A Jam-Packed Weekend

Well, everyone, I hope you had a fabulous Mother's Day weekend. (-:

Ours started off bright and early Saturday as we went to my sister's graduation. She received a BS degree in dental hygiene and was the president of her class. She even got to give a speech. It was great to go and celebrate her and get to see her new house. She is getting married in July. Wow - college degree, new house, new job, new husband! How's that for a busy year! (-:

I went completely paparazzi at the graduation. That pic was from the big screen - as she got her diploma. (-:

Here I am with the graduate:

Some people think we look alike. (-: In fact, at her graduation, her friend's mom saw me in the crowd, without knowing me previously, and said, "That must be Bekah's sister." How's that for similarity? ha. 

Here she is with the whole fam:

Her college also had bag-pipes process in and out ahead of the graduates. It was slightly creepy, but super awesome. They were legit. No one is really sure why they were there, but I'll take it. (-:

After the day of graduation, Sunday was Mother's Day! We spent a leisurely day with Mark's parents and celebrated his sweet mom. Mark's dad cooks the best burgers on the planet, so we ate some yummy burgers and took naps! Karlie got me some beautiful flowers and some perfume with a sweet card. She is such a thoughtful gift giver. What a lovie.

You may or may not know that Karlie is very passionate about missions. She has been to multiple countries, and today she left for India for three weeks to work with an organization called Rahab's Rope. Last night we cooked her favorite meal before she left, as she calls it: "Hot Pockets." Now, it's not what you think. When she and her friends from college were talking about their favorite meals from home, they were all talking about whatever food their moms made. Well, then it was Karlie's turn, and she said she couldn't wait to have "hot pockets," and the girls were like "What?!" And they started saying, yeah, we're excited for cereal, etc etc, teasing her. (-: Karlie didn't realize that Hot Pockets are actually a food item you microwave and NOT what most people would get super excited about. haha. "Hot Pockets" are actually crescent rolls that are flattened and filled with a chicken/cream cheese mixture and then made into a pocket of sorts. She still gets razzed about that one. See picture:

Yes, as you heard from the previous paragraph, Karlie left for India today. I did pretty good until we got to the airport and we prayed for her. Pretty much as soon as we held hands and Mark started praying I started crying. I tried to keep it together so I wouldn't be a big sobfest in front of her other mission friend, but it just kind of got worse and worse. By the time she was in the security terminal I was kind of in the middle of a total meltdown. It was like a piece of my heart was getting on an airplane to India. I've pulled it together now, although it took a few hours. After I came back to work I was riding on the elevator and felt a wave of peace - like the Lord said, "I'm going to take care of her." and I felt much better. I still cried after that, but I think I've gotten most of the tears out - for today. ha. Now to get over this trying-not-to-cry induced headache I've had all day... Thankfully, there are a couple people on her team that have phones and she thinks she will be able to Skype us. She returns on June 5th. Please come soon. (-:

So, those are all of the updates from our neck of the woods! I hope you are enjoying the beginnings of summer and had a great mother's day!

xoxo

~Kathryn

Family Photos and A Winner

(Well, the winner of the curling wand is "soccermom1." Random.org generated the number 42, and soccermom1 was commenter number 42. So, congratulations! And thanks everyone for participating! Hopefully I can do another giveaway soon!)

Now. Are you ready for this? Mark and Karlie and I took family photos with the fabulous Kelly Stocksen over Easter weekend. And let me tell ya, I have been on pins and needles waiting to get them back. If you follow me on twitter, you are well aware of that fact. (-: Mark and I took pictures back when we were engaged and before he lost weight, and we haven't had pictures taken since Karlie became part of our family a year and a half ago! It was high time we got some new photos around the house.

So, without further adieu, here are a few of our favorites:

Just so you know, October 30th of 2010 is the day Karlie moved into our home. She very quickly changed from "the teenager that lives with us" to a forever member of our family.

My friend Jane had her engagement pictures done in a vintage picnic theme, and so she was my inspiration. (-:

I kind of have a Crush on him... (-:

We had so much fun taking our pictures, and I love how Kelly captured such cool moments.

Karlie insisted on doing a "daddy daughter picture" so she could have one for her wedding one day, and just because she wanted one. They turned out so sweet.

I got a couple pictures with Karlie myself, which I LOVE:

And there you have a peek at our photos. I hope you loved them. We are pretty ecstatic! 

Happy Tuesday!

~Kathryn

Karlie and Socrates

Well, Happy Wednesday, everyone! I wanted to share a little peek into the life and mind of Karlie. She just posted a blog about what she is learning in college and how she is growing. So, hop on over to her blog, Living in Timely Writing and check it out, and give her your thoughts.

I remember taking philosophy and thinking about those things and it making my brain hurt. (-: And then I remember doing it again in my philosophy of religion class. ha. Good times. I must say, it wasn't my favorite, nor was it my best subject, but it did stretch my thinking.

Enjoy!

~Kathryn

My Paper Heart

Paper cuts. We all get them. The risk comes with the job of handling paper. Yet, somehow, each time we get a paper cut, we are completely caught off guard. The pain shoots through our finger, and we drop the paper. We rub the cut, the pain quickly subsides, and we then pick the paper back up and continue our work.

I’ve had some paper cuts on my heart this weekend. You see, we dropped Karlie off at her college this weekend. I debated on whether or not I should post this blog. I don’t want to pretend that I know what it’s like to drop a child off at college that I raised from birth for eighteen years. I am not that naive. I can’t fathom the courage that comes with that and I have a new respect in how well my mother handled that transition. But I do know how I feel, even from being with a child for a tiny fraction of that amount of time. And it’s my blog, so I do what I want. (-: 

I got my first paper cut on Friday. We were shopping at Whole Foods - Karlie and I. She was getting snacks for her dorm, and I was doing our “regular” grocery shopping - except it wasn’t regular. Regular means I buy almost ten pounds of peanut butter, an $8 gallon of organic apple juice, and lots of milk. As I passed those items and others, I knew I wouldn’t need them this time, but I suppressed the thought. When we got to the check out line, I paid for my last item and immediately after my last item was scanned, coincidentally, there was that same $8 gallon of apple juice on the conveyer belt that another customer was purchasing. Karlie assumed there was a mistake, “Is that yours?” she asked. I quickly responded that it wasn’t, and I felt that paper cut and the prick of tears. It’s not ours because you won’t be here to drink it.

Saturday Karlie and I drove to her college together. She picked her favorite songs to sing to, I instructed her on how slowly she should be driving, where cops usually were, and how she should not be texting while going to and from college. We pulled onto campus and got in line to wait for the students to unload our car. As we were there, waiting on campus, yet in our car, Karlie started to get so excited. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had peed herself. As she was getting more and more excited, I felt that paper cut and that sting of tears. This is it. You’re not coming home with us. I forced the feeling to pass, I kept my “cool”, and tried to celebrate with her, while all the time having a feeling of heaviness.

We spent the day decorating her dorm room, running errands on campus, and helping her get acquainted with her new home. I only lost my composure a few times while trying to maintain control of a situation that was not in my hands anymore. We stayed later than pretty much every other parent. And finally, we really had to leave. When Karlie realized we really were leaving her there, she, in a moment of fear, got those huge tears in her big blue eyes, and said “Please don’t leave me here. I don’t know anyone. Please stay the night with me!” Of course I couldn’t stay the night, and deep down I’m sure she didn’t really want me to. But I felt that cut, and I felt my own tears. I gave her a hug, told her she would be just fine, and reassured her that yes, she would make new friends, and we would see her in a couple of days. And then we left. 

We drove home, and pulled up to the house. The very quiet house. The house with only one car in the garage. And we went to sleep.

I have received more paper cuts - paper cuts as I walk into her room and am surprised at how clean it is. (It was really only clean maybe five days ever while she was living in it). I never thought a clean room would make me sad. But it did. Paper cuts come when my phone or Mark’s phone makes any sound - and I ask, “Is that from Karlie?”, wondering how she is and what she’s doing - yet not wanting to hover. 

I know there will be more paper cuts. But I know there will be so many more joyful events, so many reasons for celebrations, and so many more evidences of the Lord working out his plan in Karlie’s life. And I am so thankful for the front row seat I get - even if it does come with the risk of paper cuts. 

I’d say the benefits definitely outweigh the cost.

~Kathryn 

Let's Welcome Karlie to the Blogosphere

Well, folks, Karlie has decided to start a blog. Of course, I couldn't be more proud. (-:

Since I haven't gotten the energy yet to post pics of the baby shower I hosted this weekend (sneak unfinished peek below),

 and since I've had a headache for 11 days now and been doing a lot of this:

I'm going to leave the blogging up to Karlie for the day.

If you want to get a closer look at how awesome Karlie is, (and even if you don't, go anyway) then you should check out her new blog. She already posted her first post, and is working on picking her perfect layout as we speak.

Click HERE for Karlie's blog.

So give her a welcome to the blog world. You know we all love comments.

Happy Monday!

~Kathryn

Karlie

I've had several requests from people to explain who Karlie is and how she came to be a part of our family. So, I thought I would try my best to capture how our lives have changed over the past nine months.

As you know, we moved into our new home on September 30th of last year. We kicked off our first day in our house by eating wings from the local wing place on the furniture-less living room floor, and praying together that the Lord would use our home to honor him and minister to other people. We didn't have a clue that exactly one month from that day that the Lord would take us up on that request.

The first three weeks in our house were filled with a unpacking, a one week vacation to California, and a week of me being gone all day every day for opera. I had hardly gotten to even see my house during the daylight!

After we had been here three weeks, we found out about a girl who needed a place to live. Karlie was a 17-year-old high school senior with striking blond hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a laugh that you can hear from a mile away. Long story short, her father had unexpectedly passed away a couple of years before, and her new home situation since then was not ideal. So, it was a perfect storm. She needed a home, and we had three empty bedrooms.

We knew Karlie from church and knew she was a great girl, so after finding out about her need, Mark and I said "Are you thinking what I'm thinking", and within twenty-four hours we decided that we really wanted her to move in with us. (Crazy, I know, but when you hear that still, small voice, you listen.) So, that Saturday, she came over and we talked about what she could expect, and she decided to move in on a "trial basis". And, as they say, the rest is history.

We skipped the diapers and went straight to high school.

So, what's it like living with a teenager? Well, I'm definitely up on my cool youtube videos and lingo. Our front door is like a swinging gate, and our back door - well, let's just say we are air conditioning the neighborhood. (-: Our trampoline is getting used, and one bathroom could win a competition for the most toothpaste residue around a sink. Christmas morning became even better than I thought possible. I have a personal fashion consultant, and Melvin and Boo got a new friend named Bella. It means late and loud get-togethers, and lots of music. There's dance parties and lots of laughing. There's scholarship applications. Due to our house becoming party central, our refrigerator has become a free for all, meaning a half a gallon of milk might only last one day, and a pound of peanut butter usually lasts about a week. Ha. It means helping with homework, listening to lots of speeches for class, and holding up flashcards for tests. But you know what? I love every second of it.

Living with a teenager also means late night talks about boys and future husbands. It means dealing with hurting hearts and mean girls. It means curfews and an occasional broken curfew. (-: It means talking about dreams and college and aspirations and faith. It brings a close eye to the way Mark and I talk to each other. It challenges my fortitude when I sew a prom dress thirty minutes before the date gets there. And I love every second of it.

But beware, having a teenager become part of your family will change you. It will stir these protective and fierce feelings of love inside you. It will make your heart melt when a phone call ends with "I love you, Kathryn". It will make your heart ache with the thought of her going off to college and leaving the house too quiet. It might give you some rose colored glasses - as Mark would say, "she's perfect". It will teach you to make your marriage one that is a witness and an encouragement. It will scare you when you get asked really deep and meaningful questions. And it will make you want to go postal on anyone who is hurtful to her. And it teaches you even more about sacrificial love. And you know what? I love every second of it.

We are so thankful the Lord has allowed us to have this girl become part of our lives, and couldn't imagine life without her. We always knew we wanted daughters, but didn't expect to get one quite so soon. And it doesn't hurt that we have the same shoe size. (-: As much as we are dreading her leaving for school, we take comfort in the fact that she will be coming home for weekends, Christmas, and summers, and she will always be a part of our family.

I love you, my little lamb chop!

~Kathryn

The Prom Report

Well, folks, Karlie's first prom came and went. And it was as success... there were some hurdles.... but we all pulled through without harm.

Karlie started getting ready during the day on Saturday, and found out that her date had injured his head while playing rugby that morning. (Now, I don't know what you are thinking, but I was thinking that perhaps playing rugby on the morning of prom day isn't the best idea.) Anyway, so he tells her that he has a "mark" on his forehead, and that it looks pretty bad. Well, of course Karlie is gracious, but she's kind of wondering what this is going to look like. I suggested that she have him send a pic, you know, so there aren't any surprises. But, no, she said she would wait to see it in real life. The plan was for him to pick her up at 4:30.

A few of her friends were over helping her get ready, and at about 4:00 she put her dress on. I don't know if you remember me saying how she had borrowed a prom dress? Well, she had tried it on once before for maybe a minute, and decided to wear it. So here we are, 30 minutes before go time, and she realizes that the dress is slightly too big. And by slightly too big, I mean, the strapless dress won't stay up. Not exactly the kind of show she's wantin' to put on. So, while I am internally freaking out and wondering what dress I have that she might want to wear that would fit because her current one clearly won't work, I am externally the ever calm parental figure that says it's no big deal and I'll just sew the strap back on that once was attached to the dress.

Inside, I'm yelling at myself, "You're going to sew the strap back on? You've never sewn a strap in your entire life! And now you have minutes to make a prom dress fit! Bad idea." So, as soon as I left the bathroom, so did my ever so calm persona, and I started running around like a crazy person looking for my sewing kit, which was exactly where I thought it was, but in my frantic searching, I overlooked it. Mark and I had a stressful few minutes rummaging through everything, and then finally, I found it. Victory. So, I sat down at the table, needle, thread, and thimble in my trembling hands, and sewed that strap right back on there. As if I was a professional seamstress. I'm telling ya, that strap wasn't going anywhere. So, I ran back upstairs with the dress, handed it to Karlie as if it was no big deal and I had done it in my sleep, and she gave me the biggest hug and smile that just melted my heart.

So, did the strap work? Well, sort of. It held the front up. We had to do some additional safety pinning, but with the help of our sweet friend and neighbor, Jane, the dress fit Karlie perfectly and we knew it wasn't going anywhere.

Back to McRugby. So, it's about 4:30 and Karlie hears from her date that he's going to be late because he's icing his forehead. Not a good sign. And that apparently he now has stitches (but they're invisible). Poor guy! So finally, he arrives, and Karlie makes her big grand entrance down the stairs, looking beautiful. And nothing could have prepared us for the mark on his forehead. I mean. Wow. Poor guy. Karlie's eyes got big for a second, then she reeled it in and proceeded with the before prom festivities.

Karlie gave the boutonniere her best effort, but in the end, I had to fix it so it wouldn't fall off. (-:

We wanted to take pictures with Karlie, too, before she left:

Impressed with the strap? Yeah, I figured you were. 

So are you ready to see the injury? I will say that the photo does not do it justice and the poor guy had a headache and a head that was STILL bleeding. Karlie said that more people talked about his forehead than her dress. Which is of course, a huge tragedy on prom night. (-:

Here it is:

And here's the photo-shopped version:

Much better, eh? (-: 

And so they left, had a great time, got home late, and we have successfully gotten through the first round of proms. 

Bring back some memories? Did you have any "prom drama"?

~Kathryn

Prom

Oh, Prom. Do you remember yours? I'm assuming you pretty much all do remember unless you've tried to block it out. I have been thrust right back into prom and all of it's drama, as Karlie is entering prom season.

Perhaps you were the girl who had the steady boyfriend, so there was no drama, just the understanding that you guys would go together and have a great time. Or, perhaps, you were like me. The relationship phobe. The girl who was liked mainly by the weird quirky guys who she was afraid to get asked to prom by. The girl who was afraid to say no when asked by said quirky guy. The girl who was wishing for a certain guy or two to ask her but knew that it wouldn't happen. The girl who took matters into her own hands and asked a guy to avoid being asked by quirky guys. If you were like me, prom brought on some serious anxiety.

Neither of my proms were bad. I went with friends both years. And I had a good time. Hung out with friends, ate good food, danced (even though at my school nobody danced... weird... I know... But I danced anyway since I'm such a good dancer **cough**), and then went to someone's house afterward for more fun. Here's a pic to prove the fun I had at my senior prom:

See? Fun is written all over my face.

Now it's Karlie's turn. She is getting ready for three proms. Yes, folks, this chick has everything goin' for her and is going to three different proms. (She actually got invited to a fourth but turned it down because she figured three was enough. Ha.). She is even frugal enough to borrow prom dresses from friends. And she is even getting the guys to ask her in uber creative ways. When I was in high school you just got asked to prom. Via note or phone call. Karlie completed a scavenger hunt this past Sunday to be asked to one prom, and is apparently looking forward to her other "official" invitations (even though she has already said yes - this is all new to me).

Her first prom is this weekend. So, we are in the midst of spray tans, hair styles, where to eat dinner, who's taking who, and pictures. Here's to hoping we survive April...

So... how was YOUR prom? Does this bring back the memories?

Oh, prom. Whose idea was this anyway?

~Kathryn