Looking through lenses

Some days, I see intricacy... in the details of flower petals, the grains of sand, the cells that make up the human body.

Some days, I see power and might... in the fierce winds, the strong crash of the waves against the ocean rocks, the hovering storm as nightfall comes.

Some days, I see creativity and art... in the painted sky daily turning to various colors of the sunset, the many types of people in the world, the way my cockatiel's feathers perfectly lay and then so quickly fan out to allow for flight.

Some days, I see pain... in the chronically sick children I visit on a daily basis as a nurse, the heartbreak of a marriage once filled with love and now broken, the face of one receiving the news of a loved one passing.

Some days, I see healing... in the linking of hands of a marriage that has stood firm through trials, the clean brain scan in the little girl with a history of more than one tumor, the rushing river after a drought.

Some days, I see uncertainty... in the college girl desperate to discover her purpose and His purpose for her, the divided sky of white puffiness and dark grey, the cars just reaching the sudden traffic just before they see the accident ahead.

Some days, I see details. Other days, the big picture.

Some days, I see people. Other days, natural things.

Some days, I see all of these things. Other days, my eyes feel blind and I see nothing.
And still other days, I don't know what I see.

But everyday, I see God's faithfulness.

He is Faithful.

I am thankful that even when days seem to waver in consistency,

I can put my faith in the One who is Constant.

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."
{Hebrews 10:23}

He is Risen

Sunday was Easter.

Sunday I celebrated the birth of my faith in Jesus Christ, the Living God.

He is Risen.

To celebrate the day, we went to church

followed by a coffee date, just J and me, and then home to pick up the pups for our Easter extravaganza!

followed by fun with my family at Easter brunch

[hello honeybaked {scrumptious} ham!]

My mom and sister dyed eggs and Carly wrote some amazing little egg messages for me. :)

The puppies enjoyed their time with their auntie.

I enjoyed my tea time with mom.

The boys enjoyed touring J's new truck.

followed by Easter dinner at J's parents'... yay for turkey and stuffing! mmm

Emma enjoyed burying and unburying her ball[s].

We chatted with J's grandmas and filled in everyone on anything new in the life of J&J.

And, of course, we took family photos. 

The handheld-on-the-old-iphone kind.

[J's grandmas made my day in this photo]

I am so thankful for our family. We really do have the best family.

We are so blessed to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior together with family who celebrates with us. 

Jesus Is Alive!

3-day for the Cure: Day Three

It's here.

The day we've all been waiting for.

Day Three!

The final day of our three-day journey.

Mom and I woke up at 5am (well, we woke up lots of times, but officially at 5) to start getting ready.

We weren't gonna miss leaving with our group this morning!

Not to mention having to pack all our stuff, including our tent.

Thank goodness for my heroic stepdad who swooped in to save the day and take our stuff home.

[there was no way all our stuff was getting back into those little duffel bags, which Steve and J zipped in the first place for us]

We love Steve!

Team Supergirls! Even though we hardly got to walk with them, we really liked them.

They welcomed us onto their team so quickly and so last-minute.

On our way!!

It rained for about an hour or two right towards the beginning... which might have been one of the funnest parts. The speed and swiftness with which each walker pulled out their pancho and put it on while still walking was amazing. Everyone had their pancho on in a matter of 5 minutes. It took me a little longer... turns out panchos are a little confusing! :) Thank goodness for mom to help me!

 Smile Guy and Little Grin -- our favorite cheer team and so faithful to come out, even in the rain.

Before we knew it, the rain stopped and we found ourselves on the highway walking over Mission Bay.

Not only did we walk 60 miles, we carried about 20 pounds of stuff each!

But we loved our packs. They saved us more than once!

Months before the walk, we dreamed of stopping at Starbucks along the route and taking our drinks to go. Well, we never passed a Starbucks. [can you believe it?!?!] But... once we headed into Downtown, we found ourselves a Pete's. Which is so much better! We were so happy!

We tracked down our buddy Mike for a photo towards the end of the walk. We met him on one of our training walks and he was such a cheerleader for us through training and the whole walk. He was a part of the crew. Crew rocked!

Our favorite lady Harley rider / traffic girl / crew member. She would sing to us with her radio blasting all throughout the three days. She happened to get to direct one of our last intersections to cross. Mom and I want to be like her when we grow up. :)

Three days...

60 miles...

WE MADE IT!!! 

Our first photo after we crossed the finish line :)

After we all got to Petco Park, the walkers spent a little time together. 

Then we lined up to begin the march to the closing ceremony. 

That was an amazing walk.

All of the incredible police officers were there cheering.

Thousands of people completed this walk together. And we got to stand with our fellow walkers and family and friends and celebrate life and an incredible accomplishment. 

 One 3-day tradition is when the Breast Cancer survivors walk in, we all lift our shoes in the air. It truly was amazing to see thousands of people lifting their shoes together. [it sounds funny, but trust me, it was cool]

Me and my incredible teammate/mom.

We made one friend, Leti, who was the sweetest most free-spirited girl. We loved getting to know her. She signed up to walk by herself, so it was fun that we met each other because it meant she wasn't alone.

A few of our favorite San Jose cops

And... family time! My sister was the best cheerleader we could have asked for.

 She even made a personalized shirt for us!                                                        

 Family photo. I am so thankful for my family and how supportive they were to us.

So, what did we learn?

- every day is a treasure. rejoice in each day. for we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
- cancer is real. cancer kills, and yet cancer brings new life, new perspectives, and renewed appreciation for the moments and the people that make up the moments.
- pain is pain is pain. people feel pain in all kinds of ways. and yet although it is different, it is somehow the same.
- i have the best mom ever. she inspires me, she encourages me, she motivates me, she listens to me [talk for hours!], and she loves me no matter what. i am so blessed. and we never run out of things to talk about.
- people are often a lot nicer than they appear.
- one person can make a difference. and one+one+one+thousands make a huge difference. being a part of that is incredible.
- walking 60 miles is not easy. sleeping in tents is not easy. raising $2300+ is not easy. going through cancer is not easy. but it's not supposed to be. and i think there's more to be said about the journey then how easy it was to get to the destination.
- i am so thankful i get to spend eternity with Jesus. i want everyone to know Jesus like we do.

I probably won't be walking this year. :)
But I am so thankful I walked the 2011 San Diego 3-Day for the Cure.
It was a once in a lifetime experience.

If you haven't stepped out of your comfort zone to try something that seems impossible, or at least really hard, I encourage you to step out and try it. Whatever it may be. The journey is worth it.

Looking Forward: The Vision for 2012

Typically, I have a specific list of things I would like to do each year. 

This year is no different. 

I have so many things I want to try, experience, and accomplish this year, as well as practices I want to carry into 2012 and beyond.

However, I've really felt the Lord telling me not to focus so much on the goals,

but to focus on the heart and purpose behind the goals.

Besides, his purpose is what prevails. 

"Many are the plans in a person's heart, 

but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

[Proverbs 19:21]

So, this year, my goals can be wrapped up into two words:

BE INTENTIONAL.

in-ten-tion-al: done on purpose; deliberate. Willful; purposeful; intended.

In what ways will I be intentional?

Be Intentional in seeking the Lord -- daily in the Word, more listening and less talking, practicing spiritual disciplines and things that are spiritually edifying rather than spiritually draining. Ultimately every other practice of intentionality revolves around my purpose being on glorifying my Savior.

Be intentional in growing our marriage -- loving my husband deeply and truly, spending quality time together, trying new things together, making memories and learning more about each other and how to love each other as Christ loves us.

Be intentional in building relationships -- inviting our families over for dinner just to spend time together, inviting friends over, growing friendships old and new alike.

Be intentional in how I spend my day and time -- waking up when my alarm goes off, consistently making breakfast and lunch, sitting down to eat, being on time, purposeful evenings rather than wasting time. 

Be intentional in how we spend our money -- tithing and giving, saving (for Italy and then some), loan repayment, travel, home improvement.

Be intentional in my work -- be productive at work, and seek opportunities to grow as a nurse.

Be intentional in living a healthy lifestyle -- going to bed on time to get enough sleep, exercising regularly, planning ahead to cook healthy meals, spending time outside in creation.

I desire this year to be a year of purpose.

I want my life to be a life of purpose.

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches fo his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe."

[Ephesians 1:18-19a]

11 Goals for 2011 -- How'd it go?

{um.... hi. it's me, jordanna. sorry about the absence. i'll get you day 3 soon, carly. i promise.}

Last year, I made this ambitious list of 11 goals to accomplish/work toward. 

So how did I do?
I'm a work in progress. 

1. Spend time with Jesus daily

I've definitely spent a lot of time with Jesus this year. Almost daily, I would say yes. Daily in the Word? Not always. But I've definitely been humbled in some big ways this year and have fallen before the Lord and asked him to build me back up. And he has. In such amazing ways. Always a work in progress. But I'm thankful for my Savior, for who he is and what he has done for me. 

Practically speaking, I've been a part of a few women's Bible studies. First, one continued from 2010. And since September, I have been {unofficially} co-leading {sorta} another women's study led by my friend Amanda. Which has turned out to be such a huge blessing, and has challenged me to really study God's word deeply, as I learned that he is Faithful, Abundant, and True. We've also gotten involved more in our young marrieds' group at church, becoming {unofficially} part of the 'leadership.' {I don't like official titles, so I hesitate to use them}. And I have definitely appreciated and even been brought to tears more than once by God's grace in his creation.

2. Find a job in a hospital
Still working on this. Getting closer. I hit one year of experience in November, which means I'm considered an experienced nurse rather than a new grad. Yay! As far as professional development, I have gained multiple infant and NICU certifications and attended a few professional events. All of this said, I am so thankful to have a job as an RN.

3. Pay off my school loans
Well, there were three... and now there are two. So, one is paid off! Whoo hoo! We definitely paid aggressively for a few months, but have had a few other things come up that our money went towards instead. But, we are still paying and thankful that is not a stressor for us. Truly, school loans are not that big of a deal. :)

4. Put in new carpeting/flooring in our condo
This didn't happen in 2011, but yesterday the carpet guy came to measure and we are planning to order carpet in the next week! SO excited!! It got delayed because we realized we had other projects we wanted to do first before putting in brand new carpet {such as, repainting, scraping popcorn - PRAISE GOD FOR POPCORN-FREE CEILINGS!, re-tiling, adding a mantel, running new electrical, crown molding and new baseboards.... we've been busy}.

5. Work on our marriage and love my husband even deeper than in 2010
This has definitely happened. Probably where the most growth has happened this past year. We attended a little marriage conference back at the beginning of the summer, which was awesome. This summer, we really revisited our marriage and realized we weren't loving each other the way God intended. We have grown individually which of course means we've grown together too in such amazing ways, and I have never been more confident that GOD IS FAITHFUL. And also, I've never loved my husband as deeply as I do today. And I think he would say the same about me. :)

6. Take a few trips [Oregon/Washington, to visit my sister, and to visit S&V]
We did this! Well, my sister trip turned into a sister extravaganza in Palm Springs... but I think that's even funner. ;) She's seriously the BEST. We also visited some of our best friends in Oregon and fell in love with that state. And we visited my brother in law and sister in law in June and had so much fun exploring San Fran and San Jose and seeing their home! They also came to visit in December, and we just have so much fun with them. I love them to pieces.

7. Plan our Italy trip and learn a little Italian
Nothing has been booked, but we are tentatively scheduled for tour de Italy next January 2013 for our five year anniversary. We are so stinking excited! This year will be the year I pull out my Italian phrases book for sure.

8. Try some new [healthy] recipes and make dinner at least three times a week
Well... :) I did make dinner a good amount. There were definitely weeks when I made dinner three times a week and we made some new meals too. We discovered paninis and crostinis... and I'm sure I made some other things too. :) I will get there. My husband has been so affirming of my ability to cook lately so that encourages me to try more new things. :)

9. Spend some time crafting and exploring new crafts

As part of the 3-day experience my mom and I embarked on last year, I made a bunch of cards to sell to help raise money. I had so much fun making cards and hadn't really tried that many before. I'd definitely like to do that more. I also made my mom a 3-day scrapbook that chronicled our journey. I really love paper crafts and have accumulated some awesome cricut cartridges. Currently there is a giant tv on my craft table from our remodel chaos, but one of these days soon I will get all my stuff more organized and make more crafts. I'm excited to try some new crafts for our home. As far as making birthday cards... I only got a few made. I sent about 75% of what I intended to send, so I consider this progress. This year I'm going for 90% (since I already missed one it can't be 100...).

10. Exercise. and Be on Time.

Exercise --- remember that 3-day? Mom and I walked multiple hours every Saturday and Sunday morning for most of the late summer and fall to prepare for the big November 3-day. I definitely have a whole new respect for walkers! It is tough! I recognize the multiple benefits of exercise. Besides, it was so special to have that time with my mom.

Be on time --- I did better. Not perfect... but better. 

11. Live this passage: Philippians 4:4-8

I really tried to find my joy in the Lord. Rejoicing in trials is hard. But worth it. Was I gentle? In some ways. Do not be anxious - there were definitely times I was anxious, but I think I was less anxious than I would have been without this verse on my heart. I am re-learning how to pray, with a thankful heart, and not a heart full of requests. I have really disciplined myself to think on excellent and praiseworthy and true things, and to praise the Lord always. And he has given me his peace. Because sanctification is a lifelong process, I don't know if I will ever 'attain' this passage, but I definitely am still praying it becomes more and more true and real and demonstrated in my life. 

3-Day for the Cure: Day Two

Day Two began at about 5:00AM when Mom and I began to try to get ready. 

Come to find out, it's pretty challenging to do all the prep necessary in a little tent.

Our goal was to leave at 7 with our team for the route.

For some reason, it took us longer than ever to get ready.

At 7:27, we rushed out of our tents to the sound of blowhorns and a lady driving a golfcart yelling 

"3 MINUTES TO GET ON THE ROUTE OR YOU WILL BE BUSSED TO LUNCH!!!!!"

Needless to say, our poor feet ran us to the beginning of the route and we started at the back of the line.

But hey... we made it and didn't get bussed once!

Despite a crazy morning, it was a wonderful day and

a truly beautiful morning on the bay.

There were typically long lines to take pictures in these little booths, but we caught this one!

Just a few more of our police friends. They really showed themselves to be awesome today.

What quickly became our favorite snack: half bagels with peanut butter!

The 3-day national spokeswoman and our newest hero, Dr. Sheri Phillips!!

After hiking up Narragansett in Point Loma, it was so fun to watch SDPD toilet paper the paramedic girls' ambulance in the rain. They went back and forth all three days :)

But what really made our day was SJPD dancing around us with their radio in the bathroom lines at one of the pit stops. We couldn't stop laughing!

I love Point Loma!!

Ocean Beach!

Greatest surprise: J popped out from behind some random bushes and surprised us on the walk, then walked for a bit with us! Thanks for finding me, honey.

Flowers from a sweet lady after lunch. gerbera daisies = my favorite!

FREE ice cream cones for 3-day walkers from Golden Spoon?!?!? h.e.a.v.e.n.

Steve, Carly, Steve's mom Ellen, and Sammy came to visit us on the Boardwalk in the afternoon. So encouraging to see familiar faces! If only we weren't at the BACK of the line... we coulda visited longer. Unfortunately, the pit stop was closed before we got there, so we had to race to catch up. [how this happened, we still don't know]

Carly speed walked with us for a little bit. We love her!!

Another reminder of God's amazing goodness and creativity: sunset over the Bay

Back at camp: 40 miles down!! Just 20 to go!!

Camp that night was full of laughs with mom. I'm so thankful to have been able to share this experience with her. It wouldn't have been the same without her.

Stay tuned... day three and the big finale!!

Why hello blog, it's me... Jordanna.

Well, it's only been a little over a month since my last blog… does anyone still read this? ;)

It has truly been such a busy season. A really great but busy season. I feel like I haven't stopped moving since the beginning of November and then things kicked into overdrive in December and now here we are second week of January! I totally missed the whole Christmas season (in writing). The good news is, so many special memories have been created… I just haven't had a chance to write about them. I really have so many things I've wanted to write about. So pathetic that I left off on day ONE of THREE in my 3-day adventure! 

Anyways, I'm gonna try to be back much more regularly.

So a few [of many] things to come:

The rest of our 3-day journey

Our Oregon adventure

Thankful for Thanksgiving

Christmastime

Our brother and sister in law's visit

Wrap up: 2011 goals 

Looking forward: 2012

The newest chapter in J&J's adventures: The year of Home Improvement

Bear with me as I attempt to catch up on things from long ago so we can get to what's going on now! 

However, yesterday I made this bomb breakfast/dessert pizza from my Bake for the Cure cookbook,

which I must share with you now.

 Apple Granola Pizza with Vanilla Drizzle

yes, please!!

the recipe? oh yes...

Happy New Year!

3-Day for the Cure: Day One

For months we prepared. 

Mentally. Physically. Monetarily. Emotionally. Spiritually. Relationally.

And finally, the day was here. 

Friday, November 18, 2011.

How best to explain the 3-day?

In pictures... 

with a few words scattered throughout [because, really, you have to hear a few stories!]

[disclaimer: most of these pictures were taken while we were actively walking... 

therefore, these are not my best work. 

and yet, i feel they still capture the essence of the experience :)]

Checking in and dropping off our bags at 5:30am Friday. Thank you Steve for taking us so early in the morning!! They were so organized and we had a letter-number combo on our little tags that told us where to put our luggage and where our tent would be later that day.

 We're here!

 Our motto.

 My buddy and me at the opening ceremony. We're really gonna do this!!

 Part of the opening ceremony... the survivor circle.

The flag in the middle has the names of those who have passed that are close to the 2011 walkers.

Both Mom and I wrote names on there.

 And we're off.... AHHHHHH!!!!

 3 miles in... pit stop one in Del Mar. That wasn't so bad!

 Around mile 5... our first official police friend. The police ROCKED.

 Leaving pit stop 2 and headed up Torrey Pines... about mile 6.

 Mom's best friend Saranne tracked us down around mile 10 and was our first personal cheerleader! 

It was so encouraging to see a familiar face and meant so much to have her there.

 Mile 12... lunch at La Jolla Shores! Lunch was fun. :)

Although, Mom and I had this thing where we would get to the stops and there would be tons of people... and by the time we were ready to go everyone had already left. This was the case at lunch. The rest of day one was a bit of playing catch-the-group and so 

 La Jolla in the afternoon. God continually reminded me of His faithfulness.

 From La Jolla to Bird Rock to Pacific Beach...

Just a few of the vehicles from the incredible team of police, fire rescue, bikers, and others who volunteered their time throughout the entire walk. From here, it was just a walking path to camp.

 Heading all the way down Mission Bay to Crown Point - the last miles of the day.

What a truly beautiful city to walk through.

[notice how few walkers there are compared to earlier? we sorta ended up close to the end... unintentionally...]

 We made it to camp! 

Day one [officially 21.5 miles]: complete!

 We got to camp right as the route was about to close (5:15pm), so it was dark. 

[most others had been at camp for a couple hours and were all settled in already]

We still had to get our tent, find our tent site, set up our tent, shower, eat dinner, change/unpack and get set up, and get to the evening entertainment... in one hour.

Therefore we didn't take many pictures.

However, praise God for the YMCA kids who volunteered to set up our tent for us!!!

 Finally showered, fed, and a bit more settled for the evening.

My twin/best pal/mom and me in our matching jammies.

[btw... we totally didn't need the scarves... but we brought them, so we wanted to wear them]

After the mishap of the air mattress [aka Jordanna pumped it up, pump died, Jordanna plugged air plug while we charged pump, came back to find the plug had come off and Jordanna had deflated the whole thing by laying across it before realizing such. battery lasted 5 min more... we needed 25 minutes. therefore: night one -- deflated air mattress]

[to take it further... this is happening at about 9-9:30pm... everyone around us is sound asleep. We quickly learned we could be playing catch up for a bit ... so is life for us! this is not complaining though... just to try to give you a glimpse of the day in our eyes. We had a great day!]

And then it was off to sleep for a sound solid 8 hours...

did I say that?

I meant,

an hour on the rough ground... tossing... turning... an hour here... what time is it, not time yet...

Nevertheless, it was a night to remember. In the best way possible. :-)

Only 40 miles to go...