7 Quick Takes Friday--The Jet Lag Edition

I kind of thought I was going to manage to escape the jet lag since day 1 went so well! Alas, it was not to be. It's 12:24 AM and I am wide awake. Ridiculously awake. I didn't take a nap today either, nor did I sleep in super late, so I'm not sure what the problem is. Maybe it's that my body thinks it is sometime tomorrow afternoon. Oh well. I gave up laying in bed even though it was so warm and cozy & am sitting here in my freezing living room thinking up 7 random tidbits for all of you while I wait for my benadryl to kick in :) Here goes...

**1**
Traveling home from Asia is a long process. An 18 hour and 50 minute process to be exact (we started a stop watch when we left our relative's apartment). We were surprised by a move to the exit row which was awesome as far as leg room goes, but the flight was SO bumpy we couldn't sleep. Every time we dozed off we'd get jolted awake thinking we were falling out of the sky. (Okay, I was jolted awake thinking we were falling out of the sky. My husband might have been jolted awake by me grabbing him and shrieking in his ear every half hour...).

**2**
Our Tuesday was made even longer (as if a day that lasts about 30-something hours isn't long enough) by the fact that that evening when we got home we drove to the grocery store to get some milk and fruit for the morning and realized our explorer wouldn't start. It ran fine getting to the store, but refused to start when we were trying to leave. So we walked the mile home (hey that's one way to try & stay up til 9 PM like everyone told us to!) and Charles took our neighbor back to the store with his car to try and jump our car. Apparently there was no need, it started just fine and has run just fine since. It's spending a good part of next week in the car-hospital though, getting back to tip top shape before we drive it up to Seattle.

**3**
I was watching Oprah as I addressed Christmas cards today & about fell out of my chair when a woman from our church (my fellow nursery volunteer) appeared on her show! Apparently Oprah is doing a competition to find the next big TV star to take her place. It's a reality type show and the winner gets their own tv show. They have a final 10 chosen and beginning next week on the Oprah Winfrey Network there will be a show where they compete with one another learning the art of showbiz. Kristina Kuzmic is one of the finalists, and seriously folks, she is amazing. I met her about a month ago volunteering in the church nursery and was instantly a bit in awe of her. She's spunky, amazing with kids, Miroslov Volf's niece (if you're a theology nerd, you're impressed by that), and has this passion for people that is contagious. Meet her here.

**4**
We returned from Japan to jump straight into my friend Becca's wedding weekend. Last night was the bachelorette party, tonight was the rehearsal dinner and tomorrow is the big day. Definitely has been a couple weeks of activity for us!

**5**
While I am sad to have to say goodbye to so many people, I have to say, I am not sad to only have another week in our apartment. It is SO cold in here, I can't even begin to explain. Our new house is going to feel amazing compared to this!

**6**
I spent part of today making friends at Home Depot. When we get to Seattle I want to be able to start painting and decorating within the first week or so that we are there, but I need to think about colors and play with various combinations in my head before I commit. So I came home with a ton of paint chips, magazines with color ideas, information on washers and dryers, and photos of the two floor rugs I want (one for under our kitchen table and one for our family room). It was quite a lovely day of day dreaming and mental-nesting :)

**7**
We had such a wonderful time with our nieces and nephew in Japan, and I know I already posted a bunch of photos of our time there (the rest are on facebook if you're interested and my "friend" on there!). We got to video chat with our other niece Lily over the holiday and I just had to share a few of my favorite holiday photos of her, because she's seriously adorable. (I might be biased...but I'm okay with that...)

Look! Santa came!!He brought me puffs! My favorite!Is a flood coming? Because I think the Lily-bug is ready!First snow experience--doesn't taste too bad!Happy New Year everyone!

Japan Adventures! Post #1!

It's the middle of the night in America, but it's 4:30 PM here in Osaka, so Thursday is almost over for us. I thought I'd take a bit of time to share some of our experiences, impressions, and thoughts about our time in Japan so far, rather than wait until we're home to try to do one huge post--especially because I'm told the jet lag headed back to America is super rough, so I'm not counting on doing much of any thinking when we get home!

The trip over here was super painless. Definitely a long flight, but not hard to handle at all. We took the advice of a friend of mine who goes to China a lot--leave the West Coast in the morning, fly what would be the equivalent of all day for our bodies, land in Asia in the early evening Japan time (which is about midnight/1 AM west coast time the previous night) and stay up til about 9 PM. Then you sleep all night, get up in the morning and are essentially adjusted. (This doesn't work if you sleep a lot on the flight so you're not tired when it's bed time). I'm told going home will be terrible, and that there just isn't an easy way to adjust, so I'm not looking forward to that. We landed and waited in about a 20 minute customs line before exiting to baggage claim. We noticed something about the airport/customs process that I can guarantee you is different in the US. The airport was SO quiet. This is something we've noticed about everywhere we've gone so far in Japan--it's quiet. No matter how many people are around, it is nowhere near the noise level or chaos that we experience in major US cities. Osaka is a major city, yet the airport was quiet, orderly, people waited patiently in lines, definitely using "indoor voices" to talk to whomever was with them. No loud announcements, music, honking of horns etc provided a soundtrack to our airport time. It was remarkable, I could get used to this even if it is a bit eerie at times. (We've made this observation a lot--their city streets are just SO much quieter--their cars are quieter, no large diesel trucks or loud engines of pick ups idling at stop lights--no honking at all, that would be considered rude I am sure. Restaurants, parks, trains, buses etc--all are quiet even with lots of people around).

We met our brother in law after exiting baggage claim, and he helped us exchange some currency and helped us take the bus back to Rokko Island, about an hour from Osaka where they live. We enjoyed seeing our family's large apartment here (seriously, this place is huge--4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, a small den/playroom, large living space, all designed in a "Western Style"--made for family's from the US who are living here for work). We also got to meet our newest family member :)
Our family lives on Rokko Island, a man-made island near the city of Kobe, connected to the mainland by bridges. It's an interesting mixture of eastern and western cultures on the island, but not far off the island we pass by neighborhoods that are very definitely Asian. The kids have been showing us around some of their favorite/important places here in Japan, so we've visited Universal Studios, Japan, which isn't far from their home and they've walked me around parts of their island to show me their schools, favorite hang outs etc. My 12 year old niece was explaining to me that at her international school she literally has friends from all over the world, which is definitely something that she couldn't have experienced in Kentucky!

(This is us outside her school--the "peace" sign she's making is literally what they all do here--even at Universal Studios the Japanese photographers were motioning for us to all do this in our photos).

We've had fun learning some pieces of Japanese culture while here as well. It's a society that is extremely orderly. At the train stations you line up and wait your turn to get on after everyone has exited. At the airport, you wait in a single file line to get on the bus, not in clumps of people/family groups. (This apparently is not the case in Tokyo, there they literally employ people whose job it is to shove you onto trains to pack as many people onto the crowded trains as possible--I'm thinking Tokyo isn't a place I am dying to visit). On the escalators you step on and immediately line up single file on the right side of the escalator, so if anyone needs to pass you on the left they can. If you're a business man you wear a black suit, white shirt, and a stripped tie in a neutral color. Literally, there were groups of business men walking in the city during lunch yesterday and they were all dressed identically. Rodd was explaining to us that in this culture you do everything you can to not stick out, it's about conformity and fitting in. In America, the "early bird gets the worm." In Japan the one who sticks his head out will be pounded back into his place. (I didn't make that up, that is literally a motto around here). A friend of ours in LA is Asian and works in the fashion industry going back and forth between LA and China. She told us the joke in Asian fashion is that they don't wear colors. The fashion palette is a mixture of black, gray, brown, tan, and cream. My niece's bright pink sweat shirt was easy to find in the train station today! But, you also look nice and stylish when you go out, no sweats or tennis shoes are found on Japanese citizens out in public. Heels, boots, leggings, mini skirts, and stylish hand bags/accessories are everywhere. I definitely feel a bit frumpy in my Gap jeans and sweaters with sneakers on the train! It's amazing the ways western fashion and culture have influenced life here--for instance Taylor Swift is opening her next big tour here in Osaka in February (my sister in law is taking our 12 year old niece, which is very cool!), Michael Jackson is HUGE, and Starbucks are all over.

A poster outside the stadium where Taylor will be performing

Japan is also a society that has a deep sense of pride in following the rules. I haven't seen one speck of graffiti anywhere--not on trains, in train stations, restrooms etc. There is NO trash on the ground anywhere, and it's not because there are trash cans on every corner. Yesterday we had a tough time finding one in a mall, but still, there was zero garbage left on the ground. Eating and drinking in public really isn't done either--no one wanders around with their Starbucks in hand or gets on the train with food. Many vending machines here sell all kinds of things, including beer. Rodd asked someone once what was to keep the teenage boys from buying up the beer in vending machines (the drinking age is either 18 or 20) and he was told "why would they do that? That is against the rules, they would never do that." It's a shame-based culture, so doing anything that would bring shame to your family's name is avoided at all costs. (It's probably a tough place to be a kid/teenager for a number of reasons).

The food here is a unique blend of various Asian countries. So far we've eaten more of what would probably be typically considered Chinese food than Japanese. (We are going to hit a great sushi restaurant on Monday night after the holiday weekend which Charles is super excited about!). So far, dumplings, gyoza, and ramen are my new favorite foods :) The other thing we've noticed here is that literally no one is over weight. I haven't seen anyone in all of our wandering around. Everyone is petite and slim--Charles said "wow, nothing makes you feel like a giant quite like spending time in Japan!" So apparently their food is relatively healthy, or they eat much more manageable portions than we do. It's also not surprising that they think many Americans are rude, loud, and gluttonous. Compared to the Japanese, we are.Pork dumplings and gyoza--no forks--chopsticks only!

I'm amazed, Diana is a pro with the chop sticks!The kids were snacking on ice cream today. We were snacking on dumplings. You can buy them at the snack bar just like you could a hot dog or popcorn in America.Even the coke can says "Happy" on it--which I was with my second dumpling of the day :)Don't know what to order? Not a problem. Most restaurants have displays of plastic food in their windows to show you what each dish looks like.We are getting pretty good at the train system here! The kids are pros and were eager to tell us how the system worked. We've spent quite a bit of time on trains in the last couple days. Here I am with two of my nieces.
And here is Uncle Chuck with our nephew--attempting to look like the enforcers on the train.Being touristsToday we visited the Osaka castle, where the ruler of Japan lived in the late 16th century to rule the country. I was disappointed that inside is now a modern museum, instead of showing us what it really looked like, but the views from the top were incredible looking out over Osaka.Osaka is a BIG city! This is what the view looks like from all sides of the top of the castle.
That's about it for now! Not sure what we're doing tomorrow, I think the kids are kind of tired of a lot of walking/sight seeing, so we'll see what we end up doing. But for now, have a Merry Christmas weekend!

7 Quick Takes Friday

The latest and greatest from Pasadena these days...

**1**
One of my jobs ends next Wednesday, I spent the beginning of next week training my replacement. I have to say, I have enjoyed many aspects of this job, but I think it's time to be done at Fuller. I've loved my time there, and I have many things I will miss, but it feels good, to be bringing this season to a close....now if only all these final projects were graded...

**2**
House update! Our paperwork and loan information is in this mysterious, intimidating sounding place called "underwriting." Apparently these are the people that have the potential to find all kinds of problems, discrepancies, and issues with our loan that can make things fall to pieces. The plan is for our friends at escrow (a place that also sounded intimidating to me, but has turned out to be very friendly and helpful) to have our paperwork Monday morning, over night it to us, have us sign everything with a notary, over night it back to them on Tuesday and still be able to close on Thursday. If you're not using your fingers between now and then, and want to keep them crossed for the next week, that would be fantastic--thanks!

**3**
This past week I was afraid to check my email much of the time. It seemed that every time I did I had an email from our loan officer requesting even more copies of bank statements, deposit slips, proof of what various checks were from, and well...a number of other things. I've learned a few things. One, I'm never throwing away another piece of paper again, because apparently when you do, that's the piece of paper someone needs to see. Two, tracking all these things down, scanning them, and emailing them literally takes hours. I had so much to do this week trying to wrap things up at work, but instead had to spend hours dealing with house paperwork. I keep telling myself this will be worth it, and we are SO grateful to even have the opportunity to be buying a house, but this particular week I cried several times looking at lists of things our lender wanted.

**4**
I also was trying to get Christmas shopping done, gifts wrapped and in the mail this week because we leave for Japan in a week and I just needed something to be done on my to-do list for my sanity's sake. I did manage to accomplish this :) We're only doing gifts for immediate family this year (sorry friends!) but they have all been purchased, wrapped, and are en route to Providence, Minneapolis and South Carolina. Japan presents are going with us in our suitcases but are wrapped and ready for the tree :) I love doing an annual Christmas card/letter, but I'm thinking that's just not going to happen this year. Maybe we'll do a Valentine's Day card...

**5**
People keep asking me what I am going to do when we move to Seattle. I'm not entirely sure, but I don't think I am going to be bored! I got a call this past week from one of the staff members at our new church who asked if I'd be interested in teaching a 10 week adult education class this spring. He said "you have your M.Div, you've been graduated for awhile, do you want something to do?" I was like, "yes please!!" I was thrilled to be asked, that I'm not even there yet and they already trust my ability to serve in various pastoral roles which makes me so happy :)

**6**
We have been so blessed lately to share meals with wonderful friends, as we begin winding down our time here. Thanks Ryan & Alethia, Jenn & Josh, Dave & Melanie, Susan & Peter, Dave & Amanda, Brian & Courtney, Scott & Mikhal and others!

**7**
By next Thursday we are hoping our stress levels might be a bit lower! I will be done with one of my jobs, Charles will have graduated from his chaplaincy program (and Fuller!), we should hopefully be home owners, and all that will be left is packing for Japan! I think we're going to try to run away to a fun downtown hotel that night as a Christmas gift to each other to get away and celebrate all these things!

Bullet Points

I have to be honest. I think we are pretty tired. I know I am. My friend Miranda mentioned in her post yesterday that all she feels she can manage right now is a list of bullet pointed thoughts. That's kind of where I'm at these days. There is a LOT going on in our lives, and I know I feel a little scattered, but I had a few minutes this morning before another busy day gets underway, and thought I'd post a few random things going on here.

This whole buying a house thing is a lot of work! A lot of new information to wrap my mind around, a lot of coordinating of various people (escrow folks, our lender, our realtor, the seller's agent, and home inspector) and doing this all long distance is tough. I've spent hours these past two weeks scanning, emailing, and fed-exing documents, as well as spent a ton of time looking at how we're going to make closing work from far away. We've gone back and forth between doing this long distance and over-nighting documents or having me fly up for 24 hours to sign everything and get power of attorney to sign for Charles. Our realtor has been great in helping us talk through all these options, and I think we've got a plan in place. Now we just need everything to work out smoothly between now and Dec. 16! It's been tough doing this while we are both at our separate jobs all day during business hours. Mine is a bit more flexible, but it's definitely added a bit of a challenge! We are so grateful for this opportunity to buy a house, and so excited to be getting settled in it, but are definitely feeling the stress of all the work that it takes to make the financial piece of it happen! So if you've called lately & I haven't managed to call you back on my lunch breaks, I'm sorry :( Lunch hour now finds me on the phone with our realtor, insurance agents, or frantically scanning papers--hoping this will slow down soon!

We had a great Thanksgiving, celebrating with a family from church who invited us, and about 18 other people over (some were their family members, most were a random assortment of folks who needed a place to go). We're always impressed and inspired by people like this who open their home on holidays to take in those who don't have family nearby. We hope to be known for the same thing in the years to come as we get settled in Seattle. We know what it's like being far away on holidays, and we are grateful for their hospitality!

The rest of the day on Thanksgiving and then again on Friday the two of us had pretty relaxing but very productive days here at home. We did a ton of laundry, which always makes me feel productive. Charles was working on putting together some resources he used in leading the Confirmation program here at Glendale Pres so that when they do Confirmation again in 2 years they will have a binder of stuff in place already to know where he started. I sorted through all my clothes, books, and movies and put together bags to give away/sell. We took a big box of theology books up to a local used book store that only deals with theological books and they paid us $190 for them, which is way less than we paid, but way more money than we expected to get! I am definitely the person who believes in sorting through stuff before the move, I'm not packing and hauling stuff we don't want!Saturday I drove up to Hanford to visit the Backman family since my sister, her husband and the Lily-girl were there :) I am always SO thankful for their invitation to come see my sister every time they are visiting Nathan's family, and it's been wonderful getting to know them and their extended family over the last couple years. Lily is now walking all over (still definitely toddling--she falls if she gets going too fast!), is showing her independent streak for sure, and says "dat!" as she points at everything around her that she wants. She's adorable, super good natured, smiles a ton, and waves at every stranger who passes her and makes eye contact!
I ended up seeing them again Monday afternoon when they got stuck in LAX over night trying to fly home. So I went to pick them up and they spent the afternoon and evening with us before catching a flight Tuesday morning. I know it was stressful traveling for them, but I'm always grateful for any time with them I get!

I know it's a totally inappropriate song, but my new favorite song just might be "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry. Yes, I told you my brain is scattered and random today.

My boss had 10 pastors from various parts of the country in town Monday and Tuesday for a meeting. Which meant someone had to transport them to and from various LA area airports. So between Sunday night and Tuesday afternoon I visited the Burbank airport 3 times, the Ontario airport twice, and LAX twice. I think that totaled 313 miles of driving, and I never left LA. I am counting the days til we will be living 15 minutes from the Sea Tac airport! Needless to say I was very tired of my car by last night! But I came home to beautiful flowers from my sweet husband who knew I'd had a long day :)

Our evenings have become exceptionally busy as well, as we only have a couple weeks here before we go to Japan, and then when we return from Japan we have a week to pack up and say our goodbyes. So many nights during the week that we didn't have something normal scheduled like youth group or meetings, we're finding ourselves having people over for meals, or getting together with friends, which has been fantastic, but added to the busyness! Hopefully our 10 days in Japan will be a little restful and relaxing before we move!

Don't hate me, but our Christmas shopping is just about done. We wrapped all our nieces and nephew gifts last night, and have just the grown ups left. I started back at Halloween, knowing our December was going to be insane with me needing to grade 60 final exams and 60 final projects BEFORE leaving for Japan! (oh yeah, and buying a house....)

I'm acutely aware that Advent has arrived, and our whole life seems so frantic and busy right now. I'm not exactly sure how to celebrate the advent season this year, how to stop and really contemplate and celebrate the coming of Jesus. Anyone have any good (simple) suggestions in the midst of what feels like the busiest Christmas season I've ever had? We aren't even decorating because that would require pulling boxes out, unpacking, and repacking in time to move...not worth it when we're only here for 2.5 weeks in December!

I think that's it. I need to actually get moving here and go to work like a good employee! I took a few extra hours to sleep this morning after my marathon driving experience yesterday, but now I should get back to my to-do list :)

Thanksgiving from A-Z, 2010 Edition

Five years ago I was bored one day in November and decided to write a blog post about Thankfulness. I decided to use the alphabet and come up with one thing for each letter that I was thankful for. It was a really fun exercise! So I made a new list the next year. And a new one the next year. It has become my favorite blog-related tradition of the year, and below is my 2010 version. If you missed the previous year's lists and want to read them they are linked in my "Favorite Past Posts" sidebar. If you happen to make your own list, let me know--I'd love to read it! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A: Adventure Gifts

Charles and I began this tradition pretty much from the beginning of our engagement, and it's a tradition I love. Instead of shopping for each other for holidays, birthdays and anniversaries, we started doing something fun and cool and a little more involved than a normal date night. We started going on adventures together--because we'd both rather have the memories and experiences rather than random gifts from each other. So this year we began by celebrating Christmas together with a drive up to Solvang (Santa Barbara wine country) for a night in a bed and breakfast and wine tasting. We celebrated our first anniversary by driving up the CA coast and exploring Hearst Castle and spending a night in a bed and breakfast and then hiking a great waterfall the next day. Charles' birthday found us attending The Lion King, my birthday gift was tickets to Peter Pan (the play). I am so grateful for these opportunities!
a beach picnic on the way to Solvang last January
anniversary trip in central california
B: Baptism
Does it make me a complete theological nerd if I have a favorite sacrament? Well, I do. It's baptism. And this past year I had the opportunity to be present for some pretty holy moments surrounding the baptismal font. Back in February I got to fly back to Rhode Island for the baptism of Lily, which was very special. That morning I helped give her a bath and explained all about original sin drowning in the waters of baptism....she just squealed and splashed. I think she knew it was an exciting day :) (and her mommy might have walked in and said "um did I just hear you talking about original sin with my 4 month old??" yes, her aunt Sarah is a nerd...)

Then in June three of our high school students were baptized as part of our confirmation Sunday, which was very cool. Two were immersed in the baptismal pool on our patio and one was sprinkled during the worship service, and all 3 were beautiful moments. I am thankful for God's gift of new life, for God's ability and willingness to wash us clean in the waters of our baptism, and I'm thankful for the tangible reminder of water as we do our everyday washing that we are cleansed anew each day.

C: Couple Friends
We've been so blessed with such great and faithful friends around here, and it has been so fun sharing life with them throughout this past year. It will be extremely hard to say goodbye to these friends when we leave, but we are SO grateful for their constant on-going love and support in our lives--how they have helped us process big decisions we've had to make, and shared many meals, rounds of Settlers of Catan, and various other adventures. We look forward to hosting them all at various points when they journey to Seattle to play!!
dave and tera berry jenn and josh guntherryan and alethia white
D: Dad's Financial Wisdom
It's been a big year this year as far as dealing with "grown up" financial decisions and issues. Student loans, job hunting, health insurance hunting, house hunting/buying, retirement investing etc have all been part of our last 12 months, and we are so grateful that my dad spent 27 years of his life working in this exact field! Every time we've seen him for the past year, and several other times via phone conversations he has spent hours helping us look at all our finances, figure out the best ways to invest them, the most important things to pay off first, how to figure out what the most important areas to put money are etc. Both of us are SO grateful for these patient hours spent looking over all our accounts, statements, and budgets and offering guidance. It would have taken us so much longer to get all this straightened out without his help, and we feel secure and have so much more peace of mind knowing he has our best interest in mind when offering counsel.

E: Elizabeth Jane
I became an aunt again this year! Elizabeth Jane (Jane) was born September 30 in Japan, and next month we get to go over to Japan to meet her! (And see our other awesome nieces and nephew!) We are so grateful for this little bundle of sweetness being added to our family, and Aunt Sarah can't WAIT to go spend lots of hours snuggling her over Christmas!
F: Fantastic Fellow Bloggers
I love the blogging world. If you're reading this, you probably know that :) I enjoy reading others thoughts on various topics and there are a couple that I truly adore and get so excited when I see a new posting. I am thankful for these following individuals who make me laugh, think, reflect, and grow through their words. If you haven't read these blogs, definitely check them out. These are my Top 10 Favorites for 2010 in no particular order:
Kristie Vosper
(an acquaintance from First Pres Burbank who I adore, and kind of have a "friend crush" on--I wish we actually were able to get to know each other)
Dirty Sexy Ministry
(two female Episcopalians who blog about ministry, faith, and life from a feminine perspective. I adore them)
Six Year Med
(a pediatric resident at a busy children's hospital--I think in Seattle--she writes with such beautiful honesty and rawness and will make you cry almost every time she posts)
Clatter from the Kitchen
(a childhood family friend Allison who loves cooking in her apartment in Portland. She'll make you hungry for delicious, organic, homemade food and will have you laughing over stories of mishaps and her wit)
The Contemplative Cottage
(Susan, an acquaintance from Bethany Pres in Seattle always inspires me to slow down, look around more carefully, and savor the little things in life like a cup of hot chocolate, a great book, and a fire in the fireplace)
Thriving Mama
(Sara, an acquaintance from the Fuller world posts delightful and healthy recipes, homemaking tips, and stories about life as a homemaker)
You're a Grown Man
(both Charles and I love this guy's writing, tackling different topics about manhood, and about growing up to be a mature, responsible man--you'll laugh, I promise!)
Rachel Goble Carey's Adventures in Photo
(she is a Fuller grad who lives/works with The Sold Project in Thailand)
Josh Gunther's Photography Blog
Beauty from God
(This is Praise's blog that she kept before she died. I've always been a reader of hers, but after she died I began reading back through her archives. Read her words. You will be inspired. She was truly a beautiful soul)

G: Girl Time
I have loved my time learning to be a youth volunteer this past year. It's been a growing process, I don't think I was very good at it when I first started! I'm learning the balance between knowing when to speak and when to keep my mouth shut and just listen. I'm learning to let loose and play more. I'm learning that dancing really does make life better. I'm learning that teenage girls will talk about almost anything if they think you will truly listen and not judge them for whatever it is they say. I'm learning that God is at work in their lives even when I don't always see that--sometimes He surprises me with the ways He moves! I am so so grateful for the chance I've had to be with these girls, and I am so sad to be leaving them.

H: Husband
I have a pretty phenomenal husband, who I get to know a little better each day. I am so grateful for his willingness to listen, his ability to encourage me, the dreams we share for our future, for his strong arms that he lets me fall asleep in each night, and for his desire to always learn more and grow more in our relationship. I am so so proud of the ways he truly desires to learn from any situation. I respect his ability to look at things so differently from me, and to gently nudge me out of my comfort zone when that is needed. He is my number 1 cheerleader, constantly standing up for my right to live out my calling to minister in whatever context I find myself. I am so grateful for his forgiveness when I am having a terrible day and accidentally take it out on him. I deeply respect his desire to provide for his wife and his future kids not only physically but also emotionally--and he has shown me throughout difficult moments in the past year that he is "man enough" to sit with me and hold me as I cry. I love that he makes me laugh, even when things feel the opposite of funny. God has blessed me with such a gift in him, and I am so grateful.

I: I Believe
As part of the Presbyterian ordination process each of us needs to write our own one page Statement of Faith and then defend it in front of a committee of pastors and elders who can ask you anything they want about your theology. (And no, just copying The Apostles Creed doesn't work!) I was so overwhelmed at the beginning, it was tough to start! But once I got going, I had a blast--this was such a fun assignment for me. Then I found out that one of the pastors on my committee is also a systematic theology professor at Fuller. I have to be honest, when I heard that, I was a bit nervous. A professional theologian is not exactly who you want going through your statement of faith with a fine toothed comb asking you questions about your theology! I read my statement to my committee, was asked I think two questions and was told by the systematic theology prof that it was "refreshing, well written, and one of the best he's seen." Guess I didn't need to be too scared! It was such a good experience--having to succinctly describe what I believe about God, Jesus, the trinity, the Spirit, creation, humanity, the church, the sacraments and other such things. I am grateful for this opportunity, and for the chance I've had these past 5 years to be working out what I believe and why.

J: Job Interviews
One year ago, we had absolutely no idea what was ahead of us as far as job hunting, and discernment went. We weren't sure who should be applying for jobs, where we should be applying, how we would know what church was going to be a good fit, and how in the world God was going to work all this out. We started 2010 with me applying for various non-ordained ministry positions. I did some phone interviews, even had a church want to fly me in to interview for a youth director job. The problem is that this job would have required me moving out of state about 6 months before my husband could join me, and that didn't feel good to me. So I turned them down. This summer Charles found a few positions on line that looked interesting, so he applied for them. In August he did phone interviews with both churches and both wanted to fly him in for second interviews. So September found us traveling quite a bit, wrestling with the huge decision of where we would go should we be offered both jobs, and maybe loosing a little sleep over the whole thing! I am so incredibly grateful for the way that God's hand has obviously been in the midst of this entire process. We've seen His nudges along the way, we've felt his peace as we've made decisions, and we've watched our marriage grow stronger as we have had numerous conversations and attempted to discern together where we were being called. The fact that the church in Seattle was willing to wait until January when Charles would be done with seminary was amazing to us, and only one of many ways God has been showing us that this is the place He has chosen for us. To have a job lined up 4 months before graduation is almost unheard of in seminary, and we are beyond grateful and blessed for the ways God has been taking care of us in this process.

K: Kickball
It had been a long time since I have had the opportunity to play with the red rubber kickballs that characterize elementary school recess. Until I started going to youth group on Wednesday nights :) Now, kickball, 4-square, and dodge ball are my new favorite games...I am grateful for the chance to kick back, run around a gym, and just play once a week.

L: Lenten Experience
For Lent this year we decided to attempt living as vegetarians for six weeks. I'm not sure that a vegetarian lifestyle is something I want to pursue 100% but I loved the chance to become more aware of what we put into our bodies, where our food comes from, and how much variety there is out there in the food world. We get so stuck in our everyday diets that we forget there are new things to try. So I learned how to make a few new things that have added a lot to our diet now. We spent time watching things like Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, we watched documentaries like Food Inc and Supersize Me, and spent a lot of time talking about health, diets, and nutrition. I am grateful for the bountiful ways God has given us to nourish ourselves.
Charles' new favorite lunch--pita stuffed with hummus and lots of fresh veggies. He eats this almost every day :)
M: Megan
This past year I have had the chance to see and talk to my sister so many more times than in the past many years combined probably, and I have truly loved that. I have loved that we're getting to know each other as adults. I love that I can call her with random questions. I am so grateful for all her advice and help in this house hunting process, as we think about starting a family, as we think about decorating and setting up our home, and as we make decisions. Megs sees things just differently enough than I do that it is so helpful to have her opinion--I commented one night to Charles that she had said something about the house hunting process that totally turned a light bulb on for me--because I was stuck in my normal thinking pattern and she added such a good perspective. She is an incredible mom to Lily, and that has been beyond fun to watch. I am also so grateful she's willing to share her daughter with me, and will sit on video chat with me so I can watch Lily play and babble with her even though I'm sure Megan has other things she could be doing. (and that she'll call and leave a voice mail and let Lily babble and screech into the phone for awhile just so I can hear her voice--I have all those messages saved for when I need a smile!) I am so thankful for her love, support, and friendship for all these years, and for all the visiting we got to do in 2010!
N: Northwest Trips
I have been back and forth to the Northwest a LOT this year! I found myself in Portland in January and twice in October, and I was Seattle-bound twice in May, once in July, once in September, twice in October, and once in November. That is a LOT of Southwest plane tickets :) I have loved so many opportunities in 1 year to return to this gorgeous place--to see friends, to wander farmer's markets, see fall colors, enjoy delicious coffee and wine, and feel my heart leap at the sight of mountains and water. I am beyond excited to spend the next chapter of our lives back in a place I adore so much. Come visit and I'll show you why I am so grateful for this amazing place!
O: Openness
One thing I forgot about being in high school is that high school students think about relationships with the opposite sex all the time. They want to ask questions, they want a glimpse into marriages that are not their parents because they are starting to get to a place where they are imagining their future relationships. On my very first day in youth group a group of girls gathered around because they wanted to see my engagement ring (at the time we were the only married volunteers). They began firing questions at me "where did you meet? How did he propose? What was your wedding like? When are you having kids? Do you fight with each other?" We quickly realized we needed to have a conversation with each other about what we were going to share with others about our relationship, because apparently we were going to get asked! We decided to be as honest as possible, always making sure to speak of our spouse with respect and honor, leaving only a couple areas of our relationship out of bounds for conversation with students. I've been amazed at what's happened since we've started sharing openly when students ask questions. One girl told me "my own parents' marriage is a mess. Yours gives me hope that someday if I am willing to learn about myself and work hard on a relationship I might have a good marriage too." Another said "I want to serve with my husband too, I like that you guys are always here every week hanging out with us together, I don't know any other couple who does that." I am so thankful for the conversations I've been able to be a part of because kids know we'll be honest and open with them, and I am thankful for a husband who sees this as an important part of ministry.

P: Presbytery Process
It's been quite the year of meeting with my Seattle committee on preparation for ministry (CPM), I think I met with my smaller committee 3 times, my church elders once, and all of the Seattle Presbytery once. Some people hate the ordination process in the PC(USA), but I have had a fantastic experience with my committee, and really with the whole process in general. I've learned a lot, it's been really good to be forced to reflect on various questions they asked, and while it's nerve wracking to stand before a committee of pastors who have the freedom to ask you anything they want, it's still a great experience. I am grateful for the chance be encouraged and supported by these pastors who don't really know me but have communicated time and again they are excited about being a future colleague in ministry with me.

Q: Quiet Nights at Home
In the midst of a year where Charles was still a student and always had a lot of homework, random quiet nights where he would decide to ignore his studies for a few hours and we'd relax together became some of the highlights of my year. Usually this was spontaneous, when we realized we didn't need to be anywhere and he could afford to take a night off, and I cherish the memories of these nights. My favorite was actually Oscar night last spring. I wanted to watch, he needed to study, so I started watching it on mute (using closed captioning) to not disturb him. He got sucked in, closed his book, we decided to make a run to Trader Joes for take out food and wine, and had a delightful evening. Other favorite nights of the year that I am very grateful for are nights spent watching The Office, making our own NCAA tournament brackets and tracking the teams, watching Jamie Oliver's food revolution and lately reading together. Most involved sushi and salads from Trader Joes :)

R: Reading List
If you're a regular reader you know that I created a list last year of 28 books to read in my 28th year of life, and that this was a very fun experience for me. I loved being intentional and thinking about what I wanted to read throughout a given year, and I loved getting to go back at the end of the year and writing a recap of each book I read. I have another list going this year of books I'm reading between now and my 30th birthday next September--we'll see if I make it! I am thankful for the diversity of literature that exists in our world, I'm thankful for the freedom I have to read anything I choose, and to think freely about the things I read.

S: Sixty Years
In August we headed out to Colorado for five days celebrating with my Dad's family the 60th wedding anniversary of my grandparents. We had a great time playing with cousins, telling all kinds of old stories that I never grow tired of hearing, rolling on the floor laughing as my dad and his siblings recounted all kinds of crazy mishaps and adventures they had growing up, and honoring Grandma and Papa for the legacy they have given us. I am thankful for the example they've set in loving their family and one another for all these years.

T: Twelve
Everyone knows I adore babies, but this year, in addition to the amazing babies in my life, I am also very thankful for my twelve year old niece. She lives in Japan so I don't get to see her very much (but we do get to see her on Dec. 18!), but I love that I have a niece who is about to be a teenager. She is a phenomenal young lady, who is so kind and caring and so great with her three younger siblings. We haven't gotten to know each other super well, but I am so thankful to get to be a part of her life as she heads in to her teen years. I love that I get to watch movies with her, make her mixed CDs of music I think she might like, and I love that she loves reading as much as I do :) Yes, I am very thankful for this beautiful young lady!
U: Us
We took a marriage class this past year, a group of 4 couples who sat around each week with a Marriage therapist and learned about ourselves. It was phenomenal. We learned about communication, past hurts and how they affect us now, the lessons our parents taught us about marriage by how they conducted their relationship and a lot about personality types. The biggest thing we learned about was our "us." I blogged about what that means here in case you are a little lost, but we talk about our "us" a lot, and we have worked hard this year to make choices that are best for our "us" and that feels really good. I am thankful for Dr. Sharon Hargrave and her teaching and I am thankful for the work we have put in to making our us stronger and I am looking forward to what 2011 holds in store for our "us."

V: Video Chat
I don't know who invented Skype and Google's version of video chat but I am extremely grateful! These amazing inventions have allowed us to check in with our family in Japan (the only complicated thing is the time difference!) and Google video chat lets me see this little face regularly:I've been able to watch from a distance as Lily has grown and changed and learned all kinds of new things this first year of her life. Thanks to video chat I got to watch her roll over, sit up, scootch, crawl, throw blocks, screech, giggle, and her latest tricks--walking and waving hi and bye! Thank you google!

W: Weddings Galore!
2010 was the year of people getting married! We had a crazy number of weddings in one year to both attend and participate in, and we loved getting to celebrate with so many friends as they embarked on this next stage of life together. What was so fun is that every wedding was SO different--we attended a Chinese-American wedding, a huge Armenian celebration, a very ecological wedding in a redwood grove, a wedding with 14 wedding party members on each side, an Indian feast, and a wedding on a boat in Seattle among others. In order of how they appeared throughout the year, here are the happy couples we love! (we have 1 more on New Years Eve as well!)
dave and tera berryjosh and jenn guntherpeter and susan chiueli and jennifer quisenberrydavid and joy mosgofian-koekermegan and harout katerjian brian and courtney babbsandeep and jennifer kumar
X: Xenial Families
Bonus points if you know what "xenial" means! From all the searching I did, it means "hospitable, especially to visiting strangers or foreigners." If you are a massive vocabulary person and think I am wrong...don't tell me :) Living far away from home for the past decade I haven't been able to celebrate many holidays with the people I love the most. However, it has given me the opportunity to celebrate holidays and special events with other family--the Body of Christ family members who have so graciously taken us into their homes and invited us to be part of their families for a day. Last Thanksgiving we celebrated with a family from church, whose two kids are in the youth program we work with. The Superbowl was watched with another family from church. We spent 4th of July with friends from church. Easter was spent with Fuller friends who graciously opened their home to those who needed a place to go. We've received dinner invitations, invitations to go to lunch with families on Sunday afternoons, invitations to join families for their kid's birthdays and most major holidays. We are so grateful for people who recognize that not everyone in their community is able to get home for special occasions, and it is truly a joy to participate in others' family traditions.

Y: Yosemite Trip
In September we had the opportunity to visit Yosemite for 3 nights with friends of Charles' from Florida. We were all awestruck at this incredible part of God's creation, and it was here that I fell in love with hiking and have a very strong desire to see more of the amazing country on foot! I am grateful for delicious food cooked outdoors, a husband to share this with, good hiking boots and camel-back, and the most amazing peaks and valleys I've ever seen.
Z: Zealous Youth Volunteers
One of the great things about being a youth volunteer is the incredible team of people we get to work with loving students at GPC. I adore our team of junior high and senior high volunteers, they make me laugh, they push me on things, they have shown me how much fun it is to introduce students to a life of walking with Jesus. I am so thankful for these friends (a couple of whom are pictured below, from winter camp), and I will miss them dearly.