31/365: Breakfast for Supper

It's forcasted that we are supposed to get snow. Let me rephrase that, LOTS of snow. Lots of people are stocking up on things and hoping for the electricity to keep running. That probably would have been the smart thing to do. But, instead we had breakfast for supper.

Our very own "Marlboro men" decided they would make supper for us tonight. It was greasy but So good. Biscuts and gravy, eggs, sausage, and bacon. Yummy.

My arteries probably hate me right now but oh well. Thank boys for supper.

...so this is a weekly tradition now right?? Boys cook one night a week right Becky??? :)

-MK

30/365: The Temptation

There are things we shouldn't do, but not all these things have immediate consequences. In fact, they probably would be gratifying...for the moment. But, in the end you realize that light at the top of the stairs that looked so enticing, so dangerous, so fun, was really just a messy, empty, and lonely bedroom, and you find yourself feeling the same.

This is the nature of sin. Sometimes Satan likes to use the unknown and curiosity to get the best of us. We all fall into it, from the little things to the bigger things.

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
-Matthew 26:41

You start wondering what it may be like to have one more thing in your life, a little more money, a new relationship. At first it starts as something small, sometimes even innocent, but soon it affects your entire life and the people you surround yourself with. These actions lead us down the path of addiction, obsession, and guilt.

Satan loves this. Not only has he led you to believe that these things will bring you happiness, but the guilt and shame that comes with it makes you feel as though you can never be loved again, that not even your creator would forgive you. Then,our pride and Satan tells us that you can get your way of the sin trap on your own. There's no need to confide in anyone for help. If you do, you're either seen as weak, stupid, dirty or damaged.

Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."

Here's the thing. As I told 6 beautiful young ladies tonight, there's NOTHING too bad for Christ's forgiveness, and as the body of Christ we should be willing to love others when they open their hearts to us, become transparent, and vulnerable.

I love this quote by Jerry Bridges:

"Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace. "

My prayer is that you will accept the grace that God so freely offers to all who will receive it. I'm thankful that our God is a god of second chances.

-MK

29/365- Doors

Life is full of opportunities, or doors if you will. We often hear or say things like, if God closes a door, He opens a window or something of that sort. Clever... but probably not true to reality. If God wants you to go somewhere, I don't think He expects you to climb out the window, my guess is He'll get your attention and unlock a different door... or two...

I believe that sometimes God unlocks or opens multiple doors and gives us a choice of where we want to go. After all, the truth is that most of the time it is not about where you go, it's about WHO YOU ARE while you're going. When we are more focused on being God's people, the geographical location becomes a minor detail. Obviously, He gives us a brain to make smart decisions. He expects us to use the intellect, discernment, and wisdom He's given to us to help us make those decisions. But sometimes I think we get too wrapped up in the "will of God", as if that meant being in a specific location rather than in being a person of God, and allowing Him to work in your life wherever you are.

But to stick with the analogy of doors in our lives. Sometimes, I believe He gives us a peek through the key hole. The door isn't open yet, but its unlocked, and you can definitely get a glimpse of what awaits you on the other side of the door. It takes faith to open an unlocked door when you've only seen a small portion of what awaits you. It's the faith that is important, not necessarily the door. The doors are simply there to stop you for a minute, to give you time to pause and refocus on what's important, and walk on in faith.

I think we too often frame God as the designer of a cosmic rat race, guiding us through a shifting maze of doors and hallways to reach the "big cheese" at the end of the maze. The point of our lives isn't to go through all the right doors to get the cheese. The point is to raise our eyes above the doors and walls that surround us and seek after the creator Himself. When you seek Him, you are no longer focused on the maze at all! When you look to God, doors are no longer the focus of your attention... He is.

So pause. Refocus. Remove everything that isn't Christ... and turn the handle.

-Steve

28/365: Multiplicity

I've got a magic potion to double...wait...multiply myself by 6. It's called Photoshop. Looking at this photo it's a little too much Mary Kim for me (and probably for my husband).

If you've ever seen the movie "Multiplicity" it's kind of like that, except for I'm not sure which one would be the dumbest one...?

Now, this is my first attempt at a composite image, so please be nice and don't look too closely!! I totally stole this idea from another blog post I saw a few years ago. Let me make it clear that this is not the agenda of my everyday. I'm in my "office" everyday working on images and taking care of business matters, but some would probably think that this is what I do all day.

It's not.

I don't vacuum everyday and laundry gets done once a week. (If I'm lucky) ;)

Wish I had a #4 to send to Wal-Mart right now. But until I find the real secret to cloning myself times 5...I gotta run. :)

-MK

27/365- Angry Birds

So if you've got a iphone, mesmerize, or other smartphone with apps and games, you've probably heard of Angry Birds. Basic concept: launching various birds through various barricades to destroy the various green pigs that stole their eggs... hence... making them angry. It's an evil game! I'm so addicted that I think I need to start an accountability group meeting. Angry Birds Anonymous or something.

Are you addicted? Here are the symptoms of Angry Bird Addiction (ABA):

-Instant Mood swings. Fits of excitement followed by frustration and anger.

-Gross neglect of everyone around you.

-Sleep depravation because you stay up until 1-2am trying to get to the next level, or that coveted 3rd star.

-Constant charging of your phone (because it depletes the battery like you're powering your whole town.)

-Procrastination of duties until after the next level, then after that one, then after that one...
-Angry wife. (Though you're oblivious to the fact that she's upset until your battery dies)

If these symptoms describe you, seek help immediately. Contact me, and we'll form a group. Although, the group may just turn into a bunch of people playing Angry Birds and not talking at all.

The sad fact is, those addicted to Angry Birds won't read this post because they're playing right now.... and to be honest, the reason I'm blogging at this moment is because my phone is dead due to those blasted birds!

-Steve

26/365: Danger Zone

It's been so cold here lately. Much different than Jacksonville, NC, Bowling Green, MO still functions even in 6 inches of snow!
I used to laugh at my friends in NC that would complain about the roads being "horrible" and it being so cold (in 30 degree weather) and now it's backfiring. I'm now the one in Missouri freezing and am SO cold!

Over the past couple of weeks we've had more snow than I saw in the 2 years I lived in North Carolina. I forgot how tricky this weather can be. I have yet to purchase a good pair of ugly snow boots, however will probably be doing so soon.

Our back porch is a danger zone right now. The entire thing is covered in snow. Not only that, but there's ice too! Speaking of snow boots, I bet I wouldn't have slipped and fell the other day if I'd opted out of wearing the cute camel colored heeled boots and instead wore the ugly snow boots.....Sigh....

The porch is also covered in pee spots because Sasha doesn't realize it's not the yard. Dumb dog- bless her heart. At least they're not "landmines".

Also, as shown in the photo above, large icicles are hanging from the roof. It's a wonder that one of them didn't get knocked loose when I fell and impale me!!

Dear Spring, please get here soon. I don't feel safe on my own back porch.

-MK

25/365: Kid at Heart

That's right. I still cut my sandwiches in half...corner to corner. There's a lot of things I do that make me feel like a kid- like cutting my sandwich in half, or riding on the back of the shopping cart in the parking lot when no one's looking. I'm guilty of singing into hairbrushes and jumping on hotel beds. I also eat things like string cheese and jell-o pudding cups. (oh and I love Capri-Suns still too) Don't hate!

It's so funny how when you're growing up you want nothing more than to be older. Then you spend the the end of your life wishing you were young again. I am caught in the middle. I don't wish to be older but I don't long to be young again either. Don't get me wrong, high school was fun but even though my high school experience was great, I don't ever want to go back.

You're only as old as you feel right? If that's the case- I think I'm 17, but only on the inside. (or outside some may argue)

So as I see it, I've got the best of both worlds. I want to be 25 forever. :)

By the way- water is winning. I've had 2 Dr. Peppers in the past 2 weeks. (maybe 3 if Stephen remembers to bring me one home toinght) :)

24/365- Pro-Life

I don't get wrapped up in politics. I couldn't care less about Republican or Democrat. Don't get me wrong, government is important, and I have my personal convictions. However, as a pastor I don't believe it's my place to preach politics. Jesus obviously saw the corruptness in the Roman governments, but He didn't come preaching social reform, He came to bear witness to the truth. To bring forgiveness, love, and life.

So as a Christ follower, I believe that I should do the same. So tonight I was invited to speak at a pro-life event. Like I said, I don't get too wrapped up in social rallies, but I accepted the offer because I believe that it was a platform to point to Christ. After all, God is pro-life. Since... you know... He's the creator of life.

So I spoke on the Bible's truth that life begins at conception. That it's our responsibility as Christians to help, love on, and pray for hurting people. Most importantly though is the truth that we live in a fallen world, that are all sinful people in need of a Savior, and the only One who can save us is Christ Jesus.

Thank you Lord for life, eternal life, and for a life that is full of JOY!! I mean look at this little guy!! Just another reason to be pro-life.

-Steve

23/365: Up to My Knees

I'm up to my knees in work this week and I'm thrilled about it. :) I'm hoping 2011 keeps bringing me work. I think I mentioned work one time so far on our project blog.

I am a natural light, lifestyle photographer and I work out of my home and I love it! If you've never checked it out, my site is:

www.mkloefflerphotography.com

and blog: http://mkloefflerphoto.blogspot.com

A new site is coming soon. (part of my work this week) As for now, I hear my images calling my name to come back to them so I must go.

- MK

22/365- Six strings to heaven

Praise the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing His praises in the assembly of the faithful

Psalm 149:1

I really love singing and playing the guitar. When I was in college I wrote a few songs, but I haven't truly been inspired to write in a long time. I guess I wasn't suppose to be a famous singer/songwriter. Haha.

I think its important that when we sing and write songs, we focus on the Creator of music, the Creator of words, the Creator of creativity. Our God is an amazing God and worthy of praise.

-Steve

21/635:Slumber Party!

Spending the weekend with some fun girls! That's all I can say right now. :)

Sorry so short tonight but it's time for bed. :)

-MK

20/365- Epic Fail

Okay so this is as bad as it gets!! Not only did I fail yesterday by not getting this blog posted because I was enthralled with our new iphonius maximuses (iphones), but then I get focused on writing this blog and see this! EPIC FAILURE!!!

Yep, while writing this blog I looked down to see what my son was playing with... christmas fudge. You can't see the box but I had a box of candies sitting beside my desk drawer, he pulled it out, opened it and indulged himself on some white chocolae fudge. AND THE WINNER OF "MOST OBLIVIOUS PARENT"..... (drumroll) .... ME! (Cheers and boos echo throughout the internet audience).

On the bright side, I was able to take this picture with my iphone that I had nearby, and within a few seconds... posted. NICE!!! I may be an oblivious dad, but at least I'm up to date!

Don't hate me.

-Steve

19/365: Fail

So I totally failed today. Day 20 and I already have failed. I've been super busy today editing my session from Monday and trying to get some things together for the weekend sessions. But, I mainly blame it on all the water I've been drinking in the last 2 days. I've had nothing but water to drink except for 1 7 UP and 2 glasses of kool-aid. Water is winning.

I'm sure this won't be the only failure during this project but I hate that I made the first one!! :(

I could have lied and said I posted on time because it's showing that I have.

:) I have nothing more to say except for today I was a little bit of a workaholic.



-MK

18/365: Sweet Potato Fu Man Shoo

Our sweet baby boy is not so little anymore. With a healthy appetite, it's almost humorous sometimes to see him eat his dinner. He makes funny noises like "Mmmm" sounds as he devours his lunch, squints his eyes, or scrunches his nose and even sometimes laughs out loud, because he's just so happy to be eating. :) Tonight Jaden consumed sweet potatoes, made by mommy and before I knew it he was sportin' a sweet potato fu man shoo.

I probably have a 100 photos of him eating.

In this particular photo he looks a little crazed, with his Einstein hair and Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) eyebrows...

this kid cracks me up.

I have nothing insightful to say tonight, or at least that I would feel comfortable sharing on the blog so you just get a picture of best recipe for mashed sweet potatoes.

1 large sweet potato
1 large sweet baby
Mischievous eyebrows

Boil potato and mash. Add to baby and top with eyebrows.

Whoa La.

- MK

17/365- Two years later

It seems like so long ago when this picture was taken. Sitting on a sandbag bunker playing guitar may not be exactly what you might think of when you think of a deployment to Iraq, but there were times when everything just stopped and life is beautiful again. There is always a sense of peace when you know you're exactly where you're suppose to be.

Two years ago I was stationed in the middle of nowhere, Iraq with some of the best men I've ever met. In the midst of uncertainty I knew that's where I was suppose to be. So some evenings, I would borrow a guitar from one of my Marines and escape from the darkness of a war torn reality. (No clue where my Marine got the guitar from, sometimes its better not to ask)

Music can inspire you, excite you, depress you, and sometimes it can take you far away from the reality around you. What did I sing about? Well, sometimes I'd sing about coming home, sometimes I'd sing about the love awaiting my return, but mostly I remember just praising God. Believe it or not, Iraq is a beautiful country with some truly amazing scenery. Desert sunsets, clear night skies, and the awe of a massive wall of sand bearing down on you can bring you to a true sense of worship.


There are somethings that pictures don't do justice to. This is one of those things.


I know that I'm probably breaking a rule by putting more than one photo up a day, or using past photos, but I don't care. These are the memories that I hope never fade, and always make me appreciate the things in life that I take for granted. Good things like hot showers, good food, clean laundry, and the peace of a full night's sleep. And the best things, like the proud handshake from my dad, the loving touch from my wife, and the laughter of my son.

May the memories never fade, the appreciation never cease, and God forever recieve the glory.



-Steve

16/365: The Reason

I'm jumping on the bandwagon and cheating on our project. I did not take these today. :)

I'm currently working on a new website. I've been trying to get all the images I want for my portfolio and everything else just perfect for it. I want clients/potential clients to get a feel of who I am when they visit the site, and I hope I'm successful.

I've been going through images and I ran across these and in the midst of all the "business" side of my job, these images made me stop for a moment and almost brought tears to my eyes. It's not that the photos themselves are amazingly composed, or the lighting is perfect, or anything technical; it's the relationship they've documented. I've decided these are my all-time favorites so far. :)

A little background on this daddy-daughter duo...
Eric and Libby are part of a family of 5. We were friends with them in North Carolina. Eric works hard to provide for his family and being a marine has made several sacrifices and spent much time away from his precious children and wife.

Libby may only be 4, but she's going on 25. I've NEVER met a 4 year old who is more of a little lady than Libby! I think her vocabulary is more extensive than my own! :)

When I came across these images it dawned on me.

This is why I do what I do.

It's not to make money, it's not because it's "fun". I am a photographer because when Libby is my age and getting married I want her to be able to put these images in her wedding slideshow. I want it to be a reminder to Eric of who's he's fighting for when he's deployed. I want Eric to remember how sweet his little girl is and one day, and when the sad day comes when Eric is gone I want Libby to be able to look back at these pictures and remember how much her daddy adored her.

If the relationships I capture accomplish this- It's enough.

If I never make another penny, it's been worth it. I hope that on my new site that clients get this, and see this through my work.

-MK

15/365- My 1st Formal

Apparently here in Bowling Green, they have something called a "Formal." It's a formal dance... party... thing. If you think Baptists don't dance, you are obviously misinformed because I have witnessed some mad dance-offs while playing "Just Dance 2."

Anywho, we had some awesome people come by tonight on their way to the Formal. Lee and Ben, Cassidy and Skyler, and Kylie and Jordan swung by and as expected in a photographers house, we took pictures.

Although I was very well dressed, as always, I had to decline their invitation to take all three of them to the Formal. (Who says that I don't wear ties?) Not that I couldn't pass as a high schooler, but I would have hated to rob Ben, Skyler, and Jordan of the pleasure of escorting these beautiful young ladies. :)

I am really blessed to be the youth pastor here, and was thrilled that they stopped by. It was a wonderful surprise and it made my night.

Dueces (peace signs)

-Steve

(Yes, MK, I know that I cheated in this post since I didn't actually take this picture. I'm okay with it.)

14/365: Smackdown

If soda is in our house I go through it....like I'm dying of thirst. I literally will tear through 3-4 sodas a day if I am not monitoring what I'm drinking. I'm vowing that after this case of Dr. Pepper is gone I'm not buying anymore...for a while at least, maybe "FOR-EV-ER" (in the voice from the Sandlot) I'm sure I'll go through withdrawals and get massive headaches, but I'll be healthier right? Here's to a healthier 2011.

If you must know, the Dr. Pepper won.

BUT...I'm currently drinking the glass of water as I type. Everybody wins. Hip Hip Hooray!!

13/365- 10 Minutes

It's 11:50pm as I type these words... wait... 11:51pm. This is the story of my life. Procrastinating until the last minute (or ten) to do something I've had all day to do.

Sure I've had all day to write a blog, but there were so many other great things to do today. Go to work, butcher some hogs, go out to eat, play some Wii... the list goes on. So here I am, 7 minutes left before I fail this years project.

I wish I had time to go into all the wonderful details that have made today, but honestly I simply don't have the time. Maybe this is just an excuse to be lazy. Here's the condensed version, I'll sum it all up in one magical statement.

"It's all fun and games until you shoot a hog between the eyes and butcher it, after that you find out that behind every able man, there are always."

Okay, I'll explain the last part. 2 Minutes... GOSH!!! I got a fortune cookie today that read. "Behind every able man, there are always." Wierd I know!!

Don't you hate it when people don't finish their.

-Steve

12/365- The Aftermath

I am not a baker, and I can barely call myself a cook. I've never been big on sweets, but ever so often I get the hankering for some homemade chocolate chip cookies. I have no magical recipe for these cookies I make. I've tried various recipes from people and I can't help but love the one that is on the back of the bag. Yup. In the words of Pheobe Buffay, "Nestlé Toulehouse" is usually what I like best. This time however I went cheap and got Hershey's chocolate chips. Steve says the batter tastes different. We'll see about the finished product.

While I'm not a huge fan of baking, I do enjoy cooking when I have the time. What I don't enjoy....what I hate is the clean up. I made Pioneer Woman's Chicken Noodles tonight. After clean up from supper I now have another aftermath from 34 chocolate chip cookies. Sigh...

Maybe my sweet, sweet husband will help with the clean up....hint hint... ;)

11/365- Goodbye Mommy Body

I left Walmart last night with Zumba fitness for the wii and a 1/2 gallon of chocolate ice cream. You can see how serious I am about losing weight. Every year I say I'm going to work out more. The last time I was really good about working out is when I was pregnant with Jaden. I was going to the gym 3 times a week then. I refused to gain unnecessary baby weight. Since then my workout routine has been little to nothing. Since Jaden has been born it's hard to get out of the house without him and our local gym doesn't provide childcare. (oh to be back on Lejeune) Therefore, I'm doing the mommy thing. I bought something to do at home. :) Now if I can just stick with it.

I had my first attempt at using this game today. Let's just say....I'm glad that no one was in my living room. :)

I felt a little lost in doing the workouts. I thought I had a little bit of rhythm. I've had a lot of people ask about whether or not I liked it. It's too soon to tell. :) I will say that if you don't have much rhythm it could be pretty frustrating. I'm going to stick it out for a couple of weeks and if I decide I hate it there's a 30 day return policy.

Here's what I learned today....I am OUT OF SHAPE!!! Just looking at the photo on the front of the game makes me cringe.

btw- really? Who looks like that? Or wears that much jewelry while working out?

Hoping this year I can whip myself back into shape. On the road to saying goodbye to mommy body.

10/365- reCALIbrate

Sometimes, you just need a recovery day. After traveling over 1600 miles over the last 5 days, it is nice to be home. Today we followed the lead of our eldest child, Cali. That's... our cat.

We can really only learn two lessons from this family feline. Lesson numero uno: Rest can be a priority and B: nothing good resides in catboxes. (Contrary to what our dog Sasha obviously believes. Uhh...goo.)

So today, we just decided to recalibrate. We adjusted our time zones, gave Jaden some much needed time out of his carseat, and caught up on some rest.

God sure knew what He was doing when he gave us a day of rest. So to Him, we say "thanks Dad."

-Steve

9/365- Trooper

Home sweet home! We have spent 24 plus hours in the car over the past 4 days. Jaden has went through 20 plus diapers and Stephen through 8 plus Cokes. :)

The past couple of posts have been a little bit like Debbie Downer so I'll keep this post short and light hearted...or boring.

We've determined that Jaden is pretty amazing. (not that we're biased or anything) I don't know too many babies under a year that have been half way across the country....twice. What a trooper. Anyhow, he was SO good in the car!

Guess the ipad we stole from the Parkers was worth taking....
Haha!! just kidding. We are not theives- pinky swear.
This is however one of his FAVORITE things to play with...our phones!!

We are home, my brain is tired, legs are aching and I'm ready to just sit with my boys, watch The Office and Modern Family and eat junk food. :) This is life as we know it.

8/365- Park-ing it

Mary Kim has been a light of encouragement, support, and love this week. She is by far the better part of me and words are inadequate to describe her beauty. She is the greatest gift of my life. She gets the picture of the day.

But the today's title goes to our new special friends, the Parker family. We have truly enjoyed and appreciated the southern hospitality of Alan and Denise Parker. It takes a special couple to open up their house to 9 people, 2 of whom spend the majority of the time crawling on the floor requiring constant supervision. But that's just the way Jaden and I are. :)

Besides the 6 adult Loefflers, two rugrats (Jaden and Haley), and Princess Ally, they have also had their children and grandchild in and out all weekend. Accomadating such a group of people is an impressive task that would send a lesser couple into therapy, if not a psych ward. Their love, grace, compassion, friendship, and hospitality give southerners everywhere a good name. We love you Alan and Denise. May the Lord bless you as you have blessed us!

-Steve

7/365- One Stitch at A Time

I spent the evening at the house of a sewing machine repairman. This particular repairman was a special one. In business for thirty plus years, this sweet man proudly, and humbly shared his success story. I just met Mr. Doyle yesterday, and already think the world of him. I believe you can tell a lot about a person from their workspace.

Today in a spare moment I milled around in Doyle's shop.
I saw shelves full of sewing machines from throughout the years. My guess would be they aren't current client's machines, but rather machines he has accumulated over the years. In hopes of someday getting to them to restore them to their ultimate purpose. I like this about Doyle. He sees hope when others give up.

I also noticed his carefully organized workspace. Several pairs of scissors rested neatly in a container on his desk. Lamps dimmly lit the area and several bobins and spools of thread lined the walls. I think I saw every imaginable color of thread in Doyle's shop.

....Then I saw it. A dry erase board above his desk said these words.

"Call hospital about cutting off Nita's ring"

My heart broke.

Here's something about this sweet man I met yesterday. Doyle became a widow this week. He and his wife were married 20 + years. He was married to Stephen's Aunt Anita. Over the past few days I've heard NOTHING but wonderful things about this man. Over the years he cared for his wife as she suffered from MS. I heard stories of him caring for his beloved wife through the years and his daily evening visits just to be with her at the care facility. Like his shelved sewing machines, Doyle had hope that his dying wife would one day be healed. As we said goodbye today to Aunt Nita I saw the peace in his eyes and his smile.

Tonight Nita is healed, and because of the hope we have in Jesus through a relationship with him, she is walking with Christ as I speak. Although his heart is broken, it can be mended again- one stitch at a time.

-MK

6/365- A book well written

When God in His wisdom and love began writing the story of our lives, His plan was to author our lives within the the threads and bindings of family. However, we live in a fallen world and these things have been corrupted by our inadequacies. Since we are imperfect, some lives are written into leather bound families, some are paperbacks, and some are mere scraps held down by paperweights of pain and heartache.

I don't exactly know how to describe our family's binding. We've managed to keep a hard cover due to our faith in God and love for each other, but most of the time we're more like a comic book when it comes to content.

However, today is one of those times when our hard cover comedy finds a moment of sincerity. Our family has met together once again to bear witness to the consequences of a fallen world. My mother's sister fought multiple sclerosis for some 20 years before kneeling to it's final blow this week. So now we have gathered our family to mourn our loss and rejoice in her gain.

We would all do well to understand the reality of this world, we are all on loan. We like to pretend that we have control or ownership of the things and people in our lives, but the truth is that everything good in our lives comes from God. We're all His. So when He takes back the friends and family we strive so hard to hold on to, we need not feel wronged.

We mourn our loss but rejoice in my aunt's gain, for we have the hope of seeing her again. She has a relationship with her maker and Savior, Christ Jesus, in whom is eternal life. It is to Him we're thankful for the blessings of her life and we have great joy that my Aunt Nita has eternal rest from the battles she fought so long.

"The Lord's delight is in those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His unfailing love" Psalm 147:11

-Steve

5/365- Chapter Three Syndrome

First off, the edit of this picture is not great. The quality of this photo is not great. I had to edit on a PC, that doesn't have PS (in Picasa....gasp!!). Call me a Mac snob (Liz Clay) if it makes you feel better about yourself. ;)

If you’ve ever read my business blog, you probably know that I’m not a reader. It’s not that I don’t like to read, I do once I get into it. I wish I had a love affair with books but I simply don’t. I wish I was one of those women who at the end of a long day pulls out a book from her nightstand, puts on her reading glasses and reads by lamplight till she falls asleep. I am not this woman.

Here’s my problem. I start books often. I get sucked into Barnes and Noble or Borders and will spend an hour or two and find a new book that has caught my attention. I read a few pages in the store, take it home and usually get through the first two chapters. That’s where I get stuck. It’s what I like to call “Third Chapter Syndrome”. I have a shelf full of books that have bookmarks at…you guessed it- chapter three. Last year alone I started five books. I finished uno. (Crazy Love by Francis Chan btw…highly recommended) At least most of them were from our local library.

My poor deprived and attention starved books. Their only hope of getting love again is if I travel. Today I am traveling. Lucky for The Atonement Child, (Francine Rivers) I tossed her in the car and am proud to say my bookmark rests in chapter six. Hoping to finish her by the end of the week.

-MK

4/365- Beggers CAN be Choosers

Meet Sasha....lover of long walks, peanut butter, and belly rubs. We've had Sasha almost 2 years. She's such a good dog with a baby. She's so loving and so clumsy...and dumb at the same time. :) Sometimes she barks in her sleep and hogs the bed at night. She sheds terribly but she's worth it. We love her very much.

Anytime I'm in the kitchen Sasha comes to see what I've dropped and look incredibly guilty while she eats it. Usually she'll eat anything.

There are a few things that she won't eat though. Mushrooms is on her "do not eat" list. Picky picky. These mushrooms were actually breaded and she ate all the outside off. Quite possibly one of the smartest things she's figured out how to do.

Steve says we should stuff her when she dies- like Rowdy on Scrubs. In the words of Andy May- "I think not."


...by the way- guess who won in scrabble tonight....

Mwuah- 233
Loser- 195

"Booyah"

-MK

3/365- Famtastic Friends

That's right, FAMtastic friends! As in friends who are so fantastic, they're family.

Tonight we had dinner plans with my friend Taylor, who just graduated Marine Corps boot camp, and his girlfriend Megan. Since we were in the Illinois area, we decided to swing by and crash at uncle Chris's house.

As a kid, I grew up as a Marine Corps brat so we were constantly traveling. 6 states, 7 schools, and 9 houses by the time I was 13 didn't leave much time for making a lot of friends. Then I moved to a small town in Illinois where I found the treasure of a lifetime... lifelong friends.

Chris is my best friend and has been like a brother to me since we were in junior high. Jaden got so excited to see Uncle Chris, he jumped around on Chris's lap until he spit up (as seen in picture).

So we'll spend the night making fun of each other, playing games, and probably watching TV until we fall asleep. Although right now, MK and Chris are seeing how many times they can hit Jaden's toy baseball back and forth with their hands before it hits the ground. I don't know which is worse, the fact that two adults have more fun playing with baby toys than my child, or that I'm entertained by watching it.

Either way, at least I won at scrabble last night! 192-261!!! BOOYAH!!!

-Steve

2/365- A Man of Many Words

Geeky? Maybe. Fun? Yes. I was accused of being a teachers pet in school, and Steve- he's always been the brains of the operation. Here we are for the 2nd day this week playing Scrabble.

This is in fact how we spent New Years Eve.

I'm saddened to say he beat me on New Years...and he's currently beating me now. :(

My best word- "dosed": 21 pts.

Steve's best word- "duty": 30 pts.

26 points behind with 14 tiles left in the bag. Maybe Steve will let you know who wins tomorrow since Monday is his day to blog.

For now I sit with the following:

OJUROVR

Babe, just for the record: I don't hate you. I may have said that after you scored another 30 points by adding 2 letters. This is my apology.

I guess when he wins it just makes him King Nerd....I'm kind of a sore loser. Until next time Scrabble King....

-MK

1/365- Introduction Day

I wanted to start off this blog with a picture of our family. I'm keeping it simple. Three reasons.
1. Our family is the core of this project, though it will not always be the feature.
2. I want to see how we all change in 365 days, so this will be our "start" picture.
3. If I start too big on day one, I'll feel like I have to go bigger and better with my posts. (lazy)

So here we go, this is us (Steve, Mary Kim, and our son Jaden) on Day 1. We'll call it "introduction day."

-Steve