21 years of Carly

Today, my baby sister turns 21. 

21 whole years of Carly.

She's my little rockstar, my body guard, my confidant, my favorite.

She came home for the weekend with her buddy Kaihla to celebrate!

We started off the morning at Mimis with the girls. 

There, Carly had her first pretty drink, which she was pretty excited about ;)

 Why yes, we took a picture in the bathroom.  Mirror pictures are the best ;)

After breakfast, Steve joined us for a {good} movie. 

[it had been so long since I went to see a movie in the theaters! so fun!]

After the movie, we went for manis and pedis. So relaxing.

Then, we had dinner with the whole gang at the Brig.

sister enjoyed another pretty drink ;)

We ate amazing food.

We laughed. [my mom is the best mr napkin head ever!]

She opened some fun presents

 including a card that revealed a super fun sister trip I am taking her on in a few weeks...

we're going to Palm Springs!! 

I'm so excited to lounge in jammies, watch movies, lay out by the pool, 

order room service, chat chat chat, shop, and just be together. 

C, I love you more than I can express! Thanks for sharing your big birthday with me. 

You're a full on adult now, girl!

I love your heart, your mind, your smile, your laugh, your humor, your wit,

your sensitive spirit, your generosity, your honesty, your hair, your perseverance, and your faith.

To name a few things. ;)

I love you, pretty girl.

Happy 21st!! 

And this is just the beginning of our celebration!

Falling into Fall

Did someone say today is the first day of Fall???

*

This makes my heart glad. 

What are some things I am looking forward to this autumn season?

celebrating sister's 21st birthday tomorrow

women's bible study starting up

my first book release party

reading

a little learning

some great training walks and the big 3-day with mom

a trip with the hubby to visit m, k, and e in oregon

fall activities

candles, fires, hot chocolate and tea, blankets, and snuggling

rain, cooler weather, sweatshirts and slippers

changing leaves and colors

making christmas cards and christmas gifts

baking with pumpkin

friend time

achieving some goals

growing closer to Jesus

What are you looking forward to this fall season?

Fro yo in style

Tonight, my mother-in-law and father-in-law stopped by to check on me.

I hadn't seen them in awhile, so it was so fun to see them and chat a little bit.

They brought some Golden Spoon ... mmmmmmmm. They know the way to my heart :)

They also brought some "get-well" gifts for me.

The ice cream parlor glasses I wanted!!!

Thank you, J and K, for remembering something so special! 

I am so so so excited to use them and display them.

You are so thoughtful.

And I'm pretty excited for a yummy breakfast of fro yo tomorrow morning... ;)

Reliving the past [part 2]

Well, it's gone. My poor sad bottom front tooth. #27 if you're in the field. ;)

I survived. And I'm doing well. I've got the soft foods lined up...

Eaten: strawberry jello and sponge bob macaroni and cheese (thanks for the smile on that one, love)

Still to eat: chocolate and vanilla pudding, mashed potatoes, more macaroni and cheese, cherry jello, and 

-- drum roll please --

mud pie ice cream. {insert hallelujah chorus here}

It's weird to know my tooth is gone forever at age 25. Usually when you hear about people losing teeth, they're older and it's because they didn't take care of them. Oh well.

My sister wrote about her thoughts on this day. Made me cry. She's such a great writer. And an even better sister. {no offense on the writing ;)}

The accident I was in --- she was in it too. She was amazing -- her broken back that still bothers her sometimes, and yet she always made sure I was okay. It's kinda crazy to go through a trauma like that with someone. So many hard days. A few really awful days. And more and more good days. As awful as it was, I'm so thankful for that experience and the unique relationship my sister and I have through it. 

It's crazy how having this surgery has reminded me of that day on July 2, 1999. It has reminded me where we came from and the miraculous recovery we made. It has reminded me that I am thankful for life, love, laughter, joy, family, and friends. All of which have been so therapeutic this week. 

I'm thankful for a mom who met me at the surgeon's just as I was going back to give me a hug. For her prayers and wisdom through all of this. And for the flowers on my doorstep when I returned home. 

For a husband who prayed with me for me last night, who sat in the empty waiting room all morning, who walked me out of the office with his strong arm, who made me yummy food {the soft diet is pretty awesome for me since I love all those foods}, who fed and walked the dogs for me, who told me I'm pretty even without all my teeth. 

For a mother-in-law who texted me the sweetest prayer last night, and this morning and who checked on me today. 

For a sister who left me a thoughtful voicemail and who gets it. 

For friends like Jessi who reminded me she's praying for me, and for friends like Lindsey who send thoughtful texts offering to bring Panera soup. :) 

For two puppies who hang out with me and my Emma who understands something happened today and has laid next to me all afternoon.

For a home that is cozy, clean and peaceful. For the blessing of having food to eat, and movies to watch, and books to read. For Ibuprofen and Vicodin. :)

It's funny how you don't realize how much something will affect life later. Until later. 

Thank you Lord for your mercy and your grace, your provision and your peace, and your faithfulness.

"Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, 

so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Hebrews 4:16

{ps: I'm taking Vicodin, which I of course think I'm fine on, but hopefully this post makes sense...}

Reliving the past

{disclaimer: this post is semi-medically detailed...and fairly straightforward...
and when I said I wasn't nervous... well, I am. :)
and when i said 13 years ago...well, i can't count and it was 12}

Tomorrow morning, I have to get a tooth extracted.
But it's not my fault.
I have no cavities and I brush and floss
{I do floss Mom!... she's a dental hygienist ;)}

I was in a car accident 13 years ago.
A bad one.
What happened?
In a nutshell:
I almost died... seriously.
many injuries {a brain injury, broken jaw, torn spleen, broken arm, left sided weakness, inability to walk, slurred speech, broken pelvis, broken clavicle...}
a ten-day coma and month-long hospital stay,
months of physical, occupational, and speech therapy,
a year of wearing a leg brace and rolling my backpack at school because I couldn't carry it,
and all the emotion that goes with being 12 and almost dying.
And I made a complete miraculous recovery by the grace of God.

It became my story.
My life was forever changed and I constantly strive to live day to day finding joy in the moments.
You just never know how many moments you get.
And I thought it was my story... past tense.

But then last year at my dental cleaning,
we found I would soon lose one of my teeth due to trauma.
The trauma 13 years ago.

So, tomorrow, I will have that tooth removed.
And Friday, a pretend one placed.
And that is the beginning of this little adventure.

So what do I think?

I get to be off work tomorrow. This is not great. But I am thankful.
I'm thankful for an incredible team of dental professionals and a mom who understands it all.
Teeth don't really matter in the heavenly picture.
I'm thankful for a husband who goes grocery shopping for all the soft foods my heart could desire, who makes jello for me, who takes the day off to take care of me, and who encourages me.
I love him.
It's always good to have a good book on hand.
Every day is a gift. I'm thankful for life.
God is faithful, sovereign, and Holy.

I'm not really nervous.
I'm a little sad.
But I'm ready.

Moment of Truth

"Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, 

for He has given you the autumn rains because He is faithful. 

He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before."

Joel 2:23

Capture the moment

i adore seagulls. this little guy posed just for me on my birthday :-)

Grilled cheese and yellow surprises

Tonight J had Bible study and Steve is in DC,

so my mom and I had a little late-night girls-night-in. 

[And Carly... since she was on the phone for part of it :)]

Mom made grilled cheese and sliced peaches for dinner for us.

I love our yummy simple dinners.

We sat outside and watched the dogs play,

chatting about life, planning for the 3-day, and laughing.

I love spending time with my mom.

Although it was less than 2 hours,

it was satisfying, rejuvenating, and encouraging.

As I was leaving, she gave me a special find she picked up for me 

because it made her think of me.

It's perfect.

Blackout!

The day started well.

I was sick on Thursday, so I stayed home from work.

I rested, cleaned a bit and did a little laundry.

Went to the bank and the gas station.

Met up with Aristoula for coffee and a trip to Target for the essentials.

{i love that girl}.

On our way home, all the traffic lights were out.

When we got back to my house, the garage door wouldn't open.

"That's wierd!" we said.

We went inside my house to find it dark, clocks black, fans and A/C off.

No power.

We started getting text messages from our moms, sisters and husbands.

Turned out, no one had power.

Her poor hubby navigated the getting-busier-by-the-minute streets to pick her up,

and mine met me at home. {thank goodness he works close!}

My mom stopped by to check on us.

We used our cell phones to message J's parents telling them all was well.

We listened to the radio a bit with the last battery of the iPad...

just in time to hear SDG&E say "if you have a family emergency plan, activate it now."

And then, we began collecting all our candles, matches, flashlights, and batteries 

in anticipation of the impending darkness.

And we turned off our phones.

Then we sat.

No phones. No internet. No clock. No light. No tv. No music.

And I realized how dependent we have become on electricity.

We wondered what people used to do without power.

Playing a game and reading a book became increasingly difficult as it rapidly darkened.

So, we opened up our doors and windows to let the cooler air in.

J lit the candles throughout our home.

{J said: thank goodness for a wife who looooooves candles!!! we had like 100}.

We walked the dogs and chatted with neighbors,

who also were opening up their homes and venturing outside.

We saw millions of stars.

And I truly appreciated the moonlight.

It was bright outside. Brighter than inside.

Kids played hide and seek in the moonlight.

We ate like it was our last supper... cereal, cookies and milk, chips... 

{maybe I shouldn't share all the not-so-yet-so-good things we ate...}

We laughed together.

J and I hung out on our balcony.

Emma and Baker stayed close.

Luigi went to sleep in the natural darkness.

We chatted about life together across a darkened room lit only by a few candles.

We fell asleep to silence.

[our living room, after dark]

I was a little bummed when the lights and fan and computers all came on at 2:30am.

And yet, thankful.

So, what did I learn?

Be flexible.
A plan only goes so far.
Always have lots of candles (and matches) and flashlights (and batteries). 

Don't let the gas tank get too low (you never know when it could take hours to get home).

Keep a bit of cash on hand.

Get a battery-powered clock radio.

It's good to have an emergency kit by the front door, complete with bottled water. and dog food.

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.

John is the best in-the-dark buddy ever.

The nighttime heavens are beautiful.

God knew what He was doing when he created light.

I'm never in true darkness.

"You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light."

2 Samuel 22:29

We will remember [9-11-2001]

10 years ago...

*

We were driving to school. I was a freshman in high school, only a couple weeks in. Mom and I stopped to pick up Emily and Melodie, like usual... Emily's mom ran out and asked if we had heard. We turned on the radio. It was on every station. My mom said, "this is a big deal. this is bad." I didn't completely understand yet, but I believed her. Throughout the school day, classrooms were filled with the news. I didn't learn anything new at school that day. Except for what happened in America. And I started to get it.

I am forever thankful to the men and women who lost their lives to save others that day. The firefighters, the police officers, the military, the good citizens. I am thankful for our emergency service personnel who continue to save lives daily. I am thankful for our military who put themselves in harm's way and protect our nation. I am thankful for the families who support these people. I am brokenhearted for the family members who lost loved ones ten years ago, and those who have lost loved ones since then protecting others.

source

We will not forget.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me."

Psalm 23:4