The Dukes Report: All Dukes All the Time

Brandon Blogged on his Blog

2010-02-17T22:43:00.001-06:00

Quick update

2010-01-07T11:51:00.003-06:00

Our last blog was in October and we had been keeping in touch with people via email up until November and unfortunately since then I (Sarah Ann) have been without much internet access so I haven't been able to update people via the blog, email or even facebook.

Here's the short story:
Our time was up at the townhome we were renting in Big Lake, MN and the apartments the we could afford that were close to Brandon's work didn't have an opening so I moved to the U.P. of Michigan with Riley to live with my parents and Brandon stayed with some friends in MN to continue working there.

The original plan was just to do that for one month before we could join again and move into whatever new place opened up. But that plan changed when my dad has to schedule a surgery that would leave him needing daily care at home. So Riley and I have stayed in the U.P. with my parents so I could help take care of my dad. He continues to need daily care at home and can't do much but that's mostly because his leg is trying to heal up from an infection in his bone so he's not supposed to walk around much.

Unfortunately we don't have a short or long term goal except that we will make sure we are back together before the baby is born (due March 25). We are praying everyday about the next step to take and we are only ever sure of the step God wants us to take at the moment but never sure about where that step is taking us and what the next step will be.

Please pray for us as we continue to trust God in a more real way than we ever have before.

On a lighter and happier note:
Riley is being potty trained (currently on day #3) and it's going great, most all of the teaching has been learned we are just working on making everything a habit. He's as wonderful as ever and having lots of fun with Nana, Grumps, Auntie Abby, cousin Conrad, Grantie Susie and my sister's dog Jack!

The pregnancy is going great; we are still thinking it's going to be a girl and plan on naming her Ella Jane Dukes!

Sorry for the delay in updating this and the lack of photos or fun things to see; this internet connection just can't handle anything beyond the basics.
Please feel free to call our cell phones at anytime, that's really our only form of communication right now.

Love you all! Or as Riley would say "Uv you too!"

Riley's trigger thumb

2009-10-02T13:17:00.004-06:00

Riley's surgery on Tuesday went very well and we are back to normal at home. We were supposed to try to keep the bandage dry and clean for 8 days, until his post-op appointment next Wednesday, but that didn't happen. The doctor knows that it's close to impossible to do this with a two year old so we had instructions on how to redress it if necessary.

The only thing the instructions didn't cover is what to do if mom almost faints when she sees the incision and stitches in her two year old's hand!

This is a picture from almost a year ago. It's the earliest evidence we have of how long Riley's thumb was stuck. Can you see the difference between the thumbs? His left thumb is the trigger thumb.

When God gets you into a mess...

2009-09-21T14:42:00.003-06:00

I have been threatened to have our link deleted from a dear friends blog, so here is what's up with the Dukes right now.

Every since the church closed we have felt like we waiting in limbo for the next thing God has for us. We seemed to have transitioned out of a lot of things (my job, our old apartment, the cities, church) but not transitioned into anything new. It feels very awkward and can be depressing if we don't concentrate on God's love for us.

It felt like the only thing keeping us from floating into the abyss of nothingness was Brandon's job, which he doesn't feel real certain about either (not that he would lose his job, but that he might want to find a new one). So I sit at home with Riley and we make the most of things while Brandon works crazy long hours at work (plus two hours of driving every day)! Riley and I see Brandon two or three nights each week and when the weekend comes and we are both so happy to spend time with him and get out of the house!

As we talked more about Brandon finding a new job we realized that without anything tying us down we could go anywhere and do anything that opened up, but if it's not where God directs us then we are finding our own way out of the mess that we let God direct us into. What good would that do?!

So our motto is: God got us into this mess and we're only taking his way out!

So until God directs us elsewhere (which could come in the next couple of weeks or not for months) we are doing the same old thing. Granted we will have some things to share about Riley, etc...but not much for now. Thank you for your patience as we wrestle with being content with where God has us and finding whatever he has for us next.

There's still hope for my chick flick sickness!

2009-07-14T12:40:00.014-06:00

Note: This is kind of the conclusion to the previous post.

All of the distressed women of the world who tirelessly watch chick flick and seek to understand men and long for that click flick experience can now be satisfied!

Coming to a heart near you (a.k.a. your heart) is the man who doesn't need to sleep and can watch over you night and day
- the one who can read the mind of those around you to keep you from harm (but longs to hear you tell him your thoughts and desires as if your the only mind he can't read)
- the one who has super human speed and physical ability
- the one who whisk you to the top of an ancient tree overlooking a beautiful mountain valley!

...

I know it sounds cheesy but really, God is the one!
AND EVEN MORE, God is the explanation for why we have these longings in the first place!

QUESTION: Why would God create in us a longing to be loved in such an extreme way if no man could fulfill that desire?
ANSWER(DUH!): Because men are not supposed to fulfill that desire for us - only God can!

SOURCE OF MY 'FINALLY UNDERSTANDING': The Bible (duh again!) and Mike Bickle's teachings on the Song of Songs. (Thanks for lending this to me Jonas!)

Song of Songs 2:3 - "Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest"
Jesus is like the one and only apple tree among all the trees in the woods - the only one that can really satisfy our hunger!

Song of Songs 2:4 - "Let him lead me to the banquet hall"
The'happily ever after' happens when the two lovers are wedded and they celebrate their love for each other over a feast at the wedding reception!

(There's tons more that I am learning but these are just a few of the tidbits that apply to the chick flick sickness.)

...

Sounds too perfect for Hollywood, that wouldn't make for a good movie without the conflict and climax where it looks like it's all going to fall apart!

Oh, wait, there's another trying to steal the affections of the bride-to-be?!
Oh no, he's really sneaky, and super suave, she doesn't even notice what's happening!
And the audience feels like screaming at the women: "Are you stupid? Can't you see what this other deceptive guy is trying to do!"
You almost want to shut it off because she's just too stupid!

Actually there's way too much conflict and too much heart ache thinking about the bride giving so many of her affections away elsewhere and not to the groom - and what a cliffhanger it would be unless you mentioned the big comeback by the groom!

...

Well, I have decided my life can be the ultimate chick flick and all I have to do is enjoy the presence and crazy love of God. Easier said than done but totally worth it all!

Again, I know it sounds cheesy but I honestly had a really long blonde moment or something and just realized how click flicks have a great place in God's ultimate design!

:)

The Ultimate Chick Flick

2009-06-22T08:49:00.018-06:00

Last night Brandon and I rented "Twilight". I usually would never had rented a vampire movie but my sister (who I think is even less likely to enjoy a vampire movie) said she saw it several times and loved it.
So I had to see what the fuss was about. And boy, did it create a fuss in me too!

WARNING: Don't keep reading if you haven't seen the movie. I am going to ruin some surprises for you if you keep reading.

It was really strange how this movie didn't seem like a vampire movie, but rather the ultimate chick flick. And my analytical mind (that drives Brandon crazy when we are watching a movie together) realized that this story seemed to be the epitome of a passionate love story.

And eventually I realized that they couldn't have achieved this epitome of a love story without making the man a super human with..
a) ultimate strength, speed and mind reading,
b) the wisdom of hundreds of years
c) the ability to protect his woman night and day because he doesn't sleep, etc...
A man who truly has nothing else to do so he can devote every moment and breathe 24/7 to his mate (who, by the way, is the only mind he can't read, because that wouldn't make for a very fun relationship).

So I tortured Brandon with my analysis of what women truly want in a love relationship (that one thing that woman are trying to engage in as single women in the dating scene; that thing a woman will always want even after she's married; and probably the major factor in why women have affairs). We want those oogly googly moments where a man looks into our eyes and truly wants to know more about us, is intrigued my our uniqueness, wants to be with us all the time and is willing to do super human things to protect us!

CAVEAT:
I know I'm not really capturing the true essence of what is it women need but I'll leave that up to the self-help section at your local bookstore. (And I'm sure I would be able to articulate this better if I ever got around to reading the "Captivating" book by Eldredge.) But for now, I'm just sharing some thoughts stirred up by the movie.

Then (later in the night as I was still obsessed with processing all of this) I realized it's really a bummer movie for men. Yes, Brandon liked it because of the action scenes and things like that, but from the perspective that this is the ultimate chick flick all the regular human guys on earth could get really discouraged that they
a) DO have to sleep at night to regain strength
b) AREN'T faster than light or
c) strong enough to take their women on a ride to the top of an ancient tree overlooking mountain ranges and rivers whenever she would like, etc...

All of these thoughts led to a lengthy conversation (at midnight, as Brandon is trying to go to sleep) between Brandon and I about the passion we felt when we were dating and engaged. Things seemed to change so fast and much seemed to be lost after we entered survival mode because of finances and having a kid and super busy lives. We stopped hanging out to just enjoy each other.
Many of you know exactly what I'm talking about, even if/when you do get to go on a date you have things you want to talk about.

So, I'm not trying to make a special recommendation for the movie. Rather, I'm intrigued at how they used the life of a "vegetarian" vampire to create what felt, to me, like the ultimate chick flick or passionate love story. I'm sure this sounds pretty pathetic but I don't really care because it helped me remember some pretty important stuff that shouldn't be forgotten or lost after you get married.

Something's missing...

2009-06-14T20:18:00.032-06:00

I am super emotional right now and those of you who know me know that's a pretty big deal. Even though I am a female, I am NOT much of a "feeler" and much more of a "thinker". It is to my fault sometimes that I am very business-like with everything in my life. My emotions almost always take back seat to my check-list. Even my thoughts usually ignore my feelings. But eventually the big emotions catch up with my mind and pound down the door to explode into front & center stage!

So here I am on a Sunday evening...
Riley went down to bed like a perfect big 2 year old!
The house got a deep clean this week and we even re-cleaned some things after the party!
Everything on my checklist is checked!
Sounds like everything should feel perfect, right?!
But it doesn't...all I can think is that it feels like something is missing!
(And something tells me it has nothing to do with a checklist.)

I told Brandon how I felt and, like the great husband he is, he prayed with me, hugged me as a cried, and put my favorite movie in the DVD player - Cheaper By The Dozen!

So here I am, watching my favorite feel-good movie, snuggled up with pillows and blankets and on the couch with my husband! But something is missing!

Now it feels like it's my thoughts that aren't caught up with my emotions. Can you tell I'm a helpless emotional!!!

So what's missing...
...I miss my church family...
...I miss my family family, and nowhere feels like home as much as being with them...
...I'm dreading Brandon going to work tomorrow and I feel like I miss him already...
...I miss having my long checklist of Riley's party plans to distract my mind from my emotions...

Honestly, I know I was right with the first one = I miss my church!

For those of you who don't know, my ("our" if your from TCC) church, Twin Cities Church, has closed. We ended with the loving arms of our Father wrapped around us and worshipped him together for our final Sunday morning service on June 7th.

I really haven't figured out what's ahead but blogging (and the movie) are helping me find an optimistic thought and I look forward to talking with God each day this week as he walks me through what feels like grieving. Grieving the loss of my church...
...my family away from MI...
...my best Minneapolis friends...
...my spiritual encouragement...
...my long time unofficial part-time job...
...and for a short time, my latest official part-time job...
...the church that got me through college...
...the church where I was married...
...the church where my first and only (so far) child was dedicated...
...the church where I preached my first and only (so far) sermons...
...the only church I have ever know as my own, besides the church I was raised in, in MI...

I will never forget the mental pictures I have of those moments in the church when God spoke to me or the many amazing things that came from our kids as they were exposed to God's presence.

So what are those 5, or however many, steps or phases of grieving...

Here's what I found online (not scientific, but general concise info):
http://www.webmd.com/balance/tc/grief-and-grieving-topic-overview
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%BCbler-Ross_model

Step 1, Denial - check. I think my business-like mind takes care of denying the emotions.
Step 2, Anger - check. Coupled with guilt. Step 3, Bargaining - check: Riley's party was how I compromised with the certain fate that things would not be the same anymore for my church family.
Step 4, Depression - I think this is where I am at now, although I wouldn't call it depression, that's a bit too strong of a word.
Step 5, Acceptance - I'm sure this is coming soon and I'm looking forward anxiously!

To all my friends/family from Twin Cities Church, I know I will see you all soon but I also know that closing our church will have a real affect on each of us and all of us. So please feel free to share your thoughts and prayers, just like we always have, and that should never change.

What do you hear when you look up at the sky?

2009-05-14T10:50:00.002-06:00

My vacation in the U.P of Michigan was great; I saw many of my best friends from back home and got to spend lots of time with family, including celebrating my sister's birthday and Mother's Day!

One of my favorite things (as always) was playing card games with family in the evening after supper when the kid is in bed and all the dishes are done. Bonus for me this trip; I won every game we played!

Another favorite thing was the clear bright U.P. sky. I have always enjoyed and loved the scenery in the U.P, even when I was growing up. I remember staring at the sky, taking late night walks and pretending I was a great photographer at a very young age because I appreciated the beauty around me. I wouldn't have been able to say exactly what I liked about it at those times but now I know that even back then God was announcing himself to me through his creation. Somehow it feels like a personal conversation just between him and I even though I know everyone can see it and he wants everyone to see him through his creation.

God has been calling our church to drown ourselves in his love and his presence and this trip was certainly a continuation of that. After a great worship practice on Saturday evening before I left the presence of God strongly lingered with me all through the night, the next morning and throughout Sunday as he touched each heart in church. I left for the U.P. after church and his presence was still lingering as I drove across Wisconsin and that's when I began to hear his announcement.

The sky seemed to be clearer and bluer than ever and the clouds seemed to be fluffier and whiter than ever! Throughout the rest of my trip everything in the sky seemed so clear, even when the sky was grey and full of clouds long dark clouds.

So what was his announcement? It's hard to describe but wasn't communicated in words and I don't know if there are words to described it. Let's just say that I knew very clearly that he was anxious to be with us and sky that was a beautiful display of him showering us with his love.

A "stay-at-home-mom"'s vacation

2009-04-28T15:28:00.002-06:00

A week at her mom's house!

With no income all we need is a free place to stay where someone will make the meals, clean the house, do the laundry and take care of the kids for free too!
Well, we all know that doesn't exist but my mom's place is the closest it gets.
I will help make meals and still take care of Riley while she goes to work (because she stayed at home with me when I was growing up so she is still working her but off) but she will take him from me every chance she gets and she'll pay when we go out to eat. And I will help with the cleaning and laundry but I won't be the only one in the house that thinks about cleaning and laundry! :)

The icing on the cake is NO internet and plenty of safe outside acreage for Riley to run around in!
So from Sunday, May 3 through Tuesday May 12 I am sippin' mom's ice tea and reading a book outside in the fresh UP air (well, maybe during his nap)! :)

See you back online Wednesday, May 13th for the same old facebook chatter and bloggin'.

Riley & Esther

2009-04-06T15:54:00.004-06:00

Riley and Esther get to play together every Thursday and they learn so much from each other. Almost every Thursday they tumble down together as Esther attacks Riley for a hug. One Thursday the tumble resulted in a fat lip for Esther. As you can see Riley forgives easily and is quickly back to playing big brother to her.

This is how I manage mealtime with both Esther and RIley. It works especially well if they are eating the same thing. They are always wearing their matching Baby Bjorn bibs (Riley wears the blue and Esther wears the red - and yes, Riley knows the difference and doesn't like if Esther takes his). This particular time they were both eating cereal (Cheerios) and I refilled each of their bowls at least three times.

Drivin' it into the ground!

2009-04-02T14:15:00.007-06:00

I am trying to tap back into my roots because our car has been diagnosed with a fatal engine and it's not worth it to spend the large amount of money necessary to replace the engine. So we're drivin it into the ground!

One of the things that is way different about where I grew up is the lesser amount of new cars on the road. People really know how to get their miles out of a box of metal.

I grew up in the Upper Pennisula of Michigan (the UP) which has a similar culture to northern Wisconsin and northern Minnesota. Some call it "back woods" or something like the Iron Range. Whatever you call it, it is different from other places and may even seem behind-the-times. But that's where I grew up and I am proud of the things I learned that I would not have learned anywhere else.

Please share your stories of how effecient you or your "back woods" friends and family are. And if it's your heritage your boasting about please leave some fun facts or links so we can appreciate it more!

If you have a really good story I will respond with one of my favorite Yooper (someone from the UP) phrase: "Holy Wa!"

More fun Yooper stuff:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Peninsula_of_Michigan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yooper_dialect

http://www.dayoopers.com/whatwher.html

All alone...

2009-03-11T14:33:00.002-06:00

Everyone finally got fed up with the Minnesota winter and took off on me!

Brandon is in California on a business trip for a week and is currently at Disney/not working (his second time at a Disney without his wife and child, both of which have never been to any Disney or theme park).
The Sjostroms are in India for a couple weeks and I am praying like crazy for 2 more sermons!
The Blanchards are going to Florida for Kris doctorate graduation, hooding, etc...and I'm watching their house, kids and dog for 5 days.
I honestly can name at least 2 more friends that are vacationing right not but I am just checking in on the one's cat a couple times, so it's not a big deal.

So starting tomorrow I am a lone pastor, single mother of 4 kids and taking care of of 3 houses.

Don't get me wrong, I truly love being able to help everyone out and I am excited that God blessed all of them with the opportunity to enjoy these trips but I am definitely feeling a little left out!

It's a good thing preparing 2 sermons is more than enough to keep me busy as an amateur preacher. And I'm sure being a single mother of 4 kids won't be boring! :)

My renewed love for IKEA

2009-02-06T21:34:00.012-06:00

Check out these crazy colors in our new bedroom!

Only IKEA has been able to help me make this work at an affordable price.

A more seroius note:

This place is a major blessing and we love it!

Riley's latest talents

2009-01-19T23:14:00.004-06:00

The pretending stage is the best!

Many of you have little ones that will be doing the same soon! :)

Riley's first snow experience

2009-01-12T17:22:00.006-06:00

Last year Riley was too young to play in the snow so this is his first time playing in snow and he loves it! He doesn't like it when we bring him back inside because he is getting too cold.

He got a little sled and shovel for Christmas and daddy took him out to play in the snow!

Riley attempting to dress himself...

2009-01-09T22:53:00.003-06:00

This is from few months ago but we think it's really cute!

Riley's exploration of the day (1/7/08)

2009-01-07T22:55:00.003-06:00

If Riley could talk, I swear he would have said:
"Gee, those carpet care commercials sound a lot like Sesame Street they way they sing those number songs."

Explanation:
Riley and I were in the kitchen and a commercial came on the television in the living room. We weren't paying any attention to what was on the TV until a classic jingle sang the phone number for the carpet care company to end the commercial.
Riley's ear perked up (so to speak) and he stood still for a second and then ran into the living room to see what was on the television. I had this motherly intuition that he was expecting to see sesame street singing about the number of the day.

Riley's christmas fun!

2009-01-06T21:32:00.004-06:00

Riley got one of his gifts early so he had something to climb around on besides our dining room table and of course he played with the box more than the gift for the first few days. But he definitely loved the slide and enjoyed going down with his friend Curious George.

Then we went to Michigan and he was much better with removing wrapping paper than he was last year or for his first birthday, in fact he was a pro ripping through a couch full of gifts from Nana.

And then we got all dressed up for the Christmas Eve service; he was the best looking guy there!

New Years Eve Day House Hunt Route

2008-12-31T01:12:00.003-06:00

20 Houses we tried to look at December 31st, 2008. Thought the route was extraordinary and wanted to share it with our onlookers. Plus, apparently we have not blogged since June. We are now semi-annual bloggers.

View Larger Map

They grow so fast

2008-06-07T08:15:00.002-06:00

Riley at 5 months old (his first Halloween).

They develop so much in just 7 months!

(Riley's first Birthday video to come soon [as soon as the technology works].)

2008-04-23T21:55:00.002-06:00

Somehow they are still cute, even when they are really crabby!

Just when you think your infant can use other forms of communication besides crying - then comes the teeth and more fun faces!

The real reason I was finally motivated enough to take the time to blog again...

2008-04-20T22:22:00.004-06:00

First we were worried about him hating tummy-time, then someone (with all the love in their heart) told us he would be stupid if he didn't crawl first and all that turned out just fine!

He has been semi-stable on his feet for a while but wasn't interested in walking on his own - and now that has come too!

P.S. Watch for the couple of times that I ask him, "Where's Riley's tongue?" - That's his other fun trick for the week!

Like son like father?...

2008-04-20T22:15:00.003-06:00

Riley in the laundry basket -
Brandon in the laundry basket - aren't they both so cute!!!

Riley's firsts...

2008-04-20T22:08:00.002-06:00

Riley's first Halloween

Riley's first Thanksgiving

Riley's first Chirstmas... sleeping with some of his new toys - including the vintage 1982 glow worm his mommy got him on ebay.

Like father like son...

2008-04-20T22:02:00.002-06:00

Their oral hygene is up to standards even if their hair is a little out of control.

Gettin' big fast

2008-04-20T21:37:00.002-06:00

Tiny little newborn Riley
4 months old and still a little guy.
Not so little anymore...

Through all our struggles with Riley's weight he was always healthy and by 6 months he was starting to fill in. Now, at 10 months old, he is almost 25 lbs and really starting to fit into those ears.

P.S. Brandon wasn't with me at Riley's 9 month doctor visit and they were shocked at his climb in height, weight and most of all the size for his head! But I assured the nurse that they would not question the large size of Riley's head if his father was with us! :)

Beautiful scenery

2008-04-20T21:25:00.003-06:00

Before I post Riley's updates I wanted to show you a picture I took last fall in the U.P of Michigan.
My parent's are going through their mid-life crisis; and in the U.P that means you build garages bigger than your house and buy 4-wheelers. So Brandon and I took a ride on the 4-wheeler through my old moutain biking trails.

When I look at this picture I remember the great times I had the God, walking through these beautiful woods asking Him tons of crazy questions about life. Thank God no one heard those conversations but the squirrels, bunnies, turkey and deer - and they didn't seem to mind, often they would just look up from eating and stare as I walked by and then return to eating.

Alert the news - we're blogging!

2008-04-20T21:14:00.003-06:00

So before I start updating, I want to go back and review:

1. We have several other friends with nursing babies now - anyone want to share a story of the random things you contemplate by yourself or with your spouse while nursing?

2. All the new things we went through last year are still great blessings and we still have fun challenges in all areas of our lives as well.

3. Riley has obviously grown a ton so I will be posting a few things to show the stages.

LOST

2007-09-23T23:19:00.000-06:00

Jonas has preached several times this year about characters in the bible whose identities are truly found in God. And I must admit that I didn't really understand what that meant so when we were challenged to look at our own lives and check where our identities lie, I didn't really know how I apply the challenge to my life. How do you check where your identity truly lies? I am sure Jonas explained it to us and gave us some homework that would help us figure this out but I obviously didn't do my homework and here's how I know...

Let me step back for just a second and let you know (if you haven't been around me to hear me whine about this already) that I have felt lost for the last few months. This lost feeling was awful, overwhelming at times, affecting my family and I couldn't define anything about how or why or even what exactly it was that I was feeling.

Then this week I sat down for personal devotional time for the first time since we have been in our new place and probably even longer than that! (Yes, I know that a really long time and yes, I know I am a very bad girl and all that terrible stuff but that's not the point of the story, thank God!)

Very soon into this devotional time God smacked me over the head with his Captain Obvious hat and said, "You are lost because you have lost me!" Pretty dramatic right, well I had been quite the drama queen and I will humbly admit I had not given God any room in my life.

So, not that I recommend this, but if you want to find out if your identity is in Christ you could try taking Him out of your life and see if you still know who you are.

IRONICALLY, I HOPE YOU FIND YOURSELF LOST IN YOUR OWN SKIN!

CELEBRATE

2007-08-30T14:06:00.000-06:00

"I am overwhelmed!"

This statement has come out of my mouth too much lately! Why? Because I am married!
What is overwhelming me? Everything about my husband that is so unlike me. Everything about him that I don't understand. Everything going on within him that comes out at an inconvenient time (for me). Everything about him that I don't know how to deal with it!

I know this is NOT a struggle foreign to other couples; whether married, dating, or just a couple of close friends.
But somehow knowing that others struggle with it doesn't make me feel any better, it just makes me think that there is no solution!

Well, I would like to share what Brandon and I have been trying to help us deal with each other and see what you think.
Hopefully you can share any tips you have, even if they didn't work; it would be funny to hear what other people do to deal with each others oddities.

In a time of deep thinking, searching for the right attitude when the worst attitude kept creeping up, I thought to myself,
"I hate the way I react to his strange habits even more than I hate the habits; I don't feel like I have the right attitude about this struggle." (In case you missed it; those thoughts came from God trying to show me my errors, of course!)
So then I thought,
"Maybe I should try celebrating those things instead." (Again, I can't take the credit for the idea.)

Honestly, I didn't like the idea so much at first. But after I calmed down I decided to give it a try. So the next time I was with Brandon we were driving in a car and of course I started to get annoyed and then I shared the Celebrate Tactic with Brandon and right away decided to declare my celebration of all the things that had annoyed me in just the last several minutes.
But I didn't tell him how much they bugged me. Instead I said, "I celebrate how free you are to .... and all the things that your personality teaches me about loosening up!"
Of course, the statement sounded really funny and we both cracked up at how ridiculous it was that I couldn't just let those little things slide by. But we were laughing! NOT ARGUING!!!

So let us know what tips you might have. We haven't even been married 2 years yet so we are going to need all the tips we can get!
Thanks!

New Car

2007-08-08T20:03:00.001-06:00

We are looking for a new to us car, and want to know if anyone knows of anyone with a good deal. Sorry to use our blog for this, but thought it might be fun to find if someone from our blog circle knew of something good.

Needs & Wants

2007-07-16T13:55:00.000-06:00

We are a needy and wanting people!

It never fails that wherever you go and no matter who you talk to; you can't go one day without hearing about someone who is in "need" of something. In fact we probably can't go one day without voicing our own needs and wants. Sometimes there's big needs and sometimes it's just a small want.
I'm sure this sounds like I am going to complain about how we should be satisfied with what we have but that's not where I am going with this.

There is certainly nothing wrong with needing things, that's how life goes; we all have a long list of needs that we require to stay alive and even more needs if we aspire to grow in fulfillment and happiness in life. But for every true need and for most of our wants there is always another story we should follow up with: telling of how God provided. I love hearing stories of how God provides for His people! I have a ton of my own stories about how God has provided and I haven't told many of them (and those I have told deserve being proclaimed over and over)!

So here is my first story:
This has been a year of new beginnings and transitions for Brandon and I, with the major item on the list being the new member of our family, little Riley Joel. This child has brought many new things for Brandon and I. New roles as a mother and father. New areas of our relationship as we venture to learn how to parent together.
And of course we have a new set of needs! more time, more money, baby supplies, a bigger living space, another car, more flexibility in our relationships...

Riley is only 6 weeks old and already I can testify that God has begun to provide for each of these needs and exceed our expectations (as usual). In fact most of these needs were taken care of before Riley was born!

I (Sarah Ann) got a raise right before I left work for Maternity Leave.
My boss insisted I take the entire 12 weeks of Maternity Leave with no pressure to return early, and even offered the possibility for extra time off work beyond the 12 weeks.
My boss offered (I didn't even have to ask) for me to work part time from home after I return from Maternity Leave.
Brandon got a new job with a higher salary. (There are other blessings with his new position but I will let him tell that story if he would like.)
We had four baby showers that blessed with everything we needed for Riley Joel and more! We barely had to purchase any baby items from our own pockets. In fact we still have several gift cards we are using up on baby items. And don't expect to have to make any significant purchases for Riley Joel until his toddler years, including clothes (we probably have enough clothes to last until Riley is almost 2 years old)!
We found a great place to live with enough space for our family in a great neighborhood, rent we can afford, all the amenities we need and pool to top it all off!
And the most recent blessing came this weekend when the our Jehovah Jireh led someone to write us a check for $2,500.00 to put towards the purchase of a car! I don't even remember asking for any help with the car, I simply hadn't got to that in my prayers yet!

Well, I could go on and on, and already have quite a bit. Now I want to hear some of your stories!

Riley Joel

2007-06-10T20:27:00.000-06:00

This is a video I shot of Riley when he was just chilling on our bed at only 3 days old. Super Cute

Nursing Discussions

2007-06-08T21:37:00.000-06:00

So Sarah and I have been given the time to talk during nursing. Although this is a wonderful time for Riley and her to bond, it is also a good time for her and I to ponder things in life. Tonight it was the dartboard. I was staring at the dartboard, and began to try and figure out if there was any rhyme or reason behind the layout of the scoring sections. Sarah suggested that I wikipedia it, but I wanted to still try and figure it out, not to mention that would mean I would have to get up from my couch. I couldn't stand it any longer after my eyes started playing tricks on me. Try staring at a dart board for 20 minutes and you'll see what I mean. The answer to tonight's query is that the dartboard is laid out with the 20 at top as standard, a bulls eye in the middle, and that's all that really matters. However, the rest of the numbers were laid out so that the layout would penalize inaccuracy. For example: At the widest part of the 20 section, if you were to miss either left or right of that you would end up with a 5 or a 1. Interesting.

NODNARB

2007-06-05T23:33:00.000-06:00

Hey everybody! I have my own blog for my own thoughts now too. Check out www.brandonbackwards.blogspot.com!

Crown College

2007-06-04T23:05:00.000-06:00

With the beginning of our new roles as parents, there are also a lot of other changes that are are happening to us. The next one is that Brandon is switching jobs. He was offered a position at Crown College, another private christian college, to be the Director of Bookstore Services there. He is very excited about this opportunity, and cannot wait to start there. His first day will be Thursday June 14, 2007.

Additionally, at the end of July, we will be moving to a new home somewhere in the western metro.

A blessing from Heaven

2007-06-04T07:10:00.000-06:00

On Thursday May 31, 2007 at 12:21 PM Riley Joel was entrusted to us by God. We are so happy that our new son has arrived and are enjoying every minute with the little guy. He may decide to start his own blog too.