considering it has been almost a year since i posted any pictures of eli, i thought i would share a few.. all from one of my bests- lindsey eastman (check her out: she rocks our world… let her rock yours, too!) eli is twelve months in these pics… i can’t believe how fast this year flew by!
today i met a man named rob. he told me i would make millions if i went into business selling thinned out peanut butter and raisins in a jar (ants minus the log) because it is the ultimate sensation in your mouth. then i could give 32 percent of my millions away to a non profit.
back up. this morning i went to church to do the announcements. the set-up team was moving ez-ups around so i took eli to the nursery and jumped in to help. a man i didn’t recognize (which isn’t all that obscure.. i still feel new(er) to our church) asked me if i knew where the bucket went because he wasn’t done washing down the tables. i introduced myself and then helped him find the bucket. how great! we’re adding new volunteers to our morning crew- always needed!
fast-forward. in between services i found rob hanging out in front of the kitchen. he very pointedly wanted to know how i could get him two eggs. he said he was a very good cook and if i would just give him two eggs he would be able to eat (which he hadn’t done in the last two days). my heart sank. he’s not exactly a new set up recruit. he’s hungry… and in all twenty-five years of my life, i have no idea what it is like to not have access to food. we proceeded to have a conversation about his time spent sleeping on bus benches, his time in vietnam, his divorce from his wife nearly a decade ago, and his intensity for eggs. well, i had no eggs… so i offered him doughnuts from the refreshment table and i knew we had a pantry on campus so i went in search of food. of course, the majority of the food was canned- and exactly how was he going to eat green beans without a can opener? luckily, i found raisins and a jar of peanut butter in a bag of food on the receptionist’s desk (i just realized this might have been for some other group… whoops, sorry vbs!) I bagged some food for the road, along with the raisins and pb, and headed in search of rob.
i found him in the back of the youth building, just as he interrupted our youth pastor’s teaching to about 40 students. he wanted to know if it was alright if he accessed his meds in the back and then left his bag behind the counter. everyone looked really confused. as i helped rob find a better place for his bag and we went outside, he eagerly dug into the peanut butter (and tossed in the box of raisins… hence his previously mentioned business venture). through the next few minutes, i realized rob was a little more than just scattered, had a variety of emotions that were being exposed, and he was taking more than a half a dozen prescription drugs. i was unsure of his history- he had no license because his wallet and cell phone had recently been stolen, he had no where to stay, and i felt guilty that i began to question his story.
in my head.. “the least of the these… whatever you did for the least of these…you did for me… what is that verse?” (matthew 25:40)
i kept remembering how i have been asking god for an opportunity to love more. here you go, jenna… i brought him straight to you… doesn’t get easier than this. so while he dipped his forefinger into the peanut butter (the guy was obviously hungry and not just looking for money), i began to call the local police departments, fountain valley, huntington beach, santa ana…. then was finally given a 24-hour hotline number (211). they give you information on county services, clinics, emergency services, etc. it turns out, finding a warm place to sleep for a single male in orange county wasn’t so easy (many shelters save spots for women and children). after talking with rob about his intense dislike for the shelter in santa ana that was recommended for him (“it’s basically a jail… you couldn’t pay me to return”), he told me he stayed at a shelter in bloomington the previous week (a good 30-45 minutes away). i can’t quite see caesar allowing me to drive my new friend to bloomington… so, instead we figured out the appropriate bus route and scrounged up enough money for the fare and lunch. i invited him to the service and told him he would always be welcome to attend and if there were more ways we might be able to help in the future, for him not to hesitate to ask.
i looked back as i headed into the sanctuary to pray with our worship team before the service and saw rob headed off our campus. although sad he wasn’t planning on staying, i said a quick prayer for his safety and god’s plan in his life. i kept thinking.. i didn’t do it right. that wasn’t it. he’s alone and sleeps outside. i should’ve done more. uhhhhh… sorry god… i promise i’ll do it better next time. we prayed and the worship team began to sing “here is our king”.
suddenly, a man is standing in front of me with a big bouquet of flowers. ”i’ve spoken with all of my fountain valley police friends and they said that as long as they are hanging over the wall, you can pick them. thank you for your help. god bless you.” i was stunned. rob had picked twenty different flowers and greenery and put them together with wet paper cloths from the restroom. i gave him a big hug. he walked to the back of the church, stayed for about half the service, and headed out.
i’m still hoping it was enough, and i’m not sure how i ended up with a bouquet of flowers at the end of the day, but i’m starting to hear the still small voice more frequently… and it’s going to open a world of opportunity. phil 4:9
after some time off… nearly a year.. i’ve decided to make my way back to the blogging world.
shawnabonnabobonna, one of my old roomies, has created a fabulous blog that has somehow remained out of my sight until today. she’s inspired me.. so i’m bringing some pieces of our life back to wordpress.
i’ve realized that blogging for me is not necessarily an avenue for me to feel heard .. but more of an excuse for me to be accountable to creating a good story. i’ve been reading donald miller’s book a million miles in a thousand years and it has made me realize a few things.
one) i am too comfortable. (“humans are designed to seek comfort and order, and so if they have comfort and order, they tend to plant themselves, even if they secretly want for something better.” …”i realized how much of our lives are spent trying to avoid conflict. half the commercials on television are selling us something that will make life easier. part of me wonders if our stories aren’t being stolen by the easy life.”) i love order. i love lists. i love knowing what is going to happen. unfortunately, word on the street is it’s not really up to me (jer 29:11). i’m gonna work on being okay when things don’t quite go the way i think they should.
two) if i want a better story, a less comfortable, less predictable, less controlled story, i’ve got to let go of what is holding me back… essentially, fear. (“mike was saying, that the great stories go to those who don’t give in to fear. the most often repeated commandment in the Bible is “do not fear.’ it’s in there over 200 times. it means we are going to be afraid, and it means we shouldn’t let fear boss us around.”) i’m fearful of: hurting people’s feelings, breaking the rules, getting in trouble, doing something that might be considered unforgivable, being overly anything (charismatic, loud, sarcastic, safe, etc)… and so many more things. i don’t think my life is controlled by fear, however, i do think i let fear hold me back from living a much more adventurous and fulfilling story.
three) it’s not going to be easy. i remember my last few years at Pepperdine.. constantly pondering my purpose in life, my job, and okay, to be honest, we may have had a few conversations about the color of our future bridesmaids dresses. we had grand expectations of the ways that we could do things differently.. love more and do more. it has been exactly four years since i graduated. (“i think this is when most people give up on their stories. they come out of college wanting to change the world, wanting to get married, wanting to have kids and change the way people buy office supplies. but they get into the middle and discover it was harder than they thought. they can’t see the distant shore anymore, and they wonder if their paddling is moving them forward. none of the trees behind them are getting smaller and none of the trees ahead are getting bigger. they take it out on their spouses, and they go looking for an easier story.”) it’s true. and heartbreaking. and if i’m not bold and determined and aware… i could sink in the middle when it really gets tough. (“…i remembered about story, about how every conflict, no matter how hard, comes back to bless the protagonist if he will face his fate with courage.”)
well… i have a few pages left… but i guess i’ve quoted the majority of his book in this post. it’s good. and anything that gets me thinking is exciting.
hopefully i will have some fun, entertaining, adventurous, and possibly tragic stories to report as i get out beyond the scope of comfort and start selling myself to the life He has for me.
It’s been a crazy couple of weeks… and time during naps has been spent making baby purees, baking, and trying new low-fat recipes (I might just learn to cook something by the end of this year!) … Time is still a little short, but to tie everyone over, here are a few recent pictures:
Cam, Lyla, Eli, and Caesar at Maddie's birthday party
Amir, Alexandria, Eli and Caesar at Khai and Alex's birthday party.
Eli modeling while I try out the settings on my camera.
We've hit the five month mark!
Can you tell someone is about to get a tooth?
I feel like I had been mentally preparing myself for our Delta houseboat trip nearly all summer… and the anxiety I felt was completely unwarranted as the excursion was absolutely spectacular. Caesar, Carolyn, Eli, and I left early on Friday morning and made the long trek through the Grape Vine towards Sac-town. After a quick stop off the freeway (one of stops with the “World Famous Cheese Factory” as the only building within miles) to feed the baby we made it about three quarters of the way to Merced. Lunch ensued… at non other than In N Out… which always tastes good after multiple hours sitting cross-legged trying to remember the translation of the Itsy Bitsy Spider in Spanish. A short while later we arrived at Paradise Point where we joined the other leaders who were already unloading food and goodies onto the awaiting houseboats. Within the next two hours, about 60 people joined us (college students from Beachpoint, a handful from Wilshire, and multiple leaders who were surprisingly more giddy and rambunctious than the kids). We drove to our spot and spent the next three days enjoying the beautiful weather, crazy water sports, delicious food (thank you Plummer fam), and great conversations about what God is doing in our lives. It was extremely refreshing to get away and spend some quality with some very quality people. Eli was loved on by all of the college kids and thoroughly enjoyed drooling on everyone in the “Pink” boat. We were blessed that Jer, Care, and Kel were around to keep an eye out on our little one so Caesar and I could both enjoy some tubing and wakeboarding (we’re both still recovering from our sore-ness). Here are a few pictures (videos to be added soon) highlighting our little adventure. Hope everyone is getting the most out of the last few weeks of summer… blessings!
Tyler and George were woken up by Eli's slobbery fingers on their faces.
Travis leading the boys in a bonding moment.
First Ride on a JetSki with Dad!
Round these parts, and possibly other parts, too, it is commonly known that we get a little giddy about fried foods… browned, frizzled, pan-fried, sauteed, stir-fried, deep-fried… greasy, breaded, high-calorie fried foods. We live in Orange County. It’s July. Obviously, it was time to enter the nearly-sinful, gluttonous extravaganza known as the OC Super Fair.
What, for some, must be a nice summer afternoon out with their family: petting goats, buying jams, and riding the ferris wheel… for us, is just a three-hour tour: of kabobs, corn dogs, potato chips, sweet corn, fried white castle burgers, friend zuchini, fried onions, fried oreos, chocolate covered bacon (that’s right), crepes, churros, and anything else with a short line and a blindingly-high price tag. Of course, if you’ve ever been to the fair with Caesar, you also know that no fair is complete without games. Now, most people get excited when they get a deal by purchasing more attempts (i.e. $5=1 ball but $10=3 balls)… not Caesar. I think he gets a small adrenaline rush off of negotiating every game with the poor sixteen-year-old “amusement administrator”. Needless to say, he has some serious negotiating skills because we always get a better deal.
After a short stop to say, “hi” to JP for the “un-preferred” Preferred Parking ($5 extra got us a spot that was 12 feet closer then regular parking)… just kidding JP, we headed home to sulk in over-stuffed happiness. Here are a few highlight shots:
The Speaks... round one.
Bill and Caesar: Round One
Bill: Round two
Entire Group: Rounds two to three
The Gioiellis enjoying their crepes.
Just the beginning...
Bill used his power of persuasion...
My two centimeter nibble didn't allow for much taste... but similar to a chocolate-covered pretzel.
We lost track of rounds and headed to the games.
We quickly scored some sweet prizes.
Closet basketball player... nothing but net to score this Celtics ball.
Post games... heading to Bob's for ice cream... and possibly a churro, too..
There were more pictures… but just loading these is making me a little sick to my stomach…. have a great weekend!
As some of you may know, the annual Beachpoint College Group Houseboat Trip is coming up fast. Most prepare by buying sun screen, practicing on the indo board- training for hours of wakeboarding, maybe even starting their base tan…. but, not my husband. I came home to a kitchen full of:
…necklaces, bracelets, big sticks, small sticks, sunglasses that blink in the dark, blinking magnetic lights,… thousands, seriously, thousands of glow sticks. I grew up thinking glow sticks were only for the Fourth of July and Disneyland. For Eli… they’re just night lights. Needlessly to say, we’re getting giddy about our first little road trip up to the Delta and a few days of adventurous camping- (okay, so it’s not extremely adventurous, but…) it will be our first, more rustic, trip with Eli. I hope you’re staying cool in this crazy heat!
Eli had his four month check up today with Dr. Pepek. He now weighs sixteen pounds, his head is seventeen inches, and he is twenty-seven inches long. Apparently that puts him in the 75% for weight and 100% for height. Again, I don’t think those percentages necessarily mean anything… two months ago he was 95% for both- so a lot can change in just a few weeks. He has recently become aware of his own voice and likes to scream and squeek, especially in the morning… no more peaceful mornings to sleep in at our house! Rolling over has become fairly routine, but I finally captured it on video:
I still can’t believe how quickly he has grown. He’s no longer the little blob that sleeps all day:
It seems like he is already past the “baby” stage and growing into little boy things. The extended awake time leaves more interaction time and he really enjoys his “johnny jump up” and “exo-saucer”.
This past weekend we also had a bbq at my sister’s house in San Diego and had a great time catching up with lots of family and cousins… our first gathering with all the babies. It got me really excited for future Christmases all together with a ton of kids around. They bring so much life to the party! Hope you are enjoying your summer so far… feel free to come visit any time!
This afternoon my sister’s house was burglarized. Embarrassingly, I admit, my first response was a frantic wave of fear that washed over me and left me in tears. Melissa and I had just recently talked about her husband leaving town on a business trip for a few days. He had invented a locking mechanism for one of the windows in their house and Melissa was telling me how a friend of hers was planning on staying with her and Ben until Matt returned. Flashback to a few weeks ago- Caesar’s rims to his old car are stolen from our back yard… which led to a conversation with my sister about how violated you feel when something is taken from you. Unfortunately for my sister, she lost a lot more than tire rims. This feeling of violation, of being wronged can leave us with a wide range of emotions… fear, injustice, even vengeance. My initial reaction (after realizing that tears were not going to benefit the situation… darn hormones) was to fall back on a number of conspiracy theories about where to hide valuables in your home, backing up all photos and important information and storing it away from your home computer, even installing an alarm or video surveillance in our home. Then my sister so obviously reminded me (which, of course, I would’ve realized eventually) that it’s all just stuff. She and Ben were safe- that was what was really important. Why does it often take a more tragic event for us to put life into perspective? … to realize our priorities? As much as I love all of my stuff… I love my house and all of my “things”… but, do I really need any of it? If we lost everything, would we not have friends and family to move in with… wouldn’t they share their lives with us? I’m extremely grateful that everyone is safe… that all that was lost was just “stuff”… and that my sister is level-headedly keeping things in perspective.
When things didn’t quite go our way or we just had a rough day, my mom would often ask me what I was grateful for. Here is my list tonight: I know that because God is with us, there is nothing to fear. I know that even though I love toys and trinkets and even more valuable things like jewelry and memorabilia, I could live without it. I know that I have family and friends that I love very much and I am very grateful to have them in my life. Also, I really love polka dots… they make me really happy… and possibly because Caesar doesn’t like them, I like them even more.
I love you.. I’m grateful for you… and I hope you have very sweet dreams.
Amanda Bruner and I made a semi-deal on Monday to stick together and work out for the next month (she has Bass Lake to look forward to and I still have a few baby lbs to kick before the houseboat trip). While Lori and I worked hard to train for the HB Surf City 5K on the 4th, I needed something different then running to keep my interest. Well, folks, I think I’ve found something quite interesting. Last night was my second experience at Huntington Beach Hot Yoga. Let me just tell you, I’ve tried quite a few different aerobic activities in my time… soccer, tennis, track, a little swimming, shoot- I can even play a little flag football with the best of ‘em… and although I’ve never run a marathon, childbirth is said to have it’s similarities. Child birth= a piece of cake next to this stuff. An hour and a half in a small room (packed with people) at 107 degrees left me looking similar to this:
28 poses and 2 breathing exercises later, I was soaked and pretty exhausted. I must have downed four bottles of water when I got home, because I was slightly anxious about being completely dehydrated. For an extremely competitive person like myself, it is difficult to stay focused on a “sport” where there is to be no comparison, no wandering eyes, and it’s entirely about trying to stretch deeper and pursue flexibility. Finding babysitting for two hours a few times a week is going to be challenging, but I can already feel the difference in myself. If anyone’s interested in trying it out with me- let me know! They have a first time deal- $20 for 20 (consecutive) days and you can go as much or as little as you’d like. Hope your week is going well so far!
