this is a story i don't want to tell... so, why don't you tell it to me. leave a comment that summarizes this photo. i'll fill you in on the real version in a couple of days.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
give me the summary
so, let's switch things up a bit. under the typical blog post guidelines i tell you the story, post a picture or two... yada, yada, yada.
this is a story i don't want to tell... so, why don't you tell it to me. leave a comment that summarizes this photo. i'll fill you in on the real version in a couple of days.
this is a story i don't want to tell... so, why don't you tell it to me. leave a comment that summarizes this photo. i'll fill you in on the real version in a couple of days.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
cheers
my dear friend has been anxiously awaiting the news that she and her hubby can go to ethiopia to meet their new baby. they have been waiting for a really long time. she posted a picture of her fridge yesterday because she said that she is often intrigued by the contents. that resonates with me. i often look into my own ice box and consider if what's inside reflects the way that i say we live. i go on record professing to be organic, a foodie of sorts, and a lover of fresh produce. after reading my friends post i opened my fridge to examine it. it's a hot mess! i am in desperate need of a grocery run, but i thought i'd share a glimpse.
my friend also highlighted a bottle of bubbly that she just put on ice for the day they get their big news. it made me smile and secretly wish that i could live nearby (like i once did) to clink glasses with them when that news comes.
and so, i too, added a bottle of bubbly to my chiller. although we won't get to share in this moment physically, we will in spirit. love you, sweet girl and can't wait until you get that call. 
Sunday, June 20, 2010
daughters
fathers be good to your daughters
daughters will love like you do
girls become lovers who turn into mothers
so mothers, be good to your daughters too
fathers be good to your daughters
daughters will love like you do
girls become lovers
who turn into mothers
so mothers,
be good to your daughters too
fathers be good 
to your daughters
daughters will love like you do.i'm so thankful for the way my girlies daddy loves them. they are the apple of his eye and any man would be lucky to be loved the way he loves them.
love you, babe!
Monday, June 14, 2010
don't blink
it is amazing how fast life goes by. if you blink your eyes, you might miss it.
once upon a time there was a two year old that was obsessed with the veggie tales movies. this child was particularly fascinated with larryboy. if you know the story line, larryboy defeats the bad apple and claims victory over temptation. larryboy also happens to be a cucumber. this two year old wanted to watch larryboy over and over and over and over.... you get the idea.
one day the daddy of this two year old discovered a larryboy watch for sale at the jewel/osco around the corner. knowing it would delight his babe, he bought the watch and presented it to his little one. the little one was elated beyond measure. not really understanding the concept of time or having a grasp on the purpose of a watch, this two year old became creative. once the watch was placed onto their adorable chubby wrist, this two year old declared their new name to be larryboy. (apparently, the two year old had decided that this watch was a name changing, superman cape like device that transformed them from charming two year old into the amazing larryboy, defeater of temptation and lover of chocolate.) everywhere that they went, the watch was on the wrist and the name announced HAD to be larryboy. people that had known this child for a lifetime suddenly found that the child no longer responded to their given name and were a little stunned when this precocious toddler announced that the new name they would like to be called was larryboy. the parents of this little one found themselves doing a lot of explaining. while the veggie tales series is known, it isn't THAT well known. and so they would go out into the world. larryboy would announce that they were, in fact, larryboy. the parents would tell a brief little story of how this came to be and people would nod, laugh and try to use the new name (and probably exchanging looks over the heads of the parents).
but like all things with kids, one day it's in and the next day it's out. it was almost as if it had never happened.
a few months passed and the parents were secretly thrilled that larryboy had retired from being a cucumber super hero. they were delighted to have their babe back and a little bit relieved to not have to explain the saga of larryboy countless times a day.
fast forward a few months. this family took a much needed vacation to jamaica. they were greeted by the concierge and taken to their rooms. while walking from the front desk down to their room, some chit chat was exchanged. it was the normal stuff... "where are you from?" "what sort of things do you enjoy doing while on vacation?" etc. and then the lady turned to the almost three year old and asked for their name... there was a pause. there was an indication that the child didn't want to speak and was extremely tired from the hours of travel, but the parents gave the child a gentle nod and encouraged them to share their name with the lady...
"go ahead, honey, tell her your name."
the child hesitated and began to say their name, but suddenly paused. and then out of no where they declared: "larryboy!"
well the jamaican concierge just thought that was a hoot. she laughed out loud, gave larryboy a fist bump, and then looked at the crazy american parents like they had lost their minds. the parents just stood there dumbfounded for they had thought that this name had been retired. and in jamaica, it's difficult to explain the whole veggie tales, bad apple, cucumber, watch that transforms a kiddo into a superhero thing. and so the parents just laughed and nodded and went along with it. for the rest of the week, every time the parents left their room with the toddler, the concierge would pop out and yell, "LARRYBOY! good to see you!"
it's hard to believe that happened over three years ago! i was reminded of this story last week and took a long hard pause. how is it possible that larry boy is now almost six? how is it possible that larryboy (who thankfully goes by HER given name now) has just finished kindergarten? is it really true that the parents of larryboy now find themselves to be the parents of two more precocious children? it has passed in the blink of an eye. but this week, this momma (proud momma of larryboy) found herself at the last day of her sweet baby girl's first year of school watching the infamous larryboy perform for the parents. on sunday, larryboy (aka "e") moved up to the first grade room at church...
here she is, larryboy the singing wonder (and a bunch of other cutie patooties from her class):
note to self: don't blink!
*facebook viewers need to hop on over to http://www.diaryofasuburbanmomma.blogspot.com to view the video
*pause the music player on the right to hear these muffins sing.
Friday, June 4, 2010
every little step i take...
i finally caught these on film. take a look at this cute little button!
**facebookers, hop on over here to view the video. pause the music to hear miss p.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Welcome Home
i was reminded of this song tonight. i love it for so many reasons. i am a visual person and it gives such a good mind picture of the heart. it resonates with me because as much as i like to think that i am making great strides, i've got a whole lot more to "kick to the curb".
isn't shaun's explanation wonderful?
if you are checking this out through facebook, click here to see the clip. don't forget to must the music player on the side.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
jet plane (part II)
(this is part two of a "should have been told a way long time ago" series. if you missed part one, you can catch up by clicking here and then come on back for this second installment.)
so we arrived home a little bit weary, but thankful we had gone. when we booked that trip, we assumed that our house would have been under contract by that point. when we booked that trip, we thought we'd have an extra day. when we booked that trip, we thought we might be making an offer... while that trip didn't look at all like we thought, and we still weren't really sure of the purpose of missing that flight in the God scheme of things, we knew we were still in that "open door" period.
it was the end of may and we had signed a listing agreement with our realtor until mid-july. that "open door" period was beginning to look a bit more like a cracked open door, but it was still not closed. and so we continued to wait.
just a few days later, we got an offer. it was low. really low. but we thought, "ok God, if you are throwing us a bone here, we want to be willing. help us to see how we can go forward with this offer."
and as the negotiations unfolded, we realized that we would loose our shirts, that our agent was going to have to throw in some stuff that we didn't think was fair (because the buyers demanded that both agents cut some expenses), and we discovered that they wanted us to engage in some unethical real estate practices. that was a closed door for us.
so sadly, we walked away from the offer. lots of people around us kept telling us that the first offer is almost always the best, but we just couldn't move forward knowing that what they wanted us to do was (on their part) not really ethical. it would have been easy to say, "well, that's on them", but neither scott or i felt like God's plan would involve that sort of compromise. we were depressed, and if i'm honest, we were also a little bit relieved. it looked like we were finally at the end of the road. we had just two weeks left on our listing agreement, we were two weeks away from our due date with poppy, and we were ready to be done with this whole ordeal.
and so we just sort of sat back and watched as a tiny crack in the door would inevitable come to a close.
and then we had a showing. turns out, it was a family that had looked at it back when we first listed. turns out, they had just sold their condo in the city. turns out the husband worked with one of scott's best friends. turns out, the wife was the sister of e's best suburban friend's dad. and as cold only happen when God is driving the boat, they made us an offer. it was low, but it was exactly $100 more than our drop-dead bottom price.
coincidence? i don't think so. i think it was more like God giving me the reassurance that my home was going to people that i could feel safe with. you see, my home in la grange was the home that i had hoped to grow old in. slowly, we were making improvements and making it a better piece of property (we bought it as-is and let me reassure you it had a long way to go), turning it from a quaint historic home into OUR home. knowing the connections that we had with these people, i felt like i could let that go. it was the way God provided for my heart.
but He didn't stop there.
the fact that the closing date worked to a tee with my delivery of poppy, the fact that the price settled on was within our assessment of reasonable (not more making us a profit, but not less leaving us without the means to buy again)... those were the ways in which we felt God provided for our needs.
notice, He didn't give us our wants (a return on our investment). for a brief moment that bummed me out, but when i really thought it through it brought a smile to my face. you see, it showed me that God cares about us so much. He cares about the intimate details in our lives and comes through for us. He does this on His time table and He does this in His way.
and while I would have loved to sell with multiple offers, above asking, when we first listed and live in a rental pad in the city just one last time before, that just wasn't in His plan for me.
in retrospect, i can see how special those last months in la grange were to me. i got to spend time with cherished friends, hang at the pool with my usual peeps, and even see one of my best friends finally move into their home just around the corner (that is its own amazing story!). i can also see how important they were for e. as we were in the midst of a lot of transition (house constantly in "showing condition", end of school, not certain if she'd be headed back to preschool or off to kindergarten, saying good-bye to beloved friends, and new baby on the way) that time in our house provided her with the stability that she needed. and never once did she have to miss her sweet little friends and go play city slicker like her momma had secretly (or not so secretly) wanted. right up until the day we left, her little life was as intact as it could be and that was a gift that we did not even know we needed until after we had departed.
i should insert that somewhere between memorial day weekend and that first offer, scott and i resumed a practice that we had neglected for a while. we began to pray together. it was beautiful and perfectly timed how suddenly, in the midst of all this unknown i could cling to my husband and to my Father each evening with a heart praise, confession and requests. and it was another one of those pivotal moments for me. each night as we held hands and went to the feet of Jesus together, i suddenly began to see that the details didn't matter. i began to have a glimpse that the details were far less important (yet still very much taken care of) than the experience God was walking us through.
you see, it became really clear to me in those moments that God cared so much about how we were doing this, rather than what we were doing. it became clear that the journey was way more important than the destination. now i believe that it is God's plan for us to be in pleasanton, but i also believe that he used this journey for far bigger things. it was used to reestablish a marital prayer life and to develop a softness that only comes when you are in the midst of a challenge. it was used to establish a complete dependence on Him and it was used as a way to gently remind me that while i may be blessed with the skill of planning (i can't help but giggle as i write that), my plan is not the plan that matters (gasp). in fact, i learned that doing life with God means laying down your plan because you know that His plan is far better than any plan you could possibly conjure up.
that's a tough one for someone who really enjoys a good plan, and i promise to elaborate on that somewhere down the road. but for now, i can simply say that for me, it is what i know to be true.
so we arrived home a little bit weary, but thankful we had gone. when we booked that trip, we assumed that our house would have been under contract by that point. when we booked that trip, we thought we'd have an extra day. when we booked that trip, we thought we might be making an offer... while that trip didn't look at all like we thought, and we still weren't really sure of the purpose of missing that flight in the God scheme of things, we knew we were still in that "open door" period.
it was the end of may and we had signed a listing agreement with our realtor until mid-july. that "open door" period was beginning to look a bit more like a cracked open door, but it was still not closed. and so we continued to wait.
just a few days later, we got an offer. it was low. really low. but we thought, "ok God, if you are throwing us a bone here, we want to be willing. help us to see how we can go forward with this offer."
and as the negotiations unfolded, we realized that we would loose our shirts, that our agent was going to have to throw in some stuff that we didn't think was fair (because the buyers demanded that both agents cut some expenses), and we discovered that they wanted us to engage in some unethical real estate practices. that was a closed door for us.
so sadly, we walked away from the offer. lots of people around us kept telling us that the first offer is almost always the best, but we just couldn't move forward knowing that what they wanted us to do was (on their part) not really ethical. it would have been easy to say, "well, that's on them", but neither scott or i felt like God's plan would involve that sort of compromise. we were depressed, and if i'm honest, we were also a little bit relieved. it looked like we were finally at the end of the road. we had just two weeks left on our listing agreement, we were two weeks away from our due date with poppy, and we were ready to be done with this whole ordeal.
and so we just sort of sat back and watched as a tiny crack in the door would inevitable come to a close.
and then we had a showing. turns out, it was a family that had looked at it back when we first listed. turns out, they had just sold their condo in the city. turns out the husband worked with one of scott's best friends. turns out, the wife was the sister of e's best suburban friend's dad. and as cold only happen when God is driving the boat, they made us an offer. it was low, but it was exactly $100 more than our drop-dead bottom price.
coincidence? i don't think so. i think it was more like God giving me the reassurance that my home was going to people that i could feel safe with. you see, my home in la grange was the home that i had hoped to grow old in. slowly, we were making improvements and making it a better piece of property (we bought it as-is and let me reassure you it had a long way to go), turning it from a quaint historic home into OUR home. knowing the connections that we had with these people, i felt like i could let that go. it was the way God provided for my heart.
but He didn't stop there.
the fact that the closing date worked to a tee with my delivery of poppy, the fact that the price settled on was within our assessment of reasonable (not more making us a profit, but not less leaving us without the means to buy again)... those were the ways in which we felt God provided for our needs.
notice, He didn't give us our wants (a return on our investment). for a brief moment that bummed me out, but when i really thought it through it brought a smile to my face. you see, it showed me that God cares about us so much. He cares about the intimate details in our lives and comes through for us. He does this on His time table and He does this in His way.
and while I would have loved to sell with multiple offers, above asking, when we first listed and live in a rental pad in the city just one last time before, that just wasn't in His plan for me.
in retrospect, i can see how special those last months in la grange were to me. i got to spend time with cherished friends, hang at the pool with my usual peeps, and even see one of my best friends finally move into their home just around the corner (that is its own amazing story!). i can also see how important they were for e. as we were in the midst of a lot of transition (house constantly in "showing condition", end of school, not certain if she'd be headed back to preschool or off to kindergarten, saying good-bye to beloved friends, and new baby on the way) that time in our house provided her with the stability that she needed. and never once did she have to miss her sweet little friends and go play city slicker like her momma had secretly (or not so secretly) wanted. right up until the day we left, her little life was as intact as it could be and that was a gift that we did not even know we needed until after we had departed.
i should insert that somewhere between memorial day weekend and that first offer, scott and i resumed a practice that we had neglected for a while. we began to pray together. it was beautiful and perfectly timed how suddenly, in the midst of all this unknown i could cling to my husband and to my Father each evening with a heart praise, confession and requests. and it was another one of those pivotal moments for me. each night as we held hands and went to the feet of Jesus together, i suddenly began to see that the details didn't matter. i began to have a glimpse that the details were far less important (yet still very much taken care of) than the experience God was walking us through.
you see, it became really clear to me in those moments that God cared so much about how we were doing this, rather than what we were doing. it became clear that the journey was way more important than the destination. now i believe that it is God's plan for us to be in pleasanton, but i also believe that he used this journey for far bigger things. it was used to reestablish a marital prayer life and to develop a softness that only comes when you are in the midst of a challenge. it was used to establish a complete dependence on Him and it was used as a way to gently remind me that while i may be blessed with the skill of planning (i can't help but giggle as i write that), my plan is not the plan that matters (gasp). in fact, i learned that doing life with God means laying down your plan because you know that His plan is far better than any plan you could possibly conjure up.
that's a tough one for someone who really enjoys a good plan, and i promise to elaborate on that somewhere down the road. but for now, i can simply say that for me, it is what i know to be true.
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