Some Birthday Present

Joah turned 30 on Tuesday. On Thursday morning he woke up stiff and sore from sleeping wrong. I guess getting old comes like a thief in the night.
Wednesday night, we celebrated his birthday by going to the new Rave Theater to see Quantum of Solace (the new James Bond movie, which was pretty good according to me who has never seen a Bond movie before). As we came out of the theater through the unlit overflow parking lot, discussing the movie and anticipating waking Jack from his slumber at my parents' house, we approached the car, which looked a little funny. "Oh no," Joah said, realizing the problem before I did. "We have two flat tires."
Sure enough, both tires on the driver's side were totally deflated, causing the whole car to lean to the left. We have a spare, but that doesn't help two tires, so we called my dad, who was thankfully still awake, to go and get the fix-a-flat spray from Joah's truck and bring it to us at the theater. Meanwhile, Joah started changing the back tire for the spare as we wondered aloud what we might have run over on our way to the movies.
Realizing that Raley's might have fix-a-flat, we called my dad to tell him not to come all the way out because we were going to try to make it to Raley's before they closed at 11:00. We hustled across the empty parking lot and across the street to Raley's where we made it by 10:58, just before they locked the doors, and did find what we were looking for. We made our purchase and headed back to the car, slipping on some mud in the dark, almost falling, but not quite.
Joah attached the fix-a-flat bottle to the remaining flat tire and started spraying... and we began to hear a constant hisssss. I pulled out my cell phone, opened it up, and shined its light on the tire. There it was. A lovely slash. We inspected the other tire, and sure enough: another slash, longer than the first. Someone had slashed our tires. Ours. Out of the whole parking lot of cars. No one else was standing around with cars leaning to the side.
We have no McCain/Palin stickers, we have no Christian fish. We did not cut anyone off on the road before the movies. There was no rhyme or reason to the slashing.
The next day being Thanksgiving, we did not want to leave the car anywhere for two days, so Joah called a tow truck (thankfully covered by our insurance) to tow the car to our house, and my dad came to take me back to their house where I took Jack home in their Expedition.
The tow truck did not arrive to pick up Joah and the car until 1 AM, so we were both glad that the next day was a holiday.
Joah joined the throngs of shoppers on Friday morning, searching not for deals on Christmas gifts, but on a set of tires, which must be replaced in groups of four, lest the all-wheel-drive vehicle be ruined. The man at the tire store told Joah that another man had recently come in with all four tires slashed, also at the Streets of Brentwood shopping center.
Lesson to be Learned: Don't park in an unlit parking lot, especially at the Streets of Brentwood. Or else become Amish so you drive a horse and buggy with wooden wheels that cannot be slashed.

Raking the Gravel

I recently looked out my front windows and found, to my interest and wonder, two strange horses, feasting on my front lawn. What do you do with horses who have no saddle, no bridle, no lead rope, and no apparent owner? You hop on bareback and ride into the sunset, of course! Just kidding. You call your landlady and she calls your back neighbors, whose horses they are.
What a surprise--horses on the front lawn!

Jack's favorite activity lately is to drag or push anything with a stick attached. My mop, my broom, Joah's rake, Joah's shovel, on carpet, on linoleum, on cement, on asphalt, on gravel, on dirt, on grass, he pushes, he pulls, he drags, he drops, he picks up again.
And here is one of our rare attempts at self-feeding with a utensil. We try it every once in a while to see how motor coordination is moving along. Most of the time, Jack helps mom or dad with the spoon. Somehow the face gets a little less messy that way!

Joah's brother Jeremy and his fiance Julie came to visit last week. It was great to see Jeremy again, and so fun to meet Julie! Their wedding is in North Carolina in January. Joah is the best man and Jack is ring bearer. I, thankfully, am nothing but mom, wife, and sister-in-law to key players, and helper-where-need-be.

What a cute couple! Julie's first trip to Cali... This was on the way to the airport to drop them off...

...and Joah and I got to stop for clam chowder in a bread bowl for lunch at Pier 39 on the way home! (Jack was home with Grandma! Thanks, Mom!)

Don't Read This if you Tivoed ER

I repeat, DON'T READ THIS IF YOU TIVOED ER!
They brought back Mark Green. And Carrie (What was her last name?). And Bulldog Romano. And Jerry.
I got a little teary when Dr. Green first came on. (What ER fan didn't sob when he died?) And Carter is supposedly coming back this season. I feel like these are long-time friends and tonight's reunion was a wonderful breath of fresh air!
And are Abbie and Luca living near Doug and Carol Ross in Seattle? Are they now friends and do they all work at the same hospital?

Is there any other show in history that has completely recycled its entire cast (save for one lone, long-standing nurse)?
If you have never seen ER, I cannot say you really should rent the DVDs and watch all of the seasons (fifteen seasons would be quite a lot of TV time) like I would tell you with The Office or LOST, but I will say that you have missed out on a truly good show.
What will I do with my 10:00 hour on Thursday nights when ER is over? It has been a fifteen year (maybe fourteen year--I think I was too young for the first season) standing date that I will miss. I hope it ends well.

Thoughts on Cauliflower

The other day, I gave Jack some cauliflower. It wasn't the first time he'd eaten cauliflower, but maybe the second or third. He was sitting in his high chair in the kitchen, and I sprinkled a few florets on his tray. I turned for a minute or two to rinse some dishes in the sink, and when I turned back around to see how the Little Buddy was doing with his vegetables, his tray was clear! I was so proud! However, as my gaze widened, I found that Lulu the cat was enjoying a cauliflower on the floor nearby. (Note to self: Cats enjoy cauliflower.) I looked more carefully and found that, to my dismay, camoflaged on the white linoleum, was all of the cauliflower I had given to Jack. He had decided that he knew better what to do with his lunch than I. Throwing it on the ground proved much more fun than popping it in his mouth!
I began ruminating on this one as I heated some more cauliflower (to be dipped in spaghetti sauce this time--the all-powerful sauce of disguise). I wonder if this is how the Lord feels about me sometimes. I thought of the parable of the talents. The master gave three servants money to take care of in his absence. Two of the servants doubled the money by investment--wise use--and were able to give much back to the master. The third servant buried the money, afraid of losing it, and was only able to return to the master the same amount entrusted to him. The master told the first two servants, "Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master." However, the master was quite angry with the third servant, who had to reap the consequence of his laziness. (This is all in Matthew 18 if you care to look it up.)
I am often like the third servant--like Jack. Mommy knew that Jack needed vegetables for lunch, but Jack did not use the vegetables Mommy gave him as she intended. He wasted them by deciding that he knew better how to use them. Instead of nourishment, they provided temporary entertainment. The third servant did not make the best use that he could with the resources that the master entrusted him with, so he could not give back to the master as he might have. I, too, do not make the best use of the resources God has entrusted with me. I am selfish with my time. I do not minister to others enough, I do not pray enough, and I do not study the Word as much as I should in my free time. I am selfish with my money. I find myself not wanting to give at church, wishing that money could stay in my checking account to be used as I wish. I am like the third servant; I am like Jack.
The cauliflower was a good reminder to me to be seeking the Lord's will in the use of my resources so that I can invest them in His kingdom and offer them back to Him... not because He needs anything from me, but so that I can glorify Him more and more, thereby entering more fully into the joy of my Master!

A Lizard and a Pumpkin Patch

On Tuesday we went to the pumpkin patch with my MOPS group. Here are a few pictures...




Jack was more excited about dirt clods than pumpkins, and he even decided to taste one (a clod, not a pumpkin).

Earlier in the month, while Joah was doing some yardwork, Jack and I found and caught a lizard (later to be safely released on the woodpile).
Jack wasn't too sure about that lizard... See how he looks at it...

Good Times!

Whew! We've had a busy few weeks!

It started with an unexpected Steven Curtis Chapman concert (Thanks, Mom and Dad!) That concert (and his recent loss) was a wonderful reminder that everything we have was given to us by the Lord, and we must not take for granted any blessing that He has given us!

And then a bachelorette party for Jodie...
Here are Jodie and Jamie--my cousins--at Va de Vi in Walnut Creek where the bachelorette party was held... They're so cute!

Here are Jamie and me with another cousin, Holly... With so much family stuff going on lately, it's been good to reconnect with Holly! She's a fun girl! I hope we can hang out more!
Then, as usual, a few days after the bachelorette party, the wedding! Here is the beautiful bride, wearing my veil (something borrowed!) and Uncle Pete, who looked very dashing and distinguished in his tux...
And eight friends at the reception. (Sorry--it's a little blurry if you double click.)
The girls at the reception: Kristin, Jamie, Celesta, Lindsay, Hollie, and me! (Jamie is wearing the bridesmaid dress--isn't it cute?!)
The cousins at the reception: Matthew, Jamie, Holly, Heather, Jodie, Ashley, and me! (Only missing David, the other boy, who was there earlier, but we missed him for the picture!) And no, I'm not pregnant, even though I look it in this picture-- just full of good food from Ralph's catering! If you ever take a picture with me, remind me not to stand sideways!

The family with Pamela, our new edition!, at Matthew and Pam's small reception, the day after Jodie and Drew's wedding...
Jack was (really Joah and I were) dedicated at church this morning. That afternoon, my parents invited friends and family over to their house for lunch. We were able to get a picture of Jack with his parents, his grandparents, and all of his great-grandparents! As Oksana Newhouse reminded me at church this morning, we are very blessed to have so many family members to support us, and all are believers. What a wonderful legacy for Jack!
Of course, while Jamie was in town, we had to get a "buddies" picture, as tradition demands!
I'm ready for things to slow down a bit now. We don't have much big on the calendar for a while, until Joah's 30th birthday or Thanksgiving, whichever comes first!

Birthday

My baby Jack is one year old (and has been for a week!)
We spent the evening of his actual birthday in the clinic at Kaiser for his 104 degree temperature (poor little guy!) but he enjoyed a party on Sunday evening. Here are a few pictures from his party:

The cake

The presents

He had fun with one of his balloons!

And more fun (with food in the mouth!)

After Jack started sleeping through the night, the year flew by, and now here we are at toddlerhood! Can you believe it?