Our first full day in the house after we moved. Took a bit of an adjustment for the girls before they were ready to call it home. Another story another time.
2009-7-16
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
One of my photographs graces Denver Seminary's DMin catalog cover
Last month, I was commissioned to take photographs for Denver Seminary's DMin catalog, and one of my photographs made the catalog cover. Yay! I truly operated as a photographer, not only taking photographs, but they left it to me to compose the photographs and decide how I was going to take the photographs (students doing what, where) in a very short period of time, in between classes. I am very excited that my favorite photograph made the cover.
2009-7-7
2009-7-7A leisurely walk, yeah right
Before we moved to our house, we would, from time to time go on walks around the apartment complex. At least twice, as we were leaving or approaching our building, I saw a snake on the sidewalk. Both times, Troy didn't see it until I reacted; one of those times, I screamed. I SCREAMED. Never saw Troy jump that high; you'd think he was a basketball star.
Well, one of those times, he would not walk away until he had snake in hand. Great.
He took the snake and released it far from the apartment complex, where all parties would feel much better.
Isabella still loves to play with sticks and rocks.
On these walks, we would look for rabbits and their broods, and oftentimes Troy would take the stroller and chase after them. Nice.
On one occasion, we saw a little bird that seemed lost and disoriented. Poor bird. Didn't seem able to fly, for whatever reason. hope the little guy survived.
Well, one of those times, he would not walk away until he had snake in hand. Great.
He took the snake and released it far from the apartment complex, where all parties would feel much better.2009-6-26
Isabella still loves to play with sticks and rocks.
On these walks, we would look for rabbits and their broods, and oftentimes Troy would take the stroller and chase after them. Nice.
On one occasion, we saw a little bird that seemed lost and disoriented. Poor bird. Didn't seem able to fly, for whatever reason. hope the little guy survived.
Sweetness, total sweetness
2009-6-24When my parents were visiting, my dad sang this song about a frog in Chinese. Isabella's constantly asking me to sing it for her these days. I know about 20% of the words with any accuracy. So, I asked him to record himself singing it and send it to me.
Instead, he posted some footage of him singing it to the girls while they were visiting recently and sent the youtube videos to us. One of the responses my sister made was that Isabella looks like me. I've got to say, I think Isabella looks more like Troy every single day. When Isabella was a newborn, she was a carbon copy of me at the newborn stage. Now? I think there is very little semblance of me in her. When my sister said Isabella looks like me, I was flattered. I mean, just look at this picture, will you? Who, in their right minds, wouldn't be flattered?
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Getting real adult furniture and calling this home
This post contains more of my musings than usual, so prepare yourself with something to drink and have a seat. Ready?
A lot of what goes on in my life that is more than surface-y, I don't share on my blogs. Though I love sharing with friends, the idea of putting intensely personal stuff out there in cyberspace for all to see creeps me out. Do I have any problems being transparent? No, not when it comes to one-on-one communication with friends/family I trust, am close to, and know that they won't be my PA-system. That sort of thing is essential to building and deepening (or growing, if you like) trusting relationships.
All this is to say that those of you who thing you have me pegged or you think you understand how I work and function, you may be in for a rude awakening or an interesting adventure, depending on how you wish to interpret the journey. I anticipate a gradual or perhaps drastic change in how I write in my blogs and how I communicate in general. So, this will affect interested and faithful readers.
For much of my life, I have been interpreted as a serious person who takes much in life literally. Perhaps I even expected this of myself. The truth of the matter? That is not who I am. That is not to say that there is no part of me that is serious; a part of me is very serious. But that is not all that I am, serious all the time. I want to be giddy, to make jokes, to laugh; a way of life that was more obvious in my life prepubescent and pre-knowledge of expectations the world has of me. From henceforth, I will be figuring out what this more lighthearted side of me looks like and carving out my own niche in communicating in a way that is true to myself. That being said, you'll be missing out BIG TIME, if you read each one of my postings in the same way, with the same approach.
Now that we have that out of the way, let's change the subject of conversation abruptly, just for kicks. Earlier this week, Wednesday, I think, we got rid of the chairs you see pictured below.
They were taking way too much room in the living room/dining room area. They were free hand-me-downs, so we kept them for awhile. We decided to bless some other people with that furniture instead. So, I listed them on Craig's List as free items. Just before I launched the ad, one chair and footstool was already taken. Seconds after I put the ad up, our phone was ringing off the hook. It was crazy; you'd think we were offering some sort of precious commodity. Loads of people were interested in getting both chairs but were willing to settle for whatever was left. The other chair wasn't an orphan for long.
Around the time we purchased our home, some of the upstairs was staged. The room that one sees upon entering the front door, the livingroom area, looked nice, but there was absolutely no place to dine. For me, personally, being able to have company over for meals is super important and squeezing into the kitchen just doesn't cut it. Before purchasing the home, Troy knew that if this home was to be ours, we had to split the area into a living room area and a dining room area, even if that means the living room part is smaller.
Welp, we purchased some new furniture, well, it's new to us. We purchased a dining room table with chairs. This is a huge deal. The last time we purchased anything as a wedded couple was when we first got married. We got some dressers, since I had none before we got married. The bed on which we sleep was a gift from my parents, and all the assorted pieces we acquired were gifts from friends. When Troy told me about a table and chairs at this used shop, that I might like, I held off on any hopeful excitement. I had seen some other stuff that he found "nice" and, let's just say, I was less than impressed. Long story short, I am excited to present our dining room furniture:
2009-8-20
Manda, I couldn't stop thinking of you, because you've given me a hard time now and again for not getting real grown up furniture. Love ya. Well, here is some real grown up furniture we have purchase!
In other news, we now have Colorado vehicular plates to match our Colorado driver's licenses. We had been warned by various concerned local friends that failing to convert to Colorado license plates can result in $1000 penalties. Yikes. So, as of yesterday, the Camry has been sporting a Colorado license plate. We still have to find a way to affix a plate on the front of the vehicle, and Troy's motorcycle has some VIN hangups, but we'll be there soon.
All of these little changes are signs of this - our residence in Colorado - being our home. For the longest time, I've been calling Knoxville, Tennessee, my hometown. In a sense that still rings true. However, we are no longer students (well, sort of) and are not merely gypsies, for the most part. Unless God has other plans, we're planning on staying in Colorado for the long haul, so this is our home. So, I shall make every effort - literally, figuratively, whatever - to make this our home.
A lot of what goes on in my life that is more than surface-y, I don't share on my blogs. Though I love sharing with friends, the idea of putting intensely personal stuff out there in cyberspace for all to see creeps me out. Do I have any problems being transparent? No, not when it comes to one-on-one communication with friends/family I trust, am close to, and know that they won't be my PA-system. That sort of thing is essential to building and deepening (or growing, if you like) trusting relationships.
All this is to say that those of you who thing you have me pegged or you think you understand how I work and function, you may be in for a rude awakening or an interesting adventure, depending on how you wish to interpret the journey. I anticipate a gradual or perhaps drastic change in how I write in my blogs and how I communicate in general. So, this will affect interested and faithful readers.
For much of my life, I have been interpreted as a serious person who takes much in life literally. Perhaps I even expected this of myself. The truth of the matter? That is not who I am. That is not to say that there is no part of me that is serious; a part of me is very serious. But that is not all that I am, serious all the time. I want to be giddy, to make jokes, to laugh; a way of life that was more obvious in my life prepubescent and pre-knowledge of expectations the world has of me. From henceforth, I will be figuring out what this more lighthearted side of me looks like and carving out my own niche in communicating in a way that is true to myself. That being said, you'll be missing out BIG TIME, if you read each one of my postings in the same way, with the same approach.
Now that we have that out of the way, let's change the subject of conversation abruptly, just for kicks. Earlier this week, Wednesday, I think, we got rid of the chairs you see pictured below.
They were taking way too much room in the living room/dining room area. They were free hand-me-downs, so we kept them for awhile. We decided to bless some other people with that furniture instead. So, I listed them on Craig's List as free items. Just before I launched the ad, one chair and footstool was already taken. Seconds after I put the ad up, our phone was ringing off the hook. It was crazy; you'd think we were offering some sort of precious commodity. Loads of people were interested in getting both chairs but were willing to settle for whatever was left. The other chair wasn't an orphan for long.Around the time we purchased our home, some of the upstairs was staged. The room that one sees upon entering the front door, the livingroom area, looked nice, but there was absolutely no place to dine. For me, personally, being able to have company over for meals is super important and squeezing into the kitchen just doesn't cut it. Before purchasing the home, Troy knew that if this home was to be ours, we had to split the area into a living room area and a dining room area, even if that means the living room part is smaller.
Welp, we purchased some new furniture, well, it's new to us. We purchased a dining room table with chairs. This is a huge deal. The last time we purchased anything as a wedded couple was when we first got married. We got some dressers, since I had none before we got married. The bed on which we sleep was a gift from my parents, and all the assorted pieces we acquired were gifts from friends. When Troy told me about a table and chairs at this used shop, that I might like, I held off on any hopeful excitement. I had seen some other stuff that he found "nice" and, let's just say, I was less than impressed. Long story short, I am excited to present our dining room furniture:
2009-8-20
Manda, I couldn't stop thinking of you, because you've given me a hard time now and again for not getting real grown up furniture. Love ya. Well, here is some real grown up furniture we have purchase!In other news, we now have Colorado vehicular plates to match our Colorado driver's licenses. We had been warned by various concerned local friends that failing to convert to Colorado license plates can result in $1000 penalties. Yikes. So, as of yesterday, the Camry has been sporting a Colorado license plate. We still have to find a way to affix a plate on the front of the vehicle, and Troy's motorcycle has some VIN hangups, but we'll be there soon.
All of these little changes are signs of this - our residence in Colorado - being our home. For the longest time, I've been calling Knoxville, Tennessee, my hometown. In a sense that still rings true. However, we are no longer students (well, sort of) and are not merely gypsies, for the most part. Unless God has other plans, we're planning on staying in Colorado for the long haul, so this is our home. So, I shall make every effort - literally, figuratively, whatever - to make this our home.
Monday, August 03, 2009
How we came to be
Seven years ago today, Troy and I got married.
And, we've been blessed with two darling children.
2009-7-5
2009-8-1
Our last date was about eight to ten months ago, whenever "The Dark Knight " was in IMAX theaters. Yep, that's when we last went on a date. Ashley and Mike were kind enough to watch the girls, so that we could go see a movie. Tonight, Ashley and Sally watched the girl so we could celebrate our wedding anniversary just the two of us.
Our realtor had told us about a special The Melting Pot has, a four course meal with a bottle of wine for $30 off the regular price if we go in to dinner before 5 pm. Fondue sounded like a superb plan. So, I had my hair twisted up all day, in hopes it would be wavy for our date. Then I put on a dress to look all dolled up. Thank you, Sally, by the way, for taking these wonderful photographs of the two of us.
The Melting Pot is housed in this historic building. Interesting, at one time, the bottom level housed prisoners, a very long time ago. Now the restaurant fills the entire building.
What a beautiful entrance, I think.
Another patron was kind enough to take a picture of us. I'm thankful I look decent in this picture and perhaps even look younger, especially since I don't think the second photograph of us that I posted in this blog is particular flattering of me. Feeling like an undefined balloon in that picture, if you must know.
These were the windows that hung between our table and the table behind us. Such character the place had.
Our fourth course for the evening was a chocolate fondue, in which we could dip assorted goodies: bananas, strawberries, brownies, cheesecake, etc.
After our lovely two hour dinner, we decided to take a stroll around downtown Littleton. First walk there since our move to Colorado a year ago. Heck, if we weren't going to do dinner and movie with the generous offer of friends watching our girls, why not go on a little walk?
Whilst on our walk, we ran across this theater. We didn't even know it was a theater until some gentleman exiting the theater started talking excitedly about the happenings at this theater.
If you look at the photograph below carefully, you'll notice that the floor slants downward towards the doors to the outside; that is because in the 1920's, people driving the fire engines would let the trucks slide downwards, pop the clutch, and get them started that way. Kind of cool, huh?
Those of you who know me well may remember that I love the theater, not just as a member of the audience, but I love to act on stage. I absolutely love the challenge of putting myself in someone else's shoes and being someone else for a spell.
I'm thinking now is not the time to be in a show, whether a play or a musical. How the heck am I going to fit a five night a week rehearsal into my full-time mommy/take care of the home schedule, taking classes, and, in the fall, seeing clients two nights a week?! Guess that passion will have to wait until another time. The two photographs below are the theater from the outside.
And, we've been blessed with two darling children.
2009-7-5
2009-8-1Our last date was about eight to ten months ago, whenever "
Our realtor had told us about a special The Melting Pot has, a four course meal with a bottle of wine for $30 off the regular price if we go in to dinner before 5 pm. Fondue sounded like a superb plan. So, I had my hair twisted up all day, in hopes it would be wavy for our date. Then I put on a dress to look all dolled up. Thank you, Sally, by the way, for taking these wonderful photographs of the two of us.
The Melting Pot is housed in this historic building. Interesting, at one time, the bottom level housed prisoners, a very long time ago. Now the restaurant fills the entire building.
What a beautiful entrance, I think.
Another patron was kind enough to take a picture of us. I'm thankful I look decent in this picture and perhaps even look younger, especially since I don't think the second photograph of us that I posted in this blog is particular flattering of me. Feeling like an undefined balloon in that picture, if you must know.
These were the windows that hung between our table and the table behind us. Such character the place had.
Our fourth course for the evening was a chocolate fondue, in which we could dip assorted goodies: bananas, strawberries, brownies, cheesecake, etc.
After our lovely two hour dinner, we decided to take a stroll around downtown Littleton. First walk there since our move to Colorado a year ago. Heck, if we weren't going to do dinner and movie with the generous offer of friends watching our girls, why not go on a little walk?Whilst on our walk, we ran across this theater. We didn't even know it was a theater until some gentleman exiting the theater started talking excitedly about the happenings at this theater.
If you look at the photograph below carefully, you'll notice that the floor slants downward towards the doors to the outside; that is because in the 1920's, people driving the fire engines would let the trucks slide downwards, pop the clutch, and get them started that way. Kind of cool, huh?
Those of you who know me well may remember that I love the theater, not just as a member of the audience, but I love to act on stage. I absolutely love the challenge of putting myself in someone else's shoes and being someone else for a spell.I'm thinking now is not the time to be in a show, whether a play or a musical. How the heck am I going to fit a five night a week rehearsal into my full-time mommy/take care of the home schedule, taking classes, and, in the fall, seeing clients two nights a week?! Guess that passion will have to wait until another time. The two photographs below are the theater from the outside.
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