Love

Having a child takes love to a whole new level. In a good way.

I feel more deeply, I love more fully, I laugh more sincerely, my heart delights in life. Children are indeed a gift from God. How precious and wonderful that He entrusts us with them! It's hard to imagine that one day she will no longer want to snuggle, no more laugh at the smallest things I do, no longer cling to me. I am living this up, enjoying every moment of her at this age. She is precious. My heart swells with love and pride and delight and joy in her.

I am so thankful to God for this baby. It gives me a glimpse of how He must feel toward each of us. Now when I see a person, I think to myself, "How I feel about Layla is how God feels about them." Staggering. Such love. Such such tremendous love God has for us! And what is man that you are mindful of him?

The love of God is staggering. Amazing. Incredible. Breathtaking. Beautiful.

Local Politics

This is for fellow 805 area code people and any others who care about local Santa Barbara issues. :-) We are moving to Carpinteria on Friday and it appears that a oil company wants to move in too. Blech. Vote on Measure J.

Measure J (Venoco's Oil Drilling Initiative) from Ted Rhodes on Vimeo.

sea

In honor of Nathanael's birthday, we went on a surprise whale watching cruise. Being on the water made me realize just how much I have missed being on the water! The ocean is so vast, so calming, so relaxing. It's a different world out on the water. Somehow your cares and concerns seem to float away as all you focus on is the peaceful lapping of the water, the playful dancing of dolphins, the beautiful relationship of a mother gray whale and her calf making their migratory route to find food in colder waters. Add to that scores of jellyfish, sky diving pelicans, and bobbing sea lions...it made for a fantastic day.

I love the ocean.

Happy Earth Day, earth.

Happy Birth Day, Nathanael.

spring flowers

I love flowers.

And my family.

If you are wanting to see some incredible images, check out this website: http://www.klphotoawards.com/ And you can cast your vote for your favorite.

Quote

I read an interesting quote today on a designer's website. I think it is true.

"I believe what you wear on the outside affects who you are on the inside. It is so much easier to be kind when you feel beautiful. You know this is true." -Heidi Merrick

www.heidimerrick.com

Craigslist

I love meeting random people through craigslist! It makes me feel so happy to live in such a nice, trusting town. Today we met 3 different family units through buying furniture off craigslist. Great deals, great people, great day.

One family recognized me from eating at a Thai food place on Milpas a couple weeks ago. They remembered Layla's name because now they're considering that name for their little girl on the way. :-) Another family's home burned down in the Jesusita fire and they're selling the furniture they had bought to use in their rental home while their home was being rebuilt. The third family was just super awesome people who are downsizing to a studio because that's all they can afford in this ridiculously expensive city. A sense of community is so much fun. Meeting people and connecting with them, even though they're strangers. Turns out meeting new people isn't that hard--you just have to get out of your normal social circles. And apparently buying things on craigslist is a good way to do so!

Yay. Sometimes I am just so full of happiness. What a great day.

Moving!

We are moving! Not super far away...just 20 miles down to road to the cute little town of Carpinteria. We are super excited, although we have absolutely loved living here in Santa Barbara as well. Nonetheless we are excited to move forward on this and into a bigger space for our growing family. Layla will have her own room (hooray!) which means that we also will get our own room (yippee!). We will have a dryer for the first time in my life and will live only a couple blocks from the beach and a couple blocks from our church. Farmer's Market will be a block away on Thursday afternoons and the grocery store across the street! I cannot wait. This will be the smallest town I've ever lived in, and I am so excited about it. :-) Who wants to come visit?!

And now the fun begins! What color should Layla's room be? What style dining room table should we get? Where should we buy a couch from?

Embrace your Life

I read a most profound statement over on Bobby Earle's blog today. It hit me in the face, because I totally do this and I need to stop! The last two years have been a gradual learning process to live in the here and now, to stop chasing after elusive "adventure", to stop idolizing travel and its excitements, to embrace and enjoy the life around me that God has blessed me with. I think I am beginning to make this lesson a part of who I am instead of fighting it. And thank you Bobby, because this was exactly what I needed to hear:

"Traveling is awesome if you have the opportunity — but the truth is that the good life is all around us. If you can’t find it at home, you likely won’t find it anywhere ;)"

Exercise during Pregnancy

Read this interesting article about exercise during pregnancy. Synopsis: study shows that light exercise during pregnancy may improve overall child health later on. Read the full article here.

Parenting: A Dance of Love

I've been thinking a lot about parenting. There are so many different theories and opinions.

Lately I've been thinking of parenting as a dance. There is a give and take between parent and child, a push and pull. We adapt to her, she adapts to us. Of course one of us must be the leader and the other the follower, but we are not drill sergeants. And neither is she boss. But in love, we engage each other in this dance, ever learning, ever moving forward. Swirling, twirling, stepping in rhythm. This is a dance of love.