I need some new Washington friends!

My sister is about roll her eyes at my John Mayer reference (come to think of it, so will Cameron). I don't care, I unabashedly love John Mayer, corny love songs, weird facial expressions and all. Anyways, anyone know that song by one of my faves entitled, "Comfortable"? There's a line in it that reads, "Our love was, comfortable, and so broken in". Despite the clear romantic love reference, it reminds me of friendship in some ways.

I've been thinking a lot about friendship lately. Mostly, because since we've moved to Washington, I don't really have too many friends, I need some but yet I don't really like the friend making process. Its uncomfortable, awkward and can be superficial. It feels like I'm dating again (oh, wait I didn't really ever date that much for this reason!!) There is a pressure of being unoffensive, because unlike with old, close friends, these new friend candidates don't know your heart and what you REALLY mean when you say something stupid and slightly offensive.

Don't get me wrong, I need new friends and love it when hearts connect because of a single common thread. I need to step out of my comfort zone. Its a good thing. But sometimes I wish I could just bring my old friends with me. So this is what I'll be looking for in my *new friends:

*Editor's note #1: If you're an old friend, rest assured that I am not giving you up. If you've been with me this long and still want to be my friend, NO WAY, JOSE, I am not letting go of you!

Tiffany- Tiffany and I met when we were doing an internship called Twentyfourseven in Birmingham, AL. She has beautiful red hair that matches her fiery personality. She was the first person (besides my family) to know that I wanted to lead worship and she didn't even laugh (when some certainly discouraged me). Actually, she forced me (very forcefully, I must add) to do something about my dream. She pushed me to not be afraid of uncertainty.

Sara- Sara Martin is one of the coolest girls I have ever met. She's fun, funny, laid back, smart, hot, and has the best laugh ever! We met because she was dating (and is now married to) my friend James. I remember really hanging out with her for the first time in Steamboat Springs and the Lord clearly told me that she was someone I needed as a friend and to make the extra effort in pursuing our friendship (and it wasn't because she said she was my biggest fan either!) I don't even think I've ever told her that. When I think of her, I immediately think of the tender way in which she speaks of Jesus. Like someone who really knows Him.

Jill- My hippie, friend Jill. In a time when Cameron and I were really depressed about living in Enid, we met Phil and Jill, the perfect anecdote to our sadness. Although Jill and I are very different, we connected quickly over our lunch dates. She was always trying to convince us that we need to buy some land together with them so that we could live on a commune together and raise our own organic crops and cage free chickens. Haha. And there was nothing like a game night with Phil and Jill (and our dear friends, Steven and Yami) to raise our spirits. But it is her childlike heart and optimism that I admire and value. PS: I think Cameron and I look really funny in this picture. Isn't my hair huge? And Cameron is looking really excited. haha.

Eryn- Eryn was my room mate at the Holt Manor (as we liked to call it). I met Eryn when I was in the School of Worship and she worked in the Worship Department at New Life. I'm not quite sure how we ended up being friends, all I remember is a trip to Denver with Jen Strube, eating hot peppers and James (as mentioned above) doing the running man in Cheesecake Factory. The rest is a blur. Eryn was always my sounding board, my lazy Saturday morning friend, my accessory store (she is the accessory queen) and my partner in our "If I ran the world" conversations. I value the depth of her insight, the shallowness of our shared humor, the width of her knowledge and the breadth of her love.

Lydia- My oldest sissy. We met when she was three and I was coming out of my mother's womb. Ha ha, nothing like a little birthing humor to lighten things up a bit. I'm not sure if she really wanted a little sister like me (full of energy and always trying to get a rise out of her), but took care of me nonetheless. She is even-tempered, not stirred by much, stubborn as all get-out, most compassionate and one of the most beautiful beings of the human variety that I have ever seen. Seriously, she could've been making millions as a model. But what I treasure the most of our friendship is the delicate balance that she has always walked with me, telling me the truth on one side, but being my biggest encourager and lifter on the other.

Whoo people, I'm getting a little teary over here. I promise I'll do a funny post sometime soon.

Sarabeth- my best friend. We met when we were in 5th or 6th grade but didn't really become friends until Twentyfourseven. When we both were reading a Brio magazine article out loud, mocking it endlessly, I knew we would be fast friends. The verse in Proverbs 27 comes to mind, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Iron hitting iron isn't always comfortable, it isn't always pretty, dull parts has to be removed, but it produces something remarkable. And so is our friendship. There so much to say about what I love about Sarabeth, but when it comes down to it, I love our friendship because we have a loyal commitment to one another. When life is good, we celebrate with one another. When life is bad, we cry with each other. When painful truth needs to be spoken, it is gently but firmly spoken. I know that she wants me to succeed. She knows that I want her to succeed. And we both will do whatever it takes to help the other person in that process.

*Editor's note #2: Just because I didn't mention you here, doesn't mean that I don't love you and admire you....

I bet you never knew

I've been thinking a lot about marriage the last couple of days. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it was because Cameron and I got to go on our first date since Malone's birth this week (many hugs and kisses to Christelly who babysat Malone). Perhaps I am discovering some new joys and challenges of marriage. Perhaps this has just been a week full of learning moments, good ones, but learning nonetheless. So I came up with a plan that would give you a bit of insight into our lives.

We would interview one another. It could be disasterous, completely boring or explosive. But it will be enlightening either way.

First I would interview Cameron....Its my blog so I get to go first, plus, its my idea. Hmmm...what secrets have I always wanted to know?????

M: Describe your childhood.
C: Happy, all- American, lots of sports, good friends and great family trips.

M: When did you first realize that you loved me?
C: Uhhh.... I can't tell you a certain point, not like a lightbulb turning on or anything. It just grew over time.
M: But when did you realize that you loved me enough to marry me? You're not giving me what I'm looking for.
C: Probably when I introduced you to my family and friends for the first time. I forget when that was.
M: Thanksgiving in Laramie 2004.

M: What memory or instance describes our relationship to you?
C: Playing rock, paper, scissors in the Frankfurt airport.
M: Really??!! Why?
C: Fun, relaxed and well-traveled.

M: Describe me, your wonderful, beautiful, loving, incredible wife.
C: Kind, funny, thoughtful, wise, natural mom, beautiful, wonderful cook, good conservationist.

M: What is your greatest hope for our family?
C: I don't know about my greatest hope but whenever I think of the end result I always have a mental picture of all my children and their children sitting around a giant dining room table at Thanksgiving, eating wonderful food, drinking good wine, loving the fact that we love the Lord and each other.

M: What is the top 3 fun things you want to do in life?
C: Go to the Kentucky Derby, Super Bowl, African hunting safari.

M: If you could redo one instance or moment in your life, what would it be?
C: Not being so cynical my first two years at the Academy (Air Force Academy). Just cause I feel like I missed out on some good experiences by chalking them up as "Academy Stuff".

M: What is the hardest part of being married to me? Careful, remember I am responsible for the food you intake.
C: Just learning to not be selfish and think about someone else before you think about yourself.

M: Would you rather have a huge hairy mole on your lip (where everyone could see it and stare at it) or a very painful sore on your back (where noone could see it, but it is very painful)?
C: On the back. Physical pain is way easier to deal with than social pain.

M: What is something that the readers of this blog would be shocked to discover about me?
C: Your goofiness. You're just a lot more silly in private than you are in public.

M: What has been your favorite part of becoming a father?
C: Having her smile at me.

M: What has been the most challenging aspect of becoming a father?
C: The constancy of it.

M: What is something that you wish people knew about you (obviously that most don't)?
C: I'm a terrible dancer.
M: You are not. You're a better dancer than me. Perhaps that says more about my dancing abilities than yours.
C: I think people know everything about me.

M: Well, alright.


I know Cameron hates these kinds of questions, but I always think its really interesting and by officially interviewing him for my blog, he has to answer. I'm a sneaky little thing aren't I? You're surprised I didn't ask him all questions about me, aren't you? Don't worry I didn't want to bore you too much. I keep my readership in mind. Next--- Cameron interviewing me. Put on your seatbelts, folks, this is going to be a crazy ride!

C: What was the hardest of moving to America?
M: Umm....just being far away from my family.

C: What was your favorite memory from theMill?
M: The first fall retreat, just everything about it. I just remember feeling so lucky that I got to do what I got to do.

C: Did you feel like you were a bit young to be getting married?
M: No, I was just worried that we were being naive and that reality would catch up with us one day. And so I tried to stir up fights with you in order to make sure that you knew what you were getting into.

C: What's the hardest part of living with me?
M: Sometimes you're really clean about stuff I'm not clean about and other times you're not clean about stuff I'm clean about.

C: What do you foresee as our biggest potential marital problem and how do you plan on helping prevent it?
M: You being gone all the time and me feeling like I'm not a part of your life. I think I'll try to prevent this by first, voicing those feelings when they are happening. Second, me having a good attitude about things and keeping them in perspective. And third, trying to have some of my own social activities so that you're not my only social outlet.

C: Where would you like to go on our 20th wedding anniversary?
M: Back to the same places we went on our honeymoon - Paris, Greece and Italy. But, this time fly first-class.

C: What's your favorite part of the day with Malone? Why?
M: I like it right when she wakes up from a nap and she's super happy and googly and I can play with her.

C: How many more kids do you want?
M: Maybe two or three more.

C: What is your idea of the perfect family vacation?
M: To the beach where we can relax, but also play with the kids in the water and build sand castles...and I can teach them how to boogie board and just play in general.

C: What skill do you think is most critical to being a good wife and mother?
M: Wisdom and being wise enough to follow the wisdom you know

C: If I run for President what issue would you take ownership of and seek to change?
M: (Lot's of laughs and a sarcastic answer about milk production) I don't know, health care seems like to big of an issue, education is too cliche...maybe working on getting America more physically healthy.

There you have it folks. Hope you have learned something, had a little laugh and maybe even shed a tear. Thanks for help with this, Babe. You're great!

Hot Husband and Sweet Baby

So, I'm taking a break from watching American Idol right now, because to be honest, Neil Diamond night isn't exactly super exciting. Ahhh, my love/hate relationship with American Idol. Anyways, thought I would brag on my husband and little girl for a minute or two...

This past weekend, we went to Oklahoma City. Why? Cameron ran Sunday morning in the Oklahoma City Marathon! I'm so proud of him and incredibly impressed by his physical prowess (hey, hey, get your mind out of the gutter, I'm impressed by his athletic abilities). He finished the 13 mile Half Marathon in 1 hour 43 minutes, which is a really good time. What makes this feat so astounding is that he didn't really train that much. I think his longest run in his "training" was a 8-mile run. I have to train just to be able to run 2 miles, never mind 13. OK, lets just stop for a second and put that into perspective. Running 13 miles is running 52 laps around a track (Ughhh, that would be terrible), for you Colorado friends running from church to my old house, aka the Holt Manor, which would take me 20 minutes driving, running from one end of the town of Altus to the other end and back, or running for the equivalent of the amount of time it would take to watch a movie...there's me watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith while Cameron runs his half marathon. Can you believe it? Needless to say, I'm so proud of him. And now that he's gotten a taste of sweet running victory he'll begin training for the Seattle Marathon (26.2 miles) in November.

I always wonder what one thinks about while running for an hour and a half or more. Well, I'm about to find out. Cameron has convinced me that I too can train for a half marathon in Seattle. I'm a little skeptical because I don't exactly have a loving relationship with running. When I played sports in high school, running was used as a punishment for doing something wrong. Didn't rebound enough? "Get on the line!" our coach yelled. Didn't play with full force? "Get on the line!!" Didn't hustle enough? "Get on the line!" How do I rebuild my relationship with running when it was so horribly torn down? But I've decided to do it, have something to work towards physically and I'm kind of excited. Now, me mentioning this to you means that I really am going to have to do it. May I mention that I've had 2 knee surgeries?..ok, ok...you're right, I'm just making excuses in case I can't/don't do it. And unlike my competitive husband, I really could care less about the time in which I will run the longest 13 miles of my life. My goal is just to finish, just do it, as the Nike ad would say.

OK, so on to me being proud of Malone. First, she slept through the whole 2 hour drive to Oklahoma City. Then when we went to the mall, she just sat in her stroller and looked around, enjoying the Oklahoma people gazing as much as we did. Then, as if it couldn't get any better, when we went to dinner with our friends, Steven and Yami, she just sat in our laps and looked at the scrumptious P.F. Chang's food, being as quiet as a mouse. Isn't she wonderful? We went to sleep pretty late and had to wake up pretty darn early. When we arose at the ungodly time of 4:30am, she woke up, ate and went back to sleep as we got Cameron ready for the race. We were all ready to go watch him run the race, but unfortunately we weren't quite ready for the rain and 40 degree weather. So we sat in the car while Cameron ran the race. BUT....she slept the whole time, which made it a million times easier.

All this to say, I'm so proud of my husband for his perseverance and so proud of my little girl for being soooo sweet and good. Hugs and Kisses to them both!

Here's some recent pictures: