"It is too easy simply to talk or concern ourselves with the poor who are far away. It is much harder and, perhaps, more challenging to turn our attention and concern toward the poor who live right next door to us." Mother Teresa

My Friend

Thanks to technology, I was able to talk to my dear friend Sarah, in Sierra Leone. I was sitting on my comfortable couch and she was sitting in a mine. She is going to eat Top Ramen tonight (which she has to ration out) and I am planning on going out to eat to PF Changs with some friends. It was awesome to hear her voice, to talk about our upcoming trip to Sierra Leone, and let her know we are so proud of her. We asked her what we should know before coming...she said, "Come with an open heart. God is going to teach you something that you probably won't expect."
Isn't she beautiful?

I was trying to think of something to blog about, when the huge heart hanging on our fridge caught my eye. I thought I'd share with you one of my most treasured Valentine's. Though Taylor spoiled me, this Valentine came from his RA's (with a little prompting from Taylor I think). A poem like this could make any girl's heart melt: "Your cookies are as if sent from Above A major resaon for our love Thank you for your time and your warm heart We're sorry for when we're in your room and we fart The coffee you brew is nearly divine We hope that you cherish our Valentine!"

We May Not Have Kids but...

... we do love our nieces and nephews for reasons similar to these. I got this in an e-mail today.
Why We Love Children

1) NUDITY I was driving with my three young children one warm summer evening when a woman in the convertible ahead of us stood up and waved. She was stark naked! As I was reeling from the shock, I heard my 5-year-old shout from the back seat, "Mom! That lady isn't wearing a seat belt!"
2) OPINIONS On the first day of school, a first-grader handed his teacher a note from his mother. The note read, "The opinions expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his parents."
3) KETCHUP A woman was trying hard to get the ketchup out of the jar. During her struggle the phone rang so she asked her 4-year-old daughter to answer the phone. "Mommy can't come to the phone to talk to you right now. She's hitting the bottle."
4) MORE NUDITY A little boy got lost at the YMCA and found himself in the women's locker room. When he was spotted, the room burst into shrieks, with ladies grabbing towels and running for cover The little boy watched in amazement and then asked, "What's the matter, haven't you ever seen a little boy before?"
5) POLICE # 1 While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary school, I was interrupted by a little girl about 6 years old. Looking up and down at my uniform, she asked, "Are you a cop?" "Yes," I answered and continued writing the report. "My mother said if I ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?" "Yes, that's right," I told her. "Well, then," she said as she extended her foot toward me, "would you please tie my shoe?"
6) POLICE # 2 It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking, and I saw a little boy staring in at me "Is that a dog you got back there?" he asked. "It sure is," I replied. Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then towards the back of the van. Finally he said, What'd he do?"
7) ELDERLY While working for an organization that delivers lunches to elderly shut-ins, I used to take my 4-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds. She was unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs. One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered, "The tooth fairy will never believe this!"
8) DRESS-UP A little girl was watching her parents dress for a party. When she saw her dad donning his tuxedo, she warned, "Daddy, you shouldn't wear that suit." "And why not, darling?" "You know that it always gives you a headache the next morning "
9) DEATH While walking along the sidewalk in front of his church, our minister heard the intoning of a prayer that nearly made his collar wilt. Apparently , his 5-year-old son and his playmates had found a dead robin. Feeling that proper burial should be performed, they had secured a small box and cotton batting, then dug a hole and made ready for the disposal of the deceased. The minister's son was chosen to say the appropriate prayers and with sonorous dignity intoned his version of what he thought his father always said: "Glory be unto the Faaather, and unto the Sonnn, and into the hole he goooes."
10) SCHOOL A little girl had just finished her first week of school. "I'm just wasting my time," she said to her mother. "I can't read, I can't write and they won't let me talk!"
11) BIBLE A little boy opened the big family bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages. "Mama, look what I found," the boy called out. "What have you got there, dear? " With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered, "I think it's Adam's underwear."

Freezing Rain? What's that?

We've never experienced freezing rain before. I don't think it occurs out west. But the other night, after a good 3-4 inches of snow, it started to rain. I still don't understand how when it's cold enough to snow it rains, but rain it did. The result? A sheet of ice completely covered the car, icicles were hanging everwhere, and the snow had a smooth glossy crust. We have never experienced anything like this. CRAZY

That ice rink out there...that's the tennis courts covered in snow topped with ice.

We Do Stuff!

We're just not as good at frequently posting like Jody (Sister). We've come to that conclusion and we're ok with that. That being said, we still do things, and we often think about blogging those, it just doesn't always make it's digital appearance. I'm sure we could come up with plenty of excuses, but we'll save you the time.
That being said, we had a great Sunday night this past weekend. We spent the day meticulously cleaning our apartment and cooking dinner for a group of six friends that were coming over for this groups monthly game night (hopefully it looked clean in the video below, cuz that's what they got). After some amazing Tortilla Soup, we spent the night yelling numbers at eachother; normally no higher than four. This, apparently, is how you win the game "Pit". A game from 1904, it's one of the best we have ever played. Great food, loud fun, and spending time with people who we're really getting attached to. So...We Do Stuff!

Apartment Update

We've mentioned that the office was getting a makeover and that we finally got a couch. Well here's proof. Again, the video doen't do justice, but you get the idea. Enjoy!

Make an online slideshow at onetruemedia.com

Taylor may be sleeping on the couch tonight!

Don't worry, no need to call the marriage counselor, it just might be safer for Taylor to sleep on the couch. This morning I was in a light sleep, dreaming that Taylor and I were having lunch with some friends. In my dream, I playfully reached over and pinched Taylor's butt. Appartenly I act out my dreams, because I abruptly woke up Taylor with a nice real pinch. That may be too much information to share on a blog, but funny right? Taylor decided to brave another night sleeping nexts to me, let's hope tonight I don't dream about being a boxer.