finish the race faster (I hate boys for this reason..) ...but I think he is also smart enough not to let that happen :) He knows I get competitive and this might not be the best marriage builder.

We are very excited to be running for a great cause! We are running as a part of Children's Hope International's Team. (Where I have been interning) The team's goal is to raise $10,000. If you are interested in joining our team or sponsoring us- click here or contact me.

The mission of Children's Hope is something we are both passionate about and actually ties in with our another major event coming up for us in May- a trip to Ethiopia. We are very excited for the opportunity to be able to get back to Africa. For some time now, we have felt led to go back and work with Orphans impacted by HIV/AIDS. The number of orphans in Ethiopia is likely to surpass 5 million by the year 2010. It is estimated that by 2010, 43% of these children will be orphaned as a result of AIDS. Needless to say, it will be a very hard trip, but we know we are being sent for a reason. Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in learning more about how you can support us in regards to this trip.

Updates

2008-03-18T22:04:00.000-07:00

Brief post from the Peterson's....

Jon just returned from his Grandfather's funeral which was in his hometown of Santa Barbara, CA. All your thoughts and prayers have been much appreciated! Everything went well and it was a beautiful service.

Things continue to move along at a rapid pace and we are looking forward to discovering what the future holds (while at the same time trying to manage the anxiety that comes with unknowns and major transitions). All in all, it is proving to be a very exciting year that we have ahead of us. In case you haven't heard through the grapevine...

* Stacy graduates May 8th
*We are going to Ethiopia for 2 weeks in May
* We are running the Chicago Marathon 2008

We will try to get more details up about these things ASAP, but in the meantime we welcome any personal questions or comments. It is hard to keep this blog up to speed these days!

2008-03-08T22:18:00.001-08:00

Gone..gone..gone

2008-03-01T21:39:00.000-08:00

Well not only have I been gone from my blog- now I am totally taking off! I am headed to Florida for about 6 days with my Mom (thanks again Mom for the chance to take a vacation!!). The past few weeks have been pretty hectic filled with a flu bout, midterms, church stuff, interning, etc. BUT I am very ready for a break and a chance just to get away from my hectic routine. Unfortunately my vacation reading stack is pretty pathetic. Jonny laughed when he picked up my carry on item... text books, computer.. what do you expect! I am actually looking forward to spending some serious time with my books though- I don't think I'll have a problem with my only obligations being the beach, pool side, or if worse comes to worse and it rains... a hotel room. Honestly, I never thought I would say it, but even if it does rain- I am still on a break. Praise the Lord!

On another note- I got to see two of my bestest buds yesterday. Here are a few pics. Love these gals' we've been through it all together! ( And no we did not coordinate on purpose!)

Abbi, Me, Andrea

Griffin (Cuteness Credit goes to Abbi & Ryan!) Me, Andrea

Fact/Site of the Day

2008-02-15T21:29:00.000-08:00

Check out this site if you are interested in child development or work with kids. Gives an overview of racial development in children and some ideas for incorporating this into work with children.

http://www.pbs.org/kcts/preciouschildren/diversity/read_activities.html

2008-02-13T14:29:00.001-08:00

I fell behind on the facts! Thanks to my supervisor for reminding me today- here are a few to make up for missed time.

Today, February 13th-The Renaissance, the first Black pro basketball team, was organized in 1923.

The Banjo originated in Africa, and up until the 1800s was considered an instrument only played by Blacks.

Black History Month

2008-02-10T21:51:00.000-08:00

We are half way through February- Black History Month. Since I am passionate about Black culture, Africa, the history of race relations, and racial awareness....I have decided to start posting some interesting "facts of the day" throughout the rest of February. Seems like a good time to do so! So here is #1:

The difference in skin color between black and whites is however a minor genetic difference accounting for just one letter in 3.1 billion letters of DNA.

A great site to help us remember:
http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/

300 pages by Monday...I should be reading....

2008-02-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

Instead I am posting. Things are proving to be very hectic for us in the new year. We are constantly striving to figure out how to best love one another, love others, and take care of ourselves. It is true I thrive off a full life and busy schedule, but right now it is a little fuller than I prefer! Every day brings up the same struggle trying to keep things in perspective, and trust God with our time and money. (Both of which there is a lack of!) These days I find myself constantly stuck in feeling stressed or worrying, unless I take the time to sit back and give it all to God. Thankfully, once I do, I am always comforted and reminded that nothing I do matters unless I do it for his glory. All I should worry about is how to live in this light, and honor God with my choices.

I am not saying this is easy, it isn't. Even as I sat to write this my head was spinning with a million things I need to do, and I am sure within 24 hours these feelings of stress will rise back up. But I am re-learning how to ground myself in faith daily. There is no other way to live.

On a more FUN note- here are some pics from the past couple weeks!

Happy Birthday to Greta!
We got to go see Wicked for Free!! No complaints there. I know it has been out forever, but we hadn't made it there yet. I agree with the folks who say it is amazing! We really enjoyed it.
And yes the weather has been lovely....

California Dreaming

2008-01-21T22:54:00.001-08:00

Last Round!

2008-01-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

Well winter break is over. I was not ready for classes to start this time. BUT it is my last semester, so I can only complain about it so much before seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It just feels like I have been in school forever.

All I have left is electives. So, I am taking courses which will really challenge me and make me think with a different "hat" on. I will be wearing the Social Work Hat (this is of course my standard hat, it may as well be my hair...), the Theology Hat, the Psychology Hat (I miss this hat. Even though a lot of my courses have been psych related, I love that it is in the course title!), and the Pastoral Hat. . Here is what is on the platter:

Justice and Migration
- This course is team taught by a PhD. of Ethics from the Theology Department and a Social Work PhD.
The course is focused on the major theoretical approaches to the notion of social justice, major ethical and justice dilemmas related to migration; justice issues related to social work practice, policy, and programs.I am very interested and excited to learn more, but after the first class I left feeling like an idiot! Not only because the Profs. are extremely bright- I realized how much I don't know about migration, both in the U.S. and abroad. Like I said, not something I have thought about to an extent before, so I really feel like this course will expand my knowledge in a new arena.

Spirituality & Psychology of Life Transition
- Offered by the graduate school of Psychology in conjunction with the Institute for Pastoral Studies.
I am very excited about this one! It ended up being a last minute add on due to some chaos with registration procedures. It will be great to have a curriculum that ties in my faith once again.

Social Work with Children
- This is probably self explanatory and sounds much more like what you would expect an MSW student to take. Have a great professor, and looking forward to this class as well.

Oh, I can't forget the beloved Integrative Practice Seminar I have to take every semester... ughh.

So even though my life is now surrendered again to academia for a few more months, I am excited to learn and switch things up a bit! I have a feeling you all may be learning more about these topics if you continue to read my blog....

Fluffy

2008-01-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

We could've been really mad at our dog. But what is the use. It was his bed after all. "His" pillow which he so loved, until last night. For some reason his little doggy brain decided it was time to kill the pillow. And that he did.

Jon and I couldn't help but laugh at his tremendous efforts to destroy the white fluff. We just laughed and sighed, "Ahh, well..It is only a pillow."
Funny as it may seem, Peter reminded me of how often we get caught up with all of our "fluff". We forget that our belongings are only temporary, and really, in the end, meaningless.

While I was at the gym the other day, I over heard a conversation about a house fire. I couldn't help but think of how horrible it would be to lose everything to a fire, or another natural disaster. I imagined how distraught I would be. But then, I was comforted by the instant response my thoughts conjured up. "Well, it would be awful, but at least it is just stuff."

The days I am focused on materialism, are usually the days I am also depressed and miserable and trying to find something to instantly make me feel better. It is so easy to get up in living for "the fluff", always wanting something bigger and better. Whether it be the houses we build, the latest fashions in our closet, or the newest video game, it is such a relief to take a step back and remember none of this matters. I am so grateful my hope and my purpose is in something bigger.

2008-01-03T21:22:00.001-08:00

Happy 2008!

Above: The fondue team! With the help of everyone, we had quite a yummy meal. (Left to right: Kjersten, Mike, Branden, Jon, Rachel, Greta, and Britta) It was a great way to enjoy each others company and welcome the new year...

one bite at a time!

And of course the doggies were welcome too!

A little guitar hero never hurt anyone (Note: I am BAD at this game. Maybe that is why I gave up guitar after 2 lessons....) These girls rocked! And so did these folks..Branden the Pro

And Mr. and Mrs. Jennings were jiving!

Happy New Year! Cheers to good friends!

New Year

2008-01-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

Well I wasn't going to buy into posting something about the "New Year" because usually I am not a resolution advocate. Then I got tagged, read others blogs, and truth be told... the turn of the New Year did inspire me to make some changes. To sum it up- my life patterns need to have an over haul! Audrey said 5... so here we go.

1. Give God time.
I say my faith is the most important thing in my life. But my time certainly doesn't testify to this. Even in the midst of a crazy schedule I can find time to go to the gym, go shopping, call a friend, or watch TV. So, now, I vow to give more time to God. One thing my faith has taught me, if I do this- it is likely all these other resolutions will fall into place, and life will feel more as it should.

2. Go to bed before 11pm
I work well late at night. That is when my brain seems to know there is nothing else to do, so I am free to write and read. I prefer to come home at 5, take a nap, and then tackle the rest of the evening. However, this means I am tired in the mornings and hate waking up early. It also means Jon and I are constantly on different schedules, when he is tired I am awake, etc. I think we would enjoy each others company much more if we were on the same page here and I am the one that has the wacky habits, so I will try to conform to the "normal" way of being....

3. Plan Meals
Now most of you think I am a very healthy eater. I am. However, it is not healthy to wait till you are starving because you don't know what to eat, there is no food at home that is appealing, cooking seems too hard, or it is 10:00 pm and you have waited to figure out food until you arrive home. This often leads to eating things one would rather not be. I will attempt to go back to planning weekly menus, easy ways to cart around food I will actually enjoy, and understand how my decisions about eating effect me.

4. Run the Chicago Marathon.
It's about time I just did this. I've been talking about it for at least 4 years. I loved the 1/2 marathon.... I can take on the real deal (yikes!).

5. Think about others over myself
These past few years I have had so many things to focus on, it has been easy to just get stuck in the mode of doing what I need to do to survive and succeed. This is not how I am, nor how I want to be. I need to learn how to be selfless.

Ta da! Cheers to 2008!

P.S. We had a great New Years Eve Gathering- will post on this soon.

2007-12-25T20:08:00.000-08:00

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!

~Charles Dickens

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-22T12:17:00.001-08:00

May God's love fill you with peace and joy!

Fa la la la la

2007-12-14T21:23:00.000-08:00

Me & Frosty

Frosty has been in the fam' a long time!

Peter...not so into the Christmas Spirit

Free bird.......

2007-12-12T17:28:00.000-08:00

I am happy to announce I am done with finals!! Everything has been completed and turned in. Can I get an AMEN?! One more semester to go.

And.. Jon got a bonus and a raise! Cheers!

(Yes I know we both look exhausted... cause we are. But we still have energy to celebrate!)