This Year’s Costume ….
You know it is hard to find the “perfect” costume for my little one. This year, Jon wanted Christopher to be a boxer, with a large belt that read “Champion”, because that is one of his nicknames. But I know that while Christopher would make the cutest champion ever – i will not have many years to determine what he is, and my vote was that cute and adorable ruled over stud and manly!
It is now become a tradition with Jon’s Cousin Cherie and her little one, Aubrey Rose, who is 10 days younger than Christopher to get them together for the classic picture.
After there we went to my mom’ best friends’ house … Auntie Sheila’s!! We love it there because they have the best toys, number one, he get’s LOT’S of lovin’ and attention because they are just so good to him AND there is always great food!
Then off to trick-or-treating! Christopher didn’t really get to trick-or-treat, but he did get to watch all the other kids get candy. But he didn’t mind! Hey, at this age – strawberries are still a dream come true!
(We were just missing the flower)
Well, those were our ventures, days like these are so much fun!
Spirit West Coast – Monterey
This year, our friend who is the production manager of the Spirit West Coast Festivals asked Jon to be a judge for their indie competition in Spirit West Coast – Monterey. I have been in and out for just a day or two of SPW events for the past few years in Monterey and Del Mar, but I have not had the experience of the whole event from begining to end for about 10 years.
Being back in a Christian Festival environment was more pleasant that I was expecting. I found myself full of joy, smiling at everyone as if I was supposed to know them, and was really ministered to by the worship of the main bands – David Crowder, Jeremy Camp, Mercy Me, Barlow Girls (we missed Toby Mac – but did having a recording of an acceptance speech for him receiving the Male Artist of the Year for the Christian Music Awards). They have added a Veggie Tale Camp – which we experienced our first petting zoo, junk food galore! (we were blessed to have backstage passes and eat catered meals), but I did get my Kettle Corn, bought some gifts and Christopher got to take a picture with Jeremy Camp and tried to feed him rice cakes! I think we will definitely go back – it was a great trip for our family!
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- Jon with the other two Judges at the Air1 Stage
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- Christopher helping Dad decide who was the best band
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- Judges with the winning band
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- Jeremy Camp holding Christopher (guess he liked the rice cakes!)
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- The Fam
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- Pickle Man or Masked Cucumber – I don’t know his name – but we had to have a picture right?
Canoeing
I have a lot of summer activities to catch you up on. With the Christian Music Awards smack in the middle of summer, I feel a bit robbed of extra social activities, I put off my friends (thank GOD for their grace), I wake up early and go to bed late (or early the next day depending how you read time), however there are moments when I do do life. My dear friend Krystin Risch and her wonderful husband David invited us on a canoeing trip down the SJRiver.
Krystin will have a much more descriptive blog about it I am sure, but we had a great time with David leading us in country-western and worship songs – yes, David – not Jon. It was girls and guys canoes and though we capsized only once, we girls were stellar! Thank you Risch’s for the time. Can’t wait for David’s next hobby! 
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- The Boys
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- The Girls
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- The Capsized Boat – what gentlemen
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- The Team!
The Rest of Jon’s Birthday Celebration!
After our two peaceful days in Yosemite we came home and had church the next morning. It was a wonderful service as always, then we went to one of Jon’s FAVORITE places for lunch, Chipotle where some church family met us and celebrated with burritos and birthday cake!
After lunch, I took Jon shopping for a wedding ring. (Yes, he lost his 7 diamond wedding ring the first day we were in Kauai). Below are the top picks, what do you think?
After ring shopping he got some nap time at my mom’s and some intimate time with just him and the Lord. Then we came back to our home with a few intimate friends to celebrate and BBQ! There Jon was gifted with his birthday present – an above ground pool!!! (it’s 4′ x 20′)
I was VERY much against this, as I kept saying “that’s ghetto!” But, then I figured, since we live in the ghetto, we can get away with things like this. Heck, people park on their front lawn! So, once again Jon wins!! While we were in Yosemite, my mom and Jon’s family came over to set it up and fill it with water for the next few days. Despite my hesitancy, I think it is one of the BEST investments we have made! We love it and have been in it almost every day/evening. It’s only 4′ high, so it’s much like bath water! It’s too warm for Jon, but perfect for me and Christopher. and Bri gave us swimming tips for Christopher! THANK YOU GHETTO!! Thank you Mom, Jon’s Family, Gulke’s, Coleman’s, Amabisca’s, Johanson’s and Kiyuna’s for celebrating that special evening with us! We love you guys!
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- Jon with long time friend and new partner in ministry Rob Hutton
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- Pastor JR and Deidre. Sorry Dee, he WAS acting up!! ;)
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- The Kizirian Families!! Three generations there!
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- Church Family! (Doesn’t little Caleb look like Christopher? – They’re going to be great buds!)
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- Jon and Marcos
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- Karen Tesi (one of the sweetest persons in the WORLD), Jon, Shirley (Jon’s BIGGEST FAN!!) and Nick – stud guitar player coming up on the scene!
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- The ring options. What’s your vote?
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- Christopher first thing in the morning setting up for the party – hence the hairdo – sitting as his brand new table from G-ma!
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- The Gift!
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- All the boys!
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- JR and Christopher
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- Jarrod and Sarah – know what Jon Loves: A basket full of hot sauces!!
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- Neil, Me, Jon and Charity
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- Me, my mom and Jon. The WORLD’S BEST MOM! Thank you mom for all of your help in blessing Jon!
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- Josh and Addalynn – she partied hard!
We Love Yosemite
This year for Jon’s birthday (which he turned the big 3-0!), we started the celebration with two days in Yosemite, one of our favorite getaways. We slept in the back of the truck bed (YES! Christopher too), we were lucky no bears or rangers! We found out after we got there that you can’t do that. Opps.
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- Dad and son with their shades ready to take on the falls!
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- Christopher LOVES nature. Loves the birds, the squirrls, the trees, the DIRT! They are all so wonderful.
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- Me and my boy!
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- Dad and Christopher riding a bear. ;)
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- Doing it the ways boys do.
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- We love animals! We were lucky enough to feed a squirrl. Shh, don’t tell the Yosemiteians.
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- Christopher was soooo tired from all of his hiking! ((I cherish moments like these))
Book Club Thingy’s New Book
I will confess first thing that I am not necessarily an avid reader. In fact I really don’t read much, I am in awe of those that find the time, I guess I am much more selfish with my time and must spend it on frivolously selfish things. Anyhoo, my girlfriend, Krystin Risch started a book club called “Book Club Thingy”. It’s catchy. We have met once in June, our first book “Mother Teresa, No Greater Love”, of which I got half way through. I wasn’t alone, so that made for fun conversation! Our July meeting is this Monday. Now I have a confession, I just purchased our second book on Wednesday, “Francis Chan’s Crazy Love” (which I found out for July 09 is christianaudio.com’s free audio book download of the month). You still have a few days left!
What I didn’t know is that this book is part video recommendations and as well. The first video which I just watched last night is called “The Awe Factor”. It really is incredibly humbling and very awing. It made me very silent, I didn’t have much I could say after watching it. I wanted to share it with you and am very interested in what comes to your mind after you watch this. I hope you are in awe of God our Creator and His awesomeness as much as I am!
Celebrating 30!
So it’s been a while since my initial posts, but I have been busy doing life, working, traveling and celebrating A LOT of 30th birthdays. My girlfriend, Kimiko turned 30 in January (which I have been asked not to post those pictures – for those of you there, you know why ). Anyways, Kim and I have been best of friends since freshman year of HS and have been through a lot together, including coming to the Lord.
We have always both enjoyed traveling and the adventure side of life and would do special trips for each other for our birthdays. Later in life it became a pedicure spa and lunch day! So for her 30th I wanted to do something special and memorable for her. In January, Allyson Tapley, Lisa James and I threw her a dance party – which was off the hook! Thanks Matt Roper! And I gifted her with a trip out of town to visit our close girlfriend Candice Marderosian in Malibu (and get our toes done of course)!
The vacation started out in San Diego in a presidential suite at the Omni Hotel (sweet), a dinner and visit with some old friends who now live in the area and a night out dancing! (Kim and I love to dance). Then we headed for Malibu in her convertible doing it like we were in high school again …top down, music loud, dancing in the wind! It was fabulous!!! Here are some pics of the trip, sorry no wild ones, but it was definitely something we need to do more often!
Kimiko getting her drive groove on!
Kim, Candice and myself at a restaurant in Malibu with our toes in the sand!
Maisee Sloan (the cutest little thing), Robbie, Candice, Kim and I at their home away from home. Thank you guys for breakfast!!
Shopping day. Girls, I don't know what your husbands said, but I got into some serious!!!! trouble!!
LET’S DO IT AGAIN!!!
Spilled Coffee & That’s the Way it Should Be
The other day I was a bit overloaded with deadlines piled one on top of the other. For those of you who don’t know, I have the privilege to work from home. While I have one of the best kids on the face of the planet (I truly do), he is still a baby and all boy at that. So this one particular day I had a red bull, water glass and cup of coffee (with vanilla creamer) sitting on the side coffee table.
My darling little one was going straight for these things, as I saw it coming I grabbed the empty red bull can and water glass to take into the kitchen. Pulling Christopher with me I left the coffee glass knowing I was going right back and really wanted to finish it and Christopher was going down for his nap anyway…. while in the kitchen my eye caught his water cup so I gladly filled it with ice and topped it off with refrigerated water for him. I walked back into the living room to find my son standing over my lap top, 5 – yes 5 note pads FILLED with important notes, numbers, etc. and him with my coffee cup turned completely upside down – empty. Coffee over it all. I was so furious; we have white/cream couches and carpet (well the carpet could be argued with all the other stains). And without a thought I grabbed him, said “NO!” “Christopher, NO!” I slapped him on his little tiny thigh – twice – yes twice, and his little heart cried so hard (this was really the first time I have ever gotten this upset with him), with no tenderness I carried him straight to his crib and slammed the door. Yes, I even slammed the door, can you believe it?!?!?
He cried for just three minutes or so and was out for his nap. He woke up a few hours later and when I opened the door there he was, filled with love in his little heart for me, so glad that I was coming to rescue him ready to go play! Not a single remembrance of how I had so harshly disciplined him. My heart just grew that much bigger for this tremendous little person.
Later that day I was telling Jon what I had done (this was really out of character for me with Christopher), and that Christopher the amazing little person he is when I went to go get him he held nothing against me, as if nothing had ever happened and we were just best of buds as we always have been. And with no hesitation, Jon said “That’s the way it should be” ….
So thank you Christopher for teaching me about unconditional love! “That’s just the way it should be.”
I couldn’t wait to share …
Okay, so as I mentioned there are some pretty random bloggers out there and as you spy through a few, you find some golden nuggets. My friend Krystin Risch has been blogging for a while and when time allows I would catch up with her life via her blog. She follows many different people and I will confess that one in-particular had a title that turned me off a bit and actually even surprised me that she was following. So after seeing it enough times I decided to visit this site. Stuff Christian’s Like. I will confess that I have only read this blog not even a dozen times or so, but every time I have, I find myself LAUGHING OUT LOUD and on occasion feeling the early symptoms of incontinence. Maybe TMI, but this fella is down right hilarious.
Now, be warned you may not get his humor. A few times with tears in my eyes I have called Jon to come and listen as I read, and as I am hysterically laughing with hardly no composure he struggles to find what has me so tickled. Nonetheless this is one site that I am very much looking forward to reading and glad to share with you. Thank you Krystin for the lead and THANK YOU Lord for humor and for this son of yours who has the ability to share it.
I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think and if you have other sites you recommend, please let me know. (I wonder how much time does one spend reading about others lives.)
Cheese
I said in my “About Me” section that I am nostalgic.
| noun | Nostalgic: a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one’s life, to one’s home or homeland, or to one’s family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time: a nostalgia for his college days. |
After reading the official definition it seems a little depressing, but I promise I am not a depressing person, well, at least I don’t characterize myself that way. Anyway, tonight we were watching the “History of Cheese” on the History Channel! Yes. And me being a true cheese fan was interested in this segment. Well, I just wanted you to know that I think cheese is nostalgic. With all the economic chaos and advanced techno-society (oh, did I mention I will make up my own words) I think cheese is a rural experience that cannot be replaced. It takes us to a place of simplicity, history, kindness. Now maybe you had to watch the full documentary with me to have this depth of appreciation because I see that I am sounding quite silly. But, I am NOT talking about the all american 2% cheese slice (though they do make the BEST grilled cheese sandwiches.) I am talking about a variety of great cheeses with grapes and figs and breads and olives and salami – oh my! I think I will have a few girlfriends over and enjoy some cheese and reminisce. Is anyone feeling me, or should I just stop now? Because I could go on….
