RJ's been trying to convince me for the past six months that I should ditch my shoes and run barefooted but it took this book to convince me.

"Shoes block pain, not impact!
Pain teaches us to run comfortably!
From the moment you start going barefoot, you will change the way you run."
- Barefoot Ken Bob (page 157)

After a few barefoot runs on the beach I'm sold. Soon you'll see my hoofing it through town in these smokin' hot babies.

Or maybe I'll get the pink ones and really class it up.

Our Journey to YES - part 3

You can read parts 1 & 2 here and here

Four months, 12 counties, and an empty savings account later we found ourselves in London, England with nowhere to go. Back in San Luis Obispo our few boxes of belongings were in storage and my sister had taken up residency in our former place. We knew we could crash with the parentals for awhile but after a year of marriage and the trip of a lifetime cozying up with mom and dad sounded fairly awful (no offense, we love you guys).

Pictures from our big trip

Our senior years of college RJ started making the two hour drive from San Luis Obispo to Ventura about once a month. He had determined that Patagonia was the company to work for and he wanted in. But with hundreds of applicants for every available position and no industry experience RJ didn't hold much of a chance unless he knew someone on the inside. So he started driving down highway 101 to spend monthly afternoons sitting in the Patagonia lobby. He made friends with Chipper Bro, a Patagonia employee legend and gatekeeper to the inside,  asked for informational interviews, bought people lunch and shook a bunch of hands. Even so, everyone told him it wasn't likely he would get a corporate position without experience; he would need to start in the retail store, get to know the garments and the company.

While traveling we had tossed around the idea of moving to New York City. RJ could work at one of the retail Patagonia stores and I could sling coffees at Starbucks while looking for something more substantial. If we ate only potatoes and found a teeny-tiny studio we could potentially pull it off. Between South America and Europe we stopped in NYC. RJ met with the Patagonia store managers and they told him to call once he was back in the states. A plan was slowly forming.

Our second to last day in London RJ found a pay phone and started making calls. Since our flight home has heading into Sacramento he thought he would start with the Ventura store, and if they weren't hiring he would ring up NYC. It was late November and the Ventura store manager remembered RJ. If you can get her in 6 days I'll give you a job. It's Christmas season and we're slammed, she told him.

It was settled. Good-bye NYC; Hello Southern California. We had a place to call home.

To be continued...

A Day For Father

Family

Malibu

Surf

Sun

RJ -

You are an amazing father.

One of my greatest joys is watching you with our son.

How proud I will be if he grows up to be a God-fearing, faithful,

loving, compassionate, joyful, hard-working, life-loving man -

just like his father.

We love you,

A & L

One Month Waiting

Today marks 1 month we have been waiting for our sweet babies.

Much like the photographs I took of my every expanding belly with Landon, I thought it would be fun to celebrate each month as we wait in anticipation for our referral. 

So each month I will try to:

1) Take a "numbered" photograph somewhere special or fun that we looking forward to sharing with our new arrivals

2) Purchase a little something for the babies (since we are not decorating the nursery until we receive our referral) 

3) Share information about an organization or project that directly or indirectly helps care for orphans

Also, I managed to hold on to my self-control this month and I did not check the Unofficial Waiting List until early this morning. Unfortunately, we have not moved up the list at all. Things continue to be slow in Ethiopia and we are anticipating a long road ahead of us. Surprisingly I am feeling incredibly peaceful this morning. I'm so thankful for God's peace. Without His reassurances I would be an absolute and complete basket case. We know our children are in ET and we continue to battle for them in prayer; hoping that they come home soon.

We took our number 1 picture at Malibu beach; a family favorite

Since the odds of having a little girl in the mix are high I couldn't resist this adorable jumper for a cute boutique

And I'm excited to share with you about one of my absolute favorite organizations: Compassion International

Help a Child

We've all seen the television commercials: the devastating images of malnourished children with overextended stomachs and flies buzzing around their faces while a 1-800 number flashes across the screen. And while you want to help you've probably also been warned not to trust these organizations; warned that the majority of the money you pledge actually goes to administrative costs and unnecessary overhead. But Compassion International is different. I KNOW they are an honest, hard-working, intelligently steered organization that cares deeply about children born into poverty.

Our Journey to YES - part 2

read part 1 here

....but then my friend Shelley had a beautiful baby boy.

RJ and I met Shelley and Jeremiah on a short-term missionary trip to Scotland. RJ and I had only been dating about 6 months but we knew marriage was somewhere on the horizon; and when we got married we wanted to be just like our new friends.  About eight years older than us Shelley and Jeremiah lived a lifestyle that RJ and I greatly admired. They had been married for at least five years at that point, had traveled the world for an entire year together, owned a cute little house in Los Osos, worked good jobs, surfed together continuously, took fun, adventures vacations, and they loved the Lord and each other. So a few months after our wedding (which they were an important part of) we were a bit surprised when they announced their pregnancy. We knew they wanted children at some point, but we couldn't quite believe our crazy friends were about to "settle down". (We were wrong by the way. Children did not keep them from continuing to pursue an adventurous lifestyle.)

Then I met Owen, and it all clicked. Born weeks premature little Owen with just a teeny, tiny bundle of love. I remember standing over him in the NICU feeling my heart turn to mush inside my chest - what a beautiful little miracle. My maternal instinct suddenly kicked in, and I knew those hypothetical two kids weren't hypothetical anymore. Someday, I wanted to be someones Mama.

But it wasn't our time yet. RJ and I had things to do! We still had to graduate from college (we were married young!) and, thanks to a generous gift from a grandparent, we had a three month travel trip planned. Our trip was set to end in November of 2005 and after that the world was our oyster. No jobs lined up, no place to live. Just a big, blank slate waiting to be filled.

To be continued

rose bowl flea market

I was able to convince RJ to accompany me to the Rose Bowl Flea Market this weekend to hunt for hidden treasure. Flea marketing can be so overwhelming it's best to go with a buddy. Particularly if you are a nervous barterer like me.


I hate the bartering aspect of the market. I'm always worried I'll end up like RJ - who got beaten with a leather handbag by a feisty 90-year-old Italian woman while we were shopping the open market in Florence; apparently she was pretty offended when he offered to pay her only 20% of the listed price. But, always the deal-getter, RJ wasn't discouraged by that one set-back and he continues to wheel-and-deal for practically everything he buys. Throw in his impeccably good taste and he's the perfect shopping buddy.


We fitted Landon into the stroller, threw him a hot dog and an endless supply of snacks, and hours later we walked out with three new treasures:


- a stack of vintage photographs from the 40s and 50s to turn into fun greeting cards

- a new chicken food dispenser (guess who found this treasure)


- and an old industry-sized laundry basket. Made of canvas and leather it's a great decor piece and is currently being used to store linens. But when our kiddos come home its jumbo-size and wheels will come in handy for hauling massive loads of laundry!

Both RJ and I agreed that we wished we had started flea marketing when we were first furnishing our home. You can find the most amazing things among all the junk ( and you must be careful of the junk it often disguises itself as cool and interesting until you get come and realize that it has nowhere to live in your house.)I was inspired actually finish redecorating Landon's room and I got a bunch of ideas for the babies room too. 

Our Journey to YES - part 1

Let me be honest friends, this waiting thing is really hard.

And we've only been DTE 2 weeks! We have months and months and months to go.

I've never been very good at that thing called patience.

And yet it seems to be something the Lord really wants to teach me,

because it just keep cropping up in my life. 

But thanks to the Lord's incredible faithfulness I am slowly getting

better at waiting without anxiety. Waiting in eagerness, but in peace.

And since I'm not yet chasing around 2-3 little people I thought it would be a sweet time

to record the Lord's faithfulness to me in this area of struggle. 

Which corresponds with out journey towards adoption.

Our journey to "Yes"

Once engaged RJ and I started premarital counseling with our dear pastor and his wife. Brian handed us a questionnaire, told us to fill it out separately, and then discuss the answers together. One of the questions was: "How many children would you like to have?" 

Now RJ and I had both agreed while dating that we didn't want children. We weren't interested in being tied down - we wanted to travel the world, work internationally, and escape The American Dream lifestyle. No white picket fence, no kids, no minivan and no dog (HAHA - God has a sense of humor). 

traveling in Costa Rica shortly after we were married

But I had lingering doubts in the back of my mind. I knew I wanted to travel, live in New York, explore foreign countries, ride elephants, and be a free spirited bohemians, but I wondered if I wouldn't change my mind at some point. I had always liked kids and people often told me I was good with children. Would I feel differently a few years from now when I was no longer 21 and could see a bit further down the road than the end of my own nose? Hesitatingly I answered the question with a number 2.

"Two kids," RJ questioned. "I thought we weren't having children?"

"We aren't", I insisted, "but, just in case we change our mind we should have a plan."

We agree on two kids and they would come waaaayyyy down the line (if ever).

But....

To be continued....

be still my heart

Landon does two things pretty much all day long:

wiggle

&

talk

Considering my conversations go much like my writing it's safe for you to assume he inherited his

long-winded nature from his Mama!

He chats about his breakfast, he chats about his cars, he sings his ABCs and the Fishy song, he chats about his lunch, about his friends, and about the chickens. He tells me about his books, he claims every song on the radio is his favorite song, and he mimics me continually. Even the words that sometimes slip out and I would rather him not say. 

Being a chatty Cathy myself I totally love his constant communication. 

However, for months I've been waiting to hear those magic words:

I love you Mama.

He's been saying "love you" for a long time, but only ever as a response. He would say "love you" back to RJ and I whenever we told him we loved him, but he never said it spontaneously. 

Until a few days ago. I was kneeled down next time him and we were cheek to cheek waiting for his favorite cartoon to begin. Suddenly he put his arm around my shoulders and declared: 

I love you Mama.

Be still my heart.

What a precious treasure. 

I know not all children are able to speak and express their love verbally, so I treasure Landon's precious words in my heart. They are such a gift. 

Love you too, bug.