(This is Joe’s post from chengblog.com)
On the way to Christmas in Phoenix, we spent a few days in San Diego for a little pre-vacation, just the four of us. On the first two days we hit SeaWorld and Legoland, and on the third day we just puttered around looking for good places to take pictures.
In Coronado, we hit the jackpot. Deserted beach, photography gold.
I am selling microloans again this year. They are $25 each (although you are allowed to give more). This is the front and back of the card and they are sized to fit in a greeting card envelope (3.5” x 7”). For more detailed information, see our Eastside Women of Purpose blog.
If you have someone on your gift list and you have no idea what to buy them…this is perfect. In fact, if anyone doesn’t know what to get me…this is what I want. :) I will gladly sacrifice a random gift item destined for my upper shelf (just kidding, Jon…I LOVE those bowls I’ve never used…heh), for a woman, who feels trapped, to be given the opportunity for more.
This honestly gets me all choked up. Women get training and start their own businesses with only a $100 loan. When their business grows, they hire from the brothels, which gets more young women out and able to gain the self confidence to stand on their own feet. It’s awesome. Then they repay the loan which gets another woman out.
If you want one, comment on this post with your contact info or send me an email (or tell me when you see me cause I usually have them in my purse). Or better yet…click on the “Buy Now” button on my sidebar and I’ll send you one! Unfortunately there is $1 fee for doing this. (Note: you don’t need a paypal account, just click “continue” near the bottom of the payment screen).
This makes me so happy. I think my church is awesome for doing this. If you are on my gift list, you are in luck, cause people are going to be freed from slavery (literally), people in developing countries will receive clean water, and relief will be given to help fight the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time: HIV/AIDS. A gift will be given in your name to help the oppressed, diseased, hungry, enslaved, orphaned, widowed…the list goes on. Now…can you really compare that to a random sweater or gift card?
Now watch the video, it’s pretty fun…
Ollie got to wear the dinosaur costume that Noah wore 2 years ago. Check it out. When Noah was his age he was actually scared to wear it. Ollie didn’t want to take it off! I think he may have worn it for 3 days straight. He loved running around the house yelling “Raaaawr!” I finally had to hide it.
My friend, Heather, had a Halloween party. This is probably the only time you will ever see Joe in a costume. If you can’t guess…he is Remy and I am Colette from Ratatouille. Ollie cracks me up in these pictures.
Heather and I share the same love/hate for Martha Stewart. We found all this awesome Halloween stuff in the October issue and it was all over. Had to be done. Heather made that house and actually poured windows using melted sugar. Isn’t it cool how the light passes through. Cool….but crazy! Darn you, Martha!
I had an Azalea bush that died on me. (no surprise) So, I spray painted it and we hung the favors off of it. We also made ghosts from fondant, marshmallow bones, and skeleton cookies. All Martha creations. She really makes me crazy.
Halloween night we went to our church for a some candy, bouncy houses, airplane rides and all kinds of crazy activities. Lots of fun….but whoa, sensory overload! Good thing Amah and Yeh Yeh came with us.
Ollie was a fan of the popcorn, face painting and balloon animals. Daddy was a good sport.
Noah just liked to show off his Spiderman muscles. He’ll sing the theme song if you ask him. Although, instead of “spins a web, any size” he sings “spins a wrench, any size.” heh. (He’s also a fan of Handy Manny.)
Noah also enjoyed the balloons and face painting. I wasn’t with him when he got his face painted. But when he saw it in the mirror at home he instantly broke into tears. My perfectionist child was upset that the mouth wasn’t exactly how he envisioned it. I’m sure my Mom would laugh at this since she had to put up with much worse from me at that age. Sorry Mom. I understand now. :) I guess I had it coming.
Mommy: My head hurts.
Noah: Oh. Well…MY head doesn’t hurt.
Mommy: (pause…thinking, that’s not very nice) Well, that’s good.
Noah: Hey! Do you want to borrow MY head?
Ah…the simple mind of a child. I couldn’t stop laughing. He looked at me with a completely straight face. I love that he would lend me his head if he could.
So…my relationship with ‘Amy’ goes way back. Tremaine Dance Conventions and Cinderella Pageants dancing to El Shaddai and Sing Your Praise to the Lord. Then, when I actually BECAME a Christian at 23, I had an Amy Grant “revival” and listened to her on the subway on the way to work. Her music from the eighties was, amazingly, totally relevant to my life at the time and each word seemed like she was singing right to me. I, like everyone else who loved her, felt like I had a special connection to her. (but since my name is Amy too…I really do have a special connection to her…so there!)
When my friend Marisa invited me to go see Amy Grant AND meet her backstage I felt like I won the lottery. I admit I am a total dork. Since that day I have been crying just at the ‘thought’ of meeting her. (I honestly had to pull the car over when I heard the concert commercial on the radio…very very pathetic, I know).
Anyway…I thankfully did NOT cry when I saw her (although I did during El Shaddai, but come on…how could you not). I was shaking when we met her and don’t really remember what happened cause I went into some strange trance I think.
She is just as awesome as I would imagine her to be. I was fully rocking out to the eighties tunes which are soooo awesome, still. And I will continue to rock out to them in my car and living room cause it puts me in a great mood. Although, they have to be full blast or it doesn’t work.
These little pumpkins had a blast at the pumpkin patch down the road from us. I was amazed it went so well and the big pumpkin (Joe) even wanted to come along. :) Joe took most of these pictures and I love so many of them that I can’t decide….so, here’s a lot…
They were so good at sharing that day. (Notice the Ethel gloves in the background. Perfect for pumpkin picking and sooo cute!)
Ollie kept falling down, and Noah helped him up every time.
The kids are cute and all…but LOOK at those gloves! haha. Just kidding (well..kind of). I’m just in love with Ethel gloves. I already thought they were great, then they donated gloves for our Golf Tournament gift bags. They have great design sense AND a heart for the world. Just awesome in every way.
Ollie sat on every pumpkin that was just the right size.
Then he decided to be creative and stack them. I love that he did this, and especially that he stood back and looked at what he had built.
I love Noah’s expression here.
Ollie was not impressed with the tractor at first.
Then he got excited. (notice his crossed ankles…hehe)
