Instagram Photo-A-Day: July

i did another “photo a day” on Instagram for the month of july. 

7/1 – #selfportrait

7/2 – VERY #busy morning: dropped off rent checks at the office, deposited rent cash so our check didn’t bounce (ha!), picked up drinks for the guys at the studio, got Sbux for my husband, dropped off drinks & Sbux AT the studio, then met up with the MIL & SsIL to see Brave – all before 10:30am!  whew!

7/3 – this day was usually a day off for my husband, but instead he spent the last several days at the studio giving 12-14hrs on the upcoming SGM CD.  him coming home is always #thebestpartofmyday but this night, at 11:45pm, it felt especially favorite. 

7/4 – #fun nails for the 4th of July!

7/5 – #onthefloor – sewing curtains for my nieces’ bedroom

7/6 – rows and rows of #chairs all lined up for Molly & Anthony’s wedding the next day!

7/7 – greens picked from someone’s yard for table accents at the wedding.  as close to a #garden as i was gonna get!

7/8 – #lunch at Domenico’s with friends after church

7/9 – my “niece” Georgia turned the #big 3!

7/10 – #yourfavoritecolor is kinda hard since i love color in general!  but i’da have to say that blues and greens are what i love most… and i’ve recently developed a love for purple!

7/11 – groupings of #letters (words) that made me smile

7/12 – i generally prefer the #texture of nectarines over peaches, but that is easily gotten over when a bowlful of cream is involved!

7/13 – it was cloudy and overcast and a little bit sprinkly, making it so very nice and cool out!  enjoyed a book with my window and front door wide #open!

7/14 – my apartment #building – my home and my job right now.

7/15 – when my #finger nails are uber short, i like to paint them bright colors.

7/16 – we got this #sign on our honeymoon.  it currently hangs in the hallway and makes me smile every time i walk by. 

7/17 – #myaddiction hands down.

7/18 – not that i need an excuse, but a friend coming for coffee is a fun reason to make a #plate full of cookies!

7/19 – this soft and snuggly guy was a gift from my youngest sister in law for our first married Christmas.  I’m hoping to give it to our first child.  #animal

7/20 – my parents came to visit!  pretty sure i got my mom’s #eyes.

7/21 – went and watched airplanes land RIGHT OVER OUR HEADS #9oclock

7/22 – #upsidedown – i just passed on this one.  didn’t come across anything that fit and didn’t want to force it / wasn’t feeling very creative. 

7/23 – love having a bathroom #mirror that opens from both sides AND in the middle – makes seeing all angles much easier!

7/24 – i end up talking with a lot of complete #strangers when they stop and stare at the heat damage on my car. 

7/25 – no one told me that my #heart would burst with love for this little guy.  for no other reason than that he is my brother’s son, i love him with all of my #heart.  doesn’t hurt that he is freaking adorable too. 

7/26 – soaking up some #sunshine at Bolsa Chica State Beach

7/27 – #ontheroad – had no idea that Huntington Dr in Monrovia was part of historic route 66!

7/28 – love my brightly colored measuring #cups!

7/29 – well, technically the #lastthingibought was a donut, but that’s not nearly as exciting as the new shoes and jewelry i got!

7/30 – zach had spent all morning working SO hard out in the heat with his dad (home remodeling project) and i was feeling really sluggish.  we both just sort of ended up on the floor… #calm

7/31 – we have his&hers #toothbrushes.  we also have his&hers toothpaste. i know, we’re kinda weird. 

what i’ve been reading

aahh trying to catch up.  i know you’d probably much rather read the next installment of “our story” but i’m behind enough on the book reviews that i want to at least get one more up before moving on with the story.  sorry? 

May’s Reads

Fun/Fiction: The Third Option by Vince Flynn

after the previous month’s more serious and “real life” type of read, i wanted something lighter.  my husband and picked this up on our camping trip – a short paperback novel in the vein of grisham/clancy/ludlum.  perfect.  i’m a sucker for spy/espionage type thrillers (think tv shows like Alias and 24).  this book did not disappoint.  i actually kept thinking to myself, “i feel like i’m reading a season of 24 – i love this!”  haha  the book is actually 4th in a series revolving around the character of Mitch Rapp, a CIA counterterrorist agent who gets caught in the middle of a political power play that nearly costs him his life.  the book swirls with numerous characters (had to work hard to keep them straight at first) that eventually are all connected as Mitch fights to protect his friends, colleagues and allies while trying to get to the bottom of everything.  i was something of a cotton candy read on nearly every level and i loved it. 

spiritual/nonfiction: Crazy Love by Francis Chan

a couple months back, a friend mentioned on facebook that [all] 3 of francis chan’s books were available for FREE download on amazon – score!  i had heard good things about this book from multiple reliable sources and jumped at the chance to get it for free on my iphone kindle app.  the first few chapters in particular took my breath away.  his description and reminder of just how great and big and awesome God is quieted my heart and swelled my soul.  so so good.  the following few chapters were excellent, albeit nothing “new.”  i was reminded of how blessed i have been to have spent my latter high school and adult years in a very solid church with excellent teaching.  i understand that for some christians, what francis chan wrote may be an earth-shattering, life-altering, brand new perspective on christianity.  only because of God’s grace and kindness on my life can i say that many of the truths he wrote served as refreshing reminders to me. 

i must confess – i did have one initial “beef” with part of this book… which eventually resolved itself by the end.  but still.  if i were to be honest, i was disappointed by the way he approached the call to live radical lives for Christ.  i wholeheartedly agree that because of the way we have been changed by what God has done for us in and through Christ, our lives absolutely should be radical for Jesus.  no disagreement there.  but there were a couple of chapters that, to me at least, felt as though “living radically” was only defined by doing very extreme things – pursuing oversees missions, living out of your car so you can evangelize the homeless, adopting internationally as a single woman with no income, being imprisoned and persecuted for your belief in Jesus, etc.  granted, not all the stories Chan tells are quite that extreme, but i felt that the impression was there nevertheless. 

i began to think, i disagree. i believe you can still live a radical life for Christ without moving overseas or quitting your day job to pursue full-time evangelism. it’s radical in our culture to give a regular, un-coerced tithe to your local church (i’ll never forget my dad telling me how shocked one of his [unsaved] brothers was when, as he was lending his CPA knowledge to helping my parents with some financial decisions, found out what percentage of my dad’s teacher salary they gave to their church). heck, giving like that is radical even within the Christian community! it’s radical to talk to your neighbors about Jesus and/or invite them to things at your church.  it’s radical to, as a Christian, have friends with homosexuals and love them as Christ did, not allowing their choice of sin to keep you away.  it’s radical to pass up a job transfer/promotion in order to protect time with your family and investment in your local church.  it’s radical for skilled, competent women to stay at home and devote themselves to raising their children full time instead of re-entering the work force ASAP. it’s radical for men to love, honor and cherish their wives, dating and romancing them, lending a hand with the kids, leading and keeping his marriage relationship vibrant, healthy and strong.  it’s radical to devote a week of your vacation time to build a baby house at an orphanage in mexico – on your own dime – simply because you want to see the message of the gospel go out to underprivileged children.

now, don’t worry, i’m not the kind of person to stop reading a really good book simply because i came across with one or two things i wasn’t sure i entirely agreed with.  there were still chapters left and i still wanted to see what else Chan had to say.  and i was happy to see that he did actually affirm some of what i was thinking in the following chapter.  he readily stated that radically living for Christ will look different for different people, and God does not call everyone to the exact same choices and lifestyle.  but God DOES call us to be radically different as a result of who He is and what He has done.  in light of the gospel, how can we NOT live changed, radical lives??  the message is powerful and challenging and i was both encouraged and motivated!  (i just think maybe Chan should have switched the order of a couple chapters, that’s all .)

i’m also eager to read chan’s other books as well: Erasing Hell: What God said about eternity, and the things we made up & Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit.  Both look excellent – so you’ll probably see personal reviews of these titles on here eventually too!

couch to 5K plan

just wanted to do a quick little blog post about the running plan i am helping zach pursue. 

our deal: zach REALLY wants to learn to fly.  he has a little bit of experience under his belt already, and working around airplanes so much has only intensified his desire to actually fly (privately as a hobby, not commercially as a vocation – he’s very happy with ATC)!  i told him that i would whole-heartedly support any financial and time investments toward learning to fly as soon as he was able to run a 10K.  we struck a deal. 

my husband may be quite lean, but that is not an accurate reflection of his overall health.  it’s been years since he was very active and our deal nicely coincided with a re-newed desire to get back into shape.  i found this “couch to 5K” plan on pinterest a couple months ago and knew it would be a good, incremental and achievable plan to get my husband halfway to his goal:

(click the picture for a link to a better/clearer view)

since recently becoming a runner myself, i’ve decided to do each run with zach.  it’s always easier to stick with something when you’ve got a friend doing it with you, right?  we finished week 3 today and i have to say – i am SO impressed with my husband for his commitment thus far.  he hasn’t stopped and hasn’t given up.  he’s even gotten up to go running BEFORE work on his “early” days (leaves for work by 7am).  for those of you who know zach, you know that this is HUGE.  my husband is NOT a morning person.  i’m so proud of him!!

we’re planning our own little 5K run at the end of september around the track at the Rose Bowl (which is just shy of a 5K)! 

it has been super fun and special for me to not only see my husband growing and working hard to get into better shape, but i really love sharing this activity with him!  i’m thinking i may stick with him for the second half of the training and work my way up to 10K too!