A Guy and a Girl and a Roller Coaster

New Tradition

2011-12-30T15:46:00.005-05:00

I was determined to make homemade cinnamon rolls this year for Christmas morning. Our original plans for Christmas of going to my parent's house changed when I was put on bed rest, but thankfully they were able to come to us for the weekend (except my brother Tyler who was supposed to work- we missed you!). My sister put the dough together Christmas Eve- she is quite the master baker- and we let it rise overnight. Christmas morning I broke a few rules and was on my feet long enough to roll out the cinnamon rolls while my sister made the icing. These rolls were delicious and its kinda embarrassing to think how many we consumed that day and the next... and I wish we had even more leftover because one would go perfectly with this cup of coffee I'm sipping. Needless to say, homemade rolls have been declared a new Christmas morning tradition. Anyway, here is the super simple recipe for the rolls, and the icing we used. Maybe you'd like to make some for New Years day?

p.s. when I rolled them out, I got 12-14 one-inch rolls out of each half of the dough so we had almost 30 smaller rolls which were perfect for us.

Rest. Lots of it.

2011-12-29T13:50:00.002-05:00

One thing I appreciate about the blogs I take time to read is the honesty with which they are written. No rose-colored glasses or watered down truths about parenting or pregnancy or life. In the same vein, I've tried to make this blog a place that readers can know the nitty gritty about us (whats appropriate of course) while also celebrate our joys and successes. In that mindset, let me tell you about bed rest...

So for the past 3 weeks or so, I've been having daily, sometimes constant headaches that range from mildly annoying to pretty intense. As someone with a chronic pain disorder, I think I have a pretty high tolerance for pain overall and can usually get by without people noticing. I've also gotten fairly frequent headaches for years so this was not something new. However, headaches during pregnancy, especially the end of pregnancy, can be a symptom that something is wrong so I felt that I had to mention it to my OB. Headaches and high blood pressure often signal preeclampsia, so while my blood pressure has been good she ordered some tests as a precaution. Some blood work came back elevated so she had me do a 24-hour urine collection over the weekend to test for elevated protein. These urine collection contraptions were clearly designed by men and while I've gotten pretty skilled at peeing in a cup over the past 9 months, it was a difficult undertaking to say the least. Too much information? Sorry.
I was told to "rest" while we waited for results. I kept up with things around the house but tried to not be overly active, though I did have some last minute Christmas shopping to finish up. Its a good thing I got that done, too, because Monday when I called to find out my results, I was put on bed rest. My blood work was still slightly elevated though not concerning but the protein levels in my urine where high. Thankfully, they were not high enough to indicate preeclampsia and my blood pressure was still good so that was ruled out, but as a precaution and to take any unnecessary pressure off my body, I've been put on bed rest until this baby arrives. Meaning, I'm supposed to sit/lie at a 45degree angle and only get up to use the bathroom. Let me tell you -- its not as glamorous as it sounds. Not only is it *slightly* boring (how much reading and tv watching can someone do day after day?) but I feel completely useless and guilty for making my wonderful husband take care of himself, me, and the house. It only took me 2 days to have a breakdown about this and while I've come to accept it now, it hasn't been easy. Geoff has served me lovingly and been such an encouragement, and helps remind me that my job right now is to take care of this little one- the dusting and floor scrubbing can wait. This experience has also pointed out some of the pride in my heart as I've struggled to accept help from others... wanting to maintain my independence... and feeling inadequate as I lay around all day. However, God has reminded me to find the joy in every circumstance, to be thankful for this time of rest, this quiet and calm time with my husband, and especially for a job that allows Geoff to mostly work from home right now so he can keep me in line :)
I know that many have been on bed rest for a lot longer than 3-4 weeks and I don't want to minimize that, or make myself out to be some kind of martyr, as if I'm looking for pity or anything. I simply wanted to share whats been going on with us as we approach the end of this pregnancy journey, and to also remind myself in writing of the goodness of God so that I don't forget later on. And well, I've got lots of time on my hands right now so what else is there to do?!

37.4

2011-12-20T12:30:00.002-05:00

According to my daily reminder from BabyCenter.com, we've got 17 days to go until D-Day! Of course being 37 weeks and 4 days pregnant actually means that our little one could arrive any day... or not for 3 or 4 more weeks. I'm not so uncomfortable that I'm begging the little one to come early, but I'd be quite happy to not wait the whole 40 weeks (or beyond) to meet baby. While I hear they are easier to deal with inside your belly, I'm anxious to get into the next phase: motherhood! Remind me of that when I'm sleep deprived, will you?

We completed 2 birth classes at our OBs office, which were both informational and practically useful. I may not remember my breathing or imagery during labor, but its helping to keep my blood pressure down in the meantime :)

The car seat is installed in the backseat. The stroller is folded up in the trunk. The diaper bag is packed and ready to go, and my hospital bag is basically ready besides those last minute items you really can't part with ahead of time (i.e. eyeglasses). And as Geoff likes to focus on, we have everything we need to keep baby alive for the first 24 hours at home. After that, he can run to the store :)

Home

2011-12-12T15:56:00.004-05:00

As we've been preparing baby's room lately, I realized I have never shared pictures of what our new place looks like, since we moved in April. We are renting a 2-bedroom duplex in Alexandria, Va. I'm only including pics of the living areas because (1) the kitchen is a mess right now and awkward to photograph anyways, and (2) our bedroom and other areas just aren't that interesting to see. I'm also reserving photos of the nursery until its more complete, but we did a lot of work in it this past weekend so its getting there! I suppose its time since baby could be here any day :) A little sneak peek of the crib:

~living room decorated for Christmas~

the blank wall over the couch is obviously a work in progress but I have great plans to put a photo collage up someday, preferably before we move again...

~dining room~

We upgraded from our tiny 2-person table to one that can expand to seat 10. To be honest we don't eat at it all that often yet but it sure comes in handy to hold a buffet spread for 20+ people!

Christmas plates that Geoff received as a little boy surrounded with some holly from the back yard

Geoff's favorite decoration may be the candle arrangements I make at Christmas. I'm glad he is so easily pleased :)

Belly Pictures

2011-12-12T15:17:00.003-05:00

Many of you may have already seen these, but here is a link to the professional maternity shots we had done a few weeks ago around Capitol Hill. The photographer is a sweet gal we know from our church, and if you are in the area and looking for a wedding or portrait photographer, we highly recommend her! She made the experience so much fun and spent time finding out what we wanted as well as incorporating her own creative ideas. It was a blast, and a great way to remember this special time in our marriage while we wait for out little peanut to arrive :)

Showered by Love

2011-11-16T17:13:00.004-05:00

October and November have brought into our home many blessings in the form of baby items. Lots of baby items. Thanks to friends from church who put together a fun shower for me in October and my mom and sister who threw a fantastic shower for us last weekend, our nursery is overflowing with both cute and practical items to help us welcome baby into the world (and then clothe, feed, clean and entertain him or her). As we have almost hit the 7 week countdown mark, its becoming more and more real that baby really will be here soon. Everyone is talking about the holidays coming up and the dwindling time left for gift-getting, and its a reminder to us that possibly during or hopefully right after all of the holiday festivities, our greatest gift will arrive. Wow. How did those 30+ weeks pass by so fast?!

Here are a few photos from both baby showers...

Church friends

Friends from William & Mary who also live in the area!

Since my shower, 2 baby girls have been born to ladies in these groups. Yay for mommy friends.

They decorated onesies for Baby; this is Geoff's favorite one:)

***

The spread at my family shower ~ mom made amazing coffee punch and my sister made delicious cupcakes which we are still enjoying :)

My grandma with 3 of her sisters~ these ladies make our family what it is today and I'm so blessed to be bringing another life into this loving family

Decorating wooden blocks and fabric book pages for baby!

Me and dad, the grandpa-to-be!

October Snapshots

2011-10-25T21:42:00.009-04:00

Whats been happening lately...

Celebrated with friends at their wedding in Newport, RI

Built baby's beautiful crib, thanks to Geoff's generous parents

Baby belly at about 29 weeks (feels like I get bigger every day!)

Our good friends from church had a sweet baby girl 2 weeks ago. Holding this beautiful little bundle made us oh so ready to meet ours!

- - - - - - -

* We've chosen our pediatrician and will be pre-registering at the hospital this week

* We signed up for baby classes at our OB's office for December

*I passed my 3-hour glucose test meaning I don't have gestational diabetes (praise God!)

Anatomy of a Dresser

2011-10-06T19:20:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, Geoff and I built the dresser/changing table for the nursery! We're super happy with how it turned out, and anxious for the nursery to start taking shape. Somehow baby's due date is only 3 months away and we're sure with the holidays fast approaching, those 3 months are going to fly by!

examining the 400 pieces...

Ok its starting to look like something now!

looking good... just need some drawers...

finished!

The cheesehead will not be a permanent fixture...

Sweet Blueberry

2011-09-30T11:22:00.002-04:00

I've been meaning to share this sweet story for awhile now but am just finally getting it down on "paper." We enjoy the "what fruit or veggie is baby this week" updates from babycenter.com- I think because its a more tangible way to understand where little baby is in the development process, size-wise anyway. I've never been good with measurements so being able to visualize what 8 inches or 12 oz. looks like isn't easy for me. Anyway, back when baby was 7 weeks, he/she was the size of a blueberry. Geoff surprised me with breakfast in bed: a blueberry muffin from our favorite local coffee shop and a big decaf coffee (mmm, remember when I used to like coffee!?). He's so thoughtful that way.

26 weeks today, and baby is as tall as an English cucumber (14 inches) and weighs one and two-third pounds. Heard baby's strong heartbeat on Wednesday, about 120bpm. We know 3 couples who have had babies recently without finding out whether they were having a boy or girl -- all 3 have been boys. What do you think that means?!

Google Chrome on Fatherhood

2011-09-27T22:25:00.000-04:00

As fatherhood rapidly approaches (t-minus 100 days and counting), I am noticing signs that I'm turning into a big sap. For example, this is my favorite commercial on TV right now, and not just because I like Google Chrome:

This ad resonates with me in several ways:

Holding: Dad admits that he's still getting used to holding little Sophie. Yeah, I have no idea how to hold a baby. Or change diapers. Or get one to stop crying. There will be a lot of things to get used to.
Giggles: The quick clip of Sophie laughing at her 1st birthday party is amazing. I can't wait to hear my baby laugh and melt my heart.
Helpless: Sophie has to go to the hospital with a fever, with Dad acknowledging how helpless he feels. So many things are completely outside of my control as it is now, and it's hard to think about how little I'll be able to control once Baby Peck arrives.
Model: The Dad in this ad is completely unlike most dads portrayed in popular culture today. That is to say, he's not a complete moron. This Dad is a loving, caring, sentimental, humorous, providing, protecting, family man. I hope I'll be that kind of Dad.

Corn Cob

2011-09-19T09:08:00.002-04:00

24 weeks and Baby Peck is about as long as a corn cob (~12 inches) and weighs just over a pound. Baby's lungs and brain continue to develop, as well as taste buds which I find kinda funny. Baby will begin to plump up this next week and fill out some of those skin rolls, which is probably why I'm so hungry...

A few things I'm noticing lately:

Baby is moving a lot more (or I can feel it better)- no dramatic kicks yet that Daddy can feel but he still enjoys knowing that I'm feeling our little one regularly doing acrobatics
In the last month I've had more swelling in my legs and ankles but it seems to be mostly weather related if I'm on my feet too long- this cooler weather has made a difference!
My appetite has definitely increased, especially around lunch time. In the evenings I tend to get full faster, but am hungry again an hour or so later. Many days I eat 2-3 apples with peanut butter as a snack.
My food aversions are slowly but surely getting less and less. I made myself a cup of coffee this morning which makes 2 in the past week, quite an accomplishment! Even bigger than that, I made turkey burgers this past week which is the first time in, oh, probably 4 months. I even have plans to make chicken tortilla soup this week which will be my first chicken recipe probably since June. Geoff will be happy for something other than spaghetti or pizza! (By the way, I made individual pizzas last week on flattened Pillsbury Grand rolls and they were delicious! Mmmm that flaky crust!)

Oahu: Day 5

2011-08-24T09:29:00.006-04:00

Our final full day on the island was very bittersweet. We tried to soak in as much as possible without dwelling on the fact that tomorrow we would be leaving... Throughout the week we could see planes leaving from the airport, flying out over Waikiki, and we would comment "so glad we're not on that plane!" but we knew our time was almost up. :(

Anyway, on Day5 we had planned to beach hop along the Windward coast, but after our sunburn experience from the previous day, we really had no desire to punish our tender flesh with more direct sun. So, we drove along the coast and got out to enjoy the views as we wanted to. We were once again overwhelmed at the beauty God has created on Oahu. How beautiful He must be to be able to make something like that!

After our scenic-spot hopping, we made it back to our hotel beach in time to enjoy one last dip in the Pacific (once the heat of the afternoon sun was gone) before watching the sunset from the beach. The perfect way to end our final day on Oahu.

Oahu: Day 4

2011-08-21T20:33:00.007-04:00

After a busy Day 3, we decided to spend our fourth day just relaxing. We went to a local drive-in for breakfast: Geoff got sunny side-up eggs over fried rice, and I got sweet bread french toast. We spent the morning eating breakfast out on our lanai, reading, enjoying the breeze, etc.

Then we hit the beach! We even spotted a sea turtle swimming with us in the small cove by our hotel. Having spent the morning lounging around our room, we were on the beach during the sun's most intense time. In other words,we made it until day 4 before getting fried. We're still enjoying the peeling skin...

After the beach, we found another way to relax: massage! We got a couples massage at the spa in the Hyatt Hotel downtown. It was bliss, and thankfully our sunburn really didn't start to hurt until later in the day. We enjoyed saying goodbye to all those knots from the long flight (and could probably use another one...). Here we are in the spa's "relaxation room," enjoying water flavored with mint and ginger, and tasty treats of pineapple and chocolate.

After our spa treatment, we spent some time regrouping in the lobby of the Hyatt (the one with the waterfall in it) and enjoyed some Mochi ice cream. This was something we'd read about in the travel books and decided we had to try- its ice cream after all! Mochi ice cream is cold ice cream wrapped in a soft, fluffy rice dough and dusted with a white powdery coating. Its quite an interesting texture experience... probably a good, not great treat in our opinion.

For dinner, we went to Dukes. We had heard this place was worth checking

out for its outdoor seating, right on the beach. We had to wait awhile for an outdoor table to open up, but the reviews were right! We enjoyed good food in a beautiful setting, and Geoff bought be a beautiful fresh lei. We enjoyed another Hawaiian sunset and the shimmer of the tiki torches on the ocean. A great end to a perfect, relaxing day!

(well, the perfect ending might have been the aloe we applied to our burnt skin before bed, but that's far less interesting...)

Oahu: Day 3

2011-08-19T13:12:00.002-04:00

Friday we visited Pearl Harbor. They have a great museum on site that we had plenty of time to look through as we waited 3 hours for our timed ticket out to the remains of the USS Arizona. It was a very hot day so we spent some time walking around the outside exhibits, but quickly decided our time was best spent indoors!

Looking thru the periscope out to the harbor

Geoff testing out the big guns

One of the remaining turrets from the Arizona, which lays beneath where Danielle is standing

Behind Geoff is the USS Missouri which stands guard over the sunken Arizona

*****

After spending all morning and early afternoon at Pearl Harbor, we went back to Waikiki to cool off in the ocean for the afternoon. Then we walked downtown Waikiki to get dinner and watch the sunset over the ocean. Beautiful ending to the day!

20 weeks

2011-08-18T14:59:00.003-04:00

Baby is doing well and we're so thankful. Doctor says he/she has a "beautiful" looking heart, and everything else baby needs. Counted 10 fingers and 10 toes. Amazing. God is good!

Oahu: Day 2

2011-08-18T13:52:00.007-04:00

Thursday we drove along the other side of the island from Waikiki to the North Shore. On our way, we stopped at the Dole Plantation. We learned the history of the pineapple and how James Dole used the unique climate and soil of the Hawaiian islands to build a pineapple empire. Most importantly, we got pineapple ice cream (mine was also topped with fresh pineapple) which was delicious and the perfect treat for a hot day. Tried to figure out how to bring some home with us, but I guess we'll just have to go back... :)

Leaving Dole, we kept heading towards the North Shore. We stopped in Haleiwa for some shopping and to get lunch. Geoff got another plate lunch, this time with pulled pork, and I got a hot ham, pineapple and cheese sandwich. yum. (I managed to have pineapple in some form every day while in Hawaii). From Haleiwa, we drove to Sharks Cove where we went snorkeling

(no Sharks spotted). We weren't in the water 2 minutes before we came face to face with a sea turtle! We saw at least a dozen different types of beautiful, brightly colored fish. This was one of the highlights of our trip for sure! After snorkeling, we left the cove and walked to the nearby beach to do some swimming (the cove was very rocky). The North Shore is where all the surfing competitions happen in the winter, but thankfully the surf is much calmer in the summer so we amateurs could enjoy the water.

For our return trip to Waikiki, we drove down the other side of the coast and enjoyed spectacular views of soaring mountains and jagged cliffs offset by crystal clear waters. Please excuse the pictures since they were taken from the moving car and don't do the views justice at all.

Oahu: Day 1

2011-08-17T12:45:00.009-04:00

With baby on the way, Geoff and I took the opportunity to have one last big get-away together (i.e. "babymoon") by spending about a week in Hawaii. It was fabulous. So fabulous in fact that I plan to take you through our trip day by day, because its just too good to fit into one post :)

So, here comes Day 1: we got to our hotel late on Tuesday night (which felt like 4am to us) and after checking out our sweet lanai (balcony), we crashed. Wednesday was our official Day #1, and we packed it full! Since our bodies were still on EST, we were up and out the door by 7am to enjoy some delicious breakfast at the beachfront restaurant next door. Then we walked into downtown Waikiki (about 10mins from our hotel) to check out what was what. And to find a Starbucks of course. Here's the view of downtown from our hotel...

For lunch, we went to a "locals" spot where Geoff got his first plate lunch. Basically, its some type of meat served with rice and either a green salad or macaroni salad on the side. Its the standard lunch fare on the island. This place also had amazing iced tea (with pineapple and mint in it).

After lunch, we decided to drive along the Windward side of the island. It was breathtaking. If you go to Oahu and only see Waikiki, you are missing out! A few snapshots from our drive...

National Pali Lookout

Halona Beach Cove

Hanauma Bay (popular for snorkeling)

We did some more exploring and decided we'd need to come back to this side of the island later in the week. You'll see more pictures of that to come! Check back tomorrow for ice cream and snorkeling adventures :)

Food

2011-07-07T15:54:00.003-04:00

Now that I've reached week 14 of pregnancy, little baby is about the size of a lemon! Isn't s/he cute?! My second check-up and ultrasound is tomorrow and we're super excited to see Baby P looking more baby-like, with legs and arms fully developed, and a neck holding up its head.

We have made the decision to not find out whether we're having a boy or girl, so bring on the neutrals!

The toughest part for me so far has been the lack of food that is appealing. I really don't crave many things, but there is a lot that I avoid like the plague. This makes meal planning/ take-out/ grocery shopping pretty difficult. Poor Geoff has not had a decent home-cooked meal in weeks I'm pretty sure. Pasta and pizza are about the only things I'm really digging right now, and I'm ashamed to admit we've had pizza 3 times in the past week. I just identified meat as another big category of food that I've developed an aversion to, so any good vegetarian recipes you know of, please do share :)

I'm determined to not have pizza again tonight so I must go peruse the kitchen for some inspiration...

Q & A

2011-06-23T13:16:00.005-04:00

Since we shared the news of Geoff Jr. on the way {no, we're not actually having a Jr., especially if its a girl :) }, we've of course been having similar conversations with many of you so I thought it'd be good idea to have a mock Q&A here on our blog, especially for those of you we don't get to talk to regularly.

When are you due?

Baby Peck is expected to arrive around January 5th. Yes, we've been reminded that for tax purposes, getting baby out before 1/1/12 would be financially wise so I'll see what I can do :) Except if baby waits until 1/10, it will share its birthday with my mom which would be pretty special too. And further away from the holiday madness...

How are you feeling?

I have been spared morning sickness which is such a blessing, so I really have been feeling just fine. I am quite tired, all the time, but that's really not much to complain about. I feel lazy but I'm told my body is working hard so it's excusable. It is hard to find things to eat sometimes because more often than not, nothing really sounds good to me. I've had much more aversions to food than cravings so far. Things I am liking include: pasta, chocolate milk, lemonade, and fruit. Things that make me shudder: seafood, creamy sauces like Alfredo, and Mexican food (the Mexican has been especially hard for Geoff since we used to have it 1-2x per week...). I'm also not enjoying coffee like I used to. I drink a cup on rare occasions but generally have no desire for it. This is the biggest difference by far, because I was quite coffee-dependent!

Are you going to find out if it's a boy or girl?

This is a tough one and we really haven't decided yet. I love the idea of being surprised until the moment baby is born. I think that will just add more excitement to that day. But its also easier for planning and preparing if we know, and 9 months is a long time to call it "baby." However, we'd probably buy a lot of neutral things anyway so we can use them for more than one child. So we're still deciding on this one. Keep you posted!

The Big News

2011-06-20T15:46:00.003-04:00

On May 2nd, I surprised Geoff with this "belated birthday gift," a bib that says I love Daddy. I had taken a pregnancy test the night before but knew I wanted to tell him in a special way. Waiting almost 24 hours to share the news with him was probably the hardest thing ever. But it was worth it to see his reaction when he opened that bag :) Pretty sure he yelled something like "holy crap! are you serious!" as he jumped up and ran over to me.

Patiently waiting to get into the doctor for another month (when I was 9 weeks along) was another difficult waiting period as we kept the secret from all our family and friends. My first appointment was June 2nd, when we got to see little baby Peck for the first time and hear the heartbeat. Amazing. We told my family that weekend when we were already scheduled to visit them, and then told Geoff's family the following weekend when we flew out to Milwaukee for a week. The timing worked out perfectly for us to tell our families in person, which was important to us, and then to finally be able to share our joyous news with all of our friends and church family after that :) We are so thankful for this new little blessing in our life, and excited for the next chapter as we embark into parenthood.

Graduations

2011-06-09T10:19:00.002-04:00

In May, we traveled back to Cedarville University where Geoff and I met to see his brother graduate. It was a quick trip but good time spent with family. We’re so proud of you Jordan! And we’re looking forward to spending next week with his family in Wisconsin!

Last weekend we traveled back to my home, Lancaster, to see my brother graduate from high school. Hard to believe he is joining the adult world when I can so easily picture him toddling around after a soccer ball. Congratulations, Tyler. You persevered and made it through and we’re all so proud of you!

Theeeeee Yankees Win!

2011-05-12T10:07:00.000-04:00

My family gets pretty excited about Yankees baseball. And living so close to the Orioles ballpark in Baltimore has always provided a cheaper option for seeing the Yankees play when they come to town, although we have made the trip to the Bronx several times. Anyway, the Yankees came down to Baltimore the last full weekend of April, so Geoff and I drove up to meet my family for the game. Geoff is not a Yankees fan, except that it makes me happy when they win so he puts up with them, but he was a good sport and spent his birthday cheering on my team. The Yankees put up a convincing win against the Orioles, and it was a great couple of hours spent with family!

my cute parents

me & my sister, Kara. We try not to talk about the cute baseball players around Geoff... :)

Happy birthday hon!

Hometown Fun

2011-04-25T11:30:00.009-04:00

One of the things we love about living here in NoVa is that we're so close to my family in beautiful Lancaster, Pa. While this could/should happen fairly frequently, life gets busy and weekends go by and before we know it, its April and we haven't seen family since Christmas. oops. We remedied that a few weekends ago. There is a lot of history in Lancaster that I take for granted (or got tired of because of school field trips) and Geoff has never seen, so we took this opportunity to hit up some local historical "hot spots"...if you can call them that. A little history lesson via photos:

Geoff showing off our chocolate purchase: Wilbur Buds from Wilbur Chocolate Factory in Lititz, PA which originally began in Philadelphia in 1865. While both Wilbur and Hershey are a stones-throw from where I grew up, and I have a affinity for both, if given a choice between a kiss or a bud, I'd chose the bud. Semisweet, not milk chocolate. Sturgis Pretzels, the oldest hard pretzel maker in the U.S., celebrating 150 yrs in business. Below you can see my dad admiring his pretzel twisting skills -- he did a pretty amazing job. We all left with certificates in pretzel twisting, so if this counseling thing doesn't work out... :)

By the way, hard pretzels are pretty simply soft pretzels baked twice. They, like so many products, started by accident when a batch of soft pretzels were left in the oven overnight and fired a second time the next morning. Nice mistake!

We all left the tour with sample bags of pretzels -- yum-- which were quickly devoured. It was just about lunch time.

Speaking of lunch, per my request we went to one of my favorite sandwich places for lunch, Isaacs. Every sandwich is named after a bird so its not only delicious, but educational! I always get the same sandwich. Always. But its just so good, so why mess with perfection?! (ham and pineapple on a kaiser roll. simple yet delicious)

After our late lunch with my parents and sister, we went back to the house for a relaxing afternoon. Which, unsurprisingly, turned into us girls heading out for a little shopping at Target. One thing I miss especially about living far from my sister is not being able to go shopping with her on a regular basis. We try to remedy that any chance we get. The rest of the day was spent in a heated game of Clue and having cake to celebrate Geoff's birthday later in the month.

The next day we went to church, visited my grandparents for a few hours, and spent some time hiking before Geoff and I headed south again. Here's the girls at Chickies Rock.

So thankful for family, and the joys of home.

Spring is busting out all over

2011-04-12T12:00:00.003-04:00

I'm pretty sure its a crime to live in DC and not see the cherry blossoms, so we made sure to fit it into our schedule during the "peak" blossom time even though it was dreary and overcast. We made a date night out of it by adding dinner at a pizza place we've been wanting to try on Capitol Hill, and sharing our favorite (and the world's best) milkshake. In case you missed the blossoms this year, here is what we saw:

Thanks to Japan for the beautiful trees. Enjoy the blooms in your neck of the woods!

Time Flies

2011-03-21T12:19:00.002-04:00

Its hard to believe, but its been 7 years since we started dating. In some ways it seems we’ve been together longer than that, but in other ways its like, wow, 7 yrs seems like such a long time! As our blog page explains, Geoff gave me a concussion on a rollercoaster in October of our sophomore year of college… and he made such an “impression” on me that we started dating 5 months later :)

I thought I would include a picture timeline of our 7 years together because 1) I love looking through old pictures and reminiscing about the memories they bring up, and 2) I thought perhaps some of our blog friends who have not known us that long might enjoy getting to know us from 7 yrs ago, and 3) I want to, and its my blog so you don’t have to read it if you don’t want :)

2004ish. Bowling with “the guys”: something we did A LOT in college… but then there wasn’t much else to do around campus. Notice: this is the last picture of the beard. True, I told him in no uncertain terms that if he wanted to keep kissing me, he should consider losing the beard… but I did not make him do it ;-)

(April 2005) Elliv, a “music awards” type production our college put on each spring. Everyone was supposed to go dressed up: some people did costumes, some people got fancy. I remember thinking how cute it was that he would go shopping with me to find a dress and pick out a shirt&tie to coordinate!

Nov/Dec 2006; Geoff lived off campus his senior yr with 3 of his best buddies. I remember making french toast for all the guys that morning before we went out into the cold to cut down our Christmas tree! what fun!

March 2006- Spring break. Florida. Our first real trip together. My grandparents were down in FL for the winter, so I stayed with them, and Geoff and our friend Ryan stayed nearby so Ryan could visit his (then) girlfriend. Walks on the beach, pig races at the strawberry festival, and getting burnt as red as a lobster. Good times :)

Graduation! May, 2006. With my parents in front of Cedar (pond).

On June 10th, 2006, Geoff and I visited Virginia Beach- I was enrolled in Regent University to begin my Masters in Counseling program in August, and we were apartment hunting for me. Geoff would be beginning his Masters in Public Policy that fall at William & Mary. Well, that’s what the plan was. We had a romantic dinner by the beach and took a looooong walk while Geoff worked up the courage to ask me to marry him. Eventually he got down on one knee and told me for the first time that he loved me, and wanted to spend his life with me. I said yes, of course, and we got some cheers from the families in the beach houses nearby :)

A year later…

June 9, 2007. The Peck and Goodling families combine! Happiest day of our lives.
(So that we would not go into marriage completely dirt poor, I worked for the year between our engagement and marriage and postponed school until Geoff had finished)

Christmas, 2007, our family of 3 and our tree, Fruit Loop. Our first apartment in Newport News, VA. Geoff working on his 2nd yr of grad school and I was working part-time as an in-home counselor with troubled kids/families.

Christmas of 2007 we actually spent in Mexico visiting my parents and brother who had moved there to do missions work right after we got married. My sister flew down with us, too. It was great to see where my parents were living and to experience some of the Mexican culture. Our 1st international trip together.

2008 highlights: Geoff graduated from his Masters program, my best friend Laura got married, and we traveled with my family to Playa del Carmen for a week. We also moved to Virginia Beach and Danielle began her Masters program at ODU.

2009 highlights: Geoff stood up in our good friend Ryan’s wedding; we went to the Outer Banks for our 2nd wedding anniversary; Orioles game with friends in Baltimore for my birthday; Geoff & I spent Thanksgiving together in the Outer Banks with our little dog; we spent Christmas with my family in PA which included a 2day trip to NYC; we visited Wisconsin in August.

2010 highlights can mostly be found in recent blog posts. We moved from VA Beach to Arlington, VA. We visited Geoff’s family in Wisconsin over the 4th of July and for Thanksgiving. We spent a week with Danielle’s family in Playa del Carmen and over Christmas. We have had several friends visit us in DC. Danielle was a bridesmaid for one of her best friends and college roommates in August. We celebrated 3 yrs of marriage at a beautiful B&B in West Virginia (we’d go back if there was anything to do nearby). We grew in love and understanding of one another. We made new plans and dreams for the future. We grew in love and knowledge of God, together and separately, and ultimately thank Him for allowing us these 7 amazing years together.

A Weekend with Jefferson

2011-03-09T14:07:00.002-05:00

Every now and then we like to get away for a day or two to somewhere fairly close by, and for fairly cheap. Its always nice to have some time together away from the usual day-to-day, and to see new things and make new memories together. Geoff and I decided to use a recent holiday weekend to do just that. Since so many of our friends here in NoVa migrated from Charlottesville, VA, and we've heard so much about it, we decided to check out what all the fuss was about. We had a great weekend away. I promise you that we did more than just eat, although our pictures do not convey that very well...

Dinner @ Continental Divide. This place was fabulous, definitely a return-to dinner spot. Geoff had chicken enchiladas and I had the pork tacos (which were huge by the way. wow.)

Coffee at Shenandoah Joes, with pretty leaf art on top of our lattes; and frozen yogurt at Arch’s, which was delicious and totally healthy ;) I may have eaten the majority of it… it did have brownie chunks in it so its really not my fault… Enjoying the gorgeous views at Kings Family Vineyards just outside Charlottesville. The mountains were stunning- we wished we’d brought along a picnic.

On Monday, to finish out our weekend we toured the beautiful campus of UVA- well, the historical part of it anyways. The architecture is quite magnificent. Way to go, Jefferson.

Thanks, Charlottesville, for a fabulous getaway. And thanks, GAO, for providing enough travel opportunities for Geoff so that our hotel was free :)

the search is over

2011-03-04T14:34:00.000-05:00

We got the Duplex we wanted! Moving in mid April.

Here we go Again

2011-03-01T16:44:00.003-05:00

We are currently hunting for dwelling #4. Hard to believe that in 4 yrs of marriage, we'll have moved 4 times. Hopefully this trend does not continue! We love our current apartment, but are looking for a place with a second bedroom. If we could afford the additional $400/month to upgrade here, we would, but honey that ain't happening. Now that we know the area better and know that its possible to have a bigger place for a comparable rent, we're embarking on the search. Again. To state the obvious, the cost of housing in the DC area is ri-diculous. Its a balancing act of how much we are willing and able to spend financially vs. how much time we want to spend commuting. So we're looking. And praying. And trusting that God has a great home in store for us. And hopefully we won't have to do this again next spring...

more SuperWeekend pictures… for the guys

2011-02-17T08:58:00.003-05:00

Trevor & Dave enjoying pizza that’s as big as your head at Pizza Mart in Adams Morgan

L.o.v.e.

2011-02-16T21:06:00.001-05:00

The Evening Star Cafe in Alexandria is one of those restaurants you walk by and think “ooh, that looks like a nice place!” and then you see the menu and think “ooh, wow, it’ll have to be a special occasion…”. Thanks to a generous gift certificate from the couple Danielle babysits for, we were able to enjoy a romantic, delicious dinner at Evening Star to celebrate Valentine’s Day! We started off with BLT mac n’ cheese as our appetizer (a-mazing!), followed by entrees of pork tenderloin with garlic potatoes and fried onions, and an Indian inspired red snapper dish. I ordered the fish to be daring, and ended up swapping meals with Geoff when I didn’t like it. Thanks Valentine :)

After our delicious dinner, we realized we needed dessert for later! So, off to our favorite bakery: Buzz! Geoff got the chocolate “love” cupcake and I got a caramel/Snickers one. De-lish!

Geoff also bought me this beautiful yellow rose. So sweet :) It was a sentimental gift, a reminder from college. Our first unofficial Valentines, when we were in that {liked each other but not dating yet}stage, I went away over the weekend to see my family and Geoff schemed with one of my roommates to have a pretty red rose on my desk waiting for me when I returned. Awww. So special that we have these memories to look back on, to remember the beginnings of our love and see how it has grown over the years. Not that we need a special day to remind us of it, but it is a good excuse for a fancy dinner and a beautiful flower :)

Roomie

2011-02-16T17:19:00.004-05:00

Meet Diesel, my roommate for the week. He may look big and menacing, but he is about as sweet and laid back as you can get...except for the constant whining when you stop petting him...

"Super" Weekend

2011-02-14T17:38:00.005-05:00

So basically if you have not been living under a rock the past few weeks, you know that the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl. And, if you know my wonderful husband at all, you know that he is perhaps the biggest Packers fan of all (ok maybe besides his brother).

yes, that is cheese on my head... the things you do for love ;)

Anyway, beyond the fact that the Packers beat the Steelers to be the #1 team in football for the 2010 season, four of our friends from college came to visit over super bowl weekend. Good friends and a Packers victory pretty much made it the best weekend ever- a "super" weekend if you will :) Here are some pictures of the weekend's festivities, both football and non-football related.

Good Stuff Eatery for burgers & milkshakes

playing Sheepshead with Lincoln

the guys @ Good Stuff

the Washington Monument! (its there...really...behind the fog)Thank you guys, for coming to DC for the weekend. It was a blessing to spend time with some of our favorite people, to relive college memories, and to have something to distract Geoff from the stress/anticipation of Sunday's game!

Braving the Cold

2011-01-27T13:55:00.003-05:00

Great Falls National Park

Last weekend, our church community group went on a hike to Great Falls National Park. Yes, it was the coldest day of the year, but we managed to have a great time anyway :) After a 2 hour hike, we went to Sweet Thai for dinner to get our energy back, and to warm up of course! We have been so blessed since moving to NoVa to find a wonderful group of believers at Portico church and a small group of friends to be in community with throughout the week. Here are some pictures of our adventure:Scenic OverlookDanielle T & Rebecca M at the top of the cliffAfter traversing the valley... they don't look cold, do they ?What's fellowship without food, right? Sweet Thai in Falls Church. Yum!

HS counseling

2011-01-21T17:15:00.003-05:00

I just finished week 2 of my high school internship, and thought I'd share some of what I've been up to. I don't know what experience you may have had with your school counselor, if any, but I often get asked "so what does a school counselor actually do?" While I may only be a counselor-in-training, let me fill you in on some of what goes on in a high school counseling office...

- I listen to teachers complain about students: their attitude, their lack of effort, their late assignments, their skipping of class... I mean I figured this happened, but I was surprised at how much it happens!

- I listen to students: complain about their teachers, complain about their parents, explain (poorly) why they skipped class or failed a test or didn't turn in an assignment. Don't get me wrong, its not all bad... some kids come by to ask for college guidance, to switch classes, or to say that they got accepted to so-and-so college! woohoo!

- I wrote a recommendation letter to a college for a girl I have never met. And it was good.

- I observed special education meetings, to determine if a student is eligible, or to write their individualized education plan

- I gave a presentation to 8th graders about what electives we offer in 9th grade (most of which I learned about myself as I was talking...)

- I talked to some students who applied to Old Dominion about what it's like there

- I leave school everyday overwhelmed at how much I don't yet know, trying to retain the thousands of facts thrown at me that day

- I have learned that high school is not nearly as scary as I thought it was :)

just in case...

2011-01-18T16:13:00.002-05:00

You may be one of those people who, like me, follows your blogs on googleReader and rarely visits people's blog pages individually except to help pictures load faster. I love the convenience of reader, but realize that I miss out on the beautified pages people have spent time (minutes, hours, days?) creating for my viewing pleasure, or because they had nothing better to do? Anyway, the point of this is to invite you, our blog follower, to visit our individual page to see the new design my handsome and handy husband created! He was supposedly teleworking that day ;) You will notice that the name of our page has changed since, sadly, we have been dog-less for a year now since putting Jeter to sleep. On a good note, it now tells a little history of how this girl and that guy came to be a couple :) Enjoy.

oh my darling, clementine

2011-01-14T16:40:00.002-05:00

We had a staff meeting all afternoon at school today and our director provided pizza and fruit for us since it started during lunch. I walked in holding my beautiful green salad, telling myself how delicious it was going to taste (despite the intoxicating smell of Papa John's pizza nearby... my favorite of course), and reminding myself that I could be perfectly content with this tasty grilled chicken salad. I ignored the looks of other staff eying my salad with disdain as they bit into the gooey cheese, crispy pepperoni and soft crust. I would have been fine if the meeting was shorter, the pizza was all gone, or there was not a giant bowl of fruit directly in front of me on the table. Eventually I decided it was either fruit or pizza but I couldn't resist them both. I caved. Oh clementine, you were just what I needed. Thank you.

Top 10 of Twenty-Ten

2011-01-11T17:04:00.007-05:00

Happy New Year blog readers! Here are our top ten highlights from 2010, in no particular order…

10. Moved from Virginia Beach to Arlington (D.C. area). In May, we packed up the U-Haul for the 3^rd time since we’ve been married, headed to northern Virginia, and moved into our smaller and more expensive apartment! Our main reason for making the move was to be closer to Danielle’s family, and it was made easier because Geoff was able to keep his same job by transferring to his agency’s D.C. headquarters.

9. Danielle finished her class requirements for grad school. Oh happy day! She also just finished her first semester of internship at an elementary school in Arlington, with another in the spring at a local high school. Lord willing, she’ll graduate in May!

8. Two trips to Wisconsin (a.k.a. The Frozen Tundra). Our first trip was over the 4^th of July, where we cheered on the Brewers (in vain), toured the Sprecher brewery, and enjoyed Danielle’s famous scones while watching Wimbledon. We visited again for Thanksgiving with some last-minute air tickets that allowed us to celebrate the holiday with Geoff’s family – and watch the Badgers clinch a Rose Bowl berth!

7. Regular visits from friends and family. While we think that the visits were just to see us and had nothing to do with the tourist attractions in D.C., we enjoyed hosting Geoff’s brother and Danielle’s sister and mother, a couple couples from Virginia Beach, and good friends from high school and college. Showing our guests around town has been a good excuse for us to explore our new home.

6. Sunny Mexican vacation in December. Winter is great, especially when it’s spent on the beach soaking up 70 degree weather! We spent a week with Danielle’s family at a resort in Playa del Carmen on the Caribbean Sea, where we enjoyed sunbathing, snorkeling, shopping, and authentic Mexican cuisine like chilaquiles and queso fundido.

5. Safety during trips to the Middle East. Geoff’s job at the Government Accountability Office took him to the Middle East twice this year, including one trip to Afghanistan and visits to 5 countries overall. Observing Ramadan, enduring 130 degree heat, and traveling in body armor were some of the more interesting aspects of the trips. Graciously, God kept both of us safe while we were apart.

4. Getaways for just the two of us. We took advantage of Danielle’s spring break in March to visit New York City for a few days, where we caught two Broadway shows, took a tour on the rivers around Manhattan, and visited friends who live outside the city. Then in June, we celebrated our 3^rd anniversary at a Bavarian-style bed and breakfast in West Virginia. We planned on having dinner at a local establishment we found online, but after actually seeing it in person we decided on Plan B – Applebee’s.

3. Found a new church home in Arlington. Undoubtedly, the hardest part about moving away from Virginia Beach was leaving behind our beloved church family there. However, we have been blessed with a new community of Christ-followers at Portico Church in Arlington, which had started just a couple of months before we arrived. We have been able to form new, close relationships in our small group, and have recently completed the church’s membership process.

2. Brand new (well, to us) wheels! Anticipating our upcoming move to northern Virginia, we wanted to downsize to one car from our mini-van (don’t laugh) and the unreliable vehicle I was taking to work. After receiving a larger-than-expected tax return, we mentioned what we were in the market for to a car-salesman friend of ours from church. The very next day, he called us with great news – he had found just what we were looking for! With Geoff able to take public transit to work every day, having just one car has worked out perfectly for us.

1. Standing in awe of what God has done for us. God has blessed us tremendously in earthly terms, some of which we have tried to capture in this list. But what we are most thankful for is the new life we have through Jesus Christ, who came to this world, lived the perfect life that we are unable to, and took the punishment of our sins upon himself at the cross. We rejoice that, even when we miss the mark, God sees the righteousness of Jesus instead of our shortcomings, and patiently uses his Spirit to gradually make us more like him. May you find peace in the gospel of Jesus Christ during 2011, no matter what the New Year brings!

Day 8

2011-01-10T17:20:00.005-05:00

So today is Day 8 of our South Beach Diet (phase 1). A few thoughts to share:
- I have never eaten so many vegetables in one week in my life. While they may be tasty, vegetables do not fill you up like a nice plate of spaghetti...
- sugar free jello is y.u.m.m.y.! as one of the only dessert options we have for another week, jello has been critical as a 8pm snack to help take the edge off.
- cheese, meat, eggs and vegetables pretty much sums up our diet of the past week; I think I could go without any of those for this next week... especially eggs... but no, another casserole is in the over. we have to eat something for breakfast!
- Geoff's biggest craving has been for pizza, which I admit sounds pretty good but I have been mostly craving fruit, fruit juice, fruit salad, fruit snacks... you get the idea
- going through the grocery store when you can't eat 90% of it is basically torture
- I have avoided watching the Food Network, Rachael Ray, MVF, etc. Its just not worth it
- some recipes that you don't think sound all that good turn out really, really great (for example, last night's dinner: SB barbecue chicken, and roasted cauliflower= delish!)

here's to hoping this week flies by, cuz next week I get some of my fruit back and Geoff can have his homemade pizza. oh happy day :)

a Goodling Family Vacation

2011-01-04T12:09:00.002-05:00

On the 10th of December, Geoff and I met my parents, brother and sister in Baltimore where we managed to get a few hours of excited sleep before boarding a plane for Cancun, Mexico! My parents have a time share at a resort called Fisherman’s Village in Playa del Carmen, about an hour bus ride south of Cancun. We all vacationed there 2 years ago, in August of 2008, and were excited to be going back, especially during a different season when Mexico would not be so oppressively hot, and we could escape the cold of the north for a week!

Some highlights from the trip:

spending a week relaxing with the ones I love- laughing, exploring, and creating new memories
stuffing ourselves with some delicious, authentic Mexican cuisine (for the most part, we escaped the restaurants along the main drag in Playa in favor of finding “where the locals eat,” which was sooo worth it- delicious tacos, fajitas, and queso fundido just to name a few)
perfect weather almost every day! We were so blessed to have 70degree days that made laying on the beach enjoyable and just hot enough to entice us into the cold Caribbean water. The nights were cool, which was perfect for walking around the downtown area, but not too cool that you couldn’t still enjoy some tasty gelato :)
exploring an ecological water park for a day! We went snorkeling in the cold, underground river… swimming through dark caves where you couldn’t see anything in the pitch black water but wondered what had just touched your leg… finally to reach a beautiful lagoon where bright blue and yellow schools of fish could be seen. We’re still deciding if it was worth it… but a memory for sure! We also enjoyed inner-tubing in a peaceful lagoon, watching people swim with dolphins and sharks, and the absolutely stunning beauty of our surroundings.
Geoff and I enjoyed a date night of dinner and shopping. Walking along the main street in Playa, every shop and restaurant worker calls out to you “Hey honeymooners, we have what you want” or “where you from? your people love it here.” Its pretty comical for the first day or two, then it becomes a bit annoying, until finally you learn to avoid all eye contact and walk quickly with your head down. Anyway, back to our date- we eventually decided on a restaurant that offered mostly “authentic” Mexican dishes, was decently priced, and offered a nice view of the street. Well, the atmosphere was enjoyable, the food was delicious, and of course the company was delightful ;-) We even had a stray cat come and sit by me for much of the meal(escaping the dangers of a busy street I guess) until children passing by kept scaring him away. Oh well. The thing we will probably remember most about our date, though, are the 5 or 6 groups of singing children that stopped by our table to sing for money. Anyone stopped along the street for a length of time is a prime target for these children, as we had found out the previous night when we sat and ate our gelato outside the storefront. If you don’t pay them, they just kind of stand there and stare at you for awhile. Needless to say, we learned that by paying them right away you won’t have to endure the whole song… maybe next time we’ll eat somewhere with a second story…

stay tuned for more pictures to come!

Today

2010-12-06T15:48:00.002-05:00

Today was pointless. Today was one of those days where you wonder why you bothered to get up and out of bed at all. Today was a day of sitting. Sitting and waiting. Waiting for a child to have a meltdown so that I would feel useful. C'z hey, I can at least offer them a crayon and a piece of paper to color "until they feel better" and have an excuse to color, too. I'm a bit afraid the teachers walking by may judge me if I was coloring all by myself...? Today was a day of struggling to look busy when the principal kept walking by (which is highly unusual), but then struggling to care because hey, it's not like I'm getting paid to be doing something I'm not. Is that wrong? Today was a day of being glad I brought something to microwave for lunch so I had an excuse to walk across the building. So today I decided to look for school counselor job openings. Bad idea. Unless I want to move to California or Massachusetts. Whats that, mom? too far away? yeah, I agree. So that was today. I have high hopes for tonight.

P.S. most times I try to be thoughtful and have a point to my blog posts. Today is not one of those days.

Bucket List

2010-11-20T12:31:00.004-05:00

i.e. things to do before you "kick the bucket"

A few weeks ago, we were sitting in the basement of an Arts center at a church membership class. The topic was... well, truthfully I don't remember the topic; all I remember is a story our Pastor shared from the Gospel of John. Now I had heard this passage time and time before, but the point that he made has haunted me ever since and I feel responsible to pass it on.

The passage reads like this:
John 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

The point: Jesus knew that He was going to be arrested and crucified within a matter of hours, yet one of His last acts on earth was to wash the feet of his disciples, to serve them in love and humility. As Christians, we are called to have the mind of Christ, to "put on Christ", and yet I wonder how different the last hours of our life would look compared to those of Jesus. Of course his very death is magnificently different from ours because it was the ultimate sacrifice of His life in order that we may be saved. We may not be able to do that, but we are certainly called to sacrifice. What if on our Bucket List were names of people to serve, rather than places to travel, or family members who need salvation rather than a list of accomplishments to strive for. What if, upon recognizing our human frailty and acknowledging that our life could end in the next instant, we were consumed with love and compassion for our neighbors, our coworkers, our family, our city... and compelled to serve as many as possible, to share the Gospel with as many as possible, to give away as much as possible in order that our last moments on earth would look more like those of Christ and less like a selfish, materialistic, lukewarm Christian? What if my real, actual, tangible goal in life was to live like Christ? What if someone could look at my life and say "wow, God is being glorified through her." What if my "bucket list" wasn't at all about ME, but all about GOD? I hope that I never think of "bucket list" the same way again.

We Camp. We’re Campers.

2010-10-07T12:06:00.002-04:00

This past weekend we went camping for the first time (together). We drove out to the Shenandoah and camped at a site along Skyline Drive. We had beautiful weather and while we had some, uh, difficulties, it was a great time!

We borrowed a tent from some friends… which had no instructions… we needed help. Thankfully, a kind-hearted fellow camper helped us out- he assured us it was an “easy tent” to put together and it took all of 5 minutes. well, gee, thanks :)

We took a hike on the Frazier Douglas Trail, which intersected for a short time with the Appalachian trail. It was a moderate hike, which I was not prepared for and my back/knees did not much appreciate. See how excited I am to be at the top? We didn’t take any pictures of my expressions going up the mountain…

Enjoying God’s beautiful creation (or taking a rest…)

My man made a wonderful fire so we could have hot food. Yay. Hot dogs and s’mores, of course. The grate was not totally level so we did lose one hot dog in the fire…

Stopping along the way home at a few of the 75 beautiful overlooks in the park. There were informational signs at some, which Geoff appreciated :)

All in all, our first camping adventure was a success! We may even do it again.

Things I'm loving...

2010-09-15T08:41:00.004-04:00

My new Keurig coffee maker (bday gift from the hubs) and how it makes the perfect cup of coffee every time. I'm especially loving all the French Roast varieties available :)
Cooler weather which allows us to have the windows open! magnificent!
My Midnight Blue candle from YankeeCandle. It smells delightful. I bought it while Geoff was away because it reminded me of a man scent...
Being in a community group again. honest, loving fellowship.
weather which is pleasantly "cool" enough to do enjoyable outdoor activities!
being DONE with classes. I may still have school, but my evenings are my own.
babysitting my little guy. At 6 months, he has so much personality and smiles at me just because I walked in the room. precious.
oh, and wedding photoblogs I've recently found. i'm a bit of a stalker...

What are you enjoy right now?!

Celebrate Good Times

2010-09-13T16:00:00.003-04:00

Danielle’s birthday was September 2nd, and Geoff arrived home from the Middle East at 6:30am that morning! This was a day earlier than expected, which made it extra special. Danielle was not excited about getting up so early, but some things are just worth it :)

It was also nice because it was the beginning of a holiday weekend, which meant it gave Geoff a few extra days to catch up from the jet lag, and gave us plenty of time to enjoy being together. We were also blessed with beautiful weather, which meant we did not automatically rule-out outdoor activities for a change!

Here is some of what we did…

ate a delicious meal at Ketchup: crab cakes for Danielle, and fish-n-chips for Geoff

enjoyed a beautiful sunset at National Harbor

found a man buried in the sand….

Hiked around and picnicked @ Great Falls State Park on Saturday

On Sunday we met Danielle’s parents and brother at Inner Harbor, Baltimore for the evening, but failed to get many good pictures from that… Tyler & Danielle

All in all, it was a pretty terrific weekend! Thanks again to everyone for their birthday wishes, and thanks to the government for sending my honey home early:)
(check out more pictures on facebook if you so desire! )

Beautiful Creation

2010-09-08T11:03:00.003-04:00

Psalm 8

1 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Plans are meant to be changed?

2010-08-26T19:01:00.002-04:00

Final Requirement: a 600 hour internship, equally split between the elementary and secondary (MS/HS) levels

I began the summer excited to be done with my graduate classes and anticipating my last semester of school in the fall, in which my only requirement was an internship. My heart and mind were set on graduating in December and finally being able to put school behind me and find a steady, dependable job for the new year. We made the move to NoVa based on this plan. I submitted all of the paperwork for my internship by June 1 as directed and anxiously awaited my placement in the Arlington school district.

To make a long story much shorter I will say that for multiple reasons, Arlington was not able to give me the placements I needed to complete the internship in one semester as planned. So instead of graduating in December, it will be May. And instead of interning full-time each week, I will spend 2-3 days/week at my site. I will be at an elementary school in the fall and a high school in the spring. The good news is that I will be able to continue watching a baby 2 afternoons per week, a job that I started in July and which helps bring in a little money. The bad news is that I am 2 semesters away from graduating and getting a real job, rather than one. The good news is that God is sovereign and has already ordered my steps for the future. So while I was disappointed at first, and frustrated too I'll admit, who am I to say that God messed up in allowing it to happen this way? He loves me more than I can fathom. He knows what I need and what is best for Geoff & I. And so I will begin this school year with a determination to be thankful for the extra time during the week, the extra semester as a student, and the Lord who in His wisdom makes much better plans for my life than I ever could.

Friends in Wedded Bliss

2010-08-19T21:05:00.002-04:00

This past weekend I had the privilege of being a bridesmaid in my friend’s wedding. She and I met in 8th grade and have been good friends ever since. We even roomed together for 2 years in college @ C’ville, which was great! There were 3 of us girls who were very close friends through youth group, and a youth leader who has remained a mentor and friend to us these past 12 years or so. Which means that this wedding was also a great excuse to spend time with these ladies who are so precious to me. My friend Laura was a bridesmaid with me, even though she came down with pnemonia right before the wedding! Ginger was the last of our little group to get married and so it makes me incredibly happy to see us all with great men who love us dearly. Knowing it would turn out like this could have saved us lots of worries and tears in high school, though, that’s for sure!

Even got to spend some time with my family, which meant Geoff had company while I was busy with bridesmaid things :)

CheeseHeads

2010-08-17T13:31:00.002-04:00

Over the 4th of July holiday, we were able to get up to Wisconsin to visit Geoff’s family. We really enjoyed leaving the 95+ weather here in DC for the 70ish weather in Milwaukee (for most of the week, anyway). Here are some of the other things we enjoyed:

*toured Sprecher Brewery, where they make THE best root beer!

*went to a Brewer’s game…unfortunately, they lost but we still enjoyed great ballpark food and fun. I was even chilly sitting in the shade, which was such a nice change from sweating just walking to the car at home!

*ate at Milwaukee Brewer’s player Ryan Braun’s restaurant on the waterfront and enjoyed delicious sandwiches with a pretty view

*visited the botanical gardens, for free, as part of a free summer concert series

*played Sheepshead with Grandma and Tante (well, I watched… and Geoff lost a dollar)

*fireworks in downtown Menomonee Falls

*making scones with strawberries and cream for the Wimbledon final

*relaxing and laughing with family

Apt. 9

2010-06-25T15:26:00.008-04:00

Well, it took about a month but we are finally all settled in to our new place in Arlington. Its beginning to feel like home. Here are a few pictures of our new place, as requested:

living room/kitchen our wonderfully huge kitchen counter that tends to collect junk throughout the day...

dining "area". sorry, all company must eat on the couch :)living room
yes, its true. pretty much everything you see is from Ikea.

does this really need a caption?

a poor picture of the bedroom

Bavarian retreat in… West Virginia?!

2010-06-20T19:52:00.002-04:00

Geoff and I recently celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. Last week we were able to escape for a wonderful 24-hour getaway outside the Beltway. In the week or so leading up to our anniversary, I had done some research into inns or bed&breakfasts within a close proximity to DC, in hopes that we’d be able to take a short trip sometime this summer. In my research I came across the beautiful Hillbrook Inn in Charles Town, WV. I made the comment to Geoff that this place looked spectacular and had decent rates to boot, and suggested that we should go there sometime. Upon opening my card from him on the morning of our anniversary, I found a print-out of this very inn with the promise of going away for a night sometime within the next week. So, on Monday the 14th we left our little apartment in Arlington and headed west… enjoying a beautiful 1.5hr drive to our destination. As you can see from the pictures, this inn is a beautiful Bavarian style retreat (circa 1700) on 18 acres of grounds, land that once belonged to George Washington. We booked 1 of the 4 cottages they offer outside of the main house rooms, the Summer Cottage (see Geoff sitting on our porch). The grounds were beautiful and our first day there was rather humid but still bearable to be outside. I’m glad we enjoyed it while we could because the next day was rainy! We walked around the grounds, played a round or two of horseshoes and then played chess. They had a large chess board you could walk on, which is so much more fun than manipulating little pieces in front of you on a tiny board. I of course did not remember the rules or which piece did what since I’m not much of a strategy game kinda girl, but it was a lot of fun even though I lost quite grandly. Geoff was kind enough to give me lots of “help” that seemed to work to his advantage most times…. We later played backgammon, which I had never played before. I picked up the strategy fairly well and managed to beat Geoff the second time, so I’ve come to enjoy that game :) We had a wonderful time just relaxing and being together without the demands of everyday life. So thankful for chances like this to get away, and so thankful for the man God has given me as a caring, loving husband. For more pictures, check out Facebook.

Monuments and Mochas

2010-06-11T15:43:00.002-04:00

So of course part of moving to a new place is finding new spots to hang out and spend time. Living a few miles from downtown DC, there are a myriad of options for dining and entertainment, as well as more educational venues like museums and monuments. Geoff is much more the history buff than I am; he enjoys learning the story behind the monument or the facts about a battle, etc… I am more interested in how it looks and if its near a coffee shop, ha. Speaking of coffee shops, we have found a nearby cafe that is quite enjoyable! The best thing is that Buzz Bakery is open almost any hour of the day (6am-midnight), has outdoor seating AND free off-street parking. We have been twice so far and have not been disappointed with our selections. I recommend the “Zebra” which is a half milk chocolate/ half white chocolate mocha. We have yet to try any of their pastries which look oh-so-yummy and include a wide assortment of cupcakes, pies, tarts, and brownies. *mouth watering* So here is your warning that if you come to visit us, Buzz will most likely be included in our itinerary :)

Ok so back to the historical part of this post… early this week Geoff and I took advantage of the unseasonably cool, dry weather and spent the evening at the National Mall. We visited the Washington Monument, then walked over to the WWII memorial from there. The WWII memorial was completed in 2004, and is a“monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people to the common defense of the nation and to the broader causes of peace and freedom from tyranny throughout the world.” Geoff made sure I learned some historical facts while I enjoyed looking at the beautiful fountains, and people watching. While I’m sure the monuments are impressive in the daylight, seeing them all lit up at night was a pretty sight indeed. I’m sure that won’t be our last venture to one of the many historical markers in this city, but since we both hate hot and humid weather there’s a good chance that won’t happen until October! For an extra sweet end to the evening, we ventured downtown to a cupcakery where we had a B1G1 coupon. Why else would you pay over $3 for a cupcake, right? Anyway, so this Red Velvet Cupcakery had some pretty delicious choices. Geoff got the Carrot Cake cupcake, and I got the Summertime cupcake (lemon cake with cream cheese icing and coconut flakes on top). I don’t quite understand what all the hype is over cupcakes, and am pretty astonished at how many cupcake joints there are in the area, but this one would probably earn a return trip from me… as long as I had a coupon of course :)

Anniversary Thoughts

2010-06-09T14:46:00.002-04:00

As I reminisce about this day 3 years ago when Geoff and I said "I do" and embarked on this journey of life and love together, I can't help but remember the words to the special music sung during the ceremony. Our dear friends, Ginger and Ryan, blessed us by singing "I will be here" by Steven Curtis Chapman while we lit the Unity Candle. I have to admit that the ceremony was such a blur to me that I can't tell you whether the song sounded good or not, but I am sure they did a terrific job! Its funny to me all the hours spent planning and preparing for that day 3 years ago, and how little of the day I truly remember. I’m thankful for pictures and other tangible items, like the lyrics to this song, that remind me of what took place that day and of the commitment Geoff and I made to each other in front of our Father, family and friends. So today I am overwhelmed at the blessing God has given me in a husband, I am reminded of the vows I made to love and to respect him always, and I realize how much growing I still need to do.

Tomorrow morning if you wake up and the sun does not appear
I will be here
If in the dark, we lose sight of love
Hold my hand, and have no fear
'Cause I will be here

I will be here
When you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind
I will listen, And I will be here
When the laughter turns to cryin'
Through the winning, losing and trying
We'll be together
I will be here

Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the future is unclear
I will be here
Just as sure as seasons were made for change
Our lifetimes were made for these years
So I will be here

I will be here
And you can cry on my shoulder
When the mirror tells us we're older
I will hold you
And I will be here
To watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here

I will be true to the promise I have made
To you and to the One who gave you to me
Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the sun does not appear
I will be here
Oh, I will be here

May

2010-06-08T17:35:00.002-04:00

What a busy month May was! Since the last post…

Danielle finished all of her classes at ODU and quit her job
We got rid of more than half of our furniture and packed up what was left (with much help from friends)
We downsized to one car :)
We said goodbye to friends in Virginia Beach :(
We moved into a one bedroom apartment in Arlington, VA (with more help from friends)
Geoff transitioned to his new office downtown DC
We visited IKEA several times and never left empty-handed
We’ve started to feel at home once again

and what’s a blog post without a few pictures right?…

One of our last nights out in Hampton Roads- out for dinner at Mongolian Grill and walking around enjoying the spring weather- love those open air malls!

Ginger (Danielle’s roommate from college and high school friend) and her fiancé Neil came down from PA to help us move in! Went out to eat Mexican of course.

Now we’re just getting all settled in and will post pics of our new digs once it all looks presentable :) Check back soon.

what's happening?

2010-04-27T21:26:00.005-04:00

Here is a quick look at whats been going on with us lately...

we celebrated Geoff's birthday by attending a Brewers/Nationals baseball game in DC. unfortunately, I forgot to request a win...

Danielle has 3 finals standing between her and the end of this semester! Looking forward to a relatively quiet summer, class-free :)

And of course, we're packing up to move... selling stuff on Craig's List... donating things to Salvation Army... and basically downsizing in preparation for our 1 bedroom apartment! The place is beginning to look like we're moving, which means we're making progress and we are happy about that! Two and a half weeks to go...

From the Beach to the Metro

2010-04-06T15:02:00.003-04:00

where we'll be moving, that is. May 15th we leave our townhouse here in Va Beach and move into our new apartment in Arlington, Va! We're excited to be several hours closer to Danielle's family, but sad to leave many good friends behind. Thankfully, we do have several friends in the metro area that will make a new city a little less lonely. And Geoff is of course excited for all of those free museums... Danielle is more excited about IKEA ;) Danielle will be done with all of her Grad classes the first week of May, has a school internship to complete in the Fall, and hopes to graduate in December! Geoff will transfer to the main GAO office but keep his same position, which should be an easy transition for him. We're looking forward to these changes, and anxious to see what else God has in store for our future!

The Big Apple: Day 1

2010-03-19T22:14:00.002-04:00

Day 1, a.k.a. “Broadway Day” involved the watching of TWO shows! That’s right. TWO. We went to the City with tickets to the matinee show of Wicked, and afterwards ended up finding 50% off tickets for the evening show to Phantom. So… we saw both amazing shows. My sister, Kara, accompanied us for the day which made it even more special. All 3 of us would totally and completely recommend that you check out Wicked if you ever have the chance~ as the sign below claims, it truly is the best musical of the decade.

Something New

2010-02-07T14:58:00.008-05:00

One of God's most recent gifts to us, a "new" car! After some savings and a surprising tax return, we were able to afford the newest car either of us have ever owned- a 5 year old Nissan! wow! it even has a CD player :) We had been planning on buying something newer and more efficient than the 2 vehicles we had, and our friend and neighbor Mark was able to find us this great deal at the dealership where he works. And yes, that's snow on the car. Another one of God's gifts to us this winter :)

Goodbye Jeter

2009-12-22T10:04:00.007-05:00

This post is more for my own therapeutic process than for your enjoyment as readers, but thanks anyway to those of you who read it. This past August, our dog Jeter was diagnosed with cancer. We were told that this type of tumor would not spread to other parts of his body, but that it would continue to invade his mouth and face, and that due to the type and placement of the tumor it was inoperable. We met with an oncologist to discuss treatment options and were basically told that there were no good options... we were left to wait and see. We prayed hard that God might miraculously remove this tumor, but that was not His plan.
These past 5 months have been torturous as we watched Jeter's mouth/nose triple in size. But other than the obvious growths on his face, he was the same dog we knew and loved. We spent these past 5 months making special memories with him and spoiling him with more treats and human food than ever before. Jeter's breed, the Shiba Inu, is notorious for being independent and anti-"lovey-dovey" affection. While his personality mostly stayed the same, he became much more open to love & affection and actually sought it out at times which we really enjoyed and came to value.

Jeter was my family's dog until Geoff and I got married, and then we "inherited" him since my parents were going to Mexico as missionaries. We welcomed him into our new little family and really viewed ourselves as a family of 3 right from the start. It has been especially nice for both Geoff and I that Jeter is here at home with me whenever Geoff has to travel, which makes us both feel more secure. There is nothing like being greeted at the door with a wagging tail to make you feel welcome in your own home, or knowing that strangers at the door will be greeted with a bark and growl to make you feel safer. The companionship that Jeter provided to me especially is not something that can be measured, but it surely is missed. I'm sure that any of you who have pets can relate and understand the piece of your heart that pets take hold of and don't let go.

Jeter managed to hold on until Geoff returned from the Middle East, and while I was so thankful to not have to deal with putting him down on my own, I knew that the time was coming and there was nothing I could do about it... I was hesitant to leave him alone at home for too long because he would open the wounds on his face, and he woke me up several times each night because he couldn't get comfortable. Needless to say, I knew that Jeter was ready and it was the best decision for him, but that certaintly did not make it any easier. Once Geoff got home, we scheduled an appointment and then tried to ignore the impending grief. We spent as much time at home as possible, while trying to keep ourselves entertained and ignore the inevitable. In the future, if I have to deal with this again I don't think I want to schedule and then have to wait a few days, it just seems to make it more difficult, knowing whats coming...
So Friday morning, December 18 we put Jeter to sleep. He is at peace, and for that I am grateful. Geoff spent many of the next few days comforting me and we were both anxious to leave home for a week to visit my family for Christmas in order to be less reminded of Jeter's absence. Since being home again, I have found myself looking for Jeter in his typical hiding spots, or listening for the jingle of his collar or expecting him to be at my feet when I'm cooking something in the kitchen... many tears have been shed and many memories revisited... I know the pain will decrease over time but I also know that I will never forgot what he meant to me no matter how much time goes by. Jeter, you will always be missed...

Simple Summer Recipe

2009-09-10T19:52:00.004-04:00

This meal is so simple to make but delicious and refreshing on a warm night! It would also make a great lunch. We served it with some roasted asparagus, and bread.

Simple Summer Pasta

1 lb. pasta of your choice (I used Bertoli's light cheese ravioli)
1/2 c. olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
10-20 fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 lb. fresh Roma tomatoes, chopped
grated Parmesan cheese to taste
pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions on package.

Meanwhile, mix tomatoes, oil, salt, and basil together in large bowl. Smash the tomatoes in the oil to your desired consistency (we left them pretty chunky) and let the mixture stand.

When pasta is cooked, drain well and toss with tomato mixture. Top with pepper and Parmesan. Enjoy!

Last Chance

2009-09-02T09:52:00.009-04:00

Last weekend, we were able to get away to Baltimore to celebrate the end of summer ( and freedom from classes), and Danielle’s birthday. Several months ago, we had begun planning this trip with the purpose of meeting up with Danielle’s friend, Ginger, and her boyfriend for a baseball game. We found a great hotel deal on Hotwire and made plans to meet for the Oriole’s game on Friday night. We later decided to add another night to our reservation and savor this last weekend of freedom before classes began again for Danielle and fun could not be had without a guilty conscience!

Geoff and I met in Baltimore a few times while we were dating, where he would drive up from D.C. and I would drive down from Lancaster, so we have some good memories in this place. Danielle grew up spending every 4th of July docked in Inner Harbor on her grandparent’s boat, so this city holds special significance for her. If you have never been, we encourage you to check it out!

Here is a picture-guide of our weekend…

Oriole’s game with Ginger & Neil

Inner Harbor

SaladWorks- we don't have one locally, so we made it a priority to stop here for lunch!

Sabatino’s- authentic Italian eatery located in Little Italy, where we celebrated Danielle's birthday- special memories surrounding this restaurant, and the salad dressing was just as good as I remembered it!

Fells Point- historic waterfront town with eclectic shops and great eateries; we found a great Inn we hope to stay at on our next trip to Balt.

The Power Plant- we spent several hours cooling off in the Barnes & Noble, after hours of walking around in the heat and humidity (we later got stuck under a pavilion while it poured, as we waited for the shuttle from our hotel)

Great weekend!

Vacation?!?

2009-08-26T14:03:00.005-04:00

That's right, I am currently on week 3 of vacation from school, that is far too quickly coming to an end. August 11th I submitted my last final exam for summer courses and have been in blissful relaxation mode ever since :)

The first part of vacation was spent in Wisconsin visiting Geoff's family. I had to complete my last exam our first days there, but afterward it was a wonderful time of taking it easy. We visited with family, went to a Brewers game, visited friends in Madison, and Geoff even got in a round of golf with his brother while I sat dazed in front of a computer screen taking my exam. Geoff's brother had to return to college a few day after we arrived so we planned our trip in order to see him for a few days.

Before we left for WI, I got to spend a few days with my mom who came down to watch the house and dog while we were away for the week. She and I had a great few days together, shopping and catching up. She is such an encouragement and inspiration to me, a woman who loves the Lord and provides a good example of a godly wife and mother. Thanks, mom, I love you. And Jeter was thankful to have family spend the week with him, too :)

Since getting back from WI, I have been ordering books for my Fall classes and attempting to organize my schedule, cleaning around the house, working, reading for fun, and simply enjoying having no obligations in the evenings so I can feel good about spending time with my hubby without that nagging "you should be doing schoolwork" in the back of my mind.

This weekend we are heading to Baltimore to meet up with one of my best friends and her boyfriend for an Oriole's game, and to spend the weekend having fun before a new semester begins. I can hardly wait! Except that Monday I will find myself back in the classroom... but lets focus on the positive for now. I promise to have pictures from our Baltimore weekend and will eventually get around to posting some from our trip to WI. Someone (me) forgot the digital camera so we have to finish off our role of film... who uses film anymore?!

Breakfast at Home

2009-07-08T14:16:00.000-04:00

While here in America we connect sporting events with food such as hot dogs, burgers, and nachos, the Europeans have a slightly different, more refined menu. Last weekend, you may know, was the Wimbledon finals and it is tradition for them to serve "Breakfast at Wimbledon" which consists of strawberries and cream. Geoff and I decided that we should do our own breakfast celebration here at home for something fun and different.

So... I made scones (in the shape of hearts, aren't they cute!), which we served with strawberries and cream (which I whipped myself). I have to say I felt very refined as we sat there eating our English breakfast, watching the tennis finals. Apparently, those in attendance at the event eat more than 2 million berries and 1800 gallons of cream. Glad I didn't have to prepare all that!

A peek at the Pecks

2009-07-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

We have recently passed the one year mark of being residents of Virginia Beach. This past year has held several changes in our lives, but overall has been another year of the Lord's blessing and grace in our lives. Geoff is done with his Masters and has been working full-time for over a year now at the GAO. Danielle is currently in the third semester of her Masters program in Counseling at ODU, and wondering some days why in the world she went back to school :) She also works part-time for Compass Youth & Family Services, where she has been for 2 years.

We recently celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary with an overnight trip to the Outer Banks and homemade crab cakes (which my wonderful husband made from scratch)! Yum! We hope to be able to take advantage of living so close to the OBX, since it seems like a neat place to relax and unwind for a few days and we really enjoyed ourselves while we were there just for a short time.

We joined a local church which you can check out here , and have enjoyed developing friendships with other believers. This is a really sweet bunch of people, and we feel blessed to have found such a devoted and passionate group of Christ followers. We've joined a Saturday night small group, and are currently working through a study on worldliness while enjoying the added fellowship the small group has provided.

Other happenings: visiting with some college friends at a few weddings this spring and summer, having Danielle's family stop to visit us in March and again in early June, and Geoff's brother visited in Feb/March and the three of us went out to visit Monticello. We plan to visit Danielle's family in Lancaster next weekend, and Geoff's family in Wisconsin in August once Danielle has a few weeks of break between semesters.

Hope you all are enjoying your summer!

In Christ Alone

2009-04-12T14:24:00.001-04:00

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

"Dude, We Got (Another) Dell"

2009-04-08T19:34:00.000-04:00

We've needed one for quite awhile, but welcome to the new Dell:

I had forgotten what it was like to type on a laptop whose screen actually stays up. Danielle will enjoy writing papers without the computer randomly shutting down on her. And Vista is pretty cool.

(For our Dave Ramsey people, we did not go into debt for this!)

And finally, a blast from the past:

P.S. Wonder what ever happened to "Steve"? Oh, that's right. I remember.

Appreciation for Passion

2008-11-14T17:06:00.000-05:00

I will admit it. I got hooked on Survivor when it came out. My brother and I watched every episode of Season 1 and Season 2. It was addicting, in an "I wonder who's name is going to be scribbled on that faux-parchment this week?" kind of way. Not to mention the thrill when the host spoke those dreaded words, "The tribe has spoken," and then proceeded to snuff out the unlucky contestants' torch - along with their hopes and dreams. Perhaps the hook was due to a Season 1 competitor, a truck driver from Wisconsin (not my father). But nonetheless, watched we did. And then we didn't. I'm not sure why we didn't watch Season 3, but I have not watched an entire episode of Survivor since May 3, 2001 - the Season 2 finale. I have tuned in a time a two by accident, but I find myself switching off almost immediately. I think the reaction is due to my distaste for reality-TV in general. I mean seriously, there is simply not that much junior-high school drama in the real world. And if there is, I'm glad I don't experience it - and I certainly don't need to watch it.

I will make one exception to my anti-reality-TV crusade. And that exception is B ravo's Top Chef. Danielle and I caught a re-run of it last year, and we have been hooked on it ever since. The format is simple: 16 contestants are pitted against each other in a culinary battle for the title of "Top Chef." The competitions involve difficult scenarios (e.g., cook a meal for 50 in 3 hours; create a high-end entree with 4 ingredients; cater a wedding; develop a meal with themes from your favorite movie), and every week one contestant is forced to pack up his/her knives and go home. It is highly entertaining, and it lacks the non-stop induced drama that most reality-TV shows are infamous for. But perhaps what I like most about the show is the passion these culinary artists have for their craft. These people love what they do, they have dedicated their lives to doing what they do, and it is incredible to listen and watch what they do. I learn a new cooking technique, a new exotic ingredient, a new appreciation for cooking everytime I watch it. That being said, tonight I am going to undertake a highly complex meal - pounding out some ground beef for hamburgers on the grill. OK, its not exactly Seared Ostrich Filet with Heirloom Tomato Risotto and Abalone Reduction (just to give you an idea of what these people can do with an ostrich). But just because I couldn't paint the Mona Lisa doesn't mean I can't admire it.

Here's another example of what I am talking about: We got a flier in the mail a few weeks ago from the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, welcoming us to the neighborhood and offering two free tickets to one of their concerts. We chose to hear them at Norfolk's Chrysler Hall, a night of "All Beethoven." I actually very much enjoy going to the theatre. From an early age my mom instilled in me a respect for classical music. We periodically attended Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concerts, and she often took me to "Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel" - a piano concert with commentary from the pianist. But since my childhood and early teens, I have had relatively little exposure to live classical concerts. But Danielle and I got all dressed up for our night at the symphony, and took in an extraordinary show- for free! And while the music was beautiful, perhaps what impressed me most was reading the liner notes, the program handed out before the show. I'll give you just a sample of the notes on Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major:

"Two fortissimo chords announce immediately that we are to sit up and take notice; this is not background music. Two centuries later, their effect is still electrifying, and sets the tone for the entire work...Just prior to the recapitulation, when we expect the restatement of the main theme, pianissimo violin tremolos making the very air pregnant with anticipation. Perhaps the most famous "wrong note" in all Beethoven then occurs: first horn states the opening triadic figure. Beethoven, however, has fooled us: the horn entrance is intentionally premature...The more we hear this symphony, the more certain we are that Beethoven knew precisely what he was doing. Every note of this symphony is calculated for maximum effect."

I don't understand much of what was is written above, and I'm guessing you may not either. But wasn't it beautiful? I appreciate the fact that some people do understand all the nuances of what the author (Laurie Shulman of the VSO) is writing, and I admire even more the author's ability to paint such a wonderful picture. She has captured on paper the beauty and power of Beethoven's music. Her passion for music can be clearly seen by the excitement in her commentary and her desire for those in attendance to appreciate the intricacies of his symphony. And again, I may not know the difference between a symphony and concerto, but I enjoy listening to them every now and again.

So take the time to appreciate the talented people that surround you, to wonder at the passion they have for what they are gifted at, and to praise the One who blessed them with those abilities.

But please - don't watch Survivor. Life's too short to waste on bad TV.

Feeling Kinda Sunday

2008-11-09T17:34:00.000-05:00

So it's Sunday afternoon, which means I'm left scratching my head at how the Packers let another game get away and Danielle is trying to stay awake while reading for class (Update: she's asleep on the couch). So that leaves me here on the ground with the laptop propped up against the coffee table, since the screen doesn't want to stay up on its own anymore. By the way, it's not the only thing that has broken around here recently (See: Taurus, Ford).

It has come to my attention that I haven't blogged here in months. In fact, my last entry centered on the fact that I had only 40 days before the end of graduate school and the beginning of my workin' days. It has now been 181 days since I started at the GAO. But thankfully Danielle has been keeping the masses (hi mom) up to date in my absence. (Update: Danielle's awake)

As I look back at that April entry, I recall how much I wanted school to be over and how much I wanted to be working. Six straight years of higher education had taken its toll, and I was ready to be done. I also recall wondering if I would miss school once it was all over. I am glad to report that six months later, there is no longing to return to the classroom. Rather, I am thankful that I have a steady job in a very unsteady economic climate and that Danielle now has the opportunity to go to school to prepare for her future.

In the coming days and weeks, I hope to return to blogging on a more regular basis. There are several things I would like to write about, and at the top of the list is my reaction to the outcome of the election. I am still mulling that topic over, but hopefully will have my thoughts together soon. Suffice it to say for now, I am glad the campaign season is over - and so is Danielle. She has bore the brunt of my musings for several (many) months now, so I'm sure she's happy for the brief respite. Guess that's what she gets for marrying a political junkie.

But for now, I'm going to get back to enjoying the rest of my favorite day of the week.

just a quick update

2008-10-20T22:41:00.000-04:00

- Danielle has made it through 1/2 of her first semester at ODU and is still adjusting, but enjoying being back in school... learning to juggle school, work, and home... trying to decide for sure which track of counseling she wants to pursue.

- Geoff has been traveling a lot for work the past few months but that will be slowing down for the rest of the year, so we are all happy about that :) He has his 6 month review in just a few weeks already! How time flies...

- Our Taurus wagon died recently so we are now the proud owners of a '98 Ford Windstar van... and no, we don't have any big announcements to make! We found a good deal on a good vehicle and hopefully it will last us for several years... or at least until we can afford something else!

- We are anxious to see our family during the holidays and look forward to spending a week in Wisconsin with the Pecks and a week in Pennsylvania with Danielle's family, especially to celebrate Kara's 21st birthday! woohoo!

- There have been several health concerns in Danielle's family but God has been so gracious and allowed problems to be detected and dealt with fairly early, and everyone is doing okay at this point. Praise the Lord!

- We have found a church home after what seemed like months of searching and are settling in at Cornerstone Bible Church, looking forward to building relationships there.

Just Ducky

2008-08-22T21:50:00.000-04:00

Thought I would introduce you to a few of our friendly neighbors...
when we moved in our townhouse here in VA Beach, we had a mommy and daddy Muscovy duck nesting under the tree outside our front door, and there were several eggs in the nest. I was excited to think that we would have baby ducklings waddling around our front yard ( as long as the dog did not get out) but 8 weeks passed and the eggs never hatched so alas, we were duckling-less. However, our street seems to be the place to be when you're a duck, so we have been able to see a dozen or more ducklings grow up this summer as they tend to wander pretty freely from front yard to front yard. I have always been surprised at the apparent fearlessness of these ducks as they don't run away or hide from humans (or dogs!), but I was still surprised when the other night I opened my door to see the 9 ducks in my driveway and they started heading straight for my front door! I am convinced that had I not kept my door shut but for a crack, they would have come right inside. See them standing there on our welcome mat? That white one in front is apparently the ring leader and the most curious one... ya have to admit they are still pretty cute... So anyways, we haven't met many of our human neighbors yet but our feathered friends are quite friendly!

Thoughts

2008-08-17T14:17:00.000-04:00

There are several things I could write about today, seeing as we just returned from a family vacation in Mexico, and I am beginning classes again in just a week... but instead I just wanted to share something from my heart and will wait for those other conversations to come later...

Something I have always accepted as truth fairly easily is the goodness of God. I believe that God is fully good and fully love. I believe that God desires the best for me in my life and for everyone who calls him Father. Its sometimes hard to grasp but I believe that God is passionate about me, that He loves me with an all consuming, never-changing, unconditional love that is like no other love we can experience. I believe that God desires me, that He seeks me and is full of affection towards me. I am God's treasured bride and He delights in me.

How amazing is that? How utterly humbling and unbelievable is that? Certainly if God's love towards me was based upon my actions or my thoughts or my desiring after Him, I could not believe these things because I am not worthy. I fall so short. I am marred and broken. Yet God looks at me and sees something beautiful, something desirable, something He longs for. How is this possible? It is His nature. The very nature of God is one that desires relationship. And how blessed am I that God desires a relationship with me, despite my inadequacies, my short comings, my weaknesses, my immaturities, my brokenness. What an amazing God we serve.

I began this post with the intention of posing a challenge to myself and to you based upon the above thoughts... but I changed my mind. If you have read this, be encouraged. Be full of joy and amazement. The Lord desires you, whether you are walking in obedience at the moment or not. It is never too late to turn back, to ask for forgiveness, to admit your weaknesses and claim the pureness of Christ. So clap your hands for joy, kneel before the King in humility, sing praises of hallelujah and thankfulness to the Glorious One. He desires to be in relationship with you. Let that truth guide your next step...

Beach livin'

2008-07-15T12:53:00.000-04:00

Dear friends it has been far too long since we have posted and for that I apologize. Life has been busy and many changes have occurred since we have last spoken. Let me give you a rapid recap of the past few months for our family.

In April, my sister came to visit on her way back from Mexico where she had been for several months with my family. She watched Jeter for us while Geoff and I flew back to Wisconsin to visit his family before the summer craziness began and Geoff would be beginning his job, making it more difficult to get away. We enjoyed a long weekend with them and were able to see his parent's new apartment!

The first weekend of May we traveled back to Pennsylvania so I could attend a bridal shower for my best friend. We packed a lot into that weekend and came home exhausted but greatly enjoyed the chance to see family and friends. Its been strange and difficult for me living so far from family and friends, so I try and make the most of every opportunity!

May 10th- the big day- my hubby received his Masters! So proud of my man and all his hard work. As much as he struggled to persevere at times, he finished strong. We are both looking forward to a few months of homework-free evenings and weekends! Yay! Then I start classes at Old Dominion in August and begin working towards my Masters in Counseling. Despite Geoff's complaints about school, I'm looking forward to it and anxious to get started.

Geoff began his job at the Government Accountability Office on May 12th as a Defense Analyst (sexy title isn't it) and has traveled several times since then for training, both to D.C. and Atlanta. My little brother made a good observation "why does he need all this training if he already has his Masters?". Smart kid.

Probably the biggest news of the summer is that we moved! June 2nd we signed the lease and June 14th we moved into a townhouse in Virginia Beach! We are getting all settled in, enjoying having more square footage to work with and I am enjoying decorating a new home. Jeter loves his fenced in backyard and we have enjoyed it too, being able to grill out and sit on our deck on those cool summer nights (which we have had maybe 2 of). We even bought a washer&dryer, our biggest purchase yet! And we have a spare room, so if any of you all want to come visit the beach, feel free to crash at our place. Once we get everything all situated, I'll post some pictures so you can see our new place.

Well, thats all for now folks. We hope you all are enjoying your summers!
Take care and stay cool.

40 Days

2008-04-01T13:42:00.000-04:00

In 40 days:
I will no longer be a student.
I will be employed full-time.
I will have no more classes.
I will be earning a decent paycheck.
I will not have homework to do over the weekend.
I will be working for the GAO.
I will no longer see some good friends from W&M on a regular basis.
I will start making new friends in a new place.
I will enjoy having my nights free of projects and papers.
I will enjoy more carefree time with my wife.
I will start looking for a new home - with a yard.
I will, for the first time, be a working man.

For as long as Danielle can probably remember now, I have been looking forward to no longer being a graduate student but instead working and earning money for our family. That day is rapidly approaching, and I am not upset in the least. But I have noticed that more and more lately I have been talking about how many days are left until then. I keep looking forward. I keep anticipating what will be. I keep wishing that day was here.

Anticipation can be a good thing. Forward planning can be a good thing. Wishing can be a good thing. But all good things are only good in moderation. I've been thinking lately that perhaps I am dwelling on what will be at the expense of what is now. I still have another month of classes, with several papers/projects to finish up (read: start and finish). Perhaps one of the things I am most excited about is tackling a paper about embryonic stem cell research, which is an incredibly complicated but incredibly important ethical issue in this day of remarkable scientific capabilities. Furthermore, this is my last major piece of worthwhile work I will do as a student, and I wanna go out with a bang!

President Bill Brown of Cedarville University would challenge us with the following: "Today is one more day, but it is also one less day." The idea is that we choose what do with our day - whether to waste it or to squeeze every moment out of it for something that will last beyond the day...indeed, beyond even our lives. My challenge is to stop focusing so much on 40 days from now, but to focus on living the day I have been given today.

Playing catch-up

2008-03-24T19:59:00.000-04:00

Hello to all of our faithful blog readers! I know that a post is long overdue, and so at the strong urging of a few of you I have finally sat down to update you all on the latest and greatest with the Pecks! First of all, there has been an addition to the family since I have last written, so please meet Gus, our beautiful beta fish which Geoff bought for me for Valentines Day. He is swimming there above the orange flower in case you can't pick him out too well... the best part of having Gus has been that our dog Jeter is insanely jealous if we pay any attention to the fish. Now of course otherwise, Jeter does not want much to do with us (unless food is involved) but walk over to Gus and start making a fuss, and Jeter is suddenly the most attention-seeking dog you have ever seen!

At the beginning of the month, Geoff's family came down to the visit during his spring break and we enjoyed spending time with them! They had not seen where we were living at yet, so they were able to become familiar with the area, and we also did some touristy things, of course. Geoff and his brother, Jordan, also got to spend some quality time together golfing and playing Playstation :)

Geoff is anxiously counting down the days until graduation and we are both looking forward to him earning a paycheck and not being reliant upon my measley income. At the beginning of this year I was not getting enough client hours with my child therapy job, so I have added a second job with HomeInstead Senior care, working with seniors during the day, serving as companion and doing light household chores such as cleaning and preparing meals, as well as providing transportation. God certaintly has been faithful in providing just what we need. Speaking of school, I just received my acceptance letter to the Counseling program at Old Dominion University for this coming fall! We're both very excited that both my school and Geoff's work will be on one side of the dreaded bridge-tunnel, so we are planning on moving to the other side (aka Virginia Beach area) once our current lease is up this summer.

Well... dinner is on the stove and I've about run out of news so I'll sign off for now... good night!

Politics

2008-02-06T14:40:00.000-05:00

(This entry is dedicated to my husband, for without him I would not even know that which I am about to write)

I am sure that anyone who knows me at all can attest to the fact that I have never been interested in political things or current events. I really have to push myself to look at a newspaper (besides the sales flyers) or watch the evening news... I made our local newspaper my homepage so I'd at least have to glance at the daily headlines before redirecting myself to more important things... like email. So, obviously, in God's infinite wisdom He put in my path a man majoring in political science who is now finishing up a Masters degree in public policy. So now what choice do I have, right?

Now sure, I know plenty of married couples who have different interests, who fail to really involve themselves with hobbies or interests of their spouse, and this is of course an option available to me. However, at times like "Super Tuesday" while my husband is absorbing exit pole coverage by CNN and MSNBC, and literally watching the votes be counted in Missouri hoping Mike Huckabee can pull off another big win, I'd be pretty bored. So instead I have seized the opportunity to learn a little more about this great country of ours and its unique political system. I now not only know who is running for President in 2008, but some of the differences between each canditate (I'd hope so after watching 17 debates, right?), what the difference is between a caucus and a primary, the political importance of Iowa, and what "Big Mo" means for campaigns when it comes to finances. Heck, I've even started reading political articles on my own time so when Geoff gets home I can dazzle him with my knowledge! For example, I filled him in on the W.Va caucus "back door scandal" yesterday because he was driving home from D.C. and wasn't in front of a computer. Now typically I get some facts mixed up that he has to help me with, but he's always pleased by my attempts :)

I am glad to know that our children will not be as ignorant about politics or current events as I was growing up, for certaintly our dinner conversations will involve that day's headlines from The Washington Post. My hope is to at least to be able to guard the kids from any emotional or psychological scarring which may occur when they are not able to remember the name of the current Majority Leader (just kidding sweetie).

But anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that we are never done learning and growing and that we often have opportunities during our life to get involved in something new, and we should take it! So it may not be something that gives you goose bumps, or leaves you breathless with excitement, but I'm sure that you will become a better person just for allowing yourself to learn and to be taught. I know that I feel like a much better educated American since meeting Geoff, and have lots to thank him for teaching me, even if I do tease him about it more often than not. So at the dinner table tonight, ask your family or friends a question about something new... who knows where it will lead! For as the greatest conservative once said: "All great change in America begins at the dinner table" (Ronald Reagan).

Virginia: Winter Wonderland?

2008-01-19T16:43:00.000-05:00

One thing I don't miss about Wisconsin is the cold. As I type this, my hometown is bearing the brunt of -3 degree weather that feels more like an excruciating 24 below zero because of the wind. Here in Virginia, it's 34 and feels like it. But what I do miss about Wisconsin, besides getting to watch every Packer game, is the snow. I'm talking up to a foot of snow at a time; snow you can build forts out of; snow you can play "King of the Hill" on; snow that on occasion lets you stay home from school; snow that makes you wish you had a bigger shovel or a more powerful snow blower.

Since moving out here to Virginia, I haven't seen any accumulation on the ground. Apparently we had a snow last winter, but I was up in PA for the weekend. So when the news reported a 100% chance of the white stuff this afternoon, Danielle and I were quite excited. A bonus is that Jeter evens loves playing around in the fluffy flakes. And even though we haven't even got an inch on the ground yet, it was still great to experience something this transplanted couple from the North doesn't get to see too much anymore...

Mexico: A Recap in Pictures

2008-01-05T17:57:00.000-05:00

Danielle and I spent a week around Christmas with her family in Puebla, Mexico where her parents and brother are serving as full-time missionaries. What follows is a pictorial tour of our trip, with a brief caption under each picture to guide you on our journey. Enjoy!

First off, let me introduce you to the characters in our story. From left to right: Keith and Dawn (D's parents), Danielle, Tyler (D's bro), and Kara (D's sister). Here we're getting settled on the top of double-decker tour bus which took us throughout Puebla...

Here's a shot of Puebla from our tourbus. For you history buffs out there, the Battle of Puebla was fought on May 5, 1862, and was a defining moment for the Mexicans in their battle for independence. The victory is still celebrated today as Cinco de Mayo...

This is the beautiful basilica in Puebla. Every major city in Mexico has a Catholic basilica, as about 90% of the population is Catholic. Major city's also have zocalos, or town squares. In Puebla, on one side of the zocalo is the major government building, and on the other side is the basilica. Interesting church-state relationship they have. One last note - the Puebla basilica was originally supposed to be built in Mexico City, but plans got mixed up so Puebla actually has the "better" basilica than the much larger capital...

There are numerous statues of angels surrounding Puebla's basilica. According to legend, the workers building the basilica left the bells outside overnight and planned to hoist them into the towers the following day. When they arrived at work the following day, the bells had been installed. Sensing a miraculous occurrence, they credited angels for the construction help....

There are stray dogs everywhere...

Alright, another cool (albeit far-fetched) story for y'all. Puebla is surrounded by three volcanoes. Two of them are pictured above - Popo (left) and Ixta (right). Both Popo and Ixta are shortened versions of the real names, but I'm not even gonna attempt to pretend like I know how to spell the unabridged versions!

Popo was a warrior and Princess Ixta was his significant other. Off goes Popo to war, while Ixta pledges she will stay true to him until his return. Well, word gets back to Ixta that Popo has fallen in battle. Ixta than dies from grief. Unfortunately for her, Popo didn't die. But when he returns, he finds his lover dead and grieves himself. Legends vary from this point, but the one we were told is that Popo took Ixta in her arms and walked towards the horizon. The next day, the two volcanoes appeared - one taking the form of woman lying down, and the other a gallant warrior kneeling next to his beloved. I'll leave it to you to decide whether you believe that story or not...

Here's a picture of the third volcano surrounding Puebla. It's still active. Sorry, I don't have any cool stories about how it was formed...

We got to try lots of new food in Mexico, most of which I liked and Danielle didn't. To her credit, she did try most everything. She even tried what I'm holding above. It's called a cemita - basically a huge sandwich with ham, chicken, cheese (lots of cheese!), hot peppers, and onions. It was delicious, and incredibly filling. We got these from a food stand in downtown Puebla, and they must make hundreds of cemitas everyday.

We also got to have some Mexican food that Americans are little more familiar with - you know, tacos and tostadas. But this ain't Taco Bell food, let me tell you. We also got to have a traditional Mexican breakfast, which isn't exactly pancakes and eggs. Try refried beans and tortilla chips instead. Mmmm...

Oh, I almost forgot about the fried grasshoppers. What a delicacy...

We also visited Cholula, a city about 20 minutes from Puebla. Cholula is known for its pyramid with a Catholic basilica on top. Here's a view from the church from afar. As you'll see, this isn't a Egyptian-style pyramid, but it is one of the largest pyramids in the world according to the size of the base...

Here's a cross-section model of the Cholula pyramid. Civilization after civilization continued to build layer upon layer of the pyramid, until finally Cortes conquered the area and capped the pyramid with a Catholic church...

You can even walk through a portion of the pyramid. Just be warned - not for the claustrophobic...

Here we are on the side of the pyramid. Those steps are narrower than they look, and the top is higher than you might think. Not that I was scared or anything...

We showed up to Cholula on the day of the Winter Solstice, and we were treated to a couple of interesting demonstrations. This one is an actual Aztec ceremony with some sort of reverence to the sun followed by a baptism of some sort. The reason we don't think that it was a tourist attraction stems largely from the dirty looks we got after taking pictures...

We also some New Agers doing their thing. Interesting day, to say the least...

Here's a group shot of us at the church on top of the pyramid. It was a great view from the top...

Feliz Navidad! Our first Christmas in Mexico was a real treat. We spent the day with other missionaries and their families, exchanging White Elephant gifts, eating some good ol' American food, and smacking around a pinata. The traditional Mexican pinata has seven spikes, each representing one of the seven deadly sins. The kids have to knock off the spikes before going in for the kill, and the candy that follows...

The day culminated with an acoustic rock concert featuring Tyler and his buddy Daniel. Their rendition of "Carol of the Bells" blew the crowd away...

Our last day in Mexico was spent in Mexico City, touring the grounds of the city's basilica. It is the second-most visited basilica in the world, trailing only the Vatican...

Inside the basilica is what millions of Mexicans pilgrimage to see every year - the "Tilma of Guadalupe." A tilma is basically a robe or cloak, and this one has historical and religious significance. More on that below...

So a few hundred years ago, this guy Juan Diego had a vision of Mary who appeared to him as the Lady of Guadalupe. She told him to build a church in her honor, so Diego went and told the local priest. The priest didn't believe him. So the Lady appeared to Diego again, but this time she walked him to a spot in the mountains where some roses were growing. These weren't your ordinary roses - these were only found in a region in Spain (not Mexico), a region where the priest happened to be from. So Diego gathered the roses in his tilma and walked them back to the priest as proof that he had the supernatural vision. When Diego let his tilma down, the roses fell to the ground and on his tilma was an image of the Lady of Guadalupe (illustrated above)...

When the Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Diego, she was wearing clothing that had Aztec symbolism on it. Many believe the Lady of Guadalupe, with her Aztec wardrobe and basis in Roman Catholicism (i.e. Mary), was concocted by Cortes to gain control over the Aztecs by focusing their worship on one entity - the Lady of Guadalupe. The picture above has two waterfalls, one representing the Aztecs' religion and the other representing Roman Catholicism, with the Lady at the base uniting the two. Her image is located all over Mexico, and she is still considered the mother of Mexico...

Here we have Danielle, Kara, and Tyler showing the world their amazing talent - the ability to bumple their chins. Apparently they believed this was some sort of gift they had that no one else could do, but then I did it too. Oh well, they're good at other stuff...

Our journey ends, fittingly, with this picture. In Puebla, you can't flush your toilet paper because their plumbing system can't handle it. Let me tell you, getting used to pitching your paper in a trash can takes some time. Just one of the many things we grow used to here in the states, and one we should be extremely grateful for. This picture also represents the place where I spent the better part of 3 days following our trip, as I happened to meet Montezuma...and he had his vengeance.

"Bells will be ringing..."

2007-12-09T23:21:00.000-05:00

As Christmas time approaches, I am especially excited about this being my first Christmas as a wife, with an apartment to decorate all my own, new traditions to start, and wonderful memories to make. I thought I'd just share a peek into the Peck holiday household for those of you who may care. Our Christmas tree actually came named for us; the guys at the tree place had named each and every tree in the lot- ours was named "Fruit Loop". As you can see, he and Jeter enjoy watching the yard together :)

Last weekend, Geoff and I went and picked out our "First Christmas Together" ornament and had it specialized all our own. Its pretty cute, if we do say so ourselves. Not to brag or anything... our ornaments may be few and far between, but they all mean something to us and we plan to keep it that way. Trees decorated just for the sake of decoration aren't as special to me (hope I did not just offend someone!). We've even included Jeter in the family ornament!

We hope you all are enjoying preparing for this holiday season, and taking time to remember why it is we celebrate Christmas in the first place. Christmas has always been special to me because of the time spent with family. I grew up celebrating Christmas around a large dinner table packed with relatives; learning how to make napkin flowers and where to put the salad fork from my Aunt Donna; learning teamwork and love by watching my grandma, her sisters and daughters all pitching in to clean up the dishes just in time to put the desserts out on the table; and coming to understand the importance and bond of family, that even though that day may be the only day I'd see some relatives all year, we shared a love and a genuine caring for one another that remained strong regardless of time spent together simply because we were family. This year will be different as we spend Christmas not with extended family but with my parents and siblings in Mexico. It is sure to be a special celebration.

We have a lot to be thankful for this year, many changes and many blessings... but most of all the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, through whom all other blessings come and to which nothing else compares. May He find His way into your hearts this season.

The Beginning

2007-12-04T15:00:00.000-05:00

June 9, 2007, this guy and this girl became a family (the dog, who came from the girl's family, was adopted by the guy). The guy hailed from Wisconsin, the girl from Pennsylvania, and they met in the middle at college in a little town called Cedarville, Ohio. Now they reside in Virginia where the guy is about to start his last semester of Graduate School to earn his Masters in Public Policy, and the girl works with young children as an in-home counselor. The dog does not do much to earn his keep, though he is a pretty good companion and not too bad at fetch either (if you catch him in the right mood). Just in case you're wondering, the girl is a fanatic fan of the New York Yankees, hence the name of the dog, Jeter (you may hear from him a time or two). And so this girl does not get in trouble for mentioning only her own sports team, the guy is a die hard Packers fan.

This blog may serve many purposes, but the primary one is simply to keep all of our friends and family "in the loop" as to whats going on in our lives. No promise as to how often posts will occur, but to be sure anything really noteworthy will make its way onto this page. Well, this girl has got to go. So... tah tah for now!